Author's note: I couldn't wait. Here's the next chapter. I'm going on a trip to New Orleans tomorrow, so I feel I should get it started.
IMPORTANT: Unlike the previous chapters, I've written this one from Sam's point of view, instead of mine. Don't get confused.
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Chapter 5: A Loss and a Gain
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02:40 PM - INSIDE HORROR HAVEN
"We'd better be careful," I warned the group. "That ghost back there said there are a lot of tricks and traps around Horror Haven."
Alex was not amused. "That stuff is superstitious-"
WHOOPS! A trap door opened up, dropping Alex and Clover down. Mathew was about to jump in and follow them, but it closed, and wouldn't open again.
"Okay, everyone," Leo said, "raise your hand if you saw that one coming." The three of us all raised our hands.
Further down the hall, we encountered a huge pit. There were absolutely no ledges on the sides of it, but the walls were intact.
"No handholds," I concluded, running my hand over the wall after examining it with my wristwatch flashlight. "The wall has practically no friction at all. And the pit is way too big to jump over."
"On top of that," Mathew added, "our jetpack-backpacks can't be used. How do we get across?"
Leo walked up to the edge of the pit and looked around. After a few moments, his face brightened. "I think crossing this pit will be a cinch. I just need to fly."
"Fly?" I interjected. "Don't you remember-"
"Yes, yes, I remember that," Leo reminded me, getting out his DS. "But while WE might not be able to fly, I know who can." He removed the stylus from its slot on the back of the DS and began tapping, tapping, tapping the bottom screen like crazy, leaving Mathew and me confused.
After one last tap, Leo's DS activated, changing him into an exact replica of the two-tailed fox Miles "Tails" Prower. (The pencil behind his right ear- it's always there- remained intact.) After a stunned silence, Mathew spoke up. "Leo, what in the name of Kawasaki did you do to yourself?"
He explained quickly. "It was simple, really. I activated the instant-disguise module, and chose to open a file manually. Remember those files of Sonic and friends that I downloaded from the Sonic Heroes disc? I chose one of those. It was a little risky, but I think it worked perfectly."
Mathew gasped. "I have to try that! Stop me if I do something wrong." As he was using his GBA-SP to mimic Leo's procedure, I watched over his shoulder to make sure I understood. He chose a different file, and was transformed to look just like Sonic the Hedgehog.
"Now for the important part," Leo told us. "Wait until I'm safely across, then follow." He started up his new twin tails, lifted off, and flew straight across to the other side.
Once Leo landed, Mathew jumped up and hit one wall with a Homing Attack. He then proceeded to hop from wall to wall using the Triangle Jump that the boys knew so well.
What Mathew had failed to remember, however, was how dusty the wall was. At the last jump, he sneezed and fell off the wall. Leo flew down and saved him just in time. "Thanks a lot, Leo," Mathew said to Leo. "I owe you one."
"No problem," Leo replied. "That's what friends are for."
While I watched this feat of heroism, I almost forgot about crossing the pit. I opened my X-powder and copied the boys' methods, opting for Rouge the Bat. Flying across was no big deal at all, as it turned out.
MEANWHILE - UNKNOWN AREA
"Sir, we've just noticed something strange on security monitor 28C. Apparently a two-tailed fox, a hedgehog, and a bat have cleared the large pit and are coming this way."
"What? Let me see that monitor! Hm, this IS strange. I would never expect- Hey, wait! Get a close-up of the fox's ear."
"Yes, sir. Just give me a moment … there!"
"Just as I thought. A pencil. That fox must be Leo. And I'd be willing to bet that the bat and hedgehog are Sam and Matthew."
"Should we 'ghost' them, like we did with Clover and Alex?"
"No, they'd probably outsmart us if we did that. Let's cage them."
"Okay, sir."
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That last dialogue exchange was just to build suspense. It does indicate, however, that whoever is behind the Horror Haven disappearances has probably had a run-in with WOOHP before.