Chaos: I got my first flame for this story! Well, sorta. Anyway, next chapter...the last was mainly as a filler for what was happening to everybody else, and to keep you hanging over whether Sonic would be ok. (grin)
Flower: And hopefully the 'bold' fonting won't screw up...
Spawn - See above. Sorry if I disappointed you...
Kirbs - Well, that's why I thought Mighty wasn't shown. I mean, Knuckles wouldn't just leave the Master all alone, and in the comic the Chaotix know him, so perhaps they do in the game...makes sense, no? (grin) Glad you like.
Kurama - Ok...sorry, Knuckles! And these chapters are already quite long, i just break off at a suitable cliffie! (grin)
Kai - Get my split personality under control? But which one of us should be 'in control'? Aha! Glad you find me a touch sadistic, I was waiting for somebody to notice...(wink)
el - Haha, yeah, I don't like fish. Especially pirahna. Grr...
Tarem - Ah, Espio is as good as safe for a long while now...in fact, I don't think he really shows up again. Oh, wait, no, he does. Phew! Had you worried?
Tundra - Hellu! New reviewer? Anyway, Sonic is in this chappie. Well, sort of. (sweatdrop)
NM - (shriek) You murdered the Shadow plushie!!! Maybe I'll just delete the bit with Tikal in this chapter! ...no, wait, that would be unfair to the others. Ack, you win this time...(grin)
Kemious - Oh, just thought 'Hippogriff' and 'Kitsugriff'. Nevermind. Anyway...I'm glad you think this is getting better!
Kai (again) - Ah, maybe I have an obsession with cutting everyone into little pieces. Hehehe.
Mitsuka - (glomp) Ah, sorry, I just needed to glomp someone and...you were there. Like always. Thanks for everything! (grin) Ah, I just needed to say that...
SD - Haha, interesting way of putting it. Good point. Here's the next chapter!
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Knuckles and Amy were the first out of the base, even though Knuckles had insisted on stopping to smash up a few security cameras. The base was built into the mountainside, not too far away from Station Square, but still difficult to spot.
Knuckles couldn't help wondering where Robotnik got the money to build such structures. Probably stole it. This particular one was much the same as normal; grey metal, maze-like inside, with absolutely no security on the outer walls.
Also incredibly easy to break into.
As he and Amy dithered outside the base, waiting for the others, he couldn't help but instinctively turn towards where his island would be, if not obscured by the evening light. Had a day passed already since they got captured?! Tikal had better be doing ok with the Master Emerald...after all, she couldn't really fight, and Chaos wasn't exactly...well...a Guardian.
He knew he was being prejudiced; Chaos had been an echidna at ONE point. He HAD been the first Guardian - well, sort of. Guarding chao didn't really count - He might be able to use the Master Emerald, though it was usually only guardians that could harness its power. He still hadn't worked out why Tikal could.
He decided to contact Tikal. After motioning to Amy to keep an eye on the base, he went to sit on a flat rock and meditate. She watched him go, frowning slightly. Why was he always such a loner anyway?
With a sigh she turned back to watch the unchanging walls, unconsciously combing her quills into place.
Knuckles shut his eyes and relaxed. After a few moments the outside sounds faded, becoming rather muffled. In his mind he called, "Tikal?" and waited patiently for a response.
After a couple of moments Tikal's voice sounded in his head, along with a few faint traces of birdsong, probably from the island. "Knuckles?" He felt a pang of longing; he hated leaving the island for long. The moment this was over he was going up there and staying put for a year at least.
"Kyana Tikal," he greeted in ancient echidnaen, "How're things going?"
"Kyana. It's great here! I love summer...oh, how're things at your end?"
"Ugh. It's madness. I swear I haven't slept for two days now."
Tikal laughed quietly. "It's really that bad?" Knuckles sighed in response, then questioned,
"How's Chaos? Hasn't killed anyone, has he?"
"Oh, he's fine. Just lurks around pretending to be moody and playing with chao when he thinks I'm not watching..." Knuckles smiled, or rather sent a sort of telepathic smile to Tikal.
"Is the Master Emerald ok?" he asked, a little anxiously. She sent him an image of herself smiling in return.
"Silly! If it wasn't I wouldn't be talking to you." Knuckles was glad she couldn't actually see him, he felt sure he was blushing. "Do you want to see it?" she asked. Without waiting for a response, she sent him an image of the green gem. It was seen from a sitting position and glinting rainbow shades here and there in the evening sunset.
"That was what I was seeing when you called." The pang of homesickness struck again, and Knuckles unconsciously winced.
"Well, Tikal, I'd better go. Speak to you later."
In response she sent an image of a small echidna child waving madly. She had always been better at mind-pictures then him; she had been able to recreate the past, in visions, for crying out loud.
He sent a scrappy picture of another child echidna signing goodbye in echidnaen. (Most mind-pictures of echidnas were children, perhaps to remind each other that they DID have a gentle side)
"Good grief, Knuckles, you haven't sent pictures in a long time, have you?" Tikal said incredulously as she saw the picture. "Anyway, Kyuno."
"Kyuno, Tikal" He replied, breaking the mind-link. He stood up, feeling much better. It had been so long since he connected telepathically to anyone...he had almost forgotten how. No wonder Tikal had laughed at his imaging.
He looked around to see that Amy was gone. Frowning, he looked again and saw a scribbled note beside him. It read:
You should stop meditating once in a while!
Heard sounds in the base. Going in to help.
Amy
Knuckles sighed in annoyance and began striding up the hill towards the base, where there was indeed some yells and crunches, metal screeching...sounded like a battle. He grinned, knocked his fists together, and turned towards it.
Mighty was running along behind Tails, trying to keep up without jogging Sonic too much, when the fox stopped and he almost bashed into him. They were at the end of the last corridor in the maze. Tails' eyes were very wide.
"So...this is why we didn't meet any security...I get it, Eggman must have brought all the robots to the entrance to stop us escaping. So THAT'S why we were ignored earlier."
The entire space between them and the exit was packed with robots, as far as he could see. They both froze, undetected. "What now?" Mighty whispered, turning slightly pale despite himself.
Tails looked around frantically; if Sonic wasn't with them, they might have been able to smash a path through and run for it, but...there had to be another way. On an impulse he looked up.
As the map had shown, the base was arranged into a large semicircle cut into the mountain, the curve at the back and the flat front poking out of the rock. Near the front, the hallways were much higher, which Tails and Mighty hadn't noticed, but at the front edge of the base they stopped and actually formed almost two stories.
Almost, meaning small grille walkways, much like the ones in the water storage, running like support beams across the roof. They were mainly intended for maintenance bots to fix cameras in the ceiling, but could also be used as hangers for electronic signs and other memorabilia.
And escape routes.
Tails grabbed Mighty's arm, and pulled him back along the corridor to a door marked: 'cleaning only'. Within minutes they had clanked up to the walkways which, like the water storage, were completely deserted.
Tails took one step, his fur prickling uncomfortably. The semi-transparent grille gave him a clear view of the robots standing at attention below, waiting for intruders. If any one of them happened to look up...he gulped nervously, took another step, and motioned to Mighty.
Then all hell broke loose.