Chapter 26: Tumultuous Turquois

"Another Chaos Emerald?" Sonic asked, tilting his head in curiosity as he kept himself afloat in the pool.

"Y-yeah…" Tails jumped from his floatie and back to the side of the pool before studying the findings on his Miles Electric once more.

"Where?" Sonic pulled himself out of the pool as well, shaking himself like a wet dog to get the water out of his fur, before peering over the horizon, using his hand to shield his eyes from the sun above. "I don't see landfall anywhere."

"That's the thing," Tails replied. "It isn't on land at all. In fact…" The fox pointed toward his feet. "The fifth Chaos Emerald is in the ocean!"

"In the ocean?!" Sonic gasped, raising a palm to his mouth in fright. "T-tails, tell me you're jokin' lil' buddy!" He placed his hands on the fox's shoulders and started shaking him.

"I'm sorry, Sonic," Tails shook his head, "but my detector isn't lying. The signal is spotty, with the link to the Master Emerald back on Mobius being weak, but it's been accurate for us thus far."

"For once…" Sonic released his grip on Tails' shoulders and approached the guard rail surrounding the perimeter of the cruise ship. "I wish you were wrong." The blue hedgehog peered down at the ocean waters below gently crashing into the side of the ship. He took a big gulp before turning back around to face his little brother once more.

"All right, Tails, so we know where the Chaos Emerald is, but how are we supposed to get to it?" Sonic crossed his arms as he tapped his foot on the floor. "Could you invent something to get it for us?"

"How would that even work?" Tails asked, raising a hand to his chin as the other held his tablet outstretched. "It's not like there are parts lying around, and besides: it would take days to construct something sophisticated enough to retrieve and return the Chaos Emerald from such a deep depth."

"I suppose swimming isn't an option either?" Amy asked as she pulled herself out of the pool as well.

"No dice." Tails nodded. "The emerald is rather deep. Either the water pressure or lack of oxygen would kill you if you made that attempt."

"Well, there goes that plan," Amy replied as she snapped her fingers in frustration. By this point, Cream and Cheese had finished playing in the water and were listening in on the conversation from the side of the pool. Helen had also made her way over to the group, and Doug and Alicia stayed behind, resting under the shade of their beach table umbrella. Chuck arrived too, carrying a martini in one hand and a cigar in the other.

"What about Topaz and Rouge?" Helen asked, raising a finger to her chin. "If we tell them there's a Chaos Emerald out here, I'm sure they could get the government to send a submarine to retrieve it."

"That's true," Chuck replied after taking a sip of his beverage, "but if the government got their hands on one of the emeralds, I'm sure they'd want to keep it for themselves, meaning Eggman would get his hands on it eventually."

"But still," Tails replied, "that may be our best option." The fox opened the calling application on his tablet. "Any objections to asking Rouge?"

"None from me," Sonic replied, giving his younger brother a thumbs up. "Do whatcha gotta do."

"Alright, calling now." Placing the Miles Electric on the nearest beach table, the fox stood it up and sat down, clearing his throat in preparation for the impending conversation.

"The worst part of this job," Topaz muttered as she grabbed a form from atop a high stack on her small desk in her cramped office, "is all the damn paperwork!" Peering at her monitor, there were no incoming messages or alerts; it was a quiet day with no thrill or action.

Taking a sip of her coffee, she sighed into her cup before returning her focus to work. "Well, at least I can start getting through my backlog."

"Hey there, partner."

Topaz peered up to find Rouge at the door. Instead of her normal attire, though, she was wearing a custom secret agent outfit like the one Topaz was issued.

"What do you think? Fits me perfectly, right?" Rouge put one hand on her hip before twirling around to give her human companion a look from behind as well. Her pants even had a covering for her tail which offered enough elasticity for her to wag it without restriction.

Topaz blushed. "It's great that you're finally dressing the part at least."

"That's not what I asked, and you know it," Rouge replied as she approached the desk, placing her palm on the surface before using her fingers to slowly walk her hand closer to Topaz's paperwork. "You think I look good, don't you?"

Topaz returned to her report, her face a brighter shade of crimson. "I think you look like a consummate professional."

"Such praise coming from Topaz, indeed!" Rouge replied before swiping her paper away.

"H-hey, give me that!" Topaz swung her arm in a failed attempt at retrieving the document, but the mischievous bat folded the paper and hid it behind her back, using her free hand to wag her finger.

"You work too damn hard, sister," Rouge said.

"Yeah, and you're making my job a million times harder," Topaz argued, reaching forward with another failed attempt.

"Haven't you ever thought about taking a load off? Maybe goin' on vacation?" Rouge grinned. "They offer enough leave for you to travel anywhere you'd like."

"As long as the President needs me, my personal comfort can wait, now hold still!" Topaz leapt across her desk, spilling her stack of paperwork as she lunged toward the jewel thief. Rouge was caught off guard, and the human agent was on top of her within seconds.

"Aha!" Topaz cheered as she pulled the form from Rouge's hands. "It looks like I came out on top this time!"

"Yeah, in more ways than one…" Rouge gave Topaz a wide smirk. It was in that moment when the human agent realized the position she was in, sitting on top of the bat, her legs on either side of her belly.

"You comfy up there?" Rouge asked. "See, I knew you were a top."

"I take back what I said about you being a consummate professional!" Topaz exclaimed as she pulled herself off the bat, dusted herself off, and returned to her desk, her face still flush red. She was followed behind by Rouge, who returned to her feet as well before taking her seat on Topaz's lap.

"Do I need to file a complaint with Human Resources?" Topaz asked as she tried peering over Rouge's shoulder.

"C'mon, you know you like it. Why would you settle on boring paperwork when we could play some good cop, bad cop? I even have the outfit and everything!"

"Was that seriously why you commissioned the uniform?" Topaz sighed as she tried peering over Rouge's other shoulder, but the bat simply tilted her head.

"Maybe," Rouge replied with a grin. "Now are we gonna go on that date or what?"

"What date?" Topaz asked, a vein appearing across her forehead.

"What, don't tell me you already forgot? Tisk tisk…" Rouge wagged her finger once more. "For someone as professional as you, I'm surprised you can't remember something as simple as a date."

"The only date I have is the one with my couch." Topaz leaned back, dropping her pen on her desk, coming to the realization that she would get no work done as long as Rouge was there to interrupt her.

"No, no, you promised me last week we'd go for a girl's night out, remember?" Rouge tilted her head back to stare into the human's eyes. "Maybe grab some drinks too?"

"If I say yes, will you stop bugging me?" Topaz's face grew a darker shade of crimson as Rouge's face crept ever closer.

"Hey, that's what you said last time!" Rouge replied. "This time, I'll hold you to it!"

"Okay, sure," Topaz nodded her head. "Now can you leave me alo—" She was interrupted by the sound of a loud saxophone.

"Hey, someone's calling me!" Rouge pulled the smartphone out from behind her wing and answered. "Hello? Super Secret Special Agent Rouge the Bat at your service."

"Hey there, Rouge! It's Tails," said the two-tailed fox on the other line.

"What's up, fox boy?" Rouge pulled herself off Topaz, electing to take a seat on the agent's messy desk instead.

"Well, we've kinda got a situation here…" Tails rubbed the back of his head.

"What kind of situation? Something fun?" Rouge smirked as she crossed one leg over the other, dangling off the side of Topaz's desk.

"Remember that trip the president sent us on? Well…we kinda found a Chaos Emerald."

"Oh?" The mention of the priceless gem immediately piqued the interest of the jewel thief. "You found it in the middle of the ocean?"

"Precisely!" Tails nodded. "The only problem is that we lack the means to retrieve the emerald."

"Topaz and I will take care of it! Just send us the coordinates, and I will secu—I mean…we will secure the Chaos Emerald in no time at all!"

"Great! Thanks a lot, Rouge! I owe ya one."

Rouge hung up the phone and twisted her body around, still sitting on the desk with her legs now dangling off the opposite side, resting on Topaz's knees.

"It looks like we're going on an adventure after all!" Rouge said with a wink. "And for a Chaos Emerald no less."

"Well, I guess the paperwork can wait," Topaz replied as she started picking up the documents that Rouge spilled across the floor. The eager bat grabbed hold of her hand, however, dragging her out of the office. "At least let me clean up your mess first!"

"No time, boss woman," Rouge declared. "There's an unclaimed emerald in the middle of the ocean, and it's our job to retrieve it."

"Okay, fiiine, at least let go of my hand." For once, the bat accepted her request, letting go of her palm.

"What's wrong? Not into it today?" The bat proceeded to give her partner a wink before walking forward, further toying with her by wagging her tail.

Topaz was blushing furiously, but taking a long sigh, she composed herself, soon following the bat down to the command center to receive permission to requisition the necessary supplies for the job.

As Tails was wrapping up his conversation with Rouge, a figure dressed in black, complete with a ski mask, found his way under a nearby, towel-covered beach chair. He peaked out from underneath to get a good view of the party and exclaimed when he heard Tails' plan to seek help from the government.

"I need to report this to Mister Thorndyke right away!" he said to himself as he threw his arms up, sending the chair flying overboard, revealing his secret hiding spot for the Mobians and humans to plainly see, confused expressions across their faces.

"Ohh, ummm…" The figure jumped up and tiptoed away. "You didn't see anything! I'm just a figment of your imagination…" For good measure, he twirled his arms around as he walked backward before twisting around and making a run for it, heading back to Chris' cabin.

"Mister Thorndyke! Urgent ne—" Tanaka froze as he observed Chris sitting in an oversized hot tub pouring a cup of Mountain Dew for a half-submerged, upright body pillow of a wheelchair-less Helen. "Oh god, I'm so sorry! I'll come back when you're decen—"

"No! You come back here this instant so I can punish you properly!" Chris jumped up, tipping his cup all over the body pillow. "AAAAAA, Helen! Nooo!" The boy pulled the pillow out of the hot tub and laid it across the floor, stroking where hair would have been. "You're not hurt, are you Helen my darling?" He lowered his head toward the pillow, placing his ear where the heart would be. "Oh, thank God. Now…" Chris turned to his butler. "If you don't tell me why you so rudely interrupted my romantic moment, I will wrap you in chains and throw you into the ocean!"

"It's Sonic, sir!" Tanaka began flailing his arms frantically. "They found a Chaos Emerald right below us in the ocean, and they're calling in the government to help retrieve it!"

"Oh, is that so…" Chris grinned as he lifted the Helen body pillow off the floor, giving the forehead a long kiss before placing it back in the hot tub. Pressing the button to generate bubbles, he ensured the pillow was properly secured before approaching his butler, punching him in the gut. "Send for my submarine at once. If all ends well, we'll be out of here before the military even arrives."

"Yes, Mister Thorndyke." The butler coughed multiple times, clutching his lower belly before running out of the room to make the call.

"C'mon, Topaz, let me take this baby for a spin."

Rouge reached out from the passenger seat to the controls of the helicopter.

"Absolutely not," Topaz replied as she swatted the bat's hands away.

"Wow, someone's in a feisty mood," Rouge said with a smirk. "I kinda like it."

"I will remind you," Topaz was blushing profusely once more, "that you are to remain in your designated seat. Helicopters can be difficult to maneuver, and I need utmost concentration until we get to the cruise ship."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, toots," Rouge shrugged her shoulders, "I'll have you know that I have experience piloting a helicopter myself."

"Oh really?" Topaz said with a raised eyebrow. "Did you receive classroom and field training on how to effectively pilot helicopters and other aircrafts in combat situations?"

"Well…not quite," Rouge replied as she placed her hands behind her head, leaning back in her seat. "I've piloted a helicopter one time, and that was while fleeing Eggman's base back on Mobius."

"And did you happen to crash?" Topaz asked, peering over at the jewel thief with a smirk across her face.

"That's not important!" Rouge protested1 as she crawled over the human, placing herself in Topaz's lap.

"What in the hell are you doing?!" The elder agent tried pulling the Mobian off her, but the bat held firm, gripping the controls until Topaz gave up.

"Relax, relax, I know what I'm doing! I'm a consummate professional, after all." The bat gave her human companion a wink before returning to the controls.

"Fiiine," Topaz replied with a sigh, placing her hands on her legs. "Just don't get us killed, okay?"

"Aye, aye, Cap'n!" The Mobian gave her a salute with her free hand before leaning the helicopter forward, increasing its speed. "Hold on, girl, it's time to see what this thing can do!"

"Rouge, stop it!" Topaz pulled back on the control, leveling off the helicopter.

"Oh no you don't!" Rouge pushed in the control stick once more.

"Watch out, you're gonna crash! Aaaaaaah!" Topaz screamed as Rouge, with a wide smirk across her face, pulled back on the controls at the last second, leveling out mere feet away from the surface of the ocean.

"That was reckless and irresponsible!" Topaz complained as she pulled Rouge from her lap. Unlike before, however, the bat did not resist the human plopping her back in the passenger seat.

"But you enjoyed it, right?" Rouge folded her arms as she stared back at the elder agent.

"I…ummmm…well…." She blushed before returning her focus to the path away. "That's not the point."

"So you did enjoy it!" Rouge pointed at her, smirking once more.

"Our pleasure shouldn't come at the cost of wasting taxpayer dollars." Topaz argued. "Maybe if you acted more professionally you could grow to become a well-respected, high-ranking officer."

"Ohh, you really mean that?" Rouge smirked as she placed her hand on her chest. "I, Rouge the jewel thief, have always wanted to be a top general for the government! Yes, that's my new career aspiration!"

"You're wasting your talents, Rouge." Topaz shook her head. "You could go really far if you abandoned your life of crime and lived a legitimate life."

"Oh, and my life before wasn't legitimate enough?" Rouge tilted her head, clearly not offended by her human companion's blunt words.

"Well, maybe that was a bit too har—" Topaz froze when she felt a kiss on her cheek. Pulling away after a good 10 seconds, Rouge watched in satisfaction as the human's face remained cherry red. Topaz placed a hand on her cheek.

"What, did you enjoy tha—" Rouge's question was cut short as she was interrupted by a sudden kiss on the lips by her superior officer. Lasting a solid 15 seconds, Topaz quickly pulled away, returning her focus back on the controls as the jewel thief sat in a daze. For once, it was the bat who was blushing. "W-wow, I didn't th—"

"Shut it." Topaz ordered. "We're almost there." Sure enough, Rouge shifted her focus to the cruise ship in the middle of the ocean. Pressing a few buttons on the control panel, she dialed Tails.

"Hey Topaz! We can see you!" Peering down at the ship, the agent was able to make out Tails waving back at the helicopter. "You can lower your altitude and deploy the submarine."

"Roger." Topaz nodded before dropping the helicopter closer to the water's surface, and with a final button press, the submarine affixed to the bottom of the helicopter fell, landing in the water and floating in place.

"Thanks, Topaz!" Tails replied. "I think we're ready t—" Tails was interrupted by the unmistakable sound of a different helicopter heading their way.

"You fools!"

Tails and the rest of the party turned to face Chris, who was still wearing his bathing suit, his hands on his hips as he laughed defiantly at the others.

"You see, I had my super-secret spy Mr. Tanaka report to me that you were going to ask the government to help you get the Chaos Emerald, but unlike you, I don't need to ask for handouts! My family's wealth paid for an expedited submarine delivery, and unfortunately for you losers…" Chris gestured toward the other submarine as it dropped to the water, the hatch opening shortly after by the onboard pilot. "…I will be claiming dibs on the emerald."

"Ummm, I don't think you know what dibs are, dude," Sonic replied nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders.

"Of course I do, you uncultured swine!" Chris raised a defiant finger to the air. "When someone calls dibs, that means the person with the most wealth can claim the thing in question. In this case, because I have billions upon billions of dollars in my trust fund, I will always win at dibs."

"How does that make any sense?" Tails asked. "By that logic, you could claim dibs on everything!"

"I wouldn't expect your feeble little animal brains to comprehend my superior mental processing powers!" Chris tapped his head with a single finger before eyeing the submarine once more. "Now, I'd like to stay n' chat, but I have a date with a Chaos Emerald."

"Wait!" Helen called, rolling toward the young boy.

"What is it? Did my well-defined pectorals make me irresistible?" Chris proceeded to flex his noodle arms, a sight that made Helen's face green. She forced herself to contain her vomit.

"You don't have to do this, Chris," Helen clasped Chris' hands. "Please, don't work with Dr. Eggman! Imagine what harm he'll do if he gets ahold of the emeralds!"

"Stupid girl." The Thorndyke slapped her hand away. "I have Eggman under my thumb. As long as I control his assets, he can't rebel against me, so when I gather all the Chaos Emeralds, I will use them for good."

"Good, huh?" Sonic scoffed. "I bet good isn't even in your dictionary."

"I'll have you know," Chris replied angrily, marching over to Sonic, whose grin made the young boy irate, "that when I force the people to respect the supreme rule of me and my family, they will be happier and live more fulfilling lives. They're too stupid to know what's in their best interests, but if I force them to worship me, they will finally have a purpose greater than themselves."

"Spoken like a true psychopath," Sonic scoffed. "Or maybe it's the daddy issues talkin'? Can't stand when someone says no to your face? Is that why you want to take away everyone's free will?

"Why I oughta…" Chris threw a punch at the blue hedgehog, but he swiftly dodged it, making Chris fall face forward.

"What's the matter, Chris? Can't keep up?" Sonic laughed as he placed his gloved hands on his hips. "You may be rich, but it'll never buy you class, and it will never make you fast enough to keep up with my speed."

"When I have the Chaos Emeralds," Chris replied as he pulled himself up, "I will wish for speed immeasurable, and you'll be forced to bow down to my supreme awesomeness! Now, my prize awaits." The boy approached the rail nearest his private submarine. "Tanaka! Go fetch a ladder for me at once."

"Yes sir!" With a salute, the butler ran back to his cabin.

"Do you think we'll just let you steal the emerald that easily?" Amy approached the rich kid, the Piko Piko Hammer in her hands and a fiery aura glowing around her. The pink hedgehog pointed the hammer at Chris' face, causing him to stand back, leaning against the guard rail as sweat started forming along his brow.

"If you even so much as touch a strand of my hair with your kawaii hammer, I will have my team of lawyers so far up your ass that you'll be given a life sentence."

"As much as it pains me to say it," Tails said as he placed a hand on Amy's shoulder, "he's right. People like Chris' parents write the rules because they hold all the power. We'd be on the run, with no support from Rouge or Topaz, if that were to happen."

With a frustrated scream, Amy threw her hammer in the opposite direction, eventually rolling into the pool. "Damn it, I know! That bastard just makes me so angry I wanna strangle the guts out of him!"

"Ms. Amy!" Cream approached the pink hedgehog. "That's not nice to say at all. My momma taught me to keep my mouth shut if I had nothing nice to say…"

"Y-yeah, you're right, Cream…" The innocent words of the young bunny resonated. She dropped to a single knee and gave her some head pats. "Sorry, that probably wasn't very pleasant to hear. I'll do better next time." The young bunny simply smiled in response as Cheese made circles above the two girls.

"You may have a veil of flame around you," Chris said, approaching the pink hedgehog and giving her a few condescending pats on the head, "but my money cloaks me in a shield of invincibility! Which is a shame, too, because I could totally beat the shit out of everyone on this boat with my insane karate skills."

"Yeah, I bet…" A vein appeared across Amy's forehead as she rearranged her hair, trying as hard as she could to resist the urge to flatten him like a pancake with her hammer.

"How 'bout this."

The party turned to Sonic, who was smiling as he leaned against a guardrail, his arms crossed along his chest. Opening his eyes, he raised a single finger to the air. "Let's race for it."

"Excuse me?" Chris scoffed. "What do you mean?"

"It's simple, really." Sonic approached the young boy. "You and your pilot can try getting the emerald before Tails and I do in our submarine. The one who gets the Chaos Emerald first keeps it." The blue hedgehog rubbed the base of his nose before locking eyes with the young boy. "Sound fair?"

"Fair?" Chris laughed maniacally. "You do realize my sub's piloted by a navy veteran, right? We'll eat you for breakfast!"

"I wouldn't be so sure 'bout that," Sonic replied as he gestured to Tails, "because I'll have the best pilot on Mobius on my side!" The compliment made Tails blush.

"Well, you're on!" Chris proceeded to spit in his palm, extending his arm out to the blue hedgehog. Sonic cringed at the sight, stepping back.

"No thank you." Sonic shook his head and turned his attention to Tails. "Let's have a quick huddle before we start." Chris cringed in offense at the hedgehog's refusal to shake his dirty hand.

"Sure thing." Tails nodded as the two stepped away, kneeling slightly and putting their arms over each other's shoulders as if they were preparing a football play. "So, what's the plan?"

"Well," Sonic replied, "I doubt Chris thought his half-baked plan through, but I figured you'd have a winning strategy." The hedgehog crouched lower, the fox bending his knees further as well. Sonic whispered, "How do we grab the emerald while we're in the sub?"

"Good question…" Tails raised a finger to his chin in thought. "Well, the submarine should have a pressurized waste disposal system. I should be able to reverse the system so that it sucks in water at high pressure, but only for a brief period. We don't want to overfill the sanitary tank and make the submarine fill with water!"

"Yeah, tell me 'bout it…" Sonic peered across the ocean and visibly shook. "You know, I kinda forgot that we'd be in the water here. I'm startin' to get goosebumps."

Tails placed his hand on Sonic's shoulder. "It'll be okay, Sonic, promise! I'll do the piloting and keep us dry. But first…" The fox dialed Topaz once more, who was still hovering in the helicopter, keeping their submarine suspended above. "You are free to drop the sub now. I'll need to make a few modifications before we can retrieve the emerald."

"Don't forget to tell 'em about the competition!" Sonic reminded.

"Oh yeah, don't mind the other submarine. Chris and Sonic are going to compete to see who can grab the emerald first."

"What?" Topaz raised a finger to her chin. "Well…if this were anybody else, we'd order them not to interfere in official government business…but it's that damn Thorndyke brat." The agent gritted her teeth. "Okay, I guess we have no choice in the matter. A feud with the Thorndyke heir would spark political drama for the President." The human agent turned to her Mobian counterpart. "You are clear to drop the submarine."

"Aye, aye." Rouge pressed a button on the dashboard, releasing the submarine from the helicopter's restraints, landing in the ocean below.

"Use the top hatch to enter," Topaz said into her phone. "Do what you need to do, but just try not to damage government property."

"Understood." Tails placed the Miles Electric back into his namesakes and called to Chris. "Just give me a few minutes to prepare. Get my bearings n' all that."

"Take all the time in the world, losers." Chris was relaxing in a beach chair sipping a Capri-Sun as Tanaka held a portable fan to his face. "I needed to work on my tan anyway."

"You coming, Sonic?" Tails asked, looking back at his nervous yet ultimately determined big brother.

"Y-yes, let's do it to it!" The blue hedgehog gave the orange fox a thumbs up before the two jumped on top of the submarine. Twisting the hatch open, the fox opened the door, letting Sonic dive in first, an offer he didn't let slip through his fingers. Tails hopped in next, closing the hatch above.

"Wow, talk about claustrophobia!" Sonic noted. "It's cramped even for us Mobians! Just imagine what it'd be like for a team of humans to be livin' in this thing."

"Yeah, I bet," Tails replied. "I'd much rather be in the air." The fox approached the controls, studying the various buttons, monitors, and levers. "Okay, I think I've got a firm grasp of how this baby operates. Now I just need to tinker with the waste disposal system. Just don't use the bathroom while we're on board, and we should be fine."

"You got it, bro." Giving the fox a final thumbs up, Sonic watched as Tails traveled to the rear of the submarine. Turning back to the monitors, the blue hedgehog took his turn to study the hardware. "Ya know, I dunno how Tails can just read a dashboard n' already know how to use it. I'm sure glad I'm not the one who's piloting!" Sitting in the passenger seat, Sonic twirled the chair around before peering into the display showing the blue sky and ocean waters. "Man, I'd rather be out there than in here! I feel like a sardine in this tin can."

"Finished!" Tails called from the rear.

"That's great!" Sonic replied as the fox returned to the control center, pulling out his Miles Electric.

"Do you have a Chaos Emerald handy?"

"Of course!" The blue hedgehog pulled the green gem from his quills.

"Excellent!" Tails shifted his focus to the controls, starting the submarine and running through an impromptu safety checklist. "The Miles Electric can still track the emerald's signal, but it may get spotty, but your emerald should start glowing as we get closer."

"Way past cool!" Sonic cheered. "You've always got contingencies. I have no idea how Chris thinks he'll get the emerald before us."

"Through trickery," Tails replied. "We should be on our toes."

"You don't have to tell me twice." Sonic nodded as he folded his arms. "That's brat's only good for playing dirty. I wasn't expecting a fair race."

Tails grabbed a corded communicator from the dash and started speaking into it. "Sonic and I are ready to go!"

"Okay, okay, hold your horses…" Chris clapped his hands, a signal for Tanaka to help him up. The butler then prepared a rope ladder the boy would use to climb down to his submarine. After a few minutes of carefully meandering down the ladder, the boy finally reached the hatch, which the pilot opened for his convenience.

"Hey, snot for brains," Chris said through his own communicator, the signal transmitting to Tails' submarine. "You can hear me, right?"

"Sure." Tails replied.

"Then a onetwothreelet'sgooooo!" With that, Chris' submarine took a head start.

"Talk about bein' overeager." Sonic scoffed.

"Lucky for us," Tails replied as he enhanced the image on his Miles Electric, "he's going in the wrong direction." The fox proceeded to sink down, submerging the vessel under the ocean water. Only the sounds of the submarine's blips and Sonic's nervous teeth chattering could be heard.

"When I said we were under the Chaos Emerald," Tails commented as Sonic's green gem started glowing in his quills, "I meant it. It actually wasn't very far. I don't know where Chris thinks he's going, but as far as I can tell…" they could now see the turquoise gem on their monitor's feed from the camera directly below the vessel, "we've already won."

With the press of another button, the fox sucked the emerald into the submarine. Leaving the control center, Tails returned moments later holding the mystic gem, whose glow drew stark contrast to the pale green lights of the submarine.

"And now we can head back," Sonic noted as Tails took his seat. "Kind of anti-climactic, though."

"Don't jinx it," Tails replied with a chuckle as he started the ascent back to the ocean's surface. "You'll never know what Chris'll do if he's on the verge of loosi—" The fox was cut off by a rumble from the side of the vessel. Gasping, Sonic and Tails watched as Chris' submarine careened into their own.

"Hehe, sorry," Sonic said as he ran a hand through his quills, a sweat drop appearing on the side of his head.

"You didn't jinx anything, Sonic," Tails replied as he grabbed the communicator. "What the heck are you doing, Chris? You do realize what you're doing is stupid and dangerous, right?"

"I don't think you numbskulls realize who you're messing with,' Chris replied. "I always get what I want, no exceptions!"

Crash!

"Ummm, Sonic?"

"Y-yeah, buddy?"

"The submarine is sinking!"

"Dang it! That stupid brat!" Sonic snapped his fingers. "Looks like we'll need to make an emergency escape."

"Come on!" Tails pointed to the hatch. "Just hold your breath, and I'll swim you out of here."

"No, Tails," Sonic replied. "I think I'll do the savin' today."

"What do you mean? You don't mean…"

"Yes." Sonic nodded. "Just hug me tight, and I'll take you to safety."

"Alright, I trust you, big brother…" Tails wrapped his furry arms around Sonic's back, his face buried into his chest and his cheeks full of air. Sonic took a deep breath as well before opening the hatch. Just as the water started pouring in, Sonic jumped out, his body now completely submerged in ocean water.

Okay Sonic, don't panic…don't freak out…just like Amy taught me…

The blue hedgehog couldn't take in a deep breath to calm his nerves, but he was still able to wash away his anxiety with deep mental focus. He studied the calm water around him, the feeling of Tails' heart pounding against his chest, and the sunlight penetrating through the surface of the ocean above.

Let's do this…

Kicking his legs, and performing breaststrokes, Sonic slowly made his way to the water's surface, with Tails still wrapped around his torso.

Hey, I'm doin' it! I'm swimming in the ocean! I wish Amy could see me now.

Sonic didn't have time to celebrate, however; he was in dire need of oxygen, so he swam faster, eventually reaching the surface with little time to spare.

Sonic and Tails took big gasps of air as the fox loosened his grip on his big brother.

"You okay, lil' bro?" Sonic asked.

"Y-yeah," Tails replied with a nod. "I didn't think you had that sort of swimming in you."

"Hey, you know what they say," Sonic replied as he started swimming back to the cruise ship, lifebuoys already flung out for them, "an old hedgehog can still learn new tricks."

Sonic and Tails grabbed hold of their buoys, getting pulled back up to the deck of the cruise ship moments later.

"Sonic!" Amy was the first to hug the blue hedgehog, getting herself nearly as drenched. "Are you alright? What happened?"

"Nothin' Tails and I can't handle," Sonic replied, giving the pink hedgehog a thumbs up.

"What happened to the sub?" Topaz asked, Rouge by her side. Their helicopter was parked on the helipad on the opposite side of the ship.

"Well, you see…" Tails ran a wet hand down the back of his head. "Chris kinda…sunk it."

"He what!?" Topaz exclaimed. "Who does that brat think he is?"

"I can answer that!" Sonic pulled the turquoise emerald from Tails' namesakes. "A loser!"

The team cheered. Even Cream, who generally doesn't like when people are mean to each other, joined in on the fun.

"So that means we have five Chaos Emeralds?" Helen asked.

"Yep!" Tails replied. "Knuckles has the red one, and we have the purple, green, blue, and now turquoise gems. Only two more to go until we get to go home!"

The celebration was cut short when the Thorndyke submarine emerged from the ocean. The hatch opened, revealing an irate Chris.

"What the fuck are you guys doing on the ship?!" The boy pointed angrily at the ocean below. "I crashed your submarine! You should be fish food by now! God dammit!" Chris slammed his foot on the submarine's roof. "I hate that hedgehog! And I hate that fox! Always ruining my plans…getting in the way!" He sighed loudly. "This vacation is officially over." Chris shifted his attention to Tanaka, who was watching from the side of the cruise ship. "Butler! Get my room packed. We're leaving on the Thorndyke helicopter on the double!"

"Right away, Mr. Thorndyke!" Tanaka bowed before running back to his room to pack.

After taking a good three minutes to climb up the rope ladder, Chris fell at Sonic's feet in exhaustion. Peering up, he saw the hedgehog snickering back down at him.

"What's so funny, blue freak?"

"Oh, nothin'. Just thinkin' about how much fun the rest of our vacation will be without you stinkin' up the joint."

"Why you…" The Thorndyke made another attempt at punching Sonic, and like before, the speedy hedgehog dodged, except this time, Chris didn't fall on the floor; he fell over the guardrails and landed back in the ocean.

"C'mon, guys," Sonic called. "Let's leave that brat alone. He can fend for himself. How 'bout some chili dogs?"

Tails watched as Chris struggled to keep himself above the water's surface before clasping onto the side of his submarine. Tails chuckled before turning to his big brother. "Yeah! Let's get some food and enjoy the rest of our cruise in peace!"

"Yeah!" The group cheered.

By the time Chris managed to pull himself back up into the cruise ship, all the guests were lined up in beach style chairs, soaking up the rays as they enjoyed plates of chili dogs. Sonic and Tails were even wearing matching sunglasses.

"Mr. Thorndyke never accepts defeat!" Chris yelled as he pointed at the two brothers. "You will be sorry for besmirching the family name!"

"Big oof." Sonic waved the boy away with one hand as he kept the other behind his head. "Hey, didn't you say you were leavin'? You're blocking the sun and ruinin' the vibe."

Chris was fuming, but he left all the same, pouting in his cabin as he awaited Tanaka to finish packing his bags.

"Well…" The boy pulled out the half-drenched Helen body pillow from the hot tub. "At least I still have you, my love."

He gave the pillow a kiss on the lips.

1: See chapter 6 of A Prelude to Chaos Control.