A/N: I was right: My Tails-loving friend DID almost kill me. Oh well, I
live to write again! It took me forever to decide how to do the next "dream
sequence", as I had to go from scary to nice. I hope it worked… I am trying
SO hard to keep Shadow in character: Its one thing to get a regular
character out of character, but a deceased character is quite another.
Special thanks to the sudden rush of reviews I've gotten! To answer some questions:
-This is my first story
-I chose Metal Knuckles because most other enemies have been used quite often (Namely Metal Sonic)
-Yes, I am very proud of my Chao! I was planning on breeding Dash and Spike once they evolved, but I didn't have the heart to see them leave
-Lots of people say I have a big vocabulary. It's useful for confusing simple-minded people
-Everyone (in my stories) refers to it as an incident because that's all they think it was: They have no clue they came within five minutes of being crushed, and they try not to think that a hedgehog they had all revered sacrificed himself for them.
Ok, enough talk!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter Five: New Powers
Two Days Later…
A hot wind dashed across the desert. Twilight was setting in, casting large shadows among the pyramids. Stars peered out early, not offering much light under the purple sky. Around the largest of the pyramids, many guard bots worked guard-duty. They stood starkly against the backdrop of the desert, and would shoot any animals that move in fear of the infamous Sonic getting past.
In the shadows of one of the many pillars, government spy Rouge the Bat knelt, taking notes. She had being doing this the last two days: Sonic (The self-proclaimed leader) was getting everyone ready to rush into Eggman's base, and Rouge was sent to figure out any information she could. She furiously scribbled notes on her pad as the over-talkative robots practically gave her all the information she needed.
Just as she began to rub a cramp in her hand, a pair on their coffee break leaned up against the other side of the pillar. Rouge tensed; but none seemed to notice her. "So…" One began, staring off into space. "Mmmyep…" The other replied. Rouge snickered: She'd be surprised if they had a first- grade vocabulary!
Suddenly, a larger robot, probably the highest ranking, marched over to them. Sand flew in his wake, and the two coward at his presence. "Get back to your post!" He roared, his voice sharply metallic, like two cheese grinders against each other. Rouge had to drop her notebook and cover her over-sensitive ears. "The boss said if anyone gets to the Project Shadow 2, he'd have our heads!" With that, he turned and marched, with the other two scurrying off to their posts.
Instantly, Rouge snatched up her notebook. This would be enough for a whole night worth of spying! She climbed a few feet up the pillar, then leap and glided over the desert, the sun finally sinking below the horizon.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Project Shadow 2?" Sonic asked in disbelief, dropping the bag of potato chips he had been easy munching on. He had spent all day "breaking in" the new maid. He looked down at Rouge's notes, then up at Tails. "Five bucks says that's why he needs the Chaos Emeralds."
Tails had recovered well from his injuries. Besides minor scrapes and bruises, he had pretty much come out unscathed, since Sonic, Rouge and Amy had come in during the fight. "Actually," He said, looking at a screen on his laptop. "If he was trying to recreate Shadow, he could easily make one with all of Shadows abilities but without needing the Chaos Emeralds." He sighed, rubbed his temples with his fingers and leaned back in his chair, his eyes closed. "Who knows what he needs the Chaos Emeralds for?"
Sonic leapt up, brushing potato chip crumbs off his chest. "We'd better leave tomorrow." He announced. Tails' eyes snapped open in surprise, and Rouge but her lip nervously. "Me, Rouge and Tails'll go. Amy, we need you to stay here and hold down the fort." He said, looking back at her.
Sighing, Amy leaned back in her chair. She really wanted to go! She hated being the little lamb, always being left behind, never helping at all. Now, when they needed any help they could get they were asking her to say at Rouge's? "Whatever you say." She muttered, looking down.
Sensing how bad Amy felt, Rouge walked over and put a hand on her shoulder. "I appreciate it. I need someone to keep an eye on the workers anyway." She said, winking. Amy smiled weakly, but still felt bad.
Of course, Sonic didn't realize how bad Amy felt. "We'd all better get some sleep." He said, closing the potato chip bag. Tomorrow morning we'll head out!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Since Rouge's house had so many guest rooms, it had become their "fortress", as Sonic jokingly called it. Everyone spent all their time their, preparing for the battle. And, since she had guest rooms for everyone (and enough to spare), they all had their own, fairly sized guest room.
It was eleven o' clock at night, and the only sound came from the garage. Tails, unable to sleep, was doing repairs on the Cyclone. (A/N: From what I know, it's called Tornado in airplane mode and Cyclone in battle mode) He wouldn't be able to take it to the desert, as there was the ever-present danger of quicksand. Everyone would be going on foot or, in Rouge's case, on wing.
As he was finishing up, adding an extra layer of polish on it, he was thinking about Angel Island. Surprisingly, no reports of the island beginning to fall had come, even though Eggman had the Master Emerald. Tails could only guess the island charged itself with the Master Emerald, like a battery. They only had about a week or two, tops, before it began to fall.
Thinking of this got Tails thinking about Knuckles. Everyone had presumed Eggman had him, as Knuckles would've never lied low in a case like this. And everyone knew that roboticization came to almost all of Eggman's prisoners. The only hope they had was that Eggman had to keep Knuckles around for interrogation.
Sighing, Tails finished the waxing and put his tools away. "I can tell something's going to go wrong." He muttered, making his way up to his room.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
One other person was having trouble sleeping. Amy lay awake in her bed, her Piko Hammer within easy reach. Her mind was racing: She had to find a way to make herself useful! If she could, maybe she wouldn't be left behind.
Carefully, she gripped her red Chaos Emerald to her chest. She could remember how Chaos Control, originally thought to be of use only to Shadow, had also been used by Sonic. Did that mean anyone could use it? The emerald gave off a soft pink light as she thought. Could anyone use it? "I just want to help…" She murmured, falling into an uneasy sleep.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Amy awakened, or thought she awakened, in the Green Forest. She stood right in a hole cut through a tree: Her favorite spot. Tentatively, she stepped outside and leaned against the bark. Inhaling deeply, she breathed in the scents of fresh grass and wild flowers.
"Nice little place." Quickly, Amy took a few steps forward, turned, and looked up. On one of the lowest branches, Shadow sat, leaning against the tree trunk. He smiled as a look of surprise crossed her face. "Surprised?"
Amy placed a fist on her hip. "Well, I've met an evil look-alike of my crush, been held hostage by an evil doctor and almost been inside a space colony that slammed into the Earth. It'll take more than a dead person appearing in my dreams to surprise me now." She said, smirking.
Shadow sighed, and looked up. After a few moments silence, Amy spoke up. "Why'd you choose the forest? Can you read minds or something?"
"Maybe." He said, smirking this time. "Well, it was either someplace nice, like here, or Hell. The world serpent gave Eggman a little scare, so I chose here." He eyes Amy, watching for her reaction.
Smiling, Amy said, "Hell? You're kidding, right?" When Shadow didn't give an answer, she guessed he was telling the truth.
After more silence, Shadow this time broke the silence. "I came to help. You said you wanted a way to help, I figure I'd give you something the 'blue boy-scout' and I have had for awhile."
It took awhile for this to dawn on her. "Chaos Control?!" She said in surprise, stepping back. "Oh no! I'm not taking that! It's too-"
"Powerful?" Shadow finished for her. She bowed her head, realizing how silly that sounded. "I know. Power is a scary thing. But, in a case like this, it may be the only thing that can balance the scales." With that, he jumped down, landing a few feet before Amy. "It's easy. Just imagine the most powerful feeling you have, and then concentrate on where you want to be. It couldn't be simpler." He shrugged.
Amy looked down to the ground. Yeah, it WAS easy. But still… could she really handle all that power? "What'd you think of?" She asked, looking him in the eye.
She expected him to flinch, or back down, or go to his usual stoical mood. But, instead, he returned the gaze. "Maria." He answered simply. "And, as for the blue boy-scout, probably some of that 'save-the-world' crud." He answered, waving his hand.
Amy giggled, and Shadow smiled. Suddenly, his eyes sprang open. "Amy, I've gotta go!" He said quickly, walking backwards.
Amy was about to protest, but then the world went black.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Amy!" Sonic said, shaking her hard. She opened her eyes slowly, groggily. It took her a few moments to realize she was looking at Sonic, not Shadow. "You were talking in your sleep. Hey, are you okay?"
Tired, Amy sat up and rubbed the heel of her palm in her eyes. "Yeah…" She muttered, yawning. "What was I saying?" She asked, trying to sound innocent.
"Oh, you were saying," At this point, Sonic stood from his kneeling position and got into a 'girl-ish' pose. He continued in a high-pitched tone. "Shadow, no! Wait! Don't go!" At this, he regained his normal composure. "Wait… What were you dreaming about, anyways?" He asked with a smirk, which earned him a hit in the shin from Amy's Piko Hammer.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Ok, lets go over this one more time." Sonic said, much to Rouge and Tails' disgust. It was about two hours later, and this was the third time they were going over this one more time. "We go into Eggman's base. We somehow find Knuckles, or find out about him. We figure out more about this Project Shadow 2, then sabotage it." He stopped and thought. "Ok, you can start praying for a miracle now."
Rouge turned to Amy, who stood in the doorframe. Everyone else was waiting out in the front lawn, ready to go. After going through the seventh overview of what they were to do (in which Tails finally snapped and yelled at Sonic), the two boys sped off, one after another.
Rouge turned back to Amy. "I told all the workers Ill be gone and they're to stay in the house. So, they'll all be out of town. Think you can handle it?" Amy nodded meekly, and quickly went inside to get herself comfortable. She didn't want to watch the last of them leave.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: Yes yes, short chapter! I promise the next one'll be longer. Please oh mighty reviewers, I beg of thee, review my story!
Oh. And, like Tails, I'm trying to work Amy away from her image of Sonic's fan-girl. Most stories only give her that role, little more. Amy will be making a big impact on this story!
Special thanks to the sudden rush of reviews I've gotten! To answer some questions:
-This is my first story
-I chose Metal Knuckles because most other enemies have been used quite often (Namely Metal Sonic)
-Yes, I am very proud of my Chao! I was planning on breeding Dash and Spike once they evolved, but I didn't have the heart to see them leave
-Lots of people say I have a big vocabulary. It's useful for confusing simple-minded people
-Everyone (in my stories) refers to it as an incident because that's all they think it was: They have no clue they came within five minutes of being crushed, and they try not to think that a hedgehog they had all revered sacrificed himself for them.
Ok, enough talk!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter Five: New Powers
Two Days Later…
A hot wind dashed across the desert. Twilight was setting in, casting large shadows among the pyramids. Stars peered out early, not offering much light under the purple sky. Around the largest of the pyramids, many guard bots worked guard-duty. They stood starkly against the backdrop of the desert, and would shoot any animals that move in fear of the infamous Sonic getting past.
In the shadows of one of the many pillars, government spy Rouge the Bat knelt, taking notes. She had being doing this the last two days: Sonic (The self-proclaimed leader) was getting everyone ready to rush into Eggman's base, and Rouge was sent to figure out any information she could. She furiously scribbled notes on her pad as the over-talkative robots practically gave her all the information she needed.
Just as she began to rub a cramp in her hand, a pair on their coffee break leaned up against the other side of the pillar. Rouge tensed; but none seemed to notice her. "So…" One began, staring off into space. "Mmmyep…" The other replied. Rouge snickered: She'd be surprised if they had a first- grade vocabulary!
Suddenly, a larger robot, probably the highest ranking, marched over to them. Sand flew in his wake, and the two coward at his presence. "Get back to your post!" He roared, his voice sharply metallic, like two cheese grinders against each other. Rouge had to drop her notebook and cover her over-sensitive ears. "The boss said if anyone gets to the Project Shadow 2, he'd have our heads!" With that, he turned and marched, with the other two scurrying off to their posts.
Instantly, Rouge snatched up her notebook. This would be enough for a whole night worth of spying! She climbed a few feet up the pillar, then leap and glided over the desert, the sun finally sinking below the horizon.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Project Shadow 2?" Sonic asked in disbelief, dropping the bag of potato chips he had been easy munching on. He had spent all day "breaking in" the new maid. He looked down at Rouge's notes, then up at Tails. "Five bucks says that's why he needs the Chaos Emeralds."
Tails had recovered well from his injuries. Besides minor scrapes and bruises, he had pretty much come out unscathed, since Sonic, Rouge and Amy had come in during the fight. "Actually," He said, looking at a screen on his laptop. "If he was trying to recreate Shadow, he could easily make one with all of Shadows abilities but without needing the Chaos Emeralds." He sighed, rubbed his temples with his fingers and leaned back in his chair, his eyes closed. "Who knows what he needs the Chaos Emeralds for?"
Sonic leapt up, brushing potato chip crumbs off his chest. "We'd better leave tomorrow." He announced. Tails' eyes snapped open in surprise, and Rouge but her lip nervously. "Me, Rouge and Tails'll go. Amy, we need you to stay here and hold down the fort." He said, looking back at her.
Sighing, Amy leaned back in her chair. She really wanted to go! She hated being the little lamb, always being left behind, never helping at all. Now, when they needed any help they could get they were asking her to say at Rouge's? "Whatever you say." She muttered, looking down.
Sensing how bad Amy felt, Rouge walked over and put a hand on her shoulder. "I appreciate it. I need someone to keep an eye on the workers anyway." She said, winking. Amy smiled weakly, but still felt bad.
Of course, Sonic didn't realize how bad Amy felt. "We'd all better get some sleep." He said, closing the potato chip bag. Tomorrow morning we'll head out!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Since Rouge's house had so many guest rooms, it had become their "fortress", as Sonic jokingly called it. Everyone spent all their time their, preparing for the battle. And, since she had guest rooms for everyone (and enough to spare), they all had their own, fairly sized guest room.
It was eleven o' clock at night, and the only sound came from the garage. Tails, unable to sleep, was doing repairs on the Cyclone. (A/N: From what I know, it's called Tornado in airplane mode and Cyclone in battle mode) He wouldn't be able to take it to the desert, as there was the ever-present danger of quicksand. Everyone would be going on foot or, in Rouge's case, on wing.
As he was finishing up, adding an extra layer of polish on it, he was thinking about Angel Island. Surprisingly, no reports of the island beginning to fall had come, even though Eggman had the Master Emerald. Tails could only guess the island charged itself with the Master Emerald, like a battery. They only had about a week or two, tops, before it began to fall.
Thinking of this got Tails thinking about Knuckles. Everyone had presumed Eggman had him, as Knuckles would've never lied low in a case like this. And everyone knew that roboticization came to almost all of Eggman's prisoners. The only hope they had was that Eggman had to keep Knuckles around for interrogation.
Sighing, Tails finished the waxing and put his tools away. "I can tell something's going to go wrong." He muttered, making his way up to his room.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
One other person was having trouble sleeping. Amy lay awake in her bed, her Piko Hammer within easy reach. Her mind was racing: She had to find a way to make herself useful! If she could, maybe she wouldn't be left behind.
Carefully, she gripped her red Chaos Emerald to her chest. She could remember how Chaos Control, originally thought to be of use only to Shadow, had also been used by Sonic. Did that mean anyone could use it? The emerald gave off a soft pink light as she thought. Could anyone use it? "I just want to help…" She murmured, falling into an uneasy sleep.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Amy awakened, or thought she awakened, in the Green Forest. She stood right in a hole cut through a tree: Her favorite spot. Tentatively, she stepped outside and leaned against the bark. Inhaling deeply, she breathed in the scents of fresh grass and wild flowers.
"Nice little place." Quickly, Amy took a few steps forward, turned, and looked up. On one of the lowest branches, Shadow sat, leaning against the tree trunk. He smiled as a look of surprise crossed her face. "Surprised?"
Amy placed a fist on her hip. "Well, I've met an evil look-alike of my crush, been held hostage by an evil doctor and almost been inside a space colony that slammed into the Earth. It'll take more than a dead person appearing in my dreams to surprise me now." She said, smirking.
Shadow sighed, and looked up. After a few moments silence, Amy spoke up. "Why'd you choose the forest? Can you read minds or something?"
"Maybe." He said, smirking this time. "Well, it was either someplace nice, like here, or Hell. The world serpent gave Eggman a little scare, so I chose here." He eyes Amy, watching for her reaction.
Smiling, Amy said, "Hell? You're kidding, right?" When Shadow didn't give an answer, she guessed he was telling the truth.
After more silence, Shadow this time broke the silence. "I came to help. You said you wanted a way to help, I figure I'd give you something the 'blue boy-scout' and I have had for awhile."
It took awhile for this to dawn on her. "Chaos Control?!" She said in surprise, stepping back. "Oh no! I'm not taking that! It's too-"
"Powerful?" Shadow finished for her. She bowed her head, realizing how silly that sounded. "I know. Power is a scary thing. But, in a case like this, it may be the only thing that can balance the scales." With that, he jumped down, landing a few feet before Amy. "It's easy. Just imagine the most powerful feeling you have, and then concentrate on where you want to be. It couldn't be simpler." He shrugged.
Amy looked down to the ground. Yeah, it WAS easy. But still… could she really handle all that power? "What'd you think of?" She asked, looking him in the eye.
She expected him to flinch, or back down, or go to his usual stoical mood. But, instead, he returned the gaze. "Maria." He answered simply. "And, as for the blue boy-scout, probably some of that 'save-the-world' crud." He answered, waving his hand.
Amy giggled, and Shadow smiled. Suddenly, his eyes sprang open. "Amy, I've gotta go!" He said quickly, walking backwards.
Amy was about to protest, but then the world went black.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Amy!" Sonic said, shaking her hard. She opened her eyes slowly, groggily. It took her a few moments to realize she was looking at Sonic, not Shadow. "You were talking in your sleep. Hey, are you okay?"
Tired, Amy sat up and rubbed the heel of her palm in her eyes. "Yeah…" She muttered, yawning. "What was I saying?" She asked, trying to sound innocent.
"Oh, you were saying," At this point, Sonic stood from his kneeling position and got into a 'girl-ish' pose. He continued in a high-pitched tone. "Shadow, no! Wait! Don't go!" At this, he regained his normal composure. "Wait… What were you dreaming about, anyways?" He asked with a smirk, which earned him a hit in the shin from Amy's Piko Hammer.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Ok, lets go over this one more time." Sonic said, much to Rouge and Tails' disgust. It was about two hours later, and this was the third time they were going over this one more time. "We go into Eggman's base. We somehow find Knuckles, or find out about him. We figure out more about this Project Shadow 2, then sabotage it." He stopped and thought. "Ok, you can start praying for a miracle now."
Rouge turned to Amy, who stood in the doorframe. Everyone else was waiting out in the front lawn, ready to go. After going through the seventh overview of what they were to do (in which Tails finally snapped and yelled at Sonic), the two boys sped off, one after another.
Rouge turned back to Amy. "I told all the workers Ill be gone and they're to stay in the house. So, they'll all be out of town. Think you can handle it?" Amy nodded meekly, and quickly went inside to get herself comfortable. She didn't want to watch the last of them leave.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: Yes yes, short chapter! I promise the next one'll be longer. Please oh mighty reviewers, I beg of thee, review my story!
Oh. And, like Tails, I'm trying to work Amy away from her image of Sonic's fan-girl. Most stories only give her that role, little more. Amy will be making a big impact on this story!
