Disclaimer- Only in my dreams...
Warnings- The language will be pretty harsh from this point forward (I don't feel like typing this every chapter XD)
Chapter 11- Ninjas and hedgehogs and crocs, oh my
Sonic furrowed his brow as he watched Mephiles basically freeze on the grassy ground the striped hedgehog was sitting on, hands frozen in mid-air. The hedgehog had the idea to slap the other to bring him back to reality, but he figured that he would just save the energy and just ask, "What in the hell is wrong with-" he cut off his question when Mephiles suddenly jumped to his feet and began waving.
Completely thrown back, the speedster followed the striped hedgehog's gaze to see a vehicle coming their way. Someone in the passenger seat was waving at them. Hard emerald irises squinted, wanting to obtain more details than the vague outline he was getting right now. Who exactly was in that-
"HEYYY MEPHHYYY!"
Ugh. Nevermind.
It was the endless sugar-high personified, and from what Sonic could now make out, the talking handbag was with him, driving the buggy coming towards them.
The azure hero crossed his arms and started to tap his foot in irritation. Though…he wasn't as annoyed as he could've been, he guessed. He was grateful – oh fuck no, definitely the wrong word there – curious about the two newcomers' appearance. Or better yet, why they (or at least the bee) sounded relieved. What had happened after Sonic 'died'? He wanted a truthful answer to that, not some 'Station Square is destroyed' inane bullshit.
Sonic sharply gazed at the oncoming vehicle, focusing on the bee when the insect took flight, making a beeline straight for Mephiles. Charmy basically tackled the striped hedgehog, nearly knocking the darker 'hog over. Mephiles barely kept his balance, gently pushing the kid off of him. Sonic gritted his teeth at the rapid-fire questions that came after that. Yeah, all of the curiosity was gone now.
"I'm so glad that we ran into you Mephy!" the bee gushed, buzzing all around the softly smiling Mobian, "But what happened to you? Your face? Did Sonic do that? Why are you with him anyway? Where did Nummy teleport you? What-" Sonic almost let out a sigh of relief when Mephiles covered the insect's mouth in jest. Sonic would've just used duct tape to be honest. Or a shoe.
Mephiles let the kid go before making a calming motion with his hands. Charmy got the idea, his mega-watt smile actually waning a bit, "Oh hehe, sorry! Okay um, I have so much to tell you, like first-"
This time, Sonic interrupted him, "Looks like your wish came true Mephy. You're reunited with your brats," the bluer hedgehog scoffed before starting to turn away, "I'm 'bout to go, and you better not follow me again dipshit, or…" he gave a malicious smirk as he waved the piece of glass in his possession. Sonic just let his threat hang in the air, taking a step away only to be blocked by the hyperactive bee. The hero scowled, "What are you doing? Get out of the way!"
Charmy flinched a bit at the shout, but he quickly recovered, "You can't go yet! Please?"
"Get out of the way!" Sonic growled anger, rage rising and fingers tensing around the make-shift weapon he had.
"Can't you just not be SELFISH for once your life?" Vector had finally pulled up, turning off the buggy and hopping out of it. The croc went to stand beside Charmy, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes at Sonic, "You don't know how FAR we've come and how much we've been through!" he pointed to his tail, and Sonic was somewhat surprised to see blood on it, "So just…shut up and LISTEN!"
A second later, and Vector had a glass shard pointed at him, dangerously close to his scales. The reptile broke out in a cold sweat, his commanding demeanor breaking a bit. Sonic voice was poison, "No. You listen to me you piece of shit-" the rest of his sentence was lost when his arm was suddenly grabbed. He snapped his head to the side to see Mephiles trying to aim it away from Vector. Sonic snarled before yanking his arm out of the other's grip and elbowing the striped one in the nose. Mephiles staggered backwards, holding his face. Emerald eyes glinted in rage, "Don't touch me."
Charmy gasped before hovering over to Mephiles, checking out the hedgehog's slightly crooked nose. The kid then frowned at Sonic, "Whatcha do that for?! He was just trying to help!"
"Whatthefuckever," the speedster snapped, backing up a bit. He was supposed to be already leaving, but no, these idiots had to get in his way, "I'm gone."
"FINE!" Vector threw his hands in the air, extremely exasperated, "Fine, I guess we will have to find someone else to go save Penumbra!"
At that name, all thoughts of running to Station Square vanished. Sonic glared over at Vector, the look increasing in intensity at the slight victorious grin on the reptile's face, "What do you mean, 'save Penumbra'? And you better not lie to me."
Charmy jumped right on it, mouth going a mile a minute, "It's horrible! We've been riding for forever!" The bee pointed back the way they came, "We were in the mountains and it was snowing and a giant robot dog came out of nowhere and Nummy fought it and he got hurt and then he got trapped! The dog followed us for a bit, but then he turned back!" he said in one breath before inhaling again, giving Sonic puppy-eyes, "You gotta save Nummy! He's in this metal cage that we couldn't get open!"
The expression had the opposite effect on the hero. Sonic glowered at him, "A robot dog, you've gotta be shittin' me," he then focused on Vector's tail, seeing the obvious bite marks there. A metal mutt, sounds like somethin' that damned doctor would make, Sonic glanced the way Charmy gestured to, gears turning in his mind, Wonder why the pet couldn't take it down. Weak ass, "Snowy mountains…"
Charmy beamed, "Yeah! A few hours back that way! But for you it'll take no time at all!" he then paused, looking over Sonic's condition for the first time, "Oh…but you are kinda hurt…"
"Worry about yourself," Sonic spat venom before getting ready to take off. He was stopped once again when a hand landed on his shoulder. It was the very irritating talking handbag.
"And uh…before you go, I know you don't want me to bring it up, but I'm – we're – sorry about the intervention thing. It was – OOF!" Vector doubled over when a fist met his stomach.
"I said it once, and I'll say it again," Sonic hissed. He was quiet, but that made it much worse, "Don't touch me."
Vector let out a sputtering cough, feeling a gust of wind when the speedster ran off in the direction they came, "Even when he's HURT he can still pack a punch…" he sucked in a sharp breath as he straightened himself back out, rubbing the hurt area, "Man, that's gonna leave a gnarly bruise," the tall croc then focused on a happy Charmy and a pretty beat up Mephiles, both watching Sonic go.
Vector took a step towards the hedgehog, "Despite what just happened, I'm really glad that we ran into you two," Mephiles looked at him before giving a somewhat shy grin, nodding also. Mephy then drifted his gaze down to Vector's tail, pointing at it with his expression twisted up in concern. The green Mobian waved him off, "Yeah, it hurts, but I'll live," He then rose a brow, "But back at you, what happened?"
"Yeah!" Charmy echoed, "You look so beat up! You didn't answer my question before, did Sonic really do that?"
Mephiles let out a breathy chuckle before shaking his head. He walked up to Vector, holding his hand out. Vector let him take it, "Some…other…angry…people…" the croc read, furrowing his brow as he did so, "Well that's not right! No one can be THAT angry!" he rethought his statement, thinking about the 'hog that just left, "Well, that jerk's an exception, but seriously! Did you fight back?"
Mephy shook his head a second time.
"You should've!"
"You could've gave 'em a punch and a kick!" Charmy exclaimed, performing the actions he said in the air. He then did a backflip, "But forget about them! Have you run into any other of our friends?" Mephiles communicated a negative and both cold-blooded Mobians seemed to deflate. A small frown marred Charmy's face, "I hope Silver's okay…"
"I'm sure that lunatic's fine, kid," Vector huffed, "I just wonder where in the world Rogue is right now," he would just pull his phone out and give him a call, but he'd lost it in the mayhem at Station Square.
"Do you think that they're in the same place?" Charmy asked him, going over and settling himself on top Mephiles' head. Said hedgehog wasn't expecting that, but the bee wasn't that heavy, so he let him stay, "Like how me, you, and Nummy was? Sonic and Mephy too?"
The croc scratched his cheek, "Do you know how far we were from him?" he questioned, pointing to the hedgehog, "They could literally be anywhere."
"But they could be anywhere together though!"
Vector rubbed his temples. The headache he had on the ride here was unfortunately making a comeback, "Whatever kid, sure," he then focused on Mephiles, who was dragging a finger over one of the bandages on his body, looking distractedly in the direction Sonic left in, "So…Mephy," said shadow 'hog glanced at him when he realized that he was the one being addressed, "Were you two headin' somewhere? Or were you just goin' in a direction like we were?"
Mephy's lime irises shifted off of him and towards another direction, most likely the way the duo were going before he and Charmy showed up. The hedgehog gave a little shrug before holding up his pointer finger. He then took the croc's hand again, "Station…Square…" Vector was surprised, scratching the top of his head, "What? Buy why? It's gone! You know what went down, and the jerk – oh…" the reptile paused, "He doesn't even know what happened. Did you tell him?"
Mephiles nodded.
"…And I'm guessin' that he didn't believe you."
Mephiles nodded again.
"But why though!" Charmy complained, wings twitching. He began to tug on the striped hedgehog's ears, "You're not a liar!" Vector wasn't sure whether he saw the flash of pain on the mammal's face, or if it was his imagination. He didn't comment on it, letting it go. Mephiles then shrugged a single shoulder in a dismissive manner.
The croc heavily sighed, taking in his surroundings for a second, seeing a flock of birds fly overhead. He toyed with the tuff of his glove, "Speakin' about that hedgehog, you think that he's gonna come find us again?"
"Nope!" Charmy piped up, "And that's a good thing I think! Except we won't get to see Nummy…"
Vector just scoffed, "I'm sure we'll see him later. I'm askin' because I'm trying to figure out our game plan now," Mephiles rose a brow at him, silently asking him to elaborate, "If Sonic was likely to come back, well, I would've said to stay here and wait, but since he isn't…Aren't y'all curious about what Station Square looks like now?"
The bee glanced down to meet Mephy's gaze before they both nodded, "Yeah! Like, is that dark stuff still there or not?" The hedgehog frowned and Charmy saw this. He snickered, "I mean, we're not gonna get close to it!"
"Got that right kid. Don't want to relive THAT again," Vector shivered at the horrible memory before trudging back over to the buggy. He cautiously sat in the driver's seat, careful of his injured tail. He beckoned the bee and hedgehog over, "Guess that we should get goin'. And you never know, we might run into some of the other guys there," Charmy's eyes lit up, and a spark of hope rose in Mephiles' chest, "Charmy, you can ride on the back; Mephy, you're takin' shotgun."
The bee took flight, pouting, "But whyyyyy? I like riding in the front!"
"No offense kid, but you talk way too much."
Charmy crossed his arms and huffed, going where Vector told him to go, "Maybe if you would listen, I wouldn't have too…" he mumbled under his breath.
"What was THAT?"
The bee grinned cheekily and sing-songed, "Nothing!"
Mephiles smiled at their interactions before climbing into the passenger seat, getting comfy. Then his expression morphed into a more apologetic one when he turned to face Charmy. Said insect was apparently over the whole thing already, kicking his legs back and forth off the back of the vehicle. Mephy lurched forward harshly when Vector first pressed the gas petal. He gave the croc a wide-eyed look.
Vector barked out a laugh, "'m sorry! The buggy's a little hard to manage at times," Mephiles rolled his eyes and waved him off, focusing on the landscape when it began to roll by. He then glanced the way Sonic left one last time before only looking at what laid in front of them.
Sonic let out a deep breath when he reached the top of the mountain he had been speeding up, trying to get his heart rate back under control. The meds from the hospital weren't completely out of his system, it seemed. And the slight throbbing of his stitches underneath his bandages weren't helping matters either. But whatever. It'll heal fast enough.
The azure hero felt a chill run down his spine at the breeze that ruffled through his quills, but he didn't let the cold get to him. There were more important things to focus on, like that giant-ass building standing at the base of the mountain, covered with snow. Sonic frowned and rose his hand to protect his eyes from the sun as he peered all the way down there. By the structure, there was this huge heap of metal.
He couldn't tell what it was from up here, but he had a great guess.
And he swore that if those two had sent him up here for no reason, he was gonna find their asses and show them what for.
The hedgehog lowered his hand and sped down the tall landmass, kicking up firm snow in his wake. The cold wasn't intolerable, but it was enough to make his throat feel irritated. He coughed a bit, feet nearly flying from under him when he traversed over a hidden patch of ice. Sonic spat out a curse before regaining his footing, making sure to watch out for any more places he could potentially break something.
Reaching the bottom, Sonic didn't even slow down. He ran right toward the heap of metal, recognizing it as – like the bee said – a giant robotic dog. But it was clearly nonfunctional, with multiple dents in its metal hide and its head basically one with the wall it seemingly collided against. There was smoke spouting out of its flattened forehead.
Sonic eyed the thing as he got closer before snorting, "Looks like the pet got to it before I did," he then pinched the ridge of his nose, lips twitching downward, "Those stupid assholes, wasting my damn time," Sonic let out a puff of air, seeing his breath float away from him, before distancing himself from the destroyed bot, getting a good look at the building beyond it, The pet might be still in there though. And I owe the sonuva bitch. He saved my life during that fight – more than once – and I absolutely hate him for it. But I still owe him, and letting him bleed to death inside there isn't what I call 'paying someone back'.
With that, Sonic left the dog behind and sped off to look for an entrance to the place. He found one very quickly, but he knew immediately that it wasn't official because it looked like someone tore through the metal wall. The hedgehog approached the shredded metal, strolling past the threshold that separated the cold outside from the cold inside.
He cupped his mouth, "Hey pet, you in here?! Penumbra?" he yelled, not even sure even if the other would respond to that. Sonic heard his voice echo off the internal walls, and gave an irritated growl when he didn't receive an answer, "Of course now I'm gonna have to – Gah! What the-?" the hero had taken a step, but instead of the thud against tile that he expected, there was a squishy sound under foot. He looked down and said the first thing that came to mind, "Shit," It was blood. A large puddle of it.
Was it Penumbra's? Hell if he knew. It could've been that crocodile's. But…that bite mark the walking handbag had didn't look like it would make this much of a mess. Sonic backed out of the puddle and scrapped as much of the red liquid off the sole of his shoe as he could. Emerald eyes then searched the immediate area, looking for some sort of trail the pet had to leave behind.
There wasn't one, Now how in the hell did he pull that off? Well, Stripes did have the Chaos emerald, and maybe he gave it to the pet for some stupid reason? If Penumbra had it, that meant that he healed. Damnit, it's gonna be even harder to find him in this place, Sonic glanced up and down the hallway he was in before picking a direction, ears pricked to detect any signs of life as he went.
As he explored the building, his curiosity rose. The place seemed like something the Cowardly Egg would build, but there was no reason for the doctor to do it all the way out here. Robots would be a pain in the ass to move from here to the Square.
…Why was he thinking about this? He didn't know, the blandness of the shitty building was making his mind wander.
Sonic turned a corner, and his interest was piqued for the first time since that puddle of blood. There were cages like everywhere. Metal ones right in the middle of the hall, one every five meters or so. The hero crossed his arms, "Well, guess that he learned his lesson," Penumbra must've quickened up, avoiding being trapped again. But who in the hell was Eggman trying to catch here in the first place? Not my ass, for sure.
Sonic was more careful in navigating the structure after that.
Ten minutes later, the hero was about to call off the damn search. There was no trace of the striped hedgehog anywhere, and Sonic was convinced that the pet had just chased after a little rabbit or something and left.
He was a second from finding the nearest exit when he came across what looked like the main office, computer screens and keyboards scattered all over the place. The screens were blank. No power huh? Let's see about that. Might as well, maybe this trip wouldn't be a complete waste of time, Sonic walked up to the many devices and just started pressing buttons, Maybe I can find out what his plan is now, since that invasion didn't do shit, the speedster mentally paused, mind going back to what Mephiles told him. He shook his head, Yeah, it didn't do shit.
Sonic hit a lot of buttons that didn't do much besides click, but then one was different, clicking and also making the nearby screen flicker before illuminating. It wasn't of the best quality, but the hedgehog could still make out what was being shown to him. The screen being somewhat above his head, Sonic leaned forward to stand on his toes, looking at the slightly glitched picture of a map. It was in black and white, the words 'Plans for Westopolis' where stretched across the top.
"That's where he is," Sonic instantly thought, but the problem was that, "Where the hell is Westopolis?"
The static then covered the monitor before the picture went out. Sonic frowned, pressing the button again, but nothing came up. Oh well. He knew the name of the place…that was somewhere. He could ask (command) for directions.
Normally he wouldn't do the chasing, but let's just say that…he didn't like the idea of his city being in danger, so he was gonna make sure that there was no way in hell that even the plans for another envision would be thought of.
Sonic nodded to himself before zooming off.
"And what gave you the brilliant idea to bring him here?!"
"If I did not, then the robot would have exploded. My mission would have been a failure. I could not let that happen, so I brought him here."
"Well, if you hadn't cut my connection, you insufferable robot, then I would've told you to take care of him! Now the enemy knows where my base is!"
"They would have figured it out eventually doctor. They always have. Are you not content that I have brought to you the Master Emerald energy emitter?"
"I would have been, if you had used those microchips of yours and not bring one of the blue rodent's friends down here!"
"…I have brought three, technically."
Espio thought that it was quite interesting that Eggman and Metal Sonic were having their conversation right in front of him.
He was currently in what was supposed to be Eggman's main office; Metal had led him there. The room had blinking numbers, moving screens, and flickering lights lining the walls, all seeming to serve some type of purpose. There was a large padded swivel chair in the middle, formerly occupied by the scientist present.
Espio wasn't the only one observing the interaction. Omega was standing tall behind him, his metallic body parked under in the door way, leaving little room for anyone to slide through if they wanted to exit. In the mech's working arm was Cream. Metal had passed the rabbit over when Eggman spotted them and began to yell at the blue bot. The bunny was out-cold, the Sonic doppelganger having knocked her out because she was making so much noise on the flight over. Espio was glad he did.
Even though the chameleon believed that this little spat the duo in front of him were having was entertaining, so say the least, Espio was also busy watching the doctor. It was painfully obvious that something was wrong here, actually, multiple things. One, Eggman shouldn't be alive. Two, Eggman had never built Metal Sonic nor this whole base, to his knowledge. Three, Eggman had succumbed to the strange amnesia as well – even though Espio had a gut feeling that his diagnosis was way off. And four, Eggman was different. Like how Tails and Cream were different.
The doctor, even when Espio had first met him, was never this…intense. He still schemed, of course, but he was more reserved. Not much, but the chameleon could detect the change. Espio's encounters with others had been strange ever since he had dropped from the sky.
This was a mystery he had to solve, asap. And to do that, he was going to go with the flow for now. Stay in the background and watch. Until he deemed it was time to jog the doctor's memory again.
At Metal's last statement, Eggman must have figured that arguing with the robot would do him no good, because he simply dropped the subject in order to turn to the trio standing off to the side. The rotund man stroked his mustache as he looked over Cream, then Omega, and then finally Espio, zeroing in on the chameleon's most noticeable injuries, "So you – unfortunately – have," Eggman took a step forward, glasses glinting in the light as he stared Espio down, "Where are the rest of your meddlesome friends? Surrounding us? Breaking in as we speak?"
Espio stared right back at him, chin raised, "I have no friends. Certainly not the ones you are referring to."
Eggman narrowed his eyes behind his spectacles, pursing his lips, "Why should I believe you?"
"Because they mean nothing to me. In fact, having them buried six feet under would make me the happiest," Espio smirked nastily before gesturing over at the unconscious bunny, "If my words aren't enough, then she's my proof."
The doctor glanced at Cream, and then back at the chameleon, "Ho ho! This can very well be a trap! Convincing me that you 'kidnapped her' only for your little posse to come and attack while you and her are on the inside!"
"Really?" Espio tilted his head patronizingly, "Because that's not the case. I've taken her so I can get close to my targets to take them out," he bobbed his head toward Omega, "I've already tried once."
Eggman was a bit shocked at that, "You have? How?"
Espio glanced over at Metal Sonic to see the mech staring right at him. The chameleon had to be careful; he didn't know the full abilities of the robot. He could be a walking lie-detector, "I ordered Omega to attack them. You can tell by his condition what happened."
"Omega?" The doctor looked over the red and black robot again, "So you somehow reprogrammed him?"
The reptile blinked in genuine confusion, "Reprogrammed? No, I built him-"
"Built? What-" Eggman began, but Metal cut him off:
"He's telling the truth doctor," red opticals drifted away from Espio's body and focused on the human in the room, "Every word he said has happened, and will happen if he is given the right opportunity."
The scientist was quiet for a moment, thoughts bouncing around his head as he observed his newest visitors. Espio let him do it. Trust was hard to build, but it felt empowering to tear it to pieces. He just had to wait for the right time.
"What happened to you?"
Espio knew immediately what he was talking about, "I was attacked. My eye was slashed out, and that same person broke my arm," it was stretched, but it was the truth nonetheless.
Eggman went back to petting his 'stache, "And who attacked you? One of your – Sonic's friends?"
So he thinks that Sonic is sociable too…which he is, from what I've heard of him recently. Which is very confusing. Hopefully that question will be answered quickly as well, "Yes," Penumbra was working with Shadow, and Shadow was in same vicinity as Sonic sometimes, so it wasn't necessarily a lie, "His name is Penumbra, looks very similar to Shadow the hedgehog."
The scientist seemed to tense up. He and Metal shared a look that Espio didn't miss, "You know Penumbra?"
Espio nodded, "Like I said, he attacked me. Destroying my vision and breaking my arm. He's one of the ones I want to kill the most."
At that, a grin grew to a near impossible length on Eggman's face, "Oh ho ho! Well, you can't do that yet!"
The chameleon frowned, "And why not?"
"Because I'm going to use him, of course! My own personal weapon; him being dead will ruin my future plans!"
Espio's body went stock-still. His own person weapon? Does that mean… "Do you have him here?" he didn't think it was possible, but the grin widened. Vengeance filled the chameleon's system, threatening to overflow and causing him to tear the place up so he could finally see the life drain from that hedgehog's body. But no, he willed it down. He had to wait, and if Eggman was going to use him, maybe Espio could too before he killed him, "Are you willing to show me?"
Eggman faced Metal Sonic, "Are you completely sure that he is telling the whole truth?"
"Affirmative, doctor."
"Very well!" The man brushed past Espio and left the room after Omega stepped out of the way, "Follow me, new recruit!" The ninja just stared for a swift moment before doing so, Omega falling in step beside him. Metal Sonic was bringing up the rear, and Espio kept an eye on him. It wouldn't take much to kill the chameleon with his guard down.
No conversation was made, the only sounds being the various footsteps of the occupants of the underground base. Not five minutes passed before Espio was standing in front of a window, glaring at one of the banes of his existence. Penumbra was curled up in a corner of the room, facing the walls. He couldn't tell if the other was asleep or not. What he could see however was the occasional twitch of a random body part. An arm, a leg, etcetera.
"How do you plan on controlling him, doctor?" Espio asked at last.
"I'm glad that you asked!" Eggman strolled haughtily toward the door of the room, gesturing over at him, "Come with me inside. Metal, you and Omega stay out here. I won't need you if my guess is correct."
"It is your life, doctor," Metal clipped.
"And I plan on keeping it," Eggman retorted back just as snappily as the robot. Espio didn't acknowledge it, keeping silent as the door slid open after the man's hand was scanned – he made a mental note of that – and as the pair entered.
If Penumbra wasn't awake before, he sure was now.
He was snarling from his corner on all fours, blazing eyes locked on Espio. The ninja wasn't even sure if the other knew that Eggman was in the room as well. Espio locked gazes with him, not looking away. He saw recognition in those irises. Good. He smirked and Penumbra was ready to kill.
"He seems to recognize you," Eggman commented. The hedgehog glanced at him for a moment before refocusing on Espio.
"Of course," he responded and Penumbra's growls increased in volume. Espio looked over at the doctor, "Are you going to show me, or…?"
"Just wait!" Eggman laughed before pulling out a remote with buttons on it. The snarls instantly got quieter. Espio's brows rose, looking between the pleased doctor and the cautious Penumbra who was now eyeing the remote warily, ears pressing against his head and tail lowering between his legs. "Ah yes! I've only used it once and there are already positive effects!"
I have to get my hands on that remote as soon as possible, "How does it work?"
"Electricity," Eggman supplied, "Like how pet dogs have shock collars, he has an imbedded shock device near his collarbone that gives him a jolt whenever he's been a 'bad boy'," the man gestured to Espio, "Get closer to him."
Espio narrowed his eye. Gain trust, With that in mind, he slowly approached the hedgehog, who was glaring at him again with bared canines. He wasn't growling nearly as much as before. However, the closer he got, the closer the other became to snapping. He was approximately six steps away from the other when Penumbra lunged.
He barely got off the ground before his body started convulse.
Espio stared in slight shock – pun not intended – at the hedgehog. Then he inwardly grinned.
Penumbra was moving his trembling limbs as best as he could, going back to the corner. He curled up into a ball, static electricity ravaging his body.
The ninja peered over his shoulder at a proud Eggman, "That's…an impressive plan you have there."
"Of course!" the doctor boasted, watching his weapon cower. He then switched his gaze to Espio, and then to the mirror that was one-way. He tapped his chin, "So he knows you," the ninja nodded, Obviously, "But does he know Cream?"
"He should," Espio responded, wondering where the other was going with this.
"Let's leave," Eggman suddenly said, and the chameleon trailed after him. The man used his hand again to open the door and the two were now back in the hall. Metal and Omega were conversing:
"It is not going to take much to break him."
"BREAK HIM? WHAT DO YOU MEAN?"
"Right now, he has a choice to obey or not. When we break him, that choice will be eliminated. He'll follow without question."
"SO EGGMAN HAS NOT BROKEN YOU THEN."
"And you have been."
Yes he has, Espio thought, and you'll follow in his footsteps. Beside him, Eggman scoffed, "Believe me, I've tried. But there is always some amount of attitude in him. He gets that from the annoying rodent."
Espio filed that for later, "So why did we leave?"
"Because I'm curious. Omega, throw the rabbit in there with him."
"What? What is the point of that, doctor?" Espio and Metal questioned at the same time, sharing a look.
Eggman just let out a boisterous laugh. He then noticed that Omega wasn't moving, "Aren't you going to do it?" Espio rolled his golden iris before subtly nodding to his robot. Omega instantly moved, going over to the door and waiting for Eggman to open it again.
He tossed Cream inside once it was, and the room was sealed off again. The quartet moved over to the window and watched the bunny rouse herself, the impact bringing her back to reality. She was confused for a moment, then her situation seemed to kick in. Tears streamed down her face, arms and legs still tied together. Her sobbing gained the attention of Penumbra, who was slowly recovering from the shock.
He looked at her for a while, not moving, but then he painstakingly uncurled himself. His movement alerted Cream of his presence, and the bunny cried out in surprise, then delight, and then sorrow at realizing that 'Shadow' was trapped too.
Penumbra seemed like he didn't know what to do, but he recognized her, that was clear. He cautiously crawled over to the bunny, limbs shaking. When he was in front of her, Cream stared pleadingly at him, words blocked by the tie in her mouth.
The hedgehog cocked his head before taking his claw and snapping the vines around her ears, ankles, and mouth. The rabbit was blubbering, turning her back to him so he could untie the piece of cloth there. Penumbra just shredded it. Cream swiftly picked up the Chao's bow tie that was in her mouth before throwing herself at Penumbra, hugging him and crying into his shoulder.
The hedgehog was frozen, eyes wide as they stared at the far wall. It took a long moment, but his arms eventually wrapped themselves around her and tightened marginally.
Espio still didn't get why Eggman let this happen. "Why?" he asked him.
"So it'll hurt her more when she realizes what we are going to use him for," Eggman replied, rubbing his hands together in a typical bad guy fashion.
That's taking a page out of my book, "I understand that, but now she's free and mobile."
"If you're worried about either of them getting out, don't be," Eggman's stomach jumped as a chuckle escaped his lips, "Those walls can't be broken, and they can't open the door without me. So it's full-proof!"
"THE DEFINITION OF FULL-PROOF CAN VARY FROM PERSON TO PERSON." Omega commented and Eggman glared at him.
"You're as bad as Metal! You better learn some respect before I dismember you!"
Omega went silent, and Espio gave Eggman an irritated look.
Metal piped up, "You cannot do that doctor. Did you forget about the Master Emerald energy?"
"Oh right! I've forgotten!" the human focused on Espio, "Why does he have that energy inside of him?"
"To make him more durable," he answered simply.
"Hm…" Eggman hummed, cradling his chin with his pointer finger and thumb, "I may have to try that in the future…" he then turned on his heel and started to head back the way they came, "Let's go back to my office, we have lots to discuss!"
Yes, lots, Espio mentally reiterated as he nodded to Omega again, the robot following the scientist.
That was until a sonic boom sounded from up above.
Everyone whipped their heads up to the ceiling. The first one to move was Metal. His began to separate himself from the group until Eggman stopped him, "No. Metal do not go up there. I know what you're thinking, and I would normally agree with it, but he can't possibly find us down here. And we have too much to lose if you show yourself, confirming whatever he's thinking," the robot was literally shaking, itching to go up to the surface. There was a growl in Eggman's voice now, "Metal Sonic, stand down."
It took a while, but the bot calmed back down, "Fine, doctor. But I have permission to take action if the blue rat does find us?"
I don't think it really matters what Eggman says, Espio mentally pointed out, learning the personalities, Metal will do it anyway.
"Yes, you have permission to target him, but if and only then," the man replied (more like commanded) before he continued his way back to his office, Omega trailing him once more.
Espio just stood there, thinking about the iffy relationship between Metal and the doctor. That was until the former interrupted his thoughts, "What are you waiting for?" Metal questioned from behind him, the hidden meaning of 'get a move on' easily understood.
"I'm going," the ninja nearly snapped back, but not before peering over at the mirror one more time.
Penumbra was staring their way, ears perked and glare set. Cream had cried herself back to sleep in his arms.
Next chapter…repetition is key!
