Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Central City 10:30 AM
The city was bustling with it usual activity. Mobians of all shapes and sizes walked down the streets going about their daily business. The sound of car engines filled the air as they slowly moving through traffic. Their movements occasionally punctuated by the honking of horns. Standing on one of the street corners was a large crocodile wearing headphones. He was staring up at one of the  taller building in the area as he pulled out a walkie talkie.

"Bumble, this is Big DJ, do you have eyes on the target? Over." Vector said.

Charmy was floating high above the city, trying to fight against the whipping wind around him. He had been circling the building in question for sometime now, trying to get eyes on their quarry. That was when he spotted her, perched onone of the buildings many ledges. It was a precarious position, and she could easily fall at any moment.

"Copy that Big DJ." Charmy replied. "I have confirmed the target. Blonde hair, blue eyes, and pink dress. That's the one. Over."

Vector nodded and pulled up the walkie talkie again. "Big Dj to Shinobi, Bumble has eyes on the prize. Are you ready to retrieve the package? Over."

Espio let out a heavy sigh, rolling his eyes. "Yes. I'm ready."

There was a pause on the other end of the line before Charmy chimed in. "You gotta say over when you're done speaking. Over."

"I'm ready to get this over with. Over." Espio groaned.

"I'll guide you to the target then. Over." Charmy replied happily.

Espio rushed out from the alleyway across the street from Vector. The ninja leapt between the two buildings on either side of him, bouncing between them. When he reached the apex of the shorter building he grabbed onto the edge of a window and leapt up. He continued upward this way for sometime, using the windowsills and eaves as footholds. All the while Charmy was guiding him through the walkie talkie that he had strapped to a belt. The wind began to whip and howl around him as he moved higher, but it did not slow him down. 

Eventually, the chameleon, landed on one of the large eaves of the building. Sitting on the corner of the spire precariously was his target. A lone doll, with blue button eyes, and a blonde mop of hair. Espio began to move casually toward it before the wind suddenly picked up and the doll began to tip forward. With his super speed he rushed forward, snatching it from the edge just as it was about to fall. His target now secure he began to make his way back down, soon landing back onto the city street. Charmy joined him, happy to finally not be constantly blown back by the wind. After rejoining Vector they headed to the nearby park.
Sitting on one of the dozens of park benches was an older cat woman and her daughter. The little girl was idly licking an ice cream cone. Her mother looked at her phone, checking the time. They both perked up when they spotted the trio of detectives walking toward them. The little girl quickly rushed over to meet them, nearly dropping her ice cream. Her mother called after her, sprinting to catch up. 

"Here you are little Kimmy. she's safe and sound." Vector said, handing the doll off to her.

She snatched it and hugged it tightly with one arm. "Oh thank you soooo muuuuch!" 

"It was no trouble at all." Charmy said, feeling a swell of pride. 

The girl's mother finally caught up and smiled at the three. "I really can't thank you three enough for getting the doll back for her. It means so much."

"All in a days work Ma'am." Vector said, chest puffing up proudly.

She began to dig through her purse. "How much do I owe you?"

"Oh don't worry about payment Ma'am." Vector assured, waving a hand.

"Are you sure? I don't mind paying at least a few hundred."

Before Vector could decline, Espio clapped a hand over his mouth. "That will be more than enough."

"Thank you for using Chaotix Detective service." Charmy added with a smile.

The woman smiled back and handed the wad of cash off to Charmy as Espio struggled to keep Vector's mouth shut. The little girl gave a wave goodbye and began to walk away with her mother. Once they were well out of earshot, Espio finally released Vector's mouth. 

"What did you go and do that for?" he growled.

"Charity doesn't pay the hot water bill." Espio pointed out. "We're behind on all our utilities and we need the money."

Charmy nodded. "Yeah, and I'm tired of having peanut butter sandwiches for lunch."

Vector crossed his arms and sighed. "Ya gotta point. That doesn't mean I have to like it though."

"You can complain all you want as long as the bills get paid." Espio offered as he began to walk away.

Vector and Charmy followed after him, and toward their car parked nearby. It was an old convertible, painted to match Vector's own color scheme. An ad for their detective agency was painted on either side of the car. The engine took a moment before it sputtered to life and they headed down the road. Several blocks away was their office/apartment. It was older brick building, with dozens of tenants. The main foyer/living room had been converted into the trio's detective office. A sign hung on the front door just below their apartment number.

The office itself was trying to be styled like an old noir detective office. With filing cabinets, along one of the walls, and a large wooden desk in front of a window. Parts of the office were designated as each of the trio's space. The main desk was Vectors where a lot of his musical equipment was set up behind him. Charmy's little corner was a smaller desk with lots of pens, paper and the like where Charmy not only did the paperwork but also did doodles. Finally Espio's own little corner had a training dummy, and target on the wall. All of them filled with shuriken and kunai and dotted with damage from said weapons. 

"Another job well done." Vector said, propping his feet up on the desk.

""Its our first job in weeks." Espio pointed out. "If we don't start getting something consistent or another big job we won't be able to pay for anything."

"Maybe we can start looking for lost pets again." Charmy suggested. "That wasn't so bad."

"Yeah for you maybe." Vector pointed out. "You didn't have to deal with the giant pet octopus."

"Who even has one of those?" Espio shuddered, remembering the ordeal. "I can still hear all those tentacles."

"I thought he was nice." Charmy said, shrugging. "He gave great hugs."

"Anyway, now that we got paid. Who wants chinese?" Vector asked, holding up the wad of cash.

The trio enjoyed their first good meal in a while before a knock came at the door. Vector quickly slurped up some noodles and grabbed his trilby. The crocodile then scrambled to turn on his noir mix only for it to get stuck on the loudest rap music possible. Espio simply rolled his eyes and gave the sound system a good whack, to make it change over. Vector cleared his throat and beckoned the person at the door inside.  She was a tall cobra woman, with jet black scales. her gold jewelry and long purple dress created an elegant silhouette. She practically strutted into the room, glancing around the place.

"Is this Chaotix detective agency?" she asked in a smooth voice.

"The one and only." Vector replied, trying put on his best noir persona. 

The cobra approached and quirked a brow. "You have some sauce on your lip dear."

Vector blanched and grabbed a napkin wiping his snout. He then tried to regain his composure by leaning forward on the desk. "So, what's a pretty dame like you doing in a place like this?"

She glanced over at Espio. "Is he always like this?"

"Just let him have his fun. I assure you, we do good work, despite our goofball boss." Vector narrowed his eyes at him but said nothing. 

The woman chuckled and dusted off the chair before taking a seat. "My name is Lily Gilded."

"The famous jewelry designer?!" Charmy exclaimed, eyes sparkling.

"That's right. You have good taste it seems little one." she chuckled. "I'm here to have investigate something for me. Something the police have failed to do anything about."

"We'll do what we can Mrs Gilded. If we can't solve the case you don't have to pay a cent." Vector said with a smile. "That's the Chaotix Detective agency guarantee."

"Its also the reason we a have an entire filing cabinet full of IOUs." Espio added under his breath. 

"Well, I can assure you that if you complete this job for me, you will be handsomely compensated."

"What kind of money are we talking?" 

The snake pulled out a slip of paper, quickly scrawling down a number before sliding it across the desk. All three of the detectives moved in closer. All of them blanched as they read the amount being offered. 

"Holy toledo! Thats a lot of zeroes!" Vector exclaimed. 

"This must be a serious job if you're paying that much." Espio said, quickly recovering from his shock. 

"Indeed it is. You see over the past few months some of my most precious pieces of jewelry have been going missing from my home." She crossed her legs, fingers intertwining. "At first it was just a couple. I thought I had simply misplaced them. But as the weeks went on, more and more disappeared. I called the police of course. But they couldn't find anything. No sings of entry, no fingerprints. Nothing. Its as if the thief didn't even exist. My husband and I installed extra security, and even a bodyguard but still, my pieces keep going missing."

"That is a conundrum." Vector hummed in thought. "Alright. we'll take the case. Do you mind if we have a look around your property so we can scope the scene of the crime?"

"By all means." Lily replied. "I'll be sure to let my bodyguard know you're expected. How does noon tomorrow sound?"

"Sounds good to us. We look forward to working with you Mrs Gilded."

The snake inclined her head, and handed over her business. card. "Give me a call, and I'll send you the address. For now, I have a meeting to get to. Good day, gentleman. I hope you don't disappoint."

******

"Holy toledo is this a house, or a castle?" Vector exclaimed as they pulled up the address. 

The house was absolutely massive, with three stories, its walls made of white brick. The courtyard was the size of a small park, and was decorated with dozen's of flowerbeds. A cobblestone path lead from the gate to the main entrance. Sitting in the courtyard's center was a massive fountain, encircled with pink rose bushes. The entire property was surrounded by a tall, iron rod fence, that loomed over  the surrounding area. 

After double checking the address, Vector drove up to the gate, and pressed the button on a nearby speaker. "Uhm hello?"

A posh voice sounded over the speaker. "Yes, to whom am I speaking?"

"Chaotix detective agency to see Mrs, Gilded. We have an appointment."

There was shuffling on the other side of the speaker before the voice replied. "Ah yes, I see you right here. I'll buzz you in."

After a few moments the iron rod gates swung open and Vector made his way to the entrance. He swung into the small roundabout in front of the mansion, and hopped out of the car. The door, however kept swinging open no matter how he closed it. He then slammed it in anger finally locking it in place. With a satisfied nod he began to walk away only to hear a clatter as the door fell off its hinges.

"Guess we have to go by the auto repair again." Charmy said with a frown. 

"And we just got it fixed too." Espio sighed.

"Its not my fault!" Vector growled grabbing the door and stuffing it in the back.

Suddenly they heard someone clearing their throat, and turned. Standing at the door, was a monitor lizard man in a tailored suit. He had wide powerful, frame, similar to Vector's His tongue flicked out of his mouth as he eyed the three up. 

"You must be Mrs Gilded's bodyguard." Vector said, walking up the steps. 

"Indeed I am. Leon's the name. I assume you're the detectives she hired?" 

"That we are." Vector answered proudly.

The lizard scoffed and motioned them over. "I'm gonna need to check you for weapons before you head inside."

"My whole body is a weapon." Vector laughed but quickly stopped when Leon did not join him.

Leon waved a metal detector over Charmy and Vector, and gave them the clean go ahead. As he waved the detector over Espio it beeped loudly. The ninja sighed and slid all of the kunai in his gloves off, placing them in a box. When the metal detector still picked up a signal, Leon made a 'come on' motion. Begrudgingly, Espio began to produce his full arsenal. Smoke bombs, shuriken, more kunai, a grappling hook, and a lockpick. It was a mystery as to where he was keeping it all. Soon enough the box was overflowing with Espio's weapons. 

"Where do you even keep those things?" Vector sighed. "What are you, a magician?"

"A ninja never reveals his secrets." Espio suddenly produced a white rabbit and put it in the box. "And neither does a magician."

The three stepped into a massive foyer, with a set of double stairs on one end of the room. A long black carpet lead up to the stairs. The floor itself was dark hardwood, and the walls were lined with glass cases, pantings and other antiques. A few of Lily's jewelry pieces were on display though the detectives did take notice that a couple of nearby cases were empty. 

"This is quite the collection." Espio commented, looking over an antique longsword.

"Yeah, this place is like a museum." Vector said, inspecting one of the busts. 

"This is nothing compared to my private collection."

Vector jumped in surprise, bumping into the bust on the pedestal. He scrambled to try and stop it from tipping over. Thankfully, Espio used his enhanced speed to catch the pedestal as Charmy helped hold the bust in place. Once they were sure it was stable again they all sighed in relief before looking up to their employer.

"Good save. That bust is worth more than what I'm paying you." she said, descending the stairs.

"Haha, good one." Vector laughed, rubbing the back of his head.

"That wasn't a joke, dear." 

The trio suddenly began to inch away from every precious object in the room. Lily approached the three as another figure descended the staircase. He was a badger man, with slicked back hair. One of his eyes was covered by a long scar. He sported a pinstriped suit, with a white flower on his left lapel. 

"Ah, are these the detectives you hired darling?" the man asked, moving to stand next to Lily.

"Yes dear." She gestured to the man. "This is my husband, Sterling Gilded."

"Pleasure to meet ya sir." Vector greeted, shaking his hand heartily. "I'm Vector. And these are my associates, Espio and Charmy."

"Charmed. Pun not intended." he chuckled. "So, I assume Lily has filled you in on the details?"

"That's right." said Espio. "Would you mind telling us more about the pieces that are missing, ma'am?"

Lily nodded and snapped her fingers. One of the doors across the room swung open and a lanky lizard man walked out. He had a perfectly crisp butlers uniform and tiny gold rimmed glasses. He was a frilled lizard, his frill laying down around his neck to form a collar.

"Yes ma'am?" he asked with a bow. The three detectives recognized the voice from the intercom outside. 

"This is Albert. He's my head butler." Lily said. "Albert. Bring out the files for our lost inventory."

"Right away, madam."

The butler shuffled off, quickly returning with a stack of papers. He handed it off to the detectives who scanned over the document. Each page detailed one of the pieces that were missing, as well as a photo of the missing jewelery. 

"There are eight pieces total that have gone missing over the last four months." Lily said. 

"Hmmm any idea  what their next target might be?" Vector asked, glancing up from the document.

"We can't say for sure." Sterling replied. "But we're both certain they will eventually go after our most prized piece. The Angel's Tear."

"The Angel's Tear is kept here?" Charmy gasped. "I though it was on display at the Central City Museum?"

"You've done your homework.' Lily smiled. "Its true, the Angel's Tear was on display thee for a time but I eventually swapped it out for a perfect replica. Only the most discerning jeweler could ever tell it apart from the original."

"And where is the Tear being kept?" asked Espio

"In a vault below the manor. But that's all we're willing to reveal." 

Sterling glanced down at his watch. "Darling, we'll be late for our appointment."

"Of course." Lily smiled. "Albert can answer any of your questions while I'm away. I look forward to seeing some results."

"We won't let you down ma'am!" Vector exclaimed with a salute. 

She nodded and took her husband's arm before heading out the door. Once they were gone, Albert turned to the trio of detectives
. 
"Is there anything else you require, gentleman?"

"Yeah, sure thing, teatime." Vector began. "We want to have a look around the manor, check all the points of exit and entry. And then you can show us where the missing items were being kept before they were stolen."

"Teatime, sir?"

"Its a nickname. Ya know cause the accent." 

"Quite." Albert sighed inwardly and motioned with a hand. "Follow me. And please, try not to break anything."

The trio were lead through the halls and rooms of the manor, starting from the first floor and working their way up. Just like the main foyer, the whole house was decorated with what the detectives assumed were priceless antiques. Paintings, pottery, and so on. The most precious ones were kept under glass cases. These cases were the same as the ones that held the jewelry and could not be opened unless a special key was used. Lily herself, her husband and Albert were the only ones who possessed copies of these keys. 

"Hmm. Has anyone stolen any of the other antiques?" Vector asked as they walked. "I mean some of them have to be worth more than the jewels."

"But the jewels are easier to smuggle out than a painting." Espio pointed out. 

"The police came to the same conclusion." Albert said. "I was their first suspect. But I of course came out clean. i destroyed my copy of the master key just to be safe."

From around the corner, another figure appeared. She was a brown rabbit woman in a long skirted maid's outfit. One of of her ears flopped over while the other stood up perfectly straight. She was listening to anmp3 player, while dusting, humming to the tune blaring in her ears. Albert called out to her but she did not respond. He sighed, and walked over, tapping her on the shoulder. 

She blinked and pulled out her earbuds. "Oh, sorry Albert. i didn't see you there."

"Coco, what have I told you about listening to music while you work?"

"Oh don't be such a stiff. Mr Gilded doesn't have a problem with it." she said, waving a hand. "And he's the boss."

Albert's eye twitched and he gestured behind him. "Coco, these are the private detectives Mrs Gilded hired to solve the mystery of the missing jewelry pieces."

Coco rushed over, eyes sparkling. "Oh, wow you're real detectives? That's so fancy!"

"Ah, it ain't nothing miss." Vector replied. "So are you two the only servants that work here?" 

"Indeed." Albert answered. "With only the Master and Mistress living here, it is easy enough with just the two of us."

"We do have a grounds keeper." Coco pointed out. "He only comes by once a month though."

"Can either of you tell us if anything strange happened during the nights that the jewelry went missing?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary." Albert answered.

"I didn't sleep too well that night but that's about it haha." Coco answered. 

"I suppose the police would have already covered those bases." Vector sighed.

"Maybe we should stake out the property till the thief shows up again?" Charmy suggested.

"That's a great idea!" Vector exclaimed with a smile. "We can watch this place like hawks, and make sure nothing suspicious happens."

"Oh yes, I'm your keen eyes won't miss anything." Albert remarked dryly.

"Glad you have so much confidence in us!" Vector laughed, not catching the sarcasm.

******

After checking over the rest of the mansion grounds, team Chaotix took their leave. Once their car door was fixed, the trio grabbed supplies for their stakeout. Energy drinks, bottled water, instant food and so on. They had done many stakeouts before and knew exactly what they would need. They had learned from many mistakes made on their first few. The biggest of course being not knowing where the nearest public restroom was. Espio would never live that one down. 

It was early evening when the trio returned to the manor, pulling up outside the gate. They made sure to be far enough to not be seen from the mansion. But close enough to watch it with binoculars. Vector was on first watch, while Espio sat in the passengers seat, reading a book. At first glance it appeared to be a manual on ninjutsu but was hiding his true reading material. A manga. In the back seat, Charmy had plenty of paoer to doodle with.

The trio continued their watch for the next two nights. They began to understand the rhythm of the manor, and the schedule of everyone inside. On the third night something changed, a divergence from the rhythm. First Mrs Gilded left the house on her own. apparently to catch a late flight from what they could gather. The second divergence came a little after 10 pm. As usual, Coco was heading home after her shift but someone else followed after her. Mr Gilded.

"What's he doing leaving the manor this late?" Vector asked aloud. "And how come him and Coco are getting into the same car?!"

Espio blanched a little. "You don't think that we accidentally stumbled across an affair, do you?"

"What's an affair?" Charmy asked.

"I'll tell ya later." Vector replied, as he watched the two pull out of the driveway. "Whatever is going on its suspicious. Time to do some tailing."

Once the car was a good distance away, Vector started up the engine and followed after them. He kept his distance trying to be inconspicuous. It was a little hard considering the bright green paintjob though. Despite their tailing not being as stealthy as they would have liked, neither of their targets seemed to notice them. The trio followed for nearly twenty minutes arriving in the seedier part of Central City. Sterling's car eventually parked in front of an old laundromat. The three watched as Sterling and Coco walked up to the entrance knocking five times with a specific pattern. Moments later the door opened and a large beetle stepped out, and gestured them inside.

"There's something going on here or my name isn't Vector Rufus Gator."

"Your middle name is Rufus?" Espio asked quirking a brow.

"What's wrong with that? What's your middle name? Huh?"

"A ninja never reveals his secrets." Espio replied. "For all you know, Espio isn't even my real name."

"His middle name is Renard." Charmy said, hovering between the two. 

"How do you know that?" Vector asked.

"Because I'm the one who does our taxes."

"Right, anyway. We need to get into that building. Any ideas?"

Charmy raised his hand.

"We're not doing candygram again." Espio sighed. "That was beyond embarrassing."

"More embarrassing than pizza delivery guy?" Vector asked.

"That was fine. I just hated you wearing the mustache and putting on that really bad italian accent."

"I liked the italian accent." Charmy said.

Vector hummed in thought before snapping his fingers. "Oh, I got it. How bout exterminators?"

Espio gave him a deadpan look. "You want to play exterminators when the guy at the door is a bug?"

"Good point."

"Health inspectors?" Charmy suggested

"Why don't I just sneak in?" Espio asked. "After all. That is what I'm good at."

"Oh sure, if you want to be boring about it." Vector huffed, crossing his arms. 

Espio rolled his eyes and hopped out of the car. "I'll report back once I'm in."

"Don't forget the code names."

Espio rolled his eyes again and moved toward the back of the building, keeping to the shadows. He then scaled the wall, leaping up onto the roof. It didn't take him long, before he found a vent, leading inside. Using his kunai he unscrewed the vent's panel and slid inside crawling on all fours. He found himself just above the first floor, where he spotted Coco and Sterling through one of the grates. They were standing in line, waiting to drop off their bags down a shoot. Espio could tell something was off, as everyone in line seemed to have a blank stare. 

"This is Big DJ to shinobi do you copy? Over."

Espio nearly jumped in surprise, hitting his head on the top of the vent. Down below, the guard at the door looked up curiously, approaching the vent. He began to hear the hushed whisper of Espio arguing with Vector, and narrowed his eyes. The beetle then walked over to one of the vent's supports, smashing it with a heavy fist. With a groan, the vent popped open and Espio went tumbling, landing on his feet. the shadow of the beetle looming over him.

Espio held up the walkie talkie. "This is Shinobi to Big DJ. I have a situation here." He paused and remembered walkie talkie protocol. "Over."

Chapter Text

The beetle cracked his four knuckles. "Well, looks like we got ourselves a nosey little rat."

"And it looks like this place has a bug problem." Espio retorted, putting away his walkie. 

The bug growled and swung a heavy fist down toward the chameleon. He easily dodged the strike, flipping backward. Espio dodged another swing before dashing in with his superspeed, and slamming a kick into the beetle's middle. The impact seemed to have no effect on his armor-like shell making Espio click his tongue in annoyance. The beetle came down with a double fist hammer blow, narrowly missing the ninja. Espio tried a few more angles of attack, with strikes and kunai but nothing could seemingly pierce the beetles armor. The burly bug also couldn't even land a blow so the pair found themselves at a stalemate. The two continued to clash before they were interrupted by a knock at the door.
 
"Timeout. I gotta answer this." the beetle said.

Espio sighed and started to spin a kunai on his finger as he waited. The burly bug nodded in thanks and walked toward the door.
"Who is it?"

"Candygram!"

"Oh boy candygram?!"

The beetle swung open the door without a second thought. He was greeted by Charmy holding a heart shaped box, dressed in a bellhop like outfit. Vector stood next to him,wearing a similar outfit and a mustache. Espio smacked his forehead and groaned inwardly. The pair did a quick synchronized jingle and a dance, ending with double jazz hands. The beetle clapped, taking the candy box with his other set of hands. Before he could open the box, he was struck with a heavy fist from Vector sending him reeling and out cold on the floor. 

"Everyone always falls for the candygram." Vector said, dusting off his hands.

"You could have just suckerpunched him when he answered the door." Espio pointed out.

"Where's the fun in that?" Charmy asked.

"I suppose I can't argue with results." Espio sighed.

Vector approached Mr Gilded and Coco. "Alright you two time to spill the beans. Whats going around here?"

The pair just stared blankly at him and continued to wait in line. Vector snapped his fingers in front of them but again the same response. Espio and Charmy tried to get something out of the other people walking around but they did not so much as blink. The line continued, the ones at the head of the line dumping sacks of valuables down the laundry shoot before heading out the door. 

"Something strange is going on here." Vector said.

"Its like that one movie. 'Alien Mind Hackers' where aliens hypnotized the population." Charmy said with worry. "They're collecting gold and jewels to create the components for their doomsday machine!"

"No more late night tv for you." Espio sighed. "Though I don't think mind control or hypnosis is out of the question. It would explain while they're acting so robotic."

"Hmm I don't think we're gonna get answers up here." Vector said. "Lets follow the valuables downstairs."

"Can I keep the candygram outfit on?" Charmy asked

"Yes you can keep the outfit on."

Charmy let out a little cheer and followed his two companions toward a nearby door. It lead toward the stairwell. They slowly descended and reached another door down below. Espio and Vector shared a look and a nod before slowly opening the door and slipping inside. The trio ducked behind a large laundry bin, hoping they weren't seen. They then slowly peeked around the corner of their cover, with Espio at the bottom and Charmy hovering hear the top.

They found themselves in a large basement with pipework running across the ceiling. Two pill bugs dressed in suits stood near the laundry shoot and pushed the cart over to a large table. Standing on onee end of the table was a mantis in a suit of his own. Sitting behind the table was a gangly spider, with 8 lense set of jeweler's spectacles. Using her multiple limbs and eyes she inspected dozens of pieces of jewelry and similar items. The pill bugs dumped the bags inside the cart out, adding to the pile of unsorted valuables before pushing it back over to the shoot. 

"So this is where all the jewelry is going." Vector whispered.

"I think we stumbled onto something much bigger than just one woman's missing jewels." Espio said.

"This is way too big for just us we should call the police." Charmy suggested.

"Good idea." Vector nodded. "Charmy you head back up and use the car phone." 

As Charmy was about to leave the spider jeweler suddenly sneezed. 

"Bless you." Vector said on instinct.

"Thank you." the spider sniffled.

A long silence hung in the air, as everyone in the room paused. Espio then slowly turned to look over at Vector. The crocodile was starting to sweat profusely and then slapped his own forehead.

"Curse my common courtesy."

"Who the heck are you guys?" the mantis demanded, raising his bladed arm.

Charmy swallowed and did jazz hands. "C-candygram?"

Vector stood up and grabbed the cart they were using for cover. He lifted upward and hurled it toward the two pill bugs who rushed to roll out of the way. He then ordered Charmy to get to the car and make the call. He saluted sharply and zipped off as Espio and Vector readied themselves to slow down his pursuers.

"I don't know who you chumps are, but you're messing with the wrong bugs." the mantis growled as the spider ducked under a table.

"Technically not a bug." the spider pointed out

"Neither are we." the pillbugs added. "We're isopods."

"I don't care what you are get them!"

The pill bugs nodded and quickly rolled up into balls before barreling toward Espio and Vector. The crocodile stood his ground and opened his arms as the bug barreled toward him. Using his full body he caught the armored ball and slowly skidded across the floor before bringing him to a stop. Espio waited until the last possible second before leaping over the bug sending him crashing into the wall. A pipe then ruptured, creating a thick cloud of steam. Before he could unfurl, Vector lifted the other pill bug and then hurled him toward his companion sending the two tumbling into a heap. 

"if you want something done, you do it yourself." the mantis growled, rushed toward Vector

The crocodile ducked and weaved, narrowly avoiding the mantises slashes. Espio suddenly slipped in behind him, going for a strike with his kunai. A loud clang rang out as the arm blade and metal clashed, edge to edge. Before Vector could try and assist, the two pill bugs rose bag to their feet, charging toward the croc. He shouted in surprise suddenly knocked over like a bowling pin by the pair. On the other side of the room, Espio and the mantis exchanged blow after blow, the ring of metal against armored shell echoing through the air.

The fight was suddenly brought to a halt by the howling of sirens.

"Its the fuzz! Amscray!" the mantis ordered.

He quickly slashed another nearby pipe creating a thick cloud of steam to cover their escape. The bugs quickly rushed to grab what valuables they could, creating a makeshift bag out of the spider's thread. Vector and Espio attempted to pursue but the cloud of steam kept their targets hidden. When the steam finally began to clear, the two saw a door had opened up in the wall, to reveal a hidden passage. Without a second thought they pursued, heading up a set of stairs and out into a back alley. There they spotted a van, as its engine revved to life. It peeled out onto the street about to make a getaway. Espio hurled a kunai toward it attempting to pop a tire but narrowly missed. The van then took off down the backstreet and out of sight.

"Should we go after them?" Espio asked.

"Nah, we need to talk to the police." Vector answered. "Besides. I think we can get the answers we need from our beetle friend."

The pair head around the back alley and circled toward the front of the laundromat. Three police cars were parked out front. Several officers were already inside arresting the beetle bouncer and trying to question the seemingly zombiefied people inside. Charmy was giving his statement when the pair reunited with him. Eventually the police were able to snap the people out of their stupor with a spray of cold water. Mr Gilded and Coco were mortified by the whole ordeal as the detectives explained the situation.

"So you two really don't remember anything?" Espio asked. 

"No not at all." Sterling sighed, fixing his hair. "One moment I was in my office then the next I was here. I can't believe that I was the one taking the jewelry."

"That explains how there was no sign of forced entry." Vector said, nodding. "You had the key to all the cases."

"I am so gonna get fired for this." Coco sighed.

"I'll see to it that you keep your job." Sterling said.

"Speaking of job, I wonder what we should do about this case." Espio thought aloud."We were only technically hired to find out how the jewels were going missing."

"Well we know the how but not the who." Vector pointed out. "This case ain't solved till we figure out where those jewels ended up or who was stealing them."

"But we don't have anymore leads." Charmy said.

"We got one lead we can follow." Vector replied, smiling.

After getting their statements at the station, Vector was able to pull some strings with some of higher ups. Despite their unconventional methods, the detectives had earned a reputation as people who did get things done. They had inadvertently solved several cases that the police were stumped on. (Although that wasn't hard to do considering the police's incompetence.) Thanks to those connections Vector was able to get the three into the questioning room to talk to the beetle bouncer. The three shuffled into the room with the one way mirror.

"So, have you gotten anything out of him?" Vector asked.

"Nothing." answered the officer, a large boar. "He won't make a peep. He keeps asking for his lawyer."

Espio whipped out a kunai. "We could try and get answers the old fashioned way."

"How did you get that past security?" the officer asked, eyes wide.

"Oh, its ceramic. It doesn't show up on metal detectors." 

"Gimme that." Vector growled, snatching the kunai and handing it to the police officer."Can we get some time alone with him?"

The boar glanced at Espio. "You don't have anymore of those ceramic kunai do you?"

Espio sighed and handed him another. The officer nodded and gave them a tip of his hat, before leaving the room. The trio shared a nod and headed into the interrogation room, finding the beetle sipping at a juice box. He narrowed his eyes at the three but said nothing. Espio positioned himself to lean against the wall. Vector and Charmy moved in toward the table. The bee hovered behind Vector trying his best to look serious while the crocodile pulled up a chair.

"Ya like juice huh?" Vector began, pointing at the little box.

"And what if I do?" the beetle grumbled.

"Hey, I was just asking. No need to be defensive. I ain't like those cops. I just wanna talk."

The beetle narrowed his eyes. "Talk about what?"

"Oh, just small talk. Lets start with the basics. I'm Vector. And you are?"

"Franky."

"Franky huh?  So, tell me Franky. What got ya into this line of work?"

"What line of work?"

"Being a doorman for a laundromat. That's a bit of a weird job. But then again that was no ordinary laundromat,"

"I ain't telling you nothing. I'm not falling for your nice guy act."

Vector sighed and shrugged. "Then I guess we do this the hard way. Charmy, get ready for operation double trouble."

Charmy nodded and flipped off the lights in the room. Vector grabbed a nearby desk lamp and turned it toward the beetle like a spotlight. The bug squinted, his vision filled with a corona of light. Charmy hovered in beside Vector, putting on a serious face.

"Alright, you're gonna tell us what we want to know. Who do you work for?"

"I ain't saying nothing."

"Where are those jewels going?" Charmy questioned, keeping up his tough guy act.

"I'm not budging."

"Looks like we gotta go rapid fire." Vector said cracking his knuckles. "Who were those guys in the basement?"

"Why were all the people in their hypnotized?" Charmy asked as the two traded off questions back and forth.

"How long have you been there?"

"Do you have any other locations?"

"Is Franky even you're real name?"

Frank blinked and before he could reply Charmy came in with another question. "Where you born?"

"Uuhh"

"What's your mother's maiden name?" 

"How many siblings do you have?"

"What did you have for lunch?"

"How many legs does a centipede have?"

"What's the square root of seven?"

"What's the capital of Spagonia?

"How many peppers did peter piper pick?"

"Do you know the muffin man?"

The series of seemingly random questions continued rapid fire. The beetle looked between the two of them frantically get more and more anxious. Each question was like a drop of water on a stone. Alone they would accomplish nothing. But eventually the rock would erode and crack. And Franky did crack, throwing up his arms.

"OKAY I'll TALK!" he exclaimed. "Please just stop. It feels that nightmare I used to have about school."

Charmy flipped on the lights and Vector turned the lamp away. "Alright, spill the beans Franky."

Franky sighed and looked around the room. "Okay, you didn't hear this from me. But, I work for a guy named Merlot."

"Merlot?" said Vector.

Franky nodded. "He's a prominent member of 'The Hive'."

Epsio's eyes widened. "The criminal organization?"

"No, the new alt rock band. Yes, the criminal organization!" Franky sighed and continued. "Anyway. Merlot is one of the newest members but he's been really impressing the big wigs of The Hive. At least that's what I hear. He's been making big moves with scheme he has going to steal lots of valuables."

"So, how is he hypnotizing the victims?" Vector asked.

"Not sure. Far as I understand it has something to with them being warm blooded. I don't know the sciency stuff behind it. Point is. If its got warm blood he can hypnotize someone after they've heard his voice once."

"And where can we find this Merlot?" said Espio.

"That I can't tell ya. But what I can tell ya is that the jewels from the laundromat probably got moved to the safehouse down by the docks. Warf 14. And if anyone asks, you didn't hear this from me."

Vector nodded and stood from his seat. 'Thanks for the lead Franky." He then placed a fresh juice box on the table. "We'll be in touch."

Vectot gave a nod of thanks to the officer from earlier before the group head back out onto the street. 

"Looks like we got our lead." Vector said, putting on his seatbelt.

"We had better hurry to the docks. No telling how long that safehouse will actually be used." Espio said, spinning a kunai

"Can we get mcdonalds first?" Charmy asked, sliding in between the two. "I'm hungry and I'm tired of eating instant noodles."

"We have food at the office." Espio pointed out.

"But  I waaaaant mcdonalds." the bee whined. 

Vector sighed "Okay, fine. We'll get mcdonalds."

Charmy let out a little cheer as Vector pulled out of the parking lot. After getting there requisite mcdonalds the trio headed down to the docks. It was late in the evening, almost early morning when the three arrived. Thankfully a quick coffee recharge and some sugar from Charmy's soda had given them a second wind. They parked behind a stack of shipping containers, being sure to keep out of sight. Espio lead the charge, bounding from shadow to shadow. Charmy was also able to keep out of sight thanks to his ability to fly. Vector on the other hand was very obvious. His massive frame hard to really use stealthily. Despite this, the trio did not seem to be noticed as they approached the warehouse. The group soon spotted the van from earlier parked around the side of the warehouse.

"This is definitely the place." Vector whispered. "So, how do we wanna do this?"

"Charmy and I could sneak in through the back while you circle around front." Espio suggested. "Go in loud and get their attention while we come in from the other side."

"A pincer attack." said Charmy. "its no candygram but I can dig it."

"Well we already did candygram today." Vector pointed out. "You only get to do that once. We could do pizza delivery but I don't think they'll fall for it since they're on edge. So we gotta be a little more straightforward."

"Thank goodness. I thought you were going to do the building inspector bit again." Espio sighed. 

"Nah, I forgot my clipboard and hard hat so I can't do it."

"Anyway, lets get this show on the road." Espio said, motioning for Charmy to follow.

As they circled toward the back of the building, Vector walked toward the entrance. The crocodile stretched, cracking his knuckles. He casually walked toward the warehouse door, raising his knuckle as if to knock. Then he pulled back his fist and slammed it into the door sending it flying off its hinges and slamming into a large shipping container. Still whistling he walked through the new opening and was greeted by the mantis, and two pill bugs playing cards on top of a stack of palettes.

"How's it going fellas?" he said, with a grin. "Remember me?"

"Not him again!" the spider exclaimed from her sorting table nearby. "Can't a girl appraise jewelry in peace?"

"Not when its stolen." Vector retorted walking forward.

The mantis growled and slammed down his cards. "I just woke up from a nap and had the boss chew me out. Now I gotta deal with this clown? How did you even find this place?!"

"i have my ways." Vector smiled.

"Franky talked didn't he?" the mantis replied, deadpan

"Psssh,whaaaaat, no." The three bugs stared at him. "Anyway, it doesn't matter how I found this place.  I'm here now and I'm here to bust up this whole operation."

"All right boys. lets make a leather hand bag out of this clown."

The pill bugs nodded and rolled up into their balls before hurtling toward Vector. The crocodile spread his feet, shifting his center of gravity. He slipped between them and spread his arms, catching both of them with a clothesline. They slowed down, forcing Vector back as he pushed against them both. Then with a roar he sent them hurtling back and crashing into a large stack of wooden crates. The mantis growled and began to move in before he felt a presence nearby. Quickly he jumped back, narrowly dodging a sneak attack from Espio. The two glared at each other before dashing in, and beginning an exchange of slashes. 

As his companions engaged with the others Charmy slowly flew in behind the spider who was ducking for cover. With their focus elsewhere, Charmy swooped in to grab two of the bags of stolen jewelry. His tiny wings strained as he very slowly brought the bags over to the exit. Before he could make it halfway across the room, the spider hopped out from under the table. With a growl, she turned around, and shot out a net of sticky webbing toward the bee, latching onto one of the bags.

"You're not getting away with those shrimp!" she exclaimed, tugging on the web to start reeling him in.

"L-let go!" Charmy said, struggling to try and keep the spider from yanking him.

Nearby, Espio backflipped away from a slash, landing on top of a crate. He spotted Charmy struggling to keep aloft and hurled a shuriken through the air. The blade sliced the spider thread cleanly and sent the spider tumbling backward in a heap. Charmy offered a quick wave of thanks which Espio was about to return when the mantis came leaping toward him. He quickly raised his kunai blocking the downward strike. Sparks flew as the edge of his blade clashed with the mantis's arm blade.  

Using his free hand, Espio produced a small smoke bomb and threw it to the ground. A thick cloud of white smoke poured out, leaving the mantis coughing and sputtering. In the cover of smoke, Espio made several handsigns producing a two clones of himself. When the smoke cleared, the trio of Espios attacked in tandem, striking from multiple angles. The mantis was able to block the two attacks from his left and right but the third slipped into his open guard. He backflipped, performing a somersault kick and striking the mantis's jaw. The bug went tumbling backward and fell onto the hard concrete floor, eyes spinning.

Espio hopped down from the crate just in time to see Vector wrestling with the two pill bugs. He growled in effort, lifting them both upward before hurling them through the air. The pair tried  to soften their landing by rolling into balls but went crashing into some industrial building supplies, their armor unable to absorb all of the shock. Vector nodded in satisfaction and dusted off his hands. He and Espio then approached the spider who quickly scurried under the table.

"Please don't hurt me!" she exclaimed. "I just work here!"

"Well you seemed to be more than willing to fight when it was just Charmy." Espio pointed out, spinning his kunai.

Vector slammed a fist into his palm. "Yeah, you like picking fights when you know you can win."

The spider shuddered, struggling for words. Before she could form a response footsteps echoed through the warehouse.

"What is all this ruckus?"

Everyone turned to see a figure stepping out from the warehouse's office. He was a tall thin mosquito, with four arms. His long thin spear like nose nearly reached his waist. He was sharply dressed, sporting a tailored black suit with red accents. His two lower arms used a cane tipped with what appeared to be a red gemstone. 

"You must Merlot." Vector said, turning to face him.

"So, you already know me?" the mosquito chuckled. "And who might you gentleman be?"

"We're the Chaotix Dectective Agency!" exclaimed Charmy. "And we're here to bring you in!"

"That's right. We're putting you under citizen's arrest and siezing these jewels so they can be returned to their rightful owners." Vector said with a nod.

Merlot looked around. "Well you already took out my muscle. I guess I don't' have any other choice."

Vector blinked in surprise. "Oh, you're coming along quietly. Well I appreciate someone sensible. Usually the villians say stuff like 'You will rue the day you thwarted my plans.'"

"Then there was that mad scientist." Espio said. "Ya know the one geneticist. 'Now you will see the fruits of my research!' Then he turned into a big hulking monster."

"Or that actor ruining the plays." Charmy said. "He was about to go on this grand monologue about 'The curtain rising on his new act' Then Vector socked him in the mouth."

"No, no.  I'm not so cliche." Merlot assured. "I think I'll just let what's about to happen speak for itself."

"That's ominous."

Merlot snapped his fingers, his eyes shimmering red. His wings then began to buzz, unleashing  a wave of sound. Moments later, the doors to the warehouse swung open and dozens of figures began to lumber inside. Dock workers, construction workers, sailors and so on, all mammals. Their eyes were glazed over, glowing the same shade of red as Merlots as they moved like zombies toward the mosquito. Within moments he was surrounded by a small army of hypnotized thralls. 

With a motion of his hand Merlot sent the thralls charging forward. They came like a tide, washing over Espio and Vector. Espio leapt and dodged, trying to avoid their grasping hands. While Vector wrestled and struggled as the mass of zombies attempted to overwhelm him. Once he was at a high vantage point, Espio hurled a pair of kunai at Merlot. The mosquito simply snapped his fingers and a pair of riot police moved into his path. The kunai then clanged off of the thralls shields, making Espio growl in frustration. 

Charmy hovered over the scene in worry, trying to think of something he could do. He scanned his surroundings, searching for anything that might help. That was when he spotted a lighter that had fallen from the mantis's coat pocket. A lightbulb went off in his head and he dived down to grab it. One of thralls nearly snatched his leg, but his small frame allowed him to slip by. Once back up in the air he moved higher into the ceiling. After a few attempts he lit the lighter, holding the flame up to the sprinklers. The fire alarm was set off, activating the automatic sprinklers. 

Cold water rained down onto the warehouse like a torrential downpour. As water dripped down the thralls slowly began to stir back to their normal selves. Soon they all found themselves looking around in confusion and bewilderment. Vector, Espio and Charmy began to move toward Merlot as he scrambled to find an exit. Before he could take one step, Espio dashed in front of him, barring his path. Soon all three detectives loomed over the mosquito as he fell back in fright.

Vector gave him a playful smirk. "Well, Merlot, looks like you're-"

"Don't say it." Espio growled.

"-all washed up."

The chameleon slapped his forehead, his hand sliding down his face. 

******
Mrs Gilded sipped a cup of tea in her office. She glanced at the latest headline in the paper. In big bold letters it read. 'Small Time Detectives Crack Big Time Jewel Smuggling Operation'. She heard a knock at the door, beckoning them inside. Her butler allowed the three detectives into the office where they took a seat in front of her. Vector seeming a bit too large for the furniture.

"Well, I must say you exceeded my expectations." Mrs. Gilded said. "Not only did you solve the case of my missing jewels, you also brought them back and then some. I have to say I'm more than impressed."

"Well, once we start a job we don't stop till its seen through." Vector said, puffing with pride. 

"I think you've more than earned your pay." she chuckled, sliding over the check.

Vector took the slip gratefully. "Thank ya Mrs Gilded. If you're in need of a detective. You know where to find us."

She nodded and waved to the three as they left. They walked with a bit of a spring in their step as they head toward the car.

"Well boys another job well done." Vector said with a smile.

"Finally we can pay all our bills." Espio said with a sigh of relief.

"And eat good food!" Charmy exclaimed.

"Yep, everything is finally starting to look up." Vector smiled as he started the engine.

Suddenly their was a sputter and a small explosion, black smoke pouring from the engine. Vector groaned, forehead slamming into the steering wheel.

"I'll call a tow truck." Espio sighed.

"Why did I open my big mouth." Vector whimpered, as more smoke poured from the under the hood.