Hello everybody! Here's a long awaited update to this story that I'm sure all of you have been waiting ever so patiently for me to update. I'm sorry to you all for taking a long time to make this new chapter. A lot of things have been happening on my end. For the most part, it's been college and constantly getting new ideas for stories that I just have to write down before I forget about it or it explodes out of my head. With that aside, at least I managed to get this out for you all to read.

Just to say, I probably won't be updating this story as frequently as I used to before my unfortunately long hiatus moment. That's because I'm trying to concentrate more of my time on my college work and recover from my unfortunate status as academic probation. Oh well, one can only roll with the punches and make it work with you instead of against you. Let's just hope that this year will be enough to help me get out of my educational slump.

Anyway, that's enough about my personal rant that I'm sure all of you didn't come here just to hear. Let me hurry up and get this chapter out to all you ever faithful and patient readers. I'll go ahead and put down the stuff that were on the last chapter on top up here. After all, you along with me probably already forgotten what has been collected in terms of evidence and profiles, even though it probably wasn't much since that was only the first chapter.

Evidence:

Attorney's Badge: Sonic's badge proving that he's a genuine defense attorney. Ever since getting tied into a murder because of him losing it, he's since taken precautions to make sure that it stays secured within the inside of his gloves.

Profiles:

Sonic Hedgehog: A seventeen year old blue furred male hedgehog. He works in Dr. Robotnik's Law Firm office and is currently on track on becoming a full-fledged attorney and escape from fledgling status.

Miles Prower: Best known by his nickname Tails. He's a twelve-year-old yellow-orange furred fox with two tails. After his performance in the previous case at the local Precinct, Dr. Robotnik has taken him in as the firm's local on-scene detective.

Knuckles Echidna: He is an eighteen-year-old red furred echidna detective who works at the local precinct and is good friends with Sonic and Tails.

Salemand Eres: A twenty-two year old black cat with unusually bright red eyes. He came to Dr. Robotnik's Law Firm in order to employ the help of Vector to find his little brother. However, his actions make him seem rather suspicious.

And that's it with that. Now I'll let you all go ahead and read this chapter. I must say that it's shorter than my other ones, but I couldn't really think of anything else to add to this chapter in terms of information. Then again, that means I'm just as much in the dark about how this story is going to end just as much as you. So that means I better hurry and finish up the next chapter for you all to read. Until the next update to this and any of my other stories everybody!

Chapter 17: An Ironic Twist of Fate and Truth Pt. 2

After their rather strange visit from Salemand Eres, Sonic officially ended his lunch break and went to his desk to work on some papers. Tails was busy picking up the dishes and bringing them into the kitchen while Knuckles continued to sit on the couch shuffling his cards and enjoying his day off.

"Do you really think this Salemand guy can be trusted?" the cobalt hedgehog asked as he picked up a pen and started to skim through the papers on his desk. "I can't help but feel that there's something off about him what with how he said he tried so hard to keep the fact he called the Chaotix Agency a secret. I mean, what kind of sane person would go through all that tedious trouble just to call one agency?"

"Someone who has a lot to gain and everything to lose," the red furred echidna responded with a huff of his breath without stopping his card shuffling. "If not that, then we were just dealing with an insane person who loves to make everything harder than it needs to be. Either way, he managed to get what he wanted in the end."

"But couldn't you have at least held him from leaving because of his suspicious behavior or something like that?" the defense attorney questioned without looking up from his work. "I mean, you are an officer of the law with the right to do that. He was definitely reeking some kind of suspicious air."

"I don't make it a habit to be wearing my detective's badge when I'm off-duty," the detective simply countered before he started putting the cards on the table in a formation similar to solitaire. "With that said, I don't really have the authority to be holding him unless he was doing something illegal and I got to make a citizen's arrest."

"But you could still ask Vector for what he was requested for, can't you?" Tails asked as he finally left the kitchen after cleaning the cups. "He's technically the only one who can tell us something that might explain Salemand's behavior."

"Look, all I know is that this isn't concern any of us. We should just move on and pretend that none of this happened. …But I suppose I could ask Vector for the details whenever I happen to run into him," Knuckles added with a roll of his eyes after a couple moments of silence and feeling two pairs of persistent and inquisitive eyes bearing down on him as he played his card game. "I can't guarantee anything on that since there might me some kind of client confidentiality thing being enforced on this."

"Hey, all we ask is that you at least try and ask him," Sonic stated with a smile apparent on his face as he picked up a stray piece of paper that flew off his desk. "And I think we have a right to know about what he wanted since he practically pulled us into his little communication game of cat and mouse."

"Well, he did say that he was looking for his brother who happened to have Feralisis Syndrome," the two tailed fox recapped as he plopped down next to Knuckles and watched him quickly lose his first Solitaire game and resetting the game. "From what I've heard, it's a rare genetic disease that's only had its name for the past decade. Apparently, it only occurs in anthropomorphs like us in that it causes them to be born walking on four feet like an actual animal. That's thankfully the only thing physically wrong with them, but it does make it near impossible for those afflicted with this to function in everyday life without having to be dependent on someone else."

"Yeesh, that sounds pretty bad for those guys," the cobalt hedgehog responded with a frown before momentarily stopping in his work. "I guess I can see why Salemand was so worried about where his brother's at. He probably can't do anything for himself and only has him to rely on for everything."

Before any of them could get a chance to add anything else to the conversation, a cell phone was heard ringing. The detective quickly put down his cards and reached into his brown vest pocket where his cell was ringing away without a care in the world.

"Knuckles here," he greeted whoever was calling on the other end of the line in a sort of disinterested tone. "If this is about work and just can't wait until tomorrow, then you're just wasting your time since I'm on my day off and could care less."

"Uh, are you sure you should be talking to the other person like that?" Tails asked with a raised eyebrow at the echidna's choice of words.

Instead of responding to it, the other seemed quite immersed with the conversation coming from the other end. After all, he did not say anything else after making that rather rude statement and had on a look of seriousness that replaced his earlier laid back one.

"…Something tells me you're not kidding me about this," he finally responded after spending almost half a minute quietly listening. This caught the attention of both Sonic and Tails as they stopped what they were doing and listened to their end of the conversation. "How the heck did this happen? …Of course I'll help you, but don't you need someone else's help more than mine right now? …Alright, I'll make sure to get them there before four today. Anything else you want me to do while wasting your only regulated call on me? …I'll try my best, but I can't guarantee much for tomorrow through a one-man job kind of deal you're asking me to try. I'll try to catch you tomorrow in court."

"Did you just say court?" Sonic asked with interest lined in his words. "Don't tell me you actually accepted a job right after you said you don't work during your days off. It must've been someone important to you in order to bend one of your own rules."

"Now's not the time for small talk," Knuckles responded bluntly before putting his cell phone back into his vest pocket before packing up his cards and returning them into their rightful box before packing it into his picket. "I really got to get some investigating down before court time tomorrow. And I suggest that you two make you way to the Detention Center right away. You only got about a couple of hours before they close. Just ask the attendant there for more information when you get there."

"Aren't you going to tell us who called you at least?" Tails asked before he saw the echidna quickly get up and walk towards the door. And before he could ask anything else, he along with his older brother were met with the sound of the door opening and then quickly closing with a light slam.

"Well, talk about taking a quick exit," the hedgehog said with a sigh before standing up and pushing his chair in before taking his Attorney's Badge off from his desk. "Knowing Knuckles, this is probably something really important if he actually went out of his way to cut his day off short and start working. And by how he asked us to go to the Detention Center, he probably figures that there's something we can help him out with."

"And how are we supposed to know what to do once we get there?" the two tailed fox wondered as he followed his brother's lead and took a blue jacket off of a nearby coat rack and put it on. "He didn't really give us a lot to go on in regards to that except to ask the attendant there about something."

"I guess that's the only way we're going to be getting any kind of answers about what Knuckles wants us to do here. Let's hurry up and get there before they close. It sucks that they have some weird regulations in that they have to close at four exactly. I mean, just who in this world is free to visit people before then besides attorneys like me? It honestly doesn't make any sense at all."

As he continued on with his grumbling that was more to himself than to Tails, the two made their way outside where they quickly hailed a taxi that would take them to the Detention Center. It was a rather uneventful ride except for the small talk they made, but that made the trip all the more quicker.

Once they arrived at their destination, they happily paid their fare before exiting and quickly entering the Detention Center. They had managed to steal a glance at the cab's internal clock and saw that it was just a few minutes before three. While they still had just over an hour's worth of time to do whatever they had to do in there, they were not eager on the thought of gambling their time like that. And so, they both entered the building they were somewhat familiar with from when they first came in under the guise of being Knuckles' defense attorney when he was being accused of murder.

"Excuse me, but we've heard that there's something here for us to do," Sonic asked the secretary once they both were at the desk. "Did anyone ever mentioned the names Sonic and Tails and saying they'd be here soon?"

"Go to detention room number three," the woman, who was different from whom they first talked to on their earlier visit, bluntly responded in a bored tone without looking up from her paperwork. She then added as she quickly rummaged through her purse that was on the desk and pulled out a small mirror, "The person in there has been hogging that room waiting for you two to arrive. I honestly don't know why this prisoner gets to do that when others can't, but I suppose that isn't for someone of low standing like me to know. Just make it quick since I was forced to play messenger woman for you two."

"Uh, thank you, miss," Tails thanked with a forced smile as he tried to sound polite about the whole thing. The only thing he received as a response was a yawn before they quickly walked passed her. He then said in a low whisper, "Geez, something's definitely eating away at her. Glad we didn't have to deal with her too long. But who is it that wants to meet us in the detention room?"

"We'll find out when we get there," Sonic responded with a shrug of his shoulders as they continued down the hallway to the room where they were told to go. And it was not a couple of seconds later before they both arrived at detention room number three.

"Wow, I didn't think you'd get here so quickly," a familiar voice greeted them with some semblance of shock in his voice right when they entered the room. "I guess that just means there's more time to talk to you about this."

"I-Is that you, Shadow?" the cobalt hedgehog asked in surprise once he was able to see just who was it that had summoned them to this place. His thoughts were confirmed when his eyes rested on a pair of ruby red eyes looking sternly back at him from beyond the glass separating the room into two. "What the hell are you doing behind that glass? Don't tell me you got yourself in trouble."

"Well, I'm definitely not on this side because seclusion feels more comfortable than freedom," the ebon furred hedgehog responded bitterly as the defense attorney and his little brother both took their respective seats with shock still written all over their faces. "I'm guessing then that Knuckles didn't tell you that I somehow managed to get myself arrested today. Then again, I did tell him to do some investigating into the murder I'm being charged for, so he was probably in a rush when he told you two to come here."

"Did you just say you're in here because you're suspected of murder?" Tails asked, this time his turn to sound shock at the sudden revelation. "How in the world did someone like you manage to get dragged into something like that?"

"If I could've provided the police with an alibi that was both believable and concrete, then I would still be free instead of being trapped in here like some common criminal. Now would you two stop asking me things that are stupid obvious? You know better than anybody else how much I hate it."

"Hey, I think we're more than entitled to be asking you these questions!" the defense attorney countered with a frown before crossing his arms. "This definitely wasn't what we were expecting when Knuckles told us to get here as quickly as we could. You're the last person I'd expect to see behind bars!"

"Look, we're right now wasting time with this pointless argument!" the two tailed fox butted in, quickly recovering from the shock at seeing the prosecutor currently in the custody of the law rather than serving it and trying to steer the conversation back to its original path of logic. "We need to start getting to the point. It's almost three, and that means we only have an hour left to be asking you about what's going on here."

"I suppose you're right, Tails," Shadow responded with a sigh before pinching the bridge of his nose as if to stave off an oncoming headache. "You need to at least hear my side of the story if you hope on ever having a chance to defend me in court. But before I tell you, there's something that I have to ask. Will you be willing to serve as my defense attorney in court tomorrow, Sonic?"

"Of course I'm going to be defending you!" Sonic immediately answered with a firm look. "As if I'm going to leave you to just fend for yourself! Just tell me what I need to know about this murder from your point of view."

"Then let me start off by telling you what I'm being held for," the ebon furred hedgehog said as he fiddled with the edges of his white gloves. "I was unfortunately at the wrong place at the wrong time. I was taking a morning walk at around seven by the docks when it happened. I noticed one of my coworkers ahead of me talking in kind of hushed whispers with someone. I couldn't tell exactly who it was since it was pretty foggy. And before you say anything about it, I recognized it was my coworker out there by the way he talked. He had the bad case of the stutters, but he didn't let that get in his way."

"Do you think you could give us his name?" the cobalt hedgehog asked as he listened intently to the explanation.

"I don't see any reason why you should know. It's not like it's of any overall importance unless he had some kind of known past history of wrongdoing. Anyway, I didn't even get a chance to step closer to them before I heard the sound of a gun going off twice. About ten seconds later, I heard the sound of something heavy falling into the water along with something metallic falling the concrete before I heard someone running away."

"What did you do after all that?" Tails asked while keeping his hands in his jacket pocket so as to prevent them from fidgeting around nervously.

"As much as I hate to admit it, the whole thing shocked me pretty bad. I don't remember too much about it. I do remember my feet taking me to where the two were talking earlier and felt my feet kicking at something. Looking down, I saw a black gun staring right at me. I don't know what exactly what I was thinking then, but I picked it up with my bare hands as if I were possessed by something."

"And that's why the police ended up arresting you for the murder?" the attorney surmised with a thoughtful pause so as to allow the details to mill around in his mind. "With just the fingerprints for them to go on, it doesn't sound like a concrete way to be offering excuses to arrest people."

"And that's why witnesses exist in this world for the sake of granting clarification to situations such as this," Shadow added with a huff of his breath. "Apparently, there was a jogger nearby who also happened to have heard the shots. I remember being dragged out of my shocked state by the sound of a shrill scream. The next thing I knew, I saw her on her cell phone frantically calling the police and saying that she heard shots and saw me with a gun in my hands. Knowing that I was already in big trouble, I simply put the gun back down and waited for the police to arrive and question me. My only guess that they ended up arresting me is because of what the witness told them. And don't even ask me about what she said, because there's no way I could know about it."

"And I'm guessing you don't even know this witness's name," the two tailed fox added with a shake of his head at the loss of being able to question another person involved with all this. "Do you at least know where she might be at right now? There might be a chance we can meet her and ask some questions."

"She's most likely being questioned at the Local Precinct," the prosecutor responded without hesitation. "Because of that, they're not going to let you go in there unless you're a detective assigned to the case. That means you'll probably have to hear her side of the story during court tomorrow.

"And that's all I can tell you right now," he finished up with a shrug of his shoulders. "I don't have any more facts about this case, and you know how I don't like going on suppositions unless there's some kind of backing to it. Can I count on you to figure out the rest of this puzzle and get me out of this mess, Sonic?"

"Again, there's no need to be asking me to be your defense attorney," Sonic responded in a resolute tone before taking a piece of paper next to him that was meant to be filled out for attorney's representing their clients. "I'd be defending you even if you flat out refused my offer. I just wish that you were more helpful in giving us some more information to work with, but I guess we can always get more through testimony tomorrow."

And with that in mind, the cobalt hedgehog quickly signed the paper that officiated him as being Shadow's defense attorney. Tails was busy being quiet and thinking about what they had just heard from Shadow's side of the story on why he was being suspected of murdering a fellow coworker of his. Unfortunately, there just was not much to go on at this point, and their only way to move forward with this with the conditions laid out before them was to wait until they got to court tomorrow. Talk about leaving things to the last minute…

Well, I hope that you all ended up liking this chapter as much as I had making it. So now Shadow's the one being accused of murder. And to top it all off, they don't have a lot of information to work with this time around and have to rely on what they hear in court. As I said in the last sentence, talk about leaving these things to the very last minute.

Anyway, there is one new evidence that appeared here in this chapter that I didn't mention in the main story. And I'll post it right under this right now.

New Evidence:

Shadow's Testimony: Testimony given by Shadow and memorized by Tails. The Prosecutor said that he was quite shocked upon hearing two gunshots coming from in front of his path followed by a splashing sound ten seconds later. He remembered picking up the gun with his bare hands before the witness's screams shook him out of his state of mind.

New Profile:

Shadow Hedgehog: An eighteen-year-old prosecutor who doesn't like nonsense and is childhood friends with Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles. He's currently being held by the police under suspicion of murdering one of his coworkers at the Mobius Docks.

And that's it for the evidence and profiles. For those of you who remember from the last chapter, I put in Salemand Eres to throw in more mystery to this story. I promise that he'll be making another appearance soon, but now's not the time for him. After all, I think the attention needs to be concentrated on this current problem right now. At least they have Knuckles investigating the case as advised by Shadow when he called him. Just how are they going to get out of this mess now?

Please don't forget to leave a review before you move onto your next story to read. I always read them and take them into consideration. Until the next update to this or any of my other stories on here everybody!