Chapter 13 – Forward We Go!

My vision cleared slightly as I blinked them open. I slowly twisted my head to see light shining in through the drawn curtains. The memories of the previous night started to drift back to me. After our coffee break, Klim and myself had carried the KO'ed chao outside. Well he had carried them, I had used them to train up my kicking skills. I wasn't much into football but it had been fun none the less. We had stayed up a bit more waiting to see if Kat, Sonic or Tails would arrive back. They hadn't and after a bit of worried conversation by the fire we had retired for the night. To say the least I had called Tails bed. But then again I wouldn't have minded which bed I slept in. It was all good to me. I yawned and looked at the ceiling. I heard sounds from the next room.

"Klim must be up." I said quietly to myself, "I'll join him in a second.

The next thing I knew I was blinking my eyes slowly open again and about forty minutes had passed by. As I always did on a morning I had fallen sleep again. And as always happened this second sleep had woken me up fully. I didn't know how it worked but it did. I sprung out of bed and quickly put my shoes back on. I sneered at my hair in the mirror.

"Is there no way to keep you down?! Maybe I'll use industrial super glue next time?"

I picked up my sword and walked out of the room. In the hall Klim was standing there looking especially sleepy. I mean I was still a little bit but not that much.

"Looks like they haven't got back yet." he said to me gesturing at the empty lounge.

"Uh huh." I replied nodding, "I think we should go out and look for them."

"But not without breakfast." said Klim shaking his head.

He made a gesture towards the kitchen.

"Care to do the honors?" he asked.

"No way! You're helping this time!" I replied remember the previous night.

"Alright fine!" he replied looking rather glum.

Although my cooking skills were better than Klim's I had to admit that Kat's was better. We both spent the next fifteen minutes or so cooking up a small fried breakfast. I leaned back in my chair and stretched before looking over at Klim. I had already finished but Klim wasn't far behind.

"You ready to go then?" I asked as he finished a glass of orange.

"You bet. Let's go!" said Klim leaping from his seat.

I jumped up too and grabbed my sword from the counter. I slung it round my waist and walked outside. The weather had clouded over slightly and storm clouds hugged the horizon.

"I feel like a bit of running." said Klim appearing beside me, "Wanna join in?"

"Not really. I prefer to fly." I replied still looking at the horizon.

"Uh huh…I guessed as much." replied Klim, "Wanna race then?"

I smiled slightly to myself as I got ready to spin my tails.

"Though you'd never ask." I replied taking off.

"HEY! Cheater!" I heard Klim yell from below me.

My altitude increased and with it my speed. I looked down to see Klim racing along below me. I looked back up again and surged forwards. The wind rustled past my face and for the first time in a while I was more or less alone. I sighed and relaxed. This was the life. This was how I wanted to spend my days. In the air, flying in the air. No cares, no worries, nothing but the air and my thoughts. As I relaxed I found it even easier to fly. Just then a loud boom echoed around the landscape as Klim below me broke the sound barrier. A thought came to me. How was I managing to keep up with him if I wasn't going….BOOM! I almost lost my flight as the air around me shook. Without even knowing it I had broken the sound barrier. I wondered if I could cross even more. For me time seemed to have been acting oddly. As I thought small white streaks started to shoot past me. I looked ahead to see the streaks emanating from a point just ahead of me. As I watched it the streaks started to grow in number and a gentle humm filled the air around me. I felt my whole body begin to shift. It was an odd feeling. It was like bits of me were disappearing and then coming back. They were still there but I couldn't feel them. I looked back to see the streaks flying out at an alarming rate. I didn't, however have any more time to puzzle over it as a second boom came from below.

"Klim couldn't have broken the barrier twice!" I said to myself looking down.

What I saw almost made me scream. Instead of Klim I saw a flaming streak of fire screaming along below me. It had smashed straight through a tree and completely touched it. I watched it bust through a robot standing in its way and then started to slow down. I could see Eggman's base just ahead. As I did the streak slowed down to reveal Klim. I landed next to him.

"Speed freak!" I said.

"What can I say? I like running?" replied Klim shrugging.

I rolled my eyes and gave him a playful punch on the arm. We both looked at the base. Several small blue coloured blobs were scattered around the area in front of it and on the roof.

"Damn chao!" said Klim.

"Look at those on the roof. They got cannons." I said pointing.

Surely enough several large cannons covered the roof top manned by chao.

"Just perfect!" said Klim, "Listen, we can't waste our time and strength with these guys. Just rush through. Take out as many as you can and don't stop."

"You got it!" I cried drawing my sword, "BANZAI!"

I leaped forward rushing down the hill towards the waiting chao.

"CHARGE!" cried Klim as he shot down the hill past me.

Flames enveloped him again and he plowed straight through a group of chao, barbequing several of them in one go. I ran in after him and dispatched a few he had missed. I looked up to see Klim dodging a huge blast from one of the roof laser guns. As he got up several chao made a move on him from behind. I quickly drew my cyan emerald and leaped into the air. As I did a vortex of ice formed up around me and I swung my sword forward. The huge vortex turned ahead of me and shot down at the chao. They were all frozen to the spot within a split second. I had to admit my new Ice Breaker move was just plain nice. I saw Klim giving me the thumbs up before he drew his yellow emerald. A bolt of lightning shot from the sky and struck the roof cannon. It overloaded and seconds later exploded in a huge fireball. As I watched the explosion from the air I heard Klim scream. I looked down to see that one chao had found the mark and drove his spear into Klim's side. I quickly flew down as Klim quickly dispatched the remaining few chao with a carefully placed strike.

"How's that?!" he yelled at them.

"Yo Klim you're injured!" I called running up to him.

I made to take out my green emerald but Klim waved his hand at me.

"It's not that bad. Save your strength for later."

"Well ok then." I replied looking a bit worried.

Klim winked and turned to the door of the base.

"Question now is…how'd we get in?" he said.

BANG!