Chapter Twenty-Four: Lost Causes

That girl…she's commanding Sonic.

That girl…she might be older than Cosmo. But she's certainly not older than me, even without considering all this timeline jumping that places me older than I physically am.

I could take her. I think I could take her. But not while Angel's life is in Sonic's hands. And so I'm trapped, standing still. While I hear my own screaming echoing around inside my head.

The beeping of Chris's communicator nearly sent Amy shooting up a foot in the air. Even Chris released an exhale in a hiss. Only then did he answer the call so that Tails's face flashed to life across the screen.

"C2 says that's the leader of the Metarex," Tails said before either Chris or Amy could say a word.

"Her?" Chris said. He looked up at the girl across the clearing, then down at the communicator again. Like he couldn't believe it and needed a second glance to see what revealed her as such.

"And she didn't say anything about that sooner?" Amy demanded.

Chris glanced her way. Though he said nothing, Amy could read in his eyes his agreement with her point. "What do you think, Tails?" Chris asked instead. "Are you saying you think it's too risky to save Angel?"

And just like that, the last thread of Amy's temper abruptly snapped.

"We already left Sonic and Cosmo behind and look what happened!" Amy exclaimed, barely keeping her voice hushed despite the closeness of the threats. "I'm not about to give up one more of our own to this monster!"

Both Tails and Chris fell silent for a long moment. And then: "If you're willing to take the risk," Tails said with a heavy finality, "then I am too."

In silent confirmation, Amy wrapped a second hand around the handle of her hammer. She peeked over the top of the bush to see that girl…that Metarex close the gap between herself and Sonic.

"Did you not understand what I said? Take. The. Time Whisperer," she demanded. "And if that is too much for you, kill her. Prove your worth, Blue Seed, if you wish that friend of yours to go unharmed."

Cosmo.

-X-X-X-

Tails's View

Tails only half-listened to Black Thorn's berating of Sonic. While she was distracted, this was the only chance they had of getting out of here alive. She hadn't noticed the Blue Typhoon yet. They were only a clearing away, though. If she did see their craft, would she call the full force of the Metarex down upon them?

"She's leaving!" C2 shouted across the bridge. She still stood directly in front of the screen hanging over the captain's seat. "Sonic's still got hold of Angel and isn't moving, but Black Thorn is leaving."

"That's the first break this timeline's given us," Tails muttered as he double-checked his final calculations. "Let's not waste it."

Tails spun away from the side panels of the bridge to drop into the captain's chair. He released a heavy exhale. It did nothing to release the tension in his chest. He tapped a button on the console to connect to the engine room. "You ready, Knuckles?"

"The Master Emerald's stable," Knuckles said. "Let's do this."

"Then here we go," Tails said. And he pressed one final button. "Initiating the Sonic Driver."

-X-X-X-

Shadow's View

At the sound of air compression, then release, followed by metal scraping against metal, Shadow spun around in time to see the deck of the ship opening up behind him. From there arose a familiar blue cannon that dwarfed the palm trees on either side. Shadow grunted affirmatively at the sight.

Finally, something with which he knew what to do.

So, without further instruction, Shadow leapt up and dashed down the barrel of the cannon.

-X-X-X-

Amy's View

Even though the girl—the leader of the Metarex—commanded Sonic to follow in her wake, he remained still in the clearing with Angel still struggling to prevent her father from strangling her. Like a war continued on inside him. Like some part of Sonic still existed in that Metarex shell.

That would only make what happened next harder.

Chis had his communicator flipped open beside Amy so she would hear Tails's mark. Meanwhile, Amy slowly straightened her legs. Her head would be visible above their cover, but perhaps if she moved slowly enough, her movement wouldn't catch the attention of Metarex-Sonic.

Hearing Tails announce the start-up sequence for the Sonic Driver over the communicator and knowing it was not Sonic running down the barrel of the cannon, knowing Sonic was instead their target, drove a sword into Amy's chest. The blade struck not only her heart but her lungs, and she struggled to breathe despite it.

"Channeling power from the Master Emerald to the main cannon," Tails reported from the communicator.

Amy shifted her hammer onto her shoulder. Her eyes locked on Metarex-Sonic. Her eyes burned, and she blinked quickly to clear her vision.

No tears, said the voice of Sonic in Amy's head.

"Pressurizing cannon," Tails said.

So much for no tears. Amy swiped her forearm across her eyes and replaced her hand on the handle of her hammer.

"Pressurization complete," said Tails.

The hand Sonic held to Angel's throat twitched. Angel grabbed his wrist and tried to push up against it. "Daddy, please," Angel's small voice of struggle echoed too clearly in the clearing.

While Sonic had before been completely still, frozen as he gripped Angel's throat, he was twitching now. Either Sonic or the Metarex skin had won the struggle.

They were out of time.

"Shadow, start your spin," Tails said.

Sonic started to turn, Angel still in hand.

"Amy, NOW!" Tails shouted.

Amy sprung out from her hiding place. Immediately, her world darkened on either side of her path. She sprinted down the light that remained. Her world was nothing more than that light and Metarex-Sonic at the end of it. She heard a buzzing in her ears and nothing more. He started to turn her way.

And she swung her hammer with all her strength at his torso.

The blow radiated up Amy's arms. But she refused to lose her grip on the hammer. She pushed through the follow-through. Sonic dropped Angel and went flying under the force of the blow.

Amy grabbed Angel's hand and dragged her to her feet. Only to shove them both to the side and down to the ground.

Just in time to hear Shadow erupt from the Sonic Driver.

Shadow ripped by as a spinning cannonball overhead. He smashed directly into Metarex-Sonic. Amy winced at the sound. The arm she had against Angel pressed her more tightly against the ground. But then Chris's hand grabbed Amy's wrist and started dragging her upright. "We have to go!" he shouted.

Amy pulled Angel up with her. Angel choked beside her but still all three of them sprinted for the Blue Typhoon. Behind her, Shadow shoved Sonic through the trees.

No tears, Amy's heard Sonic's voice say in her head once more.

"Sorry," she whispered without explanation to Chris or Angel beside her. As she ran away from the boy she loved. As tears flowed freely down her face.

-X-X-X-

Shadow's View

When Shadow uncurled from his spin, he paid little mind to the trees fallen in his wake. Instead, he reached across his body and grabbed one of the inhibitor rings encircling his wrists. But he didn't pull it off right away. He waited. He waited and stared down at Meaterx-Sonic driven deep into the dirt.

Shadow couldn't see through the plating, see if Sonic was truly beneath the surface. See if there was any light left in Sonic's eyes. So for a moment, Shadow just stared. Debated. Could it have been so easy? Could this be the opportunity to claim Sonic and deprive the Metarex of a weapon?

Then Sonic's fingers twitched around the Chaos Emerald.

Shadow jumped forward. He ripped the Chaos Emerald from Sonic's grasp before his clawed fingers could clutch tight. Even as Shadow jumped back, the metal fingers of Sonic's hand twitched, searching for the Chaos Emerald that they held only a moment ago. Sonic's limbs moved awkwardly, robotically, like the Metarex shell moved completely on its own, entirely divorced from Sonic's mind. Shadow's stomach churned at the sight.

Did he have minutes or only seconds before Metarex-Sonic got to his feet and fought back once more? Shadow couldn't risk bringing this thing back to the Blue Typhoon. Back to Nova. If this Metarex got his legs back under him before Shadow got back to the Typhoon, they would miss their chance to escape.

The Metarex shell planted its feet on the ground.

Shadow spun around and sprinted back for the Blue Typhoon without waiting to see what happened next.