Chapter 10 – Running Ripples.
A/N: This could get confusing but bear with me; all will be explained later. Just a few words to one of my favourite reviewers:
KatyRose – Before I write, I always make sure to fix myself up with a large expressio with a couple of extra shots of caffeine; this works wonders when you're trying to pull an all-nighter with deadlines long overdue. Failing coffee, try a nice creamy cheese, just don't fall asleep after eating it; it does weird things with your dreams.
As the being slowly inhaled and exhaled for the first time in eons, enjoying the sensation of whistling breath and the slow, languid throb of a pulse, a second, equally powerful work had been set into motion. From the nexus of the mighty ruby, just as the prisoner had been released, so too had a second, equally important command; as Espio had sensed, a first ripple of power shivered through the earth, swiftly followed by a second, then a third, each barely making an impact on any instruments set to record the tremors of the earth as they diffused throughout the solid rock and spread outwards unceasingly. The expanding rings caused the sea to quiver as each rushed off the shore past Station Square and plunged heedlessly into the ocean, racing away to undo that which had been done so long ago in the past. As wave after wave of control raced from the ruby, so too was another dormant source of power activated; in the dead of the night, a second set of ripples began to be released. As the world slept, the combined powers of these ripples began to wash away the actions of ages long forgotten, undoing that which had been done both for good and for ill.
Morning followed night, as it always must; the sun peeking out from behind an overhanging cloud shone directly into the eyes of Rouge as the bat began to awaken. Slowly opening her aqua eyes, the bat pulled herself into a sitting position and yawned deeply, glancing over to her left and smiling; just for once she'd managed to beat Knuckles in getting up in the morning. The echidna stirred just as the bat slid her legs out of bed,
"Morning Knucks, sleep okay?"
"You bet", the echidna smiled; due to the cold weather it was necessary for the two Mobians to share the guardian's recently enlarged bed to preserve body heat; nothing had happened between the pair but even so, Knuckles was comforted by the basic, primal desire to have someone he loved that close to him, "you're really warm at night; like sleeping next to a radiator". Rouge smiled as she slipped next door to change into her jumpsuit,
"You know what they say – warm hands warm heart; stay there for now, I'll do something about breakfast".
"The fruit bowl full is it?" The bat's reply was muffled through the door but the sauciness in it was tangy even at that range,
"Cheeky sod; remember where that sort of comment got you last time", Rouge smiled as she recalled her revenge of sorts, "left a nasty taste in your mouth as I recall".
"Bitter-root soup's a cheap way to get your own back batgirl" he shot back, sliding out of bed and slipping his feet into his shoes; I need to pay her back for that little stunt – what to do, what to do? As the echidna tied the laces and stood up, the bedroom door creaked back open with a shout of,
"Catch".
With the ease of long practise the echidna span on his heel, tracked the movement with his eyes, shot up a single gloved paw and snatched the hard hickory nut out the air, smirking as Rouge raised an idiosyncratic eyebrow,
"Nice try".
"Who said I was trying", the bat replied smartly, biting into the apple she'd picked up for herself as Knuckles used his namesakes to quickly shell the nut and pop the soft interior into his mouth. The fruit was bitter but Knuckles had lived off them for years and the flavour really didn't bother him as he finished the first and Rouge flipped him another; he reached for it when it hit him.
A strange wave of sudden, sweeping cold raced over his entire body and he gasped in shock, extended arm falling limply to his side in the wake of the biting chill. The hickory nut bounced off the crest of his ancestry as the guardian gasped, breath stolen from his lungs by the creeping, infiltrating fingers of frost.
"Knuckles", Rouge saw his eyes widen in shock and heard his gasp; she instantly became more alert as the echidna shuddered, "Knuckles, what is it?" The guardian didn't answer immediately as he sucked down oxygen enough to reply, mind racing for a rational explanation in the light of such a shock to the system first thing in the morning. The bat let her apple drop to the floor as she raced to his side, helping support him as he stumbled a little, warmth beginning to return to his body with a sensation of pins and needles in his extremities. His lilac eyes looked up into Rouge's concerned aqua orbs and he managed to gasp a reply,
"Cold", he managed to stutter, "like a wave of ice all over me"; something's wrong here, that wasn't like anything I've…the Master! Knuckles snapped his head up and fire burned in his eyes, evaporating the remaining traces of cold in a furnace as he realised the most likely cause of the phenomenon, "Rouge, the shrine".
"The M.E", the bat nodded and quickly raced outside, Knuckles right on her heels as their instincts to protect the giant power source of their haven kicked in, "grab on". Rouge spread her wings and took to the air as Knuckles leapt up; their wrists met and they clamped onto each other as they had practised so often together. Rouge pulled up, pin-pointing the way to her destination without effort as Knuckles silently fretted about what had caused that rush of power over him and what it might mean.
"Something's not right Knucks". As soon as his feet touched the floor, the echidna found himself agreeing with his partner; Rouge wasn't in tune with the Master Emerald like he was but for this he didn't think you'd need to be. The air at the entrance to the shrine of the Master Emerald was oppressive and heavy, almost shimmering like a heat haze despite the fact it was just before the New Year. Something was definitely very wrong with this situation and Knuckles glanced over to the bat as she tucked her wings away behind her back,
"You said it Rouge", he slapped her shoulder and inclined his head towards the entrance, mind in overdrive as he thought about what could be causing this imbalance, "come on, we've got to get to the Master". She nodded and followed his lead towards the entrance, mentally preparing herself for anything as the guardian reached the stone portal. Knuckles felt the power of the great green jewel and realised with a heart of stone that, rather than the constant influence it should have been, this was wild and fluctuating, fluttering in power like an unsteady heartbeat. As he neared the entrance there was a great pulse of power; a second wave of ice flashed over the echidna and Knuckles nearly collapsed from the cold; if Rouge hadn't have caught him he'd have gone to his knees.
"What is it Knuckles; what's doing this?" The bat forced herself to remain calm; if her spy training had taught her anything it was that loosing your nerve in a position like this could swiftly result in loosing your head shortly afterwards. Knuckles shivered as he forced himself to his feet and spoke a reply through chattering teeth,
"The Master, the power's not right; it's too unstable", he gripped Rouge by the hand and pulled her forwards, "we gotta get closer". Panic gripped the bat and she resisted the pull,
"No Knucks, you wait here", she reasoned quickly as he snapped his head around disbelievingly, "whatever's doing this is affecting you, not me; I'll see and come back, it's safer that way". He thought for a second before nodding his assent,
"Go for it Rouge; if it's dangerous, come back".
"Got it"; ducking past the guardian, the bat raced into the shrine of the Master Emerald, unsure of what awaited her within.
The spy raced in, the air strangely heavy and dragging her limbs down, killing her speed and hindering her progress. She gritted her teeth, forcing herself to fight against this unnatural force as she urged herself onward; the effect was increasing the closer she came to the great glowing form of the Master Emerald, it increased to the point where the bad felt she was swimming through the thick air rather than simply walking. I gotta keep going; gotta find out what's doing this, and why it's affecting Knuckles; Rouge could see the green glow of the Master emanating from the main chamber of the shrine and her breath caught in her throat – unlike the normal steady green glow, the light was now flaring up and down, dim one minute and shining like a star the next. As she fought to go forwards, there was a sudden bright glare up ahead and Rouge shielded her eyes with her hands, feeling the light wash over her like a torch beam; her superb hearing told her there was a shout of alarm from behind her as the light retreated back into the main chamber. Her eyes widened as she realised this was it, the pulses were causing Knuckles to react; they had to be surges of emerald energy, but what was causing it? She put on an extra spurt, rounding the last corner as though she was wading through thick glue, trying to see what was causing this anomaly; what she found was beyond her comprehension, even with all the guardian had told her of the Master Emerald and its powers.
The great jewel wasn't on its normal plinth; it was levitating several feet above it and rotating at a moderate speed. This alone would have been alarming enough, but the more pressing fact was that the stone was now glowing much more differently than before. The bat could see the green light contract and expand within the Master Emerald, the speed of these pulses increasing until, as she watched, there was another heave and the light radiated from the emerald in a perfect circle. She felt a very slight tremor through her boots and she covered her eyes; when she was sure it was safe she dropped her gaze and rapidly calculated the best course of action. She couldn't approach the jewel, she didn't know enough for this to be safe and Knuckles probably couldn't get close enough for a diagnosis; he's never mentioned anything like this before, I'm not sure even he'd know what's going on; Rouge shook her head as she made her snap decision. She had to get herself and Knuckles away from here before it affected him too much; there didn't seem to be anything actually threatening the Master Emerald so it seemed like a natural process, if there actually was anything natural about this glimmering gem. She turned to leave ponderously, still slowed unnaturally by the sluggish nature of the electrified air in the main area of the shrine. As she left the carved monument, the bat quickly noted that sections of chiselled text on the sides of the shrine were beginning to glow more brightly than before; that was something she'd have to check with Knuckles; that may have happened before, she didn't know. With all the speed and urgency she could muster, Rouge headed back to where she'd left her partner.
Behind the retreating bat, in perfect synchronicity with its own partner, the Master Emerald unleashed another wave of power, each additional bow of mystic strength helping to erode away the boundaries that separated that which was from that which had been lost.
"Knuckles", the guardian heard his friend's voice precede her; he would have replied had his body not been assailed by a punishing blow of heat, much like the last one had been. Much more of this and I'm gonna start suffering freeze-thaw; the echidna smiled grimly as he saw Rouge had managed to clear the shimmering entrance to the shrine and was moving towards him; he breathed a sigh of relief as he realised whatever was going on in there had left her unscathed.
"Rouge, over here", he waved over urgently; she caught the movement and approached, breathing heavily as the battle against the very nature of the shrine's interior took its toll, "what's going on; is the emerald in danger?" Rouge looked up, licked her dried lips and shook her head,
"No Knucks it's not; I think the Master's what's causing this", he choked off his heartfelt breath of relief in amazement as she continued, "the emerald's about six feet off the plinth and rotating; it's pulsing with light, like it's having contractions or something. Every time there's a big glow you get hit like that; we've got to get you away from here – it wasn't so bad at the cabin was it?" Knuckles was torn between his instinctual desire to protect the emerald and his need to be away from what was causing his body to rebel like this. In the split-second he had to decide, the decision was taken out of his hands by another burst of sensation, this one felt literally like a wave crashing down over him; he was surprised not to see water cascading of his fur as Rouge grabbed his hand, concern scribbled all over her face.
"C'mon, no time for any of that macho guardian routine; this isn't healthy and we're getting out the way of it". Knuckles didn't resist as the bat half led half dragged him away from the shrine as he realised grudgingly she was right on this one and moved up to her speed. The pair sped away, leaving the rippling Master Emerald in their wake to fulfil half of a most ancient pact.
"You're right you know", Knuckles smiled grittily as Rouge glanced up, "it's not so bad from here", he then went completely business-like and serious; he needed to know everything she could tell him about what she had seen, "what else was there, apart from the Master in the air and glowing?"
"That was it really, nothing else", rouge shut her eyes as she tried to picture the scene exactly as it had been in her mind; the glowing Master suspended in the air, the way the light had shone and then retracted, the…yes, that was something, "there was writing on the wall as well; it was glowing too, but I couldn't read it". Knuckles nodded and put his chin on his fist, trying to rapidly mull this information over in his head,
"I never could much either – from what you've said this seems like something that the Master's doing alone and without guidance".
"The question is, what's it doing and why is it doing it, especially now" Rouge finished for him; Knuckles nodded and then shook again as a second phantom water-wave slid over him; Rouge saw him grit his teeth and patted his hand in support.
"Still feeling it?" He managed a wry smile,
"Yeah, not letting up yet; still as strong as", hey, wait a second; I'm feeling it here too; Knuckles sat up straighter, his eyes burning as he pointed off to the left, "Rouge, my cabin's that way right?" She followed his paw and nodded,
"Yeah?"
"So how can I feel this, er, this power, from here as well as from the cabin", he faced her and grinned as the realisation dawned on her face, "it's spreading Rouge, spreading out equally, like if you throw a stone in a puddle". The bat looked upwards, facing outwards, away from the Master Emerald shrine, a curious, almost hungry look in her eyes.
"Then there's only one thing to do; come on", she offered her hand; echoing her look of determination and drive, Knuckles accepted the help in pulling himself to his feet and facing her way, "we've got to find out where this power's flowing to". The echidna clapped her gently on the shoulder, smiling even as a desert wind howled over his back,
"You're on; race ya!" The guardian sprinted off before Rouge was ready; loudly denouncing him a cheat, the bat spread her wings and darted off after the echidna.
After gaining enough altitude, Rouge was able to slightly overtake Knuckles, though she hang back enough to remain in his sight; something neither of the two Mobians understood fully was at work and the last thing they needed was to become separated. The bat kept her eyes fully peeled, sweeping over her home as Knuckles scouted the ground; long association with every inch of his home turf allowed him to see if anything was amiss even as he moved at full speed and with energy ruffling his fur at even intervals. Rouge did not yet have such familiarity with the rough terrain of Angel Island though Knuckles had said that over the comparatively few months she'd been a full term resident she'd improved beyond even his expectations. Even so, though Rouge was the first to pass the main anomaly, she didn't recognise it as such and simply carried on flying overhead. Knuckles, however, was a slightly different story; as soon as he cleared the woodland he'd been running through, he took a single look at the terrain before him and choked completely; he stumbled forwards and only a reflexive forwards roll saved from eating a mouthful of soil. This can not be happening; something's too far wrong for this…wait, no; a sudden panic gripped the echidna and he roared at the top of his lungs.
"ROUGE! WAIT, COME BACK!"
Yikes! Knucks; he must have found something – he never shouts like that normally; Rouge banked sharply in the air, her aeronautically streamlined body allowed her to quickly complete a wild hundred and eighty degree turn in mid-air. She arrowed back the way she had come, back to her island-mate as inwardly she wondered what could have made him call out like that; it had to be really important for the taciturn echidna to break his normal silence that violently. There he was; the ex-spy came in to land just as the guardian pulled himself slowly to his feet, willing himself to disbelieve what was in front of him, dismiss it all as a delirious dream, to do anything but accept what reality had put in front of him. However, as Rouge landed that illusion was shattered for all time; the echidna breathed slowly and labouredly as she approached cautiously; the wild look in his lilac eyes was reason enough to be careful, especially with the recent upheaval that the imbalance in the Master Emerald had caused. As Knuckles tried to take in what he'd realised, Rouge approached softly, stopping several feet in front of him and calling.
"Knuckles", the guardian looked up at her, "what's up babe; not like you to call me out the sky like that?" The guardian managed a weak smile at the term of endearment before he answered,
"Umm, notice anything strange Rouge?" She glanced around briefly; if anything was there she couldn't see it yet; she shook her head and shrugged,
"No".
"I do, and I think, huh, this is just, just, I don't know what it is", the echidna was overcome; he put his hand on his head and wiped the freezing sweat off his brow, "I think I've realised why the Master Emerald's out of balance".
"Why's that Knuckles?"
"Because", he pointed to a spot just in front of the stationary bat with a shaking hand, "I recognise that line there; that's the edge of Angel Island".
Rouge blinked, not taking it in at first; she looked at the ground her was pointing at, his words ringing in her ears as the breath caught in her throat. Oh my God, he's right; this is the shore; I'm stood on…ah! Rouge sprinted onto the ground Knuckles had pointed as being behind the edge of the floating island, standing next to the stationary guardian as he stood still as stone, feeling a ripple of power pass over him; as he had both expected and wished to be untrue, there was a shimmer up ahead and he could instinctively feel his natural territory had increased in size again – Angel Island was growing.
Rouge wasn't sure how long she stood there, rooted to the spot as the sheer enormity of what had happened, what was still happening, rocked into her like an avalanche. Knuckles was by her side, watching on dispassionately as he felt the now familiar waves of sensation rush over him and race forwards still, producing more new ground in front of his eyes; more of Angel Island to protect and guard. The two could have been still for minutes or hours, each lost in their own thoughts as they tried to fathom the full implications of what was happening and the potential consequences that could arise, before Rouge was the first to break the spell. Knuckles glanced over at her as he felt, rather than saw, the bat move backwards.
"Where are you going?" His tone was soft; he was genuinely curious rather than accusing her of cowardice in the face of the unknown; Rouge looked back at him and smiled weakly, shrugging as the echidna shivered at the latest wave of power.
"To get some blankets and for provisions"; when he looked a little confused at this reasoning, she laughed and shook her head, "you said it yourself Knucklehead – we've got to find out what's causing this", she pointed to the new land in front of her in as Knuckles agreed with her logic and smiled.
"We've got some exploring to do – you reckon the reason for this is out there somewhere?"
"Better to find it than potentially wait for it to come to us; besides", she echoed his smile as her eyes softened in benevolence, "the further we are from the Master, the less those light rays it's sending out will affect you. Now wait there, I'll go get what we need".
"Nice one batgirl, and thanks", she looked over her shoulder as Knuckles made to sit down, "it's good to know you're looking out for me". She chuckled as she widened her wing span and bent her legs for take-off,
"Someone has to".
"I'll pretend I didn't hear that", the echidna smiled dangerously, "now hurry; I want to know exactly what's out there and why this is happening". Without another word the bat took to the air, heading first to the home they shared to gather what was needed as from the shrine dedicated to its protection, the Master Emerald continued to recall that which it had helped seal away in the distant past.
As Rouge was lost from view, Knuckles gradually stood up and turned around, facing back out to this strange, new world and viewing it through narrowed eyes. Anger and sheer brute force wasn't going to help him solve this problem; he had to accept this was happening and try to logically figure out why it was happening and, if possible, what had caused it. As he closed his eyes and went through a few of the breathing exercises he had developed to help him maintain focus and concentration, a hint of humour tugged at him and he smiled; of all the things I expected this morning, I can bet money that Angel Island growing in size wasn't one of them. It took a little time, especially as the waves from the heart of his island were still passing over his skin with regular monotony, but eventually the tension eased from his body and he re-opened his eyes, looking at the new landscape in front of him with clinical thinking as his foremost thought. He stood and waited patiently; as cool logic infiltrated his mind, a sudden thought occurred to the guardian. Curiosity taking over for the moment, Knuckles acted on this sudden idea; taking a few steps forwards, the echidna crossed the threshold of his island, standing on the ground that had not been there the previous day. As soon as his feet touched this new ground, his curiosity was satisfied; so, this is Angel Island as well.
Unlike most other Mobains, and most humans for that matter, Knuckles had a finely honed sense of territory; the soil of Angel Island was his ancestral home and, in a way, he was tightly bound to it. Though the echidna never admitted it, one of the reasons he was never entirely comfortable being away from his island was that it didn't feel natural; he felt like an interloper on someone else's territory and that made him uneasy. However, the ground now underneath his feet didn't make him feel any different; therefore, he logically concluded, it stood to reason that this new land must now be part of Angel Island and ergo, it was his territory. So, from what Rouge told me and what I can feel, the island seems to be increasing in size, and this is due to the influence of the Master Emerald; Knuckles felt a twinge of both apprehension and excitement – excited in the prospect of a new part of his home, but tempered, always tempered, by an instinctual mistrust of the unknown. Still, if he looked at it positively, this could be considered an exercise in his survival skill as he explored an unknown area.
"Hey Knuckles", the guardian didn't turn around as he the soft thump of Rouge landing behind him; and unlike most other times, I at least won't be on my own on this one, "what you doing?"
"Sorry batgirl", he span to face her and shrugged apologetically, "lost in thought".
"Lost in something", she smiled as she threw a rolled up blanket over to the echidna; the pouch she wore over her hips contained a selection of edibles that they could use if food turned scarce, "come on; let's go and face the brave new world". Knuckles slung the blanket over one shoulder and nodded, smiling as Rouge joined him on the territory he'd never known until now.
The pair of Mobians quickly established a rough system of marking the way they had come in case they needed to backtrack; Knuckles used his spurs to mark tree bark and scratch arrows in the dirt while Rouge hovered in the air above him, calling out directions for him to follow as she guided him remotely to the next easily discernible landmark. The pace was slow and a fraction of the speed either Mobian could have achieved but this was most definitely a case of slow and steady winning the race; both were experienced enough to know the potential consequences of becoming lost in unfamiliar surroundings like these. It was still fairly cold in the air, though the sun was shining in the sky quite brightly, so Rouge was forced to call a halt after a few hours of this pace; as Knuckles waited for her by the shores of a small lake the bat landed and stretched her wings fully,
"Oh, that's a bit stiff", she seated herself as Knuckles spread the blanket he had brought with them out like a cloth.
"Take a seat Rouge, we'll take a bit of a break here; it's a nice enough spot if nothing else, ah, cold" he suddenly remarked as the Master Emerald sent a timely reminder that whatever it was doing, it hadn't quite finished yet.
"Still pulsing huh?"
"Yeah, but you were right; it's not so bad from here", Knuckles sat in a lotus position as Rouge fished some fruit out of her hip pouches, "but why is that; from what I can tell, this new land is being made, for want of a better word, by the M.E., so why's the power weaker the further away I am?"
"Not the power Knucks", Rouge managed to correct him, snapping her fingers as a sudden thought occurred to her and appeared to make sense, "just your sensations, think about it. The master's creating this land out here, so most of the power has to go into that, er, activity, so there's less to mess you around with out here". Gotta give her credit; that makes a lot of sense.
"Okay, I'll take that", Knuckles admitted, mulling the idea over and not finding anything wrong with it, "but that just leaves us with a bigger problem; why is the Master doing this in the first place?" As the pair of Mobians held an impromptu picnic, they both thought hard and bounced theories off each other;
"I take it nothing like this has ever happened before?"
"Not that I can remember", Knuckles smiled as he cast his mind back, "we've had plummeting into the ocean, a couple of minor forest fires and a hurricane before now, but land being created, nah, that's a new one on me". Rouge licked her lips as she recalled that at least some of the aforementioned plummeting had been caused indirectly by her.
"Hmm, not got too many ideas left Knucks, maybe…"
"Maybe it's you".
What; Rouge wasn't sure if the echidna was joking or not as he kept his face completely neutral, looking at her deeply as though suddenly seeing something new about her.
"What, and just what does that mean?"
"Maybe, just maybe", Knuckles moved towards her slightly, his intent look suddenly even more intense, "the Master now thinks of you as a guardian and is just, you know, increasing the space accordingly?" Me, a guardian; Rouge shook her head slightly as she tried to digest what the echidna was saying even as he carried on,
"I'm not sure of course, but you have been here a lot longer than any other Mobian apart from me; I know the M.E. isn't truly sentient as we understand the term but it can 'sense' things, if you like".
"So you're saying", the bat's voice was an awed whisper, "because I've been here so long, the M.E. thinks it's now got two guardians and is making sure we've both got enough living room?" I can't believe it – I'd like it to be true but, but too many things just don't make sense if that's the case; she shook her head as Knuckles laughed slightly,
"I'm not sure I agree with that fully Knucks; creating a new part of the island just for me – sounds a bit far-fetched if you ask me and besides", she smiled and moved slightly closer to the echidna, "I wouldn't want more space; I liked the space we shared just fine thank you very much". Knuckles finished the nut he was eating and winked at her,
"Just as well, I didn't want more island either, just means more legwork for the both of us, but", he stood up and gestured her off the mat, "we're not going to get answers just sitting here; feeling up to a high-fly?"
"You bet; just give me a boost after we've cleared up", the bat helped the guardian fold the blanket and clipped it properly onto his back; when this was done he turned back to face her and cupped his hands.
"When you're ready Rouge?" The ex-spy backed off a bit, took as much of a run-up as she could and exploded forwards, leaping up and onto the echidna's paws. Using all the strength of his arms and back, Knuckles heaved upwards, propelling Rouge vertically into the air. Her wings snapped open at the zenith of her trajectory and she beat them rapidly, fighting for altitude as she went for a birds-eye view of her surroundings.
The high-fly was a technique Knuckles and Rouge had worked on since they'd been together; its main use was for surveillance of unfamiliar territory. Basically, the principles behind it were very simple; Knuckles helped the bat get a head start of maybe fifteen feet into the air, she did the rest with her wings. It was, however, quite tiring for Rouge; bat wings weren't especially designed to gain altitude efficiently, so the most she could manage was maybe a hundred and fifty to two hundred feet, followed by a gentle glide back to ground. As she fought for height and tried to ignore the growing pain in her shoulders, Rouge took a view of the new surroundings and gaped at what was now below her. When she couldn't go any higher she set her wings for a glide, straightening them as she tried to take in as much as was possible before she was forced to go to ground completely. As her line of sight was obscured by the trees surrounding the lake she set herself up to land, Knuckles close by and interested as she pulled to a stop after a slight run down.
"Well, what did you see?"
"How big's Angel Island Knucks?" The question threw the echidna off somewhat; he'd never actually thought to measure it properly but could come up with a reasonable guess,
"Say, about, hundred and twenty square kilometres, why?"
"Because", please don't take this too hard; Rouge steeled herself to break the news, "it's at least four or five times that now".
"Four, or five?" Knuckles reeled from the news, eyes glazing over slightly as it didn't sink in at first; so much extra, to guard, patrol, protect…oh by the Master, what's going on? Rouge waited patiently, though in all honesty she didn't think she had much of a choice; this had come as a huge shock to her and probably an even bigger one to Knuckles – he just needed time to come to terms with this. She simply stood quietly, waiting for him to make the next move; after a few moments of breathing exercises and clenching and unclenching his fists, the echidna finally swallowed the bitter pill and spoke again.
"What's out there?" Rouge pointed over to their left,
"There's a large lake over that sort of direction and what looks like a range of small mountains over to the right; the area in between seems pretty much wild like the rest of the island but", she gave a tight smile and crossed her fingers, "I don't think that's it yet".
"Neither did I".
"Really?" He's being a bit calm about that. Knuckles answered her quizzical look with a casual shrug and ran a hand over the top of his head,
"I can feel it remember; the waves are still coming, which reminds me", he pointed carefully, an idea now germinating in his mind, "you say there's a lake over there right?"
"Yep, but it's not complete yet", Rouge drew a V-shape in the air in front of her, then chopped down, signalling a cut off point, "there's water and then the lake just ends, right on the edge of the island, as it is now; why, what do you think is happening?"
"There's different forms of energy, it feels different", the echidna tried to explain, drawing on the recent exploration to strengthen his hypothesis, "when we were walking towards the mountains, it felt like someone was scraping me over with a pumice stone; later when we were heading towards the lake it was just like a wave going over my head. Somehow I can feel what's being 'created', if you like". Rouge regarded her partner wide-eyed as the guardian felt another ripple pass overhead and cringed slightly; the bat noticed this and gave a nervous chuckle,
"So, what was that then?"
"Felt a bit like a cat's tongue; I think that's just grassland".
"Right, well then", Rouge looked forwards to the uncharted territory with a steely eye, "where should we go next; mountains or lake?" Knuckles had no hesitation,
"Lake, the water feeling's better than the pumice, that's just weird", the echidna gave a shudder as the bat made to set off,
"Come on treasure hunter; quite literally", she gave a slight laugh as the irony of the situation made itself plain, "it's a whole new world out there". With Knuckles by her side, Rouge took the first step into this new and unfamiliar world, the bitter chill of winter lost in the fires of excitement that burned in this next challenge.
As the two Mobians headed away from what had been their home, a short while later a third Mobian headed towards her own. Amy had spent a most pleasurable day in the company of Cream and her mother as the three had spent the day shopping and, most importantly in Amy's eyes, had finally managed to get Big's priceless portraits framed properly. As she slipped her front door open, Amy was already thinking about the best place to put the new picture; after a few minutes thinking and trying different poses and positions, she finally decided it looked best right on her bedroom draw, that way it was right by her head when she slept. She smiled as she gently ran her gloved fingers over the plain glass; she had always believed that sleeping under something precious to your heart helped to ward off nightmares and, apparently, it worked; last night's sleep had been the best she'd had in ages. Almost makes me look forwards to tonight; Amy fluffed up her pillow as she decided what she was going to do first was cook something for dinner; she fancied an omelette with a little salad garnish, or maybe a small salad; hold that thought. Amy quickly shook ideas for food out of her head as her phone trilled and she casually walked to answer it.
"Hello?"
"Ah, hi Amy"; the pink hedgehog listened closely as she heard Shadow on the other end of the line, "glad you're in, been trying to get in touch all day".
"Sorry, I was with Cream, out shopping; what's up?"
"The opposite of down; sorry, sorry but it had to be said – you walked right into that one"; Shadow gave an ironic chuckles as Amy held the phone away from her ear as though in protest to the utter awfulness of the black hedgehog's joke.
"Bad, bad Shads; terrible even for you", she was grateful he could only hear her voice rather than see her reluctant smile, "tell me what you want before your awful quips zombify me". At the other end, the former ultimate life-form smiled and made her his offer.
"Okay here's the deal; Sonic, Tails and I are having a bit of a night in tomorrow, wondered if you'd be interested?"
Amy quickly creased her brow, checking her internal calendar to try and see if she had anything planned for tomorrow evening; as she found out she didn't, but then again, Shadow didn't know that and that had just been an appalling joke,
"Well, I'm not sure, got a lot of stuff to clear up after Christmas and I need to get my house in order, so, you know, I'm not too sure…"
"Ames, it's very simple; you say yes or you say no".
"But there's so much to do, I'm not sure if I can…"; Shadow finally saw what the other hedgehog was doing and cursed himself for falling for it; he decided to put on the pressure with a countdown,
"One".
"...got to vacuum the floors and wash the windows; you have no idea how hard that is…"
"Two"; the black hedgehog fought to keep a hint of a laugh out of his voice as Amy finally relented,
"…but I guess I can do that in the morning; sure, I'm in". Finally, praise the Lord and rejoice; I made meaningful contact; Amy heard her friend sigh and speak wearily,
"Good, Sonic or I will see you tomorrow at about five-ish, that okay?"
"Should be fine; what's the order of the night?"
"A couple of games of cards, a few films and maybe a pizza between us – we're not going to be too late, should have you home by about eleven at the latest; cool?"
"Sure, should be a blast", the rose-coloured rascal smiled suddenly, "want me to bring a video?" She winced and smiled as Shadow's voice blasted down the line,
"NO"; bad memories, bad memories, get 'em out, get 'em out; "I am not sitting through another chick-flick marathon; Eggman himself never came up with a torture as bad as that", he had to grant a concession here, even if it was only minor and grudging, "though Chicken Run was actually quite funny".
"Good, glad one of you enjoyed it. Okay, I'll let you pick the videos, just as long as they're not all blood, guts and gore, those ones are dead boring".
""We'll try, anyway, I gotta go; my turn to cook tonight and Sonic's awaiting".
"Good luck feeding that gannet". She heard a badly repressed snigger and Shadow bade her goodnight; as she clicked the phone down she felt a surge of joy; she had something to look forwards to tomorrow night and all she had left to do now was find something to fill the void for tonight – shouldn't be a problem.
With a sudden slurping noise, the frond came away from the silty bottom of the small stream; up to his knees in water, Knuckles added the uprooted bull frond to the other three in his other hand and, reasoning that should be enough, sloshed back to shore, the scent of wood smoke in his nostrils as he recovered his abandoned shoes. There was a dim glow just off to the left of the stream and Knuckles hid a smile; Rouge had been up to her old tricks again.
"Cheater" he called as he approached the warming glow of the fire, waiting with a smile for the forthcoming reply; in a second, it arrived,
"I did not cheat", Rouge glared up at the echidna as he entered the circle of fire light; the small blaze she had made crackling merrily as it fed on the slightly damp twigs she had managed to scavenge from the local area, "this is a genuine, bona-fide class A natural fire made by yours truly".
"Oh really", Knuckles made a big show of taking a deep breath; though it was drowned in the burning scent of the wood, there was no mistaking the acrid tang of propane with a nose as keen as his, "struck oil on my Island have you?" Rouge sat up suddenly from where she'd been warming her hands and cold ears,
"It's not your island, it's mine; I declare right of finders keepers".
"You can't do that".
"I just did", the bat posed triumphantly as Knuckles was left without a punch-line; technically she was right – this was unclaimed land and she'd beaten him to the crunch, "and on my land it's perfectly acceptable to use a lighter to make a fire". The echidna smiled as he sat down and carefully placed the still dripping bulb ends of the bull rushes in the hottest part of the fire; the flames hissed and crackled as they evaporated the water and began to cook the pair's meal.
"What other rules do you have, oh queen of the isle?"
"Well, there's a tax on all echidnas", how'd I know that one was coming, "they have to sleep under the ragged bit of the blanket".
"Blatant repression", Knuckles stood tall and shook his fist, playing along with the smirking bat as she shook her head, "I'm making a stand against that rule; cruelty to echidnas".
"You wish to appeal to the queen; okay then", Rouge rolled her eyes for a few seconds, "appeal denied, sorry". Knuckles acted gob-smacked as she shrugged helplessly,
"Don't I get a say in the matter?"
"No; I said I was a queen, I didn't say I was a fair one. Besides", she indicated the red fur of her friend, "you've got thicker fur than me by a long shot and it's gonna be cold tonight".
"Fair enough", Knuckles took the point on board and accepted it as true; Rouge wasn't exactly a shrinking violet but she wasn't naturally as hardy as the guardian was; that didn't mean he was going to let her off completely though, "you soft city types need all the help you can get". Oh, cheap shot; need back-up…sustained; Rouge regarded the grinning guardian coldly as she gave of a distinct aura of dignity,
"The only reason the queen isn't calling for your head is because you're cooking her dinner; get on with it servant".
"As you command, oh mighty majesty", Knuckle removed one of the fronds from the small fire and tested it with a barb; soft enough, should be okay by now. Using the keen edge of the natural knife, the echidna slit open the tough exterior of the root and inhaled the sweet steam that rose from the inside, the light white flesh of the cooked plant inviting and, he knew, tasty as well. He handed the opened stalk to Rouge with a smile,
"Here, this should be good enough; don't eat it right away, suck the sap out of it first or it goes everywhere". The bat nodded and tucked in, her evolved teeth giving her an advantage in eating the juicy root, much to Knuckle's chagrin; even though he'd given the warning, he was still the one that got caught out. There was a sudden squelch as Knuckles bit down a mite too hard and the bulb seemed to pop, sweet, sticky water cascading down his chin as Rouge laughed,
"You slob; after all that talk about eating it carefully", she couldn't tell completely by the firelight but she thought he might have blushed a little; a rare phenomenon that always managed to catch her interest as it was just so unusual to see a red furred Mobian go even redder, "go and wash it off in the stream before it dries on".
"I think I'll eat the other one first" the echidna commented dryly, reaching for the third bulb out of four and quickly wolfing it down, "I'm just grateful it's not summer; I'd have the midges all over me by now". He rose to clear up as Rouge reached for her last portion, chuckling as she realised how right he was; she'd never had a full summer on Angel Island before; something else to look forwards to.
"What are you feeling Knucks?" The sudden thought occurred to Rouge as she heard the echidna return from his wash. Knuckles had a reasonable idea about what she was on about and tried to explain it; the sensations of the emerald power washing over him had become so rhythmical he barely noticed them any more.
"It's still, umm, still like water, a bit – I guess that means we're still headed the right way".
"Good; hopefully we'll have a clearer picture by tomorrow"; the bat spread their blanket and wormed her way underneath it, patting the area by the side of her encouragingly, "may as well get an early night". Knuckles nodded solemnly, trying desperately not to blush at the same time as keep his face straight; he saw the logic in bed-sharing, especially in this cold weather, but it was still taking some getting used to as he had been used to sleeping alone. He slipped in next to her after checking the fire was smouldering and not going to escape in the night to cause an inferno; Rouge rested her head on his extended arm just as she had months ago on his cabin floor after they'd broken down in each other's arms and glanced up at his face.
"Hey Knucks", a couple of his dreadlock tickled her cheeks as he turned his head to catch a glimpse of her in the corner of his eye; she squeezed one of his hands as she smiled encouragingly, "whatever's out there, we face it together, right?" She felt him grip back gently; he was well aware of what his strength could do if he was too heavy-handed with it,
"You said it Rouge, we'll sort out this problem together", he smiled at her, the firelight reflecting the purple of his eyes, "and I'm glad I've got you to back me up this time". Rouge smiled back, inwardly lifted up as the echidna's words warmed her heart like no jewel had ever been able to thus far; with Knuckles with her, she could tackle any obstacle, no matter how far-fetched it might have seemed. As the stars began to dim in her vision and she heard Knuckles' rhythmic breathing in her ear, she idly wondered if he felt the same way.
As night descended, all slept and all was peaceful; all, that was, except in one apartment in Station Square; as Amy Rose drifted off into the realm of fantasy and dreams, her control over her body was diminished and gradually dissolved, allowing a second, alien influence to spread throughout her body like a mould. As before, Amy's body opened its eyes under the influence of someone else and an ancient being found itself re-clothed in mortality.
A pulse, the feeling of the same slow, red river running through my host is as strange as it was on the previous night; yes, I recognise this as night – the absence of daylight means night has fallen. The host sleeps; I have control until the host's conscious is rested and reawakened and I must relinquish the hold or risk discovery. The night is early; I have time now. Time to think, time to remember, time to try and discover – who am I?
I am prepared; I must try to move, the action impeded by the nature of the host's position and the enfolding material over the host's body – a blanket, yes that's right. The host is asleep and preserves warmth by covering its body with extra layers of insulating material. The arms can move the blanket; it falls away, and now the legs, move slowly and carefully, the host's body must not be damaged, it will arouse suspicion.
Under the being's clumsy order, unused to the feeling of having a body to manoeuvre at all, Amy opened her eyes and swung her legs out of bed; the side of her right foot crashed into the floor rather harder then the being intended and another important concept was remembered.
Pain! Cursed, unwanted pain! I have felt it before, too much of it; the response of the body to a hostile environment, and other forms of pain as well. The pain of the heart, caused by a loved one's loss; that has happened as well, but when? Why? The sensations are remembered, but not completely. I must remain dormant and try to recall; I make progress and must learn while I have the chance. Now concentrate, the next motions are complex.
Amy stood unsteadily, the controlling mind gradually relearning the concept of balance as it forced the host body to remain upright. When it was ready and sure the host was as steady as it could be, it forced one foot in front of the other, desperately trying to catch the centre of gravity before its body collapsed to the floor. It managed this, but the movement was ungraceful and awkward and the being was not satisfied; slowly it regathered Amy's body to the starting position and tried again, this time going for a smaller step.
Success; mobility has been attained, but this feels unnatural, though I can not determine why. The host is a curious organism; it is a biped and has advanced intelligence; it would be logical to see what manner of body I am encased within. I believe it to be female; this also feels somewhat unnatural; I am almost sure I am not female. I require the aid of a light source and a reflective surface; remember the preservation of host integrity is of utmost importance; it's the host mind's body as well as mine.
Slowly, concentration etched in her face, Amy's body lurched and tottered towards the door of the bedroom; the being remembered that light could be called forwards by depressing the button on the side of the wall. Slowly extending a single arm and beyond that, a single finger, and touched the curious button; luckily, when light flooded the room, the body had faster reflexes than the being and shut its eyes to avoid blindness.
So, pushing the button does call forth light, but how? I will have to research this method of lighting later; for now I must concentrate on basic mobility skills and learning of the host organism. There should be a reflective surface somewhere behind me.
Slowly, the being turned around and for the first time saw Amy Rose reflected in the full length mirror.
Curious; the host is female. This body feels unusual; is this because I have been too long sealed away or because the host is not an adequate replacement for my own body – I remember that I did have a body before, before - Amy's face furrowed in concentration as the mind controlling it tried to recall something that had been lost – I do not remember. For now that is immaterial; I will have time in the future to begin to unravel the past. Now, I must learn to…
The being paused, Amy's skin prickling into goose-bumps as something rushed overhead, a surge of power it could at once detect and recognise to a very basic level.
That, the power, so familiar, yet so strange; I do not understand. Why do I feel this sensation; what is causing it? Could it be called forth once more? Can I call it forth – I do not know! I must know! I can feel it is important, this power, it beckons to me, but I can not answer. Not now; weakness is too apparent. I must concentrate; the basics must be learned before the advanced theories can begin…now how did I know that?
For the remainder of the night, the being manipulating Amy Rose practised all it could remember of mortal movement; the walk was mastered after two or three hours of practice, but the most progress was made with the facial muscles and reconnecting a specific muscle combination to convey a specific meaning.
The corners of the lips turned upwards, eyes wide and teeth showing slightly; an expression associated with feelings of joy and happiness. This is a good expression; I have done this many times before in the past, just as I have this – Amy pulled an exaggerated frown, the being staring into the mirror with intent eyes, scrutinising the host's face – this is not a good expression, connected with emotions of pain and misery, sadness, yes, this had been a large part of my past, but again, the question why? What did I do, or what was done to me; why have I only now returned, and where have I returned from? I remember imprisonment, but not where I was imprisoned, or why.
The being practised movement and walking as well as expressions of the remainder of its allotted time, pausing every so often as a rush of the strange, familiar yet distant strength flowed over the host's body; at each feeling, there was a pause and a new memory seemed to become a little clearer – the name of the happy emotion, a smile, was rediscovered, as was the movement for leaving the ground with both feet for a small amount of time. Several 'jumps' were completed vertically, the being did not yet trust itself to combine both vertical and horizontal propulsion. After a while, however, the power stopped coming forwards; the being recognised this as important, but could not recognise why. There was a slight pause for this slight sensation of loss, before the being began to concentrate on arm movements, flexing each individual finger on Amy's hands and marvelling at the freedom of movement each single digit had.
Far away from the strange, nocturnal exercises being performed by that which had been released, the Master Emerald suddenly stopped revolving and sank back down to its normal position within the shrine, the pulsing glow replaced by the normal steady green as all was undone; the great pact made long ago was sundered and the consequences had to be faced.
I can feel a stirring within the host; she is returning to the state known as awake; I must return the host to its original position; to do otherwise would be to risk discovery and cause the host to panic. The sitting movement should be used to rest the host upon the edge of the bed – that is the name of the structure erected simply to rest upon – and then the legs should be raised and the entire body rotated to lift the legs into the foot of the bed. Swiftly, the host's mind is rising from dormancy and is rested, I must retreat before then. The cover is moved into place by the arms and the eyelids close; all is well and retreat is imminent.
Amy blinked her eyes open and yawned, stretching outright and lifting herself out of bed, never even suspecting that all through the night she had been going through a fairly vigorous routine of exercise. Behind her mind, shielded from detection by the simple act of laying low, the being rested, though it did not sleep; in the periods between gaining control of the host, the being remembered and attempted to piece together the shattered memories that had been left to it. It had been great once, but how and why remained a mystery to the unnamed possessor; however, behind all the thinking and recalling, there was as single certainty – that which had been lost could be regained; it would be great once more, it just needed time to remember how to achieve its greatness.
A/N: Possession is fun (if you've ever played any of the Abe's Oddysee – Oddworld games you should know what I'm talking about), but what will the consequences be? Will the being finally remember what it is? What awaits our favourite pair of treasure hunters? Will the night in be a success, or will Amy reduce it to another chick-flick marathon? Read on, and discover…Update soon methinks!