a/n: Another long chapter ahead. I felt that I couldn't simply split it up (again), so here we are. 300% more talking heads!

Thanks for the support, and enjoy.

Mighty heard everything.

The communicator on his wrist was blasting sound at him for a solid minute, Sonic's frustration and rage evident in each word. Eggman had pushed him over the edge.

Now, the armadillo was less afraid of his situation, and more fearful of what Sonic would become if he weren't stopped. He rolled onto his stomach, going into a spin on the ground as the energy bullets continued to punish him. Letting loose a Spin Dash, Mighty zipped around the area before slamming into the Dragoon with a head butt, sending it backwards along the ground.

He ran forward on unsteady legs as the machine recovered, throwing a punch to its exposed midsection. The Dragoon reeled and froze up for a moment, just long enough for Mighty to grab a steel beam and swing it into his target. The robot fired off its thrusters to right itself in the air, stopping and charging back towards Mighty. The armadillo swung the I-beam again in retaliation, but the Dragoon fired up its drill and tried to bore through it.

The weapon was stuck, pulsing with electricity that surged down it and into the ailing Mighty's body. He fought through the pain and slammed the robot into the ground as he let go of the steel beam. Mighty rushed the robot once more, getting inside the reach of its weapons. He clenched his right hand tightly, red wisps of energy surging around it as he pulled back for an attack.

"One shot, then…Knuckle Cannon!"

He hit the machine as hard as he could, sending it through the air like a rocket before it slammed into the far wall, denting it inwards. It fell in a heap towards the ground, going offline as its systems shorted out. Mighty fell on his back to the ground, gulping in as much air as he could.

It hadn't been a long fight, but it had been the toughest that he had in a long, long while.

"Sonic…shoot. I should get moving…"

He groaned as he tried to get up, his body fighting him every step of the way.

"Or not," he said as he gave up, lying down again. With some effort, he reached for the communicator on his wrist.

"Espio…can you talk?"

There was silence for about a minute. Mighty figured that the chameleon was in some hidden area, or-

"My apologies, Mighty. I was distracted for a moment."

"Ah, no worries…I'm in no rush right now."

"You sound like you're in some discomfort."

He managed a smirk at that. "Guess you could say so…where are you right now?"

"Nearly in the control room. I picked up the ki of another life form…my guess is that it's our hostage."

"Alright, sounds good. You know about what happened to Sonic?"

"His energies have…changed."

"No kidding. He flipped out just now...I heard the whole thing. Eggman…apparently he attacked Tails and the rest of 'em just a while ago. Something about electromagnetism…?"

"An electromagnetic pulse blast, also known as an EMP in shorthand. It overloads and subsequently destroys any electronic devices in the immediate area. If he activated one near Tails' workshop, all data systems that weren't prepared to withstand it would be lost."

"Sheesh…"

"What's more, being in contact with any conductive objects during the time the pulse is active would result in severe electrical shock…"

Mighty winced. "Man…that does not sound pleasant at all. I think that's what did it…"

"What did?"

"Eggman was hinting at the fact that Amy got fried in the same way you described. Sonic…I've never heard him that angry in my entire life. He's gonna murder Robotnik if we don't get to him. No two ways about it. He's ready to kill someone."

"Then we have no choice but to stop him," Espio said bluntly.

"What about the hostage?"

"That depends on your condition. It might be safer to leave her as is."

"I think so, too. My condition is…sore as hell," Mighty said with a grunt. "I need a while before I can move."

"Very well, then. You should reach the control room from wherever you are if you continue to follow the corridors down."

"Sounds good," Mighty said with a thumb-up. "What's your game plan?"

"Stop Sonic by any means."

"Ah…sounds solid. Take care, Espio."

"You as well, Mighty."

Espio switched frequencies to contact Tails, hoping that the boy would have some sort of backup system ready.

"This is Spectre to Tornado-1. Reply if you can hear me."

After a few moments, he heard someone clumsily pick up the radio call.

"Uh…this is…sorry, what was that, Lucy?"

"Amy? Is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me, sorry. Tails is in the garage trying to get his plane to work. Need to talk to him?"

"When he has a moment…but I'm wondering if you're okay."

"Me? I had a little near-death experience, but I'm just feeling out of it right now. Tails said it was like having a power line fall on you, or something. Thanks for asking, though!" she said cheerfully.

"You're welcome. I assume your friend Lucy is okay as well?"

"Yeah, she is. Other than the stitches and all. Hm?" She was silent for a moment. "Oh, okay. Lucy says hi."

"Tell her that I send my greetings as well."

"'Kay. Lucy, Espio says hi. Was there anything else that you wanted to know?"

"The extent of the damage to Tails' property and possessions."

"Oh," she said flatly. "Well, he says it's kind of bad right now. Want me to go get him?"

"If you could."

"Okay, hold on. Taaaaaaaaaaaaillllllls! Get over here, you've got a call!"

"Amy, can you get me a towel or something? I think I'm still bleeding a bit."

"Alright, Lucy."

"What is it, Amy?"

"The radio just went off, Tails! It's Espio! You know, the serious ninja guy!"

"Isn't he inside Eggman's base? I mean, I know he can transmit from there, but still…"

"Maybe he's on a tea break, or having a spring roll, or something. Whatever ninjas do, I guess."

"C'mon, Amy. Espio's not all that strict."

"Could have fooled me!"

The chameleon shook his head – Amy had forgotten to release the talk button, so everything was being transmitted to him.

Tea break…seriously?

"I mean, would it kill him to lighten up a bit?"

"Uh…yeah, actually. It would kill him most of the time."

"…Oh. I guess I learned something today."

"Make that two things," Tails said. "Make sure to click off the transmission button when you're not using it. Otherwise, the other person can hear everything you say. Like…just now."

"W-what?"

"Hey there, Espio."

"Tails, good to hear from you."

"H-hey! Tell him I didn't mean any of that stuff!" Amy wailed.

"Relax, I'm sure he knows already."

"You would be correct," Espio said. "Tell Miss Rose that I don't think any less of her."

"Not like you could, right? Ow!"

Espio heard the girl huff before leaving. "How severe is the damage to your equipment?"

"Ah, pretty severe. I mean, my networking wasn't messed up too badly, but the stuff I use to access it…yeah. I really would need to make a parts run right now, but it would be a jerk move to leave two injured ladies alone, you know?"

"Chivalry, right."

"Well, that and the fact that Amy would throttle me."

Espio nodded. "Another good point."

"So, I guess we have the banter out of the way," Tails said with a smile. "What's going on? Need something?"

"I called to confirm a few things. Namely the safety of your group."

"Hm." The fox figured that there was a reason for that. Espio rarely did things without a reason behind each of them. "Something happen?"

"Sonic has been fed inaccurate information. Something has happened to him-"

"What? What happened to Sonic?" Amy yelled from across the room.

The chameleon paused for a moment before continuing. "His life force has changed. It is much darker in nature than before."

"I see what you're saying," Tails replied.

"What? What is he saying, Tails?"

"Espio…believes that Sonic's snapped. It's because Eggman must have told him that we got hurt, and convinced him that you…"

Amy's eyes widened. "Oh…no."

"Yeah. He had very little reason to believe otherwise," Tails said as he pointed to the metal ring on his wrist, "because he couldn't have known about the Magic Cannon. It has built in protection for things like EMP blasts, and it was offline anyways. He must have picked up the visuals, or your vitals, or something. Either way…you weren't looking good. We thought we had lost you, Amy."

"What…will happen to Sonic? Is he going to be okay?"

"Espio?"

"Only time will tell," the chameleon said, "but one thing is for certain. He must be stopped before he loses his grasp on reality."

"Yeah…how long has it been since?" Tails asked.

"Fifteen minutes at the most."

"…You've probably got an hour tops, and even then, I don't know what he'll be like."

"I intend to use lethal force if necessary. Do you object?"

"Lethal what?" Amy screeched.

Tails gulped and nodded reflexively. "Do what you have to, Espio. Keep an eye out for another hedgehog that may be coming in as a hostage. His name is Spike Tempest, Luna's brother. There's also a red robot on the prowl…it's fast and dangerous. Gonna have to stay on your toes."

"Understood. Thank you, Tails…and I promise to do what I can."

"I know. Take care, Espio. Over and out."

Tails hung up the receiver and turned to Amy, who looked furious at what she had heard. The fox seemed impassive as he folded his arms, but was far from it.

"You're letting him kill Sonic."

"Amy-"

"You…are letting him kill Sonic."

"Amy."

"Are you going to try and sugar-coat it, now?"

"Why would I? You heard about what's happened."

She glared at him. "So what, that means he's incapable of controlling himself?"

"In that state, yes."

"How would you know?"

Tails sighed. "Because I've seen it before."

"And he pulled himself out that time, right?"

"Yeah-"

"And he was fine after, right?"

"You're not-"

"He hasn't gone on any rampages or killed anyone since then, has he?"

"Amy-"

"I don't understand your logic, then!" she screamed. "I don't understand how in one case, he can bring himself back just fine, but in another case, you suddenly have to end his life!"

"You're not getting it."

"What the hell is there to get?"

"There's something missing this time."

"Oh, so there's something missing, is there? Something he's lacking, yeah? Tell me, then. Tell me," she sneered, "what oh so important thing is he missing this time? Tell me what's not there, Tails! Stop dancing around it and-"

"You."

She stopped.

"…What?"

"It's you. That's what's missing," Tails repeated softly.

"I…" She stared at the fox, confused. "I don't understand. Me?"

Tails nodded slowly. "The last time…he went into that state. I remember it. He thought something bad had happened to me, and when I woke up, I just felt this…power. It felt like him but so unlike him at the same time. He kind of forced himself over the limit that day…but he pulled himself out of it."

He walked towards Amy, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"He said that he thought about all the people he cared about. All of us. But he told me that…he saw something at the last moment. He said he saw you crying for him, Amy. And the last thing he ever wanted to do was make you cry. That was the biggest reason he pulled himself away from that madness. More than anything else, he wanted to see you smile."

"Tails…I…"

"You didn't know. Well, you couldn't know. He never told anyone besides me about that day…and there are things that I don't know to this moment. But…when Espio spoke earlier, I put two and two together. Losing me, I mean…he'd be pissed beyond anything. We're closer than anyone, you know? But you, Amy…you mean a lot to him in so many other ways. You always have, and you always will. So just hearing about that…it had to be unreal. Especially after you two started hitting it off," he finished with a smile.

"Aren't you…you know," she said timidly.

"Jealous?"

"Y-yeah."

"Amy…my big brother gets to be happy. Why would I be jealous of that?"

She looked at him, realizing that he was being honest – he really didn't know why he would have to be envious of another relationship.

To be fair…Amy couldn't think of a reason, either.

"…Thank you. I was thinking some…you know, cruel thoughts…"

"Like what?"

"Like…who would really care if Eggman was killed off? Good riddance and all of that."

"I've thought that at times, too," Tails admitted, cupping his chin with one hand. "But Sonic doesn't subscribe to that theory. He said he heard somewhere that 'the Sun shines on the just as well as the unjust'."

"What's that mean?"

"It means that…no matter how good or bad a person is, they get the same chances, the same opportunities for change as everyone else does. To him it means that everyone should have the same chance to live life without it being taken away so…arbitrarily."

"Hm…I think I get it."

"Basically, Sonic's leaving Eggman's fate to the powers that be. He doesn't feel that it's right to kill someone just because they're a bad person. And he'd feel awful about it later."

"He's still apologizing for that glass he broke," Amy said with a sigh.

"Wasn't that two years ago?"

"Yeah. I can see how he'd beat himself up over taking a life…I would think that it'd be good to be rid of Eggman, but…"

"I know. That's why I told Espio to do what he had to do. This time, I don't think Sonic will be able to get out of this mess by himself."

Knuckles was in his usual spot, in front of the Master Emerald. He started doing push-ups in the afternoon, not bothering to keep count or do anything other than listen to the sounds around him. One arm rested on his back as he raised and lowered himself repeatedly.

"Something you need?" he said without looking up.

"It might be that," he got as a reply.

Knuckles continued his workout, ignoring the white bat as she looked over the giant emerald nearby.

"Do you know anything about a girl named Lucy?"

"Yeah. She was here about a week ago."

"Oh? What for?"

"Long story."

"I've got time."

"Sure you do. As long as I don't boot you off my island, you've got all the time in the world," Knuckles said wryly.

"This is serious business, you know."

"Forgive me for my lack of tact, ma'am."

Rouge huffed and put her hands on her hips. "Are you going to listen to me or not?"

"Never stopped."

"Fine. Here's the deal, your buddy Tails had his place attacked earlier."

Knuckles stopped his exercise and stood up, dusting his gloved hands off. "Is he okay?"

"He's fine. That girl Lucy was stabbed, and Amy had an unholy amount of voltage run through her. Enough so that her heart almost stopped."

"Are those two alright?" he asked with concern.

"They're both okay. All of us know that. Sonic was led to believe otherwise."

"Sonic? What about him?"

"He's in one of Eggman's bases, trying to rescue someone. Only…he's completely lost control. He thinks our friend Amy is-"

"Dead. Right…right." Knuckles scratched his head. "Properties of negative Chaos Energy…it sounds pretty bad from that angle. Okay, I'm curious…what would make Eggman up and attack Tails' place like that?"

"He was after the others who were inside. Three seemingly ordinary hedgehogs were made part of a secret government project, which was said to be a ghost story at best..."

"Let me guess, those three were made part of this project without their knowledge?"

"Aren't we savvy today?" Rouge said with a smile. "Anyways, Eggman kidnapped one of them, and then another from Tails' workshop. The last one's under our protection. Your friend Lucy just happens to be related to her."

Knuckles' brow went up. "Yeah? You mean by blood?"

"Yup. S'what the data said."

"That's interesting. You wouldn't think that would be possible, since she's from the future."

"Say what?"

"Yeah, it's true," he said casually. "Two hundred years from our time, just about."

I thought I heard something like that earlier…hm. Now this just confirms it.

"Curiouser and curiouser," Rouge said under her breath.

"So those two were related…? Or at least part of the same experiment, I reckon," Knuckles said as he started to shadow box, punching the air rapidly.

"Lucy was somebody's attempt to duplicate Sakura Bright's hidden abilities. They succeeded to a small extent, but only that much. According to what the kid found, there's a lot more that these three are capable of."

"This all sounds familiar," he said as he dodged invisible blows.

"You mean like Shadow," Rouge said as she folded her arms. "The projects were started around the same time, only Gerald's was a bit more open. Doctor Pearson took his secrets to his grave."

"Number one question remains…who opened up Pandora's Box this time, huh?"

"Eggman's in on this, but there's someone else. A young woman named Ellen Pearson."

"Granddaughter?"

"Yeah. And a good friend of our three little hedgehogs. They lived together for years, apparently. So the doc worked in his little tests during their stay."

"Sounds messed up," Knuckles said as he threw a haymaker. "Any idea why he was doing this?"

"No," she said with a sigh. "They might as well have dumped black ink on all of the files, because that's what it damn well looks like. Everyone involved is either dead or missing as a 'parting gift'."

"Hm."

"Anyways…I just wanted to keep you in the loop, that's all. See you later."

"Hold on a moment."

She turned and gave him a look. "What do you want now? I'm leaving your precious Master Emerald and your island."

"You're sure about that?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

He shook his head. "I could have gotten all of that information from another source, and you know that. It must have taken a bit of effort to come up here in a government jet and all…there must be a reason for the hassle you went through."

"You're mistaken, then."

"Rouge, don't play games. Tell me what you have to tell me."

She wrapped her arms around herself, staring at the ground. Her foot lazily kicked at the stray stones in front of her as she debated on speaking. It was the real reason she had come, right? As much as they had their differences, she could trust him…right?

Couldn't she?

"I…shouldn't be telling you this. It would be stupid…in hindsight, I guess."

"You mean a secret? I really don't have anyone up here to expose them to," he said, spreading his arms.

"It's…classified information. Top secret government data. If I open my mouth and mention even one thing about it to you, it's considered high treason. Not only that, but if anyone high up wanted to, they could…kill me. And maybe any of you that I've ever talked to. You, Sonic, even that rabbit girl and her mother…"

"Is it that important?"

"Yes. It's…a dangerous secret. But…I just can't…stand by and let this happen. I knew that I had to tell someone else, or I would go insane."

"…So, what is it?" Knuckles asked as he stood beside her.

"…I came across an audio tape. It was recorded by Nicholas Pearson five years ago. His granddaughter's birthday. In it are details on the nature of his experiments and his ambitions, but only snippets…he alludes to a set of journals and a diary, a very specific diary that he gave to his granddaughter Ellen when she was thirteen."

"A birthday gift," Knuckles said.

"Yes. Several times, he makes mention of a 'key'. It has to be the same key that Tails mentioned and that Eggman is looking for. To unlock this 'true potential' hidden inside of those three hedgehogs. Knuckles…I need you to do something."

He nodded. "Yeah. Tell me what it is."

"You need to listen to this tape with me. Make a mental note of the important things in it. Afterwards, I will leave this island, and you'll contact Tails as soon as you can. Tell him everything that you know. In three hours, I'll have the tech lab in Central City opened up for him – he'll know what to do from there."

Knuckles wondered why she couldn't do it herself, but she must have had her reasons. It could be anything.

"I'll make sure to do that for you, Rouge."

"Knuckles…thank you. I really mean it. Listen, I'll do anything-"

"Start by taking care of yourself. You don't look so good."

"Yeah…" She felt herself blush a bit. "I'll be sure to."

"Tails set up a computer room of sorts nearby. I'll take you to it so we can listen to that tape. I just have to secure the Master Emerald first."

"Right…I'll wait here."

"Thanks."

Rouge wondered to herself if what she was doing was the right thing. She was betraying her country, but in her heart, this was for the greater good. Normally, an agent wouldn't put their heart before their head, but this time was different. There were so many people who were willing to kill her, who were willing to throw their lives away for bits and pieces of information. It wasn't just a myth anymore, it was all too real.

Whatever this thing was, she knew that it wasn't any good.

Something inside of her was screaming out, saying that she couldn't go on like this any longer. She wanted to trust Knuckles and believe that he had no reason to betray her. That voice in the back of her head kept on talking, making her paranoid…but she ignored it completely, knowing that this was far bigger than herself. It had to be done.

And if came to it…she would fight for her life, tooth and nail. Nothing as easy as a knife in the back, no. She'd make those bastards work for her blood.

"All set," Knuckles said as he returned. He noted that the fear in her eyes was starting to disappear…good. She'd feel better because of it.

"Okay. Let's go, then."

The two walked through the trees to their next destination.