AN: Hell yeah! Second chapter time! Thanks for the reviews I've received so far - I always appreciate it, even if I don't always reply! Anyway, time to get this running…
Title: Sonic Adventure 2 Battle: Retold
Summary: Ever wondered how a single sentence can cause an entire chain of events to change? When Amy hugs Shadow on Prison Island, such a thing could occur…by altering a few words.
Disclaimer: If I owned Sonic the Hedgehog, the Chaotix would be in Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity. Which they're not.
Chapter Two: Tails versus Robotnik
Amy still wasn't going to just stand there and let herself be captured, even if escape was looking pretty unlikely. Turning and running as fast as she could, her green orbs quickly scanned for any cameras, hoping to find one. If she could run in front of it, security would hopefully see what was happening, capture her pursuer and be distracted enough to allow her to slip away. Unfortunately, Amy had earlier picked her route to be CCTV-free and she had chosen wisely, so not a single lens was present to zoom in on the fleeing hedgehog and chasing human. The pursuit didn't last long, as Amy soon reached a dead end - the edge of the harbour. "Oh for the love of…!" she mentally cursed, turning. She didn't get to complete her twirl to face him though, since metal hoops twisted around her frame, lifting her easily into the air. She gave a girly cry, the card key dropping unnoticed to the floor.
"Give up, Amy!" Her captor laughed, feeling a familiar rush of adrenaline at having a prisoner. It was a sense of being in power, being in control. And being an evil scientist trying to conquer the galaxy, it was just the feeling he wanted.
Neither noticed another mechanical walker approaching, until its stomps grew close. Both directed their gazes towards it, Amy shouting out to the driver.
"Tails!" It was the orange fox, powerfully advancing in a blue engine that appeared to be made out of parts from his own plane, the Tornado 2. She could even see the double tail symbol that had become the boy's trademark for his creations. His blue eyes and facial features easily showed his emotions, which currently consisted of pure determination. As he squared off with Robotnik, who readily returned the posture, Amy couldn't help but feel like she was watching two young boys compare the size of their toys in an effort to outdo each other. Granted, Tails was a young boy so he was forgivable but Robotnik really didn't have a excuse. Maybe it was the mechs getting to their egos or something. True to boyish nature, Robotnik laughed and taunted Tails.
"Ha! You're just a kid - you can't beat me!" Tails didn't bother to reply, but opened fire.
Amy gave a shrill shout as she was swung in the air, the shots luckily missing her and unluckily missing her captor. Tails froze and grimaced while Robotnik gave another laugh, returning fire. The fox dodged quickly, his mind trying to analyse the situation so he could attack. But with Amy effectively being used as a human shield, he had no way of striking that wouldn't harm her. Figuring this out, he had no choice but to keep avoiding until an opportunity made itself known. Amy squealed, trying to wiggle free as the vice grip on her tightened. She gasped - it was constricted to the point where breathing hurt her chest. Hanging limp, she could only watch the struggle and cheer Tails on in thought.
It wouldn't be enough. Having a firm upper hand, the doctor wasn't about to lose an easy fight. Firing homing missiles, he grinned as a powerless Tails continued to try and outrun them, his minds eye transforming the blue machine into a blue hedgehog for entertainment. The missiles smashed into the creation, as Tails yelped at the whiplash from the hits. As he groaned and rubbed his back to relieve the ache, the victor stomped proudly past him, still maintaining the pink hedgehog in his grasp. "I'll let you go this time. But next time, you might not be so lucky!" With that, he barrelled down the harbour, dragging Amy with him.
Tails groaned, realising that he had lost both the fight and his friend. Looking at the ground in shame, he felt defeat swamp his mind, blocking out the physical pain.
"I gotta try harder next time…I can't let my friends down again!" He muttered, angry at himself. Jumping out of the Cyclone to check the damage, he groaned a second time at the smoke drifting out of the engine, taking to the sky as tiny flocks of crows. Taking a footstep forward, he felt his heel step on something. "Huh?" he wondered out loud, glancing down and lifting his leg to reveal the object. Scooping low and picking it up, he noticed that it was a metal licence of some kind. Flipping it over, his eyes widened at the sight of the basic personal information and registration number of "Jason Murphy". Only now did he recognise this as a card key and it looked like it belonged to this base! His expression changed from overcome concentration to sly glee.
Quickly opening the engine compartment, he quickly saw the problem. The rings that supplied the vast quantity of power to the Cyclone had become dislodged, causing the power to fade and the apparatus to fail. Readjusting the rings and gathering a few more to secure each tighter to their positions, he slammed the panel shut and restarted the engine. His features lit up when the walker woke up with a sharp shudder. He pocketed the card key and slipped back into the cockpit, gripping the controls and powering towards the nearest door. Time to release a certain blue inmate and inform him of a pink hedgehogs capture. A small smile formed in his mind - just like old times.
-0-0-0-0-0-
As Robotnik vanished into the trees, Amy was gasping for air, her head resting on her chest.
"I…really…can't breathe…" she panted, a blue hue tinting her cheeks. Glancing sideways at the girl, the doctor sighed and loosened the grip the minimum width to allow her to inhale easily. Robotnik drew to a stop a fair distance from the base, safely nestled in the humid, tropical embrace of the White Jungle. He lifted a radio from his control panel as a voice crackled over the static.
"I'm in position doctor…tell me when." Amy's ears perked up as her head sharply bolted upright. Shadow was calm and ready for his mission, whatever it was.
"There's been an unexpected…delay, on my end." The doctor growled lowly. "There isn't any more time to waste!" he shouted, gathering energy from anticipation and impatience. "Set the timer for fifteen minutes! Let's go Rouge!"
Amy listened to the bat's reply, noting how she didn't seem to observe the snap her orders were delivered with but instead sounded at ease with her time limit. With the orders dished out, he sat back and tapped his fingers impatiently. Amy wiggled slightly but soon realised it was a waste of effort. Placing her hands by her side, she felt the empty pocket that had held the card key. She was about to exclaim at the loss but knew it'd be pointless. She'd be cutting it pretty thin to recover the key and find Sonic while avoiding security. Robotnik didn't speak to her, barking orders to the bat over the wireless at intervals. Amy narrowed her eyes at the back of his head and stuck her tongue out at him, pulling various faces.
-0-0-0-0-0-
The minutes dragged out for the captive hedgehog, though she knew that for Robotnik's - Hencemen? Allies? Sidekicks? - whoever they were, the time must've been slipping fast. Ignoring the frustrated ravings being shrieked next to her and the uncomfortable dig of the metal into her arms, she found this a good opportunity to think about the dark male. He was…to put it bluntly, the whole situation was just weird. She knew Sonic's side of the story - it had been broadcasted everywhere. The great hero, the blue blur, had been seen stealing a Chao Emerald and vanishing from police into the night.
A red light flashed in her mind. The news report about the Chaos Emerald theft had been at night. She remembered seeing Sonic under a streetlight as they had walked home with Cream and Tails after an evening at Casinopolis. The dirty, un-natural glow had turned his fur black! Amy groaned, the pieces quickly slotting into place. Sonic is the most recognisable hedgehog in the world and nobody had ever seen that dark look-alike before. In urban lighting, which is really just glorified gloom, the pair must have looked identical to the weak, human eye. "Humans -" Amy reflected on the furious, spitting specimen beside her - "are idiots."
AN: My god I hate this chapter! It was a pain to write because I knew that it was basically filler and that little happens. Damnit. But now that it's done, I've been able to hopefully explain the confusion between Sonic and Shadow (what I wrote is true about streetlights affecting colours - play two player Radical Highway with one player as Sonic and you'll see what I mean at the end of the race). And next up, we get onto a scene many of you should enjoy! I promise it should be a lot faster and a bit more actiony in the next chapter: Shut up Faker!