Disclaimer: Sonic isn't mine. Blizzard, Jen-Marie, and Inferno belong to me. Katai belongs to my twin.
My 20th chapter, I'm so thankful you guys are reviewing my story still. Thanks so much. I may or may not write a sequel, depending on if you guys insist on me enough, or not. That's your choice because I have been thinking of a sequel, but that will have to wait until the story is completed.
Broken Hope
Her sapphire eyes dart away from the wooden door. Why did she have a bad feeling that something that was done in there never should have been? Shrugging it off as something she always got sometimes out of boredom, Blizzard slowly rubs her eyes, tired as heck from a day like this. She only hoped her brother would come back. And just thinking that, she got the feeling she couldn't shake off now. Her ears were twitching, as soon as Sonic had departed the room. Turning her back to the others, Blizzard began to simply walk away, holding her head as if she had a headache. Well, of course. She had been getting a bit of pain inside her head, but it's not from an ordinary headache, though.
"Blizzard? Are you okay?" Tails had walked up to her, and tried to pat her back. It really wasn't of any use, since she was groaning.
"I have a headache, that's all… nothing to be worried about, Tails."
As she speaks those words, her memories began to attack her consciousness. The outward sight looked a little wobbled, distortion almost everywhere in front of her. She halts her progress of walking, and stands there, the buzzing of the headache taking its effects seriously now. Why was she being attacked by her own memories? Was it because that she had a flashback, and wasn't able to remember the rest … after Shadow was ejected from the Space Colony? No… it couldn't be that…. Not just that…
Her legs collapse beneath her, and thus her bodyweight fell forward, arms dropping to their sides, face plummeting to the hard tile flooring. Gasping echoes across the hallway, and shouting ensues, followed by feet panicking against the tile, slapping it hard. She was out cold, and the headache did its trick.
[Flashback]
The door hadn't busted down yet, and Blizzard was ready for them. She would take them out, one by one, or die trying. She wouldn't allow this to happen to her friend, but she had to find a way of saving her. Blizzard couldn't let Maria die, and the female hedgehog did owe her life with friendship to Maria. She knew how Shadow and Maria were such close friends… and Shadow wasn't the least bit affected by Blizzard's presence as 'family'. Giving up her will to fight, she ran back to Maria.
"Maria… please… don't leave me…" The dark cobalt hedgehog was hugging Maria, whom was breathing heavily due to the gunshot to her chest. The human girl did her best to smile very gently to her remaining companion. Nor did Maria want Blizzard to be saddened by her death…
"Ssh… it's alright…. I will… be there for you, and… Sh-shadow…" Blizzard knew that her friends' time was coming, drawing nearer and nearer each and every second that passed by. It seemed like she was going away, fading too fast. Clicking sounds, and the cocking of guns in the background gave a clue that she couldn't put up a fight now, with the door crashing down upon the metal flooring, or she's die along with Maria. But… maybe she could.. Without warning, she leapt away from Maria within a split second, guns shooting at the hedgehog, not the human. Bullets flew everywhere, bouncing off the steel-hard walls. Ching! Tink! Ting! Babababababam! Dink!
"Nyah, you missed me! Missed me, missed me, now ya gotta kiss me!" The hedgehog taunted the armed G.U.N. soldiers, as she zoomed to the front most soldier, gave a clean grin, and smacked him down hard with a kick with her shoe, thus that soldier knocked down a couple of others, but there were some still firing at her. Narrowing her eyelids, Blizzard suddenly launched herself directly at the nearest soldier, and tackled him down. Not only that, but she got up and rolled forwards, sending her weight into a balancing maneuver to knock more off of their feet from below, or just simply to put it, she somersaulted their legs, without hurting them.
Getting up, she knew of an area where she could save Maria, but this would be very tedious to get past all of these men with their weapons. Sighing, the hedgehog ran back into the lab room, and hoisted Maria over her shoulder… well, she wasn't tall enough, so the human girl's legs were dragging upon the floor, as the relentless Blizzard dragged the 'dying' Maria away from the lab, leaving unconscious guards behind in her pathway.
"Hang on Maria… I'll save you. I'll do it for Professor Gerald, you, and Shadow! You're the ones responsible for the prevention of my death, and kindness of hospitality. This is my payment back, to save your life, at least…. I won't let you… die."
The Dark Cobalt female hedgehog remembered a cryogenic chamber somewhere… it was well hidden, and the professor showed it to her only once. But the memory of it was very hard to bring up, considering that Gerald told her it wasn't very much of importance. But somehow, it did sound like an important thing at this current moment of time! She was panting heavily slightly, no idea where she was now, having almost jogged down more and more corridors… where was it? Damn it all, where in the hell was it? Okay, no… not there…
Nope. Next hallway.
No…
Damn it.
Almost there…. She thinks…
No… still…
Fuck…
She's lost the location already? She could not have! Not now! Not with Maria's life on the damned line coming to a close! She had to find that room! She just had to! And NOW! The frantic search for that room was becoming more and more obvious to Blizzard that she should give up… and let it end… because many sounds of incoming G.U.N. Guards…. Backup, probably, after she took out the ones after Shadow and Maria's lives… Damn it. God damn it all. Where was that room when she needed it the most? …
…
…………
Of Course! The memory hit her head like a brick impacting the ground.
In his dumb lab where Pr. Robotnik usually has Shadow go in! Why couldn't she have remembered that even sooner? Gosh, she must be getting more dull by the month, as her 'brother' presumed after she had lost track of her stuff, and usually… Maria had to help her find her things, noting that Blizzard can be a dumbfounded forgetful klutz sometimes. The main lab was down another corridor, but the feet were closing in on them, and fast.
"Aw crap, aw crap, aw crap, aw crap… gotta run, gotta run, gotta run…"
Her thoughts were continuously bothering her to run as fast as she could, but with Maria's weight, that was nearly impossible. She couldn't really run any faster than a jogging human could. But still, this was worth a try, even if she couldn't make it into the lab in time to save Shadow's companion's life. It wasn't very far, but something whizzed past her cheek, barely scraping it, right after a gunshot. Oh shit. They're already onto her… FUCK THIS! Blizzard sharply turned a corner, which had the main lab down at the end of the hallway. Just a few more feet to go… c'mon… It was hard enough to drag the body, but it was taking a lot out of her to do this, considering it was almost like strenuous work putting the strain on her arm and back muscles. Almost there… keep … going…
"Let me go, Blizzard… it's best for you to get away… while you still c-can… please… I beg of you…" Maria's pleads were reaching to the ears, and right now, the tiring hedgehog wasn't in the mood for this.
"Maria, no… I can't. Not for what you and Shadow did for me. Even Gerald shouldn't deserve to know you're going to die. Let's just say I'm going to save you from death's grip. I won't allow it. Not while I am around." …Stubborn attitude, stubborn hedgehog…
The human hardened her face slightly, from the pain of her chest wound by gunshot. She didn't like this as much to Blizzard's concern, but this was a hedgehog that would put its own life on the line to save a human, just as Shadow would… but Maria had to save Shadow from being caught… and possibly be killed.
[End Flashback]
Fuzziness was all around her… blue, red, orange, white, and brighter light above… was she in heaven? No, there wouldn't be blue, red, or orange hovering over her… Hey, wait one minute… She wasn't dead… she had been relapsing the second part to her past… before and after Shadow was forced away from the colony by means of a capsule pod… she remembered only two thirds of it now… just… one third more to go… but when would that pop up next? Who knew? Twisting and shaking her head, groaning escaping her throat… the dazed Blizzard slowly sat up, rubbing her forehead. Well, she did find out she was on a bed next to Amy's.
"Only… one more lapse to go… then I'll know everything… if she really died… or not… if it was possible I… had saved her…"
"Huh? What're you talking about? Are you sick, too? Or are you referring to Amy?"
"No, I'm not sick… Sonic, do you remember… when I was zoning out, before? After we first 'met'?"
"Mm… now that ya think about it… yeah, sort of. Why?"
"Nothing…. I was just relapsing something… something to do with after the military came… on the ARK that… day…"
"Oh my gosh, you don't mean the day the military landed on the colony, and shut it down?" Tails remembered the recording of the one Professor Gerald Robotnik made, when the ARK had gone into a crash course for the Earth.
"Unfortunately, yes. I was there… when it all happened… but it's a long story. And it's pretty harsh for Shadow to accept what I would have said to him if I repeat the story to him… but I need to find out about that last third of the puzzle… I have to find out if she is really alive, or not… knowing Shadow, Maria is like a ghost that tries to cheer him up… or to actually save his sanity. I've recently felt a presence through Shadow… but I am sure that was her getting through to him."
"Whoa… you're not kidding… are you?"
"No, I'm not kidding. This is all true."
"Geeze, you really are his sister. You feel what he feels, don't you?" Knuckles became a little serious. She wasn't kidding, was she?
"Sometimes. He chooses whether or not to let me. It's his fault his blood fused with mine, thus over the period of time I spent on the ARK… he and I formed a telekinetic bond that can't be broken, really. You could say that we mentally argue a lot, even though we aren't related at all, except Shadow saved me from certain death, and I still owe him." She laughed a little bit, though dryly at the end.
"How were you close to death? Shadow didn't beat ya up, did he?"
"No… he never would beat anyone. Well, Sonic, remember the prototype of the ultimate lifeform? That's what nearly killed me… I wanted to kill that thing so badly for hurting me. Shadow felt the same way. But Gerald insisted it was a pure accident that I was… used in a battle-test versus the monster. It's like a scar on my memory… I can never forget about it."
A few facial surprises, including a partially awake Amy blinked at Blizzard. It was amazing that she survived such a catastrophic nightmare…Even in a battle-test, nonetheless. She bit her lip, and looked away from everyone.
"Hey, at least you're okay, and that thing is long gone! Shadow and I killed it when the ARK was falling into the earth's atmosphere. It's probably still sitting on the eclipse cannon, burnt and dead for good."
A feminine voice from the window draws everyone's attention, most especially Knuckles'.
"He does have a point. Both of them worked together to end the evil thing's life and it's gone from existence. The government removed all traces of Robotnik's and Eggman's doings to prevent the duplication of further evil use of the ARK, might I say. And it's so nice to see you all. I had the suspicion that you guys would be here, so I dropped by to say 'hi'."
A white bat was sitting on the windowsill, elegantly, and looking at the group with one eye, since her face was facing the other side of the sill. The appropriate smile and familiarity to the groups' memory gave them the clue who's voice that really was at the quick moment. The guardian is surprised for a moment, but that just moves to a more stern and upset expression, clenching both fists very tightly.
"Alright batgirl, what's you motive now? Having others do your dirty work to steal my emerald?"
Rouge scoffs at the rude echidna in a fast manner. "How dare you blame me for something I haven't done, nor had anything to do with your emerald. Don't you remember that I gave up trying to steal your emerald?! Or is this an excuse to go after me, creep? Because the way it sounds, you think you can still get to me easily."
"Ugh, Think what you want, Rouge. There was a freakish looking bat, all black, and he was after my emerald. Thanks to him, I have to get those pieces back, because he shattered it. I think you set him up to get the jewel back, right from under my nose."
"Freakish looking black bat? Now why on earth would you link another bat to me? You're always the creep you've turned out to be, even after you and I fought." She stuck her nose up bitterly away from Knuckles, who was not too thrilled with the batgirl showing up, when she really wasn't wanted around, especially by his terms. "And I think you owe me an apology, creep. I haven't been doing anything for the past two years except doing some random errands for the government. I am still one of their agents, so don't even lift a finger at me to blame."
"Whatever, batgirl."
"Hmph."
"Okay. Are you two done bickering? Because we've got a lot more important things than hearing you two argue all day, y'know…" Sonic sighed a bit bitterly. Those two are still arguing, even after two years of not seeing each other. Yeesh.
"I am. But apparently Creep isn't. Anyways, I came by to see how Amy was. I also have been getting reports of you guys at the old pyramid base… well; I have this one question for Amy in particular. I'm sorry to be late on informing you, but were you, or were you not on a rooftop of a skyscraper with Shadow? I had to know, because I was just about to st--- erm… take possession of an alleged illegal jewel the particular building, I was on, had. I couldn't help but notice a sudden flash of light on the lower towering building, and by all means I was shocked to see you, and Shadow. And all this time I thought he was dead. Well, now, that certainly proved he is Gerald Robotnik's smaller version of the Ultimate Lifeform, as read in the recent files hacked out of ARK's database inventory. Should have known that hedgehog wouldn't die too easily."
"Yeah…he was with me, but he saved me…"
"Hmm. It seems you're feeling fine, and… oh, who might this be?" Rouge eyed Blizzard. She never saw this hedgehog before…
"Well, considering I should be askin' you that… I'm Blizzard the Hedgehog, and you're talking about my brother, Shadow, Ms. Rouge."
"…Brother? What exactly do you mean? It's either my imagination, or I didn't get what you just said, because if I am correct, there's no records of you being aboard the ARK, as I last seen it just five days ago. No other hedgehog besides Shadow was aboard at the current time. You must be mistaken, young lady, otherwise, I would have known."
"What? What're you babblin' about? Shadow is my brother!"
"Like I said, Blizzard, there are no data entries on you. I'll show you." The bat had slipped off a bag, after settling down onto the room floor, containing something, actually a portable laptop, black in color. Using connector wires, she connects the transportable device into a telephone hook. Rouge typed in a few letters, and within a moment or two, a white screen popped up. Then after that, more screens popped up, all labeled 'Database Info – ARK – Classified Information'. "I know I shouldn't be showing anyone, but this is for reassuring my words."
Busy with detailing away any files linked to the hedgehog's development, and study, she used a search within the entire thing to type in 'Locate any information on Blizzard, or anything close to the resemblance of the name' Beeps, and relevant noises of the common computer were whirring about the room, Blizzard in the background… Her life can't be a lie, could it? …
'No documentation, or records of 'Blizzard' anywhere in files. Search has come up with 0 files found.'
"I'm sorry, but…. It's true… otherwise it would have data about you."
………………
"You're lying… Shadow can prove it! You ask him when he returns, Ms. Rouge!"
Her life isn't a lie! It can't be! But her memories… they…. They're real…
Aren't they?………
Aren't they real?