-Chapter 299-
Peanut Butter and Clams
Party Barge
Sonic zipped along the deck, stopping for a moment to catch his breath.
"Whew! Alright, got away from Sally. Now, to put Operation Cruise Blues 2 in effect." He scratched his chin in thought. "Shadow, Knuckles, and Kat were a bust. I already pulled this stunt on Tails, Chris, and Keith. And Hope would see right through it. So, that just leaves…"
"AAAAAND voilà!"
Sonic perked as he rounded a corner, where he saw Amy performing a magic trick for Cream and Cheese.
"Is this your card?" Amy asked, holding up a two of Diamonds.
"It is!" Cream cheered as she and Cheese applauded, eliciting a bow from Amy.
As he watched the scene, Sonic couldn't help but smirk, a lightbulb going off in his head.
"That was amazing, Amy!" Cream said. "How did you do that?"
"Sorry, Cream," Amy replied, giving her a playful wink. "A good magician never reveals her secrets."
"Yo!" Sonic chimed in, causing Amy to yelp as he slid right next to Cream with a large, innocent smile.
"Sonic!" the pink hedgehog shouted.
"Hey there, Ames," Sonic greeted. "Did I scare ya?"
Amy blushed, looking away irritably. "N-No! I was just…startled, that's all."
"Riiiiiiiiiight…" Sonic clapped his hands. "So, what are you girls up to? I thought you were catching fish for Big."
"We were, we're just taking a break."
"Amy's showing Cheese and I some magic tricks with her cards," Cream explained. "She's really good!"
"Magician?" Sonic said, feigning interest. "As I recall, you called yourself a fortune teller when you came to Knothole the first time."
Cream's face lit up at that. "Really? Does that mean you can see the future, Amy?"
"Ehhh…kinda."
"That's so cool! Could you show us, please!?"
"Alright, alright," Amy said. "Lemme just get my other deck."
Amy held up the deck of cards she'd been using, and with a flick of her wrist, replaced with a different, fancier-looking deck, it out to show off several of the pictures.
"Ta-da! My Fortune Cards!"
"Ooooh, pretty…" Cream let out in awe. Even Sonic was impressed.
"Okay, wow, that don't look like any cards I've ever seen. Where are the spades? The Kings? The Jokers?"
"Fortune Cards aren't like regular playing cards, Sonic. Each card depicts a different, unique character or symbol, each with its own meaning."
Sonic nodded in understanding. "I see…"
"So, how do they work?" Cream asked.
"Well first, I need to know what kind of fortune I'm telling. Ask a question, anything."
"Let's see…" Sonic scratched his chin, scrunching up his face as he faux-contemplated what to ask. "How about…Will this be a fun vacation?"
"Ooh, that's a good one!" Cream said.
"Alright then." Amy picked up her deck. "Now, I just need to shuffle the cards."
"Sonic!" Sally called out as she walked along the ship. "Sonic!"
She grimaced as she didn't get a reply.
"Sonic, I know you're here somewhere! You can't hide from me forever!"
"Everything okay down there, Sally?"
Sally looked up and saw Chris sitting at a computer terminal hooked up to the Party Arm waving down at her.
"Chris, have you seen Sonic by any chance?"
Chris shook his head. "Sorry, we've been up here doing some last-minute checks on the Party Arm this whole time."
He motioned to Tails and Tanaka, who were busy tinkering around with the arm's internal circuity.
"I believe the yellow Chaos Drive goes here," Tanaka said, pointing to a section of the power cell.
"No, that's where the red Drive goes," Tails corrected.
"Well, if you see him, be sure to let me know," Sally instructed. "I think we may be in for another case of Cruise Blues."
"Cruise Blues?" Chris paused, then snapped his fingers in understanding. "Oh yeah, that stunt he pulled last time! Yeah…I figured as much when he provoked Knuckles like that."
"We're quite fortunate he's more disciplined than he lets on," Tanaka replied. "Master Sonic could learn a thing or two from him."
"Tell me about it." Sally sighed harshly. "Honestly, I don't know what I find more vexing, that he'd go so far as to sabotage the trip for everyone just to get out of it or that he tried to provoke Knuckles into wrecking the boat to do it."
"Don't worry, Sally," Tails cut in, patting down the haul. "The Party Barge is a lot sturdier than it looks. It'd take more than an angry Knuckles to even dent it, let alone damage it. Everything's gonna be al–"
Just then, the ship came to a sudden stop, causing Tails to lose his balance and fall over, his namesake being the only thing keeping from going overboard.
"Whew!" he let out. "Close one."
"What in the world was that!?" Sally demanded.
"Hold on, lemme check." Chris turned back to the computer and began inputting some commands, causing a diagram of the ship to pop up. "Hmmm…looks like something's jammed up the propellers. We probably hit a reef or a sand barge or something."
"Great, just what we needed," Sally groaned as she pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Don't worry, Sally. We designed all the ship's upgrades. We can get her moving in no time!"
Chris turned to Tanaka.
"Mr. Tanaka, ready the Sea Kit!"
"At once, Master Chris."
Once again, Tanaka walked over to a panel on the haul and pressed a button. The ship rumbled as a section of the deck opened up and a platform rose, revealing a miniature, red-orange submarine.
"Sally, say hello to the Party Barge's multipurpose mini-sub: the Sea Kit!"
Sally gaped in disbelief. "You…added a submarine?"
"Mini-sub," Chris specified. "It's meant for little things like maintenance and quick trips, so it doesn't have a lot of tools and weapons. Plus, it's only big enough for one person."
"Still…with everything you put onto it, where did you find the space!?"
"Well…"Chris began, before Tanaka cleared his throat. "Right, propellers. Tails?"
"On it!"
Sally watched as Tails flew over to the Sea Kit, and hopped inside.
"Alright, Chris, I'm all set," his voice echoed from a speaker on the Party Arm computer terminal.
"Roger, beginning Sea Kit deployment sequence. Mr. Tanaka?"
"All systems are green," the butler said with a thumbs up.
Chris nodded, then began typed away furiously at the keyboard, causing the Party Arm to hum to life. The massive arm roared as it carefully maneuvered itself over the Sea Kit. The crane then proceeded to open and descend, grabbing ahold of the submarine before lifting it off the platform. Once it had fully retracted, the arm slowly turned to the side so the crane was positioned over the ocean.
"Master Chris," Tanaka spoke up. "The arm is in position and the water is clear."
"Alright." Chris nodded. "Tails?"
"All systems check out here. I'm ready to take the plunge whenever you are."
Chris grinned, lifting his finger in to the air. "Alright then, commencing plunge in 3…2…1…"
Chris brought his finger down on the Enter key, practically smashing it. As soon as he did, the crane claw opened up, releasing the Sea Kit and dropping into the ocean with a loud splash.
"And with that, the Sea Kit begins its maiden voyage!" the young billionaire genius cheered. "Pretty awesome, huh Sally?"
"It's certainly something," she replied. "Anyway, I'll let you two get to work. I need to get back to finding Sonic."
"Gotcha, we'll let you know if something comes up," Chris said.
With that, Sally nodded and went off to resume her search.
"Alright, Tails," Chris said, returning his attention to the computer. "What's going on down there? See anything?"
"Not yet. I'm heading for the propellers now. Let's see…"
Chris reached for a can of Chao Cola in a nearby cooler as he watched as Tails made his way to the back of the ship, indicated by a yellow dot heading in that direction on the ship diagram he'd pulled up.
"Wow, what a view," the fox said. "Cosmo would've loved this."
"Maybe if she's not busy next time, you should invite her to come with us," Chris said knowingly as he popped open the can. "Maybe take her for a cruise in the Sea Fox?"
Chris took a moment to imagine Tails' embarrassed face as the fox choked a little over the comm line.
"Y-Yeah, I…oh! I think I see the propellers no…whaaaaaa…?"
"Tails?"
"Chris, I found what's wrong with the propellers."
"Really? Great! What is it? Sand barge? Kelp tangle? Badniks?"
"It's…it's covered in peanut butter."
There was silence.
"...Peanut butter?"
"Hang on, I'll get you a visual."
Chris took a swig of cola as an incoming transmission box appeared in the corner of the screen. He reached out and touched it, causing it to open up…and immediately spat his drink out when he did.
"What the hell!?"
Chris couldn't believe what he was seeing. For as long as he'd been tinkering with machines, he'd been cleaning out strange things from their parts; especially after he'd joined the Brain Trust. But this was unlike anything he had ever seen. The Party Barge's propellers were completely covered in gunk. Nothing he hadn't seen before. The gunk, however, was not like any other ocean gunk. It wasn't grainy like sand or even sludgey like mud. It looked smooth, creamy, and…sticky. What's more, it was the wrong color. It was brown. A bright, yellow-tannish brown. A brown he'd only seen in jars at the supermarket and sandwiches he'd had in elementary school.
"You have got to be kidding me. Peanut butter… out here in the ocean." Chris rubbed his face.
"Well, that's what it looks like," Tails rebutted. "Hang on, lemme get a sample."
Chris watched as a pair of mechanical arms crept into view. They reached into the nut-colored goop, eliciting a moist glorping sound. Unfortunately, when they attempted to withdraw…
"Uh-oh…"
The arms continued to pull themselves free from the goop, but no matter what, neither of them budged.
"Chris, I'm stuck!"
"Tails, calm down. Just activate the laser cutters."
"I'm trying, but it's not working! The gunk must be blocking the machinery!"
"Crap…" Chris said with a grimace. "Maybe the plasma from my Nitro Glove can break it. Just gimme a sec to get ready."
With that, Chris got up from his seat and made his way back to the deck.
"Mr. Tanaka, where did you put the scuba gear?"
"In the cargo hold, section 3," he replied. "The Nitro Gloves are in section 1, as per your request."
"Thanks." With that, he ran off.
-X-
Sapphire Seas - Underwater
Far below the Party Barge, deep down on the ocean floor, a large tuna leisurely swam along. It passed by the coral reefs, as it had done so many times in the past, not a care in the world or a thought in its head. Little did the unsuspecting fish realize, however, that today, he had a guest. A very hungry and determined guest.
Kat lurked behind a small bed of coral, eyeing the tuna as it continued its way through the reef. It was big, easily two meters long, and was positively plump and fatty. A catch like that would no doubt delight Keith and the others when she grilled it up…and secure her victory over Knuckles. Carefully, she readied her spear, doing her best to swim as quickly, yet quietly as she could. Then, once she felt she was close enough, thrust her weapon forward with all the speed she could muster. Unfortunately, the tuna had either sensed her presence or something to eat and bolted away even faster, causing her to just barely knick its tail.
She let out a frustrated grunt (no doubt a Chunese expletive), before reclaiming her spear and preparing to give chase. But before she could, she caught a glimpse of something just out the corner of her eye. Turning her head to the side, Kat nearly let out what air she had in her lungs as she found herself staring at the biggest clam she had ever seen. It was massive, big enough to hold at least three, full-grown Mobians lying down. It was also colorful, having a bright orange shell and light yellow "lips".
At first, she didn't think it was real, given its outrageous size and pigment. She poked at it with her spear, thinking it might be a rock or a mud mound. Her suspicions were dispelled when the clam briefly opened its mouth, giving her a small glimpse of its yellow, fleshy interior. Forget the tuna, the others were going to love this!
She swam around the clam, examining every inch of it with Keith-like scrutiny until she found what she was looking over: the clam's hinges, the spot that allowed it to open up; specifically, a small, exposed part of flesh. Kat raised her spear above her head, angling it just right, thrust forward…
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
And nearly choked as it let out a pained - and distinctly human-sounding - scream. Kat ended up screaming as well, releasing the last of her air reserves in a panic. She covered her mouth, trying to maintain what little oxygen she still had in her lungs before attempting to swim for the surface. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough.
Kat's eyes watered as something caught her ankle, preventing her from leaving the reef. She tried to pull free, but the lack of oxygen robbed her of her strength, leaving her as helpless as ever. Just then, there was a low "bwong" sound, followed by a rush of cold. She felt as though she'd just surfaced, the cold water on her body feeling colder on contact with the cold air.
AIR!
She gasped and choked, coughing up the water she had swallowed before collapsing on the strange, spongy surface she was now on. It was only once she had managed to regain proper oxygen flow that she realized just how strange this whole thing was.
A quick glance down at herself revealed that her body had been encased in a transparent, bubble-like membrane of air. She could breathe, thankfully, but she couldn't tell how much air she had, which meant activating her fire was out of the question. She didn't want to risk speaking either, knowing it would waste precious oxygen.
"What the hell is going on?" she thought. "What is this?"
It was then that she noticed a new accessory that she didn't have earlier: a turquoise pendant in the shape of a water droplet mounted in stone.
"An Air Charm," she let out, remembering the accessory from her trip to Mer-. "Meropis… A sea mobian?"
She looked around, trying to find where her savior was, but saw nothing. Nothing but the yellow, spongy cushion she was on. A yellow, spongy cushion inside an orange shell .
"I'm so sorry!" a female voice cried out…one directly above her.
Finally, it clicked. She was sitting in the shell of the giant clam she'd found. A Mobian clam. Before she could react though, the area grew dim and a loud, creaking noise greeted her ears.
"Oh shit!"
She tried to swim for it, but her muscles weren't ready to move properly yet, meaning there was nothing she could do before the giant clam slammed shut around her. Kat pounded at the shell of the clam, desperately trying to get out, but her physical weakness and the shell's hardness made that impossible. She attempted to call for help, but nobody was there…nobody but a single figure.
The figure was a yellow, marine Mobian with a white muzzle and wavy, hair-like tendrils styled into a ponytail by a pearl hair tie. She wore a green and black one-piece swimsuit with no back, allowing a set of four, wing-like growths to spread freely. She had similar growths on her wrists and ankles, as well as a set of pearl bracelets and anklets.
She looked down at the clam apologetically, her blue eyes heavy with regret before holding up one of her bracelets to her mouth.
"Aegis to Captain Fluke," she said. "Aegis to Captain Fluke. Can you hear me? Come in, Captain."
"Easy there, kiddo," a deep, booming voice replied. "I can hear ya just fine. What's up?"
"I managed to capture one of the Freedom Fighters," Aegis continued. "One of the humans. The one with red hair."
"Winters?" Fluke whistled. "Dang, girl, you managed to nab her ? Heh, not too shabby for a rookie."
Aegis blushed. "I-It was nothing…I only managed to catch her because I scared her and she almost drowned."
Fluke paused. "Wait…you didn't…?"
"NO!" Aegis screamed before calming down. "No, I-I gave her an Air Charm. She's weak but… But she's alive a-and in one of my shells."
"Good girl," Fluke replied, satisfied. "I'll head on over to pick her up, just hang tight, alright?"
"Yessir." Aegis nodded. "I won't let her out of my…"
Just then, something darted through the water, faster than the eye could see, kicking up sand from the reef and sending Aegis spinning into another patch of coral, leaving her bruised and discombobulated.
"Owwww…"
"Aegis? Aegis, you okay? What happened?"
"I dunno…" She shook her head as she swam back up. "I…Ohno!"
"Aegis, what's wrong?"
Aegis' jaw dropped as she stared down the empty spot where the shell once was.
"The human…she's gone!"
Author's Note:
Well now, that's foreboding. But at least Kat got away, right?
...
Right?
Uhhhh...please R&R! Until next time!
