Chapter 1: Alignment
ANGEL ISLAND - 6:27 PM
Agent Warwick closed the door to his off-road 4x4 and climbed the grass hill Knuckles' house sat atop. It was practically on the edge of Angel Island and the view was magnificent, though he had no time to admire it. He turned his attention from the sunset over the mountains to the front door, but the it swung open before he could put knuckle to wood.
The Guardian greeted Warwick with an annoyed glare, so the government agent got to the point immediately. "Have you left the island today, by any chance?"
"I've been eating pancakes and watching Avengers movies all day with my family, as a matter of fact." Knuckles answered bitterly.
"Hmph."
"If you've come to pull an 'Edgar Ross' on me, then let's step over the hill-"
"I got eye witness accounts of you stealing an armoured convoy this afternoon."
"Bullshit."
"That's what I'm here to find out."
Both Warwick and Knuckles looked down at the bottom of the driveway as a second 4x4 pulled up. Vector jumped out of the driver's seat and joined them. "I just heard from Espio. He made it inside the convoy before it deadlocked shut, going about 80 down the freeway. He says the driver looks identical to Knuckles. Hey pal."
They quickly fist bumped. "Well, this is interesting. Sounds like another one of Eggman's clones trying to go viral. Clearly it isn't me, cop."
Warwick frowned. "Don't you care that your friend is closest to the action and in the most danger?"
"Espio's the most experienced in this situation and is no doubt enjoying every second of it. He'll be fine. My daughters are waiting 'til I sit back down to un-pause the movie, even though I've seen Ant-Man twice now. So, if that'll be all-"
"One last question, Knuckles; any idea who this 'clone' might be or his associates?"
"I dunno what to tell ya, boys. Maybe check that fancy police computer in your truck for records. Maybe piss off and leave me to my retirement. I'm sure you'll figure it out."
Vector chuckled before waving goodbye, while Warwick shook his head disapprovingly as the door shut.
"You tell Shinobi I want coordinates the moment that convoy stops."
The crocodile mock saluted the agent. "yEs, SiR..."
Elsewhere, Espio stood next to a titanium crate and had his Shuriken blade trained on the head of an old opponent; Sleuth Dogg. The ninja and hitman weren't the only two locked inside the stolen convoy. Rouge was trying every lock picking tool she owned on the crate, oblivious to the death battle that was about to erupt.
After a tense stand-off, Espio realized his chances of winning a close quarter fight inside a moving truck were slim, so talking might be more useful. "As enticing the idea of killing each other is, I fear that won't solve our immediate problem."
The monstrous Dogg kept his claws at face height while grunting in agreement. "...you suggest a parley?"
"A parley would be good."
"No. You guys should totally kill each other, that's more interesting." Rouge quipped without turning away from the crate.
Espio lowered his weapon and Dogg retracted the razors in his hands as they calmed themselves. The female bat teased both opponents for showing restraint, then she lost patience with her lock picking tools and gave up.
Rouge banged her fist against the convey wall to get the driver's attention. "HEY! PULL OVER!"
His voice was barely intelligible through the metal wall, so Dogg called out to him next. "Speak up! I can't hear you!"
"He said it's gonna be a long ride, mumps."
"You're going to disrespect ME? I'm not the one who makes a living on my knees-"
Rouge' blade swiped past the hitman's face in retaliation. "Next one neuters you, so I suggest you watch it."
Espio climbed atop the titanium crate and sat cross legged. "None of us are getting out of this cage anytime soon, so if you would be so kind as to quiet down while I think, it'd be greatly appreciated."
Dogg turned his back to them. "I seriously don't have time for this shit..."
Rouge put her knife down. "Hopefully that's the only thing we have in common."
"I'm sure princess would rather be getting her nails done than be stuck here."
"I'd rather be collecting my fee for tracking down this over-sized turn table, for your information."
As Rouge and Dogg bickered, Espio shut his eyes and blocked them out. He visualized everything that led up to today's events, and the motivations behind the trio's individual paths which brought them together.
GREENHILL ZONE - 11 AM
The bills being slipped through a mail slot echoed throughout Club Rouge, and the owner woke up in one of the booths surrounded by glass bottles. It was another late night for the bat, and her hangover arrived just in time for breakfast. The G.U.N takeover hurt a lot of businesses during it's peak, and many night clubs were all going under in the aftermath. People were happy to have their freedom back, but hardly anyone was willing to spend money in places like this. Rouge sat up, adjusted her crimson dress and swiped the bills on her way to fix herself a drink.
"Good morning to you..." She said while shuffling through the mail. "Past due, past due, final notice. (sigh) God, things just got back to normal, can't you give a girl a break?..."
Upon reaching for a bottle under the bar, she saw there was only one left. Her stock was dwindling down faster than she thought, and her money situation was soon to follow.
"Why does my happiness come at such a steep price?"
Rouge opted for a glass of water and went up to her office/apartment upstairs, hopping into a hot shower immediately. She opened the club a year ago and business was so good that she didn't need to rely on her criminal activities to get by. While they were still on the task force, Knuckles, Vector and Espio would come by after work and showed their support. Now things have changed, everyone's moved on but only Rouge was struggling to make ends meet in the aftermath. She'd held out hope that business would pick up in the last month, but it's become clear what she has to do if she wants to keep things afloat.
She dug out her jumpsuit from behind a wall of boxes inside her walk-in closest, delighted to discover it still fit perfectly.
"Now, look at you." Rouge said as she posed in front of a mirror. "Why the hell did I give this up?...oh, right. Warwick..."
Sonic, Knuckles and Tails weren't the only ones asked by agent Warwick to retire from their professions in the aftermath. He made it clear Rouge was to cease from "treasure hunting" and stick to legitimate ventures, which she did for the time being.
Today, she goes against that order.
Rouge exited the office while dialling a number on her phone. "Hey Val, it's me - yeah, business isn't doing too well, so I'm back at it for the time being...great. Can you find me something not too far from Greenhill?...that's do-able. Thanks, see you later tonight."
METROPOLIS ZONE - HOURS LATER
Sleuth Dogg knew he was a dead man the moment he joined the shadowy syndicate known as The Chambers. Contract killing to support his family was never going to work for long, and it took finding his wife inside a trunk for him to realize any chance at a normal life was gone.
Now a marked man himself, Dogg has been busy evading assassination attempts with the small circle of allies he has, and today they've tracked down a weapon that could stop any interested parties, and put an end to The Chambers for good.
The hitman followed directions given to him through an earpiece and avoided eye contact while entering a convention centre that's packed with people in suits. His baggy clothing made him stand out in this crowd however no one questioned his presence once they saw his imposing bodybuilder frame and just assumed he was hired muscle patrolling the floor.
"Tell me it's almost here, I don't know how long it'll take for UFE to figure out I'm not one of theirs..." Dogg whispered.
"It should be there any minute now." Maggie Bloodmoon answered. "See if you can make some friends in the meantime."
"Yeah, I'll get RIGHT on that..."
Outside, Espio hopped across rooftops and came to a stop at the ledge of a storefront opposite the convention centre. "No convoy in sight, team leader."
"Stay put, this is just one of many drop points it could pass." Agent Warwick ordered. "Anything looks suspect, you pounce on it immediately."
"Roger."
The moment his finger left his comm, Espio spotted a number of Chambers' enforcers, part of a smaller faction un-afraid of showing face. Their organized movement throughout the crowd worried the ninja since he was alone and severely outnumbered, but he advanced nonetheless.
As he cloaked himself with invisibility and climbed to the centre's roof, he could more accurately count how many enforcers he was dealing with. His bird's eye view of the event through the glass ceiling helped him see who came inside, and that's when his eyes locked on Rouge strutting down the lobby wearing a black suit.
Marked convoy on route and suddenly everyone's here to watch the technology expo, Espio thought. Right. Silly of me to assume nothing's out of the ordinary.
Time slowed down as an enforcer raised an automatic rifle and fired "warning" shots at the entrance. Espio slipped past the glass ceiling and managed to pull the bat to the floor milliseconds before the bullets wizzed by. Panic ensued as enforcers and event security clashed in the building, while Rouge pushed the chameleon off of her.
"Espio, now's not a good time, honey. I'm on assignment-"
"So am I, now help the wounded or get outta here."
"You're under the wrong impression and I don't have time to correct you. Bye."
The bat jumped into the air and quickly flew away from the ninja while dodging gunfire. Espio turned invisible once more and pulled people out of harms way as he advanced through the halls. The enforcers didn't see him coming as he disarmed and incapacitated them in record time. It wasn't until he was grasped by the throat that he became visible again.
Sleuth Dogg looked into his eyes grimly. "If you wish to keep your men alive, keep your badges off my back. I'm not the biggest threat in the room."
The hitman released Espio and fought his way up a blocked staircase. The chameleon rolled out of the way of incoming shots and entered an elevator for cover.
He spotted the convoy everyone's been looking for backing into the loading dock around back, so he climbed through the elevator shaft and made his way over as fast as he could. The enforcers in his way were dispatched promptly and Espio reached the armoured vehicle before anyone else.
He banged on the driver's side window furiously. "Get outta here NOW!"
The driver's response was to open a small window and aim the barrel of his assault rifle at him, but Espio was gone before he could fire. Instead, the driver shot at a group of enforcers attempting to surround the convoy.
At the back, Dogg was able to open the locks on the two metal doors and climb inside before the convoy sped off. A crate made of titanium was the prize he was after, but he wasn't the only one who came all this way for it. Rouge swooped through the doors and caught the hitman off guard. As he lifted his pistol, she ejected the magazine and dodged bullets until he ran empty. Someone outside slammed the doors shut and three locks clicked before either could react.
"Sorry to break it to you, but you're not leaving with my payday." Rouge quipped.
Dogg faced the bat. "I'm not playing this game with you. It's mine."
"What're you gonna do, wait til the driver's gotta take a piss and then hop out?"
"I'm waiting this out. Someone will bail sooner or later...or maybe I start thinning the heard."
Rouge produced her blade. "I gotta warn ya, my ex showed me how to do some nasty stuff with this thing. Continue at your own risk."
Suddenly, Espio appeared between them with his shuriken drawn. "We're locked in here now. I plan on getting out unscathed, but I will fight you if need be."
"Honey, you made it! This bad man is threatening me, take care of him, would ya?" Rouge said with a smirk.
"I know you're up to something as well. There'll be no more bloodshed, least not on your behalf."
She scoffed and knelt down next to the crate. "This is why everyone calls you boring."
Dogg noticed the lock picking tools she pulled out and said, "You're not going to open shit with those things."
"It's worth a try, Dave Bautista."
The convoy came to a brief stop and the trio heard the driver's door open. Some words were exchanged before the door shut and they were moving once again.
"They swapped drivers." Espio said.
"How the hell could you know that?"
"This one isn't breathing erratically and heartbeat is normal...he wanted to lock someone back here."
The driver removed his tactical helmet and looked at himself in the rear view mirror. Anyone would mistake him for Knuckles the echidna at first glance, and that's precisely how he found himself in this position.