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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Fun fact: I wrote most of what happens from when Sonic starts using the handheld to right after he hangs up on the inside of a paper donut bag! You, too, can be a great author! Using the cheapest of materials! Now with 100% less 'says'!

CHAPTER FIVE

I don't need the radar to find the first one. I know where it is, I know where it's been for months now.

Knuckles has it.

I wonder if he'll give it to me when he finds out I want to use it to cure Dr Eggman of what looks like a deadly illness?

Not.

I'm going to have to steal it from him.

The thought of stealing from one of my friends makes me shudder.

How far am I willing to go to save this man?

I feel a strange sensation that I don't recognize, and after a moment I realize that the handheld is vibrating. I pull it out and look at it. I have no idea how to use this thing. I figure it must work like one of those smartphones so I touch the green button on the screen. A little window appears in the bottom left corner with me in it, and Tails appears, taking up the remainder of the screen.

"Oh good! You're not busy!" Tails looks pretty relieved.

"Nope, you're good to go, buddy. What's up?"

"Well, I've been running some more tests."

He starts going on about all the stuff he's been doing, but it goes over my head and I blank him out for a second in a wild fantasy in which Eggman doesn't need the Chaos Emeralds. When he doesn't say anything of the sort I wrench myself back to concentrating on his voice.

"… doesn't look good. You have to hurry, Sonic." He's not looking at me anymore. He's looking at something in front of him. "Based on these results, I don't think he's got that much time left."

I mentally groan. "How long has he got?"

"… uh… a week or so."

I trip over my left foot and bite back a curse. I spend the next twenty or so steps almost hopping and trying hard not to fall on my face. Wouldn't that look good for the camera.

"You okay, Sonic?"

"Yeah, I'm cool," I mutter, regaining my balance and lost speed. "So ol' Egghead's gonna kick it in a week, that what you're saying?"

"Basically," Tails nods, looking at me again, harder and with more gravity in his face. "You've got to snag one Emerald per day, Sonic."

Again, doubts about this whole shebang trickle into my mind, but I push them away. I don't have time to think about them. And it won't help anyways.

"Sonic… maybe we should tell some of the others." His voice is careful, apprehensive. He's trying to feed me this idea without being shut down right away, but I knew this was coming and I'm already shaking my head.

"No. They won't understand. YOU didn't understand. Do you see anyone else being convinced? Not Knuckles at the very least. We keep it to ourselves. We can't have anyone getting in our way, and we don't have the time."

As soon as it leaves my mouth I feel a chill run through me. I sound like some sort of… villain.

"All right," Tails answers, but his face is a little tighter and his voice a little more anxious. He doesn't agree with me.

"Trust me, pal." I use my most convincing voice. "We can do this on our own. We've done stuff like this before."

Tails gives me a stare that goes right through me, his face dead serious.

Okay then. No more phoney baloney.

"Seven days, seven Emeralds. Piece of cake." I flash a carefree smile at him I don't really feel and put the handheld away before I say something really stupid. That convinces Tails to go get someone to help him tie me up. I block everything out and focus on clarifying the blur around me.

When I get to the Island I don't see Knuckles anywhere, but that usually doesn't mean a whole lot.

I know the Emerald is somewhere on this Island, but since I don't know exactly where I pull out the handheld and use the radar on it.

It's with the Master Emerald.

Great. Knuckles's favourite place to hang out.

I head over there as quietly and as carefully as I can, no running or trying to get there fast. I don't feel like getting into a discussion with Knuckles about how badly I need the Emerald to save our biggest enemy.

I get to the Master Emerald and Knuckles is nowhere in sight.

Well that's the best news I've had all day.

I run up the shrine and look around for the Emerald. Apart from the big one, I'm not seeing it.

"Looking for this?"

I look down and there's Knuckles standing in front of the shrine, tossing the Emerald up and down in one gloved hand.

"Uh… actually, yeah," I shrug.

"Why? What do you need it for?"

"Something really important," I tell him. "In fact, it's so important, I don't have time to explain it to you. Can I have it? Um… please?"

"Well…" muses Knuckles, putting his hands on his hips and strolling casually in front of me. "I don't have time to give it to you."

"That doesn't even make sense," I shout down at him. "All you have to do is hand it over!" My brows are creased so hard it hurts and my fists are clenched tight.

"Yeah, but I have so many important things I have to do first." Knuckles rubs the Emerald on his chest. "Like shine my shoes and cut my split ends."

"This isn't a joke, Knuckles! I need it!"

"What for?"

"Because… because…" I hesitate, trying to figure out what will convince him. I come up short and decide to just spit it out. Well, telling him's not going to convince him to give it to me, but I have no time to lose. "Eggman's dying and we need it to cure him!"

There. I said it.

Knuckles stares at me like I've just escaped from the loony bin, his dark eyes going from disbelieving to serious. He stops playing with the Emerald and clenches it tightly in his gloved fist as he takes a step away from me.

"What are you, crazy? You expect me to hand over this Emerald so you can save Eggman's life?" His voice rises in anger as he speaks. There's a spark in his eye now, which usually means trouble, but I ignore it and keep pushing.

"Yes!" I tell him. "Look, Knuckles, I know it's crazy! But you have to understand!"

"I always knew you were an idiot, but this takes the cake, Sonic," Knuckles sighs, shaking his head. "No, I'm not giving it to you. And I'm taking you out so you can't gather the other Emeralds and continue on with this craziness!"

He throws the Emerald into the shrine and with a heavy clunking noise it closes. Then I flip backwards off the side, twisting, as Knuckles clambers up to attack me.