Chapter 5
Ice Cap
I was up early the next morning.
They had beat Doc, just like I'd told him, and he'd left for the Ice Cap on the mainland. He woke me up at four thirty AM via radio to tell me to come out and help him do some stuff. He didn't say what, but he dropped enough hints.
Dawn was brightening the sky as I took control of the island from the highest mountain peak. My idea was to move it closer to the coast, as I did when I went ashore.
There was a deep spot a mile from the beach where I could take the island down. In the dawn twilight I wasn't sure if I could hit it square on. I have this terror that I might crash the island into the mainland. I guess it's because I came so close to doing it when I was younger ... But I don't like to think about it.
I yawned. Being up late and getting up early was hard on my system. I looked east and drew a deep breath of the cool, fresh air. The sky was dark purple and magenta, and the mares' tails were neon pink. Red dawn, mares' tails. We were in for a storm sometime today. Great. Have to make sure I was back on the island before it broke.
I rubbed my eyes with one hand and held out my Master emerald minature with the other. Hopefully I would get a chance to rest today. If only Sonic and Tails would stay out of my hair ...
A motion caught my eye, off to the left. A large bird rising above the trees, big wings flapping. It was bigger than the sea birds that hung out around the Floating Island. And its tail was too long ... I stared. That wasn't a bird. I could see the long pinions of its wings, but there wasn't a feather on it elsewhere. A dragon? No, too small, and besides, dragons have bat wings. Weird ...
Slasher rose into the air, wings pumping. Sonic and Tails sat on her back. The two of them were experienced riders, but they still looked sleepy.
Slasher had roused them before dawn. Ice Cap was several hundred miles inland, and it was a long flight. Rising before daylight was difficult, but with the cool breeze in their faces and the morning light in their eyes, they began to wake up.
They gained altitude, spiraling up and up. Fifty feet above the trees Slasher leveled out. It only took a moment for Sonic and Tails to get their bearings. To their right was the red sunrise, and the Floating Island in shadowed splendor. To their left the sky was still dark as night. A few stars shown there, along with a silver disk of a setting moon. Ahead could be seen the edge of the island, a bright strip of ocean, and the distant mainland.
Sonic leaned to one side and looked down. Below was a part of Floating Island they hadn't seen before. Hilly, tree-filled terrain, blanketed in grey fog. "What's that?" he called to Slasher. She cocked her head and looked down. She, of course, was wide awake. "That's Mushroom Hill," she called back. "How about making that out rendezvous today for lunch?"
"Fine with me," Sonic replied.
"Me too," Tails added.
They swept over the island and left it behind. Now only the shimmering, blue-green ocean was below them. The sunrise was brightening into yellow and orange, and the wispy clouds had become blue and white. The sea under it shown gold. A faint breeze was blowing. "It's going to be nice for a while," Slasher commented, the half-light emphasizing the dark patches around her eyes. "But we'll be in for a storm later, probably around noon. If it hits while you two are on the mountain, stay in the Ice Caves. You should be all right."
"Ice Caves?" Tails ventured.
"Yes," the raptor replied without looking back. "Robotnik melted out a glacier to make his base."
They flew in silence for a while. Still sleepy, Sonic and Tails didn't say much, and Slasher didn't push conversation.
The ocean's color lightened as it neared the shore, then gave way to the sandy beach. Slasher flew over it, wings beating steadily. Soon they crossed the low coastal mountains and entered the valley. Slasher altered course and flew northwest.
Conversation turned to the day before. Sonic sorrowfully told Slasher of losing his beloved bi-plane. Slasher listened, then turned her head and looked at him. "That's strange," she said. "I wandered all over the burned section. I didn't see any pile of metal."
"You didn't?" Sonic said in surprise. "Did you fly over the meadow near the island's edge?"
"Yes I did. I thought you might have parked the plane there ... and I didn't see it. No pieces of metal, either, so it didn't explode. Where did it go?"
None of them could answer that question, and a puzzled silence reigned for a while.
A steady updraft from the valley floor lifted them up. Sonic leaned around Tails and looked down. The valley was in shadow, and the lights of a city could still be seen. It looked like part of the Milky Way had fallen to the ground. Slasher, sensing his curiosity, said, "That's Mobitropolis, the capital of the world. Don't believe the lights-the city's a lot bigger than you think."
"Gosh. Like, how big?"
Slasher waved a hand, indicating a twenty mile circle. "Oh, about that. Then there's the suburbs and everything."
"That's where my uncle lives. You ever been there?"
"Sure. It's a really nice place-for a city. You outta go sometime. It's known as a garden city, so there's almost as many trees in it as in the Great Forest, over there."
The Great Forest spread out to the south and east like a dark blanket, its edges touching the base of the foothills. Slasher motioned to the closer mountains. "Those are called the Dark Mountains. They used to be called that because during winter they were bare of snow, but now all sorts of bad people live up there."
The mountains drew nearer. Sonic and Tails enjoyed the ride. It wasn't often they rode Slasher for so long, or so high. As far as Sonic was concerned, it was pleasantest time he had had the whole trip. Tails enjoyed it because he wasn't the one flying.
Slasher's voice startled them both, for they had lapsed into silence. "We're coming to the foothills now. Hold tight, there might be some turbulence-" She was interrupted as a sharp gust blew her sideways several feet. "See what I mean? Hold on." Sonic and Tails tightened their grip. The rolling, crumpled foothills were directly ahead.
"Well," said Slasher, "now it'll get interesting. With ground so hilly there'll be some pretty good updrafts and downdrafts."
The winds the big raptor described were in effect. They hit an updraft and rode it in a circling glide. Slasher left it at twenty-one hundred feet. The foothills far below mounted upward until they were regular mountains, cloaked in dark coniferous forest. The occasional stream or river they saw looked like a shining silver thread woven through the trees.
Slasher kept soaring upward until they were above a few low- lying clouds. It was noticeably colder by this time, and there was a powdering of snow on the highest peaks. Sonic and Tails noticed that the trees were going so high and no higher. Slasher told them that that was the timber line. "Trees are smart," she commented. "They only grow up as high as they can breathe."
They hit a strong flow of air that was blowing from south to north. "Cool! Jetstream!" Slasher exclaimed. She guided herself into the wind and glided, only flapping her wings now and then for balance. "Keep a sharp eye out for snowy mountains," Slasher told her passengers. "The highest one is the Ice Cap, the one with the Ice Caves. That'll be our landing place.
Sonic and Tails peered down. The mountain tops were crowned with rock and ice. The valleys were full of mist, and the mountaintops jutted out of it, coated with rock and snow. Their ears were constantly popping from the changing altitude. Slasher was aiming to fly above all of them. "Slasher," Sonic called, "can't you fly between the mountains instead of over them?"
"Hey, there's a novel idea," Slasher said, as if the idea had just occurred to her. "I can't this trip. The Ice Caves are in the second tallest peak in this range. I have to fly way up, because the Caves are in the top of the mountain."
They lapsed into silence for a while, and watched the picturesque landscape. It felt like they were standing still, for they were moving the same speed as the wind and Slasher's wings were motionless.
Suddenly Slasher said, "Destination in sight. Please fasten your saftybelts and bring your seat back into an upright position." She snorted with laughter.
"Where?" her passengers asked.
"There," she said, nodding her head to the right. They saw a white-capped pinnacle that dwarfed the other mountains. The top was completely glaciated, but rocks shown through farther down its white and blue slopes.
After a long look Sonic said, "Gee, I don't like the looks of that mountain. And you said it's the second tallest?"
"Uh-huh. This one has the caves, but the tallest one, Mount Neverest, is a lot meaner."
"Oh, uh-huh, a lot meaner." Sonic's eyes were drawn to the mountain again. "This one looks pretty mean. I don't think I'd want to climb the other one, either."
"Relax," Slasher reassured him. "You don't have to climb it, anyway. You get to start from the top and go down. Which reminds me..." She trailed off. Tails listened to this without a word. He didn't like the looks of the mountain, either.
Slasher changed course and flew at the mountain. "The entrance is on the south face, so we don't have to circle the mountain. Good thing, my wings are getting tired." They flew a few minutes longer, then Slasher settled into a glide, aiming her slim body at a place she had marked as a landing place. "Lie down, you two, flat along my back. Good." The big wings began to close. Their speed increased. Sonic and Tails lifted their heads and were alarmed at how fast the mountain was coming at them. Tails said nothing for as long as he could stand, then cried, "Slasher, slow down!"
"No way!" was the reply. "Prepare for an abrupt halt; you'll be amazed how fast I can stop!"
Tails put his head down and shut his eyes tight, but Sonic kept watching, fearful, yet fascinated, too. It dawned on him that this was Slasher's version of 'chicken'; fly full tilt at the mountainside and stop at the last minute. He didn't realize her wings were closing until he got the feeling that Slasher was shrinking.
"Slaaasher, stop!"
She didn't answer. Sonic tightened his grip and prepared himself for a crash.
But nothing happened. Abruptly her wings unfurled, and with a tremendous backwatering they stopped.
Slasher folded her wings to her sides, gave a dancing half-step and said, "Thank you for choosing Raptor airlines for all your travel needs. Please watch your step as you exit the plane."
Sonic and Tails still had a death-grip on her.
"C'mon, you guys, get off! Ride's over!"
They sat up and breathed a dual sigh of relief into the frosty air. Slasher watched them as they slid off, then gave a short laugh of disbelief. "You two actually thought I would crash? Don't you know how painful that would be?"
It was cold. They were on the tip-top of the mountain, for it was flat. The sun's brilliance on the white was painful to the eyes. Sonic and Tails squinted and blinked, and blew clouds of mist into the frozen air. They were cramped from riding so long, and stamped their feet and beat their arms while complaining to Slasher. "Yeah, you should ride more often," was her reply to this. "Wait a minute, I have something that'll get you warm again." The big velociraptor strode away across the snow, her clawed feet crunching in the snow. She lowered her narrow head and sniffed as she trotted back and forth.
She stopped and clawed at the snow, whistling through her teeth. "Ah-ha," they heard her say. She tugged at something, then pulled out two black objects. She banged them against the ground to knock the snow off, then tossed them to Sonic and Tails. They landed with a chunk at their feet. Sonic picked one up. It wasn't as heavy as it looked. It was three and a half feet long, and shaped like a wheel-less skateboard. One side was smooth as glass and seemed to be waxed, but the other side was rough like sandpaper. There were bindings for a pair of feet. "It's a snowboard!" Sonic exclaimed.
"Yep," Slasher replied, pleased at his surprise. "I brought them up here a while back, figured they'd come in handy. I hope you two know how to skateboard, because that's the closest you can get to snowboarding."
"I do, but Tails doesn't."
"I can, too," Tails snapped indignantly. "Just not as well as you can."
As Sonic and Tails sat down in the snow to strap on their `boards, Slasher gave them a bit of briefing.
"I didn't bring you right to the base, but a little above it. All you have to do is board down the hill until you come to a thing that looks like a trench cutting the mountain in two. It's about twenty feet deep, and the entrance to the caves is down there. I can't say exactly where, because it shifts position every so often; glacial movements, you see. Leave your snowboards at the entrance to the caves so we can find them again.
"So anyway, watch out for the obstacles inside. There are iced slopes and cliffs. I don't know how high the cliffs are, but when you stand at the top and look down it gives you the feeling the mountain is hollow. It's really deep. Some of the ice formations are dangerous, too. Particularly the stalactites. Those are loose because of Robotnik's lighting system. Let's see, there was something else, too ... oh yeah, the subterranean lakes. The lakes were made from what was left when Robotnik melted out his base. There was so much of it that he put it to use as a sort of moat. He put chemicals in the water to keep it from freezing, so there's no ice. Don't fall in, whatever you do. That water will kill you in ten seconds. Keep an eye out for badniks, too. There haven't been any lately, but you know Robotnik."
Sonic stood up on his snowboard and grinned at Slasher. "Gee, Slasher, from the way you're acting you'd think this was my first mission or something. Chill out, we'll be cool."
"Suitable lingo for an ice mountain," Slasher commented drily, then bent down to help Tails fasten his bindings. "Well, maybe I am worrying a little," Slasher admitted after a few minute's silence. "But I've explored the Ice Caves before, and you haven't."
Tails jumped up, ready to go. "Really, Slasher, we'll be fine. Anything else we should know about?"
"Not that I can think of. I'll meet you at Mushroom Hill later, around noon. If you get there ahead of me, wait for me. I've got some other things to do. Goodbye, and good luck!" With that Slasher was gone, powerful wings carrying her eastward until she was out of sight.
Tails looked questioningly at Sonic. "Mushroom Hill? Does she think we can get that far by noon? Heck, maybe you can go that fast, but I sure can't."
"Hmm, she must know something we don't," Sonic decided. "Let's go, I'm getting cold."
He awkwardly walked to the beginning of the slope and peered down. "Pure, unmarked powdersnow, and not an obstacle in sight." Beaming, he looked at Tails. "This is gonna be good!"
"Last time you said something like that," Tails retorted, "I got hurt." He too was scrutinizing the slope. "Oh well, might as well get it over with."
Tails started onto the slope and slowly got moving. Sonic started off with a jump and took off down the slope, hitting thirty miles an hour at once. He cut diagonally across the hill in front of Tails, spraying him with a cloud of powder snow. "Son-ic!" Tails protested, but by then Sonic was out of earshot.
The hedgehog half-crouched and put his weight forward to gain still more speed. The cold wind bit into his face and arms, but he didn't care. He wanted to go even faster. Sonic angled the board straight down the hill and leaned down with it. Fifty, fifty-five, sixty- Sonic was living up to his name. Arms out for balance, eyes watering from the wind, a cloud of snow in his wake, and the unconscious half-grin on his face showed he was enjoying every second. Man, I thought skateboarding was fun, ha! Have to ask Slasher to bring us up here again sometime-
He spotted a little hill in the snow. He swerved toward it, hit it and left the ground. As he sailed through the air, he crouched and held the edge of the board with one hand. Twenty feet later he hit the ground again and temporarily vanished amid the cloud of snow. He reappeared a moment later, streaking down the unmarked slope. He was having the time of his life.
Sonic didn't hear Tails's warning yell. He had reached the ravine Slasher had told them about. The far wall was a high icy ridge. In an instant Sonic knew he would crash and burn. This will hurt, he thought, and gritted his teeth. He left the edge so fast he didn't have time to fall and smashed into the opposite wall. As it came at him he raised his feet to deflect the blow. The snowboard took the brunt of the impact, and it seemed to Sonic that it crumpled like paper, but he hardly had time to see it. His momentum slammed his body against the wall of ice with a bone-jarring thud. He dropped to the bottom of the ravine, senseless.
Tails had been boarding with more caution, for he knew he wasn't as good as Sonic. He didn't attempt any whirlwind rides, but he couldn't help falling down at least twice. He got up both times with a layer of powdersnow coating his fur. The further he went the more confidence he gained, and he wove back and forth across the hill, enjoying the creaky swishing the snow made under his board.
After a while he paused and looked around for Sonic. He was far down the slope, and at that distance looked like a speeding black speck. Tails could also see the big blue crevice in the mountainside that Slasher had told them about. Sonic was heading toward it at incredible speed, and it didn't look like he would stop in time. Cupping his hands to his mouth, Tails screamed, "SONIC, STOP!" It was no use; he was too far away. A second later Sonic plunged into the ravine.
Fearing the worst, Tails aimed his snowboard straight down the hill and sped down, heart in his mouth. The few minutes it took to cover the slope seemed like an eternity, but he made it as fast as Sonic had. As he neared the ravine he twisted his board sideways, skidding and snow-plowing to drag himself to a halt. Panting more from fear than from exertion, he dropped to all fours and peered over the edge of the chasm.
Sonic was lying on his back in the snow, motionless.
Tails ripped off his snowboard and leaped into the ravine, using his whirling tails as a parachute. It took thirty seconds to reach the bottom of the deep canyon. It seemed an extremely long time to Tails, but at last he reached the ground. As soon as his feet hit the snow, he sprinted to Sonic. The hedgehog hadn't moved a muscle.
As Tails reached him, he groaned and opened his eyes. "Sonic! Sonic, are you all right?" Tails asked anxiously as he knelt down beside him.
Sonic stared at him uncomprehendingly. "Who are you?" he whispered.
"Me? I-I'm Tails, you know, your sidekick!"
"No you're not," Sonic replied, his voice rising a little. "Tails isn't white."
"What? I'm not-," Tails broke off as he glanced down at herself. With a relived laugh he jumped up and began to brush the snow from his fur, for he was indeed white.
Sonic chuckled and sat up, rubbing his head. "Speed's a sonic blast, but I guess I have to watch where I'm going." He looked up at the side of the gorge and noticed the whitened, cracked place where he had slammed into the wall. At the memory of his power- packed crash, he winced and slowly climbed to his feet. "Ow, man, I'm gonna be SORE. I hit the wall feet first, and it still knocked me out. Heck, my head hurts." He pointed out the impact area to Tails, then stood there, holding his head and wondering what he was forgetting. After a moment it came to him. "Hey, where's my snowboard? It should still be attached to my feet!"
"It probably vaporized on contact," Tails commented drily. They looked around, then searched the ravine, but never found a trace of it. To this day it remains a mystery as to where the snowboard went.
"Bummer," said Sonic. "I hope Slasher don't get mad at me, 'cause I really think that snowboard's gone for good."
"Too bad," said Tails. "Well, at least you weren't hurt too badly."
"Yeah, I guess," Sonic replied. "Well, the next thing is to find the entrance to the caves."
"Good idea. Which way, though?" The ravine stretched away in two directions.
Sonic stood still a few seconds, hand on his chin, thinking and scanning up and down the icy gorge. "Downhill, I think. Slasher said it shifts a few feet a year. I think glaciers move downhill, so let's check down there a-ways. If it's not there, then we'll just juice back up here and make sure we didn't miss it." Sonic crouched, dug starting blocks in the snow with his feet, and rocketed down the ravine, Tails in hot pursuit.
Several hundred feet later they skidded to a halt. Before them was a forbidding cave. It was not made of rock, but solid, packed ice. The entrance was oblong, but more than high enough for them to walk into. Icicles rimmed the top like brittle glass teeth, and a chill breeze wafted out. It was like some frozen creature breathing on them.
In spite of that, Tails was all set to walk in. Sonic grabbed his arm. "Stop, Tails. This is one of Robotnik's bases, so be very careful. Especially around unguarded entrances. This place looks a little too inviting not to be a trap."
"This place looks inviting?" Tails said incredulously.
"Yep, this is downright friendly compared to some of the places I've seen," was the reply. Cautiously Sonic approached the entry and examined it. "Ah-ha," he muttered triumphantly. "Tails, look."
Tails saw two small pipe openings in the icy ceiling, hidden in the blue shadows. "So? What's so great about those?"
"Watch." Sonic picked up a chunk of snow and tossed it under the pipes. Instantly a clear substance spurted from the pipes, but it wasn't water, for it dissolved as soon as it touched the snow with a sinister hissing. A cloud of moisture filled the air. Alarmed, Sonic jumped back, dragging Tails with him. The liquid only poured from the pipes for a few seconds, but it took a few minutes for the fog to clear.
"What was that?" Tails asked when it was clear again. "Hot water?"
"Nope, just the opposite," replied Sonic. "It wasn't even water. Did you see how it bounced when it hit the snow? I'd say it was liquid nitrogen."
"Gosh," said Tails, mildly shocked but not surprised. "Robotnik won't stop at anything if it might keep us away."
"Keep ME away, you mean," Sonic said, a little angrily. "He just thinks of you as the expendable sidekick; the tagalong pest. I'm the enemy. For some reason that really miffs me." He glared at the chemical safeguard. "Well, I'm not so easily stopped. Stay back, Tails." He bent down and began scooping into a big snowball. When it was about as big as a bowling ball he lifted it, and threw it underhand into the cave ceiling. The hard packed snow smashed into the first pipe, damaging the little robotic sensor. A minute later a second snowball crushed the other pipe.
"There," said Sonic, dusting the snow off his hands. "Now we can get in. C'mon, Tails." Together they started into the forbidding indigo depths of the Ice Caves.
The entry hall seemed to have been carved a long time ago, for ice crystals covered the ceiling with delicate, razor-edged feathers, and coated the walls with blue and green ice. There were few places the original crust could still be seen, for seasons of melting and re-freezing had erased any traces of tools. A hundred feet down the tunnel, several turns away from the entrance, the corridor seemed to be re-dug, for the walls and floor were marked with spiral ridges and grooves. It appeared to have been made with an over-sized drill. A few feet further on the floor became smooth again.
At the end the passage split into two narrow shafts. They curved away, one to the left, the other to the right. Puzzled, Sonic and Tails stood and looked down one, then the other. "Let's try the right- hand passage," Sonic suggested after a few minutes. He started to stride boldly in, but Tails caught his arm. "Wait, Sonic. This is Robotnik's base, so be careful around unguarded entrances." Sonic gave him a funny look, but proceeded with caution. It saved his life.
They walked ten feet before anything happened. Sonic was ahead, Tails nervously trailing at his elbow, when the floor beneath their feet creaked ominously. "Whoa," Sonic muttered. He swayed a little, trying to keep his balance. The snow moved again, then began to settle softly downward. "Tails, get out of here!" Sonic shouted. "Now!" Frightened, Tails whirled around and raced back up the tunnel. Sonic lunged after him as the floor began to crumble out from under his feet. One foot sank through the paper-thin crust and encountered emptiness. Sonic saved himself by tumbling to the floor and spindashing to firmer ground. Heart hammering with terror, he scrambled to his feet and fled up the remaining tunnel to Tails.
Side by side they stood, looking back down the tunnel. Sonic grasped Tails's hand as the floor crumbled away for thirty feet up and down the hallway. It was silent for a few stunned seconds, and the only motion anywhere was snow flaking into the newly formed abyss. Tails wanted to see how deep the chasm was. He spun his double tails, rose up into the air, and flew into the floorless passage. Sonic could tell that it was deep, for Tails cupped his hands to his mouth and shouted, "Hello!" The cavern below resounded with echoes. Tails came back looking nervous. "Sonic, I-uh-can't see to the bottom of that thing."
"Wonderful," Sonic said. "Suddenly I don't feel so hot about exploring a hollow glacier. If I'd walked in like I was going to, I'd be dead by now." He shivered. "Let's try the other tunnel."
The left hand passage's floor was good and solid. This hall was apparently the way to go, for there were little cold blue lights set in the ceiling among the ice crystals. The ice formations were clear and scattered the light, so only a few were needed at intervals. They had followed the tunnel around several bends before they felt the breeze. It soon became a steady wind that chilled them to the bone. "Boy," Sonic commented, "how miserable can you get? I'm freezing!"
"Literally," Tails remarked. "Which is first, frostbite or hypothermia?"
"I don't think I want to find out," Sonic said grimly. "Let's run and keep warm."
The icy floor was slick in some places and rough in others. The tunnel was sloping downward more and more with each bend and twist. The air was bitterly cold by now, and there were very few melted spots on the walls. Sonic and Tails were jogging through the corridors, trying to keep from freezing solid, and were noticing the apparent lack of opposition. No enemies. There were marks on the floor that could have only been caused by the metal treaded feet of badniks, but the robots were nowhere to be seen. The entire place was deathly still, too. There was no sound at all, but what they made themselves. "This is kinda weird," Sonic remarked. "I've been in Robotnik's bases before, and one thing they ain't is quiet."
"Maybe it's a trap," Tails suggested. "I hope not. I'm too cold to worry about a nagging bunch of robo-"
Sonic interrupted him with a gasp and nearly fell over backward trying to stop. He skidded several feet before he reached a halt. The reason was because the floor-and indeed, the whole corridor- ended abruptly ten feet away. "Man, I need a good pair of ice cleats," Sonic panted. "My shoes just don't cut it."
Tails stopped by losing his balance and falling over. "Yeah, I know what you mean," he replied, climbing to his feet again.
Walking delicately, so as not to slip, the pair made their way to the end of the trail and looked over the cliff. What they saw was a vast empty cavern that went both up and down, and out away from them. Light filtered down from somewhere far above, but it didn't do much to the deep indigo shadows that filled the big cavern. "Wow!" Sonic breathed. "The Doc musta melted this all out. Look, this tunnel used to go right on through."
Sure enough, in the far wall was the continuation of their passage. Tails moved a few steps closer to the edge, trying to see down. "Hey Sonic, look!" Sonic looked and saw a very steep slope that seemed to be made of loose snow. It started a foot below them and dropped down into the depths.
"I betcha I could climb down that and see what's down there," Sonic said boldly, staring at the steep decline.
"Don't, Sonic. It's too dangerous," Tails said.
"That's what makes it fun," he replied cockily. He sat down on the ledge, swung his feet over, then slid down onto the slope. To his dismay his feet shot out from under him. The dim light made it look like snow, but the whole hill was iced over and slick as glass. Sonic couldn't get traction at all. He began to slide down the slippery slope, and (this one worried him) to gain speed as he went. "Tails, help!" he yelped. Tails didn't realize the whole thing was clear ice, so he jumped down onto the hill, intending to catch him. His feet went out from under him as well and he began the long slide down.
Sonic struggled to somehow get a foothold and stop himself. He was unable to, for the ice was too smooth. He couldn't even curl up in a ball for safety. Ten feet behind him, Tails was trying to stop as well, but he couldn't, either.
The slope steepened. Sonic and Tails were as helpless as novice skiers on an expert run. It'll hurt when we hit the bottom, Sonic thought grimly. The walls were fifteen feet apart and closing. Sonic was thinking they would hit the bottom any second when he saw a chunk of ice jutting out of the wall to their right.
"Tails! Try to get to that ledge!" Sonic thrashed around, trying to get the least bit of a foothold. One foot struck a rough patch of snow. As the rest of his body hit the patch, Sonic dug his feet in and jumped.
Both hands smacked down on the edge of the block. Sonic clawed his way up without hearing the soft creaking sound the ice made. Breathing hard and trembling a little, he called, "Tails, up here!" Tails wasn't close enough to the snowy patch to hit it, so as he slid past the block he reached out. Sonic held out his hand, and their palms met and locked. Sonic braced himself and pulled him up. The ice block creaked again under this added weight. A few seconds later they were both sitting on the ledge, catching their breaths.
After a few minutes rest, Tails said, "Well, what do we do now?" As if in reply, there was a sharp crack and the whole ledge shifted. "Uh-oh," they said in unison, looking at each other. Automatically they both dropped flat to keep the block from moving. In spite of that, the block tilted a little, then a lot, and with a snap it ripped loose from the wall and smashed into the icy slope. The impact sent it sliding down the decline at tremendous speed. The two reluctant riders didn't dare jump off for fear of being crushed, but neither wanted to stay on. There wasn't anything to hold onto. The block was smooth, and the only way to stay on was to lie down flat.
The cube slowly disintigrated as it raced down the icy slope, leaving a trail of white skid marks and proceeding with a screechy sound of ice on ice. Sonic lifted his head to see where they were going, and Tails saw him wince. "HECK! Hang on, Tails!" It was the bottom of the slope, a solid wall. The block slammed into it with such force that the wall caved inward amidst a shower of ice and snow. They had taken a short cut into another, older, tunnel. This passage seemed unused, for it had no lights and the floor was rough with snow that had melted and refrozen.
Darkness enveloped them as the the block hurtled through the tunnel. "Where are we, Sonic?" Tails cried in fear.
"You're asking me?" Sonic replied, his tone echoing Tails's. "I have no clue! Hang on, I have a feeling we're gonna crash!"
They felt the tunnel slope downward again. By now they were in the heart of the glacier, and it was well below zero. It was also pitch black. The noise the block was making echoed and re-echoed off the walls, making it impossible to hear anything else.
With a grating, grinding noise the chunk met a curve in the tunnel, but continued to slide, speed unabated. It was like a terrifying roller- coaster that had no end.
There was a jarring crash, and another ice wall burst outward under the onslaught of sixty thousand gallons of frozen water. They could see now; they had re-entered the lighted section of the glacier. The tunnel was wider, but was sloping downward in a steeper and steeper grade. It caused Tails to lose his grip, and if he slid off he would be run over by the frozen brick. "Sonic, help me!" Tails cried in panic. Sonic was none too secure himself, but he freed one hand enough to grab Tails's arm and haul him back up.
The shifting weight caused the block to veer into the wall. With a crash it hit the side of the corridor, nearly dislodging its passengers. Cracks appeared in its icy surface. The impact rotated the block, putting Sonic broadside to anything it mowed down. He turned his head to look for possible obstacles. His heart skipped a beat as he saw they were racing for a dead end. Sonic turned away and closed his eyes.
The wall was two feet of packed snow. The block smashed through it, but the snow slowed it down. It slammed into one wall, then the other, ricocheting back and forth, spinning like a top. With a final sickening crash it hit the wall squarely and shattered into thirty pieces.
Tails opened his eyes. He was lying on the floor, sprinkled with snow and ice. With a groan he sat up. Sonic was a few feet away, staring at the ceiling and drawing deep breaths, glad to be alive. Tails stood up, leaning against the wall for support. "Ugh, I feel like-like somebody put me through a blender. Twice." Sonic sat up and looked at him, holding his head. "And you weren't even in front. Oh man! Do I have a headache!" He closed his eyes and sat still for a moment.
A little later Sonic climbed to his feet. "I think I can walk now. Let's go." They took the first hundred feet or so at a walk, for they were quite banged up from their rough ride. The further they went, the more they loosened up and were able to travel faster.
Sonic and Tails were deep within the mountain by now. It was bitterly cold, and the steady breeze was painful. For some reason the ice crystals in the ceiling were unstable. Sonic and Tails were nervous walking under the big ones, for a loud sound brought them crashing down like glass daggers.
The tunnel went straight for three hundred yards, then turned a sharp left. Sonic and Tails rounded the bend and found themselves looking into an oblong cavern. That was not impressive; they could see the tunnel continued on the other side. But cutting the cavern in half was a subterranean lake. It was so full it seemed to be on a level with the floor, and the water was deathly still. Cautiously, thinking about thin ice, Sonic and Tails approached the edge and looked into the water. There was no bottom; the water faded away into inky blue darkness.
"Tails," Sonic said after a few minutes, "does the water-uh- look funny to you?"
"What do you mean?"
"Look across the surface. Is it just me, or does it have a greenish tint?"
Tails squinted. "Ooo, that looks weird. But why would it be green? Only algae turns water green, and it's a little too cold for slime."
Sonic studied the surface. "No ice. That's kinda weird, because it's way below freezing in here." He thought a few seconds. "Didn't Slasher say something about chemicals in the water to keep it from freezing? That would make sense."
Tails dipped a hand in and jerked it away immediately. "Sonic, it's so cold it burns!" he exclaimed as he dried his hand and put it under his other arm to get it warm.
There wasn't any way to cross the lake; the water began at one wall and ended at the other. There were no ledges or walkways; even the walls were smooth and featureless. After checking for any possibilities and finding none, Sonic said, "Well, it looks like an airlift is the only answer. Robotnik may have thought a deadly moat would keep me out of his base, but he didn't count on you, Tails." Tails spun his tails and flew up into the air. Sonic reached up and locked hands with him. Then the two of them flew across the lake. As they did so Sonic looked down into the blue green water, trying to see the bottom. There was none, as far as he could tell. It gave him an eerie feeling, being suspended above something so bottomless.
They reached the far side without incident and encountered a new problem. The previous passages had been easy to navigate with only one tunnel to follow. But here, the tunnel branched out in three directions: right, ahead, and left. "Well Sonic, which way do we go?" Tails asked, hands on his hips.
Sonic shrugged. "Beats me." He looked down the left hand tunnel and walked down it five feet. "Not this way; the lights don't go all the way down." He emerged and looked down the right hand tunnel. The lights went down it as far as he could see, but this tunnel sloped deeper into the glacier. Something about it didn't seem right. Something made Sonic test every step he took, listen for any sound. Suddenly he whirled around and leaped out of the tunnel. "We'll take the middle tunnel," he barked. "Go, Tails!"
Sonic dragged Tails up the middle tunnel. He didn't stop until they had covered two hundred feet, and then only because Tails demanded to know what was wrong. Sonic hushed him and peered down the tunnel, listening. Everything was still. He looked Tails. "I don't think it saw me. We gotta make tracks, now!" Again, with Tails in tow, Sonic was off.
"What didn't see you?" Tails panted. "What are we running from?"
"Shut up, Tails, just run! Tell you later, when we get out of this blasted mountain."
The tunnel sloped steeply upward, and the floor was slick with ice that had melted and re-frozen. Sonic and Tails couldn't run fast on that, and had to slow to a walk. Sonic kept looking back, down the tunnel.
"What the heck was down there?" Tails asked again.
Sonic avoided his gaze. "Nothing."
"Then why are you dragging me away from it?"
"Umm ... can it wait?"
"Sonic, just tell me."
Sonic looked back down the corridor again, then said softly, "It was ... me!"
Tails stared at him. "What?"
"It was another Sonic, but it was made of metal."
"You mean like the one in the Death Egg?"
"No, that one was just a badnik. This one was-well, me! And I don't want to stick around to make its acquaintance. Let's cruise."
They took off again, spooked. They could imagine the robot in the blue gloom, making its way up the tunnel, lights flashing.
Suddenly, from all around them, there came the horrible sound of hundreds of tons of ice shifting. Sonic froze, his eyes locked on Tails's. "The glacier's moving!" he hissed. He grabbed Tails's hand and tore up the passage. As they ran the lights faded, then relit. The glacier was trembling, moaning, shifting. The tremor intensified, then subsided, then intensified again. Icy stalactites crashed down with a plink and shatter.
The tunnel turned this way and that as it corkscrewed its way up. Sonic and Tails followed it, sometimes on their feet, sometimes on all fours. The mountain had definite motion now, as the glacier slipped downhill. The walls began to crush inward, thrust by the tremendous pressure exerted by the shifting ice.
Then it was over. The glacier settled and quieted, but Sonic and Tails kept running, their adrenaline pumping. The floor was littered with glassy ice fragments, making it all the more slippery. The two had to stop at last, panting and trying to listen for any more sounds at the same time, some not necessarily caused by the ice. But the mountain was deathly still.
Sonic and Tails leaned against the wall to catch their breaths, huffing clouds of vapor into the cold air. "Well," said Sonic, "we made it."
"Yeah," Tails replied. "But I don't want to stick around anymore. Let's get out of this glacier and search the outside for the base."
"Sounds cool to me," Sonic answered. "Let's try spindashing up the tunnel and see if we can't get going." Sonic stepped away from the wall and went into a spin. Tails watched as he shot away up the tunnel, then went into a spin of his own.
The passage proceeded in a series of switchbacks, twisting this way, then that, and back again, always ascending. Sonic and Tails followed it hopefully, for it was the first tunnel they had encountered that led upward.
After an hour of this, they reached the top and found a dead end. Sonic couldn't believe it, and ran his hands up and down the wall, searching for a way through. Tails stood, hands dangling at his sides, ears and tails drooping. "Of course," he said miserably. "Of course it would be a dead end. Why not? We should have figured." Sonic spindashed and hit the wall with a thud. He bounced off it, but got up immediately. "The wall gave a little," he said. "Maybe it's like one of those blocked tunnels we rode the ice cube through. I'll see if I can smash it." Sonic slammed into the wall again and again as Tails watched. Soon he joined him. Under this double onslaught, the ice began to crack and pieces fell to the floor.
The last time Sonic hit, the wall gave way and he fell through into the next room. Tails looked through the gaping hole, and saw Sonic climbing to his feet in a passage that looked wide enough to drive a tractor through. It was much brighter with what looked like daylight. Sonic glanced around, then looked at Tails and said, "Bingo." Tails climbed through the hole and looked around.
It was the main part of Robotnik's base. At one of the tunnel was a huge cavern that seemed empty. At the other was the exit, and blazing sunlight. Sonic and Tails looked at each other. "Robotnik can wait," Sonic said, and they tore up the tunnel.
They emerged on the south slope, but further down. Here and there rocks jutted through the snow, casting blue shadows across the pure white. Looking up, they could see the peak they had started from, a giant among the other peaks and ridges. Looking downhill they could see trees; they were near from the timberline. A hard packed road led from the mouth of the cave out of sight down the mountain.
The sun on the snow after the gloom of the caves made them squint and blink. Sonic retreated into the shelter of the cave to let his eyes adjust, but Tails stayed outdoors. He couldn't bear to go back into those dark, cold, dangerous caves, so stayed outside, crunching around happily in the snow. Sonic watched him as he climbed up on a rock outcropping. As he stood at the top, he called, "Look at me, Sonic!" He raised both hands above his head in a triumphant gesture. "I, the intrepid explorer Miles Prower, have explored the Ice Caves and returned alive! I and my companion, Sonic the Hedgehog ..." The grin faded from his face as his gaze fell on something a little ways down the slope. "What the ..." he muttered as he jumped off the rock. Sonic watched him as he trotted down the hill a ways and bent over.
Then Tails gave a cry and stumbled backward. He caught himself and whirled. The look on his face was one of incredible horror and shock. "Sonic, get over here!" he cried. Startled, Sonic was there in an instant. "What?"
Tails pointed at an object in the snow, speechless with horror. Sonic walked to it. "What's wrong? It's just a-a-ahh ..." he trailed off, eyes riveted on the thing in the snow. But it wasn't something. It was someone.
It was Knuckles.
Knux seemed to have come into contact with a liquid nitrogen guard system, for he was frozen in a chunk of ice. He was half curled, and his face was frozen in surprise. The ice was crystal crystal clear, allowing every grisly detail to be observed.
Sonic didn't want to look any more, but couldn't tear his eyes away. He felt numb, petrified with shock. Time seemed to stand still, and he realized he hadn't breathed in a long time. He drew a deep, choking breath, and with a great effort closed his eyes and turned away. He couldn't think straight. He covered his eyes with one hand and stood still, trying to get a grip. Knuckles might have become a friend, and it is rather sickening to find your rival frozen and dead in the snow.
Sonic wasn't aware of how long he had stood there until Tails gently touched his hand and said, "Sonic, are-are you okay? You look like you're going to throw up."
"No to the first, yes to the second," Sonic replied. His voice had a hollow sound to it. "I-I just can't believe that he's-he's ..." Sonic covered his face with both hands.
Tails cast a glance in Knuckles's direction, then hurriedly looked away. Something drew his eyes back for a second and longer look, though. "Sonic."
The hedgehog didn't seem to hear him.
"Sonic," Tails persisted.
"What," Sonic replied heavily. It was a word, not a question.
"The ice is sitting on top of the snow."
"So." Again, it was not a question.
"So he can't have been frozen long, could he?"
Sonic spun around, glanced at Tails, then at Knuckles. Then, though he really didn't want to, he stepped over and examined the surface of the ice.
"Stand back," he said two seconds later, and his voice had a tone of authority to it. "I'm gonna break the ice."
"But won't you injure Knuckles?"
"Not if he hasn't been frozen long, now, stand back!"
Sonic leaped and came down spinning, the way he destroyed badniks. The ice shattered on impact like so much brittle glass, and clear fragments went flying.
Tails helped Sonic pull Knuckles free of the imprisoning ice. At first touch they thought he was dead, but as his face left the ice he gasped, then began coughing hard. Sonic and Tails sank to their knees to support him.
I hadn't known pain like this was possible. My head ached and my lungs cramped as I gasped air into them. My skin felt like it was about to peel off. My hands and feet were completely numb. It was all I could do to sit up. I held my head and rocked back and forth, my breathing hard and fast.
I knew it was Sonic and Tails, but I didn't care. For the moment I couldn't think of what I held against them. They had pulled me out of the ice, and I was grateful. Well, at least until Sonic tugged me to my feet and said, "Walk around. C'mon, we hafta walk around and get you warm again." I heard him say to Tails, "He's gonna get hypothermia if he doesn't have it already. Help me hold him up." All I wanted to do was sit still and rest. I was so tired ...
The two of them held my arms and began to move forward. I stumbled along with them, my numb feet aching as they encountered the ground. Oh, it was hard to move, and it hurt-
"Let me stop," I pled. "I gotta rest ..."
"No!" Sonic snapped in my face, his breath forming a cloud. "You can't stop! Keep moving!" I did, helplessly. Why did I ever leave the island? Stupid ...
They walked me up and down the snowy road. Twice more I drunkenly begged them to stop, and they refused. My brain felt like it was packed with cotton. I knew I had to keep moving, but the animal side of me wanted to lay down and sleep. Living was too much of a struggle.
The real agony started as my blood got flowing again. Feeling returned to my feet first. I felt as if I were walking on hot coals. Moving became very uncomfortable. Finding my strength was returning and my head clearing, I shook off Sonic and Tails. "I can't walk anymore," I growled at them. "My feet hurt."
I beat my arms back and forth, trying to restore circulation to my numb hands and fingers. "Feel any better?" Tails asked me.
"A little," I admitted grudgingly. Why was I feeling so sulky? There was a nagging feeling at the back of my mind, but I pushed it back. I didn't feel like thinking at the moment. Before I could stop myself, I looked at Sonic and said, "Thanks for saving me."
He and Tails both seemed surprised, but returned with, "Your welcome."
My gloves felt damp. I pulled them off and rubbed my hands together, then blew on them. I wasn't feeling so bad now. I was almost warm. Now, what was that irritating thought at the back of my mind?
It hit me like a ton of bricks. Dr. Robotnik! He wasn't here. And here was I, hanging out with Sonic and Tails. What should I do? My first reaction was, 'Run.'
I guess the look on my face changed, because Sonic grabbed Tails's arm and backed away from me. He wasn't looking for trouble, I realize now. I looked down the road, thinking of taking it down the mountain, but discarded the idea at once. Sonic could run much faster than I could. I turned and looked at the cave entrance. Ah, the south entrance! I had forgotten the transporter. I could go straight down to Launch Base and they couldn't follow!
I stumbled over the rough snow toward the caves.
Tails hadn't seen the look in Knuckles' eyes. "Hey, where do you think you're going?" he shouted, and ran after him. "Tails, no!" Sonic yelled and took off after him. "If Knuckles leads him into the cave he'll kill him," Sonic thought.
Knux pounded into down the large hall and skidded into the huge room at the far end. Where-is-it-where-is-it-Ah ha-here-it-is- He ran to a large round door, twisted the access wheel and swung it open. There was the hiss of escaping air as the pressure inside was released. Knuckles jumped inside as Tails reached the room. The young fox caught the door to keep it from closing, then peered inside.
It was a tiny room, the size and shape of the door. The wall opposite was the opening to a large pipe. It had bands of light at intervals as far as Tails could see. Knuckles was adjusting the knobs and dials that were mounted on the wall next to it. He glanced at Tails, then twisted a knob makred 'speed' all the way to the right. The pipe began to whistle as it sucked air into it. Knuckles stepped into it, curled into a ball, and whisked out of sight.
The door, drawn by the suction of the pipe, began to swing shut. Tails fought it, but it continued to move in spite of him. Suddenly someone shoved him into the room and jumped in himself. It was Sonic. The door closed with a clang that had an air of finality to it. They both stared at it, then Sonic looked around. "Where's Knuckles?"
Tails replied, "He went into the pipe."
Sonic turned and looked into it, observing the lighted rings and the sucking air. He flashed a grin at Tails. "This ain't no ordinary pipe. It's a transport tube. C'mon, let's see where Knux went."
Sonic spin-dashed into the pipe. Tails followed. There was a hum of engines and a whoosh of air, and the pipe air-blasted them through. The tube went down for a long ways in a steep decline. It leveled out and went horizontally for quite a distance. Their speed was something around a hundred miles per hour, so their trip was only fifteen minutes. Then it hurled them up and up to the surface.