CHAPTER EIGHT
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Cream and Fang stared up at the humungous fortress in front of them. Tails whimpered and buried his face into Cream's shoulder at the site of the dark structure. Sonic and Knuckles hid behind Cream, peeking out every so often. Cream just stared up at the fortress, dumbfounded. "We've got to get in there?" she stated in disbelief, "You can't be serious!"
"I'm serious..." Fang said with no enthusiasm whatsoever. He started to walk forward, but Cream stopped him.
"Shouldn't we like, make a plan or something?" she stuttered out, trying to stall. Fang turned around and narrowed his eyes at her.
"We will once we see what the situation looks like inside.... didn't you say that hedgehog girl is already here?" Cream nodded. "Then she'll be waiting for us, now hurry up if you want to change those three and that chao of yours back to their normal state."
With that said, Fang continued on. Cream hesitated for a moment and swallowed hard. Little Sonic watched as fang walked ahead of them, then he glanced up at Cream. He then started off after Fang. Knuckles followed. Cream sighed and looked down at the tiny Tails in her arms. The kit looked back up at her with big blue eyes.
"Fine! Fine! I'm going!" the rabbit gave in and ran to catch up with the others.
***
The glass skylight in Eggman's office shattered as Metal Sonic crashed through it. The surprise caught Eggman and Scratch and Grounder off guard. Eggman toppled out of his chair. Scratch and Grounder dived under his desk. Eggman growled, "You cowards!" as he reached a hand up to his desk and carefully pulled himself back up. He then discovered the cause of the disturbance: Metal Sonic, who was standing in front of him, with an unconscious Amy Rose draped over his shoulder.
"Always have to make a big entrance, don't you?" Eggman scowled. Scratch and Grounder poked their heads out from underneath his desk.
Metal didn't blink or move a muscle in response. He then spoke, "You should be happy, I've brought you a present," he gestured to the unconscious pink hedeghog he was carrying.
"Finally, some decent help around here," Eggman replied, glaring at Scratch and Grounder, "But what about Cream? And where are those insolent infants?"
"I guess that Fang guy couldn't handle a simple job like that," Metal smiled.
"Obviously," Eggman started, "That is why I am now giving it to you..."
"What?!" Scratch and Grounder exclaimed as they crawled out from under their hiding place.
"Leave Amy here and bring me the rest of those troublemakers," he finished.
Metal beamed with pride, "I will not fail you, sir," he then dumped Amy onto Scratch and Grounder, and blasted out of the hole he had created in the skylight.
"WELL? What are you two morons waiting for? Tie up that hedgehog brat and fix my ceiling!"
"But, we didn't break it!" Grounder whined, "Metal broke it!"
"Enough excuses! Just do it, before I decide to turn you into something useful!" Eggman shook his fist.
***
Scratch and Grounder left the fortress on some trail leading out to the middle of nowhere.
Scratch said, "We have to intercept them on the way to this place. Then, we can own them and get hefty rewards."
Grounder asked, "And how to de get that?"
"Simple, we have a net that can trap people. You just fire it from this gun."
"Cool!"
"Now we have to find them."
Unbeknownst to the two robots, Fang, Cream and the children were not too far away. In fact, they were within several feet of them.
"So, those morons think they can just up and catch us huh?" Fang grinned from their hiding place behind one of the large piles of trash that littered the land around Robotnick's fortress.
Cream braced her back up against a piece of flat metal. The trembling rabbit held her breath and cuddled the little Tails close to her. She didn't even want to be here and the last thing she wanted was being caught. The curious Sonic and Knuckles stood by Fang, wanting to see what was going on. Fang looked down at the hedgehog and echidna standing below him. He realized how very bored they looked. It was obvious Sonic didn't like staying still and that Knuckles wasn't to found of staying quiet. Fang grinned as a plan started to form in his mind. "What do ya say we give those two bots a run for their money, squirts?"
They both yelled, "Yea!"
Fang murmured, "Attack those two duncebots. Give 'em a run for their money! Whaddya say?"
"Yea!"
"Go after them!"
"AAAA-TTWACK!" Baby Sonic squealed at the top of his lungs, speeding towards Scratch and Grounder. Knuckles dug a hole into the ground and followed him.
"What was that?" Grounder peered around.
"Quick being such a scaredy-" Sonic suddenly knocked over Scratch, and started beating on his head with a scrap of metal, knocking him out cold.
"EEK! It's the hedgehog brat!" Grounder lunged for his brother, but wasn't going anywhere. Instinctively, he looked down and saw that there was nothing below holding him up, "Uh-oh..." He tumbled down into the deep hole, "OUCH!" he whined.
Cream and Fang walked over and peered in the hole as little Knuckles crawled out, "Robot fall down, go OUCH!" he smiled.
Fang smiled, these guys were pretty good - for a bunch of demon brats, that is. Fang waved them on, "Let's go, before these idiots come to again!" Fang headed for a door into the fortress carelessly left open by the robots, "This way!"
Baby Knuckles and Sonic rushed after him, Cream bringing up the rear of the party, still cradling Tails in her arms. Once everyone was inside, Fang shut the door behind them and locked it.
=============
Cream and Fang stared up at the humungous fortress in front of them. Tails whimpered and buried his face into Cream's shoulder at the site of the dark structure. Sonic and Knuckles hid behind Cream, peeking out every so often. Cream just stared up at the fortress, dumbfounded. "We've got to get in there?" she stated in disbelief, "You can't be serious!"
"I'm serious..." Fang said with no enthusiasm whatsoever. He started to walk forward, but Cream stopped him.
"Shouldn't we like, make a plan or something?" she stuttered out, trying to stall. Fang turned around and narrowed his eyes at her.
"We will once we see what the situation looks like inside.... didn't you say that hedgehog girl is already here?" Cream nodded. "Then she'll be waiting for us, now hurry up if you want to change those three and that chao of yours back to their normal state."
With that said, Fang continued on. Cream hesitated for a moment and swallowed hard. Little Sonic watched as fang walked ahead of them, then he glanced up at Cream. He then started off after Fang. Knuckles followed. Cream sighed and looked down at the tiny Tails in her arms. The kit looked back up at her with big blue eyes.
"Fine! Fine! I'm going!" the rabbit gave in and ran to catch up with the others.
***
The glass skylight in Eggman's office shattered as Metal Sonic crashed through it. The surprise caught Eggman and Scratch and Grounder off guard. Eggman toppled out of his chair. Scratch and Grounder dived under his desk. Eggman growled, "You cowards!" as he reached a hand up to his desk and carefully pulled himself back up. He then discovered the cause of the disturbance: Metal Sonic, who was standing in front of him, with an unconscious Amy Rose draped over his shoulder.
"Always have to make a big entrance, don't you?" Eggman scowled. Scratch and Grounder poked their heads out from underneath his desk.
Metal didn't blink or move a muscle in response. He then spoke, "You should be happy, I've brought you a present," he gestured to the unconscious pink hedeghog he was carrying.
"Finally, some decent help around here," Eggman replied, glaring at Scratch and Grounder, "But what about Cream? And where are those insolent infants?"
"I guess that Fang guy couldn't handle a simple job like that," Metal smiled.
"Obviously," Eggman started, "That is why I am now giving it to you..."
"What?!" Scratch and Grounder exclaimed as they crawled out from under their hiding place.
"Leave Amy here and bring me the rest of those troublemakers," he finished.
Metal beamed with pride, "I will not fail you, sir," he then dumped Amy onto Scratch and Grounder, and blasted out of the hole he had created in the skylight.
"WELL? What are you two morons waiting for? Tie up that hedgehog brat and fix my ceiling!"
"But, we didn't break it!" Grounder whined, "Metal broke it!"
"Enough excuses! Just do it, before I decide to turn you into something useful!" Eggman shook his fist.
***
Scratch and Grounder left the fortress on some trail leading out to the middle of nowhere.
Scratch said, "We have to intercept them on the way to this place. Then, we can own them and get hefty rewards."
Grounder asked, "And how to de get that?"
"Simple, we have a net that can trap people. You just fire it from this gun."
"Cool!"
"Now we have to find them."
Unbeknownst to the two robots, Fang, Cream and the children were not too far away. In fact, they were within several feet of them.
"So, those morons think they can just up and catch us huh?" Fang grinned from their hiding place behind one of the large piles of trash that littered the land around Robotnick's fortress.
Cream braced her back up against a piece of flat metal. The trembling rabbit held her breath and cuddled the little Tails close to her. She didn't even want to be here and the last thing she wanted was being caught. The curious Sonic and Knuckles stood by Fang, wanting to see what was going on. Fang looked down at the hedgehog and echidna standing below him. He realized how very bored they looked. It was obvious Sonic didn't like staying still and that Knuckles wasn't to found of staying quiet. Fang grinned as a plan started to form in his mind. "What do ya say we give those two bots a run for their money, squirts?"
They both yelled, "Yea!"
Fang murmured, "Attack those two duncebots. Give 'em a run for their money! Whaddya say?"
"Yea!"
"Go after them!"
"AAAA-TTWACK!" Baby Sonic squealed at the top of his lungs, speeding towards Scratch and Grounder. Knuckles dug a hole into the ground and followed him.
"What was that?" Grounder peered around.
"Quick being such a scaredy-" Sonic suddenly knocked over Scratch, and started beating on his head with a scrap of metal, knocking him out cold.
"EEK! It's the hedgehog brat!" Grounder lunged for his brother, but wasn't going anywhere. Instinctively, he looked down and saw that there was nothing below holding him up, "Uh-oh..." He tumbled down into the deep hole, "OUCH!" he whined.
Cream and Fang walked over and peered in the hole as little Knuckles crawled out, "Robot fall down, go OUCH!" he smiled.
Fang smiled, these guys were pretty good - for a bunch of demon brats, that is. Fang waved them on, "Let's go, before these idiots come to again!" Fang headed for a door into the fortress carelessly left open by the robots, "This way!"
Baby Knuckles and Sonic rushed after him, Cream bringing up the rear of the party, still cradling Tails in her arms. Once everyone was inside, Fang shut the door behind them and locked it.