Sonic Haven Ssn. 1 - Ep. 15
Sonic dashed from bush to bush, trying to reach Robotnik's tower undetected. He was using his speed to remain nearly invisible to the naked eye, though he wasn't sure how the Robian's eyes would do if they were looking in his direction. He hid around the corner of a building only half a block to the east of the tower and stopped for the first time to take a look at what he was heading towards.
The tower was absolutely massive! He didn't remember seeing anything nearly that tall and imposing before Robotnik took over the city. It was at least eighty stories, though there could likely have been more as he didn't really count them. It was cylindrical in shape, slowly narrowing towards the top, had four elevators evenly spaced around the outside running frantically towards the top levels, and it was humming with life as both Robians and S.W.A.T. Bots were moving around the exterior.
Sonic whistled softly to himself; this wasn't going to be easy, but he had to do it! This was for his friends! Taking in a deep breath, he headed towards the tower, ready to take on anything he came across.
"Sir, there's a hedgehog moving towards the tower at an incredible velocity." Snively said in his signature monotone way.
"Let him come Snively, and recall the S.W.A.T. Bots inside the tower." Robotnik replied calmly.
"I'm sorry sir, but why would I do that? Don't we want to stop the hedgehog?" Snively asked, confusion showing in his voice.
"Oh, of course. But we need to stop his friends as well. After all, he is just a distraction." Robotnik said confidently.
It was a gamble, Snively knew that all too well, but it was a good one. They knew there were several members in this resistance group, including the Princess. It only made sense that the rest of them would be coming as well. At the same time they coiuldn't completely ignore the problem at hand, they had to take care of the hedgehog. But they needed to be ready for phase two, whatever it may be.
Sonic closed the manhole cover over his head and stared down at the sewage below his feet. All kinds of unspeakable material floating down a soggy stream just inches below his feet. He resisted the urge to gag and looked ahead down the tunnel.
The old sewer that ran below the city was long and winding, very mazelike in fact. It ran under most of the downtown area and had several access points through the streets and even in the basements of some buildings. He was hoping that the building Robotnik had taken over had an access point in it, or, at the very least, that the building next to it did.
Taking a deep, musty breath, he started forwards toward where the tower should be. It only took a moment for him to reach his destination, even at the average jogging pace he was making. Reaching up over his head, he lifted the manhole and stepped out into a room that was cold and moist.
The fluorescent lights overhead were flickering like they always did when they were on their last leg, and looking over at the wall, he noticed mildew climbing up from the damp concrete ground at least a foot or so.
A cold drop of water dropped onto his head and he looked up to spot some old copper pipes overhead, carrying something cold inside them (most likely water).Then, turning his head to the side, he saw that there was one door in this room, an old metal one at the far end of the room, painted a rusty red and bearing the sign: "Authorized Personel Only" on it.
He moved towards the door and put an ear up to it to make sure that there was no one on the other side who would notice his departure from this concealed spot. He waited for a handful of heartbeats, and when he heard nothing, he stepped out into an old concrete-walled hallway that was no doubt in the basement of whichever building he'd ended up in. The door behind him swung shut on its own, shutting with a resounding thud that echoed down the hallway and made him jump slightly.
He looked back and forth down this long corridor, trying to see if anyone was coming to drag him off. He let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding; there was nothing. Sighing deeply, he started to move down one side of the corridor towards a light.
Reaching the light only a moment later, he saw an elevator sitting in front of him, an "Out of Order" sign emblazoned upon it. He reached out and grabbed hold of the two dull blue-grey doors and pried them open, the doors squaking in protest as he did so.
He poked his head inside the elevator shaft and looked up at the empty space above. He saw cables and various conduits running up the side of the shaft all the way from the top to the bottom, which was where the elevator car lay, its cable frayed but still connected. He ran his eyes back to the top of the elevator shaft where he spotted yet another door across the shaft.
Maneuvering his body to be inside the shaft and reaching out across the gap to the conduits on the other side, Sonic slowly climbed towards the doors over his head. When he reached them, he pried the doors open. It took a considerable effort since he only had one hand to use, as the other hand was still holding him up.
He pressed himself through the narrow gap in the doorway and stepped out into a sterile hallway with white walls and tile floor, doors on both sides of the hallway spaced out evenly. It was also brightly lit, a welcome rest from the dark and dingy areas he'd been in for a while.
He walked forward down the hallway and turned a corner to face several S.W.A.T. Bots standing in front of him. He was shocked! He'd been found out already? Oh well, he was only supposed to be a distraction anyway. Looking at the S.W.A.T. Bots standing in front of him, Sonic decided now would be a good time to take his leave.
"Are you sure about this Princess?" Rotor asked, a note of hesitation in his voice.
"Absolutely. Apart from the sewer, this is the best way to get in the building that isn't the front door. Sonic took the sewer, so we're taking the chute." Sally said pointing overhead at the perfectly vertical garbage chute.
"I am not liking zis my Princess!" Antoine protested, "Zis could be quite ze unsanitary path for us."
"Grow up Antoine, Sonic took the sewers." Sally spoke aloud, then paused a moment to think before growing a smirk and continuing: "He's sooo brave for taking the sewers, the muck doesn't slow him down one bit..." She was overselling it on purpose and the rest of them knew it. It still managed to get under Antoine's skin.
"Hmmf... I will show zat Edgehog who es de boss!" He replied with a harumpf in his tone.
Antoine hated being outdone by anyone else. It was one of the few things that could get him to work through his various anxieties and phobias. Sally had learned to exploit this to her advantage, getting Antoine to do things that he otherwise wouldn't.
And so the group shimmied up the chute one by one. Antoine went first, followed by Sally, Rotor, Knuckles, and Tails bringing up the rear.
Sally raised her head from the ground as she collected herself, only to wish she hadn't! There were S.W.A.T. Bots standing all around them and Robians behind them. Sally dropped her head a little; was there a way out of this? As she began fearing the inevitable, Knuckles charged forward at one of the S.W.A.T. Bots, swinging ferociously.
He hit one of the S.W.A.T. Bots in the side of the head, causing it to... tip slightly... then it straightened.
Sally sighed. Wasn't Knuckles the guy who ripped off the top of a tank? These S.W.A.T. Bots were made out of some impressively tough stuff!
Knuckles reeled, holding on to his right hand as he backed away from the S.W.A.T. Bot. He was grimacing in both frustration and pain. He looked back over his shoulder at the group standing behind him, watching the chute they'd come through close to prevent their escape.
"Now what?" Tails asked, a quiver in his tone.
Sally looked around at all of her friends, Tails wide-eyed, Knuckles holding his hand, Rotor backed up against the wall and staring at the S.W.A.T. Bots, and Antoine passed out on the floor from fear.
"I don't know Tails." Sally said dropping her head in defeat.
When she lifted her head again, she saw the Robians moving forward towards them. Her mind racing, she took a deep breath and waited for the inevitable.