Sonic: The Madness

Eggman waited. He'd been in this position before, sitting in a hospital while his
only friend in his lifetime was dying. Spotting the echidna doctor, Eggman
grabbed his coat. "How is he?"

The doctor shook Eggman's hands free. "Please! You're concerned about someone?
How many times have you tried to take over the world now? How many people have
you put in danger?"

Eggman stared downward. "It's because of pain towards people like him that cause
me to hate the world. Are you done judging me?" he asked furiously.

"Ahem... we aren't equipped for HUMAN patients here, you understand. But he has a
skull fracture and a severe bruise on his leg. His heart is a ticking bomb
waiting to go off. The injuries, combined with recent heavy caffeine use caused
his heart attack. He should be awake soon..." The doctor breathed in before
speaking, "... but I would give his heart no more than a week before it gives
out. If he does not receive a transplant soon, he will die."

Sighing, Eggman sat down. Sonic walked into the waiting room. "How's he doing?"

"Get lost you stupid hedgehog!" Eggman shouted, waving his arms wildly to shoo
Sonic away. He calmed down quickly, saying, "I'm sorry. The doctors say he will
be awake shortly."

The mayor paced. "No sign of any strangers by air," one of the workers reported.

"Nor by the mining tunnels," another said.

A third reported, "and no sign of any boat or flying craft having approached the
island."

On the fortress, Knuckles communed with the Master Emerald once more. Karen
touched the jewel, hoping to help. Focusing, Knuckles picked up the Emerald held
by Shadow, as well as the fake on the island below. Suddenly, a faint blip
appeared in his mind. A new Chaos Emerald. He had to now focus on its location.

"We found one!" Knuckles pointed at the world map, somewhere in the Amazon
jungle. "I believe it's underground. We'll have to go before they can get to
it!"

"I'll go!" Sonic said eagerly. "But how are we gonna get there?"

Knuckles thought. "Eggman has a few smaller jets on board, we'll have to take one
of those! But I don't know how to fly them," Knuckles explained.

"I can figure it out! Let's go!" Sonic ran off, Knuckles in tow.

"What about me?" Karen was huffy over being left out.

"We've done this before! I'm... sorry, but stay here in case something happens!"
Knuckles apologized.


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

In a half hour, the duo reached the jungle. "There!" Knuckles shouted, spotting a
cave entrance. "I almost wish Rouge was here, she can find these things in her
sleep!"

"Where is Rouge, anyway?" Sonic asked. "Don't tell me, you wish she was here! I
knew it, you like her, don't you?"

"SHUT UP!" Knuckles was having none of Sonic's attitude. "No, not anymore!
Rouge... that's none of your business anyway! Besides, Karen is- nevermind! Let's
GO!" The two ran into the cave. The lights from the old mining team still worked.

"Hey, a mine cart!" Sonic jumped in.

"I hope the tracks up ahead are still intact..." Knuckles muttered, jumping in
and releasing the brake. The cart rolled, speeding up down the hill.

Keeping ahold of the brake lever, Knuckles prevented the cart form gaining too
much speed. Their trip went smoothly, until a small dip in the path and a bent
rail sent the cart flying. Screaming, the two landed hard as the mine cart
slammed into the wall. Sonic asked, "you okay, Knuckles?"

He rubbed his head. "Probably not..."

The wall crumbled as Knuckles dug through. On a ledge, the Chaos Emerald rested,
waiting to be taken. "How'd it get here?" Knuckles mused. Indeed, how a Chaos
emerald ended up this deep in a cave was a mystery. The two climbed through,
slowly approaching the emerald.

A blue flash filled the room. "What the-?" Sonic watched as a robed figure picked
up the Chaos Emerald and disappeared in a second blue flash.

"NO!" Knuckles punched the walls. "Ten more seconds! I HAD to argue with you
about Rouge! Sonic!!" Knuckles gave him a death stare.

"Sorry! But wasn't that Chaos Control?" Sonic pointed out, hoping to avoid a
beating.

"Wait, yes, that WAS Chaos Control! And that wasn't Shadow! Whoever that was,
they were wearing some odd robes. And I don't think they were human, either.
Too short. Unless it was a midget, but I'd doubt that. Humans can't do Chaos
Control!"

"Another hedgehog, huh?" Sonic gritted his teeth. "Wonder who it could be?"

Knuckles shook his head. "Doesn't matter. Lets get out of here."


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

Shadow sat by Westwood's side. "Sonic mentioned that you didn't believe you
would live through this... did you know?" he asked no one in particular, as he
expected no real answer. He heard a phone ringing. It was Westwood's. Shadow
found it in the coat pocket hanging from the wall. "Hello?"

"I take it from your voice this is Shadow the Hedgehog?"

His eyes narrowed. "Who is this?"

"That doesn't matter now. I have a close friend of yours captive. If you wish to
see that person alive ever again, you had best present me your Chaos Emerald! I
will be at the Station Square Casino. As I am aware of your ability with Chaos
Control, I will expect you immediately."

"Station Square Casino? Don't worry, I'll be there!" Shadow said as the caller
hung up. He thought about who it could be. Sonic and Knuckles were likely safe.
Tails and Amy were still on the island, Eggman- even if hardly a friend- was
here, which possibly left the Chaotix, hired by Westwood. It left only one person
he could think of. "Rouge. They have her!" Vanishing in a blue light, Herbert
awoke.

"Shadow? Station Square Casino what?" No one was there.


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

Shadow appeared near the casino. It was already late, probably past 9:30. He
hadn't checked the clock in some time. "Come out! I'm here! You had better not
hurt her!" No one answered his demands.

The casino noises masked the vehicle. Struck by a car, Shadow went flying as his
Chaos Emerald bounced away. The driver stopped and retrieved the Emerald,
speeding away. Shadow gave chase, but quickly lost the vehicle into the city
night. "NO!" he shouted, panicking.

It had been a half hour. Shadow had searched for the car with no result. Tiring,
he sat on a bench. A bright yellow flash landed Herbert Westwood in front of him.
"I've never let Ivo teleport me anywhere before. That was unusual," he remarked.

"You're awake, I see," Shadow greeted.

"I woke up at the end of the phone call, actually. I haven't been to Station
Square in some time. I'm lucky I landed near you, Ivo used long-range
teleportation to get me here, I thought I'd have to search for you." Herb pulled
out his phone and twirled it between his fingers. "I wonder how they got this
number... this is a cheap phone I buy minutes for. My name isn't listed with it.
My only listed number was the office. They have your Emerald, right?" Shadow
nodded. "How?"

"I thought they had Rouge hostage. They told me to come here immediately," he
explained.

"Did they say her name?" Shadow again shook his head 'no'. "Say it was a woman?"
Again, he shook his head. Herb sighed. "Still, they COULD have her hostage, but
they were awfully vague." Tossing his phone to the ground, he smashed it with his
cane.

A pay phone beckoned nearby. Picking up the receiver, Herb pressed the operator
button.


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

Rouge felt the sun on her face. Tom sat beside her in the fields of the winery.
"I never thought the sun could feel so good," she said, eyes closed as the warmth
took her.

"I know, I was at your home so long, I almost forgot what the sun was like." Tom
took her hand and squeezed.

"Mommy, mommy!" Rouge looked down at the little bat child. "I caught a butterfly,"
the child said, the insect perched on her finger.

"That's beautiful," Rouge replied, smiling.

"I'm gonna play in the field! I'll leave you alone mommy and daddy!" The child
ran off.

"I'm so proud of her," she said.

"I know, so am I." Tom squeezed her hand again.

Rouge woke, squeezing the pillow. "A dream... Tom?" she asked.

"In here!" She found him sitting in the kitchen, reading the newspaper. "You
looked like you were having a good dream for a change! I thought I'd let you
sleep and enjoy it." she looked at the clock. A bit past 10:30 PM. Smiling
gently, she walked over and gave him a gentle kiss. "What was that for?" he
asked, slightly confused.

She kept smiling. "I need a reason to kiss you now?"

"That's not what I mean," he stated, setting the day's newspaper down. "Wanna
tell me your dream?"

Taking a seat, she grabbed a banana from the basket on the table. "Well... maybe
later. But it felt so good what I saw, that... I never thought it could. But now,
I know that we will have a long and happy life together. I know I've been playing
the dominatrix lately, for now, let's do things a bit slower and gentler, okay?"

He took her hand and squeezed. "You must be in a good mood, you're wearing those
light blue pajamas again. Usually you wear some naughty lingerie. So, that piece
you bought the other day... how much does that cloth cost per YARD anyway?"

She laughed at the thought. The pants were baggy and let her tail poke through.
Her shirt, however, let her show off as it was barely large enough. "This time...
if you wanna say nice things about certain parts of my body, I won't smack you on
the butt for it." The laughed at the private joke they shared.

Their joy was cut off by the wall phone. The light indicated it was the casino
front desk. "It's the casino, I'd better see what they want," she explained,
rising to take the call.

"Boss? We're not interrupting anything are we?"

"Of course not," she said calmly. "What's the problem?"

"We have a gentleman on the line who wants to speak to the manager! He sounds
angry," the employee explained.

"Put him through."

The call clicked. "You the manager?"

"Yes," she replied.

"GOOD! I was in your club an hour ago, and I think someone stole my wallet! And
no one has been any help at all! If I don't-"

"Sir! Sir, calm down!" She twirled the phone cord eagerly. "I'll have security
check the tapes, can you tell me where you were and what you look like?"

"Thank you! I'm an eagle wearing a brown sport jacket and a hat, I was at the bar
all night! I expect something done about this now!" the irate caller yelled.

"Of course, I'll take care of this right away!" The caller hung up.

"Trouble?" Tom asked.

"No. Just some drunk, probably drank so much he can't remember WHAT bar he was
at! He wasn't even here, we don't even have a bar or a liquor license!" she
laughed heavily, rolling the number of times in her mind. "We get these calls
though on occasion. It's nothing."

Picking up the newspaper, she turned the pages slowly. "I think in the morning,
I'll get you started on helping me run the club. My staff respects you enough I
think, and they'll do as I ask."

"You sure about that?" he asked. "I don't have a lot of business experience."

"The staff here is perfectly aware that you and I are a couple, and they know
damn well what we're doing up here. They'll have to get used to it eventually,
BOSS! And I can't just let you sit around and leech!"

"Leech?" he shouted. "I DO have several million dollars in the bank, you know!"

"So do I," she responded. "I like you being here though." Grabbing a pen, she
tapped the newspaper gently. "Wanna do the crossword puzzle?"

"Sure," he answered. "We haven't done a nice QUIET activity together for a
while."

She chuckled. "You like the noise we make, admit it!"

He gently stroked her tail as mild shivers hit her spine. "What? I can't help it,
your tail is just SO cute!"

"Do you even have an interest in human women?" she asked, her spine still
tingling as he kept fondling her tail.

"It's... I haven't thought to look at another woman since I met you. And yes, I
find your tail very, very cute. Your wings and ears too, I don't care what anyone
says! They're a part of you, an attractive fireball of a woman!" Lifting from her
tail, he twirled a finger through one of her fur spikes.

"You haven't done that before," she said, eyes closing slowly. "I like it. You
know how to turn me on with the slightest touch."

"I know why you prefer love making to sex," he remarked. "The emotion."

"You understand," she replied, eyes still closed. "The emotion makes it so much
better. I feel your touch, even the gentle ones, and know it means something.
Like the jewels you gave me. They mean something. The ones I already had, they
have no emotion attached."

"What about you, you have any regrets about falling for a human over a bat or
something else?"

She looked at him, her eyes still narrow. "You're NOT the first human I ever
found attractive! A man is a man. But physical attraction isn't everything! But
I... TRY not to stare at other men now."

"Don't worry," he told her, "I won't get mad if your eyes wander. Bat's nature,
after all." She rested the pen on the table. "The crossword can wait. Why don't
we sit on the couch and cuddle?"

"No request for intimacy?" he asked.

"We did that two hours ago! Now, lets just sit and hold each other." He led her
to the couch. "You want to watch TV?" he asked, resting her against is body.

"Why? I wouldn't pay attention to it anyway!"


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

Herb hung up. "Rouge is just fine! Rather calm, actually, and I TRIED to be
irritating. I doubt she or that guy are in any trouble!"

Shadow banged his head against the back of the bench. "Stupid, stupid, stupid..."

"Don't be hard on yourself, my boy," Herb told him.

"You're not mad?"

"NO! You thought you were doing the right thing! You never had a real father, did
you? I never had kids, and I wish I had... my father was a good man, always
encouraged me, never got mad when I screwed up. He was proud I was alive. That's
what you needed, I think... pity how the world works at times... and I know you
will do whatever it takes to fix things."

Shadow looked up at him. "You have faith in me? You met me a few days ago, how
could you know me that well?"

"We all have to have faith in something, my boy, no matter what it is. Without
faith, we have nothing to look forward to!"


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

Midnight. 'What an awful night,' Herbert Westwood thought. "How hard is it to do
this Chaos Control, anyway?"

"Shadow can do it as long as he has a Chaos Emerald. I've done it before... but
it wasn't easy," Sonic explained.

Herb picked up his revolver and handed it to Shadow, ordering, "point it at my
face. It's not loaded, don't worry." Shadow did so, Herb noting the angle.
"That's what I saw. I dropped to my knees when I got kicked... maybe punched, but
whoever attacked me was short. I didn't consider it at the time because you
usually don't notice the small details when someone puts a gun in your face! So
they have at least four of the Chaos Emeralds now..."

"...I understand," Shadow muttered into his wrist communicator. "My contacts in
GUN report that a Chaos Emerald went missing in Soleanna. They now have five."

"We have to find the other two!" Knuckles shouted as he punched the air.

"You see what you can do," Herb replied. "Meanwhile, the rest of us should get
some sleep. If they had all seven by now, the world would be over. But depending
on where they are, all they need is the night sky. Unfortunately, until we have
SOMETHING... we can't do anything."


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

Morning came as Herb Westwood rolled himself off the desk, mumbling incoherently
as he checked the clock. February 17th, 9:02 AM. Forcing himself from his groggy
state, he found Knuckles. "Any luck?"

The echidna gave a sad sigh. "No... they're blocking my efforts somehow."

Tails and Eggman found him wandering around. "We built something for you," Tails
explained, leading him into the work bay.

"We modified one of my walkers to suit you," Eggman explained, pointing to the
mech. Painted brown, it rested with the side door opened.

Tails pointed out, "there's a clip for your cane, and a holster for your gun. Go
ahead and try it out!"

Herb climbed into the mech and closed the side door. His cane snapped in the
right side. Activating the device, it came to life, legs rising. Herb played with
the controls, learning how to operate the machine. "Thanks," he said, "this might
come in very useful!"