Tails opened his eyes. Everything was blurry.
"Where am I?" he asked, hoping someone would answer.
"Where you are is not important." Wave said. "Where you will be is."
"Wave?" Tails asked, scared.
He tried to move but couldn't. He was tied to a box on the floor.
"No use struggling, shorty." Wave said. "Even if you could break free you don't know where you are."
"What do you want?" he asked.
He was starting to get his vision back. Wave knelt down in front of him. Tails looked down at the floor.
"You're gonna lead me to the Emeralds." she said.
"What makes you think I'll betray my friends?" Tails asked, still not looking at her.
"Because your cooperation ensures your freedom." Wave said.
"What?" Tails asked.
"Until you help me find the Emeralds, you're mine."
"And what if I don't?" Tails asked. "What are you going to do to me?"
"Do you really want to know?" she asked.
"I don't think you'd really hurt me." Tails said. "We were friends once. That kind of connection doesn't just go away."
"You know, you're partly right." Wave said. "That connection is why you're still alive. How long you stayalive is up to you."
"You wouldn't."
"Oh?" she asked, placing her hand on his shoulder. "I wouldn't?" She ran her hand halfway down his arm and then gripped it hard. Tails let out a scream.
"Does that hurt?" Wave asked, squeezing harder. Tails didn't answer, only screamed in pain again. "You want me to stop?"
"Yes." Tails said through clenched teeth.
"What?" Wave asked. "I couldn't hear you."
"YES!" Tails screamed, desperate for her to stop.
She released her grip on his arm and stood up.
"Good." she said.
She summoned her sword and cut the rope, releasing Tails. He stood up and gripped his arm with his other hand. Wave's sword disappeared again.
"Now move it." she ordered.
"We're going now?" Tails asked.
"Of course. The sooner the better."
Jason, Sonic, and Silver went back to the skies on their way to the next possible location for the military base.
"How come the army has to be so secretive?" Silver asked. "It's making our job harder."
"True." Jason said. "But it's also making Wave's job just as hard."
"But now she has Tails." Sonic said.
"Don't worry." Jason said. "We'll get him back."
The general sat down in his seat and looked over the paperwork on his desk. He heard a thump outside and reached for his gun. Just then Wave burst through the door.
"So..." Wave said. "Shorty was telling the truth."
"I told you." Tails said, walking in after her.
"You two?" the general asked.
"What's the matter?" Wave asked. "Not happy to see us?"
"Well, you're supposed to be dead."
"And here I am." Wave said. "Now to get down to business."
"Why are you here?" he asked.
"I want the Emerald that Jason gave to you to protect."
"He said to only return it if he asked for it. No one else."
"Here." Wave said, summoning her sword and pointing the tip at the general's neck. "Give me the Emerald or die."
The general looked over at Tails. "You've gone mad. You two are in big trouble."
"Oh, don't blame the fox." Wave said. "He's in this against his own will. Now the Emerald."
"It's in bunker #5." the general said.
"Have someone bring it here." Wave said, putting her sword away. "And don't try anything, or I will kill you."
The general picked up a walkie-talkie.
"This is General Hanson. Bring the Emerald."
"Right away, sir." the voice on the other side said.
A minute or two later a soldier walked through the open doorway. He saw Tails standing next to General Hanson. Before he could survey the rest of the room, Wave whacked him on the back of the neck, knocking him out. She knelt down and picked up the White Emerald.
"Three down." Wave said. "Four more to go."
Tails saw this as an opportunity and took off out the door. Wave stood up and went after him. General Hanson hit a button under his desk and an alarm sounded throughout the base. By the time Wave got outside, the bunkers all had military personnel protecting them. A few were running out to the center where Wave was. They couldn't get there in time. Wave had already made it across. Tails ran into a nearby empty building. From the looks off it, it was a convenient store. It was dark and he could hardly see. He felt around until he felt someone's leg.
"Uh, oh." he said.
"Uh, oh is right." Wave said, picking him up by the neck and throwing him out the door. "You made a big mistake, shorty. You must be punished." She started to approach him.
"Please." Tails pleaded. "It won't happen again."
"See that it doesn't." she said walking past him and stopping. She held up the Emerald. "Now onto the bank."