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27; I hope you enjoy this next chapter. It took me a while to write. College work has been catching up on me. Thank you Drax for reviewing!

Knux; Well, i'm busy reading a book at the moment and i couldn't care less about this chapter.

Sonic; Don't be so mean!

Knux; You're right. I'm gonna take a nap instead.

Disclaimer; I do not own anything to do with Sonic


Now on dry land, Knuckles began to feel that strange heat again. Tails flexed his arms after carrying the weight of his friend.
“You’re going back to the floating island then, aren’t you?” The fox presumed.
“I’ve changed my plans. Could you take me back to the headquarters of the Freedom Fighters?”
“Why? You’ve just come from there.”
“I know.” Knuckles decided not to tell him the real reason. He felt strange and he suddenly had pangs for companionship. He didn’t like it. “I have some business to see to.” And that wasn’t a lie. He needed to speak to Sonic and to settle their differences. And once there maybe he could take that plant thing out of his side.
“Okay, I’ll take you but I’ll need to take several pit stops!” He smiled.
Somehow, Knuckles could not smile back. “Okay.”

With a skid and a stop, Sonic had reached his home. He admitted he was quite worn out from the short time he slept and with those sprints but he was happy to be back. At least now he could get some rest.
“And Sonic does it again!” He chuffed to himself but as he was about to step in, Sally stood in his path.
“Found you.” She said, “Sonic, you’re in for it this time.”
“Now what?” Sonic crossed his arms, prepared for anything Sally might dare throw at him.
“You left this morning I guessed.” She said, “without telling anyone and leaving the communicator behind. What if you had an accident and no one knew where you were?”
“Dream on!” Sonic knew she was right but he wasn’t going to admit it, at least not in front of her anyway. He was too proud.
“I might as well attach the communicator to your head next time.” She retorted and left the house and headed for Amy’s home.
“Females and their problems.” Sonic sighed before entering his little home in peace at last.

In the midst of the warm and tranquil afternoon, Tails arrived at Sonic’s home. Knuckles let go and dropped softly to the floor. They had travelling for longer than he would have liked and the dizziness he was experiencing was only getting stronger.
“Thanks for the lift, Tails.” Knux said as he shook hands with the fox once Tails had landed.
“Anytime! Though… err… not on a Wednesday. I get bad wind on that day!” Tails boasted.
Knuckles wrinkled his nose but did not comment further. He went straight into Sonic’s domain. Tails couldn’t help but follow.
The echidna found Sonic dozing in the back garden in a wooden chair. He sprang alert though when he noticed he had company. Then he realized it was only Knuckles and Tails.
“What are you doing back here? Thought you left for your home.” Sonic said, eyeing his friend.
Annoyed that Tails was with them, Knuckles had no choice but to tell him why he was here, privacy or no privacy.
“What I said back there didn’t mean a thing.” The guardian said, while doubting himself at the same time, “you were right. There was nothing down there and I had wasted your time.”
“You came all the way back here, just to say that?” Sonic crossed his arms.
Knuckles staggered on his feet for a moment, as the ground seemed to move beneath him. “Let’s forget about it. Friends?”
“If you say so.” They shook hands, “so, you staying?”
“Not really.” He would love to indulge in their companionship but he would not intrude on his home. “I won’t be far but I can’t stay here. Besides, I have things to do.”
“Like what?”
“Ah! Tis’ a secret!” He chuckled.
Sonic sat back on his chair. “You always keep me in the dark. Suit yourself. I’m catching up on my beauty sleep.” And he leaned back in his chair and dozed off once again.
“Better start now then.” Knuckles mumbled. He knew a place underground that would suit his needs. He needed privacy and an excuse to stay close to his friends because something felt very wrong.
“You okay, Knuckles?” Tails asked in his small, timid voice, feeling almost humble in Knuckles’ presence.
“Yes, of course.” Knuckles turned to leave and stumbled twice before reaching the kitchen. Tails watched him intently, a little concerned. Why was Knuckles having a hard time walking? And his eyes looked very watery. However he had failed to spot the gruesome wound in the guardian’s side.

Telling Tails to go and find his moulting fur on the ground was the only thing Knuckles found that could get rid of him. The fox was too friendly and got just a little too close for comfort. He was curious and too young to understand much of what the echidna was planning on doing.
Now alone and content, Knuckles sat on a flat slab of stone in his small underground base. He only had the dim light of the lamp and the glow worms but he didn’t need them. He had perfect night vision. And on his table were piles of blueprints and designs, all about the chaos emeralds, the master emerald and some yet to be made. And he thought the underground would be cooler. He was unfortunately mistaken. The same rancid heat that had been plaguing him through the day was begging not to be ignored. He must have gotten a fever. That would clear up by tomorrow he hoped. And his side was rather numb. But asking for help was what he detested.

Night fell. The stars were bright in the blackened sky. Amy and Sally enjoyed the sight together as they sat under the oak tree beside the porch.
“Look at that one!” Amy said, pointing up towards the heavens at a cluster of stars.
“Come on, it’s getting chilly out there, get inside.” Sonic muttered as he opened the front door.
“Nonsense. It’s lovely out here.” Amy said, “wanna join us?”
“No thanks.” And Sonic retreated back inside.
Sally was about to comment on when Sonic was absent in the morning when they heard a rustle, and then a soft thump on the floor ahead of them. Amy naturally got scared.
“What is that over there?” She cried, “did you hear it?”
The sound came again and a shadow emerged as the moon rose from the clouds. It was Knuckles.
“Tails said he brought you back.” Sally said as the echidna almost tripped up, “you can stay as long as you like!”
“Thanks.” Knuckles said wearily. His new pounding headache only increased the pain he had been suffering for the past few hours. Hot sweat dripped down his dreadlocks and his knees shook from his own weight.
In the darkness, the two females did not notice any change in Knuckles and did not comment. The guardian almost pushed past them and entered Sonic’s home.
The world did a dramatic tilt and he fell onto the wooden floor, groaning as he did so. Why was he acting so funny? And the heat… it… he could not stand it.
Sitting up and rubbing at his watering eyes he let out deep, heavy coughs. He realized then that he might be sick.
Sonic must had heard the most part of the commotion and was standing by Knuckles’ side. He helped the echidna to his feet.
“Did you fall?” His voice wasn’t firm or angry. It was calm, gentle.
Knuckles tried to see him through the haze of his watery eyes but could not. “I guess I did.”
“You hungry? I have snacks, burgers, and chilli dogs…”
“No thanks, Sonic.” Knuckles thought he had better go back underground. He needed them but they did not need him. And if they found out that something wasn’t right with him…
Knuckles, almost blind, headed for the door. He knew he was going the right way because he could feel the fresh breeze blowing in his fur. But again the rooms seemed to move and he found himself on the floor again, coughing and moaning.
He felt Sonic’s hands on him, felt him sit him up.
“Red, you’re bleeding!” Knuckles heard him gasp.
“I’m fine. Just the wound I got when we were fighting those badniks.”
“But you’re hurt! And you look dreadful.”
“I do not!” Tears ran down his paling cheeks from his irritated eyes. Heat lapped at him in waves. The lights in the house now seemed too bright.
“Guys, help!” Sonic persisted, knowing that something was wrong with Knuckles and his wound needed medical attention, “Red’s hurt.”
Sally came first and noticed splatters of dark blood from where Knuckles had fallen.
“What happened?” She inquired. Amy joined her side and gasped at the sight.
Sonic didn’t want to waste time and explain what had happened during their mission but he described it to her in the best and fasted way he could.
“I didn’t know it was this serious though,” Sonic added, “and Red never said anything!”
“It… it barely hurts.” Knux defended.
“Knuckles you block head!” Amy cried, “why didn’t you at least notify us?”
“I’m… I’m sorry…”
“Never mind all this now, we’ll discuss it later!” Sonic lifted Knux into his arms and he and Sally went downstairs and opened up a fake bookcase, leading to their headquarters and a room for Sally to operate on the injured echidna. Amy stayed put and did not follow. To keep herself busy, she cleaned up the blood on the floor.
Down a secret passageway behind the bookcase the place was rather damp but small and important to their organisation. Sonic went into a small room with a small table in the centre. It was somewhat abandoned. Surgical equipment, dusty and filthy lay on a tray against the wall.
Sonic gently laid Knuckles on the operating table, but Knux was not pleased. “Get me out!” He roared, “It’ll heal! I… please no!”
“Red, it’s for your own good.” Sonic tried to reason with him, “then you’ll feel much better afterwards, when Sally has removed the arrow. It’s from one of those plants we encountered earlier, wasn’t it?”
“Humph!” Knuckles replied, irritated, “so? Nothing ever happened to you when you got bitten by one of those things.”
“What is going on? Is that true?” Sally was lost as the hedgehog and the echidna argued.
“I’ll explain afterwards.” Sonic said, “but now we have no time.” He motioned to Knuckles, blood oozing out onto the table from his injury.
“Okay. But you’ve got to help me, Sonic.”
“What?”
“You heard me. No covering your eyes or being sick.” Sally knew Sonic far too well. The hedgehog did not like the sight of blood especially if it was all coming from a close friend.
Sonic knew there was no time to argue. Knuckles was beginning to gasp for air. Perhaps he was frightened too. Not just because of what they were about to do to him, but the sight of his blood on the table.
“All right.” Sonic agreed, “just don’t be too harsh with me.”
Sally raised an eyebrow but did not pass another comment to him. She turned to Knuckles. “I’m going to give you some anaesthetic.” She told him softly, “you’ll sleep all through this and wake up like nothing ever happened.”
Knux nodded uneasily, barely making her out with his poor eyesight. “Go ahead. I’ll be okay.”
She smiled, reassuring him. “Sonic,” she said, “wash the surgical equipment in that basin.”


27; There, done. No flames people!

TBC