~One Year Later~

"The Night Killer strikes again in DownTown Station Square. This time the victim is 45 year old Tommas Grey, who was found innocent of a vehicular homicide charge just last week. True to The Night Killer's way, there was damning evidence found at the crime scene proving Tommas Grey should have been convicted."

Topaz softly shook her head, "That's the fourth murder this week." She said, to no one in particular. The break room was mostly empty, just her and some G.U.N scientist.

The scientist, Darren, was his name? Looked from his papers, glancing at the TV. "What do you expect? It's Station Square PD on the case." Darren had greasy brown hair, and black thick framed glasses.

Topaz hummed, "I suppose...but still you think they would have something on the guy by now."

"Who says they don't?"

"I checked the case file when I was on that Anderson case with them last week. Not a single thing!"

Darren shook his head, "Well out of all the killers out there, I have to say the Night Killers got to be the most dangerous and the least dangerous one at the same time."

"How so?"

"Well think about it, he only kills those who deserve it. So, unless you're a killer or something, he's nothing to be afraid of. But if you're like that Grey guy, he's probably the most dangerous person you have to worry about."

Topaz thought it over for a moment, before nodding. " That's true, I suppose. Still, I don't like any killer being on the streets."

Darren chuckles, getting up. "Well by the looks of it, he isn't going anywhere any time soon."

She frowned softly, as the truth of those words sank in. Darren was right, whoever this Night Killer was they were obviously good. Station Square PD wasn't nearly as bad as Darren seemed to think, they usually would be on the guys tail by now.

Her line of thought was interrupted by the door opening, a woman around her age with long brown hair tied up stood in the doorway. Topaz nodded her head, "Amanda."

"Mrs. Topaz." She nodded back, "The Commander wants to see you in his office."

"Thank you, please tell him I'll be right there." Amanda nodded once more, and left. Leaving Topaz alone temporarily to dwell on her thoughts.

The Night Killer. What's her opinion of him? She wasn't entirely sure. One one hand, she sort of understood what he was doing. He was killing the people who had one too many chances. Those who got away, when they didn't deserve it. She herself got close to killing a monster like that once, on a case that hit too close to home. But she didn't kill him, because the bastard didn't deserve the mercy of death either.

And that's where the other hand comes in, killing isn't right, no matter who you're killing. It's not right to choose justice yourself, to make yourself the judge and jury of someone's fate. That's what the system is for, and when the system fails? You fight it, not just take matters into your own hands.

She sighed, and got up. She had work to do, and analyzing the Night Killer wasn't a part of that work. Brushing off her uniform, she sat her empty mug into the sink and headed out the break room.

The Commander's "personal" office was very...grand. It was easily the largest room in the twelve story building. It had its own bar and lounge area. His desk situated in front of a full wall window overlooking the city and the forest beyond. The whole office was covered in different shades of gray and black.

It was quite different from his "work" office. Which was as normal as any other office in the building.

"You called for me sir?"

The Commander stood behind his desk, back to her, gazing out the window. "Yes I did, Agent Topaz. Come here for a moment."

She silently raised a brow, but moved to stand beside him nevertheless. "What is it you need sir?"

Instead of answering he took out a portion of the newspaper, handing it to her. It wasn't from Station Square, no in fact it was from a town across the state. She read the headline.

Medusa Strikes Again!

"I don't understand sir."

"Keep reading, agent."

"Last night another body was found, 14 year old Allisa Trident. Sources say she went missing last night when she was on the way home from a friend's house. Just like the other victims she was found that morning, turned to solid stone. Local police are baffled by the strange deaths, though they assure us that everything is under control.

'This has never been seen before! It appears to have spread not unlike a disease! Starting on a small patch of skin and then growing until it completely covers the body!' Dr. Barnworth said to us with astounding shock. No one knows how this is happening, and what the common factor among victims is. If there is even a pattern to who gets targeted at all. Police is asking everyone to be on guard and to stay safe at home." Topaz finished reading, and they both sat in a heavy silence.

"This is going to be a problem, Agent."

Topaz furrowed her brow, staring at the paper within her grasp. "How so sir?"

The Commander glanced at her, "This is not the only town hit by such mysterious deaths, Topaz. Each worse than before, and each completely unconnected with the chaos emeralds."

"Another foreign energy perhaps?"

"Perhaps." Silence hung in the air once more. Finally, "Topaz, I need you to assemble Team Hero."

She couldn't hold back the startled gasp, "Are you sure sir? Team Hero hasn't been seen together in over a year! Surely it's not that bad?"

The Commander turned to face her, face grim and firm. "I'm afraid it is indeed that bad, Agent. This is something big and widespread, we need their experience and their numbers to fight this. Whatever this is...they are the only ones fit to face it."

"Sir...does that mean...I must find Sonic as well?"

"Yes, you must. This requires the entire team, Agent."

She bowed her head, "Yes sir. Team Hero will be gathered."

And with that, the search began.

~*~

~12:00am Same Day~

"U-uh, H-hello?" The golden retriever nervously entered the alley, palms sweaty and voice shaking. The poor soul practically was one step away from fainting, she was so frightened. "M-mister Night Killer? I'm here, j-just like you asked!" She nervously took her long violet hair out of its ponytail, simply to put it up once more and give her shaking hands something to do.

"Diamond Brown, correct?" The voice was soft and low, echoing all around her at once. She shivered softly and nodded, words stuck within her throat. "You have the required file?" Again she nodded, pulling a tan file out of the leather bag at her hip. Lavender eyes scanned the dark stone alley, hoping to pinpoint the source of the voice.

A dark shape emerged from the shadows to her left, gloved hand reaching for the file within her grasp. She hesitantly passed it to the figure, unsure if this was the right choice. But then the thought of her sister begging for her life crossed her mind. She wanted this done, she wanted that son of a bitch to feel what her sister felt in her final moments. "How much do I owe you? You never said the price."

"There is no price, you don't pay. And you never had this conversation understood?"

No price? She found it to be too good to be true, but she wasn't about to confront this stranger about the matter. "Yes, I understand."

"Good. Now, you said this man killed your sister, correct?" She nodded. "This file has undeniable proof within it?"

She nodded once more, "Yes, but it was declared unusable becau-"

"I don't need to know the details of the trial. I saw it for myself. I just need to be certain that all evidence they obtained is in this file."

"They are."

"Good. He'll be dead by the end of the night. Any requests?"

She thought for a moment, remembering how much life her sister brought to her. Everything her 15 year old sister hoped to achieve. Alice didn't deserve what she got, but the bastard did. "I want him to die like he killed my sister, watching in a mirror as he gets shot."

"I will see to it. The police here are good at their job, but the justice system is lacking." He pauses here, and she could see him withdraw something from his cloak. She tensed, and reached for her own bag, though pepper spray wouldn't do much against a gun.

Her worries were unfounded however, as he pulled out a small pen like device instead. "This device will erase any memory of me and this interaction. I will make sure there is no trace of you hiring me. It will take effect only after you fall asleep." She nodded softly, the thought of forgetting the whole ordeal wasn't exactly a pleasant one but it did help to assure nothing would tie back to her. She was terrible at lying, and this was something she could never hide without major trouble.

She watched as he flipped through the folder once more, before he looked up to her. "I will have it done by the end of the night." He repeated. "Anything else that I may need to know?"

She wracked her mind, and only one question stood out. It was silly, stupid even, a question she definitely shouldn't ask a killer. But...something about him seemed...trustworthy. And she found the words tumbling out before she could stop them. "Does this make me a horrid person? Asking you to do such a thing to another living soul?"

The man seemed taken aback by her question, rightfully so she noted, and silence filled the space. It was thick, and smothered her. She was at her wits end, about to beg him to forget the question and just let her on her way, when he finally spoke up. "No, not at all. In fact, I believe it makes you rather mobian. There is no perfect way to deal with things, no right answer. And anyway, it's not you pulling the trigger is it? Why by tomorrow you won't even remember asking me to do it."

And something in the back of her mind still nagged her, still telling her 'this is wrong, this is wrong, call it off, call it off!' But she desperately wanted to believe these strangers' words, to believe that she doesn't have to be perfect and that this doesn't make her a monster. And just as quickly as the doubt came, the anger replaced it. She isn't the monster, that bastard is. He deserves this. She was doing all the other young girls he may target a favor.

"Look up at the pen."

She did.

"Good."

There was a flash.

"You can go now." She blinked, suddenly everything seemed sluggish. As if her mind was stuck within a fog, she shook her head but it only made it worse. "You can go now." The cloaked figure repeated, turning and fading into the night.

She doesn't know when she returned home, why was she even out again?

She hits the pillow, out instantly.

She wakes to the news on, though she doesn't remember turning it on last night...she doesn't remember much past those few drinks actually. Focusing on the news, she finds her sisters killer was killed in his home shot in front of a mirror.

Enjoy the karma Asshole.

~*~

~7:00am Same Day~

Blood never settled well with him, the sight caused a sick feeling in his being. Ironic, considering his current line of work. But all the same, any time the irony scent enters this feeling of absolute wrongness engulfs him. Blood is supposed to stay within the body, and it doesn't belong outside of it.

But so is shooting a young girl.

He often has to remind himself who he is killing has killed or severely harmed others. If the system won't stop these monsters, he will.

"Hey, you're in your head again bossman!" The shrill voice of his only companion echoed in the spacious apartment.

The apartment in question was in a state of messy disrepair,takeout boxes left behind in their new homes onto any surface and clothes strewn comfortably across the floor blanketing it. The air was stale, a suffocating mix of days old food and fresheners that didn't last longer than an hour. Machinery and half finished inventions are scattered from room to room, waiting to be noticed again. The space echoed his state of mind, constant disarray.

Sitting on his perch was, in Renegade's opinion, his best invention yet. Flame. The 1ft tall fiery phoenix with slick reinforced steel, the best personality chip he could find installed with precision. The orange-red mechanical bird had a mind of its own, and stuck with Renegade through thick and thin. From a small mechanically simple flicky to the fully operational bird of ashes he was now Flame has grown and adapted.

"How did it go?" He flew from the perch over to the still cloaked figure, settling on the small table that was situated beside the front entrance.

"As you would expect, crying, false promises to do better, 'I'll confess!". The guy's an honest creep, but they all are." The cloak and metallic dragon-isk mask was removed and placed beside the bird, revealing a startlingly familiar face. Blue quills cut just below the face, scars across a peach muzzle and left ear half missing. Scars decorated every inch of the sixteen year old, some from a life before and some from that horrible event...Most shockingly of all these is the robotic ankle just peeking over the left black combat boot.

"Is this that creep who killed that poor teen girl?"

"That's the one, her older sister employed me. Surprised me really, she didn't seem the type to go to such dark lengths but nonetheless."

"I thought you didn't do orders?"

The hedgehog shrugged, picking up a random machine and collapsing onto the dilapidating couch. "I was going to kill the guy anyway."

"Well how did she even get a hold of you?" Flame had a point, he worked hard to keep Night Killer unreachable and undetectable.

"Apparently she's a friend of Simons." Simon was (key word there, was, for sure he was never speaking to Simon again) the only person who had any contact with him. He usually gave the case details and files, being a guy with quite a few secrets himself Renegade knew he would never tell anyone. Well, at least he thought he knew.

"That two-faced rat! He knows not to give out your info!"

"Apparently she was going to hire someone anyway, Simon knew I was looking into the guy and to avoid any trouble just told her about me. Told her I was some hire-to-kill guy. God Damn lucky I erased her memories or the entire thing could have blown up eventually. Hand me a body suit?" Ahh, his second greatest creation. His bodysuits. Made on nano-technology they change his appearance, species, and with voice changers his voice as well. He has four, each named by Flame. The Agent (Special Agent Starwell, he uses this one to get into G.U.N or get case files.), The Nobody(John Smith, used to blend in and escape into the crowd.), The Cop(Officer Russel, used to visit the crime scene when needed.), and The Superstar. The Superstar is his most important body suit, an orange hedgehog with long quills that was becoming a rising singing sensation. Renegade could be himself in this suit, without being recognized as who he used to be.

"Which suit, boss?"

"The Superstar, I got to work out a few new kinks before next week's big performance."

At this moment a knock came, Flame bristled and flew to his creator's shoulder as he stood up. "Who is it?" Who could be at his door? No one ever came, no one he talked to knew where he lived. He had used John Smith to rent this apartment and he had been making regular payments with the money dead name had saved up and the new money Renegade the star was making. He stood to the drawer containing the nano-suits, and pulled out John.

But he was stopped short, "Sonic the hedgehog? It's Topaz, Team Alpha needs you."