ANWL: Chapter 2 - Emerald Race

-[CHAPTER 2: THE RACE FOR THE EMERALDS]-

[Our heroes, after a few moments of silence due to the initial shock, started to talk again while they were on the way to Sky Sanctuary, it would be on the noon when they started the flight and the while it was still a lot of light on that evening, it was obvious that it would not last pretty much longer]

[SONIC]: Ta-uhhh…
[MILLIE]: If you can not call me Millie while i am like this, i understand, just call me Tails
[SONIC]: Well…
[MILLIE]: Anyway, what you want?
[SONIC]: hmm… h-how do you feel… you know... actually?, i mean… after all of this
[Millie thought on the matter for a few seconds, deciding on what to tell him]
[MILLIE]: I can't tell you, this is all new and unexpected… but i am all right actually
[Millie could have been talking about that for hours, but she was not on the mood]
[SONIC]: Uuuuuhhhhhh… oh well… let's get those emeralds quick before Eggman starts their mass production
[MILLIE]: (Very quietly) yeah…
[The pair kept a pretty tense silence after that, both thinking that things would get sightly better when they reached Angel Island and met Knuckles, tho they both knew that it would not happen as Knuckles hates changes, and he's short-minded too, so they did not know actually what they would encounter. After a bit more than a hour they finally landed on Angel Island, near the Sanctuary, the sun was already set, with only some traces of its last rays on the horizon, they decided to find him on the Master Emerald Stand, was is placed on a esplanade, with a small path to some kind of truncated cone that contains the Master emerald, both the cone and the path were old, and the grass near them was pretty grown up, looked like nobody was here in a long time, there was a terrain shift with some kind of spiral ramp that lead to the upper part of it, they decided to see if Knuckles was there]
[MILLIE]: Uhhh…  I think it would be a good idea to see if it is there, don't you think?
[SONIC]: Yeah, let's check it out…
[They went up the ramp to find on the top a small shack, probably hand made, but it looked enough solid like to harbor one or two inhabitants without problems, they decided to go ahead and knock the door, Knuckles, half asleep said angrily]
[KNUX]: Who's it
[SONIC]: It's me, Sonic, and… well… umh…
[MILLIE]: Me!
[Knuckles did not recognize Millie's voice, but he opened the door anyway, then he proceeded to look at them, when he saw Millie, his face changed completely, showing anger and fear at the same time]
[KNUX]: WHO THE HECK ARE YOU? oh wait… IT CAN'T BE!, GET OUT OF MY DOMAIN, YOU STEALER, NOW!
[SONIC]: H-HEY! Stop! She's Tails, we are here because we need your help
[KNUX]: HOW THAT CAN Be…. (pauses for a moment) WHAAAT? WHY IS HE WEARING ROUGE'S OUTFIT? GOD… i thought seriously he was Rouge, coming for the emeralds, and what's up with the weird voice?
[MILLIE]: I was testing something out, and it blew it on me, and it changed me completely
[KNUX]: (in a very quiet voice) Freak
[Sonic quickly turned his head towards him and looked at him with a killing sight that needed nothing more to make Knuckles fall back]
[KNUX]: Uhhhhhh…. come in, and tell me on what can i help you
[Then Sonic and Millie entered Knuckles' shelter and told him what happened among Eggman's schemes for world domination using Millie's technology… it was late for when they finished, so they decided to rest and continue the next morning]
[KNUX]: Good morning everyone. (Laughing) How's our little attention demanding walking freak show?
[MILLIE]: Shut up Knukles, I am like this neither for attention or just because i am a weird fair attraction! you might like to test the machine yourself to see what happens, oh wait, I AM LIKE THIS BECAUSE IT BLEW UP!
[SONIC]: Both of you, shut up, and Knux, go and get those darn emeralds, we are in a hurry!
[KNUX]: (in a fake serious voice) Yes my lord (then starts laughing again)
[Knuckles left the shack in to get the emeralds that were on the Emerald Stand, the silence on the stance was suffocating, Sonic had a pensive serious face, like if he was planning to say something important]
[SONIC]: Ermm…. hmmmmMille?
[MILLIE]: Yes Sonic? You can tell me, as long as you do not plan to offend me like Knuckles did…
[SONIC]: N-NO! IT'S NOT THAT… It's jus that… … … forget it…
[They looked at each other's eyes for the rest of the time until Knuckles entered again with the emeralds]
[KNUX]: These are all of what i could find on the stand, i am chasing the fourth one which must in somewhere near the proximities of Angel Island, anyway, good luck with that
[The pair went outside to get the plane... on the way Sonic finnaly started talking]
[SONIC]:Millie... uhhh... what i wanted to tell you... you are not a freak or anything... you know, no?
[MILLIE]: Who knows... i think i am more like a wacky scientist tho, even if the machine exploded, it served its purpose perfectly...
[SONIC]: W-WHAT? You...?
[MILLIE]: (Shocked) No!, well, kinda, the machine was intended to change the physical properties of the individual which enter on it, and it did... probably not in the way i expected, but my machine can be considered a success... ["This is all too weird and complex to explain... Well... Food for thought..." She thought]
[SONIC]: Uhhhh... Well, we have been... you know... friends for a very, very long time... you know you have my entire support for whatever you might need...
[MILLIE]: Hmmmm.... Thanks?
[Both of them continued silently their way to the plane, a few minutes later, they found the plane, and they thought on where to go next]
[MILLIE]: Before we search them too i want to go to what's left of my lab and ask some people, OK?
[SONIC]: OK then, let's go the fastest we can, i am hungry as hell
[Millie and Sonic went to the plane and started the flight, it was early in the morning when they took off, and it when they landed near the lab, it was late on the evening, Almost when they were going to enter on the lab's ruins they heard a familiar voice running towards them… it was Amy...]