(Static)…After much consideration, I have decided their fate…Those of you who hope for a story without death are better off reading something else…(static)

Jigsonic

'There's no way I'm going in there,' thought Sonic as he stared at his dim reflection in the murky water. "I think I'd rather leave the old-fashioned way, time to go for a spin!" And with that, he jumped up and spun toward the wall, only to be met by a searing pain in his back upon impact with the metal, which was increased when he hit the floor. Reaching backward, Sonic found the reason for his failure to escape. "My spikes! You cut off my spikes! Eggman, if that's you I'm gonna shove one of your robots up your rotund—what?" There was an envelope lying on the ground. Crawling over to it, he picked it up and opened it. Inside, there were a key and a note.

Sonic, the key in this envelope is your only chance of survival. There's a simple matter that I forgot to mention in the tape. There is a slow-acting poison coursing through your veins. The antidote is on the other side of your "racetrack". If you want to die, then just sit back and relax. If you value your pitiful life, better hold your breath.

Courtesy,

And it was signed with the image of a piece from a Jigsaw puzzle. Sonic's eye twitched as he stared at the note in his hands.

"WHAT? IS THIS YOUR SICK IDEA OF A JOKE?" Glancing back toward the manhole, he mad his decision. "I can't believe I'm about to do this." Standing up with the key in his glove, he dashed toward it and dove in. But no sooner was he in the water than a previously unseen hydraulic door blocked off the manhole…

Knuckles stood up and looked around him. There was so much clutter, finding the key would be like finding a shard of the master emerald in the ocean.

"Why bother looking for a key when I can just pull this stupid thing off? When I get out of here, I'm gonna make you pay for this!" And with that, the hotheaded echidna started tugging at the belt around his waist. However, just as it was about to snap, the timer issued a tone, and the explosives issued flames and shrapnel. Before Knuckles died screaming, one last thought crossed his mind. 'How could I have failed?'

Trembling, Rouge picked up the scalpel. With the clock ticking and her only chance of survival stuck in an inopportune location, she closed her eyes and thought 'this is gonna hurt like nothing else.' Then she thrust the scalpel into her wing membrane and let out a blood-curdling scream. Whimpering, she practically ripped the key out of the now useless appendage and forced it into the lock with such force that the key broke off inside it. Removing the lock, Rouge released the clamps from her head and threw the device across the room. The second it hit the ground, the timer went off and she had to cover her now bleeding ears to keep from going deaf, for the sound was torturous even from such a distance as the device literally danced across the ground due to the intensity of the waves that it generated. After a few minutes, it finally stopped. Sobbing, Rouge collapsed to the ground. Seconds later, a gentle creaking noise issued from the shadows near the device that almost killed her. Looking up, Rouge saw the very same ventriloquist's puppet from the video, as it rode a tricycle just far enough into the room to make itself visible. Then, in the same garbled voice as before, it spoke.

"Congratulations, Rouge…you have survived…most people are so ungrateful to be alive…not you…not anymore…"

Amy had given up trying to smash the door down, as her hammer was starting to bend at the handle. Walking toward the three buttons, she wondered which one she should pick.

"Well, I don't want to hurt Sonic, but I don't want to die either. Oh, which ONE?" She looked at each one, but none of them seemed to have any distinctive qualities. Finally, she gave up trying to decide and slammed her hammer down on the center button with such force that the handle snapped, while a transparent adhesive held the hammer in place. To Amy's surprise and delight, the door opened. Not wasting a second, she dashed out, but failed to notice the trip wire in the doorframe…

Shadow couldn't believe what he had just heard. What scared him even more was the fact that he knew his captor's identity, as he had read about the man in various news articles.

"I can't believe it," he muttered. "I'm a prisoner of the man they call 'Jigsaw'!" Pausing to look around, he noticed that the walls were coated with a flammable substance, and every square foot of the room had a bottle of Nitroglycerin. "Alright, I'll play your stupid game on one condition. If I survive, I want to meet the man who captured me; FACE TO FACE!"

(Static)…One lives, another dies…what will happen to the other three? Review, if you wish to find out…(static)