The bus ride was a long and bumpy one. For about three hours, the raggedy bus scaled down the road at what seemed to be a tortoise pace. Knuckles was still looking out the window. The mountain ranges all looked the same after a while. They had been riding for so long, the old moldy smell of the bus wasn't there anymore. The scent of the old bus was still lurking in the air. The two guards at the front of the bus weren't paying the convicts any attention at all. They were arguing over who had the uglier wife.
Sonic looked over at Tails, whose hands were fidgeting quite frequently. He had been staring down at the floor the entire trip. Sonic casually got up from his seat and went to sit on the seat with Tails. When he sat down, Tails looked up briefly.
"Hey, Sonic! We bit the big one this time, huh?" asked the fox.
"They made a mistake," said Sonic. "We all make them. We just have to give it some time. It'll work itself out. Don't give up hope." Sonic put his hand on his little friend's shoulder. He could only imagine how scary this must be for him. He's still a child. He really had no idea about some of the harsher truths of the real world. He hadn't had enough time to experience enough of life to have it taken away to abruptly.
"Thanks, Sonic. That actually cheered me up a little," said Tails. He didn't smile, but he nodded back at Sonic.
"I'll look out for you little bro until we can get out of this mess. You can count on that," said Sonic. He gave Tails his trademark thumbs up and wink. Tails actually did smile this time for a moment. Sonic was always looking out for him ever since they became friends. They've became an unbeatable team and have had one of the greatest times two friends can have in each other's company.
"I appreciate that, Sonic. It's all still a lot for me to take in," said Tails. "This collar completely neutralizes my ability to fly and while it hasn't had an effect on my current intelligence, it's taking me a little while longer now to understand new concepts. I used to be able to learn new things very fast but now it's very hard for me to keep up with everything. My mind is in clutter. I was just thinking about one of my prototype engines I was working on. I had this cool idea about how to use those chaos emeralds I can make into an actual useable power source. I almost had all the pieces together that I needed but now I can't even seem to remember one page from my notes back at my workshop."
"Wow! I can only imagine how Knuckles must be feeling back there," said Sonic. Luckily for him, Knuckles still wasn't paying him any attention. "I wouldn't worry too much about that, though. You're a sharp kid. It'll come back to you. Besides, you'll have plenty of time to figure out what it is that you forgot. It's not like we're going anywhere. At this rate, our sentences will be up before we even get to the prison."
"Are we there yet?" Sonic yelled to the front.
The two guards turned around and glared at the blue hedgehog.
"No talking, inmate!" said the guard on the left.
"My name is Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog," he said gleefully. "You guys know that."
The guard on the right activated the shock feature on all of the inmates' collars. They all groaned in agony for a moment before calming down.
"He said, 'NO TALKING' inmate. You're going to learn real quick that when a guard gives an order, you follow it. I don't give a damn if he asks you to lick his boots. You get down on your knees and polish his shoes until you can see your reflection in them. Is that clear?"
The convicts all nodded in agreement except for Shadow, who merely stared menacingly into their eyes. No one, however, said a thing.
"Good. Now, to answer your previous question, Inmate Sonic, yes we are here." said the guard on the right.
The guys all looked out the window as the bus halted to a stop. The only thing in sight was a cargo ship on a loading dock. It was a two tier tower of titanium steel with an impressive bow. The design was actually quite ingenious. It ran completely on a giant generator at the core that is able to turn the salt in the water into viable energy that can be used to power the entire ship electronically, thus making it have a virtually limitless power source. The bow of the boat was designed similarly to the death egg that made it look like it had a face on it. It was about 100 meters long and 50 meters wide. On board, they could see some robotic workers moving cargo around and consistently performing different maintenance duties. There was also a small human crew of about ten with seven of them being trained prison guards and the other three being convicts on work detail. They were distinguishable by their orange jumpsuits.
"I suddenly have this strange feeling of deja' vu," said Sonic. His face turned a little more serious.
Hey, Sonic." Sonic turned around to see Knuckles whispering to him. "Since when did Eggman get into the prison industry?" he asked.
"I told you this whole setup smelled like a plot by the good doctor from the start," said Shadow.
"I'm starting to believe you, buddy," said Sonic.
Alright, inmates. Single file line on the double," said the left guard. The four guys and the three other inmates all stood up and walked towards the front of the cage where the guards were waiting with the key. Once they were all in a single file line, the guard unlocked the door. "Exit the bus and wait on further instruction. The group all exited in a single file line with Shadow bringing up the rear. As Sonic passed by the guards, he was shoved in the back by the one of the left. "Keep it moving."
Once everyone was off the bus, the guard who was on the right started walking towards the ship. The guard who was on the left stood behind the prisoners. "Let's move out."
They all followed the guards onto the cargo ship. There were two buff echidnas swabbing the deck with a security guard overseer lurking over their shoulders. Needless to say, they weren't in a good mood. The scowl on their faces could've made an onion cry.
"Ok you non law abiding citizens, say hello to the S.S. Metallica, the most powerful tin can in the sea. It can reach speeds up to 175 knots and its defensive capabilities make it the perfect vessel for transporting precious cargo as well as an impenetrable hull. It comes complete with an anti-aircraft gun on the top of the boat and is also equipped with six different cannons on the sides. We can guarantee you that this boat is unsinkable."
"They said the same about the Titanic," said Sonic.
The right guard stopped and walked back and stood in Sonic's face. He stared hard at Sonic with the meanest scowl he had all day. Then, he just burst into laughter.
"You know, hedgehog, there is one thing that never survives in prison," said the guard.
"And what's that? A personal life?" he asked jokingly smiling right back at the guard in front of him.
The guard took out his nightstick and quickly jabbed it into Sonic's ribs, catching him off guard with his surprising speed. It was enough power to make him keel over in pain.
"A sense of humor," said the guard. He came down one last time with the nightstick. This time, he pounded the nightstick right into Sonic's back. That last hit laid Sonic flat out on the deck. He got down close and personal space and whispered into his ear. "I don't care who you WERE before you got locked up. In this prison, you're just another anthromorphic scumbag whose luck has run out. The sooner you realize this, the better off you will be." He yanked Sonic up by one of his spines and stood him back on his feet. Sonic was still clutching his chest from the first hit. He winced in pain and struggled to stand with only one eye open at the time.
The new prisoners walked past the main deck and was escorted to the back of the ship. There was a cage at the very back of the ship. It was isolated from all other parts of the boat. The guard in front scanned his keycard, and the cell opened up. He directed for the prisoners to walk into the cell, and they all obliged. Once they were all inside the cell, it automatically closed and locked behind them. Tails walked over to Sonic and put a hand on his shoulder.
"You okay, Sonic?" he asked.
"Never better," said Sonic. "It didn't hurt like I made it seem."
"Yeah, well I hope you got a kick out of it because that was very stupid," said Knuckles.
"Yeah because you're the perfect authority to comment on someone's stupidity," said Sonic sarcastically.
"Shut up, man. Just shut up for one minute. You don't see anyone else out here running their mouth. Do you? he asked. "If they would've shocked all of us again, I would've beaten you down myself."
"Took the words right out of my mouth, Knuckles, "said Shadow. He went and posted up at the back of the cage near those two foxes and black panther who came in with them.
"Look, you better tell your friend to lighten up on the jokes. Prison is no joke, especially the anthromorphic one," said the black panther. "It's a hell hole."
"What can you tell me about it?" Shadow asked.
"Like I said, it's pretty much the last place you'd ever want to go. You either die in there or you change into something you never wanted to become in order to survive," said the black panther. "By the way, the name's Lazarus."
"My name is Shadow," he replied.
"Oh, I know who you are. I know you and all your friends over there. You guys are always on local TV especially the news for saving the world or something like that. People in the clink aren't too fond of do gooder. Let me tell you that. Most of these guys have had fucked up lives, man. Some guys in there are monsters whose autobiographies would be categorized as tragedies. This place is full of real killers, rapists, child molesters, arsonists, and all the other evil in the world that doesn't end up dead ends up here. This is the last stop on a journey of a miserable life for most of these guys. I've even seen a couple kids in there. One of them was even younger than that Sonic's sidekick over there. You're fortunate enough to be locked up with your friends."
"They are not my friends," said Shadow. "Our paths just happen to cross on occasion and we're sometimes forced to work together because we have a common goal but they're not my definition of friends."
"I see." Lazarus raised a brow. "Well, you better find some common ground with those guys fast or find some new allies, and I don't suggest the latter because you can't trust anyone in there. Not even the ones who are supposed to protect you. The guards are the most crooked. They're always looking for a way to extort and abuse the inmates. Looks at us as beneath them and not worthy of the civil rights afforded to all citizens whether free or incarcerated."
"Well, anyone includes you as well doesn't it?" Shadow said. "I appreciate the heads up but I think I can manage on my own. Abilities or not, I am still the Ultimate Life Form. They are no threat to me."
"For your sake, I hope you're right," said Lazarus.
Two unmarked G.U.N. cruisers were pulled up at Amy's house. Starks and one of his subordinates gave Silver and the Sonic Team girls a ride back to Amy's house in Central City. Starks' car was a Dodge Ram truck and his partner drove a Charger. Sitting in Amy's front room with Starks were Silver, Amy and Tikal. He was on his phone with one of his superiors.
"That's a 10-4 sir, over and out," said Starks as he hung up his cell. He turned to Amy, who was sitting up front with him. She had her arms crossed and was staring out the window. "I guess they're far enough away now that we won't have to worry about any 'unfortunate accidents'."
"You guys are something else. I thought G.U.N. promoted justice for all," said Silver.
"We do, Silver. We do." Starks chuckled. "I'd say justice was well served. You saw the evidence. All four of those guys' prints were on the weapon that was confirmed to have been used in the murders of the victims. Do they not deserve justice?"
"Look, I don't know how his prints got on that gun but Sonic would never do a thing like this." Amy sighed. "I really don't know why I'm still wasting my breath trying to convince you. You said they've finally reached the prison. Can you please get out of my house now?"
Starks smiled. "Gladly. This place is getting real more and more depressing by the minute. I'm sure you guys have some things to do. Let's go, Bullock."
Bullock was a large and rather stocky gentleman who was completely bald with a crisp goatee. He was wearing a leather jacket with a black assault vest. He had a gold Luger pistol on his waist tucked away in his holster. He was in the kitchen flirting with Rouge and Blaze.
"See you later ladies. If you ever need anything and I do mean anything, give me a call," said Bullock to Rouge.
"Keep dreaming, pal," said Rouge.
He offered his business card to the ladies. Blaze took it out of his hand and used her pyrokinesis to send the card up in flames.
"That makes me so hot," said Bullock.
"I'd be happy to make you even hotter," said Blaze. Her fists were covered in flames. This kitty was ready to strike.
"Ooh! Nice pussycat," said Bullock.
He walked over to Starks who was standing by the door.
"It was nice seeing you again, ladies, and you too Rouge," said Starks. Bullock opened the door, and they both exited the premises. Within a minute, they were ghosts.
"Good riddance," said Blaze. "Another minute with that Bullock guy in my face and I was gonna go thermonuclear on him."
"Never mind him. I'm just glad he's gone. We have a serious problem on our hands though ladies," said Amy. "Our guys are all locked up in a prison on Arazia and there's nothing we can not even break them out without becoming enemies of the state ourselves."
"Unfortunately for them, they can not clear their names from behind bars. That means that we're going to have to find a way to get them to clear it for them," said Silver.
"I'm with you baby. I'm already getting started on filing an appeal," said Tikal.
"I appreciate your enthusiasm, Tiki, but you don't understand the justice system. It'll take some new evidence for an appeal to even be brought into question," said Rouge.
"It wouldn't hurt to try," said Blaze. "Even if just one of those guys gets out of there, it'll be worth it."
Rouge sighed. "Fine. I guess it'll give you something to do."
"Yeah you do that and the rest of us are going to get out there and bust some heads," said Blaze. She powered up again.
"But whose head are you going to bust, Blaze?" Cream asked.
Blaze growled fiercely before finally fizzling out and expired. "No one, Cream. Unfortunately, I don't know where to look. I'm just so upset by this whole thing." Blaze really didn't like for Cream to see her angry. She always had that respect and emotional attachment to the young bunny. It is through her eyes that she first saw true innocence.
"Well, I'll tell you what we need to start," said Rouge. Suddenly, she felt dizzy and the room started spinning. She became so discombobulated that a sudden case of nausea overtook her condition. "By throwing up!" Rouge dashed across the kitchen into the bathroom. You could hear her regurgitating from the living room.
"I wonder what that was all about?" Cream asked inquisitively.
"I swear I can never figure that girl out," said Amy, shaking her head.
"Well, I know where I'm starting. I'm going to pay a visit to Dr. Eggman. More times than not, that guy always has his hands involved in something dirty and underhanded. Even when he's not involved, you can always pump him for information," said Silver.
"That seems to be a good place to start," said Amy. I think I'm going to go talk to the Chaotix. Maybe their detective expertise could come in handy."
"Not those bungling buffoons," said Rouge as she returned to the living room.
"I know their methods are sometimes unorthodox, but they often get results," said Amy. "At the very least, they can probably point us in the right direction."
"It's worth a try. Give them a call, Amy," said Blaze. She turned to Silver. "And I want to go with you to pay Dr. Eggman a visit. Maybe breaking a couple of his toys will make me feel better."
Silver shrugged. "Ok suit yourself. Let's go find him."
He used his telekinesis and encased Blaze in his telekinetic field. Then, he levitated out of the door and took to the sky with Blaze in tow. Back inside of Amy's house, she pulled out her cell phone and anxiously dialed the number to the Chaotix Detective Agency.
Hey guys. I know I haven't written in forever and some of you guys may have even thought I was dead because of the long absence but I have good news. Yeah I read your reviews. They were harsh and I deserve every one of them lol. I'm alive and kicking and loving life. It's really great right now. In case some of the fans of this story are still on this site, I just want to apologize for the long wait. I had given up writing fanfiction for I felt that part of my life was complete; however, it's been eating at me ever since I made that decision. It felt just unlike me to leave my stories unfinished. I can't promise you guys that I will create any new stories for you guys, but I am going to finish the stories that I have already started. I owe you guys that. I know how it feels to have something in your life and then all of the sudden it's gone. That's life though. You just gotta keep pounding away. Anyway, that's all I have to say for now. Just know that I'm back writing regularly and I am going to deliver one humdinger of a story here. I hope you guys like it. I'm a lot older than I was when I first started writing fanfiction so I have a whole lot of new experiences that I have had since becoming an adult that I can draw from. I might have to change this story to an M rating because of some prison scenes that might not be suited for young readers. I don't know yet. I'm going to try to get a chapter up at least every two weeks so just keep looking out. I love all my fans and readers. Keep sonic fanfiction alive!
ICY KNUCKLES
