Eric paced the command floor impatiently, wanting to stop and ask if anyone had found anything. He'd only asked a few seconds ago, surely someone must have found something. The worst part in all of this was knowing that his son was in Cidana's hands because of the decision he'd made. He should've just given Sonic a simple normal mission rather than trying to get him and Mina together.
"Tell me we have something to go off of," he said, trying to keep his mind on the greater goal.
"We haven't been able to locate the Highwind, sir," one of the Vanguard members yelled. "One minute it's there and the next it's gone and the next it's twenty miles away."
"Remember people, this is Cidana we're talking about," he reminded them. "Every time we say something's impossible she makes it her personal goal to prove us wrong, like that cloaking field of her. Use any means necessary to find that ship."
"Sir, I think I might've found something," one of the techs called out and Eric went to her station. "I wouldn't have noticed it if I wasn't looking for it and it's too slight for the computer to detect on its own." She pointed to the radar printout. "You can see that there's a slight atmospheric disturbance here about a thousand feet across. Well, if you follow the readouts then the disturbance is moving."
"We found her. Good job," Eric commended, clapping her on the shoulder. "Best news we've had all day. What do we know about the defensive capabilities of the Highwind?"
"More than our tactical fighters could handle, sir," one of the other techs said, holding up a bundle of papers. "The only reason we're seeing a silhouette of the Highwind is because of our equipment. If she's stationary when our fighters close in then they won't know they're too close until it's too late."
"So a direct assault is out of the question," Eric said and the tech nodded. "What about an EM blast? Would that knock her equipment out?"
"Possible but she'd know what we were planning long before we'd be in range."
"Get a team ready with an EM generator anyway. Roberts, find me a way to get them under Cidana's nose without her knowing. The rest of you I want tracking the Highwind's every movement. See if we can't pierce that cloak of hers."
"About that sir," the female tech said, "a ship that size would normally only have a single fusion generator."
"And?"
"Well, a cloaking field that large would require far more energy than a single generator could put out while maintaining all of her other systems. She'd need somewhere around four."
"And a ship that size can't handle four," Eric finished and the tech nodded. "Get in touch with R&D and see if they think Cid beat them to the compact fusion generator idea. It's either that or she has some new power source we've never seen."
"Sir! The Highwind just became visible!" With a word a screen came down and the Highwind appeared on it, floating high above the ground. He'd only seen it a few times and its sheer size still left him speechless. "It's about ten miles from the city limit."
"She's been this close the whole time?" he asked quietly. "Okay people, any ideas as to why she's letting us see her?" Eric asked but the techs were silent. "What's her plan?"
"I'm picking up some weird readings, sir," one of the techs finally said. "If I didn't know better I'd say it looks like a fusion reactor going-" As if on cue a massive explosion ripped through the hull of the Highwind. "Check that, it is a reactor going critical. If one goes it's a safe bet that they're all gonna go."
Eric swore under his breath. With as close as the Highwind was to Xenodome it would be an unmitigated disaster if the ship went up in a fusion reactor meltdown. But Sonic and Mina were still on board that thing. "Alright people, time to shift gears," he said finally. "We need to contain the explosion. Samantha, tell R&D I need all the mobile shield generators they've got. I'll get the teams out into position myself."
"Sir, what about your son?"
Eric felt his gut twist and turn, eventually turning to his wife who had a similar expression on her face. He was afraid that this decision would eventually come up but not on his son's first mission. "For all we know he and Mina were in the center of the first explosion," he said, pain obvious in his voice. "We need to operate under that assumption. If you see any escape shuttles you let me know ASAP, understood?"
"Sir yes sir!"
He turned to his wife who just hugged him. He held her briefly before Samantha's voice interrupted them.
"Sir, R&D says they only have four operable generators but that it should be more than enough," she said and Eric nodded.
"I have to go," he said, looking into his wife's eyes. She nodded and gently kissed him. "I'll bring them back, I swear it."
Mina was still huddled in the corner of the cell when the guards brought Sonic back. They tossed him onto the floor before staring at her. She whimpered as the memories floated back up and they both snickered at her reaction. The cell door shut and locked, leaving her alone with an unconscious Sonic. Slowly she crawled over to him, listening to his breathing. He was alive and she was thankful for that. She lifted him up onto the bunk and covered him with the sheet. Whatever Cidana had done to him must have been awful but physically he seemed no worse for wear.
"You can't die here, Sonic," she whispered, stroking his hair quills. "You have no idea the things they'll do to me. Please don't die." She felt warmth from within her slowly transfer to Sonic and he groaned as he began to wake up. "Sonic? Are you okay?"
"Warm," he muttered as she pulled her hand away from his head. "Really warm." He sat up cautiously, trying to get his bearings. "Where am I? What just happened?"
"Cidana's men just brought you back to the cell," Mina explained quietly. "It...it sounded bad from here. Are you okay?" Sonic's reached down feeling for his right leg. He let out a sigh of relief as he felt it and not a stump.
"I must've blocked out what she actually did," he replied. "For some reason I thought she cut my leg off." Before he could do anything else Mina threw her arms around him, squeezing him tightly and sobbing into his shoulder. He slowly hugged her back, wanting to say something but nothing felt appropriate. He was sure he had imagined everything but Mina likely remembered every minute of what happened to her. They sat like that for several minutes until she broke it off.
"I was so worried that you weren't coming back," Mina said, her eyes red from crying. "I...I don't think I could have survived in here alone." She hugged Sonic again and he simply held her.
"We're gonna get outta here," he promised as his eyes fell to the piece of paper Snively had tossed at him. He let Mina go and uncrumpled it, revealing the message, "Level 2D, Corridor C, Room 241". "What the hell is this supposed to mean?"
"And how are we supposed to get there?" Mina added, looking around. "The door is locked, the bars are electrified, and you don't have your Guardian powers to help us out. It would take an act of God to-"
She was interrupted as an explosion rocked the entire ship with the lights in their cell block shutting off before the emergency lighting kicked in. "You were saying?" Sonic asked as he stood up. For a brief moment his right leg refused to move but it passed. Sonic cautiously touched the bars to no effect and he smiled. He slammed his shoulder into it with similar effect. Frustrated, his kicked the lock with his right foot and the latch crumpled. He looked to Mina who just shrugged as they ran out of the cell.
They were immediately greeted by two guards. Before either of them could react a blade of black wind wrapped around Sonic's hand and he drove it through the chest of the closest one. The second guard raised his weapon just before his head twisted all the way around, his corpse dropping to the ground. Mina just stared at Sonic whose eyes glowed emerald green with bloodlust. "That's for what you bastards did to her," he growled before grabbing the ID badge off one. "C'mon, let's juice and jam." Mina shook off the shock of the brutality she had just witnessed, not that she had any complaints about it. She jumped onto Sonic's back as he lowered his torso and bolted down the hall.
Or that was the plan. In reality he came to a skidding halt the moment his right leg touched the ground, sending Mina sprawling across the floor. Grimacing, Sonic looked down to his scuffed left knee that was already healing. He glanced at his right and felt the blood drain from his face. There was no scuff on the knee. Rather, it had torn a gash in the floor where it had hit. With a shaking hand he touched his knee and felt cold metal instead of warm flesh.
"What the hell was that for?" Mina asked, picking herself up off the floor. Sonic was near-catatonic as he just stared at his leg. "Umm, Sonic? You okay?"
"She actually took it," he said quietly as he touched his leg again. "She didn't just take my leg. She took my speed too."
"Sonic, we need to get going," Mina said, wanting to show sympathy but knowing they didn't have time for it. Sonic closed his eyes and pushed his fear and anger aside for the time being. He stood up, still obviously shaken.
"We can't use my speed to get out of here," he admitted. "For whatever reason Snively left me this note so I say we try there. For all we know it's an escape hatch." Mina nodded and they ran through the halls until reaching the room in question. Sonic swiped the ID badge and the door swung open and they quickly closed it behind them.
"The hell?" Sonic turned to see why Mina was surprised and the same words left his mouth. The room they were in was fit for a king. They could see a figure lying in the bed and another standing next to it.
"Snively? What are you doing here?" Sonic asked as they came closer. Before the human could say anything another explosion rocked the ship, throwing the two Mobians to the ground.
"I'm glad you two came," the small human explained. "I need you to take him with you. I promised that I would help him escape and now is as good a time as any." Sonic looked at the figure in the bed and his jaw went slack.
"Majesty," he said kneeling.
"Pudding!" King Max exclaimed. "And jello with nuts! Don't forget the frosting!"
"He seems a little, well, off," Mina pointed out and Snively nodded.
"He was fine after we left the Void but this started after Robotropolis was destroyed," he said. "Anyway, I have a shuttle prepared for the three of you to get out of here. All of your things are on it and I've set the auto-pilot to take you right back to Xenodome."
"First you wanna tell us why this place is falling apart?" Sonic asked as the king continued to babble.
"I've set the four fusion reactors to go critical," Snively explained as Sonic and Mina lifted the king out of the bed. "Right now Cidana's down to two reactors, which means that most of her defense systems have shut down. At three you'll be able to escape." Before they could say anything else they were enveloped in a blue-white light, rematerializing in the hangar bay.
"That's convenient," Mina pointed out as Snively led them to a nearby shuttle. As if waiting for her to say that a spike flew past their heads and embedded itself into the hull of their shuttle. Sonic turned to see three gorgimeras bounding towards them. One of them raised its hindquarters and several more spikes shot out, one grazing Snively's shoulder and another impaling Mina's leg. She cried out, letting go of the king. Sonic got him into the shuttle and fastened in before heading back for Mina. He picked up Kaiyō Mujō and drew her, deflecting several more spikes. "Go!" Mina yelled as blood poured from her leg and the ship rocked from another reactor gone critical. "We don't have much time left and I'll just end up getting you killed."
"I promised you that I would get you out of here and I'll be damned if these ugly brutes think otherwise!" Sonic yelled and picked her up. He got her into the shuttle, not before deflecting several more spikes. He pulled the one in her leg out before uttering, "Naoru," and the wound began to stitch shut. "Well, good to know that not everything's gone to hell," he said before looking back. Snively was in bad shape with two spikes in his chest.
"Well? What are you waiting for, hedgehog?" the human asked. "Get out of here before the final reactor goes."
"No one left behind goes for you too," Sonic said. Snively let out a weak laugh as blood trickled out of the corner of his mouth.
"It's too late for me at this point," he told Sonic. "I'll buy you some time to get out of here. Now go!" Snively pressed a button on his wrist computer causing one of the other shuttles to lift off and take off directly at the gorgimeras. The first wasn't quick enough and was ripped in half. The other two leapt into the air before tearing out the engines, causing the shuttle to explode and take them with it. Sonic covered his eyes and when he looked again a large pipe was sticking out of Snively's stomach. He said a quick prayer before shutting the hatch and sitting in the pilot's seat.
"Where's the button that says 'go' when you need it?" he muttered and started pressing random buttons. The shuttle hummed to life and the auto-pilot took over bringing it up and around. Just as they left the hangar bay another explosion tore through the Highwind. Sonic looked at the rear access camera to see the explosion hitting a barrier as they flew off unharmed. He sat back in the chair as Mina joined him in the co-pilot's seat.
"You saved my life," she said quietly as they continued towards Xenodome. "Even though I told you to leave me behind you risked all our lives to save me. You even tried to save that human."
"What's the point in escaping if you lose everything worth saving?" Sonic asked and closed his eyes. Mina didn't answer, the two of them silent the entire trip back to the city.