really let sonic go nuts here, i cannot control this wild child
we also get a few callbacks to ch 1 that were not intended
i have no control over this story
Rouge sadly sat in the smouldering mess. She watched the scene around her with mild disinterest before her blue companion re-emerged from the woods. Together, the two looked miserable. Rouge was clutching her broken ribs, makeup running from the heat and sweat as she sat on a blackened support beam. Sonic plopped down next to her; equally disheveled with matted, dirty fur and bruises scattered randomly. The hedgehog let out a heavy sigh.
"Boy we make a pair, huh?" He asked tiredly. Rouge turned her ear to listen to him.
"How's your ribs?"
"They burn." She answered.
"Heh! He gotcha pretty good." Sonic giggled tiredly. He shifted his weight off of his bruised tail.
"He got us both pretty good…"
Whirring overhead caught everyone's attention as two G.U.N helicopters closed in on their location. The pilot circled the area for a bit before finding a suitable location to land. Various troops and humans in white coats jumped out of the vehicles. Sonic stood. He marched up to the person who looked in charge.
"You running this whole thing?" He asked. The human nodded.
"We received the distress call and came with aid." He responded. At this point, the G.U.N officers began to distribute various items to the traumatized villagers. Medics began to work on the burns and injuries while the soldiers began to distribute food and water. Rouge stood from her seat and approached Sonic and the officer. The hedgehog was the first to notice her.
"Hey Rouge, what's goi-" Sonic found himself cut off as the officer stood at attention with a salute.
"Agent Rouge?" He asked formally, never dropping his stance.
"Yes officer." She responded.
"Lieutenant Johnson, I was ordered to report to you Ma'am." He announced. "What are our orders?"
"At ease, lieutenant," Rouge responded tiredly, "just carry on with what you're doing."
She began to walk away, when she made eye contact with Sonic.
"Oh I nearly forgot," She interjected, "Get me and Sonic some medical attention, will you?"
"Yes Ma'am." Johnson answered. Rouge grabbed Sonic by his arm and led him over to one of the helicopters. A short wait, and the two mobians found themselves being treated properly for their wounds.
Both of them watched as the operation carried on. Each survivor was given everything that they required, while the deceased were logged and prepared for a proper burial. It was depressing really, to see so many saddened eyes and distraught faces as families found their loved ones among the rubble.
"I always hated this part." Sonic sighed. "It's always so depressing to see the aftermath of Eggface's attacks."
"G.U.N isn't much different, sweety." Rouge huffed. "It's usually us that has to pick up the whole mess."
"I suppose you deal with other people too, huh?" Sonic grinned half-heartedly. The pseudo-smile soon turned to a wince when a bandage tightened around his arm.
"Yeah, things can get pretty nasty pretty quick, not everyone is as civil as Robotnik." Rouge sighed. She raised her arms while a nurse wrapped her abdomen.
"Shadow -ouch- usually takes care of the nasty stuff though." The bat explained. Sonic watched her go silent. His ear flicked as small footsteps approached him. Emerald eyes glanced over at a young mouse that couldn't have been more than six.
"Hey there!" Sonic piped cheerfully. A huge, genuine smile crossed his face at the young villager.
"Wassup little lady?" He asked. Rouge noticed his ear twitch a little when alcohol was dabbed at a tiny cut on his cheek. His pleasant expression never left him, however, as the young girl grinned shyly back at him.
"I.. I came over to thank you Mister Sonic." She quietly stated. "For saving our little village, I mean." Rouge cracked her own little smile at this.
"You're really too sweet darling!" She chirped, "We're happy to be of assistance at any time."
Rouge finished with a wink, making the young girl giggle. Sonic's grin grew wider.
"I hope your doin' okay, seems like your village got a bit beat up before I got here." Sonic smiled apologetically. The girl shifted on her feet a bit. Her cheerful demeanor was falling, and Sonic noticed how distressed she really was.
"Is everything okay there?" He asked, waving off the nurse so he could stand and address the girl more properly. The girl's small smile waivered. The hedgehog frowned and knelt down to address her at eye level. He moved his hand to gently grasp her shoulder.
"Is everyone accounted for in your house?" Sonic inquired softly. He allowed his smile to fade a bit as he looked deeply into the young mouse's eyes. She looked away.
"Well… sort of.." She responded quietly. "My family is okay this time…"
"This time?" Rouge asked. "This isn't your first rodeo, is it hon..."
"No… not really." She quietly stated. Sonic's eyes grew firm.
"So everyone is fine… this time... What happened last time?" He pressed gently. He stood and guided the girl to the edge of the helicopter, seating her on the edge where he sat moments ago. Rouge took initiative and scooted closer to the girl, holding her hand comfortingly as Sonic dipped a clean rag into some cool water.
"Well, it was a few months ago.." She trailed off. Rouge rubbed the girl's hand with her thumb.
"Go on..." She prodded.
"It was in a different village at the time, My sister and I were visiting my Aunt." She continued. Sonic pressed the damp cloth against a wound on the girl's shin, cleaning the blood out of her soft grey fur. All three mobians jumped when a soldier dropped a pan with a loud clang. The girl seemed visibly scared by that simple mishap. Rouge scooted closer, allowing herself to place her arms protectively around the smaller girl. She leaned into the bat's embrace, soothed by her presence.
"The robots came, just like they did today. They destroyed everything." The girl began again, tears lining her eyes as she told her story to the two heroes.
"My aunt was crushed by a falling hut." She hiccuped, struggling to fight back the tears. Rouge rubbed her arm.
"They burned the whole village to the ground." She sobbed. "Everyone was screaming."
"If they didn't kill you by the time it all ended, they would take you away."
The girl wept as she recounted her tale. Rouge listened empathetically while Sonic treated her wounds. His hands gently wrapped a bandage around her shin. Rouge could see anger boiling in his eyes.
"I was the only one who came out okay." She cried. "They took everyone."
"They took my Sister."
Rouge hugged the girl. She ignored the burning pain in her side as she let the girl sob into her body. She held the weeping child close while Sonic finished his bandage. He sat down next to the girl, yet dared not interrupt the moment the ladies were having. Rouge noticed his hands twitching angrily.
The bat pet the young mouse's hair, running her hands through it motherly as she cooed comforting words into the girl's ears. Rouge rocked her back and forth while she looked at Sonic worriedly. The hedgehog let a frown cross his face. He hated this part. He hated to see people suffer due to Eggman's actions. He hated to see so much trauma in one place.
A woman started running towards the trio, shouting words that could not yet be heard. She jogged up to them and the young mouse girl ran into her arms. The two sobbed as they embraced. The woman looked up and mouthed her thanks to Sonic and Rouge, who just nodded. After a while, the two walked back to the village, presumably to pick up the remains of their lives.
Sonic growled audibly. His fingers drummed angrily on the metal floor of the helicopter. Rouge looked over at her companion. She opened her mouth to speak, but the blue teen beat her to it.
"She's too young for this crap." He hissed. Rouge moved her hand to touch his shoulder, but he stood up. The hedgehog stepped away from the vehicle a few paces and gestured wildly to a group of children.
"They are all too young for this crap."
"Sonic.."
"Don't 'Sonic' me," He growled, "You know I'm right."
Rouge looked at him. She opened her mouth to speak only to be cut off once again.
"I know. I know what it's like to be six years old and to have no parents. I know what's going on in their minds and i'm sick of it."
"Sonic-"
"Do you know Rouge?"
"..."
"Do you?"
Rouge looked at him. Sonic stared her down and tapped his foot angrily. She shifted her position once again.
"No, Sonic. But I can imagine." She whispered softly. Sonic took a deep breath.
"You're good with kids, you know." He said. "You seem to know just how to comfort them."
"I have experience with them." She stated. "Sometimes they just need a shoulder to cry on."
Sonic paused a moment, taking in Rouges words. He looked at the bat. She was calm, collected, yet somber. Even after the huge ordeal they had just endured, she had remained relatively calm. Calm enough to soothe an emotionally damaged child. She really was good with children. The hedgehog dared to think she had handled the situation better than he did. Team Dark was full of surprises.
"Ha ha I bet Shadow is miserable with kids." Sonic laughed softly. Rouge could tell he was trying to lighten the mood once again. The hedgehog shook his head.
"He doesn't have the bedside manner for that." Sonic grinned.
"No, no he doesn't." Rouge smiled. "Most kids are scared of him anyway."
Rouge allowed herself to smile a bit longer before she remembered why they were there in the first place. She looked away from Sonic.
"I… I needed to tell you something." Rouge wrapped her arms around herself.
"I don't think Shadow made it back to G.U.N."
"Really? What makes you say that?" Sonic asked. He tilted his head quizzically. Rouge looked back up at him. She held out her closed hand.
"I found something I think you should see." Rouge closed her eyes and opened her hand. Sonic stepped closer to get a better look at what she held. There, in the palm of her hand, sat two golden rings.
"So you found his fancy bracelets, that doesn't mean he didn't make it back." Sonic shrugged.
"No, Sonic, you don't understand." Rouge stood up from her seat. " He needs these."
Sonic took one in his hands. He turned it over to investigate it before tossing it in the air and catching it around his finger. Rouge sighed.
"Those are inhibitor rings. He only takes them off to do things he can't do without a lot of power. Keeping them off for too long will wear him out." She explained. Sonic looked at her with a raised eyebrow.
"He rarely takes them off for more then ten minutes." Rouge pressed. "He needs these to stay functional, the fact he took them off is a big deal."
The blue teen pursed his lips. Rouge could see his thinking gears turning as the ring danced about his fingers. Green eyes furrowed in concentration.
"Lieutenant Johnson?" The hedgehog shouted. The officer jogged in from a nearby medical tent that had been recently assembled.
"Yes Sir?"
"Just Sonic, please. I have a question."
The officer nodded in affirmation.
"Has Agent Shadow checked in with G.U.N recently?" Sonic asked. The ring passed from finger to finger expertly as the hedgehog toyed with it faster. The officer stopped for a moment, seeming to ponder a response to the question.
"I...don't...think so…" Johnson hesitated. He opened up a communicator and fiddled around on it for a bit.
"It… doesn't look like it." He stated. "He should have checked in by now."
Rouge stood. She walked over to the lieutenant and grabbed the device out of his hands. After digging around in the files, she gave it back.
"Do you know what assignment he's on?" She asked, arms crossing her bandaged chest.
"I think it was to take down one of Robotnik's bases." Johnson answered. "I last saw him at the drop point a few days ago."
Sonic stopped playing with the ring. He turned to look at Rouge, who never broke eye contact from the officer.
"You were with him last?" She asked. The soldier nodded. He opened his mouth to talk again when a nurse frantically called for his attention. With a sigh, Rouge waved him off and Johnson sprinted back towards the tent.
"Those robots…" Sonic gasped.
"He was there." Rouge finished. She looked in the direction of the nearby base.
"That feeling I had, it must've been the residual Chaos Energy he left behind." Sonic mumbled. He tossed the inhibitor ring back to Rouge.
"We gotta go back and figure this out."