Sonic: The Madness

Herbert Westwood wandered around the winery grounds. The air was cold, moreso
than it should be. Stooping, he felt the ground. 'Yes,' he thought. Pulling a
radio form his overcoat pocket, he dialed into Eggman's communications. "Ivo!
IT is happening," he said, emphasis on 'it'.

"We're on our way. My fortress is flying to you now, we should arrive in twenty
minutes."

"Dammit, Ivo! We're on borrowed time, and I mean BORROWED! Push the engines if
you have to! I will need supplies. Something to capture this thing with. Nothing
glass or silicon," he said.

"I have the perfect container," Eggman replied. "A special box used for... the
more dangerous specimens. Safe against radiation, sound, air leakage, anything."


-------------------------------------------------

Rouge huddled herself on the chair inside Tom's room. He was still unconscious.
'Why do I care? Why does this hurt so bad?' she thought. He hadn't improved
since they brought him here, and the doctors were unsure if he would. He was
malnourished, and had fallen a good distance off the ladder. She couldn't
sleep.


-------------------------------------------------

Eggman hovered his craft downward, a large metal box hanging from the tether.
"Drop it near the well!" Herb ordered. Shadow jumped down. "Whatever this is,
it's down the well. A meteor of some sort. I can't go down there with this
leg," he explained. "I'll go," Shadow replied. "What are we dealing with?"

Herb answered, "it's too horrifying to talk about right now. Feel the ground."

Shadow did so. Even through his glove, he could feel how warm the ground was.
"The air is cold. why is the ground..."

Something flew down towards them. Small, red, and angry. "Where is she? You
know where she is, Shadow! I want my Chaos Emerald back!"

"I don't answer to you!" Shadow shot back.

"You... Rouge took that Emerald, and I want it back!"

Herbert was annoyed. "WHO IS THIS"

"This is Knuckles, a confused echidna. Rouge isn't here, and I don't know where
she is right now."

"I don't believe you, Shadow, Rouge will do anything to- HEY!"

Herb poked him with his cane. "You want any help? Then make yourself useful.
You a digger?"

Knuckles nodded. "Good. Get down that well and get the meteorite at the bottom.
I can't do it on this leg."

"What? Meteor? Do I look like- OW!"

Herbert poked him again. "It's like talking to a ROCK! You heard me! We do not
have time to argue, get going!" Knuckles decided to go along. He ran to the well.
Westwood walked back to his van. "Nice guy... needs a good smack upside the head,"
he commented.

"Knuckles isn't exactly a friend of mine. He usually associates with Sonic,"
Shadow explained.

"You're Shadow, correct? I highly doubt Sonic would be the one with Ivo. Rouge
must be the bat. You and her...?"

Shadow shook it off. "No. She's a business associate. Nothing more."

Westwood opened a large case. Inside was a weapon. "This, my boy, is an
elephant gun." He cocked open the weapon and loaded both barrels.

"Will this be enough?" Shadow asked.

"Hardly enough to kill this thing, if it is indeed what I fear... but enough to
knock it back."

Near the well, Knuckles noticed Eggman hovering in the sky. "I knew it! You
told Rouge about my Chaos Emerald!"

"Shut up and get down the well!" Eggman shouted.

'Just great, a Chaos Emerald is missing, Eggman's here, and some weirdo's with
them...' he thought to himself. Figuring he'd go along for now, he climbed down
the well. It wasn't very deep, maybe 50 feet down. Embedded in the bottom he
found the small meteorite. A bit larger than a Chaos Emerald, it was glowing an
unusual color. It was warm down here, and even through his thick gloves, the rock
felt hot.

Pulling it from the stone, he tucked it under one arm and climbed out. Once at
ground level, he dropped it. "Thing's hot, what is it?"

"A horror from beyond the stars. Quickly, seal it in the box!" Westwood waited
while Knuckles carried it to the large contained. The metal box waited, the flap
resting on the ground. All Knuckles had to do was toss the meteorite inside and
lift the panel to latch it.

An unearthly scream cut the night. Herbert welt flying back as something hit
him in the jaw, his gun sent somewhere into the night. Stumbling, he yelled,
"don't let it get away!" Their opponent was barely visible in the dark.
Knuckles was sure he was hitting something, but what, he did not know. Shadow
lept into the air, curling into a ball and flying at the monster.

Westwood found the elephant gun. He could barely see the monster, a faint swirl
of an unknown color, something beyond his own ability to recognize. Tracking
the movement and noise, he lined up a shot with the box. The gun sounded like
a cannon going off, sending the horror flying back several feet. 'Keep it
steady...' Lining up again, he cocked the second barrel and fired. Whatever
the creature was, it had been sent into the box by the force of the blast.
"LOCK IT! LOCK IT NOW!" Shadow and Knuckles did so, sealing the crate before
the creature could escape.

Westwood forced himself up, using the gun for support. Shadow found the old
man's cane and handed it to him. "You're bleeding," Shadow commented. Herbert
was bleeding from the mouth. He spat something out.

"And I was hoping to get through life with all my teeth. All that dental care for
nothing..." One of his molars had been knocked out. Pulling a tissue from his
coat, he wadded it up and stuck it in the empty space.

Breathing heavily, he dropped to one knee. He clutched his chest. "There's...
there's a bottle of heart pills in my van... now" Shadow gasped, running to
the van. He found two bottles. Grabbing them both, he ran back. "The... blue
pills..." Shadow opened the bottle and took out a small blue pill. Herb
swallowed it. "Thanks. I have a bad heart. I'm okay."

"What was that thing?" Knuckles asked.

Shadow grunted. "Who's watching the Master Emerald? Rouge might take it!"
Knuckled cocked a worried expression as he ran of. "Gullible fool."

"Yes, he is a bit slow. Strong, but slow," Herb said. He gave a thumbs up. Eggman
grabbed the metal box with his craft's tether and carried it away. "I didn't want
him to see this," Shadow stated, pulling the Chaos Emerald out.

In a flash of blue light, Herbert and Shadow arrived in Eggman's flying fortress.
The metal box was aboard. "I need to observe this thing in the light."

"Hmm, I may have something... YES! A blast chamber I use to dispose of bombs that
go bad. Think of it as a large version of the metal box! Fully inescapable!"
Eggman explained.

"DO IT!"

Eggman transported the box into the blast chamber. Once inside, he set the
time release latch to open and sealed the chamber. The box opened. The cameras
inside fed them images of the monster. An odd hue moved across the screen.
"I can't really see the thing" Herb said.

"Allow me..." Eggman replied, playing with the light filters. The altered spectrum
better showed the monster, roughly humanoid, several feet tall, if holding much
of a solid form.

Shadow set the empty meteor down. The inner layer was like the creature, a hard
substance composed of an element of an indescribable color. Herb asked, "should
I tell him?" Eggman nodded. "Shadow, what we are dealing with is what I can
best call a multi-dimensional entity. I've been in my business for 30 years or
so, studied small hauntings, various gods of our world... the Master Emerald,
yes, I remember, the god Chaos. So that little red doorstop guards that, does
he? Anyway, to get back on track...

"I used to find signs of greater entities, things beyond human understanding,
things much older than anything we know of. Things that exist in numerous
dimensions at once. Lesser being, perhaps such as our captive, which pass
between worlds, and far greater horrors, so far beyond evolution that they can
exist simultaneously in several realities. Things that existed before time lines
split.

"Five years ago, Ivo built a special device which allowed me to travel to a
separate Earth. Same planet as ours but with a different history. A different
society indeed... all humans, the other animals were unevolved. Hedgehogs such
as yourself were... well, small animals." Shadow looked curious. "Think of it
this way... we have small cave bats, and we have bats such as your friend. In
their world, they have nothing like your fried, just the small ones. Same as
with all animals.

"I'm getting off track again. The important thing is, their world knew far more
about these beings. I was able to study, and even bring back artifacts and
books to help me. And now... now, it has happened." He pulled a thick black
book from his inner jacket. Shadow read the cover. H.P LOVECRAFT. "An author
in their world, long ago, became connected to these entities and their doings
on that Earth. Flip to page 92," Herb said. Shadow did so. The story was
titled THE COLOUR OUT OF SPACE.

"Lovecraft detailed similar events. A meteor impact let loose a creature on a
farm, and drained the very life from the land and the residents like a
parasite. And I believe that we have now captured that very same entity." He
removed his overcoat. "I would suggest reading that story, it may tell you
more... more than you ever wanted to know about our meaningless existence. I
believe my van will be fine down there. I will stay here tonight. It is..." he
checked his watch. "1:30 in the morning. I haven't slept in three days. It's a
wonder I sleep at all in my line of work. Ivo, I'm sure you have somewhere on
this flying crate to sleep?"


-------------------------------------------------

Knuckles reached Angel Island. As he approached the Master Emerald, he noticed
someone. A human, perhaps, as it was far too tall to be Rouge. "Hey! Get back
here!" He gave chase, but the individual was too fast. At the edge of the
floating island, the stranger jumped on a waiting hang glider and took off.
Knuckles lost sight of his target before he could take off himself. "That
was...odd."


-------------------------------------------------

The next morning, Knuckles found Rouge in Central City. "There you are! About
that Emerald you forced me to hand over, can I have it back now?"

"Get lost," she said.

"That's not gonna happen until I get that Chaos Emerald back!"

She wanted to turn around and punch him. "My friend is dying. If he lives, I
promise you, on my life, that I will never try to steal the Master Emerald again.
But if he dies... if he dies I will do whatever I must to take it from you. You
hear me? If he dies, I will take what you have to make you as miserable as I will
be, do you understand?"

Knuckles stepped back. He wanted to believe her. "Nice trick," he replied.

"I'm going inside. Follow me and you'll be glad we're at a hospital." She went
inside, leaving the confused echidna to wonder what was going on.

Inside, Eggman met her in the waiting room. "Ah, Rouge my dear bat girl, how
are you this fine morning?" She gave him a nasty look. "Ah, right... I thought
I should tell you that we found the thing that was making your friend sick.
And I have COMPLETE confidence that Herb can help your friend now!" 'I'm going
to burn in the afterlife for that,' he thought.

"Why are you here, fat man?" she asked.

"I, well, I was once in this situation, watching a friend dying in the hospital.
He was much worse off, but came through fine. I'm sure your friend will be better
than new very soon. I should go!"


-------------------------------------------------

"Why does it look so strange?" Shadow asked.

"Its color is beyond our ability
to see or understand. You're the 'ultimate life form? well, this thing isn't
really alive. Not what we'd call life. These beings Lovecraft knew of were
beyond our level of existence, so much that to merely look upon some of them
would drive one insane." He turned to the black book again. "This seems to be
all we have on this particular monster, my boy... I should stop calling you that,
you're older than me! Anyway, in Lovecraft's account, the creature sucked the
life out of the land and the people, and then fled into space. The land never
healed."

Shadow asked, "can we do anything?"

"I don't know... maybe there's some incantation or something in my files that
could help. I admit I have very poor cataloging of my research, what with all
the books and such I have. It would take ten lifetimes. But if you want to do
that trick with the light again, head to my office in Central City." He handed
Shadow the key. "There's a box labeled 'otherworldly research', dig through
and- no, just bring the whole thing. And some memory sticks beside my
computer, the little ones that plug right into the ports, you know those?"

Shadow nodded. "Good, bring them. Be quick about it. If we have any hope of
saving that man's life, timing is key!"


-------------------------------------------------

Hours had passed, and they still hadn't found anything useful. H.P. Lovecraft
had written of hopelessness. The gods would arrive, do whatever it is they
were destined to do, and leave. Nothing showed any evidence of being useful.
Strange music played from Westwood's radio. "Nothing. Nothing at all helpful.
It's as if the being has a mental hold on whatever it drains, even if
separated from the victim."

"You've been listening to that awful music all day," Shadow said.

"Oh, that..." he replied. "A band called Aerosmith. They aren't from our Earth.
Hey, if you're gonna go to a different Earth, you may as well bring back
souvenirs. Different things. I brought back a lot of music and movies with me.
I like these movies called 'Columbo, a detective with the police. A bit like me
without the paranormal, I guess. Why did you join GUN?"

Shadow considered the question. "I wasn't alive at the time, but I know the
stories about GUN troops invading the ARK, and shooting that poor girl. Maria,
Ivo's cousin. They kidnapped Gerald and drove him insane. It's why I forgive
his plans, in a way it's his revenge against the world."

"Things change," Shadow answered.

"You only put up with Ivo because he's Maria's only living relative, don't
you?" Herbert asked.

"You could say that. But he also serves a use sometimes."

"Fair enough," Westwood replied. Reaching for the coffee pot, he shook around
the few drops in the bottom. "Coffee's empty. Probably time to get some
sleep, I won't be up much longer."

"You shouldn't be drinking all that coffee anyway, with your heart condition,"
Shadow replied.

"Probably not." He checked his watch. 3:12 AM. But the date caught his attention.
"You have gotta be joking... oh god no."

"What is it?" Shadow asked.

"It's the 14th." Shadow looked puzzled. "February 14th! Valentines day! And your
friend is watching someone die. The universe is a cruel joke, and I stopped
laughing a long time ago."

Shadow asked, "is that it?"

"Yes, that's it. He will die. I have no way to help him. Nothing here
will help him. I am utterly USELESS! Why... why understand the vast meanings
of the universe and the things that should not be, of knowledge of these
beings is meaningless? I know what this disease is, and I have no way to help!
No one can! We are all so useless, so meaningless in the vast meaning of all
things! I don't care if we work for another 10 years! we will never find the
answer, because it does not exist!"

Shadow grabbed the Chaos Emerald. "Where are you going?" Herb asked. Shadow
didn't answer as the blue flash filled the room.


-------------------------------------------------

He found Rouge in the hospital room. Tom was breathing thanks to a machine.
He wasn't ready to die yet, but Shadow could tell he would die soon. "What are
you doing here?" she asked.

"I wanted to see how he was doing."

"He's not going to make it, is he?" He didn't answer. "I don't know why I care,
Shadow. I thought all I cared about was gems, but..."

"You've helped me before. I believe you can care about more than trinkets," he
said.

"I... it hurts so much. I feels like there's a knife in my heart, and someone's
turning it. Is this... is this what it felt like when you watched Maria die?"

"I don't know," Shadow answered.

"You wouldn't," she said. "You watched her shot to death. She died quickly. I
have to watch this slowly."

"You have feelings for him, don't you?" he asked.

"I- maybe. But... Shadow, this could have been us. But you would never let me
close to you. And now I know why. You lost Maria, and I am losing him. It must
have left a hole in you that could never be filled. Maybe I should leave, maybe
if I don't watch him die, it won't hurt so much."

"NO!" he yelled. "That is the worst thing you could do! If you care about
him... wait here!" In a blue flash, he was gone.


-------------------------------------------------

Shadow woke Herbert. "Come with me!"

"What? Where?" he asked. "Are you glowing?" Shadow was glowing a bright red haze.
They entered the room housing the blast chamber. The monster still remained
inside, huddled, waiting for escape.

"Open the door, and close it when I'm inside!"

"Are you insane?" Herbert shouted.

Shadow shot back, ""DO IT!"

Herb sighed. He opened the door. Shadow entered, the door locking behind him.
"So, you're the one responsible for this. It's time to end this!"

Westwood watched on the monitor. Shadow floated, the Chaos Emerald hovering in
front of him. A blast wave let loose, the camera feed cutting off. "Holy hell,
what was that?" Herb opened the door. Shadow stood where he had been. The
creature withered in the corner, a faint scream of pain tearing away as its
body crumbled into a fine pile of dust and flakes. "What the-"

"I killed it. It should break the creature's mental hold on its victim. And if
not, then it's still dead."

Herb bent down and examined the remains. "You just- just killed one of these
things! That's incredible! I didn't think it was possible, people have banished
or sealed them away, but you- you are the ultimate life form to be able to do
that!" He chuckled, stomping his foot on the pile. "That's for my tooth, you
jerk!"


-------------------------------------------------

"Rouge?"

She was barely asleep. "Where am I?" the voice asked. Quickly, she shot up.

"You're..." Running
to the bed, she ripped off the mask so he could talk. "You're awake! I'll get
the doctor!"


-------------------------------------------------

Morning had come. "Looks like you've made a full recovery! I want to run one
more test to be sure, but I think I can discharge you today, Thomas!"

"Thanks, doctor," he replied. Rouge had fallen asleep, the first comforting sleep
she'd had in some time. She stretched on the waiting room couch, waking up and
headed straight for Tom's room. "The doctor wants to run one more test, then I
can go," he explained.

"That's good. I don't think you should go home, though. I want you to go home
with me, for now. I don't know if your house is safe to go back to yet."

She had told him that something poisonous was on his property and made him
ill. Which, as far as she knew, was true, as no one had really explained to
her what was going on. "I'll go to your home and gather some clothes while you
wait here."


-------------------------------------------------

Rouge reached the winery mansion. Finding his room, she took a suitcase from the
closet and began grabbing things. Shirts, pants, socks, stopping to pause a bit
when she found his underwear. 'Oh, embarrassing,' she thought. 'Oh well.'

"I take it your friend is doing well?" At the doorway stood the strange man she'd
seen with Eggman before. "You're Rouge. Herb Westwood. You really have to thank
Shadow, he was the one who helped your friend."

"I see. What really happened here?" she asked.

"Oh... well, it may be best you don't know. Just know that it's over." He stepped
to the window. "I can see this better now. The dead plant life by the well is a
dried shell that crumbles. But the living stuff nearest the house, the color has
returned. As has the flavor. The grapes taste like grapes. Shadow couldn't
resurrect the dead, but he performed a miracle. I have to apologize to you," he
said. "I didn't have any right to treat you the way I did when I met you."

"It's okay-"

"NO, it's not okay..." he shouted. "I judged you because you have wings. I blamed
you. And you sat by that man's side hoping he would be okay. You care for him,
deeply. I guess humans still have prejudice. It's not right. If we can't rise
above such primitive ideas, then what good are we? Certain things in my studies
have had wings... and I grouped you with them because of how you look. And I hate
myself for it."

"You're the one he was talking about," she said.

He asked, "who?"

"Eggman. He said he once watched a friend in the hospital, dying. You're his only
friend. It was you, wasn't it?"

"Oh, that," he answered. "It was, well... it was right after he was first beat by
the green hedgehog."

"You mean Sonic? He's blue, actually."

"Blue, green, all the same to me. I'm colorblind, literally. Blue is green to me.
I don't know what the color blue even looks like. Anyway, we'd been friends since
childhood. He went into science, and I... didn't. But when he had his first world
domination plan, we had a large disagreement over it. Back then I owned a large
house in the woods near Westopolis. I was cutting up a tree that had fallen in my
backyard. And the chainsaw slipped. Took me in the leg, cut the artery. I'm a
vegetarian now. After seeing your own leg muscle sliced up like that, you lose
interest in meat."

"I wouldn't know," Rouge said. "I'm a fruit bat."

"Yeah, I guessed as much," he replied. "Vampire bats tend to be rather...
unpleasing to look at. Ivo had come by to argue with me and he found me bleeding
to death. He got me to the hospital in time. We're also the same blood type, his
donation helped me live. It wasn't all perfect afterwards" he explained, waving
his cane. "The wound was messed up. I have to take pain pills for it. I can
barely walk without this. Ivo isn't all that evil, he has a conscience, even if
he buries it behind an anger at the world. By the way, do you know a red echidna
named Knuckles?"

"Yes, I do, unfortunately," she answered.

"he showed up the other night,
ranting about that Chaos Emerald. I think he hates you," Westwood explained.

"Possibly," Rouge remarked, "can you believe I had a crush on him? It wasn't
his personality though."

"I sympathize. I don't like him."

"Prejudice?" she asked.

"No, he's an idiot."

She continued packing. "Still... I like Tom, but..."

"But what?" Herb asked.

"He's a human, and I'm a bat. I don't know if it could be that way between
us."

Herb paced a bit. "I see. You didn't sit by his side in the hospital
because he's someone you play checkers with. You sat by his side because you
feel strongly about him, and I think he feels the same. You wouldn't have been
visiting him for a month otherwise. He did ask you to visit, right?"

"He did," she answered.

"I'll put it this way. You're an attractive young woman with a body most men
can't ignore. I'll admit, if I were younger... no matter. If he were to turn
you away because of who you are, then he doesn't deserve you."

She was a bit startled by this. "You're a person, like me. You're not a human,
but you own homes, hold jobs, pay bills, and talk with us as equals. You are
people. You should not be denied the same rights as us! Civil rights are...
well, I've been to places where humans were the only people. And still, they
held prejudice over skin color, heritage, religion, beliefs, and other things.
Prejudice is a poor personality trait that has to be overcome."

He tapped his cane lightly. "I, uh... a nice cat once had here eye on me about
20 years ago. It was the expedition into the old Sumerian kingdom."

"I remember that," Rouge said. "The expedition to find the sacred gem once
belonging to the king of that tribe."

He continued, "Clara the Cat, an archaeologist who'd hired me to go along. Well,
the expedition went south, and she blamed me for it. Said if she ever saw me
again, she'd claw my eyes out. Then, as Ivo did, I married my work. You should
finish packing. You found a place for him to stay, I assume?"

"Yes," she answered. "With me, for now."

"Good. I don't think anyone should stay here for some time, actually. I'll leave
you- oh, right, I forgot." He pulled the Chaos Emerald from his coat. "Shadow
told me to give this back to you. Bloody thing, I should lock it up somewhere,
these Chaos Emeralds are dangerous." She took it as he walked away.

Outside, he noticed Shadow chasing after someone. "Hey! HEEEY" Shadow!" It was
no good. Shadow kept chasing the man, who jumped on a motorcycle and sped off.
Down the road, Shadow followed, only for the bike to cut off into the woods.

"Damn!" He raced back to the house.

"What was that, my boy?" Herb asked.

"Someone was snooping around. I couldn't catch them."

Westwood looked into the distance. 'This isn't at all good...'


-------------------------------------------------

The cab let them off at the entrance of Club Rouge, the busy casino in Night
Babylon. Here, it was always night. "It's only 10:30 in the morning," Tom
remarked. They went inside. A female fox in a black vest stopped him. "Sorry
sir, you have to pay the cover charge before you-"

"Move aside, honey, he's with me!" Rouge ordered.

"Boss! I'm sorry, I didn't know!" the fox apologized.

"It's okay. Treat him as you would me," she demanded.

Rouge led him upstairs. "how do you like it?" she asked.

"You... own this place?"

"Every inch!" she replied. "The casino and this apartment! The whole second floor
is my personal space!" Jewels lined the apartment. It was luxurious all over.
"Make yourself comfy!"

He sat down on the couch. "Wow, this is soft," he exclaimed.

She sat beside him. "There's... there's something I want to talk to you about.
It's about the past month. I need to know what you think of me as," she told him.
"You probably think I'm just a friend. I couldn't be more than that, I'm a bat
and-"

"You're an angel from heaven," he told her.

"What?" she asked in disbelief.

He took her hand. "I said, you're an angel. I don't care if your wings don't have
feathers. You came to me when I was lonely, and you saved my life. My mind has
been hazy for months now, I almost lost everything, but you came along and made
everything better."

"I- I- that's the nicest thing I've been called. Humans usually insult me.
But... I've had crushes on two men before. One doesn't like me, and the other
will always be more like a brother to me. You're the... first who ever..."

"I see," he replied. "I would've thought you'd had several boyfriends. No
offense."

"I'll flirt with men to get what I want. I can distract them. But I draw the
line at trading my body for what I want. I won't do that"

"So you're, I mean, you're-"

"I've never been romantic with a man, no," she said. "I don't like sex."

He replied, "I see... I think."

"You don't understand. Sex is physical. No, that's not what I want. Love making
interest me. I couldn't go that far with someone unless I loved him, and it's
never... I'm not ashamed of my body. I know men look at me. I'll wear clothes to
show off, but... they can look all they want, but if they want to touch..."

"I don't think our talks went this far," he said. "But I haven't gone that far
either. You remember I told you about my ex, she was, well, my first date but
I never liked her anyway. And any woman who showed interest in me was after
the family money. Not that... no, I know you aren't like that. You have these
jewels, and this casino, you have money."

She forced herself closer to him. "You look like you're about to cry, did I say
something bad?" he asked.

"No. No, I'm not going to cry. I don't do that. I'm too strong to cry. But I
thought you were going to... I thought you were going to die and..."

He pulled her closer. "Let it out. I'm the only one who will know. No one else
will see it. Let it out, don't hold it in or it will hurt you."

She began sobbing. Her tears soaked his shirt. He was right, she had bottled
up her sadness and it was wearing at her. He held her close to muffle the
crying. No one but him would see, and he wouldn't think she was weak for it.
After a few minutes, she stopped. "I'm sorry I made you cry. I know it must
have been difficult." Rising, she looked him in the eyes. Acting quickly, she
pressed her lips to his. She pushed herself into it, running her fingers
through his hair. He responded by pulling her towards him. After a short
while, they let go.

"You're... a ball of emotion right now," he said.

"I couldn't help it. I just... I- I- I think..."

He pulled her close. "I know. I love you too, my little angel."

She rose from the couch. "You haven't eaten in days. We should go out and get
something. It's still early" she said.

"I haven't eaten real food in days, actually. Or eaten well in some time, I
think," he replied.

He stood, picking up the suitcase. "You can put that in the bedroom. I have an
empty drawer I can keep your clothes in," she told him. He sat the case on her
bed, opening it. On top of his clothes rested the necklace, the one that Rouge
had tried to steal when she met him. "Oh... I guess I packed it without
thinking."

"You still love these things, don't you?"

"Love? No... well, they are pretty, and I've always liked them. But, when you
were in the hospital, I realized that... they can never love me. They can't talk
to me, they can't make me feel good. All they do is sit there and look nice. They
aren't a companion. I've never watched someone close dying before. It hurt. I
would have traded every one of them to save you."

He slipped the necklace around her neck, fastening the catch. "It's okay. I
told you that it was yours now."

She removed her gloves and ran her hand over it. "No one has ever given me
something like this before. Everything I have, I've taken, stolen... no one has
given me a gift like this before. I appreciate it, but.. I don't know if I want
it." She turned to him. A devious smile was on her lips and her eyes pierced him.
She pushed him to the bed. "I want you."


-------------------------------------------------

"You get what you want, when you want it, don't you?" he said.

"I know," Rouge replied. "This morning I thought I was going to lose you. Now, I
want to keep you close. I just hope this wasn't awkward for you."

"No," he said, "it was... just... unexpected. Although, the wings and tail were
a bit- well, different. I was afraid I was going to hurt you."

Rouge was on her stomach. She stretched her limbs out. "Don't worry, you were
gentle with me. My wings and tail are tough, you didn't hurt them," she said.

"My back might be another matter," he explained.

"I should have thought this out better," she apologized. "You are a good deal
taller than me." "I might not get the curve out. I don't think your lips left
mine the whole time." He checked the clock. 1:47 PM. "Does this change anything
between us?" he asked.

"Why would it?"

"We did get intimate rather quick, I just don't want it to-"

She squeezed his hand. "It made us closer."

He rubbed one of her ears. "I would have thought you'd have had some fur for
being a bat, but..." he traced his finger down her spine. "Your skin is smooth
and nice to touch. Just your head is covered in it... and your, uh... yeah. And
your tail is cute. The wings give you a certain... bad girl look too."

"Oh? I thought I was your little angel?" she remarked.

"You are! A sensual angel," he kissed her, "but an angel."

Pulling the covers down a bit, he looked at her back. You remember when you
came to me with that injury?" he asked.

"Yes, I remember."

"No scar," he explained.

"I remember that alcohol. It burned. I thought I was gonna pass out. But, you
took care of me. There's something else..." She briefly considered telling him
about her employment with GUN.

Curious, he asked, "yes?"

"It's..." Thinking otherwise, she finally said, "you need a bath. No offense."

"Well, no offense either, but you need one more than me. You'd been in those
clothes for a while. The boots especially could have been lethal."

"I'll smack you if you're not careful. But you're right. Lets get in the tub and
hit the town. Come on, loverboy, my tub is big enough for the both of us."

Pulling a sheet around his waist, Tom began to crawl out of bed. Playfully, Rouge
tugged the sheet away, revealing his naked body. "Don't be so shy, no one's gonna
see you... except me!" She eyed him seductively. She'd never been close to a man
before, given herself away, and as much as she loved Tom right now, the desire
to stare was overwhelming.

"Besides," she said, tossing her own covers aside, "I'm naked too... and we'll have
to be to get in the tub!"

"Fair enough, can't say I have some hunk body though, so- hey, is that..." Tom's
eyes were fixed on a red stain on the mattress. "Did I hurt you?"

"No... do you know much about female anatomy?" she asked, her eyes turning upwards
to meet his.

He answered, "not much, no..."

"Women of some species, humans... bats... they have a certain... I'll explain it
when we're in the bath, okay?" Taking his hand, the bat led her lover into the
bathroom. The tub was nested in the corner, not very high. It wasn't made for a
human, but the basin was wide. Easily large enough for both, assuming Tom lie
somewhat flat.

Running the water, Rouge grabbed her favorites soaps, pouring them into the splash
from the faucet. "The soaps and bath oils I use might soften your skin, not very...
manly, I'm afraid."

"I don't really mind," Tom replied, slipping into the bath. The water was hot,
soothing. Easing in herself, Rouge activated the hot tub jets, turning down a
dimmer switch beside the bath.

"There... you like this?" "Yeah... very nice, Rouge. You know how to live in style.
Now, about that red stain... you were saying?"

Tracing a finger down his chest, she continued, "women of some species have a
membrane in their vaginal openings. It's called a hymen... and when you and I made
love, you took my virginity... do you understand now?"

"I think so," he replied. "So, when you and I... did it hurt?"

Responding, "yes, a little. But only for a second. It's gone now, I gave myself to
you, to no one else... my virginity. That matters to me. I'm not letting you go
now."

"A woman's life has a lot of pain, doesn't it?" he commented.

"Yes," she responded, "deflowering... childbirth... heartache, conflicting
emotions, our periods... oh, the periods, I can be a bit moody and unbearable
during my period. Say things I don't really mean... but enough about that. I'm
happy now, you're here, alive, healthy..."

"Thanks for not dumbing it down for me, huh? I mean, about the blood stain."

She nuzzled him gently. "I'm not ashamed of my body, or talking about it. Not with
you. You need to know," she said. He replied, "you didn't even flinch when you told
me. That shows guts, to talk about that so honestly, without trying to make it
sound like it was nothing. Never feel you have to lie to me or sugar-coat
something, okay?"

"This is still new to you... but you're an adult. It's still a bit strange
to me, too," she stated, pressing her forehead against his. "You'll find I have...
well, when it comes to certain topics, I have no shame."

Turning the lights up, Rouge rose slightly from the water. "Now that we're lovers,
we didn't get much chance to enjoy the first time, all that emotion in the
way... do you like my body?"

The light reflected off her breasts, almost to taunt him. "You have an amazing...
can I?" he begged, stretching a hand forward.

"Go on..." she responded, inviting him to touch.

Feeling her breast, Tom eased his hand forward, thumb playfully grazing the nipple.
"Still a bit shy... first time feeling up a woman?" Rouge asked, enjoying the touch.

"Yes..."

"There's something else. It's the species difference, right?" Slowing his
grab, he looked her dead in the eyes.

"Well," he replied, "in a way... to hell with it though! You're beautiful, you're
mature, and we love each other. We're adults, species be damned!"

Pulling her close, Rouge barely had time to react as Tom kissed her passionately,
fondling her bosom harder, the other hand making a reach for her butt, squeezing
firmly. She moaned through the kiss as her lover gently stroked her tail. As the
kiss broke, Rouge remarked, "you have a pervert buried in you... I like it! You
mind?"

"Not at all, fair is fair..." he said, inviting Rouge to touch him. Her finger
slid under his foreskin, gently playing around the head.

"I've never felt up a man this way... and humans, you poor things, your
reproductive organs are aways on the outside... just like bats. Not like those
other, fur-covered men who don't need pants."

"I'm not very big for a human, am I?" he said. "Probably just average."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that... your penis..." she giggled slightly saying the word,
"... it fits fine. Proportions to species... tell me, how did it feel being inside
me?"

"Amazing. I didn't want it to end." "Good, very good," Rouge said back, smiling.
"I liked the way it felt, too. So... forceful, but so gentle, too. Touching nerves
I didn't know I had, in ways I never could touch myself... now then, we need to
talk about a few simple rules if we're gonna be making love, okay?" He shook his
head. "Okay, first, no anal. You are NOT putting that up my ass! Second, I'm a
fruit bat, and that means I can't digest or process protein. So..."

"Sperm is protein... that much I do know," Tom said. "Don't worry, I wouldn't want
you risking or harming yourself for me." Running a finger through the fur, he
continued, "I won't miss it. But don't expect me to lick up my own stuff, okay?
That's not gonna happen!"

"Fair enough," she replied, "but one day soon, I'll get you licking me, okay?
Third rule, I'm not making love to you when I'm on my period. I don't feel good
then, and I won't be in the mood."

"Eww, blood... gotcha. Anything else?"

She thought. "No... that's all, really. Now then, one more thing to do." Sitting
on the edge of the tub, her legs spread. "Men are a bit simple, unlike women.
We're more complex. So... the vagina is more difficult to please than what you
have. So, I'm going to show you what's there so you can better understand it. You
ready?"

"Oh, wow... school was never this fun!"

"Glad you like the show," she said, smiling at him.

"You have such pretty eyes..." Staring back for a moment, she finally broke off
the glance. "Hey, gentleman, my reproductive bits are down here!" In a way, she
was flattered that he would look her in the eyes at a time like this. Pulling back
skin, she began her tour. "This is my clitoris... you'll get to know her well..."


-------------------------------------------------

Herbert paced in Eggman's lab. He had been pinning papers to the noteboard,
with tape holding yet more on. Shadow was watching curiously. "What is he
doing?" Eggman asked.

"I don't know," Shadow answered. "He's been obsessing over those for hours."

Eggman approached him. "Really, Herb, the case is over!"

"No, it's not." He paced the collection. "Someone was snooping around the winery.
If I had to take a guess... when that thing, the Colour out of Space as Lovecraft
called it, entered our universe six months ago, it no doubt left hole between the
time lines. And there is a cult in our world which worships these old gods. This
isn't over." He waved the cane, pointing to a picture of a being with wings.
"This is just begun. And I can guarantee you, this is gonna be a party to
remember! An end of the world bash to go out on! Because the big green guy is
gonna be the main guest if he wakes up."

"What in the world are you talking about?" Eggman asked.

Herb waved his cane again, stumbling briefly. "The name that haunts me. The image
that haunts my dreams. A being beyond us. Dead but dreaming. A name that fills me
with fear and dread just to think it..." Eggman and Shadow glanced each other
nervously.

"Cthulhu."