Chapter 12: Kiss of Death

Rouge stood before Bianca gazing at the dark aura surrounding her. "Make your move, Kitty. I'm ready for it."

The feline lunges at the bat swinging her mace at her.

Rouge dodged a bit panicked at how swift she got. "Wow. Guess you didn't take the first loss well."

"I will not have you ruin everything I've worked for all of these years." She leaps up and dives down striking where she stood.

The bat flies up and swoops down grabbing her. "You think this power of yours can stop me?" She throws her up and kicks her down to the steel girder below.

Bianca landed hard causing the steel to bend and distort from the collision. She got up as if she wasn't hurt. "You can't hurt me so long as I'm holding this power."

Rouge dives down spinning aiming for her.

The feline grabs her by the ankle holding her upside down. "You have no means of defeating me."

The bat looks and notices the rocket about to launch. "Maybe you're right. There probably isn't a way for me to stop you." She breaks out of her grip and flies up on top of the rocket. "Am I right?"

Bianca runs up the side of the rocket and face her on the top. "Don't even bother moving. I'll finish you myself."

Rouge crosses her arms watching the feline approach her. "Perhaps before you finish me off I'll steal a little something from you."

"There's nothing of mine you could possibly steal from me." Bianca stood face to face with the bat holding up her mace. "Any last resort you want to take?"

Rouge places her hand on Bianca's chin and leans in gently giving her a kiss.

The feline stood in shot as she dropped her mace and her dark aura faded away. "You… You…"

"…stole your first kiss?"

Bianca felts her lips still a bit in shock. "Wow."

"So long, Bianca." Rouge flies off the rocket in a hurry.

The feline gasps looking down as the rocket launched with her on top of it. "No!"

Rouge flies down to a carrier below grabbing the gems watching the rocket ascend.

A few soldiers approach her. "Where's the fugitive?"

"Shooting for the sky."

They look at her surprised by her statement. "You actually took her down."

"I knew I would." She hands them the gems. "Can one of you give me a lift back to the base?"

After a flight back to the mainland, the GUN Commander had come to see Rouge who was in her locker. "Packing up your things or are you sorting them?"

Rouge closes her locker looking up at him wearing her signature jumpsuit with the heart bosom. "You can't get rid of me that easily, sir."

"So you're staying with us?"

"After the journey I've been on, I could use a little more excitement like this. As long as the pay is good."

The commander crossed his arms with a smile on his face. "Well that's good to hear from you." He holds out the Chaos Emerald she had taken from the museum. "We have a new assignment for you."

Rouge takes the gem smiling. "I'm all ears."

"The mad scientist known as Dr. Eggman had recently broken into Prison Island. He uncovered Project Shadow and is making his escape. We need you to go undercover and find out what he's up to."

"You got it, sir. I'll just need to make a quick stop somewhere before that."

"Where?"

Back on Angel Island, the echidna was resting on the shrine asleep beside the Master Emerald which was covered in ropes.

Rouge was standing on top of it as she grabs the ropes spreading her wings. "This is going to be heavy, but worth it." She starts pulling the rock from its resting place and flies up from the island.

Knuckles woke up from the sound and looks at the empty resting spot. "The Master Emerald!" He looks up seeing the bat carrying the gem. "Hey! You're that bat from the other day!"

"Just thought I'd collect my souvenir from my last visit." She makes her way off the island.

"Get back here!" The echidna chases after her on their way off the island.

"I love my job."

Meanwhile…

Bianca had washed up on the beach of a deserted island having survived her unexpected flight.

A mysterious figure in a dark hood suddenly appears and approaches her body looking down at her. "I'm sensing a darkness deep inside you. Perhaps you can be of use to me." He grabs onto her and drags her away before she can wake up. "Only a matter of time."

End of Agent Red.

Rouge will return in Zero Shadow.