Chapter Text
There were many things that could be said about the image in front of him. Oh the jokes, the snarky remarks and comparisons he could make...!
Yet, in his mind a sole thought prevailed...
"Where is she."
Sonic's voice echoed across the great chamber. In his eyes, the image of his metallic counterpart reflected; A lone tiny figure perfectly framed in the black of his pupil.
Metal Sonic was far off, but he heard his voice clearly. The smallest, mechanical movement of his head, rising upwards to face the hog directly, gave him that confirmation. It hadn't been a flinch, a slip, a show of surprise upon the abrupt intervention of the teen, but the single, plain acknowledge of his presence. A simple action that spoke: 'I've been waiting for you.'
It was him, no doubt; the one; the only one; the original Metal Sonic. Standing tall behind countless lines of his mere copies, the difference was evident. He simply emanated a different aura.
"Where... IS SHE!?" Sonic repeated. Eyes illuminating a brighter blue. He wouldn't repeat it too many more times. "I know you hid her somewhere. So you better set her free, if you don't want me to go and do it myself."
It was a bold statement, considering where he was. Yet, can you really blame him? As if he could allow himself to feel intimidated by a hundred robot blasters pointing at his direction when his newest teammate had disappeared. Getting her back was the only thing that he currently cared about.
He wasn't dumb, though; he knew exactly he had walked RIGHT into the beast's den. —But HECK! He was NOT gonna leave without his friend.
Metal hadn't moved an inch. Standing above the others in a stage-like; ALTAR-like structure set in the farthest point the boy stood from, his sight drew a straight line directly to Sonic's.
What did he look like up there, a pastor? a war commander? The king on his throne? The whole place did had the appearance of a bizarre coronation room, audience an all!
It was an elongated staircase, steps not too tall, but plenty. In each small level a row of bots standing just a tad higher than the previous line. A large hallway, in an even larger space that lead to the main stage Metal stood in. Made you wonder if the guy had designed this place specifically for this encounter.
Empty of life, was oddly silent too; other than the sound of the blasters charging on each of the bots' arms, or his own voice still echoing throughout the chamber, there was nothing else.
Was it that far away from the assembly lines, his team and the rest of the army, maybe? Were the walls simply that thick? —Sonic was alone on this one, is what he was supposed to get out of this. But at the moment he couldn't care less. His question hadn't been answered; and he was getting a little impatient.
Eyes closed, step back. The boy knew the same approach wouldn't work. —What darns has a machine to give for a couple of threats? Thus, he took a good chug of air, drew in his face a simple smirk. Fists down, eyes green again, he relaxed; at least on the exterior.
"Come on, Metal!" Spoke in a new voice. "You know? I'm actually trying to make you a favor, here!" As he moved side to side, all the blasters followed him, he knew.
"I don't know if you chose her because you thought it was the weakest...! Or the easiest to hold onto...! Some... damsel in distress you can just keep captive or whatever! —But let me tell you here and now. She's not." His tone was light, almost nonchalant; however, that one last statement wasn't.
"In fact! I'm not even here to save her! Mostly I'm just buying her some time for her to escape on her own!" Wink, 'tsk'. "But-tah...! At the end of the day, I'm still the leader! —And a very responsible one, too! Is just part of the protocol to come and check on everyone!" His smirk had grown. "So whenever she comes out of whatever dirty hole you threw her in, and don't worry, she WILL. I'm just gonna pick her up!"
Bending forward, he cupped his mouth and squinted a little. "She's still a newbie, she still can use a hand here and there...! —But, hey! No shame! Besides...!" Arms thrown out, a small jump foot to foot. "You might need me to calm her down when she sees you again!"
Pause. "I don't think she'll be kind enough to show you any mercy."
He had lowered his tone; switch back up, Sonic clapped and smiled again. "So! We can either solve this like gentleman...! Ooooor... I can take your head off and hang it above my bed like a war trophy! Your choice!!~☆" Arms crossed, a finger to his chin. "—That would be kind of dope, not gonna lie; might do it on either case!"
Metal kept his cold stare on him a minute longer. A change, his red lenses glitched just slightly. 'DWOOOOT...!' His joints moved, and the sound echoed; Left shoulder moved back, torso turned, right arm elevated, hand extended, claws opened.
"Hah. Yeah, yeah. You don't need to spoon feed it to me!! —I know how it goes: 'Give me what I want and I'll release the girl'. I have seen the movies, blockhead, come on! Who you think are you talking to!?"
Arm further extended, his claws opened wider.
Palm to his chest, he blinked. "What?" Airy, faked incredulity. "The remaining Time Stone?" Blink, blink, blink. "The single thing you need to fulfill your evil plan and take over the world, that I just happen to have inside my sock?" He pointed to his foot; he had lifted it and was now shaking it.
"Is that what you want? Is that what I need to do?~" Chuckle, the annoying kind. "You know! I really thought between you and me you were the SMART ONE! —I mean, don't you have a computer installed there inside that BIG head of yours!? —WELL!" Clap. "CONGRATULATIONS! You have JUST plotted the most BASIC evil strategy EVER put to action! SERIOUSLY!"
Another chuckle, he just had to. "Is THIS really your big plan!? Your final card...!?" His tone had increased, drifting back to a harsh call out; out of frustration? Annoyance? Sheer disbelief? "—To pull off the OLDEST trick in the book!? IS THAT IT!??"
No response, yet his arm moved down again.
Short sigh. "I'm not giving you the Stone, Metal! So you better tell me where she is."
Another small twitch in his red eye, in a way, a form of blink. Suddenly, his head rotated just slightly; maybe ten or fifthteen degrees. Sonic followed the motion with squinted eyes; whatever the faker was up to, it was about to begin right now. A slight movement of his own, his fists pressing again, his feet a little appart. 'Bring it on.'
A deaf sound, a large, mechanical echo Sonic reacted by defining his pose. Behind the robot the floor opened, just then he moved to the side, two steps. Just enough for his 'guest' to see the new centerpiece, slowly ascending above his height. Covered in white smoke, illuminated by a new spotlight, was a silhouette hard to read, Sonic squinted further, his teeth pressed a little harder.
"...!"
A gasp, a step back; his whole body quivered, losing form. Not out of surprise, but sheer horror.
She was there.
The girl was standing, barely. Neck and ankles secured, she was chained down to a pole. Her forearms were joined together by two big linked shackles and tied again by a chain to the floor. Head down, arms loose, she wasn't moving at all; It was what stricked him the most. It was almost as she was...
"AMY!!!" His voice finally managed to come out.
A call the pink recognized immediately, her eyes shot open and she snapped her head upwards, their faces met. "PHOMM-NNIIIPH...!!!" Her mouth was covered by a metal piece, but in her muffle he heard his name.
Sonic grunted. His little 'play it cool' act suddenly terminated. "You little..."
Red eyes on him and him alone, Metal approached the girl; lifting a finger to her face, temple to chin, he drew a careful line. Amy snatched her head away quickly, as far as the collar around her neck would allowed her; visibly irritated, disgusted. The robot didn't flinch, his eyes wouldn't leave him.
"DON'T TOUCH HER!!!" Sonic took position, the light of his electricity shone brighter than before. He sprinted forward, but a blaster shot, a quick reaction and a close save; another shot, he dodged it, another one, another one. "GARGH!!" He pulled back, now standing further away from where he initially was.
Balance recovered, he looked up again. Heard the bot's blasters recharge, saw another hundred ready to shoot; a single bullseye they wouldn't miss. Grumble. Did it matter? He just needed to be fast enough to reach the other side, and he WOULD. The hedgehog took position again, he charged further, so did the blasters, full capacity; he knew, he didn't care.
"Metal..." It was a grunt that barely escaped between his teeth, he was enraged.
'CLICK'. A sonorous one, right after an almost unnoticeable 'WOOSH'.
A harsh gasp. Sonic eyes opened, his mouth too. Metal was pointing a blaster to her pink head.
Sonic straightened up, a cold chill down his spine, horror taking over again. Teeth pressing, he was thinking very bad words. "KGH...!" A shiver. He could outrun the shots towards him, but there's no way he could reach the girl before Metal...
'Crap.'
He was trapped.
Trembling more violently, the frustration sinked. Humiliation further induced by the metal palm extending once again, those DARN red eyes; 'Your move.'
Sonic's breathing began to quicken. 'DARN IT, DARN IT, DARN IT, DARN IT, DARN IT, DARN IT, DARN IT!!!' Eyes to the floor, his fists pressed tighter. The blue bolts around him were becoming harder to control.
Amy was looking at him, and it hurt her. If she only could...
Her frown pronounced, darting a sharp look to her captor, her eyes lighted up pink. "PMHH!!" The girl shook, trying with all her strength to break free, the chains clicked. "MMMGHHHH...!!! RGHH!!!" It was a helpless fight, but she was not giving up. "Ghmph-hh...!" A muffled, ragged sigh, she stopped. Her heartbeat had increased. It was hard to even breathe.
Sight up again, Metal was looking at her. A weak growl; Amy wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her intimidated by those dead eyes. 'TIK', a change, a look towards Sonic and back to her. The gun in his hand, still aimed at her head, spun within itself; the girl observed cautiously as a small bar extended from it, a bigger piece on it's end lighted up —charged up— a moment after. "MMNH!!!" When she figured out what it was it was too late.
"AMY!!!" Sonic had figured out already too, his cry immediately smothered by hers; caught by the metal piece on her mouth, her pain was just as tangible.
Sticking the bar a little further into her stomach, his robotic arm finally retrieved.
"YOU SON OF A-" Red eyes back at him with the mechanical snap of his head; Sonic paralyzed. He had taken a few steps forward, but the sight of the blasters made him doubt.
Metal's free hand up again, open an extended. 'Your. Move.'
Sonic was shaking, irises lighting up further —brighter— his quills along. Eyes close to pure white, his blue fur looking black by mere contrast. The boy had never before felt such fury, such fear. He was getting dizzy, he was losing it.
Amy had lifted her head again, still trembling and catching her breath any way she could, she saw Sonic's terrified grimace. 'No...' He was moving again, slowly kneeling down, he reached to his sock, the girl saw the purple glimmer of the Time Stone. 'No, no, no, no , no...!'
Metal noticed it immediately. An inaudible 'beep' commanded the whole body to move to either side, a clear way formed between the two. Now it truly looked like a coronation room.
Looking defeated, Sonic held the jewel between his fingers; what remained of his rational side prevented him to pull it out. However, his mind was getting blurrier by the second, and Amy knew it. 'NO...!!!" Another effort, she shook her head, a small blast of electric pink across her eyes and quills. The piece of metal in her mouth blowing up upon the bolt. "ARGH...! SONIC!!!"
Eyes opened further, he had heard her. "DON'T DO IT!!!"
His trance-like state toning down, Sonic lifted his face to meet hers.
"If he gets the Stone, he WINS!!!"
"I KNOW THAT...!!!" Of course he knew. His voice came out inconsiderably harsh, loud, and at the same time, almost pathetically desperate.
"This is what he wants! You to lose yourself! To get affected by this!!"
"HOW I'M NOT SUPPOSED TO GET AFFECTED BY THIS!??" Harsher.
"Sonic...!" His friend had called again, but this time he refused to face her.
He needed to calm down, he knew. No good thing could come out of an outrage.
"SONIC!"
His jaw tensing again. The grip on the jewel, still between his fingers, tightened.
"Don't give him the Stone."
Closing his eyes he took a gasping breath. Amy's voice echoed throughout the cold walls; in his mind he reached out and held to it like a lifeline.
A short sigh through his wet nose, his fingers finally let go. Sonic managed to lift himself enough to meet her eyes again; even at this distance, he could read her features clearly. Amy shared her fear and impotence, but in that jade gaze he found something else, something warm and comforting.
'It's gonna be okay', is what it spoke. It was a lie, he knew that, she knew that, and she knew he knew. Because neither had any ideas on what to do. But right now they had each other. A spec of hope grew stronger in the string drawn between their faces.
Lips parted. "Son- AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" Metal had stricked her again, a higher voltage. Mouth uncovered, her scream came raw and uncontrolled. A painful high pitch cry that echoed throughout the entire chamber. It was unbearable, he couldn't take it.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...!!!"
Bar retrieved, her pink head fell loose, but this time it snapped back up right away. "YOU LITTLE PIECE OF JUNK!!!" Amy growled, but Metal didn't pay her any attention.
"YOU KNOW THIS IS LOW. YOU KNOW IT PERFECTLY" Still wouldn't. "It's LOW and it's CHEAP." But Sonic was.
"LISTEN TO ME. If there's even an OUNCE of HIS mind coded in yours you KNOW this is WRONG!!! It's DESPERATE. YOU'RE DESPERATED. —You've REDUCTED yourself to the most VULGAR tactic!!!"
The blue saw the robot flinch, a real flinch this time; the smallest flic in his movements. He didn't like where this was going. "Amy...!" He tried to stop her, but in his own unstable state, what was he supposed to do...?
"YOU KNOW IT, DON'T YOU!?" She wasn't done, her tone increased, becoming more and more venomous. "He would NEVER do something like this. You KNOW that!!! You know that better than ANYONE!!!" Another flic. "And I KNOW right now you feel ASHAMED for it for the SAME REASON." Another one. "You're just now realizing your hypocrisy. You couldn't possibly be him and do what he could NEVER!!!"
In the background, Sonic saw the robot beginning to turn towards her, she had done it. He had called her name again, but she couldn't listen. "You know he wouldn't do this..." Pink was growling, shaking with an unleashed fury.
"You're not him... You'll never be."
His metal head spun slowly, just like a clock hand, his pointy nose passed for each and every angle in a perfect, calculated arc.
S L A P
A loud and painful chirp escaped her. Cut immediately by the metal collar trapping her throat. Her head fell again, this time didn't immediately lift up.
Amy was whimpering, shaking, her breathing came in and out uneven. Sonic stared, terrified again. He wanted to move, run right next to her, but he couldn't. Paralized by the image in front, not even his voice found it's way out. His features twitched, his heart thumped violently in his chest. Could only wait for her to react again.
Arm still up, Metal shook his hand once and finally retrieved to his prior rigid stance. A step back, the machine turned his attention back to the blue hog. His other arm, gun and bar still deployed, aimed slowly to her frame again. Other than the sound of the weapon charging to a higher voltage, everything went frighteningly silent.
The girl moved; weak and slow her head lifted. As her eyes opened, her sight laid directly into her dear friend's agitated, electric blue eyes. Amy looked defeated, small, afraid; it was too much for him.
Rising a little further, a hint of red emerged through her nose, a single drop of blood.
Within him he felt a thread close to snap.
"Leave."
'Eh?' He would still react to her voice.
"Leave, Sonic." It was a frail tone, yet in his ears stroke clear.
'What is she...?' His thoughts were coming to him again, but no words out his mouth.
It kept dripping through her face, painting a line through it. "Get the Stone out of here."
'She couldn't possibly be...'
Tinted red, her lip was trembling. "Run away, Sonic."
'No.' Still couldn't speak. 'No, no, no, no, no...!'
Amy eyed Metal's gun, half a second, back to Sonic. "Please."
'No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no...!' The muscles in his face began to ache so much he had contracted them. In the corner of his eye, he felt a tear form.
"Sonic." He gulped. Saw her try to put on a smile.
"You know that a single life isn't worth the fate of the world."
A deeper silence. His heart dropped.
'But is YOUR life...!!!' Still couldn't speak.
The girl eyed the gun again, was almost full. "C-come on, Sonic! You know what you have to do!" She was smiling, why was she smiling!??
'Shut up.'
"Is all part of the job...!"
'Stop it. Stop talking...!' She couldn't possibly be thinking that he could ever—
"sOmetimes the hero needs to take hard decisions, right...!? J-just like in the movies!"
'Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, SHUT UP...!!!' There HAD to be another way!!!
"A-are you seriously gonna think this one through...!?" Her smile twicked. "Hah...! When have you EVER!?" She kept eyeing the gun. But her attention remained on the boy. "Well...! In that case...! You have to do it FASTER!"
A gasp, he reacted. 'That word...!'
Looking up she met her face. "Think faster, Sonic...!" There was something, wasn't it!? She had an idea, she was trying to tell him something! What was it!? His mouth opened, eyes close to drying, he hadn't blinked.
"Faster...!" Her voice repeated; in her eyes he saw it, a slight and rapid look downwards, he followed it. On her tied up hands, her palm slowly turned to face him. A sign? A gesture? WHAT IS IT, WOMAN!?
'please...'
A single pink sparkle illuminated her glove for an instant. '...!!!' One he had seen before. His breath cut, looking up again he saw the same color on her eyes. His heart stopped.
Off to her side another light and a familiar shape, her hammer; Amy had summoned it.
"FASTEEEEEEEEEEEER!!!" A cry for help.
Behind her Sonic saw his own image. Flying above, leg up, his foot aimed for the faker's head. The blue glimmer on the mirage's eyes reflected back to his.
It couldn't be explained, but the sight filled him with a cold clarity he never knew before. Close to a complete mental shut down, his body finally moved.
Metal pulled the trigger. Everything went silent.
A single string of light across the chamber. Like a piece of cloth, the metal floor pushed back where he blasted off. Sonic moved so fast the sole heat of his presence melted every robot on his way. Feet crashing onto the opposite wall, it warped like a ripple upon the impact. Still managed to jump off, turn around and aim his foot towards Metal's head.
Right there, Sonic saw the smallest silhouette in front. His own face, he met his own eyes. What he had sawn wasn't a vision nor a shadow, it was himself. It had happened at the exact same time.
A kick to his nape, clean impact that pushed the thing right into Amy's hammer, half way summoned, pink and blue energy mixing up, he saw it run across the bot's system, glitching as the weapon fused with his head, atoms crashing onto each other and repelling.
"...aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH...!!!"
CRASHHHHH
Carried by his now audible scream, sound returned slowly at first, all at once next.
Blasters shot in every direction, the robots that remained on foot exploded, blasted away by the sonic boom. Metal flew across the room, the pole that held Amy with it. Sonic crashed into the opposite wall, then dropped to the ground harshly.
"—OOMPH!!!" A loud thud pierced his guts, it was his heart beating again. He felt his blood running in the wrong direction, his lungs struggling to refill, every organ catching up, he felt like vomiting.
Lights out, half the room was gone and everything trembled. Palms on the floor, Sonic managed to lift himself up a little as he got his respiration working decently again. A single thought hit him suddenly. 'AMY.'
Ignoring the pain, the hedgehog stood up. The whole place began falling apart. He scouted all around rapidly. 'AMY, AMY, AMY...!!!' His eyes looked in every direction. He had to find her.
A hint of unmistakable pink in the corner of his eye, he snapped his neck towards it, his torso followed, his legs followed. —A head, an arm, he found the girl under some metal debris. "HHH...!!!" An muted shout. He began taking off pieces desperately.
She wasn't moving, and the image almost made his heart stop again. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no-"
Sonic pulled her out, her shackles remained, but her neck and ankles had been disconnected from the pole, her forearms were still tied, but the chains attached got cut. Running an arm behind her shoulders, he shook her as delicately as his current mental state would allow him.
"Please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please...!!!" He held her face, moving his thumb across the smeared red above her lips. "Amy, please...!"
An expiration, she jolt and coughed. A wave of relief invaded him.
Lifting her gaze to met his, it showed one frightened and fragile expression, almost as she couldn't believe he was there. Amy breathed again, trying to call his name. Sonic would have preferred that she hadn't made the effort, but at the same time, he desperately needed to hear her voice again.
"...Took you long enough!"
"...!"
Weak as she was, it had been barely above a whisper, but still got the audacity to curl up the very corner of her lip.
—A SCOLD!? This girl couldn't be serious!! Eyelids closing slightly, her sight lowered, resting her head on his chest her voice returned, soft and sincere. "Thank you..." Pressing harder, she seeked warmth, protection. Trembling and close to crying, she took shelter in him.
Upon the image, something sharp ran throughout Sonic's entire body, it burned him.
Never before in his life he felt a grander urge to embrace someone. However, an even stronger thought took control of his system. It was the very same resolution that invaded him a moment ago.
[ TAKE HER OUT OF HERE ]
He obeyed. Standing up he held Amy in his arms. The chains were heavy, you can only imagine how much it takes to hold this girl down. But he didn't care one bit.
As everything trembled, he ran towards the remainings of the entrance, all around red lights beamed in a slow pattern and the whole Metal Complex seemed to be falling apart. It couldn't be all his doing, right?
He kept running.
A blue shock to his ear. "ARGH—!" Slowing down, he heard noise, a distorted voice. "N-C... SO-NN..."
Crouching, he rested Amy on his knee, free hand lifted to his communicator. "Tails!?"
"WH- ...NIC- WE'Re-" Was getting a little clearer.
"Tails! Tails, I can't hear you! The signal cuts!! Hold up!"
"CA- Yo... H—r me now...!? S-nic!?"
"Where are you!? What happened!?"
"-I got the c-ode work-ng! W-at ever you did -ade the c-mput-er restart! I got IN!!"
"So, this means-!?"
"IT'S OV-R! All th- robots will detonate!! The sys-em will CR-SH!!"
"So...!?"
"THIS SHIP IS GOING DOWN!!!"
"What about the Stones!?"
"We got them!"
"Great! Then get out of there!!!"
"I-I still can't connect to Amy's communicator!! I don't know where she is!!!"
"She's with me!! —Grab the Stones and get your butts outta here!! We'll meet near the main gate!!!"
"O-OKAY!!"
Call ended, he stood up and took better hold of the girl. "Are the guys okay...?" He suddenly heard her speak. Looking down as he resumed running, he smiled a little. "They are. It's over now, we're going home."
Her eyes, closed the whole time, opened just slightly. "What about Metal...?"
Sonic reacted. The image of the clanker glitching between his foot and Amy's hammer returned, no way he could have survived THAT!?
'No body, no death.' His mind still sang. A thought he brushed off quickly as he had to keep his mind on the game. "Don't worry about that!"
If it was hard to navigate the AI built architecture at the beginning, it was much harder now it was falling apart. All the hedgehog's senses had sharpened to their limit to make a way through the maze. Couldn't afford to frustrate upon every dead end, he just had to keep going!
"Come on...!!!"
Entering a great hall, metal columns collapsing, troopers exploding all around and fire igniting from all directions, he did his best to keep the girl out of harm.
"SONIC...!!!" A distant call; he jolted his head towards it. Scouting with his eyes he soon saw two familiar faces coming out the red smoke.
"TAILS! KNUX!!"
Making way to one another any way they could, the Team reunited at last.
"AMY...!??" The younger one was the first to notice. Approaching he held her lightly. "What happened to her!??" Seeked an answer in Sonic's eyes.
"Metal." Was the only thing he needed to know. "She'll be fine. But we need to get to the ship ASAP!"
"What happened to the machine!?" Knuckles spoke now.
"—Gave him a good punch! Hopefully got burried deep down this mess!" A loud thud, everything trembled. "Come on, let's get moving!!"
"Wait! The Time Stone!" Tails again.
Right! "I have it on me, hold on...!" Sonic kneeled down, making sure Amy remained stable. Reaching to his shoe, he rummaged inside his sock.
Eyes closed, lips pressing. It was not there.
Not a sound, not a sight; but he just knew. As he stood up, the others noticed as well. The purple shine reflected on his sclera as he turned to face... him.
Standing tall and shameless on a broken down column, his luminous red eyes striked Sonic's greens yet again. Not a dent on his body, not a scratch on his paint, and between his pristine silver, sharp fingers he held... the Stone.
"Metal..." Tails finally acknowledged.
"That piece of trash got himself an EXTRA LIFE!!" The dare! Sonic's anger returned; but he had to remain calmed. Felt Amy move in his arms, she was looking at the bot too.
Eyes closed. Yeah, he had to control himself.
"ARGHHH...!!!" Knuckles suddenly stepped up. "Don't you realise!?" And spoke directly to the robot, a small silhouette in the distance, framed by burning red. "You've been DEFEATED. It's OVER!!!"
A small blonde arm got on his way. "He has the Time Stone." Tails eyes met his. "That's all he needs to go back and start all over."
Grunt. "Then why is he standing right there!? —WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!? Come and get us!!!"
"He wants me." A calm and authoritarian tone; everyone faced their leader now. "Tails." Spoke once more, finally drifting his attention from Metal; the fox reacted as Sonic laid the girl in front of him. "Take Amy and the Stones, start the ship and get as far away as you can."
"What...?" He had reached out instinctively to receive his friend, but was quick to face Sonic again. His voice had come out airy, filled with sudden disbelief. —He couldn't possibly be implying that...
"I'll stay and buy you time to escape."
"Hedgehog." Knuckles approached. But Sonic didn't let him speak, eyes on him, he pointed. "And you're going with them."
No step back. "I'll stay by your side. Metal cannot be defeated by you alone."
Stern. "I didn't ask you."
Another grunt, his teeth showed. "I do NOT care for your pewny little pride, HEDGEHOG! We're a team, we fight our battles together—"
"This has NOTHING to do with PRIDE!!!" A shout. The Red retrieved slightly, Sonic's expression had turned into a severe frown he had never quite seen on him before. "—Take a look around you!!! This place is falling to PIECES!!" Spoke with open arms now.
"These two are gonna be very vulnerable for a hot second." He moved closer, stood somehow taller than the echidna. "I need you to stay in front and clear their way to the ship!!" A pause, his features softened.
"Keep them safe."
Knuckles stared at him with round, open eyes; looking between Sonic's he found no trace of doubt or recklessness, anger or frustration. Found instead the quiet determination of a leader, a hero.
Lowering his head, he nodded slightly. A movement Sonic mimicked as he directed his attention back to his younger comrade.
"Sonic." Tails spoke. "We're not going home without you." A low and serious tone, rare to his usual pitch. His blue eyes glowed as they encountered the blue's unbending gaze.
A stand-off that lasted a moment longer.
Blink. "AND WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT!??" An abrupt change, everyone jolted.
His eyes were very open, in his mouth a weird smile drew. "That's not at all what I said!? —Don't leave me here, WHAT!??"
"...!?"
Sonic kneeled down as a soft chuckle escaped him, a sound nobody knew they needed to hear. "Look. We need to take the Stones and the ship as far away from that MANIAC!! —Haven't you seen how this drill goes!? This place is gonna blow up at ANY second now! And our only way out is parked on the PATIO!" He moved a little closer, hand to the little one's shoulder.
"Save the ship, save the Stones. —Get this girl out of those DARN SHACKLES...!!!" He had pointed to her. "... And when everything calms down...!" Wink. "Come pick me up!"
Tails looked between his eyes, a surprised expression drawn on his own.
"Tails." Tightening up his grip, his tone became serious again; but at the same time, extremely caring.
"Right now, you're the only one who can get us home. That's why I need you to get out of here!" The fox heard the thump of his own heartbeat. "—If you make it, we all do!"
Sonic smiled again, and he suddenly became the single thing in Tails' eyesight, his voice the single sound flying down his ear canal.
"Can I trust you?"
Standing eye to eye, his blonde frown suddenly moved down; slow and constant, his eyes glimmered with new found determination. An arm placed on top of his best friend's, his voice finally emerged, clearer than ever before.
"Always."
A silent nod, a smile that stretched his cheek. Moment interrupted by a new rumble, the whole floor trembled, and the kids with it. Sonic jumped back up. "Then, GO."
Tails nodded, quickly placing himself behind the girl, he wrapped his arms around and lifted her up. "I got you, Amy...!"
Sonic turned, met Knuckles' eyes again. His red frown spoke on his behave: 'Die with honor, hedgehog.' But deep down, on his very pupil, a small flinch added: 'But not today.'
Sonic smiled again, small and secure. He understood the message; and had no plans to fail him.
One step away, he suddenly stopped.
Grip. Two hands had reached out to his. Looking back he met Amy's gaze; It was the first time since he held her back in the chamber.
All from the sudden, his smile had vanished. Those jade eyes simply darted right through him. It couldn't be helped, he couldn't escape nor refuse it.
Her mouth didn't spoke a word, but so did those eyes. Sonic looked between them trying to get her exact wording. 'Take care'? 'Don't do it'? 'If you die, I'll kill you'? It was a bit of everything.
But the clarity of his mind hadn't altered. Right there at that moment, he just knew exactly what he had to do. So he smiled again, in a different way; the one he had yet to notice he would only use towards her.
'Everything will be alright.'
A promise? A bet? A goodbye? A down right lie? —One she wanted to believe.
Her own expression softened, her grip loosened, and then ceased entirely. Eyes still on him as Tails repositioned to take off and part ways.
Sonic kept his eyes on her for a moment, saw her fly away, carried by the fox, disappear under the veil of ashes and fire. He sighed, knowing she would be safe.
A blaster shot, a target missed intentionally. 'Yeah, yeah... I'm keeping you on hold, aren't I?"
His head swayed, green on red again. Metal's cold patience confirmed his intentions, he had little care for the others; his blanc expression, aimed at Sonic alone, showed the silent, dangerous rage of a being who had lost everything but his pride.
'It's all or nothing, huh?'
His grin returned, streaching the side of his face.
Arms open. "IS THIS WHAT YOU WANTED, HUH!?" His voice projected right onto the robot's sensors. "From the very START!!!"
Metal got into position.
"—We tried, again an again to avoid it. But you simply were ONE STEP AHEAD each time, no!?" His eyes wouldn't leave him, though the ground under his feet was becoming more and more unstable.
"And you know what!? I think you're RIGHT! —I'm DONE pretending this wasn't the only possible outcome!!!" The structure all around falling to pieces, temperature rising, Sonic's voice still came loud and powerful. "WELL! Here I am!!" A challenge, a threat. The bot charged up.
"YOU WANT ME...!??" He charged up too. "COME AND GET ME!!!"
Blast off.