Disclaimer- I don't own Sonic and co.
A/N- Whew, it's been a while, hasn't it? Sorry guys! It was just basically school, school, and more school. But now, the uploads should be more regular (to trust me, or not to trust me, that's the question). So…yeah, that's pretty much all I have to say. Enjoy reading!
Chapter 39- Under pressure
"Do y-you know where you a-are?"
"Yes. Your guidance isn't needed anymore, but thank you anyway TT."
"Okay. And y-you're welcome."
Espio released the button on the communicator before slipping the device into his glove. The ninja scanned his surroundings, finding the hallway he had just entered familiar. Yes, all of the halls of the underwater base seemed similar, but he recognized it anyway. TT wasn't needed anymore because the room holding the Master Emerald was close. Very close.
The ninja peered over his shoulder at the trio trailing him. Rouge was airborne, her wings soundlessly beating as to not give her location away to any unwanted listener. Knuckles and Red had stilled when Espio did. Both echidnas were tense, one looking at the chameleon and the other gazing out the nearest window, soaking up his first experience down in an underwater base with a subtle frown.
"We're closing in on the room," Espio muttered, his whisper just loud enough to be heard by his accomplices, "Do you two feel the Master Emerald in this direction?" It was fully possible that the green gem had already been moved, and they had to plan accordingly if that was the case.
"Yeah," the pair chorused just as silently. The red Mobians glanced at each other before Red continued, "I don't think they've gotten to – or wanted to get to – it yet."
"Which is all the reason to keep moving." Knuckles clenched his fists, itching to reunite with his charge and take care of their little robot problem. And then there was a specific chameleon's face that he would love to rearrange.
"Couldn't have said it better myself." Rouge's lips twisted downwards at the edges. "If any one of them touches my precious again, they will experience a woman's wrath."
Espio nodded. "They'll experience that and more. Let's continue." He bobbed his head down the empty hall, and the small group resumed their trek through the structure, footfalls as soft as they could make them.
As the purple reptile led, he was on high alert. Metal Sonic could be anywhere, lurking these halls. Or any of the enemy, for that matter. When the image of his corrupted double popped up in his mind, his jaw clenched and he pushed himself to quicken his pace.
It wasn't long before they turned a corner, and Espio's muscles marginally relaxed when he saw the closed doors at the end of the hallway that were surely hiding the Master Emerald. However, he couldn't let his guard down. Anyone could be in there.
Knuckles instantly over took him in running to the automatic doors, the echidna feeling the intense pull of the emerald's chaotic energy. Rouge sped up to be at the echidna's side as well, just as anxious as the guardian to see the large jewel again.
"Wait."
Espio paused in his step at the muttered voice that came from behind him. Knuckles and Rouge stopped progressing as well, the former annoyed that his reunion was being put off. Three pairs of eyes were now on Red, whose brow was creased.
"What?" Knuckles quietly bit, "What is-"
"Do you feel that?"
"Yes, and it's called the Master Emerald. So let's-"
Red shot his twin an exasperated look. "Really? So the source of energy that's approaching us at high speeds is the Master Emerald? No need to worry then."
Knuckles was about to give a snappy retort back, but then he sensed it too. He had been so focused on the main jewel that the smaller source gaining on them had slipped under his radar. It had to be one of those robots. "Dammit," the guardian hissed, shifting his focus from Red to behind his doppelganger.
Espio wasn't even surprised that this was happening. Getting to the Master Emerald without any problems would have been too good to be true. Thoughts whirled as he came up with an impromptu plan. He focused on the echidnas. "You two get to the emerald. Rouge and I will hold the robot off for as long as we can."
"You two better hurry up, sugars." Rouge withheld a wince when she remembered her first encounter with one of those powered-up bots. That twisted ankle wasn't pleasant, but if they shut down the gem in time, then the chances of anything breaking would decrease drastically. The bat then shooed the red Mobians off. "As much as I hate to say it, the jewel has to lose its beauty soon."
Knuckles rolled his eyes at her before glimpsing at Red, who hadn't moved from his spot yet. "What in the world are you doing? Don't just stand there!"
Red simply shook his head, turning to face the way they came, hesitant to actually peek around the corner. His whole body was tense. "We won't make it there. Whoever's coming is too fast and too close. They can't know that we're here, so we can use the surprise-" The echidna cut himself off at the sound of footsteps, and he glanced back to see Knuckles gunning it for the shut doors. A quiet sigh escaped his lips.
He then gave his attention to Rouge and Espio, about to advise to get ready for anything, but the expressions on their faces made all words die in his throat. They were gazing beyond him, and Red just realized that the source wasn't moving anymore. It had stopped. It was close. It was there.
"Look what we have here."
Knuckles paused in his stride at that voice. It was so familiar to him, since he has heard it many times before. However…However, the one who was talking wasn't the Espio he had been friends with for some time now. No. That was the voice of a killer.
The guardian swiftly turned on his heel, ignoring the doors that were a handful of steps ahead of him. His violet gaze disregarded his doppelganger, Rouge, and Espio as he glared at the speaker and other source of chaotic energy.
The twisted purple chameleon was held in the air, wrapped loosely and comfortably in one of what Knuckles could only assume was Rabbit's elongated ears. The mechanical bunny was floating as she examined all who were present. Knuckles scowled when her gaze landed on him, instantly reminded of what Espio had said about her attacks. Beware of her ears, and her dammed bat…
Red had backpedaled a few steps at the sight of Rabbit, her appearance bringing up memories over another particular bunny. His teeth ground together, and he was surprised that they didn't shatter. Of course that reptile would model a robot after her. Just to spite them. There was no other reason.
The echidna switched his focus from Rabbit to the Mobian in charge of her when the reptile started again with an irritating grin on his face. "Well, isn't this a sight. You're here earlier than expected. I applaud you for th-" The slight wane of that grating smirk was subtle, but it was still there. "Rabbit, I don't like that echidna being so close to those doors. Fix that, will you?"
The trio closest to the enemy all hastily ducked when the bot zoomed right over their heads, careening right toward Knuckles.
Said Mobian quickly shifted his weight, clenching his namesakes. He watched with narrowed eyes as Rabbit raised her weapon. He knew that he had to wait for the right time to dodge so he could successfully counter and show that he was no way intimidated by the chameleon or any of his stupid toys.
When the bunny got close enough, Knuckles anticipated the swing and hopped to the side, the weapon barely grazing is chest. Growling, the echidna reared back a fist and was about to demolish, but something crashed painfully into his side. Knuckles cried out as he was harshly swatted away from the doors, in the direction of the rest of his group.
He landed hard with a thud, rolling until he eventually came to a stop. Knuckles grunted when he sat up on his knees, holding his abused side. The guardian scowled at Rabbit as she placed that menace on the ground. He then blinked when a hand was held out for him.
After helping Knuckles back up onto his feet, Rouge glanced at the forming bruise in slight worry before returning her focus on the enemies. "We have to be more careful hon. It's basically like she has two extra arms to deal damage."
"Yeah." A glower marred his muzzle. "I've noticed."
"I like this arrangement much better." The evil Espio stared at the heroic group as they all stared back at him. "Now let's see…" He gazed between Red and Knuckles. "We have two echidnas here, and I'm a little put out because the one I've known isn't the one with the growing bruise." The chameleon addressed Red. "Would you like a matching one, inept guardian? Because it wouldn't be hard."
Red's expression was nowhere near friendly. "You're not going to win here, Espio. I'm-"
"You? Well that's a surprise Knuckles." The wicked reptile's chuckle was void of mirth. "You're actually going to do something this time. Think about this though, if you had guarded the emerald in the first place, maybe you wouldn't be in this mess." Red's violet irises hardened, that being his only response to that taunt.
"But then again…" The chameleon tapped his chin as he grinned over at Knuckles. "Maybe it would've ended up the same. Because this one here was trying to protect it and he fell short. If it wasn't for those hedgehogs…"
"Shut up!" Knuckles snarled, taking a threatening step forward. He was starting to see red. "You're nothing but a monster, and I'm going to make sure that you never use your legs again!"
The reptile tilted his head a bit, but his arrogant expression didn't change. He whistled lowly. "What a temper." He locked gazes with Red again. "Quite the ying yang situation here, isn't it?"
"Didn't I tell you to shut up? Your voice is ticking me off!"
Rouge put a hand on the guardian's shoulder before he could make any rash decisions, wanting to keep any potential damage to their team to a minimum. "Calm down," she advised, "You tend to go a little brain dead when you're angry hon. You can't let that happen now." Normally, Knuckles would've called her out on that phrasing, but this wasn't a normal situation. Reluctantly, he reeled himself back in.
"Aren't you an interesting sight." Rouge frowned when that amber orb trained on her. "Not exactly what I expected Rogue's counterpart to be."
She put a hand on her hip and scoffed. "Well, isn't that a shame. Because you're exactly what I expected a sadistic murderer to be like."
He snorted. "There's no need for those derogatory labels. That Chao was just at the wrong place at the wrong time, and well, Mephiles had gotten too bold. He needed to be punished." The chameleon then smiled smugly. "Also, you should be happy that I held up my end of the bargain and didn't kill Rogue and Silver. Do I not get any credit for that?"
"I'll be happy when you get sent somewhere where you'll never see the light of day again." Rouge gave her own lopsided grin. "And you will. I'll make sure of it."
There was a snicker; however, the corrupted chameleon didn't say anything else. Instead, he surprised everyone watching when he suddenly spun around, sweeping his foot out. Eyes widened when there was a thud, and when their Espio flickered into sight, sprawled out on the floor. He was clearly dazed and confused.
"What…?" Red questioned, not knowing that Espio had been missing until now. "When did he-?"
"Who knows and who cares. That's not the issue right now," Knuckles growled, watching as Espio's mirror image produced a kunai and held it up to the downed chameleon's throat. And what made it worse was that he knew that he couldn't do anything that wouldn't put Espio's life in severe danger while he was in that position.
Rouge gasped in alarm, her whole frame stilling.
Espio was in the same condition, completely frozen as he became trapped between the hard floor and the weapon pressed against his jugular. He had thought that he could sneak up on his twin as he was having his conversation with the others. When he had gotten close enough, he would've been able to knock his doppelganger out. Then, the only thing they would have to worry about was Rabbit.
Unfortunately, that didn't come to be.
His double sneered down at him. "Did you really think that I didn't notice the second you disappeared? You're not as sly as you think, chameleon." Espio sucked in a breath when the blade broke skin, feeling a bead of blood travel down his neck. He brought up his hands to push the other away, but the increased pressure locked up his muscles.
"I underestimated you," Espio said, his voice a borderline hiss. He was reckless. He took a risk, and now…
"Yes. Yes you did." His twin then focused on the bandages wrapped around his head. The evil one tisked. "It was smart, posing as me. I wouldn't have thought that Metal would be so oblivious, but you learn new things every day." Using his other hand, the double gripped his wrappings. "However, you don't need them anymore."
Espio didn't dare do anything when they were not-so-gently ripped away; he simply observed as the other figured out that the bandages weren't only a disguise. The two reptiles were similar, more than Espio liked.
He was silent as his mirror laughed lowly. He was glad that this new discovery was so entertaining. "Wow," the evil Espio commented, peering at the less functional side of his face, "So what happened to your eye, other me? Because I had nothing to do with this, which is a shame, really."
Espio kept that painful memory at bay. "You had plenty to do with it."
"Are you sure?" His smile was malicious. He was soaking all of this up like a sponge. "Because the last time I saw you was at the trade-off, and you had…" The twin paused, and his lips curled up even more. "Tell me…Was it Penumbra, Silver, or Rogue?" When Espio refused to answer, sending the other heated glares instead, the kunai bit more into his skin. He sucked in a harsh breath at the pain. He and his double were almost nose-to-nose now, and the other's voice got eerily quiet. "Answer me when I'm talking to you."
"Just let him go!" Both chameleons turned their attentions to Red, who desperately wanted all of this to end. "He's not who you started any of this with! Neither is Rouge or the other me! Leave them out of it!"
The corrupted reptile huffed. "It's a bit too late to start playing it like that, echidna. They got involved, so they will face the consequences."
"You're saying that like they're in the wrong for acting when you stole their friend and killed her pet!" Red reasoned, "Just-"
"No," the wicked Mobian interrupted him with a nasty gleam in his eye. He then refocused on Espio. "So who did it?"
Espio swallowed thickly, feeling the weapon slightly pressing down. "Rogue. Rogue did it. But does that matter?"
His twin tuned out his question altogether. "Not who I was expecting, but I'm not surprised. That bat was crazy enough to get revenge on the wrong chameleon." He snorted. "Wish I could've been there. I'll have to thank him when I get the chance."
"If he doesn't kill you first," Espio rasped.
The other didn't verbally respond, instead just forcing him up to his feet. The blade never left his throat. The double then addressed the trio looking on. "Now, this is how this is going to go. I'm going to drag my little twin here into that room." He bobbed his head in the direction of the doors hiding the Master Emerald. "And Rabbit here is going to keep all of you very busy. Understand. Good."
Knuckles' gut dropped as that dammed reptile led Espio toward the room. "I swear if you kill him, I'll-"
"I won't kill him. Yet." The automatic doors slid open, and the contained Master Emerald was revealed for all to see. Knuckles could feel his blood boiling. However, in addition to the green gem, a good handful of generic bots were flittering around the room as well. The enemy reptile smirked. "Those bots in there will just hold him until I…get dressed."
The doors closed again, and the chameleons were gone.
"Get dressed? What does that mean?" Red asked aloud to himself.
"Well." The echidna gazed at Rouge when she clicked her tongue in agitation. "He sure is a character." She turned towards Red. "And you had to deal with him way before we had to."
"Yeah." Red stressfully rubbed his forehead. "It wasn't pleasant, to put it lightly."
"I just can't wait to wring his little neck!" Knuckles made the motions with his hands before staring at the robot just looking at them, guarding the entrance to the room. "But we have to get through her first." Please be fine back there, Espio. We're coming.
"So what's the plan?" Rouge muttered as she looked at the waiting bot across the way, who was reflecting blue light that was cast upon her by the shifting waves outside. The winged Mobian then addressed Knuckles. "I think we should-"
"I'll take her on alone," Red didn't waver when both his twin and Rouge stared at him in slight surprise, "and you two make a beeline to the room."
"Alone?" Rouge blinked, her brow arching. "Now you're starting to sound like Blue's little twin."
"Your friend could be dying right now." Red wasn't going to entertain any arguments. He didn't trust that twisted chameleon for a second. Espio's blood could be spilling this very moment, and they had to do something about that robot to get inside.
Knuckles eventually nodded. His other self sounded sure about his plan, and Knuckles knew that no one could sway a determined echidna. That was at least one good trait his double seemed to have. "Fine. Just-"
His words died off when a robotic voice echoed off the walls. "You're not immediately attacking like those hedgehogs did. I don't know what to make of that." Rabbit tossed her bat up into the air – it flipping end-over-end – before catching it again and propping it against her metallic shoulder. "You're either really smart, or even easier to take out than those two."
"Those two…?" Steely amethysts narrowed into slits. "So Espio was right… You took Sonic and Shadow!"
Rouge drummed her fingers against her side, giving this bite-sized threat a once over. "She won that fight by herself…"
"And?" Knuckles countered, sensing the subtle hesitance in her voice. "She had to have taken them by surprise or something, because there is no way that Sonic would lose to this heap of metal. Let alone him and Shadow."
Red didn't know if he could agree with his twin or not. Sure, it was one thing that both of those hedgehogs were seasoned fighters, but it was another that the bunny was powered up to the max. This could be extremely messy.
"Does it matter how I did it?" Rabbit shrugged before tightening her grip on her weapon. The action wasn't lost on the observing trio. "What matters is that they both struck out pretty fast. Now…I get to see if any of you actually got game."
Red didn't respond to her. Instead, he uttered to his companions, "Let's go," before pushing off the ground and rushing toward the bunny. His fists were clenching at his sides, them ready to swing. Knuckles and Rouge were on either side of him, acting like they were going to be part of the fight as well.
Red kept himself light on his toes, waiting for any move the robot could make as he got closer. He was right to do so, because that baseball bat was suddenly hurled in his direction. He sucked in a harsh breath as he swiftly ducked down, the weapon whizzing over his head too close for comfort.
"Ha!" Knuckles barked out after seeing the bot miss. The trio were close to closing the distance now, him preparing himself to maneuver around the adversary at the last second. "You really expect to win against us? With aim like that?"
Rabbit's arm was still held out. "My aim was perfect actually, you're just too dumb to see that."
A tick grew on Knuckles' forehead. "Dumb?! You-"
Rouge ignored the echidna's irate voice as she thought about the bunny's words, flapping her wings to stay airborne. Rabbit had said that she hadn't missed, but… The bat glanced over her shoulder to see where the bat landed only to have her heart skip a beat in utter shock. She parted her lips to warn Red, but it happened before any sounds escaped her mouth.
The baseball bat – that Rabbit was somehow recalling back to her – slammed against the guardian's back at a devastating speed.
She didn't know what was worse, the sickening crack that followed, or Red's haunting scream.
That had definitely made all of Knuckles' retorts trail off, both him and Rouge freezing and watching in horror as the weapon's momentum caused the other echidna to flip head-over-heels and crash hard into the floor, face down as he slid right up to Rabbit's feet.
He wasn't moving.
"Oh Chaos." Rouge could hardly breathe, her throat constricting at the sight. He couldn't be dead. She refused to believe that. But…she heard his spine snapping. She immediately thought about the rest of the doubles. Did they really just…lose another…?
"Red…" Knuckles' breaths grew shallow when he didn't get any response from his double. "Dammit Knuckles! Say something! Get up! Move for Chaos' sake!" There was nothing. Disregarding the armed robot and the fear taking hold in his chest, the guardian took a step forward. "Stop being lazy and-!"
"Don't come closer." The guardian's muscles tensed when a high-pitched hum filled the air, the noise emitting from Rabbit's ears. Sparks of static occasionally jumped from those abiotic appendages. One of them stretched down and hovered a couple of inches over Red's head. "Or he dies, if he isn't already dead."
"He's not dead!" Knuckles shouted, not wanting to believe it, but the truth was staring him right in the face.
Rabbit stared at the standing echidna dispassionately before training her gaze down at the one in front of her. Using the tip of her sporty weapon, she pushed Red's head to the side so that his left cheek was contacting the ground. He was facing Rouge now, blood dripping out of his open mouth. His eyes were open and still, but they weren't dead. He wasn't dead.
A huge weight lifted itself off of Rouge's chest when his cloudy stare slowly focused on her. She couldn't get too relieved however. Red still wasn't moving, and he had to be in extreme pain.
Rabbit let out a mechanical scoff. "No home run, huh? Tougher than you look."
"Get away from him!" Knuckles ordered. The only thing keeping him from going over and punching that mech's face in was the bunny's very obvious threat.
"Or what?" Rabbit retorted easily.
A snarl rumbled Knuckles' chest as he bit his lip. He couldn't do anything. One wrong move – or any move at all – and Red was done for. The echidna then gave the closed doors a sidelong glance. But if we just stay here, Espio could be in major trouble too. But if we make a break for it, there's no guarantee-
"Red, sugar." Rouge was focused on nothing but the gravely injured Mobian. "Can you do anything? Like push her away or stand up or…"
She trailed off, and after a moment, Red took in shuddering breath. "…Hurts…" He sounded weak. Too weak. "…C-Can't…legs…won't m-move…" Paralysis was the first thing to pop into Knuckles' and Rouge's minds. His back was broken, and…and only he knew the extent of the damage. Red coughed, and carmine liquid splattered on the reflective tile.
Before the bleeding mammal could muster any more energy to communicate, the automatic doors glided open, and all eyes were on the being that emerged.
And at that moment, both Knuckles and Rouge knew exactly what the corrupted reptile meant when he said 'get dressed'.
The purple Mobian was armored from head to toe, the metal slick and possibly holding many deadly secrets. A single amber iris was peering through thick glass that was part of his helmet, it absorbing the scene as its owner floated into the hall. He wasn't alone however. Espio was held tightly in front of the twisted chameleon with that same kunai from before dangerously close to his neck. He wasn't struggling.
Knuckles didn't know what to feel upon seeing them. On one hand, he was relieved to see that Espio was alive, but on the other, he was still held hostage. And what made this even worse was the energy he felt emitting from that metallic suit.
Something about his expression must've tipped Rouge off, because she swallowed thickly and pleaded, "Please don't tell me…"
A deep scowl marred Knuckles' muzzle. "He's the same as those stupid robots of his."
"Now there's no need for name calling," the suited reptile jeered, his voice just slightly muffled, "Especially when the robot is smart enough to do her job." He then drifted his attention over to Red, who hadn't moved a muscle. The chameleon's pleased grin was hard to miss. "A lot happened while I was busy, didn't it?"
"What…" Espio lifted his chin to attempt to put distance between him and the blade, but it was all for naught. There was no way he could escape without risking his life, but…that wasn't the most important thing right now. He was looking at Red laying still on the ground with blood leaking out of him. "What happened to-"
"I broke his back, and he's paralyzed now," Rabbit stated bluntly, not pulling any punches.
While Espio was stunned into silence, his twin snorted in amusement. "That's one way to do it." The floating double then turned away from them. "Well, it's time for me to go."
"Go?" Knuckles sneered. "What? Are you too scared to fight us?"
The armored reptile scoffed. "Don't flatter yourself. I'm going where I'm most needed because it's obvious that I'm not needed here," he said, giving Red a pointed look. "Rabbit's handling it just fine, and plus-" He readjusted Espio in his arms. Something sinister filtered into his tone. "-I need a proper audience to witness what I'm about to do."
The meaning of that sentence wasn't hard to comprehend.
Rouge heard Espio swallow audibly, and she glared hard at the enemy even though she was mentally questioning: How does he know? "If you think that they will let you kill them-"
"Let me? I don't need their permission to do anything," the double countered right back.
Knuckles didn't – couldn't – say anything as he stared at his friend. Espio stared back at him, his single eye wide and swirling with many emotions. One phrase echoed around in the guardian's mind. He was going to die. He was going to die. He was going to-
"Don't worry about me," Espio barely managed to get out. His gaze flickered over to Red for a split second. "Worry about him."
Did Espio really expect him to do that? "You're telling me not to worry about you?! That's…"
"…Impossible. I know."
Knuckles jabbed a finger in the detective's direction, mentally ousting any possibility of Espio not making it. "You better still be kicking when we resurface or else-!"
"Or else what?" The evil twin snickered. "Nothing, because your corpse will never leave this place." He focused on his robot. "Rabbit, finish them off, but make sure that Red there is the last to go. Let him watch. Gotta love the icing on the cake."
The bunny nodded. "That'll be easy enough."
"Alright, I'm off." The twin glanced between a seething Knuckles and a highly concerned Rouge. "Don't follow me, or my hand might slip." With those lasting words, he took off, him and Espio disappearing from sight.
Knuckles let his stare linger, and Rouge was having none of that. "Honey." Amethysts locked with determined teals. "He'll be fine. You have to be here right now."
"…Right." The red mammal mentally chastised himself as he gave Rabbit his full attention. He couldn't get distracted. Not if they wanted to make it out alive.
Rouge eyed the bunny as the bot stepped around Red, getting ready for anything. "So do you want to make the first move, or should we?"
"Considering what happened after I attacked first…" Rabbit nudged Red's calf with her foot, and he didn't even respond. "…I should make the same play again."
With little warning, she heaved her sporty weapon right at Knuckles' head. The guardian agilely sidestepped the projectile, careful to not follow in Red's footsteps. However, Rabbit didn't call it back this time. Instead, she activated her boosters and darted for the echidna.
Her ears were raised like tentacles, reaching to grab and coil. Knuckles shifted his weight to the balls of his feet, getting ready to jump over the mech and deliver a surprise blow. He never made it off the ground, for a foot smashed into the side of Rabbit's face, causing her to careen to the left and slam into the nearby wall.
Rouge hissed under her breath as she lowered her leg. "Gotta make sure that I hit those at a right angle. Getting another twisted ankle is the last thing I need."
Knuckles nodded at her. "Can't have you hurt, bat-girl. We're already down tw-" He didn't get to finish his sentence. Like a whip, an electrified ear cracked against one of Rouge's cheeks, causing her to launch backwards with a pained yell. "Rouge!" She was flung away from him, landing hard on the floor by a wide-eyed Red. There was an angry red burn where she was struck, and rage instantly flowed through Knuckles' veins.
His hands instinctively flew out and grabbed the elongated appendage, him not thinking that it was probably electrified. To his luck, it wasn't. Not giving Rabbit a chance to process, the guardian spun on his heel with a grunt, hurling the bunny back down the hallway. She tumbled in the air before righting herself and gathering her weapon that she had previously discarded.
"Well then." Rabbit hummed. "This actually might be a fun game."
"Just shut up," Knuckles growled, sprinting towards his target with his fists raised.
Back closer to the doors, Rouge was lying on her back, refusing to let one tear stream down her throbbing cheek. She was afraid to touch it, knowing that the amount of pain she was in would triple if she did so. Chaos…but she couldn't dwell on this. She had to suck it up and help Knuckles before-
"D-Distract…her…" At that stuttering voice, Rouge craned her neck to notice jaded purple orbs. Every word seemed to pain him. "Take…her…away…I-I…" Sensing movement out of the corner of her eye, the bat glanced down and inwardly gasped at the twitching of the echidna's fingers. He could move his arms? Before she could ask, he whispered, "I can move…my upper half…I-I can get in…there. Distract h-her."
Rouge couldn't argue with that plan, since it was the only one they had besides fighting Rabbit for an undetermined amount of time. The bunny believed that Red couldn't move at all, so this could work.
"Be careful hon. In case you haven't noticed, you aren't in the best condition." she replied just as lowly, wincing when she heard a pained grunt from Knuckles. From the looks of it, the tip of Rabbit's bat had hit the same bruised side as before. It didn't slow the guardian down though, him ducking and dodging and struggling to find a window of opportunity to throw a punch.
There was barely any movement of Red's lips, but Rouge could tell it was an attempt at a grin. "G-Go."
She nodded before scrambling up onto her feet, her face continuing to sting. Ignoring that unpleasant sensation, the white Mobian flapped her wings, soaring in the direction of the feuding duo with a plan in mind.
Instead of going in and attacking Rabbit, she swooped down on a surprised Knuckles and lifted him into the air. She zoomed down the hall and turned the corner, leaving being both the Master Emerald and Red as Knuckles squirmed in her grip.
"Ack! What are you doing, you crazy bat?!" the guardian complained, "Put me down! We have to-"
"New plan," Rouge mumbled, peering over her shoulder to see Rabbit flying after them. Perfect. "Red can move. We have to led her away and distract her so he can go in and power down the big beauty."
Knuckles snapped his jaws shut, absorbing this new information. It was doable – pushing away the fact that he wasn't the one going to handle the Master Emerald – and it would definitely help their situation…along with whatever was going on above ground. He really didn't want to think about it.
The red mammal then glanced back as well. Rabbit was closing in fast, her extended ears even faster. "Well how far do we have to go? We're losing ground here," he uncomfortably pointed out.
The G.U.N. agent smirked, the action causing her cheek to twinge. "Far enough to do…this!" She suddenly pulled up into the air and performed a backflip, flying backwards for a beat until Rabbit was right under them. The bat then used her momentum to launch Knuckles downwards. The bunny seemed to realize what was happening right when the echidna's feet landed on her back, sending her to the unforgiving floor.
Knuckles hopped off before she made an impact, landing softly with Rouge at his side. He glanced askance at her. "Thanks for the head's up."
The winged Mobian winked. "Any time."
"You two do realize…" Rabbit slowly picked herself up while dusting herself off. She half turned to face them again, red opticals flashing. "…that you're giving me even more reasons to knock you out of the park."
Knuckles just assumed that was a euphemism and didn't question it. "Even if we hadn't attacked you, you still would've tried to kill us for no reason!"
The bunny held her weapon with both hands, slightly crouching. "I have a reason."
Rouge gestured to the general area above them. "Just because that sadistic murderer of a chameleon told you to?"
"Like I said," Rabbit tightened her grip, "I have a reason."
Then she lunged.
Red's world was pain.
It wasn't the regular type of pain. It was the pain he wouldn't wish on his worst enemy. Well…his second worst enemy. His worst enemy deserved this and way more.
It seemed like any twitch of any muscle contributed to the agonizing discomfort radiating from his back. If he was any less of an echidna, he'd be wallowing in his own tears and blood right now. It hurt to move anything.
Luckily, he couldn't move legs no matter how hard he tried…
Dammit just…dammit.
He couldn't just lay here and curse at the world however. He had a job to do, an important one at that. He had to go into that room and shut down the Master Emerald without the use of his legs. It was a good thing that he had incredible arm strength, or this would have been mission impossible.
Rabbit just left the premises, so it was time to go.
Red licked his lips as he shakily picked his head up, tasting nothing but copper. The echidna stifled more coughs as he propped himself up with trembling arms. It didn't matter how carefully he did it; it constantly felt like someone was driving nails into his spine with a sledgehammer.
The red Mobian attempted to get his legs to respond to him again, but there was not so much as a twitch. It didn't even matter if he could use them anyway. There was no way he would be able to walk in this condition.
The lame mammal took a couple of deep breaths before putting one arm in front of the other and dragging his body forward. Red chomped down on his bottom lip as he did so to prevent the agonized shout from escaping his throat and potentially giving him away.
It's funny, because it wasn't that long ago that he was just lying in a peaceful field, soaking in the sun's rays. And then Shadow came and…
Red shook his head to get rid of those thoughts. This wasn't Shadow's fault. If there was anyone to blame, it was him. If he had just done his stupid boring job, Espio wouldn't have gotten his hands on the Master Emerald in the first place, he wouldn't be numb from the waist down, and people wouldn't have died.
He put his left arm in front of his right and pulled, ducking his head and enduring the intense pain.
There was no way of knowing that though. Even if he had been guarding the emerald, that chameleon just would've found another way to take it. Those deaths weren't on him. He couldn't…blame himself for those.
He slid a little further and further and further.
No one else blames me. So I can't start doing it now.
He triggered the motion sensor, and the automatic doors glided open. More coughs wracked his frame, and blood dribbled down his chin. It was safe to say that the blow had done something to his ribs too. It was just that pain paled in comparison to his back.
Dull violet irises first took in the Master Emerald at the opposite end of the room, it glowing brightly inside of its glass container. There was a machine under it with wires spread out all around, and that was no doubt how the reptile infused the chaotic energy.
The second thing he noticed was how factory-like the room was, and how he was now the center of attention. There was a multitude of generic robots filling the space, and all of them were staring at him. They could be a problem.
Red laid still for a moment, waiting to see if they would actually do something. They just stared. The echidna's gaze swept the room, and it seemed like none of the bots were armed. It didn't mean that they weren't dangerous though.
Keeping his eyes peeled, Red braced himself as he put one arm over the other and slid. The doors closed behind him. Apparently, that spurred the bots into action.
A couple of them stepped toward him with their hands out, and the echidna's heart pounded against his chest. He hadn't come this far just to get snatched up. But what could he do? He could barely move his own body weight, nevermind taking these guys on. He couldn't win this physically, however…
"S-Stop…" He breathed out, and they continued like they hadn't heard him. He desperately tried again. "Your Master…w-wouldn't like it if…you killed me." That seemed to do the trick. The mechs paused in their strides, glancing at each other before refocusing on the former guardian. They could understand him. That was great. "Y-You don't want to b-be…destroyed, do you…?"
That got them to back away from him. They were dumb. Even better. "I-I'm not…gah…" He harshly winced as he resumed his slow trek, the sledge now being replaced with a jackhammer. It was almost too much, but he couldn't stop now. "I'm not a…threat to y-you anyway." Which was true. Him shutting down the large gem wouldn't affect these bots...well, not directly.
Red felt all of the eyes on him, but he didn't pay them any mind. He just pushed himself forward, panting at the onslaught of pain bombarding his system. His legs were a dead weight, and it felt like he was being split apart.
He never took his gaze off of the Master Emerald, keeping his target in his sights. It was one of the main things keeping him going. That, and the fact that he didn't know exactly how Knuckles and Rouge were fairing with Rabbit. The bot hadn't come back for him yet, and that was a good sign, but there was still that worry in the back of his mind.
And then there were the others above ground. What was happening up there? The twisted reptile knew they were up there, and Red's group hadn't run into any robot besides Rabbit. So were they fighting? If so, then it was mandatory that Red completed his job.
It was time consuming and grueling, but Red finally made it to the machine. He inwardly cursed as he glanced up at the Master Emerald settled on top of the metal. He was too low to the ground; he couldn't get close to the gem like he knew he had to.
Red let out a shaky sigh. Nothing could go his way. Letting out a pained hiss, Red lifted his upper torso off the ground. His injury didn't like this new position at all. Red could feel the vertebrae rubbing together and causing tears to prick the corner of is eyes. He didn't even remember the last time he had cried.
Not bothering to wipe the water away, Red let his left arm bare all of his weight as he reached up for the top ledge of the machine. "Argh..." He groaned as he held on as tight as he could, having his left hand join the other. The echidna then pulled himself farther up, huffing when he was now face level with the cylinder. Red glanced down, noticing that he was holding up most of his body, his knees barely touching the ground.
Red turned back forward and gritted his teeth as he held out a hand, splaying his fingers out against the glass containing the jewel. This was as close as he was going to get.
He glanced around the room to make sure that the robots hadn't changed their minds. They were still watching him, but they hadn't approached.
Calming himself down as much as he could in his position, Red closed his eyes and connected with the powerful gem. I guess you don't care which echidna does it, huh. He felt the energy flowing out of the emerald, the gap caused by the glass not interfering with their interaction. You're really not going to like what I'm about to ask to you do, but…
Red's brow creased as he tried to get the gem to deactivate, but – surprise surprise – it was stubborn. It was basically a wall. He could understand why. It's unnatural for the Master to be shut down, and it most likely didn't want to lose control of the Chaos emeralds it had powered down.
"Come…o-on…" He struggled to press closer. It's okay. We'll turn you back on as soon as possible. But we need you off right now. People are in trouble. People might…People might die if you don't let me… Red's supporting arm began to trembled from the strain, and the constant torture his back was putting him through made the shaking worse. He didn't notice when more tears escaped, he was paying more attention to the fact that he was on a timer.
Please…Just-
Red's eyes flew open when something gave way, when the energy disappeared. His vision was slightly blurry, but he could clearly see that the emerald was dull, almost lifeless.
"I…" He almost couldn't believe it. A trembling smile grew on his wet muzzle. "I…did it." The robots would be vulnerable, Knuckles and Rouge would defeat Rabbit, they would be able to get out of here, he would…he would be healed. Thank Chaos.
However, his moment on cloud nine was cut short when his drooping quills were grabbed, and he was yanked away from the Master Emerald. He cried out in shock, but then that cry morphed into a silent scream when he smashed into the floor. It hurt too much to produce any sound.
It felt like his spine had been ripped right out of him.
More blood was forced out of his mouth when a robot – different from the one that hurled him – stomped down on his chest. Deactivating the emerald must've solidified that he was the enemy.
Despite the pain that was overloading his abused brain, Red managed to croak out, "You're…h-holding me here…f-for him?" The echidna weakly snorted. "He's not…c-coming…back."
Then his vision cut to black.
"Gah!"
Knuckles' shout was guttural as his muscles failed, having just taken an electrified hit to the abdomen. He was in a crouching position, his teeth grinding together as static immobilized him. He couldn't do anything as Rouge soared straight through the air, smacking into the wall with a hiss.
Before she could recover, Rabbit was in her face, the baseball bat held horizontal against the agent's neck. Rouge gasped for air as the robot pushed, bringing her hands up to shove away the thing blocking her airway. She didn't have the strength to do it.
"I think it's time to end this game." The winged Mobian wheezed when Rabbit pushed even harder. "It's gone on for too long."
Knuckles couldn't help but to agree with her. His body was littered with burns and bruises, and while Rouge's wasn't visible, he knew that she was in the same condition. What made it worse was that Rabbit looked brand new. There were a few scuff marks, but there was no damage to show for the times the duo had gotten hits in.
He knew that Red was injured, but…this was getting hairy.
"Get away from her!" Knuckles ordered once he could control his legs again. He pushed off the floor and sprinted toward the bot, wary of those flexible appendages of hers. Rabbit gave him a sidelong glance before her ears shot forward like vipers ready to strike.
But then, they stopped.
Rouge was confused yet relieved when she got a little bit of breathing room. The bat was still on her neck, but Rabbit was too distracted to continue pushing. The winged Mobian was befuddled as she watched the bunny look down at herself, perplexed about something.
Rouge then fell to the floor when Knuckles punched Rabbit hard in her side. The bunny went sprawling. Rouge eyed the mech as she rubbed her bruised throat with a frown. After a second, teals drifted over to the echidna. "Did you…" She coughed. "…see that hon?"
"Yeah." There was an unexpected grin on his face. Knuckles gestured over to their wobbling opponent. "Do you see that?"
The white bat gave her attention to Rabbit, and her eyes widened at the sight of a dent in the bunny's side where the echidna made contact. He actually dealt damage. Her lips curled up as well. "He did it."
Knuckles rotated his sore shoulder. "It's time to turn the tables."
"What…?" Rabbit examined herself, her gaze sticking to the newly formed dent, before looking at the Mobian duo. "Why do I feel different? What did you two do to me?"
Rouge fixed any misplaced hairs, radiating smugness. "We didn't do anything. Remember our little friend that you left behind?"
"He shut down the Master Emerald," Knuckles added on, cracking his namesakes, "So the energy that was keeping you from getting torn apart is no longer usable."
When this bit of information sank in for the robot, Rabbit glanced between the pair accusingly. "Cheating isn't moral."
"And killing us on command is?!" The echidna spat.
"We're just putting you on the same playing field as we are. There's no wrong in that, is there?" Rouge tilted her head in mock innocence.
Over the new development, Rabbit propped her weapon on her shoulder. "That's fair. It won't change the outcome. I'll still win two to zero."
"We'll see about that." Knuckles nodded at Rouge, and they rushed forward, planning to end this fight permanently.
Rabbit zoomed at them as well, ears darting out to grab. The heroic duo veered in opposite directions, just missing getting electrocuted. Seeing an opening, Knuckles went in to put another dent in the bunny's shiny outer shell. However, Rabbit had abruptly turned and swung her bat at him. The echidna jumped high over the swing.
Rabbit focused up at him, completely not expecting Rouge flying in and sniping one of her ears. The bunny violently stumbled as her appendage was ripped clean off, it flopping down a good distance away. The robot stared at it while reaching up to cover her exposed wires; it was like she couldn't fully comprehend what just happened.
This was a perfect chance as any. After landing, Knuckles launched and tightly gripped Rabbit's other ear. The guardian then planted his feet on the bot's shoulder and pulled. It was like yanking a deep rooted weed out of soil. More wires ripped and tore, and when the echidna hopped out of Rabbit's frantic reach, he had fully separated the annoyance from its owner.
Knuckles haughtily dropped it at his feet. "Still think that you're going to win, bunny?" It seems like she was built all around the fact that she couldn't be damaged. He inwardly snorted. If every bot is like that, then that chameleon is stupider than I thought.
Rabbit stared at him for a moment before switching her focus to Rouge, who was watching her just as closely. The robot then found the tiled floor interesting. She shook her head. "No. It's clear that I'm not winning this one. But…" She glanced out of the nearest window, the arm holding the sporty weapon subtly twitching. Rouge caught the movement though, and she was quick to act. Rabbit held up her bat. "I don't care if this ends up in a tie."
The agent put everything she had in her kick; it went straight through the bot. The winged Mobian sucked in a sharp breath as the jagged metal cut into her boot and sliced her skin underneath. Rabbit's inner circuits were fried, but she still had enough energy and strength to hurl her weapon at the massive pane.
The piece of metal didn't break the glass – as it would've if the bunny had been at full power – but it sure left a crack.
That was quickly growing in size.
Rouge shook her foot out of Rabbit's now limp body. Her pulse was thudding loudly in her ears, panic setting in. "Knuckles!" she yelled, and said echidna tore his eyes off the fracturing window to look at her. "You run ahead! I'll go get Red before this thing shatters!"
The guardian looked ready to argue. "But-"
"No buts hon!" Rouge had already turned the way they had come. "I'm faster, we can come back for the Master Emerald later, and I'll be fine, okay?"
Knuckles hesitantly swallowed the rest of his sentence. He nodded. "Just hurry up, bat-girl." He turned on his heel and sprinted in the opposite direction.
Rouge didn't bother watching him. She took off back down the hallway. She was flapping her spent wings hard, pushing herself to her limits. The agent was like a jet slicing through the air. She wanted nothing more but to save their friend and get out of the base alive.
After smoothly turning the corner, Rouge aimed for the closed doors, absently noticing the faint trail of blood leading inside. Those doors were quick to open. The white bat paused for a split second at what she saw inside.
There were a bunch of worker robots standing around, half of them gazing at her, half of them staring at the echidna held down on the floor. Rouge's heart stuttered when she zeroed in on the still mammal, and she was about to raise hell until she saw his chest rise and fall. He was alive.
Not bothering with words, she zoomed in and kicked the offending bot's head right off. She wasted no time in gathering Red up into her arms, careful not to jostle him too much. She didn't bother with the other mechs as she escaped. They'd be taken care of soon enough.
She did give one last look at the Master Emerald though, believing it still would be safe submerged. Returning to it would just be harder.
Pushing the fate of the gem to the back of her mind, she tightened her hold on Red and left the premises. She returned to Rabbit's limp body in under a minute. Rouge sped over the bunny and passed by the dangerously cracked glass.
She had barely put any distance between herself and window before it shattered under the pressure.
I try so hard not to be evil, but as you can tell, that didn't quite work out so well.
Blame my evil fingers.
Next chapter…battle royale?