Chapter 20; PART ONE

Thursday, October 19th.

We watched from the shadows as the bat emerged from the base. She looks for us but not for long. I can tell that she is anxious. She paces around the entrance and wrings her hands. I confirm that she had no idea about GUNs deal with the Eggman. Her attempt to secure the tablet was predicated all on instinct, and not a premeditated move to hide evidence. For an hour, we watch as her frustration mounts. Twice she extends her wings to fly away only to return a few minutes later.

Eventually he arrives. Shadow is flocked by robotic hedgehog mechs. The two exchange words and it is obvious Shadow is not under attack or in any danger. Had he reached some sort of deal with Eggman's pawns?

Vector gives the order to move out. There is more intrigue here but it extends past the scope of our mission. The boss congratulates me on a job well done, but nothing is finished yet, I can tell by the look in Vector's eye. During the entire journey back his attention is glued to the tablet. He repeats the message to himself again and again. I've never understood how his mind works. At times Vector seems simple, almost inane, but, put a mystery in front of him, and he has a perception that can see through a solid wall.

I've got that feeling in my stomach. Something is wrong but I could not begin to describe what it is. People in power always exaggerate their accomplishments, even create ones out of thin air and lies. But why do I feel so sick?

When we return to the city I can feel the nausea swell. On every face I see a mask and behind every smile I see the danger. This is a world gone to dark. From the highest hill to the lowest slum, everyone is crawling over each other. In a shrinking glass we've expanded and hit the edge. Now there is nothing to do but consume. Nothing is sacred, no act is too violent.

In the midst of the crowd I feel the element. The hidden knife pressed against its neighbors back. The lie ready to pull the string that unwinds a family. The secret loaded like a bullet that ignites a war. But we're here too. Vigilance wanes under the tides of night but it has not been extinguished.

Espio rested against the window pane and finished the entry into his diary. When he was done he resumed his silent reflection of the rainy city. Charmy was asleep on one of the hotel beds and snoring loudly. Vector sat at his desk shrouded by lamp light and continued to inspect the message between GUN and Eggman.

"Do you feel it?" Espio asked.

"Feel what?" Vector yawned.

Espio curled his hand into a fist. "Something's out of place. There's more to the case than this."

"Something is always out of place," Vector reminded him.

That did not assuage Espio's he had ignored her at the time, he could not help but return to Rouge's constant warnings that team Chaotix was in over their heads. "It could be us against the whole military."

"We'll be careful," Vector assured him.

Espio sighed. Now that they had the information, the Chaotix were due to meet their client and turn over what they had learned. The trouble was, they didn't actually know who their client was and only had the vaguest description of where to meet him. Westopolis, 13568 Saturn street suite 1995. Espio had memorized the address but that had done little to help him. On the internet all they could find about the location was that it was a multi use building and suite 1995 was some kind of agency that helped businesses. Espio doubted their client was a simple pencil pusher and felt assured that the company was a front.

"I'm beat." Vector stood and stretched his arms. He clicked off the tablet and lamp covering the room in darkness. "I'm gonna grab some shut eye, we've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow. A big pay day if you know what I mean." Chuckling to himself, Vector collapsed onto his bed and soon his roar-like snores drowned out Charmy's.

Espio would not sleep that night. He had trained his body to work on optimal levels with little need to refuel it with either rest or food. Besides, even if he tried he would only manage to toss and turn. The anxiety in his gut was like acid. At the monastery the monks had taught Espio how to sense danger. If one waited to find a threat with the five common sense it was almost always too late. The true ninja had to project their astral aura outward. Espio had yet to master the technique. Though his astral self subconsciously searched for possible dangers Espio had trouble reading the feedback and pinning down the exact level of the threat.

Standing still would not soothe his discomfort so, after ensuring that Charmy's drones were wired and ready to protect his friends, Espio left the hotel and headed out into the city.

Rain beat down on the weary roads of Westopolis. The damp and dark knight was the perfect environment for those who preferred their deeds to go unnoticed. Espio did not need to shift the hues of his skin to become invisible. He easily blended into the shadowy spots where the street lights did not reach.

He had to mark his targets carefully. In a city as big as Westopolis, finding a criminal wasn't difficult, but finding the right one, the one that was worth his time, took patience and practice.

Espio could cling to the side of buildings and approach unsuspecting victims. Using this method, Espio witnessed several deals without an invitation. Most of them were small timers and Espio could tell that what they carried wasn't too strong. The slightest flick of a ninja star could put them down but Espio had learned that fishing for small fries did nothing to stop the machine of violence and corruption.

He carried on and, throughout the night, the people of Westopolis unknowingly played host to another set of eyes. Espio moved through the streets and alleyways like a ghost. Anyone that did spot him quickly gave it up as a trick of the light or some phantom brought on by exhaustion. Though they could not see him, he saw everything. The thief who was so close to stealing a car when its alarm suddenly blared to life; he credited it to bad luck, never noticing Espio standing on the hood, ensuring his failure.

The woman who risked a short cut through a dark alleyway; never saw the gang of vipers waiting for her behind the trash can. They were frozen stiff in silent fear as the chameleon suddenly appeared in front of them with kunai at the ready. She reached the other side and let out a quick sigh of relief, never knowing what could have been.

Espio kept up his steady guardianship until dawn. As the light streaked between the buildings he returned to the hotel to find Vector sprawled out and cradling his teddy bear. Charmy was nestled up on the far corner of his bed. Since he came from such a large family Charmy had trained himself to sleep on the tiniest portion of bed possible. A habit that had never left him even when the necessity for it had faded.

Espio let his comrades sleep a few more hours but they still grumbled at him when he woke them up. Vector practically sleepwalked into the bathroom and returned still brushing his extraordinarily long teeth. Vector didn't have an extensive hygiene routine but he was very proud of his teeth, so much so that he gilded some of them in gold.

"Make sure you didn't leave anything," Espio said to Charmy as they were closing the door. The bee flew back inside and returned with his phone charger.

"Hehehe, I almost messed up there."

"Should we grab some grub before we meet the client?" Vector asked.

Espio voted against it but he was shouted down by Charmy's eager roar of approval. With folded arms and a scowl, Espio followed his teammates to a nearby coffee shop. Their waitress was a squirrel with an extremely bushy tail. Vector leaned across the table to display his hulking arms and Espio and Charmy both rolled their eyes as he made a pass at flirting with her. As always, the squirrel took one look at Vector's huge jaw and cringed up. By the time it was his turn to order, Espio was red in the face and second hand embarrassment kept him from looking the waitress in the eyes. "I'll have a black coffee."

She hurried away to get their order and Vector sighed. "What is it about me fellas? Do you think the ladies are just overwhelmed by my awesome aura of success and intelligence?"

"Don't forget your super strength and leadership skills," Charmy pointed out.

Vector raised his hands in defeat. "I may as well face it. I will always be lonely at the top. I just can't find a woman who can match my energy."

"Don't worry about it boss! Once we hit this next score you'll be filthy rich. Even if a girl doesn't like you, she still might like your money."

Charmy's idea seemed to strike Vector as perfectly acceptable. He smiled and leaned back in his chair. "That's right. And our client did promise us two million for this gig."

"If we survive." Espio muttered as the waitress returned with their drinks. "Two million won't keep us safe from GUN."

Charmy wilted under the warning. "Really? Then why are we taking this job? I don't want to live on the run."

"It's about the truth, Charmy," Vector said while taking a long sip from his macchiato. "The truth can run but not hide." He sang the last part with no hint of a tune.

"Are you still going on about that theme song?" Espio groaned.

"Brand. It's all about creating a brand. I've already got a deal with a record label. We just need to swing by and play."

Charmy sipped his triple shot espresso nervously. "This isn't a joke guys. We could be in serious danger."

"We're detectives, danger is part of the job."

Espio nursed his cup of bitter black coffee and remained silent. Both of his friends were right. Truth demanded a sacrifice and this time it meant that Team Chaotix put their necks on the line. At the same time, Charmy's caution was not misplaced. Though they had been in plenty of tight spots in the past they had always gotten away. However, those escapes were against small-time crooks and the occasional larger criminal organization; they had never gone up against something as involved as GUN.

After breakfast the team made their way over to Saturn street. Their target building was an unassuming gray skyscraper that was a perfect copy of the dozens all around it. The lobby was packed with busy humans, none having the patience nor the interest to pay the passing Chaotix members any mind. Espio looked at the signs and spotted a name plate for suite 1995, Howard Lincoln.

They rode the elevator to the nineteenth floor and stepped out into a perfectly ordinary office space. Humans in gray and brown suits and skirts sat in cubicles and tapped away at their keyboards. Espio watched them intently but they were too absorbed in their work to notice. They were almost too distracted. Humans often failed to observe their surroundings but Espio could not help but wonder if they were intentionally avoiding any eye contact.

At the end of the rows there was a set of glass doors leading into a single far more spacious office. Espio read the nameplate above the door and confirmed the name as Howard Lincoln. "You ready boys?" Vector asked as he cracked his knuckles and pushed the doors open.

Espio and Charmy followed suit and the three of them crossed the surprisingly spacious office over to the desk on the far end. The walls to their left and right were clear windows. One overlooked the city and the one to their right gave Mr. Lincoln a clear view of all his busy employees. Maybe that's why their eyes never wander from their screens. Espio observed.

Mr. Lincoln himself was a middle aged red haired man that combed his remaining streaks of balding hair over to one side. He wore red rimmed glasses and a green suit with a deep maroon tie. His face was sweaty and when he motioned for the Chaotix to take a seat Espio noted that his hand was shaking slightly.

"It's nice to finally meet ya," Vector announced with his usual lack of an inside voice. He jerked his thumb towards the glass wall on their right. "Your drones gonna hear us? We've got sensitive intel to discuss."

Mr. Lincoln smiled faintly and shook his head. "No worries on that score. The glass is quite thick."

"Well let's not keep the man waiting." Vector snapped and Charmy drew out the tablet and placed it on the desk.

Mr. Lincoln stared at the tablet but did not make the slightest move to pick it up. "You…you were successful I take it?"

Vector smiled and flashed his golden teeth. "In a manner of speaking. Depends on what you were looking for." Vector leaned across the table and placed a sharp claw on the tablet. He tapped it lightly and gazed unblinkingly at the client. "Don't you want to know what we uncovered?"

Mr. Lincoln shot a nervous glance at the door before shifting his focus back to Vector. "Of course…of course."

"Turns out our noble president and his buddies in GUNs high command were pretty desperate for brownie points with the public. So desperate in fact they struck a deal with Dr. Eggman."

Lincoln scratched his wrist but Espio could tell it was just a ploy to check his watch. The chameleon squirmed in his seat. His stomach felt like it was suddenly full of bile. Something's wrong. His eyes darted back into the office. Everyone was working and no one seemed to think it strange that their boss was meeting with three complete strangers. "O…Dr. Eggman…that's worse than I anticipated."

"No it isn't," Vector countered. "I think it is exactly what you predicted."

Espio was brought back to the conversation. "What are you talking about?" Him and Charmy asked at the exact same time.

Vector folded his arms and looked as cocky as ever. "It's lead detective time boys. Allow me to unravel this little knot for all of us." He turned his attention back to Mr. Lincoln. "I like your cover here. You moonlight as a nine to five boss while no one suspects you're secretly a GUN agent? It's a nice story and believable if it wasn't for a couple of holes. You're a pencil pusher through and through. I can see it in your slouch and your soft hands. You aren't a GUN agent, at least you weren't until recently. You've got a nice office. What exactly do you do here?"

Mr. Licoln was temporarily dumbstruck, and so were Espio and Charmy. It never ceased to amaze Espio how quickly Vector could shift from appearing as the dumb jock to the brilliant deteticve. Vector had deduced more than he had let on and now Espio and Charmy were in the audience, waiting for him to unleash his brilliance yet again.

Lincoln used a napkin to dab a bead of sweat off his head. "We distribute permits to construction companies and broker deals between them and local businesses."

"An absolutely menial and useless position," Vector surmised. "Or so you thought. But suddenly your blandness put you on the radar of the right people. Or perhaps we should say the wrong people. Either way, GUN came calling because they needed someone who knew how to cross all the right "t"s and dot all the right "i"s and create the perfect camouflage of paperwork and permits. Does that sound familiar?"

Mr. Lincoln's mouth hung open. "yes…Yes.." He stammered. "But….how?"

"How is a trade secret but why is it what you pay me for." Vector stood up so he could unveil his revelations with more theater. "GUN needed a fix and you were the perfect person for the job. They needed a warehouse but not just any plain warehouse, they needed something state of the art, and they needed it big, but most importantly they needed to keep it a secret. So where is the best place to keep a secret? Well why not right out in the open? The best camouflage is no camouflage at all. With your help they would have all the right permits, all the right justificans to legitimize their new project. But…" Vector added with dramatic emphasis. "They underestimated you. They thought you were just a simple man who would ask how high when they told you to jump. You took a look at their request, calculated all the specifications, looked at a calendar, did some deduction of your own and suddenly you didn't like what you were caught in the middle of."

The entire time Vector was speaking Mr. Lincoln kept glancing nervously at his watch. He continued to perspire despite the fact that it wasn't very hot in the office. Espio sat on the edge of his seat. Beneath his chair, he held a kunai at the ready. Charmy didn't seem to notice anything. He was absorbed by Vector's words and of course the boss himself was way too caught up in his demonstration of intelligence to notice anything out of the ordinary.

"You were afraid so you did what all afraid men do when they land somewhere in between courageous and cowardly, you called someone else. You got us on the job and then recommended us to your new employers. GUN thought nothing of it as they needed all the help they could get and they never would have assumed you were capable of such advanced scheming." Vector approached the desk and towered over the crumbling Mr. Lincoln. "Well today your hen has come home to roost because as you know, there is far more going on here than a simple publicity stunt."

Espio's eyes widened. Vector had saved his most dramatic discovery for last. He smiled smugly when he noticed he had captured everyone's attention. "GUN didn't make a deal with Eggman so they could destroy the Eclipse Cannon they went up there to steal it." A hush followed Vector's words. Espio felt his heart skip a beat. Of course. It was insanely obvious now, as all riddles are once you know the answer.

Mr. Lincoln removed his glasses and set them on the table. He seemed unnervingly calm. "You are as good as you boasted to be. I had my doubts when I first contacted you."

Vector shrugged. "Doubt is a currency that we take all the way to the bank."

A smile flashed across Mr. Lincoln's face before quickly fading away. He covered his mouth with his hand and covered a deep breath. A small exhausted laugh escaped his lips. "Unfortunately you are too late." Mr. Lincoln's eyes were wide and wild with fear and remorse. "They got here first…This was the only way to protect my family."

Espio turned. All the workers had abandoned their computers. An army of armed GUN soldiers stood outside the glass. There was the briefest delay. "I'm sorry."

BRRRRT! BRRTTTT! Espio was thrust to the ground. Vector used his immense weight and bulk to press Charmy and Espio beneath him. Gunfire popped the ninja's ear drums. A hand fumbled beside his and Espio realized Charmy was clutching at him.

He could not say how long they kept firing. It could have been seconds or hours. Espio felt transported. His face was pressed into the carpet and darkness opened up into a world of flame. The monastery was ablaze. Espio watched from afar and helplessness kept him rooted to the spot. He heard the distant echo of gunfire and clash of steel on steel. The great multileveled fortress that had endured for centuries collapsed in a ball of smoke and ruin.

Though it was only a memory, Espio could feel the smoke in his lungs. It cut off his supply of air. His head swam and Espio stumbled on the edge of consciousness. Only the pressure in his hand kept him awake. What am I holding? It was Charmy's hand. The bee was squeezing him as hard as he could. Espio squeezed back and willed himself to stay awake.

Finally, the bullets stopped. The weight lifted and Espio was able to push himself up to one knee. Vector staggered back. He had been shot nearly two dozen times. His scales were bent, and broken. Blood drizzled down his front and congealed out of his mouth. He wheezed as he tried to breathe. When he noticed Espio he smirked. "You're the boss now." His eyes rolled into the back of his head and he toppled backward. He did not move again.