Chapter 35

Rogue Agent

Rouge pushed the clutter covering the table aside and laid out a street level map of Central City. She pointed at one of the high rise apartments located in a block of skyscrapers downtown. Espio leaned over to read the label. "Studiopolis Apartments? Commander Smith's home is his office?"

Rouge shrugged. "Commander Smith is ancient. He had all of G.U.N's necessary functions moved over to his apartment so he could work more. The man is extremely narcissistic and doesn't believe GUN can function without him."

"Well that should make it easier for us then, shouldn't it? There can't be as much security at a building like this." Espio pointed out.

Rouge frowned. "Not the obvious kind. There won't be fences or men on open patrol but believe me when I say there will be plenty of security. He doesn't keep all his important files in his suite though. There is a facility beneath the building where higher ups gather for meetings. That's where his main office is."

Espio nodded and stepped aside. "What's the plan then?"

For the rest of that night, Rouge told Espio everything she knew about Commander Smith's apartment and the best way to break into the secret facility located in the basement of the complex. "There's only one elevator and that can only be activated with the highest grade security clearance."

"Can we steal one?"

"Not unless we take the person's eye and finger print also."

"Then how do we-"

"These defenses were made with human infiltrators in mind," Rouge explained. "If we cut through the floor of the elevator we can descend without the car. No human could propel themselves down that far but I can fly and you can stick to walls."

Espio smirked. "A critical oversight."

"People who think of everything are always bound to make one," Rouge replied with a laugh. She was trying to sound relaxed and at ease with their plan, but in reality, Rouge felt very anxious about the whole thing.

The preservation of the Eclipse Cannon and the murder of the Chaotix members had shaken her more than she wanted to admit. In the back of her mind, Rouge always knew what G.U.N was capable of. For years, she had ignored this instinct and for the most part she had been able to turn a blind eye to all the agency's sins. Leaving G.U.N was like tearing a bandage that exposed a festering wound that had not healed. Rouge had been a part of that rotted mass of diseased flesh and she would not be able to cleanse herself of it without paying a price. Setting herself against G.U.N split her identity down the middle and that process eroded her usual confidence and bravado.

She would be betraying her own comrades and, while she had never considered Commander Smith a friend, he had at the least been a kind of mentor and surly grandfather to her. Smith loved loyalty almost as much as he loved GUN, and Rouge had betrayed both. Their familiarity would earn her no mercy or gentleness, if Smith had his chance, he would kill her without a second thought.

"So," Espio started. "Once we get into the facility we find out where Fang is and how G.U.N contacts him?"

"Thus beginning your quest for revenge," Rouge summarized dryly.

Espio examined the map and frowned. "Any chance they would have the location of the Eclipse Canon there?"

"Not written down. I doubt its location is even stored on a computer at all. If I was a betting girl, I'd say only Commander Smith and those working directly on the weapon know where it is."

"And what about Commander Smith? If we cornered him in his apartment, could we force him to talk?"

Rouge chuckled. "Not unless you're a lot fiercer than you look."

"I don't need torture." Espio made a complex series of gestures with his fingers. "There are ways of getting to the truth."

"But they won't work on Smith. He'd bite down on a cyanide capsule before you got a chance to try your little mystic arts."

Espio's affronted expression turned into a sullen grimace. Rouge had to admit she was impressed by his courage. G.U.N had murdered his friends and left him bleeding on a rooftop. The prospect of reengaging such a dangerous foe should have left him quivering in fear. Instead, his eyes were cold with steely resolve.

For the rest of the night they worked out every detail of their plan. Preparation left Rouge's mouth dry from talking and her aching from thinking. Espio lounged on the couch with his eyes looking glazed. It was obvious that he was exhausted but he never seemed to sleep very much. In the three days since waking up from his wounds, Rouge had not seen the chameleon so much as take a nap.

Rouge let out a long yawn while stretching her arms. "I think I'll go to bed then," She said simply. She did not know when she would get another chance to rest easily. After tomorrow, G.U.N would see that she never slept with assurance ever again.

"Are you alright?" Espio asked quietly. Rouge turned around. Espio had rubbed the sleep from his eye and was staring intently at her. "We will be going after people you worked with for years. Your friends."

"Friends?" Rouge giggled. "Friends don't have to pay up front and upon delivery."

Espio's eyes narrowed. It felt like he was trying to see through Rouge's guarded exterior. For half a heartbeat, Rouge considered opening up to him, and revealing her inner doubt and fear, but just as quickly the inspiration faded.

Rouge was a spy, and spies keep their feelings and true intentions a secret. A good spy can swing back and forth from the personality they wear while on mission, to their true selves they reserved for family and loved ones. The best spies, the spies like Rouge, never change. The cloak of illusion that they dawned was tied with chains and could never be removed. Vulnerability, intimacy, and genuine connection were sacrificed for the boons of implaciblity, inscrutability, and the ability to mingle truth with lies until the parts cannot be separated from the mixture.

"You should try and get some sleep," Rouge answered stiffly. "We have a long day ahead of us."Espio nodded but Rouge knew he would not rest. He drew a ninja star out of thin air and spun it absently around one finger.

Rouge slept fitfully that night. Her dreams were dark and depicted black garbed G.U.N soldiers storming into her hideout. However, the apartment in the dream did not belong to her. An innocent looking woman cried in terror as a faceless soldier shot her in the back. The leader of the hit squad wore a black helmet and greedily hoarded all the woman's priceless possessions. At the end of the dream, the leader removed their helmet and Rouge saw herself.

She was shaking slightly as she got out of bed. Dawn was still a few hours away but there was no use in waiting for it. She changed into her best stealth outfit complete with her signature pink boots. Espio was awake and brooding when she entered the living room. "Are you ready?" He asked, without looking at her.

Rouge yawned dramatically. "Not until I've had a cup of coffee." She entered her kitchen and set to work on her impressively intricate espresso machine. Espio walked over to watch her carefully measure the fine grounds.

"Is this really worth our time?" He complained.

Rouge ignored him as she added the perfect amount of water. A few minutes later Rouge inhaled a satisfying aroma of freshly brewed espresso. She filled herself a small cup and sat at one of her kitchen chairs and took a small, refreshing sip. She smacked her lips and honored the grumbling Espio with a smile. "Delicious. No better way to start off a mission wouldn't you agree?"

Espio's frown of impatience morphed into a jealous grimace when he realized that Rouge had not made him a cup. Rouge did an even more exaggerated sip from her drink. "Hope you won't slow me down today. You can't use this as an excuse to lag behind."

"Ha," Espio snorted. "As if I haven't gone without food, or sleep before."

Rouge rolled her eyes. "That's right, you're a super strong ninja, I forgot. Those skills didn't help you too much when it came to facing Fang." She regretted her words as soon as they left her mouth. Rouge could be as bitter as her coffee in the morning, especially when she had not slept well.

Espio glared at her and his hands clenched into fists. "He snuck up on me."

"How cowardly," Rouge replied dryly. "I'm sure you ninjas never do that." At this point, she could not even say why she was provoking Espio, but the words kept flowing.

To her immense disappointment however, Espio did not play along. His shoulders slackened and the fire in his eyes burned out. "I trained as much as I could and it still wasn't enough. I couldn't save my master and I couldn't save my friends."

Rouge stood up and passed over the cup of half finished espresso. Espio seemed to understand the offer as an attempt at making peace. He took it and drained the last gulp. Espio clenched his teeth in reaction to the bitter draft. "You and Charmy would have gotten along," Espio gagged.

"A bitter drink for a bitter day," Rouge said with a roguish grin. "Come on, let's get started."

"Madam Rouge," A tall, extremely thin monkey wearing wire rimmed glasses simpered as he kissed Rouge's hand. They stood in a shadowy, abandoned looking dock located on the far side of the Westopolis port. The sun had yet to rise making it very easy for Rouge to set up this meeting with one of her most shady contacts.

"Gregorovitch, you look well." Rouge said with a flirtatious grin.

The monkey's face burned and he removed his glasses so he could pretend to wipe them clean. "What have I done to earn the pleasure of your company? I must admit when I first saw you hovering beyond my window I thought my time had come at last and the agent was about to put me away for good." Gregorovitch had a rolling, foregin accent that gave him the impression of being more worldly and cultured than he really was.

"There are some crooks who do better behind bars and others who are best to leave to themselves in case you need a favor," Rouge explained.

"Ah, and I assume you are here for the ladder?" Gregorvoitch looked past Rouge and towards Espio who was standing awkwardly several feet away. "How can I help you and your handsome friend here?"

"We need transport to Central City."

"O…but why come to me? Doesn't GUN have private jets for their agents? Or even a pedestrian plane would serve."

Rouge placed her hands on her hips. She was shorter than Gregorovitch but he held himself with less esteem. All Rouge had to do was straighten her back and flash her long eyelids to apply the pressure. Her experience as a spy had taught her much about dealing with seedy opportunists like Gregorovitch. "I can't afford to be showing I.D on this one, we need to be completely off the grid."

"I see." The monkey rubbed his old leathery hands together. His eyes were lighting up at the smell of Rogue's desperation. "I may have something that could work. There is a plane leaving from here. It is not going directly to Central City but…I'm sure there is a way we could convince the pilot to make a quick detour. It isn't like he would need to land. Afterall you are so magnificently constructed and blessed with wings of your own." Gregorovitch tried to honor her with a wide grin but all that did was show his rotted mouth. Half of his teeth had been replaced with golden replicas.

Rouge frowned. "How much?"

Gregorovitch shrugged. "Well we have to take fuel costs into consideration, besides there is the inherent risk of flying so close to the capital. G.U.N is especially on edge these days and who can blame them? After the disaster at Emerald City and all those attacks…ouch!"

Rouge stomped on the monkey's foot and pinned it down with her boot. "Is this how you deal with a friend? You honestly think your honeyed words are going to weave a spell around me?"

Gregorovitch whined and shook his head. "No, no I would never..I only meant…I was only trying to help!"

"Help me, by getting us on that plane. But don't take an arm and a leg doing it," Rouge demanded.

"Yes…of course…you're right! Please just let me go!" Rouge let up and Gregorovitch hobbled backward. He raised his hurt foot up to his eye and examined it for injury.

"You'll be fine," Rouge snapped. "Now about the plane?"

Gregorovitch straightened himself out and exhaled. "Yes..well it should be leaving in about an hour. The pilot likes to ride directly into the rising sun. He says it makes it harder for him to be seen. Gregorovitch readjusted his glasses and tried to recapture his former composure. "Now for payment."

"This will do." Rouge stepped forward and dropped a handful of sparkling gems into the monkey's paw.

Gregorovitch was momentarily at a loss for words. "My dear…surely…this…yes well this will quite cover your trip." He flashed her a greedy smile and stored the gems away in his vest pocket. "Give me a moment and I will go talk with the pilot." He turned and limped away, still nursing his aching foot.

Espio approached and gave Rouge a curious glance. "You paid him with your gems?"

"We need the ride," She answered stiffly.

Espio continued to look curious. "How do you know these kinds of people?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"Criminals." Espio snarled.

Rouge scoffed. "Are you still riding that high horse? Just because someone is a criminal doesn't mean they can't be an asset. Gregorovitch has come in handy numerous times."

"So G.U.N didn't have any problem with you working with criminals?"

"G.U.N doesn't have a problem with anything other than failure. I think it is time you understood that. Honor, integrity, those words mean nothing to G.U.N. They would use the worst of the worst, kill the most innocent as long as their mission got complete."

"And what about you?" Espio countered.

Rouge paused. "I have my limits."

"So do I. And I draw them at aligning myself with criminals."

"Stay here then," Rouge snapped. "I'm not sure you noticed but playing it by the book hasn't exactly worked out in your favor. But if you want to avenge your friends then you had better be prepared to get your hands dirty." She walked away from him, not wanting to hear his clever retort.

Several minutes later, Gregorovitch returned with a dusk squirrel wearing a pilot's helmet. The old squirrel introduced himself as Devon and promised a smooth, uneventful ride. "Now I won't be able to take you too close to the city," He said with a voice distorted by heavy smoking. "But I'll do the best I can."

"That will be fine," Rouge said. "I can fly us the rest of the way."

In short order, Devon drove his seaplane closer to the dock to wait for Espio and Rouge to board. Gregorovitch took Rouge by the hand and kissed it one more time. "A pleasure, as always."

Rouge smiled faintly before offering Espio her hand. He cringed at the prospect so Rouge left him and flew herself over to the plane. However, she did not get to see Espio get wet because he was somehow able to race across the water and jump gracefully into his seat.

"Everyone ready?" Deavon called as he lowered his goggles.

"Let's just get this over with," Espio grumbled. He was looking intensely uncomfortable and Rouge realized that he had a phobia of flying. The plane's engine roared to life and the chameleon's purple skin turned green.

"Don't worry." Rouge whispered, leaning towards him. "If you fall off the plane I could catch you before you hit the bottom…probably."

Espio grimaced but could not do anything more. He locked himself into his seatbelt, closed his eyes and seemed to try and mesh himself into his chair. Rouge laughed as the plane shot forward. She could not tell how the pilot could even see as he flew directly into the rising sun, but Rogue didn't care. She leaned back, feeling completely at ease.

Minutes later, when the plane had risen above the waves and was flying gently, Espio risked opening his eyes. He still looked immensely uncomfortable but he was trying to hold it back. "Thank you," He said. "For getting us the plane. You gave up your own jewels and I know how much they mean to you."

Rouge smiled, unabashedly enjoying how difficult it was for Espio to offer his gratitude. "Do you mean these jewels?" Rouge opened her hand to reveal the sparkling gems. Espio's eyes narrowed. He looked as if he were going to scold her but the plane jolted and he pushed himself back into his seat, turning green again. Rouge laughed. Somewhere behind them, forgotten and out of sight, Gregorovitch let out a howl of rage.