The Story of Knuckles part 2
So Knuckles and the Chaotix accompanied Carmelita back to her town, in the hopes that together they'd be able to stop Sly Cooper before he stole again. But that was of course easier said than done since very little information could be drawn on Cooper as he seemed to disappear and reappear like the wind. It was evident that Sly Cooper and his gang were not in town, if they were they were keeping a low profile. And that's how Carmelita knew they were around.
She, Knuckles and their team stayed confident and on top of their game because they knew eventually the time would come and the thief would reveal himself. Only three days later on night of the shipment's arrival came and the game had begun.
And on this night Knuckles and Carmelita were sitting in the police woman's car. Sitting and waiting as the truck full of goods drove behind them, with half a dozen police cars covering all sides. Vector, Mighty, and Espio all in the car in the back of the caravan.
Knuckles sat with his arms crossed over his chest while Carmelita sat with her legs crossed and one finger twirling her hair, an uncomfortable and awkward about of space between them.
And as usual all this uncomfortable silence only made Knuckles more annoyed as time went on.
"Oh the hell with this!" he yelled." Let's just go out there and-" But he was silenced as Carmelita reached over and grabbed him.
"Patience was never your strong point." She said. She then pushed him back into his seat." Relax, sooner or later it'll all pay off." Knuckles turned and looked up at her while she looked down at him, the space between them suddenly smaller as they were only inches apart.
But then two hands reached out and grabbed both their faces, then pushed them apart.
"Alright break it up, break it up!" commanded Julie-Su from the back seat as she pushed the two away. Once she let go of the two they sat as they had been before and Julie-Su laid back and kicked her legs up on the seat." So how much longer are we going to wait?"
"Put your feet down." Commanded Carmelita in a calm manner. Julie-Su did as she was told but stretched her feet out so that she would kicked Carmelita's chair. The police woman groaned after it happened as she turned back to Julie-Su.
"Sorry." Smirked Julie-Su.
"Oh boy." Groaned Knuckles as he rubbed his eyes. But lucky for them the night was looking up as none other than Sly Cooper appeared on the scene. He stayed on the rooftops and in the shadows looking down in the streets below into the truck were the goods were.
"We're already here Bentley." Sais Sly into his earpiece." The goods are almost in place."
"Whatever your set Sly, we've got the van in position." Sly listened to Bentley but looked down at the law enforcement below. He of course recognized the signature vehicle of Inspector Carmelita Fox.
"Oh this is gonna be good." He smirked. However he was unaware of the company she kept." Show time." He said as he jumped from the roof.
Knuckles looked in the rearview mirror and saw that the truck had just finished loading it's merchandise.
"It looks like we're ready to move." Knuckles said to Carmelita.
"Alright." She said turning the keys and starting her car." Let's get this-" She suddenly stopped as a figure jumped down from the sky and onto her hood."BAH!" she yelled when she saw none other than Sly Cooper. In his right hand was his cane and in his left was a small bundle, the museum's merchandise already stolen.
"Why good evening Ms. Fox and what I-" He started off with a confident smile but that disappeared when he saw Knuckles in the car." YOU!"
"Yes!" Knuckles roared ripping the seatbelt off himself." ME!" He jumped out the window and then at Sly Cooper. But he was to slow as Sly quickly took to the air with his parachute.
"To slow." He laughed. Carmelita jumped out of the car and aimed her pistol at Sly but she couldn't get a clear shot, he was too high up.
"Damn it." She groaned." Let's go we can-" But she stopped as her car started to shake and then rise into the air. Julie-Su had exited the car and was now lifting it." What are you doing?!" Julie-Su reared her arms back and tossed the car into the air and at Sly. He squealed as he maneuvered out of its way. Despite the fact she missed Julie-Su stood back with a smirk on her face. But Carmelita looked at her with a dropped jaw.
"Oops." She simply said with a shrug of her shoulder. Carmelita was going to say something but stopped as a red blur ran past them.
"Knuckles!" she yelled after him. But it was too late as Knuckles was already down the street. He ran with the speed of Sonic keeping up with Sly who had a head-start. Knuckles followed him as he turned left and right.
Sly had some edge in the sky but not for long. He could only glide like Knuckles could and was forced to land. His feet his the rooftop and he went off running. Looking over his shoulder he saw Knuckles jump onto the rooftop with him and chased him on foot. Now Knuckles would surely overtake him and Sly knew that.
So thinking quick he jumped down and into the alley. But Knuckles was hot on his heels and hit the ground only a few seconds after he did. He turned his head and watched Sly disappear around a dark corner. Knuckles chased after him but found Sly in no trace of the alleyway.
Sly himself had ducked inside one of the closed doors of the alley. Then quickly made his way deeper into the building. He found himself walking into one of the aisles of a supermarket. He walked down the refrigerated section with milk, orange juice and water around him. Sly walked casually as if he had nothing to fear but what he saw outside the window made him jump.
There he saw Carmelita with the Chaotix. He quickly ducked behind cover hoping they hadn't seen him. They did not as Carmelita pointed in the other direction and she and Vector ran off that way while Julie-Su pointed in the other direction forcing Mighty and Espio to go with her.
Sly breathed a sigh of relief. Now he had ditched anyone who tried to follow him. He was safe. Or so he thought.
Sly slowly turned around and there he saw a familiar red face. Knuckles.
Without a moment to lost the echidna swung his fist forward and punched Sly in the face knocking him back into the shelves of milk and water. He jumped forward and punched Sly once more causing him to swing the other way. Then a third time now knocking him to the ground completely. Sly toppled over knocking some of the chilled beverages on top of him.
Knuckles bent over and went to work, searching Sly for the stolen artifact. He found it hidden in Sly's shirt.
"This doesn't belong to you." He said as he pulled it from the thief. But then the raccoon sprung to life and grabbed at it with both hands. Knuckles swung out his leg and kicked Sly in the chest, then a second time. Then he used one hand to hold the artifact and with the other punched Sly in the face, sending him flying back and onto a table of fruits.
Knuckles stomped towards him and Sly in a desperate move swung his cane up and tried to hit Knuckles with it. But the Guardian simply blocked it with his forearm and with his other hand grabbed an orange and smacked Sly in the head with it, knocking him back onto the cart.
"C'mon Cooper." Said Knuckles tucking the artifact away and grabbing Sly by his shirt. Cooper stumbling behind him as Knuckles dragged him on." C'mon let's go shopping. He stood Sly up and then swung him into one of the aisles, knocking all the boxed packages onto the ground." Don't you just love shopping Cooper? I love shopping!" said Knuckles as he grabbed a case of flower, ripped it open and then covered Sly in it." White's a good color for you!" He grabbed Sly by his shirt and stood him up once more. Then holding him by his head slammed him against the aisle and then ran across it all the way to the end. Once he got there Knuckles threw Sly forward and into a glass container filled with ice, cold beer.
Sly lay there with the lower half of his body sticking out any sound coming out of him was a groan as beer poured out and onto the floor. Feeling the damage done Knuckles reached down and grabbed Sly by the back of his shirt and then dragged him away.
Sly's body trailed behind him as the two made their way to the front of the store. Knuckles apologized to the manager and quickly paid any of the damages off before making his way out and into the street.
"Knuckles!" called a voice. Knuckles looked to his right to see Julie-Su, Mighty and Espio run towards him. On his left Carmelita and Vector did the same." You're alright!" said Julie-Su.
"Of course." He nodded. He swung his arm forward and tossed Sly at Carmelita's feet." He's not."
"OH MY GOD, you killed him!" Carmelita yelled.
"No I didn't." Knuckles shook his head." But I bet he wishes he was dead." He now produced the museum's artifact and handed it to Carmelita." I believe you'll need this to." Carmelita reached out her arms and prepared to take it from him. But then seemingly out of nowhere something wrapped around it and it was flung from Knuckles' hands.
Everyone watched as if flew in the air and landed in the hands of another. But it was no one they'd ever seen before.
A slender young woman, with black hair, deep brown eyes and most notably green skin. She was such a beautiful woman that all the men in her presence found it hard to even breath, let alone speak around her. But Julie-Su and Carmelita could.
"Who the hell are you?" Julie-Su demanded. The woman gave no reply except a smile as she clutched the artifact tighter to herself.
"Oh I'm just stopping by." She replied in a sing-song voice.
"Hand that over." Carmelita said extending his hand out to her.
"No." she responded, widening her perfect smile." I've grown quite attached to it." With the others in a dumbfounded trance Carmelita and Julie-Su prepared to take matters into their own hands. Noticing this the witch pointed an index finger at the two, shooting a bolt of lightning at them.
Julie-Su ducked to the side, taking Carmelita to the ground with her to avoid it.
Now suddenly out of his trance Knuckles jumped into action. He jumped into the air, coming down hard with his fist, trying to smash the spot the woman stood in. But she vanished from his sight in a cloud of smoke. Only to reappear several feet away from him.
Together Vector, Mighty and Espio charged at her. But then right on cue a van rolled up and hit the three. But it was no ordinary van that suddenly appeared. The side of the van opened up to reveal Bentley.
"C'mon Sly!" yelled Murray from the driver's window. Sly suddenly sprung to life and grabbed Carmelita from behind. She dropped her shock pistol and couldn't fight back as Sly forced her into the van.
Knuckles hardly had any time to comprehend everything going on around him. Then before he knew it Julie-Su flew right past him and into the van. He watched her fly into the air and land in the van, Sly Cooper and the other hostage Carmelita. It was mechanical hands in Bentley's wheelchair that managed to grab her.
Knuckles let out a fierce roar as he jumped forward and towards the van.
"Drive! Drive!" yelled Sly. Murray hit the gas and the van went flying off. At seeing the van moving Knuckles jumped forward and buried his fists into the side of it. The sliding door of the van had only closed slightly allowing only Knuckles head to stick in.
He scanned the van seeing the unconscious Julie-Su with Carmelita being bound by Sly Cooper, Bentley right before him. Knuckles let out another war-cry as he jumped forward and into the van. But the mystery woman blocked his path.
She raised her hands to him and chanted words he couldn't understand. And then the strangest thing happened. Knuckles suddenly began to feel sleepy. He fought to keep his eyes open and his head clear, but the harder he tried the stronger the desire to sleep became.
Eventually he couldn't control it and fell backwards out of the van.
When his eyes opened again he saw Vector, Espio and Mighty looking down at him.
"Knuckles, Knuckles are you alright?" asked Vector as they helped him. Knuckles groaned in response.
"Where's Julie-Su and Carmelita?" asked Espio. Knuckles was suddenly shaken to life by a rush of enemy.
"She took them." He grinded his teeth." The Cooper gang and that green chick." He looked down the road and in the direction he'd seen them go. In the distance still he could see the van racing away.
Then without a moment to lose Knuckles broke into a sprint and followed after them.
"Knuckles?!" Vector yelled after him.
"C'mon!" yelled Knuckles without slowing down or looking over his shoulder at them." Follow me!" Within a few seconds Vector appeared on his right with Espio and Mighty on his left.
The four broke out into a great running speed and gave chase to the fleeing criminals. But things were only to get worse from here.