It was twelve thirty at night. I slowly slid open the door of our little hiding spot. I could see some guards on the top level with flashlights. I shut the door and began to sneak around. I dashed from one end to the next and headed up the stairs. The doors to all the rooms, sections of the labs, and the testing chambers were locked. I looked at the keycard in my hand. Jaden had given it to me after he had stolen it from a soldier. However, he also told me the soldier who was the original owner may have reported it missing and the keycard was no longer usable. I held my breath as I sped from room to room. I was successful with some doors, some were locked tight. 

.

There was a tiny window in every lab, so I could see whether or not Luana was in there. One by one, I looked inside, and all I could see was plants and half-done machinery. When I got to the third to last door, I peered inside and saw a light coming from underneath another door that looked like a vault door. It was a flash of different colors. I recognized it instantly to be important. I swiped my keycard and went inside. It was dark, and hot. I walked up to the door of the vault. The door had a password and a card key slot. I swiped my card.

“ERROR.”

“Dangit!” I thought, “How can I get this door open without unwanted attention!?”

.

I held my breath. Slowly, I took hold of the door handle. Then, I moved my hand rapidly. The handle generated a reasonably loud sound, which made me nervous. I moved faster, until at last pop! The door handle came off. I grabbed it before it could hit the ground. Surprisingly, no alarms went off. I crept inside, and shut the door carefully behind me. It was dark, and hot. The light I had seen was shielded by the thick glass surrounding it, creating a very faint glow. 

.

Suddenly, the lights flew on. I arched up in defense, but heard nothing. It was clear what was inside the glass, in some kind of power generator: The Chaos Emeralds, gleaming as brightly as ever in all their multi-color glory; and right next to it were two glass tubes, all connected to the generator. Inside the second tube, was Luana!

.

I ran up to it and put my hands up to the glass.

“LUANA!” I gasped.

My breath was nearly taken away from both relief and shock. She was on the floor, her unkept bangs covering her right eye, her arms fanned out limply in front of her. She was nearly as red as a tomato, but pale at the same time, and sweating bullets. The jagged blue lines on her arms were dim and powerless.

.

I banged onto the glass.

“Luana!” I hissed, “Luana, wake up!”

She didn’t move. I looked around, searching for some kind of switch or control panel that would open the tube. 

.

Suddenly, red lights came on and alarms blared. The door was kicked down and soldiers with guns flooded in. I pinned myself up against the tube. I could hear muffled moaning, and out of the corner of my eye I could see Luana stirring. Her eyes were peeled open, drooping.

“Sonic…?” she squeaked, weakly.

“Hold on Luana! I’m going to get you out of here!” I exclaimed, desperately.

“Get…Get out of here…” She said, barely a whisper, “It’s…It’s a…trap…!”

.

Commander Stone walked in coolly, his hands behind his back, a smug look on his face. I jumped and spin-dashed. I barreled through the soldiers like bowling pins, then smashed into the glass tube as hard as I could. I looked. There wasn’t even a crack in the tube. I spun-dashed into the tube again, and again, and again. Not even a dent. My heart raced. I could see Luana, pulling herself towards me. She leaned up against the glass.

“Please…Don’t worry about me…Just go…” she pleaded, sickly.

More soldiers came in. I placed my hands against the glass. Slowly, Luana repeated, our hands lined up together but unable to touch. My chest was heavy with anguish. Then I remembered. 

.

“No…” I breathed, glancing at Luana, “I’m not losing someone I care about again!”

Luana continued to stare at me with pleading eyes. My attention turned to the gleaming light inside the machine. 

“I’m a patient man,” Cdr. Stone finally spoke, “I’ll give you one last chance to come quietly. Your girlfriend doesn’t need to see anymore violence. She’s been through enough.” 

I closed my eyes. With a deep breath, I began to whisper:

“The seven servers are the seven chaos, 

chaos is power, power enriched by the heart, 

the controller is the one that unifies the chaos-“

The emeralds began to react, the machine rumbling as they shined brighter.

“-Give me your power so that I defend my friends and defeat my foes!”

.

Almost instantly, the chaos emeralds blinded the room. I felt strength return to me, power, energy flowing through my veins. When the light faded, it was I, lighting up the room. My fur had turned from blue to gold, my quills stood up on end and my eyes changed from green to red. 

“I’m done being pushed around by you!” I growled, looking up at Stone, “and I’m done with you hurting my friends! The Chaos Emeralds, and Luana, are coming with me! I told you I would be wrecking more than just your fancy choppers!” 

.

I swung my arm around and hit the tube. At last, I pierced the glass, shattering immediately. I raised my hand at the machine holding the Chaos Emeralds and blasted through it. The Emeralds flung from it and clattered onto the ground. Then they began to levitate off the ground and swirl around me. Luana distressingly lifted her head. I turned to her. Despite her worried, tired eyes, I could see joy and relief. Tears filled her eyes.

“Sonic-!” 

She reached her hand out to me. I stretched mine to grab her. I was ready to pull her out and take her away; Burn this place to the ground so they would never be able to hurt us again. Solace was my only desire.

.

Suddenly, some invisible force forcefully yanked me back, pinning my arms to my sides and my back arched upwards. My eyes darted about the room to see robots built with steel, painted a metallic, bluish-green, with their three pronged hands raised in my direction. I struggled to free myself. 

“Look familiar, Blue Blur?” Stone asked, cooly, “I believe you’ve experienced this trap before.” 

I grunted. I remembered.

“No-!” I cried. 

Then, the robots darted their hands to the right, and I was flung into the empty tube next to Luana’s. Before I could react, electric currents flickered around me. When they pierced my fur, the force kept me down. As quick as it came, the power of the Chaos Emeralds drained from me. The machine whirred back to life. I could see golden energy fill a vial. 

“Unlike Doctor Robotnik, I won’t just let you fall to get back up later. You’re going to stay down.”

He walked over to the vial.

“For years we have attempted to extract the energy from what you call the ‘Chaos Emeralds’. We have tried in many forms, including super soldiers, but all had failed. It seems that all we needed was a South Islander, and the proper bait.”

I grunted.

“No!” I cried, “If Chaos energy is harnessed carelessly, the Chaos Emeralds will disappear! You will never get another chance!”

“That won’t be possible.”

The robots picked up the Chaos Emeralds, levitating with their gravity-defying power, and placed them back into the machine. The lid was closed and locked up tight.

“If they can’t be released, there will be consequences-!” I warned.

“I’ll take my chances.” 

Cdr. Stone turned around and walked out. I grunted and watched the Emeralds. They always disappeared once I used them! Why were they so calm now!?

.

My eyes grew heavy. My knees buckled and I fell. I looked at Luana, her hand against the glass next to me. I reached out to her, but my eyes darkened. I fell to the ground, limp.

“I’m sorry Luana…I failed you.”