-Chapter 136-

Fallout

GUN HQ

The next day, Tower had given his staff the day off and cleared his office of all breakable objects. As he sat back in his chair, he contacted Rouge, informing her of the situation.

"Tough break, Chief," the bat girl remarked. "So what, you want me to check out Project Shadow for you?"

"No, I already have agents assigned to that duty," Tower replied. "I want you to find out why Dr. Robotnik was so interested in breaking the black hedgehog out of Prison Island, and what he's planning to do with him."

"Alright, but it's not gonna be easy."

"I don't need easy, Rouge. I just need possible."

"I'll need one hell of a bargaining chip. Luckily, I know just the thing."

"Good luck."

With that, Tower hung up, folding his hands on his desk as he waited for the inevitable riot. He didn't have long to wait, as mere moments later, his office door was kicked off of its hinges. The culprit was none other than Jules Hedgehog, flanked by his Robian brother, Sir Charles.

"I'm surprised Bernadette didn't join you," Tower mused.

"You've got a lot of explaining to do, Abraham Tower!" Jules snapped. "Why was my son arrested by GUN last night?!"

"He wasn't," Tower explained calmly. "It was all an act. A show he put on."

"Explain. Now." Uncle Chuck ordered.

"Gladly, though might I request you put my door back," Tower suggested. "This is a conversation better held in private."

Jules hesitated before nodding. He lifted the door up, fitting it back into its frame as Uncle Chuck used a welding laser in his finger to repair the hinges.

"Have you seen the news lately?" Tower asked. "Reports of a black hedgehog that robbed Honey Clothing and a museum?"

"Yes," Jules confirmed. "And what of it?"

"From what we've been able to gather, that hedgehog has something to do with a military program called Project Shadow conducted fifty years ago," Tower explained. "He's the United Federation's dirty little secret, and those higher up the chain don't want his existence getting out."

"So they forced you to arrest Sonic," Uncle Chuck realized. "Use him as a patsy."

"Yes, I'm afraid," Tower confirmed. "We made Sonic aware of our situation and he agreed to play along. The chase yesterday was mostly for show, considering Sonic would never surrender outright."

"And telling us about it before was, what?" Uncle Chuck demanded. "An option you decided not to take?"

"Chris Thorndyke and his friends were witnesses to the event," Tower pointed out. "I assume they didn't manage to alert you beforehand."

Uncle Chuck scratched the back of his head. "We... sort of left right after we saw the arrest."

"I wasn't even aware the children were present." Jules admitted.

"I only went along with my orders to get the higher-ups off my back," Tower said. "As we speak, my daughter and Agent Garnet are looking into the old files to find anything they can on Project Shadow so we can clear Sonic's name and end this escapade. Sonic was sent to their location to aid them."

"I want to talk to my son," Jules insisted.

"Of course," Tower nodded. "If I were in your shoes, I'd be skeptical myself."

He pulled a laptop out of his desk, typing away and opening a com link.

"Sarah, Sonic's father and uncle are here. Could you put him on, please?"

"Of course," came Dr. Bennett's voice. "Sonic! It's for you!"

"Hang on, I'm coming!"

Tower turned the laptop in their direction, Sonic appearing on-screen.

"Hey Dad, Unc," he greeted. "I'm guessing Chris and the others didn't get to you in time."

"Sonic!" both hedgehogs cried.

"Are you alright?" Uncle Chuck questioned. "Are you hurt?"

"Relax, I'm fine," Sonic assured. "I'm not actually a prisoner here. They did take my Warp Rings, but just for show. Aurora knows I don't need them to run out of here."

"Then... what Commander Tower said was true." Jules realized.

"Yeah," Sonic confirmed. "I'm helping Dr. Bennett and Madonna look through old files here. But there's fifty years of paperwork and the like to go through. Even with Sonic-speed, it's slow going."

"Well, if anyone can get to the bottom of this mystery, it's you," Uncle Chuck remarked.

"In the meantime, let Sally and the others know I'm okay, and they should focus on tracking down Hope," Sonic requested. "Also, tell Shard to send her Omochao my way. Time to see just how far his web connection and knowledge extends."

Jules nodded. "Consider it done."

Sonic smiled. "Well, I gotta get going. Lotta files to go through. I'll get back to you when this mess is over and I'm not a wanted terrorist."

"Good luck," Jules replied.

The call ended, and the two hedgehogs turned back to Tower.

"Satisfied?" the commander asked.

"We are," Uncle Chuck confirmed. "For now."

"Just make sure that when this is all over, there is no trace of any of these false accusations on my son's permanent record," Jules requested.

"Believe me, there won't," Tower assured. "And I'll do everything in my power to clear Sonic's name. That kid's done a lot for the people of Mobius... and it's high time the people did something for him."

Satisfied, the two hedgehogs left the office. Tower let out a relieved sigh, leaning back in his chair.

"No matter where on Mobius that black hedgehog went, we will find him." he swore.

Space Colony ARK

Shadow appeared in a green flash within the halls of a high-tech facility, Hope still in his arms. She gasped as he put her down, both stunned from the sudden jump, and from where they were.

"What... What happened?" she asked. "Where are we?"

"On board the Space Colony ARK, in orbit above Mobius," Shadow replied.

"Space colony…"

Hope looked out the window, gasping at the site of millions upon millions of stars, as well as a magnificent view of Mobius.

"How did... how did we get here?" she asked. "We were just down in Station Square."

"I brought us here through Chaos Control." Shadow replied.

"Chaos Control?" Hope blinked. "Impossible. The only way to pull up Chaos Control is with seven Chaos Emeralds, and you only have one."

"Professor Gerald gifted me the power to achieve Chaos Control with only one, among other gifts," Shadow said simply.

Hope raised an eyebrow, but before she could ask questions, they heard a distant engine, and turned to see a shuttle dock outside.

"That's… Dr. Eggman's design," she realized.

"You know the doctor?" Shadow questioned.

"Yeah," Hope nodded. "He used to be my uncle."

The door opened, Robotnik strolling in with Amino behind.

"Alright, Shadow, I'm here," Robotnik began. "Now what is this... wish thing you…"

He trailed off as he saw Hope standing next to Shadow. Both stared at one another, in shock that the other was there.

"What are you doing here?!" they demanded in unison. "What am I doing here? What are you doing here?!"

"Shadow, what is the meaning of this?!" Robotnik snapped. "Why did you bring my niece, and a Freedom Fighter here?!"

"My reasons are my own, Doctor," Shadow replied calmly. "She is here because I wish her to be."

"Do you have any idea what you've done?!" Robotnik shouted. "By taking Hope away, you've made it that much more likely for Sonic and his motley crew to interfere and spoil our plans! We're sending her back to Mobius right this second!"

"No!" Shadow snapped as he grabbed Hope, pushing her behind him as he glared daggers at Robotnik. "She stays. You don't touch her. None of you do."

The two started silently at one another before Robotnik gave in, sighing.

"Fine," he conceded. "Just keep her out of the way."

"With all due respect, Dr. Robotnik, she's a Freedom Fighter. An enemy," Amino pointed out. "As long as she's here, she's a liability." He began reaching out for Hope. "I'll just take her to an escape pod and-"

"I agree with Shadow on one thing, Amino," Robotnik cut him off harshly, grabbing the doctor's arm with his metal one. "You don't go near Hope, much less lay a finger on her. Enemy or not, she's still my niece."

Amino hesitated before nodding. "Of… course, sir."

"Good," Robotnik nodded, releasing Amino. "Now Shadow, find somewhere to put Hope. I want to see everything this place has to offer, and that's going to require your full and undivided attention. Don't worry, you have my word that no one will touch her."

Shadow nodded. "We'll meet in the central control room. It houses the main computer of the facility. You can't miss it."

"We'll be waiting."

Robotnik and Amino departed. Shadow gently took Hope's arm, leading her off.

After walking for a bit, Shadow brought Hope to an old door that stood out among the hallways. It was covered in faded crayon pictures of flowers and grass across it, with old stickers above the pictures that spelled out "Maria's Room".

"You'll be safe here," Shadow assured, opening the door.

"Why did you protect me back there?" Hope questioned. "Why exactly did you save me, Shadow? Why go through all this just for me?

Shadow hesitated before sighing.

"You remind me of someone who was very important to me," he confessed. "Someone who died a long time ago…"

Hope debated asking who, but decided it would be better to let him talk on his own time before entering the room, the door closing behind her. As Shadow's footsteps headed off, Hope took in the sight of a girl's bedroom consisting of a canopy bed, shelves littered with books, a chest filled with toys, and a music box resting on a night stand. She looked around the books, seeing they were mostly atlases, and then noticed one book sitting on the bed. She picked it up, looking over the cover.

"'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'..." she read aloud. "Guess whoever owned this room was a fan."

With nothing else to do, she sat down and began reading.

Angel Island

On Angel Island, Knuckles was on guard duty. Locke came to check on him, something in his hand.

"It would seem that some of the Chaos Emeralds have returned to the island," he said. "I found this under my front porch."

Knuckles looked, seeing the red Chaos Emerald in Locke's hands.

"Ain't that a kick in the head," he noted. "Did you probably find somewhere safe to put it, just in case anybody comes looking for it, or we just need an Emerald on standby?"

"I'll take care of it," Locke assured.

Knuckles nodded, then perked as he heard something.

"What is it?" Locke asked.

"Wings…" Knuckles replied. "Bat wings. It's Rouge!"

"Clever boy."

They looked up, seeing Rouge swoop down and land before them.

"What are you doing here?" Knuckles demanded.

"Bad stuff going down, Knux," Rouge explained cryptically. "I need to, uh... borrow your big emerald for governmental reasons."

"Fat chance!" Knuckles spat. "You're not laying a single talon on the Master Emerald."

"Talon?" Rouge questioned, offended. "Do I look like a bird to you?"

"Personally, you look like a flying rodent," Knuckles said simply.

"Look, Red, I need it for a mission!" Rouge insisted. "I've been ordered to infiltrate Dr. Robotnik's base, and I need a bargaining chip!"

"And the fact that it's a giant emerald and you're a jewel thief has nothing to do with it?" Knuckles asked rhetorically.

"Well… maybe a little," Rouge confessed.

"Thought so," Knuckles pointed to the edge of the island. "Now get lost!"

Rouge sighed. "Why do they always wanna do it the hard way?"

"Because it's the only way to get rid of you. Now scram!"

"I'm not leaving without that Emerald, Knuckles," Rouge spat. "You can either hand it over... or I'll fight you for it."

"Ha!" Knuckles scoffed. "Like you stand a chance against me! Bring it, bat girl!"

The two clashed hard. They traded blow after blow, dancing across the sky. Eventually, Rouge flew up, spinning around rapidly before launching at Knuckles like a drill. She pounded into him, knocking him aside before making for the Master Emerald.

"Nothing personal!" she declared as she flew off, only to be intercepted by Locke.

"Not this time, thief," he insisted.

"Outta the way, old man," Rouge ordered.

Locke clashed with her for a bit. Eventually, Rouge found a gap in his defense and kicked him aside. He fell hard and Rouge grabbed the Emerald, wrapping a rope around it.

"Thanks for the Emerald," she said.

As she was making off with the Master Emerald, Rouge saw the red Chaos Emerald on the ground, Locke having dropped it after being knocked aside. Deciding to have her cake and eat it too, she reached down and grabbed it.

"Oh, no you don't!"

Rouge turned to see Knuckles flying at her with both fists extended. He slammed into the Master Emerald, shattering it into dozens of shards that went flying.

"No!" Rouge screamed. "What have you done to my Emerald?!"

"First off, it's my Emerald!" Knuckles shot back. "And second, I kept it out of your hands!"

As the island trembled and began to fall, Rouge scowled at him.

"I despise anyone who takes jewels from me," she hissed. "All the world's gems are mine to keep!"

"Good luck with that!" Knuckles retorted.

Rouge growled, then took to the air. "Next time, Knuckles!"

She flew off as Angel Island plummeted. Once she was clear, she pulled the Chaos Emerald she'd picked up out of her pocket.

"Well, at least it wasn't a total loss," she mused. "Old Robotnik will have to make do with this."

As she disappeared, Knuckles got up and went to his dad.

"You okay, Dad?" he questioned.

"I'll live," Locke assured.

"I'm sorry about the Master Emerald. It was just the first thing that came to mind to prevent it from being stolen."

"I understand," Locke assured. "We can restore it anyway."

"I'll get the Chaotix and get right on the hunt," Knuckles swore. "Better call Kat too. We need everyone we can get."

-X-

At the Chaotix's base next to Azure Lake, Knuckles quickly explained the situation to Vector and the others. With them agreeing to help, Knuckles called up Kat.

"Hey, Kat. It's me." he began. "Listen, we-"

"Knuckles, I can't talk right now!" came Kat's frantic voice. "Sonic's been arrested, there's a black hedgehog running rampant, Hope's been kidnapped, and a massive government conspiracy to-"

At that, Knuckles hung up.

"She's… a little busy right now," he told them. "Looks like it's just us."

"We got this in the bag," Vector assured. "We did it once, we can do it again."

Space Colony ARK

After leaving Hope in Maria's room, Shadow went to meet with Robotnik and Amino in the central control room, a supercomputer and strange device in the center.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Doctor," Shadow said. "Now I will show you the glorious achievement of Professor Gerald."

He gestured to the device behind him, more specifically seven indentations in it.

"The ARK was the first space colony created by mankind. Not many people know that the ARK contained a top-secret research facility, where weapons of mass destruction were being created. This is one of them. The Eclipse Cannon, a weapon capable of piercing stars and destroying entire planets."

"Destroying an entire planet…?" Robotnik repeated. "Was this my grandfather's legacy?"

"I was on the ARK for months," Amino recalled. "How could Gerald have constructed this right under my nose?"

"There are many things the professor kept from those around him," Shadow replied. "The Eclipse Cannon was the biggest of these secrets. He never stated what it was for, only that seven Chaos Emeralds were required to fully power it. That is why we must find all of the Chaos Emeralds. Once we have them, Dr. Robotnik, you will have the ultimate power of destruction, to use as you please. And then... the world could be yours."

Robotnik grinned. "Now you're talking my language."

Suddenly, the screen beeped. Everyone looked up.

"Someone's trying to contact us?" Amino questioned.

"I have an idea who it could be," Robotnik pressed a button. "Agatha?"

"Hey Uncle," Eggatha greeted. "Guess who showed up at the Citadel looking for you."

Rouge stepped into view, giving a wave. "Hey there, Eggman."

"Rouge the Bat," Robotnik mused. "What business does a jewel thief like you have with me?"

"Well, I heard you're pulling out all the stops this time, walking around with a secret so big the government would rather lock up its own hero than admit to it. So, I want in."

"What's in it for me?" Robotnik questioned.

Rouge smirked, reaching down the front of her catsuit and pulling out a red Chaos Emerald.

"I'm a jewel thief, and my expertise is Chaos Emeralds. In fact, I know where more than a few are being stored…"

Robotnik stroked his mustache in thought. He turned to Shadow, wordlessly asking what he thought of Rouge's terms. Shadow just nodded.

"Very well then," the doctor conceded. "We'll come and collect you shortly, and you can lead us to these Emeralds."

"Okay then. It's a deal."

The transmission ended.

Robotropolis

In the Citadel, Rouge smiled at Eggatha, ruffling her hair.

"Thanks for the assist, kid."

"You're really gonna help my uncle find all the Chaos Emeralds?"

"Eyup. Who knows, maybe I'll even be able to snag a few for myself."

Author's Note:

Seems things are finally getting into full swing. Rouge is teaming up with Robotnik, and now Knuckles has some problems of his own to deal with.

As for the whole Alice in Wonderland thing, that idea was taken from Author of the Insane and Writing Avenger 2016's fic Sonic Adventures with their permission. If stories of the Arabian Nights and Camelot exist in Sonic's world, why not?

Please R&R. Until next time!