Disclaimer: I don't own most of the STH characters, yada yada yada. All I own are my random characters, plot-bunnies, fanfics, and all of the other random crud I come up with. Including Riá'shen. Especially Riá'shen because I happen to think he's awesome, but that's just me. Oh yes, and my delays-of-doom, because at the rate school has been eating my life I should probably get it trademarked and be done with it. Meh.

Author's Note: Ooookay, loooooong chapter due to a looooong delay. I kid you not when I say school has been eating my life. Still, at least I'm alive and I finally got the chance to work on this fic (after freaking forever). Forewarnings to you all: more of Shadow being a snarky ass and annoying the hell out of Manic, Manic issuing death-threats to Shadow, and an extremely carnivorous and slightly hyper crochameleon-raptor-thing. Seriously, Gehmeh's older brother is almost like a show in and of himself. I'm beginning to wonder if 'Silent Scream' was really the best name to give him. You'll see when you read it. As ever and always read, enjoy, and review! I'm sure you'll be glad that you did.

When it came to laying things out so they made sense, the previously unknown connections proved every bit as confusing as they'd at first seemed. At the center of it all, seemed to be Manic's deceased adoptive sister- Tahl. She'd been Liidara's girlfriend (how that worked out over long-distance Manic wouldn't say); she'd been good friends with Marietta and Espio, which had eventually led to the two of them getting close; and she had been the one to initially get Mighty to meet both Espio and Knuckles. She'd had a hand in almost all levels of society in Mercia and elsewhere, as near as they could figure, and her death had turned out to be the catalyst for Manic's actions as 'Kleptomaniac'. To say that everyone on the Island wasn't at least a touch befuddled would have been a bald-faced lie. The other parts of it, the harsher parts of it that none of them wanted to discuss turned out to be the most painful. Mighty wouldn't talk about how he'd met Tahl. Neither Espio or Marietta would talk about what had happened to the chameleon. Manic didn't want to talk about Tahl's death. None of them wanted to dig up painful history that had left gaping mental wounds; which left the others to wonder.

Shadow realized all of this, registered all of it clearly, but he refused to comment. Two metaphorical camps had formed; himself and Rouge, and everyone else. Liidara had firmly fallen on Manic's side, and thus the side of the Chaotix and triplets, out of old loyalty to Tahl. Marietta fell to the triplets' side out of loyalty to Bartleby and friendship to Sonia. Not so for himself and Rouge. Rouge had made it abundantly clear that if she had actually hated Manic, she would have skinned him alive in an instant. As for Shadow… A smirk tugged at his lips. 'Ever the unknown variable, Shadow Robotnik… Grandfather would be proud.'

The two metaphorical camps had quickly become literal with the onset of dusk. With the Guardian's permission they'd set up camp in a small clearing roughly fifteen feet off from the cave entrance. Closer to said entrance, the other group had set up camp under the stars. Between both camps laid Liidara with all of her impressive bulk. She had also (considerately) lit the small campfires. Shadow knew that the Guardian was suspicious and didn't want to really trust any of the four invaders, but both Espio and Sonia had vouched for Marietta, and Liidara was genuinely apologetic and trying to help the echidna keep the peace.

Swiveling his ears to catch the sounds coming from the other camp, Shadow chuckled. 'It sounds like they're talking tactics now… Might as well make myself useful and put my two cents in.' Getting to his feet, he turned and started walking for the other camp.

Rouge gave a frown and asked, "Where are you going?"

Looking back over his shoulder with amused red eyes, he answered, "To eavesdrop and give some input on the conversation instead of being about as useful as a bump on a log."

"Oh, ha ha, very funny. You just want to spend more time satisfying your oddity-"

Shadow grinned. "You can't tell me it's not fun to mess with his mind."

Rouge was silent for a few moments before she finally said, "You've been around me too long. What would your sister say?"

"You don't want to know," he laughed before continuing on his way.

Rouge stayed put for a few more minutes, stubbornly staring into the fire. Finally she seized the bucket of water at her side and put out the fire. "Damn it all," she muttered as she followed after Shadow.

"-He's hired Patros," Marietta said, her eyes on the fire as her right hand rested on the hilt of the sword at her hip.

"He what?" Espio growled, his skin darkening almost immediately.

"Espio, fill me in. What makes this 'Patros' so terrible?" Knuckles asked. He sat directly across the fire from the chameleon, and so got a good look at the rage boiling just below the surface in Espio's eyes.

Were it possible, Espio would have bristled. His eyes swept over the circle of the others, debating over how much to tell them. Finally he asked, "How much do any of you know about Mercia?"

"It's a land with a regal-system a bit like mine and my brothers'… or like ours would be if not for Robotnik," Sonia said from her spot next to Knuckles. She wasn't exactly feeling too pleased with Manic, so she sat almost as far away from him as she could get; putting her closer to the entrance while he was calmly perched at the crook of Liidara's elbow. "They're very rigid about social status in relation to behavior though… They're not exactly sexist, and there is no open practice of racism, but they're very firm in the way they expect certain types of people to behave."

Mighty gave grunt of what could have been amusement as Espio gave a tense sigh. "That's putting it politely," the armadillo stated in a wry tone.

"Mighty, you tell it. I don't have the temper for it," Espio requested.

Giving a nod, Mighty did as asked. "On the surface Mercia isn't all that bad. Granted, there are rigid social roles, but the only thing that really seems to come into play in that is social class. Nobles only consort with nobles or royals- if the royals choose to make that 'step down'; so on and so forth. Any 'peasants' don't even stand a chance of seeing half of what the nobility has access to unless they manage to be fortunate enough to make a 'step up' and work for them. Socially it comes off as a bit of a constrictive situation, but not too bad. But that's just the surface…" Mighty broke off as his expression became troubled.

"And?" Sonic asked impatiently only to whither under a warning look from Knuckles.

"In reality… Mercia is hell," Mighty stated. His normally cheery eyes were void of all warmth and his tone was full of a frigid ice that cut to the bone. When he continued, his body language and tone whispered of a rage-filled demon just rattling beneath the surface of his seemingly calm veneer. "The royalty, though they do wield a lot of power, are largely figureheads. In reality, Mercia is ruled by the slavers… the monsters that go out hunting to rip apart the worlds of those who've done nothing worse than live. Anyone without enough clout, anyone not high enough on the social scale is fair game. Any 'peasant' that doesn't want to run the risk of getting grabbed and sold off themselves had best buy themselves at least one slave to prove they've got enough wealth to amply cover for them and 'monetary dead weight'." With a snort of disgust he added venomously, "Owning another person is just one more damned proof of rank in that hell-hole."

"Then…?" Sonia asked. She was highly unsettled, and found herself grateful when Marietta, who sat at her left side, took hold of her hand and gently squeezed in sympathy. '…She might have been a mercenary before I knew her, but it's good to have an old friend here.'

"I had the misfortune of getting too much of the wrong sort of attention," Espio stated, the chill in his tone reflected in his skin tone.

"Espio and I were actively involved in a splinter-group that was focused on ending the slavery of Mercia," Marietta said, "He was one of our best. His family… didn't know of his involvement. Their stay in Mercia was supposed to be temporary; a diplomatic excursion from Ahngest. Due to Espio's involvement with me, and his talents, the slavers wanted him eliminated as a threat. They hired Patros."

Most of the others turned to look at Espio. Not even the Chaotix had known this part of his history. Espio's tail curled in a circle about him, the spikes pointed outward as if for some minor defense. His rage when he spoke was quiet, yet promised just as much violence as the monster that had seethed in Mighty's tones. "Patros was…" '…A monster.' "I underestimated him. I thought he'd be slow due to his size… I thought wrong. His orders were to kill me. He decided instead that there was no better revenge than to put me in the position of the very thing I fought against."

"He was captured-," Marietta put in as an effort to spare her old friend the necessity of saying it.

"-And sold," Espio snapped. "Three years of HELL due to underestimating Patros. Whatever any of you do, do not let him get the drop on you. He's strong, he's fast, and he's a damned tactician. Also," the red swirling into his eyes made it clear he would brook no argument, "when he makes his appearance, he's mine." Sonic no longer doubted that Ray had been correct in saying that Espio and Manic were similar.

"Fine," Knuckles grudgingly agreed. He wasn't stupid by any means, and he had no intention of getting in Espio's way when the chameleon was in such a mood. Memories of a blood-coated, chain-wearing Espio with hair-trigger responses were reminder enough. "What about the others Robotnik has hired? Any information on them?"

"Most I'm not familiar with," Marietta confessed.

"And only two were acquainted with Mercia to my knowledge," Liidara added apologetically.

From the ridge above the cave entrance, Shadow began rattling off names. He laid on his side, head propped up on his left hand, and a detached look of interest on his face. "Nack the Weasel, A.K.A. Fang the Sniper; Patros Damovoi- 'the Blood Hound'; Riá'shen- 'the Butcher'; Aridya Namos- 'the Death Mage'; and Lien-Da of the Dark Legion."

At the last all of Knuckles's attention was focused on Shadow. "What? The D-… Did you just say the Dark Legion?"

"I did," Shadow answered, just as detached as ever.

"It can't be! It can't! They'd never…" Everyone but the Chaotix and Shadow seemed perplexed by the enormity of this revelation.

When Manic spoke, his eyes were locked on Shadow and he asked curtly, "Shadow… Are you aware of what the Dark Legion is?"

A shade of amusement lit up in the dark hedgehog's red eyes, and when he spoke the Guardian's suspicion hit a fever-pitch. "I am indeed."

"If you know what they are, then talk," Knuckles growled challengingly.

"Simple," he smirked, "they are a splintered-off faction of your kin… eternally at war with your blood-line. Correct?"

"How do you know that?" Ray asked, his own suspicions mirroring Knuckles's. The other Chaotix were in much the same fine state.

"Robotnik keeps records. I just happened to go through them," Shadow lied easily.

"You're talking about ancient history- stuff that I doubt Robotnik would ever bother with," Mighty snapped.

Shadow shrugged. "He didn't. His… triple-great-grandfather did. There is very little of his grandfather's that he's bothered to get rid of. So while Rouge was busy negotiating with the Disgrace… I rifled through as much information as I dared." 'A little bit of truth goes a long way…'

"And just what reason would you have for that?" Knuckles scoffed.

Shadow turned his bored gaze to the tips of the fingers of his right hand. 'My claws are starting to cut through my gloves… I'll have to get new ones soon.' "Ivo is a joke," he stated, "and I've no liking for the man. Quite frankly, I wouldn't object if he had the misfortune to fall into a trash-compacter. Is it any surprise I would use any advantage I can get to make his life a living hell?"

"You were working for him," Manic pointed out coldly.

'Clever… This game with you is really rather entertaining.' "On the contrary, I was merely a neutral party at Rouge's side. She was the one he contacted and wished to employ. I was just… along for the ride."

Manic scowled at the emotions he picked up from Shadow. 'Bastard. Even now you're having fun at my expense.' "Somehow I doubt that. I know Rouge. You're not exactly the sort of company she typically likes to keep."

"Like you've got much room to talk? 'Oh-he-who-seems-to-have-a-talent-for-screwing-things-up'?"

Manic glared at Shadow outright and sent over an empathic stream that essentially amounted to, 'You'd best be damned glad that we're trying to keep things peaceful, or I swear to the Goddess Herself that I'd rip your damned throat out with my bare hands.'

Shadow gave an amused smirk as his telepathy kicked on again. "You're assuming you'd be able to hurt me. You're assuming that you'd be able to get past your attraction; that you'd be able to stop blushing to your ears and keep your mind from wandering off into fantasy la-la land about all of the things you'd like me to do you. I don't think you'd do so well."

"Stay THE HELL out of my head," Manic snapped aloud, glaring daggers at the darker hedgehog.

"I can't help what you think," Shadow mocked.

"Enough," Knuckles finally snapped. "Shadow."

"Hm?" His mask of disinterest slid as easily into place as Manic's typical mask of density.

"You know about the Dark Legion. You know exactly who Robotnik has hired. You've said so far that you've been neutral. That isn't good enough. What side are you going to fall on?" the Guardian demanded.

Shadow considered, looking much as though he was internally debating something as minor as what he wanted to eat the next morning. He glanced again at Manic, who was itching for an excuse to attack him, and nonchalantly stated, "I suppose I've little choice. I can't tolerate the Disgrace, I've promised that if Nack and I are ever alone in the same room that I'll very likely leave his mutilated corpse to be found the next morning, and I don't particularly enjoy the thought of having 'Kleptomaniac' trying to kill me."

"You're an ass," Manic snapped in Japanese.

"And I refuse to give you any moral grounds for attacking me," Shadow replied in the same language.

Returning to common, Manic snarled at him, "Die in a ditch."

"Been there, didn't happen that way."

"Boys," Marietta finally growled as her tail fluffed almost twice its normal size in irritation, "ENOUGH. One more word out of either of you and, friend or brother of Rouge and Sonia or no, I will exercise my old trade on both of you." Shadow held up his free hand as if in surrender. Manic kept glaring.

Giving a frustrated sigh, Knuckles asked, "So you've decided you're on our side?"

"I have," Shadow agreed. Manic gave a snort of distaste. "What are you miffed about? I thought you'd like the excuse to spend time with me."

'I thought I told you to stay out of my head, you bastard.'

"You did, but it's fun to pick on you. You have some of the most entertaining reactions-"

'…Shut up.'

"What about Rouge?" Knuckles asked, directing the question to both Shadow and Manic.

Manic shrugged, acting as if he hadn't just been going back-and-forth with Shadow mentally. "I'm in no position to speak for her. She and I didn't exactly end on a good note."

"And if you tried, I'd have to hurt you," Rouge said as she walked into the fire-light.

"Well?" Knuckles demanded.

"Why is it that control of the situation has defaulted to the Guardian? Aren't you and your siblings royalty?" Shadow silently prodded Manic again.

'It's his Island… I thought I told you to shut up.'

"You can't fault me for being curious…"

'What part of "SHUT. UP." don't you understand?'

"The part where I was supposed to give a damn."

'For the love of- SHUT THE HELL UP! Stay out of my head! Goddess above! What the hell is wrong with you?'

Rouge gave a sigh, completely oblivious to the silent argument between her friend and ex. "I may not exactly be pleased with Captain 'I Have to Save Everyone' over there," she said as she jerked a thumb toward Manic, "…but I don't want him getting killed either. And I can't, and won't, just ditch Shadow. So I'm on your side."

"Good," Knuckles stated.

"See? Even Rouge is willing to get involved for your sake. Don't you feel special?"

'SHUT. UP. ALREADY! It's not hard! Shut up! It's a little thing called staying out of my head and keeping your mouth SHUT. Is that really so difficult for you?'

"Again, I reiterate, your reactions are so amusing to watch that they're incentive enough for me to keep bothering you."

'YOU are an impossible son of a bito and I'm going to kill you in your sleep!'

"Good luck with that. Besides… I could be far worse."

'Why won't you leave me alone?' The tone of Manic's thoughts took on an edge of desperation.

"Any information you can give on what the others that Robotnik hired are capable of would be greatly appreciated Shadow," the Guardian said.

"Of course," Shadow replied; silently continuing on with Manic, "I could just be sending you all sorts of terrible mental images…"

'DON'T. YOU. EVEN. DARE.'

"I think you're blushing…"

'SHUTUP!' Manic shot to his feet and started stalking off, drawing quizzical looks from the others.

"Manic, you okay?" Sonic asked.

"I just need some time away from that," Manic grumbled as he shot another glare at Shadow.

"Awww… I'm wounded. I thought you'd like that idea…"

'SHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUP!'

"…Well then… Have a fun time off by yourself."

'YOU CAN DIE IN A MEAT GRINDER FOR ALL I CARE!'

"…You make a very poor liar, Manic."

Sonic frowned, concentrating on a heavily puzzled feeling in the hopes that Manic might answer silently. A feeling of annoyance, accompanied by the mental image of a ceaselessly-babbling Shadow was the only response he received.

With a curt nod to everyone else, Manic stalked off into the night without any further explanation. He wasn't surprised when the conversation continued without him.

"…Thunderhawk," the Spirit Emerald murmured to the violet-furred echidna.

"Hm?" Thunderhawk had rousted himself from the Guardians' Lair- the normal lurking ground for the dead (or only technically dead) Guardians- to take some time in the Emerald Chamber. He sat on the floor, legs crossed in a somewhat meditative fashion, in front of the main pedestal that held the emeralds; the Seven arranged in a circle around the Master Emerald herself. It was a rare thing for Spirit to speak to him directly. Far more frequently he heard either from Lightning or the Master Emerald- both of which had been his patron emeralds in life. 'Of course, one could argue that I'm closer to Lightning since the relationship is more personal than the status of "Guardian"…' Still, the purple emerald had chosen to speak to him and as such was not to be ignored. "What would you have to say to me, Qurraamnya?" he asked, politely using the Spirit Emerald's true name. One always addressed the ancient wizards politely; for they had long since earned the respect they were due.

"…I would ask you of what you think where the Hedgehog's children are concerned."

Thunderhawk's white eyebrows shot up. 'Interesting question… You're being cautious old one.' Spirit had been at the heart of a controversy among the Guardians almost two decades before, and had been thoroughly enraged by the decision said Guardians arrived at when it came to 'his' chosen avatar. Even now Spirit refused to speak with the majority of them- regardless of whether or not some of them had been his avatar in some long ago point in history. Could 'he' have found another potential avatar so soon? It was an interesting thought… 'And if Qurraamnya is beating around the bush in order to gauge what we Guardians think, then it might be a sign that "he" is debating whether to skip the formalities and throw in "his" lot with this newest avatar… Which means it might be one of the triplets that "he" has "his" eye on… My triple-great-grandson is going to be livid if that's the case. Come to think of it, so is my father.' He gave a shrug at that thought. He'd long since stopped caring what his father thought. It drove the old man absolutely insane.

"I take it you're trying to get a rough judgment as to how the others would feel if one of the triplets were your avatar?" Spirit's silence was answer enough. With a snort of amusement Thunderhawk stated, "I doubt what the other Guardians think would stop you for an instant if you're determined. As for what I think, I believe you could do far worse in your choice of avatar. True, the three of them are his children; but if you'll recall, I was never opposed to your choice when it came to Jules."

Spirit was silent for a few moments before surprising Thunderhawk with a laugh. Spirit so very rarely laughed that it had been completely unexpected. "True. I remember well how you stood by my other self's side while your sire wreathed himself in a screaming temper. Thus, why I have chosen to speak with you instead of the other old fools," the emerald's tone carried hints of disdain for the others, but an affectionate tease for Thunderhawk. 'He' seemed to be in a good mood.

"Would it be impolite if I were to ask which one, 'oh-ye-who-art-older-than-dirt'?" the echidna taunted back. Thunderhawk had always felt that it was a good practice to actually befriend the ancient wizards that had once been so powerful they became elementals. Formality had never sat well with Thunderhawk, so it had only been natural that as soon as his reign as Guardian began all those decades (if not centuries) ago he'd dispensed with it- Yet another thing that had driven Spectre insane about his son.

"The thief. He, much like his sire, has proven to be my other self. Not merely an avatar of convenience, but a reflection." The compliment of Manic was a high one, if subtle. All of the emeralds were old, of that there was no question, but few knew how old. The fact was that the Seven were so old that they remembered little of who they had been before they'd become the emeralds. Their races, their genders, their friends and kin were all lost to memory and could not be retrieved through the hazy mist of their transformation from mobian wizards to elemental gems. They each remembered their name and much of their old personalities, but little else. As such, any avatar they considered their 'other self' in some way bore a strong resemblance to who they had been. This didn't mean that the resemblance was merely a strong similarity, but instead that it was so strong that the personalities of emerald and avatar could meld into one and that the two beings could switch back and forth on control of the body at will. It meant that the emerald believed the avatar to share the same soul- or at least part of it. Thunderhawk had a sneaking suspicion that Spirit had been something of a kind-hearted rabble-rousing trouble-maker before 'his' transformation.

'What does that say about Lightning? She/he/it/whatever says the same about me… All of the Emeralds were trouble-makers. They had to be,' he thought to himself amusedly. '…Why else would they have been sealed like this?' "You do so enjoy angering my father, don't you?"

"It's a talent." In a move that surprised Thunderhawk even further, Qurraamnya materialized 'his' physical appearance of choice; a being that resembled a golden-bronze and black-tipped male hedgehog. The triple-sets of fangs- two-upper one-lower, retractable white claws, barbed quills, curved and pointed ears, and red-violet eyes that almost glowed dispelled that seemingly simple image. Whether 'he' had been a hedgehog/tenrec mixed-blood in life was uncertain, but 'he' insisted upon presenting 'himself' as such. 'He' was sitting on 'his' emerald-self in much the same manner as Thunderhawk was on the floor. "Your sire is the sort that irks me ceaselessly, so in turn I must return the favor," Qurraamnya stated with the barest whisper of a laugh in 'his' voice.

"…You really are serious about the thief, aren't you?" Thunderhawk asked in a wry tone.

"How can I not? The sire was denied me and sealed to rest. My other self resides in a jail of slumber, and the more foolish of your kin refused to acknowledge the insult they'd dealt me. They still refuse it, for they will not release him. How am I to forgive that?" Quills rattled together as Spirit bristled. "How am I to forgive that they have trapped part of me and refuse to let him free? How can I forgive when those that sealed me proved that they will not accept me as I am even while they claim to accord me respect and honor?"

Thunderhawk smiled. He was familiar with how the line of emerald/avatar tended to be blurred and found it oddly comforting. "As I said before: if you're set on Manic, I very strongly doubt that the other Guardians can do much of anything. Especially if you skip formalities," he said, his smile turning conspiratorial. "Though I do have to wonder, why bring it up to me if you ultimately don't care what the old fools think?"

Red-violet eyes turned to regard a black-furred hand, the fingers flexing as the mixed-breed emerald played with 'his' retractable claws. The boredom was affected, if badly, to cover for some subtle anxiety; but there was no shame in knowing that Thunderhawk could read the distraction for what it was. After a moment or two, Qurraamnya finally looked at the echidna again and said, "Mine interest is not the only that has been piqued."

Thunderhawk cocked his head to the side as a puzzled frown crept onto his face. "Oh? Who else?"

"Sadaasiirae, Wisteräns…" Quraamnya hesitated for a moment, 'his' tension becoming a bit more pronounced. "…and Acondröshnii."

The old Guardian hadn't been so surprised at the mention of Earth and Air, for every Guardian knew how the emeralds gravitated toward prophecy-bound individuals, but the mention of Life was unsettling. Life, contrary to its name, wasn't interested in the continuation of things or people by birth or growth; it tended to focus more on the knife-edge balance of life and death. Duality was Life's hallmark, thus why it refused to be either female or male- and it demanded the same duality of its avatars. As a result Life, the white emerald, rarely took an avatar. 'The last avatar Acondröshnii had was… Goddess… five hundred years ago! And she was…'

Thunderhawk really didn't want to think about it. Every avatar of Acondröshnii operated by their own rules, their own beliefs, their own sense of right and wrong- and in their view everybody else could just get the hell out of their way if they didn't like it. Normal rules tended not to apply to Life's avatars, or at least they chose to act as such, so any avatar of the white emerald tended to be met with a great deal of trepidation. Nervous, anxious as he was, Thunderhawk forced himself to ask, "Is the one Acondröshnii is interested in… Are they anything like the last one?"

Qurraamnya flexed 'his' claws again as 'he' thought it over carefully. "I think not, but I can not be certain. The only assurances I can give is that he seems to hold some interest in my other self, and that my other self feels like-wise for him- much though he dislikes the thought. Perhaps if my other self comes to hold some sway over Acondröshnii's avatar, a repeat of the past can be avoided."

"…So unless Manic comes to hold sway over this other avatar, we're looking at a repeat?" The echidna couldn't help a sinking sense of dread.

Holding up a hand to put a temporary halt on the Guardian's concerns, Qurraamnya said, "As I have stated, I can not be certain. I will say this; he is far more stable than the last. Whereas she used her affinity with Life to cause great destruction, he merely has the potential for destruction. A potential he has yet to put to use."

For not the first time, Thunderhawk found himself slightly annoyed at the tendency the emeralds had for being unspecific. Giving a sigh, he asked, "So 'just wait and see', huh?"

"Indeed."

"Thank you for the forewarning Qurraamnya," Thunderhawk said as he got to his feet to leave the chamber.

"You are most welcome-" Spirit began before 'his' appearance vanished, "-my friend, Guardian Thunderhawk."

'And now I'm left with the judgment of whether or not to tell the others… If I tell them, things are just going to get worse because there'll be a repeat of Jules. Thanks. Thanks a lot. Thanks for dropping this basket-full of worms in my lap Spirit, really.' There were times that Thunderhawk hated having been a Guardian. This was proving to be one of those days.

Sonia was getting worried. Manic had left hours ago, it was creeping toward two in the morning, and he hadn't come back. She knew he was perfectly capable of defending himself, knew there was no threat on the Floating Island that he couldn't handle, but that did little to ease her worry. She almost wanted to venture out into the dark to look for him, but the darkness wasn't her element. She was a noble, born and raised; she had never had any need to venture into the dark without a guiding light to keep her from straying near dangerous places. The Island might not have any monsters, but that didn't mean that an unseen cliff-edge or the edges of the Island weren't dangerous. Looking for Manic wouldn't do any good if she made a critical mistake in the dark just because she couldn't see. So she waited and worried. 'Elder-sister-Sonia' was out in force. Neither Rouge nor Liidara, both of whom had known her empathic brother for longer than she had, seemed concerned. Sonia couldn't help wondering if they had a better measure of Manic than she did.

'Why was he so bothered by Shadow? He wasn't doing anything…' She shook her head and prodded at the dim fire with a stick. Most of the others had chosen to fall asleep and get what rest they could. The only others that were awake were Rouge, Shadow, Liidara, and Espio- none of which she felt too at ease speaking to. 'I wish Marietta was awake.'

Shadow still laid on the overhang above the cave entrance, though now he seemed intent on watching the stars. Sonia didn't think she wanted to even try to talk to him due to how her brother had reacted to the darker hedgehog. He wasn't inclined to talk much anyway, from what she'd seen. In fact she was quite certain that aside from when he was harassing her brother, Shadow was otherwise a silent individual.

Rouge, being Manic's ex, was another that Sonia felt wary around. How old was she? How long had Manic and the bat been together anyway? She was obviously older than the triplets, so… Sonia frowned at the bent her mind had taken, but chose to pursue it. Looking from the fire to where the bat was sitting next to Liidara's sizable bulk, Sonia quietly asked, "Rouge?"

The bat snapped out of whatever reverie had kept her staring at the flames to turn her attention to the curious princess. "Hm?"

"How… How long have you known Manic? If I can ask…"

A smile full of nostalgia flickered on Rouge's face for a moment. "The sister wants to know how bad the brother's been?"

"Ah- Nooooo," Sonia stammered, "I just… want to know. We… that is, Sonic and I, didn't know about you until…"

"Until I showed my face," the jewel-thief finished for the princess.

"…Yeah."

"Hn. Him and his damned secrets… Hun, if you weren't his sister I'd tell you not to bother with him. He's no end of trouble, and he'll break your heart by getting you to care about him before breaking himself apart for everybody else. He's a regular 'bleeding heart' that puts the salvation of the masses before his own survival. Kind of stupid really."

"Sounds like you two ended badly," Sonia said cautiously.

"You have no idea."

"So, um… Can I ask how you two met?"

Rouge laughed, a sound that carried a touch of old pain. "You really want to know?"

"Yes," she replied firmly.

"The idiot got carried away with an overload of emotions when he was about thirteen. Something had happened, he never told me what precisely had sparked it, but whatever it was caused him to decide he was too much trouble to everyone around him. He was going suicidal; all of that 'overdramatic early teenager hormone' crap," Rouge said with a wry smile.

Shadow's ears swiveled in the bat's direction. Was that… affection for Manic he heard in her voice? 'Interesting.'

"Suicidal?" Sonia asked, concern ringing clearly in her tone.

Rouge waved it off. "I doubt he would have actually gone through with it, the man's too damn stubborn to die, but when I first saw him I didn't know that. I was just flying around at the time, minding my own business and there he was at just about the highest point in Robotropolis, looking like he was going to jump. Hell, he did jump and I thought there was going to be hedgehog-street-pizza." She laughed again, more at herself than anything else. "I didn't know how easily he could have caught himself, didn't realize that he could save himself at the last possible second if he wanted- I just reacted. Swooped in, caught the fool in my arms, and kept on flying until we were at someplace where we didn't have to worry about getting shot at by the SWATbots. Surprised the hell out of him too."

Liidara glanced at Shadow in curiosity. Their expressions of surprise were identical. Espio merely snorted and kept his focus for watch-duty.

"I never knew…," Sonia whispered.

"Not surprising. It's one part of his past he's ashamed of and would quite happily forget if he could- Not for meeting me, but for the fact that he was stupid enough to actually seriously consider suicide and jump. I gave him one hell of a talking-to; pretty much called him a 'stupid idiotic moron' for what he'd done and told him that if I ever caught him at it again, I'd personally throttle him."

"So when did you two…?"

"Become an item?" At Sonia's nod, Rouge sighed. "Understand this: the only reason I'm willing to tell you this is because you're his sister." Darting a look at the other three she snapped, "So if any of you say a word of this, I will hurt you."

"What do I care about Manic's past, bat? It's not of my concern," Espio stated with a small measure of distaste, no doubt rooted in the mutual hostility between him and said hedgehog.

"Raati, if I ever betrayed such a thing that concerns Manyi, I could not forgive myself," Liidara assured.

"Shadow?" Rouge asked archly.

"I won't say anything," he promised.

"Good." Turning back to Sonia, Rouge continued, "I got together with him a year or so after that. I kept on running into him; he kept running into me, hormones went wild…" She couldn't help laughing at Sonia's slowly widening eyes as the pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place. "We got together and had about a good year together. Then Tahl died and he turned into 'Captain I-Must-Save-Everyone'. Things kind of fell apart after that."

"Oh… I'm sorry…"

"You don't have to be. No one could have really done anything about what happened to Tahl; so nothing could have been done about the choices Manic made. I'm not exactly thrilled with him, but I don't hate him. I can't be with him, don't want to even think about being with him ever again, but I don't hate him."

Sonia considered, mulling things over for a few moments. Had Rouge hinted that Manic wasn't…? 'No, she couldn't be… She's got to be… what? 3? 4 years older than us? It wouldn't make sense if the two of them… Oh Goddess… What if she… seduced… my brother? Oh Goddess…' The slightly horror-struck expression on her face drew a raised eyebrow from the bat. "Um…" she began, lightly tugging at her lower lip with her teeth. 'Oh come on! This is Manic we're talking about here! He's responsible! Reckless, but responsible. He wouldn't do anything. I just need her to tell me so that I'll stop freaking out about it…' "Rouge… did you ever…?"

A snort of laughter pulled itself from the bat. "Did I ever sleep with him?" Sonia gave a halting nod. "Sonia, princess, I hate to burst your bubble- but if Manic's a virgin then I'm a shape-shifting alien from another galaxy."

Sonia's jaw dropped in shocked disbelief. She didn't even notice the fit of muffled laughter that had erupted from Shadow. "Y-y-y-y-you… And my brother…?" she squawked. Shadow rolled so that his back was to them and curled in on himself, his quiet laughter shaking his shoulders.

Rouge was having a hard time not laughing at Sonia's reaction herself, but she kept her composure. "Yup. Was pretty damn fun for all that I was his first."

Sonia gave another strangled squawk, sending Shadow into another giggle-fit. "How old are you? When did you two- No. No, I don't want to know. I don't. I don't."

Rouge arched an eyebrow. "I'm eighteen. Not too big an age gap, three years, closer to two. He was fourteen-going-on-fifteen at the time. Fifteen-going-on-sixteen now. Do the math."

"You slept with my brother when he was fourteen? And you were seventeen? What is wrong with you?"

Rouge gave an amused snort, ignoring Shadow's near-silent cackling as best she could. "For your information, your brother has always been mature for his age. He's had to be. I didn't push him into anything. He went after me of his own free will- so if you have a problem with it, take it up with him. Besides… You're the one who wanted to know."

"But- but- but… That's…" Sonia trailed off uncomfortably.

"…To be expected, unfortunately, because he grew up on the street. Everyone matures quickly on the streets- everyone. Anybody that doesn't shape up quickly is looking at a pretty rough road, if not outright death. It's not as if we can pick and choose what parts of our minds mature at what points and how. So he lost it early. So what? Manic is Manic, simple as that."

"But… What about…"

"Innocence? There is no innocence on the streets. Not in the 'lack of knowledge purity' sense. Your brother might technically be a prince," Rouge said as she locked eyes with Sonia, "but he's a street-brat through and through."

Sonia fell into an awkward silence at that; her mind rehashing the old conflict of how much she knew about Manic versus her protectiveness and the familiarity she was entitled to as his sister. It was an uncomfortable train of thought.

His giggle-fit finally ended, Shadow whipped himself onto his feet in the blink of an eye. "I'm off for a bit," he stated nonchalantly.

"Where are you going?" Sonia asked, trying to take her mind off her thoughts.

Red met red as he said, "To retrieve your brother and let him know that he's worrying you senseless." Before she could even thank him, he jumped from his perch and bolted off into the woods, an amused smirk tugging at his lips. 'Her freak-outs about Manic's 'love life' are almost as entertaining as his freak-outs about me… Ah, the excuses I'll use to bother him.' He didn't bother smothering the laugh this time.

Ka'eh frowned as she eyed the passed-out pea-hawk on the ground next to her. Sabbat had curled up against her side as tightly as he could in his sleep, abandoning his typical spot under one of Qet's wings in favor of her protective presence. Sabbat had developed quite the attachment to Qet during the few short months he'd been living with them, perhaps due to the fact that despite his snarky attitude Qet was actually one of the most gentle of their family. It was a rare thing indeed when Sabbat felt so in need of protection that he'd turn to her to watch over him while he slept.

She was the aggressive and combative one. She was the one that would go out looking for a fight and challenge, the one that would gleefully fight on even while bruised and bleeding with broken bones. It was not just for her mottled black-brown-golden-gray fur that her name had originally been 'Scrap'. She was, as she had been told by both Farrel and Arajia, as well as those she'd been adopted by, a berserker. For that reason alone she tended to unsettle Sabbat, though she knew he knew that she would never harm him. She just wasn't good with the whole 'gentle' thing. Protective she could do, easily, and it was something she did well. Even if it meant threatening those she loved for their own good.

Giving a sigh, her golden-brown eyes clouded over. 'Qetzenthala is exhausted, and without one hell of a thermal there's no way he's getting up to that island with me and Sabbat. Hell, for what he did manage that's impressive enough for what he is! If he makes the attempt again... Krrresk. He'd just kill himself. All because we don't have access to Tryst and those bastards will head to the island.' A fanged snarl flashed across her face before she could stop it. She knew combat, she knew physical capabilities, and she knew what species were capable of what. For what Qet was, he was one of the most physically fit she had ever seen. Most peacocks or hawks couldn't have even gotten off the ground with the burden he'd carried, especially without any sort of running start. 'And stupidly I didn't realize he was pushing it until it was almost too late. I should have noticed sooner.' She could only hope that he hadn't hurt himself with how much he'd overextended himself.

That in turn left one option that she knew of: if Qet couldn't fly up to the island easily with herself and Sabbat, then he would have to be given the means to do so- and the easiest way to accomplish that was an extremely large updraft. Taking stock of where they were, Ka'eh gave a faint hum of thought. She could either go off to get the help they needed while Sabbat and Qet were asleep, or she could wait until they were awake and end up exposing them to a people that would rather remain invisible. Leaving them undefended was by no means an option (because really there was no telling what sort of people might come across them while they slept), and the other choice wasn't one she was entirely comfortable with either. 'It's times like this that I wish I was a 'path of some sort. It'd make it so much easier.' Gently biting a thumb-claw as her anxiety got the better of her; she internally debated as to whether the other two would sleep through a suitable howl. Those that could help would definitely be able to hear her howl and come to their aid, but if either of them woke then those that came would be less than pleased with her. As it was in the eyes of some her tribal status was precarious enough- exposure, whether intentional or not, wouldn't win her any points with those that disputed her adoption into the tribe. 'Hell…'

At least they were close enough to the tribe's territory… 'Maybe if I go off just far enough to keep an eye on them, but not wake them…' They were in a relatively thin area of the grasses of the plains- most likely cut or thinned down for the various uses the tribe could put the grasses to. It was thin and sparse enough that Ka'eh felt confident that she wouldn't have to worry about venomous snakes if she did wander off a little bit- she'd easily see any movement before they could get anywhere close to Qet and Sabbat. Carefully getting to her feet, the canine silently crept off a ways while keeping her eyes trained on her adoptive siblings the entire way. As soon as she deemed the distance between them far enough she tilted her muzzle to the sky and took a deep breath to give the specific howl that would relay her request. 'Time to see if I can't get someone to summon up a wind when we need it.'

Manic returned in a mood as the sun came up. He was not pleased. His exchange with Shadow the night before had been bad enough; obnoxious, infuriating, tempting- 'Oh HELL NO. NOT going there!' After stalking off, he'd ambled along the edges of the Island for a while, and at one point had taken a seat on the edge and just admired the sky. True, it had been an effort to block out thoughts of Shadow and how infuriating he'd been, but sometimes it was nice to just take in a beautiful view and relax.

After a while he'd retreated from the edge of the Island, climbed a tree, and gone to sleep. The dreams had not been helpful WHAT. SO. EVER. As if waking from dreams about the most obnoxious hedgehog in existence hadn't been bad enough, when Manic woke up Shadow had been perched on a branch that was a limb-or-two above where Manic had parked himself for the night. And he was amused. The bastard had been amused at his expense… AGAIN. Manic wanted to punch him. He really wanted to punch him when Shadow had said, "Were you aware that you just barely broadcast your dreams?" It turned out that 'just barely' meant that anybody within a foot of him would pick up on his broadcasting… if they weren't a telepath. If they were a telepath then they could pick up on it from seven feet away. Manic REALLY wanted to punch Shadow. Preferably across his smug face.

He probably would have after he snarled out, "What the hell do you want?" And then Shadow had suddenly dropped so that he and Manic were on the same branch, invaded his personal space by looming over him (and NO, his heart hadn't skipped a few beats, thank you!), and smirked that Goddess-be-damned infuriating smirk of his that said he was laughing at Manic's expense.

"You're worrying your poor sister senseless, so I volunteered to find you and bring you back." And then he winked, and teleported out of the damn tree so he was on the forest floor.

Oh yeah, sure, Manic had sat there stunned for a few moments- but the second he'd recovered, he'd yelled, "I swear I'm going to kill you!"

What did the 'great and wonderful bastard' do? Laughed. Laughed, flashed him a smile and said, "Maybe later… 'your highness'," before running off; leaving Manic wanting to kill him… Or at least throttle him… all while fighting to gain control over his almost impossible-to-control blush. No, there was no question about it, Manic was not pleased.

So, when those self-satisfied red eyes locked on him the moment he returned, Manic glared at him outright. Shadow grinned in response. "Shadow," Manic snapped out, drawing some surprised looks from the others at his tone.

"Nani?" Shadow asked.

Manic flashed a wicked grin that promised all the violence in the world if given even half a chance and cheerily greeted, "Go fall in a meat-grinder and die. You'll spare the world a lot of trouble."

Shadow smirked. That damn smirk that said he was laughing at Manic's expense. Completely ignoring everyone else around them, he replied, "Oh, I might happily do just that- if you joined me."

Manic's right eye twitched in irritation. He knew what Shadow was doing; and it did nothing to improve his mood. He was deliberately choosing his words so that the others would only pick up on the more innocuous meaning instead of the true one. 'Misdirection by misunderstanding… Goddess above, you're such an ASS.' "I'll join you there about as soon as Robotnik loses weight!" he shot back.

"That can be arranged," Shadow drawled. 'A pity my telepathy isn't working just now, but you can pick up the gist of my thoughts based on my mood anyway. So you should know: I can't think of anyone that's as entertaining as you are.' Judging by the golden-eyed scowl that earned, Manic had caught his meaning.

The others were looking back and forth between the two of them, the majority with varying expressions of confusion as to why they were so hostile toward each other, when Rouge cut in. "Boys, knock it off."

Manic snorted and pointedly turned his back on Shadow. The darker hedgehog merely snickered. "Rouge, keep Shadow on a leash. He's not fit for polite company," the thief-prince grumbled as he stalked past the others.

"I heard that," Shadow remarked.

Manic paused, spun to glower at Shadow and snapped out in the most venomous tone the others had yet heard him use, "Why am I not surprised? Oh wait- could it be because you don't know how to stop eavesdropping? And that you don't know how to SHUT UP? Or wait, could it even be because you're an ass? Regardless, piss off. Or my dagger is going right between your damned eyes." And with that he stormed into the Hidden Palace without so much as a glance to anyone else.

Shadow donned an aloof expression as the others slowly turned to eye him. "...Personality conflicts," he stated in explanation without explaining.

Sonic arched an eyebrow before retorting, "I think that's an understatement."

"Zo Dahlink, any luck in gettink him to talk?" Patros asked Lien-Da. He and the others that Robotnik had hired had been putting off their excursion to the Floating Island; partly because they figured that a dragon the size of Liidara could easily handle anything that could come up, and partly because they wanted to be certain that their enemies wouldn't have the advantage of information on them. That in turn meant that most of them were getting twitchy and eager to be on their way, so the pressure to have the bizarre mixed-blood talk had been steadily increasing.

Lien-Da gave a snarl of unrestrained rage in response. "None. The half-breed cur won't even crack. I've never run into someone so obstinate! I even started breaking his bones! Nothing! The mutt just laughs in my face! If we didn't need him alive I'd kill him NOW!" she snapped, punching a hole in the nearest wall in her fit of temper.

Robotnik scowled from the desk he sat behind. "Lien-Da, if you would refrain from destroying my mansion it would be most appreciated."

"Your mutts can fix it," the echidna stated flippantly while aiming a pointed look at Sleet and Dingo. Both of them withered under her gaze- 'Just as they should be.' Her patience was being stretched thin having to be around so many non-echidnas, especially in that few of those in present company offered what (to her) was the proper deference. "Even if the two of them prove so incapable that they can't fix a little hole in the wall, I'm certain that you've got more than enough robots that are more than capable." It was more than clear that it wasn't robots she was talking about per se, but roboticized mobians.

The human gave a grunt in response as he eyed the 'little' hole. In reality the hole was big enough for Robotnik to put his head through if he so desired, and the cracks spider-webbed the wall for a good two-foot radius around it. 'Little' it was not. "Nonetheless, I'd prefer if the building structure weren't being weakened. If you absolutely feel the need to put a hole through something, why don't you put a few more through our guest?"

"BECAUSE IT'S NOT DOING ANY GOOD!" she exploded.

"Jeez Lien-Da, take a nerve-pill," Nack smirked from his seat. He sat in a chair a ways off, tilted back so it was balanced on the back legs with his feet resting on the repaired table that Tryst's body had split in half. "He'll break. They always break. You just have ta find out what'll make 'im break. I mean, come on! People in Mercia have been breaking down scraps like that for how long? Just take a step back an' think it through."

Lien-Da aimed a scowl at the weasel, dangerously close to telling him just where he could stuff his inferior suggestions, when Patros chimed in. "He does haff a point Dahlink. If you vant to br'eak him you haff to consider all possibilities. It could fery vell be dat in order to… 'persuade' him dat you may haff to har'm some-von else. Dere are plenty in dis vorld dat seem impossible to br'eak- until you start har'mink anozher. Den dey crumble." The grin playing about his muzzle at the last few words made it clear that he knew exactly what he was talking about.

Riá'shen gave an aggravated sigh, a dull shade of blue reflecting his boredom rippling across his skin. "Of course, leave it to the slaver to know all sorts of ways to mentally manipulate others. Sick bastard."

"If I recall corr'ectly your sister vas much de same vay," the bull-dog rumbled.

"And she was a sick witch," Riá'shen retorted. "Gehmeh was touched in the head. She let her passions get the better of her. Now she's dead. Besides, you're forgetting one important thing- we don't have anyone to threaten our 'guest' with. The way he's going I very much doubt that that one would break down if we started taking apart a roboticized mobian in front of him. He'd probably excuse it on the idea that being dead is better than being enslaved." Flicking his tail, he started pacing, his raptor-like talons clicking on the marble floor. "No, he's protecting something, or someone. He's trying to delay us." Suddenly turning to lock his eyes on Robotnik, Riá'shen stated in a near-demand, "Give the order. Let us move for the Island NOW. Don't wait until they come to us! By then it'll be too damned late and who knows what they'll have worked out against us! The sooner we get there, the sooner their blood flows, and the sooner we take them out. Kleptomaniac, the royals, and any others that might get in our way!"

"You seem awfully eager," Aridya murmured, his voice a whispery rasp. Up until that point the cloaked squirrel had been largely silent and had almost seemed to vanish into the shadows of the corner of the room he occupied near the bookshelves. "One might almost think you're eager to run and help them." Within less than a second the hostility of the room shifted to Riá'shen.

"I believe our mage-friend has a point," Robotnik stated thoughtfully, his fingers steepling in front of him.

Riá'shen gave a scoff, his skin-tone shifting to an annoyed dark red with red-orange and black speckled stripes concentrated down the length of his spine and limbs. "Bitch please! Spare me your suspicions. Yes, I'm not here for the same damned reasons as everyone else. Lien-Da's here for cash and satisfying her egotistical echidna-supremacy crap. Fang's here for the cash and being as much of an obnoxious little spraint as he possibly can be. Patros is here for cash and probably dragging a few of the idiots we're up against to Mercia so he can make even more of a damned profit like the sick bastard he is. Who knows what the hell Silent-Pretty-Boy-Homicidal-Maniac-Squirrel-in-the-corner is here for? Personally I don't care and I could give a spraint less. I'm not here for cash, Robotnik. I'm here for one reason and one reason only: meat." Giving a snort he continued pacing, not particularly caring that all of their eyes were on him, warily watching.

After a few moments he continued, a vague hint of amusement tingeing his words. "I admit, for the most part I couldn't care less what everyone else in this happy little circus is doing or intends to do. Hell, I don't even give a crap about getting revenge for my sister. She brought it on herself. I'll even admit that for the most part I have contempt for every last one of you idiots- but I'm not alone in that. Every last one of us here has our own ego-trips going on. Every one of us here believes, to some extent, that we're better than everyone else here. Do I care? No. I'm a predator- I'm a quarter raptor for yiff's sake! I want blood, death, and meat. I want to hunt. I want to tear into somebody, shred their hide, rip out a few bones, taste their blood, and actually eat! Yes, I have my morals- I don't approve of slavery or think any one damned race is any better than another. I think anybody trying to rule the world like you are- Lord Robotnik- is out of their freaking mind because it's too much of a damned hassle to try to control what anyone else is doing. I think the majority of the people in this room would benefit from removing the giant whale-sized stick from their collective asses. Is it my concern? NO. So for the most part I could give a crap less about the sort of egotistical spraint everyone here is head-tripping on. I am getting impatient. I want food- and it's not exactly like I can go rampaging through Robotropolis and eat whoever I damned well please. You don't exactly want your 'citizens' going up in arms because you hired on a 'flesh-eater'. Besides, the longer we give them to plan, the more of a chance they have to gain whatever information our 'guest's' friends may or may not have passed on, the lower our chances are of succeeding. So forget torturing the hell out of the cybernetic freak-child and being suspicious of my hunger and impatience; let's go already! We can drag the fox-bat wonder along with us and use him against whatever friends of his may be up there!"

Lien-Da's head cocked to the side, a thoughtful expression in place as the huffing crocodile/chameleon/raptor-crossbreed went silent. True, she thought that any mixed blood like his was nauseating- making him far more inferior than she would have considered a purebred, but she had to admit that he'd had several very good points. Still… "Cybernetic? He has cybernetics?" she mused aloud. At Riá'shen's 'no spraint' eye-roll she asked, "How could you tell? Not even I noticed that."

"His blood reeks of it," the reptile bluntly stated.

"Impossible. I vould haff smelled it," Patros nearly barked out.

"You? HA!" Riá'shen sneered, "I'm amazed you can smell anything beyond your own jowls with that pushed-in pug-nose of yours. I'm even more amazed that you don't have one of those persistent sinus-infections your breed is so prone to. The point is, is that my sense of smell is more sensitive than yours." He waited a few smug moments, his arms crossing and the killing claws on his feet twitching to click on the floor, before he condescendingly added, "He's got so many nanites in his blood-stream that he'd set off a metal-detector. Internal organ maintenance most likely. It's rare in these parts, but not unheard of. Then again judging by his accent he's probably from Eired originally- and it's pretty damned prevalent there. Considering the sort of mule he is, it's not all that surprising that he would have that sort of treatment. Cross-breeding of that kind usually results in weak body-systems in addition to the pretty much guaranteed sterility." 'Flesh-eater' or no, it was clear that Riá'shen was highly intelligent in his own right; few other than academics would have used the medical term of 'mule' to refer to a mixed-blood of conflicting races. He himself didn't have the problem of a weak system due to the fact that all three racial lines of his ancestry were reptilian and carnivorous to some extent- enough similarity among his bloodlines was present to prevent the majority of afflictions a less well 'matched-up' crossbreed might endure.

"I thought his blood was a little dark…" Lien-Da muttered.

Aridya gave a scowl at that while Nack let out an impressed whistle. "I originally had a purpose for him if we had to kill him, but that makes him useless to me," the squirrel snarled.

"Tough luck death-mage," the mixed-blood reptile returned. "Kind of hard to have a 'natural' sacrifice when your intended sacrifice is 'corrupted' with tech."

"Daaaaamn… What sorta brainiac are you?" Nack asked.

"The carnivorous kind," Riá'shen grinned. Licking his fangs and clicking his killing-claws on the floor pointedly, he glanced at Robotnik over a shoulder and asked "So, Robotnik, when do we leave?"

Robotnik considered for a few moments. He didn't like the challenging and cocky tone Riá'shen had, but even he had to admit that the reptile was right. Massaging his temples in aggravation he grumbled out, "Sleet, Dingo, go ready the ship. Lien-Da, prepare our 'guest' for shipment. You move out in three hours."

A gleeful grin split Riá'shen's face as he crowed out, "About freaking time!"

Yeah, you know the drill already. Push the button and review. n.n