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Chapter Twelve

Tails is crying.

"Sonic, I don't want to do this anymore." He's not looking at me, and he's rubbing hard beneath his eyes with the heels of his hands. His voice is choked and hard to hear through a mouth that's clenched downwards in sadness.

"Tails… it's gonna be okay. We're almost done. I have four of the Emeralds now."

"But at what cost, Sonic?"

I look at him with my arms crossed tightly across my chest. Maybe if I clench myself hard enough I can keep this guilt from pouring out of my own eyes.

"Pal, it's alright. We're gonna fix everything."

"Sonic, what about our friends and all the things we've done to them? Are they ever going to forgive us?" He's shaking hard now. I'm disgusted with myself. I should hug him, I want to hug him, but if I do I'm going to break too and we don't need that right now. We have three days left and no time to lose. Instead I pull my arms tighter into their fold, feeling the pins and needles from the pressure spread wavelike up and down them, and I tell a lie.

"Of course they're going to forgive us, Tails. They're our friends. They'll understand after, what we had to do." My voice sounds natural, light and confident. I am thankful and I hope that it convinces him.

He looks up at me, but he doesn't look at my face. His eye travels across my numbing arms and down my body. I follow his gaze to see that I'm jiggling my right leg without realizing it.

Ice runs through my veins. If Tails loses confidence in me, it's over. I can't do this alone. I need him. He has to fall apart so I can hold myself together.

My heart stops as I realize what I've just thought.

"Maybe." He's no longer crying like before. His voice is still broken, but clear, and he lets the streams spill down his face as he also brings his arms around to hug himself, because I won't. The words he speaks next drive themselves right into my brain, cutting into a piece of myself I've been denying because I had to. Have to. My mind goes blank and they spin around in its emptiness as my body goes cold and my throat constricts in fear.

"But will I?"

I stumble blindly out the door, needing to get out of the fortress that is slowly sucking the life out of me. It's taking everything from me. It has my happiness, it has my hope, my reasoning. With those three tiny words, he has verbalized my fears.

I don't want to do this anymore either. I want to run inside, to grab Tails and take him away from it, to just go home and forget it ever happened and let Eggman die and rot inside his dead fortress of heavy darkness and cold steel. I imagine it for a minute, Eggman's skeletal knees poking out through their black pants, his now ill-fitting jacket draped over ribs hung with strings of muscle and fat. I can see the glasses half perched on his nose, tilting to the left to hang off what's left of his ear as the thready hairs of his moustache fall silently into a pile on his lap. I can see his near empty sleeves dangling off the arms of the chair, the gloves graying and forgotten on the floor beneath his suspended bony fingers.

Then I remember how Amadeus looked when he realized what Tails was apologizing for, and I realize I have to keep going. If I stop now, everything I have done will be wrong and Tails will have hurt the man he loves most for nothing.

I'm shaking.

I feel behind me with my fingertips, seeking out the cold outer wall, and as I touch it I collapse backwards into it, sliding downwards to rest my body on the ground. My headache makes me clench my teeth. Why hasn't it gone away yet? Why is this sick feeling in my gut getting worse?

I've been going non-stop. It's gonna be okay. I just have to find these last three Emeralds and it will be okay. With more effort than I'd ever admit, I stand back up. I have to go to Westopolis. I have to get the next Emerald from Rouge. I have to start running, and not stop.

I must have crossed several times zones because by the time I get to Westopolis I'm pretty sure it should have been dark out. I don't keep track of time very well so I have no idea, but I know it takes me a few hours to run that far. I was also pretty busy trying to keep myself from thinking.

I slow down once I get there. The streets are so weird here, crisscrossing everywhere for no apparent reason. And yet you don't get lost here. Order out of chaos I guess. I shake my head, hard. I can't stop to—

A sharp spike of pain drives itself hard and harsh into my forehead, and it's so crushing I actually crouch down defensively. What is with this insane headache? First it won't go away, now I can't shake my head? I breathe hard out my nose. This is crazy. I've got to get this done before I fall apart altogether. For a second I imagine it, me just falling apart in the middle of the street like some cheaply made figurine, with my arms and legs in a pile on the ground, and for some reason I think this is really funny and can't stop laughing. I'm glad I'm already on my knees, because I'm laughing so hard I know I would've fallen down.

After a few minutes I manage to calm myself down enough to stand up and remember to breathe. Why in the hell did I think that was so funny anyway? I rub my forehead hard with my thumb and first two fingers and start walking. I'm a bit dizzy. I think I've been running for too long. Once in a while I forget to breathe right and I get short of breath.

Westopolis is pretty empty. I make my way through the tangled streets, keeping as alert as I can, but I don't see anything or anyone. I'm not sure exactly where the GUN fortress is, but I can see a massive building looming in the distance, and that's gotta be it.

When I finally get there, judging by the three security guys I can see hanging around the entrance, this is probably the GUN fortress. I scan the building quickly, but there seems to be just the one door. And obviously I can't just walk up and stroll on in.
Hm.

That's so stupid it might actually work.

I take a breath and come out of the shadows across the street, striding boldly across it right to the massive front steps. Immediately the three security guys train their rifles on me, and from the glint of metal in the sun I can see three snipers on the roof. Might be harder than I thought.

"Hey guys." I give a general wave at the guys in front of me with my left hand, and nod at the guys on the roof. "What's shakin'?"

"What do you want, hedgehog?" This is the guy on my left. He sounds young, and not like he really wants to ask that question. The guy on my right is getting a little close with his gun, I guess to make up for the younger guy.

"Oh, I'm just here to see Rouge." I stay as loose and casual as possible, shrugging as I say it, keeping my attention on the younger guy. The guy in front of me is keeping his distance, but I'm getting a weird vibe from him. As if he's watching me carefully.
The gun-happy dude grunts, and I think he was laughing at me because he jabs me with the gun. "You're here to see Rouge, eh? I think we'dve known if you'd made an appointment."

I snort. "Me? Appointment? You sure you know who I am?"

The guy growls and jabs his gun into me harder. I turn to him and give him my best menacing look. "One more time, buddy, and you know where that's gonna be."

"I'd like to see you try it, you little rodent," he sneers, and this makes my quills stand up. I hate being called a rodent. Hedgehogs are not rodents. I am not a rat, I am not related to a rat, and I don't even look like one. This guy's asking for it. I'm trying to think of a way to hit him and get away with it when the guy in front of me says something in a muffled voice.

"Huh?" I turn to look at him, while keeping an eye on the idiot who's face I'm gonna pound.

"I've called Agent Rouge. She'll be here shortly." His voice is just as muffled, but at least I can hear it better now.

"She'll tell ya what's what." I smirk at my new best friend and he snarls something back at me about putting me back in the Dumpster I crawled out of, waving his fancy gun at me again.

As we stand there, waiting for Rouge, I suddenly remember the flaw in this plan.

Rouge doesn't know I'm coming.

I'm mentally kicking myself when the iron doors of the fortress open silently and Rouge slithers out. I say slithers because she looks like a bat, but walks like a snake. "Hey Sonic," she calls in her throaty voice, and I start to think I might get out of this after all. I nod and raise my left hand once in a greeting wave.

"Agent Rouge, Sonic claims he's here to see you?" His gun has somehow made its way between the spines on my back.

"I always have time for old friends, Captain." She moves slowly around the guy in front of me, and gives me an appraising look. "You're not looking too good, Blue."

I shrug. "Hey, you can't look like a superstar every day. Can you tell this guy to bug off? I don't like where he's pointing that thing."

She extends her finger lazily and pushes down the captain's gun with it. "Go easy on him, honey. He seems to have had it rough lately."

The captain growls and steps back. I shake myself a little bit to unflatten my quills and with a shock I notice the soldier in front of me continuing to stare at me closely. I look away quickly. He's giving me the creeps for some reason.

"C'mon, Sonic." Rouge wraps her fingers one by one around my upper right arm and starts to pull me towards the entrance to the gun building. She's just doing it for show, her fingers are just resting on my skin. That guy is still staring at me, I can feel it.

"Ma'am?" It's the younger guy, and as I turn to look he's pointing his gun at the ground and reaching for Rouge. "I… I don't trust him."

Rouge lowers her eyes and smiles at him. "Neither do I."

Well that's great. Rogue has some sort of scheme in mind I didn't know about.

She starts to saunter back into the building with me on her arm, taking those mincing little footsteps of hers as the young guy and the captain start protesting loudly at her. She's smiling to herself as she brings me inside and closes the metal doors. As soon as they close she lets go of my arm and keeps walking. I just stand there, trying to think of what I'm going to tell her.

"You gonna hang out on the doormat all day, blue? Come into my parlour." She looks over her shoulder with a coy little smile.

Huh. So I'm the fly then, huh? Okay. I'll bite. I follow her deeper into the fortress. I can hear the whirring of tiny cameras moving back and forth.

"So what's up, Rouge?" It's dark and I have to watch where I'm going. Now that I think of it, fortresses are usually dark like this.

"You came to see me, didn't you? So why don't you tell me?" I can only see the top of her head through the darkness.

I think about it. I'm not sure if there's a good way to get out of explaining it to her, because Rouge is anything but dumb. But I'll say something and roll with it. That usually works.

"I need to borrow something from you."

"Go on." She opens some random door I didn't see and beckons me ahead of her. Inside the room is a long brown table with eight or ten straight-backed chairs around it. There are computer screens set into the table in front of each chair, and there's a massive screen hanging from one of the walls. Must be the war room or something.

Rouge closes the door with a soft click and turns to face me. I jump up on the table and pull my right ankle over my left knee, which is dangling over the edge. Think fast, Sonic…

Rouge pulls out the chair facing me and sits down on it, leaning forward with her arms kind of crossed over her knees. She's looking at me from under her eyelashes. "So what could I possibly have that you would want, Sonic? Surely you're not here just to visit little old me?"

"Of course I came to visit you, Rouge." I glance around the room. The light is not much better in here.

"Mmhm. And is there anything you… wanted from me?"

I look at her out of the corner of my eye. "Kinda. I'm hoping you can give it to me, anyway."

Rogue starts laughing. I frown and breathe out quickly. "Stop playing with me, Rouge, and be serious willya?"

"I don't know, sweetie… this is pretty entertaining." She sits back in the seat and crosses her legs, clasping her hands on her knee. I notice how long her fingers are. Now that must come in handy when you're stealing stuff.

I let my other leg drop off the table, and she has to push the chair back so I don't kick her. I jerk my leg back in surprise. She frowns. "No need to be rough…"

"Rouge, I need to… borrow your Chaos Emerald." Hm, that didn't sound too bad. I replay it in my head and decide the pause wasn't that long.

"Oh really?" she purrs. She leans forward in the chair again. "Sounds like something I would do."

I shrug and scratch behind my ear. I think I forgot to wash there yesterday. "Unlike you, I'm pretty happy to give it back when I'm done with it."

She laughs. "Done with it eh? Sounds like you don't need it that much."

"Yes, I do!" My voice is loud, and sudden, and I grip the edge of the table with my fingers so hard pain shoots up my arm. I lost control. Damn it.

She raises a brow and looks at me sideways. "There's an interesting reaction…"

I grind my teeth a little and try to relax my fingers. It doesn't work, and my leg is starting to twitch again. I've gotta get the Emerald and get out.

"C'mon, Rouge. I keep my word, don't I?" I strain to keep my voice pleasant and reasonable while struggling to loosen my grip on the table and keep my leg still. I think I'm going to lose my mind. She looks at her glove as if she has fingernails to inspect and ignores me.

I force myself to wait, to be patient. But when I'm trying to do that the seconds drag by into minutes. Sometimes it sucks moving at high speed all the time. Slow seems so much slower.

Finally, she brushes some non-existent speck off her arm and stretches slowly. It's kind of mesmerizing and when she smiles, I realize I was staring at her. I look the other way immediately, and I can hear a low chuckle deep in her throat. At least my fingers aren't stuck to the table anymore. She rises from the chair and smacks me on the shoulder. "Hang in there, blue. I'll be right back."

I take a breath and move myself back on the table a bit. I feel like I'm gonna fall off. Is she really gonna make it that easy? I swing my legs back and forth to give myself something to focus on until she comes back.

Or is she going to make me trade her something for it? That makes me stop for a minute. I don't have anything she wants. Maybe she's just gonna wave it under my nose and giggle.

She saunters back into the room, holding the Emerald in front of her. I have to squint. It's way too bright for this room man.

"Here it is." She tosses it at me and only years of reflex bring my hands forward to catch it. I look at it and frown at her.

"That's it? You're just gonna hand it over? What'll the big guns say?"

She waves a hand at me. "Hmph. Don't you have any confidence in me? That's my concern, not yours."

I swallow and put the Emerald in my lap. "You sure about this, Rouge?"

Take it, stupid. Just say thanks and walk out. Stop giving her chances to take it back!

She smiles. I wish she'd stop. I keep getting the feeling she knows something I don't. There's a sparkle in her eyes I don't like.

"It's alright, blue. No questions asked. It's yours. Just keep up your end of it and bring it back when you're finished. Okay?" I slide off the table and walk by her. She doesn't take her eyes off me. "Need me to see you out?"

"I remember the way."

"Suit yourself." She runs a finger down my arm and I shudder. She laughs again and sits down on the arm of the chair, leaning forward and crossing her legs. I turn away from her and start walking.

When I leave the fortress the soldiers are the same as before, in the same positions as before. The captain growls something at me I can't hear, and the young guy shushes him. I walk around the building to the right side, and as I'm going there I feel a pricking in the back of my head.

I turn, and the other soldier, the one who hasn't said anything, is still staring at me. When he notices me looking at him, he nods. Just once.

I hesitate, then nod back. Must be some soldierly respect thing. Although why that guy's not giving me a hard time, I don't know.

The sun is descending in the sky and everything is red. The sky is this brilliant crimson, and all the stuff that can catch light here is bouncing that colour right into my eyes. Normally I would admire such clean, pure colour coming from thin air like that, but it's only making my headache worse. I rub at my forehead a little and keep walking. I have to go… I have to go see the Chaotix next. I have a long way to go before I get there.

A sudden shock runs through me as I realize the thought of running makes me feel sick.

I… I don't think that's ever happened before.

I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. Keep going. I gotta keep going. There's time to feel like shit later. I have two Emeralds to go and no time to waste indulging myself. I only gotta strain myself for two more days. Then this is all over.

I hope.