PoC: Ugh… Not…feeling…well. Must…write…chapter…goodness.
Silver: You know what solves all those pesky intestinal ills?
Metal: You shutting up once in awhile?
Silver: *Eye-roll* Nope! These tiny magical tablets called, ahem: Tuummmmtatumtumtummmmmmmms!
PoC: Promise no singing, no infomercials, and NO foreign dancing, and then I'll take the useless tablets.
Metal: ? Silver knows a dance?
Silver: *Excited* Yeah yeah! It's kind of a cross between disco and the hula, with a bit of techno flair thrown in! Wanna see?
Metal: 0_o He's joking right?
PoC: *Retches* No he's not! And he sings at the same time.
Silver: Yup! Here's a little intro!
Metal: Start the chapter! I SAID START IT DAMMIT!
-l-
Rash Decisions
-l-
If there was one word to describe how the day had gone so far, maddening would very likely suffice. It was despicable to see the whole city in such a frenzied uproar over a bit of increasingly strange weather. Amy's mother always did say that the skies had a definite effect on people, but this was taking the notion too far. A simple trip to the grocery had become an unwanted adventure in and of itself, what with all the terror-stricken people either claiming it be the end of the world, or a few others attempting raids on unattended shops. In her mind the only thing threatening to bring down the city was the city itself.
Shutting the front door with some drama, owing to the circus at play on the other side, the kindly hedgehog was all too happy that she'd kept her little girl home from school today. With her precious angel so petrified from her constant onset of nightmares, the last thing she needed was more fear added by this world gone mad. The circumstances made it imperative that she stay indoors as much as possible, so as to defend her home from would-be thieves and Lord knows what else lurked on the outside. Danger for herself was fine, but a threat to her house and baby was another matter entirely.
"If anyone so much as touches a quill on my daughter's head, I swear I'll give them something real to scream about." She grumbled in a low voice, so as to not disrupt the one she was trying to look out for. It was only a short time later that all the groceries had been safely tucked away in the appropriate places.
On any other day, in any other mood, the motherly hedgehog would've busied herself with little things around the house, little chores that pushed the city's chaos out of her mind. Concern and maternal worry for her only child had instead influenced something that was normally unthinkable, especially with Amy going through her 'independent phase'; she decided to visit her daughter's room without permission. Amy was well taught enough to not speak too harshly to her mother, but that wouldn't change how upset she'd initially be. Though she had long practiced the rule her mother had taught, which was to not exasperate your child, Amy's mother was willing to break it this one time. Stepping up softly to her daughter's room door, she prepared to enter as soundlessly as possible. She twisted the handle as softly and peeked in to see her lovely child, choosing to ignore her poor cleaning habits this one time. However, as her eyes scanned the room, a cold state of fear fell over the protective parent. The mess was expectedly not absent…
…but the child who made it unexpectedly was.
Smashing the door wide open with panic-fueled strength, Amy's mother searched, or rather ransacked, every square inch of the tiny dwelling. At last she happened upon a small note, seemingly written in Amy's beautiful handwriting. At least it wasn't some sort of ransom, but why would Amy leave without warning? The middle-aged hedgehog quickly read the note's contents, hoping for an explanation. Though she did find proof that her daughter had indeed left of her own volition, the letter did not contain an answer as to why. It merely stated that she had left to visit a friend. Who could she be visiting? As far as her mother knew, Amy's dearest friends hadn't been answering their phones, not even Cream, due to the heavy interference they'd been having. Fearing Amy had gone into the city streets, her mother immediately headed for the front door, dialing Amy's number as she did. Having her priceless treasure outdoors at this time was unacceptable.
"Please answer me…" she begged wishfully as a ringtone cycled in her ear. To her dismay, a voice mail prompt was the only response. Having then tried four more times without success, the distressed parent reluctantly conceded to calling the local police.
L
*Aboard Tacitchaos' Ship*
L
"Okay guys, that is just disgusting." Amethyst said from behind an apparent 'field of battle'.
Sonic paid the traitorous vixen no heed. How could anyone call this grand duel to the death 'disgusting'? Here on the table of justice, warriors long before their time had gathered with fork and knife in hand to claim honor that was rightfully theirs. No female could understand the glory a man's enlarge stomach could bring!
"Hey Espio! Show some respect for the lady present." Vector chided, bringing his own utensil of war to his mouth with dainty elegance. Had he no pride? No honor to speak of? For sure the blue hero had thought he would at least support the full-mouthed champions in their courageous endeavor.
"Lesssee folks! Yup it looks like today's forecast is going to be putrid gold-yellow showers with a slight chance of ruby-red hail!" the bee crudely broadcasted, successfully earning a smack from Vector and a retching from Amethyst.
Both were caught off-guard by the disturbing 'fight' that had apparently erupted over a simple breakfast. Ten minutes ago Vector had been chatting away pleasantly with the two foxes, until a certain assassin made his entrance. After a number of deadly stares between the vulpine and the chameleon, both took to shoving obscene amounts of nutrition down their throats as fast as possible. Matters were only worsened when Charmy had started to provide the combatants with more 'fuel' for their fiery battle. Neither the crocodile nor the vixen had ever expected their long-known friends to act with such unbecoming behavior. Once the blue blur made his late arrival, the vixen sighed in premature comfort. Amethyst had, for unknown reasons, expected Sonic to be of some 'good' influence on the trance-bound eaters. Sadly, the hero instead got himself caught up in all the chaos by joining in. Eventually ending his direct involvement early, the hedgehog continued to support the battle in spirit, acting as a sort of referee for the engorged pair.
Winding down to the decisive moment, Tails lifted what would be the sandwich to end all sandwiches, in an attempt to put ex-ninja in his place. Though even with the urging of his best friend the fox couldn't help but moan out "I'm going to be sick… When this is over, I never want to see another honey and jelly sandwich for the rest of my life. Speaking of which, where do you get all honey this from?" the croc obliged by pointed a firm finger in Charmy's direction, making the vulpine's stomach more disagreeable than ever.
"Just down this last one bud! I know you can do it! Think of all the starving kits around the world that can only dream of winning a battle like this!" Tails gave the hedgehog a 'what the heck is that supposed to mean?' look, causing Sonic to redeem himself by saying "Okay bad example, but what I mean is you have to do this! Send that stuck-up lizard packing for good!"
Tails shook his head at the advice he knew he'd regret taking later, as he raised the honey-stuffed bread to his fluffy white cheeks. Everyone's eyes locked on him, even the curmudgeonly two that had before pretended to not be interested. Inhaling a final time, the fox took a huge bite out of the sticky glob of doom. Chewing came as a pained and trying ordeal, but at long last the fox gave a triumphant grin, showing he had indeed swallowed his portion.
"Ha! Let's see you beat that scale-face! Right Tails old bud?" having said this, Sonic unwittingly brought his palm down hard on the vulpine's back "Unless you can match up, I think that means our team takes another victory! Ain't that right, Tails? Um…dude, are you okay?" Sonic's thoughtful concern was answered by the loud thud of his dog-cousin ally collapsing to the floor.
"Hmph! Looks like I claim this victory for myself." Espio scoffed proudly, consuming his own unfinished meal aggressively. Once he had cleaned his plate, the ex-ninja excused himself from their sight.
Sonic and Vector inspected what was left of the now-bulbous bundle of yellow fur at their feet. Hefting him was no easy task, but eventually both had situated the plumped up fox on a nearby couch. The sapphire hedgehog didn't know if he should feel sorrier for misguiding the prodigy, or for the fact that Espio walked away unfazed. Putting the little game behind him, Sonic worked hard to ensure his friend was ready when they reached their destination.
"We'd better start the meeting now." Vector commented, attempting to keep his mind on serious matters "I guess I'll go round up Esp and the miss, you mind looking after roly-poly there?" Sonic sighed and nodded, knowing he didn't have much choice. The hedgehog had dealt with things like this when younger kit had the flu, but doing the same for him as an adult felt…weird.
"Well if it isn't the big time 'winner'!" he, out of nowhere, heard Vector say, followed the combined laughs of at least two other people. The hero swiftly turned around to see a humiliated/sick Espio being carried by the vixen and croc, Charmy's effort to lift his arm didn't count. The three placed him on similar couch, despite his fervent claims that he could walk. Having finally gotten the two propped and comfy, the rest of the sensible crew took their seats around the two 'casualties of war'.
"I never knew male rivalries could be so…gross." Amethyst groaned while pulling out her portable substitute computer "Now to business. By adding our current emeralds to the one Vector 'found' for us, it means there is only one left on this island."
Slipping into his own chair, Sonic tried to recall other important details "So does that mean we're done searching as soon as we snag this next one?" eyebrows from each corner of the room arched at his logic "Whoa come on, hear me out! Didn't Robotnik say he was going to collect the emeralds that weren't local? Also, it's not exactly related, but don't forget about the three day time limit that bastard Maasawd gave me."
Tails' ears shot up as though he had something to say. Noticing this, Sonic raised the vulpine up to make his participation easier "As I've said before, that all depends on what Maasawd meant by 'three days'. We could, at this point, have either two days or one day left depending on his meaning." Tails then opened up a small projector to display a 3-D image of the remaining emeralds "The wasteland we are approaching is notoriously hard to navigate, no matter what time of day we arrive. Add this to the fact that Robotnik holds the key to our meeting the time limit, and I'd say we're more or less out of luck."
His words had effectively blanketed the joint team in doubt. At least two members were hoping he would have a solution by now. To their grief, the fox didn't seem any more likely to offer a plan than he had yesterday. Aware that hope had never been high to begin with, Sonic debated giving out some ego-boosting speech to get everyone's spirits back. However, even he had to admit that the circumstances were feeling very bleak.
"Idiots, the lot of you." A grouchy speaker berated the group, thereby obtaining each mobian's undivided attention. Forcing himself up, the irked chameleon extended an accusative finger at the prodigy "Especially you Miles, how can you be so quick to accept defeat? These can't the words of one who defeated me." Espio then flashed his sharp golden irises filled with determination "You want to save Rouge correct? You want to collect the emeralds too, yes? Then as the saying goes 'if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself'." His unsaid point had now piqued the interest of the five present "Don't wait for the enemy to make the first move. I say we split our group into two teams, sending one to rescue Rouge, while the other sets off to find the emeralds and Robotnik."
Such a bold and dangerous plot had been considered long ago, but coming out of the stealthy-mobian now it almost seemed plausible. Sonic was the first to consider debating against this idea, though he himself before had been the one to suggest something similar to the foxes; however, with such a large gap between progress and their goal, the hero knew that such a risk was necessary.
Tails would've been second to disagree, even though he confessed to having no better strategy, mostly due to his aversion to dividing manpower. A two-set group would mean that one of them would have to travel with ship, to keep the shifty trio under a watchful eye, while the other would be no doubt monitored by one of Vector's lackeys, if not by Vector himself. The fox hated having to forge any more potentially hazardous pacts with third parties, but in his mind they had very little choice in the matter.
"I agree to this proposal." Tails spoke up first, not oblivious to the 'excuse me? face he was getting from Amethyst "We'll have to discuss the finer details after we collect the next emerald, but I'm willing to go along with it."
Sonic frowned slightly at how defeated that admission sounded. Then he realized only he could tell that Tails was still under a depressive spell, with the exception of maybe Amethyst. Not wanting to undermine a suggestion he was already partial to, Sonic said "I'm for it too. But if we do this, I want to be a part of the team that saves Rouge. Seeing how I'm partly to blame for her getting caught."
Vector nodded soundly after the fox and hedgehog had spoken "Well as my old saying goes 'no pain, no gain'! If its teams we're gonna be using though, I'm not letting anyone else drive my baby. Wherever this ship goes, I go." The crocodile insisted unsurprisingly. Charmy had next to nothing to include, except for a somewhat poetic expression of love for the shiny emeralds (this to Vector's knowledge meant he'd go wherever the gems went).
Amethyst was next in line, but seemed to have nothing to say. Her worried purple eyes remained fixated on Tails, who was in turn intentionally not meeting her gaze. With the sensation of awkwardness in the air, Vector selected this moment to display his classical ice-breaking loudness "Welp! Time for me to return to the bridge! Charmy, help me get Esp up." He ordered the bee while unceremoniously heaving the still-sick stealth-master onto his shoulder, for unexplained reasons.
Once the three misfits had left, Sonic snuck away too, knowing from experience that those two needed to be left alone. With nowhere interesting to go, the hedgehog exited to the porch, as it had become his favorite 'quiet' place aboard the ship. Letting his cobalt legs hang over the edge, Sonic let the morning air clear his mind of doubts. To increase his comfort, the hero had remembered to keep one of the grand jewels on him.
"Tikal… Am I doing the right thing? Are we going to be able to save Rouge like this?" he asked. Regardless that no direct answer came, the gem did begin emitting a soothing light in his cupped hands.
-l-
End of Chapter Twenty-five
-l-
Ugh…not much progress here. I was going to throw in an extra POV at the end, but I said screw it, I'm not well enough to bother. Hope this will do 'til next week. Oh yeah: HAPPY NEW YEAR, even if it is two days late. Meh, I never said I was perfect :P
DanceDream: Well I sure hope so! I don't drop all these hints for nothing XD! Heh, you know the Chaotix, they make everything a hazard! Lol checking stuff out of curiosity doesn't make you a stalker :). Yup Espio is taking on the 'dark advisor' role, with a bit of randomness thrown in (hence Amethyst's 'control' over him XD). Sonic is getting close to where I want him to be. He's so far had to rely on everyone else, and learn to be humble despite his 'hero' status. Fun-fact: Tikal already plays a part in another characters life. That's all I can get out for now.
Ghostkid33: Haha! Indeed! Ame is a scary girl at times. Rouge's scene is coming very soon! Yup, yup, yup! That was her all along! Oh that's fine! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Belated that is…XD.
Serenity: You'll understand him soon. Espio IS mean, but they need a 'brooding/arrogant' type to balance out the good guys (or maybe just to complicate matters XD). Sonic's getting much stronger, despite all the crap he's been through.
Infamousplot: Whenever is a good time, let me know what you think!
Kindra Mckleen: There certainly are some major differences. In fact, why Vector and Charmy failed to notice we can never be sure. Well as one of Sonic's latest confidants, I bet she'd do anything to bolster the stressed hedgehog.
knight of the windZ10Z: No prob. I've been late three times in a row so far! DX I need to start making more time. Silver has that gift about him. I'd like to make a fic about him someday. Ame is as clever as…uhh well a fox! XD Ahh… So good to finally introduce Tikal! I was afraid I might forget if I let it go any longer!
Sierra Zanimalini14: Then maybe you can forgive me for taking too long three times in a row! Seriously, that's sucks on my part DX. I'm hoping more people are catching on, but then some have to be surprised I guess. Black Doom? Hehe! Nope! Good guess though! I didn't want this Espio to be a clone of the old world, plus I needed him to add the missing 'dark element' to the heroes.
Super Shadix 520: Believe it or not, I've already put Tikal in a couple of times before (I'll just leave it at that). Disastrous ALWAYS goes down when the emeralds are gathered! XD Hope you like this chap, although it doesn't cover much ground.
Sparkling-nexis137: This is the last bit of random humor I'll be doing for a while. Hope Amethyst is toned down to more acceptable levels this chap.
prowerboy: Normally yes, but that scene was just for laughs. Obviously, Espio wouldn't stand for that kind of disrespect.
Until next time!