FicWad

"So, why exactly are we here?" asked Vector as he and his comrades strolled down the white hallway. His question was directed at none other than Rouge, who was walking in front as the others lagged behind, taking in the beauty of the magnificent works of art around them.

"Just shut your trap and do your job," rebutted Rouge, who was obviously not in that much of a good mood. It was early morning, and if there was one thing she was not, it was a morning person. Still, a job was a job, and this particular investigation was supposedly very important. Supposedly.

"If you must know," she said after a moment, "A rare gem was stolen from the museum the other night. Intel suspects it may have been a Chaos Emerald."

"And you think this theft is connected to our crime syndicate?" asked Espio, after tearing his eyes away from a very detailed samurai sculpture.

It's not the crime that makes us think that," said Rouge, "It's the way it was done,".

"I'm not quite sure what you mean," said Charmy, who floated a few feet over her head.

"You'll see in a moment," Rouge answered him.

Soon, the four mobians reached a crossroad in the middle of the huge museum, where a very large room . In the center of the huge room was another display, but unlike the others that decorated the walls of the dome shaped room, it was missing what it was suppose to be displaying The display itself was a glass container. Surrounding it was a police ribbon barring anyone not authorized from entering the scene. Around it in various places were forensic experts, searching for any sign or clue that may prove helpful. Vector immediately began his own investigation of the area, but made sure to keep himself outside of the police boundary.

"There's no need for that," said Rouge. "We've already got clearance here."

In fact, most of the police officers there nodded in greeting to Rouge. "She's awfully, popular." said Vector as he watched her move past the police tape.

Charmy nodded politely, "Please excuse me, but I would like to search the other areas of the museum." When Vector gave him a nod of agreement, he flew off.

Espio likewise began searching the less easy to reach areas of the building, mostly the ceiling, where a stainless glass skylight dome was located. A quick search revealed that not a single thing was out of place.

Vector, along with the professional forensic scientist, could find no clue either. Nothing. Besides the emerald being gone, one wouldn't even be able to tell there was a robbery.

Not too long later, an older gentleman walked up to Rouge as she spoke to one of the police officers. He was wearing a well trimmed suit, standard gray, as formal as possible. He was skinny and carried himself so with light but determined strides. From his face sprouted a thin and tightly kept mustache.

"Hello, Ms. Rouge," he said as politely as he could, "I'm so glad you came. As you can see, the police are incapable of dealing with a threat of this magnitude."

Rouge knew this man well enough. He was Lamont Gillet, owner of the museum and its personal caretaker. He was known for being as sharp as a tack and very focused. Rouge liked him. Ths wasn't the first time they had met under such circumstances, though it was the first over something as valuable as a Chaos Emerald.

"Hello, Mr Gillet," Rouge greeted the man. "I'm guessing you have no clues to what happened here?"

"No," he said, "Not a single hint that anything even happened. Besides the fact that the item in question is no longer in my possession, of course."

Rouge nodded, "I suspected as much. Whoever has done this left nothing to chance."

Gillet nodded, "Indeed, Ms. Rouge." He looked at the empty display case with a tight expression on his face. "Bloody curs. Please, Ms. Rouge, don't be gentle with them if you catch them."

Rouge smiled, a sly expression on her face,. "Not a problem Gillet. These guys are too good for a simple work over anyway."

Gillet's face flashed a smile, though only for an instant, then returned to his hard staring.

Vector and Espio were still at work, searching for anything they could find. Unfortunately, that turned out to be nothing. Both were convinced that whoever had taken the Chaos Emerald, they had done so without leaving a trace. Just as the two reported their findings to Rouge, Charmy flew back into the room.

"Nothing?" he asked them.

"Nah. Not a single thing. Whoever did this knew their stuff. Let's hope they can take a punch as good as they can sneak around, for their sake." Charmy laughed a bit at that. "What about you, buzz brain? You find anything?"

Charmy shook his head. "No clues. But I did find this wicked piece of art. You two should see it, it's quite breath taking." With that, the bee flew back down the hallway which he came from.

Vector and Espio both followed behind the bee, until finally Charmy turned into another room. They both turned as well, and peered into the room.

Espio and Vector looked inside to see Charmy looking up at a very large paining, one that took up almost the entire wall it was hanging on. At first it was hard to make out what the painting was about, but as the two moved forward, they began to see it better.

On display was a painting of a massive black dragon, it's head back in a ferocious roar, its long white teeth splitting the dark night background that was behind it. The full moon was shining overhead, and seven points of differently colored light seem to circle it in a beautiful pattern, like miniature comets circling the sun. The dragon's long wings were spread, and it's arms were outstretched, it's hands ending in long, deadly claws. It's eyes were red, the iris cat-like, looking at those who'd dare to stare into it's gaze.

"Wow!" said Vector, his eyes fixed on the picture's details. It was nearly perfect, almost photographic.

"Who did this?" said Espio, his impression obvious to his friends, but noone else.

Charmy just continued to stare for a second more, then looked down at the plague below. "It was done by a guy named Alfred D. Mustang."

"This was the last painting of the late great painter Alfred D. Musing," said Mr. Gillet as he walked into the room with a cool, easy going stride. But his mannerism was betrayed by his eyes, which fixed on the painting with something akin to awe, "It is also his greatest work of art. His masterpiece." Gillet's face turned grim. "He was a poor painter that lived far from here, in the Isles of Celicity. He was a hack, to be sure, and had little actual talent, besides his ability to dream big. He though his destiny was to be a great artist: the great artist even." Gillet shook his head, the expression no less grim.

He turned to the three. "It is said that one night he had a dream. He woke up that morning, and without a word, he went strait to his basement, which at the time served as his artistic quarters. He disappeared for six days without a would to anyone, not even his own wife. Though food and water were brought, he took none of it. By the end of the sixth day and the beginning of the seventh, his wife called the authorities. They busted the door down, to find poor Alfred dead, from lack of food or water. Weather he even slept is only speculation."

The three exchanged glances of awe. Even Espio's usual emotionless expression had been broken.

"His wife," Giller continued, "though she was sorrowed at her loss, lived a rich life after she sold the paining to our museum. It's been here ever since."

At that moment, Rouge entered the room.

"Something wrong with you guys?" she asked. Her head turned to the painting. "Hm, nice, but there's no time to be waisting on art. We've got a criminal to catch. You coming?"

The four of them left the museum a few minutes later. The Chaotix minds were fixed on the odd painting and its bizarre back story. Vector couldn't help but think that he would see that painting again, and that it would somehow be connected to the case.

-Angel Island: That evening..

Far out in the ocean, beyond any costal boarders, floated an island. Across it's surface, many different environments stretched on. Mountains, forests, jungles, even deserts dotted it's landscape. Impossible as it may be, the island was more akin to a small continent.

It's name was Angel Island.

Deep in the Jungle Region of the island, sat a smaller floating island, connected to the mainland by a small bridge. Atop this smaller isle was a large pyramid like shrine that stretched upward, multiple rows of stairs leading from the four sides to the top. And at that flat topped peak lay a large swirling green gem, the size of a small car. The Master Emerald. And next to it, laying atop the peak, eyes fixed on the evening's horizon, was a red echidna.

Knuckles Echidna, guardian of the Master Emerald, watched the sun as it began to set along the western sky. The night was settling in, the clouds red as the evening drifted into dusk, and twilight. Everything around him was to his knowledge. Every grass blade that moved, every cricket that jumped, every mouse that scurried...all was under his eye.

The Master Emerald had given him power. It always did. Such thing as full round senses for about twenty feet was a simple task for him now. All he had to do was touch the Master Emerald, and everything became crystal clear to him. It made sneaking up on him much harder.

Now if only it had been that easy when Chaos was freed, he thought.

Finally, the night sky overlapped what was left of the dawn, and the world faded into darkness. He looked up at the sky, and nothing came back. No stars tonight, though a bit of the moon's light poked out from the clouds. It didn't bother him, he was use to dark nights like this by now. Still, he'd rather the stars and moon be out tonight. It was good to look at them, sometimes even talk to them, when the creeping loneliness itched at his heart.

His mind drifted to thoughts of Sonic. What was that blue fur ball up to now, he wondered. His mind drifted further to all the other crazy characters he'd met on his recent adventures. He missed them.

With a sigh, Knux sat himself up straight and let his eyes behold the landscape around him. Nothing moved. Nothing made a sound.

There was an intruder here. He knew it. He had sensed nothing at the moment, but he knew. Years of both training, practice, and hands on experience had taught him to read the messages the world sent him. The wind blew slower, and the trees bristle louder. He placed his palm against the Master Emerald and stood to his full height, and concentrated. The emerald gave him his request, his awareness expanding to almost fifty feet. Nothing. Not a thing. There wasn't a single living thing, besides the plants, within fifty feet of the shrine.

That was very peculiar. That amount of distance, and not even a bug or bird or rodent of any sort? Something was wrong. Whatever was coming was wrong.

And then, he felt it. Or, more accurately, he didn't feel it. Suddenly, at the very edge of his senses, coming from the southeast, came nothing. All things, air, water, life, even death, give off a bit of energy that the emeralds react to. But what Knux felt now was nothing, as if a void in the very fabric of the universal energy that bound all things had opened up. What was worse, is that it was closing in, and fast.

Knux, however, did not panic. Such a thing was for weaker people, and he was an echidnian warrior, and a Guardian. Instead, he placed his hand upon the emerald, and began to draw its power to himself. The energy filled his body, and his muscles strengthened. Many new powers were available to him now, ones that would have been so very useful during his last few adventures. His research into the emerald's ancient powers had payed off.

Still, whatever was approaching was different. Different than anything he'd ever faced before. It literally did not exist, at least not as normal things should have. It was just a long, dreadful void that seemed to eat at the universe around it. Knux drew in a good deal of power, and tried to actually see the creature. However, the thing was moving through the trees, where it had plenty of cover. Clever.

Knux pushed his concentration farther, trying to get a better grasp on what this thing was. He only got a feel for it's size and shape, long like a rope, and slithering like a snake, though it was far to large to be any snake he knew lived on the floating island.

Then, it disappeared. The thing just seemed to vanish into thing air. Not all at once, but the tip seemed to fade away, and then the rest followed it, and Knux was alone again.

Concentrating further, he reached for the power of the emeralds, looking for some way to find whatever it was that was near him.

Unfortunately, he was so deep in concentration in his Chaos Sense, that he missed the normal cue his natural hearing was giving him. A slow hiss filled the night, before Knuckles' world turned pitch black.