Chapter 6

Back at the Groovy train, the atmosphere felt very thin as Pyjamas and Rouge stared at each other in the empty office. The Bat was clearly annoyed to be wasting her time like this. Without a care, Rouge bent down to grab her bag and adjusted it over her back, making sure not to hurt her wing too much.

"Well thank you for wasting my time, but I gotta dash before those two idiots decide to return the stone."

"Why are you so persisted in retrieving it? Surely the stone isn't that much on the market, unless…"

Rouge knew she wasn't stupid. She stood up, lifting her arms and smiling.

"Well, I am a collector of course, it'll be a waste to simply keep it somewhere, which you can never touch it. In a way, I'm saving it from all that collected dust at that place."

But then she got agitated as the Dog smiled and sighed.

"You're lying. In fact, you're afraid." Pyjamas stated.

"And what makes you think I'm afraid?" The Bat scorned at the Dog.

"Depends, who you're working for?" Pyjamas asked.

Even though Rouge couldn't see her eyes from under all the shaggy hair, she felt her piercing eyes stab right through her. She didn't know why she was starting to feel uncomfortable around Pyjamas; because she was so mysterious? Or spot on right?

"Look my patience is wearing thin, so I suggest you get out of my way." Rouge demanded.

"And what about the spell? Ebony is quite popular around these parts, so I won't be surprised that Omen and his comrades have already an inkling where you are. As soon as you walk out there, they will find you."

"Oh, look who's showing compassion to a "thief" like me! I'll be perfectly fine on my own thank you. I don't need your mage or your special cup of tea. Now move it!" Rouge demanded again.

But Pyjamas never budged away from the door. Rouge's options were getting limited.

"Look at me Pyjamas. You have no idea what that stone is or what its capable of. The less you know about it; the better. Now please, move out of the way." She looked at the Dog, frustrated and starting to get desperate.

"Ah, so you DO KNOW what the stone is. This stone, whatever it is, or whoever you are working for, may be a threat to all of Mobius. And as my duty as a citizen of this zone, I can't let you leave." Pyjamas smiled.

The Bat looked at her situation with caution. There was still commotion outside, she could use it to escape quickly. But with Pyjamas in the way, her hand reached for her clothes.

Suddenly Pyjamas stood back as the Bat took a different stance; a fighting stance. Did she mean to fight her? Right here and now? Then the Bat rolled up her sleeve to reveal a small knife. Had she taken that from the kitchen downstairs? Pyjamas pondered.

"Believe me love, this isn't how I work. But time is limited, so if I have to get dirty, then so be it." She raised her voice, pointing the knife towards the Dog.

But the Dog simply smiled, standing there.

"Get that Cat on the phone and demand her to return the stone to me. Or you'll get a brand new haircut. "The Bat threatened the Dog, waving the knife towards her.

But then again, Pyjamas didn't move a budge. Frustration started to overwhelm the Bat as she clenched the knife in her hand.

"I'm not playing games here! You have no idea what trouble you lot are getting yourself into!"

"Or what trouble you have landed yourself in. I'm sorry, but I will not move." Pyjamas stated.

The knife in her hand started to throb from her tightened grip. In one swift move, the Bat lifted the knife towards the dog's neck.

"Enough chit chat, get that feline on the phone now, you stubborn Dog!" She demanded.

But just as she spoke out, the Dog in quick speed changed position. Confused, the Dog took one foot back and instead of pushing away Rouge, she grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her towards her. Protesting, Rouge didn't have the strength as the Dog's body flowed in stance. She used her other hand to fight back, but a simple wave of the Dog's hand, knocked the knife clean out of her fingers. The weight of the Dog as she stepped further back, made the Bat fall forwards, losing her grip. The bag on her back shifted, as Rouge screamed from the sudden pain. What was this? Kung fu or something? And yet, Pyjamas never made one hit or kick.

Looking up, Rouge was on one knee, with the Dog still grasping her wrist upwards. Any way she tried to move, the Dog simply turned her wrist a little further and she instantly fell back down. Was this magic? Or a trick?

"What the hell is this?" Rouge hissed towards her.

"Just something I learned from my Tai Chi and self defence classes. Even this Dog can learn new tricks." She smiled.

But Rouge stopped as the Dog's free hand reached down to her head, clasping her cool fingers over her temple. Suddenly her body froze on the spot. Her focus started to blur as the office around started to darken. She could no longer feel her body as it became more distant to her; feeling her mind unravelling. Then she felt a presence lurking within her, a calm gentle voice approached her in the coils of her mind.

"It's alright to be scared, it doesn't hurt I assure you." Pyjamas spoke.

But where was the voice coming from? Even more, how was she able to communicate herself? Her thoughts collected into words.

"What are you doing?" Rouge hissed through her teeth, as she tried to protest from her power that took control of her.

"This is my power…Rouge. I don't like using it the most of times, but If I must then so be it. Just who are you?"

Heartbeat thudding against her chest, feeling the icy cold sweat on her forehead, she tried to reach out for something as panic overcame her. Then like a sudden thunderstrike in her conscious mind, she felt the gentle hands reaching out to her in her mind. She wanted to scream, but nothing came. Then words reappeared in her thoughts again; well parts of it. But she got the jest of what was happening…

"Mind Link…"


Inside the gallery, the spectators and visitors were scattered all across the building. Groups gathered around the tours, as staff explained the important pieces of architect and beautiful artwork that was displayed for all to see. In one area however, one district was closed off by security. The entrance to the exhibit of the stone was closed off from visitors with a large white sheet. But of course, with the coast clear, Ebony and Super Sonic sneaked through without being seen.

The guards patrolling the area were either distracted by visitor questions, or goofing off having their lunch. Either way, it was easy for both of them to access the place.

"Well, that was easy." Ebony finished saying, as she waved her magic over the camera. She controlled the camera to make it look they were never in the room.

"Well with the stone not technically on display, there's no real excuse to keep an eye on it." Super stated, feeling the stone residing in his shoulder bag.

Looking around, with the coast clear, Super removed his sunglasses and disguise to get a better look. Ebony meanwhile kept a watch. The hedgehog stepped closer to the display; nothing interesting there. He was in two minds of simply returning the stone and legging it out of there. Problem solved. But something about the stone and the annoying puzzlement over it, made him think this stone is more dangerous than he thought.

Then he moved away from the display unit, to the back. There the information of the stone was written down. Ebony continued to look around till she spotted something interesting.

"Hmm, says here, it was discovered about four weeks ago. Some say it just randomly appeared in front of them."

"Alien technology?"

"Who knows. But on here, it was discovered at first glowing, like it was sparkling. They thought it was a fallen star or a small meteorite from space." The feline stated.

"No, I don't think so…" Super said as he pulled out the stone in front of him.

He was starting to get anxious; he knew something about this stone and yet, it wasn't getting through to him. Cursing his connection with Sonic, he looked back at the information. Then he saw it. One of the panels, it was said that over the course of history, this precious artifact had been recorded in many different locations. But as soon as it was recorded, it had suddenly disappeared, only to reappear at another time. Was it the same stone from the recent time? Or another stone? Time….

Then suddenly like a bolt within his memories, Super winced out his pain as his head felt like it would explode. He felt Ebony's hand reach out for him but with his eyes closed, he tried to shake off the pain. Then in a series of flashes, the memory of Sonic rushed right at him with various speed. Then in that moment, he WAS Sonic.

He was… in a fight. Something that looked like him, but not him. A robot; yes, something in him jolted him saying it was a Metallix. Then the stone, yes, he remembered the stone in his hand. Then it came to him, the purpose of the stone, what was the stone. Then the memory blurred, as if returning back to the time he was right in. He could hear Ebony calling out his name.

"Super are you ok?"

Slowly opening his eye, he saw the worried look on her face. Hissing through his teeth, he didn't have time to lose. Staggering back up on his feet, he reached for his sunglasses and the disguise of the old man was brought back. Clutching onto the shoulder bag, he ignored Ebony's protest as he grabbed her the hand and dragged her away from the exhibit. Making sure the coast was clear, Super and Ebony raced back to the exit. But the hedgehog stopped to gather his thoughts once outside.

"Super, what's wrong?"

The Feline was confused as the hedgehog handed the bag to her franticly.

"Keep that stone away from me, any speed could trigger it. Get Pyjamas on the phone now."

"Wait, where are you going?"

"If that Bat knows what it is, Pyjamas is in danger. Get her on the phone; I'll meet you back there!"

The hedgehog shouted as he made a quick jolt down the large steps into the crowds; the animals nearby suddenly shouting out from an old man legging it. Ebony was left worried and so, instantly went for her phone. Dialling Pyjamas number, she hoped she would hear her best friend's voice. But it kept going into voicemail. She tried again, went straight to voicemail. Worry started to form into panic; just what was this stone?

Meanwhile, Super had to find a place quiet enough to remove the disguise and make a run for it. The beard didn't even fully disappear as the hedgehog once again ran through the endless maze of streets and paths, trying his best to head back to the Groovy train in time…


Also stepping out of the gallery, Johnny had to leave the building to stretch his legs. It had been a full morning talking to the detective about the missing artifact and yet, they were hardly any clues.

These thieves were pretty good by looking at the footage of the cameras and if magic was involved, then it wasn't good news. Then a thought came to him; maybe Ebony could help? Maybe she could find a clue to the magic being used that can help with the investigation. And just as he thought about her, there she was!

What luck, he thought to himself, as he saw the black feline in the midst of animals. But as he was about to call out her name, he noticed she looked distressed. As he walked towards her, she looked panicked and suddenly, bolted down the stairs and walked right into the crowd. The rabbit had lost her as she had disappeared; what on Mobius was going on there?


Images of memories zipped through her subconscious. Familiar voices and sounds, boomed in her ears as she felt the hands around her tighten. Her body felt lump as the Dog continued to link through her mind. What was she trying to find? But no matter how much she protested; she couldn't fight back the power the physic had.

Then it came to her deepest and strongest memories. A time where she worked for an evil dictator. The scene took her in front of the once powerful Doctor Robotnik; standing proud as he gave her orders. It didn't matter to her the missions; the money was all she was after. Stepping next to her was Omen, just as eager to serve the dictator.

Then suddenly it jumped to another memory. This one being the fall of the citadel; watching the large Robotnik tower crumble to the ground in flames. Her income was gone and her comrades all but erased their existence. But then looking from behind her, she saw the darkness.

There in the darkness was her new boss. And someone she was terrified with. Her heart thudded against her chest in fear, as she constantly felt their eyes targeting her. With given new orders, she had to retrieve the stone and bring it to him. How she would get it, was none of his concern. And if she failed him…

Suddenly pain erupted all over her senses. Her screaming and yelling, made her violently kick back and forth; forcing Pyjamas to get out of her mind. One final push, before the boss was revealed to Pyjamas, Rouge cried out and felt her own will push against the hands that surrounded her.

The visions and memories bounced and suddenly, the room was erupted by a flash. Suddenly, she found herself back in the office of the café. The Bat staggered to get up and saw the Dog was catching her breath, sweat beaded on her brow.

She had been compromised; it was now or never.

Clutching her bag, she speeded towards the door, ran through the heaps of customers and landed outside at the back of the café. Quickly turning, she clutched her head of the constant ringing in her ears as the headache continued to cloud her better judgement. She didn't care as she ran down the street; she had to simply get away.

"Rouge wait!"

Stopping, she heard the voice coming from behind her. Cursing the Dog, she must have been able to know her name through her powers. Pyjamas looked exhausted, but she was still able to catch up to her.

"It's too late. The mission has been aborted thanks to you! Soon, he'll find out I don't have it and hell, he'll come for me!"

"We can help you!" Pyjamas cried out to her.

"And why would you do that? You don't know me!"

"Now I do. And I understand that you're scared. This boss of yours, isn't just a threat to you, but all of Mobius! Please, you don't have to do this alone!"

"Ah, but you're wrong there. She always does things alone"

Suddenly both of them stopped as they heard the voice from above them. Just moving in time, Rouge stepped back as a magic blast erupted near her feet. She fell backwards and stumbled over. The pain of her wing made her cry out, the headache still clouding her judgement. Looking up, she only realised her mistake. Desperate to leave, she gave Omen and his colleagues the opportunity to pounce on them. But instead of capturing her, the Gorillas grabbed hold of Pyjamas.

Trying to get up to help her, the Bats strength was simply gone. Omen shook his head in disappointment.

"Seems I only had to bide my time for you. And I couldn't waste a moment like this." He spoke as he looked at the old Dog, trying her best to free herself.

Rouge tried to shout her name, but the Gorillas took her in one full swing and jumped high across the street. Rouge watched as the Gorillas swung away, taking Pyjamas. From where she was taken, Omen took the phone that was dropped by the Dog, to see it was Ebony calling her. He took it in his hands and answered the phone…


The feline was getting more worried as the dial noise continued. She was waiting for the next train to come as other passengers waited at the station. Suddenly the call ended with the receiver finally picking up.

"Pyjamas are you alright?" She asked, finally relieved.

"Ah Ebony. So wonderful to hear your voice again."

Suddenly, the feline stood still, feeling a heavy burden falling upon her. She looked around as she waited for the train to come. There was no sign of the Sorcerer or his goons. Her tail swishing back and forth, trying her best to keep calm.

"Where is she?"

"Ah your friend? She's perfectly safe with us, my boys are keeping her very comfortable."

"I swear, if you hurt her-, " The Feline hissed.

"Ah Ebony, you forget me. Before I am Sorcerer, I am first most a gentleman of my word. As for my associates, well they are more abrupt I'm afraid. And it's quite simple for what I need. Bring me the Stone and I shall return Pyjamas to you. I shall message you the location and time in due course. And please Ebony, let's be civil about this."

And then the call ended. Fear and sheer hatred for the guy erupted within her. Ignoring the animals around her, she ran out of the train station and using her magic, flew high into the sky. Clutching the shoulder bag, she wanted to find that Bat and give her a piece of her mind…


Making sure the coast was clear, Super Sonic zoomed past the last few buildings and landed at the back of the Groovy train. But to his horror, he saw Rouge on the floor. As he reached out for her, he suddenly looked up. There, floating in mid-air was an old Rat with a long white moustache. He was delicately stroking his long white hair with a smirk. He waved the phone to them both and smiled.

"Be seeing you soon Demon." He smiled, before suddenly shooting down another magic beam at them.

The hedgehog had just enough time to grab hold of Rouge and dash away from the blast. Looking up however, his head spun to try and see him. But he had clearly vanished, leaving the both of them alone. In a fury, he looked at the Bat and pulled her clothes towards him in a tight grip.

"Where is she?"

"They took her. The Stone; for her." The Bat stated.

"And not just any stone; is it?" Super snarled at her.

"No, I'm afraid not…. he's after the TIME STONE."


TO BE CONTINUED IN THE NEXT PART "X -Agent Rouge"