VII: Safe From Harm

Sonic paced back and forth incessantly, swinging his arms, humming tunelessly and clicking his fingers. Shadow felt his eyelid twitching in annoyance, the blue hedgehog's constant fidgeting distracting him from the intricate device in his hands. No matter how many times he had asked, politely at that, Sonic would not remain still for any length of time.

"Are you done with that thing yet?" asked Sonic.

The thing in question, the Chaos Energy Redistribution Matrix, was a poor imitation of Tails' design. The body, dull and grey metal, looked like a military belt buckle with built-in air vents. From each side a rainbow tangle of wires hung down limply, wrapping themselves around something resembling a sink plug. Shadow had removed his glove to tighten the screws with his nails, laughing to himself when Sonic had blushed at the sight of his bare hand.

"Have a little patience," said Shadow, knowing full well Sonic had none to speak of, "I'm working on a shoestring here."

"Is it even gonna work? It looks a mess."

"It's tentative," said Shadow, examining the underside of the assembly, "a lot of these components are stand-ins for Tails' recommendations, plus the flow capacitor is damaged. If this even turns on I'll be amazed."

"How'd that thingy get damaged?" said Sonic. Shadow looked up to glare at him.

"You threw it against the forcefield, remember?" he said. Sonic averted his gaze, shrinking sheepishly away from Shadow.

"Oh yeah," he said, rubbing the back of his head, "sorry about that." Shadow looked back to the component, adjusting the connecting wires.

"You should learn to control your anger, Sonic. You've let it get the better of you a few times recently." Silence descended upon the chamber, and Shadow realised Sonic had stopped moving. He looked up to see Sonic looking at him with an indignant expression, hands firmly on his hips.

"What is it now?" Shadow groaned.

"You're calling me angry?" said Sonic, "maybe you should look in a mirror, buddy. You're always losing your temper." Shadow shook his head, sighing.

"What I do is channel my rage into power during a fight. You just lash out blindly, because you have no self-control."

"I have more self-control than you realise," said Sonic, leaving Shadow wondering exactly what he meant by that, "right now I'm resisting the urge to punch you in the face." Sonic's brash attitude posed no problem for Shadow, who knew exactly how to disarm it. He fixed his eyes on Sonic's and stared intently, keeping a neutral expression on his face. Sonic's face quickly became apprehensive, and he looked away.

That never gets old, Shadow thought, though he wished he knew the reason it was so effective. Their brief bickering over, Shadow turned his attention back to the Redistribution Matrix.

"I think the device is about ready," he said, motioning to the lump of metal, "it's time to break out of this damned box." Standing up, he brushed past Sonic, who reached a hand out to him as he passed, before retracting it cautiously. Shadow kneeled down in the centre of the cell, placing the body of the device on the floor, spreading the 'arms' of the thing out around it. Small green lights on the top began to blink slowly.

"What happens now?" asked Sonic, staring at the curious device.

"I'm going to try Chaos Control again," said Shadow, "In theory, when the forcefield tries to reflect the Chaos energy back on me, it should be redirected to the device."

"Is it gonna be safe for me in here when that happens?"

"I would keep your distance, just to be sure," said Shadow, noticing Sonic's uneasy look. Shadow knew the device was a shoddy knockoff; he wasn't certain the twisted mass of electronics wouldn't just explode, but he felt they had no other choice. Concealing his doubt in the face of necessity he strode confidently over to Sonic and placed a firm hand on his shoulder. Sonic looked up, seemingly reassured by Shadow's touch.

"Are you ready?" asked Shadow. Sonic nodded rapidly.

"I'm always ready!" he said, grinning, "let's do this!"

Shadow stepped back from Sonic, who leapt into the corner away from the device. The blue light slowly eased into purple as crimson energy swirled around Shadow. Feeling the energy surge through him, Shadow took one last look at Sonic, who gave him a confident thumbs-up.

"CHAOS CONTROL!" shouted Shadow, and crimson light enveloped him completely. In seconds it vanished from his vision, and he felt chaos energy falling away from him. Before he could get his bearings, a loud crack rang out, followed by an agonised yelp. Spinning around, he could see he had made it to the other side of the forcefield, but Sonic remained trapped, and Shadow's doubts about his plan became manifest.

The corner of the room he had just teleported from had become a spider's web of cobalt lightning. A deafening buzz filled the chamber, the grating monotony of it forcing its way into Shadow's sensitive ears. Like a firework the Redistribution Matrix sprayed golden sparks across the cell. Sonic was on all fours, arcs of blue energy glancing off his body, and through the din Shadow could hear his anguished groaning.

"Shadow!" he cried, reaching out with his hand, "Help… me!"

Sonic's plea, almost inaudible over the crackling cacophony, sent a wave of fear rushing through Shadow's body. In that moment, he convinced himself that Sonic was about to die, and that he had been the one to cause it with his poor workmanship. His heart thundered in his ears, almost drowning out the drone of the forcefield.

"Hold on, Sonic!" he yelled, panic permeating his voice, "I'll save you!"

He rushed over to the wall near the forcefield, where a metal panel sat in place of one of the carved stone bricks. Seizing it with one hand, he tore the metal sheet from its fixings and hurled it across the chamber. Before him a deep cavity sat in the wall, filled with thick cables and flashing circuit boards. Throwing caution to the wind, he thrust his hand into the cavity, took a firm hold on a bundle of cables, and began to pull. A shower of sparks poured over Shadow, and blinding lights flashed in his eyes as he heaved against the tight black ropes. Pressing his left hand and right foot firmly against the wall for leverage, he began to growl, his face locked in a snarl of determination. The growl grew louder the harder he pulled, transforming into a battle cry when he felt the cables start to give. All the while Sonic's cries of pain rang in his ears, stoking the fire of his determination.

With a loud bang Shadow's hand came rushing out of the cavity, dragging a tangle of cables and metal scraps with it. The drone of the forcefield, dreadful to Shadow's ears, began to quieten down into an almost disappointed low hum, and the web of energy fizzled out into a cluster of blue sparkling light, dancing like fireflies before vanishing completely. On the floor, Sonic didn't look up, but breathed heavily, moaning with each breath, and Shadow could see his thin arms trembling under the weight of his body.

Shadow rushed over to Sonic, kicking aside the still sparking Matrix, before sliding down on to his knees. As Sonic's arms gave way Shadow caught him by the shoulders, pulling the blue hedgehog towards him and gently turning him onto his back. Sonic was light but the weight of his collapse made him feel heavy, and Shadow brought Sonic's head and shoulders down to rest in his lap. Sonic's quills parted on either side of Shadow's legs, his arms resting limply along the floor. Shadow put his arms underneath Sonic's shoulders, and he felt the blue hedgehog's body relax, his breathing becoming slower, and the moans less pronounced. Smoke fizzled from the singed edges of his bandages, and his eyes remained tightly closed.

"It's alright, Sonic," said Shadow, "it's over now. I've got you." Shadow's tone was matter of-fact rather than comforting, but in his heart Shadow felt the tightness which arose whenever he saw Sonic in pain. A sliver of green caught Shadow's eye, as Sonic's eyes opened slightly to squint at him.

"Shadow?" he croaked, "I need to tell you something."

"What is it?"

"That really friggin' hurt," he said, smiling through the pain.

"I know, Sonic," said Shadow. He himself had only got a small dose of the forcefield's power, and it had been agony, he couldn't begin to imagine how painful it must have been for Sonic. The boy on his lap closed his eyes again, tilting his head to one side, and Shadow felt him breathing gently.

"I've got you, Sonic," he said, brushing a hand across Sonic's forehead, "you're safe now."

~o~


A wooden door, painted cobalt blue, shook from the weight of the gloved hand pounding upon it. The echidna in front of the door formed a stark contrast against it, crimson red like blood against the sky at dusk. The door failed to open, and no sound could be heard from within the house to which it belonged. Again, a white gloved fist struck the battered door multiple times.

"Sonic?" shouted Knuckles, "Tails? Anybody home?" Peering around the porch, he could see the large front window masked on the inside by thick curtains, the same shade of blue as the door. Knuckles wondered why the curtains would be drawn on such a glorious morning, before shrugging indifferently and turning away from the house. Before he took two steps down the weed-choked path, a rattling sound behind him caught his ear. Looking back over his shoulder, he saw the door open by a few centimetres. As he approached the door, he could see the chain securing the door on the inside, but no sign of his friends.

"H-hello?" a quiet voice came from behind the door, "w-who is it?" Knuckles thought the voice sounded like Tails, but he sounded frightened, his voice trembling and muted.

"Tails? It's Knuckles. Is everything alright in there?"

"Oh hello, Kn-knuckles. If you're looking for S-sonic, he went out to the park. M-maybe you can catch him there." Alarm bells rang in Knuckles' mind. Tails should've been throwing the door open and embracing him in childish over-excitement. A grim determination set upon Knuckles, something was wrong, he needed to act.

"Tails," he said in a stern tone, "I think you should let me in. Can you open the door now please?"

"N-no need to come in!" said Tails through nervous laughter, "S-Sonic will be home soon, you should come back then. Okay, bye!" The sliver of the inside porch narrowed, and Knuckles stood facing the closed door once more. The sheer wrongness of Tails' timid attempts to hide increased his drive to act, and he clenched his fists tightly, feeling the anger rising in his belly.

"Tails!" he bellowed, "I'm coming in. Stand back from the door!"

A shower of blue-edged splinters cascaded into the porch when Knuckles' drove his fist into the façade of the door. The hinges twisted and peeled from the frame, and the bulk of the door toppled into the porch like a falling body. Knuckles leapt through the threshold, noting that he would fix the door himself later. Right now the need to find out what was going on with his friend took precedence.

The living room stood in a cool dim gloom, the only light that of the restrained sunlight forcing its way around the edges of the curtains. In the centre of the room, Tails huddled in one corner of the sofa, cradling his face with his hands. The little fox shuddered away from Knuckles as he approached, and the echidna's heart sank to see his friend so terrified; he hadn't meant to scare him.

Then he saw the bruises.

All over Tails' trembling body, purple swelling could be seen underneath his orange fur, in other places, small patches of dried blood formed it into knotted clumps. Knuckles blood rose, and the fire in his belly became a raging inferno.

"Tails?!" he exclaimed, "By the Master, what happened? Who did this to you?" The fox didn't take his hands away from his face. Knuckles knelt down beside him, and taking the boy's thin arms in his strong hands, he turned Tails to face him. Deep bags hung underneath Tails' eyes, his muzzle fur stained with dried tears. Dark swelling surrounded his right eye, and Knuckles breath escaped him when he saw the rictus of fear across his friend's face.

"Tails," he said in a gentle whisper, "who did this to you?" Blue eyes glanced towards the door anxiously, before staring back at Knuckles.

"I…I c-can't say!" he stammered, "I d-don't want you to h-hurt him." Knuckles saw a face flash across his mind, and instantly a mental line connected with Tails' plea. Shock and disbelief coursed through him, stoking the fire of his rage once again.

"Sonic?! Sonic did this… he did this to you?" He stood up, staring into the distance in confusion, "SONIC?!"

Tails said nothing, but Knuckles saw Tails' expression, which pleaded please don't hurt him, confirming the echidna's accusation.

"That bastard!" Knuckles shouted, "I'll wring his scrawny neck!" Spinning round, he drove his foot into the coffee table, sending it skidding across the floor into the wooden TV unit, where the glass smashed into shards. Knuckles stood hunched, his hot breath escaping as barely-Mobian savage grunts, "how could he do this… you're his best friend, his little brother!" The last word came out as a full-throated shout at the ceiling. Turning round to face Tails, he saw the fox sitting dejectedly, tears streaming down his muzzle. Muttering to himself Knuckles took out his phone and started dialling.

"Who are you calling?" asked Tails.

"Someone I can still trust," said Knuckles, pacing and not taking his eyes off his fox friend.

"Hiya, hot stuff," the sultry voice of Rouge rang out in Knuckles' ear. He had no time for her flirtatious games right now.

"Rouge, It's Knuckles. You need to get over to Sonic's house right now. Bring Amy as well."

"What's wrong, Sugar? You sound even more tense than usual."

"It's urgent, Rouge. We need to talk about Sonic."

~o~


Sonic's eyes slowly opened, a sliver of bright light forcing its way into his eyelids. Through his blurred squinting the verdant green of trees came into focus, reaching up above his head to the brilliant azure & cloudless sky. The smell of damp grass wafted through his nostrils, and a chattering chorus of squawking birds and howling monkeys rattled in the undergrowth all around. Sonic could feel himself lying prone, his head and shoulders resting on something soft.

"Ugh, my head's killing me," he said aloud, "Somebody get the number of that bus." Tilting his head to the left revealed the dark figure of Shadow sitting over him, the sunlit edifice of the stone ziggurat towering into the sky above him. Shadow's positioning indicated that Sonic was lying on the black hedgehog's lap, Shadow's arms forming a loop around his upper body and supporting his shoulders.

"Shadow? What are you doing?"

"You passed out after the forcefield shocked you," said Shadow, angling his head to look down at Sonic, "I carried you out of the temple about an hour ago."

"And you've just been holding me- I mean, sitting here like this the whole time?" Sonic found the Shadow cushion strangely comfortable. Shadow's face, stony as ever, seemed at odds with his relaxed body language. Sonic expected his body to tense up and his heart to race, trapped as he was in close physical contact with Shadow. In all their time in the cell, he had barely been able to look at Shadow without feeling nervous, gradually coming to the realisation that he was finding Shadow more and more appealing to look at. In this position however, he felt completely relaxed, the urge to leap from Shadow's arms nowhere near.

"Using Chaos Control would not have been wise while you were in this weakened state," Shadow continued, "I thought the fresh air might do you some good."

"Since when did you care about my wellbeing?" Sonic said, a playful lilt to his voice, "You're developing a soft spot for me, Shadsy." Shadow's stony face became even stonier, but he didn't change position.

"Sonic, I never liked you," he said, "I'm not even sure if I like you now. You're an irritating, arrogant poseur. Knowing there's some depth behind your annoying ego doesn't make it any less annoying. It's just..." he drifted off, staring over Sonic into the jungle beyond.

"What?" asked Sonic. Shadow let out a disgruntled sigh.

"I don't like seeing you get hurt," he said, looking down at Sonic, "For some reason, I find myself needing to keep you safe from harm, to protect you." Sonic felt like Shadow had just slapped him. His independent spirit burned within his heart, and his perception of his rival-turned-friend warped. Shadow was being condescending, he thought, trying to imply that Sonic was a weakling who needed caring for, just to make himself look superior. He wrestled free from Shadow's strong grip to sit upright.

"Aww," he said in a mock baby-voice, lower lip pouting, "does big stwong Shadow want to take care of poor wittle weak Sonic?" Shadow glared at him.

"I never called you weak-"

"Save it, Shadow!" snapped Sonic, shuffling to the edge of the stone step they were on, "I don't need you to protect me. I can look after myself." He pushed himself down from the ledge. Landing on the soft grassy ground below, a stabbing pain shot through his legs, and his head pounded faster and louder. The walk across the grass rapidly descended into a hobble, Sonic clutching at the stitch in his side as he limped along.

"Ow. We need to - ahh - get moving – ow." The pain constricting his lower body and rapidly ascending forced the vocalisations out of him, his breath becoming more laboured with every step. Over his shoulder Shadow walked slowly behind him.

"Sonic, you're too wea-" he said, hand outstretched, "you're too tired to run. Let me help you."

"Get stuffed!" said Sonic, slapping Shadow's hand away, "I don't… need… your…" Narrow blue knees buckled, and he dropped onto the thick carpet of grass, placing his hands down to support him. His muscles throbbed with an intense heat, and in his head the pounding became like jackhammers. Just as he felt his arms giving way, a hand gripped him under each armpit. Shadow slowly but firmly lifted him onto his feet, before Sonic felt an arm sweep the back of his knees forward into the air. Another arm slid across the back of his shoulders, and Sonic found himself lying across Shadow's arms. With some jostling help from Shadow, he swung his arms up around Shadow's neck and gripped tightly. The pain in Sonic's body began to subside, the pounding diminishing into a dull throbbing. Shadow's expression said one thing only to Sonic; I told you so. Still unable to accept Shadow knowing better than him, Sonic rolled his eyes.

"Okay, so maybe this time I do need a hand," he said, "But let's see how well you can walk after taking 10,000 volts up your butt." Shadow's expression softened slightly; Sonic wondered if he had almost made the surly black hedgehog laugh. Shadow stood staring at him, and Sonic felt his heart thundering in his chest.

"So…" he said, trying to calm himself down, "Shall we head off then?"

"Of course," said Shadow, a devilish smirk appearing, "Hold on to your quills."

Crimson light engulfed Sonic's vision, and a howling wind rushed through his ears. He felt like he was being pulled through a straw, a warm tingling sensation rapidly overtaking his body. The first time Sonic had tried Chaos Control, to save himself from death in the ARK's escape pod, he spent several minutes in complete disorientation; Knuckles had found him vomiting in the space station's corridor. Since then he avoided it if he could manage it, if only to not miss out on an opportunity to run.

With a bright red flash before his eyes, the pandemonium in his senses abruptly ceased. Sonic felt his body temperature rapidly drop, the humid jungle air replaced by a cool stillness. Looking around, he recognised the magnificently appointed living room of Rouge's house, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

Turning his head to look at Shadow, Sonic saw him staring ahead, a serene look on his face. Sonic's body moved up and down in time with Shadow's breathing, and Sonic relaxed, his eyes slowly scanning the dark hedgehog's features.

Oh Chaos, I'm so attracted to him right now, thought Sonic, his relaxation quelling any discomfort, he's handsome, strong, and he can Chaos Control with his eyes closed. Maybe I was too hard on him, if he wants to protect me, why shouldn't I let him? It would make a change from me protecting everyone else all the time. Sonic's heart fluttered a little at the thought of it, alright Shadow the Hedgehog, you can be my – what the -!

His train of thought de-railed when he flew through the air. Landing in something soft that felt like a giant marshmallow, air rapidly escaped his lungs from the impact. Shadow had hurled him onto Rouge's enormous sofa, which threatened to collapse in on him like the world's gaudiest avalanche.

"Easy there, Shads," said Sonic, "Keeping me safe, remember?" Shadow's trademark glare returned.

"If you're threatened by a sofa, I really can't help you."

Sonic saw Shadow disappear towards the kitchen door, unable to see more past the towering back of the sofa. Listening intently, he heard some drawers being opened and shut forcefully, the tap running briefly, and a clatter of metal. Shadow re-entered his view, a tall glass of water in one hand, and a pair of vegetable scissors in the other. Standing over Sonic, Shadow thrust the glass towards him with a rigid arm.

"Drink this."

"Yes sir!" said Sonic sarcastically, bringing the glass to his lips. The water felt like a mountain stream cascading down his throat. Compared to the synthesised, plasticky stuff he had been drinking from Eggman's replicator, the clear, cold liquid might have well been ambrosia. Gulping it down, drops spilling down his chin, he finished the glass in one go, a gasp of satisfaction escaping him as he handed it back to Shadow. Wiping his mouth, he motioned towards the scissors.

"What are those for?"

"I'm going to take off your bandages," said Shadow, "they're no good in this state. Lie still."

Sonic lay back, and Shadow sat down on the floor, hooking the scissors under the blackened edges of the bandages wrapped around Sonic's waist. With slow, steady movements he cut through the ragged and burnt fabric, his face focused intently on his task, taking care not to catch any of Sonic's fur. On occasion his hand brushed against Sonic's abdomen, and Sonic felt a tingle wash over his body. After a few more cuts, Shadow peeled back the fabric, and Sonic craned his neck to see the damage.

A fresh red scar traced a diagonal trench through Sonic's fur, skirting the edge of his belly button, the fur around it clumped together with spots of dried blood. Shadow studied the scar like a scientist looking through a microscope, before tracing his finger along it.

Though he barely touched Sonic's skin, the blue hedgehog felt another tingle rush through him, his belly quivering under the pleasurable slow rub of Shadow's finger along it. Sonic's heart began to beat faster, and his throat became dry as he watched the finger gently prod his body.

"Looks like your cuts have healed nicely already. I guess you do everything quickly," said Shadow, pausing when he noticed Sonic's trembling, "What's the matter? Don't tell me you're ticklish."

"Uh... yeah, that's it," said Sonic, a hot flush in his face, "I'm ticklish, so don't tickle me, whatever you do." Sonic's heart raced faster in his eagerness to feel Shadow's touch again. To his dismay the reverse psychology failed, and Shadow took his hand away.

"Hmmph," grunted Shadow, seemingly indifferent. Sonic's heart sank; he desperately wanted Shadow to touch him again.

"Could you help me sit up a bit?" he said, feigning weakness, "This position isn't very comfortable." Shadow rolled his eyes, but put down the scissors. Leaning forward to grip Sonic under his arms, he lifted him up, and Sonic scooched his backside into a sitting position, overcome with joy at Shadow's touch, gulping when the black hedgehog's head briefly brushed past his. Shadow placed a few plump cushions behind Sonic's back to support him, before sitting back down to the floor.

"Thanks, Shads," Sonic said with a warm smile, his elation levelling off. Shadow ignored him, taking a firm hold of Sonic's arm and snipping at the bandages there. Sonic continued to smile, watching the black hedgehog at work. In Sonic's chest a nervous feeling crept in, growing stronger every second he stared at Shadow. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears, and bit down on his lip to stop the weight in his chest escaping as an audible sigh.

So this is what it's like to be in love, he thought, his nerves tightening, but why did it have to be him?

~o~


"I'm gonna kill him for this. I'm gonna knock that smug face right off his shoulders." Knuckles paced restlessly in circles in Sonic's living room, occasionally flailing his arms in frustration. Rouge thought he looked more like he was fighting off a large bee, but his bulky hands threatened to break more of Sonic's furniture.

"Red, honey, I think you need to calm down," she said, "before you break anything else." She motioned towards the shattered coffee table, and wondered if trashed houses were following her around this week. On the sofa, Amy sat with her arm around a dejected Tails, dabbing his eyes gently with a handkerchief.

"I will not calm down!" said Knuckles, rounding on her with eyes blazing, "We trusted him with Tails' safety, and he's betrayed that trust. He thinks he can do whatever he likes, it's time he was taught a lesson in humility." Something about Knuckles' words caused Tails to start sobbing, burying his face in Amy's shoulder. The pink hedgehog held him close with both arms, before shooting daggers at Knuckles with her eyes.

"Knuckles, please!" she said, "Can't you see you're making Tails more upset?"

The red echidna muttered under his breath, before resuming his frantic pacing.

"I can't believe Sonic would do something like this," said Amy, her face heavy with worry as she stroked the back of Tails' head.

"Why not?" barked Knuckles, "He's a smug jerk who treats the world like his personal playground." Amy glared at the red echidna, shaking her head.

"Blue does have a bit of a temper, hon," said Rouge, "You don't want to get on his bad side, that's for sure." She had seen Sonic lose it before, usually when someone threatened his friends. In those moments his ferocity rivalled Shadow's, and Rouge remembered feeling glad that Big Blue was on her side. The idea that he could turn that anger on Tails left a bad taste in her mouth.

"You don't know him!" said Amy, on the verge of tears herself, "He's sweet and kind and... and he loves his friends! He must be brainwashed or maybe it's an evil robot duplicate or something. Why else would he say those mean things to me?" Rouge rolled her eyes.

She always has to make things about herself, doesn't she?

"What do you mean?" said Rouge.

"I saw him in town yesterday," said Amy, "He was acting real weird, and then he told me he was gay, and that Shadow was his boyfriend. All just to hurt my feelings." Rouge felt her heart sink at Amy's forlorn expression. To Rouge, Sonic and Shadow's frustration with each other clearly screamed repressed sexual feelings, and was the only part of the scenario she could honestly believe. She knew it would break Amy's lovesick heart to hear what she had found on Shadow's phone. Before she could figure out how to break the news gently, Tails sat up, a curious look on his face.

"He told me that too," he said, sniffling, "I thought he was teasing me. He's been acting real strange ever since we went to find that Chaos signal." Rouge's ears pricked up.

"You went looking for a Chaos signal?" she said, "Shadow did the same thing two days ago. Did you find anything?"

"No," said Tails, "we got separated for hours. When I found him again he said he found nothing." Rouge's spy mind stepped up a gear; another piece of the puzzle tantalisingly close.

"Shadow came back empty-handed as well," she said, "I asked him about it, but he wouldn't give me any details."

"Has he been acting weird as well?" asked Amy.

"He's been stubborn, moody, and an insensitive prick," she said, sighing, "so no, not really." Tails leapt out of Amy's grasp and onto his feet. Bright and alert despite the puffiness around his eyes, Rouge could see the young happy genius rising from the depths of his sorrow. She smiled warmly at the return of her friend.

"Wait a second!" he said, finger in the air declaratively, "Before Sonic... before the um… bad stuff happened, my Anomalous Waveform Analyser went crazy, and Sonic smashed it to pieces in a rage. I thought it was just annoying him but..."

"What's a waveform analyser?" asked Rouge.

"It detects Chaos energy," said Tails, "I think something did happen to him in that temple, and he's trying to hide it!" Amy's face lit up.

"That means we can help him get better!" she said. Rouge smirked, regardless of whatever else was happening, Sonic would not magically fall for Amy.

"Let's not jump to any conclusions here," said the bat, "We still need to talk to Sonic, maybe he'll come clean about what happened."

"Hey," said Tails, "where'd Knuckles go?" The three Mobians heads swivelled from side to side, looking for a sign of the hot-blooded echidna. He had been skirting the edges of their vision all throughout their conversation. None of them had even noticed when he vanished completely.

Rouge dashed to the where the front door once stood, its broken blue body lying pathetically across the porch floor. Gazing out into the bright sunlight, she saw the distant red figure stomping towards the tall trees overlooking the park.

"I have a bad feeling about this."

~o~