Sonic Series Fan Fiction ❯ Sonic Adventures: "On the road" ❯ Detroit Deliverance ( Chapter 23 )

Chapter 23: Detroit Deliverance

The drive was long and hard, but the faithful RV soon reached Michigan and they still had to make it to the city of Detroit, where the baby deer named Freeway was being held helplessly as a captive. Sonic the Hedgehog and his great friends adventured together into another challenge. It was nearly dawn when Sonic opened his eyes to another morning after hardly sleeping. He could not rest, knowing that his friend Freeway was in danger. She trusted him and his friends to protect her, and he could not let her down. He could not refuse to fight and he could not back down. But still, personally in his heart, he blamed himself for what happened. Shadow woke up shortly after Sonic began to drive the RV toward the city. He sat up, stretching and he rubbed his eyes. He saw how concerned Sonic was just by looking at his face. He thought of ways to help and then he thought that perhaps something to drink would be a nice start. He quietly stood up and Sonic did not even notice him. He kept his eyes on the street ahead of him, driving quietly.

"Sonic, I brought you coffee." Shadow whispered, holding a cup next to the driver.

Sonic only shook his head, no as an answer. He had not spoken a word for sometime.

"Sonic?" Shadow asked him so he could hear his friend's voice.

"No." Sonic finally answered with his voice, very quietly.

"Sonic, don't do that. I think I know how you feel, but it was not your fault."

Then the RV slowly came to a stop on the side of the road. Sonic released a heavy sigh and hid his face in the steering wheel with his hands griping it. Then Shadow heard his voice again.

"It was my fault…it's my fault…" Sonic whispered, sadly.

Shadow placed the cup down and he laid a hand on his shoulder. He felt Sonic shiver slightly when his hand touched him, and then Sonic was still again. "We can't undo what's happened, Sonic, but we can make up for it." Shadow assured, trying to strengthen him.

Finally, Sonic lifted his face from doubt and despair, and he faced the road with his courage and strength renewed. He forced a smile and looked at Shadow. "You're right, friend."

"Of course, I am. We can do this, just as we have before. To us, it is part of our life."

"I never quite thought of it that way." Sonic said, quietly and he turned away slightly.

"Well, try to think about it, and drink your coffee while it's hot."

"All right, Shadow. Thanks." Sonic whispered and he took a sip before driving again. He realized that when a mind doubts or when a heart is hurting, a good friend is the best medicine.

= = = = =

Location: Detroit…

The light of the morning tried to fight its way through the dark clouds in the sky, but it was useless. It was still dark when they made it to the city and Sonic wondered, dreaded if that meant a bad sign, a warning that they were entering a danger zone. The RV stopped and Sonic parked it away from harm before stepping outside to see the area where they were now.

"I never thought Detroit looked anything like this." Sonic said, after he turned around, looking.

"This place looks deserted, dusty too." Amy said, stepping beside him.

"Well, don't look at me. I'm not a cleaning maid." Knuckles grinned.

"I wonder where everyone is around here." Tails wondered with his voice.

"Looks like they bailed." Rouge said, simply and she shrugged.

"Maybe they've gone home because of the strange darkness." Tikal added.

"Yeah, or worse, it could be Dr. Eggman up to no good." Shadow reminded them.

"This is bad news." Sonic said, cautioning. "We should check it out, but be very careful, watch your step and stay in teams to help. I know we can do this together."

"Now you're talking." Tails said, encouraged. He opened his laptop computer, looking at a map of the city. "This city is large and has many roads, but where Eggman could be, I don't know."

"Maybe someplace where no one else goes, somewhere hidden." Knuckles guessed.

Sonic nodded. "Right, an abandoned building could be what we're looking for."

"What's that over there?" Amy asked, pointing toward a bridge.

"That's a bridge for the subway trains." Tails replied, after looking at his computer screen.

"Do they pass by here often?" Tikal asked, and she looked toward the bridge.

"I'm not sure," Tails answered, "But I do know it's a fun way to travel."

Sonic took a few steps forward while they were talking and he stopped next to a telephone pole. He stood and looked around the area again, but it was still dark. He wondered if a storm was coming and he thought of places to look for Freeway. He hoped that she was safe. Then suddenly, his thoughts were broken when he heard a familiar laughter.

"You're very persistent for a hedgehog, aren't you? You came to Detroit alive."

Sonic turned and saw Dr. Eggman on the bridge. "I die hard and hedgehogs are amazingly flexible fellows." Sonic said with a slight grin seen.

"Let's find out how hard it really is to kill a hedgehog, shall we, Sonic? Now that you're here in Detroit, you will go no further because you will be destroyed when Terminator arrives!"

"Say what?" Sonic asked, confused and his question was suddenly answered when a robot appeared in front of him. It was in the form of cobra with dangerously large fangs.

"Jumping catfish! What on earth?!" Knuckles gasped with surprise.

"It looks like we're in for a rough lunch hour!" Sonic said, and he bravely walked toward the robot to face it and Shadow was beside him. "Shadow, you must distract it while I go and stop its mouth. It's the fangs we have to watch out for." Sonic whispered a plan.

"I understand." Shadow nodded his head.

Sonic gripped his friend's hand, nodding in return. "Are you ready?" He asked.

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be, Sonic." Shadow replied, and then they turned to face the cobra.

"Okay, you go run ahead of me and keep him going in circles while I get on the head."

"I won't fail." Shadow promised, and then he ran toward the robot. The cobra saw the black hedgehog run passed its face and it followed him, in circles as Sonic hoped for.

Sonic ran toward the cobra's head, keeping behind it and he climbed onto its neck, holding on tight. The team watched as Sonic moved and clearly knew what he was doing. He soon reached the head, but then the cobra began to shake its head. Sonic gasped and held on tighter. He nearly fell off and then Shadow turned back, trying to make the cobra follow him again.

"Run, Shadow!" Sonic called, warning him in time as the cobra began to chase him again.

Shadow turned and began running again, using his air shoes and the cobra was right behind him. He ran in circles again and Sonic regained his balance on the robot's large head. Sonic moved quickly as he tied the cobra's deadly mouth with a strong rope, and so the robot's fangs become useless when its mouth was kept closed. Then suddenly, the cobra stopped chasing Shadow and shook its head harder than before. Sonic fell off the head but he still had a good grip on the rope, so he was in for a ride he would never forget. He held on tight, swinging from the cobra.

"Shadow! Look out!!" Sonic yelled as he swung toward him.

"Sonic?!" Shadow's eyes widened with surprise as Sonic came toward him. Without quite knowing how, Shadow gripped the rope and away he went, up into the air with Sonic.

"YIKES!" Sonic screamed as he flew right over the cobra's head, still hanging on.

They both swung left and right, right and left, over and under the robot cobra. Then it happened so fast as the cobra crashed into a building's wall, damaging its neck and the hedgehogs saw it. They were both holding onto the rope for life while in this dangerous event.

"Shadow, the neck is damaged!" Sonic told him, "It could be a weak point!"

"Then let's go for it! I'll go first!" Shadow said, and with a jump, he flew toward the cobra's neck, aiming for the damaged area. With a great homing attack, he damaged it even more. He safely landed on the ground and he turned to look up. "Now it's up to you, Sonic!"

Sonic waited for the right moment and when it came, he leaped into the air, toward the neck to defeat the enemy. He was victorious and landed beside Shadow. They watched the robot cobra fall to the street, destroyed because of their great teamwork.

"Great work!" Sonic praised as he shook Shadow's hand.

"This is impossible!" Eggman said, very upset. "My beautiful Terminator Cobra, ruined!"

"Yeah, I'm famous for taking out your trash!" Sonic pointed toward the mad scientist.

"You will regret this, hedgehog! You will pay greatly for this, all of you!" Eggman shook a fist, angrily and then he turned his ship around, leaving to escape.

"Is he gone?" Knuckles asked, standing with the two hedgehogs.

"Yep, and I won't miss him." Sonic replied, and then Metal suddenly appeared.

"You again! You just don't give up, do you?" Knuckles asked him, furious.

"Silence your dog, hedgehog!" Metal said to Sonic. "I will inform you of one thing. The next subway train has your pesky Bambi inside, and it will collide with another train on the way."

"What? That will destroy it!" Sonic gasped with his eyes completely alert.

"Correct." Metal nodded his head with his eyes glowing red. Then Metal turned and left and before Sonic could go after him, he saw the subway train, moving uncontrollably.

"Freeway?" Sonic whispered and he began to sweat on his face.

"That must be it, Sonic!" Tails pointed to it. "That's the subway we must get to!"

"We may be too late!" Amy cried, covering her face with her hands.

"No worries!" Sonic assured. "Speed is my middle name and danger is my game. Tails, give me a lift, and Knuckles, glide to the subway train and try to stop it. We'll meet you there!"

"You got it!" Knuckles nodded and then he left, after the subway train on the bridge.

"Shadow, take the RV out and meet us at the station." Sonic instructed him.

"I'll do my best. We'll see you there." Shadow said, and they all went their ways.

Tails flew up toward the bridge and Sonic held on tight. They soon saw the subway train and it was moving steadily but fast. Tails flew down; carefully making a safe landing on top and the wind instantly blew against them, hard and it tried to push them off.

"Hang on, Sonic!" Tails called, closing his hand and hung on to stay.

"We've got to find a way in!" Sonic said, closing his eyes to protect them. He opened his eyes slightly, took Tails by the hand and he crawled toward a window, a way inside.

Meanwhile, in the control room, Knuckles climbed inside after fighting the wind out there and it was a relief to finally make it through. He was very surprised to see someone there already.

"Hey, what took you so long?" Rouge the bat asked him, smiling.

"How in the world did you get here?" Knuckles asked, failing to hide his surprised look.

"Well, I have my own special ways." Rouge said, still smiling.

"I'm sure you do, but right now, I must stop this train before it blows to China!"

"That sounds easy. Just hit the breaks." Rouge said, simply turning to the controls.

"Yeah, but where are the breaks?" Knuckles asked, scratching his head when he looked.

"Whoops, I was thinking of a car, but this is nothing like it." Rouge gulped.

"This is going to be a wild ride." Knuckles said, and then he began to think fast.

Back to Sonic and Tails, they were able to find a window and climb inside the subway train. Sonic lifted Tails to his feet and they looked around. All the chairs were empty and no one was inside, it was silent until Sonic heard a small squeak. Could it be? Was it really?

Sonic turned around and after a quick search, he found Freeway on the floor with her legs and mouth tied. He released her and then the small baby deer weakly climbed into his arms, nesting in his chest and he gladly wrapped his arms around her, sighing with great relief.

"It's her!" Tails said, coming to his friend's side. "We found her, Sonic, and she's safe."

Sonic said nothing but he kept his eyes closed, holding Freeway who nuzzled his cheek, gently. She was so happy to see him again and Sonic felt the same way. They were together again.

"Sonic, are you all right?" Tails asked him when he saw a tear.

"I'm not sure, Tails." Sonic answered, quietly. "I'm happy to see Freeway…and I'm crying." He opened his eyes and they sparkled like a wet emerald. "Maybe something is wrong with me."

"No way, I think you're just fine." Tails assured him and he stroked the baby deer's head. They both laughed when Freeway smiled and blinked her eyes at them.

Then they heard Knuckles in the control room. "Rouge, enough! Let me handle this!"

"We should've stopped by now, but you have to be so stubborn!" Rouge snapped.

"I'm telling you it's this one!" Knuckles pointed.

"No, it's that one!" Rouge disagreed.

"No, no, it's the other one!" Knuckles shook his head.

"No! It's surely NOT that one!" Rouge gasped.

"Then it's this one or nothing!" Knuckles took a chance and pulled.

"Whoa!" Sonic yelled as he and Tails rolled toward the wall, uncontrollably because Knuckles had finally found the breaks. Somehow it seemed like a miracle when they stopped.

"Hey, Sonic! I stopped it!" Knuckles said, proudly, stepping out of the control room with Rouge.

"Are we having fun yet?" Sonic groaned with his back to the wall and Tails on a chair. The blue hedgehog stood up with Freeway and he led the way outside where Shadow was waiting for them in the RV. "Shadow!" Sonic called and he entered the passenger side. "After careful consideration I've decided not to tour Detroit." He said, breathlessly as he sat down.

"So have I." Shadow agreed with him without doubting and he drove out of the city.

Finally, after a daring rescue mission, Sonic and his friends were together again and Freeway was saved because of her heroes' deliverance and great courage. The team welcomed the smallest member of the group back into the RV with strawberry shortcake. Now leaving Detroit, the RV moved on, driving down the street and the sun shined down on it, giving a golden light.