Embedded Files
“Two weeks…” Sonic mumbled to himself, “Two weeks!”
Sally shook her head, knowing where the conversation was headed but deciding to let Sonic vent regardless, “Something you want to share with the rest of us?”
“Amy’s been part of our team for two weeks… and she’s already gotten herself kidnapped!”
“More correctly, Sonic,” Johnny pointed out, “she’s been captured. A kidnapping would require a ransom.” Sonic shot Johnny a look. The rabbit shrugged, “I’ve been reading a true crime magazine!”
“But captured by pirates?! That takes a special kind of skill! Who even knew pirates still existed in this day and age?”
“Actually, Sonic,” it was Tails’ turn to speak up, “Mobius’ airways are rotten with Sky Pirates. True, it’s rare you encounter them on a day-to-day basis and Doctor Robotnik has managed to put many of them on his payroll, but they do exist.” Sonic looked very annoyed at Tails, who looked at his feet sheepishly, “I read a book on pirates. Sorry.”
“I’ll say this much,” Sonic calmed a little, “We owe a lot to Porker for even getting us here. Don’t get me wrong, I had no particular desire to return to the Mystic Cave Zone after our last trip through here. But building a tracker into Amy’s crossbow was a stroke of genius. She’d have been long gone without that kind of forward thinking. Nice job, Porker.”
“Oh, thank you,” Porker attempted a smile but found himself rather too nervous in the current environment, “It’s just something I’ve made a standard procedure. Johnny has a tracker in his staff, Sally has one in N.I.C.O.L.E.’s casing, Tails has one on the buckles on his shoe—”
“You’ve never given me one!” Sonic was suddenly taken aback.
“Yes, well, I did mention that to Sally but… we both rather thought you’d be too particular to accept one.”
Sonic frowned, “It’s a good job I’m a super-duper-superhero and I don’t need a tracker, isn’t it?”
“Yes, Sally said you’d say something like that…” The five friends’ attention was grabbed by a pinging sound from Porker’s handheld device. “Sonic, I’m picking up some unusual readings here…”
Sonic was cool, however, “Relax, nothing will happen while you’ve got me here to keep a handle on things, okay?”
Without any warning, three Crawlton Badniks burst out of the wall of the cave and launched themselves at the Freedom Fighters. Johnny cut one off with a swing from his staff, knocking its head into next week, “Nothing in this one. Any prisoners in yours, Sonic?”
Sonic launched through his Badnik with a flying punch at blistering speed. Pieces of casing bounced around the room, “Nothing here, Johnny.”
Tails swooped in to grab Porker to safety as Sally leapt at the third and final Crawlton with a martial arts kick shattering it. She inspected the remains of the machine, “This one’s empty too. I assume they’re basic sentry units.”
“All the same, we ought to make this fast,” Sonic noted, “The more time we waste here, the more we risk Amy’s safety.”
Porker checked his handheld, “Got it! She’s up ahead through this cave network. We’re almost upon her location. We’ve got to rescue her!”
Sonic clenched a fist, “So what else is new? Which way is it, Lewis?”
“Dead ahead at first, then you need to take a—”
A metallic door shooshed downwards behind Sonic. With lightning reflexes, Tails leapt underneath it, narrowly avoiding being squashed. Sonic was impressed, “Nice move, kiddo.”
Tails dusted himself off, “I couldn’t let you face things alone, Sonic.”
Sonic tried not to let it show that he was touched, “Fair enough. Just try not to get taken prisoner, okay? I don’t need another one to worry about right now…”
The two best friends eyed up a split in the cave network with paths opening up in two opposite directions. Without Porker to help guide them, they would be left to guess their way forward. Tails looked up at his friend, “Which way do we go, Sonic?”
Sonic rubbed his chin for a moment, as if that would give him any indication one way or another. He had to look like he knew what he was doing, of course. “Let’s go left,” he said decisively.
The two headed down the left-hand tunnel, only to be greeted by three fully charged Flasher Badniks. Sonic looked at Tails, “Did I say left? I must have meant my other left…”
“What do we do now, Sonic?”
“We move! Come on! Down the other tunnel!”
The heroes bolted back the way they came and down the other path. Here, instead of being greeted by three fully charged Flasher Badniks, they were greeted by eleven fully charged Flasher Badniks.
Sonic looked at Tails and sighed, “You ever have one of those days?”
With a tremendous jolt of electricity, the Flashers unloaded on Sonic and Tails. Before too long, the two blacked out from the pain.
When they awoke, they realised they were in another part of the cave entirely. Sonic groaned, “Don’t suppose you got the number of that truck?”
A gravelly, salty voice cut through the air, “So, this be the famous Sonic. How disappointing…”
A hulking brute of an individual towered over Sonic and Tails, much to their shock. Sonic couldn’t tell what manner of creature he was but he appeared to be some kind of chimera- half-walrus, half-gorilla if he had to guess (and he would have guessed correctly). The only adequate way to describe this individual would be to call him the piratiest pirate who ever pirated piracy. A dagger was sheathed at his rope belt, a star pendant hung around his neck, he wore an eyepatch and a bandanna, his missing left hand had been replaced with what appeared to be a Swiss Army Hook, with room for all manner of attachments and accessories, his missing right leg had been replaced seemingly on the cheap with a castor wheel instead of a peg. A red and green coat covered his outfit of black trousers and a white ruffled shirt, with a huge hat and menacing boots to accessorise. A rather cute robot parrot sat somewhat innocently on his shoulder.
The obvious pirate spoke, “I am Captain Plunder. And these—” he motioned to the worrying assortment of ruffians, thugs and scoundrels that surrounded him, “be my Mystic Cave Pirates! We call this place our home when we aren’t roaming the skies of Mobius. My question to you be… what be you doin’ ‘ere?”
Sonic and Tails shared a glance, “What be we… eh?”
“Hello, Sonic!” a much higher-pitched voice cooed out, “I knew you’d come!” In a cage suspended off the ground was Amy. To her credit, she seemed pretty comfortable for a prisoner.
Unfortunately, Amy had provided a distraction. When Sonic turned back, he saw Plunder holding Tails at knife-point using his multi-tool hook. Tails was stood atop a structure that could be said to be not-un-plank-like in its design. Below, choppy water splashed about. Plunder snarled, “I’ll give you one chance, Sonic, matey, or your little friend takes the long fall.”
Tails gulped, “Sonic?”
“Alright, you’ve made your point,” Sonic was defiant, “What do you want?”
“We want the Chaos Emeralds, o’ course. The most precious gems on Mobius and word is you have ‘em!”
Sonic scoffed, “The Chaos Emeralds? You’re off your rocker, forget it. Do what you like to us, Robotnik’s never getting his hands on them!”
“I aren’t workin’ for Robotnik, you poltroon! I stole those Badniks! That be sort of what pirates do! ‘Appen this’ll change your mind!”
With a might boot from his castor wheel, Plunder punted Tails off the plank. Tails careened into the abyss below, “Heeeelp!”
Sonic peered over the edge, “Tails, you can fly, you idiot!”
“Oh, right, yeah!” Tails took to the air.
“What in blazes?!” Plunder roared.
Sonic rolled his eyes, “Well, as distractions go, this one’s a dud but it’ll have to do…” He took aim at the nearest pirate and hurled himself at him, only to pass right through him, “Spin Att—huh?!”
“Nice try, sonny boy!” the pirate complimented Sonic. He smiled a sneery smile, betraying lizard-like features, “Can’t hurt me, I’m a ghost, so I am!”
Sonic did have to admit the pirate was a bit on the transparent side, “A ghost? Oh come on…”
“Oh, Filch is a ghost alright,” Plunder nodded, “Killed him myself, so I did.” He motioned towards the rather large hole in Filch’s head, seemingly the result of a blunderbuss at point blank range.
Filch raised an apologetic hand, “It was my own fault for taking that extra biscuit, cap’n.”
“Well he might be a ghost,” Sonic acquiesced, “but you aren’t!” With a huge force behind it, Sonic hurled himself at Plunder in a Spin Attack. The two traded blows back and forth, neither one giving an inch.
Amy finally decided she’d had enough, “Stop it, both of you! This is absolutely ridiculous. Sonic won’t ever give up the Chaos Emeralds and Captain Plunder’s clearly not going to back down!” The two turned to look at the captive hedgehog as she continued, “Look, why don’t we join forces against Doctor Robotnik? With Kintobor’s sensors, we can figure out which of Robotnik’s air freighters might be worth looting. In return, you might be able to lend us a little muscle sometime!”
Plunder looked at Sonic, not quite realising he was holding him upside down by the leg, “That be a smart girl ye got yerself there, poltroon.”
Sonic was quick to anger, “She ain’t— I mean, she is not my girl!”
***
As the trio of Freedom Fighters departed, having brokered a deal with the Sky Pirates, the mood was somewhat brighter. “Pretty clever idea Amy had, don’t you think, Sonic?” Tails asked.
Sonic tutted, “I was just about to suggest it myself.”
“Sure you were, Sonic,” Amy smiled sweetly, “And I definitely didn’t get captured on purpose in order to ensure this happened!”
Sonic looked at Amy with some confusion. Was she being sarcastic? Or sincere? He really had no way of knowing. And boy did it make his blood boil. “Two weeks…” he grumbled.
Filch and Plunder waved the three off, quietly whispering to one another. “This deal is going to make you a fortune, Cap’n,” Filch smiled.
“Filch, lad, I already have a fortune. But yer old cap’n also has a plan. A plan that’ll still get me the Chaos Emeralds. Those poltroons ain’t seen the last of Captain Plunder!”
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