(Travis' POV)
The handles on my sleepover bag nearly fell through my fingers the moment my grandfather answered the door. Emma's arm brushed past mine, and I could feel her tense muscles from where she had cemented in place. Even my mom couldn't hide her gasp of surprise once we all laid eyes on the man that stood in front of us.
Grandpa looked...oh gee how should I put this...absolutely downright awful. And I hate to say that, but it was nothing but true. Everything about him was so, so bad. I forgot everything for a second, and just stared back at him, my mind growing heavier.
His eyes had nearly been swallowed in the sagging folds of his brows as they stared back at us, creased and dead. The crevices on his forehead were sunken so deep, they looked like they'd been done with a black sharpie. His lips had lost all color; in fact the only part of him that wasn't gray, were the bluish purple bags forming under his eyes, tugging all the way down to his hollowed cheekbones. His white hair was thinned, with patches missing in numerous places.
It was hard to tell if it had just been so long since we'd seen him, and old age was taking its natural toll. Or...if these signs weren't natural at all, and were something far beyond what healthy seniors endured. It was as if all the stress and worry had physically drained him of whatever life he had left. Like he just so happened to pull the plug, and let all the happiness slip down the pipe.
He was practically the living, breathing form of depression.
After hearing him sound so happy and alive over the phone, this seemed almost impossible. When he called, it must've been some act he put on. Because this was something he couldn't possibly be faking. This was him. This was our grandpa. This was what he had become.
For some reason, it took everything in me not to cry.
"Father..." my dad said slowly behind us. "It's...oh wow...it's great to see you after it's been so long."
Grandpa Abraham nodded. I half expected him to creak like rusted gears in the process. "Indeed," he croaked out. "Too long, in fact. Please, come in."
He stood aside so we could enter the house. And this time, when we were able to see the inside of his beloved home, the shock had hit with such a strangely powerful blow, Emma and I both managed to finally lose our grip and the bags fell to the floor.
His house had lost all warmth, along with that wonderful, nostalgic sense of coziness to it. It was almost felt like we'd stepped into a grayscale painting. Everything was just as colorless as its owner, having been drained and emptied of anything happy. Swaying stacks of dirty dishes filled the sinks in the kitchen, the couch cushions were lopsided and covered in dented craters, and there was dust and chunks of linen visibly lining the floor. The T.V. was housing a static covered screen, with the MUTE logo blinking in the upper right hand corner.
Now I was almost certain he'd lost his mind. And from the looks of things, he'd lost it much earlier than recent.
I could tell we were being so bluntly obvious about how dumbstruck this made us. Maybe the same couldn't be said about my parents, but as for Emma and I, we had nothing to mask. We were disgusted, but also intrigued. And I could feel a pang of worry stirring somewhere within.
What happened to this place? This...this was practically our second home. And now look at it.
What happened to my grandfather?
"Well I hope you fellas are hungry! Lasagna's baking in the oven," Grandpa said in a voice that was trying to sound lively, but failed miserably.
I turned back to look at the odd ghostly man who claimed to be my grandpa, and saw he was pulling out of a hug with my mother, and moving on to my father with outstretched arms.
I knew I was supposed to go and hug him. Mom and Dad would've wanted me to, to show not only manners but also love. It would've been the proper thing to do.
But funny enough, I was almost scared to.
"Ah, that sounds wonderful! Hot lasagna in this cold weather. Our little Emma loves lasagna, and so does Travis! He prefers his covered thick with cheese," Mom laughed. She was obviously faking her cheerful attitude, and was pretending nothing was wrong. But I knew better. This was something tragic, where, even at my age, it was impossible and almost insulting to play pretend.
Grandpa smiled, though he seemed to be putting in effort to do so much as move his mouth. "Well, I have a canister of shredded parmasan in the fridge. Feel free to help yourselves. You can bathe your dinner in cheese if you desire, it's no problem at all. Ha ha!"
I said nothing. Neither did my sister. Awkward levels rose dramatically.
To escape the sudden discomfort, we quietly moved in the direction of the guest bedroom, dragging our bags across the floor. It left a clean swipe behind.
I looked back just in time to see my parents heading for the couch, and Grandpa taking it upon himself to pat the remaining lumps away.
"Woah...did you see that? Grandpa looks like he's gone through heck and back..." Emma muttered as we entered the room.
All I could do was agree by nodding. We entered the room, set our bags down, and shut the door to continue gossiping amongst ourselves.
(Knuckles' POV)
"Knuckie...I'm getting really cold, you know."
By now I was internally bashing my brains in. She'd been at this for the whole damn ten minutes we'd been together. Longest ten minutes of my life.
It was either, Knuckles, I'm so tired, or Knuckles, I'm kinda hungry, or Knuckie-kins, it's darky-boo in here.
One more whine, one...more...whine...out of this annoying bat was all it would take, and I knew I'd lose my cool.
"Don't you have a blanket or a quilt or something I can borrow? Anything at all? Because this is one of the few times where I actually prefer to cover up," she said bitterly.
I huffed. "Oh sure, let me just reach in my pocket and pull out a quilt or a blanket for poor little bat girl!" I yelled sarcastically.
She only guffawed back. "Sheesh. I thought rescuers were supposed to look after their damsels, no matter what the costs may be."
My eyes narrowed ahead. For some reason, I hated the way she worded that sentence. Maybe because it came out of her mouth. Now would be a good time to have a blanket...to gag her with.
"Lady, you are not my damsel. In fact, you are not my anything, and that includes being the main focus of this rescue. So please get that and any other unorthodox assumptions out of that pea brain of yours and stop being so selfish. Now, which way do we go, left, right or straight," I said just as we came across another intersection.
She stopped walking.
"...Straight," she answered plainly.
I began stepping forward.
"Up..."
I stopped and looked back. "Huh?"
When I came to face her, her eyes were cast with roaring fires. "...Jerk!"
I reeled away. "What...? What the heck are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about you! How you're a straight up jerk and nothing more!" she yelled back. "Here I am, giving you directions, being extremely helpful and whatnot because I figured I owed it to you after you busted me out of that cell, and I'll have you know that it took a lot out of my pride. But no, you're only making matters worse! I was wrong when I thought this could work if we stuck together. It's the exact opposite. You're the same typical dunce I remember you being back on Earth!"
She leaped off the ground, flexed her wings, and flew past me without a second glance. It was as if ditching me was a mere, casual, commonly overlooked thing.
My mouth fell open. I stood there stunned for a second, before immediately breaking into a run to chase after her.
"HEY! Where do you think you're going! You can't just fly off and desert me like that!"
No answer.
"Are you even listening to me? I'm ordering you to come back!"
She looked back at me past her scrawny wings with a smirk so vile I just wanted to smack it right off her face. Problem was, I couldn't reach.
"Oh would you quit bugging me! Can't you see that I'm off to finish my job? Let's not forget this was my mission, assigned to me by the Commander himself! You came here independently, on your own free will. And disregarding that, I am NOT about to let some stupid echidna, who has no speaking skills when it comes to women, take that credit away from me!"
I ran a bit faster. "You stupid, selfish bat! I should've known you'd be this way! But this isn't about credit anymore, this is about saving Rachel's life!"
"Exactly! And I will be the one to do it! So see ya around, loser. Try not to die while you're here," she hissed back. The air carried her faster than I could run, so I slowed to a stop and watched her violet form blur into the distance.
The rage boiled over. Even though I figured she was out of earshot, I couldn't help but scream at the empty space.
"FINE! I was better off without you any way! I hope Shadow finds you and knocks you out cold again! Because I like you better when you can't talk!"
And after some maddened pouting and pacing, I remembered once again, Rouge knew exactly where to go. And me...I was now back to blindly moving about.
Well, flying may beat running, but breaking down walls defeats every method in the book.
I smiled slyly, confidence pouring back through.
I would get there before her. I would be the one to save Rachel.
Maybe it was pride. Or possibly dignity. But whatever it was, I knew I wouldn't let anyone down again.
"Oho Rouge, you are so on."
And with that, I slammed my fist through the wall next to me, and with some balanced strength, bashed it clean into powdered rubble.
(Rachel's POV)
Every hallway looked the exact same, and it was the most aggravating thing anyone could possibly imagine.
It was a maze. A long, open ended maze, with long paths that either led into locked doors, or led in the wrong direction entirely. This cold, metal labyrinth would've been easier to master if I had memory like Rouge, who apparently could find her way around here like it was her regularly visited beach house.
Every frustration was better accentuated while being so cold, because it proved difficult to think about anything else at all. But, at least it worked to some kind of advantage. I found that I was basing my sense of direction solely on the temperature. If it was getting colder, then it also meant I was getting closer to the source of the pandemonium. Or at least that's what I was hoping.
When I found myself running on the outer corridors of the Carrier, I skidded to a stop after being hit painfully with blazing, whiter than white light. When my squinted eyes were able to peek apart, I found the window embedded next to me. And what I saw beyond the glass made me freeze dead in my tracks, and again, no pun intended.
For miles upon miles, there was nothing but snow coating the ground beneath the Carrier, and in the distance, a series of ice capped mountains that shined like molten chocolate. The sky was a deep, dark, rich blue color. And even though I could see no clouds drifting above, there were sprinkles of frozen ice substance shooting like bullets past the glass in a horizontal drift. Except instead of taking on the shape of flakes, from what I could see, they looked and fell like small, roundly shaped pellets while slinging by in a flurry. And they were falling, or slicing by rather, faster than gravity should have allowed, putting the concept of an alien planet atmosphere aside. The wind was probably stronger than I could imagine. Stronger than the ones on Earth, maybe even in the case of hurricanes. If I got the chance to stick my arm out into this storm, it would probably fly clean off. And in all honesty, that made it all the more terrifying.
We had yet to land, since it appeared we were still levitating in place. I was looking over everything, from the range of mountainous hills to the endless stretches of snow, from a bird's eye view. These unexplored regions sparked my enticement and curiosity. It was like being Alice in Wonderland with wings. Except Wonderland was either the North or South Pole since I was just about freezing my ass off to the point of no enjoyment...and the wings per-say were a mere illusion of how I was being carried and lunged about against my will in an airship under the command of a deranged scientist.
Okay, enticement over.
I stepped toward the window and placed my hands against it, only to tear them away less than a second later. A painful stinging had chomped down on my palms when they'd came into contact. I pulled them under my sleeves and turned away grimacing, feeling the skin redden and go raw. My eyes wandered back up and fell upon the white patches of hand prints I'd left behind.
Good God. What kind of Wonderland is this?
But then I remembered, this was no time mind to dawdle and ponder to myself. This planet was odd, yes, in a weird yet beautiful sort of way. But I couldn't be fooled by its looks. This place was definitely not fit for any type of organism's life, let alone mine. It was enchanting, but it was also enchantment that would kill in an instant.
I ripped my gaze away, and after a little working of my cramped muscles, began speeding down the hall once again. The fog of my breath grew thicker, and whatever sweat my body secreted only froze against the places it originated from. I could feel it hardening against my forehead, neck, and insides of my elbows. It was my own energy doing it, and I wasn't about to put it to rest.
Which begs the question, what am I running for or from, anyway? Am I looking for something, for someone?
I wasn't sure what fantasy or absolution I was literally chasing. But whatever it was, it had to be better than being locked in a dark closet with Bokkun, who I hoped was still trapped underneath his kryptonite, a.k.a. a measly wooden box.
I remember that Shadow told me to run, didn't he?
And it did help before...didn't it? Even he said so.
Well then that says it all. If running is the only thing that can help me now, then that's exactly what I'll do. Running doesn't necessarily make you a coward. Not here, it doesn't. If fate is on my side, it's the only thing that can save me. Even if it hurts, even if it's leading no where...I'll still do it.
My chances of survival were only slimming the farther I went. And soon, I might go past the point of no return.
That's why, just like any determined survivalist, I did everything I could to keep my body working.
Hopefully, it would be enough to land me somewhere away from here.
(Sonic's POV)
All the individual strands of my fur were standing up on end, stiff and upright like little needles. My eyes were clouding over, constantly drawing their distracted focus back towards the windows, where a glowing snowfall was hammering down. I had to admit, if I hadn't been on such a crucial mission, it would've been almost impossible to steer myself away from stopping to look, but for now, out the corner of my vision would have to do.
Because time was being lost. And soon, I would be out of time completely if I didn't hurry.
Past the usual heroic streak, something about the anxiety was causing delirium inside me, and it was beginning to swallow me whole. I was starting to hear fragmented echoes of Rachel's dialogue from when we first met as they swung around in my head like a boomerang. One collection of words in particular.
"Thank you, Sonic. For everything.
So...uhh...I guess until then, this is goodbye..."
Hearing them again, my faced turned rigid with confidence. Two hundred miles per hour became two-fifty, and then three, all while avoiding the sharply swerving twists and turns.
No...not goodbye.
I barreled down the hall, eyes angled toward every doorway in reach. I made sure to check for any sort of movement that wasn't my own.
Not yet.
...Nothing
...
...Still nothing.
...
...Still nothing...
...
...But then I heard it.
After the noise was able to click through my skull, I found my feet grinding to a halt and ears twitching in all directions.
That sound...it almost sounded like footsteps. Yes, unmistakably, it had to be footsteps.
Small, quick, nimble footsteps.
My ears zeroed in to listen closer.
The steps became accompanied by feminine panting.
I almost stopped right there and called out a warning greeting towards whomever or whatever it was my hearing was depicting. But instead, I found myself too overwhelmed and caught off guard, that I didn't make a sound, as if making sure not to drown out any other.
Is it...Could it be...
I jerked around, facing every which way. My irises moved at a dizzying speed, breath held tight in my throat.
And then the footsteps, which had slowly become louder and louder, stopped all at once.
And my senses picked up that they had stopped behind me.
I bent around to confront the clamored, now silent sound...and found myself facing a pale, shivering, defiled Rachel Tower, looking like she was just about knocking at death's door.
(Rachel's POV)
The world went still. My body had involuntarily buckled from the surprise, and shivered as it kept on coming in rippled shockwaves. Everything inside me froze. My heart skipped at least five beats. I didn't move an inch, not even to release a painfully held breath.
My eyes were suddenly turning warm. They broke past the thin barriers of ice that had coated them, and now overjoyed tears, as well as slivers of frost, were moving down my face, leaving a wonderfully burning sensation behind.
"S-Sonic..." I whispered.
So...I thought incredulously, this must mean it was him who broke into the Egg Carrier. He was the blue headache Eggman was referring to. He's the reason why everything's gone awry.
And it's because...he's come for me.
They've all come to save me.
The snow was still falling and left dotted silhouettes raining down the right side of his figure. The pearly white glow set one of his emerald eyes ablaze, while the other remained shrouded in red shadow. At first, he mirrored me by not moving. But then he took one step towards me, mouth dropped, and his tongue pointed as it morphed into a smile.
"Rachel!" he shouted triumphantly, laughing mid-sentence. Most likely because it was near impossible to contain our mutual joy. I was showing off my own pitiful share of emotion, biting my trembling lip as a drop of hot, liquid salt seeped past the corner.
If I hadn't been so cold, I would've broken into a run, charged straight up to Sonic, and attacked him with the world's biggest glomp. I wanted to bury my face into his neck, weep with happiness, and not worry about being taunted for showing emotion, and finally, without question, feel a true sense of safety, no strings attached.
He was the one to move first. He stepped towards me quickly, grin still aloof.
I smiled back gingerly and emitted an airy laugh.
Ah, finally here he comes! It's finally happening! I'm going home for sure now!
Finally...
My freedom...
My family...
Everything about my life...
I bit my lip.
It will return.
But then, there was a dart of neon yellow light that flew in from a hall on the left and impaled the blue hedgehog's side, sending him tumbling into the window, and then the floor.
The rest felt like it was playing in slow motion. My gasp was slow, drawn out, just as a stab of fear sank like acid straight through my heart. I watched the shadow of a form with sharply notched quills emerge from behind the wall, eyeing the hedgehog he'd shot down with a set of fiery red eyes.
Sonic didn't waste a second's time. He scrambled onto his hands and knees, cracking one eye open to gawk up at his attacker.
He didn't even need to say his name. Their eye contact said everything that was being thought.
Shadow might have been frowning down at him, but when he spoke, it almost sounded like he was holding back a smile. "Well well well, what do we have here?"
His crimson eyes then floated up and settled on mine.
"And I thought I told you to stay put..." he said slowly, in a voice that was soft and calm. But somehow, that made everything a bit scarier. I knew he had yet to show his true rage. He was holding back.
"You were supposed to be watched over. You weren't supposed to be here. And you were not," he eyed Sonic for a second, "supposed to find him."
He then started walking towards me, fists tightened, eyes inclined.
"When will you ever listen..." he said. And I couldn't help but take it as a threat.
Sonic grunted behind him and attempted to stand on two feet before things could turn ugly.
"Hey! You get away from her!"
Shadow didn't listen to a word of it, of course. I found myself not fearing Shadow as much as I thought I would. But I was definitely nervous, shaking hard at both the cold and the nauseating uncertainty. I felt an oncoming plague of sickness, and started to hold my hands up defensively, bracing myself for the worst.
Sonic made it onto both feet, scowling angrily. "I said GET AWAY FROM HER!"
Shadow was now the one being knocked down, this time from behind. Sonic had tackled him, wearing an expression so contorted with rage, I found my blue hero almost unrecognizable. He then growled at his darker counterpart before they broke into a wrestle for dominance. Shadow was able to turn over into time so that he wasn't completely blindsided, and the two were then in a tumbling battle. Sonic seemed to be only trying to hold him down in place, while Shadow was making sure to land the sharpest punches and kicks he could muster.
I backed away slowly, watching in silent horror. There was something inside eating away at my nerves as the scene played out. I wanted terribly to go over there and yank them apart, because this was one of the most painful and frightening things I'd ever witnessed, if not the most painful and frightening. Every time one of them got hurt, it was like a kick to the gut. I found myself worrying for both of their safety, more than my own.
But I knew this was a battle that peace could have no part in. Someone would have to beat the other. And as much as I wanted Sonic to win so we could both escape properly, leaving to reach not only Earth, but also Station Square...leaving Shadow like this either way still seemed incredibly brutal.
Just as I had taken another step in reverse, something caught my eye.
Something outside, beyond the window.
I turned my neck quickly, stressing the corded muscles, and watched as two orbs of pink and yellow flew past me.
Glowing, flashing, leaving streams of their respective color in lingering trails, and swirling around each other in what looked like a synchronized dance of light and air. My eyes squinted in focus, panning sideways to follow their curious movement. The sight struck me with something that was beyond regular awe. And reality, intellect, and common sense, left millions of hints staining my brain of what it was I was seeing.
Were those...? Those couldn't be...
It only made sense. They were glowing. And there were two of them.
...The Chaos Emeralds.
"Rachel look out!"
My head whipped back around to face the battling hedgehogs.
I had no time to prepare myself seeing as it all happened in a nanosecond. Shadow had harnessed another searing hot spear and flicked his wrist in Sonic's direction. Sonic had instinctively jumped out of the way, but now it was me that Shadow had his hand aimed at.
I watched the fury in Shadow's face melt into shock, just as the radiated light balled into his palm and was about to zap forward.
Sonic dashed behind Shadow and snatched his arm away from me.
Instead, he pulled it back so that it was aiming at the window.
I screamed and flew forward in protest, latching a hand out towards them.
Sonic realized his mistake by the time it was too late to counteract. The energy sprang out of Shadow's pulse, shooting straight through the shield of glass, which had been the only thing separating me from an icy grave.
It was like watching my life shatter into a million tiny shards of pieces.
(Amy's POV)
"Oh my gosh, did you hear that?"
Tails moved his hands away from the levels on his control pad and hovered them above the buttons. "What, you mean that glass breaking?"
I nodded, even though he couldn't see it. "Yeah...I thought Sonic had already gotten inside. How many windows does he need to break to make one entry? He's not usually that sloppy."
My fox friend dropped his head down at his communicator after noting the dimmed and flickering lights, and clicked away at it. "I don't think that's it. I would ask him myself, but I've lost signal with both him and Knuckles. It's probably this cold weather that did it. I wouldn't be surprised."
He then pounded down on the gadget furiously.
"Why do I have to have this kind of bad luck! I want to know what's going on in there!"
I reared back sheepishly. "I know...I do too."
I looked out the window, skimming past the deck that Tails had expertly landed on after steering past broken triangles of glass that clung to what was left of the shield. (He says that having come into contact with those shards would've seriously damaged the engines.)
I couldn't help but find that it was quiet...way too quiet.
"I think something's wrong," I said quietly.
Tails looked back out the windows of the cockpit. "I was thinking the very same thing. There shouldn't have been a second crash like that, no questions asked. And besides..."
His eyes wandered over the deck as well.
"...I'm wondering why Eggman hasn't tried taking advantage of attacking us yet. I know I could beat him."
I huffed and crossed my arms. "Oh shush, you keep talking like that and you're gonna get bad karma or jinx us, Tails! So what if he's not making a move. Let's just hope it stays this way. In the meantime, you wanna test out that Heat Ring you kept going on about on the way up here? You yourself said that it would need a second test run once we reached our destination. But you never told us what it does exactly."
He shrugged. "I don't know if the timing is right. I'm afraid the gears will malfunction due to these extreme conditions. And, we need the Heat Ring so that Rachel can cross the deck and get onto the X Tornado safely. It has a radius of about two hundred feet, which, given where we currently are, should mean the warmth will reach the entryway."
"And how hot does this fancy-dancy radius get?" I asked.
He glared ahead. "About two hundred degrees Fahrenheit. But, given that it's probably negative one hundred degrees out here, it'll cancel out so that it doesn't bake Ms. Tower's human flesh like a souffle."
I couldn't help but gasp. "Negative one hundred degrees? How are you sure Rachel even survived that up until now?"
The two tailed fox only twitched.
"I'm not."
He breathed out. "In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if she isn't already frozen to death, as grim as it sounds. We're gonna need a miracle to make sure she lives past this."
My saddened face suddenly uplifted and I released a hearty laugh. "Oh, we have miracles, Tails! Two of them in fact. One's buffed out and the other's capable of breaking the barrier of sound. And they're in there to retrieve Abraham Tower's granddaughter at this very moment! It'll all work out. It always does!"
He looked back, his tired blue eyes glistening. "Thanks for that. Good to know we have a Positive Patty here for healthy reassurance."
I frowned back at him. "But...my name's Amy."
The ground suddenly shook underneath the X-Tornado's brakes, and a mocking voice boomed out through unseen speakers.
"Aw, the band of idiots have returned yet again, I see! Well good, I've been meaning to test out my new and improved welcome wagon. And by welcome wagon, I of course mean my killer robot army."
Tails and I exchanged an unbalanced glance. His was angered and determined, while mine showed I was about two checkpoints away from peeing myself.
"Great Tails. You jinxed it."
(Rachel's POV)
"NO! SONIC!"
The air was pulling with such grand force that it felt capable of ripping the very flesh from my bones. My shoes scraped across the ground and I ended up getting flung onto my back, flipping over and clawing at the floor until my nails broke. This wind had me at the ankles, and it was sucking me back towards the busted opening with no desire to cease.
Instead of screaming, I only grunted and planted my fingers as deep as I could into the ground. They blistered and burned the more I was pulled. The rush whipped my hair around in a frenzy, and left my clothes flapping against my skin. The wind surged through my eardrums and left me deaf and my entire head throbbing. I looked over my shoulder for an instant, unable to see any hedgehogs present...nor could I see anything that resembled a Chaos Emerald beyond the shards of broken glass that framed the blue and white scenery.
And I was about to get yanked into that world. Where I would die, no doubt.
I turned back over and pressed my forehead into the ground, breathing hard.
Sonic...Shadow...my lips molded the words endlessly, tears slipping down my face.
But then something wrapped around me from behind.
My watered eyes stared at the ground. My body shook violently all over. The fight in my legs was disappearing. My muscles went limp, and with a small choke, I found something pressing against my stomach and lifting me up carefully. The tiles on the floor rocked through my vision, before flying down. And that meant I was moving forward.
"Sonic..." the name left my mouth in a hiss. I couldn't hear it, but I knew I said it. I chanted it over and over between broken breaths...my sobs diminishing.
As the distance went on, the air's grip on me started to fade. Even then, I could only barely feel it at all. I had lost nearly all feeling. But I could sense my arched legs suddenly dropping, my head moving down to see what was beneath me. I tried to see what style of shoes I would find, seeing as that would indicate who was carrying me now. But they weren't in view, and my neck wouldn't let me look any farther.
"Sonic..." I said again, my heart lurching into my throat. This time, I could partially hear myself, and detected the whimper in my voice. My hearing was returning. I was now able to hear metallic footsteps.
Next thing I knew, I was being released and crumpled against a corner, where the windows were no longer in view.
My face lifted and I looked up through my scraggly bangs.
Shadow's crimson eyes that camouflaged in with the lighting bore back at me angrily.
"Be still," he instructed.
Instead of sensibly obeying, I screamed as loud as I could and kicked my legs wildly, despite how much it hurt.
"NO! NO!"
I half expected to get restrained right there on the spot. But Shadow was treating me with more care than usual. Like I was a china doll. Right as my hands started flying, he calmly took hold of both my wrists and held them in place, having no visible reaction to my outburst.
"NO! THIS ISN'T HAPPENING! SONIC! WHERE IS SONIC!"
"Gone," he answered coldly. "He fell through the window."
"NO!" I shrieked. "No he didn't! He couldn't! You're lying. I know you're lying!"
My mind was in a scramble. This couldn't be happening.
I won't accept it. No, this can NOT happen a second time!
All I have left to wonder is why? Why does escape always slip through my fingers like liquid? The next person came to help me, Sonic the Hedgehog, and he's out there right now alone, lost if not dead.
And it's all at the hands of Shadow the Hedgehog.
I was hyperventilating now. Shaking my body, my head, saying no over and over.
Shadow's grip tightened.
"Honestly, did you think I planned on keeping you here forever?"
I winced at the hostility in his words and turned away from him.
He continued. "What I fail to understand is why you would want to leave here so badly, as if I was never going to take you home myself. As if I wouldn't look after you for the time being,"
I bit my trembling lip and sniffled.
"You are such a fool, Rachel," he said, now softly. "If I've said it before, I'll say it again. You really are a stupid, stupid person."
I could feel him lean in closer.
His breathing went still. "So, why is it that I care about you so much?"
A chill ran through the air. We both remained silent, as if expecting the other to answer the question. Before I could announce the obvious, I don't know, he was the next to speak.
"Maybe it's because of how stupid you are. I feel like if I'm not there, you'll always manage to wander into some sort of danger. And sometimes, I'm the danger you walk into. But that's something you choose. And in the end, someone who murders and destroys like I do, finds himself looking after you like a pet. But you should realize this..."
He moved closer, which I didn't think was possible.
"I'm not your guardian, Rachel. I'm not here to protect you. Even though I do it regardless. You can't rely on me forever."
His voice lowered. "Maybe I'm the stupid one."
I found myself shaking my head.
"No...you're not," I croaked out.
The tightness in me loosened, and I fell forward a bit into Shadow's grasp, breathing out unsteadily.
"Y-You would be fighting as hard as me if the situation were reversed, if not harder...and I know you would. You w-would have the exact same hatred. The same anger. The same resentment."
I was pretty sure my lungs were coated in a layer of ice. It wasn't easy to talk, but I did it anyway.
"I want to get out of here, Shadow. I w-want to leave. It's my own fault I'm here...I know that...but that doesn't m-mean I want to spend all this time blaming myself for it. I'll keep t-trying and trying even if it kills me. I want to see my family...my friends...my home. I had a chance too, and it literally just flew out the window."
I looked up at him bravely with drooping eyes. My stuttering went dead for a moment, so my voice was able to match the intensity in my glare. "I can't believe anything you say. I really do feel like I'm stuck here forever. In fact, I don't think I'll ever get out of this place. Not alive at least. Never..."
My shaking slowed. "And if I were to die right here, you would be the last person I looked at."
Shadow went silent. Even his breathing was no longer audible. He was focusing on the area of my chest, past the shining blue jewel on my necklace, where my heart was pulsating underneath the frostbitten tissue, I could feel the organ beating slower, and then faster, over and over again in a jumbled rhythm. His eyes hardened.
"You are not going to die. And you will go home. I'll see to both those things, Rachel Tower..."
He pressed his forehead against mine. My breathing hitched.
"...I promise."
(Travis' POV)
Me and Emma sat side by side, gawking out the window with distant, glazed over expressions. The sun had already dipped in and out of sight, and now the sky was becoming a velvety blue. Not a single star was out. The street lamps were starting to flicker on and broke through the dark with yellow light.
In the back of my head, I listened idly to my parents chat with Grandpa Abraham. For the most part, they chatted in a calm and collected manner about simple, mundane things, and only at times did their voice drop into low whispers so that I had to strain to hear. All the while, the smell of cooked sauce and cheese wafted throughout the house, and made my tummy rumble loud.
Emma looked at me and snorted quietly. "Dude...if you're hungry, why not go out there and get ready for the lasagna?"
I shook my head, scooting farther back across the mattress. "I don't want to be out there. Not right now, at least."
She only sighed out, looking down at her crossed fingers. "Oh Travis, let's not start this now. Can we please go back out? Mom and dad will be leaving soon, and then it'll just be us and Grandpa. We are staying overnight, after all. And besides, sitting in here with nothing but the moon to stare at isn't really all that fun..."
I didn't respond back. My eyes just kept glaring blankly ahead.
Emma turned over and poked me, as if making sure I was still alive. "Hey. You still think we're a family, right?"
Again, I produced no answer.
After that she just mumbled to herself and climbed off the bed, heading straight for the door. "Well fine, be that way. The correct answer was yes, we are. And I'm not gonna let even you keep us from feeling like one."
She squeezed through the door and shut it behind her, leaving me alone with nothing but my thoughts as company. I did feel a little stab of guilt, but didn't let it show.
I could hear my mother addressing Emma from the living room. "What's the matter, sweetie? Are you ready for supper?"
"Yep," she answered plainly. Her voice was far away and muffled. "Me and Travis are both starving."
I winced to myself. Ah crap, that little traitor. Why'd she have to mention me?
"Well bring him out and we'll all sit down and eat together."
I shook my head, eyes closed and lips pursed.
Stop it, mom. Stop pretending that everything is okay. You know very well that I have no intention of going out there and being with all of you at the same time.
"I couldn't help but notice you're both much quieter than usual. Is everything okay?" my grandfather asked them.
It felt like a brick had been lodged into my stomach. No, of course everything is not okay! Isn't that part obvious?
"Yes, yes," my mother responded. "Travis has just been a bit moody lately."
My nostrils flared with anger.
A bit moody? A bit moody?
So when exactly did she lose track of emotion? It's like I'm the only one left who cares, or even remembers what happened to my sister. No one ever mentions her anymore, and when I do it myself, they act like I've committed a crime.
There was a loud, rocky breath somewhere beyond the door. I distinguished it as my grandfather's.
"Okay, everyone, please listen..." he grumbled to himself. "Ah, I can't help but feel that this really is poor timing. But I feel it's better early than never...
Anyways, there's something I've been meaning to show all of you. And I wanted to wait until we were all together like this again, figuring that would be the best time. It's something rather important. But, in all fairness, I think Travis should be here to see it. It might mean something more to him than I give credit."
My ears suddenly perked when I heard some shuffling around, the sound of couch cushions becoming lifted and thrown to the side.
"Now I know this may be a bit of a shock, but I need you all to please remain calm, and don't shout or be angry with me. Just remember, I kept this a secret in order to protect you."
I found my feet ghosting across the ground as they carried me toward the door in curiosity.
And when I pushed it open, and the rooms outside dawned into view, I found my grandfather lifting the middle couch cushion and reaching inside.
"Dad...?" My father said quietly, who was sitting on an adjacent cushion and watching as he rummaged past the bed of springs. "What is it you're looking for?"
He didn't answer, and instead moved his arm around some more. But then, he paused, his cold eyes warming, and out of nowhere he pried out a glowing, sparkling, jade colored jewel.
I found my mouth dropping open, and after standing there stunned, I found myself running into the room.
That's...that's a...
I shouted at the top of my lungs upon making an entry, "A Chaos Emerald!"
(nobody's POV)
Dr. Eggman was cackling diabolically over his controls, eyeing the screen in front of him that displayed a little amateur aircraft where an orange fox and pink hedgehog were awaiting inside.
"You little idiots!" he laughed. "Did you really think it wise to ambush me, when I have the power of four Chaos Emeralds and a bloodthirsty hedgehog on my side?"
He watched Tails' mouth something to Amy, and laughed again.
"There's no point in planning an escape now! You may be bright for you age, fox boy, but you're no match for my mass intellect! And you'll find out the hard way not to tamper with my system, be it very sensitive."
He bellowed with crazed laughter for the third time, his finger hovering over a bright red button.
"You came here for the human girl, I assume. And you will leave empty handed...that is...if your hands are even still intact when my robot army is finished with you!"
He then jammed the button to deploy the robots. "ROBOTS ATTACK!"
His eyes glistened with victory, as he watched the glitching screen to see when his creations would arrive and blast the nosy little animals into space oblivion, never to be heard from again. His anticipation grew with each passing second, and he chuckled gloriously to himself.
But then the chuckles died down more and more, when he failed to catch any sort of moving metal or weaponry appear on screen. Instead, he leaned toward the screen.
"Hm? The camera must be delayed," he said, tapping the screen.
But a small voice squeaked with anger behind him.
"It's not delayed..."
Dr. Eggman, startled by the intrusion, spun around and found a dirty, dusty, slightly bruised Bokkun floating before him.
"B-Bokkun...?" he said, eyeing the Robo cautiously. "What in blazes happened to you?"
The navy blue creature only sighed out in a dangerously calm manner. "Oh nothing. Just nearly killed myself trying to get out from under a box. Certain heavy metal objects hit me on the way out. Might I add it was a box...that a certain human trapped me under."
Dr. Eggman, while a little curious and disturbed...ignored his minion and faced the screen once again.
"Oh never mind that. I don't have time for your sob stories! You seem to know what's going on with the cameras. So what are you waiting for? Explain!"
Bokkun laughed low and childishly to himself. "I do know what's going on, Doctor. But it isn't the camera. It would be that button over there that triggers your precious little robot army."
His eyes half-lidded. "I disabled it."
Eggman stopped moving all together. His face was plain, eyes unblinking, and mustache perfectly still.
The silence before the storm.
"WHAT! WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!" he screamed, so loud that his voice over the intercom shook the whole Carrier, and puffs of chilled smoke shot out from under the bushel of his facial hair. "BOKKUN, YOU LITTLE MORON! WHY WOULD YOU DELIBERATELY SABOTAGE MY PLANS!"
Bokkun, strangely enough not showing fear to his master's outburst, shrugged innocently. "I dunno. I kind of was looking for Rachel so I could strangle her to death for running away when I was in charge. I was checking rooms and closets, and then found the generator, which was sparking by the way, and thought I saw Rachel's hair for a second. So I pulled it, but it turned out being a wire...which I guess was a...well...pretty important wire."
"YOU'RE DAMN RIGHT IT WAS IMPORTANT!" Eggman shouted, his face turning an unhealthy combination of red and purple. "That's it! I've had enough of your little antics! This is the final straw! I hereby banish you from the Egg Carrier! Go! Get lost! You're FIRED!"
"That's quite unnessecary, Doctor Fatso-Stupid Pants! Because I quit!" Bokkun yelled at him bravely, dodging a flying wheeled chair that was thrown his way. He flew out of the control room, trailing with him long, taunting laughter. "Try finding someone to deliver your messages now!" He hummed some lines from Baby It's Cold Outside as he retreated, before completely vanishing altogether.
Dr. Eggman was fuming. His ears were hot...teeth gnashing together. He whirled around to face the screen and saw, to his horror, that Tails was smirking back at him.
He mouthed two last words. And Eggman was able to read them perfectly.
I win.
(Sonic's POV)
The snow scuffled and crunched under the soles of my shoes. My eyes became slits as they peered ahead, watching the two lemon and magenta colored glows weave around each other, leaving behind colored bands of light. I knew they were the Chaos Emeralds the moment I landed here and saw them fly past me. How they'd become capable of flight...I had no clue. Maybe it was a chemical imbalance due to the atmosphere. I'd have to ask Tails later.
My head lifted and I stared up at the bottom of the Egg Carrier. Even though it was hard to see clearly after having my vision pelted with small flecks of ice, I could make out that it was still hovering, and I knew that the only way I could get up there seeing as it had no plans of touching ground, was to warp back.
And to do that, I needed a Chaos Emerald.
I looked back towards the ignited Emeralds and broke into a sprint, heading straight for them. Through the blurs in my eyes, they looked like nothing more than sparkling clouds. But I was able to follow their path...and with a little extra strength, move closer and closer until I was hot on their trail.
The wind was howling past my ears and whipping against me all over. It didn't feel too great, but I knew it would all be worth it in the end.
I was directly beneath both the Chaos Emeralds. I kicked off the sunken ground and moved forward against the wind, hands outstretched towards the swirling gems.
And with carefully placed precision, I managed to land both of them in my grasp.
The air was screaming now as I fell back towards the ground. Halfway through the plummet, I concentrated heavily on summoning my inner energy. Energy that I wasn't programmed to have like Shadow was. Energy that wasn't exactly a cake walk to conjure.
The Chaos Emeralds glowed lazily in my palms. I took a deep breath and filled my lungs with the cold, foreign air.
"Chaos...Control!"
(Shadow's POV)
I couldn't tell if she was near falling asleep, or close to dying. But either way, I found myself not saying another word in regards to Rachel Tower. Not about her being a fool. Not about my discombobulating feelings. Not about anything at all. No words were exchanged. Nothing but breathing, and shaking.
We'd changed positions. And instead it was me sitting against the wall, with Rachel curled up next to me. Her head rested on my shoulder, arms tied around one of my own, with white stippled eyelashes closed over and twitched along with the silver mists in her quiet panting.
She wasn't holding onto me because I asked, or threatened her into doing it. But it wasn't exactly her first choice either. She was about to freeze to death, seeking even the smallest bit of warmth to latch onto, which in this case, happened to be me. Her body heat was no longer there. She herself felt like a fleshy bag of ice.
Her face buried deeper into my fur with an almost frustrated whine. I'm sure to her, it was like having a blanket next to you, but being unable to wrap it around yourself.
Before I could stop myself, I found that I brought one arm over and pressed it into hers. I pushed down, as if trying to sink some of my heat into her skin.
She shivered a little, loosening slightly.
"S-Shadow..." she breathed out jaggedly.
I myself was growing tense.
"What," I asked in a voice much stronger than hers.
There was an eerie silence that followed. But then she broke it with a small sniffle.
"Am I...Am I g-going to die?"
I pushed my hand harder into her arm. "No," I answered sternly. "Don't talk like that."
"B-But..." she sighed. "I c-can't even feel a-anything anymore..."
A knot formed in my throat. I looked down at the top of her untidy head.
"You're going to be alright. Trust me."
She didn't argue it, or make any other complaints, even though I knew I didn't sound convincing.
She only shifted closer, and held tighter.
(Knuckle's POV)
Another packed punch. Another wall shattered.
That's got to be the fiftieth wall I've busted down. It doesn't feel like I'm getting anywhere!
I was growing wary of all the noise I was making. Somehow, it hadn't attracted anyone's attention, most noticeably Shadow's. Such a shame too. I had been expecting a brawl of epic proportions.
I only shook off the remaining queries and moved ahead.
Eggman had been yelling at someone over the intercom earlier. From what it sounded, things were not going according to his plans, which was perfect for the rest of us. His distractions and inabilities to slow us down would make reaching Rachel simpler.
But then my feet screeched to a halt.
Oh no...now that I think about it...I've been at this for a while. Rouge left me behind and knew exactly where to go. What if she's already found Rachel...
My fists quivered with rage at the mere thought of her putting me in second place.
What if I've been doing this for who knows how long...and she already has Rachel in that obnoxious pink spaceship of hers and is heading back towards Earth right this very second...
The anger became overwhelming, I found myself thrashing my fist into the wall next to me, accompanying the clatter of breaking panels with an enraged shriek.
When the dust cleared, I stepped through the uneven opening and turned around to stomp off into the next unknown direction.
But instead, I found Shadow and Rachel pressed together in a corner.
(Shadow's POV)
I looked up and was met with the eyes of the Guardian of the Master Emerald. I should've known he'd be here too.
This was it.
This was where my final decision lye.
My eyes wandered down to Rachel one last time, before drifting back towards the dumbfounded echidna, who was quickly taking action after having witnessed us together. His eyes were slanted, fangs clenched, and he was running at us, shouting mostly at me.
"SHADOW! LET GO OF RACHEL TOWER RIGHT NOW!"
Without another word or acknowledgement, I clutched onto Rachel tightly and stood with her slumping over me tiredly. I slowly walked towards Knuckles, who was snarling and yelling total nonsense. I didn't make sense of any word he said.
I found myself holding Rachel more tightly than I should have been. My heart pounded in my chest the more I moved, and the more I felt the human girl dragging her worn feet across the ground.
The echidna and I were almost face to face. He looked ready to fight. Ready for the ultimate showdown.
But none of that interested me. The only thing that mattered to me right now was this stupid girl's life.
I glared back at Knuckles, held out the arms I was using to support Rachel, and offered him to her.
To take away.
Forever.
(Rachel's POV)
Everything was fading in and out of black. And even my hearing was lessening the more I fell into a slumber that could very well last forever.
I had heard a crash, and saw a wall in front of me get pounded into cinders.
But then silence and darkness ensued.
The lights flowed back, and I found that I was being carried forward in a slouch against Shadow's warm frame.
And then it all went black again.
There was shouting. A gruff voice that sounded mildly familiar was yelling something towards us, but it all came out in echoed gibberish.
When I was able to see again, I saw a pair of dark purple eyes studying me carefully.
The electricity holding me stopped, and tenderly moved me forward.
Then the warmth dissapeared.
The form of contact suddenly left me alone and unattended.
I found something else holding onto me. Something else that lacked heat...and carefulness...and pulsating energy.
My senses were numbed again.
The last thing I remembered was my head lolling over and my eyes fixing sideways.
I watched a sharp black and red creature walk away with its back to me.
And then, against my consent, sleep claimed me.
(Sonic's POV)
The Chaos Control proved successful, seeing as I transported myself back into the Egg Carrier.
That is, I happened to drop down right in front of Knuckles, who was carrying an unconscious Rachel Tower.
"Knuckles?" I exclaimed. "What-...You...you got her!"
He seemed lost in his own thought, but whatever he was thinking, he immediately shook it out of his head.
"Yeah yeah, something like that. Now get us out of here while we still have a chance!"
I nodded quickly. "Right, I'm on it. Grab onto me and make sure not to let go."
He obeyed automatically, jabbing his hand forward and tossing Rachel over his shoulder in the process. He took hold of my arm.
Even though I was burning out, I summoned all the energy again. It was exhausting and overworking, but we were so close. I couldn't stop now.
"CHAOS CONTROL!"
The scarlet scenery melted away, and in its place, the backdrop of the sky deck and the X Tornado appeared.
Tails saw us from his seat and jumped up with wide eyes. He waved one arm frantically while the other stabbed at a button, and the door on the X Tornado fell open with a clank to the floor.
My grip on the Chaos Emeralds tightened. I shot inside, waiting impatiently for Knuckles to hurry in along with the rescued hostage.
Almost instantly, the door elevated and sealed shut, pressurizing the interior.
Tails rushed to crank all sorts of levers, and after some yelling from Amy and I ensued, the X Tornado ascended off the ground.
Knuckles moved to buckle Rachel into an empty seat, tucking her blue-tinted body against the cushion and fastening the belt over her waist.
All the while, we were lifting higher and higher into the sky, until the Egg Carrier was nothing more than an ugly lump on the planet of ice.
By the time we were high enough to see the black void of space, Tails took the wheel and spun it so that the aircraft rounded, and we began moving in the way we'd come.
In the direction of home.
Where all of us would soon be.
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Man, I've been at this for hours. And even then, the final product is less than satisfactory -_-
I might come back and edit it again tomorrow. It's a bit rushed for my tastes, even though it's extremely long too. But as for now, the Hell we all know as school is tomorrow! So I must leave you with this. Please review if you have time. Thank you!
-Oh, and quick side note. You might all be flabbergasted by Shadow's sudden wtf give up attitude. But it won't last, I can assure you. He was only trying to save Rachel's life :) Oh yeah, and that 'twist' I mentioned in the last chapter, kind of downplayed here, but we'll go more into depth in the next chapter. Hopefully it will help explain a lot of things.
Okay now bye for real!