Knuckles peered off the edge of his island onto the world below, the long sea coming to an end; however before he could see the land a smoke stream streaked across the sky. Using the Master Emerald to direct the island toward the ominous signal, he hoped that he wasn't too late to help, but by the looks of it he was.
As the island got closer the echidna could see that his suspicions were correct. Debris of the red biplane lay scattered amongst the beach front, and Knuckles slowed down the moving land mass as it had reached the dark signal. Peering down he could see a blue form not too far from the scene of the accident. Halting the island he hopped off the edge and glided down to the ground. The closer he got to the ground the more things did not look good; the hedgehog was looking to the ground, not really moving.
"Sonic!" He called out as he ran up to the hedgehog. The blue form looked up; the side of his face had dark streaks. Was he crying? Knuckles had never seen his rival like that, and thought he never would. As the echidna got closer to Sonic he couldn't help but wonder what could have the seemingly emotionally impervious hedgehog like this?
The echidna stopped as he looked about, it hit him. "Sonic. Where is Tails?"
"He-He's gone…" the hero choked. "Snively took him… I couldn't stop him."
Knuckles nodded. "I see… so what are you doing here?"
Sonic looked up and sniffed. "What?"
"Why are you sitting here? Your friend is in danger."
The hedgehog thought for awhile. "He might already be dead."
Shaking his head the echidna sighed. "If he wanted to kill him, he wouldn't have bothered taking him away to do it…"
Realizing that Knuckles had a valid point the hedgehog felt his hope come back. "You're right!" he said standing up abruptly, but was instantly reminded of his hurt leg. A cry of pain surged up Sonic's throat, but he swallowed it.
The echidna saw the strange reaction as the hedgehog stood and nodded, noting it was probably caused by an injury. "That would explain a lot. First we should get you back to Lower Mobius and tell the others. Sally will probably put together a good plan."
Just nodding, the hedgehog agreed as Knuckles helps, letting Sonic use him as a crutch as they stumble forward a bit. The echidna saw something on the ground in front of them. "Isn't that Sally's computer?" he asked, picking up the little palm gadget.
Sonic looked to it and nodded, must be Tails dropped it when they crashed, or when he was being chased. Either way it was back in his hands again. Maybe with it Sally could find out where Tails was being taken. As they started moving back to the new Freedom Fighter base the hedgehog couldn't help put shiver at the thought of what Snively could be doing with his friend right at this very moment.
The doors to the brig opened up. The human looked into the cell where the kit was hanging from chains on the wall. Snively knew the fox could be sly, so he took no chances.
The fox looked up at the short human, a bit shaken up about being imprisoned, however he did his best to hide his fear. He still had confidence that Sonic would rescue him, as he had done many times before.
"Well little furball, how do you like your new home?"
Tails frowned, what would Sonic say in a situation like this? He smiled a bit as he thought of what to say. "Eh, it's ok, but too bad I won't be staying, once Sonic gets through with you-."
Snively smiled and interrupted the kit. "Don't bet on that twerp… because you see, heroes have their obligations and their pride. They have to have reasons to live, and to fight, where villains you see only have one motivation, and that's conquest. You see it's much easier to be the conqueror; all they have to do is find the hero's weakness and exploit it. There won't be any rescue this time. You see, I have found that cursed hedgehog's weak point, and his greatest is you. Without you he'll crumble, and as long as I have you, and there is hope of saving you, he'll run blindly to your rescue…"
The fox's fear could no longer be withheld as he shook a bit, weather it was at the cold shackles or the chilling words he didn't know. He felt a heat build up within after the chill as he realized that Sonic was in major trouble and it was all his fault. He shook in his chains trying to get out, the kit not wanting to be used as a tool in the human's schemes.
Snively smiled as the fox struggled. "As I said before, enjoy your new home, because once that rodent is out of my way you'll be the next one to go…" the human turned and walked out of the cold room, his crazy sporatic laughter echoing off the blank grey walls.
"Y'all see 'em yet?" Bunnie asked as she sat at the edge of the runway, which protruded from a pipe sticking out of the ground, with her glow sticks.
Sally shook her head as she looked through the binoculars. "No… I don't understand it Bunnie, they should have been back by now. Rotor said that Nicole's signal left the island a few hours ago. They should be here any minute… but I have a bad feeling, Sonic's never been late like this."
The rabbot yawns as her legs kick idly off the edge of the runway pipe. "I'm sure they're fine Sally-girl… they might be doin' some victory stunt or somethin'. Ya know how sugar hog and fox are."
Sally lowered the binoculars and looked sternly at her friend. "Oh thanks, make me more worried why don't you?"
Bunnie sighs, "Ya know sugar hog wouldn't let anything happen to Tails. Ya gotta stop worryin' or y'all are gonna grow grays by yer next birthday."
The princess shot the rabbot a dirty look when they heard someone approaching them from behind at a quick pace. Turning their attentions away from the skies they saw Rotor running down toward them, and Sally felt her heart start to pump faster as she could tell by the look on the walrus's face that he did not come here to give them good news.
The rabbit stood up and turned around standing next to Sally as the walrus had made it to them, catching his breath. "What's wrong Rotor?" the princess asked fearing the worst.
"Something happened…" Rotor said between breaths. "Nicole's tracing system has had a steep change in its vector. The velocity has slowed down and the direction has shifted, I don't think they're in the Tornado anymore."
Sally shivered a little as she heard this and her mind ran wild with ideas of all the possibilities on what could have happened, none of them being positive. "Are they on the continent?"
Rotor nodded, "I think we should go out to get them, before someone else does…"
"If they haven't already." The squirrel looked down as she thought of the news, Sonic could travel faster then the Tornado on foot, so why was the magnitude of movement be slower? If they were captured and in a transport that would explain it, but Rotor was right, they should go out to the signal, because the only answers to her questions would be found there.
The three of them ran down the strip and back to Lower Mobius, they had to get prepped to leave as quickly as possible.
Knuckles sighed as he helped Sonic sit on a nearby stump, they were probably about half way to the tunnels, but the echidna had to take a break. The hedgehog let off a bit of a laugh as he saw his rival take raspy breaths.
"What's wrong Knux? Been slackin' off?" the blue hero asked with a smile.
Knuckles frowned and responded with a shake of the head. "Hmm… No, you're just really heavy…" he thought a bit more. "And you should be one to talk. I can at least carry my own weight."
The hedgehog crossed his arms and sighed, Knuckles always took things way too seriously. "Well sorry, ya weren't just in a plane wreck about an hour ago!" he shouted, a bit upset at the echidna's attitude, facing away from him.
Smiling, the guardian walked up to Sonic. "I just remembered something." He said, causing the hedgehog to look over his shoulder, wondering what he was talking about.
"What are ya-" the hedgehog started before the echidna struck him across the cheek causing him to fall off of the stump backward and hit the ground with a light thud. After an abrupt silence, the hedgehog swore as he lifted himself up with a hand on the stump. He glared at Knuckles as he whipped his mouth. "What did you do that for?"
The assailant smiled with a chuckle. "Grif told me I could, remember? One good punch. I just forgot until now." He then shrugs. "Still feels just as good. Anyways I think you needed it, your head is off in the clouds."
As the hedgehog continued to rub his cheek he realized the Knuckles was right. "Ya… I guess I'm just angry at myself for lettin' Tails down. I didn't mean to take it out on you it's just…" Sonic paused, looking down.
Knuckles understood and patted his rival on the shoulder. "We will get him back; just don't hurt those that are trying to help. Save it for Snively's sorry carcass." He smiled.
Sonic looked up and nodded clenching his fists. "If he harms one hair on his head…"
Suddenly there was a deep vibration coming from the ground; brush could be heard snapping in the distance. The two looked to the jungle, noticing that the rumbling slowly made its way closer. It was obviously heading in their direction. Knuckles got into a defensive position as he then stated what was already known. "Someone's coming this way…" he growled.
The hedgehog let off a nod getting onto his feet, his leg already starting to feel a bit better. It was probably a minor sprain, just enough to hinder him a little slower at the moment. He really wasn't in the mood to fight, but he welcomed the chance to take out the frustration of losing Tails on whatever happened to come through the brush.
A grayish color could be seen rising up from the green leaves of the bushes; it was defiantly a tank of some kind. From the ground tremors and the sound of the engine, Sonic could tell that whatever it was, it was massive. "Think you can get through that armor Knux?" he asked glancing over.
"We should take out its weapons first, that way we'll only be fighting an armor shell." He shouted to the hedgehog over the loud rumbles, keeping his eyes on the vehicle as it closed in.
Sonic then noticed something and smiled relaxing a bit. "Maybe you won't have to Knuckles…" he said as the Freedom Fighter insignia caught his eye and he pointed it out to the read echidna. "It's not the enemy."
The guardian let out a sigh. "Shucks… ah well." He let out a chuckle. "I wonder how they found us."
Looking to the palm gadget in his hand, the hedgehog smiles. "Well I'll be… they probably traced us with ol' Nicole here."
The tank moved through the last line of brush and stopped before the two. A back panel of the vehicle opened up. Out of it came the forms of Sally, Bunnie, and Rotor. The three freedom fighters ran up to the two returned heroes. Sonic sighed as he saw the worried ground squirrel approach. He remembered the promise he had made to Sally before he left, he promised that nothing would happen to Tails. He had failed, miserably, how was he going to explain this to her?
As they got closer it didn't take Sally long to realize that someone was missing, she looked with immense concern to Sonic. "What happened? Where's Tails?"
Sonic closed his eyes, suddenly wishing that the tank had been foe instead of friend.
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Seeings as this is the official halfway point of the story, I decided to update the summary. The next update will be on the December 2nd, winter break is fast approaching, and as such the story will not be updated for about a month during the break. Two more should come out before then.
Keep them reviews coming in, and keep reading, writing, and living.