Sonic: The Madness

Knuckles was in awe. Echidnas. "I don't believe this! I'm not alone!" He paced
the island eagerly. He had family, he had his own kind. He had been alone his
entire life. True, he had friends, but no one like him. And fate had dictated
that the first echidna he'd met, Tikal, was long dead. True, Rouge had flirted
with him many times, but in the end, she wasn't an echidna.

"Saw you come here with the others," a voice interrupted his thoughts.

"What? Who was that?" he asked, turning.

A dark orange female echidna in a skirt approached him. "Hi. You're not from
around here. I'm Karen."

"Karen? Hi..." A woman was talking to him. "No, I'm not from around here," he
explained.

She tapped his chest. "Good muscle tone"

"Hey! That wasn't-"

She shouted, "RELAX! Can't take a compliment? You act like you've never even SEEN
a woman before. You live under a rock or som'tin?"

He grinned, embarrassed to answer. "Actually... I'm from Angel Island."

"Oh... I see..." She wasn't impressed by his answer. "You're from the old tribe.
The one that created the god of death." She turned away.

"NO! I mean, the tribe is gone. I'm all that's left. I thought I was the only one
of my kind left on this planet. But now... I don't know what to think!" he
shouted.

"I don't know... primitive and rough. Good body, but rough. I'm the island
boxing champion. Come by the ring later and I'll put you to the test!"

"YOU?" he yelled.

Turning to face him, she carried a mean expression. "What, a girl can't be boxing
champion? I'm seventeen, well beyond qualified to fight in the tournaments! I
heard the men of the old tribe had big egos, but WOW!" Storming off, she left
Knuckles alone.

"Way to blow it!" Sonic shouted as he ran over.

Knuckles gave him a nasty look. "Shut up..."

"They have been, they are, and they will be... that is the way of the Great Old
Ones." Herb remained silent after that.

"We do indeed have the Chaos Emerald that fell here a month ago. I'll show you."
The mayor led him to the vault. Behind the heavy metal doors, the Chaos Emerald
sat, protected.

"Good. The Chaos Emeralds are their only key," Herb explained.

"The Necronomicon... Al Azif as it may be called... is not a book that exists
in our world, so they cannot use it to their advantage. We should be thankful
such a tome does not exist here. For even the Chaos Emeralds combined would be
nothing before the evil will of that horrible book!"

The mayor led Herb outside. "Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, this is Mayor Periwinkle!"

"Periwinkle?" Sonic joked.

"Yes, that is my name," the yellow echidna replied. "Do you have a problem with
my name?" Sonic shook his head violently. "NO! No, it's a cool name!"

Karen walked by. "I'm going to the ring to practice, be back later, daddy!"

"Okay, daughter, you be careful not to get hurt!" She ran off.

"She's your daughter?" Knuckles inquired, stunned.

"Ah, yes! My beautiful daughter, Karen. The island boxing champion for two years
now. And you must be Knuckles, the islander of the old tribe. How... sad to hear."

Herb cleared his throat. "Knuckles, here, is the only one. Until an hour ago,
he thought he was the last of his kind. I only told him due to the urgency of
things. I know you value your seclusion." "Nonsense!" Periwinkle replied. "You
should have told the boy about us some time ago! If he were willing to abandon
the old ways and come here, he would find life vastly improved."

Knuckles flinched. "I'm not embarrassed of who I am!"

"Neither was she," Sonic interjected. "She was hitting on Knuckles earlier."

"Really?" Periwinkle mused. "My daughter doesn't draw herself to just anyone so
easily. Perhaps... there may be hope for you, after all." Knuckles looked up.

"That means you go after her, my boy!" Herb shouted.

"Umm, sure..." He ran off.

"Knuckles is a bit slow, mentally, I'm afraid," Herb apologized.

"Oh nonsense! I was that way at his age," the mayor responded.

"Hrm... the matter of the Chaos Emerald. You do know it may not be safe here."

Periwinkle wiped his glasses. "I am aware."

"What defenses do they have here?" Tails asked.

"The Emerald is locked in a heavy duty metal vault, impenetrable by explosives.
The door uses a key code, it can't be picked. But I suspect this cult will still
try something. They have to know we're here." Herb tapped his cane in
frustration.

"We can try to replace it with a fake," Tails suggested. "I can make a fake
Chaos Emerald that is almost undetectable from the real one, but will cancel
out the others. But... I don't have the tools to make one right now."

"What do you need?" the mayor asked.

Tails explained, "a lab with specialized equipment and material to make the
crystal!"

"Oh, we have a fine laboratory on the island, I'm sure they have what you need.
Come with me, boy!" Tails followed the Mayor.

Sonic was left alone with Herb. Westwood sat on the nearest bench. "Sonic..." He
checked his watch. February 15th, 11:10 PM. "You've saved the world numerous
times. But I... I've never done anything REALLY special like that."

"Hey, you're working your butt off to save the world right now! Don't give up
yet!" Sonic gave him a thumbs up.

"That's not it. I am an aging man with a cane and a bad heart. Even in my prime,
my abilities were merely adequate. I am just a human. I don't have your speed, I
can't fly like Tails, Charmy, or Rouge, I don't have the strength of Knuckles...
I am plain. I'm jealous of you and your friends. Just once, I want to save the
world."

"Oh. I think I see what you mean. Actually..." Sonic held up a finger, a thought
on the edge of his mind. "... you aren't plain. You know what's going on better
than any of us! You've united us, even me and Eggman! You do have a skill. Your
brain."

Herb smiled. "Even if I don't survive this, just knowing that I saved the world
will be enough."

"I'm sure you'll live through this! I should go find Amy... she's wandered off
again!" Sonic ran off after his friend.

Herb pulled out his phone. "Ivo!" "Yes?" the reply came.

"You monitoring that spot on the ocean floor?" Herb asked.

"Yes, no activity, no city. But I'll keep monitoring."

Herb sighed. "Tails is going to produce a false Chaos Emerald," he explained.

"Ah, an excellent plan! He almost fooled ME with that one once..."

Knuckles followed Karen to the boxing arena. She was practicing on a bag. "You
showed up!"

"Yes, I... well..."

"Stop mumbling!" she shouted, annoyed. "You must REALLY have problems with
women!" She tossed him a pair of boxing gloves. "Put those on." She replaced her
own gloves with a pair of sparring gloves.

Knuckles asked, "what are those?"

"I wanna see how good you are. No bag, punch at me. I'll catch your blows."

Knuckles threw the gloves to the floor. "I... I can't." The look of embarrassment
covered his face, his muzzle turning bright red. "I almost punched a defenseless
woman yesterday. I'm sorry"-

A sweep of her foot sent Knuckles down. "You did WHAT?"

Fear plastered his face, he hoped it would cool her anger. "I didn't mean to! I
was... I couldn't control myself!"

"You'd hit a woman? WOW! I mean, I'm a boxer, yeah? I box against men, I'm
trained. It's a sport. But that... you need to leave that island. You're a
throwback of the old ways we abandoned!" She helped him up. "Still... if you
really ARE sorry... did you even apologize to her?"

He shook his head. "No. I'm afraid to go near her."

She jumped onto the ropes, balancing herself in a seated pose. "Well, maybe you
should. You're afraid of yourself. I can work with you. Still, the great Sonic
the Hedgehog is here, and that man is back, so I'm guessing the world is in
danger?"

"You could say that," Knuckles sighed.

"Well... tell you what! Tomorrow, we'll both go, and you can apologize to her.
I'll be there in case you do anything stupid! Hit her and I'll break your arm!
You tell her you're sorry, and you MEAN IT... and MAYBE I'll go on a date with
you!"

He considered the offer. 'A date, an actual DATE with a woman? But can I face
Rouge?'


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

Rouge stretched. Grabbing her clothes, she dressed, slipping on her white boots.
The necklace went on, followed by the gift bracelet. "Tom, you hungry?" she
asked. No answer. She found him in the living room. A small book was opened
beside him. He looked shaken. "What's wrong?"

"Huh? Nothing, why?" he responded.

She looked at the book. It was a book on bats, something she'd had on her shelf.
The page was opened to the mating section. "I see..."

"You aren't like that" he said. "You wouldn't sit with me in the hospital if..."

She closed her eyes. "The nature of bats is to mate and raise our children
alone without the father. I never even knew my own dad. And my mother..." she
sighed, wincing at the thought. "She had a lot of boyfriends, most for a day.
You don't like your parents much, I don't like mine." Taking his hand, she
caressed his skin. "I'm not leaving you, no. Don't worry. I promised I would
never do that to anyone."

"I knew it was silly to think that. Stupid book," he said, tossing it away.
"Still, you do seem awfully... experienced and kinky for someone who claims
to be a virgin before they met me!" She took an evil smile. "I can say the same
about you. But I'm a bat, even abstaining, I still have my fantasies. Some so
secret, I'll never tell you what they are." She rubber her hand through his
hair. "Just understand that any fantasies I had before I met you, I can change
my partner in the fantasy at any time to be you."

He stood, his eyes following her. "That's... I could stare in your eyes all
day." Rubbing her ears, he smiled.

"Thank you. I never thought a man would perfer to look into my eyes... rather
than at my breasts."

"We should get something to eat," he suggested, his stomach rumbling.

She shook her head. "No, that question about my sex life was a bit offensive..."
Shoving him, he landed back on the couch. She flew, standing on the sofa, pinning
him down with one of her boots. "I'll have to punish you!" She straddled him
tightly, smiling her devil grin. "Hands to yourself. You do as I say! No
arguments, no complaints, No disobeying! You're about to see one of my fantasies.
Hands OFF or else I'll-"

"BOSS!"

It was the intercom from the casino. "Not now... what do they want?" She jumped
off him, pressing the button. "This had better be good!"

"It's that red echidna you told us to look out for! He says it's urgent!"

She slammed her fist into the wall. "Stupid Knuckles, why now? He had to kill the
mood!"

Tom rose. "I'll go with you in case he tries something stupid."

Downstairs, Knuckles waited. Rouge was angry. "This had better be good! If not
I'll have you arrested!" she shouted.

Knuckles shuffled his feet. "Rouge, I- that is-"

"He's here to apologize to you," the strange voice explained. "You- you're an
echidna? But how?"

Karen smiled. "You must be Rouge. I'm Karen. Knuckles, go on..."

The echidna puffed up his chest. ""Er, right! Rouge, I am genuinely sorry for
what I did. I had no right." He let his chest back in. "I hate myself for
almost hurting you. I know we have history, not a very good one, but even if
you liked me, I turned you away, and when you needed help I accused you of
things and tried to hurt you. And for that... I am deeply sorry. Please forgive
me."

Rouge considered is apology. "Well, you're a stubborn echidna, but... looks
like you have a girlfriend now! Maybe you've learned how to treat a woman! I
must say, I'm impressed. Maybe I'd have even been jealous of her at some
point."

"Karen isn't my girlfriend!" Knuckles corrected.

Karen nudged him. "Not yet, anyway."

"I accept your apology," Rouge said, patting Knuckles on the shoulder.

"Thank you." He was proud of himself.

"Even if your timing was lousy. We were in the mid-dle-of-some-thing!"

Her expression told Knuckles that he should leave. "Eh, right, let's go, Karen!"
he walked away.

"Knuckles has a hot body, but his personality needs work. But I'm a boxer, I
told him if he ever pulls that with me, I'll break his arm!"

"Boxing, huh? I don't know... Knuckles might not like a woman who can beat him
up," Rouge commented. "Or maybe he will. Tom is the opposite of Knuckles. A
very good mind..." she patted him on the butt as he jumped. "But I'm working
on his body still. I'll have him my cute muscle hunk soon enough!"

Karen turned away. Looking back at Rouge, and downward, she commented, "I'm a
bit jealous of those." She walked off. Rouge was stunned. "Did she just..."

"Comment rudely on your chest?" Tom looked away. Rouge cocker her head.

"Does she even think before she talks? What a thing to say to another woman!"
Tom grinned. "You don't get mad when I say nice things about them!"

She smacked his backside harder. "Upstairs, now! You're just racking up the
punishments!"

"You call it punishment, I call it- HEY!" She smacked him much harder.

At the entrance, Herb waited for the echidnas. "Westwood! But-"

"I followed you when you left." He took Knuckles' spiked gloves from his coat.
"You faced yourself and triumphed. You've earned them. Now, time is fleeting.
Besides, I'm not comfortable here. It's barely eleven in the morning and it's
dark out. I prefer sunlight during the day. You two get back to the island and
wait for Tails to finish his task. I'm going back to the fortress to look
something over."


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

Tom ducked through the doorway, the frame built for smaller animals, not humans,
short as even he was by human standards. But the whole apartment was built more
for Rouge, and adjusting to it hadn't taken much effort. "Now, then, where were
we-AH!" A hard shove landed him onto the couch.

Crawling up onto him, Rouge stood, grinning, her eyes squinted down at him.
"Bad boy... I told you not to talk! Remember the rules? No talking, no touching,
no arguments, no complaints! You sit there and do as I say!"

Unclipping the heart-shaped chest plate, the tossed it gently to the carpet,
sliding her fingers into the edge of her black spandex suit. Easing it down, her
nipples popped free as her breasts became visible. "Keep staring like you know
you want to..." she teased, easing the suit downward, stopping when she reached
her boots. Feeling her naked skin seductively, Rouge ran her fingers through the
small, trimmed patch of pubic fur, a neat heart-shape she kept neatly cut at all
times.

"You like that, don't you? Mmmm..." Hunching forward, she rested her vagina
barely an inch from her lover's face, explaining, "you slung a lot of dirt at
me with what you said, Tom... now lick it off! I know your tongue is up to the
challenge..."

"You mean lick your-" He was silenced as she pressed her love against his mouth.

"NO TALKING! Lick... slowly..." she ordered, enjoying this far more than she had
a right to. With minor hesitation, Tom stuck his tongue out and began his
punishment, gliding up and down the opening. His breath offered an extra bit
of stimulation, tiny gusts of air against her exposed clitoris. Moaning, she
leaned into it. "Yes, that's very good... keep going..." Sparks of orgasmic
bliss began, his tongue now comfortable with the process, working faster and
pushing inside her hole, dancing around the clitoris.

'Oh, wow... he's very good... damn...' she thought, fighting the temptation to
finger herself, like she'd done so many nights before she'd finally slept with
Thomas Adriani. Fondling her clit was one thing, but this mans tongue was
different, so much more gentle, but so much more forceful. Soft, but invasive.
Breathing heavily, Rouge was on the border of climax, resisting the urge to
scream out. This was his punishment, after all, no need to make him like to too
much.

Unfortunately, she remained on the border. As well as he licked her, as good as
it felt, she could not orgasm. Her mind cluttered with the sensations, the small
part that remained rational knew why. "Tom... grab my tits... grab my ass...
NOW!" she screamed, her human boyfriend complying, fondling and squeezing
whatever part of her he could grab. The touches, gentle, forceful fondling set
her off. "Tom. I- I- I'm gonna.... oooOOOOOOHHHHH YEAH!"

Her body tensed and shook, knees giving way as she fell to the couch, straddling
Tom, moaning in pleasure. Regaining minimal control, Rouge leaned forward,
kissing him hard, her tongue down his throat, her hands reaching for her cunt,
fingers dancing on her clit to enhance and extend the feeling.

Finally finished, she broke off her kiss, gasping for air. "Sorry... you know I
was just playing a game, right... oh, yeah...."

"I know," he answered. "Feel good?"

"Yes, yes, it was... great! But if I EVER tell you not to touch me again, and I
mean EVER, you ignore me! Damn, I thought I was never gonna cum..."

He asked, "I wasn't doing so great, then?"

"NO! You were doing a VERY good job... but I need your touch. Oh... I've been
looking for love so long," she replied, running a hand through his hair, "I need
you to touch me. Speaking of which..." She could feel his erection under his
sweatpants. "Someone's ready for the real deal!"

"Not yet," he said, gently hoisting her and setting her on the couch. Pulling off
her boots and stripping off the spandex, "I wanna do this the right way!" Kissing
her inner thigh, he moved inward. "You taste good, Rouge, very good..." Making
his way to the sweet spot, he kissed and teased her pussy as if he was making out
with her.

"OH! Tom... oh, yes!" she screamed. "NOW! Use your fingers... and remember what
I said, direct stimulation on my clit! Don't be afraid, I like it that way!"
Teasing the opening, Tom slid in a finger, slowly feeling inside. Ever since
he'd first made love to Rouge, he'd been wondering what a bat's natural body
temperature was. It was very warm, not to mention very wet from the earlier
orgasm. Her internal muscles seemed to fight back, squeezing down hard on is
finger, but still he slowly worked it back and forth, twisting around, enjoying
how she felt inside.

"I was wondering," he asked, "human women have what's called a g-spot. You bat
women have that, too?"

"Of course we do! Just... I never got to play with mine... stupid hymen in the
way," she said. Sliding an extra finger inside, he began twisting and prodding.
Sparks went up her spine. "THERE! I think you... you just found it!" She screamed
loud in delight, his lips kissing her, his tongue working her clit, and fingers
ticking her newly-discovered g-spot. "TOM! Oh.... god.... that's it baby....
oh-oh-OHHHHHHH! I'M GONNA CUM! DON'T STOP! I love you, Tom... ohh...... YES!"

Muscles tensed, nerves reacted, Rouge screaming with a fiery passion as she
climaxed, her legs closing in on his head like a vise, her tickled g-spot
releasing a strong blast of ejaculate, squirting Tom like a hose. He choked and
spat out the fluid, not enough to drown but enough to get in his nose and mouth.
Pulling free of Rouge's love grip, he waited as she stopped shaking. Panting,
she pried her eyes open. "Whoever said sex wasn't exercise... has to be a
virgin... whoa, what happened to you?" she asked, noticing her boyfriend.

"I think you came on my face..." He was soaked, his hair messed and dripping,
his shirt wet.

"Oh... I know what I did," she remarked. "I read about this in that sex ed book
I have... I'll let you read it later. Come here," she waved a finger invitingly,
Tom crawling up to her. Leaning in, she began to lick his face off. "You're
right, I do taste good..." Reaching for his shirt, she tugged at it, pulling it
over his head. Playfully reaching her foot out, she brushed against him, feeling
his hard rod. "Enough of this... carry me to the bed. Your turn to get off!"

Lifting Rouge off the couch, Tom paced to the bedroom, setting her on the floor.
The naked bat girl stood, looking up. Tom was nearly two feet taller than she
was, though that fact never bothered her. It made it easier for her to pull down
his sweatpants, slowly, gleeful as his cock sprung back up. Taking it in hand,
she tugged slowly, sliding his foreskin back and forth. "Sit down..."

Resting on the bed and propping against the wall, Tom waited, Rouge mounting him,
easing down on him. "Should go in easy... I'm SO wet..." she said, sliding his
penis inside, rocking back and forth.

"Don't rush, huh? I'm in no hurry!" he said, enjoying the movement. "I love you,
Rouge... take your time. I wanna feel this as long as possible." Thrusting his
pelvis to bring her up slightly, she pressing against him, their noses touching.

"I know you love me... but it doesn't mean you can't grab my tits!" Taking the
hint, he took one in hand, fondling her nipple slowly.

"You have really nice breasts... and a nice body, too.... and I love it when you
smile... and hearing you so happy..."

"Happy, huh?" She gave him a seductive stare. "That mean when I'm screaming my
head off when we're making love?"

"Part of it..." he answered. Pulling her as close as possible, he kissed her
slowly, passionately, thrusting upward on his own. Getting the idea, Rouge
responded by grinding up and down, her legs springing to give her the motion
needed.

Their intensity increased, passionate noises buried under the kiss, Tom thrusting
harder as he grabbed her ass to help. The vibrations tortured Rouge's clit, the
hardened dick grazing her g-spot, Tom careful now to angle himself in such a way
to do so.

She felt it. Sperm pumping out, gushing from the tip, filling her inside. Again,
she came, the feeling of Tom's cum pushing her over the edge. Pulling back from
the kiss, she screamed in pleasure, Tom forcing moans out under his breath, still
thrusting her with all his might to prolong the feeling.

In minutes, the two began to catch their breath, Rouge leaning close, holding
onto her man. "You got real good at this," she complimented.

"I had a wonderful teacher," he replied. "Any man who turned you down before you
met me is an idiot... glad those guys were so dumb, though. I'm one very lucky
man..."

"With what almost happened to you, you don't know the half of it, Tom..." she
said, sliding up of him, leaning back on the bed, inviting him to join her. The
two lovers looked into each other's eyes. "You tired?" she asked.

He replied, "not really, no... soaked, sweaty, dirty, yes.... tired,
no..." Gently, he kissed her, running a hand through her fur. "You're
sweaty, too... can't blame you." Wiping off her arms, the sweat
dripped from her hand.

"They don't call it the 'fires of passion' for nothing." She felt slightly
embarrassed, watchign her sweat drip so heavily.

"Fires... speaking of which, I know why they call it a 'bun in the oven' now...
I mean, damn..."

Smiling, she said, "99.7."

"Huh?"

"Bat's body temperature. Higher than yours, human.... tub time. Come on, lover
boy...."


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

Herb poured over the papers. "Something had got to be here..." Many of the
documents were old and had begun to fade. He'd read the works of Lovecraft too
many times. Taking the book in hand, he threw it in the garbage. "Racist,
bigoted son of a..." Shadow looked at the wastebasket. "Sorry. Lovecraft was in
tune with the Great Old Ones, but he was a typical hatemongering bigot of his
world. He hated anyone who wasn't his skin color. How's Ivo doing?"

"The work on the attack robots is moving along. Do you really think they will
be necessary?"

"They had a saying on that world I went to," Herb replied. "Never take a knife
to a gun fight." Shadow left the room. Herb yawned, he'd been awake for well more
than a day. Shortly, he fell asleep, the old books his pillow. His dreams flashed
to the past...


It was the great Sumerian expedition. Herbert Westwood was the only human on
the trip. Archaeologist Clara, a young brown cat, had hired him. A brown
hedgehog named Spike was their photographer. A local eagle, Soar, their desert
guide.

Herb adjusted his hat, the sun beat down without end. Under his thin jacket,
the holster held his prize, a custom-made eight-shot Magnum revolver, chromed
with a gold-plated handle. An 'emergency' weapon. The 26 year old "paranormal
expert" never needed it, but he wanted to be on the safe side. "The vault is
almost open."

Clara was standing beside him. "Good, good! The Sumerian tribe was led by the
great Vulture King some 6000 years ago. All that remains..."

Herb swept his hand across the desert. "Hard to believe. You were careful of tomb
traps?"

"Of course!" Clara replied. She was a four foot brown cat, two years younger
than he was. Thick glasses hung off her face, betraying otherwise good looks.

"Why'd you drag me out here? You don't believe the old stories of the Vulture
King haunting his old kingdom, do you? It's a myth to scare people away!" So
far, in nine years, he'd yet to encounter a ghost.

"Ivo Robotnik recommended you. A good scientist, he'll have a bright future in
robotics. His grandfather was a brilliant man as well," she explained.

"Shame all that had to happen on the ARK with that accident. You know, in nine
years, all I've found are old writings, tablets, statues, NOTHING to prove a
ghost! 'Paranormal', poppycock! They're all stories to scare people!"

She sighed. "Do you believe in the soul?"

His mouth cocked into a nasty curl. "Soul... a hope for people who want to live
after they die. No ghosts, no souls... hey, I know why you hired me. You've
been staring at me like a piece of meat since you walked into my office!"

Her tail fluttered. "So?"

He tossed his hat away. "Stupid thing... you're a cat! That's... it's creepy!"

"What? A human and a cat? The world won't end because of it!" she yelled.

"It's not that..." Herb sighed. "I had a pet cat. Died of old age last year.
It's..."

She slid her glasses down. "I'm not some little animal that mews for food and
plays with yarn! I'm a professional archaeologist and a determined woman. You
think I'm not entitled to the same treatment you are?"

"Fine, I'm an idiot who doesn't see things the way you do." Patting his back,
she started walking away. "I don't care what anyone thinks, I'll date any
species I like. As long as both are consenting adults, there's no problem!"

"Wait!" She stopped. "Fine, after we get this treasure, I'll take you on a...
date. An apology date! Not romantic! An apology!"

She paused for a moment before responding. "I pick the place. Lets go."

Inside the tomb, they opened the grave. "Wow, this guy was big!" Spike
commented, taking pictures. Indeed, the Vulture King was a brute at over seven
feet tall.

"No wonder this guy was in charge!" Herb mused, noting the inscriptions.

Clara saw the jewel in the crown. "Beautiful... give me a knife!" She dug at the
rusted crown until the jewel was free. "The legend was that this jewel gave him
great power."

"You mean like those... Anarchy Crystals?" Westwood inquired, still staring at
the walls.

"You mean the Chaos Emeralds. Yes, something like that." Clara sighed. "It's
mine."

That night, they rested in the desert. They would leave in the morning. The
three animals slept, while Herbert sat awake. 'Scorpions, snakes, who can sleep
out here?' The jewel was also under his watch. He knew why, of course- he had
the gun. They didn't want desert thieves taking their prize. Checking the chamber,
again, he closed the gun and returned it to his holster for easy draw. The night
was boring, if a bit cool. The sun was down, at least.

He thought he heard something shuffling outside. Peeking out, he saw nothing.
Closing the flap, a large blade tore his tent apart, barely missing him. 'Oh
damn, raiders!' He grabbed the jewel and ran, away from the tents to lead these
thieves from the others. Some distance away, Herb ducked behind a rock. The top
of the stone went flying as the massive blade again assaulted him.

He saw his attacker. The Vulture King. The animated skeleton howled.
"You-y-y-you're a... GHOST!" Pulling his gun, he cocked the hammer and fired.
And again. Two shots that passed through. "Right, a gun against a ghost!"
Running, the Vulture King gave chase.

Herb tripped over something unknown, sending the jewel flying. As it landed on
a rock, the Vulture King flinched. Herb noticed. Taking out his flashlight, he
found the jewel. A corner was chipped. "So... his power is this jewel." The
King approached, sword ready. Setting the jewel down, he took his Magnum by the
barrel. 'Hope the bullets don't go off,' he thought, smashing the jewel. Each
hit caused the King pain. Finally, the jewel shattered. The Vulture King
wailed, his bones crumbling to the sand.

Flashlights headed his way. "We heard gunshots and- and-" Clara saw the broken
jewel. "What did you do? The jewel!" she grabbed him by the collar, shaking
violently. Herb struggled.


"Hey, calm down!"

His shout caught Shadow and Eggman off guard. "Bad dream?" Eggman asked.

Herb shook. "You could say that." Grabbing his cane, he rose. "Nothing new in
these papers to help us. I wasted my life. Know what I was doing when my parents
died? Crawling around some jungle, or temple, or castle, or who knows where. I
cut off all contact with them for my work." The cane was in his hand. It slammed
the desk. "AND FOR WHAT?" The cane slammed down again and again. "An empty life?
No love? No home? No happiness?" The desk had noticeable dents in the surface.
"I wasted my life!" He dropped the cane. Both of them were staring at him.

"Herbert?" Eggman asked, afraid too approach. They thought they heard crying.

No, it was laughter. "Cthulhu has begun to influence my dreams. He found my
weakness. I hate my life. My regrets, my misgivings, he has exploited them. I
coasted along with no thought to being happy, and that is MY failing. And if I
do not face that... Shadow, my boy. Contact Sonic. I want both of you to come
with me."


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

The steam from the water was barely noticeable in the dim light. Rouge closed
her eyes, leaning her head against Tom's shoulder. "Wanna go out tonight... or
did I wear you out?" she asked gently.

"Wear me out?" He placed an arm around her. "I'm not that physically unable!
Not that you don't try..."

The bath water soothed both of them, muscles tired. Bubbles covered them, not
as if anyone could see them. Rouge had enough sense not to install windows in
her bathroom. It wasn't as if the sun could shine through anyway. "You said you
had problems with your mother..." he commented. "That have something to do with
the jewel obsession?"

She answered, "I grew up poor. My mother had no ambition to do anything but work
a cheap job to meet guys at. I didn't have much. What I had, my mother usually
stole. You said you had problems with your parents?" She turned to place her
arms around him. "My mother really messed me up. She made me selfish. When I
was thirteen I ran off and started stealing jewels. I wanted to be rich."

"Money isn't everything... I know that. I think you do too," he said, kissing
her forehead, asking, "Will you still be stealing jewels?"

"No, of course not!" she spat back.

"Sorry," he apologized, realizing he'd offended her. "It's not that I mind you
being a thief, but it seems like an unnecessary risk... you could get hurt, or
thrown in jail for it!"

"I know... I don't need to steal anymore. Just that once I thought I could be
independent," she answered, "for a long time I didn't trust men. Especially
other bats. They always left before my mother woke up in the morning. They didn't
care about her. That's why... that's why I could never just give myself away for
sex. I didn't want to be some object that men threw away when they were done. I
knew men looked at me, I made them want me... and they couldn't have me. I wanted
them to see what they couldn't have..." Rubbing her ears, he began washing her
fur with a sponge, forcing a "that feels good!" from her lips.

"But you couldn't keep that up, could you?" he said.

"No, I couldn't. Shadow... he was damaged. He needed emotional support. I tried
to get close to him, but he wouldn't open to me. And then when I met you... I saw
the same thing."

"You're drawn to damaged men."

She replied sadly, "yes. I saw you were lonely, and sick... and I wanted to help.
I wanted to redeem myself. My selfishness, I couldn't stand it. I wanted to help
a lonely, broken man be whole again, and I thought that it would make him like
me- don't misunderstand me, I-"

"It's okay," he eased. "I think I know why you like me. I was the first guy to
notice you back as a person and not a pretty object."

She ran a finger across his chest playfully. "When did you find me attractive?"

He thought for a moment. "At the hospital. I think that was the
first time I really appreciated how pretty you were. I saw you before, but I
don't think I really appreciated your looks until my mind cleared. Funny..."

"What?" she asked.

"... that I liked you for your persistence and your willingness to keep dropping
by long before I cared how hot you were. And as much as you think otherwise...
you're not dependent by having me around."

"I was... never really independent." Nuzzling him, she continued, "I had an
obsession with material goods. I had a need to drive men crazy with my looks.
I had my dependencies. But I prefer this. Now, don't think I'm keeping you on
a leash-"

"We have been almost glued to the hip!' He cut in.

She continued, "-but after what happened, I am afraid to leave you out of my
sight for too long. But... that will wear off. We've been moving fast, I did
jump you that first morning I had you here. I guess I should have thought about
that more, but-"

"It's okay! We're not moving too fast... just DIFFERENT than the norm, but...
no, we're doing just fine," he assured.

"Really?" She kept her eyes closed. "Okay, hot stuff... what color are my eyes?"

"GREEN! That's an easy one!"

Opening her eyes, she met his gaze. "You didn't even have to think about that
one! I guess we're moving at the proper speed then. Not too fast, not too
slow..."

"I know when you like it slow and fast," he teased, forcing her to give him her
devil grin.

"We'll never get dressed if we keep this up! By the way, I prefer the slow part...
the fast part means it's about to end! What a joke, though... the part you work
so hard to get to, means the fun's over."

"Nah, the fun won't be over for a LONG time... not with your dirty mind!" he
remarked. "And I don't think I've ever heard you complain when it's about to
end!"

She gently sighed, responding, "well, so much for getting dressed any time
soon..."


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

"Clara." Herb entered the office.

"Well... I never thought I'd see you again." The cat watched him take his seat.
Her fur as beginning to go gray. "You never took me on that date," she said.
"Why didn't you get in touch with me?"

He looked away. "You DID threaten to claw my eyes out."

"You thought I was serious?"

"At the time, yes!" Breathing heavily, he finally spoke. "I wasted my life. Maybe
I should have made contact with you, rather than continuing my work. But it's
past. You've been happily married for 18 years, and I am a lonely old man."

"HA!" She threw her head back at the suggestion. "Happily... more like unhappily.
I regret not making contact with YOU. I married a colleague that I didn't love to
avoid loneliness."

Westwood played with his cane. "So we both have regrets."

She pulled a small box from her desk drawer. "For you."

Opening it, he found his old gun. "I left this behind in the desert. I wanted to
get away from the Vulture King so bad that night... why'd you save this?" It
still had the scratches from where he'd broken the jewel.

"For what its worth, what you did may have been a setback in my career, but you
probably saved my life."

"And for what it's worth," he replied, "you're still good looking. I probably
look like something an animal spat up."

"I thought you'd be back in my life," she replied. "And here you are."

"Too late to matter," Westwood finished.

"You could have had your work, and me. We were in the same line of work. You
didn't have to settle for one." She removed her glasses and gave a faint sigh.
"Sonic the Hedgehog is with you. I take it your theories of the Great Old Ones
hold some weight?"

He answered, "yes. I once laughed at the idea of the soul. Now, I will save the
soul of everyone on this world. Or at least I will try."

"Herbert... save the world. For me. For yourself. Do that... and your life will
not have been wasted."

He stood. For once, he felt good about his life. In the hall, he found the to
hedgehogs. "You heard us, I assume?"

"Yeah..." Sonic wondered why he was here.

"She had a point, my boy... that I could have had both. Amy, the pink one who
follows you. Do you love her?"

Sonic jumped at the question. Shadow chuckled. "NO! That is, she follows me
everywhere!"

"But you let her," Herb replied. "And I take it she's helped you. You like
adventure, do you believe that if you fall in love with her, you must give that
up?"

He pondered the question. "I always did..."

Herb began walking. "Then, my boy, you will end up like me. Old and alone,
wondering on your life with regret. But I don't believe you would ever sit
back so easily. I believe it would motivate you more than ever. Would you sit
back and watch as your wife, your children were threatened? No, not you. You'd
rush to stop the threat. You're young, a thrill seeker. You're a hero for the
excitement, but you lack something... something to really care for."


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

The three landed on the island. "Sonic! The fake Chaos Emerald is done," Tails
waved a metal box. "This box also shields the Chaos Emeralds from detection!"

"Good, my boy... then we make the switch tonight, no one will know. If they try
to steal it, their fate will be sealed." Herb walked towards the mayor's
office.

The door slid open. Herb stepped in, the Chaos Emerald beckoning him. 'Gotta do
this quick,' he thought, opening the box, placing the false Emerald on the
pedestal, and locking the real one away in a quick motion. Running from the
office, he exited the back way. In the alleys, he slinked around, avoiding
eyes. Thinking he was safely away, he stopped as a gun met his face.


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

"Herbert!" Sonic, Shadow, Knuckles, Tails, Amy, and Karen searched the island.
Westwood was long overdue. No sign anywhere. "You think they got him? Amy
asked.

"I don't know... just keep looking!" Knuckles saw something in an ally. Stepping
forward, he pulled back in horror. "I FOUND HIM!" They ran to the alley.
Westwood was lying on the ground.

"Is he..." Sonic stuttered.

Shadow felt Westwood's pulse. "No. Just unconscious."

He stirred. "I think a truck hit me..." Herb felt around. "It's gone."

Shadow asked, "what happened?"

He remembered the details. "Someone put a gun in my face. I think the gun jammed,
because the kicked me in my leg wound. Set off a few fires in my nervous system
too. Then they bashed my head in. Stop spinning me around!"

They stood back. Tails replied, "we're not."

"Oh... all that work for nothing," Herb muttered, feeling for his cane. Grabbing
it, he tried to stand. He dropped the cane as his chest tightened. Air sucked
into his lungs erratically.

"Westwood!" Shadow panicked. "Sonic, get a doctor! He's having a heart attack!"