Chapter 4:
"Can't we just bust through the main doors?" Knuckles whined as he watched his younger companion skillfully unscrew the air vent in order to get inside. Nudging his foot against the Echidna's chest, he silently commanded him to move sidewards so he could work on the other set.
"There's only two of us. We won't make it past the front desk!" Tails answered distracted, giving a noise of delight as the obstacle came loose from its bindings. "Now, quiet. We are in enemy territory, remember," he reminded his friend as he was lifted into the maze of vents. Without prompting, he turned away, offering out his hand to try and pull the Echidna up.
Grumbling, he accepted the small fox's help and came tumbling in afterwards, having to move on his belly due to the small size. "Where are we heading anyway, Tails?"
"Down… Deep down into the lower levels… My scanner is showing me through the data that humans are using one of the emeralds as a power source. We take that one first and this place goes dark long enough that we can take the second emerald and get out of here," Tails explained.
A faint and weak wave of energy reached Knuckles, the feeling of being in a tight and cramped space made his fur stand on edge, and his skin prickled with goosebumps. His chest felt tight and his airways constricted as he moved along the ventilation system. What was going on?
He stopped for a second as a partially bad wave passed over him. He closed his eyes, focusing on its frequency. There was something just on the edge of his senses. Something that he couldn't quite distinguish… Oh, wait!
Da, da-dump, da, da-dump.
"Tails… That signal. Is the pattern similar to that of a heartbeat?" Knuckles asked as the feeling got stronger. It echoed in his ears, clearer than before. His senses tingle in anticipation for his younger companion's answer.
"Umm… Maybe it's just the air vent you're hearing, Knuckles...?" Tails stated unsurely looking at his device and crunching through the numbers. "They seem quite old; at least a decade. It's a large facility, they probably can't replace all the air ducts very frequently," He enlightened, consulting his device. "We're making a left turn up ahead. Then we got a straight shot down to the generator that they got the emerald hooked up too…" He tailed off.
Tails turned, confused, as he didn't get a reply, nor could he hear the soft thumbs that Knuckles made as he moved. He turned to see his friend a fair distance behind, breathing heavily as his right hand had come up to his chest. The air had gone from bearable to suffocating for the red Echidna.
Tails began to panic as he crawled back to Knuckles and turned around once more wrapping his namesakes around the echidna, confused and worried for his friend. 'Knuckles never had this problem before. Even when he was treasure hunting and digging, he was never claustrophobic….
Could it be from the metal? From the bunker to these vents, he's had high exposure to it,' Tails thought as he dragged the red one behind him to the left duct and looked down. He winced. It was a bit of a drop.
"Knuckles, we're going to drop down the duct and, hopefully, find somewhere you can get your breath back," Tails stated aloud. He studied the Echidna's face, watching closely for any reply. A twitch of a finger? A small nod? Nothing came.
Taking a deep breath, he monuerved them over so that their feet dangled over the hole. "Ready?" Tails asked, not really knowing if he was talking to Knuckles or himself. Without a reply, he changed tactics. "Okay, on three," he continued, "one. Two. Three!" Just then, he pushed Knuckles forward as they both went hurtling down the hole.
Down they went, with Knuckles hitting and breaking the vent guard before landing in a tree, scaring away some of the squirrels and rabbits. Tails followed with a cry of surprise. As soon as he was out of the shoot, he quickly slowed down his momentum as he extended his namesakes, spinning them rapidly.
His eyes widened as he took in his surroundings, finding himself to be over some kind of Oasis. Plants, rivers, trees, and animals lay below him, expanding across the entire floor in a kind of funhouse. Momentarily, he wondered if he was back outside, but knew they had fallen below the ground's surface.
"Woah," he breathed out, memorised by the sight, however, it didn't last long as a groan below him stole his attention. Wincing, he looked down to see Knuckles was stuck. Whoops.
"Knuckles…!" Tails shouted at the Echidna, who was tangled within a few branches of a wild tree. He lowered down, offering a hand to his companion. "Are you okay?" All he got was a moan as he pulled as hard as he could to free him from the tree's persistent grasp.
SNAP!
"GAH!" Twin screams echoed through the terrain as Knuckles' weight became too much, causing the flimsy branches supporting him to give way. Tails grunted as he took on their combined weight, but gravity quickly came too much for him as the pair plummeted to the ground. The crash that occurred caused a flock of birds to flock towards safety, fleeing the area and out of sight of the newcomers.
"Ow!" Tails moaned, sitting up from his position on Kunckles' chest. He cradled his left hand as he felt it throb from the strain. A low grunt came from below him, making him jump. "S-sorry!" The kit stumbled out an apology, blushing in embarrassment as he climbed off his friend.
"Ugh," Knuckles groaned, sitting up to look around. "What?" He gasped, climbing to his feet. "Tails, where on Mobius are we?" Was this an illusion? They were back outside.
"We're not on Mobius anymore, remember? It's under the base..." Tails informed as he consulted his miles-electric, taking the lead as he followed the blinking dot. The source was so close!
"Where is that emerald, Tails? This place is giving me the creeps," Knuckles started with a suppressed shiver. This place felt too positive. Too peaceful. There was not natural destruction or loss of life. In fact, it seemed to be thriving in this environment. This felt more like someone kept this place in perfect condition, and refused to let in any chaos that would naturally bring this place to perfect balance. A tranquillity amongst the Chaos of the levels above. What exactly were the human's doing?
"Over there… But… Knuckles… I don't understand! How can it have similar readings to that of the Master Emerald…" Tails started pointing towards the centre of the floor where a structure was. It looked much like a generator, but something was off about it. There was something just sitting beside it. Something that caught and reflected the artificial lights above.
"Let's find out, Tails," Knuckles encouraged, placing a hand on his shoulder and leading them onwards. He was glad the discomfort had dulled to a bearable throb, although he could still feel the echo of pain in his chest. The feeling of being trapped. Oh, how he wanted to hurry and get back outside once more. Away from this place and those stupid vents. He hated the thought he had to transverse back through them…
Once, they had found a way to get back up there, that is.
Too distracted by his thoughts, he didn't notice the protruding tree branch until his foot got snagged on it, causing him to stumble forward. Tails yelped as his back was slammed into, but a firm grip on his forearms steadied him. Looking up to his taller companion, the worry from earlier returned, his big blue eyes searching the red furries features for any signs of whatever had happened earlier. There were none he could find. He frowned. "Are you sure you're okay, Knux?"
A roll of the Ekinda's eyes was his answer as he lightly pushed the younger one forwards. Huffing, he turned back and saw that they were coming to an opening of the canopy. The trees grew fewer until they were standing on the edge of a wide, open space.
Within this area, an altar made of marble stone stood in the middle, encased in a thick glass-like cube. Upon this altar was a bed-like structure with wires coming from it, like a complex spider web of cables and machines. They snaked up into large tubes that were brought together by the massive generator hanging above their heads.
Knuckles narrowed his eyes and tapped a wire close to him, feeling glass under his gloved hands. His skin buzzed under the touch, almost like the substance instantly had warmed the spot where he made contact with it. "Tails, is there any of those weird machines around here?"
"Er, I don't think that's the right question…" His voice was off, causing Knuckles to turn and focus on what Tails had found. He stiffened, a feeling of dread overwhelming him as he saw something on the bed he had missed.
Or, rather, someone.
Emerald green eyes stared back at them, watching them with a wary surprise. His fur was covered in dirt and dried blood, making it harder to see the natural royal blue underneath, that once shined under the light. His arms were peach-colored from what Knuckles could see, but there were so many wires in the fur he was unsure if the hedgehog was living off the generator… Or the generator was powered by the hedgehog.
As Knuckles stared at the weak creature, his dread quickly made way to blind fury. At Eggman, for bringing them here. At the humans, for taking what wasn't theirs. Taking advantage of an innocent mobian, lost in this new world and forced to face the inhabitants, alone. He couldn't imagine how scared he must have been. How lonely he must feel. This wasn't right, and he would make them pay for what they had done.
"Tails," Knuckles growled lowly in justified rage, cracking his namesakes. The small kit looked up, feeling very lost and confused about the situation. No creature, no matter how bad, deserved to be treated in such away. This was an abuse of the highest calibre. Ripping the very life force out of an individual, especially when there seemed little-to-nothing left of them. How long had he been here, enduring this pain and suffering?
This had to end. Now.
"Let's crack this case wide open," he smirked before drawing his fist back.
The sound of thousands of tiny glass shards littering the ground echoed throughout the complex.
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The strong smell of ammonia hit his nostrils, making them flare and putting him on high alert. Crimson eyes snapped open, his body already coming up to sitting position. He looked around, finding himself in a tube-like structure, positioned within the middle of a sort-of control room. Multiple screens displayed in front of him, showing live footage of the war that raged outside, between the idiotic GUN members and the madman's machines.
"Surprising, isn't it? How little they learn. Messing with fire gets them burnt," a voice to his left commented, amusement lacing his tone. Shadow's gaze snapped over to see an overweight man, donned in a red long split-tailed coat, black trousers, and boots. His arms were crossed, staring at the screen even though he felt Shadow's eyes burning hole's on the side of his skull.
"I wouldn't try breaking that if I were you. It absorbs the energy you give out, and you don't have the Little One to save you from the drain. Oh, by the way, how is that little blue hedgehog, Shadow?" A smug smirk was sent his way, one that said he knew the same secret as the receiver.
Shadow just glared not answering as the sound of metal came over to Kintobor. "Hello there, Prototype: Metal. You're not burning out your power core, are you? I rather not have to take off that 'skin' to replace it... Again. You're so delicate, I don't want to accidentally break you," Kintobor quipped to a short being lurking in the shadows of the control room. A huff of cool air came from its direction, but the creature stayed quiet otherwise.
Shadow narrowed his eyes as one of the screens displayed various security cameras from the GUN base, including his cell. "You've been watching us," he muttered in shock, fists tightening at the invasion of privacy. That aspect was already compromised by GUN, but knowing someone else had been watching his every move made him angry.
He knew.
The madman knew exactly what was going on in that base, yet hadn't done anything about it? His fists turned a shade lighter as he clenched them so hard his knuckles started to hurt.
"Naturally," the man hummed in agreement. "It is a visionary's job to spy on the competition. It would be very careless of me to abandon rare specimens, such as yourselves, to a bunch of neglectful imbeciles. We both know he can't last long if things continue as they are."
Shadow's heart clenched at these words. The man's sombre tone was oddly sincere as if he saw what others didn't. He knew his brother's body was failing him. The amount of energy they stole from him couldn't be replaced quickly enough. The imbalance was slowly poisoning his body. Every time he saw his little brother, the child looked sicker than before.
"I have a … ah, as you say; arrangement, in mind, that is beneficial for both of us," Kintobor started, hiding his smirk as he stared at the screen. Shadow's gaze turned suspicious, suddenly wary of his next words. It sounded too close to what the former Commander had said before he started to manipulate him.
He glanced down and relief filled him when the communicator was gone. Good, he could speak freely. "What is your goal here? What do you want?" Shadow doubted he wanted his Chaos Energy The man already had an all-powerful army/robots and both of their emeralds to boot.
The man tutted. "Don't give me that look, Shadow. Betraying you is the last thing I want to do, especially now that we have similar goals. Mine, the Chaos Emeralds. And you? You're brother's safety. Imagine what we can do, together…. My genius and your abilities, we could be unstoppable. GUN will tremble at our feet as we crush the organisation."
A frown spread across Shadow's muzzle. A personal vendetta? With GUN? But why? "What happened?"
Kintobor grimace. "They took something important from me, and I'll like it back!" An emotion, of what others called, empathy, went out to this man, who also lost something close to him because of GUN. Unfortunately, the moment ended there, with the sudden shout of: "KNUCKLES!" causing the red and black hedgehog to cringe.
His eyes strayed to the camera that was supposed to show his little brother inside of his gilded cage. All there was were hanging and fritzing wires with an empty bed. Crimson orbs rapidly searched for that stunning blue, until he saw a red form carrying the limp hedgehog, while a small yellow fox kept a lookout for any agents coming their way.
His heart constricted painfully as they moved, a mixture of anticipation and stress filling his heart. Finally, his little brother was free, but not in the way he had expected. Not by his hands. Instead, he was being carted away by these strange creatures, and he couldn't do anything to stop it. To make sure he's safe!
Just then, the wailing noise sounded, soon filled with a mixture of orange and red light of the intruder alarm as GUN soldiers flooded the stairways and corridors. The intruders in the frame froze, sending panicked looks at each other, before glancing around nervously for any guards.
"What!" The taller male bellowed in disbelief, fist coming down to bang against his desk. "Those pesky rodents! One day, I am going to…!" He never got to finish as he was, once again, stunned into silence as the far-away trio got swarmed.
'Brother!' Shadow thought, giving the glass a powerful punch in worry and rage. Whoever these people are, they have made a huge mistake! And his brother was going to pay the price! He pounded against his prison harder, wanting more than anything to rush over to the GUN base, Chaos Blast those soldiers away and cradle his baby brother in his arms. But he couldn't. And it hurt more than anything he had ever known.
Before they could register what was going on, a thick kaleidoscope of colours sparked from the guns and flowed towards the blue hedgehog. It gathered around his form, weaving around his arms and legs, waiting for instruction like an obedient pet. A deep cry of distress rippled through his form, making him nearly wriggle out of the pairs' arms. Suddenly, there was a shockwave rippling through the base, blowing each agent off their feet and causing some humans even to crash into another person or object behind them. The electronics sparked wildly, shocking the agents before all of the cameras went dead.
As it cut off, Shadow slumped forward, staring in horror at the screen. No! He couldn't have used that ability, surely? Not without him there to heal him. It was bad last time, and that was on a much smaller scale. 'He must have Surged throughout the entire base!' Shadow thought, smacking the glass with his fist. The impact created a thin spider webbing beneath his fist that started to slowly crack, getting bigger by the seconds.
Alert, he watched the stranger warily, who typed furiously on his keyboard, cursing loudly at his monitors. He needn't have bothered. The other male seemed too engrossed in dealing with the disablement of his cameras to notice.
Red energy built up around his body as two gold rings popped off his wrists, the sound of metal hitting its replica a loud 'ting' in his ears. The energy seemed to flow from Shadow's body and it was, suddenly, 'sucked' downwards, almost absorbing through the floor of the capsule. It was as if someone had turned on a powerful fan, that was built into the floor, that was pulling him down, almost painfully so.
He cursed.
No. He was so close to escaping!
Even as his eyes started to close, he weakly pushed against the glass to no avail. He couldn't give up. Not now. His … his little brother needed him. He couldn't let him be taken away, not again. Not like this…
"I warned you," a taunting voice came from in front of him, accompanied by heavy footsteps. "Now, my dear Shadow, you must pay the price." It was distorted, hard to tell if it was real or a flashback. He guessed it didn't really matter, not when he had failed to keep his little brother safe. Maybe he deserved to be alone...
'I'm sorry…' Was his last thought as he passed out, drained of all his energy.
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"Holy Chaos…" Knuckles muttered in astonishment, mouth hanging open as he cradled the dead weight of an unconscious blue hedgehog hanging limp from his arms. The boy was so small and light that he had no trouble taking on the supposed child's weight, even if he didn't have his superior strength. The boy was extremely thin, a feather against his superior strength. He wondered when the kid had last eaten; it must have been at least a week! Small gasps of breath tickled his ears and neck, reminding him the kid was still alive, if only barely.
Tails hands had dropped, staring wide at his miles-electric, which had been knocked out of his prided tool belt by the blast. Groans and moans sounded around them, the GUN soldiers clutching their ears and hands in pain from where they had been shocked or burned. Most likely a feedback loop through a controlled E.M.P... But, where did he get the power to do it from?
"How did he…" Tails voice was small, barely audible, as he cradled his beloved device to his chest. The screen was fried, forcing him to see nothing but the black screen of death. Not even a flicker of colour. He bit his lip, promising himself to fix it later as he turned away from the glass shards scattered across the grass and the first few steps of the altar.
Just then, what looked to be high powered sprinklers rose from the ground and activated. The pair gave out a noise of surprise as their shoes, socks and lower feet were soaked as they got sprayed. Tails, being the shorter of the two, groaned, wondering how this day could get any worse before shaking himself from his thoughts.
No matter how bizarre this base was, or how many obstacles are thrown in their way, they still had a job to do. But, without his electric to guide him, going to look for the Emerald would be akin to playing a city-wide hide and seek. Without assistance, it was near to impossible, even with Knuckles sensitivity to Chaos Energy signatures. Regardless, at least they could save someone's life if they successfully pulled this off.
That left the only thing they could do: retreat, and pray that they are not followed. Looking around for an exit, he was shocked to find that they were all a fair distance away. He cleared his throat before turning to Knuckles. "The E.M.P blast won't keep them down for long. We've got to get back up before they start to recover and get the backup generator online," he informed, before leading the way to, what he hoped, was the nearest exit. "Knuckles, this way!" He exclaimed over his shoulder, running as fast as he can to get away from the soldiers and the, increasingly, soggy ground.
The red furry quickly adjusted his burden, making sure he was cradled protectively within his arms before running after the fox kit.
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They traversed through forest-like terrain, using bushes and trees as cover. The pain from the feedback seemed to have calmed down for GUN members to begin a search, although they had been smart enough to ditch their communicators in case the incident occurred again. Looking at the hedgehog though, the duo doubted he could do anything like that again any time soon. "So, how do we get out? The lifts are down, and the stairs should be a last resort, considering that's the most obvious escape route. We can't go the way we came, either…." Tail reasoned, biting his lip. He turned to Knuckles. "Any ideas?"
"How about the old-fashioned way, with running like mad to the exit and pummeling anyone who gets in our way?" He held up his namesakes as best as he could, careful not to jostle his burden too much as he did so.
Tails gaped. He almost yelled before he took a deep breath, his eye twitching. Instead, he whispered; "are you crazy? There are two of us! And one of us has to carry him," he gestured towards the hedgehog within Knuckles' arms, who hadn't moved for a solid twenty minutes. He hoped the older male was okay.
"Okay, then we dig. We can head down until we hit a river or sewage system," Knuckles suggested, his experience as a treasure hunter coming to the forefront. "There's water, right? It must be coming in from somewhere, possibly underground."
"Okay. Water. Easier to move an unconscious hedgehog around. You might have to bust a grate or two though," Tails responded. "I doubt they'll be able to follow us."
"I rather swim as well. This land doesn't go very deep and it feels like a thick stone barrier is under us, possibly concrete," Knuckles informed, poking at the foliage with his foot. The soaked earth moved easily, allowing him to see a glint of grey beneath the dirt. Gently, he lowered the limp form on the flattest part of a nearby rock.
Tails went over, checking the unconscious male to ensure he was alright, while Knuckles started digging. He started with his vitals, doing his best without the aid of technology before looking over his body for any wounds. He didn't find one.
Not a single nick from a wire or superficial scratch.
He was gasped. Not only did he survive with having his Chaos Energy continually sucked out of him (a process that would kill a regular Mobian), but it hadn't done any lasting damage for as far as he could see. Not only that, but he looked like the only nourishment he got was from an IV wedge into his thin wrist, but his messy quills were clipped short, leaving him defenceless from the cold breeze regulated frequently throughout the place. He could only imagine what type of hell he had experienced down here, trapped and at the mercy of his captors.
For every new bit he examined, he grew more curious. The questions seemed to be building.
Who was he? How did he get here? Did he come alone? What happened to him? Did GUN know what they were doing to him? If so, was it intentional?
The list went on. His mind itched to ask them, but knew he wouldn't get any answers, possibly for a while from now… And that's if he was lucky. Recovery from such an event could take days to years to complete, depending on what they had done. Even if he wasn't hurt on the surface, who knows what kind of damage could be done internally. It was hard to tell when he wasn't even awake.
"Knuckles… I think we should have one of our Emeralds near Blue here, until he wakes up, even when we are back at the base. His Chaos Energy must be extremely low," Tails called out, deciding to use a nickname of the hedgehog's fur colour instead of just calling him his species' name. "How's the digging going?"
"Very thick, and it's going to take too long. We're definitely taking the river out of here. We just need to find it," Knuckles stated to the kitsune. "Keep a lookout. It'll be bad if we get spotted." The latter nodded with a hum, trying to look around for any signs of trouble, but it was hard when the bushes were mostly taller than his short stature. He pouted, wondering when he would finally have a growth spurt. Sure, he was young and was still growing, but it sometimes irked him.
"Knuckles, stop digging!" He hissed, hearing someone approach them. Tails crouched, pulling himself closer to the bush they were hiding behind and held his breath. The shuffle of dirt stopped, the Echidna using the hole as cover as a head peered over their hiding spot. "Stupid rabbits," a voice scoffed with a shake of his head before scurrying away.
The red-furred creature reappeared, eyes wide as he shot Tails a look. The latter hung his head, thankful they hadn't been seen.
"River." Knuckles and Tails said as one.
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The trek down was like trying to climb a soggy wet ladder in the middle of light rain. Water leaked through the surface, matting their fur and irritating their eyes. As there were no light sources, this made the task harder to the point where Tails wished he could fly properly, but the tunnel was way too narrow. A few minutes in, Knuckles' foot slipped, causing him to fall forwards, knocking into the smaller male, causing them to tumble down the rest of the way.
Splash!
The pair quickly hit the water, barely managing to take in a breath before they were drawn under. They fought against the current, hoping not to get swept away in the wrong direction. Soon, Knuckles found a rock and pulled himself up, gasping for breath. Seeing a yellow form spluttering a few meters away, he stretched out and pulled the kit into safety.
"How soon can you fly, Tails?" Knuckles asked.
"I- I'm not sure. T-this water sure is freezing!" He replied, his teeth chattering as he cuddled up to the Echidna's side in a poor attempt to get warm. "Wait… Where's Blue?" His tone rose as he started to panic, not seeing the blue hedgehog on his back or near the rock.
A look of horror spread across the pair's faces, eyes going wide in realization. "Tails I'm going to toss ya to the river bank then dive for the hedgehog," Knuckles started, catching sight of a small incline near the water's edge. He was the stronger swimmer at the moment and could easily carry someone within this current. "On three. One..."
"Two," Tails nervously added.
"Three!" Knuckles tossed the fox towards the rocky riverbank before the Echidna dived into the water to search for the drowning hedgehog. Tails hit the ground, letting out a pained 'off' as all the air in his body left him in one swoop. He was left, gasping on the bank, facing away from the river.
"Knuckles!" Tails called out, struggling to turn over to see if he could spot his friend. It took a few tries, but he managed to do it with a lot of effort. His gaze started, focused on the water, hoping to see a familiar red Echidna spring to the surface any minute. It didn't. Slowly he rose, gathering his strength back. His arms shook under his weight as he crawled towards the water, anticipation growing by the second.
"Knuckles…?" He whispered, biting his lip, unsure of what he should do.
However, this didn't last long as a ripple of water came near him and two forms broke the surface. One blue. The other? Red. Surprised, he jumped back a half scream piercing the air before silencing into deep breaths. His heartbeat had skyrocketed, resulting in his left arm coming up to hover over his chest as Knuckles climbed out of the water with Blue.
"Tails we got to get the water out of his lungs, now!"
"What…?" He blurted out, trembling. Quickly, he crawled the last few steps before lowering his ear towards his face. He waited. And waited. Nothing. Snapping his head up, he stared at Knuckles, who was performing chest compressions upon the hedgehog's delicate rib cage.
Resuscitation through CPR.
This realization snapped him out of his shocked state, moving closer so that he could transfer air back into Blue's lungs. Once the Echidna had hit his twenty-eighth compression, Tails took a deep breath and lowered his mouth to his. At thirty, he exhaled. Silently, he prayed for a quick recovery but knew he was asking for too much. Blue had clearly been through a lot during the time he had with the cruel humans.
To his surprise, the second breath he supplied made Blue shoot up, coughing up water… And, alarmingly, blood. He gasped heavily, tilting sidewards to lean against Knuckle's broad frame. The poor hedgehog was trembling so violently, Knuckles had to pin him gently to stop Blue from accidentally hurting himself. Pure terror was in his eyes as he stared at the water.
"Knuckles, turn him away from the river," Tails advised, putting himself in the view of the hedgehog. He shaking subsided, his eyes dropping in exhaustion. Questionable awe swirled in his expression as he leant against Knuckles, nuzzling his face into the Echidna's arm. Blood dribbled carelessly from the corner of his mouth, and Tails reached forward to wipe it away.
He straightened. The shuffling of dirt from above reached their ears, causing Blue to become restless again, failing uselessly in the arms that held him. The tallest flinched as he was socked in the jaw by a flying fist. Shaking his head, he tightened his arms around the frantic male and titled his head to the side.
"Let's go."
TBC:
Edge of insanity: by Anomalous123
Chapter end notes:
Author's notes:
Hello, and welcome back to my story. I was going to wait until I get this BETA-ed, but I figured you guys have waited for this enough, so I hope you enjoy this chapter. I want to give props to my co-writer, silvergolddragon, who has kept me on track and has written a fair chunk of this chapter. Please check out her profile as she works hard trying to get good, quality content out for you guys.
Hello, and welcome back to my story. I was going to wait until I get this BETA-ed, but I figured you guys have waited for this enough, so I hope you enjoy this chapter. I want to give props to my co-writer, silvergolddragon, who has kept me on track and has written a fair chunk of this chapter. Please check out her profile as she works hard trying to get good, quality content out for you guys.