(Author's notes:
I am very aware that the Master Emerald is the thing that makes Angel Island levitate, but I've decided to twist the canon a little bit. Because I can.
That aside, coffee is a hell of a stimulant. It's one the reasons how I got this chapter written in literally seven hours.
Constructive criticism welcomed! Reviews encouraged!
Enjoy!)
The echidna and the bat don't utter a single word to each other while in flight.
Knuckles takes the time to try and move his injured body little by little, and he's somewhat successful. He manages to shift his fingers, then his hands, and eventually his arms. He's still in pain, but it's less severe than it was before.
Rouge is just trying to focus on piloting the helicopter, scanning the sky for any signs of Angel Island. She's grateful that Shadow and Omega were on board with her "mission." Without their help, it would have been ten times more difficult.
Both of them think that they are furious with each other regarding the incident.
(They're not wrong, but they're not right either.)
After two and a half hours of silence, Rouge flips on the chopper intercom switch, and speaks.
"Knucklehead."
The echidna raises his head slightly. "Yes?"
"ETA to Angel Island is approximately ninety minutes."
He cocks an eyebrow. "...And?"
"I'm just telling you."
"Well, thank you for telling me."
He hears her scoff. The conversation ends.
Ten minutes later, Knuckles speaks.
"So, we're just going to pretend that everything is normal?"
Rouge does not reply.
"Rouge?"
Silence.
He rolls his eyes. "The silent treatment seems very immature for you."
Rouge is still silent. Knuckles decides to push his luck.
"I just find it...bizarre, that's all. That you had the opportunity to take the Master Emerald for yourself, and leave me. But you saved me with it."
Rouge says nothing. Knuckles continues.
"It's very out of character for you to actually risk your life for someone else's. In fact, it's almost like you decided to help me for another reason."
No response.
"If you think that by saving my life that I'll just happily let you keep the Master Emerald, you're mistaken. You had nothing to gain from doing this, but you went ahead with it anyway."
Rouge is still quiet, but the energy in the air is almost electric. Like gas waiting for a spark to ignite.
"Maybe you're not as heartless as I thought."
There's a long, long pause. Knuckles tries to speak again, but to his surprise, Rouge beats him to it via intercom.
"You think I'm heartless?"
"Somewhat."
"Well, if I'm heartless — maybe I should just throw you off the chopper into the ocean while I'm at it, and keep your stupid Emerald."
"But you haven't."
"Because maybe I have other motives for doing so, even though I'm supposedly 'heartless' to you."
Knuckles is about to reply, but Rouge cuts him off.
"But while we're on the subject, who is the one who's heartless here? The woman that saved your life, as well as your precious over-sized gemstone, for apparently no gain? Or, the stubborn man who questions the woman constantly, and practically spits on her valiant gestures, because he thinks that she cannot be trusted?"
The echidna grits his teeth. "You can't be trusted, period."
"Yet, you trust me enough to let me fly you back to your god-forsaken island in the sky. And you trust me enough that you offer to let me stay at said island because you're somehow worried that my actions will have drastic consequences."
"Well, maybe I should rescind my offer then. I only made the offer because I thought it would be fair to repay you for apparently saving my life."
"You think that I'd like to stay on your tropical hellhole? Following that, you think that me staying on Angel Island is a fair exchange after saving you damn life?"
"What do you want me to do then?"
"Nothing. I want you to shut up and be grateful for what I did. I want to drop you and that stupid rock off at your island, and then I want to go home and take a nice, hot bath."
The male echidna huffs. "Fine. I'll shut up."
"Good."
Twenty minutes pass of tense silence.
"Rouge."
She doesn't answer.
"Rouge."
"I thought you said you would shut up."
"Not until you tell me why you did it."
"I don't have to tell you jack."
"Then I'll just keep talking."
Rouge exhales through her nose.
"I know you saved me for a specific reason. We're you bribed? Threatened?"
"It's impossible for you to have rescued me because you care. I know you don't. All you care about is yourself and your gemstones. Unless, I'm wrong?"
Rouge grinds her teeth, her grip on the helicopter steering tightens.
"Maybe you do care about me after all. But that doesn't mean everything you've ever done is immediately forgiven and forgotten. You're still a lying, manipulative, sneaky little thief."
Something inside Rouge snaps like a twig.
She switches the helicopter to autopilot hover, launches herself from her seat to the back of the helicopter, and grabs Knuckles by the fur on his chest, pulling him face to face with her.
"What-"
"You're right, you tomato-colored asshole! I don't care about you! I only went though all of that heroic bullshit because your fox friend asked me to!"
Time seems to stop.
Knuckles gapes at her. "Tails...?"
"You don't remember, do you? He saw what happened, he saw the men attacking your island and hauling you and the Master Emerald away!"
"Why...why didn't he go to Sonic?"
"Because Sonic was on the other side of the planet dealing with Robotnik! That's what he told me!"
"So...he came...to you?"
"He was hysterical! Sobbing his heart out at two in the morning in my apartment because he couldn't reach Sonic and he didn't know what to do! He practically begged me to save you!"
"And...you said yes?"
"I did. Because despite everything you believe, you're right about one thing: I'm not as heartless as you think."
A cold silence fills the air.
Rouge abruptly releases the male echidna from her grip, then turns around and climbs back into the pilot's seat.
"...Rouge..."
"I don't want to say anything more to you. And if you have any decency left, I would appreciate you to stop trying to talk to me, period."
Knuckles shuts his mouth.
The rest of the ride is somehow more quiet than it was originally.
Angel Island gradually emerges into view from the clouds. Rouge steadily maneuvers the helicopter towards the floating island, scanning for the Master Emerald's stone altar.
She would ask Knuckles for instructions, but she chooses not to. She doesn't feel like having another quarrel with the hot-headed echidna.
Eventually, she sees the top of the altar peaking through some tropical trees. She flies the chopper towards it, and carefully lands the aircraft in a tight spot in front of the giant marvel.
"We're here."
Rouge powers down the helicopter, removes herself from the cockpit and climbs into the back of the chopper, to Knuckles.
His breath catches, and he waits for the other shoe to drop.
"Can you get up?" Rouge asks.
Knuckles gradually pushes his upper body upright, but when he tries to move his legs, the pain strikes him like a viper.
He grits his teeth and groans. Rouge sighs.
"Looks like you're not fully healed yet."
"What gave it away?"
Rouge purses her lips and rolls her eyes. "I didn't expect you to magically heal overnight - but upper body movement is good enough if you ask me."
She turns to the chopper door and slides it open. Then she pulls out several military-looking crates from the other corner of the chopper. Knuckles blinks, he didn't notice them before.
The bat woman takes one crate at a time and places them methodically in the grass next to the helicopter. Knuckles strains his neck to see what exactly Rouge is doing.
Rouge opens the first crate, then closes it. She opens two more, and closes them too, clicking her tongue in annoyance. Then she opens another crate.
"Ah. Here we are."
The former thief takes out several items: bandages, gauze, cotton pads, antibiotic ointment bottles, and all sorts of medical supplies.
She bends down further into the crate, sifting through more items.
"What are you looking for?" Knuckles asks.
"These."
She removes herself from the crate, holding two folded-up plastic looking...stilts.
"What...what are those?"
Rouge doesn't reply immediately, and instead climbs back into the helicopter, to Knuckles again.
The bat knits her eyebrows in concentration, tinkering with the stilt-like objects. Then, there is a soft "click", and the stilts unfold into to unknown looking objects to Knuckles.
"Take these."
The echidna accepts the objects. "What are these?"
"Crutches."
"...Crutches?"
"They help you move around using your upper body."
"...I...I don't understand."
Rouge's icy blue eyes make contact with Knuckles' amethyst ones. "Do I really need to spell it out for you? Your legs aren't healed, but your arms are better than before. Do the math."
Something clicks in the echidna's brain. "I see."
"You rest your armpits here, and you grip here. Then you propel yourself forward using your arms."
"...Okay."
He positions himself with the crutches, then musters the strength to haul himself upright. He propels himself, and moves toward the chopper door.
"That's it." Rouge says in a somewhat encouraging tone.
Knuckles, using the crutches, hops down from the helicopter chamber to the grass on the island ground.
He winces again at the sudden amount of sunlight that greets him. But after hearing the familiar sounds of the birds and bugs, as well as the tropical smell of the local flora, he feels overwhelmingly relieved.
He's home. He's safe.
...Almost.
He turns to the bat woman inside the chopper. Rouge jumps out of the aircraft, onto the grass, and meets his gaze.
"...Thank you." The echidna says reluctantly.
"Don't mention it."
"...Rouge."
She turns away and focuses on unpacking the G.U.N. helicopter.
"Rouge, please."
She cracks her neck. "What?"
"I...I'm sorry."
"You're sorry."
"Yes."
"Pray tell, what exactly are you apologizing for?"
He wants to snap back at her, but he controls himself. He's in no position to be fresh with her.
"I'm sorry for being ungrateful, and I'm sorry for disrespecting your generosity."
"What you did was...right. And I don't give you enough credit sometimes for doing the right thing. So, I'm sorry."
"Apology accepted."
Knuckles feels an invisible weight be lifted off his shoulders.
"But, that doesn't mean I can stay."
"Why not?"
"Because I have things to do."
"Rouge, where will you go?"
"I have to rendezvous with Shadow and Omega, remember?"
"But what about the kidnappers? What about G.U.N.?"
"Don't worry about it."
"But I am worried."
"Knucklehead, it's out of your control. So I will repeat myself: don't worry about it."
"But-"
She raises her hand. "Enough. This conversation is over. We need to put the Emerald back and check your injuries."
He tries to speak, but no sound comes out. Rouge climbs into the helicopter, and grabs the ropes securing the Emerald.
"It's heavy, I'm not sure if-"
The words die in Knuckles' throat as she gradually hauls the Master Emerald out of the aircraft, pulling the giant gem onto the ground of the levitating island.
"...Oh..."
Rouge releases the ropes, and stretches her limbs.
She's stronger than I thought, the red mammal thinks.
The winged woman turns back to Knuckles. "You're right, it is heavy. So I'm going to leave it here for now, because there is no way in hell I can fly it all the way to the top of the altar by myself."
"O...Okay..."
She sits on one of the crates. "Come here. I need to see your wounds."
His eyes widen, but he obeys. The echidna carefully approaches the bat.
"I don't bite," Rouge says simply.
Knuckles once again has the urge to quip back at her, but he keeps himself composed.
They're face to face again, and Rouge scans his body.
"Let's start with your arms."
Knuckles says nothing. Rouge removes the bandages on his arms, and inspects each injury.
While she tends to his wounds, Knuckles tries to avoid eye contact by starting anywhere but at her.
He's...nervous. He's never been in this close of proximity to Rouge.
Minutes pass in silence as the feminine bat treats Knuckles injuries. He tries to avoid putting weight on his injured legs, so he just hangs there awkwardly with the crutches.
Rouge notices this, and pulls back after she's finished with his arms.
"Can you sit down?"
She gestures to the crate behind her, and Knuckles propels himself to the crate. He slowly, slowly, sits down on the crate, and winces as his legs bend.
"How do you feel?"
"I...I'm in pain, but I'll manage."
She hums, and continues from where she left off.
"Is anything broken?"
He thinks for a moment. "I don't think so. My bones are basically steel. My organs and muscles? Not so much."
Knuckles swears he briefly saw Rouge smile.
Rouge inspects the bruises and lacerations, and replaces the bandages delicately.
Knuckles feels...awkward. He wants to break the odd silence, but he doesn't know how.
After fifteen minutes of Rouge replacing his bandages, she finishes and steps back.
"Wait here."
Knuckles doesn't reply, but cocks his head in confusion. Rouge turns to one of the crates, opens it, and pulls out little packages with the G.U.N. acronym.
"What-"
"Catch."
She tosses him a medium-sized water bottle with clear liquid. He grabs it mid-air.
Water.
He suddenly remembers how dehydrated he is, and frantically opens the bottle and chugs the water.
Knuckles finishes the bottle in twenty seconds flat, and wipes his mouth.
Rouge walks towards him, her arms full of small silver bags and some more water bottles.
"What's...what's in the bags?"
"Rations."
"Rations?"
"You know...food."
She hands him a bag, and he opens it. Inside are small packets of nuts, dehydrated apple slices, crackers, raisins, and some meat jerky sticks.
"It's not a five-star meal," she states. "But it's better than starving."
Knuckles stomach growls loudly, and he empties the contents of the bag into his palm, and eats.
The two of them sit on the crates, eating and drinking in silence. The sun begins to set below the horizon, painting the island in an amber-orange light.
When they finish, Rouge gets up from her crate, and walks back to the helicopter.
"Where are you going?" Knuckles asks.
"Nowhere, going to sleep."
"Now?"
"I have not slept in almost forty-eight hours Knucklehead. I'm exhausted."
She then jumps up to the chopper, on the top rail. Rouge hooks her boots to the rail, and pulls out some straps.
Knuckles looks at her in confusion and mild alarm.
"What...are you doing?"
She restrains her boots to the rail, and lets herself hang there. The woman looks at him, upside down.
"I'm going to sleep."
"...Like that?"
"...Yes?"
"But why?"
She shuts her eyes and sighs in annoyance. "I am a bat, we sleep upside down sometimes."
She wraps her wings around her body, as if they were a blanket.
"I didn't know that."
"I don't do it often", she continues. "Only when I'm deprived of sleep, it's like meditation for me."
"...Huh."
After ten minutes, Knuckles hears soft snoring from the upside down woman.
He carefully guides himself to the grass below the crate, avoiding any weight on his legs.
He lies in the grass, staring at the pink-purple sky, the stars beginning to emerge.
There's a lot of things you don't know about me.
Knuckles yawns, and closes his eyes. Tomorrow she'll be gone.
(In the back of his mind, he feels slightly disappointed, but he'll never admit it.)
The gradual hum of something stirs the echidna awake. He opens his eyes, and he sees something approach him from the dawn sky.
What...?
He sits up, fully awake, and gazes at the object approaching. The humming gets louder.
"Rouge," he calls.
She's still asleep.
"Rouge!"
"-Whu-?"
Her eyes snap open, and she quickly unhooks herself from the chopper. She tenses herself for a fight.
Knuckles and Rouge stare at the object as it lands in front of them. To Knuckles, it looks like some sort of weird baby helicopter. To Rouge, it looks like a G.U.N. messenger drone.
"Rouge...what is-?"
"Hang on."
She slowly approaches the drone, her arms up in defense.
After a few seconds, Rouge concludes that the drone is not a threat. Upon closer inspection, she sees a note attached to one of the drone's arms.
The bats snatches the note, unfurls it, and...
Her blood ices over. She feels her stomach drop to her boots.
"Rouge?"
She doesn't reply.
"Rouge?"
Knuckles grabs his crutches and makes his way over to her.
"Rouge? What is it?"
He looks at Rouge, and he's taken aback by her expression.
She's scared. Very scared.
He looks at the note in her hands, and read three simple sentences:
Rendezvous compromised.
Not safe.
They know.
-S
Knuckles looks back at Rouge in worry, and Rouge's blue eyes reflect panic.
Well, shit.