Sonic Series Fan Fiction ❯ On the Road Together ❯ No Service ( Chapter 10 )

Chapter 10: No Service

So they walked, and walked, walked together on the road of Alabama, not quite knowing where they were going. So far, they saw no sign at all of the RV, and Sonic the Hedgehog was becoming worried, but he hid this fact. He could not surrender in front of his crew. They left town and walked along a road and they saw the damage that the tornado left behind after the storm they had encountered. That was when the RV vanished. The others were tired, and Metal-2 could only carry so many at a time. He was already holding Amy Rose and Tikal, who held Freeway. Soon they came to a road sign, one that Sonic hoped to see at the wheel, not on foot, but they came to a state line. One step and they would enter the one and only Mississippi.

"That's it!" Sonic said to his tired crew when he saw the sign. "The RV is in another state!"

"Or maybe another planet by now!" said Tails, tired.

"We never went far in Alabama, and maybe that was a good thing," Knuckles said. "Maybe it came here somehow. We should stop and ask. There must be a clue here." He nodded.

"Where are we now?" Rouge asked.

"Between Alabama and Mississippi," Shadow replied. "Hey, we can be in two places at once."

"Let's go check it out," Sonic said. "Look, I think I see a gas station up ahead." He pointed.

"Then let's get the show on the road!" Metal-2 went ahead of them, leaving for Mississippi.

Sonic laughed. "Hey, you guys, wait up!" He called, running after Metal-2.

"Here we go again!" Tails said, flying over Sonic with Shadow and Rouge following.

Then Knuckles was alone in Alabama. He looked at the sign again, thinking. He took one step, touching Mississippi ground. "Hmm…feels the same to me. Gravel and dirt roads hurt."

"Come on, Knuckles!" Rouge called, and then the red echidna ran for it, entering the state.

With Alabama now behind them, Sonic and his friends came into Mississippi with new hope. It was a calm, cloudy day in our traveling weather watch. Sonic thought it was best to stop at the nearest gas station. He followed the road to get there with his friends following. Sonic saw the Mississippi flag waving gently in the wind, greeting them. He waved back at it, and then he joined Metal-2, Amy, Tikal, and Freeway at the gas station. Tails, Shadow, Rouge, and Knuckles were right behind the blue hedgehog, and so they came to a stop in front of the building.

"Well, we're all here," Sonic said. "Now we can find out what happened to the RV."

"I sure hope so," said Amy.

"Let's go in and see what we can find." Tikal said, walking to the gas station.

Sonic ran ahead of the others, reaching the door before anyone else did. Rouge came to the door, looking up at the posters and newspaper ads on the wall nearby. Knuckles opened the door.

"Hold it!" Rouge stopped him, and then Knuckles closed it, confused.

"Huh? What is it, Rouge?" Knuckles asked her.

"You can't go in there," Rouge told him.

Knuckles blinked his eyes. "Why not?"

"Look…" The bat pointed to a sign, and she read it. "No shoes, no shirt, no service."

"What? No service?" Sonic repeated. "What kind of a place is this?" he asked.

"It's the mighty Mississippi," Shadow answered.

Sonic sighed. "I know that, but why is this? We have shoes, but no shirts."

"Then no service," Tails said, reading the sign again. "Rules are rules."

"Looks like it's up to the girls this time," Knuckles said.

"We can do it," Amy said, smiling. "You boys just wait out here. We'll be right back."

"We'll find a map, too." Tikal promised.

Sonic had to agree this time. He nodded, letting them go. "Okay, girls, go on in."

Amy opened the door, and Rouge entered with Tikal following. Metal-2 held the baby Freeway, waiting with the others and he watched Amy go inside. The door closed after her.

Shadow crossed his arms. "There's only one problem with them going in alone."

Sonic turned to him, curious. "Oh? What's that, Shadow?" he asked.

Shadow held his head, terrified. "They'll shop!!"

Then Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles gasped with fear. What a dread it was for them.

= = = = =

Meanwhile…

When the girls of the Sonic team entered the gas station, they found it to be more than a stop and go type place. The gas station had a deli, café, and a place to shop for souvenirs all in one building. Amy blinked, surprised at the size, and Tikal stood quietly, looking around.

"Wow, this place is huge!" Rouge exclaimed, walking ahead of the others.

"And it's so clean," Tikal added.

Amy nodded. "No wonder they don't allow boys in here." She giggled.

"Only those with no shirts," Rouge corrected her. "Hey, let's take a look around."

"You sure? What about the boys?" Tikal asked.

"Oh, they'll be fine," Rouge answered. "We won't be too long."

Then the three girls chuckled, walking inside. They did not know that someone was watching them. Inside a large painted clay pot for sale, Metal Sonic peeked out with the lid still on his head. Chaos Zero was in the clay pot beside him. The water creature peeked out also.

"Oh, boy," Chaos whispered, watching the girls walk away. "We found them at last."

"Affirmative," Metal whispered. He removed the lid off his head. "Now to attack…"

"Attack them?" Chaos asked, pointing to the girls.

Metal climbed out, careful not to be seen. "Yes, them. They are the targets."

"But they're ladies," Chaos said, still in the pot. "Remember to be a gentlemen."

"That's impossible, you numbskull, because I am a robot."

"And it's impossible for me to have a skull," Chaos added, chuckling.

"Stop gargling and get outta there so we can get this over with."

"Okay, okay, hold your hard drive, I'm coming…" Chaos climbed out, but he clumsily stumbled out, almost crashing into a shelf of glass cups nearby, but Metal caught him to prevent it.

"Don't break anything," he said, and then he added, "…Not yet."

"But what now?" Chaos asked in a whisper. "Where'd they go?"

"That way," Metal pointed toward the café. He let go of Chaos and left.

"Hey, Metal, wait!" Chaos called in a panic, running after the blue robot.

The two stalkers soon found them at the small café, drinking hot chocolate at a table while looking at the list of supplies they needed from the gas station.

"I got a plan," Metal said, hiding behind a wall with Chaos. "You sneak up underneath their table and ambush them, and I'll take them down easily."

Chaos nodded as if he understood, but then he shrugged. "I can't do that, Metal."

"What? Why not?" he asked.

"Because I don't have a bush. How do you expect me to ambush them?"

Metal slapped his own forehead. "No, you just surprise attack them, you fool."

"Ooh, okay," Chaos said. "I'll be so scary, they'll forget their own names."

Metal glared. "Just get going before I make you forget you're alive."

Chaos dodged a slap, quickly sinking into a puddle, and then he secretly entered the café. Silent and swift, Chaos came underneath a table and then he suddenly jumped on top of it, spreading his arms to attack his unsuspected prey. But sadly, he found the table he was on empty. Chaos blinked, confused, and then he turned around. He saw the girls at a table on the other side.

"Wrong table, you lamebrain," Metal whispered, looking away with shame.

"Whoops," Chaos whispered to himself. "I'll try again." And he went his way.

At the table, the girls finished looking at the list. "…And that's it," said Rouge.

"Well, I guess first we'll ask if anyone has seen the RV, then find a helpful map," Amy said.

Tikal nodded, agreeing. "Yes, and I hope we find it soon. My sandals will be ruined."

"Looks like they're pretty torn up already, Tikal." Amy pointed down at them.

"Yeah," Rouge agreed when she saw the damaged sandals. "We better find a pair here."

"You think they have any?" Tikal asked.

"Let's go find out." Rouge stood up and Amy followed her, finished with her drink.

"All right, wait for me," Tikal said, standing up.

The three left the table, and just then, Chaos appeared on the café table.

"Ooh, am I scary or what?" He asked, opening his eyes to find the table empty.

Metal hovered next to him, arms crossed. "You sink, they got away!"

"Hmm…" Chaos wondered. "Maybe they're just shy around me, you think?"

Angry, Metal hit Chaos on the head with an empty coffee mug. "After them!"

Chaos rubbed his head, and then his eyes widened. "Caffeine!" And then he ran.

"The other way!" Metal kicked Chaos back in the right direction where the girls left.

At the other end of the store, the girls found a shelf, which had shoes. Most of them were things like boots, but they soon found a few pairs of sandals. Tikal sat down to try them on.

"Here, try these first." Amy gave Tikal a pink pair of sandals, but they were too big.

"Um…they're too big for sure," said Tikal, and when she lifted a foot, a sandal fell off.

"How about these?" Rouge gave her a black pair to try, and Tikal put them on to see.

Tikal stood up to feel them. "Well, I don't know…" she said, taking few steps.

"Too big? Too tight?" Amy asked her, "What is it?"

"Too tight for me," Tikal answered after testing them.

Then Amy opened another box. "Try these on next." She gave a white pair of sandals.

"Okay, I'll try." Tikal put them on, stood up and took a few steps.

"What do you think?" Rouge asked the echidna.

Tikal stopped and turned to them, smiling. "Perfect!" she said happily.

"At last," Amy sighed with relief. "Now what could--"

Amy was interrupted when someone crashed into the shelf of shoes. The shoes fell off, burying the stranger. Amy and the other girls blinked, turning to see the pile of fallen shoes.

"What was that?" Amy asked, and her answer came out of the shoe pile.

Chaos Zero climbed out, wearing cowboy boots, and Metal had tennis shoes with a high heel shoe on his ear because of the crash landing. They glared at the stunned girls who were surprised.

"Metal and Chaos!" They said together, gasping.

"Then that means Eggman is here, too!" Rouge realized.

Metal nodded. "Correct, and he's giving your friends quite a fright out there."

"Oh no! Sonic!" Amy screamed.

"What should we do?" Tikal asked the others, afraid.

"Give up!" Metal demanded, throwing the high heel shoe off his ear.

"No!" Rouge said, "You just wait till the manager finds out you trouble makers are here!"

"He found out too late, bat girl," Metal said. "We've already taken over this gas station!"

"What gave you that idea?" Amy asked.

Chaos proudly pulled out a yellow book, and he answered, "Out of this book."

Rouge read the title. "Takeover For Dummies…?" she blinked.

Metal had a sweat drop on his head, and he slapped the book away. "Nonsense!"

Rouge backed away, keeping the other girls behind her. "Run! Get outta here!"

Tikal screamed when Metal attacked Rouge, and Amy ran, taking the echidna's hand. Amy turned for the exit, but Chaos Zero blocked their path after kicking the cowboy boots off his feet.

"Ladies and…ladies," Chaos said. "Step right up and make it easy on yourselves."

"Move out of our way!" Amy yelled, hitting the creature on the head with her hammer.

Chaos fell over, very dizzy. "Oh, that'll leave a mark…"

"Come on!" Amy held Tikal's hand, and they ran again.

They had to stop when Metal suddenly fired at the exit, and so the wall fell down, blocking the doorway to freedom. Rouge kicked Metal down, keeping him away from Amy and Tikal.

"We're trapped!" Tikal cried, closing her eyes with fear, trembling.

Then Chaos returned, this time with a large cooking pot on his head for protection. "Aha!"

"So, you came back for more, huh?" Amy raised her hammer, made a hit, and the pot caused both Amy and Chaos to vibrate and fall. Tikal covered her ears at the sound it made.

While Chaos mumbled the Jingle Bell song, Tikal helped Amy get away.

"Hurry!" Tikal said, helping the pink hedgehog back on her feet.

Rouge and Metal Sonic were still fighting in the gas station. The white bat was wounded, and she backed away from the cold blue robot into the deli. Amy and Tikal saw Rouge in danger, and so they hurried to help, leaving Chaos to sing to himself. Rouge stopped when she was cornered.

"Now…" Metal said, approaching her. He raised his clawed hand to hit her, but then something hit him on the head. Metal turned and he saw Tikal using a subway sandwich as a weapon.

"Leave her alone!" Tikal said, hitting him again with the sandwich.

"Nice try, echidna," Metal said, gripping her arm tightly. "But it'll take more than onions."

"Hey, you!" Amy shouted from behind the machine, and she quickly slammed her hammer down on him, freeing Tikal. Amy hit him again, but then Metal caught her, and she screamed.

"Amy!" Tikal cried, on the floor after being dropped.

"Step aside, Tikal!" Rouge said, coming out from the corner. "Time for some serious kicking!" Rouge leaped into the air, and with her boots, she landed on Metal, kicking him hard and rapidly.

Amy was free, dropped near Tikal on the floor, and Rouge kept kicking that robot until he crashed into the deli wall, burying himself in bread. Rouge landed on the floor nearby. Outside, the girls heard police car sirens. Amy and Tikal untied the manager, who was locked in a closet.

"Oh, thank you!" said the grateful manager. "You saved me! You saved my store! Thanks!"

"You're welcome," Tikal said shyly.

"Say, mister, have you seen any RVs lately?" Amy asked him curiously. "We're missing one."

"RVs, huh? Well…" the man scratched his head, which was missing some hair. "Come to think of it, yes, I did. Just a few hours ago, I saw one being taken by a truck down the road."

"Really? What did it look like?" Amy asked.

"It was white with blue stripes on its sides with the name of Cross Country right up front."

"Cross Country? It must be it!" Tikal said, smiling.

"Which road was it?" Amy asked the man, and he showed them on a Mississippi map.

"Here, take this map," he said, giving it to Amy. "You'll need it to find your way."

"Oh, thank you, sir." Amy smiled, and after paying for their items, they left the store through the emergency exit, which the kind manager told them about. "The RV can't be far now," she said.

"Yeah, Amy," Rouge agreed. "But right now, we better find the rest of our team."

"But where could they be?" Tikal wondered, looking around.

"Not too far away," answered a voice, and the girls turned to see that it was Sonic.

"SONIC!" They said, and they ran to meet the others in the gas station parking lot.

"Are you girls all right?" Sonic asked them.

"Yes, we're fine, and we got the map!" Amy held it up in her hand.

"And the manager in there saw the RV!" Tikal announced.

"Where?" Tails and Knuckles asked.

"He said it was taken down that road." Rouge pointed ahead.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Shadow asked.

"We should go," Metal-2 said, and Freeway sleepily nodded in the backpack.

"Okay," Sonic said. "Now that we're all together again, let's hit the road!"

Then Sonic ran with the others following. They vanished down the road searching. Just then, Dr. Eggman chuckled in his ship with Metal Sonic and Chaos standing beside it after escaping.

"And now, you two…" Eggman said, and then he suddenly slapped them both. "You failures!"

"Ouch!" Chaos yelped, holding his head. "What did I do?" he asked, rubbing it.

Silent, Metal hit him again. Eggman looked down the road where the Sonic team disappeared.

"I think I have a good idea where they're going, and if I'm right, I'll get there first!" He laughed out loud, leaving the area to avoid police. Metal Sonic followed and Chaos Zero did also.