"This is it isn't it?" The older Miles asked as they entered a little cavern in the jungle floor, almost immediately there was a metallic platform surrounded by little pillars, like the ones found on many points of the island. The Freedom Fighters allowed the echidna to install one; it would lead to the Great Forest, a cavern just on the outskirts of it anyway. They both knew they would have to be cautious, because Robotnik now had control of the territory and whether he still had units there or not was not known.
"Are we ready to go…?" Miles asked turning to Knuckles and noticed something they both hadn't before, and it seems like Knuckles noticed it as well as he growled and cussed as his hand went to cover his wound. "Knuckles are you ok?" He asked concerned looking at the echidna's left shoulder, it looked like the shot hadn't missed after all, not entirely anyway. It had gone clean through his shoulder. The blood was running down his arm to his fingertips, he would need treatment soon so he didn't lose too much blood.
"I'll… be fine." He stated, which was a lie, obviously. If the older Tails knew anything about Knuckles it was that he was very stubborn.
"No, you're hurt. When we get to the other side of this thing you need to go to Lower Mobius and get some medical attention, there is a path through Robotropolis. I'll take the emeralds to Sally and Sonic." He stated sternly, hoping Knuckles wouldn't argue.
The echidna though liked to conflict with others and he wouldn't give up his emeralds so easily, he had always been defensive of them. "You guys better give me them back, or you'll wish Robotnik had done you in." He stated.
"Don't worry about it Knuckles we'll give it back to you when we're done. You have my word." Selim stated taking a jungle leaf and tying it tightly around the wound.
Knuckles showed little emotion even though it stung like hell, as a guardian he had to look impenetrable at all times, showing no weakness. He nodded, "Hm… I always trusted you over Sonic, you seem to be more reasonably coolheaded instead of Sonic's spontaneous actions."
Selim nodded, he never really put those words with Sonic before, but now that he thought of it spontaneous would be the word. Acting on a whim, like he always does, which is probably why he is in trouble now. They both get on the platform and Knuckles activates it, they both disappear on their way to the western outskirts of the Great Forest.
"Uncle Chuck?" the blue hedgehog asked wearily as he stood up and looked at the mechanical hedgehog as it stared without any sign of emotion at the princess and Sonic. Snively had noticed that the ground squirrel had joined the fiasco and he grinned happily, now he could be rid of two birds with one stone.
Sonic had not yet become defensive as he looked at the light blue machine's eyes, his expression wasn't the one of the Uncle Chuck he knew, and it wasn't that of the robotosized one either, there wasn't that sense of anger. It was a dangerous calm, one in which the hedgehog knew within himself that it was not Uncle Chuck that stood before him. Was it a copy? That would explain why Robotnik would have displayed the captured robot. Damn it, the hedgehog thought to himself as he realized he was tricked again.
Before he could react, the robot he had though to be his Uncle Chuck moved forward at him with incredible speed, it leaped off the ground and spun around in the air like a cyclone and drilled Sonic into the wall. The princess cried out as the robot hit Sonic, the blue hedgehog fell forward as the robot leapt back. The blue hedgehog left confused, nothing he had ever seen before moved with that speed, and he knew that Uncle Chuck, even robotosized couldn't move that fast. Even the leopard like droid he had raced against awhile back paled in comparison. Himself? Not likely, nothing was faster then him, and nothing ever would be! Would it?
Sonic growled, no nothing would, and when it came to speed he would not be outdone. "So Buttnik thinks he can beat me by using Uncle Chuck as a shield? Think again!" He growled, upset he had to do this, but he had no choice, in this world it was either him or them. He would see if he couldn't disable the robot and try and fix the mistake. "Catch me if you can!" He cried as he took off like a rocket down the street.
Sally knew that something was very wrong as the mechanical hedgehog chased after the blue blur. "Nicole… did you get the data I requested?" She asked the little palm computer as she watched the two disappear into the distance.
"Accessing Sally…" The computer chimed as it processed the data. "Warning! Restricted data found, date back in data archive before accessible date. Please enter access code."
Sally scratched her head and sighed. She had only come across this problem once before, and it was when she was accessing any information on the family name of Prower. She knew that her father probably did it. Nicole had lots of information within her databanks and she had barely scratched the surface of that information, but when she seemed to ask the deep questions about the past it seemed to come up with this message. Why was her father hiding the past like that? The squirrel shook her head, this wasn't important now, Sonic was in trouble, whatever this thing was it had spewed forth from the past and it threatened to consume them all.
Sonic ran full ahead, not going to stop; he knew that the robot was right behind him. He moved through the debris on the street with ease, he had done this his whole life. However he had to stop when he soon came across the light blue wall that kept him contained. He cursed as he skid to a stop about a foot away from the containment field. This confirmed the thought that this was all a trap.
The blue hedgehog turned to look behind him; there was no sign of the metallic hedgehog. Had he lost him? He looked around, the air was still and he knew he was being watched, that he was still out there, he just didn't know where. The streets were silent, still, only a little rustle of papers caused Sonic to steer his attention elsewhere. Suddenly he heard felt something behind him. The hedgehog quickly spun around and saw his instincts were correct as the metallic hedgehog that was his Uncle stood before him, however he could hardly jump in surprise before the hedgehog took a hammer looking object and smashing it into the blue hedgehog with a wide arc swing to his side sending him flying back down the street.
Sonic landed with a thud into a pile of debris, dazed a bit, and confused on where that hammer had come from, and how Uncle Chuck had learned to swing it like a bat like that. It wasn't Chuck, it couldn't be, he had to get that out of his head if he any hope to survive.
As he stood up he was met with a kick to the face causing him to fly back farther down the street, it was very quick and powerful. Sonic pulled himself up so he'd land on his feet, but as soon as he got his bearings and began his decent suddenly the robot was right above him, smashing down both of his fists sending the blue hedgehog smack into the ground; he bounced off the concrete street and fell onto his back.
The hedgehog writhed in pain, but through it all he had a sudden feeling of remembrance, he had seen that move before. His mind started going back to when he was on the Floating Island in the hidden palace"So you found my palace?… it looks like I have no choice now, I would have let you live you know, but you had to charge forward didn't you?" The echidna stated about fifteen feet in front of the interloper, in between him and the emerald chamber.
"It's what I've done my whole life, it's not me who is your enemy, why can't you see that?" The hedgehog retorted.
Knuckles put up his fists in traditional fighting stance. "Enough talk hedgehog, I've defended these emeralds for all of my life, and I've been waiting for the day to come when I was challenged, let's go."
Sonic shrugged, there was no reasoning with the knucklehead, and so he sighed and got ready to fight. The echidna charged head long but the hedgehog easily dodged by jumping out and to the side, however this seemed to be expected as the red guardian jumped into the air and brought both fists down onto him.
Sonic emerged from his flashback and came back to the situation at hand. That move Knuckles used was called 'Meteor Punch' as he had found out later. The hedgehog was now even more confused as he tried to stand up, though it was difficult, it felt like he had dislocated his shoulder.
What was with this machine? It had matched his speed, maybe even surpassed it. It had knuckles' strength. It had some moves he had never seen before, had Robotnik been observing all of their battles and recorded their moves onto a data disk to later be used against them? It wouldn't surprise him, he remembered Metal Sonic but that had only matched his abilities, not surpassed. If this was the case then he was up against something that he couldn't beat with his speed alone. The perfect weapon, only someone faster and stronger then himself could bring it down. His only hope now rested with the Chaos Emeralds, damn dang it, he wished Knuckles would hurry.
Smoke rose in almost every direction, the land was singed, scorched, and the trees were massacred, the life sucked out of nearly every square inch. Yes, this was the Great Forest that Selim was familiar with; he lowered his head in sorrow. He couldn't save everything, but he had to save something. He turned away from the choking air and destruction caused by the fire that Robotnik had set to these woods. He knew if he stared too long, he'd forget to save the one thing he came here to save, and that was his old friend, Sonic the Hedgehog.
Knuckles however continued to gawk, mesmerized by the chaotic state the area had been left in. "Damn him… Damn him to hell." He growled, obviously just as upset as the fox, but Selim kept it inside, like he did with many things. It was him being a leader that did that, he couldn't let fool hearty anger and vengeance stir his emotions, but yet he felt them rise now and he pushed back within himself as much as he could.
"Let's go." He said lowly as they ran off toward the metallic city.
The younger two tailed fox had arrived at the vent in which the Freedom Fighters had entered the city. He knew this because the group was just outside. Bunnie, Rotor, Roy were standing their all looking in a certain direction. He didn't wish to be seen, for he knew he wasn't supposed to be here right now. They looked concerned, and Tails knew something was not right. Sonic and Sally weren't with them, and he instantly understood what was wrong, that something had gone wrong.
He wished he could see what they were staring at, it would probably explain more. He leaned out of the door and he could barely see out the window they were peering through, there was something light blue hovering in the sky, like a wall. He recognized it, from a few years ago, when the 'Ts' as they called them were attempting their escape from the doctor's clutches the round guy had trapped them within something like that.
"So they're in there are they?" Roy asked in his light accent.
Bunny nodded. "Ya sugar, I don't think they all can get out." She looked down.
Rotor thought quietly to himself wondering how they could get them out, "I'm sure if Sonic had a power ring they could get out like they did before." He stated as he scratched his head with his wrench.
The kit accidentally put too much weight on a loose piece of piping and fell out of the pipeline with a thud. He looked up as the peice crashed onto the floor giving him away in a heartbeat. He shook his head and sighed as the three spun around, he blew it.
"Tails? What y'all doin' out 'ere?" Bunnie asked moving over to the kit and picking him up.
"I was worried Aunt Bunnie." He said looking down.
The rabbit couldn't mistake the irony, how Sonic was in danger at the moment, and here was his best bud, worried about him. She wondered if the little vulpine had a sixth sense for when the hedgehog was in trouble. They nodded, and understood that as the fox grew older his curiosity grew. To worry about someone, though, you had to have a doubt. Tails had never doubted Sonic's invulnerability before, but now, when Sonic really needed to have the belief that he could win no matter the odds, even his best bud couldn't give it to him.
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That's it for this week... ya wasn't much. This one is what I call my 'sleeper' chapter. It usually makes sure everyone is on the same page before the main action begins. Oh yeah, next week will have alot more in store. It'll be here on March 7th, until then.
