Chapter 2: Toxic

  Act 1: All Along The Chemical Plant

  Sonic and Tails leave the Tornado-Alpha a mile away from a huge chemical plant. Tails takes the GPS and wraps it around his wrist.

  Tails: Stay here. I'll go scout out the area. Maybe I'll even find the next lab.

  Sonic: Do I have to just wait? I'm ready to scrap some metal!

  Tails: Just, let me defend you this time. I can warn you about everything that's there if you just trust me. If you-

  Sonic: Alright! You can go on ahead. Just, don't keep me waiting.

  Tails: I'll be right back!

  Tails flies off as Sonic waits and taps his foot. He stays there for exactly 3 minutes.

  Sonic: I'm Outta Here!

  He dashes off towards the chemical plant and he runs all around it until he finds Tails at the edge of a platform, looking at the water below.

  Sonic: Left me hangin' there, Tails.

  Tails: Sonic! I think I've found it.

  Sonic: You “Think” you have?

  Tails: Well, I double-checked Bunnie's work and triangulated the exact X, Y coordinates-

  Sonic: In English, Tails.

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  Tails: Well, the Emerald should be under the water down there. Looks like the tide is riding high this season.

  Sonic: So, how do we get to it?

  Tails: We swim.

  Sonic: You'd better get going, then.

  Tails: But, I'll need your strength to open the lab up.

  Sonic: Well, that's toooo bad. I ain't touching that stuff.

  Tails: The water?

  Sonic: The whole stinking ocean! You don't know what's hiding down in the deep.

  Tails: Wait. Can you not swim?

  Sonic: 'Course I can! I just don't want to.

  Tails: Come to think of it, I've never seen you swim.

  Sonic: Just, Get Going Already!

  Tails: You know, it really is easy. You just have to find the air-bubbles.

  Sonic taps his foot.

  Sonic: I'm waaaiiitiiing.

  Tails: I'm going!

  Tails flies towards the water as Sonic looks around. Before long, a worker robot finds him and they look at each-other for a moment.

  Robot: … Move.

  Sonic gets out of the way and the robot picks up a metal crate that was behind him. Sonic then looks around to see dozens of robots that are minding their own business.

  Sonic: Hm. Something fishy's gotta be happening. But, I can't attack them first. Heroes end fights, not start them.

  After a moment of nervously waiting, Tails flies out of the water with the aquamarine Chaos Emerald in his hand. He then holds it up to the sky.

  Tails: I Got It!

  All of the robots look his way.

  Robots: Target Acquired.