In Due Season
Chapter XII
The Measures Fail, the Truth is Known
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. An old grandfather clock marked the seconds as they passed in a small cabin; the young hedgehog of the cottage watching the timepiece with enthusiastic interest. It wasn't that his life was particularly boring, in fact, it was quite the opposite, and so that's why moments like watching a clock tick by were unusual for him. The youngster was expecting something or, more accurately, someone; an elderly muskrat to be precise, with kind eyes and a wrinkled smile. She always went out and she always came home, so, the little hedgehog waited.
As he did, memories of his adoptive caregiver's past comings and goings floated up to mind, the first of which was the fresh apples and blueberries she would sometimes bring home. There would always be pies and loaves of bread to follow, not to mention cider and pancakes. The five-year-old hedgehog's stomach growled at those recollections; a reminder that he was so hungry. The second was of the older lady's stories from that day. She would always have a good tale to weave, either from times past in her youth or from that day at the market. His ears itched for the opportunity to hear her voice again and a few tears came down his face. When was she getting home?
His eyes darted to the window as he saw the sun was starting to set, again. Another day and she still wasn't back. With a heavy heart, he leapt down from the large armchair and rummaged around the cupboards to find something to satisfy his hunger. He settled on some crackers, dry, unappetizing crackers, before grabbing a blanket from the old woman's bed. It still smelled like her. More tears came down his cheeks into the red fabric. He made one last stop to collect a music box and then crawled up onto the window bench to curl up. Sitting next to the pane of glass with his box of saltines and cover of comfort, he was ready to stand vigil for another night. As he munched quietly his eyes raced through the scenery in front of him. Whenever she was home he was allowed to run around till dusk and then come in for a hot meal she prepared all for him. It had always been that way since the day she found him. He remembered that too.
He had been alone in the woods searching for someone, probably his parents, but he would never know for sure, being only two at the time. He was cold, wet and hungry but then she showed up with a basket.
"Oh, dear me," she had said. The young blue hedgehog took a liking to her immediately partly due to her soft, gentle voice and the other, her offer of fruits she had in her basket. She had taken him home, cleaned him up and fed him; took him to town to find his parents only to find no one knew who he was or where he came from. Without hesitation, she took him in. He smiled at the memories of her; his Memi.
He reached over and opened the music box, the ones Christmas Island was famous for. It chimed out the song 'What Child Is This'. It was one of her favorites and his too. She often went to town to get things like this and sometimes he would go along. Other times she left him home, knowing he could take care of himself for the most part. However, when she was away he was supposed to stay in the house, just in case. He fudged the rules sometimes, but she was always forgiving and he could depend on that. She always came back with love, something he needed.
"Where are you, Memi?" he cooed to himself as his eyes continued to scan the forests and paths. His vision grew dim though as the hours progressed and exhaustion worked its way through his tiny frame. The music box played on as he slowly drifted off to sleep.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Crunch.
The little hedgehog jolted awake. It was morning already, but something was different.
Crunch.
It was the gravel outside on the path. He looked out with excitement. She must be home! His eyes darted out and locked onto . . . a sign, then the two chipmunks hammering it into place. Always curious, he climbed down from his window seat and cracked open the front door. He could hear them talking.
"It's a real shame," one said. 'What was a real shame? What did shame mean?' thought the youngster.
"Yeah, did she have any family?" the other asked. What were these men doing here and why were they putting up that sign.
"No, her husband died years ago and I don't think she had any children. Oh, well."
"Still, no one found her until yesterday?" the chipmunk shook his head. The little hedgehog's brow knitted in concern. Were they talking about Memi?
"She lives so far out here; it's amazing she was found at all."
They were talking about his Memi, weren't they? She had once said that they were the only ones out here. It was peaceful she said. She had lost somebody very close to her she said and he reminded her of him she said. Maybe they could help him find her.
"Yeah, they say she must have died of a heart attack or something. It's going to be a lot quieter out here with old Miss Memi Hagins gone."
He froze. Gone? No. Gone was a word meant for the bottom of an empty cookie jar, not his guardian?
The two rodents walked away and the hedgehog opened the door all the way. He timidly walked up to the sign that the two men had just posted and looked up. He couldn't understand why this word was posted in big, bold letters. It read:
'Auction'
But it meant 'orphaned once more'.
"I never thought I'd say this, but hurry up, Sonic!"
The hedgehog looked up at the sound of Knuckles' shouting with a start. He was zoning out, again. Even Tails had looked back from his position at the head of the group this time. The trio had been going through forests surrounding Crescent Falls in an effort to find the definitive weak link in Eggman's plans but it appeared something else was weighing heavily on their lagging team member's mind.
"Huh? What? Oh, sorry," the speedster apologized as he ran up and matched pace with the red echidna. The guardian gave a concerned glance to the hero.
"Are you okay, man?" Knuckles asked. There was brief hesitation in the hedgehog's eyes. How could he tell the echidna what was bothering him when he wasn't too sure himself. That . . . that memory he hadn't thought about in years . . . It still stung.
"Yeah . . . I'm fine."
There were a few moments of silence between them. Sonic's mind rolled over the lingering recollection, trying to see how it related to what was going on now. The only thing he could come up with was he was still haunted by the argument brought up by Amy; what would happen to Kimi if they were . . .
"You sure?" the guardian asked, breaking his thoughts. Sonic looked away, not wanting to spill out the anxieties he had. All Knuckles saw was a smirk replace the moment of uncertainty on the other's features.
"Yes, mama Knucklehead, I'm sure," the hero quipped as he dodged a smack from the displeased echidna.
"I swear, you never take anything seriously! See if I ever try to help you again."
"Okay, okay. Look, I'm sorry."
"Yeah, right."
"No, really, I was just distracted that's all. I'm okay and thanks for asking," Sonic stated. Knuckles didn't look satisfied.
"And . . ." he pressed.
"And, I'm sorry I called you a knucklehead," Sonic added, albeit lamely.
"And . . ."
"And what? I don't see . . ." Sonic was interrupted as he walked right into a low hanging branch.
"And . . . that makes up for it. All's forgiven, Sonic," Knuckles smiled as he continued on his merry way after Tails, until he felt something cold and wet smack him in the back of the head. He turned around to receive another blow to the chest. Sonic looked back at him with a grin as he tossed up a snowball in his right hand.
"Oh, you're gonna get it, now," the echidna seethed as he dove down to gather some ammunition of his own.
"Bring it on," Sonic said smartly. Tails shook his head but smiled as he heard the snowball 'war' going on behind him; just like old times.
"Times before all this," he said quietly to himself as his eyes met with the unmistakable signs of destruction.
"Guys!" he shouted back.
Smack. The two-tailed fox was caught right in the face with a stinging ball of ice. Sonic was immediately at his side apologizing.
"I'm sorry, Tails. I didn't mean to hit ya. It's just knucklehead ducked and all . . ."
"Hey, don't blame me," the echidna gripped as he came up closer, "You started it."
Tails wiped the snow off his face and gave a small sigh before he addressed them saying, "Guys, look."
"Wha-" Sonic stopped as he looked over the hill at the charred remains of what used to be two miles of gorgeous wilderness. The majestic woodland had been completely cleared; the earth beneath it marred by deep trenches. Decomposing vegetation was in heaps off to each side of this unnatural blight on the land.
"What happened?" Knuckles asked as Tails began typing on the device he had brought with him. The fox walked around, collecting samples and skimming the screen of his machine with concerned eyes. He paused; his young features twisted into deep concentration, accented by uncertainty.
"What is it, buddy?" Sonic inquired as he read the expressions on his best friend's face. Tails turned to look at him with an unreadable emotion. This worried the hedgehog.
"I don't know, Sonic, but it can't be good. My equipment states that the EMRs in this area are very high, but there's no solid structure or a point of origin that it can detect. I'm also getting readings there are residual traces of antimony trioxide but the surrounding debris indicates the fire was burning for quite some time," Tails said as he walked forward a bit. Sonic and Knuckles blinked.
"What the heck's an EMR?" the guardian exclaimed. Sonic sighed and ran up to cut the fox off.
"Could you break it down for us a little?"
"Sorry. Uh, what I'm saying is this part of the forest was protected with a fire retardant but it caught fire anyway. Think about it though, who would cover an entire forest in flame retardant and who could do all this damage?"
"Yeah, wonder who," Sonic said snidely.
"EMR stands for electromagnetic radiation, Knuckles . . ." Tails began.
"Thanks, Tails, because that clears it up for me," the guardian said sarcastically.
"There's a large amount of infrared and radio waves coming from this area but I can't pinpoint from where. There could be a connection with this and the fire," Tails explained.
"I think I follow ya. If we can find out where the source is maybe we can find out what this is all about," Sonic said with a smile. He always loved getting right down to business.
"Maybe, but that's just it, Sonic. I can't find it."
"No prob. This is when a little bit of sonic speed comes in handy," the hero grinned. In the blink of an eye, the blue hedgehog was off combing the area, cutting across the landscape in long strides. Knuckles folded his arms with a scowl.
"Pfft, showoff."
Tails rolled his eyes but returned his gaze forward as Sonic came barreling back towards them. He stopped just short of hitting the pair, sending dust and debris in their direction. The two coughed and sputtered in response.
"Sorry about that. I think I found something though."
"Yeah, and you got it in my eyes, you moron," Knuckles said with a sneer as he rubbed the affected area.
"What is it?" Tails coughed.
"Over this way, let me show ya," Sonic said with a chirp as he grabbed them by the hands and took off in a burst of speed. Fox and echidna yelled alike as they were neither ready for the sudden acceleration or stop. They both plopped to the dirt.
"There we are."
"What the heck is wrong with you?" Knuckles yelled as he shot up from the ground and into the hedgehog's face. Sonic gave the echidna a causal glance and an even more casual shrug causing Knuckles to grow angrier.
"Why, I ought da . . ."
"Keep it down, Knuckles, I'm trying to concentrate," Tails whispered back harshly. Sonic smiled while the guardian seethed quietly. The fox, however, kept a focused look at the small antenna Sonic had found.
"This doesn't make sense," he mused.
"Well, sure it does. You said there were radio waves and there's an antenna, right?" Sonic asked. Tails couldn't help but shake his head and laugh at the hero's simple explanation.
"Sonic, my readouts are off the charts. This tiny receiver can't be the source of all this."
The hedgehog deflated a bit as Knuckles smirked.
"Not so smart now, huh? Look, I bet if we just follow the trail of destruction we'll find out who's behind this," the guardian stated as he began to walk in the said direction.
"Not if I beat you to it," Sonic shouted as he ran past the echidna. Knuckles sighed but began running after the hedgehog all the same.
"Guys, wait!" Tails shouted, but it fell on deaf ears, "It could be a trap," he stated while lowering his head.
o
"Why did I agree to this again," Solana said with a groan as she lifted the crying baby hedgehog out of its crib. Cream could tell she was uncomfortable with the process of holding the little one.
"Because we're helping Sonic and Amy out. If they can finish their missions, maybe all this fighting can stop," Cream stated bluntly as she handed a warm bottle of formula to the dhole. Truthfully, the rabbit was becoming tired of the other's complaining but tried to remain as pleasant as possible. Both had volunteered to stay behind and watch Kimi while the others completed their assignments, but the canine seemed to be more petulant about it.
"Yes, well, it doesn't help that this child needs to eat every fifteen minutes," Solana scoffed as she inserted the bottle into Kimi's mouth. The little one hungrily drank in the milk, only stopping to take short breaths before starting up again. Despite her dislike of the chore, the dhole couldn't help but smile. The baby hedgehog was cute with her half-lidded eyes, suckling.
"I think that's because infants can't eat as much at one time. They have to spread it out. That's why it looks like they're hungry all the time, or at least that's what mom says. Amy thinks she gets it from Sonic," Cream grinned as she pulled up a seat to watch the baby too. She really enjoyed taking care of Kimi.
Solana let out another pout. The dhole knew that after the child depleted the milk it would need to be burped. She had seen the ritual enough times to know that meant spit up milk. She really didn't want any part of that, especially since she had other things weighing on her mind.
"Take her, please. You do the burping," she ordered more harshly then she meant too. As she handed the baby over her thoughts went to the unpleasant concern she had been dealing with for months. It sat like lead in her stomach sometimes and hung over her head like a terrible cloud. It dragged her spirits down and soured her attitude towards others. She normally wasn't this moody with anyone, even Shadow and Rouge, but she found herself snapping at everyone lately, including Tails and now Cream. The dhole was only sure of one thing, she was miserable with herself.
"Are you okay, Solana?"
Cream's question threw the canine off guard as she glanced at the worried expression on her fellow babysitter's face. Her own troubled features hadn't gone unnoticed by the keen-eyed teenager.
"Yes. I'm sorry, I was so rude . . ." she trailed off.
"If there's something bothering you, you can tell me. I promise to keep it a secret if I need too," Cream said as she rubbed Kimi's back; the infant placed over her shoulder like Amy showed her. Solana gave the ground a contemplative look. It might help to share this burden with someone, but at the same time shouldn't that someone be Tails.
"No, I think I just need to get some air. Will that be alright?" she asked rising to her feet. Cream nodded knowingly just as she got a pretty loud belch from the hedgehog. Both females looked down at the baby and laughed.
"Sonic would have liked to hear that," Cream chuckled as she wiped Kimi's mouth. Solana smiled before making her way towards the door.
"If you need me, I'll be just outside here."
"Okay," Cream chirped as she looked back down at the baby. With brilliant green eyes, a black button nose and tiny violet quills, Kimi had to be the cutest baby the rabbit had ever seen. It was always a joy for her to see the new bundle. It brightened her spirits every time. It also excited her to think of herself as an aunt, considering she had no other family outside her mother. Amy was the closest thing she had to a sister and therefore it was natural to think of Kimi as a niece. The rabbit smiled as she rocked Kimi back and forth thinking of how someday she may have a family too. The gentle moment between them didn't last long, however, as a loud bang came from outside.
Cream hissed in pain as she discovered a downside to holding a frightened baby hedgehog. Kimi had curled up instinctively at the noise, delivering some sharp pricks to the rabbit's fingers. Despite this, Cream held tightly to the baby as the lights in the hanger flickered off.
"What's happening?" she whispered to herself. Cheese came closer to her as the sounds of a struggle began outside. She rose up swiftly and headed quietly for the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of what was going on. However, as she reached the glass a breeze blew through, ruffling her dress and ears. Her eyes darted to the door to find it open; a figure standing in the entranceway. She knew it wasn't Solana; they were too tall. Ducking down, she hid behind some equipment, praying they hadn't spotted her.
"We know you're in here, Miss Rabbit," the stranger said as he stepped into the workshop, brandishing an odd military rifle. He was human. Cream lowered herself down further. Cheese came to rest on her shoulder as she peeked out from under the computer table. She could see more men coming in behind the first; beams of light shooting in every direction as they turned on flashlights. How did these men get up to the island? Why were they here? Where was Solana?
"Surrender now and we'll make this easy. No one has to get hurt . . ."
Cream pulled her head back as light shined where she was. Kimi burred at the sudden movement. Her breath hitched as footsteps came towards her. What was she going to do? Fighting back wasn't an option; Kimi could be hurt. Hiding was a better alternative, but she couldn't do that for long here? Running and calling for help was the best choice but how . . .
"Chao! Chao!"
Cream looked over to see Cheese had left her side and flown out into the middle of the action. The soldiers all turned in the chao's direction. Her friend was providing a distraction; this was her chance.
"It's just her pet. Stay focused men . . . wait! There she goes! Fire!" the leader shouted. The teenage rabbit didn't even bother to look back as she ran for the back door; the sound of gunshots following. Her hand wrapped around the handle. She flung the door open. Then her leg stung.
"Ah!" she yelled out in pain as Kimi began crying. Cheese reacted immediately to their anguish and launched into a full-scale assault on the men around. Grunts and shots were heard from the armed forces as their guns were knocked from their hands and their legs out from under them. After that, the chao quickly went to the aid of Cream who had already begun to fly away using her ears. Cheese came up behind her to add a boost. The two traveled into the forests of Angel Island ignoring the shouts of the soldiers behind them.
"I . . . I'm so tired," Cream said with a slur as they started to decline. Cheese tried to support all their weight but knew they needed to land soon. The trio came to rest in a patch of treetops. Luckily, the branches were rather thick. Cream leaned heavily against the trunk, her brow gathering sweat. She looked down at her leg and saw it wasn't a bullet that hit her, but a dart. Her eyes widened in horror.
"Chao?"
"Cheese, I need to . . . make a sling . . . for Kimi," she stammered. She took off her scarf and wrapped the baby hedgehog in it snuggly, before tying the bundle to the tree. She then wedged herself deeper into the branches.
"I might pass out Cheese . . . you have to keep Kimi safe . . . up here."
"Chao?"
Cream drowsily looked up at the stars as her original intent came to mind. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. Her fingers moved over-familiar buttons but her senses were dulling. The phone slipped out of her numb hands and her head rolled to the side limply.
o
"I can't believe I . . . maybe I should have handled it differently," Amy whispered from her position in the passenger seat of the Highlander. Rouge glanced back.
"Stop beating yourself up, honey. To be honest, I think you're doing the right thing," she said, guiding the jet along. For the past twenty minutes, or so, they had been discussing Amy's argument with Sonic before they left. The conversation was a bit repetitive, but the white bat had finally decided that having Amy along on this objective wasn't such a bad idea. Amy made for good company, considering the government agent usually worked with those of a brooding nature. Besides that, the pink hedgehog packed a punch when it came to tight situations and nothing was tighter than trying to dig up dirt on your present employer.
"I don't know . . ." Amy said quietly as she really thought about the decision of 'letting things go' or more accurately letting her family out of sight.
"Look at it this way, Amy. Even if you stayed back and somehow convinced Sonic to do the same, Dr. Eggman would still be going to send out more robots to destroy even more cities and towns, plus people's lives. The way I see it, you can hold on to your family all you want, sweetheart, but in the end, if we don't act now, there won't be anything left to hold on to," Rouge said in all seriousness. Amy knew there was truth in those words. Still, it didn't take away the agony of a possible loss.
"I know, Rouge, it's just . . . I worry sometimes that maybe I'm not cut out for this anymore . . ."
"Now, don't say that, Amy. Look, we all worry. I worry."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. It's not easy doing what we do and I can only imagine how difficult it is to have a husband and a baby to worry about. If anything, Amy, you're tougher than all of us, except for maybe Vanilla," Rouge grinned. Amy smiled too. Perhaps, it was time to lighten the mood just a bit.
"Thanks. Actually, I've been talking to Vanilla a lot lately. I guess since we're both moms now we have more in common. It's kind of strange how that is, huh? I like talking to her though because I can go on and on about Kimi. I know not everyone wants to hear every detail of my baby's life," Amy said in light humor. Rouge smiled good-naturedly.
"Thank you, Vanilla for sparing us all."
Amy laughed but soon had a thought.
"You know, Rouge, I don't have any married friends," she said slyly, hoping her tone didn't go unnoticed. The bat smirked. She knew where this was going but still, she decided to take the bait anyway.
"Is that right? Maybe you should make some."
"My thoughts exactly. So, are you and Knuckles still . . ." Amy paused not knowing how to phrase the couple's relationship.
"Yeah, knucklehead and I are still together, if you can call it that. We're working things out," Rouge said matter-of-factually. The brave face was evident in the bat's features, but the truth of her heart was a little more fragile than that and Amy could hear it in the tone of her voice. It was obvious to her that Rouge still loved Knuckles even after the broken engagement and, if Sonic was correct, the red echidna still had the hots for the white bat.
"I think you should just tell him how you feel and how much you love him," the pink hedgehog said kindly. Rouge kept her gaze set forward, but a sigh escaped her lips.
"Yeah, if only it were that easy . . ."
"I think it's easier than you think. Hear me out okay," Amy said in response to the skeptical look she received, "Sometimes we want something so badly that we end up driving it away . . ."
"Speaking from experience are we?" Rouge added with humor. Amy rolled her eyes but continued all the same.
"Yeah, okay. But seriously, I found out being sincere and patient works out a lot better than being hasty and pushy. Maybe, being subtle and mysterious needs to give way to a little more understanding and openness."
Rouge pondered the suggestion for a moment.
"You know, honey, sometimes you show a bit of wisdom beyond your years," she smirked. Amy smiled.
"Sometimes, huh?"
"Yeah, sometimes."
They both laughed until the ship lurched to the left violently. Amy knocked her head against the canopy in the process, while Rouge quickly pulled the jet back into stability. Alarms went off as she did so.
"What the heck was that?!" she exclaimed running her hand along the display board for status reports on her vehicle. Amy tried looking out of the window as she rubbed her sore noggin.
"I can't see anything, it's too dark," Amy voiced over the commotion.
"I can't believe this! Amy, we may have to bail if I can't land this thing. The right wing is damaged and we're losing fuel!" Rouge shouted as the ship began to shutter. Amy braced herself by gripping the seat, feeling her insides twist into knots. The government agent yelped as the steering column erupted into a shower of sparks. There was no way she could land safely. Quickly, she undid her seat belt, asking for Amy to do the same. Once the hedgehog realized what was going to happen she grabbed her pack, knowing it might come in handy.
"Hold on!" Rouge instructed, grabbing Amy's forearm. With one hand the bat switched the plane to autopilot and pulled the lever to release the canopy. The pink hedgehog felt her stomach lurch as Rouge propelled them into the morning air, free of the ship. She had done this with Tails a few times in her younger days, but under these circumstances, she could feel her adrenaline shooting through the roof. Luckily for her, Rouge was a lot stronger in her lift abilities than the two-tailed fox and they were soaring clear of the ship's burning trail to the ground.
"Well, if that doesn't wake you up," the bat huffed as she reached down and took Amy's other extended hand.
"What hit us?" Amy asked as she began scanning the area for anything threatening. Rouge frowned.
"I don't know, but maybe it would be better if we kept a low profile," she said gliding into the cover of the trees. They traveled for a bit longer until Amy spotted a clearing and a possible chance for them to get their bearings.
"I managed to save the GPS Tails gave us. I think I'll call Sonic first though, let him know what happened," Amy whispered as she began rummaging through her backpack. Rouge placed a firm hand on the hedgehog's shoulder and motioned for silence as her ears swiveled about. Amy held her breath without realizing it as she listened intently too. There were voices coming from their left, heading towards them.
"How do you know they didn't shoot down a pigeon?"
"Look, we don't know what they shot down. That's why they sent us stupid."
"Yeah, but what if it really was a bandit?"
"Nathanial, cut it out with the air force jargon. Nobody knew what it was, but it was too close to the facility and we can't risk it being another one of those crazy robots. Now, shut up and start looking for something."
Amy and Rouge decided to remain silent and take up hiding behind some nearby brush until they had a better understanding of who these people were. They watched as two armed G.U.N. soldiers came out into the clearing from the other side. The hedgehog turned to the bat for guidance on this one.
"Do you think this was just all a misunderstanding?" Amy whispered. From the look in Rouge's eyes, it was clear she was weighing the odds of that question carefully.
"It might have been. Let me do all the talking. You stay hidden, just in case," the bat said quietly as she stood up slowly from their hiding place. She wasn't too keen on creeping up on two paranoid and armed men, but she wanted to make sure Amy reminded a secret.
"I hate mornings," the lead officer said gruffly.
"I know right, especially when someone decides to attack your commute like that."
Both soldiers turned quickly aiming their guns at the newly appeared form.
"Officer Hawthorn and Morgan of Gun's special op 15. State who you are and what your business is?" Hawthorn shouted as he turned his scope light on the bat. He froze.
"Now, is that any way to treat a lady. But, if you must know, it's special agent Rouge the Bat. I was on my way to speak with the Commander, but it seems my ride was . . . rudely interrupted."
Both soldiers lowered their weapons, looking like stunned children.
"Uh, we're sorry . . . it's just a lot of talk about the robots coming back has been goin' around and the boys back there didn't know if your ship was . . ."
"That's enough talk, Nathaniel. We're terribly sorry for the mistake Agent Rouge, but you know the emergency protocol."
"Yeah, shoot first, questions later," Rouge stated dryly.
"Are you hurt?" Nathaniel asked.
"No sweetie, I'm fine. But why are you on emergency status? I didn't see any reason for it on the way over," she asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, Agent Rouge that's because you hadn't arrived yet," Hawthorn said calmly, the low hum of helicopters approaching in the distance.
"I hadn't arrived . . ." Rouge's voice hitched as the realization of his statement hit her. This was some kind of trap. The two soldiers remained silent.
"Oh man, I hate the government," she groaned. The white bat stepped back and tried to fly off before whatever unseen danger took place, but a net from above cut off her escape. Rouge barely had time to contemplate her lost freedom as an immediate electric pulse was run through the wired mesh. She cried out, before going silent.
Amy's first instinct was to run out and bash the two officers in the head, but bright spotlights overhead snapped on, illuminating the area in a harsh white glow, blinding her. The helicopters were beating air down on them all and lines were being lowered. To help Rouge, the pink hedgehog would only get one shot. As the marching of more soldiers could be heard, she rushed forward with her hammer out and ready.
The two G.U.N. stepped back, but something didn't seem right to Amy. They didn't appear surprised. She swung her hammer in a wide sweep, batting them away.
"We are out of here," she breathed as she bent down and removed the snare from her fallen companion. The pink hedgehog proceeded to pick up Rouge and sling the unconscious bat over her shoulder. She took off running back into the trees, hearing the sound of chopper blades and angry shouts behind her. Fear was rising with each burdened step. She didn't know where she was or how far she needed to go for help. She didn't know why these people wanted to capture Rouge or why they were chasing her now. What was supposed to be a safe question and answer mission had now morphed into a crisis.
She didn't think she could keep this pace up for long or outrun her pursuers for that matter. Her numb senses, however, still had enough perception to tell her that she still had her phone clenched in the other hand. She held down the number one . . .
"Ah," Amy cried out as she tripped over something thrust into her path. Rouge tumbled a few feet away from her in one direction, her phone in another. She turned back to see a rope being lowered back down and two silhouettes standing up from the blinding backdrop of searchlights.
"We were ready for you too, Miss Rose."
Amy scrambled to reach the phone but felt sharp pain move over her entire body before everything went black.
o
As expected, Sonic reached the end of the wrecked woods first, followed closely by his companions. What they saw over the horizon was the last thing any of them expected. In total ruin rested a massive structure resembling a warehouse stretching out for what seemed like miles. There was blown out metal siding, bowing support beams and buckling roof cavities, but what really shocked the three heroes most was plastered to the side of the building. The partial remains of a familiar logo.
"This . . . is Eggman's?" Sonic said in disbelief as he was the first to take steps forward. Knuckles and Tails followed, not too sure how to respond either. They walked in silence up to the destroyed base and stopped just outside of its once-formidable doors.
"I don't get it. Why is it like this?" Knuckles asked as a scowl developed on his face. Tails immediately went to work on his device.
"I . . . I don't understand. The data showed that this area had the most activity in the past two years," the fox expressed worriedly before looking up, "In fact, just two days ago it sent out a small fleet."
Sonic felt the weight of dread settle in his stomach. Something about this was wrong, very wrong. Was this a trap?
"Maybe he's trying to trick us, guys. This could just be a cover for something underground," he stated, pushing further into the base. The hedgehog's eyes raced over everything looking for anything but, deep down in his gut, he knew this wasn't right.
"I don't like it," Knuckles said reluctantly, "I thought you said there's some wave action going on around here?"
"There is, but it's not making any sense, you guys. My readings still can't pinpoint an exact location, but there is nothing coming from this place," Tails replied.
"Well, figure something out," the echidna stressed.
"I'm trying!"
The trio spent a few minutes walking through the remains of what used to be one of the doctor's many bases of operation. There were charred shells of robots, broken computer consoles and coats of dust and debris on every surface. The more destruction that was seen, the more bewildering the situation became. Finally, the fox broke the quiet.
"Sonic?"
The blue hedgehog turned around at the sound of distress in his young friend's voice.
"What is it?"
"I . . . I think you were right. We aren't dealing with Eggman."
"What are you talking about, Tails?" Knuckles asked in agitation. Sonic quickly hushed him.
"What do you mean?" he asked as he walked over to the fox. He could see the paleness in the genius' features and felt the weight in his stomach double.
"Sonic, I don't think we've been dealing with Eggman for a long time. This place wasn't destroyed just a few days ago," Tails said shakily as he held up crumpled slips of yellow paper, "It's been years."
The blue hero slowly reached out and took the papers from his friend's hand and allowed his eyes to scan the contents. It was filled with various designs and schemes but what caught the speedster's attention and held it was the date at the bottom of the page . . . for three years ago. He lowered the paper and looked at Tails before closing his eyes and turning to walk out.
"I don't get this. How are we not fighting Eggman . . . I mean we, it's got to be him!" Knuckles exasperated, not able to wrap his mind around this fact. But as the guardian really looked around he could see that the debris had been there for a while, resembling some of the ruins on his island.
"Knuckles, all these files, and calendars . . ." Tails exclaimed as he began lifting several tousled pieces of paper off the floor, "they're years old!"
"Well, how does an army come from this . . . !"
"It is . . . I mean there was . . . I don't know! The diagrams all pointed to this place!"
"Maybe you got it wrong!" the echidna vented, trying to still piece this back to the wicked scientist.
"I did not. My estimates were correct! The information must have been wrong. Shadow might have downloaded old material."
"Look, it could be a trick. Eggman has been sending robots with his mug all over them, not to mention all those recordings . . . he has. . ." the echidna paused.
"Exactly, recordings! None of us have actually seen Dr. Eggman in years," Tails stated bitterly.
"Except for me," Sonic said calmly with his back to them, "and even that was quick and a little strange. I still think Eggy's in play."
"What do we do, Sonic?" Tails asked.
"Don't know yet, but we've wasted enough time here that's for sure. I say we head to another one of those bases you have there and see if there's a pattern to all this or if it's just a fluke."
Knuckles and Tails nodded when the fox's cell phone rang, followed closely by the hedgehog's.
Author's Notes: Sorry about the killer cliffhanger, but that's just how I see this chapter ending. Thanks again for all the reviews and favorites on this story, it's a good encouragement to continue. I am working on chapter 13 and hope to have it finished soon.
