"Do my eyes still look irritated?"

"Nope... what happened to you two anyway?"

Knuckles looked confused for a moment, contorting his neck to obediently snap in places Julie-su almost cringed seeing. The thoughtful silence that insued had him spending the next few seconds replaying what had happened during his fight with Izzy, the bruised skin of his abdomen twitching as he remembered the heavy knee that brought him on both of his own. Across him, the pink echidna never let her worried look falter, but she knew Knuckles well enough that asking a question more than once often held opposite results. And fortunately in these past few days, it was helping her win his favor--rather than lose it to that certain annoying bat she was having trouble with recently. "Let's just say I've found what I was looking for... he hits pretty hard though--knocked me down for a good few seconds actually."

"Really? That hard?" Julie-su was aware that being knocked down for a second or two was no big deal; if it was anyone else that got hit. Knuckles was an entirely different story... him being knocked down for a 'few' seconds was absolutely no joke. Julie-su knew full well that when the maroon echidna had his feet firmly planted on stable ground, even Sonic wouldn't be able to muster enough strength to rattle him down to his knees.

"Maybe... he got me by surprise so I wasn't able to properly measure his strength at all." Knuckles shrugged, not one hint of pride showing. Nobody won the match, but he would've preferred himself losing over what had happened. And that green acid thing... Julie-su had let Tails borrow the ancient records of Angel Island in hopes that the fox would be able to come up with an explanation, though Knuckles was convinced that the pain he felt was familiar. Without a doubt, It was the master emerald all right, but it felt so dilluted... so held back. "For now I'll just label him strong until the next time we fight. Oh by the way, have you seen Rouge anywhere?"

"Hm... how should I know." Julie-su crossed her arms, a large amount of irritation catching her off-guard. Of all the times he could've mentioned that stingy flirt's name, why now??? Was she really that attractive that Knuckles couldn't help but think about her every single--no. There she was, being way too critical again. Perhaps there was a less infuriating reason... still, that bat really got on her nerves. 'Calm down girl...' "Probably getting drunk again."

"I hope not... she's gotta get over her depression if she intends to find out who exposed her to the government." Knuckles let out a deep sigh, crossing his arms and letting his eyelids smother his sight in dark, silent meditation. Julie-su for the life of her had no idea why her best friend even cared; Rouge spelled nothing but trouble. For all the pink echidna knew she could be just staying with them in hopes of obtaining the location of the master emerald. In fact it seemed like the perfect plan; the sort of ingenious plot that the bat was all too capable of conjuring. And as if that wasn't proof enough though, Knuckles had a history of being quite gullible, so her theory of Rouge using him was simply too possible to ignore... and the mere thought angered her beyond comprehension.

"I don't know why you let her stay here in the first place..."

"Well, to tell you the truth... I don't know either." The maroon echidna shrugged, opening his eyes to see a confused pair staring back at him. He couldn't blame her too; it sounded pretty vague. "Maybe I just don't like seeing her this way. I'm sorry, I admit that what I'm doing now is stupid, and I'm making myself look like a gullible idiot again; but I think she's helped fix more than whatever damage she's caused... I want to help her Julie."

Julie-su could only shake her head helplessly in reply, finding herself unable to keep angry towards her best friend's genuine kindness. Knuckles was tough, stubborn, hard-headed in a literal sense and maybe even dwelled a little on the tempermental side... but he was a real softie at heart. That was one of the reasons why she was so damn in love with the guy. Speaking of love... she had completely forgotten about the kiss they shared! Julie almost gasped as a sudden wave of red splashed on her cheeks when the thought entered her mind once more. It really wasn't much of a kiss; now that she thought about it, but it was definitely a powerful weapon she could use in case that clever bat tried to take what she'd worked so hard to obtain... or at least, will obtain in the very near future. To be perfectly honest, she didn't know what she cared for the most; Rouge stealing the master emerald, or Rouge stealing Knuckles' affections. "Don't worry about it I... I trust you, Red. No matter what you do or what choice you make I'll be right behind you all the way."

"I know... that's why I'll never let you down," Knuckles smirked, placing a soothing hand on her shoulder. He didn't notice her breath skip at his touch. "ever."

Julie-su simply zoned out in light-headed bliss.

Meanwhile, hidden in a large tree among countless others not too far away from the pair, a shapely white bat who'd overheard their entire conversation was now having a little trouble digesting the red echidna's caring choice of words. Did he really mean that? Did he really want to help her? Because in all honesty, she wouldn't, had their positions been changed. And as good as her ego felt concerning Knuckles' genuine flattery, it made her heart flinch terribly at the risk she was allowing herself to take. For the next minute and a half she continued to remain still; visually content on her brooding, until a small ringing sound that echoed in her left ear snapped her out of the unhealthy reverie. Feeling very much like a cruel old hag, the bat slowly placed an index finger on her left temple as she unenthusiastically took the call. "Yes, Rouge here. I... no, I haven't found the location of the master emerald yet. I know that--look, it's not like you're making my job any easier okay? No no, I'm sorry for exploding like that. Yes, I'd appreciate it if you did. I'll give you a call when I do. Bye for now."

Removing the Interpol standard ear piece she had been given by the government she supposedly is now against, Rouge scrunched her nose in a frown. "Damnit Knuckle-head, you're making this way too difficult..."

Sonic The Hedgehog - Emerald Story, Chapter 3; 'Manipulative Saint' "For every life spared, the saviour is taxed."

"Izzy honey, wake up!"

Wh-what... what...

His eyes opened without him even knowing. He felt calm enough, yet he could not say a word. It was faint, but somehow he felt startled... he smelled the strong scent of smoke--it was all too familiar. He soon found himself sitting up though he had no control over himself, and to his complete and utter surprise, he laid his eyes upon his mother figure... Walt's mother. "Mama, what's happening?"

Almost as soon as he heard himself say that, his heart throbbed painfully, as if triggered by instinct alone. He hasn't said mama in so long...

"Now's not the time, we need to go honey," The female fox replied as gently as she could, quickly tugging little Izzy's gloved hand, and with a certain grace only a mother could possibly have, began to lead him downstairs... it was then that he realized, that the entire house was almost blanketed in flame. Fear had gripped him then, he remembered that much--it seemed to grip the older Izzy as well. "Colt, where's Walt? We need to go!"

"I have him honey, let's move." A tall male fox came into view now, wearing what looked to be a lab coat and holding an obviously agitated Walt on his arms. By this time the older Izzy could hear the wooden structure begin to give in, the creaking sound giving way to a solid snap. His heart shot up to his throat as he realized what was about to happen. "Let's take the back do--watch out!"

In an instant, Colt was beside them, but as he quickly pushed Sarah and himself out of the way, another piece of the roof fell... followed by a larger piece. And an even larger one after that. Knowing that his fate was sealed, he instinctively threw Walt away form the iminent danger, who began to cry in confushion as his parents were all but crushed by the flaming roof. The older Izzy's mind had already locked up, unable to think of anything... but his smaller counterpart was unaware of his parents' demise, instead staring at his 'little brother', who was still crying. By then the entire cieling fell on them, and the last thing Izzy saw was himself sprinting towards Walt, his small body letting out a greenish vapor that seemed to melt away the material of his gloves and boots...

Even in the real world, Izzy's eyes sprung open without him realizing it.

"Whoa there," Came the startled female voice of whom he couldn't recognize even if he had bothered to try, and immediately a pair of smooth, slender arms stopped him from falling all the way off the bed. Yet who it was that caught him was the last thing in his mind... the nightmare--almost a vision due to its tremendously lucid nature--had such a horrid effect on him, that for the first few seconds he couldn't find it in him to breathe. "are you okay?"

His eyes wide as saucers, Izzy shivered violently as he gulped down a large amount of air, gaining control of his motor functions and nearly falling over again; if it weren't for those same pair of hands. A mental image of Bunnie flashed in his mind, and his head snapped to stare at whoever it was that was with him. It seemed as though the figure inched back a little as his wide, scared eyes happened upon her.

Rouge had to squint, a little surprised at the sight of Izzy's green, glowing irises. It was an echidna, without a doubt... she couldn't really spot any female parts on his body (at least, based on what she could see at the moment), but he seemed to look more like the nutty Julie-su than Knuckles. That and the strands on his--or her, head was scattered. More seconds passed in silence before Rouge noticed that his eyes had suddenly shifted into a pale silver color. Suddenly feeling a strange amount of concern for the echidna, she took the wet towel on the desk beside them and handed it over. "Nightmare?"

Izzy, still finding it too difficult to speak, nodded slowly, looking away in slight embarrassment and gently applying the towel on his sweat laden forehead. It was here that Rouge had actually noticed his face, and she had to admit, he was attractive... and innocent looking, too. If he was actually a girl then she wouldn't be so surprised. Off-handedly, she noticed that being around this room reminded her of being around the master emerald. Perhaps, maybe it was just around here... Knuckles hadn't told her anything about it. Not that she asked or anything; Julie-su was suspiscious enough already.

"Well, it's over... are you Knuckles' friend?"

Izzy absent-mindedly placed a hand on his right cheek at the mention of that name, remembering the not so friendly elbow the red echidna delivered right below his eye. It was still sore, but he didn't think it was gonna bruise. Somehow, as painful as it was, he knew that Knuckles wasn't showing off his real strength... and that was a scary thought. "I... guess."

"You guess? Well... I guess I'm his friend too." Rouge grinned, though the echidna had once again spaced out, the nightmare still fresh on his mind. She didn't even think he noticed her hand, which was now feeling part of his fore-head that wasn't yet touched by the towel. "No wonder that was there... you're sick."

"Oh..." He could muster up nothing more. His dazed look was telling Rouge everything she needed to know.

"You don't look so hot... lie back down and rest. At least until Knuckles comes along, all right?" Izzy was in no position to disagree... or to say anything coherent, for that matter. It didn't really bother her that he was a complete stranger--his innocent, almost child-like demeanor was softening her up somehow. "Wierd. This is the first time I've seen you, but it feels like--"

"--Yeah, I know the feeling."

She knew to whom that deep voice which had so rudely interrupted her from the door, yes... she knew it very well. The slightest trace of a smile appeared on Rouge's ever charming face as she recalled the conversation she'd overheard a little over an hour ago... but just as quickly, it was replaced by a teasing grin as she turned her head to see the mystery echidna's newest visitor. "Oh?"

"Not so depressed anymore, huh?" Knuckles mused. He could tell there was still something wrong, as her tired eyes dared say what she couldn't. He was simply testing the waters... besides, he knew better than to just disregard Julie-su's instinct as nothing. Well, that and he didn't want her throwing the dreaded 'I told you so' at his face if ever things went wrong. He got enough of that from Sonic.

"You know, that could've used a little more subtlety." Rouge winked, completely aware that she had lifted her melancholy facade... she also knew that he wouldn't be able to convince himself otherwise by the time this conversation was over. She was simply too adept when it came to acting.

"Hrm." Her confidence seemed to have returned, but Knuckles observed that she had already lost much of her gusto compared to when they'd first met. In his case, they just seemed to overestimate his tendency to be gullible. Sometimes he let thing that have happened, happen out of the sheer heck of it. But, he'd be lying if he said he 'wasn't' gullible. "Either way it's nice to see you up and running... is Izzy okay?"

"Ah, so Izzy's his name." Rouge said, albeit more to herself. She found it curious that he wouldn't delve into her miracle change any further... did he actually trust her? Somehow, that just didn't seem right. But now that she thought about it... the female bat could tell poor Knuckles that the eastern side of Angel isle was on fire right this moment and he'd probably run out of here to look for a bucket with no second thoughts whatsoever. Not that she'd ever do that--it was a funny thought, though. "To think that before Julie-su came to the picture, I had thought that your fellow echidnas would go by Palm, or Wrist... maybe Fingers... you know, names like that."

Amused and sarcastic. Yes, this was what Knuckles had expected a recovering Rouge would be like. He didn't know if he fancied the idea... but it was always better than a self-deprecating, moping Rouge. At least she was okay. "Haha."

The white bat's sly smile had by now shifted into a sheepish one, showing a side of her Knuckles rarely saw. And to his great shame, even after the kiss he'd shared with Julie-su, his heart still skipped a beat. "Oh, don't be like that. I'm just teasing... I really am grateful you're letting me stay here."

"...I know." Knuckles' look softened a that, and for a few precious seconds they seemed content to observe each other's eyes, a little smile on both their faces.

"So... is Izzy in a relationship? He's cute." Well, a few precious seconds wasn't very long.

The red echidna nearly choked on air after hearing that, and Rouge laughed. To his utter surprise it wasn't a sly, maniacal laugh, or an evil teasing laugh. It was a genuine happy laugh, and Knuckles immediately found it so endearing he had almost forgotten about what she'd just said. "I uh, no. I don't think so... in the relationship thing I mean, not the cute part--uh, not that I'd know, of course. Ahem."

" Hahaha, I swear you are really something." Rouge began laughing again, and Knuckles wondered whether she was still kidding him. "Don't worry, you're cute too."

Knuckles' cheeks flared red for a second or two as he struggled not to look straight into her eyes. "Can we talk about something else? I... I figured you'd have a lot of questions about Izzy."

"I do. I was just breaking the tension," Unpercieved to Knuckles, Rouge was also trying to shield her obvious attraction to him. There was just something about the ehidna that made her feel so... safe. She thought about how little they had in common, but then again she had recalled reading somewhere the saying 'opposites attract'. "that way I'll get better answers, yes?"

"Point taken." Knuckles said softly, thinking now would be a good time to simply give up trying to understand. "Ask away."

"Well the most obvious question would be why he doesn't look like you," The female bat started, her lop-sided smirk and compelling voice snagging the red echidna hook line and sinker. It wasn't for anything, but as her gaze came upon the dark rims below his eyes, Rouge mentally scolded herself that although it was so much easier to interrogate a sleep deprived being, it would be cruel to take advantage of someone she had come to know and respect, especially at his current state. All things considered, she would make sure that any questions asked would be as quick and to the point as possible--in fact she would probably find it odd if Knuckles didn't do the same. "that, and why his markings are so different from you and Julie."

"Ah. If I'm not mistaken, you're already aware of how our markings work... but knowing you like I do, you've probably reaserched more of this than I have." Rouge smiled a little at that. Gullible as he was, Knuckles definitely wasn't slow. "And since that marking isn't seen in any of the tribes, then you've probably already guessed it..."

"Ancient line, huh?"

"Yeah." Knuckles let out a deep, thoughtful sigh, allowing his neck a most gratifying snap as he flexed his muscles instinctively. Coincidentally, the shapely bat flexed her neck to a soft snap as well, much to Knuckles' surprise. Caught off guard, he let his eyes drink to the pleasantly relaxing visage of her facial features for a few more seconds, before continuing whatever it was the echidna was supposed to explain... he probably wouldn't be able to live through her sarcastic remarks if she had ever noticed him gawking at her like some kind of idiot anyway. "As for the look... I'm not so sure myself. Even the echidnas from centuries back pretty much look like they do now. His green fur is odd as well... although, there could be some logical explanations for that one--mutation, dye, whatever."

"Oh?" Rouge smiled sweetly at the echidna, earning her an oblivious, yet doubtful look from the latter. Her instincts were lighting up. "That's all well and good... but what do you think?"

"Hrm..." Knuckles was silenced for a good while at that one. Truth be told, he had never really given the situation any serious thought--at least, in a way that he had not yet completely sided the explanation which he branded as the most convincing. At the moment however, Echidnopolis' book of ancients and the markings on Izzy's chest merged to tell quite an interesting piece of mythical history, a story which he had found to be both illogical in every sense of the word, and yet probably the only explanation that truly fit like a glove. Just a few days ago he would've simply dismissed this as crazy, but after having been exposed to the enormous wave of energy the mysterious echidna held inside him firsthand, there were hardly any doubts left. However, now wasn't the best time to make her aware of such sensitive information. "I think there's more to it than that. I just haven't figured it out yet."

His purposely vague choice of words registering into her mind, Rouge hissed out a breath she didn't even know she held, a soft pout forming on her face as the female bat shook her head in obvious disappointment. She had expected Knuckles to have at least done his homework about what exactly Izzy was, and the way he had replied to her first question hinted that he knew exactly what he was talking about... which could only mean that he was definitely hiding something. But it wasn't like she was some goody goody saint either; she'd masterfully kept hidden the fact that she was actually still with the government, and the sole purpose of her stay was actually to locate the master emerald so... calling it even didn't even cut it. In other words, Rouge didn't believe him, but she still trusted the echidna enough to convince herself that he was only playing things safe. In fact, she was beginning to hope that the emerald wouldn't turn up anytime soon... she still hadn't the guts to perform the deed without suffering from any kind of emotional stress. For the record, it also didn't hurt that she enjoyed his company. "I... see."

As Rouge wrestled with the thought of being denied a juicy story, Knuckles absent-mindedly brought his gaze towards the slumbering figure on the bed. The master emerald was safe at least... but now things were so much more complicated. Izzy was holding a wild card he probably didn't know he had, and there was no telling what could happen. He pondered about the situation for a moment, as he fought the urge to get anymore agitated than he already was.

As of now, there were two sources in the world with this kind of power--and if what he'd read was true... then, was the master emerald itself incomplete? Or was the green echidna simply reflecting its energy...? All he really knew for sure was that whatever reason it could possibly be... that stubborn psycho Eggman had a ninety-nine percent chance of being involved in it. 'What a stupid time to disappear, Sonic...'

o-----

"No Tails, I don't understand it," Bunnie almost yelled into the small pink cellular phone which could have belonged to none other than Amy, apparently unable to make sense of what the two-tailed fox was telling her. Not that she couldn't make out what he was saying, rather, it was more that the street smart rabbit couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Knuckles asks Izzy to go all the way there just to pummel'im??? Does that sound logical to ya?! Uhuh... yeah, there'd better be an explanation!"

"Could you ask him if Sonic's there?" Came the chirpy voice of the phone's owner, her instincts of concern overpowering her curiosity as she subconsciously figured that the echidna would have a reason for such things--he always did anyway... "Pleaaase?"

"Later all right?" The half-cyborg rabbit snapped sweetly, quickly returning all of her attention to the phone and resuming her annoyed, baffled mood. "No I didn't mean you Tails... look, I don't mean ta yell, just... can ya put Knuckles on the phone? Huh? What do you mean you're about to leave the island--"

"--Quick, ask him about Sonic before he leaves so I can still talk to him just in case!"

"What was that? Wait, no, not you Tails... argh, why can't you get Knuckles now, where is he? Eh, then why can't I speak with him, and what's with all that racket? You're already flying?!--"

"--see whatcha did? Now I can't talk to Sonic!"

"Amy please! Not now!" Bunnie scolded, having placed her hand over the phone's reciever this time. The young hedgehog glared up a pair of daggers at her in defiant innocence as the half-cyborg continued the conversation. "What's the hurry anyway? Oh. Central City huh... is it safe to leave'im with them at least? Well... if you're sure. Keep me updated, okay? Bye."

"Hold on! Ask him about Sonic!"

"Oh... too late."

"WHAT? Redial!"

"Uhm, can't... Tails was calling from the Tornado so the number wasn't shown." Not like Bunnie really cared, anyway... Sonic obviously wasn't on Angel island.

"NOOOooo!"

As the two began another tedious session of their famous hour long arguments, just outside Amy's front door stood a very concerned young fox, his furry ears twitching as he struggled to overhear their conversation. True, it had only been a day since Tails and his uncle left for Angel island, but he had never been seperated from Izzy, even for just a short amount of time and--being the little fox that he was--an undesirable pang of empty depression and the very familiar urge of restlessness were now beginning to settle into Walt's head.

"Hey--"

"AAAH!--"

"--EEEP!!!"

Silence.

"Sorry, miss Mina..."

"It's... it's okay..." The yellow furred mongoose placed a shaky hand over her chest, feeling very much like her easily startled heart was about to burst from its bony cage. How was she supposed to know little Walt was the same? "so... you're worried about your uncle?"

The young fox said nothing, but the lonely nod was more than enough an answer for her, his vivid eyes a testament for the tremendous concern he had for Izzy. Having softened up considerably due to Walt's--albeit very cute--gesture, Mina immediately decided to do a little something for him, gently taking the dark brown fox by the hand and, with an empathic smile, lead him towards her home all the way over in the other side of Knothole. "where are we going, miss Mina?"

"Well... Bunnie'll let you know if something's happened, I promise. For now though..." Mina adjusted the ebony headband that held back her long purple hair, grinning at Walt's curious look. She wasn't sure he was going to like it but, not very many people didn't. "how'd you like to be the first to try my newly baked mango cream pie?"

"M-mango cream pie?!" Walt's mouth watered instantly at the mere mention of the word. His favorite fruit was mango; a craving he had recieved from his uncle, and when it came to a child, pies and cakes are the epitome of happiness.

The yellow mongoose's smile widened brilliantly as his eagerness made itself known. Bingo.

Meanwhile, deep within one of the more forested areas of Knothole sat a purple figure with yellow, piercing eyes, its form without any trace of movement--almost nothing but an inorganic statue hidden in the shadows, amidst the plentiful trees. For a while it seemed as though this scenic painting would remain still forever, until a small beeping noise which had originated from the purple figure's wrist broke the eerie, deafening silence, causing a few of the resting birds to fly away in confusion as the leaves rustled and began to sway in the wind. The painting was given life.

"Espio," It replied coldly to the noise. Quickly and efficiently, the living statue brought its wrist close to its mouth, resuming a stone-like stance once more, untold years of training in the ways of stealth and espionage having culminated into this near perfect form. "speak."

"Espio, it's Mighty," His wrist answered, the static voice a mix of fear and apprehension. "bad news."

The purple figure known as Espio let out a disappointed sigh. He knew it.. "It's... true, then."

"I'm afraid so. Charmy and Vector triple checked to make sure." The voice imitated Espio's sigh, seemingly agitated further by the news he had given out. "As if that wasn't bad enough, Rouge is after the Master Emerald as well... she lied to us."

"Yeah, I figured."

"Any ideas?"

Espio let his thoughts wander for a while, his tactical mind going on overdrive as he calmly searched for any solution they could possibly acquire. Unfortunately, the options that presented themselves weren't enough to change the situation; so he opted for the next best thing. "We'll have to wait this out."

"If you say so... and Rouge? Who tells Knuckles?"

"Nobody tells him."

The line went silent for a few seconds, before the voice which had come from Mighty decided to answer. "Really? Are you sure?"

"Just because Knuckles trusts her, doesn't mean he believes her." Espio nodded to nothing in particular, closing his eyes thoughtfully, and adopting a meditative stance. With Julie-su accompanying those two up there, Rouge's little plan was a lost cause. "And even if he did, Rouge'll still have trouble taking the Emerald. Trust me on this one."

"And when have I not?" The voice replied sarcastically, as if to say that he had agreed to some half-baked ideas as well in the past. Espio said nothing, but Mighty could pretty much imagine the grin forming on Espio's face. "All right chief. Chaotix does nothing. So when are you coming back?"

"With what Eggman's up to, he probably won't want the freedom fighters in the way... it'll take me at least several hours to inspect the village for anything planted."

"Two days it is. I'll keep you posted."

"Yep, thanks."

Sonic the Hedgehog - Emerald story, Chapter Three, Epilogue...

If, for some disturbingly unrealistic reason the humanoid robot actually possessed the slightest hint of a mind... then it would have probably ran away without any second thoughts. Unfortunately, it was not that lucky. But all things considered, even if it did have half a mind for common sense... the furious blue hedgehog which it had the misfortune to cross would have annihilated the poor metal creation either way. And now, with its final moments at hand, it could only stare idifferently upon its severed limbs, right beside its once glimmering torso which was now oil-ridden and mangled beyond repair. The red and white shoe which had inevitably come to take whatever shred of life the cyborg had, spent no time in crushing its head, ripping circuits and flattening computer chips in a merciless display.

"Tch... what're your stupid robots doing here?" Sonic spat, ultimately annoyed by Eggman's subtle annoyances. But in a way, he was relieved--at least the severely stressed hedgehog could finally vent out his frustrations on these things, as his temper was definitely reaching its breaking point. He was, for the first time in his life, in an incredibly dangerous mood, and Sonic himself was beginning to fear his own ferocity. "You're ordering me to do this, and at the same time you're trying to stop me? This is nuts."

"Pah, blame yourself. Those robots were created mainly to destroy you, so good luck with that." Eggman's voice echoed from the intercom, and Sonic's mood became even fouler. But the heavyset scientist knew his creations would be capable of virtually nothing except perhaps, get in the furball's way for a split second. He could only hope that one of those mindless goons get lucky and actually hurt the little runt. "And even if I did have the means to shut them down from all the way up here, do you think I would?"

"You're right. I probably gave you too much credit thinking you'd be smart enough to just give up and stop wasting your time makin' these things." A small grin began to form on the edge of Sonic's lips as the mere sound of his nemesis' sneer allowed him to regain some of his mental composure. At least he still kept his wit at times like these. "Still there? Or didja finally get a heart attack?"

"Best mind your tongue you little rat! Or your friends will find themselves--"

"Fine, fine. Jeez." Sonic shrugged, carefully hiding his increasing concern for his friends. Eggman was not the type to make bluffs. And Sonic simply couldn't afford to call it--there was too much at stake. "Now what?"

"North-west."

"Eh?"

"I've tracked the fourth emerald's position, north-west! Now are you going to look for it or not?"

Sonic sighed, looking on helplessly at his surroundings. The deserted area of underground Westopolis, in terms of size was like a city in itself... only this one had winding streets that sometimes went at least twenty levels downward. The facilities and warehouses stretched on endlessly, and to top it all off Eggman's robots littered most of what he could see. "Could you be a little more specific?"

"No. It's underground and out of my satellite's range. You'll have to do most of the looking now."

"For pete's sake!" Sonic huffed angrily, rummaging his backpack for a compass. Actually, with his speed he could easily get through this in less than an hour... unfortunately, the sheer number of rooms and levels underground Westopolis possessed, and the fact that he was looking for something that could easily be hidden in one of those rooms would most likely slow down his search dramatically. "This is gonna be a long day..."

o-----

Author's Notes: I haven't worked on this in a while... sorry if I've let some people down (I really am sorry), my first year of College was kinda tough... but right now, you guys have my word. I'll work on this more. As for the story itself, I wasn't able to explain as many things as I wanted to explain in this chapter without ruining future confrontations, but at least I've made some things clear :). More characters to be introduced and questions to be answered, very soon!

Extra explanations (story-related): The anti-Mobius/anti-Freedom Fighters do not exist. That being said, Evil-Sonic didn't step in the real Mobius out of boredom, Antoine was never replaced. His relationship with Bunnie basically became monotonous and boring (partly, I removed it because I didn't really like the story all in all, and it made Bunnie single again :P). I hope that cleared up some things.