Survivor's Resolve

by DC111

Sonic is in danger, Knuckles has changed, and Tails is left with battle on his shoulders. Citizens of Station Square are disappearing, held in a dark tower. Fortunately - and unfortunately - it turns out all of these problems are intertwined, with Eggman at the root and Sonic caught in the vines. But the blue blur has no intentions of playing along. COMPLETE! Thanks for 100k hits!

12. Chapter 11: In Shadows, In Light

Heh, so I threw people off with not having an author's note at the beginning of this initially? Fine, here's your author's note. ;P

So yeah, I can actually call her Amber now instead of just that random narrator. Awesome. :D In case of any confusion (since someone asked), unless said otherwise, all first-person bits are in her perspective. She's basically Meka Tower's narrator... kind of. The first-person bits will slowly fizzle out throughout the chapters, as there will be a LOT of parts where the story simply has to be told normally, for one reason or another.

Enjoy!

CHAPTER 11: IN SHADOWS; IN LIGHT

xxx

First-person perspective.

xxx

Yowch. That was a grating sound.

Why did interesting things always have to happen when I was right on the edge of sleep? It took me a long time to relax enough to sleep as it was in here. As I quietly, cautiously picked myself up, I noticed Sonic seemed to be drifting back toward wakefulness too. He was massaging his eyes with a finger and thumb.

Then there was that ear-splitting screeching noise again. Now that I was awake enough to register it fully, it sent a shiver up my spine. It was the low wail of metal creaking and screeching against itself. Mechanical innards. And it was very close.

"Eh, hey, Lucas?" the hedgehog said tiredly. "Dude. I know they gave us greasy food today, but… could you let it rip at a time when the rest of the universe isn't trying to get some shuteye?"

"I dunno, sounds like it was more from your area than mine. Guilty conscience?"

The chorus of groans came back, louder than before. I actually cringed. Sonic's ears flattened down against his head distastefully and he shuddered. Lucas muttered something irritably under his breath.

"O-okay," Sonic said, more awake now though not by his own choice, "seriously, what is that?"

"You tell me," Lucas said, coming up to the window all wrapped up in his sheet. He gestured with a single nod towards the general area of Sonic's cell. "It sounds like it's right on the other side of your back wall."

"Huh?" Looking baffled, Sonic made to approach said wall. Lucas and I both tensed and exchanged a nervous glance. It seemed to take forever as we watched, but it was probably just my perception of it. For his part, Sonic didn't seem all that tense or even surprised. The noise was just a mere oddity to him. He wanted it out of the way so he could sleep.

Gently, slowly, he laid one gloved hand against the wall and waited. When nothing tore out of it and tried to kill him, he looked over at Lucas and whispered, "Vibrations."

"Vibrations? Like… how?"

Sonic raised an eyebrow. "I… uh. I feel vibrations in the wall. Dunno how else to explain it."

Gulp. "Is there something back there?"

"I wouldn't know, would I?" Both Lucas and I suddenly went very still. Was he suggesting something? That sounded accusatory… though again, it was probably just my perception of it… "Ah, Lucas? You all right, man?"

"Oh. Sure. I just heard you wrong for a second there."

Sonic blinked. Then, deciding it wasn't important, he leaned forward and slowly pressed one blue ear to the wall, closing his eyes in quiet focus.

"Can you hear anything?"

"I can hear you asking me if I can hear anything. Imagine that."

I grinned. Lucas shot a look at me, but I was pretty sure he was laughing on the inside too.

"But no. I can't hear anything aside from the same annoying sounds you hear. Can feel it, though. There's something going on back there."

"Wow, Sonic," Lucas said, leaning on the bars. "You never cease to amaze me with your intelligent conclusions."

Sonic smiled. "And you never cease to stun me with your flawless sarcasm and cleverness. Oh, and exaggerated compliments. Bet it knocks girls off their feet."

Lucas rolled his eyes and I swear I saw his face go red. Looks like Sonic won this round.

"Oh, what's this? You're blushing." Sonic pushed away from the wall and walked smugly towards the bars between their cells, hands on his hips.

"I'm going to hurt you."

"Be still my beating heart."

Yup, Sonic won.

"Okay, all bullshit aside…" Lucas shook his head. "That noise is obnoxious."

"Yeah. Finding out what it is won't exactly make it go away, though, so I guess we should just try not to pay it too much mind." For all of a second, Sonic's words made me feel vastly less uncertain about what Lucas and I had overheard. The hedgehog didn't even care; he just didn't want it annoying him. We were making a big deal out of nothing. At least, that's what I thought until he continued on in somewhat quieter tones: "But it is kind of odd. I mean, I'm not the only one a bit weirded out by that, am I?"

Lucas shrugged one shoulder. "It is weird. Maybe just mechanical nonsense? This place is like a robot in building form anyway. With the scanner network, and androids all over the place…"

It didn't sit right with me, and I could tell it didn't sit right with Sonic either. Since he couldn't offer a better explanation, their conversation ended there. I realized that wasn't the only sound that had silenced. The eerie creaking had taken a break. I didn't know how long it would stay gone, but I hoped that if it came back again, I'd be in too deep of a sleep to notice.

xxx

Tails buckled himself in the pilot's seat of the Tornado as he had done countless times before. This time, though, there was so much more reason to it. Anxiety and determination fought each other in his stomach. Drawing a deep breath, he started the plane's engine.

"Ready Espio?" The chameleon was positioned on one of the wings, grasping the front of it with one hand. He gave a single nod. "Amy?"

"You bet I'm ready! Let's take off!"

The engine roared to life with a load hum. Tails sped the plane down the ramp and directed it gracefully into the indigo evening sky.

"I still don't understand," the fox said. "I mean, even though it's a fake Knuckles, it's weird that he'd have Vector and Charmy helping him. He impersonates Knux pretty well, as far as we can tell, so you'd think he'd know that Knuckles doesn't ask for help very often."

"It is weird," Amy admitted. "Maybe—"

"He's up to something," Espio interrupted. Amy shot him a sarcastic 'no really' look. "It appears to me as though he's trying to distract those two from something else, and the oddness of that is supposed to distract me in turn."

"But why not hire you to help guard the Master Emerald as well, then?" Amy pressed.

"I'm quite… intuitive. If there is something he doesn't want us to know, perhaps he realizes I would be the first to figure it out. Or perhaps it's the threat I pose as a lifelong ninja. I don't know for sure, but it doesn't change the fact that we must learn more."

"Okay," Tails said, jumping back into the conversation. "Espio's got the easy part here, so let's you and me go over the plan while we're on the way. He knows what he's doing. Not to say that you don't," he added quickly.

"Right, I know what you mean," Amy said. "I trust that you trust me."

"Uh, yeah," the fox replied ineptly. "Listen, above all else, remember to leave the Chaos Emeralds with me. I really don't want to take them at all, but I think it's better to do that than just leave them here unattended."

"I will. In fact, here." The pink hedgehog leaned forward and set the two Chaos Emeralds on the edge of Tails's seat. "That way we won't forget. So you're going to use your radar to try and get a map of the inside of Meka Tower, and meanwhile Espio and I…"

Tails halted her with a finger. "I'm not so sure about that first part," he admitted. "I'm going to see what I can do, but I don't know if I'll be able to get a good read on it since it's inside. Either way, though, we'll have to follow through with the rest of the plan anyway."

"Definitely. So as I was saying…"

"Sorry."

"Once we get on the grounds of Meka Tower, I'm going to get off the plane and try and cause a distraction so that Espio can try and find a way in the prison. Right?"

"That's the plan. I doubt we'll get too far the first time around, though. Nobody's escaped, so I'm thinking it'll be just as challenging to do the reverse, too. Still, this is Espio's element. If anyone can figure out how to sneak in, it'll be him. But Amy…" the fox looked at her meaningfully. "Be careful. It's not like you can camouflage like Espio can. You're fair game for any robots that come along. I'll be close by with the plane in Cyclone mode, but if any of them get their hands on us, our mission is over."

"Don't you worry about me, Tails. Those stupid robots don't know what they're getting into if they pick a fight with Amy Rose!"

The hedgehog's cheerful confidence was contagious, but Tails knew better than to get ahead of himself. "I hope you're right," he said, "but just remember that we might encounter some of the same robots that captured Sonic."

"Well you've already encountered them twice, haven't you? They didn't catch you then, Tails! We can do this!"

"I was really lucky both times," Tails said. "And they did catch me. Only reason I'm not in Meka Tower is because the first time we got away and found a hiding spot, and the second time the robot's grip on me slipped because of rain. Sonic didn't have either of those advantages out here in the sand dunes, and neither will we this time around."

Amy sat back in her seat, looking sobered.

"Tails," Espio called from the wing. "We're getting close. I can see the fence. You probably will not have much time to land before you are detected. I will take Amy and jump off when we are a reasonable distance from the ground so that you can keep going without having to land at all."

"That sounds like a great idea, Espio!" the girl said before Tails could draw breath to respond.

"Actually, it does," the fox admitted. "Just let me know when."

Suddenly, the radar went off, indicating the presence of a Chaos Emerald in the prison. Nobody paid it any acknowledgement; it was hardly a surprise.

"Hey Tails," Amy said, looking hesitant. "You know, you have to be careful too. If something happens to Espio or me, you should keep yourself safe, that way not all of us end up in the prison."

He swallowed. "I… I know that."

"It might even be a good thing if Espio goes in there. He can be invisible and not attract the attention of robots or Eggman. Maybe he can even find Sonic!"

"I sure hope so, Amy. But there's no need for us to get ourselves stuck in there. I know you miss Sonic, but it's best if you help from outside the prison right now."

"Don't you miss him too?"

Tails looked taken aback. "Of course I do. That's why I'm doing everything I can do save him. But going in there recklessly will just make things take longer, as much as I'm tempted to. Amy… promise me you'll do everything you can to avoid capture. Besides, I still need someone to watch the Chaos Emeralds for me."

"I will, I will," she said. "It's just wishful thinking. Can't I miss him?"

"Amy, you should come out here on the wing with me," Espio said. "We've arrived. Tails, could you lower us a little more inside the fence?"

"Yup. Let Amy get herself out there first. There we go… descending now. Hold on tight, you two!"

The Tornado tipped forward in its descent, a motion that would have caused Amy and Espio to lose their footing if it wasn't already balanced out by the plane's forward velocity. As it was, they both crouched down on the wing and grasped its edge with their hands anyway.

"Amy, would you like me to hold you on the jump down?"

Amy smiled at him. "What a gentleman! Now if only Sonic would treat me like that!"

"So that should be interpreted as a yes," Espio said. "Okay, get ready. We're still at a lethal height but I want to be prepared." He paused. "Broken leg height now… broken ankle… Okay. Here will be safe. Wrap your arms around my neck."

As Amy did so, the chameleon camouflaged. She could see her hands though his neck. Then he scooped her up in his invisible arms and leapt.

Before she even had a chance to scream, they plunged into a sand dune, its softness absorbing the impact of the fall. Above them, Tails swerved the Tornado back outside the fence, putting a considerable cushion of distance in between.

Amy dug herself out of the sand and hastily dusted off her outfit. She heard Espio get up somewhere nearby and pull out his shuriken.

"Is your communicator on?" he whispered to her, turning so that they were back to back.

"It's always on."

"Let us do this as quickly as possible. If we can find or create an opening, I'm going to go in."

Amy wondered how to even begin. The unspoken question was answered for her very quickly by the sounds of metallic clanking. Robots that had been guarding the outside of the prison were running at them, blue eyes focused and relentless. She growled under her breath, trying to muster the courage she would need for this, when Espio leaned in and whispered in her ear:

"Weave in and out of them. Avoid at all costs. Defeating them won't help anyone, and taking further risk is pointless in this situation. I'll slow down somewhat in case one of us needs the other. We must get to the tower."

"I hear you," the girl said, glaring forward determinedly and taking out her red and yellow mallet. "And I'm faster than you think. Let's do this."

Together – though only one of them was visible – they plowed forward at a run. As if in response, missiles shot out from automatic launchers on the sides of the tower, piercing the air with their speed and screeching whistles. It took all of five seconds for them to close the distance, and the two allies just barely avoided being struck as puffs of sand and dust exploded around them.

Another round of missiles chased the heels of the first one. They weren't homing missiles, but the sheer number of them made up for any lack of precision as the ground was dotted with craters. Amy felt sand go in her eyes, nose and mouth and coughed violently. Espio wasn't coughing. She couldn't even hear the chameleon's footsteps over the scream of the sudden assault…

Explosions surrounded her as the few guard robots were obliterated in the storm of missiles, caught unawares. It hardly mattered. They were insignificant by comparison.

Her knees and calves ached with the effort of pressing forward. She had been running less than a minute, but it was like the earth itself was trying to hold her back. Her feet drowned in the sand each time they hit the ground, letting it get in her shoes and socks. On the edge of panic, she sped up, eyes set on the tower, trying to bring it closer with her gaze.

But what could she even do when she got there? This wasn't going to get any better.

Sonic… she thought, desperately.

Sonic wouldn't even think that way. She knew it. He would dash into the situation with the full knowledge that things could spiral out of control and be confident anyway.

She had that quality too… when she was with him. When he wasn't around, it was like a piece of her was missing, like she had lost her life support…

What's wrong with me? It shouldn't be that way. I've got to do this for myself, too.

Amy clutched her weapon tighter, and sought those feelings and emotions, sought that courage and confidence… tried to bring it forth from within instead of drawing upon it from someone else. The tower was getting closer. The missiles smacked the ground like a heavy rain. Sand was making her eyes and throat sting agonizingly. She didn't know what to do.

But I will do it anyway.

Then more projectiles came from the opposite direction – gunshots clattering against the sides of Meka Tower, destroying the offending launchers. The last of the missiles hit the ground anticlimactically. Amy sighed in relief.

She had forgotten about the Tornado for a second there.

Only seconds later, there was an announcement over the fuzzy intercom: "Attention fellow androids. An intruder has been detected on the tower grounds. Infiltration attempt suspected. Main entrance opened; deploy four attack androids."

Amy halted and turned toward the entrance. The androids ran out in quick succession, wasting no time, and the door slid shut again.

Maybe they weren't so insignificant after all. The missiles would not take care of them for her this time.

"Espio…?" she said as the androids came toward her, wondering if he was carrying out his part of the plan. He didn't answer. She backed away from the group of robots cautiously, confidence faltering, and risked a glance up at the Tornado. It was making a wide circle outside Meka Tower's perimeter, leaving a light trail in its wake. "Tails," she breathed into her communicator, working around the grainy feeling in her throat, "now would be a good time to be on standby…"

"Already? What's wrong?"

"I don't know where Espio went! I think… I think he ran off to search around already, and now I'm alone facing four androids!" At least, I hope that's why he's not responding.

"That was the plan, wasn't it?"

"Yes… yes it was!" she said, regaining her nerve. "I didn't expect to be alone, is all. I'm sorry, I let fear overcome me for a second. Time to do my part!"

"Just hang in there, Amy! Try and avoid them. I'm coming."

Amy let her hand drop, planting her feet in the ground and staring the robots down. "Hey!" she shouted at them, meeting the eyes of the one closest to her. "What do you guys think you're doing?"

"What do we think we're doing? I think you are the one should be answering that question."

Teal-green eyes flashed defiantly. "Well I asked you first!"

"Oh boy," said another android. "This was the threat? Let's go back inside. It's cooler in there."

"Wait," said the third. "We must act. She found a way inside the fence, which means her presence is no accident. Should we capture her?"

"You guys are awfully cocky," Amy said, "talking about your ideas right here in front of me!" Please hurry, Tails.

"You are quite bold yourself, coming to such a place alone. What are you doing here?"

"Stupid," snapped the fourth android. "Don't converse with her. She is trying to stall!"

"I propose we do not capture her. If she bothered to come here, she could be working for an outside source we do not know of. If we took her inside the prison, she may be able to communicate with such a source to help them infiltrate it."

"You're pretty smart for saying that," Amy chimed in. "Good AI systems you've got. I wouldn't try to capture me either. All four of you would regret it."

"Would we, now? Well, perhaps we should just see for ourselves. You come off to me as having a worse bark than—"

"I said stop conversing with her, fool!" said the irritable android in the back.

"What do you propose, then? Let her go? Call for Master Eggman?"

"Don't even think about it!" Amy yelled, taking a step towards them that she hoped looked threatening. "If you even try, I'll smash you to pieces right now."

"Oh really?" Irritable asked. When it spoke next, its voice echoed over the intercom. "Master Eggman, if you would, please report down to the—"

It never finished the request. Out of nowhere, the Cyclone landed on top of the group, crushing them all beneath its heavy legs. In the cockpit, the two-tailed pilot looked somewhat surprised with himself, smiling coyly.

"Good job," the two said to each other simultaneously.

"So much for Cyclone-form," the fox muttered, pressing a button. The machine changed back to its biplane basis, wings extending to their full length and legs retracting out of visibility. He gestured for Amy to climb in. She did, using chunks of broken robot as a stepstool. She was breathless from exertion and adrenaline, coughing dryly. "You okay?" Tails asked her.

"Y-yeah. I think so. Ugh, I feel like there's sand in my lungs."

"Good job through all that. Really." Tails smiled. "That was pretty cool."

"Hehe, thanks, Tails!"

"Sure thing. Hey, why don't you check in with Espio while I get us back in the safe zone for now?"

Amy activated her communicator and raised her wrist to her face. Her heart was pounding, and not only because she was worn out. "Espio," she began tentatively, "are you okay? I'm up in the air with Tails again. I don't know where you went."

There was a moment of tense silence as they waited for his response. Then: "I'm inside. When the robots came out, I went in." Tails and Amy looked at each other excitedly. Then the detective continued hastily: "But listen, you two. Unless it is an emergency, please let me contact you from now on instead of the other way around. I may be invisible, but that will not stop an android from hearing your voices through my communicator."

"I was worried," Amy said. "I thought for a second that something had happened!"

"I apologize for making you concerned. I heard you trying to contact me but didn't want to respond and make my presence known."

"It's all right, I understand. What is it like in there?"

"I haven't seen enough of it to know yet. Right now I am walking through a curving hallway, with dark violet lights. Smooth metal walls. Low ceiling, wide path. And it's cold. Everyone is behind bars, along both sides. Most of them aren't saying anything to each other, or doing much themselves save for sleeping. It is not a content kind of quiet, mind you. This place feels like… hopelessness. I would not have expected Eggman to let things get out of hand like this."

"Don't get locked in a cell like them," Tails said. "You'll stay invisible, right?"

"It takes a concentrated effort to blend in, so I will need to find a safe hiding place to sleep."

"You can't sleep like that? Why didn't you say anything before?"

"Because we have to do something," the chameleon replied simply. There was something different about the quality of his voice. Leaking out from behind the calm, neutral exterior was something like concern… maybe even compassion. Tails and Amy both leaned a little closer to the communicator. "I'm no superhero," Espio continued quietly, "but this has become so much bigger than a loss of clients. The simple fact of the matter is that Eggman must be stopped."

"About time everyone else got it," Amy said, but there was no bitterness in her voice; only apprehension.

"Well, at least something finally went right for a change," Tails pointed out. "All three of us are okay, and we did what we came here to do. Now you and I can go back to my workshop, Amy, and figure out what to do about the Master Emerald."

"Yes, we have to get it away from that imposter! Just who is he, anyway? I thought Knuckles was the last echidna…"

"That is what you two must find out," Espio said through the communicator. "Find a way to secure the Master Emerald and protect it, and I will try to find out what I can about this place. Though it would help if your radar could assist me, Tails."

"Oh, right! Hold on one second… okay…" he trailed off, pressing buttons and typing in adjustments on the control panel. Amy could barely follow his movements with her eyes, but she saw the radar zoom in on the dot signifying Meka Tower. The picture came clear, and the layout was visible on the screen. "Okay, this worked just like I hoped it would!" Tails said. "I have access to the interior of Meka Tower!"

"Great to know," Espio said. "Is it possible you could save that data, so that you could continue on with your plans while still guiding me through the tower?"

"Already done!" the fox said happily. "We're finally making progress, guys!"

Amy picked up the two Chaos Emeralds from their spots next to Tails and held them to her bosom. "Let's keep making progress, then! It's time Eggman was put back in his place, and all these people were set free!"

xxx

As usual, Lucas's and Sonic's chattering woke me in the morning. This time, though, it was somewhat more somber than what I usually heard from them.

"Sometimes I feel like our fate is in the hands of everyone outside this prison," Lucas mumbled. "Like we can't even really do anything about it."

Sonic was sitting with his back supported against the wall, reaching out towards his toes, stretching taut muscles. He glanced up at the sound of Lucas's negative tone, looking somewhat irritated. "Why? You don't call destroying that scanner doing something about it? I thought we already went over all this."

"Well, yeah, but destroying the scanner doesn't help us at all. We're no closer to getting out of here, and I know you hate that every bit as much as I do."

Taking his time, the blue blur leaned into his stretch, putting his head down towards his knees and drawing a deep breath. "We'll get out."

"Don't you ever doubt?"

"What?"

"Don't you ever doubt? I'm happy about what we've done so far too, but it just doesn't seem like enough. You know?"

"Don't we all doubt now and then?" Sonic asked in return. Apparently satisfied with his stretching, he got to his feet, rocking from his toes to his heels and back.

"You tell me."

They both paused for a moment when the whiny metallic vibration came back. It had been doing so intermittently throughout the night, though it was somewhat quieter now than it had been initially. It was still unsettling, and downright annoying. Sonic had moved his bedroll to the front of his cell, saying that the floor didn't seem to rattle as much over there.

I couldn't feel it at all. Lucas barely could. Whatever it was, it was confined tightly to Sonic's cell.

"I don't doubt you," the hedgehog said when the moment passed. "I don't doubt me. I don't doubt my other friends outside this place." He shrugged as if he had had his say, but his last sentence ended on the tone of a comma. Lucas watched him expectantly, waiting to hear the rest. Finally, Sonic obliged. "Sometimes I doubt the situation itself, I guess. It gets crazy boring in here, sometimes to the point where it feels like life decided to stop changing or something. And I miss running.

"But hey, we had that great opportunity the other day," the hedgehog continued on, cheerful now, though I had a feeling it was partially for Lucas's sake, "and that proves we don't have to wait for someone else to save the day. I shattered the scanner and you disabled two androids… and that was only us. I think that's pretty cool. Think what we can do if we can get the rest of the floor to be this active… or even this hallway. Heck, this hallway's already getting started. You're not giving up, are ya?"

"No," Lucas said quickly. "Of course not. I guess every now and then it feels overwhelming. It's hard not to worry sometimes."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Just making sure."

"Sonic… the same goes for you, right?"

"Hm?"

Lucas swallowed, and made eye contact with me for the briefest of moments. Again I was struck with uncertainty, feeling like I should say something. I didn't. Instead I pulled away from his gaze so that I didn't have to see the uncertainty in his eyes either. "You're not going to give up either, right?" he finally asked, looking back at Sonic. "No matter what?"

Appearing to sense Lucas's peculiar unease – even if he couldn't pinpoint the cause – Sonic met his eyes with a rare expression of sincerity. The determination etched into his face made me want to believe things were really going to be okay. He didn't grin and answer Lucas with a casual response like I'd come to expect of him; instead he deliberately repeated the man's words right back to him, each one carrying significance and authenticity: "No matter what."

xxx

"Running away? Who do you think I am?" –Sonic, Zero Gravity

xxx

IN CHAPTER 12: Somewhere in the mystery there are answers to questions. Questions to answers. Light shines brightest in the dark… but shadows look darkest in the light.

Not much for me to say this time around. Thanks for reading! See ya next time!