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A/N: Guess what? They're heeeeeerrrreeee! :D
Sorry it took me so long to update, I'm back from Spring Break now, so I have to do homework first, stories second... You know how it goes... ;)
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CHAPTER 6: Working Out the Bugs
It seemed like hours had passed before Robotnik cried out, "Eureka!! HA-ha,ha!" He finished constructing his surprise and strolled past me, "The hedgehog will just loathe this!"
I tried to turn and see what it was, but all I could make out was a metal box the size of a refrigerator.
He opened the lab doors and shouted, "SCRATCH! GROUNDER! GET IN HERE!" He headed back towards his latest creation.
Soon, they arrived at the door, "Yes, sir? You called?" Scratch asked.
"I want you to marvel at my lastest and greatest attempt at evil genius!"
"Accent on attempt," I mumbled inaudibly.
"Behold, the Aerial Arthropod Author 3000! Or to use it's convenient acronym, the A3!" Robotnik stood back and admired his creation.
"Wow, that's a really nasty looking... um... box, sir," Grounder replied weakly.
"Ohh, there's an even nastier surprise within the box!" Robotnik laughed maniacally, and I heard him pull a lever.
I turned and saw the front open and thousands of pairs of red eyes awakened. In a flash, the robotic creatures flew out of the box, and buzzed about the room. A couple zipped by me quicker than a fly ever could. They were bug-like with long spiral tails and curved wings like crescent moons. A horrendous clicking noise radiated from their wings beating the air. It was enough to drive me nuts.
A whistle sounded over the noise, and immediately the creatures changed direction and flew back into the box as the door slammed shut.
"No offense sir," Scratch said, "But I don't think a few bugs will stop the hedgehog," he ducked, preparing for the worst.
"None taken," Robotnik replied in a strangely calm tone, "I knew such a complex concept would evade your... simple mind," he patted him on the head, "He will be able to stop a few bugs - that will make him cocky. Then, when I launch thousands of them, he will be utterly overwhelmed! My bugs also have an added surprise feature..."
"So what do we have to do?" Grounder asked.
"You two, are going to lead Sonic here to the fortress - by any means necessary. These intricate creatures only work within a certain radius of their control unit. If you can handle that easy task, I will intiate the rest of the plan."
"Oh, okay..." Scratch and Grounder nodded.
"Well... WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?" he yelled, "Get going!" They split the scene almost as fast as Sonic himself.
I couldn't help feeling that this was all my fault. If it weren't for me, Robotnik would have never even thought of his 'A3' thingy.
Robotnik wheeled his new creation next to the door of the lab. I could see it much better now, but there wasn't really anything to look at. The A3 was little more than a tall metal container with a lever on the side. He opened the door, and again a storm of the creatures emerged. He opened the lab doors and shooed them out. Many more sat inside, waiting - their evil eyes blinking.
I couldn't stand to look at them any longer, and turned away. As much as I hated Sonic falling into a trap, I hoped he would get here soon.
* * * * *
The action finally started with an explosion - or a bang to be precise. Robotnik ran out into the hall to see what the commotion was about. Then the security alarm went off again, this time red lights flashed around.
"Ready or not, Ro-blob-nik! Here I come!" My ears picked up one of the most encouraging sounds I ever heard. My heart beat faster. I hoped this time it was him.
Robotnik backed up into the room and barracaded the door. He smiled to himself, "That's it hedgehog, come to your doom..." He crossed to the A3 and hid behind it.
A dull rumbling followed as something buzzed through the doors. Only one guy I knew on Mobius uses a triple spin. The doors crashed with a thud and a cloud of saw dust blew about. A figure stepped through as it cleared up.
"Huh?" Sonic the Hedgehog glanced about, looking for Robotnik, "Here Buttnik, Buttnik! Where are you?"
I gasped, I never knew Sonic was that tall. From his smoking-red sneaks to his stylish blue quills, I'd know him anywhere. And I would never blame Sonnet again for being such a groupie - he was a hunk!
Tails peered in behind him, "Stay back, little bro," he warned. This was even better! Tails was here too!
I suddenly snapped out of my dream-like celebrity stupor. I had to warn him, "Look out! He's behind the... thingy!" I pointed with my toe.
That had to be the lamest thing I ever said in my entire life. Now I really felt like kicking myself.
Tails and Sonic stared at me in sheer puzzlement, "What? Who - what are you?"
Robotnik seized this chance and released a stream of bug-bots from the A3. More came out one by one every few seconds.
"What the- Not those again! I thought we destroyed them all!" he darted about the room, dodging bugs and buzz-sawing them into smithereens. Tails flew into the melee and tried to help out his friend.
There were literally hundreds of the horrid things buzzing about in tight formations. I could see Robotnik clapping his hands with joy at his creations. Sonic and Tails managed to swat a good deal of them, but more kept flowing from the A3.
"Sonic, there's too many of them!" Tails shouted over the noise as he ducked and a squadron of them crashed into the wall, their parts making a sizeable mess on the lab floor.
"We can take 'em keed!" he replied, spinning into a mini-tornado which sucked up about fifty of them.
"That's what you think, hedgehog!" Robotnik reached into the A3 and pulled out a control box. He pressed a button, and all the bugs emitted a spherical field of sparking electricity around themselves.
A dozen flew staight at Sonic, "YYYEEEOWCH!" he burned himself on one of them, "These guys are hot!"
"Let's raise the voltage a little, shall we?" Robotnik chortled as he turned a dial.
My eyes darted about, searching for some way to help out. I spied a piece of metal piping just inches from my chair. I stretched my legs and tried to roll it towards me. After a couple of tries, I was successful and rolled it on top of my feet.
I swung my legs a few times for momentum and then launched it into the air. It flew spinning across the room, bugs dodging it. I watched with glee as it smacked into the insides of the A3, leaving a large dent and a few sparks flew out, "Score!" I shouted.
"You little pest!" Robotnik shouted as the A3 began to totter back and forth from the blow. Sonic sped up and rammed into it, sending it falling backwards. Robotnik tried to hold it up, but he failed and it toppled over, pinning him to the ground. He grumbled, but couldn't seem to get it off. The A3 door slammed shut, preventing more from being released.
Another swarm made a beeline for Tails, "Tails! Behind you!" I shouted. He turned just as they attacked him. They shocked him horribly, and he fell to the ground.
"TAILS! NO!" Sonic triple-spinned through the clouds of bugs. A large group of the glowing bugs formed a wall of electricity, stopping Sonic in his tracks. Two more groups flew straight at him. At the last second, he leaped into the air, and one group smashed into the barrier, making their circuits overload and fall to the floor. The other group flew up and chased Sonic across the room.
About thirty remained in the lab and they all swarmed around Sonic, his back against the wall, "Come on, I'll take you all on!"
A spray of water flew across the room. I looked and saw Grounder, Electra, Coconuts, and Scratch holding a hose. The water shorted out every last one of them, and they fell harmlessly to the floor.
As they did this, Sonic stood in complete shock, unable to blink or move. He then snapped back into reality and sped over to Tails.
The bots threw the trickling hose into the hallway and rushed to me. Electra cut through my bonds, and I ran towards Sonic and Tails. The bots followed me, Electra right behind, the other three keeping a sizeable distance from Sonic.
Tails looked pale and I could see he wasn't breathing. Sonic seemed to be in a panic of indecision, "Tails! Tails!" he gently tried to wake him up. I knew what I had to do.
I bent down, "I know first aid. I can help," I reassured him.
Putting an ear to Tails' chest, I listened and watched for a breath - nothing. I tilted his head back and blew a rescue breath into him, and then another. I listened and watched his chest again.
"Come on," I whispered, and then blew two more breaths into him. This time, he coughed and began to shiver uncontrollably, though at least he was breathing again.
"Keep his legs above his head," I instructed Sonic. He picked them up. I picked up his wrist and felt around for pulse. He had one, "Got a blanket, Electra?"
"Certainly, Sweets," she brandished one from her compartment and I covered up Tails. He was still shivering though not as much. I sighed. Thank you Lord for Baby-sitting Safety class, I prayed.
I turned to Sonic, "Just to be safe, he should see a doctor."
"Thanks, um..." he seemed at a loss for words.
"Joanie."
Robotnik began to stir and I heard the A3 tumble over.
"Hurry, before he gets up!" I picked up Tails and carefully passed him to Sonic.
"But why are you here? What's going on?"
Robotnik moaned, and I heard his familiar grumble, "No time... Just go," I added, "But please come back... I need your help."
Sonic now looked determined, "I will, and thanks again," He stood up and sped out the door, leaving me with Electra.
I felt my heart drop to the floor. I hated this. I was so close to getting home, and now, my chance was gone again. Electra placed her pincher on my shoulder, "That was real brave," she commented. Scratch, Grounder, and Coconuts now crowded around me.
I blushed a little, and whispered, "You guys didn't do so bad yourselves."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah! We did good... didn't we?" Coconuts asked. Scratch and Grounder looked at him.
"I guess we did," Scratch shrugged.
"You know," Grounder added, "It felt kinda... good!"
I smiled, "Good to hear it!"
Suddenly their faces changed to one of fear, and I felt Electra take her hand off my shoulder and two more hands replaced them, "He's right behind me, isn't he?" I mouthed. They nodded.
Dr. Robotnik squeezed my shoulders, "Well, now wasn't that incredibly... amusing?" He lingered on the last word and I thought he would break my shoulder bones, "Yes," his tone sent pure waves of terror pass over my body, "I can see the perfect punishment for someone of your caliber right now. Hmmm... That will do fine."
TO BE CONTINUED
A/N: Guess what? They're heeeeeerrrreeee! :D
Sorry it took me so long to update, I'm back from Spring Break now, so I have to do homework first, stories second... You know how it goes... ;)
*********************************
CHAPTER 6: Working Out the Bugs
It seemed like hours had passed before Robotnik cried out, "Eureka!! HA-ha,ha!" He finished constructing his surprise and strolled past me, "The hedgehog will just loathe this!"
I tried to turn and see what it was, but all I could make out was a metal box the size of a refrigerator.
He opened the lab doors and shouted, "SCRATCH! GROUNDER! GET IN HERE!" He headed back towards his latest creation.
Soon, they arrived at the door, "Yes, sir? You called?" Scratch asked.
"I want you to marvel at my lastest and greatest attempt at evil genius!"
"Accent on attempt," I mumbled inaudibly.
"Behold, the Aerial Arthropod Author 3000! Or to use it's convenient acronym, the A3!" Robotnik stood back and admired his creation.
"Wow, that's a really nasty looking... um... box, sir," Grounder replied weakly.
"Ohh, there's an even nastier surprise within the box!" Robotnik laughed maniacally, and I heard him pull a lever.
I turned and saw the front open and thousands of pairs of red eyes awakened. In a flash, the robotic creatures flew out of the box, and buzzed about the room. A couple zipped by me quicker than a fly ever could. They were bug-like with long spiral tails and curved wings like crescent moons. A horrendous clicking noise radiated from their wings beating the air. It was enough to drive me nuts.
A whistle sounded over the noise, and immediately the creatures changed direction and flew back into the box as the door slammed shut.
"No offense sir," Scratch said, "But I don't think a few bugs will stop the hedgehog," he ducked, preparing for the worst.
"None taken," Robotnik replied in a strangely calm tone, "I knew such a complex concept would evade your... simple mind," he patted him on the head, "He will be able to stop a few bugs - that will make him cocky. Then, when I launch thousands of them, he will be utterly overwhelmed! My bugs also have an added surprise feature..."
"So what do we have to do?" Grounder asked.
"You two, are going to lead Sonic here to the fortress - by any means necessary. These intricate creatures only work within a certain radius of their control unit. If you can handle that easy task, I will intiate the rest of the plan."
"Oh, okay..." Scratch and Grounder nodded.
"Well... WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?" he yelled, "Get going!" They split the scene almost as fast as Sonic himself.
I couldn't help feeling that this was all my fault. If it weren't for me, Robotnik would have never even thought of his 'A3' thingy.
Robotnik wheeled his new creation next to the door of the lab. I could see it much better now, but there wasn't really anything to look at. The A3 was little more than a tall metal container with a lever on the side. He opened the door, and again a storm of the creatures emerged. He opened the lab doors and shooed them out. Many more sat inside, waiting - their evil eyes blinking.
I couldn't stand to look at them any longer, and turned away. As much as I hated Sonic falling into a trap, I hoped he would get here soon.
* * * * *
The action finally started with an explosion - or a bang to be precise. Robotnik ran out into the hall to see what the commotion was about. Then the security alarm went off again, this time red lights flashed around.
"Ready or not, Ro-blob-nik! Here I come!" My ears picked up one of the most encouraging sounds I ever heard. My heart beat faster. I hoped this time it was him.
Robotnik backed up into the room and barracaded the door. He smiled to himself, "That's it hedgehog, come to your doom..." He crossed to the A3 and hid behind it.
A dull rumbling followed as something buzzed through the doors. Only one guy I knew on Mobius uses a triple spin. The doors crashed with a thud and a cloud of saw dust blew about. A figure stepped through as it cleared up.
"Huh?" Sonic the Hedgehog glanced about, looking for Robotnik, "Here Buttnik, Buttnik! Where are you?"
I gasped, I never knew Sonic was that tall. From his smoking-red sneaks to his stylish blue quills, I'd know him anywhere. And I would never blame Sonnet again for being such a groupie - he was a hunk!
Tails peered in behind him, "Stay back, little bro," he warned. This was even better! Tails was here too!
I suddenly snapped out of my dream-like celebrity stupor. I had to warn him, "Look out! He's behind the... thingy!" I pointed with my toe.
That had to be the lamest thing I ever said in my entire life. Now I really felt like kicking myself.
Tails and Sonic stared at me in sheer puzzlement, "What? Who - what are you?"
Robotnik seized this chance and released a stream of bug-bots from the A3. More came out one by one every few seconds.
"What the- Not those again! I thought we destroyed them all!" he darted about the room, dodging bugs and buzz-sawing them into smithereens. Tails flew into the melee and tried to help out his friend.
There were literally hundreds of the horrid things buzzing about in tight formations. I could see Robotnik clapping his hands with joy at his creations. Sonic and Tails managed to swat a good deal of them, but more kept flowing from the A3.
"Sonic, there's too many of them!" Tails shouted over the noise as he ducked and a squadron of them crashed into the wall, their parts making a sizeable mess on the lab floor.
"We can take 'em keed!" he replied, spinning into a mini-tornado which sucked up about fifty of them.
"That's what you think, hedgehog!" Robotnik reached into the A3 and pulled out a control box. He pressed a button, and all the bugs emitted a spherical field of sparking electricity around themselves.
A dozen flew staight at Sonic, "YYYEEEOWCH!" he burned himself on one of them, "These guys are hot!"
"Let's raise the voltage a little, shall we?" Robotnik chortled as he turned a dial.
My eyes darted about, searching for some way to help out. I spied a piece of metal piping just inches from my chair. I stretched my legs and tried to roll it towards me. After a couple of tries, I was successful and rolled it on top of my feet.
I swung my legs a few times for momentum and then launched it into the air. It flew spinning across the room, bugs dodging it. I watched with glee as it smacked into the insides of the A3, leaving a large dent and a few sparks flew out, "Score!" I shouted.
"You little pest!" Robotnik shouted as the A3 began to totter back and forth from the blow. Sonic sped up and rammed into it, sending it falling backwards. Robotnik tried to hold it up, but he failed and it toppled over, pinning him to the ground. He grumbled, but couldn't seem to get it off. The A3 door slammed shut, preventing more from being released.
Another swarm made a beeline for Tails, "Tails! Behind you!" I shouted. He turned just as they attacked him. They shocked him horribly, and he fell to the ground.
"TAILS! NO!" Sonic triple-spinned through the clouds of bugs. A large group of the glowing bugs formed a wall of electricity, stopping Sonic in his tracks. Two more groups flew straight at him. At the last second, he leaped into the air, and one group smashed into the barrier, making their circuits overload and fall to the floor. The other group flew up and chased Sonic across the room.
About thirty remained in the lab and they all swarmed around Sonic, his back against the wall, "Come on, I'll take you all on!"
A spray of water flew across the room. I looked and saw Grounder, Electra, Coconuts, and Scratch holding a hose. The water shorted out every last one of them, and they fell harmlessly to the floor.
As they did this, Sonic stood in complete shock, unable to blink or move. He then snapped back into reality and sped over to Tails.
The bots threw the trickling hose into the hallway and rushed to me. Electra cut through my bonds, and I ran towards Sonic and Tails. The bots followed me, Electra right behind, the other three keeping a sizeable distance from Sonic.
Tails looked pale and I could see he wasn't breathing. Sonic seemed to be in a panic of indecision, "Tails! Tails!" he gently tried to wake him up. I knew what I had to do.
I bent down, "I know first aid. I can help," I reassured him.
Putting an ear to Tails' chest, I listened and watched for a breath - nothing. I tilted his head back and blew a rescue breath into him, and then another. I listened and watched his chest again.
"Come on," I whispered, and then blew two more breaths into him. This time, he coughed and began to shiver uncontrollably, though at least he was breathing again.
"Keep his legs above his head," I instructed Sonic. He picked them up. I picked up his wrist and felt around for pulse. He had one, "Got a blanket, Electra?"
"Certainly, Sweets," she brandished one from her compartment and I covered up Tails. He was still shivering though not as much. I sighed. Thank you Lord for Baby-sitting Safety class, I prayed.
I turned to Sonic, "Just to be safe, he should see a doctor."
"Thanks, um..." he seemed at a loss for words.
"Joanie."
Robotnik began to stir and I heard the A3 tumble over.
"Hurry, before he gets up!" I picked up Tails and carefully passed him to Sonic.
"But why are you here? What's going on?"
Robotnik moaned, and I heard his familiar grumble, "No time... Just go," I added, "But please come back... I need your help."
Sonic now looked determined, "I will, and thanks again," He stood up and sped out the door, leaving me with Electra.
I felt my heart drop to the floor. I hated this. I was so close to getting home, and now, my chance was gone again. Electra placed her pincher on my shoulder, "That was real brave," she commented. Scratch, Grounder, and Coconuts now crowded around me.
I blushed a little, and whispered, "You guys didn't do so bad yourselves."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah! We did good... didn't we?" Coconuts asked. Scratch and Grounder looked at him.
"I guess we did," Scratch shrugged.
"You know," Grounder added, "It felt kinda... good!"
I smiled, "Good to hear it!"
Suddenly their faces changed to one of fear, and I felt Electra take her hand off my shoulder and two more hands replaced them, "He's right behind me, isn't he?" I mouthed. They nodded.
Dr. Robotnik squeezed my shoulders, "Well, now wasn't that incredibly... amusing?" He lingered on the last word and I thought he would break my shoulder bones, "Yes," his tone sent pure waves of terror pass over my body, "I can see the perfect punishment for someone of your caliber right now. Hmmm... That will do fine."
TO BE CONTINUED