As a reward for their last successful mission, Mr. Rose, the head their GUN unit and granted them a week in Hawaii, all paid for. They'd all leapt at the chance. Seven days without having to worry about evil super villains or giant robots. What could be better?
They'd rented a set of flats near the beach: private, spacious and clean. Silver threw himself down into his bed in the room he was sharing with Espio.
"This is gonna be great!" he called to his roommate. "Surf, sun, sand! This is perfect." Espio just nodded. Silver glanced over at him. Espio was removing a worn dartboard from inside his bag. Silver sighed with exasperation. "Espio, were on holiday! Relax for once!" Setting the target on the door, Espio walked away from it. With blistering speed, he spun and hurled one of his ever accessible Kunai at the board. It hit the pinprick sized bulls eye with a solid thunk.
"I am relaxed," he told the flabbergasted Silver with what resembled a smile.
"OK, so what do we do first?" All eight of them were gathered in the flat's lounge room, with wide screen plasma and giant boom box.
"Shopping!" said Amy. Everyone groaned. "What?!"
"Let's start that again," said Sonic. "Do we go to the beach, the volcanoes or the city first?"
"Beach!" rang nearly everyone. Amy began sulking. Blaze looked at her feet. This almost went unnoticed. Almost. While everyone else went to change, Silver went to Blaze.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing," she muttered. Silver raised his eyebrow.
"Come on," he said. "I know you better than that!"
"Okay, let me rephrase that!" she snapped. "Nothing important." Silver looked hurt.
"Fine, be that way," he said and walked upstairs. Blaze groaned. She shouldn't have snapped at him. It was just…sigh. Silver was so naïve, he wouldn't understand! She went upstairs to change.
Sonic was first down. He was in board shorts and a shirt. Shadow and Knuckles dressed similarly, but Knuckles seemed to have 'forgotten' the shirt. "Bit smug, aren't we?" Sonic told him. Knuckles just smiled and flexed. Espio was in boardies as well, but had still managed to clip his kunai into place.
Silver and Tails were both in wetsuits. Sonic sniggered. "Why are you wearing those?" Silver just held up his hand, displaying the aqua tattoo on his palm.
"Yeah, I really want the world to see these all over my body!" Perturbed, but not beaten Sonic turned to Tails.
"I have tails, remember." Tails had accidentally given himself a pair of bushy fox tails in one of his multiple experiments. Sonic sat down in silence.
"High five!" Silver and Tails slapped hands.
"Hey, wait for me!" everyone looked at the stairs. Sonic's mouth fell open. Amy was coming down the stairs, in next to nothing. Her small bikini seemed more for show than for any real use. She gave a stunning smile at the gaping Sonic. Everyone else had found something else in the room of great interest.
"You're as bad as Knuckles, you know that!" Shadow told her while still staring at the kitchens stainless steel stove. "Where's Blaze?"
"Here," said Blaze. Unlike everyone else, she was in shorts and T-shirt.
"We're going to the beach Blaze," pointed out Knuckles. Blaze snapped her fingers, producing a flame.
"Pyrokinetic's don't swim." She picked up her beach chair and led the way out.
Hawaii is famous for it's beaches, it's surf and it's volcanoes. This meant that the beaches were packed. Surfers, families, natives and tourists all took their places in the sun. As it was, there seemed to be more surfers than usual.
"What's up?" Sonic asked.
"Surfer's gold comp," Shadow told him.
"Oh and how do you know that?!" Shadow pointed to the sign advertising it. "Oh."
"I say we enter," Silver proposed.
"I'm in!" said Knuckles. Shadow, Tails and Sonic also agreed. "You've never been on a surfboard," Knuckles told Sonic. "You can't even swim!" Sonic shrugged.
"How hard can it be?" Silver leaned over to Blaze.
"Please tell me you brought your camera," Blaze smiled and produced one. "Perfect!"
Blaze set up her chair as the contest began. Espio, who'd opted against entering, stood beside her. She turned to him. "How do you think they'll go?" Espio rested his head in two fingers, showing he was thinking.
"Well, Tails and Silver have the advantage; they're both skilled in the air. Knuckles is just good at this kind of stuff, so is Shadow."
"What about Sonic?" Espio gave a chuckle, not something that came lightly.
"Let's just say you'd better keep that camera ready." He looked up. "Well that's unusual." Blaze followed his gaze. A boat was resting in the shallow harbor.
"It's a boat at rest, so what?" The boat looked like a private yacht.
"Yes, but this is a closed harbor," Espio told her. "There shouldn't be allowed in here, but the securities not picking them up." Blaze didn't even bother asking how he knew this. Espio's idea of fun was looking up random locations and memorizing facts about them.
"It's probably just some rich old guy who paid to weigh anchor here," she concluded. Espio wasn't convinced. Blaze glanced out to sea. Tails was executing a jump that would be classed as impossible by most surfing guides, spinning while doing so. The crowed cheered. Trust Tails to define what can't be done. She turned to Espio, but he was gone. He'd probably gone to investigate the mysterious boat. She lay deeper in her chair. Maybe this holiday wouldn't be so bad after all.
After about an hour of watching the guys flipping, diving and crashing on the surf, Blaze noticed a group of surfers looking at her. They were four of them, all big and muscle bound, probably not particularly bright either. They were the types people either adored or loathed. She didn't take much notice, taking more interest in the surfing action. Then one of them came over, blocking her sunlight.
"Can I help you?" she asked.
"How old are you?" The question was curious, out of place, but innocent enough.
"14, why?" The boy went back to his group without answering her. She heard a bit of sniggering, but ignored it. Then they started calling.
"Hey flat chest, what's up?" She looked up. They laughed maliciously.
"Hey bustless, what's wrong?" She turned bright red. One of them even threw sand at her.
This was why she hadn't wanted to come to the beach. It always ended with this, people insulting her figure. She hated it! Was it such a crime not to have giant breasts?!
"No wonder you're here alone, no one could like you!" That did it! She slowly stood up from her chair.
"Ooo, what's she going to do." A small crowd had gathered to watch now. Fucking vultures! They just wanted to see someone else getting put down to make themselves feel big. One of the surfers, the largest and probably the leader, made a rude gesture. She pounced.
In half a second, Blaze's hand was curled round the big man's throat. He eyes had gone a fiery orange with the combination of rage and power. His grin disappeared instantly and the colour in his tanned face faded. She gave him a smile, showing her teeth. "You'll regret that!" she promised him. Then her knee cracked up into his crotch. He squeaked meekly, but she wasn't done yet. Catching her shin between his legs, she threw him into the air and followed. Around 3 meters off the ground, she flew above him. His face, she noticed, was a mixture of surprise and pain. She sent a tremendous kick down into his overly muscular chest, sending him into the sand with the force of a landing helicopter.
With grace, Blaze landed beside the still figure. Two of the remaining surfers charged at her. Uncoordinated and untrained, it was almost too easy. She flipped over them, cracking their heads together with two satisfying cracks. They thudded to the ground as she moved to the last of them, the one who'd asked her about her age. He backed away.
"You can't do this!" he stuttered, fear evident in his voice. "My dad works with GUN. There'll be consequences!" She laughed. It wasn't her usual light, joyful sound. The sound was chilling and hollow.
"GUN?" she said, quickening her pace. The boy tripped over his own feet. "Tell you dad you assaulted a SPEED member." Her hand went round his neck, pulling his face close. "See how he reacts." She raised her fist to strike.
"Blaze?!" She turned around. Silver and Tails had broken through he ring of spectators. They were staring in utter shock at the scene before them. Blaze looked back at the man in her hands. He fainted from terror and stank of urine. She looked back at Silver, his look of disbelief. All her rage left her. Throwing down the limp body, she ran off with her face in her hands.
"Wait!" Silver raised her hand, but she was gone. His friend gone without answering him, he rounded on the crowd. "What happened?"