Okay, so it's a pretty fast update but I'm on a Sonic high after winning a copy of Sonic CD for the PC on Ebay! Enjoy:P
Maverick87:D Thanks :) I'm glad you enjoyed it so much!
Kj: Heh, thanks :D I'll try :P
Private somebody: Thanks :) As for the rest of it, let's see now...Tails' sensitivity is most likely not going to be permanent ;) You know how there are times in life when everything seems to go wrong at once and there comes a point where it all gets on top of you? Tails is just having one of those moments :P Also, bear in mind that – mechanical genius aside – he's still just a little kid who's been through hell ;) Tails' fear of Sonic rejecting him was very real (after what happened in Secrets of the Emeralds and his attitude towards Sonic in Caves, who can blame him? ;)
Asher Tye: Ooh, that story sounds like a good one :P Knuckles' choice/dilemma...yeah, I think you hit it pretty much on the head :D And thanks; I'm glad you liked the fight between Sonic and Knuckles. Actually, so did I ;) Sonic stuffing his foot in his mouth...well, maybe he will, a little...let's face it; if he didn't, he wouldn't be quite the same Sonic :P
Riven: (weg) Oh yeah ;) And proud of it…like I always say, what's a story without cliffhangers:D
Matri90: You'll find out very soon :P
FriedBrickWall: (Knuckles: I'm dangling two people over a damn cliff and trying to stop myself going over at the minute! You mind cutting me some slack?) Ignore him; he's got a lot on his mind at the minute ;) As to the rest…you'll find out soon enough. I will update Rising Star as soon as possible; the parts for that take a lot longer to write since I'm constantly cross-referencing back to my Notes and Doodles page I made of all the various Zones…don't wanna be inaccurate ;)
Shadow-spawn180: Thanks :) Living arrangements…heh. You'll find out at the end of all this, which is rapidly approaching in time for the sequel (yes, another one:D) and it might not turn out to be what you expect
BlueCheetah: You're back! (happy grin) Yes, I did miss you – I miss and wonder about everyone who reviews and then vanishes – although I did wonder if you were reviewing under another name (not the first time someone's confused me like that :P) And thanks; I'm glad you're still enjoying it :D
Draxidean Icefire T: Thanks :) As for what Knuckles is going to do...hmm, throwing himself off to save them both...I hadn't thought of that (gets evil glint in eye :P)
My Memoirs by MeOookay. Let's just pretend that the last hour or so never happened. I didn't really attack Knuckles, nope, no way. Not me. Didn't do it, never there. And it's coincidence that I just happened to be on Angel Island, and Knuckles lent me his running transport to go and rescue Bait 'cause that echidna's got a great big loving heart.
Hmm.
I was actually convincing myself right up until that last part. My innocent act might need a little polishing.
--Sonic the Hedgehog
"Robotnik!"
Robotnik looked up from his lunch, saw Sonic and actually yelped.
"I see you managed to find your way up here," he drawled, although it was a poor attempt at covering up his earlier reaction. "You couldn't have waited until I'd finished eating, I suppose."
"I didn't have all day, doc," Sonic answered coolly. Robotnik's reaction had startled him; he had no idea how he currently looked, hadn't stopped to think how the blood from his gash had trickled down in rivulets until he appeared to be looking out on the world through red bars.
Robotnik sighed, placed his knife and fork carefully on top of his still reasonably full plate and pushed it away. "Alright, Sonic, let's get this over with. Wait here and I'll go and get armoured up. I must say, your timing leaves something to be desired; don't you know it's extremely rude to try and kill someone when they're eating?"
"I didn't come here to fight you, doc," Sonic said edgily.
"No?" Robotnik's expression shifted, curiosity mingled with suspicion. Megalomaniacal statements and bravado aside, he had a healthy – and extremely private – respect for Sonic and what he was capable of. "Then this has to be the second time you've actively sought me out and not tried to kill me. In that case, would it be too much to ask for you to leave the fortress in one piece this time? I'm not made of Mobiums, Sonic, and you have no idea what the insurance on this place costs."
"I didn't think you could get insurance for aerial fortresses of doom," Sonic retorted. "And I'll do whatever I must to go in, get what I came for and go out again. If your fortress puts any obstacles in my way, I'll remove them."
"Speaking of fortresses, Sonic, exactly how did you get into this one?"
"With a giant pogo stick. Robotnik, what did you do with—"
"Tails went to you for support, I suppose," Robotnik drawled, cutting him off. "Yes, Daimeri foresaw that you might return."
"Daimeri?" Sonic echoed.
"Lara-Le to you, I imagine. She really is a wonderful agent. I couldn't have set you and the Guardian up without her help."
There was a silence.
"You tricked me into fighting Knuckles?" Sonic said furiously. Thoughts were racing through his head, thoughts which ranged from how could I be so stupid to I hope Tails is okay and oh crap, Knuckles is never going to let me live this one down, is he?
"Of course," Robotnik said complacently. "Although I admit that Daimeri and I never expected such an outcome; we just wanted Tails off Angel Island. I projected a hologram of myself into the Hidden Palace, changed it to look like Knuckles and that was that."
"Yeah, well, I'm finished pounding on him now, so I thought I'd come here." Sonic tensed. "And if you dare try and stop me—"
"My dear Sonic, I have no intention of stopping you. I imagine you're here for the jackal cub?"
"If you've hurt him—"
Robotnik chuckled. "Oh, we are paranoid today, aren't we?" He shook his head, clicking his tongue pityingly. "Dear dear. Sonic, I promise you that whatever torture that cub has undergone has not been of my doing. Raker doesn't need my help to torment his brother. Besides, that was part of our agreement; he gets Bait and I get you. Of course, you evaded my robots, but honestly Sonic, did you really think I hadn't anticipated that? I knew you'd come looking for your little friend. You do seem to attract the waifs and strays of Mobius, don't you?" The doctor leaned back in his chair, which groaned under the pressure. "Bait really is well named, don't you think so?"
Sonic clenched a fist. Coming face to face with the man who had tortured and broken him, who had crippled him and laughed all the time...red anger was mixing with a desire for revenge, and he didn't trust himself to give into either.
"I want Bait," he said through clenched teeth, "and I want Raker as well."
"That puppy?" Robotnik's eyebrows arched. "Take him and welcome, Sonic. The jackal is a complete maniac." He considered. "And coming from someone like me, that really is something of a condemnation." Folding both hands over his ample belly, Robotnik added, "I'm glad you showed up, Sonic, and not just because every time you walk into my fortress makes it easier for me to kill you or try out various new bots." He spoke casually, as though he was talking about gardening, then unexpectedly smiled. "How would you like to do a deal?"
"With you?" Sonic snorted. "Puh-leeze. How dumb do you think I am?"
"I think you'll like this one, Sonic." Robotnik extended both legs, crossing them at the ankles.
Sonic wanted to turn his back, but didn't dare and so he settled for folding his arms across his chest and staring at Robotnik as uncompromisingly as he could. When he spoke, his voice was so cold it unnerved even him.
"You took me prisoner, crippled me, tortured me mentally, emotionally, physically – hell, every way you could think of – made me turn against both Tails and Knuckles and now you have the nerve to try and bargain with me? You sick bastard!"
"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me," Robotnik reeled off.
"That so?" Sonic said in the same icy tones. "Well, that's just fine, doc; the sticks and stones part will do me nicely."
"You want Bait, fine. I have nothing against the jackal and frankly, some of the things Raker did to him disgusted even me."
Sonic curled his lip. "Yeah? And I'm supposed to believe you'll let Bait go out of the kindness of your heart? You don't even know what that means anymore."
"Oh no, Sonic, not out of kindness. Let's cut to the chase, shall we? You want to take someone that isn't going to make any difference to my operations whatsoever, except to cut back on the amount of food consumed."
"Raker's been feeding him?"
Robotnik waved a hand. "On and off, yes. Also, Raker has no idea of real torture. I kept telling him that blood rusts chains and that increases the risk of septicemia and therefore death which would deprive him of his victim, and do you know what he said?"
"Good?"
"Exactly. So. I'm prepared to let you go in, pick up Bait and leave without being disturbed, on the condition that you take Raker with you. I don't care what you do with him, but I no longer want him in my fortress."
Sonic snorted. "And naturally, I don't destroy any of your robots or firearms."
"The security systems will be shut down, and my robots have already been ordered to store themselves out of sight. If any disobeyed me and are still out there, frankly you'd be doing me a favour by destroying them."
Sonic stared at him. "You have no loyalty towards your creations, do you?"
Robotnik blinked. "That's rather an odd question, Sonic. You might as well ask me if I have any loyalty towards my toaster. Wait a minute." He flicked a few switches. "There you go. All the doors between here and Bait are unlocked, and the robots are out of the way."
Sonic folded his arms. "And I'm just supposed to trust your word for this, am I?"
"Do as you please, Sonic – you usually do anyway – but all I'll say on that score is that if you go exploring, I will not be held responsible for the consequences. I want Raker removed, and if your price for taking him away or dealing with him is for me to let you take Bait, who I never wanted in the first place, then that's fine with me." Reaching out, he pulled the plate towards him and started eating, chewed and swallowed before saying, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I really am rather busy."
Sonic looked towards the open corridor, then back to Robotnik, then at the corridor again. He continued doing this in an agony of indecision until Robotnik finally said irritably, "Sonic, for goodness' sake, go! Raker is getting more and more unstable and if you really want to get to him in time…" He let the sentence trail off impressively.
Sonic darted to the door, then paused to look back at the doctor. "If Bait is dead, Robotnik, then all bets are off," he said, his voice harder than diamond.
Robotnik shrugged. He didn't think it mattered, since if Bait was dead Sonic was likely to annihilate Raker completely, which would solve Robotnik's problem very nicely.
Seemingly satisfied, Sonic turned and raced away and Robotnik shook his head, smiling slightly. Oddly enough, he genuinely had no intention of double-crossing Sonic; being able to sleep at night without worrying about death by Raker was well worth Sonic's life, and there would be other opportunities to kill the pesky hedgehog.
Looking out, Robotnik caught sight of a familiar sight and his dreams of killing Sonic dissolved in a wash of fear.
The Void…He didn't know what the Void was – or if it even was a void – but he knew what it did. Something that sucked the air out of your lungs, your very cells…Robotnik had taken a few of the victims up for scientific analysis. So far he'd managed to evade the Void, but it looked like that was about to change.
He started flipping switches again in a frenzy.
---
Some distance away and unaware of all this, Bait was in a haze, something brought about by agony, terror, lack of nourishment and no sleep; whenever he tried, Raker kicked him awake. He'd been burned, kicked, scalded and electrocuted, and had reached the point where all he wanted was for the torment to end, either through sleep or death.
"Did you know Sonic's taken Tails back?" Raker said pleasantly.
Bait didn't answer, barely even registered the words.
"I asked you a question, Bait." A kick, delivered with pinpoint accuracy to the younger jackal's broken ribs, caused him to yelp loudly. "Did you know Sonic's taken Tails back? Didn't take him long to get over you, did it?" Raker shook his head, smiling. "At least he's stopped sticking his nose into my affairs now. It's just you and me, Bait, for the rest of your life."
"Like that's gonna be long," Bait managed to whisper. Talking hurt and he wondered if he was coming down with something. Given the freezing air (coupled with the fact that Raker often liked to toss a bucket of freshly melted ice over him for the hell of it) he thought it was very likely.
"You think I'm going to kill you, Bait?" Raker shook his head. "Oh no, no, no, no, no. We're family, aren't we?"
"Dint stop you before."
This time the kick was far harder and Bait couldn't bite back a hoarse scream as he felt more ribs cave in.
"You saw nothing, Bait! Nothing! And besides, our bastard father deserved it, interfering between the two of us! Like I keep telling people; you're my brother, ergo you're my business."
Something rammed him hard in the back and he literally flew forward, slamming into the wall and dropping to the ground.
"My brother," Sonic said in a deadly tone from behind him.
Bait didn't hear this through the new fog of agony, only registering the fact on a very primeval level that Sonic was there and very, very angry.
Sonic stared down at the young jackal, his fury so strong he could literally taste it. Bait's fur was missing in places to reveal vicious burns, and the ribs on his right were oddly uneven, and visible. Although Bait had always been scrawny – although he'd started filling out a little with Sonic – now he was positively emaciated.
The cage he was locked in was barely large enough to hold him, even curled up and half starved, and it also meant that there was no way Bait could get away from his tormentors.
"Bait." Sonic reached down and touched the jackal's shoulder. Bait whimpered, an animal sound, and cowered away, ears flat against his skull. "Bait, kiddo, it's okay. It's Sonic." Sonic's pulse quickened. Not feral. Please, please don't let him have gone feral.
Bait's large brown eyes fixed themselves onto Sonic's face, and the hedgehog saw the suspicion in them. It was the first time he had ever really been the enemy, and he didn't much like it.
"Kiddo, I'm not mad at you, okay? I came to get you out of all this."
Bait closed his eyes and let his head drop back onto his arm, a resigned posture that told Sonic all too well what the jackal was waiting for.
"That wasn't exactly what I meant, Bait. C'mon." Sonic wanted to pull Bait out, to carry him out of the Egg Carrier and to safety, but common sense held him back. If Bait really had been driven feral...well, Sonic didn't like to think about that.
"Bait, talk to me please." Sonic managed a smile. "Come on, kiddo; it's been at least a month and you got nothing to say to me?"
"Sonic?" Bait's voice was cracked and dusty, barely audible. "Sonic, I...I..."
Relief exploded in Sonic and he closed his eyes with the rush of it. Not feral. Thank the Emeralds for that.
"Sonic...I dint plant the bomb..."
"Bomb?" Sonic had all but forgotten the explosion back in Scrap Brain Zone. "What...oh. Oh, that."
A nod. Bait seemed to be trying to reach through the bars, to grab Sonic's hand but he didn't have the strength.
"I dint do it, Sonic. Honest."
Carefully, Sonic reached over and took hold of the jackal's hand. "I know you didn't, kiddo. I never thought you did, not really."
The jackal's ears flattened. "Sonic, why dint you come sooner? I kep' tellin' Raker you'd come an' rescue me but you dint."
Guilt shot through the hedgehog, burning away the relief. In a way it would have been better if Bait had shouted at him, accused him, even hit him.
"I was...scared." That was one hell of an understatement; going into the mines had been bad enough but going back into Robotnik's fortress...Sonic shivered. He hoped he never had to do anything like that for the rest of his life.
"So was I." It wasn't said as an accusation, merely a statement of fact, but Sonic still winced and rounded on Raker – who was already on his feet – in an attempt to cover it up.
"Get me the key."
Raker stared at him, arms folded arrogantly across his chest. "Get it yourself, hedgehog."
It was only the fact that Bait was watching which kept Sonic from seriously attacking Raker, from slicing through whichever appendage presented itself first, and so he settled for racing up and ramming the jackal at top speed, sending him crashing into another wall.
"Let's try this again, shall we?" he said icily. "Get. Me. The. Key."
Raker struggled to his feet, glaring at Sonic. "Spin on it."
"There ain't no key," Bait said hoarsely. "Raker dumped it an' said I wunt gettin' outta here, not never."
"Yes, and you never are!" Raker started towards Bait but Sonic slammed into him a third time. This time when Raker cracked his head on the wall, he didn't get up again.
"Right." Sonic turned back to Bait. "Now, how the hell are we going to get you out of this, kiddo?" Without waiting for a reply, he frowned as he studied the cage, then shifted his weight. "Bait?"
"Yeah?"
"Close your eyes."
Bait shifted. "Why?"
"Because I want to try something, but you have to keep absolutely still, and if you see it coming you'll move."
"I won't, honest," Bait protested, but he shut his eyes obediently.
Sonic stared at the cage for a long, long time. There was no margin for error here; if he missed, Bait would die.
When he thought he had it, he broke into a sprint, curled over and sliced through the bars. Behind him, Bait yelped and Sonic dug in his heels, skidded into the far wall and then turned and raced back to him.
"Are you okay? I didn't get you, did I?"
"Nuh uh. You jus'…you surprised me, 'sall."
"Sorry. I didn't want to tell you in case you moved and I hit you by mistake." Sonic reached in. "C'mon, let's get you out of that thing."
This was easier said than done, as Bait's muscles – or what was left of them – didn't want to respond and Sonic had to pretty much prise him out of the cage in the same cramped, curled position.
"There you go."
One large ear swivelled towards him. "Sonic?"
"Yeah?"
"I dint stomp the watch neither."
The hedgehog slapped a hand to his forehead. "That reminds me! I got something that belongs to you, kiddo." Sonic reached into his bag and pulled out the shattered watch, handing it to Bait. "Here. For the Emeralds' sake, take it before the Good Taste Committee search my bag and arrest me for extreme tackiness." He winked.
The jackal stared at it. "Where'dja get that?"
"Raker sent it to me, along with a note that he tried to convince me was from you."
Bait gave up trying to fasten his watch again – his cramped fingers wouldn't respond – and settled for holding it instead. "How'd you know I dint send it?"
Sonic stroked his jaw as he pretended to consider. "We-e-ell...don't take this the wrong way, Bait, but I've seen you write. I've also seen people have their teeth pulled with less effort, and your spelling and grammar leave something to be desired."
Bait flattened his ears. "Jus' never done it much before, 'sall," he mumbled.
"I wasn't criticising you, kiddo. But it does mean that when I receive a note that's perfectly spelt, written in near perfect handwriting, you're about the last person I think it came from." He winked again and in spite of the agony in his body, Bait managed an answering grin.
"Yeah...well, Raker got all the schoolin' in our fam'ly. I c'n jus' about read'n'write an' that's it."
"Which isn't a bad thing, Bait, especially not in this kind of situation." Sonic took a deep breath. "Listen, I know this is gonna hurt but I'll have to carry you, okay?"
Bait flattened his ears. "I c'n wait, Sonic, my legs'll work soon."
"I'm sorry, kiddo, but we can't wait. Robotnik said he'd let us out and I don't want to hang around long enough for him to change his mind." Sliding his hands under the jackal's battered body, he lifted Bait into the air. "It won't be for long, I promise."
Tying a cable around his waist, he attached the other end to Raker's ankle.
"What're you doin'?" Bait demanded, nervous now.
"I promised Robotnik I'd take Raker off the Egg Carrier. Whether he's your brother or not, he has to face up to what he's done."
"He ain't done nothin', Sonic," Bait said, almost inaudibly.
Sonic looked down at him. "Bait, I know what he did to your father. Caud told me."
Bait's ears flattened further. "Yeah? What else'd he tell you?"
"He told me why you don't like baths – the real reason, I mean – and that was it." Sonic started to run before the jackal could answer, stopping at just over ninety miles per hour. He knew he'd pay the price for it very soon – Bait suffered from motion sickness and had a tendency to throw up violently whenever the hedgehog went above fifty – but the thought of Bait puking on him outside was far preferable to the thought of them both being trapped inside.
As they reached the bridge, Sonic caught sight of Robotnik's form bent over a control panel, working the switches there feverishly, and his eyes narrowed. Picking up the pace, he raced forward and slammed into Robotnik, knocking him back and standing between him and the controls.
"Why am I not surprised, doc?" he said flatly. "What were you doing? Leaving a little goodbye present in the shape of a bomb?"
"We can bicker about this later," Robotnik said sharply. "Get away from the console!"
The hedgehog snorted. "So you can throw me into your jail with Bait again? How dumb d'you think I am, Robuttnik?"
"Sonic, I swear I will let you and your jackal friend go, but if you don't let me back to the console we'll all die!"
Sonic frowned slightly. If the look on Robotnik's face was anything to go by, the doctor genuinely was terrified.
And if Robotnik was terrified…Sonic had never seen him like this before, not even when they'd been fighting.
"What's going on?"
"No time to explain! Move it!" Robotnik wasn't quite stupid enough to actually grab Sonic; instead he hauled himself to his feet and lumbered over as fast as he could, flipping buttons and switches.
"What the hell's happening?" Raker demanded, from where he was rapidly regaining consciousness.
Robotnik opened his mouth to answer, but at that moment the Egg Carrier slammed into the Void.
Well, I did say the Void would be making a comeback (weg) Hope you enjoyed this and if you read, please review :P