Sonic Heroes 4

Yep, another one in my ongoing series… while Sonic Heroes 3 concentrated more on Amy, Sonic and Raven, this one will involve the Chaotix and Shadow. Reviews are appreciated.

Espio fastened a pair of stealth binoculars around the horn on his nose and gazed through them. He had been working for Thorn for a while now, but this was his biggest job yet.

Thorn didn't have a name for his profession, at least not one that Espio knew. Over 60 percent of all murders in the area went through Thorn. Corrupt senators, mobsters and angry wives went to him to ask for death. Thorn didn't kill anyone himself. He distanced himself by contracting the Chaotix to work for him.

The Chaotix, after their fight against Eggman, had run very low on work. Vector worked as a bouncer at a club, but it wasn't enough. They were evicted and lived in second-rate motels for a while. Thorn found them and picked them up. Now they worked on the opposite side of the law, but the pay was excellent and they hadn't had to cook a meal for themselves for about three months.

Espio's mission today was to take down a drug dealer. He didn't know who had asked Thorn for the death. He didn't care. He just knew he had to do his job.

The drug dealer was named Diaz. Espio had tapped his Palm Pilot and figured out the man's entire schedule. Diaz, in five minutes, was going to get into a black limo, along with two bodyguards. The other six bodyguards would get into two sports cars that would arrive several minutes afterward. They were driving to a restaurant, where Diaz was meeting another drug lord, named Monterey, interested in connecting their businesses. The challenging part was that Espio had to make it like Monterey had killed Diaz.

Sure enough, Diaz was getting into the limo. Two guards, burly and bald, followed him. The others lingered, waiting for their transports.

Espio took on his powers of stealth. He flitted across a wall and quickly jacked a new clip into his gun. Still invisible, he flitted toward the guards.

"Boo," he whispered in the ear of one, just before shooting him.

The five others turned at the sound of the gunfire, guns blazing and spent shells tinkling on the cement upon which they stood. They couldn't see what they were shooting at, but they fired anyway. They couldn't see Espio dodging for all he was worth. The wisps of smoke from their guns faded away. Espio gave a low moan of pain and jumped into midair.

"We must have got him," said a bodyguard.

Just then, Espio appeared in midair, swinging his foot and booting the guard in the face. Landing, he shot around with his gun, leaving three guards standing. Pulling out his shuriken, he left another guard on the ground before facing the last two.

Espio performed his Tornado Attack. The guard was launched a good six feet in the air. All in one movement, Espio backflipped in midair and kicked the airborne guard into his friend. While hanging upside down in midair, Espio fired rapidly with his weapon, eliminating both.

The cars that were meant for the bodyguards pulled up. Espio sprayed a clip of bullets into one of the car's tires. When the drivers got out in protest, he shot one and choked the other. Getting into the car with unpunctured tires, he put the pedal to the metal and sped after Diaz.

Espio had little experience with cars, but the little he had was all put into dodging traffic. The chameleon turned a corner and saw a long line of rush hour traffic. He took the sidewalk as a short cut, sending pedestrians fleeing and café tables tumbling. He drove into the intersection just as a green light flicked on. Espio wrenched the steering wheel so his car went into a 360 across the intersection. Cars zipped around him as he spun directly into a parking lot. With his binoculars he saw Diaz getting out of the limo and entering the restaurant. And it was a classy one. Any restaurant that could sit next to Chateau le Magnifique in Central City was a good one. This was lost on Espio as he darted through a back entrance and put on a waiter's clothes. Picking up a bottle of champagne, Espio dropped two small pills into it and walked into the main dining room.

Diaz was laughing at a joke Monterey was telling. The guards sat stony faced. Espio arrived.

"Your champagne, sir," he said in a low voice.

"I didn't order any champagne!" said Diaz angrily. The guards stood up. But Espio was ready.

He shook the bottle of champagne and popped the cork. It struck Monterey in the windpipe with the force of a bullet. He broke the bottle in another guard's face, knocking him out, and hurled the other guard into a plate-glass window.

Diaz stood, looking furious. Patrons of the restaurant were dashing for the exit. Espio pulled out Monterey's gun and fired. Diaz slumped to the ground.

The police would be coming soon. Diaz was notorious, and they'd take the bullets to the forensics lab. The bullets would be traced to Monterey's gun. If he'd survived the cork to his throat, he'd be sentenced to life in prison.

Grinning widely, Espio got back into his car and drove off.

"Excellent, Espio," grinned Thorn when he returned. "What can I say? There's a bonus in it for you. Nice trick with the champagne cork."

"Thank you, sir," said Espio, although he couldn't keep the irritation out of his voice. He should have known Thorn was videotaping him.

"You know, Espio, I don't have many like you," sighed Thorn, standing up and tracing his words in midair with his cigarette. "My other men, they do the job well, but too many witnesses. You've got invisibility, so you blend right in. Vector, he's strong, but not too bright. You're cunning. Charmy, he's got a good heart, but he's inexperienced. You're a cold-blooded veteran. You're the best I've got, Espio, and that's why you get this new job." He slid a folder toward Espio, who looked inside it.

"I know a pimp in Station Square," said Thorn as Espio leafed through the folder. "One of his dancers, a bat by the name of Baton, found out that her sister died. He gave her five days off, cause he's understanding, you know? Let her get it off her mind. Thing is, she never came back. He called me. I did a little bit of work, and I've figured out who she's traveling with."

Espio flipped to the last page in the folder. What came next felt like a kick in the gut. There was a picture of the bat dancing on a stage. Next to that photo were two photos. One was a blurry one of Shadow, taken at the crime scene when he stole the Chaos Emerald. The other was of Omega. Espio couldn't figure out when that one had been taken. But he knew that he couldn't kill their friend.

"Sir?" asked Espio. "Are Sha… I mean, the hedgehog and the robot supposed to be killed?"

Thorn gave Espio a friendly slap on the shoulder. "You know how I work. How you work. No non-civilian witnesses. Robots aren't civilians, and neither is the hedgehog. His name's Shadow. He's a clone, and clones aren't civilians either. So yes, I do expect you to kill them."

Espio's heart sank. "Sir, I have to protest. I… know Shadow and the robot. And I knew the bat's sister. I can't take this case on."

Thorn's eyes turned icy. "That's a shame, isn't it? Then I guess little Vector and Charmy get tossed in the street."

Espio's eyes narrowed. He knew that he himself could survive on the streets with his invisibility. But Vector and Charmy would have a lot harder time of it. Vector had gotten a job, but it wouldn't be enough. Plus, the crocodile had managed to piss off a few gangs before he left to be with Thorn. And Charmy was too young. The solution was killing Thorn, but then they wouldn't get money. What Thorn kept in his safe wouldn't last forever.

"Fine," said Espio. "I'll do it."

Oooh… cliffhanger! Please review!