Rebirth

Chapter 2

A clue

Rouge waited impatiently as the machines checked for fingerprints. It seemed like it had taken FOREVER. Sonic was just as impatient, his foot was tapping so much that it was a blur and the tapping noise was more like a drone.

Rouge sighed, "Sonic could you stop that?" "Stop what?" "Tapping your foot." "Oh yeah.... sure." The drone stopped. "We're done, there is only one match in the whole world." Rouge raised an eyebrow, "Whole world?" "Well they might have fleed to another country." Said the scientist. "Whatever. Who is it?"

"Rodrigo." Said a calm voice, there, in the doorway stood Shadow with a leather jacket on, the sleeves went to his elbows only, the design looked a little strange on Shadow, but fashion was never something that had really interested Shadow. It had been more of a, what scares the enemy? thought for clothing that had made him wear it, he looked like what he was, someone who could easily kill without it being on their conscience.

Rouge blinked, "Sh..." "Shads! What in the world were you thinking?!" Asked Sonic, immediately confronting Shadow, his finger poked Shadow in the chest as he spoke, Shadow just leaned against the doorway, taking it, looking very bored as Sonic continued in his lecture. "... could have been killed...!" Rouge interrupted, "Shadow, why did you do it?"

Shadow smirked, "Finally someone asks me something." He tossed the paper to Rouge and attached to it was him, Scourge, and Rodrigo. "Team Poison." Read Rouge. "But Shadow, aren't you with me and Omega? Aren't you part of Team Dark?" Shadow turned his head, "Rouge, I owe Scourge."

Sonic stared at him, jaw open, flabbergasted. "But Shadow! Scourge was probably doing that to get you to help him!" "That is not the point Sonic. He helped me, I am helping him now." "But... why?" Shadow sighed. "Sonic, can you be any more idiotic than you were years ago? Apparently you can. You don't seem to understand what owing means. Look it up in the dictionary Faker."

Then he turned to Rouge, as she asked, "Why could we find evidence if you did it?" "Simple Rouge, Rodrigo is planning to betray Scourge and I, I decided that we should do it first." "But don't you owe him as well?" Shadow shook his head, "No, I don't. Dracsa teamed him up with us." "But how can we keep an eye on this...?" Wondered Rogue out loud.

Shadow smirked, "I have an idea." After explaining it he waited for the reaction. Rouge grinned, "This will be fun Shadow." Sonic was laughing himself silly, "Knuckles is going to go mad!"

***

Rodrigo heard his doorbell ring two days later. Scratching his chest he went downstairs and opened the door. "Yeah?" Rouge smiled sweetly at him, "Would you come with me?" "Where to?" He asked, interested. If not by her than at least by her looks, she generally had that effect on all boys.

"To my car, I'd like to take you somewhere special handsome." He was now completely under her control, "Sure... I'll come." The driver was a red echidna, the cap was pulled low so you couldn't see his eyes, Rouge sat in the back with Rodrigo, "What's your name? I don't have it yet." She said, as if full of sorrow, Rodrigo was now entranced. "Rodrigo, who are you?" "Rouge." She kissed him on the cheek and a vein throbbed on the driver's neck.

"I'd like to you to meet some friends of mine." He agreed of course. When they parked the echidna opened the doors and escorted them to the door. Rodrigo didn't even notice the echidna's presence.

GUN soldiers surrounded Rodrigo and knocked him out. "Good job Rouge." Said the officer who was there. Rouge grinned, "Thank you Officer." Knuckles removed the cap and glared at the crow, "I want to kill him." "Why Knuckie? Because I kissed him?" "NO!!!" Yelled Knuckles, which showed everyone that he actually meant yes.

"Whatever you say Knuxie." They went inside and Shadow was leaning casually against one of the pillars. "So, is Knuckles ready for this?" "Yes emo boy, I won't be outdone by a hedgehog." Growled Knuckles. Shadow rolled his eyes and said, "Knuckles, I am not emo. If there is an emo in this room it is you, though you would be an emo who needs anger management lessons badly. "

Sonic laughed himself silly over this as Knuckles had to dye the white birth mark on his chest red to match his fur, then complete his disguise with a rather rowdy outfit. Rouge giggled, "Knuckles, if this situation wasn't so urgent I would say you were captain of the local punk group." She just laughed after that.

Dracsa was enraged when he found out (from Shadow) that Rodrigo had allowed himself to be caught. "The blab will tell everything! And now who am I going to team with you and Scourge?!" "Boss, there is someone." Shadow stepped to the side to show Knuckles. Dracsa looked him up and down, his eyes lingered on Knuckles' gloved hands.

"I doubt he can pull a trigger." "But he's good in other ways Boss." Said Shadow quietly. He then explained that Knuckles COULD hold a dart pipe with poisoned darts, and his fists could smash through anything. Dracsa was quiet for a moment, "Alright. You're hired. Join Shadow and Scourge as a member for Team Poison." Knuckles inclined his head silently. Shadow, who knew him, could see that he was furious at being addressed that way.

***

Knuckles came into the living room (as Shadow had done not too long ago), to find Scourge swearing like a sailor. (No offense intended to any sailors). He immediately knocked Scourge out. "SHADOW?!" He yelled, Shadow appeared. "What?" He sounded rather cross.

Knuckles told him about what Scourge had been doing, previously. Shadow sighed. "He's been drinking again." Shadow dragged Scourge's unconscious form to the door before turning around, "I'll be back soon." He disappeared in a flash of chaos energy.

At that precise moment, the phone rang. "Hello?" Knuckles said in the toneless voice he had had to adopt for safety. "Hello Knuckles." Hissed Dracsa on the other end. "I have another mission for Team Poison." "Okay." "You are to get rid of two twins who defied me yesterday, they own an apartment in front of the warehouses." Dracsa gave Knuckles the address and his eyes widened.

As soon as he'd hung up the first thing Knuckles could say to himself was, "Oh crap."

O.O I hope you enjoyed this chapter, sorry I had to end it in a cliffie.