A/N: Yes, yes, another chapter! Didn't think I'd go away that easy, didja?
Well, this will probably still get boring in this chapter, but the next one
has a fight. Hopefully, that's something to look forward to. …Yeah. On with
the fic!
If anything is between /these/ it's a thought.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter Three: Mission Plans
"Excuse me, pardon me, coming through!" Tails yelled, plowing his way down a busy sidewalk. People leapt out of the way to avoid him, although speeding people weren't an uncommon appearance in town. Between Sonic, Tails and Amy Rose, most people had learned this wasn't the street to dawdle on.
The travel to Rouge's was long: After finally making his way through Station Square, there was about a mile of the richest houses in town. Didn't help that the chauffeurs didn't seem to ever see people running in the road, so that slowed them down considerably.
Tails began twirling his two tails behind him in a propeller-like fashion. After gaining enough speed, his feet lifted off the ground, getting rid of the friction and rocketing him forward. He steered into the backyards of the mansions, and rocketed through perfectly mown lawns and perfectly clean sandboxes.
After about five blocks worth of backyards, and scaring two children playing in the sandbox, he dug his heels into the sidewalk to slow down. He eventually came to a stop just on the walk up to Rouge's house. Two gardeners were busily fertilizing a row of rosebushes around the house, and a butler pushed a push mower around the yard.
Rouge owned one of the more modest houses in the neighborhood. Her house had two floors, not three. Only five hired hands worked for her – two gardeners, two butlers and a maid – and they didn't live with her. If she did keep a car in the garage, it was just for show. She still preferred to fly than drive. Apparently, her money hadn't changed her a bit.
Triumphantly, Tails walked up the walk to the house. Finally, he did it! He outran Sonic! He hadn't seen the blue blur that was Sonic at his highest speed! He grabbed the ugly brass doorknocker and slammed it triumphantly.
The door slowly creaked open, and the aforementioned blue blur stuck his head out. "Hey, Tails! I was wondering when you'd show up!" He said, holding the door open. /I thought I beat him!/ Tails thought angrily, walking in.
The two walked slowly through the immense front hall. The plush white carpet felt strange under their feet, and tables with expensive statuettes that Rouge's new "friendly neighbors" convinced her to buy lined the wall. "I wonder why Rouge never invites me over?" Sonic muttered, eying some of the statues.
Tails looked behind them. Crumbs from a chilidog Sonic was eating stained the carpet in their wake. A brunette maid was glaring evilly at them as they made their way up a large staircase. "I wonder why…" Tails repeated dryly, running up the last few stairs to keep pace with Sonic.
"Knuckles is hurt pretty bad." Sonic muttered, keeping his eyes low. Tails looked like he was gonna say Rouge mentioned that on the phone, but didn't. "Whatever it was up their got him bloodied up. Meaning…" Sonic said, looking expectantly at Tails.
Tails brightened, and dashed up to the top of the stairs. "Another adventure!" He said brightly. Sonic chuckled, and then stopped. They had reached Knuckles' room. Rouge was waiting just outside the door, tapping her toe impatiently. Her only make-up was cerulean eye shadow and heavy mascara.
Most rich ladies dressed in long, silk gowns, adorned with jewelry. Rouge hated that style: Far too difficult for treasure hunting. She wore black slacks and a form-fitting black and pink top. She has white gloves, which came up to her elbows, and pink-tipped white boots which came to her knees. Deep purple wings lay against her back, and her large, radar ears stuck up, listening constantly.
"Finally! Took you long enough!" She said chidingly to Tails. Tails flicked his tails, irritated. /I ALMOST beat him!/ He thought angrily. It was starting to get irritating: Every time, he tried his hardest, but Sonic barely put in effort and he won easily!
As the two walked into the room, Rouge grabbed Sonic by the elbow. "There's something I need to show you." She said, looking down the hallway. "Tails, stay here with Knuckles." He wanted to object, but Rouge and Sonic were already walking down the hallway. Why was he always the one to stay behind? Slightly depressed, he walked into the room.
And stopped.
Knuckles looked like he had just been through a war, not a battle. The most noticeable of the wounds were two long gashes on his right cheek. A wet cloth was on his forehead, and his left eye was swollen, foretelling a black eye. He had various scrapes and bruises all over his body, and white gauze was wrapped around his left arm. He looked out the window, probably unaware of his visitor. Even his eyes seemed different: They were dull and almost gray, not the usual vibrant purple.
"What happened to you?!" Tails said loudly, forgetting all manners. Knuckles looked at him, surprised, and looked at him questiongly? Finally, a smile crossed his face, and he shook his head sadly. "I can't believe it Tails," he said mournfully, laying his head on his knees. "I lost. To Metal Knuckles."
Tails turned his head in question. They had all heard of the infamous Metal Knuckles, but that didn't matter to him right now. Knuckles had just called him Tails. That shouldn't have seemed like a big deal, if not for the fact that, ever since they had known each other, Knuckles had insisted on calling him Miles. "What happened?" He said distractingly, rubbing his chin with his hand.
Sighing, Knuckles lay his head back on the pillow. "I was just guarding the emerald on Angel Island, like always. Then Metal Knuckles came, and we fought. I…" At this, he faltered, as though not liking what he was about to say. "I lost. He took my Chaos Emerald, and knocked me off Angel Island." He lightly touched the two gashes on his cheek. "I got this during the fight. It makes it hard even to talk."
Tails nodded sympathetically. "Then don't, if it hurts." He hated to see Knuckles in any more pain than he already probably was. "I'll go get you some water." Knuckles smiled thankfully, and closed his eyes. As he walked out, Tails started thinking.
How strong was Metal Knuckles if he could defeat Knuckles like that? Where was the Master Emerald? Was Eggman behind this? (At least he knew the answer to that) And, most importantly…
Why wasn't Knuckles calling him Miles?
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Rouge led Sonic into what seemed to be a small movie theatre, minus the chairs, the popcorn, the usher, the projector, the sticky aisles… actually, it was just a room with a screen. "What's this for?" Sonic asked, curiously.
"Eggman's been trying to contact me." She said, somewhat depressed. "I figured he'd want to talk to you as well, so I've had him on hold until you got here." She walked over to a wall, and pressed a button. The word CONNECTING… appeared on screen.
"Gee, thanks." Sonic muttered sarcastically, but was cut off when Eggman appeared onscreen.
Dr. Robotnik, or Eggman as he was more commonly known, was huge both in ego and in size. He lived up to his nickname, as his body was indeed shaped like an egg, and made all the more hilarious by wiry arms and legs. He had a red nose, as though he'd been drinking too much, and a bristly orange mustache. His red jacket and black pants gave him the appearance of an evil doctor, albeit a fat one.
Eggman sneered. "Ah yes, if it isn't Rouge, my old accomplice." Rouge bared her teeth angrily, her fangs gleaming, but made no comment. "Oh, and Sonic the Hedgehog! I am so honored to be in your great presence!" He said mockingly, hoping to get a rise out of him.
"Just get to your point." Sonic said angrily, crossing his arms. He just wanted to know what was going on, and fast, what with the condition Knuckles was in.
The doctor looked slightly disappointed. "Very well, very well." At this point, he sidestepped. On a table behind him, lit by an overhead light and adorned with a white tablecloth, sat three emeralds. The largest one, in the center, was most obviously the Master Emerald. To its right was the purple Chaos Emerald, complete with Knuckles' gold chain. To the left was the white Chaos Emerald; the one presumed Eggman had all along.
"It's a trap!" Rouge said quickly, turning to look at Sonic. Or, at least, where he was. The door slammed shut in Sonic's wake. Sighing, Rouge cut the connection with Eggman and followed him down the hall. She stopped just outside Knuckles' door. "Me and Sonic have to go 'visit' Eggman." She said meaningly. "We're gonna leave Tails with you, kay?"
She waited a few seconds for a response, and then realized he was asleep. Smiling, she closed the door lightly and leapt down the stairs, not bothering to run down them. As she ran past the kitchen, she stopped and look at Tails, who was busy getting ice for Knuckles' water. "Hey Tails, I haven't changed the bandage on Knuckles' arm in awhile. Can you get that for me?" Before he had a chance to reply, she ran out to attempt to catch up to Sonic.
Tails gave an odd look after her. When he was up there, the bandage was clean. No blood. What was going on?
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Robotnik growled angrily at the blank screen before him. That damn arrogant hedgehog! "No matter." He said aloud, turning. He walked behind the table, to a cell in the back of the room. "You know, this would all go a lot easier if you would tell me who has the other Chaos Emeralds." He said threateningly.
The crimson prisoner was in a kneeling position, sitting up on his knees. His hands were bound behind his back, causing more pain than he already had. He raised his head, and glared at Eggman with deep violet eyes. He bared his teeth, and tried to hide the pain in doing so as the two gashes on his cheek stung. "Don't think I'd ever help you, Eggman!" He yelled angrily, his voice hoarse from not having any water since the night of the attack.
Eggman merely chuckled and walked away to his sleeping quarters, to retire for the night.
A/N: Whoo! This was longer than all my other chapters! Ok, in the next chapter there will be more action. Sorry if Tails seems out of character, I'm trying to pull him away from always wanting to be just like Sonic, and have him be his own character. Please review!
If anything is between /these/ it's a thought.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter Three: Mission Plans
"Excuse me, pardon me, coming through!" Tails yelled, plowing his way down a busy sidewalk. People leapt out of the way to avoid him, although speeding people weren't an uncommon appearance in town. Between Sonic, Tails and Amy Rose, most people had learned this wasn't the street to dawdle on.
The travel to Rouge's was long: After finally making his way through Station Square, there was about a mile of the richest houses in town. Didn't help that the chauffeurs didn't seem to ever see people running in the road, so that slowed them down considerably.
Tails began twirling his two tails behind him in a propeller-like fashion. After gaining enough speed, his feet lifted off the ground, getting rid of the friction and rocketing him forward. He steered into the backyards of the mansions, and rocketed through perfectly mown lawns and perfectly clean sandboxes.
After about five blocks worth of backyards, and scaring two children playing in the sandbox, he dug his heels into the sidewalk to slow down. He eventually came to a stop just on the walk up to Rouge's house. Two gardeners were busily fertilizing a row of rosebushes around the house, and a butler pushed a push mower around the yard.
Rouge owned one of the more modest houses in the neighborhood. Her house had two floors, not three. Only five hired hands worked for her – two gardeners, two butlers and a maid – and they didn't live with her. If she did keep a car in the garage, it was just for show. She still preferred to fly than drive. Apparently, her money hadn't changed her a bit.
Triumphantly, Tails walked up the walk to the house. Finally, he did it! He outran Sonic! He hadn't seen the blue blur that was Sonic at his highest speed! He grabbed the ugly brass doorknocker and slammed it triumphantly.
The door slowly creaked open, and the aforementioned blue blur stuck his head out. "Hey, Tails! I was wondering when you'd show up!" He said, holding the door open. /I thought I beat him!/ Tails thought angrily, walking in.
The two walked slowly through the immense front hall. The plush white carpet felt strange under their feet, and tables with expensive statuettes that Rouge's new "friendly neighbors" convinced her to buy lined the wall. "I wonder why Rouge never invites me over?" Sonic muttered, eying some of the statues.
Tails looked behind them. Crumbs from a chilidog Sonic was eating stained the carpet in their wake. A brunette maid was glaring evilly at them as they made their way up a large staircase. "I wonder why…" Tails repeated dryly, running up the last few stairs to keep pace with Sonic.
"Knuckles is hurt pretty bad." Sonic muttered, keeping his eyes low. Tails looked like he was gonna say Rouge mentioned that on the phone, but didn't. "Whatever it was up their got him bloodied up. Meaning…" Sonic said, looking expectantly at Tails.
Tails brightened, and dashed up to the top of the stairs. "Another adventure!" He said brightly. Sonic chuckled, and then stopped. They had reached Knuckles' room. Rouge was waiting just outside the door, tapping her toe impatiently. Her only make-up was cerulean eye shadow and heavy mascara.
Most rich ladies dressed in long, silk gowns, adorned with jewelry. Rouge hated that style: Far too difficult for treasure hunting. She wore black slacks and a form-fitting black and pink top. She has white gloves, which came up to her elbows, and pink-tipped white boots which came to her knees. Deep purple wings lay against her back, and her large, radar ears stuck up, listening constantly.
"Finally! Took you long enough!" She said chidingly to Tails. Tails flicked his tails, irritated. /I ALMOST beat him!/ He thought angrily. It was starting to get irritating: Every time, he tried his hardest, but Sonic barely put in effort and he won easily!
As the two walked into the room, Rouge grabbed Sonic by the elbow. "There's something I need to show you." She said, looking down the hallway. "Tails, stay here with Knuckles." He wanted to object, but Rouge and Sonic were already walking down the hallway. Why was he always the one to stay behind? Slightly depressed, he walked into the room.
And stopped.
Knuckles looked like he had just been through a war, not a battle. The most noticeable of the wounds were two long gashes on his right cheek. A wet cloth was on his forehead, and his left eye was swollen, foretelling a black eye. He had various scrapes and bruises all over his body, and white gauze was wrapped around his left arm. He looked out the window, probably unaware of his visitor. Even his eyes seemed different: They were dull and almost gray, not the usual vibrant purple.
"What happened to you?!" Tails said loudly, forgetting all manners. Knuckles looked at him, surprised, and looked at him questiongly? Finally, a smile crossed his face, and he shook his head sadly. "I can't believe it Tails," he said mournfully, laying his head on his knees. "I lost. To Metal Knuckles."
Tails turned his head in question. They had all heard of the infamous Metal Knuckles, but that didn't matter to him right now. Knuckles had just called him Tails. That shouldn't have seemed like a big deal, if not for the fact that, ever since they had known each other, Knuckles had insisted on calling him Miles. "What happened?" He said distractingly, rubbing his chin with his hand.
Sighing, Knuckles lay his head back on the pillow. "I was just guarding the emerald on Angel Island, like always. Then Metal Knuckles came, and we fought. I…" At this, he faltered, as though not liking what he was about to say. "I lost. He took my Chaos Emerald, and knocked me off Angel Island." He lightly touched the two gashes on his cheek. "I got this during the fight. It makes it hard even to talk."
Tails nodded sympathetically. "Then don't, if it hurts." He hated to see Knuckles in any more pain than he already probably was. "I'll go get you some water." Knuckles smiled thankfully, and closed his eyes. As he walked out, Tails started thinking.
How strong was Metal Knuckles if he could defeat Knuckles like that? Where was the Master Emerald? Was Eggman behind this? (At least he knew the answer to that) And, most importantly…
Why wasn't Knuckles calling him Miles?
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Rouge led Sonic into what seemed to be a small movie theatre, minus the chairs, the popcorn, the usher, the projector, the sticky aisles… actually, it was just a room with a screen. "What's this for?" Sonic asked, curiously.
"Eggman's been trying to contact me." She said, somewhat depressed. "I figured he'd want to talk to you as well, so I've had him on hold until you got here." She walked over to a wall, and pressed a button. The word CONNECTING… appeared on screen.
"Gee, thanks." Sonic muttered sarcastically, but was cut off when Eggman appeared onscreen.
Dr. Robotnik, or Eggman as he was more commonly known, was huge both in ego and in size. He lived up to his nickname, as his body was indeed shaped like an egg, and made all the more hilarious by wiry arms and legs. He had a red nose, as though he'd been drinking too much, and a bristly orange mustache. His red jacket and black pants gave him the appearance of an evil doctor, albeit a fat one.
Eggman sneered. "Ah yes, if it isn't Rouge, my old accomplice." Rouge bared her teeth angrily, her fangs gleaming, but made no comment. "Oh, and Sonic the Hedgehog! I am so honored to be in your great presence!" He said mockingly, hoping to get a rise out of him.
"Just get to your point." Sonic said angrily, crossing his arms. He just wanted to know what was going on, and fast, what with the condition Knuckles was in.
The doctor looked slightly disappointed. "Very well, very well." At this point, he sidestepped. On a table behind him, lit by an overhead light and adorned with a white tablecloth, sat three emeralds. The largest one, in the center, was most obviously the Master Emerald. To its right was the purple Chaos Emerald, complete with Knuckles' gold chain. To the left was the white Chaos Emerald; the one presumed Eggman had all along.
"It's a trap!" Rouge said quickly, turning to look at Sonic. Or, at least, where he was. The door slammed shut in Sonic's wake. Sighing, Rouge cut the connection with Eggman and followed him down the hall. She stopped just outside Knuckles' door. "Me and Sonic have to go 'visit' Eggman." She said meaningly. "We're gonna leave Tails with you, kay?"
She waited a few seconds for a response, and then realized he was asleep. Smiling, she closed the door lightly and leapt down the stairs, not bothering to run down them. As she ran past the kitchen, she stopped and look at Tails, who was busy getting ice for Knuckles' water. "Hey Tails, I haven't changed the bandage on Knuckles' arm in awhile. Can you get that for me?" Before he had a chance to reply, she ran out to attempt to catch up to Sonic.
Tails gave an odd look after her. When he was up there, the bandage was clean. No blood. What was going on?
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Robotnik growled angrily at the blank screen before him. That damn arrogant hedgehog! "No matter." He said aloud, turning. He walked behind the table, to a cell in the back of the room. "You know, this would all go a lot easier if you would tell me who has the other Chaos Emeralds." He said threateningly.
The crimson prisoner was in a kneeling position, sitting up on his knees. His hands were bound behind his back, causing more pain than he already had. He raised his head, and glared at Eggman with deep violet eyes. He bared his teeth, and tried to hide the pain in doing so as the two gashes on his cheek stung. "Don't think I'd ever help you, Eggman!" He yelled angrily, his voice hoarse from not having any water since the night of the attack.
Eggman merely chuckled and walked away to his sleeping quarters, to retire for the night.
A/N: Whoo! This was longer than all my other chapters! Ok, in the next chapter there will be more action. Sorry if Tails seems out of character, I'm trying to pull him away from always wanting to be just like Sonic, and have him be his own character. Please review!
