Emerald Canyon - The Rebellion Base

A figure moves through the darkness of the night. He appears to be an animoid raccoon, with a bushy ringed tail, and black markings on his face that resemble a mask. He wears an open, dark blue outer jacket, and matching blue boots, as well as a brown belt with a pouch hanging from it. Carefully checking his surroundings, he darts into the mouth of a cave in the canyon wall.

The cave inside is really more of an alcove, ending in a solid wall a short distance away. But the walls are lined with stacks of crates, filled with supplies. Seeming to know his way around, the Raccoon moves right for the crates in the back of the room, and begins rummaging through.

"So, you're the one who's been taking all our stuff?" The Raccoon looks up with surprise to see Knuckles the Echidna, sitting atop the tallest stack of crates. He jumps off, landing on the ground with surprising grace. "Did you really think we wouldn't catch you?"

The Raccoon stares at Knuckles very carefully. Then he slowly bows his head downwards, as if in shame. "I'm…just trying to survive."

"Aren't we all?"

The Raccoon looks up again with interest.

Knuckles reaches back into the crate behind him, and digs around for something for himself. "Heads up." He tosses the object in an arc through the air, so that it lands right in the Raccoon's hands. It appears to be a shiny red apple.

The Raccoon looks from the apple to Knuckles in confusion. "What's this?"

"Eggman's making things hard for all of us. A little advice for you. Think about who you're stealing from. We're not your enemies."

The Raccoon lets out a single amused "Huh."

"You can keep that. But I don't want to see you back here again. Not unless it's to help our cause."

The Raccoon lets out a suave, "Right." He turns to leave. But he stops at the mouth of the cave, to look back at Knuckles. "Thanks for the advice." He bites down on the apple as he strolls out.

Sonic the Hedgehog: The Chaos Project

Season 1, Episode 3

Thief's Honor

Written by ChaosProjectAuthor

Daily log, February 28th, 0 A.E. Knuckles the Echidna reporting.

I finally caught our thief last night. Some nerve he had, skimming off of the good guys, and every night this week, too. My guess is that living under Eggman's rule just didn't work for him. We all know there are a lot of people out there suffering because of him. And any enemy of Eggman's could be an ally of ours. I tried my best to play it cool, even invited this guy to join us. But personally, I'm glad that scumbag refused. The second I looked at him, I knew I didn't like him. There's just something about him. I let him go, of course. But I don't think he'll be bothering us again.

—–—

Knuckles sits next to Sonic in the Mess Tent, engaged in telling a riveting story that has everyone's attention. "…So then I shouted after that Coon, 'That's right! You'd better run!' I don't think he'll be bothering us again."

Sonic stares at him with disbelief. "Seriously? You fought him, hand-to-hand, for two hours? And then he just ran?"

"Well…maybe I exaggerated a bit here and there."

Sonic sighs and shakes his head. "Knuckles, what am I going to do with you?"

"Don't worry, I said it all accurate in the log, I swear."

"Oh, you'd better hope you did."

Rouge sits down with a plate of food in the empty seat across from Knuckles. "So, what's all this I'm hearing about your little scuffle last night, Knuckies?"

Knuckles leans back in his chair and crosses his arms with confidence. "Oh, it was nothing. Just some thieving Raccoon who thought he was sly enough to steal from us."

Rouge takes on an odd look. She mutters quietly, "Sly…?" A little more loudly, she questions, "You said he was a Raccoon?"

Sonic answers, "Yeah. Same guy who's been stealing from us all week, apparently."

"Well…what if he comes back again?"

Knuckles waves a hand dismissively. "Pff. He won't come back, I scared him off."

"Oh, and we're supposed to trust your word on that? You don't have the best track record with your storytelling, Knuckles."

Sonic responds, "If you think it's a serious concern, I can have someone–"

Rouge immediately volunteers, "I'll do it." When she realizes everyone is staring at her, she adds, "I want to see just how good of a thief this guy really is. Besides, I prefer the night life anyways, I don't mind keeping watch for one night."

Sonic nods. "Alright. Keep an eye on our storage area tonight. And report to me tomorrow."

—–—

Rouge hangs upside down from the roof the cave above all the stacks of supplies, carefully watching the entrance where moonlight floods in. Right on cue, a figure peeks in. Scanning across the tops of all the crates, he finds no one. Shaking his head as if in disappointment, the Raccoon makes his way in, once again moving straight for the back of the room.

Rouge drops off from the ceiling, gracefully turning and spreading her wings to land softly in a crouch on the ground directly in his path. She straightens up to look him in the eyes, just inches from his face. "So…it really is you."

The Raccoon wears a big smirk on his face. "Ahh… Rouge… It's been a while."

"What are you doing here, Sylvester?"

"Aww, aren't you happy to see me? Where's my kiss?"

Rouge puts a hand on his chest, and shoves him back hard enough to slam him into the nearest wall of crates, pinning him there. "Talk, Sly!"

The Raccoon, Sly, grunts under the pressure, "Reminds me of old times." He stares at the heart-shaped plate she wears on her chest. "Hot outfit. Really brings out your eyes. Compensating for something?"

For that remark, she slaps him across the face with her free hand.

He still can't wipe away his smirk. "Yep. Just like old times."

"Did you come here…just to find me?"

Sly raises an eyebrow. "I promised I would, didn't I?"

"The way I remember it, you were spouting death threats."

"Well…I had a lot of time to think behind those bars. Why don't you just let me down, and we can talk all about it. Over dinner, maybe?"

Rouge rolls her eyes. "I'm not letting you go for one second."

Sly changes the subject again. "So who was that guy I met last night? New boyfriend?"

"What? Knuckles? No."

"You sure? I thought he seemed like your type. Stubborn and hot headed, but pretending to be cooler than he really is."

"You know, I'd forgotten how you never shut up. Just tell me why you really came."

Sly closes his eyes, finally taking on a serious face. "I really do want to talk to you. There's just…one thing I never understood. Why? Why'd you sell me out?"

—–—

Empire City

June 9th, 3 B.E. – Four years ago

Several weeks before the events of Sonic Adventure 2

In a polished glass case, the brilliant blue Chaos Emerald is erected on display, in the very center of a large jewelry store. The glass doors and windows are completely covered by steel shutters, as the shop is closed for the night. A single guard walks on patrol. High above, a pair of blue eyes stares through the grated ventilation shaft in the ceiling, watching the guard's every move.

The eyes belong to Rouge the Bat, hiding in the narrow shaft, though she almost might not be recognized at first. The hair on her head is grown long, styled off to one side so that it partially covers one eye. On the other side of her head, a small earring is pierced near the top of her ear. Her one-piece outfit looks a bit more comfortable, made of a soft, dark purple fabric, and exposing most of her legs and arms. She also wears a belt with a heart-shaped buckle.

As young Rouge watches, the guard on the ground cautiously moves through a door in the back of the store, with signs marking it as the public restroom. Rouge speaks, apparently into a communicator, "That's it, he's gone."

The voice of Sly answers back, "Excellent. Three minutes on the clock. Dispersing the gas…now."

While Rouge removes the grate separating her from the air below, a white, misty gas begins to pour in through the ventilation shaft, which escapes down into the store below. While the gas moves, Rouge questions, "Security cameras?"

"Taken care of. Have a little faith, babe."

Rouge bites her lip for a moment, but then starts to cough. "Did you really have to pump the gas through my only hiding space?"

"Hey, we both knew this plan had to be rushed. I promise you, they won't be keeping that Emerald here long. Not with a price tag like that." After a pause, he continues, "You have two minutes left. How's it looking down there?"

As the gas moves downwards through the air, it reveals what was invisible before. A network of crisscrossing yellow security lasers, reaching most of the way down to the Emerald. She snarks back, "Piece of cake. Have a little faith, Ringtail." Immediately, she dives down through the opening, elegantly twisting and flapping through the air, narrowly avoiding each laser she passes. She silently lands just beside the pedestal holding the Emerald.

After a moment to look at the gem inside of the case, she pulls out two objects: a roll of tape, and what appears to be a thin nail file. Very carefully, she slides the nail file underneath one corner of the glass case, then rips off a few strips of tape with her teeth, which she uses to stick the file firmly in place. "Pressure sensor has been fooled."

"You're behind schedule, you have to pick up the pace."

Ignoring him, she cautiously wraps her hands around the case, and carefully lifts it up, setting it gently on the ground beside her. The Chaos Emerald is completely exposed. After a moment of hesitation, she grabs for it. Everything remains quiet.

Rouge slowly turns the Emerald over in her hand, getting a close look at it. "I…I have it. It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

"More beautiful than me? I ought to be offended."

Before Rouge can answer, another voice shouts, "You there!" The guard stands in front of the door he exited through earlier, weapon raised and pointed at Rouge. His eyes dart from the glass case on the floor, to the Emerald in her hand. "Stop, thief!" He fires off two rounds from his gun.

Rouge ducks down under the cover of the pedestal for momentary safety. "Sly, I'm pinned down, I need cover! Sly?" The alarm has been triggered, and flashing red lights now flood the smokey room, to the sound of an incessant wail.

Not getting any answer, Rouge carefully peeks out from her cover, just in time to see a blue and grey blur of motion strike at the guard, knocking the weapon free from his hand, and sending it sliding across the ground. Sly, wearing a dark red backpack and a lighter blue sweater, stands crouched in front of the guard, wielding a long wooden staff in one hand. He glances back to meet her eyes for a moment. "Get out of here, go!"

Looking over to see the spot Sly entered from, a small round hole made in the shuttered window, Rouge makes a run for it. Halfway out through the hole, she glances back to see that the guard has drawn a baton in one hand and a taser in the other. Sly leaps up to attack with his own weapon. Rouge makes her own leap, flying out into the night.

Leveling out at the height of most of the rooftops in this area of the city, Rouge takes one last glance at the jewelry store, where a red light still periodically flashes through her exit hole. The alarm can still be faintly heard. She looks instead back to the Emerald in her hand as she flies along through the air. "You're finally mine…" She gasps and weaves off to the side, just in time to avoid some sort of energy bolt that was fired through the air.

Down on the street below, covered behind a blockade of strobing police vehicles, a group of soldiers and robots alike all have their weapons pointed up at Rouge. Without saying a word, they continue to fire. As she dodges two more energy bolts, Rouge exclaims, "How'd they get here so fast!?" She dodges around another wave of fire, only to find a cable wrapping around her boot. "Uh oh."

The soldier with the grappling gun yanks down hard, sending Rouge crashing down into the center of the blockaded area. She slams into the ground hard enough to see stars.

Through the spots in Rouge's fading vision, she sees a pair of polished black shoes belonging to a tall figure approaching her. Though she can hardly hear him through the ringing in her ears, the man speaks in a commanding voice, "Rouge the Bat, you are hereby placed under arrest by order of the Guardian Units of Nations." Then everything goes black.

—–—

Rouge's cuffs clamor loudly as she tries to pull up her hands. But she is cuffed securely to the table. Slowly, she starts to take a look around her new cell. The bars of the cell don't have any door, but instead appear to be able to remotely lift up all at once. There aren't any obvious entrances on the other side of the bars, either. Just another empty room, the walls of which are periodically plastered with a familiar 'G' emblem. The cell itself is quite dark, covered in dingy metal plating on all sides except for the wall of cell bars. But the walls have another intriguing feature. Every square inch of wall space appears to have been drawn on in white, leaving it covered in diagrams, figures, and mathematical equations, all completely unintelligible. There's something very familiar about it all.

There is a shudder as something starts moving too far off to the left of the cell to be seen. Two voices can be heard speaking quietly as they enter. Soon, they step into view. One of them is a run-of-the-mill human GUN soldier, holding a blue key card in one hand. The other man, the same who spoke to Rouge before she lost consciousness, wears a vest decorated with honors and rank insignias, has a silvery white head of hair, and a mismatching set of red and blue eyes. The GUN High Commander. He also carries several folders full of papers and files. He nods to the soldier, who moves off to the right of the cell, sliding the card through a control panel, causing the bars to raise. The Commander steps inside. Then he turns back to the soldier. "Leave us alone."

"But, sir–"

"That's an order."

"Of course. Yes, sir." The soldier enters a code on the panel that causes the bars to lower back down into place, then, with a salute, exits the way he came.

Now alone with Rouge, the Commander steps over slowly, and takes a seat at the chair set up opposite to Rouge's. He folds his hands on the table. He begins, "I'm sure you're probably wondering what's going on here. This is Prison Island, the most secure facility on the planet. This is where we keep criminals who are too dangerous to keep in with normal society. I was hoping to give you better accommodations here, but unfortunately, this is the only cell we have available. That writing on the walls…was made by an insane Professor, who almost destroyed an inhabited space station about fifty years ago."

Rouge looks carefully up and down the Commander, but doesn't say a word.

"Are you feeling alright? I hope you weren't mistreated on the way here."

Rouge's only answer is to blow some of her long hair out of her eye.

The Commander lets out a sigh. "Miss Rouge, this whole thing will go much easier for both of us if you just cooperate." He waits for a reply, but gets none. "Here, let me help you with those cuffs." He takes out a small key, and reaches over to unlock the handcuffs that lock Rouge down to the table.

The moment she's free, Rouge pulls her hands back, rubbing at her wrists. But she still doesn't say anything.

"I know what you're probably thinking right now. 'Is this guy for real?' We both know you could easily take me out in a hand-to-hand fight. You might even be able to find a way out of this cell. But that would be the end of it. There are armed guard robots on every floor. And even if you got past them, there would be nowhere to go. We've held criminals here more devious than yourself, but no one's ever escaped. It would be in your best interest not to try. Now…will you talk to me?"

After a pause, Rouge finally answers, "I'm not saying a word until I get a lawyer. I know my rights."

The Commander lets out another sigh. "Rouge, you've been arrested as an international criminal by order of GUN and the President himself. I'm afraid you don't have very many rights. That being said, I'd like to make your stay here as brief and painless as possible. If all goes well, you'll be out within the hour."

This catches Rouge's attention. "Fine then. Skip the formalities and cut to the chase. What do you want from me?"

For the first time, the Commander smiles. "Very well. Let's start…" He reaches into his pocket "…with this." He pulls out the sparkling blue Chaos Emerald, apparently confiscated from Rouge. He places it down on the table, well within Rouge's reach. "This is the object you stole last night. How much do you know about it?"

Rouge stares at the gem with a hint of longing. "The store had it labelled as a Chaos Emerald. I know a thing or two about gems, but…I can't say I've ever heard of that particular variety before. Color doesn't seem right for an Emerald, either. But the price tag on that thing?" She lets out a low whistle. "Never seen so many zeros in one place. And I've met a lot of zeros over the years."

"So you really didn't know?"

"Know what?"

The Commander thinks for a moment. Then he takes out one of the folders he brought in. "Let's move on. Are you familiar with the incident that occurred in Station Square several weeks ago?"

"Wasn't there a flood or something? Billions in damage, from what I heard. I'll bet that Chaos Emerald could pay for it, though. Is that what all this is about?"

"This…was no ordinary flood." He opens the folder, and digs through until he finds a photograph. He pulls it out, and flips it around to show her. "This was taken during the incident."

Rouge examines the photo closely. It depicts a familiar city, flooded to ruin. As well as a a creature larger than any of the nearby skyscrapers, dragonoid and covered in tentacles, appearing to be made of the water itself. There is also a small golden streak barely noticeable in the corner. Rouge can hardly suppress her laughter. "What kind of hoax is this?" The Commander keeps a completely stern face. "This is a hoax…right?"

"I assure you, it's completely authentic."

Rouge's amusement has transformed to a slightly fearful surprise. She takes a renewed look at Perfect Chaos. "Then…what is it?"

"Some say it's the God of Destruction itself. Our scientists believe it to be a mutated form of the creatures called Chao."

"A Chao? You expect me to believe that thing is supposed to be a cute little Chao?"

"It doesn't really matter. Whatever it is, it's gone now. What's important is that all of this…" He waves his hand over the folder and the photo. "…happened because of the Chaos Emeralds."

"Emeralds? So there's more than one?"

"There are seven. Possibly eight, we're still looking into rumors of the 'Master Emerald'."

"And you're telling me that this thing leveled an entire city just to get its hands on a bunch of old rocks? I mean, I like jewels too, but even I wouldn't take it that far."

"You misunderstand. This creature's power wasn't unleashed for the Emeralds. It was unleashed by the Emeralds. A madman by the name of Dr. Eggman was feeding them to it."

"You aren't making any sense here."

The Commander picks up the Chaos Emerald, and holds it out right in front of her. "This is not just a jewel, Miss Rouge. This is one of the seven most powerful energy sources known to exist in our universe. As far as we can tell, even this one contains a near-infinite amount of energy. All seven…could easily destroy our planet. Last night, you stole this Emerald, and instantly became a threat to international security."

"So that's why you locked me up here? Because I accidentally stole a magic rock that a giant monster used to destroy a city? Forgive me if I find this all a little far-fetched."

"We live in a changing world, Rouge. Hundreds of years ago, the existence of your kind was nothing but myth and legend to human civilization. Now we coexist together in our cities." He clenches his hand around the Emerald. "This is just one more myth coming true. We're living in a new turning point for our history. If we do nothing, then there will be nothing but dark times ahead. There are forces beyond our control at work here. But we're going to do everything we can to keep the world safe from these forces."

"It sounds to me like you're getting ready to ask me something."

"That's right. We've been keeping an eye on you for quite some time. We know your skills. This Emerald…was a test. And of course, you passed. You've proven your worth. So now, we want to hire you as an Agent of GUN."

"I'm sorry…did I hear that right? I'm a 'threat to international security'…so you're offering me a job?"

"As a matter of fact, it was the President of the United Federation who requested you personally."

"The President?" The Commander nods. "Sure. Okay, why not? I'll keep going along with this. So what exactly does this job entail?"

"As I said before, keeping the world safe from the Chaos Emeralds is of vital importance to us. Your primary task would be to track down and gather the Emeralds, and deliver them here to the vault on Prison Island. Of course, under the employ of GUN, you could be assigned to any mission at any time. Given your talents, that would typically mean missions of infiltration, espionage, and, if necessary…confiscation. Effectively, you would be a spy."

"So let me get this straight. I'd be pardoned of all crimes I've ever committed, I get to steal the most valuable jewels and artifacts in the world, legally…and you'd pay me for it?"

"And you'd be making the world a better place while you do it. Of course, as a secret agent, your Emerald-hunting missions would require you to keep a cover. As far as anyone else is concerned, you would just be an obsessive jewel hunter, looking to get your hands on the rarest prizes. I'm sure that won't be too hard for you to manage."

"Sounds like fun. Why do I feel like there's a catch?"

"That depends on what you consider to be a catch. There's one important topic we haven't discussed yet. I think you know what I'm talking about."

Rouge nods slowly. "Sly. What have you done with him?"

"Nothing at all. He's at your hideout now, awaiting your return."

"I'm guessing he doesn't get a job, too?"

"I don't think that would be wise." He takes out the other folder. "As part of this whole process, we had psychological profiling done on the two of you." He takes a paper out of the folder, and starts to read, "'Sylvester 'Sly' the Raccoon. Obsessive, devious, and unstable. But good with people.' Any objections?"

Rouge thinks for a moment. "No, that…pretty much sums him up."

The Commander continues to read through the file. "Quite frankly, it wasn't hard to determine that, even if Sylvester were a good fit for GUN, he wouldn't want anything to do with us. Much like yourself, he is a threat to international security. He has the ability to get Chaos Emeralds into all the wrong hands, to people like Eggman who would pay any price for them. And unlike yourself, we can't put that ability to work for us. There's only one option. He needs to be put away."

Rouge goes silent for quite some time. "…What do you want me to do?"

—–—

Present day

Rouge tugs hard on the rope, tightening it as much as she can, firmly tying Sly to the chair. "There. Now you're staying right there until everyone else wakes up. Then we'll decide what to do with you."

"What to do with me? There gonna be an execution or something?"

Rouge glares at him. "We may not have our own prison, but there's no way we're letting a scoundrel like you go free. We'll figure something out."

"So you're locking me up again? I guess some things never change."

"I guess they don't."

Sly sits in silence for a while. "So…the feds really did get you. And you cut a deal. Somehow, I always hoped it would be something bigger than that."

"It started a long time before that, Sylvester. I wanted out. You never noticed."

"I offered you an out. You stabbed me in the back instead."

"I didn't just want out of the crime. I wanted out of our partnership."

"You wanted to break up? But…we were together for years…"

"What the Commander said about you was right, and I knew it. We just weren't the same. You were always in it for the thrill of it. You liked the life of crime. And you didn't care if people got hurt along the way. You would've been bored without it, your 'out' would never have lasted long. I knew I couldn't change that about you. I knew I couldn't stay with you."

"For you, I would've tried. Why didn't you just talk to me about it?"

"We both know how that would've turned out. Obsessive and unstable, that's how you always were. The same way you were obsessed with that last job. I don't know what it was about that ring–"

Sly viciously shouts, "Don't you dare talk about that!"

"There's the Sly I'm talking about. One touchy subject, and off you go. But even after all that…I still did it for you."

—–—

Four years ago

Sly peeks through the old-fashioned window shutters, through a grimey window to the night skyline outside. The room he waits in appears to be quite high up in the sky, judging by the car lights crisscrossing through the streets far down below. He pulls back, and sits back against the wall with a sigh. The room has a low, slanted ceiling, and the walls are completely unpainted, apparently the attic of some tall skyscraper. The hideout is surprisingly full, with large piles of unsold gold, jewels, and other valuable trinkets, likely all stolen.

Suddenly, faint footsteps can be heard beneath the floor. Sly stands up in an instant, readying his staff at his side, prepared to defend himself against whatever intruder lurks beneath. A large panel on the floor, apparently the entrance to the hideout, starts to rumble. Then it flips over to the side as Rouge climbs her way in.

"Rouge!" Before she can even stand all the way up, Sly wraps his arms tightly around her in an embrace. His staff can be heard clattering to the floor. Rouge gasps at the sudden touch, but relaxes after a moment. Finally, Sly separates from her, still holding her by the shoulders. "You made it! You were gone so long, I was worried that…that you were caught."

Rouge thinks back to her conversation with the Commander.

"…What do you want me to do?"

"It's very simple. We already know about your plan to rob the Empire City Museum tomorrow. All you have to do…is make sure he goes through with the plan. We'll have a trap set, he won't have any chance to escape."

"And then what?"

"His sheer number of criminal offenses would typically land him a life sentence. Maybe several. If we get your help in this, I'll do what I can to reduce that sentence. A long time from now, he can still be a free man. In the meantime, you would be free to visit him as you please."

"And if I refuse?"

"Then I would suggest that you get comfortable. Because you won't be leaving this cell. Ever. And he certainly won't be seeing you again."

Back in reality, Rouge lies, "You know me better than that. I was being tailed. I had to wait them out all day to make sure I'd lost them."

Sly nods with a smile. "Of course. So do you…still have it?"

"Oh, you mean this?" She proudly displays the Chaos Emerald.

In her memories, the Commander continued, "Of course, you'll have to take the Emerald with you to avoid suspicion."

"And what if I…kept the Emerald, warned Sly about your plan, and both of us disappeared before you ever realize you'd been duped?"

The Commander shook his head. "There are fates worse than life in prison. I think you know that. Just think for a moment about everything that I've told you so far. How we know all about your operation, your plans, even your personalities. How we were able to capture you the moment we saw fit to do so. Do you really think it's a good idea to run away from that? Even if you somehow managed to evade us for a short time, there's nowhere in this world you would be safe from us. You would spend the rest of your brief life constantly looking over your shoulder." He paused. "We have a psychological profile on you as well, Rouge. The life of a fugitive isn't the life for you. You desire safety and security. That's why we know you want to be done with your days spent running from the law. Those days are almost over. One way or the other."

Sly turns the Emerald over in his hand. "So…this is the jewel more beautiful than me? I'll admit, it's got…a certain glow to it. Literally."

"Sylvester…we need to talk."

Sly looks up to meet her eyes sternly. "Now those words are never a good sign for a conversation. And you only call me that when you want something from me. So what is it?"

"I…" She hesitates for quite some time. But she finally makes up her mind. "…I…don't think it's a good idea to go through with the heist tomorrow."

"What!? You're having second thoughts now!? We've been planning this for months! There is no way we're backing out now!"

"But what if–"

"I said no!" His hands are balled up into fists. He speaks through clenched teeth, "I'm going to get that ring tomorrow. No matter what."

Rouge lowers her head slowly. "Alright. Then we'll do it…just like we planned."

Sly reaches a finger under her chin, gently lifting her head so that he can look her in the eyes again. A soft smile has already returned to his face. "Now that wasn't so bad. I'm glad we were able to work it out." He reaches an arm around her back, and starts to pull her in close, closing his eyes and moving his lips closer to hers.

At the last moment, Rouge pushes him away. "We should get some sleep for tomorrow."

Sly pouts with disappointment. But he admits, "You're probably right." He turns away. But then he stops. "I think I know what all this is about."

Rouge gasps. "You do…?"

"You want out, don't you?"

"Uh-…I-…" Rouge continues to stutter a bit, but can't formulate a response.

"You're tired of the crime. You're tired of running and hiding. I get it, I understand you. So…if that's what you really want…" He pauses. "…we'll make this our last hurrah. One last heist to top off all the others. Then we'll move far away from here, where no one will ever find us. Maybe even do some treasure hunting the old-fashioned way, like you used to talk about. How does that sound?"

"…Too good to be true."

He gives her another smile. "I'll make it come true for you. I promise."

—–—

Sly presses against the wide wall in the shadows of the museum fossil exhibit. Several large dinosaur skeletons are on display in the area behind him. He questions into his radio, "How's it coming?"

Rouge stands in a small room with much better lighting. "I'm working on it." She crosses her arms as she looks up to the security guard. On her right is an array of monitors showing security feed from cameras placed throughout the museum. "Official GUN business. I'm going to have to ask you to disable all alarms and security systems."

The guard scrutinizes her closely. "You don't look like an agent."

Rouge flashes a shiny new badge bearing the 'G' emblem of GUN. "Don't I?" She takes the badge back, and points at a few of the security monitors, where several GUN soldiers and robots can be made out, all hiding in the shadows. "As you can see, we have agents stationed throughout the facility. We're catching a criminal. I'm authorized to use any means necessary. In fact, the plan doesn't require us to have this conversation at all. Please, cooperate."

"Well…I don't want any trouble with GUN." He bends down to start entering commands into the security system. After a moment, the screens all cut to static. "There. It's done."

Rouge gives him a nod in thanks. Then she lies into her radio, "Guard is out. Security is cut. You're good to go."

In his own position, Sly nods. "Got it." He moves away from the wall, and looks to the metal shutters that block his way into the next room. He crouches down and digs his fingers underneath, lifting it up without much trouble, just high enough to allow him to crawl underneath. He shuts it behind him.

The new room he arrives in has almost no light, but all attention is immediately drawn to one object. High on a pedestal in the center of the room is a single ring, decorated with an impressively large heart-shaped pink diamond, as well as various smaller colorful gems patterned all the way around its outside. As he slowly approaches the pedestal, Sly speaks, apparently to himself, "There it is…the ring worn by Queen Alena II almost 200 years ago. The most valuable of its kind. The perfect ring…for the perfect girl." Carefully, he reaches out for the ring, and clasps his fingers around it.

"Halt! You're completely surrounded!" In an instant, lights flood into the room, all directed at Sly. He is indeed completely surrounded, by soldiers, robots and drones, all with weapons pointed at him. The only possible exits are through the shuttered doors, behind walls of armed soldiers.

Immediately, he goes for his communicator. "Rouge, I'm caught! You have to make a run for it!" He gets no response. "Rouge!? Rouge!"

After a moment, her voice answers quietly, "I'm sorry…"

The soldiers have already made it to Sly, cuffing him and pinning him down to the ground. Still, he shouts, "Sorry!? Whaddaya mean, sorry!?"

She doesn't have to answer through the radio, as she enters the room, along with several more soldiers.

"You…you're in league with them, aren't you!?"

Somberly, never meeting his eyes, Rouge holds up her badge for him to see.

"What did they offer you? Power? Money? How much am I worth to them? How much am I worth to you?"

"I did it for you, Sly. They were going to put you away for life, maybe worse. Now you have a chance at a normal life again."

Sly glares at her with malice. "If you'd just said money, I might've believed you."

Sly is forced back up to his feet by one of the soldiers. "Let's move it." Another soldier joins him, and they restrain Sly on either side as they walk him towards the exit.

As he is walked past Rouge, he spits, "You know their prisons can't hold me. I'll break out. And when I do, there's nowhere you can go that I won't be able to find you. You'll pay for this, Bat."

As Sly is pushed out, he makes a show of dropping something for Rouge to see. She bends down to pick it up once he's gone. It's the ring. Rouge takes it upon herself to return it to its proper place.

One of the only soldiers left in the room calls out to her, "So, you're the new girl?"

Rouge turns to look at him. He looks a little young for a soldier, and yet he has quite a few badges and honors patched onto his uniform. His name patch reads 'J. Naka'. Rouge responds, "Yeah, that's me. Where's the Commander?"

"Occupied with important business. He sent me with your orders. And his congratulations, on the right choice he knew you'd make."

"Occupied? With what? He made this whole thing sound like priority one."

The soldier, Naka, looks around as if to make sure that no one is listening. Then he leans in close, and whispers, "You didn't hear this from me, but…apparently, there was some sort of data breach. A top secret project got leaked out. The Commander totally flipped out when he heard about it."

Rouge mutters to herself, "Interesting… Maybe I'll have to look into this 'project'…"

Naka takes out a folder. "Anyways, if you're ready to start now, here are reports of three available Chaos Emeralds. There's a fourth in there, but it's already in safe hands. For the other three, your job is to investigate, retrieve if possible, and store in the Security Hall on Prison Island."

"That shouldn't take long. After that?"

"Everything we know about the rumored 'Master Emerald' is also in there. See what you can learn about it."

"If it exists, I'll find it. Guaranteed." Rouge takes the folder, and starts looking through. But then she looks up. Through a window in the next room, an armored truck can be seen. The eyes of Sly stare out through the bars, directly at her. She watches silently as the truck drives off and out of sight.

—–—

Present day

"And you never figured out…why I was so obsessed with that ring?"

Rouge shakes her head.

"It was for you. I was going to propose. I wanted us to spend the rest of our lives together."

"Marriage!? Are you kidding!? I was seventeen!"

"So what!? I was in love with you! And I thought you felt the same…"

"Sly…"

"Yeah, yeah, you did it for me. Or so you keep saying."

"No. You're right. They offered me everything I ever wanted, and I justified it by telling myself that it was good for you too. I could've told you. I betrayed you instead."

"So you admit…that you did it for yourself?"

Rouge sighs. "Maybe I did. But…" She starts to walk around, behind the chair that Sly is still tied to. "…this time…I won't." She starts to untie the ropes.

"What?"

The ropes all fall to the floor as she undoes the last knot. "You heard me. Get out of here. And this time, listen when you're told to never come back."

He stands up slowly. "You just want me to leave? Pretend like none of this ever happened?"

"It…it doesn't have to be that way. GUN may not have wanted you, but we do. You could be a big help to the Rebellion, if you want to stay."

"You and me, together as fugitives? The same life you gave up back then?"

"Fugitive? I-I'm not–"

"The Eggman Empire rules this world now, Rouge. GUN, the Empire, what's the difference? Your deal bought you a few years, but it all turned out the same in the end. You still have to live in hiding."

Rouge thinks on that for quite some time. But she never answers.

"What about…you and me?"

This, Rouge answers immediately. "Forget about it. It's not happening. Ever."

"In that case, I think I'll have to pass."

"Then you should go."

Silently, Sly starts to walk out. But he stops and glances back. "You suuuure…?"

"Get out."

Sly lets out a sigh. He waves a hand behind him as he leaves into the grey dawn outside. "See ya around."

Once he's safely out of earshot, Rouge finally responds, "I really hope not."

—–—

Rouge sits down with her breakfast across from Sonic and Knuckles.

Sonic immediately questions, "So, how'd it go?"

Rouge looks up. "Huh? Oh, he, uh…he never showed. It was quiet all night."

Knuckles sneers, "Told you."

Sonic gives her an odd look. "Rouge…when we're done here, can I have a word with you?"

"Uhh…sure. Why not?"

—–—

Emperor Eggman sits in a familiar darkened room, across from a figure who still leans back in the shadows. Eggman questions, "You requested a meeting?"

The figure responds in his usual growling voice, "That's correct. I have some new information on the Rebellion you may find interesting."

"Go on."

"To begin with, I now have a complete head count of all current members, full details on their available supplies, and of course, the location of their base."

Eggman slams his hands down on the table. "What!? You know their location!? I'll prepare an attack force immediately, we'll destroy them all!"

The figure holds a brown-gloved hand up into the light. He appears to only have four fingers. "Please, not so hasty. If you simply try to squash the Rebellion all at once, they will scatter and flee like the insects they are. That won't do any of us any good, now will it?"

"It sounds as if you have a different plan in mind."

"Indeed I do. I think I'll allow my companion to explain." A second figure steps out of the darkness and into the light. Immediately, his blue attire is recognizable. "Allow me to introduce you to Sly. I helped him escape from prison some time ago, so he owes me a few favors. Sly?"

The Raccoon bows his head to Eggman. "Honored to meet you, Emperor."

"Enough of that. Tell me the plan."

"Very well. You see, if you want this Rebellion destroyed, then they must be taken apart from the inside."

"And what do you mean by that?"

"It's simple. We have an ally inside of the Rebellion. And she doesn't even know it yet."

—–—

Sonic sits across from Rouge in his own tent. "Rouge…I'm going to ask you a simple question. Can I trust you?"

"Well of course you–"

Sonic holds up a hand to stop her. "I want you to think about this. Think hard. And only answer me if you absolutely mean it."

Rouge does have to think for quite some time. But finally, she answers, "I mean it. You can trust me. With anything."

Sonic nods slowly. "Good. Because there's something very important I want you to do for me."

"What can I do?"

"We'll get to that. But you can start…by telling me what really happened last night."

Rouge gasps at first. But then she nods with a slight sigh. "His name was Sylvester. But I knew him as Sly…"

To be continued…