PoC: Chapter six is up and ready to be read to a fault, or burnt to a crisp.
Metal: Who the hell is 'PoC'?
PoC: It's me 'M.H.', but I changed my pen name.
Metal: Can I do that too? I'm sick of being called 'Metal'.
PoC: Nah, fans will change it for you (sucker).
Metal: WHAT? Don't I get a say in the matter? It's MY name dammit! I'm NOT a fan character for people to… *rant omitted* *blows up innocent passers-by, objects, etc*
PoC: Chill buddy. PenfullofChaos819 does not own the Sonic compilation.
Metal: Wait a second. You! You've given me a strange name too, haven't you? Admit it!
PoC: I have no idea what you're talking about. Back to the story!
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Enough for one Day
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Spending the next few minutes scoping the place out, Sonic fought off the nagging suspicion that something was very off about Tails' place. The overall structural design was the same, but the 'personal touches' were not very typical for a mechanic's dwelling.
"Better brace myself now." Sonic said, giving himself moral support "No telling what kind of confusion I'm in for this time."
Glancing over to a large glass cabinet, Sonic noticed a number of jewels on display. Someone had gone through the trouble of arranging them in order of rarity. It shocked the hedgehog to see so many priceless gems just lying about. Hadn't Tails considered the possibility of a break-in? At least he could've kept them locked up and out of plain sight. It wasn't like him to be so careless.
"Come to think of it," Sonic thought "When did Tails start collecting precious stones?"
Sonic stopped short, remembering exactly where he was. It's entirely possible that this Tails had some hobbies that other one didn't. For all he knew, these gems could be used as a power source for one of the kit's experiments. On that note, Sonic paid his surroundings no mind. Instead, he kept an upbeat attitude towards the home's uniqueness.
"No big deal." he said with a grin "So what if my buddy collects gems, or decorates his house, or puts flowers on his fireplace mantle, or has a dresser with his favorite perfumes-wait WHAT?"
His stable mood left as quickly as it came, once he caught sight of the dresser. Exquisite perfumes and make-up kits were placed neatly on top. It was hard enough to believe at first, but there were just too many signs now.
"No no no…I don't want a little sister!" he moaned, whilst beating his head on the dresser. Looking at his reflection revealed a large pair of dark, baggy, bloodshot eyes. Peace of mind was clearly not a luxury he could afford right now. His head pounded with the worst migraine known to man (err…hedgehog). The only thing he was sure of in this befuddled world was that he was going to need a lot of therapy after this was over.
"Sonic are you ok?" a female voice asked.
A whole lot of it…
His head began to swim, and his focus started to fade. Sonic couldn't register his own reflection anymore. The voice behind him continued to get fainter and fainter.
"You must've been really tired. It's already ten o'clock." the girl placed a hand on his shoulder "Sonic?" to the person's surprise, the hero leaned back…
…and lifelessly fell to the floor.
"Sonic! W-what's wrong?" the figure said trying to rouse the hero. She checked make sure he was still breathing, before dialing a number into her phone.
"Come on pick up…" she begged.
"Hello?" a voice on the other line asked.
"It's me again, is Tails in?" the girl asked.
"I told you Rouge, it's not easy to get a hold of him, even for me. You'll just have to be patient." the person replied tiredly "I'm sure he'll be glad to know Sonic is back."
"You don't understand! He just collapsed all of the sudden! I think something's wrong with him." Rouge explained.
"What? When did this happen?" the person now sounded slightly concerned.
"Just now! I tried to say hi, and he just fell over dead! I mean I think he's alive, but still!" Rouge was struggling to not lose her cool.
"Hmm…you did say that he was acting funny when you saw him with Amy right?" the person asked.
"This is no time for analysis Amethyst! I need you to get in contact with Tails NOW!" Rouge shouted into the phone.
"Calm down…Sheesh the first time you manage to knock a guy off his feet, and you call up asking me for help." Amethyst poked at the nigh-hysterical Rouge.
"I'm glad you think this is funny, but come on! Aren't you a least a little worried about our friend?" Rouge could never understand how some people remained so lax.
"Of course I am! But freaking out isn't going to solve anything. For crying out loud Rouge, you're a government agent! Try acting like one!" Amethyst attempted to ease the jittery bat.
Rouge knew it was true, she did know better than to lose it. However, ever since the incident at the base, she had been on edge. Opting to take her friend's advice, Rouge said "You're right, I just feel very responsible for what happened."
"It wasn't anybody's fault Rouge. That mission was a great risk for everyone. I promise if anything is wrong with Sonic, Tails will be sure to fix him up. For now, let's just be happy that he's alive!" Rouge felt her spirits lighten. Sonic's return was nothing short of a miracle. It was good to know that they hadn't lost two friends in the same day.
"I hate it when you're right, but I'll let you have your day. After all, it's not like you get as much attention as I do." Rouge said in a conceited, suggestive way.
"That's the Rouge I know, but no offence the sexy agent act doesn't suit you. You're much better as your shy, nicer self." Amethyst stated.
"I'm not shy! I just…like some time to myself that's all." Rouge was a little irritated by the giggling on the receiver "While this conversation is fun, I STILL NEED YOU TO GET TAILS OVER HERE!"
"I swear if my ears drums were any bigger you would've blown them out by now! I'll call him right away, and if I don't get an answer, I'll track him down. Sound good?" she said, laying out her plans.
"That's perfect thank you. At least I know I can count on someone." Rouge said.
"No big deal. You just take care of sleeping bluesy, and I'll handle the rest. See you later, Rouge." Amethyst said her goodbyes.
"Okay thanks again." Rouge said, closing her phone. She then stared at the comatose Sonic with a sigh.
"I wish I knew what you needed." she said, while picking him up "You wouldn't have come to my place unless you really had to." looking over his body, Rouge couldn't understand. He looked like Sonic, but something felt foreign about him; like he was missing a crucial part of himself.
"Sonic…are you really you?"
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*Blazer Ruins*
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The heat was extreme, especially beyond the Sandopolis region. Dressed in a unique wrap of clothing, a mobian could be seen traversing the scorching desert.
"I must be close." the person thought "I can see the flames from here."
In the distance, one could clearly make out the disturbingly bright blue flames burning atop the tarnished torches. The location in question was not, by definition, a true ruin. It had only recently been constructed, with the exterior being little more than a front. Having located a high energy spike from within, the figure chose to investigate the pseudo-ruin.
"Those flames are synthetic, no doubt made to scare off anyone that might see them. Either that, or it's a moth's flame meant to draw in would-be explorers." he deduced "Regardless, only one thing could be giving off a reading like this." he looked down at his personal reader as he spoke. The spike of energy was so great that it topped far beyond the chart's ratios.
"A Chaos Emerald." the figure stuffed the scanner in his bag, and continued to approach the structure.
Having finally reached his destination, he stopped to pull off some of his unnecessary protection, revealing his dust-covered orange fur, and his trademark twin tails.
"Alright let's see now." he said looking through his bag "C. Replica? Check. Explosives? Check. Remote T-Pup? Check. MXA rifle?" he said looking at his favorite gun with a smile "Check. High-friction resistant shoes? Check. Cell phone?" he placed all of his other equipment aside. After looking one more time, he gave up on it.
"Must've left it behind." he said flatly "Doesn't matter, I wouldn't want to worry them anyway."
Gathering his gear, Tails entered the darkened 'ruin'. The musty scent and crumbling pillars and wall certainly made it feel authentic. Keeping a cautious eye out for traps, the vulpine kept a steady, but silent, pace as he investigated.
"This layout is clever." he mused "They must be using it as a way to conceal any activity within. However…" he stopped to notice peculiar markings in the sand "The amateurs that made these obviously weren't paying close attention."
Following the trail, Tails kept on going until he was forced to stop. The markings vanished into the wall, giving the fox no thrill in finding the secret chamber.
"These thieves watch to many action-thrillers I swear." he said, while examining the stone wall. The crude device was merely simple lock and key kind of seal. Knowing the crowd he was up against, Tails was sure the 'key' would be well guarded and booby-trapped.
"Find the key huh? No thanks, I brought my own." in a flash, the fox pulled out several of his 'keys'; just in case one didn't do the trick.
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*B. Laboratory*
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"So did our client say why they needed this?" a chameleon said while holding up the grey Chaos Emerald.
"Shiny things pay best, right mister boss man?" a bee asked his 'boss' who was too busy listening to his headphones to hear. Not liking being ignored, the bee snuck up behind the large crocodile. Cranking the volume up too high, the evil bee was rewarded with sight of his boss leaping to his feet, thereby smashing his head on a low portion of the ceiling. Groaning and complaining of a terrible headache, the crocodile grabbed the bee by his scrawny neck.
"Think that was a good idea now punk?" he snarled, but the bee just cracked up, despite the lack of air.
"Oh so it's funny huh? Maybe a harder squeeze would teach you a little respect." but before he could make good on his threat, the reptile felt something cold and cruelly sharp near his throat.
"I hope you have another layer of skin underneath here because I'm about to cut this one off." the chameleon spoke with an eerily placid tone. The croc reluctantly freed the bee from his grasp, and returned to his seat. The bee, obviously a masochist or simply insane, was just about to pull another stunt, when the whole group was jarred by a nearby explosion.
"Holy hell that thunderstorm must be reeeeaaally close folks! Hee-hee! I wonder if I'll get to sting me a moist flower?" the bee said in a rather crazed tone.
"Shut up shorty this is bad! That sound means someone found us out! I knew this job was a stupid idea!" the 'boss' bolted for the door, but was held back by the disproportionately strong chameleon.
"Calm yourself. We need to stand our ground long enough until support arrives. Our client did say they would ensure the safety of the package, did they not?" the croc pulled his tail out of the chameleon's grasp.
"I know that! I was just…going to tell them to hurry it up! Yeah! Tell them we need some backup right now!" the croc proclaimed.
The chameleon simply slapped his forehead "Vector, if you tell them we're under attack, then the deal is off and no help will come. Keep your great maw shut, and we might still get paid."
"Exactly what I was saying!" the croc shouted indignantly "We should stay quiet and fight it out like real men! The Uber Mercenary Band of the Mighty Vector doesn't need backup anyway! Got a problem with that Espio?"
"Not at all 'boss'." Espio had to hold back his irritation "But for all that's sacred, change our ridiculous name! What sort of client would take us seriously with title like that?"
"I'd take anything with a glass of ice sugar and powdered water!" the bee blurted out.
Ignoring the bee, the crocodile smashed his fist down in anger "And what's wrong with it? Hmm? It's big, it's grand, it's catchy, and above all, it has my name in it! What's not to like?"
"Basically: Everything." before the overgrown lizard could make a fight out of it, another loud explosion knocked the whole group to the ground. Coughing and grumbling, Vector couldn't make out the new figure.
"Well what do you know?" the voice spoke "I search for a den of thieves, and end up finding the computer room!" the figure made his way into the light "It's been a while, Vector."
"Shit, me and my bad luck! You're not getting the data here Miles! Charmy, go!" Vector ordered. The bee proceeded to destroy every terminal and computer monitor he could get his stinger on. Soon the whole place was completely void of any functional system.
"So ha! Take your self-righteous crap elsewhere, you've got nothing to pin on us!" to his dismay, the vulpine gave a confidant smile.
"Who says I came to arrest you? I only need your 'stolen goods'." he said, pointing to the Chaos Emerald.
"Come and try." Espio pulled out five of his shurikens to make his point. Tails stretched a bit, before assuming a battle stance.
"This should be fun." he smirked as the two charged each other. Espio didn't hesitate to throw the deadly projectiles at the fox. Tails seemed to be holding something near his arm as the barrage ended.
"Surrender yourself at once." to the chameleon's terror, Tails held up one of the very shurikens he had thrown at him.
"Remember kids: Sharp objects should never be handled without an adult around." Tails said, throwing the concealed blade back to its owner "'Cause sharp objects can give you a big owie. And that's no good!"
After dodging the 'returned favor', Espio let loose a flurry of rage induced throws while shouting "Don't mock me!"
"Watch your aim ninja man." Tails said while darting between both Vector and Charmy. Having been struck several times, Vector yelled and did the typical stop, drop, and roll. While the procedure worked well against self-fires (self inflicted in Charmy's case), its creators must've not taken shurikens into account. As such, the poor crocodile only managed to embed the blades deeper into his arms and legs. Charmy was unlucky to enough to catch several in his rear-end, but merely broke into a fit of laughter.
"Charmy are you okay?" Espio ran over in genuine concern, despite his comrade's lapse in sanity.
"Forget him! You put like ten of those things in me you clumsy piece of-" but Vector stopped his rant, realizing something far more important "The emerald! Where's the emerald?"
Espio checked gear, but found nothing. His blood boiled as he saw the familiar gem in the grip of a grinning vulpine.
"Looking for this?" he held up the gem, but before the trio could rush him, a loud crash startled the four. Vector was the one smiling now, for he knew that backup had indeed arrived.
"Hmm…Not my lucky day, is it?" Tails looked down at the gem. Placing himself near the exit he spoke again "You win this time." with a swift motion, he tossed the emerald back into the chameleon's hand.
"You insulted my pride Miles. Don't get yourself killed before our next meeting. I want my chance at revenge." Espio challenged.
"Fair enough, I think you deserve that much. I accept, if only out of respect." Tails said, moments before leaving in a blur.
Taking a few seconds to pull out the last few shurikens, Vector called out "Yeah you better run big-shot! And next time, think twice about messing with the Uber Mercenary Band of the Mighty-CHARMY!" the croc felt the bee sting one of his still-open wounds.
Returning to their wait for the client, Vector decided to try his hand at shuriken throwing; Charmy was quite fortunate for his boss's poor aiming skill.
Espio was simply staring off into space. Still thinking about his opponent, he gazed into the gem.
"Next time…" he quietly promised.
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*Outside the Ruins*
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"Well that was a little risky, but all worth it, right T-Pup?" he said looking down at his 'pet'. The mechanical fox-like robot opened its back end up to reveal the true Chaos Emerald.
"Good boy." Tails said, patting him on the head "Glad I remembered to bring the fake. Otherwise this whole trip would've been a huge waste of time."
T-Pup barked in his robotic tone while spinning in a circle "Time to go home huh? I hope nothing crazy happened while I was away." for a split second, Tails swore his gut instinct was trying to tell him something, but he ignored it.
"Nothing we can't handle, right boy?" T-Pup barked at his master, and the two made tracks for home.
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End of Chapter Six
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Yes I know, I said no chapter would be as long as the last one. I just had so much to get in that it ended up adding up too fast. Still, hopefully it was for the best. At last I have revealed most (not all) of the characters I will be using. This intro was only enough to get Tails' name out there (not yet showing the full scale of differences). Hopefully I can expound upon that next chapter. Once again, keep up the reviews! They're what motivate me to work faster.
Note: Charmy's 'new self' is loosely based (sans the masochistic part) on a fairly minor character from the Sonic comics (not fleetway). Hint: He loves the 'shiny'.
Until next time.