a/n: Slow rolls and cameos. #herewego

Revolutionary Operation, Type Zero

Kinetic Sky

12. Focal Point, Act 1

The deep blue ocean clashed against the pitch black waters extending from the city. An invisible barrier kept them at odds, vying for supremacy but never mixing. Lightning bolts struck the open ocean as the darkness continued to slowly expand. The massive plane called Wanderer flew above the waters quietly, nuclear engines fueling turbines that could power the craft indefinitely. Its long wings allowed it to glide through the skies using as little power as possible.

A secondary set of turbines kicked in from the underside of the aircraft, allowing it to slow down and hover high above the beach outside of Central City. The sand was coarse and metallic, coloured black like everything else surrounding it. An eerie shine came from the transformed area where the sand met the sea.

Shadow saw the white circle of light appear on the ground and raised an eyebrow as four bodies filtered down into it.

"And that's how you make an entrance."

The black hedgehog grunted and said nothing.

"Tough crowd. Thought you missed me, Shads."

"That sounds like a delusion of yours."

"I know, buddy. I was dyin' to see you too. But I'm married now, so-"

"Don't."

Sonic raised his hands. "Like I said, tough crowd. Rougie, baby!"

"Darling, it's been a while." She pecked him gently on the cheek. "How's it been?"

"Like I said, rough. Metal Sonic's got a real big jump on us, so we need to make moves."

"Couldn't agree more. But let's start from the top, yeah? You said we needed to do this in person, after all."

"I need everyone's ears for this one," Sonic said.

"It's pretty serious for once," Tails chimed in. "A lot is happening right now."

"I'll bet," Shadow said.

"Long time no see, Tailsie. Doing alright?" Rouge asked.

"Sure am. It's nice to see you again, Rouge."

"Same here. I see you've been working on something special," she said as she pointed up towards the large aircraft.

"Yep. Sonic and I were working on it as a little pet project."

"Hell of a pet," she said with admiration.

"Sonic the Hedgehog and Amy Rose. My apologies for being unable to attend your wedding ceremony," Omega said in his familiar tone. "I was engaged in business, destroying-"

"Worthless consumer models," everyone present said at once.

"That is correct. I have obtained a gift in order to appease you both."

"A present, eh? Well, save it for later, champ. We appreciate it," Sonic said.

"Yes, thank you so much, Omega. I'm looking forward to it," Amy said warmly.

"Understood. Rouge has informed me that our target is not Doctor Eggman. It has changed to Metal Sonic. My database recorded the destruction of Metal Sonic several years prior. However, he has somehow managed to access a new mainframe and shell. Danger quotient has risen to two hundred twenty percent. Holding steady."

"It's his lust for revenge," Amy said.

"Lust for revenge. Understood. My desire once was the annihilation of my creator. Now thanks to my comrades Rouge and Shadow, I can satisfy myself with more esoteric pursuits."

"We got him into painting," Rouge said with a chuckle. "He's pretty good."

"You two wallflowers gonna join us?" Sonic said, looking from one side to another. Knuckles tilted his hat and moved closer to the group.

The last member of the group carried a serious, focused look. Black sand crunched underneath her sneakers, topped with blue leg warmers.

"You look like you're gonna pop a vein, kiddo. Take it easy, we're just gonna kick around ideas. Got it?" Rouge said with a smile.

"At ease, lieutenant," Shadow said. "You're among allies...some of them sillier than others, but allies all the same."

"Sir. Yes, understood..."

She sighed and gave her friends a smile at last. A near mirror of the blue hedgehog, her quills extended backwards smoothly before becoming loose and sporadically jagged midway, like lightning bolts. A few quills gathered in a bunch and poked forward over her left eye, casting a small shadow over it. Her fur was a pure light blue, bright like tropical ocean waters.

The name "Hoshikira" was visible on the nameplate attached to her short-sleeved black blouse, above the various badges also bonded to it. A katana in a black sheath was attached to her right side.

"It's good to see everyone again...um...I'm sorry, I haven't met you, sir," she said in her soft tone as she looked at the red echidna.

"The name's Knuckles," he gruffly replied.

"Knuckles...ah, that's right. Captain was telling me about you. To do all of that, with no formal training. Truly an inspiration," she said.

Knuckles smirked and adjusted his hat. "Well. Not everyone can be the guardian of the Master Emerald."

"I agree...your fortitude is nothing short of outstanding. As expected of one of Captain's friends." She bowed at the waist in her white skirt and Knuckles awkwardly returned it. Her golden eyes lit up as she started to speak again. "My name is Kiriko Hoshikira, First Lieutenant and member of the G.U.N Special Operations Unit, Neutron Star. Unofficially, we remain as Team Dark. It's a pleasure making your acquaintance, Mister Knuckles, guardian of the Master Emerald."

"Likewise."

"Didn't Shads tell you to take it easy, 'Riko? That intro was a mouthful."

"Captain-"

"And you don't need to call me that anymore. That was just a short stint, remember?" Sonic said. He placed a hand gently on her shoulder. "But I'm glad to see you, I mean it. How's it been?"

"Major Shadow and Captain Rouge have been very good to me," she said energetically. "And Captain Omega as well. He's very nice, especially for a robot!"

"Yeah, 'Megs sure has a heart of gold."

"I...um, I really did miss you, Cap...I mean, Sonic. A-and of course, Miss Amy, too."

"What'd he tell you, sweetie? No need for formalities here, either."

"Right. I'm sorry, it's just a...force of habit. You both look really happy. I'm glad to see it," Kiriko said with a smile. "And Miles, I haven't seen you in a while either."

"I'm always busy with something," he said, grinning. "Nice to see you again, Kiriko."

"Yes, likewise. Now, I think we should get down to business. Major Shadow doesn't like to be kept waiting, I think," Kiriko said timidly, placing a palm on the hilt of her katana.

"She's got a point," Sonic said.

"Of course she does. Now, out with it. Time isn't standing still for us here," Shadow said firmly.

"Oi, we ain't exactly ready to mount any kind of offensive, so simmer down," Sonic countered.

"This isn't a game."

"I ain't dickin' around either," Sonic growled. "Let's cool our heads and get on the same page, groucho."

"He's right, Sunshine. Let's listen first, then we ask questions," Rouge suggested.

Shadow folded his arms and glared at Sonic.

"Hey, like I said...I'm married. Might as well stop making googly eyes at me."

Amy hit him on the arm. "Tails, go ahead. Let the lover boys cool off."

"I'm guessing you guys know about the tech that Eggman developed over the past few years," he started.

"We're privy to it," Shadow answered. "Terrain changing and total battlefield control. I understand the mechanics clearly."

"There's a new kink. The silos contain some variant of Chaos Control developed by Metal Sonic. Amy ID'd it as a black barrier on the inside layer."

"So that was it, then."

"Yeah. Metal Sonic as you know is back. Omega unwittingly brought him close to some kind of major power source after retrieving the ROM chip. A part of him was lingering inside of that chip...remnants of the soul he developed."

"Soul?" Rouge asked.

"Yes. Amy?"

"We spoke with Eggman and he gave us the details. Basically...enough of a lust for revenge can bring people back from the land of the dead. A strong, pulsing emotion like that...and hatred as well."

"How can you be certain that he had a soul?" Shadow asked.

"..."

"Well?"

"Hey. Don't push your luck," Sonic warned.

"...it's alright. I..."

"Major Shadow, sir. Forgive me for speaking out of turn, but...this is very difficult for Miss Amy to cope with. I can feel that it...was a very traumatic experience," Kiriko said. "My observation of the spiritual world is still very much in need of sharpening, but...I can feel things like this."

"Kiriko..."

"Miss Amy, I believe you. If you felt anything from that machine, then it must be true."

"You're implying that we're dealing with a phantom?" Shadow asked.

"It won't be like that for long if this keeps up," Sonic said. "Metal's evolving by the second, so says the Eggster and Rosie-o. Right now he's just a spooky ghost in a robot suit. The more he attaches and integrates himself into the world..."

"...the more real he becomes," Rouge finished. "And Eggman's on ARK? Reversing this, right?"

"Tryin' to. Rougie, we're in this for the long haul. Says he needs a week."

"Beautiful," she said with a sigh.

"Our only bet at stopping this from eating up the whole planet is to take on Metal-head ourselves. Buy some time," Sonic said.

"And the civilians?" Shadow asked.

"...we can't make any promises about them."

"You're suggesting..."

"Look, if we get in too deep, we'll have no choice. You and I both get it."

"Yes, that much is understood. But for now, we'll avoid damaging them as best we can. Omega, make it part of protocol."

"Affirmative. Cause as little harm to robotic civilians as possible."

"Eh. Close enough," Rouge said with a shrug.

"Master Emerald's broken, too," Tails said. "If we can restore it again, we'll have another edge."

"I think I can take care of that myself, Tails."

"Yeah, that's a terrible idea. You're not doing this alone, so let's figure out our next move first."

"Who made you the boss?"

"Knuckles, don't be an idiot. We need to partner up or else we're in trouble. We don't know what's out there waiting for us," Amy said.

"I agree with Miles and Miss Amy. Sorry, Mister Knuckles...but it really is too dangerous to engage in solo operations," Kiriko added gently.

"Hmph."

"You're outvoted, Knux. Don't worry, we'll make this work. And there's another thing," Sonic said. "Eggman said that there are some shady actors behind this whole deal."

"Figures," Rouge muttered. "I think we should make something out of tracking those scumbags down."

Shadow nodded in agreement. "Right. Chances are they're in Station Square...the de facto hub of this whole mess. We'll have to work our way in from here. The first place we head towards should be the G.U.N Central City HQ."

"You think that place will be useful?" Tails asked.

"Yes. But we'll need to split up once we head inside. I scanned the area and noted two unusual fragments of Chaos Energy. That has to be the shards."

"There's one reason to go, at least," Knuckles muttered. Rouge opened her mouth to say something but paused and stopped. Sonic and Amy sighed with relief.

"Either way, the building is worthy of further investigation. It has not been completely taken over by the cyberforming."

"No kiddin'," Sonic said, scratching his head.

"That's definitely a big reason to head over," Tails said.

"Guess we're gonna squad up," Sonic said with a smile. "We'll take the scenic route, I guess. Cut across the beach and then hit the streets, we'll be close with no hassle."

"Let's go, then," Shadow said, starting to walk. The group followed as Wanderer lifted itself higher in the air to idle.

Sonic looked back at the ocean for a moment, watching as the lightning bolts struck the water over and over.

"Sonic? Everything okay?"

"Yeah, Ames. It's fine. What about you? Anything?"

She shook her head. "No bad vibes yet. This is an opportunity."

"Yeah."

"Let's catch up." She smiled and grabbed his hand, leading him down the beach and after their friends.

He turned his head away from the darkening ocean and didn't resist as Amy pulled him along.