Chapter 37: Liftoff
While Sonic and Knuckles were busy fighting the robot golem, Amy and Tails made their way around it to go after Dr. Eggman. After passing through the sliding door, they found themselves in a large chamber where a space shuttle was positioned in the center with its nose pointing towards the roof of the pyramid. Meanwhile Dr. Eggman steered the Egg Mobile into a device that looked like an elevator and, upon seeing Amy and Tails, he immediately pressed a button on the inside. Before Amy and Tails could reach him, Dr. Eggman disappeared in a veil of light that lit up the elevator-like device in a matter of seconds.
"Where did Dr. Eggman go?" Amy asked in a bewildered tone.
"I'm not sure," Tails responded, and examined the device thoroughly. He then stepped inside and tried to press the same button Dr. Eggman pushed, but nothing happened.
This in turn worried Amy. "What's wrong, Tails?"
"According to my calculations, this is some kind of teleportation device that Dr. Eggman made to get up to the ARK more easily. However, the device doesn't seem to be working at the moment which leads me to suspect that Dr. Eggman must've jammed it so we wouldn't follow him."
"But if he had a teleportation device, then why did he build the rocket?"
"Probably in case the teleporter malfunctioned for some reason, and that's what we're going to use to get up to the ARK."
Amy briefly glanced up at the space shuttle and then she said, "So what were you about to say earlier, regarding what Shadow told Sonic?"
Tails hesitated, and then he heard the sliding stone door open.
"Hey, guys!" Sonic cried, walking through the sliding door with a triumphant grin on his face. "What'd I miss?"
Behind him, Knuckles tossed the motionless head of the stone golem between his two gloved hands in a playful manner.
"Well," Tails said as he scratched the back of his neck. "Dr. Eggman got away in a teleportation device, which he subsequently sabotaged in order to prevent us from following him, and so we'll have to use the space shuttle."
"Do you think you could pilot that thing?" Knuckles said, glancing at the shuttle with awe. "It looks more complicated than an airplane."
"I think I can handle it," Tails beamed. "Something tells me I've done this before."
"If you say so," Sonic said. "Then let's launch and get to the ARK already!"
"But we can't launch right now, Sonic," Tails said as he looked at his watch. "It's eight o'clock in the evening. No one ever does shuttle launches at night."
"Why not?"
"Because it would be too risky. We'll have to wait till tomorrow morning."
"So you're saying we're going to have to spend the night here?" Knuckles said nervously. "I sure hope those ghosts we defeated don't come back to haunt us."
"If it'll make you guys feel safer, we'll sleep in the shuttle tonight," Tails said assuredly. "There are bound to be sleeping and food supplies in there."
After placing the Tornado 2 and Master Emerald shards into the shuttle's cargo-hold, Sonic and the others went into the shuttle's flight deck for an awkward food-paste dinner and a long restless sleep.
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The next day, Sonic went to the control panel to start the launch sequence while everyone else stayed in the flight deck. Tails sat in the captain's seat and counted down from the predetermined time which was four minutes. During this time, Sonic opened the roof the pyramid, which showed a cloudless midmorning sky. Then once Tails reached zero, Sonic pressed the button to launch the shuttle and dashed quickly out of the control panel and onto the bridge that led to the open door of the flight deck. The minute he got inside, the door slammed behind him and the shuttle launched into the air. Sonic was pressed against the floor by the immense pressure that followed, while the others were thrown back in their seats.
As Sonic struggled to get into his seat, the shuttle continued its steady climb towards space. Eventually, the rocket boosters fell off while the external tank stayed on. By this point, Sonic had managed to buckle into his seat and changed back into Sonny out of exhaustion. Then after the external tank's fuel ran out, the shuttle broke free and allowed Tails to take over. Up above them floated a large semi-spherical object with a nose-shaped laser-cannon and two circular buildings that resembled eyes on the flat part of it that was outlined by whisker-shaped flaps.
"That must be the ARK," Sonny said as he quickly changed back into Sonic. "And I see Dr. Eggman has already redecorated it."
"I don't think so," Tails argued. "The face doesn't look as menacing as the one that was on the E. G. G. Station, unless…of course!"
"Unless what?" Sonic asked.
"Tails, look out!" Amy said, pointing to an asteroid that heading straight towards them.
Immediately, Tails steered the shuttle below the asteroid. While the asteroid passed harmlessly above them, the shuttle's cargo-hold was dangerously close to the asteroid's underside. So when Tails flew out from underneath the asteroid, the cargo-hold smashed against the asteroid and caused the cargo doors to swing open. Everyone inside was shaken up by the impact, including Knuckles.
"What just happened?" Knuckles asked.
"I think the shuttle's cargo-hold hit the bottom part of the asteroid, causing the cargo doors to open," Tails answered.
"But that's where the Tornado 2 and Master Emerald shards are," Sonic exclaimed.
"Not to worry, Sonic. I securely fastened the Tornado 2 before we launched," Tails said calmly and looked back at Knuckles. "Did you do the same to the Master Emerald shards, Knuckles?"
"I, uh, didn't," Knuckles said lowering his head.
"Can't we just turn this thing around and get them back?" Amy suggested.
"We'd be wasting fuel if we did," Tails said coldly. "And if we want to get back home alive then we're going to need to use every ounce of fuel wisely."
"Then maybe you would have a better chance if there was one less person onboard," Knuckles said, and got up from his seat.
"Where do you think you're going?" Sonic said eying Knuckles suspiciously.
"I'm getting my Master Emerald pieces back," Knuckles replied, shoving Sonic so hard that he fell to the floor. "And none of you are going to stop me."
Then without warning, Knuckles opened the hatch to the cargo-hold and he was immediately sucked out into the vacuum of space. Tails turned the shuttle around and they all saw Knuckles gliding through space toward the asteroid. Immediately, Tails was about to steer the shuttle forward when Sonic pinched his shoulder.
"Let him go, Tails," Sonic said. "We'll come back for him when our business is done onboard the ARK."
"But how is he surviving in space?" Amy said as Tails turned the shuttle back toward the ARK. "That's not physically possible, right?"
"By human standards, yes, but maybe we're creatures who can survive in space without protection," Tails speculated. "Therefore, as long as we're possessing these bodies, they can survive in space without protection too."
"I suppose that's the only explanation for why Knuckles confidently left the ship without putting on a spacesuit," Sonic said, and then he smirked. "Or he was just being a knucklehead as usual."
"Sonic!" Amy exclaimed and jabbed Sonic in the shoulder hard.
To be continued…