Last Boarding Call

[Amy Rose]

I remained between the ongoing shouting match, fearing the worst as it escalated. In my heart, I'd known that there had been a lot of sacrifices made that day. To hear them slander one another only ever increased the nauseating tension of the truth. I wasn't proud of either of them. In fact, I couldn't believe the words coming out of their mouth. It wasn't that I'd never heard Slick say such skeptical things. He'd been that way towards me when I'd first met him and I'd proved him wrong.

But this was too much. Shadow made it even worse. Why all this tension? Our lives had been spared. Sonic lived. Shadow was back. Sarath had been done in for the time being. I felt my quills almost bristle. That feeling I hadn't touched upon since my first encounter with Slick sprung within me. That obnoxious rage I had been in control of for so long it was almost a trademark characteristic of mine. Sonic might not have had much to say, but I sure did.

"You stupid jerks! Can't you be happy we got out of there alive? Slick, I always thought you were better than this! Shadow isn't here to kill us! Shadow, I know what GUN did to you, I know it's hard, but blaming Slick is just not fair! I wish you all would grow up!"

Tears were straining to fall from my eyes at that point, but I held back. I wasn't going to let them see that. I had to be firm. I remained between them, my chest heaving slightly. Though I doubted either would listen, someone had to say something!

[Tutley Sakamoto]

[Epic post btw Shadow. *applauds* ]

The situation was deterioating rather fast, makeing the turtle rather ticked. They had all worked tougether to save the world, and no less than 5 minutes later, their going at each other's throats. Amy's outburst was the straw that broke the turtle's shell, so to speak, and he snapped. Growling, the turtle swiped the bracelets from the unconsious hitchiker, equipping them to himself. In his left hand, Amy's hammer appeared in a puff of smoke, as he drew his Crash Hammer out in hs right. "ALRIGHT, ENOUGH!", he shouted out, eyes locked in a death glare between the opposing parties. He pointed at Shadow with the Crash Hammer, Piko Piko hammer aimed at Slick. "Now. We just saved the planet from a force of alein invaders. No less than 5 minutes ago. Why are we acting like savages against each other over a CHAOS EMERALD?! For CHAOS sake, were ON THE SAME SIDE!", he growed, eyes filled with rage. "Do you have any IDEA how often these things change hands? Yes, the guy is aparently fumeing with negative energy, but he seems to have no ill intent. Let the hedgehog go free and find another emerald. If GUN needs a new power sorce, I'm sure you'll find one rather easily.", he said eyes deadlocked with his equal.

"Yes GUN has done some rather...unethical decisions in the past, especially in your case.", he said shifting his glaze to the dark hedgehog, finally remembering reading about him in his 9th grade history class. "I'm sure most of us are sorry for it. And yes, we do choose to fight. But we fight to ensure that our futures remain one that's more pleasant than the alternatives we have presented.", he said thinking of the metallic nightmare his home could have been. "Sacrifices do have to be made occosionally, to ensure our own positive futures.", he said in a stiff, stern voice. "Thats why people join GUN, and other such organizations. To fight for the futures we want.", he shifted himself to face the hedgehog, keeping a careful eye on everyone. "And you arn't much of a killing machine aparently. Did you attack those two when they raised their guns at you? No. Were all on the same side, so let's stop acting like a bunch of malfuncting OMOCHAO!"

He resumed his earlier spot faceing in between the two, both hammers poised to strike. "Now...were all going to act like civilized organisms. One outburst I don't like from either of you while were on this ship, and I will see to it personally that this ship won't be the only thing with a crater in it!", he said fuming with anger. The 1 day he runs into his hero and fights along side him, a otter and a angsty hedgehog have to go and ruin it. His chao was terrified by the turtle's sudden outburst, remembering what happens to the turtle's room when he gets this mad. He took a spot behind Jack, occosionally peeking out from behind him.

[Jack-the-Hedgie]

[Hoo boy. This came out longer then I expected. I hope I don't go off on too much of a tangent]

Jack had spent this whole argument, staring at the two with a statue-like gaze. The quiet, introverted side of him had a chance to return, now that things had taken a turn for the worse. As a result, his face showed little emotion, but a slight twinge of annoyance. He truly had no idea whose side to take. On one end, he and Shadow hadn't made the best impression for each other, so it was hard to stand up for him. Not to mention, had it not been for Slick, Jack would still be stuck in the flaming remains of the Mystic Ruins, slamming his head against the wall, wishing there was more he could have done.

At that same time, Shadow did have a point... Jack didn't like GUN much, or any military, really. A bunch of people trained to kill on little more then an order. Sure, there were times lethal force would be needed. Jack was no hippie who thought that every issue could be sorted without violence. His aching arms and bruised knuckles were proof of that. Even today, had it not been for GUN, it would have been much harder, if not impossible, to stop that faceless bastard who sought to take what little of the world remained pure. Still, it was hard to see the men and women who fought day in and out as little more then...

"Tools of destruction..." Jack finally said, his quiet, stoic tone a change from all the yelling. "Cut it any way you like, at the end of the day, that's what we all are. Today, bullets flew, blood spilled, and far more people died then I would like to imagine. We all participated in that today." Jacks eyes turned to Slick, recalling his brutal treatment of a wounded fur. "All my life, or at least the last two years of it I remembered, I always disliked GUN, people who made their living on killing. Turning murder into glory. Creating a mountain of bodies in an attempt to climb their way to peace. Today was no different. Sir, what I saw from you today did nothing to change my opinion. You say this hedgehog is unstable and dangerous, yet I haven't seen him do anything you did today..."

He turned his head to Shadow, though he still spoke to the group. "And yet, I don't regret participating in this bloodshed. And I'm sure few of the others do as well. You know why? Because, had we not been there, fighting for our lives, as we, essentially, took the same from others, all that would have happened is that even more people would have died. Men, women and children who only wanted to live their lives peacefully. People who didn't do anything wrong, and had no way to defend themselves.

Shadow, was it? I don't know what happened to you fifty years ago. I don't even know what you did two years ago. I was barely out of comatose at the time. All I know is that right now, you say how more moral you are then that otter, when all that you've told us is that you're no more then a weapon, like we've all been. If in two years, you're a different person then you were. Then how come in fifty years, an organization can't? The present is meant for living. Not contemplating the past, but working to improve our future."

Jack looked off into the distance. "And right now, thanks to the efforts of the both of you, we just saved this world from someone who sought to do us harm. We've saved our future from getting any worse. This is the first time in months that we can finally say this world is at peace. Yet, you two can't wait an hour to go at each other throats over, what? A big, shiny rock? I don't know what's so great about this "Chaos Emerald," but I do know this. Neither of you have the right to say you're more moral then the other, and worthy to carry it if all you're going to focus on is whether the other person has committed too many sins. We've all done some terrible things. Does that mean we're all incapable of doing good?"

Jack kneels down, the excitement of the day finally starting to tire him out. He hung his head low, eyes half shut as he stared at the floor"But now, I'm starting to ramble pointlessly. I'm letting out a days worth of frustration on a single moment. So, let me just cut to the point I've been dragging myself to. We're trying to celebrate having saved the world, and you two aren't making it any easier. Can you stop this pointless argument until we're off this tin can?"

The hedgehog looked down at the scared little chao, hiding behind him from the turtles rant. with one last sigh, Jack placed a hand on the little guys head, petting him softly in an attempt to comfort him.

"Don't worry, little guy." he said softly "It's okay."

[Mathias 'Slick' Greyer]

Slick stood there for some time, arms folded across his chest. His expression in a solid scowl. But even at that, it was impossible to tell if this was from anger, or some other emotion. Cutter and Boomer both stood behind Slick, uncertain themselves what course of action to take. But it was pretty clear on their faces that they didn't appreciate being called murderers in the least bit, not by anyone. Slick hardly liked the title himself. But deep down he knew what he did might qualify as murder, from a certain point of view. But at the same time, from another point of view, what he did saved lives by taking the lives of those that would take innocent lives on their own if someone did not been stop them. But Slick wasn't going to start getting into another shouting match over the matters of opinions and the cruel realities of war. It was quite clear that nothing he'd say, no matter how true and irrefutable it might be, would make Shadow see any other side of the coin but his own. Slick had already let one outburst slip, and he wasn't about to let himself loose his cool again.

And with how everyone around him was acting, Slick could tell he'd get no support from the others if he tried to take the emerald by force. Assessing the situation, he knew he had very little chance of succeeding one way or the other. And truth be told, he had had enough fighting for one day. Even he was starting to feel tired after everything that has happened to him in the last few days. "Boomer, Cutter... stand down." Slick said coolly, motioning them to lower their weapons. Compliantly, the pair hesitantly relaxed their stance and clicked the safety's of their weapons back on.

"Relax Tutley, everyone." Slick assured the turtle as he pushed the hammer towards the floor. "This is over now."

Slick walked towards the doorway and pressed the button to activate the door, revealing the outside world and more importantly, the land their ship was now flying over, before Slick turned back to look Shadow in the eyes with what almost might look like sympathy. "Its pretty clear that nothing I say, or anyone else can say that is going to make you see past your own narrow-mindedness Shadow. I actually feel sorry for you. You're right, I did choose this path, this life style. You never had the chance to choose yourself, it was forced upon you. And I am sorry for you. I stayed on as a soldier because I was needed. It was never about the killing. I choose this life because there will always be people out there seeking to take advantage others. But at least I'm willing to do all I can, and give my life in need be because I truly feel it can and will make this world just a little bit better. I'll be the first to admit that not everything I've done in my career is ethical or right. But I'm willing to admit my faults."

"I don't plan on wasting any more of my breathe on you today. You want to be a hero? Then go..." Slick nodded towards the open doorway. "I'm a person that believes actions speak louder then words. So go. Lets find out if you really have the heart to be even half the hero as Sonic, Tails, or even Amy. But let me just give you a little warning first. You carry a tremendous amount of power with you. And there is a saying: 'Absolute power corrupts absolutely'. I've seen that saying prove itself true far too many times in my life. Remember that."

Slick walked away from the door way and stood in front of his team once again. "One last thing. Boomer, contact command tell them that Shadow managed to escape with emerald in tow. Current whereabouts and heading unknown. That's going in my official report. Off the record, Shadow, I wish you luck." For a small second, Slick actually cracked a smile and nodded affirmatively.

[Shadow]

For a few moments, Shadow stood still, arms crossed and eyes closed, as though he hadn't heard anything Slick had said or noticed that the door was open. His face was completely devoid of expression, so it was impossible to tell what he could be thinking. Then, slowly, deliberately, Shadow uncrossed his arms and walked to the open door. As he stood on the threshold of the doorway, the ground shooting past far beneath him, Shadow turned slightly, just enough so that it was obvious he was adressing Slick. "I'm... sorry," he said, slowly as though he couldn't belive he was saying it. "I spoke out of anger. I meant every word I said, but that doesn't mean that I'm right. You're right, I don't think anything can change my opinion of GUN and what they do, but I... may... have been wrong about you." A smirk finally crossed Shadow's face, not sinister or mocking or condecending; friendly even, at least for Shadow. "It was Slick, right?" he said, turning back to face the open air before him. "Well... thank you."

And on that almost cryptic parting remark, Shadow leapt from the craft, almost hitting the ground before dissapearing in a flash of white light.

[Sonic]

Who could save more lives: The soldier who preemptively took out threats or the hero that could only react to danger once it was underway? Well Sonic wasn't cut out to be a soldier one way or the other, so the question didn't matter to him. Civilian life suited him just fine. Like Shadow he was born with gifts and power that streamlined him for a life above the average but he'd always had his own choice of what to do with it, and if Shadow OR the G.U.N. ever posed a danger to people's happiness then he'd be the first on the scene to try and stop them. The world was too much fun to let others ruin it.

"All right!" Sonic said happily as he took in the sight of solid ground outside the newly opened door. The hedgehog bent down and shifted his weight form one extreme to the other, stretching out both of his legs one at a time standing up straight again. Shadow had already made his exit by the time he was steadily back on his feet. 'Man, and I wanted to talk to him too.'

Putting that mild disappointment aside fast the Blue Blur gave a one-handed wave-like gesture to the front of the ship. "See you soon Tails. Good luck in the army, Amy. Don't get yourself hurt. And it was fun meeting the rest of you guys too! Hope we can meet up again someday when there's fewer guys trying to enslave the planet!"

And with a remark that would have been sarcastic if not for the fact that Earth did tend to face that threat every now and then Sonic the Hedgehog made a dash and leaped out of the ship, free falling to the ground below. Unlike Shadow the hedgehog hit the solid earth but did so running and seemed to be completely unfazed by the distance he'd just dropped. Turning into a streak of blue-tinted air the hedgehog rushed off into the distance, heading in the opposite direction of the ship.

[Jack-the-Hedgie]

Jack could feel the sunlight beat against his back as the doors opened. As the two hedgehogs sped off, Jack knew that he, too, should go. Letting the chao return to his turtle friend if he so chose, Jack stood, walking over to the door. Before he left, however, he gave the otter one last look.

"Sir... Or should I just say Slick. For everything I said just now, I want you to know that I don't regret having done what we did today. If you ever need another soldier..." Jack smiled softly "...Don't look for me. But, if you ever need the help of an adventurer, or just a freak with a really good puffer fish impression, I'm sure you can find me."

Jack looked on ahead, out into what remained of the war torn environment around him. "As for you, Amy, Tutley. It was a pleasure working with you both. I hope to see you again sometime."

Jack held up his index and middle finger, giving a flick of the wrist to whomever remained, his nonchalant wave goodbye.

Then, he was gone.

[Sorry for the abrupt exit, but I must be going.]

[Tutley Sakamoto]

[Finishing this up...]


Tutley gave a sigh and tilted his head as their passenges left one by one. No less by jumping out a window. He stepped out and gave a slight wave with his hammer, before closeing the door. "Tch...and I still didnt get my autograph.", he muttered to himself. He felt the weight in the hammer growing, remembering what happens when a time agent grabs a hammer not meant for them. He quickly pulled off the bracelets before the hammer took on its normal weight, setting them on a shelf as he wiped his brow. With all the excitement over, he stretched out for a moment and yarned. It had been a long day for the rookie Time Agent after all. He was rather annoyed with Slick for starting this mess, so he simply walked past him as he tapped Tails on the shoulder. "Go join your friends, I'll take this the rest of the way."

[Mathias 'Slick' Greyer]

[I think that after this post we should bring this thread to a close. Anyone still in this topic need not worry about specifying they've left the thread and the usual cross-country stuff from here. Just post yourselves where ever you wish to be now that we shall proceed with the two-week time jump forward from here. Great posting by everyone in the last week or so, I don't think I've ever seen such awesome role-play go flying back and forth like that. Good job everyone!]

Once the doors had closed for all that wished to leave the dropship, Slick walked over to the cockpit where Tutley would be at the controls and patted him on the shoulder. "Take us back to Prison Island Tutley. I've had enough excitement for one day. All I want now is a hot shower, a warm meal and to get a few hours sleep." With that, Slick walked back and took a seat in the dropship. Before he could even buckle up, Slick was already fast asleep from exhaustion. For the first time in days, Slick was finally able to relax. And for him, such a simple pleasure meant more to him then all the gold in the Klondike.