Charlie’s Angels

There was no doubt about it, was Charlie's hand writing, flare, and charm all over.

This was either written by her prize, or a very good imitation: there was no other charm like his. Well, he was lucky she -hadn't- snag a someone else, okay, so men weren't smash down her door, but she could have gotten one if she wanted. Right? Who didn't want a sensitive artist for a girlfriend? Well, Robyn knew one guy at least! She was just lucky the casting was done already on her latest piece, her treasure: she'd break it open when she and Charlie got back. It was an original work all her own, she normally paid the rent by commissions, by video game fanatics who wanted custom figurines of their favorite (female) character. She'd rather work on her own creations full time rather than do humanoid animals in skin tight outfits with over proportioned maternal material, but she'd also rather not sleep in a cardboard box. She had some recognition in local circles, but not the ones she wanted. She was local, good, and most important; they knew how much she would take for a job.

The letter hadn't been sent by mail, it had been deposited right in her single apartment/studio's letterbox, so there was no return address. Charlie didn't want her to know where he was ahead of time. (Who in their right mind who bother to lure her into anything? Okay, some of her commissioners might be that crazy, but none of them were that clever.)

Robyn found a red dress that wasn't in the laundry (her trip the Laundromat wasn't until next week). She wasn't all that fond of jewelry and neither was Charlie and didn't bother with it. Straightening out any knots in her hair she took off her glasses, put on her blue tinted contacts and was out the door at the appropriate time.

Yep, Julie smirked, this was Charlie all right. A lot of little boys she knew tried to bluff through his way of saying things, but none of them ever came close, and none of those fakers ever dared coming close to -her- again.

Charlie was the only one who never gave up on her, heck, while most guys got frightened off by her 'passion' (two words, second amendment!), it actually got him -more- interested! When they first met she had rejected him, threatened him, but he just kept coming, that was when Julie noticed something different about him from the others, he wasn't stupid, and yet wasn't afraid of her. He calmly accepted her interest in weapons when she showed off her collection.

All the girls she had shown her guns to accused her of shooting Bambi's mom, and all the little boys she had shown them to told her using guns was a man's job. She always responded by explaining in a calm and friendly voice the type of damage each weapon could do in precise detail and they were out faster than a projectile off a rail gun. (The major she was getting was for weapon design after all.)

Indeed, Julie had never met someone like Charlie before or since. Julie knew her parents and older siblings would think she was crazy for going out based only on a letter from someone who had vanished well over a month ago without telling the police, but what else was new? They already thought her interest in firearms was a mental disorder caused by too much TV, comic books, and in particular first person shooters games that she had played maybe twice her life. But hey, no matter what her family preached she could take care of herself and always had been.

She considered for a moment to wear a dress just to surprise him, but decided instead to be herself, the person he had fallen in love with, and put on a camouflage colored tank top with matching pants and army boots. She kept her smirk, no matter what Charlie used as his excuse, she knew this was going to be a night to remember.

"It him! I know it's him! It could only be him." The lass (last month had been her seventeenth birthday) sang in a dreamy voice. She danced around her room just missing her impressive stuffed animal collection in her prance. Her mind was already creating an idealistic theater image in her mind: her Romeo had come back to her. And his Juliet had not ended her life! This night would be the night he finally asked her to marry him! And they would live happily ever after!

-One Cold Hard Reality Later-

"No Keiko!" Her mother repeated, her dad hiding in the corner from the muscular woman's wrath, ironic given Keiko's heritage and the overtly submissive role women played (even more than western culture). Some would compare this to the humor of an anime, but no one in that living room was in the mood.

"But I wanna! I wanna, I wanna, I wanna!" A good slap silenced that.

"I said no young lady. You don't know who sent that letter!" The woman likely thought it could be Charlie and wasn't happy about it. She was never fond of the idea of her child seeing an older man.

"I do! It's my Charlie!" Keiko whined.

"No you don't! Now go up to your room, while I call the police and they see who this really is." Realizing this battle was hopeless the oriental girl sulked up to her room.

"Now where is that trap?" It took a minute for Keiko's mother realized the invitation wasn't where she laid it.

A minute and one second later she was opening the door to Keiko's room. The child's best white 'semi-causal/semi-formal' dress missing, no ticket in sight, and a window open with bed sheets tied together into a rope going outside . . .

Carnival Night Kingdom: Robyn read in a local paper the place was own by a brand new branch of Sega (when did that game business come into such a sudden cash flow?) as an experimental joint venture with Disney. However, for being brand spanking new, it really was a mix of old carnival treats and modern theme park fun. Robyn thought it was beautiful, it was real return to the beautiful things in life.

Julie had two words for this place 'La-aim,' not only did it lack any fancy techno toys that just might have held her interest, from the looks of things, she knew from the copy rights to this place it was just another shot from cooperate America to make more money! Jerks! Relying on cheap gimmicks to take people's money. Feeding off old fuzzy feelings like leeches. At least Charlie would be here.

Keiko politely thanked the taxi driver for the ride to the amusement park, as her mother had taught (one of the few things that Keiko accepted). Taking a look at the massive place, she hoped she didn't get lost, of course, if she had her Charlie with her that would be impossible. She calmed herself, she wouldn't be scared, she stepped foreword: she wouldn't back down. She was Alice and her wonderland was waiting for her with the white rabbit inside.

Robyn looked at her ticket: she hoped Charlie would be here.

Julie checked her watch: Charlie had better show.

Keiko gazed at the bright lights: she knew Charlie was waiting for her.

Then they all sat down at the bench they were requested to on the backside of the ticket.

It took ten seconds for them to notice each other: the ladies had their minds on Charlie.

Robyn blinked surprised. "Huh? Julie, Keiko?"

"Eh, you?" Julie raised an eyebrow, a tad of venom on her breath.

"Oh! Excuse me." Requested Keiko in a submissive tone.

 "So, what are you two doing here?" Robyn asked.

"Charlie invited me," the other two girls said in unison.

"Really? He invited me too," Robyn blurted before she could push the words back into her mouth.

Everyone was stunned silent. There was no way this could be right. Not for a second did any of them consider that Charlie had been a Kirk with them all along. Love is blind and these young women had been led along. They knew these other girls were friends of Charlie. But they had no idea that Charlie was dating anyone but her. Heck, they were clueless to the fact that there had been a forth member of Charlie's unwitting harem. It took several seconds (Keiko being the last) for them to realize that these two had been seeing Charlie as well.

Julie's eyes narrowed like a wolf's. Like hell he did. Probably just wanting to tell them they can only be friends while he'll go steady with me.

Keiko tilted her head. This is all just a strange dream. Charlie would never be interested in anyone but me. Other men tried to take advantage of me: he never did once. Charlie must have asked them here as witnesses for his declaration of love for me.

Okay ... Robyn took in the situation the best she could. Charlie will have a rational explanation when he gets here. We'll still be friends, and Charlie will still be mine.

Noting the glare from the other two young ladies, Robyn felt a tad uncomfortable and attempted to change the subject. "Isn't this place just beautiful? I've never seen so many sparkling lights and exciting rides all in one spot."

"Are you crazy?" Julie returned in her normal rough manner. "Think of where all the money these people are brining in is going to go. Think it's going to go to charity? I doubt it. Think it's going to go to the poor or perhaps the employees that work here? I bet you they're all making minimum wage just so some corporate fat cat can send their bratty, spoiled undeserving kids to some fancy school or so they can have another BMW and," oh brother Robyn motioned for Julie to stop. "Julie you need to relax. This place looks great. Why worry about stuff like that when we can have fun?"

"Yeah, at others expense," Julie retorted.

"You are just impossible. "

Keiko was as quiet as a mouse during this little catfight. No only did she not want to but in, she didn't want to get dragged in, Julie made a good point, but so did Robyn, oh she was so confused. Why couldn't they all get along? She had nothing against them. They couldn't love Charlie as much as she did, right?

Robyn spoke. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to find something to do. While I wait for Charlie." Away from you.

Robyn had already stood up and was walking away by the time she heard Julie respond to that comment. She only glanced back at her apparent rival. Before walking off in the direction of a concession stand.

A young man with wild looking hair and sunglasses attended to the nearest stand.

I like the way this guy's style "Hello, did you happen to see a guy about my age sitting at the bench over there? He said he was waiting for me. I just know he's going to break it off with them and go with me. I just want some time alone with him," she asked. She didn't think how about a dozen people could fit that description. If not for another unnoted fact the ladies has seen no visitors yet except for themselves.

"I think I saw him go around that corner." The employee said without missing a beat. "There's a museum of gems and other associated jewelry there."

Ooooh That Charlie, he's just waiting there to propose to me. Robyn thought having a Keiko moment.

"Thanks. I'll have a hot dog and cherry soda. Hmmm, you know what, I'll get some for him too, I'll also have another hotdog and," for a short second, she felt a little lightheaded. It passed and she continued "and a grape soda."

The attendant ringed up her purchase. "That'll be five dollars and sixty three cents."

Robyn handed the man a ten and told him to keep the change. She figured he deserved it for leading her to Charlie. If the rules said no tip then rules be damned.

"Thank you 'Mam" he smiled.

"No, thank you," said Robyn as she took the food and drinks and headed away. The younger women didn't think for a second that Robyn's trek away from the bench had anything to do with Charlie. Keiko figured she had to use the lady's room, while Julie concluded the woman had seen some pretty knickknack made by the dozen in China.

***

Keiko was growing concerned. She'd been there for thirty minutes already and no sign of Charlie. He wouldn't stand her up: she knew it. Julie sat across from her, the college girl's expression of disgust at the glamour of the carnival slowly degrading Keiko's nerves.

Keiko however, wasn't about to say anything she just hoped she changed her tune by the time Charlie arrived, so she didn't ruin the mood when Charlie proposed to Keiko. She had finally built up the nerve to say something about enjoying life while you can when her cell phone rang. She answered it after only one ring.

She whispered. "Hello?"

"Hey baby, it's me," the voice greeted, it was Charlie!

Keiko looked at Julie and stood up, walking a short distance so she'd have privacy. The gun girl considered little Keiko too low a threat to take notice.

"Charlie, is it really you?" she dared.

"You bet sweetheart. Change of plans; meet me in the hall of mirrors. I have a surprise waiting there, something that'll make you purr like a kitten, you might just want to pounce on it even. I'll see you there."

He hung up before she could respond. Okay, that was a bit weird, even for him but if he wants to say the words there then so be it.

Keiko started her way towards the hall of mirrors. It was easy to spot from where the bench was, the lass was already sure what the young man had in plan for her. She felt Julie's eyes shift to her as she walked. Out of habit she turned and bowed politely saying her farewell before continuing on her course. For a moment she was scared Julie suspected something, but the woman stayed where she was.

  Julie sat alone at the bench tapping it with her right index finger. She was happy to be rid of the other two. Now she wouldn't have to worry about them cramping her and Charlie's style and she had a lot of catching up to do with him when he returned. Of course, she'd also chew him out for having gone away so suddenly and for so long but in the end, she was just happy to have him back. She looked at her watched and sighed, Charlie where are you?

The sound of what she thought was a gunshot made her jump. It had come from behind her. She heard two more then what she could have sworn was Charlie cheering over having scored a direct hit on something. A shooting galley perhaps? Either that or Charlie had gone postal ... no, a shooting gallery. Charlie wouldn't solve problems with people with gun, besides he had the muscles to take them out with his bare hands if he wanted. Had she been a cartoon character, Julie's eyes would have turned to hearts with the image of Charlie she currently had in her mind. She heard a second cheer after another set of shots. She couldn't resist anymore and jumped out of her seat, running towards the sounds of her boyfriend.

When she reach the source (it was indeed a shooting gallery) a half-minute later, she saw someone playing but it wasn't Charlie. It was a young lady, no older then 14 or 15, she looked Spanish, and from what Julie saw, she was one heck of a good shot. How she'd managed to sound like Charlie was beyond Julie. Julie got her attention with a shoulder shake between gunshots.

"Yo, have you seen a guy here, he's four, er, three years older than me, brown hair. His eyes are-" Julie felt dizzy for a moment before continuing. "-violet and he's well built."

Instead of starting at the rude interruption the Spanish girl simply nodded and answered kindly. "I think he was the man who gave me the pea shooter, but he had to use the washroom and didn't want his five minutes to go to waste. He said he'd be right back. Here, you can take over until he gets back. "

   "But you're doing so well," Julie protested loving the display of the small lass' amazing skill.

"I know, I just don't like firearms," the girl explained.

"All right," Julie accepted, though find it odd that a girl who didn't like gun would be so good at them. Pity. Julie took the rifle from the girl and turned to view the targets, mostly plastic ducks and that sort of thing. She noticed the girl had an excellent score and was about to comment on it when she found the girl was nowhere to be seen. Weird, but whatever, Charlie will be here soon, that's what matters. There was no crowd for the child to have vanished into, the place was rather dead for a Friday night, the cheapskate had likely put the advertising budget right into their own pockets.

   With that sunny thought in mind Julie took aim and ... BAM!

Her first shot wasn’t even close to hitting one of the ducks.

   "Oookay, that wasn’t very good..." Julie said, chuckling, just glad no one was here to see that, she was a natural at these games.

Taking Aim again, she pulled the trigger. She felt a tingling in her arms, but paid no mind. This one was a bit closer to one of the targets. Maybe she was a bit rusty.

   BAM! This one hit a target on the side. At the same time, her right leg tingled. Maybe she just needed a couple shots to get back into the groove. A slight breeze graced her hips' fur.

   "Okay, forth time's the charm..." She clutched the weapon as if it was a part of her body, the fake wood a contrast to the silver of her arms and squeezed the trigger. Finally, she hit a target dead on. She felt a bit odd and everything seemed to tingle a bit. She could have sworn things were getting bigger, but that’s just her imagination, right?

   Not even bothering to aim, and letting her enhanced senses take aim for her, she pulled the trigger, and another duck went down... Her Dreadlocks then went over her eyes.

   As usual, one of them was cybernetic, making interacting with any machine with a I/O port a breeze.

Julie looked at the gun, no replacement for her double barrel but it was still to the same scale as her so it had to be just her mind playing tricks on her. That meathead Vector would say she must have bumped her head and knocked a screw lose. Followed by showing a screw. Jerk.

She took some more potshots at the moving unevolved wood duckies, perfect hits as always. Julie smirked, she knew weapons and they knew her, even if it was just a silly carnival game. Julie looked around at the lights as she fired some final rounds off the toy gun before her time expired. Her smirk didn't fade, so her boyfriend had finally decided to make out in a place other than the 'great out doors' which Julie, being a city girl through and through, had never been fond of. It wasn't like she had a chance to enjoy it growing up anyway; it was a matter of survival.

She went up the cashier behind the counter to pick out her prize. She laughed and picked out a Sonic The Hedgehog dolly. This was going to be her revenge for him making her worry for so, so long.

"And a Sonic The Hedgehog Plushy to the pretty pink missy." She was torn between telling him she was taken, or just complimenting him for not saying a thing about her cybernetics.

When you're raised by a faction of your people who perform 'creative' body enhancements purely in spite of the taboo on them (never mind the genetic programming done to Knux while still in the egg by his own father), you learned to take the licks or break. Julie-Su, never, ever, broke.

She flicked some of her pink spines out of her face, and decided to just politely thank the man for doing the job he was paid to. Julie-Su decided to wait it out back at the bench, feeling rather odd among the mundane technology existing alongside nature, something she had been taught could never be.

Julie-Su shook her head and laughed out load, if Great Great Grandpa Dimirti could see her now. Having fun and waiting it out for the Great Great, when you get the picture of his brother, well, she didn't want him to have a heart attack, she maybe she'd just tell him about it instead, and give him a stroke.

Sitting down on the bench her two wannabe rivals still nowhere to be seen thankfully she felt the cool metal touch against the skin underneath her fur. Now covering anything below the equator was considered risqué among Mobians only if you were a she, Julie-Su never understood why guys were allowed to go around in the fur where ladies were expect to hide what they had ninety nine percent of the time (the only except Julie could think of was another on-off rival for Knuckles, that more soldier than Princess Sally, at least she wasn't a pampered weakling like –another- 'princess' Julie knew), not that Julie-Su complained of course.

While she could guess at Knuckles' motive easily enough, Echidna culture was universally isolationist and she couldn't help but feel uncomfortable in this Overlander amusement park. She rested her original hand over her gun subconsciously, outside of the shower she could think of few times she was without it purposely. The impressive collection of different ammos along the yellow belt that circled her hips. She followed the current trend of wearing gloves and in this case it added to the surprise when they found out the surgeons hadn't stop with one of her arms. She resisted the urge to take off her top in the summer heat, while she didn't like the taboo she knew she'd get unwanted attention from any overlanders who didn't understand the Mobian definition of 'casual dress.' One half of her tank top was black leather, while the other half was green military cloth with small pockets for some of her minor equipment.

She looked up with her violet eyes at the twilight emerging stars: they covered sky. She breath out through her muzzle. One half of a family her race praised, the other half they cursed, Julie-Su was the ladder, yet Knuckles had accepted her all the same. And how many could say about their boyfriends?

Where was he? A swirling of multicolored light caught the cyborg's attention in the corner of her eye.

~Julie, come home.~ She heard a voice say, some kind, loving, welcoming. ~Come home to where you are needed. Where he needs you. ~ Julie-Su knew exactly what 'he' the voice was talking about, and without any of her normal paranoia, she step through the doorway.

***

   Keiko finally entered the house of mirrors, her short black hair mixing in with the semi-darkness. Why would Charlie ask her The Question here of all places?

Whatever he wants, at least I'll have a bunch of mirrors I can look at myself in. I have to look perfect for Charlie; even a tiny bit of dust would ruin everything! This will be the moment, everything about me has to be perfect for him, he deserves nothing less from me. She wandered into the house, peering into the entrance to see if she could see her man.

"Charlie, are you in here?" There was no response so she tried something a little more casual. Knowing Charlie, he'd probably respond to that. "Chuck?" That made her cringe; referring to people by nicknames went against her whole upbringing. But Charlie enjoyed it some times, and such a tiny taboo she was willing to make if this was how he wished to do it.

She walked into the house, seeing her reflection in the first mirror. She looked perfect *almost too perfect* _as if I could look too perfect for him, what am I thinking? _ Keiko had never been vain, but her mother had hammered into her how important presentation was to anything.

"Charlie are you in here?" she repeated, the mirrors preventing her voice from carrying.

   She wandered further in, she was the only there. Her ears twitched at a sound behind a group of mirrors to her right. Charlie?. She ran towards the sound, only making a minor mental note of her distorted reflecting in the various mirrors. She was shorter in one mirror, more lilith in the next, slimmer. She turned a corner and saw her eyes in this mirror were larger, her nose tiny along with their mouth in a triangle shape. How are they able to do this?

When she got to where she thought he would be, she thought she saw someone run by a corner. She ran towards that corner only to be stopped by a large mirror. Her reflection looked perfectly normal, her long cat like tail swishing behind her showing her annoyance, a gift from her mother's side of the family. When your father was the most powerful person in Station Square, no one cared you were a hybrid.

Darn it Charlie, stop being such a knucklehead. Turning around she listened intently for her man. The thought occurred to her to use her cell phone to ask him where he was using star eighty-two. But when she pulled it out of the pocket of her pink hot pants, oddly, the battery was at zero.

Weird, maybe something in here is interfering. Keiko resumed walking, the floor creaking under her matching shoes starting to annoy her ears, even the air in the house was musty, which almost made her sneeze. She might not have whiskers but the dust drove her crazy all the same. She pulled the neon pink demi-jacket closer around her. Her head itched and she thought a spider or some other icky insect was crawling about her head.

Oh, I will give him a knuckle sandwich if a spider got into my hair!. She scratched as she walked, finding her normal cat like ears among the sea of long brown hair atop her head.

"Hey Keiko I'm over here, near the entrance! I'll be waiting for you on the other side!" Knuckles called out, out of sight, but why was he calling her by her nickname? Was he playing a practical joke on her?

Now, which way was that entrance? Oh great, I have gone and gotten myself lost.

Sera wandered around, seeing little more then reflections of herself.

   Perhaps in her more vein days this would have amused and entertained her but now the human/cat just wanted out of this infernal place! Finally, Sera came to what she thought was the entrance only it looked like a portal of some sorts, like some carnival attraction where you'd jump into a clowns head going downstairs while it made you look like you were going through a vortex made of spinning colors. This is the exit? This isn't at all like the entrance. Am I going crazy? Either way I have got to get out of here.

She approached the 'exit' and felt as though a vacuum were sucking her into it. She was soon what she could only describe as airborne in the tunnel. She was happy she hadn't chosen to wear a dress today. She was having flash backs to when a certain blue robot had been looking up her skirt. She was falling 'foreword' if that was possible. She let out a girly girl scream: at least happy with however she landed it would be on her feet. And that he would be waiting for her on the other side. And if he wasn't, she knew there were others she could be with.

***

   Robyn entered the strange "Gem Exhibit". A fairly large tent with any number of precious stones on fake (?) marble pedestals within set in no pattern she could recognize.

What kind of carnival has an exhibit of gems?, She wondered.

   It was strangely empty. You’d think something like this would attract many customers. Now that she thought about it, besides Keiko and Julie, had she seen ANYONE since she got here besides that employee and the other girls?

   The room seemed to glow in all the colors of the Rainbow, a light set beneath each gem spraying it's color on the side of the tent, the gems, and Robyn.

   Normally, she has absolutely no interest in jewels. Nope: none at all. They were shallow things for shallow people. But, the gems in here were so gorgeous...

   She was sure that whoever owned the carnival wouldn’t mind if she just looked at one of the gems up close...

   She noticed one rock that seemed out of place... What looked like a Purple Emerald... But... Emeralds were green, right?

Taking it down from the mantle, Robyn stares into the gem, hypnotized by it. Dulled to her surroundings and herself.

Her Blue eyes became Cyan as she stared at the jewel, and her short hair started losing it’s color and shortening more so, becoming white fur. The fur ended up covering up most of her head, leaving the area around her nose (now small and black) and mouth untouched.  Her Skin Tanned quite a bit, and her face pulled out into a Muzzle, complete with black tipped nose. However, she noticed none of this.  She started to shrink, but her clothes somehow kept pace and become skintight, and they changed shaped as well. Now they were some sort of latex material, complete with a heart shaped chest plate. Her short gloves also got longer, and rimmed with pink as they turned white. Her high heels had turned into High Heeled boots.

   A small tail pulled out from her tailbone, pressing against the latex outfit which changed to fit with this tiny detail.

   Her ears moved up to the top of her head and changed shape until they resembled a bat’s ears. Her attention didn’t waver from the jewel, even when black disproportionately small wings pushed their way out her back.

   Her thoughts strayed now, however. She was thinking of how she could locate the other six jewels in the set... Nobody can defeat the Great Jewel Thief, Rouge. All the world's gem were hers to keep.

   As Rouge hid the Chaos Emerald, (As to where, well, a lady has to have some secrets though most involve maternal tissue), she saw a strange source of light up ahead... "..Hmm? What the--?"

   Rouge saw two people up ahead, in front of strange glowing... "fields" was the best word she could think of to describe them.

  The first was a human male of below average height, with a childish look, slick back hair, and extremely pale skin.

   The other one was an echidna girl. Not that Juli-Su girl that she had seen Knuckles with once or twice, but an innocent looking girl, orange in coloration, dressed up in some kind of tribal dress that Rouge knew had to have gone out style since before the last great war. For some reason, she DID seem familiar to Rouge, but she was positive she’d never met her before...

   "Come this way! Pass through this portal, and I can make all your wants come true," the man offered.

   "No they won't!" The orange anteater injected. "If you go with him, you'll just be used!"

"Everyone in life is used somewhere down the line, you're no stranger to that my dear, we both know it. Besides, if you go with her, you'll have to give up your precious jewel. Come with me, and you'll stay along side it with no fear of ever having to go looking for them again, and again, and again."

   "Okay, I don’t know what you two are babbling about," Rouge complained.

   The purple gem floated out of its hiding place and landed gently in Rouge's gloves. "Don't you wish to keep it Rouge? After all, the world's gems are yours to keep."

   Rouge glared at the man, "How’d you do that?"

   "Same way she's here, well, maybe a little different, she spoke first, so why don't you ask her first? But this isn't about me Rouge, it's about your precious jewels."

   "That’s not the way she is at all. You make her sound like an obsessed lunatic!" the girl protested.

   "I wouldn't call it an obsession, more like this girl knows what she wants and she's not going to give up on it. Sounds more like assertiveness to me."

   "But she also refuses to take the easy way out, which is what you’re trying to lead her down."

   "That's because it's part of the game. Why work for something that you may never have when I can give it to you here and now? Think of the power these emeralds hold, of how much they're worth. Do you really want to refuse them and spend the rest of your life wondering 'what if' as you watch others take possession of them. Think of how mad that would drive you ... *he looks at Tikal* what kind of a monster would do that to a person?"

   "The kind of monster that wants a life to be meaningful."

"People want life to be satisfied, not meaningful." He looked at Rouge. "And you've always been willing to do what it took to get what you wanted right?"

"Rouge! Don't let me fall!" Scarlet desperately looked up into her daughter's eyes, Scarlet's wings had a hole that went straight through the bone from the last shot that rent-a-cop had gotten off during their escape, her wings were useless.

Rouge's spiked boots dug into the rooftops covering, and it was slowly cutting towards the edge. The police cars and GUN hover bots were closing in fast. Rouge looked at the loving red haired bat that had given her birth and had raised her in spite of the lack of a father.

   One of Rouge's arms was holding the large heavy gems they had spent month together planning the scoring of, and now threatened to pull Rouge's arm off. The other: held her flightless mother's arm, slowly slipping. The cars were coming closer, closer. The machines were almost here.

'Never let the treasure get away' her mother had taught her. Rouge made her choice. Rouge flew away with the prize on her back as she fled, her name in agony (but not hatred?) falling down the ally between the two building, stopping abruptly as something hit the fire escapes hard, and the sound of shattering bones filled Rouge's sensitive ears followed by a final thud as Rouge escaped into the darkness.

   Rouge walks towards the man... just as it looks like she’s about to enter the light field... she spins and kicks him in the groin, "Go to Hell, Bastard!" The man's body didn't even react to the blow. But he did seem somewhat surprised. But it wasn't the 'stunned stupid' surprise Rouge wanted, it was the 'how long is it going to take to make the five year old to eat her greens? ' surprise. She didn't give him the satisfaction of seeing hers.

   Rouge stormed off towards the woman’s field of light, then slowly entered it... Tikal could have sworn she saw a tear in Rouge’s eye... She smiled in relief, she didn't, she had finally done. She had saved one. One hadn't fallen into the dark. She spoiled herself on a smile at her opposite number. His face was still devoid of most emotion.

  She said to the vanishing bat. "Delude yourself all you want child, you know who you belong to in the end." The man said flatly as Rouge passed through the portal. "Whom you've belonged to since that night. You've already escaped into the darkness."

"You're wrong, she isn't like her old self. This time around, she won't betray everything for the sake of greed."

"When she chooses jewels over people- "

"She won't this time. No matter what you do."

"We'll see about that."

***

  = Angel Island, below the surface, the sacred grounds of Hidden Palace =

"This is where the Master Emerald was originally stored," Knuckles explained to his loving date, "Until Eggman first stole it..."

"It’s so beautiful here," Sonia exclaimed. Indeed it was, the dark cavern seemed to go on forever, but all engulfed in a beautiful light blue glow. None knew if the palace was once above ground or not, or even if it had even –been- a palace at one point. Art and design were flawlessly joined everywhere. The walls refracted and collected the blue glow increasing the light within the structure and making themselves beautiful as well.

If one got 'high' enough, one could actually see for miles. Leaving one to question if they really were inside a giant island floating in the sky and not below the planet's surface. There were some platforms around the blue and green palace you couldn't even climb up to, you had to fly. Each one made with detail and style that it truly made one feel small, but in a good way.

   "Yeah, it is, that’s one of the reasons I still like to come here. There's so much history here screaming to be uncovered, and my grandpa says a lot of the future is buried here too." The room he and Sonic had fought in back when Knuckles believed Sonic to be the enemy actually contained a mosaic showing a golden hedgehog fighting a geometric mustached thing. One made eons before.

They were in the main emerald chamber now. Once the only way in was teleportation, but Robotnik had remedied that. Seven giant platforms, the side made to fit a gem, floating in mid air without support and impossible to move, surrounded an eighth even larger platform, the indentation a nest of smaller and minor green 'almost emeralds.' While it all looked incomplete now, Sonia couldn't help but use her imagination to think of what was once here.

   Suddenly, in the location where the Master Emerald was originally, a portal appeared above, and out fell three girls. Sara, Julie-Su, and Rouge The Bat.

For a moment all was silent... Then Sara had to start, "KNUCKLES! What are you doing with HER? I thought you were dating me!"

   "What do you mean dating YOU?" Sonia spat angrily getting between the three and Knuckles.

"She has a point, Sara, Knuckles and I are an item," Rouge spoke up. She had to be at least somewhat nice to Sara, because Sara was the daughter of one of Rouge's many employers. Besides, Sara was nice to be around when she isn’t trying to hog Knuckles.

   "WHAT!?" Sara's tail stuck out like a rod.

Julie-Su growled, "No way, he’s MY boyfriend!"

   The four girls leapt into a melee, and ended up getting Knuckles in the middle of it, the fight so wild no one had any idea who hit what on who.

Knuckles had to end this madness before they broke something important, like his ribs. "Girls! GIRLS! STOP!"

   "Stay out of this, Knuckles!" they all shouted at once, "We’ll decide who you like!"

   "She’s not even the same species as any of you!" Julie-Su argued.

"Yeah, well, at least we’re not cousins with him!" Sara said, "Second-cousins!" "Anyway, I’m sure he’d enjoy being with someone from High Society!"

"Well, I trump you in that department, I’m a princess, remember?" Sonia declares.

   "I’ve got a bigger buntline than you!" Sara shouted. Now this was just getting childish.

"Ahem I believe I have you all beaten in THAT department, Sara," Rouge says.

"At least my implants aren’t along my chest!" Julie-Su smirked, Rouge tried to kick her head off and just smashed Knuckles in the fact by mistake.

Sara defended. "Yeah, well I’m not a... a... a Common THIEF!"

   "The only reason you’re popular is because your dad is the President of Station Square!" Sonia pointed out.

Julie-Su stabbed right where it hurt. "And guys only like you because they want to meet either your mom or your brother!"

   "And better a thief than a terrorist." Rouge looked at Julie-Su.

"YOU! -The Legion is a legit political party in the senate now!"

"It's not like anyone likes you!"

"That's never stopped you! And at least I don't say I've changed to get close to Knuckles then blow up buildings when no one is looking!"

"I've ten times more refined than any of you." Sonia said falling back on her more selfish demeanor.

   Knuckles tried his best to sneak away from the situation. The girls all turned on HIM.

"Where do you think you’re going?" they shouted.

Knuckles let out a pathetic ‘Eep!’ and ran faster than he ever ran before. All four of these girls were dangerous! The only female he wanted to be with in that moment was his mother!

   And they were still only a step behind him...

***

-Ninety Degrees from Everywhere and Nowhere-

   ‘Zhane’ turned to Tikal, "Julan, are you jealous of them?"

"Whatever makes you say that?" Tikal said with complete innocence in her voice.

"The fact that you dropped Julie-Su, Rouge, and Sara in on Knuckles’ Date with Sonia, for one thing."

Tikal blushed, "Yeah, I guess I am a little jealous..."

   "Well, you shouldn’t let your feelings take control like that."

"And like you’re not enjoying it."

"Uh..."

***

      They were still only a step behind him though...

"So ya think there might be more mosaics down here that can give us a clue on what's going on?" Sonic's voice rang out ahead of the Guardian.

"It's worth a shot." Tails' voice answered. "We don't have anywhere else to look and I don't want to try looking for Merlin Prowler just yet."

   Knuckles almost ran right over the unbreakable pair, Knuckles didn't have time for his normal lecture about trespassing and his weekly brawl with the blue bush rat. "Sonic! Don’t just stand there, Help me!"

 Sonic look one look behind the red anteater and calmly looked his rival in the face.   "...And you said I had too many girls after me, Knucklehead?"

Knuckles' face turned as red as the rest of him. "Now’s not the time! Just get them to stop!"

 Sonic was eating this up.   "What do you expect ME to do?"

 Knuckles felt the urge to just smash through them and using them as living shields.  "I dunno, splash them with water or something?"

Sonic cringed at the word. "Ugh..."

Knuckles forgot himself for a moment. "Oh, sorry... Forgot."

   "But fine, got any ideas Tails?" The fox nodded, and took to the air.

A moment before the army of estrogen would have reached their target a small bomb-chu fell from the sky exploding on impact, giving off more smoke and force than actual damage.

"Hey!" "What’d you do that for?" "Ugh!" "MY DRESS!"  This was all the distraction Knuckles needed to beat feet out of there.

   Tails landed next to Sonic, his hands empty and innocent. He was just glade he had built some replacement bombs before they had left home in his little 'subspace storage.'

"Sorry, Knuckles asked us to do it," Sonic have his half hazard smile, while Tails grinned.

 "Great... Which way did he go?"Julie-Su scanned with her flesh and blood eyes.

"Dunno." Sara blinked, Knuckles could have dug only a half dozen different direction down here.

   "You are SO DEAD bro!" Sonia swore.

"Ready for pain little boy?" Rouge cracked her knuckles.

"Taser, laser cartridge, explosive head round, rubber bullets: how did those get in here?" Julie-Su calmly looked through her belt pouch.

"If Knuckles doesn't want to hang out with me today, I guess we can my Sonikku." Sara took a set foreword.

Ben and Kyle looked at each other. "So sis." Ben asked needing to know first and foremost before things got out of hand. "When did these, er, ladies show up?" Ben hoping beyond hope someone else had remembered at last.

   "Uhhh..." The other three girls said at once.

"You don’t know, do you?" Kyle dead panned.

"...Not really." Sara admitted.

   "Talk about STUPID! You three don’t even know how you got here?"

"Sis, you didn’t either, when you just showed up."

   The other girls smiled at Sonia.

"I repeat, you are SO dead, Bro."

   Rouge spoke up, "Well, I recall something about seeing a Orange Female Echidna, and some weird human..."

   Tails was shocked, forgetting about the other half of what Rouge had said. "Orange?"

   "What’s so special about that?" Julie-Su asked.

"Depends... Was she wearing a tribal outfit?"

"Yeah, I think so, why?"

   Tails and Sonic got to the same conclusion, "Tikal..."

"You mean that Ghost Girl we ran into during that escapade with Chaos?" Sonia asked.

"That's her," Sonic replied.

   "And she was the one that changed Chris into a mobian?"

"WHAT!?" Tails, Sara, Julie-Su, and Rouge all shouted.

   "Sheesh, don’t yell!"

   Sonic & Sonia took turns explaining what Mighty had told them happened to Chris. Tails was heartbroken - two of the few humans he looked up to was gone ~ and by a Robot based on HIM... Tails promised to smash that thing first time he saw it.

   Rouge never thought Eggman would stoop so low as to kill off a human family for a Chaos Emerald - especially after they handed it over. It wasn't the Eggman she knew, he loved people cowering in fear of him or mindlessly carting to his whims too much to just kill someone for no reason.

   Sara wept. She was one of Linsey Thorndyke’s biggest fans, and she cared for her family dearly. She had seen everyone of the actresses' movies, and had kept track of the woman's family as well, sadly only meeting them on business. Sara had always hoped to make friends with Chris, now he needed one more than ever.

Julie-Su, though she never met the Thorndykes, was shocked beyond belief. A human turned into a mobian? Was that possible? Could it be possible? A family killed when they posed no threat? Even her ancestor had never stooped that low. When had Eggman gotten worse than how he used to be?

Rouge didn't have her normal desire to steal the Master Emerald at the moment and broke off from the group. Catching the winds that followed the floating island always she jumped off, using her own wings to fly home.

Sonia hitched a ride home with her brothers in the Tornado-X, knowing her date with Knuckles was over. Sera also took a seat in the cramped airplane for a drop off at Station Square, her father had to be tearing his tope off worrying about her. At least she got Sonic to sit in her lap.

Julie-Su saw the foreigners off before heading to her own apartment in Echidnaopolis, almost; first she had a visit to make.

Flying home, Tails swore to himself he would avenge Chris’ family’s death. He’d also have to see the fox-like Chris for himself... This ‘chaos power’... What was it?

He also wanted to know just why Ben had kept this from him. Was Bens starting to think like Rings did? That he was a little kid who couldn't bear to hear about death?! All Kyle knew was that he didn't like it.

Rouge's apartment was just how she remembered. It was the closest one she had to Angel Island. The less than honest treasure hunter had a number of safe houses in both free and Robotnik controlled territories (the few that Robotnik wanted flesh and blood being fawning at his feet rather that will less machine being told every five minutes what to do) she couldn't afford to have just one place to crash if one of deals with Robotnik turned sour or GUN decided she had outlived her usefulness.

She stored a number of her prizes at each one, (never have all your eggs in basket) so she would never be lonely. But all she wanted to right now was crash. You think she would want to get back in touch with her various bosses (most on opposite sides) let them know Rouge the bat was back in business, but she did that, before she called up Nick just to make a face at him, before she started planning her next run on the Master Emerald and Knuckles' himself, she needed some sleep.

However, her dreams were haunted by a red furred bat, one that Rouge had done her best not to think about in five years, and why did she feel that her little hide out could use some home made sculpture?

Julie-Su's first surprise visit before heading to the apartment Knuckles had pulled strings as Guardian to get for her was to her family tree.

To say Lien-Da was unhappy to see her little sister would be to say that Robotnik was only slightly annoyed at Sonic derailing he designs for completing his take over of the world on more than seven separate occasions.

After the red furred echidna was done swearing and shooting dangers at Julie with her eyes, the older woman got chewed out for not showing proper respect for family by their ancestor Dimitri. The old man's body was degraded so far that he was little more than a half complete corpse in a metal framework. But that didn't stop him from giving orders, and keeping Lien-Da in her place. Surprisingly enough, Dimitri seemed rather joyful to have his least power hungry descendant in his presence again. He also likely the reason half the troops didn't 'shoot the bloody traitor' where she stood. Who was the traitor depended on which half you talked to.

Dimitri have the standard speech about Julie embracing her destiny, and Julie gave her normal response about wanting no part of the 'family business.' But Dimitri tried it every time they say each other. Given how his choices were between a lass who would turn off his life support system and say later it was an accident passively before making her 'as our new leader' speech, or an honest rebel, who believed what the Legion was based on, but not what the Legion stood for, could you blame him?

After seeing Lien-Da's face she knew WHO she had to show she was back to next.

"AGH! Not you!"

"Believe it sewer breath! The alpha female of this group is back which pushes the Beta male down to third place on the pecking order!"

"Why couldn't you have stayed lost?"

"I was going to ask the same thing you, you walking suit case."

"You want to check out the lining?!"

"Your bad breath will kill before I make I half way down your throat."

Charmy burst out laughing, Espio stayed silent. The two of them had a respect for the other as a competent fighter, and that was enough.

"So is my stuff where I left it?"

"Second hall to the right, four door down, the password is 'LightMetal.'" Espio responded.

Julie thanked him and followed said directions to the weapon's locker, Julie's personal stash. Though Julie-Su had been here before, felt a wave of satisfaction wash over her and she looked at her killing toys. It was good to be home.

Sera had no idea the blizzard of reporters and new hounds that would descend upon her once she set foot back in her home down. Sonic and Tails dropped her off near the presidential palace, and they took off so afterwards, Sonic blushing from the trip. So Sera was alone to meet the onslaught, thankfully news traveled fast in the city state and Sera found herself rescued by a couple of Station Square police (not GUN).

They kindly asked her to wait while they contacted her father, she was blissfully unaware the pinprick they have her (and there was squirming and cries) was actually a DNA test to make sure she was who she said she was. However given her reaction to the needle, pretty much everyone included she was the real deal, no one could ever fake that instantaneous reaction to a needle save for the preppy and flirting first daughter the media had long ago nick named 'Princess' Sera.

Media parasites were kept at bay and far away when Sera was finally presented to her parent. There was a swift order for privacy and many tears with close nit hugs.

Sera wrapped her tail around her father's waist afraid to let him go. Sera was happy to be back where she belonged, she knew she'd find her prince someday, even if Knuckles and Sonikku were already taken she knew not to give up, what was a princess without a happy ending after all?

Sera made sure the Thornedyke mansion was bought by the government. Walking up and down it's empty halls made her feel like she was exploring a long abandoned Mayan castle. Chris no where to be found, but it was assumed he had met the same fate as his family. Why hadn't Sonic told the police about what happened? Why hadn't he told them Chris was alive? Sera's head was dizzy from the questions.

She found Chris' old room; of course there were Sonic merchandise. The human/cat also spotted sports equipment and a large photo album containing pictures of his family and what had to be a recreation of Sonic's legendary first encounter with the boy involving lots of falling and a swimming pool at night. Closing the book she put it back into place and laid down in one of the guest bedrooms.

"I'll keep it all safe for you." Sera said to the ceiling. "When you're ready to come back, I'll be waiting Chris, don't be a stranger."

~ Fin