Disclaimers: Sonic and peeps belong to Sonic Team. I own nothing! I'm po'!
Author's Note: Eee, sorry for the horribly long wait. o.o;; School ish ebil that way. ^_^; But! This chapter is TWICE as long as the first, AND it has a bit of plot in it! AND you get to bounce around in char's heads! Fun, ne? XP And thank you to EmeraldSpace2 and RockChick for reviewing! I'm glad you liked it so much! ^_^ Anyway, enough of me. On with the fic!
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Chapter 2: Behind My Eyes
The blue streak raced down the long bridge at breakneck speed. The road was devoid of cars-- and understandably so. After all, what fool would be driving after such a scare? Upon hearing Gerald's death sentence to the world most had gone to their homes to prepare for the end, planning to spend the last moments of their lives with loved ones. But now that the world was safe once again, those who had feared for their lives only hours earlier were celebrating jubilantly.
Sonic could imagine what the celebrations were like. What the focus of their cheers were.
And he ran faster.
He ran. Searching for something. But what? He wasn't sure. He just needed to keep running. To get away. To run away. But from what?
No, can't think about that now. Just gotta keep running…
But it wasn't enough. Just running was too simple-- it required no thought at all for the experienced hedgehog. He needed something that would put his mind in his feet instead of--
Sonic shook that thought from his head, shifting his attention to the dark sea around him. Watching the gently surging water had a calming effect on him. But then his gaze fell upon the broken white image on the water's surface. He averted his eyes from that harrowing reminder and again focused on the pulsating sea. It was then that he noticed a large black shape in the distance. It sat motionlessly on the water, a dark shadow framed against the moonlit sky.
A smile crept across Sonic's lips. South Island! He couldn't help but feel relief at the sight of his home. In recent weeks, the mysterious drifting island had made it's way toward the coast of Capital City, and now it was stationed to the southeast of the great metropolis. How the island stayed afloat was a mystery. Nor could anyone explain how or why the island always stayed just far enough from the mainland to be free of the pollution and sea-traffic of the coastal cities. Its current location was no exception, for not even Route 280's automobile contamination reached it.
The expanse of ocean between him and his home did not perturb the young hedgehog, however. He may not have been able to swim, but he had learned a few tricks to get around that weakness when necessary. It was just the kind of challenge he needed to keep his thoughts in check.
Sonic stared at the dark form for a few more moments, then gazed down the road. His eyes met a towering steel structure ahead, it's suspension cables streaming down to the bridge. The blue hedgehog grinned, an excited gleam forming in his eyes. "Perfect."
His legs pumped madly as he picked up speed. The wind whipped through his quills, and he relished the scent of the sea breeze. His concentration remained focused on gaining enough speed before reaching the cables. His feet hardly touched the ground as his velocity continued to increase. In a matter of seconds, he reached the suspension bridge.
Now the fun starts.
With a grace only he could maintain at such high speeds, Sonic leapt from the road onto the left suspension cable. He crouched as the metal plates in his shoes sparked against the cable. His momentum carried him up the steep incline until he reached the top. He sprung off the cable, landing on top of the tall support tower. He stood there for a moment and gazed at the dark island once again. He grinned as he knelt, one hand on the metal surface beneath him. "Now THIS is the fun part."
Sonic curled into a ball and started spinning violently. His quills tore through the air, creating a whirring noise that might have been mistaken for a charging energy weapon. When the sound reached its peak, he released the spindash. The blue sphere shot off the tower like a bullet, soaring over the water. When he started to fall, Sonic uncurled and began "running" midair. His feet became a red blur as he fell at an angle toward the water's surface. When his feet touched the water, he rocketed across it, shooting up a spray of seawater behind him.
Sonic laughed like a playful child as the spray coated his fur. For at least a short while, the past was in the past, and he was happy again. He continued on to the island, and even chanced a few stunts off some of the waves as he neared the coast. At last, he skidded to a halt on the sandy beach. He looked around at the trees and other vegetation of Green Hill. He was home. Home! The word never felt so good. This was his home. His paradise. His refuge.
He threw himself down on the sand and lay on his back. The sand was still slightly warm from the heat it had absorbed during the day. He smiled and closed his eyes, folding his arms behind his head. He listened to the waves breaking on the shore, the familiar sound relaxing him even more. He'd always been fond of the sea, his reasoning being "it's cool and blue, like me." At least, that's what he told others. The truth was that he didn't really know why he loved the ocean. The fact that he couldn't swim made it more puzzling, but he still never gave it much thought. He simply rationalized that growing up on an island had instilled the affection in him.
Regardless of the reason, the sound of the churning water temporarily washed away the burdens that had been weighing him down. He opened his eyes and gazed up at the night sky.
His body tensed and he drew in a sharp breath. Looming ominously above him was the milky white moon, marred by a blood red crater.
Sonic suddenly felt cold. He shivered as he stared up at the frightful image. His momentarily clear mind was again being threatened with painful memories. Breaking his stare from the wounded moon, he stood up and rubbed his cold arms. Realizing he was still wet, he decided that having a good run might dry him off and warm him up.
The blue speed demon dashed around Green Hill, running through the obstacle course he and Tails had set up years ago. Such mild exertion for him was hardly enough to break a sweat, however, and he was still cold. But in a way, that was a good thing– it kept his mind preoccupied with finding a way to push himself harder.
Sonic was caught off guard when something metallic shot out of a nearby tree, heading straight for him. He barely dodged out of the way in time as the stinger of a Buzzbomber plunged into the ground where he was once standing.
"What's that doing here?" Sonic watched the badnik as it tried to loose its stinger from the ground. After his initial surprise, he soon remembered that these were a part of the obstacle course. He sighed. "We must've left them running before we left. Well this will make things more interesting..."
The robot finally freed itself and attempted another strike. But this time Sonic was ready. He leapt into the air, curling into a spinning ball of quills, and came down upon the badnik. His spines ripped through the mechanical insect, creating a small explosion of metal parts. The blue hedgehog landed unscathed, smoldering robot parts raining down around him.
Sonic smirked as he looked down at the Buzzbomber's remains. "Too easy." He lightly kicked the head. "Piece 'a cake."
The wind suddenly picked up, whispering through the surrounding trees.
You…!
Sonic jumped and looked around, startled. "Who's there? Show yourself!" His eyes flitted around nervously, seeing only the leaves swaying in the breeze. After a few moments he relaxed and shook his head. "Get a hold of yourself, Sonic. It was just the wind…" Regaining his composure, he turned back around to face the mutilated robot. His body tensed when his gaze fell upon its head.
It was staring straight at him, the broken moon reflected in its dead eyes.
Sonic gasped and stepped back. The reflection of the crimson crater in the badnik's eyes bore through him like a pair of hot coals. Cruel irony tore into his soul.
A chill ran through his body once again. He turned away from the haunting sight and started to jog off. Heart racing and adrenaline pumping, he gradually picked up speed, twisting and turning through the Zone, trying to shake off the cold. His fur had already dried, but the coldness remained. He ran faster.
A Crabmeat attempted another assault on the hedgehog, but his edginess caused him to respond quicker and with more ferocity. The wind howled.
You…!
Sonic continued to run, breaking into a cold sweat as more robots attacked. He destroyed them one by one, attempting to defy the unsettling whispers of the wind.
"I'll never look back…" Sonic panted as he ran. "I've got no regrets…"
Lies!
Sonic skidded to a halt and clenched his fists. "Shut up!" He clasped his hands to his head. "Leave me alone…" He fought back tears, his own thoughts tormenting him. He looked up and noticed that he was back at the beach.
And there was the desecrated moon.
It was too much for him. He fell to his knees, releasing the tears he had held back for what seemed like eternity. "It was my fault… Shadow…" The young hedgehog trembled. "I'm sorry… I failed…" His voice lowered to a whimper. "I failed…"
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The white bat trudged into her apartment, softly closing the door behind her. She leaned against it, sighing tiredly. "It's been a long week…"
After a moment, Rouge strode into her room and tossed a small sack onto her desk. She flopped onto her bed and sighed once more. "These government jobs are too tiring… after this one's over, I'm going back to jewel-hunting." Rouge smiled at this thought. There was one particular jewel she had her eye on…
Then she remembered the President's orders. Her job wasn't finished until she completed her report. The bat moaned as she sat up. "Guess jewel-hunting will have to wait."
She stood and walked over to her desk, sitting down in front of her laptop. She flipped the small computer open and grabbed her bag, emptying its contents. A disk and some small jewels spilled out, along with a shiny gold object. Rouge's wings drooped as she picked up the bracelet. "Shadow…" She clenched the ring and shut her eyes. "Foolish hedgehog… throwing away your life like that… and for what? A world that will only hate you…"
She opened her eyes and thought back on the last words she had exchanged with him. She had accused him of being a fake. She made him doubt his own identity. And now she wished that she could take back those words.
"Oh Shadow... I'm so sorry…" Tears began to slip down her cheeks. "Ultimate Lifeform or not, you proved that you're a true hero. Maria would have been proud of you..." She wiped her eyes and straightened up. "And I'll make sure that the rest of the world is too." She put down the bracelet and picked up the disk, inserting into the laptop. With renewed motivation, she typed furiously at the computer, determined to bring all aspects of "Project Shadow" to light.
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"Foiled. Again." The evil genius grumbled as he entered a room deep within his pyramid base. Yet another one of his plans for world domination had been ruined. Only this time, he couldn't blame that annoying blue hedgehog.
Eggman sat before a large computer console and folded his arms in thought. But he wasn't plotting new schemes or planning new machines-- rather, he was reminiscing. No, it hadn't been Sonic that mangled his most recent plan. It had been his own grandfather, Professor Gerald-- a man Eggman had always admired as a scientific genius. And he had used his grandson for his own vengeful purposes.
Certainly he hadn't intended nor anticipated using his descendant as a puppet; he had died before Eggman was even born. But it still changed the way Eggman viewed his grandfather entirely. Even after his death, he tried to destroy the world in a fit of vengeance. He had filled his life's works with that same vengeance. And in the end, it had destroyed them both.
Eggman planted his elbows on the console and rested his chin on his folded hands. He sighed roughly. "The fool. He let his own rage destroy his greatest creations." He closed his eyes behind his dark glasses. And what magnificent creations they were. The Biolizard was a truly powerful beast… and it was only a prototype for the Ultimate Life. Then there was Shadow… The doctor leaned back in his chair and twiddled his moustache. He was the culmination of all my grandfather's work. The Ultimate Lifeform, capable of defeating even the mighty Biolizard. And such a clever mind, too, tricking me into thinking that I was his master… He chuckled. "A hedgehog after my own heart. We made a good team, Shadow."
His face darkened. Gerald… what were you thinking? You sacrificed everything to preserve Shadow-- even your own granddaughter. And then wasted it all completely in such a senseless cause. He folded his arms and closed his eyes again.
"You fool."
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"See anything, Knuckles?"
"No," the echidna replied from the back of the plane. "The highway's completely empty."
The young fox sighed. Where could he have gone? The pair had quickly lost sight of Sonic, despite the speed of his small plane. They had searched the area for a few hours and were now scanning Route 280.
"Maybe we should call it a night, Tails," Knuckles called over the sound of the engine. "I don't think he wants to be found."
Tails furrowed his brow, thinking. He didn't want to give up, but maybe Knuckles was right. They had been searching for a while, and he was pretty tired… "Alright," the fox responded. "Let's just finish checking this road. Then we'll call it quits."
"Sure," Knuckles replied, scanning the area. After a few moments, a large shape to their left caught his eye. "Tails, is that an island?"
Tails glanced back at him, then followed his gaze. His eyes widened. "Of course! Why didn't I think of that?"
Knuckles cocked an eyebrow. "What is it?"
"That's South Island, Sonic's home!" Tails cried, his hope renewed. "I bet that's where he went. I don't know why I didn't think of it before!"
"Well then, let's go check it out."
Tails nodded, veering the Tornado toward the island.
The plane reached the island within a few minutes, Tails guiding it along the coastline. "We'll head for Green Hill first," he called over his shoulder. "That's where he'll most likely be."
Knuckles nodded, watching the white beach for any signs of the blue hedgehog. They arrived at Green Hill in no time, and Tails began to slow down the plane. Soon they spotted a small form lying on the beach. Tails again pressed a few buttons and reverted the plane back to walker form, slowly descending near the figure.
Knuckles jumped down before the Cyclone had fully landed and ran over to the creature lying on the ground. Tails panicked a bit, realizing that it was indeed Sonic curled up on the beach. As the walker touched down, the fox fumbled over the controls, quickly shutting the machine down. He leaped out of the mech and dashed over to them, Knuckles already kneeling beside the hedgehog.
"Knuckles, is he--?"
"He's fine, Tails," Knuckles quietly reassured him. "He's just sleeping. But you may want to get a blanket… he's shivering a bit."
Tails nodded. "There's a hut nearby. I'll see if I can find one." With that he whirled his two tails and flew off into the nearby woods. Knuckles looked down at Sonic again, checking him over. It was then that he noticed two wet streaks down his cheeks. The echidna's normally hard expression softened at the sight, realizing that the young hedgehog had been crying. He had never seen Sonic cry before, and he doubted many others had either. Poor guy… he's been through a lot the past few days…
Tails soon returned with three blankets and handed one of them to Knuckles. "I figured we should all get some sleep," he explained, covering Sonic with one of them.
"Good idea." Knuckles rose, noticing that Sonic was stirring. "Why don't you stay with Sonic for the night? I'm gonna go get some wood to make a fire."
Tails nodded. "Okay." He watched Knuckles for a few moments as he walked off, then sat down next to Sonic.
The hedgehog's eyes fluttered open. "Tails? Is that you?" he questioned, rubbing his eyes.
"Yeah, I'm here, Sonic."
Sonic sat up and yawned. "When'd you get here?"
"Just a few minutes ago. Knuckles is here too."
The blue hedgehog chuckled slightly. "Yeah, I guess you'd need a good hunter like him to track down Sonic the Hedgehog."
Tails smiled slightly at that, but then noticed the tear stains on his fur. "Sonic… are you okay?"
Sonic glanced at Tails and forced a smile. "I'm fine. Don't worry about me." But Tails continued to stare at him, ears drooping and worry etched on his face. Sonic saw the genuine concern in his eyes and sighed. "Heh, guess I can't fool you." He looked up at the sky thoughtfully. "No, I suppose I'm not all right."
Tails spoke softly and carefully. "It's about Shadow, isn't it?"
Sonic nodded slowly. "Yeah." He was quiet for a moment, then continued to speak. "We were so alike… and I think we could've been good friends, you know? Fighting alongside him… it felt like there was some link between us. But now…" Sonic lowered his head. "Now he's gone… and it's my fault."
Tails' eyes widened. "Sonic, you can't blame yourself--"
"Why not?" Sonic interrupted him. "He used up all his energy with that final Chaos Control… if I had put more energy into it, then he wouldn't have pushed himself so hard." Tears began to fill his eyes again. "If I had only been quicker, I could have saved him…" By now his tears were flowing freely.
Tails wrapped his arms around Sonic in a tight embrace, tears beginning to fill his eyes as well. "Sonic… it's okay. It wasn't your fault. Shadow chose to take that risk, and you did all you could."
Sonic returned the embrace, sobbing on his friend's shoulder. "Thanks, Tails," he said quietly. Having a friend to confide in lightened his burden, but his guilt was persistent. The thought that he should have fallen instead of Shadow kept gnawing at Sonic's mind. But that was one burden he didn't want to share with his young friend.
After a few minutes, Sonic pulled back and wiped his eyes with the back of his glove. "Look at me," he said, laughing a bit. "Crying like a baby. You must think I'm a total wuss now." He smirked at the fox.
Tails smiled back, his own face streaked with tears. He shook his head. "Not at all, Sonic."
Sonic smiled at his young companion. But it was a genuine smile this time. He ruffled Tails' hair. "Thanks, pal."
As if on cue, Knuckles returned just then with an armful of firewood. Sonic waved casually. "Hey, Knux."
Knuckles laid the wood down near them. "Nice to see you awake, Sonic," he replied with a smirk.
"Hey, when ya gotta sleep, ya gotta sleep." Sonic watched as Knuckles began to strike two stones together over the kindling foliage. "Starting a fire, eh? Now why didn't I think of that?"
Knuckles grinned. "Maybe it's because you couldn't start a fire without a match if your life depended on it."
Sonic folded his arms in mock indignity. "Sorry, I'm not a Boy Scout."
"Obviously," Knuckles replied with a light chuckle. The brush finally ignited, and Knuckles gently blew on the flame to spread it.
"Thanks, Knux!" Tails said, warming his hands against the growing fire.
"Yeah, what would we do without ya, Knux?" Sonic added, warming his hands as well.
Knuckles smirked again. "Knowing you, you'd probably burn the whole island down trying to start your own fire."
"Ha ha, very funny," Sonic replied dryly. "Well if you're just gonna insult me, I'm going back to sleep."
Knuckles laughed. "Suits me just fine."
Sonic yawned. "Fine then. I'm beat anyway." He laid back down and pulled the blanket up over him. "Wish I could just sleep forever…" He sighed. "'Night, guys."
"Good night, Sonic," Tails replied, watching him for a few moments.
"You look tired yourself, Tails. Why don't you get some sleep?"
Tails turned his head toward Knuckles. "Yeah, I guess I should." He got under his own blanket. "Oh wait…" he said, sitting up. "I should hide the Cyclone. Wouldn't want anyone to steal it…" He started to get up, but Knuckles waved him down.
"Nah, you get some sleep." The echidna stood up. "I'll keep an eye on it."
Tails rubbed his tired eyes. "You sure, Knux?"
"Yeah," Knuckles replied, grabbing his blanket. "I'll just go sleep in the cockpit." He grinned. "Then anyone who tries to take it will have to deal with me too."
Tails smiled. "Thanks, Knux." He got back under the covers and closed his eyes. "Good night."
"Good night, Tails."
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Morning found the three heroes still sleeping soundly on the beach. Sonic and Tails were sprawled out on the sand, while Knuckles lay rather awkwardly in the Cyclone's cockpit. With one leg over the control panel, another hanging over the side of the mech, and his head resting against the back of the seat, it was a wonder that he could sleep at all. Yet sleep he did, snoring lightly.
A beeping from the control panel stirred the echidna slightly, causing his brow to furrow in annoyance. As the beeping continued, he squirmed uncomfortably, kicking a button on the control panel in the process. The beeping ceased, abruptly replaced with a loud radio transmission. Knuckles jumped and yelped in surprise at the sudden noise, tumbling out of the walker and hitting the ground with a thud.
Knuckles' cry also awakened Sonic and Tails, who both sat up groggily.
"Wha…" Sonic blinked a few times as he looked at the eastern sky. "Aw man," he moaned. "The sun's barely up! Wake me up when it's noon." He fell back on the ground and covered his eyes with his arms.
Tails, however, was a bit more attentive and turned toward the Cyclone. "Knuckles, are you okay?"
Knuckles was just picking himself up off the ground, rubbing his head. "Yeah," he grumbled. "This darn radio just woke me up, that's all."
Tails' ears perked, noticing the transmission. He quickly ran over to the machine and hopped into its cockpit. He fiddled with the controls a bit, intently listening to the voices projected from the radio.
Knuckles leaned over the side, yawning. "What is that, anyway?"
"I'd forgotten that I still had this thing set to notify me of important G.U.N. radio transmissions," Tails replied, vaguely noticing that one of Sonic's ears twitched in their direction. He grinned a bit. "Basically, we're listening to confidential military information."
Knuckles laughed. "Well, let's hear what they have to say, then."
As the two listened to the military conversations, Sonic sat up again, giving up on sleep. Instead he stood and stretched his legs, then gazed out toward the ocean. He noticed several jets and helicopters in the distance, all heading northward. Hm… military aircraft…?
"Sonic, come quick!" Tails' voice interrupted his ponderings.
Sonic jogged over to the Cyclone, noting Tails' wide-eyed expression. "What's up, little buddy?"
"I think you should listen to this, Sonic."
The blue hedgehog obediently listened, expecting it to be some report of another one of Eggman's crimes. However, after listening for a few moments, he soon realized that this was not the case.
"The impact was detected at 1800 hours off the coast of Station Square. Proceed to the transmitted coordinates and investigate with extreme caution. If the lifeform is located, apprehend it and bring it back alive."
"Copy that. Proceeding to coordinates."
Sonic just stared at the console for a few moments, eyes widened slightly. He looked back up at the sky toward the jets, which were now nearly out of sight on the northern horizon.
Tails in the meantime was again pressing buttons, monitoring a small screen in front of him. "Sonic, my emerald radar is detecting a Chaos Emerald off the coast of Station Square…"
The hedgehog's head turned sharply toward him at that statement. "We have to go check it out."
Tails and Knuckles exchanged glances before Knuckles spoke up. "Sonic… you realize that it may have just been the Emerald's impact that they detected, right? They all scattered after your battle--"
"But they said 'lifeform'!" Sonic protested. "If the military has enough reason to think that… that Shadow might be alive… then we should at least check it out ourselves! He deserves that much…"
Knuckles opened his mouth to speak again but was interrupted by Tails. "You're right, Sonic." Knuckles shot him a somewhat surprised look, but the young fox continued. "We shouldn't give up when there's still hope."
Sonic grinned, looking happier than Tails had seen him in a while. "Alright! Thanks pal!" He again ruffled Tails' fur. "Let's move it!"
Tails nodded and ordered the two to stand back as he converted the walker into flight mode yet again. He glanced at Knuckles, who smiled back at him and nodded slightly. Sonic hopped on the back of the plane and also looked down at the echidna.
"Coming, Knux?"
Knuckles shrugged, looking off toward the north. "Well, Angel Island fell north of here… maybe I'll take the Master Emerald back there first, then meet you guys at Station Square."
"Okay," Tails replied. "Need a lift?"
"Sounds good. I could go for a free ride." He grinned as he joined Sonic on the back of plane. "Gliding long distances wasn't my idea of an early-morning activity, anyway."
"Alright!" Sonic exclaimed. "Let's get goin', Tails!"
Tails set the plane into motion, navigating it down the length of the beach. It gradually gained speed, using the beach as a makeshift runway. Within a few minutes they were airborne, flying toward the northern horizon.
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A/N: Whee, ish fun playing with char's heads! Teehee! But there's prolly a few screw-ups. The Rouge segment was kinda cheesy, I admit. And I have no clue how to mimic military radio transmissions, so I just made up stuff that sounded cool. ^_^; Stuff like the locations of Angel Island and Station Square were made up too, because I'm the author and I can do spiffy stuff like that! *evil giggle*
Sonic: o.o;; Help…
Me: There, there, Sonikku. I won't do anything too evil to you… oh wait, yes I will… o.o;; Ewps…
Knuckles: Geez, just spoil the story, why don't ya?
Me: Ehm… you ppl heard nothing! o.o; Um… um… go look at my piccy! (http://www.side7.com/cgi-bin/S7SDB/DisplayImg.pl?INO=183047) It deals with this chapter… yesh. o.o And, um… the next chapter will have more plot than this one, I promise!
Oh, and check out my other fic, "Chaos Uncontrolled"! Ish craaaaazy, man! XP
Once again, please review! Love it? Hate it? TELL ME! (gets those sad puppy-dog eyes) Pweeeeaaase?
