Chapter 7
The Final Frontier
Mewtwo watched as the others rose from their sleep. For all anyone knew, he'd been there the whole night. The others were beginning to wonder if he even needed sleep; or food for that matter.
--Is everyone ready to depart?-- he asked.
Falcon sat up, still a bit groggy. "Sheesh, already?"
"Well, there's nothing to do here," Fox answered.
"What about breakfast?" ventured Sonic.
"It can wait," Link replied.
Shadow nodded. "I agree. Now, let's go before-"
Amy yawned and sat up.
"Now, Mewtwo!" yelled the blue hedgehog. "GO!!"
--Done.-- With a wave of his hand, the portal appeared.
"Sonic, wait!"
Sonic tried not to glance over his shoulder. "Just pretend you don't hear her," he said, stepping through.
--------------------------------------------
They reappeared in a large, empty room, with only a few minor consoles. It was circular, with one door and a window that spanned the entire length of the wall. The floor was also made out of glass, revealing a magnificent view of Earth.
"What is this place?" asked Link, marveling at the technology around him.
--The ARK,-- answered Mewtwo. --A... metal building floating above the planet, for lack of better terms.--
"This is where Shadow was created," added Sonic.
"Where is Shadow, anyway?" Falcon asked.
All eyes turned to the black hedgehog at the back of the room, staring at the rows of pictures taped to the window. "What is this?" he asked.
"The gang and I printed those out from the ARK's database as a sort of memorial for everyone who died here. Each of those people was working here when GUN shut this place down."
Shadow's gaze wandered through the familiar faces of his past, including Maria's, though he still said nothing of her. Slowly, he reached up and took his own picture off the window, taking with it his Fire Ring on the sill. "I'm the only one left," he solemnly stated. Silence followed, as no one knew what to say to him.
...
::WHACK!:: Sonic crumpled to the floor.
"What the hell!?" exclaimed Fox, spinning around.
Shadow's eyes widened. "Amy?"
Sure enough, there stood Amy, hammer in her hands. "Sonic! I *told* you not to leave me behind this time!"
"Ow... how'd you get here? You'd have to be running almost as fast as me to have made it to the portal..."
"I've practiced, Sonic! That's why I said I'm ready to go with you now!"
Sonic sighed audibly. "Whatever, let's just go." With that, he got up and led the way out into the hall.
"So, what exactly was this place?" ventured Fox, breaking the silence. "Some sort of research facility?"
"Exactly," Shadow replied. "It's original intent was to provide leading scientists with nearly unlimited resources so they might better serve mankind. Unfortunately, the government heavily frowned upon some of their experiments, like me, and eventually the ARK project was ordered to be shut down. "Naturally, the scientists resisted, some even going so far as to build defense systems for when G.U.N. tried to shut them down by force. It wasn't enough. "Professor Gerald Robotnik, my creator, was the most affected by G.U.N.'s threats. No one can say for sure, but I believe he knew what was going to happen, and programmed the ships systems to carry on his work after he was gone. That is why the Eclipse Cannon and the Biolizard were never destroyed. They were made after G.U.N. left, and Gerald's diary found its way into his grandson's hands, which is how he knew his revenge would be served."
"Wait--" interrupted Link.
Fox sighed. "Relax, Link. I don't know what the heck they're talking about either."
"It's not that, I hear something..."
Fox stopped and listened straining his sensitive (though not as well- trained) ears. "Sounds like a mechanical whirring."
Suddenly, thick steel doors slammed on either side of the group, trapping them in a small section of the hallway. An electronic voice could be heard, repeating "Intruder alert; vacuum exposure in fifteen seconds."
"They're gonna shoot us into space!" yelled Falcon.
Sonic's eyes widened. "Who is? This place is abandoned?"
"I don't wanna die!" screamed Fox.
Shadow stepped forward. "Voice code one-zero-one. Stop intruder program sequence."
"Voice code confirmed for Project Shadow. Security systems shutting down." The doors opened again.
Sonic let his breath out in a heavy sigh of relief. "You have security access?"
"Of course," Shadow replied. "Everyone did. "The question is, who managed to get the systems back online?"
--We're about to find out.--
::thud... thud... Thud... Thud.. THUD... THUD...::
"This can't be good," muttered Falcon.
A large blue robot rounded the corner and stood over our heroes. "I don't know who you guys are, or how you shut off the security systems, but you'll never make it past me!"
Sonic raised an eyebrow. "Tails? Is that you?"
An orange face leaned out the mech's cockpit and looked down at the blue hedgehog. "Sonic?"
"What are you doing here, Tails?"
Tails jumped lightly down. He looked quite different from what Sonic remembered, not to mention his voice had changed slightly. Tails was just as tall as he was now, with a look to match his teenage self. He wore a dark brown bomber jacket, with dark shades resting on his forehead. The blue blur's lifelong friend smiled as he said, "C'mon, Sonic. You know me! What better place could there be for an inventor like me? After our last adventure, I decided to follow my heart and practice making things. Eventually, I modified the Cyclone for space travel and came here."
"I guess I was so wrapped up in my fame and glory after Gerald's scheme I never really talked to you much..."
Tails patted him on the back. "It's all right. I got so wrapped up in my inventions I didn't even bother to tell you I was leaving. Now, what brings you here?"
Shadow glided out from the rest of the crowd. "It's a long story, Tails, and we don't have much time to tell you."
The teenage fox's eyes grew round as dinner plates. "Shadow!? You're alive! How...?"
Shadow sighed loudly. "What did I *just* say?"
Now, Amy walked up. "C'mon! He deserves to know!"
"Would you *please* be quiet."
Sonic decided it was better to interrupt than to let that exchange continue. "To make a long story short, Tails, I'm teaming up with these guys to take care of some aliens."
"Aliens?"
--Yes. And we need a ship.--
At this, the kitsune put a hand to his chin in thought. "Come with me. I think I've got just the thing!"
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Elfshire: Does your brain hurt? Are you unable to get that mental picture of what Tails looks like now? Or do you just want to see my artwork and praise me? In either case, go to:
http://sonicpotatosalad.freeservers.com/cgi-bin/i/oldernow.jpg (just copy and paste, fool!)
to see the very first (and perhaps the last) illustration for Smash Force. Yes, that's my artwork. Yes, it's probably crap in your opinion. But at least look at it.
Now, back to my (insert positive adjective here) fanfiction. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The group stepped into a very large room. "Behold!" said Tails, throwing his hands up dramatically. "It's my greatest invention yet! Though it doesn't have a name..."
Everyone's gaze traveled upward at the sight of a large, gray spacecraft. The cockpit had four sides coming to a point, with the window spanning two of them. The ship's rear had four small, jagged arcs extending out from the main thrusters,
Tails looked on with pride. "Pure titanium battle armor, maximum shield generators, hyperspace capability, and first-class living space. A masterpiece, if I do say so myself. Only..."
"Only what?" asked Sonic.
"It's a bit over-complex... For one thing, it needs a crew of at least six--
"We got that," said Falcon.
"Yeah, but how about a master pilot?"
Fox raised his hand. "Present!"
Tails raised an eyebrow. "Um... It has an extremely complicated computer core which would require someone with five arms and an IQ of 250 to operate...
--Done.--
By this point, the teenage inventor was almost struck speechless. "Uh... a... chaos emerald for the power core?"
Amy pulled out the silver emerald. "We can use mine!" she chirped.
Tails' mouth gaped open and his sunglasses fell on the floor.
Shadow turned to Mewtwo. "You planned out all of this, didn't you?"
--Most of it, yes.-- said the psychic, with a smirk.
"What about weapons?" Sonic asked. "Hellooo? Tails?"
Tails shook his head to clear it after Sonic snapped his fingers. "Oh, uh, yeah. Well, there isn't much in variety... the ARK wasn't known for making ship-weapons..."
"...But?"
"But it *does* have twenty different missle pods like the one on the Cyclone, and the main guns on the wings I designed after the pulse cannons the Biolizard left behind."
"YES!"
"Well, that's all."
Mewtwo nodded. --It is more than I hoped for. I would, however, like to speak with you about the food capacity of the ship. We wouldn't want to run out."
"Of course." The two walked off.
Shadow considered something a moment, then turned to Sonic. "Come with me," he said.
Sonic did as he was told, running down a few corridors to a room that resembled an obstacle course.
"This is where the Professor tested my skills; where I learned to skate and fight."
"But why'd you bring me here?"
"This quest we're starting on seems far more important than our last endeavor, so I wanted to apologize for what I've done in the past. I was a different person then, with different motives."
"You don't need to apologize, Shadow. You made up for yourself by destroying the Biolizard, and helping to save the world in its darkest hour. Everyone on Earth looks to you as a hero, not a villian."
"And what do you believe?"
"I agree. Why else would Mewtwo have you come along?"
Shadow remained silent a moment, then shook Sonic's hand.
The blue hedgehog's gaze traveled to one of the walls. "Hey, what's with the jumpsuits?"
"They were used to monitor my vital signs during practice, as well as miles per hour. It helped Gerald monitor my progress."
"Okay... but why are there two?"
"I told Gerald I wouldn't be caught dead in the orange one. He was so glad I showed signs of my own personality he didn't even mind making a second one."
Suddenly, Amy stepped through the doorway. "Cool, but do they come in pink?"
Sonic winced, then turned towards her. "That settles it, Amy. You're NOT coming. I've made up my mind."
"No fair, Sonic! You guys always leave me behind!"
"You're not ready, okay?"
"You just say that because you don't like me!"
"If that was it, I'd have Tails come with!"
Oddly enough, Tails walked into the room at that moment. "What? I'm not going?"
Amy crossed her arms. "You act like we're still kids, Sonic."
"Yeah, we're older now!" said Tails.
"Why should you have all the fun?"
At this, something inside Shadow seemed to snap as face showed a sudden anger. "FUN!?" he yelled into Amy's face. "You think this is fun? How about back on Earth when you just stood there and watched the six of us fight? Or when you cowered in the rubble after the Zeg'ra chased you? Was that fun?!"
"Cool it, Shadow!" cried Sonic, pulling him away. "The bottom line is, guys, Shadow and I are the strongest, and we can only take so many on the ship. Besides, if the Zeg'ra come back for Earth, it's up to you guys to stop it."
Tails hesitated, then nodded, saying, "You can count on me, Sonic. I won't let you down."
"Thanks, Tails."
---------------------------------------
Link had been wandering around the ARK for a good while now. He'd gotten bored just waiting for the others, so he decided to take a walk. The place was, after all, quite breathtaking to him. Suddenly, he stopped. "Okay, I'm lost," he admitted. He spotted Sonic and Shadow ahead of him, and tried to catch up as they turned down an adjoining corridor, but stopped upon hearing Amy's voice from the doorway the two hedgehogs left from...
----------------------------------------
"All systems go!" yelled the master pilot. "Mewtwo, call the others so we can get out of here!"
--Everyone board the ship. We have no time to waste.--
The others quickly came aboard, and after buckling in, Falcon said, "What's this ship called, anyway?"
--Tails didn't come up with a name for it yet,-- the pokemon replied.
"How about the Silver Arrow?" suggested Link.
Fox smirked. "Silver Arrow it is. Now let's go!!"
::WHOOSH::
The Final Frontier
Mewtwo watched as the others rose from their sleep. For all anyone knew, he'd been there the whole night. The others were beginning to wonder if he even needed sleep; or food for that matter.
--Is everyone ready to depart?-- he asked.
Falcon sat up, still a bit groggy. "Sheesh, already?"
"Well, there's nothing to do here," Fox answered.
"What about breakfast?" ventured Sonic.
"It can wait," Link replied.
Shadow nodded. "I agree. Now, let's go before-"
Amy yawned and sat up.
"Now, Mewtwo!" yelled the blue hedgehog. "GO!!"
--Done.-- With a wave of his hand, the portal appeared.
"Sonic, wait!"
Sonic tried not to glance over his shoulder. "Just pretend you don't hear her," he said, stepping through.
--------------------------------------------
They reappeared in a large, empty room, with only a few minor consoles. It was circular, with one door and a window that spanned the entire length of the wall. The floor was also made out of glass, revealing a magnificent view of Earth.
"What is this place?" asked Link, marveling at the technology around him.
--The ARK,-- answered Mewtwo. --A... metal building floating above the planet, for lack of better terms.--
"This is where Shadow was created," added Sonic.
"Where is Shadow, anyway?" Falcon asked.
All eyes turned to the black hedgehog at the back of the room, staring at the rows of pictures taped to the window. "What is this?" he asked.
"The gang and I printed those out from the ARK's database as a sort of memorial for everyone who died here. Each of those people was working here when GUN shut this place down."
Shadow's gaze wandered through the familiar faces of his past, including Maria's, though he still said nothing of her. Slowly, he reached up and took his own picture off the window, taking with it his Fire Ring on the sill. "I'm the only one left," he solemnly stated. Silence followed, as no one knew what to say to him.
...
::WHACK!:: Sonic crumpled to the floor.
"What the hell!?" exclaimed Fox, spinning around.
Shadow's eyes widened. "Amy?"
Sure enough, there stood Amy, hammer in her hands. "Sonic! I *told* you not to leave me behind this time!"
"Ow... how'd you get here? You'd have to be running almost as fast as me to have made it to the portal..."
"I've practiced, Sonic! That's why I said I'm ready to go with you now!"
Sonic sighed audibly. "Whatever, let's just go." With that, he got up and led the way out into the hall.
"So, what exactly was this place?" ventured Fox, breaking the silence. "Some sort of research facility?"
"Exactly," Shadow replied. "It's original intent was to provide leading scientists with nearly unlimited resources so they might better serve mankind. Unfortunately, the government heavily frowned upon some of their experiments, like me, and eventually the ARK project was ordered to be shut down. "Naturally, the scientists resisted, some even going so far as to build defense systems for when G.U.N. tried to shut them down by force. It wasn't enough. "Professor Gerald Robotnik, my creator, was the most affected by G.U.N.'s threats. No one can say for sure, but I believe he knew what was going to happen, and programmed the ships systems to carry on his work after he was gone. That is why the Eclipse Cannon and the Biolizard were never destroyed. They were made after G.U.N. left, and Gerald's diary found its way into his grandson's hands, which is how he knew his revenge would be served."
"Wait--" interrupted Link.
Fox sighed. "Relax, Link. I don't know what the heck they're talking about either."
"It's not that, I hear something..."
Fox stopped and listened straining his sensitive (though not as well- trained) ears. "Sounds like a mechanical whirring."
Suddenly, thick steel doors slammed on either side of the group, trapping them in a small section of the hallway. An electronic voice could be heard, repeating "Intruder alert; vacuum exposure in fifteen seconds."
"They're gonna shoot us into space!" yelled Falcon.
Sonic's eyes widened. "Who is? This place is abandoned?"
"I don't wanna die!" screamed Fox.
Shadow stepped forward. "Voice code one-zero-one. Stop intruder program sequence."
"Voice code confirmed for Project Shadow. Security systems shutting down." The doors opened again.
Sonic let his breath out in a heavy sigh of relief. "You have security access?"
"Of course," Shadow replied. "Everyone did. "The question is, who managed to get the systems back online?"
--We're about to find out.--
::thud... thud... Thud... Thud.. THUD... THUD...::
"This can't be good," muttered Falcon.
A large blue robot rounded the corner and stood over our heroes. "I don't know who you guys are, or how you shut off the security systems, but you'll never make it past me!"
Sonic raised an eyebrow. "Tails? Is that you?"
An orange face leaned out the mech's cockpit and looked down at the blue hedgehog. "Sonic?"
"What are you doing here, Tails?"
Tails jumped lightly down. He looked quite different from what Sonic remembered, not to mention his voice had changed slightly. Tails was just as tall as he was now, with a look to match his teenage self. He wore a dark brown bomber jacket, with dark shades resting on his forehead. The blue blur's lifelong friend smiled as he said, "C'mon, Sonic. You know me! What better place could there be for an inventor like me? After our last adventure, I decided to follow my heart and practice making things. Eventually, I modified the Cyclone for space travel and came here."
"I guess I was so wrapped up in my fame and glory after Gerald's scheme I never really talked to you much..."
Tails patted him on the back. "It's all right. I got so wrapped up in my inventions I didn't even bother to tell you I was leaving. Now, what brings you here?"
Shadow glided out from the rest of the crowd. "It's a long story, Tails, and we don't have much time to tell you."
The teenage fox's eyes grew round as dinner plates. "Shadow!? You're alive! How...?"
Shadow sighed loudly. "What did I *just* say?"
Now, Amy walked up. "C'mon! He deserves to know!"
"Would you *please* be quiet."
Sonic decided it was better to interrupt than to let that exchange continue. "To make a long story short, Tails, I'm teaming up with these guys to take care of some aliens."
"Aliens?"
--Yes. And we need a ship.--
At this, the kitsune put a hand to his chin in thought. "Come with me. I think I've got just the thing!"
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Elfshire: Does your brain hurt? Are you unable to get that mental picture of what Tails looks like now? Or do you just want to see my artwork and praise me? In either case, go to:
http://sonicpotatosalad.freeservers.com/cgi-bin/i/oldernow.jpg (just copy and paste, fool!)
to see the very first (and perhaps the last) illustration for Smash Force. Yes, that's my artwork. Yes, it's probably crap in your opinion. But at least look at it.
Now, back to my (insert positive adjective here) fanfiction. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The group stepped into a very large room. "Behold!" said Tails, throwing his hands up dramatically. "It's my greatest invention yet! Though it doesn't have a name..."
Everyone's gaze traveled upward at the sight of a large, gray spacecraft. The cockpit had four sides coming to a point, with the window spanning two of them. The ship's rear had four small, jagged arcs extending out from the main thrusters,
Tails looked on with pride. "Pure titanium battle armor, maximum shield generators, hyperspace capability, and first-class living space. A masterpiece, if I do say so myself. Only..."
"Only what?" asked Sonic.
"It's a bit over-complex... For one thing, it needs a crew of at least six--
"We got that," said Falcon.
"Yeah, but how about a master pilot?"
Fox raised his hand. "Present!"
Tails raised an eyebrow. "Um... It has an extremely complicated computer core which would require someone with five arms and an IQ of 250 to operate...
--Done.--
By this point, the teenage inventor was almost struck speechless. "Uh... a... chaos emerald for the power core?"
Amy pulled out the silver emerald. "We can use mine!" she chirped.
Tails' mouth gaped open and his sunglasses fell on the floor.
Shadow turned to Mewtwo. "You planned out all of this, didn't you?"
--Most of it, yes.-- said the psychic, with a smirk.
"What about weapons?" Sonic asked. "Hellooo? Tails?"
Tails shook his head to clear it after Sonic snapped his fingers. "Oh, uh, yeah. Well, there isn't much in variety... the ARK wasn't known for making ship-weapons..."
"...But?"
"But it *does* have twenty different missle pods like the one on the Cyclone, and the main guns on the wings I designed after the pulse cannons the Biolizard left behind."
"YES!"
"Well, that's all."
Mewtwo nodded. --It is more than I hoped for. I would, however, like to speak with you about the food capacity of the ship. We wouldn't want to run out."
"Of course." The two walked off.
Shadow considered something a moment, then turned to Sonic. "Come with me," he said.
Sonic did as he was told, running down a few corridors to a room that resembled an obstacle course.
"This is where the Professor tested my skills; where I learned to skate and fight."
"But why'd you bring me here?"
"This quest we're starting on seems far more important than our last endeavor, so I wanted to apologize for what I've done in the past. I was a different person then, with different motives."
"You don't need to apologize, Shadow. You made up for yourself by destroying the Biolizard, and helping to save the world in its darkest hour. Everyone on Earth looks to you as a hero, not a villian."
"And what do you believe?"
"I agree. Why else would Mewtwo have you come along?"
Shadow remained silent a moment, then shook Sonic's hand.
The blue hedgehog's gaze traveled to one of the walls. "Hey, what's with the jumpsuits?"
"They were used to monitor my vital signs during practice, as well as miles per hour. It helped Gerald monitor my progress."
"Okay... but why are there two?"
"I told Gerald I wouldn't be caught dead in the orange one. He was so glad I showed signs of my own personality he didn't even mind making a second one."
Suddenly, Amy stepped through the doorway. "Cool, but do they come in pink?"
Sonic winced, then turned towards her. "That settles it, Amy. You're NOT coming. I've made up my mind."
"No fair, Sonic! You guys always leave me behind!"
"You're not ready, okay?"
"You just say that because you don't like me!"
"If that was it, I'd have Tails come with!"
Oddly enough, Tails walked into the room at that moment. "What? I'm not going?"
Amy crossed her arms. "You act like we're still kids, Sonic."
"Yeah, we're older now!" said Tails.
"Why should you have all the fun?"
At this, something inside Shadow seemed to snap as face showed a sudden anger. "FUN!?" he yelled into Amy's face. "You think this is fun? How about back on Earth when you just stood there and watched the six of us fight? Or when you cowered in the rubble after the Zeg'ra chased you? Was that fun?!"
"Cool it, Shadow!" cried Sonic, pulling him away. "The bottom line is, guys, Shadow and I are the strongest, and we can only take so many on the ship. Besides, if the Zeg'ra come back for Earth, it's up to you guys to stop it."
Tails hesitated, then nodded, saying, "You can count on me, Sonic. I won't let you down."
"Thanks, Tails."
---------------------------------------
Link had been wandering around the ARK for a good while now. He'd gotten bored just waiting for the others, so he decided to take a walk. The place was, after all, quite breathtaking to him. Suddenly, he stopped. "Okay, I'm lost," he admitted. He spotted Sonic and Shadow ahead of him, and tried to catch up as they turned down an adjoining corridor, but stopped upon hearing Amy's voice from the doorway the two hedgehogs left from...
----------------------------------------
"All systems go!" yelled the master pilot. "Mewtwo, call the others so we can get out of here!"
--Everyone board the ship. We have no time to waste.--
The others quickly came aboard, and after buckling in, Falcon said, "What's this ship called, anyway?"
--Tails didn't come up with a name for it yet,-- the pokemon replied.
"How about the Silver Arrow?" suggested Link.
Fox smirked. "Silver Arrow it is. Now let's go!!"
::WHOOSH::