Maria Vs. Samson
She peered toward the oncoming rockets with a daunting eye. G.U.N. would never let her go, no, no, not their precious little gem. Not now, not later, not ever. But now, she was on top of the hill, after so many years of being on the bottom. In her midst, lied the greatest weapon of human kind, mobian kind, or alien kind for that matter. In her reach, just a quick run away, the Eclipse Cannon. The weapon that could pierce stars.
The Egg Silver Fish floated slowly into the docking bay. Ark's bay clamps receded from the walls, and grew attached to the space craft, bringing it to a slow stop. The ship landed on the floor a moment later, with the bay door to space closing behind it. A walkway stretched from the docking bay's wall, and rolled all the way up to the Silver Fish's door. A moment later, Ivo opened up the door, his face deadly serious. He said nothing as he and Jeeves walked down the walkway, for there was nothing to say. G.U.N. was right outside, and they were intent on destroying them. No matter the costs.
So, as Ivo walked in, he merely looked at his cousin. Maria returned his gaze with a simple nod, as she turned away. But his hand suddenly stopped her. She turned and faced him, as he gave a nod to Orbot. The small spherical black and white robot hovered up, while he carried a great case in his hands. Maria took the case from Orbot's, and opened it slowly. Shining back into her eyes, the red and green Chaos Emeralds. Maria took the two rocks, feeling the life and warmth they gave off. Gazing up, she stared into Ivo's eyes.
"One Emerald to wipe out that fleet..." he raised his two fingers, "Two to wipe out an entire island..."
His eyes were serious, a gaze she herself matched. Slowly, she took the Emeralds from the case and started off for the exit. Glancing out the window, she saw that some rockets were picking up speed and were breaking off from the rest of the fleet. The sight made her sigh, as she gripped the zipper on her space suit. Pulling it down, she revealed her clothing underneath, her old blue vest, white under shirt, blue and white skirt, combat boots, and of course, her beloved pistol. As she neared the exit, she withdrew her pistol, and spun around to meet Ivo's gaze.
"Hold them off as long as you can," she ordered, "And get ready to search for the Emerald up here. The sooner, the better..."
Then, through the automatic sliding doors, she vanished.
Ivo tightened the hold his gloves held on his hands, as he faced his E-100 series robots. They already knew the true purpose behind their mission. The fact that there was no Emerald up here, and how the true mission was to gain control of the Ark, and more importantly, the Eclipse Cannon. Maybe it was wrong of Ivo to use his cousin in such a way, but his robots would dare not question him on it. They were, after all, his creations. Whatever he says, goes. It was the way of their nature. Still, the daunting nature of the approaching G.U.N. Forces would need quelling. Seeing as Ivo had no idea where the Eclipse Cannon was, and how Maria was the only one holding the knowledge of its whereabouts, he would have to protect the Ark as best he could. It wouldn't be an impossible endeavor, just a hard one.
Upon turning around, he saw that his precious Badniks had already begun removing his Egg Walker from the space craft. It didn't take long for them to move it into the room, much to his pleasure. After climbing into the personal mech-suit, he started off for the exit. Still, as his finger danced along the command console of his suit, he found himself thinking about his cousin. Was that pity he was feeling? No, he didn't believe in that. As much as he hated to say it, Maria was a tool now. One he would have to use for the betterment of the mission. For the Eggman Empire.
…
He eyed the piece of photograph before him. It was a black and white one, showing just how old it was. Closing one of his heterochromatic eyes, he scanned closer the picture. She was sixteen, he was twelve. Her face was one of a great smile, as she wore this attire that matched those of a G.U.N. Cadet. Her arm was slung over this little boy's neck, his age being twelve, pulling him close in a loving embrace. While her eyes were on the camera, his eyes were on her, while this noticeable blush existed on his face. They stood before this G.U.N. Base, one where new recruits go for proper training.
A long sigh escaped his lips, as he brought the photo away. Gazing up into the ceiling, the young man with silver hair only wondered why all this was happening. Too fast, were things progressing. Only a week or two ago, she was saying 'Good luck' with this proud visage upon her face. She was so happy that he was becoming a G.U.N. Agent, just like her. He was going to get just as much training as she was, or even more. They were going to say goodbye to the past, goodbye to the past she was kept secret from. Maybe that's why she was doing this. Would it have been the same for him, if he were in her shoes? Would he be trying to destroy the agency that raised him? That, lied to him? He felt wrong, honestly. All her life on earth, he lied to her. He took part in G.U.N.'s antics of lying to her, in order to keep her bound to them. Maybe she was in the right, maybe they deserved this pain.
He moved the photo away, placing it on the black case beside his bed. He lurched up a moment later, and cracked a few bones in his neck. The barracks where he slept in, were completely empty. None of his fellow agents or soldiers were there, leaving him all alone. And he knew why.
The door opened, pouring light into the room. The silver-haired soldier eyed the door shortly, before standing up from his bed. A figure walked up to him, and he almost immediately gave a salute.
"Abraham Tower..." the man said, making the soldier nod.
"G.U.N. Commander Taylor..." Abraham answered.
The G.U.N. Commander gave a nod, before eying the empty room all around them. His face briefly broke into a hurt visage, before that stern eyesight returned. He gazed back to Abraham, and laid his hand upon the younger soldier's shoulder. The one with heterochromatic eyes was understandably confused by the gesture, until Samson started pushing him down. Abraham sat back down on his bed, while the G.U.N. Commander sat on the bed parallel to him.
"I'm sorry it has to come to this, Abraham..." the Commander said, removing his hat.
"Do we really have to do this?" the younger soldier inquired, sounding too eager in his words, "I mean, there has to be another way!"
Samson shook his head though. Abraham's enthusiasm was sadly misplaced.
"No... There is no other way..." Samson sighed, while his eyes closed shut, "Maria has to be taken down. If she isn't, there's no telling what will happen..."
"I can talk to her!" Abraham responded, standing up tall, "She'll listen to me! She's my..." he grew silent briefly, then he whispered, "She's my sister..."
Samson slowly brushed back his own hair, before sliding his hat back on. Abraham gazed down to him, before sitting back down on his bed. That aura of seriousness had thus returned.
"She's not your sister anymore, Abraham..."
Samson's words surprised the young soldier greatly. Not wanting to believe his commander's words, he just ended up eying him intensely.
"She's just another enemy..." Samson continued, before standing up, "This mission is not for you, Abraham. You are to stay in the barracks, and to get some rest, understand?"
Abraham bit his bottom lip, as he felt the need to yell out. But he didn't. He instead closed his eyes, released a sigh, then nodded.
"Understood, Samson, understood..."
The G.U.N. Commander stood up slowly, while he too nodded. He turned around a moment later, and made his way toward the door at the exit. But as he reached the doorway, Abraham stood up.
"What are you going to do, Commander?" he suddenly asked, making Samson stop cold.
The G.U.N. Commander thought on his words briefly, then turned to face the man behind him.
"I'm solving a twelve-year-old problem..."
The door closed, and Abraham was once again plunged into darkness. He eyed the door for an increased period of time, while his mind ran with a plethora of thoughts. Samson was wrong, Maria could be spoken too, she could be leveled with. Maybe not with any normal G.U.N. Soldier, but with him. She was, after all, his older sister. Even though they were not related by blood, they were still related by love. The only two survivors of the Ark, they had been raised by G.U.N. all their life. He was not about to let all of that, go right down the sink. He loved Maria, and he'd be damned if someone shot her down. No matter what anyone said.
He knew it would be impossible to get on a rocket to the Ark. The soldiers on duty would surely send him away, and report him to the Commander. He wasn't going to let that happen. So, pushing open the door, he stared out into the halls. They were silent, as everyone was rushing to the rocket ships. Turning down the halls, he started walking down. He knew of one bona fide way to get up on the Ark. He stalked through the halls, walking past cameras and G.U.N. Bots, as he made his way to the room of a certain teleporter. Boy, did he hate teleporters, but it didn't matter. Slipping into the room, he scanned the darkness it was always plunged in. No one was on duty here, just as the rest of the base. He made his way to the command console beside the device, and began tapping away. The screen showed images of various G.U.N. Bases as he cycled through them. But none of them were the ones he wanted. He started typing on the command console next.
"Ma-Ri-A... Maria..." he whispered.
The teleporter came to life, as the screen before him showed the image of Ark. With a long deep breath, he stepped forward to the teleporter. The lights from the machine were so inviting. He stepped inside, and after a brief start-up moment, he was whisked away.
…
ROCKET HAS ENTERED DOCKING BAY FOUR
ROCKET HAS ENTERED DOCKING BAY SEVEN
ROCKET HAS ENTERED DOCKING BAY THREE
"JUST SHUT UP!" Maria yelled.
She rushed through the halls of the ancient Space Colony, eying the many great architecture of the giant Ark. She constantly checked this device in her hands, that held the map of the Ark on the screen. She wasn't sure how close she was to the Eclipse Cannon firing room. This place was a maze! And three G.U.N. Rockets had already docked it seem, making her mission just that much more urgent.
She quickly slid her back up to a doorway. Reaching the panel on the side, she tapped a series of buttons, making the door open up wide. Staring up, she saw that the room was great and dome-shaped, with a ceiling window offering glimpses of the space sky. She stood on the second floor of this room, while the bottom floor was filled with plant life and trees. She stared down to the garden below her, as her mind began to rush with memories. She saw herself and Shadow, sitting under one of the trees.
Then a bullet rang over head. Maria quickly leaped over the edge, landing in the madman garden of the Ark. Huddling up near a tree, she hid from her foes, while her eyes scanned the second floor.
"Damn!" a G.U.N. Soldier yelled, "She got away!"
"Well, get her!" someone else roared.
The blonde agent eyed the gun in her hand, while she heard footsteps trail the sides of the wall. Getting her gun at the ready, she started walking through the garden. She couldn't see her foes, as she stalked through the shrubbery and greenery. She could still hear them though, trekking through the grass, carrying their guns and weaponry. As her fingers tightened the hold they held on her gun, she got ready for a battle.
Then one appeared. She was hiding in one of the rooms many bushes, eying him as he got closer. He seemed to be remove from the rest of his group, which was a foolish mistake. He didn't even notice her, even as she withdrew a knife from her belt. He got closer, the poor thing, and even closer. Then, upon arrival, she strike, leaping up from the bush, grabbing him by his neck and mouth, then pulling him directly back inside. Her knife silenced him quickly, plunging directly into his beating heart. She dyed her hand a red dye, but the action didn't matter to her. As unfortunate as it was to say, this wasn't the first time she had stabbed someone. This was the first time stabbing a G.U.N. Soldier, however.
The other soldiers noticed the disappearance of their ally it seemed, as they began yelling orders at one another. Quickly, Maria dashed away from the sight, hiding behind a tree for safety. As she held her gun down, she looked over the tree side, gazing at the soldiers who were arriving. They noticed their friend bleeding out on the ground, his hand sticking from the bushes. He was dead, of course, making their attempts at reviving him fruitless.
With their backs turned, she moved over from the tree to shoot them down. Then a bullet rang across her face, missing her just barely. The gunshot got the eyes of the enemies she was about to drop on, making them turn to face her. Almost immediately, she dashed forward in a blue blur, striking the guards down with punches, kicks, and knife stabs, dropping them all quickly. As they groaned in pain on the floor, she turned around to face the one responsible for attacking her.
It was this man. Brown hair, brown eyes, wearing a grey jacket, grey slacks, and boots. His aged face was hard and stone, as he stared directly into Maria's eyes. The sight of him made the blonde agent growl with anger, as she aimed forward her gun.
"Samson..." she whispered, voice seething with rage.
"Maria..." he answered.
His feet brought him forward, but Maria's increased grip on her pistol stopped him dead in his tracks.
"So," she called out, "How is it you want to die, huh? Bullet? Stabbing? Or do you want me to tear you limb from limb personally?"
The G.U.N. Commander's face showed no changes, as his gun fell to his side.
"Twelve years and it comes to this, huh?" he asked, "After all the training, all the teaching, all the years, I thought you would forget..."
"These wounds you left me with are just to big to forget!" she barked, "And these wounds... these wounds!... Can only be healed... with vengeance..."
"I see..." he closed his eyes, "I thought I could give you a new life, Maria. I didn't mean for all of this to happen..."
"Stop lying!" she barked, "You wanted me to be your perfect little soldier girl! And for a while I was. Every mission you sent me on, I executed them with perfection. But now, I'm not your agent! I'm Maria Robotnik, Samson..." she started to press on her trigger, "And I suppose you can call this my resignation letter..."
She fired. To her surprise, Samson dodged it. He returned fire quickly, sending a bullet through the air. She dashed away from the bullet, rolling behind a tree as she did so. Peering over the corner, she saw that Samson had disappeared. The sight of it didn't cause her fear, but more or less, annoyance. Lifting her gun, she started trekking through the forest.
"You can't beat me, Samson!" she yelled, "I'm superior!"
"Maybe..." his voice answered.
She stopped. Gazing left, she saw Samson, with his gun drawn.
"Maybe not..."
The muzzle of his gun exploded, sending a bullet forward. Maria quickly jutted back, making the bullet embed itself into the tree behind her. With her gun, she countered his gunshot with one of her own, something he easily dodged by shifting back into the greenery of this man-made forest. Maria gave chase by running after him, but by the time she arrived, he had already disappeared, much to her ire. She retained that feeling of urgency, however. He could reappear at any moment, she knew that. He trained her to know that.
A bullet. The air bent from the piercing lead. She ducked, the bullet flew over head. She quickly aimed over to where the bullet came from and fired. She hit nothing, other than leaves. She growled at the sight. Despite Samson's age, he was putting up a better fight than she expected. Then again, he wasn't using brawn to face her, he was using brains. Something he always taught her to use.
Think hard, don't work hard, she could hear his voice call.
That's what she needed to do, think hard. Her breathing grew to a slow, as she eyed everything around her. Slowly, she stepped back, before dipping into the green forest. Covered by grass and shadows, she started to move. She remained silent, just like he was, hoping to get the jump on him. But who was chasing who now? Moving like this, she wasn't sure if she would find him first, or if he found her first. She hated these kinds of games.
The silence in the room had gotten to near deafening levels. She could hear her heart race from how silent it was, as she slowly moved through the great garden. She just wanted to get this all over with! The more time she wasted here, the more time she gave to the invading G.U.N. Forces. She needed to take them down, and now. It was time to use that mind of her's.
"Where are you, Samson?" she called out.
"Tell me, Maria..." Samson answered, much to Maria's pleasure., "Why don't you use that meta gene of yours?"
"Someone once told me to not rely on it, all the time..." she chuckled, "Sounds familiar?"
She heard him laugh. That laugh was close.
"Yes, I suppose it does..." it was a whisper, but a close one.
"I want to kill you myself..." she continued, "I don't want to use his help..."
"Funny... You had the chance years ago..." his voice was closer.
"And you had the chance as well..."
"I suppose, I should fix that mistake..." he was behind her.
"Yes..." she suddenly turned around and fired, the bullet striking Samson square in his chest, "You should..."
Samson dropped the gun in his hand, and pressed his hand up against his bullet wound. Pulling up his hand, he found it to be dyed in a red. His face moved down to his chest, seeing the bullet hole right above his heart. He looked up again, and stared into Maria's stone cold blue eyes. She lowered her gun, and he fell.
Back first he landed, and his eyes were trained on the garden's glass ceiling. It was getting harder to breathe, as his heart started to pump faster. Even his eyesight began to blur, much to his fear. Suddenly, Maria appeared in his vision, her blue eyes gazing down upon him. She crouched slowly, and pressed her hand up against his chest.
"You're dying, Samson..." oddly enough, her voice held bits of regret within it.
"It seems so..." he coughed, blood flowing from his lips.
"You shouldn't have come..." she started pressing on the wound, "You wouldn't have died like this..."
"I had to come..." he answered, as one of his eyes lost the ability to see, "I... created you, Maria... I needed to end you..."
"Will you finally admit it then?" she asked, her face growing soft as she peered into his eyes, "Will you finally admit what you did to me?"
He nodded, though that mere action caused him pain.
"I'm sorry..." he whispered, his eyes finally closing, "I was just... following orders..."
The words caught Maria off guard. Who was Samson following orders from? He was the G.U.N. Commander! There was no one at a greater level than him. She started shaking him in order to get his eyes open. She needed more answers but, it was too late. Pressing her fingers on Samson's eyelids, she forced them open. His eyes had already rolled to the back of his skull. He was dead.
Maria winced at the sight, as her finger waved off the blood. She stood up tall a moment later however, knowing that it was time to get moving. Her feet started moving, and she exploded forward in a blue blur.
…
The Eclipse Cannon. A massive weapon with the ability to pierce stars. Created by the genius Gerald Robotnik, it was designed to protect the planet from a threat not known before. But here, today, it would be used for entirely different reasons.
Maria walked down the elevated platform toward the Eclipse Cannon Command console. She didn't remember this place, honestly. It seemed like all the years living on the Ark gave her no information on the cannon itself. All she knew of it came from her cousin, of all people. But she stood before it now, and she had a mission to do.
Standing before the device, she looked into the individual sockets of the, oddly flesh looking, machine that would hold the Chaos Emeralds. She reached into her blue vest, and withdrew the Chaos Emeralds she had.
"MARIA!" Ivo yelled through her radio, along with the sound of gunfire, "We have G.U.N. Soldiers already on board! I can hold them off, but if anymore come we are dead! Have you arrived at the Eclipse Cannon yet!?"
"Yes, Ivo..." she whispered, "Just give me a second, okay?"
Lifting the green Chaos Emerald, she placed it into one of the machines sockets. She heard a loud noise echo through the room, as a powerful energy source filled it. A command console suddenly opened up, showing a screen. She eyed the screen, as it brought up an image of the Earth. As she tossed up and down the red Chaos Emerald, she started thinking again.
"Let's see... One Emerald to wipe out that armada... Two Emeralds to wipe out an entire island..."
She licked her lips. Fingers reaching forward, she tapped the image of the Earth, making it zoom in on a specific area. She did this three more times, before an enlarged image of Prison Island appeared. All she had to do, was press the button, and all of Prison Island would be wiped from the planet. All the soldiers, all the workers, all the animals, all the prisoners, all of their guns, all of their missiles, all of their everything, would be gone. Yes, G.U.N. would still exist as they have a plethora of bases all around the world. But their main base would be gone. Forever.
Her only thought was, could she do it? Could she get rid of everything down there?
She walked up to the Eclipse Cannon's Emerald holder. The green one was shining. She placed the red one beside it.
"Two Emeralds..." she commented as she tapped away on the command console beside her, "To wipe out an entire island..."
The target was set, the firing was emanate. Cannon countdown, Twenty-seven minutes. And she would wait here. A front row seat to the destruction of Prison Island. Twenty-seven minutes until the end of all of this. She closed her eyes, and crossed her arms. She remained silent for a while, as the seconds moved on and on. Then she started hearing voices, voices that came from her.
The Emerald. The Emerald. The Emerald. The Emerald. The Emerald. The Emerald. The Emerald.
The Emerald's not here. Ivo's lying. Ivo's lying. Ivo's lying.
Maria's eyes opened. Gazing at the Chaos Emeralds within the Eclipse Cannon's banks, she realized she could sense them. And only them. She could only sense two sources, not three. They were here because Ivo said another Emerald was on the base. There was none, however. And that pissed her off.
"IIIIIIIIIIIVVVOOOOOOOOOO!"
…
The teleporter ended. That was longer than normally. The teleporter was supposed to be instant, but that took hours. As he fell from the machine, his body quaked from the feeling. He was not ready to take another multiple hour long teleportation like that. If he did, there was no telling what would happen to his body. He finally gained the strength to look up, however. The room he was in was old and dusty, yet it was futuristic and new. He raised an eyebrow at the sight, as he got to his toes. Facing the door in the room, he walked toward it, to which the door slid open automatically. Stepping into the hall, he noticed a window before him. He peered out the window. Stars and the Earth, gazed back. He was here now, he had returned. He was on Space Colony Ark. He didn't smile though, for the return was not heartfelt. He hated this place.
Cannon Countdown, Twenty-five minutes, 38 seconds.
"Oh no..." Abraham said.