Act III/ Chapter XXVIII: To Stop Running
I awoke in a patch of grass. I thought I had died for a moment. But I heard people speaking close by, and someone was standing over me. Picking my head up after regaining eye focus, I saw Tails and Amy, both sitting by my side.
"You're awake!" Tails stated.
Amy hugged me as I sat up a bit more. However, my injuries were a lot more severe than I thought. My left leg felt slightly numb, my arms were weak, and my body still held the pressure of Robotnik's robot-suit fist.
I winced as Amy hugged me softly. SOFTLY. You know there's something going down if you can't be hugged softly. It even hurt to pick my head. I had a bad feeling about this.
"What'd I… miss?" I asked, as Amy let go of me.
Tails and Amy exchanged looks.
"Well, we all got out." Tails explained. Rouge made it. The Rogues made it. I even went back to pick up the Chaotix."
"And Omochao?"
"He's been tracking your progress ever since he arrived."
"Progress?"
Amy then cut in, "Tails gave you a sedative. He realized how bad your injuries were. When we were setting you down here, we could hear you wincing in your sleep. The sedative will help get you to fighting strength."
"Well, ain't that convenient?"
"Not exactly." Tails said. "You see, the sedative will bring you back to your feet, but it takes some time to take the whole effect. And even when it does, it only lasts for an hour afterwards."
"Not as convenient."
"Sonic," Amy said. "You're the fastest thing alive. You can take out Robotnik in no time flat!"
"Amy, did you see what Robotnik did to him back there?" Tails asked.
He was surprised she hadn't noticed.
"He's right." I stated further. "If I try to go up against him and his suit, I won't make it, even with the sedative."
"What are you gonna do, then?" she asked.
"We have the Chaos Emeralds." Tails pointed out.
"We only have six. Old Ro-butt-nik probably has the last one."
Amy turned to Tails with an inquisitive expression.
"Could it be on the Death Egg?" she asked.
"Wait, what?" I began, confused on the subject.
Tails ended up explaining that happened to them while I was out: how they gathered the room I had fallen in, how the Death Egg rose, and how the team got in a few close fights. He even mentioned a kiss from Rouge to Knux. Sounds like a typical encounter for them.
"What's he using the damn egg for now?" I asked.
"We… don't know." Tails answered. "Not for certain. Whatever he has planned is on a global scale."
"Why's that?"
"Why else would he make another Death Egg? The last time he made one, it was bred for world domination. And I think this one is bigger than the last one."
"Well, that's just perfect. He had to push how he'd go."
"Now you have to push how far you'll go."
"Now, don't you go all cliché on me."
"How long 'till the sedative takes effect?" Amy asked.
"Maybe a few more hours." Tails replied.
"That's enough for Robotnik to blow up Mobius. We need to get up there. There's no telling when he'll make his move."
"Or how." Tails added.
I turned my head around to look at the Death Egg's shape, lifting off into the atmosphere. I could make out all the recognizable features. It hurt turning around, just as much as it hurt to look at that thing rise one more time.
And I was determined to leave it at one more time.
For the duration of time for the sedative to take effect, Tails led me to Knuckles. He assured that the sedative would work.
"Its recipe goes back many generations. It's cured many over time, so it should work on you."
Considering that there weren't many foods like chili dogs back then, whatever sedative went down the hatch probably tasted like Dayquil… and don't even get me started on that.
Knuckles led me to the room where he had shown me the prophetic drawings several days before. He had set up a bed near the end of it, with a well-lit torch, a pillow, and a nice blanket. It felt homey, and extremely comfy… especially with the blanket.
"You have a good taste in beddings, Knux." I stated. "I didn't know you went shopping on South Island, too."
"I didn't buy that." Knuckles explained. "My mother made it."
"You never told me about her."
"My father barely ever told me of her. All he said was that she was the most beautiful woman he had seen in his life. He still kept the wedding necklace… never remarried. He lived a troubled life afterwards. But, to let me feel like I still had a mother, he gave me that blanket. She sewed it herself. She apparently loved the color blue. My father always teared up when he saw me in it. He said that I reminded him of her… especially in the eyes."
"Do you wish you could see her again?"
"I never saw her… not even a picture."
"If you could wish for her to come back to you… would you?"
"She left my father in this distressed state. It troubled me. I would love for her to come back to me."
Knuckles, you're lucky to have known at least one of your parents. Me… I don't remember them."
"At least you had Uncle Chuck."
"Yeah, but for two years."
"I had my father for five."
"You know more about family than I do."
"But yours gave you a clear and simple purpose."
Do what you have to do, I thought to myself.
Knuckles wanted me to rest up, so he shoke my hand and was beginning to leave. However, he seemed about as troubled as I was. I pulled his arm back and, as he came back, I hugged him. This may seem weird, but Knuckles, after this whole adventure, began to feel more like family than I could imagine. He deserved better from his father, and he deserved to see his mother. For that, I envied him. He hugged me back, and I could hear him crying on my shoulder.
"It's okay, Knux. They'll always be there, watching you from above."
"You think so?" Knuckles said, as we relinquished our hug.
"You bet your ass!" I told him.
He chuckled a little, patted me on the shoulder, and left. Once he left, I sat in the bed and pulled the blanket over me. The sedative must've been doing some work, because my injuries began to feel less severe… though it still hurt like hell.
His mom had craftsmanship. I'll give her that.
Over the course of those next few hours, as my body began to heal, people began to come in and talk to me. Everyone wanted to talk to me, considering this was our last stand. First were the Chaotix and Omochao.
"Are you okay, Sonic?" Charmy asked me.
"Of course not, Charmy!" Vector shouted. "Why would he be okay if he was bleeding from the leg and losing consciousness?"
They could move floating islands with that one.
"Vector," I interrupted. "There's no need to yell at him!"
"He asked a dumb question!" Vector argued.
"There are dumb questions…" Omochao stated, "… only answers."
"He has a point." Espio put subtly.
Vector only grumbled in response.
"Are you okay?" Charmy asked again.
"A sedative is helping me get back on my feet. It takes time, though, so I have to rest for a bit before it works."
Charmy stared at me for a moment.
"What's a… se-date-if?"
I chuckled and shoke my head in response. I saw where Vector was coming from, but Charmy only reminded me of Tails.
"How are things, Vector?" I asked.
"Everyone's waiting for you. We've just been talkin' about how much time we have left."
"I'll be up there and done in no time."
"If I were you, I'd go right now." Espio said.
"And let myself die with one punch? If I don't rest, I'm just walking with death."
"Just do it. You can still fight."
"Not as a corpse. I can do much more healed up… and with the Chaos Emeralds."
"Ah, another predicament where you must rely on the supernatural to aid your cause. Ninjas rely on pure skill. Why has it become so easy to fight evil?"
"Trust me, Espio. It's not easy… in the slightest!"
The Chaotix left, but Omochao stayed behind.
"How you doing, little guy?"
"All systems online and fully functional, doctor."
"How am I?"
"Only 2 hours and 15 minutes 'till the sedative takes full effect."
"What a relief. You think we'll win?"
"There is a 30% probability that we w-."
"Omochao, enough with the probabilities and the 'facts'. This fight is all about pure will. I need you to tell me if you think we'll win."
"Repeating statement…"
"No! Omochao! Ugh. Look, I know you're a robot. I know that the doc… I mean, that 'I' designed you to give reports and be all-around annoying to others. But you have to look past your programming… and find out who you really are. Dig deep, and tell me your honest opinion… will we win?"
Omochao stood on the bed's small nightstand, just under the torch.
"I… I…"
I ached to hear what Omochao really thought.
"I think… someone probably won't be coming back."
"What?"
"I'm afraid that one person on this island won't survive these last few hours."
"How could they? I'm the only one going up?"
"Who's to say no one will try to come with you?"
"Come on, Omochao. I know they're devoted to the cause of this planet, but not to me!"
"They're not talking about how long we have… they're talking about long you have."
I was speechless.
"If the sedative wears off before you get the seventh emerald…"
I lay back on the pillow.
"I'll be good as dead."
Omochao turned away.
"But that's if the sedative wears off… right?"
"Yes, but with your enemy running around up there, you never know when you'll be back where you started."
Omochao left after a few seconds. I lay on the bed, wondering about my chances. How long would it take for me to bring Robotnik… especially with that suit? I was beginning to doubt myself again. Remember when I said that death was only plausible because I was still around?
Well, what if I wasn't?
After a while, Amy walked in.
"Omochao says you have an hour before the sedative works full-time." She told me
I continued to stare at the ceiling.
"What's wrong?"
"I'm beginning to doubt myself."
She kneeled down next to my bed.
"Why?"
"Amy… have you ever doubted science?"
"Well, the sedative seems to be working, so…"
"But what if it wears off? What if I can't get the seventh emerald before it's gone? I'll be dead."
"Don't say that!"
"But it's still out there. It's like a spider in the toilet. You know he won't make it, but he's still there, trying to crawl out."
"But then you flush."
I scuffed.
"Well, it's a spider."
Amy rolled her eyes.
"Sonic, what makes you think like this? First, you doubt your purpose. Now, you're doubting your time alive. What makes you do this?"
"I guess… that… stuff like this brings out this side of me… that just… can't take it."
"You can't doubt yourself. That's the last thing you need."
"Well, if that's not it, then… I guess I'm just afraid I won't be coming back in one piece."
"Well, if that's the case, we should get a jumpstart on some things."
I stared into her eyes… her precious green eyes.
"Like what?"
"If you don't have your legs when you come back," she explained as she stood up, holding my hands, "you won't be able to dance."
I remembered our promise: when I defeated Robotnik, I'd let her teach me to dance.
"No, I can't."
"What did you just say? Sonic, you've taken down seven deadly evils in your lifetime. You've confronted mystery after mystery. You've gained allies and enemies. The bonds that hold us all together grow stronger… because of you. I think you can handle some dance lessons."
"Well, you are a good dancer."
"And, for a fifteen-year old girl, that's saying something."
She taught me all of the basic moves. It felt so extraordinary when I held her in my arms as we stared deeply into each others eyes afterwards. We kept going in circles, and so slowly. It felt weird to not be dancing fast, and to just calmly step with your partner. It felt awkward, but gratifying at the same time. It wasn't because it was new to me… it was more because I could do it with Amy in my arms. She placed her head over my shoulder, and I tilted my head onto hers. She hugged me as I did. We kept rotating in silence. We heard nothing, which, to me, is the sweet sound of true love.
But like with my first kiss with Amy, I felt this adrenaline within me, a kind that made me calm my nerves. And now I truly knew what it meant to be everyone else. I could feel myself becoming one with nature, and I slowly realized a certain truth.
I had finally stopped running.
This might be one of my favorite chapters of this entire book… for obvious or not so obvious reasons. I hope you enjoyed this calm before the storm. Things are about to get real, and Sonic has tied up some loose ends, and he is nearly ready to make his last stand against the dastardly Robotnik.
I just realized how much Sonic is beginning to curse. Please let me know if that disturbs you. Also, tell what you thought of the conversations. And, finally, tell me what you think will happen in the end. What do you think will happen to Sonic and the others? Tell me your honest opinion. I just want to hear what you would've told Sonic in terms of victory. If you have multiple, that's fine. By the way, how do you write "29" and "30" in Roman numerals? Is it "XXIX" and "XXX", or something else entirely?
We'll soon be out of the frying pan, and into the fire! Some action is coming our way, and I can't wait! In fact, I'll be listening to some epic music to get me pumped for the finale! You guys ready, 'cause I sure as hell am! Let's do it to it! Don't forget to review! Read ya later!
