Chapter 5: Julie is looking for Knuckles
The sun has already set once Sonia wakes up, sore from lying on the hard metal box. A medium-sized fire burns 8 feet away from the pink hedgehog, warming her up as she yawns and sits up straight.
Sleuth Dogg stokes the flames with a piece of iron he found around this abandoned property.
Sonia's cellphone starts ringing so she pulls it out, but stops once she sees whose calling her.
Knuckles.
She lets the phone ring for another minute, getting the attention of Dogg as he puts another block of wood in the fire.
"You alright?" He asks
"What do you care" Sonia responds
"I'm just being polite"
"Well, dont. I know it's all fake"
Dogg smiles as he adjusts himself in his seat, a long wooden log he chopped down.
"Must be that time of the month, huh"
Sonia turns to him in disgust "You're such an asshole.."
"Well, it's gotta be, or maybe you got trouble with a boyfriend. I don't know"
"...Knuckles isn't like you, but he can be a bastard. Obviously he doesn't care about me if he's more interested in running around the city looking for assholes like you to beat up.. I thought he changed, I really did"
Dogg looks at the pink hedgehog "Wait, you're dating Knuckles? Like, dipshit fire cracker Knuckles?"
"Well, our relationship was doomed from the start, so no, I'm not dating him anymore... Jesus, I'm telling my personal problems to a homicidal assassin..."
"Right, I'm an asshole. I wouldn't know anything about love or relationships. Forget me, pink" Dogg says
Sonia suddenly feels guilty about her last statement, but before she can say anything, Shadow pulls up to the property inside another stolen vehicle, so Sonia walks outside the barn to talk to him.
Dogg notices she left her phone on the metal crate, unlocked, so he quickly picks it up and taps on Knuckles' contact number.
K: Where are you? Why aren't you answering? Pick up.
Dogg opens up the keyboard and begins typing a message to him.
This is Dogg. Sonia is with me. Meet me at the boardwalk if you want her to walk away from this. Bring Enerjak. You have one hour.
The hitman sends the message and holds the power button to shut off Sonia's phone so she can't read the message right away. Dogg puts the phone back and quickly sits down a second before Sonia returns to the barn and catches him.
"I forgot my phone... Look, I know you and Shadow wanna kill each other, but he said he'll drop you off in town, if you want"
Dogg yawns "Nah, I'm good. I'll find my own way. See you around, pinky"
He is surprised to see Sonia smile at him slightly, and wave to him
"You can still turn your life around, I know there's a good side to you. Anyway, goodbye Sleuth"
Dogg can't think of anything to say so he keeps quiet as Sonia leaves the barn. She gets into the passenger seat of the stolen car and Shadow flies through the dead grass and back onto a nearby dirt road.
Once he knows they are gone, Dogg picks up his gear bag and races through the forrest on his way back into Vace Beach.
Down at Maggie Bloodmoon's jungle hideout, Knuckles has agreed to help her out in exchange for shelter, mostly for Starr, AJ and Duncan.
He's been working all day around the hideout, using his spiked gloves to chop down trees, dig up trenches in case of an outside attack, and building barriers around the wooden shelters.
Clove, the female thug who threatened Knuckles earlier in the day, stands high into the treetops watching the echidna help out her gang. She notices all the scars on Knuckles' body once he takes off his long sleeve shirt, most from past battles. She begins to second-guess her initial judgement of him, and wonders what his motives truly are.
In between working, Knuckles tried calling Sonia but she hasn't answered him once, up until now.
Knuckles reads the text sent from her phone and immediately heads back to camp. Clove jumps out of her hiding spot and follows him back, eager to hear what he has to say.
Knuckles kicks at the rooms Bloodmoon is letting them stay in
"AJ, get up. It's go time, Dogg wants to meet" He says "Come on, let's move"
Duncan yawns as he opens the first door "He ain't in here, douchebag"
Knuckles knocks at the second door "Kid, I said let's go! Come on, stop jerking off and get your shit on"
Starr opens the door "AJ isn't going anywhere without us, Knuckles!"
"Okay, fine, whatever, just get up! Only have an hour to meet him"
Maggie Bloodmoon steps into the wooden shelter "Leaving so soon? I thought we could come up with some kind of plan"
"Save it. I've got Dogg, and that means I've got Angel, too"
"Well, shouldn't you rest before you-"
"Lady, I got all the rest I need. This fucker is going down"
AJ, Duncan and Starr follow the angered Echidna out of Bloodmoon's hideout and head towards the city.
"You've saved us a lot of work around here, Jonathan! At least let me offer a favor, for sometime down the road" Bloodmoon calls out
"I wouldn't ever need a favor from you. Just stay out of my way" Knuckles warns as he leaves the area
Clove stands next to Bloodmoon "We're just going to let them walk away?"
"I want you to follow them. We may need Dogg in order to get Angel. I'm counting on you"
Clove nods, puts on her mask and jumps into the treetops once more.
As the night goes on, so do all of the parties around Vace Beach. Among the biggest is Angel's 'welcome home' celebration. He's convinced the general public that he was in fact the undercover operative that took down the criminal syndicate that ran the streets, and since he has full immunity from the law, he will not be charged for all the crimes he committed while 'undercover'
To celebrate, Angel was invited by the social elite groups to a party for him.
He has manipulated the everyone into thinking he is the good guy in the story.
"Angel! Lets get a picture for the front page of tomorrow's paper!"
"Over here, Mr. Lefthand!"
"This is the kind of hero this city needed to see, not those criminal vigilantes G.U.N brought in!"
Angel smiles as he is surrounded by adoring fans, paparazzi and high society members in suits. The rooftop party is just getting started, and soon, so does the illegal drug use.
The gothic hedgehog snorts a line across the table and takes a drink of his wine.
"Now, this is what I call a fuckin' party!" Angel shouts happily
The crowd cheers along, and the music gets louder. Armed guards at the doors check everyone for weapons and collect a cover charge to get in.
Mighty the armadillo is next to be patted down, then pays the cover for himself and his guest
Julie Su, Knuckles' ex girlfriend.
"You sure we're going to find him in here? This isnt exactly the type of place he likes to hang out at" Julie says
"He wants Angel, this is where he is, so it'll only be a matter of time before Knucklehead shows up, drunk and dumber than ever" M replies
"I hope so, I have to speak to him right away..."
"Yeah? Mind if I ask what about?"
"Well, it's kinda personal, M. You wouldn't understand"
As The Armadillo starts his next sentence, Sargent Luggs and 4 police officers stand in their way to the V.I.P section.
"I thought I told you to leave this case alone, detective" Luggs says
"I'm here to enjoy a party, aren't I permitted to do that?"
"I know why you're here, and I don't want you stirring up any shit. So just do us all a favor and leave"
The Armadillo scoffs at his boss and grabs Julie's hand, both heading to the exit. Luggs watches them until they are out the door, then he goes into the Lounge.
While sitting in the V.I.P lounge, Angel is approached by a short assistant in a blue suit
"Sir, we have visual on Sleuth Dogg and The Echidna, but they're on opposite sides of the city"
Angel leans over "Send Mr. Tuner"
Julie and M get back to street level and walk to a nearby 24/7 diner.
"Well, that went nowhere.." M says
"That was your boss?"
"Yep. Real charmer, right"
A waitress comes to their table with a pencil and notepad to take their orders.
"You serving beer tonight?" M asks
"Til 2 o'clock, sir"
"I'll take a Bud. Jules, you want a beer?"
Julie shakes her head "No. I can't. Um, a glass of water is fine"
"Would you like anything to eat?" The waitress asks
"Nah, just the drinks"
The waitress heads behind the counter and opens a tall refrigerator, and M turns to Julie
"Not in the mood to have a drink with your old pal, tonight?" M jokingly asks
"No, it's not that... it's just, uh - alright, I'm pregnant"
The armadillo's eyes widen "..and Knuckles is the father?"
"Please don't say anything to anybody! I don't want everyone making a big thing about this! It's just between me and him. And you, now"
"Well, geez, congratulations, Jules. You sure you're uh-"
"Yes. Three weeks, now. I've been trying to call him all week but I think he blocked my number.."
The waitress puts the bottle of beer and glass of water on their table and M takes a big drink before replying.
"Hey, I know I can be an asshole, and I apologize for that... let me buy you dinner, Jules, as a show of good faith. After that, I'll take you home and we'll find Knuckles tomorrow. Okay?"
The pink echidna takes a quick drink of her water and smiles "Alright, M. Thanks"
The armadillo leans over his seat "Excuse me, ma'am? Yeah, we will have something to eat. You serve breakfast all day, right? We'll have two orders of the biggest meals ya got"
It takes just under an hour for Knuckles and the enhanced trio to sneak back into Vace Beach, but they finally reach the boardwalk and Duncan watches out for G.U.N units, who are currently searching for them.
Starr holds AJ's hand while they wait, and the taller Echidna looks up at the moon.
The red hedgehog walks between a 2 storey house and a tall chain-link fence, puts his back to the wall and climbs up the fence. He reaches the rooftop and uses this vantage point as his lookout.
Duncan pulls out his phone "I can see the whole beach from up here, guys"
AJ barely hears his voice on his end of the call "Come again?"
Duncan adjusts his settings "CAN TOU GUYS HEAR ME?"
AJ moves the phone away from his ears "Loud and clear!..."
"Stop fuckin' around and get ready. This guy'll smoke you if you aren't focused" Knuckles warns
Knuckles turns his back and AJ gives him the middle finger as he walks away.
The boardwalk is a popular destination tonight, dozens and dozens of big crowds make their way through, looking for parties and playing loud music.
And then the drugs start making their rounds.
"Bunch of fuckin' degenerates.." Knuckles mumbles
"Speak for yourself, pal"
Knuckles turns around and a tall, slim-built Timberwolf stands behind him. Before the Echidna can make a move, 4 razor sharp claws dig into his rib cage.
"Move another inch and I'll rip these bad boys out. You'll bleed out in seconds"
A painful sting shoots through Knuckles' entire right side. He glances towards the teenagers and they are in similar predicaments.
"..You're part of Angel's Flock, aren't you? urgh.." Knuckles groans
The Timberwolf slightly grins "Offically, The Flock doesn't exist, but you can call me Mr. Tuner"
"Mr. Tuna?"
The Timberwolf twists his claws around Knuckles' abdomen to show he's not messing around
"Hurgh!...Alright!.. what do you want, Tuner?"
"You're supposed to meet Sleuth Dogg here, correct? Well, I was sent to pick up all of you" Tuner says "And I don't plan on disappointing my employer"
Nobody was supposed to know we were gonna be here... Knuckles thinks
The Flock dress in all black clothing, apart from Tuner who wears a Blood Red dress shirt under his long jacket.
One of his underlings approaches the lieutenant "Boss, we can't find him. Lost visual back at the canal"
Tuner growls quietly "He ain't comin' tonight. But that's alright, as long as we have these four"
Four female members hold Starr and a male keeps a unique weapon trained on her neck, preventing the Elemental from using her powers.
"Knuckles, I can't move!" She shouts
"It's alright. Just be cool. Fuckers know they can't do anything without those weapons-"
Tuner rips a chunk of flesh from Knuckles abdomen and he drops to his knees in agony. Two more large thugs hook their arms around the echidna's and they wait for instruction.
"Take 'em to the shoreside down by the beach. Our ride is waiting" Tuner says
Knuckles is picked up and forced into the beach sands, followed by Starr, AJ and Duncan.
Everyone else on the boardwalk is either too stoned or too drunk to notice anything wrong, and they pass off the abduction as friends helping friends get home.
Duncan cries for help "Hey! Help us! H-"
A member of the Flock covers his mouth while another punches him in the gut, then continue dragging the red hedgehog down the beach.
The Scope of a Sniper Rifle follows Angel's Flock as they abduct the group from the boardwalk, and the hitman aiming the rifle is looking for his targets.
Sleuth Dogg kneels against a fire escape railing of an apartment building, almost a mile away from the boardwalk. His plan from the beginning was to snipe Knuckles and AJ without being seen.
But now, Mr. Tuner has them.
Dogg thinks about shooting the lieutenant and letting them escape, but the memory of Enerjak shooting him in the forehead reminds him why he invited them here in the first place.
"...I'm gettin' one of you motherfuckers.." Dogg says to himself
He aims the scope on the back of AJ's head, but it'll be a tough shot since The Flock have surrounded him and they are moving downhill.
Dogg takes the shot and AJ goes down.
Down at the beach, AJ collapses and The Flock have to stop to check him
"Somebody shot him in the head!" A thug yells
Starr looks back and screams out, while Tuner leans down next to the tall echidna, then suddenly he knows what happened
"Dogg-"
The hitman reloads his Rifle and smiles "I said I'd have a bullet for you"
He pulls the trigger, the bullet enters Tuner's mouth and rips through the back of his head, dropping the Timberwolf for good.
"The boss is down!"
Starr runs over to AJ's body and tries to use her elemental energy to revive him, but The Large Echidna doesn't need it as he gets up on his own.
"AJ! Are - you okay?" Starr asks
The teenager says nothing, while both his eyes turn blood red and he lets out a monstrous roar.
Dogg's eyes widen "What the fuck?!"
AJ pulls The Flock off of Duncan and Knuckles, and begins beating them down with powerful punches and kicks. Starr helps Knuckles to his feet, Duncan runs behind him in fear
"What the hell is that?!"
Knuckles shakes his head and laughs "...that's Enerjak"
Starr turns to him "I thought you said that energy left AJ's body?"
"Apparently he's got some left. But we can talk about that later, we need to go"
Starr calls out to her friend, and AJ releases a Flock member he was punching. The massive echidna runs up the beach to join his friends and they escape through the crowd.
Mighty the Armadillo and Julie Su are outside of the diner across the street when they see Knuckles leading the teenagers away from the boardwalk.
"That's him right there!" Julie shouts
"Knuckles!"
By now, the entire downtown area is freaking out and running through the streets in a panic, so Knuckles doesn't hear his name being called. Julie and M make their way through the crowd, but can't get to them. Knuckles leads the teens down a side street and disappear in the darkness.
"This way, I know a shortcut where we can cut them off!" M shouts as he grabs Julie's hand
Knuckles holds his abdomen and limps as he speed walks down the dark street, in immense amounts of pain.
"Keep moving! We do t need any cops on our ass!" Knuckles says
Just then, a car honks it's horn and frantically stops just before it hits the echidna.
Knuckles looks through the windshield and sees Shadow driving and Sonia in the passenger seat
"Knuckles?!"
"Sonia! Fuck-face!"
AJ, Starr and Duncan catch up, and look inside the car
"Sonia! Hey!" Starr says
The pink hedgehog waves to the teenagers, while Shadow listens to the police sirens blaring throughout the city, getting closer to their location.
"What the fuck did you guys do?" The Android asks
"We ain't got time to explain, wanna give us a ride?"
Shadow unlocks the back doors and the teenagers get in, but there's not enough room for Knuckles
"Starr, sit on lover boy's lap, I need a seat!" Knuckles shouts
She moves over and the beaten echidna squeezes into the back and shuts the door.
Julie and M climb over a fence and shout Knuckles' name, but aren't quick enough to reach him in time.
Shadow steps on the pedal and his stolen car speeds off into the back streets.
"Son of a bitch!" The Armadillo says
Julie looks confused as she looks at everyone in the car
"..M, do you know who that was with Knuckles?"
"A whole lotta trouble, I'll tell you that.."
While they make their way out of the area, Clove, Maggie Bloodmoon's second in command, watches them and pulls out her phone
"Dogg never showed up, but Jonathan's girlfriend is in town. I'm going to stay down here to try and find out why. I'll keep you informed"