(AN: With only one chapter left after this one, things are finally coming to an end! And since 2020 is coming soon, I have some big plans for the future! But until then, we'll have to see the end of DHZ first!
And with six characters left, will they all survive? Or will one more go down before the end?)
Egg Robo bounced while skipping to a tape deck, a cassette in his hand. When he reached the tape deck, he stopped himself, took a deep breath, and held out arms as his coat suddenly poofed into a tank top, multiple gold chains, sagging shorts, freakishly ugly basketball shoes, a backward cap, and a microphone in his left hand. Putting the cassette in the tape deck, an instrumental beat began to play as Egg Robo brought the microphone to his lips.
"Uhn…" he said, warming up his vocals. "Yeah… Uhn… Yeah, Egg Robo in da house, we gonna get and bounce, Drama in the walls, and cryin' in the halls, Hope takin' that bullet, I hope it gets a mullet."
As Egg Robo continued his rap, another Egg Robo looked at his friend Egg Robo.. "Can this guy even rap?" he asked.
"I don't know, but let's mock him from here."
"…Despair in this total life, better become my wife, Even with death in air, better get me some hair-"
"Oh yeah, that was horrendous…" the other Egg Robo whispered to his friend.
"Let's pray for our deaths soon. Maybe then we'll escape this nightmare…"
"Infinite the Jackal."
"In-"
"Dun be loud."
"Who-"
"Infinite the Jackal, the 18th student. I had mah suspicions that there was another one of us here, but now I know the truth. They're hidden in the zone walls."
"Who… who are they?..."
"…the one they call the Ultimate Despair. I have just one word of advice fer ya: Watch out fer him."
Vector told me to watch out for him…
Infinite the Jackal…
That was three days before…
…the next incident.
Three days before we would be faced with another murder. Three days before the worst thing so far… would happen…
TheHunterPersian presents…
Despair Hill Zone
Chapter 6:
A Painful Dash, A Painful Spiked Wall, A Painful Life Loss
DAILY LIFE 1
In the meantime, I should get you caught up in what's happened since then. A day after Espio's trial, we all sat around in the dining hall, very few breakfast items in front of us.
"Well, you know what time it is for us," Wave said, breaking the silence. "Time to begin our post trial spiel."
"What do you mean spiel?" Silver asked. "Are there even like, any more floors for us to discover?"
"Don't get sidetracked, dorkfest."
"Hey, I wasn't!"
"On the contrary, you were. If you want to keep up with me, we can't be distracted by the usual antics you all get up to."
"How high of that horse are you on to say that…" Tikal mumbled.
"Don't think I didn't hear that, pacifist girl. Regardless, I'm going to choose to ignore that comment. If you want to defeat the mastermind, let me take over the reins. It's true that the mastermind prowls like a beast, but their pride is beyond bloated."
"What do you mean by that?" I asked.
"Think of the mastermind as an angry chao. Sure, they're angry, but it doesn't change that they're docile creatures. Once you find the thing that gets them, they're powerless under you. Not like I'd know, Chao raising was never my thing."
"Yeah, I figured the whole mechanics thing would. Are you gonna actually unscrew all the bolts as you said?"
"It's an empty threat, bee. What, do you think I HAVEN'T tried that already?! My wrenches are either too big, too small, or they're sealed beyond tight."
"Maybe it's time to make a new one?" Amy asked. "I mean, Jet and Storm made one."
"Out of something that isn't what you use for wrenches. Sorry, but marble doesn't even compare to pure hard metal."
"Then… maybe you could invent a new device?"
"…perhaps, we'll see."
"Ain't this the small talk ya told us not to make?" Vector asked.
"For once, I agree with you, croc. And yet," Wave put her beak on her hands. "I willingly participated. Whatever, enough of this. I think it's time that we begin our search."
"Why in the heck would there be six floors? I mean, haven't what we found already been enough for this zone?" Silver asked. "I mean, what's left?
"We'll see when we actually get up, using our LEGS, dorkfest, and go there instead of running our mouths."
Wave got up from her seat and made her way out of the dining hall, leaving the five of us behind.
"I dun like how we let her take charge…" Vector said.
"Likewise," I sighed. "Well, we should see regardless."
I got up from my seat, leaving my half-eaten apple on the table. If Egg Robo gets mad that I left it there, he can just bite me. Besides, he's the one who forced me into this killing game, an apple he must throw away won't kill him. After getting out my PAD, I looked at the map of the zone to see the final floor unlocked to us. Unlike the other floors however, there were no classrooms, no extra rooms, none of that. It was just one massive room. I thought it would have been another gym, but it wouldn't have made sense. I mean, what else would be here?
My question would be answered when we had all finally reached the stairs. After going up, we were surprised when we noticed that the stairs to the sixth floor were dark. As we turned the corner, we found out because the stairs led to a door that emanated a lot of light. Vector looked through the window as Tikal, Silver, Amy, and I stood behind the crocodile.
"What is it?" Tikal asked.
"It ain't real…" he said, opening the door. We all entered inside and were shocked at what we were seeing. Around us was a bright blue sky, not a single cloud in the sky as tables with chairs surrounded the floor. I could hear cicadas and the sound of… cars?
Buzzing towards the metal bars, I looked down to see multiple cars driving by below us.
"Are we… are we outside?" I asked. "Is this really the outside world?"
I turned my head to see Silver pointing up at the ceiling. "No, look."
I looked where the hedgehog was pointing. The shine of the sun blinded my eyes until I realize that it seemed…
Fake.
"Is this?..." I asked.
"Yeah, it's just like the garden. It's a fake scenery."
"Another one?..." Tikal asked. "But why?... Is this to mock us?"
Egg Robo appeared in between all of us. "On the contrary, Tikal! This is all to reward you! You all have done such a good job surviving up till now, I thought: wouldn't it be nice to fuel your desire to see the outside world without actually having you guys enter the outside world? So here it is! I worked hard on designing this room, and that's not all! All the tables and chairs are here for you to come and eat! I know you're probably all tired of eating in the stinky ol' dining hall, so I made you guys…" the robot waddled over to a small elevator. "A little food elevator for you all to bring your food up here! And you can set it to where your food will stay warm or cold depending on what it is!"
"That's it?" Wave asked.
"Well, we have vending machines here too, but other than that, yup! Hope you enjoy your reward!"
Egg Robo vanished as the swallow huffed. "All of this for a foolish roof? Is this all this investigation is going to lead to? It's nothing more than a waste of time…"
"B-But… you can't deny that this whole place makes you miss the outside…" Amy replied. "Man, it's like when I used to eat with my friends at the mall in those outdoor food courts-"
"Not everything is like a mall, pinky. If this was a mall, it might be the bloodiest one I've seen."
"I watched a movie about that before!" Silver said.
"And now we must leave before we start talking about subjects that distract us."
Wave left the roof as Silver looked around. "What? Was it something I said?"
"Wave's right," Vector replied. "There ain't much fer us here to explore. I doubt we can even do a proper investigation like this. We should head back fer now."
"B-But what is there us left to do?"
"…find some new clues, even if it means retracing our steps…"
Vector left as well as the others followed behind him, leaving me behind. I looked back at the roof, wishing for the days the hot sun would shine on my skin as I enjoyed a day out. Maybe one day, I'll get to feel like what it feels like…
With not much left, I started buzzing down the stairs, wondering what I should do. Should I ditch everyone and gamble all my money away on capsules? Since there are only 5 people left, I could probably give them out like hotcakes. Or maybe I should do what Vector said and try to find some more clues, or maybe I should try to find a new picture sitting right in front of the door to the Rec Room.
…
Wait, what.
As it turns out, as I was about to head down the stairs to the second floor, I found myself staring at…
Another photo.
I gasped when I saw it. When was this here? Was this a trap? How long would it be before Egg Robo would notice me taking it?
I was about to grab it, before stopping myself.
No, that's what Egg Robo WOULD want. He'd want me to grab it and see it before taking it off my hands before I had the chance to show someone. Before I had the chance to show Vector…
I didn't know what to do here. I could grab the photo and make a bolt to where Vector was. Perhaps dragging him to the bathhouse would be a good idea. No, Egg Robo would assume I'd be there. If he already knew about Ditz, then there's no doubt he'd find me there. Maybe I could go inside the sauna? After all, he's a robot, but I know he has some dignity. But… I know Vector would absolutely be against the idea.
Shaking my head, I knew what to do. I ignored it.
…
Only to later come back with Vector, pretending like we were talking about the crocodile's favorite detectives. As we passed by the photo, I made a quick grab for the photo as Vector's large frame covered my body. The crocodile looked down at me.
"Got it?" he whispered. I nodded in return.
"The physics lab should be a perfect place to look at it."
And so, we made our way to the lab, the crocodile examining the cameras.
"Alright, as long as we hide behind the massive air purifier, we should be fine."
After doing so, I took the photo out from my jacket and buzzed up to Vector's face.
"Well, what it is?" he asked.
"I haven't seen it myself, I wouldn't know!" I replied. I turned the photo over and…
I dropped it.
The other photos were weird, had no reason to exist even. Depicting scenes of happy friends with each other, no sealed windows, no despair, almost like a time of fun and laughter. And all this time, it depicted people who have passed away here.
So when Vector picked up the photo to look at the image, we both looked at each other. We didn't know what to make of this.
I mean… how exactly do you explain a picture of you with Vector and Espio in it, all three of you smiling? Vector with a grin showing off his pearly white teeth, Espio crossing his arms and giving a peace sign, and myself… myself, who had his arms raised about his head.
This wasn't normal. I don't remember this…
And Vector felt the same way too. "I dun ever remember takin' this," he said.
"What does this mean?" I asked. "I never took this either."
"It means, when will you learn the fourth time?!"
Vector and I turned around only for Egg Robo to swipe the picture from the crocodile's hands. I gasped.
"Y-You!"
"Man, it's like I keep being so clumsy with this!" Egg Robo said.
"Don't you ignore ANYTHING! Tell me NOW: what does that picture mean?! I NEVER took that!"
"You didn't? Man, it's like you have short term memory loss or something! Maybe you took it with Espio before he died! You never know!"
"I never know because you take it from me! Four photos, four DIFFERENT photos! What do they mean?!"
"Well gee, if I told you, I'd-"
Egg Robo stopped when Vector walked in front of him. "Talk. NOW."
"Whuh-oh! If I speak now, Vector's gonna think he intimidated me enough to talk to him! Which will never happen! Sorry suckers, I just gotta keep this image for safe keeping!"
Egg Robo vanished as we looked at each other.
"What do you think it means?"
"…there's somethin' 'bout our past that he's hidin' from us. But what? I couldda never taken that image…"
"That's what gets me too. How is there an image we don't recognize?"
"I think that's somethin' we need to talk 'bout with the others. Fer now, let's get back to the dinin' hall."
"Right."
As we returned from the dining hall, we saw the others waiting for us.
"Well? Where were you?" Wave asked.
"We got caught up in something," I replied.
"Don't tell me… you're the new Vector and Espio?!" Silver exclaimed.
"What? No! Besides, that's their thing, not mine!" I argued.
"W-What the hell are ya implyin'…" Vector growled at me.
"Well, what it is?" Tikal asked.
"I'll do the honors. Charmy and I found… another picture."
"Another one of those?" Wave asked. "Look, at this point, how do I not know if you're lying or not? For you to be so shaken up by a photo, surely you must have it, right?"
"Well, Blaze and Silver saw the pictures, so you know I'm not lying," I said. "What's beyond that… the picture showed me with Vector and Espio, but I don't remember taking those pictures. I never even met them before coming here!"
"Then how could they exist? Perhaps… maybe our memories were taken?"
Our memories?
Now that I thought about it, Vector and Espio DID say something about a change with our bodies. Was this it? Did Egg Robo somehow wipe our memories of each other? But… that doesn't make sense. When I arrived at Green Hills, I suddenly came into this dimension via the warp ring. Was there something hidden underneath that?
I could see Vector scratching his chin, ignoring all of us.
"Well, regardless, it's another picture. So what? Egg Robo likely wants to confuse us at this point!" Silver said. "I mean, why open just a roof to us if he wants us to explore the zone as much as possible? Maybe having a small roof like that is punishment for having Ditz around?"
"I don't doubt it…" Amy said. "Egg Robo was probably so angry about it that our last clue is a dinky roof with no clues, just so we can get confused! And what about another trial, huh?"
"There isn't gonna be one! I just know it! Also, I'm glad to see you're still talking to me, Ames!"
"Yeah well, we have to work together, even though I'm still not ready to forgive you…"
Amy turned her head, but as she did, a knife fell out from her pocket. Silver grew ghost white when he saw this.
"Oh MY GOSH, SHE'S GONNA MURDER ME!" he screamed, hands over his head.
"I'm not! I just… I found this on my way here on the floor. I should have revealed this earlier," she replied, holding it up. From here, it looked to be a black pocketknife, complete with a black blade that had spikes across the dull part of the knife. "Besides, it has a brand name here. Avalon Inc.? Wouldn't know it."
"They're probably the best-known producers of huntin' knives," Vector said. "I've seen plenty of them around."
"What do I do with it then? I don't need it."
"Maybe give it to me! I don't want it to end up in Rosie's hands!" Silver said.
"H-How dare you assume that I'll let her near! It's like you don't want me to forgive you period! Besides, I never said I wanted it around me!"
"Why not let Charmy hang onto it?" Vector said. I looked at him.
"Excuse me?" I asked.
"Yeah, that's not a bad idea!" Tikal smiled. "Charmy is very responsible and knows where to hide that! If anything, I know he won't let anyone touch it!"
"H-Hold on a minute, don't I get a say?!"
"It shows how much the others trust you," Wave replied. "Well? Go on, take it."
Amy handed me the knife. "Just be careful, okay, Charmy? Hide it good."
I thought back to that person… Infinite the Jackal… and Vector's warning…
Would Infinite know I have this? Would this protect me against an attack from him? Or would this guarantee my status as the next blackened?
As I put the knife in my coat pocket, my questions weren't answered at all. Instead, Wave stood up.
"Well, that's everything. As of now, consider yourselves my little soldiers," she said. "Under my command, we'll first figure out something."
"And that something is?..." Tikal asked.
"…Vector's identity."
The others looked up at the crocodile as he looked unfazed by what the swallow had said.
"So long that we've known the others here and what they like, don't like, what they fear and what their future is. And yet… we have yet to hear any of this from Vector. Why is that I wonder? Is it perhaps that Vector is hiding something from us? After all, all we know about him is that he's the Ultimate Detective. That's it. Wouldn't we have to know anything else?"
"Vector doesn't like to talk about himself, even to me!" I replied.
"I don't care whether he likes it or not. All I care about is him telling the truth so we have no reason to suspect him of anything going wrong."
"…I can't," he replied.
"W-What do you mean?" Amy asked. "Why?"
"I never said I won't. I just can't. There's very few details I remember 'bout mah life, but not all of them are whatcha need."
"…is this a joke?" Wave got closer to Vector. "No, seriously: at this point, we're down to only six people. And despite the fact you somehow have managed to stay alive so far, you keep all these secrets from us and expect us to not get suspicious?"
"I already knew ya wouldn't believe me. But that doesn't matter. Before we're done here, yer all gonna know the truth."
"Then we have no reason but to suspect you."
Vector was silent as Wave continued. "Too long you've been a thorn on my side, and for too long, I've tried to read you, croc. Now, I think it's time we put an end to that."
"Whaddya gonna do? Torture me? I've had worse."
"Oh, I know. That's why I'm going to cripple you."
She held out her hand. "Room key. Now."
"Wait a minute! You can't do that!" I yelled, stepping in.
"Oh, go piss off out of here, bee. This is between me and the croc. I'm just making sure he won't do anything suspicious."
"And you think doing that is okay?"
"I said the same thing about Espio, I'll spell it out here too: what do you know about Vector?"
"I-"
I stopped. I… I really DIDN'T know a lot about him besides the limited details that he told me. Wave's face didn't change as she saw me slump my shoulders.
"That's what I thought."
"B-But Wave! If you do that, Vector will be breaking a zone rule because he has no where to sleep!" Tikal said.
"And if he doesn't want to break a zone rule, then he's free to talk. But right now-"
"Fine."
All of us looked at Vector, who reached into his pocket and held out the key in his large hand.
"Well, at least you're finally in the mood for conversation," Wave smirked, nabbing the key from the crocodile's hand. "Still though, you must have one damn ego if you think you're not going to say anything to me."
"It's not that I dun want to, it's that I can't. I told ya this already."
"D-Did you really lose your memory like Tikal said?" Amy asked.
"Well, this is the worst place ever where the worst things happen, I'm sure she's right!" Silver added.
"Besides!" I said. "This isn't right! You just can't-"
"Charmy," Vector interrupted. "Enough. I can hold out on mah own. I told ya this. Besides," he turned to face Silver. "Can ya really say that the worst things ever happened here?"
"Huh?" the hedgehog asked. "What do you mean?"
"…I said too much."
Vector started to leave as Wave stepped forward. "Hey, where do you think you're going?!"
"Not harmin' any of ya. That's where."
With that, Vector left the dining hall as Wave shook her hand, key still in it. It was eerily silent, no noise made between each of us.
"I still think you went too far, Wave…" Tikal said.
"Oh, I frankly didn't go far enough. This is just a warning to him. A warning that-"
"KYAAH!"
We were suddenly cut off by Amy's shrill scream. Silver even yelped in response.
"Jeez, what was that for?!" he said. She pointed a shaking finger behind the swallow.
"L-Look!"
We all turned our heads to where she pointed, where we saw an angry Egg Robo standing there.
"It's you?! How long have you been standing there?" Silver asked.
"I don't friggin' care!" he yelled. "I'm… really… ANGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRY!"
"Angry to a point where you're now hard boiled?" Tikal sighed.
"Oh, I'm MORE than just hard boiled, missy! In fact, I feel like my insides are gonna turned into scrambled mush anytime soon! I try to be nice, give you all the food you need and nice warm beds, give you all the entertainment you could ever want, and even give you a nice cool roof to celebrate you guys being alive! AND YET… AND YET! WE… seem to have a little bit of a THIEF in this zone!"
"A thief?"
Egg Robo sniffed. "And to think… I wanted you all to be the shining examples of heroes… DO HEROES STEAL, HUH?! IS YOUR HERO NAME GONNA BE THIEF MAN?!"
"What's even stolen?"
"My PRECIOUS!"
"Your… pardon?" Wave asked.
"What is your precious?" Tikal added.
"Argh, screw off! The lot of you! I'm trying to find my thing and you're all as useless as ever! Go die in a ditch!"
Egg Robo vanished as we all looked at each other.
"What… the fuck was that about?" Silver asked.
"Something about a precious being stolen?" Amy added.
"I think…" Wave pushed up her glasses. "It has something to do with Vector."
"Oh come on, he's not ALWAYS at fault you know!" I argued back.
"You know Vector at least a little bit. You can't deny he'd be the type to steal from Egg Robo."
I was about to open my mouth until I realized: yeah, he WOULD be the type to do so.
But if so… what did he steal? And why?
"Anyway, the day is still young," Wave said. "I say we continue our search, and just look through any place we might not have looked through yet. However, I should warn you: when it's time for nightfall, I think it's best we lock our doors and keep them sealed tight. I sense something in the air…"
"Not like we need you to tell us," Tikal sighed as the swallow ignored the comment. She walked off as the others too also got up. However, on my end, I was rather tired. I yawned, not really sure if I wanted to help with the investigation. Plus, I felt a little tickle in my throat.
"Maybe I'll lay down…" I said to myself, grabbing the knife from the table and buzzing back to the dorms and to my room. I looked at the knife still in my hand.
"Better hide this somewhere safe."
I made my way to my nightstand and opened up the same drawer that held the unopened set of tools. It's so weird, I felt like it was forever ago that we were introduced to these, and yet no one's used them.
Well, maybe because no one alive has any plans to kill anyone, Charmy.
…right?
After closing my drawer and taking off my jacket and helmet, I got under the covers and started to shut my eyes as the lights dimmed.
And I slept…
And slept…
And slept…
Until a doorbell interrupted my sleep. I opened my eyes slowly, moving my head by a few inches. I still wasn't feeling too hot, and I wasn't in the mood to open the door.
And yet again, the doorbell rang.
"Ugh… fine, alright…" I mumbled, getting up from bed and rubbing my eyes. I looked to my clock, which read 3 am.
"Damn, I've been out that long?..." I said. Buzzing to my door, I opened my door to see Vector's large frame.
"H-Huh? Vector?"
"…bathhouse, now."
The crocodile left my doorframe as I looked at the crocodile's back. What was up with that sudden message?
I closed my door and got dressed, which just meant putting my jacket and my helmet back on and buzzed down the hall after shutting my door to the bathhouse. Vector turned around when he saw me go through the door.
"I'm here," I said.
"Sorry fer askin' ya to come out so late," Vector replied.
"No, don't worry. I'm used to it bv now. That, and I always liked to stay up late on my phone."
"That's… unhealthy, ya know."
"Hey, I'm here to have a good time, not to live forever."
Vector rolled his eyes. "Anyway…"
"You need to talk to me about something you can't let the cameras hear, right?"
"Smart kid."
"And… is it the thing you stole?"
Vector looked at me and slightly turned his head. "So… ya mighta guessed I did that."
"Might have?"
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a key that you'd see in a cartoon. The only difference was that the bow of the key was in the shape of a Chao head.
"What is this?"
"A key."
"Well, I figured as such. Just, what kind of key? And where did you get this anyway?"
"The headmaster's office."
"T-The headmaster's?! Wait, how did you get in? I thought it was always locked!"
"The lock was broken."
"It was? By who? Did you do it?"
Vector shook his head. "Espio…"
My eyes widened as I felt my body become warm. "E-Espio…"
"Ya remember Espio's final words, right? How he'd fight the mastermind?"
"He broke into the office… just f-for us…"
"Dun get emotional on me. Espio did this fer us, I know he's gonna be here with us as we finish off the mastermind."
"B-But… he broke the zone rules, knowing he'd die for us… His final actions were…"
"Defyin' Egg Robo until the very end. But, I think I need to explain how I actually got in. After the trial, I had noticed that the door to the office was wide open. If I just went in, Egg Robo would notice me. So, as a result…"
",..you used me as a decoy for that."
Vector nodded.
"And so… did you… did you find that person's name?"
"Infinite the Jackal? Ya bet. The details on him were really limited, but all I knew was that he was dangerous."
"D-Dangerous?!"
"In fact, I have my theories to suspect that he may be the mastermind?"
"But didn't Ditz say that the headmaster was the mastermind?"
"I think that ain't the case."
"What do you mean?"
"I can't say fer certain, but I know fer a fact that he ain't the mastermind."
Without any proof though? It sounds out of character for Vector. But could he be right? Was Infinite truly our mastermind?
"With this key, every door in the zone is now open to us, and there are no rules against us usin' it. At least, as long as Egg Robo doesn't see it."
"Are you sure it opens every door?"
"Not exactly."
"But you sounded certain before!"
"That's why I called ya. We're gonna see just what this bad boy can unlock as long as ya dun mind bein' bait again," Vector smiled.
"But that's way too dangerous! Egg Robo might have been fooled once, but he's not stupid! When he sees us again, he'll know we're doing something! Besides… with Infinite and the headmaster… Are we even sure there's only one mastermind?"
"But we didn't get caught last time."
"It was just lucky!"
"Or maybe, the mastermind can't monitor us and control Egg Robo at the same time?"
"What?"
"Ya heard me. Maybe we did get lucky, but that's why we need to check if the mastermind can monitor us and control Egg Robo at the same time."
I could only just sit on the bench and listen, in awe of everything he was saying.
"I mean, the risk seems too high, even if it's something like gaining access to different parts of the zone."
"Oh, I dun think ya need to worry 'bout that. Remember rule 4 of the zone rules?"
"…with minimal restrictions, you can explore Green Hills as much as you want?"
"No restrictions have been given to us durin' our entire investigation. Not from Egg Robo or any kinda outside source. Hell, he even let us have Ditz, someone who was vital in discoverin' the truth of the zone."
I got up from the bench, getting closer to the crocodile. "All the rules don't matter, Vector! Who's to say Egg Robo still won't kill us, even if something is vaguely okay in the zone rules?!"
"Well, even if the plan fails, at least we can prove our hypothesis. Egg Robo said himself he stands by his own rules. Even if he doesn't like it, he can't do anythin' to us. Now, doesn't that sound like a reason to it?"
"But-!"
"CHARMY!" he suddenly yelled. "Enough excuses!"
I gasped. The crocodile's look softened as he looked down. "Sorry, I shouldn't have yelled at ya. It's just, yer convinced this entire plan is gonna fail. If ya spend all your time tryin' to avoid danger, yeh'll never move forward. We know the danger. But if that risk means solvin' the mystery, we have no choice."
That quote stuck by me. I was trying so hard to avoid the possibility of being punished that I hadn't realized that we have to take risks to solve a mystery, we have to take risks to get out of here… no matter how dangerous it was.
There wasn't a single look of despair on Vector's face. It was pure hope.
"Look, before we do this, there's somethin' I should do."
Vector reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a letter.
"What's this?" I asked.
"Should somethin' happen to me, open it. Until then, under any circumstance, promise me ya won't open it."
"I-If something happens?!"
"I'm not sayin' I'm gonna die, but it's always good to have a backup plan just in case. Besides, dyin' without solvin' this mystery ain't in my plans."
I took the letter. "I… I promise… I promise I'll give this back to you."
"Of course. And promise me one thing? Dun tell ANYONE about what I have. Not Tikal, not Amy, not Silver, and ESPECIALLY not Wave. None of them can know about this."
I nodded. "Gotcha."
"Ready to put the plan into action?"
"Well, other than the massive anxiety I feel in the pit of my stomach, I'd say I'm ready."
"Good," Vector slapped my back. "Give 'em hell, little guy."
Unfortunately, when we left the safety of the bathhouse, I wasn't 'giving anything hell'. In fact, my response to what was going on was the equivalent of a little kid pissing his pants in front of his fears: pure terror and anxiety.
"B-But it would be okay as long as Vector said so, right?..." I asked myself. "Vector was already gone, and… oh screw it, 5 o'clock was almost twenty hours ago."
I took a deep breath and yelled. "HEY, EGG ROBO! CAN I SEE YOU?!"
Egg Robo finally reached my location a couple of moments later.
"Oh, it's just you, Charmy. Well? You called?" he asked.
"T-That I did, yeah."
"Hey, by the by… what WERE you doing with Vector? Were you two enjoying a bath together? Nah, that sounds too weird when I put it like that. I mean, he's a giant and you're as tall as a little bitty baby. What, were you all [REMOVED FROM THIS STORY AS TO NOT CREATE DISCOURSE WITH THE SONIC FANDOM] and that's why it took so long?"
"NO! And besides, I'm not a prince! If I was a prince, I think I'd be the worst one!"
"Hm, yeah, you're right. I agree with that."
"It's a hypothetical thing you know!"
"Oh, I know. I just don't care."
"Ugh! Look, what do you want?!"
"I should be asking YOU that, you ninny! You called me here, what's up?!"
"Uh… I needed to ask you something."
"Oh, like what are my pronouns? Why, that's so thoughtful, Charmy! More bees need to be like you and-"
"Yeah yeah, trans rights and all that, no, that's not it! What's this… precious of yours?"
"That's… that's it?"
"Uh… yeah?"
"Charmy… I'm gonna be real nice with ya and I want you to do something. Look at the clock."
I turned to the clock hanging above the entrance to the main part of the first floor.
"What does it read?" he asked.
"…3 am?"
"That's correct," I turned to face Egg Robo. "And… you mean to tell me… you dragged me out here so late… JUST to ask about that?!"
I kept my mouth shut.
"Are you FRIGGIN' KIDDIN' ME?! Don't boys your age have no concept of going to bed?! Or for that matter, asking the STUPIDEST questions only to frustrate their instructors?! Is that what you lot like doing or what? Abusing poor ol' Egg Robo?!"
I continued to keep my mouth shut.
"Oh, I see how it is. Thinking that keeping your mouth shut will make you be all innocent and stuff! Well, I see you! I REALLY SEE YOU, KID! Ugh, fine! If it'll make you go back to bed, then I'll tell you! It was a key and [CENSORED FOR STORY PURPOSES]!"
"Wait a minute, what do you mean censored for story purposes?"
"I ain't gonna tell you! You figure it out yourself!" Egg Robo went onto grumble. "Lousy stinkin' kids, no concept of bed time and no concept of bein' respectful to other's sleepin' habits over something so stupid! One of these days, I outta make you become a blackened so I can do surgery on you and see what kinda brain you have! Maybe then we can fix that little attitude problem of yours!"
Egg Robo waddled off, continuing to curse me out as I watched from afar.
"For Gaia's sake, Vector, I hope that gave you enough time and that you're okay," I said to myself. No, he'll be fine. It's Vector, after all.
Shaking my head, I returned to my dorm and got in bed, a little worried that the crocodile would get caught. At least, only my anxiety wanted to tell me that, as my sleep overpowered it.
Ladies and Gentleman, it's now time for...
THE EGG ROBO PLAYHOUSE!
Egg Robo stood in the middle of a stage, a light shining on him as he bobbed his head back and forth.
"Despair Hill Zone has been brought to you by TheHunterPersian."
A seamless landscape blew up in the light of the sun as the red sky loomed ahead. The calm breeze blew the grass and trees throughout the land as various woodland creatures and Chao roamed about.
That was, until a sudden earthquake began to shake the land. The woodland creatures dropped to the ground, covering their heads as a shadow slowly flew above them. The creatures looked up to see a massive red ship above them, with the underside of the ship opening and shooting down large dark crystals onto the ground. The creatures tried to escape, but the once sudden luscious and colorful land turned a disgusting grey color as the creatures turned into stone.
From a cliff atop the landscape, someone wearing a red shoe walked into frame, watching the ship turn the landscape into pure chaos.
"Oh, Sonic! Aren't you going to save your land?"
Sonic's face appeared in frame, grinning. Behind him were his friends, allies, and even enemies, the only survivors of a chaotic world doomed under Dr. Eggman.
"Gimme ten minutes flat. I got this."
Everyone began to run ahead, making their way to the ship. As Dr. Eggman ordered his ship to fire at Sonic and his friends, he pointed at Orbot and Cubot to fire away at the group.
"Don't bother, Dr. Eggman," a sudden voice said. "Let me take care of this."
A figure from the darkness emerged, his ghastly hands coming into frame. He began to walk forward and-
The trailer stopped and a message was displayed:
WE'RE SORRY.
Due to budget cuts at Sonic Team, the next exciting Sonic game, Sonic Adventure 3, has now been cancelled.
However, if enough people read Despair Hill Zone, maybe development will start up again?
Ho ho ho!
-Green Hills Zone Store: E3 Branch
Ladies and Gentleman, it's now time for...
THE EGG ROBO PLAYHOUSE!
Egg Robo stood in the middle of a stage, a light shining on him as he bobbed his head back and forth.
"Well damn! Guess Sonic Adventure 3 was cancelled, and now the fans have to wait another 20 years for news! But is it true that if more people read Despair Hill Zone, development will start up again? Well, I really wanted to play Sonic Adventure 3, so this is perfect! So reader? Make sure you read through all of Despair Hill Zone! And be sure to share this fanfiction with your friends too!"
The light turned off, and the curtains closed.