Sonic Series Fan Fiction ❯ On the Road Again ❯ Checkmate ( Chapter 17 )

Chapter 17: Checkmate

After a great view and tour of Denver, Colorado, Sonic the Hedgehog and his friends returned to the RV, and they felt tired after traveling so long on foot. The sun was going down, it was twilight in time, and so, the crew entered the old faithful RV for some peace and quiet. They had to admit it, Denver was an exciting place, but they also realized that it was time to move on. Sonic relaxed in the driver's seat, Shadow rested in the front passenger chair next to him, Knuckles, Rouge, and Tikal sat on the sofa, looking outside the window, Tails stood beside the robot Metal-2, and Amy Rose gave the baby deer named Freeway a drink of water. It was good to have a moment of silence now and then, and so Sonic let his green eyes close, resting.

"Sonic," The voice of Shadow whispered, "It's getting dark, and we should find a better place to stay for the night." Sonic knew that, and then he sat up strait in the chair, alert again.

"I know." Sonic said, "I'll take us out, and we'll be on the road again. Buckle up, guys!" And they did so. Sonic started the engine of the RV, turning the key, and then he drove it out. The blue hedgehog took his friends, who were like a family to him, and they returned to the road.

Knuckles hummed to himself, staring at the ceiling, tapping his foot with the beat of his heart, thinking of things. Rouge turned a page of a book she was reading to keep from getting angry at the red echidna. Tikal was gazing outside the window, watching the buildings, as they seemed to rush by one at a time. Freeway fell asleep in Amy's lap while the girl hedgehog colored some pictures, quietly. In the back room of the RV, Tails sat down on one bed, and Metal-2 sat down on the other as they played a game of chess. Tails grinned when he saw a move to win it.

"Checkmate…again." Tails said with a proud smile. Metal-2 looked down at the board.

"That was a challenge, but it would be logical for me to know the rules better." Metal-2 said, and then Tails thought for a moment. He opened his blue eyes with a good idea.

"Here, read this, Metal-2. It'll help." Tails gave a book of chess to him. It was heavy.

"Thank you. I shall examine it thoroughly." Metal-2 said, and then he opened the book of chess. In only seven seconds, he read the entire book, turning the many pages at amazing speed. "Finished." Metal-2 then returned the heavy book to Tails, and the fox was stunned.

"How could you do that? It took me two weeks to read this whole book!" He said in surprise.

"I not only read it; I read it twice." Metal-2 held up two fingers, further surprising Tails.

"Well, are you ready for a third game?" Tails asked him, after recovering.

"Yes, that would be acceptable." Metal-2 nodded his head, and then they began. It was no surprise to see Metal-2 as the winner. Afterward, Tails shook his hand after the friendly duel.

Back in the front of the RV, Sonic drove through the night. Darkness was seen outside and surrounding the sky, and so the headlights were needed to see ahead of him, on the road. It was a rather calm night, and Sonic could never argue with that. He never really welcomed trouble. He learned that trouble has a way of finding what it's looking for. He heard Shadow yawn again.

"Get some sleep, Shad. It's been a rough day, you know." Sonic said, gently.

"Who is going to keep you awake then?" Shadow shot a question at him.

"I can handle myself, thanks." Sonic winked his eye at him before looking toward the road again.

"Pathetic." Shadow said, growing tired in his voice. He fought to keep his eyes open, but they became heavier every moment. He blinked, slightly shook his head, but he was still tired.

Sonic turned his eyes away from the road, long enough to discover, a little to his surprise, that Shadow was sound asleep with his eyes closed, cutely snoring and he was already in a dream. Sonic smiled, and then he continued driving, alert in his green eyes as he watched the road ahead. Tikal covered Shadow with a warm blanket. The night was cold outside, and so everyone snuggled under a blanket of their own, resting as the night became late. The crew soon fell asleep, but Sonic remained awake until he found a safe place to stop for the night. Metal-2 was a good navigator, so he was helpful to the driver. Then finally, the sleepy driver hedgehog slept, also.

= = = = =

Meanwhile…

Somewhere else in Colorado, the black truck of Dr. Eggman was parked just outside an abandoned building. There, he thought of ways to stop a certain blue hedgehog that caused him so much trouble, and to destroy the RV. It was night, and Metal Sonic was finally repaired. The robot stood quietly, looking down at the laboratory's floor in deep thought. Dr. Eggman was alone in the next room, making plans. Metal's thoughts broke when he heard Chaos, humming. Metal turned to look, and there was Chaos sitting with a clipboard and a pencil, writing.

"Hey, Metal, I've been thinking of a theme song for myself. What do you think of the title: Raging Waters?" He asked, but Metal did not answer. He was facing the floor again. Chaos placed his clipboard and pencil down, and then he came to the robot's side. "Metal?" He whispered, "Can you talk? The Doc did reactivate your mouth, didn't he?"

"Yes," Metal quietly answered, "But I wish yours could be deactivated for all eternity."

"That would be a shame. How would I talk to you? You would be so lonely, and I'll never allow that. Don't worry." Chaos chuckled, and then he returned to his writing.

Metal shook his head, and then he continued thinking. He remembered how Metal-2 was able to endure the damage he had done to him, while refusing to fire so that the Sonic crew would be safe. Metal did not understand, and he did not wish to know the meaning behind that. He did know that for Metal-2 damaging him, he would seek revenge, somehow.

Then a door opened, and Dr. Eggman stepped out with a plan. "Everything's set to go." He said, "The RV has been sighted, and it is still in Colorado. We must hurry and find it, and if my plan is correct, I shall finally have the hedgehog right where I want him, and the RV down!" He laughed.

Metal nodded. "By your command." He said, and then he turned to Chaos. "Did you get that, iceberg?" He asked, and then Chaos looked up from his writing, confused.

Chaos shrugged. "What? I didn't hear anything." He said.

"That is normal for you." Metal said, and then he took Chaos by the arm, lifting him to stand up. "Now, listen, waterfall, the RV's presents is known, and it's our job to stop it."

"Oh, boy! Can I open the presents first?" Chaos asked him, clapping.

Metal snarled. "No, you-you-I don't even know what to call you anymore!" And before Chaos could speak, Metal dragged him outside, and they were on their way. Eggman laughed again.

= = = = =

Returning to the RV now, we find the crew, sleeping while Metal-2 quietly stood to watch over them. It was a calm night with a clear sky, so the stars were clearly seen. But Metal-2 suddenly lifted his head after thinking. He could sense Metal, approaching. There was danger, and so the robot stepped toward the driver Sonic the Hedgehog. Sonic was asleep, but the touch of a robotic hand was enough to awake him with a gasp. He opened his eyes, and it was only Metal-2.

"What is it, Metal-2?" Sonic asked, after he realized it was a friend that awoke him.

"Warning: Metal is approaching." He reported, quietly.

"Are you sure?" Sonic asked in a whisper, becoming alert in his eyes.

"Positive." Metal-2 nodded with reassurance that it was true.

Sonic did not think highly of it at first. Of course, he trusted Metal-2, but he had doubts about Metal and Chaos coming to attack then and in the area they were in. But as he recalled what happened before, he nodded in agreement. "Okay, let's go check it out." Sonic whispered. He stepped outside, and Metal-2 quietly followed him. Sonic rubbed his eyes, yawning.

"Is it wise for you to go alone?" Metal-2 asked him, quietly.

"Hey, you're with me. There's nothing to worry about. This is a small town, and I'm not sure how they could have found us here." Sonic shrugged.

"Never doubt your foe's moves. It is like chess." Metal-2 cautioned him.

"Huh? Chess?" Sonic asked.

"Yes, I am a good player of chess now."

Sonic winked his eye. "Cool, then I'll have to challenge you sometime. But for now, let's go."

"Go where?" The sleepy voice of Shadow asked, behind him.

"Shadow, go back to bed." Sonic whispered.

"How? My bed is hundreds of miles away from here." Shadow yawned.

Sonic lifted an eyebrow. "You know what I mean, so run along."

Shadow shrugged. "Okay, I will." Then he ran ahead of him.

"He has a mind of his own." Metal-2 noticed.

"Come back!" Sonic called, and he followed Shadow, almost forgetting the danger.

Shadow suddenly stopped, Sonic did the same, and Metal-2 landed beside them. Shadow let his eyes scan the area. There were only a few buildings, stores, no cars around then, and all was quiet, too quiet. The air was cold, and it made the two hedgehogs slightly shiver.

"Something is wrong here." Shadow whispered, "There is an uneasiness in the air."

"Nice going, Sherlock." Sonic snorted. "Don't you understand, Shadow? That's what I've been trying to tell you. Metal-2 thinks there's trouble cooking up."

"And I'm sure we all know the ingredients for that." Shadow reminded them.

Then a voice was heard behind them. "Would that be ham and eggs?" It was Chaos.

"What? Chaos!" Sonic said, and he quickly turned around. "Now, where's Metal?"

"He's testing a new gismo that the Doc made." Chaos answered.

Then Sonic gasped. "This cannot be good!"

Chaos shook his head. "Oh, but it is, and now it looks like we get the last hat!"

"You mean the last laugh." Shadow corrected him.

Chaos blushed. "Oh, yeah. Sorry." He shrugged, chuckling nervously.

"Enough of this quack!" Sonic growled. "You're an invader, and you're out!" The blue hedgehog ran toward him, but before Sonic could attack, Metal suddenly appeared out of nowhere, blocking his path. Sonic stopped in front of the enemy robot, stunned. "Metal…" He whispered.

"Checkmate." Metal Sonic said, and then he gripped the hedgehog's arm. In the blink of an eye, Metal, Chaos, and Sonic vanished in a flash of bright light. They were gone.

"Hey, what happened? Where'd they go now?" Shadow asked, seeing nothing.

"Metal has taken Sonic, using a highly advanced transporter, so there is no way we can find them from here." Metal-2 explained, "They could be anywhere now. Most likely with Robotnik."

"That's terrible news, and some bad company. Come, we must warn the others!" Shadow called, and then he led the way back to the RV with Metal-2 at his side.

= = = = =

In Eggman's hiding place, Sonic was brought in, held captive with handcuffs. He never made it easy for his captors, and so he struggled harder with every step he took. But the robot Metal Sonic was too strong. Sonic closed his eyes as he was pulled into a dark room, and Chaos followed along as he still tried to write a theme song for himself. Metal Sonic stopped when Dr. Eggman entered the room, and the mad scientist was very happy for his achievement of capture.

"HA! So, hedgehog, are you ready to meet your doom?" Eggman asked him, grinning.

"I think I'll pass." Sonic snorted, and then he opened his eyes. "You can't take me." He said.

"I already have, and now that you're here, your friends will soon follow. They will be looking for you, and when they arrive, it will be the last stop that RV will make on the road!" He laughed.

"What? NO!" Sonic yelled, struggling against Metal and the handcuffs, but it was useless.

"Whew! He's a wild one!" Chaos pointed to the fighting hedgehog.

"Let's see how wild he is when I'm done with him!" Metal said, angrily.

Then Sonic used all his strength, and he kicked Metal away. The robot fell to the floor, but he quickly stood up again, facing the ensnared hedgehog. The robot gripped him by the arms.

"You will cry for the mercy of death." Metal whispered, and then he dragged him into the next room, and Chaos followed with his clipboard and pencil. Now Sonic had to fight another fight.

To be continued in the next chapter…