By RocketDarkiness
Chapter 7
A/N: And the story moves on, schoolwork be damned!
Rouge woke up cold, damp, and with a kink in her back. Her face was pressed into the ground, which appeared to have transformed into mud sometime during the night. Only one word could possibly describe how she felt at that moment: "Ugh." She pushed herself up, standing on the tips of her boots as she stretched, hearing her back crack as her body began to wake up. Wiping off some of the mud from her face, she set out in search of the nearest stream or river where she could freshen up.
--
Knuckles finally began to regret leaving Rouge once he reached the G.U.N. compound. Parting the large ferns in his way, he realized that it was, indeed, nigh-impossible to get in. "Man, I hate it when Rouge is right." He began to look over the veritable fortress, trying to find some weakness in its armor. Unfortunately, all he could see was the tall, concrete walls blocking his view from the inside. Hunter robots patrolled the perimeter and the top of the wall. 'Hm....should I go for subtlety or just charge on in? Well, I guess I should be stealthy until I see what's inside, at least."
Knuckles began to rev up into a spin dash, then blasted off, past the front of the gate, and around the corner, onto the side of the structure. Coming out of the spin, he put his back to the wall, glancing first to the left, then to the right. He turned around, then began to climb up the outer wall slowly, being careful not to make too much noise each time his sharp knuckle entered the concrete. Hoisting himself up, he let out a pent-up exhalation. He dropped down, and looked over the other side to see what was being hidden.
--
"Alright, Sonic, here's what I've got for you." Tails held out a small box to Sonic, wrapped in brown paper and topped with a small sting tied around it in a crude bow.
"Thanks. It's like Christmas, except not in December," Sonic said, half sarcastically. Tails laughed, knowing Sonic would never pass up even the slightest chance to crack a good-hearted joke. Sonic snapped the string with his thumb, and lifted the lid off of the package. Peering inside, he saw a set of jet black gloves and a small pile of metal plates. He lifted the gloves out first, turning them around. "Why're they so heavy?" he asked, slipping off his old gloves, and replacing them with his gift. He performed a few different actions, testing their comfort and maneuverability.
"Sonic, you probably shouldn't do that!" Sonic froze, and looked at Tails. Tails walked over to his side, and pointed to the top of the gloves. "Look closely."
Sonic squinted, and tilted his head to the side. "Don't see anything." Tails reached over and pressed lightly on the top of Sonic's hand. A small alcove popped up silently, almost impossible to see because of the blend of black fabric and machinery.
"Now, if you want to use these, you simply need to do this," Tails said, extending his pointer and pinky finger out. Sonic followed suit, and a small object was fired with lightning speed from the glove. Striking the wall, it crackled and pulsed with electricity for a brief second before quieting down.
"Wow."
"Sonic, these darts are a special type of ammunition. They send enough of a shock to send int unconsciousness all but the hardiest of lifeforms, while still providing enough juice to fry the circuits of any robot that ends up in your path. Stealthy, quick, and efficient."
"And these?" Sonic asked, hinting at his excitement to discover what the oblong metal plates were designed for.
"Ah...these are particularly neat. Sit down for a second, will ya?" Sonic obliged, and Tails grasped Sonic's shoe in his hands and squeezed a few areas. To Sonic's immense surprise, the entire sole of his shoe came off, causing his foot to push through and put him slightly off balance.
"Why do you know more about my shoes than I do?"
"Good question." Tails took one of the plates out of the box, and stuck it into place. "This plate I designed in a hurry, as soon as we got back. It's a prototype imitation of Shadow's jet skates. Very useful when you don't need any loud footsteps. This other pair of plates have microscopic spikes, allowing you to stop on the ceiling once you get up there. I'm sure you'll find them quite useful."
"I knew you could build a mean plane, but I never thought you'd enter the spy biz." Sonic stood up, testing both shoes. If this is what you've got for me, I can't wait to see what you've developed for Knuckles."
"Funny you should ask that. Care to see?"
--
Knuckles silently berated himself as he looked over his shoulder. Damn robots. How'd they know I was there? I'm lucky I escaped without any major injuries...just a few scrapes and bruises. And now what? I'm out in the jungle, alone. No companions. No idea where Rouge could be. No way to get my revenge...and you! He glared at the emerald. You didn't do anything! In fact, I've I've coaxed you to do is light yourself on fire! He growled at it for no apparent reason.
"Whatsa matter, Knux? Trouble with your new jewel?"
Knuckles turned around, and was shocked to find Rouge and Sonic standing behind him. "How long have you two been there?"
"Long enough to hear you growl at your emerald," Sonic replied, speaking for the first time. "C'mon, Tails has got some amazing stuff to show you. I'll Chaos Control us to save time."
"Wait a minute, when'd you get black--"
And then they were back in the Mystic Ruins, outside Tails' Workshop.
"--gloves?" Knuckles finished.
"C'mon inside, you'll find out." Sonic held the door open, and gestured them in. Rouge and Knuckles walked in, Rouge commenting on how well-kept it was for a kid's house. Sonic followed them inside, then spoke to the wall.
"Tails, are you ready?"
"Yeah, Sonic! Just a second!" Tails' voice came from seemingly nowhere. "Offer them something to eat or drink or something while you wait."
"Um...ok...hey, you two. Want anything?" Sonic asked to fill time. Curiosity was beginning to get to him, as Tails had left subtle hints throughout the time he was there.
"No thanks," they both responded unanimously. Rouge sat down uncomfortably on a nearby couch, while Knuckles simply decided to cross his legs and sit on the floor, still brooding. Each second not spent actively seeking those bastards that destroyed his home was a second lost forever. Gone forever...just like my island. But everything seems so hopeless. Alone, I can't even comprehend the thought of walking into that place and surviving. Even with a few more people, we'd need a miracle to try it. What's the point...?
Knuckles snapped out of his turbulent thoughts when Tails announced he was ready to display his gadgets. "Here, Knuckles. Like Sonic, I've developed a new pair of gloves. Unlike Sonic's, they don't need to be black. So here you go." He handed them to the echidna, smiling. Knuckles slowly yet deliberately replaced his old gloves, and opened and closed his hands. "What do they do?"
"Apply light pressure to the top of your gloves." Knuckles did so, but could not figure out what was different. Tails directed him outside, towards an old, dying tree. "Punch it."
"Tails, I don't need new gloves to knock that old thing down. I could have done it before."
"Just sock the tree."
"Alright, if you say so." He drew back his fist, and drove it into the tree's trunk. On contact, the tree shattered. Not broke apart, but shattered like glass. Knuckles held his other hand up in front of his face to protect himself as the pieces of wood bounced harmlessly off him. After the hail of chips stopped, he glanced down at his new weapontry with a wide eyed expression.
"The ends of the glove have a special device on them, which emits an ultrasonic frequency when it collides with anything. It's got enough power to blast apart anything I can think of. Just remember to turn it off, ok?" Knuckles nodded slowly.
"Can we go now?" Rouge asked, annoyed.
"After I give you your gift, yes," Tails replied.
Rouge was caught off-guard. "You made me something?"
"You're going to help us, right?"
"Well...yes!" There and then Rouge made up her mind. She was sticking with them until the end.Tails handed her a small, white, wooden box. She opened the lid, and was shocked at what she found. A sleek white rectangle with numerous buttons and knobs on it lie on its side. "My...my Treasure Scope!"
"Yep! I figured it would be useful. At least, now it will be. There's a wealth of gadgets in that thing. Check it out!" Tails stood next to her and began to point out all the new features. "See, this switch releases the optical frame, and the attachment piece so it can actually stick to your head. Also, I added a small voice transmitter, so this receiver will allow you to talk to us. On this side that's normally pressed against the side of your head is a speaker, so that communication is possible."
"Tails, this is amazing--" Rouge began.
"That's not it. We're barely scraping the surface of what I've added. See, the optical frame can also display information on the surrounding area, including whatever readings it makes. It can also be switched into a thermal mode, allowing you to easily distinguish between lifeforms in a dark area. On the bottom, there's a small data port where you can connect to a computer, and both upload and download information from the Scope. Finally, this button activates a small camera, allowing you to record everything seen through the scope." Rouge, Sonic, and Knuckles all stared at Tails, at a loss for words.
"Oh yeah, and I gave it a new paint job."
"Thanks, Tails." Rouge bent down slightly and gave him a kiss on his cheek quickly, before returing her attention to her new toy.
"Sorta makes our pale in comparison, eh Knux?" Sonic nodded.
"Well, time to get moving!" Tails shouted. "We've got a long road ahead!"
"Hey, nothing's too long for the--"
"--World's fastest hedgehog, we know!" Rouge and Knuckles finished Sonic's sentence, then glanced at each other, then shrugged.
*****************
A/N: Wow, it's been a long time. Sorry, but school is still important, whether or not I want it to be. Meh. The fic continues, as you can see! Like the gadgets?
RANDOM FACT: These files are labeled "Definitive Sonic" on my computer. Why? Because I didn't think up a name that did the fic justice. And come to think of it, I still haven't!