Chapter 1 – The First Blow Falls.

A/N: So here we go; the plot thickens and the Legion go on the offensive, but first:

HHH – You think your dreams are worrying; believe me, don't even look at the dream diary I used to keep – I read it now and my hair stands on end!

DH – Technically it would be a really bad thing for Lien to have a crush on Knuckles due to the fact they're related (Dimitri is Knuckles' X-uncle, so that make her his X-aunt many times removed). As for the other bit in your reviews, well all I can say is money's no real incentive to someone who only cares about settling past wrongs. Still, I love a reviewer who sets out to try and see through the cliff-hangers; it just makes them more fun to write properly!

RGN – Believe me, it's never good news when the Legion start thinking!

Ri2 – Nasty plans indeed; I'm an evil author sometimes.

They had assembled in the centre hall of their cramped, recently built home; all seventy or so members that made up the garrison of this new base of the Dark Legion, heeding the call of their commander. It was confined and uncomfortable, but considering the speed at which the base had been constructed, it was passable as accommodation. There was a general murmur of conversation, as there always is when a large number of people gather together, awaiting the declaration from someone higher rank than they all were, unaware that behind the scenes, the last few touches of the speech were being made.

"You do it"; Kragok hissed, carefully pointing the amplification unit at the floor to avoid broadcasting the silent argument that was raging between himself and his sister, "you're better with words than I am".

"It's your plan", she countered expertly; and therefore your neck if anyone squeals to Dimitri; "you have to tell them about it. Besides, you've got a clearer idea of where you need everyone to be at what time – now get a move on", she flicked her eyes to her wrist, reminding herself of the time, "we've only got a few minutes before the strike team makes its move; you better go tell them about the guest we're going to have". Kragok snarled a little before giving up with a huff, moving forwards as he growled bad-temperedly,

"I hate making speeches". Lien decided to chalk one up on him,

"Don't worry; if you get stage-fright, just imagine everyone who's listening is stood there in their underwear".

"Easier for you than me; you've probably got first hand experience with most of them"; Lien flushed a little, that had been good even by her standards, but even this she could counter a little,

"And who said I was better at words?" Kragok paused in his movement to the front of the hall just enough to deliver a brotherly look of irritation before disappearing; Lien shook her head as, a second later, his voice boomed throughout the hallway, informing all the assembled troopers of their new duty, the impact it could have on the Legion if it all went well and what their roles would be. He's not bad at talking; for some reason her brother stayed out of the limelight if at all possible, preferring to stay quiet in the shadows if he could; Lien puzzled over this for a second before shrugging and returning to her observation of his speech. As she tuned in with half an ear, already having repeated this plan so often it was ingrained into her mind, she, and no-one else for that matter, had no idea that, as the main outcome of the plan was laid out before the assembled, shocked throng, it was already being dissected and examined minutely by someone who would see it fail.

XXX

"Wyn", Lara looked up, buttoning up the last few steps of her coat against the unseasonable chill; though the sun was warm, the wind that was now playfully tousling her dreadlocks was certainly not and as such she'd brought her coat for the walk home from her work. However, as the brown echidna waiting for her waved and grinned, she suddenly realised it might not have been necessary after all,

"Hi Lara", as she approached, Wyn spread his arms, allowing his love to nestle in and give a squeeze, thanking him unspeakingly as he indicated the battered old hover-car he'd brought with him,

"Well, couldn't let you walk home from here now could I? You'd be frozen before you got half-way; spirits bless the great Echidnopolis summer time". She smiled in agreement as Wyn raised his eyes to the heavens,

"Well, it's not that bad", she took his arm, the wind whistling in her ears muffling the sounds of movement from behind her, "at least we're in the car now; hey", a hand fell on her shoulder; she turned to see who had knocked her only to see a fog of sudden white, the taste acrid on her tongue, causing her to gag. She was dimly aware of Wyn's sudden cry of anger; everything was starting to swim, the vague idea of her being drugged beginning to percolate her mind, her body reacting instinctively even if those instincts were dulled by the chemicals now racing around her bloodstream to subdue her. The last thing she recalled before the sense of vertigo, slipping in darkness, was a heavy impact on her left fist.

It had happened so fast; Wyn had glanced over at Lara's sharp call and just seen her cough, one of the three echidnas, dressed in patient garments from her hospital, slipping something back into his cuff as Lara began swaying, pulling on his arm. Shock gave way to anger; they've done something to her, I'll…; the brown echidna reacted as the first one tried to catch Lara's falling body, seemingly ignoring the heavy punch she managed to throw before the sedatives knocked her out. Throwing himself to the side, the brown echidna grappled with one of the assailants; though he had lost some of his physique due to injury, he had still once been a competent sky-ball player with the muscles to match. Using his strength and height, he tossed his opponent back, throwing a sharp kick that connected with the thigh of the would-be kidnapper; unbalanced, the other echidna was bowled over. Wyn mentally ticked him off, he was down and couldn't fight for a few seconds, when something caught his eye about the other echidna; as he'd fallen, part of his hospital disguise had been broken, the cuff of his top falling back, revealing; metal, metal where flesh should be? With a start Wyn realised who he was up against, who was doing this and in that fraction of a second, he seized up.

Something heavy and hard crashed into the side of his head like a wrecking ball and a split-second later it felt like it had conservatively done the same sort of damage. Silver stars burst before Wyn's eyes and his ears filled with a low, monotonous buzzing, limbs turning to lead as he slumped to the floor, unable to carry on as, twisting in his fall, he saw blurrily a larger shape screech to a halt on the road next to his own car. Move; he silently demanded from his inert arms and legs; move damn it, I can't let them get away with this; a little life filtered back into them, but far too little, far too late; he could only watch as the three kidnappers, two of them supporting Lara's inert body between them, raced for their getaway vehicle, the doors flung open for them, the back of the hi-jacked ambulance swallowing the stolen female echidna with cold, unfeeling precision as the snatch team struck, pulling the doors shut. Wyn managed to clamber to his feet, still unsteady as nausea choked him slightly, something warm trickling down the side of his head as his ears were suddenly assailed by a tortured scream; the lights of the ambulance flashing and sirens screaming as the Dark Legion strike team took off, escaping from the scene of the crime and, as had been planned, leaving only a single witness to their nefarious actions.

Wyn stood, trembling as he watched with disbelief; the ambulance had exited the hospital car park and was departing at breakneck speed, allowing the kidnappers to escape with their captive. For a second the brown echidna refused to believe what had just happened, clung to the childish belief that if he closed his eyes and counted to five, none of this would be real; Lara would be by his side once more and they'd be on their way to his flat. No; tearing himself away from the comfortable but still false illusion, Wyn forced himself to face the facts; Lara's been kidnapped by the Dark Legion, and standing here moping about it isn't helping! Suddenly angry with himself for wasting time, Wyn took off as a plan, the only workable plan, took form and crystallised within his mind; with a burst of speed he was out the hospital grounds and heading for the only place in Station Square that could possibly help at the same time his good left hand plunged into the pocket of his jacket; I can only pray I typed the number in right…

XXX

With a yell, Charmy was sent sailing through the air and, so typical with his luck, the flight was just too short to let him take to the air properly; in a split-second he had to align himself to roll with the throw as best he could, but even when he did so it still hurt when he came down to earth. The landing crushed the air from his chest with a whoosh of air, the bee winded even as he tried to push himself back to his feet, carry on fighting, but when one tap knocked him back to the floor and a booted foot pinned his chest to the floor, he knew this one was over.

"How'd I…do?" He managed to gasp; for confirmation Knuckles flicked his glance over to where Vector was reclining, the stop-watch in the crocodile's hand catching the time and allowing him to scrutinise it. With a grunt, the reptile called over,

"Two-nineteen; not too shabby buzz-boy, but you shoulda seen the throw coming".

"I slipped", the youngest member of the Chaotix answered even as he used both hands to prise the guardian's shoe off his flattened chest fur; Knuckles snorted once with satisfaction, leaning down to help pull the bee to his feet.

"Nice work; just keep your guard up a little more and yahhey!" With a burst of speed, Charmy let his feet slip out from under him, curving his striped abdomen up and around; Knuckles felt something part the fur on the side of his arm,

"And you're stung", Charmy informed him, settling back to the floor even as the echidna instinctively ripped his arm back, checking to see if any venom had actually been injected, "don't worry, I missed; couldn't let you have it all your own way could I?" The guardian looked up, raising an eyebrow as he considered the fast one the bee had just pulled; nice idea, but I doubt it'd have too much practical use; trying to phrase it right, Knuckles added his two cents worth,

"It was a good trick; smart move to think on your feet like that", Charmy grinned at the praise before Knuckles raised a warning finger, "but I wouldn't try it in a real fight just in case; if you miss you're basically toast and anyway a skilled opponent wouldn't let you under his guard like that".

"So how come you did?" Knuckles chortled as he clapped the bee on the shoulder,

"I thought it was over and you caught me out", his grip suddenly tightened, pulling the bee closer as the echidna suddenly pulled his own trick; trapping Charmy with one arm, the guardian flicked his antennae with his other hand, eliciting a shout of outrage from his sparring partner.

"Oww", Charmy ripped himself out the grip, clamping both hands on top of his head to blot out the sudden flare of pain, "you cheat".

"You can talk", Knuckles waved a finger, "you got one over on me, I did the same; we're even".

"Not for long"; Charmy saw the signal and knew what his role now was; keep the target talking;

"You wanna try that again buzz-boy", Knuckles dropped into his fighting stance, unaware that he was being set up as someone took offence to his manhandling of the younger bee, "you've got guts I'll give you that, but listen, you only get one over on me…"

He never finished that sentence as the Chaotix sprung a trap almost as old as the trio itself; their joint previous career as a detective agency had occasionally required they bring someone in for questioning and, as witnesses do their best talking when not in intensive care, the three had come up with a number of ruses that let them sandbag someone without doing much or even any damage. Charmy had seen Espio's high sign and, instantly seeing what the chameleon was up to, did his job of keeping the victim's attention focused on him. It was a simple trick, but one that still worked like a charm; Knuckles hadn't heard the ninja's stealthy approach and as such, when two hands slipped around his neck he was caught completely cold, unable to react fast enough to stop Espio trying out something that had interested him ever since it had been brought up.

Charmy watched on incredulous as the guardian's face was twisted involuntarily, his chin snapping down to his chest in an unconscious effort to try and trap the hand that was now at his neck, his expression a warped amalgamation of a giggle and a grimace as a few choked squeaks escaped his lips. Espio, now abandoning his camouflage and reverting to his natural colour as stealth was no longer an issue, swept his back foot out in a classic take down move, slowly lowering his foe to the floor without budging his hand, a sly grin on his face as he took in Knuckles' apparent paralysis.

"What the hey you doin' to him?" Looking over his shoulder, the chameleon saw Vector half-stand, looking at the prone echidna with a mixture of shock and respect for whatever technique Espio was using to pin down one of the most formidable Mobians on Angel Island. With a pang of regret, he had no choice but to tell the story straight; after all, credit where credit's due.

"It's the GPP; the Guardian Paralysis Point", he elaborated as Charmy and Vector swapped baffled looks; Espio lifted his hand minutely, allowing them both to see that, rather than a choke, two of his fingers were resting lightly in the dip where Knuckles' collar bones met, "Rouge showed it to me when we were comparing martial art styles and I moved on to pressure points. As you can see", he indicated his helpless victim with a vicious smile, "hitting it renders Knuckles completely unable to defend himself; according to her, you can hold him down all day with this little beauty".

"Bit like her and her ears", Charmy made a reasonable comparison, having seen what happened when the bat's ears were feathered lightly and drawing lines before wondering out loud, "how did she find out about it?"

"I never asked"; Vector settled back down, curiosity satisfied as he called out,

"Well, wherever that GPP came from, just let him go before he turns purple and dies".

"And what's wrong with being purple?" Espio demanded touchily, though as a low flat buzz filled the air he suddenly had a second reason to release his paralysed prisoner; in one move he snatched his hand away and leapt back to a safe distance, watching for any hints of revenge as Knuckles drew in a deep, explosive breath, massaging his throat as he glared at the chameleon venomously even if his words weren't aimed at her,

"I'm going to get her for spreading that around"; still muttering about what he could do to his wife in revenge for her telling the taciturn chameleon about one of his more delicate areas, he reached down for his vibrating phone in high dudgeon.

Later on, when this and all other related matters were nothing more than purely academic, Vector, and to a lesser extent Espio as well, would describe how the atmosphere to them tangible dropped in temperature in the few seconds Knuckles held the phone to his ear that day. It was as though someone had implanted a powerful heat-sink into him, leeching all the warmth from the air around him as his eyes widened, breathing became more ragged in the grip of a nameless fear. His sudden paroxysm of terror was so obvious that no-one there missed it; like a virus it spread to them, adding to the general unease as each Mobian suddenly tensed, anticipating something happening that would, sharers of the guardian's burden as they were, impact upon them all. Though their training had been long and arduous, both wedded guardians having drilled them over and over unmercifully, it was still a credit to the Chaotix that, when Knuckles snapped the phone shut and bellowed,

"EST HQ now", the order was obeyed instantly and without question, all four Mobians making best speed for the shrine of the Master Emerald and, more importantly, the teleporter pad it contained, even if they were each burning up with curiosity as to what had struck fear so deep into Knuckles it had unearthed tears that clung to the corners of his eyes.

XXX

"Hello"; a hand waving before her eyes jerked Mighty back to Earth, she shook her head as Rouge finished her speaking, "come in Mighty; is there anyone in there?"

"Er, um, yes", the armadillo looked down for a second, alight with slight embarrassment as she regarded her coffee again, staring hard into it as she attempted a virtually impossible feat; she tried to keep her thoughts hidden from Rouge, "lost in thought".

"Lost in something", the bat chuckled as her armadillo friend went slightly redder, the rosy cheeks actually blending in quite nicely with the dark shadow her overhanging shell cast over her face, "anyway, you were saying?"

"I was; sorry I…"

"No need", Rouge raised a hand, sipping her fruit juice again as she recognised what the armadillo was going through, "been there, done that".

"Done what?"

"Oh don't play with me Mich", the guardian leant forward and patted a hand that, had it been swung in anger, could virtually demolish the shop the two Mobians were currently sitting in, "I know that blank, faraway look when I see it". Uh oh; though she knew she'd never been able to keep secrets from anyone, Mighty had learnt enough about the suave, sophisticated bat in front of her to realise she was a true expert in the art of winkling information out of people; and when she's working with me, that must be reading an open book.

"I know what you're on about", that was the only chance she had; say something unexpected, throw Rouge off her stride, "and I don't want to say anything more about it; that's my business, okay?"

"Fine", the bat raised both a placating hand and her mug, drinking to hide the smile that was threatening to break over her face; she waited until Mighty was just about to relax before reassuming the offensive, "but you're not worming out of this". As the armadillo turned a bale look her way, she made a case for a compromise,

"Tell you what; I won't say a word, but in exchange I want you to tell me the name, just the name, and just for the record I've got my own ideas who it was entertaining you just then".

"Okay then"; worth a risk, I can always mock her if she gets it wrong; Mighty squared up to her drinking partner and beckoned the challenge, "let's hear your idea". Snared by the bait, Rouge sat back in her chair, leaning it back casually on its back legs as she folded her wings over the back of it and sucked her lower lip, scrutinising Mighty's face as she spoke,

"I reckon it was someone from the land below"; bingo, eyes twitched; "someone in Station Square"; no; the way the corners of Mighty's mouth had curled up fractionally told the former spy she'd got that line wrong; but even so, that just narrows it down further; "or, no, no, I'd say Mystic Ruins actually"; she knew from the shudder that ran through Mighty's body she was right – it was just a case of how much she wanted to rake the stubborn armadillo over the coals and, unfortunately for Mighty, she was feeling in a mischievous mood, "someone who's helped you out before now, given you a place for the night, introduced you to his pet frog and even taken a red-hot ki…".

"Okay, okay", cheeks now properly aflame, checking the rest of the coffee house to check Rouge's admissions hadn't been overheard, Mighty leant forwards with her teeth gritted, "right in all but one thing; Froggy's not a frog, he's a toad". She had to rub it in, just a little,

"Oh, so its Froggy now is it?" The bat laughed openly, though there was nothing malicious in it as Mighty shook her head, "boy, you've got it bad for him haven't you?"

The armadillo sighed; it was pointless trying to deny it, especially to Rouge; he has been on my mind a lot recently, especially after…; she cut her line of thought short – though she was still thankful that she couldn't see past events as flawlessly as Big could, the memories she had that had led up to the kiss Rouge had mentioned were still raw and painful enough. The cat had risked not only his life, but also his very mind as well to help her fight against the rejuvenated Metal Sonic; Mighty was certain that, had the cat not been able to make that sacrifice for her, Metal would have carried out his chilling promise of 'permanent disability' with gleeful relish.

"Well", she tried to force her suddenly tied tongue to move and form distinguishable words, "I'd be lying if I said I didn't think about him a lot".

"And the rest", Rouge chivvied her friend along a little with her own admission, "you two write to each other a fait bit, and if I remember rightly didn't you mention something about a trip later in the year?"

"Yeah", that hit the spot; Mighty brightened instantly, remembering the offer Big had made last time she had visited him one of her weekends off from Chaotix duties, "he said in the hospital he wanted to go see his family again; last time I was down he was all over the place with excitement; they'd replied to his letter. He's got a date set, and he invited me as well". Rouge raised her eyebrows in evident interest,

"Never knew he had a family?"

"Mum, dad and two twin sisters; he's the eldest though", Mighty parroted the information Big had revealed to her during on of their quiet nights, "he hasn't seen them for years, but it'll be their sixteen birthdays pretty soon; he wants to be there for that".

"I bet; can't be easy being separated for so long". Mighty shot the bat a very sharp look,

"You know why he stayed away from them right?"

"I had a guess when you said he was behind it", for a second, Rouge's eyes clouded over, her mind straying back to the wall of the bedroom she shared with her husband, seeing the picture that dominated it like a living slice of history captured forever on canvas and oils, the perfection evident in each brush-stroke; The End of the Hunt showing the greatest triumph of both Rouge and the echidna who had in that second become her husband's lives, "it takes a special kind of talent to do something that incredible", she looked over at Mighty directly, "you did well to bring us down; he was going to pieces after that".

"Least I could do", she refused to claim credit, thinking about what had gone on in that hospital as little as possible, with one exception; suddenly smiling, she chuckled, "can't believe that was his first kiss though". Rouge choked down an explosion of giggles and stared wide-eyed,

"You were Big's first kiss?"

"I was Sonic's too if that makes any difference", seeing Rouge's disbelief mingled with desperation to know more, the armadillo grinned and took a sip of coffee, "day the dance classes finished, I just said goodbye; I thought he was going to faint afterwards, looked like someone had thrown a bucket of tomato sauce all over him". That was enough; the bat collapsed onto the table, pounding it weakly as she tried desperately not to cause a scene by breaking down in hysterics in the middle of a coffee house,

"Thahahat's gold", she rubbed her hands together, tears in her eyes as she thought of the possibility that ammo held within it, "oh, I'm gonna make his life hell next time we get together".

"Just as long as you don't let Amy overhear you".

"Come on, I'm too beautiful to die young", the bat posed like a valley girl as Mighty laughed at her self-depreciation; she'd known Rouge long enough to recognise a fellow tomboy at heart, "but anyway, you look after the Big guy; he's too", she grasped for a word, "pleasant to be spoiled".

"Hey, I got no plans of letting him down", Mighty informed her friend, "if nothing else, and there's plenty more I'll have you know, he's the best cure for the gribbles I've ever come across". Rouge looked up interested, recognising the armadillo slang for general bits of detritus that got lodged under the shell and irritated; seeing the interest, Mighty hled up three fingers, mimicking the curve of claws,

"He's a cat isn't he? He can get under there without me even needing to raise my plates", she slowly traced her hooked fingers through the air, "his claws are just awesome for that sort of work; only takes a few minutes and I'll be good for at least a few days afterwards". Must resist; Rouge had to try at least, though Mighty had just opened herself to a golden shot; must resist…nah, she'll get over it, she's got a sense of humour;

"So, his fingernails on your back's a good combination", Mighty nodded absently as she raised her cup to her lips again; Rouge picked her moment perfectly before adding, "so what about yours on his?"

Mighty gagged, nearly choking on her coffee as she turned a boiling scarlet; Rouge smirked, leaning back to dodge the outraged swing the armadillo sent in her general direction,

"You're disgusting", Mighty said venomously, too embarrassed to see the funny side of the statement just yet, "you do know that don't you?"

"Knuckles reminds me at least three or four times a day; huh, oh", she reached down and took out her phone before the ring-tone sounded, alerted by the vibration she felt and quickly checking the numbers; Mighty saw her eyes widen in surprise, "talk of the devil", she pressed the receive button and held the phone to her ear, "hey Knuxie, what's…?"

From the way her friend's face fell, Mighty knew this was serious; she almost fancied she could see the layers of happiness and relaxation slough away from Rouge, revealing a whipcord readiness for action as her tone changed, her words clipped and few,

"Where?" She listened intently, Mighty matching her as she rose from the table, standing up and reaching to pay for the drinks they'd had shared as the bat suddenly nodded and snapped her phone shut; her eye met the armadillo's and she quickly snapped an order, no room for anything other than discipline and control in her voice now,

"EST HQ, we're meeting the others there; something's happened to Lara, Knuckles didn't say what". Mighty threw down a couple of bills, galvanised into action at the thought of the female echidna she'd been introduced to and grown friendly with being in danger.

"Let's go then; I know the way through the backstreets. Follow me". A second later, they were outside and Mighty was leading Rouge through the twisting streets of Echidnopolis, familiar with the route due to Vector's insistence that she memorised the A to Z of the city and never had she been more grateful for that demand.

XXX

Lien sat back from the communications, relief manifesting itself as a very audible exhalation; she turned to look up Kragok, who as always looked impassive, and smiled,

"Well, that went better than expected"; he latched onto her statement intently,

"You were expecting failure?"

"You know I didn't mean that", she huffed in exasperation, explaining before her brother's obtuseness, "I'm just a great believer in Murphy's law; it's a theory from underneath us that basically translates as 'whatever can go wrong, will go wrong" she elaborated as Kragok narrowed his still-functional eye at the name. Taking a second to digest the idea, he shrugged and turned away,

"Well, let us prove that theory incorrect; come Lien, let us proceed with stage two of the plan", he looked over his shoulder, smile full of false malice as he spoke in a soft, venomous voice, "we have an invitation to give out".

XXX

"Chief's office; you know the way?" The desk sergeant knew the two members of the Chaotix when he saw them and Remington had been very specific in his orders; they were to be sent straight up to him, no checks or any messing about. The bat nodded and raced up the stairs two at a time, her more heavily armoured companion pausing for a second to catch her breath before following her swift ascendance. In the space of seconds, the floor of the main building of the Echidnopolis Security Team was deserted once more.

Rouge paused just enough to knock once and hear the word,

"Enter", before throwing the door open and racing inside, pulling to a stop as she took in the scene before her. Mentally ticking off the half-standing form of Constable Remington, she set her sights on the seated Wynmacher, the tear tracks on the brown echidna's cheeks making him the obvious source of information.

"Wyn", she sank to his level, letting him raise only his head to meet her wild, needing eyes, "what happened, where's Lara?" Unwillingly, he sucked in a breath but before he could use it to answer, Remington stepped in just as Mighty swung the door closed,

"Wait guardian", due to secrecy, alone of the EST only Remington had been made aware of the fact that Rouge was actually wedded to Knuckles and therefore a guardian – everyone else just assumed she was another member of the Chaotix to prevent her becoming a more viable target for anyone who may have wanted to get to Knuckles; how could we have forgotten to do the same for Lara-Le? Throwing off his self-recrimination for overlooking such an obvious detail, the head of the EST laid down the proceedings,

"We must wait for Knuckles; it concerns him most of all and I don't want to have to make Mr Wynmacher give his statement more than once". Seeing the state Lara's partner was in, the bat had no choice but to agree, taking the seat Mighty pulled out for her, waiting in silence for an tortured eternity, fingering her wedding ring through her glove and watching the agonising march of seconds around the clock, each tick of the second hand greeted with another furious plea for Knuckles to arrive, if only to end this tortured eternity of uncertainty. So ready was she, so anticipating the entrance of her husband, that when the door banged against the wall so hard the handle left an imprint, she virtually flew upwards in a start, trying to control her spiralling heart rate as Knuckles marched in, the rest of the Chaotix on his heels as, as Rouge had done, he singled out Wynmacher.

"What's going on? Where is my mother?" Wyn glanced up, taking in the form of the silent guardian, seeing the virtually palpable fury coming off him in waves and for a second he quailed; no, I owe it to Lara to try and help sort out this mess; slowly, looking Knuckles in the eye as he did so though it cost him every scrap of courage he had, the brown echidna swallowed and, finally, spoke,

"I'm sorry Knuckles"; I let them steal her, right out of my hands; "I should've done more, but I couldn't – they took her". Seeing the guardian's face set, Remington decided now was the best time to deliver the full picture,

"Guardian, based on Wynmacher's testimony we believe that Lara-Le is now being held hostage by the Dark Legion".

XXX

"Move".

"Sit down red"; Knuckles glared at the crocodile that bared his way as though his eyes could burn right through him; raising his arms, fury guiding his actions, the echidna raised his guard,

"Move, or I'll go thought you"; he means it too; the sight of Knuckles in this kind of temper was enough to rattle Vector, but he stood his ground – this situation was too delicate to do anything else, risk Knuckles upsetting the balance as he would if he acted rashly now. Stepping forwards, Vector lashed his tail and tried to make the most of his taller frame compared to the guardian,

"Sit down or I'll knock you down"; growling, Knuckles drew back a fist with the full intention of making good on his earlier promise. Suddenly he was stumbling back, something pulled on his cocked fist and, as something like a steel vice suddenly snapped shut across his chest, he had a fairly good idea as to who was restricting him. In his rage, he forgot Mighty's strength and fought to free himself, for the right to hunt for his stolen mother, to wreak havoc and hellfire on those who would harm her, ignoring the calming words whispered into his pounding ears,

"Easy Knucks", Mighty ignored the thrashings by simply hugging him in closer to herself, trusting Rouge was smart enough to understand why she was doing this and not make a big deal out of it, "rushing in won't help". With a final snarl and rattle of his organic chains, the echidna gave up his futile struggles, looking around with teeth bared as Vector sank down low enough to meet his eyes, trying to talk a bit of sense into the red mist,

"Listen Knuckles, we've done a couple of cases like this", he indicated Espio and Charmy before carrying on, "you can't rush a hostage situation; you'll just put Lara in more danger if you go in all guns blazing".

The mention of danger pierced the fog; with a visible effort, Knuckles lowered his fists and, after a few seconds to make sure it wasn't a play-act, Mighty dropped her constricting grip, though she remained primed to intervene if he tried anything. Remington, having stayed quiet through all this, gave the leader of the Chaotix an appraising glance and gave a clearer picture,

"Your friend's right Knuckles", the guardian looked around, now seeming far more worried than angry; trying to accept this is happening to him; Remington knew the signs and they were so far good – Knuckles was absorbing the situation quickly, making him better able to deal with it as he outlined what they knew for certain,

"Apparently, according to Wynmacher, he was picking your mother up from her workplace when a group of three echidnas, disguised as patients and possibly other hospital workers as well, attacked. One of them sprayed your mother with an aerosol sedative, knocking her out; this was the one Wynmacher tried to restrain only to be taken down by another of the kidnappers. However, he managed to confirm they were Dark Legion by the sight of a metal prosthetic in place of one of the kidnapper's arms. They took their victim away in a hi-jacked ambulance – the Echidnopolis infirmary has confirmed the theft to a few hours prior to this – though their destination is, as yet, known".

Rouge put her hand gently on her husband's shoulder, more grateful than she let on when he slowly covered it with his own much larger paw, eyes tightly shut and breathing deeply through clenched teeth. Everyone else drew back, letting him take the time he needed to come to terms with this, clear his mind and ask,

"So, what can we do?"

"At the moment, not a lot", Remington was forced to come clean about that, explaining as he outlined the most probable sequence of events that would follow, "there was a reason behind this kidnapping and we don't know what it is; we have to wait for the kidnappers to come forwards – we know it was the Legion, but we don't know the motive, though I personally can take an educated guess what they want in exchange for Lara's safe return".

"So that's it", the scorn in Knuckle's voice would have scoured a rock-face clean of lichen, "we just sit here and do nothing while they get away with this?"

"We don't have a choice", Charmy reminded him as Espio made to say much the same thing in more cutting language,

"Put it this way Knuckles", the reptile's cold eyes locked onto the echidna's face, "we can wait until we've got more of an idea what's going on and what they're trying to get out of this, or we can rush in with no idea and the next time we'll see Lara is in pieces through the post". Everyone shot the chameleon reproachful, and in some cases potentially lethal, glares even if they knew he was telling the truth. Knuckles, at least, seemed to think so; turning to face Remington again, the guardian grated,

"How do you think they'll tell us?"

"My guess would be a call or some other kind of notification…"

"Then we wait here", his voice alone brooked no opposition, "we can trace the call to me and find out where they're hiding her; from there", his eyes smouldered and his voice cracked a little, "we'll pay them a visit, and they'll be wishing for death before I've finished with them".

XXX

Kragok growled as he watched his sister slide the disk into its case, making his apprehensions plain as she handed it to the one who would transport it,

"There are no directions indicated there; how can you be sure they'll come?"

"Kragok", her laugh was a whip to his pride even if he knew she wasn't mocking him directly, "don't you remember what we were told about the guardians? They'll know where to go; it's in their blood to find stuff out. Besides, even if they couldn't, we've got some very tempting bait now", her thoughts strayed to the echidna she'd seen secured into the solitary holding cell this base had been engineered with and compassion forced her words, "has she recovered yet?"

"No", Kragok shook his head, "the sedatives haven't worn off yet; when they do, the councillor is standing by to explain the situation, by your orders". There was a hint of challenge in his voice that she couldn't pass by,

"Yes, on my orders", she looked at her brother squarely, "I am a Dark Legionnaire; it is not my place to cause needless suffering as such hardships shorten the lifespan and strengthen the hold death has over us". Kragok turned away after a second, a smile on his lips that she mistook for a sardonic admission of defeat; had she know its true meaning, she might have been able to alter the future before events could develop as they would do.

XXX

It was unexpected and sudden; one minute the group had been waiting in a sullen silence, the next they were all shielding their eyes and calling out frightened oaths as the room was drowned in a green flare, the light blinding all who looked at it directly. Only Knuckles, seemingly immune to the blinding effect of the glare as he was to most other things, such as hunger and thirst, was able to look up and see the two echidnas that had arrived. Nice of you to show up, prove you still care; if a part of him disapproved of the bitterness in his thoughts he didn't acknowledge it as his father stepped forwards, imperiously and determinedly sweeping up to Wynmacher as the brown echidna blinked his sight back,

"Where is Lara-Le?" the question did not allow a pause for an answer, the silence merely irritating the former guardian as he sought answers to the dreadful question he bore; ever since Spectre, meditating as always, had sensed the upheaval in his son's emotions and found the cause, he had been in action and now the one who held the answers refused to grant them, "where is my…"

Wyn saw the other echidna's face crumple as he caught himself; he'd only ever met Locke once or twice and never this close; the former guardian had been either just leaving or already gone in the past, but even from this limited contact Wyn had suspicions that Lara's ex-husband still fanned a flame for her; and if that was anything to go by, he must do. For a second, Wyn felt great pity for Locke as he tried to compose himself and get his emotions back under control, remembering again that Lara was no longer his. Fortunately, Charmy was able to answer,

"I'm sorry Locke, she's, ah, she's been taken; the Dark Legion have her". A vicious growl rose from the elder echidna's throat as he suddenly span and attempted his fourth-father at a distance with his finger,

"Sojourner, go back and tell the others to channel". The thin, reed-like form of Sojourner narrowed his eyes for a moment, trying to find out why Locke needed the power of the Brotherhood of Guardians,

"To what end?"

"I'm going to find out where that scum have taken her", Knuckle's head snapped up as his father finished, fists clenched and dangerous, "then I'm going to go there and level the place". Just for once, Knuckles' argumentative fifth-father saw the sense in agreeing and, activating the unique gift the Master Emerald had bestowed upon him as a guardian, was gone, teleporting back to the Brotherhood's ancestral home of Haven. Once he was gone, Knuckles asked the question, everyone respectfully silence as father and son measured each other up,

"Can you do it?"

"I'm not sure", above all his faults, Locke was honest, "but I'm going to try; when I say, no-one disturb me". Interested even now, Vector inquired,

"Can you guys do a channel at a distance?"

"It is harder, but yes", Locke suddenly stiffened, an invisible aura seeming to surround him like a blanket of static as he managed to speak, "its beginning".

The attention focussed on Locke as his face was skewered by concentration, seeking to control the combined energies of his forefathers and make them do the work he demanded of it. Slowly, heart labouring as though it would burst, he managed to assert control, dominate the power that would otherwise have exploded from him. Gradually attuning his senses, Locke felt his consciousness slowly expand, flowing out from his body as if casting a net; it wasn't quite sight and it wasn't quite touch, but a mixture of both senses combined. Like mould growing outwards from a central point, the previous guardian spread the net ever wider, seeking the one he needed with practiced ease; I know you Lara. Thinking of his former wife and still, even now, even when he knew all she could feel towards him was betrayal and hurt, his current love, Locke forced himself to go ever faster, find her in this background of grey; we were lovers once, close as love would let us be – show yourself now, show us the way to you. For a second it would not come and with tiredness draining the strength from him, Locke feared the worst; …there!; in the next instant was tiredness forgotten, a glow of brightness so pale any other guardian would have missed it, but not Locke. Not the guardian who loved Lara still more than he loved himself. Desperate, he homed in, knowing the energy was burning through him less controllably now; he had to break the contact soon or risk serious injury; a low, flat buzz percolated his ears as he strained for vital seconds, then the contract was broken, the power of the channel dissipated at his imperilled mental command.

XXX

With a cry of pain, Locke sagged from where he had been standing motionless; if Rouge hadn't supported him he'd have fallen to his knees. Seeing his father's ritual ended, Knuckles half-stood and, unheeding of the elder echidna's discomfort demanded,

"Do you know?" Locke met his son's eyes,

"Yes, I've seen…"

"Explain on the way", the response was quick and brutal, shutting Locke off completely; in fact it was Remington who brought the guardian back to earth with his development, having spoken quietly into the com on his desk for a few seconds,

"Wait, something's come", everyone looked at the head of the EST as he spoke again, cold fire in his icy blue eyes, "delivered anonymously a few minutes ago; I was buzzed because of it; it's addressed to you". Knuckles nodded and Remington understood; leaning down, he pressed a button and tersely ordered,

"Bring it" as Locke hastily made himself innocuous behind Vector and Mighty both. An anxious wait was quickly ended by a rap at the door and, at Remington's call, the desk sergeant passed a small, sealed package into Charmy's hands before departing. Flying up, the bee offered it to Knuckles,

"Here". Nodding his thanks, the guardian ripped the packaging open, revealing a little plastic disk.

"This'll play that"; recognising what it was, Remington pulled a small disk player out from his desk and set it up with practised ease, aligning it with the back wall as Espio pulled the curtains shut – Knuckles slotted the disk home and hit the small green button to play it. There were a few seconds of pitch blackness before, with a slight flicker of static, the guardian and his Chaotix beheld the face of their enemy.

XXX

"Damn, that's ugly"; coming from Vector, that was saying something but no-one, not even Espio, made to disagree. There was something extremely disturbing about the face that awaited them, its mechanical, unblinking eye searing the screen with a thin red beam like a bar scanner. The echidna smiled and began to speak,

"Greetings guardian", the voice was harsh and mocking; Knuckles felt his fists clench as he realised this technocrat was holding the cards and making the most of it, "we've never actually met, but I've recently had a rather interesting conversation with your mother, Lara-Le", he held up something in his hand; Knuckles was so focussed on the limp ribbon that he alone failed to notice the claw that fitted to the echidna's arm, recognising his mum's hair wrapping and seeing red because of it. You; he silently promised the gloating Legionnaire; will die by my hand.

"You must think we want the Master Emerald in exchange for her safe return; well think again", a ripple of unease spread around the room as everyone tried to answer the same question; what else do we have that they want?, "we want you, and those that serve you".

The immediate assumption was both frightening and maddeningly inevitable; it was a trap, but because Lara-Le was right in the middle of it they had no choice but to walk right into it. Nor were they the only ones to realise it,

"If you want her, you'll find out where we are; try to be quick", his smile widened into an unpleasant leer, "our noble purpose is to save you ignoramuses from death, but that's not to say in special cases we can't help the process with a few…implants". The screen cut to black as Knuckles slammed his fist into the wall for want of a better target, his spurs breaking the brickwork as though it were balsa wood. Slowly, dragging his hand back inch by inch, the guardian lowered his trembling arm to his side and took a deep breath; when his eyes opened again, they were clear, unclouded by blinding rage and his voice was soft,

"You know where we have to go?" Locke nodded,

"I do; Haven", he explained before the others could question him, "there's some things we need to pick up first; we can't do this without planning it".

"We plan on the way; we're going now".

"With me"; Wynmacher stood up and met the guardian's eyes, his face a picture of penitence as he spoke, "Lara was snatched out of my hands; I'm not going away until she's back there – blindfold me, do what you have to do to keep the secrets you've got safe, but I'm here and you'll have to kill me to stop me coming with you".

A/N: Noble sentiments, but can even this team hope to crack the Dark Legion's fortifications? And is Lara-Le still safe – what's Kragok hiding up his sleeve? Answers next chapter!