"We got lucky that time. It won't work again." Tails told them, incapacitated as he was. The moment that the Echidna authorities had been aware of his presence and current state, they had mobilised specialised medical staff and, at the request of Knuckles the Guardian, who's position had no official ranking but plenty of influence, a contingent of the Relentless Guard. There had been plenty of speculation as to why the most powerful chaos adept on record had been unable to heal himself, but after his condition had been stabilised, he had been free to explain, and he was doing so again.
"The difference is fundamental." He told the others, though most of his attention was directed at Rotor, the one most equipped mentally to understand what he was talking about. "Chaos energy and Anarchy energy are two opposites, equals and opposites for different dimensions. Our bodies aren't meant to be able to withstand Anarchy energy, and thus start to break down. It's what causes Anarchy poisoning." He paused for a moment, examining the fluid drip on his arm.
"However, when Anarchy energy enters the body, because we cannot pass it through, it stays there. It sticks in the body and causes the decomposition. While we remained on Moebius, we were all slowly taking in this background Anarchy radiation and not giving it out, and our bodies broke down because of it. The moment you got back here, the situation was reversed. Instead of the Anarchy energy being the controlling medium, and eliminating the incompatible energy form, in this case Chaos energy, it was reversed. Even now Chaos energy is slowly breaking down the damaging energy within all of us and our bodies are healing along with it. There's no way to accelerate the process, and I can't heal the areas that are still affected, and neither can any of you. As a result, I expect I will be hospitalised for some time. A few weeks at least. I'm going to be out of the team, and so will Fiona, for a while. You haven't seen her yet, and while her injuries are not inflicted by the same source as mine, they are just as severe."
"Yea, I saw what happened before I left." Sonic nodded. His usual casual, cocky demeanour had been brushed aside by concern. "You both going to be alright?"
"I can tell you I will be. My damage is largely superficial due to the nature of the injury, I'll heal over time. Fiona's situation is different. She had a plasma charge detonate while she was caught in the edge of the blast. I was in super form at the time, I could take the damage and use the energy, but she took it a lot worse. Most of her is burn marks and the shockwave broke a few ribs. That's the damage that I know of. A stasis tube prevented the damage from getting any worse, but at the minute I don't know. I've asked the doctors to tell me when they've got a better idea." He tilted his head to the side in something like shame. "I got her back to Mobius, at least."
"I was going to ask." Knuckles tapped the side of the bed. "How did you get back? I'm not a scientist, but I know about chaos mechanics. To jump a dimension you'd need a portal, and I know from experience that a stable portal, even in the same dimension needs two ends to be linked by familiar power sources. Chaos energy is unreliable like that. You never told me how you got out."
"I didn't want to have to tell the story twice, so I wanted to wait for everyone to be here." He looked around the room, small and clean and smelling of anaesthetic. "And we all are, except Lupin, and I have it on good authority that he's not coming back. It's simple, really. Miles must have had a way to get through to Mobius, and a way to focus it to end up where he wanted to be. We found the technology he used. I couldn't read Moebian, nor did I have the strength to learn to do so, so I activated the device and set us through. It's blind luck I ended up on Angel Island. And before you say…that's why we took the Anarchy beryl with us. A power source." He looked at all of them in turn. "I told you I wouldn't die in there, and neither would Amy or Fiona."
"Speaking of which…" Nicole cut in. "Tails, I need to have a word with you, in private. I'm not waiting any longer."
"Fine. I think I know what this is about, but fine. The rest of you wait outside." Tails flicked his hand feebly, the others filing out the room all manner of things on their mind. In the hallway, Knuckles spoke up again.
"I should probably go. I've got an emerald to protect, and the council don't like me hanging around in the city too long."
"What's their beef with you?" Sonic asked him, leaning on the wall.
"I'm worth a lot. I don't have any real authority, since guarding a mystical gem is generally regarded as a traditional post now. Thing is, the rest of the population feel differently about it, and they take my word in stronger hold than that of the council. They don't like me taking the spotlight, and they can make some real trouble for the priests if I hang around too long. I should probably get back to that mystical gem before they start pestering me about public disturbance."
"You? Disturbing the public? Knux, that's my job!" Sonic coughed at him, stifling a chuckle. As the Echidna began to walk away, he followed the laugh and agreed with the hedgehog.
"I'll tell them when I see them!" he called back as he pushed open the doors. "One of you guys pay me a visit when the guy gets better!" then they were out of his sight, the door swinging shut behind him, medical staff passing down white-lit corridors. This wing of the hospital was quiet, reserved for the patients who were in the worst state, the most contagious, or those with the most money. Tails and Fiona were priority cases, Fiona by virtue of her state, and Tails both because of his current condition, and because he owned MilesCorp.
It's also very hard to refuse an Echidna chaos adept brandishing his fists at anyone who disagrees withhim. Tails likely would have gotten into the isolated ward anyway, Knuckles had just made sure of it. As he reached the end of the ward, he flagged down one of the doctors. "Hey." He said, "get a message to me when Mr Prower is recovered."
"We don't run a postal service, Guardian." The Doctor replied stiffly. He knew Knuckles when he saw him – everyone did.
"I don't really care. Get a message out somehow, or tell him to contact me when he's recovered, or something, just make sure I find out – I've got to go." He brushed the man aside, pushing yet another door open and passing into the next corridor to let the door shut. He made his way out, following the signs for half of it and using his memory for the rest, until he was back on the streets.
Ignoring the calls of fellow Echidnae, he made for the city limits. He didn't like leaving the Master Emerald, even with Tikal there watching, and he had yet to get used to the popularity that seemed to follow him into the civilised areas of the island.
He paused to talk to a few of those who were his friends, paying a visit to those few who actually knew anything about him aside his name, those who had aided him in past scuffles over the emerald, but there was no need for food or any sleep or rest, he made sure debts were settled then left the city, carving his path through the island forestry without pause.
Fatigue and sustenance were two things the guardian no longer needed. As guardian of the Master Emerald his connection was with chaos, and as chaos was drawn from everything, he was empowered by everything. His body was constantly fuelled by an unending source of chaos energy which was also the same bond to the Master Emerald. Yet another thing that served to remind him how different and alone he was.
His path took him through a pass between the mountains, the only way to the centre of the island without traversing avalanches, cliff faces, scree slopes and all manner of other natural perils. It was by far easier to take the low path through the pass, and since he was the only one meant to go this way, it suited Knuckles just fine. It was evening by the time, a golden sunset cresting the mountains, when he finally returned to the shrine.
To all intents and purposes, the shrine was held on a separate island of rock floating directly in the middle of nothingness, surrounded by jungle, rocks and grass, a bridge the only connection between it and the rest of the island, a bridge so old that it was near-impossible to believe it still supported the weight of hundreds so easily. He paused at the edge, looking at the shrine.
It was nothing as it had been hundreds of years ago, now a monument, holding the island up but without any security besides one lonely abrasive Echidna.
An octagonal edifice with wide stone steps on one side, the emerald itself, a giant gemstone sitting at the top, rotating slowly, a single figure perched on the edge of the steps, inspecting her nails carefully.
"How is he?" Tikal asked, when Knuckles had finally broken his reverie and ascended the steps. Tikal the Echidna was a rare breed, peach-coloured skin and a very tribal-looking dress, she was another relic from the past, preserved within the Master Emerald for uncounted years to serve as the other side to chaos.
"He'll live, but they're worried about Fiona. She's in bade shape." He slumped down next to her.
"She'll pull through, I think. I've never met her, but I've seen through Tails' eyes. They were hidden from me during their…adventure…but I saw her when they returned, and she'll make it."
"You can tell that?"
"I had a lot of time, and I've seen through many eyes during my time, Knuckles. I know some things about medicine, some techniques are a little rustic, but anatomy hasn't changed. It's still a guess, but I'm confident."
"That's good to know, I guess. How long have you got before you have to go back in?" Knuckles nodded towards the emerald.
"Actually…" she sighed, "there's another reason for me being out here. I'm not entirely sure why, but it coincided with this as a useful coincidence. No, I have a little time before I return to the emerald, because I've got a message to deliver." She leaned back, casting a figure that Knuckles found remarkable to say the least. Even over hundreds of years, Tikal had aged body and mind. Her body was in its early twenties, the aging effect delayed by her spirit being transformed into chaos energy, while her mind was several hundred years old.
"What is it?"
She patted a roll of paper next to her. "I've got to give this to someone, but It's not somewhere I can just walk in. I'll need you to come with me."
"Wh- what? What happened to guarding the Emerald?" he punched the ground. "Do you want to get it stolen?" Knuckles was often reminded of the age similarity – he had guarded the Emerald for a lifetime he was sure wasn't natural, but he also was constantly told of her personality, hard to supress and often impetuous.
"It won't get stolen." She didn't look up, just started examining the backs of her hands for imperfections. "The only one stupid enough to try is Robotnik, and he's not going to be able to try anything."
"And why's that?"
"Because he's the one we're going to see."
Dr Ivo Robotnik, also known 'affectionately' as Dr Eggman by the younger portion of Mobians, evil genius and Doctor who made robots, various war engines and it seemed to be stoically fixed in the mind of Sonic the hedgehog that the man could build his empire on his ego. That was the man they were going to see, a man who had spent the greater chunk of his life attempting to bring the Mobian population of the planet to its knees.
It was a source of both amazement and chagrin, both in constant measure, to the Doctor that not one of his attempts had ever worked, at least, not to completion. There was always some factor, some unseen variable that he didn't take into account that the Freedom Fighters or whatever ragtag band he was fighting at the time would take advantage of, most recently of course it had been Knuckles, on Angel Island. Everything had been going perfectly. He had set up the siphoning technology, tested it so he knew it would absorb chaos energy, and aligned it with the Master Emerald. The Freedom Fighters had been tied up fighting along with the rest of those who could be any real threat, and he had been reasonably confident he could siphon off enough energy to power his last resort if anyone got too close before his escape.
He hadn't counted on Knuckles leaving the Emerald's side to walk halfway across the island, through most of his defences and into the control room, just to stop him. Things had been going especially well – even the guardian had been having trouble, until he had tapped into chaos energies far beyond anything that Robotnik had prepared for. He hadn't counted on Hyper Knuckles, though the guardian had left once there was little remaining of the control room, and Robotnik was battered, but alive. He regarded it as a saving grace, but he had yet to work out why the guardian hadn't just killed him there and then.
It didn't matter – he was alive, and he still had his technology. That was the important thing in all this. His attempt had failed, but…he had others. While he lived, he could focus on winning and staying alive. When he was dead, there wasn't much he could do about it. It would help, of course, if he could find the plans.
"maybe you should check the first chambers again?" His assistant and nephew asked, watching Robotnik's ire and carefully avoiding his gaze.
"What good with that do?" the taller of the two snapped.
"Well, it has been a while since you searched for this particular stratagem, perhaps it was filed differently."
Robotnik straightened to his full height, drawing his full, imposing figure up in front of his nephew. A tall, rotund man, he looked every inch the classic inept villain, but he was no. His limbs were spindly compared to the rest of him, the product of spending his life in a chair while robotic minions did the work, and thus most of him was bionic. Most of his skin was still there, but nerves, muscles and bone had been replaced with wires, fibre and titanium, providing him with a strength and speed that belied such a mismatched frame.
His right arm, a skeletal robotic limb, the only part of him that was quite obviously mechanical, landed on his nephew's shoulder, the needs in the nails digging into his clothes.
"Now, Colin." He explained in a deep voice, his massive handlebar moustache bouncing as he spoke, spoiling the effect slightly. "My instructions have always been to make the transfer exact, so that things are filed just as they were originally. You know how irritated I would be were those orders to be disobeyed. I'm going back to the control room, you keep looking, and if you find anything that is filed…improperly…make sure it is corrected promptly, will you?"
It was a simple command, but the threat lying behind it was quite clear. Colin Robotnik was quite sure that Ivo would not kill him, but he could make his life very uncomfortable for an indefinite length of time, such was his sadistic streak.
"Yes, I'll see you later, uncle." He sniffed, keeping his head dipped subserviently, waiting until the pressure was off him.
"Good. You've been an honour to the family name, Colin. Don't sully that reputation." Then then the shadow moved away, along with the grinding pain in his shoulder as the skeletal arm released its grip. He didn't move until he doors slid shut with a hiss behind him, and he was free to fully enunciate his thoughts. He did so, muttering the many and varied curses he could think of under his breath.
"I hope I get to see the moment those vile creatures finally see the end of you." He added once his tirade had finished, "It will be nice not to keep having shoulder joints replaced."
He resumed his search.
Knuckles could only think of one explanation; after all that time, Tikal had gone mad. She knew that his job was to protect the master emerald, and walking right into Robotnik's home would present an opening that the tyrant could easily exploit. He couldn't leave the Emerald's side if Tikal was about to go into that hell, and he couldn't allow her to go alone…bloody hell, another problem.
"You're crazy." He protested, as she made preparations to leave.
"No, I'm not. My actions in the near future will determine countless lives, and if I remain here in the emerald then many of those lives will be lost, and many more ruined. This message must reach Robotnik within two days, or we will all pay the price for it."
"I can't let you go. It would be neglecting my duties as guardian."
"No, Knuckles." She looked over at him. "You can't let me go alone. As I said, you're coming with me."
"And leave the emerald unguarded?" he snapped, waving his arms in protest. "I went to see Tails because you were here while I was away, but there won't be anyone to watch it while I'm away if you're with me."
"No-one will come after the emerald. I know they won't, Knuckles. We're not the only guardians."
"What? Since when?"
"This message had to come from someone, and you know I don't take orders from anyone other than the controller. This message was given to me by Chaos, this message is from him, and he's not going to let the emerald disappear while we're gone. We're going to deliver this message and then return, and while we're gone, he won't let anything happen to it."
"Why should I trust the epitome of madness and disorder? Why should you, for that matter?"
"It's only called Chaos because when it was first discovered, that's what everyone thought it was. It's just energy, Knuckles. Chaos is tied to the master emerald even more than you are." She put down the bag she was sorting through to look over at him and take his hand. "It's his heart, if you will. He won't let anything happen to the very thing that allows him to live. Come on big red, you can't think they'd entrust the safety of the entire island to one Echidna, do you? Chaos and I are sort of…backup. Well, I am, at least. Chaos is the sentience formed from the coalescence of chaos energy and given form and desire by that same method. But he won't let his heart die."
She leant forward, running her hand up his arm and whispering into his ear. "I really don't want to have to suppress your will for this Knuckles, 'cause…I kinda like you, but this isn't my choice either. I'm going, and you're coming with me, whether you like it or not."
The red guardian shivered in a mix of surprise, anxiety and…pleasure? Happiness? Something like that. "Ok, since when can Chaos control himself, since when can you suppress willpower and since when have you felt anything more than a grudging friendship towards me?"
She sighed, staring at her feet and brushing hair from her eyes. Chaos has always been able to control himself, he just…doesn't like people killing Chao, or destroying the emerald. I've been able to supress willpower since I entered the emerald, but I only realised it in the last century or so. As for that last bit…" she had almost heard the italics in his voice. "…It's been that way for a while, but while trapped in a green glowing rock in the middle of nowhere with only an abrasive Echidna and water monster, you don't get much in the way of social skills. Come on Knuckles, I was trapped only a few years before you became guardian, and it's been eight hundred years now. We age at only a fraction of the speed of the rest of the world, and you're the only one in the same situation, and you're a likeable guy if you look past the fists."
"I don't hit everyone that shows up!" He vehemently protested, breaking away from her and striding to the edge of the shrine.
"Just most of them? Knuckles, tourists aren't inclined to try and hide the master emerald in their overnight bags. Now, stop changing the subject.
That's not what I'm faulting – for all this time I've put it down to you doing your job. So, what do you think? It's not as if you're busy for a bit. Why not think of this as a date?"
"E- Excuse me?" the guardian's fists dropped along with his jaw as he processed all of it. He went immobile for a moment, facing away from Tikal.
"A date. Something wrong with that? Come on, is there a problem? Knuckles, I'm joking! Eight hundred years and I'm not allowed a joke? We can go for dinner afterwards."
"Will you stop that? I'm trying to take my job seriously!"
"I'm not stopping you from doing your job. If anything, this will make you defend the emerald with further vigour." She leant against his back, and the male Echidna began to sweat as he became quite aware of her bust pressing against his shoulder blades. Knuckles was fully aware that he had gone a long time without a girlfriend, or any partner of sorts, and she was offering him one, effectively living in the same space already, a common goal…why was he even thinking about this? He was the guardian, he shouldn't be going on flights of fancy like this!
"Tikal- no!"
"Knuckles, the reason you're saying this is because you're socially inept. You haven't had the even brief benefit of seeing the outside world like I have. You don't even know what it would be like, do you?"
"Of course not!"
"Well then, there you go." She smiled, pushing herself off him and starting to pace. "Tell you what, since you're going on this little excursion whether you like it or not, you can use the time to think about my offer. That gives you quite a while to make your choice, and maybe I can convince you on the way. You don't have to give any definite answer until we get back, alright?"
"Fine." He admitted at length, "but don't expect a change in my first answer. I won't have much time to think either, if we're really going where you say." He turned to face her. "I'll be spending most of my time busting metal, so I'm probably going to be thinking where next to put my fists, not my relationship problems."
"Well, take a bit of time to think it over. I'm going to want an answer when we get back no matter how much you've procrastinated about thinking about it."
"You're really determined to go out with me, aren't you?" Knuckles answered curiously.
She flashed him a sly grin. "Well of course, if I wasn't determined then I'd be a crap guardian, wouldn't I?"
A/N: This is the first chapter of Metallix, but you should all be warned that at the time of writing, the story is not complete, so updates will be a lot less frequent.