He had slight worry in his eyes and Knuckles could tell. They were only best friends.
"You think something's wrong?"
"Can't be too sure. But I think there's something going on that we don't know about."
"You have any idea where they are?"
"Only place they'd be would be the waterfront."
"Hydro powers. Of course."
"But they aren't."
"What?"
"Charmy flew down there while we were outside and said that he couldn't see them anywhere. That's when we came back, hoping they were back here already."
"Turns out they aren't."
"That's what bothers me. Espio's not one to run off with a stranger like that. He's smarter than that."
"Yes but also if something happened, you know how he'd react. He's just as impulsive as you sometimes. But he knows how to handle himself." He set a hand on Mighty's shoulder. "Don't worry about it too much man. They'll be fine."
"Can't help it."
"You act like you're missing someone important." Knuckles went back to lean against the counter and stared at him. His eyes were half lidded in something that he couldn't quite place. "Somethin' you're tryin' to hide Mighty?"
"If I were, it wouldn't be worth saying."
"Yes, but you'd keep it hidden until something drastic happened."
"So, I guess you'll just have to wait until that drastic moment. Huh?"
Knuckles smirked a bit and shrugged pushing himself up from the counter. "Guess so." He walked back into the living room.
"Hey Vector. Anything else you know ab—" he cute himself short when he saw a small figure at the doorway. A little girl, seeming not much older than Charmy himself, standing at the door crying.
"Please. Please help my sister."
"Mighty!" Knuckles cried back to the kitchen as Mighty walked quickly through the doorway.
"What?" He stopped wide-eyed. "Oh no." He walked closer and they all listened to the young girl's short and worried story.
"Please. My sister is trapped and she can't get away. She told me to come here. Please help. She needs you."
Knuckles looked out of the corner of his eyes to see Mighty's worry. He knew it was there.
"Mighty?" He broke his stare and looked to Knuckles and his stern gaze.
"Was there anyone with him?" Knuckles looked down to the small girl and her pleading eyes.
"Yes. A chameleon. He was with my sister. He tried to help, but couldn't get out. He stayed with Maria."
That was all Mighty needed to hear before walking up to the girl and bending down to be at eye level with her.
"Can you show us where your sister is?"
She nodded her head and he stood up and looked back to Knuckles.
"Let's go."
"Alright." Knuckles went up to the girl and in one swift motion, picked her up and propped her on his shoulders.
◊◊◊
"Shit!" Maria pulled at the chains but they wouldn't budge.
"Don't waste all your energy." Espio spoke not even looking at her.
"How can you just sit there and do nothing?" She looked at him in somewhat disgust.
"It's not worth it. If you waste all your effort just trying to get them off, then it would just be use for nothing. There's no way you can break these. They are solid steel. Besides, if by some chance we get the opportunity, you have to have the energy to fight back."
"You know, I'm sorry to say that I actually thought you reminded me of Eli." She paused and looked away. "I thought wrong. Eli was determined, forceful, focused, strong, intelligent. Something you're far from."
"Somehow I feel that you don't mean that."
"I don't beat around the bush Espio. Trust me, when I say something, I mean it."
"Well. Almost time. Aren't you excited Maria?" Maria looked up to the owner of the voice. Of course it was Kane. Who else was she expecting?
"You think you've won? News flash buddy boy, you still have to find the medallion. Good luck with that." She sneered and turned away.
"Oh but Maria. Are you that blind and stupid?" He bent down and fiddled with her necklace. "It's been right under your nose the entire time." He yanked at the necklace and she cringed as it pulled into the back of her neck.
"What are you talking about?"
"Your father never told you. He thought he was protecting you. Last words to me were "stay away from my daughter." Man, he must've thought I was an imbecile." He bounced the necklace up in down in his palm before turning around. "Must've been mistaken." He walked over to a large device and set the necklace pendent on top of it. "Oh and don't even bother trying to get out of those chains. Experimental metal. Stronger than diamonds. Only person able to break those is Neamiah, but oh, he's dead now too isn't he? Too bad. Was lookin' forward to another attempt at a rescue mission."
"Well Kane," a voice sounded and Maria's eyes instantly shut to the owner and filled with tears. "You got your wish."
Espio looked up and saw an echidna, cadet blue in color. He looked maybe a couple years his superior and was well shaped. He had a large scar that ran across his right eye, as if he were scratched.
"Who is this guy?" Espio thought as the mysterious echidna took at Kane with fists balled. Of course, a couple of Kane's bodyguards interfered and the echidna worked at taking them out.
Espio looked to Maria's tear filled eyes. She was trying to force them back and just as she was turning to face him, she looked up and her eyes immediately went as wide as physically possible.
"Mighty?"
"What?" Espio turned around and saw his armadillo friend standing about ten feet away hiding behind one of the metal machines. Mighty held a finger up to his mouth signaling for them to stay quiet.
Maria's gaze immediately fell back upon the new echidna's presence. Kane was creeping away and before Maria could yell anything, the echidna yelled out himself.
"Neamiah! The pendent!"
Maria's eyes only widened more than what they were before. Espio was still busy looking at Mighty who just then decided to creep over to where they were chained.
"Are you okay?" He spoke mainly to Maria.
"We're fine." Espio cut in, obviously signifying that he was in somewhat of a hurry to get up and out of there. Mighty turned Espio some ready to break the chains. That's when Maria grabbed hold of what was happening and looked to Mighty.
"You can't break them. They are too strong."
"Then what do we do."
"You stand back, and let me handle it." Yet another strange voice sounded above them and Maria looked up. Her eyes almost popped out of their sockets. She was in utter astonishment.
The stranger bent down and grabbed onto the heavy chain links in his fist. Espio could feel the strong surge of energy he sent through the metal and following, they shattered into thousands of pieces. It seemed as if they were made of glass.
Maria shot up into the arms of the stranger and they shared a strong embrace.
He let out a short chuckle before setting her back onto her feet.
"Glad to see you too but now's not the time."
"I thought you were dead. I saw you fall. What, where…" she took a minute of thought before she realized that he was smiling down at her triumphantly. "You mean…?" She stared up at him until he moved out of the way to reveal yet another person. This though, was a girl, about Maria's age. Also a feline. She was at one of the larger machines vigorously pushing buttons. "This can't be happening. I saw, you fall. You fell. You both went over that edge and you never came back up."
"We fell into a canyon Mia. A canyon composed solely of rock." He smiled.
"But why didn't you come back? You were gone for days."
"We ran into problems on our way out. But that's not important because we're fine. Everything's fine."
"No it's not. Kane is getting away with the medallion and he knows where I am and there's no st—" she was stopped by a finger to her rambling mouth.
"He hasn't won yet." The stranger pulled something on a chain out of his jean pocket and then opened his fits in front of her face to reveal the pendent that was rightfully hers.
"But, how?"
"I believe this is yours." He put it around her neck for her and then she looked over to Espio and Mighty.
"How'd you get here? How'd you find us?"
Mighty smiled a bit before turning around and whistling.
"We had some help." From behind a far corner, Knuckles and Vector appeared with Amy and Charmy right nearby.
"Amy!"
"Mia!" The small girl ran up to her elder sister and gave her a hug.
"You brought her back here?"
"We had to know where you were, and technically she brought herself." Maria let her younger sister down and looked back to where Kane should've been. "It doesn't matter right now. Just watch after her." She looked to Neamiah.
"I got somethin' else for ya." He pulled out her gun and tossed it over to her.
"Neamiah, you're truly my savior." She nodded her head to her other friends. "Let's go. We gotta get Kane before he gets away again."
Mighty looked up to Charmy.
"Look after Amy. Take her outside and wait. Don't let her out of your sight." Charmy did a salute to Mighty before hovering downward and grabbing onto Amy's arm pulling her back into the hallway and towards the exit of the building.
Mighty looked back to Maria and nodded his head. They all went out into the larger area ready to fight.
Espio got caught up with a guard and inflicted never-ending torture by amusing himself. He kept on disappearing and reappearing just to make the guard even angrier than what he was.
Mighty and Knuckles went at it with three other guards on the opposite side of the 'cave'. They seemed to be enjoying themselves as well. They acted like a tag team. It was interesting.
Vector was over at the controls with Natashia, at what could be assumed as helping her trying to crack down on the codes she was working at.
Maria instinctively went after Kane with Neamiah following close behind.
"Why bother Maria? If he's gone he's gone."
"I'm not letting him get away from me. Not this time." She turned a corner and in a sudden swoop, she was taken around the neck with a blade held to her throat. She had dropped her gun and Neamiah had backed away, pointing his beam saber towards, who else? Kane.
"Let her go Kane."
"No. There's no way I'm letting this wench get away with the medallion. I'm going to get that power if it's the last thing I do."
"I'll make sure it's the last thing you do you jackass." As Maria continued to struggle, she was being pulled backwards with Kane as he made his way to a large circular panel. Under the panel was a large pool of water. The circular platform was carved out like the looks of a clock, and that was when Neamiah started to know what he was planning. After seeing the pattern, he knew what was wrong with this. "Maria!" He called out but Kane was nearly choking her in his grasp. The sharpened blade was still being held to her throat. "Eli!" Neamiah cried back into the machine-surrounded room just hoping that he would hear.
"You see Maria? This is the best way. This way, you can join your parents. And don't worry, I'll be sure with the newly acquired power, that I send all your buddies with you. Your friends, your best friend, your sister. They'll all join you soon."
Maria continued to struggle, but the knife being held to her throat was really restricting her movements.
"You'll never get anywhere near the power you speak of." She rasped out of her mouth.
"Is that so? Well, I'll show you. You'll see. You'll all see. There's no chance I'm gonna let you get in my way." He finally backed all the way onto the platform.
Just then Eli came up next to Neamiah and took a step forward aiming his gun. Neamiah went in front of him and forced his arm down.
"What the hell?"
"Don't you might hit Maria."
"I ain't gonna hit her!" He aimed again but Neamiah stopped him again as Mighty and Knuckles came up as well.
"Just don't damn it. Watch." They did and suddenly, the whole platform started spinning.
"Shit." He dropped his gun and looked to Neamiah with worry in his gaze.
"See Maria? They aren't gonna help you. You'll die right here in my arms, like it's always supposed to have been. It's the end."
"And he'll be the one holding you with a blade to your throat laughing in the end," she ran through her head, just remember Eli's words. It hurt her more than anything to know that she could've stopped this, but didn't because she was too god damned stubborn to think any way other than her own.
"Not today. No way," she whispered as she elbowed Kane in the stomach as hard as she could and struggled as much as she could. She then grabbed at the knife realizing that he was not as focused on it and may have even forgotten he'd had it. She took it, and with both hands wrapped tightly around it, plunged it into Kane's chest.
The blood dripped from his chest onto the platform below, causing an odd reaction. Maria's head started to throb and she could do nothing but hold her hands to it trying to force the pain to leave.
Kane was dead, and she was wearing the medallion. That meant that, if she stayed in there, she'd die. She was worried for herself, but at the same time, she knew it was probably the best thing, for her and for everyone else.
Outside of the force field, the others had been preoccupied with fighting off more guards again.
Mighty pushed the guard away and looked up to Maria. Barely, but most definitely, he saw her eyes. Her large green eyes, staring down at him with confidence and fear all at the same time.
"Maria, no." All he thought were those words. He had no hiding it now. There was something about her that he just couldn't get over. He loved it. He loved her. He didn't doubt it anymore, and he wouldn't deny himself to it.
She seemed as if she was unable to move. It was like the mysterious glow coming from that platform had temporarily paralyzed her. She just stood there.
Mighty wasn't taking it well. He had to do something. He debated jumping in and grabbing her and pulling her out, but he didn't know exactly how dangerous that would be, for him and her. He didn't want to risk it, but he had to. There was no other option.
As he went to go towards the platform to help Maria, Espio grabbed his wrist.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"I have to do something. Now let go." He pulled away with ease and went back on his course set for the strange object.
"Mighty!" He cried out, but was no later occupied fighting off another man. "God damn it." He mumbled under his breath and that was all there was to it.
Mighty hurried over to the machine and stared up into it. Maria was still not moving. He was thinking that maybe, if he just jumped straight through it grabbing her carefully, then he and she'd be safe. He could only hope.
He studied how far and how high he'd have to jump.
◊◊◊
Maria was staring at her father. He was standing right there. Just in reach of her touch, her embrace, her love. He was all that she could see, then her mother standing behind him. He was speaking to her, and she was listening. She tried to talk back, but nothing escaped her throat. Nothing would come out.
"Aquamaria. Maria. This is not right. You cannot do this. You may not be able to see your mother and I, but we are always there. We are always with you. We do not need you. They need you. Your friends and your sister, need you. You cannot leave them again. The pendent was not meant as a curse, it was meant as a hope. A form of faith. Do not let it sway you. Take care, my Maria. We will miss you. Until your time." He suddenly faded. His image, him and Maria's mother, their faces just vanished. It was like they were never even there. Maria's eyes welled with tears, but they didn't fall. It was like someone was there, catching them just as they seeped from the corner of her eyes. She tried so hard to hold her hand out to them, finally getting it at a 90 degree angle with her body. After doing so, she couldn't breathe. Suddenly, the wind had been knocked out of her. She closed her eyes in sudden pain and when she opened her eyes, she was in, Mighty's arms.
She slowly opened her eyes and looked up into him.
"M-Mighty?" Her eyes became wet again and she just clung to him. She embraced him just loving the fact that he was there. He was there holding her, protecting her.
Suddenly, the ground took an unexpected jerk beneath them and they suddenly saw large slates of rock fall from the ceiling and smash into the ground. Maria and Mighty heard Natashia yell something out. Only after a bit did they realize what exactly it was.
"This place is comin' down! We need to get outta here!"
"Mighty!" Knuckles came around the side of the huge machine and went up to Mighty and Maria. "Is she okay?"
"She's fine, but I don't think she's quite able to move yet." He scooped her up into his arms and cradled her there close to his chest. "Let's go."
"Right."
They rushed towards where everyone else was hurrying towards the exit. They needed to get out and they needed to get out right away.
"Jesus Christ." Neamiah leaned over himself completely out of breath, holding his weight up on his knees.
"Holy shit." Natashia was also breathing deeply, trying to regain her physical rate.
"Damn. Everyone all right?" Eli looked up and around counting with his eyes and scanning everyone. Everyone was there. Everyone was safe. His eyes were drawn to the strange armadillo and Maria who were standing some 10 feet away, by themselves looking straight at each other.
"Thank you Mighty. Thank you for everything."
"It was all worth it."
"You saved me. Why?"
"That's what people do. They protect the people they l—" he cut himself short and a small smile could be seen on Maria's face. He looked down to her and smiled back. "Love."
She smiled bigger and wrapped her arms around the back of his neck pulling him downward into a passionate kiss.
Eli watched and smirked a bit realizing that she was finally happy. She maybe didn't have everything back that she'd ever wanted, but she was happy. He waited a few moments before walking over to them as they parted and looking down to Maria.
She smiled bigger and jumped into his arms, giving him a huge hug. She had missed him all those years. She held on like she never wanted to let go again.
"You know there's still someone here you haven't greeted." He smiled at her as he placed her gently back on the ground. "Someone I think deserves it."
Maria smiled a bit shyly and looked over to Natashia who was still trying to regain what little breath she had to yet.
Maria walked over to her and faced her. They stared into each other's eyes for what seemed like years. It was broken when Natashia finally broke the silence.
"Thought I'd never see you again. Like I lost the biggest piece of my heart when you left."
"Well, now you have that piece back." They smiled and gave each other a huge, long hug.
Best friends. Best friends that hadn't seen each other in years. One thinking the other was dead and the other thinking that one was gone forever. It was like the breaking of floodgates. It was that important to them.
Everything was finally as it was supposed to be. Maria finally let herself realize that. At that moment she was learning that life was the way it was for a distinct reason. Everything and everyone was how and where it and they should be. Nothing could make anything any better than it was. It was as good as it gets.
