Okay, okay. I know, I know. Been a while yes? Sorry. Got lazy, as happens often with me. But fear not as I never abandon my readers! here is a new chapter, and the one that follows it will be done very, very soon. Hope you like this as it sets up for a fight next chapter.

Sorry again guys.

Sonic: Well, It's about time you got back!

YW3: What do you want? I said I was sorry.

Rouge: Let's just hope you can still make this interesting.

Knuckles: Well, judging from what he wrote here, it looks like...

(YW3 Hits Knuckles overthehead with achair, knocking him out)

YW3: Let them find out!

(Notices people staring)

YW3: Uh, sorry folks. knuckles has a headache and won't be able to enjoy this liturature with you. while we tend to his injuries, please, enjoy the story.

(Walks away, dragging knuckles with him.)

Jason had been moving along through the forest for some time now. He never even stooped to notice that these woods weren't like the ones he used to know. But in his head, this was home. And he was on a mission to keep his 'home' free on intruders.

After walking a bit farther, Jason stopped. He looked around in all directions, as if listening for something.

The sound of a flying creature hit his ears. It was large; the flapping of the wings could clearly be heard from a distance. And it was getting closer.

Jason turned skyward as Rouge the Bat suddenly flew over his head above the trees. The psychotic killer tilted his head in confusion as Rouge flew off into the sky. As Jason came to his senses, he realized that that was one of the creatures in Doctor Eggman's hologram. His eyes widened, his chest heaving with murderous rage. Slowly, quietly, he began to walk along the ground, shadowing Rouge as she flew in a direction toward the floating hunk of earth called Angel Island.

Rouge was on her way to Angel Island to see Knuckles. The two had for a while been getting pretty friendly and, while Knuckles still tried to act tough and hide it, Rouge could tell that the echechnia was falling for her.

"Today," she thought as she flew on, "I'll break that stubborn echechnia and get him to admit how he feels."

Really, she had been hoping to do that several times already, but Knuckles still held fast. He was indeed a stubborn animal, and it was going to take a bit more effort. Which is exactly why she paid so much attention to her looks. She made sure her make up was perfect, and she picked out the sexiest outfit she had in her wardrobe.

"It'll be hard for Knuckles to resist this," she said to her self with a grin. She then banked off in a direction headed directly at the master Emerald's shrine, the place where knuckles spent most, and sometimes all his time.

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Inside the Master Emerald shrine, Knuckles was quietly sleeping, his read resting against the base of the emerald, his arms folded across his chest. It was more or less a usual thing for him. Guarding the Master emerald wasn't a job that offered a lot to do.

His ears perked up at the sudden sound of a noise. He opened one eye, and casually glanced around the room. Not seeing anything suspicious, he resumed his nap. But only a few moments later, the noise repeated itself. The echechnia opened both eyes and stared at the entrance to the shrine as a rock bounced off the wall and slowly rolled in from the pathway.

Knuckles was alert now. He shot up from his lazy posture.

"All right, who's there?"

No reply. Knuckles' eyes narrowed.

"Okay, you won't show yourself? Guess I'll come to you."

Knuckles quickly walked to the entrance and peered over the platform, and at the surrounding area around the shrine.

"Hmmm. That's odd."

He walked from one side of the platform to the other, and looked down on both sides of the shrine. No one or nothing was visible.

Knuckles glanced around once more.

"Guess I was just imagining things."

Knuckles turned and began to walk back into the shrine, when he felt something move behind him. He stood still, trying to sense where the intruder was. He slowly turned back around once more and as he did, a figure slowly began to walk out front the shadows. It silently approached until it was nearly on top of the still oblivious echechnia. With total silence, the figured extended a hand and placed it on Knuckles' shoulder.

"Ahh!" Knuckles shouted as he spun back around to face the figure, who now was cracking up with laughter.

"What are you laughing at?"

The figure regained her composure and stepped forward. It was Rouge.

"Well," the bat said, "the mighty guardian of the master emerald can be scared by the slightest touch."

Knuckles' brow furrowed.

"Don't ever sneak up on me again. This job is…uh, stressful and I don't need any…

"Oh just admit it. I got you."

"You didn't get me."

"Yes I did. You should have seen the look on your face."

Rouge burst into laughter. Knuckles Naturally red face turned a shade darker.

"It's not funny," knuckles said quietly.

Rouge regained her composure and stood back up.

"Well, either way, it was good to see you venerable. I appreciate a man who isn't overly macho every second."

"Funny."

The two stared at each other for a minute.

"So, Knuckles said, "What do you want?"

"Well, I was going to see if you wouldn't mind coming off this rock you call home and going out to eat."

"Why?"

"Because, you and I need to spend some time with each other."

Knuckles glanced around. His mind was thinking of all kinds of excuses to use. Of course, all he could come up with was the one he had already used several times before.

"Well, I can't. As the guardian of the Master emerald, I have to stay and guard the emerald."

Rouge rolled her eyes.

"Oh, come on. I've told you before, no thief would go through the trouble of coming all the way up here for that. Well, except maybe me. Besides, how is anyone going to make off with something that big and get far?"

Knuckles glanced around sheepishly. He knew Rouge was right, but he was in no position to argue. She had the upper hand.

"So come on, Knucks," she said calmly. "Let's just go someplace nice and fancy and have bite."

Knuckles raised an eyebrow.

"Wait. Isn't it usually the guy who asks out the girl?"

"Well, we both knew you weren't making a move any time soon, buddy."

Knuckles nodded slowly.

"I uh, guess your right."

He paused and glanced around once more.

"So where is it you want to…"

Before he could finish that sentence, he found himself being dragged out of the shrine and into the air.

"Hey…what the, what are you doing?"

"I have a great place in mind in the city that I have a feeling you'll enjoy."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. Hope you brought an appetite."

As the two flew off into the Distance, Jason Voorhees slowly walked into the shrine. The first thing that caught his attention was the gigantic, shimmering emerald before him. Slowly, he walked up to it, his eyes wide with awe. He tilted his head in curiosity as a dog would.

I've never seen something like this before. It's so shiny.

After a few minutes of staring into the shining stone, Jason's eyes caught a glimpse of something in the distance; the shape of Rouge and Knuckles.

He recognized the silhouette of the bat, but his small mind drew blanks on the figure below her. No matter, as he would soon find out.

He stepped to the edge of the shrine. Looking down the side of the structure, he could see the forest below. Looking on, he could se the edge of the floating island. And beyond that, he saw the outline of a city.

Jason's eye's widened. A city. He's been in a place like that before. Another quick glance at Rouge in the distance and he put the pieces together. They were flying toward a city. And one of them was a target Eggman wanted him to kill.

Kill. It was what he knew how to do best. Bu this time, he had to do it; he had a strong reason. He could finally see his mother again. Be with her forever. Or so he was promised.

But Jason's mind was to full of that though to even conjure up suspicion. With a heavy sigh, he started down the side of the structure, his goal; the city of Station Square.

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Inside his lair, Eggman watched from the cold softy of his computer room. On a large monitor before him was an image of what Jason was seeing. In the corners of the screen, columns of data streamed on.

"Yes, Jason," he said quietly with an evil grin,

"Go after them. Go paint the town red."