-Chapter 70-

Down in the Dumps

Station Square

It had been a few days since the Freedom Fighters were captured. Not one to give up a chance to gloat, Robotnik had broadcast his victory all across Mobius. Entire cities had gone into lockdown, including Station Square. Inside the Thorndyke household, three sets of concerned guardians were all gathered. Pacing around the living room and wringing her hands was Laura Kent, Keith's mother. A pretty woman in her late thirties, Laura had long black hair in a ponytail and brown eyes like her son, which were hidden behind a pair of square-rimmed glasses.

"Laura, sit down," Sam urged, standing up. "You're just going to wear yourself out."

"I can't help it," Laura insisted.

"Please," Sam pleaded. "Keith wouldn't like it if you-"

That set Laura off. She whirled on him in a rage.

"How would you know what Keith would like?!" she demanded.

Sam was stunned. "Why would I not? He's my son too, Laura."

"Well, you sure as hell haven't been acting like it!" Laura snapped. "Always busy with your high-speed lifestyle! Why do you think we split up?! That I got full custody?! Now Keith is in the hands of the biggest monster on Mobius, and it's like you don't even care!"

Sam was left in stunned silence, and the look on his face immediately replaces Laura's anger with horror.

"Of course I care, Laura," Sam said after a moment. "I've always cared. You know why you got full custody? Because I wanted him to have a stable life with a stable parent." He put a hand on his chest. "I know I can't be that. All I've ever wanted is what's best for Keith, and right now, I'm scared to death about losing my son, our son, but I also know that Sonic will save him, and everyone else on that Aurora forsaken ship."

Laura winced at that before sitting down, looking at him with regret.

"Sam... I'm so sorry. Things have just been so rough and I've been so angry… You didn't deserve that."

Sam sat down next to her, pulling her into a hug.

"We're both scared. I get it.". he soothed. "I'll admit, you weren't entirely wrong. I haven't been as good a father to Keith as I should've been. When he gets back, that's gonna change."

Laura tightened her grip on him. Chuck Thorndyke, who had stuck his head in after the shouting started, gave them some space as he went to check on his son, Nelson. He found him and his wife, Lindsey Fair, in their office. Nelson was a tall man in his early forties with the same brown hair as Chris, but purple eyes, while Lindsey was a beautiful woman around the same age with the same orange hair as her brother Sam and the blue eyes of her son, with the addition of a beauty mark on her chin near the left corner of her mouth. Lindsey was weeping, while Nelson was on the phone.

"That's right, I want everyone on the lookout," he said. "A twelve year old boy with brown hair. He'll most likely be with another twelve year old boy with black hair and glasses, a red-haired girl, and a blonde girl. If you see them, bring them to Station Square immediately."

He hung up at that, before looking to see Chuck enter.

"Dad…" Nelson sighed, rubbing his eyes.

"I haven't seen you this worked up since Chris ran away to the old cabin," Chuck mused.

Lindsey sniffled, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue.

"Our baby boy is in the hands of that monster Dr. Robotnik," she lamented. "We never should have let him join Sonic's group."

"Now, now, you and I both know we couldn't have stopped him from joining," Nelson cut in. "When he wants something, he will do anything to get it. Chris knows how to take care of himself. And you know it's never wise to underestimate a Thorndyke."

"Exactly," Chuck put a comforting hand on Lindsey's back. "Chris is a tough kid. There's nothing Robotnik can do to him that will ever keep him down. And even if what Robotnik said is true and Sonic is trapped in some alternate dimension, you know he'll find a way to win. He's never let us down before, and he won't now."

"Precisely," another voice cut in.

They turned to see an older woman with grey-blonde hair and wrinkled blue eyes enter, resembling an older version of Hope. This was Hope's grandmother, Agnes Hopkins.

"Take heart," she assured. "Sonic will come through in the end. You'll see."

Lindsey managed a smile, blowing her nose. With that, the three groups of guardians convened in the living room, where a heavyset Soumercan (1) woman was pouring cups of tea.

"Tanaka suggested this," she told them. "A special Chun-nan blend to soothe the spirit."

They all took their cups, drinking their tea. All of them sighed, feeling their bodies and minds relaxing already.

"Just what I needed," Lindsey remarked. "Send Tanaka our thanks, Ella."

Ella nodded. "Cheer up. The children will be alright. I bet Sonic is saving them even as we speak."

Oil Desert Zone

Ella wasn't quite right. Sonic was trying to save them, and getting an A for effort, at least. But at the moment, he was struggling through a massive sandstorm that had whipped up and cut visibility down to practically nothing.

"Aurora-damn it!" he cursed. "Can't I catch a break just this once?!"

He struggled along for a while, an arm over his eyes to shield them from the sand, before scowling.

"Okay, screw it! I so don't have time for this!"

He curled into a ball and started rolling at top speeds, heading in a straight line following the wind, hoping to get ahead of it. He managed to clear the storm, and could see what looked like a massive refinery in the distance.

"There it is!" he cheered.

He made for it, and as he got closer, he saw that the refinery was full of garbage and scrap metal.

"Wow, this place is a dump. But it's a dump with shelter!"

He dove for one of the scrap piles, burrowing himself in as the sandstorm caught up with him. He hunkered down as the wind howled and the sand swirled.

Death Egg Mark II

The Death Egg was hovering idle for the night, so all of the Freedom Fighters were currently locked up. Keith was rubbing Kat's shoulders as Hope and Chris tried to tend to the chaffing under their shackles.

"I hate this…" Kat mumbled, keeping her voice low both from despair, and a desire to remain out of trouble.

"I know it sucks, but we just need to hang in there," Chris insisted.

"How long has it been?" Keith asked. "The days blend together."

"Four," Hope replied. "I think."

"Our families must be worried sick…" Chris sighed.

"Guys... be honest," Kat cut in. "Are we getting out of here?"

"Kat, please," Keith pleaded. "Don't give into despair. The minute you do, Eggman wins."

"I'm sorry… I just…" She shuddered, curling up. "The last time I was on this thing... I lost everyone. Everything I loved. I can't-" She began breaking down. "I can't go through that again."

On instinct, Keith pulled Kat into his arms. She stiffened, but allowed the embrace.

"That's not gonna happen," he soothed. "We're all making it out of here. Sonic is coming."

Kat clutched him, burying her face into his shoulder.

-X-

From the throne room, Robotnik watched the imprisoned Freedom Fighters on various security monitors. He had a large tub of popcorn in his lap, which he munched on like he was watching a hit movie. He grinned, chuckling darkly at the sight of Keith comforting a distraught Kat, much to Antoine's disgust.

"Enfoiré… (2)" he spat. "You're enjoying this... is this how you get your sick kicks?"

"Hardly, but I'm not against enjoying the moment." Robotnik replied.

"When Sonic comes, I hope he cracks you open like the bad egg you are," Antoine growled.

"You just keep thinking that that blue spikeball will save the day, my dear fool," Robotnik shot back. "It's always more gratifying to raise hopes before you... snatch them away."

Oil Desert Zone

After a few minutes that felt like hours, the sandstorm finally passed. Sonic peeked out of his hidey-hole before emerging completely. The first thing he did was remove his sneakers, pouring out small piles worth of sand.

"Ugh…" he groaned. "I have sand in places I didn't even know I had."

He shook himself free of sand, even knocking some out of his ear. With that, he pulled out the Miles Electric, scanning for the Chaos Emerald. He got a ping deeper within the facility.

"Guess I'm going dumpster diving," he mused, looking at the piles of rusty scrap metal. "Good thing I've had all my tetanus shots."

He began looking around, shifting through the garbage, most of it being wrecked Badniks and other refuse. As he looked, he heard the rumbling of machinery approaching.

"Oh boy…" Sonic turned to see a new Badnik, this one a large mechanical amalgamation of scrap metal. Its right arm was a cylindrical engine turbine while its left arm was a buzz saw, with four long spider-like legs.

"You're big," Sonic noted. "Any chance you're just some maintenance drone whose sole purpose is to deal with this place?"

"Alert!" the Scrap Mech declared. "Priority One: Hedgehog!"

It lashed out with the buzz saw, Sonic jumping away.

"Didn't think so." Sonic deadpanned.

The Scrap Mech stomped after Sonic, trying to either saw him or step on him as he ran around.

"Okay, you're big, but you have to have a weak spot!" Sonic insisted.

As he jumped over another saw attempt, the Miles Electric began vibrating. Sonic pulled it out, realizing the Chaos Emerald reading was coming from the mech.

"Of course," he realized. "You're centered on an electromagnet. And given your size, you'd need one heck of a power source. And what better than a Chaos Emerald?"

Focusing, he began sparking before revving into a Spin Dash and launching himself at it. He slammed into its feet, knocking it into the air and sending it crashing down. Once it landed, Sonic landed on top of it, prying pieces of metal away.

"Come on, come on, where's your core?" he demanded.

Eventually, his efforts bore fruit, and he came across the red Chaos Emerald buried deep within the heart of the machine.

"Yes!" He reached for it, but was instantly batted away as the bot got back up. "Oh, COME ON! Give me a Big! Fat! BREAK!"

The Scrap Mech stomped over to him, and Sonic got up with a growl.

"I don't have time for this," he spat. "I've got friends to protect. I'm getting that Chaos Emerald, even if I have to pry it from your cold, lifeless shell!"

Lightning danced across his body as he raced towards it once more. This time, he tore right through the robot, emerald in hand as the bot exploded, raining scrap metal down like confetti.

"And baby makes five." he declared, pocketing the gem before pulling out the Miles Electric.

"You're kidding…" he sighed, seeing the reading coming from above him. He let out an angry yell, kicking a piece of scrap.

"The sky?!" he shouted. "I need the Emeralds to GET THERE!"

He put a hand over his face, breathing deep and slow to calm down before an alternative hit him. "Of course... the Tornado! Why didn't I think of that before?"

He held up the Miles Electric.

"I know Tails summoned the rocket. How did he…" Sonic looked at the options and commands before groaning and sticking it back in his pocket. "Y'know what? I'll just run. An easy jog back to Knothole from here."

He took off, kicking up sand as he went.

Death Egg Mark II

Robotnik marched through the Death Egg, observing his enslaved workforce. Suddenly, he stopped short at the assembly line, seeing and hearing Chris and Keith leading a military chant against him (3).

"Eggman's got us breaking stones…" Chris chanted.

"We'd just like to break his bones…" Everyone else chanted back.

"Eggman's got us working hard…" Keith declared.

"Ooh, we hate that tub of lard!" Everyone shouted.

"Enough!" An eggbot shouted.

It tasered Keith, the boy crying out and nearly crumbling. However, Chris kept up the chant, and once his limbs stopped tingling, Keith pulled himself up and joined in again. Robotnik saw this and his fists clenched, and he wasn't the only witness to this small rebellion. From her spot on the floor cleaning, Mina also began chanting.

"Eggman's got us breaking stones! We'd just like to break his bones!"

Robotnik kicked her bucket, and she didn't even flinch, just keeping up the chant like nothing had happened.

"Eggman's got us working hard! Ooh, we hate that tub of lard!"

Robotnik raised his foot to kick Mina herself this time, and that was when Grimer came running in.

"Sir, the workers in the engine!" he exclaimed. "They've… started to sing."

"Oh, no…"

Robotnik ran down to the engine room. Sure enough, Knuckles, Kat, and Amy had taken up the chant, Kat's sorrow and despair replaced with a taunting grin.

"Eggman's got us working hard!" Kat declared.

"Ooh, we hate that tub of lard!" Knuckles and Amy recited.

Kat then turned to Eggman, grinning as she added her own little verse. "Sonic's gonna come for you! And he'll beat you black and blue!"

"SILENCE!" Robotnik roared.

The trio were quiet for only a minute before taking up the chant again with even more gusto.

"Gyah!" Robotnik ran out of the room, covering his ears. As he passed Eggatha's lab, he heard her and Bunnie singing it.

"Eggman's got us breaking stones!" Eggatha chanted.

"We'd just like to break his bones!" Bunnie chanted back.

"Eggman's got us working hard!" Eggatha continued.

"Ooh, we hate that tub of lard!" Bunnie declared.

They laughed as Robotnik stood there, agape. "Agatha?!"

Eggatha turned to him, simply shrugging her shoulders.

"What?" she defended. "It's catchy!"

"Do not let me catch you singing that song in my presence!" Robotnik ordered.

"Okay!" Eggatha assured.

Robotnik stalked off at that.

"...Think this counts as 'not in his presence'?" Eggatha asked.

"Oh, definitely." Bunnie nodded before they continued the chant.

As Robotnik passed the Prison Hall and Snively's lab, he heard Sticks and Shortfuse taking up the chant as well.

"Make it stop…" he let out.

He went to Sally's private cell, where she was doing the chant from inside.

"Eggman's got them working hard! Ooh, we hate that tub of lard!"

"Stop that insipid chant!" Robotnik snarled. "I command you!"

"Face it, Eggman," Sally replied. "You can never break our spirits. Also, their voices filter through the vents. And as long as they have hope, so do I."

She then turned to him and started belting the chant at the top of her lungs. Robotnik fled the cell, hurrying to the throne room and stopping in horror to see Johnny and Antoine not only singing the chant, but performing an energetic dance number to it.

"Eggman has us breaking stones!" Antoine recited.

"We'd just like to break his bones!" Johnny added.

That was when they saw Robotnik enter.

"Ah, the great heinie himself," Antoine greeted. "Are you entertained yet?"

Robotnik growled, grinding his teeth as his face turned beet-red.

"Temper, temper, my good sir," Johnny remarked. "You wouldn't want to pop a blood vessel. Actually, by all means, go on and blow one. I'd love to see it happen."

"This was not how it was supposed to go!" Robotnik ranted. "You're supposed to be broken! In despair before me!"

"Then I guess you don't know people as well as you think you do," Johnny said casually. "You miscalculated, Doc. We believe in Sonic more than we fear you."

"No, you miscalculated!" Robotnik spat. "You should fear me MORE!"

"We don't, Robotnik," Antoine replied. "Get over it."

Snarling, Robotnik stormed out, heading for his personal quarters... only to stop short to see even Snively, Grimer, and the 6-S squad had started up the chant.

"What do you think you're doing?!" he shouted.

"Sir, it's catchy," Snively defended.

"Yeah, it's got a good rhythm to it." Cubot added.

"I don't care!" Robotnik roared. "You do not sing songs making fun of me! Now get back to work!"

He stormed off, only to stop when they heard them picking it up again. He immediately doubled back, removing his left glove.

"Didn't you hear me?!" he shrieked. "I said STOP IT!"

He fired lasers at them repeatedly, sending them on the run before sighing and rubbing his temples.

"...I need a nap."

With that, he headed to his personal bedroom on the ship, slapping on earmuffs to avoid hearing the Freedom Fighters' continuous chanting as he drifted off to sleep.

Author's Note:

(1): Mobian equivalent to Hispanic/Latino people.

(2): "You bastard" in French, according to Google Translate

(3): Sung to the tune of "I Don't Know, But I've Been Told".

Seems the Freedom Fighters are down, but not out yet! And Sonic's only two Emeralds away from saving them all.

Next chapter, Sonic takes to the skies on the Tornado, and faces off in a daring dogfight with Metal on his way to Robotnik's Sky Fortress. Is he up to the challenge?

Voice cast for this chapter:

* Laura - Caitlin Glass (Winry Rockbell from Fullmetal Alchemist, Cammy from Street Fighter, Willow Schnee from RWBY)

* Nelson - John Krasinski (Jim Halpert from The Office)

* Lindsey - Erin Torpey (Athena from God of War III, Invisible Woman from Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes)

* Ella - Julia Vera (Grandma Luisa from Elena of Avalor)

* Tanaka - Hoon Lee (Splinter from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2012, Lei Kung the Conqueror from Iron Fist)

* Agnes - Barbara Goodson (Marle from Final Fantasy VII Remake, Rita Repulsa from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Chiyo from Naruto: Shippuden)

Please R&R. Until next time!