Chapter 56
They all warp into the Freedom HQ hangar bay taking the agents on duty off guard as they aim their weapons at them, "Wait! Hold on! Don't shoot!" Knuckles yelled as they keep their weapons pointed at them,
"Agent Knuckles what is the meaning of this?" One of them said, "How did you get here?"
"We used Chaos Control, please we need to get to the infirmary." Knuckles said, they look at Sonic struggling to breathe in his arms as their attention turns towards Shadow.
"Why is Project Shadow with you?" Another one said as Shadow hands Tails the Chaos Emerald, then holds her hands up,
"I surrender willingly, just let them help her." She said,
"Shadow…" Cream said, as one of the guards lowers his weapon and pulls out a set of cuffs while the others all point their weapons at her.
"Don't worry about me just get her to Dr. Q." Shadow said holding her arms as they cautiously cuff her.
"The rest of you are free to go," One of them said as they nod,
"Shadow we'll get you out soon." Blaze said as they all run to the infirmary.
"Try anything funny and we'll shoot." The of them threatened as Shadow just lowers her head staying compliant while being heavily escorted to a cell.
The others burst into the infirmary almost causing Dr. Q to fall out of her desk chair. She jumps to her feet angrily walking over to them, "I swear to Chaos if you break my door again Knuckles…" She stops noticing Sonic in his arms,
"Help her." Knuckles pleaded as she points to a bed,
"Lay her down," She said following Knuckles to the bed,
"I'm letting Elias and Sally know where we are." Tails said messaging them on the communicator.
"It's not fair that Shadow isn't here…" Cream said,
"We'll get her out soon Cream, But we need to make sure Sonic is okay," Amy said,
"Is Sonic this girls name?" Dr. Q asked,
"Yes," Tails said,
"I need to know what's going on exactly, why is her skin like this?" Dr. Q asked checking over her vitals, "She's barely breathing… I'm going to put her on a Ventilator." She explained as she worked on that while she waited to hear their explanation,
"Naugus had her imprisoned inside of a giant Sapphire for three years," Amy said as Dr. Q's expression changes to utter confusion.
"He said something about her not needing to breath while being in there and now that she's free…" Tails explained further,
"Her body doesn't know how to." She finished prepping her and turning on the machine as she starts putting her on several monitors. "That should help her, I want to put her on an IV and see if that helps flush out this… is this gem dust?" She asked, looking closer to Sonic's skin, she looked like she was made of crystal.
"We're not sure…" Blaze said as Sally and Elias quickly enter the room,
"Are you all alright?" Sally asked,
"We'll be better once you tell the guards to free Shadow." Knuckles said,
"I need to talk to her first." Elias said,
"Damnit Elias you can talk to her here, Sonic is here, and she needs her." Knuckles said pointing as Sonic as Dr. Q was finishing putting in the IV.
"What is she?" Sally asked,
"She's a hedgehog… I thought that was obvious." Amy said also sounding annoyed,
"Amy…" Cream tried to calm him down,
"Shadow stays put until I get answers, just because you all have these new memories doesn't mean I trust her." Elias said,
"Well she trusts you! We came here because she only trusts Dr. Q with Sonic's safety." Knuckles said starting to get in his face as Tails stops him,
"Knuckles, he doesn't understand, we have to explain it to him." She said,
"If you all don't start calming down I'll have to ask you all to leave." Dr. Q said, "But she's stable for now." They all let out a sigh of relief.
"I want to trust all of you Knuckles, just explain it to me." Elias said,
"Tikal…" Knuckles called out as she appears,
"Yes Knuckles?" She asked as she sees Sonic, "What did he do to her?" she looked terrified,
"Can you please let Shadow know she's stable? She's locked in one of the cells. She's probably panicking." Knuckles asked as Elias gives him an, I didn't approve this look, but he ignores it.
"Of course," She disappears,
"Knuckles…" Elias was starting to get angry at his disobedience,
"She has a right to know that her girlfriend is okay, or did you forget we just rescued her from Naugus too?" Elias looks away for a moment. "But we need to make sure she's truly safe before we start talking. Tails can you make a larger version of the containment field?" He asked,
"Yes, I'll use one of the Chaos Emeralds as an energy source." Tails said,
"See if you can make it large enough to encompass the room or at the very least around her bed." He said as Tails quickly leaves the room,
"Why is this important?" Sally asked,
"Naugus won't waste any time coming after her, we need to make sure she's hidden from him for as long as possible while she's healing." Blaze said,
"Amy, you're on guard duty, no one comes into the room without knowing the password." Knuckles said,
"What's the password?" Amy asked,
"Fleetway," Knuckles said as they all nod,
"All for one girl?" Elias asked confused,
"She's been his prisoner for three years Elias, trapped inside of a living crystal for his own amusement." Knuckles said as Sally and Elias look shocked, "Are you alright for us to talk in here Doc or do you want us to leave?"
"I'd prefer you leave so I may focus on my patient." She said still looking Sonic over, "But I also want the whole story." She said, she was curious why someone she's never met would put all of her trust in her to save another's life.
"Alright, I'll try to keep it quick." He said as he begins to explain what has been going on.
Shadow was actively pacing within the cell; she was thankful that at least she wasn't restrained the way she was last time. She never wanted to feel that vulnerable again. "Hello Shadow," Tikal appears in front of her as she jumps back hitting the wall,
"Damnit Tikal, you scared the Chaos out of me!" She said,
"Hey! Keep in down or we will silence you!" the guard yelled,
"I'm sorry Shadow," Tikal said quietly, "Knuckles wanted me to see you immediately,"
"What about? Is Saya okay?" She asked looking panicked,
"She is stable, and Dr. Q is watching over her very closely." She said. Shadow sits down with a sigh of relief as she places her head in her hands trying not to cry,
"Thank you… the stress was killing me." She said, "Do you know if they were able to convince them to let me out?"
"I believe they were still arguing about that when I left…" Tikal said,
"I didn't even get to hold her…"
"Have faith, you will see her soon." Tikal said,
"Thanks, I hope you're right." Shadow said, "I just hope I hit Naugus hard enough so we have time to make sure he can't take her again."
"I will go and see if there is any way I can assist," Tikal said,
"Could you do me a favor?"
"Of course,"
"Could you give me updates? So I know how she's doing." Shadow asked,
"Yes, I will be back if anything changes before that." Tikal said disappearing. Shadow sits there praying that she can be let out soon.
Two hours pass and Tails walks back up to the infirmary carrying a large device with the Chaos Emerald placed in the center as she sees Amy guarding the door, "You got guard duty?" Tails asked as he nods,
"There's a password to get in… of course Knuckles would give it to us after you left." Amy said shaking his head,
"He was kind of raging so it probably slipped his mind," Tails said shaking her head, "You should test me anyway before letting me go in,"
"Hmm, okay what's something only you would know about me?" Amy said, as Tails thinks for a moment,
"You told me in the workshop that you already knew how Saya felt about Sophia." She said as Amy looks hurt,
"Wow going straight for the feels, you're good." He said opening the door for her and she enters."
"Knuckles, why would you make a password after I leave the room?" Tails said walking over to the bed next to Sonic and tinkers with the device,
"Sorry Tails… I wasn't thinking straight," Knuckles said giving Elias and Sally a bit to process some of the information before they start asking questions.
"It's cool, but I think I opened some old wounds for Amy proving who I am…" She said, "So what is the password?"
"Fleetway," Cream said sitting next to Sonic watching over her,
"Any change?" Tails asked Dr. Q,
"None yet, but I'm not entirely sure how long it will take for her to recover." Dr. Q said,
"Will the device work Tails?" Blaze asked as she looks over her shoulder,
"We're about to find out." Tails said closing the device and flipping the switch and a field expands almost encompassing the entire room, "Now to see if it hides her," She takes out the emerald detector and walks out of the room. "Knuckles can you come here for a sec?" she calls out from the hallway as Knuckles looks at Elias,
"Go… I need a bit more time to process this." He said as Knuckles walks out,
"What do you need?"
"Can you sense the Chaos Emerald in the room?" She asked,
"No," He said focusing on attempting to find it.
"Good, now he won't be able to sense her presence." Tails said with a smile as he holds out his fist and they fist bump.
"Once Doc says she's stable enough to we need to move her to another room." Knuckles said as they reenter the room, "Naugus knows that Sonic is in bad shape so the infirmary will be the first place he checks,"
"I need to talk to the Director… He needs to know Naugus is a threat. And that we have evidence that he was holding Sonic prisoner." Elias said standing up,
"No… I will go tell the Director. You need to go get Shadow." Sally said,
"You're right… Hopefully I can repair this trust I may have potentially lost…" He said walking towards the door,
"Bring her here but don't tell her the password just in case. Amy will know how to test her." Knuckles said as he nods and him and Sally leave the room,
"That was exhausting…" Blaze said,
"You're telling me, my head hurts just explaining it… you all must feel fried…" Knuckles said looking at Dr. Q as she was checking over Sonic again,
"This poor girl has gone through so much…" She said, "It looks like she's starting to go back to normal. Her skin isn't as… shiny."
"Is she stable enough for us to move her to a more secure location?" Knuckles asked,
"Yes, but we should wait for Elias to get back." She said as they nod,
"I hope she gets better soon." Cream said,
"She's strong, we just have to be patient." Blaze said,
Elias walks up to the guard as he nods before unlocking the door to let him in. Shadow quickly stands up seeing him unsure if the man in front of her was truly Elias or Naugus in disguise. "By that reaction you are weary of me," Elias said,
"Seeing as last time I was in here with you it was Naugus in disguise before he kidnapped me, you can understand my apprehension …" She said,
"I just got done speaking to Knuckles about everything. Though I would be lying if I said I believe all of it." He said,
"Just say what you want to ask." Shadow said not wanting to play this back and forth. All she wanted was to be by Sonic's side and keep her safe.
"Are you a threat to this base?"
"I am only a threat to Naugus, well and Robotnik if he shows his face." She said as he takes a step towards her and she steps back,
"Relax," He said holding up the keys,
"I won't relax until I see Sonic," She said as he steps forward and unlocks her cuffs.
"You could have easily left here with your abilities," Elias said,
"I was trying to come off as less threatening." She said rubbing her wrists, "Though being constantly restrained for the last twelve hours has put me in a sour mood." He leads her out of the room,
"Commander?" The guard stood up shocked to see Shadow walk out with him,
"At ease, she's with me." He said as he salutes,
"Yes sir!" He said as Sally runs up to them,
"You are not going to believe what is about to happen…" Sally said,
"I can't tell if you look concerned or happy," Elias said as Sally looks over at Shadow,
"I'm sorry about how we treated you before." She said looking apologetic,
"It's fine, you were saying something's going to happen?" Shadow said,
"Let's get back, I think everyone needs to hear this." Sally said as Shadow follows them to the infirmary seeing Amy in front of the door,
"Shadow!" Amy said relieved, "Wait… What's the password?" Both Elias and Sally whisper the password in his ear, "And you're sure this is Shadow?" Shadow glares at him but then smirks,
"How's your training going?" Shadow said as Amy feels a chill run down his spine triggering his flight response remembering how terrifying it is to spar with her,
"No yep that's her, only she can radiate that much annoyed bloodlust," Shadow lets out a huff and Amy opens the door. Shadow sees Sonic and quickly rushes up next to her. She looks over at Dr. Q worried,
"You must be Shadow. She's alright, but she needs to stay on the machine for a while longer," She said as Shadow nods. She takes Sonic's hand and brushes her hair away from her face,
"Don't worry, I won't leave your side," She said as Cream moves a chair over for her.
"Amy come in we need to talk," Sally said as Amy enters the room and closes the door behind him, "I just finished talking with the Director about Naugus, He's apparently been waiting for this opportunity to take Naugus down for a while."
"Doesn't surprise me, the Director has never liked Naugus." Knuckles said,
"He's never liked us either…" Amy said crossing his arms,
"He's using this to take martial law and dethrone him," Sally said,
"I don't think I like the sound of that…" Cream said,
"I don't either… The Director has never been fond of Mobians, and if he's taking control…" Elias said,
"He may lock us all up just because he can…" Blaze said,
"If they try to take her from me…" Shadow started to get angry as Cream tried to calm her down,
"We won't let that happen Shadow," Cream said as Shadow tries to take a deep breath.
"First we need to prep to move Sonic. Having her in here is too obvious." Elias said,
"My workshop has plenty of room." Tails said,
"That will work, those doors are also reinforced after that incident with the Derobotisizer." Sally said,
"It was one little explosion!" Tails pouts,
"You blew up your entire lab…" Cream said as Shadow tries to hide a smirk.
"Helen is there any equipment you need in there before we start moving her?" Elias asked,
"No I'll start packing any supplies I might need," She said,
"I'll help you carry anything you need," Blaze said as they start grabbing stuff as the others get everything set up for movement. Tails sets the containment device on Sonic's bed as she looks at her best friend worried she might not get better.
"Hey," Knuckles gets her attention, "She'll pull through this." He places his hand on her shoulder as she nods,
"I just hate seeing her like this." She said as they start getting her by the door,
"Wait," Shadow said grabbing another blanket and covering Sonic with it, "Cameras," she said as they nod and head out to the hallway heading straight for Tails' lab making sure no one saw them.
They get Sonic all set up in Tails' workshop as Dr. Q looks her over to make sure the movement didn't harm her. "Looks like the movement didn't bother her too much," Dr. Q said with a sigh. Sonic's skin hadn't changes at all since the last time. She moves out of the way so Shadow could sit next to her as she takes Sonic's hand again,
"How much longer will she have to have that on her?" Shadow asked, looking at the ventilator,
"I want it to stay on a little longer, she seems to be breathing alright, but I'd rather have her strengthen up a little more before I take it out." She explained as Shadow nods,
"Please wake up soon," Shadow said brushing her fingers through Sonic's hair. "I need you,"
"What do we do when Naugus does come for her? He can look and sound like any one of us." Amy said,
"Like Abyss all over again," Knuckles said,
"Do I even want to know who Abyss is?" Elias asked,
"No you don't…" Tails said shivering,
"Just one of our many enemies…" Blaze said with a sigh,
"Specifically Shadows enemy." Amy said,
"So we can't trust anyone unless they have the password." Sally said and they all nod as she gets a message on her communicator, "Elias…" Her expression changes to concern,
"I know that tone… He's coming here isn't he?" Elias asked,
"Yes, and that's not all…" She said, Elias pinches the bridge of his nose, "He wants Project Shadow…"
"I'm really starting to hate being the Ultimate Lifeform…" Shadow said looking annoyed,
"Don't worry Shadow you're not going anywhere." Knuckles said,
"He's right, if I took you to the Director he'd imprison you on the spot, we'll keep you hidden here with Sonic," Elias said,
"Thank you." Shadow said sounding relieved,
"Now we have to worry about the Director and Naugus…" Cream said with a frown,
"We just need to keep them safe until Sonic's strong enough to fix the world." Amy said,
"Can she really revert the world back?" Dr. Q asked,
"She's the only one who can." Tails said,
"Time to go see how the Director is going to make things more difficult…" Elias said with a sigh,
"I'll go with you. We need to buy Sonic as much time to recover as we can." Knuckles said,
"Good luck fearless leader," Amy said,
"Seriously Alan, stop calling me that!" Knuckles said as he an Elias leave the room.
"We need to be on our guard… it's been a few hours and we have no clue what Naugus is going to do." Blaze said as they all nod trying to stay alert to what will happen next.
Elias and Knuckles enter the computer room to see the director of G.U.N. and his men prepping set up for command. They both walk up and salute to him, "Good Morning gentlemen," He said as they lower their arms,
"Director Towers," Elias said,
"We've already gone to the palace to discuss Naugus' surrender. Not to our surprise, he was nowhere to be found." He said,
"I believe Sally explained he is after our patient." Elias said,
"She did, my men went to the infirmary to increase her security however there was no one present. Care to explain?" The Director looked at both of them with a raised eyebrow waiting for an answer,
"With King Naugus' ability to shape shift we thought it best to hide her in an undisclosed location." Elias said,
"You have a point, however, that doesn't explain why Project Shadow is not in one of the cells." Towers said raising an eyebrow,
"If I may sir?" Knuckles asked hesitantly as the Director nods, "Since Naugus kidnapped Shadow in our custody once already, we thought it wise to hide her as well." He explained,
"You both realize that she is a lethal weapon correct?" The Director said as Knuckles clenching his fist trying not to get angry, "She should be heavily restrained at all times, there's no telling what she could do."
"I assure you director; Shadow is no threat to this facility." Elias said, "I can show footage of her giving up willingly when she could have easily fled."
"I don't entirely care what you believe Commander. She is an abomination and must be locked up." Director Towers said as Knuckles' eye twitches, starting to lose his ability to stay composed.
"You can try to take her, after Naugus isn't in the picture." Knuckles said,
"Was that a threat boy?" He glared at Knuckles,
"No sir, but I believe our priority should be the creep who kept a girl as his prisoner her entire life." Knuckles said not changing his expression. He wasn't going to be intimidated by him for being biased against his friend.
"I would still like more details about this Sonic the Hedgehog, we couldn't find any information about her in any database." He said,
"That's because she's been his prisoner this entire time Director, she's a blue Hedgehog with unknown powers," Elias said,
"Unknown powers? I don't like having Unknowns Elias," He glared,
"She has immeasurable speed along with being heavily tied to Chaos. Even more so than the Ultimate Lifeform." Knuckles said,
"She can use Chaos energy? What was Naugus using her for?" He asked,
"We're not sure, we found her when we went to rescue Shadow. He's had her imprisoned in living crystal in plain sight this entire time." Knuckles said,
"I still do not like that I do not know where Project Shadow is located…" He said,
"Sally is keeping an eye on her personally. And given Naugus' abilities the less who know of her location the better until he's caught." Elias said,
"Once Naugus is located both Project Shadow and this Sonic the Hedgehog will be surrendered to my custody, is that clear gentlemen?" Towers said as they both nod, "Then you're dismissed, I will call you if I hear anything." Knuckles and Elias leave the room,
"We can't go back to the others…" Elias said,
"I know… They're tailing us." Knuckles said seeing two agents following them.
"I'll let Sally know the situation, we can wait in my office." Elias said quietly as they enter his office and lock the door behind them, "He'll start searching the compound for them next…"
"Looks like the Director is determined to take Shadow and Sonic into his custody…" Sally said as Dr. Q was finishing removing the ventilator from Sonic's mouth,
"She's recovering well and isn't having any trouble breathing. It's like something jumpstarted her healing all of a sudden." She said,
"That's good to hear," Cream said,
"I'll go talk to my father, see if he can ease up." Dr. Q heads to the door, but Shadow stops her,
"If you leave you'll be stuck out there like Knuckles and Elias." She said,
"You have a point," She said taking out her phone,
"Who's her dad?" Amy asked,
"Dr. Q's father is the Director of G.U.N." Sally explained as they all looked surprised,
"I didn't know that" Tails said,
"She doesn't like to advertise it. They don't have the best relationship." Sally said as Dr. Q was already talking on the phone with someone.
"Wait, but they have different last names." Cream said,
"She uses her mother's surname." Sally said,
"No I don't care how you feel about this! She's my patient and I will not let you disturb her recovery." They hear her say loudly, "I don't want to hear it! Stop the search for them immediately you are putting them in danger by acting like this."
"Maybe if I surrender…" Shadow was starting to say as Amy interrupts her,
"Absolutely not, that's how Naugus kidnapped you in the first place. We're not leaving you vulnerable just because the Director thinks you're a threat." He said,
"But Sonic could get hurt…" Shadow said as her ears lower,
"We won't let that happen," Blaze said, "You just focus on her," She looks at Sonic still resting,
"Your men will have to go through me if they try!" She yells hanging up the phone,
"Doesn't sound like he's letting up…" Cream said,
"One of these days I'm going to just…" She takes a deep breath, "We should barricade the doors just in case." Tails goes over to the door and locks it as the others grab some metal chairs to cover the door. During all of the noise Sonic starts to stir as her grip tightens around Shadow's hand making her jump,
"Doc." Shadow called out to her as Dr. Q rushes over. Sonic opens her eyes and sees Shadow looking down at her with tears in her eyes,
"Hey there good looking." Sonic coughed with a weak smile as Shadow just shakes her head,
"You dork…" She wipes away the tears,
"Hey there Sonic, how are you feeling?" Dr. Q asked looking her over,
"Hey Doc, throat hurts a little…" She said,
"We had you on a ventilator to help you breath." She explained,
"I mean I was a crystal for Chaos knows how long…" She said trying to chuckle but starts to cough.
"Don't talk too much just yet, let your body recover," Dr. Q said as Tails comes over with a glass of water.
"Hey little buddy." She tries to sit up, but she had no strength and slips. Shadow sits on the bed and helps Sonic up. Tails hands Shadow the water and she helps Sonic drink while Dr. Q adjusts the bed to have her sitting up. Shadow starts to let her go to rest back on the bed as Sonic weakly grabs onto Shadow's shirt with tears in her eyes not wanting her to let go. "I… I was so alone…" She cried as Shadow held her trying to calm her down,
"Shhh, I know. You're safe now. I'm not leaving your side." She said scooting on the bed more and leaning back,
"We're here for you Sonic, you just rest and get stronger," Tails said, Sonic reaches out and takes Tails' hand. They all came over so she could see them. She continued to cry as they all saw her tears turn into gem dust.
"Also, can anyone explain why I look like someone dumped their highlighter palette on me?" She looks at her hand,
"We believe it's a side effect from being inside the gem for so long." Dr Q said, "I can at least say you're not as glittery as you were when you first arrived" She joked,
"Cool…" Sonic said. Her eyelids lower looking tired,
"Rest, I'll be right here when you wake up." Shadow said kissing her forehead,
"Promise?" Sonic asked resting her head on Shadows chest, she felt Sonic's grip on her shirt tighten. She knew that a part of Sonic feared that all of this was a dream and she'd wake back up still imprisoned within the Sapphire,
"Promise," She said as Sonic starts to fall back asleep, "Can you let Knuckles and Elias know she woke up for a bit?" Shadow looked at Sally and she nods,
"She looked at us like we could disappear at any moment." Cream said wiping tears away from her eyes.
"I can't even imagine what that was like…" Blaze said as Amy punches the wall taking them all off guard,
"Alan!" Tails yells "Sonic needs…" She stops as they could feel the anger coming off of him, "W… What is it?"
"I just realized why Naugus had us make monthly reports in the throne room…" Amy said shaking, as he tears up angrily. "Just to rub it in her face at how alone she was…"
"Bastard…" Shadow said, now she knew she couldn't let Sonic go. Not until she was better, "I can't leave her side…"
"You won't have to," Cream said,
"Elias said if they find us you need to warp out of here with Sonic." Sally said,
"Wait, where would we go?" Shadow asked,
"Knuckles' apartment, it's unregistered so they won't know to look for you there." Sally said,
"Honestly, I think you should leave as soon as possible." Dr. Q said,
"If we go, we all go together," Shadow said, "Splitting up isn't a good idea,"
"Helen and I will need to stay here," Sally said, "I will keep you all updated through our encrypted code." She looks at Tails,
"But what about Knuckles?" Tails asked,
"I can come back for him after I get you all there." Shadow said,
"This is Mephiles all over again with being on the run…" Cream said,
"But this time we're all together, and we're going to keep it that way." Amy said as they all nod,
"Alright, let's get going then," Shadow said picking Sonic up, "Amy, grab the containment field," he goes over and picks it up as they all gather around Shadow,
"You two be safe," Blaze said as Sally and Dr. Q nod,
"You too," Sally said as Shadow warps them away.
"Sally just told me they left," Elias said as he and Knuckles let out a sigh of relief. Knuckles was keeping an eye on the door making sure no one was looking in on them,
"We can't stay here, but once the Director finds out we got them off base we're probably going to be detained," Knuckles said,
"Hopefully, Shadow can come back and get you before then…" Elias said,
"As long as the majority of them got out that's all I care about," Knuckles said, "Knowing Sonic woke up helps… damn I should have given them the other Chaos Emeralds…" He remembers the other containment device has been in his pocket. He hands it to Elias knowing it will be taken from him but might not be taken from Elias.
"I'll let Sally know, she can get the message to Tails." He said,
"That's right, they have that encrypted code they made," Knuckles said remembering that in this life Sally and Tails made a code only the two of them could decipher for when Eggman had a spy inside their base. "It's been hard to keep these lives separate…"
"I do not envy you. Having three different lives in your head must be difficult to get used to." He said,
"I thought just remembering one life was hard… but two is definitely giving me a headache," He said seeing guards approach Elias' office, "Looks like it's time to face the music," Knuckles said grabbing the doorknob and bending it, "That going to be enough time to warn Sally?"
"Working on it right now." He said as the agents start slamming against the door,
"Commander Elias, Agent Knuckles, open the door, the Director wants a word." One of the men outside called out,
"Sorry I got a little upset and broke to doorknob… you might want to get a locksmith over here…" Knuckles said trying not to enjoy messing with them,
"If you do not open the door we will open it by force," He said,
"Like I said we're stuck so be my guest," Knuckles said as Elias nods to him letting him know he sent Sally the message, "You know what, here let me see if I can help you." He stands to the side of the door and snaps the doorknob off as the door swings open and all of the guards attempting to slam into the door fall to the floor. "My bad…" They all scramble to their feet,
"You're coming with us," One of them said,
"I figured that since you just told us the Director wanted to see us." Knuckles said,
"Pouring in on a little thick?" Elias said rolling his eyes as one of the men grabs Knuckles arms and cuffs him,
"We're already caught, might as well have fun with it." Knuckles said with a shrug as they both are escorted back to the computer room.
Shadow lays Sonic on the couch as the others all go around the room and make sure that the apartment is secure. "There's no one here." Amy said coming back downstairs,
"What's going on?" Sonic said waking up after feeling the change in Chaos energy,
"We teleported off base, the Director of G.U.N. has a vendetta against me." Shadow said as Sonic sits up, "You look like you're feeling better," She checks her over as Sonic grabs her by the collar and pulls her close kissing her almost causing her to fall on top of her. "Y… You…" Shadow lets go of the kiss completely flustered as Sonic chuckles,
"Sorry… I couldn't wait any longer." She said as Shadow kisses her again,
"Chaos you're insufferable," Shadow said getting her to lay back down, "You need more rest idiot."
"Okay," She said catching her breath,
"We got a problem…" Tails said deciphering Sally's message, "Knuckles and Elias are in custody…"
"Damn…" Shadow said,
"That's not the worse part…" Tails said,
"How can this get worse?" Blaze asked,
"Knuckles had three of the Chaos Emeralds," Tails said as Amy facepalms,
"So much for getting Saya to go Super Sonic…" Amy said,
"But if I can't go Super… Naugus can…" Sonic's ears lower starting to look frightened,
"We won't let that happen," Tails said,
"If they've moved him I won't know where to warp to, to grab them." Shadow said crossing her arms annoyed. "Why can't this ever be easy?" She lets out a sigh,
"Cuz I'm involved," Sonic joked,
"I told you to go back to sleep," Shadow said,
"But you said Knux is in trouble…" Sonic pouts,
"He is but you let us worry about that," Cream said,
"The Director is probably setting a trap as we speak…" Blaze said,
"Sally said her, and Dr. Q are staying hidden for now, but they will probably get caught too eventually.
"I hate the Director…" Amy said,
"For now we stay put, Sonic is still our top priority until she's well again." Shadow said,
"I'll be good in five minutes." Sonic said holding her hand above her chest "Anarchy Rule," She said as the Void Emerald floats out of her chest.
"You have the Void Emerald?" Tails asked shocked,
"Yeah… it's how he kept me trapped in the gem. Naugus didn't think I could get it out." She said, "But now that Fleetway's memories are my memories I know how to control it." She said sitting up,
"Anarchy Rule?" Cream asked,
"It's like Chaos Control, but for the Void." She said, "It's how I cracked the gem. I did something similar to Chaos Blast." She said,
"Does it hurt you?" Shadow asked as Sonic shakes her head,
"I should be able to use the Void Emerald to speed up my healing since I'm no longer attached to a Chaos Emerald." She said as they see the Void Emerald glow slightly and her skin goes back to normal.
"But wait… What about the voices?" Tails asked,
"I learned to block those out years ago… I… I had a lot of time on my hands." She said looking down. "But that's in the past and we have a Knuckle head to go save." She stands up with a smile,
"You're not coming…" Shadow said,
"But why not? They literally won't see me coming." Sonic said,
"Did you forget Naugus is MIA? He's out there somewhere looking for you and we don't know if he can track you or how his control on you works." Shadow said,
"She has a point Sonic," Tails said, "As long as you stay in here he can't track your energy signature."
"I wanna help…" Sonic said as her ears lower,
"We know you do sweetie," Cream said patting her head,
"You all saw how G.U.N. Restrained me, I don't want you going through that." Shadow said walking up to her.
"I don't want you going through that again either…" Sonic said as Shadow wraps her arms around Sonic's waist,
"But if there's a chance for me to get Knuckles and the Emeralds back I have to take it." Shadow said as Sonic pouts, "I'd rather me be caught by G.U.N. then you caught by Naugus." She kisses her,
"How about neither of those options." Amy said,
"I agree with Amy," Blaze said, "Sally isn't caught yet we might be able to find a way to get Knuckles and Elias out without them even knowing." Tails facepalms,
"Tikal?" She calls out as Tikal appears,
"Yes Tails?" She asked as she sees Sonic, "Oh thank Chaos you're alright," she smiles,
"Yeah I'm feeling a lot better, I'd love to go out and stretch my legs, but someone won't let me." She teased,
"Stop acting like a child," Shadow said tugging on her ear,
"Okay, okay! Not the ear!" Sonic whimpers as Shadow lets go and kisses her again,
"What can I do to help?" Tikal asked,
"Can you find out where Knuckles and Elias are on base?" Tails asked,
"I can try," She said disappearing,
"If we're lucky she can find them, and you can just quickly warp them out of there." Tails said, "No altercations necessary,"
"You won't hear me complaining." Shadow said,
"Now we wait." Amy said,
Knuckles sat inside a cell still cuffed as he lets out an annoyed sigh, he has no idea what happened to Elias and no clue how he's getting out of this situation. He heard people talking outside of his cell as the door unlocks and one of the guards enters. He stood up right away knowing this feeling of Void energy, "Naugus," Knuckles said as the guard snaps his fingers and he sees the light of the camera turn off, "Gonna take me like you did with Sophia?"
"Tell me where you are hiding the Quickster Guardian." He said transforming into Naugus,
"There's no way in hell I'll let you get your slimy hands on her again!" Knuckles said as Naugus holds out a limit collar,
"You can't fight my mind control while wearing this," he smiles as Knuckles glares,
"I won't let you Naugus!" Tikal appears in between them,
"Tikal?" Knuckles was surprised to see her,
"Get out of my way Spirit!" Naugus waves his clawed hand as Tikal disappears, "Blasted nuisance."
"Guard! Naugus is…" A band covers his mouth as crystals hold him in place.
"Now be silent, boy." He said walking towards Knuckles as he tries to fight free. He notices that the room starts filling with water as Chaos appears. "What?" Naugus looked surprised as Chaos blasts him away from Knuckles. He turns to Knuckles and breaks his restraints as Knuckles removes the band from his face,
"Thanks Chaos," Knuckles said as he nods to him before they start smashing at the crystals. Naugus starts to get back up, "Can you keep him busy?" Chaos nods his head and charges at Naugus while Knuckle frantically breaks free of the crystals,
"Blasted water spirit!" Naugus rages as Knuckles breaks out completely and runs for the door, "Get back here boy!"
"In your dreams Naugus!" Knuckles punches the door open as the guard tries to grab him. Knuckles notices that his eyes are glazed over quickly realizing he's mind controlled, "Sorry man but I'm not sticking around." He runs as the alarms go off, "Aw Chaos this is going to suck!" he continues running down the hallway,
Elias was in front of one of the computers handcuffed to it. He managed to get away with not being searched and still had the containment device with the Chaos Emeralds inside. But now he didn't know how to get it to the others. "Why did you imprison Knuckles in one of the Cells? He did nothing wrong?" Elias said,
"You know I've never trusted Mobians and their supernatural abilities. Bunch of animals…" The Director said as Elias glares. The doors of the computer room bursts open as Dr. Q storms in taking all of the guards by surprise,
"Helen what are you doing?" Elias looked confused,
"Where have you been?" The Director asked,
"Moving stuff back into the infirmary since my patient had to hide somewhere else so she could rest." She crossed her arms,
"Where are they?" He asked,
"I don't know, and even if I did you don't deserve to know!" Dr. Q raised her voice as she notices Knuckles wasn't in the room, "Where's Knuckles?"
"In a holding cell." The Director said as she tries to resist the urge to hit him.
"You are being ridiculous! Martial law or not doesn't give you the right to discriminate against Mobians!" She said as the alarms go off, "What?"
"Guards swarm the cells!" The Director starts giving orders,
"You used him as bait!" Elias yelled trying to get up as one of the guards pushes him back into the seat,
"And it worked, now we just have to capture him," Towers said,
"What if he gets Knuckles and escapes?" Dr. Q said,
"Highly unlikely," Towers said as Elias grabs the device and then grabs Dr. Q's hand.
"You should get somewhere safe." He said to her as she nods,
"My daughter is safest with me Elias, and we will discuss your insubordination later." The Director turns as she runs back to the door, "Helen get back here!" But she was already running down the hallway, She needed to find Knuckles fast before he got hurt.
Back at the apartment Sonic had fallen asleep in Shadows lap as they waited to hear back from Tikal. Tails was working on making sure the containment field was working well when Sonic quickly sits up hitting Shadow in the chin, as they both wince in pain, "Ow…" Sonic said,
"Damnit that hurt…" Shadow said rubbing her chin,
"Everything alright?" Blaze asked,
"Naugus is going after Knuckles…" Sonic said as they all quickly stand up.
"Are you sure?" Cream asked as Sonic nods,
"Chaos told me… well… he doesn't really talk, it's more of a feeling…Tikal's hurt but she was able to summon Chaos to help just in time." She said,
"Bastard… He used Knuckles as bait to lure out Naugus…" Shadow said,
"What do we do?" Amy asked,
"If you can connect to Chaos… can you reach Knuckles?" Shadow asked,
"I can try…" Sonic said, "But I need a Chaos Emerald." She said as Tails takes out one of the Emeralds and hands it to her. She concentrates as her eyes turn black,
"Sonic are you okay?" Cream asked,
"I'm just trying to concentrate… why?" She said still staring into the Chaos Emerald,
"You're eyes are black…" Tails said,
"That probably looks creepy…" She said, "I'm fine but if you all could keep quiet, I need to focus…"
Knuckles was running down the hall as he sees guards charge towards him completely blocking his path. "Oh you gotta be kidding me…" Knuckles said but he doesn't slow down, "Get out of my way or I'm taking you out!" He yelled as they move out of the way and to his surprise let him pass without any issue. He doesn't give it another though but keeps running knowing those men won't be enough to stop Naugus.
"Knux!" He hears Sonic's voice in his head as he stops and looks around, "You okay?" She asked as he continues to look around confused,
"Sonic? Where are you?" He called out,
"I'm with everyone else, I'm using Chaos to communicate with you." She explained as Knuckles starts to hear the sound of fighting behind him,
"Naugus is after me but Chaos helped me escape." He said,
"Can you make it to Tails' workshop?" She asked as Knuckles starts moving in that direction,
"I can try but The guards the Director threw at Naugus won't hold him off for long." He said as he almost runs into Dr. Q.
"Oh thank Chaos…" She said catching her breath as he grabs her hand and continues running,
"No time keep running," Knuckles said as she looks back hearing the sound of fighting behind them but then it stops,
"Knuckles where are we going?" She said,
"Tails' workshop." He said,
"That's a dead end!" She said,
"Sonic has an idea…" Knuckles said pausing for a moment, "You do have an idea right?"
"Shadow's going to come pick you up." He hears Sonic's voice in his head,
"Knuckles the sounds stopped…" She said,
"We need to hurry then…" He said,
"Here," Dr. Q holds out the containment device holding the Chaos Emeralds, "I can buy you some time," She slows down looking tired,
"Not happening, if he gets a hold of you he could find out where Sonic is." He said picking her up and continuing to run.
"Knux, tell me when you're there and Shadow will immediately warp next to the door." Sonic explained as he turns the corner and Naugus was there,
"Shit!" Knuckles turns to run back but a crystal wall blocks him. He puts Dr. Q down and guards her as Naugus approaches,
"Now did you really think those weak humans could hold me off?" He waves his hand as both of their feet are restrained,
"Damn… Sorry guys… we almost made it…" Knuckles said as the crystals crawled up their legs,