Sonic Series Fan Fiction ❯ On the Road Again ❯ Denver virus ( Chapter 14 )

Chapter 14: Denver virus

It was late at night, and Sonic the Hedgehog remained awake, driving the RV through Nebraska. Shadow fell asleep in the passenger seat, after fighting it. Of course, Metal-2 had no need for rest, so he stood awake, watching and sometimes helped the driver navigate through the dark, and find signs for direction. The crew slept inside, peacefully, while Sonic drove them out.

Sonic yawned, sleepily. "We'll reach Colorado soon." He whispered to the robot.

"Acknowledged." Metal-2 said, quietly standing beside the driver's seat.

"When we get there, the RV will need a refill." Sonic reported, after checking the fuel level.

"The propane tank is low, also." Metal-2 told the blue hedgehog.

"Oh, and what about the water tank? How is that holding?" Sonic asked him.

"Very low." Metal-2 answered, and then Sonic nodded his head, understanding.

"I guess we're low on everything. But when we get to Denver, we'll find what we need."

"Denver is a city of Colorado." Metal-2 remembered. "I have never been there before."

"Neither have I." Sonic said, "But that makes it more special, don't you think?"

Metal-2 slightly turned his head with wonder. "I do not understand." He said.

"Well, it's really simple, Metal-2. You see, when you go someplace you have never seen before, you feel excited because you have no idea what to expect. It gives you a sense of adventure."

"But I am incapable of feeling excited." The robot reminded him.

Then Sonic quietly sighed. "I forgot." He whispered, "But it doesn't matter. You'll get it."

Metal-2 shrugged his shoulders, and then the two returned to the driving, watching the windshield in front of them. When they reached Colorado, Sonic could not drive any further. He needed sleep, so he found a place to park, safe and quiet, and he stopped there. They would leave in the morning; enter the city called Denver to restore what was needed for the RV, and supplies.

= = = = =

Meanwhile…

"For the last time, stay away from me!" Metal Sonic yelled at Chaos, who tried to 'help.'

"But Metal, I only want to help." Chaos offered a bandage for the robot's damaged hand.

"No!" Metal slapped it away. "I am functioning normally, in no need for any attention."

"Well, that's good. Then I guess I don't need this anymore." Chaos said, and then he tossed the bandage away, and it fell on Dr. Eggman's head, blinding him.

"HEY!" Eggman yelled, and stood up from his work chair, shaking his head. He gripped the bandage, threw it off of him and to the floor, and then he looked toward them. When he looked at them, Metal continued standing quietly, while Chaos whistled, closing his eyes. "Forget it." Eggman sighed, angrily. "I must think of a new plan to eliminate that hedgehog." He said.

"Where are they now, anyway?" Chaos asked, curiously looking at Metal Sonic.

"They're somewhere in Colorado, according to the radar." The robot replied.

"Hmm…" Chaos thought. "If only we could stop them from moving…"

"That's it!" Eggman shouted with an idea. "My new invention will stop him right in his tracks, and Metal-2 will be my first target. I'm so perfectly evil; I scare even myself!" He laughed.

"I cannot believe this." Metal shook his head and Eggman ran passed him, into another room.

"Oh, boy!" Chaos proudly cheered for himself. "I thought of a good plan, all by myself."

Metal nodded. "I agree that it's a plan, but it's a goofy one." He shrugged.

"Hey, it's better than nothing." Chaos said, "I think I could invent something also."

"You invent nothing but headaches, trouble, problems, failure, and foolishness! You can't do anything right, you can't invent anything useful, and that's why your last name is Zero!" He opened his eyes, but Chaos was no longer beside him. When he looked behind, he saw Chaos scribbling plans on the blackboard. Metal slapped his own forehead with disbelief. In the meantime, Dr. Eggman worked to invent something that would stop a certain blue hedgehog.

= = = = =

The next day…

When morning arrived, Sonic yawned and stretched, sleepily. He heard the familiar sound of a slurp, and he knew it was Shadow the Hedgehog, drinking his coffee. The team had breakfast together, and then soon after that, the RV began moving again with Sonic as the driver. They needed to reach Denver to restore their supplies, refill the RV, and be ready for the journey ahead of them. It was the afternoon when they finally reached the city of Denver.

"Here we are, at last! This is Denver, Colorado." Sonic told his crew as he drove in.

"If I was the driver, we would've arrived here much sooner." Shadow snorted.

"This place is very different, nothing like North or South Dakota!" Amy said, pointing.

"It all looks the same to me." Rouge said as she turned a page of her book.

"You always say that," Tikal said, "But this place is different, and I'm excited."

Tails nodded with a smile. "Now that we have reached Denver, we can refill the RV."

"Sounds good to me." Knuckles agreed. "But it's funny, I had this dream last night that my face was on Mount Rushmore, right next to Abraham Lincoln. You think it means something?"

"Yeah," Sonic answered, "It means you must start facing the facts that it will never happen."

"Jealous hedgehog." Knuckles grinned, and that made Sonic shiver.

"I am not jealous!" Sonic said, firmly, and he looked at the red echidna when he said it.

"Uh, Sonic, can I drive?" Shadow asked him.

"No!" Sonic answered, looking at the black hedgehog now.

"Then would you?" Shadow asked, and he pointed ahead of them.

Sonic gasped when he saw that he nearly hit an empty parked car by mistake, but he turned the RV away in time. Sonic gained his control back, and he continued driving, silent. Shadow watched for him, willing to help at anytime. It was what friends were for, in their place. They made it to a store, and Sonic refilled the RV, which was now almost completely empty. Knuckles refilled the water tank with some help from Tails, and Metal-2 helped Shadow gather a few propane containers, so they would be able to cook in the RV. The girls were shopping inside the store, for a few needed items, while the others worked outside. After Shadow placed the heavy container down, Metal-2 did the rest. Then Shadow came to Sonic, who was refilling the RV.

"Is everything all right here, Sonic?" Shadow asked him, and then Sonic awoke from thought.

"Yeah, sure." Sonic answered, and then he sighed. "I'm sorry about earlier."

"I understand." Shadow said to him, "There's no harm done, so move it aside."

Then Sonic smiled, relief seen in his green eyes. "Thanks, Shadow." He whispered.

Shadow said nothing. He just rested a hand on his friend's shoulder, telling him how welcomed he was, and Sonic understood him. When the RV was full, Sonic placed the pump back in its place, and Shadow followed him toward the store to pay the bill. Knuckles and Tails continued working on the RV. Metal-2 helped them, and Freeway watched from the passenger seat. When Sonic entered the store with Shadow, it was strange for them to see no one inside. It was silent as a tomb, there were no shoppers, no storekeepers, and the lights were dim in the building.

"Shadow, I think something is wrong here." Sonic whispered, feeling uneasy.

"I know." Shadow whispered, "Take a look, there's no coffee machine."

"How dreadful." Sonic whispered, annoyed while he rolled his eyes. Then suddenly, the doors behind them locked with the sound of a loud click. Now Sonic felt unsafe.

"I told you," Shadow whispered, "Never trust a gas station without a coffee machine."

"Wait, someone's coming…" Sonic whispered, silencing him. He looked toward the end of the store, and a dark hedgehog figure stood alone, staring at him. Sonic and Shadow gulped.

"I have been waiting for you, hedgehog." The voice of Metal Sonic said in the dark.

"It's you!" Sonic and Shadow said at once, and they pointed to the robot, which stepped forward.

"It's time for a rerun with you, black problem!" Metal said, and before Shadow could move, the robot had him down on the floor, choking him with his hand around his neck.

"NO! Shadow!!" Sonic called, and he tried to reach him, but Chaos stopped him. Sonic struggled with all he had, but Chaos had a firm grip on him, not willing to let go. "Let me go, you ugly old thing!" Sonic yelled, trying to kick him, but it was useless. Chaos chuckled at the sight.

"I love to see others so helpless!" Chaos said, chuckling again when Sonic growled.

"That's because you're so hopelessly lost, you water creep!" Sonic growled, angrily.

Meanwhile, Shadow opened an eye only to see Metal Sonic lift his other hand to strike him. Shadow let his eye close, but he kept his grip on the robot's arm, which held him down. Just when the robot was about to attack, a crashing sound was heard from the store's window. Sonic gasped when he saw that it was Metal-2, and he broke through the glass window, shattering the glass, breaking in, and then he stood, facing Metal Sonic, who had Shadow trapped.

"Release my friend now, or else!" Metal-2 said, and he took a step toward the robot.

"Right on time, reject." Metal Sonic said, still holding Shadow down on the floor.

Sonic looked confused, but before he could ask anything, a bright light suddenly filled the room, blinding him. It was Eggman's latest invention at work, and when the light vanished, Sonic blinked his eyes to adjust. He saw Metal-2 standing still, and he could not move his legs, no matter how hard he tried. Metal Sonic stood in front of Metal-2 while the others watched.

"If you dare to fire, it will activate the explosives, and that will be the end of your friends over there!" Metal Sonic pointed toward a corner, and there were the girls, tied to the wall.

Then Metal-2 lowered his arm down, deactivating his blasters. He tried again to move his legs, but again, it was useless. Metal Sonic seemed to enjoy every moment of it.

"Now I will destroy you, one piece at a time, slowly but surely." Metal Sonic whispered, and he walked around the other robot, appearing to decide his first attack on him.

Sonic was horrified, and he looked down at Shadow, who was unconscious on the floor. He struggled again to escape from Chaos, but he could not break free. Then Knuckles hopped in through the broken window, careful to avoid the glass all over the place, and Tails followed.

"Man, when Metal-2 wants in, he wants in now!" Knuckles gasped at the sight of the window.

"Knuckles, look!" Tails pointed toward the two robots, and then the echidna saw them.

"This has trouble written all over it!" Knuckles said, "No wonder the gas prices are high!"

"This is bad, awful, terrible, horrifying, and monstrous!" Tails gasped when he saw Sonic being held captive, the girls tied to explosives, Shadow down, and Metal-2 unable to move.

"We must think of something, and fast!" Knuckles said to the fox.

Tails tried to think of a plan, but the sights and sounds around him made that very difficult. Then he snapped his fingers, reaching for his laptop computer in a backpack. "I got it!" Tails said, after scanning the building. "This virus signal is coming from Eggman's ship, right above us."

"Virus?! Oh no, it's an outbreak!" Knuckles yelped, and then Tails tried to explain.

"No, it's some type of computer virus, targeting Metal-2, and that's why he cannot move his legs. I must hurry, and find a way to break it before it's too late. Knuckles, cover me!"

"Cover you?!" Knuckles yelped again and then he saw Chaos approach him.

"Knuckles, RUN!" Sonic yelled, struggling to free himself from handcuffs, which held him to a steel pole. The echidna nodded, and then he turned, running to keep Chaos away from Tails.

Then Sonic looked toward the robots again. Metal Sonic lifted his cruel hand to strike, and he did. Metal-2 was hit in the right eye, and it was damaged after the strong attack. The sight made Sonic fight against the handcuffs harder, but he only felt pain in his wrist when he tried. He breathed heavily, opened his eyes to face the two robots again. He gasped when he saw Metal-2 trying to prevent another attack by gripping the robot's arm, but then Metal Sonic attacked him in the chest, damaging him further. Metal-2 let go, hardly able to stand now after the powerful strikes.

"Metal-2, don't give up! Fight it!" Sonic called, and then he clenched his teeth, struggling for freedom. He watched as Knuckles ran passed him again, and Chaos followed after the red echidna. For the moment, it seemed hopeless, but the crew had to work together again.

To be continued in the next chapter…