In the dark, dank tunnels, in a small uncharted part of the system, a large metal door was unsealed. An inscription, designed specifically to scare away any and all lost explorers unlucky enough to reach this damned place, was engraved into the cold steel:

"Through me you go to the grief wracked halls; Through me you go to everlasting pain;

Through me you go a pass among lost souls. Abandon all hope — Ye Who Enter Here"

The gate opened with an unsettling creak, as if announcing the arrival of evil. In a sense, it was - a yellow fox, equipped with ropes, a torch, and other interesting equipment, stepped out, with intentions most fiendish running through his fur-covered head. The hallway behind the door lead into the secret bunker where he'd made his accomodations. He'd studdied the plans of the surrounding area - a facility with an emergency escape through the caverns does need such documents, after all - pinpointed Eggman's location, and set up a path through the underground.

He was in the middle of a thougt, ...and I have to make sure myself. I don't know what Sonic and his gang are up to, but I can't take any risks. After all, if no-one stops him, that fat jerk'll blow me and my... means of entertainment sky high. Plus, I'll get payback for all the times he's been mean to me. He was trekking through the caves, flashlight in hand, but unbeknownst to him, another person was making their way towards the very same destination. And this very person would beat him to his goal, unintentionally making his entry much easier than previously expected, while at the same time making themselves a prime target for the deranged fox.

.

.

While all this was transpiring below, above on the surface a colourful trio was strolling to the large fortress. The three guys had no option but to obey Rouge and wait for her there. Shadow was leading while Knuckles and Sonic were conversing behind him.

"Man, I can't believe she ditched us like that!" said Knuckles.

"Well, what can you do?" replied Sonic.

"Seriously, sometimes I feel like we dudes are just slaves!" the echidna continued.

"Yeah, but you should know that women can feel that way too," the hedgehog told him.

Shadow was, as always, irritated. "You two are charming with your deep insights into modern-day slavery, but could you stay focused on the task at hand?"

"Oh, come on, Shad, loosen up!" said Sonic merrily. "Listen, between you and me, you like Rouge, don't you?"

Shadow thought for a while before answering. "Well, she does have certain... feminine quailities."

Knuckles was not too pleased to hear this. "Hey, keep off my turf, okay?!"

"Oh, so she's 'your turf' now, is she?" Shadow asked him with just a pinch of ridicule. "What, are you threatened by me?"

"Phhht, you wish! When I show her these rock hard abs she won't be able to resist!" the echidna praised himself.

"Hah! Your abs pale in comparison to me, the ULTIMATE lifeform!" the black hedgehog sneered back at him.

Sonic jumped into the argument, "Yeah, Knux, watch out! That mature, raspy voice and mysterious attitude are a real chick magnet!"

"Hey, blue britches, it's not like you're any better than me!" the echidna growled back.

"Let's agree to disagree," the hedgehog said. "But anyway, I have Amy. Sure, she might be a bit annoying and, well, creepy at times, but hey, I enjoy her company, and we always have a blast when we're together. I think I want us to become something more!"

"That's cute, but first we need to find her," Shadow reminded him. "And wasn't it YOU who said Eggman didn't have her? If you're right, even after this goes down, it won't be over."

Shadow is right, Sonic thought. I don't know where she is, and I don't know where Tails is, for that matter, and the same goes for Cheese and Vanilla. Not where we're headed, that's for sure. He looked at the big base they were approaching. What if... there really is someone else? But who, who? Oh, Amy, where are you? Little did he know the answer was blowing in the wind... as ashes, to be exact.

.

.

Tails arrived at the underbelly of the massive constuction. Three huge pillars held it aloft. It was a magnificent sight: an entire city suspended in the air, the rough extrerior presenting quite an obstacle for any intruder. The sky was visible from below through the small gap between the egg and the earth, as was the bridge, that from such a distance seemed like a toothpick even the slightest breeze would move.

The fox noticed several broken tool scattered about, as if they had been thrown from a great height, as well as a bent piece of metal. What's all this, then? Has someone been through here before? He looked at the hull, trying hard to notice even the slightest oddities. Aha! He spotted what looked like a hole. Well thank you, whoever you are! He left the heavier equipment behind, taking only a satchel as he flew towards the opening.

The inside was in stark contrast to the warm summer day - cold and gray. The only sounds were those of the many liquids running through large pipes, and the footsteps on the silver metal; they further reinforced the sense of aloneness and despair that seemed to be the only product of the dim corridors. Tails was hurrying through the endless maze, trying to find whoever it was that was in there with him, listening for every noise, every faint echo, and despite the slim chances of him ever succeding, he did. Now, with every two steps he took, he could just make out one that was not his own not far ahead, and before long, a figure appeared from the shadows.

The person was apparently too wraped up in their own thoughts to hear the approaching fox. There was one distinct feature that stood out: they had a pair of webbed wings.

"Rouge?"

She spun around in shock. It took her a second or two to figure out who it was that was standing there. "T-Tails?" She ran up to him and gave him a quick hug - something quite unusual for the master thief and part-time government agent. "You scared the crap out of me! What are you doing here?!"

The fox decided to make a play for time. Lucky for him, Rouge couldn't notice the... oddities about him in the twilight of the corridor, not that she was looking very hard. "I could ask you the same! Don't you know how dangerous it is here? How'd you get in, anyway?"

"There's a path through the caves. Really, the doc should've done a better job securing the interior. There aren't even any cameras. But that's beyond the point. YOU're here, so it's true! Eggman did kidnap you!" The bat had it all figured out. Or so she thought.

Interesting. They doubted that possibility. "What, wasn't it obvious?" he asked.

"It should've been," she answered, "but Sonic said that it was someone else. Stupid, if you ask me. But again, that's not what matters! You've escaped all on your own! By the way, how'd you do that? And what's that bag?"

"Oh, yeah, I escaped my... cell... because..." He stammered to find an answer. "...one of the, uh, construction robots apparently did a, uh, a bad job of fitting the, uh, wall panels. So I managed to pry one open, and, well, escape. As far as the bag goes, I, uh, ran across a workshop-type area and took a few tools to... help me get out!" Wow. That was real smooth, Tails. Good going, you dumbass.

The fact that there was something wrong should have been clearly discernable, but Rouge was so excited about finding him that she didn't even notice. "Good job! But, aren't the others with you?"

"The others?" the fox inquired.

"Yeah, Cream, Amy and Vanilla! They were taken by Eggman too!"

Tails barely stopped his lips stretching into a smile on his ostensibly worried face. Perfect. No-one suspects a thing... yet. Though I have a feeling that'll soon change, heh heh. After all, what happens when the kidnapper gets kidnapped? "What? Are you serious? I didn't see anyone else in here but you! But, then again, this is a huge place. They must still be in here, in another sector!"

"Well let's get going, then! We don't have a minute to waste!" She told him she'd hacked a terminal a while back, downloaded a floor plan and disabled the core's security, and held up a small PDA with what looked like a map.

Tails stopped her, "Wait! You still haven't told me what exactly your plan is."

"We don't have time, kid!" she retorted.

The fox was persistent - he had to find out where the others were. "Well I can't help you if you don't tell me exactly what it is you're up to."

*sigh* "Look, I'm supposed to open the main doors so the others can get in. They should be waiting in the forest on the edge of the clearing. Then, we're going to find the rest of the prisoners and sabotage the facility. That's it. Happy? Now follow me! We're almost there!" She spun around and started walking.

Almost there, huh? No defences? Then I guess I could... This time, a grin did form on Tails' face. Yes, that'd be perfect. He reached into the satchel and pulled out a pistol-like device. There was a single needle sticking out at the front. He aimed carefully, knowing he'd only have one chance. "Hey, Rouge!" She turned just as he squeezed the trigger. A dart flew through the air and jabbed itself into her shoulder. "Nighty night."

"Ahh!" It was only a pinch. She pulled it out. "WHAT THE HELL, TAILS?" Only now did she notice a gel-like substance smeared on the tip. She started getting dizzy, the world was contorting and losing colour. "Wh-what was... that?" She fell to her knees., barely keeping conscious.

"Oh, it's just a sedative. It'll subdue you for a few hours, giving me enough time for my own businsess. Then, we'll play a game. A fun, fun game. You'll like it, you'll see." She couldn't hold out any longer and finally fainted. I only had one of those, Tails thought. It was meant for the doc. Guess I'll have to knock him out the hard way... Though the hard way does sound like more fun.

He picked up Rouge and looked around for an appropriate hiding spot. He noticed an air duct grill, got it open and put her in. It's not exactly a five-star hotel, but it'll do.