Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog
A/N: Alright, alright… The 'humans' are Overlanders, an easy mistake ^^;
It took me longer than normal to do this and yet I still feel as though it was rushed.
Chapter 7: Sky Chase
By the time they took to the sky the storm had picked up.
It had been a sloppy but successful take off and they were gaining altitude by the second.
This wasn't necessary a good thing as they were approaching the main mass of the storm- a giant black cloud hanging above them like death itself. "You're doing great Tails." There was no questioning how a three-year-old knew how to a pilot a plane since there wasn't time to wonder right now… it was going on the list of 'things to ask when this was all over' though.
"I-I…" Though Tails stuttered and faltered mentally there wasn't a whole lot Sonic could do for him right now aside from attempting to talk him through this and even that was a stretch. Tails was only a foot or so back from him and yet he got the feeling that most of his words were lost long before they reached the fox.
"You got this." There wasn't room for both of them in the cockpit so Sonic was crouched low on the wing. A dangerous spot since his soaked gloves did little for him when it came to gripping the slippery edge, even his shoes had trouble keeping traction on the slick metal. The wind wasn't helping matters either- threatening to throw him skyward with each strong gust that crashed into his small form, while the downpour battered him with icy rain.
He hoped Tails was better off where he was sitting…
Their target was far off and difficult to see through the hazy sheets of water- its metal coat blending in with the gloomy sky. Sonic attempted to shield his eyes from the rain with one hand but the moment he titled his head up the effectiveness of this action was lost. Freezing water blurred up his vision and brought a cold so intense that his quills rattled against one another like wind chimes.
He did his best to ignore it though, even if his body refused to.
It was only with each flash of lightning that Sonic managed to pinpoint the flying fortress. And with each bright burst he also heard Tails let out a cry and progress into whimpering that lasted for several seconds after each strike. "Hold steady." Sonic was certain that Tails wouldn't fail to get them where they needed to go. Everything was going to be alright. "We're almost there."
It was going to be alright…
Despite the badniks swarming towards them.
They were several yards off when a bolt of lightning split the sky, striking the group ahead of them and causing the badniks to explode in a fiery burst of light. It would be rather awesome, if it wasn't close enough that Sonic could feel the electricity that swarming through the air, prickling across his spikes.
Tails didn't even make a peep and that concerned Sonic.
His voice was weak and small with fear, "Son… Sonic… what if we don't-"
Sonic didn't allow him to finish that thought "we're going to make it." There was no doubt to his tone, strong and firm. Tails needed him right now so Sonic found the confidence to get the fox through this.
They almost made it too- the flying fortress growing larger with each passing minute. But just as they had come close enough to strike, several bright flashes exploded in front of their eyes. The plane jerked sideways as Tails gripped harder at the controls, clearly attempting to steer them out of danger.
The beams were thick though and scarcely left space to dodge. They struck the vessel and Sonic knew they would soon be pummeling. "Move in closer." Sonic's voice was loud, fighting to be heard over the wind and rain. Sonic only had just enough time to act… Leaping from the Tornado and onto the rear gantries of the aerial stronghold.
He heard Tails cry out as a final shot hit but there was nothing he could do- just stand their grimly as he watched the small plane spiraling downward through the haze of rain. His shoulders stiffened and drops of water were flung from his form as he turned swiftly to enter the fortress.
Robotnik would pay for this.
Somehow he got the feeling that this place was designed just to give him trouble. Platforms that retracted into the walls and large gaps of sky… A lot of it was slick from the rain which didn't help matters. He just wanted to get through this so continued to run faster, spinning through obstacles. It was a mistake though- he knew he had picked up too much speed the moment he lost traction.
His heart was thumping hard in his chest as his soles skidded across slippery steel but he couldn't stop. He should be fortunate that it wasn't sky stretching out in front of him but the hard embrace of a solid wall.
Sonic lay there- it was hard to say just how long, since he had lost consciousness. All he knew for certain was that he had a splitting headache and he was still exactly where he had fallen. He touched his hands gingerly to his forehead but found no blood. "Ah."
It took him a moment to make sense of things.
He must have had a ring in his possession. Probably gone now… but it stopped him from busting his head open during that collision. Fickle things- they could keep a lot of fatal attacks from being such but they did nothing about the pain.
He staggered upwards and shook himself down.
He had to keep going.
"Sonic, how nice of you to show up."
Robotnik was standing out in the open, clearly unarmed. Even faced with the sight of Sonic though he only looked amused which was very confusing. Didn't the man know that he could slice through him with a single spin attack? There was no reason for him to seem so smug.
"Well you know, I was in the area… thought I'd drop in." The strange sight might have been enough to cause Sonic to pause but not for more than a second or two. There was no other path to take aside from this one so he charged forward.
Something rose up to stop him though-
Refusing to crash into another wall he changed course suddenly as the force field sprung to life in front of him. This wasn't much better as one had formed behind him as well. His spikes bristled as he slid to a stop, "what's-" By the time he turned to face Robotnik small spiked platforms had emerged from somewhere and were bouncing around at a slow but erratic pace.
Sonic eyed them suspiciously, leaping onto one as it drew close to him.
The tops were oddly flat which made it relevantly easy for him to stay out of harms way. "I wonder… do you like to lose Robotnik?" He questioned snidely. Clearly Robotnik didn't since he tried to blast him with a large laser… several times. Not that it worked though.
They meant the same results that they always did.
Sonic ran through the passageways and out into the storm once more. Only now there was no rain, no whipping wind, just a deep penetrating chill. They were in uppermost layers of the atmosphere and about to go higher if the sight of the rocket ahead was anything to go by.
He sped up to catch it but wasn't quick enough.
He really wasn't on the top of his game today, was he?
"SONIC!"
His ear flicked sideways at the familiar voice and he glanced downwards as the plane passed beneath him. Without even a second of thought he leapt off and landed on the wing once more. "Hey bud, how'd you get here so fast. With a rocket engine of all things?" There was few words to express how glad he was that the little fox was alright so he decided to just keep such thoughts to himself. "I'm about finished here."
He glanced ahead as they pulled up along the rocket, "So be sure to hang around." And at that point, he jumped- latching onto the side of the craft with his fingertips as it ascended into space.
It occurred to him then that Tails had flew through the main force of the storm to reach him.
Brave kid.
llllllllllll
So this was the Death Egg?
Sonic probably would have been more impressed if he could stop shivering because it was hard to 'appreciate' anything when his quills were rattling so much that he felt they might fall out. The cold abyss of space did quite a number on him even if it didn't squeeze the air from his lungs. It had shrouded him in a chill more intense than any winter he had ever shouldered through
And unfortunately it wasn't much warmer inside the actually Death Egg. The rain water that clung to his body had solidified into a thin layer of ice, small shards shaking free with each tremble that racked his form. It was only by shaking himself down like a dog that he could dislodge most of it but the numbness still gnawed at his fingers and even his feet, despite them being the only thing clothed.
How did Robotnik bare this place? Perhaps… all that body fat was good for something after all.
It was an oddly amusing thought and Sonic snorted to himself before speeding forward.
Running was bound to warm him up, even if he didn't get very far before he heard the scraping sound of metal and spotted a new foe dropping down from the ceiling. It could be nothing else but an enemy so he curled into a ball and spin dashed into its legs as it landed.
Robots weren't very bright and this one was no exception. It just stood there as he chipped off layers from its form. It seemed like forever before it moved and Sonic took a long leap backwards so he was against the wall.
It was spinning just as he had.
As a matter of fact… it looked a fair deal like he did. Except it was larger, chunkier, slower…
The only real threat Sonic could see were the saw blades in place of actual spikes. They promised to be sharp and with the current spin dash attack coming at him- fatal. Sonic wasn't concerned though, he released a large laugh and sprung over the robot with ease.
There was no time for his attacker to stop and as such it slammed into the wall with such force that it got stuck. The blades on the back of its skull wedged in the steel, trapping it an awkward position that would be difficult… if not impossible to get out of.
Sonic could hear the metal grinding but still doubted it would get free. "Better luck next time."
There felt like there was no end to the shrieking sound of steel as the robot struggled to right itself. There was no need for all its struggles though- it had already failed. Sonic didn't realize that it was programmed to either destroy him or be destroyed in the process, otherwise he probably would have finished it off.
Instead he just started off at a slow pace, waiting for another burst of energy to grace him. A second wind- so to say. When the place became silent once more he paid it no mind, figuring the robot had finally given up and submitted to its fate. He never expected it had freed itself. Not until it crashed headlong into his back and sent him flying forward.
It was only quick reflexes that spared him large doses of pain. He heard the clank of metal as the robot launched at him from behind and that gave Sonic the brief warning to harden his spikes. They were still soft in comparison to saw blades but absorbed most of the impact with only shallow slices to show for it.
He threw his arms out in front of him, landing on his hands and rolling his weight forward as he hit the floor. This successfully flipped him over to his feet- which was better than skidding down the hall with only his face as the brakes. "Ha-haven't you had enough?"
This wasn't a friendly competition, it was already attacking again and Sonic had to move quickly to deliver his counter blow. Leaping up and slamming his feet down on the smooth surface of its form. This forced it out of its spin and smashed it against the floor. Then Sonic used it as a launch pad to spring himself high up, nearly to the ceiling, curling into a tight ball and spiraling down at a rapid sped.
The moment it stood up it met its demise. Sonic smashed into its chest, shattering the metal there and tearing through several vital wires before leaping back. His feet made a dull 'thunk' upon landing at the same moment several sparks shot outwards from his 'copy'. It jerked with a short seizer and fell motionless to the floor.
Sonic didn't leave though. The last time he left the thing intact it came and attacked him again.
He crept forward, prodding it several times with the toe of his shoe. There was a few more sparks but no real warning to what was about to occur. It was just a loud bang, a flash of blinding light and searing heat. Sonic threw his arms up but that was all he had time to do to fed off the explosion that threw him with such force that he skipped across the floor like a stone across water.
There was more sparks but these ones were in his mind- shooting across his vision like fireworks in that scarce moment that he clung to consciousness. Then the dark swallowed him and he was lost to the world.
Sonic stay out long though. Colors blurring together and images swimming in and out of focus with his wavering awareness. He could hear laughter, a deep chuckling sound that somehow came across as unpleasant. Curiosity and a distant feel of desperation forced him to struggle against the muck of darkness. He couldn't wrap his mind around where he was or what he was suppose to be doing but his feeling alone were enough to guide him at the moment.
He focused on oblong shape before him and the red color it supported. All at once it came to him like a slap to the face and he sprung to his feet. It was only his stumble right then that allowed Robotnik to flee, despite Sonic snatching out for him.
Sonic ground his teeth together as he fixed his gaze on the blob darting away and he took up chase. His motions were surprisingly slow though since he was yet to recover completely. He could keep up but he couldn't catch him.
It probably would have best if he just dealt with him right then and he wished he could have because at the end of that hallway… Robotnik boarded a massive robot. Its shadow fell across him as it rose up to its full height and Sonic staggered back, trying to get a good look at it all at once.
A silent curse escaped him. His eyes scanned the area for a ring, just one ring.
Why were there none here?
His panic was unnecessary- he realized. He may have been sore and tired but there no way he was going to lose to a robot shaped in Robotnik's image. With a grin he moved around to the backside and eyed the large rear of the machine. "Let's make this quick Robuttnik."
The storm had started to clear up and the "Tornado" dipped lower in the sky. Tails was retreating to a safer altitude despite Sonic having told him to stand by. The clouds were clearing and baby blue took its place. All was calm now…
Except the small fox's thoughts. He was worried about his brother being all alone up there. There was so many things that could go wrong and despite him having full confidence and Sonic's abilities he was worried that the hedgehog's confidence would falter.
"Come on Sonic." He silently cheered as he scanned to skies for sign of his friend. "You can do this."
If there was anyone in existence that could do anything- it had to be Sonic.
lllllllll
Sonic ran, feet pounding away at the metal as bursts of fire blossomed outward in all directions. There was really no where to go but back into the unfriendly abyss. In the end he decided to take his chances though- launching himself out of an airlock and into space.
Reality was breezing by as a wide expanse of blue rushed up to greet him. It was similar to his own color, possessing only a slightly different hue and existing in a much larger mass. Sonic spread out his arms in hopes to slow his descend as gravity began to take a hold on his form once more.
He didn't have too much to worry about though since a familiar plane just swam into view. He flipped himself over so his feet were facing downward and landed on the wing as it passed by beneath him. "Good timing Tails." There was no more enemies in the sky and not a single cloud in sight to obscure his vision as they dipped lower- towards the land below.
Sonic decided to sink back on his bottom and enjoy this scarce moment of peace in his chaotic life. He hoped he'd have more moments like this. Time to do whatever fancied him… perhaps run from one side of the globe to the other. He let out a faint sigh and Tails finally spoke up.
"Did you win Sonic?"
He had the little fox to thank for all this. If not for him he probably never would have made it this far.
He glanced back at him and smiled fondly: "we won."
A/N: Well, I'm finished with this story everyone. It was fun and though Sonic isn't quite right yet, I think he has made a lot of progress throughout the course of this tale. Now… I wanted to add more but "Sonic 2" practically flows right into "Sonic 3" which didn't add much room for happy time or something of that sort.
I'm not sure what I'm going to write next but I am certainly up for suggestions and requests.
