Aria: As promised, here's Part Eight for you all to enjoy!

Twister: It took ya long enough...

Aria: -sticks out her tongue at him- Nyah. At least it's here, right?

Twister: No.

Aria: Hey! You know very well that the system wasn't downloading the file correctly! Anyway, if you weren't so cute, I'd call you a snot-nosed brat.

Twister: Your problem, not mine.

Aria: Gah! He's frustrating! Anywho, thank you again to Crystalstorm21 and to Sally Acorn. I'm glad you like the cliffhangers. Considering "suspense" is the second genre, I have to leave some of it in each chapter. Plus, it's fun and makes for good inspiration for the rest of the story!

Twister: Speaking of inspiration, let's get this inspired part going!

Aria: Very well. -snaps her fingers-

(Disclaimer: Aria Zephyr does not own Sonic the Hedgehog or any related material)

Aria Zephyr Proudly Presents...

A Matter of Life or Speed:

An Archie Sonic Fanfiction

Part Eight: Battles in the Core

It was so quiet in the Core's Chamber. Except for the metallic clank of the guard's footsteps on the metal catwalk, it was very quiet. "Sonic, now," Sally whispered. Tense, and shaking, Sonic fitted the stun gun into his hand. He took aim at the squirrel guard and fired. He had flinched before firing, so instead of striking its target, the shot spun away and hit the far wall with a loud crackle and a shower of sparks. "Oh, my..." Sally gasped. The six guards all halted at once. They turned their eyes to where the shot had hit the wall, then swung around to stare at the trio with frightening intensity.

"Well, that's one way to get attention," Sonic sighed. "Tails, Sally, you get to work; I'll take care of them," he said, hefting the stun gun again. "Be careful," Sally said, before she grasped Tails's wrists and he lifted her into the air. The guards followed them with their eyes. "Hey! Guys! The party's over here!" Sonic yelled, catching their attention. He fired again and this time, he hit the weasel guard. It froze in place, yellow sparks flickering over its metal body. The other five guards charged at Sonic, who quickly got out of the way and ran down the circular catwalk. Despite his fears, he was still determined to do what he could to help.

The rabbit guard, who was faster than the others, lunged at Sonic, who leapt into the air and fired at it as it sped under his feet. He landed on its shoulders and looked at the others resolutely. "Anybody else?" he said, tightening his grip on the stun gun. The dog and the fox stood still. But the cat and the squirrel jumped off the catwalk. Sonic blinked involuntarily, not wanting to see them plunge into the acid pool below. However, the two had leapt at the walls and clung to them in the nature of their species. The cat climbed up into the shadows of the ceiling and vanished. The squirrel merely gripped the wall.

While Sonic had been distracted by the cat and squirrel, the dog had taken the chance to attack him, with teeth gnashing and paws outstretched. Sonic barely dodged it before a pair of steel jaws crushed his leg. Poised, he studied the infuriated creature. It charged at him again, and it nicked his ankle as he twisted away. Sonic bit his lip against the sudden sharp pain. A sort of satisfied smirk formed on the metal dog's face. It lessened its guard a little. Upon noticing this, Sonic attacked the dog.

He ran at it and stunned it before it could react. He flipped over it and looked at the still unmoving fox. Suddenly, he noticed a discrepancy. The squirrel was no longer on the wall. Sonic looked down and saw the squirrel through the steel mesh, right beneath his feet. He gasped and had the sense to stun it before it burst a hole through the mesh underneath him. The fox still wasn't moving when Sonic looked at it again.

Sonic heard a feral growl behind him and spun around to see the cat, with shining claws unsheathed. It knocked him off his feet with a swift leg whip. Sonic rolled to the side before the sharp claws slit his throat. Hissing, the cat swiped at him and laid five bleeding scratches on his cheek. Sonic cried out in pain and quickly scrambled to his feet. Just as he lifted the stun gun again, the cat leapt agilely backwards and onto the wall. It climbed back into the shadows again.

Sonic walked slowly around the catwalk, tensed and wary. He listened carefully for the cat, but heard nothing. He looked from side to side, not wanting to be snuck up on again. Just as he turned his head to look to the right, the cat was standing there. It grabbed his free arm. Sonic screamed as its claws sunk into his flesh like horrible hypodermic needles. He struggled, but he couldn't break its grip. It was about to slash a deadly stroke at him when he blocked the hit with the stun gun. The metal to metal contact jarred the cat, causing it to loosen its grip on Sonic's arm. Sonic stunned it while it was still dazed. He carefully extracted his arm from the frozen grip, his breath hissing as the claws came out of his arm, stained with blood.

When Sonic turned around, the fox was standing there, regarding him with a deep, mysterious stare. It slowly went into a fighting pose, its eyes daring him to shoot. Sonic lifted the stun gun determinedly and fired. The fox easily dodged the shot and swept towards Sonic. It knocked the stun gun from Sonic's grip and shoved him backwards. Then, it crept backwards and assumed its fighting pose again.

Sonic got to his feet painfully, his hand to his chest, where he'd been shoved. A thin chill of fear raced through his blood when he spied the stun gun balancing precariously on the edge of the catwalk. He saw the fox studying him again and dove for the stun gun. It leapt at him and kicked him in the stomach as his hand closed on the weapon. Sonic gasped as the air was knocked out of him and he flew across the catwalk. He landed with a jarring thud. He tried to move and was rewarded with a flash of incredible pain.

With a soft whimper, Sonic curled into a fetal position. He didn't move a muscle as he heard the fox walking along the catwalk. He could feel by the vibrations in the steel mesh that the fox was coming closer. The fox's shadow draped over the inert hedgehog. The fox stood there, looking at Sonic, doing nothing. Unexpectedly, Sonic swung and fired at the fox. Shot at point-blank range, the fox had no time to respond, and was stunned.

Slowly, painfully, Sonic pulled himself to his feet. His hand clutched at the deep puncture wounds on his arm, blood streaming between his fingers. He was sore, scratched, and bruised all over; his wounds were not only from the guards, but from being thrown, knocked, and kicked down onto the hard metal catwalk, its mesh none too smooth.

Sonic dragged himself towards the core controls, where Sally frenetically worked, while Tails flew around anxiously. She hastily looked from the controls, to the screen, and back to the controls again many times, a tense expression on her face. Finally, a look of triumph appeared in her eyes. She was saying something to Tails, excitedly. "...I've got it! Now, all I have to do is set this timer for fifteen minutes and initiate the self-destruct sequence." Sonic's blood turned icy. Fifteen minutes?!

Frantic, forgetting all about his pain, and thinking only of his best friends' lives, Sonic tore down the catwalk to the closest point to the core controls. "Only one more thing..." Sally said, her fingers flying over the keyboard in the controls. "SALLY! WAIT!!" Sonic screamed. Startled, Sally looked up. Her finger floated a mere inch over one key.

Gathering what was left of his strength, Sonic leapt off the catwalk. Sally's eyes widened in horror. Her finger slowly descended subconsciously, still obeying her mind's original command. Tails flew over like a shot, to prevent Sonic from falling if he could. Sonic was almost at the edge of the control platform. Sally's finger was barely millimeters above the key. Sonic's foot touched the edge of the platform. Tails grasped his wrist and flew backwards. Sonic, desperate, cried out, "Sally! Don't press the key!"...a second too late, as Sally had already depressed the key and initiated the self-destruct sequence

Sonic's knees buckled and he collapsed. "Sonic!" Tails cried, grabbing the hedgehog beneath the armpits, bringing him up into a kneeling position. Sonic was unaware of Tails completely. His eyes were wide with horror and despair as he stared deep into Sally's eyes, which were as wide as his in shock. "Sonic!" Sally gasped. "What on Mobius happened to you?!" Sonic blinked, breaking his painful gaze, causing two crystal tears to slip from his eyes. "Too much, Sally," he finally replied. "Too much has happened to me. And, now, because of what has happened to me, we'll never make it out of here alive."

Sally was startled by his words. She knelt down in front of him, her eyes locked on his. She laid a hand on his shoulder. "Sonic, what are you talking about? You have a power ring, don't you? Even so, you're still fast enough to get us out of here before time runs out," she said. At this, Sonic laughed bitterly.

"Sally, I have to tell you something," he said, his voice grim. "It's the reason behind why I've been acting so strange lately, why I've been so restless lately, and," he said, taking her hands in his, "why Tails and I got back to Knothole Village so late after that mission to Robotropolis." Tails let go of Sonic and flew over to sit beside Sally. Sally looked at him with worry and a little fear. "Sonic...what are you trying to tell me?" she asked. Sonic looked into her eyes and swallowed. "Sally...I don't have my speed anymore," he whispered.

Quotes from Part Nine: Despair and Hope

"I almost wish that you had left me dead."

"'Cause this life ain't worth living if I don't have my little brother and Sal around to enjoy every minute of it with me."

"You've certainly impressed me, my boy."

Aria: Dun-dun-DUN!!

Twister: I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE GOING TO LET THEM HANG LIKE THAT!!!

Aria: -folds her arms- I can and I am, so shut up, sit down, and be quiet.

Twister: -sits down sulkily-

Aria: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Though, this is one heck of a cliffy, huh? -giggles wickedly- But, never fear! Things will work out in the end. You'll see. As for now, happy reading and reviewing to all and to all good-night! -vanishes with muse into whirlwinds-