Here's the next chapter. Thank you werewolf99 for correcting the mistake in the previous chapter, I really needed that. I have a bad habit of overlooking small things. :)

Anyway, I hope you will enjoy this latest installment of the story.

Chapter 3:
Interrogation

During their escape, the two questionable individuals had somehow managed to put a blindfold on Sonic. Needless to say, the hedgehog didn't enjoy the idea of being unable to see while being manhandled like a sack of potato. Unfortunately, no amount of protesting and squirming could help him break free from the extraordinarily strong grip of the red-clad character.

He could hear them mutter something that sounded like "Done scanning yet?" and "He's clear, no chip detected."

"Not to be rude or anything, but ah, where exactly are you taking me?" said Sonic rather loudly as he tried in vain to peel the cold mechanical arm off of his waist.

"Quit moving and be quiet if you don't want to get spotted or shot" replied the deep and serious voice of the strongman, who constantly looked around his shoulder to make sure they weren't being followed.

"We're almost there" said another voice, which Sonic recognized as the one belonging to the woman he had heard from the communicator, "Once we're at a secure area, we'll talk."

"Or maybe let me call the freaking police for brutally violating my constitutional rights" retorted the ticked off hedgehog as he finally resigned himself to the situation. He really hated being off his feet for whatever reasons.

Not another word was uttered after that little outburst. As fast as their legs could travel, the enigmatic duo swiftly moved through various areas, using the perpetual veil of darkness to mask their movements and presence.

After an unspecified amount of time had come to pass, Sonic felt that the one carrying him had come to a complete stop, which could only mean that they had finally arrived at the 'secure area' that the woman had mentioned. The place was some sort of bunker equipped with basic essentials, not that Sonic could see anything through the cloth.

"Okay, if we've arrived, could you…Oof!" he began only to be cut off when the strongman dumped him on the cold metal floor unceremoniously, "Put me down…Thank you!" added Sonic sarcastically. "Can I take this thing off now?"

"Yes" replied the woman, at which point Sonic instantly ripped the cloth off his face. It took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the new location, and when they had, Sonic turned around and spotted the duo that had taken him away from the saber-wielding fighter.

"I bet you have a lot of questions you want answers to, and so do we" said the masked female. She was dressed an almost identical suit of armor as her bulkier partner, except for the fact that hers was of the shade of cherry blossom pink. The skintight bodysuit underneath the armor plates was of a darker shade, which appeared almost black in the dead of night. In addition, Sonic could also see that there was a staff-like device strapped around her back, which seemed to be the plasma scythe that had saved him from certain demise earlier.

"Okay…Let's play twenty questions to get to know one another, shall we?" said the hedgehog in a forced cheerful tone, trying to see whether the people in front of him were friends or foes.

Out of the blue, the one in red stomped toward him in an intimidating fashion, gradually backing him into the wall behind. He would have easily avoided this type of opponent with no apparent difficulties, but he was trapped in a closed space, as well as an unknown location. Therefore, running off without any idea where to go could be more dangerous than facing the masked duo.

Before Sonic could even blink, a fist was thrown, missing the hedgehog's face by a few inches. The force of the sudden warning shot was so strong that it shook the very foundation of the structure they were in. He was sure he heard a sigh coming from the enigmatic female, but he couldn't be sure.

"Who are you?" growled the intimidating masked man, his voice signaling that he was in no mood to fool around.

Sonic managed to appear indifferent despite himself, and looked directly into the eyes behind the dark shades with a neutral expression.

"Excuse me" he said in his normal tone, "I'm taught to never, ever reveal my name to strangers, especially hostile ones."

The strongman raised his mechanical arm in the air impatiently and threateningly. However, before he could strike the trapped hedgehog, the woman placed a hand on his shoulder and stopped him in his track.

"Why don't you take a little walk outside to cool down and let me handle this?" she said in a soothing tone, one that was filled with warmth and comfort. However, to Sonic, it seemed like there was something akin to sadness mixed in, despite her obvious effort to conceal it.

Turning to look at her, the red-clad individual stood still in silence for a while before turning back to look Sonic in the eye. With a growl of frustration, he stomped away and disappeared through the front door, leaving his more rational partner behind to deal with the confused and lost hero.

…

"I sincerely apologize for the rude welcoming" she finally said after letting silence take reign for a while to have Sonic calm down, "But in light of the current situation, we can't afford to drop our guard, no matter what."

"It's cool, I guess. At least you're not trying to kill me like Brute Lee there" Sonic shrugged in a light-hearted manner, showing his host that he harbored no hard feeling, at least toward her. "He kind of reminds me of a certain guy I know – pushy, violence-prone, really bad-tempered and really grumpy."

"…I suppose…" said the armored female an amused chuckle, but the deep-seated sadness was not lost on Sonic as the sound reached his sensitive ears.

"Oh yes, where did I ever get his pretty head of mine? Ahem, Sonic the hedgehog, nice to meet you" he said, extending his hand in a friendly manner. After all, the strange woman showed no sign of hostility or killing intent toward him.

At that moment, time seemed to come to a complete stop, for the woman just stood still and stared at the cobalt hero before her. Even though her eyes were covered by the dark glass, Sonic was sure she was silently studying him with utmost interest, and it made him feel somewhat uneasy.

"…Anyway…what is it you want to ask?" he said, dropping his hand, in an attempt to lift the awkward atmosphere that had befallen the place, "I've just got sent here, so I'm not sure how helpful my answers will be…other than my name, of course."

"Sent here?" questioned the woman with interest.

"Well, long story short, my friends and I were fighting against a certain enemy of ours. We won, but he activated his machine that could alter reality. I tried to stop it and I seemed to have succeeded, but I got sent here as a result of a big boom in the base."

"…I see…" she mused, absent-mindedly rubbing her chin despite wearing a helmet that shrouded her facial features.

"Ah, if you don't mind me asking, why are you wearing helmets inside?' Sonic asked.

"Hmm?"

Raising an eye ridge, the hedgehog simply gestured to the stylized headwear she was wearing and shrugged.

"Oh, that…" she said, "I'm sorry, does it make you feel uncomfortable?"

"A little, yes. Kind of stuffy to look at I must admit" he shrugged again, "But I guess I'm used to seeing strange things. Besides, it doesn't seem to bother you, so whatever floats your boat."

"In any case…S-Sonic…" she began after a short while, and the hedgehog in question did not miss how she almost choked at the sound of his name, which further puzzled him, "Ahem…Would you like something to eat or drink? I'm sure getting transported to a different…place must have been an exhausting experience for you."

"Well, if you don't mind having me!" said the hedgehog happily, but still cautious in case there was an ulterior motive, "Do you have chilidogs by any chance?"

Suddenly, the armored woman fell silent yet again, but this time, she managed to recover faster. She quickly turned around and made her way toward a cooler nearby to pull out a frozen chilidog.

"I hope you don't mind having frozen food. We don't normally expect guests here" she said as she tossed Sonic the treat, who casually caught it with no apparent difficulty. 'I can see why' he mused as he stole a glance toward the exit where the hothead man had disappeared to a while ago.

"Heh, no sweat, ma'am. It's cool, no pun intended" he replied while spinning the chilidog in his hand for a while before putting it in his mouth, earning another secretive chuckle from his mysterious hostess.

"Hmm, not too shabby! A little cold, but still delish! Kind of reminds me of Tails' first attempt at making this. Ah, good times…"

Sonic continued to chow down on his food blissfully, and thus, he missed the visible flinch that his host had displayed at the mention of the fox's name.

…

"Now that feels good" Sonic exclaimed happily after biting his last bite, rubbing his belly to emphasize his point, "Thanks for the treat."

"You are certainly an outspoken and amiable young man, aren't you?" the woman remarked as she leaned against the counter and looked at her guest.

"Well, people say that's part of my charm. Besides, you seem like a nice person…Well, actually you're the only person here I've met so far who hasn't tried to kill me tonight."

"Oh, rest assured, I have no intention of maiming anyone tonight. Do forgive my partner, however. He is just a little too cautious and paranoid about our safety after certain…mishaps…" Again with the occasional pauses that Sonic never once missed. This woman was definitely hiding something - that much he could tell. However, for the time being, Sonic was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt, for she seemed to be a reasonable type of person, as well as the fact that she had saved his life earlier.

"Coke?" she asked as she raised the can up, and Sonic simply smiled in appreciation and nodded his head politely.

"I would have invited you to have a glass of Vodka, but you don't seem old enough to consume alcohol yet. Speaking of which, how old are you exactly?" she continued and tossed the can to the young hedgehog.

"Fifteen" replied the hedgehog as he casually opened the tin container of beverage and started drinking, "And thank you for your concern. I appreciate it."

"…I see…Fifteen, huh…" she mused silently, her eyes never once leaving Sonic, "That's awfully young for someone to be fighting against mad men who want to alter reality, isn't it?"

"Nah, you'll get used to after a while. Besides, I have great friends with me, and we always have a blast whenever we go on an adventure. Some of them are even like family to me, too."

"He he…That sounds nice…" replied the scythe-wielding fighter with a slight edge of sadness lingering in her tone.

…

"Alright then," said Sonic after finishing the can of beverage and tossing it into a trash can nearby with great accuracy, "Now that we're done, let's switch roles, shall we? I'll play interrogator this time."

"Excuse me?" the woman asked, sounding surprised.

"I have friends who are specialized in various fields, so you could say I picked up a thing or two from all of them."

"You're a clever one, aren't you?" replied the older individual as she stood upright and regarded the hedgehog with interest. Despite being on the receiving end of such an intense gaze, Sonic never once felt any malice or killing intent coming from her. 'Either she is sincere about not maiming anyone tonight, or she's crazy good at concealing her intentions' he thought.

"Alright, what do you want to know?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"How about we start with a formal introduction?" Sonic replied.

"You can address me by the name Ariel. It's the name of a theological angel, and that is all I can afford to tell you at the moment."

"Why angel?"

"It's a secret" she said. Not exactly feeling like prying anything out of the armored enigma for the time being, he simply kept his mouth shut and tried to think up a new topic.

"So, are you like, secret spies or something?" Sonic said.

"…I suppose you could say that."

"You really have no intention of giving me any direct answers, do you?" he said in a flat tone, earning a soft chuckle from his opponent, which seemed to imply "Neither do you".

"Okay, fair enough, I'll ask about something that is not related to you" Sonic continued as he tried to think of something else. He just couldn't ask where he was for obvious reasons, so he needed something else, and an idea came to him a split second later.

"Who was that black-armored guy that tried to kill me? You know, the light saber wielding, Darth Vader impersonator dude that almost turned me into a barbecued hog."

"…That's Tenebrae" she answered in a neutral tone, yet to Sonic, it sounded somewhat forced. "He's the lieutenant of the enemy we are fighting against, and an exceptionally dangerous fighter as you may have experienced for yourself."

"Don't remind me…So you are a secret organization then."

"I'm not sure about the secret part, but we are an organization – a resistance army created to free this world from the clutch of the tyrant, whom we refer to as Z."

"Uh huh, and does this organization of yours have a name?" Sonic asked as he surveyed the bunker.

The woman remained quiet for a while longer, debating whether or not she should continue this conversation. Despite being extremely cautious, she eventually gave up and decided to answer the hedgehog truthfully for reasons unknown to the hedgehog.

"Okay fine. I work for an organization called A.O.L, which stands for Agents Of Liberty by the way" she quickly added the last part when she saw that Sonic was about to make a potentially snarky remark regarding the name. "The purpose of our existence is as I've explained. We aim to overthrow Z and take back this world and our fates."

"Okay" replied Sonic slowly and refrained himself from making a comment on the name of her organization, "That's good to know then. I need to find a way home, but seeing as I'll be spending some time here until I find a way to reach by friends…if you need any assistance, I'll be happy to help."

"How can you offer your help to complete strangers you have only met for about a few minutes?" she asked skeptically.

"Strangers? Nah, I know you are called Ariel though I'm pretty sure that's not your real name, I know you are a fighter for freedom, and I know for a fact that you saved me back there. Speaking of which, I never said thanks for that, so thanks for that. So technically, we are not strangers. "

"…You really are an incredible being…Sonic…" she replied, a little shakily, as she shook her head in a fond manner. "Not many people would just willingly join us because we did them a favor."

"You. Saved. My. Life. And that is all I need to know…I don't judge people. Well, that and the facts that your enemies are full of lethal robots I recognize and a nasty killer who apparently knows me and wants me dead for whatever reason. So I would say you are the good guys in this case."

At the moment, Arial grew silent again. Due to the helmet, Sonic couldn't see her face, but if he were to venture a guess, he would say the expression on her visage was a frown. Honestly, he didn't know how he knew, but there was something about this character, suspicious as she was, which made him feel a sense of familiarity.

"So…" said the hedgehog as he tried to break the tension yet again, "Who is the guy in red?"

"Oh, that's Kushiel. It's…"

"The name of an angel, presumably" Sonic cut her off in a light-hearted manner. Instead of getting irritated, Ariel simply chuckled and nodded.

"How can a guy like that have a name of an angel?" Sonic questioned out loud, once again making the woman chuckle in delight.

"That's why we chose him the name of an angel of punishment. Trust me, he knows how to dish out some damage. Though I must admit while he may seem like a big and scary person, deep down, he's really kind and passionate, but you have to get through his tough skin first, which is really tough."

"Again reminds me of someone I know…" Sonic muttered with a tiny grin.

"You know a lot of people, do you?" she asked somewhat sadly as she leaned back on the counter again. In response, Sonic shrugged and smirked.

"When you travel, you get to see many things and meet many interesting people" was his reply, at which she let out another chuckle.

At that moment, she suddenly found herself being stared at by the younger hedgehog, his gaze silent and mysterious. It took her a while to compose herself under that intense gaze, but thanks to her helmet, Sonic couldn't see her face.

"Is there something in my face?" she asked in a teasing tone, which effectively broke the blue hero out of his trance.

"Oh…nothing" he replied instantly, "I'm sorry for staring, but there is something about you that I find very familiar…I can't put my finger on it, but you kind of remind me of someone…a close friend of mine to be exact. She's also very caring like you…"

"I…see…" said Ariel as she involuntarily flinched, but Sonic didn't catch that questionable reaction because he was still looking around the bunker.

After that, silence dominated the scene once more. However, unlike the previous moments, this silence was nice, tranquil and comfortable. In the middle of the rather small space, Ariel and Sonic stood still, not uttering a word.

Ariel leaned against the counter and looked at Sonic through the dark glass of her helmet, silently and secretly studying his every feature to the tiniest of details. She would continue her highly questionable action for a long time, until she finally decided that it was time for the kind veil of silence to disappear.

"Ahem, S…Sonic" she started, once again choking on the sound of his name, "I would like to say thank you in advance."

"Hmm? For what?" came his reply.

"For offering to provide us with your assistance. From what I've heard, you seem to be the type to know how to handle yourself well in dangerous and risky situations."

"That's me – just a guy who loves adventures and thrills" he exclaimed proudly and shot Ariel his infamous thumb-up post, which made her let out an inaudible gasp.

"No, I mean it, Sonic. Thank you very much" she continued, her voice rising a little, "You really are a wonderful…friend…"

At the sound of that last word, Sonic whipped his head around and looked at the armored woman incredulously. 'Friend?' he thought. The hedgehog was about to ask aloud, but he was cut off when Ariel continued.

"Whether you believe it or not Sonic, I know you…I've recognized you since you showed up on our radar. I've recognized you since I came to your rescue and took you back here. And I've confirmed it was really you since you asked for chilidogs…and just now when you gave me your endearing thumb-up post…"

"Okay?" Sonic replied skeptically.

"And the thing is, Sonic, you know me" Ariel continued as she slowly approached her young guest and stopped a few inches from him.

Not waiting for the cobalt hero to vocalize his question, she reached for her helmet and undid the straps, slowly and carefully taking it off. The moment it did, long pink quills revealed themselves, which went down to the middle of her back. Also, there were two long bangs at the sides of her face that reached down to her torso. When the helmet was completely out of the way, two striking emerald eyes looked directly into Sonic's own, almost shocking him into a stupor.

Her face looked somewhat different due to time, but there was no possible way Sonic would ever forget that face – the one that belonged to one of his earliest and most important friends. Slowly, the blue hedgehog reached out for the grown woman in front of him, his mouth agape.

"A…Amy?" he managed to utter her name at last after overcoming the initial shock.

"Yes, Sonic" the woman replied kindly as she grabbed his outstretching hand and held it tightly, a sad smile slowly forming on her face as she looked directly into the younger hedgehog's wide emerald orbs, "It's me."

"But…but that…" Sonic stammered, not sure if he was dreaming or not.

"I know, we have a lot to discuss," the fully grown version of his best friend said gently, cutting him off. "Let's start this again. My name is Amy Rose, codenamed Ariel, one of the Archlords of the Agents of Liberty. Let me be the first to say welcome to our world…my dear Sonic."

For once in his life, Sonic couldn't utter a single word after that. After all, what could he say in this situation? Absolutely nothing!

...

That's pretty much it for the time being. I'll try my best to update as soon as possible. Do look forward to the next chapter if you are still interested in this story. Thank you for anyone who spares some valuable time to visit my works. :)