Chapter 8: Accident

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Tails was standing in the salt cave entrance, looking out, when Sonic galloped up to him with his hairdo in shambles. "Robo Knux won't bother us now! Gimme five, little bro!"

Tails slapped Sonic's palm, grinning and relieved to see Sonic in a good mood. "What happened to your hair?"

"Oh, nothing a little gel can't fix," said Sonic, patting it. Then he noticed his glove was stained with red. "Aw heck, I'm bleeding."

"Good grief," said Tails. "Did he get your head?"

"My neck," said Sonic glumly. "Better break out the bandages."

Tails retreated into the cave and returned with Zephyer, who was carrying a white box. Zinc followed her, carrying a roll of gauze in his claws and looking important. "Gee whiz, Sonic," said Zephyer. "Did he try to cut your head off? Let me see."

Sonic submitted to her prodding, although he yelled when she dabbed iodine on his cuts.

"Good thing it's not very deep," said Zephyer. "I'd have to give you stitches, and I only know how to do it from a book."

"Thank goodness," Sonic muttered as she wound gauze around his neck. "Ack! Not so tight!"

"You could leave some hanging off and I could use it as a leash," said Tails, looking impish.

"Over my dead body," said Sonic. "Where's Knux? He's not here to gloat."

"He's checking the island's location," said Zinc, who was handing Zephyer things even if they were an inch from her hand. "He thinks we've made good time. Feel how warm it is?"

"Yeah, it's like summer," said Sonic. "Are you done yet?"

"Yes," said Zephyer, putting everything back in the medkit. "Feel better?"

"Yeah," said Sonic, touching the cotton bandage on the back of his neck. "I got off light. Robo Knux can do you a lot of damage if you're not careful."

"I'll say," came Knuckles's voice. They looked up to see him standing on the clifftop above their cave.

"Hi Knuckles!" said Tails. "How's it looking?"

"Pretty good," said the echidna. "What's this about Robo Knux?"

"I ruined his arms," said Sonic. "He can't bother us now."

"Technically he could," said Knuckles, "but it'd probably be okay to go back to Chaotix Central. Unless you really made him mad."

"He said he was trying to kill Mekion because it'd make Metal Sonic mad."

Knuckles thought about this. "Huh. Did you see Mekion?"

"Yeah," said Sonic. "Had a nice little chat."

"Seems to have improved your mood no end," said Knuckles. He glided off the edge of the cliff, circled around and landed with a thump. "So what did he say?"

Sonic recounted the conversation with Mekion, wishing they had talked longer. "He's still Shadow, even if he doesn't remember. The way he talked and everything--but now he talks in a whisper. And I don't think he's eaten in days."

"Maybe we could leave some food out for him," said Zephyer. "Maybe it'd convince him we're friendly."

"He said he couldn't be friends because it would hurt his master, which violates the First Law," said Sonic. "Whatever that means."

"That's a new one," said Knuckles.

A few minutes later Knuckles rounded up the Chaotix, and the group busied themselves collecting their things to take back to Chaotix Central. The mood was the opposite of the night before; they laughed and joked, and Sonic kept them laughing with descriptions of Robo Knux blowing up mushrooms. They trooped back through the hills and trees to Knuckles's house, which was just as they had left it. Once there, everyone drifted off in different directions. Tails headed for the crystal mine, Zephyer resumed studying the Old Mobian primer, and Talon left to play with the chao. The Chaotix scattered except for Might and Espio, who were practicing team juggling and listening to one of Vector's rock bands.

Sonic found Knuckles on a hilltop, facing east and tossing the Master Emerald from hand to hand. "Hey Knux," said Sonic, walking up to him. "Sorry I was such a jerk earlier."

"It's okay," said Knuckles absently.

There was a long pause, and Sonic watched Knuckles's unconscious play with the green gem. "Got something on your mind?"

"Hmm?" said knuckles, blinking at him. "Oh, yes. A couple things."

"Zephyer?" said sonic, elbowing the echidna.

Knuckles grinned. "Of course Zephyer. But other things, too." He pointed at the eastern sky. "There's a storm front moving in. I thought this north wind was odd, and I'm kind of worried."

He resumed tossing the emerald back and forth, but Sonic grabbed his wrist. "Will you stop that? It's really annoying."

"Fine," said Knuckles, folding his arms. "These are hurricane conditions."

Sonic stared at him. "Hurricane? Is that bad?"

"You have no idea," said Knuckles. "Hurricanes last four or five days, and it's a lot of work keeping the island stabilized."

"But couldn't it just be a storm?" Sonic asked.

Knuckles shrugged. "Sure, but I have to be ready for everything. Now get lost and let me think."

Sonic drifted down the hill, then broke into a run and vanished in the direction of Mushroom Hill. Knuckles continued to gaze at the sky, preoccupied with his thoughts. At the same time he was keenly aware of everything around him, as if the Master Emerald was his own island-wide scanner. As a result he turned and gazed into a clump of brush ten feet away and said, "What are you doing on my island?"

Metal Sonic's red eyes flashed in fury at being discovered, but he replied, "Observing Mekion's progress."

"And Sonic too, right?"

Metal Sonic said quietly, "If Robo Knux can stay here without harming anyone, I can too."

"What is it with you robots and 'not harming anyone'?" snapped Knuckles. "You were built for harming people. Give me one reason why I shouldn't tear you into scrap and spit on the remains."

"Mekion," said the robot. "If I send him a distress signal he will come and defend me. I am his Master."

"Bad reason," said Knuckles, holding the Master Emerald in both hands. "Got another?"

"I am merely here to observe," said Metal Sonic. "Had I come to destroy you, I would have done so instead of exchanging idle banter."

"Another bad reason," said Knuckles. "I don't like you or your kind, Mecha. You've broken too many promises. Get out of my sight, because the next time I see you, I won't stop to exchange idle banter." The Master Emerald was glowing a hot green in his fists, and Knuckles's fur was standing on end from the charge. Metal Sonic noticed this and beat a hasty retreat.

Knuckles relaxed and let the power drain out of him. "Stupid robots," he muttered.

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Mekion sat in the deep shadow of a mushroom cluster that grew against the wall of a gully. Down here it was dark and still, and all sounds were muffled. His scanner told him that Sonic was out there running around, probably looking for him. But Mekion did not want to be found. He wanted time alone.

Here in the friendly darkness he could think through the astonishing events of the past few hours. Sonic had intervened on his behalf twice, attacking Robo Knux at great personal risk. All this because of a supposed friendship he had had with Mekion long ago. So Mekion was studying the images Robo Knux had given him and replaying the account of his past over and over. Aside from sharing a battle with Sonic, Mekion could not see where a friendship might have come from. His Shadow self had only known Sonic a few days before it 'died'. Sonic's actions were illogical. And yet he had fought Robo Knux. If this supposed friendship did not exist, then why did Sonic do that?

He puzzled a long time over the image of himself weeping over a dead chao. Before he was made into a cyborg, he was a thin, lanky hedgehog with wild spines and slanted, angry-looking eyes. The chao ... the chao ... He studied it closely, peering at its face. The chao was the only familiar thing about the whole strange story. He felt that he would recognize it if he only looked at it enough. He looked at the pictures and repeated its name over and over. "Nox. Nox. Nox."

He wearied of this unrewarding task after an hour, and activated his network hardware to see what had become of Robo Knux. There was a transmission from him consisting of swear words, and his location was somewhere on the mainland. Mekion allowed himself a cold smile at the thought of Robo Knux using a teleporter and being shut down en route. That was one less problem to deal with.

His systems also detected Metal Sonic's presence. Surprised, Mekion sent him a transmission. "Master, what are you doing here?"

"Observing you," came the reply. "So far you have exceeded my expectations, and I wish to see you accomplish your primary objective in person."

Mekion felt a swell of pride. His Master was pleased!

"One more thing," said Metal Sonic. "Check the weather satellites, and prepare yourself for severe weather."

Mekion obeyed and discovered that severe storms were forecast in their area over the next week. "Thank you, Master."

"Yes." Metal Sonic started to speak, changed his mind, and ended the transmission. He was becoming overly fond of Mekion, and decided that giving him two warnings in a row was a sign of weakness.

Mekion took stock of his surroundings. He had good cover, and Sonic was still searching for him. There was no reason to break cover at the moment. He curled up on the ground and slept.

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Sonic hunted among the trees and mushrooms all afternoon, but never saw a sign of Mekion. Discouraged and thinking about dinner, he left the swamp and ran up into the hills, relishing the fresh air on his face. If only Shadow weren't so stiff-necked and would come run with him! They would have great fun. But no, Shadow was enslaved and had to obey some weird laws.

He directed his steps toward the mine where Tails was working. Sonic felt a twinge of remorse for not working with him, but the thought of being trapped down there in the rock--he felt stifled at the thought. He didn't need money that bad. Then he thought of Velocity languishing in the chao gardens. Well, he did need money, but there were other ways to get it.

Sonic rounded a bend and found Tails emerging from the tunnel mouth, a rock in one hand, and the other held at a funny angle. As soon as he saw Sonic, the fox's face crumpled into tears. "Sonic--"

Sonic dashed to him. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

"My hand," Tails whimpered, holding it out. "I was chiseling at this one place and--"

Sonic took Tails's hand and blanched. He had run the chisel into the heel of his hand through the glove, and the wound was hideous. "Nine stitches," Sonic estimated. "I'll tell Knux to get us to the mainland. I won't let Zephyer sew you up."

Tails managed a weak smile. "That's what I was afraid of. But look what I found!" He held up the rock in his other hand. Even encrusted in rock, Sonic could see it was glowing a deep sea green.

"Hold on to that," he said. He picked up Tails with a grunt and ran for Chaotix Central. First he got hurt, and now Tails. What next?

Sonic deposited Tails at the house and went looking for knuckles. After a frantic fifteen-minute search he located the echidna on top of a rock outcropping. "Knux!" Sonic yelled up at him. "We have an emergency!"

Knuckles looked down at him. "What?"

"Tails sliced his hand open by accident," Sonic replied. "Can we go back to Sapphire Bay?"

"We're right here by Casino City," said Knuckles. "They'll have a hospital."

"If we use a teleporter, we can't get back."

"I'll give you a portable one." Knuckles jumped off the rocks. "How bad is it?" he asked as they jogged down to Chaotix Central.

"It's nasty," said Sonic. "It's really deep and bleeding buckets."

"Did you put a tourniquet on it?"

"Tails already did, he used his other glove."

"Smart kid." As they neared the house, Knuckles gave Sonic a dark look. "You stay away from the casinos."

"Knux, give me a break. You doubt my self-control?"

"I know you need money. When you get Tails patched up, get back here immediately."

"Sure, sure." Sonic laid his ears back and wished his thoughts weren't so transparent.

Everyone on the island escorted Sonic and Tails to the outbound teleporter. "Be back here by eight at the latest," said Knuckles as Sonic and Tails stepped onto the lens. "And if you have to stay later, drop me a line."

"Aye aye, Mister Guardian," said sonic. The teleporter lit up, and the hedgehog and fox vanished in a sparkle of light.

Knuckles looked at the Chaotix, Talon and Zephyer. "There's no more mining allowed on my island. Not without supervision."

"Oh darn," said Espio. "I guess you'll have to close the coal mine, eh?"

Knuckles mock-punched him. "I shouldn't have let Tails work alone. So this is it. No more. And don't sneak off to Casino City, either." He looked hard at Vector, who looked innocent. "Oh, and before you leave," Knuckles added as everyone began to drift away, "Metal Sonic is here."

"What's he doing here?" spat Zephyer. "First Robo Knux, and now Mecha?"

"He says he's observing Mekion," said Knuckles. "Be on the lookout for him, and nobody go far from Chaotix Central."

As the group drifted away, Talon and Zephyer remained behind. Talon's eyes were wide. "Sir, what if we're attacked?"

"I have this," said Knuckles, holding up the Master Emerald. "If he tries anything, I'll flatten him. I already warned him once."

Talon did not look reassured, and Zephyer put an arm around him. "Stick with me, Talon. I won't let anything happen to you."

Talon looked at her, then at Knuckles. "Why don't you chase him off?"

Knuckles motioned to the island. "I don't know where he is. But if he comes within a mile I'll feel him, and then..." He smacked his fist into his palm.

They walked back to Chaotix Central as the sun sank in a blaze of red, and the lights of Casino City lit up the coast.

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Mekion emerged from Mushroom Hill at twilight with two objectives. The first--locate Sonic and photograph him, because it was high time this mission ended. The second--locate food.

There wasn't a breath of air stirring, and the leaves and palm fronds hung limp as Mekion ghosted along on his jets. He detected no one until he entered Chaotix Central. The lights were on inside the house, and he could see people moving to and fro. He swept them with a detail scan. Sonic and Tails were absent.

The front door opened and Mekion retreated into a philodendron. From the shelter of the leaves he watched the female robot echidna cross the yard and leave a covered plate at the foot of a palm tree. She stood for a moment, gazing around the area, then went back inside. Mekion waited for further developments, wondering why the echidna had behaved so strangely. He scanned the plate she had left, and realized it was food.

When the night remained still, Mekion whisked out of hiding, sized the plate and carried it into hiding. It was a serving of some kind of potato, and he devoured it, relishing his first encounter with hot food. When he finished he replaced the plate under the tree and began to circle the house, seeking Sonic.

"What if that food was poisoned?" came Metal Sonic's quiet, accusing voice over the transmission link.

Mekion froze. "That can happen?"

"Yes. Your organic half requires the kind of food that organics eat, and it can also be poisoned by things harmful to organics."

Mekion analyzed his Shadow self, but his stomach felt fine. "Sensors detect no poisons."

"Be wary of food offered you," said Metal Sonic. "Organics do not share their food with such as you without some motive."

"Yes Master." Mekion crouched in the darkness, berating his organic self for not thinking of this. It seemed that whenever he interacted with the likes of Sonic his organic mind took over and his actions became illogical. He wished that all he had was his cool, calm robot mind. But it was pleasant to be full.

He lurked around Chaotix Central for two hours, waiting for Sonic to appear and pondering the female echidna's motive for leaving food outside. Maybe she had put it out for Sonic, who was still missing. Where had he gone? Had he returned to his home on the mainland? Mekion nearly ran for the nearest teleporter, but checked himself. He could afford to wait until morning. Sonic had been late before.

The teleporter half a mile away flashed like lightning, and Mekion whipped around. Someone had just arrived, probably Sonic. He darted through the trees down toward the trail, setting his eye to image capture. If he was quick enough--

Sonic and Tails came running up the trail. Tails's left hand was bandaged, but aside from that the fox appeared in good health. He and Sonic blew past Mekion without seeing him, and Mekion's image capture registered only a blur. He ran after them, hoping for another chance, but they reached the house ahead of him and were inside by the time he arrived.

Panting and frustrated, Mekion looked through the windows, and saw Tails showing off his bandaged hand.