"Sonic, where were you when the brains were handed out?" Sally's nine-year old voice taunted. She chided him with her hands on her hips, her blue eyes flashing and locks of her messy red hair falling into her face.
They'd been playing hide and seek. And Sonic had decided to hide in an oven.
It had seemed like a great idea at the time. I mean, who'd hide in an oven? No one hid in ovens, so it made sense that no one would look for him in one.
And who knows, someone might try to put food in it while he was hiding and then he could eat it—maybe even a plate of chili dogs or sumthin'…
Strapped to the velvet seat in the air cruiser, Sonic rocked his head to the side, groaning…he made a face.
Come to think of it, he already had something in his mouth, but it wasn't very good. It tasted like toothpaste.
Sonic spat, hard.
Just as Sally leaned over his face.
She shot back with a loud shout, nearly tripping on her own feet and falling back.
Sonic opened his eyes, his pupils focusing. They steadied and his gaze fell on Sally.
Sally was too busy clawing the white foam from the mask off her face to notice. She wiped it on her pants and scowled.
"Sal…" Sonic murmured, and he choked on more foam. "Woah—uugh-" He gagged and tried to sit up so he could spit. "Uuch, yuck, mega-yuck-"
Sally's head shot up, her eyes wide, shining with tears.
"Sonic! What are you doing?" She blurted, rushing to him. "Do not move yet, silly, we have to get you out first, you will hurt yourself!" Her voice still shook.
Sonic's brow creased and he frowned, confused.
Sally took her laser knife and began cutting the EcCord around his arms and upper chest.
Pain registered in Sonic's eyes.
"Aagh," Sonic gasped and looked down, searching himself.
Sally grunted, cutting through a band of ECcord that wrapped around his chest and upper arms. His blood had already crusted around the cords biting through his flesh and whenever she so much as touched one, he shivered, another swell of pain creeping over his skin.
Sonic lifted his head, his green eyes wide and sharp.
The gag-mask filling his mouth with foam, the look on the Queen's face as they dragged him out of the council, Tails bent over the stairwell, Gramps signature on the roboticization notice, three months of Robotnik picking through his body—
He remembered.
"Is Tails okay?" Sonic blurted, panic in his tone. "Sally, what're you doin' here-get me outta this thing," he lurched upwards.
Sally punched her hand into his chest, shoving him back, her chin raised. "Sonic, I am ordering you for once in your life, have some patience and do not move."
"Tails was really hurt, where is he?" Sonic blurted. He didn't move, but he craned his head, trying to look out of the case. "What happened-?"
"I'm right here, Sonic."
The minute Sonic had started talking, Tails had crawled out from beneath the case. He stood to his feet and pulled himself next the case. He held a wire in his hand and he instantly began screwing it into Sonic's ECcord sockets. "Sally got me a healing ring." Tails said. "We're all okay, Sonic."
Sonic stared at Tails. Then at Sally. His gaze was blank.
He breathed out.
Sally pulled another cord free and Tails worked on, pinching his lips.
Without warning, Sonic forced his newly-released arm up and clasped onto Tail's hand.
Tails stopped and looked at him, his blue eyes bright.
Sonic cracked a smile through his swollen lips. "Just like I told you, huh?"
Tails ears flattened back and he bowed his head. He sucked up a breath of air and his shoulders began to shake as he nodded.
Tails tackled Sonic, hugging him for all he was worth.
Sonic snatched onto Tails and rested his chin against his head, clenching his jaw. He looked up at the ceiling, tears in his eyes.
Sally glanced up at them, her lips parted.
Sonic's voice was low and cracked. "They took Gramps, Tails."
Tails flinched as if hit by a physical blow. He lifted his face, his eyes hollow. "What…?"
Sally dropped her jaw, punching her fisted hands against the velvet.
Tails began to sob.
Sonic hugged him harder and clenched his fingers in the fox's fur. He bit his lip hard, anger in his eyes.
Sally lifted her chin. "When?"
"This morning. After I delivered the rings," Sonic gritted out.
Sally's eyes widened.
She turned away, wrapping her arms around herself. "No," she hissed under her breath.
Tails heaved for air. He lifted his head, his forelocks falling into his eyes. He swallowed, sitting up. "Wh-what should we do?" he asked.
"—I'll tell you what we should do," Sonic said, forcing out the words through his teeth. "You know, sometimes it takes a long time for Robotnik to roboticize a Mobian—he could still have Gramps waiting somewhere—maybe we can still find him—"
Tails nodded once, hard, tears running down his cheeks.
"Yes." Tails' voice lowered. As if he was trying to sound certain. "It's okay, Sonic. We'll find him." He wiped at his face, closing his eyes. "What matters is that we're alive and that we can even try…"
Sally turned around and strode back to the case. She wrapped her slender arms around Tails and picked him up out of the case as if he weighed little more than a baby. She lowered him to the floor, still hugging him. Tails clung to her, trying to stifle his tears.
"It is alright to cry, Tails," Sally said. Her voice caught. "People cry when they lose something they care about greatly... It is better that you love your Grampa Chuck and cry for him, then not love him and not cry for him…and..." she blinked, "And either way…this whole ordeal has been terrible and you both have borne the brunt of it all day—"
Then she stepped forward, still holding onto Tails, bent over Sonic and kissed his cheek.
Sonic's head whipped around and he stared up at her.
"I promise for myself and Bunnie and Amy, we'll help you find him." Sally knelt next to the case and grasped its edge with one hand. She wrapped her other arm around Tails. "I'll organize a search party of my finest entourage troops if I have to." Then she kissed Tail's cheek as well.
Sonic smiled at her, his green eyes shining.
Tail's sobs had quieted and now he only hiccupped. He squared his shoulders, taking deep breaths.
"…Can I sit up now, princess?" Sonic asked, a dare in his eyes.
Sally stood up, facing him, "Yes. After I cut these last cords and I give you a healing ring to help with the pain-"
"Sal, this is the first good thing that's happened to me today," Sonic said. He was smiling, but hurt still pierced his eyes. "Trust me, I'm not gonna feel a thing."
Sally gazed at him, sharpness in her blue eyes, as if she wanted to say something, but didn't know how. She snatched up her laser knife and began burning the last cord. Her soft auburn hair fell out of its braid and shadows played across the defined facial markings arching around her eyes.
Sonic watched.
"What're you doing here, Sal?" the hedgehog asked.
Sally did not look up from her work. She blew a wisp of hair out of her eyes. "Well, I think I am rescuing you two. You are my Ringweilder, and you belong to me and my family, and no one is taking you away from your work until I say they can. This planet needs you—"
"Aaaaw," the first prick of mischief returned to Sonic's eyes. "Thanks, Sal."
"You are quite welcome," she quipped back.
Tails finished wiping at his eyes to watch them.
They were trying to be brave. Banter helped.
"How'd ya do it?" Sonic asked.
She looked up, her brow furrowed. "Do what?"
"Rescue us?" Sonic replied,
Sally pulled on the laser knife and the cord snapped. "I crept into the cargo hold by blinding the combot's communicators with NICOLE's frequency scrambler. I waited for you to come in, and then as the cruiser was taking off, I made it to Tails, got him to safety, and then I lured the combots into the hold. I opened the loading hatch, they fell out over the forest, and I took out the rest with the acid blaster."
Tails whistled.
"Say what-?" Sonic blinked.
"Don't think too hard, you'll hurt yourself," Sally said.
"You got in here all by yourself?" Sonic smirked. "And took out, what, ten combots?"
"Well, I was pretty motivated," Sally said with a stubborn glare. She broke the last ECcord. "Bunnie was going to help, but she disappeared—something about Amy Rose. We lost connection, so that left me to infiltrate the cruiser alone. I could not just let you and Tails be punished for staying loyal to my father and me, to the Mobian people. I could not just lose you—" She cut off, pinching her lips together.
"Well…looks like you didn't do a bad job," Sonic said. He stretched his muscles, wincing. "In fact, the only other person I know who could pull off a stunt like that is me, and I would have done it faster and cooler, but still, not bad."
Sally's eyes widened and her eyebrow twitched. "You would have blown up the whole air cruiser, Sonic."
"-And it would've looked great," Sonic dared.
He sat straight up, ripping free of the cut ECcord, and dove out of the case, speed on.
Sonic made it a foot before his legs collapsed beneath him. He toppled face first to the floor with a grunt of shock.
"Impressive." Sally commented, crossing her arms.
"Hey." Sonic braced himself against the floor rolled onto his back. "It takes awhile to come back to life after having your body pumped with drugs and being tied up like a ham and all that."
His tone sound fine, but he was quivering and digging his fingertips against the floor. He tried crossing one leg over the other in a devil-may-care manner, but stopped, wincing.
Sally's eyes widened and she dropped down next to the hedgehog. "You, Sonic, have way more Mobium inside you than is good for anyone." She snorted and pulled out a Mobium ring from her pocket. "And this might help jumpstart all that power."
"Anything you say, princess." Sonic opened his mouth.
Sally made a face, grabbed Sonic's hand and pushed the ring into it. "You can feed yourself."
Sonic rolled his eyes and popped the ring into his mouth.
As soon as he did, Sonic felt it fizz inside his mouth and waves of heat began to surge through him, melting over his pain. Goosebumps ran over him and the flesh wounds around his arms, legs and ankles began to itch.
Sharpness returned to Sonic's eyes.
Yes, I had to keep Sally's classic SatAM line. ;-)