Chapter Six – Reunions
Shadow growled. Tracking down all the footage that Eggman gave to the Mobian Authorities, was proving significantly harder then first thought. He'd tried to hack the Mobian Authorities directly from the Ark, but failed, as the security was too tight, so time to try a different tactic. To get in through the back door via G.U.N. as the two organisationshad a close working relationship, and regularly shared information, which Shadow was certain included the footage.
That was why he was sneaking around the G.U.N. Headquarters, trying to find a unmanned computer console he could work from, for several hours, without being seen. He had his suspicions as to where he could find one. The director's office had a computer that was hardly ever used, as well as caretakers. Shadow thought. He fancied his chances with the director. He suspected the caretaker's computer wouldn't have high enough access for what he was planning. Thankfully, Shadow also happened to know that the director of G.U.N. himself was currently on emergency bereavement leave. His wife had suddenly just be found dead.
Shadow smirked. Oh, how convenient. He may or may not, have had a hand in that. He wasn't admitting anything, but regardless, the director's office, in fact, the whole top floor of G.U.N. was largely empty. Avoiding the cameras, he made his way in, closing the door. Perfect, time to get to work.
Finally, he had the access he needed. Cracking the director's password was straightforwards enough, and then after much searching he found the footage. There was a lot there. Years worths of video evidence, mainly of the Blue Blur's selflessness. He really didn't leave Eggman down. Shadow was surprised. He heard the stories but didn't believe them, and yet here it was, the truth ahead of him. He heaved. It was very valiant of Sonic, he would have left Eggman for dead years ago. But now Shadow had to turn that truth into lies, making it look like Eggman had fabricated that footage, as though he'd added Sonic afterwards.
That was relatively straightforwards to do. Shadow was a decent hacker. Not superclass A but good, and could quickly write code to corrupt anything. He quickly noticed that Sonic was in ever piece of footage present here. He smirked. Perfect. So he wrote a code. A program that would digitally remove Sonic from every piece of footage. He then complied it and applied it to all the videos. Once done, he check a few videos and the Blue Blur was now gone. Then Shadow wrote a second code, another program to put Sonic back into the videos. Mass editing was only possible to remove items from videos. Putting them back in gave awful results. It was better done individually. The resulting videos became grainy, glitchy and the added item barely visible, let alone audible.
Like it was fabricated.
Shadow ran the second program on all the videos, and now they all looked really bad with a ghost-like flicking Sonic, moving in and out of frame. He smirked. Exactly what he wanted. He saved the end results onto the system, overwriting the original footage, permanently deleting any and all backups and logged out. But suddenly, he pricked his ears up. All was still quiet on the top floor of the G.U.N. Headquarters, so he looked back at the computer and logged back on again. Time to do some further hacking. But not G.U.N. or the Mobian Authorities, but Eggman. He could hack the Eggnet from the Ark, but here, while it was all still quiet, and no one suspected anything, why waste a trip. Plus he fancied getting the director of G.U.N., a person he utter despised, into even more trouble.
He hacked into the Eggnet, using his usual methods, but used G.U.N. as a cover rather then the Ark, leaving a breadcrumb trail behind, and then began searching the server. He didn't hack the Eggnet first, just incase the manipulations of the video footage failed and he needed to download replacement files. With the video editing successful, time the delete the originals. But they took some finding, buried deep within the server. Finally, he found them, but unfortunately, also Eggman's firewall, and began quickly deleting the files. He'd set off the alarms in the Eggnet. The Human now knew he was being hacked, and that it was G.U.N.
Shadow only had a matter of minutes to erase the files and get out, both digitally and physically, before the Eggnet threw him out and he was found out, as he now heard voices behind him. The seconds ticking by, felt like as age, as one-by-one he watched the video files permanently vanish from the Eggnet. He began to sweat, panting hard. This was going to be tight, but suspected he'd succeed but only with seconds to spare. He was right, as the finally the last file vanished. Then, at super high speed, he got out of the Eggnet, logged off the computer, shut the whole thing down, tidied up, so it looked as though no one had even been here. He then plunged a hand into his quills, pulled out a Chaos Emerald and instantly teleported away, just as the door was opened.
He was missed, just. He landed back on the Ark, panting heavily, but pleased. He smirked. Mission successful, and neither G.U.N. or Eggman, none the wiser. He wondered across the Ark, to his computer console and logged on. He pointed his cameras at G.U.N. and indeed they knew nothing, only that someone there had hacked the Eggnet, which was heavily against organisationpolicy. Fingers were being pointed at the director, not him. He heaved, relieved.
Sonic walked through the door of Tails' House for the first time in five years and found...nothing. It was empty, no one home. Tails and Knuckles weren't back yet and everyone else had moved on. But it smelt bad with damp and rot. He heaved. This was not what he was expecting, and he wondered what had happened here. Had Tails just given up? Sonic gulped, desperately hoping that wasn't the case. But thankfully, a noice outside distracted him from the house, and to outside.
But suddenly he heard a fight in the far distance and immediately recognisedit. Badniks attacking. They distinctive clinks and mechanical clunks as they moved or more specifically attacked were unmistakable. At first, he didn't recognisewho the Badniks were attacking, the voices were too muffled slightly with the fight. All that he could tell was that all the people were female. That was enough to get Sonic immediately moving. He was still a gentleman, even if he was blind and couldn't breed. Those girls needed help.
He immediately left the house, and made a beeline for the fight, which was in the middle of the dense woodland and immediately spin-dashed. His instincts remembering how to do it. He then jumped high, he homing attacked one of the Badnik, only for him to weirdly, completely bounce off it, leaving it unscathed. He frowned and tried again, but the same thing happened again. He stopped and paused, really confused. His frown deepened.
"What the...?" He gasped, but then he opened his ears, pricked them, and honed in the Badnik. He concentrated, the sounds, the beeps and clicks, as the exploded his Sonar, through the darkness, he knew it. He felt his memories explode, but not his recent ones, but old. Very old, early childhood, back to when he fought Eggman for the very first time. Buzzing above his head, of a flying Badnik. Buzz Bomber? A distinctive snapping noise. Crab Meat? The hum of a engine. Moto Bug? Sonic's jaw dropped. There were also Choppers, Newtrons, Bat Brains, Caterkillers, Rollers, Spikes, Burrobots, Orbinauts, Ball Hogs, Bombs and Jaws in the nearby river. These were the very first Badniks he ever faced. Sonic gulped. How long had Eggman been mothballing stuff? He genuinely believed that were all gone. He heaved. Years, apparently. But it also meant that spin-dash or homing attack wasn't going to work here. Those moves he physically couldn't do as a child however the simple but highly precise bounce jump was what was needed.
Each of these Badniks had a weak point, all Sonic had to do was remember where it was and find it. Disintegrate the robots. Easy with eyes, not so much now. The Sonar could give Sonic huge detail, just like his eyes used to, but only at certain times, when the conditions were right, with enough noise and vibration. But he just wasn't quite getting that and even though those robots were noisy, it wasn't enough. So he dived for his memories, desperately looking for anything he could remember that could give him an edge. Finally, something hit him, as one of the old Badnik's suddenly leaked oil. That smell. It was entirely unique to this old technology, and he knew it. It immediately sent him back twenty years, to that little five year old kid again, and finally, his instincts took over.
He immediately curled unto a ball and bounced everywhere, as though the laws of physics didn't matter. It was highly technically, but huge fun. A move that looked easy but wasn't. Spin-dash and homing attacks did have more power, but their accuracies was rather bad. A simple jump bounce attack was not as powerful but the precession was off the charts as Sonic was able to hit the weak points on these Badniks, when area was no more then an inch circular. He couldn't see them but his instincts knew where they were, not caring at all that he was blind, and soon the Badniks were falling fast.
He could still hear the girls all around him, trying to defeat the robots but failing. But as Sonic was winning as the Badniks fell, the noise of the fight dulled, and finally, Sonic's incredible Super-Hearing began picking out voices, ones he was recognising. Considering the area was so close to Eggman's territory, he wasn't that surprised. She panicked.
"Quickly, we're got to get out of here." Said one female voice. But she was immediately rounded upon. The second voice growled.
"Yes, I can see that, darling, but just because you've grown up and found yourself a husband, doesn't make you in charge." She spat. But Sonic just giggled, intensely. Almost to the point of distraction. Her voice may have changed slightly over the years, but the attitude was unmistakable. Rouge. But Sonic was still clueless as to who she was talking to. The other female's voice sounded somewhat lower, which a huge air of maturity about it, but another voice came in that Sonic immediately recognised. The third female voice growled.
"Girls. Seriously now, we really need to move on." She hissed. Sonic smirked. Vanilla, Cream's mother, sounding exactly the same as ever, and if Vanilla was here, so was her daughter. Suddenly, the young Rabbit's voice came though.
"Hey, Mom, I don't know what going on, but the robots seem to be disintegrating." She informed. Sonic's eyes widened. Whoa! Now that was different. Truthfully, Sonic hadn't seen Cream much, not even before the incident. Sonic quickly did the maths, still while destroying the robots, she'd be, what, fifteen now. Wow, that did made him feel old, but then he thought back to the first voice. Who was that with Cream, Vanilla and Rouge? Who did he know of that regularly used hang out with those three? Suddenly, Sonic stopped as he heart leaped into his throat, and beat hard, his anxiety exploded, or at least what was left of it. He gulped, panicking.
Amy.
But then he frowned.
Husband?
But Sonic didn't have time to contemplate the situation, as suddenly he was surrounded by yet more Badniks as another wave of them just appeared out of nowhere. What was going on? He jumped bounced from one robot to the next, disintegrating them, releasing the critter within. But their numbers were becoming overwhelming and the close quarters of the dense forest wasn't helping, as he kept hitting trees, rather then the Badniks.
He heaved. He needed to get this fight out into the open, where it would be much easier, and it seemed someone else also had the same idea. Someone who had been watching him. He smirked.
"So, what's the plan?" He sniggered, into the ear. Sonic heaved a huge sigh of relief, as his anxiety immediately calmed. His real friend was here. He beamed.
"Shads." He heaved. "I'm am so glad to hear you. We need to get this fight out into the open, and I think I know how. These Badniks are old, with a basic Super-Speed sensor. Basic enough to not know the difference between us. If we destroy enough of them, which jump bouncing on with weak point will disintegrate them. Spin-dash or homing attack won't work, and then they should chase us out of the forest, where we can finish the job." He explained. But Shadow heaved.
"Will do." He relied. Giving his usual acknowledgement but he wasn't happy. He was already down on the planet from the Ark, having seen the fight, and Rouge being involved, and was about to intervene when he spotted Sonic rush in. He had been watching the Blue Blur for a while before making his presence know, hiding himself from him, in the noise of the battle. He had noticed the usual attacks failed to work but didn't know what the secret was. Now he did. But he growled.
He hated jump bouncing. He found the move so limiting, and with his incredible weight, it actually made the move difficult for Shadow to perform, as he struggled to get the height with each jump. But as yet more Badniks poured into the area, he didn't have a choice, and charged in. However, locating the weak points on each Badnik was quite straightforwards, hit it was the bounce jump however, no so much, and Shadow was struggling, missing often. He then swirled round to look back at the Blue Blur again, jump bouncing fast from one robot to the next, a perfect hit every time.
Shadow's jaw dropped. How? He's blind. The pinpoint accuracy needed to destroy those Badniks was ridiculous, and he couldn't even see the target, let alone hit it. But then Shadow realised this was where, for the very first time, Sonic had one up over him on experience. He'd done this before. Shadow was still in his fifty year stasis while these Badniks were in first being used, and by the time he was awoken, Eggman had very much moved on. He watched the Blue Blur very carefully, and then, finally working it out, he played copycat. There was a rhythm and timing to it, to jump bounce from one Badnik to the next, and soon the two Hedgehogs were in sync. Sonic smiled, upon hearing the disintegration all around him.
"Nice one, Shads." He praised, to a very large smirk from the Ultimate Lifeform. But Sonic was correct, as upon seeing their comrades fall, the remaining Badniks immediately locked onto a Hedgehog and chased after them. It didn't matter who as both Shadow and Sonic raced out of the dense forest and down the hill and out onto the open countryside, not far from Tails' House. Suddenly, someone squealed, grabbing his friend and diving out of the way of the two speeding Hedgehogs and their robotic accompaniment, down in to a valley. He heaved, as Sonic caught the conversation down his Super-Hearing, behind him.
"Look out." He panted. Knuckles was finally back at the house, with Tails and his contact at the Mobian Authorities. But the Dog from the Mobian Authorities just stared down the hill, towards the fight, his eyes transfixed on the Blue Blur. He swore hard.
"Oh my..." He panted. "He is alive." He gulped, but Knuckles just rounded on him. He growled.
"Now do you believe us." He spat. The Dog promptly nodded, but Tails was staring at the other Hedgehog on the field. He frowned.
"Hey. What's Shadow doing here?" He wondered. He not seen the Black Hedgehog in years either. It was a very sudden show but not to Rouge, as her and the other girls caught up with them, as they had been completely abandoned in the dense forest. They were all fine and unscathed. She heaved, upon hearing Shadow name, as she ran up.
"I think that might be me. Tall, dark and broody does like to play the hero whenever I get into trouble." She shrugged. "Sounds like nothing's changed." She added, as she stood the other side of the Dog, panting heavily, and looked down the hill. Suddenly, she stared. "Big Blue?" she gasped, finally clocking Sonic. No one had seen him in the dense forest.
Suddenly, Amy screamed, able to believe her ears. She ran the other side of Rouge and she cried her heart out, staring at her beloved hero. Cream and Vanilla also jumped for joy.
The Blue Blur was back.