In Due Season
Chapter IX
Where Tempers Flare and Alliance Ends
Everyone found themselves gathered around Tails' large computer screen, waiting for the fox to begin an explanation of his findings. Even Shadow was in attendance, propped up against the back wall and showing every bit of his reluctance to participate on his face. The only delay from the lecture came in the form of Sonic suggesting a late lunch. He was still munching on fruit courtesy of Knuckles when he spoke up.
"So, what's the deal, buddy?"
"Alright, these were the robots that attacked us," Tails said as he proceeded to bring up a picture of the wolf-like creatures on the screen, "According to the data Shadow brought us, they're called EBHs. Unfortunately, I'm having trouble with the encryption on their programming information. It looks like Eggman has stepped up his game."
"Who cares about that?! How do we stop them; that's what I'd like to know," Knuckles interjected. The fox sighed in frustration but before he could snap back at the echidna, Sonic stepped in.
"Yeah, gettin' em in the eye worked for a minute but we need to know how to shut em down permanently."
"I believe they each have a Chaos Emerald," Tails stated.
"What?! Why would Eggman have all those Emeralds in one place and not pull something big? It doesn't make any sense," Amy pointed out.
"I don't know, but those robots must have some important purpose if Eggman sent them all out here at once. I tried tracking the direction they headed in," Tails stated, bringing up a radar screen, "but their movements were so quick and erratic they were out of range before I could lock in. However, if I'm right, the robots are probably plotting a course back to the nearest base. See this?" the genius asked as he pulled up some graphics. The group leaned in.
"Those flight charts mapped out the last three years. I didn't notice each trajectory is only drawn out over different broadcasting and receiving indicators not the actual points of origin or destination. But by triangulating the positions of each course and satellite, I should be able to pinpoint single locations. It's going to take some time . . ."
"Whoa, hold up, buddy. I'm usually quick on the uptake but you lost me trajectory," Sonic joked lightly.
"Sorry, I'm basically saying we can trace these trails to Eggman's bases."
"So, just tell us what we need to do so we can get the Chaos Emeralds back already," Knuckles demanded. He was still upset the Emeralds were so close in the first place. Not only that, but he hadn't sensed their presence at all. Unlike the one he found on the ground, he hadn't felt a thing with the other gemstones; a fact that bothered him and he wasn't the only one. Sonic was now aware there were potentially seven Chaos Emeralds to draw from and he hadn't reacted to even one iota of their power at the time.
"Knuckles, I can't tell you what to do yet because . . ."
"Actually, Tails? How do you know those robots have Chaos Emeralds? I didn't feel any energy when I was with those bots," Sonic inquired.
"Me either," Knuckles agreed. Tails scratched the top of his head.
"I just read the energy signatures on the Tornado's schematics. It matched that of a Chaos Emerald so I just assumed . . . wait, you two didn't feel anything?" the fox asked, looking at the both of them anxiously.
"Great, now we don't even know what the heck we're looking at, now do we?" the echidna said bitterly.
"I didn't know all this," Tails said defensively.
"Just dandy! Just genius!" Knuckles exasperated.
"Don't talk to him like that," Solana stated heatedly.
"I can say whatever . . ."
"Shut it, knucklehead. Is it possible the doctor is using something else then?" Rouge asked the fox.
"There's always a possibility. If Eggman figured out a way to mimic the energy levels or worse yet, came up with a way to reproduce the energy of a Chaos Emerald, I can't really say either way, then . . ." Tails began.
"Then we need to figure that out first," Knuckles cut in causing Tails to glare at him.
"If you'd let me finish a sentence for once, maybe I could!" Tails yelled. Sonic buried his face in one hand as the fox and echidna began to bicker back and forth. Everyone seemed to get caught up in the wave of aggravation; everyone except Shadow, currently eying the situation with disinterest. He watched as Solana got up into the echidna's face while Cream and Amy started putting in their own two cents. His vision shifted to Rouge as she made her way over to the dhole with a scowl etched on her face. He knew she was coming to the aid of the guardian.
The foreign emotion of jealousy rose up in him as he witnessed her defending Knuckles, just as she had done for him earlier. Anger surged through him, but he understood his sentiments were misguided and it would be foolishness to act on such emotions. He chose to turn away and ignore the display of absurdity only to find his line of sight match up with the feline's gaze once more. Why couldn't she look somewhere else for a change? He was so caught up in irritation, he missed the expression of apology on Blaze's face until she spoke.
"Shadow, I'm sorry if I offended you earlier," she said just loud enough to be heard over the commotion. The hedgehog did little to hide his misgivings as he crossed his arms and continued to glare at her. Apology or not, he still didn't trust her . . . and he wanted to win this time. For her part, Blaze was just trying to bridge a gap she hadn't tried to form between them.
"I know it was rude of me to stare . . ."
"Yes, it was," Shadow stated sharply, not wanting to lose ground in the standoff.
"I'm just trying to adjust to everything. I meant no ill will towards you," she stressed her eyes showing her words were authentic.
"I don't want your apologies and I don't need your kindness," he held hotly. He tried to maintain eye contact with her wounded gaze but cursed himself as he unintentionally turned away.
"Fine," Blaze said evenly as she took a few steps forward; away from him. She now understood what the others meant about this hedgehog being moody. Her attention was drawn away from him at Amy's booming voice.
"Look! Maybe we should call it a day. Obviously, Tails needs some more time to figure things out and we need more time to recover from what happened today. Not only that, but the town down there still needs help."
The pink hedgehog was fed up with the squabbling as Kimi had gotten worked up again.
"I agree with, Ames," Sonic chimed in as he accepted the crying baby from her.
"Of course you do, she's your wife," Knuckles deadpanned.
"No, I'm just listening to good sense," Sonic shot back just as dryly, still trying to quiet Kimi down.
"Well, I'm just trying to . . . Ugh, can you get that kid out of here!" Knuckles complained as he covered his ears. The blue hedgehog gave him a sneer before turning to the rest with a weak smile as Kimi let out another ear-splitting wail.
"I still think it's a great idea to take a break," he shouted as he and Amy made their way through the group's side glances to the back door. Both parents' faces grew hot with embarrassment as their child still continued to cry loudly. Knuckles felt a tad guilty for his outburst, but the baby was so deafening. He looked up to see everyone looking at him.
"What?"
"I agree with them. A little break might be what we need to get our knuckleheads together, wouldn't you say?" Rouge posed, pointing her comment in the echidna's direction.
"Why's everyone picking on me? I just want to get things done that's all."
"We know, Knuckles. All of us want this to work out for the best," Tails emphasized.
"Alright, I'll admit, a little rest and a plan might go a lot better," the guardian conceited as he could still hear the muffled cries of Kimi outside.
"Now see, was that so hard?" Rouge taunted.
"Yes, it was. Now, get outta here so Tails can finish whatever he has to do," Knuckles directed waving for the bat to move along, though the small smirk on his face indicated his good humor.
o
A young G.U.N. officer made his way down the hallways of the facility at a hurried pace. He was preparing to report to his superior with the information asked of him. He was curious about the request, however, as it referred to one of the organization's top spies. He came to the office door and knocked; entering once permitted to do so.
"Sir, Agent Rouge still hasn't come back. I believe she took a Highlander 65 and the attack unit Omega with her," he stated, giving the general a polite salute.
"Thank you, Henderson. At ease. Has she tried to communicate with us?" the G.U.N. general asked.
"No, sir."
"Has any transmission been sent out on our part to contact her?"
"No, I don't believe so, sir."
"Good work, son. Get me Lieutenant Todd from the 9th division on the phone immediately and make sure I have privacy on this call, understood."
"Yes, sir," the officer said as he left just as quickly as he came. Still, his interests were peaked further at the mention of the 9th division. Henderson had heard of the branch before through the general but wasn't sure of its purpose or location. In fact, no one was. It was supposedly top secret; a very hush-hush operation or, at least, that's what the general had told him. All he had were communication numbers to the place stored in a locked cabinet in his office. As he rifled through papers and folders for the contact number, his senior officer, General Davis, sat back down in his chair facing the window of his office with a thoughtful gaze.
The old man knew what he was about to do could land him in serious trouble with the higher-ups and even get him suspended from the organization permanently, but his greed for power seemed to out-weigh his job of fifteen years. A wicked smile appeared on his face as his telephone rang. He picked it up with an air of anticipation, knowing this was going to be the beginning of a mighty fine payoff.
"Hello, Todd? Yes, she's gone. We have our opportunity . . ."
o
Tails successfully brought up much-needed tools and technology from the workshop below, setting them up on the island. Knuckles radioed Vector to see how the evacuation of the Kingsbury had gone; pleased to hear it went smoothly. The crocodile informed him that the nearby city of Windsong had accepted the refugees and that Vanilla was safe with him and Charmy. Espio was sent back just in case the heroes needed more help.
Sonic decided to head down and meet up with the lizard to inform him of the past events and continue the recovery effort. It didn't take long for them to clear the streets of the few remaining lost souls and drop them off to safety and treatment.
Rouge and Shadow decided to search the surrounding area of Kingsbury for Omega once Knuckles informed them he'd seen the robot on the outskirts of town. The first hour of their quest was spent arguing over how to carry out the search, being Shadow seemed apt on using it as an excuse to bail. But after deciding to stick together and use one of Tails' devices, the pair found Omega miles away still hunting for more Eggman robots. After another debate, some screaming and a bit of quick persuasion by Rouge, Team Dark was on their way back to the floating island.
"I still don't understand the purpose of going back to Angel Island. Eggman's robots are moving away from the intended destination?" Omega relayed from his position on the wing of Rouge's jet.
"Omega, I told you. Tails might have found a way to get to more of Eggy's bases which means you can have all the fun in the world demolishing whole army's of those stupid robots if you'd like, but you have to be patient," Rouge explained.
"Affirmative, but I still don't see the need to go and be surrounded by inferior units."
"Here, here," Shadow agreed from his spot on the opposite wing.
"Don't you start. Look I need both of you to behave. We're heading back and that's final!"
"Not to be rude, Rouge, but why? You said yourself, Sonic and his gang aren't the crowd you usually run with. Besides, you're not one to offer your services up as charity without a purpose," Shadow stated giving the bat a skeptical look. She didn't turn to face him, choosing instead to focus on the flight path ahead. She wasn't too keen on telling anyone about her real reason for staying with the others, but if she ever did, Shadow would be the one to talk to. His reserved nature made the hedgehog incredibly good at keeping secrets, but, at the moment, she wanted to keep her lonely feelings to herself.
"I have my reasons, Shadow, and just like you, I'm choosing to keep them quiet," she smirked upon seeing his ruffled expression in the windshield's reflection. The trio touched down next to the other aircrafts on the island; the hedgehog and robot jumping to the ground once settled. Rouge lifted the canopy of the plane and floated out to land beside them.
"Welcome back. It took you all long enough," they heard a voice say off to the side. They turned to see Solana standing next to the workshop's main entrance, her eyes giving them a suspicious glare. Rouge only gave the dhole a sly smile.
"Why thank you, sweetheart. With manners like yours, I can understand why you have to wait up so often."
The canine scowled and was about to say something else when Omega cut her off.
"When do we get the locations of Eggman's robots?"
"Easy there, Omega. Where is everyone?" Rouge inquired of the dhole, humor gone from her voice.
"They are around," Solana stated in a toying fashion. Shadow growled and stepped toward the female, his eyes fused into dangerous slits. Rouge quickly headed him off; whispering desperately for him to leave it to her. Their eyes locked in a moment of strong aggravation but the hedgehog muttered something unintelligible and walked off in another direction. Rouge watched him trudge off before she turned her bitter gaze on Solana.
"Listen here you annoying little brat, I don't know why your attitude towards us stinks. Honestly, I don't care, but I'm here to help and if you're going to stand in the way of that I'll give you a reason to fuss. Now, tell me where the others are before I really get angry," Rouge stated darkly. Solana gulped, knowing the bat was fully capable of doing severe bodily harm.
"Well, uh, mostly everybody is in the workshop. Sonic's family is camping out down by the springs and Knuckles went back to the shrine. If you'd like . . . hey, where are you going?"
"I need to discuss something with echidna boy if you don't mind," Rouge said as she gently lifted off the ground. With a mischievous smile, she turned back to her robotic companion.
"Now, remember Omega, behave yourself," she shouted before turning to whisper to Solana, "He adheres to a strict policy of shoot first ask later, if you know what I mean. With a stealer personality like yours, I'm sure you'll get along."
The bat flew off laughing as the dhole paled.
"When do I get to destroy something?" Omega voiced loudly.
"Uh, Miles?" Solana hollered as she stumbled back into the workshop, the large robot stomping in after her.
o
The soft breathing of a baby could be heard coming from a tent located just south of the workshop. Sonic and Amy had opted for privacy over luxury and took up the cramped shelter without complaint. Amy was feeding Kimi within the safety of their pitched tent preparing to bed the infant down in a bassinet of blankets beside her. She watched as Sonic busied himself with setting up the camp; all of which took about twenty-five seconds. Impressive by normal standards, but not necessarily up to the blue hedgehog's quality. Amy could see the exhaustion in his movements and the tiredness of his steps. In fact, he had been out of it for the past few hours; needing instructions repeated to him, having to take more breaks than usual and even . . . lagging behind which was simply unheard of. That's why she had suggested they go to bed early. He didn't want to, but even his usual protests were weak in the face of his drowsiness.
"Sonic, don't take this the wrong way, but you look awful," Amy stated as she laid Kimi down, watching her husband zip up the tent. The blue hedgehog let out an annoyed sigh.
"You're not looking all that hot either, no offense," he drawled giving his daughter's cheek a gentle brush before collapsing on the sleeping bag next to his wife. Amy rolled her eyes and gave her own irritated breath. It was true they had just gone through a lot today, but his exhaustion began way before the attack started and it just served to remind her of his nightmare; the one he hadn't told her yet.
"Sonic, you never did tell me what you were dreaming about this morning?" she questioned, snuggly down into her own bedding.
"What?" he asked groggily, his mind teetering between the waking and unconscious. He tilted his head in her direction with half-lidded eyes. Amy sighed.
"Never mind, just . . . go on, get some sleep," she whispered disappointedly. He would have gladly rolled over and drifted into slumber but the unhappy pitch in his mate's voice caused him to groan in dutiful displeasure as he propped himself up on one elbow.
"No, I want to hear it. What was the question?" he asked.
"Your dream this morning, you didn't tell me what it was, so how about now? Please?" she pleaded without missing a beat; her full attention on him with eager anticipation. Sonic blinked a few times wishing he had left well enough alone.
"Oh, do we really have to get into that right now? Can't it wait until morning?" he moaned as he plopped his head back down on a pillow. Amy frowned not out of concern this time but from anger.
"Fine. First, you nearly get yourself killed today and now you won't even talk to me about a dream. Just fine," Amy growled quietly as she rolled away from him and laid down herself.
"Huh?" Sonic yawned as sleep almost claimed him. Amy chose not to answer, knowing he wasn't fully awake, anyway. It wasn't long after the blue hedgehog was gone. As she heard the soft snoring of her husband she let out a disheartened cry followed by a tear sliding down her cheek. Didn't he care? Her mind was truly ensnared in the fears of the day while he slept soundly. The temporary loss of her daughter in a burning city, the sight of her love lying motionless on the ground. They were images taking a toll on her emotional nerves, whether she admitted it or not, and yet, his peace of mind seemed intact. Grant it, the couple had seen worse, experienced worse, but somehow this small attack on their hometown seemed more horrendous to her. How her counterpart could go to sleep so easily was a mystery that didn't sit well.
However, she knew her uneasiness was unfounded. Sonic had been just as upset by the remnants of their city. No, what bothered her was his condition now. She noticed his diminished attention and enthusiasm. She had questioned him about it, but he attributed it to hunger and tiredness. From that point on, he began doing what he normally did when distraught or under stress, kept silent. He didn't say much when he got back to the island or over dinner or in the workshop with the others and, now, he had shut her down once again. He was troubled, but he wasn't sharing it.
Amy rolled back over to face her husband with a sad smile, her irritation subsiding. She wasn't angry with him; she was hurt by his actions. He didn't do it intentionally but his stubbornness coupled with hers made for heated arguments and lengthy holdouts that really only caused more disappointment and grievances between them. She didn't want this to be the case, now. The pink hedgehog reached out and stroked his quills back, causing his ear to twitch in response. For once she was going to drop the issue first and leave it be. If he wanted to talk about it, she was always going to be there. If not, hopefully, he had the wisdom to know which burdens he could bear alone. She laid back down and closed her eyes; ready for a bit of rest herself.
o
Rouge flew down to where she knew Knuckles would be staying for the night; at the foot of the Master Emerald. What she hadn't expected to see was the guardian sitting at the base of the powerful stone juggling three coconuts. She quietly observed him with a bemused expression as he tried to add another coconut to his routine. The echidna did quite well, for about three seconds, before all four hard-shelled fruits fell to the ground in an awkward fashion. One, in particular, decided to land on the poor guardian's head.
"Ouch," Knuckles mumbled as he rubbed at the sore spot on his noggin. He bent down to pick up the offending coconut only to snap back up when he heard some footsteps coming his way. He quickly hid the fruit by tossing it behind a nearby stone, not wanting to explain his little pass time. He then scrambled over to his respectable place in front of the Emerald. In the dim lighting of twilight, he could barely make out the form of someone. However, the closer they got to the Emerald's glow the more clearly he could make out who it was.
"Ah, so we meet again," he said relaxing a little and taking a seat on one of the steps.
"Yeah, wonder how long this little get together will last," Rouge joked continuing to walk over until she reached the echidna and sat at his side. He smiled remembering Tails interruption from earlier. Then he gazed down at her as she wrapped an arm around his waist and drew next to him. He was slightly caught off guard by the gesture, knowing they hadn't fully apologized for their fight a month ago, but without hesitation, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and hugged back.
"Hopefully, long enough," he said softly as the two sat in reflective silence. Rouge closed her eyes as she thought back on all the times they had done this in the past and how much she wanted to keep on doing this into the future. She wanted to tell him but felt so exposed for just thinking about these feelings let alone expressing them. It was nerve-wracking and infuriating at the same time. She had always been a woman of assertive presence, getting what she wanted when she wanted it and not giving a rip about what others thought. Now, she was concerned with what he thought and how he felt. She was trembling at the thought of actually having someone she loved and knew loved her back. It was the mind of strong ambition meeting the gentle heart of affection. It was like . . . juggling. She got the image of Knuckles trying to balance coconuts and she couldn't help the nervous laugh that escaped her. Knuckles leaned back from the embrace, giving her a strange look.
"I'm sorry, but . . ." she started until she opened her eyes and looked up to him. She couldn't hold back a genuine burst of laughter as the picture of him stumbling with the fruit and bonking himself on the head kept replaying in her mind.
"What? What's so funny?" he asked backing away completely as she waved for him to give her some space. This only caused her to laugh louder, though it seemed she was trying to get a handle on it. She took in a few breaths, trying to ease the fit off, but the moment she turned to the confused echidna once more, she cracked up again.
"I don't get it? What are you laughing at?"
"I . . ." she gasped as her laughter stole her breath. She didn't even know why she found it so funny but tears were starting to form at the corners of her eyes. Knuckles scowled not finding the humor at the moment. This only served to get another howl of amusement out of the bat as she leaned into him trying to regain composure.
"Sometimes you scare me, Rouge. I don't see what's so hilarious around here unless you're laughing at me."
She shook her head vehemently as she tried to look up at him. It only served to cause more giggles and she held up a hand for him to give her another moment. The echidna crossed his arms and rolled his eyes as her chuckles subsided.
"Okay, okay I'm fine now, really," she said, a small snicker coming out at the end.
"You sure?"
"No . . ." she blurted as another wave of laughs came out. Knuckles let out a heavy breath of frustration.
"You are laughing at me," he moped.
"No, no. Well, yes, yes I am," she chortled. He grunted.
"Now, listen. It's because I saw you earlier when you were juggling. Yes, I saw you. You were pretty good at it."
The guardian smiled with a little pride, even though his secret hobby had been caught.
"Until you dropped one on that sweet head of yours," she laughed.
"Hey! I'd like to see you try it," he dared.
"Sorry, honey, but I swore to my grandmother on her deathbed I would never become a circus performer," Rouge said with a straight face. Knuckles just stared at her.
"What?"
"I'm kidding. You're just so cute when you're confused."
The guardian grunted again, but the smirk on his face showed he really wasn't harboring any hard feelings.
"I resent that," he stated coolly, folding his arms out in front of him.
"Yeah, I'll bet," she held, crossing her legs. There was another moment of quiet.
"So, what brought you here anyway?" Knuckles asked, hesitance in his voice as if the question might frighten her off. It wouldn't, but she did uncross her legs and rise to her feet giving the echidna her back. He undid his arms and looked up to her; tension building up in his frame. She had flown off so many times in the past, not to return for days, weeks even months at a time. He never gave it much thought before because she always came back. This felt different.
"I wanted to talk to you about us," she stated softly. He knew then this was serious. He could feel a hollow fear rise in his gut and tried to ignore it. Being the sole protector of the Master Emerald, he had spent many years alone with this feeling. But since forging new relationships, loneliness dropped off and companionship became a constant in his life; just like his duty.
"About us?" he questioned gently as he too rose to his feet. She turned away slightly as if trying to hide her face from him.
"Rouge?"
He furrowed his brow as he lightly took her by the shoulder and gently guided her to face him. When he saw the tears in her eyes, his heart sank with the realization he was taking it all, especially her, for granted. He didn't even realize how much it was affecting him until the bat reached up and wiped a tear from his own cheek. They both gazed into the other's eyes, each knowing what they wanted to say but having trouble finding their voice. This didn't seem to be a problem for a certain black hedgehog spying from close by.
"So, this is where I find you, Rouge. I thought you and the guardian had a falling out. Obviously, that's not the case; good for you," he said callously, startling the couple.
"Shadow?" Rouge exclaimed in agitated surprise. Knuckles glared at the approaching anti-hero and clenched his fists.
"You have a problem with it, hedgehog?" he shouted squaring off for a confrontation.
"As a matter of fact, I do," Shadow said evenly as he kept his pace towards the guardian. Rouge was taken aback by the hedgehog's behavior, not knowing Shadow to be so rash, but once the shock wore off anger set in. Just as the two males were about to meet she inserted herself in between them.
"Boys, stop!" she demanded before turning to face the dark hedgehog, "Shadow, what's going on?"
He removed his glare from Knuckles and concentrated his gaze on her. She could tell he was upset and he could tell she was confused.
"I'll tell you what's going on. He's being an irritating jerk, that's what," the guardian grumbled, folding his arms in an aggravated fashion.
"Knuckles!" Rouge whispered harshly.
"If anyone's the jerk here, it's you, guardian," Shadow chided as he returned his narrowed eyes to the echidna. Rouge shook her head in dismay as the two shoved past her and began a shouting match face to face.
"You're the one showing up uninvited. I should knock you flat out off my island!"
"Don't make threats you can't possibly back up!" Shadow growled while dodging a jab made by Knuckles and returning a punch of his own, making contact with the echidna's jaw sending the guardian stumbling backward. Knuckles prepared to strike back . . .
"Cut it out!"
They both looked to the white bat who was now fuming. Her gaze softened as she looked to Knuckles.
"Please, I'm sorry. We'll talk later, I promise. Just let me deal with this okay," she pleaded with him. The echidna rolled his eyes heavenward, gave a snort to his adversary and trudged away at her request. She knew talking with Knuckles now would be a waste of time anyway as he walked back towards the Master Emerald. She turned a sharp eye on Shadow.
"You, me, over there, now!" she barked stamping off towards the steps. Shadow followed until they were out of Knuckles' earshot.
"Rouge? Can I explain . . ."
"What the heck, Shadow!? One minute I'm talking with Knuckles and the next you two are trying to knock each other's heads off! By all means, explain away!"
"I was . . . You're making a mistake and I was trying to prevent it," he said coldly, turning his head away.
"What are you talking about? Knuckles!?"
"Yes."
There was a moment of silence. Shadow continued.
"He's hurt you so many times in the past. I don't want you to get hurt again."
"Shadow . . ." Rouge sighed before going on, "I appreciate the fact you're trying to help me, but I'm capable of taking care of myself."
"That's why you keep going back to him?" the dark hedgehog asked a little harsher than he meant to. His true feelings were slipping past his cool façade, but Rouge was way too upset to note the hint of fretfulness in the other's voice.
"What I choose to do, Shadow, is none of your concern," she stated. Pain slipped past the hedgehog's cool facade, but Rough was too upset to notice.
"Fine. I won't concern you again," he snapped before speeding off into the woods. Rouge sighed in disappointment. Now, neither one of them would speak to her and she didn't even do anything.
"Men."
o
"So, you're saying I can't get back until we have all the Chaos Emeralds, is that it?" Blaze asked from her seat across Tails.
"That's right. And, there's still no guarantee. I'm afraid I don't know why the Emeralds would have brought you here in the first place," the fox reasoned as he placed a device down on the table next to the green Chaos Emerald. The purple feline sighed as she folded a hand over the green Sol Emerald she allowed Tails to look at.
"Well, thank you for trying. I know you're busy."
"It's no trouble, really. I've already worked out a plan for tomorrow it just needs some fine-tuning. So, I have some time to work on this."
"To be honest, what bothers me more is the fact my Emeralds aren't responding. I can't even feel their power. It's like holding an empty shell," Blaze mused as she rotated the gem in her hand. Tails frowned for a moment until his features brightened.
"Wait! You know that one time when Sonic and I were transported to your dimension? The first time we met Marine?"
"Yes."
"And I built the SS Tornado Ex to get back to this world?" Tails said with excitement growing in his voice.
"Right, I remember."
"Both sets of Emeralds were stable and it gave me the ability to build so quickly and use their power to get us home. It was like they were helping us in a sense. Maybe they're trying to help us again and we just don't know it."
"What do you mean, Tails? I don't see how the Sol Emeralds losing their power helps us," Blaze stated, honestly baffled.
"May I?" the fox requested as he stretched out a hand, indicating he wanted the Sol Emerald back. The feline obliged by placing the stone in his palm. He hopped down from the stool he was on and walked over to a machine located just a few yards from the counter Blaze was at. The machine looked like a cross between an incubator and a barbeque grill. He placed both gems inside the glass compartments nestled at the top of the device.
"What are you doing?" Blaze inquired as she stood up to follow and satisfy her curiosity. Tails closed the door and hit a button on the machine before turning to the cat.
"I'm going to test their energy levels against each other. If our initial assumptions were correct and the Emeralds behave as magnets in some way I should be able to tell if the Sol Emeralds have indeed lost their power or displaced it somehow. Plus, Sonic said the Chaos Emeralds weren't behaving properly for him either. If I can research and test them out a bit I may be able to find a clue as to why," Tails informed in his thoughtful voice. Blaze nodded in agreement, knowing if anyone could figure this out it was Tails.
"You can hold on to Emerald as long as you need to," she replied.
"Would you mind if I took the others as well? I'll keep them under lock and key, I promise," he added as he saw her worried face. With some thought, she handed the fox the of the gemstones. He took them and placed them in a hidden compartment nearby.
The two engaged in more conversation until Cream and Solana interrupted them, shortly followed by Rouge and Omega. There was some discussion of where they would all sleep for the night. Tails solved the problem by going to his closest and pulling out more camping gear. Rouge opted to sleep in her ship, taking Omega with her, while Cream gladly set up camp a little ways from the workshop with the help of Cheese. Solana decided to stay and help her boyfriend and Blaze work on the Emerald mystery. Hours passed, and exhaustion showed itself in the form of Tails' large yawn.
"Oh, sorry about that," he apologized as he brought a hand up to his mouth to hide a second yawn.
"I think we should get some rest too," Solana soothed as she placed her hands on the fox's shoulders massaging them lightly. He frowned a bit.
"But I still haven't figured it out yet . . ."
"Silly, it will be here tomorrow. You need your rest," she said more strongly as she guided him away from the computers and machines.
"But, Blaze," he said turning his attention to the princess. She smiled understandably.
"She's right, Tails. I'm getting tired too. We'll figure it out in the morning," she waved for him to go.
"See, she agrees. Now, I already set up a place outside, because I knew you would be too tired to do it yourself and I am not having you stay in this shop. You'll be doing work in your sleep . . ." the dhole went on as she guided the fatigued genius out.
Blaze stood alone in the stillness for a moment; her mind bouncing along several trails such as her arrival in this dimension and the state of her own; her inability to use the Sol Emeralds and their inability to find the Chaos Emeralds; old friends and new faces and a romance that would never be and yet, a partnership that would never die.
She walked over and switched the workshop lights off, leaving only the soft glow of both Emeralds resting in their cases. She quietly went and sat at the counter. Her racing thoughts put up a hard fight against her weary senses. After a few minutes of being bathed in the warm light of the gems though, Blaze's eyes became heavy and she placed her head down on the table and slipped off into slumber.
Creak.
Her ears perked at the sound of the workshop doors cracking open. She lifted her head slightly, peering over her arms through the dim lighting to see a hedgehog making their way in. At first glance, she mistook it for Sonic, but as they came closer it was clear Shadow was her nighttime visitor.
She kept perfectly still as he approached. It appeared he hadn't noticed her even though she was only yards away. His focus was on the gemstones before him. It didn't take long for the purple cat to realize the other's intentions and in an instant, she was up from her seat.
"Don't take this the wrong way, but what in the world do you think you're doing?" Blaze demanded, keeping a sharp eye on the dark hedgehog's movements as she waited for his reply.
