Knuckles and Rouge

2 - A Glimmer of Hope

Rouge stood there, mouth agape, only to feel an enraged rodent tackle her to the ground.

"YOU! Do you realized how much suffering you've caused on the Island? The Emerald! What'd you do with it? Tell me now before I MAKE you!"

As she's pinned down, she could only stammer for a moment before answering. "Look, you took care of my little distraction, so all's well that ends well as far as that goes. I didn't take that beautiful giant gemstone, either. I never got the pleasure..."

The flirtatious look she finished that sentence with only seemed to set Knuckles off further.

"I'll..." He was cut off by an inevitable rumbling sound. Stopping to brace himself, he prepared for the Floating Island to stop living up to its namesake.

At least it wasn't over a major city...

Once the oceanic landing was complete, he swept his eyes over the now empty pedestal for the first time, profound depression and sadness overcoming him.

He pounded the ground as the tears seemed to fall without end.

I've failed my ancestors...

The bat-girl's ears drooped just a little. She might not have quite understood his obsession with the Emerald (he didn't seem like the accessorizing type), but even she could understand feelings of failure to some extent.

She never wanted to relive the memories that brought on those feelings...

She attempted to put a hand on his shoulder, only to be shrugged off. "Get lost... Haven't you done enough?!"

"Fine," she pouted in response, turning to leave, but as she did, an idea came to her. She took out her phone and dialed a particular number as she walked.

Tails did owe her a favor or two, after all...

---

The Guardian of the Master Emerald continued to stare blankly at the empty pedestal even as the sun rose in the vain hope that it as well as his own life would have their purposes fulfilled by the diamond again.

The familiar hum of a certain biplane barely managed to break him out of his stupor.

Tails.

"Hey, Knuckles! What's going on?" The friendly tone of the orange two-tailed fox would dissipate as he noticed the missing item.

"Hold on. I'm coming in for a landing."

He landed the machine and got a good look at the situation.

The warrior hadn't returned the greeting, instead letting his desheveled posture and lack of response speak for him.

"Knuckles?" It took Tails until he was in front of his friend before he got to look him in the eyes.

"What happened?" Concern laced the young boy's tone. "I mean, Rouge told me her side of the story, but she hasn't exactly proven to be...trustworthy in the past..."

Rouge heard this loud and clear "Hey!"

"You know it's true," the red rodent answered weakly completely with a watered-down glare.

Looking at him a little closer now, Rouge felt perplexed at how lost he looked. Every time the jewel had been taken (or that time where he'd shattered it himself), he'd shown nothing less than a dogged determination to get it back. Of course, it was because of this that the two treasure hunters were in constant conflict, though the bat-girl would be lying if she said she didn't respect it (secretly, of course).

"Whoa!" Tails got the other two anthros' attention.

"What?" The fox's ensuing techno-babble went right over the echidna's head, but he'd known Sonic's brother figure long enough to trust him with things like this.

He was looking at his yellow tablet, the Miles Electric, which seemed to be locking onto a signal. That was about as far as he could tell.

"I've got a lock on the Master Emerald's energy signature. It seems to be coming from...a completely separate dimension. Fascinating..."

"Tails..."

"Sorry. Um, anyway, you can't sense it now, can you?"

He shook his head. He felt so empty without the familiar spiritual link.

The fox ran to his biplane again. "Well then, it's a good thing I brought this along..."

Taking out a small device and placing it on the ground, he watched it open up.

"Lady and Gentleman, I present to you the 'Miles Dimensional Transporter'!"

"Okay..." Knuckles was still stumped, but there was a spark of genuine hope in his eyes now.

Meanwhile, Rouge chuckled to herself. That fox and his toys...

I tuned it to the latest frequency the Emerald emitted. I'll go ahead and get Sonic so we can go—"

"Thanks, but no thanks, Tails. No offense, but this is my duty. I'd rather not get him involved in this."

The young boy shrugged, knowing how pointless it would be to try to change the stubborn teen's mind on this.

"Suit yourself. Hold on..." He went back to the plane and dug out a much smaller device this time.

Knuckles looked at the gadget now in his own gloved hand. "A communicator?"

"Yup. Put it in your ear so we can keep in touch."

He did so and began to walk toward the awaiting portal only for Rouge to stop him.

"Hold on there, Red. I'm coming with you."

He only glared at her in response.

Her response was nonchalant. "Hey, alone, you might just fall into a hole or something while you do your little 'smashy-smashy' thing. You're gonna need backup."

"No way! How do I know you're not going to just take it and run after we find it?"

"You don't, but what's life without a little danger," Her mischievous smirk annoyed him. "Besides, what would I do with the Emerald in another dimension? Sell it?"

The echidna's fists balled up instinctively, but he didn't protest further. He knew he needed the help.

He gritted his teeth. "Just don't get in my way."

Tails got out another copy of the communicator for the avian, who blew him a "thank-you" kiss as she followed her reluctant teammate through the portal.

The boy made a mental note to himself as he cringed in the aftermath.

Never deal with Rouge the Bat when Shadow the Hedgehog isn't present...