Author's Notes: Thank you for your patience on me being late, new chapters will be out every month. As always, please read and review.

Chapter 9: Some Wounds are Easier to Heal Than Others

X.x.x. Freedom H.Q. infirmary .x.x.X

The ambience of various medical equipment are the only thing to be heard as Sonic slowly awakens in a haze on an infirmary bed. He takes time to look around at his surroundings, from the X-Rays on the screen too far away for him to see in detail, to the series of bandages he was wrapped in, to his gaze finally resting on a sleeping Sally by his bedside. After the ordeal, Sally has been by his side and has only left it to check up on the others. Seeing her like this strikes a guilty note within him.

Nice going Sonic, she probably has been worrying herself sick over your dumb ass. Let alone what I put the team through because I didn't take care of business.

Sensing Sonics movements, Sally wakes up and yawns. "Hey Sonic, how are you feeling?"

Sonic pushes the thought away and shoots a confident grin "Like million bucks..." as he tries to stand, a surge of fresh pain grips him and he drops back to the bed with a hiss "Worth of medical bills."

"With the thrashing you took, I'm not surprised. I'd advise against moving too much, but that's like asking water to run uphill." A grizzled old duck enters the room looking at the notes "The wounds aren't too severe but they still will require you to get some rest ..." Bunnie, Antonie and Rotor soon enter the room. The duck rubs his forehead "I swore I put up a do not disturb sign on the door but nobody even listens."

"Ya said sumthin, doc?" Bunnie ask politely. Defeated he heads to the door.

"No my dear, I never do. please enjoy your night and don't make this an ongoing thing."

The room is agonisingly silent for a minute as every looks around with a hint of unease at what Sonic knows. Sonic finally breaks the ice, "Thanks for saving my hide back there. If y'all hadn't come..."

"Sonic," Rotor stops him "we didn't get to you in time, we were still in the town when that happened."

"Wait, if you didn't, then who..."

"It's Amy you should be thanking," Bunnie breaks her silence and her words carry a hint of anger. "If it wasn' for her, we might be putting your ass in the ground. Not only that, she took him to the his damn limits from what I saw. If ah were you, ah'd go to her and beg her to come back to the team. But from the look ah saw in her eyes, she be just as likely to finish you off for him, that come back."

It takes the fastest thing alive a second or two to process what he just heard. Suddenly, he tries to stand but is forced to lay down by his wounds.

"Is she still here, Where is she, and..." Stopping for a second to gather the last though "how did she pull that off?"

"I believe I have the answer to one of those, Blue." Stepping out off the window sill, Rouge the bat appears surprising everyone. "Amy has been training with Shadow, Omega, and myself for two months now. I didn't know why, but Shadow brought her to the team and she has been getting better ever since." This news is a genuine shock to everyone in the room. For the past two months everyone has worried about her location and searched every place they could think of. The team event went so far as to attack Eggman, fearing he had imprisoned her. To find out she was literally a call away was too much for Sally to bear.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US! WE HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR HER FOR THOSE TWO MONTHS. I HAVE LOST TOO MANY NIGHTS FEARING IF WHAT HAPPEN CAUSED HER DEATH. ALL WE NEEDED WAS A CALL OR SOMETHING TO PUT EVERYONE AT EASE. YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO TELL HER YOU SAID ANYTHING, WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL, ROUGE!" Sally yells at the bat tears welling in her eyes.

Rouge glares at the princess "She didn't say and from her reactions at the mentioning of this place, I didn't ask. You may want to talk to her, but I suggest waiting for her to open it up. whatever the hell happened here really changed her, and even I don't know if she will go back to normal." She finally signs, saying something under her breath, then looks to Sonic "I also came to speak with you, Sonic. Shadow says he needs to speak with you, it's important and seeing you like this says you need it."

X.x.x. In a Nearby Infirmary Room .x.x.X

Amy quietly walks into the medical room to find Tails listening to Knuckles as he pleads his case.

"I'm telling you he just caught me off guard. If I had taken him seriously, he wouldn't have stood a chance..." Knuckles spots Amy out the corner of his eye. "Amy?!"

"Amy, your okay!" Tails hops off the bed and hugs Amy. She tries to return the embrace but notices the bandages and stops. Noticing her reluctance he quickly reassures her. "Don't worry, I'm okay, Dr. Quack wanted to bandage my ribs again to make sure they 're alright but I kept telling him they are fine."

Amy gives a light smile "I happy to hear that," She looks to Knuckles "Are you okay?

"Yeah, that bastard gave me a cheap shot and almost broke my nose. I swear he's gonna get that back in spades the next time I see him." Knuckles gives her a thumbs up and smiles. Tails looks to her "Amy, are you coming back? I think with you back, we..."

"I'm sorry Tails, I don't know if I am here to stay. I came back to handle this attacker, but afterwards I don't quite know."

With the two people she worried about okay, Amy hugs both of them "I'm staying at my house for now, if you want to catch up." she quietly leaves the room and walks out of the H.Q. into the crisp night air…

X.x.x. Several miles in the skies above Mobius .x.x.X

As the aircraft sails across the black, star filled sky, the slayer is resting in the storage bay. A beeping draws his attentions as a screen hanging from the bay roof drops down and lights up and an in flight video feed show him the meeting room and the vice versa. the meeting room is silent until Snivley stands and speaks.

"Congratulations, my uncle is very impressed at the performance you've shown and after some time he decides to accept the deal at double the price."

"I happy to hear your uncle finally come to see things my way..." Suddenly, Eggman grabs Snivley's shoulder and says something in his ear too low and covered to be heard by Doctore or the slayer. As Snivley look back at the screen, a truly sinister grin on his face.

"He accepts your terms with one condition, seeing as your more than able to beat Sonic, he feels that someone of your talent could surely do one more thing, to make things fair. He would also gets all seven of the Chaos emeralds as well. And it has to be done in one week or he doesn't pay anything." The slayer clinches his hidden fist.

(No way in hell is he going to add this into the deal. I wasted the element of surprise and time to pull this stunt, it may take me all week to complete this mission. I don't have the time or the numbers to do both of these and he's banking on it so he doesn't have to pay.) Before the slayer can speak, he is cut off by Doctore.

"My slayer is capable of both things and agrees. However, due to the added task I believe you own him something in return. We will have the ability to coordinate with your forces when need be to complete these task." the slayer is again at a loss for words just as things seem bad enough he pushes them to the very limit. He can only fake a confident grin as he screams on the inside.

"I accept these terms, please press your finger to the tablet located in the compartment above you." As the slayer does, Robotnik presses a button and a paper slides out of the table. the paper is a contract with the fingerprint as a signature. With all manner of business done Snivley and Eggman stand to leave. "You both can stay here for the week. anything you need, just ask and I can attain. I hope you find success in your task, but I'll be fine if you don't". With time to himself, Doctore looks to the screen and smiles "For your sake, I hope you're ready for the hell you put yourself in." With the screen now blank, he moves the screen and takes time to heave a sign and pulls out a hidden locket. He opens the locket and gives a weak smile.

"He and i both know I don't have a choice, i have to be ready for both your sakes. just hang in a little longer, I'll be able to free you as soon as i pull all is insane crap off." With a renewed vigor, he pull out a small phone and begins to make several calls...