Chapter 2: A Pissed Off City
The gunfire blares out just a few yards away from Knuckles, so he stays low as he enters an urban neighbourhood to check it out. He sticks in between houses to avoid being seen, while watching glass shatter from buildings caught in the crossfire.
He sees the long barrel of an assault rifle on top of a house about a block away, the shooter looking for their target in the street.
"Shit! M, send your men down here, this asshole is gunning for civilians!" Knuckles says into his phone
Even though he spoke quietly, the shooter still heard the distress call from his position, so he aims his gun in Knuckles' direction and opens fire.
He ducks down as bullets rain from the sky, ripping apart the side of the building he's using for cover. He crawls through the grass, frantically trying to get out of sight.
Then the shooter shouts in pain as he is shot in the shoulder.
"The hell?"
Knuckles looks over as a second shooter fires an UZI up towards the rooftop
Then he realizes this is a firefight
"M, what's taking so long?! There's a god damn firefight going on out here!"
"You've got a weapon, use it!" M shouts back over the phone
"I don't use guns, you prick!"
"Do you wanna die out there? You gonna let those psychos shoot some more civilians? Use the fuckin' thing!"
Knuckles ignores this and tries to think of a way to disarm both shooters.
He unknowingly lifts his head out from behind a concrete staircase, giving the first shooter a chance to snipe him.
Sleuth Dogg reaches into his coat pocket, pulls out some gauze and wraps his shoulder up to stop the bleeding. He'll have to wait to pull the bullet out.
He looks over the balcony of his vantage point and spots Knuckles hiding behind a wide concrete staircase.
"I knew you'd show up, you son of a bitch.."
Dogg lifts his assault rifle up, takes a moment to aim and aligns the barrel with the top of the Echidna's forehead.
He pulls the trigger and Knuckles falls to the ground.
"...that's one down. Two more to go"
Dogg runs to the back of the rooftop, climbs down a ladder and uses the back streets to escape the area undetected.
Meanwhile, Knuckles lays on his side, uninjured but surprised to see who pulled him to safety.
"Shadow?! What're you doing here?" Knuckles shouts
The Black Hedgehog scans the area for Dogg, but he's long gone.
"...I was trying to eliminate Sleuth Dogg but then you showed up and let him escape..."
"Whoa, wait - you two are the shooters?!"
Shadow looks at the Echidna as they both get to their feet
"I don't have time for this"
Knuckles grabs Shadow's arm, so he ducks down, sweep-kicks his right leg and punches him in the mouth, knocking the Echidna backwards.
Shadow quickly grabs the pistol Knuckles is carrying from him as he falls down.
"Only warning you're gonna get-"
Shadow pulls the clip out of the pistol and throws it aside
"...next time, I'll shoot"
Knuckles growls at the Black Hedgehog, so he jumps to his feet and runs towards him
Shadow dodges the lightning fast combination of punches, catches one fist and painfully lifts his knee into Knuckles' rib cage.
He groans, but continues to fight.
Changing his approach, Knuckles attacks the Hedgehog's body, but Shadow has a counter for this as well.
Shadow side-steps to the left, elbow strikes Knuckles and kicks him under the chin.
Knuckles falls backwards but catches his balance and shakes off the pain.
"You won't win"
"Sure, I will. I've beaten you before"
"No, you haven't. Not me"
Knuckles gets back into his boxing stance and rushes in with a flurry of wild, but powerful punches. Shadow's reaction is a split second faster so he dips and ducks under every punch thrown. Shadow waits until Knuckles gets tired, but he seems to never run out of stamina.
Finally, Shadow ducks under, side-steps to the right and begins attacking all of Knuckles' vital areas: Liver, collarbone, side of the kneecap and bottom portion of the jaw.
Knuckles is knocked out by the accuracy and power of these punches Shadow throws. He falls on his face and the black hedgehog walks past him, disappearing just seconds before police arrive.
The Echidna wakes up inside of an ambulance being checked on by paramedics. He tells them to stop and let him out.
His head is spinning, everywhere on his body is sore and he can't see straight.
"Alright, asshole.. you got me this time. But I'll return the favor, believe me on that..."
The dizzy Echidna stumbles into the lobby of the hotel Sonia is staying at.
A male receptionist calls out to Knuckles just before he reaches the elevator
"Can I help you, sir?" He asks
"No. I know where I'm going.."
"I'm sorry to say, sir, but you aren't permitted to enter without a reservation or clearance from a guest"
Knuckles sighs and walks towards the front desk
"Listen, pal, I was here earlier. I came to see Sonia, the CEO of WestCorp. Nobody gave me a hard time then, why are you doing it now? Just let me up"
The receptionist looks through his computer, while Knuckles glares at him
"Sir, Miss Sonia has already checked out"
Knuckles takes a deep breath and walks out of the lobby.
Just my luck...
He calls a cab and rides back to the safe house. His injuries only get worse as he sits in the back seat, but he refuses to get medical attention so he suffers quietly.
He can't believe his eyes once he reaches the safe house. He pays the cab driver, gets out and enters the house party.
Multi-coloured lights flash and loud Trap music blares throughout the entire house, while Duncan, Starr and AJ sit in the living room across from Sonia
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!" Knuckles shouts, barely audible over the pulsing music
"Oh, hey Knuckles. Come have a drink" Sonia says
"What - how'd you find - Why are you here? You shouldn't be here, Sonia!"
The pink hedgehog pulls out the Dog Tags Knuckles gave her earlier and she hands them back.
"I kinda knew you were lying to me, so I did some digging and it didn't take me long to find out what you're really doing here. I like your place, by the way. It's nice"
"Sonia, I'm serious, I could get in a lot of trouble for this!"
Knuckles' attention is shifted to the kitchen as Vector walks in with a Beer Cooler.
"Knuckles, you're back. What's up" he greets
"You knew about this?!" Knuckles asks
Suddenly, Espio's invisibility cloaking dissolves and he appears next to Vector
"We helped set this up"
Duncan grabs a slice of pizza "You know, you guys ain't so bad"
Knuckles can't find anything to say, just looks around at everyone in the party.
Then Mighty the Armadillo jumps out of a G.U.N vehicle and speed walks to the front door
"Oh great, here comes dip shit, now! Fuck sake..."
M pushes open the door and presses the stop button on the sound system
"The FUCK are you idiots doing?!"
Sonia puts her glass down "Whoa, calm down, jerk. What does it look like? We're having a house party!"
M turns to Knuckles "Did you organize this? What's the matter with you?! You know this is strictly against protocol! And you've wasted the departments money on this bullshit?!"
"I didn't do shit!" Knuckles shouts back
The bathroom door opens up and Sargent Luggs walks out
"Stand down, Detective, I gave the green light for this"
Knuckles and M both look over at their boss
"You what?" They say in unison
"Sonia, here, has been nothing but kind and helpful to the Vace Beach PD so when she came to me with information regarding our case, I made the call to let her in"
Knuckles turns to Sonia as she stands up
"I thought maybe a little party would be a nice ice breaker for all of us" She says
M looks at her "..yeah, alright, but what is all this? Strobe lights, loud music?"
"Hey, I thought these kids you have stuck here could use a break from your FBI treatment, okay? Why don't you take it easy on them? They're good kids" Sonia says
"They're not good, they're evil little bastards!"
"I hate to side with him, but M is right, Sonia. I can't fuckin stand them" Knuckles says
Sonia walks next to Starr, Duncan and AJ "So, they may not be the greatest, but they're just teenagers, okay? They'll learn to be better. You want them to change? You could start by treating them like adults. Maybe don't lock them in a cage, right"
M walks up to Luggs "Sir, I highly advise against letting anyone else into our operation! Look what's happened since Jonathan joined us!"
"Enough, M. She stays, end of story. You are dismissed for the night" Luggs says
"Sir-"
The Sargent gives the armadillo a stern look, so he turns around and heads to the door
"Bye" Starr says
M slams the door behind him and quickly jumps into his vehicle.
Sonia starts packing her belongings into her purse
"I'd love to stay but I should get going, too. It's going to be a long week"
"Aw, don't go!" Starr says
"Yeah, you're a lot cooler than Knuckles is, please stay!" Duncan adds
Sonia smiles at them "Don't be too hard on him, guys. He's just a little grumpy about losing that fight earlier"
Knuckles jumps back "What? How the hell did you know I lost- I mean, I didn't lose! He surprised me!"
"You don't have to lie, now. We all saw the video"
"What, you guys have ME under surveillance?"
"We watch everyone, Jonathan. You should brush up on your hand-to-hand skills, in my opinion" Luggs says "No shame in losing a fight. There is shame in letting BOTH suspects escape"
"Well, a little fucking backup would've been nice, too, but apparently everyone wants to sit on their asses and make me do all the work. Sir"
Knuckles walks into the kitchen, pours himself a shot of Whiskey and downs it in one gulp.
Sonia gives Starr, Duncan and AJ a hug before she heads to the front door
"See you guys later" Sonia says as she hugs Vector and Espio
"Goodnight, Sonia"
She walks outside, jumps into her Silver limosuine and rides out into the city streets.
Luggs walks to the front door next "You two are with me, tonight. We need to go over the footage Jonathan provided us with"
"Yes, sir" Vector and Espio say
"Let him sleep off his injuries. And be sure to come in with a better attitude tomorrow, Jonathan"
Knuckles pours another glass of whiskey and lifts it up for a toast as they exit the house.
Duncan crosses his arms and smiles "This place ain't bad, after all. I like your girlfriend, by the way. She's not like you. She's cool"
"You should see her on her bad days. Sonia is something else"
"Makes me wonder what she sees in a dumb muscle meatball like you" AJ says
Knuckles takes a drink "Probably what Starr sees in you, ya big dumb ape"
Starr and AJ awkwardly look at each other, faces turning red, while Knuckles quietly laughs.
He grabs a few slices of pizza and walks upstairs
"I'll leave you three to decide who jumps on who. Keep that music down or I'll get Vector to electrocute you, again. I'll see you idiots in the morning"
Duncan looks up at him "What does that mean?"
"It means you're coming with me to look for Dogg"
Dust is kicked up as a gang of thugs walk down a wooden staircase and enter a shady looking basement. The paint is completely stripped off the concrete walls, a slightly foul stench lingers and 4 of the 9 light bulbs are burnt out.
But Sleuth Dogg has lived in conditions like this for much of his life, so it's nothing to him.
The gangsters watch as the 250 pound hitman digs the bullet out of his shoulder, pour rubbing alcohol in the wound and wrap it up with a white gauze dressing.
"So, what'd you want?" Dogg asks
The gang make room for their leader, Angel. His black hair dangles over the right side of his face, the dye appearing extra shiny under these lights. He pulls both hands out of his trench coat pockets and looks around the basement
"I know we didn't exactly leave on good terms, Dogg. Hell, we all thought that kid AJ killed you for good, last time. But I want you to know, Maggie Bloodmoon organized that. It had nothing to do with me" Angel says
Dogg puts a white T Shirt on "Really? 'Cuz I could've sworn YOU ordered him to shoot me in the head"
"Things were different, then. Yes, I had control over Enerjak. But the plan backfired..."
"Yeah, no shit. Now he's working with the cops to track both of us down. No doubt Knuckles set that up"
"Speaking of which, I heard you shot him down tonight"
Dogg looks out a window "Yeah, but I don't think he stayed down for long... so, why are you here? And who are your friends?"
Angel clears his throat "This is one part of The Cathcart Gang, the loyal followers of Geneva Cathcart. She owed me a favor so these guys and gals are working for me, just for a little while"
Dogg looks every member of the Cathcart gang in the eyes, then he faces Angel once more
"..as for why I came to parley with you, well - we both have a problem. Shadow. The shooter from the park-"
"I know who he is, bitch" Dogg says
"Right. Well, he's not only targeted you, but my organization, as well. He seems to think I have something he calls his 'Power Rings', but I assured him I do not"
"Doesn't explain why he wants to cap me, though"
"No, but I have a feeling he won't stop until he gets what he wants" Angel's says
"Well, so far he's killed 3 cops, a couple of Bloodmoon's guys and put an innocent, single mother in the hospital. If his goal was to piss off the entire city, well, he's gettin' there"
"That's what I was getting to. We need to eliminate him before we suffer serious losses. Shadow is the type of psychopath to kill for something so menial... so, I came to offer a truce between us. It's him, and those special units G.U.N has brought in that we need to worry about"
The hitman looks down as Angel extends his hand to him
"I want us to at least come to an agreement. We don't need to work together, but we stay out of each others' way, kill Shadow, and move on in peace. No more in-fighting between us"
Dogg looks at the Gothic Hedgehog "You're going to honour a truce? With me? Why should I believe you?"
"Truth be told, I don't trust you much, but I trust Maggie Bloodmoon less. My quarrel is with her and Shadow. I want no problems with you. The less enemies I have, the easier my job is. You can believe anything you want, I'm putting everything out there. I mean it"
Without much of a reason to trust Angel's word, Dogg shakes his hand, while members of the Cathcart gang sigh in relief.
"Alright, gang. Lets move" Angel orders
He walks up the wooden staircase first, while Dogg turns back to his rifle collection.
Then the burning sensation of a bullet entering his body stings his entire back, so he ducks to the floor, grabs a hidden pistol and opens fire before he's shot again.
All 10 members of the Cathcart Gang fall down, dead before they hit the floor.
"Dogg! I didn't do that!" Angel pleads with his arms raised up
Dogg says nothing and aims his gun at the Goth, but his clip is empty. Angel runs upstairs as fast as he can and runs out the back door.
Dogg tackles him to the ground and strangles him with one hand
"Shooting me while my back's turned? You call that a truce?! You stupid prick!" Dogg shouts
Just then, he gets kicked in the face by a steel toed boot, knocking him off Angel. The gothic hedgehog gasps for air, and his right hand man stands face to face with Dogg.
A Grey/Blue Timberwolf, just as tall but not as muscular, glares into the eyes of Sleuth Dogg. His razor sharp claws make a CLICK sound as the Timberwolf scratches them together, waiting for a response.
"I'm telling you the absolute truth, Dogg!... my men didn't open fire on you!"
"You're such a coward, Angel. Setting up a meeting and hiding behind 10 thugs. Those punks' deaths are on you, y'know that, right"
"You don't know what you've just done. Geneva will come for you. I can't protect you from that firestorm, now. Our truce is off" Angel says
"I never needed your protection, or your bullshit truce. What I need you to do is get the fuck off my property and never come back" Dogg orders
Angel says a few words in a different laungage and his bodyguard stands down. The duo make their way off the property when Dogg calls out once more
"You be a man next time, and do it yourself. I got a bullet for your buddy there, but it's just you who I'm gonna rip to shreds with my bare hands. Know that"
Angel stops the Timberwolf from going back, and they disappear into the darkness, while Dogg walks back to his house.
He notices the bottom-level basement window is smashed, right where he was a few moments prior, indicating someone fired at him from outside.
Out near the edge of town, Shadow approaches an expensive Mansion property, climbs over a metal gate and throws a stone at a steel reinforced door, getting the attention of a few guards patrolling the property grounds. As expected, the guards run over to the sound, giving Shadow a chance to run past them and hide in between two buildings.
He waits for the guards to walk past him and leave the area, then he rushes towards a large metal garage door. He scans the key code reader and the correct code is displayed on his HUD (Heads Up Display)
Pretty easy so far...
The Black Hedgehog types in the code, the garage door opens up, he rushes inside and pushes the close door button just seconds before a guard spots him.
Once he knows he's clear to move forward, Shadow looks around the giant interior of this garage. Expensive cars, large crates and metal shipping containers line the walls, but there's hardly any light inside.
He easily rips open each locked container and begins searching through them for something in particular
Come on, I know it's here...
Just then, the garage door opens up and a Silver Limousine enters. Shadow scatters around to hide, knocking over a few crates
Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!
The lights turn on, eliminating many hiding spots for the black hedgehog.
Sonia gets out of the back seat and her limo driver turns off the engine.
While trying to climb up the side of a container, Shadow accidentally kicks over a heavy case and it makes a loud CLUNK sound as it hits the waxed floor.
"Hello?" Sonia asks
Her limo driver signals for more guards to come help, while she notices some crates have been broken into.
"Whoever is here, the police are on their way now! Come out and give yourself up!"
Shadow unzips his jacket, pulls out an adjustable Vice Grip and throws it at the ceiling lights. The second it goes dark, Shadow takes off running for the exit. He narrowly avoids running into the guards and he jumps over the barrier to escape the property.
Sonia tries to get a good look at the intruder, but Shadow is already gone.
She pulls out her phone "...Knuckles, can you come by? Something weird just happened.."