Author's Note: I'm back! Sorry for the long delay. I was enjoying my two weeks off for Christmas Break. I started work again and time slipped away from me. I hope you'll all enjoy the newest installment. I've loved reading your theories on the bit of foreshadowing some of you guys come up with. Thank you again, Carlata Jones, CrimsonLove16, Zayp321, Pirilaxa, RisingZero1984, and CrankshaftRabbit for the reviews! Enjoy the new chapter!

•~•

Meanwhile, back at the compound, Mighty, Rouge, Knuckles, Locke, Gadget, Manic, Shadow, and Amy all sat around the table enjoying their dinner of spaghetti and meatballs, garlic bread, and mixed salad. Knuckles and Rouge held a discussion while Gadget and Mighty talked. Manic and Locke ignored all other conversations and focused on piling in the food. At the other end of the table, Amy sat next to Shadow, enjoying her meal until she noticed Shadow's lackluster demeanor. Suddenly, the phone rang in the other room, and Gadget rose from his seat. "I'll get it," he informed, rushing into the other room.

Amy glanced over at Shadow's plate and quickly realized he had barely touched his food and mostly moved it around with his fork. He looked upset and deep in thought as he stared down at his plate and twirled his fork. "Shadow, what's wrong? Do you not like it? I can always make you something else."

"That's not it." Shadow lifted his head and glanced over to her beside him. "The food is perfect. I'm just anxious about what's going on down at the station," he answered. "My brother has been there for several hours now."

Amy laid a hand on top of his resting on the table for comfort. "I'm sure he's fine, Shadow. If he's still with the police in their custody, nothing bad should happen to him," she assured.

"Yeah, I know," he sighed. "I just wish I knew who placed that hit on me. I've been trying to connect the dots all day, but I can't figure out why the Rogues wanted me dead in the first place."

"What's going to happen once you do find out who was responsible?" she asked quietly.

"Not even I know right now, but a decision will be made in a vote of our council," he replied.

Suddenly, Gadget stuck his head out of the kitchen entryway while holding onto the phone. "Hey, uh, V.P. You're wanted on the phone."

Shadow's ear perked. "Is it my brother?"

Gadget shook his head. "No, sir. It's Mr. Mogul. He says it's rather important."

•~•

Mercia Police Department

Vector and Espio escorted a relatively resilient Jet the Hawk towards the back of the holding cells. Jet had his hands cuffed behind his back as both Vector and Espio walked on either side of him, holding onto his arms as they led him to his cell. "I thought I was just coming in for questioning?" Jet squawked in disapproval. "No one said anything about holding me overnight!"

Espio released his hold on Jet's left arm and unlocked the cell in the back. In the meantime, Vector took the time to unlock Jet's handcuffs from behind his back.

Espio finished unlocking the cell door, opened it up, and gestured for him to enter. "Just shut up and get in."

Jet felt Vector's firm hand press against his back as he was shoved inside the cell. Jet stumbled forward and turned to glare at the two detectives as they walked off. He opened his mouth to curse them out one last time until he heard someone clear their throat from within the cell. "Ahem." Jet walked further inside and looked around the corner of the cell, where he spotted Mephiles lounging in the one-provided cot. The M.C president had his hands resting on his stomach as he eyed the green hawk. "Nice to see you finally arrive," Mephiles announced.

Jet eyed the dark hedgehog with suspicion. "And just what the hell are you doing here?"

Mephiles chuckled lowly. "I'm here to resolve issues before things wind up being a bigger massacre," he replied simply. "Although, I do enjoy a good bloodbath from time to time."

Jet crossed his arms over his chest defensively. "Is this about last night?"

Mephiles swung his legs off the side of the bed. "Of course, it is. Which is why our club will need retribution and the information you stole from Zero last night."

"First of all, I had nothing to do with those attacks. A few of my guys thought they'd surprise me with this stolen info, and I was pretty livid when I heard about everything they did."

Mephiles scoffed at the idea that Jet was utterly clueless to last night's events. "How could you not know? You're their leader. You expect me to believe this nonsense?"

"They were greedy and felt like the thieves' life was growing stale for them." Jet rubbed the back of his neck and closed his eyes. "You know me; I don't want anything to do with the gun industry. I'd prefer to stick to what we know—robberies on art museums, jewelry stores, and banks," he listed. "I don't want to get sucked into the business of the arms trade. It's too risky for my liking."

Mephiles furrowed his brows. "Then why did you allow your men to attack last night?"

Jet shook his head in annoyance. "As I said, old man, I wasn't aware until they returned. That's when I realized they went behind my back. If I had known what they were up to, I would have put a stop to it immediately."

"That's good to hear, but unfortunately, my club and the other charters will want to see vengeance for what took place last night. Your boys may have failed in their mission, but they did manage to injure one of our dear acquaintances."

Jet walked over to a nearby wall and pressed his back against it to lean on. "So, how do you want to handle this whole thing then? I'm open to coming to a compromise to clean the slate. I'm already pissed at the guys who went against my orders."

"First, I want that manila envelope back with the information on our gun trade," Mephiles stated firmly.

Jet shrugged calmly. "Sure, done."

"Next, the people involved in the hit last night…We already killed the two who came after us in self-defense, but the other two that went after Zero need to be dealt with."

"Wait a second. I heard he was the one that set this whole stupid thing up in the first place. Why should I do anything to benefit him? He was the one that ordered the initial hit on your brother," he countered sharply.

"That's what I thought too, but it turns out an A.T.F agent hired him to hire your guys to do the hit so that we'd end up going after each other instead," Mephiles explained.

"That is some 3D chess move strategy shit right there," Jet replied, somewhat impressed. "What about the agent? Shouldn't we deal with them, too?"

"Already handled," Mephiles smirked deviously.

"Well, shit…" "You guys work fast." Jet chuckled slightly.

Mephiles rose from sitting on the edge of the cot. "I like to deal with matters quickly and efficiently."

"How's this? I can't let the other guys think they can get away with shit behind my back again. I'll deal with my guys myself, and I'll allow you to witness to show good faith. I'll also get you your envelope back to you no charge, at " he offered.

Mephiles tilted his head slightly, surprised by how forthcoming the green hawk was. "You've made this a lot easier than I thought you would."

He pushed himself away from the wall and walked towards Mephiles. "Our group is different than yours. We work in the shadows to get what we want. I don't like to be as showy and dramatic as you bikers. I mean, we are thieves after all."

"Perfectly understandable," Mephiles noted before sticking his hand out. Jet stuck his hand out, and the two shook on it.

•~•

Finally returning home, Mephiles called for a meeting among the club members. Together, they all sat at the main dining room table as Mephiles informed them of his time spent in holding. He told them all about Zero's involvement and who was the culprit behind the elaborate scheme. Finally, he told them about his deal with Jet and how everything would be handled for retribution. Shadow hadn't seemed very surprised when he realized that Zonic had been behind the whole thing, but he was happy to know Zonic would no longer be a threat to him or to Amy.

"When will Jet deal with the guys that went after Zero?" Mighty questioned from down at his end of the table.

"Tomorrow morning," Mephiles replied. "Speaking of, I'll need two of you to accompany me there and witness the act."

"I'll attend," Shadow volunteered, raising his hand.

"I'll go too," Mighty added.

Mephiles nodded his head. "Good, well—that ends our meeting. If anyone else has anything to..."

"—We're not quite done yet," Shadow interrupted.

Mephiles looked to his vice president with intrigue. "Go on then."

Shadow glanced to the rest of the boys at the table before looking back at his brother. "While you were gone, we received a phone call from Mogul. He gave us a proposition—one that he believes we can't refuse."

Mephiles looked intrigued by the prospect. "Do tell, brother."

"Remember the guy he was telling us about who killed Chuck?"

"Yes, of course," Mephiles nodded.

"He wants us to take him out and said he'll give us our next shipment of guns completely free of charge, plus return the 200k we just forked over as payment."

Mephiles stroked his chin in thought. "Our warehouse is so close to being rebuilt; this is a deal we cannot decline."

"Free guns and cash? That's one hell of a deal," Mighty smiled eagerly as he rubbed his hands together.

"Yes, but we're not like the Jackal Mercenaries. We don't do hits," Shadow countered. "We could be seeing jail time before anything else if this isn't done correctly."

Knuckles leaned back in his seat, not comfortable with the idea. "I gotta agree with Shadow on this one, man. Murder for hire? That's a dirty business, and I don't know if we should get involved in it no matter how good the deal sounds."

"Yeah, but it's not about money," Manic piped up. "This dude killed my uncle!" he said, slamming his fist down onto the table. "That guy was like a second father figure to me. We can't let that asshole get away with this."

Mephiles glanced back to his younger brother, who still wavered on the thought. "What do you think, brother?" he asked, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"I understand where Manic is coming from. Jules was once a part of this club," he said, glancing over to the wall of pictures of past members. "He was a part of this family, and by extension, Charles was, too. I'll admit, the deal is too good to pass on, and we are strapped for cash right now. I'm fine with this as long as I'm not a part of the hit—someone else will have to handle that."

"I'll go with the others for backup," Knuckles volunteered.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Knuckles?" Locke asked, eying his son warily.

"I can do it as long as I don't have to do the hit," he replied.

"Don't worry, man. I'll do it. I intend to get it done myself," Manic avowed cracking his knuckles.

Mephiles nodded and continued. "Alright, so, what's our plan?"

"According to Mogul, the guy goes to this seedy apartment just on the outskirts of town every Sunday to have an affair with some girl," Shadow started. "His wife doesn't have a clue about the whole thing."

"Perfect, we'll take him out there at the complex," Mephiles said. "Make it a nice and clean hit and get out of there immediately. We can blame it on the crime rate in that vicinity."

"Rookie," Shadow called.

The red wolf came into the dining room from the kitchen, eating a second plate of spaghetti. "Yes V.P?

"Call Mogul and tell him we were going through on his offer."

Gadget held his plate in one hand, placed his fork down on the plate, and saluted. "Yes, V.P. Right away." He then hurried off into the kitchen.

Mephiles looked amongst his men. "Alright, since tomorrow is Sunday, our plan goes as follows. Shadow, Mighty, and I will meet up with Jet to witness our retribution. Knuckles, Gadget, and Manic, will conduct the hit on Amadeus."

"What about me?" Locke questioned from the other end of the table as he stared at the president.

"Why don't you visit Charlie and see how our warehouse is coming along," he suggested.

Locke scoffed and shook his head. "What a bullshit errand…"

Mephiles rested his hand against one of his cheeks. "You wanted something to do, and I gave you something. Be thankful it's not too much work."

Locke groaned as he rose out of his seat. "I'm getting too old to put up with this bullshit," he cursed before exiting the room.

Knuckles watched as his father left the room in irritation. "Dad…"

"—Don't," Mephiles cut off and waved a hand. "Leave him be."

•~•

The next day, Mighty, Shadow, and Mephiles showed up at Never Lake, the meet-up to see the Rogues. After parking their bikes in the parking lot, Shadow, Mighty, and Mephiles sauntered towards the lake where they spotted the leader of the Rogues, Jet the Hawk, with some of his backup—a giant grey albatross, a female purple swallow, and a male eagle.

"Mephiles, it's about time," Jet announced, watching them approach.

"Forgive me for being a few minutes late," Mephiles apologized before noticing a lack of members from the Rogues. "I was under the impression we'd be witnessing the retribution in action today."

"We were supposed to, but I lost my temper last night. He turned his head to the right. "Bijou, show them," Jet said, snapping his fingers.

The giant eagle walked over and handed Shadow two polaroid photos. Shadow, in turn, handed them over to his brother. Mephiles accepted them and glanced at the images. Shadow and Mighty looked over Mephiles' shoulder to get their own peek. Both photos had pictures of the two birds involved in the attempted assassination of Zero. Both members had their throats slit in the images.

Mephiles lowered the photos from his view. "Very well then. I hope this won't happen again."

"It won't," Jet assured. "Oh, one last thing." He turned his head to his left. "Wave, give them the envelope."

The purple female swallow walked over with the manila envelope and handed it to Shadow. Shadow accepted the envelope and proceeded to open it up. The three looked inside to see what information and contents Zonic had accumulated on their group. There were photos of Mammoth Mogul at the docks where they delivered their shipments. There were payment wires and addresses to drop-offs and pick-ups. Mephiles shook his head in annoyance. "Thank Chaos, we got rid of that pesky agent. He appeared to be more of a thorn in our side than I thought."

Shadow glanced up at the hawk. "Thank you for being honest and forthcoming on your end. We are eternally grateful," Shadow noted with a head bow.

"We owe you, that's for sure," Mighty added.

"You're welcome," Jet replied. "We criminals have to have each other's backs sometimes. We can't always throw each other under the bus," he smirked.

•~•

Meanwhile, at that same time, Knuckles, Manic, and Gadget were preparing to go through with the hit. The three remained in the parking lot outside of the Hideaway Apartment complex. All three of the boys wore black pants, shirts, and beanies.

"Alright, this is how we're going to accomplish today's mission." "Gadget, I want you to stay back here and keep the car's motor running. The moment we're done, we're booking it, and we need the car ready for transport." Knuckles turned to glance at the red wolf.

Gadget saluted. "Yes, sir."

Knuckles looked to Manic, who was currently adjusting his black leather gloves. "Manic, you're taking the shot. If for whatever reason you can't go through with it, or we're outnumbered I'll be your backup."

Manic finished putting on both gloves. "I won't hesitate. I know that for sure," he stated firmly.

Gadget tapped away at his smart tablet bringing up blueprints of the apartment. "I must advise, that according to my research there are cameras in their parking garage, so make sure to avoid that section. As far as I can see, there are no cameras in the hallways of the complex, so you'll be safe there."

"Good to know." Knuckles put on his own gloves. "Alright then, let's move out."

Gadget rushed back for the car and climbed in the driver's seat and started the engine. In the meantime, Knuckles and Mighty discreetly made their way towards the apartment complex. Eventually, they climbed the stairs to the second floor and screened for any innocent apartment dwellers lingering in the halls. Thankfully, there were none in sight, which meant no witnesses.

Knuckles and Manic crouched down against a wall just around a corner. Knuckles peered out from around the side and looked for the door number where they'd find Amadeus. His purple eyes eventually stumbled across door number 225. That was their target.

"Psst, eyes are on target, three doors down," Knuckles instructed quietly before pulling his head out of the line of sight.

Manic took his turn to peer around the corner and spotted the door. He moved back into hiding. "Got it."

Now they'd play the waiting game. The two stayed crouched down in the hall by the corner as they waited. After a few minutes, they heard a door unlocking. While they waited, Manic installed the silencer onto his gun. The green hedgehog popped his head and noticed that the doorknob for apartment 225 was beginning to move. "Move out, target on the move," he instructed quietly.

Manic stood upright and placed his black hood over his head and reached for his gun hoisted on his hip. He undid the safety button and held his gun ready. Knuckles mimicked Manic's actions and stayed directly behind him for backup.

Just as they got close to room 225, Amadeus, a blue business suit-wearing male, brown, fox in his 40s, opened the door and stepped out, but had his back to the two as they crept upon him. He closed the door and locked it just when he felt a presence behind him. He spun around and backed up in alarm when he spotted Manic draw his gun out towards him. "This is for my Uncle Chuck," he whispered before taking his shot.

He shot directly where Amadeus' heart was and the male fox grunted before falling backward, dead. Manic turned on his heel and made a beeline for the stairs and Knuckles took a quick moment to take a snapshot of Amadeus' body with his phone before following after Manic for their escape.

However, unbeknownst to them, Amadeus' mistress had seen the entire thing go down from the window directly next to her front door. She had watched through the blinds without them knowing.

•~•

Back at the house later that evening, another round table meeting was held. Mephiles sat at the front end of the table and Shadow sat to his left. The rest of the boys sat on opposite sides of the table. "Have we all completed our missions then?" Mephiles questioned.

Knuckles pulled out his phone and slid it down the table towards the president. "Here." Mephiles reached for the cellphone and examined the photo of the dead fox. "It went effortlessly. There were no witnesses and we got in and out quickly," he explained.

"Excellent." Mephiles handed it off to Shadow to look for himself. Shadow nodded and returned the phone back down the table. "Now, let's address our side of the business." Mephiles looked to his younger brother. "Show them," he instructed.

Shadow reached into the inside of his leather jacket and pulled out two polaroid photos. "These were given to us upon arrival," Mephiles continued as he watched his brother lay the photos down on the table. "Although we did not personally get to witness firsthand their execution, they do suffice."

Knuckles picked up one of the photos and looked at the gruesome slit throats in the photo. "Man, that guy doesn't play around," he noted before tossing the graphic picture back onto the table.

"I'm just satisfied it was dealt with and the fact we were returned our information," he stated.

"So, now what?" Manic asked as he leaned forward to look at the president.

"Now, we inform Mogul we've completed the mission, get our money wired back to us, and wait for our new shipment," he informed. "I'm going to visit Charlie tomorrow and see how construction is faring for our new warehouse."

"So, basically, we've got a bit of a break for the time being for selling, huh?" Mighty noted.

Mephiles reached for his gavel. "In theory, yes. We won't have to rush to get our newest shipment sold as quickly. It's a bit of a vacation period for us until the next batch arrivals, so enjoy your time off, boys." Mephiles brought his gavel down, commencing the end of the meeting. "Meeting adjourned."

•~•

Parked along a deserted road, Silver's patrol car rocked back and forth and from side to side as it steamed up inside. "Fuck, Blaze," Silver hissed in pleasure as she rode his lap in the back of his car. He held her hips steady as he watched her bounce up and down in his lap. The two had hit off working late nights together and had found the time to break up the monotonous workload by having some mutual fun to blow off some steam.

"Just shut up," she commanded. She kept her hands on the headrest behind him to steady herself and continued riding him. "I-I'm almost there."

"That's a good kitty," Silver smirked.

Blaze rolled her eyes at him as she continued to bounce. "Shut up! You might have a good dick deputy, but your bedroom talk just takes me out of my mood."

Suddenly another voice broke through their radio. "—Agent Blaze, Deputy Silver, over?"

Blaze groaned in frustration. "Chaos…why now?"

"They can wait!" Silver grunted, feeling her hot walls clamp up around him.

Once again, the radio crackled to life. "—Hello? Agent Blaze, Deputy Silver, over? We've got a nasty murder down here."

Panting, Blaze dismounted Silver and plopped down in the seat next to him. The moment had been lost. "Actually, they won't…"

"Shit…" Silver handed Blaze a tissue to clean herself up with along with one of his own. "It always happens when we're getting close."

Blaze cleaned herself up and buttoned up her opened blouse. "We can pick up again after we resolve this issue."

•~•

Hideaway Apartment Complex

The parking lot of the apartment complex was swarming with police, forensic officials, and detectives. The whole upper floor was completed taped off with yellow caution tape. Nicole, Agent Blaze's assistant, was already there gathering details of the crime event. Finally arriving, Agent Blaze and Deputy Silver came walking over to join Nicole. The purple feline glanced over at her. "Any more news on our deceased?"

"Ah, there you are, Agent. Where were you? We've been trying to get a hold of the two of you for a while now."

"Uh, it doesn't really matter at this point," Silver dismissed. "What's going on?"

Nicole shrugged off their excuse. "Oh, well, I ran some scans and found out the guy has had a few domestic charges, a few speeding violations, and one charge for money laundering," she listed as she looked at her own notes. "He's not as clean-cut as we thought."

Blaze scoffed at the idea. "You think this guy would be some sort of angel spending time in this dump? Right…"

"Well, what would you like me to do with the witness? She's still a bit rattled and wants to get out of here," Nicole questioned.

"Hold on, Nicole," Blaze paused. "Why exactly is the A.T.F being involved in this crime scene in the first place?"

"Well, according to my findings, the witness believes the person who committed the murders may belong to the Brothers of Chaos."

Blaze's expression turned to delight. "How very convenient…" She glanced over to the police car where she spotted the young, female, brown, raccoon before turning to Silver. "Alright, take her back to the precinct for now. I'll need to do further questioning. Oh, and find her a room at a nicer hotel in town and keep two guards posted outside her door. I don't want anyone interfering with this case," she made explicit.

"Yes, ma'am," Silver nodded and walked off.

•~•

The next day, Mephiles decided to have everyone take Monday off for the start of their new vacation. Shadow and Amy decided to hang out at home. The two sat on the couch together and watched T.V. Shadow draped one arm behind her while they cuddled together. Knuckles and Rouge were in the kitchen washing dishes together, while Gadget sat at the kitchen table and worked on another proto-type drone he had been working on for months. Manic and Mighty were upstairs getting ready to hit the gym together, Locke was in the bathroom as always, and Mephiles was busy cleaning the basement.

At the dining room table, Gadget looked for a screwdriver in his equipment. "Damn, I must've left it in the shop." He got up and wandered out of the living room and headed outside towards the repair garage.

In the meantime, Amy and Shadow watched some sort of biker TV drama together. Amy seemed captivated by the drama unfolding in the episode. "Is this accurate to what you guys deal with?" she questioned, glancing up at him.

He scoffed. "No, this is exaggerated and has more drama than we deal with. For starters, everyone in this show is way too attractive."

Amy couldn't help but chuckle. "Are you trying to say bikers are all ugly in real life? Because I have to say, after seeing both sides of this club, there are plenty of good-looking guys."

He shook his head. "No, I'm just saying that this show is trying to depict that all bikers are celebrity status handsome and that's just not realistic. We're a little rougher around the edges," he smirked.

She rested her hand on his chest. "You're probably just jealous because I think the main character is cute," she stated playfully. "He kinda reminds me of you too. He's broody, a bit mysterious, has a troubled past, but has a soft yet romantic side," she listed.

Shadow huffed and rolled his eyes at the comparison. "We're nothing alike, and that guy is no competition to me."

Rouge popped her head out of the kitchen interrupting their conversation. "Hey, love birds, mind giving us a hand with mopping and sweeping?"

"Sure," Shadow replied removing his arm from around Amy.

"Thanks, hun!" she said before heading back into the kitchen.

Shadow reached for the remote on the coffee table directly in front of him. He paused their show and moved off the couch. Then he reached for her hand and helped lift her off the couch. "Come on, Rose." The two began walking around the side of the couch just when Gadget barged through the front door. "COPS!" he yelled, alerting the others.

Mighty, Locke, and Manic had just come downstairs to head to the gym when they saw Gadget run for the living room. Mephiles came up from the basement after hearing the scream.

Suddenly, a group of S.W.A.T members bursts into the house aiming their guns at everyone. "On the ground, on the ground!" the leader of the group shouted.

Everyone immediately dropped down onto the floor keeping their hands over their heads as they laid down. Amy dropped down onto the floor in the living room by the couch and Shadow dropped by the window near her. Gadget knelt by the kitchen table, and Rouge and Knuckles dropped down in the kitchen. Mephiles and Manic were in the entryway of the house and Mighty and Locke dropped near Amy's office door.

Shadow glanced over to Amy nearby who looked quite confused on why a team was swarming the building in the first place. "Stay calm," he instructed her quietly as officers moved in around them. "Everything's going to be okay."

She nodded, remaining silent, and understood his instructions. Once all the S.W.A.T team officials had swarmed the building, a couple of each stationed themselves near the bodies sprawled on the floor and kept their weapons drawn at each individual. "CLEAR!" the commander shouted once everyone had been detained.

Agent Blaze waltzed into their home along with her assistant Nicole. She looked for the specific individuals she wanted to take in. She glanced at Mighty and Gadget near the entrance and shook her head. As she continued roaming the house, she eventually spotted Manic. She walked over to him and pointed at the green hedgehog. "This is the one, boys, arrest him," she commanded. Manic lifted his head when he heard her command.

One of the other officers walked over and immediately handcuffed Manic. "Manic the Hedgehog you are under arrest for the murder of Amadeus Prowler," the officer stated while lifting him to his feet.

Manic acted confused. "Who?" he questioned acting as if this was news to him. The officer led him out of the house reading him his Miranda Rights on the way out. Amy's eyes widened in alarm. Murder?

Blaze continued to search the house for the next person she wanted to be arrested. She entered the kitchen and glanced over to Knuckles and snapped her fingers, directing two officers over to the red echidna. "This one too, boys," she pointed.

Knuckles was handcuffed and lifted to his feet by the two officers. "What the hell am I being arrested for?"

Blaze didn't even blink as she wasn't buying into his innocent act. "You were present and an accomplice in the murder of Amadeus Prowler," she explained.

"I don't even know who that is, man!" he shouted as he was dragged out of the house. Locke watched on with worry as his son was dragged past him and out the door.

Rouge watched in horror as her husband was taken out of their home. She lifted herself slightly when Blaze noticed her moving. "And here's the other one I was looking for," Blaze spoke while crouching down to eye level with the white bat. "I want Rouge the Bat taken in as well."

Rouge glared up at the feline. "I didn't do shit, you bitch!"

"Watch the language, Ms. Rouge." Blaze rose back upright and brought her right leg back and kicked Rouge in the side. Rouge cried out and huddled into a fetal position just as two officers came over and detained her. "Fucking bitch," Rouge groaned as she was taken out of the house.

"Rouge too?" Locke mumbled under his breath.

Blaze walked back into the living room and looked behind the couch where she noticed Amy lying on the ground with her hands over her head. "Miss Rose, the last lady I was looking for," she said feigning a smile. Amy looked up at Blaze and watched as her smile dropped suddenly and turned to a serious expression. "Boys, grab Ms. Rose for me as well."

"Hey!" Shadow lifted himself up to intervene. "Leave her out of this!"

Two S.W.A.T officers tackled Shadow back onto the ground as Amy was handcuffed. Amy looked over her shoulder as she was escorted out of the house. "It's okay, Shadow. I'll be alright," she tried to assure calmly.

Once she was gone, Shadow continued to struggle under the officer's detainment. "Why are you taking her again?" he questioned with a scowl. "She hasn't done anything!"

Blaze crossed her arms over her chest and smirked. "I just want to catch up with her. Is that a crime?" She looked back at the other S.W.A.T officials who still had their guns pointed at the remaining individuals sprawled out on the floor. "We're done here. I've got everyone I need. Let's roll."

•~•

Back at the police station, more of Agent Blaze's associates began to arrive and basically take over the police station. Vector and Espio were especially annoyed by the new arrivals hogging their building. Vector watched as more A.T.F lackeys walked in and out of rooms and clogged the halls. Vector walked into his office and noticed piles of file boxes stacked in his room and strange A.T.F workers sat at his desk. "Uh, what the hell is going on in here?" The workers stared back at the crocodile in silence, not bothering to respond.

He marched out into the hall and spotted Blaze walking in his direction. "Agent, why are your co-workers in my office? That's my space!"

"Well, you're just going to have to get used to this. Things are about to be a little more cramped for the next couple of months." Espio came out of the break room with a cup of coffee in hand. He walked over and stood next to his partner.

"Couple of months?" he repeated in alarm.

"That seems extensive," Espio noted and took a sip of his coffee.

She nodded with an insincere smile. "Perhaps, but it's my job."

Silver walked out of his office to observe the spat going on between Agent Blaze and Detective Vector. Vector glared at the silver hedgehog. "You knew about this?" Silver did not respond and remained neutral.

"Nobody did," Blaze clarified. "I love surprises."

Vector crossed his arms over his chest. "And what's your business here, lady?"

Silver glared at the crocodile for his interrogating question. He had no right to question a higher-ranking official so critically. "Detective," he reprimanded.

"No, it's alright, deputy. I've got this handled," she assured placing a handout. She looked back at the crocodile. "You know exactly why I'm here. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if you've already called Mephiles to warn him." Vector stared back at her speechless but refrained from showing any expression to indicate otherwise. Blaze smirked in knowing at him. "Your professional and personal relationship with the Brothers of Chaos is well-documented," she stated.

Vector raised a brow, challenging her claim. "Is that so?"

"Yes, it is," she nodded. She snapped her fingers and two of her male subordinates walked over to her. "Boys, escort both Detective Vector and Espio out. They pose a risk to my investigation."

Vector and Espio were immediately seized and escorted out of the office. Vector looked over his shoulder back at Silver as he was walked out. "You're really going to let this happen?"

"Her orders override mine," he simply replied.

Once they were gone, Blaze walked into Vector and Espio's old office. Silver followed behind her and closed the door. "You know I may agree with you, but you didn't have to humiliate them on the spot like that," he noted.

Blaze didn't flash an ounce of sympathy in her expression. "Hey, you want to help me take down the Brothers or not?" she argued.

He watched as she opened up a file box on the desk and rummaged for something. "I do, but I don't think embarrassing my co-workers is a necessary step."

"We have different styles, is all, I guess." She handed him a file that he accepted. "Now, let's play catch up." Silver opened up the folder and began skimming the material and documents inside. "So, we know that they get their guns in through oil barrels from the Mobotropolis docks," she started.

"That's Order of Ixis territory," Silver observed as he flipped through the papers.

"Correct," she concurred. "Now, check this out."

"Charles the Hedgehog." She opened up another file and pulled out a picture of Chuck, Manic's uncle. "This guy was a big play for the Order. Sadly, he was found beaten to death on a pier two days ago."

Silver stared at the picture of the older blue hedgehog male, seemingly lost on how this was connected to the Brothers. "You think this was Mephiles' doing or something?"

She shook her head. "No, I don't. I think it was this guy." She pulled out a second photo and laid it down next to Chuck's. "This is Amadeus Prowler," she introduced. "This guy was a super dirty politician, and I think a deal went south, and he killed Charles."

"Okay…so who killed Amadeus?" Blaze smiled and tilted her head, signaling him to think about the connections. Silver's eyes dropped down on the picture of Amadeus. "The Brothers, huh?"

"Chuck was a friend, and Amadeus was an obstacle. He was found gunned down in a rougher part of town."

"You really think this is going to take them down?" Silver questioned with skepticism.

She sighed. "I know, Silver, it's all circumstantial evidence. Which is why we need to prove that the Brothers of Chaos is an ongoing criminal enterprise."

"…Right, so how does bringing in Rouge and Amy play into all this exactly? They had nothing to do with their crimes."

She reached into another folder and pulled out surveillance images of Rouge and Amy, and laid them out on the table. "We're going to go after the ones who have the most to lose," she explained. "These guys are very protective of their ladies." Her finger pointed to Rouge's picture. "Loss of husband." Her finger then pointed to Amy's photo. "Loss of potential dream job and certification."

He glanced up from the girls' photos, seeing where Blaze was going with this. She was planning to blackmail the girls into ratting the boys out with any means necessary. "Amy doesn't deserve this," Silver countered.

"Don't go all soft on me, Silver," she sighed. Blaze sunk into the seat behind the desk. "I think Zonic was right all along. He pushed her straight into their arms. She may be new to their group, but I know she knows a lot more than she's letting on."