*It has been a while since Amy has made an appearance so I would recommend catching up on chapters 39, and 82 of the main Realm Lord story (chapters 45, 46, 92 on )

Chapter 86

Free Rider

As the sun dipped beneath the distant horizon, it flashed the last rays of its orange brilliance upon a canvas of clear sky. Amy watched in awe as the fireworks exploded against this backdrop, transforming the vista into a living artwork. The entire spectacle left her speechless and entirely captivated. Her hand drifted over the grass and touched his. She did not even remember consenting to do so. It was as if her body was acting out of the abundance of joy inside her heart.

Sonic leaned back on one arm, the other lying lazily beside him neither refusing nor engaging Amy's touch. He had already grown bored of the fireworks and was now entertaining himself by inspecting a rock. After a while, Sonic smiled to himself and tossed the stone down the hill and watched it roll towards the nearby trees. "Cool show," He said absently. "What's next?"

"There isn't anything next." Amy was always amazed by how Sonic's mind worked. His thoughts seemed to come and go as quickly as he did. "We are just supposed to watch. I heard the stars are supposed to look extra beautiful tonight."

Sonic sighed and pushed himself into an upright position. He stared up at the sky and pointed. "Look there's one." Amy followed his direction and saw a faint spark of white light just beyond a distant cloud. Sonic closed his hand as if to wrap the star between his thumb and pointer finger. "They look so small from here. I wonder if I'll ever get to visit one."

"Visit one?" Amy asked with a giggle. "You can't visit a star, you'll burn up."

"Not if I'm Super Sonic." Sonic extended his hand as if to reach out and pull the star down towards them.

"Even Super Sonic can't travel that far," Amy corrected. "Stars are lightyears away, you know what a light year is right?"

Sonic shrugged. "Some kind of action figure?"

Amy laughed and gave Sonic a playful punch on the arm. "It's the distance light travels in a year. That means far. Farther than we will ever go."

Sonic wasn't convinced. He lowered his arm and stared wistfully up at the sky. Amy risked inching a bit closer to him. She wanted him to look at her the way he was looking up at the distant star. Amy considered one of the drawbacks of Sonic's forward attitude was that he missed out on some of the beauty of the moment. You don't have to go so far away…However, thinking such things did not make it true. Sonic loved the chase, the pursuit, the call of adventure and the unknown, even if he did reach the stars, that would not satisfy him. He would just continue moving forward. Amy envied him for that. If what you wanted was always changing then you could never be disappointed. Thrill, discovery, adventure, these were inexhaustible wells that would never dry up.

Soon, Sonic lost interest in the star and he started to fidget. Amy knew that he wanted to leave, but she selfishly desired him to stay. "Thank you for watching the show with me," Amy started.

"No problem." Sonic pulled up a tuft of grass and let the blades fall through his fingers.

Amy moved a bit closer to him. Her heart seemed to alternate between slow to fast as she was flooded with nervous energy. She could feel the warmth coming from him. Before Sonic really noticed what was going on, her face was only a few inches from his. He blinked with a look of complete confusion on his face. "Hey, you're a little close don't you think-"

CRACK! Amy jolted awake with her pillow pressed up against her mouth. She recoiled at the sound of something striking her bars causing her to roll off the narrow strip of metal she called a bed. She fell hard onto the floor with a curse. Amy pushed herself up and groaned at the burning sensation in her lower back. A harsh white light flooded her cell. Her jailor's face blurred into focus. He grinned at her from the other side of the bars.

"Awake are we?" He asked with a sniveling little laugh. Her jailor had no nose and no teeth. Scars riddled his pockmarked face and every breath he took was an assault upon the ears. Amy did not know his name. She jumped back as the jailor stuck a metal rod between the cell bars and started clanging them. "Sleepy sleepy, time to eat." Amy said nothing. She had learned not to talk back to the jailor. He seemed to have a tenuous grasp on language, and took anything that Amy said as a grave insult.

Amy waited for him to have his fill of mocking her, before he slid a bowl of cold oatmeal into the metal slot. He laughed as Amy snatched the bowl and started scarfing down the contents. She didn't care. Modesty was not reserved for creatures like the jailor. She sat on the narrow slab of metal that counted as her bed and chair and finished her meal. The jailor soon lost interest in her and hobbled out of the room. The harsh white light vanished as the door closed behind him, leaving Amy in semi-darkness.

Her stomach growled as she finished her bowl. She gazed longingly at the scraps around the edges before putting it aside. With a yawn, Amy laid back down and tried to recapture the bliss of her dream. However, she hardly remembered what she was dreaming about now. She knew it had something to do with Sonic, all of her dreams since she had been imprisoned had featured Sonic in some capacity. Amy wondered how he was doing and whether or not his rebellion against Eggman had been successful.

Amy often thought of her last conversation with Sonic, and her choice to lend him the Sol Gem. She had chosen to act on her faith in Sonic, trusting that somehow things would still work out. It had not taken long for her to realize how naive her thinking was. Jeffrey Goldstone had pulled the wool from her eyes revealing his true nature. Amy had failed him, and worse she had given up one of his precious Sol Gems. He dropped the act of the concerned third party and made it clear that his intention was to use Sonic to destroy GUN. In the end, an open market, with Sol Gems available to all benefited the Goldstone Corporation, because they would find a way to make sure they profited the most. While GUN wanted to control the entire world, Jeffrey and his father were content to help pave the way for a new, better world, as long as the money passed through their hands.

Amy had been locked away in a tiny cell with her only companion being the small television which ran nothing but the news. Amy had watched in horror as GUN extended its wave of tyranny, using the threat of Metal Sonic to slowly steal autonomy away from other nations. It seemed every government on earth was willing to give away their right to self determination in order to purchase GUNs defenses against the possibility of another firing of the Eclipse Canon.

Today, the news displayed another urgent message. Every broadcast since Amy had been imprisoned had presented itself as 'urgent' or 'breaking'. It appeared that terror was the order of the day, every day. A distressed looking woman in a gray pinstripe suit stood in front the U.F capitol building. "Acting president Argus Smith announced this morning that one of the terrorists responsible for the assassination of president Alexander has been taken into custody. GUN officials have confirmed that the attack is indeed linked with the global terrorist known as Metal Overlord. U.F press secretary Erica Zabini warns that there could be a major attack as reprisal for the capture. The capitol issued a series of executive orders, including a controversial order to allow GUN agents free reign over any and all suspected terrorists."

Amy tuned out the rest of the broadcast. She no longer expected to hear any news about Tails or her other friends. She laid down against her stone bed and stared up at the ceiling. Her hands itched by her sides and there was a perverse twisting inside her stomach. Amy had been captured more than a few times, but never for an extended period of time. Boredom and periods of hunger were expected, what she had not expected was the withdrawal. It sickened her to realize just how dependent she had become on her phone. Goldstone had taken it from her before locking her in the cell, and it was as if he had taken away a part of who she was.

Every few minutes, her fingers would twitch, or she would bring her empty hand up to her face. However, it was more than just missing the habit, she felt physically sick as well. Her head felt fuzzy and it was difficult for her to focus. She would not have slept well even if they had furnished her cell with the most lavish bed.

A heavy weight anchored inside her heart, one that swelled with every anxious thought. Anytime she thought of Sonic, or worried about her other friends, or felt ashamed for her current state, the weight would increase. The world was being taken over, and Amy was powerless to do anything. She could not even exist without her phone. Sonic had trusted her, put his faith in her and the rest of his friends, but she was not worthy of his trust, just as she had not been worthy of him.

"No," Amy said aloud. Her voice was slightly hoarse from lack of use. She sat back up and tried to shake her head clear of self defeating thoughts. "I can't give up. No matter what." CRACK! The dim lights of the cell block suddenly died out. Amy let out a cry of shock and leapt to her feet. A second later the television screen went dark, leaving her in complete darkness. Amy retreated to the far side of her cell. Ahead of her, all she could see was a solid block of black.

BANG! BANG! Amy crouched down and covered her head. BANG! BANG! The noise was coming from above the cell block. Amy heard the sound of rushing footsteps, of things falling over and shattering glass. Brrrrrrt! Brrrrrt! She yelped and cowered into a ball at the sound of gunfire. "COVER the exit!" GET JEFFREY OUT!" There were more screams and even more gunfire. BANG! Something hit the cell block door. BANG! Amy squealed before slapping a hand over her mouth. BANG! The door flew off its hinges. Three floating lights came rushing forward. Amy could just make out the silhouette of three armored soldiers. She pushed herself into the corner of her cell.

The soldiers quickly confirmed that the other cells were empty before making their way to Amy. The lights connected to their rifles illuminated her cell, easily giving her away. "HANDS UP!" They barked.

Amy complied at once. She raised her hands feebly into the air and stood up. "Stand back," The center soldier growled. Amy retreated as the soldier aimed his rifle at the cell lock. BANG. The lock exploded and the cell bars flung open. CRACK! Amy threw her bowl and struck one soldier in the head. She blitzed forward and slid beneath their feet before either of the soldiers could get a round off. Amy twisted around, tripping them up with her legs as she leapt back to her feet. She seized the cell bars and heaved them backward, slamming the metal against one soldier's face, and knocking him out. For the last, Amy cupped her hands together and brought her fists down as if she still had her hammer. The impact made the soldier's eyes roll into the back of his head and he slumped to the floor.

Amy did not waste another second. She raced out of the cell block and found herself in the middle of a firefight. Black garbed soldiers were shooting at Jeffrey's private security team, and the gunfire had covered the upper floors in smoke. Amy used the cover to move through the arena, she slid beneath tables and leapt over furniture as she avoided the continuous spray of gunfire.

A narrow staircase brought Amy up to her destination. The door to Jeffrey's office had been thrown down. All the furniture inside was laying in pieces, and three bodies lay face down on the carpet. Amy did her best to ignore this as she made her way over to the display case at the far end. Bullets had broken the glass casing, but her hammer had been left in place. She took her Piko Piko hammer and gave it a hearty swing. Time to get out of here.

Amy raced out of the office. Battle was raging on the lower floors, so Amy decided she would try and get out using the rooftop. She darted through a series of tight hallways before she saw a sign indicating access to the roof. "Hey!" Amy turned back to see GUN soldiers rounding the distant corner.

Brrrt! Brrrt! Amy doubled her speed. She sped up to the door and entered the stairwell. Once she closed the door, she smashed the handle with her hammer, hoping it would at least slow her pursuers down. Dizzy with adrenaline, Amy suddenly got another idea. She reached down and tore a strip of fabric from the hem of her skirt. She tossed it onto the steps leading down. Maybe they'll go the wrong way.

Amy didn't waste anymore time. She ran up the stairs, but as she reached the rooftop door she heard voices. Amy paused to listen. "No! Please no! You can't do this to me? Listen, get me out of here, and I swear I'll pay you double, no triple!" The man in distress was easily identified as Jeffrey Goldstone.

"No more empty promises." Returned another voice. "You've reached the end of the line, and you're finally going to pay up."

Amy knew this voice as well. It was Storm the Albatross. "Sorry Jeffrey darling, but you've dug your own grave." The alluring voice must have been Wave the Swallow.

"No…please…listen…you don't have to do this.."

Amy couldn't listen anymore. She flung open the door and raced outside. The Babylon Rogues stood at the edge of the rooftop. Wave and Storm held Jeffrey by the arms, his feet were dangling over the city streets. "Let him go!" Amy roared as she raised her hammer.

Jet, who had been brooding a few paces away from the others, jerked awake and examined her with mild curiosity. "So you're still alive. And free as well. You're more capable than you look."

Amy took a few more steps forward. "Let him go. I know he's done wrong, but you can't just kill him."

"Why not?" Storm asked with genuine wonder. "We've gotten everything we can get from this guy, now we just need his access key, so we can take the rest of all that he has."

"Better that we have it rather than GUN," Wave agreed.

Amy inched forward. "This isn't right."

"We're thieves," Jet said casually. "We don't care. He isn't paying us enough to save him from GUN, besides, there isn't any point in trying. We just want what's ours so we can disappear."

"There has to be another way," Amy pleaded. Jeffrey was looking at her, his eyes wide with terror.

"Please…listen to her. Amy…I…I'm sorry…Listen, I will help all of you just-"

Snap. Jet snapped his fingers and Jeffrey let out a scream of terror. Wave had let him go, now one of his arms dangled freely in the open air. "Give us the access key, and I guess we will let you up," Jet said coldly.

"Fine! Fine! Whatever you want!" Jeffrey reached into his jacket pocket and withdrew a sleek metal device. He pressed his thumb atop the scanner and it opened. Jeffrey reached up and Wave took out a small red key.

"Thanks sweety," She said with a blown kiss.

Amy relaxed slightly. "Now just let him up and-"

Jet did not even need to give the order. As soon as Wave turned back with the key, Storm relaxed his grip. Jeffrey's final scream echoed in Amy's ears as he vanished from the rooftop.

Amy screamed and turned away in horror. The Babylon Rogues laughed. Wave tossed the red key up and down as she waltzed over to Jet. "This shouldn't take long." Jet nodded and she and Storm rushed towards the door. Amy watched them go with a sinking feeling in her stomach.

"You didn't have to do that…" She said feebly.

Jet shrugged. "He was no use to us anymore. Besides, we probably did him a favor. GUN would have dragged things out." Jet took a few steps towards Amy, his blue eyes narrowed with suspicion. "Speaking of, you had best get out of here. GUN will still want you, after all."

Amy tightened her grip around her hammer. "I can take care of myself." Her voice cracked and only served to make Jet shake his head.

"I wonder what GUN would pay to have us bring you to them?"

Amy crept backward. She did not like the way Jet was looking at her. "I'm not afraid of you."

Jet ignored her. "I wonder why they want you so badly? What could you do for them?" He continued to move forward. Amy tried to hold her ground, but she found herself continuously creeping backward. Her boots reached the edge of the rooftop. "We'll need money now that we've lost our best client," Jet continued. 'It will take a fortune to keep us under GUN's radar."

"Is that all you care about?" Amy snapped. "They're trying to take over the world!"

"Someone is always taking over the world," Jet replied dryly.

Amy could not go back any further. Her hands slipped on her hammer as she prepared to swing. Jet's eyes darted to hers and Amy knew she would not get another chance. She bent her knees, rooting her in place as she reared back. BANG! The rooftop door burst open. GUN soldiers came racing forward.

They aimed their rifles at Jet and moved to form a circle around him. There was a brief moment of hesitation then the forward soldier fired. The bullet narrowly missed Jet by a few inches. "No!" Without thinking, Amy thrust herself in front of Jet and spread out her arms. The soldiers did not fire again. Clearly, they had orders to bring Amy in alive.

"Move aside!" They shouted.

Amy shook her head defiantly. One of the faceless soldiers scooted forward. He aimed his rifle in the gap under Amy's arms and fired. Amy moved and the bullet struck her in the shoulder. The impact made her double back and the heel of her boot struck the edge of the rooftop. Amy toppled backwards, her hammer flung out of her hands and she grasped the empty air.

Rain pelted her face as she dropped. Amy's heart leapt into her throat as she screamed. It was over. Amy could not slow her descent, and she knew that a hard ground was rushing up to meet her. She closed her eyes and tried to breathe slowly. She did not want her last moment to be one of panic and dread. "Sonic"...

Suddenly, there was a hum of rushing energy. Pink light flashed into Amy's face and she felt the air around her start to vibrate. She opened her eyes in time to see something green seize her around the middle. Amy groaned as she was suddenly heaved upward. Her feet were placed delicately on some kind of metal board. Amy staggered as she tried to orient herself. She was floating above the city. Amy cried out in dismay and felt strong arms hold her firm.

"Hold on." Jet covered his face with his goggles. He dipped the floating board down slightly and it shot forward like a rocket. The pain in her shoulder mixed with the terror of the moment was too much for Amy. Her vision blurred and everything became dark.