DISCLAMER: I OWN NOTHING OF SONIC THE HEDGEHOG, Sega or Archie Sonic Comics:

*Aside from my original characters*.

ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO SEGA + Archie Sonic Comics.

Please R&R. Enjoy!

Chapter Ten

The pieces move around the board.

Rob O' the hedgehog was tired, and sore, the back of his head felt like it had been compressed flat. The throbbing was intense, yet the human medics said he was fine. The hand cuffs the human police put on after his inspection however, were a bit unyielding, Rob O's hands were starting to get numb and tingly.

The teal hog had repeatedly refused to tell the human detectives anything till he was granted a right on earth called the 'phone call'. At first the two officers thought the Mobian was joking, when Rob O' nodded to his blazers front pocket, they pulled out his Acorn Agents ID and lapel pin.

Rob O was rewarded with his cuffs being removed; the human officers left him in the clean white room again. The agent's thoughts kept drifting to Hershey's still form on the tiled floor of the clubs bathroom. And Antoine d'Coolette, was he ok? Outside the Club on the crowded sidewalks the two agents were put in separate vehicles. Rob O in a white and blue police cruiser and Antoine in a red and white ambulance.

The minutes the human officers were gone felt like hours, he had to get in contact with HQ; things had gone wrong… oh so wrong. The thought of having to explain the situation to St John made Rob O's stomach twist. He actually wished he was in Antoine's position, when the teal hog felt like he could wait no more the door opened, the human detectives handed the agent a sleek black and silver phone with a thick black antenna. Rob O' stared at the two humans, they caught on after a few seconds, turning and leaving the room. The metal doors click echoed in the small room.

Rob O' looked at the complicated phone for a while, this wasn't not going to be easy. The teal hog was already shaky from his fight and the throbbing in the back of his skull wasn't helping at all. He dialed the 15 digit number and waited. A few seconds past, when the phone clicked to life he heard a male voice, he explained his rank and situation, mission number and a password St John had given the three in case of a extreme emergency.

Rob O's fingers and stomach were quivering. Delivering bad news in any situation was tough enough, to tell your boss his wife is dead on a simple recon mission, and there target was now in the hands of the Independence, was appalling. These thoughts were whirling in the teal hogs head when the phone clicked back to life.

"You better not have lost Miles, and why on Mobius are you calling from a human line?" Rob O' gulped, "St John sir.. Its… yes. We lost Master Prower… and Hershey…I'm so sorry sir…-" All the hedgehog heard was the receiver clack and rattle as it fell to the floor along with a blood curdling cry of sorrow.

He clicked the end button. Wiping a tear away from his eye he called out to the officers outside the room's door. Now was the fun part… Rob O' would be tight lipped about his mission details, but he would go along with the motions until news of a pick up back to Mobius got to him…. 'This is a royal mess aye have gotten into…' as the humans closed the door, one leaning up on the wall looking through some files, the other pulling up a chair to the table, "Mister 'Rob O'? We have a few questions we would like to ask you."

The two foxes burst from one of the many rear exits to the club. Eli was enraged; he had just had a syringe of adrenalin shoved into his neck, instead of his chest. "Why would you fucking do that? I've been lazed, not in a coma, or on a fucking overdose! What the hell!?" his vision was blurred; it felt like someone had cut an onion and sprayed the juice in his eyes. His whole body itched, rejecting the miss injected chemical compound. The muscles in his neck were twitching and his heart was thumping irregularly.

Bonnie was panicking; her brother weight was too much for her to hold up. They were criss-crossing the back alleys of the club and other establishments, bumping into the concrete and steel walls. Tripping over trash cans and wooden skids pilled next to dumpsters. Almost falling she thought she had them both stable when Eli shifted causing her to put both there weight on her twisted ankle, they both fell to the floor of the damp ally.

"Stop.. stop let me breath for a moment.." Eli panted. He undid his jacket, the cool night air of Gemini city cooling the reddish fox, visible steam wafting from his overheated trembling chest. Bonnie watched wide eyed, "Eli.. Eli please I'm sorry, I didn't know I didn't think it-" Her brother lifted a hand up, "shhhut it… did you not fucking pay attention when Dutch taught us about this shit?"

"I'm sorry! I-… I'm sorry…" Bonnie muttered, Eli was reaching a hand behind him, fingers probing the quarter sized hole. It stung, the flesh had been seared from the high energy weapon, and the tissue his sister had plugged the hole with was completely soaked.

Eli took a deep breath. Focusing on the burning of the earlier injection for a distraction, he stuck his index finger and thumb into his wound, and tried to pull the wad of drenched tissue, it tore and fell apart in his fingers. The pain was agonizing, he was about too curse and yell when they both turned their heads at the sound of sirens, and blue-red flashing lights reflecting off the slick and grimy narrow alley walls.

The two foxes ducked low against a nearby dumpster. Elis vision blurred by the loss of blood that was seeping through the poor excuse for a bandage inserted into the older fox. Bonnie pulled a sheet of cardboard over the both of them, she suppressed a yelp of pain when Eli's hand clutched her shoulder, twisting her towards him, his eyes were burning with pain as he growled low "Get this shit out of my back!"

Eli turned and lifted his jacket, showing his wound; it was on his lower left back, above his kidneys. Bonnie was no doctor. But the vixen was bright enough to know that her brother was badly wounded, if the blast from the agent's phaser was still bleeding it meant something important was hit. Bonnie rolled up her sleeve; the sound of radios and humans was getting nearer. It was incredibly difficult; Bonnie had to balance the sheet of cardboard hiding them, and pull wet tissue paper out of a small slippery hole. There was no light and Eli was quivering badly trying to hold in his growls and yelps.

After a few minutes Bonnie was sure she had got the last of the paper wad out of her brother when his blood started to flow freely, Eli was silent. The older fox had his knees pulled up to his chest, his eyes clenched shut, When the feeling of pressure was relived he took out of his jacket pocket an absorbent insert with a string dangling off one end, and a roll of gauze. "It wouldn't have occurred to you to open your jacket Dutch gave you and look for these before you grabbed toilet paper and jammed it in my back?" he asked quietly.

"I said I was sorry.." she said in a small whisper, emerald eyes downcast, she peeked into her faded leather jacket, there in the left hand side breast pocket was a roll of gauze, medical tape, and a few human tampons. Bonnie shook her head embarrassed, she had honestly thought she had done well. She had saved her brother hadn't she? "Put that in the hole on three ok? It's going to be ok Bonnie... Lets hurry eh lass?" her brothers voice had lost the angry edge it had just a few moments ago, she nodded and took the tampon. Taking off the cardboard wrapper she put her hand on Elis shoulder and positioned the item over the wound, they both counted in low whispers "1…2…3!" She shoved the plug in the small hole. Her other hand simultaneously moved from Elis shoulder to his mouth, holding his snout closed.

It took Eli a few moments to gather himself, while he was controlling his urge to scream, Bonnie was wrapping the roll of gauze around his lower back and torso, and when she was done she patted his arm. Eli gingerly turned and they both peered down the alley, they had just finished in time. Two human police offers were walking down the alley they were in, and getting awfully close to their makeshift hideout.

Eli pulled his gun from his jacket; he clicked the clip from the handle, checking his rounds. Bonnie, trying to save face followed his actions, copying him. The two nodded to each other, the officers must had heard the older foxes muffled cries. For the two policemen had their own guns drawn, the keen officers heard the familiar clicks and clacks of handguns. They stopped at the sound. The humans exchanged stern glances, but to their horror from the pile of 'trash' to their left came a barrage of gunfire. Peppering the men with bullets as they both collapsed, small puffs of deep red mist dotting there crisp navy blue uniforms.

The two siblings sprang, up from the now torn, hole filled cardboard, Eli gasping from the sudden movement grasping his backside, cringing. But the sound of yelling and human dogs barking, and the sight of flashlight beams bobbing and swaying from the ally the two foxes had originally came from jerked his attention away from his pain. Eli pointed his gun towards the noise and lights approaching their position and squeezed off his last few rounds yelling at the top of his lungs "FOR KING ACORN! LONG LIVE THE KING!" then he tugged Bonnie's jacket sleeve, "let's go, we got to get to the warehouse," She nodded in reply.

Grabbing her brothers arm she helped support him as they fled out of the alleys, Bonnie laughing as they half ran half limped, "that'll cause a neat little fuss" she giggled "I think Dutch will be pleased, OUCH, ugh.. slow down a bit" Eli replied, they came to the end of a runoff passage slowing to walking speed they blended into the crowded, busy streets, Disappearing from anyone who would be pursuing.

Amy was curled up on her couch; blanket tucked tightly around her, TV playing some ridiculous Mobian game show, the young hedgehog was a bit ashamed of how little she had remembered from school. She had come to the conclusion she would in fact, not be submitting her name into any game show. On the couch beside her were a dictionary, thesaurus and her Mobian history book from long ago. All the questions seemed impossibly hard!

When the Show's host brought the game to a commercial break, Amy got up and wandered into the kitchen. Sonic had been gone for a while and she was getting hungry again, she settled for something light, instant noodles. She was in the middle of filling the kettle when the Red phone in the old freedom fighters house started buzzing… again. Annoyed Amy turned off the tap and went to answer it.

"Hello Amy Rose here" the pink hog huffed impatiently. "Amy its Sally, is Sonic back yet?" At first Amy was taken by surprise, the princess never called on the FF's phone, or anyone really nowadays. Her surprise quickly returned back to annoyance, "No your dad called him to the palace, in the middle of our movie night mind you, I thought he was at a meeting with you?" "He was but things have changed since he left… tell him to return as soon as you see him,-" Amy cut the princess off. "No, you can't just expect him to dash here and there at a whim!" Amy's eyes went wide when she remembered who she was talking to. There was a short pause and then Sally spoke, she sounded exhausted; "If it wasn't about something important I wouldn't have asked. He needs to return to the palace. Tell him it's about what we had just discussed… tell him he was right."

There was a quite click and the line went to dial tone. Amy hung the phone up and let out a sigh, she reminded herself to watch her temper. Laughing nervously she returned to making her instant noodles, mind racing with thoughts of what was so important. What did she mean by 'Tell him he's right'?

Tails had to fight to stay conscious, he couldn't move, but yet he didn't feel restrained. He couldn't open his eyes; they felt like they were a thousand pounds. But he could hear, and feel… mostly. Tails was overwhelmed with bizarre, yet not unpleasant, waves of numbness. He could hear he was in a human car. And feel between rushes of ecstasy the smooth leather seats, 'what's with humans and leather…' he mused to himself, letting out a slurred, quite giggle. A small trickle of spittle had traced a path down the side of the young fox's mouth. His brain was lazily shifting to one question or subject to another, with no rhyme or reason.

His head was resting comfortable against the seatbelt strap that crossed his little torso, another rush of ecstasy washed over him, tails gasped… then sighed as he felt another floating sensation. Becoming one with the seat, which was one with the car, which was one with the road… Tails felt like he was flying, he forced with all his might to open his eyes, it was dark. The stars outside of the car window were out in full force, brilliant specks of blue and white light in the black sky. And however fast he may have been going, they just seemed to stay were they were, immortal in the sky.

Tails slurred an awed 'wow' at the beautiful sight. Dutch turned his attention from driving to look at his drugged hostage, he smirked at the look on the kids face, the fox was out of his mind high. Whatever 'Doc' had put in that syringe had the kid as complaisant as a young kit. Dutch let out a low chuckle, his laugh made Tails suddenly zoom back from his own personal wonderland, his stomach turned and the memories of the last 40 minutes hit him like a ton of bricks, "e-esh-cuuuze me sir… I need ta puuke" and with that Tails, body still rising and falling with whatever he was on, expelled the last remains of the nights festivities on his chest and belly. Dutch sighed, rolling his amber eyes the Doberman pulled over on the side of the lonely highway.