AP: Hello peoples

Shadow: Someone save me from this chick!

AP: Hush Shadow, you aren't going to die.

Shadow: What about the part where you said can he save everyone? Who are you planning to kill?

AP: Stop sniveling! There will be no spoilers! Now, do the disclaimer!

Shadow: Hmmph, fine. Angelic Puppy does not own me or any other Sonic the Hedgehog characters; we are copyright to SEGA.

AP: A note to you all, my twin sister, Mirror the Fox, is making a version of this story from Sonic's point of view. So, if any of you read her story, don't worry she isn't plagiarizing. Now on to the story!

I awoke to dreadfully bright light. I opened my eyes and immediately shut them again. My senses were under attack by hospital crap. I could smell the medicines, antiseptics, waste, and most of all the blood. My ears were assaulted by the buzz and incessant beeping of electronics and screaming both nearby and probably three floors down. I was extremely hot under some puffy blanket and then there were, of course, the lights.

I grunted as I tried to sit up. Everything was painful, even breathing. All my joints cracked, including my entire back, and I felt needles of pain shoot through me. I looked around to see people running around everywhere. There were so many injured people that the least injured ones were forced to be on cots or the floor. A machine started whining as someone crashed causing doctors and nurses to scramble to save the dying person.

"Sadda! Sadda!" A baby voice called. At the same time, I heard screaming and yelling as Karo ran through the halls trying to find me.

"What's going on here? Who let this thing in here?" I heard a guard yell.

"Sorry sir, he's with us! He's a good one I swear! He won't hurt anybody!" I heard Tails saying to the guard in a pleading tone.

I heard a gun cock and I jumped to my feet and ran to where I heard them. I placed myself between the guard, a G.U.N. agent, and little Karo. The agent jumped in surprise at my sudden appearance, as did every else. Karo, however, didn't hesitate to shout in my ear.

"Sadda! Saddo! You good! You good!" Karo chirped happily. His voice still sounded like a mix between a toddler and a baby dinosaur.

I didn't have much strength though and I grunted and fell. Tails panicked and tried to catch me, but I mostly stopped myself by landing on my knee. Tails was able to help me up and Karo stayed close behind, just in case. I noticed Cream and Amy looking around, probably trying to find Knuckles and Sonic. I also noticed Mari. That stupid white hedgehog was here too, probably to irk me about leaving Tails all alone in this time of crisis.

"Tails let me help him, isn't he too heavy for you?" Mari said.

I shrugged off Tails' arm and made my way back to my bed, albeit painfully. I didn't want her help and I didn't want to burden Tails. I sat down heavily on my bed and promptly puked on the floor. I heard exclamations of disgust and someone quickly came over to clean it up. I noticed Mari with her hands on her hips as she glared at me. I also noticed Karo nosing my leg. His expression was frightened.

"What's wrong Karo?" I asked, patting the lizard on the head.

"Dying plant make bright power light than living, except for blue plant. Blue plant make bright power light regardless." Karo said earnestly.

I didn't get it, what did a plant have to do with anything? Then it dawned on me. I looked around the floor at all the people. Some of them were dying and this was only one floor. All of these people were like those rotting vegetables in the fridge at Amy's house, those same vegetables that Karo had happily eaten. This place was just one big target, a dish full of food sitting on a table.

"Aw crap." I muttered. Tails had gone to find the others, but Mari was still next to me and she looked at me like I was crazy.

"What are you cursing for? Your pet only said something about plants." Mari said sarcastically.

"If you understood the reasons behind what he said you'd be cursing too." I spat back.

Mari flinched slightly at my vehement tone, but she "hmphed" and walked away. I sighed and lay against my bed, my back and spines stinging. I wondered what the doctors had thought when they found all that glass in my back and not a bone broken. Karo climbed onto the bed and curled up at my feet. He stared at me in a way that reminded me of a dog who wanted you to get up and get him something.

"What's wrong Karo?" I asked.

"Miss big me. Miss…daddy." He said after some thought.

"Your father? Is he here?" I asked, nervous now, Lirias' picture already in my mind.

"Yes, he…he…what word for people leader?"

"What kind of people leader?"

"People leader of…fighting…people leader of…war?" Karo said questioningly.

"A leader of war is usually called a general." I said my heart in my throat.

"Yeah, he ge-ner-al. Clawrostira like him lots. Daddy Clawrostira's favorite." Karo said happily, he obviously admired his father.

"Clawrostira? Who is that?" I asked, thinking the name to be rather strange.

"Clawrostira is big leader, he really big. I never seen, but he bigger than daddy." Karo said thoughtfully.

I couldn't help but let out a chuckle. Little kids, Tails and Cream included, always thought of their parents or older siblings as a perfect example. I remembered hearing Cream tell a little kid that a tank wasn't as strong as Knuckles when the kid had asked how strong he was. The kid said that didn't tell how strong he was, but Cream just blew the kid off. Tails and Amy came over just then.

"Shadow are you ok? How are you feeling?" Amy said, smoothing a stray quill back into place.

"Like I got hit by, oh I don't know, a building." I said sarcastically as I grinned ruefully.

"That's not funny Shadow!" Amy said, upset. I could see she was really on the verge of tears.

"I'll live, I swear. I'll be around to rob you of eggs another day."

"You're such a jerk Shadow." Amy said, sniffling and wiping away tears with a choked laugh.

"What's up with Sonic and Knuckles?" I asked.

"Sonic is still unconscious, but that's because he's drugged with morphine. He has a dislocated shoulder and a fractured tibia." Tails said.

"Because I know you so well I'm going to assume that's a leg bone, however talk to me like I'm Cream next time." I said rolling my eyes at the little fox's word choice.

"What about Knuckles? He's about as unbreakable as I am, although he doesn't heal quite as fast." I said.

"Knuckles is strapped to his bed, he's cursing everyone out. He's worried about Rouge, but the doctors won't let him go look for her." Amy said through sniffles.

"Why not?" I asked. I was surprised that he hadn't already broken the restraints.

"He's really weak from shock, but he'll be ok in a couple hours like you were." Tails said.

I heard what sounded to be Rouge, but it was faint. I listened hard, pouring all my concentration into listening and I heard her asking about Knuckles. Of course, all this concentration meant that I could hear the infuriated Knuckles using words even I never used, in several different languages.

"I think Rouge is here." I said.

I could see everyone else listening carefully and Amy nodded slowly.

"Knuckles stopped shouting, rather abruptly too. She must be here then, I'll go check." Amy said as she walked out. Just then, Cream and Mari came in.

"Shadow! I was sooo worried!" Cream said as she jumped at me and wrapped her arms around my neck. I barely restrained a growl of pain, but I still stiffened in pain. Cream took no notice she was so upset.

"I was so worried about everyone! I thought I might not see anyone again! Tails managed to save me from those horrible creatures! Why couldn't they be like Karo and be nice?" Cream said, burying her face in my fur.

I had never liked being a tear rag. I wasn't an affectionate person; close contact bothered me intensely, partly because I wasn't used to it and partly because it aroused bad memories. However, a girl crying always killed any animosity towards being touched, although I was still awkward and uncomfortable. I hugged Cream, every fiber of my being wanting to push her off me and tell her to go away, but I was trying to change the cruelty branded into my tortured soul into empathy for others. I saw Tails suppressing a grin and I glared, my ears flattening in annoyance.

"What are you going to do now Darkie? Your buddies are out of commission and you're barely together yourself." Mari said.

Her attitude was both mocking and sympathetic, something I thought that only Eggman could accomplish. It irked me into growling viciously, making everyone, even Karo, flinch and back away. Cream was the only one who didn't even attempt to move. She was probably the only one, even outdoing Rouge, who would love me no matter what I did.

"What am I going to do Snowball? I'll tell you, I'm going to protect my family! Even if it means my death, even if I'm all alone, I will not rest until they are safe." I growled angrily.

I got up, feeling the anger rejuvenating me and I walked out, trying to find Sonic. I still held Cream in my arms, but protectively rather than awkwardly. Karo followed me; I could hear his claws scrabbling for purchase on the linoleum tiles. I walked around on the floor until I nearly ran into Rouge, who wasn't paying attention.

"Shadow! You're ok!" Rouge said; the relief in her voice so obvious and so large that it took the rage right out of me. She smiled when she saw Cream in my arms.

"Where's Knuckles?" I asked.

"In that room." She pointed to a door at the end of the hall. "He's resting, albeit grudgingly. Sonic's in there too, although he's still sleeping." Rouge said, looking back towards the rooms.

"Have you been able to find out anything?" I asked.

"G.U.N. doesn't know too much more than us. I think we have more of an advantage with our cute baby dragon, but not many leads." Rouge said with a sigh.

"This place is a sitting duck."

"What do you mean?"

"Tell her what you told me Karo."

"Dying plant make bright power light than living plant. Except blue plant, it make bright no matter what." Karo said calmly, sitting on his haunches. I could easily see him as his father someday, leading his people to conquer a planet.

"Um, what does this have to do with the hospital?" Rouge asked; her face in her hand in thought.

"Sonic, Knuckles, and I are the blue plants. Everyone else is either a live vegetable or one of those rotting ones that he ate out of Amy's fridge."

Rouge's eyes went wide with understanding. Tails swallowed hard and I heard Mari gasp faintly. Cream pressed into my fur and she trembled in fear. I went to Knuckles and Sonic's room, where Knuckles was sitting up and glaring at the wall, deep in thought. Amy was by Sonic, talking to him it seemed. I put Cream in Knuckles' lap and he took her without breaking his concentration. If it were me, my entire train of thought would've been interrupted. I went over to Sonic's bed and stood next to Amy.

"Hey Shadow, glad to see you up and runnin'." Sonic said groggily.

"I'm hardly running. You know it took me five whole minutes to get over here?" I said sarcastically. Sonic laughed and tried to sit up, but even I could tell he had serious vertigo.

"Did you know that one dose of that morphine crap can knock you out for several hours?" Sonic said as he held on to the bed rails to keep himself upright.

"I know now."

"We need a plan." Knuckles said.

We all turned to face him.

"What you got in mind?" I asked.

"This is too big for us. We need the Chaos Emeralds. I wonder…." Knuckles said, going back to his contemplation.

"You wonder what?" Sonic said. His words were still a bit slurred.

Knuckles didn't respond. Knuckles was intelligent, even though his common sense didn't always prove it. He also had an iron will and once he had his mind set on something no one could break it. If he thought up a plan, he would think of angles even Tails wouldn't think to cover. We would all have to wait before getting an answer. He didn't keep us waiting very long though.

"We need the Master Emerald and we need the Chaos Emeralds. We'll have to figure out how to get the one that Karo swallowed, but I have a plan. We just need someone willing to go to Angel Island." Knuckles said thoughtfully.

"Knuckles, you're not thinking of what I think you are…are you?" Sonic said carefully.

"I don't know, what are you thinking?"

"Do they really have enough power for that? I haven't seen you Super in years. Not to mention there's never been more than two of us Super at the same time." Sonic said, slight incredulity in his voice.

"Knuckles can go Super? I suppose I should have expected as much, but what does he destroy mountains in his spare time as Super?" I said, completely incredulous.

I had never dreamed of Knuckles going Super. Sonic was also right, there had never been more than two people Super at the same time. Would the Chaos Emeralds have enough power even with the Master Emerald?

"I'm thinking even past that Sonic. Something you've only done once and that neither Shadow nor I have done. I'm talking creating the Super Emeralds again. I'm talking going Hyper."

AP: Mwahahahaha! The plot thickens! What will be decided? How will Knuckles' suggestion be received by the others? What will be the mysterious alien lizard-dragons' next move? What will happen with little Karo now that it's been revealed that his father is the highest-ranking general in the aliens' army? Find out in chapter 5 and probably chapter 6!

Shadow: this chick is crazy, but, despite my extensive pain, I like the story.

AP: ^_^