Author's note: My lord, I'm getting lazy. Maybe I should get out more. Nah.
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Chapter 3: More Investigation
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Central City, the city area just east of Emerald Town, was a bustling metropolis. Cars and people were constantly on the move, and Sonic and Tails had a hard time getting through traffic of both kinds.
"MR. SONIC!"
Hearing a familiar voice call out, Tails and Sonic turned their attention to the apartment complex where Amy and Cream shared a room. Cream the Rabbit was standing just outside, and she looked anxious.
"Cream!" Tails yelled. "You look awfully worried. Did something happen?"
Sonic and Tails joined with Cream in the entryway. "Amy's been missing," Cream explained. "She went out last night to do some shopping, and she hasn't come back."
"What was she going to buy?" Sonic inquired.
"She made me promise not to tell," Cream explained. "She just said it was something for you, Sonic."
Tails nodded. "Hm. Rouge was in my lab last night, and she did something with the tele-transporter. We're on our way to investigate. Maybe Amy's disappearance is connected to it somehow. Want to come with us, Cream?"
Cream agreed. "Well, okay. Oh, Amy, where are you?"
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Rosebat had already left Club Rouge, and she had by now gone out of the city and approached Knuckles' place. If anyone would understand her predicament, she figured, he would.
Crossing the bridge, Rosebat knocked on the wall. "Knuckles? Knuckles, are you in?"
Knuckles was in, and he was immediately out. "Yeah, I'm in. Whaddya want? I'm busy polishing the Master Emerald."
The mention of the Master Emerald diverted the Rouge side of Rosebat, but not as much the Amy side, so Rosebat was left in confusion for a moment. "I- well- I want- give me- could you- I mean- how would-"
Needless to say, Knuckles' patience ran out quite quickly. "Spit it out, ya freak, I don't have all day."
Freak! Neither side of Rosebat would have been able to retain self-control after that insult. With a yell, Rosebat displayed Amy's hammer, and attempted to slam the echidna over the head with it. Knuckles simply drove the hammer back with an uppercut punch.
Taking the offensive, Knuckles lunged back and jumped into the air, fists first, in an attempt to slam Rosebat. But Rosebat was ready, and used a backward somersault to slip under the attack and give the echidna a double kick in the chest.
Knuckles crashed into the ground, recovered quickly, and swapped tactics. This time, he jumped up and burrowed into the ground. A moment later, he reached out from underground and attempted to seize Rosebat's ankle.
Rosebat, however, had used her bat wings to hover a few feet above the ground, and Knuckles' hand grabbed empty air. She took this opportunity to drop down and stomp on Knuckles' wrist. The battle went on for a while after that.
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"According to the tele-transporter's settings," Tails explained, "whoever used it was dropped off right here."
Sonic nodded. "We'd better ask around for information about our mysteries. Maybe we'll find something."
As Sonic, Cream and Tails approached the nearest building, a man stopped them. "Stop! What's the password?"
"Never mind the password," Tails interjected. "Have you seen a flirtatious bat girl with purple wings and blue eyelids around here?"
"Or a pink hedgehog girl wearing a red dress with white trim?" Sonic added.
The man thought about it for a moment, then spoke. "Wait, I know what you're talking about. The two dames you're talking about are called Rouge and Amy, right?"
Cream was practically filled with excitement. "You've seen them?"
"Sort of," the man explained. "Some female came here last night who looked like, er… well, let's just say that if Amy and Rouge did that dance from that Japanese cartoon, the female who was here would be the result. Seriously, she looked like those two fused together."
"Tell us more," Tails begged.
"I'm afraid I don't know any more than that. I wasn't on duty that night. Max was. He's just inside. Give me the password, and I'll let you by."
The three animals didn't know the password, so they retreated. "I guess we're stuck," Cream sighed.
"Maybe we're not," Tails figured. By now he had been able to put two and two together. He had just remembered that the tele-transporter was a prototype that could not safely teleport more than one person at a time. In fact, it could fuse multiple occupants into one being.
"Amy and Rouge were both at my lab last night," Tails explained. "It was raining, so Amy probably went in for shelter. Then, Rouge subdued her and programmed the tele-transporter to take them both to her club. That's why only Rouge's fingerprints were on the control panel."
Sonic snapped his fingers. "Tails, you're a genius."
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That's a wrap, folks. Stay tuned for the next chapter!