Sorry for the lack of updates. I've been writing and rewriting this chapter for a while trying to make it right, and my internet connection has been incredibly slow the past few days. Then, when I finally got a chance to, fanfiction.net decided to play God with me and shut down the login area for a while...so thanks for your patience. It'll be worth it, trust me. :-)
A couple things. First, I have gotten a lot of complaints about unclear transitions between situations (I.E. when I change from one character to another). Unfortunately, the fanfiction upload doesn't get the document exactly when I upload my documents. If it had, you'd see an extra space between sections. But to make it easier, I've made lines to indicate where there's a transition.
And second...I'm still waiting for examples for anime artists for this story. I know this is the third time I've asked, but I am officially desperate. E-mail me at SUPASONEC@aol.com with an example of your artwork, preferrably from the Sonic universe. Any of the characters would be fine, even ones I haven't mentioned in my story. Thanks in advance.
Chapter 37
Strike
"Nice thinking, short stuff," Blade complimented Tails, turning his head around to face the fox. "Keeping that old thing was really worth it."
"Heh heh heh," chuckled Tails, a bit embarrassed, but not too much.
"Yeah yeah yeah," Amy replied, not convinced it was a good idea to keep dragging Metal Sonic along.
Blade batted an eye. "You got a problem, missy?"
It's just…can we still keep that thing around? I mean, it's a lot to carry, and for the most part, all it's caused in the past few years is trouble. I mean, it completely deformed itself just to kill Sonic…"
Blade thought about this for a second.
"She has a bit of a point…"
"Vector and the guys were telling me about that," Mighty commented. "Like it just went berserk and it took ten people and two robots to take it down or something?"
"Two robots?"
"Yeah, the Omega robot and…hm...they mentioned someone named Shadow…"
"I know Shadow!" exclaimed Tails. Amy nodded in agreement. Big also moved his head up and down.
"But…he was a robot?"
"That's what they said…Maybe this Eggman guy knows something about that, too."
"He should," agreed Big. "The doctor's real smart about this kind of thing."
Blade was getting tired of this.
"Great, we'll find out when we get there, but we won't get very far if we don't move now. That little outburst made it pretty hard to maneuver around here."
"But wait…" Amy began. "If the car's still charging…"
"That's right, little lady. We're walking. You could use the exercise."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"God Vector, you need to start paying attention to those ads for exercise equipment," Charmy gasped as he slowly lowered his crocodile friend down to the rocky path below.
"I didn't ask you to carry me," he growled back.
"So you'd rather be squashed dead?"
"Yeah, instead of hearing you yap about how you saved my behind again."
"Whatever…We still have to get up that mountain, and with all the rocky terrain, it'll take a while."
"It's really dark out," Vector commented, pointing to the pitch dark sky. "Maybe we should rest for the night."
"Rest is for the weak," muttered a voice behind them.
Vector whirled around and caught his breath as his snout came within an inch of a long, sharp, glowing red sword.
"Wha wha…whaddaya want?" stammered the crocodile.
"For a great detective, you don't have good senses. You've gotta be able to hear, smell, feel someone coming, or something like this will happen."
Blade lunged his body forward, but took care to keep his sword in the same place. Vector, though, thought the sword was coming and jumped back.
"Heh heh heh…" chuckled the bounty hunter.
"Quit bugging us!" Charmy shouted. He got his stinger ready.
"Hold up," called Mighty, walking out of a hiding place behind a rock. Charmy immediately changed his focus.
"Mighty! You're alive!"
"Here the guy out," he told them. "He's got some big plans, and you need his help more than he needs yours."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Espio had sat, Indian style, in the cave for the past hour, wondering. How had Knuckles seen him, known he was there? Was it a wild guess, or that sixth sense you get when your adrenaline flows faster than a waterfall? All those years of ninja training, all that time practicing the art of not being seen, had apparently gone for naught.
Well, okay, it was only two years, but that was still a while for him.
Now, where did this leave him? Knuckles was off, but he had left Espio with the stern command to not follow him. He hadn't heard from Vector, Mighty, or Charmy for quite some time. He had nothing to do. So he may as well meditate until something happened. He closed his eyes and simply let his thoughts flow. He almost felt like he was levitating as well.
From the feel of the ground, it seemed as if the rockslide had ceased. Something had shook the mountain a while ago, but it was faint and hard to truly sense the direction it was coming in.
A footstep, from far back!
Someone was coming! It could be Mighty or one of the others. Or it could be one of Sonic's pals.
Espio decided to stay back and find out who first. He quickly jumped into the air and performed a swift back flip, and just like that, he was invisible again. Just to be safe, though, he jumped behind one of the nearby rocks and ducked.
A faint red glow emitted from deep in the other side of the cave. It became brighter and brighter until Espio could make out the shape. Like a crescent moon, but slightly more stretched out. Soon, he could also make out a human face behind it.
The bounty hunter! Blade-was that his name?
Espio stared on, because he heard the clattering of more footsteps behind the man with the sword. As he approached, the sword's light grew dimmer and dimmer until it completely left the blade, returning its color to a shiny silver. Compared to most swords Espio had seen, this was pretty big. It looked almost as big as the samurai swords of old.
From behind, the others finally showed their faces. The one looked like the pink hedgehog that was always chasing Sonic-Amy, that was it-and the fox boy, whom Espio could not recall the name. The large purple cat lumbered behind those two, and bringing up the rear were three very familiar faces.
"Mighty!" Espio accidentally called out. Instantly, he clasped his hands to his lips, realizing his horrible mistake. Just as quickly, the bounty hunter shot his gaze in Espio's direction. Even if he had given away his position, Espio could have moved, but he didn't. He was frozen to the spot in fear. The warrior must be on Sonic's side, and he and his posse had already caught Vector, Charmy, and Mighty. What crazed plot did he have in store?
A return to reality let Espio see the man coming closer, and closer, until Espio could feel his breath. He had waited too long. If he moved now, the breeze of his departure would clue Blade in. He just had to fall back and hope he couldn't tell where he was.
Blade stared directly into Espio's eyes, although he couldn't actually see them. Or could he? Did he have some supernatural ability to see the invisible? He had proved to be much more powerful than the entire Chaotix gang already, picking up on all their traps and taking all of them out at once-not with his sword, but with his mind. Maybe he was some kind of psychic! Was that it?
Espio didn't think much longer because something cold, large, and powerful gripped him by the neck. It was the bounty hunter's hand. Although he hadn't noticed it before, Blade was of a fairly large size, and his hand was massive. After a few seconds, Espio felt his invisible guard give way. The bounty hunter refocused his eyes, as if he finally realized where Espio was, a dead giveaway for the chameleon that he was visible again. A second later, Blade relinquished his grasp, allowing Espio's gasping body to fall to the ground.
"It would've been easier just to turn yourself in," the bounty hunter suggested.
Espio slowly rose to his feet. He got his hands in a karate chop pose, as if he was going to begin battling at any moment.
"Lay off, will ya?" Blade asked. "Even if I wanted to fight, I'd kick your ass just like before. But now that I think about it, you could come in handy. And your friends are here on their own will, not because I tore them away from their family for the hell of it."
Espio shook his head in disbelief and finally turned to Mighty. "You don't believe this crap, do you? You're actually going along with this guy?"
Mighty let air out of his mouth, closed his eyes, and nodded. Vector simply shrugged his shoulders. Charmy made no motion.
"Ugh…I don't believe this," groaned the purple chameleon. He turned away with his arms crossed for a second and thought.
"So what's the choice, lizard boy? You've got five seconds before I make a decision for you. Should I cut your head off for a trophy or let you join our little posse?"
The chameleon turned his head back around just enough for the group to see the corner of his right eye. His midnight red pupil locked in on Mighty and telegraphed a silent message that no one else would probably understand, even if they tried. The armadillo nodded in reply.
"My friend agrees," Mighty told Blade.
"He's got a mouth, let him talk," the bounty hunter said, never taking his eyes off Espio.
The chameleon closed his eyelids and nodded.
Blade looked up at the cavern ceiling and sighed. "Well…guess that'll work for now." He jammed his sword into the sheath strapped to his back, then pulled out a small tissue out of his jean pocket and wiped the sweat off his forehead. After a quick dabbing of his face, he put it back and got back on task.
"Okay everyone, for those who don't know him, I'd like you to meet our good friend and techie, RaGiff." He pulled out a radio and turned up the volume. "Say hi, RaGiff."
"Hiya!" he cried in an obnoxiously high pitched, happy voice.
"Alright, 'Giff, what's the news?"
"Mesh STL changed their name to Modern Day Zero and delayed their new album."
"Damn!" cried Vector. "It's not even the delay! What kind of name is Modern Day Zero?"
"'GIFF!" Blade shouted.
"Fine, here's the deal folks. We're going to assault Eggman's big 'ol fortress down there. Now, with Knuckles and Sonic blowing our cover, it's going to be a bit trick-"
"Hold up," Amy stopped him. "What about Sonic?"
"And Knuckles???" Tails cried.
"You knew that already, foxy," RaGiff explained. "Didn't I already tell you that?"
"Uh…yeah, guess you…did…"
"Thought so. Now, because they went off in that little fight of there's, it's going to be harder to get anything past this base. But there's some other interesting news I'd like to give you guys."
"Spill it, 'Giff," Vector accepted.
"No one calls me that but Leo…er, I mean, Blade."
"Leo??" Mighty teased in a sing-song voice.
"Shaddup," growled Blade.
"Anyway…there's no vital signs coming from inside the base."
"What?" asked Charmy.
"Nothing. Not a single living soul."
"Shows ya old Eggman finally lost every ounce of his dignity," Amy joked.
"No, seriously, nothing. Either he's not there, or he bit the dust."
"Well, we're gonna have to find out then, won't we?" Blade muttered.
"Yeah, Bladeage, we will. Without our two little friends Sonic and Knuckles, this might be harder, but we can pull it off. We're going to break off into three teams."
"Teams?" wondered Big.
"Okay, listen up ladies and gents."
"I'm the only lady, though," Amy corrected.
"I was talking to fox boy. Just joshin' man, just joshin'" he backed off when he heard Tails' growling.
"Anyway, here's the teams. Team Alpha consists of Espio, Amy, and Vector. You're gonna cut down the middle and attract the attention of most of the enemies. That leaves Team Beta-Mighty, Blade, and Big-to smack through most of the defense force. Just mow 'em down out there. Which leaves us," he continued, "with Team Charlie, with Tails and Charmy. You offer some air support and draw some more attention from those guns. Immobilize them if you can, make it easier for ground crew. Got it?"
"Why do I have to be in Team Charlie?" Tails complained.
"Fine, you whiny little fox man, we'll call you Team Delta. Happy now?"
Tails thought for a moment. "I think I am."
"God, these people…Anyway, you guys ready? Remember, Alpha down the middle, Beta on the left flank, and Charlie…er, I mean, Delta…will attack from the air on the right flank. Got it?"
"Alright, let's go," Blade agreed for the group. The group began to assemble outside of the cave. Mighty chuckled the whole way out.
"What's so freakin' funny, armadillo man?"
"Leo…heh heh heh…"
"Hardy har har, listen, you're lucky you're not in two pieces by now."
"Teams assemble!" cried RaGiff. "Team Alpha…you know how to make a flashy entrance, don't ya?"
Espio cracked a smile for the first time in a while. He turned to the others in his team and winked.
Amy didn't know exactly what she had gotten herself into, but she remembered that look from somewhere else…
The one she was trying to save.
But she was no longer afraid.
She smiled back. She could feel Vector's wide grin behind her.
"Timing…timing…" RaGiff said…
"Hold on," Blade interrupted.
"What?!?" RaGiff shouted.
"Tails, stay here."
"Huh?" the fox wondered.
"Yeah Blade, what're you smokin'?" demanded RaGiff
Blade turned to Tails. "Stay here and fix up Metal."
"Metal what?" asked RaGiff.
"Long story, but it's worth it, 'Giff."
The genius on the other end sighed.
"Fine, but only cuz it's you, Bladeage. But what about Team Delta?"
Blade quickly thought. "Vector."
"Huh? But I can't fly..."
"But Charmy obviously has a lot of experience flying with you, doesn't he?"
"It'd be better if Mighty went," suggested Espio. "He's lighter and could probably do more with Charmy."
"Got it," answered the armadillo.
"Well, that's all fine and dandy then," RaGiff said, obviously not happy with this latest development. "Foxy, this better work."
"Ship him out when you're done," Blade whispered to Tails. "Hope you're as smart as you say."
Tails nodded, faced with the daunting task of repairing one of Eggman's older robots-and one of their worst enemies-for their own use. In less time than he had ever fixed anything else.
"Anytime now?" RaGiff groaned.
"One last thing, 'Giff."
"What Blade? God, are you just trying to get out of the fight?"
"No, just wanted to know why I'M doing this."
"What?"
"Why am I doing this? What purpose do I have to do this?"
A pause for a second. Finally, RaGiff spoke.
"Because I told you to."
"Funny, I thought I told you what to do."
"This is my plan, so I tell you what to do."
"But I have the sword."
"But you can't hit me from there."
"Will you two shut up?" Amy shouted. "You two are like little kids fighting..."
"All right. 'k guys, let's roll." Blade got in position again.
"On the count of three..." called RaGiff through the small green radio.
"Three!" shouted Blade, laughing.
Espio and the others leapt off the side of the mountain and began to curl into small cannonballs. The others followed. The rush of air prevented Blade from hearing the long line of curses blaring through the radio.
------------------------------------------------------------------
And, flying above a mess of cooled lava, boulders, and trees, levitating between mountains, was a small military fighter holding a very bored bat.
"God, where is everyone?" Rouge asked, throwing her hands in the air.
Suddenly, something started to zoom from behind her. Something beeped on her control panel. She whirled around, then remembered she couldn't see through the back. Grumbling, she returned to the panel and looked at the small radar on it. The circular map's spinning green ray had picked something up. A whole bunch of little things. Probably a flock of birds.
But wait...something big was lumbering right behind it. What? She needed to check this out.
Rouge turned her craft around, allowing her to see behind her and observe the...
"Fleet?"
The military fleet! It had finally caught up.
Her emergency link beeped like crazy. That's right, she broke the other one. He allowed them to buzz in, already knowing who it was.
"Ms. Rouge, we have you cornered. Surrender now, or we shall open fire," demanded the voice of General Ramsey.
Rouge smirked.
"Just one word for you Travis."
No response. Rouge continued anyway.
"It's called Kamikaze!"
She thrusted the ship forward into the crowd of fighters and mashed the self destruct button. (Why these ships had those things she still didn't know, but now she was happy they did) There would be a ten second delay before it exploded, so she counted to seven.
1...2...3...
"Rouge, what are you-"
She cut him off by crushing the other radio.
Now where was she? Oh crap, she lost count. Better go now. She punched the eject button.
Then, horrified, she remembered.
There was a three second delay for that.
"Open, you stupid goddamn thing!" she screamed as she tried to pry the cockpit open. Exasperated and frantic, she broke the glass. Not big enough, though. Keep breaking!
When will this stupid thing eject?!?!?!?!
------------------------------------------------------------------
KABOOM
A couple things. First, I have gotten a lot of complaints about unclear transitions between situations (I.E. when I change from one character to another). Unfortunately, the fanfiction upload doesn't get the document exactly when I upload my documents. If it had, you'd see an extra space between sections. But to make it easier, I've made lines to indicate where there's a transition.
And second...I'm still waiting for examples for anime artists for this story. I know this is the third time I've asked, but I am officially desperate. E-mail me at SUPASONEC@aol.com with an example of your artwork, preferrably from the Sonic universe. Any of the characters would be fine, even ones I haven't mentioned in my story. Thanks in advance.
Chapter 37
Strike
"Nice thinking, short stuff," Blade complimented Tails, turning his head around to face the fox. "Keeping that old thing was really worth it."
"Heh heh heh," chuckled Tails, a bit embarrassed, but not too much.
"Yeah yeah yeah," Amy replied, not convinced it was a good idea to keep dragging Metal Sonic along.
Blade batted an eye. "You got a problem, missy?"
It's just…can we still keep that thing around? I mean, it's a lot to carry, and for the most part, all it's caused in the past few years is trouble. I mean, it completely deformed itself just to kill Sonic…"
Blade thought about this for a second.
"She has a bit of a point…"
"Vector and the guys were telling me about that," Mighty commented. "Like it just went berserk and it took ten people and two robots to take it down or something?"
"Two robots?"
"Yeah, the Omega robot and…hm...they mentioned someone named Shadow…"
"I know Shadow!" exclaimed Tails. Amy nodded in agreement. Big also moved his head up and down.
"But…he was a robot?"
"That's what they said…Maybe this Eggman guy knows something about that, too."
"He should," agreed Big. "The doctor's real smart about this kind of thing."
Blade was getting tired of this.
"Great, we'll find out when we get there, but we won't get very far if we don't move now. That little outburst made it pretty hard to maneuver around here."
"But wait…" Amy began. "If the car's still charging…"
"That's right, little lady. We're walking. You could use the exercise."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"God Vector, you need to start paying attention to those ads for exercise equipment," Charmy gasped as he slowly lowered his crocodile friend down to the rocky path below.
"I didn't ask you to carry me," he growled back.
"So you'd rather be squashed dead?"
"Yeah, instead of hearing you yap about how you saved my behind again."
"Whatever…We still have to get up that mountain, and with all the rocky terrain, it'll take a while."
"It's really dark out," Vector commented, pointing to the pitch dark sky. "Maybe we should rest for the night."
"Rest is for the weak," muttered a voice behind them.
Vector whirled around and caught his breath as his snout came within an inch of a long, sharp, glowing red sword.
"Wha wha…whaddaya want?" stammered the crocodile.
"For a great detective, you don't have good senses. You've gotta be able to hear, smell, feel someone coming, or something like this will happen."
Blade lunged his body forward, but took care to keep his sword in the same place. Vector, though, thought the sword was coming and jumped back.
"Heh heh heh…" chuckled the bounty hunter.
"Quit bugging us!" Charmy shouted. He got his stinger ready.
"Hold up," called Mighty, walking out of a hiding place behind a rock. Charmy immediately changed his focus.
"Mighty! You're alive!"
"Here the guy out," he told them. "He's got some big plans, and you need his help more than he needs yours."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Espio had sat, Indian style, in the cave for the past hour, wondering. How had Knuckles seen him, known he was there? Was it a wild guess, or that sixth sense you get when your adrenaline flows faster than a waterfall? All those years of ninja training, all that time practicing the art of not being seen, had apparently gone for naught.
Well, okay, it was only two years, but that was still a while for him.
Now, where did this leave him? Knuckles was off, but he had left Espio with the stern command to not follow him. He hadn't heard from Vector, Mighty, or Charmy for quite some time. He had nothing to do. So he may as well meditate until something happened. He closed his eyes and simply let his thoughts flow. He almost felt like he was levitating as well.
From the feel of the ground, it seemed as if the rockslide had ceased. Something had shook the mountain a while ago, but it was faint and hard to truly sense the direction it was coming in.
A footstep, from far back!
Someone was coming! It could be Mighty or one of the others. Or it could be one of Sonic's pals.
Espio decided to stay back and find out who first. He quickly jumped into the air and performed a swift back flip, and just like that, he was invisible again. Just to be safe, though, he jumped behind one of the nearby rocks and ducked.
A faint red glow emitted from deep in the other side of the cave. It became brighter and brighter until Espio could make out the shape. Like a crescent moon, but slightly more stretched out. Soon, he could also make out a human face behind it.
The bounty hunter! Blade-was that his name?
Espio stared on, because he heard the clattering of more footsteps behind the man with the sword. As he approached, the sword's light grew dimmer and dimmer until it completely left the blade, returning its color to a shiny silver. Compared to most swords Espio had seen, this was pretty big. It looked almost as big as the samurai swords of old.
From behind, the others finally showed their faces. The one looked like the pink hedgehog that was always chasing Sonic-Amy, that was it-and the fox boy, whom Espio could not recall the name. The large purple cat lumbered behind those two, and bringing up the rear were three very familiar faces.
"Mighty!" Espio accidentally called out. Instantly, he clasped his hands to his lips, realizing his horrible mistake. Just as quickly, the bounty hunter shot his gaze in Espio's direction. Even if he had given away his position, Espio could have moved, but he didn't. He was frozen to the spot in fear. The warrior must be on Sonic's side, and he and his posse had already caught Vector, Charmy, and Mighty. What crazed plot did he have in store?
A return to reality let Espio see the man coming closer, and closer, until Espio could feel his breath. He had waited too long. If he moved now, the breeze of his departure would clue Blade in. He just had to fall back and hope he couldn't tell where he was.
Blade stared directly into Espio's eyes, although he couldn't actually see them. Or could he? Did he have some supernatural ability to see the invisible? He had proved to be much more powerful than the entire Chaotix gang already, picking up on all their traps and taking all of them out at once-not with his sword, but with his mind. Maybe he was some kind of psychic! Was that it?
Espio didn't think much longer because something cold, large, and powerful gripped him by the neck. It was the bounty hunter's hand. Although he hadn't noticed it before, Blade was of a fairly large size, and his hand was massive. After a few seconds, Espio felt his invisible guard give way. The bounty hunter refocused his eyes, as if he finally realized where Espio was, a dead giveaway for the chameleon that he was visible again. A second later, Blade relinquished his grasp, allowing Espio's gasping body to fall to the ground.
"It would've been easier just to turn yourself in," the bounty hunter suggested.
Espio slowly rose to his feet. He got his hands in a karate chop pose, as if he was going to begin battling at any moment.
"Lay off, will ya?" Blade asked. "Even if I wanted to fight, I'd kick your ass just like before. But now that I think about it, you could come in handy. And your friends are here on their own will, not because I tore them away from their family for the hell of it."
Espio shook his head in disbelief and finally turned to Mighty. "You don't believe this crap, do you? You're actually going along with this guy?"
Mighty let air out of his mouth, closed his eyes, and nodded. Vector simply shrugged his shoulders. Charmy made no motion.
"Ugh…I don't believe this," groaned the purple chameleon. He turned away with his arms crossed for a second and thought.
"So what's the choice, lizard boy? You've got five seconds before I make a decision for you. Should I cut your head off for a trophy or let you join our little posse?"
The chameleon turned his head back around just enough for the group to see the corner of his right eye. His midnight red pupil locked in on Mighty and telegraphed a silent message that no one else would probably understand, even if they tried. The armadillo nodded in reply.
"My friend agrees," Mighty told Blade.
"He's got a mouth, let him talk," the bounty hunter said, never taking his eyes off Espio.
The chameleon closed his eyelids and nodded.
Blade looked up at the cavern ceiling and sighed. "Well…guess that'll work for now." He jammed his sword into the sheath strapped to his back, then pulled out a small tissue out of his jean pocket and wiped the sweat off his forehead. After a quick dabbing of his face, he put it back and got back on task.
"Okay everyone, for those who don't know him, I'd like you to meet our good friend and techie, RaGiff." He pulled out a radio and turned up the volume. "Say hi, RaGiff."
"Hiya!" he cried in an obnoxiously high pitched, happy voice.
"Alright, 'Giff, what's the news?"
"Mesh STL changed their name to Modern Day Zero and delayed their new album."
"Damn!" cried Vector. "It's not even the delay! What kind of name is Modern Day Zero?"
"'GIFF!" Blade shouted.
"Fine, here's the deal folks. We're going to assault Eggman's big 'ol fortress down there. Now, with Knuckles and Sonic blowing our cover, it's going to be a bit trick-"
"Hold up," Amy stopped him. "What about Sonic?"
"And Knuckles???" Tails cried.
"You knew that already, foxy," RaGiff explained. "Didn't I already tell you that?"
"Uh…yeah, guess you…did…"
"Thought so. Now, because they went off in that little fight of there's, it's going to be harder to get anything past this base. But there's some other interesting news I'd like to give you guys."
"Spill it, 'Giff," Vector accepted.
"No one calls me that but Leo…er, I mean, Blade."
"Leo??" Mighty teased in a sing-song voice.
"Shaddup," growled Blade.
"Anyway…there's no vital signs coming from inside the base."
"What?" asked Charmy.
"Nothing. Not a single living soul."
"Shows ya old Eggman finally lost every ounce of his dignity," Amy joked.
"No, seriously, nothing. Either he's not there, or he bit the dust."
"Well, we're gonna have to find out then, won't we?" Blade muttered.
"Yeah, Bladeage, we will. Without our two little friends Sonic and Knuckles, this might be harder, but we can pull it off. We're going to break off into three teams."
"Teams?" wondered Big.
"Okay, listen up ladies and gents."
"I'm the only lady, though," Amy corrected.
"I was talking to fox boy. Just joshin' man, just joshin'" he backed off when he heard Tails' growling.
"Anyway, here's the teams. Team Alpha consists of Espio, Amy, and Vector. You're gonna cut down the middle and attract the attention of most of the enemies. That leaves Team Beta-Mighty, Blade, and Big-to smack through most of the defense force. Just mow 'em down out there. Which leaves us," he continued, "with Team Charlie, with Tails and Charmy. You offer some air support and draw some more attention from those guns. Immobilize them if you can, make it easier for ground crew. Got it?"
"Why do I have to be in Team Charlie?" Tails complained.
"Fine, you whiny little fox man, we'll call you Team Delta. Happy now?"
Tails thought for a moment. "I think I am."
"God, these people…Anyway, you guys ready? Remember, Alpha down the middle, Beta on the left flank, and Charlie…er, I mean, Delta…will attack from the air on the right flank. Got it?"
"Alright, let's go," Blade agreed for the group. The group began to assemble outside of the cave. Mighty chuckled the whole way out.
"What's so freakin' funny, armadillo man?"
"Leo…heh heh heh…"
"Hardy har har, listen, you're lucky you're not in two pieces by now."
"Teams assemble!" cried RaGiff. "Team Alpha…you know how to make a flashy entrance, don't ya?"
Espio cracked a smile for the first time in a while. He turned to the others in his team and winked.
Amy didn't know exactly what she had gotten herself into, but she remembered that look from somewhere else…
The one she was trying to save.
But she was no longer afraid.
She smiled back. She could feel Vector's wide grin behind her.
"Timing…timing…" RaGiff said…
"Hold on," Blade interrupted.
"What?!?" RaGiff shouted.
"Tails, stay here."
"Huh?" the fox wondered.
"Yeah Blade, what're you smokin'?" demanded RaGiff
Blade turned to Tails. "Stay here and fix up Metal."
"Metal what?" asked RaGiff.
"Long story, but it's worth it, 'Giff."
The genius on the other end sighed.
"Fine, but only cuz it's you, Bladeage. But what about Team Delta?"
Blade quickly thought. "Vector."
"Huh? But I can't fly..."
"But Charmy obviously has a lot of experience flying with you, doesn't he?"
"It'd be better if Mighty went," suggested Espio. "He's lighter and could probably do more with Charmy."
"Got it," answered the armadillo.
"Well, that's all fine and dandy then," RaGiff said, obviously not happy with this latest development. "Foxy, this better work."
"Ship him out when you're done," Blade whispered to Tails. "Hope you're as smart as you say."
Tails nodded, faced with the daunting task of repairing one of Eggman's older robots-and one of their worst enemies-for their own use. In less time than he had ever fixed anything else.
"Anytime now?" RaGiff groaned.
"One last thing, 'Giff."
"What Blade? God, are you just trying to get out of the fight?"
"No, just wanted to know why I'M doing this."
"What?"
"Why am I doing this? What purpose do I have to do this?"
A pause for a second. Finally, RaGiff spoke.
"Because I told you to."
"Funny, I thought I told you what to do."
"This is my plan, so I tell you what to do."
"But I have the sword."
"But you can't hit me from there."
"Will you two shut up?" Amy shouted. "You two are like little kids fighting..."
"All right. 'k guys, let's roll." Blade got in position again.
"On the count of three..." called RaGiff through the small green radio.
"Three!" shouted Blade, laughing.
Espio and the others leapt off the side of the mountain and began to curl into small cannonballs. The others followed. The rush of air prevented Blade from hearing the long line of curses blaring through the radio.
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And, flying above a mess of cooled lava, boulders, and trees, levitating between mountains, was a small military fighter holding a very bored bat.
"God, where is everyone?" Rouge asked, throwing her hands in the air.
Suddenly, something started to zoom from behind her. Something beeped on her control panel. She whirled around, then remembered she couldn't see through the back. Grumbling, she returned to the panel and looked at the small radar on it. The circular map's spinning green ray had picked something up. A whole bunch of little things. Probably a flock of birds.
But wait...something big was lumbering right behind it. What? She needed to check this out.
Rouge turned her craft around, allowing her to see behind her and observe the...
"Fleet?"
The military fleet! It had finally caught up.
Her emergency link beeped like crazy. That's right, she broke the other one. He allowed them to buzz in, already knowing who it was.
"Ms. Rouge, we have you cornered. Surrender now, or we shall open fire," demanded the voice of General Ramsey.
Rouge smirked.
"Just one word for you Travis."
No response. Rouge continued anyway.
"It's called Kamikaze!"
She thrusted the ship forward into the crowd of fighters and mashed the self destruct button. (Why these ships had those things she still didn't know, but now she was happy they did) There would be a ten second delay before it exploded, so she counted to seven.
1...2...3...
"Rouge, what are you-"
She cut him off by crushing the other radio.
Now where was she? Oh crap, she lost count. Better go now. She punched the eject button.
Then, horrified, she remembered.
There was a three second delay for that.
"Open, you stupid goddamn thing!" she screamed as she tried to pry the cockpit open. Exasperated and frantic, she broke the glass. Not big enough, though. Keep breaking!
When will this stupid thing eject?!?!?!?!
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KABOOM