Chapter Thirteen
Not long after they had run from the others, Sonic and Shadow stood by the moonpool. Both were having flashbacks from the attack last night, Sonic feeling guilty, and Shadow feeling fearful.
Sonic looked over to the ebony hedgehog and lowered his ears, noticing how tense he was. His eyes went to his shoulder, unable to look away from the injury he had given him. He hesitantly brought his hand and gingerly touched the bite. Shadow hissed in pain, but surprisingly didn't move away.
"Does it still hurt?" Sonic asked him.
"Only when it's touched." Shadow answered.
Sonic whimpered and took his hand away. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be. Like you said, it was instinctual."
"I wish I was a female. Then I could sing to you."
Shadow frowned and gave Sonic a questioning look. "What does singing have to do with being a female?"
Sonic sighed and turned away. "Males don't have the right vocal cords to sing a Siren's Song. That's why the females are in charge. They have the power that we don't. Females can use their voices. To lure. To hunt. To kill. To calm... To heal…"
Shadow lowered his ears a bit, understanding what Sonic was trying to say now. He put a hand on Sonic's shoulder, causing him to look up at him. "Hey. It's ok. I don't need you to heal me. It'll heal on its own. I'll be fine."
Sonic sighed and nodded before looking back at the water. "Well, I guess I should get down there and look around before the others get too suspicious."
"You sure you don't want me to come with you?"
"You promised, Shadow, and I know you're not one to break a promise. I need you to stay on land. I don't want to attack you again."
"... Ok… then I'll stay."
Sonic nodded and stepped up to the edge of the pool, kicking off his shoes, socks and gloves. His contacts were already out and put in their case. He turned to Shadow with those bright beautiful blue eyes.
"I'll be back." He said before diving headfirst into the water.
Shadow stepped up the edge and looked down into the water. His ears pinned to his head in worry as he saw his rival writhing in pain, bubbles coming from his mouth in a silent scream. He watched in silent horror and Sonic's fur and skin peeled away to make room for scales. The dorsal fins looked especially painful as they broke through skin on Sonic's back. The last he could properly see of the transformation was Sonic's legs fusing together to make one large fish tail, the one he remembered seeing disappear through the tunnel just yesterday.
He watched as Sonic stayed for a bit, panting from the transformation before he finally took off, swimming quickly through the tunnel and out to the open sea.
Shadow sighed and sat down on the sandy bank, keeping Sonic's clothes close to him.
"Please… be careful."
…
Sonic swam silently through the water, hoping not to alert Tia that he was back in their territory. He swam up to the meeting point he had last seen Ryn. Nothing looked out of the ordinary but he was sure there had to be something.
He swam around the area, trying to find something, anything, that would lead him to Ryn. When he came out with nothing, he sat on one of the rocks, calling out in sorrow. An echo called back, but it wasn't his voice.
Twitching his ears, Sonic looked back in the direction he had heard the call. He called out, and was once again answered by another. He smiled, recognizing the voice.
'Ryn.'
He called again, wanting to hear her voice to pinpoint exactly where she was, but instead of being answered by a call back, he was instead answered by something much more sinister.
Ryn's cries of pain.
'RYN!'
Sonic hissed and began swimming as fast as he could in the direction of his friend's cries. As he got closer, the cries became more clear. He frowned, twitching his ear as he realized that they were looped. Now more curious than worried, Sonic continued to follow the sound. At last, he came up to the source.
A strangle metal device in the shape of a cylinder can floated in the water. A red light was flashing on its side, and Ryn's cries of pain were coming from it.
Sonic frowned and went up to the device, taking it in his hands and inspecting it. He was drawn to the red light, and as he looked closer, he realized that there was a button. He pressed it and the cries immediately stopped. He hissed in aggravation, holding the device close to him. He turned to swim back to the moonpool, taking the device with him so he and Shadow could figure it. But, as soon as he turned, he stopped.
A net was coming right for him!
Sonic screeched and tried to swim out of the way, but the device he was holding made him slower. He did not want to let it go, sure that it would lead him to Ryn, but he had no choice.
He dropped the device and swam as fast as he could away from the net, barely missing it. The device floated to the bottom, landing on its side on a rock. The rock hit the button, turning the soundwaves of Ryn's cries back on.
Sonic hissed and dodged the net again, trying to reach the cylinder again. He NEEDED that device. Whoever had made it was hurting Ryn. He could not let them get away with this.
Sonic grabbed the device and swam back, just in time to miss the net again. If he didn't know any better, he would think that the fisherman that the net belonged to was trying to get him.
He swam back again and disappeared behind a big rock. He pressed the button and turned the sound off, hiding it and himself, though he wasn't sure why he needed to hide.
...
Up above on the surface, the one controlling the net was none other but Dr. Eggman.
He cackled notoriously as he watched Sonic desperately swim back and forth, trying to avoid his net.
"You can't dodge forever, Sonic!" He laughed, his eyes trained on the blue Siren. "I'll soon have you in my grasp, and then I'll show the whole world what you really are!"
"It was a wonderful idea to use the female's calls of distress to lure him to us, doctor." Orbot complimented.
"Yes, yes, I know! Don't distract me!"
"Um, just one question Dr. Eggman," Cubot started. "When you get Sonic, what are you gonna do with the female?"
"I'll think about it when we get there!" Eggman turned to snap at him. "Now be silent! I need concentration!"
But, the moment he turned back around, he cried out in anger, realizing that Sonic was no longer on the screen. "Great! Just great! You distracted me and now the little pest has gotten away, and with the lure too!"
"Um, what's so great about it, sir?" Cubot asked.
"Oh nevermind. Once he sees that I was the one who created the device he'll come straight to me. And when he does, we'll be waiting!"
With a final laugh, Eggman pulled his net back out of the water and sped back to shore to prepare his lab for Sonic's arrival.
