Freedom Fighters X
(A/N: Just so you know, to speed this up a little, I'm going to skip certain episodes. Nothing with a lot a plot relevance or anything but episodes like Techno Teacher, Party Hardly, and Little Lost Chao will be skipped, other will be modified to be better like That's What Friends Are For and How to Catch a Hedgehog. Anything that doesn't add to the plot or character development will be either skipped or modified.)
Now to answer a few questions.
Sonia and Manic: It won't be for another chapter or 2, or more before they appear as I don't want to just DUMP a bunch of characters to quickly, I want them to have be there for more than just for the sake of being there.
Sonic's family's status: No, they are NOT royalty…they are instead part of a noble house that doesn't really care about being a noble house, which is one of the reasons why Max dislikes Sonic, he and the rest of his family pretty much mock the aristocracy with their very existence because they refuse to act like aristocrats.
Fleetway Elements: There will be none except maybe psycho Super Sonic, because I haven't read the Fleetway series and know nothing about it except that Sonic is an even bigger douche-hole, Super Sonic is an evil pyromaniac and I think Amy is more independent.
Also, this WAS going to be the Party Hardly episode but I was just to board with it, and I couldn't think of anything really unique to do with it, so like Techno Teacher I'm skipping it, they'll just have been the same but with the Freedom Fighters in them anyways, but if you really want to see those chapters done, FighterofFlames' Sonic X Fighters has those episodes done and that's basically what I would've done anyway.
Chapter 6: Raise of the Tornado X
"So what is the agenda for today, Sir?" Snively asked his uncle from his work station nearby Eggman's control chair. "After last week's debacle we are a bit scares on supplies to maintain our base and forces."
Five plus years ago Eggman would have backhanded Snively across the room for even mentioning his past failures. But his nephew did have a point, and he had learned to be more patient than before. Plus Snively seems to have developed some backbone while he was away despite his failure to take over after him so he had earned a small modicum of respect from the usurper.
A thoughtful look came to Eggman's face before an "Ah-ha!" left his lips and with the push of a few buttons a large green robot appeared on his window-monitor. "I have just the robot for the job." He said before he pressed the intercom button. "E-90 codenamed Super Sweeper, prepare for launch!"
Super Sweeper was one of Eggman's largest robots, a massive plane-like machine the size of a large manor. It was green and red and had a resemblance to that of an eagle or similar bird-of-prey.
Within minutes the colossal jet was on the runway and with the push of a button from Eggman's chair the mechanical beast was sent soaring into the sky.
-FFX-
"Sir, Eggman has launched another machine!" A solider called to his commander from a radar station.
"Get me a visual!" The CO ordered and a second later E-90 appeared on a large screen.
E-90 opened its "mouth" and suddenly the screen went into static.
"What the hell just happen?" The CO shouted in outrage.
"We've lost contact with our satellites, sir!" The solider responded.
"Get the video feed back up ASAP!" CO ordered and the personnel in the room scrambled to do just that.
-FFX-
"I think recycling might be my new favorite pastime Snively." Eggman said to his nephew as he observed Super Sweeper doing its job.
"It is enjoyable, Uncle Julian." Snively agreed as he programed a worker droid.
As E-90 came into dock to deliver its cash of satellites Eggman contemplated what he should do with them besides scrap them for parts and materials, and before long a devilish smile came to his face.
"Snively?" He called to his nephew. "Have you ever wanted to be on TV?"
Snively turned to his uncle with a bewildered look on his face.
-FFX-
Back at the Ranch (yes I'm still calling it that) Chris, Tails, Cream, Cheese, and Bunnie were all hanging out in the living room. The older residents watching with smiles as Cream and Cheese danced with the purple creature on the TV they were watching.
After a minute Amy and Ela came into the room with some pies in in their hands. "Snack time everyone!" The kindly house maid said as she and Amy placed their pies on the coffee table.
"Ela showed me how to bake!" Amy said proudly with a smile on her face and her hands on her hips
"I think our little rose has a talent for it, I might be out of the job at this rate." Ela complimented the pink hedgehog.
"Hey, you think Sonic would like some?" Amy asked excitedly. 'They always say that the quickest way to a man's heart is through his stomach.' She thought as a chibi-Amy with horns wrung her hands maniacally in her head.
"Oh yes, we should get Rotor, Charles, and Sally too!" Ela exclaimed with a fist dropping into the palm of her hand in realization.
Amy's smile died down and the demon-chibi-Amy began to rage at the mention of Sally.
"Whelp Sonic and Aunt Sal can share the other pie." Tails said greedily as he reached for Amy's apple pie…only for it to be jerked away from his grasp by said hedgehog before he could touch it.
"Nuh-uh, this pie's for Sonic and Sonic only." Amy protested much to the fox's dismay.
It was then that the TV suddenly gave out, the Barney-esque show now nothing but static.
"Ah, what happened?" Cream cried out, upset that her favorite show has been interrupted.
But soon the static cleared and an image of Eggman and Snively appeared, both smirking triumphantly. "Citizens of this country called "America", I am the glorious and brilliant Dr. Julian Ivo Robotnik, but you may call me Dr. Eggman. I have taken full control of all your satellites and now command you radios, phones, televisions, and computers." He spoke his left hand behind his back while the right was raised and gesturing as he spoke.
As he continued to speak Sonic, Sally, Charles, and Rotor also came in, hearing the tyrant voice from the rooms nearby. An Image of Super Sweeper collecting more and more satellites appeared.
"As I speak E-90 SuperSweeper is collecting more and more of your precious satellites. Too the men and women you control this nation, swear loyalty to me or I'll permanently cut off all communications. Plains will crash, ships will be lost, the economy will burn, and you will be thrown back into the dark ages! You have forty-two hours to comply." With that the TV switched back to Cream's show, though she no longer felt like watching.
-FFX-
We now find our anthropomorphic heroes in the spacious garage of the Thorndike manor. Each trying to come up with a plan.
"The satellites orbit earth in the thermo and exospheres." Chuck began as he tinkered with a computer and used one of the remaining satellites to observed E-90. "That means that Super Sweeper is flying inside the border between sky and space."
"So what?" Sonic said punching a fist into his left palm. "We take the Tornado, fly up there and break that bird!"
"We can't Sonic, it too high." Sally cut in. "The air up there is too thin to breath and the Tornado can't fly without atmosphere."
Sonic looked at Sally, annoyed. "So we just let Robuttnik win this one!? Let him take over the country!?" He nearly shouted.
"I didn't say that!" Sally defended thrusting a finger into her bullheaded boyfriend's chest. "We need to think of a new plan, a way to either take the fight up there or hack into the controls and crash it into something."
"If only I had my lab." Rotor bemoaned. "If we had my tools Tails, Unc-I mean Charles, Chuck and I could build a plane that could travel in near vacuum."
"Well…" Chuck trailed off, rubbing the back of his head.
"Grandpa?" Chris said accusingly. "What is it?"
"I… have a secret laboratory underneath the house…" The scientist said awkwardly. "We can probably build a space-plane in there."
The Mobians all looked surprised at Chuck but then they all gave each other knowing grins.
-FFX-
Chuck, Charles, Tails, and Rotor all entered Chuck's lab through a hidden elevator and the three Mobians mouths fell agape at the huge and sophisticated laboratory.
"You've had ALL of this hidden under your house!?" Tails shouted at the absurdity.
Chuck chuckled as he scratched his head. "I like my privacy."
"I always did wonder where you disappear to." Charles commented as he stepped out of the elevator.
"Well…" Rotor began as he placed a pair of goggles over his eyes. "Let's get started." The other three scientists/engineers also placed some goggles over their eyes and grinned in unison.
"This is gonna be awesome!" Tails cheered.
-FFX-
As the days went by the planned astronauts, namely Sonic was preparing for his trip into space with Tails.
"I still don't get why you're going up there with Tails." Sally said with her arms folded across her chest. "All you'll be doing is sitting in the back seat while Tails dog-fights. You'd turn into a giant blue berry if you open the canopy."
"Well you never know when I might have an opportunity to help." Sonic reasoned as he pulled an insulated jumpsuit to help him stay warm in the vacuum of space. "And I am pretty sure that if I were to wear a Power Ring or two I'd be protected in the vacuum of space."
"I guess…" Sally said none-to-sure about the assessment but finding no reason it'd be wrong. "Those rings do seem to be able to do just what we need them to do."
"Yeah but I try not to rely on them too much." Sonic replied. "I mean, they are useful but back in the day there were situations we couldn't get out of because we didn't have a Power Ring and none of us knew what to do. I've been relying more and more on my own abilities since Tails and I left to avoid that."
Sally smiled both mischievously and happily at that little revelation. "Well, I guess you DO have a brain underneath all those quills."
Sonic smoothed back his quills mock-suavely. "I'm more than just a pretty face."
Sally sauntered over to the hedgehog and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Better be." She teased and leaned up to him.
Sonic met her in the middle and the two locked lips in a short but sweet kiss.
Suddenly Sonic's wrist-com flicked to life and Tails appeared on the little screen. "Sonic stop making out with Sally and get to the garage! Egg-Head's robot will be passing over us in ten minutes!" He shouted irritably, correctly guessing what was happening when he saw his friend and "aunt's" cheek-to-cheek when they looked at him.
"Right, be there in Sonic Second." Sonic said and then just to spite his little bro he gave Sally another deeper kiss. The chipmunk/squirrel hybrid's eyes shot wide open and a blush burned bright enough to show through her fur.
"Walkers get a room…" He started before he pointed at them like a grumpy dad. "After we get back from space." He emphasized, he was about to switch off the transmission when he noticed Sally's outfit. "Wait, why aren't you in your thermal suit, Sal? Aren't you coming?"
"Huh?" Sally replied confusedly. "What are you talking about? I was never told?"
"Wha but I told…Amy..." He murmured just low enough for the couple to miss the last words. "Nevermind, just hurry up and get your gear on!" Tails said grumpily before ending the call, eager to get his new bird off the ground.
"Yes dad." Sonic taunted earning a laugh from Sally. He rummaged through the closet and took out a thermal suit that looked like it'd fit the chipmunk. "Well, let's get you suited up!" He said cheekily.
Sally returned the tone with a sultry smile and began to strip in front of him.
-FFX-
Standing outside of the garage, Bunnie, Amy, Cream, Cheese, Chris, Rotor, and both Chucks were standing waiting for the couple to appear.
After a moment the two came outside fully suited. The suits they wore were thick and padded, with laces on the torso, arms, and legs to keep the material close to the skin and trap as much heat as possible without losing too much mobility. (They're basically wearing the Sneaking Suit from MGS3) Sonic's was red, chrome and black and Sally's was blue, white and chrome.
"About time you two showed up." Amy said hostile, seemingly disappointed that Sally was also in a suit. She was asked to tell Sally she was also going into space with Sonic and Tails but she ignored the request after accepting it hoping she'd be too late when they launch happened. No such luck.
"Sorry about that." Sonic said scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "We got…held up." He added, managing to keep his blush down just enough to keep it hidden under his facial fur.
Same with Sally except the tips of her ears turned slightly pink.
"Well, they're here now!" Chuck said as he took a remote out of his lab coat. "Time for the grand reveal!" He flourished as he pressed the button.
Beneath their feet, the Mobians felt the ground lightly shake as the garage section of the manor raised up by a system of hydraulics.
Raising above the ground a new plane slowly came into view with Tails (Wearing a yellow, red, and chrome thermal suit) leaning against its fuselage with a proud smirk on his face.
He got off of it and bowed dramatically as he gestured to the magnificent space plane. "Ladies and Gentlemen I am proud to introduce you all to the SP-467 A.K.A the Tornado-X!"
Sonic let out a groan at the unimaginative name. "Oh come on Tails, you can do better than that, we already have a Tornado!"
A vain on Tails' forehead bulged at the comment but he decided to think it over anyways. "You know what? You have a point, how about the Monsoon!"
"Now we're talking!" Sonic cheered as he approached the Monsoon and low-fived his lil' bro.
"You guys really out did yourselves this time!" Sally complimented as she examined the hyper advanced jet.
"She's a beauty alright." Sonic agreed.
"Well get inside you three! You've got to stop E-90 before Eggman finishes collecting all of the world's satellites!" Charles said, feeling that they were wasting too much time admiring the plane.
"Right!" Tails, Sonic, and Sally responded before they all flew, jumped, and vaulted into their seats. Tails in the pilot seat, Sal in co-pilot, and Sonic in the passenger seat.
"I'm almost disappointed that you made the Monsoon a three seater buddy." Sonic said as he strapped in.
"Why's that?" Tails responded as he closed the canopies, and Sally looked back toward Sonic with a curious look.
"Because now I don't have an excuse to make Sal sit on my lap." Sonic teased making Sally blush and Tails groan.
"Walkers, if I start to sound like you when I get a girlfriend I'm going to have my head examined." The thirteen year old fox said sarcastically as he primed the engines.
The Monsoon slowly rolled out of the garage, just barely clearing the doorway even with its wings folded. It soon turned and became parallel with the driveway which would act as a makeshift runway.
Slowly all four wings unfolded and locked in an "X" shape. The engines whirred to live and flames began to expel from them. Then, almost instantly the Monsoon shot forward like a bullet, quickly clearing the drive way and flying high into the air, toward the Exosphere.
The Monsoon soared high into the sky, a trail of smoke and cloud left in her wake. Soon they were breaching Stratosphere and entered the Thermosphere. And looming before them like a leviathan of the sky was E-90 "Super Sweeper". Preparing for another "meal" of satellites and space stations.
-FFX-
"Sir, unknown aircraft has made contact with E-90!" Snively announced to Eggman from his console.
"What!?" The mad doctor squawked. "Who's is it? Get me a visual!" He barked commands. The window monitor flicked to a POV of E-90 and the two mad scientists were able to see an advanced space plane with three familiar figures in it. The ex-dictator clenched his fists and slammed down on his arm rests, denting the left one with his concealed robotic arm. "I should have known Sonic and his little mutant brat would find a way to reach E-90." He growled before entering commanded into his chair. "This'll require a personal touch." He said as a command console unfolded before him. "E-Series Number 90 Super Sweeper, engage defensive measures!"
-FFX-
As Eggman took control of the aerial behemoth E-90's eyes flashed and focused on the Monsoon.
"Uh oh, I think we woke him up lil' bro!" Sonic said excitedly as he witnessed E-90 slowly turn its way toward them.
Missile silos opened all over E-90 and laser a laser tower on its back. All took am on the comparatively diminutive space jet.
Casually; Tails laced his fingers together, stretched out his arms in front of him, and cracked his fingers before retaking the controls. "Let's see what this little lady can do!" The vulpine teenager called out before flipping on a pirate radio station.
(Cue Crazy Sunshine by the Pillows)
The Monsoon's thrusters roared to life and boosted the plane forward. Immediately the avian robot began its offensive, a hail of missiles and laser fire soundlessly screaming toward them.
With deft hands and skill beyond his experience; Tails was able to dodge the missiles with little difficulty, sending the Monsoon into a multitude of banks, barrel rolls and aileron rolls. But unfortunately he was unable to get in closer or line up a shot against the massive gunship.
"By the Void, I can't get a bead on him!" Tails groused as he looped to avoid another missile.
"Tails, get me a ring!" Sonic called as he unbuckled his seat.
"What for? You can't fight in space!" Tails protested and Sally couldn't help but agree.
"You know that aura the surrounds me when I use them right? Way I figure it the ring's power should protect me long enough to finish off that tin toucan and get back in before I freeze to death or suffocate." Sonic explained.
"Fine." Tails relented as he pressed a button and two power rings came out of a tray near Sonic's chair. "You haven't let us down yet!"
"Sonic!" Sally called out before Sonic opened the canopy. "You better get back to me or so help me I'll revive you and kill you again!" She ordered/threatened worriedly.
Sonic looked at her with a serious expression for a moment before he cracked that classic smirk of his. "Just who the hell do you think I am, Sal? I'll be gone and back before you can blink!" He boasted before he got to work.
The moment the canopy began to open Sonic tapped into the chaotic energies of the Power Rings. The familiar golden aura enveloped his form but despite this Sonic still shivered in the space's cold embrace. "G-g-good, I can still b-br-breath!" He stuttered chillily. "Better make this quick before my eyeballs freeze!" He joked but he could already see tiny ice crystals slowly forming on his thermal suit.
As another barrage of missiles roared toward them Sonic leaped into action. Using the energies of the ring Sonic was able to home in on the missiles, blowing them up or changing their trajectory away from the Monsoon. Soon Sonic made it to E-90. "Alright time to finish this!" He cried though none but he could hear it outside of his protective energy bubble.
Quickly Sonic curled into a ball and used the remaining energy of the rings to propel himself through space and the robot. He pierced it broadside before coming out the other side before repeating the process through the top of it and through the bottom. Over and over he repeatedly perforated the flying leviathan until he burst forth from its head ad made his way toward the Monsoon, E-90 exploding as he made his way, hoping with all he had that the Power Rings would hold up long enough for him to get inside.
"Tails open the canopy again, Sonic is coming back!" Sally shouted to her semi-adopted nephew worriedly.
The hatch of the Monsoon's back seat slowly lifted open just in time for Sonic to get inside. But as the canopy began to close the blue hero could feel the magical aura begin to weaken and fade. "Come on, come on! Close!" He shouted.
The aura broke just as the canopy locked shut and the interior was flooded with life giving oxygen. Sonic breathed in deeply the precious air. "That was a close one!" He chuckled nervously. "I think I'm done with space for a while." He concluded with a joke shivering from the cold that managed to penetrate his aura and thermal gear.
"I don't know whether I should hug you or slap you." Sally said with relief in her voice and small smile on her face.
-FFX-
"Sir, we've lost contact with E-90, it's destroyed!" Snively called from his console.
"No! Damn that Mobian filth!" Eggman roared angrily, smashing the controls for the now derelict E-90. Abruptly he stood up and headed for his lab, so angry that his head was turning red. "They better enjoy this while it lasts, because next time won't be so easy!" He swore and the door to his elevator snapped shut.
After the "good" doctor left, Snively went back to his computer and opened the blueprints for Eggman's powered armor prototype. He hummed to himself rubbing his chin in thought. "Not bad Uncle Julian, but let's see if I can add some improvements. Next time you come out in this those Freedom Flunkies won't know what hit them!" He cackled as he went to work.
-FFX-
"ACHOO! *sniff* Damn it…" Sonic whined pitifully. He was currently in his underpants and shirt, wrapped in a blanket and his feet in in a bucket of warm water.
Apparently leaving the Monsoon in a suit not properly insulated for the vacuum of space, magic aura or no, is an excellent way to catch a cold.
"Oh you poor baby." Sally teased she was sitting next to him with an arm around his shoulder.
"He's lucky all he got was a cold." Tails remarked as he examined Sonic's half frozen thermal suit, some pieces breaking off of it. "If not for the combined efforts of the Power Ring and my poor thermal suit he'd be a bloated piece of freeze dried hedgehog jerky."
"But he's not, and what's important is that we thwarted Robotnik's plans for another day." Charles said as he took his role as devil's advocate. "So right now we should just let our knuckleheaded hero rest."
With that everyone left the room except for Sonic and Sally. "*sniff* Sorry Sal, guess we'll have to put that date on hold for a while." Sonic apologized, still shivering from his short exposure to space.
"Yeah, but that okay." Sally waved off her lover's concerns. "Just gives me more time to plan something better." She teased before giving the Blue Blur a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "You better get some sleep Mr. Hero. The faster you recover the better."
"Fast is my middle name, remember?" Sonic boasted before holding back a sneeze.
"I remember that it's Maurice, Oliver." Sally teased before she left the room, leaving a peeved Sonic alone to recuperated.
-FFX-
FINALLY! I'm not even going to defend myself this time, I'm just a lazy, lazy fuck. Here you go, see you in another 8 months! (Joking…I hope…)