Just like to thank my parents for getting me so angry that I had the
inspiration to write, and my good friend Arion Prower who helped me along
with this chapter. ^^
--------------------------
"I've found another one."
Tails looked up, mildly shocked. Arielle's eyes wandered from the breakfast of roots and apples to the face of the echidna.
"Really?" the two chorused, simultaneously. Tikal nodded.
"Two, in fact. In the same spot…looks like we struck it lucky this time, huh?" Tails jumped to his feet.
"What are we doing wasting time here, then?" he cried. " There are two Emeralds out there that we have to get—where are they, again?" Tikal giggled, as did Arielle.
"I haven't told you yet, silly," she chided. "Sit down and eat something. Rest. We have all day to get there." She looked towards the rising run in the east and pointed.
"Over that way," she started, gazing into the golden ball of life. "Is a small military hideout of Robotnik's—Robo Base. There, before his unfortunate predicament with Shadow, he was starting on a new experiment to be used against you and your friends…and like before, it required the use of some Chaos Emeralds. However, unlike before, it only needed three, not seven, and would work almost as well as the previous endeavor." Tails raised an eyebrow.
"I'm surprised we didn't know about it before…" He cocked his head, looking at her. "What was the machine, exactly?" Tikal waved impatiently.
"I'm getting there," she replied, continuing with the story. "Luckily for you and your friends, however, the Chaos Emeralds were spread out across huge distances of Mobius. If they hadn't been…" Tails looked across the plains of Mobius, staring warily over at the military base, a spotlight flickering in the distance over the condemned compound. Arielle also took a peek at it, worry in her eyes.
"That place looks scary…" She wrapped her tail around her, suddenly feeling a chill go down her back. Tails noticed his companion's worry and stood tall, facing in the direction of the building.
"Aw, that's nothing," Tails remarked, trying to sound brave. "I'm sure it'll be nothing…I mean…even if Eggman is there…it's not like we haven't licked him before!" He turned towards the others, confidence radiating from him.
"I mean…come on! It's only stupid fat Robotnik! What can he do to us? We've managed to get Emeralds from him loads of times!" He looked at his friends, and gave them a radiant smile.
"So, I say we go over there and get those Emeralds! No holds barred! Forward charge!" With that, he dashed off in the direction of the base, disregarding anything else that anyone might have had to say. Tikal and Arielle looked at one another, bemused at his sudden display of alacrity.
"He's changing, Arielle…and it's about time. It looks like Tails might finally be growing up." Arielle stared after him, starry-eyed.
"Yeah…he is turning out to be rather cute, isn't he?" Tikal sighed and shook her head at the sometime aggravating dumbness.
"I just wish he had stuck around to hear about the machine…because if it's activated…well…" She noticed Arielle looking at her with an increasingly worried look on her face. She lowered her head.
"Never mind. Let's go." The two both ran after their friend then. Tikal couldn't help feeling a little worried, however. There was a feeling in her gut that something might just be a little out of place at this lab…
~*~
Amy leaned up against Sonic in the cell. Her stomach was twisting itself in knots from hunger, and the cold was starting to take its toll. And when she looked at Sonic, she could tell that he was feeling the same way. Her mind was being gnawed at by a constant worry, and sitting here being quite about it wasn't doing anything for her peace of mind. So, Amy spoke up, asking the inevitable.
"Sonic? Are we going to die?"
Sonic sighed. He knew that she was going to ask this sometime…and there was no real way he could be sure that they were not. But he didn't want her to know about his doubts…even though his faith in Tails was still high, it had been several weeks since they had been imprisoned and there was still no sign of escape. And besides, talk about death just made him think about what might have happened to Tails out there…
He put on a confident face and answered her.
"Aw…don't even think that way, Ames…you know I wouldn't let you die. No matter what happens down here, I would never ever let Shadow lay a finger on you." Sonic clenched his fist as he mentioned his dark counterpart's name, the anger apparent on his face. Amy hesitated before speaking up again.
"Sonic?" Amy paused, watching his expression.
"Yeah?" Amy shook her head.
"N-nothing…I'm just tired." She couldn't ask him…she'd rather not know what the truth about this whole sudden thing between them was anyway. She figured she'd find out as soon as they got out of here anyway…
She nestled her head on his chest and closed her eyes, the talking through. Now she just wanted to sleep...and stop worrying. Nothing was worse then the worry…
Except the silence.
~*~
Rouge sat in the corner of her cell, staring at the security camera that overlooked her every move with a cold stare. She hated how he had to watch them. It was like some kind of sick pleasure for that son of a bitch. Rouge clenched and unclenched her fists, refraining the urge to punch the lens right out of the camera. Shadow saw all this through the tv monitor and let out a lazy chuckle.
"It's intriguing…" he stated idly, noting her rigidity. "She doesn't move, not one muscle. She just sits there, staring into the camera, like she can see me…" He peered at the monitor, not quite sure he was seeing what he thought he was. She was actually speaking to him! What gall, what presumption! But, he couldn't help being a little curious…
He stopped the recording and took out the tape. Turning to another television, he placed the tape it and rewound the tape back to where he had seen her lips moving. When he turned up the volume, this is what he heard…
"You think you're so big and tough, Shadow…pah! You won't win...Tails will come...and he'll show you the meaning of true fighting spirit!"
Rouge grinned then, and even Shadow, as evil as he was, was chilled by it. He scowled and clicked the tape off, tossing the remote control across the room.
"You don't scare me, bat girl." Shadow growled.
Rouge sat in her cell, staring at the camera with a small smirk on her face.
"Oh, don't I?"
--------------------------
"I've found another one."
Tails looked up, mildly shocked. Arielle's eyes wandered from the breakfast of roots and apples to the face of the echidna.
"Really?" the two chorused, simultaneously. Tikal nodded.
"Two, in fact. In the same spot…looks like we struck it lucky this time, huh?" Tails jumped to his feet.
"What are we doing wasting time here, then?" he cried. " There are two Emeralds out there that we have to get—where are they, again?" Tikal giggled, as did Arielle.
"I haven't told you yet, silly," she chided. "Sit down and eat something. Rest. We have all day to get there." She looked towards the rising run in the east and pointed.
"Over that way," she started, gazing into the golden ball of life. "Is a small military hideout of Robotnik's—Robo Base. There, before his unfortunate predicament with Shadow, he was starting on a new experiment to be used against you and your friends…and like before, it required the use of some Chaos Emeralds. However, unlike before, it only needed three, not seven, and would work almost as well as the previous endeavor." Tails raised an eyebrow.
"I'm surprised we didn't know about it before…" He cocked his head, looking at her. "What was the machine, exactly?" Tikal waved impatiently.
"I'm getting there," she replied, continuing with the story. "Luckily for you and your friends, however, the Chaos Emeralds were spread out across huge distances of Mobius. If they hadn't been…" Tails looked across the plains of Mobius, staring warily over at the military base, a spotlight flickering in the distance over the condemned compound. Arielle also took a peek at it, worry in her eyes.
"That place looks scary…" She wrapped her tail around her, suddenly feeling a chill go down her back. Tails noticed his companion's worry and stood tall, facing in the direction of the building.
"Aw, that's nothing," Tails remarked, trying to sound brave. "I'm sure it'll be nothing…I mean…even if Eggman is there…it's not like we haven't licked him before!" He turned towards the others, confidence radiating from him.
"I mean…come on! It's only stupid fat Robotnik! What can he do to us? We've managed to get Emeralds from him loads of times!" He looked at his friends, and gave them a radiant smile.
"So, I say we go over there and get those Emeralds! No holds barred! Forward charge!" With that, he dashed off in the direction of the base, disregarding anything else that anyone might have had to say. Tikal and Arielle looked at one another, bemused at his sudden display of alacrity.
"He's changing, Arielle…and it's about time. It looks like Tails might finally be growing up." Arielle stared after him, starry-eyed.
"Yeah…he is turning out to be rather cute, isn't he?" Tikal sighed and shook her head at the sometime aggravating dumbness.
"I just wish he had stuck around to hear about the machine…because if it's activated…well…" She noticed Arielle looking at her with an increasingly worried look on her face. She lowered her head.
"Never mind. Let's go." The two both ran after their friend then. Tikal couldn't help feeling a little worried, however. There was a feeling in her gut that something might just be a little out of place at this lab…
~*~
Amy leaned up against Sonic in the cell. Her stomach was twisting itself in knots from hunger, and the cold was starting to take its toll. And when she looked at Sonic, she could tell that he was feeling the same way. Her mind was being gnawed at by a constant worry, and sitting here being quite about it wasn't doing anything for her peace of mind. So, Amy spoke up, asking the inevitable.
"Sonic? Are we going to die?"
Sonic sighed. He knew that she was going to ask this sometime…and there was no real way he could be sure that they were not. But he didn't want her to know about his doubts…even though his faith in Tails was still high, it had been several weeks since they had been imprisoned and there was still no sign of escape. And besides, talk about death just made him think about what might have happened to Tails out there…
He put on a confident face and answered her.
"Aw…don't even think that way, Ames…you know I wouldn't let you die. No matter what happens down here, I would never ever let Shadow lay a finger on you." Sonic clenched his fist as he mentioned his dark counterpart's name, the anger apparent on his face. Amy hesitated before speaking up again.
"Sonic?" Amy paused, watching his expression.
"Yeah?" Amy shook her head.
"N-nothing…I'm just tired." She couldn't ask him…she'd rather not know what the truth about this whole sudden thing between them was anyway. She figured she'd find out as soon as they got out of here anyway…
She nestled her head on his chest and closed her eyes, the talking through. Now she just wanted to sleep...and stop worrying. Nothing was worse then the worry…
Except the silence.
~*~
Rouge sat in the corner of her cell, staring at the security camera that overlooked her every move with a cold stare. She hated how he had to watch them. It was like some kind of sick pleasure for that son of a bitch. Rouge clenched and unclenched her fists, refraining the urge to punch the lens right out of the camera. Shadow saw all this through the tv monitor and let out a lazy chuckle.
"It's intriguing…" he stated idly, noting her rigidity. "She doesn't move, not one muscle. She just sits there, staring into the camera, like she can see me…" He peered at the monitor, not quite sure he was seeing what he thought he was. She was actually speaking to him! What gall, what presumption! But, he couldn't help being a little curious…
He stopped the recording and took out the tape. Turning to another television, he placed the tape it and rewound the tape back to where he had seen her lips moving. When he turned up the volume, this is what he heard…
"You think you're so big and tough, Shadow…pah! You won't win...Tails will come...and he'll show you the meaning of true fighting spirit!"
Rouge grinned then, and even Shadow, as evil as he was, was chilled by it. He scowled and clicked the tape off, tossing the remote control across the room.
"You don't scare me, bat girl." Shadow growled.
Rouge sat in her cell, staring at the camera with a small smirk on her face.
"Oh, don't I?"
