(((This is a chapter written in my aforementioned absence. I don't doubt there will be several. Anyway, I'm about as amazed as you are that I'm actually writing two (wait… THREE) stories at once. This comes from me being one, Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorderly, and two, being able to multitask for some strange reason. I'm not mentioning the fact that I'm also writing various scripts and a course on teaching for teachers. (they're going to get me back into video production next week. Damn the fact they found out I can write…. This shit is boring as all fucking get-out.) Anyway, I have some answers to a lot of questions that were presented in chapters previous in this one. Hope it clears some things up for you guys. Ok, so here we go…))
Sonic: Aeyvi, you suck. Unpleasant things.
Knuckles: yeah.
All: …………… (waiting for him to say "grapes")
K: ……what? Oh, grapes.
All: -sigh of relief-
A: ok, whether or not you care, there will be a bit of a spoiler for Sonic Heroes. Deal with it. I added a bit of my own storyline anyway, so it probably doesn't matter.
: what do you think? Can one as blonde as me truly own Sonic and Co.? I sincerely doubt it. :
Chapter 15- Enter the Assistant
The lightening streaked the sky, flickering for a few moments before fading. The rain still pelted the tempestuous sea, and the sound of helicopter blades could be heard as the craft faltered in turbulence, heading for the shore.
A large cargo ship had been making its way steadily through the dark storm not long ago. One of the workers had stepped out into the rain to clear his head, having received message that his youngest daughter had come down with a serious fever. The squirrel sighed heavily, staring up at the dark clouds, tugging his jacket tighter around him.
Suddenly, something large and white fell from the sky, causing a clang as it hit the metal deck. The squirrel gasped, rushing out in the rain to see what it was.
To his utter surprise, it was a woman. A raccoon, by the looks of her, some rather expensive-looking tight-fitting clothes adorned her. She had landed pretty hard, but she was in one piece. He removed one of his dark gloves with his teeth, propping her up with one hand and placing the bare hand to her slender neck, feeling for a pulse. She was alive, appeared to be breathing; but in looking her over, he found a nasty gash at the base of her skull. Hopefully she'd wake up from it.
He took the woman in his arms, rushing back inside.
-o-
He emitted a low, aggravated growl as he stood at the top of the steep ledge. The ladder was the only way out of the jungle to his and Rouge's knowledge, and Nikki couldn't have gotten there before him. Inconceivable.
"Shadow, I can't afford to leave my house alone for much longer!" Rouge shouted as she flew towards him. He nodded curtly, glancing to the side.
"Go ahead."
"Ok, just warning you, I'm going to be locking down. If you need to get any of your things, now's the chance to go back and get them."
He nodded again, and she swiveled in the air, gliding back the way she had come. Shadow summoned the power of his emerald and disappeared.
Nothing's gonna change my world…..
'Right.' he agreed with his subconscious.
He appeared in the living room, collecting his things- and stealing one of Rouge's books in the process (he'd return it when he was finished) and disappeared once more.
"Now to wait it out, I guess…." He said aloud to himself, standing once more on the ledge. He set his bag down, gazing for a moment longer over the brilliant green of the jungle. He sat cross-legged for lack of else to do.
"Well…. What now, hedgehog?" he chuckled slightly at the fact he was talking to himself, leaning back and resting on his hands. He was good at waiting. He could definitely wait a little longer. While he gazed at the clear sky, his mind wandered back to the confusion after his waking…..
He'd woken up in a dark cave with no idea where he was or how he'd gotten there. All he had was a severe migraine, sharp back pains, and absolutely no recollection of his life theretofore. There had to be one, he reckoned. And he had knowledge of several things, most of them irrelevant. Something about chaos emeralds….. the construction of a multi-purpose destroyer drone…. 'What? How did that make sense? I was an engineer? An inventor?' He quickly realized that wasn't all he knew. The shoes he wore bore powerful jets of some kind, and he could maneuver in them expertly. This is how he escaped from the dark cave. Hopping from wall to wall, giving a blast from his jets when he needed it…. he was out in the sunlight in no time.
He took off running without knowing or caring where he was headed. How strange…. How sad…..
'I wish I could remember something… like… like at least my name… and what the hell is a chaos emerald? Chaos control for that matter…?'
Four words responded to his confusion, as if an answer to all questions….
"Jai guru deva Om……." He spoke them aloud, smiling. Yes, those words held some kind of sentimental value…. and he laughed, wondering how he could link such a word as "sentimental" to himself. He lay back on the dry rock, gazing at a single cloud as he continued to recall his only memories.
He had found himself at the base of a huge, lush rainforest- nowhere near the one he overlooked at the moment. This one had been gargantuan. The trees rose several hundred feet in the air, blousing at the top like huge mushrooms. He discovered quickly that certain sturdy vines could be skated on, and took to grinding, climbing, jumping, and swinging his way upwards.
'Why the hell not? It'll be a good vantage point and maybe I can see more from up there…'
He almost fell off of one of the organic "platforms" in fright when he heard someone screaming angrily at him….. or at least he supposed they were….
"SHADOW! WHERE THE HELL DID YOU GO? We've been looking for you everywhere! You can't just go skating off like that when you get a wild quill up your ass to do so!"
"wh… what?" he asked, wide-eyed and now thoroughly confused.
The one who had been screaming at him- a white bat in a tight stealth suit, landed nearby and set her fists on her hips, glaring at him with fiery blue eyes.
"Don't play stupid with me, mister! You got all pissy because you saw that robotic clone of yourself. Newsflash- that DOESN'T MEAN you're a robot too! Sure, I mean it could…. But there are ways of checking…." She set her chin in her hand in thought for a moment.
"…Who….. who are you? Do I know you?" he asked.
"What? Hellloooo? Can't you remember anything for five minutes together? ME ROUGE! YOU SHADOW! And that…." she shoved a thumb over her shoulder, indicating a large demolition drone that had rocketed up behind her. "… is Omega. Disregard any strange computer jargon he happens to mumble. I think he's missing a chip somewhere…."
"So… I do know you, then…." he sighed with relief. "Who am I, did you say?"
"Shaaaaadooooooow." She said slowly, as if speaking to a complete idiot. "Did you hit your head? No wonder you keep forgetting things…..Hey, are you bleeding?"
He felt at his quills, pulling back a gloved hand stained with blood.
"See? That proves it! You are not- in fact- a robot. Alright? Are we going to stop moping now?" she berated.
He looked back to her, frowning. "You're very rude."
She only laughed at him, flitting to a vine nearby. "Come on. We're never going to catch that fat bastard by standing around. We gotta get through this rainforest!" she slid down the vine with ease. The drone followed suite. Shadow shrugged, hopping on a vine and following the other two.
"I'm going to find the truth to who I really am….."
That had been the beginning of his first adventure….. at least that he could remember. Whatever she was talking about, he couldn't quite grasp. Had it really only been a few moments ago he had been with these two? Chasing after this mysterious "Eggman?" He seemingly knew the truth about Shadow's past, so therefore he was compelled to see for himself. Unfortunately, he never made it. As they were on their way to find Eggman's "secret treasure," as Rouge put it, he had some kind of hallucination. He still wasn't sure… but for a moment before he plummeted to earth from the high altitude, he could have sworn he'd seen….. himself…….
He woke up perhaps days later in the middle of a desert, seriously bruised but not much the worse for wear. Now without purpose, he set off for the first place he remembered, the cave. He was discombobulated and unfortunately not thinking too clearly…..
Bits and pieces of his memory were falling into place, and there were times during that futile strife that he almost believed he knew what he was doing…. piecing together parts of destroyer drones, SWAT bots, anything he could find within the parameter of the rainforest. He obviously had been a genius in his previous life….. that was clear…. But the strange thirst for carnage… the hunger for revenge…. He still hadn't a clue as to why he was feeling these things….
"And there I was…. That's where she found me…."
He was in a sort of trance when she had slid down that cord like a graceful spider…. He had mentioned things to her that he now could not remember. There was purpose to those words, so he thought …. She had rescued him, unknowingly, from his own insanity.
He smiled lightly, closing his eyes, recalling the scent of her hair….. magnolia…. It was her favorite perfume…… she was so….perfect…..
His eyes snapped open, he sat up hastily. 'No, stop. You don't need to think about her right now.'
He shook his head, dragging a hand through his quills half-heartedly. 'I told her I loved her. Does that make me a liar? Does that make me a coward?'
'Cut it out! Don't think about it! Not your problem… not your concern….'
"Well, what the hell IS my concern then?" he shouted, causing a flock of green parrots to light, frightened from a tree, squawking as they fluttered away.
His other half remained silent on the matter.
"I'd think a kid would be a pretty big fuckin' concern, wouldn't you?"
'You're afraid.' It stated calmly.
The truth in that quiet statement made his heart sink. It was true. He was scared out of his mind. The thought of being tied down like that…. having that much responsibility…..
'Nothing's gonna change my world…… I won't let it. I won't.'
He sat back again, unsure of where to go, what to do. Nothing left….. but to sit there…..
And wait.
…. For what?
(AN- you'll see what I'm talking about concerning the flashback when I get further along in "Sweet Reveries." It'll be near the end, though. We go into detail on how the real Shadow got mistaken for the clone halfway through the game. Funny, though, neh?)
-o-
"We need supplies! Who knows how long we're going to be on the run? Come ON, Poe! It's an emergency!"
The bird shook her head. "If we use a card, it could be traced. We need cash."
"I'll take me chances! We don't have time to sit around and beg for pocket change!"
"What's the commotion about?" Espio inquired as he strode up to them, hands in pockets.
The arid summer heat was making the two females a little testy, and the strong fumes from the gasoline weren't helping. They had stopped at a gas station to fill up, in turn spending the last of their combined loose money. All they had left between them were a debit and two credit cards. And, as Poe had so rightfully said, they could all be easily traced by Boss.
The loud roar of a motorcycle was heard as it pulled up. A weasel stepped off it and proceeded to refresh its fuel, adjusting his hat as he did so. The three eyed him warily and moved behind the SUV to converse.
"Seriously, mine is a 'company card' of sorts…" Espio began. "There isn't a specific name on it. It'll be harder to trace. Just use mine." He produced his wallet from a pocket, pulling the card from a fold.
"Are you sure?"
"Poe, he's sure. Let's just get some supplies."
The two girls stepped inside the mini mart to get a few bare essentials while the chameleon minded the refueling. He watched the weasel with distrust as he placed the pump back on its handle and went inside to pay.
"Hey…. Excuse me…?" the weasel tapped Kai on the shoulder. She turned to look at him, a potato chip hanging out of her mouth.
"KAI! You have to pay for those first!" Poe scolded. She ignored the bird, crunching on the chip, and looked to the stranger.
"Can I help you?"
"Were you… by any chance… coming from the Mystic Ruins? Station Square, perhaps?"
"Yeah, we just come from there… Station Square, that is. Why do you ask?"
"I was wondering if you'd seen this girl…" he pulled a weathered picture from his belt (she thought it odd that he'd wear a belt with no pants) and handed it to her. She looked at it cross-eyed for a moment, thinking. (she does that when she thinks.)
"Sorry. Can't say I have. She your daughter?" she inquired as she handed it back.
"Oh, no… she's my niece... my sister's daughter. She ran away a couple days ago. My sis is worried sick…" Kai thought it odd that the stranger's voice was calm…. He should have been a little more concerned.
"Well, good luck, then."
"Thanks… I'll need it."
"KAI! We're LEAVING!"
"Oh, don't get your feathers in a twist. I'm coming."
She waved goodbye to the stranger, who stood awhile after she'd left, sighing angrily.
Pale orange eyes watched as the black SUV pulled away. They then fixed on the lavender figure coming out of the store.
"So…. They have an outside accomplice…. Interesting…." purred a heavy French accent.
Can't take them out till later. There was a tracer on their car anyway. What interested the assistant, at the moment,… was the weasel.
The assistant started the engine of the Maserati, watching as the weasel mounted his motorcycle, kicking it into gear.
Nack wasn't an idiot. He had noticed the silver sports car was following him the moment he pulled out of the gas station. He let it trail him for a few miles, glancing in his rearview from time to time. He couldn't get a good look at the driver's face….
Instead of heading for Station Square, he took to a smaller state road. It was pretty empty and it would prove his suspicion.
Sure enough, that damn sports car was tailing him. He picked up speed, his bike- being no ordinary motorcycle- kicking it into MPH in the three digits. The car followed suite.
"Someone wants to meet me….." he cracked his toothy grin, swerving suddenly into the right-hand lane. The car shot forward, surprisingly now only a few feet behind him.
He watched in his rear-view as the driver lowered a window. Suddenly, a torso hung out the window, pistol cocked and aimed.
"Oh SHIT!"
He frantically swerved back into the left lane, yanking his gun from his belt. He ducked when he heard the crack of gunfire, turning around and firing back. He got a couple shots at the windshield, but he couldn't aim too well while he was trying to steer.
He hadn't gotten a good look at the assailant…. A flash of mauve. That was it. Still, the bastard had pretty good aim. Another crack resounded and one of his rear-view mirrors was shattered. 'Gawdamnit…'
He turned around again, firing seven consecutive rounds at the driver's seat. The car swerved violently, but regained itself, lurching forward and ramming his bike. Had it been any other bike, he would have been thrown from it and instantly made roadkill. Fortunately, he was still in the seat, and he poured on the speed.
The car kept close. Three rounds were fired directly over his head, and he returned fire with seven more (he had a pretty big magazine- about fifty rounds).
Without warning, Nack swerved into the right lane and swiveled to a skidding stop. The car, slower to react, skidded for some time in a fast spin before it halted. By that time, the weasel was already long gone, speeding the opposite direction.
"Mierde!" the driver screamed, hitting the gas and shooting off after him.
Nack chuckled to himself, going the wrong way up an off ramp.
"I dare ya to follow me now…. See how you like rush hour…."
(AN- and the chase will continue in the next chapter. Moving on before I forget what I'm supposed to write next.)
-o-
"So… uhh, Mom… Dad…. It's been fun…." Tarsa began uneasily, addressing her parents. "And… uhh… we were thinking about heading back. Y'know, to Monotreme."
"Sweetheart…." Her mother began, rising from her chair. "We can't let you go."
"… Why's that?"
Her father sighed from behind his desk, resting his arms on it.
"We have concerns about the Lumin…. We don't want you to go until we're sure you're not going to have an episode…"
"Episode? What? What do you mean? The whole 'taking over my body' thing you guys told me about?"
They nodded solemnly.
"Oh, psh! It didn't say when! You said so yourself!"
"Yes, well…. Tarsa, please don't make this difficult…." Her mother pleaded
"Mom… Mum… Mother, listen. I have a life. I have a job to get back to. Knux is probably getting anxious and wants to get back to check on the Master Emerald."
"Let him go. We want you and Karpa to stay with us… at least for another month…."
"DAAAAD!"
"Don't whine. It's for your own good."
"But Daddy…." She threw on some sad puppy eyes.
"Doesn't work. Your sister wore it out."
She growled. "Fine. I'll go tell the guys."
"There's a good girl!" her mother praised, sitting again as the younger stormed out of the study.
"Knuxieness? Where'd you go?" she called as she searched her room. She poked her head in the bathroom to see if he was showering.
"Knux?"
She screamed as she felt strong hands wrap suddenly around her waist from behind, struggled as she felt teeth nipping at her neck.
"Tarse, cool it. It's just me, for Pete's sake…" the rasped voice of Knuckles soothed in her ear. She spun around, straightening her skirt angrily.
"Don't scare me like that…. anyway… my parents say you can go home so you can check up on the Master Emerald. Might as well take Sonic and Tails with you."
"Oh, let those two go. I don't have to rush on back any time soon." He smiled.
"But… the emerald…"
"..is in my bag. I shrunk it and brought it along. You never know, y'know?" he tugged her into a tight hug, pressing against her suggestively.
"Shrunk? What? Who- hold up, mister!" she protested, pushing him away. "Explain?"
"I shrunk it. It's possible. Amazing the things you can do with it…" he stepped away from her, looking for his bag.
"So you just shrink it and take it with you, eh? That simple?"
"Not always. This place is safe because of all the security. When I was living in the city, I couldn't have it with me because it was too great a risk." He pulled the glowing gem from a pocket in his bag, holding it out for her to take. It wasn't much larger than a softball.
She stared in awe at the glimmering facets for a moment, only slightly noticing a warmth growing from the center of her chest.
"It's beautiful, for sure…." She was about to hand it back when suddenly, she found she was unable to move. Her pupils narrowed to pinpoints…..
"Tarsa….? You ok...?" Knuckles reached out to touch her shoulder.
The second his hand touched her, there was a brilliant light and pain raked his spine. He screamed in agony as the light engulfed them both in a blinding explosion of raw energy….
((HOLY CRAP! What's gonna happen NEXT? For once, I actually KNOW! Isn't that fabulous?)))
Sonic: absolutely. Where'd I go?
Tails: I'm being neglected. Child neglect over here!
Shadow: T.T my heart bleeds for you.