Chapter 27
Race to Silver Mountain
"Knuckles??" Sonic stuttered. "How did…I mean…you're supposed to…" "Didn't think I'd make it, did you?" Knuckles chuckled. He was enjoying every minute of this. "Thought you were done when you got me before, didn't you? If you're gonna shoot an echidna, Sonic, you'd better be prepared to finish the job. Though I'm surprised someone as hard-nosed as you would stoop down to using a weapon to kill me." "I didn't…"
"Of course you didn't," Knuckles interrupted. "You didn't think, and that's why I'm here right now, and you're standing in front of me like a terrified puppy, waiting for me to beat the crap out of you." He pounded his fists together. Sonic finally gave up, realizing there was no way to reason with Knuckles. Apparently, whoever tried to frame him for this murder didn't do a very good job of it. It was either fight or flight. He wanted to fight this time-it appeared that the others were backing off, giving Knuckles his just whacks-but he also wanted to get to Eggman before he continued with his little plan. Obviously, the doctor had wanted to get Sonic out of the way so he could proceed with some new, crazy plot to control the world. So, once more, it was decision time. Settle a grudge, or save the world? Sonic's ego took over.
"Let's go you fat, lazy echidna," Sonic laughed. "I don't suppose you've been out here training this whole time." "I've had the best training possible," Knuckles retorted. "Better than any on Earth. The other world's labyrinth got me so fit, I'm stronger than anyone. You probably couldn't beat me even if you were Super, but you probably lost those Emeralds already, haven't you?" Wonderful, Sonic thought. He's angry and crazy. Other world? He looked at Mighty for a second. The armadillo shrugged and pointed to Knuckles while spinning one finger by his head. Sonic nodded.
"I wouldn't say lost," Sonic said. "More like "had them taken from me.""
"Same thing." Knuckles bared down. "No more stalling, Sonic. Less chat, more smack."
Then, he charged at Sonic, head down as if he were going to ram him. Sonic jumped over the charging echidna, allowing him to slam into the side of the mountain. Quick to rebound, Knuckles ran back to where Sonic landed and threw a heavy right punch, which Sonic calmly moved his head away from. Playing mainly the defensive, Sonic smiled almost evilly as Knuckles threw punch after punch, all easily dodged. But soon, Sonic ran out of room to back down, as he became pinned between Knuckles and a tree, and was forced to run up it. Knuckles responded by literally uprooting the same giant tree and tossing it far into the woods. A crashing sound was heard as the tree fell from the dusk sky and into the sea of green before them. A loud yelp followed.
Silence.
"Wow," Vector murmured. "That didn't last too long." "And to think," Mighty continued, "all four of us couldn't do it together." "The champ is back!" cheered Charmy.
"All too true," Espio agreed quietly.
Knuckles stood with a triumphant look. Then, as quickly as it came, it disappeared.
"Shut up," he told them. He listened. So did the others. They heard nothing. But Knuckles obviously did. "He's still there!" Knuckles barked after a few seconds, and he took off into the woods. The other members of the Chaotix gang just stared.
"Did you hear something?" Charmy asked. No one else nodded or shook their head, so Charmy took that as a no. Instinctively, they all copied Knuckles' pattern, Espio leading the way.
What a lucky break! That echidna was just too gullible.
Sonic ran ahead to his destination-the Silver Mountains-with a cheerful demeanor. Knuckles' pride had gotten in the way once more. He was so eager to get Sonic back that he instantly thought he was dead. It took more than that to kill Sonic the Hedgehog anyway, even if he hadn't jumped off the top of the tree at the last second. Now, even if Knuckles realized he wasn't gone yet, he wouldn't be fast enough to catch up to him.
"….I…will…kill…you…!…" Knuckles' shouting was probably enough to wake the dead, but Sonic was so far away it sounded like a faint whisper.
Here was the first of the mountains. This was the tricky part-Sonic didn't know exactly where in the Silver Mountains Eggman's base was. He'd just have to guess.
As he ran up this first one, he sighed, knowing he would have to handle more caverns. At least they wouldn't be volcanic.
Would they?
"Okay, what's the plan?" Tails asked Blade.
"No no," Rouge cut in. "I'm the military officer, I'll make the plans." "You used to be a military officer," Blade corrected. "Now you're another convict. I should turn you in right now."
"Will you all just shut you holes?" RaGiff yelled. "If I'm not mistaken, I'm the one who got you all here. Without me, you're all nothin'. So I think I should be the one in charge, makin' the plans."
"Fine," Rouge conceded. "What's the plan?" "I don't have one yet," RaGiff said. "You don't know how much I want to strangle you right now, 'Giff," Blade growled.
"Nah, just kiddin'. I got a plan. You three swoop in and started firing on this base. He'll probably have some intense security precautions, so Blade, I suggest you put your ship on autopilot and hit the wing with your sword. Now, soon, they're gonna flood the sky with fighters, so that's when you all go on autopilot-" "Don't have one," Tails immediately rejected.
"Then just jump out. All of you descend on the base once the air gets too crowded. I'll come up with a plan to infiltrate by then and give it to you."
"Hold on, what's that?" Tails asked. He looked down at the forest below. A yellow light flashed on and off in the woods by Red Mountain.
"What's what?" Rouge asked.
"That," he repeated. "That thing sparking down there." "I see it," Blade said. "Thing's gonna start a forest fire." "Well, Mr. Fox," RaGiff laughed, "you just got a lucky break. You can go down there and check it out if you don't want to come with them because of the autopilot thing. Enjoy, but hurry back. We need you back there."
"Be back in a minute," Tails said, accepting his leave of absence. He swooped down and landed by the mountain base, careful not to grind up against any of the trees. Once down, he jumped out of his ship and found the source of the yellow spark.
It was a dismantled Metal Sonic.
"Looks like someone did a number on you," Tails said to the inactive machine. "Three guesses who." Wary not to be hit by one of the sparks, he examined Metal for a good few minutes. Then, he concluded, "I can fix you up." He thought of how helpful it would be in attacking Eggman, having the only thing as strong as Sonic helping out.
Then, he realized the consequences. If Metal reverted to his evil self, programmed to do Eggman's will, it could be disastrous. He'd be the only one who could beat it before it went out again, and he didn't think his ship could handle him, let alone Tails by himself. This was a serious gamble. Could he risk it?
Amy stood on Red Mountain, shaking. Not due to fear or cold, but because the mountain itself was shaking her. This place was ready to blow. Where were those Silver Mountains? The answer stood just ahead of her. Behind a forest of rustling trees were the mountains. Just above were two airplanes, flying in that direction. They must be Rouge and that Blade guy, Amy thought. But where was the other plane, Tails' plane? She walked near the edge of the path she stood on and peered over. She still couldn't see a plane…
But something below caught her attention. A quick flash of yellow. Something below was flashing, or sparking, or something. Amy quickly jerked her head down to see it.
It was Tails!
His plane resting not far from him, Tails was kneeling down near…
"Oh my God!" she whispered. He was repairing Metal Sonic!
He was going to use Metal to get Sonic! And her too, if she didn't stop him. It was time for a beat-down, Amy Rose style. Hammer reared behind her, she leapt high into the air, ready to slam him into the ground.
"Amy! What the-" "TEEEYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Race to Silver Mountain
"Knuckles??" Sonic stuttered. "How did…I mean…you're supposed to…" "Didn't think I'd make it, did you?" Knuckles chuckled. He was enjoying every minute of this. "Thought you were done when you got me before, didn't you? If you're gonna shoot an echidna, Sonic, you'd better be prepared to finish the job. Though I'm surprised someone as hard-nosed as you would stoop down to using a weapon to kill me." "I didn't…"
"Of course you didn't," Knuckles interrupted. "You didn't think, and that's why I'm here right now, and you're standing in front of me like a terrified puppy, waiting for me to beat the crap out of you." He pounded his fists together. Sonic finally gave up, realizing there was no way to reason with Knuckles. Apparently, whoever tried to frame him for this murder didn't do a very good job of it. It was either fight or flight. He wanted to fight this time-it appeared that the others were backing off, giving Knuckles his just whacks-but he also wanted to get to Eggman before he continued with his little plan. Obviously, the doctor had wanted to get Sonic out of the way so he could proceed with some new, crazy plot to control the world. So, once more, it was decision time. Settle a grudge, or save the world? Sonic's ego took over.
"Let's go you fat, lazy echidna," Sonic laughed. "I don't suppose you've been out here training this whole time." "I've had the best training possible," Knuckles retorted. "Better than any on Earth. The other world's labyrinth got me so fit, I'm stronger than anyone. You probably couldn't beat me even if you were Super, but you probably lost those Emeralds already, haven't you?" Wonderful, Sonic thought. He's angry and crazy. Other world? He looked at Mighty for a second. The armadillo shrugged and pointed to Knuckles while spinning one finger by his head. Sonic nodded.
"I wouldn't say lost," Sonic said. "More like "had them taken from me.""
"Same thing." Knuckles bared down. "No more stalling, Sonic. Less chat, more smack."
Then, he charged at Sonic, head down as if he were going to ram him. Sonic jumped over the charging echidna, allowing him to slam into the side of the mountain. Quick to rebound, Knuckles ran back to where Sonic landed and threw a heavy right punch, which Sonic calmly moved his head away from. Playing mainly the defensive, Sonic smiled almost evilly as Knuckles threw punch after punch, all easily dodged. But soon, Sonic ran out of room to back down, as he became pinned between Knuckles and a tree, and was forced to run up it. Knuckles responded by literally uprooting the same giant tree and tossing it far into the woods. A crashing sound was heard as the tree fell from the dusk sky and into the sea of green before them. A loud yelp followed.
Silence.
"Wow," Vector murmured. "That didn't last too long." "And to think," Mighty continued, "all four of us couldn't do it together." "The champ is back!" cheered Charmy.
"All too true," Espio agreed quietly.
Knuckles stood with a triumphant look. Then, as quickly as it came, it disappeared.
"Shut up," he told them. He listened. So did the others. They heard nothing. But Knuckles obviously did. "He's still there!" Knuckles barked after a few seconds, and he took off into the woods. The other members of the Chaotix gang just stared.
"Did you hear something?" Charmy asked. No one else nodded or shook their head, so Charmy took that as a no. Instinctively, they all copied Knuckles' pattern, Espio leading the way.
What a lucky break! That echidna was just too gullible.
Sonic ran ahead to his destination-the Silver Mountains-with a cheerful demeanor. Knuckles' pride had gotten in the way once more. He was so eager to get Sonic back that he instantly thought he was dead. It took more than that to kill Sonic the Hedgehog anyway, even if he hadn't jumped off the top of the tree at the last second. Now, even if Knuckles realized he wasn't gone yet, he wouldn't be fast enough to catch up to him.
"….I…will…kill…you…!…" Knuckles' shouting was probably enough to wake the dead, but Sonic was so far away it sounded like a faint whisper.
Here was the first of the mountains. This was the tricky part-Sonic didn't know exactly where in the Silver Mountains Eggman's base was. He'd just have to guess.
As he ran up this first one, he sighed, knowing he would have to handle more caverns. At least they wouldn't be volcanic.
Would they?
"Okay, what's the plan?" Tails asked Blade.
"No no," Rouge cut in. "I'm the military officer, I'll make the plans." "You used to be a military officer," Blade corrected. "Now you're another convict. I should turn you in right now."
"Will you all just shut you holes?" RaGiff yelled. "If I'm not mistaken, I'm the one who got you all here. Without me, you're all nothin'. So I think I should be the one in charge, makin' the plans."
"Fine," Rouge conceded. "What's the plan?" "I don't have one yet," RaGiff said. "You don't know how much I want to strangle you right now, 'Giff," Blade growled.
"Nah, just kiddin'. I got a plan. You three swoop in and started firing on this base. He'll probably have some intense security precautions, so Blade, I suggest you put your ship on autopilot and hit the wing with your sword. Now, soon, they're gonna flood the sky with fighters, so that's when you all go on autopilot-" "Don't have one," Tails immediately rejected.
"Then just jump out. All of you descend on the base once the air gets too crowded. I'll come up with a plan to infiltrate by then and give it to you."
"Hold on, what's that?" Tails asked. He looked down at the forest below. A yellow light flashed on and off in the woods by Red Mountain.
"What's what?" Rouge asked.
"That," he repeated. "That thing sparking down there." "I see it," Blade said. "Thing's gonna start a forest fire." "Well, Mr. Fox," RaGiff laughed, "you just got a lucky break. You can go down there and check it out if you don't want to come with them because of the autopilot thing. Enjoy, but hurry back. We need you back there."
"Be back in a minute," Tails said, accepting his leave of absence. He swooped down and landed by the mountain base, careful not to grind up against any of the trees. Once down, he jumped out of his ship and found the source of the yellow spark.
It was a dismantled Metal Sonic.
"Looks like someone did a number on you," Tails said to the inactive machine. "Three guesses who." Wary not to be hit by one of the sparks, he examined Metal for a good few minutes. Then, he concluded, "I can fix you up." He thought of how helpful it would be in attacking Eggman, having the only thing as strong as Sonic helping out.
Then, he realized the consequences. If Metal reverted to his evil self, programmed to do Eggman's will, it could be disastrous. He'd be the only one who could beat it before it went out again, and he didn't think his ship could handle him, let alone Tails by himself. This was a serious gamble. Could he risk it?
Amy stood on Red Mountain, shaking. Not due to fear or cold, but because the mountain itself was shaking her. This place was ready to blow. Where were those Silver Mountains? The answer stood just ahead of her. Behind a forest of rustling trees were the mountains. Just above were two airplanes, flying in that direction. They must be Rouge and that Blade guy, Amy thought. But where was the other plane, Tails' plane? She walked near the edge of the path she stood on and peered over. She still couldn't see a plane…
But something below caught her attention. A quick flash of yellow. Something below was flashing, or sparking, or something. Amy quickly jerked her head down to see it.
It was Tails!
His plane resting not far from him, Tails was kneeling down near…
"Oh my God!" she whispered. He was repairing Metal Sonic!
He was going to use Metal to get Sonic! And her too, if she didn't stop him. It was time for a beat-down, Amy Rose style. Hammer reared behind her, she leapt high into the air, ready to slam him into the ground.
"Amy! What the-" "TEEEYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"