Author's Note: Good evening everyone! Once again, I would like to give a special shoutout to my reviewers! Thank you, CrankshaftRabbit, IvyRonin, risingzero1984, shadrougeforever, CrimsonLove16, Carlata Jones, and Grey-Chan Fallen for your reviews! I have another arc storyline for this story in mind. I already planted a few seeds earlier on so it'll be interesting to see if any of your pick them up. There will be more Shadamy fluff coming in future chapters so that will be exciting! At any rate, please enjoy!

~Flashback One Day Prior to the Events~

Agent Zonic sat waiting at the main bar at a pub on the outskirts of Mercia. He had a backpack sat in the seat next to him at the bar as he patiently waited for his client to arrive. Sitting there, he stared up at the TV above the display wall of alcohol and sipped casually on a scotch bourbon. Zonic glanced at his wristwatch briefly noting the time. It was 3:00 PM on the dot. His guest was supposed to show up at three.

However, when he heard the door jingle open, he craned his neck and noticed a male, black, jackal in his late 20s saunter into the bar without urgency. He was wearing traditional motorcycle gear like a grey leather jacket, black jeans, sunglasses, and a silver chain dangling from one side, and black boots. His jacket had "Jackal Squad Mercenaries" written on the back with two pistols as their symbol. The jackal removed his sunglasses where he noticed his two different colored eyes—one blue and one yellow. The jackal's eyes wandered the bar before settling in on the blue hedgehog stationed at the bar staring back at him. Zonic glanced away from him and settled for looking straight ahead of him instead.

The jackal made his way towards the agent and parked himself a seat away on the other side of him, making sure to keep a space between them. "Zonic?" he questioned lowly, keeping his eyes straight ahead of him.

"That's right," Zonic replied mimicking his actions to keep their business meeting as discreet as possible.

"I'm Zero, but most people call me Infinite," he introduced. "However, I'm sure you're aware of my background if you've done your research."

A female white bunny bartender approached the jackal interrupting their conversation. "What can I get you, handsome?"

"Whiskey sour," he replied. "Heavy on the sour," he instructed.

"You got it, handsome," she smiled before walking off to the other side to make his drink.

While the bartender was out of earshot, Infinite continued his conversation. "So, what type of business are we getting up to today?"

"Assassination," Zonic made sure to keep hushed.

Infinite crossed his arms across the tabletop and leaned forward keeping his face looking forward. "Who are we taking out?"

"The Brothers of Chaos—specifically their V.P," he answered.

The bartender came back and set down Infinite's drink with a cocktail napkin. "Here you are, hun."

Infinite dragged the beverage closer to him. "Thanks, doll." The female bunny walked away again as another client down at the other end flagged her for service.

Infinite watched her wander off before continuing his conversation. "I'm curious as to why you're aiming for the low-lying fruit. You want to get rid of their V.P but most of my customers would easily go for the top and eliminate the president first. You've piqued my interest."

Zonic took a sip of his drink and rolled his eyes. "It doesn't matter about why I want him gone. All that matters, is you accepting my job and successfully pulling through."

"Of course, I'll take on the job. You should know I have pretty good accuracy when it comes to completing a job. Ninety-eight percent are completed without fault," he bragged arrogantly glancing at his clawed fingertips.

Zonic nodded. "Right, right…well this time it's going to be a little different. I don't exactly want you to get your hands dirty—but instead blame the hit on another group," he explained.

Infinite hummed in thought. "Now you're starting to lose me…it sounds like this job may be more complicated than I'm willing to take on. It's one thing if I do it—I know I won't miss. What is all this messiness worth to me? Cause your price is starting to increase."

"Price is no concern for me." Zonic reached into his backpack and pulled out a manila folder. "Inside this, I have all the information you need to determine who, how, where, and when the Brothers get their shipment for their merchandise. I know that your group is eager to jump into their industry."

Infinite eyed the folder with intrigue. He began to reach for the manila envelope laid out on the counter but Zonic pulled it out of his reach. "Ah-ah-ah, not so fast. We haven't made a deal yet," he tsked.

Infinite scoffed in annoyance and felt his fist tighten. "Layout the plan and I'll decide if it's worth the risk, hedgehog."

"You're going to convince a few members of the Babylon Rogues to take out the V.P and bribe them with this manila folder's information in order to get them to go through with the deal. Once the V.P is terminated, the Brothers will retaliate against the Rogues and more than likely take each other out. During this process, you'll have eliminated two competitors and be leading the industry in the arms trade with the actual coveted information."

"Sounds like a worthy plan, but won't the authorities get involved and try to investigate this matter? Sounds like quite the massacre," he countered.

Zonic shook his head with a grin. "Not at all. If anything, they'll be happy to have the Brothers and the Rogues out of their hair. Two birds one stone, you know?"

For the first time during their whole conversation, Infinite stared at the blue hedgehog hard and long. "How can you be so certain on all of this…Just who are you?"

"It doesn't matter," he rebutted. "Are you in or out?"

Infinite stroked his chin as he absorbed the information. "You seem to have really planned this all out…I'll accept."

Zonic stuck his hand out quickly and the two shook on it before returning to their neutral position. "Fantastic."

"Now, as for payment and scheduling," Infinite segued.

"I'll wire you the money tonight. I want this done in two days' time," he instructed explicitly. "First, there's someone I need to get out of the way in their group that I don't want to be involved in the crossfire," he explained.

~End Flashback~

(PRESENT DAY)

•~•

The next morning, Shadow woke up spooning Amy in bed. The pink hedgehog was still soundly asleep in his arms as he lifted himself slightly to get a better look at her. He removed his arms from around her, rolled over to his other side, and leaned down and rummaged for his cellphone in his pants pocket on the floor. Flipping it open, squinted and noticed the time and quickly resituated to sitting on the side of the bed. Feeling all the shifting in bed around her, Amy stirred slightly and glanced over her shoulder to see what Shadow was doing. "Huh, what's going on?" she asked groggily.

Shadow stood upright and finished putting on his pants. "I have to get to work," he informed her. He reached down and picked up his shirt and slipped it on. "Sorry that I woke you," he apologized quietly.

Amy settled her head back on her pillow and closed her eyes. "It's okay," she mumbled. "Thanks for spending the night with me, it was great."

"Likewise," he smiled. Shadow grabbed his leather jacket off the ground and draped it over one arm. He reached for the covers and moved them up higher, past her bare shoulders. After, he bent down and kissed her cheek. "I'll see you later, Rose," he said quietly.

She smiled while keeping her eyes shut. "See ya…"

•~•

Later that morning, Shadow worked on another client's vehicle when Mighty, Gadget, and Knuckles approached the dark hedgehog. Shadow had yet to speak to the three about their assignment last night and he was eager to hear how everything had gone. The boys had been gone most of the night cleaning up the crime scene. Shadow glanced up from working on his engine as the three walked into the garage. "Hey, how'd everything go last night?"

"Perfectly," Gadget said giving a thumbs up.

Shadow leaned one of his arms over the hood of the car as he eyed the three. "So, it's done then?"

"The body is buried, and the home is thoroughly cleaned," Gadget replied.

"Good," Shadow breathed in relief. "And again, thanks for helping me out last night," he thanked graciously.

The group dispersed and went to work, either starting a new job or continuing to work on a previous one. Shadow went back to working on the engine of his car when Mephiles approached him. "Shadow, remember I scheduled that meeting with Mogul this afternoon at 6 PM at The Tavern in town."

"Thanks for reminding me, it almost completely slipped my mind. I should be done here in time and then I'll get cleaned up before we head out."

He turned to look at the clock on the wall for a second. "Just make sure you're ready so we can leave on time. You know he hates tardiness."

Shadow rolled his eyes. "I know, know…"

•~•

Back inside the main house, Mighty spotted Amy just as she was heading into the kitchen. She looked like she had just woken up and was now fully dressed but still rubbing one of her eyes as she walked. "Aye, Ames!" he grinned and waved.

Amy paused in the doorway and lowered her hand from rubbing her eyes. She smiled in his direction. "Oh, hey, Mighty."

He caught up with her and the two entered the kitchen together where Rouge was already at the sink washing dishes. She smiled as Amy walked over and sat down at the kitchen table. "Well, good afternoon, Amy. Finally woke up I see..."

"Heh, yeah…" Amy smiled sheepishly at the white bat. "Good afternoon, Rouge."

Mighty sat down beside Amy at the table. "I, uh, just came to see how you were doing," he informed. "I want to make sure you're okay—that is, if you're fine talking about it. I was worried sick about you last night."

"That's sweet, Mighty. I'm better today so I can talk about it," she replied.

He nodded slowly. "Yeah, I noticed you've got a gnarly bruise on your cheek," he said pointing to his own for reference. "How'd my training hold up then?"

"Honestly, if it wasn't for your coaching, I think I'd be in a lot worse shape today," she replied. "I'm very fortunate this is the worst damage he did to me because I've experienced a lot worse from him in the past…"

"Shadow pretty much filled me in on everything that happened last night this morning. The only thing he continues to leave out is the details of your date night," Rouge groaned in frustration. "Any chance I can get some deets?"

Amy felt her cheeks go slightly red at the thought of their date night. So much for trying to keep their dating on the down-low. She was sure everybody in the M.C knew about them at this point. "Well," she began. "It was great…Shadow was very sweet, and our date was surprisingly romantic," she answered.

"Awww…" Rouge sighed like a hopeless romantic. "To be honest, you two kind of remind me of Knuckles and myself."

"What do you mean?" Amy inquired.

"Oh, you know. We couldn't stand each other at first—couldn't see eye to eye, then we both realized we liked each other. We've been inseparable ever since," the bat explained.

Amy leaned her chin along her hand resting on the table. "How long have you been together?"

"Almost four years now. It's crazy to think about…Our anniversary is only in a couple more days…" Amy blinked in surprise at the thought before Mighty segued the conversation.

"Are you guys doing anything to celebrate it?" Amy inquired curiously.

"Eh, I'm not sure," Rouge shrugged. "We've been kind of busy to plan anything." Amy hummed to herself as an idea crossed her mind—one she'd save for later.

"So…Where'd you two get your chow on?" Mighty questioned curiously, shifting the conversation.

"He took me to this pizza place just at the beginning of Twinkle Park and I must say the pizza was fantastic," she praised.

"Oooh, I love that place!" Rouge exclaimed. "Sometimes Knuckles and I swing by there and grab a calzone. They're really good, too." She placed a hand on her hip. "I'm so happy Shadow finally came around on you—he's in desperate need of a nice girl like you, Amy. He's been out of the dating field for some time you know. I think you're the first girl he's actually dated since…well, Maria."

Amy's ears perked in intrigue. She was surprised Shadow hadn't dated in some time. After all, he was quite handsome, and she had to assume plenty of girls would go after him. "Really? He really hasn't dated anyone else?"

Mighty shook his head and leaned back in his seat and put his arms behind his head. "Nah, I wouldn't count one-night stands as dating," he chuckled. The room went silent and Mighty glanced between the girls feeling the atmosphere shift from his comment.

"…One-night stands?" Amy repeated a little alarmed by the remark.

Mighty cringed slightly realizing he may have just made Shadow appear a little less respectful in Amy's eyes from his statement. Even Rouge was side-eying the armadillo for revealing a bit too much of Shadow's history. "Oh, uh, you know what…never mind. I gotta get back to workloads of cars to repair, you know." He quickly got out of his chair and jetted out of the room to avoid further discussion of Shadow's past.

Amy turned to look at Rouge who was now drying off plates with a dishtowel. "Is it true? Did Shadow have a lot of one-night stands before dating me?"

Rouge lowered the plate into the dish rack. "Honestly, Amy, I don't think I have a right to talk about Shadow's sexual history. If this is something that you really want the truth on, then I'd talk to Shadow about it. I'm sure he'd be forthcoming with you."

Amy rose from her own seat. "You're probably right. Thanks for the advice, Rouge." She began to exit the kitchen but grabbed an apple on the way out. She wasn't sure why she'd allow something like this to bother her so suddenly? They had only just started dating. Obviously, Shadow had slept with other females before. She shook her head, pushing it to the back of her mind, she didn't need this to be an issue so soon until it became one. "…Anyway, I need to go work on some of my classes."

•~•

12:00 PM – The Tavern

Sitting in a rounded booth in the back corner of the restaurant, Shadow, Mephiles, and Mammoth Mogul, a large set brown mammoth elephant in a purple suit, conducted business together. There was a smoky haze in the air from all the cigar smoke coming from Mammoth's large cigar held between his index and middle finger. Manic sat in another booth directly behind him and kept watch while the business meeting went down. There were no other customers in the restaurant and the "closed" sign had been flipped on the front door to prevent innocent civilians from stepping into their private domain. The only other person that was in the restaurant was the bartender—a grey male coyote, a good friend of Shadow's who was cleaning a glass with a rag and minding his own business.

Mammoth Mogul, leader of the Order of Ixis, was very pleased to hear that Shadow and Mephiles had managed to get enough money again to buy a new order of guns. He puffed out a large cloud of smoke from his cigar and glanced at the two brothers sitting across from him. "This is excellent news and will continue to keep our business afloat. I'm glad you managed to get the money in time," he commended.

"I am too, Mr. Mogul," Mephiles nodded. "How is your side doing?"

"Well, I'm saddened to say we lost Charles yesterday," he spoke solemnly.

Manic's eyes widened in alarm and he turned around in his booth. "Wait, as in my uncle Charles?"

Mammoth turned slightly to address the green hedgehog peering over the side of their booth. "That's correct. I'm sorry we didn't tell you sooner. We were trying to deal with the matter yesterday and time got away from us. I'm sorry for your loss."

Manic ran a hand through his bangs, as his breath hitched. He shook his head in denial. "No, man, this can't be true. I was just talking to him a few days ago."

"One of my rival competitors, Amadeus Prower, beat him to death on one of the piers in Metropolis." He sighed. "I'd do anything to get justice for Charles."

Manic turned back around and sunk down in his seat. "Oh Chaos, Uncle Chuck…"

Shadow frowned seeing his comrade so distraught and began to rise out of his seat to console him. "Manic, I'm so sorry…"

However, suddenly, two male birds entered the building despite the closed sign dangling on the front of the door. One of them was a brown owl and the other male was a silver falcon. Both were dressed all in black hoodies and trousers. Shadow stared at the visitors feeling something was off based on the vibe. At that same time, the bartender glanced up from organizing the alcohol rack when he spotted the intruders looming in the entryway scoping out the room. "Sorry, we're closed. You're going to have to leave."

Quickly composing himself, Manic hopped out of his booth and reached for his pistol strapped to his side sensing something was off with their new unannounced guests. He was already devastated and was eager to take out his anger on the next person asking for trouble.

However, the two unnamed birds both pulled out their own guns and aimed them in Shadow, Mephiles, and Mammoth's direction. The bartender rushed to the back of the store, but Shadow immediately caught a glance of their guns aimed in their direction and shoved Mephiles down and under the booth just as they began to shoot towards them. "Get down!" he shouted.

Manic pulled out his own gun and began shooting at the two assailants. The two birds ducked behind some upturned tables they had kicked over to use as shields as they waited for another moment of attack.

Mammoth did his best to get out of the booth in time, but due to his large size, he was unfortunately clipped by a bullet in the shoulder. He bellowed and fell to the floor with a tremendous thud but Manic leaped in front of him, kicking down a table nearby to use as a shield to keep Mammoth and himself protected from any more attacks.

Meanwhile, under the table, Shadow loaded his own gun while the two hid. "Don't," Mephiles reprimanded. "Allow Manic to handle it."

Shadow shook his head. "No way, it's two against one out there." Mephiles watched as Shadow popped back above the table and laid his arms with his gun aimed at the tabletop and took a few shots at the silver falcon who had popped his head out behind the side of their makeshift table shield. He managed to get a clean headshot and watched the bird crumble to the floor. Leaving just the owl left, he came barreling out behind the table and began shooting rapidly at Shadow and Mephiles' booth, but both Manic and now the bartender who emerged from the kitchen with a shotgun, both managed to shoot the owl dead. The brown predatory bird dropped face-first into the carpet.

Seeing the coast was clear, Mephiles and Shadow emerged from their hiding spots. Shadow rushed over to Mammoth and crouched down to assess his damage. "Mr. Mogul, where are you hurt?"

"S-shoulder," he wheezed.

Shadow moved the hand he had pressed against his shoulder and saw the large hole oozing blood. "Fuck…" He looked over to Manic with urgency. "Manic, call Mighty and tell him to bring Amy over here stat!" he ordered.

Manic nodded. "You got it." He reached into his back pocket and began dialing on his phone.

Shadow glanced over to the bartender. "I need some fresh rags to apply to the wound in the meantime to prevent any more blood loss."

The coyote nodded frantically. "I'll grab some from the back," he said before rushing off.

Shadow looked down at Mammoth whose breathing hitched. "Don't worry, sir. We won't let anything happen to you," he promised.

In the meantime, Mephiles took the time to examine the now deceased bodies of their attackers. He looked at the dead falcon's arm and lifted it noticing a very prominent tribal tattoo. "These were Babylon Rogues who attacked us."

Shadow watched as the bartender came back and handed Shadow some clean rags. He accepted them and pressed them down firmly against Mammoth's wound warranting a pained grunt from him. He kept his focus on Mammoth's wound while he listened to his brother. "Well, they are birds of prey," he noted. "They were probably after you."

Mephiles flipped over the falcon and patted him down going into his hoodie pockets and pants pockets before stumbling across a crumbled picture. He uncrumpled the picture and stared down in surprise before glancing at his younger brother. "They weren't after me, brother."

Shadow looked at him over his shoulder. "How do you know for sure?"

"Because you were their target," he announced holding up the picture of Shadow.

•~•

12:30 PM – Deerwood Lodge Motel, Mercia

Meanwhile at the Deerwood Lodge Motel, Infinite and a few of his men spent their last day in Mercia at a local motel. Inside their hotel room, Uno, a brown jackal with a green bandana lounged on the sofa with a beautiful female grey jackal in his lap. The two made out passionately while Slade, another male white jackal watched TV from his bed.

Infinite emerged from the bathroom and looked at the sickening display. He stared at Uno making out with the slutty girl before setting his site on Slade mindless watching TV like a complete zombie. "How pathetic…"

He headed for the front door and Slade caught him heading out. "Where are you going?"

"To grab something to eat from the vending machine. I can't continue to watch this sickening display any longer," he explained gesturing to the other two.

"Eh, you just gotta learn to tune them out, boss," Slade shrugged.

Infinite scoffed and headed out leaving the door cracked so he could enter with ease when he returned. He headed down the hall and turned the corner of the building to the vending machine and stared at his selection of food choices.

However, at that same time, two ski-masked male birds wearing all black kicked open the hotel room door Infinite was staying at. Down the hall, Infinite waited patiently as his bag of chips dropped in the vending machine and reached in to grab them just as he heard loud gunshots coming from his room's direction. Quickly, he rushed over and peered his head out down the hall, and saw bright flashes from automatic rifles. Screams of agony were heard until it was absolutely silent. He remained hidden as he watched two masked birds flock back to their getaway vehicle with Zonic's manila folder in hand—the same one that had all the information of how, where, and when the Brothers of Chaos got their weapons into Mercia. That was his to keep and they had just stolen it. He ran back to his room where he saw the bloodshed the two birds had left behind. All three of his friends were dead.

•~•

12:30 PM – The Tavern

After being called, Amy and Mighty finally showed up and emerged into the building. Amy carried a case full of medical supplies as she approached Mammoth who was now laid on top of the table to use as a makeshift examination table. "Over here," Shadow waved.

Amy rushed over with her medical supplies and laid the case down onto the floor and opened it up. She looked around the empty restaurant and noticed two bloody spots on the carpet where two bodies once laid. Tables were knocked over onto their sides and there was broken glass everywhere. It looked like a warzone. "What happened here?"

"We were attacked by two members of the Babylon Rogues," Shadow explained. "Mr. Mogul unfortunately wasn't as lucky and got caught in the crossfire."

"Oh my…" She looked alarmed by the news. She places a hand on his arm. "Are you okay? You weren't hurt, were you?"

He shook his head and placed his hand over hers resting on his arm. "Not at all, we're all fine except for Mr. Mogul."

"I'm surprised the cops haven't shown up yet," Amy noted, looking around the empty bar.

"I am too, I guess no one reported any heard gunshots," Shadow deduced. "It's better if they never show up obviously…"

Removing her hand from his arm, Amy snapped on a pair of fresh gloves. "Don't worry, I'll take good care of him." She walked over to the table he was sprawled across lying on his back. "Hello Mr. Mogul, my name is Amy Rose. I'm their on-sight doctor and I'm going to tend to your bullet wound."

"Of course, that's right," he wheezed. "Shadow told me all about you. He said you worked on him for his recent gunshot injury. It's good to know I'm in good hands."

She smiled slightly; flattered Shadow was talking highly about her. "Yes, I did. I'm going to take good care of you today, but the first thing I need to ask is for you to remain very still while I examine your wound." She looked over her shoulder at Mighty who was still standing by the doorway. "Mighty, do you mind assisting me?"

"Sure," he replied as he wandered over.

"Grab a pair of gloves from my case," she instructed.

Shadow walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Do you need anything else from us?" he whispered.

"No, I have it covered here," she whispered back.

"Okay, Mephiles, Manic, and I will be outside if you need anything."

"Thanks," she smiled before turning her focus back on her patient.

A few minutes later, Manic, Mephiles, and Shadow stood just outside The Tavern as they tried to determine why the Rogues had placed a hit on them. "So, you think this shit was just about us or about us and Mogul, too?" Manic questioned while he kept his hands in his jean pockets.

Shadow exhaled some smoke from the corner of his mouth as he smoked a cigarette to calm his nerves. "I don't know," he shrugged with uncertainty. "How would Jet know about Mogul? Nobody knows he's our liaison to our gun shipments."

"Well, I for one say we make an attack tonight," Mephiles stated adamantly. "After all, they were targeting you. When someone goes after our own it's blood for blood."

Manic cracked his knuckles, still reeling from learning about his uncle's death. "I agree, I'm in the mood to fuck some people up tonight."

Shadow shook his head in disagreement. "No, we're not going to war with them. Right now, we have no cash, no weapons surplus, and not to mention we've still got an A.T.F agent in place breathing down our necks waiting for our next move."

"So, we already wired our money to the Order," he shrugged not seeming concerned. "We can always find cash and weapons with other methods," Mephiles countered. "The question is, are you with us brother?"

Shadow remained silent and both Mephiles and Manic exchanged concerned looks by his lack of response. "…Yo, Shadow?" Manic asked and waved a hand in front of his face.

Shadow closed his eyes for a moment as he contemplated the idea. He glanced into one of the windows and stared at Amy as she worked on mending Mammoth's wounds. Both Manic and Mephiles followed where his eyes directed and noticed whom he was looking at. Shadow's eyes parted from the window and looked towards the sidewalk. "I'm not sure this is the right move for us. We need to be smart about this, otherwise, there will be a lot of unnecessary bloodsheds."

"Why are you troubled by bloodshed so suddenly? It's never bothered you before," Mephiles pointed out.

"Things are changing, and I don't want to be as reckless. We've lost too many good people over the years on our side from impulsive decisions," he argued.

Mephiles cocked his head to the side as he observed his brother's body language and wording. "I think you're the one who is being a little impulsive, brother."

Shadow raised an eyebrow and took another drag of his cigarette. "Why do you say that?"

Mephiles crossed his arms over his chest with judgment. "There's a reason I am in favor of getting what you need from female companionship and retreating afterward. I think our beautiful little doctor is distracting you from your commitments to our club," he argued passively. "Don't tell me your feelings for her are already that strong…"

Shadow looked completely insulted by the idea. "You're insane! I went out of my way to get a loan in place for these guns. When we stole back our shit from the Suppression Squad and you were insistent that we steal some of their own supply, I didn't agree with it then, but I went with your decision and ultimately almost died when they retaliated the next day," he reminded. "I've always had your back on decisions, but this one I have to put my foot down. This violence will warrant both of our sides being wiped out. We need to collect more information before attacking."

Suddenly, the door opened, and the boys turned to see Amy standing in the doorway with a bit of Mammoth's blood on her scrubs. She looked amongst the boys and smiled sheepishly with all their eyes upon her. She felt she had interrupted a pivotal moment in their conversation. "Oh, sorry to interrupt your conversation, boys, but I need to speak with Shadow for a moment."

Shadow exhaled his last drag and flicked the butt of his cigarette out onto the curb and stomped it out. "Be right back," he stated to the two before following her inside.

With both Mephiles and Manic remaining outside, the two both felt a wariness in their stomachs from Shadow's opinion on the matter. "I'm concerned about your brother, man," Manic started. "He's wavering…"

"I know, I'm seeing it too," he concurred.

"I mean if you ultimately decide we go to war with the Rogues he can't be halfway with us. He has to be fully committed."

"You're right." Mephiles sighed. "I'll continue to work on him to see our side of the argument. Now, let's dispose of those bodies before morning."

•~•

Back inside the restaurant, Amy walked Shadow back over to the table where Mogul was resting. Mighty was sat in a seat nearby with a tube in his arm going into Mogul's arm. "I managed to get the bullet out and patch his wound. His shoulder is shattered though, and he'll need to go in for surgery. In a few hours, we'll need to move him, but he should be out of the woods. He was very lucky the bullet missed any other part of his body," she explained.

Shadow seemed relieved by the news. "That's great to hear, good job as always, Rose."

"She kicked ass like always, Shadow," Mighty piped in from his seat. "Rouge definitely did a stellar job selecting her as our doc," he grinned.

"Yes, I must agree. The more I see you out in the field the more impressed I become with your skillset," Shadow noted and placed a hand on her upper back. "Thanks for helping us again."

She nodded with a faint smile before another thought crossed her mind. "So, what exactly is going on here? It seems like things are getting pretty serious."

"I can't really explain everything right now. Currently, we're still in the process of figuring out what exactly is happening too," he explained. "When I find out more, I'll fill you in with what I can discuss."

•~•

Later that evening at the compound, Detective Vector and Espio arrived at the house. After hearing a knock, Rouge opened the doors and glanced at the two surprised by their unplanned arrival. "Oh, detectives, how can I help you?"

"We need to speak to Mephiles."

"Right, come on in." Rouge opened the door allowing the two detectives inside. "Mephiles, you got company," she announced walking into the dining room with the two.

Mephiles was sat at the dining room table reading the paper. The older dark hedgehog eyed the two with curiosity. He lowered his newspaper. "What a pleasant surprise. What can I do for you, detectives?"

"We need to bring you down to the station for questioning," Vector began.

Mephiles scoffed in annoyance. "Really now, why?"

"Someone went after a few members of the Jackal Squad Mercenaries earlier this afternoon," he explained. "We know they're not normally from around these parts but a few of them were apparently staying at a motel in town."

Mephiles seemed baffled by the reveal. Another group of bikers had been attacked, too? His expression turned perturbed hearing Espio's doubting tone. "…You think it was us?"

"Some construction workers stumbled across two dead Babylon Rogues buried in a ditch off exit 92 half mile out of town," Vector added with suspicion. "They've only been dead for a couple of hours. Also, didn't you just say you got in a scuffle with them at a bar a couple of nights ago?"

Mephiles cursed himself internally for not finding a better burial ground for disposing of the bodies. He shrugged without compassion only further irritating both Vector and Espio. It was apparent they believed they were involved in some manner. Vector crossed his arms over his broad chest and shook his head with disappointment. "This is not funny anymore, Mephiles," he scolded. "Five D.B's…do you know what kind of heat that brings on us?" he asked.

"Look, detectives…the body count could've been a lot worse," Mephiles interjected. "Last night two Rogues came in and tried to take out my brother. Instead, they accidentally shot one of our dear business friends. Thankfully, our doctor was able to stabilize and save his life."

"…Chaos," Espio breathed realizing this was becoming a bigger ordeal.

"We had nothing to do with the Jackal Mercenaries," Mephiles avowed. "However, those bird brains were the result of their stupidity," he exclaimed in irritation. "I've made sure this shit didn't land smack in the center of Mercia."

"…Barely," Espio noted passive-aggressively.

Mephiles snapped his head to the right, glaring at the purple chameleon. "…What did you just say, lizard?"

"Hey, cool it, Mephiles!" Vector snapped. "He's just frustrated because now it's becoming harder to clean up your mess and keep you guys protected," he explained. "You do realize we still got that bossy A.T.F cat lady strutting around our office…"

"Like Vector pointed out, this mess will just bring her circling back to your club. There is only so much we can do to keep you out of the fed's eyes," Espio reminded.

"Pff…we've always managed," Mephiles said rolling his reptilian eyes not as concerned.

Vector placed a hand to his forehead and sighed at Mephiles' attitude. "Alright, you've gotta come with us into the station. For real, no playin' around."

Mephiles shrugged, still irked with the whole matter. "Fine with me, I've got nothing to hide."

•~•

In the other room over, both Amy and Shadow sat on the bottom of the staircase together side by side as they tried to listen in on the conversation. Amy nervously fiddled with her hands fearing the worst scenario had come true. "Do you think they found his body and that's why they're here..?" she whispered.

Shadow placed a hand on her knee. "Rose, if they were here for you, they would have asked you to talk to them first. They're talking to my brother. You don't have to worry, it's probably just club business," he assured.

"But Shadow…what if they found his body and they think Mephiles had something to do with it instead?" she theorized quietly.

"There's no way. The others did an excellent job of disposing of the body."

Amy placed her hands to her face. "I-I don't know how you can be so calm in a moment like this."

Shadow placed an arm around her and brought Amy's head to rest against his shoulder. "You start to become numb to this type of stuff when you've been involved with it long enough…"

Just then, Vector, Espio, and Mephiles walked out of the living room and headed towards the front door. Amy lifted her head from his shoulder and moved her hands as she heard their footsteps. The two watched as the three emerged around the corner. Shadow stood and looked at the three when they walked past. "What's going on?"

"Brother, I must go into the station for questioning. I don't want you leaving the compound for any reason until I return. Do you understand?" he stated sternly.

"Okay, but tell me what's going on at least first."

Mephiles looked away. "I'm sorry. I can't right now." Shadow stared back at his brother in befuddlement before eying the two detectives.

Espio looked in Shadow's direction. "We'll inform you more when we can." With that, the three left the house leaving Shadow even further confused. Amy rose up from sitting on the staircase and approached Shadow. "What the hell is going on?" she questioned.

"Not a clue," he confirmed.

Amy could see and hear the concern in his voice and body language. She reached out and grabbed his hand and stood beside him.

•~•

Now at the police station, Vector and Espio were in their private office with Mephiles. Vector sat in his large computer chair behind his desk while Espio stood on the other side of him. Mephiles sat on the other side of the desk with his arms crossed and stared out the window. "Honestly, I didn't see this thing coming," Mephiles droned. "Us and the Rogues…we really don't have much history. They've always done their thing and we've done ours. Our paths haven't really crossed," he explained.

"It does seem strange that they would come after your brother and the Jackal Mercenaries so suddenly," Espio spoke. "It's quite bold."

"Well, Meph, you and us always had one deal when we chose to work with each other," Vector began. "Keeping blood and greed away from our home."

Mephiles pulled his eyes from looking out the window. "Yes, and we've done that," he reminded.

"Until now," Espio piped in.

"Why are you two so irritable today?" Mephiles questioned. "We've always been on the same page. Why is there so much doubt in our club suddenly?"

"Look, our fear is that this little thing is not going to end here. We're worried you're going to bring more violence into the city."

Mephiles sat further forward in his seat. "I can't promise you violence will not ensue; I can promise it won't occur within Mercia. Just don't get involved in my end of this game, old friend," he warned.

"Well, your old friend is telling you this back and forth vengeance shit can't go on. It'll never end," Vector argued.

There was a long pause before Mephiles sunk back in his seat and gave an uncomfortable but insincere response. "Fine…"

Espio and Vector both picked up on his insincere tone and watched as the dark striped hedgehog rose from his seat and looked out the window to his right past the blinds. Espio marched over to Mephiles as he observed the bustling of the police station parking lot. "You take out the Rogue's leader and you'll trip a wire that sends this city into the history books," he warned.

"You worry too much, Espio," Mephiles replied with a pity head shake. "I've got it under control."

Growing further frustrated by Mephiles' indifference to the matter, Espio grabbed Mephiles by the collar. "No you don't!" he barked. "Next time it's not just gonna be a few of your guys getting hurt or worse…it'll be friends, family members, innocent citizens of this city," he countered.

Mephiles remained calm as he was thrashed about in Espio's strong and passionate grasp. His reptilian eyes stared back at the chameleon with boredom. "Are you quite finished?"

"He's right," Vector chimed in while rising from his own seat behind his desk. Espio released his hold on Mephiles and backed off. "Our deal was always outlaws live in Mercia and shit happens beyond the border. You can't change the rules or shit goes to hell."

Suddenly, Silver walked past their cracked office door and glanced in, seeing the three having a discussion. Silver scoffed at the sketchy sight and shook his head before walking off.

"And that, right there," Vector said pointing to where Silver once lingered. "Is exactly what Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes wants. He wants hell to break out in Mercia so he can prove you guys are the problem and put you away for good."

Rolling his eyes, Mephiles groaned in annoyance. "Alright, alright I heard your god damn plea already. There's only one thing that's going to make this thing work."

"And what's that?" Espio inquired. The two watched as Mephiles sauntered over to their cracked office door and placed his palm to it, shutting it closed from prying ears. He glanced over his shoulder back at the detectives. "Have Deputy-Goody-Two-Shoes pick up Jet the Hawk and bring him here for questioning."

Vector stared at Mephiles in awe from his large request. "Oh, sure! Should I make sure we pick up take-out on the way back too?" he replied sarcastically.

"Listen, just bring in Jet, and if you can get your hands on Zero bring him in too. I'll talk to both of them and figure out who was responsible for this whole mess."

Vector sighed as he contemplated the idea. "I dunno, man…"

"Hey," Mephiles snapped. "In a couple of hours, I'm going to bring both charters together to vote on conducting a war. If I were you, I'd take my first request," he hinted.

"Vector, we could let him talk to Zero in the meantime," Espio suggested. "We do have him in holding currently."

"You nabbed him already?" Mephiles questioned in surprise.

Vector nodded. "Yeah, we viewed the footage outside the motel and saw that he was present at the crime scene right before and after it occurred. He hasn't said shit to us though."

"Allow me to do the interrogation then," Mephiles recommended placing a hand to his chest. "We have worked together in the past," he alluded.

•~•

As requested, Espio and Vector slipped Mephiles into the holding cells where he could privately talk to the black jackal. Espio unlocked the door to Zero's cell and allowed Mephiles inside. Zero sat on the bench provided in his cell and glanced up from his hunched-over position as he stared at the dark-striped hedgehog walk over to him. They closed the door and locked both of them inside the cell. "If you need us, we'll be keeping watch just outside the holding room," Vector instructed. "You're not supposed to be in here after all."

"We should be fine, detectives," Mephiles assured.

Vector and Espio nodded before departing and allowing the two males to have a conversation together. Once alone together, Zero sat more upright on the bench. "It's been a long time since we've been face to face, hasn't it, Mephiles?" Zero began.

"I didn't think I'd be seeing your face anytime soon," Mephiles rebutted.

"So, how is your brother?" Zero asked, trying to pry for information. He was eager to hear if the hit was successful unbeknownst to Mephiles.

"He's doing well—alive and kicking," Mephiles replied before shooting him a judgmental glance. "So, what's your deal with the Babylon Rogues?"

"They double-crossed me," he admitted.

Mephiles raised a brow. "What happened exactly?"

Zero put his hands out defensively. "Now, just hear me out for a second," he began. "This is all going to sound ridiculous…"

Mephiles already felt looming discouragement by his tone and setup. "I already don't like where this is going…"

"The Rogues were supposed to do the hit on your brother for coveted information on my part, but they decided to go through with the hit all while trying to take me out too and steal the information I promised them," he explained calmly.

Hearing this revelation, Mephiles reached out and grabbed Zero by his collar and yanked him off his seat, and brought him inches towards his face. "You what?" he barked venomously.

He knew this sounded awfully bad to him, and to be fair it was. "If you let me explain I'll—"

SLAM!

Mephiles used all his strength and charged the Jackal's backside into the bars of the cell. Zero grunted as he felt the metal slam into his backside. There would definitely be bruising tomorrow. "You tried to kill my brother?!" he beseeched in anger.

"I have no quarrels with Shadow, Mephiles. Someone else hired me to do this elaborate scheme, I assure you," he groaned.

Mephiles bared his fangs and kept his grip tightened on his collar. "Who exactly then?"

"Some blue hedgehog—his name was Zonic I think. He hired me to pin the hit on the Rogues so you would retaliate against your brother's death and take each other out," he explained. Mephiles' eyes widened in surprise and Zero could see he recognized or was at least familiar with the guy. "…You, uh, know him?"

Mephiles released his grip on Zero and backed up. "That A.T.F agent was responsible for all of this..?" he deduced in astonishment.

Zero smoothed out his wrinkled shirt and fixed his collar. "He was a part of the A.T.F?"

"It's a complicated story," Mephiles stated. "He harbored ill will towards our club, but we don't have to worry about him anymore. He's been dealt with as of yesterday…"

Zero ran a hand through his hair not looking fazed by the notion that Zonic had been taken out. "That explains why he hasn't answered my calls all day. At least my money came through beforehand…"

"You said earlier you had information on us that you bribed the Rogues to go through with the hit…what was it?"

"That agent gave me all the information about how you smuggled in your weapons from overseas. He gave me the people you deal with, their info, photos, locations, amounts, payments, everything," he explained. "The guy knew a lot about you guys."

Mephiles felt panic strike his core. This was pivotal information that should not be shared so easily and could greatly hurt their business. "Who has this information now?"

"The guys who attacked my motel room last night. They did a clean sweep and snatched it while I was out of the room," he explained.

Mephiles placed a hand to his face and sighed. "I can't believe this."

"If it helps, I would like to help you in retaliation against the Rogues," Zero added. "They did intend to kill me along with my comrades last night, too."

"Absolutely not," Mephiles barked. "Allow my club to deal with handling the Rogues. You've done quite enough already," he emphasized passively.

Zero looked ticked by his tone. "Come now, Mephiles. You can trust me," he assured.

Out of nowhere, Mephiles punched Zero in the face, making his body lurch towards the ground. The jackal caught himself from his fall and landed on his hands in knees. He shook his head and spit out some blood from his mouth before glaring up at the dark hedgehog. "Like hell, I can…" Mephiles scoffed un-fisting his hand that was once a fist.

Zero staggered upright. "I-I don't understand."

"You were willing to allow a hit to go through to kill my brother!" he countered. "I thought we were friends. How could I ever trust you again?"

"Friends?" he scoffed in amusement. "We were never friends we just made a business deal a long time ago. You know what my business ensues, and this was, strictly, business," he argued calmly. "And that agent paid me a hefty amount to get it completed." He wiped his bloodied mouth with the back of his sleeve. "And besides, you seemed to trust me an awful lot back then," he reminded with a knowing smirk.

Mephiles froze at the mention and growled. "We do not speak of that—especially not here."

"What's wrong? You're afraid I'll go and expose the truth that you hired me to-"

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" Mephiles snapped, cutting him off.

Zero chuckled mischievously, seeing him get so wound up. "You're going to have to pay me to stay silent now. Especially for all my troubles."

There was no way he'd allow Zero to reveal such a secret. If it ever got out it'd unravel the club he'd strived to keep together for so long. His power would be diminished, and he'd more than likely be excommunicated or even killed. He'd do whatever it took to keep it protected. "I'll give you eight percent of my cut for your silence," Mephiles replied in annoyance.

"Twelve percent," Zero wagered.

"Ten percent," Mephiles countered.

"Eleven."

"Ten," Mephiles replied adamantly.

"Alright, deal," Zero resigned while sticking out his hand to shake on. The two shook on on it before parting.

"Okay, to summarize, our club will deal with the Rogues. I'm giving you ten percent of my cut to keep your big mouth shut. And I swear if I find out this information leaks, I'll personally take you out myself," he warned.

Zero put his hand out in front of him, not appearing threatened. "You need to relax, Mephiles. You know a payment will keep me nice and quiet. Perhaps, we'll do business again in the future," he smirked.

He grimaced at the thought. "I doubt it…"