CHAPTER 3

Shadow opened his eyes and looked around. It took him a minute to realize where he was and then looked at the wall. Judging by the dull gray on the otherwise white wall, he figured that it must be around five or five-thirty in the morning. He began to get up but the young fox had turned over and used Shadow as a pillow. Tails was all snuggled into Shadow's fur. Shadow sighed and put his hand on Tails' head and stroked his bangs back. Tails opened his tired crystal eyes and yawned. He looked at Shadow who had been caught petting Tails. Tails either didn't mind or didn't realize that Shadow was doing that because all he said was, "Good morning, Shadow."

Shadow cleared his throat, taking his hand off Tails' head. "Good Morning."

"What time is it?" Tails asked.

"I think about five-thirty. Unless it is cloudy out." Shadow said getting up. He walked over to the window and looked out. "Oops, I'm wrong on both counts. It is getting near daylight savings, so it must be six-thirty. see the sun is rising." Shadow walked over to Tails.

"Shadow, should we go downstairs?" Tails asked.

"I'm not sure if the old woman is up yet." Shadow said.

"Let's see then. And if she's not, we can make breakfast for them." Tails said.

"Are you always so bright and cheery when you wake up?" Shadow asked groggily. He felt tired.

"Well, sometimes I don't get to sleep until well after midnight because of my inventing. I am so worried for Sonic." Tails looked at the floor. He began to cry. "I don't know where he is!! He's depending on me but I can't do anything for him!"

Shadow didn't know what to do. He had never had to comfort anyone before. He didn't know how. He bent over and kissed Tails' forehead.

"Tails, I promised to protect you. But now, I am adding to that. Tails, I promise to help you find Sonic and get him back safely to Station Square." Tails stopped crying and looked up at Shadow.

"Really?" Tails sniffled.

"Yes. Dry your eyes and lets go downstairs to see the old woman." Shadow said.

****

The cold room was so uninviting that not even the mice wanted to be there. The floor was damp and hard. In fact the whole room was dark, cold and wet and made entirely out of stone. A lone figure in chains sat in the corner. Two hooded figures came over to the cell's barred door and unlocked it. They came in and pulled the figure to his feet. They held him by the arms as he struggled in their grasp. They walked down a long cold hallway and stopped in front of a large door that opened all on its own. The figure is thrown in and the doors close with a heavy thud. The room had a hole in the ceiling that gave the impression of a spotlight and the room had a post in the middle. Chains were scattered about the room. There was a rut around the floor with drain plugs open. There were no exits except the door he came through and another, smaller door. He waited there, not knowing what was next. The door opened and in came a large muscular man wearing a mask and behind him was a smaller, more slender man in a hood. The latter walked up to the figure as the former grabbed him and chained him to the post.

"The world famous hero Sonic the Hedgehog." The hooded man said. "Hmm. how are we going to do this? I know. We'll try the easy way first." He snapped his fingers together and the door opened and in came in the hooded figures from before. They walked in the room. "Yes, master?"

"Kilashandra, Lexxon, show the prisoner what you have acquired."

The larger figure pulled out the sparkling gem from the folds of his robe and gave it to the 'master'.

"A chaos emerald!" Sonic said, shocked.

"Yes. I knew you were smarter than you looked. Blue heathen, do you know what I can do when I have all seven?" Sonic's eyes widened.

"What do you need me for?!" Sonic asked.

"You, my blue knave, are going to tell me where the other six are." The 'master' said slyly.

"No Way!" Sonic shouted.

"I was afraid of this. Now we have to do this the hard way." he tapped Sonic's cheek, "Beat it out of him." The 'master' motioned with his hand as he walked off and stopped in front of the door. "Tell me when he is ready to talk. But first, I want to watch some of the fun."

The big masked man came over to Sonic and cracked him in the jaw. Sonic didn't regain his senses before another painful blow was made. He then unchained Sonic and let him slump to the floor.. Sonic opened his eyes when he heard the big guy move away. He saw the guy hit a switch as chains came down from the ceiling and clanged on the floor. He came back to Sonic and clapped them on his wrists. He took chains attached to the floor and put them on his ankles. He returned to the switch and pressed it again. The chains began to rise and the pole sunk. Sonic was lifted up and off the floor so that he was held in the air. The chains stopped and the big guy reached for the wall again and retrieved a whip. The master laughed as the whip lashed down on Sonic again and again until it began drawing blood. Sonic was crying out in pain and swearing at the tormentor. This just made it come down harder on the hedgehog.

"Stop." the master laughed. "Will you talk now, hedgehog?" he asked as he walked up to Sonic. Sonic spit at his feet.

"Hmm, not yet? Carry on then." The master turned to leave. Then suddenly the door opened and two guards came in.

"Sir, this was found trying to get in. Climbing the north wall." "LET ME GO!!"

"Mwahahaha! Who are you?"

'Knuckles.' Sonic thought.

"Who wants to know?" Knuckles shouted.

"Throw him in the cell!" The master yelled. The guards walked off. "Now carry on before I get upset!" The master walked off as the large brute began whipping Sonic again. Tired and in pain, Sonic couldn't take it anymore and passed out.

****

"Hey! I told you to let go of me!!" Knuckles shouted at the two goons. They dragged Knuckles to the cell and threw him in. As they locked the door, Knuckles grasped the door's bars and shouted at them when they walked out.

"Grr! I can't believe that I even tried to come and save that idiot Sonic! Why! Why did I do this?" Knuckles said to himself. "Huh, I know why, but I can't tell him. He'll never accept it. DAMN HEDGEHOG!!" Knuckles flopped down on the stone floor.

Not too long after, Knuckles heard chains clinking on the stone floor. He got up and went to the barred door. There was a large, masked man approaching the door. Behind him he dragged the bloody and broken Sonic.

"Sonic!" The man opened the door and whipped the Hedgehog in and he landed on Knuckles. Knuckles picked Sonic off him and laid him down next to him. The man walked off.

"Sonic! Sonic! Oh great ancestors, what do I do?" He looked around. He saw a puddle of water in the corner. He picked up Sonic and sat him against the wall. He began to splash water on Sonic. Sonic opened his heavy eyelids to reveal fear and slight hesitation in his clear emerald eyes.

"Knux? Izzat you?" He said weakly. Knuckles nodded and cupped water into his hands and sprinkled it on Sonic, washing the blood off. Sonic clenched his teeth and groaned. It was painful to hear that out of Sonic and Knuckled shivered.

"Knux, I didn' tell, no." Sonic said softy yet proudly like a five year old showing his mother a picture of scribbles.

"Didn't tell what?" Knuckled asked as he finished wiping the rest of the blood off. Sonic took a quick breath.

"Where the Chaos Emeralds are hid." Sonic said closing his eyes and falling to sleep.

"What? That's what they want to know?" Knuckles asked him. "Why? Hey wake up, Sonic!" Sonic snored into Knuckles' chest. Knuckles sighed and decided that it really was getting late and he might as well go to sleep, too. So, he leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes and slept, holding the injured hedgehog in his lap.