Authors Note: Sonic and all other characters I'm gonna use are not owned by me.

Well, hello again everyone. Before I start this next chapter I wish to give a big thanks to WolvenWindNinja & greenleafprince for their kind reviews. Also a thanks goes out to craZ4knux for adding this to their alert list. You all are the reason I'm here.

Last chapter Sonic and Tails had flown to the Floating Island to visit with Knuckles only to find out that Dr. Robotnik had kidnapped him and stolen the Master Emerald. They also learn that within less than twenty-four hours if they do not locate and rescue Knux he will be killed, and without him, locating and taking back the Master Emerald will be a near impossible task. Knowing this, the duo jumps into the secret passage way leading to the Emerald Chamber in search of Knuckles

So begins their latest and most deadly adventure yet…

The two companions started trekking through the long, dark, and narrow cave like passage way. The only light that illuminated the path came from some torches that lined the walls about every one hundred feet.

"Sonic," began Tails, "how do you think Robotnik managed to capture Knuckles all by himself?"

"That's just it," came Sonics' reply, "I don't think he did,".

"Well who do you think helped him?", asked Tails, afraid of what the hedgehogs' answer might be.

Sonic let out a tired sigh, "the only THING that could have destroyed that basement like that other than Knuckles when he drinks Russian vodka,".

"You don't think it was…,".

"Yeah, I do…Metal Sonic," the blue one finished his partners sentence for him.

The two had walked a considerable distance before they came to a very steep, winding, downwards slope. Sonic failed to see it until the last second and fell down into the opening. As he fell he noted that it was more or less like a waterslide without water. When he finally reached the end of it he fell an additional twenty feet from the ceiling of the chamber to the floor which was padded by two mattresses. Tails followed him soon after and they surveyed the damage to the Emerald Chamber. The security system that Knuckles had installed was completely shorted out which was most likely, in Sonics' mind, the work of Metal. It was also apparent that he had also taken the time to destroy a few of the statues in the room which were, essentially, marble portraits of Knux's ancestors and former Guardians of the Master Emerald.

At the sight of this latest atrocity, Sonic became infuriated. He just wanted to strangle the evil doctor/dictator. Tails, who happened to notice that his friend had started shaking with rage, made an attempt to calm him down:

"S-Sonic," he began with a stutter.

"What!" the blue one spat back.

"C'mon, this isn't too bad. I mean, at least Knuckles is still alive,".

"Yeah for now!"

Sonic just seemed to be getting angrier. It seemed as though there was nothing that could calm him down.

"We have no way of knowing where Knux is. We don't have a clue as to where the Master Emerald is. And on top of all of that we only have roughly twenty-three hours left to find him,". Sonic seemed to be losing it. His anger was turning into a controlled sob. "One of my best friends is going to die in less than twenty-four hours and we have no clue as to where he is," he sobbed, a tear running from his eye.

Tails just turned away. He looked once more at the broken statues and the pedestal which once held the precious emerald that the echidna protected, now completely bare.

He could see why Sonic was so upset.

Knuckles had once been an enemy of theirs. He had been tricked by Robotnik into thinking that Sonic and Tails were trying to steal the Chaos Emeralds and the Master Emerald. Once it was clear to him though that Robotnik was the one who was evil, and who had caused the former guardian, Knuckles' father, to perish; he had vowed revenge upon the doctor.

Now, knowing that all of their efforts had been in vain and that Knuckles was going to suffer the same fate as his dad had, Tails too began to feel the effects of this sadistic plot. However, unlike his blue friend, Tails began to attempt to come up with a lead for them to follow.

"How are we going to break this to Rouge?" Sonic asked himself.

"Sonic!" exclaimed Tails with a sound of hope in his voice, "That's it!"

"What is?" inquired Sonic.

"Rouge!" Tails cried, "She can track down Knuckles. Then once we find him we can locate the Emerald,".

"That's right," began Sonic, his voice suddenly becoming a little hopeful, "She always manages to find him no matter where he is,".

"Right. So what are we waiting for? Lets go!" said Tails who could hardly control himself.

Tails flew the two out of the chamber as quickly as he could, and they rushed back to the bathroom, up the stairs, and out the front door to the jeep.

I'm sorry that this is a really short chapter. I would've liked it to be longer, but my first chapter was longer than I intended and therefore cut into this one. The next chapter is where the plot will pick up a little.

I thought it would be nice to have Sonic show some emotion in this chapter. I don't know how this goes over with all of you, the readers, so that's what I want to know your thoughts on:

Do you think that having a well known character, like Sonic, show emotion like that when they would normally keep their cool is ok?

Well that's all for now my faithful readers,

Sons of Ocelot