A/N: Hey guys! Thank you so much for giving this fic some love and attention, I appreciate it a lot! Hope you enjoy the second chapter! Xo

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Thank you!

Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog or any affiliated characters

Five days earlier…

It was a calm and quiet night. The sounds of crickets chirping complimented the gentle breeze that wafted through the air. The moon was full and offered a soft glowing light that illuminated the otherwise dark region. If it weren't for the sounds of robots noisily patrolling the area, with their metallic gears churning and heavy limbs crashing down, it would have been a serene atmosphere. Based on the vast array of Eggbots that were condensed to one spot it was quite obvious that this was deep in enemy territory.

Suddenly a large explosion erupted off in the distance – a large hole being blasted out of the side of an extremely large fortress wall. Dark, thick smoke bellowed out and up into the night sky. At the scene of the crime, kneeling down on one knee panting, was none other than Sonic the Hedgehog. Alarms started blaring and the Eggbots didn't hesitate to head toward him, guns already firing in his direction. Normally this would be thrilling for the blue blur and he would be handling this like the adrenaline junky he was – with laughter and fun. But this wasn't a normal situation. His energy levels were dangerously low, he was injured in more than one way and his mental state had definitely seen better days. He took in a deep breath and started to zig zag, dodging as best as he could while only moving at a fraction of the speed he was capable of. A large missile came shooting at him from a diagonal and he only just managed to slide out of the way by a split second. Unfortunately he was still in range for the aftermath and a piece of shrapnel exploded toward him, slicing a deep cut into his side as it flew by. Letting out a loud cry of pain Sonic instinctively grabbed his side, but before he could even glance down at the damage he had to quickly dodge another close encounter with small bomb. Things were happening fast and he was in no shape to fight off these bots. Feeling his chances of escaping grow slimmer by the second, he narrowed his eyes, gritted his teeth and pushed himself to run as fast as he could despite his condition. From the sheer force of his abrupt take off almost all of the Eggbots flew 10 feet back, landing roughly on the ground. A small sonic boom erupted and the sound echoed throughout the land.

Sonic could see black spots slowly begin to interrupt his vision and knew to stop – he was very familiar with the signs of blacking out due to exhaustion and couldn't afford to have that happen. He came to a stop very clumsily and fell to his hands and knees, panting extremely hard - beads of sweat were running down his face and in turn mixing with blood as they passed over the different cuts and scrapes. It took him a few moments to catch his breath and regain his composure but once he did he began to take in his surroundings for the first time. He could feel the grass blades between his fingers along with the cold dirt below as he slowly balled his hands into fists. Eyes wide, he raised his head to look around. The sweet smell of the forest, the crisp air and soft breeze, the night sky twinkling above him in a breath taking manner, the beautiful sounds of the bugs singing throughout the landscape... It had been so very long since he experienced the outside world that he had almost forgot what it was truly like. Taking in everything he could the realization slowly set in that he was finally free. He was so overwhelmed that he didn't notice the tears that had started to silently roll down his cheeks.

Present day

Red sneakers splashed through the puddles that were scattered along the terrain. A terrible storm had ravished the area the night before and the owner of said sneakers was only able to take cover for a short while before having to be on the move again. Due to the storm his ripped clothes were still extremely damp and clung to him tightly. One would think all that rain would help make his appearance seem cleaner but it did the opposite; it just made his already bruised and cut up body even filthier from the wet environment. Despite how exhausted he was he had to stay on high alert and keep moving at all costs. His ears perked up at the low hum of a machine in the distance and he dove behind a large tree that had just been freshly knocked over. The impact of the sudden landing made his right side sting sharply. Hissing silently in pain Sonic lifted his shirt to look at the large wound which was now bleeding heavily. Appling pressure on it using his one hand he remained laying down, listening intently for any indication that something was approaching. Trying hard not to make another noise he squeezed his eyes shut in an attempt to deal with the searing pain that continued to radiate on his side. He cursed at himself to be more careful – at times like this there was very little room for error. Scooping up a large clump of mud and clay he applied it to the wound hoping it would help to stop the bleeding. That damn thing kept re-opening so often he was surprised he hadn't bled out already.

Once the humming of the machine faded back into the distance, Sonic stood up carefully as he scanned the area. Deciding the coast was clear he started to make his way deeper into the forest. He would have given up his left pinky if he could just zip through it leaving only a blue streak behind but right now he could barely muster up the energy to keep a steady walking pace. Which was extremely irritating. How can people stand to move this slowly all the time?! Leaning against a tree for support, his hand still holding his side, he took a few moments to collect himself before continuing on. He closed his eyes; feeling the mossy bark against his skin seemed to soothe his nerves. There were no words that would correctly describe the immense appreciation and love he felt being outdoors again; to be free and to be experiencing nature. Sonic had arguably spent his whole life fighting for the freedom of others and after having that very thing snatched from him for so long, it had almost broke him down entirely.

Almost.

Sonic snapped his eyes open, emerald green orbs ignited with determination. Heaving himself forward he continued his journey back home. Over the past few days, during the clear nights he was able to roughly estimate the direction of their village based on the stars. He learned how to navigate using constellations at a young age but admittedly hadn't had the need to rely on that technique in recent years, so he was a little rusty. He was hoping he wasn't too far off but was confident that he could push himself to make it. He had to.

Amy's head jolted up as the sound of her morning alarm rang throughout the house. She was dazed and confused at first, sleep still tugging at her mind. A piece of paper was stuck to her forehead which was blocking half her view. After blinking a few times she removed the paper and looked around tiredly. She was still on her couch and could see a small drool spot that accumulated on the map which was laid out on the table in front of her. Realizing she fell asleep working (again) she let out a soft groan and fell backwards onto the comfort of her couch, already feeling her back muscles whine in protest at the sudden change of posture. Passing out in such an awkward position like that does a number on you if it happens enough times. She felt around for her phone lazily to turn off that relentless alarm before getting up to stretch. While feeling her muscles slowly begin to release the pressure that had built up overnight, her mind wandered to her studying last night. Based on the Intel she gathered she now knew that a large fortress was located somewhere far back in the east-west region. Which in theory would make sense since they have yet to search that area, but why build a base so close to the ocean? In terms of strategic battlefront basics, doing that means your back is up against a wall if the enemy attacks. There is nowhere to run, no forest to retreat in, just thousands of miles of unforgiving water. It didn't add up. Amy walked to the kitchen and began to make herself a coffee. Knuckles has had time to review her findings by now, maybe she would see if he had any insight that perhaps she was overlooking.

After finishing her coffee she had a quick shower, brushed her teeth and then ran out the door. In her opinion there was no time to lose and this new information could be a life or death situation. She bee-lined it to the HQ building in a rush, not acknowledging anyone she passed by. If Sonic was even alive still, who knows what was happening. As she reached for the door she hesitated as that thought crossed her mind. No, no don't think like that, he is alive. He is alive. Shaking her head she continued her way into the building. Never before had that thought so easily fluttered through her mind – the fact that he might not even be alive anymore. She felt sick to her stomach.

Walking up the stairs to the second floor she turned right and headed toward the door at the very end of the hallway. Not bothering to knock she opened it to see Knuckles sitting at a desk looking over some reports while talking with a man who was standing beside him.

"- and that is where we think the fifth chaos emerald is." The villager finished to say as Amy busted into the room. Knuckles glanced up at her with a frown before looking back at the papers.

"Why am I not surprised. You know, doors are usually closed for a reason."

Amy stood in the doorway, looking back and forth between the two males before speaking.

"You're looking for… the chaos emerald right now? Are you kidding? Did you even look over the intel you snatched from me yesterday?"

Knuckles sighed and put the papers down on his desk with force, giving her his reluctant attention.

"Yes, I did. It wasn't much to go on. We have other problems we need to take care of."

Amy could feel the rage bubbling in her chest as she spoke, "Other problems?! What other problems could be as important as trying to find Sonic?! Last I checked there hasn't been a bot spotted around the area for weeks, everyone is safe, we've barely been out on any missions – we even already have 3 of the chaos emeralds!"

Knuckles stood up and glared at her. Without breaking his eye contact from her he spoke to the other male in a low growl, "Give us the room." Looking thankful to be able to leave this intense exchange he did so in a hurry, closing the door behind him.

"Listen, I know you don't want to hear this, but it's been 6 damn months Amy. We can't just devote all our efforts to looking for him anymore, we need to start working on other plans of action."

"I cannot believe you. You are UNBELIEVABLE Knuckles! Gods, I know you and Sonic have had your differences but I didn't think you would be this heartless."

Knuckles rose his voice angrily at her "You don't think I want him back too?! Of course I do, but we have to face the facts! Don't be so god damn naive!"

She rose her voice to match his, clenching her hands into tight fists,

"He would have NEVER given up on you!"

Her voice quivered slightly at the end of her sentence. Silence filled the room as they stared at one another. She could feel the threat of tears wanting to spill but refused to let them fall. Amy knew full well the irony of this argument, moments ago she was basically just thinking the same thing as Knuckles was. But she would never say those things out loud nor would she ever stop actively looking for him. Judging by the look on Knuckles' face she knew her words affected him. He let out a sigh and looking off to the side, stared at the ground.

"Amy, that new Intel just isn't enough for us to risk going out there. It doesn't make sense." He looked up at her, his features having softened a great deal. "The fact you even found a half functional Eggbot is rare, never mind one that was able to print all that out without the file being corrupted. Did you ever stop to think maybe it's a trap?"

Amy slowly released her clenched fists, her own features softening slightly. That thought never occurred to her, she was just so excited to have finally found even a crumb of new information. Maybe he was right, maybe she wasn't thinking clearly. She pondered this possibility for a moment before responding.

"It might be... But what if it isn't, huh? What if we finally found a lead and you just dismissed it so easily? Can you confidently say that you 100% believe this is false information?" Noticing her binders off to the side on his desk, she grabbed and slammed them down so they were in the middle.

"Knuckles, we don't have to go head first into this with guns blazing but we do owe it to Sonic to at least scope out the area and see what's even out there."

He rubbed his forehead in an agitated manner then let out a large sigh. "Fine. Tonight I'll get a team together to start checking out the area." He opened the binder and flipped a couple pages to see the coordinates. "Based on how far away it is it's going to take a few days..." Before he could finish his thought, Amy interrupted.

"Great! You won't regret it, I'll start packing right away!"

Snapping his head up he shot her a stern look, "No, you're staying put. We need someone strong to hold down the fort."

"What!? No way-"

"Amy, this is the only way it's going to happen. I need you here. The crew I'm taking is going to be more than capable to do a simple recon. If and when we decide to tackle it, you can storm the gates with us. But for now, I need someone I can rely on to keep things running here."

Amy glared at him for a moment, trying to decide if it was worth it to fight him on his decision. She decided that at least she convinced him to do it at all and figured the compromise he offered wasn't so bad.

"Fine. But take Tails with you." Amy knew there was a possibility Knuckles was only doing this to appease her and that he still didn't believe this was a solid lead. Tails would make sure that he kept his word and that he didn't half-ass the mission.

"Alright, fine, Tails is in. I'll gather the group soon and we'll leave before nightfall."

"Great." She replied shortly, not being able to help the attitude in her response. Even though she accomplished her goal she still didn't appreciate how hard it was to convince him. It shouldn't always be so difficult with that man, especially when it's about finding their missing friend. As she turned to leave the office, Knuckles spoke up again.

"And Amy…." She stopped and looked back at him.

"….I do hope we find him this time." His expression was a mix of sincerity and pain. She gave him a small nod and with that she left.

Later that night Tails had stopped by her house to say his goodbyes before leaving. His hopeful and excited demeanor brought a smile to her face.

"I feel like it's been forever since we've actually gone this far from HQ! But we basically have combed through every other direction. There are still more prominent bases to the north but those would take weeks to get to. This unknown base in the east-west though?! It's pretty darn close! And judging by my estimate of where Sonic was when he got captured, it can totally make sense that that's where they took him! Although Knuckles is right, it's a very odd spot to have a functioning fortress so close to the ocean like that. I can't deny that it's a little fishy – no pun intended - but I mean we've seen crazier things that's for sure! And Eggman isn't always the smartest guy to begin with haha! We all know that! And-"

As Tails continued to ramble, Amy listened in amusement while sipping her tea. It felt good to see him so optimistic again, especially after yesterday's conversation. Yes, she decided that no matter the outcome of this it was good to take the chance and check it out. Even if it came back another dead end, at least they would know for sure. And who knows, they could even find bigger clues to help them as a result. Suddenly Tails' hand was waving in front of her face.

"Hellllooo, are you even listening anymore?"

"O-Oh, sorry Tails, was lost in thought for a minute there. But yes I totally agree with you, I'm excited you get to go check it out!"

"Yeah, sucks you can't come along though! Knuckles was adamant that this wasn't going to be any longer than a few days until we have a better idea, so I don't think you'll miss out on much anyways."

Amy smiled warmly at him, "Don't you worry about me, I'm okay staying back this time. I'm just happy Knuckles has you to look out for him!" She pinched his cheek and he pulled back in playful annoyance. Just then a loud knock on the door interrupted them.

They both walked toward the front entrance, Tails getting there first to open the door. Knuckles was standing there with a crew of about 10 people grouped behind him.

"C'mon let's get moving."

Tails turned and gave Amy a quick hug before running out. "See ya later, Amy!"

Amy smiled and waved him off before giving her attention to Knuckles. "Good luck out there."

He nodded solemnly at her. "We'll be back soon."

In her doorway she watched the group leave until she couldn't see them anymore before returning inside. She was already feeling anxious and they've had barely even left the village yet. Walking toward a cupboard drawer, she opened it and grabbed a lighter. It was frustrating that she couldn't go along with them but at the end of the day, even though she hated to admit it, Knuckles did have a point. They couldn't leave the village so often without someone who would know how to defend it or command orders to make sure everyone was safe. Making her way toward the windowsill she lit the large candle that sat on it - the soft glowing light illuminating the small area. She took one last long look out into the dark forest before turning in for the night.

Sonic stumbled along, reaching out to grab some trees for support as he continued to still make his way through the dense forest. He was feeling increasingly dizzy as he had been battling heavy fatigue for a long time now. He glanced up and noticed a particular tree that had a distinctive marking on the very top branch. Someone would have never noticed it unless they were aware of its existence. Seeing this marked tree made his heart skip a beat. He was almost home. Feeling himself suddenly get a second wind, his energy levels spiking upward slightly, he began to hike through the forest a bit faster. That's when he heard a large branch snap just a few metres in front of him. Pausing and staying deathly quiet he held his breath. He could feel his heart beating in his chest loudly, the sound filling his ears in a seemingly impossible way. Then he heard more branches snapping again – it sounded like it wasn't just one bot but multiple.

Sonic hesitated – he was so close to home, but Eggbots have never been this close to the entrance before. Cursing, he realized he couldn't risk them finding the village because of him, so he proceeded to make a sharp left. If there was a chance they were following him, he needed to lead them far away from the area. He scaled up some steep hills and navigated over some cliffs; all of this burning way more energy than he could afford to, that second wind he experienced fading away quickly. Finding a small cave tucked away under a cluster of vines, Sonic crawled into it. Exhaustion finally getting the best of him, as soon as he stopped moving he almost instantly passed out, the world around him fading to a black nothingness. The last sound he heard before succumbing to sleep was the footsteps of a crew of 10 or so people passing him by.