Alright, about time I got something on here!!!
Sorry for the long wait, I know there's at least three of you waiting, I didn't have my saves, or even a computer!!
Well, chapter seven, some good fights. A lot of spelling mistakes, pls forgive me on that, I'm rushed recently.
Well, hope you enjoy the read!
Chapter 7
Dancing with Danger
Tick. Tick. Tick. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The jarring sound of the alarm going off send Knuckles straight up, where he grabbed onto the dangling light above his bed. Looking around, he assured himself it had just been his alarm going off. Then he heard the cracking noise coming from over his head. looking up slowly, he observed the racing crack that was traveling around the light base. Before he could react, the base snapped off, sending Knuckles plummeting to the floor. He sat up quickly, trying to shake off the impact. To ad insult to injury, a large chunk of ceiling plaster fell on his head, followed by a piece of pipe, which was followed by a shower of freezing water. Knuckles, slightly daze from the multiple impacts, sat swaying for a moment. After a few minutes, Knuckles shook his head and stood up. Looking at the hole in the ceiling and the water pouring out, he sighed. That was going to have to be fixed before his dad noticed. He quickly got dressed, choosing some work clothes for the morning. Grabbing a chair from his desk, he grabbed the piece of pipe. Placing it back where it should have been he concentrated. This was difficult with an ice cold pressurized spray of water going directly at his face, but he managed. Looking at the pipe when he was finished, it was bonded back in place, the metal having melted to accommodate the pipe once more. Knuckles grinned. Sometimes, being a Guardian of the Master Emerald came in handy. The Chaos powers could be fun, although he'd have to explain to Locke why he had used them. There was no point in hiding it. As the current True Guardian, he would simply know that the powers had been used. Knuckles placed the chair back where it belonged. It was going to be a long day.
Once he had straightened up his room, tucking everything back where it belonged, Knuckles headed for the kitchen. He ate quickly, choosing fast foods, such as the leftover pasta, which he reheated in the microwave. He couldn't stand cold food that was supposed to be warm. Eating as fast as he could, he grabbed the list that was on the table. Locke had left that there before he had gone. He always left early, around 5 in the morning. Since he wasn't home, Knuckles was left to do the chores. Sometime he felt it was unfair, but Knuckles didn't really mind. After all, Locke was his father, and not many people had fathers with jobs as important as Locke. The list was longer than usual though. Apparently, there was some sort of big Guardian social event tomorrow. All the other Guardians would be there, and that meant Knuckles had to go too. Knuckles sighed. Locke may have been the true Guardian, guarding the Master Emerald from other forces, but there were other important object in the world as well. For instance, the Chaos Emeralds. So rare and hard to find, even the Guardians only had 3 of them; Red, Yellow and Grey. The other four were yet to be discovered. However, Knuckles knew that Shadow had one. He suspected the guardians knew as well, but had decided that Shadow was as good at guarding it as them, maybe better. After all, he was the official 'Ultimate Life form', the only one created. Knuckles knew that Sonic had had a Chaos Emerald for a time, but had lost it on one of his daily runs across the country, so no one knew where it was. That was Sonic for you. Give him one of the most powerful artifacts on Mobius and he looses it within a week. Knuckles smiled. Sonic had gotten a good chewing out from Locke over that. Locke was about the only person Sonic sort of listened to. No one knew why, though; maybe the fact that Sonic had used the Master Emerald once with Locke's help. Sighing, Knuckles read the list. Clean the house; cut the lawn; trim the hedge; wash the car; find his Guardian outfit. Knuckles groaned. This list would take hours, and he wouldn't be done in time to take Sally to the dance! There was only one thing to do. Grabbing the phone, knuckles called the only person who could get all of this done on time.
"What do you mean, no!!!!" Knuckles shouted. Sonic, on the other end, sighed. "I have to get ready for 12, dude. I said I'd be there, so I've gotta stretch and do that sorta stuff. Plus, its way too early to be doing chores." With that, Sonic hung up. Knuckles stood there. He was tempted to hurl the phone away, but knew then he'd have to repair the walls and apologize to the neighbor. After a few minutes of fuming, another idea hit him. Silver! He could do most of that stuff without lifting a finger! Calling the metallic colored hedgehog, he instead got Blaze. This wasn't a surprise. The pyrokinetic cat was almost always with Silver. "Hey, Blaze. Is Silver there? I've got a favor I need to ask of him." There was a slight pause before Blaze replied. "Yes, he his. Give me a minute…" Silence on the line. The Knuckle heard Blazes voice, as though far away. "Silver, honey! Knuckles wants to talk to you!" Knuckle's train of though screeched to a halt. Honey? Blaze always called Silver by his name. Likewise for Silver about Blaze. They were good friends, last he knew. When had they graduated to a relationship? Finally, Silver picked up the phone. "Hey knuckles! What is it?" Knuckles couldn't resist. "Well, Silver, honey, I need to ask a favor." He could almost feel Silver blush. "You… You heard that?" Knuckles grinned. "Yup. When did you two become an item?" Silver chuckled. "Day before yesterday. It was, well, really romantic…" Knuckles laughed. "What you mean is you finally got up the guts to ask her out?" Silver laughed nervously. "Yeah… I was really nervous, though… So anyways, what do you need?" Knuckle phrased his request. "I need someone to help me out. Dad left me a huge list of chores that I can't get done in time fore the dance, let along the fight at 12, and…" "And Sonic won't help out, so I was second choice because of what I can do, right?" Knuckles agreed. "Yes. I can't do it all on my own, and since Sonic is sorta busy, you're the only one I can think of who could help out." Silver sighed. "Alright. I'll be there shortly. You owe me, though." With that, the psychokinetic hedgehog hung up. Knuckles breathed a sigh of relief. There. With Silver's help, the chores would get done before 10. He decided to get started before Silver got here. The faster it got done, the better.
Torth's POV
BOOM!!!!! A huge spray of water arced up from the river. The enormous column seemed to hang there. A purple blade arced out, slicing the column in half. Torth stood on the shore, panting. He had been practicing most of the night. First he threw an energy ball into the water, and then sliced the resulting water column in half. He was now quite proficient at this combination. However, since his meeting with that hedgehog was in about 3 hours, it was time to rest up. He flash stepped back from the river. Looking back, the sun had just pierced the horizon, lending a glow to the river, making it look like a river of molten gold. The clouds changed from a dark blue through to a light yellow with arcs of pink. After a few minutes the occasion was over. Torth sighed and went on his way. Sunsets were always so beautiful. The change in colors from almost complete dark to the daytime norm was a fascinating sight. However, few people were up early enough to see them on a Saturday. He almost felt like it was especially for him. Smiling slightly, Torth spread his wings. Pausing before taking off, he flexed them. Spreading them to their fullest extent took up almost the whole street. Maybe he should relax in the library. He had never seen anyone else with wings like his, so maybe there would be a book that could help him.
Tucking his wings in, Torth dove towards the sidewalk. Pulling up at the last minute, he touched down as gently as a feather. His shoes made a satisfying click as they hit the pavement. Walking inside the refreshing silence of the library, he strode to the biology section. He used the library computer system to track down the book he was looking for. 'Bats: Winged Mammals; A contemporary study of biology and social structure'. Walking down the respective aisle, He quickly located the rather thick volume. Carrying the book to the reading section, Torth sat down on the thoughtfully provided couch and opened the book to the index. Apparently only a fifth of the book was devoted to the biology section. The rest of the multi thousand pages were dedicated to the social order and customs of the bat species. Torth had never been interested in learning the customs of the races he was similar to, since he knew he wasn't the same species at all. He tracked down the sections on wings. Turning to the correct page, he absorbed the information. There were anatomical drawings of wings, showing how they worked. Torth memorized these, particularly the muscle groups and pressure points. He now had more muscles to exercise and new points of attack. He read though the section entirely, absorbing every fact. Once he had finished the section, he turned back to the index. The anatomy and description of how wings worked had been interesting, but not what he had been looking for. The only relevant fact was the average wing size in males. This was registered at about 3 feet when fully extended. The largest had been 5.5 feet. Torth knew his wings had a span similar to a small plane. That was far from normal. Looking under wings, he saw there was a section on them in the social standing of bats. His curiosity aroused, he turned to the page. Reading through the passage, he was surprised at his find. Bat wing span had great application in both prestige and mating rituals! The larger your wingspan, the stronger you were supposed to be. Apparently at the once a decade matting festival, male were judged by their wingspan. Intriguing. However, this was simply more proof that he was not anywhere close to a bat in species designation.
Having re-shelved the volume, Torth left the library. He had spent about a half hour going through the book. He left the building and looked up. Closing his eyes, he pictured the diagram in the books that showed muscle groups. He felt the individual groups in his wings. Flexing them and testing their responses, he was surprised. He had been flying wrong! If this was correct, he hadn't been using half of the muscles he could have been. Gathering his wits, He pumped all relevant muscles for liftoff. The resulting force was enough to send him about sixty feet in the air. The wind generated below knocked over a bicycle and stripped several bushes of their falling leaves. Grinning widely, Torth took off, flying as quickly as he could. He speed had more than doubled! Whipping past the skyscrapers downtown he narrowly avoided running other flying citizens. One eagle let out a stream of profanity when Torth went right over his head. Curving around a building, he almost collided with a traffic helicopter. That was close, he thought. Landing on the sidewalk to avoid any other near misses, Torth took stock of his surroundings. He was downtown, near the shelter. Walking along towards his home, he took in the sight of the city. It was such a contrast. One side of the street was where the rich people walked, moving along in their expensive coats and cars, turning into fancy restaurants where the smell could drive you insane. The other side was for the poor, where people like Torth walked. This was where the beggars lived, where the homeless congregated, and where the criminals were as familiar as friends. Torth greeted every familiar face as he went along. All the muggers left him alone, since most of them had already tried and ended up all the worse for wear from the encounter. The beggars were all glad to see him, since he had helped them all out several times before. The homeless were always friendly, since he was in the same situation. They were his network almost. Any information he gleaned, any rumor he caught, was usually from the destitute. One in particular, a tortoise by the name of Tina, was the rumor hub. Seeing her just ahead, Torth picked up the pace. "Tina! How are you today?" The tortoise smiled at him. "Oh, just fine. Goodness! You grew again!" Torth smiled back. "Maybe. Any new juicy rumors for me?" Tina paused in thought. She was almost 50, but her living conditions weren't helping her mental stability. "Oh yes! I've got a good one for you! Mr. Acorn, the mayor, has announced that there will be a big charity ball in two weeks! However, it's by invitation only. Oh, what I wouldn't give to go…" The old tortoise sighed. Torth felt so sorry for her. When she had been younger, she had had a rich husband, and had lived the good life. However, he died of a premature heart attack and left his entire fortune to some unknown woman he had been having an unknown affair with. Tina had been left with nothing. Torth reached into one of his pockets. He searched for a moment and then found what he was looking for. He pulled out a leftover piece of his lunch and handed it to Tina. "Here. I saved it just for you. You need to eat well, you know." She accepted the sandwich graciously. "Thank you, hon. I was feeling a little peckish actually." Torth bid the old tortoise good bye and continued on his way.
Arriving at his room in the shelter, Torth noted that Rith wasn't there. No real surprise. Saturdays was when Rith went exploring, trying to find bargains. Sitting on the bed, Torth began concentrating. He needed to recharge from his practice. Closing his eyes, he envisioned pulling in energy. Behind his eyelids, bright purple energy drifted is colorful swirls. He visualized energy drifting around the room, floating across the window and past the door, flowing around the skyscrapers and brushing past people. Seeing this energy, he pulled at it, directing it, bending it to his will. He saw this energy float through the door and window and fade into his skin, becoming one with him. After what felt like an age, he opened his eyes. The clock, a slightly rusty version of an old alarm clock Rith had found in the garbage dump, read that he had been in a trance for almost an hour. There was little time left until the fight, only an hour. Torth unfolded his legs and walked out the door. Leaving the building, Torth spread his wings and leapt gracefully up into the sky. Quickly ascending to be above the most of the air traffic, Torth surveyed the city. It stretched almost as far as the eye could see. Overlaying his mental map, Torth quickly went east, towards the wide expanse of sand and sun known only as the Dusty Desert.
Tail's POV
Walking along the sidewalk towards, Sonic's house, Tails felt somewhat anxious. He wasn't scared at all that Sonic would lose, but still… This new guy Torth… He looked really strong. He had stopped a fight between Sonic and Shadow and hadn't even been breathing hard. Still, Tails was sure that Sonic would win. There was no way he couldn't; thought the young fox. I mean, Sonic ALWAYS wins in almost everything! Arriving at the house, Tails quickly got into his usual positive air. Knocking on the door, he stood there, rocking back and forth on his heels. He was feeling twitchy. Sonic's father answered the door. If Tails hadn't known him, he would have run screaming from the tall, powerful, and deadly looking robian. However, Jules was a nice guy. He had been captured by Eggman a long time ago and been roboticized, but still managed to keep his memories and personality through several events. He also had no desire to be de-roboticized, and was quite happy to live out his life as a robot. "Hello Tails. Come on in! Sonic is in the living room." The large robot stepped to the side to allow Tails to pass. Quickly stepping into the house, the fox, quickly removed his shoes and walked to the living room. He heard the door close behind him and felt the heavy footsteps of Jules heading for the kitchen. Seeing the speedy blue hedgehog relaxing on the couch cheered Tails immensely. Knuckles was already there. He was almost covered in grass clippings and had a few chunks of what looked like ceiling plaster stick in his dreads, but he was looking as strong as ever. Tails grinned at the memories of them all fighting Eggman together. They had been known as the 'Triple threat' back then. Nowadays they lived apart, but were still close friends. "Hey! Tails! Glad cha could make it!" Sonic's grin was infectious. Tails grinned in return. "Of course I made it! How could I not!" Sonic hopped off the couch, standing straight. "Well, now that you're here, we should get going!" tails looked around. "Just us? I thought Amy was coming too." Sonic shuddered. "I already have to spend half the day with her. Don't make it any worse than it already is!" Tails laughed. Sonic's would-be girlfriend was a bit clingy and controlling. However, she was nice. Tails knew Sonic liked her, but was too much of a guy to admit it. Knuckles started up a idle conversation as they went out of the house. Walking along the sidewalk to where Knuckles had parked his car, the three talked about anything that came to mind. As they reached the car, Knuckles and Sonic were deep into an argument about which video game hero would win in a fight to the death. The argument ended in the same way as always, with Knuckles throwing a punch at Sonic. Tails broke up the potential fight before it could begin. "Come on guys! We'll be late!" Sonic stuck out his tongue. "I'm never late!"
Driving down the highway towards the desert, Knuckles had the music blasting as loud as his car could. This meant they were almost leaving cracks in the road behind them. Tails saw several other drivers wincing as they past. Sonic and Knuckles were halfway through a heavy metal song, singing along as loud as they could, when they finally arrived. It was 11:57. Three minutes until time. Sonic jumped over the door instead of opening it. Stretching out his legs he looked back at the car. "Nice wheels, Knux! Locke's?" The echidna nodded. "Yah. He wasn't using it today, and it should be back before he knows it's gone." Sonic laughed, then went trough a series of flips to limber up. Tails stayed by the car, watching the skyline for the figure he knew would be approaching. The clock went from 11:58 to 11:59 as Tails surveyed the horizon. Checking his watch, he saw there was only 20 seconds left. This guy better show up soon! Breep! 12:00!!! Sonic scanned the area. "So where the heck is this guy, anyways?" Knuckles looked around as well. "I don't know. He seemed like the sort who would already be here…" Sonic turned to Knuckles. "Say, Knux, couldn't you, you know, use the ME's power to scan for him or something?" Knuckles shook his head. "No. Locke has been watching me a lot… If I do that I'll have a two hour lecture on the responsible use of a guardians power." Sonic winced. "Yeah, he really can go on." Tails listened to the conversation half-heartedly. His eyes were constantly scanning the area. He pulled out his bioscanner from his backpack. Turning the gadget on, he scanned the area in front of him. Strange. The scanner read that there were THREE lifeforms in the area, all in front of him. Turning on the tracking mode, he saw the lifeforms portrayed as dots. Still, there were only two dots. One was where Sonic was standing, the other where Knuckles was. Tails went back to the scan mode. He retried the device several times. Each time it registered THREE lifeforms in front of him. He didn't get it. Switching back to tracking mode, Tails saw Sonic's dot flicker, expand, and die down. Tails raised his eyebrows. There had to be something wrong with the scanner! If it was right, however, that would mean…
The sand under Sonic imploded with the force of a full scale egg fleet barrage. Sonic went flying through the air with a yell of surprise. Knuckles was sent flying backwards, where he landed heavily on a sand dune. Tails quickly shielded his face with his arms against the cloud of stinging grit. Once the wind of the implosion past, Tails looked up. A large cloud of sand particles had formed. On one side he could see Sonic, getting to his feet, and on the other Knuckles was struggling to dig himself out of the dune. However, the middle of the cloud contained a wavering shadow. Sonic sped to beside Tails. "You okay, dude?" Tails nodded. Knuckles came up beside them. "Yes, I'm fine. But look!" The shadow was moving towards them, slowly, giant forms spread from its sides, stretching to gigantic proportions. Tails involuntarily stepped back. There was something extremely menacing about the shadow, which grew clearer with each passing second. Slowly, the cloud began dissipating, allowing the three to catch a glimpse of brown and yellow fur. Tails felt his teeth start chattering slightly. Even though he knew who it was, he felt the person was easily as menacing as Shadow, maybe worse. The dust cloud then completely disappeared, leaving the figure revealed. Tails would have breathed a sigh of relief normally, but Torth was still just as menacing. His eyes had a razor sharp gaze and were almost hypnotic. His motions were smooth and calculated. He moved with a slow grace and seemed to ooze deadliness from every pore. His wings, which had apparently bee fully extended, were receding now. Tails wasn't sure how big they really were. All he knew was that the only bat he knew, Rouge, had wings that were a lot smaller than the ones displayed before him. After what seemed like an age, Torth spoke. "Well? Shall we begin?"
Fight scene (Music theme!!!) – INCUBUS – New Skin
The two combatants surveyed each other. Both stood on the tope of sand dunes, watching each other. Sonic stood in an easy stance, ready to spring into motion. Torth's wings twitched, ready to hurl him in any direction. A long moment passed. Then, a slight noise was heard, perhaps some sand shifting or a rock hitting another rock, but the noise was enough. Both fighters moved simultaneously. Shooting forwards both raised their right hand for a devastating punch. Energy from their passing flared around them, a yellow gold for Sonic and a purple black for Torth. Both fighters leapt into the air, one arm forward for balance and the other cocked and ready. There was a magic moment where both of them seemed to stop and hover there, immortals in time and space, a perfect picture of battle. Then the moment continued. The two slammed into each other. The resulting blast of power sent sand flying high into the sky. Both had caught their opponent's punch and were holding it in one hand while striving to drive theirs through the opponents grasp. Power coalesced around the combatants, showing in a dual colored aura that blazed out of control. Sonic's side was a vibrant yellow in sharp spike formations, while Torth's was purple and black in the form of flames. The energy grew stronger and stronger, making sand dunes throw stark shadows across the midday ground. Sonic grimaced as the energy became unbearable. Torth's face showed no expression, but his grip tightened. The energy reached a flash point and exploded, hurling the two apart and smashing them into the dunes. Sonic pushed his way out of the mound of sand while Torth simply spread his wings, which sent sand exploding from him in a dark cloud. He leapt up into the sky, his wings giving powerful beats which sent him spiraling up. He then plunged down, his wings moving faster, making him pick up speed. He then tucked his wings in and shot like an arrow. He punched out a fist at the last moment, Sonic attempted to block, but the sheer of the move sent him skidding along the ground. Torth rolled when he hit the ground, running at Sonic even as he stood up. The blue hedgehog leapt to his feet and shot forwards. He tucked into a ball, entering super-spin mode. Torth dodged the spined ball by leaning to the side. He turned around, and braced. Sonic, who had turned around in midair, rushed at the solidly planted Foxbat. The ball or blue fur and spikes met with the brown and yellow arm. The gauntlets seemed to glow as sheets of sparks leapt off the concealed metal plates which had been under the brown leather. Torth opened his mouth in a snarl and pushed forwards. Sonic was sent flying backwards as his own force was overpowered by the Foxbat's strength. The hedgehog landed in a crouch and sped forwards, his legs forming an infinity sign as he reached maximum speed. He appeared as nothing more than a blue blur, a streak of cyan light heading straight for Torth. Instead of dodging, the Foxbat leapt to his maximum speed, flash stepping forwards. Overall speed was equal, and the two forces met in a full of collision. The resulting explosion formed a huge crater, the center of which was made up of blacked glass. The two combatants stopped their battle for a moment. Sonic let out a low sliding whistle at the sight of the crater. Torth looked mildly surprised. The two locked eyes after a moment. The air grew tense as the two stared at each other. Then they both leapt into the air, flying over the crater. The two bystanders watched in silent amazement at the show of force being put on by the two. The combatants exchanged blow after blow, blocking each in turn, yet waiting for the other to make his strike
Knuckle's POV
The fight continued for hours. Different blows were exchanged, moves were revealed, and by the end both of the fighters were totally exhausted. Blows were still exchanged, but both fighters seemed to be weakening. Knuckles was watching the other guy carefully, though. Even though he looked tired, he seemed… Rested. It was as if he was fighting at exactly the same level as Sonic on purpose while keeping a large reservoir of strength in reserve. He had almost the same feel to him as, well, Shadow. That couldn't be right, though, thought Knuckles. Shadow was that way because he was the 'Ultimate Lifeform', designed to have eternal youth and incredible power without ever getting tired. He slept only one day a month and could o months without eating, surviving off the chaos force around him. Knuckles, as a guardian, was able to sense these things easily, but this guy… He almost scared Knuckles. He was as fast as Sonic, maybe not over long distances, but certainly in close quarters he had the advantage. He was also strong, really strong. That time when he had blasted himself out of the sand dune with his wings… Also, it was obvious that he could fly faster than Sonic could run, and was more agile than Tails. It was as if he was a whole team on his own! Even Shadow wasn't capable of flying like Rouge or matching Omega's brute strength! That was why he had team mates. However, this Torth guy seemed not to need them. Also, there was the matter of his species. He had been called a 'Foxbat', Knuckles remembered. He had never heard of that species name, or even heard about anything that looked remotely like Torth! Wings, big wings; a long fox tail; long ears… He had never thought a species could have all of these elements together.
As Knuckles watched the battle, Tails checked the time. He stiffened quickly, his hair standing on end. Knuckles wondered why he was worried, then looked at his own watch. It was 3:30!!! They were going to be late!! "SONIC!!!" Knuckles bellowed. The blue hedgehog turned around. "WHAT!?" He yelled back. Knuckles pointed at his watch. "IT'S 3:30!!!!" Sonic froze. Turning to Torth, Sonic stammered out a sentence. "Listen, sorry, I gotta get ready for the dance! Man, Amy's gonna be ticked off if I'm late!!!" Sonic vanished in a blue blur. Knuckles leapt into the car, while Tails piled into the driver's seat. The young fox revved the engine, peeling out towards the road in a cloud of dust. Knuckles caught a last glimpse of the Foxbat, who exploded into the sky in a single jump. Knuckles watched as the figured spread gigantic wings and rocketed off towards the city.
Torth's POV
Flying over the trackless wastes, Torth cursed himself profusely. He had been careless enough to let nearly 4 hours slip by with knowing! The city was still a distant feature on the horizon. Torth gritted his teeth and concentrated. He pulled energy from around him. There wasn't as much as in the city, but it was highly concentrated. He kept pulling in energy, more than he had during his practice session, his eyes glowing purple with barely contained energy. He could see the car fairly fling along the highway road, keeping up an impressive speed. Torth decided to prove his abilities to them, just to ensure they knew what they had been dealing with. Flying down into a steep dive, he flew right over the car, the wind from his wings creating a downdraft. Just as he reached the hood of the car, he thrust his right hand out, letting out a yell. "Chaos… CONTROL!!!" A bright purple and black portal appeared around Torth, and he vanished from the sky.
Torth appeared downtown, flying at the same speed. The flash from his arrival glared off the windows. He didn't take time to orient himself, instead simply flying as fast as he could. Whipping between skyscrapers, he narrowly avoided a collision with a traffic helicopter. He flew right under the blades, his wings barely avoiding the whirling metal beams. He avoided the rudder propeller with a twist and went spiraling out of the downdraft. Righting himself, he took off again, flying as quickly as he could. Arriving in his neighborhood, he swept down, until he was only a few feet off the ground. Landing on his feet, he ran inside. He tucked his wings closely to his sides to they didn't catch on the walls. Grabbing the doorframe of his room, he spun inside. He ripped the closet open, barely keeping it on its hinges. As Torth scrambled into his suit, he looked around the room. Rith wasn't there, which meant it might not be as late as he thought. Still, Torth wasn't going to take chances. One he was into his good clothes, he dashed out the door, slamming it on his way out. Torth took off once outside, calling up a mental map of the area. He quickly oriented himself with the direction he had to go. Thinking quickly, Torth realized he didn't have any way to Transport Rouge. He had no car, or other vehicle. He had never needed one, so he was in a spot. Then, he realized he could just use Chaos Control. That would be just as effective, and faster as well.
Torth watched the ground rush past underneath him. He was travelling at speeds normally reserved for military aircraft, and he hoped they wouldn't show up again. Since that had happened before, he was usually slower, just so he didn't trouble them. Not that it made any difference, he wouldn't stop. The clouds were a blur above him. They were a light grey, which probably meant there would be rain later in the night. Torth didn't care. Not even lightning could faze him, since he had been hit before and been fine. As he flew, he saw a glint of metal ahead of him. Swearing, Torth peered ahead. That had better not be a military plane, he thought. I don't have the time. However, as he looked, the object became clearer. It was a medium blue, and was moving fast. Torth peered closer. He could make out more of them behind the one object. Then he realized the loud was shifting, as if there were more of the high velocity object within it. Torth quickly ran through his mental profiles for object that size and who produced them. Unfortunately, he could come to only one conclusion. There were only two people able to produce machines of that size and shape that could fly. One was that fox from the school, Tails, and he was getting ready for the dance. The other was the evil genius, Dr. Eggman. Torth swore, and flew faster. If an armada was heading towards the city, it was obviously a full scale assault. Torth calculated the possible attack vectors and numbers. Since this was the first time Eggman had sent more than one Metal Sonic, which was what the blue robot has to be, against the city, his calculations couldn't be trusted to well. As Torth accelerated a black blur burst out of the cloud on top of him. The blur hit him squarely in the back, and he had no time to dodge. Torth fell with a groan as the black object forced him out of the sky.
Knuckles POV – 1/2 hour later
Walking Sally up to the school door, Knuckles could barely contain himself. He was actually holding her hand! In public! He did his best to keep his jubilation off his face, but some did leak through, pasting a smile on his face. Other couples surrounded them, their happy aura glowing in the chaos force. However, Knuckles felt slightly uneasy, almost as if there was a storm on the horizon that he couldn't see. Looking around, Knuckles saw nothing out of place. Everything was fine. Leading Sally towards the door and making small talk, he tried to shake off his unease. Once inside the gym, Knuckles almost gasped. Sally certainly did. It looked nothing like the gym at all! It was like a fancy ballroom, with chairs lining the walls, a huge amount of floor space, and a large table piled with food and drinks. Everyone was dressed to their best. Knuckles himself was in a brown traditional Guardian suit. Locke insisted that he wear it to all occasions. Knuckles didn't like it, but wore it anyways. Sally was clad in a light pink dress that Knuckles had to stop looking at simply because she was mesmerizing in it. Catching himself again, he tore his eyes away from her. Sonic was lounging in one corner of the room. Knuckles couldn't see Amy, so either Sonic had escaped or was getting a well deserved break. Quickly glancing around, Knuckles could spot almost everyone he knew in the room, with the exception of a few who had not yet arrived. Sally excused herself, wanting to talk to her friends. Knuckles cast an eye around the room for someone to talk to. Everyone was wrapped up in their conversation, except for one person.
Walking up to a fuming Rouge, Knuckles did his best to not tease. She looked furious, and Knuckles could almost see steam coming from her large ears. Standing there for a moment, Knuckles decided on the direct approach. "I take it you couldn't find a date, huh?" About 3 seconds later Knuckles was on the ground nursing a large bump on his head. Rouge was back to fuming. As Knuckles stood back up, she spoke. "No, in fact… I had a date, but he never showed. Bastard." Knuckles brushed his pants off. "Who was it? I thought everyone was taken." Rouge's glare seemed to intensify. The floor in front of her began to melt. "That new guy… I don't remember his name…" Knuckles paused. "Ummmm… Right! His name's Torth. We just got back from fighting him." Rouge turned to look at Knuckles. "Fight him? What the heck?" Knuckles stared. "You didn't know? Sonic and Torth were fighting it out in Dusty Desert about half an hour ago. It's been the talk of the school!" Rouge shrugged. "I don't pay attention to stuff like that. Where did he go afterwards?" Knuckles thought back. "He went flying towards the city when he heard what time it was. He flew right over the car and vanished. I think he can use Chaos Control. At least, that's what it looked like." Rouge blinked. "I thought only Sonic, Shadow, Silver, you, and Eggman's badniks could use that?" Knuckles nodded. "I know. I don't have enough information to make a guess. But I'm going to ask Locke to look into it. I think something of that magnitude should be brought to the Guardian's attention. Anyways, that was the last time I saw Torth. I don't know what happened to him after that. Plus, I've had an uneasy feeling all day. I'm worried that something may have happened." Rouge pursed her lips. "Could Torth's seeming disappearance have something to do with it?" Knuckles shook his head. "I don't think so. He's… Different, but I don't think he's an enemy. This is most likely something else. But I don't know what. Listen, I'm going to go phone my father. This is all bothering me."
Knuckles bid goodbye to Rouge and walked towards the door. Sally walked up to him on the way out. "What's wrong Knuckles? I saw you were talking to Rouge, now your acting weird. What's wrong?" Knuckles brushed past her. "I need to call my father. Something's wrong." Just as Knuckles past Sally, he stopped. Turning around, he faced the Acorn princess. "Listen Sally. I've got a bad feeling. When I get like this… I'm not usually wrong. Listen, if things start getting weird, just hide." Sally stared at Knuckles. "Why? What's happened?" Knuckles sighed. "That new guy, Torth. He was supposed to be Rouge's date. He never showed. I saw him about 40 minutes ago, and he was fine and heading to the city to get ready. He doesn't seem like the kind to stand anyone up. Plus, he's too strong to fall to a bunch of thugs. Something wrong." Knuckles turned and walked away towards the door.
Once outside, Knuckles pulled his cell phone from his pocket. Dialing his father's phone, he got a out of service range message. Blocking the message from his mind, he used his Guardian senses to search for his father's Chaos Ethernet channel. The Chaos Ethernet, or CE for short, was a channel for communication channel known only to the Guardians. Finding the channel, Knuckles sent a probe down it. His father replied quickly. *Knuckles, you know you should call me here* {I apologize, father, but something is wrong here.} *What is wrong, son? Do you address me as a father or as Guardian Facilitator?* {Guardian Facilitator, Father.} Knuckles felt Locke's shock over the channel. Knuckles knew that for him to address his father as Guardian facilitator meant he was worried about something important to the Guardians. Essentially, it created a level 3 alert which would be answered by a Guardian Defense Team. The punishment for abusing this was extreme, but Knuckles never had, and understood the responsibility of having such power. *What is wrong, Guardian? Report your concern* Locke was all business now. He had to treat this as an alert, Knuckles knew, since he had been addressed as Guardian. He relayed the information about the situation in a quick burst of memories. There was a short half second pause. *You were right to contact me, son, even if it was only about the newcomer using Chaos Control. But him disappearing… This is important. I am currently raising a level 2 alert status. There will be a Guardian Defense Force there in a few minutes after they gear up. Get everyone under cover and await further orders, Guardian.* Locke closed the channel from the other end, and Knuckles closed his phone. A level 2 alert was reserved for Eggman's attacks or something of similar force. Knuckles mind raced. It could be Eggman, Mogul, Ixis Naugus, Scourge… Knuckles shook himself out of his mindset. Now it was time to act.
Bursting through the doors, Knuckles surveyed the room. Taking a deep breath he prepared to yell out his warning. Just then, Sonic ran up and slapped Knuckles in the back. "Hey man! Sup? Great dance, eh! Man, you should of told me you and Sally were a thing now, you know? Anyways…" Knuckles grabbed Sonic's mouth and clamped it shut. Sonic protested, but a glare from Knuckles told the blue hedgehog how serious Knuckles was at the moment. Taking another breath, Knuckles turned back to the throng of students. "THIS IS KNUCKLES OF THE ECHIDNA GUARDIAN CORPS! WE ARE IN IMMINENT DANGER OF A THREAT LEVEL 2 ATTACK! A GUARDIANS DEFENSE FORCE ON THE WAY! BUT THEY MAY TAKE SOME TIME! EVERYONE PLEASE PROCEED TO THE EXITS AND HEAD FOR SHELTER!!! PLEASE PROCEED CLAMLY, BUT ASSUME THE WORST!!!!" There was a mass silence as Knuckles panted for breath and then the screaming started. Everyone knew that a guardian warning was a serious threat. Knuckles dodged out of the way of the mass of school kids as they stampeded out of the building. A cross looking teacher was heading towards Knuckles. "How dare you, young man! You've disrupted the entire school! Head straight to detention…" Knuckles rode right of the poor squirrel. "You are impeding a Guardian member. This is a class 4 offense and will be treated as such. This incident has been noted. After the alert has finished please proceed to the nearest outpost and turn yourself in. Any further action against this Guardian will result in immediate incapacitation as authorized by the Guardian Chapter." The teacher, suddenly realizing what she had done, tried franticly to explain, but Knuckles wasn't paying attention. He grabbed his cell phone and dialed into the public address system for the city. "This is Knuckles of the Guardians Corps. Will all citizens classified as 'Heavy hitters' please proceed to the center of the city for instructions. Thank you for your cooperation." Shutting the cell phone, Knuckles ran off, leaving the sputtering teacher all alone.
Torth's POV
While crawling out of the crater formed by his impact, Torth cough harshly. Blood spattered the ground. The impact must have done more damage than I estimated, Torth thought. He scrambled to his feet while wiping the bloody residue from his face. The black object that had tackled him was standing up on the far side of the crater. To Torth's surprise, the object looked almost exactly like one of the hedgehogs he had fought. The only differences were that his spikes and arms were orange instead of red, and the eyes were green. Torth remembered how powerful that the black hedgehog had been. Eggman had obviously cloned him somehow. Torth assumed a battle stance, and prepared for any attack. The black hedgehog leapt from the far edge of the crater, unleashing a rain of yellow energy bolts which were similar to the ones Torth had faced earlier that day. Without time to raise a shield, Torth leapt to the side, avoiding the destructive bolts. Holding out his hand, he unleashed several energy balls, their purple/black coloring seeming to suck the light out of the air. The black hedgehog deftly avoided the barrage and unleashed a larger bolt of yellow energy. Torth leapt up this time, which was good, since the bolt spread along the ground in a wave, one that could not be dodged. Spreading his wings, Torth flew up. Now he would win. Unleashing a hellish barrage of energy balls, Torth filled the air with glowing purple globes. When they hit the ground, they exploded with enough force to form another crater, this one larger. The massive number of impacts in quick succession caused the ground to break apart. The hedgehog was scraped, but nothing more. Torth was surprised at its resilience. Torth unleashed another barrage, this time more concentrated. The black hedgehog tried to dodge, but Torth flew down and blew up the ground in front of it. The energy blasts created a huge inferno. Torth smiled. There was no way that the hedgehog had survived that blast without taking severe damage. Torth didn't expect the next attack to come from below, but it did. The black hedgehog burst from the ground right in front of him, landing a nasty uppercut to Torth's head. Flying backwards, Torth used the momentum to return to the sky. His nose was bleeding from the impact, and Torth could taste the tang of his own blood. Grimacing, he watched as the black hedgehog unleashed another yellow storm. Torth dodged out of the way. Time to get serious, he thought as a bolt narrowly missed. Activating his aura, Torth dove at the hedgehog, a spearhead of purple and black flames. He slammed his shoulder into the hedgehog's chest before it had time to react. He heard the black figure grunt as it was pushed from its position. Torth leapt back and smashed his wings together in front of him. The blast stunned the hedgehog, and Torth took the opportunity to blast it with a barrage of energy balls. Nearly all the balls connected and a huge purple and black firestorm covered the ground. However, once the dust settled, Torth saw the black hedgehog was still standing. The figure grinned and finally spoke.
"Well, I must say I'm quite surprised! You're not even on my list of high priority targets and you were able to damage me to this extent!" The hedgehog was grinning widely, and insane expression that disturbed Torth greatly. The figure crouched low its hands curling into fists. Torth leapt backwards, his wings providing him with enough momentum to soar almost 40 feet back, well out of the creature's range. Still grinning, the clone hurtled forwards, it hands crackling with yellow energy. Torth deftly evaded the punches and struck back, his arcing foot connecting with the side of the hedgehog's head. The figure flew back, twirling through the air. Torth pulled his foot back, regretting that he had had to use killing force. However, the hedgehog simply cracked its neck and grinned. Torth leapt back. This was a problem. This creature was incredibly resilient. Even breaking its neck hadn't worked. Torth decided that nothing he did at his current level would do anything other than annoy the creature. Leaping into the sky, Torth headed for the city as quickly as he could. The hedgehog leapt up as well, its hover shoes bursting into life, carrying the hedgehog across the air. Torth sped up and prayed he could make it back before the creature caught up.
