Chapter 11 – Reflections and Revenges
Chapter 11 – Reflections and Revenges.
A/N: A long chapter this one, and an important one following the revelations previously; thus I took my time over what could be the most important piece of fanfiction I've ever written. I hope it measures up to your expectations and I hear from you all soon:
MS - Thanks for pointing out the errors in my last post, though in the context I was using it barking means grazing. Let me know if you find anything else and enjoy the read this chapter.
Ri2 - Yes that's where the name came from, though how she became a ninja, that's a different matter entirely.
DGA - Hope this chapter is enough to sate your eagerness; as mentioned above, please point out any errors you see so I can continue to improve myself.
Artemis - Don't worry, I know how crazy a life can get; hope you enjoy the new chapter and you get a chance to review it sometime soon.
Rowan - The answers to any questions can always be painful; do you shy from the pain, or do you drive yourself forwards onto the thorn to taste the sweet nector of the flowers they protect? It's a question you ask yourself now, though I hope you read on...
Willow - The old armour gone already; is it a little too early to make such an announcement, though I hope you are proved to be correct. Only time, however, can tell us for sure.
Wolf - Glad to have you in the hunt again; drop me a line if you get the chance to take a little time out from your hectic life. Hope you enjoy this latest offering.
SM - I like a long review; please don't take this as a critism but I can't write the reply you deserve; I don't have enough time. All I can say is that I hope you enjoy this chapter and I'll make it up to you next time.
As she finished straightening up the last of the sleeping bags the chameleon paused for a minute to admired her handiwork before giving the very bottom bag a swift, soft kick; git! Replaying Vectors' last swipe in her mind was enough to make her ears ring even now but, despite the slight ache and the damage done to her pride, she couldn't feel angry any more. In fact, as she sat down on the bed and looked around her room, hands clasped together and fiddling around in her lap, Esprana wasn't sure exactly what she was feeling period; was it relief, this sudden surge of lightness that seemed to be flowing through her, the same gentle feeling of relief as when a nagging headache departed? Or was it something else, a sort of humility that touched her now – after all, the fact that despite the hell she'd put them through, all three of the Chaotix had been there for her without complained or cajoling – would she have done the same; no, in all probability not. Or, at least...;
She took a deep breath and let in out a sigh; it felt like the first exhalation of her entire life and, she realised with a little jolt, in a way it was – just as she hadn't been able to answer her earlier question, now she couldn't quite wrap her head around this new and looming challenge, heading towards her at breakneck speed. Espio, she knew, knew for a fact, would never have even considered turning back and helping someone who'd lagged behind as the others had – he who falls behind gets left behind was his philosophy, but did that mean it was hers as well? What had happened last night had meant that the mask Esprana had hidden behind for so long was shattered and could never again be repaired, but at the same time did that mean there was nothing left of her alter ego? The chameleon she had been, her other self in a way, had been blessed with some redeeming features, though admittedly they weren't immediately obvious to a casual observer. What she had to do now was answer a very basic and, because she didn't know the answer at all, very frightening question; who was Esprana, and how much of a hand did Espio still have in the proceedings? It's going to be like walking a tightrope this is; staring ahead into the middle distance she let herself empty, one of the things Espio would have done in times like this, her thoughts, just as his would have done, left to drift towards their own conclusions at their own pace; all I know is that I can't be Espio any more – I will not; that point she was certain of – she would not let herself fall into that trap again; I used him to escape, make sure I wouldn't get hurt any more, but I stuck with it too long – because no-one knew I was really Esprana, I forgot it myself. Now I don't know who I am, or who I want to be – all I know is that I am not Espio, but there are a few traits of his I'd like to keep.
As she had for months before, Esprana sat alone in her bedroom, trying to think things through – this time however, she thought not to forget the problem, trying to fool herself it did not exist because she couldn't pretend any more. The truth was out for better or worse, so now she had to think about what she was going to do next to cope with what had happened; compared to that issue, the meditation Espio had undergone seemed a novices' exercise – pretending an obstacle didn't exist was an awful lot easier than trying to navigate a way over, around or through it. She shook her head slightly a moment later; she couldn't think about it right now, the events were too fresh, too painful in her mind at the minute – she'd have to work something concrete out later. Still; as she sat up and cast a final, unreadable glance at the three neatly stacked sleeping bags, the chameleon realised she had at least made a slight start, and a positive one at that; I've got people who's opinions I can ask now – that's something he never had, and grateful to see the back of that I am too!
XXX
The scene that greeted her when she swung open the kitchen door was a king of quiet, controlled bedlam; each of the other Chaotix were busy doing something in their own way but none, she noticed as she never had before, ever seemed to trip another up; her team were three separate entities working individually towards a common goal. To a casual observer, such as she was now, it was a fascinating thing to see play out and, had Charmy not called out as he noticed her from the corner of his eye, she could probably have stood there all day,
"Hey Esp", he broke off his rhythm suddenly, tablespoon dropping into the sugar pot as he realised what he'd said and glanced up guiltily, "you, ah, you don't mind if we call you that do you?"
"Hmm? Oh, er, no, no that's fine", she replied, caught quite as off-guard as the bee, and the other two probably, now felt, "actually, there was something I…wanted to say about that?"
"About what?" Vector interjected, his interest having only just disengaged from the breakfast he was throwing back as though news of an imminent famine had reached his ears; some things never change – nice to know. Hiding her smile as the sudden thought popped up out of nowhere, the chameleon sat down at the table opposite him, the other two Mobians drawn in by the gravity she seemed to suddenly exude,
"Something about me, though you've probably heard more than you ever wanted to know already", he quipped with a weak chortle, one that wasn't returned as the others digested her words, "look, fact of the matter is I, well, I can't say it any clearer than this, so I don't know who the hell I am any more. Espio's gone and that's a given, but it's going to take time, a lot of time, before Esprana's ready to fill the breach, if you see where I'm coming from?" There was a short pause before, her chair scraping as she leant forwards to sink her chin into her hands, Mighty mused her words and made her own mind up,
"I see Esprana, I get it. Well, first things' first, don't rush into it", she glanced up, making sure the chameleon was paying her very close attention before she elaborated, "I can't imagine what it's been like living under a false alibi for years, I don't think any of us can. This is your chance to get out of there, get out of being Espio and become someone else, someone more worthwhile; do not mess it up – you've got time, and you've got us", the Mobians flanking her both nodded in assent as the armadillo indicated them, her tone softening as she looked at the other girl warmly, support rather than warning lacing her voice now, "we will help you Esprana, as much as we're able to, and as long as you ask us to".
The chameleons' response wasn't immediate; she appeared to be thinking of the correct words to use in a situation like this – it wasn't something to be approached lightly and that was for sure. After a minute though, she seemed to swallow a lump in her throat and answer, her tone likewise bereft of its normal coldness and, the others noticed with not a little surprise, a lot less deep and gravely than Espios' voice had ever been,
"Thank you, all of you", she said with deep sincerity before seeming to shrink backwards a little, her voice shrinking a touch as she approached a point she hadn't yet considered, "but, thing is, I…I don't want to, to tell the others yet; I don't want them to know about this", she explained hastily as Charmy crossed his eyes, trying to work out what she meant. The bee gave a gasp of understanding just before Vector spoke, shrugging his shoulders as he considered it a fair point,
"Suits us Esp; like Might said, we're 'ere t'help. When ya feel ready, come f'ward – don' rush it or yer'll end up makin' a'ash of it. Any'ow", his eyes flicked to above her head and without further ado he dived back into his breakfast, the pace of his eating leaving everyone else speechless as he spoke around the food in his jaws, "get sommat down y'all; we got work ta do".
"Vector", Mighty looked away, faintly nauseated at the pace of such rampant gluttony, "at least slow down a bit; you'll give yourself heartburn". The crocodile paused to loom up, no more, before he gestured to the clock above where Esprana sat with a vindicated wave of his food-encrusted fork,
"Would if I 'ad time babe; I gorra be on duty in five".
At that point, and at that point alone, the rest of reality that existed just outside the Chaotixs' front door seemed to reassert itself with a cacophonous crunch – though last night had been a complete turning point of the Chaotix as a team, it had been simply another night like any other to the rest of Angel Island; how could the rest of the world know, or even care, about the events in a single household, however monumental they might be? It was bigger than they were and because of that had just kept right on turning; now it was up to them to try and put their worries behind them temporarily and catch up with where it had left them behind in its wake,
"Dammit; right, everyone", not unusually it was Charmy who reacted first to his leaders' pronouncement but, unusually, it was he who seized the reins of command, ordering the rest of the team into something like a cohesive force, "get a light breakfast and, I'm not on duty today, I'll make waffles for lunch. Mighty, with me this afternoon…"
As activity rang throughout the kitchen and disorder reined supreme, all was as it should have been once again; the night that had been and pretty much all else was forgotten in the mad rush to be ready for the dawning of the new day.
Once again, normality returned to the home of Angel Islands' assistant guardians.
XXX
Just made it; though the crocodile seemed an unlikely candidate in the eyes of most people, he was actually rather proud of both his own personal time-keeping and the way the Chaotix as a whole ran – if it wasn't on time, it usually wasn't on target was the crocodiles' philosophy. Today, however, despite a little tardiness being fully justified against the backdrop of the canvas it had sprung from, it appeared that fortune blessed him with her favour; as he sprinted the last few feet along the sandy tunnel that led to the heart of the shrine as well as someone with half a bowl of hastily bolted down cereal could hope to sprint anywhere, Vector stumbled to a halt as something twanged against his finely-honed sense of the ordinary. Something was out of place; not all was not as it should be, but could he put his finger on what it was; can I hell? Well, start with the facts; bereft as he was of his normal split-second analysis and processing of any given scenario, the crocodile was forced to do things the old fashioned way – folding his arms across his belly, where his stomach was still noisily protesting against the queasy start it had been forced to endure in the morning, the head of the Chaotix slowly tracked his head around the interior of the shrine and tried to figure out what was wrong with the pictures he was taking; okay, so the rocks' still glowing on the pillar over there. That's good – I don't think I could handle a dose of air-sickness this early in the day; Vector shuddered as visions of Angel island plummeting from the heavens assailed his mind, his gut churning its own frantic warning at the thought and as grateful as he was that the Master Emerald was still doing whatever it did that kept the massive chunk of rock anchored in the heavens; so, I can assume the Dark Legion haven't come sniffing around – good 'cause I don't fancy a dust-up this early either. So, all's as it should be, but where's…
The stillness of the shrines' interior was shattered suddenly by the sound of flash impacting against flesh at high velocity; it was then broken again by a groan of equal parts relief that he'd seen the missing part of the jigsaw and aggravation that it had taken him this long to do so – he'd have to be sharper than this to last through the day of questions that were coming his way, he was sure of that. Dragging his hand down his elongated snout, the crocodile heaved himself down towards the nearest vacant pillar, all seven of the smooth stone cylinders bare as the seven children of the Master Emerald, the Chaos Emeralds birthed from it in ages past scattered, created in an act that had had shattered both a family and the entire race of echidnas in a single, devastating act; in Vectors' opinion, the saying about the road to hell being paved with good intentions had never been more appropriately applied than in the sad story of the Chaos Siphon and its ill-fated creators. One had been Dimitri, the founder lord and grandmaster of Angel Islands' militant, technocratic faction of echidnas, the silent and sinister Dark Legion; or at least, he was up until Amy got through with him; while the other, Edmund, had been irradiated by Chaos energies in the blast and fathered the line of echidnas tasked with protecting the Master Emerald, the fabled guardians of Angel Island.
Theirs was a task that had spanned generations, a burden they had each born in turn and handed down to their children – it was also a burden that Vector, and by extension the rest of his team, now shared with the most recent descendent of the original guardian; it was this particular Mobian, or more accurately, the absence of this particular Mobian from this particular scene, that Vector now belatedly realised had stood out as an anomaly from the normal scene. Leaning against the nearest pillar with one hand, the crocodile scratched his brow with the other as he tried to figure out what could have gone wrong; wonder what's keeping…in fact; he broke off his thoughts with a chuckle, shaking his head as all of a sudden his thoughts seemed tunnelled towards a very specific set of circumstances that were probably keeping him very busy indeed this early in the morning; probably better I don't answer that – or, at least, not quite yet.
Just a few minutes after he'd made his mind up about this and settled himself down comfortably, Vector found himself shaking with mirth again as he won his mental bet; apart from the obvious, there were very few other things he could think of that would tempt a whistle out of Knuckles this early in the morning. He timed his question to perfection, his irked snarl reverberating through the shrine just as its true guardian appeared around the corner, his cheerful tune dying on his lips as his employees' verbal; rumble throttled the life from it,
"Yer late".
"And you Vector, are ugly", Knuckles shot back from the lip, the smile that had been plastered on his face since he'd walked in only growing at the sight of irritation being swamped with outraged indignation on the crocodiles' face, "tomorrow morning I will be on time, and you will still be ugly".
There was a pause before the crocodile could answer, a pause Knuckles used to full advantage by mirroring Vectors' earlier movement and making himself comfortable against one of the pillars; for some reason he'd never really figured out, he never felt at ease sitting cross-legged, he always had to kneel, preferably with his back braced against something. A convenient tree was always best for such leaning but sometimes, as was the case now when the echidna stretched back and closed his eyes, a short stone pillar would just have to do,
"Ya know", the guardian opened one eye in time to see Vector scowling across at him, "I might take 'fence t'that sorta talk if it weren't so true ta life. Any'ow, yer 'markably chipper so early an' there's only two reasons I'cun think of t'make it tha' way. An' oddly 'bough, both of 'em involve yer missus", Knuckles merely raised a coy eyebrow at the crocodile's suggestion – he obviously wanted to draw this out and, seeing the glorious suggestions being writ large across his friends' furry face Vector had no choice but to acquiesce, itching as he was for the truth, "go'n then, which wer'it – one-over or leg-over?" Knuckles chortled, rubbing his hands together gleefully as he gladly imparted the juicy new news,
"Better", the echidna smarmed, the casual tone of his words sending Vector reeling; what could be better than…?; "both, one just after the other"; ooh, you fluky git; despite the innuendo that everyone else who knew them embarked on periodically, and they themselves had in truth been known to dabble in occasionally, Vector had never really had seen any point in pursuing Rouge at all – though he sometimes thought this a bit of a shame, he kept their relationship purely professional as much, if not more so, out of mutual respect for her talents and the fact he loved her very dearly as a friend as because of the ring that graced her fourth finger now. Still, just because she was out of his reach didn't mean he wasn't allowed to point out the blindingly obvious; Rouge was and in all probability always would be an absolute stunner and Knuckles had really scooped the winning ticket in life's lottery by having her as his bride – the fact that he could also occasionally, as he obviously had now, get the upper hand on her in a battle of wits as well as between the sheets really was the icing on the cake as far as the crocodile was concerned. Chuckling in time with the echidnas' gleeful rubbing of hands together, Vector clasped his hands in front of him and motioned for him to continue,
"You lucky bleeda; well, don' keep a croc in s'spence, give us the gen. Nuthin' too steamy mind", he fanned his face as though blasted by a hot wind, Knuckles rolling his eyes at his exaggerated theatrics, "might do in me ticker this early in th'mornin'".
"Well, what happened, and this is the…"; huh?; Vector paused for a second, confused as Knuckles suddenly tailed off, the expression on his face hardening from smutty explanations, through shocked surprise until, finally, it levelled out into serious appraisal, the guardians' tone likewise devoid of anything other than concern as he continued sombrely, "…what happened can wait for the minute – looks like you've got a story of your own. How'd that happen?"
As the echidna nodded towards him Vector finally understood and was in all truthfulness a little relieved that the source of the problem could be so easily resolved. By bringing his hands forwards to fan his face as he had, he'd exposed his arm and, more importantly, the bandage that still covered most of one of his forearms; still; and it was true, he realised almost before he finished the thought, his own reaction one of slight surprise as he realised how easily this particular lie came to his mind – he'd thought it would have been more difficult to tell a porky now; I did come prepared for this little eventuality;
"Wha, this?" It was an unnecessary question and both of them knew it, but by treating the matter as more of a joke Vector hoped to be able to put his employer-stroke-friend a bit more at ease that the matter wasn't as serious as it first appeared, "Dun' worry Knucks, it's really nuthin'. Put it like this", he tried a different tack as the guardian remained stony-faced, "if yer story's a triumph fer wha' men can do when they've a mind to, mine a caution'ry tale fer wha' 'appens when they overreach 'emselves. Men, as ya doubtless know an' I foun' out, cannot multi-task".
It worked, and it worked well; it was all Vector could do to keep his mask of coolness intact for a minute as the guardian let a slow smile seep over his face, the rustle of his distinctive hairstyle as it fanned over his shoulders a piquantly comforting noise to the reptile as his friend shook his head before answering,
"Yep, I know that one far too well; in my case it was trying to snatch a handful of grapes out a tree at the same time as glide in a straight line", it was the crocodiles' turn to snigger as Knuckles rubbed his nose before pointing over at him, more curious than worried now, "go on then; I spilt my guts, your turn now".
"No' much t'tell really", he replied, just the right tone of abashment in his voice to keep the illusion real, "there I were, stood a'the side, jointin' a nice hunk o'meat when Might comes saunterin' in", he started moving his hand as though to mimic sewing, Knuckles already screwing up his face as he guessed what was coming next, "so yeah, she starts chattin' 'bout 'er day an' wha's goin' on – fatal really, I started chattin' back", suddenly he appeared to slip in mid-air, the hand holding the phantom needle suddenly jamming itself up against the bandages in his arm; at the same time the crocodile rolled his eyes upwards, jaws dropping open in a silent shriek of pain as the guardian winced sympathetically, "shoomp, righ' up me arm goes th' knife. O' course, all kicks off frum there, don' it; I'm bundled inta t'back o'the van, Might's got 'er foot t'the floor wi'the blues an' tunes goin' – I were only grateful yer mum weren't there, I'd never'a lived it down".
"Too right", the echidna agreed; love his mother he most assuredly did but there was no way he could deny that Lara-Le had a slyly vicious streak in her wider than Vectors' smile, "just as well she's on leave now; take it from me though she's already bored with it", he elaborated as the reptile raised an eyebrow he didn't have, "she's a bit too big to do all that much any more – that and the hormones are driving her crazy, and they're probably not doing all that much for Wyns' peace of mind either". Vector gave a dry chuckle before shaking his head,
"Fair 'nough; still not tha' long t'go now 'ey? When's 'e due?" Knuckles shrugged,
"Not a hundred percent sure to be honest; neither's mum for that matter", he added, a touch defensively as the crocodile looked disbelieving, "still, it's soon and thank goodness for that – the sooner Kneecaps is out in the world, the sooner it'll be before he cracks out his egg".
"An' the sooner you'll 'ave t'be on 'and fer babysittin' duties", Vector chipped in, smirking as Knuckles suddenly shuddered; don't think that had quite crossed your mind had it?; "well, if yer int'rested, I might 'ave a plan t'get y'outta that'un".
"Really?" The guardian blinked, suddenly looking much more attentive as he leaned in a little closer, "don't keep me in suspense then Vec, not on this one – I am literally all ears". Though not by nature particularly cruel, the head of the Chaotix wouldn't have been able to call himself Mobian if he hadn't drawn out the silence for just a second before delivering his killer punch-line,
"The way I see it mate, best way of avoidin' 'aving to look after someone else's nipper", Knuckles craned his neck even further forwards, not seeing the trap he was being lured in to until Vector's grin had eclipsed half his face; he pulled back, scowling and blushing even as the crocodiles' last words lacerated both his ears and his pride,
"Is t'get one o'yer own! And frum what y'were sayin' earlier…"
"Unless you want another sharp object in another tender region of your anatomy, don't finish that sentence".
"…Suits me, yer the boss, at least when yer mum's not around".
"Now that Vector", Knuckles agreed, nodded sagely at the same time as fighting to get his blush under control again, "is the first intelligent thing you've said all day".
XXX
Following Vectors' sudden departure the mood at the Chaotixs' home had calmed down remarkably; as usual, once they were all certain all the important details were being taken care of, the other three members of the team fell easily into their usual routine of generally existing. This time, however, something was different; one of the three was wrestling with a heavy decision, one she could not quite come to an accord with, not yet at least; finally, with a sigh, Esprana put down the duster and polish she was carrying and crept into the kitchen, idly waving down Charmy from where he was hovering near one of the windows with a bottle of cleaner. The bee tailed her into the kitchen where, after the second of appraising the problem, she flicked her foot towards the nearest plug socket in the wall, expertly hitting the switch down; Mighty looked down for a second, befuddled as to why the hoover had suddenly gone dead, before spinning on her heel and seeing the cause of the disturbance. Seeing the desire caught deep in the chameleons' eyes, the armadillo nodded and headed for the table, pulling out a chair for her self and slumping down in it,
"Something you want off your chest Esp?"
"Something like that", she nodded sadly, motioning for Charmy to sit down as well as she geared up for what she had to say next; and isn't this just going to be a killer?; "fact is, I have been thinking about this all morning; I don't know what to do next".
"Well after you've finished dusting, you could always…"
"I don't mean that Charmy", the chameleon snapped before immediately regretting her harsh tone – the bee, after all, had never been one to pass up an opportunity to lighten a dark mood, "I…"
"…know, I know", the bee finished for her, all his previous irreverence gone as he continued, "it must be a scary thing, having to throw your whole life around to try and get it to make sense again – I've done it before don't forget, when I left home, but even I was able to plan that, you never had that luxury".
"I did, I just didn't take it", she corrected him before carrying on as best she could, "anyway, as Vec would say looking back's about as much use as a chocolate fireguard – we, or I've got a problem, I need to figure out how to solve it". Mighty, having sat in peace throughout this so far ruminating over the facts she knew, sat forwards at this point, steepling her fingers under her chin and letting her observations speak for themselves,
"From what I can see Esprana", the chameleon flinched, still not used to hearing her proper name yet, "the only problem you have; I say only, but I know it must be a huge thing for you; is to work it out from square one again. You said earlier you didn't want to be like, like you were", she would not name Espio if she could help it – the more this girl was reminded of the horror she had been, the more chance there was of her reverting to that familiar, frightening form, "but, at the same time, you know because of how you've been, you've got some skills you want to keep. Okay, that's fair enough, but", the armadillo accepted that point because it made a lot of sense to her; now, however, comes the crunch of the issue; "what you've got now is to deal with something you're completely not used to, something that rattles even a ninjas' nerves", the chameleon looked over and Mighty dared to smile, just a little, as she finished with the direst of truths as far as Esprana was concerned,
"You've got to learn to be sociable".
It took a lot to get Charmy to wince but, as Mighty but the scale of the chameleons' problem into language as bold as that, the bee had no choice but to look at what was going on in a whole new light. In all the years he'd known her, the chameleon he now recognized as Esprana had never once so much as poked her nose outside the Chaotix front door unless one of three circumstances were present; she was out on business terms, she was going out to do some training, or someone, usually Vector, was applying his size thirteens to her tail in order to get some peace in the house. Eight or maybe nine years, give or take; glancing sidelong, Charmy suddenly felt a twinge of pity for his team mate, one that grew into an ache as he really began to understand how much of a sea change in, not just direction, but in her entire lifestyle this was going to have to be; that's a lot of years to have to try and forget, a lot of mind-work to have to try and reprogram. To her credit though, at least she was trying – something the Espio he'd known would never have done; he felt a modicum of pride swirl up in his belly as he heard the chameleon speak again, agreeing with Mightys' words, knowing that the armadillo was right, something needed to change,
"Yeah, I know, and that's the scary bit; the other thing is I, er, I don't, really, want the others, you know, Rouge and that, to know about this, not yet".
"That's fine", Charmy cut in, perhaps a little too abruptly, "like Vec said earlier, or was it you Might; either way", he continued, not wanting to get bogged down in the details before delivering his message, "you've got to take this at your own pace – we'll help as much as we can, don't worry about that, but the one who decides what to do next has to be you. Sad I know, and probably bloody frustrating as well, but unfortunately it's true".
"Maybe, certainly frustrating and all that", she acquiesced to his assessment before her expression became troubled once again, "but the main thing is, right now, I need a bit of help; if I'm doing something wrong, if I start acting, like I was", both the others nodded, understanding exactly what she was driving at and, the burden of such an admission lifted, Esprana was able to finish what she'd said a lot more easily than she'd hoped, "I need you pair, and Vector too when he's about, to tell me I'm doing it – chances are I won't even recognize it. You understand?"
"Perfectly, and you can start right now", Mighty remarked after a seconds' pause, the chameleon looking over startled; what've I done – I didn't think I was doing…; "stop talking like you used to; use your real voice for a change".
"Huh? Oh", no reptile could truly blush but Esprana came close to it, the scales of her face threatening to change colour for a second before she clamped down on the response, "sorry, I didn't realize. How's this?"
Both the other Mobians had pricked their ears, the noise issuing from the reptiles' lips nothing like the voice they had become inured to during their time with Espio; rather than his grating whispers, Esprana sounded a little higher in pitch and, unusually, a little louder as well – as the rest of the Chaotix had spent what felt like half their working lives trying to force the chameleon to speak up, this came as something of an unexpected bonus. However, most importantly, the voice sounded natural; now she was letting the words flow instead of forcing them, Esprana sounded like she could hold something more meaningful than a ten-second conversation, something Charmy was very keen to pick up on despite the niggling voice at the back of his mind continually repeating that there was something he was missing in this picture,
"Very nice, much better"; Esprana smiled sheepishly at the praise before coughing quietly,
"Sore though", she pulled at the flesh around her throat and swallowed deeply, "typical, get used to using one voice and start weaning myself off the sucky-sweets, now gotta do the same thing again in reverse". Mighty chuckled,
"That's life I'm afraid – two steps forwards, one step back, though speaking of steps", casting her eyes towards the clock the armadillo hastily downed the dregs of her tea and stood up, "we'd better make a couple of quick steps; shopping's due today and you, much as I'm afraid to say this, have got to come with me".
"What?" Confusion reigned for a few minutes before the chameleon saw the sense behind the armadillo's words, "Why…oh, right – I guess you're right; Charm, you're okay with the late shift?"
"Have been up to now", he replied off-handedly, idly grateful that neither Mighty nor Esprana realised his pre-occupation, "have a good trip, and see if you can bring back something worth eating for breakfast this time; like it or not we're getting you off that gopping awful cereal you eat – like eating wet cardboard". Fair enough, I suppose I could do with a change; smiling, she nodded over to him as Mighty bustled past, clearing the condiments off the table,
"I'll see what I can find – later Charmy, and thanks". Knowing what she was talking about and not wanting to think abut it more than he had to, the bee simply nodded and watched her go with half an eye; the other half, and most of his mind, was still furiously trying to piece together a different puzzle – there was something he should do now, some source of information he should be able to tap in a situation like this but it remained elusively, infuriatingly, just out of reach. Just for once; as Mighty had earlier he glanced upwards, the clock ticking onwards and counting down the time he had left until he could finally get somewhere cool and quiet to think; I'll be grateful when it's time for my shift to start.
XXX
"Ouch", despite himself Vector winced as Knuckles nodded glumly, the echidna having just explained what the ceremony of the guardians' actually entailed, rather than what it represented, "every year?"
"Oh yeah", the guardian sighed, already dreading that date upon the calendar, "lucky old me, though of course the other half gets a get-out clause; believe me though", his melancholy was broken by a sudden smirk as he recalled the previous evening, "if she doesn't use it for this time next year I'll be the most surprised there".
"Why's that then Knucks – yer've bin leadin' up t'sommat all day, don' deny it", Vector cut off the echidnas' aggrieved look with a pointed finger, "I'cun tell, yer like readin' a book. Now, out wi'it, 'less ya want me t'beat it outta yer 'ide".
"Sorry, that's a pastime only Rouge gets to indulge in", the guardian informed him, chuckling again as the crocodile grimaced, "and even then only when I'm feeling generous, and even when I'm feeling not sometimes". The guardian gave a slightly embarrassed squirm at this, a couple of old bruises throbbing a little sorely as they reminded him acutely of just how true that last statement actually was, before a menacing growl from just across the room made him look up. For his part Vector actually said nothing, though the way he was rubbing one set of knuckles meaningfully at the same time as stare at the echidna in the same manner as a crash-dieter would regard the last biscuit on a platter, Knuckles realised it might be time to start coming, if not exactly squeaky-clean, then at least a little less grimy than this business had started out as being,
"Well, much as I'd like to Vec, and believe me", he held up a forestalling hand as the crocodile threatened to get ready to pounce, "there's a lot there I'd like to claim credit for, the fact is I can't say a whole heck of a lot just yet. It'll come out in time I'm sure, but for now, until this weekend in fact, the whole matter's got to stay under wraps".
"'kay"; whew…; the echidnas' mind wiped phantom sweat from its brow as the crocodile gave that pronouncement after what felt like eons of laboured deliberations, "I'cun wait tha' long I guess, 'long as"; …thought there'd be a proviso though; "I getta reason why I'm bein' left on tenter'ooks?" Knuckles brightened immediately,
"Ah, now that I can provide; the simple fact of that matter is…"
What that simple fact was, however, was drowned out by sudden fizzing noise that ended in a noise like a small thunderclap; both Mobians looked at each other for a minute before transferring the target of their attention towards the most recent excavation within the shrine of the Master Emerald itself; the short tunnel leading to the Chaotix teleporter was silent for a minute before, with a rustle of beating wings, Charmy breezed in, settled himself on the floor, dusted himself off, glanced up at the two gawking at his sudden appearance and immediately began shooting off orders,
"Change of plan you pair; life at home's just too manic for me at the minute so Vec, clear off – I need a bit of me-time to sort my head out. Knuckles", such was the determination in the younger Mobians' gaze the echidna flinched as Charmy pressed on remorselessly, "technically this place is yours so I can't order you out of it – however unless you fancy spending the next few hours of your life listening to me monologuing I suggest you find somewhere else to be, probably with that charming wife of yours. Everyone clear with that? Okay then", having heard no answer to his question the bee clapped his hands, the matter done and dusted as far as he was concerned, "off you go then; come on, pip-pip, time is money and all that".
"Err", such was his surprise that it wasn't until he found himself hauled to his feet and almost being bodily dragged along towards the exit point that the Vector managed to get some of his facilities back on line – realising that arguing with the bee in this mood would be a wasted effort, the crocodile tried desperately to salvage something from the hour and a bit he'd endured listening to the grist of the guardian's speech in order to crack through to the juicy bit in the middle, "'ang on; Knucks, ya gotta gimme sommat man!" To his immense frustration and disappointment however, the echidna merely smiled and tapped the side of his nose,
"Next week Vec I promise; I'm going I'm going"; true to his word Knuckles rose smoothly to his feet and headed towards the main shrine exit, a little surprised but not unduly perturbed by the sudden break from the normal Chaotix routine – after all, though there was a supposed and, the echidna suspected, half-mythical rota system his ad-hoc assistants worked to, circumstances such as illness, important chores and (in Mighty's case) boyfriend visitation rights meant they usually ended up chopping and changing shifts as often as Knuckles changed his socks. Hearing the teleporter zap into life again as he left the echidna put the matter from his mind and idly strode away towards some other part of Angel Island, his feet finding their own way as he walked without really paying too much attention to where he was going – as far as he was concerned at the minute, knowing the Master was in safe hands, the destination wasn't really important.
All Knuckles cared about right now, aware of his surroundings in a way he never really had been before, was finding his way somewhere peaceful and an atmosphere of relative calmness; wherever I find it isn't all that important really; glancing upwards, the guardian fixed his eyes on a leaf as it fell to the ground from above, a smile splitting his lips a second later; it's what I do there that matters.
XXX
By a strange quirk of fate, itself a notoriously quirky creature in its own right, what was in the guardians' mind as he pushed through the undergrowth of his homeland was also the overriding thought lodged in two other minds running parallel with his own. One of those thought trains was being controlled by none other than Charmy Bee; having removed Vector from the equation by the simple expedient of shoving him through the teleporter array, the insect had stomped back into the main shrine chamber, heaved himself onto the plinth Vector had up until very recently been warming and got down to some serious brainwork.
I've been here before, but I can't quite remember when; that was the single most infuriating thing about this whole state of affairs – it wasn't that he didn't know the answer or that he couldn't figure it out, it was more that once upon a time he had solved a puzzle very similar to this but couldn't remember how he'd solved it, or even what the other puzzle had been come to that. Chin sunk on his fist, Charmy seemed to sink into some kind of trance so deep was his concentration; Eggman himself could have danced a waltz with Metal Sonic in front of him with the entire Dark Legion providing the backing music and it was doubtful whether the bee would have turned a hair at any of them. All his energy was devoted inwards, bent at breaking the riddle now running through his mind and desperate to do so, because he knew by putting the pieces of this puzzle together he'd be taking a major step forwards – he'd done it once he was sure of it, why shouldn't the same trick work twice? The answer flitted elusively, tantalisingly, just out of reach – his mind, fuelled easily by the sugar he'd wisely consumed before coming here in order to make sure he wouldn't run out of steam any time soon in this brain-slogging marathon, raced after it, determined to force it to ground and determined not to give up the chase until it did so. Frozen in stasis by these circumstances Charmy didn't move, all the action in his mind as he rushed ever onwards towards a goal he was certain to reach if he persevered long enough in his quest, never knowing that as the hours whizzed by, even as he continued onwards, the last of the strange trio united momentarily in their joint desires to find somewhere, was finally coming to the end of his sojourn.
XXX
The paper in his hand was snatched away by a playful wind; he watched it spin away in the dizzying gusts for a minute before returning to the matter at hand; the directions are lost, but no matter; dark glee was evident in his eye as he rubbed his wrist; no matter where I end up, I can always get home no trouble, with someone for company if circumstances dictate.
And dictate these circumstances most definitely did; having been charged with this mission, judged the only one who could successfully pull it off without causing too much undue fuss, failure was not an option now. Squaring his shoulders, the echidna staring at the block of flats before him made his next move, filtering through the quiet, wintry streets with a cool detachment, moving past the few other echidnas in the street almost as though he wasn't there. In was a difficult trick to pull off though, draining vital power he might need at some point in the near future; therefore when he saw the receptionists' desk was vacant he let the mind-veil drop like an uncomfortable cloak, pausing for just a second to make sure all was as it should be within him. Yes, I'm ready; sure in his own mind, the operative nipped over to the foot of the stairwell, mounted the first one, and began his ascent.
Some minutes later and things weren't going quite as rosily as he'd hoped; for a start, the directions he'd accidentally dropped in the street had actually contained the correct address, including most importantly the flat number and what floor it was on. He had been certain it was a second floor dwelling he was scanning for and he must have got the numbers slightly mixed up in his head rather than the other way around; he had therefore just spent the last couple of minutes apologising profusely to the slightly startled-looking young echidna who'd greeted him at her front door, obviously expecting the father of the little infant she'd held in her arms rather than a complete stranger turning up on her doorstep. Still, mistakes can always be forgiven; it was a comforting crumb of solace that he could take from that miserable episode, one that seemed to morph into a banquet before him as, on the first floor and searching of what he was sure was now the correct address; providing one comes back with the goods in the end. His certainty emboldened him even into forgetting his earlier mistake; drawing back his fist the second he was in range, the stalker rapped smartly on the door in front of him.
The sudden noise echoed in the still hallway and, his task done for the minute, the figure at the door stayed where he was; for a brief instant he thought all had been in vain before hope burst forth renewed; with a patter of forthcoming feet and a bolt being clicked open internally, the door before him swung inwards and he found himself face to face with proof he was in the right place; his target was in plain sight.
"Umm", the noise of confusion snapped him back to reality, his would-be host looking him up and down, "sorry, you are?"
XXX
"Oh, my apologies", he inclined his head a little at his oversight, the echidna at the door raising an eyebrow before his next words cleared up her confusion, "I am looking for your flatmate, Shadow Hedgehog? Is he in?" The former Legionnaire, Julie something-or-other if he remember the very brief briefing he'd been bored stupid with earlier that morning, gave a sharp inhalation of surprise before, to his well-concealed disappointment, she shook her head,
"No, I'm afraid he's not back yet – he works 'til five. Ah, anyway, you best come in, he won't be long – sorry I was about to start hoovering, but please make yourself comfortable". Her newest and most unexpected guest smiled graciously, another slight bow only heightening her already finely-honed sense of paranoia that something wasn't right about this set-up,
"You're most generous, er, Julie? Oh good", after so long spent reading people her start of surprise was an obvious give-away that he had her name right, "Shadow's mentioned you before but I wasn't sure I'd remembered your name. I won't be long I promise – just got a couple of little issues to iron out with your partner and then I'll be out your way". She didn't answer at once, merely standing to the side and letting, completely oblivious to the consequences such an action was to have in the near future, the serpent slither through her front door into the place she called home.
Something's wrong here; she knew it, every fibre of her being was screaming the same message but she'd be damned if she could put her finger on exactly what was out of place; other than some complete stranger turning up unannounced and saying he's waiting for the hedgehog show up again. Still, good manners dictated she had no choice but to follow her erstwhile guest and, after a minute of slowly-souring silence, at least make an attempt to break the ice,
"Would you, umm, like anything to drink, or eat for that matter?"
"Hmm?" It seemed like he'd been pre-occupied with admiring the colour scheme of the hall; Julie was about to ask again when he shook his head, "oh, no thank you; I'm quite all right and I assure you, once Shadow has shown himself I'll be much more than merely that". It was something about his voice, he sounded just too, well, odd; Julies' nerves were jangling madly as she watched the other echidna step smoothly over the sleeping dragon of the hoover she'd been forced to abandon on the hall floor to answer the knock at the door – try as she might though, the ex-Dark Legionnaire's normally infallible paranoid streak failed her. Though she was forced to go along with this charade for the minute she nevertheless kept her guard high; tailing her guest into the lounge, the partially mechanised echidna stepped into the doorway just in time to observe an impossible act, the one that brought the curtain of uncertainty crashing down and let her know exactly what she was dealing with now.
XXX
He had seen it; his briefing had been very detailed indeed, the information he'd been supplied with less than an hour old by the time it had reached his ears, and all given from a very willing conspirator indeed – at least, that was the official line he'd been told and, more wrapped up in the opportunity to go back into action at last, he wasn't about to question it. It was on a shelf, the title plainly visible and he reacted without thinking; only when the gasp came from behind him did he realise what he'd done and by then it was far too late; turning on the spot, his suddenly depthless, chilling eyes met those of a startled Julie-Su, her finger shaking upwards as it tried to tremulously point him out at the same time her stunned brain thrust across her lips the first words that occurred to it,
"You, I know you!"
XXX
As always in circumstances such as this, when the breach was finally forced the result, rather than jubilation, was a spike of frustration that it had taken so long to see something as plain as the nose on his face; with a growl Charmy broke off from staring at the far wall and drilled his knuckles into his forehead,
"I'm stupid", not content with the twinges of pain from his lower scalp, the bee began bouncing his bonce off his hard little fingers, each impact greeted with a rhythmic chant, "stupid…stupid…stupid…stupid – it's so bloody obvious!" Not a second later he had his phone in his hand and, for once, was counting his complete inability to remember to wipe his dialled numbers list as a blessing rather than a curse; the one he needed was way down the scrolling pages of numbers but, as his texting thumb found what he was after and he hit the big green button to start the call, he already knew it was worth the wait if only for his opening line,
"Hello?"
"Oh dear, doctor", the bee groaned theatrically, half-strangling his own vocal chords to make it sound like he was speaking through a wad of thick tissues, "I'm desperately ill, I need some for your trusty bedside manner to pull me through – I'll make it worth your while, champagne and chocolates as standard".
"What? Who the…" he almost felt as much as heard the resigned recognition on the other end of the line as the hedgehog he was calling realised she'd been spun a yarn, "…hello Charmy".
"Hi Ames", the bee dropped his disguise; as far as he was concerned now it was purely business, "listen, you're not busy are you?"
"No, well, not in the traditional sense at least; Sonic", her voice receded; Charmy realised she must have taken the phone from her ear to snap at the other hedgehog she now shared a tenancy with, "you so much as touch those dogs and I'll put your tongue in a splint!" The bee slapped a hand over his mouth as a disembodied 'aww' filtered through the phone line, just about able to reassert himself to hear Amy's next words, "Sorry Charm, what were you after?"
"That can wait for a second", he breezed, remembering one of Vectors' many snippets of information about the fine art of dealing with the opposite sex; keep 'em talking about 'emselves, they'll lap it up – yeah right, and when was the last time you put that into practice?; "how're you both getting on – is living with the legend as good as pursuing him was?"
"Well", despite himself the bee smiled; somehow he could just picture one particular pair of blues ears hanging on the pink hedgehogs' every word, "let's just say it comes with a distinct set of advantages, and disadvantages".
"Like what?"
"Like keeping him fed for a start", Amy complained to her remote confidante before taking a swipe at where her boyfriends' hands were now inching towards the pans on the stove, "honestly if there's one thing he and Eggman have in common it's an unhealthily large appetite".
"Oh believe me that is absolutely nothing", the bee countered admonishingly, a couple of reminders of his own very stark in his mind as he did so, "take it from me you could put both of them on a starvation diet for a year and Vector would still eat them both under the table".
"Under the table", Amy repeated before her voice once more became a little disembodied and Charmy shook his head; wind each other up something chronic, get along like a house on fire – reminds me of home; "Sonic if you do it won't just be the table you'll be buried und-ahh!"
The ear-splitting shriek almost made Charmy drop his phone; after a second of ensuring his eardrum hadn't been ruptured, the bee tentatively brought the appliance up once more and breathed into the end of it,
"Amy? You all right down there?"
"Oh, yeah, I'm fihehehehe-fine; not now!" Completely in the dark about the hedgehogs' apparent attack of schizophrenia Charmy tried to make sense of it all by engaging at least one half of his targets' attention,
"What? I can ring back…"
"No, no i-hiiit! It's just Sonic trying to behehe funny". Charmy shook his head smiling; far too much like home;
"Seems to be working, you're laughing". There was a brief sound of scuffling on the other end of the line before, it seemed, Amy won out and managed to answer,
"That's 'cause he's cheat-", her voice rose by several octaves "-iiiinng! Sonic!"
"I haven't dialled a wrong number here have I?" Try as he might to sympathise with her plight it just wasn't in Charmys' nature not to get in on the act, "this isn't one of those dodgy crest-a-minute lines is it?"
"Hmm"; with the sounds of scuffling still at the edges of his hearing and Amy demanding, 'gimme that!' as the voice mused on it didn't take a genius to join the dots as to what had happened downstairs, "not yet, but if you're willing to cough up…"
At Sonics' insinuation Charmy lost it helplessly; he was so far gone into his guffaws at the bawdy humour that he actually missed the end of the online relationship friction, though he was reasonably sure that skilful employment of the words 'eat tonight' played a large part in Amy's eventual victory. With a last huff in what he assumed was the direction of the door he could hear slamming in the background, the hedgehog tried to pick up where she left off despite sounding a little more rumpled than earlier,
"I can only apologise Charm; some days he is a first class pain in the proverbial". The bee winced and drew in a sharp breath,
"Ooh, sounds nasty; hope you can get some cream for that", Amy chortled, unable to sustain a frosty attitude if her life depended on it, "anyway leaving him to side for a bit, I was just ringing on the off-chance – if you reckon you can help me, I've got a bit of a problem to run through with you?"
"Go on"; good; though she was trying to keep her voice level Charmy reckoned he could just about pick up the first faint rumblings of a professional interest being awoken; now to get the beast properly roused;
"Yeah, so anyway, cutting to the chase the fact of the matter is someone I know's going through a really rough patch at the minute – not quite sure what kicked it all off but we're cautiously optimistic she's over the worst of it". He didn't quite finish the sentence on purpose; what was left was a cunningly baited trap, a dangling lure ready to draw in the unwary; oblivious to the double-dealing at play, Amy took the direct option and rumbled straight into the conversation Charmy wanted to have,
"Okay"; it was all the bee could do to suppress a hiss of excitement – there was no doubt about it now, she was definitely interested and because of that might cough up the information he needed so desperately, "so, how does this affect me exactly, or, to be a bit more precise how can I affect this?"
"Not sure, just looking for some ideas really and", he gave a self-depreciating chuckle as he shrugged, "let's face it, you're by far and away the best qualified out the lot of us; how is Sonic doing in that regard by the way – is he onto the A-Levels yet".
"He's got one or two, wants to sort out a third before he figures out where he wants to go next", Amy rattled off in rapid-fire speech; good – she wants to get everything else out the way to focus on the conundrum I'm setting her; "anyway, forget about him for a minute, and believe me I'm trying very hard to accomplish that very feat after earlier; back to you and your friend".
"Hmm? Oh yeah, her – well we're a bit stumped about what to do next really Ames. I mean", he tried to clarify the matter a little more, paint her the best possible picture to work with as every fact might have helped her diagnosis, "she's doing okay and all that, but she's still a bit, umm, bit…I don't know. Reserved, maybe – in a shell she doesn't know quite how to break out from? That's about as clear as I can make it; clear as mud I'll bet".
The line was silent at that comment, leaving Charmy in the dark; all he could do now was cross his fingers and pray that something in Amy's education so far had been something similar to the scenario he'd laid out for her,
"Not that bad", her firsts words made him cautiously optimistic; it was her next that really made him heave a sigh of relief, "in fact, yeah, I think there's something you can all do, fairly easy too if I'm honest about it".
"Amy", the bee spoke her name with something close to reverence in his voice, singing glorious hymns and anthems in his heart as he finally saw a glimmer of light leading out of the pit the Chaotix were still thrashing around in the bottom of, "you should know us by now – the path of least resistance in always the one we like to tread. Come on then, oh belle of the Station Square campus", the hedgehog sniggered at his unashamed compliment but he pressed on regardless, "what have you got for me this time?"
"Aside from a well-deserved slap upside the head?"
"Just as long as you don't touch the hair, or the antennae come to that – takes ages to sort out the reception again once someone's belted the side of the old brain-box".
"Not that the picture was ever that clear to start with", the pink hedgehog riposted before finally settling back down and giving her answer, "but as far as your friends' concerned, I think the best thing you could do would be to give her something to…just to aim at, that's the best way I can think to describe it".
Aim at?; whatever half-baked pre-conceptions he might have had that one wasn't on the list; aim at with what – preferably with something other than a shuriken I assume;
"Umm", trying to clear the waters Amy's answer had so thoroughly muddied up for him, the bee tried to limit the damage as much as he could, "come again? Aim for, in what way?"
"Give her a goal, something she should be able to achieve, something she really wants", the hedgehog explained patiently as months of lectures on the importance of empathy and patience, something that contrary to her sometimes quick temper, she had been naturally blessed with in spades, rigidly enforced the message that detailed explanations always yielded better results than all the screaming and shouting in the world, "if you can do that she'll have a reason, and a legitimate reason, to break out into the world again. Best thing of all would be to figure out a couple of lesser achievements, stepping stones if you like, that'll eventually help her get to the end point. See where I'm coming from?" Charmy took time out for a minute of careful and reasoned deliberation before nodding to himself, remembering there was someone else on the end of the line just before Amy was about to speak again and chide him into answering,
"I think so", he replied carefully, choosing his words with precise consideration, "so you're saying that the way forwards is don't force it, offer an incentive to get her off her tail?"
"The carrot usually works better than the stick"; fair point I suppose; more than that though, it was a point he could easily rationalise with and, better than even that, understand as being completely and utterly true, "who is she just out of interest"; huh?; the hedgehogs' question caught him completely out of the blue; he was only grateful for her next words giving him the breathing space he needed to start piecing together a coherent answer, "anyone I know?"
"Ah, 'fraid not actually Amy", the bee answered a second later in what he fervently hoped was a casual tone, "in fact, odd though this might sound, I don't really think any of us really know her all that well yet. Still, with what you've told me just now, I reckon we might just be able to coax her out into the big wide world again. Anyway, better get going now, supper'll soon be on the table; thanks again Amy, you're a star". The hedgehog smiled, half out of embarrassment and half out of pride at the comment,
"Thanks Charm, anything else you know where I am; anyway, speaking of supper, better get it dished up before Sonic starts flooding us out drooling"; as the two friends laughed at the joke neither of them saw a pair of jade green eyes narrow at this insult, nor did they hear two sneaker-clad feet begin to pick their way silently across a linoleum floor, "later buzz-boy, cheers, 'bye".
As the connection was finally broken two things happened simultaneously; Amy found herself pounced upon and subjected to a no-holds-barred wrestling-stroke-tickling lesson that only the smell of cremating chilli-dogs on the stove allowed her to breathlessly squirm free from, and even then Sonic was swearing further revenge once they'd finished the clearing up. More importantly though, at the same time the two hedgehogs were scrapping it out on the world below, up in the heavens of Angel Island a solitary bee hurtled pell-mell towards the exit of the Master emerald shrine, mind alight with both the new knowledge he had gleaned, and the needed to impart it to those who still had to hear such good news.
XXX
Though she immediately claimed it as proof of her superior ability to predict her quarry's' movements, in actual fact it was more by luck than judgement that Julie was stooped over the oven as she heard the front door rattle open; this, at least, gave her half a chance to wipe the greasy, gleeful smile off her face before Shadow appeared around the door, his customary lunchbox and newspaper clattering heedlessly to the tabletop as he nodded a greeting to her.
"Good day?" She shrugged,
"About average", her reply was likewise as off-hand as his, though as she visibly brightened Shadow pricked his ears, "oh, how's your friend though? Feeling better now?"
"A little", the hedgehog thought for a minute before delivering his answer, as baffled as the rest of the office at his comrades' ailment, to say nothing of the confusion, not to mention discomfort, Honey herself must have been experiencing, "she's stopped feeling so sick for one thing, and she's eating and drinking more, but at the same time I reckon she's due a bit of a break. Apart from that week off she had with her other half I can't remember her being out the office for any great length of time – she'll be after Snappys' job full-time any day now and everyone knows she's virtually part of the office furniture. Bonded too far, can't live if she strays too far from her desk", he looked up and flashed his housemate a dazzling, sarcastic smile, "bit like you and the sofa really". Ooh you are so going to pay for that; if this had been an ordinary day Julie would have responded with an oral blast that would have ripped apart any hope the black hedgehog had of defending himself, though as today was turning out to be anything but an ordinary day she felt there was no need; after all, going by what I saw earlier he's going to be paying someone else with interest later on;
"And you're one to talk about the sofa are you? You better have a spare can of oil for when those springs start squeaking again – I've been having a decent weeks' sleep up to now", knowing exactly what she was insinuating Shadow glared over the table at her at the same time as reach of his paper; before he'd so much as laid the edge of a finger on it however he found it pinned to the tabletop by one of the ex-Dark Legionnaires' hands, the strength of her augmented forearms more than enough to ensure he wouldn't be getting near it any time soon,
"Speaking of the settee though, you better go take a look before you get comfortable; there's something waiting there for you"; that was close; she'd come very close to letting her tongue slip and mentioning 'someone' there but thankfully Shadow appeared to be none the wiser, his puzzlement at such an announcement keeping him occupied,
"Really? Any idea what?"
"Nope, and none about where it came from either", that was a pair of, if not outright lies, at least well-embellished half-truths that the hedgehog nonetheless swallowed; it was all Julie could do to keep her gleeful smile in check until her flatmate was in the hallway – there were a couple of seconds' silence where she squirmed torturously for a resolution to this situation, then as a wild yell of panic echoed throughout the entire flat, Julie let herself go into a helpless fit of the giggles, just about managing to keep on her feet and begin heading unsteadily towards the hallway, trying to catch an eyeful of the main event spectacle.
XXX
There!; almost even before the door had swung open he'd been in motion, actions he'd used and powers he'd called upon a thousand times before heeding his summons in the blink of an eye but even then it wasn't enough. His quarry, despite being stunned at the sight of him and cowering from the ancestral forces he was calling upon, was still swift enough to take a picture of the action and interpret it as nothing good coming his way; and how right you are sunshine. Even as the last hint of ebony quill and flaming shoe disappeared around the doorframe with a startled yelp Sojourner was in his element, blood that linked him to the first guardian, the first both blessed and cursed with the touch of chaos and the destiny it had spelt out for him, singing in his heart and pulsing through his veins as his ghost-touch felt contact and contracted like a fist; something fell over with a thump and he began to drag his prey backwards, cursing inside as Shadow was still fighting his mental hold and managed to sang onto something, stopping him from achieving the goal the rest of the Brotherhood, the eldest member excepted, had tasked him with,
"No use fighting it Shadow, just let go", when it appeared the hedgehog didn't hear him he gave another hard yank, hearing his target moan in pain, "I can pull like this all night!"
XXX
For the first split-second he'd been utterly bewildered; Knuckles was here, but Knuckles was red, and since when had he lost so much weight? Only at the sight of what the echidna held in his hand and the dark scowl on his lips did the penny drop; with a cry of surprise Shadow had bolted for the door away from whichever member of the Brotherhood had tracked him down – right now he couldn't put a name to the face and didn't care much either way. The front door was invitingly close, just a spilt-second longer and he'd be away and no-one would catch him; something grabbed his ankle and he went down hard, all the air smashed out of his lungs and disorientated for a vital second. Shaking his head to clear out the cobwebs, the former ultimate life-form realised with a thrill of horror that he hadn't just fallen over, he was being dragged backwards as well; desperate, he threw himself to the side of the hallway and reached down, extending his arms down his stomach and grabbing the doorframe into the lounge, his last desperate ledge against the abyss he was staring into otherwise. There was sudden hard tug and his heart stopped as he lost his grip; only by the grace of the lord did he regain it, holding himself in place with a combination of his forearms and fingertips, Shadow braced himself for a tug-of-war – he was not to be disappointed,
"No use fighting it Shadow", air was forced groaning from his lungs as the grip squeezed his legs and lower body, "I can pull like this all night!"
"So", he gasped, not sure why he was saying what he was saying but going along with it anyway, "so I've seen". It worked!; the words struck home and for a second the shackles broke – before he could do much more than realise this fact though they were back on with a vengeance, though he had managed to lever slightly more of himself around the door in the fractional pause. If he could just keep it like this, gaining ground millimetre by painful millimetre…his spine froze as he felt a sudden, alien pressure on his fingertips; snapping his head around he beheld with horror-struck eyes Julie-Su smirking down at him, knelt by where he was clutching his last hope of salvation with her fingertips underneath his own,
"Go on then Shads", her voice was suddenly an unbearable taunt, her expression even worse as she nodded at where she quite literally held his future in her hands, "what's it worth I don't?"
"You do", he growled back; he knew as well as she did pleading was next to useless so he had to try and attempt something even more impossible – he had to scare her enough to make her back down, "and you won't live long enough to regret it".
To his unutterable surprise, he did it, he achieve the impossible; Julie shrank back from him, both hands clutching over her heart as though it had been punctured by his words,
"Shadow", her voice was ghostly, almost timid as the black hedgehog once more fought to keep Sojourner at bay, "I, I don't believe you think, you think I'd do that. To someone who was helpless, I'd just throw them to the wolves like that? Well I wouldn't", she crossed her arms, suddenly looking more cross than anything else and, somewhere at the back of Shadow's mind a red light started flashing; had he not been more pre-occupied with more pressing concerns he might have paid it a bit more heed but as things stood he didn't see the danger until it was too late, "not when it's more fun to make you chuck yourself in there first!" With that, and a swift movement forwards, the echidna lunged towards what had always been her original target, a wide grin splitting her lips as she felt the soft skin under her fingertips, followed a second later by Shadow shrieking and thrashing around for his freedom.
Though it was known only to a very select few that Shadow wasn't technically a hedgehog, or even a Mobian at all come to that, in the very strictest sense of the word, one aspect of his physiology he did share with most other members of his adopted species was an increased sensitivity in the region of his ears. To a greater or lesser extent all Mobians suffered or rejoiced in this boon-come-curse depending on circumstances, and right now in Shadow's eyes it was definitely one of those latter times. The way Julie was casually running her fingertips lightly along the ridges and tips of his small, pointed protrusions were utterly maddening, unbearably itchy but at the same time he couldn't stop them – to do that would mean letting go of the doorframe and she knew that as well as he did, hence the gleeful smile gracing her enraptured face as she continued her irksome assault. The ebony hedgehog was helpless, trapped between the smirking devil of his flatmate and the deep blue sea of the unknown fate Sojourner had planned for him; with his ears aflame as they were now he had just seconds to make a choice. He tried everything to stave off the inevitable; shaking his head violently, trying to twist his neck enough to let him rub the top of his skull against the wall, even attempting to spear Julies' teasing fingers with his head quills but all his plans came to naught; she'd caught him properly this time, there was nothing he could do.
The end when it came was brief; with a last desperate cry Shadow ripped his hands off the doorframe and set about scratching the residual itches from his earlobes, an expression of nirvanic ecstasy on his face as he did so; Julie guessed it wasn't there for more than a second before it, along with the rest of the black hedgehog, vanished around the doorframe as though sucked up the worlds' largest vacuum cleaner. She darted forwards on hands and knees, desperate to get a last glimpse of the action; her field of vision cleared the doorway just in time to see Sojourner, the echidna she'd let into her home a few hours ago and, she'd later discovered, the third-oldest in the Brotherhood of Guardians, reach down and snap his hand closed around one of the flatmates' flailing ankles, the small video of The Truth clutched tightly in his other paw. With guardian powers I'm guessing this'll ache tomorrow; with this in mind and a ringside seat to the action the former Legionnaire whipped her attention down to where Shadow, having finally rubbed the top of his head enough to be rid of her earlier torments, had got around to realising the predicament he was now in – he had just enough time to look terrified before the entire scene exploded into a world of green light.
Wow; shaking her head and blinking vigorously to try and dispel the after-images, Julie realised what must have happened at the same time as register the sudden eerie silence of the previous frenzied lounge; so that's what Chaos Control looks like then? Interesting…; it certainly looked like a novel way to travel – all she needed to do now was beg, borrow or steal one of the seven Chaos Emeralds from somewhere and she'd be able to hop from this drab little apartment to anywhere else on the globe. After a minute of daydreaming exotic locations she'd like to visit, ones with a proliferation of tropical beaches, sun and well-tanned, available lifeguards unsurprisingly top of the list, she shook herself and chuckled, perhaps a little abashedly as she realised one very simple truth; well, I can go anywhere as long as I catch Shadow in a good mood. And judging by what just happened; she looked once more at the lounge and whistled in amazement; it looked so serene and peaceful now, it would have been impossible to guess the life-or-death struggle that had just taken place; that ain't gonna happen any time soon. Ah, so what?; she shrugged again and pushed herself to her feet, idly wondering about dinner and, at the back of her mind, hoping privately that some of the supposed punishments Sojourner had informed her about in almost explicit detail really were just fiction for Shadows' sake; he'll be fine in the end, he always is – come to that we always are too. And, no matter what he dreams up to try and get me back for this; she knew him well enough to know he'd try, and she knew as well that chances were he'd succeed in the end; I can look back and say it was worth it!
Though she had no way of knowing it at the time, Julie was very soon to have reason to remember this last thought as Shadow, having landed along with Sojourner and immediately found himself pinned to the nearest wall by the combined mental strength of almost all the Brotherhood of Guardians, swore with the half of his mind that wasn't trying to come up with an impeccable excuse at very short notice that she was going to pay for dropping him in it like this.
XXX
As always Charmy's sense of timing was punctual in the extreme; not only had he arrived home while his dinner was still hot but, judging by the way the other three Mobians looking at him were just standing up from the table with empty plates in hand, he'd done so just as the others had finished eating. Striking while the iron was hot, the bee clapped his hands and pointed at Esprana,
"Right that's me done for the day; Esp, I know it'll only be for a few hours so I reckon it'd be a good idea for you to nip out to the shrine for a bit – there's no-one around and you really shouldn't stay inside all day, the fresh air'll do you the world of good".
"Umm", caught off-guard by her compatriots' sudden and decisive proclamation, the chameleon was left floundering for a minute before the weight in her hand registered again and she instinctively looked for the get-out clause, "hang, on, let me do the washing at least, it is my turn".
"I'll handle it", the bee breezed, calling on his natural affability to let this one go without a hitch at the same time as look a little more concerned for his team mates' sake, "listen, the washing's nothing – you've been cooped up in here all day with this pair, that'd drive me demented so I don't want to think what it's done to you. Get out there, go take on the world for a couple of hours; shelly and TGG can fill me in on anything important". For a second it looked like the chameleon would argue the point but in the end her shoulders slumped forwards resignedly,
"All right, I know when I'm out-argued. Can't say I wouldn't mind a few hours out, okay then", she stood up, the chair behind her creaking against the floor as the other two looked on, "I'll be back before it's too late. See you all then". Everyone watched on, two with distinct confusion and the other with unbearable frustration, desperate for the chameleon to be gone so he could let loose at last the news that was ionising a hole through his insides, as Esprana strode towards the exit and away down the stairs, inclining her head towards Charmy as she brushed past him. Every second ticked by ominously, tormentingly – even the actual sound of the teleporter firing up and relocating towards a completely different point on the map of Angel Island seemed to stretch into infinity before, abruptly, it ended, leaving the house still once more.
It was a silence that didn't last; almost before the two elder members of the Chaotix were aware of the exchange of personnel Charmy was between then and speaking in a rapid-fire burst, the words screaming from his lips like a barrage of wailing shells,
"Okay listen; I did a bit of digging and I think I've seen a bit of a way out of this mess – I spoke to Amy, she said she was a little unsure but…"
"Whoa, whoa", waving her hands in front of her Mighty tried to rein her over-excited team mate in a little, "cool it a touch speedy; slow down, take a deep breath and start from the beginning. What have you been up to, and has it been to do with Esp at all?"
"Yes, it was all to do with her", the bee replied after taking a deep, deep breath and trying to internally cool his spiralling heart rate; here in the thrill of actually being able to impart his good news he was feeling something akin to a panic attack, "right, I did some thinking in the shrine, that was the reason I turfed you out Vec, sorry about that", the crocodile merely shrugged before leaning in further, as desperate to hear the bees' discovery as the bee was to hear it heard, "and, took some time, but I eventually figured it out – who do we know's used to dealing with this sort of thing, who's actually going through a course specifically designed to cope with helping people like Esp make sense of the world gone mad?"
The silence seemed to stretch on as though time itself had ceased to exist but just before the bee thought he'd have to be the one to fill his compatriots in on his discovery there was a sudden gasp,
"Amy, of course", Mighty goggled across the table at him, the sudden discovery illuminating her mind as devastatingly as it had his a few hours ago, "she's going to be a councillor isn't she – brilliant Charmy!"
"Well", the bee almost glowed at the praise, the urge to blush growing ever stronger as he saw Vector dart his head downwards, dabbing with the edges of the tablecloth at what looked suspiciously like damp eyes, "it was just a case of getting somewhere quiet and putting two and two together. But anyway, I gave her a quick ring and, barring a few interruptions from you-know-who's housemate", Mighty in particular grinned at that one; oh to have been a fly on the wall for that one; "what she basically came up with was, er, it's not easy to explain, she said…"
"Jus' gi'us the best ya can Charm"; this close to a breakthrough; having spent the last couple of days running into brick walls and blind alleys in his own thoughts and ideas Vector was ready to feast upon any crumbs of good news he get his hands on – what Charmy seemed to be suggesting towards was a veritable banquet he could gorge himself upon; and I don't know about you but I really wouldn't want to stand in front of me when there's an all-you-can-eat buffet on offer; "tha's all we're askin'".
"Just as well 'cause it's all I can give you", the bee chuckled before turning more serious, his expression thoughtful as he tried to phrase his example right, "what she said was to give Esp something to aim at – I'm not a hundred percent but I reckon she means a goal to achieve, something to keep her mind off what's going on now and focus it on something she wants to get in the future. Now that's all well and good but, as you're probably now appreciating", the bee chuckled nervously, realising that his next words were coming true even as he spoke them; Vector in particular seemed to be going cross-eyed through thinking too much and Mighty was nibbling her bottom lip, as sure sign something was on her mind, "there's a bit of difference between knowing what you've got to do and actually doing it. Any ideas?"
The words, both of them, seemed to hang in the air around the kitchen, swirling through the nippy, still air like adders dancing in the spring time; together they wrestled and squirmed until both flew apart, banished away at a clap and a laugh from Mighty. The armadillo, amazingly, seemed to find something funny in the circumstances – as Vector and Charmy both watched on, she sank her face into her hands, shoulders heaving with mirth and giggles clearly filtering through the impromptu mask she'd clapped over her face as she swayed on the spot. Sharing a quick glance, neither of the other two Chaotix present wisely stayed quiet until she was done and her hands slid downwards, her eyes exposed under the rim of her shell as she looked from one to other of them, fighting down her sniggering long enough to remain coherent and speak,
"I, I don't know about you guys", the armadillo gasped, just holding on enough to force out the last of her speech before hysteria again overwhelmed her; well it's either this or cry; "but if there's someone in a tighter jam than us right now, I really wouldn't want to be them!"
Their perplexed expressions were the final, shattering straw; Mighty almost keeled off her seat as the truth she had seen in the situation made her howl even louder, not caring of the spectacle she was making of herself as she knew, on a very primitive level, that what she was doing now was making sure that the shards of ice and trauma still lodged in her very soul from the earlier, heart-rending acts a few scant days ago, were slowly, ever so slowly, being melted away. And as she curled up in her chair, almost screaming with laughter and hearing such unrestrained mirth slowly creeping across the table and infecting the other, she could only pray with whatever was left of her cohesive mind to pray with, that the same was happening to them.
XXX
The screen went blank and black with such suddenness it nearly cost Shadow control of his bladder; freezing sweat trickled achingly right the way down his backbone as he became painfully aware of the attention in the room slowly turning from the now-dead screen to himself, a dormant, lethargic predator becoming aware of fresh, wounded prey nearby and rousing itself to act. All six of the echidnas present turned to regard him, their expressions ranging from as stormy and black as the fur of his hide to outright tears of hysteria flooding down cheeks; in the end, his fist clenched so tightly around the remote he still held the plastic casing was starting to splinter, it was Thunderhawk who broke the deathly silence,
"Well then", unlike his normal bombastic booming, the echidnas' voice was a whisper so cold and sharp Shadow could only manage to whimper; the second-eldest in the Brotherhood regarded him as though he were a new and not-too-sturdy looking punch balloon, pointing at the video recorder with his free hand, the tape inside it a time-bomb that had just now gone off as far as the black hedgehog was concerned, "explain".
"I…", his mouth was dry, lips parched and all hopes of speech, of even a thought that might have spared him, were gone completely from his mind; his brain was in full hibernation mode, praying the irate Brotherhood of Guardians would spare enough of his body to re-inhabit when they were done with beating it to a messy pulp, "I…"
"Yes, you", Sojourner agreed, for once nodding in tandem with his father; the Truth his grandfather had revealed, it seemed, had proven one of the very few things they could possibly agree on, particularly as both had come out of it equally as badly, "anything else you'd like to say, or perhaps we could carve it on your tombstone for you!"
"Oh leave him be"; thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou; had anyone ever said he, the former ultimate life-form, would ever have been reduced to mentally babbling all the praises under the sun towards Athair of all Mobians he'd have called them deluded, but here he was doing exactly that as the currant guardians' insane great-grandfather hovered overhead, casting the black hedgehog into shadow, "I'm sure he had a good reason for doing it; if anything Locke I'm disappointed in you", the youngest of the current Brotherhood looked up at his name, a momentary flicker of surprise lighting his face before the ebon ocean he'd smothered every emotion under rose up to drown such a start, "you're supposed to have made Haven completely un-get-in-able but Shadow's done just that, and with a camera to boot. You must be very good at hiding though", the elder Mobian looked down on the Brotherhoods' impromptu guest with a kindly smile, "none of us ever even saw you, and I'd have thought my son and third-father would have been sensible enough to make sure they were in private before…"
"We were in private", Sabre roared before the incredulity of the rest of his family smashed into him; the medic promptly went red and tried desperately to rectify his mistake, "I mean, umm, at least, I was I'm sure, that's to say…how did you get that damn film made?" Luckily Shadow, having been thrown a lifeline under the guise of Athairs' madness, was able to prepare something like an answer this time – before he could speak, however, another voice oozed slickly into the fray, Locke speaking up to answer either his father or grandfather, the tone of his voice making it impossible to tell which he was addressing,
"If I were any judge, I would say that this film wasn't shot continuously; it's too jerky, and from too many angles for that. It has been spliced together, quite well I have to say, from a multitude of different camera that Shadow over there, I assure you, did not install in Haven".
"No, we already know who did that", Thunderhawk cut in irritably; mark my words old man, the second I get you alone after this…; "however, we also know who gave him the idea for this madcap scheme, oh, which reminds me – I expect you to rip out these aforementioned cameras before anyone else", the lavender guardian threw a nasty look Athairs' way, though as always it seemed to bounce off the flying echidnas' armour of madness, "gets it into their head to try and film a sequel of this nonsense". Locke turned on the spot stiffly, regarding his fifth-father with a casual eye, his words low and filled with promise,
"What you expect and what will happen will be two different things Thunderhawk", his older relative growled but before he could do much more, Locke diverted his attention to where Shadow was trying to slip away unnoticed in the press, "however; don't try to run Shadow, we'll easily track you down in here"; ah yeah; that was a small flaw in his plan of give-the-the-slip-then-run-like-hell; trapped where he was, in a sealed fortress several miles below the ground of Angel Island, the hedgehog could only turn back around to face his fate, Locke serving as the judge in this case before the jury of the rest of his family; and I really don't want to think who the executioners' going to be; "what you said is true to a degree. We do know you sold our believer leader the idea of filming us in our rather…less-flattering moments, now we want to know two things – why, and any regrets?"
As one the ancestors of the current guardian of the Master Emerald turned stony-faced to the accused, only to see him return their flint-hard glares with superb distain; the singular word Locke had spoke, coupled with a fortuitously-directed curse at that exact moment to a certain echidna who Shadow swore was going to cop it good for this latest prank if it was the last thing he ever did, had allowed the former ultimate life-form to formulate his answer, the answer he'd always known. Staring the dead-eyed guardian full in the face, Shadow answered his accusers with level deliberation, his voice cold as he spoke straight back at them,
"Why?" He smiled, a mirthless laugh on his lips, "well I'm going to assume you know I gave Spectre the idea behind this whole mess – I won't go so far as to claim credit for it, and in all honesty I didn't think he'd even consider going through with it".
"You really don't know my dad very well do you", Thunderhawk muttered to himself before raising his voice again, determined not to let this interloper steal his thunder and seize back the initiative, "still, you've not answered our question Shadow – why did you even put the idea into his head in the first place". A sly smile twisted the hedgehogs' lips just before he answered, his eyes unfocusing slightly as he access his memories, searching for the exact right words to phrase his rationale to these harshest of critics,
"I did it because Spectre told me something I very desperately needed to know; I suppose…", suddenly a little careless, he flipped one leg over the other and reclined back in his chair, the Brotherhood starting at his bold move just as he continued, "…I'd better start this whole thing at the beginning or it'll make no sense – fair enough. Pay attention you lot, I've said this often enough it's become boring, I don't want to have to repeat myself too often because your memories aren't what they used to be".
With that last backhanded insult Shadow procrastinated no longer; still no looking at any of the echidnas present, focussed totally on his own past, the former ultimate life-form told the tale of what felt like a lifetime ago; he never paused, did not have to answer any questions and, at his new audiences' insistence, even ran the tale to its conclusions, drawing gasps of almost admiration for his nerve as the Brotherhood finally understood and began to accept, even admire, the great consequences that their joint embarrassment had, in its own oblique little way, helped to create, for there was no way Shadow would have been able to spring the surprise he had on the home base of their ancestral foes without hearing first what Spectre had told him about the Legion and its current grandmaster, and paying the price the black echidna had demanded for imparting it.
XXX
You know something; what felt like half a lifetime later, Shadow found himself agreeing with the first thought that drifted into his idle mind as he surveyed the benign sense of wonderment now enrapturing his impromptu audience; I think we might just have got away with it. In truth it looked that way as, despite their earlier threats and protestations, the former guardians were to an echidna looking a lot less threatening than they had at the start of his story,
"So, umm", despite himself Shadow smiled; despite their century and some age gap the similarities between Knuckles and his sixth-father were unmistakable to anyone who knew the guardian well – they both even had the same habit of scratching the back of their heads when confounded by something, "that's, ah, that's quite a tale I'll grant you that".
"Strange that", Shadow regarded the lavender echidna with a lackadaisical smile, missing the flick of the eyes from another of the party and, in consequences, not noticing the party of guardians shrink from six to five as one echidna took his leave to act on his grandson's advice, "pretty much everyone I've told it to says about the same thing".
"And in all honesty I can't blame them", Thunderhawk agreed, looking around his family to be met with shrugs of agreement and muted whistles of admiration; as he turned back, however, Shadow felt his danger sense tremble slightly at the look of mischief in that impish, if slightly wizened, face, "mind you, I reckon I was right about something as well – this Julie-Su really must be a game girl if she's worth going to all that trouble for". Ah yeah, her; hearing his flatmates' name made the ebon hedgehog sit up straight as his recent memories came back on line; well Hawk I tell you this much – the second I get home she's going to be fair game for all the trouble I can possibly think of!
"She's something of the sort, though speaking of which", a sudden reminder that he didn't know the time chimed in Shadows' brain and his eyes fell to the watch he now habitually wore on his left wrist, conveniently leaving to the side the fact that this ornament had actually been a present for the aforementioned ex-Dark Legionnaire in the wake of thinking up new and ever more devious ways to pay her back for the hell she'd just put him through, "I need to get back sometime soon; oh no Sojourner", he held up a hand as the smallest of the guardians half-stood; the fifth-father of the Brotherhood was only just as broad in the shoulder as Shadow was himself, making his a complete waif by the standard of his species, especially when compared to his father, the pugilistic Thunderhawk, "please don't trouble yourself; someone just take me to the elevator and I'll run myself home".
Though it was meant to sound a polite gesture, and in truth Shadow was still feeling cautious enough to play every card that came his way to its full advantage when it came to pleasing the Brotherhood just in case the sudden good mood they were in evaporated and dumped him back at square one, the real reason he fancied such a late-night dash was as a few more precious minutes invaluable plotting time; after all, really, truly special plots of vengeance don't just spring out of nowhere – they need detailed, careful forethought and planning to be pulled off correctly and as far as Shadow was concerned right now only a scheme out the very top drawer would be enough to get himself back on level terms with Julie now. He thought for a minute he was going to get his wish as it looked like Sabre was about to heave himself to his feet; however, his hopes were dented somewhat when Locke sprang up and stilled his father with his hand before turning his void-like eyes in Shadows' direction. As he came under their scrutiny the black hedgehog shuddered despite himself – only one other Mobian he'd ever had the misfortune to cross paths with had ever been able to pull off the same sort of effect with a look alone, and even then Shadow had never actually seen his face when he'd done it.
"Wait, my, in fact our apologies Shadow; I fear in our anger we've been the very poorest of hosts", the echidna gave a slight chuckle at his own turn of phrase but, as always, the laughter on his lips curdled and died before it ever went near his eyes, "we've dragged you out here, detained you here all evening on the basis of accusations you've just proved to be groundless, and we've not even fed or watered you yet. Please", he stood to the side, beckoning the hedgehog to his feet, "allow us to make up for the latter at least".
"I…", in all honesty Shadow had been about to politely decline the invitation but, with the worst of all possible comic timing, his body betrayed him as his stomach gave a massive rumble, reducing his idea of being able to plead he wasn't hungry to ruins, "…think I might just do that Locke. Okay, which way to the kitchens". The former guardian merely smiled and, having seen Shadow stand up, beckoned him to follow at the same time as send a specific mental pulse around the room – distracted by his sudden hunger pangs, Shadow never saw the rest of the Brotherhood, after sharing a look, all rise up as one and follow the two of them out of the video room.
The first he knew of his uninvited escort was when he ran into them; having seen Locke throw open the kitchen door with a flourish, witnessed the blurry outline of an echidna in mid-flight ricocheting around the kitchen and adding ingredients to different-sized pans with a complete disregard for good taste and realised in an instant just how well set up he'd been, Shadow had tried to surreptitiously back out the way, Shadow found himself penned in to the punishment Locke had seamlessly arranged for him. Squirm as he might he couldn't slip through the cordon of guardians; then Athair, his chef hat once more in pride of place over his normal rainbow bangles, had spotted him and there had been no escape – as he slowly trudged towards the table with the cook excitedly yammering on about what exactly he'd used to create the abominations now glooping and simmering malevolently on the table before him with the rest of the Brotherhood sniggering silently in the background, Shadow could find only a solitary crumb of comfort as he sat at the table, just before Athair almost accidentally garrotted him with a napkin; Julie, your payback for this is going to be biblical!
XXX
In the cool confines of the innermost sanctum of the temple, the lone warrior trained in silence.
This, at least, was one area where the past and the present could touch; as Espio she had found a modicum of comfort in the many and shifting forms of the katas and now, as Esprana, the same was still true; as he hands cut through the air and her feet shifted noiselessly across the sandy floor the chameleon was at peace, her mind liberated from her stresses by concentration on the patterns she knew by heart. Thinking and not having to think at the same time, a kind of meditation in motion – here Esprana was at peace to focus on other, more important matters; her mind moving faster even than her body could manage, she tried to think two moves ahead again but, in this, she was frustrated for a time. Instead she forced herself to think of a more constructive idea rather than boil in her own impatience; as Charmy had said, this wasn't something she could hurry – there as no margin for error this time, she had to get it right or she, and more than that, the Chaotix as a whole could be thrown into jeopardy once more.
I know I am Esprana now; she span in a complete circle, her eyes half-closed as she scanned the area for multiple imaginary opponents; but I don't know what that means yet – I'm not sure who Esprana is exactly. Espio on the other hand, him I know all about – more to the fact, so does everyone else; her discomfort at this fact was expressed as a ripple, barely discernable, through her otherwise flawless stance, though she corrected such an imperfection with her next decision; the others, except the Chaotix, know me only as Espio, so that's who I'll have to be around them. Around the rest of the Chaotix though, around the people I know I'm safe with; and she was safe with them – she had known that ever since she'd woken in the morning and found herself guarded even whilst dreaming by the others; I can start to grow and figure out who I want Esprana to be – then when I've grown enough, when the time is right; she span, her leg rising, the final blow in this kata swinging in tandem with the end of her train of thought; I'll get rid of the mask I don't neeeiiikes!
The sudden impact on the ball of her foot almost made her take off in shock; off-balance, she only just managed to keep her feet as she scrambled away from the phantom opponent suddenly solidified before her; in the darkness she could see only a silhouette in the Master Emeralds' light. Wrestling down her shock she forced herself to stay calm, keep her joints and movements fluid in the forthcoming fight, when the newcomer chuckled and spoke,
"Lost in the pattern"; hang on; over her spiralling heartbeat the chameleon sensed recognition in that deep, bass voice, "been there and done that before". Finally putting face to name, Esprana peered forwards just as the other Mobian stepped fully into the light, his shadow looking slightly off-kilter for some reason,
"Thunderhawk? Is that you?"
"Yes, that's the one, with someone else in tow I might add", her confusion only grew, peppered with a sudden fear as she realised she'd been using the wrong voice in her last question, though thankfully the echidna didn't seem to have realised as he heaved his burden off his shoulder – as Esprana gawked after once more recognising a familiar face, he spoke again, "take the night off, it's on me. I could do with a night under the stars again, and up to me it was to make sure he got home in one piece so", he nudged the prone shape with the toe of his boot, eliciting a low groan, "home he shall get, if you'd do me the favour?" After a second of making sure she had her facts straight, the chameleon wisely decided to play it honest and, after stooping to help the prone Mobian to his feet, she shuffled off towards the teleporter at the same time as hear Thunderhawk take a seat before her, all the time wondering what Shadow was doing getting himself mixed up with the Brotherhood of Guardians again, and where on earth that foul smell was coming from.
XXX
A few minutes later, the rest of the Chaotix having hastily assembled following the teleporter fizzing into life again and fearing the worst for Espranas' sake, Shadow was being propped up at their kitchen table, still looking traumatised for a reason none of them could quite figure out, least of all the one in who's lap the black hedgehog had been so succinctly dumped,
"…so there's not much else I can do but go along with it", Esprana wrapped up as much as she could before looking across at her new guest with a bewildered shrug, "Thunderhawk didn't look like he was in the mood to do much explaining".
"And he's even worse than Knuckles when it comes to persuasion; in fact the only one worse than him's his father", Charmy chipped in before hearing the kettle boil into life – before he could react to it through, Mighty was there with mugs in her hands, allowing him to go after the real root cause of the confusion, "so, guess that means it's up to you pal". Huh?; not really in the mood for conversation, or in fact anything that required him to do much more than concentrate on the awful gymnastics his stomach was having to perform to get the ungodly creations it'd been forced to consume processed promptly, Shadow only stirred dully at the mention of his name – it took Mighty, leaning across the table with a skilfully deployed cup of coffee in hand, to point it out to him,
"What's going on Shads; not like you to have much to do with Knucks' in-laws. And, sorry to be blunt", she drew back hastily, wrinkling her nose as she received a full-strength blast of halitosis as Shadow turned his head towards her, "but you definitely need some gum or something because your breath stinks!"
"I'll take your word for it", the ebon hedgehog mumbled, automatically swallowing a mouthful of life-giving coffee and shuddering, the sharp tang of his favourite drink not conducive to reducing the aftertaste of Athairs devilish desert, "it's a long story, what happened; just take it from me that as far as the Brotherhood's concerned, revenge is a dish best served cold. By Athair. In three courses", he shivered, somehow reliving every spoonful of the greenish mulch as he recalled the last and most disgusting dish of the lot, "With lashings of ice-cream and mint sauce mixture".
As the Chaotix either tried to look sympathetic or simply cracked up laughing Shadow, past caring what anyone else thought on the subject, finished off his impromptu speech with one on the most honest statements he'd ever issued,
"That echidna maniac truly is the king of cordon bleuuurrrgh!"
A/N: But we love him anyway! Bit of a lighter note this chapter, but what can Shadow cook up for revenge on his flatmate? Will Esprana keep the pot boiling on her plans to re-invent herself? And has Knuckles let Rouge stew enough to force her hand on his mysterious confession, or will she jump out of that frying pan? Okay, I'll stop now…
