Friend or Foe? Part four The Falling Island By: Erin Lindsey ------------------------------ Legalities at de bottom, Mon! ------------------------------ Author's note: Read part one, two, and three before this one, ya monkeys! Action! Action! WE WANT ACTION! Okay, okay, geez don't get yer knickers in a twist! I'm finally getting to the real plot of this story. HOORAY! And it only took me three whole parts in advance. Hee hee.. I put a little romantic scene with Sonic in Sally kinda because it was just Valentines day. It's not anything to worry about, just a kiss. And don't worry, no more flash-backs. YIPPEE!! Well, maybe just one.... ;') Lastish- Knuckles finally revealed his past with Clawz, the mysterious wildcat who fell of the Floating Island. Although Knux thinks he died, he actually, and fortunately, landed in a tree with only minor injuries. Sonic and Tails were able to save him and bring him back to Knothole. Clawz was revived the next morning, and went a bit crazy due to his concussion, but after he was sedated everything went back to normal... for a while. Clawz finally really woke up, this time with his wits about him, and now days later he is almost fully recovered and back to his annoying self. Meanwhile, Sonic and Sally go to check out why Robotnik hasn't made a move yet... ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 6: "Acceptance" Robotropolis was amazingly quiet this evening. The dark grimy walls of the desolate city cast cold gray shadows across the dirty streets. Piles of broken window glass and browning paper lay strewn in the corners and forgotten in doorways. It was sad to think that once upon a time this horrid place had been the beautiful capitol city Mobotropolis. That was, until the evil overlord, Dr. Ivo Robotnik, over threw the King, and assumed the throne as the ultimate dictator. It was a awful time of war and death, but somehow, a small group of Freedom Fighters emerged from the darkness, they're only intent but to restore the peace to the tiny green planet known as Mobius. Suddenly the papers were blown astray as a blur of blue dashed by. Coming to a stop in front of a crumbling building, the speedy hedgehog released his passenger. She was a young red-head ground squirrel, a little bit tough looking, but none the less beautiful and elegant. "See, I told ya Sal. There's nothing going on here." He said to her, "C'mon lets bolt back to Knothole." Sally sighed and stared at him for a moment. "It's just weird, Sonic. It's almost been a whole month, and we haven't heard a peep from Robotnik. He just HAS to be up to something...." She said. "Maybe he's just cooling his jets for a while." Sonic said, "But we're not doing any good here. We have to wait until Uncle Chuck figures us out a way to get into the main computers." "Hmmph! You? Wait? Now that's a novel idea. I thought you would be the one willing for action." Sally said, a bit surprised at the patience Sonic was showing. "Yeah, well.... I am but, I got other things on my mind." He answered. "Really? Like what?" She asked. "It's just that Clawz guy that we picked up.... I mean, after what you said about him, maybe he really isn't on our side. He was acting pretty suspicious. He didn't even tell us what happened to him before he fell into that tree...." He said. "He said he didn't remember, Sonic. Maybe we should respect his privacy." Sally said. "When did you start sticking up for him? I would think you would hate him, considering he hits on you so much." Sonic snorted. Sally smiled, "I kind of like it. No one else around here ever seems to compliment me..." She said, sending a direct glare in Sonic's direction. He frowned. "I.. I compliment you...sometimes..." He defended. "Yeah, right. You never say anything nice about how I look." "I do, too!" He said. "Is that right? Well, c'mon give me a compliment." She said. Sonic paused, "Now?" "Yes, now." She said, "Come on, it wouldn't hurt you to stop acting cool for two seconds." He sighed, and thought for a moment, "You look nice." He mumbled. Sally frowned. "That wasn't very convincing. I want a real compliment." She said. "Okay, okay..." He said. He looked up at her. She really was beautiful... he took a deep breath, "I think you're the most beautiful girl in the world, Sally." He said softly. Sally looked shocked for a second. She then smiled and hugged him. "See that wasn't so hard was it?" "I guess not." He stuttered. She laughed. "C'mon, handsome, lets go back to Knothole." She said kissing him on the cheek. Sonic happily scooped her up in his arms and sped back toward the Great Forest. * * * * "SNIVLEY!!!" A loud booming voice called, echoing off the metallic walls. Instantly, a small shaky looking man entered the room. "Y-Yessir? Is there something the matter, sir?" He asked nervously. "Where is that stupid wildcat?!" Robotnik bellowed, "I thought we had a deal! It's been almost a two weeks!!" "Well, s-sir... I'm not sure, sir. He said that he might have to hide out for a while. His partner had disappeared, remember?" Snivley reminded. "Ah yes, the wildcat's partner, Mr. Nack Weasel. I do remember him. I hired him to kill the hedgehog for me a while back, correct Snivley?" "Correct, sir. He failed." Snivley said. "I know that! Hmmph!! Yes. That's why I don't trust this wildcat. He should have brought me the materials by now. I hate working with dumb animals." "I'm sure he's trying as hard as he can to get here...." * * * * ::ahem::.... ::ahem::..... ::AHEM::...... "I said AHEM! What does it take to get a drink 'round dis place?!" said a rather large brown wildcat who was sitting up in a bed, his arm and leg in casts. "Here you go. I take it y'all is feelin' better?" Bunnie grumbled handing him a cup. "Much better, Legs." The wildcat said taking the glass from her. He smirked idly. She frowned. This guy was really starting to get on her bionic nerves. At least he wasn't calling her "Buns of Steel" anymore. The doctor entered the Knothole infirmary. "Hello, Mr. Wildcat. I believe you are well enough to be on your feet now. Thanks to modern medicine, and a wonderful doctor, your bones have healed almost completely." He said holding up two x-ray sheets showing the wildcat's mended arm and leg bones. "But I thought you were his doctor, Dr. Quack.." Bunnie said. "I was." He said smiling proudly. Bunnie rolled her eyes. The doctor didn't notice and continued on, "Today your casts will come off. Isn't that wonderful?" He said happily. "I guess so, Doc." Clawz said frowning. He had kind of liked being waited on hand and foot. Actually he loved it. The doctor fished around silently in his bag until he produced a small cutting blade. He noticed Clawz flinch. "Don't worry, these are for cutting the cast off. It won't hurt a bit." Clawz didn't seem convinced. "Ah, maybe I'll jus stick wit da casts for a little while longer doc. They ain't that bad." He argued. "Nonsense. I won't have a patient of mine playing hookey. Your perfectly fine. You need some fresh air anyway." The doctor said, holding the cast that was still on the brown feline's arm. With out any recognition from Clawz, he started cutting away. Clawz decided it better if he didn't struggle. Those scissors looked awfully sharp. A couple of seconds later, the plaster came free revealing the wildcat's healed arm. The doctor moved on to his leg. Clawz mumbled something, but didn't object out loud. He bent his arm slowly at the elbow. It was a bit stiff and a little sore, but that was it. He looked down at the doctor who was almost finished cutting off his leg cast. He removed it carefully and handed it to Bunnie. She looked slightly disgusted, and went out of the room to throw it away. Sonic and Sally came in just as she was leaving. Sally entered the room first to see Clawz standing up. She was a bit surprised at his height. He was at least a foot taller than her, unusual for a Mobian. Sonic looked surprised too, but not for the same reason. "Getting your cast off already, Clawz?" Sonic asked. "Yup. Where ya been, Spikes? I missed your Little Princess..." He said smiling. Clawz had the odd habit of calling everyone by random nick names. Sonic found it quite annoying. He frowned. Sally was going to say something, but Sonic interrupted her. "We were on a mission." He said quickly. "A mission, eh?" Clawz said, still smiling, "What are you guys? Secret agents or something?" "Not exactly, Clawz. We're Freedom Fighters." Sally said. "Freedom Fighters? I've heard of you." Clawz said starting to walk out the door, a bit stiff legged. "You have??" Sonic said, surprised. "Sure. I get around. You guys is a pretty hot topic. Especially the Little Princess here." Clawz said casually, walking out of the infirmary into the warm spring air. "Me?" Sally said, "Who do YOU know that knows me?" Clawz didn't seem to be listening anymore. He was blankly looking up at the sky, as if he was searching for something. Sonic noticed a sad expression on his face. "Clawz... What's the matter?" He asked. Clawz turned back to them. "Nothing. Just thinking about an old friend." He sighed. Sonic and Sally exchanged confused glances. "Where's the little kid?" Clawz asked, changing the subject. "Hmm?" Sally said. "You know. The fox kid, the one with the two tails.." There was a pause. "You mean Tails?" Sonic asked raising an eyebrow. "Yah, that's it. Duce. Where is he?" He asked. "I don't know." Sally said, "Why do you want to see him?" "I like the kid. He reminds me of me when I was younger." Clawz said. Sally wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. Sonic didn't either. Tails had visited Clawz in the infirmary a lot after the accident. Clawz would tell him about all the places he had been. And as he said, he had been around. They had learned that he was originally from northern Mobius, but ever since his father was roboticized, he had traveled the planet with his older "brother," who remained nameless. Tails seemed to treat Clawz like he usually treated Sonic. It was beginning to get on Sonic's nerves. As if on cue, Tails ran up to them. "Clawz! Your not sick anymore!" He said happily. "Nope. Nothin' can keep me down fer long!" Clawz said mussing up the kit's head fur. Tails laughed. "That's great!" He said, "Now I can show you around." "Good deal, Duce." Clawz said, "But only on one condition." Tails looked confused, "What?" He asked. "We have to visit the kitchen first! I'm starvin'!" He said. Tails smiled, "Sure! Lets go!" He said and took the large wildcat by the hand and lead him toward the main building. Sonic snorted. "He didn't even say 'hi' to me." Sally looked at him for a moment. She smiled and held his hand. "Don't worry, Sonic. He's just excited to have someone new around. We don't have many visitors, you know." She said softly. He sighed. "I guess your right, Sal... Or should I start calling you Little Princess?" He asked jokingly. She shoved him. "I don't think so, Spikes." She said laughing. He laughed, too. Sally was always good at getting him out of a bad mood. "C'mon lets go get today's power ring." He suggested. She smiled and nodded. He picked her up again. She put her arms around his neck and snuggled up against his muzzle. He went limp for a moment, then zoomed off toward the power ring pool, holding her tight in his arms. * * * * Silent updrafts blew across the shimmering water sending warm breezes upwards towards the clouds. Knuckles stood there on the edge of the Floating Island letting the aroma of the salty sea air fill him. It was very refreshing. He loved the feeling of freedom the Floating Island had. It went wherever it pleased, drifting slowly among the mist. He tuned his eyes down to skim the water. "Well are you gonna go get them or not?" Vector asked. He was standing beside the echidna looking impatient. Mighty, and the rest of the Chaotix, were all swimming in a nearby pond. Charmy wasn't swimming exactly, he was sitting in the shallow water trying to keep his wings from getting wet. Mighty did a cannon ball into the water, splashing Charmy and Espio, who was floating on his back reading a book. They both started yelling at him. He just laughed. "I will. I can't see any yet." Knuckles answered Vector. "There's some." He said. "Where?" Knuckles asked. "There!" He said pointing down at the waves far below. "Where?" Knuckles repeated. "Right THERE!" Vector said, getting annoyed. "Where?" Vector growled. "Oh-hoh. There. I see them now." Knuckles said, not really noticing his friend's annoyance. "Good." Vector said, "And get some good ones. None of them itty bitty tiny ones." He suggested. "Yeah, yeah. I know." He mumbled. Then grabbing a large bucket, he vaulted himself off the edge. Vector watched over the side as Knuckles dove into the water. In a graceful arch, the echidna emerged quickly letting the warm updrafts push him back upward to the Floating Island. He landed easily and handed the bucket, now full of fish, to Vector. "Thanks, Knux. MMM! We're gonna have fried tuna tonight!" Vector said smiling. Knuckles made a disgusted face. "No thanks. I think I'll have a salad." He said, squeezing the sea water out of his dreadlocks. Vector always made him get fish for him when he won at tag. Vector was crazy about them, considering that, because of the altitude, no fish could survive on the Floating Island. Knuckles shook the rest of himself dry then sat down by the pond. He sighed sadly. Espio sat next to him. "Are you still upset about Clawz, Knuckles?" He asked, setting his damp book down beside them. "Yeah. I feel so guilty. I mean, if I didn't have such a temper and didn't take his challenge, he would still be alive." Knuckles said. "You have to stop blaming yourself for his death, Knuckles." Espio said, "It wasn't yours, or anyone else's fault. Although it is a normal reaction to death of a close one, you've been acting depressed for days. I thought you and him were not friends anymore..." "Even if we were, it doesn't matter. I shouldn't have reacted like that. I feel like I've violated my duty as Guardian." He answered. "I could've saved him. I could have tried to fly down and get him.... But I didn't...." "Well, now you can learn from your past. If you've really learned something from this experience, you won't let it happen again, therefore becoming a better Guardian. You can't change the past Knux, but you can change your future." The chameleon reassured. Knuckles stared at him for a moment. He smiled, "Your right, Espio. From now on I'm not gonna lose my temper." He said, standing up. Suddenly Mighty, who was standing behind them, gave Knuckles a push sending him splashing into the water. "Mighty! I'm gonna kill you!" He growled, spitting out some pond water. Espio stopped him, "But you said you were not going to lose your temper any more!" He said. Knuckles pushed him aside, "I'll start tomorrow" He said. "Heh, heh.. C'mon Knux, can't ya take a joke??" Mighty stuttered. Knuckles just lunged at him. Mighty took off like a shot. Knuckles followed close behind, until he tripped the armadillo. Mighty fell headfirst into a huge puddle of awful smelling mud. He stood up slowly, covered up to his ears with clumps of it. Knuckles burst out laughing. Espio sighed and slowly shook his head. "Nothing ever changes..." * * * * Night fell over the Great Forest. The purple skies gave way to the dark blanket of twinkling stars and let the beautiful glowing moons of Mobius shine. A cool breeze blew through the trees making a soft white noise of rustling leaves. It was one of those nights that made you forget that a war was raging the planet by day. It was the sweet serenity that was rarely experienced by the few citizens that were left on Mobius. It was a perfect night. "You were right Sonic. We shouldn't worry to much about Robotnik. No news from him is good news." Sally purred to him as they sat on the steps outside of her hut watching the stars come out. "Me? Right? Now there's a novel idea." He said sarcastically. She giggled, "No really. I'm glad we got to spend a quiet day together." "So am I." He said softly, putting an arm around her. She leaned on his shoulder. Sonic gently cupped a hand under her chin and brought her face up to his. "I'm really glad..." He repeated. Sally smiled. They tilted there heads slightly in different directions and kissed each other happily. Clawz decided that was his cue to leave. He shouldn't have been watching them anyway. He wandered silently away from the spot where he had been spying. He guessed it had become a habit. He had no reason to spy on them. All the animals here treated him with an odd kindness. It made him want to get out of the bounty hunting business. Besides, he had lost the cargo he was carrying for that jerk Robotnik, and Nack had somehow disappeared after they were separated a couple of months ago. They had been working as a bounty hunters, sometimes stealing items for Robotnik, sometimes stealing them from him. He never really had a real side in the war. But staying here in Knothole, the peace-loving rebel village, was starting to make Clawz think twice. He had so much going for him here. It seemed like a wonderful life, with a good purpose, something he had been looking for a long time... "Clawz? Is dat you?" A voice whispered. He spun around quickly. "Wha? Huh? Who said that?" "Over here!" It called, "In da jail!" Clawz spotted someone looking out a small window in the tiny jail house. He looked oddly familiar. Clawz stepped closer. He then realized who it was. He was a large purple weasel wearing a brown, old looking fedora and had a big front tooth sticking out of his mouth. You could barely see his eyes under his tipped hat. Clawz knew him well. "Nack?! What are you doin' here??" He asked loudly. "SHHH!!" The weasel hushed, "What are ya tryin' ta do? Get us caught?" Clawz lowered his voice, "Sorry." He said, "Bro, what are you doing here?" "You tell me foist." He insisted. "Well... I just uh.... dropped in." He said smiling. "Uh.. yeah." Nack said, confused. "What are ya doin' in a Freedom Fighters jail?" Clawz asked. Nack sighed. "After we stole dem parts from one of Robotnik's forts, I went to Robotrropolis to sell em back to him. After dat, he gave me some huntin' ta do. He asked me to get rid of the blue hedgehog for 'im. I tried, but them Freedom Fighters found me out and locked me up in 'ere." He grumbled. "You mean ya tried to kill Spikes?!" Clawz yelled, alarmed. "SHHH!!! Shad-up! I told ya to be quiet! Now c'mon break me outta dis joint!" Nack demanded. Clawz was silent. He stared at his partner, brother, and friend. "What's da matter wit you?? Get me outta 'ere!" Nack repeated. Clawz's large ears drooped. "I dunno Nack... I don't think I should.." "What?? Of course ya should!" He said, trying to keep his voice down. "I can't Nack. These are my friends--" He started. "FRIENDS?!" Nack shouted, forgetting to whisper, "You and da Freedom Fighters? What are ya talkin' about?!" "I don't wanna be a crook anymore Nack.. I never wanted to be... It was just the only way I knew how to survive... After me and yours dads disappeared I didn't know what to do..." "Look, brother, I saved you more times than I can count..." Nack said. Which is to what? Three? Clawz thought to himself. "I was your big brother for six years. I was your friend. I was tha one who taught you everything I know 'bout bounty hunting. Don't ya think you dats worth anyt'ing?" Nack said slowly. Clawz was silent again. He didn't know what to do. He was so confused. Nack stared at him hard. "Look Clawz, I'll give you some time to get this straight. Your a thief, and your never gonna be anyt'ing more. Now, get outta here. We're bustin' out of here. Tomorrow." He said, then stormed off the other side of his cell. Clawz stared sadly at the ground for a moment, then walked slowly back to his hut that the freedom fighters had let him stay in. Who were his real friends? He didn't know anymore.... * * * * Chapter 7: "The Plot Thickens" The Chaos Emerald glowed brightly in the crystal filled room, scattering tiny rainbow across the walls of warm pink and green mineral. Energy pulsed softly through the seemingly infinite veins of this mysterious rock, giving the island a mysterious power. The Chaos Emerald, one of eight other magical jewels, might have been the largest and most powerful one of them all, but this was for one reason: the world, Mobius, was more chaotic than ever. The precious gem has been feeding on the power of evil since the peace was shattered that horrible Day of Destruction. Only chaos can come from this emerald, but it has been keeping the Floating Island afloat for years, only to secretly control its fate. The echidnas had, years ago, used it's essence to keep their beautiful home safe, but no good would ever come out of it. Sooner or later, the emerald would decide the island's death... * * * * Rain splashed gently into the mud. The quiet night before had let way to soft misty rains, filling the Great Forest with a mysterious, almost spooky air to it. The bustle of the small secret village, Knothole, had faded and the only noise heard was the small raindrops hitting the muddy sidewalks. The night was dark, but the moon shone lightly through the dense tree tops making tiny pools of light on the ground. A lone figure stood beside a tree. He was tall, and rather feline looking. He didn't seem to mind that he was getting soaked. He had other things on his mind. It must have been pretty important, considering he hated being wet. It was important. It was a decision he knew would change his life, for better or for worse, and he didn't know which. All he knew was that he did have a brother, and blood is thicker than water. Even if he wasn't his real brother, Nack was non the less the and only family he had left. "Well? Have ya thought it over?" Nack said, from inside the prison cell. "Yah. C'mon, I'll get ya out." Clawz said solemnly. "Good. I knew ya would come to yer senses." There was a short silence as Clawz used a kitchen knife to work on the simple lock. Nack watched impatiently. "Did ya ever deliver dem supplies to Robotnik?" He asked. "No." Clawz answered dryly. "What? Why not?" He asked rather angrily. "I had set backs." "Set backs? Where are the supplies den? Here?" Nack continued. "No. I lost them. I had to hide out on Floating Island." He said. The lock clicked and Clawz removed it easily from the door. They opened the door slowly, trying to keep it's creaking to a minimum. Nack stepped out and they replaced the lock on the door. "The Floatin' Island, hmm?" Nack said thoughtfully forgetting to be angry about the lost supplies. "Ain't that the place that you lived b'fore me an m'dad picked you up?" He asked. "Yeah. C'mon let get out of h--" "The place with the big green jewel?" Nack interrupted. "Uh... Yeah. It's called the Chaos Em--" Nack grabbed his paw, "First stop, the Floatin' Island!" He said, and pulled Clawz down the muddy path. * * * * The hours passed quickly and the dark purple heavens were already beginning to turn their beautiful morning colors. The troubled Mobian skies had cleared and tiny rays of light were shining lightly between the cracks in the clouds. It seemed almost peaceful. As they say, darkest before the dawn, lightest before the storm... "Hmmm... Interesting..." A small red fire ant mumbled. "What?" Knuckles asked. "Does the emerald seem different to you"? They were in the Chaos Chamber observing the emerald. "Different? What do you mean, Archimedes?" Knuckles said tilting his head to look at the jewel. "It's odd... It seems dimmer or something." He mumbled. "Dimmer??" "Yes. I doesn't seem to be glowing as brightly..." Knuckles frowned, "Oh, your just imagining things. Why would it be getting dimmer? It has infinite power." He insisted. "Hmmm. I suppose. Lets just keep an eye on it." Archimedes suggested. "Whatever." Knuckles said. Archimedes jumped off the emerald onto his shoulder. "Well.. I better go now. I'll do some research." He said and a second later he was gone in a puff of smoke. "Bye." Knuckles said absentmindedly. He sighed and sat down on the chamber's floor and closed his eyes. He needed to think for a while. * * * * "Dimmer?" A large echidna asked, rather shocked. "Are you sure, Archimedes?" "Almost positive, Sir." He answered. "But that's impossible!" He said shaking his head, "We have always thought that the emerald had infinite power..." "That is what Knuckles said." "I figured as much. I did teach him everything he knows." "Of course these are only rough theories. No one has ever really figured out how the Chaos Emerald works." Archimedes said. "Good point. I suggest that we take a crack at it." The echidna said. "You mean figuring out what makes it tick?" "Exactly." He said motioning the art to climb on his hand, "Lets consult the Scrolls. Maybe they will tell us something." They walked slowly into a large room filled with shelves and piles of papers up to the ceiling. Books lined every shelf and some had been set out on a number of small tables and desks scattered about the huge study. They were pushed into their places with some of the leather covers draping over the rough edges of their pages. Archimedes groaned. "Good luck finding them." He said staring at the messy rows of miscellaneous books strewn across the room. "I know there here somewhere." The older echidna said setting the ant down on one of the desks. "Somewhere..." Archimedes grumbled starting to search through the books piled on the table top. "By Chaos, Locke! Now I see where Knuckles gets his horrible study habits." He said. "It's in the blood." He said walking over to a book shelf and scanning the many titles. Archimedes sighed. "Well it's not over here. What do you see?" "It might be on one of those higher shelves. I think I put it up there so no one would find it." Locke said pointing to the top row of books on the high shelf. "You did a good job." Archimedes said. He wasn't listening anymore. He stepped cautiously on the bottom shelf and stood on it a second trying to reach the upper shelves. He stepped up another row and reached again. He still wasn't high enough. Archimedes watched in amusement as Locke stepped up another shelf and reached for the books, but when he grabbed one the rest came toppling over on top of him. He was buried in an avalanche of books. "You know, Locke, you could have used that ladder over there." Archimedes said chuckling and pointing to a step ladder in the far corner. "Oh, now you tell me." He said climbing out of the books and dusting off his white lab coat. "A lot of good it does now." He grumbled. "Sorry. I just can't help myself." He said grinning. "Hmmph. Maybe you should get some professional help." Locke sneered. "Ohhh! Temper, temper Sir! I suppose that runs in the blood also?" Locke just snorted and began to sort though the fallen books. Archimedes jumped off the desk and went to help him. After several minutes of sorting, Locke raised a large blue, worn covered book. "I found it!" He announced happily. "Thank the Gods." Archimedes said. Locke went over to a nearby desk and pushed all the papers and books off it's top. They fell crumbled to the floor beside it. Archimedes shook his head . Locke flipped the book open and sat down in a chair. Archimedes climbed up to stand on the chair's arm. "....And the Gods set forth us a plain. A green world on which to live. Made by the hands of thine and forged from precious jewels, stones of the gods shall give thy power of unworldly ...." Locke read aloud tracing his fingers over the words in the book. "The Chaos Emerald may be powerful, but does is it infinite?" Archimedes interrupted. "Power shalt be in thine own world and thy shall make thine energy of the jewels. Control is neither to be controlled or with held. None shall use thy crystals with force." Locke continued. There was a short silence. "What does that mean?" Archimedes said, rather confused. "I'm not sure. Our elders sure were cryptic with their messages." Locke said stroking his beard. "... And thy shall make thine energy of the jewels...." Archimedes repeated thoughtfully. "I suppose it means that we control the emerald's energy...." He said. "Yes, but it also says 'Control is neither to be controlled or with held.' I guess that means that we cannot control it." Locke contradicted. "That makes no sense! We can control it, yet we can't? It's completely illogical." Archimedes observed. "True.... But whoever said the Gods were logical?" He said. Archimedes hummed softly. "Read on. Maybe we'll find something else." He suggested. "Chaos not controlled can lead thine destiny, yet thine life is in thine hands. Foolish actions will bring chaos on to the world and thine fate is decided. The Others will set the balance." "There it goes again! Chaos controls our destiny, but we also control it!? You know I really--" "Wait a minute! I wonder what it means about 'The Others'..." Locke said and began reading the verses over again. "The Others will set the balance...." "Maybe it means you Guardians. You do balance this island." Archimedes said. "Mmm. I don't think so. Have you noticed that the book never refers to the emerald itself but as 'the jewel' or 'crystal'." Locke said, "And it's always plural... jewel-s." "Hmm... That brings up another mystery... Do you suppose there are other jewels, not chaos emeralds, but others..." "Could be... The Others will control the balance. I wish my ancestors were more specific." Locke said. "Well keep reading! Maybe the next verse will be more explanatory." "There is no more on this page." Locke said, turning it to read the next. "How odd. There is no more about 'The Others' or the emerald... How odd.... I have read these verses many times but have failed to see their meaning. I don't know why...." There was silence again as he flipped back from the original page to the next. "In fact, these lines on the next page have nothing to do with those on the first. How odd..." "Hey... Wait... There's pages missing..." Archimedes realized. "What?" Locke asked. "Look, this page, the one about the emerald or whatever, is on page 132. The next page is 148." He said pointing to the page numbers. "They're ten pages apart..." Locke was quite surprised. "I wonder why I never noticed that before.." He mumbled checking the binding between the pages where there was a slight gap. You could barely see tiny edges of the margins of the ripped out pages. "Maybe they got stuck somewhere else in the book." Archimedes said. Locke picked up the book and closed it then shook its pages. A small scrap of paper fluttered out and landed beside Archimedes. He picked it up. It edges were ripped, and he could only make out one full sentence and a fragment. "Emerald posses evil, the chaos unknown, and shall wreak havoc when the earth falls onto itself. It shall be balanced when the power of the Dia--" * * * * * Chapter 8: "The Falling Island" Knuckles opened his eyes. He had felt a disturbance. A sudden cold feeling had rushed into the chamber, awakening him. He stared at the emerald for a second. Maybe Archimedes was right. It did seem a bit dimmer. He snapped out of it. He stood up and ran down the hallway. He had felt a presence on his island, and he knew how to deal with intruders. He dashed out into the clearing. He stopped abruptly. He turned back to close the door. There was no way he was going to make the same mistake twice. He went back and began to slide it when a hand reached out and caught him by the neck. He jerked violently away, but attacker held strong. He covered the echidna's mouth with a wet cloth. Knuckles coughed, trying not to breath the fumes, but the cloth was held tightly over his mouth and nose and he could not get free. After a couple of seconds he felt dizzy and fainted. The captor smiled evilly. This was almost too easy... * * * * * "Princezz! Princezz! Coming quickly you must!" Antonie yelled loudly as he ran into the meeting hall. Sally and Sonic were sitting at a table talking. Sally and Sonic jumped up as Antonie tripped on the door step and fell on top on their table. "Ant' can't you see that me and Sally are busy?" Sonic said rather annoyed. Antonie was always overreacting and Sonic had gotten sick of it. Especially when he interrupted him in Sally in an important conversation. Actually it wasn't that important, but still... "Oh! My thees is terr-iblest ting! Sacre Blu! There is being no times to be wasting! We must find heem!" He yelled, letting his english get even worse than usual. He forgot all together and starting rambling in French. "Antonie! Will you calm down?!" Sally insisted. "Yeah, Ant'! What's the matter? Did you lose your deodorant again?" Sonic teased. "No! I am smelling 'Old Spicy' today..." He said, forgetting to be frantic for moment. Sonic smiled, "I guess we should start calling you 'Frenchy Spice'." He said then burst into laughter. Antonie and Sally both gave him a look of bewilderment. "Uh... Yeah... Now what is so important as to come in here screaming?" She asked, turning back to Antonie. "Oui! Oui! I have just found one of ours prizioners to be missings!" He said resuming his earlier emotion of panic. "What!? Our prisoners? From the jail-house?" Sally asked, becoming serious again. "Yezz! That's is whats I have been sayings!" "Oh no!" She said. "It was my night to stand on watch..." She said guiltily. Instead she had spent it on Sonic. She looked over and smiled at him. It hadn't been a total loss... "Why were you not watchings the jails then Princezz?" Antonie asked. "Well what are you two waiting for?" Sonic said butting in, "Lets go check it out!" "Right! Lets go!" She said jumping into his arms. "Hi-C-Ya, hold tight!" He said bolting out the door, leaving Antonie in the dust. "Where is he getting these dumb sayings?" He grumbled. * * * * * * Rotor was fumbling around his workshop looking for some supplies. He stopped to stare at one of his empty workbenches. "Hmm. I could have sworn I left some chemicals here." He mumbled. Bunnie walked in at that moment. She was limping on her robotic leg. He turned to help her as she almost stumbled and fell. "Your circuits burn-out again?" He asked, although he already knew the answer. She just nodded, looking more than slightly annoyed. "I wonder why their burning out so quickly lately. You haven't been doing and strenuous activities with your legs, have you?" He asked. "Naw, not really. I've been workin' at tha infirmary helpin' tha Doc." She answered sitting down on the empty work bench. "That's right. Well I suppose their just worn out. We should get you some new main-function circuits. I've been repairing these for months, and I suppose that it's just time for a replacement." He said, opening a panel on her robotic calf. She sighed, "Ah guess so... Ah wish Ah didn't have ta do this. It all really gits on mah nerves. Ah mean, malfunctions, burn-outs, replacements, everything..." She said sadly. He looked at her with an apologetic look, "I'm sorry Bunnie. I wish I could do something..." She smiled weakly, "It's not your fault sugah. It's nobody's. 'Cept maybe Robotnik's." She said. "One day we're gonna fix this. We're gonna find a way to change you back." He said reassuringly. "Thanks, Rotor. I'm sure ya will." Bunnie said although still sadly. He began fixing her legs, probing it with a small wire-thin instrument. He got up to go get her new circuit block. He opened a small cabinet above the table and was surprised to find it empty. Bunnie saw the surprised expression on his face. "What's the mattah? Loose somthin?" She asked. "Yeah... Everything." He said, staring at the empty cabinet blankly. * * * * * "Oh this is horrible!" Sally groaned as they examined the broken lock. "How could this have happened? There is no way he could get out on his own!" "It is how you say... Weird." Antonie mumbled. "Tell me about it." Sonic said. "This is just great! Now we've got a bounty hunter on the loose! He could go back to Robotnik, and tell them where Knothole is!" Sally said sadly, "...And it's all my fault!" She sobbed. Sonic put his hand on her shoulder with an uncharacteristic gentleness. "C'mon Sal... It's ain't your fault. If it's any body's it's mine..." He said. "No. It was MY responsibility. I should have been watching..." She said in a relenting tone. Sonic sighed. He didn't really know what to say to comfort her. He pulled her close and hugged her. Antonie watched the exchange looking a bit confused, but did not interrupt. He knew when to not butt in. Unfortunately, Tails didn't. "Sonic! Sonic! Aunt Sally!" He said as he ran up to them. They parted slowly and unwillingly. Sonic looked down at him, trying not to sound annoyed even though he was, "Yeah, Tails? Is their something the matter?" "Yes!" He said stopping beside them and panting, "I can't find Clawz!" Sonic snorted, "Who cares about him? We got a crisis on our hands here!" He said, unable to hold in his annoyance any longer. Sally shot him an angry glance. He just frowned at her. Tails looked slightly hurt but spoke, "A crisis? What do you mean?" "Well, Tails it's just that--" Sally began. Just then Rotor ran up to them. "Sally, ohmygosh, we gotta problem!" He said. "Is this running up to us for help thing becoming a trend or something?" Sonic asked no one in particular. No one in particular answered him. "Rotor, what's the matter?" Sally asked. "Everything is gone! My supplies, some chemicals, even that old hover- craft I was working on!" He blurted out. "What? Gone?" Sally said, "You mean stolen?" "Exactly!" He said, "Someone just up and snatched them!" Sally noticed Bunnie hobbling towards them. Bunnie just stood beside Antonie looked the most annoyed of all of them. He put a arm around her to stabilize her and she leaned on him gratefully. "Why would anyone want to steal chemicals and robot parts?" Sonic said, wanting to be part of the conversation again. "I suppose Nack stole them." Sally said. "I don't figure why though..." "Nack? Nack the Weasel the bounty hunter?" Rotor asked. "Yeah. He escaped from our prison." She said, once again feeling guilty. "Oh no!" Bunnie said, "He could tell ole Bot'nik tha location uh Knothole!" She said, concerned. Sally felt sick in her stomach. She leaned against the prison building. "What are we going to do... He could be miles from here now..." * * * * * An incredible tremor shook the island. It was harder than any than earthquake before. You could almost feel the stress of the ground holding together as the weight shifted from side to side throwing off the entire island's center of gravity. Knuckles awoke from a strange dream to find himself tied and bound to a tree. "What in the--" He said trying to stand, but was held back by the ties. The ropes were tight, and he hit his head against the tree as another quake shook the island. Knuckles had a couple of obscene comments at this point. "Knuckles! Oh my god! There you are!" Mighty said as he found his friend tied up to the tree. "Mighty! What the hell's going on!?" He asked sharply. "I thought you could tell me!" He answered, bending down to untie him. Knuckles stood up quickly. "Someone must be messing with the Chaos Emerald!" He ran towards the entrance, which was left open, but was thrown back again with an even stronger earthquake. He and Mighty plowed into each other. Knuckles didn't waste anymore time but dashed into the Chaos Chamber, leaving Mighty in a daze. Knuckles emerged again a second later. He looked as white as a sheet. "Knux, who's in there?" Mighty asked sitting up. Knuckles stared at him for a moment vacantly, "...N-no one..." "Huh?" Mighty asked confused, "Nobody? What's the matter with the emerald then?" "Nothing." He said, still staring blankly, "That's just it. It's gone. The Chaos Emerald is gone!" Suddenly another tremor rocked the island. This one, even stronger than it's predecessors, tilted the island back and forth violently. Then as suddenly as it started it stopped. Knuckles could feel them falling. A sudden snap of gravity pulling them off the ground and down to the surface of Mobius. His stomach jumped up into his throat, and all the blood rushed to his head. The island was falling, and Knuckles knew it meant death for them all. * * * * * ____________________________________________________________________________ End of Part 4! To be continued..... (Don't ya just hate that?!!) Part five, the conclusion of this amazing series, is coming soon! Don't miss it, it's gonna be GREAT! ____________________________________________________________________________ Author's (Second) note- Hello again! It's me, Erin! Anyway, before you go, I want to say some things. #1, sorry this part took me a while. We've been having the TAAS (Texas Assessment of Academic Skills) writing tests, and I've had to write like, four process papers in the last two weeks, and after that who would blame me for not wanting to come home and write some more? #2, as you read up there, Clawz thinks of Nack as a big brother, but he's not really. I mean come on, how could a weasel and a wildcat be brothers? Well, I guess they're kinda step-bothers considering that Nack's father, who will remain un-named, sort of adopted Clawz after the Guardian of the Floating Island (Knux's dad, at the time) turned him and his father over to him as bounty. But that didn't last very long... I'll get into that in part 5. #3, If you didn't already get it, I was making fun of the Spice Girls in the middle of Ch. 7 when Sonic calls Antonie "Frency Spice" and says "Hi-C-Ya, hold tight!," and Ant' comments on his dumb sayings. It a lyric from the Spice Girl's popular song "Spice Up Your Life". Personally, I think they're REALLY annoying... #4, I want to thank Alessandro for his praise and putting all my stories up on his page. Thanks a lot man, it means a bunch to me. Until next time, Peace out! Erin Lindsey P.S. READ PART FIVE! P.S.S. By the way, I'm probably gonna change the title to that one. Instead of "The Last Claw," I think I'm gonna call it "Blood and Water" or something like that. P.S.S.S. Send me your comments! P.S.S.S.S. Sorry about all the P.S's. P.S.S.S.S.S. What the heck does P.S. stand for any way?? ------------------------------------------------------------- Legal information: Sonic the Hedgehog, Dr. Robotnik, Knuckles the Echidna, Nack the Weasel, the Freedom Fighters, and the Chaotix and all related characters were made by SEGA, and/or DiC and Archie Adventure Series Comics. Clawz Wildcat was created by Erin Lindsey. All rights reserved. For more info, see the end of Part 1 of this story...... More Legalities: Okay. ready, set go!!! Sonic the Hedgehog, Knuckles the Echidna, the Freedom fighters, the Chaotix, Dr. Robotnik, and any related characters are licensed characters of SEGA and Co. and/or DiC and Archie Adventure series Comics. Clawz the Wildcat was created by Erin Lindsey. If you want this story on your site, want to use any of my characters, or have any complications send them to: elindsey@ix.netcom.com If you have any flames you would like to send me, send them to: leapord@ix.netcom.com ................heh heh eh heh