Sonic Series Fan Fiction ❯ Vacation To Mobius ❯ Some Like It Hot, But Life's Not Fair ( Chapter 7 )

Legal Stuff:

I don't own any of the characters in this story. They are the properties of their respective owners.

Author's Notes:

Let's see another way for this vacation to become anything but relaxing…

Chapter 7: Some Like It Hot, But Life's Not Fair

It was early the next morning, and I had once again been awakened by the loud beeping alarm of Porygon's. It was really getting on my nerves, but I would need it if I didn't want to sleep in on this adventurous planet. The others, unfortunately, had different ideas…

Lunar: I got up early often enough in boot camp…can you please turn that feature off?

Elk: What time is it?

Scotty: Very early, according to the sun.

Me: I'm not sure what it is here; I'm still on Earth time.

Porygon: It is approximately six o'clock AM.

Lunar: You got us up at six in the morning?!

Porygon: Affirmative. It was necessary to give us time to prepare.

Elk: Prepare? For what?

Porygon: Knuckles asked me awaken you all early so that we could execute his plan.

Me: And that plan would be…

Porygon: He did not reveal it to me. It is supposed to be a surprise.

Scotty: I think I've had my fill of surprises, thanks.

Me: Around here, there's always a second helping.

Elk: Well, we're up, so I guess we should get started.

We got up to leave, and were met at the door by MS-02.

MS-02: Are you ready to depart?

Lunar: Depends on the destination.

We walked over to the rest of the heroes, who were already fully awake.

Scotty: We're here, Knuckles, so let's find out what this big surprise is.

Sonic: Yeah, we got up way too early, so this had better be good.

Knuckles: Relax, I'll tell you.

Me: If I relax any more, I'll fall asleep.

Knuckles: I figured that we've put Robotnik out of commission for a while, so I, in my greatness, will allow you to climb the mountains on Angel Island.

Sonic: There is so much wrong with what you just said.

Knuckles: You're right. I'm graciously permitting you to climb.

Sonic was angry with Knuckles and his attitude, and he stood there, fuming. Knuckles chuckled at him, which only angered the hedgehog more. After a minute or so of this, they had calmed down while the rest of us considered his proposal.

Lunar: What exactly makes you think we want to go mountain climbing?

Knuckles: Because it's fun, it's challenging, and it's-

Amy: --And it's dangerous!

Knuckles: Only if you mess up.

Me: We aren't all expert climbers like you, you know.

Knuckles: Don't worry, the slopes are real gentle…mostly…

Elk: Mostly? What happens at the end of mostly?

Knuckles: A few sections of vertical cliff face, but we won't need to climb them.

Tails: Who needs to climb when you can fly?

Knuckles: The point isn't getting to the top; it's having fun along the way.

Sonic: Since when do you have time for fun?

Knuckles: <sigh> Since I decided to. Now, are you going or not?

Elk: Well, it would be nice to see Angel Island…

Lunar: I've done mountains before…I think I'd rather stay back and guard the town.

Sonic: Can we race to the top?

All: NO!

Sonic: Sorry…I'll still go, though.

Amy: If Sonic's going, then I'm going, too.

Tails: I'm all for it.

Me: Hmm…Not my idea of a vacation, but I'm in.

MS-02: I will accompany you all.

Knuckles: Great. I've got supplies on the island, so let's go.

Me: Uh…Knuckles…

Knuckles: Yeah?

Me: How are we all supposed to get there?

Knuckles: Well…actually, I was kinda hoping you'd help us with that.

Sonic: I see you've planned this out well.

Me: The shuttle we used before can't carry all of us…We need something bigger.

Porygon: What about a 4-b class heavy shuttle?

Me: Well, that'd work, but I don't know if it would fit through the portal.

Porygon: Why not use the prototype cargo transporter?

Me: Well, most of the tests were successful. I guess we could try it.

Scotty: Remind me to keep you far away from Billy.

Me: I'm contacting the base…

I pressed a button on my watch. [Yes, the watch again! Fwahahaha!] Within seconds, a small hologram appeared above it. It displayed the image of a robot's face.

Me: Commander, we need you to send a heavy shuttle using the prototype transporter. I'm sending you the coordinates.

Drone: Yes sir.

The hologram disappeared, and a few moments later, a large portal opened in the sky just above us. Through it emerged a large craft, and the portal disappeared after it. It landed beside us, and a door opened on its side, creating a ramp to walk up.

Elk: Would someone like to explain to me what just happened?

Scotty: Same here.

Me: To put it simply, this ship came here from my lab using a portal transporter device.

Sonic: If that's simple, I'd hate to hear complex.

Me: Anyway, it's here, so let's go.

We walked into the shuttle, which was about the size of two tractor-trailers side by side. I went up front to the pilot's seat, and sat down. I was closely followed by Tails, who sat down in the co-pilot's seat.

Me: It looks like you've decided to help out again, Tails.

Tails: You know it! If it flies, then I'm there.

Elk walked up to us as the door closed.

Elk: You're gonna fly this thing?

Me: That's the plan. Don't worry, I'm pretty good, and we've got Tails here, so this'll be a piece of cake.

Elk: It's not about me; it's Scotty I'm worried about. He has a slight fear of flying.

Tails: I don't see how anyone could be afraid of flying.

Me: Believe it or not, I won't set foot on an airliner. Unless I designed it, I don't fly in it.

Elk: Interesting policy.

Knuckles: You know where the island is, right?

Me: I haven't got the slightest idea.

Elk: I think I remember the flight path.

Me: Great, you'll be our navigator.

Knuckles: What about me?

Sonic pulled him toward a seat.

Sonic: You are going to sit down, shut up, and lose the attitude.

They all sat down, and strapped themselves in. Elk sat in the navigator's chair, behind and between the two pilot seats. We each put on a pair of headphones with a microphone attached. The engines were already going, so we lifted off immediately. Lunar waved to us from the ground as we flew away.

Scotty: Uh…How long is this going to take?

Me: Well, we can go slow and be up in the air for a long time, or we can go dangerously fast and be there quickly.

Scotty: Which is the lesser of two evils, I wonder?

Tails: Let's go somewhere in between.

Me: Don't worry, Scotty, I'll activate the G-diffuser. It's a little piece of technology I got off one of those video games I told you about. It neutralizes the G-forces experienced by anyone and anything on board.

Scotty: I hope so.

Tails: We're ready to fly. Which way is it, Elk?

Elk: Well, let's see…We're in Knothole, and according to this compass…Um…<points> That way!

Me: That way it is. Would you like to do the honors, Elk? <points at throttle> Just move that lever forward.

Elk: <puts hand on throttle> This one?

Tails: That's the one.

Elk eased the lever forward, and the ship accelerated in the direction she had previously indicated.

Elk: Now, we just have to keep our eyes open, and our scanners scanning.

Me: Yup. In the mean time, let's see if Knuckles will tell us more about this trip.

Knuckles: Like I said, I've got all the gear on the island. Other than that, you guys know how to hike, right?

Me: I still don't see how this can possibly be fun.

Knuckles: It's a different kind of fun. It involves danger and adventure, desperation and plot holes.

Me: Rrriiigghhhtttt…

Elk: It will be relatively safe, right?

Knuckles: Maybe. This is the kind of fun us Mobians have every time we go on one of our crazy adventures.

The ship flew on for about half an hour with no trouble. A brief conversation popped up here or there every now and then, but nothing major. Finally, Angel Island could be seen in front of us. We drew nearer to the floating island in awe of it.

Elk: Wow!! Look at it!

Me: I've never seen anything like it before.

Tails: Well, Elk, you were a good navigator.

Elk: Thanks, Tails.

Knuckles: So you found my island, huh? Let's get down there then.

Me: Right.

Tails: Can I take us in?

Me: You sure you know how?

Tails: Don't worry about it.

Scotty: I've heard that one before.

Elk: Relax, we'll be fine.

Scotty: I'm pretty sure he said that, too…

Sonic: What are you talking about?

Scotty: The Tails from my world took me for a wild flight once. He kept reassuring me, but in the end things didn't turn out so well.

Tails: Would you rather I try and scare you, then?

Scotty: I'd rather you flew this thing.

Tails: If you say so. We'll be landing in less than a minute.

Me: Where should we set down, Knuckles?

Knuckles: Somewhere near the old ruins. That's where I put the climbing gear.

Tails: The ruins it is!

The skilled pilot maneuvered the shuttle over an open area between several pillars, and landed. I shut down the engines, and opened the door. Everyone got out, and followed Knuckles to a nearby area. There was a small shed, and the echidna walked into it.

Knuckles: Here they are.

He reached his hand out several times, each time it had a pack of climbing gear, which one of us took. Once everyone else was prepared, he took a pack for himself.

Knuckles: I doubt we'll need this stuff. It should be just a simple hike up.

Sonic: What's the point?

Knuckles: Exercise, and a nice view at the top. It'll be fun, trust me.

Sonic: The day I trust you is the day I've gone crazy. Let's get moving.

We approached a nearby foothill, and started there. The hike up was difficult, but it was worth it to see all of the strange and interesting sights that could only be found here. Then, as we continued upwards, things got cold. We soon hit the first snow bank.

Sonic: Great, now there's snow.

Elk: I wonder if it's the same as snow on Earth.

Me: Well, it's cold.

Porygon: Scans show it to be identical.

Knuckles: You guys aren't gonna let a little snow get in your way, are you?

Tails: A little? No. A lot? Maybe. The snow gets deeper the higher we go.

We pressed on, drudging up the mountain. A light flurry of snow began to fall. It was pleasant at first, but we got higher as it became a blizzard. The weather got worse as we went up. Shivering, we followed the echidna ever upwards. Everyone was beginning to doubt his sanity.

Amy: Knuckles! It's s-s-s-sooo c-c-c-cold! Should we turn back?

Knuckles: Are you kidding? The cold is half the fun!

Sonic: I think the thin air up here is getting to you, Knuckles.

Morning became noon, and the blizzard died down a bit as we neared the halfway point. Looking out, storm clouds were drifting toward us over the ocean. They were tall and dark, full of rain. If it rained near the mountain, it would turn to ice before it hit.

Scotty: Hey, Knuckles, there's a storm brewing out there. I think we need to get to some kind of shelter.

Knuckles: There's a cabin halfway up the mountain. Follow me.

He led us in the same direction we had been going all day. I guess he was headed for the cabin the whole time. Maybe he's not so crazy after all. The afternoon rolled in, bringing with it strong winds and nasty weather. We had to yell over the howl of the wind, which of course, was blowing in the direction opposite that of which we traveled.

Elk: I thought you said this was going to be a simple hike!

Knuckles: It's been a simple hike!

Me: You call this simple?!

Sonic: You're gonna pay for this!

We finally reached the cabin, and everyone rushed inside. It was still cold, but at least it was dry. MS-02 placed some firewood from one side of the room into the fireplace and shot it to light it. We all sat in front of the fire, trying to warm ourselves.

Knuckles: I figure we'll hang out here until the storm blows over.

Tails: That could take a while. Those storm clouds out there look pretty bad.

Scotty: You don't think we'll get stuck out here, do you?

Sonic: There's no way I'm getting stuck anywhere near Amy.

MS-02: We must hope for the best. Weather out here can be unpredictable.

Me: You got any food? That `simple hike' took a lot out of me.

Sonic: Me, too.

Knuckles: Of course there's food.

He got up and walked to a nearby cabinet. He opened it, revealing a large number of canned foods and cooking utensils.

Elk: Whoa…

Knuckles: How does beef stew sound?

Sonic: Moo!

All: O.o

Sonic: The beef? The cows? They moo? Get it?

Knuckles: That's gotta be the lamest joke I've ever heard.

Scotty: Stew sounds fine, Knuckles.

Everyone agreed, and the echidna dragged out a huge can of beef stew. I didn't know they made cans that big…Anyway, he found a can opener, a large pot, and a rack for it. Using these, he heated it over the fire.

Me: Smells good. How do you guys get the cows to make that stuff anyway? I didn't know they had that kind of stuff on Mobius.

Knuckles: Don't ask me. I just buy the stuff; I don't make it.

Elk: Buy it? From where?

He paused for a moment, thinking.

Knuckles: …I have no idea…

Sonic: Whatever. It's ready, so let's eat.

Knuckles found some bowls and silverware, and we ate. By now, it was late in the afternoon, and the worst of the storm was long gone. So, we packed back up, put out the fire, and headed out.

Tails: Are you sure about this? It's getting dark.

Knuckles: We still have a few more hours. If we hurry, we can make it…I hope…

Sonic: That's not very reassuring.

Porygon: The darkness and its reduced temperature could pose a major threat.

Scotty: <thinking> Let's hope the darkness is the only one of our problems…

The climb upwards grew slower and slower as the deep snow from the blizzard simply continued to get deeper. It got dark as the already freezing temperatures plunged downwards. The thick overcoats that Knuckles had given each of us were beginning to lose their effect. We weren't even three fourths of the way up the mountain yet.

Sonic: This is madness, Knuckles!

Me: Remind me never to go along on one of Knuckles `fun' ideas ever again.

Elk: We have to get out of this weather!

Porygon: Prolonged exposure to these temperatures will cause illness.

Knuckles: Come on, were almost there…

MS-02: Actually, there is a significant amount of traveling to do.

Tails: No shortage of good news, is there?

It was a clear night, and the moon lit up the ground. Even so, the light didn't mean heat, which meant we were still cold as we continued upwards.

Amy: Are we there yet?

Sonic: Does it look like we're there yet?

Scotty: Stop wasting energy arguing, you two.

It was nearing midnight, and we were all very tired. Still, there wasn't a safe place to stop until we reached the summit, where another cabin had been built. Howling wind could be heard in the distance.

Sonic: <half-asleep> Hey, Knuckles, is anything supposed to be flying toward us?

Knuckles: <also half-asleep> No…Why?

Sonic: Because something is…

We all stopped, snapped awake.

Knuckles: What?

Sonic: Something's headed for us. That way!

He pointed out across the ocean, and we all looked to see Robotnik's airship closing in on the island. It was far away, but moving fast.

Me: This is all we need!

Elk: Still think this is a simple hike?

Knuckles: It is right now, but it's about to get a lot more complex.

Scotty: We need to hide.

We looked around at the flat, smooth surface that extended far in all directions, blemished only by our tracks.

Tails: Where?

MS-02: We should be small enough to avoid visual detection. However, he will no doubt perform various scans for us, from which we cannot hide.

Me: Porygon, can you form Metalporygon?

Porygon: Negative. I have not recovered enough energy, and this hike has been particularly draining.

Me: So much for that option.

Elk: Can we get to the top before he reaches us?

Knuckles: There's still about another mile or so to travel, but that shouldn't be much for us.

Sonic: The snow will slow us down, but I think we can make it.

Scotty: The humans can't run like we can.

Me: I can ride on Porygon.

MS-02: And I will carry Elk.

Tails: Then let's get out of here!

The emergency had turned our torture hike into a mad dash for our lives. We all moved as quickly as possible, and reached the cabin just as the airship reached the island. We ran inside to find a cabin that was more or less identical to the previous one.

Knuckles: Let's hope he doesn't find us.

MS-02: This building will provide minimal protection from him and no protection from his scans.

Scotty: It's better than nothing.

Amy: How did he find us?

Me: He must've followed the ion trail from the shuttle!

Knuckles: You led him right to my island?!

Me: It was your idea to use something of mine!

Sonic: We don't have time to fight right now. We need to come up with a plan in case he attacks.

Scotty: I doubt we stand a chance against him head to head. We need to retreat.

MS-02: He's right. The question is, how?

Knuckles: There's a trap door in this cabin that leads to the ice caves in the mountains. It's risky, but it's our only hope.

Tails: We need to find a place to meet if we get separated.

Knuckles: There's a big monument out in the grassy fields. We'll meet up there if we lose contact with one another.

He opened a door in the ground of the cabin. There were steps leading downwards.

Me: I'm not too sure about this.

Sonic: We don't have a choice!

There was a loud bang outside, followed by a rumbling sound. The ground shook as everyone ran to the window. A trail of smoke went from the airship to the side of the mountain. Down below, an avalanche could be seen.

Elk: He's torpedoing the mountain!!

Knuckles: This is not good.

Another torpedo launched from the ship. It impacted the mountain much higher up than the previous one, and caused a massive earthquake. Snow flew hundreds of feet into the air, but most of it flowed down the mountain in the form of another avalanche.

Sonic: We have to go, NOW!

Knuckles and MS-02 were the first ones down the trap door. Elk and I followed them, and Porygon followed us. The others were headed for the door when it happened. A third torpedo hit just in front of the cabin, destroying it. The blast waves sent Sonic, Scotty, Tails, and Amy flying. The rest of us were thrown off our feet and deep into the caves below. Various pieces of ice, rocks, and dirt were hurled everywhere, including on top of us.

…

Several minutes later, a robotic hand emerged from underneath the rubble in the caves. It pushed downwards on the nearby rocks to pull its owner upwards. MS-02 emerged from where he had been buried.

MS-02: Where are the others?

He scanned for any life signs as his nanytes repaired various areas of minor damage. Finding three, he began to dig us out. There was another unusual reading, which was uncovered to be Porygon. When we came to, we realized what had happened.

Me: Some vacation…

Elk: So now what?

Knuckles: We'll do like we agreed-find our way to the monument.

MS-02: That would be the best course of action.

Porygon: Affirmative.

Knuckles: I know these caves pretty well. Come on, let's go.

We took out our flashlights and followed Knuckles into the cave. The ice played many tricks, seeming to be there when it wasn't and vice versa. Every now and then, another explosion would rock the ground, causing us to nearly lose our balance.

Meanwhile, in a snowdrift…

A gentle breeze uncovered several blue spikes, which quivered in the wind. Sonic woke up somehow, and got to his hands and legs. He'd lost some of his supplies, the pieces of which were scattered across the landscape. The hedgehog sat on his knees, shivering as he looked around. The night didn't offer much to see by, but he soon found an orange shoe sticking out of the ground.

Sonic: Huh? Is that mine?

He hobbled over to the shoe, and pulled on it. It didn't budge. So, he stood up and grabbed it, pulling it with all his might. It moved, but there was a green hedgehog attached to it. Sonic fell backwards from the force of Scotty being flung over his head and into the snow behind him.

Sonic: Scotty!

He rushed over to his friend, and shook him. The hedgehog was motionless for a moment, but then it came to life in much the same way Sonic had.

Scotty: Sonic…Is that you?

Sonic: Yeah, I'm here. Are you okay?

Scotty: My ankle is kinda sore…

Sonic: Which one?

Scotty pointed to the same one Sonic had pulled on.

Sonic: <sweatdrop> Heh heh, Oops…

Scotty: What did you say?

Sonic: I said it'll get better.

Scotty sat up, and looked around. His supplies had also been scattered around. He stood up, followed by Sonic.

Scotty: Let's get to that monument.

Sonic: Right.

They began to walk, not sure where to head except away from the mountain. Above them in the distance was Robotnik's airship. It hovered silently, seemingly uninterested in them. And they were perfectly happy with that.

On the other side of the mountain…

Two white puffs of fur stuck out of the snow, fluttering in the occasional wind. Nearby was a gloved hand with a gold bracelet around the wrist. The fur puffs began to move by themselves, first in different ways. They paused for a moment, and then began to spin very rapidly around each other. The wind created by this blew the snow away from the body that they were attached to. When the snow was clear, Tails wearily sat up in the crater-like shape he had made in the snow.

Tails: Oh man…What happened to me?

There was a muffled voice nearby. Tails peeked over the edge of the crater, and saw a hand moving back and forth, opening and closing. Not caring who it was, he jumped out and began to dig down around the arm. The voice became clearer as he dug deeper. Eventually, he recognized it.

Amy: Get me outta here!!!

Tails: Just a second…hold on…

He stood up and dug his feet into the ground. He ten spun his Tails rapidly enough to blow the powdery snow away from Amy. She crawled out of the small pit she was in, and shakily stood up.

Amy: Thank you, Tails!

Tails: Yes, yes, you're welcome. We need to find the others.

Amy: Why not go to that monument thing?

Tails: Well, there's no one else around, so I guess that would be the smart thing to do.

They were about to pick a direction to travel when they realized they were on the wrong side of the mountain.

Amy: Oh no! Now we'll have to go all the way around!

Tails: Maybe not. I think we can fly there!

Amy: But there's no way you can fly us the entire distance…

Tails: I can't, but Nate's shuttle can!

Amy: That's right, I forgot about that!

Tails: And the ruins are on this side, so all we have to do is get there. I think I can see where we landed from here.

Amy: Then let's go!

They ran off toward the landing pad in the ruins.

Back in the cave…

Elk: Are you sure you know where we're going?

Knuckles: Of course I am!

Me: I don't know…I think I've seen that crystal a few times before.

MS-02: We have not been through the same area twice.

Elk: It's too bad we can't just teleport outta here.

Me: Teleport…That's it! Porygon, you can use teleport to get us out…right?

Porygon: Negative. My power is still weak, and I do not know the layout of these caves. We might teleport into a rock wall, or worse.

Knuckles: Looks like we'll just have to keep moving…Hey, wait a minute! I remember this part! Come on, the path to the exit's right over here!

He ran down a cavern, but stopped when there was another explosion from somewhere outside. Tons of ice and rock crashed down in front of us, blocking the path.

Knuckles: No!! If we'd only been a little faster!!

MS-02: Calm down, there is nothing that can be done.

Me: Can't you move the rocks? Between you and Porygon, it shouldn't be too hard.

MS-02: These rocks are too massive and interconnected for me to lift.

Porygon: And moving them may further destabilize the cave. My power is too weak to even teleport us through them.

Me: This is just not our day.

Elk: Well, we can't give up now. We have to keep trying; there's gotta be another exit.

Knuckles: There's lots of `em, but we still have to get there. This stuff's too tough for me to dig through, so I guess we'll have to take the long way.

Another heavy blast rocked the cavern, knocking each of us over on the slippery ground. When Knuckles tripped, several shiny glowing objects slid toward us. He gathered most of them, but Elk and I had each already picked one up.

Knuckles: Give me those!

Me: Hold on…Is this what I think it is?

Elk: It is! It's a chaos emerald!

Knuckles: That's right, and they're mine, so hand `em over!

Elk: Calm down, Knuckles, we're not gonna steal them. Besides, where would we go?

Me: <stares at emerald> Elk, are you thinking what I'm thinking?

Elk: <thinks for a minute> It's worth a shot.

Elk & Me: CHAOS CONTROL!!!

…

Nothing happened.

Knuckles: What are you trying to do?

Me: Get us out faster.

Knuckles: Don't you think I thought of that?! For some reason, I can't use the chaos control, and neither can you. Now quit trying to find a shortcut out of here and follow me.

He snatched the emeralds from us and returned them to wherever it is he kept them as he walked past us, away from the crashed rocks and ice. We followed him, hoping to get out soon.

Back over to Sonic and Scotty…

The weary hedgehogs trudged down the mountain at a snail's pace, which made things seem all the worse for them, especially Sonic.

Sonic: If I wasn't so tired, I'd hurry…Man I need sleep…

Scotty: I'm too tired to sleep…

A torpedo headed right for them, and they hurried downwards. It struck very close, chucking them far down the side of the mountain. They curled up for protection, and rolled to a stop at the base of the giant mountain. Cautiously, they uncurled and looked around.

Sonic: Man, that was too close!

Scotty: I have to admit, it woke me up.

Sonic: Some alarm clock…

Near the ruins…

Tails: Okay, Amy, we need to find the place where we left the ruins to go up the mountain. I'll go left, and you go right. See if we can find a way around the wall.

Amy: I've got a better idea.

Tails: A better idea? What is it?

Amy: It's an idea that's superior to another one. But that's not important right now. Why don't we just fly over it?

She pointed to his tails as he himself looked back at them, spinning them slowly around.

Tails: That might work.

He spun his tails, and lifted up a few feet off the ground. The fox hovered over Amy, and reached down. They grabbed each others hands as they ascended over the wall. Tails was about to land on the other side, but he then realized that he could probably fly the rest of the way.

Amy: Whoa…Be careful, Tails!

Tails: You have nothing to worry about; Sonic and me do this all the time!

Amy: Yeah, but Sonic's not as freaked out as I am!

They continued on across the ruins. The shuttle soon came into view, but it was several hundred feet off. The cold air and late time was taking its toll on Tails, and he slowly drifted downwards until he was forced to land.

Tails: <panting> Amy…I can't…go on…

Amy: Oh no you don't! You're not dying on my watch!

Tails: Who said…anything about…dying? I just…need sleep…

He passed out on the ground. Amy lifted him partway up by the shoulders, and dragged him toward the shuttle.

Meanwhile…

The monument was within sight for Sonic and Scotty, who now went toward it at an accelerated pace. They weren't quite running; it was somewhere between a brisk walk and a jog. They went along the edge of the forest, headed straight for the monument.

Sonic: Come on, Scotty…It's just a little farther…

Scotty: It's been `just a little farther' for the past few minutes…

Sonic: Yeah, but-

He was interrupted by a laser that shot right at him. It missed him by a fraction of an inch, and both of the hedgehogs jumped behind a nearby boulder. Several more shots followed, each from the airship.

Sonic: I guess he knows we're here.

Scotty: Well, it was nice while it lasted.

Sonic: Now what do we do? We need a way to block those lasers!

They hid behind the boulder, which was getting closer to becoming a small stone each second, while they thought up a plan. Scotty took out and activated his emerald sword weapon.

Scotty: Ready, Sonic?

Sonic: Ready as I'll ever be!

Scotty: Then let's go!

They ran out from behind the rock, and Scotty held the sword between themselves and the airship. His skills enabled him to run alongside Sonic while also deflecting the lasers. They made a mad dash for a dry, deep moat around the monument. They used it to protect them against the lasers.

In Robotnik's airship…

Robotnik: You won't get away from me this time, hedgehog! Gunners! Concentrate your fire on the same spot, and drill through the ground to reach them!

In the caves…

Me: Hey, the rumbling has stopped.

Knuckles: Maybe he's out of torpedoes…

MS-02: Not likely. I am detecting power bursts in the distance. He must be shooting lasers at something.

Elk: Or someone…

Porygon: We must stop him.

Knuckles: There's a thin spot in the wall over here. I think I can dig through.

He ran up to the wall, and somehow began digging furiously through it, creating a tunnel to the outside. When it was done, we all rushed through it and saw Robotnik's airship shooting at the ground in the distance.

At the ruins…

Amy helped Tails into the shuttle. The fox had woken up, and seemed to have more energy when he remembered that he would get to fly something. He and Amy sat up front, with Tails in the pilot's seat.

Tails: I'm sorry Nate, but I have to borrow this…

He started the engines up, closed the door, and lifted off. Tails flew the shuttle around the mountain, and saw Robotnik's ship firing at something below.

Tails: What's he shooting at?

Amy: Does it matter?

Tails: I guess not.

Amy: Hey, what's this do?

She pointed to a joystick. Tails glanced at it.

Tails: It looks like some sort of weapon aiming system. Try it out!

She grabbed the joystick, and pressed the trigger on it. Laser fire shot out from the two small turrets on the top and bottom of the shuttle. The lasers went out across the ocean as they faded away.

Tails: Awesome! Try to hit the turrets on Robotnik's ship. That way, we can take out his weapons!

Amy: I'll try…

Tails flew underneath Robotnik's ship, while Amy fired upwards, somehow scoring a hit on each turret. Tails came back around for another pass, but this time Robotnik shot back.

About half a minute earlier…

Me: That can't be a good sign.

Knuckles: Do you hear that?

MS-02: I am detecting another craft.

Just then, the shuttle flew over us, headed for Robotnik's airship. It fired once at nothing, and then at the turrets that were firing at the ground.

Me: Hey, that's my shuttle!

Elk: Who's flying it?

Porygon: And who's the gunner?

Knuckles: Tails is probably the pilot. As for the gunner, you got me.

The shuttle flew around and attacked a second time. However, the shots from Robotnik's ship soon weakened the shields. They were weakest near the engines, and then Robotnik fired a shot right into them.

Meanwhile…

Sonic: Check it out! Someone's shooting at Robotnik!

Scotty: And it looks like Robotnik is shooting back!

They both saw the shuttle take a hit to the engine.

Scotty: Ooh, that can't be good…

The shuttle shook back and forth violently, as its pilot wasn't trained in how to maintain control after taking a major hit. Smoke poured from the now overheated engine as the craft began to rapidly descend. Amy fired a few more desperate shots, taking out the last working turret on the bottom of Robotnik's ship.

In the shuttle…

Various alarms and lights flashed and sounded on and off as the two occupants panicked inside.

Tails: We've been badly hit! I don't know how to get control back!

Amy: Keep trying!

Tails: I can't! We're going down!

There was a sudden jolt as the ship hit not the ground, but rather a certain blue robot. MS-02 used all the power he could put through his engine to slow the shuttle down enough to make it hit the snow without exploding. He somehow managed to avoid being crushed, and helped Tails and Amy out.

Tails: Thank you, Metal. We owe you one.

Amy: Oh, Metal, you saved us!!

She hugged him tightly, but fortunately for him, it didn't choke him since he didn't breath. They made their way away from the shuttle and back to us.

Me: Tails? Amy?

Elk: So it was you that was flying.

Tails: Yeah…Sorry about your ship, Nate.

Me: Don't worry about it, I've got a zillion more.

Knuckles: Let's get to the monument!

Before we could do anything, an explosion hit just in front of us. We were all blown backwards, and I hit a rock. Everyone but me stood back up. Porygon rushed over to me.

Porygon: he is unconscious.

His head turned to the airship.

Porygon: MS-02, take care of him. I will destroy that ship.

Tails: How?

Porygon: Knuckles, give me the chaos emeralds and don't argue.

Knuckles could tell that Porygon meant business, and handed him the emeralds. Porygon absorbed the energy from them and used it to fully recharge. He then used the rest of it to fly up and transform into Metalporygon. He was about to rush off after the ship when he had a realization.

Meanwhile…

Sonic: Is that Metalporygon?!

Scotty: Metal-who?

Sonic: It's some big robot thing that Nate has. If it's here, then you can bet Robotnik won't be.

Scotty: I see.

In Robotnik's ship…

Robotnik: Ahh, I knew you'd show up. Battle stations, everyone!

Back to us…

Metalporygon looked down at us.

MP: The chaos energy is interfering with my programming. I need a pilot.

Amy: But Nate's knocked out!

Knuckles: I'll do it!

MP: No, I can't risk altering my programming to reconfigure the virtual uplink to work with anything else. I need a human. It's up to you, Elk.

Elk: ME?! But I don't know the first thing about controlling you!!

MP: I will upload what I can to your brain. Quickly, the energy is unstable, and I can't maintain control…

A missile struck MP's rear shield, creating a cloud of smoke.

Elk: All right, I'll do it.

MP: Excellent.

MP beamed Elk up, and activated the VR uplink to her brain. He then sent all the control information that he could safely send with the chaos energy interference. Elk moved her arm, and MP duplicated the action.

Elk: Whoa…You do what I do!

MP: Exactly. Now, let's destroy that ship!

They turned around to face the ship, which hit them with a barrage of shots. They were all blocked by the chaos-enhanced shield that surrounded MP. Shakily, she took a step forward. MP again did the same thing at the same instant. It took some getting used to, but she soon had the hang of controlling him as they flew around firing various types of shots at, into, and through Robotnik's ship.

Elk: Is there some kind of machine gun mode?

MP: Even better, there is a dual chaingun mode.

Elk: I'll go with that.

MP's turrets moved up and forward above his shoulders so that they pointed forwards. Then, with several loud, mechanical slams, a giant four-barreled chaingun emerged from both turrets. The barrels began to spin in opposite directions, making a high-pitched whirr. When they achieved enough speed for the barrels to seem to blur together, hundreds of rounds of ammunition erupted from them, causing the chainguns to shake violently and be very noisy.

Elk: Cool!

The shots tore holes in the ship like you wouldn't believe as dawn approached on the horizon. The first light of the sunrise revealed the smoking barrels of the chainguns, which had stopped via Elk's orders, and one torn-up, broken-down, Swiss cheese-like airship.

In the airship…

Robotnik: Retreat! Retreat!

The ship stopped fighting, since it simply couldn't anymore, and began to fly away from the island.

Elk: I don't think so!

They ran up and leapt off the edge of the island, grabbing on to the airship's wings. Needles to say, the ship didn't take it too well as the wings snapped off. The ship, now unable to control itself, was losing altitude fast. Smoke and fire poured out of every conceivable spot as it neared the ocean. MP slowed to a stop in the air as the anti-gravity systems kicked in. Everyone, including me, who had since woken up, watched as something fired straight up and out of the ship just before it hit.

Me: Must've been an escape pod…

The airship impacted the water with a loud boom, and the force caused by it caused the whole vessel to explode in an almighty bang that sent shockwaves, fire, and debris everywhere. It caused a massive tidal wave below, ripped holes in the clouds above, and would have decimated Angel Island had MP not flown in and protected it with a massive, chaos energy-draining barrier. When the ultra-bright light finally dissipated, There was nothing left of the ship, except for raining debris.

Sonic: That was COOL!!

Me: Do you see why I love my job?

Tails: Definitely!

MP floated up along the edge of the island, his head level with the rest of us.

Me: Mind if we bum a ride?

We were beamed aboard the massive robot.

Me: That was some great piloting you did there, Elk.

Elk: It was a blast-literally!

We all laughed at this for a while.

Me: <sigh> So, MP, you got enough juice to get us back?

MP: Affirmative.

Elk: Take the wheel, Nate.

Me: Thanks.

I climbed onto the VR uplink pad as she climbed off, and we all flew back to knothole, headed for the sunrise.

This has got to be the LONGEST chapter I have ever written.