I'm baaaaaack!

New readers: This is probably the best place to start if you don't want to read my series from the beginning, because this one is a completely new storyline. The first chapter contains a flashback that might not make much sense at first, but that's about it.

Old readers: Welcome back, my loyal min—err—reviewers! Thanks for sticking with the series so far. I really, really appreciate it. Sometimes the encouragement I get is the only thing that keeps me going. Anyway, I should mention that it would be a good idea to check out my profile for some information on the series. I renamed it and explained a few things that you might want to know for the future.

ALL readers: As far is this chapter goes... this'll probably confuse EVERYONE. But things will clear up in the next few, I promise. Updates should be every week or two (should being the operative word, here). As all other authors on this site probably say… please leave a review. Also, be sure to add this to your story alert list!

Oh yeah, and this will be told in the 1st and 3rd person point of view, for a change. Italics are in Sonic's point of view, normal typing is third person (which will be most of the time).

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CHAPTER 1: Trapped.

Why is everything so… vague?

There's nothing but blackness surrounding me. I look to my left, then my right. Nothing changes. It's just completely dark, darker than a night with no city lights around.

Which is really strange. I remember waking up outside a few hours after finding the Emerald again, and going into Tails' house because it was getting cool out there. He had gotten up, too, and asked me to change the light bulb in the living room – where I was going to sleep – because it had burned out.

So why is it so damn dark in here? I can't even find a light switch!

And… come to think of it, I can't hear anything, either. Usually, the low moan of the furnace can be heard throughout the entirety of this small house. Plus, Tails is usually up before me, and I can hear him working on his gadgets and stuff downstairs. If neither of those two things are going on, then the rush of the ocean is always a constant sound.

The only thing I hear right now is this annoying ringing in my ears.

I'm no longer on the sofa I collapsed on, either. As this realization dawns, my right hand begins frantically searching the area next to me.

Instead of the soft cushioning of furniture I hoped for and only half-anticipated, I feel something hard… cold… metal…

And a memory rushes into my head.

Zorro.

He… he didn't die back in the Dome Base, did he? No… I remember now!

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"Tails, do you mind if I sleep in here for the rest of the night?" I whispered. I noticed upon entering my friend's room that his eyes were wide open. "Hey, you're awake?"

"Yeah. I heard a loud noise. Is that why you're in here?"

"Nah, I just got cold. I'm going to pull out the couch in the living room, okay?"

The fox nodded. "Of course! But you might want to grab a light bulb from the closet. The light's burned out, and I have a lot of junk in there that you might trip over."

"All right, I can do that."

It was ten minutes later when I was lying comfortably on the couch. I'd changed the bulb like Tails had suggested… and thank goodness I did! He had screwdrivers, nails, machine parts and other dangerous stuff layin' all over the place, despite the fact that he did most of his work in the basement. Funny.

I sat up and glanced down the hall. It appeared that all the lights were off again, and that meant that Tails was probably sound asleep. Smiling, glad that the events of the past few weeks hadn't had a lasting effect on him, I laid my head back (trying not to pierce the couch with my quills) and let my eyes close, drifting off to sleep.

It must have been no more than fifteen minutes later when I awoke again, and it wasn't the "Sonic, you're STILL sleeping?" that I'd come to expect from Tails.

No… something FAR more unpleasant.

A cold, tight fist rammed into my stomach. The pain came before I even knew I was awake, and my first thought was that it was a nightmare, since the sensation of pain sometimes seems real in dreams.

But as another forceful strike landed on the side of my head and threw me off the couch, I knew that this was as real as it could ever be.

I rolled over and clumsily got to my feet, shaking my head to focus my impaired vision. "Wha's goin' on?" I demanded, albeit somewhat groggily. My question was answered with another blow to the stomach. My breath got caught in my throat for a brief moment and I stumbled backwards.

"I'm AWAKE!" I shouted angrily. Who would hit me to wake me up? The only person who matches that description is Knuckles. But even he would never be this rough about it, no matter how impatient he was.

Doing what any person with common sense would do, I staggered over to the wall and flicked on the light switch, then called loudly, "TAILS!"

Then I turned around to face someone all too familiar to me, someone I was sure had died. It was a fox identical to Tails – except it only had ONE tail.

It was Zorro.

Shock held me in place just long enough for Zorro to land a fourth blow, then the lights went out again. 'Cept this time, they were the lights in my head. I fell to the ground, and to my utter surprise, Zorro did, too. He must have only had enough strength to do what he just did.

As my eyes slipped closed, I heard a loud explosion shake the workshop, one that was undoubtedly Zorro. My last conscious thought was, "Maybe I should pay attention to Tails when he says he hears a loud noise."

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I continued to stare at the blackness as I recalled the incident. Just touching the thing beneath me had called back that unpleasant memory.

The cold, metal thing my hand rested on wasn't Zorro, though, or even a robot for that matter. It was nothing more harmless than the floor beneath me… as unfriendly as it felt.

"Okay, so I remember what happened. That's fine, but it's not going to help me get out of here," I said to myself. "Or… wait… am I STILL unconscious from that blow, and I'm not really talking right now, but THINKING?" The last piece of the mini-puzzle fell into place now. That was why I couldn't hear or see anything.

And just as I understood this, I felt myself start to wake up. The first thing I noticed was an irritating yet mild pain in my left arm.

…And my right arm.

…And both of my legs.

As my body's senses awoke again, the stinging sensation seemed to make itself present in several places on my limbs. It felt more intense by the second, and I began to panic inwardly, wondering why this was happening.

But panicking would only make things worse; I'd learned that from experience.

So I remained still, deciding to wait until consciousness took over unconsciousness completely.

I would have sighed if I had enough control over myself to do so. Everything was coming into perspective so slowly. I didn't understand why, because I'd been knocked out before, and I'd usually wake up as if I'd just taken a nap. Now, it was hard to keep my mind awake. But the pain was certainly helping out with that.

Five minutes passed.

I was sure I could move without passing out again by now, and I decided to risk it, shifting my arm slightly. Agony coursed through it and I heard a yelp escape my throat.

Then I was still again, save for the rapid rising and falling of my chest. I waited until my heart was no longer pounding in my ears, then opened my eyes.

"AAAHHHHHHHHH!!" The light was blinding! No, not just really bright, it was blinding! I squeezed my eyelids shut again.

"What's going on?" I asked the air around me desperately. Then I noticed how unusually loud my voice was. But I was barely speaking above a whisper, and I didn't hear any echoes.

Cautiously, I split my eyelids again, squinting at the brightness above me. Then I opened them a little more. It was several more minutes before I could open them completely, and even then, I still felt like the sun was shining in my face.

Carefully, I sat up. My eyes fell on my legs. Suddenly, I understood why they stung so much, along with my arms. At least half a dozen needles were inserted into each limb. Alarmed, I ripped the small metal tubes from my body and scrambled into a corner of… wherever I was.

The room around me was plain. That's about all that could be said for it. Ten by ten by ten, white walls, floor and ceiling. One dim, round light. That's about as boring as it gets. There weren't even any windows or doors.

Wait… no door!?

I was on my feet in an instant… and back on the ground even faster. Stubbornly, I forced myself back up again, and fell back down… again. My legs refused to support my weight for some reason.

I thought for a brief moment. Then I rolled over and pushed myself up with my hands. I made it to a kneeling position.

From there, I brought one foot out from behind me and placed it on the ground, leaning my hands on it for support. Slowly, I pushed myself up until I was standing again. I grinned. "There we go!"

Then I collapsed.

What I estimated to be an hour later, I was finally able to balance on my feet again and move at a jog – but not run as fast as I normally could. I had noticed that my shoes were no longer on my feet, either. I wasn't entirely sure how that had happened.

Aside from that, I felt like I was a tot trying to learn to walk again. This didn't make any sense!

"How do I get out of here?" I asked myself. "I need to get back to the workshop, see if Tails is okay—Tails." I stopped as realization dawned. I had shouted his name when I was being attacked.

Which meant Zorro knew he wasn't too far away.

"No, wait! Zorro blew up!" I exclaimed. "Even if he did know Tails was in the house, he couldn't have done anything.

I couldn't help but wonder, though, why Tails didn't come and help me when I called. "Wouldn't he have done something?" I thought inwardly. "And if Zorro exploded, how did I get here? Where IS here, anyway? Maybe Eggman's involved in this somehow... and if that's true, Tails could be nearby."

I interrupted my own train of thought as I looked around again. I could worry about Tails later. Even the fact that all my senses had been dulled for some reason, and that I was having a hard time staying on my feet… I could worry about it later. Eggman was probably behind it, anyway. No surprises, there. This was just something new to entertain me for a while.

But if I was going to get any further in this, the first step was to get out of this giant, empty milk carton.

Then I could go crack some eggs.

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Like it? If not, at least wait until you read Chapter 2, as that will be more interesting. Thanks a lot for reading, and please review!