Chapter 4: A Deal's a Deal

Note: Ooh! You like my cliffhanger, didn't you? Didn't you? Anyway, here's the next part.

Another note: YAY! A long one! Just a treat for all my reviewers.

Hmm? Oh, right, all the characters so far (excluding the receptionist) are characters owned by SEGA. I do not in any way own any of them.

As he dashed out of the hotel, Knuckles tried to think about the mission: put a stop to Eggman's "take-over-the-world" scheme, rescue Sonic, and return home it the emerald.

But as hard as he tried to concentrate on his mission, all he could think about was his other captured companion, Rouge the Bat. Was she alright? Would she know where Sonic is or what Eggman is up to? Is she even still alive?

Knuckles stopped running to catch his breath and gazed down the white & snowy mountain. The small, luminous city seen last night lay below. Eggman's base stuck out like Big the Cat in a bus of nuns. The base was a large red/orange dome with two big, black eyes. Knuckles was surprised no one had caught him earlier.

"I suppose it'd be quick to just walk down," Knuckles thought aloud, "but I think I'll need a super-fast ride if I want to get there in less than five hours."

He looked around him for a mode of downhill transportation - a snowmobile, a sled, or even anything that could substitute a sled. Finally, he found a snowmobile standing out in the middle of the snow with its keys in the ignition. Knuckles lucked out.

Knuckles' luck immediately plummeted as fast as he did; his first step toward the snowmobile was a trip over an inconveniently placed rock. Knuckles fell with blinding speed and got a face full of snow. As he got up, he tripped over himself and began rolling sideways.

Knuckles, rolling with increasing speed, tried to get back onto his feet, but found himself just getting hurt in the process. The snow gathered around him and curled him up into a ball. Knuckles had accidentally turned into a rapidly growing snowball, heading for the city.

Meanwhile, Rouge was being held captive by two large orange robots. They held their captive by the arms and half-dragged her to a long row of high-tech jail cells. She could hardly remember what happened the night before. After she had gone back inside, all she could remember seeing was Eggman. But what would Eggman want with her?

Rouge looked through each one as they passed by. The first two empty, then a cell occupied by two devil chao, then a cell with a rotting skeleton, then another empty one, where the robots stopped.

The gates opened slowly, the dulled iron bars grinding and cranks clanking, and Rouge was shoved into the cell. As she spun around, the gate was immediately closed and locked. She grasped the bars and shook violently, but no luck. Rouge took a few steps back from the bars and locked her eyes on the bolt. With one swift kick, she hit the lock with a loud clang, but the lock remained undamaged.

Rouge sighed and sat on the cold, concrete floor. "Well, I guess this means I'll be staying here a while." She observed her gloomy, cold, and incredibly dark surroundings. "With luck, I might manage to last about..." she slammed her head on the bars. "2 days." She rubbed her head from the harder-than-expected impact.

A raspy, yet somewhat familiar voice called to her from behind. "At least you'll have company."

Rouge, more curious than startled, turned to the dark shadows that were the rest of the cell. Only an outline of the occupant was visible, but Rouge could make out to be spikes on his back, gloves, and smooth, pointed shoes. Rouge got to her feet. "And who might you be?"

"I'm the one you came here for," returned the mysterious figure.

Out of the shadows, the stranger stepped forward to reveal that he was a blue hedgehog with green eyes, a large, tan oval that occupied most of his chest, and two red shoes with a white stripe on each.

Rouge smiled at who she had figured out to be. "Sonic the Hedgehog."

Sonic smiled back. "And you would be Rouge the Bat? I believe we met on the ARK."

Rouge nodded. "We came to come rescue you."

Sonic looked at her quizzically. "We?" he queried.

Rouge gasped, realizing that she had no idea what had become of Knuckles. "Oh no!" she shouted. "We need to find Knuckles! Do you know if Eggman has done anything with him?"

Sonic shook his head. "I've only been here for... let's see... five days. I haven't been out of this cell since. I haven't even seen Eggman at all, yet alone your boyfriend, Knuckles."

"Well, I hope he come soon." Rouge sighed and turned away. "Maybe he's still at the hotel-" She glared at Sonic. "Did you just say he is my boyfriend?"

Sonic shrugged. "Isn't he?"

"He is not!" she exclaimed. "Just because we both like the emerald, we shared a hotel room, and I kissed him last night doesn't make him my boyfriend!"

They both stood in fearful silence, recollecting what was just said. Sonic was first to speak. "Rouge?"

"Yeah?"

"Is he?"

Rouge sighed and slouched to the ground and propped against the concrete wall. "Would you not tell anyone?" Sonic nodded, which was good enough for Rouge. "I'll admit it. Yeah. I like him. A lot. I know how he tries to act independent and tough, but deep down, he's just a lonely soul that wants a companion.

"That's why he saved me. At the meteor herd. After that stupid fight, no matter how much he hated me then, he saved my life. He cared enough for me, his rival, to lend me his hand before that fateful fall.

"It was then I liked him. I don't know when I tell him this, if at all, but I know it won't happen easily. And even if Knuckles likes me too, he won't tell me either." She sighed. "That's love - a long, drawn-out battle between two desperate, yet stubborn souls."

Another long silence followed. "That was kind of sweet. But why won't you tell Knuckles?"

"I... guess I'm too shy to. I just can't go up to him and shout it right at his face." She laughed, imagining actually doing it.

"Well, I think you just need to find the right moment for it-"

Rouge swung her hand and turned away. "What would you know about this? You're not an adult. You haven't had a girlfriend in your life."

Sonic was silent. Then finally, "Do you know Amy Rose?"

Rouge said "that persistent pink girl? I wish I didn't. Why? You like her?" She turned back to Sonic to find he was now looking at the ground, his cheeks red. Rouge sighed again. "You know, it'd probably mean the world to her if you told her."

Sonic looked back up at Rouge. "As it would if you told Knuckles what you felt about him." Another long silence followed. "If we ever do get out of here," Sonic continued, "I promise I'll...take Amy to dinner or something. But you really should tell Knuckles. You can't keep flirting with him forever."

Before Rouge could reply, a robot came to the gate and spoke in a monotonous voice. "Dr. Eggman wishes to see the prisoners." As if the statement were a command, the cell doors slid open noisily. The orange robot held a gun to them and led them down the hall.

Meanwhile, Knuckles had found the entrance to Eggman's hideout after his violent collision with its outer wall. The entrance led to a long, blank hallway with concrete walls and floor. Not much light was visible at the end, but it wasn't exactly far.

Although Eggman had only wanted to make a deal, Knuckles still needed to maintain his concentration. This was Eggman's ground now. There could be traps lurking anywhere.

The end of the hallway reached into what seemed to be some sort of manufacturing company. Conveyor belts stretched in various directions in various places. Claw machines, pressing machines, and other machines indescribable were placed along each one.

A familiar, yet irritating voice echoed. "Ho ho, Knuckles! Here right on time, I see!"

A round, floating, metal contraption rose up from the machinery. It was larger than Knuckles, but could easily be destroyed. In its metal frame, Knuckles could see what it held; Dr. Eggman. "What can I do for you?"

Knuckles had already been tired of playing games. "Quit messing around, Eggman! Where are Sonic and Rouge?"

Eggman's round, floating contraption lowered down to Knuckles' level in front of him. "They'll be here soon, but first things first! I want that master emerald!"

Hesitantly, Knuckles pulled out the glowing green master emerald and held it in front of him. Eggman smiled. "Eggbot! Bring out the prisoners!"

A gate opened to his left, and Sonic and Rouge walked out followed by a robot holding them at gunpoint. Rouge noticed Knuckles, holding the emerald. "Knuckles!" she shouted. "Don't give it to him! We'll make it on our own!"

Knuckles glanced from Eggman, then to the master emerald, and finally, to Rouge. Knuckles closed his eyes and planned what to do. Finally, as his eyes slowly opened, he walked toward Eggman and held the master emerald out to him.

Eggman chuckled as his floating machine grew a robotic arm. The arm made its way toward his emerald to retrieve it. Knuckles suddenly swung the emerald away and started spinning wildly around with the emerald. Eggman stared puzzled and irritated.

Finally, knuckles released the emerald at his captured comrades. As they ducked for cover, the emerald shot straight into the robot, knocking him into the ground, gun, emerald and all. Rouge retrieved the emerald and ran with Sonic to Knuckles' side.

Eggman, steaming by this sudden act of heroism shouted. "ARGH! That's it! You may have rescued your friends, Knuckles, but you'll never make it out alive! Eggbot army! ATTACK!" All the gates surrounding them had opened, and a swarm of small, rounded, orange robots charged toward them.

Knuckles, Sonic, & Rouge all ran for the exit behind them. The exit doors, which were tremendously heavy, began to slowly close. As the three dashed down the hall for the exit, the swarm of robots began to crowd together. In little time, the three escapees were running from a seven-foot wave of robots.

The closing exit only meters away, Sonic took both Knuckles and Rouge and leapt between the crack with them and barely squeezed out. They lay on the ground outside the exit, gasping for breath, as the robot swarm raided the closed doors.

Knuckles helped up first Sonic, then Rouge, and looked back at the building. "I guess it's over, then."

Knuckles was suddenly thrown forward. Looking over his shoulder, Rouge had her arms around him. "Thank you for saving me."

Sonic smiled. "Thanks for saving me too, but don't expect a hug from me."

The ground began to shake violently, and the three were back on the ground. From the top of the structure rose a large grey missile. Eggman's voice echoed through the speakers. "Fire!" After more rumbling, and a loud roar of the rockets, the missile slowly ejected from the base.

Sonic got up first. "We need to stop that rocket!"

Rouge was next. "But we don't know where it's headed!"

Knuckles, still on the ground, tried to remember Tikal's words. "...bring the emerald. It can give you power." Finally, Knuckles got up from the ground. "Sonic?" he called. Sonic turned around. Knuckles tossed the emerald to him. "Do you remember how to turn in your super form?"

Sonic looked at the emerald. "Yeah, why?"

"Do you think you can get all three of us to become super?"

Sonic glanced at Knuckles, then the emerald, then back at Knuckles. "Sure it looks like it'll have enough power for that."

Knuckles raised a clenched fist in the air. "We have a missile to crash." He pointed to the east. "We'll meet at Angel Island. Sonic, Rouge, bring with you any chaos emeralds you have. We'll need all the power we can get. I'll set up the shrine at the island."

Sonic took off for his beach house. Before Knuckles could go, Rouge grabbed him by the arm. "Knuckles?"

Knuckles spun around. "What is it, Rouge?" Rouge stared at the ground quietly. "What is it?" Knuckles repeated again.

Rouge shook her head. "Nothing."

Knuckles shrugged. "I'll meet you guys at Angel Island, okay?" Rouge nodded. Knuckles saw a hint of sadness on her face. Hesitantly, he put his arms around her. "It's okay, Rouge. You can tell me later."

Rouge smiled back. "Angel Island? Meet you there." With that, she began to flap her wings and fly away. Knuckles stood momentarily and watched her fly away, then ran toward his home.