Cross Collision

Part 5: Running with it

"Box Ghost?"

"Yeah...?"

"A ghost... that haunts boxes?"

"... Yeah."

"That's ridiculous!"

Sonic burst out laughing, as Danny buried his face in his hands in exasperation. Tails still looked sceptical at the whole concept of ghosts, but watched the humans curiously. They didn't seem to be joking, and after that amorphous blob had attacked Emerald Town, followed by Amy calling to mention she had been unable to hit some floating idiot, he couldn't deny something was going on.

"You know a Box Ghost?" Tails asked them.

"Unfortunately, yeah. He's not much more than a minor annoyance though." Tucker answered, waving a hand as if holding a tube. "We normally just suck him into the Fenton Thermos and that's that. He's pretty weak."

"But... he's really a Ghost?"

"Yeah, that's what we've been saying."

"He must've got got caught in that blast with us, Danny." Sam shook the dark haired boy, who muttered something that sounded like 'guess so'. She rolled her eyes. "Don't mind grumpy here, Box Ghost just tends to give him a headache."

"So he's not a threat?"

"Just a minor poltergeist, really. He can only attack with boxes-"

"-and things stored in boxes." Danny pointed out, raising a hand. "Including sharp and pointy things."

"And things stored in boxes. Yeah. But otherwise, he's harmless."

"Huh, I'll let Amy know then... Otherwise she's likely to destroy more things in collateral damage."

"Who's Amy?"

"The person who was on the phone."

"Ugh." Sonic cringed as he looked up from where he was laying on the floor, and Tails smiled.

"She heard you by the way, Sonic. I'm sure she'll be rushing to find you now she has a reason." Tails smiled. "Or she would, if she wasn't on the mainland."

"And for that, my spikes are truly thankful." After a short pause, Sonic clapped his hands together, bursting into a huge grin. "Right then! Let's get to action!"

Everyone jumped at the sudden cry from the hedgehog, who was suddenly standing by the door. The humans looked at each other, then at Tails, who jumped up, nodding at his friend. The fox took the closed Miles-Electric up from the nearby coffee table and ran over to Sonic, tails waving behind him. The duo smiled encouragingly at the humans, who all stood up in unison, watching them back. Sonic raised an eyebrow at them, casting an examining eye over them.

"You guys can stay here if you want, y'know."

"No way, if this will help us get home, you can count us in."

"Right Sam."

"Yup."

"We're going hunting rotten eggs, you know." Sonic said, flatly. "If you guys aren't able to fight robots, death machines, lasers, or move faster than motion sensors, I want you to stay with Tails when we get there."

"Sure... I guess... But what can we do to help?"

"We'll figure that out when we get there!" The hedgehog was smiling again as he opened the door, motioning them out of it with a wave of a hand. "Now c'mon, waiting around makes me edgy and we got a long way to go. You guys got everything you need?"

"Well... We have our homework..." Tucker said, grumpily, motioning to his backpack. "And I suppose that's all we have so lead the way, I guess!"

"As long as you aren't gonna rush off like you did earlier, no way we could keep up."

"Naa Sam, I wouldn't do that. Gotta keep you guys with the laser make up outta trouble after all!" Sonic chuckled and opened the door, motioning out with a chivalrous bow. "After you all."

"Thanks Sonic."

Sam smirked and stepped out of the door, followed by Tails, and a grumpy looking Tucker who had been dubbed temporary pack-mule by his friends and was carrying all of their bags. Sonic glanced back into the room, locking emerald eyes with sky blue.

"You coming, Danny?"

"Yeah... Hey, Sonic?"

"Hmm? C'mon, I don't like staying in one spot for long."

"Just wondered if I can ask something?"

Sonic's ears twitched and he chuckled, "Depends on the question, that does."

"How did you find you you can run like that anyway?"

"Heh, always have been able to. Got faster over the years, but my name is Sonic for a reason."

"Can anyone else move like you? It's a real cool skill."

"Thanks! And only one other can, but I'm the fastest. The other guy needs special equipment to keep up."

"Will we meet him?"

Sonic's face pulled into a strange, implacable expression as he answered. "I hope not. Every time we meet there's a race and it wastes time."

"Ah, okay then."

"Anything else?"

"... Naa, that's it I guess. So how far are we travelling?"

"Well..." Sonic put a hand to his chin, thinking for a moment, before pointing at the sky. "Probably a few hundred miles, that's all. Depends which base Eggman's in."

"He has more than one? I thought you were the hero and he was some sort of bad guy?"

"Well yeah, but the dude's got businesses to run and stuff, I'm only stopping the 'evil take over the world with robot armies' bit."

"Sounds familiar..." Danny muttered under his breath. Sonic's ears perked up, catching the whisper.

"Did you say something?"

"Nothing important! Well if it's that far, I guess you better lead the way!"

"Cool, come on, Tails'll wonder what happened if I don't get there before him! Want a lift?"

"What?"

Sonic grabbed Danny's wrist, an excited grin on his face. "I suggest you hold on with both hands, or you might lose your arm!"

"Huh? Wait, WHOA!"

Tucker and Sam stared, wide eyed, at the blue and white blur that blasted past them with a scream. Tails simply chuckled and motioned for them to follow him as he walked towards the shoreline, muttering about Sonic never being able to take things slowly.

Jasmine Fenton was confused. She hated being confused.

"Has anyone seen Danny?!" she called out to the rest of the house, in her search for her wayward brother.

"He's probably with his friends, dear!" came the voice of her mother, who had apparently ventured forth from the lab and was now attempting to cook some dinner. Jazz cringed at the thought of ectoplasmic sausages attacking again as she walked into the kitchen.

"But I tried calling Sam and Tucker and they're not answering their phones..." Jazz trailed off as Maddie chuckled.

"Oh Jazz, relax. Your brother will turn up for his curfew, you know that."

"Hmm... I suppose..."

"And if he doesn't, he's bound to call to tell us if he's staying around one of their houses." Maddie held up a recipe book. "Now, tell me what one you think I should make for dinner."

"Uh... Okay... I guess."

Jazz wasn't about to let her mother cook on her own, so she took the book and sat at the table, flicking through the pages, while Maddie dug through the refrigerator. The teenager couldn't shake the weird, confusing feeling that hung over her like a fog, no matter how many pictures of various cuts of ham she looked at. Normally Danny's friends would answer the phone, give her some lame excuse for her brother, and hang up before she could argue. But no one was complaining at her for being bossy and that puzzled her.

As she tried to rationalise answers in her head that didn't count for the fact that her half-ghost brother was probably off somewhere blasting ectoplasmic entities, there was a loud crash and a shout from the direction of the laboratory in the basement below. She watched as Maddie dived down the stairs, and rolled her eyes as the familiar scream of 'ghost!' was heard.

A lone, small blob floated up through the floor, and with barely a glance Jazz sucked it into the Thermos that was kept beneath the table in emergencies. Both her parents charged into the kitchen, aiming weapons in all directions.

"Did ya see it Jazz?! Where did it go?!" demanded her father.

Jasmine rattled the Thermos without looking up from the book. "Did you get the Portal working again then?"

"Good work Jazzy-Pants!" Jack completely ignored her question as he snatched up the Thermos, running back down to the lab with it in an orange jump-suited blur.

Maddie sighed and sat at the table with Jazz, shaking her head. "No, we haven't dearie. Vlad probably won't help us, though your father is adamant that he will."

"He might still help out." Jazz rolled her eyes and looked up at Maddie, who was peering at the page of the recipe book she had stopped on. Jazz passed it over to her. "Here, try this one."

"Jazz, that looks lovely! Good choice sweetie!" Maddie clapped and picked up the book, trotting over to the cupboards cheerfully.

"What was that crash?"

"It was your father accidentally knocking over the containment unit that had that ghost in it." her mother said casually. "Now could you give me a hand please?"

"Okay mom."

Jazz sighed as she stood up. Her mother was probably right, and besides, Danny did have a habit for getting out of trouble just as well as he got into it. Still, it didn't stop her from wondering just where he had gone.

No, Jazz did not like being confused at all.

The Box Ghost floated through the floor, to be rewarded with a hammer to his face the moment he solidified. He flew through a wall, and didn't emerge in any form of a hurry. The bright pink hedgehog screeched in frustration.

"Get back here!"

"I do not think so, for I am in possession of your box of trinkets, in which many shiny and visually appealing objects shall be stored!"

The Box Ghost waved a single gloved hand out of the wall, and Amy dived for the trinket box in it.

"And you shall not have it back, for the jewellery based powers it contains are now held by THE BOX GHOST! BEWARE!"

Amy crashed into the wall as the trinket box vanished into it with childish laughter. The pink hedgehog groaned and sat up, shaking her head, before looking up to see the ghost floating away down the road, gleefully clutching the box in his grasp. Part of her knew it would probably be best to simply let it go, and rationally go and get a cup of coffee instead.

Unfortunately for that ghost, Amy wasn't in a particularly rational mood.

The next thing anyone onlooking saw, was the floating human flying by very quickly, followed by a hammer throwing, very angry hedgehog.

It was all they could do to dive out of the way in time.

Sonic was laughing loudly when Tails, Sam and Tucker finally caught up to them. Danny was standing there, with his hands running through his hair in an attempt to get it back to normal after the wind had blown it backwards. His friends started laughing too, and Danny made a noise of protest at them. Tails rolled his eyes and proceeded onwards ahead of them, towards the docks.

"Come on, it's not funny!" Danny pouted as he finally scruffed his hair back into its normal position. "You guys didn't get dragged along by this loon!"

"Ahahahah!" Sonic stood up straight, shaking his head and holding a hand up to indicate he was finished. He smiled at the irritated human. "Not a loon, that's a loon over there," the hedgehog motioned to the passing bird, who didn't notice the gesture, "but yeah dude, you held on pretty well, and only screamed a little bit, so that was pretty cool. Just a shame your hair isn't as aerodynamic as my spikes are."

"You could have warned me."

"I could have, I guess. But that wouldn't have been as fun!"

"Come on Sonic, the boats will be arriving soon." Tails prompted.

The boat trip passed uneventfully, Sonic stayed in the middle of the decks as much as he could, while Tails sat nearby with a drink. Sam and Tucker were at the railings of the boat. Danny wandered around the deck, looking out over the water at the Island they'd just left, or towards the mainland they were heading towards, or just looking at the other passengers, who came in a variety of species it seemed. Sam waved him down from the railings where Tucker and herself stood, and Danny walked over.

"I think we've ended up in one of Tucker's comic books." Danny said, quietly, motioning over his shoulder to the anthros on the deck.

"I dunno, haven't really got any comics about turbo powered blue hedgehogs." Tucker shrugged. "Besides, this is too real. And you're the only one here who can actually possess things, so it's not like anyone could get a bunch of animals to talk."

"I Overshadow." Danny corrected. "Possession is a much nastier word."

"Hey I'm just joking, Danny. Anyway, Tails explained how we got here from this end, and we know roughly what happened our end, so it's just figuring out how it connects right?"

"I guess the modifications Vlad made messed up how his Ghost Portal linked to the Ghost Zone." Sam added. "I mean, the portals aren't the most stable things after all right?"

"Well our portals are more stable than any others, but yeah, dimensional rips are pretty weak." Danny confirmed, watching the water.

"I wonder if we will get back, really-" Tucker started, but paused as him and Sam didn't miss a beat catching Danny by his shirt and pulling him upright as he leaned a little further than he should have with the railing, "-whoa dude, I'm just talking possibilities, no need to take it like that."

"Thanks guys. But wow Tuck, don't scare me like that, I mean, it's nice here but, sheesh, I wanna get home some point!"

"Well, these two know what they're doing, right? Let's just help them, remember, we don't have anything else we can do." Sam stated. "So, let's just enjoy ourselves for now, okay?"

"Deal." Danny and Tucker said in unison.

Sonic watched them from where he sat; he couldn't see the water from where he was, which suited him just fine. They were in conversation about something, but he couldn't quite hear them from where he sat. Shrugging, he turned his attention back to Tails, who was talking about something to do with the base they were heading to, not that Sonic was really listening.

It gave him something to pay attention to that wasn't the water anyway.

"Sonic, are you even listening to me?" Tails sighed.

"Sure I am..."

"Then what did I just say?"

"... Uhh..."

"Sonic..." Tails shook his head. "I said once we get there, you're gonna have to try avoid causing attention for once so we can get into Eggman's stuff without any hassle."

"But that's no fun..."

"Maybe not, but it is how we're gonna get a Drive without him, his robots, or you, breaking it."

"But I don't do stealthy..." Sonic snorted. "Stealth is slow."

"And you're fast, I know, but you're fast enough to avoid sensors. That's stealth; you don't need to smash every robot you see."

"Spoil sport."

"Heh. Think Eggman will be there when we get there?"

"Probably, he did kinda vanish when I beat him up. He's no doubt waiting for us." Sonic stretched, resting his hands behind his head. "So I don't think your stealthy idea will work for long."

"Well I still want you to try, we don't wanna cause trouble if we can avoid it, right?"

"Yeah yeah."

Soon the boat was drawing into the docks on the mainland, and Sonic was fidgeting by the time that Danny, Sam and Tucker had made their way over to him and Tails, ready to disembark and carry on their journey. There was a path cleared of people in front of Sonic, which told the humans to keep behind him as he focused on the exit. Tails warned them that Sonic would probably run off first, so they could stop in town and get anything they wanted while they waited for him to return.

Sure enough, once the door opened, Sonic was gone, and they found themselves taking a more leisurely pace towards the nearest café. As they sat down with drinks at a table outside, Sam looked around at the town; Tails had called it 'Emerald Coast', though she couldn't figure why, as it was more sand and palm trees than the green grass of the island they'd come from, but there was probably a reason. Tucker was quite happily eating an ice cream, holding the cone in one hand while fiddling with his PDA in the other. Danny was focusing on his soda, holding the cup as if it was about to jump up and run away.

As Tails ran them through the plan again, they were unaware that they were being watched from above...

TBC