23 - Reason To Believe
There are some people who enjoy having their lip bitten while kissing.
Sonic was one of those people.
Softly, Shadow's fanged teeth gently pressed against the blue one's peach bottom lip. Now slightly rosy from being bit, Sonic's mouth opened up more with a little whine. He was so deprived that he wanted something more. More than just Shadow's teasing, he needed his tongue. He saw Sonic reach his hands up to his body, pulling down the furred collar of his jacket. He even grabbed his hand and made him unzip his blue hoodie. After that, he made Shadow reach down so he could touch in between his legs.
"You know," Shadow whispered to him. "You're really testing my fucking patience." He said roughly. "I'm so close to losing it and pinning you on the floor..." He growled as he cupped the blue one's crotch. Sonic silently gasped before chuckling to himself.
"Aha...Who knows? Nmm...Maybe this is part of the plan. Maybe I want you to-Ah..Do something to me later tonight." He smiled with ill will, knowing he was driving Shadow and even himself insane. "Just keep kissing me, and don't stop touching me."
"Looks like you've taken a liking to public indecency."
"Heh, I guess I have. Now less talkin'," He put his finger on Shadow's mouth. "And more smoochin'." He took his his hand from his lips and pressed his own onto his muzzle once more while closing his eyes.
They were making out in the park again. It was a little more risky here considering the festival was going on, and there was quite a number of people here. But here they were, sitting under the same tree they hid behind from before, kissing and touching each other. It's been three days into the festival now, and tonight would be the end of No Zone's celebration. Zonic said there'd be a big show tonight, and their entire military would be there again. They ate out together, played some games together, and just had a good time. Now this was a vacation Sonic needed. No worries, just having fun and relaxing with his partner.
Tonight they planned on going to one of the carnivals that opened up, seeing the final show from No Zone Corp, and finally going back to Zonic's apartment to turn in for the night. However, little did Shadow know, he was going to give it to him tonight. Yes, he was still a bit unsure thanks to his past, but, he had a good feeling about this. That's why he kept teasing him at every opportunity he got. He wanted to make it so that Shadow couldn't resist the second he gave him permission.
As Shadow pressed Sonic more into the tree bark behind him, the kiss intensified. His hand was roaming his arse, while his other held onto his shoulder to hold him up against the tree. The hero was rubbing his hand against the other's thigh, pressing it deeper until he reached a certain place. Shadow's breath hitched, making him take his tongue from out of his mouth and open his eye lids. He couldn't keep going. They were panting slowly, their faces pink and red. With a small drop of spit hanging off of Sonic's mouth, he looked a little lost. He didn't want to stop.
"We should stop." He said as he took his hands off of him, and even took the liberty of wiping Sonic's mouth with the back of his thumb. He then grasped his peach hands and gently moved them away.
Sonic made a small smile, he understood why. "I get it. It's probably best if we do. But," He got off of the ground and dusted himself off of any leaves or dirt that may have gotten on him. "Good things happen to those who wait, Shadow." He held out his hand for him to take.
Shadow took his hand and got up as well, adjusting his jacket back to the way it was. Sonic was doing the same, zipping his hoodie back up. Shadow leaned over, and gave him one last kiss. The younger hedgehog gladly kissed back, and did something Shadow didn't expect after he was done.
He hugged him.
Of course they usually ended up hugging while osculating but, it just seemed like he embraced him out of no where. He didn't put his arms around his neck, or press himself closer to get Shadow to place his hands on his waist. He hugged him like a friend. His head was nestled against his, his hands on his back as he continued to hold Shadow close. Why was he doing this? "We probably can't do stuff like this in public when we go back home."
Oh, so that's why he was doing this.
Hn...
His heart was way too sweet.
"Yeah. Probably not." Shadow reached his arms around him and did the same. This made Sonic smile, and close his eyes as he felt Shadow embrace him back. The hold felt so warm.
"You know, after a while, it felt like the connection from here to Mobius was messed up. I couldn't warp us back there if I wanted to now." He sighed and squeezed just a bit more. "I mean, Zonic's got warp rings to other realities for days, but, we can't leave yet until he figures things out. 'Sides, they're still broken anyway. I can't hep but feel so bad." His voice lowered, and became more quiet considerably. "Something bad happened. I know it did. And we're here havin' fun like nothing's goin' on." He stiffened. "I'm so freakin' worried but I know Zonic needs us here. I'm kinda mad at him too, for making us stay, but I don't want anything bad to happen here either."
Shadow placed his palm on the back of Sonic's head, making them nestle against each other even more. "I know what you mean, but I know the commander feels guilty about it. He knows we want to go back, and I think he knows you're mad at him for that. Like always, you're good at hiding your emotions." He began to pet the top of his head to comfort him. "He doesn't like it when you're upset at him."
"I know. He's a sweet guy underneath all those medals."
"I'm positive he is. But know that he wouldn't act so selfish if it wasn't for a good reason. He needs us, and we need to make sure nothing else happens." Shadow looked away from Sonic, looking at the several people running or walking around the park. They were enjoying themselves, holding balloons, or eating funnel cake. It would be evening soon, and the skies above them were almost turning orange. Soon, it would be night time. Soon, it would be tomorrow. Tomorrow, supposedly the day Scourge would show his face. They would have a war on their hands. "Tomorrow, it's going to be all or nothing. Our Super forms are still gone, and the fate of our world is unknown, but we can't falter now. Because after tonight," He took his hands from around him and forced him to look up by firmly grabbing his shoulders. "We're going to take him on. It won't be easy, and I know for sure there's going to be some scale of devastation, but we're not going to let that happen. I need you to be how you've always been: strong. Understand?"
His voice held dignity and sympathy at the same time. His words were empowered and hard hitting, but so soft and welcoming. He was encouraging and optimistic, but realistic, too. Chaos, Sonic could feel his heart beating harder than normal. In fact, it felt almost unhealthy. But he couldn't help it, because Shadow was so good at talking. Just another reason why he fell for him.
"Y-Yeah." Sonic meekly whispered.
"Good." The dark one then stepped away and leaned back against the tree with his hands in his jacket pockets. He closed his eyes, and leaves fell from the gigantic plant as Sonic stood there with a loudly beating heart. Shadow could hear it, and it was a bit alarming, but he knew why. So he just smiled to himself and acted as if he didn't hear a thing.
"Hey, Shadow?"
"Hm?"
"What do you do when you're sad or worried?" Sonic walked over and leaned next to him. Well, more like against him.
What a curious question, Shadow thought. He opened an eye shortly before closing it back and holding his arm up to dig in his quills. He then pulled out what looked like an odd bracelet. He handed it over to Sonic before putting his hands back in his pockets. The young one was baffled with it. It was old and looked like some kind of weird technology. He had no idea what this thing was. "I got that from Gerald."
"S-Say what?" Sonic nearly dropped it in the grass. "Why would you let me hold something this important? I might break it!"
"It's already broken." Shadow shrugged. "It will never work again. Not even with chaos energy."
This made Sonic frown and glare his green eyes into the weird looking piece of metal. "What is this thing though? A bracelet?"
"Sort of." Shadow could feel himself smile as he felt some nostalgia. "Gerald put that on my wrist the second I was first created. It was an experimental gadget that measured my emotions and my abilities. I was never to take it off."
"That's, weird. Why?"
"Gerald wanted to see how I acted around Maria."
"Woah, it was for her?"
"Yes. He wanted to see how my emotions reacted to her, and how my abilities could help her." He looked over and pointed to the odd looking broken lights that were installed in the metal band. "These used to be lights that glowed a certain color depending on what I was doing around her. If I was angry or sad, it would turn red. If I was happy or content, it would turn green. If I let out some of my power, it would turn blue." He then allowed Sonic to continue examining it. "I was initially made to help fight her disease, so he wanted to see if I could release power or energy to help stop her ailments. Sometimes, I accidentally spread it to her, without even knowing. Even while we talked, I'd end up giving my power to her. And it even helped her sometimes." He turned his head back up at the sky, watching it collide with yellows and light pinks. "Of course, Gerald and I could only do so much. In the end, she died anyway." He exhaled and looked back over at Sonic, who was looking back at him with a solemn expression. "So whenever I feel really pissed or anxious, I take it out and look at it. I see all my failures, all my ruined promises, and the person who I used to be. I see my past. But then, I see her. Telling me that I'm different now, and that she's...Proud, I guess. That she's glad I ended up doing what she wanted in the end, even if she's no longer there to enjoy it."
For now, Sonic just let him talk. He didn't dare try and interrupt him now.
"I kept it all that time, even after I woke up from sleep. When I remembered everything, I knew for sure I had to continue keeping it safe, and hold onto it until I die." He saw Sonic give the broken device back to him, and Shadow put it back where it belonged.
"You never told me that." Sonic pointed out. "Then again, you always look sad when you bring her up."
Shadow closed his eyes again. "Yeah."
"That's, really cool of you." The hero complimented. Shadow was just like Zonic. It didn't seem like it at first, but they were both really sweet behind their masks. Like Sonic said, Shadow always looked sad after talking about Maria. The best thing to do, would be to change the subject. So with a smile, he pointed something else out. "But you know, you never tell me how it is working for GUN either. Like what you do, or your missions with Rouge and stuff."
"Oh Chaos.." Shadow sucked his teeth in disgust. "Don't even get me started."
Sonic grinned. "Heheh. They're that annoying, huh?"
"Annoying? More like idiotic, close minded and absolutely brain dead." He crossed his arms and scoffed. "When Rouge told me about the job, she definitely wasn't exaggerating. Those humans are fucking idiots."
"Hahaha! Geez, you dropped two F bombs already today."
"That damn commander...What I wouldn't give to strangle that piece of shit in his sleep-"
"Alright alright killer, calm down."
"Whatever, you asked. Those GUN bastards never changed." He shrugged. "Zonic is the perfect example of a leader, a real commander. Asshole could learn a thing or two from some animals."
Sonic acted as if his hand was burned, wringing it out with a playful hiss. "Oooooh, damn. Need ice much?"
"Oh shut up, faker."
"Heheheh!"
Wow, that punch Amy gave him, sure knocked him for a loop...
She hit him so hard that he was...seeing nothing but...
White...Black...Cyan...
Everything was black.
He couldn't really see right. He felt strange power in his body, though. And he felt like he was in a space he didn't belong in. He felt like he could move in this void looking world. He took one step forward, and turned his head all around to see if he could catch anything from afar in the black darkness. He reached his hand up to see if he could feel a wall, the same way he felt some kind of floor. He wanted to speak and call out for anyone, but he knew his voice wouldn't reach anywhere. Where was he? How was he here? Who put him here, and why were they making him see this?
Then, he saw something appear.
Something in the shape of a box or a big window, right in front of him. A scene was playing out. Amazing, it was like watching a movie from a projector on a screen. How was it here?
It was, him. On the screen.
Tails remembered it like it was yesterday. He was visiting an old island, West Side Island. Sonic came with him, they were both coming to the island together to try and retrieve some old equipment he may have left here in his old house. Tails was about, ten years old. Sonic was seventeen, his birthday had just passed. He was getting taller and more mature looking everyday. At one time they were almost the same height, but now he was much taller than the fox. He was towering over him, watching over him like a literal bigger brother.
That day, maybe a week in while traveling the island together, Tails found some organic substances near his old home. He had went alone, to which Sonic didn't really like. Tails swore he'd be fine on his own, that nothing would happen. Even as he grounded the materials in his new granite mortar that Sonic bought for him, he felt like the day would go smoothly. He smiled as he mushed them up, examining the materials carefully. He wasn't quite good at medical practices yet, but he was practicing. That way, he would be both a master engineer, and a doctor. He smiled to himself. Sonic would be proud of that.
But then, he also remembered...The bullies came. The same ones from all those years ago. Hearing the snickering and footsteps rustling the lush green leaves of the ground, he dropped the bowl and stood up immediately. "Who's there?" He said cautiously. Then one by one, they all rushed up to him from their hiding spots behind the trees. They pushed him down and started to beat him up. They called him a freak, a mutant. Saying they missed beating him senseless and taking his things. Tails fought off one of them but, they managed to overpower him and make him pay for that. He hated the situation he put himself in. He sucked in a deep breath, mentally cursing himself for what he was about to do. But he had no choice, he remembered. He had to get out of that situation.
He refused to be a punching bag again, and he didn't intend to lose to those same bastards from before. So he did the only thing a troubled ten year old could do:
Call for help.
Call for his big brother.
The second he screamed his name, the bullies stopped. Sonic's name went far and wide all across the world. They knew very well who he was and what his name meant. They backed off and Tails took that chance to run away. He hated that he still needed help, even now. So he sucked in his tears and ran a beeline for where and he and Sonic agreed to meet up. Once he got to him, he found the hedgehog getting some plants Tails requested for him to find in the Aquatic Ruins. He was careful of the water there. He told him everything that happened, shamefully. Understanding his frustration, Sonic hugged him close and told him to tell him where the bullies were.
Tails went back to where he left his granite mortar, having left it there from running away. But, it was gone. It wasn't on the ground where he left it. He groaned, realizing the bastards probably took it and dumped away what he was working on. Or just threw it all away. But before he could give up hope, the idiots appeared before him just to see Sonic. They were shocked that it was really him in the flesh. Haha, he recalled how polite the hedgehog was at first.
"Hey guys, sorry to bother you but uh, I think you've got my buddy's mortar. You know, the stone bowl looking thing with the stick? Well," Sonic put his hand on Tails' shoulder and smiled. "He was working on somethin' real important. Can he have it back, please?"
They couldn't say no to Mobius' hero. They easily gave it up, saying they didn't throw the stuff out that was in it. They were trying to figure out what Tails was trying to make. Sonic took it and gave it to Tails, quietly whispering to him that he'd have to work on it somewhere else. Preferably without people around. Then, he looked at the bullies and thanked them. "Great! Thanks guys, really appreciate it."
Then, he clearly recalled it all.
Sonic's face turned, rather agitated, but his voice still tried to sound civil. His eyes even seemed, a little wicked. "You guys get allowances?" He asked quietly. The other kids looked kinda confused, but answered truthfully. They nodded without saying a word. "Good," Sonic got down on his knees and put his hands on them, looking the kids dead in the eyes. "Give it to me. All of you. Now. Every penny."
Tails remembered how strange it felt to hear Sonic talk so callously. He looked over at him, his expression basically asking 'what are you doing?' The bullies just said that it wasn't fair for him to just demand their pocket change like that. That was just mean, not like Sonic at all.
And then Sonic said something interesting. "Why not? You were just bullying Tails a second ago, so it's only fair that I take your lunch money in return." He disregarded their concerns. "You think that it isn't fair because as your everyday hero, I shouldn't be allowed to do that? You think mister Sonic doesn't get angry at the fact that you bullied my kid?" When he said that last part, it made the kitsune shudder in fear. His voice was growing colder by the minute. "You think mister Sonic is supposed to show mercy to a couple of snot nosed pricks like you? Who's been torturing my little brother for years now? If anything, I oughta tell your folks and have them break every single thing you own. You can keep your crummy money, this was just a little lesson from yours truly." He spat before standing up and looking down on them all like dirt. "But should we find ourselves in this situation again, Tails won't be with me next time to hold me back, and it'll just be me. If you've got the guts to tell your parents, I'd like to have a nice long talk with them about the way you treat other kids." He began ushering Tails away, gently pushing him on his back to get him moving. "Oh and," Sonic looked behind him while walking. "These places are pretty dangerous. Be careful. 'Might not be able to save you if something were to happen."
Those kids were so terrified by his threats, Tails never saw them again. Sonic was so, angry. It was unnerving. That same day, Tails thought it was best to just go home. That night, he woke up from his sleep in his bed. The fox stared up at the ceiling and sighed to himself. Sonic acted so weird. He never acted so cruel before.
That's when he appeared. Right on his windowsill.
He arrived with a loud thump. It was as if he came from the skies and landed right on his open window. His fur was almost as dark as ebony, and his quills were upright. His legs were bent, kneeling as he tried not to bump his head in the space of the crammed opening. With fearful eyes, Tails saw him push the curtain back so he could look over him on the bed. When he realized Tails was awake, he cursed under his breath. "Shit." He made a move to try and jump out, but Tails was already on his feet while backing up. He saw the hedgehog sigh heavily and scratch behind his head while looking somewhere else. "I thought you'd be asleep. I'll leave, just forget you saw me like this."
"Why are you here?" Tails whispered.
"Look, after I dropped you off at home, I found out Eggman was up to no good. So I found one of his bases by myself and, well, he had a plan to make me like this and use it against me. As you can see," He held up his hands and directed them to himself as a gesture. "Didn't work out in his favor."
"I-Is he dead?"
"Chaos, Tails-"
"Answer me! You're...Not you when you're like this, and you do bad things!"
"I didn't hurt anyone, and I'm not gonna hurt you either!" He growled. Tails just whimpered and tried looking away from him. Dark Sonic groaned and put a hand underneath chin with his elbow leaning on his knee. "Sorry for snapping on you there. To tell you the truth, I've been irritated all week. Eggman just pushed me over the edge. I didn't mean to break our promise, but I guess this doesn't really count. I'd never hurt you like that again." Like a shadow, he moved in an instant. He actually saw him move like black shade, right in front of him. All Tails could do was watch him with shaking eyes. "I only came here to check on you. I check on you from time to time because I'm worried about you, kiddo. You're already on your own, and you're not even a teenager yet. You being out here alone while I do my thing, it gets me antsy about your well being." He leaned his hand on the wall. "I know you're scared of me when I'm like this, but you gotta understand. No matter what happens between you and me, or even if you end up hating me in the future for whatever reason," Sonic then placed both of his hands on his shoulders, looking into his blue eyes. "Or even if I do turn into this form again, and break our promise, I will always be here. And I'll always come to you whenever you really need me. That'll be one promise I'll never break. It's a promise I can't break, and I swear that on my life. Do you understand?"
He couldn't take it. Before he knew it, he threw his arms around him and hugged the hedgehog of dark power. It wasn't a monster, he had to get that through his head. This was still his brother. What he did years ago was just a mistake. He had to forgive him for that. That thing was a monster, because that wasn't him. But this, this was Sonic talking right now. His arms tightened around his torso, and Sonic embraced him back while patting his head.
He wiped his face of tears and sniffled. Man that was so long ago. It felt like forever ago. He pushed that memory so far into his head that, he almost forgot it even happened.
"Do you honestly think this is the way to go about everything? Do you really think that HIS way is logical?"
That, sounded like someone else.
Just then, something else appeared. It was-It was Sonic and Shadow! They were walking together down some kind of street. That definitely wasn't Moebius. Things were too pretty there. Where the heck did they end up? Wait a minute, screw that noise. Sonic was alive! They both were alive!
"I wouldn't be showing you this if he was dead, so that would leave only one conclusion."
Sonic was alive.
"Yes. You see, the anti-Sonic's power is more complicated. It makes you think of hopelessness and madness. Those are negative emotions that have nothing but endless spirals of confusion. But positive emotions, are a lot more simple. That is the only way to break his control."
Yes, yes that had to be true.
"Sonic prime would never want you to think this way. You are not yourself. You cannot let him have control over you anymore. Sonic prime is alive, and you have to make him proud. However, even if he was gone, that is not issue here. You have to lead everyone in the right path, no matter what happens."
They were right. They were absolutely right.
He had to break away from this.
He had to get his mind back!
Zonic needed a smoke, and that's precisely what he was doing right now. Smoking to take the edge off. If he didn't do something, he was going to hurt someone again, and he didn't want to get fired. He may have been an Overseer, but that didn't mean he wasn't allowed to be fired from being a zone cop. He took the cancer stick from his lips and blew smoke from his nostrils. He then tossed the tiny burnt out bud on the floor and stepped on it with his boot to put it out, all without looking. He then snapped his fingers, requesting for another. There were a few other crushed buds on the floor, with bits of tobacco scattered around. Zespio, standing beside him, leaned over and handed him another cigarette before putting the pack away in his uniform pocket.
Zonic and several of his men were standing beside him in front of his monitors in the Room of Realities. The Mobius prime ones specifically. Zespio then held up a lighter next to the hedgehog's mouth, lighting the stick between his fingers. "Permission to speak freely, commander?"
"Granted." The lieutenant general murmured before sucking in a puff.
"I don't mean to patronize you, but I feel obligated to give you advice as more than your colonel, but as a friend. Smoking at your young age will hurt you in the future."
The hedgehog blew out some smoke from his mouth and sighed with comfort. "You never mean ill-will, colonel. I know it will. That's why I keep it to a minimal, if at all. But right now, I need this." He flicked some ashes off onto the floor. His ear flicked at the sound of one of his men bending down to clean it up with a broom and dustpan. Zonic said he'd clean it himself, but Zespio insisted hiring a private to do it instead. He didn't want him to stress anymore than he had to after what just happened. "I may be related to the chaos bound Mobians but, I'm definitely not as strong as Sonic prime. My lungs will shrivel up like plastic bags if I do this everyday."
"Heh. You adults are all the same." They turned their attention to the fox on the screens. He was chuckling at them. "All you do is drink, smoke and snort until your bodies rot. All because of your vices. Speaking of which," The kitsune crossed his arms. "Are you planning to smoke all day? My connection to your crappy network isn't going to hold out for much longer, and you swines wasted several hours trying to fix your stupid universal wi-fi after it shut down on me." Moments after Miles first contacted him, the connection began to go bad. Something in the entire building was wrong, causing almost every device to have some kind of problem. It took them all night to get it back online in the Reality room, so no one got any sleep. Zonic's men were used to that though, so they all fought through their desire to slumber.
"So nice to see you again, anti-Miles." Zonic retorted sarcastically. "Aren't you grateful you didn't end up here like all the others?"
"Please. As if I'd ever let myself get captured by a pig like you. And Miles is just fine, thank you."
Zonic just twisted his face in aggression and rose his voice. "I see the mouth on that rotten muzzle of yours still hasn't learned to respect higher authority."
Miles scowled. "You keep talking to me like I'm some inferior, and I won't help you with anything!"
"Keep your damn help then, you dreadful vulpine!" Zonic shouted, making his men look at him instead of the fox on the screens. Miles just glared from inside of the monitors as Zonic took the cigarette in between his fingers and crushed it up in his hand, not caring about the burn it left. He didn't give a damn, he didn't even feel the pain. He was far too angry to feel anything right now. "I was actually expecting you to call me, to give me some valuable information. But you know what? I don't give a shit." He threw the crunched up cigarette on the floor and marched his way over to the monitors with clenched fists. "If you think I'm going to waste my time listening to some kid who's got a backwards brother complex, you are horribly mistaken." He put his hands behind his back. "I'm not even an adult yet, and you should know that. I can't help that I'm more mature than you, so your disdain for me is senseless. I understand what you have to say involves anti-Sonic. That vital information could help me help you from being killed. If you keep your mouth shut, fine. Then we'll all die all because a brat wanted to be more useless than helpful."
"...You wouldn't dare throw all our lives away just because I pissed you off."
"Please don't call me on my bluff, I'm in that kind of mood today."
"..." Miles just held his tongue, silently hissing to himself at the commander's sharp stinging words. He was never this snappy before. He didn't know what happened, but whatever happened must have really screwed him up. "Scourge didn't get just one power from the shrines. He got three of them. The ability to steal divine powers, a power up for his super form, and the ability of limited immortality."
Zonic couldn't even gasp in surprise, he was too annoyed. All he did was close his eyes and sigh sharply while face palming. "Of course.." He growled.
"He cannot die by normal means. Not only that, but he can't die from normal chaos energy either. It has to be purified chaos power, something I think only Sonic prime has." He explained diligently. "He can't be left neutralized again, you know how that'll go. You need to kill him, or we're all going to go through this again, but worse." Miles was then seen holding up documents and looking over them. "You're not as heartless as your warden, but sometimes you've got to be to certain people. Burn his body when you're done." He said carelessly. "You really need to update his profile so everyone knows about this. Anyway, I need to tell you one more thing." He put down the documents and exhaled. "Someone told me some info, then instructed me to inform you."
Zonic narrowed his eyes at that. Perhaps it was the same person who messaged him as well?
"My prime self is working on taking down Scourge's power in Mobius prime. Scourge, did a lot of damage to it, then he disappeared. The way chaos energy works, is that if someone severs any kind of connection from the user, it will hurt them drastically."
"So the encryption on my monitors, that chaotic code was-"
"Yes, him. He did that with his own power. That's probably the reason why your wi-fi sucks. Since it's been broken, your satellites work now, but it's still being blocked from Mobius prime's connection thanks to him. Once my prime self takes that down, it'll be enough to either kill him, or render him powerless. Let's hope the prior will happen instead, but nothing will happen at all since he's not even in Mobius prime anymore."
"Where is he?"
"If my calculations are correct, he's probably in No Zone with all of you. Hiding and waiting to start a war."
Zonic just dragged his hand off his face. "I predicted that."
"You should also know that if a chaos user is too far away from the connection that they created, anything that may harm that connection won't affect them. In other words, my prime self's efforts will be in vain. What you need to do, is contact my prime self and get him to make a connection from their world to yours. That way, once he shuts it down, Scourge won't be a match for anyone. I already fixed the picture on your monitors. Once I log off, you'll be seeing the true state of Mobius prime, and you'll be able to talk to him. But no matter what, you can't let him sever that connection just yet."
"I understand, Miles." He put a hand underneath his chin, his finger lightly grazing his lip as a thinking expression. "What I don't understand, is why you're helping me. Sure, you don't want to die, but I feel there's something else you're not telling me."
"...Just like an adult, poking your nose where it doesn't belong.." The fox rolled his eyes and shook his head. "I've always wanted that bastard dead, anyone can see that. But, I also owe someone a favor. For saving my life. I owe him this much."
"I see." Zonic turned to the side and looked down at the floor as he began working his brain. "One more question Miles, and you can log off." He began pacing around slowly. "You weren't the one who unlocked the encryption, were you?"
"No. I, found that kind of strange, actually. And I got messaged by someone. They told me everything, and told me to tell you if I wanted to live. They even helped me get connected to you. They said they messaged you too, then disappeared." He furrowed his brows. "Someone's watching us both."
"Indeed. They're probably watching your prime self as well. I've already checked with my hackers, and they couldn't find anyone in any reality with the ability to use chaotic code like Scourge. We document every single person in our realities, and yet no one could find this mysterious person." It was as if this person really didn't exist at all. But that just couldn't be right. "I assume we won't speak again."
"You assume correctly. Just make sure you follow their instructions."
"Of course. Just make sure the survivors in your world are well."
"Tch. Godspeed, I guess."
And with that, the connection ended. Miles was no longer on the screen, and instead, a ravaged world showed. Zonic's mouth hung open as bodies and blood filled the reflection of his eyes. He covered his mouth with one hand, and clenched his eyes shut harshly as he forced himself not to throw up. It looked just as bad as anti-Mobius. Buildings were destroyed, people were dead, blood marked the streets of every city. He held up a shaky hand to the monitor, pressing the tip of his finger on one of the channel buttons. He tried flipping channels to check on other parts of Sonic's world. Other countries and nations weren't as badly effected, but whatever happened to Sonic's town was starting to spread all over the world. But the cities Station Square and Twinkle Park, they were the worst.
How the hell was he supposed to show Sonic this? Were there any survivors at all?
Maybe that military force where the humans resided was still alive? GUN, was it? He had to find it, he just had to. As he pressed the buttons as fast as he could, he felt someone grasp his shoulder. He looked back to see Zespio holding him while looking up at the screen. "Sir, did you just see that?"
"See what, colonel?"
"That machine, right there, right before you flipped to the next station. Go back a few."
Zonic did as he said, watching carefully for any signs of something strange. Finally he settled on the channel Zespio referred to, because he pointed at something directly.
"There! Do you see it, commander?"
"I do." Zonic spoke breathlessly. He rose a brow, utterly confused by what he was seeing. That robot, that looked like the exact model from Sonic's world, but it wasn't. That poor machine was destroyed decades ago. It was a rogue machine of Dr. Robotnik prime, and worked for that organization GUN along with Shadow prime and Rouge prime. And it was red, wasn't it? But the machine Zespio was pointing at, this thing was light blue. Almost cyan. "Zespio, go through anti-Mobius' files and look for Dr. Kintobor's profile."
The chameleon saluted and rushed from his side.
He saw the lights in the eyes of that machine blink. It was alive. It began to move, one step at a time to get used to walking. Soon it began sprinting, going in a direction Zonic was unsure of. The hedgehog felt a headache come along and rush through his head. There were way too many things going on right now.
But one thing he knew for sure, was that he had to get in contact with Miles prime.
Sonic...
Sonic is...
...Sonic is..!
"...Sonic is alive." Tails murmured. Once those words grazed his lips, he felt true reality hit him in the face. Being depressed doesn't change anything. Being insane doesn't change anything. Being paranoid or wrathful, won't change a thing. It only makes things a lot worse. So what if things took a turn for the worst? So what if they couldn't do anything about it? So what if they had a really high chance of failing and dying? So what if Sonic was dead?
Worrying about any of that wouldn't do anyone any good. Maybe it was useless doing anything at all right now, but it wouldn't be a waste of time to stop people from killing each other.
Besides, Sonic and Shadow were alive.
And that was enough to push him forward and break free of that green bastard's control.
"Guys." He said quietly. He had to be louder to really get their attention. "Guys!" He exclaimed while looking up with a more hopeful expression on his face. He looked as if he realized something big, and he couldn't wait to tell everyone what he saw. His baby blue eyes returned, dispersing any red or scarlet from his irises. With his now normal eyes, he promptly surveyed his surroundings with his mouth slightly agape. Amy was still in front of him. Speaking of which, his cheek was starting to sting pretty badly. She must have punched him pretty hard. But she wasn't even looking at him, she was looking behind her with a worried expression on her face. She was backing away beside him, before spawning a hammer in her hand.
Cheese, who was still hiding in her hair, flew up and then soared behind Tails. Guess this was his new hiding spot. But what was he even hiding from? Tails looked in the same direction as the pink hedgehog and saw the other adults following the same way as they were, taking a step back every second that passed. No one moved too fast, and moved steadily with slow paces. In front of them all, was an upcoming mob of violent, foam-filled mouthed, mind controlled Mobians. They were coming. Fast. They were running, random weapons held in their grasps.
Some people didn't have their limbs, and some people didn't have parts of their faces. It was amazing how strong the body was. How it could still move even without legs, or arms, or a frontal lobe. They looked like zombies. But they weren't moaning, they weren't yelling for 'brains'. They only knew one thing: Kill until there is nothing left. They had to get out of here. They had to leave-They had to run, too! But it wouldn't even matter. Even if they ran, they'd just catch up. The plane was down, they didn't have any means of transportation.
His ears suddenly flattened at the sound of something huge and heavy landing behind him.
It landed so hard, pieces of concrete flew to the air before falling back to the ground. Tails almost fell on his face, leaning forward a little too close. He whipped his head from behind with a yelp, feeling Cheese grip his tiny blob-like hands in his back fur from the motion. A large shadow fell over him entirely, causing him to crane his neck upwards even more, to see something tall and menacing glare at him from above. This...This thing in front of him, it was a robot.
A...A robot.
When's the last time he saw one of those?
And if he wasn't mistaken, this robot looked exactly like-
"Omega?" The fox ended up falling on his butt, his face moving to form an expression of panic and puzzlement. Yes, there was no mistaking it. This model was E-123 Omega. A stocky upper body, with bulky arms and sharp metallic claws on it's hands. Large black shoulders with a Greek insignia on the front and back of them. One circling pipe around the waist with two flaps attached, having twin jets installed in the back below the hunch. Yellow wrists studded with large spikes, like that of a dog collar-
Hold on, hold on, wait a second...
There were no spikes, they were rounded. Blunted. And the Greek insignia that stood for the letter 'omega', wasn't there anymore. There was a peace sign, instead. It's eyes weren't red, they were green. Finally, the robot wasn't red like the Omega he recognized, it was cyan.
This, this didn't make any sense at all. But, if there was one thing he learned throughout this entire ordeal, is that anything or anyone that didn't seem to make sense, was probably an anti counterpart to something or someone else. This had to have been an Anti-E-123 Omega, or something along those lines. He only heard of the anti-Eggman, never met him, but he could only assume that the good doctor made this robot. He wondered, did it operate similarly? Did it have a chaos drive?
His big brain had to halt it's current speculation, as the large automaton turned it's head one hundred and eighty degrees.
"Just as calculated, almost too flawlessly." The voice sounded metallic and computerized like it should, but something sounded off for some reason. Tails couldn't quite put his finger on it.
"Y-You're, the anti-Omega, right?"
"..." The metal giant was silent for a moment, before turning back to face the fox again. "...I suppose you could say that."
"Then how do I know I can trust you? I don't even know how you work!" Tails yelled as he pointed while trying to back himself away by scooting backwards.
"I am the one who broke you out of his control. A thank you, a form of gratitude, seems to be more appropriate than a curt order of introduction." It got down on it's knees and let it's hand reach down to grab Tails by the scruff of his fur. The kitsune began panicking, trying to get out of it's hold while yelling for help. This caught the attention of the rest of the group, gasping at the sudden appearance of the robot. Rouge looked happy at first, until she saw the strange color palette. That wasn't her Omega, that was obviously another robot. Knuckles, Amy and Vanilla were deeply confused. The robot reached up, and set the preteen down on one of it's wide shoulders. Tails blinked, finding the spot kind of comfortable to be sitting on.
"U-Uh-" Tails was going to say something, but the robot cut him off.
"All will be explained in due time, Mobian prime natives." The robot dismissed the group's obvious desire of answers. "For now, please proceed quickly behind me and standby for enemy neutralization. Initiating riot foam." As the robot's eyes glow green, flashing as it glowered directly into the mob of Mobians bolting towards them all. Knuckles hurried both himself and an unconscious Cream beside the robot. Amy held up her hammer, just in case she needed to give a swing or two. Rouge seized Vanilla's wrist and flapped her soar wings in the air while carrying the woman away. She floated and landed behind the droid, wincing and falling to her knees while letting the adult bunny go. Vanilla landed safely on her bare feet, and went to the bat's side for support.
Knuckles darted his purple orbs at the mysterious machine. "What now?"
"Enemy neutralization is commencing. Spellbinder wavelengths loading."
Amy rose a brow at that. As a tarot card user, she knew exactly what that word meant. "Spellbinder? You mean enchanting?"
"Spellbinder wavelengths powering now by chaos energy. In approximately fifty seconds, you will all be placed in a trance in order to be vaccinated of chaotic hypnosis. Miles prime," The robot noted specifically. "You are to plug your fingers in your ears, and close your eyes. If one is exposed to spellbinding wavelengths unnecessarily, the brain will be scattered anew in disarray."
"What!?" The echidna yelled.
The droid held out it's arms, it's hands concealing themselves away inside of the limbs to form empty metallic sockets that looked similar to cannons for missiles. "The rest of you, all your five senses are to be vulnerable. Put your faith in my commands. This is not a request. For you will all die if you do not comprehend and attentively listen to my instructions."
Something in Tails' gut was screaming at him to actually obey the robot and do what he says. Time was counting down, and he didn't want to be a mind slave again. Sonic told him to listen to it, and if his gut hadn't failed him yet, it certainly wouldn't fail him now. He clenched his eyes shut and rammed the palms of his hands into his big ears.
A big white flash seemed to have lit up the entire planet.
That's how strong that spellbinding wave was.
But things happened so fast. Before he knew it, he heard the robot talking to him again.
"These enemies are not the mindless Mobian civilians." The blue Omega revealed eerily with no emotion. "You may open your eyes and unplug your ears, Miles prime. The others will wake up soon enough."
Carefully, he opened one eye. This made him flinch at what he saw. All the people chasing after them, they were all passed out on the streets in front of them. He took his hands from his ears and let his mouth hang open in shock. The robot was right. These weren't Mobians, they weren't their people at all. These were Moebians, anti-Mobians. They were wearing silly costumes, masks on their faces. They weren't just Moebians, they were Scourge's gang. All of them.
And in the center, was someone he recognized too well.
Fiona Fox.
The boy wasn't able to say anything as a reaction, he just sat there with a mixture of anger and surprise. He just grit his teeth and shuddered at the memories he had of both her and Scourge. She was so strong, so independent. Now look where she was. Passed out in a street full of nobodies...and corpses. She was gravely injured, just like the rest of them, only she wasn't missing a limb or a part of her head. She was still in one literal piece as a whole. She was lucky. Along with her, the unconscious ocean of Moebians were immobilized by a hard looking, almost rock-like foam. Even if they woke up, they wouldn't be moving for a while.
"Let me explain one thing to you, and only you personally, Miles prime,"
Tails silently looked down below him so he could listen to what it had to say.
"No matter what happens here, or in No Zone with Sonic and Shadow prime," Ominously, it's hollow green eyes glinted with something that reminded Tails of Scourge's power, but with a feeling more unknown and serious. "I have a primary objective to consummate, and I will see it through. No one will stand in my way, and you would be wise not to disobey my wishes."
"What.." Tails just shook his head while squinting his eyes. "What do you even want from us?"
"A simple answer for a simple question," The smoke that emitted from it's cannons subsided, and the machine slowly placed it's arms down and let it's hands be unsheathed once more. "I want Scourge terminated just as much as you do. I will aid you in any way I can to make that happen. All I request, is to join you, for now."
"That's all?"
"Yes. However," It hesitated, making small vibrations as it functioned. "You are intelligent, but far too observant. Should you evaluate my true goal, and try to stop me, I will be forced to neutralize all of you. Do you conceive my words?"
"...I," Tails' eyes shadowed with a sense of demoralization. Not of their threat, but at the weight of this robot's identity. This robot, felt alive. Sure, they sounded like a machine, but it's words were too 'natural', for lack of a better word, to be a robot. It was as if they understood sarcasm, cynicism, intimidation, and seclusion. One might argue that Omega talked almost, if not exactly, the same as this robot, if not more emotional. However, this machine specifically mentioned for Tails not to butt in on what their plans may be, should he figure it out. That threat in itself, sounded way too personal. Way too, Mobian-like. Like an actual person was saying it. They specifically told him to back off. But it probably wasn't even just that, they probably didn't want Tails to figure out who this is.
When Tails was placed on top of the robot, he felt something was off. Omega was a very thick and hard-shelled robot with very strong armor. It felt heavy by just touching it. But this thing, felt as thick as a simple window. Sure, maybe not literally that light, but definitely not strong or thick as the rest of it's body. It almost felt...
...Hollow.
Like something was supposed to be put in here.
So as he heard the grumbles and groans of his friends awakening from their dirt nap, he wondered one more thing...
Was it possible to pilot an Omega robot?
END - 23
Dun dun duuuuun.
A war's brewing, Sonic plans to bone Shadow, and a new recruit has joined Tails' party.
But it seems like...Ah oh well, you'll find that out later.
A little trivia for the chapter. There is indeed an anti-Omega robot model in the comics. That is all I will say about that.
I know you guys are just waiting for some real action to come in, and I promised you to wait just a little longer. Well, that wait is coming to a close rather quickly. I will suggest one more promise to you all. Considering the climax of certain events are extremely close to seeing the day of light, a new chapter will be posted very soon to void you of impatience. I will attempt at posting and updating in less than a week, sooner than normal.
Until then, please wait just a teensy bit longer. Because once it starts, it's not going to stop.
Bonus time. Only one again, though.
1. Scourge gained three powers from a location known as 'the shrines'. The power to steal and rip super forms, limited immortality and a power boost for his own super form. Sonic was only given one from his version of the shrines.
Hope you have a nice day, and please review.