Sonic Series Fan Fiction ❯ Sonic Adventures: "On the road" ❯ Operation Carwash ( Chapter 12 )

Chapter 12: Operation Carwash

The RV made it to Phoenix, Arizona, a city where anything can happen. Low on fuel, the RV made a stop to refill and Sonic stepped outside with his crew, smelling the fresh air. Yes, it was a perfect place to stop and the air agreed with them. The wind was calm and it was a warm afternoon when the Sonic crew settled down to have lunch. The RV was full again and so now, Sonic had his friends to feed. Shadow opened the food closet, seeking.

"Oh no! We're all out of Spam already." Shadow said, while looking in the closet.

"That's too bad." Sonic said, trying to sound upset.

"We're saved." Rouge whispered to herself.

"What do you suggest, Sonic?" Tails asked the blue hedgehog.

"I'm not sure. Let's ask Knuckles." Sonic said, and then he turned around toward the sofa. He made a strange face when he saw the echidna, asleep while holding an Emerald like a teddy bear. "He's sleeping like a baby with an Emerald. Man, where's a camera when you need one?"

"I got one." Amy whispered, reaching into her suitcase. "Here, take it."

"Okay, I'll try to get a picture of this." Sonic whispered, and he took the camera. He aimed it toward the echidna, focused and then he shot with a flash of light.

Suddenly, Knuckles sat up, letting out a scream of fright. Sonic and his crew all looked at him, screaming because he scared them and then they faced each other, screaming again.

"HEY! Why are we screaming like this?" Sonic asked, breathlessly.

"I had the most horrible nightmare!" Knuckles said, sweating and trembling while he sat on the sofa. "Oh, it was terrible!" He covered his eyes with his hands, afraid.

"It's over now, Knuckles, it's okay." Sonic told him, calmly. "You're all right now and I'm sure you're hungry, am I right or right?" Sonic asked, and then Knuckles uncovered his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm staving!" Knuckles nodded his head, yes. "Feed me--uh… I mean, let's eat!" Just then he noticed the Emerald was down beside his shoe. He quickly took it in his hands and he hugged it. "My Emerald, I found you!" He said, happily and he smiled with his eyes closed.

"He's back to normal." Everyone else said at the same time.

= = = = =

The hungry Sonic crew stopped the RV and entered Burger King where they would eat lunch that afternoon. It was the right place at the right time, and so they raced there for fun.

"Catch me if you can!" Sonic called, jumping out of the RV, laughing.

"Come back here, you faker!" Shadow called, running after him.

"I'm twice as hungry as you so I'm twice as fast as you!" Sonic teased him.

"Oh, yeah?" Knuckles asked; running passed him. "I'm triple hungry!"

"I'm powerful hungry!" Tails said, flying over and passed them all, reaching the door first. He stood in front of it, stopping the others from entering. "STOP! Hold it, guys!"

"Ouch!" Sonic stopped and crashed onto the ground with Knuckles falling beside him.

"OW!" The echidna yelped, after he had fallen with the blue hedgehog.

"Yow!" Shadow said; falling down but they were unharmed. "What is this?" He asked.

"Ladies first." Tails said, grinning at them. He opened the door for the three girls.

"My shoes!" Sonic cried, looking at the burning red sneakers. "They're hot!" He blew on them to cool them off while Shadow fought against his laughter. He covered his grin with his hand.

"You should get air shoes, like me, the superior hedgehog." Shadow pointed to himself.

"No way!" Sonic stood up, ready for anything once again. "Nobody's faster than me!"

"Let's have a race and prove it." Shadow suggested, crossing his arms, daring him.

"Okay," Sonic agreed. "Whoever eats the most burgers in three minutes, wins."

"What?" Shadow asked confused at the kind of race it was. It was not what he expected.

"Come on, Shadow! In you go!" Sonic pushed him inside.

"How did I get myself into this?" Shadow asked himself before the door closed.

The two hedgehogs sat down at a table and Knuckles stood by, holding a watch that would tell the time. Each hedgehog was given a dozen hamburgers; hot and fresh when they ordered them. Sonic looked up and faced Shadow, green eyes gazing and he grinned.

"No matter what, you'll still lose." Shadow told him, griping a napkin.

"I don't think so." Sonic said, taking a napkin of his own.

"All right," Knuckles said, standing by the table. "You know the rules. Whoever eats the most in three minutes, wins. I will keep the time. Begin at the count of three, and may your minds have mercy on your stomachs." The echidna then counted, "One… two… three!" It began.

Sonic and Shadow began eating the meal while the team cheered for them, encouraging them to keep going. Those who worked there stopped and watched with interest, having never seen anything like it before. Hedgehogs having an eating contest? Who would ever believe it? Shadow held his third hamburger, chewing carefully and seemed to have fallen into deep thought.

"Shadow, wake up! Keep going!" Rouge shook him awake.

Shadow blinked his eyes and began eating again, remembering when and where he was and why for that matter. They both came to the last minute and when the time was over; there remained two burgers for Shadow and one for Sonic. The blue hedgehog was the worthy winner.

"Did you really think you had a chance?" Sonic asked the black hedgehog.

"Of course. But soon enough, I'll show you my true speed and abilities." Shadow said and even though he lost, he shook the blue hedgehog's hand, thanking him.

"Hey, you were close, I've got to say that. You're fast, that's for sure." Sonic said.

"Because I'm the coolest." Shadow grinned and cleaned his mouth with a napkin.

"We've been through that before and so let's not start that again." Sonic reminded him.

"Well, at least that's over with." Knuckles sighed with relief. "What could possibly go wrong now?" He asked the question too soon when the door opened. Metal Sonic and Chaos stepped inside, entering while the workers ran, screaming with fear of the sight.

"Okay, everyone, this is a stick up. Hand over the French fries!" Chaos demanded and Metal covered his eyes with his hand, shaking his head, no.

"No, no, no, you puddle!" Metal corrected him. "Hand over the Emerald!"

"I don't have any Emerald!" Chaos argued with him.

"No! That's what you're suppose to say!" Metal reminded him, angry.

"Oh, but you already said it." Chaos said, scratching his head with confusion.

"Never mind! Let's get that hedgehog!" Metal turned to the tables but the Sonic crew vanished. They were not there anymore but all gone. "Oh no! We can't lose them again! Let's go, Chaos, and don't slip again." Metal ran for the exit and Chaos followed him.

"Slip? Ha!" Chaos said, "I never slipped in my life." Just then, he slipped on the floor, knocking down the yellow sign, which said: Caution. Wet floor.

"What on earth?!" Metal asked, shocked when Chaos crashed into him and pushed him outside, knocking him down to the ground. Metal sat up, furious. "I knew it! You did it again!"

"Did what?" Chaos asked, sitting up next to the robot. Metal hit him on the head for an answer. "Ouch! That hurt!" Chaos rested a hand on his head, covering it.

"Serves you right." Metal said, still angry and then suddenly, he saw the RV driving away. "They're escaping! Let's go! We can still catch them!" Metal took Chaos by the arm, pulling him up and then they both chased the RV, which drove toward a carwash.

"Sonic, where are we going?" Tails asked the hedgehog who was driving.

"Yeah, and what are you doing?" Knuckles added.

"We're going through Operation Carwash." Sonic replied, driving onward.

"Sounds neat, but how are we going to do that?" Amy asked, wondering how.

"Simple. We go through the carwash." And just as Sonic finished the last word, the RV was surrounded with soap and water. The machine began cleaning it outside. Sonic and his crew watched without blinking as a huge sponge wiped the windshield, left and right, right and left again. They turned their heads, following the movements with curiosity.

Outside the carwash, Metal and Chaos arrived and they saw the RV. "Aha! There they are, trying to hide in the carwash. The poor fools." Metal laughed, approaching it but Chaos stopped him.

"No, we can't go in there! We'll drown!" Chaos warned him, panicking.

"Don't be silly. No one can drown in a carwash." Metal said, entering it and Chaos followed him but he still doubted. They both reached behind the RV but before they came near it, the machine began to wash them, pushing them against the RV with sponges, water and soap all around.

"I hate baths!" Metal yelled, trying to push the sponge away, but it was useless.

Inside the RV, Sonic and his friends did not even hear or notice that Metal and Chaos were close by. They were watching the final touches of the carwash while listening to the song: Escape from the city. The RV was clean and fresh when it drove outside again, out into the road once again. The Sonic crew drove out of sight, away from the danger behind them. Metal and Chaos stepped outside of the carwash, very clean but dizzy after the unexpected event.

"Oh no! I can hardly see. My systems are soaked!" Metal said, losing his radar because of the water, and Chaos opened his mouth to speak but only bubbles came out.

Safely away, the RV of our great team began traveling again and now that it was clean with a new tire, no one was sure what to expect to see on the road that was strait ahead. It could be danger, and it could also be fun and the blue hedgehog thirst for adventure, as we all know, he is just a guy who loves it. With the wheels turning and engine roaring, the team traveled onward to see.