Chapter 7: Crash Landing
Sonic threw back the tarp that Alik had put over the plane and was shocked to see how sleek it looked. The two sets of gray wings stretched out to more than four of his body lengths and the propeller was at least three times as tall as him. Nearly every inch of the main body was cloaked in a dark coat of red that perfectly reflected everything that looked at it. Even the tires seemed to have a shimmer to them. Emblazoned on each side of the plane's tail was Sonic's name with an image of his face under it. If it hadn't been for the two voices Sonic heard calling his name, he would've probably stared at it all day.
"Great," Sonic said to himself. "The last thing I need is Amy and Ermyl looking for me. They mean well, but they'll only slow me down, and if Eggman really is keeping tabs on me, talking to them will only put Alik in greater danger than he's already in."
"Go check his house," Ermyl said. "I'll keep asking around to see if anyone's seen Sonic."
Not wanting to waste another moment, Sonic jumped into the biplane's solitary seat and took a deep breath before firing up the engines, knowing full well that leaving inconspicuously was no longer an option. All he could do now was go forward.
"Hey!" Amy yelled toward Ermyl. "Do you hear that noise? It kind of sounds like a propeller." Ermyl's response was drowned out by the sound of said propeller ripping through the air before fading as quickly as it began. Amy and Ermyl looked on as they watched Sonic fly into the distance in a plane, off to who knew where.
"That was Sonic, wasn't it?" Ermyl asked, running up to Amy.
"Unfortunately," she said. "Now how are we going to catch him?"
"We find out what he did here or who he talked to before leaving."
"How do you know if he did either of those things?"
"Think about it. He's obviously trying to avoid us for some reason and must have gotten here with more than enough time to get in that plane and take off. Why else would he wait to leave until we got here and started looking for him?"
"You're right. The question is, what did he do or who did he talk to?"
"That, Amy, is what I plan to find out."
"Let's see," Sonic said, constantly looking over the side of the plane to the clouds just inches away. "Fang said that the first Chaos Emerald was on South Island. That map he gave me says it's about a hundred kilometers away from here." A loud and obnoxious beeping noise interrupted his train of thought, though he couldn't figure out what it meant.
"Three seconds between each beep . . . that has to mean something. Hopefully it's nothing too serious. South Island isn't too far from here, but still. I'd hate for this plane to go down before I get there." As if him saying the words caused it to happen, the plane began to quickly dip below the clouds.
"No, no, no. This can't be happening. If the crash doesn't kill me, it won't be long before I drown. And Alik. There's no telling what Eggman will do to him if I don't show up with the Chaos Emeralds." As the plane began to go into a nose dive, Sonic spotted land nearby. He fought to straighten out the plane and turn it toward the island while trying to ignore the fast approaching surface of the water. It took a few moments before he was able to do so, but not without the realization that he wouldn't be able to get to the island before he crashed into the water.
As the wheels of the plane bumped and skirted across the water, Sonic jumped out of his seat, onto the hood and raced out onto the blue surface.
Before now, he had only "ran" across water once. It was over a small pond on White Beach. He was certain he'd be able to race across it without a problem. From the moment he stepped onto the water's surface, he looked like a rock somebody being skipped. He got maybe one decent push off his stride before falling flat on his face, sliding a good two feet and somehow flipping back over onto his feet. This less than graceful process continued for the next four or so seconds it took to cross it. He had all but avoided it since then and was having just as much trouble with it now.
The difference was that now he had a reason to do it. Now he had a purpose, a motive to face his fears. This wasn't another run just for the fun of it. He was in a race against time, and losing was not an option.
Quickly losing what little momentum he had started out with, Sonic composed himself enough to stay on his feet for more than a few seconds. To say his grip on the water's surface was bad did not do the situation justice. He was putting in twice the effort and going half as fast. It felt like he had been running for hours in just a few short seconds, but if he stopped for even a moment, he'd drown faster than he could run.
The yellow sands of the island seemed to be mocking him, laughing at his effort to reach dry land. It was so close, no more than a stone's throw away, but the more effort he put into getting there, the further it skirted away. Even the seagulls flying overhead were getting a few laughs at Sonic's expense. Never one to give up, Sonic pushed on, fighting for every little inch, pushing his very limits in a way he had not done before. His body begged and pleaded with him to stop. Like a two year old child on a midnight sugar rush, he refused to listen and continued to march on. Through the sweat stinging his eyes and the spots beginning to cloud his vision, he at last reached the island, exhausted and relieved.
Too tired to do anything else, he simply collapsed on his back and started to laugh; at what or why he was unsure of.
