AN: And now we introduce a pair of familiar faces. Long time no see guys! Also of note is that I based these two off my own personal interpretation and not that of the Archie comics.

Club Rouge was not what Vector had imagined. As opposed to being hidden away down a dark and uninviting alley, the large, luminous building was standing slap bang in the middle of a busy street, making a bold statement to anyone who happened to stroll by. Something about its sleek and sexy demeanour reflected the personality of it's host, and Vector had no doubt that he'd find the thief inside.

As they approached the main entrance, two bouncers paused their conversation to observe the trio's approach. Vector and Espio immediately went on the defensive, giving a now wide awake Charmy a surreptitious glare. Of all the times he needed to keep his mouth shut, now was the moment he was most likely to open it.

The two men in dark shades folded their arms across their chest, trying to intimidate the Chaotix as they came to a stop just short of the white line marking the limitations of customer-security interaction. One of the bouncers, a green duck with a red neckerchief, impatiently tapped his foot, displaying his desire to move around and his irritation at being forced to remain still.

His co-worker fared slightly better, being less lanky and more on the stocky side. His pale fur was decorated with a green scarf and a comfortable looking woolen hat that failed to cover his ambitious hair. Vector had to wonder how he wasn't suffering from heat stroke wrapped up in all that warm clothing.

'Hold it!' The bulky polar bear held a hand inches from Vector's face. 'Your name?'

The crocodile did not appreciate this gesture, feeling his blood begin to boil. He considered it incredibly rude to shove a hand in someone's face. Charmy shot forward, only to be stopped by Espio, who had reacted just in time to grab the bee's collar.

'There a waitin' list or somethin'?' Vector quizzed, watching as two people walked right on in.

'I'm under strict orders from the boss,' The bear replied from behind his shades. 'Not to let anyone resembling a chameleon, a bee and a crocodile through these doors.'

'That's discrimination!' Charmy exploded, trying his best to wriggle out of Espio's hands. 'When I get free, I'm going to sting you so bad!'

With a calm demeanour the crocodile waved Charmy down, instructing him to be quiet whilst he handled the situation. It came as no surprise the bat thief was taking precautions. Her charms were nothing compared to her whiles, and Vector had an inkling their trip wasn't going to run smoothly. Violence was always a last resort, but from the look of things, this bear wasn't going to back down.

'If you continue to cause problems, I'm afraid I'll have to personally exonerate you from the premises.' The bear threatened, almost hopefully.

'Yeah, yeah, exonerate!' The duck repeated, ecstatic. Then he paused, completely stumped. 'Hey Bark, what's exonerate mean?'

Bark sighed, letting his tough guy façade dissolve for one brief moment, 'It means to remove them from our presence.'

'Oh right, right!' The duck nodded so fast his glasses almost slid off. 'Bean gets it now.'

Vector rubbed the back of his damp neck. Exonerate wasn't the right word, and he was baffled at how two seemingly stupid creatures could be hired by someone as sneaky and cunning as Rouge.

'Don't ya mean evacuate?' He corrected helpfully.

Bark stared at him for a long time. So long in fact, that the crocodile almost thought he'd somehow managed to pull off Espio's camouflage technique. When the bear eventually did speak, he had nothing but contempt for the detective's brazen reply.

'Don't correct me!' He growled in a husky voice. 'I know what I meant and I meant exonerate.'

Vector was almost certain the bear had no clue what such a big word meant, and though he was more than willing to argue until the sun came up, more pressing matters were at hand. He needed to find a way into the club before Rouge got wind of their arrival and fled. There was no way they'd be able to keep up with her.

Bean clicked his tongue and hopped from foot to foot, 'Are we gonna beat these guys now? Come on let me beat them!'

Bark extended an arm to hold his friend back, 'No. That chick doesn't want us making a scene outside her club.'

The duck stomped his feet like a child having a tantrum, and suddenly Vector was reminded of Charmy. In another life, the two of them could have been best friends.

'Look, you're not coming in, so scram!' Bark pointed to the road, flexing his muscles to deter any attempt the gang would make at forcing their way through.

Vector did as he was told, dragging Espio, who in turn was dragging an uncooperative Charmy, with him. Once they were round the corner and safely out of view, the team huddled in a small circle to discuss their next strategy. Entering by conventional means was a no go, as was kicking the door down and barging their way in.

'Anybody got any ideas?' Vector quizzed, having not thought this far ahead. 'Anything at all?'

'I HAVE ONE!' Charmy screeched, only to be bonked on the head by an aggravated Vector.

'Be quiet! Those two may still be listenin'.'

'Okay!' Was his equally high-pitched answer. 'All we have to do is get a dress, a wig and some lipstick, then one of us will dress up like a woman and lure those two away!'

The silence that followed was enough to discourage the bee from making another suggestion. He certainly had an active imagination.

Espio considered blending in with the environment so as to sneak in unseen, but Vector was afraid the chameleon would get distracted. For someone who focused solely on concentration as a way of life, Espio's habit of finding something other than work to dedicate himself to was rivalled only by Charmy. And, being only six years old, the bee at least had an excuse.

'Maybe we should sneak in round back?' Vector peered into the alley at the back of the building, finding nothing but trash cans riddled with garbage bags. There was a door, but it was padlocked, and they'd left their lock picking equipment back at headquarters.

'I knew I shoulda taken that breakin' and enterin' class,' The crocodile deplored.

'It's getting late,' Espio gestured to the large, flashing clock residing in the centre of town. 'Might I suggest we simply approach the odd couple guarding the doors? I think I may know how to gain access via conventional means.'

Vector scratched his head, 'Ya sure?'

'Trust me.'

The crocodile sighed, 'I hope ya know what ya doin'.'

They made their way back to the club's entrance, where Espio presented himself to the henchmen. They seemed rather unimpressed by the whole ordeal. Bark in particular seemed completely unphased by their determination.

Back again?' He smirked.

Espio nodded, 'We'd really like to speak to Rouge.'

'And I'd really like a little recognition, but life's not fair.'

'How about we cut a deal?'

Bean seemed eager to intervene, but Bark spoke before the words could escape his beak, 'We don't accept bribes. We may be petty, but at least we have our pride.'

'Pride is something you and I have in common,' The ninja replied, taking a step toward the abhorrent bear. 'Which is why I would like to challenge you to a duel.'

Bark considered this with a furrowed brow, pinching the end of his chin whilst deliberating the best course of action, 'It's been ages since I last had a good fight.'

'So you'll agree to our terms?'

'What are you after?'

'If we win, you grant us access to the club. If we lose, then we'll exonerate ourselves from your presence.'

Vector had his fingers crossed behind his back. Charmy watched in fascination, his tiny wings slicing through the air with swift, rapid movements. If they didn't accept the challenge, it was on to Plan B: A full-fledged street brawl. Either way, they were getting inside.

'Okay,' The polar bear said, removing his shades to reveal two gleaming eyes accompanied by a wide grin. 'What'll it be? Two against one? A tag team? Or perhaps you'd like to take me on by yourself?'

His arrogance infuriated Vector, who was instantly reminded of the blue hedgehog. As much as he admired the blur's courage and skill, the one thing he couldn't stand was his unrepentant self-assured attitude and cocky disposition. At that moment, he wanted to knock the bear right off his pedestal.

'It will be you and my cohort,' Espio motioned to Vector. 'Against the duck and I.'

'A two way battle, I like it.' Bark responded, calling to his overzealous friend, who also removed his sunglasses. 'Don't cry too hard when I wipe the floor with you.'

Bean bounced on his heels, 'Do I get to use my dynamite? I've been itching to blast some bombs lately.'

'No weapons.' Espio asserted. 'It shall be a simple game. Best out of three wins.'

Bark bashed his knuckles together, 'Finally some decent action in this town. I hope you've got good medical insurance, 'cause when I'm through with you, you'll be slurping your food through a straw.'