It was dark and still and cold. There was silence for a split second until Amy's voice broke it.
"Knuckles, wake up! Come on. Please! Wake up."
He forced his eyes open but it didn't help much. It was still dark, and his senses were cloudy. Dazzled and deafened, and an aching, freezing pain had settled deep inside, sapping at his strength. He must be injured and the panic in Amy's voice said it was badly.
"Knuckles!" Amy leaned over him. "Are you hurt?"
"Yes." There was no point in hiding it. He was flat on his back after all. If anything attacked them he'd be of no help. Amy could fight but she needed to know she might have to.
"Where?" Amy drew back, looking him over. "I can't see what's the matter. Can you sit up?"
Sit? He could barely move. Barely think. How had Amy escaped so unscathed? The explosion of energy had been so violent it seemed impossible any of them were alive. The Emeralds had been shrieking, surging, tearing at the Master Emerald's energy as well as their own as they scattered.
The Master Emerald!
He reached for it in sudden alarm, and kept reaching and reaching because it was so distant, so faint and far. His breath caught in a gasp, almost a cry.
"Knuckles!" Amy leaned in again, worried, but Knuckles ignored her, hung onto that faint whisper of familiarity. That was why Amy was unharmed, she was right, he wasn't physically injured at all, this was something else.
Where in all the skies could that malformed chaos control have sent them? How far away must they to be to reduce what he'd thought an unshakeable bond with the Master Emerald to this tattered thread? He closed his eyes again, let himself lie limp, all his thought on maintaining that contact, feeling his way along it, testing and touching and trying to acclimatise himself to the change because he couldn't just lie here and hope someone else fixed it, got them back, got him back where he belonged.
It was faint, he realised, but it was stable, not weakening, not fading. There. Present. Resonating slightly with the backwash and aftermath of the incident, but calming. Slowly he pulled himself together. Opened his eyes again.
"Knuckles!"
His head was still ringing, he could have done without the shouting but he managed an answer.
"I'm all right." If it wasn't quite true yet, it was getting closer. He sat up slowly.
"You said you weren't!" Amy's tone was almost petulant but Knuckles thought he was probably right in guessing that was only worry.
"Well, I've been better," he allowed, considering whether or not to try for standing up. The surface beneath him was cold, damp stone and leeching his body heat away, so he tried.
"So what happened?" Amy watched him but surprisingly had the tact not to try and help. "Where are we?"
Knuckles stood, cautiously. "Believe me, I wish I knew."
"And the others?" Amy's voice wobbled as she asked but Knuckles could only shrug.
"I don't know." After a moment he added. "They're probably not hurt. They can't be any worse off than we are. But they might be anywhere."
Not much comfort maybe but at least it got both their minds on the practical task of finding out where they were.
Knuckles looked around.
"It's just an alley," Amy said, "We're in a city."
"Yes." Knuckles looked up. The light was artificial, smearing the night sky orange. And the buildings were tall, blotting out most of that sky.
"Which one?" he asked Amy, "Do you know?"
He shook his head the moment the words left his mouth. No, she didn't. She'd already asked him where they were, hadn't she? He was still confused. But Amy had already gone to the mouth of the alley to look. After a moment she spun and ran back.
"You've got to see this yourself!"
Knuckles frowned at her but followed. Keeping close to the building, in the shadows where the overhead streetlight didn't reach, he looked out. Despite the dark, the street was busy, vehicles and people moved everywhere, perhaps it was a winter evening and still early. But it wasn't the city or the traffic that had so startled Amy. It was the humans. Crowding the street, driving the vehicles, everywhere. He and Amy were the only people in sight who weren't human.
He withdrew back into the alley, saw his own shock mirrored in Amy's wide eyed alarm. He hadn't known there were so many humans in the whole world.
Amy shook her head. "Where are we?" she murmured.
"I don't know." Knuckles shook his head. "But we should stay out of sight." He headed further down the alley, looking for another way out.
"How?" Amy asked. "It's packed out there."
Knuckles looked up at the tall building in case the roofs were a possible route. Ladders switchbacked down the side of the building, emergency escapes perhaps.
He glanced down and his eyes lit on a circular metal plate - a trapdoor? He crouched down and pried it open.
Amy came to stand over his shoulder.
"Seriously? I think that's a sewer."
Knuckles was less interested in its purpose than the fact there was a ladder. It was meant to be used. Which might mean it was in use. He looked up, thinking about the rooftop route again. But there were so many people and so much light. If underground was possible then it was safer.
"Are you really thinking of going down there?" Amy asked.
"Yes." Knuckles reached for the ladder. "It's that or the roof. Unless you want to go introduce yourself to that lot out there."
Am glanced back at the street. "The whole species can't be like Eggman."
Knuckles shrugged. "Well those are the choices. The street, the roof, or down here."
"I think I prefer the roof," Amy said.
Knuckles nodded, stepped onto the ladder and started down into the possible sewer. "Okay. Good luck."
Amy stared at him open mouthed. "That's not what I meant! I didn't mean we should split up!"
Knuckles paused. He knew Amy even less than he knew Sonic or Tails but she seemed honestly surprised at the idea they shouldn't stay together to search.
"The cover to this hole hadn't been open in a long time. So it doesn't get used much. It's safer." That was a guess and honesty compelled him to add, "Probably."
Amy made a face. "Urgh. If you say so. All right."
She stepped closer and looked down the hole past him. "Lead on."
They'd walked the rest of the night and well into the morning, although only the sound of the traffic dying off to nothing then starting back up to a steady drone gave them any clue of this in the dark, damp tunnels.
Amy talked on and off. Mainly about what could have happened and where the others could be. Knuckles was mostly silent though his thoughts were on the same thing. He had no answers, no more information than Amy except to know that wherever they were it was a long way from home.
He was more tired than he could account for with one night's lost sleep and knew it could only be due to the unnatural tension in his link with the Master Emerald. A tension that was more than distance, that was displacement. A wrongness that gnawed away at both his energy and his nerves until when Amy started up again about how important it was they find Sonic, it was the last straw to tip him over into temper.
"This whole thing is Sonic's fault!"
He should have known better. He didn't know Amy well, but he knew enough that he should have guessed she'd fly instantly to the other hedgehog's defence.
"All Sonic did was try and stop Eggman! He didn't mean for us to get sent here!"
Knuckles dismissed this at once. It was no excuse. Sonic didn't mean to cause half the trouble he did, but starting a fight in a base full of Chaos Emeralds was stupidly dangerous whichever way you looked at it. Whatever Eggman had been doing, Sonic would have gone in full steam ahead, antagonising him even further. Always pushing it too far. Relying on luck, which this time hadn't been enough.
But of course as far as Amy was concerned that was just Sonic.
"He's not afraid to fight back!" she snapped.
Knuckles scowled at the implied insult. It wasn't the first time he'd heard it. He knew where his duty lay and it was with the Master Emerald and the Floating Island and he knew that those occasions when he felt it better to keep them out of the conflict with Eggman laid him open to accusations of cowardice. Sonic threw it at him regularly - although at least as often with a smirk as with any heat.
Amy was not laughing but Knuckles knew the difference between recklessness and courage.
"Sonic just likes getting into fights for kicks!" he shot back making Amy dig her heels in at once.
Frustrated, Knuckles strode on ahead. It was one to him whether she came or went, and he told her so though he'd thought she'd realised that back on the street. This argument was a waste of energy he didn't have and they were no closer to having any sort of plan.
After a moment though he heard her catching up and calling out.
"Hey, c'mon Knuckles! Don't be mad!"
He shook his head minutely but didn't attempt to shake her off. She was more like Sonic than she knew. And on some level any familiarity was welcome in the damp underside of this strange world.
They walked on and the day wore on.
The tunnels seemed endless but Knuckles was starting to identify a plan of sorts. They criss-crossed one another but always at right angles. A grid. It should be searchable. If the network served the whole city then it would be possible to walk it all without ever being seen.
He frowned. Would that be enough? Was there a chance he could walk right under a Chaos Emerald without even noticing. He didn't think so but he couldn't be sure. Couldn't be sure they had even landed anywhere close to where they had themselves. Perhaps it was even likelier that they hadn't.
He groaned under his breath, the more thought he gave it, the more impossible a task finding them again seemed.
Amy cut across his thoughts before he could go any further.
"Knuckles, can't we take a break?"
A break? All this to do and she wanted a break?
It didn't help that various parts of his hungry, thirsty and aching body heartily agreed with the suggestion. He shook his head though. "You take one if you want but I'm not stopping."
She dropped back to Knuckles' mild surprise - he was sure by now she'd rather have even his company than be alone here - and sure enough she caught up again quickly, her voice unnaturally cheery.
"So, what do you think our chances are of getting back home?"
In spite of his thoughts a moment earlier, he was not prepared to even entertain more than one possible answer to that question and answered at once.
"We'll get back."
"How can we?"
He couldn't tell if the question was curious or doubtful so he answered as honestly as he could.
"I don't know but we will." Then before she could ask another, he'd repeated himself, as though saying it again could bring it closer. "Somehow, we will."
The alternative was unthinkable. No matter what it took, he had to get back. The thought of the Master Emerald exposed, unguarded, alone, was unbearable. Hard even to think about and close to painful in physical reality. Worse by far than the footsore ache which said 'rest'.
He tried to explain but he didn't think he'd really convinced her before they were interrupted by what felt like an earthquake.
"What's that?"
Was there any chance at all it was a similar reaction to the one that had sent them here, that meant they were close to one or more of the Chaos Emeralds? He couldn't sense anything but he was so tired and confused maybe that didn't mean much. Hope alone sent him running for the nearest ladder and up onto the street to find out, Amy close at his heels.
It was crushing disappointment to find only another Eggman robot and for long minutes Knuckles only stared at it, almost oblivious to the shouting and havoc around them, the crowds of staring humans – who were at least too occupied to wonder about the sudden appearance of himself and Amy in their midst.
Then Amy shoved his shoulder and pointed.
"Tails is in trouble! We've got to find a way to help him!"
Knuckles stared at the diving biplane, clearly piloted by the little fox. He had promised himself no sidetracks no distractions and here was distraction right in his path.
"I've got more important things to do."
The words were out before he could stop himself, before he could moderate the frustration and discomfort and borderline exhaustion into something better. More honourable. They were true words. He knew it in his bones - the Emeralds were more dangerous than any robot, more important than any one individual. Even so, the words sounded wrong somehow and he'd perhaps have taken them back if he'd had longer to think.
But Amy only gave him a moment, her face hardening as she stared at him.
"Fine! Who needs you!"
For a split second Knuckles thought this too would be a bluff but she was off and running towards the building under attack and he found his next words equally unchosen.
"Don't go in there! Amy! Stop!"
She didn't stop and Knuckles cursed under his breath. What was he supposed to do? He couldn't decide, couldn't think it through. He sighed so hard it came out closer to a growl and let himself react instead. And unthinking reaction took him in the same direction.
He missed Amy as she vanished behind automatic doors presumably containing a lift or elevator and cast about for another route. The emergency exit drew his eye and he hurtled up the stairwell, emerging back onto the roof where he hesitated glancing around from the robot to look for Amy who he appeared to have pipped to the fight after all. He needed a strategy. He had no qualms about taking on the robot regardless of the size of the thing but Tails up above and Amy somewhere behind him were unknown factors.
As though his thought had summoned it a door slid open from the building roof access and Amy appeared
Knuckles offered a wry smile, trying awkwardly to soften her anger at his initial reluctance. If they were fighting together there wasn't space for it.
"What took you so long?" he said, trying for humour.
Amy's response was only to launch herself past him and straight into the attack, hammer swinging, no strategy, no caution.
"Leave Tails alone!"
Knuckles saw the likely outcome a moment before Amy did – Tails had been firing on the robot for long minutes with no success, it was obviously heavily armoured.
"Don't do it, Amy!" He'd have explained further but she'd already swung, already staggered back wringing her hand and wrist, already been snatched up by the robot, already screamed.
Knuckles called back reassurance and launched himself forward on impulse, unsure whether he'd have any more success but out of other ideas.
He didn't find out whether it would have worked, as before he'd even landed a blow Eggman's pod had dived between them. This wouldn't normally have deterred Knuckles, the pod was not much of a threat but Eggman was smirking and in the line of fire that was unusual enough to give him pause.
"Hold it, knucklehead! One more step and the girl's a goner!"
Knuckles skidded to a stop as Amy cried out again.
"Knuckles!"
He glanced up at Amy, the robot, back at Eggman. Frustrated anger simmered over into empty threats.
"Leave her alone or you'll be sorry!"
He was too unused to this, too unused to having to look out for anyone else. If it had been Sonic up there he could have left him to his own devices to get free. Or at least convincingly sounded like he would consider it.
As it was, Eggman gave the threat about as much credence as it probably deserved.
"Sorry? I'm already sorry that you and your friends have survived." He looked around. "By consolation it that it seems Sonic didn't."
Knuckles saw Amy's face fall, but he didn't believe that, any more perhaps than Eggman did because he was already questioning it.
"Or did he? Perhaps this is all a trap!"
Knuckles doubted that too. Traps were not organised enough to be Sonic's style.
As if to confirm this Eggman was already shaking his head again.
"No… He's probably just off enjoying the fresh air of this lovely new world while you lot do his dirty work isn't he?"
Amy renewed her struggles at this.
"That's not true!"
"No? You don't think he got us all stranded here with his selfish thrill-seeking then went off on a runaround for the fun of it? We all know how reckless Sonic is..."
"No!"
"Hmm. Such sweet devotion." Eggman backed the pod away from her. "And what do you think, Knuckles? Do you think Sonic is remorsefully and meticulous searching this city for those Emeralds so he can undo the mess he caused when he attacked me to get his hands on them?"
"I…" Knuckles hesitated, glanced at Amy who glared back at him, clearly not anticipating an answer she wanted to hear, and indeed the mental image did entirely fail to form a convincing picture.
"How should I know what Sonic is doing!" he snapped instead of answering. He hated to give Eggman any satisfaction but it was true that careful, thoughtful searching was not remotely Sonic's style.
Turning up as though magnetically drawn to trouble though – that was. Knuckles looked past Eggman, up at Tails, saw him bank the wing, dive away from the attack and there could only be one reason.
Eggman realised it a split second later.
"There he is! Get ready to fire!"
The robot turned abruptly, releasing Amy with a careless toss. Knuckles leapt for her before she could go right over the edge and stood back to assess their options.
"Hurry!" Eggman was yelling. "Fire! Finally!"
The robot was not in fact as slow as Eggman's berating of it suggested of course but Sonic was to all appearances having the time of his life, skipping and jumping and – Knuckles stared at him incredulous – was that supposed to be dancing? In any case, none of the shots came near him except when he actively leapt aboard the tethered missiles the robot was firing every which way.
Knuckles turned to Amy, daring her now to say Sonic didn't just get into fights for the fun of it. Didn't just enjoy antagonising the increasingly irate Eggman who was now shrieking at him.
"Wise guy! I'll show you!"
Knuckles shook his head minutely. Not this time he wouldn't. Even himself he was torn between amusement and exasperation at the hedgehog's antics, but it was getting past time to bring this to an end.
"Sonic!" he called. "Try the old slap on the wrist!" He knew Sonic would know what he meant. Any number of these robots had had the same flaw, the same over-focus on striking at Sonic at all costs, the same lack of self preservation.
Sonic grinned, clearly completely aware of the tactic and crouched smirking on one heavy missile as the robot drew it back in. He pulled a face, paused, gurning and laughing then leapt clear as the robot swung for him only to strike off its own weapon.
"Bye!" he called.
"Fire!" Eggman screeched and a volley of missiles from the undamaged chest launchers shot towards the laughing hedgehog.
It took only a split second before it was obvious that this too had failed. Sonic came spinning out of the smoke, still laughing, if anything only seeming to have gained momentum in the blast.
It was enough. The robot disintegrated into fragments. Knuckles threw up his hands against the debris and blast, one in front of his face, one shielding Amy.
From the settling smoke, Eggman's pod rose but no one listened to his retreating volley of threats. Amy ducked round Knuckles and flung herself at Sonic shrieking in relief.
"Take it easy!" Sonic protested.
Knuckles watched bemused as Sonic, completely capable of taking down giant robots, now struggled to fend off one overexcited pink hedgehog, babbling about how she'd been afraid she'd never see him again.
"Amy, please! Let me go!"
Sonic's muffled complaints were abruptly cut short by the arrival of a squad of armed humans who looked, in Knuckles' opinion, distinctly ungrateful.
"All right, nobody move!" They levelled their weapons.
"Great! Now what?" Knuckles found it hard to be too impressed. Surely they'd just seen that shooting at Sonic didn't work?
"Don't try running away!"
That was too much. Run away? They'd just fought off the robot attacking a city that wasn't theirs and the residents' idea of gratitude was to point weapons and imply they'd flee? Knuckles glanced at the hedgehogs who didn't appear to have any more of an idea of what had brought this on.
Run? He picked his battles but he never ran from the fight that was in front of him. All of the frustration at not getting a crack at this robot at being forced to wait while Eggman tried to bargain with Amy's safety, at Sonic's antics and smirking confidence that the last minute was always good enough, drove a snarl between his teeth..
"Hey, easy, pal!" one of the humans said but anything else he might had added was cut off by the appearance of Tails' biplane diving over the roof, the little fox calling Sonic's name and trailing a rope ladder over the side.
Both hedgehogs caught hold, Sonic keeping a firm grip on Amy as they jumped.
Knuckles hesitated. What did they want, these humans? What did they know? Why would they come after them armed after seeing them attack the robot? Did they know about the Chaos Emeralds?
"Hey, Knuckles!" Sonic was calling. "C'mon!"
"Please, Knuckles!" Amy chimed in. "Let's go!"
Knuckles hesitated a moment longer but whatever the humans knew or thought of them he couldn't do much about it here and now. He ran after the others, leapt and caught the last rung of the ladder and was swept into the air.
"Get him!" From behind them he heard weaponsfire, but either they were very bad shots or they were afraid of bringing the aircraft down on the street, because nothing hit them.
Belatedly he realised Tails had a passenger and for some unfathomable reason it was a juvenile human, now cheerfully greeting them.
"We'll go back to my house, guys!"
"Cream and Cheese are already there waiting for us, " Tails added.
"Wow, them too?" Amy sounded delighted. "So we're all here together!"
Knuckles shook his head. Did she think this was a holiday? How could any of their first thoughts be about where to stay and not where to start looking for the Chaos Emeralds and the way back? Or where Eggman was basing himself? Or what those humans had wanted?
"Count me out," he said. "This is where I get off."
He could search on his own, he worked better that way. And Sonic was always easy to find. He glanced up at the blue hedgehog whose faint smile and tiny shrug said he wasn't surprised in the slightest.
Knuckles let go of the ladder, hearing Amy protest.
"See you around."
