Disclaimer: Oi, I think this is the.... -counts- ...the thirty-fifth time out of all my stories I have stated that I am NOT the owner of Sonic the Hedgehog, or any of the characters. If you guys still don't get it, I'm going to have to start beating sense into you. -brandishes a stick-
Ugh, this is possibly the fastest update I've made on this story. What do you know, it didn't take me a whole month to write this stuff down!!! Yay! Either I'm getting better at this, or I seriously have nothing better to do. Oo
Sonic: Definitely the latter, if you ask me...
Shadow: But she didn't ask you.
Sonic: Quiet! You aren't even in this fic!
Hmmm.......maybe not yet, he isn't....I dunno...
Shadow: NM!! You promised.
I know, I know! I said I'd leave you alone for a little while. But don't you like getting the extra attention?
Shadow: Lesse, I've been caused to try and commit suicide twice, dated and impregnated the Faker, of all people, been in a Christmas fic which I'm very happy to say didn't cause me too much pain, surprisingly, hung out with a wacko, crazy teenage girl with freaky eyes...
Tammy: HEY!!!
Shadow: ...no offense... -turns back to NM- ...and been dropped to my doom in a songfic containing Sarah McLachlan's When She Loved Me. Not that it's a bad song, but after a while it's kind of tiring to be exploited over and over...
..........it is?
Nameless Muse: Oh come'on, don't you get tired of using him all the time?
.....-scratches head, looking thoughtful-
Sonic: You don't, do you....
Not really....no....
Shadow: -.- Why do I even try anymore...
Chapter Four - Meet the Bad Guy
Standing still
But in my mind
Trying to escape
Looking for a place to hide
Well it's not safe but
I'm so near
Invading every place you go
To disappear
- Jars Of Clay, 'Disappear'
Most of you people know what it feels like to get up early in the morning. To hear your annoying alarms ring and try to push yourself up out of the warm bliss that is sleep to stagger forward to a new day. To want every second to just crawl your way back to your still body-heated blankets so you can hide away from the world of sunlight, slip back into oblivion for just a little bit longer and dream the beautiful black emptiness that comes with complete peace of mind.
That's how Tikal felt as she awoke.
In fact, the female Echidna couldn't even remember going to sleep, therefore being ready to wake up was by far out of the question. However, she couldn't seem to ignore the strange buzzing noise that echoed in her mind. It wasn't an annoying buzzing; well it was, but not one of the loud, obnoxious kind. More like a quiet, insistent call in reality, and despite her not wanting to, Tikal had to answer.
Her eyes open as slits, and then widened, as she gasped.
She was trapped in what seemed to be an upside-down half bubble, connected to the ceiling, and coming down far enough so that she would be eye-level with any human speaking to her. She was supported out of the curve's bottom by a semi-hard pillow of sorts with a crease down the middle.
"Ah, you're finally awake..."
She lifted her head towards the voice, her eyes still half-lidded and unfocused. When the blurs finally cleared, she found herself staring out at a squadron of armed soldiers, at the front of which was a raven-haired, pale-skinned human dressed in a black suit. It took a little longer for her to actually see him, and when she did, she drew back in surprise. While one dark violet eye, similar to that of her own dear friend Knuckles', glared out at her, the other was a milky white, with a jagged red scar running through it from the inward most tip of his left eyebrow and curling around to end where his ear began to grow out of his face.
When he noticed what it was exactly Tikal was staring at, a feral grin twisted his face into an even more hideous countenance, giving the anthro female the shivers.
"So, my dear," He let his face melt back into a more polite expression, one of gentle curiosity. "Might I have the pleasure of knowing your name...?"
She found her voice, or rather it found her, and answered stiffly. "You kidnap me, locked me behind glass..." She tapped the clear substance pointedly. "...and expect me to carry on a conversation with you as if nothing is out of the ordinary?"
"I expect you to cooperate, yes."
"Shouldn't you already know my name? You obviously knew where to find me well enough." Tikal sat up all the way and glared at the man angrily. "As I understand it, that is the protocol for your sort of business people." Or at least, from what Knuckles had told her about GUN, that was.
"My dear, please, I believe you are taking this all the wrong way..." He began, a charming smile flashing up at her.
"Oh am I now?"
"Yes, ma'am, most assuredly. You see," He frowned. "...I never meant for anyone to be, er…abducted during that trip to the Floating Island. I merely intended an invitation to be given to the Guardian of the Master and Chaos Emeralds. I'm having a bit of a...problem, you see, and the Emeralds would present quite a satisfactory solution."
"Well, I hate to disappoint you, but..." She paused, having been about to tell him he had the wrong Echidna. However, giving him such information would betray Knuckles and the others, something she couldn't let happen if it was able to be prevented.
"But what, miss?" He inquired eagerly.
"...but…it's against the rules." Tikal finished slowly. Well, that is the truth...
"Ah, yes, I know already..." His frown had returned, more deeply set this time. "That is why the invitation was to be delivered; I thought the Guardian and I could strike a bargain of sorts, you see...but these idiots," He turned on the soldiers, smacking the nearest one upside her helmeted head angrily. "...decided it would be more exciting to simply take the Emeralds and Guardian by force, and that is how we ended up with you, my dear, because not only did these imbeciles forget their manners, they cannot tell an innocent bystander from the Guardian, and snatched you right up, I'm afraid."
Tikal was silent in response to this, nodding her head every seconds to acknowledge his words. Though his story was somewhat plausible, every smooth word practically shrieked 'liar,' causing her suspicion of this human to grow with each passing second. This man, she knew, was not one to be trusted.
"And that puts us in even more of a spot, as I'm sure you see. If they'd taken the Guardian, then not only could I offer full apologies, the negotiations could still take place. As it is, I fear we shall have to return and seek out--"
"Now you just wait!" Tikal leapt to her feet angrily, hands planting themselves on her hips. "If you think I'll let you go back and traipse all over my home again, I think you might be thinking too hard and your brains have fried! It is my duty to protect and defend the Island and I will not have you---"
"Ah, so you are the Guardian after all," The smirk crawled across his features and Tikal drew back, her rage replaced by repulsion and fear. "My, what exaggerators I have on my staff. They all seemed convinced that the Guardian was a fiery red, vicious creature with eyes like my own, excluding this ruined one, and above all: male. You had us all quite fooled, I'm sure you know." His white teeth gleamed at her.
"Ah well then, nothing to worry about; we'll have all the answers we need from you and the two Chaos Emeralds we've retrieved, Knuckles. My, even your name hides your gender. How clever." He turned to leave.
"Hold on," Tikal called, and he stopped. "You know the name of the Guardian, but I've yet to know yours..."
"Hmmm, speaking in third person is it? Very well," He gave a deep, sweeping bow, and made a motion as if tipping his hat. "The Guardian may refer to her captor as General Gabriel Asaro." Then, as dignified as the bow, the man retreated from the room followed by most of the squadron, save two, the blonde female he'd smacked earlier and a grizzled, red-headed male. Probably her guards to go with the glass cage.
Tikal sighed and sat down. With no abilities like the ones her good companions had, this was going to be a very long wait for a rescue.
-0-
Back on the Island, Knuckles would've been inclined to agree with Tikal's insight on the speed of her salvation from the clutches of GUN. Especially since Chaos, in his full-blown, vengeful frenzy, was roughly uncontrollable without the female Echidna. The watery being was previously occupied with frantically gushing around the Floating Island in the form gigantic waves, frightening the Chao into miniature stampedes with his outraged bellows. If past events were to be judged from, it was all Knuckles could handle, trying to keep Chaos from descending to the surface and wreaking havoc till he found Tikal.
That was a lot of havoc to be wreaked.
Maybe that's why the ancients renamed him Chaos… He thought. It fits...
Mighty, being the strongest out of the Chaotix--and with a temperament most similar to Tikal's--was the one chosen to restrain the liquid, yet solid, typhoon. It had taken a lot longer then they'd hoped for, but Chaos had calmed down, if standing still and having your skin and flesh literally boil was something to be called 'calm.'
Espio and Vector were both tending to Charmy's injured wing, using a medical kit and an operative on a 'home emergency information' line. It had started with Espio with the phone and Vector handling the kit, but after a few sort rounds of 'Did you pull the wing out to its full extent and examine, sir? Are you sure? And the hole has punctured through the wing, is that correct?' the chameleon had gotten less than pleased and began speaking with very vibrant language. As a result, they'd switched.
"Well, Charmes m'man, looks like you won't be flyin' on this wing for a while..." Vector said, clicking the cell phone shut and handing it back to Knuckles.
"Well, I know that, Vector." The bee grumbled, still a little put-out with the prospect of being restricted to the ground for a few days. "Did she give an estimate for how long?"
"If she did, I won't be surprised when she's off by about two years."
"Harsh, Esp', real harsh..."
Well the inevitable exchange of insults took place, Knuckles rubbed his temples and sighed loudly, clicking his cell phone back open to begin a long list of dialing. The others looked up at him, Espio and Vector's disagreement forgotten due to wonderment of who the hell Knuckles, the king of non-sociality, was planning on talking to.
Mighty decided to voice the unanimous question.
"Who're you calling?"
"Someone I met a while back," Knuckles growled when the operator's voice came on, telling him the phone number he'd dialed had been disconnected, or changed. "If we're gonna face up GUN, we'll need someone who knows more about breaking in and out of places..."
"Dude, yer not seriously thinkin'..."
"Yes, I am. And if we're getting Tikal back, then we'd better get searching." He snapped the phone shut. "She's gone and moved again."
Shadow: Look, all I'm saying is that once in a while, you should focus on someone else. Like Sonic, or Amy! You really don't do Amy enough...
Amy: And I'd like to keep it that way.
Well, I was thinking about putting her in the story. Sonic and Tails maybe too. I can mess around with that, if they do show up, it won't be for a good chapter or so. The readers can vote on if they wanna see them.
Shadow: Phew, I still have a chance...
Nameless Muse: Not really. If she decides she wants you in, you're in, regardless.
Shadow: Oh noooooo.... -holds head in hands-
Read and review! And if you feel like it, guess on who else is coming into the storyline! It's prolly pretty obvious, so if you get it wrong, I might have to bonk you on the head a few times. -waves her stick-
Knuckles: ....um...when did I get a cell phone?
ChaosHavoc: ......... -leans over and whispers something in Knuckles ears; as she whispers, his expression becomes more and more fearful-
Knuckles: Okay...nevermind...
No more complaints? -sly grin-
Knuckles: From me?! No ma'am!
Good boy....REVIEW PEOPLE!! :P
