9A/N: I've let this story go too long, haven't I? Ah, well… It's one of the epics that I really like, but I just can't seem to concentrate on it. In light of that, I'm going to try and force myself to write the next part.
Chapter 6: Lost and Found
"Finished it!" cried Tails as he lifted the welder's mask from his face. He held up the bunch of devices held together by a government grant's worth of caulk and heat. "Now I just need to activate it, and…" All of the lights on the communicators blinked and a low buzzing could be heard. From one of the antennas came a green beam of light that pointed southwest.
"What does it mean?" Amy asked.
"It means we need to go to the Mystic Ruins," answered Sonic as he looked in the direction of the beam.
"Don't count on getting there too quickly," Rouge commented. "Remember – GUN's got that place under lock-down while they research the ruins for signs of ancient weapons."
"Y'know, that's the cool thing about having a technology wizard for a best friend," the blue hedgehog mused with a grin as he elbowed Tails. "Especially since he's got a plane." The fox looked up at his adopted brother and laughed nervously.
"Well, you see… I had to use some parts from the Tornado to build this trap that we were using against the Marauders…" Tails said sheepishly. "We'll be lucky to get from here to Mystic Ruins, but I can do some last-minute tune-ups and get it flying."
"That's our Tails!" Amy gushed. "Always got the right idea!" While Tails stayed inside to work on his plane, the other three waited near the tower outside. Within a half an hour, the Tornado was rolling out of the attached garage.
"All aboard!" the fox shouted over the spluttering engine. The plane looked normal, but its noise was louder than usual, and it definitely wasn't running as smoothly as it had in years past. Nonetheless, the other three Mobians hopped on board, and the vehicle took off toward the ruins. The skies were clear, but the Tornado rocked dangerously as it soared over the tall buildings and into the swampy area of Mystic Ruins. It landed with somewhat of a bump, and the passengers tumbled out warily.
"Ugh… I don't think I want to do that again…" groaned Amy.
"Doesn't Dexter ever take you flying?" asked Sonic sarcastically.
"Oh… yeah! All the time! In fact, that's how he gets to his job site… all the way in Sandopolis!" answered the pink hedgehog hurriedly. Sonic nodded absent-mindedly.
"Let's just keep looking for Knux…" Tails suggested. They continued south through the marshy terrain, but they found their path blocked by a thicket of trees and other plants.
"Well, there's no way you'll get me to go that way…" Rouge said, folding her arms across her chest. Amy agreed, causing Sonic and Tails to sigh.
"I think there's a way through a bit east of here," the azure hero recalled. "I remember using it when I was looking for Eggman's base three years ago." Amy snapped her fingers.
"I remember that path, too!" The hedgehogs ran off, leaving Tails and Rouge to follow. As soon as they found the trail through the clearing, however, a cloud of foul-smelling gas stopped them.
"Yeah, 'cause I'm definitely going through there…" mumbled the bat. Just then, a huge crash could be heard from inside the gas cloud. The four Mobians backed up, ready for battle, but they weren't prepared for what was coming.
"AaaaaaaaaaaaCHOO!" came the huge voice from inside the hazard. A good portion of the noxious stuff cleared, revealing the big purple cat.
"Oh, great…" Sonic muttered.
"Hi, Big!" Amy yelled happily. Big rushed forward to embrace her, but she held out her hands. "No hugs Big… you stink!" Big merely laughed goofily.
"What is that stuff?" asked Tails.
"What stuff?" replied Big, scratching his head. "Oh, you mean the sneezy gas?" Another silly chuckle. "It always makes me sneeze… kinda strange that it appeared a few days ago…"
"A few days ago, huh?" wondered Sonic. "Sounds like the Marauders are trying to clear the place out. Hey, Big, you think you could carry us over that gas?" The humungous cat nodded.
"No problem, Sonic!" he shouted gleefully. He hunched over, and all four Mobians climbed onto his shoulders. Slowly standing up, Big let out a laugh and showed a huge grin. "Here we go, friends!" With that, the enormous feline charged right through the gas and down to the south. He stopped when they had cleared the poison and set his comrades down. They were now in an area with an ancient-looking fan and a mess of buttons. Standing near the fan was a rather short man with dark hair and glasses.
"Well, um… if it isn't Sonic the Hedgehog," the man said.
"Seriously, how do you people get here before we do?" asked Sonic. After a few moments, he continued. "Anyway, didn't this fan thing used to be used for something?" Tails nodded enthusiastically.
"They used to use these fans during excavations to make sure that the tunnels they dug would stay safe," the fox said. Sonic turned his head toward the west, where he noticed a cave entrance.
"I bet if we get this fan working, we could investigate that cave up there. Whaddya say, Tails?" the hedgehog suggested.
"Well, um… that's the problem," interrupted the man. "I was sent here by the archeological society to get the tunnels prepped again since GUN quit their investigation, but I can't seem to get this fan working. I think the battery cell might be in the wrong pod, but I was sent here alone, so I can't switch them."
"That'll be easy for us!" volunteered Amy.
"Well, that's, um… good. The only problem is that I think the wires were crossed during the construction process, and I can't figure out the right combination."
"Let us take care of that…" Tails assured him. He walked to the four buttons and examined them closely. "I think I've got it! Given the askew position of the lower-left button, I've determined that you can open one of the pods open by pressing one button and its diagonal component. Sonic, would you help me demonstrate?" The hedgehog nodded and ran over. Tails stepped on the lower-left switch, and Sonic pressed the upper-right. A cylinder was pushed up out of the water, and it held a yellow-and-black striped battery. "Amy and Rouge, you two can activate the other pod," advised Tails. The two females approached and repeated the process with the other two buttons. Another cylinder popped up, but this one was empty.
"Big, take the battery cell and put it in the other pod!" Sonic ordered. Big ran to the striped piece of electronics and transferred it to the empty place hurriedly. "All right, team. On three… one… two… three!" All four Mobians stepped from the switches simultaneously, and the pods descended into the water. Like magic, the fan started rumbling and scraping as the blades rotated.
"Well, um… thank you, Sonic!" said the archeologist. "I'll be sure to let the rest of my section, um… know that the caves are safe for the excavations again." With a grateful smile, he headed off toward the north. The five heroes watched him go and turned to the fan.
"Tails, I know you can carry someone," Sonic said. "Uh… Rouge, are you able to carry me or Amy?"
"Not to sound forward or anything, Big Blue, but I'd rather carry you than Amy," the bat responded.
"Listen, you!" Amy growled. "Tails always carries Sonic, which means you're not touching my Sonikku!"
"Yours, huh?" Sonic laughed as he stepped onto the fan with Tails. "Do I detect a little jealousy?" The unlike brothers cracked up laughing as they used the airlift to fly to the high ledge where the cave was. Grumbling, Rouge hovered over the fan and took Amy's hands.
"What about me?!" called Big as the girls landed atop the rocky place.
"Sorry, big guy!" Sonic replied. "Just keep watch, okay?" Big nodded and saluted as the team headed inside the cave.
xxx
"So… he beat you in chess, too?" The guards had left their prisoner in his cell for the time being, and they waited in the makeshift lobby.
"Yeah…" one of the Scouts admitted. His two cohorts looked at him. "He got me with the four-move checkmate." Much distorted laughter ensued. "Hey, at least I didn't fall for the old Nestor side-distraction!" One of the guards let out a burst of crude laughter at this. All three were caught off-guard when four figures entered the cave.
"Where's Knuckles?" Sonic demanded. The Scouts backed up into a triangle and took fighting poses.
"If you wish to see your Guardian friend again, you will have to best us…" the middle guard said. Sonic sighed and waggled his finger.
"Don't you know not to challenge Team Sonic?" the cerulean crusader asked sardonically. "Let's get 'em, team!" Sonic grabbed onto Tails' hands, and the small fox flew into the air. The Marauders pointed at the flying pair and fired their lasers, but Tails managed to dodge them and drop Sonic in their midst. In a split second, a slightly glowing blue ball that homed in on the left guard replaced the hedgehog. It was a clean hit that resulted in a dull thunk. The Scout's two allies made to help their friend, but the pink hedgehog was on them. She was going berserk with the Piko Piko Hammer, and one of the Marauders quickly fell to her mad concussive blows. Rouge was next to have her two hits in as she flew in and delivered a spinning kick to the third's face. They managed to regroup, but Sonic was already running around them in swift circles.
I know I said I'd never do this again, but maybe I can pull it off… the hedgehog thought as he rolled under one of the lasers. Once his image started to fail in keeping up with him, Sonic jumped into the air, causing a blue upside-down tornado to appear. The vacuum that was created sucked the three guards up into the air, spun them around, and dropped them. This seemed to do the trick, for three bubbles of light enveloped the Scouts, and they disappeared. A banging sound could be heard from the room at the bottom of a staircase to the left.
"I think that's where Knuckles is!" Tails shouted. Amy and Rouge followed him to the stairs, but Sonic only stood there, holding his head. "Sonic… are you okay?"
"Yeah… urf… I'll be fine," the spiky rodent assured him between slight gagging noises. "The Blue Tornado just… bluh… makes me a little sick, that's all…" Slowly, he staggered after them. At the bottom of the stairs stood a SWATbot, but it didn't have time to advance before it was knocked brutally aside by a spiked fist.
"'Bout time you guys got here…" Knuckles grumbled, dusting off his hands. "They've been feeding me nothing but beef stew for the past few days, and I'm getting very bored of chess."
Ah, finally the updates return. To clarify, I have no idea where the whole chess thing originated. I'm a chess-player myself, and maybe I figured that Knux was a deep enough thinker to be pretty good at it. Anyway, Team Sonic is back together! Also, have you noticed that I've been substituting the puzzle guides with ISBVI characters? Just one of my little ways of spicing the game up.