Chapter 16: Put to the Test

"Blast it! That flying furball got away!"

Alex winced as the booming voice grew louder and clearer. Her head ached, and her arms and legs felt like pins and needles. Through her blurry vision, she could see a green glass floor with machinery working underneath it, and a robot's foot to her right.

Seeing that foot woke her up completely. She soon became aware a bulky hand wrapped around her, and cold metal against her side. All at once, the memory of her fight with Eggman's robot flashed in her mind.

She had been captured. She was on Eggman's ship.

She was about to squirm when she heard a fist slam against a countertop, and terrified whimpering sounds from three young girls.

"We had that Chaos Emerald in our grasp!" Eggman bellowed. "If it's not Sonic screwing up my plans, then it's his little mutant sidekick!"

Eggman's angry voice grew closer, along with the sound of stomping footsteps, and the girls' whimpering turned to sobbing. Forcing herself to stay limp, Alex glanced to her right. Between her hair obscuring her vision and the robot's massive bulk, she couldn't see the girls. When Eggman's boots came into view her view, she swallowed hard and hoped that the robot didn't catch on that she was conscious.

"As if that wasn't enough, you useless hunks of junk brought me a bunch of equally useless humans!" he raged. "What am I supposed to do with them? You were supposed to get the Mystic! She's got Chaos Emeralds and I need her Energy to…!

Eggman stopped in front of Alex. Ice surged through her blood, and she bit her tongue to keep herself from making a sound.

"It's her!" Eggman screamed with elation. "That's the Mystic! Well done, Gamma!"

The madman then grabbed Alex's wrist and yanked her out from under Gamma's arm. She hit the floor with a painful slam, and she bit down on her tongue even harder. She had only a split second to close her eyes and lax her face as Eggman yanked her up towards him. It took all her self-control not to wrinkle her nose as the smell of egg salad and cheese, but her stomach still churned from the stench.

"Yes, this is the one!" he said, his breath smelling even worse with each word. He lowered Alex to the ground, but kept a tight grip on her wrist. "Wait, where's her bag? Gamma, where are the Chaos Emeralds?"

"Mystic gave bag to a blue Hedgehog," said Gamma.

"So, Sonic has them," said Eggman pensively. "Then we'll just have to find that pesky pincushion and take them. And once I'm done with this Mystic, she'll help us in getting them. Well done, Gamma."

A chill went down Alex's spine. What did he mean by 'she'll help us in getting them'?

Then, without warning, Eggman whipped around angrily to the other robots and pulled out a remote from his pocket. "As for the rest of you, I have no use for failures! Begone!"

Alex opened one eye a sliver as Eggman pressed the button. Three beams of slime green light shot down from the ceiling and engulfed the other three robots. They fizzled and jolted, contorting as if in pain before disappearing, and the lights vanished.

That's when Alex saw them: three human girls huddled close together in a frightened ball on the floor.

"Oh, stop your sniveling!" Eggman snapped. "You three are getting off lucky! Gamma, throw them into the prison cells! I've got work to do!"

Gamma obeyed and walked towards the girls as Eggman dragged Alex away. Their cries grew louder and more desperate as the robot approached.

"No! Stay away!"

"Let us go!"

"Someone help!"

That was enough. Alex's eyes snapped open, and she summoned her sword.

"LET ME GO, YOU CREEP!" she shrieked.

Eggman had only a split second to let go as she swung her blade past his face, and he stumbled back in surprise. In a flash of light, Alex sprinted to the girls and stood protectively in front of them, pointing her sword at Gamma and scowled.

"Stay back!" she warned.

"YOU BRAT!" yelled Eggman furiously. "YOU SLICED MY MUSTACHE!"

Alex glanced at a now fuming Eggman. Although very minor, she had indeed cut a few strands off on the left side of his mustache. Eggman's face became redder than a tomato, and a blood vessel protruded from the side of his forehead.

"You deserved that, Egg-Breath!" Alex shot back, bring a hand to her nose. "Seriously, learn to floss!"

Eggman's scowl deepened at the insult.

"Where are Carrie and Master Aaron?" Alex demanded. "What did you do to them? Tell me, now!"

"As if I'd tell you that!" Eggman snarled. "And unless you haven't noticed, you're in no position to make demands!"

"I'm not scared of you! I'll find them, and you can't stop me!"

"That so? Gamma, seize her!"

On that command, Gamma raised his gun and pointed it at Alex. The girls behind her screamed and shielded each other. As Gamma shot a rope of light, Alex raised her sword and created an energy shield. Gamma then switched to laser gun and began to shoot in rapid succession.

Alex's courage wavered. The relentless attacks forced her to her knees. She was outmatched by Gamma and she knew it. With its restoration ability, there wasn't much she could do. But these girls needed her. She was the only one who could help. But she needed help, too.

Her shield began to flicker. She couldn't hold it much longer. Her fear grew, and tears threatened to escape her eyes.

"Carrie! Master Aaron! Help me! I need you!"

"You fought Chaos, huh?"

Alex paused at the sudden memory. Why was she remembering Sonic now?

"And by yourself, too? You must be pretty tough."

Wait, it was something he said.

"You'll see just how strong you are…"

"…when you're put to the test." Alex whispered.

That's right. Carrie and Master Aaron weren't here. Sonic wasn't here. Alex was on her own. Just like before. But not alone. Others needed her.

This was her test.

"Then let's see just how strong I really am. Time to change tactics!"

Channeling her Energy into her legs, Alex dashed forward with incredible speed. The shield disappeared, and she sliced off Gamma's gun. She then roundhouse kicked the robot square in the chest, causing it to lose its balance and fall back.

"What the –"

Eggman was cut off by Alex rushing at him and kicking him in the stomach, sending him flying back into the wall. He slumped to the floor as she ran back to the girls.

"C'mon, we gotta get out of here!" she shouted.

But all the girls were all frozen with terror. Wasting no time, Alex grabbed each of them, snapping them out of their trance, and forced them up. By now, Gamma's gun was restoring itself. He was about to stand when Alex charged him again and used both her feet to kick him across the room.

"RUN, NOW!" she screamed.

The girls finally listened and followed her to the doors. Using her sword, Alex shot a bolt of auroral light towards the closest one. It blasted open, and the girls ran through.

"She's getting away!" Eggman gasped, gripping his middle in pain. "Gamma, get her!"

The robot got up and headed straight for Alex. She glanced up and saw a pipeline overhead. With a slash, a stream of light shot from her sword and sliced an opening in the tube. Hot steam sprayed into the room, creating a dense fog, and causing Gamma to stop. To buy some more time, Alex shot through and sliced Gamma's legs in half, causing the robot to fall over, and ran out of the room.

She quickly caught up with the rest of the girls, who had stopped in the middle of a corridor to catch their breath.

"Is everyone okay?" she asked.

"I think so," said a girl with a teal blouse and white pants. "Thanks for saving us."

"Don't thank me yet," Alex replied. "We still have to get out of here."

"You're really a Mystic?" said another girl, who was wearing a pink shirt and blue jeans. She stared at Alex with wide eyes.

"Yes, I am," Alex said uncomfortably. "But we'll talk about that later. Right now, we have to get to somewhere safe."

"Somewhere safe on this ship?" said the last girl, who was in a cream dress with dark leggings. The worry on her face was clear. "That guy's robots could be anywhere! And we're in the sky! How are we going find a safe place?"

"I don't know," Alex admitted, "but if we stay here, we will get caught. If we keep moving, it'll be less likely."

"Why should we even stay with you?" the girl in the dress snapped. "You're the one he really wants, aren't you?"

Alex winced at that remark. "Yes, I am. And I'm sorry you all got mixed up in this because of me. But please, you have to trust me. I'm the only one who has a chance against those robots. I promise I'll get you out of here."

The girls exchanged looks, and Alex looked behind. Right now, it didn't matter what they thought about her. That robot would be after them soon, and she had to get them out of the open.

"Everyone, grab on!" she ordered. "I'll lead the way!"

Alex grabbed the girl in the dress' hand, who tried to resist. But when she met Alex's eye, she relented, and the others followed, grabbing onto each other's hands to form a human chain. Alex then ran down the passageways. Since she was unable to use her Energy on the, she had to make sure to stay at a slow enough pace for them, while also moving as fast as possible. Right now, the best thing they could do was keep moving until she found a place to hide them.

Alex didn't forget about Gamma's ability to sense her Chaos Energy. If she stayed with the girls, they wouldn't be completely safe. The best she could do was to make sure they were hidden, then lure Gamma away.

She was the one Eggman wanted, but she wasn't going to let him take her so easily. Nor was she going to let anyone get hurt because of her.


Eggman staggered to his feet, gasping from the sharp pain in his stomach. He touched his sliced mustache and gritted his teeth.

"That little brat!" he growled. "She's gonna pay!"

The steam slowly began to dissipate. Through the mist, Eggman saw Gamma stand up. Its legs glowing white as they restored themselves.

"Gamma!" he barked. "Find that Mystic and bring her to me! I don't care what you have to do to get her, just bring her to me alive!"

Gamma regarded its creator for a moment before leaving the room through the open door.