Sonic: Adventures of the Blue Blur

SEASON 2 [Episode 2] And They All Fall In: Part 2

Knuckles sat atop the Master Emerald, his eyes shut. He had been spending much more time meditating since he had taken the Chaotix under his wing. They were on the other side of the island, running, carrying heavy weights. Knuckles chuckled a little. Though he had been working them hard for the past couple years, they always met the challenge, no matter how difficult it was. Knuckles once again cleared his mind, so he could commune with the Master Emerald. In the 2 years of meditation, he was able to learn how to resonate with the Emerald, allowing to get glimpses of the past, as well as glimpses of far away happenings, in concert to locations of the Chaos Emeralds. He had even made contact with the spirit of Tikal, allowing him to commune with his ancestors again. He had taken a few more tribal cues with his appearance, with bands in his hair and a simple necklace he had fashioned himself.

Just then Vector came running out from the jungle nearby, panting, lugging a heavy belt around his waist. He collapsed to his knees in front of Knuckles, panting, interrupting the echidna's meditation.

"Hey b-boss," Vector gasped, "W-we got some news for you."

Charmy and Espio quickly followed, looking much less tired. They took positions next to Vector, standing at the ready. Vector picked himself up, collecting himself before he began to speak.

"We got a call on the radio," Vector produced his modified walkie, "Apparently Rouge is gonna be back in town soon."

Knuckles chuckled, "You guys just can't help yourselves can you? Still listening to encrypted transmissions from our friends at GUN, huh?" Knuckles hopped down off the Master Emerald's pedestal, walking towards the jungle, "I'm headed out for a while, don't wait up."

*** [REDACTED] Transport, Early Morning ***

Rouge sat in the back of a GUN air transport. The modified cargo plane had served as a sort of an unofficial base for the last few years, as the organization was running operations all over the world. She hadn't changed much, but now wore something more akin to a special forces uniform, consisting of a button up shirt and an armored jacket. She wore modified slacks with built in armor and padding. She still wore her signature boots, but they looked much more worn and the hearts were now a dark purple, likely to help with concealment. A heart shape pinned on her jacket caught a bit of the morning light as she stood in the back of the plane, looking out a window.

"Hey big guy, how much longer till we get back?" She asked, still looking out the window.

Omega, strapped down in the back of a large jeep in the middle of the hold, looked over to her, "By my calculations, our ETA is 2 hours." Omega turned back to looking at the cargo bay door. He remained largely unchanged, save for a few new dings and dents from combat.

"It's gonna be weird being back," she mused, "But I think I'm going to enjoy seeing everyone again. I wonder if everyone is back yet?"

"There is a 98 percent chance we are among the first to arrive back."

"It was a rhetorical question big guy," Rouge chuckled.

*** Downtown Central City, Noon ***

"Jeez, being back in the city sure is weird," Knuckles thought to himself. In the time he had been training with the Chaotix, he had sequestered himself to the island. The only interaction from outside the island was Vector's walkie talkie, which was modified to pick up large radio bandwiths, both encrypted and otherwise. As he walked across a park he could see a large sign for the GUN Headquarters looming in the distance. He slowly walked through throngs of people, making his way towards the office. As he approached he saw a large, hulking shape, accompanied by a much smaller shape emerge from the building. He quickened his pace, skillfully dodging people, moving like water through a stream. "Rouge!" He yelled, raising his gloved hand to make himself more visible. The smaller shape stopped and turned, revealing Rouge the Bat. She was carrying a large duffle bag, which she proceeded to drop. She hit a break-neck pace, almost knocking Knuckles over as she slammed into him in a big hug.

"Oh Knuckie I missed you!" Rouge squeezed him tight. Knuckles was stunned. He had honestly not expected such a warm welcome. He expected a pet name or two, he blushed, not even attempting to return the hug.

"I-I missed you too," He stuttered, "How's things?"

Rouge pulled away, keeping her hands on his shoulders, "Good, and I'm glad to be back." She shook him a bit as she said that, a wide grin on her face. She hadn't realized how much she missed anyone until she saw Knuckles. Being alone on missions with just Omega was fine, but it had made her appreciate her other friends a lot more. She paused a second looking Knuckles over, "You do something with your hair?"

"Y-yeah, something like that."

"Are we the first ones to get back?"

"Yeah I guess so."

"Well, I guess your calculations were correct big guy."

Unbeknownst to the trio, a small fly-like robot was flying about the scene. In a faraway location, the reunion was being displayed, the light from a large bank of monitors shining off the glasses of Eggman. He cackled loudly, "Yes you fools! Enjoy yourself while you can!"

NEXT TIME: Shadow and Amy return from their training in the unforgiving wilderness. How has this changed them, and will Eggman accidentally show his hand early? Find out in Part 3.