Back from vacation and back to the grind. Yay! But, I also get to update my stories. So here's the next chapter, you should thank me I left you there and not here, this one really ends at a bad spot. I just like doing that... keeps readers that way.
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"You're pullin' with me right Sal…?" Sonic asked as Sally had finished laying it all out, of course excluding why he stole the plane. She was afraid if she told him about the possibility of them dying it could result in such, she didn't need Sonic acting different cause he was going to be distracted and he'd do better not knowing.
"I'm pullin' you not Sonic…" She said sternly. "Don't tell me you weren't just a little suspicious that Selim was Tails."
Sonic looked down, he had to sit, everything was spinning. "At first, but he acted so… different… oh man, I acted like an ass Sal… maybe that's why he ran off."
Sally shook her head. "No Sonic, he's not as emotional about it as he used to be, it was to stop this mission like you said."
"But why would he do something like that… If he is who you say then wouldn't he be on our side?"
She shook her head. "He's being overprotective, like I am to the younger him maybe… but truthfully; I am to him because if something happens to us I wanted someone to be here to take over."
"Ya we talked about that Sal, but he isn't dumb, the lookout excuse has lost its sparkle. Especially after we let him come with us on the Death Egg assignment, in which he was a big help."
"I know Sonic, but that was because it would have been dangerous to stay in the Great Forest. When he turns twelve, I promise you Sonic, we'll let him go on whatever mission he wants to do." She said smiling. It was only two weeks until then, so maybe then they wouldn't need any more fights, and Tails could live the childhood that he never really had.
"Really, he'll be very excited, thanks Sal, think I should tell him?"
The princess shook her head. "Let it be a surprise."
Sonic nods and smiles, "Alright Sal, he'll be really happy, bet my quills on it."
The wind blew through his fur as the sun began to come over the horizon, the sky was blood red, causing the fox to frown, bloody skies at dawn were usually a bad omen, and he could easily guess what the omen was. It had seemed like the longest time since he had been able to fly like this, though he was on a mission he didn't really have to be on his guard every second. As long as he stayed below radar detection he would be perfectly safe.
Earth and rock floated before him, it was easy to spot the floating island. It's existence now common knowledge to most, just as the Chaos Emeralds were. He took the stick and moved for the floating rock. Now he had to look for the Hidden Palace, which wasn't so hidden anymore. It was in the volcano's lava reef, he had a lot of time to learn the layout of the island during the Death Egg assignments, or course the echidna knew far more and he was glad to show the Freedom Fighters the hidden passageways after their help.
He had to keep alert, Knuckles should be somewhere around here. It was morning and the echidna was probably just leaving the alter of the master emerald with the Chaos Emeralds, under normal circumstances the guardian would probably tell them to suck an egg, but he was indebted to them for saving the alter before it fell under Ivo's rule. Not only that, but he probably felt sorry for attacking them and being tricked by the doctor.
The fox looked down and found a place to land, there was plenty of flat land in the palace. Luckily he was just in time to catch the echidna. The guardian stopped as he saw that plane land, he was very confused as he moved up to the plane. The vulpine took off his air goggles and got out of the cockpit, causing Knuckles to scratch his head. "Tails?"
The orange furred fox hopped down from the bottom wing of the plane and turned to look at the echidna, who quickly realized how much taller the kit had gotten. "Wait, you're not Tails…" he said as he quickly changed his bewildered look to one of defensive. "Who are you…?"
Selim knew that he wouldn't be here for long, he knew he should tell him, according to Sally he already knew that there was a form of time travel. "I am he, though I am not him." He said and then realized how stupid that sounded.
"Stop talking in riddles, you're just trying to confuse me." Knuckles growled. The vulpine smirked; it was rather easy to confuse someone like Knuckles. He wasn't exactly the best puzzle solver.
He looked at him, "I mean, I am Tails, I'm from the future, that's why Sally was talking about time travel, she wanted to send me back, before I could help."
Knuckles still had his fists up a little on guard, ever since the Robotnik incident he seemed to be very careful on whom he could trust and who he couldn't. Miles knew he'd have to prove he was who he claimed he was, so he would have to say something only he would know. "You remember the malfunction on the Atomic Destroyer? The one where you were captured?" He asked. This caused the echidna to drop his guard, Tails would have been the only one to know of that incident, cause he promised never to tell anyone, and after the incident he never doubted the fox's word.
The echidna dropped his guard "It was no malfunction; you knew that, I didn't believe you." He said with a frown. Standing down he was ready to listen. "After all that time you still remember that?"
The fox nods, "It was my first mission as a Freedom Fighter. How could I?" He asked.
The echidna opened his hand and in them seven colored gems glittered, shrunk from their original size, a trick the guardian could do to them. "So what are you doing with the Tornado? Giving me a lift?"
The fox shakes his head. "No I came on my own accord, listen Knuckles, we can't fly to them, I want to leave the Tornado in a place that is safe, I want my younger self to get it back. Think you can handle that?"
Knuckles nodded and pointed in the direction of the forest which was at the edge of the island, "I have a transporter that will take us off the island, leave the plane here, when I've gotten my emeralds back I'll bring Tails… er ya, you know the other one, here." He stated.
"We have to get going; the others are probably on their way now." Miles stated.
And with that they started to run out the hidden palace and into the morning sun, which was now completely over the horizon leaving all the hellish tints behind.
They were on the move, about a dozen of them, Freedom Fighters led by the princess were heading toward Mobotropolis through the pipe system.
"Everyone remembers what to do right…?" Sally stated and with that they all nodded, she went over it twice already. They each were going to set up an explosive in a certain area. Sonic was to distract the enemy while they moved in. The hero would have one half minute before they moved in. He would move the robot forces as far away from the explosion points as possible. Of course, Sally would have the main tower, the most dangerous of the points. Roy would get one of the robotisizers, Rotor would take a generator, Bunnie had another robotsizer station out of personal request.
"Ya Sal stop fussin' we're gonna blow em sky high." Sonic stated. He was still a little upset at Selim. If he was Tails wouldn't he have known what taking the Tornado would do to him. Wherever he was he hoped he didn't intervene with this mission, if he did he'd wish he hadn't had been spit out by that time flux.
"Alright… ready Sonic?" Sally asked.
The hedgehog nodded, distractions were his specialty, he'd keep the Swatbots away. With that the hedgehog went out of the pipe, at the same point Grif had saved them from before, which seemed like many years ago. He moved quickly out into the streets in order to not attract attention to the hiding spot. Two Swatbots were standing there still as stone.
"Hey Tin Heads! You look a bored stiff!" Sonic said as he stopped giving a smirk and a wave, just as planned they sprung to life and gave chase to the blue hedgehog, who moved just fast enough so they could keep up.
The area was clear and Roy hopped up to now abandoned robotization plant. He snuck inside and planted the explosive, a very potent devise, so he did so carefully. When he was done he went back to the hiding spot and gave a thumbs up sign, letting Rotor start his approach. This pattern continued until finally it was Sally's turn. She would need the greatest luck of all.
The speedy one's presence was now well known to Snively. He smiled, he didn't know of the explosive devises planted already, however he did know how to stop Sonic in his tracks, he pushed a button on the chair and sat back. The image of Uncle Chuck would display all over Robotropolis, no one could miss it, not even an ignorant blue hedgehog.
Sonic stopped dead in his tracks, he had lost the pursuing robots, but that is not why he had stopped. He saw a big display screen in one of the buildings, it had a jail cell, and there was someone in it. He could identify the figure from miles away, it was his Uncle Chuck. "Uncle Chuck…" He said to himself. His thoughts went to the letter, the trap that Selim had been used in. That alone made him worry about Charles, now that he saw the image all his fears came to light.
He recognized the cell, it was the same one they held Kat in, whom they still hadn't found. He wouldn't let the same thing happen to his Unc. All thoughts of the mission were thrown, and any thoughts of a trap in wait never crossed his mind, he only had rescue on his mind.
Sally knew something was wrong. It was obvious; she too could see the images of the robotisized hedgehog. She could sense a trap and she knew Sonic would abandon the plan to go rescue him. Something was going to happen and she had to stop it. She started to run to the jail section when she stopped one second; she felt her heart tear apart. Selim said she and Sonic would die in this mission, but if she didn't do anything Sonic would die anyway. She couldn't live with it; the knowledge that she knew something was going to happen but was too cowardly to stop it.
She took a deep breath and moved forward. She was not afraid of death, she was not afraid of what laid ahead. She kept saying this to herself, she had to believe it. She knew what she was doing was almost the same as walking off a cliff with a noose tied around her throat, but she would not let Sonic die alone, because she knew that was one of her worst fears, and it was also probably Sonic's as well.
Knuckles and Selim were at the foot of the jungle. "The teleport is up ahead, it'll lead us just outside the Great Forest… or the wasteland that was the forest. From there we'll head west and to Robotropolis."
The fox nods. "Let's hurry, or Sonic and Sally will die before we get there." He said, staying alert because he knew that somewhere there was going to be something that would try to stop them.
The guardian had a question pop up in his mind. "If they are in such danger then why did you come after me instead of staying with them?" He asked catching the vulpine off guard. He didn't think that Knuckles was that clever to catch on to that, though it didn't take a genius to wonder why he was doing this.
Before he could answer he sensed it, a little movement in the bush, very subtle and faint but his hearing picked up on it. "Get down!" He shouted tackling the echidna as a ballistic bullet whizzed over their heads and into a tree from behind, the sound of the miss was evident. The Echidna looked up and wondered what was going on.
Selim didn't know what was happening either, it was unusual for Robotnik to use ballistics; he usually used lasers. The only person he could think of that used ballistics was…it then hit him like a ton of bricks… Jerome. Were they positive that he died? No one saw him fall; all they heard was the scream. That means, he could still be alive… though not in the same way. His flesh would be cold metal, his senses nulled… robotosized.
"This is why…" Selim whispered harshly, replying to the guardian's earlier question.
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It's good to be back, the end is coming up so fast, yet so slow. The next update should be here on February 7th.