Chapter 17: Warp Sonic:
Sonic's POV:
We're sneaking into a large dome like building and looking at Robotnik's machine.
"Sacre bleu," says Antoine, "eet ees hu-fungus!"
"You mean 'Humongous', Ant. Hu-mun-gus," I said.
"It has to be...to handle all of Robotnik's traffic –" Sally then gasps. We hid as a swatbot came in. It was then messing with some buttons on its wrists.
"What's with all the wrist-action," I asked.
"I think I know," says Sally. She then puts up a pair of suped up binoculars and sees a force field surrounding the machine. Antoine and me then do the same. "Just as I thought! An alarm grid!"
"Woah! That is nasty," I said.
"I ahm sinkeeng zat naht even a leettle moose cahn get through zat sing zere," says Antoine.
"A little moose? No. But a hedgehog, no prob! Where there's a hedgehog, there's a way," I said.
. . .
We were then climbing our ropes to the catwalk. Antoine almost falls off, but he climbs back up.
"Nicole, boot up holographic overlay," says Sally.
"Proceeding, Sally. Overlay complete," says Nicole.
"Color code each square and increase to five times normal size," says Sally. The barrier then changed. "Are you sure you can get through there, Sonic?"
"Sal, are you asking if I can get through there!? Sal, is the sky blue? Is dirt dirty? Do bears-"
"Sorry I asked," says Sally.
"Who's there," asks Snively.
"Just making sure everything is up to code," says Antoine, using Sleet's voice.
"Oh, alright." Snively then leaves.
Sally and me then looked at Antoine.
"Whaht? I ahm ahn ahmahture voice meemic," says Antoine. He then started talking with my voice. "I am good. Bunga!"
"First, stop that," I said, "and second, no one in Mobius says Bunga! Juice and jam time!" I then tore through the barrier.
. . .
I then made it to the machine and took a bow. "Thank you! Thank you! Come on guys, how 'bout a round of applause? Even a square of an applause?"
"Sonic, just the circuit interrupter ready. Nicole, scan for an injector slot," says Sally.
"Scanning, Sally. Injector slot located," says Nicole.
"Time to fry some of the ol' brain cells, pal," I said as I got out the disc. I then inserted the disc, and the machine started malfunctioning.
"Sonic, get out of there," says Sally. I then ran back to Sally and Antoine. "We did it Sonic! All of Robotnik's traffic is paralyzed!"
"Zen we should bettair be speedeeng?"
"And fast," says Knuckles as he showed up, looking unhappy with us.
"We'd love to catch up, Knuck, but we gotta take the tunnels," I said. I then grabbed Sally and Antoine and ran towards the tunnels with them. Knuckles chased after us.
. . .
We managed to lose Knuckles, but now we're lost. "Which way, Sal," I asked.
"Go right," says Sally.
Swatbots are heading through that right tunnel.
"You were kidding about going right, right," I asked.
"Right," says Sally.
"You meant left, right," I asked.
"R-Right," says Sally.
"I knew that! We'd like to hang with you guys, but we've gotta motor," I said. The next tunnel had Sleet and Dingo and Dingo was a dragon again. "You didn't mean left, right? You meant middle," I asked.
"Middle! Right...right," says Sally.
Knuckles was waiting for us in the middle. One end has swatbots, another end has Sleet and Dingo, and the third end has Knuckles.
"Ziss ees terreeble," says Antoine.
"I'll get us out of this! Trust me," I said.
Then someone pulls us away...
. . .
"Thank you for the help," says Sally.
"Yeah, you saved me the trouble," I said.
"I'm Sally and this is Sonic and the guy who fainted is Antoine."
"Hello, I'm Griff."
"Ohhhh my goodness... where ahm I going?"
We then heard some big fists banging on the wall. "Knuckles," I said.
"Is he working for Robotnik," asks Griff.
"It's... more complicated than that," says Sally.
"Follow me," says Griff.
We then moved and Knuckles, Sleet, Dingo, and the swatbots followed after us.
. . .
"Where are we going, Griff," asks Sally.
"Lower Mobius," says Griff.
"Lower Mobius," I asked.
"Yeah, we escaped Robotnik's Swatbot's and built an underground city. There's about thirty of us," says Griff.
"We've heard about you guys," I said.
. . .
We managed to lose Knuckles and his buddies and now we're in a mechanical room. "Welcome to the pipeline express," says Griff. Griff pulls a lever causing the hovercraft we're using to make a clunky sound.
"What was that," asks Sally.
"Well, I think the gear box needs a little work," says Griff.
"I ahm sinkeeng eet needs very much of ze wahrk," says Antoine. We're about to hit a wall. "Sacre bleu! We ahre going crahsheeng eento pieces!"
"Don't worry, Antoine," says Griff. "It's to keep the rat- bots out."
"R-re-re-re-raht-bahts...?"
. . .
"Welcome to Lower Mobius, Freedom Fighters," says Griff.
"Oh my gosh. It's beautiful," says Sally.
"Just don't greet the neighbors," says Griff, "there's another civilization that lives nearby. The Froglodytes. They are not nice people."
"Welcome back Griff! Have a successful trip?"
"No, not really Gir, I'll tell you later. But I did meet some Freedom Fighters."
"We're honored."
"Oh...Merci! Merci!"
. . .
"This is our energy chamber. It supplies all the power for Lower Mobius," says Griff, "hey, by the way, that red guy with the fists. You said it's complicated. What's his deal?"
"Sorry, but we all agreed not to tell anyone," says Sally, "it's... too dangerous."
"I understand," says Griff.
"Whoah-ho-ho! Is the ol' nose playing tricks or do I smell a-*Slurp*-CHILI DOG! Pig out time," I said.
"I ahm just glahd we ahre sahfe frahm Sleet, Deengo, ahnd Knuckles. eef zat chahmeleon deed naht tahke ze Mahstair Emerahld, we would naht be dealeeng weeth zat red bahrbarian... oops. I just revealed ze sing Preencess Sahlly tahld you we could naht tell you, deedn't I?"
"Master Emerald," asks Griff.
I then sighed. "It's this powerful cosmic stone that Knuckles was supposed to be guarding, but then our ninja friend accidently took it with him back to Knothole and now we're keeping it until we can find a way to return it to Knuckles... but he doesn't trust us, so it's easier said than done."
"Fantastic," says Griff.
Griff's POV:
Dirk and I are looking at the energy chamber. "I doubt it will last another 24 hours, Griff," says Dirk.
"We have to do something. The Freedom Fighters have an incredible energy source, but they're very protective of it," I said.
"This calls for drastic measures. Can they help us," asks Dirk.
"I don't yet if we can trust them... But I know what to do," I said.
Sonic's POV:
I was walking when I saw Sally with Griff. He was picking flowers for her. "Oh, thank you for the flower, Griff. It's beautiful," says Sally.
"Not as beautiful as you, Sally," says Griff. Anything he can do; I can do better.
I then sped in with flowers. "For you, Sal," I said.
"Why Sonic! How sweet," says Sally.
"I wrote a poem for ya…" I said.
"...You... wrote a poem?"
"Hold on to your socks, 'cause this is gonna blow you right out of your shoes! *Ahem* 'When it comes to speed, I can't be beat!' 'I'm faster than lightning, faster than heat!' 'I'm so fast, I'd burn up the street!' 'Aint that mondo sweet?'" Nothing. Well, Breezie liked it... then again, she was a robot made by Robotnik, so she probably didn't know real poetry. "At least I had a poem, unlike this guy!"
"Sonic, you're being very rude to Griff," says Sally.
"Who cares," I asked.
"I care! He saved our lives, and I think you owe him an apology," says Sally.
"I'm supposed to apologize to him for trying to steal MY girl," I asked.
"I am not your girl," says Sally.
"Sonic, I'm not trying to steal Sally! Honest," says Griff.
"Yeah right," I said.
"Look, let me drive you back to the surface. It's the least I can do," says Griff.
"We can walk," I said.
"You can drive ME back Griff," says Sally.
"HEY," I shouted.
. . .
We were back in Knothole. "Bye Griff," says Sally. She then kisses him on the cheek. "Thanks for everything."
"Well, I hope we meet again, Freedom Fighters," says Griff. Just then, he yanks a wire out from under wheel, causing it to short out again.
"Griff, what's wrong," asks Sally.
"It's this darn engine acting up again," says Griff.
"Oh! Well, um, why don't you spend the night here? We have plenty of room and you can just fix it in the morning," says Sally.
"Well, that's very kind, but... Alright, I accept," says Griff.
I couldn't believe it. "Hey, who's the new guy," asks Amy.
"That's Griff," I said, "he lives underground."
"Oh, does he know the Froglodytes," asks Stix, "I have a door that leads to their underground empire."
"And you never thought of telling us," I asked.
"What do you mean," asks Stix, "I tell you guys all the time."
. . .
I was talking to Sally. "I've been thinkin'-" I began.
"Oh! Trying something new, are we," asks Sally.
"Funny," I said.
"Thank you," says Sally, "are you still jealous?"
"Me, jealous? Ha," I said.
"And what is that supposed to mean," asks Sally.
"'Ha' is short for 'You have no clue'," I said.
"Ha ha! 'I have no clue'," asks Sally.
"I hear a parrot," I said.
"I'll tell you who doesn't have a clue," says Sally.
"Who," I asked.
"Look in the mirror," says Sally.
I then looked in a mirror. "All I see is... hedgehog perfection," I said.
"Aaw, brother," says Sally.
"What does he have that I don't have," I asked.
"You mean besides a brain," asks Sally.
"Sahneec, Preencess, sahmetheeng terreeble hahs hahppened! Ze Mahstair Emerahld ees meesseeng!"
. . .
The Master Emerald was missing and so was Griff's hover sled.
"Griff took the Master Emerald," asks Sally.
"Yup, and I'm gonna get it back. Juice time," I said.
. . .
I then arrived at Lower Mobius and the ratbots were attacking. I then saw Griff and his friend, and I saved them from the ratbots. "Thank you Sonic..." Griff begins.
"Forget the thanks, Griff. Where's the Master Emerald," I asked.
"I used it to keep our energy crystal alive. Without this crystal, we... we couldn't survive," says Griff.
"That doesn't give you the right to steal from us," I said.
"Didn't you guys steal it," asks Griff.
"By accident," I said, "it was more like it stole Espio!"
"I'm sorry... I was desperate," says Griff.
"Where is it," I asked.
. . .
Griff gives me back the Master Emerald. "Look, Griff. What you did was wrong. But we're all in this war against Robotnik together," I said.
"But what can we do without power," asks Griff.
The Master Emerald then zaps the energy crystal, and it started glowing. "I think the Master Emerald's helpin' you out," I said.
"I... I don't know how to thank you," says Griff.
"Next time, just ask," I said.
"You're the best, Sonic," says Griff.
"I know," I said. And Griff and I became friends after all.
In the next chapter, Sonic and Rotor attempt to destroy Robotnik's satellite.
