A/N: Apologies for the lack of updates! Currently trying to finish this semester of college; 24 more days to go! Then updates should be frequent again. For now, this is on hold. So sorry. =( Fortunately though, I can still hand you all another chapter. I actually finished it awhile ago, it just needed some revision. Hooray!

Bang. Bang. BANG.

The Voice cursed. This wasn't supposed to happen. He hadn't followed the directions of the Arabic writing just to trade one holding cell for another. Someone knew about him. He wondered what mortal would be intelligent enough, but he brushed it aside. If he could just escape this… maybe break the glass. But while the glass made sound, it clearly was being dealt no damage. Nothing the Voice could do would shatter the glass. But oh, if only he were set free…

He should have known it was too good to be true. How could he have been such a fool? He looked around. Dark. Quiet. Part of him was grateful for not having to deal with Shadow, but resentment strongly remained. Without Shadow, he was nothing. Nothing but a Voice…

Less than that. He couldn't be heard now by anyone. He couldn't be seen. Shadow had zipped right past him. For a moment there had been some hope. For a moment, Shadow seemed to have seen him… But no. Shadow had kept going. If he had been seen, Shadow clearly didn't think he was worth stopping for. He'd been too busy searching for psychotic Sarah.

Sarah, Sarah. How he'd had high hopes… But he could see right through her. She was no better than the others now. Poor, pathetic Sarah…

The Voice shuffled down the hall. It seemed there was nothing to do. A mirror was his prison. A cold, lifeless mirror. Was he to be stuck here forever? There seemed a possibility. The mortal who'd had him captured might want something with him, but then why had he not yet appeared? It'd been half a day since his capture. By now, everyone must have gone home. He could see very dim light beaming through the windows. It was morning in Kingdom Valley… A storm was rolling in. It would be there at any moment. The Voice would welcome a disturbance to this maddening silence. What a horrid trick! All he wanted was his freedom…

It was cruelty to offer it and then snatch it away! Shadow wouldn't likely be back to get him, either. He didn't like him at all. He was probably relieved to be free of a burden.

The Voice swallowed, and then clenching a fist, shut his eyes. He would escape this prison, somehow. He wouldn't be forgotten.

He wouldn't forget.

Lightning struck outside, sending a bright flash down the hall. The Voice passively thought of a song to sing, only hoping to pass the time. Thunder boomed, echoing his heart song. Ich bin die stime aus dem kissen. Ich singe bis… Suddenly, a sob caught his ears. He stopped, listening.

The sobbing continued brokenly. Heart-wrenchingly. It seemed like the cry of a ghost in the night. The weeping of the dead. However, the Voice realized he could feel someone near. This was a living soul, that of a female. The Voice wandered toward the sound, unable to leave the mirror but still doing the best that he could. He figured that the girl was on the other side of the glass; not someone he could reach. But in the least, maybe he'd find something to be entertained by for a few moments.

To his utter dismay, he found he was quite close to the crying, but he could see no one. No one at all. It did not seem possible the weeping girl could be anywhere but right in front of him; the sound was too near. Too loud. He glanced around him, a bit puzzled, then happened to look up.

It then hit him. This mirror curved. It rose from the ground to form a wall, then bent down and around to form another, opposite. It was an arch. Could it be that there was someone else on the other side? The Voice smiled devilishly. This was perfect. All too perfect. With a stroke of his wings, he clamored up to the top of the slope, a thin space between it and the ceiling. He squeezed through, pausing and looking down on the soul he could now see.

A familiar cape was draped over her as she desperately covered her ears and sobbed. She had curled herself up as tightly as she could. The Voice knew her form. His expression changed upon recognition, shifting to a deep frown. He slid down the mirror, landing next to her. She did not even look up. Another crash of thunder boomed through the mansion, vibrating through the mirror walls. She let out a terrified cry and continued to weep. The Voice slipped her hood back to see her face. She looked up, fearfully, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Sarah, poor Sarah…" The Voice glowered down at her.

Meanwhile, Rouge the bat looked at her best friend in dismay. His blast had temporarily cleared the mist. The moon shone down on them with its clear silver light. "Go back? Shadow, what about these creatures?"

"I know we agreed this is priority, but I'm starting to think the opposite. Something was weird about that mansion, and I think there's a connection." Shadow said.

Rouge frowned. "About the mansion… not Sarah?"

Shadow nodded. "Unless Sarah knows about this, it's not her I'd be after right now. Though it seems perfectly plausible that she would know something."

"How do you figure that?"

"She disappeared early on, then I was attacked by a machine in a hidden laboratory… I don't know, being that we couldn't find her, it just seems suspicious, like maybe she knew something about the place."

"Shadow, I see a little of what you mean, but her disappearance… Well, I was thinking about it, and what if maybe she fell into something too?"

Shadow looked up at Rouge. "Fell?"

"You fell through a trap door to get to the laboratory, right? What if something like that happened to her and we overlooked the door?" Rouge felt torn and stressed, shaking her head. "We don't really have time to go back with these creatures, but I'm saying, what if she's trapped somewhere, and hurt? …Shadow, is there something you're not telling me?" She tilted her head at the black and red hedgehog.

"…Like I said. She's dangerous, like me. There are stories about her I wouldn't repeat… She's a psychopath."

Rouge slowly nodded, but remembered Sarah's timid gaze when they had shook hands. "She didn't seem that way, though." The white bat said quietly.

Shadow lowered his head, frowning deeply. "I know…" She seemed different…

"You thought she left the mansion, right?" Rouge asked.

"Yes?" Shadow looked up, wondering what she was getting at now.

"And you also thought she was the one who had been powering the machine, right."

"I suppose I implied that."

"Then why would we need to go back if she's not there?"

Shadow shut his eyes. "Either we go back, or we need to find a Chaos Emerald. That… It-" Shadow gestured to the fallen butterfly mutant, "…was bulletproof! And withstood our attacks better than most machines would. If it's that strong, we have a grave problem on our hands. Imagine other creatures like that, with stronger powers like the lion, Orrin had. That butterfly's power was weak in comparison to what some people are capable of… Or maybe just weak in general."

Rouge looked down. "Point taken. Even when I managed to fire a bullet inside its mouth, it kept going like a mad elephant or something… Your chaos attack is what really worked."

"I suppose I'm just concerned… Thea and Orrin weren't bulletproof. If this butterfly was, what if someone was trying to genetically engineer invincibility?" Shadow stepped toward the creature, looking at its name band.

'Mellanie.'

Rouge tried not to shudder at the thought. "If they managed bullet proof skin and an ability to withstand your spin dash… Could anything be possible?"

Shadow took a moment of silence, then glanced at his partner.

"Anything."

The solid black hedgehog stared up at the white, winged tenrec towering over her. "W-who are you?" Sarah tried to demand the answer, but her voice squeaked.

"What are you doing here?" The Voice pushed her question aside. His face remained void of the pleasure he felt at being able to directly speak to someone else. He could touch this girl. She could see him. This would be more fun than he'd had in many years.

The cold tone he used sent her fumbling for an answer despite her dismay at having been asked. "I-I fell… here…"

"You fell." The Voice repeated, his icy blue irises drilling into violet ones. "How did you fall?"

"I just did, okay?!" She drew back from him.

It was an old game. Too old. How he missed the sound of horrified screams, yet… it was time to change the game. Liven it up a bit and do something a little different. He'd done it with Shadow, long, long ago. Shadow had been his first time trying to interact with a mortal for more than a short while. Maybe he'd do the same with this girl, since he'd never tried it with a female before. He could stick around her, mess with her fragile mind, and confuse her so much that she'd actually come running to him for help. It was such a fun game… and due to his ability to be seen by her, and touch her, he could actually play it as he liked…

She glared. "You didn't answer me anyway! Who are y-" Another clash of thunder shook her. She covered her ears, whimpering.

The Voice paused. His hand twitched. After a few seconds, he moved closer to her, wrapping her in a comforting embrace. "…It's alright…" He said gently, his gaze softening. "It's just thunder. It can't hurt you…"

"I-it hurts my ears…" She said, hesitant of uncovering them. She seemed uncomfortable, but as thunder clashed again, she hid her face in the Voice's snowy white quills and fur. He tensed a bit, uncomfortable himself, but began to caress her anyway. He didn't know if it was the right reaction. He truly didn't know how to interact with mortals; not kindly. But he continued when she did not object. She seemed a bit more comfortable, though hopelessly inconsolable over the thunder. The Voice did not want to admit it but…

He felt pity for her.

"So we don't know where any are?" Rouge carried Shadow through the air, just trying to navigate to a familiar area. The thick fog stretched for miles, aside from the small area where Shadow had cleared it. Above the fog, things were more clear, but the fog blanketed the ground like snow.

"I can't think of any."

"Are you sure?"

"Ye-" Shadow paused. "Wait, Sonic has a yellow one!"

"Sonic does? You know, this is supposed to be top secret and all…" Rouge said thoughtfully, "…but maybe we could use his help."

"No, that would be a last resort. This is our mission and it's best not to involve anyone who doesn't need to be. Besides, if my attacks without chaos were worthless, what will his do?"

Rouge sighed. He had a point. Again. "Well, next stop, Tails' Workshop!" She nodded to herself. "Agh, when does this fog end?"

"I'd guess another mile." Shadow was glad no one was there to see he was being carried anywhere.

The bat beat her wings harder against the air.

The trip back over to the Mystic Ruins took longer than either of them would have hoped. The ultimate life form had been placed back on the ground, and the bat had once again found a resting place in her best friend's arms. She sighed tiredly, softly as the workshop came into sight and Shadow skidded to a halt. He set her on her feet, then approached Tails' front door.

KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK.

Rouge was startled by force of Shadow's pounding. Then again, it was an urgent situation. She stood by patiently, waiting for the door to open.

A weary kitsune came to the door, dressed still in nightclothes and a nightcap and looking at the two unexpected visitors with sleepy eyes. "Shadow…? Rouge?"

"I'm sorry to wake you at this hour, Miles. But this is important."

"I'd guess so." The nine year old mumbled. "It's 3 AM. What's the problem?" He rubbed his eyes, trying to wake up faster.

Shadow put a hand on his shoulder. "You don't have to do anything. We just need to know where Sonic is."

"Sonic?" The kit looked at Shadow, puzzled. "If you need Sonic, you'll need me, right?" His ears perked a bit.

"Sorry, Miles, but we just need his chaos emerald. For government business." Shadow almost felt bad to reject his help.

Tails seemed more understanding. "Oh, I see." He nodded, accepting that he wasn't needed. "I'm sorry I don't have that fake emerald still, or I'd give you that. Sonic did stop by after the dinner party, and we talked for awhile. He said he was going to explore that infamous weird house. You know, since he was curious."

"What house?" Shadow asked. Rouge looked blank.

"The Winchester Mystery House. You know, with the stairs and doors that lead nowhere and all?" Tails seemed surprised as neither gave any indication of knowing what he was referring to. "You've never heard of it? It's one of the most talked about places this time of year, last I checked."

Shadow shook his head. "Did Sonic say he'd be there awhile?"

The kit smiled and gave a nod. "Run real quick, and you can catch him! He said he was going to spend the night to see if any ghosts would pop up. He doesn't believe in ghosts, so he's trying to test the supernatural."

"Would you by any chance have directions?"

I wish we could leave here. I wonder if he can't get out either. Sarah thought, taking in the comfort of an embrace to ease her terror of the booming sound outside.

There's always a way to leave.

Sarah froze.

Confinement is torture, but even under the tightest lock and key you always have freedom in your mind. Being in a bad spot can always be made better.

"…Am I crazy? I just heard you in my head."

He smiled at her a bit slyly. I know.

…This is… interesting. Sarah stared at him a bit. But, anyway, I think you're right…

Of course I am.

Sarah looked around her. Darkness. The mirror. Since the Voice seemed nice enough, she hugged him a bit tighter, afraid of the endless black leading away from the mirror. She was lightly quivering. He didn't release her, his utter discomfort slowly ebbing away into neutrality.

Curiosity filled the Voice to the brim and he wondered what had happened to her. She'd been a psychopath, and now she was full of terror and nervousness.

I'm glad not to be alone. S-sorry for being all… She released him, feeling embarrassed at hugging a practical stranger so much.

It's alright. He was almost disappointed as she let go. Then, the Voice realized something. Wait, was he…?!

He wasn't really going soft for this girl, was he? He'd never hugged anyone before.

A/N: Betcha didn't see that coming! Stay tuned…