SR - SBD - Chapter 8 - Unexpected Turbulence

- Are you alright, Aaura? 

Seira had been observing for the past 15 minutes as much as she could the Light Pegasus' interior. She had never seen a common aircraft been refitted into such a fine plane like this one before, yet... It felt like she had already been inside that plane, on the same backseat....
In any case, all that time she had been dispersed, the navy blue sparrow sitting in front of her had remained uncomfortably silent while piloting the ship. She wouldn't have minded, but having seen how chatty that little sparrow had been, it was actually unsettling. Aaura didn't seem to have heard her, or she didn't want to. Either way, she kept piloting as if nothing happened, still silent. Before Seira could ask again, she noticed a small photo sticked on the right side of the cockpit, just above the control panels. In the photo was a grey hedgehog with white fur in his chest, wearing a blue jacket and a belt with an blue and white inverted triangle buckle; and by his side was Aaura. She was wearing a black shirt and blue jeans with a brown belt. She also had considerably less hair, and it was untied. The Aaura in front of her was wearing a red jacket over a grey shirt, dark trousers, and had grown her black hair to the waist, tied with a red riband. She also looked more mature than in the picture, which lead Seira to assume that there were some years between then and now. They both looked very happy. 

- Who's that hedgehog? - asked instead Seira, trying to get Aaura to say something.

That seemed to take the sparrow out of her thoughts, though abruptly enough to lose control of the plane for a second, which shook a little.

- Sorry! - said Aaura - I... I'm a bit distracted, sorry... I'll turn the autopilot - She took a moment to catch her breath, and to prepare an answer. - He... is Aiden. We met some years back...

- He came with you to the factory, didn't he? - figured the wolf.

- Yes... - replied vaguely the sparrow.

- You... Miss him, right?

Aaura did not reply immediately, as if measuring what to say.

- I... I don't know - she said, finally. Then added - It's a long story, but... I really though that being away from him would help getting some things right, or.... *sigh* I don't know...

Seira tried to make out something of that, without success. And it didn't look like Aaura would say any more than that... 
Looking for something to do, the wolf found a radio just beside her. She turned it on, and tuned it for the news channel. Aaura showed no sign of it bothering her. A female voice came up from the radio, sounding very alarmed.

=== --- we have received another report from Monopole island. It's city, a technological marvel, was one of the first to fall to the robotic army. It's most impressive landmark, the Megalo Station, now lies in ruins along the once exuberant Botanical Kingdom, where a race of the Extreme Gear Series was being held at the moment of the attack. Nothing is known of the whereabouts of it's participants. Meanwhile, the theme park known as Aquatic Capital has remained virtually unscathed, though it is currently deserted. Also, MeteorTech, the company responsible for the development of the SCR-GP robots, has been silent since the attacks. After the initial rumors of a robotic uprising and the Monopole citizens' request, the Guardian Units of Nations sent a small detachment to investigate, but contact was lost shortly before the initial outbreak begun. Meanwhile, other cities have been attacked by the mad synthetics almost simultaneously and before anyone could even notice. The one currently in most dire need is New Westopolis, which had experienced a rare meteor shower the night before the attack. G.U.N. forces already on site have been holding the city, but no reinforcements have arrived, while capital cities have experienced an increase in their garrisons. It would seem this city is doomed to fall again to another invasion. There are many who still painfully remember the Black Arms Invasion years ago, when the then-called Westopolis was one of the first city to be overwhelmed. That time we had Shadow the Hedgehog to save us all from extinction, all while being unfairly hunted by G.U.N. . But now that neither him nor any of the past heroes are around, people are starting to lose hope and --- ===

Seira had turned the radio off. It wasn't the kind of news she wanted to hear. Even so, this raised more than some questions for her. Where to start?

- What are the Black Arms?- asked Seira to Aaura. It was the only thing that she knew nothing about.

- You don't remember that either? - said Aaura, surprised as she rotated her seat a little, enough to be able to see the wolf and to look where were they going.

- What part of being-inside-a-cage-for-three-years slipped your mind?

- Oh, right... - said Aaura, embarrassed - They *were* some kind of aliens that wanted to destroy all life on Earth almost three years ago. They're named that way for their black and red skin, just like...

- Shadow... - interrupted the wolf, eyes open wide - He... He was there, when I...

- You mean to say you met him!? - said the sparrow, amazed.

- I... I think I did... - replied Seira, unsure. How come she couldn't remember that hedgehog before? But... what was he doing with her that day anyway?

- Wel... you gotta tell me about him when you remember. - said Aaura. Then, returning to the previous topic - Anyway, Shadow took care of them. I was one of the lucky ones who lived deep in the countryside, so the aliens weren't much of a problem for me and Kneive as long as....

- Who? - asked Seira.

- Kneive! - repeated Aaura. Then, she realized that it was a name the wolf had never heard before - He is the guy you'd seen working with Eggman

- Oh, so that's his name. But... Wait, did you two... lived together? - said Seira, curious - Oooooh, I see.... - said then with a chuckle.

- Wait, what!? - said the sparrow, shocked - Nonononono... It's not what you are thinking!!

- And what am I thinking, exactly? - asked the wolf with a devilish smile.

- I... Er... It's not... - started Aaura, blushing.

- Ok, if it's not him, then who? - Seira kept toying with her. And then suggested - That hedgehog, Aiden, maybe? 

- W-WHAT!? - yelled the sparrow, blushing even more - TOTALLY NOT!!!!

- Oh, really? - Seira was enjoying this chat maybe a little too much. She had gotten this far, so why not keep pushing a little more? -Then you wouldn't mind if I... let's say, try my luck with him...?

- Y-You can't... You wouldn't... I mean...

- Gotcha, love bird - said Seira triumphant - Don't worry your little head, I won't tell to anybody. - and before Aaura could say something else, she added- And I'm not going on him. - Aaura looked at her, distrustful. So, the wolf said the only thing that would assure her she was being honest - Let's just say that I don't think guys are... up to my expectations.

- What... do you mean... that guys don't... - said Aaura slowly, looking confused for a moment. It took her some seconds to realize what the wolf meant, and the sparrow facepalmed when she did - Oh... I really should've seen that one coming...

Seira couldn't hold her laughter, and she didn't want to anyway. It had been too much time for her without being able to enjoy these little things. 

- Well, screw you - said the sparrow, blushing again - No more questions until we land...

- Oh... B-But... Wait... - the wolf was still laughing, but she wanted at least one last answer. When she finally stopped laughing she asked - What's this Aquatic Capital they mentioned? I've never heard of it... 

She asked purely out of curiosity. Maybe when this was over she could have some fun in one of these "theme parks"

- Oh, that... - said Aaura, somewhat disappointed. Probably, she was expecting another question. - It's like a normal amusement park, just that all attractions are made partly or entirely with water.

- That sounds impossible...

- Well, I... - Aaura stopped talking and looked down - ... Lucky you. Look down, seeing it will explain it better than I can do.

Seira leaned against the cockpit's glass and looked down below. What she saw was beyond anything she could imagine.
Down there was Aquatic Capital itself, with it's countless waterfalls and fountains, walls and walkways painted in white and blue. Just the sight of all this had amazed the wolf.

- I'll descend so you can see better - informed Aaura, disengaging the autopilot.

As the Pegasus descended, Seira could make out more details, like some boats moving across some of the artificial rivers.

The wolf was so immersed in the landscape that, at first, she didn't see a grey, blurry object flying in the distance. It was headed right to them, incredibly fast. When Seira finally noticed it, the thing was already alongside the ship, and went pass them in a blink of an eye.

- Did you... ?

- Yes - said Aaura, hastily - and it's not good!

Aaura engaged all weapon systems, as she searched for the bogey in the radar. Some lights started to blink in the backseat's left armrest, a display with a crosshair and a missile counter popped up off the right armrest.

- You are in charge of firing the missiles - explained the sparrow before Seira asked - I couldn't get the controls to work here, so I hope you have a...

Suddenly, the control panels in front of Aaura turned all off with a sparking sound, as well as the lights and display in the backseat and...

...The engines.

- What the hell!? - yelled both girls as the Light Pegasus began plummeting to the ground.

- Seira!! - shouted the sparrow amid the turbulence - Behind you is the engine's manual override. ACTIVATE IT!!

The wolf unstrapped her seatbelt, holding to the seat to avoid falling over Aaura. Then began climbing with difficulty to the back (now the top) of the cockpit, where the engine's circuitry panel was located. She could see one of the park's towers growing higher as they fell. There wasn't much time left. Seira got to the panel and reached for the lever and pulled up. 

It was stuck.

- WHAT ARE YOU DOING UP THERE!? - yelled the sparrow desperately - GET THAT THING WORKING ALREADY!!

- IT'S STUCK! - replied frustrated the wolf, trying with all her strength to force it up She ended up kicking it, for life's sake. After the fourth kick, it finally pulled up. 

The engines roared powerfully as they started up. The ship was about a hundred metres before crashing down.

- Brace yourself!! - warned the sparrow as she took over the controls - Here goes nothing!!

Aaura pulled as hard as she could to stabilize the plane, as they headed in a collision course to one of the rivers. It finally responded about ten metres off the ground, pulling up just in time and splashing all over the place.

- That... Was much closer than I am comfortable with... - said the sparrow, relieved.

- It's not over yet... - said the wolf grimly, looking back. - That darned robot is still behind us.

Now she could see it clearly. It was MeteorTech's. But this one was different...

- Aaura....

- I know, I know... - said the sparrow, without really hearing her - I'll shake it off.

They headed right through a canal with archways above them. The robot was getting nearer each second passing. If that thing attacked, they were done.
Another grey blur fell over the robot from one of the arches, taking it down to the ground. Both Aaura and Seira looked back to see their savior, but in doing so the first left the steering of the plane unattended. It veered off to the left, right into a wall.

The Pegasus had enough.

Crashing with the wall resulted in losing the left wing. The plane bounced off and headed to the ground, almost horizontal this time. That would save them from plummeting down like before, but they had reached the end of the canal. A dead end.

- Tell me you have a backup plan for this! - shouted Seira, though she already knew the answer.

- No! - replied the sparrow hopelessly.

The ship hit the ground, shaking and trembling, sliding dangerously fast towards the wall. Seira then came up with an idea. 

- The stones!!! - said quickly the wolf and, hoping that Aaura got the message, raised the bracelet-like stone and concentrated to activate it.

The Light Pegasus saw itself enveloped in a bright light, and started to slow down. Aaura reacted a second later, activating her bracelet too. The light around the ship intensified, and the ship's speed decreased even more, but that was still not enough to stop it in time. The Pegasus kept sliding until it hit the wall.

*---------*

- You again!?

- H-Hey,wait! You wouldn't be standing if it weren't for me!

- What!?

"Too much noise...
And... Head hurts..."

Seira lied inside the Light Pegasus' cockpit. Or what was left of it...
She tried to get up, but not only was most of her body numbed, but the parts that were not (her right arm, or her head, for example) felt too painful to move. She could hear some voices outside, along with a constant, subtle sound of electricity. Her head hurted too much for her to make out who they were, although she could tell they were just two and that they were not pleased with each other. Looking around, she noticed that Aaura wasn't there. She listened carefully to the ongoing argument.

- What do you mean? - continued the last voice. It was a girl's voice which sounded familiar, and she seemed to be pretty annoyed. There was a pause where the other one must have nodded or something alike, as the girl asked - But... Why?

- I-I was just making sure that robot didn't get the Arks! - answered harshly the other one. It was a male, deep voice and sounded rather... dumb. Seira was sure she hadn't have heard him before.

Seira tried once more to get up. This time, slowly. The pain in her arm seemed to wear off a little, and her head had stopped spinning around. She sat on the cockpit floor, and looked around her again. There were cables hanging off some panels, a big chunk of metal had went trough the plane's right side where the wing was supposed to be (Or was it actually part of the wing?). Every kind of electronic controls aboard were fried, and the pilot seat had just disappeared. This plane was definitely done for...
Outside, everything remained silent after the guy had spoken, except for the incessant electricity noise. Were those two killing each other with stares or what? The wolf decided to check for herself.
Once in her feet ( not without difficulty ) she looked outside the wrecked ship. There was metal and debris scattered all around, but the canal had received almost no structural damage. Well, except for the wall they crashed into...
In front of her were the ones who had been arguing. A big, grey albatross and none other than Aaura, just staring fiercely at each other ( at least, that could be said of the big guy. The sparrow had her back turned to Seira )
Also, the wolf noticed that her friend was the source of the constant noise... who was in fact surrounded by lightning!?
Seira tried to step out of the ship to go to her, but she couldn't avoid tripping while going down. She only fell less than a metre from the ground, but the noise was enough for Aaura and the other guy to notice.

- Seira!? - gasped the sparrow, the lightning around her fading away as she ran to the wolf, who was already on het knees trying to get up - What are you...!? You should be resting!

- I... Heard someone... - said Seira barely. Words came out slowly, and even speaking made her head hurt a little.

Aaura was going to say something, but instead helped her to sit down, lying against the Pegasus' right side. Seira then noticed that the chunk of metal that had pierced the ship was actually it's own wing which, somehow, had been smashed into the plane.

- Tell me... Do you always land it... like this? - said the wolf with a forced laugh. Her head kept whining, but this made it bearable.

- So you're not that bad, at least - said Aaura with a forced smile. Her expression was serious though when she looked back at the albatross - That one over there is Storm. He saved us from being shot down, as much I hate to say it...

- Uhm... Can I... - babbled Storm, almost... frightened?

The albatross kept muttering, probably talking to himself.

- Uhm... - the guy seemed doubtful and even harmless, at least for Seira. So, why was that mad at him? -Why were you two arguing, in any case?

- Well, he...

The sparrow was interrupted by a screeching, yet subtle sound of metal and glass being torn apart in the distance. Then again. And again. Every time louder than before, and coming from a different direction. Aaura and Storm looked in every direction, trying to make out from where was the sound coming. Seira tried to get up, but her friend motioned for her to stay down. This went on for less than a minute. Then...

Just silence...

Something was really wrong. Seira was sure of that. If only that headache went away...

- Could that robot be still be out there? - asked Aaura, hopeless

"Robot... ?"- the wolf couldn't remember exactly what were they talking about. 
"Wait... Let's go back..."

Seira tried to get through the headache. There was something she had to remember... Quickly.
Storm and Aaura were still alert for anything that could show up, but the silence had not been yet disturbed again.

"Oh, I got it! It's one of MeteorTech's robots they are talking about. But... A common one would be scrap, being smashed like that. Unless it's..."

- ...The prototype. - said the wolf out loud, eyes wide open in terror.

- The what, now? - asked the albatross, oblivious to what she was talking about.

- Aaura - said Seira, without paying attention to Storm - Remember that I told you about a prototype robot back at the factory?

- Yeah... You didn't explain much of it, as a matter of fact...

- I didn't think it would matter, but now it does! - interrupted the wolf, frantic - It alone went mad and destroyed the whole security team after I took the stone off it! I had to hide in a ventilation shaft for 3 hours before it flew away! The SCR-HD is superior to every other robot out there! There's no way...

Metal and glass torn apart again... And it was getting closer. Coming right from the other end of the canal, and right to them...
Finally, it came into view. Flying towards them was the SCR-HD, bearing the scars of it's crash with Storm. It had lost parts of his "head" and right "shoulder". Other than that, it looked like a common MeteorTech robot. Except for the optics, which were two blue lights instead of the single red light characteristic of the series. It was flying alongside the left wall of the canal, destroying some security cameras attached to the walls that crossed it's path, making that screeching noise they had been hearing before. 
It landed right in front of Aaura and Storm. The later immediately attempted to punch it, but the robot simply shook him off like he was nothing before he could get close. Aaura, already electrified, lunged forward to shock it. This time, the droid just flew upwards, effectively evading her attack. It then headed to the Light Pegasus wreckage, where Seira still laid. The wolf tried her best to get out of the way, but she was still too weak. But, instead of going after her, it went straight to the Pegasus' cockpit, and came out as quickly with something in it's robotic hands. The gravity stone.
Then Seira understood what was it all about. The robot wasn't after her, but after the stone. Though, why did a machine want it wasn't that clear yet. The robot was about to take off, when something totally unexpected from everyone happened.

The machine just... Powered down...

Seira was as surprised as the other two were. It had, without a doubt, deactivated.... Somehow. Aaura approached to the droid, careful of not touching it, just in case. There seemed to be nothing wrong with it.

Well, until activated itself, that is.

Without a warning, the robot woke up, to everyone's surprise. It took a step forward. Then another. Then, it started to tremble and spark. Much like a convulsion, if such comparison can be made. Then, as sudden as it began, it stopped moving...

And then it exploded. 
Nothing big or impressive, for what matters. Just... Boom.

- Uhm... Seira, is that thing supposed to do that? - asked Aaura, unable to believe what she just saw.

- I... Don't think so... - replied the wolf, almost speechless.

- Hey, look at this!

Seira and Aaura turned to see Storm retrieving something out of the robot. In one hand, a stone similar to the one Seira carried, only this featured a different pattern. In the other, the wolf's own stone.

- Hey! - called Aaura, charging his left hand with electricity - Where do you think you're going with that stone!?

- I... I r-really... - said the albatross, scared - Really n-need... to take these back with me... - then, glancing quickly at the sparrow's left wrist, which not only was sparking with lightning, but was also wearing the fake stone - and.. Also yours... Please?

- Ugh... This one isn't real! It's a fake!

- A... Fake!? - repeated Storm in disbelief - Awww... Boss gonna kick me out of the ship this time...

- Wait, you guys have a ship!? - asked Aaura.

- Uhm... Yup. Big one.

- Hey! - intervened Seira, still lying on the ship's side - I for one vote for taking that ride! - and added, almost muttering - Not like I can walk for much longer...

- Not a bad idea... - said the sparrow, slowly. And before the Rouge could argue, she imposed over him - Look, here's the deal. You take us along with your partners to the Crimson Tower in your ship, and in turn we give you those stones... Or Arks of... Whatever you call 'em.

Storm looked perplexed in front of this proposal. But not completely convinced, though.

- ...And I won't shock you again, if you accept... - added Aaura with a menacing look.

That was enough to make the albatross flinch. He nodded frantically, and took a sort of little cylinder out of his right glove. It had a button in one end, which he pushed. He nodded again, this time more relaxed.

Aaura went back to Seira, giving a wide berth to the droid. Just in case.

- Are you gonna be alright? - asked the sparrow. This time she didn't bother hiding her preoccupation.

- I've been... better - said Seira with a grin. Her friend didn't look that much convinced. - I'll be fine, I just need to rest a little. 

- Let's hope so... - said Aaura with a little sigh

- Hey, before I forget - said then the wolf - since when can you get all... Sparky? 'Cause you become really... Imposing?, when you're all sparks...

- Oh that... - replied Aaura, rolling her eyes - Lately, it's been working better whenever I get.... Upset...

- I think "upset" is more of a misunderstanding...

And now they couldn't help it. They both let the laughter flow freely. Despite all the trouble they went through, for Seira this had been the best day in a very long time. And she had made a new friend. It remained to be seen if things changed for better or worse in the next days. 

Although, her memory issues were starting to get really annoying...