Sonic Adventure 2 adaptation- part 2.
"Shattered"
By T. Evans.
Disclaimer? See chapter 1.
* * *
Location: The new Metropolis City suspension bridge
Time: 4:30 am
On the south side of the Metropolis Zone, a new bridge and network of roads are being built. Although not completed, the bridge is impressive, especially now it is crowded with police cars. The rain has finally stopped. Although there is a faint glow in the east, it is still dark- but not as dark as the figure standing on one of the bridge's support columns. His name is Shadow, and he gazes at the people milling around below with a look of contempt.
"How pathetic." Stealing the Chaos Emerald had been too easy, no challenge at all. The combined forces of the Metropolis police and the army had barely even put up a fight. But, Shadow thinks, what else could he expect? He is better than they are.
Shadow watches more police cars arrive. The air is filled with sirens, lit by flashing red and blue lights. It almost reminds him of—
"--Maria!!"
--Flashing lights. Sirens. Red Alert! Shadow is running through the corridors of ARK. He is confused. Where is Maria taking him? They are being pursued by people from Mobius. They must escape- but to where? And why?
…Now they are in the control room. Maria has been shot, but determinedly types at a control panel. Shadow suddenly finds himself trapped in a capsule.
"Wha?!"
Maria is talking. "Shadow, I beg of you… do it for me… for all the people on that planet…"
Shadow doesn't seem to hear the rest, as he suddenly understands what is going to happen. Until now, he knew nothing of death. At first, he feels cold rage, then nothing at all. Nothing except a darkness in his heart that wasn't there before.
Shadow hears Maria say goodbye. He turns his head away as his capsule blasts into space…
Shadow jerks back to reality, nearly dropping the green Chaos Emerald. He wishes he didn't have to endure these flashbacks. But this one has reminded him of his mission here…
"Yes, I remember what I promised you, Maria." Shadow thinks, holding the emerald up high and studying it. "For the people of this planet… I promise you revenge!!"
"Bad memories, huh?"
"What-?" Shadow turns toward the voice, for in his moment of distraction someone has been able to sneak up on him. "Who are you?" The stranger is riding a motorbike equipped with an anti-gravity engine, and hovers silently at eye level.
"It doesn't matter who I am, just take my advice."
"Give me one good reason why I should listen to a pathetic creature like you." The stranger, a hedgehog of the ordinary brown type, doesn't react to the insult. He just sighs. The hedgehog's eyes are hidden behind shades, but still fix Shadow with a haunted gaze.
"Because I can see what you're going through. You still have a chance to put things right…"
"That's exactly what I am going to do."
"By destroying everything?"
"Hopefully. Now leave me alone." The biker sighs again, shaking his head.
"There's still hope for you, Shadow…" He says as his vehicle drifts away. The glow in the east is brighter now.
Behind him, Shadow turns away from the light. He grinds down the suspension cables into the darkness…
Chapter 2
Location: Somewhere above Metropolis City
Time: Around midday
"This is Sigma-Alpha 2, heading due south over the city…" The faint voice of the pilot filtered out of the cockpit of the big helicopter. "Captured hedgehog is secured on board."
"And don't I know it," Sonic thought to himself, thinking about how he had got himself into this mess. In order to pass the time, he remembered last night's interrogation at the police station.
"It wasn't me!" Sonic had protested. "I didn't steal that emerald, it was some other guy." The human police officers had looked at him sceptically.
"So would you like to tell us who else is fast enough to make the Chaos Emerald disappear from under our noses? Just tell us where you hid it, Mr. Hedgehog. It'll be much easier for you if you do." Then they had showed him a photograph. A blurred figure silhouetted in the emerald's glow, with upturned spines and blazing red eyes. Sonic thought it looked nothing like him, but all hedgehogs probably looked the same to these people- most humans looked pretty much the same to Sonic, anyway.
"You think that's me? I'm much better looking." Sonic looked at the photo more closely. "I don't have red eyes, either."
"You can't fool me, yellow boy." Said the human who had captured him. Sonic gritted his teeth, tried to stay calm.
"Don't call me that, okay?" he growled. He had met this human on the Timeship Infinity. She had made the mistake of calling him 'yellow' before and witnessed the consequences… Didn't it just have to be her. "Alright, so Super Sonic had red eyes. But that's not him either, because he's gone for good." Sonic wasn't so sure on that point, because what Ebony had told him had been pretty vague. Besides, something didn't feel right here. But he tried to explain anyway, starting with what had happened on the Infinity.
"Listen, you probably think it was me who set your ship to self destruct. It wasn't. It was Super Sonic, he somehow transferred his mind into the ship's computer, and took control- I escaped, but he got trapped on board and…and this probably sounds really stupid doesn't it?" Sonic's voice trailed off as he saw the expression on the officers' faces. It was a crazy story, but it was the truth- however, Sonic realised he was making a fool of himself.
It had all gone downhill from there…
"And now I'm stuck in a helicopter headed straight for Prison Island," He thought. What a day. Well, Sonic had had enough. He glanced at the handcuffs which bound his arms and legs, then at the three big humans that shared the back compartment of the 'copter with him. Each of them was twice Sonic's height and brandished ugly looking guns. "No problem," He thought. He'd been framed- and seeing as no one would listen to him, he was going to do some investigating of his own. He thought for a moment about the strange, dark creature he had glimpsed in the alley the night before. It's energy signature had been similar to his own- although Sonic was sure it hadn't been Super Sonic.
If the humans had been paying attention at this point, they would have noticed Sonic shivering slightly. But they didn't, and even if they had, they would have gloated- thinking they were terrifying what looked to them like a small, defenceless animal. Actually, Sonic was carrying out the tried-and-tested escape method of weakening the cuffs with supersonic vibration. Seconds later, all hell broke loose…
Chapter 3
Location: Some ancient ruins in the desert
Time: Mid day
At this time of day, the desert was usually silent. Most creatures in their right minds would have got out of the searing desert heat. However, today was an exception, because Knuckles had more important things to worry about than the weather. He was busy arguing with a bat, of all things, over the possession of the Master Emerald. Out of sight behind him, in the shadows of a ruined temple, Shade Phoenix also had more important things to concern himself with.
"What was I thinking?" He scolded himself. He had made a mistake last night- He should have snatched that Emerald when he had the chance… goodness knows what that Shadow guy was going to do with it. Phoenix had been watching as the black hedgehog had had some sort of flashback- and for a moment there was a look in his eyes that Shade Phoenix had seen before... in the mirror. So he had let Shadow take the Emerald, unable to bring himself to face him. "Guess I messed up bigtime, huh, Sparky?" Sparky the Chao made a puzzled mewling noise. "Why did I let him go?" Shade paused, thinking. "I guess I kinda felt sorry for him. There's something about that guy that reminds me of …"
"!?" Sparky said.
"Yeah, it probably was just my imagination. I must be going soft or somethin'…" Still, there were always the other six emeralds. Whatever Shadow was planning, he probably needed more than one, which reminded Shade of why he was here. So far, he had kept out of Knuckles' argument, hoping to intervene only if things got ugly. As always, he wanted to keep out of sight as much as possible, but he had come prepared anyway- glancing down uncomfortably, he checked the settings on the electromagnetic disruptor cannon and hoped he wouldn't have to use it. Having set up his weapon, Shade turned his attention back to the Master Emerald…
"Just let it go!" Rouge cried, exasperated. "You don't know when to give up, do you?" Her bat wings fluttered angrily as she glared at the furious echidna. She was wearing a lilac and white top and matching knee-length boots, her appearance, Knuckles thought, was only spoiled by the look of greed on her face.
"I'm not the one who should give up, sister." Who did this girl think she was, challenging Knuckles? The Master Emerald belonged to him. He hadn't walked through the desert all day for nothing, and the long trek had put him in a bad mood. He was ready to fight- in fact, he looked forward to the prospect. "Man, I'm starting to act like Sonic," He said to himself. To the bat, he said: "That emerald's mine." But someone else seemed to have had the same idea- as they were talking, a low humming noise had begun to get steadily louder. Knuckles noticed a shadow pass over him.
"Wha-?" Looking up, he saw a small, round craft blotting out the sun above where the Master Emerald lay. A trapdoor in its underside opened and a mechanical arm shot out, grabbing the emerald before pulling it closer to the vehicle. A voice drifted down.
"This is the Master Emerald, isn't it?"
"Robotnik!" Knuckles snarled, as Rouge gasped in horror.
"I'm sure I can find some use for it," Chuckled Robotnik, making his egg shaped craft rise into the air. The machine picked up speed…
"Not if I can help it!" Knuckles yelled, launching himself after it…
Shade Phoenix watched Knuckles' desperate leap, and thought "He's not gonna make it!" Shade knew what he had to do. Bringing the cannon up to his shoulder, he aimed it at Robotnik's ship, finger tightening on the trigger. His aim was perfect. But…
"Argh! I…I can't do it…!" He couldn't be responsible for the death of another being. Even if it was Robotnik. But there was always another way… He shifted his aim slightly. Desperately fiddled with the gun's settings. Hoped he'd got it right.
Then he pulled the trigger…
Knuckles was only inches from the Master Emerald when it exploded into pieces.
"Argh!" Shielding his eyes from the razor sharp shards, Knuckles dropped to the ground. When he looked again, Robotnik was gone. But Knuckles was now at the mercy of Rouge…
"Look what you did to my emerald!" She shrieked, shaking him. Knuckles, still in shock, didn't resist- just weakly muttered "It wasn't me…"As he was nose-to nose with the bat, he had the crazy thought that her eyes were the same colour as the Master Emerald. Knuckles felt a little strange all of a sudden, but the gleam of light on her fangs soon snapped him out of it. Recovering, he shoved Rouge away. "At least now it's safe from the likes of you."
"Hmph!" She replied. "I'm Rouge the bat. And all the world's gems are mine to keep!"
Meanwhile, for the second time in 24 hours, Shade was wondering if he'd done the right thing.
"I'm not doing a very good job of this am I?" He didn't think he was cut out for this sort of thing, at least not anymore. "Not long ago I wouldn't even have hesitated about shooting Robotnik," He shuddered. It was best not to think about that. "Well, I suppose there's no danger of Robotnik getting the emerald now…"
Suddenly, however, Shade realised something. The energy from the Master Emerald hadn't disappeared, instead each piece was giving off its own signal. It must have been something to do with the way he'd set up the electromagnetic disruptor. Thinking about what this could mean, Shade slipped quietly away with his Chao following behind.
In effect, instead of there being seven Chaos Emeralds, there were now over one hundred…
Knuckles and Rouge realised the same thing when Knuckles' emerald radar, which he'd used to find the Master emerald, started beeping loudly. They looked at the radar, at the desert, then at each other. It made some sort of crazy sense- once, Knuckles remembered, the seven emeralds had been split into fourteen. And he had managed to re-combine them. Knuckles wanted to know why the emerald had smashed, but the most important thing right now was to put it together again- exchanging suspicious glances, Knuckles and Rouge set off in opposite directions to look for the pieces.
The race was on…
Chapter 4
1 Location: Metropolis City
Time: Mid Day
The humans didn't know what hit them.
Within seconds of Sonic breaking free of the handcuffs, he had shot past the guards and spin-attacked his way through the side of the helicopter. He clung to the side for a moment, listening to the humans' cries of "What the hell??" and "Get him!" As usual, Sonic had a cool line at the ready.
"I hate these low budget flights! No food or movies… I'm outta here!" Suddenly realising how far down it was, he added "Of course, I'd feel better running…" Luckily, a big sheet of metal had broken off the side of the aircraft. Sonic grabbed it gratefully, realising it could help control his descent. "On the other hand, I've always wanted to try sky surfing! Yeee-haa!" Grinning, Sonic dropped into empty air as the humans stared in disbelief.
From this high up, Sonic had a perfect view of the Emerald Coast and the desert beyond. As he glided down and to the right, he thought: "Knuckles, eat your heart out!" Then his Chaos sense reacted dimly to something in the distance. It was hard to make out, but was that something weird on the horizon? Little green sparks of light like a dust cloud. "Speaking of which, that's odd…" Sonic thought about this for a moment, then shrugged. He had more important things on his mind. Like- how was he going to land this thing?
To be continued…
Next: 'City Escape'
It's every hedgehog's worst nightmare! Sonic's being chased by a giant truck—but can he avoid becoming roadkill?
"Shattered"
By T. Evans.
Disclaimer? See chapter 1.
* * *
Location: The new Metropolis City suspension bridge
Time: 4:30 am
On the south side of the Metropolis Zone, a new bridge and network of roads are being built. Although not completed, the bridge is impressive, especially now it is crowded with police cars. The rain has finally stopped. Although there is a faint glow in the east, it is still dark- but not as dark as the figure standing on one of the bridge's support columns. His name is Shadow, and he gazes at the people milling around below with a look of contempt.
"How pathetic." Stealing the Chaos Emerald had been too easy, no challenge at all. The combined forces of the Metropolis police and the army had barely even put up a fight. But, Shadow thinks, what else could he expect? He is better than they are.
Shadow watches more police cars arrive. The air is filled with sirens, lit by flashing red and blue lights. It almost reminds him of—
"--Maria!!"
--Flashing lights. Sirens. Red Alert! Shadow is running through the corridors of ARK. He is confused. Where is Maria taking him? They are being pursued by people from Mobius. They must escape- but to where? And why?
…Now they are in the control room. Maria has been shot, but determinedly types at a control panel. Shadow suddenly finds himself trapped in a capsule.
"Wha?!"
Maria is talking. "Shadow, I beg of you… do it for me… for all the people on that planet…"
Shadow doesn't seem to hear the rest, as he suddenly understands what is going to happen. Until now, he knew nothing of death. At first, he feels cold rage, then nothing at all. Nothing except a darkness in his heart that wasn't there before.
Shadow hears Maria say goodbye. He turns his head away as his capsule blasts into space…
Shadow jerks back to reality, nearly dropping the green Chaos Emerald. He wishes he didn't have to endure these flashbacks. But this one has reminded him of his mission here…
"Yes, I remember what I promised you, Maria." Shadow thinks, holding the emerald up high and studying it. "For the people of this planet… I promise you revenge!!"
"Bad memories, huh?"
"What-?" Shadow turns toward the voice, for in his moment of distraction someone has been able to sneak up on him. "Who are you?" The stranger is riding a motorbike equipped with an anti-gravity engine, and hovers silently at eye level.
"It doesn't matter who I am, just take my advice."
"Give me one good reason why I should listen to a pathetic creature like you." The stranger, a hedgehog of the ordinary brown type, doesn't react to the insult. He just sighs. The hedgehog's eyes are hidden behind shades, but still fix Shadow with a haunted gaze.
"Because I can see what you're going through. You still have a chance to put things right…"
"That's exactly what I am going to do."
"By destroying everything?"
"Hopefully. Now leave me alone." The biker sighs again, shaking his head.
"There's still hope for you, Shadow…" He says as his vehicle drifts away. The glow in the east is brighter now.
Behind him, Shadow turns away from the light. He grinds down the suspension cables into the darkness…
Chapter 2
Location: Somewhere above Metropolis City
Time: Around midday
"This is Sigma-Alpha 2, heading due south over the city…" The faint voice of the pilot filtered out of the cockpit of the big helicopter. "Captured hedgehog is secured on board."
"And don't I know it," Sonic thought to himself, thinking about how he had got himself into this mess. In order to pass the time, he remembered last night's interrogation at the police station.
"It wasn't me!" Sonic had protested. "I didn't steal that emerald, it was some other guy." The human police officers had looked at him sceptically.
"So would you like to tell us who else is fast enough to make the Chaos Emerald disappear from under our noses? Just tell us where you hid it, Mr. Hedgehog. It'll be much easier for you if you do." Then they had showed him a photograph. A blurred figure silhouetted in the emerald's glow, with upturned spines and blazing red eyes. Sonic thought it looked nothing like him, but all hedgehogs probably looked the same to these people- most humans looked pretty much the same to Sonic, anyway.
"You think that's me? I'm much better looking." Sonic looked at the photo more closely. "I don't have red eyes, either."
"You can't fool me, yellow boy." Said the human who had captured him. Sonic gritted his teeth, tried to stay calm.
"Don't call me that, okay?" he growled. He had met this human on the Timeship Infinity. She had made the mistake of calling him 'yellow' before and witnessed the consequences… Didn't it just have to be her. "Alright, so Super Sonic had red eyes. But that's not him either, because he's gone for good." Sonic wasn't so sure on that point, because what Ebony had told him had been pretty vague. Besides, something didn't feel right here. But he tried to explain anyway, starting with what had happened on the Infinity.
"Listen, you probably think it was me who set your ship to self destruct. It wasn't. It was Super Sonic, he somehow transferred his mind into the ship's computer, and took control- I escaped, but he got trapped on board and…and this probably sounds really stupid doesn't it?" Sonic's voice trailed off as he saw the expression on the officers' faces. It was a crazy story, but it was the truth- however, Sonic realised he was making a fool of himself.
It had all gone downhill from there…
"And now I'm stuck in a helicopter headed straight for Prison Island," He thought. What a day. Well, Sonic had had enough. He glanced at the handcuffs which bound his arms and legs, then at the three big humans that shared the back compartment of the 'copter with him. Each of them was twice Sonic's height and brandished ugly looking guns. "No problem," He thought. He'd been framed- and seeing as no one would listen to him, he was going to do some investigating of his own. He thought for a moment about the strange, dark creature he had glimpsed in the alley the night before. It's energy signature had been similar to his own- although Sonic was sure it hadn't been Super Sonic.
If the humans had been paying attention at this point, they would have noticed Sonic shivering slightly. But they didn't, and even if they had, they would have gloated- thinking they were terrifying what looked to them like a small, defenceless animal. Actually, Sonic was carrying out the tried-and-tested escape method of weakening the cuffs with supersonic vibration. Seconds later, all hell broke loose…
Chapter 3
Location: Some ancient ruins in the desert
Time: Mid day
At this time of day, the desert was usually silent. Most creatures in their right minds would have got out of the searing desert heat. However, today was an exception, because Knuckles had more important things to worry about than the weather. He was busy arguing with a bat, of all things, over the possession of the Master Emerald. Out of sight behind him, in the shadows of a ruined temple, Shade Phoenix also had more important things to concern himself with.
"What was I thinking?" He scolded himself. He had made a mistake last night- He should have snatched that Emerald when he had the chance… goodness knows what that Shadow guy was going to do with it. Phoenix had been watching as the black hedgehog had had some sort of flashback- and for a moment there was a look in his eyes that Shade Phoenix had seen before... in the mirror. So he had let Shadow take the Emerald, unable to bring himself to face him. "Guess I messed up bigtime, huh, Sparky?" Sparky the Chao made a puzzled mewling noise. "Why did I let him go?" Shade paused, thinking. "I guess I kinda felt sorry for him. There's something about that guy that reminds me of …"
"!?" Sparky said.
"Yeah, it probably was just my imagination. I must be going soft or somethin'…" Still, there were always the other six emeralds. Whatever Shadow was planning, he probably needed more than one, which reminded Shade of why he was here. So far, he had kept out of Knuckles' argument, hoping to intervene only if things got ugly. As always, he wanted to keep out of sight as much as possible, but he had come prepared anyway- glancing down uncomfortably, he checked the settings on the electromagnetic disruptor cannon and hoped he wouldn't have to use it. Having set up his weapon, Shade turned his attention back to the Master Emerald…
"Just let it go!" Rouge cried, exasperated. "You don't know when to give up, do you?" Her bat wings fluttered angrily as she glared at the furious echidna. She was wearing a lilac and white top and matching knee-length boots, her appearance, Knuckles thought, was only spoiled by the look of greed on her face.
"I'm not the one who should give up, sister." Who did this girl think she was, challenging Knuckles? The Master Emerald belonged to him. He hadn't walked through the desert all day for nothing, and the long trek had put him in a bad mood. He was ready to fight- in fact, he looked forward to the prospect. "Man, I'm starting to act like Sonic," He said to himself. To the bat, he said: "That emerald's mine." But someone else seemed to have had the same idea- as they were talking, a low humming noise had begun to get steadily louder. Knuckles noticed a shadow pass over him.
"Wha-?" Looking up, he saw a small, round craft blotting out the sun above where the Master Emerald lay. A trapdoor in its underside opened and a mechanical arm shot out, grabbing the emerald before pulling it closer to the vehicle. A voice drifted down.
"This is the Master Emerald, isn't it?"
"Robotnik!" Knuckles snarled, as Rouge gasped in horror.
"I'm sure I can find some use for it," Chuckled Robotnik, making his egg shaped craft rise into the air. The machine picked up speed…
"Not if I can help it!" Knuckles yelled, launching himself after it…
Shade Phoenix watched Knuckles' desperate leap, and thought "He's not gonna make it!" Shade knew what he had to do. Bringing the cannon up to his shoulder, he aimed it at Robotnik's ship, finger tightening on the trigger. His aim was perfect. But…
"Argh! I…I can't do it…!" He couldn't be responsible for the death of another being. Even if it was Robotnik. But there was always another way… He shifted his aim slightly. Desperately fiddled with the gun's settings. Hoped he'd got it right.
Then he pulled the trigger…
Knuckles was only inches from the Master Emerald when it exploded into pieces.
"Argh!" Shielding his eyes from the razor sharp shards, Knuckles dropped to the ground. When he looked again, Robotnik was gone. But Knuckles was now at the mercy of Rouge…
"Look what you did to my emerald!" She shrieked, shaking him. Knuckles, still in shock, didn't resist- just weakly muttered "It wasn't me…"As he was nose-to nose with the bat, he had the crazy thought that her eyes were the same colour as the Master Emerald. Knuckles felt a little strange all of a sudden, but the gleam of light on her fangs soon snapped him out of it. Recovering, he shoved Rouge away. "At least now it's safe from the likes of you."
"Hmph!" She replied. "I'm Rouge the bat. And all the world's gems are mine to keep!"
Meanwhile, for the second time in 24 hours, Shade was wondering if he'd done the right thing.
"I'm not doing a very good job of this am I?" He didn't think he was cut out for this sort of thing, at least not anymore. "Not long ago I wouldn't even have hesitated about shooting Robotnik," He shuddered. It was best not to think about that. "Well, I suppose there's no danger of Robotnik getting the emerald now…"
Suddenly, however, Shade realised something. The energy from the Master Emerald hadn't disappeared, instead each piece was giving off its own signal. It must have been something to do with the way he'd set up the electromagnetic disruptor. Thinking about what this could mean, Shade slipped quietly away with his Chao following behind.
In effect, instead of there being seven Chaos Emeralds, there were now over one hundred…
Knuckles and Rouge realised the same thing when Knuckles' emerald radar, which he'd used to find the Master emerald, started beeping loudly. They looked at the radar, at the desert, then at each other. It made some sort of crazy sense- once, Knuckles remembered, the seven emeralds had been split into fourteen. And he had managed to re-combine them. Knuckles wanted to know why the emerald had smashed, but the most important thing right now was to put it together again- exchanging suspicious glances, Knuckles and Rouge set off in opposite directions to look for the pieces.
The race was on…
Chapter 4
1 Location: Metropolis City
Time: Mid Day
The humans didn't know what hit them.
Within seconds of Sonic breaking free of the handcuffs, he had shot past the guards and spin-attacked his way through the side of the helicopter. He clung to the side for a moment, listening to the humans' cries of "What the hell??" and "Get him!" As usual, Sonic had a cool line at the ready.
"I hate these low budget flights! No food or movies… I'm outta here!" Suddenly realising how far down it was, he added "Of course, I'd feel better running…" Luckily, a big sheet of metal had broken off the side of the aircraft. Sonic grabbed it gratefully, realising it could help control his descent. "On the other hand, I've always wanted to try sky surfing! Yeee-haa!" Grinning, Sonic dropped into empty air as the humans stared in disbelief.
From this high up, Sonic had a perfect view of the Emerald Coast and the desert beyond. As he glided down and to the right, he thought: "Knuckles, eat your heart out!" Then his Chaos sense reacted dimly to something in the distance. It was hard to make out, but was that something weird on the horizon? Little green sparks of light like a dust cloud. "Speaking of which, that's odd…" Sonic thought about this for a moment, then shrugged. He had more important things on his mind. Like- how was he going to land this thing?
To be continued…
Next: 'City Escape'
It's every hedgehog's worst nightmare! Sonic's being chased by a giant truck—but can he avoid becoming roadkill?