I can't believe the last time I up-dated was so long ago! Whoops. Hope this chapter ties you over, dear readers.
Chapter 8.
It was the hard, cold floor that roused the Doctor from his slumber. He gingerly pushed himself into a sitting position and looked around in the dim light. He was in a cell-plain and simple-a single cell complete with bars and a bench for a bed. He banged his head against the wall and groaned loudly.
"Nice to hear you're up at last, Doctor." The Doctor tilted his head slightly to the right. Shadow, lounging on his cot bloodied and bruised, raised a dark brow. "Enjoy your nap?"
"Where are we?" He managed to croak out.
"Eggman's Base of Operations." Amy was sitting next to the dark hedgehog. She pushed her hair from her face. "We're all here." She jerked a thumb towards the far corner. Rouge and Tails were also seated on cots on the other side of the cell. The bat was sitting cross-legged with her head drooped and Tails was lying on his bunk on his belly, leaning on his elbows and twin tails whirring.
"Any news on Sola?" The Doctor asked. Everyone was silent which meant it wasn't good news in his book. "What's up?"
Before anyone could reply the main door opened and Eggman himself, waddled down the row of cells. He stopped in front of them and clasped his hands behind his back. "Doctor..."
"Doctor."
"This way, please." Eggman pressed the release switch to the cell. The Doctor struggled to his feet and strolled out the door calmly. Eggman gestured for him to walk in front, the Doctor raised a questioning brow, "Please, I just want to chat, Doctor to Doctor."
A short while later the Doctor found himself standing opposite Eggman with a surgical trolley between them. Whoever was on the trolley was covered with a white sheet, but seeing as it looked like a very small person with big feet and hands, the Doctor had a sneaking suspicion who it was. And when Eggman held the edge of the sheet and pulled it back his suspicions were spot on.
Sola was nearly unrecognizable. She was battered and stripped down to the light-weight alloy she was made from. The only reason the Doctor knew it was her, was her right leg that was blue and ended with a red clawed foot. The Doctor stepped forward, slipping his hand into his pocket to withdraw his screw-driver only to come up empty. He narrowed his eyes at Eggman.
"I couldn't risk you getting out. Your things are here, " He produced a plastic tray, in it was the Doctor's belongings : the sonic-screwdriver, the physic paper, his glasses, the old stethoscope he burrowed many years ago and a load of other stuff he didn't know he had. The only thing, the most important thing missing, was the TARDIS key. "Oh, yes...We've kept that." said Eggman, clearly seeing the Doctor's face, "We can't get in at the moment, but it's just a matter of time. Now, Doctor, to the matter at hand...Is Sonic still in there?"
The Doctor put his glasses on, plugged his ears with the buds of the stethoscope and placed the flat end on Sola's chest plate. He closed his eyes and tried to listen, he heard nothing, brow furrowing he tried again getting the same result. Ripping the buds from his ears, he took the sonic and scanned the cat from top to bottom. Checking the out-come he blinked slowly, slipped off his specs and stepped back from the table.
"Doctor? Is Sonic still in there?"
"...No. There's nothing. Sonic is gone. "
"Are you lying to me?"
The Doctor frowned, "Why would I? I've nothing to gain. I've no TARDIS, no means of escape. You hold all the aces. Sonic is not in there, he's gone!" The look on Eggman's face made him slowly blinked again. "You wanted him out. You think he can help, but how? And why?"
Eggman sighed, "Though I hate to admit it, I have some respect for the blue rodent. Sonic's the only one to ever beat both Celosia and Dark Gaia." A smirk. "There is a very slim chance he's still around. The unstable Chaos energies, that kept his soul trapped inside the feline robot, might be enough to give him the boost he needs."
"Uh...What you talking about?" The Doctor pinched the bridge of his nose. "I hate riddles."
"What I'm trying to say is..." Eggman told the Doctor his theory. The Doctor listened and then grinned when Eggman finished.
Elsewhere in the throne-room, the Dark Were-hog was taking a nap. He whimpered in his sleep and curled deeper into a ball. His brows screwed up, as if he was in pain, and he growled. From a corner a blue mist floated towards him, it whirled above him and then shot down, like a bolt of blue lighting, right into his head. The Were-hog threw up his massive paws and tried to claw out the invading force filling his mind. His whole body glowed bright purple and then bright blue and back again for a few seconds. The light show died down and he whimpered softly again, slowly raising his head and opened his eyes.
But this time instead of being a sickly pink color, they were green...A brilliant emerald green. Dazed and confused the Were-hog stumbled to his feet and lumbered towards the huge mirror he knew stood at one side of the throne room. Standing to his full height he peered closely…Yep, his eyes were now green. He stood still, the new force waited inside to be pushed out but nothing happened.
Sonic grinned showing his fangs. He could now control his Were-hog persona like before. Dark Gaia was still there, he could feel it, but the time being exposed to the different mystic energies as Sola had given him the mental boost he needed to bury the dark soul until it was needed. Sonic closed his eyes and opened up to Dark Gaia for just a second. He thought broody things, dark feelings, death and destruction. When he opened this time he was pleased to find his eyes looked blood-shot, and his green orbs had darkened and were now purple. He hoped nobody would notice the slight change.
The door to the room opened and he jumped in surprise, "Oh, there you are!" Celosia smiled sweetly at him and settled herself on the cushions of her throne. She patted her knees, Sonic narrowed his eyes, what now? Celosia pouted at him and held out her arms. Oh! She wanted him to come over. Getting down on all four he plodded over and sat at her feet. She leaned forward. "How's my ickle wolfie?" A cool hand patted the top of his head roughing up his quills. "What? No hello for your kin?" Celosia looked closely at him and pouted. Acting quickly the Were-hog nudged her hand that now cupped his cheek and made soft growling noises. It seemed to perk her up and she tickled behind his ears. "Guess what I've got?" He shrugged and she grinned pulling out what she was hiding behind her back. It was a huge leather bounded book. His eyes widened, "That's right!" She giggled gleefully. "We have the book, the Time Lord and his machine, and…this!" She held out her hand. On her ring finger sat a very plain looking bronze ring with a small blue bead embedded in the metal. Sonic gave her, what he hoped, was a bored expression. It seemed to do the trick; Celosia huffed again and brought round her wooden staff. "Watch." She murmured, taking off the ring and holding it up towards the glowing red orb sitting at the top of the knobbly stick. As the two objects grew closer something odd happened: the bead on the ring started to sparkle. Sonic drew his head closer and watched in amazement as the tiny stone grew and grew until it was the same size as the Eye of Iblis. Slowly realization dawned on him: the ring housed the second Eye, the Eye of Water. Celosia caught his bemused look and grinned. "The Eye of Ula, my brother. In our hands at last." With careful fingers she placed it in the hole below the Eye of Iblis. The two orbs hummed in perfect harmony, she sighed softly. "After that I need to rest. Leave me and go to the Vault."
Sonic bowed his head and lumbered away. Once in the hallway, and clear from her eyes, he frowned. It didn't look good. Eggman and the Goddess had two of the four Eyes needed to wake the Nazo Serpent and they had the book to tell them how to do it. Crouching down to all fours Sonic growled and took off in the opposite direction of the Vault. He had to do something, anything to slow the process. Making his way along the brightly lit passageway Eggman's voice boomed over the speakers;
"Attention all personnel and Egg Knights, we will be shortly jumping using Chaos Control to the planet of Azaliea, the last known location of the third Eye... The Eye of Gaia."
Sonic skidded to a halt. His face spilt into a toothy grin and he felt like howling with joy. Maybe there was a way to slow the process after-all.
Not much of an up-date. Kind of lost my way with this fic but I made a promise to myself to finish it and I will because the ending is TOTALLY worth the wait.