...this was taking forever.
Ever since he had woken up from the nap he had taken on the way here, he had found himself in a... to be frank, very cozy holding cell. It honestly seemed more like a bedroom than an actual prison cell; with a proper bed to lie on, a window giving him some fresh air and light, and a desk; likely to write memoires and such on.
Still, Metal was getting somewhat anxious. Since the day started, he had heard that the negotiation between the Commander and King's admins had basically gone nowhere. Not that the Commander didn't want to help Metal out, but, with his past as a notorious killing machine created by Eggman, it was hard to find some way to help him out without seeming like either a brainwashed victim, or a fanatic supporter of him.
"...just be quick..." he murmured, as he lied down on the bed; closing his eyes to try and get some shut-eye, until more developments would happen.
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
Metal slowly sat up upon hearing that. "...come in..."
The door was opened by one of the soldiers of the many that guarded by Metal's door, allowing someone to walk in.
"Thanks," Cal said to them, while they shut the door. Then he glanced at Metal. "…been awhile since we've seen each other, hasn't it Metal?" he muttered.
"...a few years now, yes..." Metal hummed, as he glanced to the side. "...so... has there been any progress, Calculate?"
"…We…" Cal sighed at this, bringing up a chair and sitting in it. "…we had to resort to telling him the whole thing...they're all still trying to explain it when I left, and the Sergeant was well…speechless as far as they've told him…"
"...so has pretty much everyone else, though..." Metal murmured. "...but I have my doubts that he'll sympathize with me just because he'd hear the story... he lost his daughter when I conquered Westopolis years ago..."
Cal fell silent at that…he didn't know that, and now that Metal told him, well… he felt guilty. One of the reasons that Metal invaded Westopolis was because of a mistake he had made back then…
"...well..." Metal murmured, as he glanced to the side. "...no one else but me could be considered the culprit of that..." Then, he folded his arms. "...in any case... they won't be finished for a while, I take it."
"…that we can be sure of…" Cal muttered. "…I heard bits and pieces, but what happened out there yesterday, Metal?"
Metal looked down at his hands. "...we were watching over Joy... then, all of a sudden, GUN soldiers storm into the room... when they threatened to take Joy from us... Jill snapped." He shuddered. "She... and Callous, too, I think... they unleashed this chilling power... and these dark dogs tried tearing the soldiers apart. I stopped her before she could cause any casualties... but then she..." He clenched his hands. "...she... saved me from being struck by a weapon designed to short-circuit my systems..."
Cal's eyes widened in shock.
"…is she okay…?" he uttered after a while.
"...yes." Metal nodded. "...she took a hit, but... I managed to heal her. Though... when she was wounded like that, I realized that... unless I find a way to repent for what I've done in the past... then both Jill and Joy could continue to be hurt because of me..."
Cal fell silent again when he heard that.
"...that's why I'm here..." Metal murmured. "...it pains me to leave them, but... I don't want to see them hurt because of me, Calculate..."
"…I can understand that…" Cal uttered, swallowing a little.
"...hopefully, the conclusion that the Commander comes to shouldn't keep me from them for far too long..." Metal hummed with a bit of hope in his voice. "...I wouldn't bear not being able to hear their voices again..."
"…well, we're doing what we can Metal," Cal said as a means to be encouraging. "I just wish that it didn't have to come to—!"
Cal suddenly stopped, freezing in place. Normally, Metal would have questioned this...
...but he froze as well. He recognized that feeling. "...Calculate. Quick, turn invisible. Something's coming... from down below us."
"…I really hope it's not what I think…" Call uttered, jumping up from his seat to turn invisible.
Standing up in his bed, Metal narrowed his eyes...
...and from the floor, someone popped out; landing on his feet in front of Metal. "...here you are." the mole uttered. "We've got business with you."
Metal narrowed his eyes. "...you're not the one..." Quickly, he shot a glare towards the hole; his fist glowing a pale green.
Shadows crept out of the hole then; making Cal's invisible eyes' widen.
And there was a laugh, "Oh man, this stuff is great! I don't know what I was so scared about!" And up came a panther, grinning at Metal.
Metal simply narrowed his eyes. "...be scared of this."
Without missing a single beat, Metal rushed forward to punch the panther's gut with that glowing fist.
The panther got hit, and he howled out more painfully than he should from a punch. He jumped away from Metal, shuddering. "Wh-what did you d-do? Wh-wh-what power i-is that?"
The mole looked at Metal in slight fear as well.
"...this is the antithesis of that wretched power coursing through you." Metal uttered. "...Purity..." With a narrowed look, Metal slowly approached the panther. "...stay still; I'll be rid of the darkness for you..."
"...be rid of...?" the mole uttered. "...you mean... this Purity is highly effective against Corruption..."
"H-hey! That's not gonna h-hurt is it?" the panther uttered.
Seeing no real threat, despite the fact that this panther had been Corrupted, Cal appeared from invisibility. "No, it shouldn't hurt," he spoke out.
"Wha- where'd you come from?" the mole sputtered.
"...it likely felt painful, when Corruption first bonded to you." Metal uttered. "...Purity is a soothing counter-measure to that horrid force. Please, allow me to purify you, before things go horribly wrong..."
"…n-no! It might be a trick!"
And in a panic, the panther shot a punch for Metal's face, coated with Corruption.
Metal, however, simply caught it with the Purity-imbued hand; causing the Corruption to sizzle away. "...you're dealing with someone who has seven years worth of experience with all three forces... you're naught but a novice who was corrupted recently..." Then, he closed his eyes. "...I want to help you; no questions asked. This Corruption might end up killing you..."
"...killing him?" the mole uttered. "...she... didn't exactly allude to that..."
Metal blinked. "...she?"
"…and that little brat never told me there was a way to fight this energy!" the panther uttered, yanking away his hand from Metal.
"…little…brat?" Cal grabbed the panther. "…who? Who are you talking about?"
"This little girl in the pink overalls; maybe five or six," the panther uttered. "She had brown hair and these curly horns and…y'know!"
All color shrank from Cal's face then, dropping the panther to the ground weakly.
One certain color, however, seemed to flow through Metal at that very moment...
...red...
...for anger.
"...you cannot be serious." Suddenly, Metal grabbed hold of the panther, and slammed him against the door; Purity surging from his hands. "YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS! WHERE DID YOU SEE THIS GIRL?"
The panther screamed, "AAAAUGH!" and tried to keep himself calm from all the pain and panic he was experiencing. "Sh-sh-sh-she b-broke us o-out and s-she gave me th-this p-power and went o-of with Patricia and Bulk!"
Metal kept gripping him. "WHAT WAS HER NAME?" he roared.
"SHE CALLED HERSELF M-MALICE!" the panther yelped. "B-BUT PATRICIA TALKED SOMETHING ABOUT HOW THE GIRL WAS A HOST!"
"Host…?" Cal uttered.
There was no way that description could possibly fit anybody else…even if it had been awhile since Cal saw her, he still knew what she looked like…
…but the news that something had taken over the little girl…he had no idea how to process the news…
…or how Metal would, for that matter…
Metal just looked at the panther in disbelief...
...and tears began swelling in his eyes.
The very thought that something with such malicious intent... such a creature that could imbue others with Corruption... had overtaken his own daughter... it crushed his very spirit to think the thought.
No, it didn't just crush his spirit... it utterly demolished it. Never had he felt such a heavy sorrow sink down upon him... not since Jill had taken her own life just to save him from Callous...
"...my... d-daughter..." Uttering that, Metal closed his eyes to keep himself from just breaking into tears; all while his hands began glowing more intensely with Purity.
The panther grunted in pain, while black goo started to drip off from his feet and sizzle away.
"...she's... being possessed... and she's here...?" Metal kept uttering; clenching his hands tighter around the panther.
"...ah- Tear!" the mole sputtered. "What's he doing to ya?"
"…I…don't know…" the panther, Tear, answered his friend. Even more goo dripped from him, and he started changing back into what he was.
"...why... why did this have to happen...?" Metal uttered, as his head actually sank down; a few sobs escaping him as this thought just struck him repeatedly.
"…I…didn't know she was your daughter…" Tear uttered, finally reverting completely back to his original state while the last of the Corruption dripped and sizzled away from him.
"...no way..." the mole uttered.
"...where... where was she headed...?" Metal uttered. "...please... I... I need to see her..."
Instantly, the mole's eyes shot open. "...oh, no." he whispered in terror. "...we need to get out of here."
"Why?" Cal asked.
"...because..." the mole uttered, before he looked at the hole. "...chances are... she's coming right to where we are..."
Metal's eyes widened. "...what...?"
"...but this isn't any happy family reunion..." the mole continued, as he looked at Metal. "...she said she wanted revenge... I think she wants to kill you, Metal Sonic..."
"…that entity wants revenge?" Cal uttered. "For what?"
"…she said something about wanting revenge for what Metal Sonic did to her parents…" Tear muttered faintly.
"…for what she did to…what are you talking about?" Cal uttered, but when he glanced at Tear, he had fainted right then and there.
Metal kept processing this... and then it suddenly hit him.
This Malice... an entity living inside of his daughter, Joy's head... who could use Corruption... somehow, he seemed to just figure it out from putting the pieces together.
"...dear god..." Metal uttered, as he let go of Tear. "...she's out for vengeance... because of what happened to Callous and Johnny..."
"...look, I don't know who those guys are, but we should get out of here." the mole uttered. "I can dig a way out of here; you should be able to run away from here before they-"
"Wait!" Quickly, Metal glanced at the mole. "The panther... he said that two others had been struck with Corruption!"
"...yeah?" the mole uttered.
"...then... where in the building are they?"
And suddenly, the alarms started going off in the facility, with flashing red lights and loud sirens.
"...there's your answer!" the mole sputtered.
"...shit." With a hiss, Metal shot a look towards Cal. "You have to hurry and get to the others, before things get too out of control." Then, he looked towards the mole. "You have to take me to my daughter."
"..I... y-yes!" the mole nodded.
Cal vanished from sight then.
Back in the Commander's office…
"Oh what now?" Boomer growled, looking up at the flashing red lights.
"...an intruder...?" the Commander uttered.
"...keke? Who could it be?" Ripper uttered.
"Something tells me that it's big." King growled, as he cracked his neck. "...I'll check it out." Quickly, he walked towards the door, and opened it up.
Hunter suddenly got a really bad feeling though…enough that his eyes widened at it…
"King, NO!" and he pushed his best friend out of the way of the door, right before something shot through and hit the wall behind the Commander.
It blasted a hole clear through the wall... but the only one who actually remained stoic at this was the Commander, who simply glared at the door. "...Patricia Novagod... and Barrage "Bulk" Waters."
"...aaw, you remembered my full name." Standing in the doorway were a male crocodile and a female bat; the former who shot the Commander a wicked grin. "I'm here to get some payback, bitch."
Just as all of the soldiers in the room went on the defensive, the Commander simply narrowed her eyes. "...there, Sergeant... there you can see what evil Corruption may produce."
The Sergeant gawked at the two entering the room.
"…so you know about Corruption…" the bat, Patricia, spoke. "…I suppose you wouldn't happen to know my uncle, would you?" and she raised her arms, making the shadows rise and attack the soldiers.
However, the shadows were met with a psychic barrier, courtesy of Sage. "...I don't think so!" she uttered; keeping the soldiers safe for the time being.
"...your uncle..." the Commander hummed. "...perhaps I do... and perhaps I don't. Tell me why a criminal like yourself should be privy to that manner of information?"
"…because a little bird told me that he created this power…or in this case, a little ewe girl…" Patricia spoke.
Boomer's eyes widened. "…what?"
Charmy grit his teeth. "…I really hoped that wasn't the case…"
"...the hell are you talking about?" King uttered.
Sage's eyes quickly widened. "...oh, no... you cannot be serious."
"...I think we've wasted enough time here." With a grunt, Bulk suddenly rushed up to the barrier, and began rapidly punching it with Corruption; rattling it with every slam against it.
Sage grit her teeth as she focused on holding the barrier up. "...shit... he's strong!"
Glaring at the two of them, the Commander closed her eyes. "...if you want me to talk, then you might as well forget it. I won't say a word to you, Novagod."
"…that's alright Commander…just knowing that you were hiding information from me is enough of a reason for payback, as well as locking me up," Patricia spoke, rushing to aid Bulk in beating down against the barrier. "Besides, it sounds like there are plenty others that know the same kind of information."
"...damn it... I can't keep the barrier up much longer!" Sage screamed.
The Commander simply narrowed her eyes, without looking too worried.
"Alright; just a bit more, and I get to rip you to shreds with this new power!" Bulk called, as the barrier was physically cracking up.
"...Sage..." At that point, Miser stepped forward; glaring at the two of them. "Release the barrier."
Shooting her a concerned look, Sage narrowed her eyes. "...if you say so." Then, while the two Corruption-imbued prisoners were reeling up for another punch, the barrier disappeared...
"YAAAAAHHH!" And Miser charged at the two of them with enough force to tear the walls behind them apart; knocking them away from the Commander's office.
Patricia was surprised by that…but not enough to not do anything in response; she lurched at Miser with her hand covered in Corruption. However, Miser grabbed her wrist and practically crushed it in her grip, before giving Patricia a solid headbutt.
"You fucking bitch!" Suddenly, Bulk lurched forward and snapped his powerful jaws around Miser's other arm.
With naught but a flinch, Miser proceeded to slam Bulk right into Patricia; knocking the two of them away from her.
"...we need to help her." King uttered. "She can't fight them off all on her own!"
"No, we need to get out of here!"
"Cal!" Boomer saw the monkey appear from thin air in the hall. "Just what the hell took your sweet time?" she grumbled.
"Really, really bad news!" Cal uttered. "But right now all of us are in danger! We HAVE to get out of here! This whole thing was planned!"
"Planned?" Newt sputtered. "By... by who?"
Sage narrowed her eyes. "...by that little certain ewe." she hissed. Instantly, she looked at Cal. "Calculate, where's Metal?"
"He went to look for her!" Cal uttered.
"...I thought so." With a hiss, Sage turned to look towards Miser; who was still fighting Patricia and Bulk off. "...some of us need to give Miser back-up. If Metal goes up against her alone..."
"...we'll continue the negotiations later." the Commander uttered. "Teams Alpha, Chaotix! Support the Safe Haven administrators in resolving the situation!"
"...yes, Commander." With a nod, Wiper looked at Charmy. "Shall we get started?"
"Yes, let's…" Charmy said with a serious look…
…and a powerful energy exploded out, powerful enough to push Miser back a bit. Patricia panted to catch her breath…clenching her hands.
The Sergeant just stared. He never saw a power like this…until he saw what Jill almost did to his men…and with some of the information that they just told him…he was still silent.
"...not bad..." Bulk uttered. "...you're getting better at it." Then, he slowly opened his mouth, with Corruption gathering in his mouth; swirling...
"...everyone, move out!" Quickly, Sage took the Commander and the Sergeant, while the others quickly ran out of the room...
"...DIE!" And with a mighty roar, Bulk shot out a powerful beam of Corruption; which Miser narrowly managed to duck under, before the office was utterly demolished by this strong attack.
"…damn…" Patricia actually smiled at that. "That's powerful…"
Cal stood there then, pulling out his katanas…
"…you guys are still amateurs at it…" he growled.
"And who are you to call us amateurs?" Patricia scoffed.
"…anyone can use it when they're infected…but it takes talent to be able to repress that kind of power inside you for years on end…"
And a dark glow appeared around his katanas, to Patricia's amazement. She only just now sensed the Corruption in him starting to stir.
"...oh, is that right?" Bulk hummed, before he cracked his neck; Corruption swelling around him in an aura. "...why don't you come and see who the stronger one is; The amateur or the guy with actual practice?"
Cal struck the two katanas together, creating a black flame around his blades. "Let's see then," he said, lunging after Bulk with a few swings of the sword. With a laugh, Bulk began evading the blades, and threw some punches at Cal. Cal was swift to avoid the punches, and he jabbed his katanas more at Bulk.
Patricia, in the meantime, headed toward the group while Cal was busy with Bulk; Corruption oozing out of her hands, "…it feels so…natural…for me…" she uttered.
"...must run in the family."
Before Patricia could get much closer, Natal suddenly drew her blade and pointed it at the bat. "...doesn't surprise me."
"...King, Hunter, Ripper, Queen, Boomer, Charmy, Newt, Rudy." Wiper hummed, as he glared at Patricia as well. "Take the Commander and Sergeant with you, and find Metal."
"...right." King uttered. "You all stay safe, here."
"Don't worry about us, King." Miser uttered, as she stood next to Natal whilst glaring at Patricia. "Now go."
"Be careful you guys!" Rudy called out, hopping away quickly.
"C'mon!" he said to the Sergeant, grabbing him and following Rudy.
As the others ran off, the Commander shot another look back at the scene, before she ran off.
Finally, one of Cal's blades struck Bulk... but it barely even scratched him. From what it seemed like, Corruption had considerably strengthened the crocodile's scales. "...that all you got?" With a hum, Bulk aimed a powerful kick at Cal.
Cal was pushed back by that kick, breathing. "…not at all…" and Corruption amassed around him, for him to charge at Bulk again.
"You are all a curious bunch…" Patricia spoke to Natal, Wiper and Miser. "…you knew all along about these powers…and even about my uncle…why is that?" Instead of waiting for their answer though, she threw her arms forward and shot out waves of Corruption at them.
Once more, though, a psychic barrier was formed in front of the waves. "None of your business." Sage uttered.
As the barrier quickly disappeared, Wiper shot forward to quickly jab his fingers into Patricia's body; hurriedly striking her pressure points before she'd be able to counter him.
When Cal charged, however, Bulk just grabbed the monkey, and grew a powerful iron grip whilst keeping him constrained. "...you're not half bad... but nothing special, really." Before Cal could stop him, Bulk grabbed hold of his tail, before he began slamming him against the walls like a flail.
While Patricia collapsed numbly to the ground, Cal grunted in pain every time he got slammed against the wall, and it didn't help that Bulk was holding him by his tail.
"...is this it?" Bulk laughed. "Is this all seven years gets ya, you little monkey?"
That made Cal mad…which gave him enough strength to stop himself on the next wall with his feet.
"Don't mock me…"
And he yanked his tail out, shooting off the wall to kick him in the face…which was basically a punch with his hand-like feet. The punch made Bulk stagger back a bit, but he still kept his cool; wiping his lips a bit.
"...then you'd better shut me up." With a grin, Bulk stomped the ground to send a Corruption shockwave right at Cal. Cal jumped over it, flipping with a couple more kick-punches to him. Bulk proceeded to block these punches, before trying to throw his own punches at the monkey. It became a series of blocks and punches between the two for a while…
Meanwhile, Patricia slowly started to twitch, gaining the ability to move… and she stood up from where she collapsed.
"...don't think you'll be able to stand for longer." Wiper uttered, as he narrowed his eyes. "I can easily strike your pressure points once more."
"...she's going down." Natal uttered.
"…I'm not going to be done for a long time…" Patricia said, moving her should around. "I've been cooped up in that jail cell for a long time…and I want my freedom!"
And she raised her hands, for the shadows to come out of the floor and surround them in terms of numbers to attack them.
However, before Wiper, Natal and Sage could be overwhelmed, Miser was quick to toss them over the walls of shadows, before shooting a glare at Patricia. "Come on, then! See how your shades fare against an immortal!"
Patricia held her hands closely together. "Okay then…"
The Corruption created a long chain with a gigantic spiked ball at the end of it, and she swung it around. "So I can't kill you…but I'm sure I can still make you feel pain!" and she swung the ball at them.
Without even skipping a beat, Miser caught the giant ball with just one hand; managing to stop it after skidding back a bit. "...I doubt it." she hissed, before suddenly reeling the ball towards her, so Patricia would be pulled towards her.
Patricia, being yanked toward her, decided to throw a kick on her way toward Miser.
Miser took that kick... without even flinching. With a yell, she quickly grabbed a hold of Patricia, before suddenly jamming her horns into her chest. Patricia gave out a yell at that…
Meanwhile, someone finally got hit in the frenzy of blocks and punches, and Cal stumbled back, with his glasses falling to the ground while he wiped his bloodied lips.
Smacking his own bloody lips together, Bulk cracked his neck. "...so, you want me to stop mocking you yet? Because you're not very good at convincing me to do so." Without missing a beat, Bulk quickly grabbed the floor underneath him, and tossed his arms up so that Corruption shot through the floor right towards Cal.
Cal was knocked against the wall with a pained grunt, and with that wave, it sent his glasses against the wall, shattering the glass in them.
Patricia pushed Miser away and looked down at her chest where a big bloody hole was where her horn stabbed her.
"...what's the matter...?" Miser grunted, as she wiped the blood off her face. "...it doesn't hurt, I take it."
"…no…it doesn't…"
Patricia looked down, watching the wound slowly shrink away. While she was secretly amazed by this, she wouldn't let that distract her, while looking back at Miser. She was starting to get the hang of this Corruption thing…
And she raised her arms, bringing out blades of darkness that extended out from them.
Cal could feel himself getting weaker, but he remained on his feet, glaring at Bulk.
"...look at you; you're pathetic." Bulk scoffed, as he slowly approached Cal with a smirk; gripping his throat. "...better that I end you right here, before anyone else sees how pitiful you look..." And he opened his mouth; Corruption oozing from his very breath and drool, as he seemed ready to just bite Cal's head off right then and there.
Cal turned away with a wince. "You need a breath mint…" he uttered.
"...you won't need to worry about that; because you'll be dead, soon." Bulk chuckled. "But I guess you should be happy... you won't get to see me killing everyone you hold dear in this goddamn building."
Cal clutched to the hand that held him up, trying to break free…but Bulk could tell that when he said that, it really started to bother him.
"...oh, am I touching a nerve?" Bulk chuckled. "...you know... I've heard quite a bit about you in Team Chaotix and Alpha... in fact, it was the bullfrog who threw me in the clink, before you showed your face around here." Then, he chuckled. "...maybe I won't kill her. Maybe I'd just... corrupt her? It could be interesting to see if she'd lose herself to darkness... or fully embrace it." Then, he grinned wider. "...you've had that thought too... haven't you?"
Cal's eyes widened, gritting his teeth. "…you keep her out of this…" he growled.
"...why? You want her for yourself?" Bulk chuckled, as his grip grew stronger. "...oh, I get it... you're an item, aren't you?" Then, he glanced at Natal, whose attention was on the battle between Patricia and Miser. "...she's certainly a catch... you sure you haven't thought about using Corruption on her? Because I'm tempted to do just that right now..."
Cal's heart started picking up the pace more rapidly…
"…you touch her and I'll make sure you die a slow, painful death…" he snarled, feeling the Corruption inside of him grow more unstable. He wanted to try and control it, he really did…but his growing anger made it harder and harder to do so.
"...oh, is that anger I hear?" Bulk chuckled. "...well, don't worry; I'll be sure to kill you before you can kill me... then I'll take care of your grieving girlfriend. Very good care of her..."
Cal's heart built up…and then suddenly stopped altogether…
Cal's eyes flashed with rage. "RRRAAAAAAUGH!" and he kicked Bulk off with a tremendous amount of power, knocking him against the wall. The air was knocked out of Bulk, but he remained calm; simply glaring at Cal.
That, however, caught Natal's attention, as she turned to witness this. "...Cal...!" she gasped.
Cal heaved for his breath with a growl, feeling Corruption ooze off of him. "Now you made this personal!" he screamed at him, holding out his arm. The Corruption created a long scythe like blade longer than his arm, and he ran at Bulk to try and stab him with it.
With a growl, Bulk slammed his arm against this scythe blade; his scales just barely enough to keep it from digging into his flesh. Roaring, Bulk formed a smaller, dagger-like blade of Corruption from his palm, before he thrust it at Cal's gut. Cal snatched his wrist to stop him, clenching down with a grip while he tried to push the scythe blade against him more.
Sparks were literally shooting off Bulk's arm as he pushed against Cal's grip; still trying to even prod him with the blade.
Natal's eyes widened in fear, as she just looked at this whilst being frozen to the spot. "...Cal..."
Cal started to look more demented…he looked darker, and more intent on practically murdering Bulk for what he said, holding the blade in his palm away from him while he continued to push against him; slowly beating him at it.
Bulk started hissing; a bit peeved that he was being outmatched... but still, he kept grinning. "...what's the matter? Go on... kill me." he began taunting; even retracting the dagger blade from his palm.
Cal didn't seem to hesitate, bringing out his other hand to create another blade. Bulk simply grinned; as if seeing Cal lose himself to the darkness was amusing to him.
"...Cal, STOP!" Suddenly, Natal leaped towards the two of them; slashing her sword against Bulk to knock him away...
And before Cal could stop himself, he ended up slashing at Natal…and reacting with a startled gasp afterwards. Natal's eyes widened, as the dark blade quickly pierced her flesh... and black goo began swelling around her wound.
"...well, now..." Bulk uttered, as he grinned. "...guess you got to corrupt her, after all..."
"NATAL!" Cal pulled away, making the blades from his arm vanish. Natal simply sunk to the floor; clutching the wound with a pained look.
Cal's scream had gotten the attention of Wiper, Sage and Miser; all of them looking towards the bullfrog with a startled look.
"...alright!" Before Miser could react, Bulk suddenly rushed to tackle her away from Patricia, before he looked at the bat. "...I think we've done our part. Let's get out of here."
"Right," Patricia grabbed him, and the two of them sunk beneath the floor in shadows, slithering away…
Cal rushed to Natal, holding her. "Natal! I'm so sorry!" he uttered in fright.
"...you... you were... going to lose yourself..." Natal uttered, as she looked at Cal with a pained smile. "...I... didn't want that to happen to you..."
"...shit!" Cursing, Sage glanced to the side. "...Cal, Wiper. Get Natal some place she can rest. Miser, come with me; we need to find Metal." With that, she rushed off; Miser quickly following her.
"No Natal, you…you shouldn't have…" Cal uttered fearfully. "…j-just hold on o-okay? We'll get help for you!" with that, he whisked her up into his arms. "C'mon Wiper!" he uttered, running off in a different direction. Wiper quickly ran after them.
Malice wandered around the place trying to find Metal, now that the soldiers were taking care of the grunt work that she couldn't handle…
She looked in a lot of rooms.
Where the fuck is he? She wondered… This place was huge for a little girl like her, and if she had to take the time to look through every single room, it'll take forever…and take up time that she can't afford to lose.
Then, she stopped at one particular room.
There, she saw a blue, bloodied figure lying on the ground, with Rath standing over him and breathing heavily; blood dripping from his claws. "...stubborn bastard..." he uttered.
"…did'ja get 'im?" Malice asked, walking toward him.
"...yeah..." Rath uttered. "...he's not dead, though... I figured you'd want the honors."
Malice smirked. "…that was nice of you…" and she walked toward the blue, bloodied figure.
It was breathing, but didn't make an effort to move.
"…look at you…" Malice chuckled. "…didn't think you'd be brought down by me, would you? While Joy is tucked away deep in the recesses of my mind, I cause my mayhem…and there's nothing you could've done about it…"
She giggled devilishly. "I'll take you down…and then Jill…and then once I find out how to bring Johnny and Callous back to life, I'll show those morons what fun they're missing out on…"
"...is that so..." the figure coughed.
"Yeah…" Malice chuckled. "…my Mother may have given up on trying to fight her place, but I sure as hell won't…and Joy's too weak to stand up against me anyway…" she raised her hand to prepare for the final blow.
"...is that so..." the figure coughed again. "...is that so... is that so... is that so... is that so..."
Malice's hand fell back down, with wide eyes. "…what?"
"...is that so... is that so... is that so... is that so... is that so... is that-" And suddenly, the figure's speech became garbled and unintelligible.
"...so?"
At that point, a pair of arms, shining with Purity, suddenly grabbed hold of Malice and kept her from moving. Malice yelped.
"...tell me... what made you think that you would be able to have a lowly thug kill me...?" Metal's voice uttered hauntingly.
Malice grit her teeth. "…I guess I should've known better then!"
"...and what would make you think that I would ever allow you to lay a hand on Jill...?" Metal hissed, as his grip on her kept tightening. "...now... what do I need to do to get you out of my daughter's mind?"
"You think I'd tell you?" Malice growled.
"...of course not..." Then, more Purity surged through those hands. "...I will just have to try, until I find something that works."
Malice growled, and grunted in pain from that.
"...you don't react well with Purity..." Metal mused.
"Gee, you don't think?" Malice snarled…while an aura of Corruption built up around her.
"...uh..." Quickly, Rath began stepping away from this.
"...tsch..." To counteract this aura, Metal formed an aura of Purity around himself. And Malice worked to intensify her own aura, fighting back Metal.
The two auras were practically melding together; though Metal showed no sign of weakening against Malice's efforts. Malice looked like she was trying harder and harder in refusal to submit to it. Likewise, Metal was intent on not giving up in wake of this; his aura growing stronger, and yet... soothing, as well.
Just then, a few tears trickled down Malice's face then. "…hm…?" and she was surprised by it.
"D…Daddy…" uttered a weak, hurt voice from her mouth, while her eyes turned green.
Hearing that voice, Metal's eyes shot open. "...Joy..."
More and more tears flowed from her eyes, clutching to Metal's arms. "…Daddy…" she uttered shakily, while the aura of Corruption slowly started to fade.
"...Joy..." Metal uttered, as he felt himself start crying a bit as well. "...don't worry... I'm here... I'm going to help you..."
"…D-Daddy…" Joy started sobbing a bit. "…Daddy…you have to stay away…you have to stay away or you'll get hurt…"
"...Joy... I... I can't let you get hurt..." Metal uttered. "...I want to help you..."
Joy let out a few more sobs. "…Daddy…you gotta stay away…"
Suddenly, the child spun around in his arms, with those icy blue eyes flashing at him, and she took her arm, aiming a jab right for Metal's gut. "AAAGUH!"
Metal's eyes widened, and he took the punch; enough to send him skidding away from her. Gritting his teeth, he looked back at her. The girl wiped her eyes and huffed angrily, glaring at Metal.
"It's not fair…" Malice growled, clenching her fists.
"...what...?" Metal uttered.
"…she gets two parents…and even if she lost her real dad, she still got another one…" Malice growled…and the angrier she got, the more Corruption emitted from her. "…and everyone makes such a fucking deal about her…"
Narrowing his eyes, Purity began swelling from Metal's body as well. "...you're... jealous...?" he uttered.
"…jealous…angry…frustrated…and I hate all of you!" Malice growled.
"...just a child, speaking like that..." Metal uttered...
...when he noticed something being tossed at him; making him reach out to catch it. "...hm?"
"Use that!" Rath called to him. "I've heard the stories... you can use Chaos Control! Freeze her in time!"
Metal looked at what Rath had tossed at him... and blinked in surprise to see that it was a green Chaos Emerald. ...a... fake one?
Malice smirked when she saw that. "Well…"
And the shadows jumped out of the ground, yanking that emerald out of Metal's grasp to bring it to Malice.
Both Metal and Rath reeled back when they saw that. "...no!"
"Maybe I can put this thing to good use!" Malice chuckled. When she gripped the Chaos Emerald, it started to glow…and a large mass of Corruption exploded out of her. "Whoa! It's got power!" she laughed.
"Gah!" Rath sputtered. "Oh... oh no!"
"...tsch..." Metal hissed, as he narrowed his eyes. A Chaos Emerald in the hands of someone of her caliber, even a fake one, could be catastrophic...
Laughing even more, the Chaos Emerald grew brighter for Malice. From her massive aura, many waves of Corruption and Chaos Energy shot at the hedgehog.
Hissing, Metal quickly created a barrier of Unity, which barely managed to hold against that powerful assault. "...damn..."
Malice kept up her attacks, cackling.
Metal kept defending himself as best he could. "...JOY!" he called. "If you can hear me... then please, try and fight back!"
Just then, the emerald shattered in Malice's hands. "…huh?" she uttered, while her aura died out. "…a fake one?" she tossed the remaining pieces away.
Then her eyes peered over, and noticed some containment units…over where Rath was. "…so, they made a bunch of fake ones…" she muttered. The shadows lurched at them, grabbing a few, and Malice was granted another one.
She smirked at Metal. "At this rate, I'll beat you down to a bloody pulp!"
Looking back at her, Rath hissed... "...two can play at that game." Quickly, he grabbed some and tossed them towards Metal, who caught them as well.
"...if you intend to fight... then let's do so." Metal uttered, as he glared at Malice.
Malice raised her hand with the emerald…and then stopped.
"…hm…?"
And her eyes turned green, falling back against the wall, holding her pounding heart…more tears came out of her sorrowful eyes again. "…you gotta stay away from me Daddy…" Joy wept, clenching the glowing fake emerald. "…I gotta make sure Malice can't hurt you or Mama…"
"...Joy?" Metal uttered. "...wait... wait, Joy, don't!"
Joy winced, looking like she was really struggling. Shakily, she held up the emerald. There was only one thing she could do, if she wanted to take herself away from Metal.
"…Ch-Chaos Control!"
And the emerald flashed blindingly.
"NOO!" Metal yelled, as he shielded his eyes from the blinding flash.
Joy let out another sob. "I love you Daddy!"
When the flash was gone, so was Joy. Just like that, out of thin air…she was gone. Looking back at that, Metal's eyes widened...
…and then he sank to his knees, before punching the ground; remaining silent in spite of his anger.
"...METAL!" At that point, King managed to burst into that very room, followed by the others very shortly. "...Metal...?" Metal remained unresponsive, as his eyes were sealed shut.
Charmy stood there, looking around at the evidence. Fake emeralds…a distraught Metal on the ground…
"…we missed her…" Charmy assumed.
"...damn..." Queen uttered, as she glanced to the side.
Slowly, the Commander approached Metal, and knelt by him. "...Metal..."
"...I... I have to get out of here..." Metal uttered. "...I have to find her... I have to stop her..."
"…stop…who?" The Sergeant uttered.
Charmy glared at him. "…the same girl who planned this thing from the get go, which just so happens to be his daughter possessed by an evil entity…"
The Sergeant's eyes widened at that.
"...Metal..." King uttered, as he knelt by the hedgehog as well. "...we'll help you out."
"...thanks..." Metal murmured, without looking up. "...but... I-"
"None of that." At that point, Queen grabbed Metal to hoist him on his feet. "...we're in this together. If it's to bring Joy back home safely... we will aid in any way we can."
"Yeah Metal," Hunter said. "We'll say the same thing to you that we've said to Jill once…you don't have to be alone on this anymore."
Metal looked at them all... and eventually nodded. "...alright..."
"...keeping the fact that Metal's left the premised to the press is going to be tough," the Commander noted, as she rubbed her head. "...especially with this kind of attack on the premises..."
"...Metal!"
At that point, Sage and Miser stopped outside of the door. "...you need to come, quickly." Sage uttered. "Natal... Natal's been hit with Corruption."
Everyone suddenly looked at the two of them with a startled look, but Metal more than anyone else. "...son of a-!" Quickly, he ran out of the room. The group didn't question it, and followed him.
"…j-just…stay awake…okay?" Cal uttered.
Natal was currently in the infirmary, where she was placed in one of the beds to slowly recuperate; breathing calmly whilst looking at Cal.
"...don't worry... you'll be fine..." Wiper assured her.
Cal just cursed himself in his mind for making such a stupid mistake… they trained GUN soldiers so that their personal feelings wouldn't get in the way of work and cloud their judgment…and because of that rookie move, Natal got hurt…possibly in a fatal way…
…he probably shouldn't have allowed himself to use Corruption in the first place…
"...Cal..." Wiper uttered, as he placed a hand on his shoulder. "...don't worry..."
At that point, Metal entered the infirmary, with Sage and Miser close after him.
Cal looked up quickly. "M-Metal! You're here!"
Metal simply nodded, before he walked over to Natal. "...where did you...?"
Natal simply hissed, before she looked at Metal. "...did... did you find Joy...?"
Metal narrowed his eyes, before looking to the side regretfully.
"…she ran off…" Charmy entered into the room, looking down at Natal with a serious look.
"...I see..." Natal nodded, as she closed her eyes.
"...don't worry; I'll get rid of this for you." Metal uttered, as his hand began glowing with Purity. "Rest easy, now; this won't-"
"No." Natal suddenly said.
Cal shot a look of horror at Natal. "What?"
"...getting Joy back... is really important." Natal uttered. "...you can't waste even a second." Then, she looked at Metal with a slight smile. "...don't worry... Wiper lasted quite a while when he was hit by Corruption... I can last just as long as he can."
"...Natal..." Wiper uttered.
"...don't worry about me; just find Joy..." Natal said.
One could see a few tears roll down Cal's face. "…don't do that you idiot…" he uttered under his breath. "…you don't need to give yourself up like that…"
Natal looked at Cal with a smile. "...don't worry... I'm not going to give in that easily..." she said encouragingly. "...with you by my side... I can overcome anything..."
Metal narrowed his eyes.
"…Natal…" Cal's head fell, clutching to her hand while some more tears dropped to the ground. "…don't do this…"
"...I'll be fine..." Natal assured him. "...relax..."
"...Natal..." Wiper uttered, as he narrowed his eyes. "...don't you dare fall to it."
"...I won't, Wiper." she said with a nod.
Cal grit his teeth, tightening his hand around Natal's. "…as much as I don't want to admit it…Natal's right…" he uttered. "…you can't waste any time if Joy's on the run…or she gets enough of an advantage and we'll never catch her…"
"...I see..." Metal nodded. "...then we should hurry and move out..."
As the others gathered around the infirmary, the Commander pulled the Sergeant to the side; her eyes narrowed.
The Sergeant looked back at her obediently, waiting to hear what she had to say.
"...as said before, the press will not be privy to this information, Sergeant." the Commander spoke. "...I would also like you to be silent about Metal Sonic heading out; after all, we are talking about an entity who may rival Deity Novagod stuck within his daughter... he's the best bet we have against that sort of force." Then, she glanced to the side. "...and..."
The Sergeant remained silent to allow her to continue.
"...I want the majority of our personnel moved to a different base."
The Sergeant nodded. "…yes sir."
The Commander blinked. "...huh." she uttered. "...I... was kind of expecting you to question my command."
"…after what happened today sir…I saw my own past haunting Metal Sonic…and realizing that I brought this into the base, as well as just learning that confidential information…" The Sergeant looked away. "…I have no right for questioning."
"...hm..." the Commander hummed, as she closed her eyes. "...you are a good man." she said. "Your heart was in the right place; given that you didn't know the things I did..." Then, she looked at the Sergeant. "...just... make sure that a select few are left here to watch over Natal."
"…yes Sir," the Sergeant said.
Jill was just sitting there, on her couch… five times now, the soldiers had to keep drugging her to put her out, every time she had another episode of hysteria. She sat there quietly now, staring wide eyed down at the ground in desperation, still trying to process all of the information…
…she was done with all of this…it should've ended with Deity Novagod dying for good…
…but no…it just came back…it came back, and got worse…
…Are you ready to talk about it now? A voice asked in her head.
Jill didn't respond…she just stared down at the ground lifelessly.
…I'll take it as a no… sighed Callous in her head. …hey, what's it gonna take for you to respond, huh?
No answer from Jill.
…geez, you're turning into a worse mental basket case than Diablo… Callous grumbled. …I sure as hell wish Johnny was here…but he went after your little friends when they left off the island.
Jill sure wished that Metal was here…and Joy…but no, both of them were missing and Jill was left all alone again…King's group was gone…so was her friends from the Clubhouse…she was…
…all…alone…
Jill's heart sped up at that thought and she started hyperventilating again.
Oh god no! Don't have another one of your panic attacks, Callous groaned. They aren't doing you any favors!
Jill clutched to her head, trying to keep calm. She felt tears well up in her eyes…and she tried to breathe more slowly, but it was growing steadily out of control for her.
For fuck's sake Jill; calm down! Callous practically screamed in her head.
"...Jill."
Jill's heart stopped, and she froze for a moment…
…then quickly, she shot up to her feet. "M-Metal?"
Oh! A coherent word! Progress! Callous sang in sarcasm, although to be perfectly honest, she was relieved.
"...sort of..."
At that point, someone fluttered over in front of Jill; looking at her seriously.
"...Jill... are you alright...?" Metal's voice was coming from Tails Doll's body.
Jill stared at him. "…Metal…" and gently took Tails Doll into her hands.
"...I was reminded that I could speak through Tails Doll to communicate with you..." Metal uttered. "...it's so good to hear your voice..."
Tears rolled down from her eyes, and she hugged the plushie. "…I'm alright…physically…" she uttered, trying to hold back from crying. "…but…but I've been…worried sick…"
"...I understand..." Metal uttered. "...it's about Joy... isn't it...?"
Jill shuddered, and let out a sob or two. "...she's…not here…we tried looking everywhere for her, and I…I just…couldn't control myself…without you or Joy being here…I haven't been able to..." she couldn't figure out to explain it to Metal; all she knew was that she was very hurt from the bottom of her heart.
"...Jill... Joy was here."
Jill's eyes widened, and she looked at the doll. "…what…?"
"...Joy... she had snuck aboard and followed us to GUN..." Metal uttered. "...she... no... no, not her... Malice was her name..."
Jill gawked at the doll, holding it shakily.
"...I... I'm sorry... but..." Metal uttered. "...Joy... she has her own version of Callous stuck in her... and she wants revenge, for what happened to Callous and Johnny..." She could hear his voice cracking a bit. "...Joy managed to break free a little... but out of fear for Malice trying to hurt me... she fled..."
Silence.
…that's what I wanted to try and tell you, spoke Callous in Jill's head. ...except the fleeing part…but I could pretty much assume that would happen…
…Jill couldn't hold back anymore…even more tears poured from her eyes, and she clutched to the plushie again. "…no…"
"...I'm so sorry, Jill..." Metal uttered; sobbing a bit as well. "...we... we're going to find her. Me, King, the admins, Chaotix, Alpha... we're all going to scour the entire world, if need be, just to find her..."
Right then and there, Jill broke down crying her heart out, falling to her knees on the ground while she still clutched to the doll. She endured a lot of tragedy in her life… most of it bad things done to her, which, after a long time, she built up the strength to last against it. Losing Brick was also very tragic for her…losing someone she loved so much so quickly and painfully…and being separated from Metal, leaving him to fight Deity and take on some of the burden gnawed at her heart for years…
…Now tragedy targeted her daughter…and she didn't know how much more she could take of all this.
"...Jill... please, remain strong..." Metal uttered whilst sobbing as well. "...we will bring her back... nothing like this is ever going to happen again... please, just don't lose hope..."
"…I miss you Metal…!" Jill wept. "…I don't know how much longer I can hold on without you or Joy…!"
"...please, Jill... we will return... just... please, stay strong..." Metal uttered.
Jill still sobbed, but wiped her tears. "…I'll try…" she uttered. "…just…be careful…and bring her back home…safely…" she wanted to stop crying, but she had no control over herself.
"...I will..." Metal uttered. "...I love you, Jill... and I miss you..."
"I love you too Metal…with all my heart…" Jill wept.
"...no matter what... I will come back with Joy, Jill..."
That filled Jill up with some hope, it really did…but at the moment, she was still trying to comprehend the whole thing…and she just couldn't stop her sobs.
"Sure has been a long time since you had a bath, hasn't it Diablo?" Vanessa spoke, taking a brush to scrub his back. Both Vanessa and Kiri were in the bathroom, giving Diablo a long deserved bath. The others were starting to smell him…but not as much as Vanessa, who could smell him much longer than the others could. She had a tolerant nose but boy…that smell would've driven her crazy eventually…
The group stopped by Tails workshop in the Mystic Ruins to rest for the evening…and…to tell Tails and Whisker about all that's happened on Safe Haven. It wasn't easy, that's for sure…but Milo was able to fill in any of the blanks with what he knew from his personal encounter with Malice.
After that, they let Tails process the news while everyone else rested a bit…and now Vanessa and Kiri were cleaning up Diablo, who was growing very content sitting in the warm water. He even seemed like a quiet little kid, marveling at all the bubbles in the tub.
"...huh... how ironic..." Kiri hummed, as she kept scrubbing Diablo's back. "...usually, I'd have expected my own big brother to bathe me... not the other way around..."
"Well, you'll have to take care of your big brother for a while, until he gets better Kiri," Vanessa told her. "And it's a big responsibility to take care of someone. It's like being their parent…"
"...a parent..." Kiri hummed, as she looked quite thoughtful. "...I hope I can be a good parent... even though I'm just ten years old..."
Vanessa chuckled. "Don't worry so much about it. You'll have a lot of help here to help take care of Diablo until he gets better enough to be able to take care of himself…and then take care of you."
"...that's a lot of caretaking..." Kiri hummed. After that, she looked at Vanessa. "...say, Vanessa? I was wondering... do you think Jack would be a good parent?"
"That's hard to say," Vanessa said. "Jack's grown a lot since I last saw him, but he still seems like a little kid…and from what I hear, he didn't enjoy finding out where babies came from..."
"...true..." Kiri nodded, as she looked thoughtful again. "...I wonder if he'll ever get more comfortable when it comes to that factoid..."
"Only time will tell," Vanessa said.
"...right..." Kiri nodded. "...and time's also going to tell if big brother's gonna recover quickly, or slowly." As she said that, she resumed scrubbing his back. "...after this, we'll get you something to eat, and then it's off to bed, okay, big brother?"
Diablo nodded. "Alright…"
Vanessa chuckled, while she put shampoo in his hair. "At least he doesn't fuss like a kid."
Meanwhile, in the living room, Oblivion came up to Tails. "…Professor…are you alright?"
Tails simply sat on his chair in thought; looking out of the window without saying a single word.
Oblivion arched her brows, in worry…and then saw an empty tea cup beside him. "…would you like me to get you some more tea?" she asked.
Tails simply sighed. "...I suppose..."
Oblivion picked up the cup, "alright," and turned to go get him some more.
In the meantime, Tails simply sighed. Learning that Joy had something so malicious as that being within her... it was simply unheard of... and yet, it already had consequences; with Metal being taken in by GUN, Raider perishing, Safe Haven being placed under lockdown...
...all of these problems... all stemming from you, Dark Gaia... he thought in disdain. ...a pity that you cannot do much about it, Chip...
Oblivion returned with his tea, setting it down on the table next to him.
"...thank you, Oblivion..." Tails hummed, as he took the cup and sipped a bit of it. "...hm..."
"…what are you thinking about?" she asked.
"...the situation at hand, mostly." Tails murmured.
"…right…" and Oblivion looked away. "…I'm sure it's a lot to take in…"
"...indeed..." Tails nodded. "...though, the past seven years by themselves have been a lot to take in to begin with..."
"…that's true," Oblivion said, looking out the window.
"...I can only hope that things will get better from here on out..." Tails murmured. "...but knowing our luck..."
"…yes…our luck, as of late, hasn't been the best," Oblivion remarked.
"...don't lose hope. We're going to do our best."
Hearing that voice, Tails shot a look towards the doorway, where Whisker was standing silently. "...Metal...?"
"...good thing that Whisker happened to be around; I figured I could tell you that I'm alright, Tails." the pirate robot uttered in Metal's voice.
Oblivion looked at the robot in amazement… then again, she shouldn't be so surprised.
"...you're... alright?" Tails uttered.
"Me, along with King and others, have been given permission by the Commander to hurry off to locate Joy... hopefully, before Malice gets to use her body for her own machinations." Metal continued. "...I do wish we could come by and visit, but... we can't waste even a moment. At the very least... I wanted you all to know that I'm safe."
Oblivion nodded. "…thank you…it eases our minds…"
"...don't mention it..." Metal hummed.
"...well... allow us to wish you the best of luck, Metal." Tails shot in.
"...thank you." Metal replied with a slight nod.
"…and be very careful," Oblivion bid.
This is gonna be a loooooong series...me thinks...