Chaos: Ok, review response time!

Flower: hops up and down Yay! Yay!

Ryukovulpix - Oh, Shadow has a very big part, very soon...evil laugh ...two chapters, or maybe three, away...I can't be bothered to count.

M-Ruathahold - Glad you like it! I really appreciate your reviews.

CrystalStorm - Um...you don't need to write the same thing for every chapter...don't feel you have to review, review if you want to and I deserve it!

Az the dragon - I'm taking a page out of your book with this review thingy! Hope you don't mind...and I'm glad you like this. Very different to my first one, eh?

DarkChao1663 - Yay! Another two-person...erm...person! oO Hello to both of you.

....................................................................................

Bite, kick, punch, punch, kick. Bite again. Kick, kick, kick-punch. Dodge. Pain! Pain! Bite, punch, punch, slash. Kick, kick, slash. Punch-bite. Fox...? Aah! Aah! Pain! Wall! Wall!

Darkness...

Finally, he woke up. Where...where was he? Not in the room anymore...then he remembered. The fight. He tried vainly to recall what happened, but only got a vague blur of punching, biting...

He moved his head a little, trying to see where he was. It was quite dark...but...but not as comforting as it should have been. He had spent too much time near the light; the dark was more dangerous now.

And he couldn't move, to defend himself. This bothered him, and he looked down. His wrists and ankles were firmly secured to the wall. So...they were imprisoning him again. He struggled, but eventually gave up. All he could do now was wait...

................................................

The air was heavy, settling over the land like a blanket. The days had been hot for weeks...a storm was coming.

And, Knuckles thought as he sniffed the air, it's going to be a big one.

He rubbed in annoyance at the bandages. They ran all round his middle, and were itchy. It was all Sonic's fault...wasn't it? No, they could have left him in the caves. They didn't have to capture him.

They had vainly hoped he would recover. Now it was too late. Let him go, and he would find them for revenge. Keep him, and he would hate them even more. It was a cruel loop.

He rubbed the bandage again, staring out of the window. Then, in the distance...he narrowed his eyes.

...........................................

Hidden in the tussocks of grass below the window, a small round spy-bot snapped its camera, reviewing the tape. It scuttled away, from bush to bush, until it was at a safe distance.

"Master Robotnik. Echidna spotted at priority building. Transmitting file."

The download was complete in a matter of seconds, and a scratchy voice transmitted from the other end.

"Good work. We'll trap them both in the lab, then. Report back."

The tiny machine scuttled off.

..........................................

Tails winced as the antiseptic cream stung him. Amy stuck a plaster over the cut, and said firmly, "There! Don't tell me I'm useless...now," she wagged a finger at him, "Do not take any of those bandages off. Don't let Knuckles either."

Her eyes glinted dangerously, dispelling any opposition in the fox. She walked to the door, and almost crashed into Knuckles. "Hey!" she complained as he pushed past her.

"Tails, we have trouble. It's Eggman...he's coming again. What can we do?" Tails looked at him in disbelief, and then turned to see, as Knuckles had, sunlight glinting off metal lances that showed dimly through the heat haze.

Amy mastered the situation, pushing her quills out of her eyes. "Barricade the door. Get ready...find any weapons." The other two stared at her incredulously. Knuckles quirked an eyebrow. "You're not going to fight, are you?"

Amy pouted, a familiar sight, and hissed, "Are you going to stop me?" She drew out her Piko Piko hammer and tapped it against the doorframe threateningly. Knuckles put his hands up defensively.

"No...no, I was going to say...um...that..." Tails cut in for him, "...it's a good strategy." Knuckles nodded, relieved, and Amy lowered the hammer. "Good." she said crisply, striding away to find a barricade.

Knuckles and Tails breathed a sigh of relief.

Then Tails froze up. "Find...find any weapons..." he stuttered. Knuckles caught his train of thought. "Oh, no..." he said, "He won't listen to us, you know that." Tails flicked his tails thoughtfully.

"Hmm..." Then he suddenly yelled, making Knuckles jump, "HEY! Amy! We need your help..." The pink hedgehog skidded in, and said reprovingly, "No need to yell. Your laboratory isn't five miles wide!"

Tails grinned sheepishly. "I...have a plan. But...you're not going to like it..." He told her.

She didn't like it.

......................................

A sound...by the door. He snapped his head up, and growled. They wouldn't make him talk again. He could still bite. To his surprise, someone different came in. Another hedgehog...a pink girl. Pretty.

Then she spoke. "Hello, Sonic..." he recognized her voice immediately; they had been talking outside his other prison. Enemy! He snarled at her. She gave a small jump, and then steadied.

"Sonic, I just want you to listen...please?" Listen? Ha! Like he had a choice. He listened, but without interest.

"I know you hate us all, but we're in trouble. Robots are coming to attack this place, and we need your help." He narrowed his eyes and tried to look bored. What was a robot? "When they get here, they'll find you quickly. And...you can't fight, stuck to a wall, can you?"

He growled again; it was true. And these robots sounded dangerous. "So...I can let you go...but you have to promise not to attack any of us...until this is over. Then you can do whatever you want." He considered it; tempting.

He was itching to do something, despite the aches all over his body. His head had stopped pounding. He stared straight at her, thinking, for several minutes. She seemed to find it unnerving, and was edging out of the door when he spoke.

"Ok."