CHAPTER XIX – HEAD GAMES
At that moment as he was about to lunge, Amy screamed, "GET DOWN!"
Then Scourge let loose as he blasted across the desk. The reporters only barely dodged the attack as the Scourge slowed himself down and landed on the pane of glass that showed the city's skyline backdrop. He kicked off it with so much force that the window made a loud CRACK, but it didn't completely break it. And which direction did Scourge kick toward? Amy's, of course, with his sharp wings aimed at her pretty face.
Amy hastily got up, instinctively got a leg up on the desk and jumped high for the studio's rafters as Scourge's attack missed again but not without taking a large chunk out of the mahogany desk during the dive. Amy obviously didn't make it to the ceiling, but she landed back on the hardwood and found the panicked eyes of the other terrified witnesses. With a deathly seriousness in her eyes, she told the news team, "I've got this!"
Her compatriots weren't suited to deal with him. Neither was she, but out of everyone in the room, Amy had the most experience with getting out of tight spots with people like this from her Rascal days. That said, she was still in over her head because she knew she was outmatched and outclassed in a straight fight, but if it meant protecting her friends and buying more time for Sonic to get here, she had to take that chance.
Amy turned back to the attacker only to suddenly find Scourge in her face. "Crap," she said before he squeezed her wrist… hard. His victim winced at the pain and the subtle cracking of her bones. He reveled in her suffering as evidenced by that smile that, honestly, Amy was determined to wipe off if nothing else. That would have to come later as Scourge yanked her off the desk while keeping his hold as she fell to the floor. That wrist pain reared its head again when he forcefully brought Amy back to her feet while still clenching down hard.
She then quickly spit in his eyes to distract him for a second as that was all she needed. Amy followed that up by shoving the heel of her free hand into Scourge's lower jaw which didn't sit well with him. It was quickly countered with a savage headbutt that put her down on the floor. He still held her wrist and arm straight up with a nasty grip as she tried to regain her bearings which didn't feel great on her muscles. It was a good thing the adrenaline would keep the pain away for temporarily.
"You won't do that again," he assured in a cruel voice.
"Do what?" she asked amid the slight pain. "Get the jump on you?" What Scourge didn't notice was around her wrists. A pair of golden bands that she and Sonic were very adept in using. With her one arm still pointed to the ceiling, she jerked her wrist to shoot a line up. She then aimed her other grapple at Scourge's shoe and shot another line. As the lines reeled in, Amy went up while flipping Scourge ass-over-tit with an unceremonious landing. She then retracted both lines and let gravity takes its course she aimed to stomp on his exposed chest. Just then, he used his suit to shoot across the newsroom floor, but he carelessly rammed into a camera shoulder-first which diverted his attention. It wasn't the intended result, but Amy would take any small victory she could get. Not wanting this opening to go to waste, she shot out another line at the rafters as she got up looking for a headshot from her heels. She went flying and aimed her leg, but he got a wing up and swung it violently. She was too easy of a target being defenseless in the air.
WHAM!
It was Amy's turn to get thrown across the set as she found herself prone to anything Scourge might do next. When she stopped, she didn't get the chance to fight back as Scourge ran up to her and violently stomped on her bad arm making her yell out in pain. He then quickly grabbed that arm again, took off the first wrist grapple, and tossed it away. He reached for the other one when Amy shot the grapple at the far end of the studio, getting her some breathing room for a split-second. It really was only for a split-second as Scourge had hopped off her and sped to where the line was taking her. She retracted the line, but by then, it was too late. She had all this forward momentum and was easy pickings for another strike from the wing.
"RAAHHHHH!" Scourge roared as he cocked his arm back. Amy's life almost flashed before her eyes in that moment as she could already see a sharp, winged tip covered in her blood.
"Fuck!" Amy yelled as she tucked her head awaiting the pain.
Just then, a man running at full speed speared Scourge from the side, drilling him in the kidneys as he took the intruder down. Scourge looked up to see Max Acorn with eyes as furious as a raging bull's as he threw one punch that grazed his godson's face but caught more floor than flesh. In the process, Amy tumbled to a stop as she surveyed the scrap.
"DAD!" Sally yelled in horror as she saw her old man getting into the fray.
"I'll be fine, Sally!" he assured before turning back to his godson who had caught his second wind and drilled Max in the jaw with a gnarly right hand. It was a begrudgingly impressive blow given the awkward angle Scourge had been pinned at. Max reeled for a moment thus giving Scourge the chance to get out from underneath him and pelt him again across the face. The punch drew a scream from both Sally and Alicia as they looked on helplessly with Scourge pounding him again, this time in the gut as Max doubled over.
"Don't butt in, old man!" Scourge bellowed as he folded his hands, raised them up with a sinister grin, and threw down his balled-up hands, nailing Max in the back of the head as he went down. The Acorn patriarch's body went limp as he fell unconscious much to the horror of his girls' frightened eyes. He then knelt in front of the downed Acorn as Scourge lifted his head up to stare at Max's glossy expression.
Before he could do anything else, Scourge had to deal with Amy who he felt right behind him trying most likely for some sort of surprise attack. There was only one remedy for that. He took out a wing and backhanded Amy away making her land with a painful THUD!
With her out of the picture for the moment, Scourge grabbed Max and shook his head. "And now you're going to pay the penalty for getting involved," he hissed as he dragged him to the news desk and hoisted him onto it where Sally and Ken looked on in fear. But then Alicia came between the desk and Scourge, blocking his way.
"Move it," Scourge ordered. "Or else."
"I won't let you hurt Max anymore," she said in a spirited voice.
It made Scourge chuckle. "For a lady, you got balls. I'll give you that." And on that, he grabbed her with his other hand and chucked her over the desk into Sally and Ken. The trio were sprawled out on the floor as Sally checked to see if her mother was okay.
Scourge shook his head and unceremoniously dropped Max Acorn on the desk facedown. He then eyed the fallen news camera that he had bumped into earlier lying precariously on the floor. With a nasty idea swirling, he walked to the camera. With a sharp wing out and ready, he sliced the expensive camera off its apparatus with sparks flying from the exposed livewires dancing around Amy who unbeknownst to Scourge was conscious but acting knocked out.
Scourge's cord-cutting action was enough for the other cameramen and the director to back away slowly from the carnage with the feed still live on cameras #1 and #3. Scourge then grabbed the freed camera with both hands and hauled it over to the desk with evil on his mind. Sally, Ken, and Alicia could tell as much since they had the best look at Scourge's malicious grin.
How Scourge didn't shock himself slicing those cords with his metal wings was a mystery. That was the thought that came across Amy's mind when she stood up silently after waiting briefly for Scourge to turn the other way. Amy had nearly gotten fried as a result of Scourge's wild swinging that caused those livewires to—. Wait… livewires… that flight suit… didn't Tails say something about electrocution?
That was it! Or least Amy hoped it was! Tails said that the suit was liable to falter and maybe shock its user if it was put through the ringer too much, and while the suit still looked fine, did that mean that its operator was still susceptible to high voltage? Carbon-fiber wings or not, they were still on a steel exoskeleton, so wouldn't that imply that all the metal in the suit's exoskeleton was all conductive? If he could get a dose of voltage, it might score them the upset or at least buy Sonic more time!
Fuck it, their lives were on the line.
This was bad. From CREAM's point-of-view, Amy couldn't keep this up forever and had to be on her last legs. Then there was Max who was still out cold. Still, the cameras kept rolling. It was to CREAM's horror that she had to helplessly watch, but at least Amy hadn't been killed. However, it was only a matter of time until that happened.
The signal was maxed out as she pleaded to Chaos for a miracle that she could finally get through to Sonic. Time was of the essence. Everyone at the AMG was running out of it. Rouge and the police were on their way, but at this rate, they would not be needing paramedics on the scene. They would need body-bags.
"Tails?"
Wait, who was that? Could it be?!
"Tails! Come in!"
THANK CHAOS!
On the opposite side of the room, it was the worst-case scenario as Sally knew what was going to happen next. However, Sally could also see Amy quickly shoot out a line to grab her other wrist grapple on the other side of the room which thankfully Scourge didn't notice. Amy was then seen slowly and silently getting a hold of that exposed cable. While looking at Sally, Amy jerked her head toward Scourge with panicked desperation in her jade green eyes. Then it hit the reporter. She knew what Amy might be planning, but the Rascal needed a small distraction. It was a Hail Mary attempt, but they needed a miracle or two to happen if they were all going to survive.
Sally then got up and quickly vaulted over the desk in front of Scourge standing boldly in front of the attacker with arms spread out like her mother mere moments before. He didn't seem very impressed with the reporter's spunk, so he lowly told her, "Like mother, like daughter. Move it, Acorn."
"Make me," Sally said in defiance.
"Fine." He dropped the camera at his side before violently and instantaneously grabbing her by the blazer and shoving five feet away where she landed with a loud CRACK in her shoulder. The chipmunk muffled her scream as she instinctively grabbed her injury as Ken fumbled his way to her side.
"No!" Sally cried before pointing at Scourge. "Save dad!"
The monkey stopped for a second to process her fiancée's command before turning back to meet his cold, blue eyes. They paired well with his cheeky grin.
"Too late for that, Acorn," Scourge said as he grabbed the camera again. Ken then blindly rushed the villain who sidestepped him effortlessly. He even got the chance to literally kick Ken's ass on the way by which sent him crashing to the floor. He then looked back at the media princess. "This is happening, Sally."
She then darted her eyes behind Scourge to see her friend at the ready. Sally then smiled which made Scourge pause. "So is this!"
Suddenly, a line shot the news desk and began reeling Amy back into the fray. Scourge dropped the camera again as he rolled his eyes while turning to the pink hedgehog with something in her hand that was dragging behind. His growl turned into a pissed-off roar as he whipped out both his bladed wings and reared back for another strike as the Rascal sped to him.
"Gotcha!" Amy whispered.
She anticipated his next move perfectly. As he swiped to lop her head off, she shot off another line with the grapple that she had put back on a moment prior, sending her upward toward the rafters. Scourge was still in the middle of his attack's downswing. With the other bladed arm coming up as a result of his attack (on the follow-through), and that steel tip was out in the open.
In one motion, Amy let loose the grapple latched onto the ceiling and twisted in midair like an experienced gymnast. She landed perfectly in front of the desk and behind Scourge with electric cord in hand and a determined look in her eye. Scourge began to turn around in defense, but he was too late. Amy extended her hand with the wires and connected with that unforgiving steel.
ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Scourge screamed as the voltage coursed through his body. The agony made his body freeze up as the pain was too much. Amy's gamble paid off gangbusters as their unwelcome guest stood there taking all that volatile power coursing straight into his nervous system.
But then, he somehow swiped his wing and knocked the wiring out of Amy's hand thus disconnecting the current. His sudden movement came from some unthinking, bestial place as Amy stood there stunned that he was able to break it off. Then he swiped his wing again and landed a hit on Amy as she fell viciously to the floor. The off-balance swing caused Scourge to collapse beside the desk as his fur smoldered.
Since the electrical current had been severed before taking that hit, Amy didn't get shocked, but that blow from Scourge was making her see double. Sally and Ken quickly came up to help their brave friend who had saved Max and them for the time being, though the elder Acorn was still out of it when his wife started tending to him. Sally couldn't do much for Ken given her shoulder was still racked with pain, so instead, the monkey waved off Sally to help Amy. He was able to get Amy upright enough while her head was still spinning like a tilt-a-whirl from hell. Eventually, the Rascal was able to shake off the cobwebs enough to speak.
"Did I get him?" Amy asked woozily.
"Yes," Sally said with noticeable relief before hugging her friend with her good arm. "That was brave and stupid, y'know?"
"Yeah," Amy chuckled. "I know." She then turned to the desk where the patriarchal Acorn began to stir thanks to his wife's help. "Max, are you alright?"
"I-I think so," Max replied weekly as he got his body upright with his legs hanging off the front of the desk. By his side was Alicia who was relieved that he was okay for the time being.
Unfortunately, Amy's brave and stupid idea hadn't worked as well as she had hoped as she soon found out. Her eyes went away from her friends as the group simultaneously turned around to hear Scourge twitch and slowly get back up. He may have been moving gingerly, but it didn't take away that the small group was stunned to see Scourge move around much less get to his feet. Given their proximity, Alicia helped Max off the desk and ushered him to Ken, Sally, and Amy.
Not one to take a chance, and to get some personal revenge, Ken got up and marched to the invader intending to knock him out proper. As he balled up his fist, Sally cried out, "Be careful! He might—!"
WHAM!
Sally was a second too late as Scourge instinctively backhanded Ken hard enough where he landed at the chipmunk's feet. Sally gasped before ignoring the pain in her shoulder to tend to her beau.
With Amy, her dumbfounded eyes told the story. How in the hell was he standing?! That kind of electricity spike would normally send someone to the hospital, maybe even put him into cardiopulmonary arrest! However, the smoldering Scourge wasn't looking so hot. Even though he was upright, he was staggering and holding his head as he let out a few pained groans and began to wander aimlessly. As he did this, he slowly turned his body back toward the group. However, the blowback from all that electricity forced him down to one knee with his hands still on his forehead, particularly on the spot where his head wounds hadn't quite healed properly.
Despite his writhing, Scourge eventually opened his eyes slowly but shielded them from the bright lights of the studio. When his blue eyes finally readjusted, Amy immediately saw how his face had changed. It wasn't frightening or threatening at all for some reason. It looked… peaceful, almost innocent in a way. His gaze darted all around the newsroom as if he was a kid at Disneyland for the first time. There was no visible malice or evil in his eyes but rather confusion. Finally, his eyes met Amy's which understandably made the reporter tense. However, his tone of speech made it all the more unnerving to everyone in the room.
"W-Where am I?"
Amy cocked an eyebrow as did Alicia as the Rascal slowly took a step toward Scourge who was still… wait, he wasn't a sudden amnesiac, was he? Still, Amy practiced extreme caution as she continued to walk his way.
"This isn't… this isn't the hospital," Scourge said in a confused voice.
"'Hospital?' What hospital?" Amy asked. Then she stopped for a moment to think about it. "Oh. Nice try, Scourge."
It was the green hedgehog's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Who's 'Scourge?'"
"Wait," Amy replied slowly, "are you Green?"
The attacker nodded. "Yeah, but how do—?" His entire face twitched for a split-second before going back to the way it was like his entire look was put on rewind. "How do you—?" He stopped mid-question again as his whole body seemed to wince in pain. His groaning had started back up as his hands involuntarily went back to cover his cranial wounds. "Ah!" he winced painfully. This was not good. Scourge had started to seize up again as his groaning turned to shrieking to outright screaming. "Ah! Ahhh! Ahhhhh! AHHHHHHHHHHH!" He doubled over on the floor clutching his skull as the pain rushed over him like a typhoon. His breathing became more erratic. His screams were more stilted and uneven like his breathing. As the seconds passed, he gripped his head tighter as his screams grew in volume.
As Scourge writhed around, no one dared approach him except for one brave soul. Alicia slowly bridged the gap between her and her godson. She extended an arm to hopefully calm him down when she got there.
"Mom, get back!" Sally barked protectively. "He's unstable!"
"He's my godson!" Alicia reasoned back. "I can help him!" She got closer to the wailing hedgehog while passing Amy. It wasn't just his yelling that was out-of-control. His movements were being affected too. He got back up on two feet, but he walked aimlessly around the cameras trying to stave off the torment in his head. "Eli!" Alicia called out. "Eli, I'm right here!"
Then it was Max's turn to get off his butt and come to his wife's side. He grabbed her hand in solidarity as they both walked up to their godson wanting to aid him. "I'm here too, Eli!" Max called out as they were within two feet of him. "I'm right here!"
That was when Green stopped and turned to Max immediately. The agonized fire in his eyes meant that bad things were about to happen, particularly to Max as Scourge monstrously (and without thinking) brought out a wing and slapped the couple back toward the desk with force he hadn't shown to that point. Alicia landed at its side while Max was viciously reintroduced to the top of the desk, gasping loudly as the hard landing made his diaphragm spasm while trying (and failing) to breathe.
"Eli!" Alicia called out despite her rough fall.
"Stay… away!" Scourge forced out as his head began thumping again prompting his hands to re-cover his cranium. "Hospital… Sonic… Robotnik… Head… Hurts!" Alicia was undeterred in her help for Green. She got up as quickly as she could and began to walk back to Scourge. When he saw her coming for another round, Scourge whipped out another wing and swung wildly in her direction but getting nothing air. He wasn't trying to hurt her, just ward her off. "I told you to get away!" Now there were tears in his eyes. He was a fragile powder keg ready to go off at a moment's notice.
"Mom, get back!" Sally begged again.
"Alicia, listen to Sally!" Amy reasoned. But no, Alicia still powered forward with determination in her steps.
"I'm here for you, Eli!" Alicia stated loudly as she started to cry. "I want to help! Just stop this!"
WHAM!
Another cold and devastating strike came across her face that put her down hard. There was no snark or satisfaction on his face. He did that only to make her shut up, but he looked as if he didn't want to hit her at all. There was a pained expression still plastered on his face as he wailed loudly from the agony going on in his head.
It occurred to Amy that Scourge did that so that he could get some space as his reeled from his distress. Amy then saw Alicia stir and glare at her godson who was unaware of her gaze. She still had that fiery compassion in her eyes that told Amy she still wanted to help her godson. When Alicia got up, Amy whistled to get her attention.
"Don't go near him!" Amy yelled.
Alicia would not have it. "I won't let him—!"
"QUIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET!" Scourge shrieked in a pitch so loud that everyone stopped in their tracks. The distressed hedgehog yelled incoherently as the he gutted through his injury as his hands were still around head in a vain attempt to cope. As he did this, he somehow found the strength to stand back up all while he gutted through it. "Hospital… Fire… Left… Table… Can't… Figure… Out—!"
Then… he stopped. Scourge was silent. He looked straight ahead as if in a thousand-yard stare. His breathing went from frenzied to calm in a few short seconds. He looked… peaceful? It was like when a fever broke. There was no more suffering or wailing, just this unnerving serenity that had abruptly come over the most dangerous man in the room.
The group of newscasters and producers watched on in uncomfortable anticipation as if daring for him to move. How did this even happen? Did his pain just break like a kid's fever? They weren't sure what to expect as Scourge just awkwardly stood there with an absent look on his face.
"C?" Amy asked lowly. "What happened?"
"I'm not sure!" the robo-rabbit replied. "Whatever happens, keep your distance!"
"You don't have to tell me twice. Things could still get nuts. We need Sonic here now!"
For Scourge, that was the buzzword.
Sonic.
He escaped from his trance and turned his head quickly towards Amy. All the Rascal saw was a set of deathly calm eyes that would make anyone stop in their tracks, least of all Amy and her friends. Then came a little twitch from the side of his mouth that slowly morphed into a sinister grin.
Amy closed her eyes and whimpered a curse to herself. "I had to say that," she thought out loud.
Scourge slowly turned his body and titled his head all with that unsettling smile plastered on his twitching mug. He took one step forward. Then another. Then another… eventually. Then he stopped for a second to let his face twitch again before moving again. Amy was quick to note how "off" Scourge was. How he wasn't rushing to them. From the way his body randomly jolted, it was like he was short-circuiting.
"C, we need him now!" Amy pleaded through gritted teeth. The Rascal was wise to slowly back away from the approaching invader.
"I just got through to him! He's coming!"
That reassurance made Amy's face brighten for a second. Only one second. Sonic was still on the other side of town. Even with his speed, he would still be a few minutes. It's not like he could barrel through the town at Mach 2 without severely damaging city property just to get to her.
Then the downed Alicia grabbed his foot as he passed her by. It made Scourge stop as he looked down with that same pained smile making her uncomfortable. Chaos, that smile was creepy, but she swallowed her fear and met his eyes.
"Leave her alone, Eli," Alicia said poignantly. "Look at me. We're here to help you."
"'Here to help?'" Scourge echoed. That tone of voice was alarming to say the least. It was like his mind had finally snapped and had reached some sick and twisted nirvana. "You can't fix what Sonic did!"
Then his head twitched again as he let out a pained breath. His face wasn't malicious anymore. It had softened as his eyes began to tear up as he looked down at his godmother. "Help… me!" Eli pleaded.
Then his face changed again with a violent twitch thus returning his wicked grin. "If you want to help me, then stay there!" Scourge said with evil in his voice.
Those in the group that were still conscious saw how Scourge had flipped voices in a flash. Amy noted it in particular how fragile his psyche had become. Was she at fault? Did that shock somehow trigger something in Scourge's head? She did it for the protection of everyone in the studio. But why would that shock trigger it at all? The way he grabbed his head… Hold on. His head… the scarring… was there—? Amy didn't have time to finish that thought, not with Scourge flipping out.
Scourge then kicked off Alicia's hands and went back to the desk where the unconscious Max was laying face-up. Scourge violently slapped his godfather's face which immediately got the elder man to wake up with a stinging cheek. Scourge then pinned Max's face against the hardwood while getting close.
"Now, now," Scourge hissed. "I need you to stay there for one second so I can finish what I started!" That severed news camera was still nearby as evidenced when Scourge bent over. However, Scourge paused. He had to do something first, like grab Max and roll him over so that was face-down. "Hold on, Max!" he said before clocking his godfather in the back of the head with a closed fist. The sight made Sally and Alicia shriek as they watched their loved one in a pained daze on the desk. Now Scourge could do what he wanted to do in the first place: punish the Acorns for getting involved. With camera in hand, Scourge rose again with terrible things on his mind.
Max turned his head up enough to see the baby he once held in his arms look to finish the job. But the moment they locked eyes, Scourge hesitated. His faced twitched again. Returning was his softer face filled with confusion and uncertainty. Seriously, what the hell was going on?!
"I-I-I don't—!" Eli forced out.
"Eli, don't!" Max begged as his voice was low. "Whatever's happening, we can help you! Sonic can help you! All of us can!"
Sonic. That name. That damned name.
Scourge's face turned again with a violent twitch as he smiled with gleeful abandon. "Sonic help me?!" He then laughed as he steadied the camera above his head. "Because of him, I had to suffer!" Scourge was ready, and Max was a sitting duck.
FWIP!
"Gah!" Scourge winced as he suddenly found a grapple digging into his arm. "Amy," he growled as he followed the cable to one defiant pink hedgehog. "He won't save you, y'know? None of you! Even if he does come here, ALL HE'LL FIND IS YOUR DEAD BODIES!"
"That's why I'm here," Amy said rebelliously as she grabbed the cord and yanked. The sudden shift in weight made Scourge lose his balance and bobble the camera. Amy then retracted the line while Scourge was falling and charged at the invader one last time. The camera crashed on the floor again as Amy then changed direction and slid to the left of the falling equipment. With one flick of the wrist, her grapple found the falling Scourge. The line began retracting thus making Scourge land faster and harder on the ground. Amy got up quickly to rush him. She planted her left leg. She cocked her right one back as far as she could. She shifted her body weight like her favorite, attacking forward on Mobotropolis United and reared back for one hell of a kick. His head was the ball, and she was determined to drill his stinking with all the force she could get!
"RAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
SMACK!
That wasn't the sound of pointed heel meeting flesh. That was the sound his hands catching her leg on the downswing. All that mustered-up torque for nothing. Scourge grunted as threw Amy's leg back thus making her tip over with a THUD. He showed her how properly kick someone when they're down since his big boot drilled her square in the stomach. It did more than take the wind out of her sails. It made her cough up a small bit of blood as she helplessly dealt with the sharp pain in her gut. To cap it off, Scourge bent over and roared in her ear with all the pent-up frustration that had been building for him.
He then turned away and marched back to the camera and grabbed it. Max had seen that entire scene play out and was too stunned to move from all the action. Scourge then put the camera above his head once again while giving the Acorn elder one last deathly glare.
"Dad, no!" Sally yelled as Ken held her back. They both wanted to jump into the fray, but Ken had to hold his beloved back so that Scourge wouldn't hurt her anymore. With a tear in his eye, the monkey prayed to himself that Max would forgive him for this.
Scourge paid her little mind. This was going to happen one way or another. As he readied the camera again, Max told his godson one last thing.
"Just do it, Eli."
The sound of his defeated tone made the attacker once again stop for a moment. Scourge looked down at his godfather's old eyes seeing how Max was accepting his fate.
"No matter what, Eli… I'll still love you."
That sudden twitch came back as Eli's face changed slightly. The camera was still held precariously above his head waiting for the inevitable. The hedgehog saw how at peace Max was. This was his time.
No, it couldn't be!
Yes, it was!
No, it wasn't!
Yes, now do it!
Green yelled out in a pained cry. He was unable to decide. One voice told him to do it! The other to stop! What could he do? The voice that "saved" him was ordering Scourge to kill him. Eli's conscience was begging him to stop this senseless violence. Max was his godfather for Chaos's sake!
What could he do? What would he do?!
That voice won out, but not before Eli let out one last cry before shutting his eyes and doing the deed.
"Forgive me!"
And down the camera went.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Who needs a cigarette after that? I feel like some of you need one. Too bad for you, I don't smoke, so you won't be getting squat. Be thankful because nicotine kills.
Okay, loads to unpack here! Let's start with Amy since was the main focus last time, and I didn't touch on her too much. Before you say that there's no way she should've been able to go step-for-step with Scourge (for as long as she could), you have to remember that she's had a past of being able to get out of the tightest of spots this side of Station Square. It makes sense that she's able to utilize the wrist-grapples as well as she can since she's had a few years' worth of practice. She also had a homefield advantage knowing the ins and outs of the news room. Sadly, it still wasn't enough, and she never had a chance either. Despite those edges I mentioned, she was going 1-on-1 with a fighter who's been trained for decades. Who's probably gonna win that fight if they fight ten times? Scourge, of course.
That said, she might've lost this battle, but she won another one. That crude attempt at electroshock therapy... WHAT IN THE ACTUAL FUCK?! What does this mean?! Did she do more damage than intended? What with Scourge suddenly flipping out?! AND WHAT ABOUT MAX?!
GLASS SHATTERS
Wait a second! Who was that on the other end of the line with CREAM?! Could it be? It is! He's on his way!
But... what will he find? Guess you'll have to stick around for next time, won't ya? Look out for the weekend of 8/7 for the next update.
As is tradition, thanks go out to 000Marie198 and jurrassicdinodrew for leaving reviews. Sorry that I left you on a cliffhanger last time. Here's another cliffhanger to say "Sorry!" ... Yeah, yeah. I know I'm an asshole. But I'm asshole whose favorite NBA team one their first world title in my lifetime and their first in 50 years. So yeah! WHO'S THE ASSHOLE NOW?! Oh, wait. That still makes me an asshole. Never mind. Just wanted to flex on you since my NBA team is better than your NBA team.
As always, the characters used in this story are the property of SEGA, Sonic Team, and Archie Comics. Everything in the story is being used strictly for entertainment purposes. And as always, I will talk to y'all later.