This is one of the darker chapters, but fear not! It gets better. Since I've updated 3 chapters in a span of 48 hours, I'll probably wait at least 36 before updating again. You'll need the time. Oh, and by the way, everyone's code name has a secret. They're not random numerals, I promise. To clear it up, when speaking, Amy's codename, for example, would be stated "twelve zero fifty-three". Sonic's: "fifty-nine thirty-three oh". Oh, and if you're following this, please review. (I'll take constructive criticism, but please state it kindly. I want to improve, but I won't to a flamer's rash blabberings.) I'll shut up now. ;)

~Wolf~

When the phone rang the second time, I nearly shot it. I did have enough sanity, however, not to do that. Okay, not really. The gun was in the other room, and I didn't feel like getting it first. Answering the phone was easier. So I trudged over and picked it up to see the caller ID. G.U.N. Figuring not answering my boss would get me in trouble, I spent a few seconds regaining my composure, then picked up. "Agent 12053." I really hate using codenames. It took me forever to memorize that. Supposedly, we used them to help G.U.N. keep their files straight. I think it was just a way to make our lives miserable.

"Agent 59330 requests your assistance in his mission."

A minute or so was spent remembering who that agent was. After the answer came to me, I replied: "I'm not helping Sonic."

"What if I told you he was wounded?"

"He'll be fine." I snapped my reply rudely, but I knew my voice cracked. If Sonic was wounded enough to call G.U.N., it meant something had gone seriously wrong. He was definitely not fine.

"Sorry, 12053, but you don't have a choice. I'm sending his coordinates to your GPS now."

"Hey! I didn't say--"

"Those are your orders, agent. Follow them."

Just when the call ended, my wrist communicator began beeping and pointing me in the direction of an abandoned warehouse. I was stuck helping Sonic whether I wanted to or not.

With a few dark mutterings, I began the trip there. As I walked past Sonic's apartment, which was in the same complex as mine, I paused. Sonic was desperate enough to go through G.U.N. to reach me. He never asked for assistance unless his life depended on it, and he especially did not admit weakness to G.U.N. My eyes widened as reality struck, and I took off running down the hallway. I had to get there! I didn't mean it when I said I wouldn't care! I didn't know what I was thinking when I exploded like that! Now I was racing against the clock, and my speed was the only determining factor between saving Sonic's life or finding him dead.

***

I had to win. Losing was not an option. I was in a one-on-one confrontation with the leader of Aeron. All I needed to do was win, and a deadly threat was gone. If I lost… I didn't want to think about it. I didn't exactly have time to, either. I learned to hate knives very quickly, as not long after she snapped at me one whisked by my ear. With a groan, I shot into action, curling and slamming into her.

The cat didn't stay down long. I had just made it out into the corridor when she fired her gun. I jumped out of the line of fire before taking off down the hall. I wasn't running away, like she was probably thinking. I was trying to get to some sort of open room in order to gain an advantage. When the corridor ended in a cul de sac-like dead end, I was forced to put on major brakes. The only exit was the entrance, and the room was certainly not ideal. It would have to do. I whirled around at the sound of a pistol firing, but sounds come after bullets, and I didn't avoid it in time.

The bullet buried itself in my right shoulder, pretty much eliminating all use of that arm. I held my shoulder with the opposite hand, and grabbed my pistol with my right. Yes, the hand connected to my wounded arm. I hated the idea that I was wounded already, but I would have to deal with it. To tell the truth, I hadn't expected her to be so close behind me. Although it hurt to high heaven to raise the gun enough to even aim, I knew my life depended on it, and so I did anyway.

Annoyingly enough, my life also depended on the shot. I had missed completely. The feline didn't even flinch, but instead smirked and lowered her weapon, watching me with those piercing eyes. Her strict persona had eased in a manner of seconds. "This is going to be easier than I thought."

That ticked me off. I wasn't going down easy! It just wasn't my style. With a cry of protest, I fired directly at her. Apparently, she hadn't expected me to shoot at a reasonable angle, and although I didn't kill her, I did manage to hit her right upper arm. She yelped, then grabbed a dagger with her other hand and sent it flying towards me.

It nicked my ear, but that was it: minor. I could deal with that. I had been observing how she threw knives for a while now, and I was pretty sure I could do it if need be. I released my shoulder and grabbed the dagger, flipping it so I was holding it blade first. I reared my left arm back, then shot it forward, and to my great delight, it stayed true. It would've hit her head on, but she dodged so that it merely took a chip out of her ear. I grinned. "An ear for an ear," I laughed, amused at the irony despite the severity of the situation.

With a scream of pure rage, she lunged for me, a dagger in each hand. I yelped and dodged backwards, but she just landed and shot forward again. I extended my leg and tried to unbalance her leap, but she flicked her tail and remained perfectly poised. It's not fair; how agile cats are. She stabbed for me with one hand, and I avoided that one, but while focusing on it, I'd temporarily forgotten about the other dagger. It sliced above my left eye, which left me with a blind side and her with a huge advantage.

Before I continue, I want it made very clear that I never use my backspines unless absolutely necessary. They're sharper than any blade you've seen, they cut deep and ragged, and they're slightly toxic. They're not toxic enough to kill, but they can really muddle your depth perception and judgment for a time. That's all I needed. So, albeit reluctantly, I backed into her and used them to even the playing field.

She shrieked with fury and used the dagger in her left hand to slice across the spines. They bled some, but they were too strong for a disoriented, blade throwing cat to do any true damage. I jumped forward and landed in a crouch, although my side and shoulder protested greatly. From there I leapt over and behind her, where I was able to shove her to the ground.

She pushed herself up, whirled around, and fired her pistol, but the shot missed me completely. I just stood, watching her dizzily attempt to stay on her feet. She glared at me. Her icy blue eyes, while misted from the toxins, were cold with hatred. "I tried to avoid doing this, but you've left me with no choice," she hissed. She extended her left hand, and from the center of the room, a large glass cylinder rose from the floor. Inside was a Chaos Emerald, red and pulsating power directly to the feline.

I tried to draw some of the power to myself, but there was some sort of barricade around the Emerald that I couldn't penetrate. She had the healing properties, Light Energies and Dark Energies of the Emerald, and I couldn't do anything to hinder her use. I watched, horrified, as the glazed look in her eyes faded, and wounds that should have taken months to heal disappeared without a scar. "You… you…"

"Don't sound so dumbfounded. You really thought I'd face a world-famous hero without a Chaos Emerald? Heh… You really are a fool."

"I refuse to fight with a cheater," I snapped, ears laid back. The pause in the battle allowed my wounds to register with my brain, and now I didn't feel as if I could bolt or fight. The blood loss was taking its toll, so my vision was blurred, my reflexes were slow, and my balance was off. The only thing I wanted to do was collapse and give in to the tempting blackness that harbored in the corners of my consciousness. The feline's next words dispelled all hope of that.

"You don't have a choice."

***

I had finally made it to the warehouse, and I darted in without a second thought. I was surprised at the lack of guards or Aeron followers, but I didn't care. Not now, when so much rode on my performance here. If they came, I would fight them. Otherwise, their absence just made my life easier. I continued to press onward, not knowing where Sonic was or if he was even alive. As I ran, I grabbed one of my pistols and released the safety so I could fire on short notice. Anything that wasn't blue and supersonic was a potential target.

I reached a point in the corridor where everything was windblown and in all manner of disarray. Sonic had been here, no doubt. He was the only one I knew who could cause that amount of damage. I followed the destruction until I found a trail of crimson. I knew what it had to be, but I denied it. Trying to keep a hold on sanity, I continued my run. The blood led to an open storage closet. From there I followed a trail of debris, until I finally came across what I was looking for.

I skidded to a halt and my pistol fell limp at my side as I stared in shock. A chocolate brown feline stood, unscathed, in front of a bloodied, azure hedgehog. They were glaring daggers at each other, but Sonic looked as if he was about to collapse. He glanced over at me and his eyes widened. I couldn't tell for sure, but it looked as if he was worried now that I was there. The feline took her chance while Sonic was still stunned from my arrival, and dashed forward. She used her shoulder to smash into his weakened frame, slamming him against the wall and watching mercilessly as he crumpled into a heap against it.

The female glanced over her shoulder at me and smirked. "I see your girlfriend finally decided to show." Still looking at me, she raised her gun and aimed it at his chest. "It's a pity she's too late." Her forefinger pulled back the trigger, and the echo that followed was louder than anything I ever heard. The guilt from the realization that I hadn't made a single attempt to protect him hit me hard and fast.

I finally snapped into action and raised my gun, firing far too late to accomplish anything. The feline just sneered and leapt around me, knowing I wouldn't follow her with Sonic still here. She was right. I returned my gun to its holder, then ran over and kneeled next to Sonic's motionless form. I hoped with everything I had he was alright. However, from the amount of crimson on the floor, I knew the wound had to be fatal.

He said nothing, but opened his eyes when I touched his shoulder. I could see the fear and pain in them, and it scared me. I knew he had to feel some sort of anxiety at one point or another. Still, he was so good at hiding it, that it was terrifying to see him without that guard. I couldn't say anything, I was just too shocked. I simply gazed at him with a concern more intense than anything I had ever felt before. When he saw me, the fear in his emerald eyes faded slightly, and he managed a weak smile before shuddering and closing those bright green orbs for the final time.