"Two days! Only two days to try and figure out where Nic is on this planet! Augh, this is just like those crappy Where's Waldo? books. I could never find out where that guy was."
Fang paced around the apartment, trying to devise some sort of plan to rescue his sister. "She saved my ass once, so I'll return the favor for her." He crumpled up the Post-It note and chucked it across the room. The note had said that the countdown would begin at noon…
Fang stared at the clock on the wall. The hands were angled at 11:13. "I don't care who Robotnik sent out; I won't let anyone get in my way." He growled, and stomped off toward the door. He shoved it open and sped down the spiraling staircase as fast as he could run. It was best to get as much of a head start as possible, even if noon was at least a good half hour away.
Once he had descended the stairs, Fang decided that the first places he should look would be the dark alleyways of Station Square. Hey, they seemed like pretty good places to stick a hostage in a city! Though, Station Square was a vast metropolitan location. Checking in every single alley and lane would take at least half of a day.
"He sure didn't make this easy on me. I'd at least like a hint or a clue." Fang sighed.
There was an alley across from the apartment building that looked particularly dark and shady; a perfect place to start his search! Fang waited patiently as a few cars passed by, and he dashed across the street and into the alley.
The alley seemed to be isolated from the streets, for passing pedestrians did not even bother to glance inside of it. Colorful graffiti caked the brick walls, and several mangy rats scurried around on the ground.
The black cat he had seen out the window before was eating a dead fish in one of the various garbage cans that lay against the walls. For a moment it looked up at Fang with its huge yellow eyes, blinked, and then continued to eat its meal.
"Nic! NIC! Say something!" Fang called out to his sister, but his shouts just echoed back to him. There was no response.
He continued to run through the alley, all the while shouting Nic's name. She never answered his calls.
Suddenly, Fang heard faint yells coming from behind him. He whirled around, but only had a split second's notice before he was knocked over.
"What the-?" A female voice! "Who the heck are you?" Sitting on the ground in front of him was a bat of his same size. She was pure white in color like powder snow, with a tan muzzle and huge ears that stood up on her head. She wore a jet black suit with a heart emblem on its front, and white gloves covered her hands. Her boots were the same snowy white as her gloves and fur. Two purple wings were folded neatly against her back.
She watched as Fang stared at her. "Well? Aren't you going to help a woman up or something?"
"That's why you have legs, idiot." The weasel stood and brushed himself off.
The bat rolled her eyes, and rose. "Just get outta my way! I'm on the run from the cops!" She started to leave when Fang suddenly grabbed one of her arms.
"Woah woah, hang on a sec. What's going on?" Fang tried to slow her down, but she just kept sprinting, dragging him along with her.
"None of your beeswax!" The bat ducked down behind a group of trash cans in an attempt to hide herself. Fang let go of her arm, and hid beside her.
"…Sounds like you've got something valuable on you. Or something illegal." Fang narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Gold? Diamonds? Cocaine?" He smirked, feeling that he was on to something.
"Would you shut up? They're coming!" She hissed, and pointed at two policemen coming toward them.
One of the men was a tall and thin officer with a gray mustache and a bald head. He towered over the second officer who was short and pudgy like a penguin. He even waddled around like one!
"Hey Bob! Did you see which way the bat-woman went?" The taller man faced the shorter one.
"Nope, not a thing, Joe! I could have sworn she went this way…" Bob shook his head.
"Woah. What a couple of clueless…here, move out of the way." Fang pushed away the bat and pulled out his pistol from his belt. "HEY! WISE GUYS! OVER HERE!" He yelled at the cops, who spun around and stared at the garbage cans.
"What are you doing? They know where we are now!" The bat whispered.
"Violets are blue, roses are red…I can't think of a rhyme, so prepare to eat lead!" Fang taunted. He stuck his pistol out in between the cans, and fired two rounds at the confused officers' faces. Both men toppled over, dead as doornails.
"Mmmm, impressive." The bat girl smiled, and made her way out from her hiding spot.
"Pssh. That was nothing!" Fang wandered over to Bob, and bent down to reach into his pocket.
"Oh really?" She watched as Fang pulled out a wallet as fat as the man he was looting.
"Yeah. People don't call me Fang the Sniper for nothing!" He grabbed the bills, and tossed the rest of the wallet aside.
"Fang, eh? I'm Rouge." The bat remarked, and pulled out a large sparkling green gem. She fingered it gingerly as it lit up the alley with a dazzling emerald flicker.
The gem caught Fang's eyes immediately, and he gazed at it with an awestruck expression. "Is that a…?" He drooled.
"A Chaos Emerald." Rouge smiled. "I stole it from a jewelry shop a few blocks away. The owner must've called the cops on me, because I had just started casually walking off when I heard blaring sirens. Normally, I would have flown, but there aren't as many places to hide in the open air. I ran into this alley, and that's when I crashed into you."
"So you must be a thief?" Fang asked.
"I prefer to call myself a treasure hunter. Ruins my image to be called a dirty thief." Rouge tucked away her Chaos Emerald.
Maybe I can find a way to win me that emerald… Fang gave an evil grin, but the thought of his sister crossed his mind again. "Er, have you by chance seen a purple weasel like me around here?"
Rouge shook her head. "No, you're the only purple weasel I've ever seen. Why? Lose your girlfriend?" She giggled.
"No, she's my sister." Fang fumed. "She was captured by Dr. Robotnik. He didn't tell me where he took her; he just left a stupid note. Besides, I don't need a girlfriend."
"Sure you don't…" Rouge smirked. "Hmmm. I'm not sure exactly why Robotnik would do something like that, but I do know this: he has a new secret base built in the Sand Ruins." Rouge winked, and started to wander away.
"Wait up!" Fang caught up with her. "Where is this 'secret base'? Will you take me to it?"
The bat stopped in her tracks. She pondered what Fang had said, and then turned around to face him. "I guess you saved me a trip to the jail."
"So does that mean you'll take me to him?" The weasel eagerly awaited an answer.
"Count me in." Rouge grinned. "But what's in it for me?"
"Huh?" Fang stared at her in bewilderment.
"I don't normally help people just to be nice, y'know. I need to have an incentive." Rouge shrugged.
"Is not going to jail a good enough incentive?" The weasel asked.
"Nah. I need something more…how about this. I'll take you to the base if you give me what you just looted."
"Heh, you think you're clever…" Fang reluctantly handed Rouge the cash he had gotten from Bob's wallet.
"I don't think I'm clever; I know I am." Rouge's eyes twinkled.
