Chapter VIII:

A Prickly Situation

It had already dawned on the Chaotix that they had a more than "strange" client. One would think that of their employer if the only the only conversations you had were over long-ranged, hand-held communicators. But, Vector's strictly enforced "company policy" was one of necessity and greed, not of foresight and planning. Besides, as Vector had constantly reminded his associates throughout the case, the bills were overdue and they were strapped for cash.

You would think that an anthropomorphic crocodile, chameleon, and, yes, six-year-old honeybee would be intimidating enough to put off bill collectors.

Apparently you've never been in debt to a roughneck landlord nicknamed "Sluggo."

All things aside, the Chaotix were doing a good job and despite the peculiar requests made by the client, they weren't too miffed with the assignments. For whatever reason, the client had instructed them to come to the jungle and collect, of all things, chaos. Despite the increasingly dangerous numbers and variety of Eggman robots that they'd begun to encounter, Vector, Espio, and, especially, Charmy remained, essentially, optimistic.

Time and again the three detectives would run into a robot and smash it through strength, cunning, or daring. Not long after, they'd locate a Chao, which were in captivity or surrounded by Eggman robots. The client was right about that much; Eggman was after the cute little imps. This somewhat bothered the suspicious mercenaries. It was Charmy, after all who pointed out that "our client sure seems to know a lot about this Dr. Eggman guy."

Suspicions would have to rest, however, as Espio signaled from point position, "Hey guys, there's another Chao up ahead."

Vector saw it too. Though he was in the back, Vector was still tall enough to see for himself. "Yeah," the gruff croc affirmed, "but it looks like we've been beaten to this one."

Vector weighed the situation in his mind.

Apparently, two girls, a cream-colored rabbit and pink hedgehog, had gotten themselves a chao for a pet. Judging by their height and manner of dress, they weren't exactly the toughest looking group to just go gallivanting around the jungle. The appearance of a large, purple cat following the little kids didn't change Vector's assessment either. Vector's keen sense of deduction quickly ruled out any hope of these people being able to defend themselves against an attack from Eggman. There was no other way around it; the Chaotix would have to take the Chao into their protective custody for everyone's benefit.

With a slight burst of additional speed, Vector took point, automatically signaling to the other Chaotix to take the flanks. Within a few seconds, the trio was in "power" formation and came to a stop just a few feet from Amy, Cream, Cheese, and Big. Vector spoke first, in his "diplomatic" voice.

The twenty-year-old crocodile addressed the eldest of the two girls, since of course she'd be able to persuade the smaller, younger, girl better than an older boy. "Excuse me miss," said he, trying to flatter, rather than patronize, the child, "But, I was wondering if I could ask you something."

Amy Rose, not very appreciative of this forward acting stranger, couldn't help but, incorrectly, interpret Vector's intentions toward a different goal, "If it's about a date, it'll have to wait."

Vector was insulted! To say the least this girl was undiplomatic and overconfident. She was far below Vector's two-year-age-difference minimum. "Date!" Vector bellowed, "You think this is a joke ya little brat?"

Espio, correctly, saw that diplomacy was breaking down. Perhaps, one could argue, it was the fault of the Chaotix, who were used to dealing with vandals, thieves, crooks, etc. rather than an overly romantic little girl. Regardless of such considerations, Espio stepped forward, in total confidence that it'd be best to take a position of strength. He demanded, "Hand over the Chao, nice and easy…"

Espio was interrupted by Cream, who'd come to associate these "mean" chao-thieves with Cheese's missing brother. "I bet you're the ones who took Chocola-Chao!" Cream then hugged Cheese close to keep "that sneaky looking lizard" from snatching her best friend away.

Vector was incredulous under such slander, "What!"

The situation was worsening as Big, though slow in actions and thought, was quick to assume the defensive. The, usually gentle, feline stepped forward and warned, "It's not nice to tease my friends."

What a disaster! Never in the history of first impressions had diplomacy and tact failed so miserably. With both sides somewhat "cranky" from previous engagements and anxious to accomplish labors of love and missions of greed it would only take a spark to ignite the powder keg.

It was at this inopportune time that Charmy finally decided to make his first, last, and most damaging contribution to the quickly failing meeting. Eyeing both sides with fervent interest, Charmy declared, "Yeah! Time to Rock 'n Roll!"

Peachy.

Eggman couldn't believe the misfortune that now plagued him. His clueless detectives had, obviously, gotten into a scrape with, what sounded like, Amy Rose, Cream & Cheese, and Big. This foretold of dire complications.

This would, undoubtedly, sidetrack his rescue party, who did not have time to skirmish with children! The longer it took for the Chaotix to arrive, the fewer chances Eggman had of stopping Metal before things got entirely out of hand. It also meant that Metal, terrifyingly enough, was unleashing his own havoc. This was apparent because Eggman had had no intentions of involving Amy or Cream, least of all Big. Even more obvious, Metal had done something serious to lead those three on such an arduous journey that had led them this far. The more Eggman had studied the situation, the more he came to realize what had happened.

"Chaos energy…"

Eggman grumbled the words as if a tremendous stone weighed heavily upon his chest. All too well Eggman remember that frog. Swallowing Chaos's tail, along with a chaos emerald… How could anyone forget? That calamitous croaker! Its radical mutation and change in behavioral patterns were clear signs that it had been completely entrapped by that sliver of Chaos. There was more than enough DNA and irradiated cells on that frog's tongue to give Metal more than enough information on Chaos. Even worse, Cream had already mentioned a stolen chao…

Metal was acting faster than Eggman had predicted. He needed to be free, and soon! But, there was little he could do, besides listening to a live brawl, untold miles away…

The doctor was feeling terribly uneasy. Not that he was motion-sick, mind you. Instead, the slight vibrations he had been feeling for the past few hours were the horrible signs of flight. Eggman had, some days ago, come to the conclusion he was aboard the flagship of his massive Egg Fleet. For identification reasons, all rooms, aboard all ships, were marked as to their classing, deck level, and room numbers. WS-21A was the twenty-first storage room on the flagship's "A" deck. As planned, Metal had launched the doctor's massive armada, precisely upon the hour indicated.

1588 has long since passed. But, the plan of military expeditions was far from used up. Where were the Sea Dogs when they were needed?

It was all coming together, telling Eggman one important fact: he was quickly losing control of the situation. This was simply because he had misjudged the power he'd created. To think! His greatest achievement to date, along with an old clunker, was bringing the great genius's schemes down around his ears! His only hopes rested upon the Chaotix. Success was only possible if the Chaotix remained on the offensive… against Metal!

"How can they keep Metal off-balance, thus depriving him of a chance to exploit any advantages, if they insist on wasting their time on those brats!"

The dual indignation of Metal's unpredictable actions and the Chaotix wasting precious time drove the doctor to drumming his fingers. That wasn't enough to do though. He immediately jumped to his feet and set to pacing and grunting, like a caged animal. After an indeterminable time, the disgruntled prisoner finally burned enough fury away, for now. Seeking comfort, Eggman reclined on his side, holding his head up with his left hand, and tapping the floor with his right. At that moment Eggman noticed that the thumping, jostling, violent, noises ceased emanating from his communicator.

"Finally," he growled, instantly switching to a lotus position. Far from relaxed, however, he grabbed the radio to listen in. It seemed a new conflict was about to ensue.

By now, Espio had managed to walk off his limp. That crazy pink hedgehog was a lot stronger than one would initially suspect. But, when you're a ninja, you can use any sneaky trick to even the playing field.

Chivalry… Ha!

The brawl had ended in the most peculiar sort of draw, with both teams taking a heavy beating. A mallet, a chao, a fishing rod, various kicks, punches, and stings; a veritable feast of abuses had been poured out. Gorging their bodies on the violence, everyone had had their fill; the only way the fight could be called off.

"Talk about a huge misunderstanding…"

Espio mused as the Chaotix ventured out of the forest and onto a twisting nighttime path that was leading them towards a large castle. The ominous fortress had been spotted some time ago, with Eggman airships hovering overhead. It was a simple objective that pushed them towards this inevitable melee: wherever Eggman went, they would go also.

Vector grumbled, adding to Espio's reflection, "Yeah. We sure made fools out of ourselves!"

Filled with a nauseating sense of intellectual superiority, Charmy butted in, "Nothing new for you Vector!"

Having recuperated enough, Vector decided to match wits, with a child, "What? You were the first one to jump at the chance…"

Before Vector could disprove his cohort, the communicator crackled to life, "No time for arguing! Now's the time to be on guard! It's very mysterious around here…"

As the growling voice continued to emanate from the radio, the Chaotix plodded on. It didn't take a detective to tell that tonight would be a long one. Even if it meant extra pay… no one wants the graveyard shift.

Continued…