Note: This is one of the critical chapters in this saga! Please rate and comment!

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“Am I in trouble?” Sonic’s voice was vague of emotion. His eyes, looking down at the table he was chained to, shown with anger.

“You think?” Lil was close to tears. She limped over to the table in the dark room. She had refused for two crutches, so the one scraped on the floor. “You don’t know how much time you’re going to spend in jail! I don’t think you even want to know!”

Sonic swore under his breath. All he wanted to do at that moment was to incinerate the table. Laser-vision hadn’t been acquired yet, unfortunately. He glared up to meet Lil’s sorrowful eyes.

“I’m very disappointed in you, Blue.” Lil shook her head, keeping eye contact with the hedgehog.

“For what?” Sonic finally lost self-control. “For trying to get Eggman? For trying to redeem myself? Huh? Or is it because I actually moved to do something and not just stand there!!”

Lil banged her fists on the table. “That’s too far!” She hissed. “I’m disappointed that you disobeyed me!! You know when you ran through the city at the speed of sound? Well, you caused 75% more damage than one of the bombs Eggman threw! The cleanup crew had to uncover fifteen cars, hospitalize seven individual bystanders, and…and…” She couldn’t hold back the tears any longer. They flowed out of her eyes like a waterfall.

Sonic’s expression grew wide. Anger no longer ran through his veins. Fear replaced that and every emotion. “I…I didn’t know…” He shook his head. “I’m sorry.”

“SORRY DOESN’T COVER IT!!” Lil screamed. “Remember when you had that nervous breakdown shortly after Eggman disappeared? Sonic, you’re DANGEROUS! That’s why I didn’t allow you to run within city limits! And, were you even thinking about the people?” She sobbed. “Is this some kind of game?”

“No.”

“I can’t believe you! There might have been a time when you actually thought about others, but now it’s just become, ‘Get the villain out of the way and be proclaimed as a hero once more!’” She rested her head in her hands. “…I just don’t want you to become something that you don’t want to be.” Her voice was suddenly hushed, almost to a whisper.

Sonic was shocked. This was way, way awkward for him. Sure, he’d seen girls cry. But girls who had obviously been hurt…this was different. He wanted to reach an arm across the table and hug her, but he was chained. He then settled for the next best thing… “Lil,” Sonic broke the silence, “You need a hug.”

Lil looked up. “Nice words to say, huh?” She glared. “Of course I need a hug, you idiot.” She spat on the table.

That’s when Captain Marcus Stotts came into the room. “I’m sorry to interrupt,” he shook his head, “but there’s a direct complaint from one of the government agents. She says she’s caught a thief.” He helped Lil up and led her out of the room. “I think it’s that one guy you were with a few years ago.” They walked down a hallway. It was surprisingly empty for a Wednesday morning. “Too bad Rouge already called they guy’s boss or else we could’ve interrogated him the correct way.”

Lil’s eyes grew wide. “Rouge?” She shook her head in disbelief. “You let that lying, double-crossing treasure hunter arrest a guy without permission??? Just because she works for the president doesn’t mean she has the right to-”

“She also works for GUN part time, Lil.” Stotts nodded. “I just believed that-”

“She’s not in the least bit reliable! I can’t believe you would actually trust her!!” They walked into a room, where Rouge stood holding the arm of a handcuffed golden cat. “Myzak…” Lil whispered. She had to cover her mouth. Myzak held a Chaos Emerald.

Knuckles the Echidna, the Martial Arts master at the high school, was flustered as he walked in. He waved his hands back and forth, trying to communicate with the officer who escorted him. When he looked at Rouge gripping Myzak’s arm, the words that came out of his mouth were, “What the hell is going on here? Unhand my assistant teacher!”

Rouge batted her eyes flirtatiously. “I caught him with this Chaos Emerald.” She shrugged. “The least you can do is thank me. Didn’t you lose a few Emeralds?”

“What makes you think he stole it?” Lil folded her arms and raised an eyebrow. “For all we know, Knuckles could’ve absent mindedly left it somewhere and Myzak here was going to return it…weren’t you?” Lil’s eyes pleaded with him.

“I didn’t steal it…” Myzak looked to the ground. “I found it in an abandoned buildin’ across town. I needed this emerald. I’m…sufferin’…” Myzak tried, but couldn’t return Lil’s glance.

Rouge rolled her eyes. “Well, that’s proof enough. Didn’t you report the missing Emeralds to the police, Knuckles?”

Knuckles nodded, but said nothing. Why didn’t they believe Myzak? The next words that would come from his mouth would be the tomcat’s fate.

“And wasn’t there more Emeralds in Myzak’s home?” Rouge studied her fingernails.

Lil gasped. “What???”

“You heard me.” Rouge eyed Lil. “I mean, I took the squad over to the tomcat’s residence and found the rest of the Emeralds. Here I thought I was the only one who liked jewelry.”

Myzak gasped. “I didn’t take them! I swear!”

“Well Knuckles, are you going to press charges?” Rouge glared at the echidna, which was reluctantly being pulled into a pool he didn’t want to join.

Knuckles walked up to his assistant teacher, who had been there when he needed him most, who had stood there in the rain with an umbrella, who had made him chicken soup when Knuckles had a cold. Myzak couldn’t have done it, but there was reputation involved. “Myzak,” Knuckles’ voice was unsure, “you’re fired.” And then, he walked away.

Lil’s eyes grew furious. “Hold up!” She hissed. “Do we still have the Emeralds?”

“Thanks to kitty here,” Rouge spat, “we lost them to Dr. Eggman.”

“It ain’t my fault,” Myzak protested, “I had another hallucination attack! I can’t focus when I’m having those!”

Lil backed up to the wall like Myzak was a monster infested with disease. “It’s happening.” She gasped. She fingered her radio. “Get that hedgehog in here.” She spoke into the mic. It was happening! Dr. Gerald Robotnik had foreseen this. Why now?

In came another officer with Sonic. “What is it, Lil?” Sonic asked.

“Time for both of you to redeem yourselves.” Lil walked over to Myzak and un-cuffed him. “Myzak lost the Emeralds to Dr. Eggman. Sonic, you disobeyed our primary laws to try and catch your long-lost enemy. Both of you are going to work together to catch Eggman in less than 3 days. If you succeed, Sonic can work for the police and have all the freedom he wants. Myzak can go free. See what I mean? Please, look out for each other!”

She hugged Myzak, and then she hugged Sonic. “Please, I beg you, find Eggman. If you don’t find him within the time limit, I have no choice but to arrest you.”