Author's Note: This chapter has three songs! I will signpost when each is meant to be played in the story. Trust me, it will make ALL the difference:
-Maximum Black - Bohren und der Club of Gore (You can play this one at the start)
-Welcome to the Jungle - Guns and Roses
-Surely - j^p^n
Alright, enjoy! C:

Heavy footsteps rushed across the spiraling road of the Radical Highway, focused and determined. The sprinting crocodile had hoped against his better judgement that crossing Radical Highway wouldn't be necessary on his mission. Unfortunately, he'd scoured the Richmond District and Presidio, cracking heads (figuratively. He couldn't stand the thought of breaking more bones) and scaring the daylights out of every lowlife in the area and he was still empty handed. So the only other place left to check was on the other side of the twisting roads that connected one criminal underbelly to another.

The 2,700 meters long bridge was suspended over a strait of water connecting Central City's Bay to the ocean. And while Vector, being a crocodile, could have swam the entire way, the currents would be much more trouble than he needed. Radical Highway was always congested with several thousand cars essentially at a snail's pace so only tourists would be ignorant enough to waste several hours crawling over it in their hot, stuffy cars.

But on foot? It was a breeze for someone like Sonic and Shadow. While not as fast, Vector could easily cross it in under 30 minutes, which is a lot quicker than a 2 hour long swim to the next landmass over. So he continued stomping pass the sprawling wires and red girders towering over him and keeping the bridge suspended, highway lights lighting his way. He hated this, being alone with his thoughts, his memories. His ever present antique walkman had died hours before, so he had nothing to ward off the sound of his own self loathing.

Nothing, but his hurried, raspy breaths. Vector tried to keep his mind on the missing women, where he should look for them first, what he should do when he gets there, but he couldn't stop the voices in his head from sneaking to center stage. And the accompanying images seared into his brain.

"I just told you everything I know about the girl!"

The pig's shattered arm popped in front of his mind's eye. His massive hands shook, remembering the cathartic snap as the bones collapsed in his grip. Vector started breathing louder.

"STOP THIS, VECTOR!"

He could see Espio's body fly across the club and slam into the wall, clear as day. Vector physically winced at the memory, his stride dropped its rhythm before he quickly regained it again. His breathing got a little louder as more memories flooded his senses.

"please don't kill me... for the love of Gaia, don't hurt me anymore..."

The pig lied on the floor, blood and tears flowing out of his body in equal measures, a high pitched whimper lacing his words. Vector struggled to keep his balance as he winced from the sight. His exhales became louder as the memories intensified.

"Vector... you're so mad and... and I dunno know why"

He nearly tripped when Charmy's voice joined the chorus of victims heaping shame on him. His breathing even more ragged, as the crocodile pounded his feet harder against the asphalt.

"You hurt Espio and I... I don't know why"
"You... knew?" Espio's voice chimed in, the sight of him recoiling his hand from Vector's arm staggered him.

That palpable feeling of disgust and horror on Espio's face caused Vector's chest to tighten, a stinging sensation attacked his eyes as his breathing got louder.

"You're about to kill this guy and I don't know why!"
"PLEASE MAN, I DON'T KNOW WHO SHE IS—!"
Crack!

A burst of nausea spiraled up Vector's throat upon remembering the horrible sound. But an undignified coughing fit choked it back down. His stomach felt tighter and tighter as he pushed forward, the sensation of a hole forming in his heart got sharper. The cool of the night colored his ragged breaths a smoky white as his torment continued.

"It's like you're a different person..."
"That was... not you back there," Espio's voice cut in, just as his face corrupted back into that painful expression of unease.

Vector felt a tear streak down his face as he quickly wiped it away. As if erasing the evidence of it would keep him from shedding more.

"It's like you're a different person... and that person is..." Flashes of his psychotic rampage seemed to blend all together into a montage of destruction.

He felt every blow inflicted on his friend and the club owner, the stench of blood stuck inside his nostrils. He could feel his heart breaking with every word Charmy spoke. Vector lowered his head and squeezed his misty eyes shut, trying to stop the cacophony of trauma by force. Unfortunately, the painful memories intensified.

"Why on Mobius would you hurt the man if you knew he didn't have any information?!" Espio's shout rattled in his mind, the disdain he felt all too clear.

"It's like you're a different person... and that person is..." Charmy's small voice faded back to the forefront.

Vector's powerful jaws tightened, gritting sharp teeth together, while his breath seeped through the spaces between his fangs. The sharp sting badgering his eyes forced another tear to rush down his face.

"I don't wanna die, man, please" The pig's begging came back in full force.

The man had sacrificed his dignity to appeal to Vector's mercy. Yet he had spared none in that moment. And for the life of him he can't explain why. He just continued to count down the pig's life, as if he was justified in tormenting the poor guy.

Charmy's voice spoke up, "It's like you're a different person... and that person is..."

Vector choked out a sob that couldn't be contained as streaks of moisture flowed from his eyes. The pain in his chest grew deeper and sharper with each step he took.

"Do you seriously believe that is an appropriate response to all of this?!"

Bulky shoulders staggered at the pain in the chameleon's voice. The trails of tears became streams as Vector clamped his hands over his ears, begging the voices to stop under his breath.

"It's like you're a different person... and that person is—"
"No" Vector huffed between breaths.
"It's like you're a different person... and that person is—"
"No, stop" he said louder, shaking his head.
"It's like you're a different person AND THAT PERSON IS—"
"Please, stop!" his fists clenched tighter.
"IT'S LIKE YOU'RE A DIFFERENT PERSON AND THAT PERSON IS—"
"I don't wanna hear anymore!"
"THAT PERSON'S JUST—"
"PLEASE, I CAN'T!"

"HE'S SCARY... I'M SCARED, VECTOR. I'M SO SCARED..."

"STOP IIIIIIIIT!"

Vector bellowed into the heavens, his roar shaking the parked cars on the bridge beside him. The frightened passengers of the cars frantically averted their eyes and turned up the music they were playing on their radios. The children in the cars cried, begging their parents to take them away from the dangerous stranger standing beside them. Reminding him of the look Charmy had on his face as he cried his eyes out. Because of what Vector had done. Because of what he was about to do if Charmy hadn't stopped him.

The crocodile heaved frantic breaths as he slowly came back to reality, thanks to the increased volume of music playing on radios and the cries of children. Ashamed and more than a little disturbed at what just happened, Vector vaulted over the high railing of the bridge and plummeted to the swaying water below.

Vector was only 50 meters or so from the other end of Radical Highway, but he didn't care. The water bubbling and rushing past his ears would help him tune out the damnation his mind was playing on loop, just enough to keep him from terrorizing anyone else. And to the lamenting detective swimming to shore, that was more important.

Welcome to the Jungle - Guns and Roses

After several minutes of cutting through the waves, Vector leaped out of the water and onto the streets of Sausalito. Unlike Central City, that only had Night Babylon to bring down its good image, Sausalito was Night Babylon amplified in size. One would be hard pressed to find a peaceful night amidst the ominous metropolis.

It shined with a thousand lights on each skyscraper and high-rise. But for every light, there were a dozen dark corners, where men with sinister inclinations waited for moths driven to the flame, so they could feast on the roasted bodies.

But Vector was no moth, he knew the dangers of this flame the second he took the first step toward it. Now that he was here, he was ready to blow the candle out and search through the smoke, for the only thing that mattered to him now. Redemption. Finding that young woman, putting the scum who took her in jail or the hospital, returning home with the good news and the most heartfelt apology he could muster; that was what he vowed to focus on.

As the powerful detective ripped through the criminal element, he didn't allow his mind to veer off again. His mission was clear, his goal vital, time was not on his side. He didn't have time for the guilt trip. He needed results, tangible results, nothing else. So Vector steeled himself, eventually squeezing the location of the Dingo Brothers from a no-name lowlife.

They were holed up in a warehouse, virtually abandoned and difficult to locate, of course. But Vector was intimately acquainted with the dark corners of the city, more than he'd care to admit. Finding them was easy, stopping them... well, that would take a little more effort. Using his innate reptilian abilities, Vector scaled the metal walls of the Dingo's warehouse by his fingertips, as easily as if there were handlebars scaling up the surface.

Once he lifted himself onto the roof, he channeled his inner Espio and softly ran to a particularly large hole in the ceiling. Carefully, Vector peeked inside, scanning for people or danger of any kind.

Right under some buzzing florescent lights, a couple punks were sitting at a cheap folding table, playing cards. Vector noticed the semi-automatics resting against the legs of their chairs, he noticed slight movement further away, a couple other guys, standing in front of a shipping container. Their guns were in their hands, their fingers twitching on the weapon.

10 guys, huh? Big family, Vector thought, as he continued peering into the opening, searching for anymore hostiles. He stuck his head into the hole and totaled up 30 guys. Real big family, he corrected.

Based on the lackadaisical attitude of the card players, their species, their choice of weapon in comparison to the rest of the degenerates, and their proximity to the guarded shipping container, Vector identified them as the actual Dingo Brothers. The rest had to be goons under their employ. Judging by their weapons, they weren't expecting much of anyone to interrupt them, least of all someone who's packing Vector's level of muscles and sporting scales so tough, they made him bulletproof.

The detective leaned back from the hole and cracked his neck in preparation. In one harsh moment, he dropped inside of the warehouse like an anchor, sending ripples of cracks rushing across the ground under his crushing weight. None of the criminals could recover from the sudden earthquake Vector caused and the crocodile took complete advantage of the hesitation. Flames spewed from his mouth as he spun in every direction, blowing away everyone on the ground floor with a blazing display.

The men on the railing above finally got ahold of themselves and pointed their weapons at the powerful reptile, everyone not shaking in their boots unloaded every bullet they had at Vector. Vector hadn't moved an inch, neither to take cover nor in reaction to being bombarded by a vast array of bullets.

Instead, he clutched a piece of rubble at his feet, triple his size, and flung it at a cluster of gunmen. The goons that managed to stay conscious after the fire attack took note that he did this with one hand.

The humongous chunk of rubble definitely crushed several mens' bones as it crashed into them, while the other elevated henchmen were rocked from the vibrations it caused by crashing through the wall. They fell to the ground or smashed through some wooden crates, no one was left standing from the upstairs group. The futile pelting of bullets against his back drew Vector's attention behind him. He casually turned around and saw the struggling survivors, shooting and shouting curses and insults his way.

With speed none of the criminals expected him to have, the bulky crocodile bolted forward, crashing through the small group like a bowling ball plowing through helpless pins. The two Dingo Brothers were flung into the air by Vector's swift tackle, both of them screaming their heads off as they trailed up, knocked their heads against the flickering florescent lights, and dropped back down. Into Vector's waiting arms.

"Welcome back, kiddies" he greeted them with a toothy grin. The scrawny canines in his unrelenting grip squirmed and shrieked.

"WHO DA HELL ARE YOU?! LET US GO! PLEASE, LET US GO, MAN!" one of them begged.

"YEAH, WE GOTS MONEY! WE CAN PAY YA WHATEVER YA WANT! JUS' LET US LIVE!" the other added.

"Now dat we're gettin' to know each other, I want you boys to jot dis in ya memory:" Vector spun the criminals around so they could drink in the sheer destruction his assault caused.

A massive hole in a metal wall, the ground completely demolished, their underlings sprawled out everywhere, flames still roaring sporadically, their bullets sprinkled everywhere.

Both of the sibling broke into tears.

"OH GOD, PLEASE DON'T KILL US, YO!" one of them cried.

"YEAH, WHATEVER WE DID WE'RE REAL SORRY! JUST TELL US WHAT YA WANT AN-AN-AN-AND WE'LL GET IT TO YA!" the other offered.

Vector twirled them back to face him, "What I want, ya mangy lil' punks, is da girl ya kidnapped from Night Babylon and any other ladies ya decided to snatch up".

"THEY IN DA CRATE MAN, HONEST!" one of them pointed toward the shipping container as he spoke.

"YEAH, WE AIN'T HURT 'EM OR NOTHIN'! WE JUST MADE 'EM LISTEN TA CDS AND THEY DID WHATEVER WE TOLD 'EM!" the other nodded rigorously.

Vector's eyes narrowed, "What'd you say?"

"NONONONO! IT AIN"T LIKE DAT! WE DIDN'T TELL 'EM TA DO NOTHIN' BUT COME WIT US HERE! I SWEAR MAN, WE DIDN'T HURT DEM CHICKS!"

"YEAHYEAHYEAH, WE AIN'T DO NOTHIN' TO EM, YOU CAN ASK EM YOSELF, YO!"

"Shut up! Ya said ya made 'em listen to CDs! Why?! Who're you two morons workin' for?!" the crocodile shouted, clenching the the dingos tighter.

"WE DUNNO HIS NAME! HONEST, MAN!"

"YEAH, DA OTHER GANGS JUS' TOLD US 'BOUT DEM CDS AND WE THOUGHT WE'D GET IN ON DAT ACTION!"

"YEAH, I MEAN HOW CAN WE PASS DAT UP?" the dingo shrugged, panic rushing to his face right after. "AH! BUT WE'LL GO STRAIGHT IF YA LET US GO!" he added in an effort to refocus the conversation.

"YEAH MAN, WE AIN'T NEVER GON' DO NOTHIN' WRONG EVER AGAIN, SWEAR TA GAIA!"

"Really? Ya swear? Well, dat changes everythin' " Vector said, rolling his eyes.

"IT DOES?!" both brothers asked, their eyes shining with hope. Vector sighed a little as he closed his eyes.

"Tell ya what: why don't I give you two some quiet time to think it over?"

Before they could blink, Vector crashed their heads together, knocking them both unconscious, and plopping their bodies to the ground. With that finished, Vector rushed to the shipping container, crushed the lock in his mighty grip, and flung the doors open.

Inside several women, young and attractive, stood in nothing but their bras and panties. They were lined up like sodas in a vending machine, staring at Vector, or rather, through Vector. Their eyes were vacant, like they were sleepwalking, earphones in each girl's ears and a CD player in their hands.

Mystified and unsettled, he reached out to the closest girl and took the earbuds out of her ears, hoping for a response. The woman remained still as a statue as he grabbed the CD player from her hand.

His heartbeat rumbled in his ears as Vector slowly grabbed the earbud, his hands shaking and sweat dripping off his head. Unlike the hardened criminals shooting at him and the fall from 50 feet up, Vector wasn't prepared for this. He couldn't have guessed that the case would lead him here, not in a million years. What was playing on the other side of those speakers, he didn't know. But he could guess.

Painful memories surfaced, freezing him in place. Implicating questions, hesitant answers, the effect this could have on his future, it terrified him like nothing he'd ever faced before. But thoughts of Charmy and Espio, Mighty and Ray, his friends filtered through the noise. And it wasn't the thought of their love and support, their safety or well being, or anything of the sort that gave him the strength to plug the earbud into his head.

It was one simple question that motivated him in that moment... If this is exactly what I think it is, will they ever forgive me?

A deep sinking feeling shot through Vector's body at the thought. Without another wasted second, he popped it into his ear. And the CD player roared out its contents loud and clear.

You know where you are?! You're in the Jungle, baby!
You're gonna dieeeeeeeyyyyeeeeeaaaaaaaaaooooowww!
In the Jungle, welcome to the Jungle!
Watch it bring you to your
Shun-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na
Knees, kneeees!
In the Jungle, welcome to the Jungle!

Relief washed over the reptile as he shut the CD player off.

The weight on his shoulders was lifted so significantly, he nearly fell to his knees. But he gathered himself together. He still had a job to finish. In mere moments, all the CD players were destroyed, save the first one and all the women were technically free.

They were still stuck in a trance, so they were effectively statues. The music recorded on the CD had been created with some sort of hypnotic effect on it. Anyone who listened to it for a set amount of time, probably a few seconds, would fall under the subliminal spell and be lulled into a sort of waking unconsciousness. Essentially turning them into mindless slaves for whoever to come in and... have their way. A terrifying plot that made his stomach drop as soon as he'd pieced it together, his earlier relief replaced with disgust.

Vector took a deep breath to calm himself and focused his energy for a moment. There was no better way for him to break the trance than using his rare Sound aura to snap the girls back awake. By giving their consciousness a new rhythm to follow and blend with before breaking it and jolting them fully awake.

So Vector gathered his Sound aura to his hands, making them glow a faint powder blue light, as he clapped his hands creating a new beat. He kept the rhythm for a few seconds, until finally giving extra power to the final slap of his hands. Instantly, the women jolted from the shock and began wailing in fear.

"Where am I?!"
"What's going on?!"
"Where are my clothes!?"
"Who are you people?!"
"Where are my clothes!?"
"Where's the club, I was just there!"
"Why are we here, what's happening?!"
"WHO TOOK MY CLOTHES!?"

Frantically, the young ladies screamed out their confusion, both at Vector and each other. But the detective raised his hands and shouted over the mass of voices.

"Ladies, ladies, listen to me! I'm here to get all'a ya back home". Vector let that settle them a bit before continuing. "As for what happened, sorry to tell ya, but you was kidnapped—" the women began to panic, but Vector threw his hands back up. "But! But... don't worry. All the guys dat took ya are taken care of. As you can see" Vector motioned to the aftermath of his one man assault on the thugs that abducted them, which stunned every girl into silence.

"Which one'a you's Jane?" he asked loudly, drawing their attention back. All the girl's looked to themselves whispering, until one spoke up.

"I-I'm Jane" a sweet young cat responded, "How do—how do you know my name?" she asked, understandably terrified.

Vector's face softened as he reached a hand out to her. "It's okay. I'm a detective. You're parents asked me to come find ya when ya went missin'. And I promise, I'm gonna getcha all home, safe and sound" he reassured, holding eye contact with Jane as he kept his hand out. Patiently waiting for her to take it.

After a few tentative moments, the young cat did just that, holding his index finger in her whole hand as he led her out of the shipping container. Vector smiled at her and she looked back at the girls, giving them a brave nod. They all slowly filtered out of the shipping container and looked around the warehouse, to really absorb what was happening.

"First, let's get you gals some clothes. I know it ain't exactly the mall, but ya got plenty'a unconscious and beat up mannequins ta choose from". Vector grinned as he picked up a few said mannequins and presented them to the girls.

All they could do was squint and look to each other for confirmation that, yes, this is real. And thankfully, it was nearly over.

Surely - j^p^n

Most of the girls lived in the neighborhood, or at least the general area of the city. Only a few, including Jane, lived on the other side of Radical Highway. Vector escorted the remaining women all the way across the bridge, carrying them the whole way, and dropped them off at their addresses. Dozens of tearful reunions and heartfelt gratitudes later, Vector was finally on his way back home.

He'd done it, he saved the client's daughter, saved dozen of clients's daughters, and made a nice chunk of money and other tokens of appreciation. Vector insisted at every home that he didn't need to be paid for his service, but the families of the victims and the victims themselves refused to take no as an answer. One even gave him a pack of batteries for his walkman and some pie to take home. He had done good.

As the exhausted crocodile made his way up another familiar hill, a light pricked the side of his face. It was the Sun, rising to signal the end of the long night, its warmth felt foreign on his scales, frigid from the icy, moist breeze of the dark. He smiled despite himself, his walkman whispering sweet tunes in his ears as he saw his home just across the next hill. He had done good.

Slowly but surely, he made the trek on the dirt road leading right to The Chaotix Detective Agency's front lawn. Ray's flowers swayed in the wind, light from the gentle sunrise hitting the dew on their petals as they welcomed Vector home.

Heavy footsteps carried the tired man across the stone porch steps and up to the accepting front door. How a chunk of wood connected to some drywall could make a grown man fight back a grateful chuckle, he'd never know. But man, was it good to be home.

Vector shifted all of the gifts he'd gotten to one hand and lifted a dirty glove to the doorknob. As his large fingers rubbed the small shining handle, he remembered how that same hand snapped an innocent man's arm like a twig almost 24 hours ago. Everything screaming in his head when he was alone on Radical Highway, he recalled. He had done good. But, he'd done the most horrible things he'd ever done on the same day.

And no matter how grateful and thankful those girls and their families were, he knew it didn't matter to him. Not as much as Espio and Charmy's forgiveness. Nothing in the world meant more to him. He had to apologize to everyone. Before anything else, he had to make it up to them, he wasn't sure how, but he had to try.

Flashes of Charmy and Espio's horrified expressions formed in his mind. But instead of running, he was going to face what he'd done, like the man he was. So with delicate force, he curled his strong fingers around the doorknob and quietly opened the door.

And once he did, he was face to face with Espio and Mighty, bags under their eyes, blankets wrapped around them, an empty teapot and coffee pot beside them. Espio sat on the floor, meditating in the full lotus position, his back against the railing of the stairs. While Mighty sat on the stairs, an arm propped on his raised knee, his other leg stretched out flat while his other arm stretched across a single step like the back of a sofa.

Both young men slowly stood to their feet, blankets falling to the floor as they stared at Vector, their mood indiscernible, even for him. No one spoke, nor even attempted to break the tension, as they scanned all the things their leader held in his hand. Vector considered explaining how his night went, but realized how unwise that would have been and quietly set the assortment of items beside the door.

Wordlessly, Espio walked to the living room, Mighty following after him, neither one of them released Vector from their mysterious gazes. He nervously followed them, slowly taking a seat in his recliner as they sat on the couch. The only noises made were Vector's music playing lowly, their collective steps to the living room and the settling of each man in his seat.

Again, a stretch of silence wafted between them, Vector shut his walkman off and removed his headphones, something he only did in the most extreme circumstances. The gesture let them know that he was completely willing to listen to what they had to say.

Mighty looked to Espio, who finally blinked and showed some hints of emotion as he inhaled to speak.

"We need to talk..."

Author's Note: Whoo! What a rollercoaster, huh? Oh, Sausalito is a real city in California. While it doesn't directly connect to the Golden Gate Bridge (Which is what Radical Highway is modeled after) it is very close to the area that does! And it's got a higher crime rate than most of the other cities on that "island" of California. So I kinda fudged it the way I wanted it to make the story work. XP

Vector's confronted with his true motives, which are still shrouded in mystery! Will The Chaotix get their answers or will Vector keep his answers to himself? And how does Charmy feel on this matter? These questions will be answered (maybe) in Chapter 3! 'Till then, stay cool, peeps! ;)