The Robotic Endgame

XI. Sonic the Hedgehog

"What?" I blinked. Surely, he was joking. He couldn't just steal Nicole back for us by using a single Chaos Emerald. It didn't take much thinking to know that.

"Well, indirectly," Dr. Light said. "I can't directly use it to make her handheld work. But, I studied the power in you, and found that the jewel you were holding held the same essence of power."

"So?" I frowned. "What does that have to do with Nicole?"

"I'm not sure I understand, either..." Sally muttered. "Nicole has a completely different type of energy running through her than the Chaos Emeralds. It's not as strong, either."

"Yes, I am aware of this," Dr. Light continued. "It would be impossible to simply pull her away from Dr. Eggman's computers with this little jewel..." Suddenly, he smiled in a way that kind of scared me. That made me worry. He almost never smiled like this when he had an idea - he simply kept talking and talking.

"After studying the power that comes from you, Sonic," Dr. Light said, "and comparing it to that of the Chaos Emerald you were holding, I've figured out just what you can do with the jewel. I'm sure you already know these things. You see, we can't teleport you guys into the base. It would have to be outside of it." I suddenly knew where he was going with this. "And even if you were sneaky and stealthy, there would be little chance that you wouldn't be seen. They have so many robots and gadgets in their possession that they would easily take the four of you down. But Sonic has seen the inside of their building. He has even been inside it.

"Sonic, I'm sure you know what you need to do now, but even with being able to teleport directly inside the base it will be a difficult task. I was thinking two of you could create a diversion, and you and another person could go inside and try and find out more about the place, finding Nicole if possible. Mega Man would have to lead the force outside of the base because it will be such a high-stakes mission. Tails and Sally can go with who they choose."

My head was swimming. Going back inside of the two crazy doctors' base? The people that used me as a test subject? Was Dr. Light finally going crazy? I usually took on some pretty dangerous and crazy missions, but this was suicide. It would be strange if the doctors didn't notice us.

"Are you really that sure about this?" I asked. "Those people did try to kill me and almost did. If we go in and get caught, there's no going back. Sally and I would be toast."

Sally looked at me funny. She frowned and turned her head a bit. "That is so," Dr. Light said, "but it is also the only way to steal information from them. Along with your friend, Nicole. Mega Man and Tails together will be able to create a decent distraction so that no one comes after you. If they get Mega Man and Tails, they will likely be able to teleport back to the lab. You, on the other hand, will have to use that Chaos Emerald, and that may take more time. I don't know everything about that jewel. You would have to be careful and stealthy. If you even think someone has seen you, come back immediately."

I still looked at Sally. She looked a bit unsure still. It was a very risky move; if I were to become incapacitated, we would both be screwed since she couldn't use Chaos Control. It seemed easy to escape from a battle with the Chaos Emerald. It wouldn't take long, and it would pretty much ensure our safety. I nodded at Sally, and she nodded back, a smile on her face.

I turned to Mega Man next. "Are you up for this, Rock?" I asked. "It was a lot of robots, and I don't want you freezing up in the middle of a battle."

He looked to the floor, then sighed. When he looked back up at me, there was smile and determination in his face. It made me smile, too. "I know we can get my sister back. And Blues. Maybe not now, and they'll probably send Proto Man or Tempo to try and get me off my guard. But I'm prepared for that. Unless I get a good shot at one of them and knock them out, I won't try to talk them into coming back. A virus is a virus. We have to use something else to kick it out."