Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. SEGA does.
Edit 18-10-2012: The ending was slightly altered, as Lord Kelvin suggested.
.w.
The sky was clear.
Same as yesterday. And a day before that. And a week before that. Days felt long, but he always failed to catch them slipping away one by one.
Knuckles turned away, slightly annoyed. Nobody was going to come here. And he once again reminded himself he wasn't waiting for anyone.
Let alone Rouge.
She had disappeared several months ago. Just went on her next mission and had never come back. He'd heard something about an investigation, about the President's agent network and G.U.N. altogether searching for her… some of them even visited him. The guardian had told them he cared very little about that shifty bat girl, right before throwing them off his island.
They hadn't found anything, apparently. Nobody bothered to provide him with specifics, but he was sure the news was bound to reach him if some significant progress in the investigation occurred.
So basically Knuckles was alone on his floating island; only this alone was somehow different from alone of a year ago. This new alone wouldn't occasionally end with a smirking bat dropping in.
He had never tried to look for Rouge himself. Why should he? There was an emerald that needed his presence constantly. There was nothing he would know about the winged agent that the President wouldn't. Finally, there was his unshakable belief that whatever misfortune she was suffering, she absolutely deserved it, and, sadly, usually knew how to slip out of it.
Remaining on his place was easy. Hard was removing whatever kept stinging in his chest.
A spot appeared in the sky.
Knuckles kept staring at it until it transformed into something unmistakably made of metal— a robot. Two robots. Two small robots dragging a load. The latter seemed heavy as soon as he made it out.
A hem was the only comment the scene managed to draw out of the guardian. If Eggman thought a warm welcome awaited his creations, then he was sorely mistaken. Plenty of rocks lay at the echidna's feet; he chose a particularly big one and tossed it at the target.
His aim proved fine. One of the robots exploded on the spot, another one dropped his end of the box from surprise. Maybe its orders weren't too strict, maybe it actually valued its mechanical life, but after a mere second of hesitation the last surviving robot turned its back and soon disappeared in the distance.
Knuckles watched the wrecks fall down, frowning. He didn't feel like touching potentially dangerous stuff, but he didn't treasure the idea of it staying on his island either. So it meant taking the pieces to the edge of his floating world and giving them a full-hearted kick goodbye.
The metal box lay at the border of the forest surrounding the Master Emerald shrine. Its top was damaged throughout the fall and was partially detached from the rest, revealing that the box most likely had something inside. When several moments passed and nothing dangerous had appeared from it, Knuckles ventured to approach. Being aware of the existence of booby traps and the like, he bothered to find a long fallen branch and use it to push the lid off.
He stared at what was inside.
Slender body with voluptuous curves. Glistening black clinging to it tightly. Folded wings with razor-sharp edges. Closed blue eyelids, glittering slightly in the sunlight.
Rouge in full metal suit. A robot bat.
Knuckles blinked. As soon as the initial shock was over, a frown found its way onto his features. One didn't have to be the smartest person in the world to surmise that Eggman was responsible, but it was going to take some guess-work to name a sensible reason behind the act.
Two pieces of paper were put loosely into the metal bat's hands. Knuckles hadn't even noticed them until a powerful gust of wind tore them out. One plumped down into the mud heavily, the other turned out to be light enough to be blown away. It would have been if the guardian hadn't been fast enough to snatch it.
It was a single thin sheet of paper.
"I believe I can imagine what kind of questions you are asking yourself at the moment, Knuckles," the echidna read bold and firm handwritings. "Rouge has graciously agreed to assist me with my latest research; now that it's complete, her help is no longer needed. I'm afraid her reward wasn't anything she had counted on, so now it's up to you to help her get over the disappointment. Take good care of her. Dr. I. Robotnik."
He crunched the paper in his fist and let it drop to the ground. His gaze shifted to the other piece – a small paperback thing. Two words could be seen on the top side.
Instruction booklet.
Teeth bared, he kicked it away violently. Even before a thud reached him, Knuckles grabbed the lid and slapped it back on top of the box. It didn't fit on anymore, but at least the body couldn't be seen. He turned away sharply.
The guardian took several deep breaths before looking at the box again. The oblong metal thing suddenly resembled a coffin.
No, he told himself firmly. It was impossible. No one was capable of turning flesh into metal. Well, yes, of course, Eggman claimed to be the most brilliant scientist of his time, he was good at all that machinery Knuckles had always been so wary about, he had even invented some tricky contraptions that used life forms as power sources, but, but, but—
But there were no way the madman could actually turn Rouge into a robot. It was against all known laws of physics and logic.
Knuckles thought about Metal Sonic briefly. The robot hedgehog was known for confusing Sonic's friends with its appearance… yet the two blue blurs existed separately all the time. Eggman had never had to put the genuine Sonic through some tests to get a Sonic-shaped robot.
Feeling a bit more confident now, he stole a glance at the booklet. It lay several meters away from him, slight breeze making its pages wave him cheerfully.
Of course he wouldn't even think of touching it. Activate another one of the doctor's crazed machines, most obviously sent to steal the precious gemstone, personally by himself? Heck no.
He snorted quietly and gave the box a small kick. That was it; after getting rid of the trash, he was now going to go off looking for the bat girl first and Eggman next. Leaving the Master Emerald unguarded was dangerous, but so was letting the doctor play his tricks and get away with it.
The guardian lifted the side of the box… then put it back down slowly and took several steps back.
Nobody had heard of Eggman for months. Not that anyone had been looking for him – people were just glad that the scientist was busy with his secret research and wasn't blasting their homes like the old times…
He glanced back at the booklet. It was closer now.
Probably that restless bat girl has finally gotten herself into trouble she wasn't ready to handle, he told himself. Say, sneaked into Eggman's base and, and, and couldn't get out. Has been held prisoner until now so that metal she-faker wouldn't get busted.
Now Knuckles could freely send the robot flying off his island and start searching for Rouge - and the doctor at the same time. That was going to save him a lot of time.
He shook his head slowly, biting down his lower lip. It made sense, but it didn't seem right.
Neither did the urge to turn the robot on and look if it recognizes him.
Knuckles groaned, rubbing his forehead forcefully. He hated it when Eggman decided to choose him as a target for his newest scheme, hated dealing with matters so far beyond him.
A meter or two separated him from the paperback now.
Actually, turning the robot on now would be the most reckless action possible. Eggman would want him to do so— and what Eggman saw as good usually meant a disaster for he rest of the world.
Or maybe not. Maybe the man counted on Knuckles giving in to his impulse to get rid of his sudden burden. Sure he would have laughed at the guardian eliminating his friend with his own hands.
The piece of paper was next to his shoe now.
He wasn't even good at tinkering with all this stuff. Why couldn't Eggman have sent the thing to Tails? Why him, Knuckles, of all the people?
The answer was obvious, but he had a right to complain.
It was clearly a trick. Bringing the robot to Tails to disassemble would be the best solution. Or at least to examine it before turning on.
He wouldn't activate it by himself.
Knuckles reached down and lifted the booklet. The text was pale, in small print… and in Latin. The language bore a thin resemblance to ancient Echidna rock carvings he had learned to understand from his childhood, so a faint sense of recognition was present. Still, it instantly made his head hurt, as if he was trying to read a book upside down.
Desperate to prevent his jaw from slackening, he just stared at the letters dumbly, trying to measure the amount of malice a man had to possess to put such a scheme in action. He doubted he could count a number this big.
Pages crunched between his fingers. Whatever the madman had done, he was so going to regret it.
.w.
Author's note:
I have no idea of how to continue this story or whether it needs any continuation at all, so I'll let it stay a oneshot for now.