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energy-falcon · 19 days ago

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RESCUE MISSION

Sonic, Tails, and Amy track down their kidnapped friend in the far reaches of Mazuri...

PREVIOUS CHAPTER: ANXIETY'S TUNE

NEXT CHAPTER: ???

It was only a short flight for the team of heroes to make it to their current destination, maybe an hour or two, though Sonic didn’t care. Why should he? After all, what difference would it make? It’s not like he could delay the inevitable, day in and day out…

“Sonic?”

Crap! He may have been hidden from his little brother’s sight as they neared the fortress before them, but that didn’t stop the tall, dry grass from rustling quite a bit due to his trembling figure. He couldn’t let them see him like this, not when he was the one leading the charge to rescue their captured friend. He had to pull it together! He had to be strong! Fearless! Like a true hero! He knew that!

So why couldn’t he just act like it!?

“I-I’m fine, Tails…Just getting used to moving around in this new form is all heh heh…heh…”

Tails sighed, rubbing his arm a bit as he looked to his transformed brother ahead of him, who blended in almost seamlessly with the darkness of the night.

“Sonic…I-I’m sorry…a-about the scan a-and the flight to Spagonia…”

Sonic paused, not turning to face him, “That isn’t your fault, Lil’ Bro. And don’t worry about me, okay? I-I’m…”

Again…the trembling…why…why couldn’t he just reassure him he was fine and get over it?

“Sonic…if you need to talk-”

“I’m fine, Tails…”

BA-BUMP

“Look, I know what happened back in the professor’s study was really intense and I-”

“I SAID I’M FINE TAILS, OKAY!? JUST DROP IT!!”

He wished he hadn’t yelled at him, but what good would talking about it do? It wasn’t like he could just halt the movement of the sun and have all the time in the world to process everything he’d just been through. No. He had to look ahead and focus on bringing their gravely injured friend home safely. There was no other option. This wasn’t about him and he wasn’t about to make it be.

Sonic picked up on a small sigh escaping the young fox and turned his head slightly, catching sight of pinned back ears and a downcast, guilt-ridden expression with his glowing emerald eyes. He sighed and turned back to look at the base ahead of him.

“I’m sorry for yelling, Tails. Just…not right now, okay? We have to focus on saving Eve first. We can always talk later if you need to.”

“I know you didn’t mean to, Sonic. Anyone would break under the stress you’ve been through. I just want you to know that I’m here for you…whenever you’re ready.”

Like he would ever be ready for what awaited him each night, but he nodded in response anyway, wanting to reassure his little brother he loved so dearly.

There was a slight rustle to Sonic’s right as their other friend came into obstructed view with a scary grin.

A yellow aura surrounded her as she summoned her giant hammer, ready for action. She tapped it into her open hand almost like a fist preparing to strike.

“So, you ready to smash some badniks?”

“Heh…With you, Amy? I’m always ready to smash that egg!”

“You two are really scary together, you know that?”

The pair of hedgehogs turned around a bit flustered, having forgotten all about Tails in the moment.

They spoke in perfect unison, “W-WHAT!!? T-TOGETHER!?!? N-NO WAY!! W-WE WERE JUST-” They paused, blinking at each other a couple times before Sonic cleared his throat, “A-Anyway…We have to get moving and stay low. Eggman probably expects us so we’ll have to be extra careful to not alert him as we break in and look for her. Got that?”

Amy and Tails nodded, “Roger.”

“Good. Then let’s do it to it.”

After the sun had set in Spagonia, the group immediately went to work determining the location of Eggman’s base. Given his target being this specific planet, there was a high possibility he built one to monitor the progress of his success. A quick news search on Tails’s Miles Electric yielded exactly what they were looking for: sightings of a strange fortress in the savannahs of Mazuri just south of their position. They wasted no time closing in on their target, even if it meant Sonic had to fight in a form he hadn’t adjusted to yet. Every second spent was a second closer to whatever twisted fate awaited their weak and injured friend. If Eggman had wanted her so badly in the first place, who knew what kinds of horrifying experiments he could be running on her, if she was even okay. There was no time to waste!

The trio closed in on the pristine, white wall that stuck out against the sea of tall and wild grass they waded through. Above them by about 100 feet was an emergency door with a small ledge and a ladder that could be pushed down towards the ground in case of escape.

That wouldn’t be necessary.

The three friends nodded at each other before Tails grabbed a hand each from Sonic and Amy. With a few flicks of his Tails he began to propel himself off the ground with Amy in tow. Sonic on the other hand…

“Hrrrrngh!!!”

“Come on, Tails! We’ve gotta hurry or we’ll be spotted!”

“I’m trying Sonic! huff huff You’re just huff really heavy!”

Well that was embarrassing…

“Hrrrngh! Come on, tails! Work with me!”

His Tails spun faster, yet the transformed hedgehog remained firmly on the ground, offering his second hand in aid.

“Ow! Tails you’re gonna pull my arms off! Just come back down and we’ll find another-!”

SHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP

The fox suddenly skyrocketed upward with Amy in tow, stopping and hovering about fifty feet in the air. Everyone’s eyes flew wide in shock as they all took in the surprising sight before them. Sonic was still holding Tails’s hand in his and the rest of him…was still on the ground…

And in between the two of them was a solid 50 feet of stretched arms.

“...”

Sonic went to scream but quickly stopped himself before he could be heard by the bots behind them. Unfortunately though, his instinctual reaction to cover his mouth with his hands resulted in letting go of Tails as well as pulling in his arms with excessive force. In less than a moment, his muzzle met the full force of his massive hands, knocking him flat on his back in an instant. The rest of his loose arms followed soon after, piling on top of him like rope. He laid there in stillness as his two friends joined him back on the ground to make sure he was okay.

A gruff sigh could be heard beneath the mass of limbs and fur, followed by his muffled voice.

“I hate this form…”

It took a few minutes to untangle him from…himself, but Amy and Tails managed by using her hammer’s hilt as a way to help loosen any knots. How he had knotted his arms in certain places, Tails had no idea. By all of his calculations, it defied all logic. When the untangling was said and done, Sonic was left lying on his back with his somewhat stretched arms still hanging loosely by his sides. He had a completely incredulous look on his face, which blushed a bright green in total embarrassment.

He was already so done with this shit.

“Sonic? Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Of course I am. I just found out my arms can stretch for miles. How long you may ask? I don’t even know. It’s just another mystery of my body I have to deal with now on top of everything else. Other than that and my pride, I’m just peachy. Thanks for asking.”

Yep. Still the same old Sonic.

Amy decided to change the subject, “Okay so what about now? Do you think you can get your arms back to normal?”

“Which normal again?” Sonic pointed a finger in the air, “Ooooooooh you mean the normal I now have to turn INTO every night!” He growled slightly under his breath, “Yeah! NOW I remember!”

Amy sighed, kneeling down near his head, “Look, clearly you have some overwhelming emotions surrounding this whole situation. Anyone would in your shoes. It’s okay to have them and it doesn’t make you any less, but it isn’t healthy to repress those emotions and try to shut out the pain.”

“snrk Yeah, as if I even have a choice in that last part.”

“The point is, you have to let those emotions out. Release them. We’re here for you, so while it may not solve everything right now, why don’t we take a minute to just sit and talk-”

“And what about Eve, huh? She’s the reason we came here. So what? We’re just going to leave here in there with Eggman over my stupid feelings?” He clenched his fists in frustration.

“That’s not what I’m saying. I just don’t think rushing in without a clear head will help anyone, especially you.”

“...”

“Tails and I came not just to help you save Eve. We’re also worried about you. You’re our friend. You matter to us just as much as she does and we’re not leaving you or your needs behind. We would never save her at your expense. This doesn’t work like that.”

“...”

“So be honest to yourself. Do you need to talk?”

Sonic’s ears pinned back against his sprawled quills. He felt exposed, especially flat on his back with his friends surrounding him. He hated it. He just wanted to curl up and shut everything out, all the noise, all the pressure, the pain, everything that happened last night and today…

But most of all, he hated how selfish he was being. What right did he have, after everything he had put her through…and through her, to just sit and talk about his feelings like this was some kind of vacation all while she suffered whatever tests Eggman had in mind for that energy within. It was wrong. It was all so wrong it made him feel sick.

The Hero of Mobius? What a complete joke.

He had to force every muscle in his face to give off his famous, confident smile followed by a thumbs up from one of his distant hands, “I’m okay, Ames! Guess I just lost my cool for a sec! Heh heh I appreciate you thinking of me though! It means a lot!”

Amy sighed sadly, knowing better than to push the issue, “Alright, I understand…” She stood up, “So now that it’s settled…” She put her hands on her hips in an annoyed manner, “Get your sassy, sarcastic butt off that ground and let’s find a way in!”

Sonic sweated a bit, “Uuuh that’s great and all but how about fixing my arms first? I can’t exactly walk or move fast with them dragging behind me and I don’t think I can really move them well in this state, at least not well enough to get myself up heh heh heh…”

Tails thought for a second, “Hmm yeah…with how long they are still, I guess you can’t exactly get enough leverage or bend to prop yourself up, huh? They seem to work more like some sort of rubber or rope…”

“Tails. Focus.”

“Right! Right…hmm…” He pulled out his Miles Electric and conducted another bioscan. A frustrated look crossed his face, however. As the scan came back the screen started to glitch, rendering the information unreadable, “What the-ugh Are you serious!? This again!?” He smacked the side of the tablet in frustration and began running the debug program, “Great! Now I’ll have to hack back into the system again to perform another reboot using the university’s mainframe again.” He grumbled in frustration.

“Again?” Amy looked to Sonic.

“Yeah, Tails’s new portable computer keeps glitching out.”

“Well, it is only the alpha build and I didn’t have enough time to test it properly before we came here to rescue you two.” He put the tablet away in his pack, “I’ll just have to keep working on improving its UI while we stay at the university. They have extra resources I can use while the rest of you get some rest.”

“Great! But for now, got any bright ideas, Lil’ Bro?”

“Hmm…well when I fly with my tails, I picture them moving like a helicopter and consciously move them in that motion until I hit a rhythm. Maybe try imagining pulling your arms in like a sort of slingshot? Shrugging your shoulders a little may help too.”

“Cool, let me try…” Sonic closed his eyes, doing as Tails suggested. After a moment of struggle, his arms began to move inwards towards his body and gradually shrunk back to their regular size. Sonic, having felt the weird sensation cease, opened his eyes only to see he could now move them freely again. He propped himself up and back to his feet, stumbling a bit on his new legs before regaining his balance. He smiled a bit, his bushy tail wagging slightly in response.

“Sonic, you did it!”

“Good job, Sonic!”

Amy and Tails offered as much encouragement as they could, including a couple of well-deserved high-fives. Sonic even rubbed Tails’s head playfully in a genuine moment of joy, though the accidental force caused his brother’s hair to stick out in wild directions. He didn’t care though. He was just happy to see Sonic happy. That was enough.

“Alright, Sonic! Ready to try again?” He offered his hand with a determined smile.

Sonic looked to his brother’s hand before his gaze shifted upward to the platform above. He smirked, a chaotic glint entering his eye. Tails began to sweat nervously.

“Heh heh heh…I think I have a better idea…”

“No. No. Sonic I know what you’re thinking-”

Too late. Sonic scooped up Amy and Tails in one of his arms and readied himself, taking aim at the platform above.

“Sonic…”

“Relax! I’ve got this!” He popped a thumbs up, “After all, you’ve got The Hero of Mobius here to protect you!”

“Yeah but still this is a bad ideaaaaaAAAA-”

With one swift motion, he reeled his free arm back behind him and shot it up to the platform, grabbing it tightly with his claws. He then used the ground as a springboard and launched the three of them together into the air. He shut his eyes for a moment, imagining the sensation of running as the wind brushed gently against his fur.

For the first time in what felt like forever, he really felt like his old self.

“Whoo hoo!”

“Of course you’re enjoying this…” Though Tails couldn’t help but smile at his brother’s dorkiness.

“Why am I not surprised…” Amy couldn’t help herself either.

As Sonic pulled in his arm close enough to the ledge, he made sure to help Tails and Amy to the safety of the platform before joining them quickly after. The emergency door was easy. Though Sonic didn’t like it, he wasted no time digging his claws into the metal and ripping it apart as silently as possible, making an opening for them into the base.

Once inside, the trio was met with a circular room with various branching corridors, all decorated in perfect, pristine white like the outside. It almost reminded Sonic of the laboratory Chris aided them in back aboard the Blue Typhoon, except for one crucial detail: the air of cold, calculative malice surrounding him. This base wasn’t meant for healing injured friends or finding ways to help slow the enemy. This was a death trap, and Sonic was standing exposed in the center of it.

Just…like…

“Sonic?”

He flinched at the sound of his little brother’s voice, not even realizing he’d been growling with his fists clenched tight.

“I-I’m okay…Come on…l-let’s go…”

He tried to force down the memory of last night’s mishap into the furthest pits of his psyche. Now was not the time to think about this! Not about how he’d nearly failed to save his friend! Not about how he’d managed to hit that machine at the exact worst possible moment…Or how it felt to have his body ripped apart and remolded from the inside…out…

“Sonic? Are you coming?”

He couldn’t respond to Tails’s question. He could only manage to stare ahead blankly and tremble as his heart began to race. He tried to take a step forward and join them but…

BA-BUMP

Why…

BA-BUMP

He’d beaten Eggman dozens of times so why did he feel so…

BA-BUMP

So…scared…

BA-BUMP

His rampant emotions were quickly interrupted by the sensation of his hands being held. Sonic looked down with shaky eyes to see Amy looking up at him with concern. Before he even had the chance to feel ashamed, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, prompting him to follow suit. They did this a few times together until Sonic could feel his heart slow and some of the tension leave his body. Their eyes met once more.

“Better?”

Sonic nodded, ears still pinned back.

“Good. I’m not letting go of you, okay? Just follow my lead and we’ll take these next steps together. Just one foot after another. Focus on that.”

The fear didn’t leave him, but having Amy with him in that moment gave him all the bravery he needed to continue.

He took a step.

Then another.

It soon seemed almost effortless, just as it had been outside the base. Amy never once let go of his hands, leading him slowly down the corridor behind Tails, who was attempting to make out a scan of the area on his Miles Electric. It took a bit, but he soon found an area of note: a circular room with only one entrance deep within the maze of halls.

“I bet he’s keeping her there. The rest of these look like the usual layout for his badnik manufacturing. Still, we should remain on our guard. I don’t see any alternate entrances so no doubt it’s a trap. He knows we’re coming and we should be ready for a fight when we reach her.”

“Right.” Sonic took another deep breath, finally letting go of Amy’s hands as a wave of determination washed over him, “I’ll take the lead and act as the defense with Eve safe in my arms. Amy, you take the offensive and smash any bots that get too close to us. Tails, you stick behind us and focus on long-range support as well as getting us out of here. Sound good to everyone?”

They both nodded.

“Then let’s do it to it.”

—----------------------------------------------------------

bzzzzzt

“Come ooon….aaaalmost-”

click

“Got it!”

Amy and Sonic stood guard, hammer and claws at the ready, as their genius friend finished hacking into the door’s lock system to disarm any alarms or traps. It was significantly more difficult and time-consuming thanks to the corrupted UI on his Miles Electric, but he managed. The odd part in all of this was the lack of noise and badniks throughout the base. It was quiet, too quiet, and that could only mean one thing.

Eggman knew of their presence.

There was no doubt in Sonic’s mind. Still, he didn’t want to take any chances, not with Eve’s life on the line and Eggman’s surprise attack last night. He didn’t trust that there wouldn’t be more resistance or secret plans. That was one mistake he would NOT make again.

“Okay. I’m opening the doors now.” Tails placed a gentle hand on his brother’s and smiled, “You ready to see her again?”

“I just hope she’s okay…”

Amy put a reassuring hand on his opposite arm, “She will be. Whatever state she’s in now, we’ll make sure of it. We won’t let you face this alone, Sonic.”

“Yeah. We’re here for you, whatever comes next.”

“Thanks, guys.” Sonic took a deep breath, “Okay…Eve, here we come…”

The pristine door slid open in near silence, revealing a small, circular room beyond. The trio’s eyes widened in shock as they fell on a glass chamber in its center. Inside was their friend, asleep and submerged in water. She donned an oxygen mask, which released a few tiny bubbles with each exhale. Sticking out of her arms and legs were vials connected to large tubes, which contained a thick, crimson liquid similar to the blood bag hung outside the tank. Crowning her head was a strange device that seemed to be scanning her vitals, such as energy levels and heart rate, which communicated these findings to a computer outside the pod. A simple, white gown covered her torso, thighs, and shoulders, hanging loose enough however to allow for easy prodding. Her golden hair flowed gracefully behind her somewhat less-gaunt figure, similar to the locket sitting neatly upon her folded pajamas on the nearby operating table.

The sight nearly made Sonic sick.

“H-He’s…He’s helping her heal just enough so he can run experiments on her without her…” The young fox trembled, not daring to finish that thought.

“What a sicko!” Amy reared her hammer back, ready to strike, “Come on! What are we waiting for!? Let’s get her out of here!”

“WAIT AMY!!!” Tails jumped between her hammer and the glass, “You might only hurt her even more!” Amy lowered her hammer, “I need to run a bio scan and make sure there aren’t any special considerations we need to make to ensure…”

Sonic wasn’t listening. He simply stared at the sleeping girl floating helplessly in the tank. She looked so weak…so frail…

He looked down at his claws. They were the opposite: strong…capable of great destruction…

With just one strike…he could…

He…could…

…

One strike…

It’d be so easy…to…just…

He heard it.

A low rumble…

A silent laugh…

And then…

“Release her.”

Sonic took a step forward.

Then anoth-

“Sonic?”

“!!?” With a few blinks, his slitted eyes rounded back out to their normal shape and met Amy’s beneath him. What had just happened? What was that…that feeling?

But before he had a chance to answer, the moment faded from his mind as quickly as it had come.

Sonic rubbed his head sheepishly, “Sorry, Ames. Guess I zoned out a bit is all heh heh heh.”

“WOAH!!!”

“What!? What is it, Tails!?”

The young fox had to squint slightly against the bright, blue glow coming from his Miles Electric. When the glow subsided, he looked closer at his readings and his eyes widened in shock.

“The UI! It fixed itself!”

“Wait what!? How is that possible!?”

“I don’t know!” He tapped on the screen and pressed a few buttons before continuing, “Whatever that was, it not only debugged the whole system but enhanced it! Her readings are perfectly clear and even yield a plethora of supporting details. I-I don’t understand-!”

Sonic’s ear flicked with a slight twinge of jealousy, but ultimately his relief won him over.

“Worry about your crazy, suped-up system later, Lil’ Bro! What does it say?”

“Hmmm…Well, there are the injuries we know of like her stomach and the energy now flowing through her. As far as this scan shows, she’s only sustained one additional injury.”

“What kind of injury, Tails?”

“It looks like she sustained a serious blow to the side of her head, resulting in a concussion as well as some whiplash down through her neck.”

No…

Amy prepped her hammer, “So you mean to tell me Eggman hurt her just so he could throw her in this crazy lab without a fight!?”

“No.” Everyone turned to look at the transformed hero, who now looked at his trembling hands in horror, “I-I…I didn’t have time to think a-and…and I had to get her away from that machine and-” He teared up, taking a shaky breath, “I-I wasn’t thinking about anything else in that moment and I-I…I didn’t hold back my strength I-I just…”

Amy put a hand on his arm, “Sonic…you did what you could. She’s alive because of you, injury or not. She’ll heal. We’ll make sure of it.”

“But like you said, I practically handed her over to Eggman without her ever having a chance to fight back! I-I didn’t mean to-”

“We know you didn’t. I’m sorry for making you think that. I’m only angry with Eggman, NOT you. Okay?”

Sonic nodded.

“Good. Then let’s figure out how to get her out of here and all of us back to Spagonia in one piece-”

“I don’t believe that will be necessary.”

The trio jolted at the sudden loudspeaker announcement, turning to find a hoard of robots outside, blocking their only exit. Sonic growled, extending a protective arm in front of the tank as Amy readied her hammer for attack.

“Now, we can either all step away from the lab unharmed or your weakened friend can get caught in all the excitement. Your choice.”

Sonic growled again, baring his fangs in a threatening gesture. As much as he hated to admit it, Eggman had a point. With all of his raw, destructive power, could he really ensure her safety in his arms? What if he only hurt her more or worse…what if he accidentally ki-

“SONIC!!! NOW!!!”

With one click of a button, the Miles Electric beeped, hacking into the Eggnet and overriding the lock mechanisms on the tank. Without the water ever having the chance to properly drain, the hatch opened, releasing a small flood that short-circuited the robots at the door and left their unconscious friend hanging limp from her cords. Sonic quickly turned and ripped each cord from the machine to prevent the weight of her body from tearing open her veins. She then fell softly into his chest fur as his arms wrapped protectively around her sides. He fit her head into the palm of his hand and secured her close, wrapping each finger gently around the sides as a sort of brace.

Safe…at last…

The flood of relief was enough to make him drop to his knees a moment and hold her in silence. Tails took this opportunity to jump in and quickly remove each vial, careful not to hurt her further. Amy grabbed her pajamas and locket from the operating table, handing the latter to Sonic.

“Here, you can put it on for her.”

Eyes watery, Sonic took the locket with his free hand and gently slid it over her head, back to where it belonged. He remembered her words at the party a few weeks back.

“I’ll never take it off for as long as I live!”

Here she was, safe, alive, just as Sonic had hoped. He couldn’t stop neither the tears nor the small wag of his tail as he hugged her tight once more.

He would never let go of her again.

More badniks appeared in the doorway, ready to strike. Sonic peered at them over his shoulder, growling with malice. No. He would not let him have her again. He refused to give up now.

“Quick, you two! Climb on my back!”

Tails and Amy didn’t argue as they gripped the fur on his back tightly. He didn’t have time to worry about feeling self-conscious as he took position on all fours, or threes as he maintained a tight, protective, grip on their injured friend against his torso. Thankfully, his large chest provided a decent level of cover for her from any frontal attacks and his massive yet malleable arms provided her a soft yet sturdy cradle to remain safely tucked away beneath, braced for any impact.

Baring his fangs at the threat ahead of him, Sonic released a piercing, animalistic roar and raced on, charging through the barricade of robots as if they were simply plastic. He skidded to the side a bit before pressing on as fast as he could, looking frantically for a quick and easy escape.

“RRRRRGGHHHH!!!! GET THAT BEASTLY HEDGEHOG AT ALL COSTS!!!! EGGBATTALION 8, GOOOOO!!!!”

But they were no use.

Sonic was simply too strong.

With a few charges and slashes from his free hand, the badniks were no more than scrap metal.

The transformed hero raced on, unstoppable by any and all forces in his way.

“Tails!! Which way to that escape door!?”

The young fox glanced to the Miles Electric on his hip, being careful to not lose his grip on his brother’s back.

“Tails!!! Running out of time here!!!”

“I’m trying Sonic!!!” His eyes widened in confusion as the system began eratically fighting between its glitched and enhanced states, the screen itself flashing a wild dance of red and blue, rendering all information unreadable, “It’s no use, Sonic!!! The UI is all screwed up!!! I can’t get any readings with it in this state!!!”

Great. Now how were they supposed to escape? To make matters worse, the trio was now completely surrounded, backed against a large window at least a couple hundred feet high.

“There is no escape. Give up, hedgehog, and I’ll make your deaths quick and painless…”

Sonic quickly grabbed Tails and Amy from his back and hugged them against his chest alongside Eve.

“Hang on!!!”

Using the full force of his stance, Sonic barreled into the window, shattering it entirely. He tucked himself into as much of a protective ball around his friends as possible as they quickly descended into the night below.

Unseen by Eggman and his forces, Sonic managed to shoot out his free arm and take hold of the building’s side, using his massive claws to slow their descent until, at last, they managed to safely land in the cover of the savannah grass, hiding from any badniks in sight before making their way back to the Tornado in the distance.

Back on the base, Eggman smiled menacingly, clapping his hands slowly.

“Well played, hedgehog…While I may no longer possess the most direct means of data…” He pulled up footage of their escape on his screen, zooming in on the girl tucked against Sonic’s chest, “I have other means of getting the information I desire…hehehehehehHAHAHAHAHAHOHOHOHOHOHOOOO!!!!”

CHAPTER END

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