As of March 2021 All existing chapters (1-8 ) have been remastered for spelling, grammar, and some other minor issues. Hopefully this will improve the experience. - Sarilleny
Fractured Frequency | Henceforth
As the first inklings of awareness returned to him, Knuckles heard muffled mutterings coming from some distance away. He stirred, opening his eyes to find that he was lying tucked under the sheets of his bed. He pushed them down and sat up slightly. To his left he noticed a glass of water and gladly took it to relive the dryness at the back of his throat. 'How long have I been asleep,' he wondered. He didn't even't remember getting in bed. He began to lift the glass to his lips for another sip, but stopped midway. His mind was suddenly aroar as a slew of disjointed memories rushed back to him. The glass crashed down, spilling its contents onto soft sheets, but Knuckles was already through the door, racing into the living room.
"SONIC!"
Knuckles found Sonic sitting on the couch speaking quietly to a younger fox who was on the ground tinkering with some mechanical device.
'Tails?' Knuckles thought. When had he arrived?
"Knuckles!" Sonic said. He stood quickly, and took a step toward him looking a bit surprised.
"You're up! How are you feeling?"
"What ar-" Knuckles faltered. He looked from Sonic to Tails, and back again, overcome with the feeling that he had no idea what was going on.
"What are you talking about? I'm fine. But… what happened? I thought I felt… felt…"
As he tried to recall the sensation he'd sensed in the memory just moments ago, description was lost to him.
Sonic interrupted his recall.
"The Master Emerald is fine Knuckles. You passed out. Don't you remember?"
Knuckles looked up at Sonic, sure he had several emotions playing over his face. He was overflowing with questions.
Sonic spoke up before he could decide on one to ask. "This is what you haven't been telling me, right?"
Knuckles opened his mouth to reply, but Sonic cut him off again.
"There's no use in denying it. I can see it in your eyes."
So Knuckles remained silent. He knew Sonic had him in a corner. For all his efforts at avoiding this conversation, he'd know from the moment he had allowed Sonic to stay it would eventually come to light.
—
"Are you going to say anything? Seriously Knuckles! Sometimes I really don't get you. Why in the world would you not tell me Eggman was involved! I mean, I knew your whole I-slipped-down-the-ravine story was bullshit, but why cover this up? Why this, if it's a real threat? When did this start? Really, I'm SO done waiting for answers. What's the real story about your injury? What do you know about is this thing," he said pointing at the device in Tails' arms, "and what else aren't you telling me!?"
Sonic glared at Knuckles expecting the same in return, but instead was met with a look of utter confusion.
"Eggman? Sonic what…" Knuckles looked to Tails, seeking some sort of elaboration, but the fox shrugged at him helplessly. "Eggman was here?" Knuckles continued. "When… while I… what did… Sonic, what is going on? I… I have no idea what you're talking about anymore…."
Sonic was confused then as well. "Wait… So you don't know about this," he asked, pointing at the device again.
The expression on the guardian's face provided Sonic was a sufficient answer. Knuckles seemed completely unguarded. It was a rare thing to see his friend so openly expressive.
Studying the device Knuckles said, "no, what is that thing? I've never seen it before."
Sonic and Tails shared a worried look at that. Sonic proceeded cautiously. "Knuckles, what do you remember from yesterday?"
"Yesterday? How long was I… Um… We… went to the Li— to the tunnels… picked up a spare map. We raced up to the Red Mountain Point, and…"
"And then?" Sonic pressed.
"We stayed for a while… talking, I think, but… I… I don't. Why don't I remember?" He finished sounding alarmed.
"Nothing at all?" Sonic asked.
"I… there is… a feeling… just... distress. Like the Emerald was calling me. But…I don't… I can't remember why, or what it was saying. There's no context."
Is that normal?" asked Tails, jumping in the conversation for the first time." I mean, can you always feel when it is in danger, or just in extreme cases?"
"Always."
"But obviously it's not normal for you to feel pain, right?" Sonic interjected.
He looked to Knuckles for a response, and found more questions written on the guardian's face.
"Oh right. You don't… So after the race, Knuckles… I mean, you were… well, it was bad… I'm actually kind of relieved that you don't remember… but, really that's it? You remember nothing else?"
Knuckles just shook his head no.
"Ok. You're missing a lot Knux," Sonic said apologetically. "It was a good long while after we left the mountain top that you passed out. I'm surprised you don't remember more."
"Can you just tell me what happened to Sonic? I still have no idea what the hell is going on! How long was I even out?"
"Yeah. It happened yesterday evening, so you've been out for… basically a whole day. It was late afternoon when it happened. I guess it started when we decided to have a rematch race back to your house."
With that, Sonic proceeded to recount everything that had taken place leading up to, and following Knuckles collapse.
—
"Wait… Are you saying you think Eggman was here? While I was passed out!?"
"No!"
"NO," both Sonic and Tails replied quickly, noticing the growing panic in Knuckles' voice.
Sonic continued. "No, at least we don't think so. I did a sweep of the island after I got you back here, but nothing else, and I mean literally not even a leaf, was out of place. I think whatever you were sensing must have been related to this device," he said, pointing at the object Tails was holding.
Knuckles wearily examined the object from a far. "That thing, what does it do?"
Having remained mostly silent up till now, Tails seemed glad to finally have something to contribute.
"Well, that's what I've been trying to figure out all morning. From what I can tell so far, it contains no weapons, but has a basic navigational mechanism, something that looks like a modified broadcast device, and a few other other elements I'm not sure of yet. It's highly encrypted, so I haven't been able to get a stable work around to all of its subroutines. Until I do we're locked out of its central database, which would tell me its purpose."
Ever impatient, Sonic cut in. "But are we still talking about Eggman here? It doesn't exactly look like one of his."
"Well that's the strange thing Sonic, I'm not sure Eggman is behind this. It's definitely a Robotnik piece, but the base code in the system core is really complex. It's like nothing I've ever seen before."
"Then, what makes you so sure that the fat man made it?" Sonic asked.
In reply, Tails simply flipped the detached upper hull of the device over towards them. The letters R.O.B.O.T.N.I.K. were clearly marked inside.
"Eggman likes to brand his work. Anyway, I've tried every known access protocol and hack which has broken into his system before. Either Eggman is really trying to keep me from figuring this out, by virtually recreating his whole code structure, or someone else had a hand in constructing this," remarked Tails, soberly.
"How is this all connected though? It just seems like too much of a coincidence, this thing with Knux, and finding this bot." As Sonic spoke, he began to pace the room. "It doesn't really make sense either though. What was that anyway? You've never had a reaction like that before, right Knuckles?" When he didn't receive an answer he turned back, saw that the echidna didn't even seem to be paying attention.
"Knux?" Sonic asked, turning back to face him.
The Guardian seemed lost in some uneasy thought.
"Umm, maybe you should sit down Knuckles," Tails tried cautiously, noticing the stress in their friend's features.
Knuckles' thoughts were a whirlwind of disarray because something had just clicked, and he felt completely blindsided.
He stared at the strange device. R.O.B.O.T.N.I.K. The letters mocked him. Their strikingly bold forms inside the domed hull that Tails held. It represented one of his greatest fears, that Eggman, Doctor Robotnik, after many years of oversight, would once again set his aim to steal the Master Emerald.
His first ever encounter with Robotnik, he was ashamed of. It was the greatest mistake Knuckles had ever made as guardian. He had been deceived, taken Sonic on as an enemy, and nearly gotten them both killed in the process. It nearly cost him everything. Amazingly it had also resulted in the two kindling a loose friendship that would grow over the years.
His other encounters with the mad doctor had been similarly tumultuous, and although the doctor had taken less of a direct approach at stealing the magnificent gem in recent years, Knuckles still considered him one of the greatest threats to the island.
Now, after all the time he'd spent trying to figure out what was going on over the last few weeks, Knuckles realized he'd gotten so wrapped up in what he thought he was doing wrong himself, that he hadn't at all seriously considered the possibility of an outside threat being involved. It was an unsettling epiphany.
—
Sonic watched Knuckles cautiously, seeing how the other seemed to be dawning upon some sort of crushing realization.
He addressed Tails apologetically in a whisper, "Hey little bro, I'm sorry, but could you give us a few minutes?"
Tails nodded silently in understanding, and swiftly made his way towards the kitchen. When Tails was out of range, Sonic turned back towards his comrade, and took a deep breath.
"RED sit down." He said, echoing the younger fox's concern. When Knuckles didn't move Sonic walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Knuckles." Finally the echidna met his gaze. "Sit. Let's talk about it." He proceeded to guide his friend to the couch and took a seat next to him.
"Ok Knux, what's going on?"
Knuckles looked at him, then shifted his gaze down to his gloves. When Knuckles finally spoke, it was just above a whisper.
"I… There isn't much to tell…"
"Knuckles…"
"No, I mean, I don't… I've been… I'm not so sure I know anymore. I… I had no idea about Eggman."
"Ok." Sonic began. "Well I don't see why you would have Bud. You've never seen this device before right?"
Knuckles shook his head 'no' in response. He seemed to be struggling with something else though.
"What is it?"
"I thought… that… maybe I was just working too hard… or maybe I was getting sick or something, but… but it started a few weeks ago, I just, I thought that… it was just… just, me."
"Red you're not…" Sonic stopped himself and took a deep breath, reminding himself to be patient. He could see that this was difficult for his friend to share, so he began again. "Knuckles…you're not being clear. What is it? What happened?"
"I've been… having blackouts… it… but, when it started I really just thought I was getting sick or something. I didn't know… I didn't even think that… that…"
"That what, Red?!"
"Eggman…"
Sonic's mind was racing trying to connect all the dots. "Wait…ok, so yesterday wasn't the first time this happened? And…these other blackouts, were they all like the one yesterday?" He looked to the echidna for an answer, but received only an uncertain look in response. "Right, you don't remember… OK, ok, um… these other blackouts, do you remember feeling pain, or worried about the Master Emerald?"
Knuckles pondered this for a moment. "I did, only once though. It was this sinking feeling when I woke up that something was wrong with the Master Emerald."
"Was there anything different about that situation from the others?"
The expression on Knuckles' face suddenly became even more disconsolate as he considered this. "The ravine… it was that time."
"WHAT?" For a moment Sonic just stared incredulously. "You're telling me… DAMMIT Knuckles! Seriously? You told me you slipped and fell! Ok… ok, just, tell me that was the first time you blacked out. It was the very first time right?"
"…No."
Sonic pinched the bridge of his nose as he proceeded to count back from ten slowly. When he spoke again, it was slow and controlled.
"Knuckles… you blacked out, fell down a ravine, sprained your ankle, felt the presence of danger, and still, still, you didn't call me… Do you see …do you understand, how, as your sincere friend…I am really pissed off at you for that… You could have… ok…ok, you, know what, nevermind…"
"Sonic… I'm—"
"—Just… whatever, we'll discuss it later. SO…" he said eyes wide with exasperation. A slow deep breath followed, and then he continued, "after that… incident, I know you would have scoured the island for threats right? And I'm guessing you didn't find anything, just like I didn't find anything at first. The difference is, you would have been looking hours after first blacking out, right? Am I on track here?
Knuckles nodded.
"Ok, and based on what happened yesterday, that would probably have been too late. It's no wonder you didn't find anything. The question is, how these things are connected. I get the feeling you're thinking the same thing I am…"
The room descended into silence for a long moment, as both considered this. Sonic was surprised when Knuckles actually continued the conversation.
"How is that even possible Sonic? And if it's true that someone has been… causing my blackouts, why? What's the motive, if not the Master Emerald?"
"Maybe it is the Emerald. I don't know. Maybe, it was for information. Look, I know things are a bit fuzzy, but do you remember anything out of the ordinary during those last few weeks. Do you think you could have been drugged?"
"No. Like I told you, until today I had no idea about…and...being drugged can't explain yesterday, you were there with me the entire day" Knuckles tightened his fists in frustration." Damn, it just doesn't make sense! How… how could I have been so stupid? Damn it!"
"Knux, don't start with that. This is not your fault, and blame won't help us figure it out anyway.
"What? Of course it's my fault Sonic! I'm the guardian of this island! It's my duty to protect this place, to know what is going on!"
"That may be true, but you're setting yourself to a ridiculous standard. Just…I'm sick of this responsability crap from you Knux! Do you think every guardian before you was perfect ? You think they never made mistakes?" Sonic was getting annoyed. With everything they'd just discovered, he really didn't want to have that argument again.
When Knuckles stood suddenly, and turned away from him, Sonic was afraid it would be the end of their conversation, but surprisingly the echidna made no attempt to flee. Instead Sonic noticed how his friend's namesake fists curled at his side, and the slight shudder at his shoulders. When he spoke again, his voice sounded pleading, though Sonic was uncertain of what for exactly.
"Sonic… I am the last guardian… If I fail, there is no army standing behind me, like there was for past guardians. If I fail… everything is lost…"
Something about that revelation shocked Sonic. It was quite possibly the sincerest admission of insecurity he'd ever heard from Knuckles. He stood and reached out to grasp one of the echidna's much larger fists in his own hand.
"But Knuckles… there is," he said, grasping the hand within his a bit tighter. "You've never been alone in this. Not since the day we met. How… how can you not know that?"
Knuckles turned back to face him with an expression of painful sincerity. When Sonic met his eyes he saw everything written there, despair, fear, anger, great pain, yet despite those, a glimmer of hope; and, when Knuckles spoke, Sonic finally began to understand an inkling of what he'd been missing this whole time.
"I thought I… did… know that once, but…," the last bit came out a whisper, "everyone left…"
Later, upon a great deal of reflection, Sonic wasn't sure why or what about Knuckles' words had done it, but they struck a chord within Sonic like an old tune long forgotten. A memory from many months ago flashed in his mind, and instantly he knew it was the missing puzzle piece. The something, he'd felt like a wall between them. The answer he'd been searching for.
Moments later, he was startled out of his reverie, by a shift in weight at his shoulder.
"Knuckles?"
Knuckles had reached out clasping at him at shoulder with one hand, with the other planted firmly at his own temple. Sonic was about to ask what was wrong, when Tails came bursting in excitedly from the kitchen."
"GUYS! I got it! It's working again! The device!"
As Knuckles slump further into his grasp, Sonic realized what was happening.
"Tails, shut it down! SHUT IT DOWN!"
"But Soni.."
"NOW TAILS! It's happening again!"
Tails' eyes went alarmingly wide at this, and he quickly disappeared from sight.
Sonic slid one hand under Knuckles' arm, and around his back shifting into a familiar position from the day before.
"Hey. Hey Knuckles? Buddy, you with me?"
"Nngh"
Sonic raised an eyebrow at the response and continued. "Ok, just hold on a sec. Tails is turning that thing off. I have a feeling you'll be alright when he does. Do you want to sit down?" When a few seconds passed without another reply from the echidna, Sonic got worried. "Knuckles? Hey! Knux. Wake up! Common now, stay—"
"—Sonic…"
The hedgehog almost missed the word, as it whispered into his shoulder.
"Yeah, what is it Red?"
"Please…" The echidna had to pause to catch his breath.
"Red, what do you need? Just tell me!" Sonic said, getting worried.
"Stop…stop yelling…" He managed to voice raspy, raising his head a bit. "My head… is killing me."
"OH!" Sonic exclaimed. "I mean oh," he corrected, adjusting his voice. "Sorry. Um, couch?" Knuckles nodded, and together they moved to the seat.
—
When Sonic let go, Knuckles pulled his knees up to his chest, and let his head rest on them. He was about to attempt to ask Sonic to get him some medicine when Tails came running back into the room, worry tainting his face. "Knuckles I am SO sorry! Are you ok?" he exclaimed.
Sonic quickly shushed him, signaling with a finger to the lips. "He's alright Tails…"
Knuckles' head was pounding, and everything seemed to be spinning. For a long time he sat there teetering on the edge of nausea. He tried to focus on taking deep breaths. There were mumbling voices near him.
Some amount of time passed, before a gentle tap at his shoulder roused him, and the mumbles registered a bit more comprehensible. Knuckles opened his eyes, and found Sonic sitting on the coffee table in front of him, and Tails hovering a few steps behind him.
"Knux? Hey, we brought you some water."
Sonic offered him the glass, and he shakily accepted.
"Is there anything else, we can get you?"
Knuckles shook his head, left to right. He asked, "How long?"
"Just a few minutes. You didn't quite pass out, or seem pained this time. Can you tell us what you are experiencing?" Sonic asked.
Knuckles sat up a little straighter and took a sip of the water. "It felt like… a headache, but extreme. Everything else just sort of faded away."
"What about the Emerald? Did you sense danger?" Tails asked.
"No… Nothing. I…" he closed his eyes then reaching out, feeling for the Emerald's energy. It's familiar signature met his mental touch, calm and constant as ever. "It's… the Emerald feels normal." Knuckles answer, feeling as much frustration with himself, as he felt relief.
It must have shown on his face, because Sonic looked at him and said, "Don't go there Knux. Look, this is… well it's not good, but, it has given us some facts." He turned to Tails then and said, "here, come sit down Bro, let's all talk through this. What do we know? What questions do we still have?"
Tails took a seat in one of the wicker chairs and began, "So, we now know for certain that there is some sort of direct connection between the device you found Sonic, and you Knuckles. I would say the reaction we just saw is proof of that."
Sonic nodded in agreement. "Yeah. I had my doubts before, but… not after that. I'd still question whether it is having any effect on the Master Emerald. We haven't actually seen any evidence of that, but… I don't know. I can't discount your reaction about it either Knuckles. Yesterday you were deadly serious when you said it was threatened, and I'm still inclined to believe you."
Sonic looked at him expectantly then, but Knuckles had nothing to offer in reply.
Sonic shot him an apologetic smile. "Sorry."
"Tails," he asked then, "do you have any idea how this could be possible? Or why it's only affecting Knuckles?"
"Nothing beyond wild speculation. And not without more info and tests on that device."
Sonic sighed. "I was afraid you'd say that."
Sonic directed another apologetic look at Knuckles then, and Knuckles felt a sudden pang of anxiety for what was coming. "What is it?" He asked.
It seemed Sonic mulled around with the right approach for a bit, because a minute or so passed before he actually continued. "Knuckles, you are not going to like this. We've gotta figure out what is going on here though. Especially how wide ranging this treat is. I mean, it's one thing if it's just affecting you, but if there is anything else at play here we need to be aware. We need to know how and what to secure."
"Yeah. I agree with you. So what are you suggesting?"
"I think… our best bet to get ahead of this right now, is if Tails keeps testing the device. We need to know if there is a link to the Emerald, or something else on the island."
Knuckles chanced a glance at Tails, and found the same apologetic frown written on his face.
"I understand that," Knuckles said. There was something else. Sonic hadn't divulged his full meaning yet. "Look, I am… I don't even know what to think about all of this, but I'm not afraid of taking a little pain to get answers. Just do the tests."
"Yeah. That's the thing Knuckles. We are not doing that."
And then Knuckles understood.
"NO. No way Sonic. I'm not doing it. Not now."
"Knuckles we are NOT going to test that thing with you in range again."
"NO WAY. I'm not leaving. Tails can just take that stupid thing, and test it back at his lab!" He turned on Tails then, "You've got more tools to analyze it there anyway, don't you Tails?"
"Knuckles, it's not just that." The fox replied.
"No, he can't," Sonic cut in. "I told you this already Knux. We have to test it here. If there is something here on the island that it is reacting to, Tails wouldn't be able to pick it up from the lab at home. This is the only way we'll know for sure if it is reacting with the Master Emerald."
"I don't care! I'm not going. If it's the pain you're worried about, then don't. I can handle it."
"Knuckles we don't know how much damage that thing could do to you!"
"I'm fine. It's not even—"
"—Knuckles just STOP!" Sonic interrupted. "You are NOT staying here while he does the tests."
"You can't force me to leave Sonic."
Sonic sighed again, frustration clear on his face. "I get it Knuckles. You don't remember the pain, so it's not a big deal right? So it doesn't matter. But you forget… I was there when happened. It's NOT ok. I thought…" when Sonic's voice cracked a little, Knuckles was unsure if his friend would continue. He did after a moment. "I wasn't sure if you'd still be there when I got back. Or if…if you'd…wake up again." he finished in a whisper.
Knuckles' eyes grew wide with the revelation. The anger died on his lips, and all of his words suddenly seemed to disappear.
What could he possibly say to that.
With a sigh, he dropped his forehead to an open palm.
It wasn't just about whether or not to leave the island. Sonic wouldn't see it that way. He wouldn't understand what the implications meant to Knuckles, not yet anyway.
The weight of this decision would be far reaching, that Knuckles knew. On his part, it meant surrendering control of his duty. Not in a way that meant his friends were just helping, but rather in a binding way that meant from this point forward he no longer owned the final decision. His authority over the situation would be, henceforth, relinquished.
But really, what choice did he have? In all truth, it was already out of his grasp.
He looked up and met Sonic's eyes. "Ok..."
"What? OK, what?" Sonic asked, a little surprised.
"Ok, I'll go. Just…" The room suddenly felt stifling then. He needed to get away from the conversation, and their sorry eyes. He stood. "I've got to… I'll be at the shrine… I need to move the island. Change our position." He started walking away towards the back door.
"Knux," Sonic called after him. "Are you sure you're feeling up to that right now?"
Knuckles paused but didn't turn. "It doesn't really matter how I feel Sonic. It needs to be done."
—
Sonic didn't reply so he kept walking. Just before he was out the door, he heard Tails quietly ask, "Should we stop him?"
"No. Let him go," he heard Sonic say.
Knuckles stepped out the door, and proceeded to the shrine, desperate for a quiet moment to calm his racing thoughts.
Sonic watched Knuckles go. He hated forcing the guardian's hand but it would be for the best. He hoped Knuckles would eventually see it too.
"What now?" Tails asked beside him.
"I'll go check on him in a little while. I think he just needs some time to process."
"Ok. I feel kinda bad about how that went."
"I know Bro. Me too."
"If there were a different way to get the same results, I'd take it. But Angel Island has such a singularly developed ecosystem. When you factor in the chaos energy, and the other peculiarities, there is just no way."
"We need those tests Tails. That's the short and long of it."
"Yeah. It is," Tails resigned. "Well… think for now I'll go put together some dinner. It's almost…" Tails paused to check his wrist communicator, "…six-thirty! I bet Knuckles will be hungry when he gets back. I know I'm definitely getting there."
"Good call Lil Bro. You're right. I could use some chow too. In the meantime I'm gonna see if I can get Rouge on the comm-line."
—
It wasn't until Knuckles was climbing the steps of the Master Emerald shrine that he really felt the burden of fatigue weighing on him. It seemed rather ironic, considering that he had apparently slept for a whole day.
When he reached the top he took a moment to walk once around the Emerald letting one hand brush along its surface. He savored the feeling of how it's energy met his touch, greeting him like an old friend.
In the evening sky above, clouds danced with bright hues of coral and amethyst in the twilight. He settled in facing northward, and placed both hands on the gem. It began to glow radiantly, just as his eyes slid shut. The intangible connection between himself and the Master Emerald came alive as he grazed it's ethereal core. Around him the world shone like a dark canvas, outlined in strokes of light. He let his consciousness roam free within it for a while, reaching out over the vast expanse of Angel Island. From edge to edge, from highest peak, to deepest depth, he could feel it all.
After a time, he set his sights much further, beyond the reaches of the sanctuary, into the distant north. There was a place he knew there. It was far from the rolling hills and valleys below, set over the depth of a wild ocean. The air would be cold there, the days a bit shorter, now in the deep of winter. As his energy gravitated toward the point, it lay down a trail like a sprinkling of dust marking a path.
Within the confines of the energy driven plain, time passed inconsequentially. Neither slow nor rushed. When the path was complete, Knuckles pulled back. He gathered up a great ovoid grasp of energy, and released it, letting it expand out, wrapping over the bounds of the island gradually. When it's cover was complete, he willed it all to thrust forward, reaching out to the locus point of energy across the cloud filled sea.
He hovered there for a time then, just watching. It was faint, but he could feel the island's passing velocity through the sky. It was calm there among the energies, so he stayed, content to ignore the passing time.
Some while later, another energy joined.
"Are we on course?" a voice breached the stillness.
Knuckles let the connection fall away, catching the fade of the Emerald's glow once more, just as he opened his eyes.
"Yes." he said tiredly, turning to face Sonic who stood at the top step. "It'll take the rest of the night, but yes."
"You gonna stay out here all night then, or can I convince you to come in?" He asked. Then he added, "you're not going to feel any better, beating yourself up over all this."
"Has anyone ever told you're an incessant pain."
Sonic smiled at him. "Only you."
"I doubt that." Knuckles muttered under his breath. He started towards the stairs, but with his next step the world suddenly went topsy-turvy, spinning around him.
When he next opened his eyes, he didn't know he'd first closed them. Sonic was standing much closer, bracing him at the shoulder.
"Steady," he said. "I've got you."
Knuckles pulled away then, willing the feeling of shakiness away. "I'm fine… Just…"
"Exhausted?" Sonic supplied, a bit matter-of-factly.
Knuckles cast his eyes away, unwilling to answer.
"One question Knux. How's your head? Any piercing pains?"
"No."
"Good. Ok then," he replied brightly." Guess I'm inclined to let you walk back on your own then."
"You know," Knuckles glared back, "you could at least act like you're not enjoying this Sonic."
"I could. Would you prefer anxious coddling instead?"
Knuckles opened his mouth to reply, but found he really didn't even have it in him to continue the banter.
"Come on." Sonic said, patting his shoulder. "Let's head in."
—
Much later, well past midnight, Sonic found himself brooding alone on the living room sofa much like the night before; he was huddled under an old blanket with his knees hugged to his chest.
After returning from the shrine with Knuckles, the trio had eaten dinner together. They used the time to lay out a few plans for the following day. Since Sonic hadn't had any success in contacting Rouge with his first call, they decided to try the Chaotix as well. Sonic and Knuckles would depart the next day, pending confirmation from whichever of their allies could come guard the island in their stead. 'Amazingly,' Sonic thought, it hadn't taken any additional convincing to send the stubborn guardian to bed thereafter, for some rest. Knuckles had nearly dozed off at the table, mid discussion. That had been around eight.
About an hour ago he'd sent Tails to bed too, insisting his little brother take the spare room. He and Tails had spent the last few hours, continuing to get in contact with as much of the team as they were able. Their plans seemed to be coming together.
The two made a call to the Chaotix jointly to explain the immediate details of the situation. Mighty assured them there was no question on the matter of coming. They would proceed to the island by midday tomorrow.
Tails had arranged for Amy to pick up some supplies he'd left at his workshop. She'd agreed to do that, and graciously offered to collect additional provisions the group might need while at the island. She hadn't been sure how long it would take her, but expected to fly in on the Tornado by the next evening at the latest.
Sonic received a call back from Rouge shortly thereafter as well. With the Chaotix already confirmed, he tasked her with tracking down Shadow, who didn't exactly excel at keeping in regular contact. The conversation with her had gone a bit awkward when she'd pressed him for more details about Knuckles' condition. The concern in her voice was audible, as well as frustration over not being able to speak to him in person. Sonic assured her that Knuckles was reasonably well, and just at rest for the time being.
Thereafter, he and Rouge discussed some other action plans. They reasoned it would be best to make an attempt for the four remaining Chaos Emeralds, not in their possession. Currently, two were already stored on the island, and Rouge believed Shadow to hold another. She assured Sonic that she could get a hold of him in short order, with a little help from Omega, and then together the trio would work on tracking down the other four gems.
So with all of the immediate matters managed and out of the way, Sonic had little left to distract him from the past day's revelation which weighed on him most heavily. He was thinking back now, trying to figure out just what had happened.
In his review of the past many months, he was beginning to recall things, nuances that he'd not considered before. He questioned if it was possible for a person to change without knowing it. Or perhaps even more potent in his mind was this; 'is it possible to hurt someone in such a way, that it changes them?'
He'd asked the question, "what changed between us," several times over that past few days, and in every instance, he'd searched for the cause among Knuckles' actions. Instead, could it be that Knuckles was only the reaction? Because, to recluse and lash out at all those who come near, isn't such a great change, Sonic realized. Not for someone who once lived in complete isolation.
"Everyone left…" Knuckles had said. But Sonic was certain that he hadn't meant just that. Not really. The truth had been written plainly in those pained violet eyes. 'You left Sonic. You left when I needed you.'
He saw it now, the chip that split them. He saw where the hairline fracture had become a deep ravine. And things Knuckles had left unsaid were beginning to make sense.
How long had it been? Not quite a year, but almost.
—
"Hey Little bro What's up?"
"Hi Sonic!" Tails greeted cheerily over his wrist comm. "I've got Knuckles on the other line. He's been trying to call you, but said he was having trouble connecting. I've got a few things I want to tell you too, but it's no rush. We can chat later! Hold on, I'm gonna patch you through…" Tails said.
"Wait! Tails!… I don't have time for…"
"Hello?" A deeper voice asked.
Sonic released a drawn out sigh in annoyance. "Knuckles! Buddy! I hear you've been trying to get in touch with me."
"Yeah Sonic, I've called you at least ten times over the last few days. Where have you been?"
"I'm a popular guy, you know. Very busy! No time to shoot the breeze."
"Whatever. Look, can you come up to the island. I really need…"
"Yeah, no can do man. I'm needed. I've got a bunch of stuff going on right now!" Sonic cut in. "Besides, what do you need me for? You've got the Chaotix." He added, somewhat snidely.
"But that's what I'm trying to…"
"Red, I really don't have the time right now. Sorry. Gotta go."
"Sonic wai…"
[Click.]
—
That was it. Something had changed after that point. Knuckles had even tried calling him twice more. Sonic had turned off the ringer on his comm then.
Sonic's mission and exploration spree had kept him away for over two months, and it wasn't for another four after that, that he'd seen Knuckles again for their disastrous recon mission to the crumbled remains of Robotropolis.
'Even worse,' Sonic realized, was the fact that Knuckles must have known that Sonic didn't know. That he had forgotten that incident. Knuckles had been furious about it on their mission four months ago in September. That was clear now to Sonic now. But, it really wasn't anger that Knuckles harbored anymore now. Several words came to mind for what to call it, but none so much as wounded.
Everything Sonic had said over the past two days, about repairing their friendship, and about being there for the Knuckles. "Don't you trust me?" He'd said. It must have felt like a slap in the face for Knuckles.
Knuckles had reached out to him months ago, asking for help, and Sonic had deliberately ignored him.
'But why?' What had been going on between them then?
Sonic had been angry about something. He remembered that much. 'But what exactly?'
When Knuckles had contacted him, Sonic had been a day or two into a trip to an assistance mission. The residents there had been experiencing some difficulty with a group that had repurposed some older Eggman tech, and were threatening the community with it. That had been when exactly? 'around March of last year…'
'So what happened before, and after that?'
He knew he hadn't seen Knuckles again until their mission in September. And the only other thing he knew for certain that had changed between that time was that… "Oh."
'Oh.' And there it was.
The Chaotix.
Sonic hadn't known it at the time, but the Chaotix had left the island in March of last year. Mighty had told about it at their holiday party last month. He'd been vague with the details, and Sonic recalled thinking it curious that Knuckles hadn't mentioned anything about it during their mission.
But really it wasn't all that surprising, he realized now.
'The Chaotix.' That was what, or rather who they had been fighting about before.
'Well, not fighting exactly.' Sonic thought.
There had been an incident. It was months, and months ago. Maybe, the year before even. He wasn't sure of the date anymore. Sometime in late Autumn if his memory served true.
Maybe it was then that he and Knuckles had become very distant with each other.
'Over a stupid argument, that hadn't even involve Knuckles no less.'
It all stemmed from a fight between himself and Vector ages ago. At the time the Chaotix had still been living on the island with Knuckles. Sonic had been visiting.
He couldn't even remember what had started that particular argument. Something trivial most likely. He and Vector tended to clash quite often. The two had similar personalities. Both confident, self assured, cocky. It wasn't outright dislike. He liked the guy well enough. But Vector had an annoying lack of tack. He didn't devote much time to considering anyone's opinions but his own. Or at least, that was the impression that Sonic got.
For whatever reason, that particular squabble had gone overboard. He did recall it was their third or fourth argument within the span of a couple of weeks. When it descended from shouting, and name calling, to physical blows, Knuckles and Mighty had stepped in to break up the fight. It had been pretty nasty. Mighty took a stray punch to the eye, Knuckles a bloody lip, and he and Vector, well, neither of them came out if it looking good.
Afterwards, when all the bruises, and bumps had been tended to, Knuckles pulled Sonic aside, and asked him to go home early. Looking back on it now, it had been a very reasonable request. He would have likely asked the same, if he'd been in Knuckle's position. But at the time Sonic had been hyped up on adrenaline and anger. He'd treated the request with indignation, telling Knuckles that he should throw out Vector instead. Knuckles refused of course. And rightly so. The Chaotix were staying with him on the island, specifically because their home had been destroyed.
So Sonic left.
Knuckles had asked him to wait till morning. He'd even offered to go back with Sonic and stay for a day or two, but Sonic in his rage, hadn't heard anything but his best friend's refusal to side with him.
He'd grabbed his things, stormed out, and used the warp ring to go back to home.
'And then what?' He asked himself, drawing a blank.
It wasn't like that had been the first argument they'd ever had. In fact, when they were much younger, he and Knuckles had beaten each other up on more than one occasion. Why hadn't they just fallen instep with each-other again, like each time before?
'Maybe the answer isn't about after…'
Because that hadn't really been the beginning, had it? It was the epicenter. Even before that point their relationship had been strained for some time.
'Why?'
Deep down, Sonic had an answer. It radiated as a feeling more than a fully formed thought. He was reluctant to pull it out for examination just yet. Perhaps it was crass to deny the possibility like so, but it was a damnable offense, and the thought that he might have to take ownership of it frightened him.
'Maybe it was jus…'
But Sonic was startled out of his rumination then, when the door to Knuckles' room creaked open. Sonic stood automatically.
When Knuckles stepped out and saw him there he raised a brow and asked, "Still up?"
"I was just… uh, yeah," Sonic fumbled over his answer. "Is everything alright?"
"Thought I'd make some tea."
"Oh… Here. Have a seat. I'll make it."
Knuckles hesitated, but nodded after a moment. He followed Sonic into the kitchen, and took a seat at the table.
Sonic grabbed a kettle out of the cabinet above the stove, and took it to the sink to fill with water. He set the kettle on the burner over high heat.
He turned back eyeing a clock on the wall, and tried to gauge the hour, but realized it was frozen in place.
Yawning he asked, "Any idea what time it is?"
"1:45am, give or take a few minutes." Knuckles replied lazily.
Sonic cocked a sideways glance at him. "You know, Knux, why do you even have a clock, if you can just, Emerald it, in your head?" The last bit he said with air quotes.
"The battery is dead."
"Yeah but still? Whhhyyyy?"
"It was a gift. Christmas I think. From Cream."
'That's right.' Sonic young rabbit friend did have a certain fondness for the guardian. "Ok," he conceded. "Answer accepted."
He started for the pantry to grab tea bags, but Knuckles interrupted.
"Not there. It's in that cabinet" Knuckles said pointing.
Sonic followed the instruction, retrieved the tea, and then grabbed a couple of cups from the other cupboard. He moved back towards the stove, and propped himself up against the counter. As they waited for the kettle to start pipping, he asked, "Did you sleep?"
"A little." Knuckles replied.
"Good."
All conversation ceased for a while, each of them going back to their own thoughts. The stillness of the room pressed in on Sonic. He decided on a whim, that he should really say something in the way of an apology. He felt like an imposter in place of a friend, with the knowledge that he'd wronged Knuckles all this time.
"Hey," he started. "When we were talking earlier, just after you woke up, I just wanted to apologize… for… um…"
"It's fine Sonic. I get why you were angry." Knuckles offered.
"Oh… no, it's not that. You said…that you… uh… You were talking about how you have to protect the island. And… well…"
"Honestly Blue… it's all a bit fuzzy." Knuckles interrupted again. "I remember the beginning of our conversation, but there is a big blank spot from when Tails turned that thing on."
"So… you… don't remember…" Sonic stated, realizing the deep irony of it.
"No, not really. Did we argue about something?" Knuckles asked.
"Not exactly…"
Knuckles sighed, and then continued, "How about we just call it water under the bridge. I honestly don't remember everything that was said. If I was a jerk or something, I'm sorry too, but I really… I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around this whole thing. And… Can we just… not… can we… I just want to sit here… for a few minutes… and not think about it."
Sonic nodded, and then after a few moments added, "yeah, yeah of course… no worries man."
He'd meant to apologize. To try to at least acknowledge that he'd messed up, but at a request like that, Sonic couldn't bring himself to push on with the conversation. And honestly where would he have even begun? 'Sorry that I was a terrible friend to you Knuckles, by ignoring your request for help, making you feel you had nobody to turn to, and then forgetting about it.' Even in his head it sounded disingenuous.
He could feel a knot of guilt and anxiety swelling heavily in his chest. Sonic promised himself then, in that moment, that he would make it right. An apology was just words anyway. No, to really fix it, he would have to be better. He would have to prove to Knuckles that he could be counted on, especially now.
When the kettle started whistling, Sonic almost jumped away from the counter, startled.
Across the room Knuckles just sort of chuckled at him, and shook his head.
Sonic smiled. At least the guardian hadn't yet lost his sense of humor.
He took a seat at the table next to Knuckles after pouring them each a cup of the brew. All was quiet for a while as they both sat sipping.
It was Knuckles who eventually breached the silence.
"So…what's keeping you up this late?"
"I was making calls. And then… I don't know, I guess I've got a lot on my mind too."
"Yeah." Knuckles said, as a sort of neutral response. "Cards?" he asked then.
"What?" Sonic asked.
"You wanna play a card game?"
"Oh, uh, yeah actually. That sounds good."
Knuckles retrieved a small pack from the living room. Memory, the old deck read. Sonic recognized it. It had been a gift as well, from Tails ages ago. Knuckles had so enjoyed playing it, and the other board games whenever he came to visit Sonic and Tails at their home. Tails at some point, had insisted Knuckles take the little card game, and showed him how he could play it by himself too.
They played a couple of rounds of the matching game, idly chatting about the cards and nothing more. After that both agreed that they should turn in, and at least try to sleep for the remainder of the night.
—
When Knuckles woke the next morning he was surprised to find he wasn't the first out of bed. Tails was bustling about in the kitchen putting together what looked like a small feast. When he noticed Knuckles in the doorway, his face brightened.
"Good morning Knuckles!"
"Morning. Looks like you've been busy."
"Yeah," Tails replied sheepishly. "You don't mind do you?"
"Of course not Kid. Treat this like it's your home." Knuckles told him kindly. "You should know that."
"Yeah, I know. Are you feeling alright this morning? Did you sleep well?"
"I'm… alright. Still a little tired I guess."
"I…" Tails hesitated, and then stepped forward and embraced him tightly. "I'm really glad you're ok Knuckles."
Knuckles was startled by the sudden action at first, but eased into it, and hugged Tails back after a moment.
"I was really worried when I got Sonic's distress code. And then when I got here, Sonic was freaking out, and we didn't know what was wrong with you… and well I'm just so relieved."
"Thanks Kid," Knuckles replied, "for everything."
When they stepped apart, Tails asked, "are you hungry? Everything is basically ready."
"Yeah I am. It smells amazing by the way."
"Thanks. Hold on I'll go wake Sonic."
They both turned then, peering through the doorway into the living room. Sonic was still passed out on the couch, one arm dangling off the side, and feet sticking out from under the blanket.
"Actually, let's just let him sleep a while longer." Knuckles suggested.
"Yeah… ok, that's probably best." Tails agreed.
So they sat down quietly and enjoyed the meal.
"How's your power grid project down in Station Square?"
"Oh, mostly resolved. I'm actually just looking forward to being done with it. I have so many personal projects back at the shop I'd like to catch up on."
"Ah, I see," Knuckles said. "Sorry to keep you away over all this."
"Oh, well I didn't mean it like that Knuckles," Tails said in a tone that implied he should know better. "This was way more important than any of that stuff."
"I guess, but do I get what it's like to just want time and space to do what you enjoy," Knuckles explained. "So, tell me about these projects. What kind of things are you tinkering with, and inventing now?"
Tails told him about his various undertakings; they included upgrades to the Tornado & the Tornado 2; there were nicknack inventions just for the sake of learning; he seemed most enthusiastic about the more substantial devices, things he could create for his friends to use.
Knuckles sat listening intently, genuinely interested. Occasionally he asked for clarification or details. The conversation was refreshing. It harbored no frustration. Tails also seemed to understand his unspoken need for distraction from their current affairs. He was grateful for the kid's presence. 'Well,' Knuckles thought, kid wasn't technically right term anymore. The fox would be sixteen later in the year, but Knuckles guessed the nickname would always stick around their friends.
It was another forty five minutes before Sonic finally woke up on his own.
Knuckles was so engrossed in the ongoing conversation that he didn't even notice the hedgehog's arrival. Not until Tails paused and brightly said, "Good morning Sonic," did he turn and see Sonic leaning, arms crossed, in the doorway between the rooms.
"Morning. I see you guys started without me," he said, still sounding sleepy.
"We figured you'd appreciate a little more rest," Tails said. "Did you sleep well?"
Sonic shot Knuckles a sidelong glance, but just said, "Ehh, well enough." Then he added, "I hope you guys left me some breakfast. I'm starving!"
He started towards the table, but paused and turned when a loud ring sounded from the com-station.
"Oh, that's probably Mighty. I'll…"
"Stay." Knuckles interjected, as he stood. "Eat. I'll grab it."
"You don't mind?" Sonic asked.
"No. Any message I need to pass along?"
"Nope, we just needed to finalize a time to activate the Warp Ring portal."
"Gotcha. Guess it should be me answering then anyway."
As Knuckles crossed the living room to answer the call, he couldn't help but sigh. Despite offering to take the call, he felt apprehensive about this particular conversation, or more specifically it's party. "Oh well," he whispered to himself.
He sat down at the desk, and tapped the onscreen button labeled 'INCOMING.' To his surprise it wasn't Mighty who appeared onscreen, but instead Rouge.
"Well hey there. Glad to see you're awake and in one piece."
"Rue." He said, surprised written on his face.
She smiled. "Not who you were expecting?"
"I... no. Sonic was expecting a call from Mighty."
"Oh? I told him I'd call back in the morning."
"Hmm… Well, he only just woke up."
"Ah, I see. Not surprised. Well I do have an update for him. Did he fill you in at all on what we spoke about, or not yet maybe considering the time?"
"No not yet. He just mentioned that he'd been contacting everyone. Are you on your way over too?"
"Not just yet. I'm going to try to meet up with Shadow first. We're are going round up the rest of the Chaos Emeralds." Seeing Knuckles' raised brow She added, "it's just a precaution. Since we don't exactly know the scope of this yet. That is actually what I wanted to tell Sonic. Omega sent an encrypted message to Shadow. He's been away on some work for G.U.N., and seems to be on radio silence at the moment. I expect to hear back in the next day or two at the latest. In the meantime Omega and I will start tracking. Will you pass that on for me?"
"Yeah… Of course." Knuckles answer a bit distracted. He was recounting all the details she'd supplied in his head. There clearly had quite a bit of planning during his slumber. It felt odd to be at the center of it, yet not fully knowledgeable of the ongoing developments.
"So, enough about all that. How are you doing Gem?"
He looked up and met her questioning gaze. "I'm fine. I can't really remember everything that happened, but I feel alright now."
Rouge frowned at him slightly. She seemed skeptical of his response. "Why don't you try that again."
"What do you m—"
"—Knuckles, don't put up a wall like that. I want a real answer. What's going on with you? Sonic said you've been very… reserved."
Knuckles smiled softly. He should have known better. Rouge had a very direct personality. It would figure that she'd go right to the heart of it.
As a mental side note he also cursed Sonic for conspiring against him, even if he'd meant well.
He sighed. "Sorry Rue." He said quietly. "You're right. I… I don't know exactly. I feel like… I'm losing touch with reality. Nothing seems to be turning out like I thought."
"Why didn't you call anyone hun? Sonic said it's been going on for a few weeks."
"I…" He had half of an answer. He didn't really want to admit to it though. Instead he said, "I know. It wasn't exactly my best judgment call."
Rouge turned a tiled smile on him. "Oh Gems. What are we gonna do with you? You call me next time, ok? Don't start avoiding me too." She said the last part with a knowing look.
Knuckles winced at the remark. "Rouge… I'm not… You know it's not you right? I didn't…"
"It's ok." She halted him with a raised hand, "You don't have to explain. I know there is a lot on your plate now. Just… I'm here if you need to talk. I'll be there for real in a few days too, ok?"
He couldn't respond right away, moved by her knowing kindness. Knuckles wasn't sure why he was so often surprised by how clearly she saw through him. It had been a couple of months since they'd last spent any time together. It seemed she hadn't forgotten the story he'd told her in confidence.
"Thank you Rue." He whispered. "That would be nice."
"Good." She continued. "He's worried about you, you know."
"I… do know." Knuckles said.
She smiled at him sweetly, "Well then. All things in time."
He met her eyes and shrugged slightly. Several things passed unspoken, both understanding the others thoughts.
"Well my dear, I'm sure we both have several things to attend to. Tell the boys I said hello, yeah? I'll see you in a few days."
"Will do. Thank you for calling."
"And Knuckles," She added with a wink, "don't anything stupid till then."
He chucked. "Yeah, I'll try. Bye Rouge."
"Hang in there Gem."
The screen blanked out then as the call ended.
Knuckles lingered a moment, thoughts falling back over the conversation. It had actually left him feeling slightly better about things—the situation—he wasn't really sure what to call it.
He supposed there would be no escaping the reality of it all with the distractions of simple conversation for the remainder of the day. He headed back to the kitchen and took his place learning against the door frame much like Sonic had done before.
Sonic and Tails both looked up from their conversation.
"What's the word from Mighty?" Sonic asked.
"Nothing. It was Rouge."
"Oh?" Sonic asked curiously.
Knuckles set an annoyed glare on him, but otherwise ignored the subtext. "They've sent a message to Shadow." He continued to relay the details Rouge had passed on. The three of them went on to discuss the tasks left to complete before the arrivals and departures of the afternoon.
Out of convenience, Knuckles sent Sonic on a quick run back to Marble Gardens to retrieve the map scrolls. They had left the maps in the chest, at the tunnel entry way on their way from the library out to the start the race. It only took the blue wonder a few minutes to make the round trip to collect them. When he returned, he and Knuckles reviewed them together with Tails. They made the fox aware of the updated security layout. Knuckles also pointed out some recent changes, which he asked Tails to pass on to the Chaotix. Thereafter, they recounted in detail the locations Sonic and Knuckles had visited leading up to, and following Knuckles's collapse.
After that bit of preparation Sonic took the time to just call Mighty back himself. They settled on twelve thirty for the warp jump. Tails went back to his attempt at hacking the central hub of the robotic device. He made a point beforehand to check with Knuckles, and ensure him that the device would not accidentally be activated again in the process.
Knuckles realizing that he had no projects worth starting at the moment, and little else to distract himself from the past hours, or his growing anxiety about leaving, went back out to the Emerald's shrine to steal a few minutes for himself while he could still. He decided to try a meditation, though he had little hope of its success.
When noon rolled around, the trio reconvened. Sonic and Knuckles collected the few items they were taking along, and then all three of them set off together for the warp chamber.
Along the way, Sonic and Tails kept a prattle of conversation going. Knuckles listened mostly, or occasionally spoke up when they prompted him. He was otherwise content to indulge in his own thoughts.
He was still frustrated. A part of him wanted to rage against everything that was happening. Despite his anxieties, he also knew there was logic in Sonic's reasoning. That knowledge didn't ease his tension in the slightest, but he felt it was at least fair that he could acknowledge the situation for what it was.
"Knuckles?"
Knuckles realized Tails had asked him something. "Sorry Tails, What was that?"
"I was asking about the temperature. We've moved pretty far north now haven't we? I thought it would be colder."
"We have. It will get cooler, it just happens gradually"
"Oh, wait! I know the answer to this one!" Sonic cut in. "It's because the Master Emerald creates an energy shield around the island that, like, insulates the temperature. Or something like that."
"Uh… Yeah. That's basically it." Knuckles said. "It's not quite a physical thing. Don't imagine it like a literal shield. It obviously doesn't stop rain or snow, or anything like that."
"I see." Tails said. "So basically it regulates the ambient atmosphere to account for the fluctuation of meteorological conditions. I suppose that makes sense. The potential for extreme exposure to the ecosystem could otherwise be very detrimental. Man, it really never ceases to fascinate me how this place works."
Sonic shot Knuckles a look that said he was both amused and exasperated by their brainy fox friend.
"Something like that," Knuckles said, ignoring Sonic's antics. He was in no mood to play along.
—
They reached the chamber a short stretch later, and just a couple of minutes ahead of schedule. The chamber itself was located in a different lower section of the Mushroom Hill tunnel system. It was one of the underground structures Sonic was most familiar with on the island. At its center it housed a giant slowly spinning golden ring, which held the ability to teleport away from the island, to any location known by the user. It was the method Sonic used most often to travel to the floating isle.
The Warp Ring technically only worked as an outgoing portal from the island. The Echidnan Guardians possessed the ability to imprint regular power rings, to act as markers; the markers acted like a beacon to the opposite side of a door. Knuckles could unlock such marked power rings, which they all referred to as warp keys, in order to allow controlled access to the island, or to travel to a key's exact location.
Sonic owned a marker of a rarer quality. His was a specially imprinted key that actually allowed him to remotely access the Warp Ring as an incoming door, to travel to the island freely without the need for it first to be unlocked. He wasn't sure, but as far as he knew, Knuckles had never passed such a key to anyone else. With their recent struggles, Sonic counted it as a sign of comfort that Knuckles hadn't ever asked him to return it.
He cast a glance over at the Guardian who was standing patiently, arms crossed, in front of the giant Warp Ring, waiting to activate it exactly at twelve thirty. He had been avoiding Sonic again all morning. At this point Sonic couldn't really blame him. Knuckles had any number of things to be frustrated with him for.
The last couple of minutes to the half hour passed uneventfully, then when the time was right, Knuckles lifted one arm, palm flat towards the Warp Ring, much like he did with the Emerald. It began to spin much faster then. It continued on for a few seconds until it was almost as if the ring itself vanished, and in its place remained a window to a location that was elsewhere . Four blurry silhouettes appeared visible on the other side, and as they stepped closer, the clear forms of Mighty the Armadillo, Espio the Chameleon, Vector the Crocodile, and Charmy Bee came through into the chamber. The Warp Ring slowed down, back to its regular speed of revolution then.
"Man, finally! We were waiting over there forever," a bright voice exclaimed.
"Charmy!" Mighty turned around and focused a glare on the younger bee behind him. "Don't be rude." He turned back to face them then. "Sorry. You guys are right on time. Some of us here just have issues with punctuality, so we set up extra early."
"Uh… It's fine." Knuckles said. "I uh… thank you for coming… at all. I do really appreciated it."
And that caught Sonic's attention.
Knuckles' eyes fell to stare at his shoes after that awkward welcome. Something in the atmosphere of the room suddenly felt strained. Sonic wondered if maybe there was more to yesterday's whispered words "Everyone left," after all.
A burst of chatter started around the room then.
Mighty seemed generously unfazed. "Think nothing of it Knuckles. Sonic told us what happened. How are you doing now?"
Espio said, "We didn't have any active cases going on anyway." He looked past Knuckles, at Sonic then and said, "Hey man. What's up?"
"Hey Espio," Sonic replied. "So how is business going then?" he asked, though his focus was still on the surrounding conversation.
Also unfazed were Charmy and Tails who had scampered off and begun prattling in another corner of the room like giggling children. They were sharing exploits about some handheld adventure game they both played far as Sonic could tell.
Back at the center of the room Vector also spoke up. "So, you sticking around for a while, or are you gonna bounce right now?" He asked Knuckles. His tone came across somewhere between bored and accusatory.
Knuckles for his part still seemed very uncomfortable. "I'm fine." Knuckles responded to Mighty in a rushed tone. He hesitated then, and said "I'm…good. Um, I just… We don't have a lot of details so…" He looked over at Vector then and started again, "We're about to go… Tails wanted to uh… get started with the testing so…"
"One sec Esp." Sonic interrupted the chameleon who had begun detailing the Chaotix's most recent detective case.
"Yeah, there are just a lot of variables we don't have information for at the moment." Sonic stepped in where Knuckles left off. "None of this is exactly ideal, but with you guys to watch the island while Tails conducts some specific testing, hopefully we'll have some answers soon. Knuckles and I are going to head off here in a few minutes, but we can walk out with you all really quick. How does that sound?"
There were several "yeah" and "sure" responses from around the room. Someone—Vector, Sonic thought, said, "whatever." Knuckles didn't say anything, but set the slightest of a short glare on Sonic before setting his expression back to neutral.
So there definitely seemed to be something off with the dynamic between Knuckles and the Chaotix guys. Sonic couldn't quite tell if it was entirely Knuckles being distant with anyone and everyone at this point, or if the others were acting little unusual as well.
He observed the surrounding group over the next couple of minutes, as they all walked together exchanging a few pertinent bits of information. It was interesting, but didn't provide a clearer answer of any sort. Sonic supposed it would was a question for later. When they reached the edge of Mushroom Hill zone everyone paused.
Sonic addressed them all. "So, anything we haven't gone over just now, you've got covered right Tails?"
"Sure do." Tails answered. "Plus it's not like anyone here isn't familiar with the island. And don't worry Knuckles. We're going to get to the bottom of all this. You can count on us. It shouldn't take long."
All eyes turned to the guardian.
Caught off guard, he just said, "Yeah… I hope so."
They said their goodbyes, and then the two groups split ways.
Sonic and Knuckles made the short walk back to the chamber in silence. It wasn't until they were standing in front of the giant ring that Sonic spoke up.
"So I've been thinking… Maybe there's a bett—" He was cut short.
"—Sonic can we just go, now, before I change my mind," Knuckles snapped at him.
Sonic sighed. "Yeah. OK… Come on. I'll do the warp," he said grabbing Knuckles by the hand. He led them right up to the spinning portal, pictured a clear image in his mind of the destination he wished to warp to, and then pulled them both through.
—
Knuckles had always felt that the sensation of going through the portal was a strange one. There was a blink and spin, and then suddenly everything he knew felt very distant.
Taking in their surroundings, he instantly recognized that something was amiss.
"Wait… What did you do?" He asked, turning towards Sonic. "This isn't anywhere near your house…" Knuckles said trying to get a bearing of the area. "This is… Sonic?" he questioned precariously.
"No. This is not the way to my house. It's the quickest route to Robotropolis…" Sonic waited a beat for him to reply, but then continued after a moment anyway. "Look man, I can see that it's killing you to leave the island like this, and not to have the reins on this situation. I don't know… I just thought, let's make it worthwhile."
Knuckles opened his mouth to respond, but realized he didn't know what to say.
Sonic smirked at him and said, "really, I thought you would jump at the chance."
His friend was right. Presented with the option, Knuckles found he wanted desperately to storm into the old city in search of answers. Desperately enough for him to recognize how skewed his judgment was.
Sonic waited for an answer. Instead Knuckles asked a question.
"You think this is a good idea?"
Sonic's face changed with understanding.
"Honestly Knux, I don't know if there are any good ideas at this point. We need answers, and I don't think we're going to get them sitting around at my place."
"And you waited until now to bring it up because…?"
Sonic scoffed, "You know exactly why. And don't think the severity of it escapes me."
"So what? Tails, and all the talk of testing for answers was just…"
"Completely valid Knuckles. You know that. Look, I'm… trying to make this less excruciating for you. I do actually give a damn about how you feel!" Sonic said, and sighed heavily before continuing. "It wouldn't be anything crazy. Just quick recon. If we don't find anything, at least we know that we can rule Eggman out for sure, and let Tails know to put his focus elsewhere. Don't tell me you'd rather just sit around and wait."
Knuckles sighed. "No, I don't want that but… but maybe I shouldn't… I might… I don't know. I'm a liability now Sonic. If this is Eggman, he's bound to have more of those devices. What good am I in there if he can shut me down like one of his machines?"
"I'm not gonna lie, Knuckles, it's a definite possibility," Sonic answered soberly. "There is a risk, but… I don't know. I just have this feeling. What's the point of all this? Why go out of the way to make a move at you on the island, and then not engage? Why leave the Master Emerald untouched? What's Eggman waiting for? What if it isn't even him. It wouldn't be the first time we're dealt with some other sort of threat."
"Maybe he's still testing it." Knuckles offered.
"Maybe, but it sorta seems like it's already working Knux. You passing out on command when it turns on didn't exactly seem like testing to me. What if he's just messing with us, or more specifically you? I wouldn't put it past him to be doing this to get your attention. Maybe it's time we go knock on the door and find out."
"And what if you're right?"
"Well… you're not going in alone."
Knuckles rolled his eyes at that remark. He really did want to say 'YES! Let's go,' flimsy logic aside, but it seemed too easy. The rigid guardian in him was holding him back still.
"I don't know, Sonic. You would still probably be better going this one alone. It's not like we have a good track record with this sort of thing. Our last mission like this was a complete disaster."
"I don't think this will be that Knux. Four months ago we were at each other's throats. You were angry, and I was honestly being a jerk. We weren't working together. I don't think there was any other way that mission could have gone. This is different. I'm not saying it's safe or that everything is perfect between us, but we make a damn good team, and we just might have a chance here to move on this before it escalates into something worse. Our other option is to sit around, and wait to be blind sighted by… by whatever happens next. Or…yeah, I could go in alone, and leave you to sit around at my house, but, first of all, we don't even know what the reach of that device is. It might affect you there as much as anywhere else. Honestly, we do this together or not at all. And secondly, there is no telling if there will be any info for me to find. Do you understand? I don't know how else to put this Knux, you are our homing signal for this. I'm guessing it's wherever you go that answers will follow."
"So you're asking me to walk into the lion's den." Knuckles said.
"Yeah, I am. All we have Knuckles are bad options, and worse ones. So I'm going to ask you again. Do you want to do this?"
Reluctantly Knuckles answered. "Yes… more than I can explain."
"Then we go in together." Sonic resolved.
After a moment's thought though Knuckles continued, "but, just to be clear… this is a terrible, terrible, reckless, bad plan. Right?"
"Completely." Sonic agreed.
"Alright. Let's do it."
TBC
Henceforth : from this point on
NOTES
(TL:DR - This chapter is super long. FYI - No ships. Love you all. Happy reading!)
I bet you never thought I'd be back with another chapter so soon! I've been putting a lot of words down. So, this chapter, It's long. It's really long. At 12,000+ words it really could have been two, maybe three chapters, but… hindsight and all that. Also, it begins and ends according to my outline. On the upside... long chapter! Yay! I don't know about you, but I always love when I get long chapters in my inbox. You're in for quite a ride with this one. I think I said something before about chapter 3 being an emotional roller coaster. Ha. Yeah, no. This chapter is… yeah. There's a lot to take in. Several things become clearer. There are some introductions. And as always, the story took several unexpected turns along the way.
I feel I should also maybe just take a second to clarify that there are no active ships or romance in this story. It wasn't implicit in the previous chapters, but there are moments ahead where such things could easily be inferred, especially in this chapter. And don't get me wrong I have nothing against shipping. (I do, and read my fair share.) For me as a writer though, it just feels like more of a challenge to write about deeply meaningful friendships, (that don't instantly turn into romance. Instant romance seems to happen a lot in fanfiction.). I really enjoy writing complex relationships where the end goal isn't - they fall in love. Maybe that has a lot to do with the fact that I have been happily married since I was twenty, but still struggle with making friends. Yeah. Sorry. Too much about me… SO back on topic. I'd say the status quo here is that all of the characters involved care for each other very deeply. The relationships blur the lines between friendship and family. I think there may be a few relationships that have the potential to become romantic, but at the current juncture in their lives, they all know that the world, and they roles play in it are a little bit too hectic for such things. SO there it is. I hope I haven't dashed anyones hopes. ;)
No Beta for this chapter. Please excuse my failings. Hopefully I got most of them. Well, on to reading then! Enjoy!
—
And you made it! So wow a lot of stuff happened right? I feel like this chapter was maybe like, overwhelming, with all things. I hope not. I hope you all enjoyed it. It was a lot of fun to write. So the next chapter will probably be a little bit shorter. I know pretty much exactly what's going to happen, but have to write it from scratch, so it's going to take a bit longer. As I mentioned last chapter, I do have more time, and a lot of motivation right now, so I'm hoping it's a few months tops. I will try my hardest.
You know what motivates me to write faster? Reviews! I wanted to take a moment and thank everyone who has reviewed the story. Especially the last chapter! Thank you to Speedy1236, LPstribling, crazy but honest, ShinyShiny9, and all the guest reviewers too! Your kind words, and wonderful insights inspire me to work harder, and get better! It brightens my day every time I get a review. Thank you so much.
Okay seriously now, thanks for reading. Love you all! I'll be back.
xoxo
Sarilleny