Chapter 11: Heart to Heart

At Station Square…

Embarrassed, Sonic approached Alex, who was sitting in a chair in the corner of the train station.

"Sorry, Alex," Sonic said with an uncomfortable grin. "I forgot Tails is the one with the cash."

Alex didn't reply. She stared ahead, a look of horror coming over her face.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Sonic asked.

Sonic followed her gaze to a television screen. On the monitor was an image of police helicopters rooftop with deep holes in it.

"Last night, the police received terrified phone calls of a fight taking place on the top of this apartment building," said the reporter's voice. "Eyewitnesses reported seeing an enormous water monster and what appeared to be a Mystic battling. This video, taken by a resident from the neighboring building, shows the Mystic using speed and some kind of light powers to battle the monster."

Sonic watched the fuzzy footage, his eyes widening when he saw Chaos. The light surrounding the figure battling him was bright green, and he could make the vague image of a slashing sword.

When Chaos was struck down, the figured turned. Through the hazy footage, Sonic saw the figure had auburn hair, and a green outfit.

"Wait, that's—"

Sonic looked at Alex. Her face had gone as pale as paper, her breathing erratic, and her hands were shaking.

"Authorities believe it to be the same monster that attacked the police the other day," the reporter went on, "In response to this threat, the mayor has called the Guardian Unit of Nations to Station Square to aid the eradication of this monster."

Alex got up and hurried towards the entrance. Concerned, Sonic followed close behind her. She ran down the street and turned into an alleyway. He rounded the corner in time to see her duck behind a dumpster. She sat in a ball, hiding her face in her arms, and breathed heavily.

"Hey, you okay?" Sonic asked.

"I'm fine," Alex answered, tensing.

"You don't look fine."

Alex curled in on herself even more.

"C'mon, Alex," Sonic coaxed. "If something's wrong, you can tell me. Was it the news report?"

Alex's tightened grip on her arm answered his question.

"Hey, don't worry about it too much," Sonic encouraged. "It was so blurry I don't think anyone would know it was you."

"You did," Alex mumbled.

"Well, that's only because I knew you were a Mystic and—"

Alex suddenly sprang out of her ball and slapped her hands over Sonic's mouth.

"'Ey!" he exclaimed, his voice muffled by her hands. "Wa' the ig idea!"

"Don't say it too loud!" Alex hissed.

Sonic grabbed her wrists and shoved her hands away before rubbing his now-sore mouth.

"Why?" he asked, bringing his voice down. "What's the big deal?"

Alex grimaced before letting out a deep breath.

"We Mystics don't exactly have a great reputation," she said bitterly. "Some bad apples went rogue in the past and ruined everything for the rest of us."

Sonic raised an eyebrow. "So?"

"So?"Alex snapped. "We Mystics haven't brushed off the stigma! You Mobians have been able to get back into the world's good graces, but we haven't!"

Sonic stepped back. Alex's scowl suddenly transformed to shock, and she recoiled. She sat back down and turned away, ashamed.

"Sorry," she said guiltily. "I didn't mean to yell. It's just…"

Seeing Alex's distress, Sonic sat down next to her.

"It's okay," he said. "You've had a rough couple of days, haven't you?"

Alex said nothing. She just pulled her legs in and hugged them.

"Listen," Sonic went on, "if you don't want to talk about it, I won't make you. But if you do need to get something off your chest, I'm here to listen. I promised I'd help you, but I can't do that if you don't tell me what's wrong."

"I thought you just promised to help me find Carrie and Master Aaron," Alex replied.

"I promised I'd help you," Sonic corrected. "That includes finding your friends, and helping you if you have a problem. That's what friends do."

Alex blinked at the statement and looked at the Hedgehog.

"We're…friends?"

Sonic gave her a grin and winked. "Sure, if you want to be."

Alex stared at Sonic, and tears welled up in her eyes. She jolted in awareness as they fell, bringing a hand up to her face, and turned away. Sonic placed a caring hand on her shoulder as she wiped her eyes.

"Sorry," she said, her voice choking with emotion. "I'm okay. It's just…after all that's happened, having a friend around is…kind of overwhelming."

"Hey, no judgement," Sonic said.

Alex took a deep breath and stopped shaking. She cast her gaze down in deep thought. After a moment, her face softened, and she looked at Sonic again.

"Thanks," she said. "I think I'll take you up on the offer. It…has been kind of lonely. It'll be nice to have someone around again."

Sonic gave Alex a thumbs up. "Glad I could help." He then stretched his arms above his head. "So, you fought Chaos, huh?"

"Uh, yeah," Alex replied stiffly.

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

"Not really," Alex grumbled. "If I was, I would've fought him when he first attacked. Instead, I ran away like a coward."

"Hey, cut yourself some slack," Sonic said. "At least you beat him once, and when he was powered with Chaos Emeralds no less. Hate to admit it, but that's more than I can say. I only beat him when he had no Emeralds."

"But Carrie and Master Aaron got captured in the first place because I ran!" Alex clenched. "And that was before Chaos was powered up! And now, I have no idea where they are, or if they're even alive! I know Master Aaron told me to run, but if I had stayed and fought—!"

"Is there any point in dwelling on the past?" Sonic said calmly, making Alex stop. "Look, you ran, and now you feel guilty. I get it. But you can't change what happened. The way I see it, you've got a choice: you can continue beating yourself up over it, or you can do something about it. And you don't have to do it alone. I made a promise to help you, and I always keep my word."

Sonic stood up and held out his hand to Alex. "Besides, you'll see just how strong you are when you're put to the test. You may have failed the first time, but you didn't the second time. And you know what they say: third time's the charm. What do you say?"

Alex considered Sonic's words. She then closed her eyes and smiled warmly. She reached out and took his hand, giving it a small squeeze.

"How can I say 'no' to that?" she said.

Still holding onto Sonic's hand, Alex stood up. She brushed the dirt off and flicked her hair back.

"Thanks, Sonic," she said gratefully. "I really needed to hear that."

"Any time, Alex." Sonic replied. "I take it you're ready to keep going."

Alex nodded. "Yeah, let's go."

At that moment, Sonic's earpiece beeped, and familiar voice came through.

"Sonic, can you hear me?"

"Tails!" Sonic exclaimed, adjusting his earpiece. "Hey, Buddy! You okay?"

"I'm alright," Tails' voice replied. "I managed to get off the Egg Carrier."

"Good to hear. Where are you now?"

"I'm in Mystic Ruins. One of Eggman's robots was chasing me, but I think it's now gone to find the Mystic Eggman's after."

Sonic's eyes widened. "Did you say 'Mystic'?"

Alex stiffened at that word.

"Yeah," Tails went on. "A girl with auburn hair, blue eyes, wears a green outfit with blue and red shoes, and has a dark green hip bag."

As Tails gave him the description, Sonic glanced at his new friend. She matched all the details, right down to the bag.

"Sonic?" Alex said, uneasy. "What is it?"

"Sonic, we got to find her before Eggman does!" Tails said urgently. "He said she has Chaos Emeralds!"

"Oh, don't worry, little bro," Sonic said ironically. "I already know where she is."

"You do? Where is she?"

"Standing right next to me."

"What?"

"Yeah, you know the girl I mentioned who rescued me? Turns out Eggman kidnapped two companions of hers, and she was the only one who managed to escape. She's trying to find them now."

"Wow," Tails said. "You got crazy luck as always, Sonic. Does she have Chaos Emeralds?"

"Oh, yeah."

"Good. We can use them to give the plane more power. But keep a look out. I know that at least one of Eggman's new robots can sense Chaos Energy."

"Sure thing. Thanks for the tip."

"Meet me back at my workshop," Tails ordered. "I'll get the Tornado 2 ready. And this time, I'll make sure we're ready to take on Eggman."

"Yeah, about that, Tails." Sonic said, frowning. "The train is out. Got no cash."

"Oh, no," Tails replied. "Is there any other way you can get here?"

"Only across the inlet," Sonic said, suddenly feeling sick. "And I don't feel like taking my chances with water again."

At those words, Alex closed her eyes and pressed a finger to her forehead, her pensive frown turning into a grin.

"Then hang tight, Sonic," Tails said. "I'll come and get you. We can put the Emeralds in when I get there."

Alex snapped her fingers and said, "Sonic, I've got an idea."

"Uh, hold on, Tails," Sonic said before turning to Alex. "What is it?"

"Tell your friend to wait for us at his workshop," she replied. "I know how we can get across the inlet."

"How?" he asked.

"I'll show you at Emerald Coast. Just trust me, okay?"

Sonic twisted his mouth. After almost drowning, he really didn't want to go back to the ocean.

Still, waiting for Tails would take too much time, and Alex did look confident in whatever idea she had in mind.

On top of that, with Eggman sending robots after her, one that could sense her Chaos Energy no less, she would be much safer if they got out of the city as soon as possible.

Finally, Sonic nodded.

"Tails, we'll meet you at the workshop," he said. "Alex has an idea."

"You sure, Sonic?" Tails asked.

"Yeah, you just focus on getting the plane ready. I'll contact you if we need anything."

"Okay. Good luck. See you in a while."

With that, the connection was gone.

"We need to get moving," he said to Alex. "Tails told me that Eggman has just sent robots after you, and one of them can sense Chaos Energy."

Alex shuddered at the news. "I knew he'd come after me again."

"Don't worry," Sonic assured. "We'll get you to Tails' workshop. If we stay on the move, the harder it will be for them to find you. Once we get there, we can use the Chaos Emeralds you collected to give the plane more power."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Alex replied. "I'm in."

"For now, we better get out of the city," said Sonic. "You said you know of a way to get across the ocean?"

"Yeah," Alex said. "I'll show you at the coast. I'm also going to need your help. C'mon."

With that, the two left the alley and hurried back to Emerald Coast.

Moments later, in Station Square…

As Amy, Cream and Vanilla arrived at Emerald Coast, they saw a huge crowd of humans and Mobians gathering around a large TV monitor outside the train station.

"What's going on over there?" Amy said.

"Maybe we should check it out," suggested Cream.

The three Mobians approached the crowd, and soon saw that they were watching a news report. Everyone was transfixed, looking at the screen in horror, especially the human girls and women.

"What's going on?" Amy asked a blonde-haired girl.

"Robots have appeared in Station Square!" said the girl fearfully. "They've been kidnapping girls!"

"What?" Amy exclaimed.

She turned to the monitor, and three images of young girls' faces appeared.

The thing that Amy immediately noticed was that all the girls had reddish brown hair. They had different eye colors, cloths, and appeared to be about an age or two older or younger than each other.

But their hair was the same color.

The images then changed to three different robots.

Amy eyes widened in alarm when she saw them.

"Wait, those are Eggman's robots!"

"Authorities are now working with the Guardian Unit of Nations in order to rescue the abducted girls," said the reporter, "and the city has issued a lockdown. People are to stay in their homes or other sheltered areas until the danger has been resolved."

Amy looked at Cream and Vanilla. Th concern on their faces mirrored hers. They could all feel the tension and fear in the air.

"This is what my cards were warning me about," Amy whispered. "An overwhelming fear that will destroy the city."

"What now, Amy?" Cream asked, her voice hushed and frightened.

Hearing Cream's whimper, Amy closed her eyes and took a deep breath, collecting herself. She then gave her Rabbit friend a confident smile.

"Everything will be alright, Cream," she said. "Sonic will know what to do."

"Did you say 'Sonic'?"

Amy turned around fast to see a Mobian Cat with dandelion yellow fur standing nearby.

"Yes," she replied. "Did you see him?"

"The blue Hedgehog? Yeah, I saw him head for Emerald Coast a moment ago?" said the Cat. "He also had someone with him."

"Was it a Mobian Fox with two tails?" Amy asked.

"No, it was human girl," the cat replied with certainty.

Out of the corner of her eye, Amy saw Cream perk up.

"Excuse me," said the little Rabbit, "this girl, did you see what she looked like?"

"Yeah, briefly," said the Cat. "She had reddish brown hair and a green outfit."

"Alex?" Cream whispered, her eyes wide with surprise.

"You know her, Cream?" asked Amy.

"I think so," Cream replied. "The other day, I met a girl on the beach who had a green outfit and auburn hair. After talking with her, I brought up Sonic and his fight with the water monster the other night, and she left to go find him."

"And she has auburn hair," Amy muttered. Her face then changed to worried. "Just like the girls Eggman's robots captured! They might go after her next!"

Cream gasped. "Oh, no! We have to find her before those robots do!"

"Don't worry, Cream, we will," Amy said before turning back to the Mobian Cat. "Thanks for the tip. Stay safe."

"Wait, you can't go to the beach!" the cat protested. "Those robots are out there!"

"We have to," Amy replied with a firm gentleness. "Sonic has to know about this, and I know he'll be able to save those girls. C'mon Cream, Vanilla."

Before the Mobian Cat could say anything more, Amy, Cream, and Vanilla hurried to Emerald Coast.

For Amy, nothing was going to detour her from finding Sonic. Her hero. Not even Eggman's robots.

Sonic would stop Eggman and save those girls. That much Amy was certain of.