[MSP]

This is my 1st fanfic... I hope that you like it. It does have some language if that's alright.

Summery: This story is based in the 1950's in Station Square. It follows the Station Square Detective Agency as they try to protect one of the seven Chaos Emeralds from the Robotnic Gang. There are many obstacles in their way, including the gang's four Underbosses. The story is narrated by Knuckles.
Well... here it goes

Chapter 1: Time Bomb
It was a dark, harsh night in Station Square; which was pretty much like every night in the God-forsaken city. The unusual thing was that we were chasing a member of the Robotnic Gang. They had been inactive for years, but now I guess they were finally coming back with a vengeance. But before I get ahead of myself, maybe I should introduce myself. I'm Knuckles the Echidna, I belong to the greatest team of detectives in the whole city. I consider my self the brawn of the group. I don't mean to toot my own horn, but I've knocked down plenty of the giant-sized block heads of the Robotnic Gang. Don't believe me? Then you can shove it! Anyways, back to the story.
Me and my partner, Sonic, were chasing a low-ranked member of the R. Gang. He apparently had a bomb detonator and was heading for Station Square's City Hall. We were trying to catch the bastard before he could get within range of the bomb. My other partner, Tails, was on the radio.
"Try to shoot out his tires or something before he gets to City Hall, I don't want to pick up chunks of the mayor off of the sidewalk". Something about Tails is, he has a very dry sense of humor, which I guess is what you would expect from a genius. Most people call Tails the brains of the group. He always radios in and gives me and Sonic the 411 on anything and everything about a case. He can be very socially awkward though, he's not much of a people person.
Sonic took his gun and stuck his body out the window. He took three shots and completely missed the guys tires. Sonic never had very good aim, but I didn't hold that against him. If Tails is the brains and I'm the brawn, Sonic would be the backbone. He's not as strong as me or as smart as Tails, but he has a big heart and a passion for justice.
"Damn motorcycle, I can't hit it!"
"Sonic, don't rush into it, just carefully aim for the tire!"
He shot once more, and to my surprise, he actually hit the tire! The motorcycle spun out of control and crashed into a ditch. I smashed on the brakes, and the car came to a screeching halt. Sonic got out of the car first.
"I'll run to city hall and try to find and deactivate the bomb, you can have fun beating the crap out of the dick in the ditch"
With that, he darted off towards city hall.
I got out of the car and went over to the ditch. I picked up the perpetrator by the neck and was about to punch him, but I notices something very peculiar... HE WAS A DAMN ROBOT!!!! The robot started to beep and twitch.
"Bomb detonation in two minutes..."
"W-what did you say?"
The robots chest opened up and there was a detonator timer.
"Bomb detonation in one minute and thirty seconds"
"Stop that!!" I yelled as I was beginning to lose my cool.
"OK Tails, I found the bomb... now how do I deactivate it?"
I got my radio out of my pocket, still holding the siezuring robot by the neck.
"Sonic, the bomb is set to go off in the next thirty seconds!"
"Aw crap, of course it is! Hurry up, Tails! which wire do I cut?!"
"I'm pretty sure you cut the blue one"
"Pretty sure?! I don't wanna blow up if your wrong!"
"JUST FREAKIN DO IT SONIC!!!" I screamed into the radio, almost breaking it with my grip.
The clock on the robot's chest was on its final three seconds. When the clock hit zero, I heard nothing but static on the other end.
"Sonic?"
No response.
"Sonic!"
Still no response.
"SONIC!!!!"


"Woo, that was close, I thought I was gonna be a deep-fried hedgehog for a second, heh heh"
"Sonic, you are an idiot! I should come over there and kick your ass!"
"Sorry Knuckles! I thought it was funny"
"It wasn't! I thought you got yourself blown up!"
"I thought it was funny too"
"Shut up, Tails! It was not!"
"Whatever, Knuckles... you just need to lighten up. Enough of that, though. Well done, guys! Come back to the base so we can check the robot out.
"Cool, I'll meet you at the base, Knuckles!"
"So I have to be with this stupid robot all by myself"
"Yup, pretty much, see you in a few!"
"Great..."
"Bomb detonation failure..."
"Shut up!" I finally punched the robot in the face and its whole head came off.
"What did you do, Knuckles?" asked Tails in a very serious tone.
"Nothing, Tails" I said as I was trying to put its head back on.
"You broke it, didn't you?"
"No! I just dropped it an it got some kinks in it..."
"Sure, Knuckles, just bring it in so I can get a good look at it"
"OK, Tails, I'm coming"
I opened the door and through the robot and it's head in the back seat.
"I wounder why they sent a robot..." I thought to myself as I was driving down the street. It was peculiar that one of Eggman's robots was sent on a mission, they are normally his last line of defence. It was very odd that, after being dormant for years, that they would sent a freaking robot to do their dirty work. Just what were they planning? It gave me goosebumps just thinking about it.

[MSP]

Here is Chapter 2, it's a little slow...

Chapter 2: In the Shadows
The sun was starting to peek over the horizon as I pulled in the driveway.
"God, it's been a long night" I said aloud as I got out of the car. I got the robot and its head and shut the door.
Before I got inside, I ran into Sonic. He was leaning on the brick wall, staring into space chewing on a toothpick. He looked over at me, got up and spit out the toothpick.
"Gosh, take a lifetime to get here!"
"I'm sorry my hunk-of-junk can't drive faster than the speed of sound!"
"Good, you should be!" Sonic said with an obnoxious grin.
"Shut up and take this upstairs!"
I threw the robot's head at him, and he almost dropped it. Typical Sonic.
Tails' office, just like Mine and Sonic's, was on the fifth floor. It was usually never a big deal to climb the stairs, I was used to it. But being sleep deprived, and carrying a robot that was heavier than I was up ten flights of stairs was a bit tough.
"Hurry up, Knuckles! Tails is waiting!" Sonic yelled from two-flights up.
"Shut up Sonic! You just have to carry the head!"
"What? I can't hear you, you are too far down!"
"SHUT UP, SONIC! THERE ARE STILL PEOPLE THAT ARE SLEEPING!!!"
"Sorry, Knuckles, I can't hear you! But tell me when you get up here, there are still people that are sleeping!"
"THAT'S WHAT I SAID!"
"What?!"
"I SAID, THAT'S WHAT I SAID!"
That's when I heard someone down below yell "Shut the hell up!", with the addition to a couple of other choice words.
Stupid Sonic, always getting me into trouble. Then again, he always got me out of trouble as well.
I finally got to the fifth-floor (Halleluja!). By this time, I was dragging the robot by the leg and was almost crawling to Tails' office.
"Welcome back, Knuckles!"
"Yeah; thanks Tails"
I could barely talk. I was so exhausted I was about to collapse.
"Okay, let's take a look at that robot!"
Tails got out of his chair and excitedly ran over to me.
Tails was always very odd to me. He always reminded me of a mad scientist. He would wear nothing but lab coats and pants. And he usually had those weird looking protective goggles. He was one of those people who had the really annoying high-pitched voice, and would rant on and on about nothing. But, overall, he was a good guy.
"Ugh, this thing is heavy! Can you help me take this to the lab?"
"Sure..."
I picked the robot back up and headed next door to Tails' lab. I would have given my soul for a cup of coffee right then.

Tails' lab was exactly what you would suspect. It looked like it belonged to a mad scientist. There were beakers and vials filled with liquids of any color you could think of. One of the walls was a huge chalk-board, which had some equations that looked like Hebrew to me.
I threw the robot on the examining table, probably harder than I meant to because Tails gave me a dirty look.
"Oh my God! Where's his head!" Tails yelled as he glared at me.
"I got it, Tails!"
Sonic ran in the room and threw the head on the table.
"Woah, you guys need to be more careful! You can mess up the hardware!"
"Yeah, yeah. Just look at it so I can go to bed!" I realized that I said that in a very hateful tone, but I was too tired to care.
"Well, fine! I'll try to hurry this up!"
He took this laser pen thing and started to cut into the robot. He examined its insides for about five minutes, then stopped.
"Well, this is a newer model, but it looks like it was just thrown together without much thought. Something interesting I found was the robot was set to explode forty-five seconds after the bomb at City Hall. So I guess it is a good thing that you broke it, Knuckles; or you would have blown to smithereens!"
"That's nice, can I go to bed now?"
"Just one more thing, I found that... blah, blah, blah, blah, internal mechanism, blah, blah, blah"
That's pretty much all I got out of that.
"Okay, I'm going to bed now"
I started for the door, when someone started to knock.
"Sonic, are you in there!?"
"Aw, shit! I forgot I had a date with Amy this morning!" yelled Sonic as he tried to hide.
"Don't let her in, Knuckles! She's gonna be super pissed that I didn't meet her at the diner"
"Well, that's your problem, Sonic, not mine! I'm going downstairs to my apartment, and going to sleep"
I unlocked the door it swung open and hit me in the face. I fell and hit the floor hard.

The next thing I knew I was looking up at Sonic, Amy, and Tails.
"Well, Knuckles... I guess you got your nap after all!"
I really wanted to punch him, but I couldn't really move very well at that moment.
"I am so sorry, Knuckles!"
"I know Amy, it's OK"
What can be said about Amy Rose? She's a cute pink hedgehog with a slightly annoying personality. She is absolutely head-over-heels for Sonic. Although he doesn't admit it, he feels the same way about her. I'd feel sorry for the guy who messes with her, they would either get bitched out by Amy or get knocked out by Sonic (I don't know which is worse).
I finally got up off of the floor. I guess I was okay, except for the throbbing headache. I went over and sat in Tails' chair.
"Sonic, you promised me that you would meet me at the SS Diner this morning!"
"I-I'm sorry, Amy! I lost track of time"
"That's the excuse you used last time!"
"I'll make it up to you!"
"Can we go right now?"
"Ummm"
"UMM, WHAT!?
"I mean yes, let's go!"
"That's what I thought you said!"
You would never think that Sonic would ever meet his match, until you've met Amy.
"But we have some things to discuss before we leave, so can you wait outside the door for like, five minutes?"
"No I can't!They can come too! You guys would like to come, right?"
"Umm, I don't really like being the third wheel... so I'm gonna pass!"
"Don't be silly, Tails! I brought one of my friends to hang out with us!"
"Who?"
"Cream, of coarse!"
When Amy said that, Tails' face turned ruby red.
Cream was Amy's best friend and Tails' "secret" crush. He always denies it, but him and his awkward self makes it obvious that he likes her. And I guess I don't blame him. She's a cute little rabbit girl that is always cheerful and polite. She's definitely not my type, but she'd be good with Tails.
"Hello, everybody! Sorry I'm late, I was picking flowers at the park for my mom"
Tails looked like he was going to pop out of his skin. The poor kid was so nervous.
"It's fine, Cream! We were just heading out to the Diner
now. Tails is coming so you guys can catch up!"
"Can we go now, Amy? I'm hungry!"
"Okay, Sonic! Let's go everyone! You Coming, Knuckles?"
"Nah, you guys go ahead and have a good time!"
"Aaww, I don't want you to be by yourself!"
"Come on, Mr. Knuckles; it'll be fun!" said Cream in her soft little voice.
"I don't know if I should"
"Knuckles, we need to talk about the R. Gang!"
"...Okay I'll come"
"Thank you!"
I knew Tails just wanted me to come so he wouldn't act so awkward around Cream, so I thought I would humor him.

The SS Diner was a pretty nice place. I mean sure, it wasn't a five-star joint, but it wasn't a dump.
"what will it be, dears?" asked the old waitress.
I told her I just wanted a cup of black coffee and some pancakes. Amy ordered a water and a cup of fruit (she said she was dieting, but she was already thin enough). Cream ordered some hot chocolate and french toast. Tails wanted an omelette and a glass of tea. Then there was Sonic that ordered the heart-attack special.
"I'll have two orders of chocolate-chip waffles, three eggs sunny-side up, five strips of bacon, and do you have chili dogs for breakfast?"
"I'm sorry, we don't dear"
"Bummer! I guess I just get a chocolate milk to drink too"
"Okay, coming right up!"
"Sonic, how can you eat so much food?"
"I'm hungry, Knuckles! Leave me alone!"
After our food came out, Tails and I started to talk a little about the previous night.
"So, why do you think they wanted to blow up City Hall? That just doesn't sound like there style"
"I don't know, but it seems to me that there is more to it than that" tails said, practically whispering it.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, the robot was set to explode too; that just sounds odd to me"
"Who knows... but what I do know is that it's not over yet"
"I hope you're wrong, Knuckles!"
I was too, I really did. The Robotnic Gang was the reason this City had the greatest crime rate in the nation. We had hoped that they were over with, but this recent incident proves that they are still around.
It didn't seem to bother Sonic, though. He was enjoying himself as he vacuumed up his whole plate in a matter of minutes. It was so bad that half of the diner was staring.
"Wow, that was good; now what's for desert?"
"Sonic, are you serious?" asked Amy in disgust.
"Only half serious, babe!"
He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and kissed her on the cheek. She turned bright red and giggled.
I nudged Tails and whispered in his ear.
"Why don't you order another hot chocolate and share it with Cream?"
Tails stared at me for a couple of seconds then smiled.
"Good idea" he whispered.
"Hey, Cream, wanna split another hot chocolate?"
"Sure, Tails! I would love to!"
Ah, young love... young awkward love.

After breakfast, we headed back to the office. It was almost noon, and I still hadn't had any sleep (if you don't count getting knocked out by the door).
When we reached the building, something caught my eye. There was a black motorcycle with red flame designs on it.
"No way!" I though to myself.
"It can't be him"
The others had already gone inside.
I ran up after them.
"Guys, wait!"
I yelled as I sprinted up the stairs.
I managed to reach the fifth floor before they opened the door to Tails' office.
"What is it, Knuckles?" Sonic asked, confused.
"Don't let the girls in there yet, we need to check something out!"
"Like what?"
"Just trust me! Girls, can you stay out here for a couple of minutes?"
"What's going on, Knuckles?"
"Just do it Amy! Keep Cream out here too!"
"Okay, okay! Come on, Cream, let's go get a soda or something"
Amy took cream and went downstairs.
"What's with you, Knuckles?" asked Tails.
"I'm probably just being crazy, but we might have a visitor, one that we haven't seen in years"
I reached for the door and slowly opened it. It was pitch black in the room, the blinds were blocking the light coming through the window.
"I think you are right, Knuckles, I didn't put the blinds down" Tails had a slight sense of fear in his voice.
I walked in the room, and heard a deep, dark voice coming from the corner of the room.
"Hello, Knuckles! Long time no see!"
I turned on the light switch and looked over at the corner. Nobody was there.
I felt someone grab my shoulder and it sent shivers down my spine. I turned around and saw the figure standing there, staring into my soul, grinning an evil grin...

[MSP]

Chapter three... it's a little bit violent towards the end...

Chapter 3: Showdown at the Museum
"Shadow?! What the hell are you doing here?"
"I think you know, Knuckles... where are Sonic and Tails?" his voice was dark and maniacal.
"Right here, Shadow, why have you come?" said Sonic as he and Tails walked in the room. Tails shut the door.
"Well, I have some news regarding the gang"

Shadow the Hedgehog, the most loyal and merciless member of the Robotnic Gang; or at least he was. You see, way back in the day, when the Robotnic Gang was in full force, Shadow was the most feared out of the four Under-bosses. He was a real bad ass, and we could never catch him. However, one night changed everything. It was a frigid winter's night, and we got a call to go to the Old Station Square Bridge. When we got there we saw Shadow standing on one of the rails. We thought we had him cornered. We stood there for what seemed like days, with our weapons pointed strait for Shadow's head. What happened next was so unbelievable, still to this day I wonder if it was a dream. Shadow, the one who killed dozens of innocent people, was surrendering! He said that he was tired of killing for no reason, and that his conscience finally caught up to him. At first I though it was a trap, but Sonic thought differently. He put down his gun and took a step towards him. One of Shadow's underlings set off a bomb that caused a small chunk of the bridge to collapse. Of coarse, Sonic and Shadow had to be on that chunk. The next thing I knew Sonic was holding onto a ledge, he managed to grab Shadow before he fell to his death. Sonic had saved his life.
Shadow vowed that he would never take a life without a good reason, and that he would assist us in taking the R. Gang down. I didn't believe it at first, I mean, it was Shadow the Hedgehog, he was always known for his tricks. As always, Sonic gave him the benefit of the doubt, and he's been a double agent ever since. I guess I have to hand it to Sonic. If it was me, I probably would have just let the bastard fall of the edge. Sonic was never like that, deep down, he was a big softy.
So Shadow still retained his status as an Under-boss, which meant he (and three others) had nobody to answer to except for Eggman. He proved to be a great ally, but it was very strange seeing him after all these years.

"So... t-the gang has resurfaced?" Tails asked, trembling.
"Yes, which is why I'm here to warn you"
"About what?" I was getting more and more nervous.
"There is going to be a heist tonight at the Station Square Museum of Natural History"
I calmed down just a little. I though it was going to be much worse, like they were going to assassinate the Mayor or something.
"So, all these years in hiding, and all they come up with is a heist at the Museum? Lame!"
"Hmph, you don't understand, Sonic. If it were just a heist, I wouldn't have bothered to come... it is what they are going to steal that's the major problem!"
"Oh, what are they gonna steal, a stupid painting or something?"
"...The Chaos Emerald"
"WHAT?!" we all yelled in unison.
"Indeed, that is why I've come to tell you... you have to stop them from getting that Emerald!"

There are seven, just seven. Each emerald is worth more than all of the world's currency put together. There is on at the Museum. It is a golden emerald that shimmers an eerily beautiful light. Legend had it, that it could control electricity, which was a bunch of bull. What wasn't bull, was it's value. I wasn't going to let Eggman have it. Who knows what he would do with all that wealth. I shuddered at the thought.

"I'd better go now, the others are going to wonder where I am. I suggest not being too conspicuous. Don't wear your detective uniform, go as pedestrians. The Museum is holding a celebration there tonight, because it is the 25th year the Emerald has been on display. They are going to attack during that party. Good bye, and good luck!"
and with that, he left.
"That is a really ballsy move, stealing something in front of hundreds of people!"
"Well, Sonic, that will prove more difficult for you and Knuckles"
"How?"
"Well, you can't go shooting up the place with that many civilians! They probably did this on purpose!"
"Well, I guess we'll have to look around that! We have to go to the Museum tonight!"
"Oh, Sonic! That's a great idea, how did you know I wanted to go there tonight?"
Amy and Cream had just walked in the door.
"A-Amy! I... "
"You don't have to say it, you wanted it to be a surprise and I walked in on you guys talking about it. That's why you sent me and Cream downstairs, isn't it?"
"Amy, it might be d-"
"It would be cool if the other's joined us? Oh, Sonic, you have the best ideas!"
Sonic looked at me with a helpless look on his face. I shrugged at him, I didn't know how to handle it.
"Amy... fine! We'll all go to the Museum tonight!"
I looked at him in disbelief. It will be dangerous there, and he's taking his girl on a date? That had to be the dumbest thing he had ever done.
"Why don't you and Cream get ready, and come back here at six-thirty?"
"Okay! Come on, Cream, we have some shopping to do!"
Amy grabbed Cream by the arm and almost dragged her out.
"Sonic, you are putting her in danger!"
"It'll be okay, Knuckles! It will be our cover! And the second there is danger I'll put her somewhere safe!"
"Well, I guess it'll be fine"
"Thank you, Knuckles, if I didn't let her go... well, I'd rather be surrounded by everyone in the Robotnic Gang then piss her off!"
"I hear that! Now... I'm going to bed before we go!"
"Okay, I'll come wake you up when it's time to go!"
"Thank you" I said, heading for the door.
I went downstairs to the fourth-floor, and went into my apartment. I got undressed, and went to sleep.

I woke up to Sonic standing on the bed leaning right over me.
"Wake up, Sleeping Beauty!"
Half awake, I punched him in the face. He flew off the bed and started yelling.
"What was that for?!"
"You scared the hell out of me, dick!"
"Well, sorry, but it's time to get up... it's already six-twenty five"
"What?! Why didn't you wake me up sooner?"
I jumped out of bed and ran for the door.
"Knuckles, wait!"
"What do you want? We need to hurry up and get upstairs!"
"Well, are you just wearing your boxers to the Museum?"
"What?"
I looked down and saw that I was just wearing my boxers. A middle-aged cat lady down the hall was staring straight at me. She winked at me and giggled like a school girl.
"Sorry, lady... I just woke up and I'm in a rush"
"Oh, don't apologize, I don't mind at all!"
The lady was violating me with her eyes, and I felt very uncomfortable. I slowly walked back into my apartment and looked in my closet for some clothes. Sonic looked out in the hallway and saw the lady.
"Tell your friend he can come over whenever if he wants a good time!"
Sonic burst out laughing.
"Okay, lady, will do!"
Sonic shut the door and laughed even harder.
"Freaking cradle-robber! she's like, twice your age! Hahaha!"
"Very funny, Sonic... now let's head out!"
Sonic opened the door, and we headed out (I double checked to see if I had all of my clothes on).
"So long, cutie pie!" yelled the cat lady.
"Oh, God help me" I muttered.
"Come on, Knuckles, your girlfriend was talking to you!"
"Shut up!"
I punched Sonic in the side, but he was still laughing.

"Oh, Sonic! You look so sexy with that tux on!" squealed Amy as we walked through the door.
"Yeah, Sonic! You great, big, hunk of a man!" I said, sarcastically.
He snickered and gave me a shove.
"Okay, let's go we're gonna be late!" Amy yelled.
"Umm, Amy?" Cream said very quietly.
"What?"
"Tails isn't going to the Museum, and I want to keep him company... so you guys go without us!"
I looked over at Tails and his cheeks were ruby red, he was smiling from ear to ear.
"Okay, that's fine... Sonic, let's go! We'll see you two later!"
Before I left I winked at Tails and gave him a thumbs up. He finally asked Cream out, our little fox-boy is all grown up.

The Museum was packed, not a good thing. This would make it very hard to stop whoever Eggman sent to take the Chaos Emerald. Sonic didn't seem too nervous... he was too busy making out with Amy. I do have to admit, I envy their relationship. I wish I had a girl to love and hold onto.
I quickly called Tails.
"We're at the Museum, what do we do now?"
"Just sit tight, stay close to the Emerald!"
"Copy that!"
I had always wanted to say that.
I looked over and saw that I lost Sonic and Amy.
"Great, where did they go now?"
I looked around the room for them, and they were nowhere to be found.
"This is just perfect!"
I walked to the next room and there they were. They were sitting in front of a painting of two hedgehogs kissing on a ship on a starry night. Amy's head was leaning on Sonic's shoulder, and Sonic's arm was wrapped around her.
"Oh, Sonic, they remind me of us!"
"Yeah, except I wouldn't be caught dead on a ship!"
"You and your fear of water!"
I loudly cleared my throat, they both looked at me.
"Sonic, we're supposed to be watching the Chaos Emerald!"
"Sorry, Knuckles, I got side tracked. I was lost in Amy's beautiful eyes"
"Oh, Sonic! You're gonna make me blush!"
"Come on, Sonic!"
"Okay, okay fine! But what are the chances that they will attack in the next five minutes.
It wasn't three seconds after he said that, that an entire wall of the Museum exploded.
It was an awful sight, people were sent flying back. They looked like rag dolls that somebody threw across the room. Some were running around on fire, while others lay on the ground, motionless.
I saw two figures walking through the blaze.
Of coarse it had to be them.
Jet the Hawk and Storm the Albatross. They were both Under-bosses, the same rank as Shadow. Jet was a sick and twisted little birdie. He got a kick out of torturing his victims before he killed them. Storm was extremely strong, and was as dumb as he was ugly; and believe me, he was as ugly as it gets.

They both walked up to the Emerald's case, and Storm broke the glass and took it.
"Shit! There taking the Emerald Sonic! I can't get a good shot either, there are too many people!"
Sonic grabbed Amy and threw he in a supply closet.
"You stay right here where you're safe! Don't you dare move from this spot!"
He slammed the door and locked it.
"You go around back and confront Storm, leave Jet to me!"
Sonic always had a deep hatred for Jet.
"Sounds good, be careful!"
"You too!"
With that, we went our separate ways.

I saw Storm go out of an Emergency Exit. I followed him out. I found myself in a dark alley.
"This doesn't feel right" I thought to myself as I walked down the narrow alley.
I saw Storm at the end of the alley (I'm amazed that he actually fit). Now the idiot was trapped between me and the wall.
I slowely walked up to him, took my gun out of my pocket, and pointed it at his head.
"If you still want your head, I suggest that you put the Chaos Emerald down!"
He jumped in fear and turned around.
"Kn-Knuckles! How the hell did you get here? How did you know?"
"I have my ways! Now, drop the Emerald now!"
"Haha, it looks like I came here just in time!"
That was Jet's voice, I could recognize his high-pitched annoying voice anywhere.
I could feel his gun barely touching my neck.
"You and your stupid partner have been a thorn in my side for far too long. First, I'm gonna splatter your brains all over the wall. Then, I'll be going after that annoying hedgehog and know-it-all fox!"
Well, great. Just freakin', awesome! How was I gonna get out of this jam? I thought I had sung my swan song, when my best friend came to my rescue.
"If you don't drop your gun, you're gonna know what it feels like to be a chicken with its head blown off!"
"Well, well, well, if it isn't Sonic! Nice of you to join the party!"
"Shut up, you freak! Drop your gun, or I swear I'll kill you!"
"I doubt that!" echoed a voice.
"Shadow! What are you doing here? This is our mission, not yours!" yelled Jet.
"Well, it doesn't look like your mission is going very well... so I decided to help!"
I heard a click, then something landed between my feet. It was a metal ball.
The ball started spraying an odd-smelling gas from the top of it.
I started coughing and gagging, I couldn't breathe.
The last thing I remember was I fell to the ground. I looked over, and Sonic was on the ground too, his body motionless...

[MSP]

Ch. 4: Casinopolis

I awoke, the sun was flashing in my eyes. At first I had no memory of what happened. I had the biggest headache in history, I couldn't think strait at all. I couldn't even stand up, when I tried I would just fall back on my butt.
I sat there for what seemed like ages and tried to remember what happened. It eventually came to me in bits and pieces.
Shadow! This was his fault, he betrayed us!
I got so mad I forgot about my headache and ran over to a dumpster and pounded on it. Needless to say it won't be usable anymore.
When I finally calmed down I heard someone mumbling.
"You better give me back my chocolate muffin, or I'll shoot your ass!"
I looked over my shoulder to see Sonic laying there in the corner. I ran over and tried to shake him awake.
"Sonic, wake up!"
"No, it's my muffin! Give it back to me you bastard!"
I shook him again, this time harder.
"Wake up!"
"Shut up, muffin! I'm gonna eat you if you like it or not!"
If I shook him any harder I was going to give him Shaken-Hedgehog Syndrome. I finally stop shaking him and gave him a good smack in the face.
"What the Hell was that for!?"
"You needed to wake up!"
Sonic looked around, very confused about where we were.
"Umm, why are we in an ally?"
"We were trying to get the Emerald back from Jet and Storm, when Shadow showed up and used this strange gas to knock us out!"
"Shadow? No, it couldn't have been him!"
"It was, he helped them get the away Chaos Emerald! I don't think we should trust him anymore!"
"He had to have a good reason to do that!"
"What good reason can there be?"
Sonic thought for a moment.
"Beats me! But I know he's still on our side"
"You are too trusting, it's going to get you killed one day, almost did last night. Now let's get out of here, this place ain't too kosher"
"Amen to that, brother!"
We both got up and started to leave. Sonic stopped dead in his tracks, he had a look of pure terror on his face.
"What's wrong?"
"I-I forgot ab-out A-A-Amy! She's gonna be pissed!"
He turned around and ran towards the Emergency Exit of the Museum. I followed him (I wanted to see Amy's reaction when Sonic opened the closet door).
Just as I walked in the door, my radio started to beep. I picked it up and answered.
"Tails?"
"Knuckles, you're awake! That's great, where's Sonic?"
"Right here, Tails!" Sonic walked over to me.
"Well, it's good to see that you are both OK! Shadow came over here last night to apologize"
"He had better do more than that! We would have taken care of Jet and Storm once and for all if he didn't pull that stunt!"
"Actually, you would both be dead right now if either of you pulled the trigger,"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean there were snipers on the roof that would have blown your head's off if you shot Jet or Storm. So Shadow had to do something to stop you!"
"See, Knuckles? I told you he had a good reason!"
"Shut up, Sonic! He could have found a different way!"
"Shadow also gave me some information about an associate of the R. Gang"
"Go on, Tails"
"He said that she are preforming at the Casinopolis Night Club. Her stage name is Femme Fatale,"
"Hmm, I'll bet it's Wave"
I had to guess Wave, she was the only woman we know of that is in the Robotnic Gang. She was the fourth Under-boss and was the brains of the four. I never took her as much of a performer, though. And she was no "Femme Fatale either. I mean she wasn't bad looking, for a bird, but she wasn't smoking hot, either.
"OK, we'll check it out tonight. Are you coming?"
"Well, actually I've got a date with Cream tonight,"
Sonic and I looked at each other, snickering.
"Tails, you dog! Make sure you two don't have too much fun!"
"What kind of guy do you think I am? I wouldn't do that on the first date, I'm a Gentleman after all! I have to go, I need to decide what I'm going to wear"
"We gotta go too, Sonic needs to get Amy out of a closet"
"I'm not even going to ask"
"I think it's best that you don't, over and out!"
I turned the radio off and put it back in my pocket.
"OK, Sonic, time to free the beast! Haha"
Sonic slugged me in the shoulder.
"Shut up, I had to keep her safe somehow!"
"Yeah, try telling her that!"
We walked over to the janitor's closet.
It was hard not to notice all of the damage that Jet and Storm did to the place. There was debris everywhere, not to mention the missing wall.
"Are you ready for this?" I asked Sonic.
"As ready as I'll ever be,"
He slowely opened the door and looked inside.
"...Amy?"
I heard a couple of hard smacks then I saw Sonic fly backwards and fall on the floor.
"Sonic! Why would you leave me in that closet all night!? I had to sleep on the hard, cold ground with rats crawling all around! You don't treat me like a lady anymore! I have half a mind to leave you!"
Sonic got up and walked to her.
"Amy I-" He was interrupted by another smack to the face.
"I'm sorry for locking you in the closet, but it was safer in there then out here!"
"I don't want to listen to you anymore! You had better come up with a good way of making it up to me!"
"I will!"
"Well? Let's hear it!"
"Umm, how would you like to go to Casinopolis tonight?"
Great, he just invited her on another case. He sure puts her in danger alot.
"Really? Do you promise there won't be any interruptions?"
"Sure, I promise there will be no interruptions"
"Ok, but this is your last chance mister! I'm gonna go home and take a long, hot bath; That closet made me filthy! What time are you picking me up?"
"We'll drop by at 7:30, is that OK?"
"That's perfect! See you then," Amy ran off towards the front entrance.
"Well, that went better than I thought!"
"Sonic! You need to quit inviting her to places when we're on the lookout!"
"Don't worry, it won't be like last night... there isn't gonna be a heist. We're just gonna instigate that Femme Fatale chick"
We were walking out of the Museum when a legion of news reporters surrounded us.
"Detective Knuckles, why did you let the Robotnic Gang get away?"
"What? We didn't mean to-"
"Is it because you are getting too weak and gullible for this job?"
"What did you say!? I'm gonna-"
Sonic interrupted me.
"We have no comment, except that we do have a lead in the case, and we are going to investigate it tonight!" Sonic yelled. He then grabbed my hand and we darted off.
We were sprinting down the street, but the reporters didn't stop.

We finally made it to my apartment. I locked my door and collapsed on a chair.
"My freakin head! Damn news reporters!"
Sonic was looking out the window.
"They are just waiting out side! I wounder how long they are gonna stay out there?"
I picked up the remote and turned on the TV.
"We are outside Detective Sonic and Detective Knuckle's apartment building waiting for information about the recent theft of the Chaos Emerald. Apparently, it was the work of the infamous Robotnic Gang. Obviously the team of Detectives are losing their touch!"
I was so mad I couldn't see straight. Why were the reporters always on our ass about everything? I just hoped they didn't follow us to Casinopolis.

Luckily, they were all gone by 7:00. I was ready to get the night over with. I still had a pounding headache and just wanted to go to bed. But when duty calls I have to answer.
I looked through my closet for something to wear. It was Casinopolis, so I knew I didn't have to wear anything flashy. I picked out a pair of jeans that were ripped at the knee and a black tee-shirt.
Sonic walked into my apartment (the boy never knocks).
"Hey, do I look too thuggish?"
"Nah, you look fine! We have to hurry and get Amy of she'll have a cow!"
"Fine, let's head out,"
I walked over to my dresser and got an Aspirin and took it. God I wanted my headache to stop, and if we were late, Amy would make it worse.

We reached Amy's house at 7:34, hopefully she wouldn't be too mad. Sonic knocked on the door.
"Hold on, I'll be right out!" Amy yelled from the second floor.
"Dang, women take forever!" Sonic complained.
I was in total agreement. Since I've known Amy, she never has never ceased to take an hour and a half to get all of her clothes, makeup, and jewelry on.
Finally Amy opened the door, and Sonic's jaw dropped to the ground.
Amy did look very pretty that night. She was wearing the dress she wore to prom (I guess it was Sonic's favorite sine it showed her curves).
"How do I look, Sonic?"
"You are looking hot! But now I feel a little under dressed"
Sonic was wearing a wife beater and a pair of worn out jeans.
"I think it makes you look sexy, you can see all of your muscles!"
Sonic's cheeks turned bright red. I guess he gets embarrassed when Amy compliments him.
He gave her a quick kiss on the lips and we started walking. This was one of the times where I truly envied their relationship. I have never had the opportunity to get in a serious relationship. I mean sure, I dated in High school and College, but they were never serious. The girls were always fake and ditsy; and apparently all they wanted was to get in my pants! I prayed one day soon that would change, and I would find a girl that would love me, not lust after me. I needed someone to comfort when she was down, to take midnight walks on the beach with, to watch the sun set in Emerald Park, to snuggle next to close to the fire. Was that too hard to ask?

Casinopolis was a very bright and active part of Station Square. All of the neon lights and the excitement made you feel like a kid running around the fair.
Surprisingly, Casinopolis had the lowest crime-rate in the City. Apparently we had honest gamblers here.
We walked to the far end of Casinopolis to the Chaos Chao Night Club.
"Sonic, it's so beautiful here isn't it?"
Sonic stared into Amy's eyes with a passionate flame in his eyes.
"Yeah, sure is..."

The club was packed! I didn't know it could fit that many people. Luckily, Tails reserved a table for us before he went out with Cream. We actually got front row seats!
A very odd thing I noticed when walking up to our table, almost all the people here were men. Normally, the club was full of both men and women.
We sat at our table, we were so close to the stage that you could touch it.
While we sat down, there was a comedian just finishing his act.
"Well, thanks for having me here! I can see I did my job in putting half of the audience to sleep! Now, the next act is probably why most of you came out here tonight, let me introduce you to... Femme Fatale!"
The comedian went back stage and the curtain fell. Then this kind of exotic jazz music started playing. The people behind me were going extatic. The curtain started to rise. I soon realized why the crowd was getting so rowdy (and why most of them were men).
The curtain opened to reveal, not Wave, but a seductive Siren.
She was gorgeous! The woman dancing on that stage was a bat-girl with the perfect body and beautiful face. The purple dress she was wearing showed every curve of her body. I felt like a teenager who couldn't control his hormones. I could feel the drool drip down my face. What was worse for me was she started to sing. She really was a Siren, her voice was as beautiful as she was.
"Tap the rhythm against the floor, to look for another door"
She went over to the wall and slid down it.
"I am slipping, to the mysteries of the night!"
She then stepped off stage and started walking towards our table.
"I know there is an easy way, but it's my choice anyway! Don't let me waist my life in futile thinking anymore! Fated not to be tamed"
It was then when she bent down and got so close to me we almost kissed.
"Watch me I never will lean upon you"
Then she pushed away from me. I just sat there, frozen. I couldn't move my body at all.
"I can go, by my self, fly in the freedom"
Soon the words all jumbled together and all that existed in my mind was that bat-girl. I stared at her as she walked seductively back on stage. The curtain slowely fell and she disappeared. I still couldn't move, just the though of that bat girl sent shivers down my spine.
"Knuckles!" Sonic yelled, snapping his fingers.
"Huh? What?"
"Snap out of it, buddy! We need to go see if we can interrogate her!"
"Oh... right I forgot!"
The three of us got up from the table and quickly got outside.

"Ooohhh! Who does that girl think she is? That was totally inappropriate! Her dress was way too tight, her boobs were almost completely hanging out for peat's sake!"
"Calm down, Amy! She was just a performer,"
"Performer? Please, she was a hussy! I can't believe a woman would stoop so low as to wear something like that! You agree with me, right Knuckles?"
"Huh? Oh, right, sure Amy..."
"You alright, Knuckles?"
"Yeah, Sonic, I'm fine! It's just my headache is coming back.
I was of coarse lying through my teeth. I couldn't get that bat girl out of my head.

We walked pass an alley, and I heard some voices; both sounded familiar. I turned back and walked down the alley and hid behind a dumpster. It was exactly who I thought it was.
"Knuckles, what are you doing?" Sonic yelled.
"Sshh! Come here," I whispered.
He rolled his eyes as he and Amy went behind the dumpster too.

"I'm not one of those poor girls you scare into being one of your whores, Storm! Don't you dare disrespect me, you don't have any control over me!"
"Do you want me to hurt you? You never back talk me, little lady!"
It was Storm and that bat girl! He was harassing her; the one thing that pisses me off the most is when a girl is getting harassed.
Storm picked her up by the neck. I was so mad, I didn't realize what I was doing. I ran over to Storm and threw him on the ground. I guess I shouldn't have done that, because the bat girl fell too.
"What the hell is wrong with you? You have to scare women to get in the mood or something?!"
"Kn-Knuckles! How are you here? You're supposed to be dead, that gas was supposed to kill you!"
I grabbed him by the neck just like he did to her.
"Well, I'm not that easy to get rid of! Now get out of here and leave this girl alone!"
"Ha! Why don't you make me?"
He shouldn't have said that. I used full force and punched him square in the face. He flew back and hit his head on the brick wall. To my surprise, he got up.
He lunged towards me and tackled me to the ground. My adrenalin was so high I didn't feel the impact, I just kicked him off of me and jumped on top of him.
I just kept punching his face until I heard Amy.
"Knuckles, stop! You're scaring me!"
I stopped bashing Storm's head in and saw Amy hiding her face in Sonic's chest.
I got up and apologized to Amy, then picked Storm up by the neck again.
"Now, you had better start treating women a little better, or next time I'll completely rearrange your face!"
I threw him and he hit the wall again.
He slowly got up and walked down the alley.
"You'll pay for this, I promise you that!"
I walked over to the bat girl and held out my hand to help her up.
She smacked my hand an got up herself.
"I didn't asked for your help, nor did I need it!"
"I'm sorry, lady, it's just that-"
"It's just that you thought I was one of those women who would fall in your arm an call you my hero! I'm not that easy, bub!"
"It's not like that at all!"
"Don't you lie to me! All you men are the same!"
She started walking down the alleyway.
I felt like scum, I got yelled at by the girl that I saved. Talk about humiliation! I walked back towards Amy and Sonic.
"Knuckles?"
"I don't want to talk, Sonic. I'm going home, you and Amy have fun for the rest of the night. I'm going to take a long, hot shower and going to bed,"
Sonic looked at me with great concern, but at the moment I didn't care. I just walked passed them and headed home.

When I got to my apartment I slammed the door. I was so mad and confused that tears started pouring down my face. I really didn't know the exact reason why I was mad or crying. Perhaps it was the beautiful girl I saved bitched me out, that had to be it. I went in the bathroom, got undressed, and got in the shower. I guess Storm messed me up a little bit. There were scrapes on my elbows and knees. I could also feel some scratches on my face.

I stood there in the shower, letting the hot water fall on my aching body. Maybe it would warm up my heart, too...