Disclaimer: I own...um....in this chapter, pretty much nothing. All bow to Sega and Sonic Team, owners of all.
I went to see The Incredibles today, and I enjoyed it. A lot. How can you not like a movie chock full of such senseless violence? And Jack-Jack. Jack-Jack is rough. Especially at the end of the movie...Oops!! Um...forget I said anything... -whistles-
Okay, I've got this letter thing, the fifth one or so, from thePeople to People Ambassador Program which sends you to other countries for a defined amount of time and let's you get to know people there. You stay with a host family, hang out, see sights, and to top it off, get hundreds of sholarships and loan offers, plus you get in with all the Mr. Big colleges. Pretty good in the long run.
Downside?
I hate travelling. -.- I don't even like leaving my room.
Sonic: Lazy.
Oh? O-o Can you talk?
Shadow: Lazy.
Oh yeah, agree with him! You two keep ganging up on me and I'll call up Trey and let him lock you in a closet with his muse, Bakura from Yugi-Oh!, again. I take it you both remember what happened the last time?
-Flashback-
Sonic: AAAAHHH MAKE IT STOOOOP!!!
Shadow: NOOOOOO!!!
Bakura: It must be my birthday!!!
-End Flashback-
Both: -face color drains-
Yeah. I thought so. -turns back to readers- Anyway guys, because it took me so long to update, I tried to make this a long chapter. Mostly to say I'm sorry.
Nameless Muse: And to suck up.
Yeah...yeah, that too.....is it working?
Chapter Twelve - Tension And Tracers
Wish I could disappear inside you
Disappear
Hidden in the way I was intended to be
Closer to you and further from me
I would disappear,
I would disappear, disappear
- Out Of The Grey
There are some days when a person just can't stop thinking about how beautiful it is outside, days when you're inside looking out, and you can't stop thinking about just how gorgeous the day is, when the skies are a crisp, clear blue, and the clouds are fluffy pillow-cars that drift lazily across the heavenly highway they were set upon by forces beyond anyone's control. On days like this, when the wind is like an elevator, warm gusts lifting you away to higher and more magical places, the ground looks like a simple carpet with beautifully woven pictures, so far away and yet seemingly close enough to grasp a hold of. On days like this it is hard to keep one's mind from drifting away from worldly problems and letting gentle breezes carry one off into the clouds.
At least, Rouge had always thought so.
She loved days like this one, for as soon as the dawn had come, she was soaring on beautiful mounts of sun-warmed air, drifting high into the world above worlds, a blissful smile creeping its way across her features, her ears swept back so that the wind wouldn't catch inside them, for that annoyed her. She squinted slightly, since they were traveling at a moderately fast pace, and she could not stop the involuntary action.
Nearby, and a little above, glided Knuckles, dreads spread out like the supports of a disconnected fan, allowing him to stay above the ground with some effort. Every once in a while they had to drift downward onto a cliff or the treetops so he could take off again. It was less so than usual though, since on this particular sunny day, the wafting thermal lifted them high into the clouds all too quickly, and enabled Knuckles to simply float with his arms outstretched, almost like an angel....
Stop that!!
Below she could hear the crashing of waves, but not that of the ocean, though it was close enough. A small tidal wave traveled the forest floor beneath her, and just barely staying on the utmost curve-over, a violet chameleon balanced on a hollow log, only swaying a small amount when the mini-sea under him took a sharp turn to avoid large trees or billowed up over a fallen trunk. The white bat could not help but admire Espio's sure footing in the fast-paced water.
Her praising smirk was soon lost as she recalled her requested role in this mission. If it had been anyone else asking her, anyone but Knuckles standing in front of her, head down and voice somewhat strained as he explained that a spirit, the female Echidna, Tikal, who had helped to calm the heart of the water demon traveling with them, and two of his cherished Chaos Emeralds had been whisked away by GUN, she probably would've spat in their faces and flown off with their jewels without a second thought, or even first, let alone second.
But, out of all the people that it could've been hunting her down, out of all the people humbling themselves before her, practically pleading for her help, it was Knuckles.
Blasted...stupid....arrogant....
Rouge had to admit it: she hated Knuckles. His cocky attitude that more than often spoke nothing but confidence, and, of course, could back it up. The way he grinned whenever something went his way, and snarled when it didn't, both showing the sharp canines he had inherited from his ancestors long passed. His fluid motion, his strengths, his weaknesses, his personality, the way his eyes seemed to capture light and reflect it back at her, she hated it all, more than she could stand. He was very similar to her in almost every way except for gender, species, and color, and it boiled her blood until she felt she would split open.
She probably would've flown away, like she would've anyone else, if it hadn't been Knuckles.
If it hadn't been for that incident back on ARK...
She felt heat creeping into her cheeks and consciously crossed her arms over her chest, hands gripping her forearms as she chewed on her bottom lip. She hated thinking about it, and had often referred to it as an accident in her mind, although she knew the whole event had been intentional....
...and she hated him all the more for it.....
...even if it didn't stop her blushing.
"Well, Rouge?" Knuckles' voice sliced through her thoughts cleanly, and her azure eyes rose to meet his bright purple ones. He was frowning, still very serious. Where she had let herself enjoy the feel of the wind across her fur, lifting her up into the great beyond, he had not, opting instead to remain in his darker thoughts.
"What?"
"Don't play games thief, you heard me." He glared, amethysts sparkling wildly. "Those ears must be for more than decoration."
It was her turn to glare.
"Stop being an asshole, Guardian." She snapped, turning away to pout, all earlier signs of a blush now gone. She hated him like mad. Hate hate hate ha--!
"I asked you if you were in or not. I would expect an answer, Rouge." He was obviously not going to give this conversation up until she spoke the words he wanted to hear. Not that she would give in too quickly either.
"I'm here, aren't I?"
"If memory serves, bat," He growled, and she could imagine the corner of his mouth lifting to show off a fang like it usually did when he spoke in this tone, though it was most often reserved for Sonic, annoying as the hedgehog was. "...you were also there when Robotnik was trying to take over the world, and you betrayed him, quite easily. I want guarantees, not just your presence."
"What's the point of asking for my help if you're not going to trust me?!" She exclaimed, facing him now. His answer was immediate and monotone.
"Your skill and experience were required..."
"Of course, my skill! Heaven forbid that you actually need me, no no no!" She rose her hands against her face in mock horror. "You'd probably have gotten Nack the Weasel, if you could've, just to keep from having to ask me for help. He's definitely more trustworthy."
"He's not out on parole for two more years, and Remmington's (2) in no position to pull strings."
Rouge shot him a cold glare now, for his comment implied that he had indeed checked on trying to get the criminal into his service before coming to her for aid. That was an insult to her honor, saying that he'd rather have someone so barbarically dishonest like Nack traveling with him rather than her. She at least kept half or so of her word; the little weasel was a double-crosser from the twisted whiskers on his snout to the tip of his crooked tail. It was an outrage, unjust in every sense of the word, and hearing it from Knuckles, well...
That just hurt...
-0-
Amy dunked her arms past her elbows into the sink full of sudsy water, and furiously began her task of scrubbing at the stubborn food clinging to her dishes. The pink hedgehogette hated housework, and was much more suited to shopping and fashion, but things like this had to be done, or she would find herself buried under it all. Of course, Gamma was a big help, and Cream did what she could, but Gamma could not withstand the soapy water with his car battery empowerment, even though his outside was rust proof, plus his gun just got in the way at times, and Cream had broken more dishes than Amy cared to count. That left her out of the three of them to clean the kitchen.
It was nice when the Flickies showed up at times to sing to her though; that always took her mind away from her chores. Especially Lily, with whom she was a very good friend still. However, she'd sent Lily off with Cream's mom when the older bunny had left, in case something happen with her, and the other Flickies wouldn't be coming around unless she called them, and she wanted to reserve that for if there was trouble and her charge's mother needed to be notified.
"Unit-Amy."
She looked up, blinking. It had taken a long time for Gamma to truly learn her name, and it still sounded strange when he spoke it with his monotonous robot speech, made even more so when he insisted on referring to her as a fellow Unit, a glitch Tails was still trying to work out.
"Yes, Gamma? What is it?"
She had to speak simply and slowly for the machine, he was still fully adjusting to human/furry dialect; he had been programmed to recognize Robotnik's distant tone and voice qualities, providing a real challenge for Tails when he reprogrammed all of their voices, his, hers, Sonic's, and Cream's, into it. Knuckles had already been on Angel Island when he'd begun reconstructing E-102, so his voice wasn't in the database. His image was however, and the robotic brain knew not to regard the Echidna as an enemy.
"I-have-been-unable-to-locate-Unit-Cream." He answered, the tone still flat. She suppressed a shudder, reminded of Metal Sonic's voice.
"Did you check in the back yard, in the garden? That's where she usually goes when she's mad at us..."
"Data-overload. Please-redefine."
She sighed. Slow and simple, Amy.
"Did you check the back yard?" As she repeated her question, she returned to her self-imposed task.
"Affirmative." He replied, and at her silence, continued. "The-area-was-secured. Unit-Cream-was-not-sighted."
"She's probably hiding." Amy answered, pulling the stop out of the sink's bottom, and watching the water drain away. "She does that when she angry with us, you know..."
Indeed, the rabbit had avoided Amy since the day before, when she had turned down Charmy's pleas for assistance. Cream had always felt strongly about aiding others, and the bunny had quite plainly let her companions know that she disapproved of the decision to remain neutral. The fact that she had actually encountered Tikal on a few occasions had fueled her pouting; Knuckles had often allowed her on the Island, one of the only reasons Sonic and Tails ever made it on. In her visits, she had indeed met the priestess, and they had become fast friends, Tikal teaching the young rabbit secret ways to care for and evolve Chao, and in return, Cream had been a sweet and sympathetic companion to the older female.
Even Chaos had been quite taken with the child, something rare for the water demon.
"Data-overload. Please-redefine."
"Did you check all around the house, Gamma?" She was becoming annoyed now; the robot had a way of getting to her without meaning to.
"Affirmative. Entire-proximity-was-secured. Unit-Cream-was-not-sighted."
"Did you use your tracker?"
"Affirmative. Unit-Cream-was-not--"
Amy ears snapped forward, but she was now tuning Gama's mechanic voice out. Cream never left the area of Gamma's radar, and the robot could pick her up from two miles away. The young rabbit knew better than to wander off without one of them, and even in her worst fits, the young girl never stepped a toe out of Gamma's tracking distance. The tracer was under her skin, so she couldn't take it out. If she was here, Gamma would've found her.
If Gamma could not pick her up however, that meant she was not within range.
If she was not within range....
"Gamma, use wide range radar!"
Tails had installed this in case they needed to find someone quickly, whether they were kidnapped or simply lost, the radar would pick any of their four up from hundreds of miles away, and provided a clear distinction of the surrounding land forms and any additional information. The biggest problem with it was that it used a lot of power to maintain, making it a last-chance, for dire emergencies.
"Negative. Order-Number-24-received-from-Command-Unit-Miles. Do-not-use-radar-unless-in-the-most-extreme-of-circumstances--"
"Do it Gamma!! Cream might've gone after Vector and Charmy, and I'm responsible for her safety!! She's in danger if that's what she's really doing, and we have to find her or else--"
"Data-overload. Please-redefine."
"Use the radar, Gamma, now!"
"Negative. Order-Number-24-received-from-Command-Unit-Miles. Do-not-use--"
"I don't cared what Tails said, Gamma!! Use the radar now!!" Her Piko-Piko Hammer appeared in her hands and she raised it, eyes on fire. Gamma's chest opened, and a screen appeared, showing a colored-by-region area map of her house and the surrounding area, a white line moving over it quickly.
"Unit-Cream-is-being-traced. Please-stand-by..." She lowered her weapon and Gamma spoke seconds later. "Unit-Cream-has-been-located. Pinpointed-seven-miles-due-northwest. Subject-is-half-a-mile-above-ground-and-descending."
A white dot appeared, representing Cream no doubt, following a dotted line of what the computer had calculated to be the cream-colored rabbit's path, and though the white wavered slightly, it kept going in the line's general direction at a well-placed pace. Amy had seen plenty, she knew for sure now what Cream was up to.
"C'mon Gamma, let's hurry. We have to follow."
"Power-source-depleted. New-source-required."
"All right, all right. We'll get you another battery." She stepped outside and waited for him to come through after, glad that she'd gotten it enlarged since she'd met him so he fit through easily. Closing and locking the door behind her, she checked the screen again before putting the program on standby, so she could bring it up again when she needed to, but save some of the robot's energy until they could grab another car battery. Perhaps she could drop by Tails workshop and snatch up one of his artificial Emeralds he'd been trying to reproduce lately. She'd thought about that before and always decided it was too risky. Tails had tried to program Gamma to feed off the Emeralds first, and though he'd never specified on what went wrong, he had warned Amy not to try it until he fine-tuned the robot.
"Unit-Cream-pinpointed-eight-point-three-miles-due-northwest. Subject-now-on-foot-and-accelerating."
This was going to be a long day.
(2) - Um, if you don't know who Remmington is, you are missing out. In short, Constable on Angel Island. He doesn't hold a major role or anything, and this isn't the actual comic universe, so you won't see Julie-Sue (know next to nothing about her, and I prefer Rouckles any day. Much easier to write. Am so tired and lazy....). Anyhoo, I just wanted to stick his name in there. So whatever. La la la de da....go away.
Okaaaay, it's over. Thank you Lord for small presents, my hands feel like they're about to fall off right here. I think this is the longest chapter I've written for this story so far. In fact, it's probably my longest ever. I should try to type this much more often, it's kind of gratifying, you know? Nothing like knowing you've outdone yourself.
Well, okay it's second longest. One of my Beyond Blues chapters beats this one by about two hundred words.
...hmm...I would do SpellCheck...but I'm tired, it's late, and I have a previously engaged date with a pillow that I'm already irrevocably late for. Oooo, I've learned a new word, heh. Irrevocably...weird. I need to stop strengthening my vocabulary, I can already run circles around my English teachers. Heh.
Now there's a such sign that college isn't worthwhile.
.....now I really sound like a natural born Kentuckian stereotype. I need sleep. Good night people.
Shadow: Night.
O-O
Shadow: What?
I just remembered. I still have to kill that guy who dubs your voice in the English version of Sonic X. I waited all week to record that episode, and he ruined it by giving you that sissy voice. The Japanese version was cooler, much darker and more....Shadowy.
Shadow: .....Shadowy?
Yeah.
Shadow: That's not even a word, NM.
Is too.
Shadow: Is not!
Is too!
Shadow: Is not!
Is too!
Shadow: Is not!
Is too!
Shadow: Is not!
Is too times infinity.
Shadow: Is not times double infinity!
Infinity is forever and you can't have double forever!
Shadow: Dammit!! -grumble- Is not...
Is too. Good night, people, and don't forget to review, all tight? I like reviews. They're nice. Flames aren't nice though, and neither are law suits. Don't do either, 'mmkay?
