A secret revealed , an old friend returns
Fifth chapter! And this is where everything starts to come together! No more knocking out Sonic after this... hopefully.
Disclaimer - I don't own sonic , Knuckles or any of the others . The ones I own are Shimmer , Zero and Jarula.
When my head finally began to clear of the smoke and sludge that glued it up , I realised that my back was bent at a weird angle and my face was being rubbed against something gritty and dry. I opened my eyes , not getting the same surroundings as I had woken up in the previous two times. I realised that I was being dragged along the ground and the dry , gritty thing which I felt was the dirt that I was being pulled across . My arms lay sprawled out in front of me , the underside of them caked in dust , indicating that I had had been dragged for a long time prier to when I woke up. I also noticed that the inside of my mouth was also filled with dirt , as I obviously neglected to close it while being unconscious. I grumbled in disgust and spat it out best I could , before going back to figuring out why I was being dragged through the machine desert. Since my feat where being held I struggled to turn my body around , twisting my neck at angle so I could see who I was captured by.
Knuckles , from the odd angle I was viewing him from It was hard to tell , but I was sure it was him , I even saw his mechanical arm swinging back and forth as he walked. I saw grim looking robots on either side of us , surrounded , there spiky plating reminding me of the one that had shot me . I was sure we were as good as dead and yet , they didn't attack . Instead they seemed to be leading us somewhere , I was really getting sick of being clue less all the time.
Suddenly the dragging stopped and my body came a halt , my head stooping right before it hit a sharp rock that jutted from the dead earth . Suddenly I heard Knuckles hard voice say to someone
" IM here , now give me what I want" his voice ringing with impatience . He was answered by a flat , robotic voice , saying
" Our leader requests you bring it to him" . Knuckles growled with frustration and said
" Fine! But this better not be a trap" . Suddenly , the dragging started again and my mouth was filled with a fresh mound of dirt. I grumbled and spat it out , only to have my head rammed into the sharp rock that we had stopped by. Rubbing my sour head I realised that he surface changed from lifeless dirt to hard , cold steel , which made me shiver on contact . I noticed we had entered large doorway and were still being followed by the escort robots . Hauntingly they stuck to our sides , hovering with no visible form of thrust. I was sure each and everyone of them were ready to fire , making me tense up with stored tension. Suddenly I heard a loud scrapping noise and looked back to see the massive door closing . I sighed and let my face fall back onto the floor , seeing my final escape being destroyed.
Then , I heard a faint voice . It sounded familiar . I lifted my head up again to see Shimmer , Jarula and Vector holding onto Zero as he powered his machine wheels at full blast , approaching the massive door. The fox and crocodiles flailed behind him in the force of his speed , looking like loose pieces of fabric that were attached to his arms. I heard Shimmer shout again
" Knuckles! Don't do this! You know that if you hand him in , we will all be doomed! Listen to be!" he screamed , his voice breaking as his shouts turned to cries of desperation. At the sound of his voice Knuckles turned , his eye narrowed in fury . His face screwed up into a lion like growl and he bellowed
" I told you to LEAVE ME ALONE!" . He dropped me , were I was automatically retrained by the robots that still surrounded us and faced his friends. I struggled but it was no good , there grips were even stronger than Knuckles. Knuckles raced up and jumped , swinging round and kicking over Zero with such force he skidded across the desert , his wheels spinning uselessly in the air . I gasped as he ripped the gun from Vectors hands and bashed it over Jarula's head , the young crocodiles eyes rolled in their sockets and he collapsed backwards , knocked out cold. Next shimmer produced five knifes in each hand , holding one in between each finger . He threw them at Knuckles . But as they sailed through the air , Knuckles lifted up his mechanical arm and twisted it at varied angles with unbelievable speed and accuracy, Deflecting every blow . But Shimmer wasn't down , he growled and pulled out a pistol , shooting between Knuckles legs . Knuckles jumped up and split his legs open , narrowly avoiding the bullets . He looked down and then up again , his dreadlocks flying as he sent his fist into Shimmers stomach , the dark fox gasping as the wind was knocked out of him and blood flew out of his mouth . I stared in dread as I saw Knuckles incapacitate every one of the creatures that were apparently his friends . I couldn't believe it! Knuckles ...a traitor . The one person alive now who I thought I could honestly trust. I struggled and cried out , my voice turning into a screech but I didn't care . I wanted to get out my fury for Knuckles and did so by letting of every swear word I knew in Knuckles direction. Soon , my words turned into primitive screeches , as I struggled against the grip of the robot. He was my only friend , the only one I had left. Tails, Cream , Amy , Rouge , Shadow , all dead . Now my only friend had betrayed me. I wanted to kill him! I wanted revenge! I wanted to rip out his dreadlocks , smash his ribs , break his skull . I wanted him dead . In that instant I broke down , all the horrible memories of the last few weeks came rushing back in a blast of fury , all of directed at the source , Knuckles. For minutes I simply thrashed around , forgetting that I didn't know where I was or where I was going . But soon I seemed to run out of energy , I felt my mind tire and I let my body slump, only being held up by the grip of the robot . When I looked up I saw Knuckles staring at me , as he had been for the past few minutes . I took deep , quick breaths as I tried to recall the energy that I had lost when I had my mental break down . I saw his face was plain and he was staring at me as if I were a possession , not a person.
" Well , aren't you even going to tell me why you just ruined everyone's life?" I spat , trying to make my words sound as menacing as possible . My eyes narrowed to so they didn't even show a hint of contentment or any other positive emotion. He stared at me , his expression unchanged , then he turned.
" Like I said , this better note be trap" he said , addressing the robot and completely ignoring me . That set me off again . Before I knew It , I was thrashing around and yelling all the way down the corridor that Knuckles led me down , insulting him and everything else I could see around me.
Through all my rage I failed to notice how much the surroundings had changed. Outside the few buildings were ruined and dirty . The land always shadowy through the smoke covered sky and all the sounds you heard were the moans of robot engines and the occasional hiss of acid as it burned a substance on contact.
But inside the machine kingdom. Things were very different. Everything was made of smooth, clean high tech material , coloured silver and black and bright through artificial lighting. Wires and pipes ran everywhere and currents seemed to pass even through the air . There were millions of sounds of machines hovering , being built and building over machines accompanied by the constant blare of radios issuing commands. To sum up the whole thing , it was like a giant city , a city occupied by robots . It was spectacular to see , but nether the less no better than the outside. The steel and metal meant everywhere looked cold and unwelcome. With no sighs of anything real signs of life . I watched the robots drone on through a large window , no motives , like soulless ants. The whole place was just a huge machine, always producing robots . Nothing else . A cold , lifeless factory.
We reached a huge doorway , which slid open smoothly . When we entered the room , some not as voluntarily as others, all the robots left , including the one that was holding onto me.
I raced forward , still focussed on my goal of harming Knuckles in any way possible. But as I approached him something came down around me and my face slammed into glass , causing my nose to throb painfully. My head was having a heard time today.
I moaned and rubbed it , realising that a glass tube had come down around me and forgotten about ripping out Knuckles heart just for now. I looked around , still confused as to why I was here in the first place . Knuckles stood just out the tube , his arms crossed and his face plain , waiting patiently for someone . But who? I had the feeling this person was the 'him' I kept hearing about in Knuckles secret conversations with the others . The ones that now lay outside , beaten and injured . My anger for Knuckles flared up slightly at that thought , but immediately calming down again as I heard mechanical feet approaching. The door opposite to one we had come through opened and a small robot came through it , its details hidden by the shadows. It was agile in appearance and looked more animal like than the other robots I had seen , which mostly resembled hovering planes. I waited anxiously as it scanned us , the mechanical eyes fixed on me.
Suddenly it spoke , in its cold mechanical voice that seemed familiar somehow it said
" I see you have bought it , just as I requested , Thank you Knuckles" . Knuckles growled and frowned , clearly he didn't want to be exchanging conversation with this cat like robot. I wondered why this one was so different from the rest. Was it there supreme leader? And what did I have to do with all this anyway?
" OK robot , I bought it , now give what you promised!" Knuckles said , his tone on the verge of sounding threatening . The robot shock its head , showing very deep personality for a robot . It replied with an almost playfulness in his voice and said
" Someone's in a hurry aren't they? Why don't you stay for a while? We have a lot to catch up on". Knuckles eyes narrowed in suspicion
" What do you mean?" . The robot laughed and said
" You don't recognise me do you Knuckles?"
" No I don't , know give me what I want!" Said Knuckles loudly , his rage taking over. The robot tutted and shock its head . Meanwhile I was watching it closely , becoming intrigued with it . It looked so much like one of us , its frame work slender and smooth . Its shape seemed almost too familiar. I continued to stare at it , something bothering my mind . I knew it . Somehow I knew it. Although it paid little resemblance to any of my old friends and its personality didn't match any of them either. Yet something was there , something ... Familiar , something that I recognised. But what?
Suddenly its attention was diverted back to me. It activated the jets on its back and flew over , landing just outside my tube . I stepped back and my spines hit the side of the tube , stopping me unwillingly. I glanced back quickly before swinging my head around again , facing the strange robot in the eyes . Eyes which I swore held more personality than they should. Lights inside its framework flashed UN-orderly and it said
" I am assumed that Knuckles doesn't remember his old friend , but you too? This is too much for me to handle". I drew back , growling threateningly.
" Get away from me, you robot scum" I said , making my tone as threatening as possible as my heart raced from fear. At these words the robot threw back its head and laughed. I was so shocked I jumped , this time knocking my head against the top of the tube. Groaning and rubbing my head , I watched as the robots laughter eventually calmed down . This robot continued to puzzle me . I had never seen a robot show any sign of happiness before , let alone laugh! I glanced over to Knuckles and saw that he too looked vaguely confused , although it was difficult to tell as most of his face that I could see from that angle was metal. Suddenly the robot replied.
" That's rich! Coming from you!" It said , its voice still holding tones of amusement. Its statement confused me . What did it mean by that? Then Knuckles spoke up again , breaking his momentary exclusion.
" It doesn't know , we haven't told it" he said , still sounding slightly angry. The electric one turned to him and said in surprise
" It doesn't? I thought you would at least have the decency to tell it what it really is". Not wanting to be excluded and still as hell confused I yelled.
" What do you mean? I know who I am! IM Sonic the hedgehog! And why do you keep calling me 'it'?" I yelled , my voice coming out muffled through the thick glass. The robot smirked and said
" This is most amusing! He thinks he is Sonic!" It laughed again and I was beginning to get angry again . I grinded my teeth and screwed my fingers up against the glass , imagining smashing it to pieces. The robots laughter ceased and it said " Well , if you think you Sonic" it begun , but I cut it off , shouting
" I am Sonic!" . The robot stopped , waiting for me to finish and said again in a slightly annoyed voice
" Like I said , if you think your Sonic , then you should have recognised me straight away!" It said , smiling evilly and moving its face to the glass. I drew back again and it said while sighing
" Well if you can't figure it out I guess I'll have to give you a clue" . He looked over to Knuckles , to see if he was listening. He was , for once his patients was holding and he stood there , arms crossed , with a stern expression on his face , waiting for the scene in front of him to unfold.
" Lets put it this way shall we" the robot said , turning back to me " If you were real , this would be a reunion of the old team Sonic". What? What did that mean? I stared at the robot in disbelief , no , it couldn't be , not him . Sure he was always good at mechanics but I never thought he would do that to himself...
" Tails?" Said Knuckles in awe , taking a step forward, not sure what to believe. The robot that claimed to be Tails turned and faced him , replying with a voice that I now recognised
" Yeah , its me" he smiled warmly , while I stared in shock. Tails , my best friend! My brother ! He was alive! Covered in wires that snaked around him and armour plating that seemed to suffocate his skin. His eyes replaced by electrical cameras that glowed red when he was angry. His voice now a synthesiser , that only contained a fragment of his old one. His two tails , striped of their flesh and muscle , the bone now covered in circuits and plating. But it was him , underneath all that machine rubbish was my best buddy. Right now , it didn't matter that the world was so wrong , it didn't matter if Knuckles was a traitor or if I was in the middle of enemy territory . None of it mattered , because it had found my best friend.
" Tails!" I yelled out happily , the tube releasing me from my confinement. I rushed over , enclosing him into a hug and crying into his steel chest . Tears of joy . Knuckles stood aside , still unsure of what to think , his body frozen in the ice of shock. But I knew I recognised his voice , it was him and now , with his help , we could defeat my clone in our old team , just like old times.
Or so , that's what I thought...
After a few moments of happy memories and thought flashed through my head , I felt myself being picked up the back of the neck. Tails threw me , across the room and into the opposite wall , backing me cough and choke. Tails approached me , no longer talking warmly like he used to but like the robot he was. He stopped a couple of meters away from me , his insides flashing through the transparency of his front panel.
" Like I said" he droned , looking down on me as if superior . " If you were real" . I stared at him in confusion , something was wrong here , something was very wrong . I stared at Tails , still a little awe struck from seeing a dead friend and asked
" What do you mean? Not real? What's going on?". I looked at Knuckles , who turned away , looking ashamed and guilty. The robot rolled its eyes and said while narrowing its eyes and bringing them to my level.
" You don't get it do you?" I shock my head , my voice seemed to have taken a vacation to Florida , my mind full of fear and doubt. The robot stood up again and said in an evil voice.
"Your a clone , a clone of Sonic the hedgehog , a mechanical copy "
His word seemed to echo in my mind. It couldn't be true , it just couldn't! I was real! How come I felt pain? How could I not know if I was a clone? A dozen possibilities spun around in my head , each one hurt my heart a little more.
" I don't believe you!" I screamed , my voice full of desperation and doubt . The robot sighed and said
" Fine! You want proof! I show you!". Suddenly the walls seemed to come alive. Wires escaped tiny doors and circled my wrists and arms, entangling me against the wall . Tails raised his arm , which morphed in front of my eyes into a small cannon device. The see through tank that was mounting in his lower arm filled up with liquid as I struggled against my bounds, the tight wires pinching my skin , if it was skin.
" This is sulphuric , reactant z" said the robot , inspecting the content of his newly formed cannon as the liquid swirled round inside it . " It is a highly unusual and rare acid that is designed to melt a particular artificial product used in the manufacture of certain things, including artificial skin" he finished and begun walking over to Knuckles , who had vastly been ignored. My heart thundered as I saw the truth approaching , a truth I really didn't want to hear. I clenched my teeth from nerves as Tails grabbed hold of Knuckles real wrist , poring half the contents of the container onto it as Knuckles struggled against his mighty , robot grip. He let go and Knuckles ran to the other side of the room . Apart from being covered in a sticky and apparently foul smelling substance , as he was wrinkling his nose in disgust , Knuckles was fine. Now it was my turn. The robot approached , the container automatically refilling itself for another use. I struggled once against the wires grip , my efforts proving once again futile. Tails raised his arm , stopping just a few meters from me again and fired his weapon. The acid fell on me like rainwater , slowly soaking my fur. But to my horror I began to realise that its touch was causing me pain! I flailed as the pain grew worse with each new drop . I smelt burning and didn't dare look at my body. Eventually , the artificial rain stopped and I felt jerky and strange. Suddenly , a mirror came out of the floor , letting me see the truth.
I looked up and my heart sank , as I saw the horrible image in front of me.
The skin and fur began to drip of , turning into blobs of sticky mess and running down the body , sizzling when they reached the flat , featureless floor. Sparks radiated off of the body , which twitched and splutter in the manner of a dying machine. And underneath , underneath the now slime like skin and dissolving fur , I saw metal . A cold , hard, lifeless eye socket came into view when the skin around the eye dripped of , holding in a wire coated ball that was the replacement of an eye. The neck was revealed as a two concave pipes that were supported the skull , bleak and UN-life like. Ribs became apparent when the some of the chest gave way , gnarled and spiky like the devils skeleton. I gasped as my right arm gave way , underneath a two joints of metal melded with pipes . I ripped of my glove . Revealing twisted metal claws , shiny and evil. Mechanics could be heard from within steel plating , no heart at all , just a power cell.
The reflection looked like a corps . A corpse of something evil and twisted , something that would forever rot it hell . But it was me. Half of my fake skin falling away , letting me see the monster inside . My eye swivelled in its socket, examining the reflection of the other , which was still covered by artificial skin. I hung my head. There was the proof . I was a clone . A mindless , cold blooded , murderer.
A clone...
AUTHORS NOTES
If that didn't impress you then I don't know what will! I worked really hard on this and that the reason it took so long to come up. This isn't the end of the story! In fact , its really just getting started! The next chapter should be up within the next two weeks to you'll have to wait. By that way , what happened to all the reviewers? Is this story getting boring or something? And why aren't you telling me what your favourite characters are? I know you don't have to but it would be really good if you did. If you tell me then ill tell you lot , or you could just look on my profile to see... Anyway please review! I want to know if the direction this story is going on is the right one! Oh yeah IM planning a prequel to this , it will be called 'dark pasts' and will show how some of the stuff happened that doesn't get explained here , such what really happened to Knuckles and how Vector got a kid.
shadows dark angel - thanks for revewing again , you were the only one! oh yeah and Shadow isn't dead. if you keep reading you may find out what happened to him...