The doctor was an old owl that was scatterbrained and seemed rather slow. And yet- every doctor Sonic had talked too had sworn all across the room that the owl was a genius. Tails certainly seemed to recognize him.
"I can't believe you actually got him out of all doctors Sonic! How'd you do it?"
"I told him that my friend who was an echidna needed some medical attention. He practically begged me to bring him here. Even offered to pay me."
"Did you agree?"
Sonic made a noise, but Tails saw the flash of momentary hardness- Sonic hadn't moved from his position by Knuckles bedside since he had brought the doctor here. He was just waiting… and watching.
There's more then one kind of guardian.
Tails turned to the doctor, his twin tails twitching slightly at the murmured words as the doctor cooed and clucked excitedly. The doctor was taking way too much enjoyment from inspecting Knuckles.
One wing swept across a tan muzzle. In a movement too fast for Tails to register on any more then a subconscious level, Sonic tensed, quills sharpening and hardening. After a moment, they went limp once more. "Hey, doc, what's the verdict?"
"Well have to –cuckwhoo!- take blood samples, but he looks to be relatively fit for someone who suffered malnutrition as a child."
Fox and hedgehog glanced at each other. Tails was twelve years old- he had been with Sonic since he was four. All earlier memories of any time before Sonic were erased from time- he could only just barely remember meeting Knuckles.
Sonic leaned forward, "How long ago was this?"
"About, hmm- nine, ten years ago."
Before the two groups had met then. Sonic flopped dramatically in the chair. "One of these days Red we're going to have a long talk about just what all goes on up on Angel Island. Anyways, doc, I'm guessing he doesn't hibernate?"
"No hibernation, though I do wonder if perhaps he's nocturnal naturally; his eyes seem sensitive to light."
Suddenly Knuckles love for sunglasses made sense.
The owl clucked and chuckled. "A most interesting specimen there indeed!"
Tails could feel Sonic's silent, bristling indignation. The young fox shifted uncomfortably; he didn't exactly like the word either- Doctor Eggman used it far too often, and it brought up bad memories.
"Yeah- but then why is he so cold?" Sonic pressed.
"While core temperatures are abnormally low, he –twhoo- doesn't seem to have anything wrong with him physically. Further tests-"
"No, no need." Sonic began shoving the owl out of the room, smile plastered to his face.
Tails moved closer to the unconscious echidna, busying himself- the doctor had confirmed his worst fears, and now the fox was going to work on the rest himself. Plans began to whirl away in his mind as Sonic vanished, pushing the owl out before him.
"Let's see… if I were too modify the scanner it should keep track of all his vitals without being intrusive, but the power source-"
The fox frowned at his small scanner, fiddling with it slightly. "It's going to take awhile… Does Knuckles have that time?"
He flicked his touch screen, drawing up a graph of Knuckles core temperature.
"Ah!"
"What is it Tails?" Sonic appeared at his elbow, his voice just slightly anxious.
"Knuckles core temperature has stopped dropping!"
The two grinned at each other, relief shinning in their eyes. "Great! This gives me some extra time to figure out what's going on! Sonic could you keep checking in on Knuckles every five minutes to see if his status has changed? I'm going to work on something that will automatically do that."
"Sure thing Tails."
"Wait, his temperature is dropping again- now it's rising, and it's dropping again… What's going on?"
The two of them stared at the graph's data. "It kind of looks like someone is waving a heater up and down Knuckles… Wait a minute- Sonic, who did you say you have watching Angel Island?"
"Team Chaotix- remember them?"
"Yeah, Knuckles usually uses them to watch the island… Wait- aren't they mostly reptiles?"
The two stared at each other for a moment, before Sonic's eyes grew huge.
"Oh crap! They gotta be freezing up there!"
"Sonic! Don't tell me you actually sent them up there! Vector is probably going into hibernation mode right now!"
"Aww, come off it Tails! How was I supposed to remember? I'll just call them, see?"
Sonic dialed the number.
Tails crossed his arms and waited, his tails flicking impatiently. He was a little tempted to begin tapping one foot as the two waited breathlessly for the other team to pick up.
"The phone you are attempting to reach is not available. Please try again."
"SONIC!"
"Alright, alright! I'll go to Angel Island and check it out, okay? You keep an eye on Knuckles!"
Tails nodded, and vanished in the direction of Sonic's room- Sonic sighed as he walked outside and across the field, kicking a rock. "Aww man, the weather has been perfect lately. And here I am running errands all across Mobius."
He groaned dramatically, wondering out loud, "Can life get any worse?"
That's about when a familiar female voice drifted across the open field, "Soonnnniiiiiiccccccc! Oh Sonic! Guess who's here to visit you!"
"Gotta juice and get out of here!"
Sonic made a dash for the airplane, as a pink hedgehog with a hammer over one shoulder marched over the edge of the hill. "Hi Amy, sorry but I gotta go visit Team Chaotix up at Angel Island!"
He waved cheerily at her as he started up the plane. "Wait, Sonic! Let me come with you! I got a present for Knuckles anyways!"
"Talk to Tails in the workshop first Amy!" Sonic yelled back as the plane began to taxi out onto the runway, "I'm afraid Knuckles is at our place right now!"
"Huh?" The pink hedgehog turned towards the workshop and Sonic gleefully took the chance to take off. The plane smoothly rose into the air, and the cocky smile on Sonic's face melted off.
What was going on with Knuckles?
The Echidna wasn't one to even begin to talk about the past unless it was recent. As in – 'Since I met the most annoying people in my life' recent. The only thing he did talk about from Before was the Master Emerald.
"I hate puzzles. Tails had better have this figured out by the time I get back!"
The plane buzzed north.
Charmy hummed happily as he finished placing the heater on top of the Master Emerald. Espio and Vector had left it behind, and boy were his hands frozen! So that was why- "I'm sure this will thaw you out mister gem!"
The emerald sparkled in response. Charmy giggled as he plopped down in front of the heater as well, leaning up against the Master Emerald.
Vector and Espio would probably yell at him for wasting heat but-
BOOM!
The sharp sound of the sound barrier breaking caught Charmy's attention. He hovered above the Master Emerald as a familiar blue shape began hurtling across snow-bound plains leading up to the shrine itself.
Charmy's eyes kept on rising- he couldn't see the entire Island from here, but it all looked so pretty. It wasn't like the city where everything got dirty fast. "I can see why Knuckles likes staying out here with you! It's all so pretty! Hi Sonic!"
"Charmy! What happened to Vector and Espio?"
"They went back to the surface to get new batteries for the heater because it was dieing! I just kicked it a few times and it went back to working though- oh, and guess what Sonic I-"
The blue hedgehog didn't seem to be listening.
Charmy pouted angrily as Sonic flipped open a communicator. "Sonic! Any word?"
"Yeah, apparently Vector and Espio went back down to the surface to get some supplies. It's just been Charmy up here with a heater." Sonic carelessly glanced back at the Master Emerald. "Looks like he's been defrosting it."
"I- Sonic, could you try moving the heater up and down on the Master Emerald?"
"Huh, why?"
"Just do it please."
"Okay…" Sonic grabbed the heater, hefting it easily to wave at the Emerald. "What's the point?"
"Sonic- Knuckles is beginning to warm back up." The small foxes voice was tiny, and slightly terrified.
"Wait, what?"
"Knuckles is beginning to warm back up. Sonic, you gotta get the Master Emerald warmer!" Sonic could hear the sound of things crashing in the background; a particularly loud crash made both bee and hedgehog wince.
"Keep at it Sonic! I'll get something that can warm up the Master Emerald in a flash!"
"You do so Tails. I'll work on getting the Master Emerald high and dry."
Sonic snapped off the communicator. "Hey Charmy, want to help me get all of this ice off of the Master Emerald?"
"Nope."
"Why not?" Sonic asked, suddenly drooping, looking at the bee like he was crazy.
Charmy sniffed, and stuck his nose up in the air. "Because it was fun before but now it's a chore. I'm gonna go explore the island."
"I wouldn't do that if I were you. It's dangerous."
"Nuh-uh, Knuckles wouldn't let anything dangerous on the island!"
"It depends on whether or not it's dangerous to him." Sonic clarified, looking at where his fingernails would be if he weren't wearing gloves.
Charmy froze in mid air, and very carefully came back to Sonic. The blue hedgehog grinned. "Come on, we'll pull off all of this ice and then Knuckles will feel better."
The bee nodded, and very carefully didn't say anything when Sonic took to attacking the ice, muttering with Amy-like fervor under his breath, "Gonna kill that stupid echidna when I talk to him next."
It was kind of cold. A low shiver wracked his body, as he shifted slightly under what felt like a ton. Slowly one ungloved paw curled into a fist, before loosening, violet eyes slated open, centimeter by agonizing centimeter.
Fuzzy surroundings swirled around him, not quite recognizable.
A frown tiredly tugged on his muzzle as he began forcing himself into sitting up, his long dreadlocks weighing him down. Or was it something else?
Giant green irises appeared in his view- he blinked slowly, unable to dredge up any more feeling beyond cold. What looked vaguely like a muzzle moved… talking?
"Just so you know…you stupid…Mast…It's not like I…What…ar…com…Yo, Knucklehead!"
"S-Sonic? What-"
He collapsed. Even he had to admit that was what he did. There was no other reason to go from a half upright position to a completely flat one in less then a second. Unless Sonic pushed him… His mind fuzzily latched onto that. "You pushed me."
"What? What are you talking about Knuckles?" At least the voice wasn't weaving in and out of his mind anymore.
He shivered, unable to stop it, instantly regretting it when Sonic stared at him for a long moment. "Still cold?"
"Still? Where-"
"You're in my room currently. Do you know how we found you Knuckles?"
Knuckles stared fuzzily up at Sonic- why was the hedgehogs voice rising like he was upset?
"I found you in your stupid cave, curled up by a dead fire, wrapped up in the blanket we gave you, stone cold. I thought you were dead Knuckles. You were as cold as stone!" The hedgehog was pacing, a dizzying flash of blue, moving faster and faster in his emotions.
Knuckles watched it in curious detachment.
"We brought you down to my place because you know what- your stupid island was floating North towards the cold. We sent the Chaotix to guard, and guess what we found- you didn't start warming up until after we started defrosting the Master Emerald. You've been out for nearly a week Knuckles! Tails was terrified you were going to starve to death!"
Master Emerald… cold… Chaotix… and starvation?
"I've gone longer then a week without eating," He mumbled a protest instead.
Sonic turned to pin him with a hard stare. "You- I- We'll talk about that later. After you apologize to Tails."
"For what?"
"Making him worry! Also, get your stupid island further south!"
"Can't. Too far away." Knuckles mumbled back crossly. "Why's it so cold?"
"WERE YOU NOT LISTENING TO A THING I SAID?"
Well, wasn't this a turn around? Normally it was Knuckles yelling with Sonic simply chilling away. Knuckles… didn't much like this turn around. He had the feeling he was missing something.
Dragging the thickest blanket with him, he forced himself into an upright position. "Where is Tails Sonic?"
"He's up on your island trying to defrost your gem while a blizzard is raging. You sure you can't persuade your island to come south from here?" Well, that explained why Sonic was so antsy.
Violet eyes slid close, and Knuckles head tilted to the left slightly, towards the north. He could feel it, the Master Emerald pulsing, and the bitter cold- unconsciously he curled up slightly, while attempting to pour energy from out of the crystal into the island itself.
Warm, sunny beaches, the tropical waters lapping against the shore came to mind, the suns rays warming him, making it easy to relax and-
Angel Island was moving.
That shouldn't be possible. He had never, ever been able to do that before; he always had to be on Angel Island. "It's… It's headed south now Sonic."
"Good!" Sonic collapsed onto a nearby seat. For a long moment, silence reigned supreme, Knuckles sluggish mind attempting to make sense of the whole thing.
"Sonic- have you noticed anything different with the Master Emerald?"
"Wha- yeah, sure. Every time I go up there my spines begin to automatically stiffen."
Well… That wasn't what he wanted to hear.
a/n: Well, second chapter! Slowly a piece of the puzzle makes itself clear! All explanations shall be made in the third and final chapter. Tune in next week to the conclusion to the story.