38. Abandoned
Taking in another heavy labored breath, Sonic gritted his teeth and glared at the figure before him. "Come on, Sal…" He spoke, holding his arm (which he honestly couldn't feel anymore) in pain as he began to gradually back away. "Just fight him! You can do it, I know you can!"
The Robian huffed, her blue eyes rigidly cold as she aimed one of her elbow-energy-blades at the hedgehog once again. "How many times do I have to tell you—" She scoffed, taking yet another swing at the hedgehog, nearly laughing as the blade sliced a thin line of blood across his stomach, despite his avoidance maneuver. "I have nothing to fight other than you."
As Sonic stumbled back, his stomach stinging from the bite of the energy blade, he bit down on his tongue, nearly growling as he stared—glared—at Mecha Sally. "Sal, you're stronger—better—than this."
Her eyes dark and far-off, Mecha Sally raised the blade again. For an entire moment, it was utterly silent, and not a word was spoken. Then after what must have been forever, she spoke. "Goodbye, Sonic." And with that, she lunged at him.
She must have forgotten that he was the "Fastest Thing Alive," for he was able to narrowly avoid her attack with a quick jump to the left. The technique made her lose her balance as a result and she stumbled forward for a few moments before regained it just before she was about to hit the wall. When she turned to face him, she was met with quite the shock.
Though she had heard it before she saw it, she didn't completely register it until her eyes met the glass walls that were suddenly surrounding both her and Sonic. How on—how did—those sneaky little—suddenly, Sonic laughed. "Yes! I can't believe that worked!" Spinning on the dime, she scowled at the hedgehog as he spoke. "Turn it on!"
Growling, the Robian took a step towards him, ready to strike him until it hit her; if she spent her time beating him, he was still going to win. She needed to get out, and fast. Without another thought, Mecha Sally turned toward the glass, flying at it as fast as her boosters would allow. With one powerful punch she sent a tiny crack up and down the wall, making Sonic gasp.
She spent only a moment analyzing the fracture, calculating her next move before she pulled her arm back again. It would only take one more hit to shatter it, and after she had accomplished that, she'd—
"Oh no you don't!" A pair of surprisingly strong arms suddenly pulled her back, causing her already irritated state of mind to become even less stable. What on Mobius was his problem; didn't he ever give up? What an idiot! He was going to wish he had never even tried containing her.
So with that thought in mind, she fought back. She fought him with everything she had, every bit of power stored in her systems, every fiber of her being, every system in her body, but somehow, it simply wasn't enough. He was still stronger and faster, and no matter how hard she tried, she could never get at least somewhat of an advantage over him, and it boggled her. How on Mobius did he still have the energy to hold her down, even for the last few seconds of the machine charging?
Through gritted teeth she heard him yell, cutting off her train of thought once again. "Do it now, Tails! I can't hold her down much longer!"
She hissed at him as the voice of the young boy echoed from above. "I'm trying! It's still powering up!"
"Well, speed it up! I can't hold her forever!"
The roboticized princess hissed in her fury as the fox boy spoke again. "It's just about ready, Sonic! Just one more second!"
One second? The enraged Robian nearly cried out, pulling her arms harder and harder in a desperate attempt to free herself. She couldn't lose, couldn't fail, couldn't—for some reason, she found herself glancing back at the hedgehog. He too was fighting as hard as he could, using everything he had—and probably more—to hold her in place.
It hit her right then; that it was his fault. It was his fault that she was going to fail her mission. Her mission, the only thing driving her forward, her orders; his fault, his fault, his fault—
Less than a nano-second was used for the calculation, and even less time was used for the execution. With one swift, unforgiving move, the energy blade was sent backwards directly into the hedgehog's chest, cutting off both his breath and for an entire second, his movements. He gasped, and his eyes took on a very empty, nearly abandoned glassy look before he gritted his teeth and with what must have the last of his energy, held onto her.
"You're… not getting away from me that easily, Sal."
The Robian's eyes grew wide (if that was even possible), but before anything else could be done, a monotone voice boomed throughout the room. "Deroboticization and roboticization reversal processes initiated. Please wait."
She gasped and struggled even harder, but the grip of the dead-on-his-feet hedgehog that held her with was stronger than steel. As the lights and the whirs of the machine began to fill the room, the hedgehog spoke once more. His voice was nearly gone and spent, but it was still barely audible despite everything.
"Just do me one favor, Sal. Don't forget me, okay?"
If it hadn't been for the machine turning on at that very second, she would have responded, but she didn't even have the chance to fit a single syllable in. The lights flashed, the energy of the machine swirled around them, and for an entire moment, everything burned—and then it was over.
In Mecha Sally's place stood a teenage girl of flesh, fur, and bones, gasping as her eyes searched the place. He… had… Sonic had done it! She was free! She could finally think, breath, feel again!
But she was exhausted, and judging by the fact that he too fell with her when she collapsed, he must have been too. She breathed heavy gasps as sat there on the ground, spending only a few moments examining her body (which she was happy to find in the same exact condition other than a new outfit) before looking back at Sonic. "You did—"
Her words froze in her throat the moment she saw him, and instantly, her heart skipped a million beats. In Sonic's place was a still blue Robian with a gaping hole in its chest, a mixture of blood and oil staining the metal and causing Sally to shiver. Its eyes were blank and lifeless, and its body stayed unnaturally still as Sally stared at it. No, not it, him.
The moment it sunk in, Sally gasped and covered her mouth. "Sonic!" Tears began to grace her, and without another word or thought, she threw her arms around his unmoving form. Even though the memory was hazy from the motherboard-to-brain switch, she knew for a fact that it was her fault. Her fault, her fault, her fault…
"Sonic, Sonic!" The sound of Tails's voice did nothing to move her, but it did make her already broken heart drop even further. "Did it work? Is she—?"
The sound of his gasp did more than any words could have, and they only strengthened her cries. How could anyone… how would… why… oh, she simply couldn't think. She just couldn't do it. Instead, she simply buried her face in his unresponsive chest, wishing, hoping, and praying that anything could change.
It was a long time before Tails spoke again, but when he did, the words sent shivers down her spine. "Nicole, spread the news. Sonic the Hedgehog… is dead."
Holy cow, that one was long! But it was really fun to write. :) Thanks to Wrath of the Heavens for the idea! :D
Let's see... thanks to ShadowEmpress76, brave kid, and Parker 117 for reviewing! To ShadowEmpress76, I liked the story! I can see why you don't like hospitals. XP And to Parker 117, I'm glad that that last one was well done! ^^
Until next time, guys! :D