Well, enjoy Chapter 10. Only five more chapters now.
The Sand Ruins were hot this time of year. As the duo drove down the dusty roads of the Sand Ruins, Knuckles was busy rubbing his back. He still hadn't fully recovered from where the taser had touched him. That spot was extremely sore even with Rouge's treatment. The taser had pierced his flesh and possibly overloaded some nerves. They needed time to heal.
"I wish that you would tell me where we're going so I'll know what to look for," said Rouge.
"We're looking for a floating island," said Knuckles.
"I thought that your island was the only one that floated," said Rouge.
"So did I until the Grand Prix tournament that Sonic, Tails, and I competed in. We faced a group of thieves known as the Babylon Rogues," said Knuckles. He started explaining the story behind how they met the Babylon Rogues and how great they were with extreme gear. He also told her about Babylon Gardens, where they were headed.
Rouge and Knuckles came to a halt at a big canyon. It looked like it had been recently made.
"This is where Babylon Gardens rose from the ground. Our best bet now is to go up. You're going to have to fly us up there," said Knuckles.
Rouge sighed. "The things I do for jewelry."
Rouge flew up into the air. She circled around and then swooped up Knuckles by his arms. She flew straight up very slowly since Knuckles was heavy to her. The ascent started out slow, but it quickly picked up as Rouge caught an updraft.
"How high is this place?" asked Rouge after ten minutes.
"We should be very close," said Knuckles. They were indeed close because after Knuckles finished his sentence, they entered a cloud and Babylon Gardens was floating only meters away from them now. Rouge sped up. She needed to land before she ended up dropping Knuckles. She landed on the Sky Road raceway and dropped Knuckles, who landed on his head.
"Oww!" said Knuckles.
"I'm sorry, Knuckie. I thought your hardheadedness would soften your impact," said Rouge with a smile.
Knuckles sighed. "I'll get you back for that later, but now let's find the airheads."
They walked down the Sky Road for exactly twenty minutes. It took way longer to get to places in Babylon Gardens without extreme gear. The wind was blowing hard this high up. Knuckles' dreads were going everywhere. They had to fight against the force for a while until they finally reached the citadel in the middle of the sky road.
"Shall I knock?" asked Rouge.
Inside the citadel, Jet was sleeping in the throne room. He considered himself to be the king of Babylon Gardens now since the place was deserted. He, Wave, and Storm had been living here since the defeat of the Babylon Guardian. They had really remodeled the place, giving it a very futuristic look. Wave just had the run of the place. High-tech equipment, including a security system, was everywhere.
Storm burst into the room, startling Jet. Jet awoke with surprise and fell off the throne.
"Hey, Boss, we've got intruders," said Storm.
"What? That's impossible. No one knows about this place except for…" Jet's suspicions pointed to Sonic. "It appears that the blue hedgehog wants a rematch. Well, this time, I'll win for sure."
"Actually, it's the red guy," said Storm.
"What could he want?" asked Jet.
"I don't know, Boss," said Storm, scratching his head.
"Well, we might as well see. Tell Wave and Galeon to meet us at the door," said Jet.
Back outside, Knuckles and Rouge had been knocking for a minute. They were growing impatient.
"As big as this place is, you'd think they'd have a doorbell," said Rouge.
Suddenly, the doors swung open. A figure was walking towards them. As he got walked gracefully into the light, Knuckles and Rouge were able to identify him. He was a blue-jay with samurai-style attire (something like the Strider from Capcom). The duo looked and saw two swords properly placed on his back.
"Who's that?" asked Rouge.
"Honestly, I have no idea. I don't remember him. Let's see if he knows where Jet is," said Knuckles. Knuckles approached the blue-jay slowly, being wary of his movements. Being a warrior himself, Knuckles knew to never let your guard down.
"State your business here," said the blue-jay.
"We're here to see the Babylon Rogues to talk business," said Knuckles.
"What kind of business?" asked the blue-jay. His voice wasn't very heavy, which suggested that he wasn't neither too experienced nor aged. He wasn't even fully grown yet.
"That is not business of yours. Please let me pass, kid," said Knuckles.
The blue-jay quickly drew one of his katana swords and pointed it at Knuckles. "Any business of theirs is business of mine for I am who you speak of."
"Galeon, hold up!" said a voice from the shadows. The voice sounded like Sonic's would if he had a bad cold. It had to be Jet, and it was. Jet, Wave, and Storm appeared simultaneously as they all walked out to where Knuckles and Rouge were.
"So, I see that the red mutt has met our new recruit, Galeon," said Wave.
"My name is Knuckles," said Knuckles.
"I'm sorry, dog," said Wave with a snicker.
Rouge, who was paying attention to every word, came to his defense. She didn't like for strangers to pick on Knuckles. That was her job.
"Knuckles, I know that you're not going to take this from an actual chicken, are you?" asked Rouge.
"I..am..not...a..CHICKEN!" said Wave. Her expression was pure rage.
"Could've fooled me," said Rouge.
"You want a piece of me, girlfriend?"
"I thought that you'd never ask."
Rouge and Wave were just about to go at it, but Storm and Knuckles held them back.
"Ladies, calm down," said Jet. He turned to Knuckles. "Now, why are you here, Knuckles?" asked Jet.
"I need help," said Knuckles.
"Do we look like a psychiatric ward?" asked Wave.
"Wave, chill out," ordered Jet. "What do you need our help for?"
"The two of us are going to rob the First National Bank of Central City, and we need backup. That's more than a two-man job. We have no chance of making it out by ourselves. Will you assist us?" asked Knuckles.
"What's in it for us?" asked Jet.
"We only need 750,000. The bank has millions stashed away. You can keep the rest that we do not need," said Knuckles. Knuckles took the box of jewels that he got from the safe deposit box and tossed it at Jet's feet. "Take this as a symbol of my gratitude."
Jet picked it up and opened the box. The glow of priceless gems sparkled in his face as he smiled. The others looked inside and smiled as well.
"Your offer is tempting, Knuckles; however, my answer is no. We have no interest in money, and this little box of gems is easily one night's work," said Jet. He turned to walk back inside after throwing the box of gems back at Knuckles.
"Name your price," said Knuckles.
Jet stopped in his tracks. He turned around. "I thought that you were one of the good guys. Why do you want to rob a national bank?"
"I'm doing it for my daughter. Let's just say that it's a matter of life and death," said Knuckles.
Galeon looked at Knuckles and saw that he told no tale. The wholehearted look in his eye suggested to Galeon that Knuckles spoke the truth.
"I'll help you, Knuckles," said Galeon. "Your gestures speak the truth and your actions are worthy of praise. That is a true sign of a warrior. It is my obligation to help a fellow warrior in need. Bushido commands it. I will assist you on your quest." He walked over to Knuckles. "I'd like to start over. I'm Galeon the Blue Jay, and I apologize for pulling a sword on you. I was just protecting my home."
"Apology accepted."
They shook hands.
"If Galeon feels that strongly about it, count us in too," said Jet from afar.
"What? But Boss…"
"Shut your beak and support our fellow rogue," said Jet. He turned to Knuckles and Rouge. "Please come inside." Jet and the others walked in with Knuckles and Rouge close behind.
"Well, maybe they're more than just airheads after all," said Rouge.
Once inside the citadel, they planned the whole robbery. Wave would act as the getaway driver while the rest penetrate the bank. First off, Galeon would cut the power to the alarms. Once there, he would be a lookout. Then, the rest would enter through the front door, disabling the security guards and taking over the bank. Storm would watch the hostages and keep them under control while Jet, Knuckles, and Rouge sought out and collected the cash. Jet would crack any safes that needed to be cracked. After the money was found and collected, they would make a hasty escape. The plan was foolproof.
"Okay. Now, that everyone knows what they're doing, let's get some equipment together. Wave, what do you have for us?" asked Jet.
"You're lucky that we do this enough to have the efficient equipment for robbing a place," said Wave. She revealed her inventory of devices and tools that could crack Fort Knox if needed.
"I don't see any weapons here. Remember, this is an armed robbery. We're going to need some weapons," said Knuckles.
"No problem. Storm, Galeon, and I will take care of that tonight," said Jet. "You three can just get everything else ready," said Jet. "Babylon Rogues, let's go."
Jet, Storm, and Galeon left the citadel and eventually Babylon Gardens.
"Why do we have to stay behind with her?" Rouge asked Knuckles.
"Just deal with it. It's only for one day. Then, we can get my daughter and our nightmare is over," said Knuckles.
"No it's not. Have you forgotten that we're federal fugitives now? We can't go back to our lives," said Rouge.
"Like I said, I'll think of something," said Knuckles.
"Are you two just going to stand there or are you going to help me here?" asked Wave.
"I hope I don't end up having to choke her," said Rouge.
Knuckles chuckled. "We're on our way, Wave."
Later that night, Knuckles lay in one of the guest bedrooms that the Babylon Rogues offered he sleep in. He couldn't sleep. He just kept tossing and turning in his bed. Thoughts of tomorrow swarmed in his head. What he was doing tomorrow was one of the riskiest things that he would ever do. He kept contemplating what would happen if he was captured. His daughter would be a goner for sure. He, too, would probably never see the sun again. Magic and his former friends would still out there in the world, causing havoc to people everywhere. Life would have done the ultimate unfairness at that point.
Knuckles' thoughts were interrupted by a knock on his door. He got up from his bed and opened the door. It was no other than Rouge.
"Hi, Knuckles. Can I come in?" she asked.
"It's late. You should be resting for tomorrow. It might be our last," said Knuckles.
"Tomorrow is not going to be my last day as long as I got you there to protect me," said Rouge with a wink.
Her humor didn't seem to faze him. He neither blushed nor smiled.
"What's the matter?" she asked with concern.
"Nothing, I guess. I just got to thinking about Lara-Su. I hope she hasn't been harmed," said Knuckles.
"I fear for the life of the man that harms your daughter," said Rouge.
"If Magic touches one hair on her head, I'll kill him," said Knuckles.
"I'm sure that she's just fine," said Rouge.
"Thanks, Rouge," said Knuckles. Knuckles went over to his bag and pulled out his Master Emerald. "Here, I want you to have this now. It's for helping me when the stakes were high. I feel that I owe you this at least for ruining your life."
"You didn't ruin my life. Believe it or not, you helped me. You've shown me how to care about someone other than myself," said Rouge.
"Well, my daughter appreciates your concern," said Knuckles.
"I was talking about you," she said.
Knuckles raised an eyebrow. He was caught off guard by that sentence. She cares for him? Since when?
"Oh, and you can keep your emerald. I decided that I don't want it after all. There are more important treasures out there in the world than the Master Emerald. You keep it. It means more to you than to me," said Rouge.
"Thanks, Rouge, for everything," said Knuckles.
Rouge smiled. "You're welcome, handsome. I'll see you in the morning. I'm terrible when I don't get my beauty sleep," said Rouge.
Knuckles smiled and walked her to the door.
"Good night." She turned and gave Knuckles a kiss.
"Rouge, I…" He was stopped when Rouge placed her finger on his lips.
"I know," she said.
With that, Rouge returned to her room. Knuckles went and laid down on his bed. Thanks to Rouge's kind words and soft lips, he was asleep within minutes of touching his bed.
In the words of Silver, that took too long. It couldn't be helped. Remember, I am in the institute of higher learning. That and a social life have greatly interfered with my fanfiction duties. I rarely have time to get on my laptop and type these chapters. I just want to apologize to everyone who has been eagerly awaiting my updates. I won't let my readers down.
P.S. For more information on Galeon, visit my page. He's one of my OC Babylon Rogues. I have seven more. If you are interested in using them in stories of your own, ask for my consent.
I'M GLAD THAT SILVER NOW HAS HIS OWN STORY FILTER. FANFICTION HAS FINALLY STOPPED SCREWING UP
ICY KNUCKLES