Sonic Series Fan Fiction ❯ Life Bestowed ❯ Calm Before The Storm ( Chapter 8 )

Legal Stuff:

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

Author's Notes:

And now, this writer has continued this story. In other news, Bill Gates has purchased the country of France, using only one tenth of his fortune. Really? NO! Ha!

Chapter 8: Calm Before The Storm

Chaos made his way to a nearby bank. He intended to rob it so he could afford to play Pac-man at the arcade. After the creature figured out how to use the bank's revolving door, which he was afraid of at first, he entered the building. Chaos approached one of the bank tellers, trying to remember how one goes about robbing a bank. It didn't seem at all odd to him for a bank to be open so late. Strangely, the teller greeted him, unafraid of the fact that he was a liquid water monster.

Teller: Hello, sir or madam. How may I help you?

Chaos: Uh…I want money.

Teller: Very well then. Please fill out these forms.

She handed him a stack of papers and a pen. Chaos took them and walked over to a table. He sat down at looked at the first one, which was full of bars and lines, charts and words, none of which he understood. Chaos scratched his head as he tried to fill them out. After completing the first one, he handed it to the teller. She pointed to a blank space under the `address' field.

Teller: I'm sorry, sir, but you need to fill in the address field as well.

Chaos: But I don't have a dress!

Poor Chaos. Well, leaving him to deal with these problems, we now shift to Metal Sonic, who has finally found Robotnik's base. The damaged robot made a landing on one of the large helipads that was on the sides of the disc-shaped fortress. He walked up to the door, and it opened when it recognized him.

Metal Sonic: <thinking to self> Okay Metal, remember to keep your cool until after you've been repaired…Then you can lash out at him…

He made his way to the repair bay, and was greeted by Robotnik, who had been notified of the robot's return.

Robotnik: Welcome back, Metal. It seems you had quite a scuffle there… Why don't you go and get yourself fixed up?

Metal Sonic: <falsely happy> Thanks, sir, I was just on my way to do that…

He entered the repair bay, and it took over. Robotnik waited nervously outside, wondering what kind of mood Metal Sonic was really in. He knew the robot couldn't be that happy with all that damage. As this was going on, the crew of the Freedom Eagle find themselves in the air once more. The repairs are finished, the fuel tanks have some gas, and the whirlybird had taken to the skies again. Tails flew alongside them in his Veritech, keeping a more careful watch on them.

Billy: We'll need to find a place to refuel soon.

Scotty: Didn't you just fill the tanks up back there?

Billy: No, there wasn't much reserve fuel, and when it's gone, we'll be all out. So, we really do need to get more, unless you want to crash again.

Sonic: While we're at it, do you think we could find somewhere to crash for tonight?

Scotty: Don't even joke, Sonic.

Sonic: Sorry…Seriously, I'm bushed. No offense, Bill, but the Eagle isn't exactly the most refreshing sleeping spot.

Billy: Yes, I suppose you're right. Are you suggesting we find a hotel?

Sonic: Yep.

Billy: Well… I do suppose it would make sense… What do you think, guys?

They talked it over, and everyone, even Tails, agreed. There was a place nearby where they could solve their problems, so they went in for a landing somewhere in North Carolina. Billy fully refueled the Eagle, and then the crew made a disappointing discovery: They only had enough cash leftover for a single two-bed room. Deciding to take it over the Eagle, they paid for it, and entered the room. It was pretty ordinary; two fairly small beds with a gap between them and a TV in front of them, along with the other normal hotel frills.

Sonic: Well guys, welcome to our crash site.

Tails: It's better than my Veritech's pilot seat, that's for sure.

Johnny: Times like these I wish I didn't need sleep.

Sonya: Well, you do now; we all do. So let's get some rest.

They all kicked off their shoes, and Johnny was the last to do so. He stared with wonder at his blue feet and these new movable things at the front of them.

Johnny: Hey, what are these things on my feet?

Amy: Those are your toes, silly.

Johnny: Toes…

Amy: We all have them.

He looked down at her feet, and saw toes.

Johnny: Interesting… What purpose do they serve?

Billy: Many scientists aren't certain, but some believe it has something to do with balance while standing.

Johnny: Oh…

Johnny pondered over this new concept as the others got ready to get some sleep. The beds were only big enough to comfortably hold two people, so Sonic and sally got one, Scotty and Sonya got the other. In the middle, on a pile of blankets, lay the other four members. After a while, Billy was asleep on one side, Tails on the other. Amy was snoring quietly next to Johnny, in the middle. Johnny himself lay awake, unable to sleep. He stared up at the ceiling, thinking about his decision to go back to being a robot. He had been so certain that it was what he wanted, but recently there were doubts.

Johnny: <thinking to self> Oh, there's so many things to think of… As if the stress of this new adventure isn't enough, I have to deal with what is probably the most important decision I'll ever make. And something tells me I'm running out of time to decide.

He had been very useful as a machine, being able to do things that no one else could. He had been able to recover from damage so easily, and had never contended with pain. Now, though, it was a completely new game. He had real feelings, all five senses, and could experience many new emotions. So many doors were open now, but others had closed.

Johnny: <thinking to self> Why can't I have the best of both worlds? I need my abilities, but I don't think I could go on if I lost all I've gained now. There has to be some way…

Beside him, he heard Amy sigh in her sleep, and she turned her head slightly. Johnny looked over at her, and remembered he had another thing to consider: her. She obviously wanted him to stay real, but he wanted to go back to being a machine. He turned to face her, and spoke very softly.

Johnny: I wish there was a way we could both get what we wanted…Amy, I wish that at least one of us knew what the best thing to decide was…

He knew his choice of whether or not to go back would affect them all, but especially Amy. He didn't want to hurt her feelings, but this was a dangerous world, and going back was the best way to protect her. Or was it? And what was this strange feeling that came over him every time he thought about her?

Johnny: <thinking> Whatever happens to me, Amy, I'll always protect you. There's just something about you…

Johnny gently rubbed her forehead with the back of his hand, and closed his eyes as he quietly whispered to her.

Johnny: <whispering> …I never want to lose you.

He was surprised when he heard a response from Amy.

Amy: Me neither.

Johnny: Huh? I thought you were asleep.

Amy: Not quite.

She couldn't help but smile, and after a moment, he did as well. Amy put her arm over Johnny's shoulder in a sort of half-hug. Johnny returned it with a full hug, digging under the pillow with one hand. They let go of one another, and she kissed him on the forehead before returning to her original position, and fell asleep. Johnny felt warm and fuzzy inside as he, too, drifted into sleep.

The next day, the sun shone in through the window, lighting the room. Sonic was the first one to wake up, and after a look at the clock near the bed, the first one to go back to sleep. About an hour or so later, the light was strong enough to get Scotty to open his eyes. He did so slowly, as he was still quite tired. Seeing that it was about 7:00 in the morning, he turned over and nudged Sonya.

Scotty: Sony…Sony, wake up…

The hedgehog yawned as she opened her eyes. Scotty was already sitting up in bed, and helped her up. He noticed that they were the only ones awake, and then saw that Johnny had thrown his arm around Amy in his sleep. He pointed to it, and Sonya giggled at the sight.

Back in New York…

Chaos had given up on trying to rob the place, and had a headache because of all the forms. There was already daylight outside; there had been for a few hours. Chaos was tired, and wanted to go home. It was then that he remembered that his home was gone. Still, he headed for the door, half-asleep. Just before he entered the revolving door to exit the bank, he was shocked to hear a voice from above.

Voice: Hold it right there!

Chaos stopped in his tracks, and looked up. A bag of sand fell from the ceiling, and hit him in the face, knocking him out. Officer Rouge the bat, NYPD, dropped from above and landed next to him. She tapped his body with her foot to make sure he was out.

Rouge: This must've been the longest sting operation ever…Why couldn't you have done something criminal? But it's over now, and we can still get you on other charges. Book him!

Several other officers, disguised as bank employees brought handcuffs and captured Chaos. They tossed him unceremoniously into the back of a police car, and carted him off to jail. Meanwhile, at the Refuge base, Dr. Arrow paced about one of the rooms, worried about the others. They had been gone for what seemed like too long, and he hadn't heard from them. The others tried to calm him down, but it was Nightingale that finally got through to him.

Nightingale: Daddy, you're going to worry yourself to pieces if you keep this up.

Dr. Arrow: I know, I know, little one, but I can't help worrying.

She took his hand, and Dr, Arrow looked down at her.

Nightingale: They'll be fine. Trust me, they can take care of themselves.

Dr. Arrow: Well…

Bunnie: She's right, ya know. Ah've seen `em in action, and Ah'm sure of it.

Dr. Arrow sighed, considering what he had been told. He knew they were right, but still, something inside him told him they'd find trouble. Speaking of trouble, far away near the Florida Keys, Metal Sonic had been repaired, as had eliminator. They were ready to take on the crew. Metal Sonic had already informed Robotnik of their intentions to find him, and the scientist had a plan.

Robotnik: Metal, I have an important job for you.

Metal Sonic: As long as I don't have to work with those fools again, I'm happy.

Robotnik: Well, I'm afraid you aren't going to be happy, then.

Metal Sonic: <growls>

Robotnik: Lead them here and I'll handle the rest.

Metal Sonic: Yes…sir…

The robot stormed away, angry at his new orders.

Metal Sonic: <thinking> Why does he want to bring them here? They'll just mess everything up…again… Everything's fine while we're hidden, but I just know this is going to mess everything up.

He found his way down one of the corridors that led to a helipad. Using his internal compass to find north, he took off in that direction. The robot had secretly planted a tracking device on the Eagle when everyone was asleep, and when he was close enough to it, he could pick up its signal and locate the crew.

At the hotel…

The entire crew was now awake, and had gone downstairs to get breakfast. They were an unusual sight, but were served nonetheless. When they ordered drinks, Johnny noticed something odd on the menu.

Johnny: Hey, guys…What is this…eggnog?

Billy: It's a drink composed primarily of milk, with a bit of raw egg and vanilla, plus some other stuff. It's really quite a rare find, especially in a place like this.

Johnny: It sounds disgusting.

Tails: Don't be fooled by the ingredients. It's really good; you should try some.

Johnny: Well…Okay, I'll take your word for it. I just hope it's better than Sonic's chilidogs.

Sonic: You know as well as I do that that simply isn't possible.

They ordered their drinks, and when Johnny got his, he stared at the odd look of it. He smelled it, and wasn't sure what to think. Slowly, he took a sip, and thought for a moment.

Tails: So, do you like it?

Johnny: All the world's eggnog will someday belong to me!

All: O.o

Tails: Uh…I'll take that as a yes.

Johnny drank the eggnog down, and ordered more.

Amy; You know, it'll last longer if you take the time to enjoy it.

Scotty: Yeah, you don't have to drink it like Sonic runs; this isn't a race.

Johnny: Sorry; it's just really good. Very…very, insanely good.

Sonya: Well, just make sure to save some for the rest of the planet.

They soon got their food, ate, and were on their way. The Eagle and the Veritech powered up and took off, and flew south again. It was their hope that they could find their way to Robotnik when they got closer. It was unlikely, but it was the only chance they had…

Stay tuned, and please review!