Disclaimer; We do not own Sonic the hedgehog but we own a Sonic the squirrel.

Thanks to Mystery001 for reviewing! This chapter is dedicated to you!

Chapter 2: Creeping shadows

'Nobody has come to burn them,

Long green grass grows up between them,

Up between white boughs that lie

Dead and empty, dry,

That once were full of leaves and sky.' Felled Trees – Ruth Dallas

"You go first." Sonic's voice drifted in the air. The usurp of panic had left him, now that he was with an old friend.

Knuckles sighed. His body quivered with indelible umbrage. He grated with impertinence; "I woke up in a cell. This is all Eggman's doing! I don't even remember being attacked!"

"What was the last thing you remember before waking up here?"

Knuckles placed a paw to his head, "I don't know!" Sonic looked at him helplessly. "Okay! I was… I was guarding the master emerald… like I always do! There! You happy?"

"I was in Knothole." Sonic looked about the place as the echidna hammered a fist into the offending clasps. They snapped in half and the hedgehog was free. "I saw no badniks, no enemies… no nothing…"

"Well, Eggman found a way. I'll tear his head off so hard that he'll never stop bleeding… and…"

Sonic rose to his feet. His knees ached from the ventilation shaft, but it was a slight hindrance. "We can't talk here. Eggman has scouts everywhere. If he finds out we've escaped…"

"I know."

"And Tails… I heard Tails… we've got to get back and…"

"They have Tails?" Knuckles growled somberly. "Those bastards!"

He checked behind him again, nose high in the air. "I broke down my cell wall. But the funny thing was, the bang was loud enough to be detected. So why isn't anyone coming for me?"

"Did you have cuffs too?"

"Yeah, of course. I snapped them off like tissue paper."

Sonic shrugged. "I take this as a good sign." He told him. "But we have to get Tails."

"Where is he?"

"I'm not sure. Follow me."

Knuckles had no choice. He was on his way out and he was going to drop down every wall that stood between him and freedom. And it was probably the only way he could make an exit. But so far, they hadn't faced any guards.

Though in better spirits now that he had Knuckles with him too, he felt very sordid and indignant. Not only had Eggman got his sleazy hands on him, but Tails and Knuckles! How… how had he managed it?

"I wanna confront Eggman when we're all safe." He rasped as Knuckles trotted alongside him, "I want answers."

"No kidding. But I ain't seeing him. Lord knows what other tricks he has up his sleeves."

"But if we don't know, how are we going to prevent this from happening again?"

"Who says he's gonna tell you?"

"Point. Looks like I'll have to beat it out of him." They rushed down the winding corridor. It all seemed like one big aberration. Everything Eggman made was so ugly and even the walls dripped evil.

"Look on the bright side," Red continued huskily, "at least none of us are hurt… yet…"

Sonic didn't answer. A visceral anger withered under his countenance. How dare Eggman take them like this? It was just… so cowardly.

Knuckles took to the silence and was only too happy to acquiesce.

When Sonic was sure he was lost in the opulent complex, he stopped and looked about. Everything looked the same. For all he knew, the complex was built in a round shape, and they had been going round in circles like rats in a maze.

"I… I don't know where he is." His uncertainty made him angry. He had never been unsure about anything. He was Sonic, and he was a leader. He always knew where things were heading. Always.

Knuckles didn't mind Sonic's sudden lapse in judgment. In fact, he jumped on the opportunity to show his support. "Try calling for him. He might hear. This place is as dead as any. No guards."

This did little to ameliorate him. There were always badniks. There was always danger. Though he heeded the echidna's advice all the same. The quicker he could find Tails, the sooner they were out of this place.

"Tails!" He cried.

Knuckles joined in, making it a comely chorus. "Tails? Shout if you can hear us!"

"Tails!"

The impertinent walls gave no clue. There were no doors. Sometimes they walked past panels that harbored tubes and wires.

"Tails!"

This was getting ridiculous. Sonic wanted to hit something. He was even tempted to ask Knuckles to bust a wall and see what happened then. But…

"Sonic!" The reply was faint and far away, but Sonic's hearing was so sensitive, it sounded like it had been uttered right beside him.

"Tails!"

Knuckles smirked, and this made his cold eyes sparkle with hidden warmth. "We've found him."

Together they walked closer to the walls, calling. Tails replied in a rivulet of sound until it tenured in the corridor. "I'm here! I'm trapped, help me!"

Knuckles looked at Sonic with a wild glint in his eyes and the hedgehog stepped back to allow the echidna some space. He knew what to do. The moment he was out the way, Knuckles cried, "Tails, step away from the wall. I'm going to break through."

"Okay."

The echidna raised a gloved fist above his head and swung his body one hundred and eighty degrees. Then, with enough force to break the hull of a tanker, Knuckles thrust himself forward and his fist punched through the rock like it was sand. The plaster and steel crumpled, then gave way, revealing a hole large enough for a human to crawl under. Only when the smoke and dust from the rubble had cleared did they see Tails step through. He looked tired and shaken. Sonic dashed to his side and pulled him into a rough, deferential hug. "Oh buddy! It's good to have you back!"

"What's going on, guys?" His large eyes blinked, his bottom lip quivering. He looked unharmed. Just fatigued.

Sonic pulled away from him and eyed him seriously. "I don't know, but we'll get some answers. I'll make sure of it."

Just when it looked like it was going to be a free ticket home, the alarm rang out like a lonesome scream. It filled the corridors like a pulsing, hot fever.

"Shit!" Knuckles cursed. Little lights that were never noticed before where now tinted red and it bathed the corridors in blood.

Tails covered his long ears with his hands. The shrieks were deafening. He could barely hear Sonic utter, "come on! We need to get out of here fast before the badniks come!"

Next, they were running. Tails had Sonic's hand clasped over his, and he was pulled forwards until he was gliding rather than running alongside the hedgehog. Knuckles had his fangs bared, and to any creature standing in his path, he looked as frightening as a monster.

His fists chiseled their way into the next wall, opening up a dead-end into another corridor. This one looked identical to the first. But with little choice, Knuckles led the way and they were out into the new chamber. This did little to console them. A dozen shimmering red tipped robots with razor blades as arms and guns hoisted on their shoulders came storming upon them like hornets. Sonic spun into his lethal ball and slammed into a badnik that tipped over and crashed into a second. Knuckles made sure Tails was safe behind them before crunching his fist into offensive metal. He felt that satisfying clung as his attack ripped apart the badnik's shell. Its silver innards spilled outwards like intestines and its black blood of oil formed a rivulet round its twisted corpse.

Sonic spin-dashed into a horde of guards. Some surpassed his height. They had small heads and eyes that poured out laser beams. Their sheathing was thick, making them almost insurmountable to defeat with a few good calculated blows. They would have lost if not for Knuckles. He drove forward like a battering ram or an organic tank and blasted his way through until none were left standing. At their feet was nothing but metal cadavers and black oil marring the once clean floors of Doctor Robotnik's base.

"Great job, Red." Sonic gasped, his ears still pricked forward for danger. The corridor was still and calm again.

Knuckles lifted his shoulders in a half-shrug. His face was a mask of indifference. But deep inside, they all knew these robots were getting stronger all the time. Sonic's worst fears were; what if they got so strong, they never had a hope of defeating them?

No. Everything has a weakness, living or otherwise. Nothing is impossible.

Tails shivered, his hands inclining to fists. "Let's get the heck out of here!"

With pliant speed, they were off again and they would have kept going if it was not for Shadow who walked into their path. His red and black quills were unmistakable, nor was the sly grin that veneered his proud visage.

"Sonic." He said.

"Shadow." The blue hedging nodded in return.

The black hedgehog's devoid eyes gazed at each of them in turn.

Knuckles snarled. "We don't have time to stand here and look at each other. We never have time! Now stand aside, Shadow, or you'll look as bad as the dismantled robots back there."

Shadow's stern exposure didn't change. But he did smirk. "I always knew you'd all escape."

"I said stand aside!"

It was like gently fingering the trigger. Either one of them could trigger the bullet and all hell would break loose. The tension built. Sonic's ears were ringing badly from the stinging alarms that would bring out more enemies.

Staring blankly, Shadow said calmly, "do you want my help or not?" And his cunning, confident smile was gone.

"Help?" Knuckles spat, "I'll give you help!" He went to rush forward. It was always his signature move before launching his mega-ton fist at the opposition. Sonic had to grab his shoulders to hold him back.

"Red! We need to find a way out of here… and if we have Shads…"

"I don't care!" Knuckles shouted, "I'm not teaming up with that whore! He's a traitor! He works with Robotnik!"

The black and crimson hedgehog folded his arms over his downy chest and seemed to wait. Tails stayed in Sonic's shadow, afraid of being caught in the open. For no matter how he tried, the fear consumed him and he couldn't break free.

"Shadow," Sonic said placidly, "do you know the way to the exit?"

"It's a trap!" Knuckles hollered angrily.

Shadow's brow creased only slightly. "Yes."

Tails heard the horrible 'clunk clunk' sound of more guards coming from behind them. His fur stood on end in panic. "Sonic!" He whimpered.

Knuckles was actually getting dizzy and feverish from all the blinding lights. Sonic's fur kept going from blue to red from the lights.

Sonic turned to his friends. "We'll follow him. It's our only chance."

Knuckles looked at him in defeat. How could Sonic consider joining sides with Shadow? It was preposterous. "Fine." He barely spoke it. "We're all doomed now anyway."

Sonic smiled grimly and shot forward. Shadow turned and started running down the corridor. They all followed in a line, with Knuckles at the rear.

"The Doctor built this complex to make it confusing." Shadow was droning when Sonic ran alongside him, "this whole place is a prison. There were others just like you, but they all died of malnutrition. You would have gone the same way if not for the torture."

"Shads, how did we end up here? What did Eggman do to capture us so easily?"

Shadow's features expressed a slight frown of uneasiness. "I helped him."

"You what?" He wished he knew more. He wished there was more time. A door slid open to their left whereupon more metal soldiers poured out of the orifice. A stream of bullets flared out, aiming for them with up-most precision. Shadow warped out of harm's way and reappeared at the flank of his enemies. Then he simply aimed for their tiny heads with his dark energy and with shuddering penitence; they fell one by one like dominos. Knuckles didn't even need a raise a fist. They were all defeated.

"I don't think Eggman will be pleased that you're destroying his own robots, traitor." The red echidna claimed bitterly. He was panting a little from the run. "But despite your display, you're still the enemy."

Shadow, at this remark, narrowed his eyes.

Sonic grinned and stepped between them. "Let's continue this quarrel when we're out of this place, huh? We're altogether now, right? And as long as we stay this way, we'll be fine!"

"Humph!" Knuckles placed his paws on his hips. "I just hope the master emerald isn't gone."

Tails stepped up timidly, and addressed Shadow carefully, as if the hedgehog was a timed bomb. "Shadow, were we the only ones caught? Is Amy okay? And the others?"

It was a good question. One Sonic had overlooked.

"You are the only ones." Shadow whispered in his usual soft voice. "Eggman only had need for you three."

"Why?" Knuckles snapped, foaming at the mouth like a crazy lunatic.

Again, Shadow turned and ran on. Sonic was right behind him. They couldn't stop and discuss the situation. Not yet. They had lost too much time as it was. But could Sonic really trust and believe his rival? He didn't know. All he knew was, Shadow wasn't the type that lied. He changed sides sometimes, and went about his own ways to achieve certain goals, but he didn't lie. He wasn't evil.

Shadow took a different turn. He went down a slim narrow tube, leaving the corridor but the red alarm lights and the deafening sirens followed them wherever they went. The routes were confusing. Sonic felt sick with inundation.

A steel door loomed ahead and without hesitating, Shadow keyed in a pass-code on the panel and the door slid open to reveal a generator.

"This is the heart of the complex." Shadow enunciated lightly, "this is the power core. Where Eggman keeps the chaos emerald."

Knuckles inhaled thinly. "Chaos emerald?"

The black and red quilled hedgehog was right. Incased behind glass in the center of the big metal dome-shaped engine of a generator was the green emerald.

"We need it." Said Shadow. "I need it."

"Who said we're gonna let you have it?" Knuckles asked, while doing his best to keep himself from yelling. He knew from experience that Shadow with an emerald didn't add up to anything good.

"I'll take the emerald." Sonic uttered, "I don't want it falling into the wrong hands."

Tails gulped, as he frequently looked behind him, half expecting to see a robot creeping towards them. If Shadow knew the emerald was here all along, why didn't he take it there and then? Something wasn't right.

"I'm taking it." Knuckles marched up to the large generator and lifted his fist.

Sonic heard himself shouting; "No, Knux! Stop!"

Knuckles wasn't about to be persuaded. With a flash of his sharp knuckles, he broke the glass that kept the emerald imprisoned and it spilled out. The generator's source of power was lost, and it started to bellow out clouds of hot steam. The alarm shrieked even louder. Sonic knew he was going to go deaf.

Shadow went forward and scooped the emerald into his hands. With a quick reaction, Knuckles ploughed into the dark hedgehog, making him drop it. The emerald toppled down and smacked the hard metal below.

"You fools!" Rasped Shadow, "careful!"

Sonic zipped in and grabbed the emerald mutinously. "Lemme use it! It's the only way!"

"I am the only way!" Shadow rose his voice, and it was edged with melancholia. Again Knuckles got in the way and kicked both the hedgehogs down. The emerald flew up and he tried to snatch it out of the air. However, out of his sheer desperation, the emerald slid out of his gloved paws like soap and it fell. This time it did not hit the floor as intended. It slipped through a gap in the design of the metal floor, and was lost.

Sonic almost shrieked and shoved his hand down the gap, hoping that he might be able to reach it. The hole however, seemed to go down forever. "How are we gonna get it back!" He cried.

Knuckles pulled at his dreads. "Shit."

"You bunch of idiots!" Shadow sneered, red eyes shimmering from infuriation, "I should never have helped you."

Sonic eyed him sharply and was about to retort when they heard Doctor Robotnik's voice booming through the complex like poison.

"I see you've escaped. No harm done. Smile and wave. You're on camera." The human said through the adjacent speakers littered in the corners of the ceiling.

Tails tried to hide his face.

"It's a shame I've only just caught on… you see I was busy planning… ahh planing yes… I love doing that…"

"Get to the point, Eggman." Sonic said tightly. His eyes skimmed the generator that was still hissing. The rocking shrieks of the alarm suddenly died but the flashing red lights remained.

"What point is there? Is there a point to your struggles? Is there a point to your existence? No! Of course not! But you still live… I'm afraid."

"The wanker." Knuckles whispered.

"Now," the human continued, "Shadow, I hate to leave the dirty work to you, but every little chore needs doing sometime. Destroy them."

Horrified, Sonic, Knuckles and the twin-tailed fox turned and stared at Shadow, completely aghast. Sonic forced himself to relax and allow his reeling mind to pull back. Shadow was an exceptional fighter, that he would admit any day, but without a chaos emerald, he wasn't a huge threat.

Knuckles knew this was coming. He cracked his knuckles and grimly smiled. "So be it."

Shadow discerned them angrily, like he was assessing them. His ears flattened against his skull and that was never a good sign. Sonic was ready. Then…

"No."

"What?" It was so rare to hear surprise in Robotnik's voice. Sonic wished he could hear it again. "Shadow? Do NOT disobey me! I know how to take you apart!"

The black and crimson hedgehog looked up at the speakers. "No." He repeated.

Knuckles back-peddled until his tail touched the wall. His eyes were clouded over with confusion.

There was a pause. "If that if your final decision, you despicable critter, then fine. I warned you. You will pay for this, Shadow. And not just with your life."

A short ping followed and the communication was cut off.

Sonic shook himself. "What was that all about?"

Shadow walked sedately forwards, and pressed another code into a large steel door, that resided beside the overheating reactor. "We're leaving." Was all he said.

TBC