Authors Notes:

Here we go! The big 10 and seeing as today's me birthday it's extra long.

This chapter is in two parts, I'm thinking about splitting the chapters up from now on. Seeing as what is about to start happening I'm seriously thinking about having the chapters split into two halves.

Thanks to ALL of my reviewers! It's great having a huge bunch of reviews to look at and smile at.

So, thank you too: SonikkuSL, Celestial the Hedgird, Skarecrow, Az The Dragon, Trouble.

Hehe, cake for all!

Enjoy

Review

Chid.

Two blurs sped across the ground. One was blue whilst the other black, the few blades of grass that had survived were standing tall and bold, only to be blown almost right out from the ground by the speed of the two hedgehogs.

As they approached the mountainside they smirked at each other and took different routes up the side of the mountain, running and jumping where they needed to until eventually after a very swift mountain climb they both reached the top. Sonic about half a millisecond before Shadow did.

"Knew it! Getting slow gramps!" Sonic smirked and chuckled as Shadow tried to push him off the mountaintop. "Shove off Shadow." He finally said giving the black hedgehog a nudge.

Sonic looked down, most of what he could see was an eyesore, it was disgusting, and the pollution was evident from this high up. He could see the jet-black plumes of smoke rising from places unknown. He could see the desert was huge from here, and in all that he could see, as far as the horizon, there was only one forest and that was tucked into the centre of the mountains with a mini mountain in the middle. It was a strange sight to see, a lone forest amongst all the grey, a splash of green.

"Certainly changed a lot. All of it Robotnik's doing." Shadow placed one of his hands on Sonic's shoulder. "I had hoped to stop this. When the world needed you, you weren't there."

"You were. Did you put all of your heart into it Shadow?" Sonic asked whilst brushing Shadow's hand off his shoulder. "Didn't you try and go Super? Rouge seemed keen on me going with Tails to the Floating Island and changing."

Shadow winced at that

"The last chaos emerald was found after I was booted. Anyway Knuckles won't let anyone near the island. I'd like to see you try."

Sonic brightened "A Challenge? About time, right where is the island?" He asked whilst rubbing his gloved hands together.

Shadow shook his head. "You aren't going anywhere hedgehog. The Floating Island's location is known to two furies in the world. Miles and Knuckles."

"Figures," Sonic muttered and then looked down at the forest, and without another word to Shadow he sped off to the forest.

Shadow sighed and took a glance at the desert, which had been his home for so long.

"Here we go" He muttered and then sped off down the mountainside after Sonic. He figured there was something off about the forest Sonic was heading to. The forests which Robotnik kept, all had Robot Access Roads, this one didn't appear to have one.

Sonic glanced behind him at the mountainside as was glad to see a black blur following him.

However, due to Sonic not looking where he was going he ran straight into something cold and metal.

The clang that echoed out made his ears ring. Not only that but his face and body ached from running so fast into whatever it was.

"Ow" He muttered and pushed himself away and looked up to see a golden metal robot that seemed to be made of circles rather than blocks, 'strange kind of new machine Eggman's made' Sonic thought to himself.

"Intruder, leave now or face the consequences," The robot 'said' though Sonic raised an eyebrow, not only did it look bad, it sounded worse. Almost like rusted metal trying to sing. Cringe worthy.

"Whatever" Sonic causally replied before speeding off.

Shadow however stopped and from a safe distance looked at the robot confused.

"It can't be."

Sonic was expecting an attack from behind but when none came he wondered if what the others had told him was a load of bullshit.

He dashed through the forest; it was nice to have proper ground under his feet. Ground which had received water, either dry or muddy, OR made of metal.

'How does Rouge manage to live in that place?' He wondered as he finally skidded to a stop in front of the mountainside, a bridge over to the mountainside seemed to be the only way over there, fast running water under his feet. The sound of fast rushing water all around.

'Scared?' He asked himself and started to cross the bridge. The wood was sturdy but seeing as it was the only thing between him and the water he was a bit nervous.

He was three quarters of the way across when the bridge dipped some more. Sonic looked behind him to see a smirking Shadow.

"Not afraid of water are we?" He asked walking causally across the bridge as Sonic glared fiercely.

"Yeah right gramps. Don't trip"

Shadow glared at Sonic who continued once again to walk over the bridge.

"This place looks familiar" Sonic mused to himself, or at least that was how it was intended.

"Seen one bridge across a river, seen 'em all. Anyway didn't they say that talking to yourself is the first sign of madness faker?" Sonic chuckled at that.

Sonic's ear twitched as he heard something at the other end. The bridge wobbled and then with a further noise, the strain or rope before snapping, the two ends of the bridge became disconnected from the edges. Sonic sped across the bridge and headed for the edge. Launching himself off of the falling wood he reached out for the grounds edge. His hands barely gripped it but he hung on for dear life.

Sonic tried to get a grip for his feet, if he could then maybe, just maybe, he'd avoid the water and flip himself up onto the safe ground.

Looking up at the sound of someone approaching he saw boots which seemed somewhat familiar, continuing to look up he was baffled by the trousers but the silhouette was familiar. The silhouette was of probably the most gullible thing in the world.

"Join the traitor in hell!"

Sonic received a boot to the face and the force literally ripped him from the edge.

As Sonic fell he looked back up at the one who had kicked him off. The face was cold and harsh, yet apart from that he looked just the same. Well the trousers had been a throw off.

Sonic hit the speeding river with a splash that was several feet in the air. He sunk quickly but it didn't matter too much as further on the water was drained into a network of pipes and tunnels until finally it poured out of a tube. Sonic spied Shadow on a brick platform and called out just before he hit the water again, he failed around and eventually caught the edge of the platform with one hand, finding foot grips he hauled himself out and rolled onto his back panting fast.

He HATED water!

Shadow was coolly ringing his spikes out.

"Don't mind water huh?" He asked and chuckled when Sonic shot him a glare.

"Shut up gramps" Sonic retorted and started to ring his own spikes out after sitting up.

"So who was it?" Shadow asked, his red eyes curious yet cautious after all he had his own suspicions as to who it had been.

Sonic wasn't really paying attention as he was looking around the huge half water filled place. He looked at the stones making the platform under him and the walls around.

"Okay now I know I'm not dreaming. I've been here before!" Shadow raised an eyebrow as he stood up and gave his shoes a tapping to check the boosters were still working.

"Deja-vu?" He asked and Sonic jumped up and shook his head.

"If I saw who I thought I just saw and I'm where I think I am." He stopped when he realised that what he'd been about to say wasn't going to make any sense at all.

"Time travel messed with your brain faker? Hold on, what brain?" Shadow teased as Sonic cleaned his ear out with his finger looking casual, finding a piece of earwax and flicked it at Shadow.

"If we are in the hydrocity zone then what I want to know is why this place is sitting in the mountains." He rubbed his cheek, "And where he learnt to kick like that."

Rouge was having a panic; she had been flitting around the base trying to find Sonic. However as someone had found, he'd gone out of the hanger.

"Cream!" She shouted as she flew into the gym. A group of humans looked at her pausing in their workouts, where they could.

"Get back to work. Cream!" Rouge yelled out again. Cream poked her head out of her office.

"How can I help you Rouge?" She asked sweetly yet it was plainly obvious she was being sarcastic in her tone.

"I want a word." Rouge walked over, Cream rolled her eyes and stepped aside to see that Miles was already sitting in the office.

Most of the office was perfectly organized, one small desk was bundled with papers, making a small pile in the middle, and the room had a relaxed feel about it. Sofas and comfortable chairs preferred over the kind of chairs which Rouge had in her office. The walls were all pained cream.

"He's gone Rouge. Just let it go and forget you ever saw him" Miles told her coldly. Rouge glared at him.

"You'd let him run into one of Robotnik's machines and have him robotosized?" She half shouted. Cream locked the door and shook her head at the two.

"He might not be a robot Rouge. What about the possibility of him being a clone?" Miles looked up at Rouge with a raised eyebrow. Rouge paused at that, she couldn't be certain that he wasn't a clone except well ... maybe...

"No Sonic would ever take orders from Robotnik, it's against his nature."

"There's always brainwashing" Miles retorted without a pause.

"Oh for! How many excuses have you thought up for why it can't be the real Sonic?" Rouge asked loudly. Cream sat down in her chair, her hands folded on her lap. She was glad that Sonic was back, and yet she didn't want the hedgehog's return to get between the three friends.

"I'm being realistic. I'm making perfectly good reasons as to why it can't be Sonic" Miles reasoned.

"You just don't want to get your hopes up. How about this for a good reason why it could be him. They never found a body! Even Robotnik would have been happy with a body because then he could of and would have bragged that he had personally killed Sonic!" Rouge had screamed that, her face was now a bright red. Cream stood up suddenly.

"STOP IT!" Both Miles and Rouge looked around, shocked at the rabbit. It wasn't often she shouted. "Rouge sit down and I'll get you some water. Miles please, put your mourning behind you and accept that the possibility that it may well just BE Sonic. Now I know he dashed off but where might he have gone?" She asked calmly as Rouge sat down next to Miles as she poured Rouge some water into a paper cup.

"Cream, you've..."

"I've nothing Miles Prower." Cream interrupted "IF he was Sonic where would he go?" She asked and passed Rouge the cup of water who sipped from it. Miles sighed.

"Sonic would probably have just picked a direction and run. Especially if he'd been locked up in a small area for a day or two, even if it meant leaving a mountain of food behind." He told them, gazing into his own paper cup of water.

"So he could be almost anywhere in the world?" Rouge asked looking a bit peeved.

"Sonic wouldn't go near water. So any chances of him being in the middle of the ocean are practically nil." He added without really thinking about it. When he realised his words he frowned, no he knew he couldn't accept that it was possible that Sonic was back. He was gone now.

"Miles, maybe you should get back to the Floating Island. Knuckles will probably be waiting for you." Cream said gently, Miles looked up at her to see a kind smile, no grown up fierceness behind it, just Cream.

"Yeah you're right. Rouge just leave it be and get back to what you were doing before. It's been nice to see you again but promise me you'll forget about this supposed Sonic. Even if it were Sonic he wouldn't call for help until the last second, if ever, so leave him to it. Anyway unless Sonic wasn't to be found he'd keep speeding off until he was in a place alone. Why d'ya think it took me so long to find him? I mean at least where he'd been hanging all those years ago when he'd vanished?"

Rouge shook her head.

"I can't Miles. It's him, I know it and I won't just go back to being the bat I was, damnit I've gone some 'hope' back in my heart." She admitted and then shrugged, "time to step up to the kind of things we used to do."

Rouge flicked the cup into the bin and smiled at the two.

"Miles, nice to see you again. Cream I'll be along later with some plans that'll been finalizing. Oh and if Dan shows his face dump some water on him for me will ya?" She asked and without another word she unlocked the door and flew out. Cream looked over at Miles with a raised eyebrow but he just shrugged and put his cup in the bin.

"It's been nice seeing you again Miles. I'm glad you're still okay." Cream gave Miles a hug who then returned it.

"And I'm glad you're okay as well. It's been too long since I was last here" Miles ran a hand over Cream's cheek with a smile and left the office. With a shake of her head and a smile on her face Cream looked over at the messy desk.

"Cheese, I know you're over there. You can come out now" She called out, a pile of sheets shifted a little and then the Angel chao flew out chattering with joy.

Cream laughed and then picked up a clipboard and headed for the door.

"Come on Cheese; let's get some people into shape"

Cheese shot out of the door almost slamming straight into an aqua coloured hedgehog.

"Cream? I just wanted to let you know I'm finished and heading for the showers" She said and walked off towards the shower rooms.

Cream went to ask for proof, that she'd finished, but just shrugged and put a cross on her clipboard and started to call out names and check their progress.