Sonic and the Freedom Fighters
Chapter 13: Scattered
Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit fan-based work of fiction. All characters portrayed in this story, unless specified otherwise, belong to SEGA.
-Tails's House-
"How's it coming along, Tails?" Sonic asked as he and Sally watched Tails tinker with the Chaos Emerald radar at his desk. They were currently in the garage attached to the side of the house, a room that doubled as a workshop for the young fox.
"It'll take me a little while to adjust the radar to accommodate for the wavelengths of the Chaos Emeralds we already have." Tails explained as he continued to modify the radar. "Once I do, however, not only will I be able to determine the precise locations of the remaining Chaos Emeralds, but the radar should have a much wider detection range."
"...So, basically, you can detect them from further away, right?" The blue hedgehog questioned, slightly confused by the fox's choice of words.
"Correct." He confirmed, followed by a few seconds of silence before placing his tools down and attached the radar to a large base that contained the four Chaos Emeralds, before lifting the radar off the desk. "Done!" He declared.
"It's good to go?" Sally asked.
"Almost. I just need to hook this up to something strong enough to process the information." Tails explained.
"What, like a supercomputer or something? Where are we supposed to find that?" Sonic asked, to which the young fox responded with an embarrassed chuckle.
"Funny you should mention that..."
"Wha... how..." Sonic muttered in shock as he looked around the room that Tails led him and Sally into. The room itself was coloured light-grey in some places and blue in others, with cables and workbenches covered in complex machinery decorating the walls and floor, respectively. The most notable feature was a large computer monitor on the back wall, suspended above a large control console.
"Like it?" Rotor's voice chirped from the side of the room. "We decided to build this lab for projects that wouldn't be well suited for the garage. We even built a supercomputer for Nicole in case her current processor gets damaged. Oh, which reminds me, when you have a moment, I'll need to set up an emergency data transferal system-"
"Rotor, you're rambling again." Sally interrupted.
"Oh. Sorry." Rotor apologised, taking a second to catch his breath. "But, basically, this place will be used for anything that won't fit the garage."
"I swear, the two of you never cease to amaze me." Sally replied, causing Rotor to flash a grateful smile before moving towards the control console as Tails began attaching connection cables to the radar.
"Okay, once I connect this radar to the supercomputer, we'll be able to identify the exact coordinates of the Chaos Emeralds." Tails said.
"Uh, not sure if you explained this already, but how exactly does that thing work?" Sonic asked.
"This radar contains a small device called a Chaos Drive that periodically generates a small pulse of Chaos Energy that amplifies the production of nearby Chaos Emeralds for a very short period of time." The young fox explained. "So if we use this signal in conjunction with a Chaos Emerald, the pulse will be able to travel further before deteriorating. And with the four Chaos Emeralds we have right now, we can practically cover the entire continent of Northamer."
"No way! Tails, that's awesome!" The blue hedgehog exclaimed.
"Aw, please. If I hadn't come up with the idea, Rotor probably would've." Tails replied, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.
"No way, Chaos Energy is more your area. I'd only be able to build the necessary analytic instruments." Rotor admitted.
"Okay, hate to interrupt this little game of 'who's more humble', but right now we've got some Emeralds to find. So let's fire this bad boy up." Sonic interjected, patting the radar for emphasis, prompting Tails to continue connecting the radar to the computer. As Tails was attaching the cables, Sonic noticed the Chaos Core out of the corner of his eye. "Oh, that reminds me. Have you two found out what this thing is yet?" He asked. Tails and Rotor exchanged a look of concern before Tails turned to Sonic.
"Yes, but you're probably not going to like the answer." The young fox said. "Me and Rotor analysed the device, and we detected some Chaos Energy residues from the interior." Sonic and Sally gasped at this revelation. "From what I can tell, it's a small engine designed to store and circulate large quantities of Chaos Energy throughout whatever it's fitted into." He continued.
"So does that mean Eggman has a Chaos Emerald right now?" Sonic inquired.
"I don't think so. It seems more like it absorbs Chaos Energy from the surrounding environment. Just being in the presence of one will be enough to power it." Tails elaborated.
"All the more reason to find those Emeralds before he does." Sally proclaimed as Tails attached the last of the cables to the radar and pressed a button. After a while, three dots appeared on the monitor of the supercomputer, and the coordinates were almost immediately calculated. Tails typed into the supercomputer, and more information about the coordinates were displayed. One Emerald was situated in the Neon Skyline Zone, another was in the Crystal Desert Zone, and the last one was in the Twilight Forest Zone, each of these locations quite a distance away from Emerald Town.
"So the Neon Skyline Zone, the Crystal Desert Zone, and the Twilight Forest Zone." Sally summarised, before taking a moment to think.
"How'd they manage to end up that far away?" Sonic wondered out loud, before Sally connected Nicole to the console.
"Nicole, transfer those coordinates to your database. Sonic, call Amy and see if you can get her here. I'll notify the others." She said. Sonic nodded before racing out of the room. Once the coordinates had downloaded completely, Sally immediately disconnected Nicole from the console and ran out, with Tails and Rotor following, taking the radar with them.
No one noticed the small, spider-like robot clinging to the ceiling as they left...
-Eggman's Lair-
Unbeknownst to the Freedom Fighters, Eggman had managed to pilot a small surveillance drone into the lab and was currently studying the coordinates shown on the supercomputer.
"Perfect. Those fools are leading me right to the Chaos Emeralds, and they're none the wiser!" The mad doctor gloated.
"The Neon Skyline, Crystal Desert, and Twilight Forest Zones?" Orbot inquired. "Those are all rather far from our location."
"True. Which means if I want any hope of getting those Emeralds before they do, I'll need to move now." He said, typing commands for his drone to return before standing up from his chair and facing the two robots. "Go check if Metal Sonic's ready. I need to make a call."
-Freedom Fighters HQ-
Back at the Freedom Fighters HQ, the Freedom Fighters had gathered around the table in the main hall, awaiting orders from their leader.
"Now that we're here, let's go over the plan." Sally stated.
"We're not waiting for Amy?" Sonic asked, surprised.
"Don't worry, I'll catch her up when she gets here." She assured him. "Now, the remaining Emeralds are scattered in three different locations across Northamer. Our mission is to travel to these locations as quickly as possible and obtain them before Eggman does. We'll store the Emeralds here until we can uncover Eggman's plans."
"Wait. Sonic can use these Emeralds to amplify his power, right?" Rotor suddenly asked.
"Right." Sally replied.
"So why doesn't Sonic just use the Chaos Emeralds to destroy Robotnik's hideout before he can do anything?" The walrus inquired.
"Yeah, last time I tried to do that, Eggman pretty much tore the planet apart, so I'm trying to avoid that whole mess happening again." Sonic explained.
"Bonté gracieuse, what did we miss?!" Antoine exclaimed.
"Actually, that would explain those weird earthquakes." Bunnie stated.
"Anyways, we're wasting time." Sally interjected, trying to get back on topic. "We'll be splitting up into teams of three for this mission. Sonic and Tails will be heading to the Neon Skyline Zone. Me, Amy and Nicole will search the Crystal Desert Zone. That leaves Antoine, Bunnie and Rotor to search the Twilight Forest Zone. Each team will locate and retrieve the Emerald from each zone and return here immediately." She continued. "Any questions?"
"What do we do with the Chaos Emeralds we already have?" Rotor asked.
"We'll be taking them with us. Sonic, Tails, Antoine and I will be in charge of ensuring their safety." Sally explained.
"Uh, why cannot we just be leaving them here?" Antoine questioned nervously.
"If we leave them here, we risk letting Eggman steal them while our backs our turned. Of course, this does mean that we'll be working with targets on our backs, which is why we need to return immediately after retrieving the Emeralds. So no getting into unnecessary combat." As Sally finished speaking, the door opened and Amy rushed into the building, accompanied by Cream and her pet Chao, Cheese.
"What's going on? Your message said it was urgent." She asked Sonic.
"Found the rest of the Chaos Emeralds, splitting into groups to get them." The blue hedgehog explained briskly.
"You'll be heading to the Crystal Desert Zone with me and Nicole. Did you bring your Extreme Gear?" Sally asked.
"I, uh... didn't know I'd need it." Amy admitted.
"Don't worry, mine should be able to manage the two of us." The princess assured her.
"And what shall we do with Cream?" Nicole inquired, prompting Sally to take a moment to think.
"Well, we can't just leave her here." Sally stated.
"Why doesn't she go with us?" Amy asked.
"Well, for one, I doubt my Gear will be able to handle three people at once, and for another, we'll be in the middle of a desert. I don't know if I can risk that."
"We could look after her, if you'd like." Bunnie offered. Sally thought about it for a moment before turning to Cream.
"Will that be okay with you, Cream?" She asked the young girl, who nodded enthusiastically.
"OF course. I'll do whatever I can to help." The young rabbit replied cheerfully, with Cheese copying her.
"Then it's settled. Cream will go with Antoine's team, while Amy will be with me and Nicole." She said, before turning to Sonic and Tails. "Will you two be okay on your own?"
"Hasn't stopped us before." Sonic replied, his voice filled with confidence.
"Okay, then. Everyone, let's move out." Sally commanded. Antoine's team left swiftly, with Cream following them.
"Be careful, Cream." Amy called out to her friend just before she passed through the doorway.
"You too, Amy." Cream replied before she caught up to the rest of her team. Sally,meanwhile, turned to Sonic.
"You be careful out there as well, Sonic." She reminded him. "Both of you are going to be working with targets on your backs, and with two Chaos Emeralds, you two maybe a priority target if Robotnik gets the drop on us."
"You know me." The hedgehog replied before racing off with Tails in tow.
"I know. That's the problem." Sally muttered to herself before leaving along with Amy.
-Eggman's Lair-
Eggman, meanwhile, was trying to call Nack the Weasel, whom he had hired previously to capture Sonic. After a few moments of the screen displaying "CALLING...", Nack's visage finally appeared on the video feed.
"Surprised to hear from you again, Doc." Nack greeted.
"Well, I have an important task I need to accomplish immediately, and I require some assistance to get it done as efficiently as possible." Eggman told him.
"Well, you called the right guy. What can I d-" Nack tried to ask, only to get pushed aside by a green Mobian bird with blue eyes, a yellow beak and a red neckerchief.
"Hey, Baldy McNosehair!" The Mobian greeted. "I haven't seen you since that fighting tournament!"
"What the... How does he-?" Eggman stuttered in a state of shock and confusion.
"Bean, get off!" Nack grunted as he pushed the Mobian bird, Bean, out of the way. "Please ignore him, he's... well, not firing on all mental cylinders, so to speak." He explained.
"R-right." Eggman replied, before recovering his composure. "Anyways, I want you and your team to go to the Twilight Forest Zone, find the Chaos Emerald located there, and bring it to me. And if you encounter those Freedom Fighters, do whatever you want with them."
"Ooh, I dunno, Doc. I mean, I'd be more than happy to bump Sonic off for free, but if there's a Chaos Emerald involved and I'm not gettin' to keep it... 'fraid that's gonna cost ya." Nack responded.
"Grr... Fine." Eggman growled, before typing a few buttons on his console. "Will that be enough?" He asked. Nack leaned towards the side and smirked.
"Perfect." He replied as he turned back to face Eggman. "Pleasure doin' business with ya, doc." He said before the video feed was cut off.
"Bloodsucking little weasel." The doctor muttered, before turning to Orbot and Cubot. "This is why I don't like hired help." He said, before a door on the far side of the room opened, revealing a newly-repaired Metal Sonic.
"Ah, Metal Sonic. I take it the improvements I made haven't hampered your systems?" Eggman asked.
"ALL SYSTEMS FUNCTIONING AT MAXIMUM EFFICIENCY." The robot replied.
"Perfect. Now, I've uploaded some coordinates to you. I want you to go to those coordinates, find the Chaos Emerald there, and bring it back here."
"ORDERS RECEIVED." Metal Sonic droned before taking off. Eggman then began walking towards the door.
"I'll be taking the Egg Scorpion to search the Crystal Desert Zone." Eggman said to Orbot and Cubot as he approached the door.
"Ooh, can we come too, boss?" Cubot asked enthusiastically.
"No." Eggman responded as the door opened and he stepped through. "I need you two here to make sure the production process doesn't go awry in my absence."
"Production of what, exactly?" Orbot inquired hesitantly.
"Hmm, let's see. Badniks, Chaos Cores, Shadow Androids, the Chaos conduction weapon, EVERYTHING!" He shouted, prompting the two cowering robots to hold each other. "Just make sure everything stays in the green until I get back, or else I'm melting you two down for parts!" He threatened before the door slammed shut, leaving the two robots alone and terrified.