Chapter 3: Too Close
Nate enters the cockpit of the DUSTDEMON. Halfbeak sat on the controls, Loon slouches in the seat beside him. The EggBoss points toward the front windows. " Watch out! Got the feeling we didn´t see those brats the last time!" Both soldiers nodded, then Nate turns around to the storage room. Walker sat on a fold-away seat and was tied up to a strut. Bark, Nack, and Bean sat on fold-away seats beside him.
The driller was placed in the middle of the cargo hold, and the walkway they were on was hiding the lowest part of the driller. Curse checked the three EggSwatBots that stood inactivated at the wall.
Nack stood up when Nate came back and straighten his hat. " The doc will be not very happy about destroying the factory! When we don´t find the fragment..." Nate waved the words away. " We will, and then the factory is unnecessary!" Nack nodes and turned to Bean. " How could you let yourself get tricked by that brat?" The green duck boy scratches his head. " She said I´m cute and when I said she is cute, she said she wanna kiss me! That she knocked me out then, so mean!" Nack sighs. " How can you fall for that? As if a girl says you are cute!"
Bean glared at him. " Hey, the girls often told me I´m cute!" Nack shook his head. " And when did a girl say this the last time?" Bean thinks for a moment. " Uhm, that was, well, wait, no...but it HAPPENED!"
Nack looks annoyed over to Nate who laughs in a roar. " Well, he is good with explosives!"
Then the huge guy turns around and kneels to look right into Walker´s face. " Why so sad? I am sure your granddaughter is alive! They all get in cover when the bomb detonates. It was just a distraction! I´m no slaughter, this makes the people only angry and rebellious!"
Walker squints his eyes. " I´m just thinking about if I should be pity with you jerks when my Shorty gets her hands on you! And the others seemed to kick ya butts today with pleasure!"
Nate laughs again. " Those brats, resistance fighters, what a joke! When we got the fragment, we defeat those kids once and for all!" He stood up. " And you better gave us the right coordinates, otherwise I wouldn´t be so nice anymore!"
Walker clicks his tongue. " I can´t wait to see my Shorty kicking your butt!" The huge Tasmanian devil laughs again. " What, you really wanna say that your granddaughter is a match for me?"
A grin appears on Walker´s face, and it was not friendly. " You have no idea!"
...
Amy flies low above the ground so that they couldn´t get spotted easily. Bunnie flies in front of them, Rouge was on the left when Tails approached in the Tornado. The fox waves. " Hey guys, hey you two new guys!" His voice came out of the com. " Nice to meet you two!"
Perky turns to the com. " Hi, Tails!" She smirks playful. " Over there is my best friend Sneak! My name is Perky..." She giggles. " ... I´m a little bit flirty! Especially with cuties like you!" She waves in a girly style, and Tails seems to get a bit embarrassed. Sneak could see that the young fox blushed a bit.
Bunnie laughed and winked at Perky. " You go directly into the offensive, what?" The Wallabygirl shrugs. " He is so incredibly cute, I can´t do otherwise!"
Everyone giggles, even Sneak, then Sally stopped it. " Okay you lovebirds, you can go on later! So, let us make a plan! Nicole, what can you say about the magma chamber?"
They had taken the notebook back from the hide in the rocks, and the lynx girl scrolls again in it to get sure she didn´t miss anything. Then she closed it and handed it over to Sneak. " Well, as I said, the chamber lies south of some hills, north of it the is the location of the fragment. There are a lot of caves and tunnels under- ground. The coordinates Walker gave them were above the middle of the chamber." She gulps. " And the ground can´t take the weight of a vehicle like the DUSTDEMON! They would break into it when they hold their path!" She looks over to Sneak. " Your Grandpa wants to stop them at all costs!"
Sneak gasps. " He risks his own life to stop them! Grandpa could be very determined! So, what will we do?"
Sally thinks a moment. " Nicole, I saw that this vehicle has a hatch on the back and one on the side, does it have more?" Amy clicks her tongue. " When I saw it right, was one more on the roof of it!" Nicole nodes. " Yes, and the side windows of the cockpit got hinges, seems they could be opened up!"
Sally nodes with a grim expression on her face. " Good, then we attack from different sides, I got a plan! And we must take care of the fragment! Nicole, you got something?" Her girlfriend blinks. " Yep, when the DUSTDEMON crashes into the chamber and the energy core detonates it will be enough to make a connection from the chamber to the tunnel where the fragment lies! We can do both in one step, but first, we must get Walker out of this!" Sally smirks and taps the lynx girl on the nose. " Perfect, now to my plan guys." She took off her vest and pats some dust out of her black top.
"Let's get those jerks, now I take this personal!"
...
Half-baked rolles his shoulders and looked over to Loon, who has put his feet on the controls on his side when Nate enters the cockpit again.
" Loon!" He roars. " When do we arrive at the coordinates?" Loon took his feet down hastily, straighten up in his seat, and checks the display. " Uhm, around an hour, then we are there Boss!" Halfbeak noded. " All fine Boss!"
Nate puts both soldiers' hands on the shoulders. " Don´t forget, we are a team! When we find the fragment, the doctor will reward us, us all!" Both guys smirked when they heard that, Nate laughed and left the cockpit.
He stepped beside Curse who finished the programming of the Egg SwatBots. " Ready Nate! When we get company, these units will take care of it! I get the fight mode on the highest level, when these brats show up, the party started!"
Nate nodded and looked over to the Hooligans. " You guys too, watch out!" Neck grinned devilish and looked over to Bean and Bark. " No worries, we have fight these pests often enough, we know it´s not over but we can handle this!"
...
They have split up, the Speedstar was behind the Tornado, and Bunnie flies in front. Rouge sat on the wing of the plane, for Sally´s plan this was necessary.
The chipmunk girl looked at the others. " Everyone ready? First, we get Walker out of there! Second, we stop those guys and destroy the fragment!"
They all nodded, Sneak seems to be tensed, and Sally bowed over to her. " Can you handle this? Focus on the fight?" Sneak took a few deep breaths, then she smiles thankfully. " I can handle it, Sally, thanks! I must! We must save my Grandpa!"
Amy could be heard from the driver´s seat. " Sneak, can I ask you, well, when it is okay, how it comes you are alone with your grandpa?"
Perky puts her hand on Sneak´s shoulder and smiles encouragingly. " You told me that you lost your parents around five years ago, but I didn´t want to go ask how it happened! Maybe, when you tell it to us, the weight of this is easier to take!"
Sneak breathes out loud, then she remembers a lesson from her Grandpa.
Don´t hide your emotions, there will be moments you have to be open to others to free yourself!
She noded. " Well, okay, it was nearly five years ago, shortly before my twelfth birthday, there was a heavy storm..." Pictures appear in front of her eyes.
" SNEAK, WATCH OUT!" Lorna the Bilby yells when the storm throws more rock debris into the pit where the village lies. Her husband Mick Goss, their daughter Sneak and Lorna´s father Walker fight their way through the storm to their cave. The storm hit them without warning while they were hunting.
Today Sneak shoots her first prey with the power rings of her father, she still wears them on her wrists, like the green bandana around her neck that her mother gifted her. The dust runner she shoots lies somewhere behind them, they must leave it there. Now they only tried to get home, into safety.
They nearly reached the edge of the village, when thunder roared directly above them. When Sneak looked up, she saw several rocks falling. All four tried to hide, the storm makes it nearly impossible. Mick stumbles and yells when several debris buried them. The others screamed in horror.
Sneak saw her father, from the hip down buried in rubble, he tried to get free. Lorna and Walker ran over and started to dig him out, Sneak was paralyzed.
Then the thunder roars again, a flash hits the hill above them when the girl looks up. A huge rock fell, directly toward Mick, Lorna, and Walker.
For a moment Sneak´s eyes met her mother´s, then the rock hits the ground. Sneak was dropped to the ground after the impact, the world turns upside down. She tried to stand up, but she get it on the second try.
She stumbles to the debris that lies at the place where her family was before. Tears filled her eyes when she realizes they were gone.
Then she saw a figure that limps out of the dust.
It was Walker. He bleeds of a cut on his forehead and had several scratches and bruises. Sneak ran over to him. " Grandpa, where are mom and dad?" With a sad expression, Walker looks at his granddaughter. " They, I, I´m s-sorry, shorty! I´m sorry!" He took her into his arms when the storm gets stronger. " We must get inside!" With the child in his arms, he limps as fast as he can to their cave.
When they were inside the sat down on his knees and puts his hands on his granddaughter´s shoulders. " Sneak, we, it´s just you and me now! I-" His voice broke and ´he started to cry. The girl gasps in shock and clings to him, she starts crying too.
And yelled out her anger, at her parents that planned the hunting trip. About her grandfather who survived. About herself for doing nothing. About the storm, the flash, the rocks, the whole world.
...
Sneak sobbed with tears in her eyes, the others weren´t better. Amy wipes over her face, and Sally gulps. " Whoa, oh my, I´m sorry Sneak!" Sneak nodes. " It´s...okay! I hid it the last years, maybe wasn´t the right way to handle it!"
All were silent, then Perky smiled through the tears that ran down her face. " Sneak, you know you´re parents are still there!" She taps with her finger on Sneak´s chest. " In your heart! As long you don´t forget them, they never are gone complete! I can´t remember my parents very well, I was too young when they left me with Grey! But I wanna see them, I told myself, they must decide to leave me!" She pats Sneak´s shoulder. " Do you still remember the voice of your mother?" Sneak noded and gulped. " She loves to sing, she sings lullabies for me before, before...! I will never forget her and dad, never!" She smiled a bit. " You are right, it hurts to talk about but somehow it helps me!" Sally nodded. " It is a good thing when you can talk to someone about your fears and your sorrows!" To their surprise of them, Big puts his hand on Sneak´s shoulder. " Perky is right, the ones we lost are never gone when we still remember! And I think your parents would be proud of you, that brave you are!" Sneak looks up at the huge cat and smiles. " Thanks, dude, thank you so much!"
She wipes over her eyes and changed to a grim facial expression. " Well, let us get my grandpa out there!"
Amy nodes and points forward. " Perfect timing, there are our friends, let us say hello!"
...
Rouge sat beside Tails on the left wing and holds on to a strut. They fly high above the DUSTDEMON, the bat widens her wings and gets ready to jump.
Her view searches Bunnie, who slowly sank to the roof of the vehicle. Then the rabbit girl was only some inches above the roof, flies to the front, and held herself hovers close to the edge of the cockpit window. Then she puts her thumb up, ready.
Rouge nodded towards Tails, then she jumped down and glided to the left side of the cockpit. The Tornado slows down and fell back behind. now the bat gets a look into the cockpit, a big grin appears on her face.
Halfbeak, that ferret guy, sat on the controls. And he opened the window on his side.
Slowly she get down, and Bunnie did the same on the other side. Rouge grabs a strat on the vehicle and glides beside the window. She puts on a flirty smile and knocks on the frame.
" Hi, Sweetie!"
Halfbeak looks over. " Hello!" He looks back at his controls, then he hesitates. He looked again at her, then he tried to turn to the guy beside him when Rouge swings into the window and placed herself on his lap. She tried to twirl his hand that lies on the steering and winked at him. " Hey, honey, is it okay when I drive? Or do you have a problem with girls on the wheel?"
Halfbeak was confused and looked over to his companion who tried to stand up. " Loon, what should i- WATCH OUT!"
Loon turned around, when Bunnie´s robotic arm stretched and hit him on the nose, he felt between the seats. Bunnie entered the cockpit through the window. " Yah mind if ah share the ride buddy?" She grabs Loon at his throat. " And yah left da ride?"
The wolf tried to break free. " Let me go, blondie!"
Bunnie lifted him up with her robotic arm. " What`cha say?" She glares at him. " C ya pal!" She pushed him out of the window, and with a scream he fell into the dust.
Rouge leans against Halfbake, and grabs with one hand his arm and with the other his shoulder. " You too, Sweetie! Buh-bye!" She slid down from his lap and threw him over her shoulder out of the window on her side. For a second she saw his confused face until he disappears, she giggles.
Suddenly a loud voice roars from the door to the storage room. " What is go- WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Bunnie and Rouge turned around, and Nate stood at the door.
Rouge winks. " Ruin your plans, you jerk!" At that moment Bunnie shoot at the controls and melted it. Nate tried to attack them-when the hatchet on the back of the vehicle explodes!
...
Tails gears the Tornado up, as the hatchet door he hits with a missile, exploded and fell off.
The Speedstar followed his trail, Big, Sneak, and Perky jumped aboard and swing inside the storage room with a handle that was attached above the hatchet.
Amy landed the Speedster on the roof of the DUSTDEMON while Tails flies a curve and gets behind the vehicle again. The fox saw two of the Egg soldiers on the left and the right rolling in the dust. Seems the plan runs well. Rouge and Bunnie must have taken over the cockpit.
Then the soldier on the right grabs a strat and pulls himself onto the back of the vehicle.
Tails gulp and grabs the radio.
...
Sneak swung her stick and dodged the arm of a robot that lunged for her. Even Curse must jump back from her swing while he uses a remote. The dingo jumps behind the driller that was placed in the middle of the storage room.
The Hooligans had jumped up from their seats when a blue energy-blade cut through the ceiling. Bean covers with a scream when the blade cuts around the roof hatchet.
Rumbling the hatchet fell on the floor and hit nearly Bean´s foot.
Sally, Nicole, and Amy jumped through the hole inside, the team´s leader looked over to Nate and grinned. " You will take some handsome hitchhikers with you, wouldn´t you?" The tall guy stumbles when Bunnie pushes him aside and ran into the storage room, followed by Rouge.
He and the dingo stood up again. Angrily the Tasmanian devil clenched his fists. " Do you brats think you can handle us?"
A move let him duck when Perky´s boomerang approaches from the other side of the driller, make a curve above his head and get back into the girl's hand. Nate tried to attack her when Big stepped beside her and clenched his fists too.
Bunnie activates her laser and aims at the EggBots, Rouge positioned beside her.
Bean grumbles. " I will bomb you all into orbit!" Nack grabs him on his necklace. " No bomb inside here, are you crazy?" Then he sighs. " Forget that I asked, just don´t do it!"
Walker looked up from his seat, when his view hits Sneak, she nodded encouragement to him and grabbed her strick tighter.
Bark cracked with his fingers while Curse get a handle from behind his back. He pushed a button and a blade folded out. He grinned devilishly. " I heard you got a very talented swordsman with you, where is he?"
Sally raises her energy blades. " He´s too busy for you! Let us do it to it!"
Then the EggSoldiers and Freedom Fighters attacked each other.
Sally dodged the hit of an EgBot and cut off its arm, then she parries an attack by Curse.
Bunnie melted the head of another EggBot, twirls around, and uses her stretching arm to hit Nack in the face. The weasel was dropped to the floor, his gun sliding several feet away.
Rouge attacked Bean with her spin attack and get him in distress.
Amy swings her hammer and hit the EggBot that lost his arm against its chest, the robot felt sparkling against the driller.
Big and Nate grabbed each other by the hands and tried to overcome the other one.
Nicole blocked a laser shot by the last EggBot with her shields and send it back, the robot get beheaded. Smoking it felt on the floor.
Suddenly the lynx hesitates, then she turned around and pointed behind Sneak. " WATCH OUT!"
Sneak turned around, Loon had managed to get back into the vehicle. Sneak gave him a devilish smile. " Oh, you again!" She hit him with her knee into his stomach like on their first meeting in the village, then she swing her stick and hit him on his shoulder and dropped him finally out of the DUSTDEMON.
With a scream, Loon fell into the dust, sneak looked over to Nicole with a grin. " Thanks, I owe you one!" The lynx-girl waves it away. " All fine, Tails called me." Both went back to the fight.
No second too early.
Bark ran up to them, his hands grabbing for the two. Sneak ducks and rolles to the side, Nicole jumped between Bark´s feet and twirls around.
The polar bear stopped and turned around. " I get you little brats!" Sneak twirls her stick around over her head, Nicole activates her energy shields and looked over. " I cover us, you attack him!"
The bilby-girl nodes with a grim face, then both ran over to Bark.
Perky tried to help Big, Nate seems to be as strong as he was. Rouge was going on attacking Bean who tries to dodge her attacks.
Sally was still fighting with Curse who get her in distress, seems he is a skilled sword fighter. Amy looks over to Bunnie. " Get Walker out there, your laser get through the chains. I help Sally!"
The bunny nodes and ran off, Amy swings her hammer and rushes at Curse who forces Sally more and more to the open hatchet.
Bunnie stops beside Walker. " Hi, how ya doing? Look through da side pal!" The geologist nodded, closed his eyes, and turned his head. Bunnie´s laser melted the chain he was bound with to the strut. He rubs his wrists and stood up. " Thanks my dear, very obliging! Seems my granddaughter gets some help, and also such an adorable one!"
Bunnie smiles amused. " Thanks, yah a charmer huh? Let us leave, it getting very hot and ugly here in a few!" Walker noded. " I knew you get the hint!" Both ran off, Bunnie took the lead. " GIRLS, GET OUTTA HERE! WALKER IS FREE!" Sally dodges an attack by Curse when Amy hits his side with her hammer.
The dingo stumbles to the front and lets his sword go. Sally deactivated her blades, grabbed his wrists, and let herself fall on the back. It was enough to swing Curse over her and out of the hatchet. Bunnie wraps her robotic arm around Walker´s hip and activated her thrusters. " Hold on!" Then she flies out of the hatchet into the sky. Bark ducks when she passes him, Sneak uses this moment to use her stick as a lever to jump against his chest. Nicole hit him at the same moment with her shield. He stumbled and felt even out of the hatchet.
Rouge hits Bean several times when Nack grabs him and pulled him over to an awning covering something. " We start losing! Let us get out here!" He pulled the awning away, a hoverbike with several seats stood there. He pushed Bena on one of them and sat at the steering. " Cya you fools! You can only trust one lady, the Marvelous Queen here! Bean, we pick Bark up when are out here!" The weasel yells when he started the engine. They fly out of the DUSTDEMON on the other side of the driller. Nack waves to Nate who still fights with Big. " Get out here buddy! The plan is ruined!"
Nate looks at the mercenaries in confusion, At that moment Big used to throw the Tasmanian devil on the floor.
Then the huge cat kneels and folds his hands into each other. He looks over to Amy. " I guess we leave now, Walker is free." The pink hedgehog-girl noded, then she jumps on his hands and Big pulls her to the hatchet on the ceiling.
Sally crossed her arms and looked over at Nicole. " How long until we reach the magma chamber?" The lynx-girl blinks. " A few minutes, not more!"
Nate sat up, an incredulous expression on his face. " Magma chamber?" Then he squints his eyes. " Walker tricked us!" Sneak nodded with a grin, her stick lying on her shoulders. " My grandpa is too smart for you idiots."
Noise could be heard, Sally turned around.
Amy hovers the Speedstar directly behind the open hatchet. Nicole, Big, and rogue entered the vehicle. Sally, accompanied by Sneak and Perky, turned to Nate. " Your guys are alive, a bit frayed, but alive. Your chance to come with us! More comfortable than here in a few!"
Nate laughed amused. " And rotting in a cell? No thanks, you brats!" Sally shrugs. " Well, okay, your decision. But if I were you I would left now, it gets very hot here." She climbed into the Speedstar, and Sneak followed her. The bilby-girl turned around and glares at Nate. " You should have left my grandpa alone!" Perky followed her example and stick her tongue out. Then she started to climb into the Speedstar too- and get pulled back!
Nate had jumped toward her and grabbed her leg. He throws her on the floor and put his hand on a black-yellow lever on the floor. " Go, but she ends up here! Or as a robot!" He laughs devilish.
Then he pulls the lever.
A siren starts and a rattle could be heard, then the driller gets loose from his position. He left the storage room quickly, Amy must turn the steering to avoid being hit by it. At that moment Sneak jumped out of the Speedstar, made a somersault, and came up in front of Nate. She tights the grip around her stick. " LET HER GO!" She ran over to Nate and swing her weapon. The huge guy dodged her attack and threw her hard to the floor.
Perky stood up and hit him with her baton on his arm. He grunts grabbed her on her neck and throw her beside Sneak. He put his hands on his hips and laughed. " That´s all? I show you what it means to mess with me before you fall into the magma! Ironic, you save your grandfather and now it hits you! Didn´t you ask yourself how we get what he discovers? Better watch out when you make some tests in the desert, some little bird could be a badnik! The satisfaction that he must live with your loss!"
Sneak jumped up and clenched her teeth when a lesson from her grandfather came up in her mind. There will be situations you can´t handle by yourself, no matter how strong or smart you are. Then you must combine your powers with others to handle it! She grabs Perky by her shoulder and points at Nate. " We must work together to get him!" she reaches Perky her hand. " As a team!" The wallaby girl smirks and grabs the hand. " As a team!" Both girls jumped up and get in position to attack. Sneak twirls her stick above her head, Perky covers in front of her, her baton in her hands.
Nate bends his hands into claws. " Come here!"
Now both girls attacking. Sneak aims with her stick on his head. When Nate tries to dodge the hit, Perky aims on his right knee. Nate pulls his leg back, the hands in front of his face.
When he moved, Sneak hits him with full strength on his shoulder. The huge guy gasps and kneels a bit.
Perky twirls around turn her baton in the move and hit the same shoulder from behind. Nate turns to her and tries to grab her, but the wallaby-girl ducks and scurries through the other side between his feet. She made a somersault and stopped beside Sneak, directly beside the pit where the driller was before, it was a small space to stay. Nate rubs over his shoulder, he squints his eyes. " Now I get really angry!"
Sneak bows over to Perky. " When I say now, you jump through him under me and kick his knees, okay?" She whispers, Perky nods grimly.
Then both attack Nate again.
Sneak swings her stick again in an attack. At the last second, she broke up and jumped up. " NOW!" Perky scurry below her, balanced on her tail, and kicked both knees of their enemy with her feet.
The Tasmanian devil stumbles to the back. Sneak jumps up and slides over his shoulder, turns around, and beats his shoulder again with her weapon. Perky slid behind Nate and hit the back of his left knee with her baton.
Now the EggBoss loses completely his balance and fell to the floor with his face first. Sneak and Perky stood beside them again, now on the inner side of the storage room.
Nate stood up and gasped. when he turned around, he got some scratches on his face and clenched his teeth. " You...you...BRATS! Roof, i...must admit...a challenge..for me...but now...this ends!" He grabs a robot arm that lies beside him and swings it. " Now I smash you both!"
Perky bows over to Sneak. One more time, Ol´Sneaky?" Sneak smirks devilish. " Do the same attack you used on Bean, I try something similar! And then we get out of here!"
Nate swings his weapon when both run toward him.
A second before they approach him, Sneak lowers her stick and used it again as a lever to jump while Perky jumps up and balances again on her tail.
Nate was taller than the two and more heavy, but this attack was enough to make him lose his balance, he rolles with his arms while he stumbles.
While the two girls land in front of him he stumbles to the open hatchet. Before he felt out of it, he let the robot arm go and tried to hold on to the edge of the hatchet with his right hand. He grabbed a strut with the other hand and starts to pull himself back into the DUSTDEMON.
But Sneak and Perky didn´t leave him that chance. Sneak hits his left hand with her stick, and Perky his right with the baton.
With a scream, he let loose and fell out of the hatchet. For a second his shocked face crossed the view of the two girls, then he was gone.
Sneak reached her fist over to Perky with a grin. " Hah, we did it!" The wallaby-girl replies with a fistbump. " Yeah, did it! And now let us get-"
A rumble interrupts her and both fight to hold their balance when the DUSTDEMON was shaking. Sneak looks outside and gasps. " The floor cracks and steam blows out. Perky grabs her shoulder and points at it in shock. " Are we...?" The bilby-girl nodes. " Yes, we´re over the magma chamber! We must find a way out!" Perky tried to answer when the vehicle suddenly tilts over to the front. Both girls felt down, through the cockpit. Perky rams her baton into a strut of a grid on the floor, Sneak passing her and falling.
And got stopped abruptly. She looked up, Perky had wrapped her legs around her left leg. " Move, Sneak, you...argh, you...are very heavy!" She gasps. Sneak uses her stick to find a hold, then she reaches a strut on the side and used her weapon to move closer. She wraps her arms around the strut. " You can let me go, half a pint!" Perky nodded and let her leg go, then she started to climb up. Sneak followed her.
When both reached the hatchet and grabbed the edges of it, the DUSTEMON shakes again and slid several feet down again. Both grabbed the edges as strongly as they can. Sneak looked down.
And regret to do so.
Behind the cockpit window, all was red and glowing. The magma. And it was so hot that the glass of the windows started melting. Perky wipes over her forehead, she had to look down too. " I thought first it´s me, but it gets really hot in here!" Sneak must grin despite their situation. " Really? How can you make a silly joke in a moment like this?" Perky sighs. " Gallows humor? Seems the walking legs of this thing pulling us more down while they still moving!" Sneak nodes. " Yep and the rocks below are unstable, perfect combination! We need the others to get us out of here. Let us climb on the top, then we got a chance they pick us up!" Troublesome both girls climbed outside on the top and looked for the Speedstar.
...
Amy turns the steering around when a steam fountain nearly hit them. The heat of this thing was nearly unbearable, even at a short distance. Sally starts to sweat. And that is not only of the sorrow about the two that still sit in the DUSTDEMON. She still holds the vehicle in view, that is stuck on the floor. Then she saw two silhouettes appearing on the top. She thinks about their options. " We must get them out of there, but that steam should not hit us!"
" Right, but there is a chance! Rouge, come over, I have a plan!" They heard Tails over the radio. All looked up when the Tornado approached behind them, some feet above them. The bat jumps up and flies up. When the plane crossed her path, she grabs a strut of the wing and holds on while the young fox flies directly through the DUSTDEMON.
...
What´s the plan Sweetie?" Rouge screams to overtake the noise around them. Tails point to his control panel. " When we approach them, I activate the autopilot, making the Tornado fly a curve! We both get down and pick the two up, back into the Tornado, and of here!" Rouge thinks for a moment, then she nods with a grin. " Risky, crazy, but that´s my style! I get Sneak, you rescue your cute fangirl!" Tails nodded. " Okay, let us go! And yes, she´s really cute!"
..
Sneak grabbed a hold on the outside when the vehicle slid down a bit more. Slowly it getting hot up here too. She looked down again. The magma had begun to flood the cockpit, everything down there melts, soon it will be too hot up here.
Perky´s voice gets her out of her thoughts. " THERE! Look!" Sneak followed her finger and saw the Tornado that flies toward their position. She holds her breath. " They wanna save us! But now, being close to the floor is too dangerous with the hot steam!" Then they saw two figures climbing on the wings. Perky widen her eyes. " Woah, that´s Tails and Rouge! What are they doing?" Then she smiles. " Both can fly, they wanna jump and pick us up! He is so brave!" Sneak smirks. " You´re hero saves you, what could be better? Look, we must ump up when they pass us, I think very low they can´t fly! Get ready!" Perky nodded grimly. " I am ready, Sneak, I am!"
...
Tails stood up from the seat and grab a strut, then he puts a finger on a button. He looks over to Rouge. " Ready?" She nodes. " Ready Sweetie!"
Tails squint his eyes. " Wait, wait..."
Then they were seconds behind the DUSTDEMON. He pushes the button. " NOW!" Both jumped down, Rouge spread her wings, and Tails started rotating his two tails. Both heading toward the two girls
...
Sneak stood up carefully, Perky did the same. They saw Rouge and Tails jumping down from the Tornado and flying toward them. The wallaby girl took a breath and tighten her legs. " Tails is on my side, Rouge is going for you I think!" Sneak nodes. " Yep, how I said, your hero saves ya! Watch out!"
Again the vehicle slides down into the crack, both could hardly hold their balance. Now Sneak could feel the heat through her soles. She tightens her legs now too and rolles with her shoulders. " Get ready, hold, hold..."
Rouge and Tails came closer and closer. Then they nearly approached the two.
" NOW OR NEVER JUMP!" Yelled Sneak and jumped as high as she could. Perky did the same. Sneak grabs Rouge´s arms and holds on as tight as she can, from the side she could see that Tails holds Perky in his arms while she holds on to his neck. Rouge pulls her closer and flies up in a curve. The bat grins. " And stuff like that we nearly do all day!" Above them, the Tornado approaches.
Tails were the first to enter the plane, he grabs a strut on the left wing with Perky in his arms. Some seconds later Rouge enters on the other side, where she and Sneak wrap their arms around the struts. Tails climb into the seat and push some buttons. " HOLD ON, WE GET OUTTA HERE!"
Sneak looks back at the DUSTDEMON when the Tornado gets higher and flies back to the direction they came from. At that moment the big vehicle slides finally down into the chamber. For a moment nothing happens, then a bright light glows in the crack, followed by a huge fireball that gets up several feet high into the sky.
Sneak gulps, some seconds ago they sat on this thing. She looks over to Rouge. " Hey Rouge, thanks! Your life is all but not boring, huh?" The bat laughs again. " All fine! Exiting, dangerous, of course, well, that´s our style! Besides other things!" She points over to Perky.
The wallaby girl holds on to the strut and looks over to Tails. She smiles from one ear to another, nearly Sneak could swear that little hearts blink up in the eyes of the girl. She winks to Sneak, and the bilby-girl winks back.
The first thing Sneak wanted to do when they were safe is looking for her grandpa
...
They landed beside the Speedstar on a cliff, Bunnie and Walker were waiting there too. The moment they stopped, Sneak jumped off the Tornado and ran over to her grandpa. Perky hugs Tails short after he left his seat. " You saved us! you are my hero!" The fox blushed a bit. " Nah, that was no big thing!" When Perky starts to overlay his face with little kisses, he giggles. " Well, I must admit, I´m a good pilot! and brave, yeah, a little!" Sally looks over to Bunnie, bot smiled amused.
Sneak wrapped her arms around her grandpa and hugs him. Her voice shakes. " I thought I lost you! Don`t scare me again like that!" Walker fondles her hair. " No, shorty, not again! I wanna go to step on your nerves for some more time!"
He let her go and looked at the others. " So, that´s the Freedom Fighters, right?" He stepped over to Sally and took her hand. " Your Highness!" He bows down and gave her a hand kiss. " The media pictures don´t reach your gracefulness!" Sally smiles amused and shook her head. " Well, well, thanks, but just call me Sally, actual I´m not the queen!"
Bunnie bows over to Sneak and points to Perky who still hugs Tails and kisses him on his cheeks. "Yah sure that´s yah grandpa and not hers?" Sneak shrugs. " He´s a rascal, believe me!"
A rumble let them all turn around. They could see the hills Nicole talked about. Now smoke came up above it, Amy puts a hand on her chin. " Seems the magma made its way! The explosion created a turn-WOAH!" They all covered their eyes when a purple light brighten the sky for some seconds. Then it was over.
Nicole stepped beside Walker with a smile. " That was the fragment, it is destroyed and Eggman can´t use it anymore" Sally noded when her view hits the Walker. He seems still a bit worried. She gets an idea. " That was not the only fragment right?"
The geologist nodded. " I fear it wasn´t, but where they were I don´t know without the right data!" Sally reaches him with her hand. " Well, back to the village you came from is no option, too dangerous. But when you wanna join us, you can do research in Mobotropolis, so we can be one step before Eggman and take care of the fragments!" She looks over to Sneak. " And if you want to, you and Perky can get members of our team, we can need you!" She waved to Perky who talked with Tails. " What you say Perky? Member of the Freedom Fighters? Save the world, fighting Eggman!" Then she grins. " And our Tails would be always in your near!"
Perky looked a bit surprised over at Sneak, then she jumped up and down with laughter. " YES! Totally! Hooray!" She waves to Sneak. " This is so cool!"
The bilby-girl nodes with a smile when Walker shook Sally´s hand. " It´s a pleasure for us Sally, and thanks to that you helped my granddaughter!" Sally shrugs. " That´s how we do it, together to everything!"
She looks around. " Guys, let us go home!" They entered the Speedstar, Bunnie activated her thrusters and Perky joined Tails in the Tornado. She wanted to be with her hero. Then they started and fly toward the sun.
...
Nate limbs through the dust when he spotted the Marvelous Queen, the hoverbike of the mercenaries. Nack sat on the seat, Bean and Bark stood beside Curse and Loon, and from far behind Halfbake came over.
Nate approaches the group and put his arms on his hips angrily. " Well, you guys running away when it gets rough! Scumbags!" Nack grimaced. " Hey, when that robot-rabbit-chick said it gets uncomfortable I see that all get a mess! Senseless to get beaten for nothing! Nothing personal man!" Nate tried to answer when suddenly an engine could be heard.
A jeep with the Eggman Empire Logo on the front races toward them. Loon reached his fist up in the air, in the other he holds a tracker. " YES, here she comes! We mustn´t walk!" Nate frowns. " You mean our recruit? I thought she arrives in the evening!"
Loon shrugs with a smile. " She changed her course when I send her a signal after being dropped out of the vehicle."
The jeep stopped beside them, twirling up some dust. Nate blinks, Halfbake´s jaw dropped.
On the steering wheel sat a pretty wolf girl.
Her fur was tan, her orange-yellow hair ran down to her waist and she wears purple eyeshadow over her brown eyes. She wears a sleeveless dark-red catsuit with a grey belt with a golden buckle. To this, she got heeled light-brown boots with dark-brown soles. Nate guesses she is around eighteen years.
She smiles flirty and slouches in the driver´s seat. " Hola, chicos, seems you need a ride!" Loon laughs. " Hey, Bellezana! Guys, say hello to my cousin Bellezana La Loba, our newest member of the EggArmy!"
Nate frowns. " Uhu, and what special skills do you have?" Bellezana laughs. " You will see soon! Seems your mission failed what?" Loon noded. " These guys were tough cousin!" Bellezana took out a tablet from behind her seat.
" Well, you should tell him this by yourself!" She handed it over to Nate.
Doctor Eggman appears on the screen, he seems angry. " Well, Nate, how is it? Where is my Dark Gaia crystal?" The huge guy scratches his head. " Well, sir, about that..." Bean jumps beside him. " That thing is broken! The DUSTDEMON felt down into hot lave, the geology guy tricked us, and the Freedom Fighters kicked our butts together with his granddaughter and a sweet girl!" Nack sighs. " Bean, WHY?"
For a moment was it silent, then Eggman yells. " You dare to tell me that? Again this hedgehog!" Nate shook his head. " Sonic wasn´t around!" Again Bean interrupts. " Sure, even when we blow up half of the fac-oomph!" Bark puts his hand on the duck´s mouth, and Nate smiles nervously. " There was some damage to the factory, but not too bad! And we tried everything!" Eggman snouts. " Nate, I think you will be a good recruit for the robotized!"
" Uno momento doctore!" Bellezana jumped out of the jeep and grabbed the tablet, she smiles as innocent as she could. " Maybe Nate is no strategist, but they were close to getting it! His other capacities would be useful! If you let me, I take care of it all!" Eggman thinks for a moment, then he nods. " Well, Bellezana, you take command of the team, the IQ test was phenomenal! Nate, she is now the boss!" The Tasmanian devil widens his eyes, then he nodes. " O-okay sir!" Bellezana giggles in a girly style and points at Nate. " But, my dear doctore, I want Nate as my numero due! Alright?"
Eggman noded. " If you want so, now back to the factory, get the mess cleaned up! We will see if you make a better job girl!"
Bellezana smiles evilish. " Now you talk about, I got an idea to hit those resistance fighters there where it hurts! La Corazon!" Eggman laughed. " Good, make a plan and then contact me! Eggman out!" The screen went dark, and Nate handed Bellezana the tablet back. " Thanks, uhm, boss!"
The girl still smiles devilishly. " You owe me one chico! and now get in, I need some time in the bathroom, vamonos!"
When the others entered the jeep, Bellezana looks over at Bean. " Hello, you are a precioso chico, sweet boy!" She winks and steps on the gas.
Bean blushes and looks over to Nate. " I told you, girls think I´m cute! Ouch!" Nack had clouted him and started the Marvelous Queen. " Shut up!"