Cream surveyed the remains of the base, then turned back again.
"Tails? Did you do all this?"
"Um... well... maybe a bit of it."
"A bit?"
"Or maybe a bit more."
"Tails!"
"I was worried."
Cream went off again at him, starting with irresponsible. It went downhill from there.
"You know, I wonder if Tails was even thinking about what might happen," Rouge said to Silver.
When she got no response, she looked around.
Silver had gone.
"Well, that's men for you. Never around when you need them."
"Speak for yourself," his voice sounded in mid air. "I found something a jewel thief would be proud to have. Look in the building directly ahead of you."
It was one of the relatively intact structures. It looked like it had also been well protected before Tail had happened to it.
There was only one room inside. It didn't contain Silver, but it did contain a familiar set of gems. One larger than the others.
"Well now, isn't this the interesting find?"
She put the smaller ones in a sack, and, with some effort, pulled the larger one along. Vector, seeing what she was doing, jumped out to help.
"Thanks, big guy."
"No problem. We're taking these back to where they're meant to be?"
"Of course... once I'm done with them, that is."
Vector glanced back. "What about them two?"
"They'll be along in a bit."
"And Silver?"
"I have no idea."
"Stupid hedgehog..."
"You know what he's up to?"
"Yes, and it's not something I plan to stick around for."
"That's not promising."
"Trust me," he told her, heaving the giant gem into the back of the van.
Silver went deeper into the base. Cream wasn't the only reason he was here.
There were fewer people here. He preferred it that way – less people to bother him, less people he'd have to do something to.
The scene changed, becoming a rock tunnel, then a cavern. The floor of it was grassy, and a village stood in the distance. It looked for all the world like the rocks had just grown up and over it and the surrounding area.
So, this was it. Morph's home. Or it had been once, anyway.
He knew what he needed to do. Morph had talked him through it thoroughly to make sure he didn't do it wrong.
Somewhere, hidden in the village were three large waterwheels. The channels underneath them would be dry, as the water had been sealed underground.
In each of the houses with those waterwheels would be a capstan – a wheel set in the floor with stakes sticking out for people to push on – that would release that water.
When all three were turned, and the larger one under the centre of the village was also turned, the water wouldn't just flow out again, it would flood out, preserving her childhood home underwater permanently. She didn't want anyone else to be there, to do anything there. It was her home, where her kind had come from. She wanted it protected from any further assaults, so it would always be there.
Floating above the village, the waterwheels weren't hard to find. They were also well greased, making them easy to turn even after all this time. Morph had said she'd run from this place nearly ten years ago.
The last capstan was accessible from a hidden tunnel in the Village Hall. This would make it difficult for him to get out safely, but there was no other way.
Her tirade done, Tails and Cream returned to his bike.
She looked it over critically, then shook her head.
"I'm travelling with them."
"But-"
"Not this time. You know I don't like it."
"Maybe Vector would let me put it in the back of the van."
"No room," Rouge told him, coming into view. "I just put the Master Emerald in there. There's just enough room for two, and a third up with Espio and Vector at the front."
"I'll take the front seat," Cream said firmly. "And you'll keep pace with us," she told Tails.
"Yes, Cream. If that's the way you want it."
"You've got him well trained," Rouge teased.
"After what he's done... he'll make it up to me. Won't you?"
"Of course I will for you."
There was a deep, distant rumbling.
"Stupid hedgehog!" Vector burst out. "Everyone in! We're leaving!"
Tails made sure Cream was safely with them before he even considered himself this time.
He paused after starting the bike, looking back. The rumbling was getting louder and nearer.
"Tails! Move!" Vector's voice roared over the van's engine.
He didn't need telling twice after seeing a torrent of water burst out of the ground, and headed right for them.
There was no sign of Silver.
Charmy knew what to do. He'd been waiting for it to happen.
The unnamed human who Knuckles had met was still there.
Charmy joined him. To anyone else, it looked like two scavengers perched on a bin.
He cleared his face.
"They got taken," he told the human.
"About time." he replied, surprisingly clearly in comparison to his earlier speech. "Did they suspect?"
"No."
"We'll have to move quickly. Your friends will be back in town in a few hours."
"What do I have to do?"
"Go to Sonic. His cell's an electronically locked one. Code is 4253. You know what to tell him?"
"What's happening to him."
"Exactly. And Charmy?"
"Yeah?"
"Stay out of trouble. I gave my word to Vector."
"You can count on me."
"Good. I'll be here."
Bane sat in his office talking with the chief of police. Apparently he'd been getting concerned about the increasing crime rates.
They were interrupted by one of Bane's people quietly entering.
"Sorry to interrupt sir," he whispered to Bane. "We've just had a report from Snow Wolf base. It's been attacked. No further signals at all. Last transmission showed four intruders, and the hostage escaping."
"Are you certain?"
"Absolutely. We also believe the psychic has also been lost due to whatever happened."
"Understood. Leave."
He nodded and left.
"Trouble?" the chief asked, a curious expression.
"Hardly. We'll have to continue another time. I'll do what I can to address your concerns. Please see yourself out."
Who to speak to about this, he wondered. Amy and Sonic were out of the question. Knuckles probably wouldn't talk to him still.
That left the trio downstairs.
Aqua and Jules were both snoozing when he let himself in, but Leo was not. As he entered, he fixed Bane with the same grin from earlier, watching him intently. He couldn't help but shake the feeling there was more to this one than met the eye.
"Can we talk?" he asked the grinning panther. It put him in mind of the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland.
"Mouth moves, tongue moves. All working. Sounds like we can," Leo purred back.
"I've just had some rather bad news."
"Isn't that so disappointing? Why are you telling me?"
"Sonic, Amy and Knuckles I doubt I could hold a civil and sensible conversation with right now. I was hoping your hedgehog friend here might be awake, but you'll do."
"Glad to oblige. So, what good deed ruined your day?"
"I had funded the construction of a base up north, over where the village of the wolf, Samantha, used to be. I received a report it was attacked, then that it had ceased to transmit any signal at all. I was also told that the... guest of mine there, a certain rabbit you may or may not know, had escaped with certain friends of yours, and then finally that the hedgehog accompanying them, Silver, was somehow lost in the incident."
"So Cream escaped from you, and you killed Silver."
"I did not. I merely said he was lost, nothing more."
"So, who attacked? Anyone we know?"
"Silver, of course. Also there were Tails and Rouge the bat – who is now also wanted, I'm afraid to say. She had been living a relatively normal life until then."
Leo's expression flickered annoyance for a moment. It looked almost like the harsh expression of Shadow.
"And what did your report say happened to them?"
"Nothing. That happened after the base ceased to transmit."
"So how do you know that Silver was lost?"
Bane's expression grew troubled. "An interesting point, and one I'll investigate. It may be I have a spy among my staff."
"How terrible." The panther's insincerity shone almost brighter than his grin. It was starting to bother him again.
His phone went off, signifying a text message. He read it, then sighed.
"More trouble? You do seem to be having a most dreadful day, don't you?"
Bane ignored him. "I seem to have an intruder somewhere in the building. You'll excuse me?"
Leo leapt at the bars, hissing, snarling and reaching out a hand trying to claw at him. Even though he knew Leo couldn't reach him, he still stumbled backward.
The panther settled back again, laughing at him.
He decided to leave. Perhaps it hadn't been such a good idea to talk to him.
Sonic heard the door to the cell beep, open, then close. He didn't move. He didn't have the strength left.
"You could at least say something," someone behind him said. "Rather than laying there looking dead."
"What do you want me to say?"
"How about 'it's nice to see you Charmy, where have you been?'"
Sonic took that in. It took a few moments.
He pushed himself up on one arm, and turned to look. Charmy was leaning calmly against one wall.
"Morph?"
"Nope. Really me. You're not looking well. Maybe you should have eaten better?"
"I didn't feel up to it."
"You might thank Tails for this before long, you know."
"Why's that?"
"Look at your arm."
Sonic looked down.
His hand seemed to be sinking into the floor, closely followed by his hand. The floor wasn't reacting at all.
He pushed down harder on his arm experimentally, and watched as it seemed to slide into the floor easily, and slide out again just as easily. His hand didn't seem any different. Neither did the floor he'd just pushed it through.
"Tails did this?"
"No. He stuck the nanomachines in you which let you do this. They'll burn out and die in about..." he pulled out a watch. "Two days. After that you'll be back to normal. But until then, you can do that. With any part of you, through anything you like."
"How?"
"I don't know. I didn't design them. I just know how they work."
"Who told you?"
"He doesn't have a name. Not one he cares to tell people, anyway." Charmy looked him over critically, then pulled out a small bag, handing it to him. "Eat something. You'll need your strength."
The bee pulled the door open. Apparently it hadn't been closed properly. When he closed it this time, he made sure it was though.
Sonic started eating, not paying attention to what it was. He was still taking in what he could do.
With a familiar grin, he got up and walked through one of the walls.
The cell next door had another cat in. Being large, slightly slow, and with purple fur, there was no mistaking Big.
Sonic stuck his hand through the lock on the door, starting to get to grips with this, and unlocked it. It was only a mechanical lock.
Then he left Big to leave in his own time, heading through the next wall.
Knuckles looked up in surprise at him, stopping his pulling on a chain.
"How did you-"
"No time. I reckon it's time we busted outta here. With me?"
"Get me out of these things."
"Sure thing."
He unlocked each chain the same way he had Big's door, followed by the door to this cell.
Knuckles dropped to the floor, watching him warily.
"Oh, stop that. It ain't gonna last, so I'm just using it while I can."
"What... I mean, how..."
"It's 'cause of that stuff Tails put in me. C'mon, we gotta find the others."
"I heard someone say they were downstairs. Sonic, you know who did this to us?"
"Nope."
"Bane Scott."
"The mayor, huh? Sounds like he's been getting up to no good."