I could hardly believe what I'd heard. Another Prower, here in the depths of Prison Island? It took me a few moments to collect myself after that shocking revelation.

(Oh, you're shocked? After what I've heard about my grandfather, I thought he'd be dead for sure! Why would G.U.N. let him live after what he did?)

(You think I wasn't curious about that myself? Even so, we had another important matter to attend to, and he had the information we needed.)

"Well then, Silas," I addressed the old fox as he'd requested, "what do you know about a little place called Flicky Island?"

Silas perked his ears and turned so that he was standing in profile from our perspective. A grin spread across his muzzle as he gave us the side-eye.

"I reckon I know more than most folks," he answered rather vaguely, "maybe a few things ya don't know yerself, Battle Kukku boy."

I frowned and took a step forward so that he could see my ruby eyes boring into his own capri orbs. "I'm surprised you could tell, but I've left that name behind."

"That so?" Silas wondered, his smirk growing wider, "then maybe ya wouldn't be interested in the treasure yer ancestors left on that there island."

Given her love of valuables, it was no surprise that the mention of such would grab my partner's attention. She tilted her head so that one of her ears was a bit closer to the holes in the ballistic glass.

"What kind of treasure are we talking about, silver fox?" she inquired with a giggle, "I'm more for pretty jewels, but if it's rare and exotic, then that sounds lovely too."

The elderly vulpine, contrary to her expectations, stuck his muzzle up and let out a puff through his nose. "Why should I tell ya? Y'all haven't even offered anythin' up in exchange for my info."

"You don't get to make demands," I retorted, reminding him of his status.

Silas rolled his eyes and yawned as he stretched his arms above his head. "Like I haven't heard that before. Oh well, if y'all don't wanna gimme what I want, then y'all ain't gettin' jackshit from me."

I would have said I could scarcely believe the audacity of this fellow, but then I remembered who he was related to. It also occurred to me in that moment of irritation what exactly the fox was asking for. After all, in many spheres of life, knowledge and information can be more valuable than money and goods. Silas being in the position he was, it was likely that he didn't receive much about the outside world, likely by design. I decided that it was better than nothing, so I gave it a shot.

"Fine. What do you want to know?"

That got him to cock part of his brow and turn to face me a bit more directly, a shit-eating grin on his muzzle. "Seems ya understand better than I thought ya did, Kukku. Tell ya what, how about ya gimme a lil sneak peek, and I'll see whether or not yer offer is worth reciprocating."

There were plenty of things I could tell him, if he really was being kept in the dark by my superiors. The state of the world since he was incarcerated, though I would have to know exactly when that was to think of where to begin. There were also more current events, particularly within the last couple of months, that would no doubt pique his interest in some capacity. But I ascertained from his earlier proclamation that one subject would definitely get him to talk.

"How much do you know about your grandson, Miles?" I questioned him, making sure he could see and hear that I was being completely serious.

The fox's expression mirrored my own, making a brief shiver run down my spine as our eyes met. "Other'n what he looked like all those years ago as a kit, and that he's still alive now, I dunno a thing. Yer boss don't even gimme the courtesy of talkin' to my family; it's only whoever comes to visit at any given time of day, and they ain't chatty folks."

It seemed that my theory was right about Silas being kept mostly ignorant of outside affairs. I momentarily considered the consequences of going against that practice and getting found out. Ultimately, I decided that the risk and whatever punishment, if any, that came my way would be potentially worth it.

"I know him personally, though we're not friends," I said honestly, turning my eyes away for a second, "we were once enemies, in fact, but now we're more like rivals. And as much as the Commander seemingly doesn't want the world to see him as such, Miles is a hero to more than just those close to him."

"No foolin'?" Pride and a glimmer of relief showed on his face after Rouge and I firmly nodded. "I was worried about those two tails of his causin' him trouble, but a hero? Yer really not pullin' my leg?"

Seeing as he wasn't completely convinced, I proceeded to give Silas an abridged account of my history with his younger grandson. I told him of our first showdown at Mt. Pori Pori, then the rematch aboard the Battle Fortress. How we met again just a few months ago after a number of years, and what happened during our confrontation in the Mystic Cave Network on West Side Island. And that like on Cocoa Island, we came to blows on the Battle Fortress, with it having ended in the two-tailed teen's favor.

After that, I related to him what I knew of Miles' fight against my father on the Battle Moon, and the intel that G.U.N. had picked up following my escape. That included the limited data they were able to gather on the Angel Island incident, and even the fact that Miles had transformed using the Chaos Emeralds not once, but twice. I told him that I learned that my father and Dr. Fukurokov, among other unfortunate Kukku troops, had perished in the destruction of the Battle Moon. As reluctant as I was to admit it, Miles had given me both the motivation and the means to become my own Animal, and so I'd cast off my old name in favor of the one I'd always preferred.

Once I shared everything I felt was relevant, I took note of Silas' expression. He visibly digested my story, and after a few moments, he gave me a rather warm smile that I found a bit uncomfortable to be receiving.

"Alright, I believe ya,' he remarked kindly, 'yer eyes and the way yer body was movin' told me just as much as yer story. With all that ya said, I reckon that's worth spillin' what I know about ol' Flicky Island...and maybe a couple other things too, but we'll see. Hope ya got some way to take notes."

I motioned to let him know that I'd been recording much of our conversation so far, so I was ready. Silas moved to face us both fully, one hand idly curling the hair of his three bangs as he hummed in thought.

"Hmm, y'all know that species of Flickies show up there that don't exist anywhere else, right?" he asked us, to which we both nodded, "well, that's 'cause unlike the usual variety, they don't migrate. However, they do go somewhere else, someplace that Flickies supposedly came from originally, and they do this by flyin' through these giant golden Rings; I think some fellah back then called 'em 'Dimension Rings' or some odd." He shrugged and cleared his throat. "Whatever they're supposed to be, I've seen 'em for myself, and I've seen the Flickies use 'em. Didn't try to follow 'em 'cause I didn't wanna end up somewhere I couldn't get back from."

Of course, I'd heard stories of giant Rings in various places such as South Island, and this legend surrounding the Flickies was another one of them. I made sure to make a mental note of this information even though my data pad was already doing so for me. Filing it away for later, I moved on to more immediately useful information regarding the location.

"What can you tell us about the geography?" I asked next.

"It's got some interesting variety." Silas began holding up fingers as he listed them off. "Got some beaches along the coast from the west across the south and to the east, with some jungle more on the latter side. A few snow-capped mountains and a big alpine forest take up a good third of the place, not to mention a volcano, though I dunno if the thing's still active or not. There's also some ancient ruins along the southwestern shore, but I'm no expert on that stuff, so I couldn't tell ya who made 'em. As for the northeastern part, it's pretty plain, mostly just prairies and grasslands, nothin' too excitin'."

That matched with what I had studied in my spare time back when I was with the Empire. While I never had the chance to visit prior, Father had made sure that I committed Flicky Island to memory. He told me that I would be visiting it one day as part of my ascension to the Battle Kukku throne, but never gave any details aside from there being an old artifact involved. A part of me had been disappointed that such a promise had seemingly died with him, even as I tried to get away from my old life.

"What about the treasure?" Rogue wondered, "surely we told you enough that you can at least point us in the right direction."

I had to suppress my urge to chew the bat out. Really, she's brilliant until the moment you wave a nice gem in front of her or promise her a wealthy bounty. It's a gamble whether she gets hyper focused and lets nothing get in her way, or distracted to where she makes rookie mistakes. At the least, I would be there in case the latter came to pass, if only to make sure she came back alive.

(So, did Grandpa Silas really know what the Kukku treasure was?)

(Well...)

"I've only caught a glimpse," the old fox replied, "but I know what's there, and it felt all sorts of wrong." He gave me a hard look mixed with concern. "Kukku boy, I don't say this lightly, but you'd best steer clear of it."

While his warning was noted, I doubted my partner would heed it. Not just that, but I needed more information if it really was something perilous. That, and I'll admit that I was curious if he really did know a closely guarded Battle Kukku secret.

"I don't even know what it is," I said curtly, "I left the Empire, and my father died before he could enlighten me."

Silas came closer and leaned into the glass, fixing us both with the sort of gaze only a grandfather could...from what I understand, anyway. I never got to know my own, as he'd passed away before I hatched, or at least that's what Father said; I suppose that's one thing that I'll never truly know for certain.

"Then lemme tell ya in his place," he began in a low voice, "have either of ya ever heard of the Cursed Corundums?"

Rouge laughed softly. "Any self-respecting jewel admirer knows about those beauties, silver fox. I remember my father telling me about them when I was little."

"I thought ya looked familiar. Yer Blanc's baby girl, ain't ya?" My partner was pretty stunned to hear that, which made Silas guffaw. "Yep, I worked with yer papa a number of times, both before and after ya came into his life." He forced a cough. "A tale for another time, though. As I was sayin', one of those gems is there on that island, and if yer daddy was smart, he'd've told ya they're called 'Cursed' for good reason.

"As for you, bird," he continued as he shifted his attention to me, "I dunno the full story, but the first of yer family had somethin' made so that he could use those things without sufferin' the side effects. Considerin' that they both got left behind, my theory is that it didn't work as well as he'd hoped." He chuckled. "Either that, or he thought his people weren't ready for such power. Who knows? But, do be careful, kiddos. If the powers of the Chaos Emeralds are real like y'all said, then it's likely those old things on Flicky Island are the same."

Rouge and I didn't get anything else out of Silas, but we had all the info we needed anyway. We left early the next morning via jet, which got us to a small G.U.N. installation roughly 30 kilometers from our destination. For the remainder of the trip, we flew using G.U.N.'s new jet packs based off of Kukku designs, as there would be no place to comfortably land large aircraft on Flicky Island. As a result, we weren't able to carry much in the way of supplies, but I had everything I needed.

We arrived at the island proper around 0900 hours, touching down on the southernmost tip of the place. It was a short walk to where the sanctuary community was, and we made sure to have our badges ready once we reached the gates. We were glad to be let through almost immediately, as they had been informed that we were coming. The place inside was quaint, smaller in size than even Puru Puru Village, mostly made up of tents and modest wood cabins. The majority of the population appeared to be Animals, though I did see a few humans too, and many of them gave us a wary look as we walked through the square.

One of them did come up to us after an awkward period of silence, and unlike most of the rest, she seemed pretty perky and confident. She was a bandicoot Animal with deep orange fur, blue eyes, a small black nose, and bronzed peach skin on her arms, legs, torso, and around her muzzle. Her eyelashes were short, yet bold, and her angular ears stuck out quite noticeably from the top of her head. As for attire, she wore a matching crop top and skirt set that was red with yellow trim, brown shorts, red and white shoes, and rings around her wrists and ankles. To complete the look, her long brown hair was held up in a high ponytail with a yellow ribbon, keeping it out of her face and off of her back.

"Hey, you must be the guys we sent for! You got here pretty fast!" she exclaimed cheerfully as she looked us up and down, "this is really cool, I've never met actual G.U.N. agents before!"

Rouge giggled and held out a hand to her. "I'm Rouge, and this is my partner, Ace. We heard there's been 'strange activity' on the island."

"Nice to meet you!" the lady said energetically, taking the bat's hand and giving it a shake, "my name's Tiara Boobowski. I was the one who was there at the time of the incident, then I told the head of my team, who relayed the message to my father, since he leads the place. I have to say, when we reached out for help, I didn't expect G.U.N. to be the ones answering the call!"

I nodded briskly and stepped forward to give her a handshake as well, finding her grip respectable and firm. Now that I had a good gander, I could see that she was around my height, maybe a little taller, and that her figure was trim and fit beneath her getup. That certainly was needed to be able to do field work in a place like this, and speaking of, I still had my own to tend to.

"The briefing was vague on the nature of these disturbances," I said as I released my hold, "if you are indeed the one that sent the initial report, we would appreciate it if you could provide us with further details. And of course, if you could direct us to whomever else was involved in filing the incident."

"Yeah, no problem, my father's cabin is this way!" Tiara told us as she pointed and walked in the direction we needed to go. Once we started following, she began her account. "As I was saying, I was getting some exercise out where Green Grove meets the Rusty Ruins a bit further west, when I saw a bunch of Flickies that were really upset, so I went to see what was up." She raised a fist with an angry gleam in her eyes. "I found some guys sneaking around that were definitely up to no good, so I went to take care of them!" She lowered her hand and huffed as she frowned in disappointment. "They got away before I got too close, though, and I don't know where they went. My father thinks they could be poachers that're here for the Flickies, but I don't think so...they didn't seem too interested in them."

She didn't get much further than that when we arrived at the cabin of the aforementioned individual, though there was someone else waiting outside. It was a quokka with mostly red fur, save for large rust-colored ears and a similarly dark patch between his green eyes. Like many Animals I'd seen, he had a smooth peach-tone muzzle and inner ears, as well as two tufts of hair that stuck up, and a medium-length skinny dark tail. He was fairly short, more so than Rouge, though not by a whole lot. For clothes and accessories, the marsupial wore white gloves, dark brown boots with yellow cuffs, khaki explorer's pants, and a jungle green outdoor sporting shirt.

"Oh, hey Tiara," he said a little nervously as he spared us a momentary glance, "uh, have you seen your dad around?"

I suppose my demeanor was a bit intimidating to some people, but I can't help that my resting face gives off the impression that I'm perpetually annoyed. Then again, maybe he was just a nervous guy; he seemed like the type that would sweat even if he was only slightly anxious.

"He's not in his cabin?" the bandicoot wondered aloud, "that's weird. Just a little while ago, he said he'd be here to meet the people that G.U.N. was sending." She rubbed at her chin in thought. "Have you seen him at all today, Barry?"

The previously unnamed quokka shook his head and bashfully rubbed behind his ears. "No, and I tried asking around, but none of the others have seen him either."

I forced a cough and cleared my throat as I interjected myself into the discussion. The fact that a key character in our investigation was currently missing was problematic, so I felt prompted to help navigate the situation. The Commander would probably say it was good for building my investigative skills as well, not that I needed much improvement.

"Think back to when you last saw him, miss," I advised her, "you said it was a while ago. How long ago would you say, approximately?"

Tiara closed her eyes and considered the question for a few moments. "Hmm, it was about two hours ago. He said he was going out to the cliffs of Green Grove to check on the Flickies there." She clenched her fists and her face tightened with concern. "Don't tell me he never came back."

I could hazard a guess as to what may have happened, one I wasn't eager to say aloud in front of the others. Rouge shot me a knowing look, seeming to have arrived at the same general conclusion. If our mystery interlopers were more than mere poachers, it was possible that Tiara's father had been taken as a hostage by them. What they could possibly want with such a man, I couldn't say at the time.

"Don't worry about it, hun," the bat assured her, "we'll keep an eye out for him since we're headed out that way anyway. And whoever's causing trouble, we'll find out who it is and take care of them."

I nodded in agreement. "Indeed. If there's anything else you can tell us about the people you saw, that would be helpful." When Tiara shook her head, I shrugged and began walking in the direction of the jungle. "Then we may as well get started with the investigation."

"Wait." I stopped to turn around and glance back at the bandicoot, who was wearing a determined expression. "Let me go with you. I can't just stand by if my father's in trouble!"

"I cannot allow it," I replied in an authoritative voice, crossing my arms as I stared her down, "we were tasked by our Commander to handle this matter ourselves. Besides, I'd rather not endanger the lives of more civilians, if I can help it."

Tiara growled, apparently slighted by my remark. "Hey, I'm no pushover, buddy! I can handle myself pretty well if I have to throw down." That scowl shifted to a smirk. "And there isn't anyone here that knows the place better than I do. You might be able to get a glimpse of it from space with your satellites and all, but you haven't walked these paths."

I glanced at Rouge, but the bat simply shrugged and chuckled softly. "She has a point, Ace. We could fly around trying to look for the spot ourselves, but she'd know exactly where to go." She winked at Tiara and held up her hands in a faux helpless gesture. "Still, both of us have to agree for you to come along. If he says no, it's out of my hands."

I was still obviously against the idea, but I did consider her statement. That and her attitude communicated to me that she would try and tag along even if I refused. Commander Bullock would probably never let me hear the end of it, no matter the case. I weighed it for another minute or so before letting out a sigh.

"Okay, you can come," I told Tiara, "but don't expect me to stick out my neck for you, alright? I won't tolerate any hindrances to this operation."

The bigger marsupial puffed out her chest and grinned. "Don't worry, I won't slow you down!" She faced the smaller one and clapped him on the shoulder. "Alright, Barry, you handle things while I'm gone!"

"Wait, what!?" the quokka sputtered, suddenly breaking out in a sweat. Seems I'd been right about that bit after all. "B-but–"

"Great! We'll be back before you know it!"

We left it at that and began making our way to where we could enter Green Grove. As we did, I looked back to see Barry clearly dismayed at the sudden weight of responsibility unceremoniously dumped upon him. I would've felt bad for him, having been in similar situations myself back when I was with the Empire, but those had helped me. Perhaps he'd build some character after this was all over.

"Why me?" I heard him groan pathetically.

Or perhaps not.

Since Tiara couldn't fly, and neither Rouge nor myself were willing to taxi her around, we had to follow her close to the ground. Thankfully, I didn't have to horribly restrict my speed to keep pace with her, as she was significantly above many Animals in that respect. I would say she was on par or slightly faster than the Wolf twins, but nowhere near as quick as myself, Sonic, or Miles.

In any event, it didn't take us long to arrive at the cliffs that separated Green Grove from the Rusty Ruins, and while we could have easily scaled them, Tiara insisted we take a different route. She claimed that there was a path through the high plateaus that required us to head into the jungle at times, and my military training came to mind. If our targets were bold enough to move closer to the sanctuary, then it would be simple to head them off. That was, unless they had already deigned to venture even further in, but I was also prepared for that possibility.

We started off near a short wooden bridge that overlooked a river that was coming down several falls, originating from somewhere in the cliffs to the north. Crossing over, Tiara proceeded to run through a loop while Rouge and I flew above and around it, respectively. The path turned a corner, dipping down to a point where we could proceed to an area across from where we started, or take another route that went up another hill. I was about to propose the latter, but I picked up a peep of distress from the former and headed in that direction. Close to the riverside, I discovered a Flicky that was a much darker shade of blue than the usual kind, with orange markings on his cheeks and belly, brown eyes, and tufts of feathers that stuck up from the top of his head.

"Help! Someone help us!" he cried out as he flew in a tight circle.

Of course, the frantic bird was communicating in the native sounds of the Flickies, not the tongues used by Animals like myself. Even so, it was no different to me than someone speaking the same language I was accustomed to, due to a combination of inherent understanding and careful study.

(Oh, so you can comprehend Tweet too?)

(That's what you call the Flicky language? Sounds like something conjured from the mind of a child.)

(I mean, I was five years old when I thought it up. I never changed the name because I got used to it.)

(Whatever, we'll just go with that for the sake of simplicity.)

"Here, little one!" I called out to it.

The Flicky whirled around at my voice, though he wasn't immediately relieved at the sight of me. He hesitated to approach at first, until he noticed the other two with me, Tiara specifically. As soon as he did, he flapped his way over to us and began chirping with a mixture of concern and relief. Even as he practically got in the bandicoot's face, he didn't consider whether any of us could understand his trills. I could, and he didn't come bearing good news.

"Whoa, easy there, buddy," Tiara said gently as she let the bird perch on one hand and softly stroked it with the other, "what's wrong?"

Seeing as I was the only one that could do so, I elaborated on the Critter's behalf. "He says there are more people like the ones you saw recently."

"Wait, you can actually understand Flickies?" she asked me with an incredulous expression.

I was tempted to face-palm at that moment, but I settled for narrowing my eyes instead. I had to keep reminding myself that this "talent" of mine wasn't so commonplace. And perhaps I should've been less offended at the fact that she didn't immediately assume that I could comprehend them. I can't help being who I am, though.

"Yes, I can," I answered tersely, "now, how about asking a better question?"

Rather than be insulted, Tiara decided to take my "suggestion" to heart. "Hey, little guy, can you tell us about the strange people running around?"

The Flicky bobbed his head and slowed the pace of his calls. I listened along and filtered out anything that wasn't important to our objective. But as I heard more of the story, a few details gave me pause. Thus, when he was finished, I reflected on what I'd heard to make sure that I had understood the Flicky correctly.

"According to what he saw, and from what he's heard through other Flickies," I began once I was confident I got the story right, "more unidentified Animals have appeared in the Zones around the island outside of the sanctuary. A myriad of different species, but they all wear the same manner of uniform, so they're working together. It seems that although some Flickies have apparently been captured, this group is after something other than the birds."

Rouge folded her arms and frowned. "You think they could be after the treasure, Ace?"

"Wait, what?" Tiara butted in, "there really is treasure on this island?"

I was ready to reprimand Rouge for speaking out, but it seemed that Tiara already knew something about it.

"I suppose that Silas' information wasn't as secretive as we thought," I grumbled.

"Then my father wasn't just chasing ghosts," she responded with an expression that was equal parts eager and worried, "we did come here to help with the efforts of the sanctuary, but my father is a Ringsmith first and foremost."

I tilted my head curiously. "An old-fashioned one?" The bandicoot nodded affirmatively. "Hmm, I didn't know anyone still practiced traditional Ringsmithing."

"He's one of the few left that does," Tiara explained, "so you can imagine how intrigued he was when he learned about the Dimension Rings here on Flicky Island. Supposedly, they were created by the ancient Atlanteans as a way to access the realm that Flickies originally came from."

"And so, many of the Flickies in our world are descended from those that first flew into it," I finished for her, knowing the story quite well.

Rouge decided to take a guess at why her father would be searching them out. "Did he want to try and recreate them?"

"Sort of, but not quite. He's got plans for what he calls 'Warp Rings.'" She pointed to the area across the river where we came from, then to her feet. "They would allow someone to go from one spot to another in the same dimension instead of traveling to a different one." The marsupial grinned proudly. "Start small with localized teleportation and eventually work his way up to making them reach anywhere on the planet and even beyond!"

If that was true, then there was plenty of motivation for malicious forces to abduct the girl's father. And assuming that these invading Animals were after the keepsake left by my ancestor, that added some extra urgency to the mission. How much, I wasn't aware, as I hadn't asked Rouge what exactly the "Cursed Corundums" were, nor did she elaborate at any point on our way over. Naturally, I didn't want Tiara listening in on that sort of conversation, since she wasn't supposed to be part of this in the first place. However, if she truly intended to get stuck in and refuse any attempts to send her back, broaching the subject would be inevitable.

What was that saying my old man used to spout on occasion? Rip off the adhesive rather than let the wound fester beneath it, or something like that. Weighing the need for confidentiality against the pragmatism of extra help should have been more difficult, but it wasn't. Maybe that fox had rubbed off on me in some way, but pragmatism won out in the end.

(Such a model agent you are. I bet the Commander would be proud.)

(Stuff your sarcasm, Prower! You would have done the same if you were in my position!)

(True enough, I'd accept all the help I could get.)

"Sounds like we might have a lot more on our hands than we thought, Ace," Rouge told me coyly as if to turn the screw further.

I let out a grunt as I nodded, glancing at the Flicky before turning my eyes to Tiara. "I don't know what these people you've told us about could want, but the goal your father is pursuing is enough motivation."

"Yeah, I get that." The bandicoot's face became inquisitive once again. "But what about the treasure you guys mentioned? I've got a feeling it's not the same as the Dimension Rings, is it?"

"To be honest, we're not entirely certain ourselves." I gave Rouge a pointed glare. "Although she seems to know some details that are 'common knowledge' among treasure enthusiasts."

The bat nonchalantly waved at me, then took to the air as she began slowly flying up the hill we'd just come down. "If you're sure you want her listening in, Ace, then let's have a little chat while we look around."

"No big embellishments, please," I requested, "just the general facts about what it is that might be here."

My partner seemed a little miffed that I wasn't interested in whatever legends surrounded the gems that Silas mentioned, but I didn't care. I'd heard enough stories about things like the Chaos Emeralds, and I knew after my encounters with Miles that some were true while others weren't. I needed verifiable information, and I could at least trust her to sift through the nonsense to get me what I required.

"Alright, so," Rouge started as we reached the top of the hill in the area, "like the other mythical gems, the Cursed Corundums have been around for who knows how long. Unlike the rest, there's only two of them: the Phantom Ruby and the Shadow Star Sapphire."

Tiara perked her ears and made sure to keep pace to better listen in. "I've heard of the Chaos Emeralds and all. What do these do?"

"Accounts say they can affect reality and others' perception of it, among other things," my partner went on, "for example, I could make you believe we're in the desert instead of the jungle, or have some imaginary creature attack you. And the illusion would affect you as if it were really there, even up to the point of being able to kill you."

(That sounds like augmented reality to me, which wouldn't technically constitute illusions at play.)

(Whatever it's analogous to, the concept alone was disconcerting. But there was more.)

"Such power must come at a price," I conjectured, "hence why 'Cursed' is in their collective name."

"Supposedly, they drive their user insane after prolonged use and exposure," she continued, confirming my suspicions, "must be hard keeping a grip on what's real for yourself when you're changing things around."

That made me ponder the exact purpose my ancestor had for the artifact he had made. Was it really to mitigate the maddening effects of the gems like Silas hypothesized, or was there more to it than that? Knowing the ambitions of my lineage, I didn't doubt that he must've been considering how to further his conquests with its power, perhaps even ways to amplify it. The real question was which of the gems he'd gotten his talons on, since Silas had neglected to tell us that.

Before we moved on, Rouge's sensitive ears picked up something that I didn't, and she guided us over to a nearby cliff wall. I spotted a small fracture in the stone with hints of light getting through and accordingly curled up into a Mid-Air Spin Dash. After breaking through the rock, I wound through a short tunnel and found myself in a little place that overlooked much of the jungle from a high vantage. That was where I faced the first of the interlopers we'd been hearing about.

The person was a little shorter than myself, wearing a nondescript black helmet that covered its entire head. It also sported a uniform that consisted of a zipped, long-sleeved red army jacket, sandy fatigue pants that were tucked into coyote leather boots, and dark gloves that matched the head wear. I couldn't spot a tail coming from the back, meaning that if the person had one, it must have been hidden in their pants. That left its species enigmatic, leaving me in the dark for what it might have been capable of. Even so, I wasn't worried, whereas despite not being able to see the other's face, the body language on display suggested that it was rather surprised.

"What the," I heard a male voice exclaim through a muffled filter, "who the hell are you!?"

I made no effort to defend myself, simply staring coldly back at the other guy, which seemed to further unnerve him. "That's my question, along with what you're doing here."

"I'm not telling you anything!" he predictably shouted back at me, going for a blaster pistol on his tan belt.

The stranger barely had time to remove it from its holster before I closed the distance and smacked it out of his hand. He let out a surprised yell, which I cut off by using my other hand to grab the front of his helmet and slam him back into the ground. He'd have been in a lot worse shape without it, but he was still very much hurt and dazed by the impact, as it took more than a few seconds to push himself to all fours.

I reached for the helmet and yanked it off, revealing a cockatiel beneath it with his crest flattened against his head; a show of anger and defensiveness. His defiance soon turned to fear once he noticed the other two in my group, the feathers on his head standing up. Thinking about it, I had seen more than a few of his kind during my time with the Empire. That drummed up an unpleasant possibility in the back of my head.

"Now then," I said as I grabbed him by the collar and roughly pulled him to his feet, "who are you and what are you doing here? You'd best answer my question if you know what's good for you; I don't make idle threats."

The cockatiel merely chuckled weakly. "Well, they don't either."

I barely had a moment to process what he'd said before a shot rang out and the back of the other bird's head was blown apart in a horrid mess. It wasn't the most gruesome sight I'd ever witnessed, but it was still sudden and unpleasant enough that I reflexively dropped the now dead Animal. Not even a second later, I grabbed both Rouge and Tiara by the hand and headed back the way we came. It was a good thing I could live up to my name, as I felt the wind sharpen close to me from a few more rounds trying to find their mark. Fortunately, the thick stone was enough to ward off the would-be assassin's attacks, giving us a brief respite.

And I do mean brief, because in the next moment, my sharp eyes caught sight of a bullet streaking towards my head just in time to jerk aside and dodge it.

We turned the corner and exited the passage, then pressed up against the wall. I winced as a few more shots cracked the wall only a couple meters away, and I glanced at the others.

"Rouge, take Tiara and head to the way point!" I shouted over the racket of a ricocheting round, "I'll draw the sniper fire!"

While confident in my ability, I could see a hint of concern in the bat's eyes. "Careful, Ace, there could be more than one of them."

"I've acknowledged that possibility." I slinked over to the opposite wall. "But I have an odd feeling that we're dealing with a single dead-eye here. Call it a hunch."

I didn't wait for either of them to respond, immediately heading out the way I'd gone in the first place where the cockatiel had been. My gut told me to stop after entering the open area, saving me from taking a projectile that would've otherwise pierced through me. Leaping high and using my natural flight, I rocketed past the edge of the alcove, twisting this way and that to avoid shots that came uncomfortably close. Whoever was firing at me was no slouch when it came to marksmanship; if I'd been even a smidge slower, I wouldn't have made it out of there.

In the corner of one eye, I spotted Rouge and Tiara heading to the northwest, the blue Flicky sticking close to them even as panic filled its eyes. I couldn't afford to get caught up in whether they were safe, though; I simply had to trust that they could manage themselves while I diverted the attention of our most pressing enemy. At the same time, while I weaved and dove through the air, I kept my eyes trained for where the shots were coming from. It was difficult to pinpoint their origin, as it soon became apparent that my quarry was also on the move to try and keep me guessing.

When I dipped low to the treeline, a large, beige-colored shape sprang up out of the foliage and drove a meaty fist into my midsection. It was a miracle none of my ribs cracked from such a punch, although it definitely hurt like hell. Not only that, but the wind was knocked out of me and I was subsequently sent flying for what felt like kilometers. It took me a moment to regain my bearings as I sailed over the Zone, but I did soon manage to stop myself just above a high plateau with a peak that had various depressions in places.

A couple of seconds later, a pod-like air bike came zooming over to me, sporting yellow armor, a dark blue-gray hull on the bottom, and an open cockpit. The steering mechanism extended up from the front and had a small windshield, while a single blue seat sat in the cockpit, and a pair of propulsion rockets were on the sides, each covered by a blue ellipsoid of plating. It was manned by a jerboa Animal with light blue eyes and purple and white fur. He had long ears, a pointy blue nose, long feet, a lengthy and thick purple tail, and a large and prominent, sharp snaggletooth on the left side of his muzzle. The rodent wore a brown Stetson hat with a black band, brown gloves with metal plates on the backs, brown boots with white gaiters, and a brown belt with a gold buckle on the front and a gun holster on the right hip side, where a silver revolver was held.

"You're a real tricky bird," he commented with what sounded like an Australian accent, "not everyday I meet a bloke that makes me use more than my shoota."

Though we had never met personally before then, I recognized that distinctive fang and getup from wanted profiles that G.U.N. and other law enforcement agencies had made. Things had just gotten even more complicated.

"I can't say I expected to run into someone like you here, Fang the Sniper," I replied coolly, "was that one of your goons that you wasted earlier?"

The jerboa laughed at that and grinned widely. "It's 'Fang the Hunter' now, and nah, they're not working for me. I've got a gig with their leader, though, who paid me a bloody big load of Rings to deal with anyone snooping around, and kill any of the help that gets compromised."

"So the group has a mastermind," I mumbled to myself, then narrowed my eyes at him, "and you don't think you're saying too much by telling me all that?"

Fang withdrew his gun and aimed it squarely at me. "Since you're gonna die, it doesn't really matter. Shoulda kept ya beak out of things, jolly 'oppa."

"That's where you're wrong, mammal," I countered and popped the kinks out of my neck, "you have no idea who you're messing with."

"Yeah? Well that's too bad, because I don't give a shite who ya are!"

BANG!

As fast as that bullet was moving, I reacted even faster, using one hand to snatch it right out of the air when it was mere centimeters from my face. The round was blazing hot in my grip, and it would've burned my palm, not to mention transferred bone-breaking force, if not for the protective qualities of my suit. Fang's cocky expression shifted to one that showed he was more than a little intimidated by the display I'd just given.

"You should, because you're not going to win here, fool," I declared as I dropped the still smoking bit of ammunition to the ground, "I am Speedy the Ace, former prince and finest soldier of the Battle Kukku Empire!"

Contrary to my expectation, Fang wasn't frightened further, but instead started to laugh again. Naturally, I had to wonder what was so funny.

"Kukku, eh? My client told me to be on the lookout for you," he informed me as he reloaded the chamber of his gun, "said to make you a priority if you showed up."

So, whoever was behind the shady operations on Flicky Island knew about me. Given the Empire's reputation, especially during the events a couple of months ago, it wasn't too surprising to learn that. Still, I needed more answers if I was going to get to the bottom of this and figure out just what it was that this mysterious group was after. And of course, learn why they would hire someone like Fang and tell him to watch out for me specifically.

Rather than let me get another word out, my new adversary fired off his sidearm once again, hovering his other hand over the back. The moment I grabbed that bullet, he started to fan the hammer, letting loose a fairly rapid stream of five more shots that I was forced to dodge. He once again slammed more rounds into the revolver while his tail slapped the console of the steering device, making his air bike fire a broad energy beam. It seared through the stone beneath me as he trained its sights in my direction, rising with me as I took to the air. While its vertical trajectory was effective, its horizontal movement was lacking, as I found out by jetting off in one direction.

This frustrated Fang, who let loose another volley while he pressed a second button on the panel. A missile emerged from the hull of his vehicle and streaked towards me, bending its path as I moved to avoid it. Seeing that it was seeking me, I had no choice but to activate the weapon units installed in my flight suit, waving one hand in a wide arc to send a cutting energy wave at the incoming explosive. It cleaved through the projectile easily enough, making it detonate immediately after.

As things stood, the jerboa couldn't touch me, and I determined that the best way to take care of him would be to disarm him and knock him off his ride. From what bits I'd researched about the treasure hunting thief, he wasn't quite so impressive without his gadgets and weapons. All I had to do was knock him off of his little pedestal, and then he would be easy prey. As he let loose a second missile, I rushed past it with less than a meter between it and myself, heading straight for Fang's aero bike. He seemed keen on what I was doing, as he instantly made a move to get out of the way, but he overestimated his speed compared to mine. Before the rodent could even blink, I was already past him, and he was left sitting in the path of his own weapon.

Although he was already trying to avoid it, the missile clipped the bottom of his vehicle with just enough force to set it off. The bike was significantly damaged and went down, while Fang was thrown from his seat by the blast. He flipped around and coiled his tail to break his fall, then used it to spring up high again so he could take a few more closer shots at me. I required a few tries to get in close enough to counter, but I got my chance when he got a little clumsier with his reloading than previous instances. I rushed in and was on top of him just as he was about to lock the cylinder back in place, kicking it out of his hand and sending it over the edge of the plateau.

Instead of continuing the fight like a real warrior, Fang elected to flee in the direction of his bike and his weapon, but I wasn't about to let that happen. He only made it a few steps when I fired an energy orb from the same hand I used to slice the first missile. It struck him in the back and made him fall face-first to the ground, stunning him just long enough for me to close in and fold his arms against his back while I used one foot to pin his tail. The jerboa did his best to escape me, but I was quite unimpressed at his efforts. Without any of his toys or his tail to help him, he was honestly no stronger than a typical adult Animal that was in decent shape; not good, just decent.

"Get offa me!" he growled as he struggled to no avail.

I responded by leaning in and putting more pressure on him, coaxing a pained groan from the rodent. "Not until you answer my questions, rat."

"I'm a jerboa, ya cunt!" Fang swore indignantly.

"Don't care." I pressed his face into the rocks even more firmly. "First question: who hired you?"

I didn't get an answer, nor did Fang get a chance to give me one or not, because our little interaction was interrupted by the same thing that had sent me flying just a few minutes ago. To be specific, it turned out to be a polar bear with beige fur and red eyes that was rather tall and possessed a pretty bulky lower body. His arms and legs were rather thin for such a frame, although they were muscular as well, and he had a distinctive triangular patch of white fur on his chest. He also possessed round ears, a fleshy pink muzzle, a pointy black nose, and hair that had three locks on the front while it was tied in a shoulder-length ponytail in the back. His gear consisted of an orange and red toque with holes for his ears, a green scarf, a pair of brown mittens with yellow fingertips and red wrist straps, and brown-toed orange and black boots with gray soles, red straps, and yellow shoelaces.

I would've met with his fist yet again if I hadn't released Fang and backed off, putting a good bit of distance between myself and yet another new foe. The jerboa got to his feet and dusted himself off, then chuckled confidently.

"Two against one now, Kukku," he stated with no small measure of arrogance in his voice, "and Bark here's no slouch when it comes to blows."

(Wait, if both Fang and Bark were there, does that mean-)

(Yes, unfortunately...)

(Unfortunately?)

"You mean three, Fang!" came a tenor tone that was rather familiar to me, "I'm here too!"

I whirled around to see someone that I'd honestly never hoped to run into again. A woodpecker with green plumage and blue eyes, a yellow beak and pair of legs, two spiky feather tufts sticking out from his head, and two prominent tail feathers. He wore a red neckerchief, white gloves with mid-sized cuffs, and flat red shoes with white stripes on them that weren't too dissimilar to the ones Sonic wore. He stood roughly as tall as I did and had a similar build, though his was notably "softer" than mine, and he wore a nearly perpetual smile on that beak. It widened even more once he caught sight of me, while I felt accordingly worse.

"Ooh, Speedy! Speedy!" he called out to me, "holy guacamole, cuz, long time no see!"

I let out a groan and reluctantly gave him the attention he wanted. "Hello, Bean."

(Whoa, Bean the Dynamite is your cousin?)

(Battle Kukku the Thirteenth, our paternal great-grandfather, had relations with a pair of women that were sisters. Therefore, Battle Kukku the Fourteenth and Bean's grandfather were three-quarters brothers, so technically, he's my second three-quarters cousin.)

(Genealogy sure can get complicated.)

"Are you after the shiny around here too, cuz?" he asked me with a twinkle in his eyes.

Of course, his obsession with "shinies" hadn't changed one bit, but his question did make me raise a brow. It didn't surprise me that he knew about the family treasure, but I had no clue why he would want it besides the aforementioned reason.

"Oi! Don't go runnin' ya mouth, Bean!" Fang snapped at him, "he doesn't need to know about what we're paid for!"

Bean feigned a hurt expression, or maybe he was genuinely put off by what the jerboa said. It was a pain in the ass to tell how he really felt or what he was thinking, because he's...well, not all there in the head.

"Aww, but I haven't seen my favorite cuz in so long!" the woodpecker whined, then slid over to me and put an arm around my shoulders. I was so tempted to break that damn beak of his just for that. "Besides, I'm sure he'd help us get the shiny if we just told him what we're about, y'know? Come on, Fang!"

Bean may have been a nut and someone I couldn't stand for the most part, but that suggestion wasn't bad. Feigning interest in joining their cause wasn't exactly a terrible idea if it got me what I wanted in the end. And that was exactly what I would've done, if other factors hadn't made that option unviable.

"Ace!" I heard Rouge yell as she and Tiara both made their presence known.

Upon spotting my two traveling companions making it to the top of the area, Fang let out an irritated growl. "Damn it." The jerboa spun on his heel and made a run for it, catching both of his allies off-guard. "We gotta go, ya lugs!"

Bark said nothing as he glanced between us and where Fang was going, ultimately deciding to follow. Bean was a little more reluctant, but he shrugged after a few more moments, gave me a cheesy smile, and waved at me as he flew after the others. I initially wanted to follow, but considering that the island wasn't terribly big and what had just happened, I knew I'd run into them again before long. And now that I knew they were here, I could plan accordingly on how to deal with them when that time came.