Chapter 8 – Cut and Run.

The alarm tone that echoed throughout the Station Square apartment would normally have been switched off and ignored by the slumbering blue hedgehog, but today was not a normal day. Flipping the alarm off, Sonic vaulted upright and quickly slipped on his sneakers; the shower he'd normally have as part of his morning ritual was forgotten as he'd taken one last night. The call from Knuckles had shocked the hedgehog more than he let on; if Knuckles said life or death, chances were he actually meant there was a risk of someone getting badly injured or worse. To that end, he had told his house mates to be ready to mobilise first thing in the morning and get to Floating Island as soon as was possible. Dodging out into the kitchen, Sonic was relieved that neither had slept in; Amy was yawning as she ploughed through a bowl of porridge, while Shadow, forsaking breakfast as he always did, was draining the dregs of his coffee.

"Hey Sonikku", Amy brightened visibly as Sonic entered the room and yawned as well, "porridge on the stove if you feel like some".

"Thanks Ames, sounds good right about now" Sonic answered as he hastily ladled what remained of the creamy oat dish into a bowl he fished out of the cupboard next to the sink. Breakfast was finished in silence, and the dishes were left piled up in the sink; by unspoken agreement, all three hedgehogs were determined to get to their friend in the least amount of time as possible. Having quickly let breakfast settle, Shadow stood up, a movement swift echoed by Sonic,

"Right, let's get to the Mystic Ruins".

"Okay, Amy, same as last time, right?" Sonic stated, glancing as the rose hedgehog nodded, the Piko Piko hammer suddenly vanishing as her hands moved. Normally, she'd have been all over me – you sound a bit disappointed, missing something? – don't you ever quit – no, just like you – aw, shut up; Sonic quickly led the way out and, after ensuring Amy was holding on safely, took off in time with Shadow.

Alerted by Sonic's call the previous night, Tails had refuelled the Tornado, the repairs having been completed just after he'd been dropped off in the morning. Now the fox was stood on his front doorstep, waiting for his future passengers. A slight smile touched his lips as he thought about the oxymoron of 'waiting for Sonic'. That was as unusual as, er, off the top of his head he couldn't think of anything it was an unusual as. Ah, fantastic; unless his sharp eyes deceived him, that was Sonic now; the tell-tale dust cloud inexorably approaching his workshop was too familiar to be mistaken and its twin had to be Shadow. Tails instinctively raised his hands as the mobile dust storms approached, shielding his eyes from the stinging clouds of grit thrown up when Sonic pulled to a stop.

"Everyone here?"

"Yeah, where's the ride?" Tails was a little stunned as Amy hopped lightly from the position she'd adopted to let Sonic carry her easily; to the fox, it looked like she was swinging off his shoulders to land on her feet. How'd she avoid his spikes, unless she's immune to them as a hedgehog? Kind of like snakes being immune to their own venom. The fox shook himself as he realised all three were waiting for his answer.

"Er, it's ready, just wait for a second while I pull it out the garage". Amy smiled, struck a pose and tapped her foot, speaking in a mime of Sonic's voice,

"I'm waaaiiiiiting". The mimicry was so perfect that even Sonic was fooled; the blue hedgehog was dumbfounded for a second as though convincing himself he hadn't spoken.

"Heh, nice one Ames" Shadow commented as the rose hedgehog winked cheekily at her crush, who scowled as he realised one of his trademarks had been used without his permission. Tails shook his head as he entered his workshop, absent-mindedly hitting the button that dropped the end of the building, allowing easy access for his transforming vehicle.

Target movement. Potential rendezvous with reinforcements. Retain visual contact. Primary mission: neutralise target firearms.

"Here". Rouge was woken by a gentle nudge and the smell of something sweet brought close to her nose. The bat yawned as Nack left the fruit near her shoulders, the weasel retreating to the entrance of the cave where Knuckles was partially visible; the echidna appeared to be splashing his face with cold water from the waterfall. Rouge had taken the second watch, waiting at the opening to the sanctuary with every sense straining to try and detect an attack from Seraph. It was the longest three hours of the bat's life, but luckily had ended peacefully; no bloodthirsty ninjas had leapt out to challenge here before Knuckles had relieved her post, letting her succumb once more to the bliss of sleep. Examining the dish before her she smiled; sweetberries and grapes, her favourite. No doubt Knuckles had gone out of his way for her, again. If he wasn't such a knucklehead she mused as her teeth, specially evolved to allow her to drain fruit juice without getting her fur stained, made short work of the breakfast. She sighed; that had hit the spot.

"When they getting here Knucks?"

"Not sure; Sonic said soon as, so could be any time", the echidna shrugged, "still, get ready to go, we've got to be at the landing pad to clue them in on you-know-who".

"There's a landing pad?" Nack looked amazed at this, "sorry, didn't see anything on the way in". Knuckles folded his arms at the weasel, cocking his head,

"I'm not surprised, you were blindfolded".

"You saw…"

"Yes", Knuckles cut him off, "it's not really a landing pad, but it's flat enough to let the Tornado land safely. It's a bit of a trek, so stay sharp".

"After last night, the only place my guard's going is up", Rouge smiled as she moved past the echidna to freshen up, "after last night, yours should too, unless you've got a taste for knuckle sandwiches". Knuckles moved to get revenge for the barb of the bat's words but Nack raised a finger.

"Now, now children, play nice" the weasel admonished, his single fang creasing his lip as both fighters' glared daggers at him. Pulling his gun over his shoulder, he stood straight and adjusted his hat, "lead on red, you know the way".

"Name's Knuckles", the echidna grimaced, moving out of the cave and carefully towards the bank of the waterfall, "Knucks if fine, but red isn't". Nack shook his head,

"Right, you're not a babe and you're not red", he stated, indicating both of his companions, "are you two sure you're both seeing straight?" If any reply was forthcoming, Nack missed it as Knuckles and Rouge turned away from him, both muttering under their breath.

"ETA fifteen minutes' people, get ready". Tail's voice, distorted by the crackle of static from the radio, brought the three hedgehogs in the back of the plane to life; well, sort of. Amy glanced up from the book she was reading, glanced at Sonic, who was quietly looking out the window and returned to her novel while Shadow furrowed his brow in confusion, trying to remember what ETA stood for. Eventually, he gave up and asked Sonic,

"Expected Time of Arrival" the blue hedgehog said simply, tearing his gaze away from a cloud he swore looked like Big the Cat. Shadow caught a quick glimpse from his middle seat and couldn't really see too much of a resemblance, though if you squinted a bit, that wisp of cloud might have looked a bit like a fishing rod. Unable to get comfortable, Shadow piped up again,

"I hope Knuckles is okay; Rouge as well" he added almost as an afterthought. With a burst of static, the radio crackled to life again, causing all three passengers to start; no-one ever remembered the Tornado's radios were two-way; Tails could hear everything his passengers said, a trick that had come in useful more than once in the past. The fox's voice was tinny but still comforting,

"Knuckles won't let anything dangerous happen on his island and Rouge can more than take care of herself. They'll be fine, I'm sure of it; they're probably more at risk from each other than anything out there". This guesstimate was greeted with chuckles – everyone had heard of the 'disagreements' the pair tended to have; what with Rouge wanting to own the biggest jewel in the world and Knuckles kind of standing in the way, it was small wonder the bat and echidna never really saw eye to eye. This'd probably just blow over in a couple of days and everything would just go back to the way it was; Knucks and Rouge trading blows and insults until the next time Eggman tried some zany scheme to take over the world.

In this unvoiced belief, all four of the heroes on the Tornado couldn't have been more wrong if they'd tried.

The trio of warriors had been following the lead of Knuckles, the echidna taking them to the landing strip by the most direct route; as Nack had pointed out, if their back-up arrived early and Seraph got there first, it could be a massacre. After last night, Knuckles and Rouge had simply upped the pace; neither was going to let that happen if they could help it. Pushing her way though a clump of springy fungus, Rouge gave a whistle, eyes wide and smiling,

"They're here", she stated, "I can hear the engines of the foxboy's plane from here" she explained as Knuckles allowed himself a small nod; his relationship with Sonic may have been more head to head than eye to eye, but he'd be grateful to have the hedgehog's speed as a weapon against this new foe.

"Right, let's go, we're close but I'm taking no chances".

"Me neither", Nack chipped in, "more people we've got, better chance we've got" he mentioned by way of explanation, pushing forwards through the undergrowth with renewed determination. The weasel was still angry with himself for missing what he considered a sitter of a shot and was going to redeem himself by any means necessary.

Knuckles hadn't been lying; the airstrip was simply a bare patch of earth that the echidna purposely kept flat and clear of foliage to allow the Tornado to land. Tails had suggested the idea and it had seemed a good one at the time. Like most of the fox's brainchildren; Knuckles had a bit of a soft spot for Tails due to the fact that, unlike Sonic, Tails actually had the sense to keep his mouth shut at times. As the silhouette of the familiar plane came into view, Knuckles gave a wave with his arm, noting that his actions were copied, to a lesser degree by Rouge. He gave a small, devilish grin,

"You can wave batgirl, your arm won't fall off". Rouge simply ignored him, or tried to, but he noticed by sneaking a peek when she thought he wasn't looking, she had begun whole-heartedly waving as well. Probably as relived as I am he thought as Tails came in to land.

"C'mon me beauty, just stay level and smooth" the fox whispered, gently coaxing his precious machine as he made his final approach. He wasn't expecting any trouble; hell, he'd done this nearly a hundred times before, but it was like a routine that always seemed to end in a good landing. Raising his voice, he spoke into a radio on his dashboard,

"Calling all passengers; we will be landing at Angel Island in approximately thirty seconds. Please ensure you have all your belongings and personal items when you leave the flight. Thank you for flying Skyfox airlines".

Warned by their pilot's little speech, Amy, Sonic and Shadow were able to brace for the landing. With a tiny bump, the plane landed on the soil of Angel Island, the increased drag from the land helping slow the Tornado, eventually killing the forward motion completely. As Sonic made to alight from his seat, he took a final peek through his window; sure enough, there was Knuckles and Rouge, who was waving and making rude gestures behind the echidna's head. There was also a purple figure standing a little apart with a hat on and something that looked suspiciously like a gun held casually in his hands. Tearing his gaze away, Sonic wondered just what his gullible red friend had stumbled into this time. Still, worth it though; it was getting boring just sitting at home – I could use a challenge.

Unseen by all, a hand gripped the handle of a knife tightly, strategy planned and back-up schemes in place. The knife wasn't the Spyder, it was a larger knife that had a broader head and a serrated edge. If it hit the target its bearer had planned, it was going to make a mess. Just wait for the perfect moment to strike.

"Hi Knuckles, long time no see". Amy was the first to step off the Tornado ramp and immediately set off towards the red echidna. Knuckles gave a wave and approached, hearing Sonic's comment of,

"What you managed to get yourself into this time Knucks?"

"I'll fill you in on that" Rouge approached the grounded transport as well, relieved that she was no longer alone against Seraph. Nack hung back a bit, waiting to be introduced when his head exploded with pain and white noise.

"Yo Knuckles, what's the problem?" Before either Knuckles or Rouge could answer, there was an agonised cry from Nack, the weasel collapsing onto his knees, clutching his ears. That was when all hell broke loose.

To everyone who was oblivious to Seraph's existence, it appeared that an obsidian dart lanced out from the undergrowth behind the landing pad. Sonic, used to seeing things at high velocity, noted something glinting and in horror shouted,

"Knife!" Even from where he was, he couldn't have got there in time. The dart reached the stricken purple creature and the blade flashed forwards.

Nack was in agony; it felt like someone had just concentrated all the noise from a punk concert and blasted it directly into his eardrums. Caught totally unprepared, he was helpless as Seraph sprinted into him. There was a sickening, ripping sound and he fell forwards, a heavy weight removed from him.

Threat neutralised; proceed with escape plan.

Knuckles had been caught off-guard by the shout and had spun, only to hear Rouge scream and see the leather armoured Seraph racing towards him. Unable to think in time, the echidna simply flung up his arms, knowing that, come to the crunch, even he couldn't stop a knife. Something white flashed in front of him and his heart lurched as he realised what was going to happen.

Target in unusual position; utilise target for leverage.

Rouge had screamed as she'd seen Nack fall to the floor; she couldn't see the damage but if Sonic's shout had been right, she didn't fancy Nacks' chances of getting up. As she saw the course his murderer had plotted, she set her mind firm; this was suicide but she was going to do it anyway. Giving a shout, she threw herself in front of Knuckles, eyes forced open as she accepted her fate.

It seemed to Rouge that, when her life was all but over, time slowed down dramatically; she hung in the air for incalculable moments, her eyes noting every reflection of light on Seraph's leather armour; hell, she could even see her own reflection staring back at her from the sea of obsidian material. With infinite slowness, the assassin launched himself, up, up and up; she felt a slow, steady press in her side as he used her flying form as a spring board, gaining enough height and momentum to land right on the side of the Tornado itself. As she twisted to follow the leap, she realised what the purpose of this blitzkrieg had actually been. Time speeded up again.

It's a known fact that a gecko can support its bodyweight hanging from one toe, the grip of its skin allowing it to achieve such a feat. The natural technology of this little lizard had been copied and synthesised by Mobians; it was this fact that allowed Seraph to catch himself and push up the slick side of the aircraft, the toe of his boot giving him the grip he needed. He scrambled over, across the wing and leapt again, the jump taking him clear into the jungle the other side of the landing strip. In the space of thirty seconds, a precious advantage to the home side had been completely neutralised and possibly turned against them.

Everyone was still; no-one could really believe what they'd seen and were in awe of the several feats that had just taken place before their eyes. It was only when a groan arose from Nack's twitching body that everyone exclaimed at once,

"What the hell…"

"Rouge, are you…?"

"Who was…?"

"Jesus…"

"I'm fine…"

"SHUT UP!" To everyone's amazement, including Shadow's, they all did as they were told, everyone there simply staring at him speechless, even Rouge, who Knuckles was helping off the ground. The bat shook her head and ran to Nack as Knuckles turned to the others, face grim and eyes hard as granite,

"That is our problem".

Nack pushed himself to his knees, mind still reeling from that, whatever the hell that had been. He felt light headed and slightly detached from it all; he could see Rouge running towards him, face full of concern, but it didn't seem to matter so much; there was something he was missing. What was it; he was sure it aught to be important but… the fuzziness cleared slowly as he tried to focus on the bat.

"Nack, Nack can you hear me? Are you hurt?" No, no he wasn't; he should have been but, as the cobwebs were swept away from the interior of the weasel's skull, he realised what had happened and swore violently; Seraph had got the jump on him from behind and he was sure there had been a shout of a knife involved somewhere. I should be dead the weasel thought, delayed shock beginning to numb the heat from his body. He fought it down; he couldn't let his guard down again, they'd need, wait! As the weasel fumbled for something, a slender hand gripped his wrist and he met eyes with Rouge as the bat shook her head.

"Sorry Nack, he took it". The weasel screwed his eyes shut and prayed, realising that without his gun, the odds of success were now somewhere between nil and non-existent.

An aura of shock pervaded the area as, once Tails had joined the gathering from the cockpit of the Tornado, Knuckles explained as much as he could about the circumstances. The air of disbelief grew until Shadow burst the bubble.

"So you're saying", the black hedgehog was having trouble getting his head round the story, "that yesterday, Rouge and this weasel land on your island and say someone named Seraph is out to get them. You take them in, that's right so far?"

"Yep, more or less" the echidna answered, eyes darting around as Shadow continued, shaking his head,

"So all's well until Rouge gets a call, breaks her phone, mentions something about a trace and says to get ready. That night, you bump into that, that black thing and have a fight that you only win because Rouge and Nack, that is his name right?" getting a nod, Shadow finished, "show up at the last minute. That's when you call us in".

"That's about the long and short of it", Knuckles conceded, adding his own dire words of warning, "I've fought him once, but like you've just seen, this Seraph is dangerous. He nearly beat me and could have just done, well, pretty much anything". The echidna stopped abruptly, mind refusing to think of the consequences had Seraph struck at Rouge rather than escape. Tails pounded fist into palm,

"It doesn't make sense", he declared, earning several questioning looks, "you say Seraph is after Nack and Rouge; well, he just had a golden chance to take them both out. Sonic, you say he had a knife, yes?" The blue hedgehog nodded grimly,

"Yeah, I saw it in his hand".

"Right, then he could have taken them both out without us being able to do a thing. I mean, even Sonic couldn't have got there in time; why'd he stop?" After digesting that piece of information, Knuckles shook his head and sighed,

"I've got no idea, but I know two people who can tell us". Following his finger, the rest of the group saw Nack and Rouge approaching them, the weasel pale as flour and breathing shallowly. Noticing the scrutiny, the two approached the other five and Nack took his hat off, sitting down as the shock at coming a hairs-breadth from death sank into him. The weasel looked each of them in the eye and slowly removed his leather hat, gaze falling to the floor as he spoke sadly,

"I'm sorry about this, all of you, but I don't think there's any backing out now. Seraph knows your faces, none of you'll be safe if you leave; he'll track you down. Take a seat, Rouge and I need to talk to you".

An unusual thought. It could have been this weapon that created Seraph. Immaterial now; it was a tool that required disposal.