Chapter 11: Unravel
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The red-hue of a distant fire enveloped a bridge a few miles to the west, the crumbling ruins of a cluster of villages to the east. She could see the remnants of war peppering the vast landscape regardless of where they were in the air: homes being uprooted, the earth literally being ripped apart for the construction of more factories. It was too much for her, so with nowhere else to look, she stares ahead and locks eyes with Infinite's back. Her body shivered; not from the cold caused by the gale force winds, she realized dimly, but because of the mere thought of the jewel in his chest. Something inside of her was drawn to it even now, and she felt an odd pang of loss at being unable to see it from her position. Was it because its crimson color reminded her of the dark hedgehog's eyes? No, it couldn't be something as simple as that. She was struggling to comprehend why the jewel helped calm her down when its owner was so incapable of doing the same.
As if reading her mind, his lone eye finds hers, his gaze cold and piercing.
"Enjoying the view?" he joked, breaking the terrible silence. "What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?"
Mia was mute. There was no remorse in his voice for killing all of those Resistance soldiers, and it was clear he would kill again if need be. Though he had no intention of doing the same to Mia, the mere possibility of being met with his wrath again made her feel ill. There was no escaping him, and no way of calling for help. Mia was at his mercy.
"No matter," Infinite said loudly, cutting through her thoughts. "If you won't answer to me, then I'm sure the Doctor can get a peep out of you."
Her head snapped up. It took her a second to notice they had reached the outer edge of their destination. Glittering in the afternoon sun was a city made of white glass: Metropolis. Everything was white; the interconnecting roads, the countless skyscrapers that spiked the blue horizon—even her cousins' robots, which were barely visible from overhead, were designed with the aesthetics of Metropolis in mind. As Infinite led them through the inner city, Mia caught a glimpse of her reflection in the windows of a building. Her body was still surrounded in that same red haze, and her blue eyes were as dark and lifeless now as a doll's. After realizing how helpless she'd been during the attack, Mia wasn't surprised to find that she looked as empty as she felt.
Infinite lowered their altitude until they'd reached the base of a looming building, and Mia collapsed the second her feet touched the ground. Everything was so heavy now. Without Infinite's power, the full force of gravity pressed down on her shoulders. She was tired, and overwhelmed, and she wanted to cry.
"Aren't you a spoiled little thing?" Infinite spat, and pulled her roughly to her feet. "You're not expecting me to carry you the rest of the way, are you? Start walking."
Mia's mind feels like it's caught up in a violent typhoon, but she obeys, and his grip on her arm released. Upon entering the building, Mia was met with spotless white floors and high glass windows. The only color in the room appeared only a split second later from behind the sliding doors of an elevator: A shocking red and a piercing yellow ensemble.
"Well, if it isn't my sweet darling cousin!" Eggman greets her, his arms spread wide as he steps out of the elevator. "Welcome to Metropolis, your new home away from home!"
She expects to see her cousin walking towards her, but instead she sees him transform into someone else entirely. Mia's breath caught as she comes face to face with a man with dark glasses and a messy gray mustache. The sunlight streaming through the wide windows reflected against his lab coat with a warm glow, and her skin broke out in gooseflesh. Without even realizing it, she'd closed the distance between the both of them and had wrapped her trembling arms around the man's round waist. The embrace reminded her of a different time in her life, of the sweet smell of peppermint, and a gentle smile, a jolly laugh—a warmth that Mia hadn't realized she'd been missing. She doesn't understand why these memories are so important to her, but she wanted to stay with him.
Eggman on the other hand is tense and taken aback by the whole thing. He smiles awkwardly and pats her small shoulder, at a loss for words by the unprecedented. "W-well, I'm glad to see you, too, Mary."
"Awww! It's the reunion we've been waiting for!" Cubot cheers, snapping Mia out of her daze. She opened her eyes to find the familiar yellow robot dancing in front of them and tossing colorful pieces of confetti. "Good for you, boss! The family is finally back together!"
"This one's going in the family album!" Orbot announces, clicking away at a camera.
"You idiots! Cut it out!" Eggman snapped, shoving them out of the way.
Mia pulls away from her cousin and sniffs, noticing for the first time that she'd been crying. She doesn't know what had come over her but she continues to stare at Ivo as the lingering images remained in her mind. It was that same man... The one from before... His quiet presence had been enough to steady her, and without him, it was like she'd gone adrift again.
"Mary, what's wrong?" Eggman asked her, his lips twisting into a deep frown.
Startled, Mia inhaled sharply and immediately smears her tears away with her sleeve. She thinks she's done something wrong when his face goes stern and his large hand wraps around her wrist, but then he directs his anger somewhere else. "Is this your doing, Infinite?"
Infinite, who'd been silently standing off to the side this entire time, merely crosses his arms. "Are you doubting me, Doctor? I took painstaking measures to get your precious guest here in one piece."
"Not painstakingly enough," Eggman snapped. He grabs Mia's chin and slowly turns her head from side to side, studying her like a child would their precious toy. She tries to get a hold of her racing breaths as he's examining her face, then she realizes his attention was actually on her metal collar. Of course, she thought hollowly. It's M.1.A. that he's most concerned about. He lets out a slow breath before stepping back. "Any other injuries? Damage?"
Her eyes float to her wrists, where she notices her once white-gloved hands were now caked in dirt and tearing at the seams. She wasn't convinced a single glove would be enough to incite Ivo's fury, and she begins to wonder how the rest of her looked like after that terrible brush with battle.
"J-Just some bruises," Mia whispered, trying to find her voice.
"Bruises!? This is completely unacceptable!" he thundered. "Nursebot! HEY NURSEBOT!"
"She doesn't appear to be present, boss," Orbot said meekly.
"It looks like she's missing in action," Cubot adds.
"What the—?" He straightens, takes a slow sweep. "Now that you mention it, she really is missing."
"Nursebot got left behind," Mia said shakily. Her hands twisted in the fabric of her dress as Infinite's gaze radiated into her own, but she pushes on. "She was broken into pieces during the attack."
"Oh? Cutting it close were we?" Eggman grumbled.
Infinite shrugged. "There may have been some collateral damage during retrieval."
"But I can assume that the Resistance was swiftly dealt with?"
"There wasn't a single survivor."
"Fantastic," Eggman replied. Mia tries to ignore the sick feeling in her stomach from listening to such a cruel and cold-blooded conversation. She could hardly believe she'd just hugged the same man who'd just spoken those words. "Be quicker about it next time, will you? And be gentler with her from now on. Under no circumstances is Mary to be harmed." Eggman then directed his glare toward the bumbling bots. "Cubot! Orbot! Go fetch the first-aid kit and meet us up in the observatory. You're with me, Mary. I'm sure you have all sorts of questions for your dear ol' cousin."
As much as Mia agreed with that assessment, she knew that there was still one other matter that she had to address. She braces for his reaction. "I-Ivo, please wait."
"It's 'Dr. Eggman' while I'm on the job," he corrected, but his expression softens. "What is it?"
"Nursebot did everything she could to protect me. She saved me! Aren't you going to send someone to go get her?"
Eggman waved his hand dismissively. "She was just following her programming, Mary. A robot like that's a dime a dozen."
"But Nursebot has been taking care of me this whole time," she said slowly, thinking quickly. "She's the only reason I wasn't seriously hurt!"
Eggman scratches his bald head in frustration. "Wouldn't you prefer a shinier newer model of Nursebot instead? I can have a replacement built for her in no time."
No, Mia couldn't allow herself to budge. Just having the bot here meant having the presence of a potential ally. She could tell that the bot had been mulling over what she'd said about her making her own decisions, and if she'd had more time, Mia was sure that she could've convinced Nursebot to side with her instead of her creator. "But she's always been by my side! You have Cubot and Orbot, don't you?"
"Yeah, but they're my henchmen, not my companions," he deadpans. If they hadn't left to find the first-aid kit, Mia was sure that the bots would've deflated at his words.
"Please, Ivo—I mean, Dr. Eggman. I'm not ready to part with her yet. You're the smartest person in the whole wide world. Fixing Nursebot should be child's play for you!"
"It seems the attachment to machines runs deep in the family," Infinite murmured.
Mia clasped her hands desperately. "Please? As a favor to your cousin?"
Eggman sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose."Oh, alright. Nurse or not, I can understand why you'd want your own henchman around. And seeing as it's your fault for doing such a lackluster job..."
"Already on it," Infinite replied. Mia looks over her shoulder as he snaps his fingers. The crimson jewel in his chest begins to glow and a dark figure manifests outside just beyond the building's entrance. Dark fur, red... red...? Before her mind can catch up with what she was looking at, Infinite clears his throat. She gulps the moment they make eye contact and then follows after Eggman into the elevator. He wasn't going to let her out of his sight, now was he? Infinite presses an elevator button as he steps in after her, choosing to stand between her and the door. Mia takes a step back so as not to brush against his tail, and her elbow accidentally bumps against Eggman's arm.
She mumbles an apology as the elevator begins to move, a ring sounding off every time they passed a new floor.
Standing next to her was the man responsible for all of the atrocities that had befallen over the world, for the imprisonment of innocent people and Sonic's cruel captivity on the Death Egg. And that wasn't even including everything she'd witnessed on Earth since arriving. Then, of course, there was Infinite. The power he'd displayed earlier, his wickedness—Mia closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She felt anxious about being cut off from the exit like this, but she knew she couldn't worry about that now. She'd made the decision to save Sonic, hadn't she? She had to be brave and have faith that her message had gotten through to the Resistance. It wouldn't be long until Nursebot was here, and having a familiar face around meant she wouldn't be entirely alone. Orbot and Cubot also seemed nice, so maybe she'd be able to talk them into helping her as well?
The world was spinning so quickly from her, and she craved for the sensation of her dark hedgehog's hand. The hedgehog from her past. Would she be able to be with him again someday?
Let's try to focus on getting through this first, she tells herself. Then, once Sonic was rescued and her cousin defeated, she'd go to the ends of the earth to find him.
"Um," she began, her voice rattling with nerves. "Where are we going exactly?"
Eggman's sour expression momentarily dissipates as he flicks confetti off his shoulder. "You must be feeling stir-crazy after all the time you've spent in space, so I thought you'd appreciate going somewhere with a more scenic view."
That wasn't at all what she had expected to hear. "Oh, um, thank you."
The elevator goes quiet, and she and her cousin stared motionlessly straight ahead. Normally it was Orbot and Cubot who injected life into their conversations, but without them here, Mia can practically see the air around her stirring with the tension.
"So?" he continues, his grainy voice cutting through the silence. "It's been a while since we'd last spoken. How have you been, cousin? I hope that the accommodations were to your liking?"
Mia wondered if he was as concerned as he sounded. "Oh, yes. Everything was amazing. There was never a dull moment with Nursebot around. And I especially love the new clothes that you sent me."
A smile flickered across his face. "Well, it's good to hear we share the same taste in clothing. You look wonderful by the way. Much healthier than you did the last time I saw you."
"It's all thanks to you, cousin."
"Yes, well... NB's told me you've been doing better in all areas of your recovery. You're no longer feeling lightheaded? All motor functions are in working order?"
She nods.
"Good, good. What about your memories? Have you been able to remember anything yet?"
She wasn't about to tell him about the dark hedgehog or any of the other specks of images that she's been able to conjure up, so she makes a show of frowning and shaking her head.
"I see. Again, I apologize for not being there in person to help," he said, looking grim. "After encountering that welcoming committee firsthand, I'm sure you can tell that my hands have been tied here."
"Yes," Mia said quietly. She already knew the answer, but she asked anyway. "Who were they?"
"Vermin," Infinite answered, speaking for the first time since entering the elevator. "Nothing a child like you should be concerned about."
"They call their selves the Resistance," Eggman explains, his voice cold, brooding. "Rabid little pests pretending to play soldier."
Mia's heart pounds. This was a level of anger that she had yet to see from him. A calm anger, a more ominous anger. "W-What are they resisting?"
"Why, the expansion of the Eggman Empire, of course!" Eggman crowed boastfully as the elevator doors opened. He steps out into a wide-open space with panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows surrounding them, offering a dizzying view of Metropolis in all directions. Framed in sunlight, her cousin calmly strode away from her as he fiddled with something on his wrist. "Have Orbot get a look at you and then we can get started."
The red robot, Orbot, waves at Mia as she exited the elevator. "Hello. Please come this way," he said, motioning her toward a large curved sofa. Infinite remains by the elevator as she's led away, more interested in guarding the only exit than anything else. Her whole body is buzzing with energy as she sinks into the soft cushions of the sofa. Ivo had said it was okay to ask questions, but where should she start? There was an angry sea of questions that had flooded her mind since waking up on the Death Egg, but the last thing she expected now was to find herself tongue-tied.
"Mind if I sit here?" Cubot plops down onto the sofa beside Mia before she can answer his question.
"Please go ahead," she replied. She can still remember how goofy the yellow bot had acted when she'd first arrived, and her smile was soft with the memory.
Orbot gives him a disapproving look before opening the first-aid kit on the floor. "I noticed some cuts on your hands earlier, Miss Mary. They don't appear to be deep, but I'd like to disinfect them just to be safe."
Mia's eyes widen at the bot's keen observation and she raises her hands to get a look for herself. "Oh, it must've happened when I fell off the hovership."
"That attack from the Resistance must've been scary," Cubot murmured, concern in his synthetic voice.
Mia's jaw tightened. She wasn't sure if Infinite could hear her, but she was sure that he could sense her fear even from this distance. "Yes. It was."
Orbot quickly shushes him as he gently removes her tattered gloves. "Then it was a good thing the boss acted quickly when he intercepted their plans and sent for help."
"Yeah, you should've seen how worried he was," Cubot said. "He couldn't believe they'd gotten through his defenses."
"Okay, you numbskulls, I think she's got the picture," hissed Eggman. Cubot fell silent and Orbot immediately prepared a cotton ball to tend to her wounds, ending their conversation.
Eggman stood a few feet away from the trio in front of the wide glass window. With the white skyscrapers of Metropolis as a backdrop, her cousin's colors burned fiercely in the foreground. His presence imposing, clashing, like a looming blaze. Then it was back to business. He presses a series of buttons on a device strapped around his wrist, and the glass windows in the room go dark. Like computer monitors, Mia thought hazily.
"Mary, the reason I left Nursebot to look after you on the Death Egg is because I needed the Empire to expand further—to grow stronger before allowing you to step foot on the planet. I wasn't about to let my sweet cousin return to a world of unforgivable filth," he said, his voice echoing off the walls. "The world needed order; a captain at the helm of the ship, and I'm nearly there. In only a matter of days, I'll have finally finished creating a world where you can live safely. Where you'll finally be allowed to live the life you've always deserved."
Mia sat there for a few moments, frozen with shock and uncertainty at his words.
What does he mean by that? she thought numbly. A life that I deserve...? He can't honestly be saying that this was all done for me?
Beside her, Orbot presses a cotton ball into the palm of her hand that causes her to hiss in pain. The chemicals were stronger than she'd anticipated and the bot quickly apologizes. Mia smiles and shakes her head. When she glances down at her hands, however, she notices an IV connected to her arm. Her pulse catches in her throat as the colliding image disappears, and she turns her arms to double-check what she'd just seen. Another memory...?
"Mary? Something the matter?" Eggman asked her.
She was still hesitating as she paused to catch her breath. "I don't understand," she whispered. "What do you mean by 'live safely'? Please, cousin, I need to know—What happened to me before waking up on the Death Egg?"
"So you really can't remember, huh? You were just a girl, then. An innocent young girl," Eggman's expression goes grim as he examines her from across the room. He sighs deeply as he crosses his arms behind his back. "When you first arrived today, who did you see when you looked at me? I think we both know that it wasn't me."
Mia's heart ached as she recalled the sweet image of the stranger. They'd been more than someone she'd dreamed, more than a lingering memory. "It was an older man in a lab coat," she said brokenly. "The image of him was very faint the first time I'd spoken with you, but the resemblance is so strong that I couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sadness; An ache in my chest from simply looking at you. Even now, I..." Tears burn her eyes as Cubot gently strokes her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her.
Then her cousin takes a step back as a picture of a younger Mary and an older man took over the screen, and her heart freezes over. "The man that you remembered was our grandfather, Professor Gerald Robotnik."
As soon as she heard his name, as soon as she saw his face, the tears spilled down her cheeks.
"Grandfather?"
"Our grandfather was a scientist and an incredibly exceptional one at that. He was ahead of his time; So much so that he became the lead researcher on the Space Colony ARK, an advanced research facility that was the first of its kind." Images were added onto the screen of a space station designed differently from the Death Egg. "This is where you lived, Mary. This was your home."
Mia had to cover her mouth to keep herself from crying out. The ARK. It was the ARK. With the inclusion of a name, it was like the floodgates had opened. Her body begins to tremble as memories surface of the world she has lost. No matter how far she'd walked on the Death Egg, no matter how long she'd spent living there, Mia could always sense that there was something strangely familiar about her surroundings—more specifically, the windows and the stars that greeted her from the other side. She'd finally figured it out, the reason for all of those memories of standing in front of the stars and Earth. It was because—all her life—Mia had always dreamed of leaving the ARK. She'd always hoped and dreamed of going to Earth.
Her blue eyes are sad, bewildered, and deeply grieving. She breathes in and out, her attention turning to her hands and the faded images of an IV. She thinks about the constant monitoring of her health up till now, of the hospital gowns, the sense of déjà vu—
Her voice shook as she gripped her shaking hands and looked up. "I was... sick."
Even before awakening on the Death Egg, Mia realized she'd always required constant medical attention.
"Neuro-Immune Deficiency Syndrome," Eggman explained. "NIDS, for short. It was considered incurable at the time, and our grandfather was searching for a cure on the ARK. He'd dedicated his life to it—to you, his precious granddaughter."
Mia's shoulders shook as she cried into her hands.
How could I have possibly forgotten you? She kept thinking to herself. My own grandfather—my own family! I'm so sorry, grandfather! I'm so sorry!
The tears felt like hot fire on her cheeks as she sputtered and sobbed, her breath coming out in harsh gasps. It took her a while to realize that Orbot and Cubot were both hugging her from where they sat on opposite sides of her on the couch. She could hear Orbot gently offer her a tissue as Cubot kept trying to comfort her with kind words, but it wasn't enough to stop Mia from crying. She was guilt-ridden and suffering from the absence of her grandfather. She missed his gentle hugs. His smile. His voice. Everything about her grandfather had been locked out of her mind until now; The person she loved. Her family. How could she have let this happen?
A large hand tenderly pats her head and Mia opens her eyes. Ivo was standing in front of her with a sad expression. Ivo Robotnik—her cousin—was trying to comfort his young relative. There's an uncertainty in her gut that causes her to momentarily still, as the information she'd been given by Sonic of her cousin, and his actions now were in moral conflict with each other. However shocking, it had succeeded in halting her tears.
"I had a feeling this would be too much too soon. Should we stop for today?" Ivo suggested.
Mia's skull is pounding but she shakes her head. She'd been desperately waiting for the truth about her past for months, and she refused to wait a second more. She wanted him to tell her more about their grandfather and her life on the ARK. She thought of all of the months of physical therapy Nursebot had encouraged her to do, of her persistence to improve her stamina and strength. This whole time; Had it all been because of NIDS?
"The cure," Mia breathed. "Did grandfather ever find it?"
Ivo's face was partially cast in shadow as he faced away from the screen, his mouth a thin line. His momentary pause is broken with a sigh as he pushes a button, bringing up an image of a group of armed soldiers.
G.U.N., it was captioned.
Mia witnesses a familiar vision of her past life during a particular incident. In the vision, she saw dark uniforms and heard gunshots. Hands were guiding her away from it all; The hands belonging to the dark hedgehog. There was blood, pain, and muted screams. A numbing fear.
Her body went ice cold.
"Our grandfather's research was being funded by G.U.N., a military organization with an ever-expanding reach across the globe. Their involvement with ARK was immense," Ivo explains, "and our grandfather was able to develop a cure for you, Mary, but it came at a great cost. Project Shadow came to be for the sole purpose of curing your fatal illness. He was his greatest creation; A living cure meant to save you from your impending fate. The Ultimate Lifeform: Shadow the Hedgehog." Ivo steps away from her as another image appears on the screen: An actual picture of the dark hedgehog himself. Her hedgehog.
The worn, torn pieces of her former life line up in her head and rain down in a heavy downpour. Shadow. His name is Shadow. The mystery that's been trailing her like smoke since waking up had finally dissipated. The resemblance between Sonic and Shadow was uncanny, but there was no mistaking who he was. His ink black quills, his sharp red streaks, his crimson eyes—they were all his.
"It was Shadow," Ivo continued, his face twisting into pure malice, his voice low and seething, "Our grandfather's greatest creation who betrayed him. It was because of him that Project Shadow was shut down and the ARK was taken over by G.U.N. in a raid. Your home and everyone in it was lost."
Mia's thoughts came to a screeching halt as his words punched her in the gut.
This can't be.
"He betrayed you, Mary."
No.
"Unbeknownst to our grandfather, Shadow had been biding his time. He'd grown sick of the experiments and in aiding our grandfather with your cure. He loathed the very purpose for which he was brought into being, and he wanted nothing more than to be freed from his imprisonment. So what does that despicable rodent decide to do? He and G.U.N. made a deal: In exchange for working for them, Shadow would help them get rid of the one thing keeping our grandfather from fully committing him to their cause. You."
Her face drained of blood.
The warm-hearted affection, the interlaced fingers, the lingering smiles—It couldn't have all been a fabrication. The memory of him behind a thick pane of glass; his desperate expression, his look of devastation—That wasn't the reaction of someone who'd purposely betray someone they hated. He's wrong, she pleaded desperately. It couldn't be true! But how was she supposed to decipher which memories were real and which were lies?
"Shadow staged your demise to fool our grandfather," Ivo said, cutting through her thoughts. "He even went as far as to have you physically harmed."
Mia reeled. "It was a gunshot..." The elements of that horrific moment had been one of the first events her groggy mind had struggled to remember. And now that the events were being repeated out loud to her, she felt powerless against the feelings of shock and horror as the memories piled up in her mind. The sound of gunshots and screaming echoed in her head and she didn't know what to believe anymore.
"That's how Shadow delivered you to G.U.N., Mary. They may have been able to patch you up, but our grandfather was tricked into believing you were dead, and then he was forced to continue creating weapons for that blasted military organization. And all from a prison cell," he spat. The room went silent for a few seconds as Ivo and Mia both stared at the photograph of herself with their grandfather on the screen. It was a brief moment shared between the two of them; an unbearable sorrow uniquely their own. "He didn't know that your illness had been cured the last time he saw you. He'd been left in the dark about you until the very end."
Mia shook her head, trying and failing not to show the look of sorrow on her face. She wanted to scream, to convince herself that her suspicions were wrong, but deep down inside, she knew. She already knew the cruel answer to her grandfather's fate. He was gone.
"I looked up to him, you see. Admired him as any grandson would," Ivo said, his solemn voice cutting through the silence. Then, like a mask had slipped off, everything about him appeared to shift and darken as a devilish smile stretched across his face. "So I made a promise to myself that I'd dedicate my life to annihilating G.U.N., and anyone else who dared to oppose me off the face of the earth!" Mia felt herself go numb as Dr. Eggman stood before her now. Not Ivo Robotnik, but the evil scientist himself. He roars with laughter as a swarm of images overtakes the entire screen; A cluster of destroyed facilities and military vessels all belonging to G.U.N.. Everything was either on fire, in pieces, or in some other unrecognizable state, and Eggman savored every glorious snapshot of it.
After the military fell, we weren't left with much of a choice but to fight ourselves, Tansy's voice echoed in Mia's mind. So this was what she'd meant.
"Do you understand now, Mary? They were the ones who forced my hand! I had no choice but to make sure that that despicable organization was properly obliterated!"
"What about my memories?" Mia blurted out. She hated herself for being so selfish, for sounding so fragile, but they were all she had. They were all the proof she had of the Shadow from her memories having ever existed. And there were still so many missing. "What does any of this have to do with my memory loss?"
"Your memories were wiped clean by those wretched scientists at G.U.N.," Ivo said venomously. "You're lucky to have the few you have at all. If it weren't for me you'd still be in a test tube somewhere collecting dust!"
Horror shook her to her very core. The revelation smothering her and choking her of breath.
So they were the ones responsible for her amnesia? Them. It was all because of G.U.N..
"You were all the family I had left, Mary. And after discovering that you'd been kept in their captivity for years, I couldn't stand by and do nothing! G.U.N., Shadow, the world has all turned its back on you—Has forsaken our entire family. After decimating a certain blue rodent and the military, my armies are now on the brink of completing my plans of world domination. All that's left is to extinguish the remaining embers of the Resistance, and I'll finally be able to show you the world that we were always meant to rule! The Eggman Empire will rise over all with not one, but two Robotniks at the top!"
.0.0.0.
Earlier that same day:
Amy is practically stumbling out of her chair as she stares back at the computer monitor in awe. There were certain things you heard at Resistance HQ: Whispers of Eggman's deadliest new experiment, stories of soldiers going missing, and cities being flattened—never anything good. So then why had panic filled her lungs the moment she'd heard such incredibly miraculous news? Why had she reacted like she'd seen a ghost? She was Amy Rose, and this wasn't at all how the second in command of the Resistance should be reacting to any type of news, let alone news about Sonic.
She dared to glance over at Knuckles, who'd stopped dead in his tracks after hearing his friend's name over the comms. If she'd had any remaining doubts about what she'd just heard, the look on the echidna's face was more than enough to make them disappear.
He was alive. Sonic was alive.
"Y-you heard that didn't you?" Amy asked desperately, eyes glittering. "You heard what they said?"
He looks like he's fighting for the right words, but all he can say is her name, "Amy."
"They said Sonic! Why would somebody mention Sonic after all this time?"
"Amy!" Knuckles steps forward until he's grabbing her by the shoulders. Until he's made sure she was looking at him. "I did. I heard it, too, Amy."
"And I-I need to calm down. I need—"
"Just breathe, Amy," he tells her. "It's okay, just breathe."
She nods and lets her friend guide her back into her chair. For six months, she'd thought he was dead. For six agonizing months, the world had tried to move on without him. Even now, the woundless hurt from his loss had failed to heal, showing no signs anywhere of fading.
She took a slow, measured breath.
And he's been alive this whole time... Sonic, he...
"Did you hear the rest?" Amy asked him.
Knuckles sighs and shakes his head. "Sorry, I couldn't make heads or tails of it. Just try to catch your breath for now and I'll take care of the rest."
"Are you kidding me?" Forgetting all of her panic, Amy springs back to her feet. "Not only have we lost contact with a Resistance unit, but now there's someone out there who knows something about Sonic that we don't. There'll be plenty of time to sit down and catch my breath after this war is over. We have to send reinforcements to their last known coordinates ASAP."
"Tails to Resistance HQ! Do you copy?"
Amy and Knuckles exchanged a single moment of eye contact. It was too soon to be sharing the information with their young friend—they both knew it. And as much as it pained her to admit, there was no telling whether or not the informant could be trusted. Not yet, anyway. Amy's heart sinks the moment Knuckles quietly shakes his head no, but she promises herself to tell Tails once they'd collected enough evidence.
"Hello?" Amy responds. There's interference so she tries again, "Tails, can you read me?"
"I think we've found him, Amy," Tails says seriously. "I think we've found Shadow!"
A/N: You guys didn't seriously think Eggman was gonna be truthful, did you? Thank you so much for all of your encouraging messages and reviews! These past few months have been super hectic but your encouragement has honestly meant the world to me! ; u ; So thank you! I was so nervous about writing this chapter but hopefully I did the mad doctor justice (I love him!). Next chapter, we'll finally know what Shadow has been up to during the time leading up to Forces. Please take care of yourselves and I'll see you soon!