Sonic Adventure 2
This is an alternate version of Sonic Adventure 2, which I did as a writing
exercise. The plot differs extremely from the established storyline, but it
did for the STC Sonic Adventure as well (I haven't played the game, so the
characters may not all be in character.) Most characters are © Sega.
Part 1:Chaos and Shadow
Alarms shouted ruthlessly through the night, smashing the silence like a vase. Their crimson scowl struck down the glow from the floodlights. The barbed wire fence and the steel stations of the G.U.N. compound flickered in and out of existence as the search beams found and lost them. Robots stirred rapidly from their posts, the illumination attacking the gun blue of their metallic bodies, sparkling along the pistons and cylinders of the guards. Gunfire burst fourth in red blazing shells.
Sonic the Hedgehog ran for his life through the deadly disco, ducking and rolling in a commotion of cobalt blue spines. A Guardbot slotted into his path, raising its weapon. Sonic curled up into a ball, his momentum turning the action into a decapitating razor ball. Sonic cannoned through the android's head, his speed pulling him to his feet as he hit the ground. He swiftly rolled again, four cackling energy bolts wheeling over his head, shattering the agitated darkness.
He glanced around to see the gate. The exit was sentried by two gun turrets, each squat metal mushroom aiming harsh double barrels at him. Four more shots came, but Sonic leaped over them, charging the gateway, evading the shells easily.
The escape loomed closer, and solid metagel blast doors slammed shut across it. Sonic cursed and skidded across the gravel, neatly pivoting through 180 degrees before falling to a break fall as lasers crisscrossed above his head.
"Halt, intruder," intoned a hulking Guard, its rifle aimed unerringly at the hedgehog's skull. "One move and you die."
"You wish, dustbin." The rough ground evaporated as Sonic sprang up, grabbing the robot's arm. He rapidly vaulted into the night air, coiling into a ball to bounce harmlessly off the gun turret bordering the fence. The machine burst into electrical flame as the blue hedgehog fell to freedom.
Then he was away, through the pavements and streetlights of Metropolis City, leaving the deafening turmoil storming behind him.
A dark shape crouched in an alley, listening to the bedlam in the compound. Windows snapped alight along the streets, as bewildered Mobians gazed blearily out, wondering what on Mobius all the noise was about. Little chao could be heard screaming in fright throughout the city. Shadow retreated further into the safety of the shade. He clutched his stolen prize behind his back, hoping that its glow wouldn't give him away. From here he could see G.U.N.'s forces clambering out of the base, helicopters and trooper transports bulleting into the main city like invading insects. Arrogant scum, thought the hedgehog. Waking the town up at mid night without even an apology. He'd show them. He'd ruin their lives like they'd ruined his.
He could see the scalding red of laser blasts now. They'd obviously found someone to pick on, being too worthless to catch him. He jumped up on to a windowsill, and saw a bus stop erupt in flames roughly four streets away. He stared, and then rubbed his eyes. He looked again and saw nothing. Weird. He was sure he had seen, just as the tiny building collapsed, himself hurdling out of the blaze. He blinked again, the distant fire burning in his ruby eyes. His vision must be going.
He examined his theft. The Chaos Emerald burned with its own azure light, casting living shadows that danced off the derelict houses, blue light glistening in the windows. With this he'd show G.U.N., and the rest of them. This would bring him his revenge.
Sonic sliced his way through the nearest robot, ash and cinders showering off his blackened spines. The buzzing heat reddened his skin, and when he gasped, he puffed out smoke. He rubbed his seething back, where a block of roof had grazed him. It was stabbingly painful.
The wreckage would have been the perfect opportunity to escape, but no one shot at Sonic the Hedgehog. Sonic pounded into another spin attack, slicing through two more troopers before landing in a crouch. He aimed carefully, then spun through the main engine of the transport, just to early to be fried by the android at the front of the craft. The engine cracked, electricity cascading and overloading the contraption. Sonic held his breath.but the engine failed to explode, only melting and setting alight.
"Cease resistance, outlaw. Escape is impossible." The monotone voice crushed Sonic's brain. The other Mobians, surveying from their windows, all covered their ears.
"Whose gonna catch me? You?" and Sonic sprinted down the road. He skilfully swung around a post box and into another lane, leaving the cumbersome G.U.N. robots way behind. It only took three more roads to lose the helicopters.
Laughing with triumph, Sonic slid through 90 degrees into a victory jump, landing in a deserted street.
And saw himself standing there.
The sallow sand dissolved into wide, deep green leaves. The dusty wind flowed into them, tiny grains of dust showering onto the plants. Finally, no more desert.
Rouge the Bat jiggled the sand off her fur, and ran to the cool protection of the swampy trees growing further back. The heat hissed off her, fresh wetness leaking into her white coat. Her throat felt like very old sandpaper. The ground became sodden, and she could hear running water. She found a small stream, jetting out perfect, clean water from an array of firm rocks. It splashed away into the damp brown soil, seeping out of sight. She took a long drink from the fountain, ice water smashing the rough dryness in her mouth.
She stood up, feeling revived. Then she continued her search.
She walked out of the swamp carrying four large chunks of her lost jewel, plus a purple Chaos Emerald. Reclusive magpies always bring good luck. She looked at her treasure. The splintered gems were all a dull green, not a spark of their former electric life. The Chaos Emerald, however, shone with energy, bright amethyst sparks dancing in slow motion, then fading to a bottomless indigo background.
Like Knuckles' eyes. She clenched the emerald angrily. If it weren't for that echidna, she would not be holding mere fragments of her gem. The Master Emerald would be just as alive as her Chaos one.
And Robotnik would own it. Rouge absently rubbed the side of her head, where the force field had hit. She remembered the warlord's gloating face, and Knuckles, pushing his way through the shield.
She shivered at the thought of the pain he should have felt. Then she heaved herself back to the present.
The Chaos Emerald found a neglected memory in her head.
Time to continue with her mission.
The last of the blue and silver androids collapsed, leaking spare parts all over the floor. Robotnik stopped, but no alarms sounded. This time he'd done his job properly.
He brought up Shadow's instructions on his new computer. If the hedgehog was right, it would be just. here. The prison wall looked no different from the other three; drab grey slabs, devoid of imagination and eroded by graffiti. His fat finger flattened a button, flab jiggling under his white gloves. The main guns slotted out with a click. Robotnik aimed carefully.
A word caught his eye. Carved into the stone were some faded letters. They were almost invisible, under the dust and more modern doodles.
P o e t S ad w
Robotnik stopped. Which poet was sad, and why? And why on Mobius did the scrawl seem so important? Robotnik checked the rest of the wall. There were thousands of scribblings in the brick, mostly dates and poems, most of which were very sad, and badly written. They were all about revenge, escape or dreams. Which one was special?
A word in the familiar handwriting materialized in his peripheral vision, then another and another, like looking into an ants' nest. They were scattered, in no particular order. They were all ancient, and almost impossible to decipher.
Maria S ado cl p e C n on
Fo l G tr c ion
REVENGE
"Revenge" was hacked far into the stone, so was "Maria." Robotnik gave up trying to solve the problem. He had work to do. He saved a photo of the wall on his computer, then blew it apart.
With a white fire ball and a BANG, the bricks blackened, then melted away, cracks growing rapidly through the rest of the room. Rubble spread across the hard floor, and the thick smoke gradually cleared from the middle of the stone screen. In the centre of where the wall had been was a burnt case. It toppled slowly to the floor, and cracked open with a sharp crunch. Inside was a strange, branchlike metal device, a cylinder sprouting of many others of different lengths. Etched into the side was a set of buttons, each for some purpose Robotnik couldn't begin to understand. He extended a mechanical claw to pick it up.
Robotnik put it away worriedly. He couldn't comprehend Shadow's gadget, and the hedgehog had been very secretive about his plan. Robotnik didn't like not knowing what was going on. It gave Shadow a multitude of opportunities to betray or manipulate him. It gave him the advantage.
What did he want? He could have the world, why was he sharing it?
On his way out, Robotnik searched the records from the last thirty years. Shadow was not in them anywhere.
They were running, down a grey corridor, screaming crimson laser blasts overtaking them. The air was thick with chaos and death.
He grabbed his friend, pulling her through one of the doors. He punched the blue button, slamming the entrance shut. They stood in silence, breathing heavily, hoping to be ignored. The thunder drew level. and passed. Shadow sighed in relief.
"We're safe. You okay?" His friend swayed, holding a black leather chair for support. They were in a lab. Sinks and gas valves, clamp-stands and test tube holders distributed randomly, accompanied four long tables. Glass and coloured liquid carpeted the floor. The scientists had left quickly. Shadow wondered if they were secure or captive.
"I'm fine." gasped Maria. The human steadied herself, and scanned the room, shaking her jet-black hair from her eyes.
Shadow just stood still. The blue-white glow of the electric strip- lights played over his sable spikes, unable to illuminate anything. His spikes were jagged and uneven, and each one had a proud band of scarlet running from the tip. His blood-red eyes were focussed on his friend, worried.
A loud explosion behind the door brought them both violently alert. A coarse voice demanded: "Open the door! We know you're in there! You can't fight us!" Two rough cracks cobwebbed across their barrier to empathise the point.
Shadow's heart thumped, his whole body giddy. He knew he could take care of himself, but he doubted even he could protect his friend. He could try; the men at G.U.N. only wanted him, maybe they would ignore her.
"Surrender the mutant and you will not be harmed."
"No way!" Maria yelled back. The door sustained two more hits, then shattered.
Shadow shoved Maria out of the way as red destruction hacked away the wall behind him. Robots lumbered through the smashed entrance, with uniformed humans watching behind them. They all wore the same emblem: the cobalt G.U.N. Military sign.
The androids clicked as they focussed on him, then opened fire. But Shadow had gone by then.
"Maria, hide!" he shouted, as he launched himself at the lead robot. He curled up into a ball of spikes, and flung robot guts all over the floor. He rose quickly, and with a rapid punch brought a human to the ground. The commando gasped, out of breath.
"Activate Sigma Gun!" Shadow turned, and a green light flamed into his chest. He felt no pain, but a terrible sensation of weariness. He fell, watching his energy crackle up the beam. He rolled, out of the ray's reach. He steadied himself and, limbs collapsing with tiredness smashed the gun in a ball of spines.
Shadow felt his head clearing, his legs and arms reviving with energy. He destroyed another android before the humans tried their next plan.
"Kill the other one." Shadow spun, in time to see a workbench next to Maria disintegrate into fire. He flew into action, powered by desperation. He couldn't get them out of here, he hadn't the energy. But he could try to protect his friend.
He threw up a chair, blocking the next shot. He stopped another three, then he and Maria seized the table. They pushed it on its side, creating a barricade. "Get behind!" he bellowed, over the noise of the attackers.
He heard a shot. Turned around.
Saw the fiery bolt catch Maria in the chest, her body thrown backwards in a crimson haze.
The robots turned to him. Shadow wasted no time. He pulled one's head off with his bare hands and hurled it with all his power. It caused a sonic boom as it hurtled into the rest, the sheer force of its speed smashing them all down.
Shadow ran to Maria, urgently trying to heal her. He knew it was no good.
Maria opened her sapphire eyes, talking with difficulty. Blood spilled around her, eating up the silver floor.
"Shadow." she gasped, "Shadow." He stared at her, helplessly. There was nothing he could do.
"Maria." he whispered, "they killed you."
Her voice grew fainter. "Shadow. please, look after grandpa. Don't let them get him, too. And." She struggled, her final words a murmur. "If you survive.do your best.see that..the world has."
Her voice faded out to a sigh, but Shadow heard the last word, echoing in his head over and over again.
"REVENGE!"
The G.U.N. robots had struggled back upright. Shadow raised his head, rage simmering in his eyes. He obliterated the barricade and set upon the killers. Human and robot smashed like glass.
A flurry of action stirred Shadow from his dream. He looked around, as another hedgehog blasted into the alley.
Shadow and the stranger sized each other up. The emeralds blaze gave an unstable, flame-like light.
The hedgehog looked just like him, with long spines and a light, powerful body. The new arrival's spikes, however, were blue, and neatly aligned, and his eyes twinkled emerald green in the darkness. He glared at Shadow, then at the Chaos Emerald.
"Who the heck.? Hey, the Emerald! You were the one G.U.N. were after!"
Shadow dropped off his windowsill, landing smartly on the ground. "G.U.N. are fools, like the rest of you."
The hedgehog raised his fists. "Watch your mouth, pal. No one calls Sonic the Hedgehog a fool."
Shadow sneered. "What are you going to do about it?"
Sonic snarled. "Firstly I'm gonna get that Emerald, then I'm gonna bash your stupid face in if you don't watch out!"
"Come on, then." Sonic charged, becoming a blur of speeding spikes. Shadow's eyes widened in surprise, Sonic was almost as fast as him. He dodged just in time, letting Sonic race off down the street. "Very good."
Sonic turned. "Ooh, fast one, eh? Dodge this!" He stormed toward Shadow with a cry of "Spin Attack!"
Shadow decided not to avoid this one. He closed his eyes, letting a familiar energy seep into him. He focussed carefully; he hadn't done this for a long time.
With a crackle of green power and a yell of "Chaos Control!", Shadow was suddenly standing the other side of Sonic. The hedgehog screeched to a halt, turned round in surprise. Shadow nearly let a grin split his face. He'd still got it, after all those years.
"How did you do that?" the blue hedgehog demanded.
"You can't beat me, hedgehog. I am the ultimate fighter." Shadow spoke with certainty. It was not a boast, but a fact.
"And I'm Sonic, the fastest thing alive!" His attacker tackled him again. Shadow Chaos-warped around him, and re-appeared to be smashed over. The hedgehog had anticipated his move, and now stood grinning, smugly.
Shadow quickly reassessed the character. He was not as stupid as he seemed. But Shadow was in no mood for constantly evading. Time to strike back.
Shadow struck, firing himself into his own Spin Attack, catching Sonic full in the face. He rolled backwards, softening the blow, and stood up, angry. "Nice move, fake."
Anger flared inside Shadow too, but he crushed it. This wannabe calling him a fake?
"My name's Shadow, pal. I'll show you who's the fake." Before his attack, white searchlights stabbed into the alley, dissecting the darkness. Shadow covered his face, retreating to the shadows at the back of the alley. The G.U.N. fools missed him completely.
"You, Sonic the Hedgehog. We have you cornered. Come out with the emerald." Shadow gripped his capture triumphantly.
"Have fun." He hissed to Sonic, and vanished.
Knuckles plodded through the wasteland, lost in thought. The heat of the day rolled into him in inexorable waves. The sunset dyed the rocky ground in orange-pink light, daylight staining the sky golden in its final appearance. The rocks ahead grew steadily more mountainous, rising up like giants on the horizon. Bat-like chao rustled in the darkening world.
Terrific. More bats. Knuckles shuffled his backpack to a more comfortable position; the sharp edges of the emerald shards he'd found still cutting into his back. He wondered how Rouge was doing.
Knuckles clambered onto a steep plateau, and looked around.
He was in a graveyard. Ancient graves watched him, standing straight and tall, like stone pencils. Boulder like rings or spires decorated them, and all of the larger ones carried looming pumpkin heads, with evil eyes and cackling mouths cut out like Hallowe'en. The sun's dying light shone through the carved face, making the eyes flicker ominously.
There was an emerald in here, he could sense it. Knuckles stopped. How could he sense it? He'd never had this feeling before, but he could feel it. The emerald's energy hummed inside his head, pointing him to the cemetery.
He walked up to two wrought iron gates, what looked like the only way in. A spiked fence, made by whatever creatures had created the site, enclosed the graveyard. Carved into the top of the gateway were a string of blocky runes. They were familiar.
Knuckles deciphered them letter by letter.
Pumpkin Hill
Portal to the Spirits
Knuckles pushed the gate. There was no lock.
It swung open, disturbingly silent. No spooky creak, even though the iron had rusted for centuries. Knuckles began to feel a bit unnerved. There was something unnatural about this place.
He tiptoed quietly passed several graves, afraid to break a silence that had remained undisturbed for so long. The stillness crushed into him.
He turned, slowly, and crept along a line of tombs to find the emerald. He found one half buried, by a grave, and another in one of the spiky, pre-historic plants that sprouted here and there. He put them both carefully into his brown rucksack and squinted in the darkness. There was one more.
The sun had almost gone, but the demonic pumpkin's eyes still glowed. Knuckles stared at them apprehensively. Everywhere he turned, there was always a pair of fiery eyes taunting him. Knuckles looked back towards the gate. The statue's face sparkled green. Oh heck, though Knuckles.
Gingerly, he placed his hands on the tomb, latching his knuckles into the stone. Old runes frowned at him. Quickly and quietly, he began to climb.
Knuckles suppressed a gasp as he reached the pumpkin's head. It had been very cleverly made, with many complicated mirrors and flaps designed to catch the sun's light as it set. Knuckles was impressed; the technology was this advanced thousands of years ago. Knuckles recognised the runes inscribed everywhere from some Echidnian scripts he'd read. The shard of his emerald had landed in the focal point for the light, tinting it green. Knuckles removed it, gently, still careful not to make a noise. He stepped onto the top of the pumpkin and took in the view.
From here he could see the entire graveyard, and for miles around the mountains. The orange-pink sunset had faded to a spark on the horizon, and one of the moons had risen. Its silver light shimmered along the mountain ridges and up into the few pale clouds. Using the shadow of the sun as a guide, he turned to face south, home.
The moon's ghostly light outlined another shape, in the corner of his eye. He swivelled his head to face it. It looked like a pyramid.
Knuckles glided down from his vantage point, and left Pumpkin Hill in reverential silence. He would investigate the strange building tomorrow. Now, he would find somewhere to sleep.
The warm darkness died away from Shadow. His eyes snapped open and he took a look around. He sat up in mild surprise. He had forgotten what sleep was.
He was sitting in the doorway he had hidden in after escaping from G.U.N.. He had appeared two streets away, but the effort had almost knocked him out. He would have to be more careful with Chaos Control in the future.
He shook himself awake, clearing the fuzz from his head. He looked around him.
Metropolis City was completely different during the day. Mobians bustled this way and that, many shopping, many walking their chao. Hover cars and taxis ran along rails overhead, ring-engines whirring.
Shadow slid discreetly through the busy streets, avoiding attention. First, get out of here, then meet Robotnik.
Two G.U.N. sentry robots walked around the corner, given space by the Mobians.
Murderers!
Before he could think, Shadow had demolished the leader. Panic spread like a virus through the crowd, and the happy streets were soon full of cries and shouts. The other robot aimed, and fired. The bullet went wide as Shadow dodged away.
The sentry activated a switch on its arm, then toppled to the floor, minus half its torso. As Shadow landed, two more robots came flying over a skyscraper. Rats! He'd let them get reinforcements.
Shadow would have loved to scrap the lot, but he controlled himself. He had to meet Robotnik.
He rolled, evading a shower of shots. Then he was up on his feet, and running. Sonic the Hedgehog thought he was the fastest thing alive? Shadow could leave him standing.
Shadow took the quickest route out of town. He ran straight up the building.
He moved too fast for gravity, and his custom made shoes gripped the plastic wall easily. The robots stopped, hovering in mid air. Shadow reached the top, and glanced around the city.
Just in time to see the tsunami.
The thundering tidal wave launched itself out of the sea, the luckless city right in its path. Shadow had a split second image of white foam playing over the water. then it struck.
The colossal wave obliterated the fishing bay, the first line of houses, the shops, the chao gardens. It tore through the city, slapping down houses like a huge, watery hand. It ate hundreds of buildings in a devastating pounce, then surged into the main streets. Skyscrapers collapsed and dissolved as it crashed out their foundations, fleeing helicopters rose up like wasps, only to be swatted down again.
Shadow had less then half a second until it found him. He launched into a flying jump, neatly landing on the roof of the next skyscraper, which was shattering under his feet. He continued jumping from building to building in a deadly race against the tsunami.
The bullet like spray battered him painfully; he landed on a helicopter, curled into a ball and let the spinning blades propel him forwards.
He hit the new tower at a run, the screams of its occupants rising like a barrier ahead of him. Shadow's legs felt numb, knife-like pain speared into his shoulders and sides. He gasped and held his breath, trying to crush the stinging. He couldn't carry on much longer, and he knew it.
He continued at a waddle; one hand clutched his side and the other holding his aching shoulder blade. Then he saw something, a spark of hope.
He put on a spurt of speed, his stitch bursting, and managed to get ahead of his watery hunter. He curled into a spike ball, and fell into the air.
He only hoped that thing down below was what he thought it was.
His guts plunged before him, the wind soaring out of his lungs. He tumbled through the air, dread rising through his heart at the thought of landing.
The tower he had jumped from watched over him. He saw it disintegrate in slow motion.
The windows all blew up, the lower main body splintered into blue and white oblivion. The top crumpled down into the wave.
Shadow could almost feel the hundreds of tonnes of water coming down on him. As he spun, his vision alternated between the garden he was about to land in and the monstrous hammer of destruction above.
He hit the trampoline at terminal velocity, was spat up again, high in the air. He braced himself. and hit the tidal wave.
The pain burned roughly all around him, his breath knocked out. Shadow could not gasp, just felt his lungs failing as he stormed through the dropping ocean.
Then he was out, still rising. He saw below him the wave flattening the gardens on the street. The tsunami surged out beneath him, consuming anything in its path. It left a trail of apocalypse, floods, and rubble. A moan of despair erupted from the survivors, intensifying until it was a roar. Despite himself, Shadow felt sorrow and pity for the Mobians. He pushed the emotions out of his mind, instead focussed on the more urgent problem of landing.
His momentum declined, and he began to fall. He did not panic, calculating a safe way to the ground. He waited, then stretched out his hands. He grabbed the tail of a surviving helicopter, and dropped from there to a gutted tower, somehow still standing after the strike. He steadied himself on the slippery plastic, bits of masonry toppling around him. He jumped down, windowsill by windowsill, until he reached the pavement.
The devastation was more dramatic here. Citizens clambered out of collapsed houses; the streets were littered with dead or wounded. Everything was soaked and cold, and the survivors huddled together, trying to keep warm.
Shadow crept away, guilty to abandon them. He hardened himself against his feelings. He had work to do.
He set off, to meet Robotnik.
Part 1:Chaos and Shadow
Alarms shouted ruthlessly through the night, smashing the silence like a vase. Their crimson scowl struck down the glow from the floodlights. The barbed wire fence and the steel stations of the G.U.N. compound flickered in and out of existence as the search beams found and lost them. Robots stirred rapidly from their posts, the illumination attacking the gun blue of their metallic bodies, sparkling along the pistons and cylinders of the guards. Gunfire burst fourth in red blazing shells.
Sonic the Hedgehog ran for his life through the deadly disco, ducking and rolling in a commotion of cobalt blue spines. A Guardbot slotted into his path, raising its weapon. Sonic curled up into a ball, his momentum turning the action into a decapitating razor ball. Sonic cannoned through the android's head, his speed pulling him to his feet as he hit the ground. He swiftly rolled again, four cackling energy bolts wheeling over his head, shattering the agitated darkness.
He glanced around to see the gate. The exit was sentried by two gun turrets, each squat metal mushroom aiming harsh double barrels at him. Four more shots came, but Sonic leaped over them, charging the gateway, evading the shells easily.
The escape loomed closer, and solid metagel blast doors slammed shut across it. Sonic cursed and skidded across the gravel, neatly pivoting through 180 degrees before falling to a break fall as lasers crisscrossed above his head.
"Halt, intruder," intoned a hulking Guard, its rifle aimed unerringly at the hedgehog's skull. "One move and you die."
"You wish, dustbin." The rough ground evaporated as Sonic sprang up, grabbing the robot's arm. He rapidly vaulted into the night air, coiling into a ball to bounce harmlessly off the gun turret bordering the fence. The machine burst into electrical flame as the blue hedgehog fell to freedom.
Then he was away, through the pavements and streetlights of Metropolis City, leaving the deafening turmoil storming behind him.
A dark shape crouched in an alley, listening to the bedlam in the compound. Windows snapped alight along the streets, as bewildered Mobians gazed blearily out, wondering what on Mobius all the noise was about. Little chao could be heard screaming in fright throughout the city. Shadow retreated further into the safety of the shade. He clutched his stolen prize behind his back, hoping that its glow wouldn't give him away. From here he could see G.U.N.'s forces clambering out of the base, helicopters and trooper transports bulleting into the main city like invading insects. Arrogant scum, thought the hedgehog. Waking the town up at mid night without even an apology. He'd show them. He'd ruin their lives like they'd ruined his.
He could see the scalding red of laser blasts now. They'd obviously found someone to pick on, being too worthless to catch him. He jumped up on to a windowsill, and saw a bus stop erupt in flames roughly four streets away. He stared, and then rubbed his eyes. He looked again and saw nothing. Weird. He was sure he had seen, just as the tiny building collapsed, himself hurdling out of the blaze. He blinked again, the distant fire burning in his ruby eyes. His vision must be going.
He examined his theft. The Chaos Emerald burned with its own azure light, casting living shadows that danced off the derelict houses, blue light glistening in the windows. With this he'd show G.U.N., and the rest of them. This would bring him his revenge.
Sonic sliced his way through the nearest robot, ash and cinders showering off his blackened spines. The buzzing heat reddened his skin, and when he gasped, he puffed out smoke. He rubbed his seething back, where a block of roof had grazed him. It was stabbingly painful.
The wreckage would have been the perfect opportunity to escape, but no one shot at Sonic the Hedgehog. Sonic pounded into another spin attack, slicing through two more troopers before landing in a crouch. He aimed carefully, then spun through the main engine of the transport, just to early to be fried by the android at the front of the craft. The engine cracked, electricity cascading and overloading the contraption. Sonic held his breath.but the engine failed to explode, only melting and setting alight.
"Cease resistance, outlaw. Escape is impossible." The monotone voice crushed Sonic's brain. The other Mobians, surveying from their windows, all covered their ears.
"Whose gonna catch me? You?" and Sonic sprinted down the road. He skilfully swung around a post box and into another lane, leaving the cumbersome G.U.N. robots way behind. It only took three more roads to lose the helicopters.
Laughing with triumph, Sonic slid through 90 degrees into a victory jump, landing in a deserted street.
And saw himself standing there.
The sallow sand dissolved into wide, deep green leaves. The dusty wind flowed into them, tiny grains of dust showering onto the plants. Finally, no more desert.
Rouge the Bat jiggled the sand off her fur, and ran to the cool protection of the swampy trees growing further back. The heat hissed off her, fresh wetness leaking into her white coat. Her throat felt like very old sandpaper. The ground became sodden, and she could hear running water. She found a small stream, jetting out perfect, clean water from an array of firm rocks. It splashed away into the damp brown soil, seeping out of sight. She took a long drink from the fountain, ice water smashing the rough dryness in her mouth.
She stood up, feeling revived. Then she continued her search.
She walked out of the swamp carrying four large chunks of her lost jewel, plus a purple Chaos Emerald. Reclusive magpies always bring good luck. She looked at her treasure. The splintered gems were all a dull green, not a spark of their former electric life. The Chaos Emerald, however, shone with energy, bright amethyst sparks dancing in slow motion, then fading to a bottomless indigo background.
Like Knuckles' eyes. She clenched the emerald angrily. If it weren't for that echidna, she would not be holding mere fragments of her gem. The Master Emerald would be just as alive as her Chaos one.
And Robotnik would own it. Rouge absently rubbed the side of her head, where the force field had hit. She remembered the warlord's gloating face, and Knuckles, pushing his way through the shield.
She shivered at the thought of the pain he should have felt. Then she heaved herself back to the present.
The Chaos Emerald found a neglected memory in her head.
Time to continue with her mission.
The last of the blue and silver androids collapsed, leaking spare parts all over the floor. Robotnik stopped, but no alarms sounded. This time he'd done his job properly.
He brought up Shadow's instructions on his new computer. If the hedgehog was right, it would be just. here. The prison wall looked no different from the other three; drab grey slabs, devoid of imagination and eroded by graffiti. His fat finger flattened a button, flab jiggling under his white gloves. The main guns slotted out with a click. Robotnik aimed carefully.
A word caught his eye. Carved into the stone were some faded letters. They were almost invisible, under the dust and more modern doodles.
P o e t S ad w
Robotnik stopped. Which poet was sad, and why? And why on Mobius did the scrawl seem so important? Robotnik checked the rest of the wall. There were thousands of scribblings in the brick, mostly dates and poems, most of which were very sad, and badly written. They were all about revenge, escape or dreams. Which one was special?
A word in the familiar handwriting materialized in his peripheral vision, then another and another, like looking into an ants' nest. They were scattered, in no particular order. They were all ancient, and almost impossible to decipher.
Maria S ado cl p e C n on
Fo l G tr c ion
REVENGE
"Revenge" was hacked far into the stone, so was "Maria." Robotnik gave up trying to solve the problem. He had work to do. He saved a photo of the wall on his computer, then blew it apart.
With a white fire ball and a BANG, the bricks blackened, then melted away, cracks growing rapidly through the rest of the room. Rubble spread across the hard floor, and the thick smoke gradually cleared from the middle of the stone screen. In the centre of where the wall had been was a burnt case. It toppled slowly to the floor, and cracked open with a sharp crunch. Inside was a strange, branchlike metal device, a cylinder sprouting of many others of different lengths. Etched into the side was a set of buttons, each for some purpose Robotnik couldn't begin to understand. He extended a mechanical claw to pick it up.
Robotnik put it away worriedly. He couldn't comprehend Shadow's gadget, and the hedgehog had been very secretive about his plan. Robotnik didn't like not knowing what was going on. It gave Shadow a multitude of opportunities to betray or manipulate him. It gave him the advantage.
What did he want? He could have the world, why was he sharing it?
On his way out, Robotnik searched the records from the last thirty years. Shadow was not in them anywhere.
They were running, down a grey corridor, screaming crimson laser blasts overtaking them. The air was thick with chaos and death.
He grabbed his friend, pulling her through one of the doors. He punched the blue button, slamming the entrance shut. They stood in silence, breathing heavily, hoping to be ignored. The thunder drew level. and passed. Shadow sighed in relief.
"We're safe. You okay?" His friend swayed, holding a black leather chair for support. They were in a lab. Sinks and gas valves, clamp-stands and test tube holders distributed randomly, accompanied four long tables. Glass and coloured liquid carpeted the floor. The scientists had left quickly. Shadow wondered if they were secure or captive.
"I'm fine." gasped Maria. The human steadied herself, and scanned the room, shaking her jet-black hair from her eyes.
Shadow just stood still. The blue-white glow of the electric strip- lights played over his sable spikes, unable to illuminate anything. His spikes were jagged and uneven, and each one had a proud band of scarlet running from the tip. His blood-red eyes were focussed on his friend, worried.
A loud explosion behind the door brought them both violently alert. A coarse voice demanded: "Open the door! We know you're in there! You can't fight us!" Two rough cracks cobwebbed across their barrier to empathise the point.
Shadow's heart thumped, his whole body giddy. He knew he could take care of himself, but he doubted even he could protect his friend. He could try; the men at G.U.N. only wanted him, maybe they would ignore her.
"Surrender the mutant and you will not be harmed."
"No way!" Maria yelled back. The door sustained two more hits, then shattered.
Shadow shoved Maria out of the way as red destruction hacked away the wall behind him. Robots lumbered through the smashed entrance, with uniformed humans watching behind them. They all wore the same emblem: the cobalt G.U.N. Military sign.
The androids clicked as they focussed on him, then opened fire. But Shadow had gone by then.
"Maria, hide!" he shouted, as he launched himself at the lead robot. He curled up into a ball of spikes, and flung robot guts all over the floor. He rose quickly, and with a rapid punch brought a human to the ground. The commando gasped, out of breath.
"Activate Sigma Gun!" Shadow turned, and a green light flamed into his chest. He felt no pain, but a terrible sensation of weariness. He fell, watching his energy crackle up the beam. He rolled, out of the ray's reach. He steadied himself and, limbs collapsing with tiredness smashed the gun in a ball of spines.
Shadow felt his head clearing, his legs and arms reviving with energy. He destroyed another android before the humans tried their next plan.
"Kill the other one." Shadow spun, in time to see a workbench next to Maria disintegrate into fire. He flew into action, powered by desperation. He couldn't get them out of here, he hadn't the energy. But he could try to protect his friend.
He threw up a chair, blocking the next shot. He stopped another three, then he and Maria seized the table. They pushed it on its side, creating a barricade. "Get behind!" he bellowed, over the noise of the attackers.
He heard a shot. Turned around.
Saw the fiery bolt catch Maria in the chest, her body thrown backwards in a crimson haze.
The robots turned to him. Shadow wasted no time. He pulled one's head off with his bare hands and hurled it with all his power. It caused a sonic boom as it hurtled into the rest, the sheer force of its speed smashing them all down.
Shadow ran to Maria, urgently trying to heal her. He knew it was no good.
Maria opened her sapphire eyes, talking with difficulty. Blood spilled around her, eating up the silver floor.
"Shadow." she gasped, "Shadow." He stared at her, helplessly. There was nothing he could do.
"Maria." he whispered, "they killed you."
Her voice grew fainter. "Shadow. please, look after grandpa. Don't let them get him, too. And." She struggled, her final words a murmur. "If you survive.do your best.see that..the world has."
Her voice faded out to a sigh, but Shadow heard the last word, echoing in his head over and over again.
"REVENGE!"
The G.U.N. robots had struggled back upright. Shadow raised his head, rage simmering in his eyes. He obliterated the barricade and set upon the killers. Human and robot smashed like glass.
A flurry of action stirred Shadow from his dream. He looked around, as another hedgehog blasted into the alley.
Shadow and the stranger sized each other up. The emeralds blaze gave an unstable, flame-like light.
The hedgehog looked just like him, with long spines and a light, powerful body. The new arrival's spikes, however, were blue, and neatly aligned, and his eyes twinkled emerald green in the darkness. He glared at Shadow, then at the Chaos Emerald.
"Who the heck.? Hey, the Emerald! You were the one G.U.N. were after!"
Shadow dropped off his windowsill, landing smartly on the ground. "G.U.N. are fools, like the rest of you."
The hedgehog raised his fists. "Watch your mouth, pal. No one calls Sonic the Hedgehog a fool."
Shadow sneered. "What are you going to do about it?"
Sonic snarled. "Firstly I'm gonna get that Emerald, then I'm gonna bash your stupid face in if you don't watch out!"
"Come on, then." Sonic charged, becoming a blur of speeding spikes. Shadow's eyes widened in surprise, Sonic was almost as fast as him. He dodged just in time, letting Sonic race off down the street. "Very good."
Sonic turned. "Ooh, fast one, eh? Dodge this!" He stormed toward Shadow with a cry of "Spin Attack!"
Shadow decided not to avoid this one. He closed his eyes, letting a familiar energy seep into him. He focussed carefully; he hadn't done this for a long time.
With a crackle of green power and a yell of "Chaos Control!", Shadow was suddenly standing the other side of Sonic. The hedgehog screeched to a halt, turned round in surprise. Shadow nearly let a grin split his face. He'd still got it, after all those years.
"How did you do that?" the blue hedgehog demanded.
"You can't beat me, hedgehog. I am the ultimate fighter." Shadow spoke with certainty. It was not a boast, but a fact.
"And I'm Sonic, the fastest thing alive!" His attacker tackled him again. Shadow Chaos-warped around him, and re-appeared to be smashed over. The hedgehog had anticipated his move, and now stood grinning, smugly.
Shadow quickly reassessed the character. He was not as stupid as he seemed. But Shadow was in no mood for constantly evading. Time to strike back.
Shadow struck, firing himself into his own Spin Attack, catching Sonic full in the face. He rolled backwards, softening the blow, and stood up, angry. "Nice move, fake."
Anger flared inside Shadow too, but he crushed it. This wannabe calling him a fake?
"My name's Shadow, pal. I'll show you who's the fake." Before his attack, white searchlights stabbed into the alley, dissecting the darkness. Shadow covered his face, retreating to the shadows at the back of the alley. The G.U.N. fools missed him completely.
"You, Sonic the Hedgehog. We have you cornered. Come out with the emerald." Shadow gripped his capture triumphantly.
"Have fun." He hissed to Sonic, and vanished.
Knuckles plodded through the wasteland, lost in thought. The heat of the day rolled into him in inexorable waves. The sunset dyed the rocky ground in orange-pink light, daylight staining the sky golden in its final appearance. The rocks ahead grew steadily more mountainous, rising up like giants on the horizon. Bat-like chao rustled in the darkening world.
Terrific. More bats. Knuckles shuffled his backpack to a more comfortable position; the sharp edges of the emerald shards he'd found still cutting into his back. He wondered how Rouge was doing.
Knuckles clambered onto a steep plateau, and looked around.
He was in a graveyard. Ancient graves watched him, standing straight and tall, like stone pencils. Boulder like rings or spires decorated them, and all of the larger ones carried looming pumpkin heads, with evil eyes and cackling mouths cut out like Hallowe'en. The sun's dying light shone through the carved face, making the eyes flicker ominously.
There was an emerald in here, he could sense it. Knuckles stopped. How could he sense it? He'd never had this feeling before, but he could feel it. The emerald's energy hummed inside his head, pointing him to the cemetery.
He walked up to two wrought iron gates, what looked like the only way in. A spiked fence, made by whatever creatures had created the site, enclosed the graveyard. Carved into the top of the gateway were a string of blocky runes. They were familiar.
Knuckles deciphered them letter by letter.
Pumpkin Hill
Portal to the Spirits
Knuckles pushed the gate. There was no lock.
It swung open, disturbingly silent. No spooky creak, even though the iron had rusted for centuries. Knuckles began to feel a bit unnerved. There was something unnatural about this place.
He tiptoed quietly passed several graves, afraid to break a silence that had remained undisturbed for so long. The stillness crushed into him.
He turned, slowly, and crept along a line of tombs to find the emerald. He found one half buried, by a grave, and another in one of the spiky, pre-historic plants that sprouted here and there. He put them both carefully into his brown rucksack and squinted in the darkness. There was one more.
The sun had almost gone, but the demonic pumpkin's eyes still glowed. Knuckles stared at them apprehensively. Everywhere he turned, there was always a pair of fiery eyes taunting him. Knuckles looked back towards the gate. The statue's face sparkled green. Oh heck, though Knuckles.
Gingerly, he placed his hands on the tomb, latching his knuckles into the stone. Old runes frowned at him. Quickly and quietly, he began to climb.
Knuckles suppressed a gasp as he reached the pumpkin's head. It had been very cleverly made, with many complicated mirrors and flaps designed to catch the sun's light as it set. Knuckles was impressed; the technology was this advanced thousands of years ago. Knuckles recognised the runes inscribed everywhere from some Echidnian scripts he'd read. The shard of his emerald had landed in the focal point for the light, tinting it green. Knuckles removed it, gently, still careful not to make a noise. He stepped onto the top of the pumpkin and took in the view.
From here he could see the entire graveyard, and for miles around the mountains. The orange-pink sunset had faded to a spark on the horizon, and one of the moons had risen. Its silver light shimmered along the mountain ridges and up into the few pale clouds. Using the shadow of the sun as a guide, he turned to face south, home.
The moon's ghostly light outlined another shape, in the corner of his eye. He swivelled his head to face it. It looked like a pyramid.
Knuckles glided down from his vantage point, and left Pumpkin Hill in reverential silence. He would investigate the strange building tomorrow. Now, he would find somewhere to sleep.
The warm darkness died away from Shadow. His eyes snapped open and he took a look around. He sat up in mild surprise. He had forgotten what sleep was.
He was sitting in the doorway he had hidden in after escaping from G.U.N.. He had appeared two streets away, but the effort had almost knocked him out. He would have to be more careful with Chaos Control in the future.
He shook himself awake, clearing the fuzz from his head. He looked around him.
Metropolis City was completely different during the day. Mobians bustled this way and that, many shopping, many walking their chao. Hover cars and taxis ran along rails overhead, ring-engines whirring.
Shadow slid discreetly through the busy streets, avoiding attention. First, get out of here, then meet Robotnik.
Two G.U.N. sentry robots walked around the corner, given space by the Mobians.
Murderers!
Before he could think, Shadow had demolished the leader. Panic spread like a virus through the crowd, and the happy streets were soon full of cries and shouts. The other robot aimed, and fired. The bullet went wide as Shadow dodged away.
The sentry activated a switch on its arm, then toppled to the floor, minus half its torso. As Shadow landed, two more robots came flying over a skyscraper. Rats! He'd let them get reinforcements.
Shadow would have loved to scrap the lot, but he controlled himself. He had to meet Robotnik.
He rolled, evading a shower of shots. Then he was up on his feet, and running. Sonic the Hedgehog thought he was the fastest thing alive? Shadow could leave him standing.
Shadow took the quickest route out of town. He ran straight up the building.
He moved too fast for gravity, and his custom made shoes gripped the plastic wall easily. The robots stopped, hovering in mid air. Shadow reached the top, and glanced around the city.
Just in time to see the tsunami.
The thundering tidal wave launched itself out of the sea, the luckless city right in its path. Shadow had a split second image of white foam playing over the water. then it struck.
The colossal wave obliterated the fishing bay, the first line of houses, the shops, the chao gardens. It tore through the city, slapping down houses like a huge, watery hand. It ate hundreds of buildings in a devastating pounce, then surged into the main streets. Skyscrapers collapsed and dissolved as it crashed out their foundations, fleeing helicopters rose up like wasps, only to be swatted down again.
Shadow had less then half a second until it found him. He launched into a flying jump, neatly landing on the roof of the next skyscraper, which was shattering under his feet. He continued jumping from building to building in a deadly race against the tsunami.
The bullet like spray battered him painfully; he landed on a helicopter, curled into a ball and let the spinning blades propel him forwards.
He hit the new tower at a run, the screams of its occupants rising like a barrier ahead of him. Shadow's legs felt numb, knife-like pain speared into his shoulders and sides. He gasped and held his breath, trying to crush the stinging. He couldn't carry on much longer, and he knew it.
He continued at a waddle; one hand clutched his side and the other holding his aching shoulder blade. Then he saw something, a spark of hope.
He put on a spurt of speed, his stitch bursting, and managed to get ahead of his watery hunter. He curled into a spike ball, and fell into the air.
He only hoped that thing down below was what he thought it was.
His guts plunged before him, the wind soaring out of his lungs. He tumbled through the air, dread rising through his heart at the thought of landing.
The tower he had jumped from watched over him. He saw it disintegrate in slow motion.
The windows all blew up, the lower main body splintered into blue and white oblivion. The top crumpled down into the wave.
Shadow could almost feel the hundreds of tonnes of water coming down on him. As he spun, his vision alternated between the garden he was about to land in and the monstrous hammer of destruction above.
He hit the trampoline at terminal velocity, was spat up again, high in the air. He braced himself. and hit the tidal wave.
The pain burned roughly all around him, his breath knocked out. Shadow could not gasp, just felt his lungs failing as he stormed through the dropping ocean.
Then he was out, still rising. He saw below him the wave flattening the gardens on the street. The tsunami surged out beneath him, consuming anything in its path. It left a trail of apocalypse, floods, and rubble. A moan of despair erupted from the survivors, intensifying until it was a roar. Despite himself, Shadow felt sorrow and pity for the Mobians. He pushed the emotions out of his mind, instead focussed on the more urgent problem of landing.
His momentum declined, and he began to fall. He did not panic, calculating a safe way to the ground. He waited, then stretched out his hands. He grabbed the tail of a surviving helicopter, and dropped from there to a gutted tower, somehow still standing after the strike. He steadied himself on the slippery plastic, bits of masonry toppling around him. He jumped down, windowsill by windowsill, until he reached the pavement.
The devastation was more dramatic here. Citizens clambered out of collapsed houses; the streets were littered with dead or wounded. Everything was soaked and cold, and the survivors huddled together, trying to keep warm.
Shadow crept away, guilty to abandon them. He hardened himself against his feelings. He had work to do.
He set off, to meet Robotnik.
