Lost Memories, Reborn Evil
Sholay
Yo, I'm back and armed with a new chapter! ^.^ Hope you have fun!
Summary of story thus far:Sonic is traveling with his brother and sister—Manic and Sonia—when, one day, he has a dream about an alternate past. This past includes all his adventures with the freedom fighters narrating their history until the event on the ARK when they were swept into a black hole… only to end up rewinding time to back before Sonic was born. Now, living in a universe where everything, everyone, is different, Sonic must battle demons from his past and present in a mad race for the chaos emeralds. To this chapter: Sonic and Bartleby escaped Robotropolis with their skins barely intact… almost at the same moment that Knuckles and Tails broke into the city. Manic and Sonia meanwhile, have met Rouge the bat and are now trying to escape the prisons in the heart of Robotropolis. Finally, miles away, Shadow, hurt and exhausted, limps towards the city of Kelas—The City of the Setting Sun…
Enjoy!
O-o.o.O.o.o.O.o.o.-O
Chapter 13: "Falling on the Buttered Side"
O-o.o.O.o.o.O.o.o.-O
Breathing just a little more heavily that he was comfortable with, Shadow bared his teeth in a tight grimace as he looked upward, tracing the tall gates with eyes that squinted in exhaustion. Dark walls of interlocked stones reached high into the sky and stretched out in opposite directions, gradually melting into the inky night.
The entire city of Kelas was surrounded by an impassable wall…
The only other city Shadow knew of like that was Robotropolis.
But the walls broke at this single point before him, split by a wooden gate enforced with lines of wrought iron that twisted into an intricate mesh lined with spikes. The gate was open; but to Shadow, it didn't look so much like a welcoming gesture as an invitation to enter the beast's maw.
The black hedgehog shifted irritably on the balls of his feet; already, he was getting a bad feeling about this.
'Metal Sonic gets closer and closer to the chaos emeralds with every second that passes. With Sonic captured in Robotropolis and Knuckles and Tails off conducting their vigilante rescue mission, there's no one to challenge Metal Sonic except me.' Shadow scowled up at gate, giving the torches that flickered merrily on the threshold a smoldering glare. 'And here I am, wasting precious time looking for a medic to treat a flesh wound.'
Only Shadow knew it wasn't just a flesh wound. He'd gone from being able to limp slowly on his foot to not being able to walk on it at all. The ankle wasn't broken—he was knowledgeable enough in the field to know that—but it certainly was no light sprain either.
Then, of course, there was the slight problem of having a gaping hole in his arm.
He'd wrapped something around it. Naturally. But traveling through brush was anything but gentle and he'd accidentally jarred the wound no few times, continuously tearing it open. The cloth—dirty and mud streaked even before he'd used it as a makeshift bandage—was soaked through: blood oozed slowly down his arm in viscous dribbles.
Puffing air between his teeth—and swiftly cutting off the sound before it became a sigh—Shadow skated toward the city in long, looping strides. His shoes were specifically designed to channel chaos energy—had cost an arm and a leg to manufacture; not to mention he'd had to design most of the components himself since they were no where near that kind of technology in this backward world—and they were serving him well: letting him hover slightly above the ground, putting no weight on his ankle.
One of the idiosyncrasies of this new world was its inexplicable lack of ambient chaos energy. In the old world, chaos energy had lived and breathed in every particle of matter. It made the Earth turn, it brightened the color of the trees; it permeated the air and exhilarated those that breathed it in. It literally gave birth to some life forms. Without its presence the world was dull, dead. Wasted.
And Shadow was, in essence, created from chaos energy. He absorbed ambient chaos energy and converted it within his body for other purposes. He did not need it to survive—like mobians did water—but it certainly made a few things easier.
For example, his skates were usually powered by the chaos energy harboured within himself. That supply currently lacking, Shadow was now forced to use a different source: the green Chaos Emerald in his possession.
And also… The black hedgehog had done some thinking: pondered his bizarre inability to self-heal. He was almost certain that his speed healing ability was triggered by ambient chaos energy as well.
The real question was: if the chaos energy had been so incredibly abundant in the alternate universe, why was it so completely absent now?
The world needed chaos. It was obvious just looking at the brown tinge in the foliage, or the drained emptiness in mobians' eyes. Robotnik alone could not have caused all this damage. Something was bleeding the spirit out the world.
It was a silent plague. Degenerative and unstoppable it was slowly taking the will and fight out of every living creature. Something had to be done to restore the chaos energy to the world or this plague would destroy the world more completely than Robotnik could ever hope.
It was a sobering thought; but Shadow nonetheless forced himself to put it aside.
One thing at a time.
The Chaos Emeralds came first. If Robotnik got his hands on those, the next apocalypse could be a lot sooner in coming and Shadow would look a fool for all his dreaming about the mobian spirit when all the world's inhabitants were robots.
In order to get the emeralds, Shadow had to track down Metal Sonic—again—but only after he got his ankle fixed.
Which brought him back the to the present.
The gates, framed by an arch of dark stone, towered over him. Torchlight jittered a macabre dance over metal rods and metal spikes.
The gates were open, and so, ignoring the alarm bells ringing in his head, Shadow skated into the city.
No one greeting him as he passed the walls. Instead, flanking him were two long, wooden poles, each holding the same, immense flag that moved with the wind in slow, rolling waves.
Even the meager light offered by the moon was enough to pick out the pure, blood red colour of the flag. More caged torches were lit at the base of the flagpole, illuminating the huge six-pointed star that was splayed across each flag's centre.
Shadow looked into the city and then he saw, down the entire main road: countless little torches flickering at the bases of countless flagpoles—all sporting the same immense, bloody red flag with a black six-pointed star—lining both sides of the street, casting wicked shadows that played across the scorched earth.
The bad feeling he was having darkened, as did his expression.
Gliding silently past the sea of never-ending flagpoles, Shadow saw, on either side, bright, furtive eyes peering out between blinds and barely opened doors. But the eyes watched him only in his peripheral vision. When he looked at them directly, they blinked back into darkness. Striding past a line of houses, Shadow saw curtains fall to cover windows and doors clicked shut.
It was empty. The whole street was empty and the mobians were hiding away in their houses like rats down a hole.
Finally, after seeing the tenth or fifteenth pair of eyes flinch and disappear under Shadow's suspicious stare, the black hedgehog had had enough.
"Hey! You there!" Shadow boldly strode up to one of the windows that had just snapped closed. He rapped on the glass panes forcefully. "Hey! Do you know where I can find a medic?" Shadow paused, and after a few seconds of cold silence, a puff of air left him in an irritated scoff. He pushed away from the window and went toward another door.
"Hey!" He repeated the same motion, knocking hard on the splintered wood with his gloved knuckles "I know there's someone in there; just tell me if there is a doctor or a medic in this town!" Hearing nothing but wind and fire crackling in the torches to answer his words, Shadow backed up with a scowl.
What was wrong with this town?
"Sst. Sst! Hey, you there." A quiet whisper made Shadow's head swivel around and he narrowed his eyes at the dark, dingy looking alley from which the voice had come. Sliding forward on his skates, Shadow peered into the shadows, making out a figure crouched near a couple of discarded wooden crates.
"What?" Shadow spat, not in the mood to deal with seedy traders.
"Heard you yelling out there. Figured you couldn't be a Rank, 'specially if yer wired enough to walk out in plain view after Blackout."
'Rank'? 'Wired'? 'Blackout'? Shadow's head was whirling, trying to assimilate the new information and match it to any rebel's lingo he'd picked up over his years of travel.
'Wired', he knew, was a way of calling someone stupid. It was also a stab against the intelligence of Robotnik's robot army.
The other two words Shadow wasn't familiar with. Though he guessed the first referred to some sort of government official or Robotnik sympathizer and the last was probably what they called curfew time.
That last thought made Shadow frown. If the city had a curfew that could only mean one thing…
"How long have they been taking mobians for roboticization?" Shadow demanded. Every once in awhile, Robotnik got the urge to go on a roboticizing spree, so he would choose a town and—for the pure fun of creating panic and chaos—would begin a game of cat and mouse. He'd sent in his robots every now and again, after the sun had set, to literally steal mobians off the streets and take them away for roboticizing.
It was a foul practice that sickened Shadow. And if it was happening here…
The shady trader shifted uncomfortably and in the meager light Shadow could pick out a bright stripe of white running across the top of the stranger's head. A skunk.
"The scenario's a bit more grey then that, bub." The skunk muttered before looking up at Shadow with suspicious eyes. "But you, yer new 'round these parts. Else you wouldn't be asking such questions. Who're you?"
"And who are you to ask me that?" Shadow countered smoothly.
"Oh, I'm just yer regular yellow duck. Nothin' special." The skunk's voice was light, but his eyes were shrewd. Shadow recognized the coded words immediately.
"Well I'm visiting from the far West. Ran out of water and needed to see if I could find some extra stock." The far West referred to the old ruins of Marble Mountain. A reference that was only used by rebels, it signified loyalty to the old order. Everyone knew of the mysterious King Acorn, descendent of the old royal family who simply disappeared one day, leaving his entire kingdom to the widowed wife of his son—who, at the time, was pregnant with triplets.
'Sonia, Manic and… Sonic' The words passed through Shadow's mind.
By saying he came from the West, Shadow had claimed his loyalty to the royal family. By mentioning his desire for water, Shadow had expressed his desire to meet other rebels.
The skunk's expression lit up immediately.
"Yer needing a doctor, right?" the stranger said, in reference to Shadow's earlier words. And then, quick as a flash and before Shadow could even answer, the skunk had turning away, beckoning him further down the alley "Follow me." And the skunk disappeared deep into the dark.
Once more, Shadow brushed away his misgiving and followed the skunk's scraggly, matted tail as it whisked between building, finding invisible alleys and leading the black hedgehog deep into the bowels of the city.
Gradually, the houses went from habitable to dilapidated. The alleys were filled with discarded pieces of junk and metal and the empty atmosphere took on the feeling of abandonment. Shadow sucked on his tongue distastefully as he could practically taste the desperation and suffering of mobians in the air.
The skunk skimmed down a long set of rickety wooden stairs and Shadow hesitated at the top. Making his decision quickly, the hedgehog stopped the power flow to his skates. Gravity immediately took control and Shadow let out a barely perceptible grimace as his feet hit the ground, jarring his sprained ankle painfully. Ignoring the throbbing sensation, Shadow tried taking a step forward and hissed as his foot protested vehemently, sending shocks of electricity up his shin and wobbling uncontrollably.
Finally, the black hedgehog realized that the only way he could walk was on his toes. So—with quick, efficient steps—Shadow descended the staircase stiffly and as soon as his feet hit the ground he powered up his skates, feeling his foot practically sigh in relief. At one point, Shadow felt Suzu stir within his scarf and he placed a hand over the tiny bird, quietening him instantly.
The skunk was looking at him with raised eyebrows, but a dark stare from the hedgehog had the skunk shrugging and continuing on his way.
After a few more minutes of traveling the labyrinth of alleys that made up the city's slums, the skunk finally halted before a large, rusty metal door with hefty rivets drilled around the edge.
Rapping a quick tattoo on the door, a slot slid near the top, to which the skunk hissed a brief password. A loud clanking signaled the door being unbolted and then it squeaked open just wide enough for the skunk and Shadow to slide in.
The first thing to hit Shadow's senses was the overwhelming smell of incense. Then he looked around; and through the fog of smoke and dust he gathered his bearings.
He was standing in a seedy bar. Filled with cracked, shabby splintering tables and stools, dirt and dust covered every available surface and packed hard together to make up the floor. The place was decorated with wisps of see-through scarves and sweeping curtains.
And the loud noise of gossip and chatter filled the room as countless mobians crowded around the tables, smoked, gambled and laughed over mugs dripping with alcohol. A weasel with a dulcimer plucked out an exotic melody as dancers weaved on a stage one step above the ground. The overwhelming calls, laughter and whistles of too many people packed into too small a space assaulted Shadow's ears.
"Well, bub," The skunk thumped Shadow on the back and the hedgehog jerked forward, still staring around himself with something that resembled muted shock. The skunk grinned, showing off yellowing teeth. "Welcome to the rebellion."
O-o.o.O.o.o.O.o.o.-O
"Ok… but you're last plan just fell through. Literally. And Manic and I already tried blasting through the walls; so what exactly is this brilliant plan of yours?" Sonia stood in the middle of the cell, arms crossed tightly and lips drawn into a thin, displeased line.
Rogue looked at the pink hedgehog, amused. "First rule of thieving, Princess," Sonia scowled at the nickname. "Always have a back-up plan."
"And you got one?" Manic asked, looking around the cell. The walls were polished and completely smooth. Robotnik had left the lights on after his little transmission, so they could at least see the giant metal box they were trapped in; but to Manic it made absolutely no difference: the place was sealed down completely. It didn't even have a door!
"Of course!" Rouge smirked. Manic was amazed, his old friend actually looked like she was enjoying this! "Look there." And Rouge pointed.
Manic and Sonia followed the finger and frowned when they saw what it led toward.
"The vent?" Manic asked, bemused. "But it's too high up to reach, what do you—" The green hedgehog's words abruptly broke off when Rogue, calm as anything, walked up to the wall and began scaling it.
Manic felt his mouth drop open and, glancing over at his sister, he saw that Sonia was much the same.
"O-kay…" He intoned. "I guess that works too."
Rouge made quick work of the screws holding the vent in place and soon the grid had slid off and fallen to the floor with a noisy clang. Reaching down, the bat pulled first Sonia then Manic into the duct before crawling in herself.
No sooner had they crawled two feet into the ventilation shaft when the meager light around them began to blink red and a shrill wail shot through the air.
"Augh!" Sonia cried out as the undulating sound made her eardrums throb.
"The alarm!" Manic yelled out from behind her.
"Huh…" Rouge muttered. "That's new…"
"What?" Manic looked over his shoulder at the bat.
Rogue met the hedgehog's eyes with a bemused expression. "He's never had one of those before." She said, as though that explained everything. But in reality, all it did was make Manic wonder what exactly was this 'before' that Rouge was referring to.
Sonia, who had missed their brief conversation, called out once more. "But how can they already know we've escaped!"
"Heat sensors or motion sensors in the room… A hidden camera…" Manic trailed off.
Sonia suddenly stopped crawling. "I've reached the end; there's another vent here, but no screws." She paused, then threw a look over her shoulder. "Hey Manic, come over next to me; I think there's enough space. Let's try to force this thing open."
Manic nodded and sidled up next to his sister. Together, they placed their hands on the vent and prepared to push.
"Wait!"
The harsh whisper surprised the hedgehogs and they instantly stilled. Looking over at their other companion, they saw Rouge's green eyes narrow in the strips of light that filtered through the vent. The bat put a slim finger to her lips. Her ears twitched and the siblings suddenly got the message, quietening and pressing their ears to the vent.
The low murmur of hushed whispers slowly grew from the silence.
"Two males. They sound anxious. Can't hear what they're saying." Rouge informed them, looking frustrated.
"Do you recognize the voices?" Sonia asked softly. Rouge shook her head. Sonia sent a sideways glance at her brother. "Could be Sleet and Dingo."
Manic was surprised when Rouge raised her eyebrows in confusion. "Who?" She asked.
"Sleet. And. Dingo." Manic said slowly, as though to a child. "'Buttnik's two right hand henchmen…" When his words were met only by a blank stare his expression turned incredulous. "Don't tell me… you know Robotnik personally and have no idea who Sleet and Dingo are?"
"They're his main enforcers. Everyone who hasn't been living under a rock for the past twenty years know who they are." Sonia said offhandedly.
Rouge seemed to shake herself and looked away from Manic unexpectedly. "Of course," She mumbled. "I remember."
Manic looked doubtful but Sonia had already moved past the subject. "What should we do about this?" The pink hedgehog asked, gesturing toward the vent.
Rouge, having regained her composure, leaned forward and placed her hands next to Sonia's and Manic's on the vent. "I say we all give one hard shove; this thing should break and then we can jump whoever's down there."
It was unanimously agreed and with Manic counting slowly under his breath they all braced their energy.
"... THREE!"
A grating squeal: the crash of the vent flying across the room sent them all tumbling out of the vent.
"What the—?"
"Hey—!"
Two vaguely familiar voices were quickly stifled as Sonia, Manic and Rouge fell in a heap over the unknown figures.
"GET 'EM!"
The next two minutes were a blur of hair-pulling, scuffling, and wrestling as Manic tried to pin whoever he was fighting with. It wasn't until he gulped in a mouthful of air and properly blinked his eyes that he realized the long, fluffy thing he was grabbing was an orange and white tail.
'Wait a minute.' Manic pulled back. 'This isn't Dingo!' Manic jerked his head upward, just in time to meet a pair of brilliant blue eyes.
"Whoa!" Manic fell over, letting go of the other mobian instantly. It was a fox, young, with two bushy tails. Manic didn't thing he'd ever seen him before. Seeing the fox was still struggling with his sister, Manic immediately reached over to pull Sonia back.
"Hey, lemme go, Manic!" Sonia, blinded by long, unpinned hair that fell in tangles over her face, scowled in Manic's general direction as he tugged her to his side.
"Relax, Sonia. I don't think they're enemies."
"Huh?" Sonia pulled a few purple strands out of her face, gazed in surprise at the fox grinning and waving sheepishly at them from the ground. "Oh! Oh my god!" She flicked her hair back over her shoulder. "I'm so sorry!" She reached down and helped the stranger to his feet. "We thought you were someone else!"
"No problem!" The fox gave an easy smile as he brushed himself off. "You guys just saved us a whole lot of time."
"AUGH!"
"GET. OFF. ME!"
Manic, Sonia and the still-unnamed fox's gaze swivled over to the two other mobians still fighting.
"Rouge!" Manic called eliciting a gasp from the fox. Manic snapped his head over to him, raising his eyebrows, the fox's jaw had dropped.
"Rouge!"
"You know Rouge?" Manic asked, but didn't receive a reply. His attention was then drawn back to the scuffling pair.
"Ugh, let me GO you big oaf!" Rouge gripped as she was held in a strong headlock by a crimson echidna. Manic eyed the gleaming metal claws on the echidna's hands and stepped forward to help his friend. But an arm stretched out in front of his chest, stopping him. Manic followed the arm back up to the fox's face, frowning. But the fox just shook his head.
"Knuckles?" The fox called hesitantly.
"Ha haah," The echidna—Knuckles—panted as he struggled to hold Rouge. "Not so cocky now are you? Now, I know you took it; give it back!"
Manic's eyebrows rose.
"I…ugh… don't know what you're talking about, you uncouth barbarian!" Rouge twisted roughly, but Knuckles' grip held.
"You know perfectly well!" Knuckles snapped. "My scope glasses! You took them!"
"That old pair of sunglasses?" Rouge scoffed. "What would I want with them?"
"Built in heat sensor, motion sensor, holographic imaging system—take your pick." Knuckles looked like he was quickly whatever patience he hand left.
"Ugh! Fine! If you want them back that bad then here." Fishing something out of her pocket, Manic glimpsed a pair of sunglasses flash in the air as the bat practically threw them at Knuckles. The echidna promptly dropped Rouge as he caught the glasses in both hands. Rouge picked herself up from the ground, shooting a dirty glare at the echidna. "They weren't all that great anyway. And you're such a whiny baby."
Knuckles paid her no heed and, huffing, she finally looked up at their audience.
"Oh!" The bat's eyes widened. "Tails!" Manic stepped back as Rouge swooped the fox up into a big hug, giving him as warm a welcome as she'd given him not too long ago. The fox—Tails, Manic reasoned—matched Rouge's beaming smile with a grin of his own.
"Hi! Long time no see!"
"Too long," Rouge sighed and turned away.
Sonia and Manic exchanged glances as the mood in the room inexplicably sobered.
"So… um… anyone care to explain what's going on?" Sonia piped up.
"Just wait a sec…" Tails interjected. He pointed to Knuckles and Rouge. "She stole your glasses? So you met up after…" The rest of Tails' sentence went unsaid but Knuckles and Rouge seemed to understand.
"Oh yeah, me and the jerk," Rouge jabbed a thumb at Knuckles who crossed his arms huffily. "Ran into each other a couple of days ago."
"Before Miss Sticky Fingers here decided to play vigilante and sneak into Robotnik's base alone to find the white chaos emerald." Knuckles glared at Rouge. "Crept off in the middle of the night… Thought I would be a burden, did you? 'Course that didn't stop you from stealing my glasses!"
Rouge dismissed him with a wave of her hand. "Pfft, you should learn to let things go. My scope was broken and I needed another pair. Besides, you weren't using them."
"I was asleep!"
"Hey! HEY!" Sonia shouted and all eyes swivled to her. Instead of blushing, she drew herself up imperiously. "We're in the middle of Robotnik's base for godsake! Now is NOT the time for bickering!" When no one spoke up to contradict her, she continued. "Now, not to be rude or anything, but who are you guys?" She looked at Tails and Knuckles.
"Ah!" Tails smiled. "I'm Miles, but everyone calls me Tails. I'm a Kitsune." Sonia and Manic looked surprised.
"I thought they were extinct." Manic said tactlessly and received an elbow in the side from Sonia. Tails just shrugged and looked away.
"How did you get in here?" Rouge asked, quickly changing the topic.
"Climbed over the city wall," Knuckles said absently. "Robotropolis is teaming with robots but he hitched a ride in one of the delivery trucks." Here, Knuckles' eyes glimmered in amusement. "Slipped right in the front door. When the alarm went off, we ducked in here to avoid the 'bots."
Looking over, the echidna noticed the twin hedgehogs staring at him.
"Princess Sonia and Prince Manic," Knuckles began formally, a smirk curling the edges of his mouth. "We've met before. You don't remember?"
Manic was confused. Sure the guy's name was a little familiar, but he couldn't recall the face. Usually he was pretty good with faces; Manic looked to Sonia and saw the dawning realization on her face.
"Knuckles? As in the guardian of the Chaos Emerald?" She asked. Suddenly something clicked in Manic's memory and his eyes widened.
"Master Emerald, actually," Knuckles corrected gently.
"But you… you look so different!" Manic could not rationalize this strong, imperious echidna before him with the scrawny, crafty echidna they'd met nearly a year ago. Knuckles' eyes darkened and he shared a look with Rouge and Tails. Again, Manic wondered at the connection between them. How did they know each other?
There was something going on here. Manic's eyebrows furrowed. This bizarre, secretive behaviour, it reminded him of…
"Sonic…" Just saying his brother's name had Rouge, Tails and Knuckles' eyes snapping up to focus on him with rapt attention. Manic looked to Sonia, saw in her expression that she'd noticed the strange behaviour too. "You've changed… just like Sonic."
Again that long silence, punctuated by significant stares being thrown around in front of him. Manic was already getting sick of it.
"Sonic…" Tails cast a look up at the white tiled walls of the washroom until his eyes hit the vent through which the twins and Rouge had just fallen. "We thought he'd be with you…"
Sonia and Manic looked down, missing the way Knuckles' expression turned to stone.
"Where is he?"
O-o.o.O.o.o.O.o.o.-O
"Sonic, Sonic! Stop it, you'll kill yourself!"
Sonic huffed in exhaustion, but threw it aside like the sweat he flicked off his forehead.
One more time, one more time, he told himself. He curled himself into a ball, threw himself at the tall walls of Robotropolis. But the metal was too slippery, the angle too steep. His spikes screamed and drew sparks as they collided with sheets of titanium. He couldn't scale the wall. But if he couldn't scale the wall he'd break it down. He had to get in.
He lost traction against the wall and fell. Tucking his head down, he hit the ground shoulder first and rolled. It was a hard fall, and it made his already bruised shoulder throb but nonetheless he shoved himself to his feet, slapped away the dirt and prepared himself to try again.
A hand clamped down on his arm, spinning him around with surprising strength.
"Enough! Enough of this madness, Sonic!" Bartleby was almost shouting in his face. "You've tried scaling the wall, you've tried the underwater gate; by god, you've even torn apart a robot and fired a laser at the door!" The mink sounded a little shocked even as he said the last part. "There's no way in. The ID codes on the robots are not working—listen to me!" Bartleby pulled Sonic back around as the hedgehog tried to turn away. As Sonic's head turn back his eyes fell slightingly on the mink. Reflected in those eyes was the single-minded determination Bartleby had always admired and envied, but backing it was a fierceness that shone unnaturally bright. Bartleby wilted a little under those eyes.
"They're in there," Sonic looked at the walls of Robotropolis. "Sonia and Manic. They're in there and I have to get them out." He stated it like it was a simple fact. His siblings were trapped in a potential deathtrap and Sonic was going to jump in and haul them out. No matter what it took. Just like that.
Sonic was brash and foolish and that combination was going to get him killed someday.
"Look, Sonia's in there." Bartleby swallowed at that thought. "I want her out as much as you. And Manic's… a stand up guy." Sonic shot Bartleby a look which the mink interpreted as somewhere between amused and sardonic. He'd no idea Sonic was capable of such an expression. "The point is…" Bartleby continued. "There's no way in. We set off the alarm and they locked up the place tighter than a drum. Unless you can fly over the wall, you're not getting into the city."
And then Sonic's entire countenance changed. His silence went from testy to thoughtful.
Bartleby wondered what he'd said.
A sudden crash in the foliage at their left had them swinging around to face the possible threat. Bartleby, without even realizing it, cowered behind Sonic's confident stance.
"Who goes there?" Sonic called out.
"Mobian! Friend! Please… please don't shoot!" A whimper, hoarse and pitiful called to them from the undergrowth.
Bartleby saw Sonic's guard lower and silently cursed the hedgehog's hero complex. "Don't let that fool you!" He hissed. "It could be a robot using a recorded voice… Hey!" But Sonic was already walking toward the forest edge. Glancing around himself nervously, Bartleby jumped, swearing he just heard a beeping noise. Not thinking twice, he scrambled after Sonic.
The blue hedgehog was kneeling down next to something that trembled and shook the ferns. Standing back a ways, Bartleby cringed when Sonic beckoned him closer. He stepped gingerly, wary of traps, until he was close enough to see exactly what Sonic was fawning over.
A young mole, practically a baby, was sniffling and shaking under Sonic's comforting hand.
"My home… Monster came… Lots of fire. Please, my mommy told me to run away… Mommy said Daddy would come back…" And the kid dissolved into tears.
"Bartleby," The mink's head shot up as Sonic addressed him. "Get my cloak." Sonic nodded back in the direction they'd come.
Bartleby didn't know why he listened without question. Maybe it had something to do with that freaky, intense look Sonic seemed to always be wearing now; but Bartleby went back to the polluted, glowing river, swept the clock up off the ground and hurried back, handing it to Sonic without a word.
With a swift swirl of fabric, Sonic had wrapped the mole up neatly within the cloak and Bartleby watched in fascination as Sonic made a sling out of the material, tying it securely over one shoulder so that the mole lay cradled against the hedgehog's chest.
"Where did you learn how to do that?" Bartleby asked without thinking.
Sonic didn't raise his eyes as he checked to make sure the mole was safe. "There are always casualties in war: some aren't big enough to sling over your shoulder so you find other ways to take them where they have to go."
It wasn't the words so much as the tone, dead serious, that had chills running down Bartleby's spine.
"Come on, he told me he lives a little up North."
"So we're going?" Bartleby asked, needlessly, since he already knew the answer.
"I am. You're free to walk home, if you want." Sonic's words were curt. He was in no mood for conversation.
Bartleby thought of his home: the upper-class society to which he belonged… and then he looked at the tiny face of the mole that slept fitfully with it's fists curled into Sonic's fur. The mink spat out a curse. "Damn it Sonic, I think you're rubbing off on me."
There it was, that amused flicker in the hedgehog's green eyes returned with a vengeance. "You realise that one you make this choice you can't go back." Contrary to his eyes, Sonic's tone was completely serious.
"I know." The words clogging in Bartleby's throat but he said them confidently, with a defiant raising of his chin. Quietly, Bartelby wondered when he'd began to feel the need to prove himself to Sonic.
"Good." Was that satisfaction in Sonic's voice? Bartleby couldn't tell. "Then let's go." The blue hedgehog held out a gloved hand.
Bartleby hesitated. "Sonia and Manic?" He asked.
Sonic's eyes blazed. "We'll come back for them. We'll come back with help." And it was said with such utter conviction that Bartleby couldn't do anything but believe in those words.
Wondering if the giddiness he felt was because he was making an incredibly stupid decision, Bartleby reached out and grasped Sonic's hand.
O-o.o.O.o.o.O.o.o.-O
End Chapter
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YAYYY! So! Long chapter, a little bit of everything for everyone. What did you think?
Claamchowder: Heya! Thanks, I'm glad you like the details in this fic =P Hope you liked the chappie!
VampireCabbit: Haha, yeah, I know, my updating scheme isn't the most reliable thing ever ;p It's funny 'cause I know what I wanna write, it just all gets stuck somewhere in between my head and the page XD I have to say though, I've never seen Sonic X… but seeing Shadow in animation sounds tempting ;d I might have to check that out sometime :D
XxSpiritWolfxX: No prob :D I like responding to reviews. And as for Amy… ooh I've got plans for her (evil grin)! It might take a few chapters but she's definitely gonna make an appearance!
Airiko-the-Angel13: Oh wow, thank you! And there are some pretty good Sonic Fanfics out there, so it's really amazing to hear that you're impressed by mine! :3
Molto Alesato: Hehe (sheepish grin) I know, it took me a long time to update again… sowwies! XD But hey! It's good for creating suspense right? … Right? (long pause)… Ok maybe not so much XDD At any rat, I do hope you enjoyed the update! :P
Sunny Lighter: Heya! Yup, Sonia and Manic have been let out of the dark! And… have stumbled onto Tails and Knuckles… literally! XDD
Pokelad: Hahaa, it IS true isn't it? Rouge would be VERY good at distractions! XD I personally love the Knuckles and Rouge interactions, they're so funny together XP As for Bartleby… well, it's interesting how Sonic is influencing him huh? ^.^
Sonic on the run: Yay! Glad you like the story! France was awesome… it was a bit insane 'cause everything was in French (yeah, yeah, I know, I WENT there to learn French… but still! I think it gave me some brain damage _...XD) but I hope ya liked the chapter!
FantomoDrako: Yeah… I know, the updates take a little long to get out ;p I hope they're worth it though :3 Oh and thanks for offering to help with the Sonic Underground info! It's actually the only animated Sonic series I've ever seen but it's been so long that I've forgotten a lot of the details. I'll definitely keep your offer in mind!
Unknownlight: :D Thanks for reviewing! So yeah, I updated! Not too long of a wait, I hope (ducks potential lethal object thrown at head) XD
PubliclyAnonymous: Yes, I agree, text speak melts my brain too O_O Usually, if I find a fanfic that is written like that, it will literally turn me off the fic. Anyways, I'm glad you like the fic so far and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
Sakura Droplet: Wow. Thanks! So this was the next chappie, I hope you enjoyed!
Adio!