AFTER THE METAREX: SONIC'S STORY
Chapter Five
"Metal Sonic and the Pirates"
"You'll hurt these people over my dead body!" Sonic said.
"That is how I prefer it," Metal said. "Prepare for your annihilation, outdated prototype!"
"He's nuttier than a fruitcake!" Sonic thought, as he prepared himself. This tin can still thought he was the real deal, and Sonic was the copy! He heard the ignition of Metal Sonic's jets. "Bring it on, Freak!" he yelled.
And Metal Sonic brought it on.
Sonic barely dodged a circular saw spin dash. Metal Sonic stretched out his arms, trying to swat his opponent. Sonic jumped about wildly, ducking and weaving.
Metal Sonic did a homing attack. Sonic was knocked into the wall of the mine. Metal Sonic had been built to be Sonic's equal, but not to stay that way. His most horrible power was the ability to scan and copy abilities of others. The robot had once scanned Knuckles. So not only was Metal Sonic as fast as Sonic, he was also considerably stronger.
Sonic thought about the fake chaos emerald he was carrying with him. It was maybe good for one or two more uses before it lost its power. He decided to save it until he really needed it. He wished the Master Emerald would heal so that he could use the real thing.
Hundreds of miles away on Angel Island, Knuckles suddenly sneezed. He looked over at the Master Emerald. It was now in seven pieces. He guessed that it's regeneration was maybe half finished.
"Hey!" Boris the Badger yelled. "What is that supposed to be?" He pulled a switch stopping the mine car. There was another, smaller mine cart right in the way. An ugly old human woman, holding a broom, sat in it.
"Hee hee hee hee!" she cackled. "Children for my witches' brew!"
"What are you, a great loon?" Boris demanded. "Get out of the way, Granny!" He rolled up the sleeves of his red t-shirt. "Or I'll move you out of the way!"
"Stand back, whippersnapper!" the old hag yelled, rolling up the sleeves of her long black gown. "Nobody talks like that to ol' Wendy! I'll turn ye into crystal, says I!"
"That's it!" Boris said, climbing out of the cart. "Old lady or no old lady, I'm gonna punch you in that great beak of a nose of yours!"
"Hey!" Harvey the Ocelot yelled, stopping his cart before he ran into Boris'. "What's the holdup? Got scared of the dark?"
"More children for my brew!" Wendy cackled. "Higgity, piggity, hystal, turn these brats into crystal!"
The children froze. Three girls grabbed each other and wailed. A boy threw himself out of the cart and cried for his mother.
Tiny pieces of crystal shot out of the old witch's hands. One hit Boris. "Ow!" he yelled. "I'll knock your block off for that!" He rushed at Wendy, who put her mine cart in operation and took off.
"So long, suckers!" she laughed.
"That was blinkin' weird!" Boris said. He noticed the boy cringing on the floor of the mine. "Get up, Billy. Any chance you had to be a hero is long gone!"
"Sorry," Billy said, blushing as he climbed back into the cart to the giggling of several girls.
Further back in the mine, Anita pulled on her break. "What's going on?" she asked.
"Crazy old coot thinks she's a witch!" Harvey said. "Boris chased her off though. We're movin' again!"
"Ah remember Tails talkin' about an old witch he ran into once in a mine," Bunny said. "Ah thought he locked her away or something'."
"King Elias is always setting criminals free," St. John said. "And I don't like running. Who does that Sonic think he is, telling me to run from an opponent?"
"If my brother doesn't think you can fight him, he's probably right," Anita said.
"Ah'm pretty powerful myself, sugah," Bunny said. "But the one time ah tried fightin' Metal Sonic, he nearly made rabbit stew out of me! And ah'm sure Robotnik's updated him since then!"
Sonic leaped at his metallic duplicate. Metal Sonic waved his hands in front of himself in a diamond pattern. "Black shield!" he yelled. A glowing field appeared in front of him. Sonic bounced off of it.
"You cannot win, flesh creature!" Metal Sonic declared. "I can do anything you can, but you cannot do everything I can!"
"I wouldn't want to!" Sonic said, combing back a spine that had fallen over his left eye with his hand. "If you are me, you're the part I wish I could purge from my soul!" He grinned mirthlessly. "Maybe I can do that now!" Sonic leaped into the air and went into a super peel out. He struck Metal Sonic front the front, left, back, left, right, back, left, front, and right. Metal Sonic was smart, but he was still a machine. Sonic was hoping that he could confuse his opponent by not following any patterns. This meant he couldn't try the same technique or trick twice on him.
Metal Sonic made a noise like a freight train derailing. "Let me show you what I can do now!" he cried, holding his metallic hands out towards Sonic. "Turn Sonic into Crystal!" Sonic prepared to jump or dodge, whatever would be necessary, for this next attack. He wasn't expecting little pieces of metal to come shooting towards him.
"What was that?" Sonic demanded, snorting. "You reduced to throwing rocks now?"
Metal Sonic looked at his hands. "That old witch lied to me!" he cried. "She said she had great powers, so I scanned her! She'll pay for…oooof!" Sonic had spin dashed his enemy while the robot was ranting.
Metal Sonic let out a low whining noise. "Aw, don't cry, buddy!" Sonic said, although he knew that sound wasn't anything to laugh about. It meant that Metal Sonic was about to use his Ring Spark Field. Sonic braced himself, but he was still hit by the electrical attack. All of the lights in the mine started to shut down.
"I'll roast you alive!" Metal Sonic said.
"You blinkin' won't!" St. John cried, suddenly showing up and firing his rocket launcher. He missed, but the distraction gave Sonic time to react. He leaped at Metal Sonic. Again, he did the unexpected. He danced on the robot's head for several seconds, then put all of his strength into kicking Metal Sonic upside the head. The robot went down.
"Get out of here!" Sonic yelled at the skunk. "He hasn't gone into Maximum Overdrive yet!"
But St. John reloaded and blasted the robot. He didn't even damage the paint job.
Metal Sonic's arm shot out and grabbed St. John by the throat. "Analysis: Geoffrey St. John. Once leader of a pathetic group of losers. Now Princess Sally Acorn's lackey."
"I ain't no bloke's lackey, you blasted metal ape! Put me down, before I get a can opener and see how long you stay fresh inside that can!"
"Attempts at humor are pointless," Metal Sonic said. "I have no sense of humor."
"You have no sense, period, buddy!" Sonic said. "Now let St. John go! It's me you want!"
"But I can cause you great emotional street by destroying those you care for," Metal Sonic said.
"Then you're wasting your time," Sonic said, "'cause I don't care what you do to stripes there!"
"Same to you!" St. John yelled.
"But perhaps there are others that you do care for?" Metal Sonic asked. "Perhaps…the little masked girl, who goes by the name of Sonia. Or should I say, Anita Sonia Parlouzer?"
"You stay away from my sister!" Sonic said.
"Here!" Metal Sonic yelled, tossing St. John at Sonic. "Take him!"
Sonic caught the skunk, expecting Metal Sonic to attack while he was busy. Instead, the robot turned and ignited his jets. He shot off into the mine.
"NO!" Sonic yelled. He raced after the robot.
When the lights went out, the children started squealing.
"Anita! Do something!" came a girls' voice in the dark.
"I can't see a thing!" Boris yelled.
"I want my mommy!" Billy cried.
"Glow!" Anita said. "We need light, honey!"
Glow's green eyes began to glow. The glow seemed to spread out, until the little mink was as bright as a hundred watt bulb. "I do good?" she asked Anita.
"You're doing great!" Anita said, climbing out of the cart. "I need to get you in the front cart, though, so they can see where they're going! Can one of you take over?"
"But of course!" Antoine said. "I will…"
"I'll take over!" Hershey said. "With Geoffrey back there, I'm next in command."
"But…ze little monkey I beat…" Antoine said.
"I'll leave you guys to take care of Mister Humble," Anita said, taking Glow to the front cart.
Harvey set off fireworks. They helped a little, but the odor of sulfur in a closed in area made several of the children dizzy.
Anita climbed into the front cart, then picked up glow. "Okay," she said. "Let's get out of here!"
Sonic cursed. Metal Sonic could see in the dark. He couldn't. He wasn't going to be able to catch him before the robot attacked the last cart. The one with his sister in it. At least, that was what Sonic thought at the time.
Metal Sonic's eyes could be seen in the darkness. "Here he comes!" Honey cried. "And I can't fly anybody out of here!"
"Now I lay me down to sleep…" Antoine said.
"Let's give the kids time to escape, sugahs!" Bunny cried, activating her machine gun attachment in her arm. "Make him know he was in a fight!"
"Well, hello, tall dark and handsome!" Breezie said as Metal Sonic reached them. "You're the best looking li'l robot I've ever seen! What's your name, Tiger?"
"I am Metal…what?" Metal Sonic said. He had expected them to attack or run or plead for mercy. He hadn't expected this!
"I've been looking for a big, stwong, handsome robot," Breezie said, starting to bounce again. "I like you! Do you like Breezie?"
"Well, we've only just met," Metal Sonic said, "and I…Wait a minute! Scanning!"
"Oo, are you scanning little ol' me?" Breezie asked. She placed a finger under his chin. "Do I get to scan you next, you naughty, naughty boy?"
"You are Breezie," Metal Sonic said, preparing to attack. "Created by Doctor Robotnik to seduce Sonic, you instead fell in love with him and betrayed the doctor." There was a pause as he considered this. "I like that," he decided. "You have a devious mind." He grabbed her by the hair. "Unfortunately, that means that I cannot trust you, so you must be eliminated!"
Breezie gave Metal Sonic a big smooch.
"St-stop that!" Metal Sonic said. He had been made to be just like Sonic, only ruthless. And Breezie had been made to be irresistible to Sonic. "Get away from me!" He backed away from her.
Because he was concentrating completely on Breezie, he didn't hear Sonic coming up behind him.
Bam! Pow! Clang! Sonic, desperate to protect his sister, who he thought was still in the last cart, attacked all out. Metal Sonic crashed into the wall of the cave. The ground shook. Dirt and rocks began to fall. Sonic realized their battle could easily pull the whole mountain down on everyone's heads. Metal Sonic would survive, and Sonic thought that he and Bunny might make it too. But everyone else would die.
Metal Sonic stood up. Blue-white sparks began to shoot out from him.
"Ah, man!" Sonic thought. "This is it!" "Go!" he yelled. "Go! Go! GO!!!"
Metal Sonic raised his hands over his head. "MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE!!!" He rushed at Sonic. There was no time to get out of the way. Sonic rushed him, leaping onto his head. Metal Sonic crashed right through the wall of the cave.
It was a long way down from where they were.
"Hah!" Metal Sonic cried. "I can fly! You can fall to your doom! Thus I prove that machines must rule!"
But Sonic wasn't ready to die just yet. He spun into a ball, propelling himself towards a small grove of trees. He bounced off of tree after tree, gradually slowing down his fall. As he'd hoped, Metal Sonic followed him instead of going after the others.
"You think you can save your sister and the others by making me follow you," Metal Sonic said, as if reading Sonic's mind. "But you only delay the inevitable!"
"Says you!" Sonic said, finally landing heavily. He bounced three times, then lay motionless.
"The time has at last come to destroy you!" Metal Sonic said, landing.
Sonic tried to get up, but the wind had been completely knocked out of him. He just needed a minute to recover. But it didn't look like he'd get that minute.
The first cart finally left the cave. The pirates, expecting a new cart arriving meant new ore, were surprised to see it full of kids, especially one that was so bright, she was glowing even in the daylight.
"Get Captain Whiskers!" one pirate yelled, drawing his cutlass. "I don't know what ye brats think ye be doin' here, but ye'll pay for tryin' to escape!"
"Ah, shut up!" Boris said, ducking under his attack and punching the pirate hard in the stomach. He dropped his sword and grabbed his belly.
"You…don't…fight fair…boy!" the pirate managed to say. Then he doubled over.
Six more pirates dropped their work with crates and barrels to rush the kids. Anita and Boris fought back to back. Glow jumped around, kicking each pirate in the shin. When one tried to grab her, she bit his hand. The other kids dived for cover behind the cargo and started tossing rocks, dirt clods, and occasionally loose nails.
The second cart came in. Harvey jumped out and blinded a couple of pirates. Another boy noticed a pile of two by fours and started passing them out.
By the time the Freedom Fighters had arrived in the third cart, the kids had managed to tie up the pirates.
"Um…great work, kids," St. John said, feeling suddenly as useful as a fifth wheel.
"It's not over yet," Anita said. "My brother's still fighting Metal Sonic."
"Yar! It do not be over for ye either, says I!" The speaker looked vaguely like Doctor Eggman.
"Captain Whiskers!" St. John said. "Still up to your old tricks, I see. Thought you were destroyed awhile back."
"Do I be knowing ye, ye scurvy mate?" Captain Whiskers asked. The ugly little robot on his left shoulder whispered something in his ear. "Ah! Jenfrey St. John!" he said. The robot smacked him.
"Geoffrey, moron!" the robot said.
"Quiet, you!" Captain Whiskers said. "Now, ye be coming onboard me ship so I can make ye walk the plank!" He pulled out two cannons. The robots on his shoulders both opened up to reveal built-in cannons.
Not knowing what else to do, they all went onboard Captain Whisker's ship.
The little robot on the captain's right shoulder whispered something in his ear.
"Ah, yes," Captain Whiskers said, "when ye walk the plank, Bonnie will be waiting to drag ye down to Davy Jones' Locker!"
The robot on his right shoulder smacked him. "Johnny, not Bonnie, you ninny!"
"Ye both being very unslavery, says I," Captain Whiskers said. "Wait. Unslavery? Is that a word? Well, ye knows what I mean!" He pointed into the water at the fin circling beside the boat.
Sonic struggled to stand up. Metal Sonic's chest cannon began to glow red. Sonic realized the laser would cut him in half. He reached for the phony emerald. Energy flowed into him. He leaped to his feet, and kept rising. The laser nicked his right shoe, but missed his foot.
"This ends now!" Sonic said.
"No, not quite," Metal Sonic said. He took off. Sonic ran after him. As he had feared, the robot was heading for the others.
"Stay away from my sister!" Sonic yelled. He stopped at the edge of the water. Sonic had hated water since he'd nearly drowned as a small child. He back pedaled, revved up, then raced to the water's edge. He sprang into the air, hurdling the gap between the shore and the boat.
"Stop wasting time!" Metal Sonic yelled at Captain Whiskers. He pushed Anita into the water. The circling shark came at her.
"That's it!" Sonic yelled. He was furious. The fake emerald began to glow black. Sonic felt a rage overtaking him. Everything turned red. He leaped at Metal Sonic, pounding the robot until he had opened up a small hole. Electrical energy flashed. He picked up Metal Sonic and threw him into the water. Metal Sonic landed about a thousand feet from the boat, where he short circuited. Sonic sprang into the water. He found his sister holding onto Johnny the Shark's mouth for dear life.
At best, Sonic was a very poor swimmer. But he managed to grab onto the shark's fin. Johnny shook Anita off and came at him. As the chaos energy completely faded, Sonic punched him in the gills. He'd heard that was the best way to stop a shark. Johnny pulled free and swam off. Sonic grabbed his sister, who seemed to have blacked out. He looked up at the ship. Metal Sonic's arrival had upset Captain Whiskers so much, that St. John and Bunny had managed to overpower him. The others had taken out the two small robots.
"Can I give you a lift, mate?" St. John asked, reaching for Sonic's hand.
Sonic handed Anita to him, then climbed out of the water. "Man, I hate getting wet!" Sonic said, shaking his quills all over everyone.
"Sonia!" Little Glow said. "We won! We won!" There was no reply. "Sonia?"
"Anita!" Sonic cried. "What's wrong?!"
"She has a
bad bump on her head," Honey said. "And her pulse is erratic. Is
she diabetic or anything?"
"No," Sonic said. "She's always been healthy." He shook her. "Anita! Wake up!"
"Maybe this bloke knows something!" St. John said, grabbing Captain Whiskers.
"I don't know a thing!" the robot cried. "Honest! If I did, I wouldn't remember!"
"Then maybe one of these little guys knows something!" Breezie said. "Won't you tell for poor li'l me?"
"Johnny the Shark had his teeth poisoned," one admitted. "One little scrape, and dead!"
"No!" Sonic yelled. He grabbed the robot. "Where's the antidote?"
"Metal Sonic had it!" the little robot said. "You just threw it away!" Sonic smashed both of them.
"Who here knows how to pilot this boat?" Sonic demanded. "We're going after him!"
"I know a little," St. John said. "But you'd never find him! If he's destroyed, he's probably sank to the bottom of the ocean. If he's survived, he's probably hiding until he can repair himself."
"Then I'm going to have to get it from Eggman!" Sonic said.
"Let me call Nicole," Hershey said. "Maybe she can help."
"I don't have time!" Sonic said. "I can't wait until Sally feels like giving me the time of day!"
"Don't talk like that about the princess!" St. John said.
Sonic knocked him down. He picked up his sister, ran across the boat, and leaped. He landed on the shore, and peeled out.
"I'll take you to the first hospital I come to," Sonic promised. "Then I'll get Eggman to help you, or tear his head off!"
Sonic raced through the country. Faster. Faster! He had to go faster! Anita shivered. She was covered with goose bumps. She muttered something, but he couldn't follow her.
"Hang on, little sister!" Sonic said. "I'll get you help! I swear it!"
Faster. Faster. Sonic passed seven hundred miles an hour. Sonic booms went off behind him, but he paid them no attention.
"You can't have her!" he yelled. "You took Cosmo! You might have taken Tails by now, for all I know! You're not getting my sister!"
Sonic raced through the desert. At the rate he was going, he figured it would take him at least an hour to find help. He pushed himself. Mach 5. Mach 10. Mach 20. His legs were like lead weights. He was actually starting to get tired. He'd gone nearly a thousand times this fast as Super Sonic, but that power was beyond him at this time.
"GO!" he gasped, breathing heavily now. "GO! GO! GO!!"
Run Sonic. There's so little time left. And there's such a very long way to go. Good luck, Sonic the Hedgehog.
And so Sonic runs out of his own adventure and back into Tails' Story chapter 21. See you there!
