Chapter 104

Diamond in the Rough

"How long has it been?"

"I am not at liberty to tell you that." Vice President Sally Acorn crossed her long legs and adjusted her wide brimmed glasses. She peered down at Rouge from the top of a black clipboard. Her expression was inscrutable, betraying neither interest nor unease. "I am here to discuss the recent rulings of the high court. You understand that you are suspected of murdering President Alexander?"

Rouge scoffed and tried in vain to appear nonchalant. That was difficult to do, as she was sitting in a very uncomfortable position. Her legs dangled from a tall stool, and her ankles were bound together by iron links. Her wrists were bound and connected to the table in front of her. To add to her discomfort, her jailors had increased the intensity of the light in her cell. It was so intense, that Rouge could barely look back at the vice president without her eyes watering.

"The high court believes that treason of this caliber cannot be given over to a civilian trial. Instead, you will be brought before a military tribunal. Do you understand this?"

"Why bother?" Rouge said flatly. "If you're going to kill me, you may as well get it over with."

"Your crimes constitute treason of the highest order as well as murder," Acorn continued as if Rouge had not spoken. "If you are found guilty by the tribunal you will be scheduled for execution. You will not be given a chance for a plea agreement."

Rouge's chains clanked as she tried to push herself up. "When will this happen?"

"I cannot tell you the schedule. I am just ensuring that you understand the crimes you are accused of."

"Does it really matter what charge you decide to make up?"

The Vice President maintained her indifferent posture. She moved her glasses as she scanned the clipboard, clearly checking whether or not she had gone over everything. "When I saw you on Alexander's campaign trail, I didn't take you for a GUN lackey. I guess you're more adaptable than you look."

Acorn stiffened. For half a second, her eyes flashed and she shot a furtive glance over at the glass doors. "I thought you were all about protecting the environment and saving the planet," Rouge continued. "Funny how things change, once you get a bit of power."

Snap..Acron had been gripping her clipboard so tightly she accidentally broke off a part of the end. She put the broken piece of plastic aside and exhaled slowly. "The U.F has never been in a better position to initiate environmental policy. Sol Gems will be the future of energy, and, in the right hands, we can ensure that this future is safely and cautiously implemented."

Rouge wanted to continue to goad the vice president, but she didn't have the energy to do so. She was beyond exhausted. Time did not exist in the bright lights of her prison. Sleep had come to her in short waves but never in an extended period. Rouge knew that she was in rough shape based on the vice president's reaction. She had visibly shuddered when she had first entered the room. GUN soldiers had taken Rouge off the floor and chained her to the table. It had been her only opportunity to try and free herself, but Rouge had not been capable of any kind of resistance. Her body felt sluggish and completely lethargic.

"President Smith is extremely busy, but he will schedule the tribunal as soon as he can. Until that time you are to remain here. As a gesture of good will, the president would offer you a final request." The movement was subtle, but it did not escape Rouge's notice. While she was speaking, Acorn glanced quickly at the camera in the far corner. With the hand that was beyond the camera's view, Acorn reached back and pulled out a hair pin.

"Can you turn off these lights?" Rouge asked.

The Vice President shook her head. "No, these lights must remain on."

"Why?" Rouge's voice broke. She sounded weak and defeated, but she didn't care anymore. There was no point in holding onto her strong persona anymore.

Acorn did not look at Rouge. "Light therapy pacifies dangerous prisoners."

Rouge laughed. Her chains jingled as she waved her arms. "Do I look like a dangerous criminal? I…I just want to rest."

Acorn adjusted her glasses. She bit her lip and glanced again at the door. "Very well, I will request for the lights to be turned off for eight hours. However, that will be the last time." With that, the vice president pushed back her chair and stood up. One hand jerked forward slightly as if she meant to shake Rouge's, but then she quickly moved it back to adjust her glasses again. This caused her to fumble her clipboard. Beyond the glass walls, Rouge saw one of the GUN soldiers push forward. Acorn raised her hands. "Sorry, my fault, I'll get it."

Sally leaned down to pick up the clipboard. Doing so put the table between her and the watching guards. Rouge could not see what she was doing, but then she felt something by her feet. Rouge went stiff and felt goosebumps run down her back. The vice president was slipping something into Rouge's boots. "Follow the light." The words were so faintly whispered, that Rouge barely registered them.

A second later, Acorn had stood back up. The entire thing had been so fast, Rouge wondered whether or not it had happened. Acorn rushed to the glass door, but just as she was leaving their eyes met. Rouge caught sight of a pair of soft blue eyes that were wide with fear.

GUN soldiers came into the cell and removed Rouge's chains. She was pushed to the far wall as the soldiers cleared out the table. One of them did a quick check of the cell to make sure it was still empty before he finally left. The glass doors closed with a soft hiss. Rouge collapsed into a ball in her usual corner. Her heart was beating very fast. Her hands itched at her sides. She wanted to check her boot, but she resisted the temptation.

Rouge could not say how long she remained in that position. Time continued to have no sway in her cell. Seconds slogged by while the hours vanished as quickly as a whisper. Rouge did not move. Her eyes were locked onto her boot. She could just make out the tiniest protrusion in the fabric. What had the vice president given her?

While she waited, Rouge drifted off into waking dreams. She saw herself on the far side of a long tunnel. The long years had not yet fallen on her shoulders. She was young and innocent looking. A punching bag dangled in front of her. Rouge scrunched up her face in consternation. With a child-like yell, she rushed forward and landed a series of rapid kicks on the bag. Suddenly, the vision changed. Now Rouge saw herself roaming through a series of gutters and shanty towns. Her clothes were torn and ragged. She paused at a corner and stared greedily at a hot dog vendor. The sizzling of the cooking meat echoed in her ears and the fumes were nearly intoxicating.

She struck when the vendor wasn't looking. Quick as a snake, Rouge rushed forward and swiped a few of the choicest products. A second later, she had melted into the crowd. Rouge hid in a small alcove in a gloomy sidestreet and scarfed the food down. She was so engrossed in her meal, she did not notice the approaching shadows. Three tall wolves encircled her. They whistled through their snouts and flashed sets of razor sharp teeth. "What are you doing out here all alone?"

Rouge took a step back, but she was enclosed by the walls around her. The wolves took a step closer, tightening the circle and preventing her from escaping. There was the briefest moment of pause. A thousand different nerves fired inside Rouge, half urging her to fight, and the other to freeze. She chose to fight. Rouge kicked the center wolf in the chest. The other two howled in rage and tried to grab her by the arms. Rouge slashed at them with her nails and when one grabbed her around the throat she bit him as hard as she could. Blood rushed into her mouth, mixing with the taste of the hotdogs.

The wolf released her and yelped in pain. Rouge seized her chance to break the circle. She raced down the alleyway and the wolves gave chase. One she had a few feet of separation she leapt into the air. Her wings caught a gust of wind and bore her upwards. However, her attackers were no less crafty. Howling like mad dogs, the wolves leapt up onto the side of the building and started to scramble up the sides.

Rouge soared to the roof of the nearest building, but she could not go any higher. She was too weak and exhausted from days of low food. The wolves reached the top and started to form a circle around her. Rouge backed away until her feet reached the edge of the roof. "You're going to pay for that," The lead wolf hissed. The other two snapped their jaws. Drool puddled out of their open mouths.

She closed her eyes. The sight in front of her was just too horrible. A sharp hand seized her by the arm. She felt a hot breath against her face. The instinct to fight sprang up one last time. Rouge pushed her attacker back and the momentum made her stumble. She grasped air as she fell backward. Wind rushed up against her as she plummeted down. Rouge tried to extend her wings to slow her descent. She gritted her teeth and braced herself. WHAM! Her back slammed against something hard.

Rouge rolled off the lid of the trash can and fell face first into a wet gutter. She coughed and sputtered out the disgusting liquid. Rouge gasped as she rolled onto her feet. Her vision was blurry, but she could just make out the blurred shapes of the streetlights above her. Rouge staggered to her feet and leaned against the trash can for support.

"She's down there! Go around before she gets away!" She heard the voices of the wolves above her. Rouge looked around desperately for some means of escape. However, when she tried to move, her legs failed her. Without any other options, Rouge flung open the trash can. A horrible smell of rot and mildew greeted her. Rouge turned away and gagged. There was a howl followed by the greeting of several more. She did not have any other choice. Rouge carefully climbed into the trash can and closed the lid. Amongst the garbage and refuse, Rouge cringed when she felt something wet and slick. The smell was so powerful that Rouge could hardly breath.

A moment later, she heard movement outside the trash bin. The wolves were inspecting the area. "She must have run off," One of them said.

"Can't have, that fall should have crushed her. Look around."

Rouge heard the wolves approach the trash bin. Her heart fluttered as she knew what she had to do. Rouge held her breath and dived deeper into the muck. Using her arms, she pushed more of the garbage over her. No sooner had she been submerged, then the trash lid opened. Rouge closed her eyes and whispered a frantic prayer. Several heavy seconds followed. At last, the lid closed. Rouge waited until she heard the footsteps leave. Once she was sure they were gone, she swam back up to the top.

Shivering with cold and desperate for fresh air, Rouge placed her hand on the lid and pressed. Nothing happened. She tried again but she still couldn't budge the lid. "No…." The wolves had pressed something against the trash lid, locking it in place. Rouge slammed her fists against the lid. She punched and started to scream for help.

For nearly an hour, Rouge fought against the trash lid. Whether or not anyone nearby heard her, she would never know. At last, she succumbed to her despair. Tears streamed down her face. She was alone in the dark, consumed by trash and stuck without any hope of escape. Rouge pushed her way to the back of the pile where she could pretzel her way into a sitting position. It was extremely uncomfortable and there was no way she would be able to sleep. While she was doing this, a faint spark of a light illuminated the darkness.

Rouge pushed aside the trash until she found what was causing the light. It was a small jewel roughly the size of her palm. The gem was a faint blue color that somehow shimmered in the near total darkness. Rouge cradled the gem in her hands. It was warm, the one warm thing in the cold dumpster.

For two nights and a day, Rouge gazed at the jewel. It was her one solace in her prison of complete despair. Through the long slow hours, she pondered over the jewel marveling at its many facets. She wondered how it had come to be there and why someone had thrown it out. The jewel kept Rouge sane as she waited. Eventually, the trash bin was opened as the city maintenance crews arrived to change it. Rouge was poured out of the trash. At this point, she was a slimy, disgusting thing. She smelled horrible and looked even worse. The maintenance crew looked at her in abject disgust. Rouge didn't care. She was taken to a hospital, cleaned up and fed. Her doctor was a kindly woman who wore a necklace set with a sparkling emerald. She assured Rouge that she had many such gems at home. That night, Rouge visited her doctor's house. She slipped in through the window and carried off these gems. Rouge would never live on the streets again.

Rouge came to. Some inner instinct had roused her. She glanced around her cell, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Her heart skipped a beat, she felt as if something was about to happen. Click! The lights of the cell turned off. Rouge sat in the darkness breathing hard. Now's my chance! Rouge reached into her boot and pulled out her prize. The vice president had given her the hair pin and the piece of broken plastic from the clipboard. These pieces of trash would be useless in the hands of anyone else, but they were more than enough for Rouge.

She leapt to her feet and rushed to the door. Rouge glided the hair pin into the door lock and began to gently twist it. For several slow minutes Rouge fiddled with the lock. She could not see what she was doing, and the lock gave her almost no feedback. She had to rely solely on her years of experience. Click! The lock gave in and the glass doors opened with a low hiss.

Rouge crept forward. She held the jagged piece of broken clipboard in one hand like it was a shiv. The only light in the cell block was the flashing console by the far door. Rouge came over to it. The console flashed a red light, indicating that the door was locked. She tried in vain to understand how the console might be hacked, but Rouge was not as familiar with advanced computer systems.

Leaving the door, Rouge started to search for another means of escape. She spotted an air vent that looked just big enough for her to squirm through. Rouge flew up to the ceiling. She used the plastic piece to gently unscrew the latch. She moved the vent face aside and stared down into a dark maw. Rouge shivered, but there was no point in hesitating. There was no way to know how long she had, and she knew she would not get another opportunity.

Rouge squirmed into the vent and started crawling forward. She was completely encased in darkness, so she had no way to orient herself. The space was very cramped with the walls pressing onto her back. Still, Rouge was used to this kind of work as she had often used similar means to infiltrate locked down areas.

For almost half an hour, Rouge crawled in a winding line until she reached a fork. Rouge peered down the right side and saw nothing but continuing darkness. The left side offered a faint sliver of distant light, but that didn't mean it led to freedom. Rouge sat still wondering which way to go. "Follow the light." A shudder ran down Rouge's back. Was this all a trick? Was the vice president leading Rouge on, or was she genuinely helping her escape.

Rouge wrestled with herself. All of her instincts as a spy told her that she could not trust anyone, but another voice told her that she didn't have any other choice. Ultimately, the ladder voice won out and Rouge crawled slowly towards the light on the left. The light grew steadily brighter as Rouge continued. There were more turns along the way, but at each fork, Rouge followed the source of the light. Finally, she reached another vent.

Rouge paused, wondering how to proceed. If the screws were on the other side, there would be no way to escape the vent without making alot of noise. Rouge pushed gently against the vent face, and to her surprise, the vent face fell back. It clattered onto the floor of a carpeted office. As it hit the ground, Rouge heard a faint squeal followed by a woman's whisper. "Is it you? Rouge?"

Rouge pressed herself through the vent and landed inside the office. The Vice President's room was lit by a strong fluorescent lamp that was pointed directly at the vent. Acron sat behind her desk with her hand at her heart. She look equal parts terrified and impressed. "You did it," She breathed.

Rouge stepped forward and held up the jagged piece of plastic. "What is this? Why are you helping me?"

"Because, you…you're the only one who knows what's really going on." Acorn's hands were trembling as she spoke. It looked as if it was taking every ounce of fortitude she had to keep herself from breaking down. "It's him…it's Argus…he has everyone terrified. No one dares stand up to him…I think…I think he is the one that killed Alexander."

"Of course he did," Rouge spat. "That still doesn't explain why you're helping me."

Acorn covered her face with her hands. "Please…I didn't want any of this…I…I was just in my office when they came and told me what we had done. I never wanted…" The vice president began to sob quietly. The display only served to frustrate Rouge further.

"Enough!" Rouge snapped. "I don't have time for your sob story."

Acorn wiped her face. "I want to stop him. Argus, everyday his plans get worse and worse. He won't stop until he has control of the entire world. You know him, you know what he's done. No one else can stop him."

"There is no stopping him, not anymore." Rouge was surprised by just how certain she was of her defeat. "Destroying the Eclipse Canon was our only shot, and we missed it." Her hands tightened as she recalled the fight. They had been so close, but Espio had abandoned the mission at the last moment. "Anyone that could have stood up to him is dead now."

Acorn shook her head. "That isn't true. There are still people fighting. Metal Sonic, Argus had him captured in some facility, but someone broke him out. Besides, we still haven't captured your other accomplices, Might and Ray."

Rouge scoffed. "That isn't enough."

"It has to be," Acorn rushed around the office and dropped down to her knees beside Rouge. Her face was wet with tears and her expression wild with desperation. "Please, don't give up. The entire world needs you."

"What do I owe this world?" Rouge countered. "I did what I could."

"If you won't do it to save the world, then what about revenge? You know that he will never stop hunting you. You could try and run, but then you'll spend your whole life looking over your shoulder."

Rouge paused. This much was true. Argus would come after Rouge. Once his plans of world domination were settled, he would not stop until he had seen every dissident, and every rebel punished. She sighed and shook her head. "I don't know what to do. I don't even know where to start. By now, Argus would have moved the Eclipse Canon. I need to know where it is."

"Argus commissioned a military blacksite, and he is the only one with the ability to communicate with it. No one else in the government knows where it is, but he did tell someone else."

"Who?"

"The Hooligans. That team of bounty hunters he hired to go after you and your friends. He gave them a way to travel to the facility, just in case he needed them to secure it again. Right now, they are your best bet for finding the new location."

Rouge looked back at the vice president with a newfound respect. Her tears were gone now, and her expression was set and determined. "I'll see what I can do."

Acorn smiled and stood back up. "Okay, come on, there is a way out of here that will take you back to the city. I've commissioned a local to fly you anywhere you need to go." The vice president turned off the lamp. In the darkness, they left the office.

Rouge followed Acorn down a long empty hallway. At the end, they took a turn towards a steel door. Acorn placed her hand on the console. It scanned her handprint and opened. They filed inside and the door closed shut behind them. "So what is your escape plan?" Rouge wondered.

Acorn bit her lip. "You won't like it, but I assure you, it is the only way out of this facility." At that moment, Acorn turned on the lights. They stood in a private restroom.

"No….."

Rouge watched in disgust, as Acorn pushed open the door of the single toilet stall. She crouched down beside the toilet and seized the polyester base. Acorn pulled, and the toilet moved aside. It had already been disconnected from the plumbing, and someone had created a huge hole in the floor. Acorn stood up and adjusted her suit. "I know that this won't be easy but…I have ensured that the system will flush you out. Once you reach the water, there is a hanger, number 1991, my contact is waiting to take you away."

Rouge approached the edge of the hole and looked down. Below, she could just make out the faint movement of discolored water. Her stomach turned and Rouge felt as though she might be sick. "I'm sorry, if there had been another way-"

Rouge silenced her with a hand. "It has to be done."

Acorn reached into her pocket and drew out a vacuum sealed bag. "You can store your clothes in here if you want." Rouge accepted the bag and the Vice President drew back as if to give her some privacy.

"You should be coming with me, you know." Rouge said. "Argus will find out what you did."

"I know." Acorn replied. Her expression had turned grave. "Ever since all this began, I've let myself be pushed around. Not anymore, I am ready to face him."

"He'll kill you." Rouge did not want to give the woman any false notions. "Argus has no mercy."

Acorn trembled. "I know," She whispered. "But I cannot escape with you, and I'd only slow you down if I did. I will face him."

Rouge felt a rush of sympathy for the woman. "Thank you."

The vice president inclined her head. "Good luck." With that, Sally Acorn turned and left. Rouge watched the door close behind her with a sense of finality in her heart.

Rouge stripped and stored her clothes inside the bag. Once she had it sealed tight, she tied it around her waist and prepared to dive into the hole. A horrible smell drifted out of the opening and made Rouge's skin crawl. She took a series of deep breaths, held her nose and dived in.

She fell for half a second before submerging in water. Rouge swam to the top and did her best not to breathe in the noxious fumes. She was now inside a vast cistern. Unsure of where to go, Rouge allowed the current of water to push her forward.

The current led her down a series of winding passages and flowing tunnels. At each turn, Rouge hoped she had reached the end, only to be greeted by more water, and more horrible smells.

Her first clue that she was reaching the end, was when the pressure changed. The air had been hot and thick at first, but Rouge was starting to get hints of fresh air coming from the far end of the tunnel. Eventually, the current started to pick up and Rouge saw the exit ahead of her. All the water was pouring out of a large wide circle, and Rouge could see the sun shining just outside. She swam forward trying to reach it. Rouge was only a few feet away when she heard the alarms. The blare sounds echoed from far away. Suddenly, a mechanized hatch fell down and covered the opening.

Rouge reached the hatch a second later. She yelled in frustration and punched the metal, but it was no use. The alarms from above were screaming and Rouge looked around for some other means of escape. Nothing caught her attention. This hatch was the only way out of the sewer system. However, that was not her only problem. Because the water flow had been plugged, but there was still water flowing into the sewer, the water level started to rise. Rouge waded at the top of the water's surface, but she felt herself rising towards the ceiling.

Panic followed, and Rouge started to swim in a circle, looking for any other means of escape. Her head was almost at the ceiling, and in another second or so, she would be submerged. As a final gambit, Rouge held her breath and dived into the murk. She swam down to the base of the hatch and felt around. Her fingers locked around an emergency handle. Rouge pulled on it with all her strength, but it didn't budge.

She tried again and again, but the handle was either stuck or locked. There was nowhere else to go, the sewer was completely flooded now. Rouge's heart was beating rapidly inside her chest. She saw stars as she steadily ran out of oxygen. She pulled at the hatch again and again. Please! Please! The strength in her arms failed. She was going to drown. No! She refused to give in. Rouge made one final effort and crack! The handle gave way and the hatch opened. All the swirling water rushed forward in a wave, carrying Rouge with it. She fell in a murky waterfall into the ocean below.

Half an hour later, Rouge emerged onto the shore. She was cold and shivering, and covered in filth. She untied her bag and changed back into her mercifully dry clothes. Her arms and legs were spent from the effort of swimming. Her stomach growled and even the effort of walking seemed too much.

Dusk was falling as she stumbled towards a series of abandoned looking storage buildings below a nearby pier. Rouge glanced around and noticed the numbers on the buildings. She followed these until she reached one marked "1991". Rouge knocked against the storage doors and waited. A second later, the doors opened like a garage door. A seaplane waited inside.

"Well well well," Rouge turned to see a dusky squirrel approaching her with a pilot's helmet beneath his arm. Devon pushed down a tuft of his hair that was standing on end. "You've seen better days."

Rouge didn't waste time with formalites. "How far can this hunk of metal take you?" She asked, jerking her thumb towards the plane.

"With how much I was paid, I can take you anywhere on the map."

Rouge couldn't say how the trip to the desert went. As soon as she had explained her destination to Devon she fell into a deep sleep. Her dreams alternated from pleasant memories of her childhood, to vivid nightmares of recent events. When she finally came to, she awoke beneath a beautiful desert sky. A million stars sparkled in the night canvas. In the distance, she could just make out the outlines of distant pyramids.

Upon landing, she thanked Devon and advised the squirrel to keep a low profile. He had just helped one of the most wanted people in the world to escape. Devon had merely laughed and said that the authorities had been chasing him for years. After he left, Rouge traveled alone into Eggman's hidden base.

Once she was inside, she found the showers and took the most needed wash of her life. She allowed the steam to fill the room and sat beneath the rushing water. Rouge could feel the weakness of her time in her cell, steadily washing off her, fusing new strength into her muscles. After scrubbing three times over, Rouge turned off the shower and dried off. She wrapped herself into a towel and entered the control room.

Rouge came to a dead stop. Mighty and Ray had turned around and were looking at her in complete bewilderment. Ray blushed and glanced up at the ceiling. Mighty's hand was frozen inside the bag of chips he was eating. "Uh…hey?" He offered.

It took almost an hour for everything to straighten out. Rouge changed into some new clothes, and Mighty and Ray quickly explained why they were there. "All of our safe houses were being hunted down," Ray said. "We didn't want to jeopardize any of our friends so we came here, it was the only place we could think of."

"What happened to Espio? GUN told me he is dead."

Mighty shrugged. "We aren't sure. I rescued him from the ocean, but when he got up he took off on his own."

"He gave up," Ray added. "He doesn't think there is any point in fighting GUN anymore."

"There isn't," Rouge said as she approached the main computer.

"Well we still want to fight," Mighty interjected.

"I said there was no point, I didn't say that means I give up." Rouge typed on the computer and brought up the Eggman Empire database.

"What are you doing?" Ray asked.

"I'm trying to see if there is anyone else out there. I was told that someone rescued Metal Sonic from GUN."

"If they are friends with Eggman, then that won't make them our allies," Mighty argued.

"Have you ever heard the phrase the enemy of my enemy is my friend?" Rouge activated the imperial emergency signal and waited. "This comm can only be reached by Eggman's systems, if there is anybody out there, they will hear this."

With that work done, Rouge sighed and sat down. "Did Espio tell you where he was going?"

"All he said was, where it all began, It was typical cryptic Espio stuff."

Rouge shook her head. "Those bounty hunters that Espio is so desperate to fight, they know where the Eclipse Canon has been moved to. We need to find them and get them to talk."

"We are all high on the most wanted list," Might said. "We might learn something from watching the news."

Rouge agreed. She typed on the console, and the central screen turned to the main U.F news station. A panel of talking heads were in the middle of a discussion, praising the U.F for their successful use of a shield barrier against an attack by Metal Sonic. "They fired it again?" Rouge asked.

Mighty nodded. "They hit something in the Mystic Ruins and they fired it directly at Central City. The shield barrier deflected the blast though."

"The Mystic Ruins?" They must have destroyed Eggman's base there. Rouge wondered if those who had saved Metal Sonic had made the mistake of returning to that base. The news continued without much in the way of content. All the broadcasters spoke glowingly of the U.F and GUN, while pausing every hour or so to remind the public just how serious a threat Metal Sonic was.

Suddenly, the console blinked. Rouge, who had almost fallen asleep by this point, jerked in her chair. She rushed to the screen and turned it on. She waited for a tense second with her heart pounding. A cold, metallic voice echoed from the speaker. "This is Metal Overlord, who is this?"

Rouge turned off the transponder and laid back in her chair. She had spoken to Metal Sonic and his band of badniks through most of the night. Things were more hopeful than she could have ever hoped for. There was a legitimate force that stood ready to resist GUN. Even Sonic's friend Tails was still alive, and Rouge had remembered that the fox had been pretty resourceful back on the Space Colony Ark.

All they needed to do, to actually take the fight to GUN was find out where they were hiding the Eclipse Canon. Rouge sat in silence, trying to think of a way forward. Mighty had turned the news back on and watched it on mute. After a while, Mighty suddenly leapt to his feet. "Look!" He turned on the volume.

A female reporter stood outside a grandiose shopping mall. "Earlier today, violence broke out here as witnesses reported seeing Espio the Chameleon, one of the known attackers implicated in the assassination of president Alexander. GUN agents swarmed the area around the Turvinin river, but failed to apprehended the suspect. Local law enforcement is urging the public to remain vigilant and report all sightings. They are also warned not to engage, as Espio is known to be extremely dangerous."

Rouge leapt to her feet. "Where is that?"

Mighty sighed. "That is where his old monastery used to be. That must be what he meant, by where it all began."

"Why would he go back there?" Ray wondered. "Doesn't he know that GUN would be looking for him there."

"I think that was the point," Rouge said. "He wanted GUN to find him." She shook her head in annoyance. "Men are all the same. He is luring them to him, he wants to die."

"We have to get to him first!" Ray insisted. "Come on! I still have my plane, let's get going!"