Sonic stared wide eyed at the building as guards poured in and out of the doors. A soft "No..." was all Sonic could manage to say while his fingers dug into his palms as he clenched his fists tighter. Knuckles ran through the building calling out Julie-Su's name frantically his voice shakily on the verge of tears. Ash had just arrived and Geoffery quickly informed him on the situation. Ash was obviously not happy with the news as he cried out angrily and joined Knuckles in his fruitless search. Sonic uttered "No." again as hot tears began to pour down his cheeks unable to hold them in any more. He ran into the building at top speed blindly turning corners down a path he remembered all too well. When he stopped he was in Sally's room where the girls had spent the night. There was no sign of a struggle and the guards had already dusted the place and could find no evidence of them leaving the room or anyone entering. The beds they had slept in were still slightly messy with signs of their presence. 'How?' Sonic wondered 'How could they have just vanished?' He walked to Sally's desk and found the photos the girls had taken that night, Nicole was sitting silently right beside them. Sonic began to look through the photos slowly.
"The girls took those last night before they went to bed." Nicole said to Sonic, "I know they had no intention to do anything more than sleep so I shut down for the night. I have no idea what could have happened to them and my search for answers was just as much in vain as Geoffery's search." Sonic stared at the photo of Sally after her makeover, his vision blurred from tears.
"Don't worry Nicole. I'll find out what happened. I won't rest until I do." Sonic gently placed the photos back on the desk, all but the one of Sally alone as Knuckles walked in the tears he cried dried on his cheek, but anger was the only expression on his face. He looked through the photos and took the one of Julie-su.
"I'm with you Sonic. Something is wrong...I can feel it." He looked to Sonic and they silently agreed.
"I'm going with you Sonic. I can help and I won't let you guys make me stay home like some baby. I want to find Aunt Sally just as much as you do." Tails walked into the room and joined them.
"I wouldn't have it any other way lil bro." Sonic smirked at the determined fox. "Get ready Nicole. We've got a lot of searching to do." Sonic picked her up and handed her to Tails.
"I was made ready."
The trio raided Robotnik's base mercilessly searching for any evidence of the girls, but they found nothing and Robotnik himself was missing from his base of operations. They traveled endlessly searching for any sign that the girls may have been near. After a year Robotnik returned with his regular schemes and although they were distracted with their search they found time to foil him as they always had keeping Mobius safe for the time being. By the second year the boys had lost all hope of finding the girls alive or even at all. The Dark Legion, Mammoth Mogul, noone seemed to have taken them or know who might have. Geoffery stuck to the thought that they had probably run away and simply didn't want to be found, Knuckles and Sonic were convinced that he just was tired of looking. Sonic and Knuckles were constantly plagued by similar dreams. Images of the girls in a stange experiment room unconscious and strapped onto tables with dark figures looming over them with surgical tools. At the first torturous scream they would wake in a cold sweat even more determined to find them.
Knuckles looked absently at the cup in his hands before taking a quick sip. Sonic stared out the window as Tails tinkered away on Nicole.
"Knuckles please. You must stop this madness. She's gone and there are others who need you just as much who are still here." Lara-lee pleaded with her son. "Perhaps if you let it be you will find something when you aren't trying so hard." Knuckles' face contorted in anger and Lien-da sighed as she kissed his forehead and walked out of the room.
"Two years...two years of nothing." Knuckles threw the cup at the wall which smashed into brittle bits from his force.
"It's like they no longer exist." Tails said as he shut Nicole gently.
"All we have are those awful dreams. Why do we have them and what do they mean?" Sonic got up from his seat and walked to the window.
"I don't know, and I don't know about you, but lately for some reason although I know it's Julie-su in my dreams I can't 'see' her anymore...it's like her physical form is lost. It makes me fear the worst." Knuckles joined Sonic by the window.
"I miss Mina's singing." Tails said sadly as he joined Sonic and Knuckles by the window.
"Yeah...I miss Julie-su and Vector's constant bickering." Knuckles chuckled.
"I miss Sal's sigh when she was tired of dealing with my hard head." Sonic closed his eyes as he remembered all the little things he missed so much.
They were interrupted as someone knocked on the door roughly. Espio entered the room and bowed in apology.
"Sorry to bother you, but we're receiving an urgent call from Knothole. They wish to speak with the three of you right away."
"We'll be right there." Knuckles, Sonic and Tails followed Espio into the communication room to find Rotor waiting patiently on the big screen.
"We've got a problem." Rotor stated solemly. "Old Iron Lips is at the edge of the great forest with a small army of swatbots. He's calling you out Sonic...he also mentioned Knuckles, but only briefly. He also said something about a long awaited reunion. There are 3 large vessels behind him, but we haven't been able to figure out why they're there. My guess is that he thinks he finally found the ultimate weapon to destroy you with Sonic."
"You know Buttnick, he was always full of nothing but hot air." Sonic scowled as he put the information together silently in his mind.
"In any case it looks like we need to get down there as soon as possible before he launches an attack on Knothole." Tails hurried off to begin the arrangements of getting them back to Knothole from the Floating Island.
"You comin' Knux? Robotnick may have mentioned you, but that doesn't mean you have to come. You are guardian of the island after all and..." Knuckles interrupted Sonic before he could continue.
"I'm going." and with those words Knuckles left the room to find Tails and Sonic quickly followed.