-Rouge-

I walk through the dark tunnels, alert for the slightest sound. There's nothing but my own footfalls, sure and certain, following the route I've memorised, because it's the only safe way back to the cave where we keep the Master Emerald… at least for now. We'll have to move on again sooner or later, and probably sooner, because we've been here quite a while now. It's lucky Robotnik doesn't pay us much real attention, or we might have lost long ago…

I'm not going to think like that! If I think that way, I'll start wondering why I keep on fighting… especially given what I've just been told. I'm not looking forward to telling Knuckles, not at all. He's not going to like this. I don't like it, and I barely knew Sonic. It's not just who he was… it's that, for so long, everyone's believed that everything would be okay when he woke up again. It might have been a foolish hope, but it gave a lot of people something to hope for. Now they're talking about giving up.

I suddenly realise I've come to the entrance to our little chamber, lost in thought. Knuckles is standing near the doorway, waiting for me; he must have heard me coming. Even thinking about what I've just been told, I'm still wary, ready for anything, and I check out the cave and him in almost a reflex action. He's looking at me, waiting for me to tell him what I know, so I start talking. One thing at a time.

"There's rumours that Robotnik managed to catch Amy and her resistance fighters, but that's not too reliable, because after that happened, Robotnik lost a Chaos Emerald to 'unidentified intruders'. Only one group would be daring enough to try a grab for those." Amy's been one of our strongest assets… by 'us', I mean the remaining free people of this world. She's proved to be a capable leader with generally excellent judgement… not what I'd have said about her at all, when we first met, back aboard the ARK, so long ago now.

I have to tell him about what else I've heard, but I don't want to. He looks straight at me, wanting to know what it is, so I carry on with barely a pause.

"But… there's also something that looks more… solid. Rumours are also flying that, the last time Amy changed hideout, they didn't take the life-support equipment. People are beginning to talk about giving in. With Sonic gone… he was an emblem of hope for everybody… they all dreamed that he'd awaken someday…" I stop before I start breaking up. Knuckles looks at me disbelievingly, like he doesn't want to believe it. I didn't want to either, but…

I hear a noise, gesture to him for silence with a sharp wave of my hand, though he wasn't saying anything, listen hard, straining my ears for a betraying sound. Shiftings, the patter of loose earth, a million tiny noises echoing down the dark passages. I'd say there are two or three, whatever they are, and coming our way, so I hold up one finger, then a second, and after a pause, a third. He takes up a fighting stance in the doorway, just as I do, and we wait for these intruders.