I'm back with another chapter, and the reason there was nothing last week was because I was taking a break from writing. This one is another Slice of Life chapter, establishing two important plot points for the future and is based on current real life events X3.
Hope you'll enjoy the chapter!
Entry 57
Heat Wave
''There's no time to be standing still, because there's something to be chasing after tomorrow. Nor to regret in that time, for night will soon fall. Living is like an unending race. It's the goal you can't see within your heart! Becoming the radiant wind, creating a storm that runs past the world! Gotta keep on running! You know I'm SONIC!''
– Just Call Me SONIC ~Mabushii Kaze ni Nare~ by Sonic X
xXxXxXx
''I can't believe I hadn't realized this before,'' Dr. Starline said, a little baffled by the conclusion he just came to. He walked over to the computer, typing something on it and scrolling through the displayed data. Behind him were purple-coloured Motobugs and Egg Pawns, all of them reprogrammed to serve him as he took over Egg Base Sigma without Dr. Eggman's knowledge, to the point of even painting his own logo on the wall.
He completely ignored his two companions who were standing at the entrance, leaned against the wall. Ferra and Metal Sonic exchanged glances, having brought Starline here and were now watching him slowly descending into his mad scientist era. Ferra had a good idea of what Starline was up to and decided not to interfere. She and Metal Sonic gave him a chance by saving his life, and now they would probably be watching him as he was slowly digging his own grave. Admittedly, it was possible that he could avoid his own fate, but that was up to him.
'We need to leave now. Dr. Eggman has requested our presence.' Metal Sonic looked up to Ferra, reminding her of their obligation.
''Yeah, I know,'' Ferra muttered, sighing. ''I really don't want to go outside, though.''
Metal Sonic understood her sentiment, as he knew that the weather outside was completely merciless, but he also knew that they couldn't leave the Doctor waiting.
xXx
Sonic took a deep breath, feeling the cold breeze as he was sitting right in front of a fan as it slowly swayed from one side to another. Tails was sitting next to him with a bucket of mint-flavored ice-cream, while Lucas and Warren were sitting behind them, with Warren trying to fix some kind of gadget.
''Honestly, I don't know whether you can even finish working on that cooling device,'' Lucas said, giving Warren a look of concern. ''It feels too hot to even think.''
''If I install this into the fan, it will blow cool air. Besides, I need to take responsibility for not paying attention to the weather forecast, since I would've known about this heat wave and finished it before it hits.''
''You can keep yourself cool in different ways,'' Tails pointed out, eating another spoonful of ice-cream. As much as he wanted to help Warren, he simply couldn't move due to how hot it was. He was certainly at a disadvantage by being covered in a fluffy amber pelt.
''Tails, you barely slept last night and we couldn't open the window due to the hot air. This is the least I can do,'' Warren replied. Tails smiled at him, happy that Warren cared so much about him, as well as feeling guilty that he couldn't do anything.
''When they said that there would be a heat wave, I didn't expect it to be this bad,'' Sonic said. ''It's too hot to even run around.''
''It must be driving you crazy to be unable to go anywhere during this heat,'' Tails said, giving Sonic a sympathetic look. Sonic just waved him off.
''Don't worry, little bro, I can handle staying in one place to cool down. Even though I am the coolest person around,'' Sonic said, rubbing his nose as he smug look formed on his expression.
''Shadow begs to differ,'' Lucas commented, with Sonic getting startled for a moment, only to give Lucas a sly look.
''That's still up to debate,'' Sonic told him, lifting his head to give off an air of superiority. ''But, I'll admit that Shadow is a close runner-up.''
''I think you're the coolest, Sonic,'' Tails said, him and Sonic fist-bumping. Lucas just sighed, deciding to not make any further comments. He knew that Sonic was being his usual self, showing a bit of his own ego, although he also suspected that the hedgehog secretly wanted to admit that Shadow was just as cool, but refused to do it so in public. It certainly amused Lucas a lot.
''Speaking of which, do you guys think Dr. Eggman is going to launch an attack?'' Lucas asked.
''Seriously? During this heat wave? He'd have to be mad to consider anything,'' Sonic said, quite confident that Eggman would lay low.
''Well, about the 'mad' part…'' Warren trailed off, with all four of them suddenly realizing that Eggman would be capable of doing something like that, imagining him doing a mad laugh as he destroyed Neos City. All four of them lowered their heads in exasperation.
''Let's hope that we didn't just jinx ourselves,'' Tails said.
''Yeah…''
Lucas, Sonic and Warren quickly nodded in agreement.
xXx
''Thanks again for having us over,'' Minami told Lily, with her, Amy, Makoto and Silver having been invited over to Lily and Knuckles' home, which had an air conditioner, keeping everyone cool. ''Honestly, I have no clue how we made it from Westoru to Eas without getting a heat stroke.''
''I guess you were lucky,'' Lily said, sipping the cold soda that had been served to everyone. They were currently at the living room, sitting and talking while enjoying the chilling air.
''I don't think it was that bad,'' Silver said, enjoying his drink. ''I experienced even worse heat waves back at my own timeline.'' There as a moment of sudden and uncomfortable silence, with everyone staring awkwardly at Silver. The grey hedgehog looked worried, glancing at his friends. ''D-Did I say anything wrong?''
''Don't worry, you didn't,'' Makoto assured him. ''We were just thinking how this is probably nothing compared to Neos City in the future. If one puts it like that, then there is no reason to complain about this heat wave considering how in the future, the city would be engulfed in fire.''
''Well, so far we're avoiding that from happening. Who knows, maybe there is no fire in the future,'' Amy said, giving Silver a kind smile.
''I hope that's the case,'' Silver replied, a bit relieved by their comfort.
''We don't know for certain,'' Knuckles spoke suddenly, drawing everyone's attention. ''However, as long as we eliminate Mephiles, things should be fine.''
''Right,'' Lily agreed. ''Speaking of which, do you know where they'd gone after your fight over the Chaos Emerald?''
Makoto and Silver shook their head, with Makoto adding, ''No, we just left the moment the Chaos Emerald was gone. We knew it would take a while to make it to Cosmo River, where the battle against Perfect Chaos would be, so we didn't really pay much attention to those two.''
Silver hummed, his eyes narrowing. ''I wonder if Mephiles was right, if it really was possible to use Dual Chaos Control to travel through space and time.''
''Even if it was possible, I don't think you should be taking advice from someone who destroyed your future,'' Knuckles pointed out. Silver just nodded in agreement.
xXx
''…but, thankfully, due to he intervention of a Good Samaritan, the toddler was saved from dying from a heat stroke,'' Midorikawa finished her report, the amateur footage of said rescue behind her vanishing. She then pointed at the car behind her, with Kero opening the door and taking out a thermometer. ''As you can see in our experiment, we had put this thermometer in the car only 10 minutes ago, and the temperature has already climbed rapidly past 40⁰C. Imagine being a little child, a baby or a toddler, or even a pet, and be left by your parent or owner in the car during such a heat.''
''It would be the same as being slowly cooked to death,'' Kero commented.
''Indeed. This is why the police is issuing a warning to everyone who decides to leave their child or pet inside the car during the summer months – you will get arrested for child endangerment and animal abuse. It doesn't matter if you decided to go for a quick run to the store or even your own house, nothing excuses leaving a helpless being in a vehicle that practically becomes an oven when left too long in the sun,'' Midorikawa added.
''Unfortunately, there are parents and pet owners who disregard that, thinking that it possibly couldn't happen to them,'' Touka commented. She and Shadow were at Club Rouge, sitting at the bar along with Rouge and Omega and watching the news broadcast on TV. The club had it's shutters pulled down, keeping the place dark, and the air conditioner was running, keeping it cold enough. Touka then continued, ''Kisaki had told us that she already had two cases of toddlers being rushed into the ER because they were dehydrated, overheated and suffered from a stroke, and she's furious because she knows that there will be more of this in the upcoming days.''
''Oh, my… You'd think parents would be more responsible,'' Rouge commented, taking a sip of her drink.
''Apparently, the father of one of the toddlers fought the police officer over this, only to get arrested,'' Shadow added.
''Justice was served,'' Omega concluded, only to add after a moment of pause, ''Allow me to rephrase – the father should've been locked into the car permanently. Then, the car should've been blown up.''
''You're absolutely right, Omega,'' Rouge said, smiling slightly. Despite being a former Badnik created to destroy everything in sight, even Omega knew that human life was fragile enough to be aware that this was an awful situation, even if he decided to go a bit too far in his idea of justice.
''Well, the good thing is that in these kinds of cases, one would be allowed to smash the window without getting into trouble, so long as the cops are told about what's going on,'' Touka pointed out, taking a sip of the soda. ''In any case, there isn't much to do. Even Solar Stadium had been closed for the day because of the heat wave.''
''It sounds to me like this is going to be a rather calm day,'' Rouge pointed out.
''Disappointment due to lack of action rising,'' Omega complained, sounding quite annoyed.
''All three of you should watch out what you're saying, or you might jinx yourselves,'' Shadow pointed out. ''The next crisis might be right around the corner.''
''You would be fine with that,'' Touka said in a snarky tone.
''Hmph, you know well that I had been trained to deal with extremes. I'd be fine fighting in this heat,'' Shadow replied in a confident tone.
''Right, and that's why you dragged the fan out of the closet downstairs and put it in our room this morning,'' Touka said, giving Shadow a knowing look.
''Tch, I was just looking out for you… Why are you giving me that look?'' Shadow narrowed his eyes, glaring at Touka, who just kept up the knowing look.
''It's nothing,'' Touka replied in a casual tone, acting innocently.
''I know there's something you want to tell me, so be honest,'' Shadow replied, only to grow more annoyed when Touka just shrugged.
''I have no clue what you're talking about,'' she replied, her plain tone irritating Shadow, as he knew that she was up to something. However, he decided to ignore her.
''Hmph…''
Rouge and Omega exchanged glances, a little confused by Touka's grin and Shadow's irritation. ''Do you have any clue what's going on?''
''Negative,'' Omega responded.
xXx
Ferra and Metal Sonic practically ran into the Egg Base, escaping the afternoon heat, with Ferra taking a deep breath of relief. ''Man, it's crazy hot outside. What the hell is up with today's weather?!''
'Despite the heat, you were summoned here,' Metal Sonic pointed out. 'Dr. Eggman refuses to take a break.'
''Yeah, unfortunately,'' Ferra sighed. ''Honestly, I'd rather be at home and take an nice and long nap. Oh, well… Duty calls, I guess. I wonder what the Doctor is up to this time.''
''Hello, Ferra, Metal Sonic. How are you doing?'' Orbot greeted the two at the entrance towards the main control room.
''It's too hot to do anything,'' Ferra replied. ''I just hope that Dr. Eggman won't be sending is into a battle at a day like this.''
''Well, I don't know what the Boss is up to, but he's waiting for both of you,'' Orbot said, pointing them into the nearby room. Deciding not to let their boss waiting, Ferra and Metal Sonic walked inside.
''Ah, Ferra, Metal Sonic, you're here just in time,'' Dr. Eggman said, having been checking something on the screen.
''So, what are we supposed to do this time?'' Ferra asked, placing her hands on her hips. ''Should we attack Team Neos directly or do you have a different kind of plan?''
''Actually, I have something else I wanted to do. In fact, I believe that Metal Sonic is due for an upgrade,'' Eggman told her. Ferra and Metal Sonic gave him a confused look.
''An upgrade? What do you mean?'' Ferra asked. Eggman pressed a button, showing off a video of Super Sonic.
''That blue rodent and his friends are growing stronger and stronger. Obviously, Chaos Surge won't be enough in the future, so giving Metal Sonic an upgrade that would allow him to get ahead of Sonic would be beneficial in the long run,'' Eggman explained. Ferra exchanged glances with Metal Sonic.
''Would you really be fine with going through it?'' Ferra asked.
'So long as it allows me to defeat Sonic, I'm ready,' Metal Sonic replied. Ferra nodded and turned back to Eggman.
''Metal Sonic is fine with it, although I would like to know what this upgrade actually is,'' Ferra replied. Eggman smirked, snapping his fingers, with the monitor showing the image of Metal Sonic, but having a new appearance.
There were several distinctive traits with his base form, such as black eyes with red irises, a similar torso with a rocket engine in the center, and the primary blue color with red shoes. However, there were also several differences that gave this form of Metal Sonic a distinct appearance. His head had five long quills as opposed to his regular three, with white stripes and markings around his eyes. The yellow color in his ears had been replaced with red and his once grey nose was now black. He also possessed more pronounced body armor, with black and curved shoulder plates, larger gauntlets and leg armor with pointy kneecaps that had white outlines, a plate covering his pelvis and elf-like shoes. He also sported a spiky belt with a black cape that protruded out of the back of his waist.
Ferra's eyes widened in stunned surprise. ''Hey, that's…''
''Neo Metal Sonic.'' Eggman kept grinning, pushing his glasses back as they gleamed. ''I'd prefer to have Neo Metal Sonic on my side this time rather than get imprisoned.''
Ferra snorted in amusement, knowing well aware what Eggman was referencing. She then smirked. ''Having Metal Sonic transform into Neo Metal Sonic would give us a necessary boost in power.''
'Would it be a permanent transformation?' Metal Sonic suddenly asked.
''Huh, a permanent transformation? Well, I don't know…'' Ferra trailed off.
''It won't be permanent,'' Eggman said, understanding the nature of their conversation. ''This form would need to be manually triggered, but it would provide you with a lot of power. I was currently working on a way to ensure that you would be able to trigger the transformation on your own.''
''Great,'' Ferra replied happily, with Metal Sonic nodding, only to turn to Ferra when she had an additional question. ''Wait, what about Metal Overlord?''
''Unfortunately, Metal Overlord requires very specific data for it to occur. To grow stronger, Metal Sonic would obviously need to the data of strong opponents, and while we know where to find that, it would still be too much of a hassle. Although, I will make sure that, if Metal Sonic does attain the data, he would be able to trigger the transformation immediately,'' Eggman explained.
''I see… Then, let's go for it!'' Ferra said in a confident tone.
'Sonic won't know what hit him,' Metal Sonic added, feeling just as confident.
''However, it will take a while for me to complete this task,'' Eggman told the two. ''Especially since I had been planning on launching an attack on Team Neos.''
Ferra groaned. ''I should've seen that coming. Look, Doctor, it is way too hot to be doing anything right now. Could we at least wait until the heat wave has lessened in the evening?''
''Don't worry, you won't have to do anything,'' Eggman told her, feeling a little irked, with Ferra and Metal Sonic looking genuinely surprised. ''As a matter of fact, I wanted to take advantage of this heat wave and use a new robot I had been working on.''
''If that's so, then go ahead. They probably won't be able to fight due to the heat,'' Ferra said.
''That's the point,'' Eggman replied.
xXx
''I think this should work,'' Warren said, connecting the device to the fan, with Lucas, Sonic and Tails enjoying the cool air flowing through the fan. ''There, this feels better, doesn't it?''
''Yeah, it is much better,'' Lucas said, glancing at Sonic and Tails, who inched closer to the fan, agreeing with the sentiment. He then opened the holographic screen on his AR Visor.
''What are you doing?'' Sonic asked, leaning over as he looked curiously at the screen.
''I was just checking whether there are any news about aggressive Irregulars or Eggman attacking,'' Lucas told him. ''Frankly, I don't believe that Eggman wouldn't try to do something. After all, I'm sure that he is somewhere in Neos City.''
''What do you mean by that?'' Tails asked.
''Lucas actually wanted to figure out where Eggman's main base is and he believes that it is somewhere in Neos City,'' Sonic explained, turning to Lucas. ''However, so far, you haven't found any trace of his whereabouts.''
''I know, but that doesn't meant that I should stop searching. It would be much easier if we knew where exactly Dr. Eggman is,'' Lucas replied.
''I'm fine with not knowing,'' Sonic replied in a blunt tone, much to everyone's surprise. ''I mean, Eggman launches an attack, we defeat him, he runs off, we celebrate. I don't think there is any reason for us to know where he's hiding and go after him.''
''You're too relaxed about this,'' Tails commented in a dry tone. Sonic just waved him off casually.
''Nah, Eggman's just predictable,'' he replied.
''That, and you have plot armour,'' Lucas added in a snarky tone, with Tails and Warren snorting at the comment, only to start laughing.
''Yeah, that makes sense,'' Tails said, still laughing as he glanced at Sonic, who also found the whole thing amusing.
''I don't have plot armour, I'm just the best at the thing I do,'' Sonic bragged.
''SONIC THE HEDGEHOG, COME OUT RIGHT NOW AND FACE YOUR DOOM!''
''What the- Eggman?!'' Sonic leapt on his feet and quickly dashed outside, only to feel as if he got punched by the heat, the air around him feeling heavy. To his amazement, the quiet suburban afternoon was interrupted by a huge mech piloted by none other than Dr. Eggman. Sonic sighed, with Lucas, Tails and Warren joining him. ''You know, I had been hoping he wouldn't try to fight us in this heat. I guess he's just that mad.''
''That's the Death Egg Robot, but it kinda looks different,'' Lucas pointed out, recognizing the mech, albeit with a blue and silver colour scheme. ''I have a bad feeling about this.''
''So do I,'' Sonic said, stretching his arms. ''Let's destroy it before the heat gets to us.'' He then rushed ahead, trying to ignore the heat as best as he could and stopped right in front of the mech. ''Yo, Egghead! Why are you here? It's a bit too hot to fight right now! Can't you come back some other time?''
''Oh, don't worry about me, you pesky rodent! The new and improved Death Egg Robot is equipped with a cooling system that keeps the temperature quite pleasant, so I can fight however I want regardless of the heat outside,'' Eggman bragged, with Sonic frowning. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he did envy the Doctor, considering he could feel the heat radiating from the pavement he was standing on.
''Luckily, I'm capable of keeping a cool head at all times, so- agh!'' Sonic leapt to the side, almost getting hit with a huge snowball from one of the Death Egg Robot's arm cannons. ''Dude! I wasn't done with my speech!''
''I don't care!'' Eggman snarled, with Sonic being forced to avoid more snowballs. ''Now stand still, Hedgehog!''
''Not a chance!'' Sonic dashed around the street, only to feel a sudden sense of dizziness overwhelming him, followed by a headache. He really wanted to end this fight as soon as possible, but it felt like someone was hitting his head with a hammer constantly. He slowed down, realizing that his own body was shutting down, only to get hit by a snowball.
''Ha, I got him!'' Eggman gloated, watching the pile of snow on the street, with Sonic popping his head out of it, shivering and hugging himself.
''S-So cold… Achoo!'' Sonic sneezed, his body feeling as if a truck hit him and dropped a tank of icy water all over him. He could feel his arms and legs growing numb, only for someone to grab him and drag him out of the snow.
''Are you okay?'' Lucas asked him, with Sonic feeling the temperature suddenly change from freezing to hot once more as he was pulled onto the heated pavement.
''Honestly, I don't know whether Eggman wants me to die from heat exposure or cold exposure,'' Sonic replied, still shivering. He then shook his quills, getting the snow out of them and tried to warm up, only to feel faint.
''You should take it easy,'' Warren told him.
''Unfortunately, I don't have the liberty to take it easy,'' Sonic replied, trying to ignore the pounding headache. He then rushed towards the mech, curling into a ball and spin attacking it, with the Death Egg Robot taking a direct hit, even getting pushed back, only for Sonic to uncurl as he felt a searing pain in his back.
''Agh, hot, hot, hot! How long did that thing stand in the sun?!'' he cried out in pain, quickly flopping over into the melting pile of snow to cool down.
Eggman rose an eyebrow, having to admit that he didn't expect for the casing of the mech to get heated so fast, but then he grinned. If that was the case, then Sonic couldn't touch him at all. ''How the tables have turned! You are too fatigued due to the heat and cold, and now you can't even attack me without seriously burning yourself. Defeating you will be easy!''
Sonic's eyes widened when a claw grabbed him and lifted him up. Fortunately, the claws weren't as hot as the outer casing, but it was certainly uncomfortable being held like this.
''Hohoho, now you're at my mercy!'' Eggman continued to gloat, bringing Sonic closer to the window, where the hedgehog could see the Doctor's victorious expression. ''Any last words before I turn you into an popsicle?''
''Actually, I do,'' Sonic said, giving a confused Eggman a nonchalant gaze. ''If you turn me into a popsicle, what flavour am I going to be? I hope it's a chili dog flavour.''
''Your big mouth won't save you from this-'' Eggman suddenly stopped when he saw Tails fly up to the claw, his eyes now glowing and amber energy sparking around him. He placed his hand on the mech's arm, causing it to malfunction and release Sonic, whom he had grabbed.
''You're right, Egghead! Maybe I can't rely on my quips, but I can always rely on my friends!'' Sonic replied, with Tails chuckling, while Eggman just growled furiously. He was about to fire another snowball at them, only for the whole robot to suddenly stop moving as a pulse of energy covered it, shutting it down.
''What? How?!'' Eggman tried to frantically turn on the robot, only to see Lucas and Warren flying past on Lucas' hoverboard, with Warren still being powered up thanks to the Chaos Surge. Both teenagers just waved at him in amusement, leaving the Doctor seething. Apparently, one could cook an actual egg on his bald head due to just how angry he was. He started rummaging through the consoles, trying his best to get the robot back online, or at least turn the manual controls on. Unfortunately for Eggman, things weren't as easy as he thought, and he could feel the heat rising inside the mech, wiping the sweat off his forehead. Finally, he slammed the console in anger. ''Damn it!'' He then pushed another button, opening the top of the Death Egg Robot and flying out in the Egg Mobile, only to get hit with a heat wave the moment he as outside the mech. He then quickly started typing, grinning as the Death Egg Robot finally started to move. However, just as he got his hopes up, he heard the dreaded shout of ''Chaos Surge!''.
Eggman's expression fell when he saw a blue streak slamming through the Death Egg Robot, leaving the mech in pieces. Despite wanting to curse the hedgehog, Eggman could feel the heat getting to him, and realizing that things were over, he flew away.
''Huh? I'm surprised that he just up and left,'' Sonic said, de-powering as he joined Lucas, Tails and Warren. Fortunately for him, the Chaos Surge did allow him to handle the heat a little better.
''I guess that once the Death Egg Robot's power system was down, even Eggman couldn't handle the heat,'' Tails said, with Sonic giving him a thumbs up.
''You know, maybe the attack wasn't such a bad idea,'' Sonic said, kicking the snow he was standing on. ''The temperature is just right now.''
''Yeah, but I'd rather go back inside,'' Tails replied.
''Agreed.'' Sonic nodded, with the group leaving, hoping that the afternoon would pass without more conflicts.
xXx
Blaze the Cat slumped in her seat as an assistant brought over more papers to the office she and her partner, the imperial princess Sana Jai, had been sharing. Sana picked up the papers, quickly reading through them.
''We have more and more pirate sightings, some of which are ARNavs and others which are… robots?'' Sana rose an eyebrow. Normally, her parents would handle such matter, but considering how she was the partner of the Blazing Guardian, the protector of the Surya Empire, she insisted on helping Blaze as much as she could. That had also included her investigating the pirate raids, mainly those caused by Irregulars as their navy could handle the human ones.
Blaze sighed tiredly. ''I need to call Marine and ask her whether the ship had been repaired. We'll have to head out as soon as possible to deal with this.''
''Right,'' Sana said, with Blaze giving her a hesitant look, only for a look of confidence to appear on Sana's expression. ''We both agreed that we would work together to stop the raids, didn't we?''
''We did,'' Blaze muttered. ''I still can't believe that you had actually managed to learn how to use Chaos Surge.''
''It's because I have a partner I can trust, as well as friends who gave me advice on how to use it,'' Sana replied, only to pause for a moment. ''Honestly, I kind of wish they were here. We could really use Team Neos' help with this.''
''Didn't Minami and Amy send us a message about fighting a water deity named Chaos, which left part of Neos City in ruins?'' Blaze brought up. ''I'm sure they're busy with their own problems.''
''I guess, but still, asking them whether they'd want to visit us wouldn't hurt,'' Sana pointed out. ''If they're too busy with protecting Neos City, they can decline.''
Blaze sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. ''If you want to do that, go ahead.'' She then looked up. ''Normally, I would be against it, as this is our duty and we shouldn't be dragging anyone to do our work, but knowing how capable Sonic, Lucas and their friends are, we might benefit from their help.''
''I'll send them a message immediately,'' Sana said, rushing off.
Blaze smiled, leaning back in the seat and taking a deep breath. Despite her reservations, she was looking forward to seeing Team Neos again.