“THE REST OF THE CHAOS EMERALDS ARE GONE!!!” Knuckles screamed. “They were here yesterday! I’m sure of it!”

“Calm down, Knucklehead.” Sonic wiped his nose with one of his index fingers. “It’s not like they could’ve just got up and walked away.”

“I just got a hot tip from Rouge!” Tails ran over. “She just called about the missing Chaos Emeralds!”

“Tell her that if she wants to live,” Knuckles screamed, “she’ll return them!”

“NO!” Tails yelled back. “She berkata that Shadow just told her that one of his acquaintances, a tikus named Riddle, mencuri them while anda were gone last night!”

“Then what about those Emeralds they found in mah house?” Myzak’s Southern accent made all the ‘i’s’ sound like ‘ah’s.’

“They were fake.” Tails adjusted his glasses. His twin-tails flicked. “I don’t know any lebih than that. It just seems odd. What could Eggman be up to? Why would he frame anda with fake Emeralds if he wanted the rest scattered all about?”

Sonic and Knuckles started to head back to the X-Tornado.

Then, Myzak’s eyes faded, as if he had become blind right then. His face seemed to age, atau so Tails thought. The others didn’t notice. Myzak sat down on a rock, lost in thought. It almost seemed that the dark weather on malaikat Island was affecting the tomcat.

“Myzak, are anda okay?” Tails asked.

“Why indeed, Miles Prower?” came the voice of an older man from the mouth of the tomcat. “Why indeed?”

Tails jumped. Myzak’s voice sounded almost like…Dr. Gerald Robotnik’s! “Myzak!” He screamed. “Snap out of it!”

***

“Now what?” Rouge asked. Shadow was leaning on a wall. “What do anda think Eggman wants? It’s kind of disappointing seeing how he wasted the Chaos Emeralds.”

“I think he already used them, though.” Shadow’s voice was soft, kind of like he was tired. “For something we don’t have yet.”

“What?” Rouge asked. “WHAT??”

“If I’m correct,” Shadow’s eyelids closed, “it involves the safety of ARK…”

***

“Snap out of it!” Tails’ voice echoed in Myzak’s distant mind. Dr. Gerald was fighting for control; that much was certain. It became harder to breathe, to think, to know. Muscles tensed. Suddenly, the life within the being lunged out at Tails.

Tails screamed as Myzak quickly regained his senses. For some reason, his hands were grasping the fox-boy’s throat. The tomcat’s eyes lit up in fear. He backed away as if Tails’ was evil.

Knuckles and Sonic both rushed over to Tails, who was gasping for air, as well as Myzak. “What the heck happened?” Sonic asked.

Knuckles went over to Myzak. “It’s getting worse, isn’t it?” He asked, putting a hand on the tomcat’s shoulder. “You have to fight against it.”

“I…I can’t.” Myzak rubbed his eyes. “I can’t. Someday, it’s gonna take over me. I know it!”

“What?” Sonic asked. “Did he just try to kill Tails???”

“What’s going on?” Tails asked.

“Not right now!” Knuckles waved his hands furiously. “Let’s just get out of here!”

***

“Am I fired?” Myzak asked several hours later. The sun was beginning to set. He sat behind Tails in the X-Tornado as they headed back to Station Square. “I’m really, really, really sorry about what happened.

“It’s okay.” Tails spoke quietly. “You don’t have to go if anda don’t want too.” He began to adjust his glasses again. “You just…kinda freaked me out, back there.” The wind gently rocked the small plane as it flew. An unnatural pause filled the area. It was Tails that broke the silence with a, “What exactly happened?”

“A mental attack.” Myzak’s voice moaned. “I have them a lot. I’m wrestling with something else, trying to keep sane. Knuckles has been there for me these past two years. anda know what? I might be going insane. I don’t suffer from paranoia, but I am losing my mind. Very comforting, no?”

“Yeah, right.” Tails was unsure of how to reply to that.