Sonic Series Fan Fiction ❯ On the Road Together ❯ Beached In ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter 2: Beached In

It was the next day when the RV finally stopped. It was a nice morning with a calm, cool breeze just outside the window with freshness as its scent. Shadow sat as the driver for the nightshift. He stopped when they arrived at a beach. He turned to Sonic, who was sitting in the passenger chair. Sonic was asleep after a long day of driving the RV, and Shadow poked him.

"Rise and shine, sleepy head," Shadow said to the blue hedgehog.

Sonic yawned, sitting up strait. "Ah, where are we now?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.

"How can I tell in nothing but darkness?" Shadow shrugged.

Sonic opened his eyes. "I see light!" he gasped at the morning sun.

"Big deal," Knuckles mumbled sleepily in his bed, above the two chairs.

"It's morning," Rouge said, brushing her teeth at the small kitchen sink.

"So it is," said Amy, sitting next to a window with Freeway.

"Tails, what is this place?" Tikal asked the fox with the laptop computer.

Tails opened his map files, looking. "According to this, we're at the Virginia Beach."

"Good enough of a place to start our little trip," Knuckles yawned.

"Huh? Little trip?" Freeway asked, surprised, and Amy giggled.

"This appears to be a beach, no doubt," said Metal-2, standing at the door.

Shadow, the current driver grinned. "Perfect."

"Hey, wait one hedgehog minute!" Sonic said, "Beach means water, and water means…" he stopped, gulped, and then he finished. "Water is something I dislike, ya know."

"Say it as it is…" Shadow then made a coward Sonic voice. "Oh no, I can't swim!"

"Why, you!" Sonic shouted, ready to attack, but Knuckles stopped them.

"Hey, hey, whoa," said the red echidna. "Let's take it easy and enjoy this day, okay?"

Sonic and Shadow looked away from each other, crossing their arms, and they snorted.

"Okay," Tails said, standing up from the sofa. "We can park down that way." He pointed.

"All right!" Amy cheered, and then Shadow opened one eye, looking out.

"As good as it gets," Rouge said, walking up to the front seats.

"Maybe," Shadow said, and he slowly turned to face Sonic. "Well, Sonic, what-HUH?"

"What?!" The crew asked, surprised at Shadow's shocked face.

"Faker-I mean, look, Sonic is gone!" Shadow pointed to the empty passenger chair.

"Where did he go? Why did he go?" Knuckles wondered.

"We gotta find him!" Amy said, worried.

"Right," Tails said, and he jumped outside through a door. "Let's go, hurry!"

"I'm a treasure hunter, not a hedgehog keeper," said Rouge. "But I'll help anyway."

"Wait for me, Tails!" Amy called, running after him. "I'm coming, too!" she said.

Tikal stepped outside after Rouge left with Knuckles. Metal-2 stood beside her. "Oh, we must do something," Tikal said, turning to her friend, the blue android. "Where should we look?"

"We can cover more ground if we're up high." Metal-2 pointed to the sky.

"But how?" Tikal asked, and then she saw him offer his hand.

"I will fly…will you join me?" he asked the echidna.

"Why not?" Tikal smiled, and she took his hand. She held on to Metal-2 as they left.

Freeway blinked her eyes, watching them leave. She looked up at Shadow. The black hedgehog looked out at the beach, and then he looked down. He tried to hide away his worried look.

"Uncle Shadow, where are you going?" Freeway asked him.

"To find him," Shadow answered. "And you stay here until I come back again."

Then Shadow left, traveling along the beach. He was alone until he came to a certain place where wooden decks rested for boats. He saw Sonic standing on one of them, staring at the water. Sonic had his eyes closed for a moment, but he opened them when Shadow came to his side.

"Shadow, how did you find me?" Sonic asked quietly.

"Ah, you know me," Shadow said. "I always find what I'm looking for."

"You were looking for me…why?" Sonic asked, curious.

"We were worried about you," Shadow replied, telling the truth.

"Nothing to worry about," said Sonic. "I just had to get outside for a bit."

"Yeah, I understand," Shadow said, nodding, and then the others approached.

"Hey, Sonic!" Knuckles said, "Don't go without us. I don't want to miss this."

"Are you okay?" Tails asked, and Sonic nodded at the fox.

"I'm fine, now that you guys are here," he said, grinning again.

"How sweet!" Amy said, turning on her camera. "Smile, Sonic!"

"No! I said guys, not gals!" Sonic said, and he laughed, running from the camera.

"He's back," said Rouge after the blue blur rushed passed her.

"They found him!" Tikal said, pointing down below.

"I see them," Metal-2 said, and he landed on the beach to meet the crew.

"Now that we're here, let's play ball," Tails said.

"Good idea!" Knuckles said excitedly as Freeway rolled a ball over to him.

Amy, Rouge, and Tikal rested on the sand, watching Knuckles, Tails, and Freeway play ball. Shadow left to race by himself, but Sonic suddenly appeared as a surprise.

"See you!" Sonic teased, and he ran ahead of the black hedgehog.

Silent, Shadow snorted, and he raced to the blue hedgehog's side. He had to admit, he was having fun already, and so the crew enjoyed the afternoon at the beach.

= = = = =

Meanwhile…

Hidden deep in the ocean waters, Dr. Eggman turned in his favorite leather chair, thinking of so many things, and he wondered what was possibly happening out in the world. It was too peaceful, something an evil villain like him ruined for sport, basically. This made him quite restless.

"Oh, it's too peaceful out there!" he said as he slammed a fist down on the arm of his chair. "I'll put a stop to that if my name isn't Doctor Eggman!"

"But that is your name, Doc," said a watery voice behind the chair.

Eggman turned around in the chair. "Chaos!" he said to the standing creature. "Now is the time to put my new plans to work, but first, turn on the visual screen!" He pointed.

"Aye, aye, cap," Chaos said, and he looked confused at the control panel. "I wonder what'll happen if I punch all the buttons…well, only one way to find out…" Chaos randomly pressed some controls, and then the movie Flipper began to play on the screen. "Ooh, boy, one of my favorites!" Chaos happily chuckled, and Eggman growled with frustration.

"Metal!" Eggman called out, and in a few seconds, a blue robot hedgehog with glowing red eyes appeared in the room, knocking down Chaos as he stopped in front of the chair.

"By your command," said the blue robot to the man.

"Metal, turn on the visual screen for the beach," Eggman commanded, pointing.

Metal turned to the controls, and with one touch, he turned it on. Chaos sat up, dizzy after the fall, and Metal stood next to the screen. When the picture was clear, something appeared that Eggman did not expect, but it was something he knew. It was an RV, white with blue stripes.

"It's them," Eggman whispered, staring. "They're on the road again…"

"Huh? What?" Chaos looked, and he recognized it. "Sardines!" he laughed.

Metal crossed his arms, annoyed at the creature, but he was not looking at the screen.

"Prepare to attack!" Eggman said, standing up from his chair with hope for victory.

"I will terminate all enemies. What is the target this time?" Metal asked.

"Them," Eggman and Chaos pointed to the visual screen.

Metal turned, and when he saw the screen, he saw the RV. He just glanced at first, but then he turned, looking more carefully. He remembered everything that happened before, and with pure panic in his eyes, he turned to escape, but Eggman caught him by the arms. Metal beeped, and then Eggman pulled him back to the screen. Chaos played with a yellow yo-yo, looking.

"I see," Eggman said to himself when he noticed Metal struggling to escape the RV. "I'll just have to take those memories for his own good, and then the hedgehog will beg for mercy!"

"Remember me, Metal," Chaos sniffed just before Eggman turned the robot off.

A short time later, Metal woke up, and he turned his head, looking around.

"Metal, attack Sonic the Hedgehog and his RV!" Eggman ordered, pointing to the screen.

Metal glared at the image. "Consider it done," he said, leaving the underwater base.

"Hey! Wait for me, Metal!" Chaos called, and he quickly followed after him.

"Those two…" Eggman sighed, shaking his head.

= = = = =

Back to the beach, Amy and Tikal were finishing a small sandcastle while Rouge was secretly burying Knuckles in the sand. Freeway was sniffing a crab, curiously with young wonder, but she quickly backed away to avoid being pinched. After that, she stayed close to Metal-2 for protection. Knuckles was peacefully taking a nap, unaware that the white bat was burying him in sand, leaving only his head out. Tails rested on a chair, closing his blue eyes at the bright sun, wearing sunglasses. The watchful Metal-2 stood nearby with Freeway, and as the crew knew, Sonic and Shadow were racing along the shore, and behind them, it was like a sandstorm.

"Come on, Shadow, speed up!" Sonic laughed, running ahead of the black one.

Shadow closed his eyes, spitting sand out of his mouth, running. "Here I come!"

Then like a black flash, Shadow ran passed Sonic, surprising him. The blue hedgehog gathered up more speed, reaching Shadow's side, and when they reached the end of the race, the dust conceal the winner. Sonic stood close to the seashore where the ocean waves visited the dry land.

"Looks like I win again, Shades," he said playfully. "It was nice of you to try, though."

"Same for you," Shadow said back, making a sly grin on his face.

"There you go again," said Sonic, pointing. "You're trying to grin like me. That's copyrighted."

"Says who? You?" Shadow smirked, and then he looked away from him.

Sonic crossed his arms, and before he could continue, someone or something caught him from behind, covering his mouth also to keep his voice silent. Sonic could not turn to see his kidnapper as he felt himself being pulled away. He closed his green eyes when he was pulled underwater. Shadow did not notice this, but he turned to where Sonic was once standing. Shadow had his eyes closed, and he leaned on the blue figure next to him. It was the evil Metal Sonic himself.

"Look, admit it, Sonic," he said. "I told you, I am the Ultimate, but you never listen."

"Correct," said the robotic voice. "You are ultimately doomed, you pitiful lifeform!"

Shadow opened one eye, and he saw that it was not Sonic, but it was Metal. Shadow gasped, quickly moving away before Metal Sonic could attack him. "You!" he shouted.

"Surrender, hedgehog!" Metal demanded, preparing to attack again.

"Surrender?" said Shadow. "I think you're the one who should surrender. You're trying to take me down? Ha! You're not even good enough to be my kidnapper!"

"If that is how you wish it…" Metal said, and the fight began on the sandy shore.

Meanwhile, near the RV, the crew wondered where Sonic and Shadow were and what could possibly be keeping them from a prepared supper, which was good and ready.

"I don't understand," Amy said to the others. "Sonic is almost always the first to come."

"Maybe they're having a rerun," Tikal guessed, remembering the race.

"Whatever the explanation, they're late, and that's a fact," said Metal-2.

"I'll go find them," Tails volunteered, turning to leave, but Metal-2 took his hand.

"Wait," he said, and Tails stopped, looking back at him. "I'll go with you."

"Okay," Tails agreed, welcoming his help, and so, Tails and Metal-2 began a search.

"Be careful!" Amy called out before the two disappeared from sight.

"And come back before it gets cold!" Tikal added.

"And dark," Freeway said, and her eyes widened at Knuckles, who was buried in sand.

= = = = =

On the shore…

Shadow back flipped away before Metal could attack, and their feet were now in the water. Metal took a few hits, but he got some revenge when he captured Shadow, and then he threw him toward a hill on the beach. At that moment, Metal-2 and Tails arrived. They stopped to look around, but then Tails was knocked down when Shadow suddenly fell from the sky.

"Ouch!" Tails said on the sand. "Shadow, what happened?"

"It's him!" Shadow pointed to the water, and there was Metal Sonic.

"I'll handle this!" said a voice, and the crew saw that it was Rouge the Bat.

She drill dived down to Metal, but the robot spin dashed, attacking her back, and she fell. Coldly and ruthlessly, Metal moved toward the bat to finish her, but then, someone caught him. Metal Sonic looked behind himself, and he glared when he saw Metal-2.

"Back into the water you go, you shark!" Metal-2 said, and at amazing speed, he spun Metal Sonic around and around in a circle while holding him by the legs. The crew almost lost sight of them when finally; Metal-2 threw the enemy robot away, sending him into the ocean water.

Shadow helped Rouge stand up, and Tails looked out at the water. "Where's Sonic?" he asked.

"I don't know," Shadow answered. "I didn't see what happened to him."

Rouge looked at the shore, and when she saw something blue, she thought it was Metal, but after she blinked, it was indeed, Sonic the Hedgehog. "Look, over there!" she said, pointing.

"Sonic!" Tails gasped, and Metal-2 ran to the hedgehog that was on his hands and knees.

Sonic coughed some water out, and he looked back at the water that returned him to dry land. He was soaked, shiny wet, and he coughed again when Metal-2 lifted him up. "Thanks," he said.

"Are you okay, Sonic?" Metal-2 asked him, "What happened here, anyway?"

"Looks like we're not the only ones traveling," Sonic replied. "I had to escape from Chaos."

Tails landed beside them. "Metal Sonic was here, too, but he's gone now."

"He'll be back," Metal-2 warned, and Sonic nodded slightly, tired.

"We better find the RV, to make sure they're safe," Sonic said, leaving the water behind. Sonic ran to dry himself, and the crew followed until they made it back safely to the RV.

"You made it!" Amy cheered, glad to see the others again, and Tikal waved at them.

Tails looked around. "The sun is setting," he said. "That means the beach will close."

"We spent a day here, so we better keep moving on," Sonic said to the crew.

"What about the dinner we made for you guys?" Tikal asked.

"We can eat on the road, like what most truckers do," Shadow said, and he entered the RV.

"Let's go!" Sonic gave the word, and everyone began to pack up for departure.

"I drive!" Shadow said proudly, reaching the driver chair before Sonic did.

"Are we ready?" Tails asked, and Sonic shrugged his shoulders.

"I guess so," Sonic said, but then Amy lifted her hand to stop them.

"Wait a minute." Amy turned to Rouge. "Aren't we forgetting something?" she asked.

Rouge thought for a moment, and then she shrugged. "No. Why?"

Just then, they heard a distress call from outside, and it was Knuckles the Echidna.

"What's he still doing out there?" Sonic asked himself, jumping outside to see.

The crew came to Knuckles after a quick search, and they were surprised to see him buried.

"Knuckles, what are you doing in there?" Tails asked him, and Sonic was chuckling.

"You'll pay big time for this!" Knuckles shouted at the smiling white bat.

"Easy, Knux," Sonic said, and then he looked over at Metal-2. "Set him free."

Metal-2 nodded, and he dug Knuckles out, lifted him to his feet, and he was fine.

"A beached in echidna," Shadow said to himself in the RV. "That's a first."

"Are you all right, Knuckles?" Amy asked the red echidna that was dusting himself.

"Yeah, sure, but I'm kinda hungry now," Knuckles answered, licking his lips.

"Okay, then let's move!" Sonic called, leading the way back to the RV.

And so, on the road again together, Sonic and his friends left the beach, and they traveled into the night for a safe place to sleep, but Sonic warned the crew about his encounter in the water, and how they must be careful in the times ahead. After the team fell asleep, Metal-2 took the wheel.