Chapter 7: metal madness
She found herself in a place she never thought she would find on the island.
It looked like an amusement park. It must have been a riot of lights and colors in its golden years. Now it looked like a large, ghostly sheet metal skeleton covered with moss and rust, the faded colors and most of the lights off.
Here and there there were half-burned and flickering neon signs. One of them was left with only three letters lit.
DIE
Maybe I should go back.
She shook her head. No, she would find Knuckles and help him with the threat, whatever it was.
So he will understand that I am strong enough. That I can manage powers he spoke to Shadow last night.
She had left the Master Emerald's shrine by day but in the strange amusement park was night. In the silence the squeaks of still moving structures and the burst of lights that gave way rangs. The smell of burnt oil and light bulbs was everywhere.
She walked in search of Knuckles among the unstable and creaking structures. Most of the spring devices were broken and out of order, which made it easier to move forward.
- Master Knuckles! - she called. Between squeaks and creaks there was a deep, abnormal silence. She started to believe she had made a big mistake following the echidna.
Maybe I'm still on time. I have to go back.
But she went on, driven by an insane curiosity, like a child in a haunted house. What place was that? And why was there such a place on Angel Island?
Am I still on Angel Island?
That thought froze her blood. Yes of course, she still had to be on the island, right?
She kept walking and reached a pair of white and red cylinders, stationary. In front of her a platform, under her a chasm full of sheets and rubbish. She could use the cylinders to get to the other side, but they were in the wrong position.
One moment, maybe I can restore power to this place.
She smiled - Yes! Mmh let's see. The panel should be here. There it is!
She leaned over and lifted the metal lid. The rusty screws failed to hold it in place and after a couple of tugs it gave way. Nadia fixed the various cables, then concentrated the energy in one finger and gave a small discharge.
She shouted when a cloud of sparks exploded in he face, but the lights came on and the cylinders started to move.
- Ah, one to zero for me! - she exclaimed, then turned to the cylinders, calculated the times and took a run.
She landed on the first cylinder, then calculated again and jumped on the second.
She landed, and the rust-damaged arm of the cylinder didn't hold the extra weight, breaking like a toothpick and plunging it into the ditch.
The cylinder got stuck on top but she continued to slide, screaming and feeling only the cold metal cut her skin and bump into her body.
She ended up in a place where there was nothing but cables, like so many tangled snakes. They ended anchored to a central pillar that looked and sounded like an old overloaded generator.
In the tangle of cables he glimpsed the head of Sonic the Hedgehog.
She shouted, before realizing it was a robot. A robot like Sonic.
RESET COMPLETED. ALL SYSTEMS OPERATING.
The mechanical voice rumbled in the place, smashing her eardrums. She was shaking.
After a long time, she felt she's loosing control
POTENTIAL THREAT TO THE CORE IDENTIFIED. STARTING DEFENSE PROTOCOL. LEVEL 3.
No Nadia. No lightning strikes here. It would blow everything up.
She clenched her fists.
What? What am I going to do now?
She heard a noise behind her. She noticed the turret but it was too late.
She heard an explosion, but felt no pain.
When she opened her eyes again, she saw Knuckles pull his spikes out of the turret. - I told you not to follow me! - the echidna was furious - When will you listen to me?
- I didn't want to be left behind!
- Do you prefer to risk your life against Metal Sonic?
- Who?
LOADING COMPLETED. ACTIVE DEFENSE PROTOCOL. RELEASE ALPHA UNIT..
Thousands of tiny wasp-shaped robots emerged from what appeared to be air vents.
Knuckles lifted Nadia up and jumped up from the hole she had fallen into.
RELEASE BETA, GAMMA AND DELTA UNITS.
Once on top Knuckles ran to the teleportation panel, chased by a cloud of wasp robots, joined by motobugs and eggrobots. But it was not easy to go back: Metal Sonic seemed to have total control of the area, which seemed like it had gone mad. The cylinders went up and down like those of an engine, the wheels turned too fast, the lights flickered, increasing in intensity and more than one exploded. One of the big wheels finally came off and Knuckles jumped, dodging it by a whisker. He kept running and found other cylinders. He intercepted the first with a punch, sending him on to the following, unhinging them from their position and interrupting their movement, and then crossing the void with a leap.
Nadia held on to him, watching the puffs come out of his muzzle and feeling the guardian's arms tighten her as if in a vice.
A robotic wasp stung her arm and she screamed. Electric shock rose from her while appealing to all her forces to maintain control.
She heard a yelp - If you have electricity to hurl, be sure to do it on the right target!
Nadia opened her eyes. Knuckles was right. Last time she had let fear and despair prevail and power had dominated her. Fear was at the root of the loss of control.
But what if she could turn fear into something else, reacting with not a defense's instinct, but with an attack's one?
Faced with a steep climb Knuckles did not hesitate, but it was clear that he didn't have enough thrust to overcome it.
Nadia heard him murmur something, like a chant and out of nowhere his thrust increased, as if something had infused new energy into his muscles.
But the echidna was still moving slowly and the robots were gaining ground.
Nadia moved into the guardian's grasp, just enough to look back and release an arm. Electricity enveloped it and the lightning struck a too close motobug, destroying it. Knuckles held her with one arm and planted the other knuckle in the sheet metal, starting to climb.
He reached the top with shaking legs and saw the teleportation panel. He threw Nadia towards the sphere - Get out of here now!
Knuckles turned to the robots and mad structures. He closed his eyes.
The servants are the seven chaos
The robots approached, the motobugs drove up the hill climbing slowly.
Chaos is power enriched by the heart
The cloud of wasps swiftly passed the climb and threw himself on the guardian
- The Controller exist to unify the chaos.
He raised his fist and felt the stingers enter his flesh. The knuckles hit the ground and the green energy spread like a shock wave.
Then Nadia jump into the panel.
- Wait, you have one on your face. - Tera reached out and removed the robotic wasp.
Knuckles growled, rubbing his hand there. He and Nadia had never spoken to each other since they returned to the camp. The hedgehog had no idea what had happened, but it looked serious.
When Shadow and Alexi returned, the raccoon started talking to Nadia about how he had practiced hitting pressure points and how Shadow was a very demanding master in that field.
- What happened to you? - the hedgehog asked when he saw the echidna sitting on the trunk and the robotic wasps scattered on the ground.
- Metal Sonic.
- Again?
- Yes.
- Are you Ok? Are you hurt?
- I'm fine.
Shadow sat down next to the guardian to examine him better. He knew he used to downplay when it was about his safety. He looked at wasp stings, ruffled quills, fur burned in some places and trembling hands - You are exhausted. Has him become such a serious problem?
- No, but I had to protect the human.
- Did you bring her with you?
- Do you think I'm stupid? No, she followed me, even though I told her not to.
Knuckles watched the three suspiciously. He met Nadia's gaze and she turned away.
The human whispered, but the hearing of the echidna was sharp.
- I don't know what he did. He said some words, then punched the ground and there was this shock wave. It was like a blackout. Everything turned off, including robots. I have to find out how he did it.
Knuckles chuckled - Good luck.
The three turned and the echidna rose, pushing Shadow aside and advancing towards Nadia
- You are a fool and an unconscious - he narrowed his gaze - I will not allow you to follow me anymore. And from tomorrow's dawn, silence will be the only thing you will receive from me.
Nadia's eyes widened. - Master Knuckles
- Shut up! If I weren't so tall, I'd give you a hard lesson! - the echidna narrowed his eyes and raised his hand to his head, dizzy. Shadow approached him, but Knuckles pushed him away again - You could have died! Have you thought about it? What would have happened if I hadn't been able to protect you?
Only then did Nadia notice the burnt fur. So she remembered the wasp, the fright and that yelp.
She had accidentally injured Knuckles. She had lost control as with her father.
But he hadn't let her go.
I have been so foolish.
She felt tears sting her eyes, so she ran away on the prairie.
- Where are you going girl? Come back here! - Knuckles staggered forward and Shadow supported him.
- I'll take care of her. But first let me check those wounds.
- They are just scratches.
- Of course, and I'm Amy Rose. Come on, let's go inside.
Alexi and Tera had returned to the cave during the echidna outburst and were now silent in their rooms.
Shadow sat Knuckles on his couch. The guardian leaned the pillow and then his back against the wall. His pulse ran. Shadow hadn't seen him so scared for quite some time.
- Gods, Shadow, what if she was hurt, or worse?
- But it didn't happen, right? - Said the hedgehog as he checked the sunburn. - It's useless to keep thinking about it.
- I know but - the echidna growled - if it happens again?
- I think she has learned the lesson.
- I can't be sure. I will no longer allow her to help me or follow me.
Shadow disinfected and bandaged the burns. Knuckles strove to do the same with the wasp stings he could get, then took the antidote offered by Shadow. Meanwhile, he told him everything.
Shadow got up, leaving the echidna sitting on his bed with a cup of hot tea in his hands - Stay here and don't get up. I'm going to get Nadia. If I find you out of bed, I swear on the emeralds, I will send your grape stocks to the first winery I find.
Knuckles sighed. - Yes mom.
Shadow walked, poured the exit and, with his back to him, raised his arm and showed the middle finger.
Nadia sat on a rock on the edge of the clearing, turning her back on the bonfire and observing the starry sky.
Shadow approached her, rustling the grass that came to his sides.
Nadia turned to look at him, then turned her gaze to the woods.
- Do you want to tell me what happened?
She wiped her eyes and turned around - Didn't Knuckles tell you?
- He did it. But I want to hear it from you.
Nadia sighed. - Okay.
She told Shadow how they had gone through the woods, brought the grapes to Chao Garden and finally how Knuckles had sensed a threat and told her to go back.
- Why didn't you listen to him?
- I was angry.
Shadow tilted his head. - Angry? Why?
- I heard you last night. I heard Knuckles say it wouldn't teach us anything. He doesn't trust us, and he doesn't trust me, because I'm human.
Shadow mentally reproached himself for not thinking about it. The three guys were within earshot and just because the light was off, didn't mean they were asleep.
- I'm sorry you heard.
Bad choice of words. He heard a sarcastic giggle from the human.
- I mean, I'm sorry for what you heard. I'm sorry it made you angry.
- Knuckles will never trust us. He doesn't care to help us, nor about the fate of the world. He only cares about this island.
- If he cared only about the island, he would have let you go when you electrocuted him.
He saw her wince. Nadia turned with wide eyes - I didn't want to do it, I swear. I was afraid. I've never been so afraid since my father- she stopped and started crying again, putting a hand on his face. - He hate me, right?
Shadow came closer. - No. I've talked to him, and he just kept telling me how scared he was.
Nadia sobbed. - I knew it. He's afraid of me.
- Not of you. For you. - He feared that you might be hurt or worse, and he fears that someday it will happen if you don't listen to him. That's why he doesn't want you to follow him now.
Nadia wiped her eyes and looked at the dark hedgehog. - I wanted to show him that I am strong enough, that I am an ally, not a child to look after. That I can fight with him and that he can trust me, because I can manage anything he decides to teach me, including energy secrets.
Shadow was beginning to see the common thread of all that trouble, chain after chain of misunderstandings. They could solve everything by talking and clarifying their positions but Knuckles and Nadia were two hard heads, both impulsive and emotional.
He sighed.
- Knuckles couldn't teach you his control even if he wanted to. Do you remember the story he told? Only an echidna of his own tribe could learn it, and still would not be able to reach his level.
Nadia wiped her cheeks. - Why? What make him different from the other echidnas in his tribe?
Shadow didn't answer immediately, undecided. - I shouldn't tell you, but I want to trust you. It has to do with something that happened before he was born: his father dreamed of a terrible threat that Knuckles would have to face. It would defeat him, and then destroy everything he cared about. To avoid the tragedy, his father took the egg that contained his son and infused a huge amount of chaos energy into it, to create a super guardian. Knuckles is something like a living chaos emerald, so his control is something unique. Now, keep this for yourself, don't mention it to anyone. It 's avery personal information that Knuckles has confided to me.
Nadia nodded. - I won't tell anyone, I promise. - she turned his gaze to the bonfire. - You think he'll forgive me?
- Maybe, if you show him he can trust you. At the altar you thought he wanted to leave you behind, but he left you to watch Master Emerald. It's the most precious object on the whole island, what Knuckles is charged to protect
- I hadn't seen it in that way. - Nadia sighed - And I left it unattended. If that Metal Sonic stole it...
- Oh, he wouldn't have. He cannot move from Carnival Night. - Shadow leapt onto the rock and sat down next to her.
- I saw it, you know? I ended up by chance in the room with the generator. He was all surrounded by cables. Who is he ? It looked like Sonic.
- It's a robotic copy of Sonic created by Eggman to defeat him.
- From Eggman? He should be dust by now.
- His body is unusable, yes, but before his mind deteriorated he found a way to interface with the central core of Carnival Night and he merged with it. Now he control the whole area. Or rather, he is the area.
- Have you ever managed to defeat him?
- To get rid of him we should destroy the whole area, with serious consequences for the island. For now the best option is deactivate the whole system through the main switch. Carnival Night is a large area full of obsolete technologies. Metal Sonic takes a lot of time to reconnect and reboot the entire system.
Nadia made a face - Basically, every time he comes back on, you go to turn him off.
- To put it simply, yes, it's correct. But it's strange that Knuckles felt his awakening so early.
- Felt?
Shadow nodded. - A guardian thing. He is connected with the whole island through the energy of chaos. In short, if something relevant happens or a vehicle lands anywhere on the island, he knows it.
- Wow. And can teach it to us?
- I don't know. Knuckles doesn't know how most of his skills work. Some come naturally to him and he cannot explain them, others he seem to have forgotten them completely. He vaguely remembers things he could do and would not know how to do now. He has existed for much longer than me, and his head is a mess.
- Have you tried to help him remember?
- Many times. And it always ends with nightmares or migraines. Sometimes he remembers people who existed long ago and spend several days in mourning, as if he had lost them the day before. - stood up and went down from the rock. - It's getting late. Let's go back to the bonfire.
Nadia saw him take a few steps and finally followed him.
