I'm glad I got this done even though it feels a bit hurried. Hope you like it.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Sonic characters.
Chapter 6: Demons
"I still don't see what the big deal is?"
"Faker, since when did you start thinking the casino industry was out to get you." Sonic gave his counterpart a withering stare as if it were so obvious.
"Ever since they started endorsing Eggman's crazy schemes with those killer gambling theme parks he's always building. Those slot machines have to come from somewhere."
"Well what about pigeons? Why in the world do you want them eradicated?" Knuckles asked. His opinion of the blue hedgehog's sanity (while never that high to begin with) was dropping by the second.
"Hey you try getting a little surprise in the face at three hundred miles per hour and see if you're so kind to the little winged rats afterwards. It's happened to me five times Knuckles. Five times. Do you know how hard it is to hit something moving that fast. I swear those things have some kind of homing system."
"Fine," Shadow was pinching the space between his eyes, "You've explained those, but can you please tell me what you have against Switzerland?"
"That's…personal."
Both Knuckles and Shadow looked up in surprise at the hedgehog that suddenly seemed embarrassed.
"Um, I'll be back."
Sonic ran out the door, leaving his fellow patients with more questions than answers.
"You've known him longer. Can you explain it?" Shadow asked.
"The day I understand what goes on in that guy's head is the day I sign up for real psychological therapy."
"Um, is Sonic there?" Said a voice from the hallway's door. It was Amy, poking her head through the space tentatively.
"No," Knuckles replied, giving the pink hedgehog a funny look. Every move she made spoke of nervousness, something not often associated with Amy Rose.
"Oh," she said, finally stepping out into the lobby.
"Are you feeling well?"
"Yeah. Actually I was just released."
"You!" Knuckles and Shadow said at once.
"Well-,"
"It happened again! I'm telling you, they have a grudge against me!"
Sonic had just burst in, rubbing his face with a towel and muttering curses against a certain species of fowl.
Amy's eyes went wide.
"SONIC!" The hedgehog cringed at the sound expecting a hug attack, "I didn't do it! I didn't mean it! I'm sorry! AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Amy ran away. For once, Amy ran away. It was the most miraculous thing Sonic had ever seen.
"What the heck happened while I was gone!"
"It looks like Amy got cured, just like yours truly and this little guy," Rouge had entered in time to see Amy's flight along with Tails.
"I can believe Tails being here a mistake, but how did you trick your way out of this?" Knuckles asked in irritation. If anyone deserved to be here it was that crazy bat.
"What can I say, I'm more popular than I thought. Now if you excuse me I think I'll treat myself to a little stea- I mean shopping spree."
Rouge winked before leaving in a hurry as if she had a mortal need to lay her hands on something shiny and supposedly beyond her reach. Knuckles shook his head, wondering how anyone could mistake her for being sane.
"Wow. So you got off too. Way to go buddy," Sonic said to Tails. He was proud of the kit and just a bit amazed that he'd been able to escape this mess.
Tails smiled at the praise.
"It wasn't that hard. All I had to do was put some thought into it."
"Well that's all well and good, but what are we supposed to do. They still think we're-,"
The echidna was cut short as Omega jumped through the door, and slammed it shut behind him.
"…Omega?" Shadow asked, having never seen the robot look…distressed before.
Omega looked at each of them before striding toward the exit.
"Optimal action: immediate departure."
Shadow hesitated a moment before following the robot. Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles exchanged a glance before doing the same. They all knew that anything that could spook the walking arsenal was something best not encountered.
Once out on the street, Omega turned to address them all.
"Last day: tomorrow. Suggested action: preparation."
That was all he said, leaving the rest to puzzle over what he meant.
The Last Day
The fact that something was wrong was immediately obvious. The first tip-off being that the jelly monster was not there. The only known way to get rid of them was with a vat of peanut butter and since there was no semi there labeled "Jam Relief" it was safe to assume that something other than the monster's natural nemesis had scared it off. The second clue came from a closer inspection of the office building. That there might be a broken window or two wasn't all that strange in this type of neighborhood, but that all the windows were broken and their shards scraped out was too much to be coincidence. That these shards were neatly aligned into some unfathomable language on the sidewalk was only stronger proof.
Oh, and everything was glowing.
"Knuckles you go in first."
"What! Why me!" The echidna yelled at the blue hedgehog.
"You're the sturdy one. If something catches you, you'll survive longer until we can come rescue you," Sonic explained with a half-grin while Shadow nodded silently next to him.
"Ha ha. Very funny."
It was actually Omega that went in first, which was lucky since his hide easily deflected the steak knife that was jabbed at him.
"If you value your lives, don't come any further!"
"Isn't that Bill?" Sonic asked as he peeked around the robot. The lanky man was disheveled with his entire form matted in sweat and (more disturbingly) blood. He had a feral look in his eyes, like a creature hunted into a corner that would attack anything that came close.
"Stand back! Stand back!"
"Bill! Hold on a minute! It's us!"
Sonic had hopped up on Omega's shoulder to try to snap the lanky man out of his blood craze. The assistant blinked with bleary eyes and seemed to finally recognize them.
"Y-you. You guys," he didn't relax, but he did lower his steak knife to the side.
"T-they're here. They're after me! They're coming!"
"Who is?" Knuckles yelled from where he was trying to get around the robot's side.
"RUN AWAY! GOTTA RUN AWAY OR DIIIIIIIEEEEEEEE!" Bill screamed, before jumping out the widow and running down the street with steak knife still in hand and all the while screaming and laughing like the madman he'd become.
The four briefly considered following his advice but another scream cut them off. Omega moved aside while Sonic and Shadow shot forward, the two of them reaching the hallway first. Along the hall lay little blood soaked bodies of indeterminable species and one human body with a toupe laying crookedly on its head. One glance at the man was all they needed to see that he was beyond help and the two went straight for the end office where the scream had originated.
They opened the door…and stared.
Even before the "incident" neither Sonic nor Shadow had led an altogether normal life and they'd seen their share of strange sights. The scene before them left both thunderstruck and unable to move.
Rabbits. Dozens of them. They surrounded the large desk with twitching noses and blood soaked hides. There was a hazy otherworldly aura around the lot of them and each had a pair of glowing red eyes fixed on their next victim. Doctor Rutabaga stood on the fragile safety of his oversized desk, screaming and cringing at the approach of the murderous creatures. Several cuts showed that he'd already had a sample of their abilities and knew just how dangerous they were. He screamed again before he saw them, then he lit up with panicked hope.
"HELP ME!"
At this sound all the rabbits turned to the doorway, their muzzles stilled, and they cast their surreal gaze upon the two hedgehogs who froze at the sight. Two cold metal hands were what moved them from their place as Omega maneuvered into the room and shoved the other two behind him.
"Assistance will be proffered on condition of release."
"YES! I'LL DO ANYTHING! JUST SAVE ME!"
"Affirmative."
Omega stomped into the room and took a defensive stance. The rabbits turned their scarlet stare on him and gave a collective hiss, a sound not dissimilar from wind whipping through a tomb.
"DEMONIC CREATURES OF HELL. PREPARE TO BE EXORCISED."
The creatures hissed again and lunged at him. Omega's shoulder nozzles reappeared, but instead of spewing fire they instead threw out a stream of water that hit the rabbits midair. The demons gave high pitched shrieks at the impact, their pitch cutting into the ears (or auditory sensors) of their supposed victims. Once the water touched them they started to burn and became ashes within seconds. Omega doused the room hitting as many as he could but a few managed to escape through the window. Once the last of them had either been reduced to dust or jumped away, Omega returned his nozzles to their place and lifted the small human off the desk.
"Area secured. Fulfill condition."
"You want released. Ha ha. Well of course I'll write you off. Hehehe. You're all flipping flooding sane! Hahahahah!"
He threw papers up in the air and jumped around, while cackling and yelling "Bunnies! Bunnies! Woo! Woo!" He finally landed a kiss on his taxidermy turkey and ran for the door, the three anthros wisely getting out of his way.
"Omega…how did you do that?" Shadow asked, gesturing to the ash piles.
"Holy water." The robot said simply.
"Can we go home now?" Knuckles asked, more out of tiredness than irritation.
"Affirmative."
They all looked relieved as they walked back down the hall, glad it was finally over. Omega hesitated before doing the same, a chill causing him to turn around. One lone rabbit sat on the sill, having returned to deliver one last message in a low creaky voice.
"We…will return."