Hello again. This is chapter two of World at War and I hope you enjoy it. I received a lot of attention from the first chapter so I will probably update often. Then again life gets in the way sometimes, just keep reading and reviewing and whatever else you do and I will keep writing.

Chapter Two: A Broken Hero

Adrenaline pumped fiercely through my body as I raced to find any exit. I haven't moved this fast in ten years. Even with the loss of experience, I swiftly maneuver through the pitch-black maze. The darkness floods the whole base to where I can hardly see three feet in front of me. Mainly using hearing and instincts, I sprint through the fortress of darkness.

The sound of a groan forces me to stop abruptly. Following the deep cry of pain, my feet lead me to a room just as eerie as the rest. I use my hands to feel around. The sensation is abnormal for my white gloves are torn in places and tearing in others. Mentally sighing, I continue my search.

Suddenly, I find a structure other than the walls. A cage.

A weak voice carries across the nearly abandoned room.

"Leave me alone. I can't take anymore torture. What do you want from me?"

That voice, that usually smooth-talking, cheery, egotistical voice was all too familiar.

"No way, Faker is that you?"

"Shadow? Shadow the Hedgehog? How'd you end up in here?"

"I could ask you the same blue hedgehog." Hearing nothing come from his mouth I assumed it was a touchy subject. Than an idea struck me, "How does getting out of that cage sound?"

"Shadow, I have no more fight left in me. These vile people have sucked all of it out of me. I'd be of no use in an escape, only extra weight. Leave me here."

Was this the same hedgehog he knew? The happy-go-lucky, too cheery for his own good speedster? If they can brake him, they can brake anyone. Well, not everyone.

"I'm getting you out if I have to drag you myself, Faker. People need you, they need their blue blur to save them."

"I'm not the hero I was ten years ago."

That did it. Not only was his body not in the best state, but his mind was corrupted by the thought he was useless. Before me lay the once world renowned hero, shattered in a million pieces. His spirit had left him long ago and his ego shrank to the size of Knuckles' intellect. The hero the world needed, lye beaten and bruised in a rusted cage behind enemy lines... he was broken.

The loud wails of alarms broke through the silence. We both looked around to see red lights brightening the once pitch black room. The light was dim, but at least we could see every corner of the room. Sonic eyed me with his new found sight. I was beaten pretty bad myself, if you compared our injuries we were about equal in abuse. Realization hit me like a brick wall.

"They know I'm escaping. It's now or never Faker."

He reluctantly nodded his head in exception. With the remaining strength I had, I forced the door to pull open. He was free from the cage, but not the bonds that kept him from smiling. Usually he would have smirked or run around or said something cocky, he just sat there starring where the once bar door was hinged. The sounds of heavy boots filled my ears and I knew they were coming. Not wanting to get caught, I trapped him and yanked him out. My mind raced with scenarios of how to finish escaping. Turning the lights on was a big mistake, now I could see.

Without wasting anymore time, I bolted out of the room dragging Sonic behind me. No one was in view, only the thundering stomps of feet signified others present. Still running through the corridors, I realized Sonic just stayed limp in my tightened grip. He really had changed.

Because my thoughts distracted me, I ran strait into a wall.

"Hey Shadow, watch out for walls." Still had his sarcasm. I turned my head to glare at him only to look dumbfounded by the depressed look in his eyes. He wasn't making his signature cocky grin, he wasn't even looking at me.

I chose to deal with his attitude later and break out now. Returning my gaze forward, I came face to face with a door. Above it was a sign that said, 'EXIT'.

Sometimes, villains can be so stupid.

I rose back to my feet, with Sonic in my grasp, and pulled it open. Sure enough, there was the outside world. The sky was just as I remember, the day I lost her. The ground was covered with gray cement and there were no signs of plant life anywhere. The world appeared just as damaged as the emotionless blue lump of quills at my feet. This was worse than I thought.

The over powering sound of feet thumping closer made me regain my composure and pick up Sonic. Not a second later, we fled the base. I ran until the blaring alarms were as quiet as a whisper.

I decided to rest for a little, not moving for ten years makes running a pain. Gently, I layed Sonic down. Here we were in the middle of who knows where, with a river as our only source of water and no shelter. Wait... river? My feet spun me around as I analyzed my surroundings. Tall trees, green bushes, soft healthy grass, a decent sized river filled with clean water. The tree tops covered any views of the sky, it looked like it did ten years ago. As if nothing ever happened. For tonight, we stayed in the comfort of hope, hope that not everything was beyond repair. Hope that everything we cherished was still recoverable.

Hope that the world wasn't without it.

Author's Note

Chapter two is finally done, yay. Throughout the story more and more characters will pop up and none of them were unaffected by the crises. I thought it would be interesting to have Sonic's personality totally crushed and have to be forced to even stand up. Each character changing because of their situation is suppose to imply the seriousness of it.

And before I forget, my friend and I are working on a crossover between Sonic the Hedgehog and The Maze Runner. If you are interested, leave a comment in your review about what you think it will be like and what you want to see. Until then, keep reading.