Jenna sniffed, "Willis is like a living lie detector." Willis grunted something about lunch, but Jenna ignored it.

Kncukles glanced at Willis then back at Jenna. "Alright then. You literally just missed him by like a full 20 minutes or so. I don't have a clue where he went other then the fact it was somewhere north of here. Then again he might have changed direction. Something about going back into hiding. Don't know how you plan to kill him or whatever without a way to get there, seeing you blew up your helicopter," He absently rubbed his shoulder where one of the ants had bit him.

Willis grunted, "We have a back up plan." Jenna nodded, "Egg-face guy want's Drake-guy alive."

Knuckles looked at the ground as if it just became real interesting. "Good luck with that," He said in a far away voice. The fire ants were the least of his concerns. He had about a dozen other things on his mind. Were they after the Master Emerald too? Was this all a pack of lies? What about Shell and the hatchling? But it couldn't hurt to find out if... "How did you come across this guy?" Knuckles inquired with suspicion, flicking off an ant that strayed into his field of vision.

Jenna shifted uncomfortably where she sat and shrugged.
Willis just grunted, he was either mute or just not in the mood for talking.
Jenna started to say something, but closed her mouth considering something, "It's really quite a mess, actually. Honestly we were in the city at the time we met the psycho." What she said was true, but a spark of fear managed to get through the mask of humor that concealed her true emotions.





"RUN!" Hundreds of feet pounded on the side walks, ships darkened the sky. Robots descended on the crowds. "Hurry! Into the forest!" Yowled a seasoned tiger wearing a colonel's uniform. 10 year old Jenna ran holding her older brother's hand. A robot blocked their path and they woke up in a ship surrounded by other terrified mobians. Mothers were weeping, children in their arms. Jenna clung to Willis as the ship docked to a larger stranger building she had never seen before. A robot pair came through the isles disappearing with mobians into the building. Horrible screams echoed through the halls. Willis and Jenna were next. They were dragged in forcefully, the robot giving them no break to catch their breaths. Soon they entered a room where a fat man sat. He had a bushy red mustache and a bald head shaped like an egg. He would grin maliciously and watched as Willis was strapped to a strange table. A machine started up, but Willis managed to break free just as a green light passed over his right arm turning it into dark brown colored metal. He grabbed Jenna and fled, jumping out the window into the ocean below...

Kncukles kept a calm look, noting that small yet undeniable fear. "So you didn't have a choice, then," he said, shaking his fur. He regained mobility, but the bites still hurt. "There's something your not telling me though,"

Jenna and Willis stared at each other, as if having a mental-sibling-argument.
Willis sighed in defeat, while Jenna nodded. Willis rolled up his sleeve and held his right arm in an angle so that the dark brown metal caught the sunlight.

Kncukles stared for a moment, dumbfounded. That confusion soon turned into determination. He backed up a few steps, enraged at this reality. "Of all the--!" He stopped himself mid-sentance, realizing how hostile this looked. He straightened. "Can you trust me for five seconds?" He said to Willis, stooping down to all fours.

Willis shrugged, indifference masked the pure what-is-going-on-here look that Jenna had painted all over her face.

Knuckles stared at him. "Do you want me to get that off for you or not?" He said, mildly annoyed. He nodded at Willis' robotized arm. "I've done it before, I'll do it again, and I'll continue to do it until I can't anymore. So what will it be, weasel?" His quills quivered for a moment.