The early morning sun found the Wachowski household sleepy. Sonic and Tails were enjoying sleeping in, and Knuckles was still snoozing in the recliner. Maddie, always the early riser was up and carrying her Yoga mat to the porch to start the day. Though she yawned as she came down the stairs, she paused as she hear Knuckles' snoring.

She smiled, glad the guy was getting some rest. Her eyes then went to the blanket pile on the couch and set her Yoga mat down. Might as well get that folded up before she started her morning yoga. She gave the blanket a tug, but it felt like something was under it. She sighed. "Ozzy." She said quietly. "Come on buddy, outside."

Pant, pant, pant.

Maddie paused and looked to the side. There he was, sitting on the other side of the coffee table. But, if Ozzy was there... whats in the blankets?

Quickly, Maddie pulled aside the blanket, and blinked as a young woman stirred, groaned and looked up at her.

"What the?!" Maddie yelped.

Knuckles snorted as he woke and looked around at the yell, and Tom woke from thier room. "Maddie?"

The girl gasped and in a sudden flash of light vanished, blanket and all. This was quickly followed by a crash upstairs and Sonic yelping in surprise. Knuckles stared at where she once lay then up at where the crash was. "But thats impossible..."

"What just happened?" Tom asked as he came around the corner, just finishing pulling on some sweat pants.

"Someone, was sleeping on the couch.." Maddie answered, a bit freaked out. "A teenaged girl."

"We, did wish to inform you." Knuckles answered. "She, appeared in the Garage last night. We thought she used a ring, but that... that was different."

"is she dangerous?" Tom asked.

Knuckles shook his head. "Doubt it. She seemed more afraid than dangerous last night."

He took the lead upstairs as Tom and Maddie brought up the rear to where Sonic's room was.


My heart was pounding heavy and hard against my chest. People. That was the last thing I needed! People! I shuddered under the blanket even though I landed on something uncomfortable, knocking several things onto me over the blanket. I thought I heard Sonic and Tails, but I dared not move. I just had to stay still... and Silent... maybe they won't find me.

"What the..." Sonic groaned from somewhere in the room, followed by footsteps. The blanket lifts in front of me and Sonic stares at me with large, friendly eyes and a concerned tilt of his head. "hey, whats the matter?"

"Is that Em?" Tails asked, and I can hear the swish of his tails nearby.

"Yeah, but I don't know how she got up here." Sonic answered. "But she looks freaked out. What's wrong?"

I don't answer as I see the floor behind Sonic open up, letting Knuckles come up from it. And behind him is the person that woke me, followed by another person. Two people!? I shiver and curl up into a tighter ball. I'm dizzy from the Chaos control, but I force myself to focus, which gave me a headache as a result.

Looking behind him, Sonic waved at the humans. "Morning Donut Lord! Pretzel Lady!"

"Hey, Sonic." The man said, looking towards me. "Um... who's your friend?"

"Oh! Sorry, this is Emily." Sonic explained. "She was in the garage all freaked out. So we let her stay the night." He looked back at me. "It's okay Em, this is Tom the Donut Lord, and Maddie the Pretzel Lady. They're really friendly."

"They sure are." Tails added with a smile. "They won't hurt you. Promise."

Sonic gave a smile and offered his hand, just like he had the previous night. I'm still hesitant, but I take his hand and he helps me up to my feet. I sway a little from the dizziness though and have to sit back down, though the blanket is now around my shoulders. Maddie approaches and gets on her knees. "Hi Emily, I'm sorry I scared you." She said. "I wasn't expecting a fourth person to be in the house. How did you... get up here though?"

I swallow. Should I tell her? I hear Knuckles clear his throat as he approached. "It's a difficult technique to accomplish called Chaos Control." he explained. "My clan used to be able to do this, but they needed at least a Chaos emerald to do so. But..." He looks right at me. "How did you manage it?"

I look back at him before digging in my pocket and pulling out the green gem. "It... was outside of my cryo-chamber when I woke..." I answered, my voice quiet. "Though... I could teleport before... but it left me more tired..."

Kuckles' eyes stared at me for a long moment, but then Tom came forward and knelt beside Maddie. "Sonic, I thought you sent the Emeralds to the ends of the universe." Tom commented.

"I did." Sonic answered. "One must of landed by her and woke her up."

I stare at them anxiously, and Tom gives a nod and a smile. "Well, now that we know we have a guest, we can make extra batter for pancakes." He said. "You look like you could use some comfort food."

I tilted my head. "Comfort food?"

"Food that makes you feel better." Tom answered. "That is, if you're hungry."

In response my stomach growled rather loudly. That was another thing that teleporting did. It made me *really* hungry.

Tom laughed and stood. "I guess that answers that." He said as he stood sighed. "Wachowski Pancakes coming up."

"Yes!" Sonic cheered. "You're gonna like them Em! And so are you Knuckles! They're The best!"

"You say that about most foods." Knuckles told him.

"Not true." Sonic answered. "I don't say that about mushrooms." He made a face as he followed Tom downstairs to help with Breakfast, quietly followed by Maddie.

I watch them go before slowly relaxing again, gently holding my head with another shiver.

I feel a heavy hand on my shoulder and look up at Knuckles. "Are you not well?" he asked.

"I'm okay.." I answered. "Chaos Energy makes me feel sick if I use too much at once.."

"How are you able to use it?" Tails asked. "From what I've researched, humans can't use Chaos Energy. It's like mixing Oil and Water, they just don't combine at all."

I tilt my head at Tails. "They can't? I thought... Well... I guess I never did see any of the scientists use Chaos Energy that Shadow or me..."

Tails made a small face before looking at my head. "Um.. would you mind if I took a bit of your hair?" he asked. "I'd like to try and help you find more about yourself. But only if thats okay with you."

"Why would you need a bit of her hair?" Knuckles asked. "I doubt it could tell you much."

Tails gave him a knowing grin. "Actually, it could tell me a lot. Emily, you mentioned that you're part of a Project called Altered Defense Aid. I'm thinking that your DNA has been altered to handle the Chaos Energy, but I'd need a sample of your DNA to confirm this. And a strand of your hair is the easiest way to do that. And much less invasive. This way, we can figure out a better way to help you."

I ponder this for a moment before giving a small nod. I start reaching up to pluck a hair, but Tails moves off to his part of the room. Watching him move to a cluttered area, I take in the two sides of the room. One side had a racecar bed, twinkling lights overhead, along with various things. I had apparently crashed into a bookshelf and was half buried by thin Magazines with a guy dressed in red with a yellow lightning bolt on his chest. The side of the room that Tails had gone to consisted of a hammock and a drawing table with some blueprints of some kind on it. From the ceiling hung a model plane, and there were boxes of odds and ends and tools. From one of these boxes Tails had gotten a small pair of scissors and a couple rubber bands.

"These should do it." He said as he smiled and came back and sat next to me, taking a lock of my hair and started messing with it. While in front of me, Knuckles sat down and looked at me. "Do you know how to control the energy?"

I bit my lip. "Sorta..." I answered. "Though, it reacts suddenly when I'm scared..."

He nodded in understanding. "It's a defence. You don't wish to fight, so your first reaction is to find safety. Thus, you landed up here with Sonic and the Fox."

"Again, you can call me Tails..." Tails answered, still messing with my hair.

Though I don't think Knuckles heard him. "It is strange to see a human with skills of my people..." He commented. "perhaps I could share a couple tricks to help keep that energy in check. As you're looking rather pale after that Chaos Control you used. And sometimes, running is not an option. Though I can't share many of my peoples secrets."

I look down. I wasn't sure if I could stand up and fight if I needed to. The one time I did... I was put into Cryo-Sleep for a very long time... and Shadow... I closed my eyes. I did want to help him. But I couldn't do that if I vanish in the middle of defending him... Or in the middle of freeing him. I look at Knuckles and nodded. "I'd like that..."

*Snip*

"There we go!" Tails said, showing a small lock of hair that he braided and tied off before snipping. "This should help unravel your mystery, at least get it started."

By then, an inviting scent was wafting up the stairs, catching my attention and causing me to sniff at the air. With a crooked smile. Knuckles stood and offered his hand. "You should get some sustenance."

I smiled back as I took his hand and let him help me to my feet. I wasn't as dizzy this time, though Knuckles didn't let go of my hand right away, He had paused and was looking at my wrist. On it was an old marking, almost white against my pale skin. It was a little crescent moon. "Is this another cruelty that Hopkins did?" Knuckles asked, looking up at me.

"No, actually." I said. "I've had that marking all my life."

He gave a nod before letting go and leading me down the stairs. Though as we walked, I saw his hand go to his chest, where his white marking stood out against his red fur.


I was soon sat at the table, looking at the group as they passed out plates of food. The Pancakes I recognized, but I wasn't sure what the fluffy yellow stuff was or what the strips were. But looking around as Sonic and Tails dug in, I tried some of them. The Yellow stuff was warm and had delightful texture, and the strips were salty and juicy at the same time. I smiled at the tastes and sighed in delight.

Tom smiled. "Taste good?"

I nodded in answer, too busy with the food to answer verbally. I was indeed hungry. Maddie sat nearby and looks at me, a shake of something in hand. She looks at my arms before looking at Tom, who makes a small face.

"Emily, can you tell us where you came from?" Maddie asked. "And... what happened to you?"

I look up at her for a moment, unsure if I should tell her. But an encouraging nod from Sonic is enough to get me to speak. "I told Sonic, Tails and Knuckles last night.. I'm from the Prototype Project ADA. Though if you mean my scars, the scientists that took over the project was interested in how I worked... Dr. Hopkins can be rough with his testing. But I don't know where the lab is, all I know is that its underground somewhere, and i don't want to go back..."

"Well... whats your plan from here?" Tom asked as he cut a piece of his pancake and ate it.

I bite my lower lip. What was I going to do now? I didn't know very much of the world around me... and I didn't want to get caught by more scientists...

"Why not stay here in Green Hills?" Sonic asked. "It's the best place in the world!"

"I had offered her some training to help her Chaos energy." Knuckles added. "If anything, to not feel dizzy after using it."

Tom gave a nod. "I think thats a fair idea. Can't send her away with nowhere to go." He looked at Maddie. "What about-"

Maddie gave him a look. "I think you know my answer." She said with a smile and looked at me. "Besides, Maybe you came here for a reason. And I wouldn't mind helping you find that reason."

Though still nervous, I gave a small nod and smile. At least for now, I'm safe. I just hope Shadow is too.