Throbbing headache. One that seems to squeeze your mind slowly into mush. Painful to say the least.

Sonic groaned and opened his eyes. He was lying on his back, on a stainless steel table in a large, white room he didn't recognize. Glancing around without moving his head, he could see nothing out of the nothing unusual.

He slowly pushed himself into sitting position. "Tails?" He called groggily. He remembered waking up and being really weak Tails said something about him being sick and not able to remember anything. But where was Tails now?

In the next room, he heard someone typing. "Tails?" He called again, as he slowly pushed him self up, and then almost choked on the heavy smell tomatoes. Odd, why did his fur smell like tomatoes? (BIG CLUE!) Sucking up a deep breath, Sonic shoved himself off the bed. Using the slow and painful process of dragging his feet, he managed to get across the room, and into the next.

Holding up one hand to shield his eyes from the bright light, he could make out a figure in front of him. Waiting a few seconds to adjust to the lights, he carefully lowered his hand to get a good look at it.

But what he saw was like nothing he had ever seen before

Eggman was typing, running on treadmill, and wearing a shirt that read, #1 good guy!

Sonic wasn't sure if he would faint -his legs were voting heavily on it- or puke. Just watching Eggman work-out..or try to.. would make any one throw up.

"What are you doing?" Sonic gasped. He had been trying to sound all macho and tough, but his voice refused to go above a whisper.

Eggman stopped his work-out and turned to the blue hero (in all his glory;barely able to stand, and with the threatening factor of newborn puppies.)Instead of threatening, gloating, or even making some comment on Sonicscondition, he just smiled.

"Oh good, your awake." Eggman said in a soothing voice, as if Sonic was asick toddler." I thought you would never wake up, in your condition! What on earth did you do to get yourself to get like that? Good thing I found you, you might not have survived another night. "

Sonic stared at him like he was speaking Latin. "What are you talking about? Wake up? How long was I out?" Sonic instantly wanted to take the last question back, knowing Eggman would make up some story about him being out for a long time.

"9 days."

The expression on Sonics face couldn't off been more surprised if Eggman had told him they were related.

"Alright, I don't know what going on, but whatever scheme you're cooking up in that messed up mind of your's, you're not getting away with it! I might not be at my top, but I can still take you on; you and your sick creations!" Sonic stated, trying to stay on his feet. His legs, hadn't been used in over a week, and were threatening to give in any second.

Eggman narrowed his eyes and walked over to Sonic. He then knelt down, and took Sonics chin in his hand and tilted it so they were eye to eye. In short, he looked a lot like a person did when they disciplining a 3 year old. "Don't talk to me like that," was all he said.

Sonic opened his mouth, a witty comment on Eggman's behavior coming, but his legs gave out and he fainted; right in front of his worst enemy.

If he had been awake, he would have felt Eggman pick him up very gently, put him back on the stainless steel table, and cover him with a blanket.

*9 days ago, (the day Sonic disappeared), mystic ruins jungle, 11:35 am*

Knuckles was as far from happy as black is from white. Tails was sometimes too loyal, when it came to Sonic. He and Amy had been dragged over every inch of mystic ruins. From the train tracks, to every single cave in mystic ruins, out to Angel island, and now throughout the whole jungle.

This was the 6th time they had gone by Big's hut, and Knuckles was near the breaking point.

Amy, 2 hours ago, had said that her neighbor was a member of her favorite band, (The Jug Heads Wash Board) and she promised she would stop by and listen to them. (Knuckles didnt know what was weirder, that excuse, or the fact that Tails believed her.)

Now it was just the two of them, going over every bit of then jungle just incase Sonic was there "lost and scared and REALLY wanting his little brother to come and rescue him." Knuckles gritted his teeth, deciding to drop the kit a hint that they had already looked for 6 hours and should go home.

"Tails?"

"What?"

"I don't think Sonic is out here, maybe we should-"

Tails cut him off." Go look in the city! Maybe he's there!" The overly eager 8-year-old shot past his older friend in what he thought was toward the ladder out of the jungle.

"NO!" The gruffness of the echidna caught Tails off guard.

"Why not?"

Knuckles fought the urge to bark at him, knowing that wouldn't help anything." Because," he said, trying to keep his temper under control, "We've already looked a lot tonight, and I want to go home. Even if it means I have to carry you screaming back to your house." He cracked his namesake, knowing Tails seemed weight about as much as a feather and could be carried easily.

Tails glared at the echidna, anger rising. "FINE, I KNW YOU DIDN'T CARE ABOUT SONIC ANYWAY!" He screamed. His exhaustion from the long day began to take over as anger.

In the same way, Knuckles hit breaking point, and his temper took over. "DONT YOU EVER SAY THAT! I'VE BEEN OUT HERE WITH YOU FOR SEVERAL HOURS LOOKING FOR THAT STUPID HEDGEHOG! I'M HUNGRY, AND I REALLY WANTED TO GO HOME 4 HOURS AGO, BUT I DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING, SEEING I KNOW HOW MUCH YOU CARE HIM! SO YOU CAN JUST SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" At that moment, Knuckles realized that during his rant he had grabbed Tails by the shoulders and was shaking him back and forth, and stopped screaming.

Tails looked away, tears already threatening to spill over and pushed the echidna away." Fine!" The fox ran as fast as he could down a path, looking back as if he expected Knuckles to chase him.

Knuckles glared down the path Tails had taken. "Fine!" He then went down a path leading in the other way.

In two minutes he was standing before the ladder out. Started to climb up, he felt a nagging feeling about leaving Tails alone in jungle at night. He sighed. He was by no means afraid of Sonic. But IF Sonic was o.k., Knuckles didn't want to be the person to tell him he had left his precious little brother out in the jungle at night by himself.

Knuckles growled a few choice words, and went back to find Tails.

He started looking where the kit had run away from him, and found him two trails away. The fox's twin tails dragging on the ground. Not sure what to do, Knuckles cleared his throat to get the fox's attention.

Tails jumped, and quickly turned, when he saw who had cleared their throat he glared. "What do you want?" He growled.

Knuckles took a deep breath and wished for patience he didn't have. "For you to stop acting so petty. Besides, I can't leave you here alone. Do you have any idea what Sonic would do to me if I left you here?"

Tails didn't even look at him," If he's alive, yeah." he mumbled.

Knuckles counted to 10 before he answered, trying to get rid of his anger.

"Kid, were talking about Sonic. I've seen many times where I thought Sonic was dead! He was once declared dead. For 7 minutes! And you know what happened?"

"What?"

"Out of nowhere, he just came back to life. That guy can survive anything. And I mean anything. He's fine. And you sitting out here in the cold by yourself isn't going to bring him back." Knuckles added, knowing Tails, he would want to look for him until he dropped from lack of sleep." So can we go?"

Tails very slowly got to his feet." Fine..."

(An hour later, Angel Island)

After taking Tails back to his house, getting out of jungle had been task on its self, since Tails had been very very very sure that going down THIS trail was the way out. Knuckles had argued with him for 25 minutes before he just picked up him, carried him down another trail, and showed him the ladder. Knuckles made the kit promise he wouldn't go back out and keep looking for Sonic. After that didnt work, he just took one of the fox's favorite tools, said stay in the house, and left. He didn't want Sonic to blame him if Tails got himself hurt.

Knuckles was now sitting on edge of the shrine of the Master Emerald, a fire was going, and even though he was tired, he couldn't sleep. Something about this was wrong, but he could put his finger on it..

Knuckles sighed, his body screaming that he get some sleep. If Sonic didn't come back soon...