UNTITLED - sequel
Amy stirred in her sleep, stretched slightly and rolled over, getting comfortable again.
She slept fitfully most nights since Dr. Bowen and the nano tech that had ravaged Tails and herself, but tonight she was sleeping well. Her dreams so far had been quiet, mostly memories of a happier time before Robotnik had turned up.
She frowned in her sleep as the dreams began to change.
Soon she was no longer dreaming of the past, but was once again walking through mist, a dream she had not had for a long while. She recognised the feelings the engulfed her, but no longer physically reacted to them.
She looked to her left and saw a strange, huge form, wrapped tightly in a torn and ragged cloak. Walking as if its body was no longer under its own control, the mists swirling about it, seething.
She looked up and an image floated above her in the mist. Tails and Tekno, flying as fast as they could together, both looking the worst for wear. She glanced to her right and saw Sonic, dear Sonic, screaming for help but expecting none.
She moved towards the image, but found herself walking through it and looking at another image, worse than the last. She saw herself cradling Sonics' limp body to herself, tears streaking down her face.
Feeling something akin to sadness from her right, she turned and saw a dark form in the mist. At first she thought it to be Sonic, but things were different, too different to be the one she had known for so long.
It beckoned to her, a glint of gold showing at the wrist, and she moved forward, the mists swirling around her.
A few steps closer and she began to feel fear emanating from the figure calling to her, but every step she took, it receded, she was loosing it, so she ran.
With a cry of anguish, she bumped into it and looked up into deep red eyes, full of fear and sadness.
She cried out and awoke.
She lay, staring at the wall across from her, trying to catch her breath, her heart racing. She must have screamed aloud as well as in her sleep as her throat ached slightly in that familiar way it always did after screaming.
She sat up and looked around, running a hand over her quills, the attempt to settle them giving away the feelings of unease stirring within her.
"Bowen's back." She whispered to the darkness.
* * * *
The large figure swathed head to foot in a grubby, torn and patched cloak moved a few more steps nearer, looking cautiously around; making sure no one was around. Though he would have been surprised if anyone had been, for no living creature came this far anymore, knowing that if they did, they were sure never to return.
What the hell he was doing here, he wasn't entirely sure, he just seemed drawn to the place, as if his old self was willing him to start again, and this place held the key.
He snorted at himself, at the stupid thought of starting over.
But it wasn't such a strange thought, not really, in the past he had been great, people had respected him, as well as feared him, and over the past two and a half years he had missed that.
He had missed the way people spoke his name in fear, spitting over their shoulders and crossing themselves, being hushed by those around them.
Remembering those times always gave him a sullen feeling of regret in the pit of his stomach; making him wish he had never given up, never let himself fall into the trap of despair, letting that damn hedgehog get to him.
His instincts told him that if he kept going the way he was, he would end up dead, as the people believed him to be. His instincts told him he needed to stay alive, if only to prove that damn hedgehog wrong.
He took another step and lost his footing.
With an undignified yelp he slithered down the muddy slope, landing in a heap of muddy robes and scarlet rage near the base, catching against a tree.
For a moment he lay there, pissed off with himself and the very ground he lay upon, then he crawled to his knees, wiping mud out of his eyes, brushing dirt and stray strands of grass from his clothing.
"Hello Old Man."
He looked up, not recognising the voice, not realising in fact, that anyone had been near.
"You, Old Man, are supposed to be dead. But no matter. Now that you are here, I suppose we must find out why. Get up."
He did, staring at the mouse standing before him, arms crossed, a look of simple curiosity on his face. Something glinted at his chest, something green and impossibly bright.
As he rose to his feet, wrapping the patched and torn cloak about him, the mouse looked up at him for a moment then turned and started walking further down the slope. "Follow me."
He found it was a command his body could not disobey, he walked after the mouse without even knowing why, it seemed there was another voice in his head, taking total control. He tried to resist for a moment, his will being quite strong in the old days, but it served only to give him a headache he rather wished he didn't have.
The two figures, one large, one small, disappeared a moment later into the mists at the very base of the hill.
* * * *
"Any luck finding them yet?"
Tails leant back in his office chair, watching Teknos face on the screen in front of him. She and Porker were still in hiding, and as far as he could tell, they wouldn't be returning any time soon, it seemed Porker was damaged beyond any outside help by his encounter with Bowen.
Tekno shook her head, "No, we've had little to no success in trying to infiltrate that zone. I'm guessing Bowen is using the emerald shards to create some form of static around the entire place."
Tails nodded, not surprised. "All my cameras can get from the area - before they disengage anyway - is a thick white mist. I get that from any angle I try"
"Porker thinks the mist may be infused with Chaos energy - though exactly how, he's still working on."
Tails nodded again. "Keep up the work then, and I'll ring again soon. Say hi to Porker for me."
Tekno smiled and nodded, "See you then." The screen went dead.
Tails at for a moment, worrying slightly about what it all meant, then stood up, deciding he needed to talk to someone.
He thought maybe sonic, but every time anyone mentioned Bowen to him, he seemed to close down and not pay attention, and within minutes he always came up with an excuse to get out of the area.
For a whole six months now, he'd been in denial over the whole situation.
Amy then? He shook his head, there was no need to worry her any more over the Bowen thing, she was already pent up about it all, she'd started having prophetic dreams again, the latest one had been bad as far as he could tell, she had woken up screaming - which had woken him up, as he lived in the next room.
Knuckles certainly wouldn't want to talk about it, he was just so morose these days, spending nearly every hour in the makeshift emerald chamber, with what remained of them. He had them all in cold storage these days, but the Master Emerald, it still had two bits missing, so he was constantly in a bad mood.
All that left then was Rouge, and she was slightly unnerving.
He reached her door and knocked on it.
Amy stirred in her sleep, stretched slightly and rolled over, getting comfortable again.
She slept fitfully most nights since Dr. Bowen and the nano tech that had ravaged Tails and herself, but tonight she was sleeping well. Her dreams so far had been quiet, mostly memories of a happier time before Robotnik had turned up.
She frowned in her sleep as the dreams began to change.
Soon she was no longer dreaming of the past, but was once again walking through mist, a dream she had not had for a long while. She recognised the feelings the engulfed her, but no longer physically reacted to them.
She looked to her left and saw a strange, huge form, wrapped tightly in a torn and ragged cloak. Walking as if its body was no longer under its own control, the mists swirling about it, seething.
She looked up and an image floated above her in the mist. Tails and Tekno, flying as fast as they could together, both looking the worst for wear. She glanced to her right and saw Sonic, dear Sonic, screaming for help but expecting none.
She moved towards the image, but found herself walking through it and looking at another image, worse than the last. She saw herself cradling Sonics' limp body to herself, tears streaking down her face.
Feeling something akin to sadness from her right, she turned and saw a dark form in the mist. At first she thought it to be Sonic, but things were different, too different to be the one she had known for so long.
It beckoned to her, a glint of gold showing at the wrist, and she moved forward, the mists swirling around her.
A few steps closer and she began to feel fear emanating from the figure calling to her, but every step she took, it receded, she was loosing it, so she ran.
With a cry of anguish, she bumped into it and looked up into deep red eyes, full of fear and sadness.
She cried out and awoke.
She lay, staring at the wall across from her, trying to catch her breath, her heart racing. She must have screamed aloud as well as in her sleep as her throat ached slightly in that familiar way it always did after screaming.
She sat up and looked around, running a hand over her quills, the attempt to settle them giving away the feelings of unease stirring within her.
"Bowen's back." She whispered to the darkness.
* * * *
The large figure swathed head to foot in a grubby, torn and patched cloak moved a few more steps nearer, looking cautiously around; making sure no one was around. Though he would have been surprised if anyone had been, for no living creature came this far anymore, knowing that if they did, they were sure never to return.
What the hell he was doing here, he wasn't entirely sure, he just seemed drawn to the place, as if his old self was willing him to start again, and this place held the key.
He snorted at himself, at the stupid thought of starting over.
But it wasn't such a strange thought, not really, in the past he had been great, people had respected him, as well as feared him, and over the past two and a half years he had missed that.
He had missed the way people spoke his name in fear, spitting over their shoulders and crossing themselves, being hushed by those around them.
Remembering those times always gave him a sullen feeling of regret in the pit of his stomach; making him wish he had never given up, never let himself fall into the trap of despair, letting that damn hedgehog get to him.
His instincts told him that if he kept going the way he was, he would end up dead, as the people believed him to be. His instincts told him he needed to stay alive, if only to prove that damn hedgehog wrong.
He took another step and lost his footing.
With an undignified yelp he slithered down the muddy slope, landing in a heap of muddy robes and scarlet rage near the base, catching against a tree.
For a moment he lay there, pissed off with himself and the very ground he lay upon, then he crawled to his knees, wiping mud out of his eyes, brushing dirt and stray strands of grass from his clothing.
"Hello Old Man."
He looked up, not recognising the voice, not realising in fact, that anyone had been near.
"You, Old Man, are supposed to be dead. But no matter. Now that you are here, I suppose we must find out why. Get up."
He did, staring at the mouse standing before him, arms crossed, a look of simple curiosity on his face. Something glinted at his chest, something green and impossibly bright.
As he rose to his feet, wrapping the patched and torn cloak about him, the mouse looked up at him for a moment then turned and started walking further down the slope. "Follow me."
He found it was a command his body could not disobey, he walked after the mouse without even knowing why, it seemed there was another voice in his head, taking total control. He tried to resist for a moment, his will being quite strong in the old days, but it served only to give him a headache he rather wished he didn't have.
The two figures, one large, one small, disappeared a moment later into the mists at the very base of the hill.
* * * *
"Any luck finding them yet?"
Tails leant back in his office chair, watching Teknos face on the screen in front of him. She and Porker were still in hiding, and as far as he could tell, they wouldn't be returning any time soon, it seemed Porker was damaged beyond any outside help by his encounter with Bowen.
Tekno shook her head, "No, we've had little to no success in trying to infiltrate that zone. I'm guessing Bowen is using the emerald shards to create some form of static around the entire place."
Tails nodded, not surprised. "All my cameras can get from the area - before they disengage anyway - is a thick white mist. I get that from any angle I try"
"Porker thinks the mist may be infused with Chaos energy - though exactly how, he's still working on."
Tails nodded again. "Keep up the work then, and I'll ring again soon. Say hi to Porker for me."
Tekno smiled and nodded, "See you then." The screen went dead.
Tails at for a moment, worrying slightly about what it all meant, then stood up, deciding he needed to talk to someone.
He thought maybe sonic, but every time anyone mentioned Bowen to him, he seemed to close down and not pay attention, and within minutes he always came up with an excuse to get out of the area.
For a whole six months now, he'd been in denial over the whole situation.
Amy then? He shook his head, there was no need to worry her any more over the Bowen thing, she was already pent up about it all, she'd started having prophetic dreams again, the latest one had been bad as far as he could tell, she had woken up screaming - which had woken him up, as he lived in the next room.
Knuckles certainly wouldn't want to talk about it, he was just so morose these days, spending nearly every hour in the makeshift emerald chamber, with what remained of them. He had them all in cold storage these days, but the Master Emerald, it still had two bits missing, so he was constantly in a bad mood.
All that left then was Rouge, and she was slightly unnerving.
He reached her door and knocked on it.
