PoC: This story is back in my capable hands! Thanks to a certain albino hedgehog.
Silver: Hey no prob!
Metal: Isn't today my turn to comment?
PoC: Can I trust Silver to release you?
Metal: :(
PoC: I thought not.
Metal: I hate you so much.
PoC: Ahem. You should share some of that hate with Sonic. He's far too nice for his own good. XD
Metal: QUOTE THEIF! Copyright infringement! FanFiction, erase this user at once!
Silver: Allow me. PenFullofChaos819 owns neither Sonic nor the random KH quote. Eat that toolbox.
Metal: I hope that grip of yours is tight, for your sake.
PoC: Chapter start!
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A Nightmare's Forecast
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"How is she?" a magenta hedgehog asked her wearied spouse.
"It's no use." the pure-white father replied "I can't get her to talk to me, ever since that broadcast. I should've never let her see it." he sighed and resigned to his easy-chair.
"Dear, it wasn't your fault." she comforted "For the last few days, Amy has been completely beside herself." folding her hands nervously she added "To be honest, I'm a little worried too."
"In this situation, who wouldn't be?" her husband said "Really though, I can hardly be bothered with unusual weather when my daughter is too afraid to speak to us."
Somber but in agreement, both troubled parents pondered what to do for their only child. Amy's mother had watched as her normally energetic daughter's behavior gradually deteriorated into seclusion. The two were unprepared for such a drastic change. Never before had Amy avoided them like this.
Consequently, this left Amy saddled with a heavy burden. Her fear of being misunderstood or disbelieved made her feel very much alone. Painful as it was, her concerns were not unfounded.
It wasn't every day that a child sees visions of the future.
Inside her room, Amy dug her face into her pillow, as if trying to rub out the dreadful images. Having long considered her 'power' of fortunetelling nothing more than wishful thinking, the young girl wasn't prepared to make a real prediction. Now each day was like living her nightmares out.
"Amy dear? Please open the door." she often heard her father say.
But all his pleas only caused her to block his voice out in any way she could. It was scary enough having to see the future, but being forced to talk about it was a whole other issue. She couldn't bear to describe what she'd seen, only to be 'patted on the head' and sent back to bed.
"They won't listen…" she sobbed softly "And even if they did, they can't do anything about it." gazing through the thin squares of window-glass, Amy's mind wandered "Nobody's been answering their phones either. Not Cream, not Miss Rouge, not even Miss Amethyst."
As she searched her contacts for someone else to call, the pink hedgehog trotted over to her mirror. The last few nights had left her with slightly darkened lines under her tired eyes. Looking back at her phone she stumbled on her so-titled 'forbidden contact'. It was the big no-no number she was never to call, unless she was in dire need.
Thinking about it in all seriousness, Amy mused "I guess my need is pretty dire, whatever that means…" her thumb played with the 'send' button tentatively "I really need someone to listen to me, but what if he doesn't?"
Taking a deep breath, she pushed the button down firmly. Amy felt her confidence almost wane, but remained strong so as to see her choice through.
Upon passing the first ring, Amy quietly wished to herself "Please be safe…Sonikku."
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*With Sonic*
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Running fast, faster than the wind itself, Sonic put was putting all his muscle and mind into escaping the complex. The tide-like clouds served as a daunting reminder of Massawd's warning. Not surprisingly, the reminder made Sonic fret for the poor people still trapped in sleep. He didn't dare spend another second under that obscured sky, for fear of worsening matters. It hurt to turn and run from people in blatant danger, especially when he was the true reason for the said danger.
"What am I supposed to do now?" he pondered.
It was a deadly question with precious few good answers. Not staying in one place was not a serious problem, as he could handle an on the move lifestyle. However, he knew that in order to obtain the last two emeralds, he would have to remain in one place for a set time. The same truth applied to sleeping and eating. What if it, just like Maasawd said, didn't matter? Perhaps he would keep bringing trouble no matter where he was.
"This really…sucks." he summed it up bluntly "I really thought getting Rouge captured was my worst mistake. Now, it seems like just being alive is a mistake." this thinking made his preexisting feelings of isolation mount higher.
In secret, this bothered him as much as the real danger. He had just found a place of general acceptance, and now it seemed like he was back to square one. Once again, he was lost in a strange world that didn't have a place for him.
"Sonic?" his earpiece called out "Sonic, do you read me?"
Hearing that voice gave the hero enough serenity to answer "I read you, buddy."
A sigh of relief could be heard followed by a throat clearing "Well uhh…Amethyst was getting worried so I just thought I'd call…" a small laugh could be heard in the background as the speaker continued "Anyway, we're currently headed for Marina village which is…east of your position."
Sonic didn't want to head for another populated area, but he had to let Tails know what was going on "Okay, I'm heading there now. I'll call you guys when I'm close."
"…What's wrong Sonic?" Tails asked suddenly, much to Sonic's chagrin.
"Nothing, why do you ask?" the hero was unsure how the fox knew something was bothering him.
"I get the feeling you have something to tell me." Tails hit the bulls-eye without even trying "But I assume it can't be discussed at distance, can it?"
Little could be done to hide the truth now, so Sonic said "No…it can't."
A few tense seconds of silence prevailed until the vulpine finally said "Then I can wait. For now, just make it over here safely."
Though not visible to Tails, Sonic was eased enough to smile at his words "Thanks bud, I will."
"We'll be waiting. Until then, take care." the vulpine concluded and hung up.
Sonic scoped out his newest destination with a more relaxed conscience. He had to get his directional bearings, but quickly found where to go. Granted, he hadn't forgotten the crisis at hand, however, he was able to move ahead without his former stress.
"I hadn't thought about it before but…" he spoke aloud "I know why I never had to worry about myself. I always had friends that did the worrying for me." he his speed seemed to increase as his mood improved "I honestly hadn't realized how much I needed them, until I came here."
With his determination almost back to 'Sonic' levels, he knew it wouldn't be long now. The only thing that caused his mind to stray was the now-ticking clock that represented Rouge's life. Three days was strict for people who had no plan, and now no place to operate from. Rattling as it was, Sonic knew it was premature to be panicking about that yet.
"Focus on what's ahead of you Sonic." he told himself "Sweating the details isn't going to make this any smoother for her or us."
Telling himself this merely kept his priorities straight. He knew he couldn't help wondering how she was doing right now.
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*Underground Prison*
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It had been short while since he had last set foot in this musty place. He couldn't lie, Maasawd hadn't missed it. In fact, he would've remained outdoors had he not remembered that he had a 'guest' to tend to.
The corridors of rotting cells raised questions in the dark figure's mind. Such as, what had this place been used for in times past? The structure as whole seemed ancient, yet modern at the same time. It went without saying that the corrupt halls fit his hired muscle, who had incidentally been the one to show Maasawd its location. Having sent the blood-lustful echidna out on a scouting mission, the figure knew he would be left in peace. The fact was he really didn't need the extra help; it was simply a way to remove the battle-crazed fool until his off-base task was finished.
"I cannot leave that fiend with the girl when I'm not present." he thought "Although, I'm sure the fake and the fox would come even for corpse, if properly baited."
Sliding a cell door open, Maasawd scanned the entire space. To his surprise, the cell was empty.
"What sort of nonsense is this?" he gave the room a more thorough search to catch sight of an open vent cover.
"I should've known." he grumbled, sounding more exasperated than concerned. Leaving the room casually, he walked an unhurried pace in the direction of some frustrated grunting. Deciding on a more…imposing entrance, Maasawd allowed his body to melt away into a dark mist.
Meanwhile, a certain bat was busily trying to find a weakness in the rather aged looking bars. To her disappointment, the archaic prison was well-crafted, and relatively void of flaws.
"Great, just great!" she fumed "Crawl out of one hole, and into another!" she savagely kicked the bars one last time in frustration.
"Such brutish outbursts don't become a lady of class." a chilling voice filled the tight cell. Rouge gaped in horror as the hazy figure of Maasawd materialized in front of her.
"I can't say I blame you for your vain attempts to flee." he said coldly "But you should be able to comprehend your position by now."
Showing her fangs, Rouge readied herself for a fight "If you think I'm going to go back quietly, you've got another think coming!" she shouted whilst twisting her body in a unique pattern.
"Regrettable." was Maasawd's toneless reply. The drilling action of the kick was difficult to evade, even for him. As much credit as he gave her for trying, Maasawd laid a heavy punch down on her abdomen, knocking her out almost instantly. Checking her collapsed form, the figure verified that he hadn't killed her. Afterwards, he slung her over his shoulder.
As he carried her back to his cell, Maasawd wondered why he hadn't taken her life. Far stranger than that was his feeling of regret over having harmed her. Recalling the people he had placed in a slumber, he knew would've killed any one of them without the merest shred of guilt. Somehow, he couldn't say he felt the same for this prisoner.
Maasawd arrived and placed her back in her original cell. Grabbing the vent cover, he used his powers to seal it back on tightly. Staring back at the pained captive, Maasawd stepped up and knelt down beside her.
"Forgive me." he whispered, while placing a hand on her injury. A faint glow later and her face no longer appeared twisted with agony. Inclined to not waste any more time, Maasawd left faster than he came.
Jarred awake by the slam of the metal lock, Rouge checked her surroundings. She quickly saw her only escape route had been, or at least appeared to be, welded along the edges. Hugging her knees close, she knew she had blown her best chance of a breakout.
"I suppose I wouldn't have gotten far anyway." she tried to reassure herself "That guy is something out of this world."
Leaning back, the bat's attention was drawn to a faint warmth on her stomach. Placing her own hand on the spot, she expected it to writhe in pain. Amazingly, the area felt much better than the rest of her body.
"Come to think of it." she wondered silently "That hit should've left me out for an hour or so at least." getting a more superficial look, Rouge failed to see even minor bruising "Did he…heal me somehow?"
Stunned as she was, the answers lay within her perplexing captor. Rouge had noticed the man, or whatever he was, seemed to be a dualistic fellow. Maasawd seemed ruthless on one hand, then caring on the other. This thinking led Rouge to an interesting conclusion.
"Hmm…I wonder." she plotted sneakily "Does this guy have a thing for me?" collecting her memories, the figure's recent contradictory actions seemed to lend the idea credence.
"Maybe…that little outing wasn't a waste after all!" she congratulated her half-success "If can play my cards right, I just might be able to get on this guy's good side." it slightly sickened her to flirt with a criminal, but she had no other options at this point.
"I have to do what I can to get out, but who says I can't have a little fun along the way?" she giggled playfully.
But deep down she was actually very afraid, afraid that if she didn't escape, something terrible was going to happen.
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End of Chapter Eighteen
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Excuse the excessive view-shifting in this chap. I had a lot to cover to avoid any further side-track chapters. A little off topic, thanks for all the B-day well wishes! :D
DanceDream: Hmm…indeed. The "Genesis" series does have a lot of similarities now that I think about it! I see the clouds as creepy distortions rather than a real-world phenomenon (although, as seen in this chap, it can be mistaken for one). Maasawd is confusing, but he always has his reasons. Next chapter offers some hints as to why Tails was targeted. True enough, Sonic has yet to see all of what Maasawd has to offer (but hey, the cobalt hero is good at improvising XD). Yup now the clock is ticking, and Sonic's got the pressure on! Still, working fast is his forte. XD Perfect title drop! Actually, it well surmises what I was thinking when I wrote that last chap! :D Yup the pre-title madness is good fun to write (especially because there's no pressure), so I happy you like them. Oh and I love long reviews! On that I say, the more the merrier (and they make for a merry read indeed)! P.S. I pray your fic is going well!
Ghostkid33: Huh, you know, I didn't even think of that when I wrote it! XD I actually received the idea of dimensional break-down from a totally unrelated game (with a completely different plot and reason for that matter). You're right about him playing an important role there (in a way, it's his most important role), but as the title says, there's a "reason he's here" (thank DanceDream for that one). P.S. In case you're curious, I pictured the distortion in Wild Arms 2 when I wrote about the clouds last chap (talk about random XD).
Serenity: I love writing about Sonic's "big brother" nature (even though he's not the big brother anymore XD)! And Maasawd…well secrets can't keep forever!
Infamousplot: Good to hear! I had a little trouble deciding whether to avoid referencing the "vanishing" or not. I'm now glad I put it in! At least it gives me a further connection to build on :). I was worried I'd have nothing to say, but it worked out in the nick of time! Regardless, I'm always pleased to have your comments! :D
KoTwz10z: I don't want to drag the talk out this time (after all, Sonic's got time limit now), but I'll be sure to make nice and conflicting for our hero (nothing defines a hero like his trials). Glad you enjoyed the fight scene! That last trick Sonic pulled on Maasawd was something he probably picked up when he helped Tails on the mountain (or so my fevered brain would like to think XD). P.S. Ah I kind of figured as much, but I hate when I guess male and the person turns out to be female DX. No offence I hope? XD
Kindra Mckleen: Well, hint numero uno, it's not his speed! XD Yeah, it's hard not to love those subtle Amethyst funnies (she's full of them :) )! P.S. Hmm… Connection? Well…I'll leave that up to you! *evil laughter*
Sierra Zanimalini14: Good, although I've been kind of hoping people will start to pick up on my hints (the red eye for example). I love a good fight scene, but that was more of a tussle than a serious dual (gotta save the best for last XD). I'm glad it had your approval! P.S. Looking forward to your update!
TehGoatGoesBahh: Dimensional threat that could feasibly swallow an entire world? Sounds right up Sonic's alley! XD Yup Sonic's once again got his hands full, but hey at least the blue blur has good friends to back him up this time! Thanks for the belated well wishes! XD
Until next time!