You know the drill, picks up from last chapter. We're getting into the final stretch of the story here, so the pace should be picking up for the next few chapters. Also get detailed about the Lunar Fox, though I do deliberately fudge continuity a little; in the game it appeared in, the Lunar Fox is powered by an unprecedented and inconsistent eight Chaos Emeralds, but here, I state it's just the usual seven, for simplicity's sake. Also recycle a cliffhanger, so to speak. :P
21.
Rocket Power
As it turned out, however, deciding to use the Lunar Fox to reach Babylon Garden, and actually using it to reach Babylon Garden, was two very different things, and this issue simply had to be resolved before anything could be done with the rocket. Fortunately, Jet, without even needing to be asked, quickly whipped together plans of his own design for the group to follow and get the rocket in working order as quickly as possible.
But there was still quite a lot of work to be done on the rocket. First and foremost, the rocket had flown once into orbit and back, and then never again, as it hadn't really been built with the intent to use a second time. Since that flight, it had sat in its corner of Tails's workshop for years, gathering dust as it aged. So much time had passed that Tails wasn't confident that the rocket even still worked, and if did, it wasn't going to do them any good until they fixed it up for use.
Second was the fact that the fact the rocket's power source required a full seven Chaos Emeralds to work. Anything less and it wouldn't achieve orbit, yet another reason why it hadn't ever been used again. Having to collect all seven of the emeralds seemed like a lot of effort to go joyriding in a rocketship. The problem was further complicated by the fact that even if everyone currently guarding each individual Chaos Emerald were willing to hand them over for use in the Lunar Fox, there was no way they could collect them all in time.
They did, however, still have the one emerald GUN had loaned them, but one emerald was six short of the required seven for the rocket. Fortunately, Tails's knowledge of the emeralds had increased since when he built the Lunar Fox, and now knew how to use the emerald's powers more efficiently. This paired with Jet's massive repository of knowledge was enough to design a new power system that would power the rocket with just the one emerald with ease.
Finally, there was the fact that the Lunar Fox would currently only seat one. Jet's plans, for some reason that he didn't stop to explain to the others, required the rocket's cockpit to be expanded, but even then, the proposed new cockpit would only just barely fit two. It would never fit all of them, meaning that only Jet and one other was going to be leaving in the rocket. And it was debatable who was going to go.
Either way, it was quickly decided focus on one matter at a time. They all quickly got to work, moving the metal frame of the would-be new airship for the rogues aside so the Lunar Fox could take its place with the robotic construction arms, and got to work fixing the rocket up. At first they were all working on it, but the hours dragged on, and it was already very late at night, with none of them having gotten much of any sleep since they woke up that morning (save Jet, who had gotten even less sleep due to the complications with his powers). And one by one, the number of people working on the Lunar Fox started to diminish.
First to fade off was Storm, who was lumbering around doing a lot of heavy lifting that only drained the albatross's energy further until he finally couldn't take anymore and sat down beside a worktable for a moments rest, only to end up slipping into a deep sleep. Next came Knuckles, who ended up taking on Storm's workload in addition to his own, and quickly faced a similar fate. Sonic stubbornly tried to keep working, having pulled all-nighters several times before, and was a bit of an night-owl naturally anyway, not to mention that he wanted to help just as much as everyone else, but it finally it got to be too much for even the blue hedgehog, who ended up curling up in the workchamber's couch and falling asleep.
Wave also wanted to keep working, despite probably being the most exhausted of everyone, as she had worked the hardest throughout the day to try and fix the problem, and amazingly, she managed to stay awake and keep working without trouble for several hours longer than the others who had given in to the urge to sleep. But finally, the swallow left to check an equation at a computer and Tails looked at her next, she had fallen asleep, probably without meaning to, in the chair in front of the computer.
This just left Tails and Jet working on the rocket, and Jet's work was sporadic, as he had to deal with his own decaying health and finicky powers, not to mention his constantly growing intelligence kept distracting him as he realized new problems he had to stop and solve. Thus Tails ultimately started to take on a fair deal of the work himself. He was dead tired, but like Sonic, had pulled all-nighters too, more than the hedgehog, doing exactly this kind of work, so despite not wanting to, he trudged on, and he planned to keep trudging on, alone if necessary, until the task was complete.
Several hours passed, until it was now technically morning again, but early enough still that the sun wouldn't rise for another hour or so still. Around then, Sonic suddenly awoke with a start, realizing in his sleep that he was sleeping when he should be working, and snapped awake. Sitting up and looking around blearily, Sonic first saw the Lunar Fox, standing upright in its construction cradle, looking a lot closer to being finished now, although its cockpit was completely gone as it had been dismantled for its expansion. Tails was standing on a ladder beside it, working on the task alone, with everyone else asleep. Which led Sonic to the next thing he noticed.
Jet lying sprawled out on his side, looking to be unconscious, although extremely pale, making Sonic feared the worse, and quickly hurried over to check the hawk out.
"Jet!" he exclaimed as he bent down to examine the hawk.
His shout drew Tails attention, who glanced wearily down at the pair. "It's alright, Sonic, he's just unconscious!" the kit called. "Jet's been struggling staying conscious again, with his powers slowly overwhelming him! But I'm monitoring the situation!"
And sure enough, he was, because propped up on some spare parts was a handheld computer rigged to remotely watch Jet's vitals. For the moment, Jet was extremely weak, with his heartbeat being very soft and sluggish, but he was stable. The moment Jet's condition changed, the device would no doubt let out a shrill warning, alerting at the very least Tails.
Sonic nonetheless worked to try and wake the hawk anyway, knowing that Tails needed help. "How's it going, Tails?" he called as he did this.
"Mind-numbingly slow," Tails replied back as he stubbornly worked on, despite looking very tired himself. "But making good progress nonetheless. All that's left to be done is this cockpit."
"And how are you holding up?"
"Well enough, I guess."
"You don't look like it."
"I don't really have a choice, Sonic. Somebody has to do this."
"And what about Jet? He's not doing too good, is he?"
"No, he's constantly getting worse. Like I've said before, it's nothing short of a miracle he's managed to last this long."
Jet started to stir, so Sonic glanced up at the rocket, wondering how close they were getting to getting it off the ground. "How much longer is this going to take?" he asked.
"I don't know," Tails confessed. "That depends on a lot of things." He sighed, and gave the hedgehog a comforting, albeit weak, grin. "But I think we're going to have it finished in time."
"How?" Sonic asked, doubting this. "You're just working on this all on your own, and have a whole cockpit to build!"
"For the moment, you're right," Tails agreed, "but when Jet is conscious, he pitches in, and let me tell you right now, that he makes things go a whole lot faster when he helps." Noticing Jet was about to reawaken, he started to climb down, pointing at the hawk. "See for yourself."
Jet opened his eyes, and promptly tried to sit up, looking around, only seeming to be dimly aware of Sonic's presence. Muttering a Babylonian curse suddenly, Jet's flight power kicked in, lifting the hawk up off the floor as he focused on the rocket. Without warning, the parts to be installed on the rocket flew up off the ground at Jet's command and rapidly started to fit themselves into the craft and attach themselves. Jet even grabbed raw materials with his powers, and using the same powers, molded them into new parts as needed. In a matter of just a couple of minutes, the cockpit went from practically nonexistent to virtually completed, save for the outer paneling that was required to be placed on the outside for launch.
Jet probably could have finished the task in just another minute or less, but his eyes suddenly fluttered, and lapsed into unconsciousness again, his powers suddenly shutting off and letting him and whatever else his powers were holding up to fall. Sonic quickly caught the hawk before he hit the ground, stumbling and nosily bumping into a worktable in the process. The noise made Wave jump suddenly, and she started to stir, and one of the rumbling snores that belonged to either Knuckles or Storm suddenly halted. Sonic, however, focused his attention on Jet. Tails stepped over to join him.
"He's been like that for a couple hours, now," Tails stated. "He'll suddenly snap into consciousness, wordlessly continue working on the Lunar Fox like he did just now, and then fall unconscious again. Now it's getting to the point that he can't even catch himself before he gets hurt. He's barely said anything in all that time. I'm not even sure he's still aware we're here with him anymore."
"Time's running out," Sonic summarized briefly, as he gently lowered Jet to lie on the floor again.
Wave walked over at this point, rubbing at her eyes, followed by Knuckles, and a moment later, Storm. All three looked around to try and get themselves caught up with what they had missed while they slept.
"How much do we have left to do?" Wave asked Tails groggily.
Tails climbed up his ladder again to examine the progress Jet had made on the cockpit. "We just need to put the outer paneling on the cockpit, then after a few tests, we should be done and ready to go," he deduced.
"Then let's get a roll on," Wave stated, picking up one of the panels and joining Tails on the ladder.
"You know, we still have one last issue we need to resolve before we can launch this thing," Knuckles remarked aloud, studying the rocket.
"Who's going to go with Jet?" Sonic deduced.
Knuckles nodded. "I can see why Jet's plans called for two seats in the rocket now," he stated. "At this rate, Jet's not going to be able to do it himself."
"Not that he should've done it by himself, anyway," Tails remarked.
"But then who should go with the boss?" Storm asked. "It can only be one of us."
"It probably shouldn't be just anyone, too," Knuckles reasoned. "It'll have to be someone capable enough to face whatever might be awaiting them."
Sonic stepped forward. "In that case, I'll go."
"You?" Wave repeated, looking down at the hedgehog, "Why you?"
"Because I match that description," Sonic replied, "and I'm willing to help Jet, because it's obvious he needs up. I know you were probably about to volunteer Wave, but you being the only other brainy person we've got beside Tails who doesn't have to go, you should stay here, just in case. Besides, you look just about as bad as Jet does. I don't think you're up for it."
"You can't be much better," Wave argued, "You've been up and working just about as long as the rest of us."
"Maybe, but I think he's right, Wave," Tails said, placing a reassuring hand on the swallow. "It's either Sonic or Knuckles, and to be honest, of the two I'd feel more comfortable with Sonic, no offense Knuckles."
"None taken," Knuckles replied. "Actually, I'm not really that keen to go into space for this anyway."
"Admittedly, neither am I," Sonic agreed. "But somebody has to go up there."
Storm patted Sonic on the back roughly, his strength making the hedgehog stumble a little. "I say best of luck to you then," he said. "I know we've spent more time fighting than working together like this, but I think I've learned that you are a pretty good little hedgehog, Sonic."
Sonic shrugged his aching shoulders a little grumpily, but a little flattered nonetheless. "Thanks, Storm."
"What do you think, Wave?" Storm asked next, calling up to the swallow.
The swallow bit her beak for a moment, before finally she sighed. "Fine," she said. "Sonic will go up with Jet. Just so long as Jet gets out of this alive, I'm happy."
A short time later, the hanger doors that sealed off the cavern workroom from the tunnel that led outside opened, and sitting vertically on a complicated metal cart, the completed rocket rolled out on a set of rails until it was just outside the tunnel, having a clear shot up at the night sky above. Once here, a complicated mechanism lifted the Lunar Fox until it was sitting upright, ready for takeoff.
On a metal walkway that ran alongside this set up, Knuckles pushed the still-unconscious form of Jet in a wheelchair Tails had managed to come up with. Walking beside him was Sonic, listening to Tails as Tails ran the hedgehog through the required processes of launching and operating the rocket.
"It'll be pretty straightforward," Tails promised. "Jet was able to provide a series of coded scripts for the Lunar Fox's computer to follow, so it'll navigate mostly by itself. However, just in case, monitor it closely, and keep the rest of us on the ground updated of your progress. Wave and I will be monitoring the rocket's progress remotely from the ground. If anything goes wrong, we'll be ready to jump in and remotely seize control of the rocket from there, and if necessary, pilot it that way. We should be able to maintain radio contact at the very least until you reach Babylon Garden. After that, I can't guarantee anything. It all depends on Babylon Garden's current status, and what Jet plans to do up there."
"Assuming he's conscious enough to do it," Sonic remarked, glancing at the hawk sitting limply in the wheelchair Knuckles was pushing. He looked in very bad shape.
"Speaking of Jet," Tails said, handing Sonic a handheld computer, "This is what I've been using to monitor Jet's vitals. It'll continue to do so automatically unless something damages it or interferes with its scans. I believe you already know how to use it and read its results. Keep in mind, however, that if anything should happen to Jet, there's only so much you're going to be able to do up there."
"Hopefully it shouldn't come to that," Sonic stated, inwardly praying that he would be proven right.
"What do you think Jet's plan is?" Knuckles asked. "I know we've speculated it to no end, but Jet is the only one who really knows, and he never bothered to tell us before he got into the condition he is now."
"That's because Jet no longer thinks like we do anymore, despite trying," Tails explained. "He's simply too smart. He can't help but piece together what seems obvious to him, but not to the rest of us, and because of that perception, he got frustrated at the fact that we couldn't seem to keep up with him. Since that was slowing him down, he acted as necessary, only letting us know the details he felt we needed to know and nothing more, simply because it'd take too long to explain."
"Whatever his plan is, though," Sonic remarked, "it's on Babylon Garden, so if we get that far, hopefully everything else will fall into place."
"As I understand it, his plan can only be one of two things," Tails said. "Either Jet expects to find the solution right there on Babylon Garden, or he plans to use Babylon Garden to go someplace where he can find the answer."
"A gamble either way," Knuckles pointed out as they arrived at the base of the rocket.
"Not like we have a choice, Knux," Sonic retorted.
"If Jet does have to take Babylon Garden somewhere, keep in mind that we'll have no way to track you, or send help up to you," Tails warned.
"Yeah, I know," Sonic said. "Hopefully, though, Jet will be awake, ready to act, and know exactly what will be needed to be done. But we won't know until we get up there, so…"
"Yeah, okay," Tails said, getting the hint as he placed one hand on Sonic's shoulder. "Be safe up there, Sonic. I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you either."
"Oh, don't worry about me," Sonic said, shrugging off the fox in his usual cocky manner, "I've still got Eggman down here to come back and beat on a regular basis. Not about to let you have all the glory of doing that."
Tails smiled, nodded, and turned to head back into the workshop. Knuckles and Sonic then both worked together to lift Jet out of the wheelchair and up into the cockpit of the rocket. Gently, they lowered him into the backseat, and while Knuckles strapped the hawk in, Sonic strapped himself into the front, pilot's seat. That done, Sonic started checking the console in front of him over to make sure everything was okay before switching on the radio.
"Testing, testing, one, two, three," Sonic said into the device.
"This is Wave, I hear you loud and clear, Sonic," came a reply from Wave. "Everything checks out on our end. Things check out on yours?"
Sonic glanced the console over again, noting all of the little lights. "Yep," he responded, "we are go for launch."
"Then buckle up and get ready," came Tails voice, having arrived back in the workshop where their makeshift command center had been set up with as many functioning equipment Tails was able to fit together. "We're warming up the engines for launch now."
Knuckles tapped Sonic on the shoulder. "Jet's strapped in," he reported.
"Okay, thanks," Sonic replied as he continued to make sure everything was go.
"Sonic," Knuckles said again, making sure he had the hedgehog's attention before extending one hand, "good luck."
Sonic glanced at the echidna for a moment, then took his hand and shook it. "Yeah," he said nodding.
Knuckles nodded back and clambered out of the cockpit, closing the hatch behind him and latching it, sealing Sonic and Jet inside. Sonic let out a whoosh of breath, anxiety starting to get to him. His last chance to turn back was almost gone.
"Engines are warmed up and ready for ignition, everything still checks out," Tails reported over the radio. "All systems are go."
"Are you ready, Sonic?" Wave asked next.
Sonic nodded to himself. "As I'll ever be," he admitted, not bothering to hide his nervousness.
"And Jet?"
Sonic glanced back at the hawk strapped in his seat. "Still out like a light," he replied, "but I'm hoping he'll wake up on the way up there."
"Don't worry," Tails responded via the radio, "even with all the fixes we made to the rocket, this is still going to be a fairly turbulent ride. That should get Jet to wake up in short order."
"One can hope," Sonic said more to himself than anyone else.
"Okay, here goes," Tails said, "Launch in t-minus three, two, one, launch!"
A sudden roar bloomed out somewhere deep within the rocket, and the whole craft started to jolt and shake. Not quite prepared for it, Sonic grabbed at the armrests of his chair tightly until his knuckles turned white. He felt himself be pressed into the back of his seat as the rocket started to accelerate forward, and was soon flying high into the sky, aiming for the stars high above.
Too late to turn back now.
The launching continued on for several seconds as Sonic said rigidly in the chair, trying to brave it out as the rocket shot onward at extreme speeds. Normally he'd be thrilled to be going this fast, but riding a rocket wasn't an experience he was quite used to.
"Sonic, what's your status?" Tails asked over the radio suddenly, startling Sonic.
Sonic, realizing suddenly he had been holding his breath, let out quickly as he looked out the rocket's front window.
"We're getting pretty high up!" he reported.
"How high?" Wave demanded on the radio next. "Check the gauges!"
Sonic remembered the console before him, and glanced at the altimeter. "We're at thirty kilometers, and climbing!"
"Good, everything is going as planned," Tails responded. "The Lunar Fox's computer has already pin-pointed the location of Babylon Garden, and is plotting a course."
"All systems are still go," Wave added.
"Now reaching fifty kilometers!" Sonic announced into the radio.
"Hold on," Wave suddenly remarked, sounding puzzled. "The rocket is picking up something, heading towards you!"
"Say what now?" Sonic asked, not quite prepared for this unexpected news.
Neither Tails nor Wave got the chance to reply before something heavy suddenly impacted the side of the rocket, making it jolt suddenly. Behind him, Sonic heard Jet jolt, and awake, looking around wide-eyed, but distant. Sonic had bigger issues to worry about, however, as he heard metallic thuds as whatever struck the rocket seemed to be sticking nearby, further jolting the rocket's movement.
"Sonic, report!" Tails exclaimed over the radio.
"Something hit us!" Sonic responded, trying to look out the window and see it, but he couldn't see anything from here.
"Hold on, we're tracking you from here!" Tails responded. A pause, then, "Looks like something has latched onto the rocket!"
"Latched on?" Sonic repeated. "What the heck could do that?"
"I don't know," Tails responded hurriedly, "stand by while I—"
He was cut short suddenly when the radio clicked a few times, fell silent, then started broadcasting a new voice.
"You going somewhere, hedgehog?" the voice asked contemptuously.
Sonic recognized the voice immediately. "Eggman."