"Hold on, I'm still processing what you said." Rouge's legs were crossed as she relaxed on her chaise lounge. I sat in a recliner to the side, my hands folded over my lap. "You're coming to me for this?" she asked.



I firmly nodded. "Yes."



"Well, despite how fond I am of you, you're asking me to break into a heavily armed Eggman base. Been there, done that plenty of times, but I'm not giving any friendship discounts." She adjusted her gloves, then watched me, her gaze suddenly serious. "Not only that, you're asking me to steal... a robot."



"And a crystal," I said.



"And a crystal," she repeated. "That's not my main concern, hon. Let's go back-- this is a robot, that, according to you, is also on Sonic and Tails's radar." She raised a brow at me. "If we're there at the same time... You know what's implying, right? Don't get me wrong, I'm fine with tousling with a handsome hog and his little brother... But are you fine with that?"



"Truthfully, no," I said, frowning. "But... If that's what has to happen, then... That's how it is." Assuming the robot was friendly towards me, maybe he'd be able to tell us everything about why he's there in private. Metal was still gone, so... We could tell Metal everything later when there's no risk of being captured by Eggman again. I just... I didn't want Sonic and Tails to get wrapped up in all of this. Not yet.



"You must really want this robot," Rouge said, her eyes widened. "I can't carry that by myself, you know. That'll also cost you extra."



"I'm coming with you to help... And I'll pay whatever you want." I told her, firm. "We need to get the robot before Sonic and Tails do... And... I'm going to be honest, Rouge, it's for a selfish reason. But I have such a bad feeling if they get to him first."



Her serious stare finally broke, and she slyly chuckled. "Alright. I'm absolutely loving this side of you, but... Have you told them that you don't want them going after the robot?"



"Look, Rouge, I trust you in part because you don't ask that many questions. You know this is weird for me, so you know this is really serious, too."



She shrugged. "Fair point. I just want to make sure you understand what you're getting into."



"I understand. I want us to do this as soon as possible."



"Ooh. Sounds very expensive~" She let out an airy sigh this time. "Give me the day to get everything sorted. We'll leave tomorrow."



I nodded. "We have a deal, then?" I asked, offering my hand.



"For you, Amy Rose? Of course~" She proudly shook my hand. I couldn't back out now...





Rouge's research took us all the way to an island base I heard about a few times from both the Chaotix and Tails. I guess their hunches were right; there was something here.



The island and the nearby beach made me think of my date with Metal a while ago... He made such a pretty sculpture of me... I was still shy about expressing my affection then, too... Ahh...!



Focus, Amy! We were here, so it was time to get this robot. I wore all black to stay out of sight, and also to match the spy aesthetic. Rouge was similarly kitted out, though she had her legendary heart-shaped corset and her cute heart-shaped boots. She had some kind of visor over one of her eyes that sometimes flashed with text I couldn't read.



We avoided sneakily placed cameras and went towards the back and to a large vent we could fit into with some room to spare. Rouge pried the vent open with one of her heels, then stuck a small, heart-shaped device on one of the inside edges. She got me to crawl in first, then followed me, replacing the vent like we never entered at all.



The robot was likely in a lab located deep underground, similar to Metal's base. The plan involved us getting to the elevator shaft through the vents and making our way down. From there, we'd sneak into the lab itself. Getting the robot out was the trickiest part... but if the bot patrols Rouge studied were correct, we'd be able to take the elevator back up and escape!



"Eggman will be a little preoccupied for a few hours. Sonic and Tails should be with him, too," Rouge teased. "See? One of your concerns already cared for... But that doesn't mean we can just fool around. Stay cautious."



"Right," I replied. I was extra cautious anyway; Rouge told me I wouldn't be able to fit my hammer through the routes we were taking, so I was less armed than I would be. I didn't take my favorite photo of me and Metal, either. I felt kind of weird and exposed...



We came to the first opening; I shuffled to the side so that Rouge could also see out the vent. We were in a kitchen... There was a bot there, but they were turned away, whistling a machine-like tune to themselves while cleaning a counter.



Rouge quietly pried the vent open first and climbed down. I followed her lead, and together, the two of us went to another vent near the floor. This vent was a lot more cramped... Yeah, I definitely would have some trouble with my hammer here. After a few minutes, we came out to a huge, empty elevator shaft. I couldn't even see the bottom...



"Here we are," she said at a more normal volume. "We go down from here. Watch your step." Rouge climbed out first and tapped the wall with her boots; the tips of her boots clung to any surface and allowed her to scale down with ease.



"Where'd you get your boots?" I playfully asked, climbing out too. Rouge brought me special gloves to help me stick to the walls and climb down, albeit slightly less gracefully.



"Custom made by the most gorgeous craftsman. Completely worth the commission. I'll give you the shop address," she said cheerfully.



I smirked as I climbed down with her.



"We're making a pit stop before we go to the bottom floor..." She mumbled to herself, her visor flashing with some images and text. "Eggman has quite a few spaces where he stores his junk."



In the middle of the elevator shaft, Rouge stopped. "Right here," she hummed, elegantly cutting open the next vent. We both went in and found ourselves in another maze of air ducts... Eventually, we saw some openings down to various rooms below. A lot of the rooms looked like storage. There was a room full of a bunch of Egg Pawns propped against individual pod-shaped stations. Occasionally, an Egg Pawn would come online and walk away, and another Egg Pawn would return and replace the one before. Lots of machines and machine parts...



Was Metal here? I wondered if we would come across him while looking around... Maybe he was where the other robot was? I'd find out, I guess.



"Ah-ha." Rouge gestured me over to another vent opening. The room below looked a bit like a workshop, not unlike the smaller lab between the flower garden and our bedroom back at Metal's base. There was a big, comfortable chair, some leftover food... Ugh, Eggman was kind of a slob. In the middle of a table was the dark crystal I saw before, albeit with less wires sticking out everywhere. "Is that it?" she quietly asked.



"Yeah, that's the one."



"Interesting..." Rouge appeared to be lost in thought for a brief moment. She opened the vent. "Give me just a second."



I watched the greatest thief in the world at work. She clung to the ceiling, not yet going for the crystal, and methodically placed different sensors and traps around the room. I didn't have a total idea of what she was doing, but she'd been to Eggman's bases plenty of times so I had the impression there were extra layers she had to do to be undetected.



Truthfully, it was amazing to watch. She was thorough, patient, and finally... She snatched the crystal right up and rejoined me in the vent. She pressed a button on the underside of her glove, causing all the sensors to quietly explode into nothing.



"Can't leave a trace," she said to me with a wink. "Eggman has a bunch of invisible sensors and alarm trips everywhere... especially personal workspaces like this one."



"Amazing work, Rouge!" I beamed. "Now for the robot..."



"Mmhm~ That one will be a two-lady job. Let's move forward." Rouge closed the vent and continued on as I followed behind.



We eventually made our way back in the elevator shaft and cautiously descended. I noticed she was thinking again, and I wasn't sure it was about the mission we were doing. "Is something on your mind, Rouge?" I asked.



"Ah, just thinking about this lovely item here... It's called a Shield Crystal," she said to me, smiling. "They're very rare and have some unique properties of their own, not to mention that gorgeous teal sheen. I had a job to grab one the same time Eggman and his favorite bot were, coincidentally."



"Favorite bot?" I repeated. "Metal Sonic?"



"Mmhm. It was shortly after that race we all went to, actually." She chuckled. "You know, he threw me for a loop at the race, so I didn't know what to expect when I came across him again. Turns out he's a typical guy like so many others."



I blinked. "What do you mean by that?" I asked. Rouge and Metal had a fight? I guess it made sense I didn't know about it... Metal was doing a job for Eggman. And... luckily, both Metal and Rouge were okay, so...



Rouge dramatically flicked one of her wrists and rolled her eyes with a smile. "He has another button to push. I was doing my thing, you know, and I kissed him to taunt him a little. He became extremely predictable again."



"You did what?" I asked. Rouge kissed him?!



Rouge laughed. "Are you surprised? I've done that to plenty of my adversaries... Though, I didn't expect that reaction from him." She gave a casual shrug. "I didn't know a robot could be so offended. It was cute, actually."



I couldn't believe Rouge kissed him!! What the hell?!



"How did you do it?" I asked. I had to calm down, but... rrrgh!! What kind of 'taunt' was she doing?!



She laughed. "How did I kiss him?" she asked for me to clarify.



I needed to know if it was a peck or if she really went-- Agh!!! I couldn't say that!!! "B-because, like, you know..." I clenched my teeth and had to quickly untense again. "He doesn't have a mouth."



"Just a little smooch." Rouge giggled. "That was enough to make him the cold-hearted brute we faced off with plenty of times. There's a pro-tip for you if you ever get caught in a one-on-one," she said with a wink in my direction.



I loved Rouge, but I did not approve of how she did everything. There were a million ways to fight off someone like Metal without kissing him! Hell, he got mad when I did it in combat! She carried so many bombs and devices, she's incredibly cunning and good at sneaking by... So why kiss him?!



"I thought you would find my job more interesting than my side-note on kissing a robot," Rouge teased. "Now I find you more interesting. You look so grumpy, love!"



"It's... I'm just... I knew you did dirty tricks, Rouge, but I didn't expect that from you," I huffed. "I have to say, I'm a little disappointed."



"Ooh. You never seemed that bothered before."



"You never mentioned kissing your enemies before!" I exclaimed, blushing more. "H-have some standards!"



"Eggman and his ilk aren't always enemies to me," she smoothly replied. "Some bots have some charm, you know? I'd love to find out more about how they tick~"



I had to stop talking because I was getting so mad. Of all the people she could've kissed for fun, of course she kissed Metal. At least her description told me Metal didn't exactly enjoy it... Not that I wanted him to suffer, but...!! Rouge kissed him?!



We made it to the bottom of the elevator shaft, but the elevator was blocking the vent to the bottom floor. We went a floor above and had a path to go down and reach the robot's location. I shouldn't have to worry...



Yeah! I asked Metal long ago if he found people attractive, and he said he only found me attractive. He's faced off with Rouge before... She was super pretty, but Metal was very particular. His flowers were always for me. Our connection was beyond simple appearance and...



Why was he gone?! I wanted to ask him!! I should just surprise him in that gown I bought and make him tell me his thoughts!



I should--



We were surrounded by bright red lights. An alarm was blaring. My ears were already ringing.



"Shit--" Rouge clicked her tongue, checking her visor. "We need to get out of here. We'll go back for the robot later."



"We can't still grab him?"



"The base is on lockdown. We got half of what we came here for. I intend to complete the job, but it can't be completed right now." She gestured me forward and began climbing up a vertical vent. "We have to go the long way," she called out.



I followed her.



"Do you think you can just sneak into my base and steal my things?!" screamed Eggman from speakers that echoed all around us. "Whoever you are, I'll find you and I'll end you!"



"Weird," Rouge mumbled.



"How did he find out?!" I yelled up to her.



"He shouldn't have!"



There was no use arguing... Rouge was helping me. I kept climbing.



Fsssshhhh... The vent below began filling up with white smoke. Rouge gasped and quickly pulled up a bandana around her muzzle. "He's chasing us out! Hurry!" she exclaimed.



I ascended as quick as I could. The smoke rose up too fast-- I held my breath. My eyes were watering... I couldn't see Rouge above me, or, uh, anything for that matter.



I felt the edge of one of the vents and attempted to climb myself into it.



Fssshhh! A puff of gas went directly into my face. I coughed-- I instinctively took a breath. Dammit! No!



My body immediately felt weak... I couldn't... fully pull myself up. I went from seeing white to...



...



...



...



I sucked in a deep breath and coughed, over and over. My back was killing me. I opened my eyes-- God, they hurt-- and tried to gauge where I was.



... I saw a lot of iron bars. As my vision cleared up, I stood up and saw a drab, miserable hall in between a bunch of cell blocks. I was in some brig of Eggman's.



"Wakey-wakey!" I heard a kinda familiar voice. I looked down; across the bars was the cube-shaped robot alongside the sphere-shaped one. Cubot and Orbot!



"You're supposed to say that before they stand up," said Orbot.



"She still just woke up. Hello, thief! Tell us where Big Little Bro is!" Cubot's voice suddenly became deep and dramatic, but it wasn't intimidating in the slightest: "Who are you working for?!"



If I was in a slightly better mood, I would've smiled. "Big Little Bro?" I asked, raising a brow.



"He's referring to prized Eggtech you and whoever you came here with stole. We are not above acts of persuasion, Amy Rose," Orbot said. Okay, that was slightly more threatening. But, more importantly...



Someone else took the robot already? "Prized Eggtech? Do you mean like... Metal Sonic?"



"Yes, but that's Big Bro, and he's--" Cubot's statement got interrupted by a slap from Orbot. Dammit! They almost told me what was going on with Metal. "I mean...! H-he's none of your business!! Thief!!"



The other prison cells were empty from what I could tell... Hopefully Rouge got out. So... I couldn't imply anything about the Shield Crystal. "Look... You guys got me," I sighed, raising my hands in the air.



"We did it!" Cubot beamed, voice eager and cheerful. Orbot shook his head and groaned.



"I did come here to steal your Big Little Bro, but everything was gone when I got here," I sighed. I did not know how to explain my predicament to Sonic and Tails. "So... My trip here was a waste. I mean, you searched me, right? Do I have any evidence of thievery?"



They both just stared at me for a while.



"Y...You... You have black clothes!" Cubot shouted.



"Regardless, you trespassed on private property," huffed Orbot. "You're staying here until our Boss arrives and decides what to do with you."



The two of them floated away. For some reason, they were mumbling about an arcade. I sighed, sitting down on a shoddy bench in the cell. I looked around to see if there was anything I could possibly do...



Sonic and Tails weren't responsible for whoever stole the robot if Rouge was right. There was no way Metal was behind this, even if he was up and around. This mysterious extra party actually kinda really bothered me.



... Huh. I wondered if Cubot and Orbot searched everything.



I felt on the insides of one of my boots and dug into one of my heels...



Ah-ha! Rouge gave me a few of those sensor-things in case I needed them. I wondered if they could short out the lock keeping my cell shut... I walked to the front of the cell and peeked to try to find any sort of keypad-- yeah! One was to the left of the door! It was too far to reach, though... The sensor could stick onto any surface, so I had to launch it over.



Deep breaths. I set up the sensor on a timer and carefully aimed it...



Tink! It landed directly on the keypad!



"Let's go, Rosy...!" I whispered to myself excitedly. I backed away and waited...



Zrrrt! The door opened! Yes! Yes!



I ran out and quickly gauged my surroundings. There was a lazying Egg Pawn on the other end, suddenly alerted as soon as I went for the door. It buzzed out an anxious tone and aimed its spear at me. I didn't have my Piko Piko Hammer, but that didn't make me weak!



I flipped and bashed that bot right on the head-- BOOM! It exploded like nothing. Damn.



No time to think about consequences! I ran out the door and tried to find my way out of here. There weren't any alarms blaring, but I didn't have the patience to keep sneaking around. I didn't try to act reckless exactly, but--



The lights turned red and alarms began blaring again. Dammit!



A bunch of Egg Pawns rushed out to greet me. I steeled myself; they were about to see how strong I really was. I jumped onto a bot and crushed each one I passed by. Some bots came out of an elevator-- I hurriedly jumped inside and selected the top floor before it could close and lock on me.



The elevator was huge and roomy, but that also meant there were still some bots in here with me. There were a handful of pawns and one terrifying Egg Hammer, like what I fought with Cream not too long ago... Ugh...!



I just needed to be smart and bide my time if nothing else. The elevator rose up as all the pawns went for me. I took care of a few without a problem, but the Egg Hammer knocked me aside with its weapon so fast that I couldn't react in time.



I collapsed to the ground with a groan. I had to get up...



I grabbed an Egg Pawn by the legs and swung it at the other remaining pawns, destroying the rest of them in the process. The Egg Hammer took up a big portion of the elevator and spun wildly with its hammer, nearly grazing me in the process. I backed up to the corner as soon as I could...



... The Egg Hammer got dizzy. Hah! I knocked it over and snatched the hammer out from its grip. The hammer was super heavy, but if I timed my swings, I would be able to use it just fine.



Uh... hopefully the elevator could withstand a hit to the ground. I needed to be caref--



Whoosh! I jumped back from a bold swing as the bot stood up. It lunged for me, giving me no choice-- I whacked it with the hammer! It exploded, causing the elevator to be a graveyard of machine parts. These guys were... way easier than I remembered. Maybe I just got a lot stronger over the years...?



The elevator opened, and, uh... Well, even though I may have been stronger, that was still way too many bots. I went down the hall with the giant hammer, knocking aside anything that ran in my way. As soon as I got into the big, open room ahead, I used the hammer to propel me up into the air.



The room I was in had a huge pool, but even that was crawling with bots. They were everywhere, and I was their prime target.



"Amy!"



I craned my head upwards. "Rouge!" There was a hole in the glass dome of a ceiling above. She had her arm reached for me to grab, but I didn't gather enough momentum yet.



I spun vertically downwards with as much force as I could muster...



CRACK! The hammer crushed few unfortunate pawns below it and the tile beneath them. I launched into the air again and let go of the hammer. I was so close to the ceiling--



She caught me! Rouge pulled me up, then glided away. We held onto each other's arms. Luckily, there didn't seem to be many robots running around outside. Rouge took me to a small part of the island still covered in vegetation.



I collapsed as soon as she put me down. I didn't realize how tired I was.



"Fun's not over yet," Rouge said, cautiously glancing around. "I summoned our ride. Let's go."



I scrambled up and followed Rouge around tropical bushes and trees... On the shore was a very Rouge-coded speedboat. I'd never been more relieved to see that white-purple-teal combo in my life. I jumped into the back of the speedboat, while she took the steering up front. In an instant, we jetted away.



Whew.



I collapsed for real this time.



Rouge laughed. "I thought I had to break you out, but you were already out and about. Look at you, girl," she said, cheerful.



"Not my first break-out, I guess... Do you still have the crystal?"



"Mmhm." She tossed it over to me; I scrambled up to catch it, then sighed and stared at the crystal. This thing caused a lot of trouble... Rouge let out a dramatic sigh. "I need to re-evaluate my plan for the other half of our deal."



"Someone else stole the robot," I said back. "And it wasn't Sonic and Tails, right?"



She shook her head. "I overheard the same thing. I'll look into it. Might take me a little while though, hon."



"That's fine... we have no choice," I said. "But I'm glad we at least got this. I'll pay you what I can right now, at least."



"Yes, about that... I've decided what this half of the payment should be," she replied, her voice smooth. "But let's wait until we're back on land, hm?"



I was fine with that. I took the time to recoup. Spying and getting caught was exhausting. I would be lying if I didn't say it was kinda fun, though... In all the excitement, I briefly forgot I was a bit angry with Rouge.



She saved me too, so... I mean, we're friends. She didn't know about Metal, and it wasn't like she was actually flirting with him...



I was acting like such a grade-schooler. I needed to relax and take the half-win.



Rouge and I made it back to the mainland, and from there, we made our way back towards our homes. We went to a path in the fields just before the city. She stopped first, causing me to stop too and look at her.



"Let's part ways here. Before that, though...~" She cocked one of her hips to the side and perched one of her arms in her hand, rubbing under her chin with the other. "My payment."



I nodded. "What's the damage?" I asked.



"Hmm...~ Well, I only did half the job, and because you are so cute, I am willing to let you keep the Shield Crystal before I finish the other half. Mmm... I provided you some tools and let you borrow my top-- adorable on you, by the way-- though I normally work in the vents alone. Greater risk to factor in the cost. Ooh... And I did kinda get you out of that base." She playfully cringed at me.



I rolled my eyes and smiled, crossing my arms.



"How about this: don't mention my involvement with this crystal to your robot boyfriend, and consider this half of our exchange paid for."



My smile dropped just as fast.



"Huh?"



"Mm, I'm not too surprised, considering everything... I suppose you didn't completely move on from Sonic," she said with a grin.



"Excuse me?!" I screamed. "He's not-- You--!! You got the wrong idea!"



Rouge cackled and began walking away. "Had a hunch since the race, hon! Nothing escapes my intuition... Buh-bye now~!" She waved at me, then flew away before the moment caught up to me.



I...



Oh my God.





After I made sure I was absolutely not followed in any sense, I took the crystal back to Metal's base and gave it to Belle to examine, then I just went back home. I tried to relax in the bath and tried to get some rest afterwards.



Clearly, I couldn't.



Okay... I needed to list the pros and cons. I had been pacing around my room for half an hour.



Pro: Rouge suspected Metal was my boyfriend for like a month and a half and didn't say anything about it.

Con: I must have done something at our racing competition to make it obvious we were dating. Was it when we joked about Metal looking at my dress? Ugh! I should have pretended to not hear her!



Get it together, Rosy.



Okay. Another pro: Rouge hasn't treated me differently at all. She's been friendly, helped me, wanted to hang out and just chat.

Con: She has leverage in being unfair in battle towards Metal... Which means I would also have to tell him that she knew, and that would probably make him really upset...



Surely I could think of another pro... Ah! Yeah: Rouge was kinda shady, so my association with someone who works so closely with Eggman likely doesn't bother her.

...

Con: Rouge was kinda shady.



I grabbed my pillow from my bed and screamed into it while pacing. I couldn't believe this was happening!!! I trusted Rouge to not suddenly out me, but the real concern was that no one trusted Metal. Would I have to prove to Rouge that our relationship was actually serious, or would she think it's just an elaborate plan I got roped into?



Ugh... I thought about it more. I mean, how would I react if my friend wanted to steal a robot and a powerful gem before her other friends got it? And then I find out my friend's significant other is one of the most deadly members of our greatest enemy's arsenal? It sounded stupid! I would think my friend was blinded by love, and I wouldn't even be sure that love was real! I'd think her boyfriend was doing another elaborate plan to rule the world or something!!!



"Relax, darling."



I screamed and jerked my head towards my bedroom window. Rouge was leaning through it, smiling coyly at me.



"I forgot to mention before: your secret is safe with me. I have no interest in involving myself in whatever drama is going on with everyone; I just like to hear about it. Why else do I have these big, adorable ears?" She playfully flicked one of her ears.



I clutched my pillow tightly and stared at her, tears budding in my eyes. I was really stressed. I wasn't sure what to say to her.



"Plus, you're too smart to let anyone blind your judgment... to the point that it's a little grating," she said with a smirk. "But it's to say... Don't worry your pretty head. There are some codes I simply don't break."



I loosened my grip a little... I nodded at her.



"I did enjoy seeing you sweat a little. Also, the other half of the payment will involve you telling me real details of your relationship. Ta-ta once more~" Rouge leaned back out my window, then closed it, fluttering off into the dark.



... I locked my window again. I thought I locked it before... I sighed.



I did feel some kind of relief... but... I also felt so lonely.



I missed Metal. I wished I could talk about everything that's happened... I hated that he was gone. I wanted him to come back.



I at least felt more confident in actually falling asleep... I was exhausted.