Rouge the Bat admired her new prize, holding the huge diamond high in the sun's morning gleam, transforming its light into a dazzling and wondrous spectrum of colors. She could hardly take her eyes off of it and stared at the jewel for what seemed like hours before she pulled her eyes away. She couldn't help it. Rouge had always loved jewels, no matter the shape or size. They were her passion, her hobby and her life. They were the reason why she became to treasure hunter, and jewel thief, in the first place. She just could never get enough of them.

Rouge placed the diamond in a display case she had prepared a few days before. She sat down at her living room window and looked upon the vast city of Station Square with wonder and curiosity. It was surely the biggest city she had ever seen. A vast metropolis created, run and lived in by humans. Rouge often wondered how humans could build such things. They certainly seemed to be a very versatile race. Still, there were just some things about humans Rouge could never understand.

For a while now, Rouge had been hearing about a scientific genius named Doctor Robotnik, who somehow gained the ridiculous nickname of Eggman. Many people consider him to be a madman, lunatic and psychopath. A man who, even with an IQ of 300, keeps on throwing numerous plans at a certain blue hedgehog that always fail. Rouge had never met Sonic the Hedgehog but she had heard rumors that he can run faster than the speed of sound. Despite being only fifteen years old, Sonic has already made quite the name for himself by saving many civilians and thwarting Eggman's plans at every turn. Most of his good deeds had gone unnoticed until recently, when Eggman began to target Station Square. Here comes Sonic the Hedgehog and his friends to the rescue and, suddenly, everyone seems to know who he is. Comparing his achievements to Rouge, at her current age of eighteen, made her life seem like a walk in the part.

So what? Why should I care what a silly teenage hedgehog and his cheap little pals are up to? I'm Rouge the Bat. I care for no one but myself. I look out for no one but myself. I live and work alone.

Pulling her eyes away from the window, Rouge stood up and began to think about her next big steal. Grabbing her digital camera, Rouge flew around the city keeping an eye out for any place that may be worth checking out. One such place that caught her eye was a large, old warehouse in southeastern side of the city. Smiling, Rouge flew around the warehouse, taking photos of every entrance she could see. She could not, however, get a glimpse of the inside, as there were no windows. Upon returning home, Rouge downloaded the pictures to her laptop and closely analyzed each one, determining the best way to enter the warehouse. She settled on using a small back entrance. She continued to look over the photos well into the evening, determining an alternate entrance if the one she wanted wouldn't yield somehow. At about ten o'clock, at which time she was certain the sky was dark enough, Rouge filled her backpack with the necessary tools and set off for the warehouse.

Rouge manages to enter the warehouse with little trouble. As she suspected, it was very dark, but her natural night vision solved that issue. Several large square crates surrounded her, most of them wood, some metal. She jumped into the air and hovered for a moment until she saw a wide-open space in the center of the warehouse. She landed softly on the ground and examined the boxes. Every box had a large G symbol on it. Rouge thought for a moment, then it clicked, though a moment too late. Several bright lights suddenly rained upon her, temporarily blinding Rouge and forcing her to cover her eyes.

"Don't move," she heard a low masculine voice from her left. "Place your hands up in the air and kneel on the ground."

Rouge slowly removed her arms from her eyes, blinking several times to adjust to the light. She found military soldiers had surrounded her, each with the same G symbol engraved on their uniforms. The G.U.N. Federation, she thought. The Guardian Units of Nations … I should've known.

The soldier repeated his command and Rouge obeyed him calmly. She was no idiot. Messing with G.U.N., even with someone as skilled as herself, could have dire consequences. She yet wasn't prepared to push her luck with them, and they were known for being ruthless. An officer grabbed her arms, pulled them behind her back and handcuffed them tightly. He then grabbed her by the arm and pulled her up into a standing position, and they escorted her out of the warehouse. She was transported to G.U.N.'s secret prison base, appropriately called Prison Island, and thrown into a dark cell. She immediately despised the place. The cell was small, not to mention cold and dirty, and she didn't even want to go anywhere near the small toilet in the far corner.

She was forcibly woken the following morning by a couple of soldiers. One of them pulled out a ring of keys and opened the cell. He had a sour look on his face as he spoke. "The President has arranged a meeting with you."

Rouge had to force herself not to smile. She wasn't going to be fed to the dogs after all. She felt like beating the living hell out of those soldiers but she knew that would get her thrown right back into the cell, so she resisted the temptation and calmly allowed them to escort her away from the holding cells. A few hours later, she was walking towards the President's office, escorted by a few guards. The guard in front of Rouge was female. She opened the door and led Rouge inside a large, well kept office. There was a large wood desk in the upper middle of the room, in front of a large window, a bookcase standing next to the desk on Rouge's right. She sat down in a leather chair in front of the desk. On the other side of the desk, a tall, skinny man with short brown hair was looking over a file.

"Thank you. You are excused," the man said to the two guards, who nodded curtly, turned and exited the room, closing the door behind them. The man placed the file neatly on the desk and looked up at Rouge. She glanced quickly at the file, which read "Bat, Rouge" on the label.

"Welcome, Ms. Bat," the man said. Rouge turned her gaze back towards him, studying him carefully. "I am the President. I have read much about your 'skills'. You seem to have an very uncanny ability to infiltrate areas where others wouldn't dare tread."

"Well, I am world famous for a reason," Rouge replied, forcing a half smile.

The President nodded. "After much consideration, I have decided to give you an option. You will stay in jail, most likely for life, for the numerous high scale crimes you have committed, or …"

"Or … what?" Rouge asked, trying to hide her curiosity and eagerness.

"Or you can work as a secret agent for my government," the President replied. "If you choose to do so, your criminal record will be completely erased, and you will have access to any resources you require. However, you must agree to take on all missions that are assigned to you."

Rouge thought for a moment, then looked back to the President. "I'll agree on one condition: that I keep the diamond from that museum in Station Square."

The President was about to protest, but he stopped and thought about it for a moment, then looked up at Rouge and nodded. "Very well. Agreed."

Rouge smiled. "Thank you, Mr. President."