Disclaimer: I own Gyia, Saldar, and Ryu Toukon while Imperfection07 owns Mona and SEGA owns the rest.

RANTS AND RAVES: Today was my LAST day of having to work the shop alone. (Does an extremely unnecessary happy dance that lasts for atleast an hour) Phew, now that thats out of me, I'm back to semi-normal again. You really don't want to see me as 'normal'. I'll freak everyone out so bad that they would go screaming bloody murder halfway across the world just to escape me. Err... wait... Just about all my readers are halfway across the world from where I am. Hmmm... On to the reviews now. HEHEHE (Sweatdrops) (Half the crew also sweatdrops at my sudden view of stupidity) Yes, on with the reviews. Todays was from... LE' GASP... You guessed it, Shadowlyger. I tried to email you and your email wasn't working so I recommend fixing it so I can properly respond. Or else I will cryogenicly freeze this latest clone of yours so that way no other clones can be produced. (Holds a freeze ray gun to clone number 1336's head) They only get summoned when one dies but as they are cryogenicly frozen then they don't really die. They just go in a state of suspended animation. Not death. 8-D Mwahahahahahahahahahaha. Opps, there goes my evil side again. Now on to the mischievious side. I take it that you've never been in a real serious relationship with someone, that is if your old enough, because if you have then you've probably heard about the (Dum Dum Duuuummmm) Dreaded Dog House. You do anything to upset your significant other and you know your in the dog house. I've been there many times with all my female friends (and yes, even your friends can also place you in a type of dog house) so I can tell you that it's no fun. Before, yes, after, no. Now on with the story.

Chapter 51: Opening Paths

"Everyone ready to go?" Knuckles asked as he started to crack his knuckles in anticipation.

"Let's go save them already," Gyia said in a bored tone as she held the daggers in a ninja type fashion as the blades faced behind her as she rushed towards the door and in a few moments, the guards where down on the ground all cut apart. "Looks like we don't have to be careful as to where we cut," she said with a smile as she came back to them, "The guards look to be artifical."

"Payback time," Knuckles said as this time he took the lead and with the help of the others, crashed through the first gate only to find that there was another one right in front of them. The only difference was this one had a metal frame and a digital lock.

"This is just great," Knuckles said under his breath as he walked over towards the door and placed his hand against it. He gave it a little shove which made nothing happen.

"This lock looks complex," Gyia said as she removed a device from the backpack that Rouge carried and walked over towards it. It was a lock of complex design. It had three keycard slots, a keypad, and a digital screen that showed all steps that have occurred.

"Can you break it?" Knuckles asked as Gyia bent down and started to look at the slots on the device.

"All slots have been equally used," she said as she stood up again and placed her hands against her hips as she held the device at her side, "So that means theres a pattern that must be followed."

"Can't we just blast down the door?" Rouge asked as she walked beside Knuckles and started to get a good look at it. The door looked just like the wooden one that they just broke through except when she knocked on it, she could hear the metal that was underneath.

"I don't think we can blast through that door if it sounded like that," Knuckles said as he started to look around the area for a weakness.

"Damn Lock!" Gyia called out as she pounded down on the lock and ended up breaking the monitor.

"Good job, Gyia," Rouge said as she walked over towards the lock and looked at the damage. It was pretty back and nothing could be seen on it at all. "Looks like we look for an alternate route," she said as she started to scan the top of the wall for a way up but stopped out of frustration as all the walls were smooth and unclimbable.

"I wish you people would atleast knock before trying to break into my home," a voice said from a speaker in a corner near the door as a bit of the wall slid away revealing it.

"We want our friends back!" Knuckles demanded back as the door suddenly opened as it swung outward which made both Knuckles and Rouge to step away from them. As soon as the reached completely open, they then began to move inward as they formed what looked to be a wall. All three just stood in shock as the owner of the house was letting them in.

"Well," the voice said again as all three looked towards the speaker and then back towards the open doorway. "Relax," the voice continued as all three turned their views towards each other, "It's not a trap but an invitation."

"I guess we have no choice," Rouge said as she was the one that had her back to the now open doorway as she got a view behind the rest and pointed out that a huge metal slab was now covering their exit.

"Why do you say that?" Gyia asked as she turned around but let out a short sigh as she turned once again and walked towards the doorway.

"What are you doing?" Knuckles said as he grabbed her arm and stopped her.

"Rouge was right," she said in response as she wretched her arm from his and placed a determined look on her face as she proceeded forwards, "We must enter because we can not leave."

"Why did this trip have to go from bad to worse in just a few minutes?" he asked to himself as he dropped his head and placed his hand on his forehead as he shock it back and forth.

"As you know," Rouge said as she walked up towards him and placed a hand on his shoulder which made him take a short, quick glance at her, "We are bound to be in a pinch every once in a while. Lets just get this over with."

"Your right," he said as he started forward with Rouge right behind him. Gyia was standing by the doorway as she waited for them. They stood before it for a moment more before all three entered and the doors once again swung outwards and closed behind them.

Meanwhile at HQ

"I really need to have someone get a rescue party sent to this location!" Mona yelled into the phone as Amy watched on. Amy was having the scientist use her as a test subject for some new cyber-operable equipment.

"I'm sorry, Ma'am, but that area is out of our jurisdiction," a man said on the other end of the phone as Mona let out a growl as she closed her cell phone and slammed it down towards the ground. The cover broke from the base as the two parts went flying in opposite directions. One piece hit one of the scientists as he was attaching a micro-wire to one of the nerves in Amy's arms as the first of her new hands were being replaced.

"Be careful over there," the man said as he stopped what he was doing while raising his magnifying glasses and kicked the part aside. Once he did that he went straight back to his work. Amy jumped a few times as she felt a shock run up her arm but the men said that it was normal for that to occur because it was telling them that the wires are attached correctly. Within a four hour operation, that started three and a half hours ago, the first of Amy's new hands were attached.

"How's it feel?" Mona asked as she walked over towards her and placed her hand on Amy's.

"It feels kind of weird," she said as she picked it up and began to practice opening and closing her fists, "Its kind of heavy but nothing I can't get use to."

"It kind of reminds me of you old hammer," Mona said with a laugh as she picked her entire arm up and began to turn it to get a good look at it.

"Atleast its a lot better than the prosthetics that I was using until a short while ago," she said in response as she looked up towards Mona's face but moved it to the side as she heard Toukon let out a cough as he walked into the room.

"How goes the operation?" he asked as one of the doctors moved up to greet him.

"Everything is going well beyond what we had planned," the scientist said as he lead Toukon over towards the two as he bent down to get a better look at it.

"Move it," he said as he raised his head to look at Amy and then back down towards the hand again. Amy did as she was told and began to open and close the fist as she also looked down at it. Toukon stood up after a few fist were made and looked mightily disappointed. "Is this all it can do right now," he said as he turned to the side and faced the scientists as he motioned towards the artificial fist, "All I can see is it being able to make a fist and back again."

"Check again," one of the scientists said as Amy raised it up and began to wiggle each of the fingers by themselves, "She just had to get use to it."

"Excellent," he said in return as he started to walk towards the door but stopped before he stepped out and turned around back towards them. "I want a full report on this operation and a full breakdown on the artificial hands capabilities and give them a copy as well," he said as he looked from face to face but stopped at Amy's last as a look of pain took his face, "I know this is a lot to get use to but I'm sure you will excel."

"Thank you sir," she said with a smile on her face as she raised her hand and gave him a relaxed wave as he turned around with a smile on his face and walked out.

"Are you ready for the next one?" one of the scientists asked as he looked towards her as she dropped her new hand. She let out a nod as the two scientists began on their work once more.