Maria Reincarnated Saga Episode 4: Maria's Little Reunion and New Friends
On the open road far from the city, the G.U.N car continues to drive to their next location: G.U.N Headquarters. In the car, Sonic and the Freedom Fighters and Knuckles are riding on the Tornado while Eve is with Team Dark. She and Shadow are sitting right beside Maria. The young blonde hedgehog is very quiet. She is still feeling weary about being with G.U.N agents and heading to their HQ, considering what happened to her the last time she came across them. Maria suddenly feels something cold on her face. She turns her head to see Rouge holding a water bottle.
"Here you go. Thought you might like something to drink," Rouge says.
"Um, thank you," Maria says, and takes the bottle.
She opens it and begins to drink the water. When she finishes, she closes the bottle and places it on the ground.
"You feeling better, Maria?" Eve asks.
"A little, but I'm still rather nervous," Maria says.
"Don't worry. G.U.N HQ isn't so bad, busy, but not bad," Rouge says.
Eve rolls her eyes, "Yeah. Considering you're also Mobius' famous jewel thief."
"A thief?" Maria asks, a little surprised.
"Pretty much. Can't resist having a pretty gem or two. They sparkle and are as beautiful as I am," Rouge says.
"Oh brother," Eve replies.
Maria asks, "Um, Eve, Shadow, do you think Abe will um, recognize me? What if I don't recognize him?"
"Well. Abe has changed during that time, but he's still our friend. Plus, I'm sure he'll be very happy to see you again," Eve says.
"That is true, but I'm going to have a difficult time explaining this to him. Even Alice and Ben are going to have a hard time believing it," Shadow says.
"I'm sure we'll figure out a way to explain the situation to them," Eve says.
"Hope so. They might not be happy to find out that the professor decided to do uh, this to her," Rouge says.
"We'll just have to keep our fingers crossed on how he's going to react," Eve says.
The van and the Tornado continue to accelerate across the area and reach to the gates of G.U.N. HQ. With clearance, they are let inside. The Tornado then lands on the ground and the van comes to a stop. After that, everyone leaves the vehicles and are on the G.U.N HQ grounds. Eve and Shadow walk out of the van and Maria is staying close to Shadow, and practically has her arm wrapped around his.
Eve turns to Maria, "It's okay Maria. No one's going to hurt you."
"Eve is right. You're safe here," Shadow says.
"I-I-I… O-Okay," Maria nervously says.
"Relax. The G.U.N officers may be tough and well, aggressive, but they'll never hurt a sweet hedgehog like you," Rouge says.
Amy happily says, "Yeah. And if they think about touching you, they'll get a treatment from my hammer."
"Um yeah," Maria nervously says.
Suddenly, someone calls out, "Rouge."
The group turn their heads to see Topaz along with a few G.U.N officers. Maria soon becomes paralyzed to see them.
"Hi Topaz, didn't expect you to come," Rouge says.
"Well, we are part of the team, and I thought I like to see my partner," Topaz says.
Then asks, "And how are you all doing? I didn't expect Eve and the others to come."
"It's great to see you Topaz. We're here to help a little friend of ours," Sonic says.
"A friend?" Topaz says, confused.
Tails says, "Yeah. We bought a new friend with us today. Well more of an old friend to Shadow and Eve."
"Yeah. Allow us to introduce you to…" Sonic says, turning her head around.
But stops to ask, "Hey, are you okay?"
Eve and the others turn their heads to see Maria is looking stuff and has a frightened look on her face.
"Maria, are you feeling alright?" Eve asks.
"Hey kid, you look rather pale," Knuckles adds.
Maria doesn't hear a single work. She then begins to take a step back with a frightened look on her face and her body begins to shake rapidly. Seeing the G.U.N soldiers is causing her to show these frightened behavior. Soon, a light blue and white energy begins to surround Maria. Everyone begins to stand back in shock. Soon, Maria screams and a bright light begins to surround the area. And then…
BOOM!
A loud explosion surrounded the area and smoke appeared as well. In a short amount of time, the smoke clears up showing everyone has fallen to the ground and have received minor injuries. The group begins to regain their focus and look to see the little incident Maria has caused to the G.U.N vehicle and the Tornado that have been wrecked. In the middle of the mess, Maria is laying on her back and is knocked out with swirls coming out of her eyes.
"Maria," Eve worriedly says and hurries to Maria.
Eve holds Maria in her arms, "Maria, are you alright?"
"I-I'm okay…." Maria says, feeling dizzy, scared, and tired.
Knuckles rubs his head, "Well, now we know that Maria is able to use Chaos Energy. Never expect to be as powerful as you two."
"This is not good," Leon says.
"No kidding, she trashed the Tornado and one of the G.U.N vans," Sonic says.
"But she didn't do it on purpose. She was scared," Cream says.
Rouge turns to Shadow, "Uh Shadow, I'm beginning to think that her uh, well, conflict or maybe, condition with G.U.N is going to be a problem."
Before Shadow can answer, a stern male's voice asks, "What was that explosion just now?!"
Shadow and Rouge turn to see Commander Tower along with three more of the G.U.N soldiers. The humans, Mobians, and the robot who are part of G.U.N salute the commander.
Topaz says, "Commander Tower, sorry about the commission, but uh, we had a bit of a problem with one of our guests."
"What kind of problem?" Commander Tower says.
Eve stands with the tired and dizzy hedgehog in her arms.
She takes a deep breath and says, "Abe, we… we need to talk."
Back in the Egg Carrier, after being defeated by Shadow, Dr. Eggman is looking over the old manuscript of the Solaris Project from a long time ago. He has the manuscript scanned and translated to see how he is able to revive Iblis for the goal he has in mind.
Eggman looks at the translation and readings, "Interesting. There are a few things that I'm going to need in order to create Iblis for the Solaris Project. I will need to find a way to gather up those items and figure out where they are. Also, there is a secret location to where the Solaris Project is made."
Eggman continues to read the translation and the readings, "But it doesn't say where the items are."
Suddenly, Eggman feels a creepy chill up his spin. He quickly turns around to see that nothing and no one is around.
"Did I leave the window open or something? It has gotten a bit chilly all of the sudden," Eggman says, wrapping his arms around himself.
"I must be working a little too hard," Eggman says to himself.
Eggman then finishes with the rest of the scanning and translating, and then has them put in a secret file on his computer. He then puts the manuscript away in a secret safe next to his computer and leaves the room.
He yawns, "I'm going to take a nap for a while."
Eggman continues to head off to his room so he can rest. Unknown to him or anyone in the ship, a mysterious glowing green eyes open in the darkness. Then a silhouette appears to reveal what looks like a hedgehog with curved up quills. Then an evil chuckles surrounds the room and the figure steps out of the darkness to reveal the black pale hedgehog with a pale muzzle and pale blue stripes. It is Mephiles. If he has a mouth, he would make an evil smirk on his face.
Then says, "At last, I will be able to find a way to revive Iblis, so I can be whole once more."
In G.U.N HQ, Maria is laying on a metal bed and her eyes are half way open. She's still feeling a bit dizzy from her Chaos Control outburst. Eve, Amy, and Cream are with her to keep her company. Soon, a large robotic ring begins to slowly move across the table Maria is laying on and a green light scans over her.
Eve asks, "You feeling a little better?"
"I-I think so," Maria says, feeling dizzy.
"It's okay. You just relax and we'll take good care of you," Amy happily says.
Jazz who is sitting on Eve's head answers, "Chao Chao."
"Chao," Cheese replies.
Outside of the medical room, Shadow, Sonic, Commander Tower and the others watch as the girls and medical workers are tending to Maria.
Sonic sighs, "This is not how we wanted this meeting to go. We're hoping you guys to have a happy reunion, but Maria is soon sent to the medical room."
"We needed to give her another check up anyway. And now that it is well known that Maria can use Chaos Control, we need to see what other effects this cure Gerald Robotnik have created to cure Maria," Shadow says.
"I know what you mean. She was able to perform a powerful Chaos Blast on her first try, and she wasn't even planning on performing that kind of power," Knuckles says.
"And she never had any experience with using Chaos Control before," Rouge adds.
Commander Tower sighs, "Who would have thought that Gerald Robotnik would use both yours and Eve's blood to create a cure for Maria. I'm not sure if he ever expected to have a side effect."
"None of us were. Eve along with her family are surprised and are glad that Maria is still alive. However, we come to know and realize that Mara's life is never going to be the same again," Tails sadly says.
"Don't worry, we're going to help her get through this. Eve is already well ahead of us about helping Maria with some of the changes and getting used to her new body," Sonic says.
"Only now we got another hedgehog that can use Chaos Energy, and well, she can't forget what has happened when G.U.N had invaded the ARK all those years ago," Rouge says.
Omega raises his robotic arm, "Mind I suggest I use my firearms to fire at the young hedgehog. It will be good practice for using her newfound power."
"That's absurd! It might be fine that Shadow, Sonic, Rouge, or Even Eve could do it, but Maria is still a twelve year old girl who is going through a lot of changes right now! Are you nuts?!" Molly sternly says.
"Molly is right. It will be too dangerous for her to go through that much pressure and anxiety in this short amount of time," Commander Tower says.
"So then, what do you think we should do?" Topaz asks.
"Well for one, we need to at least get some rest for all of us. It has been a crazy day," Sonic says.
A little time later, Maria is laying down in bed and is awake. However, she feels a little tired and dizzy. Eve places a cloth on her forehead and she places a bag of ice on it.
"There you go. You'll feel much better in no time," Amy happily says.
Maria shows a small smile, "Thank you. That was um, very unexpected."
"Well, we did suspect that you will gain Chaos Energy and be able to use Chaos Control, but we never expected for you to use it so soon," Eve says.
"Well, Maria has both yours and Shadow's blood, and lets just say they're not normal," Amy says.
"I have to agree. You both have the blood of both your parents and Black Doom," Cream says.
"Chao Chao," Cheese replies.
Eve sighs, "Don't remind me. It still makes me uncomfortable that I'm related to a monster like him."
"Of course Eve," Amy sadly says, remember what happened when he and his colony invaded Mobius.
Just then, the door opens and the rest of the gang walk inside, even Commander Tower.
Sonic sits on the bed and says, "Hey Maria, glad to see you up now. You kind of had us worried."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to," Maria says.
"It's okay kid, we know you didn't mean to, but man, you surely made a first impression with your new powers," Sonic says.
Suddenly, Shadow punches Sonic on the back of his head, causing him to scream in pain.
Sonic turns to Shadow and shouts, "What was that for?!"
"You shouldn't be talking like that with Maria. She's still new to all this," Shadow says.
"I don't see why you're getting angry. Unless you don't like it when I talk to Maria at all," Sonic sternly says.
"I just don't want you to say anything stupid to her, telling her that she made an impression with her powers is going to give her the wrong idea!" Shadow angrily says.
"I'm just saying that she used her powers to blow some stuff out. I do that all the time, and I don't need Chaos energy to do it," Sonic angrily says.
Soon, the two begin to angrily shout at each other making the others annoyed and confused.
Maria softly asks, "Um, are they always like this?"
"Pretty much. Those two are bitter rivals. And that can sometimes be an understatement," Eve says.
Maria giggles, "I remember Shadow and Abe gets into a few arguments back on the ARK, but with Sonic, it's kind of a different level."
"I guess. I actually have vivid memories of the two ever fought," Eve says.
Commander Tower walks over, "True, you were still very young then. Shadow and I do have a few scuffles, but not enough for you to fully notice."
Maria becomes a bit surprised to see the Commander of G.U.N. He is very tall, white silver like hair, and has a green and brown eye. For some reason, seeing him, especially his face, looks very familiar to her.
"Um, who are you, um sir?" Maria asks.
Commander Tower walks to the bed and kneels down so Maria can see his face. He then shows Maria a gentle smile and much to Maria's surprise, the man is very familiar.
Commander Tower says, "I know you might not remember me, but it has been a very long time, Maria."
Maria looks at the man very carefully, and sees the green and brown eyes on his face. She only knows one person who has eye colors like it.
Maria eyes wide open and softly asks, "Abe, is that you?"
"Yes Maria, it is me. I know it has been a long time," Commander Tower says.
Maria is soon amazed, "Wow. You're… you're so big now."
"He sure is. Even I'm surprised to see him, and he is now Commander of G.U.N," Eve says.
"You're the Commander?" Maria asks, surprised.
"Yes. Things have well, changed over time, and it might be confusing for you," Commander Tower says.
Maria nods her head, "I'm kind of starting to see it myself. You along with Eve, and Shadow are grown up now. Plus, I'm surprised that Eve is able to use a sword now."
"Well Maria, you got a lot more to learn about me as well as Mobius," Eve says.
Maria nervously asks, "Do I have to um, fight against Dr. Eggman?"
"After what happened when Dr. Eggman held you hostage back in Station Square. I don't want you to deal with him anytime soon, especially since you don't know how to control your new powers," Shadow says.
"He did what?" Commander Tower firmly asks.
"Eggman attacked us on Station Square and grabbed Maria as a hostage and threatened to hurt her if we attacked," Eve angrily says.
Eve then makes air punches, "I want to punch that jerk right in the face and right at his nose. I also want to use my sword to slash his mustache off."
Sonic laughs, "That will make my day."
"I'm not sure that's the best idea," Maria says, weary.
"Sounds good to me. That Dr. Eggman has an ego as big as his stomach," Amy says.
Cream crosses her arms, "I have the right mind to tell him off."
"Is Dr. Eggman really a problem?" Maria asks.
"Yes," Tails says with a sigh.
"That guy is always getting on our nerves," Eve says.
"You can say that again," Knuckles says.
Maria says, "And I'm going to have to face him, am I?"
"As much as I don't like it, but as long as Eggman knows you're alive, he's going to suspect that you have Chaos Energy, meaning he'll know you'll have the same powers as we do. He might try to come after you," Eve says, concerned.
"Do you think he will do that?" Maria asks, concerned.
"I wouldn't put it past him," Rouge says.
Omega says, "I will be sure to eliminate Eggman and his inferior Robots."
"Um okay," Maria says, confused and weary.
"Don't pay any mind to Omega, he just enjoys his job as a G.U.N robotic soldier," Molly says.
"Maybe so, but Omega used to be one of Eggman's Badniks before deciding to join us in the forces of good, and to destroy Eggman in the process," Eve says.
"Destroy Eggman?" Maria says, confused.
"Yes. Omega has a bit of a one track mind when it comes to destroying his enemies," Shadow says.
"I see," Maria says.
Maria lowers her head and sadly says, "I still wonder if I'm going to be able to fit into Mobius. I mean, I've lived on the ARK my whole life and been frozen in a capsule for over fifty years. I don't really know much about the planet other than books, and um. I'm not sure if I can fit in."
Shadow places his hand on Maria's shoulder and shows a calm smile, "That doesn't mean that it's too late for you to learn. We're going to help you get through this."
"Shadow smiling? That sure is a surprise. And now is being nice is even more surprising," Sonic remarks.
Shadow glares at Sonic, "Come again…"
"Please don't fight again," Cream worriedly says.
"Chao Chao," Cheese says in concern.
Eve sighs, "Alright guy, that's enough tension for all of us. We don't want Maria to worry."
"I suppose you're right," Sonic says.
"For once, I agree with you, blue hedgehog," Shadow says with his arms crossed."
"I have a name you know," Sonic says, rolling his eyes.
Eve then turns to Maria with a happy smile, "Shadow is right. We're going to help you not only fit in on Mobius, but also help you learn how to control your new powers. It may take some time, but I know it will be worth it."
"Thank you. I promise that I'll do the best that I can. Now that I know I'm no longer sick, I'm going to do what I can to be strong, and um, independent and such," Maria says.
"Okay, but you need to know that you need to follow a few rules. One is to never go off by yourself. You never know when Eggman or any of his Badniks could be around, especially with your uh, lack of ability to control your powers," Eve says.
"I suppose you're right," Maria says.
"And try not to blow stuff up," Sonic says.
Amy sternly says, "Sonic, try to be more sensitive."
"I was just joking," Sonic says.
Shadow then says, "And the only other rule is that if you need help with anything, you'll be able to ask us or call when you stay in New Mobotropolis."
"Okay," Maria says with a smile.
Then asks, "Do you um, think you and Eve can teach me to control my abilities?"
"Well. Sonic and Eve seem to already agree to the idea, and I'm sure Rouge, Leon, Molly, and I can find a way to help you. However, you will need to train hard to control your new powers. You don't know what you'll be facing," Shadow says.
"I will," Maria says with a smile.
Maria feels that she is very lucky, she only is able to see her old friends again, but is also gaining new ones right away. Of course, now that Maria can actually use Chaos Control, she will need to work hard to control it. Since this world is full of bad guys and robots, the Mobians need to help her get through all of it.
Meanwhile on Angel Island, the Echidnas are able to make small houses and huts somewhere on the island forest area with large mushrooms. However, they are being attacked by the Dingo Regime. Because of the fact that Knuckles is not on the island, most of the Guardians have disappeared, and without any other allies, it's easy for the Dingoes to attack them without any trouble. Soon the Dingoes chase the Echidna citizens with weapons and force. They also begin to burn and destroy their homes. Soon, Lara-Le and her family are cornered by a Dingo Soldier.
Wynmacher angrily says, "There's nothing left to take! Leave us in Peace!"
"How about I let you rest in peace, Echidna?!" The Dingo angrily says, prepare to strike them with his sword.
Smashing his fist in the Dingo's face is Sgt. Simian. He is able to rescue Lara-Le's family.
Sgt. Simian says, "Don't worry, folks. The Destructix are here now.
Suddenly, Drago and the rest of the gang begin to attack the Dingo Regime and rescue the citizens on the island. The Dingos try to defend themselves against the attack, but they aren't holding out. The Destructix are able to fight against the Regime and defeat them. On a large mushroom that is on the outskirts of the village, Locke is rather surprised that the Destructix is fighting off the Dingoes and saving the villagers.
Confused, Locke asks himself, "I know these villains… but why are they rescuing Echindaopolis?"
"Because I told them to," A familiar and eerie voice says.
Locke quickly turns his head around to see Dr. Finitevus standing in front of an open Warp Ring.
The white Echidna says, "Salutations, Guardian Locke."
"You again?!" Locke says, shocked.
"Dr. Finitevus, former techomage of the Dark Legion, at your service again. These are the Destructix… former rogues I have gathered to good deeds," Finitrvus says.
Locke sternly glares at him, "You expect me to believe a ranking Dark Legionnaire and Mammoth Mogul's enforcers are now my allies? My family has fought the Dark Legion for generations. Their technophilia is all that drives them."
"You didn't question my assistance when I helped you save the Master Emerald. Still, if you won't believe one of your own people," Finitevus says,
He then turns to the Warp Ring, "Then perhaps you'll believe one of your ancestors."
Just then, a floating metal head in a strange bubble comes out of the Warp Ring. Locke is stunned to see that the head is Dimitri.
The robotic echidna head says, "It is all true, Locke. Dr. Finitevus saved what was left of me after the Dark Legion split in two.
Locke simply turns his head away slightly, "Dimitri is my ancestor, but his descendants formed the Dark Legion. We've already been through this."
"What will it take, Locke? Not find any of the Brotherhood to convince you. I'm sure you can relate," Finitevus says.
"You know…?" Locke asks.
"I do. And it is why I keep returning to help everyone. Believes the Brotherhood gave their lives depending on this island. You know better, Locke," Finitevus says, and places his hand under the bubble.
Then walks to Locke and says, "Please allow me and the Destructix to keep your island and the Master Emerald safe."
Finitevus then grabs Locke's wrist and pulls it to him. Then places a Warp Ring in his hand.
Then says, "Take one of my Warp Rings and find your fore-fathers. We need them to bring stability to this island to our homeland."
Finitevus takes his hand away from Locke. Then Locke grabs hold of the Ring and lifts it close to his face.
"Perhaps…" Locke says.
"If you prefer, I could attempt to summon Knuckles to assist us…?" Finitevus says.
Locke sighs, "As much as I want you, but I know Knuckles made his choice to fight against the man who started the trouble by allying with the Dingoes. And I haven't been able to contact him. I fear that something isn't right. So I won't be able to summon him at this time. I plan to check on him to see what has happened."
"As you wish, Guardian," Finitevus says with a grin.
Locke then tosses the Warp Ring on the ground and it opens and a portal appears.
Locke glares at Finitevus and says, "I will return frequently to check up on you."
"But of course. I hope that we will eventually win your trust," Finitevus says and bows his head.
Locke turns his head to see the Destructix have defeated the Dingo Regimes and the Echidnas of the village are in gratitude. Locke then walks through the Warp Ring and the ring disappears in a second.
Finitevus shows an evil smirk and says, "All too easy."
"There. I lied to him, you monster. Now fulfill your end of the bargain," Dimitri says.
"In time, Dimitri," Finitevus says.
Finitevus then walks through the Warp Ring and to the secret altar where the Master Emerald is.
Dimitri flies through the Ring himself and angrily says, "That's what you said when you took me apart, bit by bit! This indignity cannot go on. Neither can my life!"
"Calm down, Dimitri. I know what I'm doing," Finitevus says.
He then places his hand on the Master Emerald, "The Dingo Regime will be crushed, The Legion will be unified…"
Then shows an evil smirk, "And the world will know the glory of your old identity. The Power and the Name of Enerjak will be known once more."