5. Nonaggression.
.w.
The Great Forest
July 16th, 3236
Morning
Shadow's first mission on the surface sounded like a moderately dangerous one. The Princess wanted him to visit the ruins of Knothole for the second time and find out whether SWATbots were still there. If he found none, he would have to look for survivors or at least some resources that could be valuable for them. Sally didn't dare mention it, but he could see she hoped he would find Nicole among her other friends.
More than two weeks had passed since SWATbots attacked Knothole, and Sally thought the ruins had been long abandoned by now. The possibility of the troops leaving some sort of watch at the place still remained, though. That was why he didn't Chaos Control straight into the village, but chose a pleasant meadow next to the Power Ring pool.
What he didn't foresee was that SWATbots also saw the very same meadow as a perfect spot for an ambush.
Shadow knew something went terribly wrong the moment his teleportation was complete. His right hand contorted, struck by sharp pain, and his fingers released the Chaos Stone involuntarily. Next moment an invisible force yanked him upwards, and his legs lost all means of support at once.
Trying not to let his shock take over him and growling from pain, he pushed whatever was holding him with his free hand. He felt being pressed into something metal, but his eyes only registered a weird distortion of light on his right. Lush Mobian flora swayed slightly as if he was looking at it through a bent glass. It was seconds of awkward suspension later that the air began to gain shape. And when it gained enough, Shadow finally realized what had happened.
Shifting slowly into its visible state, in the middle of the meadow stood a SWATbot. The hedgehog's appearance alerted it and brought it to its feet, and now it was turning on its spot, trying to see the trespasser. It wasn't ready to attack yet, so it would be a good idea to flee hastily.
The problem was that Shadow couldn't. At least not until he detached his right arm from the robot's back.
His first idea was that it was a trap of sorts in case a Freedom Fighter decided to attack a SWATbot from behind. Black quills brushed against the metal uncomfortably, hindering him from cocking his head and observing his limb closely. When he finally did it, his heart fell quickly. He was indeed trapped, but not by the SWATbot- by Chaos Control.
Having mostly practiced it in sterile laboratories with scientists overseeing his actions, he knew that during the warp his body switched places with an equal volume of air in the target location. Back then, he was curious of what could happen if, say, a human happened to occupy the spot he was aiming at. Right now, looking at his arm from clavicle to elbow merged with the metal shoulder-blade, he knew he had finally got an answer to this question.
What saved him from immediate death was the fact that the SWATbot appeared just as confused as he was. An increase in weight told it that it was piggybacked by a small creature, but for some reason the passenger didn't attack and just stayed out of reach. Numbers returned by integrity checks were funnier than they were supposed to be. While awaiting assistance from its comrades, the robot was trying to figure out whether it should run a search for external devices or simply self-destruct just in case.
It started with reaching back to grab one of Shadow's dangling feet. The hedgehog immediately yanked the limb away and kicked the metal defiantly. He was beginning to panic. The Chaos Stone lay on the ground out of his reach, his whole body was suspended in a maddeningly uncomfortable position, and his immobilized right arm was already getting numb. It wasn't just fur or even skin; the muscle tissue itself most likely was in trouble, and he would be lucky if the bone remained intact. He didn't want to think that breaking free might even take losing the whole limb.
There was a distant noise; heavy footsteps driving closer. Since no reaction from Shadow followed, the SWATbot chose to turn away from the source to let the guests have a better view. Moving his ruffled quills away from his face and twisting his neck, he managed to see them: two more SWATbots hurrying their way. His reaction was quicker than his thinking processes; the first Chaos Spear flew past the first robot's head, and the second hit the other one in the shoulder. Next moment the world started turning again, and Shadow lost sight of the remaining robot.
All of them stilled for a moment, weighting the situation. The distant SWATbot couldn't shoot Shadow with the latter being behind the other SWATbot's back, and Shadow couldn't fry the distant SWATbot with an EMP without seeing it. The robot he was attached to didn't move anymore, expecting someone else to come up with a solution.
The hedgehog's eyes found the Chaos Stone in the grass again; it seemed the easiest way to escape, but the gem still remained unreachable. A wild idea suddenly visited him, and he hit the SWATbot's thigh with his heel. "Hey, you. Look down."
He couldn't tell whether the metal figure complied, but he carried on anyway. "See the shiny thing down there? Pick it up."
There was a long pause, during which Shadow's boldness vanished gradually. All of a sudden, the robot did bend down. Shadow had to grit his teeth; his body shifted against the metal surface, making his arm twist unnaturally in its socket. The bright forest around him spun as if he was riding a carousel. A tiny projectile suddenly collided with his head quills and bounced off: the second remaining SWATbot decided to use its chance. Shadow sent a Chaos Spear that way blindly and, apparently, hit no one.
Then everyone was in their place again, only the occupied machine was now holding the Chaos Stone in its hand. "Good. Now, give it to- wait!"
Now he actually felt its arm go back and then swiftly forward, tossing the stone to its comrade. He moaned mentally; he was now about twenty meters further away from his goal than he had been a minute ago.
Anger washed over him, and he did something he had been thinking about for a while now. His next Chaos Spear collided with the metal back so close to him, and he yelped when residual surges of electricity bit into his flesh as well. The SWATbot stumbled and fell to its side slowly, partially burying Shadow under its mass.
Right, the hedgehog thought and went on to the next step of his escape plan. Plain tugging didn't help his arm, so he started his hover skates to give his tugs more force. He bent his legs so jets of hot air hit the metal behind him, but didn't reach the desirable effect: the dead SWATbot drifted back and his whole body twisted in an unthinkable way, but his arm stayed one with the piece of metal.
Something stung his shoulder slightly. Squinting to the side, Shadow discovered the last remaining SWATbot standing several steps away. As the hedgehog watched, it raised its arm again and fired a tiny plastic dart at the Mobian. The projectile with some transparent liquid inside bit into his flesh above the glove's cuff and stayed there.
Shadow growled, feeling furious and helpless at the same time. Chaos Spears wouldn't work this time: the robot took its companion's motionless frame as a shield against long-range attacks. He didn't know what the darts were supposed to do to him, and didn't crave to find out with him still being immobilized and unable to escape.
Hover skates changed their position, and more jets of air let him slowly make his way to the attacker. A useless heap of metal he ended up bound with dragged behind him, slowing him down and giving his arm occasional painful pulls. The shooting SWATbot soon realized what his plan was and tried to step back, but it was too late: the hedgehog and the robot impacted more robots, and all four of them formed an ugly mass on the ground.
Shadow, the one who was at the bottom of the pile, was thrust upwards by an immense force in the end. His entire being screamed when new pain exploded in his right arm; in return, he cast a Chaos Spear randomly and hit something. The whole mass of metal fizzled, and sparks left tiny burn-marks where they touched his fur. He gasped for air, suddenly aware of how his own body was slipping out of his control. He couldn't feel his right arm anymore, and his legs seemed to be becoming numb quickly. Starting to panic again, he dug into the debris beneath and around him in search for the Chaos Stone.
Something hot was already dribbling down his side. He refused to even look to the right yet, using his left appendage instead. At this point he was becoming light-headed; small details in front of him were extremely hard to concentrate on. Shadow realized it probably had to do with the darts he had been shot with. Did SWATbots try to kill him, or just immobilize to transport him to Robotropolis safely? It was hard to think straight.
After what seemed like an hour of searching, he spotted familiar glow coming from beneath the heap. His hand felt like a wooden stick when he reached forward; gloved fingers and the grass were slick from his own blood. Shadow's tongue refused to move, but he hoped simply concentrating on his destination would be enough.
Apparently, he blacked out for a spell after colliding with the floor. When he regained consciousness, he had some obvious trouble opening his eyes. Eyelids seemed to be filled with molten lead; what was worse, the rest of his body was no better. His left arm felt like a long piece of fabric attached to his torso, and his shoulder agreed to turn only by a fraction of an angle in its socket. Everything below his waist seemed to reside in a parallel universe or even farther away from him.
What really bothered him was the fact that he couldn't feel his right arm at all. Slowly, inch by inch, Shadow managed to turn his head to the side, and had to clench his teeth to stifle a gasp. The arm wasn't there anymore; what remained was a nicely trimmed stump just below the shoulder, still letting out thin dribbles of blood.
Blood. He watched it form a puddle with dull interest. It was so unreal he couldn't tie the image with himself.
Red eyes darted up and around the place. He ended up atop the table inside M7's control room, which was startlingly dark and empty. Shadow couldn't remember the last time when any of them turned the computers or lights off; a complete lack of presence was a bad sign.
Shadow gulped forcefully and called, "Sally!" Voice came out as mere wheeze, and he tried again. "Sonic? Tails? Anybody?"
A small tap indicated that someone indeed had just entered the room. The black hedgehog couldn't turn his head to see who it was, but a small Whoa! gave his visitor's identity away.
"Jeez, don't tell me you got yourself killed." Sonic's voice was anything but sympathetic at the moment. He entered his doppelganger's field of view, looking down at him with annoyance.
"I've lost my arm," Shadow mumbled a bit unnecessarily. To him, the phrase sounded like a bad joke. "There was a first aid kit around here."
The hero approached and poked the stub with a look of an expert. Shadow braced, preparing for pain, but none came. "Huh," the blue hedgehog said thoughtfully. "Looks like it's so long for ya. Mind if I take your hover skates? I could really use 'em."
"...What? Wait, no! Stop!"
Of course, it didn't have the desired effect on Sonic, who was already tugging at Shadow's skates. "Stop it," the dark one said weakly. "They won't even fit on you. Your feet are a whole size bigger than mine."
"Sonic, do stop it," said Sally, appeared at the other side of the table. Shadow was so lost in the argument he didn't notice her arrival. "You can see Shadow isn't dead."
The blue hedgehog finally left his doppelganger's footwear alone and stepped back, mumbling something unintelligible under his breath. Shadow was glad he did; Sonic was the last person he wanted to see around right now. Meanwhile, Sally sat down onto the table next to his head, and with some effort he turned towards her.
"SWATbots. They poisoned me," he managed. Now it was clear to him that the paralysis was the result of the darts sprinkling something into his bloodstream. "I can't move."
"Don't," she offered gently. "You need to have some sleep. You are tired."
"No, no!" he tried to sit up and failed miserably. Sally was still looking down at him patiently, clearly not understanding his unease. "I've lost my arm. I'll bleed to death unless I do something about it."
"Don't worry, Shadow. You arm is already here." The Princess raised the Chaos Stone up to his eyes, and he stilled, mesmerized by its glow. "See? It absorbed all the blood you have lost today. All you need to get it back is use Chaos Control."
Indeed, the gem was emitting bright red glow instead of its usual timid greenish white. Shadow twitched, but he couldn't get his gaze off of it. The squirrel dropped the Stone onto his palm, and he tried his best to tighten his fingers around it.
"Chaos Control," he said weakly.
No result. His strength didn't return, nor did his arm.
He tried again. "Chaos Control!"
It wasn't going to work, he thought dully. He needed both capacity rings he wore on his wrists to initiate Chaos Control, and one of them stayed on the surface with the wrist itself. It could now only serve as a nice ankle bracelet to some SWATbot, and the Chaos Stone could no longer be a power source for him.
"Just rest, Shadow," Sally said softly. "It'll be alright."
Nothing was going to be alright. Him dying from energy deprivation was not alright. The remaining Freedom Fighters losing his powers was not alright. Probably that's what Sonic was still mumbling about behind his back: about how Shadow had finally proven himself completely useless.
It'll be alright. She had always said that to prevent the team from falling apart, even when their condition couldn't have been any worse. "It won't," he said in denial.
"Everything will be alright," she repeated. The chipmunk reached to close Shadow's eyes, ignoring his protests. Her touch was cold and dry and resembled him of old paper. The hedgehog had gotten used to dim lights of the control room by now, and complete darkness engulfing him made him anxious.
Sally suddenly bent forward to whisper into his ear. "But if it isn't, can I keep your ring to decorate your memorial later?"
"What!? No!"
Shadow sat up abruptly, taking heavy breaths. It was even darker around him this time, and Sally was nowhere in sight. He had to make sure his eyes were open, not closed to send him spiraling into a nightmare.
It was after some time of just breathing in and out that he noticed he was no longer spread atop the table at M7. He took in his surroundings: a vast oval tunnel, looking more like a cave, with slightly wet black rocky walls. A thin line of light panels running along the top of the passage looked familiar; he now understood where he was despite the darkness surrounding him. It was the tunnel starting behind the gates at M7's loading dock and ending beneath the hills.
From the ceiling, his gaze slowly drifted down to his long-suffering right arm. It was there, all of it, with a ring encircling his wrist. The healing had already began and filtered the pain out of his brain, so all he could feel now was dull rhythmical throbbing and occasional prickles - the sort that happens to a leg when you sit on it for too long. The whole limb from shoulder to fingertips, the white fur on his chest, the floor beneath him- everything was sticky from blood that seemed black in insufficient light. Shadow cringed; he wanted to get away from this mess.
It took him more than a minute to stand up. Limbs felt foreign and lagged as if he was half-asleep. Was that the work of the chemicals from the darts? The hedgehog decided it was, along with those hallucinations of Sonic and Sally. The effects were still reluctant to wear off, despite the intensive healing. Shadow hadn't regained full control over his body yet, and Sonic's distant mumbling still echoed in his ears. It was annoying, just like an insomniac mouse scratching somewhere beneath the furniture.
He stumbled to the side and leaned against the wall. Dampness of the stone found its way into his fur, which he merely furrowed at. Hallucinations or no hallucinations, he had to get back to M7, tell everyone that he was ambushed... get his wound fixed. Shadow had never gotten injuries of such scale, and he felt anxious about leaving it all to his healing abilities alone.
Shadow gulped, hard. The quickest way to get there was Chaos Control, but just thinking about using it was enough to make him feel nauseous. What if something went wrong again? What if he ended up stuck inside the table or maybe Sonic? He couldn't tell which image bothered him the most.
The muttering became nearly unbearable by that moment. Someone next to him persistently repeated something over and over, and black ears flattened against the hedgehog's skull, struggling to keep the sound out. He turned sharply, ready to snap at his pesky twin, and froze with his mouth open.
The man he saw wasn't Sonic.
He had a remarkably tall stature, incredible for a Mobian, but just fine for a human. He was also ridiculously fat and bald, with long red mustache visible even from behind. The hedgehog recognized the black and red closes, too, even though they were scorched and torn in several places.
Robotnik.
Shadow breathed forcefully several times, calming himself down. Being able to move again gave him that humble idea that his delirium was already over. Apparently, he still had to go through the last bits of it.
"Great," he growled quietly. Robotnik taking away his hover skates was the last thing he wanted right now. "Go away."
Which was exactly what the man was doing. With his back turned towards Shadow, he was slowly delving deeper into the tunnel. The hedgehog tried to regain some sense of direction, and eventually decided that Robotnik was heading towards M7. His mumble never ceased, only quieted down due to increased distance.
"What was that? Are you talking to me?" Shadow shouted to him. He thought he heard Snively's name a couple of times, but he wasn't sure.
A chill suddenly ran down his spine. For a second the world around him became exceedingly indistinct. SWATbots in Knothole; unknown potion in his blood; Robotnik in the tunnel leading to their temporary HQ, without guards, talking to somebody Shadow couldn't see. He was no longer able to tell which part of it had happened for real and which was a work of his disturbed imagination.
All he knew for sure was that he had to get out of there, and quickly.
He reached to his head quills, searching for the Chaos Stone. His left glove was sticky from the blood, as were his quills after he rummaged them in search for the gem. Seconds later, his expression became that of concern and his movements became hastier, bringing him nothing still.
Shadow's glance hopped around the ground beneath him and next to the spot where he had landed. What he saw were mud, some dust and bits of rock none of which shone.
Terror washed over him. He didn't remember his last Chaos Control in all detail, and he couldn't warrant that the gem was still with him when he warped. What if his fingers failed in the last moment, and it remained lying among the scrap metal for Robotnik's SWATbots to pick up, or-
-Or wait a second.
Red eyes peered into the back of retreating Robotnik. The man was still visible, despite the distance and the darkness. It was as if the madman was carrying some small source of light to illuminate the tunnel's floor before him...
Shadow cringed. The thought of Robotnik touching him was unnerving, as was the prospect of having to fight another hallucination. Why couldn't the man just hand the gem to him like Sally did...
He sank down to the floor, not really caring about the mud. It all would go away eventually: the darkness, his blood, his pain, Robotnik with his antics. Maybe even the tunnel, though out of all things it appeared pretty real to him. Why would he end up here, anyway? He didn't remember his exact thoughts during the Chaos Control; perhaps he just wanted to go to some safe, quiet and deserted place.
Minutes ticked away slowly. Silence embraced him in the end, leaving him only with the sound of him breathing and his thoughts. He didn't like this state: it reminded him too much of his scarce alone time on the ARK, and he didn't want these memories in his head right now. Instead, he concentrated on the blunt scenery around him; rocks and light panels. Dampness formed drops of water in his fur, and he watched one of them slowly slide down his knee. The feeling was real- much more real than Sally's paper-like touch...
Shadow suddenly bolted upwards, his movements erratic. He could no longer see the man, but it's not like the latter could get away from him in a plain tunnel, moving at the speed of a wounded turtle. The hedgehog ran; limbs still felt somewhat stiff, and the light-headedness from the blood loss didn't go anywhere, but it was manageable. A moving spot appeared before him soon, and in a matter of seconds Shadow was standing in front of Robotnik, arms crossed against his chest awkwardly.
"Give it back," he said harshly. There it was indeed: a spec of light tucked under the right palm. The glove was missing, and plump fingers were partly smudged with red. Robotnik remained unimpressed; he simply pushed the hedgehog aside and walked past him, his gaze fixated on something in front of him.
For a brief moment the Chaos Stone appeared within grabbing distance, and Shadow immediately snatched it. He stepped back, confused rather than anything else. Why nothing was there to protect the man from him? Why did Robotnik ignore his presence? Was it a part of his hallucinations, too?
Meanwhile, Robotnik stopped and turned to face him for the first time. "What was that, Snively?" The question earned him but a blink from Shadow, and he continued. "Why are you still here? The breach in sector fifteen needs to be dealt with immediately. It won't wait for you to pull yourself together, you coward! Now, lower the alert level to three and prepare my hovercraft. I have a business to take care of while you check on the Doomsday Project..."
His unfocused gaze slipped off of Shadow, and he resumed walking. The hedgehog could only stare at his back, thinking rapidly. Was that some kind of trick? Unlikely. Was Robotnik seeing things as well? But what could have forced him to do so? Just what on Mobius was going on here?
The main question stood taller than the rest: what was Shadow supposed to do now?
Sonic probably wouldn't hesitate to kill him on the spot, but it wasn't an option for Shadow. Not that he was particularly fond of this human in any way, but he couldn't deny the connection between them. Gerald's grandson was the walking evidence that Shadow's life aboard the ARK indeed took place, and the hedgehog was reluctant to cut this only string.
Plus, Robotnik seemed to be in pain, both mental and physical.
His arm hurt, too, he was tired and lost completely, and had to go back to his team. And he had to make decisions again.
.w.
M7, main loading dock
July 16th, 3236
Later
Sonic looked as if he was ready to kill them both. "You brought Robotnik here!? Are you crazy?"
Shadow stepped back defensively. "I had no choice. Look at him."
His counterpart refused to comply. For him, one quick glance was enough to recognize his nemesis, so now he tried hard to burn Shadow with his glare alone. "You're nuts– or jus' trying to kill us all. Knew it was a mistake to trust you."
No matter how much hatred was in his glare, all of it was returned to him with Shadow's own. It was as if his wound meant nothing, as if the only purpose of Shadow's absence was to bring their worst enemy to the station and get them all killed. The blue form reeked of disgust, and the dark hedgehog was almost ready to beat the stink out of it.
"I ran into him in the tunnel behind this gate," he said slowly and calmly, as if talking to a mental invalid. "He was alone, without SWATbots, acting as if he was sick. What was I supposed to do?"
"Are you kidding me?!" hissed Sonic. He made a step forward, as if preparing to fight the two of them even without his sneakers. "You shoulda stopped him, tricked him out of the tunnel, or just left him there to die! You haven't, so now he knows about this place. Was that what you wanted all the time?"
"Of course he knows about this place," growled Shadow. "It is his base after all. He was heading here anyway, and would have made it here on his own eventually."
Sonic fell silent momentarily, but not for long. "Well, yeah, but now he knows we're here, too. I bet he was searching all his bases one by one, looking for us. And you made it easier for him."
"He knew we were here the moment he saw me in the tunnel, if he's not an idiot." Shadow made a step of his own, and the two hedgehogs were face to face now. "Should I have killed him right away? If that's what you are thinking about, try to do it yourself."
The hero's gaze fixated on Robotnik, but he didn't move. Shadow felt ready to snap at him; he knew Sonic wasn't ready to take such responsibility. He hadn't been persistent enough back on the ARK when they were deciding the man's fate, nor he was ready to dirty his hands now. One would think the loss of his friends should have changed that.
So who was the traitor now?
"What's going on h– oh my gosh."
Shadow saw Sally emerge from the hatch in the floor, followed by Tails closely. The Princess stopped dead on her tracks, covering her mouth at the sight of dirt-covered Robotnik; Tails let out a desperate yelp and hid behind her.
The blue hero stepped back and crossed his hands in front of his chest. "Just look at this. Shadow brought Robotnik here."
"Yes!" the dark hedgehog growled, still irritated. "Because he didn't look as if he came here for a fight. Look closely."
They all stared at the human. He was happily oblivious of their presence, sitting on a metal box and not going to leave anytime soon. Now that he had reached his destination, he seemed to feel more at ease. Holding a small metal plate, he was calling it Snively affectionately and discussing a new SWATbot design with it.
"Is he mad?" Tails was the first to speak up. His voice trembled.
"Hardly any madder than he was before," Sonic said. He didn't charge, though, instead studying the man suspiciously.
Meanwhile, Sally turned to inspect Shadow, and her eyes stopped on his right arm. The wound didn't look really bad by now, but his fur and gloves were still crusty from mud and blood. "Did he attack you?"
"No, it wasn't him." Shadow began trembling slightly from the recollection. Despite the fight had happened hardly more than an hour ago, it already seemed like a bad dream to him. "I was ambushed by SWATbots near the Power Ring lake. I had to retreat, ended up in the tunnel and saw Robotnik. And-" he hesitated until Sally's raised eyebrow urged him to continue. "He was mumbling all the time. He sounded mostly worried, and it was as if he tried to protect Robotropolis against something he called 'it'."
"Interesting..."
"Tell me you didn't believe all this rubbish," Sonic said urgently. "That's a Freedom Fighter's number one rule: whatever 'Buttnik tells you, he's lying."
Sally ignored his remark. "Sonic, Tails, stay here and watch Robotnik- and the tunnel. If anything suspicious happens, find me and Shadow in the living block. Shadow, let's go."
He walked past Sonic who refused to look at him and Tails who still seemed frightened to death. They took the elevator to the first level this time in case Shadow was still too weak to use the ladder. Inside the living block she began working on his injury, washing the dirt away with the water from the fountain. The hedgehog enjoyed her touches despite the cold liquid made his skin burn.
"How did it happen?" she asked, and he had to retell the story of being unable to control the stone's power properly. Sally coughed uneasily. "We saw a piece of metal fall on the floor where you were standing, but I thought it was just a part of the ceiling. I should have sent Sonic or Tails to check whether everything went well."
"No," he said firmly. "There must be more SWATbots out there in the forest. Such risk isn't necessary."
A pause lasted until Sally suddenly asked,"Why did you go to the tunnel in the first place? We expected you to Chaos Control here when you were done."
"Um..." he muttered awkwardly. Not that she mentioned it, such coincidence must have looked suspicious to the rest of the team. "Actually, I wasn't going to. But SWATbots spilled something into my blood that knocked me out, and I couldn't think straight during the Chaos Control. Where was it..."
He had had two darts stuck in his body during the fight. One of them was already gone, but the other stayed, accidentally secured in the cuff of his glove. Sally raised it to her eyes to study it.
"Robotnik has never used these before," she said in the end. "When he wanted to capture someone alive, he used shackles or cages, but sedative? Never."
An unnerving idea struck Shadow. "Do you think it's actually not Robotnik commanding the SWATbots?"
They both fell silent for a moment, weighting his assumption. "I've been thinking about this before, but I can't tell just yet," Sally concluded. "But this dart and Robotnik's words about something he had to fight in Robotropolis- it doesn't look simple. Let's go back and see what actions we can take right now."
By that moment, Shadow's arm was bandaged with a piece of white cloth. He was wet all over and gloveless, but at least blood didn't stain his fur anymore. When they returned to the second floor, Robotnik was still sitting on the same box with his back against the wall, apparently getting ready for a nap. Sonic looked at the two approaching Mobians tensely, as if suspecting them of some conspiracy.
"Did he say anything?" Sally asked, pretending she hadn't noticed the stare.
"Not really. Some mumbo jumbo about defense systems."
"Sonic tried to talk to him," Tails added sheepishly. "And Robotnik just ignored him."
"Right." Sally turned away from them, pacing back and forward among heaps of boxes. Nobody spoke up, not wanting to disrupt her thinking process. "Tails, that arsenal down the passage. What state is it in?"
"Um, normal?" the fox blinked at the question, confused. "The gate is functioning, and the cameras are fine. But it's empty."
Sonic immediately knew where she was getting at. "Tell me we're not gonna let him stay there..?"
"Well, we can't let him leave," Sally stopped and crossed her arms in front of her chest, prepared for a long-drawn-out argument. "And we can't get rid of him just yet since he has the information about the situation in Robotropolis that we don't. Which means we need to lock him up and wait till he speaks."
"Or wait till SWATbots show up," he shot back. "Wanna bet they'll be here by today's nightfall?"
"Make it if they show up."
"Why wouldn't they? When 'Buttnik doesn't come outta here, they'll know something's holding him inside. Like us."
"Sonic, it doesn't make sense!" she grasped his shoulders, desperate to make him understand. "It's unlike him to endanger himself like this instead of sending robots, it's unlike him to arm SWATbots with sedative and leave ambushes in our old hides, it's not even right that he managed to find Knothole in the first place!"
The hero clutched her arms as well. "It calls for a private talk," he muttered. Within seconds, he crossed the dock and stormed into the passage, then into the abandoned cargo bay on the left. The place was almost as big as the bay itself, but much darker. Sonic had trouble making out Sally's expression as she tore herself away from his grasp and stepped back.
"Well?" she said in a dangerously calm voice.
Sonic leaned against the wall, just looking at her, trying to form a proper argument in his head. This whole occasion looked like someone's sick joke, him having to prove to Sally that they couldn't afford being around Robotnik. He could easily believe the madman brainwashed Shadow somehow, but Sally..?
"I don't trust Shadow," he finally said.
"And you try hard to make it as obvious as possible."
"Sal, you'll have to admit it: things went crazy right after he appeared in Knothole. Do you think it was a coincidence? It was him who led us to this base, and today he brought Robotnik himself here. Now how can that just happen randomly?"
"Shadow is not a traitor," Sally said firmly. "If he was, why would he save me, you and Tails from Knothole? If he was on Robotnik's side, why wouldn't he lead us into a trap, not an abandoned base?"
"It's obvious, Sal. He just does what 'Botnik tells him to, and 'Botnik wants to play with us. Remember when he got me trapped in a giant pinball game? He could kill me the moment he caught me, but he wanted to have a laugh first. Right now, we still have some hope, and the wants to take away it all."
"Sonic, Robotnik is mad, but he's not an idiot." Sally found some metal scrap and sat on it, arms and legs crossed. The hedgehog's eyes had adjusted enough to make out her expression, and he didn't like it. "He knows how much the events in Knothole hurt us. He could guess you'd be ready to kill him for the friends we have lost if you had a chance. And no matter how far he goes, Robotnik never risks his own life." She fell silent for a moment, replaying the human's monologue in her head. "Besides, he has always been a bad actor. It's unlike him to put up a show this good."
"A bad actor who was duping your father for years?"
Wrong words, he knew within seconds. Sally tended to be a cool-headed leader, but she would never tolerate such disrespect towards the King. Her eyes narrowed into slits. "What's your point? Do you want me to choke Robotnik personally right now, and then throw Shadow out so there's no one to steal your spotlight?"
That was a needle driven into his tender spot. Sonic turned away sharply and began walking back and forth, chin driven upwards stubbornly. "Him? Stealing a spotlight? Are we talking about failure-of-the-year kind of spotlight?"
Sally bit her lower lip, resisting an urge to get up and give the hedgehog a slap across the face to help him wake up. They weren't in Knothole anymore; snarky jokes couldn't help them now; and if Sonic had problems with Shadow being of more use to them at the moment, he had better invent a more mature way of dealing with it. One would think two weeks was enough to get accustomed to new reality and learn how to help the team without his speed, but the hedgehog just asked for more hints and pushes.
And she shut her mouth tight, not letting the harsh words escape her lips. One of them had to be reasonable in this argument, and Sonic clearly wasn't up to taking the role.
"...Look," Sally began after an uneasy silence. "You've known me for long enough to realize how much I hate Robotnik and everything his existence means to us. His presence here disturbs me just as much as it disturbs you. But now it seems to be more than plain us versus Robotnik's SWATbots, see? I mean, his sudden change of methods, his insanity... What if, just what if it's the result of some of his creations turning against him?"
Sonic stopped for a second and knitted his brow, remembering. Right before Shadow's arrival, Charles had sent them clues on two of Robotnik's most shady projects.
"Metal Madness Project and The Doomsday Project," he said out loud. "Whoa... now that you bring them up, both sound nastier than ever."
"We have the names, but that's all we know about his plans," Sally said quietly. "Meanwhile, madness is exactly what Robotnik seems to be going through right now. And doomsday- well, it speaks for itself."
"Sal, I don't know," it was his turn to speak up, and he resumed pacing back and forward before her, arms behind his back. "Project whatchacallit it may be, but where's Snively in this stuff? He might be plain dead, or he might be watching us from Robotropolis through 'Botnik's eyes. He's always wanted to be in command, and when you think about it, that nosy brat could stoop low enough as to use poison or send his dearest unc to us."
The Princess considered his words. They made sense somewhat; after all, lack of Robotnik's nephew in the tunnel didn't at all mean he died fighting something in Robotropolis. And come to think of it, Snively was the one who had actually made in to Knothole and tried to attack it in the past...
Still, no matter how much of a skunk he was, even Snively wasn't capable of driving his uncle out of his mind in a couple of weeks.
"Again, what's your point?" she said in a tired tone.
"Let's go to the ARK," Sonic said quickly and firmly. "You trust Shadow- fine. Let him warp us to the ARK right away and leave Robotnik locked in here. Screw this place, the colony has just as much techno stuff and no one 'cept Shadow can go there."
"We can't," the Princess shook her head firmly. "The ARK is contaminated with too much radiation for us to live there. We can hang on for maybe several hours, but that's it. And Shadow just demonstrated why it's too dangerous to stay in the Great Forest like we used to. And Robotnik..." she looked down and studied her blue boots, clearly upset. "We can't leave him, either."
"Say what?" Sonic couldn't believe his ears. "Why can't we?"
"Sonic, please, try to understand." The chipmunk looked up, and the hero had to step back from the amount of pain in her gaze. "The King is imprisoned in an alternate dimension by Robotnik, and only Robotnik himself knows how to enter it. All people of Mobius fighting for their freedom need their King- and I need my father. And until I know how to open the Void, I can't let Robotnik die."
Now it was the hedgehog's turn to look away. Deep inside, he had to admit he was so lost in mourning for his friends and pitying for himself that he forgot to remember about those who still lived and needed their help. The King- Sally was right; it was their duty to save Maximillian Acorn from the Void, and it couldn't be accomplished without the madman's assistance. There were times when Sally were going through much more than Sonic himself. It felt right, only the notion was hard to accept.
"I see," he murmured. "Jus' wanna let you know how dangerous it is."
"I know." Sally stood up. She was still upset, but at the same time ready to get a grip on herself and take action. "That's why we will lock Robotnik up the best we can. I and Tails will search the entire station for hidden passages, while you and Shadow will block the gates leading to the hills and to Robotropolis. More than that, from now on, Shadow and somebody else will stay at the control center at every moment, monitoring the station's premises through the cameras. If there is a slightest robot activity, Shadow will warp us to the ARK, and there we will decide what to do next."
Sonic had so much to tell about this plan, but he sensed it wasn't the right time. He simply nodded, and Sally left the hall without looking at him. Perhaps she was slightly ashamed of having such an emotional breakdown in front of Sonic. She'd always been the restrained type, but he couldn't remember her feeling guilty for sharing her private hopes and fears with him.
That was before the devastation of Knothole...
Sonic kicked some metal contraption as hard as he could, nearly breaking the bones in his bare feet. No matter what had happened today, he knew he was losing her.
Losing Sally to Project Shadow.
.w.
Author's note:
The giant pinball game is a nod towards the Game Guy episode of SatAM, and Snively visited Knothole in the episode called No Brainer. If you don't remember the show very well and want me to provide more info for such references in my chapters, just let me know.
Also, Nonaggression is a stage in Sonic Advance 3, and I like this name for some reason.