A Forgotten Promise: So Much For Rescue / It Was You

So Much For Rescue

The wind whipped through my hair, giving me the well needed sense of being on the move. Knuckles had finally shown up with that Chaos Emerald and with in ten minutes the Tornado was up and running.

“We're almost there!” Tails yelled above the wind.

He adjusted his goggles and concentrated on flying. Knuckles, sitting behind him, said nothing, simply crossing his arms. Perched on the planes wing, I readied myself for what ever Eggman could throw at me.

I'd seen everything, from crazy stuff to weird to stuff to just plain wrong stuff. Yet there were times were Eggman outdid himself with some new evil scheme that would leave half the Sonic Team scarred (as in scar) for the rest of their lives. Tails still had nightmares from the time Mephilis had nearly killed me for good and I knew that Shadow was still bothered by the idea of really being an android. He knew for a fact that he was human, but nobody could ever forget the feeling of just being an empty copy.  Personally, I still saw Shadow dying. Over and over and over again. I remembered the look on Rouge's face, the pain in her eyes, and the shocked, empty looked on Amy's face. She hadn't known his relation to her yet, but barely an hour before she'd been pleading for him to help save humanity as we knew it. The eyes that had barely dried from crying from my supposed death became wet once again. I couldn't forget the feeling of failure. I'd always brought everybody back alive, always had everything in one piece, but Shadow was that one exception. That day had made me realize that I couldn't always save everything. After that day, every time Amy was taken, the panicky feeling wouldn't leave until she was in my arms again. Until I knew that she was alright and alive.

“Sonic! We're here! Where do you want me to land?!” Tails shouted over the wind, jerking me back.

I looked up at the egg carrier. It was smaller than the usual one; my job would be easier.

“Land on the runway up there!” I shouted, tensing.

“Got it!” Tails replied, angling the plane.

The wind blew ruffly, but Tails kept us steady. He wasn't even 12 yet and he could fly this plane better than most pilots. My chest swelled slightly; I was so proud of my little bro. Tails brought the plane in for a fairly ruff landing. It was better than the first time we'd landed on one of these. That was the time the Tails had forgotten landing gear of this plane. We'd made it, but I wasn't eager to try our luck once more.

We landed several minutes later, well enough considering the wind. I told Tails to stay with the plane, while Knuckles and I shot off, busting our way into the carrier. The only way in was an elevator, so of course we took it. It brought us down to a long corridor, with countless door on either side.

“Okay....where do we go?” I asked, turning to the expert tracker next to me.
Knuckles took a moment, sniffing the air.

“Amy has this distinct smell....it's like strawberries or something fruity.....”  he muttered, walking off, his nose in the air.

“What do I smell like?” I asked, curious.

“Like Chili-dogs and old socks.” he replied.

“No, seriously.”

“Old socks.”

“Do you even know what socks are?”

“Yes, and you smell like them. And chili-dogs.”

I left it at that.

We wandered down the hall, Knuckles only pausing to sniff the air. Suddenly he stopped, freezing in place.

“What?” I asked urgently.

“Blood....I smell Amy's blood...and robots...Metal Sonic.” Knuckles said, his eyes widening. (Pardon the bad spelling...)

“Amy's blood?!' I exclaimed, panicking, “How much?!”

“Not much...more than a cut, but not anything serious...I think...”

He stopped at a door, bursting through it. It lead to another corridor, one with three different halls branching off. Knuckles took the middle one without hesitation while I followed anxiously. The middle hall led to a huge door way, metallic and locked, of course. Knuckles burst through them like they were tin paper. Lasers suddenly shot past him, and I dashed forward. I threw him out of the door way and spin dashed into the ten robots that had been waiting for us. With in seconds, all that was left were the charred remains and twisted metal of the robots. I grinned, kicking a robot head out of the way.

“You should have thought about it before you messed with me.” I said, triumphantly.

Knuckles groan cut through the air.

“Dude, are you alright?!” I said, dashing to him.

The guardian held his arm, blood seeping between his fingers. His face was twisted into a painful grimace.

“I'm.fine.” he said between gritted teeth.

“Here, lemme help ya.” I said, ripping a strip of cloth from my sweater.

I wrapped it around his arm tightly. Hopefully it would help stop the bleeding until we could get Tails to look at it. I helped him up, supporting him from the other arm.

“Here, let's get ya to Tails.” I said, trying not to laugh at how fast he'd gotten hurt.

It was time to be serious. Lives were at stake here.

“No...it's fine,” Knuckles winced, “Find Amy. I'll..be.fine.”

“Ya sure?”

He nodded, pointing with his good arm down the hall.

“She's there.” he said.

He shrugged away from me and started walking away. I watched until he was gone before turning back and dashing through the open doorway. It led into another long hallway with two hallways branching off. I paused, unsure of which to take. Amy was counting on me, I couldn't take the wrong one. Without thinking, I took right, following my instincts. I slammed through a door and into a huge hanger. It was gray and empty, half the lights off. There was a huge water tank to one side. It got the better of my curiosity, so I headed over to investigate. I had a worse feeling with every step. Something was so wrong here. I rounded the side of the tank, a huge clear window through one side. It was half way filled with water and a short pink haired shape was banging on the window.

“Sonic!” Amy cried, her voice filled with panic.

She was chest deep in water, shivering violently. Her lips were tinted blue and tears stained her small pale face.

“Amy!” I shouted, “Are you alright?!”

She shook her head, “It's filling up, I can't swim!”

The old Amy had been able to, but even if she could fly, she would drown if she stayed in there.

“I'll get you out!” I shouted back to her.

“Not if I can help it.” A voice said behind me.

It was Metal Sonic. He looked amused as usual. He looked like he didn't care that Amy was going to drown. The cyborg suddenly launched himself at me, trying to land any punch he could. I threw myself back, flipping over and landing several feet away. Metal threw himself at me again. The obvious plan here was to distract me until Amy drowned. Not a chance. We engaged in a super speed dual, fists flying as well as insults. Metal had....well, more metal on him than the last time we'd fought, making it harder to hurt him without hurting me in the process. I spun into a round house kick, catching my copy in the side. He doubled over and I jammed my fist into his face. Metal Sonic flew back, landing on the cold ground. Without a moments pause, I dashed back to Amy. The water had risen faster than I expected, up to her chin by now. She looked terrified, unable to do anything, but sit back and watch the water rise. I spin dashed into the glass, but nothing happened. Not even a crack in the glass. I moved further back, moving much faster. I slammed into the glass again, this time my head spinning. There was only a crack in the glass, a thin small one. I had to try again. Suddenly, something crashed into me. Metal was on me, punching me. Stupid robot never gave up. Throwing him off me, I tried to fight back, but everything was spinning. Metal's fist connected with my face and I hit the ground. He leaped over me, but somehow I managed to roll out of the way, jamming a foot into his side. I found myself over him, my hands around his neck. Amy was drowning because of him and he needed to pay for it.
Suddenly her name cut through the haze I was in. My hand slammed into the side of Metal's head and he slumped. I ran to the tank, unable to think about anything other than her. She was limp, sinking lower with each second. Weak bubbles of air, drifted away from her mouth.
No! I wasn't going to let her die like this!
I moved back, mustering all my strength together and spin dashed into the window, straight into the center. There was a huge crash as more than a hundred gallons of water came pouring down on me, knocking me into darkness.

Coughing brought me back a moment later. I was soaked to the bone, my head spinning. Somehow I sat up, wondering where the heck I was.  A small girl was sprawled on the floor, coughing violently. She was unconscious, her lips a light shade of blue. Her pink hair covered her pale face.

“Amy?” I asked, brushing her hair back.

She didn't respond, weak, quick breaths raising her chest. I pulled her into my arm, trying to sit her up. She suddenly coughed up water all over me. It didn't matter because I was already wet. I shook her, trying to get her to wake up. Jeez, I had no idea if she was alright or not. Her head lolled to one side; she was so out. Somehow, I managed to get up, Amy in my arms. Everything spun and the lights were too bright all of a sudden. I took off, trying to run. Needed to get back to Tails before I passed out too.


It Was You

I felt like I'd been run over by a bull dozer, my head pounding like a drum. I groaned, feeling like my head would explode. I tried to roll over, but there was something on top of me. I opened my eyes slowly, realizing that I was soaked to the bone. I was in a gray cell, a room small room with bars along one side of the wall. There was only one bed and I was on it. Although, I wasn't the only one. Amy was sprawled on top of me, my arms tight around her. She was still unconscious, shivering violently. I winced at the at the tears rolling down her cheeks. She was crying in her sleep, her still blue tinted lips quivering.

“Amy?” I asked, wincing as my voice passed through my sore throat.

For a moment she didn't move, only clutching my shirt tighter, but then she stirred, her eyes fluttering open.

“Sonic?” she asked, confused.

“Are you alright?” I asked, brushing the hair out of her face.

She nodded slowly, her face unsure.

“Where are we?” she asked, her voice hardly above a whisper.

Suddenly she looked down, and seemed to realize that she was on top of me. She jumped off, tripping over my legs and tumbling to the floor.

“Are you alright?” I asked again, offering her my hand.

She nodded, but ignored my hand, moving away from me.

“What's wrong, Amy?” I asked, confused.

I took a step forward, and she back into a corner. She looked scared, almost terrified.

“Just leave me alone.” She said, her eyes filling up with tears.

It was then that I noticed what a mess she was. Her hair was everywhere, some of it matted with dried blood. Her shoulder was covered in dried blood as well as her kneecap. There were deep bags underneath her eyes, and she looked tired.  I was well aware of how messed up I was myself, but come on, I didn't smell that bad, did I?

“Did something happen? Are you sure that you're okay?”  I asked, worried.

“Y-you look exactly like him!” she cried, sinking to her knees.

I knew exactly who she was talking about.

“Did Metal hurt you?” I asked, watching as she flinched at his name.

She tried to shake her head to tell me no, but all she could do was sob. Without thinking, I took  her into my arms, but she pushed me away, skittering to the other side of the room.  I watched her watching me.

“Amy, do I scare you?” I asked.

She nodded.

“Do you want me to stay over here?”

She shook her head again, pointing to the far corner of the room.

“You want me to stay there?”

She nodded, watching me as I moved further away.  There was a moment of silence.

“Is it okay if I talk to you?”

She shook her head again. I gritted my teeth. I couldn't blame her, though. It was Metal's fault. Stupid ******* terrified her so much. Speaking of Metal, where was he? Where were we?
I looked around, standing up and carefully making my way to the metal bars. I could feel Amy's eyes on me the entire time. I shook them, not surprised to see that they were tight and well reinforced. There was no way I'd be getting out of here, but it wouldn't hurt to try. I backed up, throwing myself into a spin dash. Nothing.
I landed on my back with not so much as a dent in the bars. I cursed loudly, kicking the bars. The only thing I did was hurt my foot. Suddenly, I was aware of Amy's hitched breathing.
She was sobbing loudly, her head in her knees.

“Amy?” I asked, trying to take a step closer.

“Leave me alone!” She shrieked, “Don't come closer!”

“Hey! It's alright, Ames! I'm not gonna hurt you!” I put my hands up in surrender.

“No, you're going to smile and then....*hitch*....and then.....*hitch* you're going to hurt me!!” She sobbed.

“Who hurt you?” I asked, “Was it Metal?”

She shook her head, “No.....I remember now....it was- it was you!”

“What?!” I cried, “Why the hell would I ever hurt you?!”

“I don't know!” She cried, “He looked just like you!!”

I went up to her, yanking her to her feet.

“Do I look like I would hurt you?!”

She nodded her head furiously.  Her eyes were wide, red rimmed from crying so much. She was shaking, not just from the cold. I felt shame fill me. She was so scared because of me.

“Amy....” I murmured her name, looking away and dropping my hands.

She said nothing, trying to control her breathing. I tried not to notice her chest raising and falling rapidly.
'Pervert,' I told myself, 'She's not even pretty'

'No, she isn't just pretty. She's friggin beautiful.' A knowing voice in my head told me.

“Amy, I would never hurt you. You know that.” I said softly.

Her full pink lips trembled and all I wanted to do was lean in closer and take her pale perfect face in my hands. It was to hard to concentrate; I had to look up. She was just a girl. She was just a girl. Same thing would have happened if I was with anybody else.

“But....but you look exactly like him..,” Amy said, lowering her eyes, “I keep seeing the same dream over and over. Every time it's the same man trying to hurt me....”

“And he looks exactly like me, but he's not Metal?”

She nodded slowly, “I've never seen his face, but when I...when I was asleep.....I saw him....but I trust you....you've saved me so many times...but the face...”

“Amy, I promise you that I won't stop until I find that stupid ******* and make him sorry he ever laid a finger on you!” I told her.

She flinched at the tone of my voice, so I tried to lower it.

“And I'll protect you. I won't let anybody touch you.”

“You've promised that before, Sonic. And this is a clear example of how you failed to protect her.” Eggman said from the door.

I turned, glaring at him.

“Mind your own business, Egg-head.” I said.

I felt Amy's grasp suddenly tighten on my hand. Eggman glared at me.

“Insult me all you want, boy, but soon enough you'll be begging me to have mercy on you.” Eggman threatened.

I snorted, “Sure, thing Robuttnick, as soon as you figure out how to keep my attention for long enough. At this rate, I won't even bother worrying about your robots. Even Cream and Cheese could take you down!”

Eggman's face turned bright red. Score one for Sonic.

“Just wait, Sonic. You'll be sorry.”

“Yeah, I'll be sorry I didn't have enough fun.”

The old man marched away in a  huff and I burst out laughing. Making him angry would never get old. My laughter was quickly gone when I turned to Amy. She still looked terrified. I was getting a little tired of this.

“Do you want me to go over there?” I sighed.

She shook her head quickly, latching herself onto me.

“Hey, hey,” I said, “It's alright, I can't go very far.”

“He's going to hurt you.” She said in a small voice.

Suddenly, I found this ironic. Two minutes ago she was afraid of me, now she couldn't let go of my hand.

“It's alright. He's said that before. He never means it. It's a joke, really.” I tried to explain to her.

She said nothing, sitting down on the bed/bench.

“I'm sorry.” She finally said.

“For what?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“For being a baby....,” she sighed, “Shadow says I need to be a big girl, but I'm so....so....”

“Lost?” I asked.

She nodded, “I don't know much. I can't remember anything that I used to know.....”

I patted her head, “It's alright, Amy. It's not your fault. You're doing the best ya can.”

“No, I could try harder....”

“Who's place is it to say that you should, Amy? You've been through a lot, nobody should expect you to suddenly remember everything...”

I sighed, I knew that I had expected that at first.

“Besides, it's not your fault that you have amnesia. You're lucky that you're not dead.”

I flinched at the thought. I suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder.

“Thank you.” Amy whispered.

“No problem, Ames. It's what I'm here for.”

Suddenly the bars burst open. Knuckles was there, a starch white bandage around his arm. He looked angry. Tails was behind him, his eyes filled with concern.

“Took you guys long enough.” I said, rubbing my forehead.

“You still owe me dinner, Sonic. Shut up and lets get the heck out of here.” Knuckles growled, glaring at me.