Chapter 9

Shadow's POV

UUUUUUUUAAAAAAAAAUAUUUUUUUUGHHHHH!

I had broken into a very passionate tango with Isabella when we were interrupted by a feedback whine that sounded like it was coming from the other room, the one where... No. No no no no no.

I turned to Isabella. "I'm sorry, my dear," I said quickly, "but you'll have to excuse me." I then ran out of the room, relieved to see Amy following immediately behind me. Thank Chaos she kept her head... because I have a bad feeling Echo just lost hers.

Rouge's POV

I looked down, upset and scared, at the scene below me. Echo had gone into a full blown meltdown after we heard that feedback whine, and everyone was staring-including Samuel, whose eyes seemed filled with a confusion that would turn into horrid understanding if I didn't act soon.

I quickly turned to Tails, who looked equally as nervous. "Alright, fox boy," I whispered, "this is your big moment, the moment of truth. You do this right, and you'll save a lot of lives. You ready?"

Tails nodded, and prepared to launch himself to the ground. Thank Chaos for this cub.

Sonic's POV

I immediately ran towards Echo. She was now in the midst of a full blown meltdown-howling, sobbing, begging it to stop. "Hey, hey," I whispered, "it's me, it's me. I'm right here, it's okay, nothing's gonna happen to you." This seemed to calm Echo down a bit, but when I looked up, I saw people staring; some with confusion, others with repulsion, and others with this unbearable look of pity. The most horrifying one, however, came from Samuel; it seemed he was beginning to recognize his daughter, and he looked like he was gonna rip her apart.

Tabitha walked over towards us, eyes filled with genuine concern. "Sweetheart," she asked Echo quietly, "are you okay?" Before any of us could respond, however, a loud shout of "I LOVE YOU TABITHA FOOOOOOOOX!" was heard, followed by a yellow blur with two tails tackling the vixen to the ground. Tails? I thought to myself. What- I was interrupted by a cocky smile from Rouge; it was a diversion, and at the best time, too.

Almost immediately, I picked Echo up and ran as fast as I could. I had to get her out of here, soon, before Samuel realized that she was autistic, before he tried to-

WHAM!

Echo and I went flying from the force of the impact with... Paul Lexington? I quickly shook myself. "Mr. Lexington?" I greeted him. "I didn't realize you knew about everywhere outside of Station Square. You here on holiday or are you simply comparing and contrasting?"

Mr. Lexignton simply sighed before straightening his tie. "Hello, Sonic." He said. "I'm actually here for work; I have some business partners I was meeting here tonight." As if on cue, another man steps out from behind him; a man wearing a white suit with blond hair and blue eyes...

"Kaiser Fade." Echo gasped from behind me; I could hear the horror in every syllable. Kaiser Fade mockingly bowed down, tipping an imaginary hat. "Agent Charter." He said, in a tone that was far too civilized. "You look absolutely lovely tonight." He then turned to me. "So this is the legendary Sonic the Hedgehog." He said, a snarky smile contorting his face. "I am honoured."

I responded with my most sarcastic smile. "Pleasure's all mine." I growled. "I've heard so much about you." The sound of foot stomps, followed by a loud whack, interrupted us before any further exchange could continue. I turned around to find, to my horror, Echo lying on the floor, unresponsive, as her own father stood over her, hatred in his violet eyes. Before I could respond, however, I felt a sharp whack to my head, and the last thing I remembered was falling to the floor.

Echo's POV

Sonic and I woke up the next day in an unfamiliar room, surrounded by Kaiser Fade, Paul Lexington, and several members of the BPM-including my father. I was about to correct myself-that hedgehog is not worthy of being called a father-when I suddenly felt rope around my wrists and ankles. Several alarm bells were going off in my head when Kaiser Fade walked up to us.

"I hope you both had a nice sleep." He cooed mockingly. "I would absolutely hate for either of you to get jet lag."

I growled. Sonic may enjoy such banter with his foes, but I had no time for such nonsense-at least, not now. "Where are we, Kaiser?" I replied.

He then gasped and placed a hand to his chest. "Oh, but of course." He replied. "How rude of me." He then stepped back. "We," he said, gesturing grandly, "are in the still in progress Lexington Tower in Metropolis, ladies and gentlemen! This grand baby, set to be completed in July of 2016, will contain 16 floors and a total of 200 rooms, complete with a rooftop pool, a spa, a signature restaurant, and the famous Lexington Lounge! Get your reservations now, because these rooms will go fast!"

I then turned towards Mr. Lexington, rage burning through my body. "That reminds me," I snarled, "where does that put you, Mr. Lexington? As the chairman? The founder?"

He then bent his head and looked down at me. "Boy, you really are retarded, aren't you?" He replied. "Of course not. All I do is give the BPM money to buy whatever it is they need-I have plenty anyway, so why not give some of it to a good cause?"

My mouth hung open in utter disbelief. "You call this a good cause!?" I screamed.

"Absolutely." Paul replied. "You see, Miss Charter, natural selection has always favored the strong; the ones who could survive. The Shamarians and Mazurians can't do it-they're utterly stuck in their primitive ways, and they always carry crime and diseases with them. And as for people like you... Well, you started screaming and crying because of a loud noise in a nightclub. What do you think you'll do when you get married, or you have kids? You gonna break down into tears if one of them starts screaming?" He then leaned down. "People like you," he said, "they aren't meant to survive. And even if natural selection has overlooked you, we haven't." It was at this point that Samuel walked up to me and held a gun to my head. Then, at last, Sonic spoke up. "Dude," he shouted, "are you seriously about to shoot your own daughter?"

The air hung still for a moment, and I swore I could've seen confusion in their faces, as well as a flash of fear in my father's eyes that was quickly replaced by anger. "This retard," he hissed, "is not my daughter." I then closed my eyes, preparing to meet Jonathan Charter in heaven... when I heard only a click and felt not even the touch of the bullet against my forehead. I opened my eyes. "Forget it." Samuel snarled. "We're not wasting our bullets on you. Not yet." He then walked towards the back of the room as Paul and Kaiser Fade looked at me. "As much as I would love to stay and chat," Paul said, "I have a rally I gotta be at in Station Square in about 45 minutes. Don't worry though-we'll be back soon to deal with you and Little Blue Boy here, and in the meantime, we found you a few friends." He then walked away, Kaiser, Samuel, and the BPM behind him, leaving us to see the "friends" they had found.

Across the room, in the same predicament as us, were Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Rouge, and Shadow.