Author's notes:
I've been wary of posting this chapter, but I found that it has been too long without an instalment. I hope you guys are piecing some of the lore of my AU together by now, and if you need a load of hints and foreshadowing, this is the chapter for you. Finally, some secretes can slowly reveal themselves. I hope the suspense has carried the weight enough to make it so far. I have found people have been dropping this story as the chapters get longer. Regardless, I'm holding to blind optimism and placing a risk on this chapter.
So, without further adieu, on with the chapter!
-Anomalous123.
: For those waiting for the next instalment on Edge of Insanity, please be patient. It is currently under edit and I am giving time together my thoughts to determine which direction I want to take. That said, if you have any ideas or need help coming up with ideas of your own, drop me a message under the same account name on here: Anmalous123, and I will invite you onto the server.
Chapter 11:
Green optics widened at the sight, mouth hanging open in disbelief as he stared at the robot infested streets. Beside him, the black and red striped hedgehog's processor was working on overdrive, a thousand theories and thoughts racing through his head, expression calculating.
"Woah. Eggface is gonna flip," the first commented in a wonder-struck tone. He turned, beaming, his hand going up to swipe over his nose before extended out into a thumbs up. "What ya say about trashing these bots, Shads? Give Towers something to be furious about?"
The Metal version of Shadow rolled his optics, but he couldn't stop the manic smirk from gracing his lips.
With that silent agreement, they burst from behind the library, the first spin-dashing the first, while the other pulled out his prized twin guns.
The pair started picking them off one by one, working in harmony as if they had weeks to cograph the moves. They weaved behind each other, the blue one using his companion as a springboard for the perfect aim to the robots weak spots.
The collection of bots fell within minutes, the final one's chest blasted open, leaving severed wires sparking and flaying in its wake. Shadow spun his guns before placing them in back quills. He turned to see where his companion went and saw him perching on the side of a building, sporting an awestruck expression.
"What?" He snapped, slightly annoyed that Sonic had abandoned the fight enough to watch him in action.
The said companion cleared his throat, a sheepish smile forcing his way onto his face against his will. "Well... er. You are..." He swallowed on reflex, his processor struggling to form the words he wanted to say. Instead, he settled for the truth. "Do you know that you're so HOT when you fight?"
An eye-ridge rose, stunned, before he shook himself, brushing off the unexpected compliment. "Of course, Fighting puts stress on our systems, which generates heat..." Metal Sonic sighed, placing an elbow on his raised knee while his palm cradled his cheek. He drowned out the lecture, probably about not paying attention to his own system and bluh, bluh, bluh.
To be honest, he didn't care.
Even if they were considered 'robots' despite hitting the criteria for 'androids' at best, they did have feelings. It baffled the doctor at first, causing him to experiment on them both to find the cause, but he said that he couldn't locate the fault. After that, he gave up, leaving them to their own devices. As long as it didn't interfere with the mission, he couldn't care less...
Metal Sonic wondered what would have happened if he didn't give up. He wondered if he would be better off without his emotions. Metal Shadow seemed to dismiss them at every corner. It made him wonder what exactly was wrong with him.
Most times, he loved having emotions. The ability to feel in a body that couldn't be a relief- a retrieve to all the madness. But then there are times like this where misunderstandings and non-reciprocated feelings dragged him down into a never-ending spiral.
It was like he was falling, losing hope of ever being loved or accepted. Even the doctor gave up his affections. When he was a newer module, the man treated them both like family. He showed off their skills to the rest of Mobuis, allowing them free reign of the base, praised them for jobs well done and even created power-down cycles that were close to sleeping patterns. They even had their own room!
All that faded when he moved on to the next big thing: the Chaos Emeralds.
The pair were cast aside, treated like his other robot minions. Deep down, Metal Sonic saw the change as refreshing. It helped him gain a new perspective on the matter and allowed him to meet others. Tails, Sally, Bunny, Nicole, Antonie, Mighty, Fang, Ray, Storm and all the rest.
They were sceptical at first, but he proved his worth by saving Tails from one of Eggman's traps. His memories were hazy between then and the accident, but he was reactivated in the doctor's base and the human refused to let him leave. They said he was badly damaged and he couldn't join Shadow on his missions. And, while Metal Sonic felt fine, his fading memories made him obey.
He still wondered what happened to his new friends and if they ever made it out of Nutthole. What exactly the 'accident' was. He feared his friends were caught in whatever it was. If they were dead or alive.
"Are you even listening to me, Hedgehog?"
Jolting out of his thoughts, he scratched the back of his neck and looked down into the crimson eyes of his counterpart. His body wanted to dissolve into the rooftop out of embarrassment.
"Hmm?" He called, unintelligibly, down to his comrade.
There was a huff of air. "I said: 'do you see any more robots from up there?'"
It took a moment for his processor to register what was asked. He glanced around, trying to avoid the glare off the many lights that littered the city at night, and nodded. The tops of the robots heads could be seen a few blocks away. He nodded.
"Yeah, but they're spread out. We may have to split up for this one," he informed with a sigh, climbing to his feet. The metal of his kneecap scraped against the tiling making him cringing slightly.
Metal Shadow rolled his eyes, exasperated. "Fine by me. At least I don't have to babysit you during that time." He turned in the direction, then hesitated before saying. "Don't be late for our original mission. We can't let Towers get his hands on those kids. The doctor will scrap us on the spot. And don't, for the love of chaos, get yourself scrapped or captured because I am NOT saving you."
The blue one saluted- which Metal Shadow couldn't see- and joked. "Aye, aye, captain. Received and understood your royal highness... Any other requests you like to stow upon me? Any words of wisdom?" Silence followed as Metal Shadow's hands curled into fists, his teeth clenched. "None?" He continued with mock surprise. "Oh, well. Because, I'll be lost without your nagging- I mean, assistance."
Apparently, that was enough for the black and red-striped hedgehog as he activated his jets and went skating down the street.
Back on the roof, the blue one sighed, tilting his head back to look at the sky. He missed his home... and he missed the Shadow that was left behind.
The last few rays of sunshine started to dip below the horizon, plunging the city into near darkness. The street lamps acted as mini-suns, casting spotlights within the populated areas.
Knuckle's travelled by shadows, avoiding the increasing number of robots roaming the street. They checked everyone and everything, leaving no space unchecked. Not even the alleyways and abandoned buildings were safe from the ruthless hunt.
He had to intervene from a rogue security bot found a group of homeless teenagers and decided to get a little too trigger happy. From then on, he was steadily growing paranoid. Even if it was a common occurrence for an Eggman robot to fritz, it would never seek out innocents without direction. The doctor had fail-safes installed in case it turned on children. No matter how bad the situation got, the doctor always had an aversion to harming children. It was an unwritten rule he was grateful for.
He slipped into a nearby park, taking a deep breath as a pair of patchwork robots sped past. With a sigh, he placed a tired Blue against a tree before peering through the bushes warily. The robots had stopped just down the street, scanners sweeping over the area. He drew back with a churning feeling in his gut.
Exhaustion had started to seep into his mind, and he stretched, hoping to wake up his muscle enough to take them back to base.
Despite wanting to find his friends, his hope was weathering and it was being too hard to search in the growing darkness. It had been more than 24 hours, they could be anywhere. If he wanted to find them, he needed to seriously switch up his strategy. The threat of getting caught became too much to bear. Even with his advanced night vision from countless nighttimes without artificial light back on Angel Island, he deemed it impossible to find his allies unless he stumbled across them by blind coincidence.
With a heavy heart, he sat down on the thin grass, thoughts swirling through his head as he looked up to the night sky.
His mind drifted back to the old days, where he would spend months at a time reading and re-reading the accident texts to ensure he memorised them. Before her death, his mother expressed their importance. She had told him that, should the emerald fall in another's hands, he would need the knowledge of the scrolls and the power of the guardian that rested inside him to get it back.
It was his job to keep it safe. It was his mission until the end of his days. He believed that. The one and only goal in his life, and he had accepted that wholeheartedly.
And that is when Sticks came along and broke the mundane. Despite her efforts, he was still a social wreck with an 'obsession'. While Stick's didn't understand it, she tried her best to accommodate. She hurt and lost everything she knew that he had to let her stay. He wasn't that heartless and the Master Emerald showed him that her intentions were true.
Next thing he knew, Tails came along with Robotnick, who recked his island and stole the Master Emerald.
To say Knuckles was devastated was an understatement.
It was the first time he had failed the Master Emerald and he wallowed in his failure. Luckily, Sticks and Tails were eager to help and they finally defeated Eggman and sent him packing.
During that journey, he got to know the fox better and was able to get a glimpse of the outside world. It wasn't bad, considering. The residents were questionable at best and rude at worst, but the thing that captivated him was the beauty of the bustling city, of the endless fields and rivers that seemed to go on forever. He knew that being cooped up was not how he wanted to be.
He would never abandon the Master Emerald, but he would check up on the fox kit and enjoy the company.
Tails was an extraordinary kid. The orange fox was ferociously intelligent, to the point of abnormally so, and was an incredible inventor. He had managed to come up with a machine that could track vast amounts of Chaos Energy, had repaired and learn to fly an old plane he had saved from a junkyard and was able to decipher accident runes.
The eight-year-old was a force to be recocked with when given the chance and he had a bright future under the right guidance. That said, Knuckles was scared of what others would do should they discover the kits talents and he placed it upon himself to visit him regularly when he deemed it safe to do so.
Back then, Tails had lived in the fields ever since he was abandoned by his parents and was fed by a small rabbit named Creme who brought her mother's infamous cookies to share. As their friendship grew, Creme's mum, Vanilia, had invited the fox kit into her home and was told to stay for as long as he needed. He accepted and never brought himself to leave, much to the pairs' delight.
It was a shame the kit had gotten mixed up in all this. The little guy figured something was wrong when the Chaos Signals started to gather in one place and Sticks had to save him from falling for a trap just yards from Eggman's base. Knuckles wished he had more sense and turned-tailed when he had the chance. Unfortunately, the kit wanted to stop the doctor before things got out of hand, like the rest of them.
And now they were all stranded here and in danger of being discovered.
Most nights since their arrival, he found himself wondering if things would have turned out differently if they stayed back on the island.
If they didn't have to live, being treated like fugitives.
If he managed to stop Stick's and send the kit home, would he have ever found a way off this unforgiving rock?
The possibilities are endless...
And utterly pointless to dwell on.
They were here, in this situation, without guidance or instruction. He had to step up. To be a leader he was shying away from.
He wasn't a loner anymore.
He had people to protect.
Blue jumped as he stood up, a determined look on his face.
"Let's go," he whispered confidently.
Blue's breath tickled his ear every time he lightly snored. However annoying it became, it lured him into a sense of relaxation he knew he couldn't afford to be in. He needed to be alert to avoid capture from the robots, but it's hard when Blue was unconsciously sending out a wave of peacefulness through his Chaos Signature. It reminds him of the days when he was younger. The Master Emerald would do the same thing for those restless nights filled with dark thoughts and the eerie quiet.
Again, he questioned how Blue's Chaos Energy was similar to that of the Master Emerald. Sure, there were obvious differences, but the fact that they both possess positive and negative Chaos was unnerving. It was known for a fact that a living thing couldn't possess both without there being a major imbalance. As there were such things as Chaos Bonds where the energy was shared between two individuals, no one ever started out harnessing both.
Chaos Bonded was something from ancient times, read about in the many texts back on his beloved island. It was much rarer now as the wielders became fewer and far between. It was hard to find someone attuned to Chaos, let alone find someone of the same calibre, yet with the opposite energy, to bond with.
Chaos Bonds were formed between a positive and a negative Chaos user. Once the link has been formed, the bond is unbreakable. Both sides would emit a signal to keep the bond alive, even over long distances, yet there was no such thing coming from Blue he had ever seen. If he was Chaos Bonded to another, his energy would be extremely erratic right now. Without their partner to stabilize the energy, it would build up to unmanageable proportions, slowly driving the Chaos User insane The overload of energy driving the Chaos User insane...
That's if the overwhelming feeling of emptiness didn't get to them first. It was believed that Chaos Bonds lived in their partner's mind and the longer the separate, the weaker their link becomes... until one the link just snaps.
There was a reason modern Chaos User's didn't Chaos Bond with others. Back in the day, Chaos User's were forced to bond with others from their tribe. It was a tradition when two children were born with the gift so they could grow strong together, making them get used to being around the other. Relying on their partner and letting their strength grow together.
Once they reached adulthood, they would be considered a unit. Closer than a married couple. To separate them forcibly would be considered treason by endangering the clan. They would work together to protect the other's, using the strength of their bond and Chaos abilities to fight off enemies. For some tribes, they are considered higher beings, some even ranked just below gods. Especially those with other forms.
Sadly, nowadays, even if two did bond, there was no excuse to stay together. They didn't have traditions to follow, laws to abide, or honour to keep. Chaos Users ran wild, free of the threat of being bound to another until death marked its claim on them both.
His thoughts were interrupted by a noise down next to an old crush. It sounded like fighting!
Allured by the noise, he trailed the wall before peering around.
His jaw dropped in disbelief at the sight.
Tails waited, quivering in a tight ball for the pain to come, but it never did. Instead, he felt something grasp the emerald clutched in his grasp and yanked. Hard. He yelped, feeling himself rollover from the force of the tug and nearly went face-first into the dresser if another claw didn't curl around his middle and lifted him effortlessly onto the bed.
The kit let out an indignant squeak but said nothing, his brain still processing what the hell just even happened.
"CHAOS EMERALD, ACQUIRED," the metallic voice of his captor filled the room, echoing slightly off the bunker walls. "LIFEFORM FOUND. DESIGNATION: MILES 'TAILS' PROWLER. SPECIES: ANPROMORPHIC FOX. HOMEWORLD: ERROR!" Tails eyes widened, watching in fascination and a hint of horror as it listed off what was in his data banks (how did he know all about him?)... That was until the last one, in which the robot started to glitch for a moment, repeating the word 'ERROR' for a solid minute or two before recalibrating.
"CONFLICTING DATA FOUND. SWITCHING TO MANUAL OBSERVATION AND DATA GATHERING. CREATING A SEPARATE PROFILE. CURRENT STATUS: NOT HARMED, ALTHOUGH NEUROTRANSMITTERS, INDICATE THE LIFEFORM IS SCARED. SWITCHING TO SUPPORT MODE." Without warning, the claws retracted into plates on his arms and hands sprouted in their place. The dots that served as optics switched to sky blue as it crouched by the bed, placing his charge upon it. It stayed there, hunched over, as it stared at Tails, waiting for... something to happen.
For a moment, Tails wasted time to get his nerves back up to a level where he wasn't useless in shock and fear. He still eyed the robot, still wary by it's presents, but it seemed to be in standby mode.
Gathering the courage, he finally slipped off the bed and circled it, blue eyes taking in its simple design. He hummed, unconsciously eyeing the wiring exposed in the connection between its head and its shoulders.
"What are you?" The kit muttered in wonder, gaze trailing down to the many scuff marks and scratches upon the robots metal plating. "Are you one of Eggman's? If so, why didn't you attack me?"
Despite it being rhetorical, the robot seemed to whirl to life at his question, like a fortuneteller in one of those little boxes at a fairground. Tails jumped back, namesakes twitching in surprise as they carried him back towards the bed. "DOCTOR IVO ROBOTNICK IS MY CREATOR, YET I AM NOT DESIGNED TO HARM, LIKE THE REST. I WILL NOT HARM YOU."
A mixture of confusion and surprise bubbled in his stomach, making it lurch in discomfort. His mind quickly analysing the words with a small spark of disbelief. The doctor had always created robots to either conquerer the world or work under his servitude. It was rare for them to have freedom, and the only one he had remotely seen thinking for themselves was glimpses of Metal Shadow, who, by principle, seemed to hate everyone and everything within a mile radius. If this robot was purposed for battle, why did he have the ability to do so? It was not if they where designed after- there was still scars on his arms and claws.
"What's your purpose then? Your original goal?"
The next words said sent shivers down his spine and he fled the room and up the ladder.
Knuckles was in danger!
TBC:
: For those waiting for the next instalment on Edge of Insanity, please be patient. It is currently under edit and I am giving time together my thoughts to determine which direction I want to take. That said, if you have any ideas or need help coming up with ideas of your own, drop me a message under the same account name on here: Anmalous123, and I will invite you onto the server. :