A couple of months ago I took a proper look at the cutscenes from Sonic Riders, having never played or owned the game, but knowing quite a bit about it. Obviously the gameplay, as well as it's subject (ie. hoverboard racing) is really bad. Despite a couple of amusing moments the story element of the game was almost equally as bad and the Babylon Rogues became annoying very quickly. However, I quite like them, I think they had decent potential to become good characters and even worthy rivals to Sonic, especially Jet. This is just an attempt at all that, minus all the stupid and pointless EX World Grand Prix hoverboard racing crap.

I'm still working on my writing, so constructive criticism is more than welcome and would be much appreciated. So with that out the way, thanks and enjoy!

Honour Among Thieves
Chapter 1
"Enter The Rogues"

Another peaceful morning drew to a close, another day of rest and relaxation with few problems or drama; it was a truly gorgeous day. The sun ascended to its highest point within the clear blue hue of the sky – signalling midday in the Emerald Hill Zone – as a gentle cooling breeze drifted through the trees to counter the scorching heat from the sun. The sound of quiet metallic clanks barely interrupted the calming sounds of nature as Tails lifted his head out from the engine cover of the Tornado. He wiped the sweat from his brow, letting out a little huff which did little to relieve him of the high temperatures. It was too hot for him. He glanced over at Sonic, laying on the grass soaking up the rays, motionless and looking cool as a cucumber. The young fox didn't understand how he did it; keeping perfectly still and just 'chilling out' as he called it. Whenever Tails joined his surrogate brother 'chilling out' he'd get fidgety and uncomfortable. He preferred keeping himself occupied in his free time, even if it was just tinkering with the Tornado's mechanics. That still didn't stop his curiosity, though.

"Sonic," he began inquisitively. "How do you do it?"

Sonic took a moment to reply, remaining perfectly still when he did. "Do what, li'l bro?"

"Well, nothing." Tails smiled, realising how odd his question sounded.

"It's easy. Just kick back, relax and let the world pass you by."

Seemed simple enough. Mainly he didn't understand how Sonic did it with Eggman around. Five days had passed since the duo thwarted his latest scheme, a relatively easy affair as usual. Destroy some generic robots, chase after him, repeat and then terminate his latest crazy contraption. He was more of a nuisance than a threat these days. He could still strike at any moment, though. Maybe that's why Tails could never relax. Not that relaxing was a problem, he had his own way of loosening up. Playing about with machines never ceased to help him unwind. Sometimes he would wilfully take apart the Tornado's engine just so he could piece it back together again like a three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle. Today was different, the repairs were actually necessary. Their bright red plane took a massive blow from one of Eggman's robots during their last battle. They'd managed to escape with few problems but since then the engine had been making strange noises and Tails still couldn't fathom why.

Tails took a sip of lukewarm water from the bottle at his feet, sticking out his tongue with a scrunched up, disgusted expression upon swallowing. It was far from refreshing. Replacing the bottle in his hand with a wrench, he quickly recommenced his investigations on the Tornado.

Barely a minute passed when a massive shadow suddenly began shrouding the surrounding area. Tails found it most strange; there hadn't been a cloud in the sky all day, how could it possibly be overcast?

Despite his eyes being shut for what felt like hours, even Sonic noticed the sudden change in light. He opened them, waiting a fleeting second for his pupils to adjust as his annoyed green eyes looked towards the sky. A massive airship now took up a majority of it, rudely blocking out the sun, looking ugly in comparison to what had been a beautiful day. As if that wasn't enough to ruin the peace, Sonic counted at least six massive propellers adorning the outer structure powered by the noisiest engines he'd ever heard. It sounded like a swarm of angry bees incessantly buzzing in a growling baritone, it was awful! It slowly circled the skies in a random pattern, whoever was flying that thing was either drunk or had no sense of direction. It certainly didn't look like it was going to be leaving anytime soon.

"Eggman?" Tails queried with a hint of worry.

"No," Sonic carefully studied the blimp. "If it was Eggman he'd have his face painted all over it. Just as well, that thing already looks mondo u-u-u-ugly."

Tails chuckled and looked back upwards. Neither of them had a clue that it would interfere with their day more than it already had.

From the ground, the pirouettes and undulations the airship was performing could have been mistaken as a wonderfully choreographed display. But inside there was utter chaos. All the style and finesse usually associated with the name 'Babylon Rogues' was being put to shame by the oafish albatross at the wheel of the ship. Storm's panics and constant apologies every time he veered the ship in the wrong direction overpowered the verbal abuse of his cohorts. Every time their leader, Jet – a green hawk who almost seemed to wear a permanent scowl – finally began barking orders loud enough for Storm to hear he'd quickly lose control again, jerking the ship at such an angle that the green hawk would be sent skidding along the floor face first into a wall.

"Turn the engines off you idiot!" Wave, the third and only female member of the group, yelled as loudly as possible, desperately clinging onto a pole in the corner.

Shouting only increased Storm's anxiety and thus lead to more mistakes, but mercifully he finally managed to turn off them off. The commotion ceased as they sighed in relief and the ship gently rolled back to a horizontal angle. Jet snarled, peeling himself off the wall whilst nursing a small bump on the back of his head.

"Well that's the last time I let you touch anything on this ship!" He yelled.

"Oh really?" Wave cut in before Storm could begin his round of apologies again. "That's what you said the last ten times this happened. This is as much your fault as it is his."

Jet completely ignored her comments, walking up to Storm and continuing his point with a raised finger. "I give you one simple task. 'Open the doors, Storm.' Not fly the ship about like a deranged pigeon!"

"Aww, that's low, boss." Storm slumped his shoulders, "I said I was sorry. I don't know how to fly this thing."

Wave, meanwhile, continued her point. "I warned you not to let him do it, but would you listen?"

Suddenly they began arguing, all three of them talking over each other, not listening to a word the others were saying. The commotion that had ensued moments ago restarted in a different form, none of them were prepared to settle the dispute amicably. Moments later their argument was abruptly interrupted by a loud knocking from outside.

"He's still out there?" Jet squawked with disbelief.

"I'll let him in!" Storm proudly bellowed, lowering his hand towards the control panel beside the large wheel.

"Ah-ah-ah!" With lightening reflexes Wave grabbed his arm before he could touch anything. Rolling her eyes before pressing the small button for the doors herself.

The doors smoothly slid open, revealing a round man with a bald head, large orange mustache and a green face. It was none other than Eggman, leaning against the outside of the ship, slowly gasping for fresh air, desperately trying to keep his lunch down. He slowly walked inside, having difficulty keeping his balance.

"Uhhh, you okay, buddy?" Jet asked.

"I-I'll be fine," Eggman started, pausing as an inaudible burp crept up from his throat. "Fortunately I harnessed my Egg Carrier to the outside of the ship before you lost control. Although, it probably would've been less nauseating to have landed after that fiasco."

"You want a bucket?" The hawk offered with slight concern. More for the possible state of the floor than the guest.

"No. I'll be fine in a couple of minutes, thank you."

The Rogues watched Eggman in silence, really not knowing what to talk about whilst the waited for him. Eventually he composed himself, stood upright and stuttered as he cleared his throat, hoping in some miracle it would erase their memories of the past few minutes.

"I offer you my everlasting gratitude for granting me with your time. It truly is an honour to meet the infamous Babylon Rogues."

"As it should be!" Jet smugly grinned. "You seem to know a lot about us, yet we know nothing of you."

"Oh dear, where are my manners, how despicably rude of me. Allow me to introduce myself. Doctor Eggman at your service." He announced, taking a polite bow.

"Yeah, yeah," Wave was the only one unimpressed by his display, she didn't trust him. "Skip the phoney formalities, Doc, why are you here?"

"Phoney?" Eggman was taken aback by the swallow's accusation. "My dear, I can assure you my praises come with the utmost sincerity. An evil genius such as myself is indeed humbled in your presence. I simply came here with a proposition. But if you aren't interested about your heritage I'll be on my way."

"Hey, wait!" Jet placed a hand on the dejected Doctor's shoulder before he could turn to leave. "Let's not be so hasty, huh? You'll have to excuse my friend, she's a few feathers short of a pillow, if you know what I mean." Jet placed a friendly arm around Eggman, leading him back to the middle of the room. "So, tell me, my friend. What is this proposition?"

"Let's call it a trade. I have valuable information that you, no doubt, have desired for years. Whereas I need a few items..." he paused, looking for an alternative to the word he meant, "... forcibly retrieved, let's call it."

"Go on." Jet insisted.

"By chance have you three heard of Sonic the Hedgehog?" Eggman was surprised at the lack of a response, receiving two blank stares, whilst Wave faced away from them, arms angrily folded. "I guess word doesn't get around that much on the other side of Mobius. Well, he's been something of a pest to me, only a few days ago he stole two Chaos Emeralds from my fortress."

"Chaos Emeralds?" The hawk was becoming quickly intrigued.

"There are seven of them in total, Sonic and his friends may have more than the two they swiped from me. I must get them back!"

"Oh?" Jet raised an eyeridge. "May I ask why they're so important to you?"

Eggman hadn't anticipated that question, he never intended to reveal the Emerald's powers to the Rogues. "Well, uhhh, l-let's just say they're rather special. It would be absolutely disastrous for me and the entire planet if that hedgehog gets his hands on them all!"

"Forget it!" Wave still wouldn't back down. "We don't work for anyone but ourselves. If you want to hire someone to do your dirty deeds you're in the wrong place!"

"There are of course exceptions to that unwritten rule." Jet was quick with the save, there was no chance Eggman and his proposition were going to slip through their hands whilst he was around.

"Good!" The Doctor gleefully beamed, turning to Wave. "Don't forget you will get something out this agreement too. It would be foolish of me to expect you to do this little favour without an incentive. Considering what I have to offer I'd say you're getting the better deal. I've put countless hours of research into the Babylon Gardens."

"You know where the Gardens are?" Jet was aghast.

"Not quite, but I'm getting closer to discovering them. I estimate that by the time you've retrieved the Emeralds, I will have located the Gardens. The progress I've made in the past two weeks has been phenomenal, I can't fail!"

The Babylon Rogues had been searching for the fabled Babylon Gardens for years; a former floating island banished to the depths of the hot desert sand centuries ago. Finding them would unlock the secrets of their ancestors and, perhaps more importantly, the vast wealth and treasures that where hidden within their ancient walls. If the legends were indeed true.

"How could we possibly turn down such a lucrative offer?" Jet grinned, extending out his hand. "You've got a deal, Eggman."

Eggman firmly shook Jet's hand, unable to hide his delight. "Excellent. You've made a wise choice."

"So," Jet began. "This 'Sonic the Hedgehog', where do we find him?"

"By an amazing stroke of luck he's right down there in that clearing."

Jet peered out of a small porthole on the side of the flight deck, spying a small blue speck against the lush green of the grass, the shadow of the ship still cast over him.

Eggman took a small disc from his jacket, handing it to the hawk. "All the information you need on him is on here. In the meantime I'll get back to working on my end of the bargain. It's been a pleasure meeting you."

"No, no, the pleasure is all ours," Jet returned a friendly smile, leading Eggman out through the doors through which he entered. "We'll have those Emeralds in no time!" He yelled out through the breeze, shutting the doors immediately after.

As Jet turned around a violent squawk leapt out of his beak as Wave grabbed him aggressively by the throat, pressing him firmly against the wall.

"A few feathers short, am I!?" She growled, not loosening her grip. "It's bad enough you've insulted me, but on top of that you've agreed to that madman's wacky claims without so much as questioning his motives. How can you be so ridiculously blind to not see he's trying to trick us?"

"Get off of me!" Jet barely screeched through the narrowed gap in his throat.

Storm quickly stomped over to assist in prizing the raging swallow's hands from their leader's neck. Both Jet and Storm initially struggled, Wave was stronger than she looked. Soon enough she yielded and took a step back, leaving Jet gasping desperately for air.

"Are you crazy!?" Jet yelled between breaths, rubbing his neck. "Of course I know he's tricking us."

"But," Wave's annoyance instantly turned into confusion. "You just–"

"I know," Jet interrupted, taking a brief moment to recover before explaining his actions. "Do you really think I'd be that stupid? That guy obviously has ulterior motives, even Storm should be able to see it."

Once again Wave became incensed immediately. "If anything that makes you an even bigger moron! Why would you agree to his terms when you know it's a trick?"

"You heard what he said. They're rather special. It would be disastrous if Sonic gets his hands on them. I must have them back," he quoted. "There's clearly more to these Chaos Emeralds than he wants to expose. Maybe they bear great powers of some sorts. I say we do the old double-cross. Let him believe we're helping him, but take all the rewards for ourselves. If it turns out he was lying about the Babylon Gardens we lose nothing but still gain seven priceless gems. If he is telling the truth then we gain even more, it's a win-win situation!" A broad, smug, toothy grin spread across his beak, marvelled by his own intelligence.

Although Wave saw the method in his madness she still wasn't fully convinced.

"We're not jewel thieves, though. What could we possibly want with some puny Emeralds?"

"Because if they possess immense power they'll be perfect to activate this."

Jet picked up a small transparent cube, a strange glass artefact known as the 'Babylonian Control Box' passed down to him by his forefathers. It was said to be a metaphorical key, the only object in existence capable of resurrecting the Gardens. The key required an incredible concentration of energy to be activated. Legend had always referred to a collection a mystical items with such powers, but details had become sketchy with each generation the legends were passed on to. This was the first promising lead the group had ever encountered.

"Wow," Storm was hugely impressed. "That's an awesome idea!"

Jet's grin grew larger as he averted his gaze over to Wave, awaiting her response. Like Storm, she had mentally gone through each step of the plan quickly in her mind, seeing no drawbacks and knowing the effort would ultimately bear rewards, whatever the outcome. However, she was reluctant to echo Storm's praise. The swallow had no problems admitting her misconception or even lauding Jet's initiative. She stalled simply because she knew praising their leader would only inflate his already enormous ego.

"It's a fantastic idea," She finally said, snatching the disc from his hand and booting it up on the computer in the corner.

Jet was surprisingly humble by his standards, opting not to reply or gloat. The group rarely ever had quarrels over something so trivial, the satisfaction etched on his face from the situation merely stemmed from the severe doubt shown moments before.

The hawk grabbed one of his most prized possessions, a green hoverboard known as Extreme Gear, one of their most vital tools for their robberies when a speedy getaway was required. They each had a board, customised to their own personal preference, but Jet always remained the most naturally skilled riding one.

He stood on his board, limbering up by the open doors, nothing but blue skies lay in front of him. As he psyched himself up, Wave was studying the information on the disc. A large hologram screen showed various images of Sonic, along with a wealth of info on his abilities.

"Hmm. It says here that Sonic is the fastest living creature on the planet. He can run faster than most vehicles. Even the speed of sound!"

Jet lowered the goggles resting atop his head and looked back at her with a huge smirk forming. "Well, it looks like our new friend is in for a shock. I'm the fastest thing alive, nothing can beat me!"