Interruption

With a roll of her hips, Rouge shuddered. Beneath her, Knuckles grunted in response, “Fucking Chaos, Rouge.” His eye squeezed shut and his teeth gritted as his head pushed back into the couch. To his sides, his large bare fists grip the couch cushions with crushing force.

Don’t you fucking move! Don’t you fucking look at me!

She dug her nails into his shoulders. “Did- Did I say you could fucking speak-“ She bites, breathless. Sweat rolls down her temple, ticking her cheek. When he doesn’t reply, she clenches, showing him who is in control right now.

“Agh! No, ma’am.”

She lifts her hips, “That’s what I fucking thought.” She hisses. Drops. “You-” Lifts. “never-” Drops. “listen!” Lifts again. He moans. She stifles her own. He doesn’t get to hear how she feels.

He shakes his head side to side. An eyelid peeks open, “What are you going to do about it?” A handsome stupid smirk crosses his dashing ugly mug. She drops and he gasps. Fuck that’s an amazing sound.

She releases his shoulders and leans back, her wings spread, assisting her balance. Her nails run through the adorable crescent moon white fur on his chest. “Sounds to me like you’ve earned yourself a punishment.” She gathers a twist of hairs around her forefinger and pulls. Her man shudders, but the smirk remains.

He’s been so tense, working in that dank musty hole for nearly all last night and all today, going cross-eyed squinting at old rocks. He wouldn’t have stopped for anything, so Rouge had to make him. Worry about whatever the macguffin had been down there later. Some power source, he said. Very bad it had been removed. Holding back some such ancient evil. The usual bullshit. Deal with it later. Take a break. It waited hundreds of years, couldn’t it wait a little longer? Come on over. Didn’t take much convincing.

A flash of brilliant green light fills the apartment. Bat and echidna cry out in synchronous surprise, “Fuck!”

“Shadow?” Rouge stared at the hybrid’s back in aghast disbelief. Her ears twitch. He lacks shoes or gloves. I cannot believe this. He couldn’t hold it together for one date?

“You have got to be kidding me!” Knuckles covered his face with his hand and gives off a frustrated groan. Inside her, he twitches, and she nearly squeaks.

“Rouge, I-“ Shadow turns and freezes. His stricken eyes dart between Rouge and Knuckles, joined as they were at the hips. Rouge’s eyes, likewise, dart all over the black hedgehog, beholding an utter mess. His fur, pristine this morning, was ruffled and matted like he’d been wrestling in a rainstorm. His muzzle was bloodstained. At least his pouch is occupied. Oh, Shadow…

“Chaos, dude, put on some gloves at least.” Knuckles growls, averting his eyes.

“Excuse me!” Shadow turns away, his lips pulled back in a panicked grimace.

“Shadow, wait-!” Rouge lifts suddenly to dismount (“Gah, Rouge!”), but there is another flash, and he is gone.

“Shit!” She rushes to the kitchen island where her phone was charging. He couldn’t manage his fool self for one night. One gods damn night! Couldn’t just get with Blue and be happy. Had to make it her problem. Why was every man in her life so helpless? Rouge dismissed the alert of a missed call from Topaz and smashed her finger into Shadow’s stupid face on her favorite contacts list.

As it rang, she turned back to Knuckles. He remained on the couch, his arms crossed and package slick and still eager. “Are we gonna…?” He raises a brow and gestures to his lap.

“What do you think?” Rouge snapped as the call went to voicemail. She turned away from Knuckles. “You have a lot of fucking nerve!” She shouted into the voicemail. “Get your ass back here, right now! When I’m done with you, you’ll wish you could die!” Rouge killed the call and wrapped her arms around herself. Asshole…After this morning and you still fucked it up? Why did she even try?

“You said you were free the whole night, Rouge. What the hell?” She turned back to Knuckles, who gave her an irritated frown.

“I thought I would be, Knux.” She gesticulated with frustration. “Shadow was supposed to be out with Sonic.”

“I don’t want to know that, Rouge.”

“Then don’t fucking ask stupid questions!” She stabbed her phone at him aggressively.

Knuckles leaned his head back and closed his eyes. “Why are you yelling at me?”

Damnit, that was a good question. Her rage faltered. “I- I’m sorry. You’re right. I’ve gotten really worked up.” She lowered her arms. “But you saw how he was. Something’s happened.” She retrieved her discarded evening robe from the floor and slip it back over her shoulders.

Just as she is cinching the silken belt, the front door began reverberating with a constant stream of fast knocks.

Knuckles released an exaggerated sigh and covered his lap with a pillow. “Now what?”

“Oh, I wonder who that could be.” Rouge said sarcastically as she approached the door.

Pausing to take a centering breath, Rouge opened the door. “Hello, Blue.” She greeted the hedgehog rapidly tapping his foot on her welcome mat, his fist still poised in a knocking motion.

“Hi, Rouge!” Sonic’s eyes glanced at her for a moment before he tilted his head and tried to look past her into the apartment. “Is Shadow here? Can I come in? Oh, hi Knuckles! What are you doing here?” The hero waved.

A vexed echidna slowly waved back.

Her shoulders drooping, she pulled the door open wider. “Would you like to come in?” She waved her arm in a welcoming matter, sarcastically of course.

Unfazed, Sonic smiled his signature brilliance. “Don’t mind if I do!” With a whoosh, he entered and did a quick loop of the living room, his head darting all over, stopping only to look down the hallway to the bedrooms.

“Shadow’s not here, Sonic.” Rouge closed the door.

Sonic’s ears drooped. “Oh. Are you sure? He can teleport. Maybe he’s- Can I check his room?” His eyes darted around, not settling on anything for long, as if Shadow was just hiding under the kitchen table or in the broom closet.

“He was here and then he blipped out again, dude.” Knuckles explained.

Sonic’s ears perked. “He was here? Did he, uh, did he say anything? Or, like, say where he was going?”

“Tell me what happened.” Rouge leveled a glare at him. Sonic was filthier than normal (given he slept outside most of the time) and there were flecks of dried blood all over his neck and chest, though it looked like someone had tried to clean his abdomen. A massive bruise on his jaw was in the later stages of healing, nearly yellowed back into the peach of his muzzle. At least he had his shoes and gloves on.

“Oh, uh, you know. Do you know where he went?” Sonic smiled but his eyes were tense. “Like, maybe you know where he likes to go to be alone. Could be anywhere. Doesn’t matter how far.”

“Blue…” Rouge growled. “If Shadow doesn’t want to talk to you right now, then you need to give him some space.”

Sonic rubbed the back of his neck and looked away, the smile fading. He shook his head sharply and he looked at her with renewed determination. “No, I have to talk to him. Please, Rouge…I kinda messed up and I’ve got to talk to him.”

“Dude…” Knuckles rolled him eyes.

Suddenly, Rouge’s phone erupted in a high-pitch klaxon, making all three mammals jump.

Sonic cried out in frustration, digging his hands into his quills and sinking down to crouch on the floor. “Gah! Not now!”

Knuckles stood, still clutching the pillow against his hips.

Rouge palmed on her phone and read the emergency alert. “It’s Eggman. He’s currently attacking a small village to the northeast about two hundred miles away.”

Sonic made a piteous noise and then shot up. “Okay, point me in the right direction and I’ll be kicking Egg-butt in no time!” Cocky smile back in place.

Suddenly, he was right beside Rouge and she faced the phone to him. “I can forward it to you.”

“Naw, phone’s broke. Okay, I got it.” He placed a hand on the front doorknob and turned. “Coming Knux?”

“I’ll get a lift from Rouge. Save some robots for me.”

“No promises!” Sonic smirked and opened the door. He stopped at the threshold and his ears canted to Rouge.

“I’ll get a hold of him, Blue. You go be a hero.”

A rush of wind pushed into the apartment and Sonic was gone in a trail of blue.

Rouge closed the door and turned. Knuckles had returned the pillow to the couch. His smaller head was on high alert. “I’m going to get a shower and deal with this, then we can go.” Rouge looked up from texting Shadow and nodded. Good, that would give her a chance to get dressed. Her brow furrowed. She had a text from Topaz marked urgent. The agent had the update on the deep space satellite data…another potential disaster brewing.

As Knuckles was about to go down the hall, he turned. “You know, it’s kinda hypocritical of you to demand some declaration of devotion from me when you drop everything the moment Shadow whimpers.”

“What?”

“It makes me feel really shitty, is all, Rouge.”

“I don’t-“

“You do and you know it!”

“That’s not fair. Shadow doesn’t have anyone to look after him, Knuckles!”

“Well, he’s got Sonic now, right?”

“Oh, yes, Sonic the Hedgehog, paragon of responsibility and stability. Amy and Tails collude to put food in his path just so that fool will eat!”

Knuckles shook his head. “It hurts that you pick him over me every time. Maybe you can understand my reluctance to give up my responsibilities on Angel Island, seeing as you have the same reluctance to give up yours with Shadow.” He retreated deeper into the apartment.

Rouge stared at the spot where her lover had been, gripping her phone so tightly her hand ached. Her ears flopped. What in the- That’s not-

Swallowing, she tried to call Shadow again with her other. It went to voicemail again. “Sonic is off to save the world, again. I know you’re in a mood, but you should have gotten the alert. Go help your man. I’ll get some coffee ice cream for when you’re ready to talk.” A bottle of wine or two for her.

She heard the shower turn on and frowned. She was a little surprised the group chat hadn’t erupted into life after the alert. Maybe the danger seemed too remote or small.

She should get dressed. She should call GUN. She should shove down the bitter feelings roiling in her gut.

She hated how right Knuckles was, but what was she supposed to do? Shadow, for all his strength and stoic adherence to self-reliance, was helpless in any situation that didn’t require violence. He was like a baby. A deadly, irritable fifty plus year old baby. He needed a friend to help him navigate.

Was Shadow her Master Emerald? Shut up, be mad at Knuckles, he’s being a prick making her feel bad!

There was another reason, one that made her hate herself. Hated the world and merciless pragmatism it required to stay safe. The cynical reason that someone had to keep a handle on Shadow. Even him out, talk him down, listen to his troubles, coerce some emotion other than rage out of him. Because what if she didn’t**.** What would he be then? What if he decided to break his promise to Maria? Where would they all be then?

Fucking dead is where.

None of their friends had the guts to talk about that. But GUN though…they had Project Whiteout…and she didn’t want to think about any of this anymore.

Rouge rubbed her face. She felt exhausted already and it was going to be a long night.

Sonic was on his way. Shadow would get her messages and go to assist. Tails and Amy were probably already rallying Resistance forces to support and the Reconstruction to clean up. Rouge had time enough to take a shower and give an apology.

---

Tails coughed; his throat dry in the negative pressure of his clean room. His microprocessor fabricators whirred away, giving the air an acrid and metallic taste. His eyes strained in the glow of his bank of cathode ray tube monitors. They were ancient and many were starting to fail, but he couldn’t be picky. There wasn’t much technology that both predated Sage and wasn’t in some way attached to a network.

To say this auxiliary workshop was air-gapped would be massive disservice to sheer amount of work Tails had put into this project. The whole space was subterranean and fully shielded from any kind of electromagnetic, chaotic, or nuclear emissions. Was it Gaia energy proof? Might be.

Every part of the computer that Tails worked away at had been constructed, in some part, if not in whole, by Tails from raw materials in the clean room. The motherboards, the terabytes of RAM, the CPUs, the spindles and spindles of solid-state storage drives, petabytes of it.

Everything absolutely virgin and brand new. Untouched. Uncontaminated. Never on any network, never exposed to any signal of any kind. Absolutely cyber-secure. Sage couldn’t even sneak herself in as dust thanks to the high-grade air filters.

The coding. Gods the coding! He had had to write it from scratch from assembly up using little more than his memory and an army of paper notebooks. He dreamed in AND, OR, and NOT gates.

And it was almost done. She was almost done.

How does one fight a nearly omnipotent enemy artificial intelligence that has already infected every piece of networked technology on the planet? A veritable Singleton already, unopposed. Sage could listen from any cellphone, hack any database, control any camera. She was ubiquitous. Anything with a current running through it was a threat with her around. At any moment, she could send the world back one hundred years.

Worse. Everyone relied on technology now. The power grid could be shut down. Worldwide commerce would come to a screeching halt. All the records kept by the banking industry, wiped out. The concept of modern money erased overnight. A worldwide synchronized heart attack. Actual heart attacks for people with pacemakers.

It would be worse than the dark ages.

None of his friends seemed to understand the gravity of the situation, the utter existential horror of it all. Don’t worry buddy, we’d just get it all back, Sonic had said with a grin and thumbs up. It can’t be that bad, Amy smiled, patting him reassuringly on the shoulder. I don’t see the problem. I grew up with no electricity on Angel Island. It’s not that bad, Knuckles huffed, shrugging.

Rouge had placed a hand on his shoulder, brow knitted with pity, You shouldn’t be worrying about that, kid.

Kid.

Kid Kid kid kid kid!

He leaned back and took the tip of one of his tails in hand. He felt up the length. He couldn’t even remember where the break had been, but he tried to find it anyway. Unsatisfied, he gripped. Twisted. Bent.

A sudden loud ringing made him jump. Reaching to a side, he smacked the mechanical alarm clock silent. Time to check his projects topside. Probably get something to eat too. And air out his clean room suit. The plastic fabric kept loose hairs and skin flakes off the fragile electronics, but it trapped in moisture and getting very pungent.

He turned off the monitors and stowed the keyboard. (as an added precaution, none of the keys were marked and the whole thing wasn’t mapped to QWERTY but to an unique letter order that only Tails knew. Okay maybe he was going a little overboard with the security) Heading to the airlock, he turned and looked over the fruits of his labor. So close.

“Good night, Nicole.” One of the monitor’s flickered a purple color before darkening. “I promise you can wake up soon.”

Tails emerged from the trap door into his workshop proper and pulled the sliding panel shut over the entrance.

“FINALLY! NOW RETURN MY HEAD TO MY BODY AT ONCE.” Omega’s head lay on a tray next to his deconstructed torso. A plethora of colorful wires ran from the head to an oscilloscope and a multimeter. The killer robot didn’t care for those, but how else was Tails could do to check his more sensitive circuitry? “COUNTLESS HOURS OF POTENTIAL VENGENCE HAVE BEEN LOST WITH YOUR INACTION!”

Tails sighed, barely glancing at the robot. “I told you, I can’t do that until the fabricator is done with the new tube bundles for your heat exchangers. Your old one was cracked and if it failed, you’d likely melt your thrusters into slag.” He entered his passphrase into his console. “Or just explode.”

“YOUR CONCERN IS IRRELEVANT. I REJECT YOUR DESIRE TO REDUCE MY EXPLOSIVE CAPABILITIES.”

Tails rolled his eyes. “Whatever. You’re going to like the upgrade. It’ll make your heat exchangers both lighter weight and higher efficiency. You’ll be able to carry more…bombs, I guess.”

Omega produced a sound that made Tails cringe and cover his ears. “THIS IS ACCEPTABLE.”

The analysis his system had been performing on the energy signal Rouge sent had finally finished. He didn’t have a perfect match in his database, but there were two entries with over eighty-five percent chance of a match.

“No!” The exclamation erupted from him unbidden as he read the results. It couldn’t be! It just wasn’t fair! He killed the results window and pulled up the analysis log, desperately trying to find an error. Something had to have been missed. Some connection had to have been made in error.

Tails did not find what he was desperately searching for. His program had done what it had meant to. The results were without doubt. The only solace was that the energy reading wasn’t a perfect match. It might not be as bad. Nevertheless, they were all in a lot of danger. And it could always be worse…

“RECONSTUCT ME, ENGINEER. VIOLENCE IS REQUIRED.”

Ignoring the robot, Tails fumbled through the stacks of notebooks, papers, and loose screws that littered the table next to his console. Finding his phone, he hit the shortcut to call Sonic. It went to voicemail. “Don’t do near Eggman!” Tails shouted, his voice going shrill. “Sonic, don’t go near him! Call me! Please! It’s-“ He froze, unsure. “Just stay away!” He concluded.

His heart beat a rapid and fluttery pace as his tails thrashed. Tails looked back at the screen and emitted a long whine. Grabbing one of his tails he pulled at the white hairs at the end. This was bad. This was soooo bad.

He dialed Amy. Voicemail. He dialed Knuckles. Voicemail. Tails swallowed. A new blanket of dread settled over him. He suddenly felt very, very isolated.