-Tails-

"What use are six Emeralds when you need seven?! That's assuming we could even get them in the first place!" Crossfire turns and walks off down the corridor, blue eyes hard. Even from the back his tall form gives a sense of barely-controlled anger. I hang my head and stare at the floor, earlier euphoric mood completely washed away now. He's right... that's what I really don't want to admit to myself. Crossfire's actually right. Blaze looks at me, and I look up. His face is the only one now that doesn't look as if its owner's hopes have been crushed.

"I think you should go and talk to Sonic, Tails. A mind that hasn't watched the changes is the one most likely to see them." Then he turns, face as young-old-innocent-experienced-knowing-understanding as ever, and follows his brother. My face twists into a frown as I ponder his words. What does he mean? Why would Sonic be more likely to see changes than we, who've lived through them, would? It doesn't seem to make much sense. I look over at Amy, whose iron-hard composure is already reasserting itself.

"Yes, go and talk to Sonic for a while. Check on Shadow, too, while you're there. I'll work out where we're going to hide next - Chess, Trick, Gaze, come here and help me get the computer sorted out." I know what she's doing. She's distracting them - and me - from thinking about Crossfire's words. If we get depressed, we'll start wondering if there's really any point to all this... and then we'll give in. We have to have our hopes, unlikely as they are, otherwise there won't be any reason for us to carry on anymore. I nod to her, vision just a little blurry, and leave, catching sight of Gaze's eyes as I go. They sparkle with unshed tears that he's trying hard to keep under control, but Amy's request has turned his thoughts from it somewhat. I look down and walk off, fast, before they get too good a look at my own expression.

By the time I've reached Sonic, clambering over rubble piles in places, I'm feeling a lot more cheerful, if only because the moving has taken my mind off things a little. That, and my puzzling over Blaze's statement. How could Sonic see more than I of the changes he never saw? Still, it's generally wise to listen to Blaze, we've found. He always seems to know more than it ought to be possible for him to.

I look in the door, seeing Shadow asleep in the bed, Sonic perched on its edge, apparently thinking. His face is very serious, and yet there's still a strange element to it, as if he can't quite believe this isn't some dream he's going to wake up from soon enough. I come in quietly and sit on the chair, awkwardly fiddling with the sleeve of the jacket I left here earlier. Sonic looks up.

"Tails? Can you find the other Chaos Emeralds?"

I look at him with just a little surprise, Crossfire's words flashing through my memory. "Sonic, there are only six of them now, remember?"

He looks at me as if he'd never have expected to hear me say that. "Tails, that's not important. Our having them means that Robotnik doesn't, means that they can't be used against us, even if there's nothing else we can do with them!" Suddenly his eyes go wide, and he half-gasps, a sudden and almost silent intake of breath. I jump up, nearly knocking the chair over, and quickly cover the few steps it takes to reach his side. As I get there, he shakes his head, green eyes now more than a little worried.

"What is it, Sonic?"

"Nothing... but for a moment... I almost thought I saw..." His voice trails off, leaving me wondering what in the world is going on. I remember his recount of his dreams, and wonder... It couldn't be possible, could it? The dreams he remembers having... they were like his mind was trying to make sense of what was happening to him. Trapped in his own subconscious... but breaking the icy barrier to escape? He couldn't have shattered some kind of barrier between his conscious mind and his subconscious, could he? And if he had... does that mean that things are leaking through? That he's going mad? No! I won't let myself think that!

But what if he is? Then what will we do? I've never hoped that I could be wrong quite so much as I do now. You've gotta be okay, Sonic... you've got to.