Chapter 2

Sonic startled awake from his dream.

When he shook himself of sleep's daze, he remembered where he was. He fell asleep under a tree on a warm spring day, since the weather was ideal for spending time outside and Eggman hadn't bothered him for a while. 

He ruffled a hand on the side of his quills, the dream already fading from memory.

"Well, that was one weird dream. I better go home and see what Tails is up to."

With that, Sonic got up and stretched his arms and legs from sitting for the long period of time.

Yet, he realized that a feeling, from the edges of his dream, was lingering when the memories weren't. It was a weird feeling, as if something dark and sinister was coming. It wasn't strong, but enough was there that it threw him off a little bit.

Sonic just thought it was a part of his dream, a piece that was still lingering after he already forgotten most of it. He shrugged it off and ran to Tails' workshop.

---

"But you guys know it would be too suspicious if I'm seen attempting to get onto the ARK! That's why I called on you guys to do the job!" Eggman shouted across his desk to Team Chaotix.

Even though he didn't have any other option, he regretted calling Team Chaotix. It wasn't that they couldn't get the job done, they were perhaps the best in this situation, they just needed severe convincing to sway them.

Since the attack from Black Doom and his army, GUN sealed off any and all outside access to the ARK. Only those approved by GUN, like Team Chaotix, could visit the ARK for serious reasons. Naturally, this meant that Eggman couldn't get on without getting in trouble with the government. And even Eggman had his limits for how far he'd go.

Team Chaotix was his only hope to get the data extracted.

"Yeah right," said the gruff voice of Vector the Crocodile, the leader of the group, "And how do we know you're not lying to us?"

"Why else would I ask you guys to get on the ARK?" Eggman leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, testing Vector's own question.

The voice that spoke up next was the hyperactive scream of Charmy the Bee. "For some crazy evil scheme of yours! You always have one planned!"

"Why can't you extract the data from your computer anyways? Isn't there software you can use to work around the protections your grandfather set up?" A calm and wise voice asked. It came from the juxtaposition of Vector and Charmy's combined attitude. Espio the Chameleon, who was leaning against the wall with a foot on it and his arms crossed in defiance.

Eggman sighed. "I already tried that. Whatever is on those files is something my grandfather did not want outside eyes to see. Those files could have information that he didn't even want GUN to find at some point.

There was silence as Espio and Vector were considering what Eggman said. Charmy, on the other hand, started to play with Orbot and Cubot, much to their disapproval.

"What's in it for us?" Vector asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

During the period of time where Eggman first called for the Chaotixs to come, he was scrambling to figure out a reward for the team. He subconsciously glanced towards his Extreme Gear, which he used a year ago in his illegitimate tournament, thinking whether he wanted to go through on the bargain he thought of. Even though it would be the easiest, he couldn't pay the Chaotixs with money because he himself was almost broke.

The Doctor took in a deep breath as Cubot began to scream and get as far away from Charmy as possible, not wanting one of his arms taken off for the bee's pleasure.

"I promise to not use anything that's in those files against you or your friends." It hurt Eggman to say it as he said it, but it was the only thing that he could think of that he thought would convince them.

Espio rose an eyebrow and pushed himself off the wall. "What if you're lying about it? You are almost always lying about whether you will or won't use stuff to your advantage."

Eggman sighed. "What if this is the one time I'm not lying to you?"

Vector cocked an eyebrow, although he appeared to think of it serious for a moment. "Espio's right. We can't trust you to keep to your word even if you swear it on your soul."

The Doctor rubbed his eyes together. He had a gut feeling they would say no to that, but he had a backup, which hurt him even more than promising to not hurt them. He reached into one of the drawers in his desk and pulled out the payment he knew they would not deny.

"How about, I give you a Chaos Emerald?" He held up, for all in the room to see, a glowing, red Chaos Emerald.

Eggman could feel Vector's eyes shine with the image of the Emerald in his eyes. Espio was about to reply, but the leader piped up and said they would give him those files within the week.

"I think we've been craving for a little bit of adventure anyways! Whaddya say, fellas?!"

Espio grunted a resentful yes while Charmy screamed his approval, freeing Cubot from being chased by him.

---

When Sonic reached the workshop, the uneasy feeling still stirring in him, he saw that the door was opened a crack. This wasn't surprising to Sonic-Tails was almost always working on an invention or making improvements during the day.

"Hey, Tails!" Sonic called when he was halfway through the entrance. He saw his best friend bent into the engine of the Tornado, the plane that Tails often used to assist Sonic in fights against Eggman.

Tails was so deep in his work that he didn't seem to hear Sonic. If he did hear him, it didn't sink into his consciousness.

"Hey, buddy? How's it going?" Sonic walked in, and hearing his voice, Tails poked his head up.

"Oh," Tails began, scratching the back of his head in a flustered reflex. "I was just working on some mechanical improvements for the Tornado. How are you?" Tails went down the stepladder he used to get to the engine. "You weren't gone as long as you said you were going to be."

Oh yeah, Sonic remembered, I told Tails I'd be gone for almost the whole day but it's only been a couple hours.

"Well," Sonic shrugged and waved a dismissive hand at his pal. "I sort of fell asleep with the weather outside, and I thought I should come back and take a nap here."

Tails gave Sonic a perplexed look. "But you don't mind falling asleep outside, especially when it's this nice." He gestured to one of the windows in the shop, the curtains open to the sunshine.

Sonic hesitated for a moment, thinking about what to say. "I usually like to feel the sunshine and have it brighten up my day, but I don't want to risk getting burned."

Tails raised his eyebrows, not fully believing Sonic's claim. "Okay then. Are you going upstairs?"

"Yeah," Sonic started climbing the stairs by him. "I've kind of in the mood for eating a Chili dog and watching some TV."

He was halfway up when Tails called him out for saying he was going to take a nap only a few moments ago.

Sonic stopped for a moment, realizing that the dark feeling from his dream was making him anxious. "I might take the nap after I have that Chili dog, I'm hungry anyway." That wasn't a lie, he had a craving for a Chili dog at the moment.

"Okay then, and while you're up there could you please grab me a water bottle? I'm getting thirsty, but I don't want to stop working on the plane. I'm just getting into the zone."

Sonic gave his best friend a thumbs up. "Not a problem!" He continued up the stairs until he was on the second floor.

The second floor was almost as large as the floor below. It was comprised of the den, both the living room and the kitchen, save for three other rooms on the far end, two bedrooms and a bathroom.

The refrigerator was across from the top of the stairs, and next to it was where the counter began. The kitchen had a long counter that ran half the length of the floor and an island in the middle. A sink had one side piled with dishes and the other spotless of water drops.

Sonic glanced to the living space. There was half of a circular couch in the center of the room and a recliner on the side closest to the stairs' railing. Between the seats, there was a circular coffee table that had a left-over Chili dog wrapper from last night's dinner that Sonic forgot to throw away. Across the couch in the corner was a tube TV turned off. Next to the TV were two bookcases, most of the shelves stuffed with Tails' books, with a couple of shelves filled with the few Sonic owned. The rest of them held pictures or memorabilia from the adventures they went on.

Sonic couldn't have asked for a better home.

Shaking his head, he walked over to the refrigerator and reached for a Chaos Cola. Tails told Sonic that he's been trying to cut soda out of his life, the long-term effects not beneficial to his health. Even if Tails decided he didn't want it, Sonic still was considering giving him one because of how hard he had been working.

Sonic closed the door, the soda in his hand and was about to head back downstairs.

But that dark feeling became more prominent, taking over his senses. The den, stairs, soda, and what felt like everything, was replaced by darkness.

"SONIC!!!" The hedgehog heard his name through the darkness. Hearing Tails' voice helped him overcome the feeling, but he saw his roommate's concerned face above him when he broke through.

"Wha..." Sonic started, confusion and exhaustion coming to him. Being in that space, even if it was only for a few moments, took a lot of energy out of him.

"I heard a thud from downstairs, and when I came up you were laying on the ground groaning." Tails explained as he helped Sonic into a sitting position.

"And also," he showed Sonic the can of Chaos Cola, which looked like it hadn't been damaged. "I told you I've been trying to cut off of these!"

Sonic shrugged and gave him a small smile. "I just thought you've been working so hard and that you could indulge a little bit. If you want me to, I can get you-"

"Nah, I was kind of in the mood for a Cola and it's been a little while." Tails smiled in return, which Sonic copied. However, as soon as his friend's smile came it fell. "What happened to you that caused you to fall?"

Sonic's smile fell apart at that. "I'm not sure. I've just been feeling a little weird today, that's all. I'll tell you about it later. I think I need that nap now." Sonic said, pushing himself up and collapsing onto the couch when he reached it.