I meant to finish the Sonic Advance 2/Sonic Rush Adventure story-arc in the last chapter, but if I had it would've been really long and I'm trying to keep these chapters between 1-2000 words. Fortunately, the next arc will be based on Sonic Adventure 2 so for those of you who have been looking forward to having Shadow show up in this fanfic will have their wish granted!

Chapter 31: Rescue

Once Captain Whisker and First-Mate Johnny were securely locked inside a cabin in the submarine's lower-deck, Sonic and Tails searched for a place to put Marine's ship and by luck they found an opening near the metal ladder that led into a hidden compartment where jet-skis and lifeboats were stored. So after Marine parked the SS Marine inside, she made her way to the bridge where Amy and Knuckles were busy cleaning up all the robots they dismantled with Cream and Cheese helping them. She eyed the steering-wheel, scope, and two levers on either side.

"Do you think you can drive this, Marine?" Tails asked, walking up to her.

"Lad, if I can drive a boat, then I could pilot a sub with no problem!" Marine said flexing her fingers. "Now let's dive before that egg-rat gets away!"

"Right," Tails nodded and told everyone to take their positions by the control panels alongside the bridge.

As Marine lifted down the first lever, the water outside the glass window of the bridge rose steadily until they were completely submerged. Then Marine spun the steering-wheel to the right, which caused the submarine to turn in the same direction away from the coral reef towards the open water. Next, Marine pushed the other lever forward, causing the submarine to accelerate.

Within minutes, the submarine came upon a deep-sea trench with the Egg Carrier nestled inside. Marine immediately noticed the turret guns fire and steered the submarine out of their range. The torpedoes zipped right past, though it didn't make Sonic and the others feel any better.

"We have to find some way to get aboard without being seen," Tails said thoughtfully. "If we try attacking directly, we'll get blown to pieces in no time."

"I'm scared," Cream said, clinging to Sonic's shirt. "What are we going to do, Sonic?"

"Calm down, Cream," Sonic said. "Maybe there's some kind of underwater escape pod located in that compartment where we put the SS Marine."

"Sonic, don't be ridiculous," Amy said. "Only cartoon villains would — oh, right. I forgot who we're dealing with."

"I'll be back shortly," Sonic said, and left the bridge in a flash. A few seconds later, he came back and said, "There is indeed an underwater escape pod but it's only big enough to fit two people inside."

"Then Sonic and I will go since I know how to pilot underwater vehicles," Marine said.

"No, Marine, I'll go instead," Tails said. "We need you the pilot the submarine to safety in case something goes wrong."

"Why does Sonic have to be the one to go?" Knuckles said abruptly. "He'll be completely useless if you guys get stranded out there in ocean or forced to abandon the escape pod."

"Yeah, maybe I should go in his place," Amy said. "I'm almost as fast as he is, and I know how to swim."

"I appreciate the offer, guys, but we're trying to rescue Ms. Hare and take back the Chaos Emeralds from Dr. Eggman," Tails said. "And in order to do those things we need to be fast, and Sonic is the fastest thing alive."

"Right-o!" Sonic said. "And while I may be afraid of water I'll be good as long as Tails is by my side."

"Well, if you say so," Knuckles said.

"Be careful, though," Amy said holding Sonic's hands in hers. "I would hate to lose you."

"Don't worry, Amy, I'll be fine," Sonic said reassuringly and then he and Tails left the bridge.

"Good luck!" Cream cried out.

###

Once they had left the submarine inside the escape pod, Tails maneuvered it toward the Egg Carrier's underside to avoid the turret guns on the top side. The bottom ones on the other hand could barely move as a result of the trench's narrow space. Sonic occasionally touched the glass covering of the escape pod, but withdrew it nervously.

"You okay, Sonic?" Tails asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Sonic said quietly.

After swimming alongside the Egg Carrier, Tails came to the runway behind the watchtower and noticed a pair of closed doors.

"This must be where Eggman's vehicles go to when they land," Tails speculated.

Then to Tails' surprise, the doors opened and the escape pod was sucked inside due to the pressure of the water. While the doors immediately closed behind them, Sonic and Tails found themselves drifting into a hangar of sorts where they eventually crashed into a pile of crates stored with weapons. The escape pod's glass top immediately opened, and Sonic and Tails were ejected out of it. They landed on a railing several hundred feet above the pod, which exploded below them, and crawled onto a balcony crawling with robots.

"I guess Dr. Eggman was expecting us," Tails said as the robots all pointed their lasers at him and Sonic. "That's why he opened the doors to let us in."

"Do not make any sudden movements, or you will be shot on sight," one of the robots said and waved his gun upward. "Now get up. The Doctor is waiting."

Reluctantly, Sonic and Tails did as the robot said. They were dragged out of the hangar where the water was being drained through small holes that appeared in the floor and onto a large elevator that was big enough to fit sixteen robots. Several floors up Sonic and Tails were let off at the bridge which was similar to the one on the submarine except larger. There Dr. Eggman was looking at the glass window with his back turned to them.

"Welcome aboard, Sonic," Dr. Eggman said, pressing a small button to his left. "I assume you have the Chaos Emerald?"

A small pedestal appeared next to Dr. Eggman with six of the seven Chaos Emeralds nestled on a silk pillow underneath a glass case.

"Yeah, I've got it," Sonic said, unclenching his hand to reveal the Red Chaos Emerald. "But first I want Ms. Hare."

"As you wish," Dr. Eggman said as he faced Sonic and Tails. "But as I give her back to you, I want you to throw me the Chaos Emerald at the same time."

"Fine," Sonic said.

Dr. Eggman grinned and then he snapped his finger. The Egg Mobile appeared from a hatchway beneath the floor with a gagged and bound Ms. Hare lying inside it. Then Dr. Eggman untied Ms. Hare and pushed a button that opened the front end of the Egg Mobile which allowed Ms. Hare to step out of it. Still gagged, Ms. Hare was pushed toward Sonic and Tails by Dr. Eggman while putting his freehand in a catching position. Sonic then reciprocated by throwing the Red Chaos Emerald into the air towards Dr. Eggman. However, the Chaos Emerald overshot Dr. Eggman by a few inches and in that time Sonic dashed over to get behind Dr. Eggman and catch the Emerald.

"You should always look where the Emerald's going to land, Dr. Eggman," Sonic said as he caught the Red Chaos Emerald. "Because a pesky blue hedgehog just might catch it before you do."

Dr. Eggman growled in anger. Then just as Dr. Eggman was about to make a move Sonic put his fist over the glass casing that held the Chaos Emeralds inside. They began to glow and levitated off the pillow.

"Don't do this to me, Sonic," Dr. Eggman said pleadingly. "I was willing to be a good sport and give you what you wanted, but then those men I roboticized decided to take matters into their own hands."

"I'm almost tempted to believe you, Eggman," Sonic said not changing his position. "But Gamma had more freewill than those mindless drones you made out of Mr. Chaplain and Johnny!"

Then with that, Sonic crushed the glass casing with his bare fist which freed the Chaos Emeralds. They circled around Sonic, followed by a bright flash, and then Super Sonic emerged. Angered, Dr. Eggman was about to get into the Egg Mobile but Tails flew up and knocked him down from behind. Super Sonic then grabbed Tails by the hand and Ms. Hare's and they flew right into the elevator shaft. The elevator was coming towards them, but Super Sonic managed to penetrate through it while Tails and Ms. Hare were undamaged due to a protective golden aura that surrounded them. They then made it into the hangar where a bunch of robots noticed them and started firing.

"Tails, how do we get out of here?" Sonic shouted. "We can't dodge them forever!"

For a few seconds, Tails said nothing. Then he said, "I have an idea, but it's going to be risky."

"Let's hear it."

"Fly as fast you can toward the hangar doors. The impact should puncture a hole that's big enough for us to slip out. Then while Dr. Eggman is busy dealing with the leak we'll be on our way back to the submarine."

"Is there an alternative that doesn't involve me flying through water?"

"I'm afraid not. The escape pod self-destructed when it rammed into those crates, and I don't think Dr. Eggman has any other underwater vehicles lying around."

Sonic sighed irritably. "All right, but I'd like to hear Ms. Hare's opinion before we do anything."

Ms. Hare said nothing in response, and her eyes seemed to wander.

"I think she's in shock," Tails said.

Sonic then took a deep breath and flew straight toward the hangar doors. In a matter of seconds, he punched through the doors with Tails and Ms. Hare unharmed and they were flying through the water toward the submarine which lay in the distance. But Sonic kept pushing on with all his willpower and then when they got close enough he steered toward the hatch where the escape pod emerged from. Before he started to sink, the hatch opened and he flew inside with Tails and Ms. Hare in tow.

###

"So let me get this straight," the G. U. N. Colonel said stomping his boot on the West coast beach impatiently. The Chaotix Detectives gave him a nervous look while the red and yellow submarine was beached on the shore with Captain Whisker and First-Mate Johnny tied together by a steel wire. "You came to this beach five hours after the search began, and you just happened to find this giant submarine parked here and these two robots tied up with a note from The Blue Blur attached to them?"

"Uh, pretty much, sir," Victor said scratching the back of his head.

"So where is Dr. Robotnik?" the Colonel growled.

Then just as he spoke, a distant rumble echoed from the ocean. To the Colonel's surprise, a large object emerged from beneath the water and levitated into the air. It was the Egg Carrier, and flew overhead just as an enormous wave came towards the shore. The G. U. N. soldiers panicked and ran inland while the Chaotix Detectives grabbed Captain Whisker and First-Mate Johnny before joining the soldiers. Meanwhile, the Colonel was dumbfounded until he too retreated.

The wave was split in half by the submarine creating a narrow gap where there was no water. However, the two waves that were created flooded the beach. Fortunately, there weren't any houses in the area, but the trails that led to the beach were washed away. None of the G. U. N. forces drowned, and neither did the Chaotix Detectives. They came back once the water had resided and found the submarine to be beached even further inland.

"If I had known Dr. Robotnik was hiding a few miles out to sea, I would've deployed a fleet of our ships to fish him out by now!" the Colonel said angrily, pointing an accusing finger at the Chaotix Detectives. "And it's your fault for delaying the search, you incompetent morons posing as detectives!"

Charles frowned. "But, sir, we—

"No more excuses!" the Colonel said sharply. "You're fired."

"But, sir," Victor stuttered. "What about our investigation of Dr. Robotnik's old base?"

"What you found there is no longer important to us," the Colonel replied and then Espen suddenly appeared behind him and held a Kunai knife at his throat while putting his arms in a bind behind his back.

"If you don't pay us for investigating Dr. Robotnik's base," Espen said coldly. "Then we'll reveal everything we learned to the public."

The Colonel's eyes widened. "You wouldn't."

"Oh, yes we would," Espen replied. "And not just the investigation, but also some of your organization's other secrets like Project Shadow. I wonder how the public will react once they learn—

"Okay, okay, we'll pay you for investigating Dr. Robotnik's base!" the Colonel said exasperatedly. "But you didn't find Dr. Robotnik so we're not paying you the extra doe we promised."

"Deal," Espen said, and let go of the Colonel.

As the Colonel commanded the G. U. N. soldiers to head back to the base with Captain Whisker and First-Mate Johnny in tow, Espen joined up with Victor and Charles as they took what remained of the dirt path back to town.

"Hey, Espen, what is Project Shadow?" Charles asked.

"I don't know," Espen said. "It was some encrypted file I came across when G. U. N. allowed me to use their base's main computer to see what they knew about Dr. Eggman. But judging from the Colonel's reaction, I'm guessing it must be important."

"Probably, but I wish you'd persuaded him to still pay us for at least trying to find Dr. Eggman," Victor grumbled.

"Don't be so greedy, Victor," Charles said. "We should be happy that we're getting paid in the first place considering how far behind we are on the rent."

###

"Hey, you're finally back," Rouge said looking up from a magazine as Sonny, Miles, Amelia, Chuck, Crème, Cheese, and Ms. Hare entered Amelia's house. "I was starting to get worried."

Chuck scuffed. "Sure you were."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rouge said slamming down her magazine.

"Guys, can we not have an argument in my house?" Amelia said, then she turned to Rouge. "Where's mom?"

"She went out shopping," Rouge responded. "I was tempted to join her, but I decided to stay here instead because I knew you would be back eventually."

"I see," Amelia said. "Um, Rouge?"

"What?"

"I…I'm sorry for being mean to you on this trip, and in general. I thought you were trying to take Sonny away from me, and so I tried protecting him by pushing you away. Then after we shared our secret, I said some nasty things about you behind your back because I was worried about whether we should trust you or not. But now I realize that I was acting like a complete jerk and if you can't forgive me I understand."

A moment of silence passed, and then Rouge said, "You don't have to apologize for anything, darling. You had every right to be suspicious of me. I admit that I'm a flirt and tend to keep to myself, but I should've been clear about my intentions to avoid these kinds of misunderstandings. So if anyone should be apologizing, it's me."

"So what were your intentions?" Sonny asked.

Rouge smiled, and walked over to Sonny. She put her arms around him and said, "I only wanted to be friends with you, Sonny. You're a nice guy and all, but not really my type."

"Oh, I see," Sonny said hesitantly. "Then do you mind letting go of me? You're a little too close for comfort."

"Sorry," Rouge said as she let go. "Force of habit."

"No wonder you don't have any guy friends," Chuck said snidely.

"Well, I certainly wouldn't hug you," Rouge responded.

"And why not?"

"You stink."

Taken aback, Chuck said, "Maybe I don't care about my personal hygiene as much as you do."

"Which isn't healthy for you, and I'm going to fix that right now," Rouge said grabbing Chuck by the dreadlocks on her way up the stairs.

"Ow," Chuck flinched. "What are you doing?"

"Taking you to the upstairs bathroom for a proper shower."

"But I don't want to!"

As they disappeared from the landing, Sonny let out a small giggle. "You know, despite their constant bickering, Rouge and Chuck would make a cute couple."

"Yes, they would," Amelia said as she linked her arm with Sonny's and leaned against him.

Surprised, Sonny said, "What's up with you, Amelia?"

"Oh, nothing," Amelia replied softly. "I guess I'm just…glad that everything worked out in end, and now we can enjoy the rest of Winter Break without any problems to hinder us."

Sonny looked over his shoulder and saw Crème cuddling in her mother's arms. "Yep, you could say that again."

To be continued…