Ch. 11 Dinner and Entertainment
Scuff nervously opens the door to the security office, peeking in with his good eye, and sees no one inside. He takes a step in, clearing the way for Sinister who is dragging Dextral's mangled metal frame. Sinister backs into the room, eyes whipping back and forth, leaving a trail of oil from Dextral. Scuff wanders around the center of the office, tapping his bad eye rapidly. Sinister loads Dextral into the repair machine and skinny metal arms descend from the ceiling to work on Dextral. Sinister takes a few steps back from the repair machine, he looks over at Scuff, not with a scowl, but with a look of complete bewilderment.
"I didn't think she could do that…" Sinister says, unsure of what to do with his hands as he just holds them out in front of him, oil dripping from his white gloves.
"Me neither," Scuff lied. He knew CYBER didn't have obedience programming, but he never thought she'd take it this far.
Suddenly a harsh tone plays from the computer monitor, and both Scuff and Sinister quickly turn as they see the Eggman symbol outlined in orange and white on the screen. The two robots quickly trek over to the computer monitor, as the symbol disappears, revealing the intense gaze of Dr. Eggman.
"So, I heard that there were some… complications in today's patrol," Dr. Eggman says, leaning back in his seat and steepling his fingers.
Sinister stays silent, looking away from the computer.
"Yes sir," Scuff says, but can't bring himself to look at the screen either.
"Now, are you also aware that your teammate has just recently torn through the front door of this facility?" Eggman says, leaning toward the camera and cocking his head to the side.
Scuff shakes his head, his thoughts racing. He both regrets what he said to her and feels justified in it. He just wishes it had gone differently.
"Lucky for you, I already have a way for you to redeem yourselves," Eggman says with a smile, looking between the two bots. "By accessing your computer, I have found where she is planning to go," Eggman says, putting his hands down on the sides of the chair to adjust himself into a more comfortable position. "I want you to intercept her, subdue her, and bring her back to me," Dr. Eggman lets out a puff of air through his nostrils "Got it?".
"Say no more," a raspy, metallic voice fills the room
Scuff and Sinister look back to see Dextral, propped up in the machine. His metal skeleton is repaired, but his fur is missing in significant patches around his jaw, left eye socket, and his whole right arm. Dextral, with a grunt of effort, tears his arm out of the machine, his metal hand like a claw as he rips himself out of the machine, leaving patches of fur behind. This half-metal skeleton marches across the floor to the computer monitor to look Dr. Eggman right in the eyes.
"Just don't expect her to be in good condition when I return," Dextral says, a sneer running across his face to his exposed jaw.
In response, Dr. Eggman just smiles. The computer monitor blinks back to a blank screen with the Eggman logo bouncing around it. Dextral pushes off the computer monitor, turning to look at Scuff and Sinister. And they all feel the download of their destination and their new objective.
–
Somewhere in the city
–
Sonic and Tails are walking together down the sidewalk, Tails checks his watch to see if they're on schedule.
"I just don't want her to think that it's a date," Sonic says with a sigh, his arms swinging somewhat limply beside him.
"Well, I'll be there too!" Tails offers a smile, but it's a little awkward.
"She'll probably think you're a third wheel or something," Sonic shakes his head, bringing up his arms to cross them as he and Tails round a corner.
"I'm sure it'll be fine," Tails says, tapping his index fingers together as he begins to sweat.
As the duo rounds the corner, they spot Amy. She is dressed in an outfit similar to her usual attire, but it's black instead of red and a bit puffier, with the skirt slightly longer. When Amy spots them She beams and jumps up and down twice before running over and hugging Sonic.
"You showed up!" Amy cheers, releasing Sonic and standing in front of him with her hands clasped together excitedly.
"Why wouldn't I?" Sonic asks, looking at Amy and then back at Tails.
Sonic notices that something is off about Tails.
"C'mon, let's go!" Amy twirls in her dress and takes off toward the line in front of the restaurant.
Sonic turns towards Tails, raising an eyebrow as he sees how nervous Tails seems.
"What's going on?" Sonic asks, staring Tails down.
"Well," Tails shifts from one foot to the other "I might have… told her it was a date".
"You WHAT?" Sonic grabs Tails' shoulders, he glances back for a moment, seeing Amy wave happily at him.
"Wait, Sonic, I can explain," Tails says quickly. "You've just been so lost lately, I was thinking that maybe you could find purpose in a relationship?" Tails says uncertainly.
"I'm fine," Sonic says, letting go of Tails. He crosses his arms and looks away from Tails, "Besides, I've said over and over that I don't want to date Amy".
Tails shrinks into himself, "C'mon, please?"
"No, Tails, I-"
"Pleeeeeease?" Tails looks up at him, lip quivering, chin downcast, looking up at Sonic with the most adorable look he can muster.
"Tails, don't do the pouty fox thing…" Sonic's shoulders slip from their tense position, trying to look away.
"Please?" Tails pleads quietly.
Sonic sighs dramatically, relenting under the pressure "Fine, just this once".
"Yes!" Tails pumps his fist. "You'll need this" He stands on his tiptoes and ties something around Sonic's neck.
"What the…" Sonic looks down at himself, wearing a bowtie. "This is a new low," Sonic says, flicking the bowtie.
Amy rushes back over "What's taking you guys so long?". Then she looks down at the bowtie "Oh my… that's adorable!". "Let's go!" she grabs Sonic's wrist and drags him toward the door.
Sonic doesn't resist.
Tails follows behind, wringing his hands nervously, wondering if he made the right decision.
Amy pulls Sonic through a small crowd of paparazzi, weaving through the crowd and pushing people aside. Sonic dips his head and tries to cover his face with his free hand, but fails.
When they get up to the front, the man at the desk doesn't even stop them, he just directs them to a private table in the back.
Sitting down, the three are quickly attended to, and a nicely dressed waiter takes their drink orders. Sonic orders a water, Amy orders a water with lemon, and Tails orders a chocolate milk.
Amy leans over to Sonic, "This is so romantic, right?". She can hardly contain a giggle.
"Yeah," Sonic says quietly, glancing around the restaurant.
Tails leans over and whispers to Sonic, "C'mon, make some small talk". Tails leans away, slurping his chocolate milk, looking off to the side, pretending like he wasn't intensely focused on what the two were going to say.
"So," Sonic begins carefully "what kind of movies do you like?" he asks, hardly able to look Amy in the eye.
"Oh, I LOVE romantic comedies" Amy grins, locking her arm around Sonic's tighter "And you like action movies right?"
"Yep," Sonic says somewhat awkwardly, Amy already seems to know everything about him.
They both stop talking for a moment, Sonic going awkwardly quiet, and Amy humming to herself and swinging her legs contentedly.
"Is there anything about me that you don't know?" Sonic asks with a nervous laugh.
"Nope," Amy proclaims, sounding quite proud of herself.
Tails abruptly stops sipping his chocolate milk, sensing this going downhill fast. "So, uh, Amy, have you ever been on a date before?" Tails says, trying to get the conversation going.
"No, I have not, I've been waiting for the perfect boy" Amy smiles and turns to Sonic. "What about you Sonic, have you ever been on a date before?"
"Once, a long time ago, I don't even remember her name" Sonic rubs the back of his head, slightly embarrassed.
Tails pipes up once again, "So, Amy, what do you like about Sonic?". Tails feels like he's coaching a little dating game.
Amy leans forward, grinning "he's so heroic! He's selfless and funny, and very confident."
"Great!" Tails exclaims, turning toward Sonic. "Now Sonic, what do you like about Amy?"
Sonic pauses for a moment, he blinks twice in rapid succession. Sonic's mouth slacks open a bit, he glances at Tails, and then the far wall, he can't bring himself to look at Amy.
"Hey!" A loud commotion begins near the entrance of the restaurant.
Tails and Amy quickly whip their heads around to look at the noise.
"Phew," Sonic breathed out quietly, throwing his arm over the back of the booth to get a better look at what's happening in the front.
Shoving past the desk attendant is a figure, just about Sonic's height, with metal skin with purple painted in the pattern of fur, a metal cone shaped like a skirt, five purple spikes on their head, engines on the extremities and the chest, no nose, and two blue, robotic eyes. CYBER rushes into the restaurant towards Sonic's table. CYBER seems nervous or excited, maybe both. Seeing the obvious oncoming robot, Tails stands up, followed by Amy, and then Sonic, who stretches as he stands. Sonic has been itching for a fight, and a robot running at him usually means a fight. But CYBER stops right in front of the table.
CYBER places her hands on the table, leaning forward like she's out of breath 'Um, hi" She says with a nervous smile and a wave.
Staring at Sonic, CYBER is a bit starstruck, she doesn't know what to say now that she's here.
Sonic pauses for a moment, "What are you doing?".
"Oh, haha" CYBER tries to blow off her awkward entrance "I forgot to introduce myself didn't I?". "I'm CYBER," she says, holding out a hand.
"One of Eggman's robots?" Sonic tentatively shakes her hand.
"Well yes… no… it's a little complicated," CYBER scans Sonic up and down, she thinks his bowtie is quite dapper.
"What does CYBER stand for?" Tails interjects.
"I don't know," CYBER says, she is a little annoyed that Tails is interrupting her talking with Sonic, but she actually doesn't know.
"Well, what are you doing here?" Amy asks, crossing her arms, she's worried that this will ruin her date with Sonic.
"I'm running away, from Dr. Robotnik that is,' CYBER looks across the three of them. "Can you help me?" CYBER reaches out her arm somewhat dramatically like she's grasping for help, but really she just wants Sonic to take her hand again.
Sonic, a little disappointed that he's not getting a fight, exits from the booth as Tails steps up to CYBER. Amy's shoulders slump as Sonic leaves her side.
Tails examines CYBER's arm and glances at the orange Eggman symbol stamped on the side of her head "Yep, she's one of Eggman's all right".
"How can we know that we can trust her?" Sonic questions, putting his chin into the crook of his thumb.
"Well, it could be a trap, but she still needs help" Amy pipes up, her empathy overruling her disappointment. "Many of Eggman's robots have been redeemed" She points out.
Tails is still examining CYBER's frame, he takes a bit of a step back when he sees her sharp teeth but quickly recovers.
"You're right Amy, we should offer her help, but we should still be cautious," Sonic decides, pulling off his bowtie.
When Sonic pulls off his bowtie, Tails frowns, then Amy frowns, and then CYBER frowns.
"What?" Sonic asks, setting the bowtie on the table next to him.
Tails shakes it off, "So, CYBER, you escaped from Eggman, what do you need?"
"I'm not sure…" CYBER says honestly. "I didn't think this far ahead."
Suddenly a loud crash is heard from outside, causing all four to turn their heads at the same time. Hurtling through the front window are three red and black orbs of synthetic fur and metal. They land, one, two three. On the left, Sinister, who stands up straight, his expression unreadable. On the far side is Scuff, his shoulders slumped and a regretful expression on his face. In the center, rising to his full height is Dextral. As Dextral uncurls he reveals his uncovered features, his skeletal metal arm with vicious claws, half of his steel jaw is exposed, white teeth giving way to a vicious dull grey grin, one normal eye, and one eye that is no more than a black sphere in the socket with a piercing red ring making an iris. Sonic steps forward, putting out an arm to put CYBER behind him. Sonic knows that there is no way of avoiding a fight now, and it excites him.
Scuff speaks up "Please CYBER, just come back without a fight, we don't need to do this-"
Scuff is silenced as Dextral raises a hand toward him, signaling him to shut up.
"I'm with Sonic now, you can't take me back!" CYBER yells defiantly, narrowing her eyes at Scuff, whom she still hasn't forgiven, and then at Dextal, taking in his unfinished form.
"We have our orders, we will not fail," Sinister says, examining the room systematically, but his eyes avoid looking in the direction of Dextral.
Tails takes a shaky step forward, looking at Dextal's incomplete form "What happened to you?" he asks Dextral.
Dextral laughs and the sound crackles harshly like a speaker as he turns to look at Tails.
Dextral's voice is dark and metallic, much more machine-like than ever before "Nothing that I'm not going to return tenfold." His cruel smile falls to a sneer as his gaze shifts from Tails to CYBER.
"I am going to rip you bolt from bolt until there is nothing left but your memory drive to deliver to the boss," with that, all three Shadow Androids kick on their rocket boots and prepare to attack
