Hello readers! A few notes before just to clarify the story. It takes place in the Sonic Adventure Universe, meaning no Knothole and characters associated with it. The characters in this story are as follows:

Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Vector, Espio, Mighty, Charmy, and Cream and Cheese (at least for now).

And, of course, the disclaimer. I don't own any of these characters, no matter how much I wish I did. Now, on with the story!

One for the Money, Two for the Show

Chapter 1

"Owww, my head! What hit me?" Sonic groaned as he awoke from what could only have been a forced slumber. He brought his arms up next to him and flipped himself over on the cold hard floor that had apparently been his home for quite some time, if the protest from his muscles was any indication.

He blinked repeatedly as he tried to regain his sight, the blurriness eventually subsiding enough for him to get a good enough look at his surroundings. He appeared to be in some sort of cell, one that didn't appear to have much ventilation, he noted with disdain, as he became conscious of the thick, dank air that was being filtered through his lungs.

He struggled to shake off the grogginess that had been haunting him since he awoke, but it would be a few minutes before he could compose himself enough to try to think through his situation. Frustration mounted within him at his inability to gain control over his own thoughts, eventually leading him to throw his fists down at the floor in anger.

His fists connected with the cool cement, but his face picked up a very different texture as it followed his fists down towards the floor. One that felt distinctly like fur…

"Tails!" Sonic yelled out as his memory began to come back to him. He immediately scurried over to the side of his fallen friend, scanning his body for injuries before he began to shake him awake.

"Tails! Tails buddy! Wake up! It's me, Sonic!"

Panic started to well up within the blue hedgehog at the lack of response from his best friend, but it soon dissipated as a small groan could be heard coming from the slowly waking fox.

"Sonnicc," came his slurred voice, "what happened? I feel like I was hit by a bus."

Sonic let out a sigh of relief as he sat back on his knees, thinking it best to give his sidekick some air.

"I know the feeling, lil bro," he responded, once again looking around the cell. "As for what happened, I've been trying to figure that out myself. Where were we before we were here?"

"Weren't we out in the forest?" Tails groaned out as he pushed himself onto his knees to sit beside his hero.

"You're right," chimed in Sonic, putting his arm out to help steady the still woozy Tails, "but that doesn't explain how we ended up here."

"I can answer that," came an all too familiar voice out of the darkness. Both heroes immediately rose to their feet at the sound, Sonic stepping slightly in front of Tails as they faced the glowing red eyes that were suddenly staring them down from the front of the cell.

"Metal."

…………………………….

"I'm too brilliant for my own good," laughed the self proclaimed evil genius known to the world as Dr. Robotnik. "Too brilliant indeed."

"Sir," came one of Robotnik's many drones, "the people have started arriving."

"Excellent. Get your squad and man the ticket booths. We have a show to do!"

"Yes sir," replied the bot as it turned and exited the room, Robotnik's maniacal laughter echoing down the hallway in its wake.

"Finally, the hedgehog and all his puny friends will be destroyed, and I will make a profit off of it! My genius truly is unmatched," he chuckled to himself before returning his attention to the screen in front of him, which currently featured a giant, empty stadium.

…………………………………..

"What's going on here, Metal? What are you up to?" demanded Sonic as he continued to keep his eyes fixed on the only part of his robot doppelganger that was clearly visible in the darkness. The red eyes continued to glare back at him.

"Maybe if you'd shut your mouth long enough to listen, hedgehog, I'd tell you," replied the robot, enjoying the power he currently had over his rival.

Sonic growled in response, and was about to yell out a comeback when another voice from the back of the cell spoke up, surprising the hedgehog and the fox but not shaking Metal in the least.

"Take his advice and shut it, Sonic. I want to know what's up," came the voice as it approached the small gathering at the front of the cell.

"Well, if it isn't our old pal Knuckles," chuckled Sonic as he folded his arms over his chest and nodded in Knuckles's direction. "And just when were you going to let us know you were back there?"

"Forget it, Sonic," replied Knuckles, obviously in no mood for witty banter, "Let the robot speak. Why have you brought us here?"

"Business as usual, eh Knuckles?" chided the robot. "Well, the answer is simple. I gassed you all and brought you here for a show."

"Gas," acknowledged Sonic, "so that's how we got here."

"A show?" came Tails's more timid voice, responding to the rest of the information in Metal's statement. "What do you mean?"

"I mean a show, fox. One to which you are all going to be the guests of honor."

"Spit it out, Metal," said Sonic, now becoming impatient with this game, "What kind of show?"

"A battle, hedgehog, featuring you, your little friends, and Robotnik's latest slew of robots. But, enough with this talk. I know how impatient you can be, hedgehog. And the audience is arriving. So, let's round up the rest of your friends, and get on with the show!"

At that, an all too familiar gas began to seep out of unseen pipes in the walls of the cell, causing its inhabitants to break out into fits of coughing as the gas filled their lungs.

"Metal!" Sonic coughed out in anger as he watched his friends fall to the ground, soon joining them himself as the gas took over.

"Don't worry, Ssssonic," Metal mocked as he moved into the cell to pick up the now unconscious bodies, "you'll be out and about soon enough."

…………………………………….

And so ends chapter 1. Review:-D