AN: Sure has been a while since I last wrote this story, hasn't it? Gosh, I hope none of you have forgotten it!
Oh, and a special shout out to my amazing beta-reader! After she did Fragmented Chaos, I just couldn't help but hire her again for Remnants of the Past. dark-pheonix-loves-kai, I wanna give you a big round of applause! Thanks!
Disclaimer: I neither claim nor own anything from Sonic '06, Sonic, Sonic-X, Sega, or any other affiliated corps. The music is mere suggestion and is owned by its respectful author. Imperious, Chameleon, Ghost, Samantha, and Cynthia are the brainchild of Nobel Six. Thunder is property of Gnat1. Please support the official releases.
Claimer: I claim and own this plot and all characters not affiliated with the above mentioned.
Crystal Palace
January-6-140
13:27 Mobius Time
"Thunder, I thought I told you to keep an eye on Tails."
"No, Knuckles, I specifically remember Tails being your responsibility."
The two had just realized that their numbers had dropped by one, and they began to frantically search for their twin-tailed friend. "This place is like a labyrinth. It'll take forever to navigate. Doesn't Tails have the yellow Sol Emerald on him?" Thunder suggested. "We could use one of the other emeralds to track his position."
They rounded another corner and Knuckles ran another crystal beast through with a hefty punch. "We could, but it'd be too difficult to pinpoint his exact location. This entire maze was made from the energy of a Sol emerald. It would interfere."
"But how do you know? Maybe the energy is spread too thin to interfere."
"Thunder... I've sat around guarding the Master Emerald for most of my life. I've picked up a few things about the emeralds of power."
"Maybe he's already dead?" Thunder suggested. "He was captured by a castle of crystal; he's tampering with some force that we've never dealt with. If he's so far gone into this place, we should just give up. The walls might have eaten him for all we know."
At this, Knuckles shoved Thunder against a wall, gripping the lion's wrists. "Would you leave Ghost to die? Would you?"
"Hey, back off, Knuckles!"
"Answer the question!"
"No! I wouldn't leave John stranded in here. We're partners."
Knuckles released him. His face bore a fearsome glare. "Then get this in your head: Tails is one of my only friends. We're not leaving him behind," his said before walking ahead.
"Wait, quiet," Thunder suddenly said as he stopped Knuckles with his words. "Do you hear that?"
The echidna perked his ears up, looking around. He felt confused after a few moments. "What am I supposed to be hearing?"
"The tinkle of crystal," Thunder replied. "So light, you can hardly hear it. But something is off… Keep an eye out for anything suspicious."
The two continued on, in search of their friend. And while they searched, ever wary of their surroundings, the crystal crept in. It would make its move soon now.
^/\^|v\/v
~ ("There are wounds that never show on the body that are deeper and more hurtful than anything that bleeds."—Laurell K. Hamilton) ~
Syaoron the Fox presents
Following the Events of Sonic '06
Accompanied by Various Music and Themes
Remnants of the Past
Chapter 13
A Heart that Always Bleeds
^/\^|v\/v
Castle Usha
September-27-2506
20:19 Mobius Time
[Now Playing: "Eleanor Rigby" by: Godhead]
"So, how exactly does this whole plan come together, Master Imperious?"
The great dragon Imperious leaned on elbow, sitting in his great, dark throne. He had decided not to condense his form, leaving him as a menacing dragon. "It's quite simple, actually. I'm surprised you haven't picked up on it yourself, Chameleon," The dragon growled in a deep tone. "Come, stand beside me."
The arm of Imperious' throne was so large that Chameleon could easily stand on it. He stood there, beside Imperious, while the dragon brought up a screen with his magic. When Chameleon saw what was on it, he was confused. "Master, what are these things you're showing me?"
"Images from history, Dovahkiin," Imperious responded as he cycled through lines of images from different times and places. "I have orchestrated so much that it cannot be stopped now. The destruction of Soleanna's defense system was such an easy task that I didn't even have to finish it. Those blundering, time-traveling fools did all the work for me. At this point, Chameleon, we need only sit back and watch."
"But sir, what happens when the interlopers gather all of the Sol Emeralds?"
"They can gather five, Chameleon. We have the sixth from Valhalla, and the one that they were foolish enough to leave behind at Angel Island. They will come to us when the time is right," Imperious assured him.
"But we could take them out right now! It would be so much easier. The conquest of Soleanna at this point would be no difficulty for us."
"You don't understand, Chameleon," Imperious said. "I don't want to be victorious in battle. At the end, when I win, when we win, Soleanna will welcome us with open arms."
"But how will that happen? That makes no sense."
"It is imperative at this point for us to appear good," Imperious said. "Soon, Soleanna will fall to apocalypse. And when it does, the people will be desperate. They will be eager for protection. They will want our protection. Princess Elise will grant us despotic rule. Speaking of the princess…"
Imperious faded off in thought before waving his hand, changing the screen to an image of Princess Elise. "Elise!" Imperious called out with his booming voice. The princess turned around, frightened by Imperious' sudden appearance.
Elise shuddered, appearing to fume. "I did what you asked, Imperious. I sent my very best agent to fight against John, much as I hated to do it," she said. "Now, release Sonic!"
Chameleon looked up at Imperious, confused. "We've been holding Sonic captive?"
"Yes," Imperious said aside. "I figured he would be too much of a challenge for you, so I captured him myself." The dragon then spoke back up. "You will find the hedgehog at your doorstep. Make sure he is taken care of."
Chameleon, still confused, looked up at his master for answers. "But, I don't understand, sir. You just said we need not intervene with them. Why are you having the princess send an assassin to take them out?"
"Oh, be not confused, my apprentice," Imperious spoke. "I know that the assassin will never be able to defeat them. He will only deter them."
"Deter them from what?"
"Now, Chameleon, that is the genius part of my plan."
^/\^|v\/v
Lethos
January-6-140
13:51 Mobius Time
"You see, Chameleon, my goal is not to kill them. My goal is to tear them apart, to destroy their team."
Ghost and Jack stood across from each other in James' house. They glared at each other, striking fear in those around them. "What are you talking about? What have I done wrong?" Ghost demanded, bearing his stiletto and his pistol.
"I was told to hunt down a John Murray for inciting and leading a rebellion against her majesty's rule," Jack spoke, discerning John with his careful, cybernetic gaze. "You are John Murray, are you not?"
"Would you believe me if I said no?"
"Your jokes are about as stupid as the knife that you're using," Jack retorted.
Aside, James was hiding behind his couch, peering over occasionally to see what the matter was. Silver and Cynthia stood off to the side, confused. "Cynthia, who is that man?" the hedgehog asked.
"I remember him; John used to tell me all about him," Cynthia replied. "John used to be a member of the royal guard, and Jack was a sort of rival. I guess he's an assassin for the princess now. But I don't understand why she would send Jack after John."
Silver sighed as the two men stared each other down. Dammit, we're wasting time, he thought as he looked up to the castle of crystal. They're still not back yet. What if they need help?
"You want to… destroy their team? I don't understand, Master Imperious."
"I have foreseen this moment, Chameleon. I sent Jack back in time to prevent them from going up to the castle to assist Knuckles and Thunder from finding our young kit. He is the key to all this."
Ghost aimed his pistol straight at Jack's head, glaring. "I don't know what would give you that idea. I have always given service to her majesty. I have never in any way been a renegade!"
"I don't care what the circumstances of your charges are, Murray. My orders are to kill you; it's simple as that."
Just as Ghost's finger was pressing the trigger, Jack rolled out of the way and kicked precisely at John's right hand, knocking the gun from Ghost's grip. Quickly, Ghost charged at Jack, bashing the cyborg's chest with his shoulder and sending him flying out the front door. "Stay safe!" Ghost shouted back in through the door as he ran out.
Cynthia scoffed at the warning. "'Stay safe,' he says," she mocked before dragging Silver by the wrist. "C'mon, Silver! I have an idea."
"Wait, what's the idea?"
"You'll see!"
Meanwhile, the two men were in the midst of a grapple. John swept under Jack's feet with his leg, tripping up the cyborg. Before he could get in a good punch, Jack flipped back, his fists clenched tightly. With mechanical speed, Jack brought a few crushing punches to Ghost's ribs before whipping around a kick into his side.
Ghost stood up from the beating, shaking his head to clear his vision. He had never been thrown around like that before. He put up a block this time to stop the next incoming kick. He winced from the impact of Jack's kick, but Ghost pushed back and away with his arms, knocking Jack off balance and allowing him to get a few quick slices in with his stiletto. Ghost was impeded by Jack's steel skin, making it difficult to penetrate him.
Jack lunged forward again with another punch. Deciding it would be wiser to dodge it, Ghost weaved to the right to avoid the punch. What he missed though was a quick leg sweep from the cyborg that knocked Ghost onto the ground. Jack fell backward, his elbow bent to a point, and smashed down on Ghost's ribs.
Ghost let out a howl of pain again, gagging up blood. When Jack stood to look down at his prey, Ghost was writhing on the ground in pain. Poised to strike, Jack spoke, "Any last words, John?"
"Go to hell."
"That wasn't very nice," Jack responded.
"Go to hell, please."
"That doesn't make it any less rude."
"Just kill me already."
"If you wish, worm."
Jack raised his leg to crush Ghost's neck, but he found himself unable to bring down his foot. "What?" he groaned as he looked at his cybernetic leg, surrounded in a blue aura.
"Stop right there!" Silver shouted as he walked out from behind the house. He was holding Jack in place with his psychokinesis.
[Stop Music]
"W-what is this? I was never told of this power," Jack said in shock. "You're Silver the hedgehog! The princess reveres you and the other hedgehogs like heroes. What are you doing helping this miscreant?"
"That's not important, and stop calling John a miscreant!" Silver shouted in defense of the human. He then sighed and shook his head, holding Jack's leg in place. "Just stay there and answer our questions. I really don't want to hurt you, but I will if I have to," the hedgehog threatened.
Disregarding his warning, Jack aimed his fist at Ghost's head. The fist had a built in gun, it seemed, and Silver noticed it. Though he regretted it immediately afterward, Silver gripped onto Jack with his psychokinesis and pulled.
A sharp cry pierced the air as the leg that Silver had been holding was torn from the socket where it was connected to Jack's body. Cynthia, who was peering around the corner of the house, winced as she saw the leg separate from Jack's torso. "Stop!" Silver shouted again, this time gripping Jack's arm with his power.
The cyborg tapped the device on his chest, generating a portal to the Temporal Vestige. Jack decided that he needed to retreat and rethink his strategy. With disregard for his arm, Jack tore from Silver's grip, leaving the limb behind as he dove into the portal. Violently, the portal imploded, leaving them to catch their breath.
[Now Playing: "Put Me Down" by: The Cranberries]
Silver sat back and rested by Ghost. "You know, you could've come earlier," Ghost managed to speak, "before he bashed my ribs in."
"Sorry. Your sister caught me first and tried to get me to do some hair-brained scheme," Silver said, frowning. "I was trying to understand the plan, but that was when he slammed you."
Ghost sighed, but winced immediately afterward. "Whatever," he mumbled. "Could you possibly use your power to move my ribs back into place? So they don't puncture my lungs."
"I don't think so. I hardly know anything about my own anatomy, let alone human anatomy," Silver said meekly. "I mean, if you want me to help, I might accidentally progress your lung puncturing."
"It's really easy to understand," Ghost said, groaning slightly. "But I'm in no mood to explain it to you. Just go get my sister over here. She'll know what to do."
Silver nodded and ran off to the house, coming back soon afterward with Cynthia in tow. "Looks like you got banged up, huh John?" she mused, trying to make light of the situation.
"Shorty tells me he could have helped earlier if you hadn't kept him."
"It was a good plan until you decided to get hurt."
"Hey, I didn't decide anything," Ghost chuckled out, looking up at his sister. "I would have had Silver fix it, but he's not familiar with the human anatomy."
Cynthia chuckled and nodded, kneeling beside him. She pushed and felt across Ghost's chest, watching as his breath quivered and stuttered in winces of pain. Silver sat aside and watched them, sighing. "I wish there was something I could do to help."
"Trust me, Silver, you're helping by not helping," Cynthia said as she pressed further against his chest. "Though, I may need your help later with getting him to recover."
Ghost continued to groan from the pain and he glared up at his sister when she continued to push against his chest. "Do you have a diagnosis? Or do you need to do more senseless pounding on my chest?"
Cynthia rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay. Don't worry; I think I have a solution."
"Well, do I get a diagnosis?"
"What am I supposed to say? You already know the situation," she retorted. "Your broken ribs are still broken… and also still ribs, but that's a less significant development. Silver, I need you to lift Ghost's body and flip him upside-down. We need to suspend him so that gravity will help his ribs recover. They almost caved in completely."
Silver nodded, wrapping Ghost in a blue aura that suspended and flipped him. "Well, we can't exactly go anywhere with him hanging like this," he pointed out. He cast a worrisome gaze toward the crystal fortress and sighed. "I hope they're doing okay in there."
"I'm sure their fine," Ghost said. "What James said earlier, though… it worries me."
"Are you talking about what he said about people changing when they come out?"
"Yes. I can't shake this feeling that something bad is going to happen in there."
Cynthia sighed and patted Ghost's head now that he was at eye level for her. "Well, there's nothing we can do about it now," she said. "Just wait for them to come back. I haven't known them as long as you have, but they're strong. I know that much."
So, for the time, all they could do was wait.
^/\^|v\/v
Meanwhile, in the Temporal Vestige, Jack was just coming too. Activating the portal to the Vestige had taken the remainder of his internal battery, and he needed to start moving again to reactivate the inner superconductor.
He looked to his sides, noticing how he was missing his right arm and left leg. "Dammit… How did I let them get the better of me?" he groaned. "It was going fine until Silver came in and ruined the mission."
He checked the top right corner of his heads-up display. It displayed the date he started his mission as well as how long he had been on this mission. "Damn time logic," he grumbled beneath his breath. If he was going to keep with real time, he'd have to add his mission time to the date he started.
After making a few calculations, he saw that it was on the cusp of the twenty-eighth day of September. "Good, I wasn't gone too long," he mused as he jumped through a nearby portal which would take him to the front of Soleanna Castle.
Upon arrival, he saw paramedics rushing into the castle with a bloody, blue body in tow on a stretcher. He was shocked by the paramedics, so much so that he couldn't even identify the body. Left with only one arm and one leg, the paramedics soon noticed him. "Hey, we should get him in too," one of the medics spoke up. Jack was hoisted on another stretcher and brought in.
In a daze, Jack looked to his side to see who the other patient was. The bloody body was difficult to recognize, but he could tell from the blue fur, the spines, and those iconic gloves and shoes that it was probably Sonic the Hedgehog. How had his body gotten so mangled?
They were sent to the same room to recover. While they would normally have been separated by a curtain, there was none this time. Jack could easily see the hedgehog that shared his recovery room. Sonic was being kept stable, under constant watch by doctors and nurses.
He saw Princess Elise enter the room and he bit his lip. Things must be more serious than I thought, he wondered as he watched the princess mourn softly. Sonic wasn't dead; Jack could tell that much from the droning sound of his heart monitor. The hedgehog was merely beaten up. He'd heal.
Elise was surprised, however, to see the torn body of her best mercenary lying in the very next bed. "Jack, what happened to you?" she asked with some urgency, seeing that he was still conscious.
"I got a little roughed up, ma'am," Jack replied with a groan. "But I'll be fine. I just need some limb replacements and a jumpstart. What's going on? Is that really Sonic?"
Elise gave a solemn nod. She wiped her tears away quickly before replying. "That's him. Imperious returned him just as you were arriving."
"I'm sorry, milady, but who is Imperious? What do you mean when you say Sonic was returned to us?"
"Jack… There is a lot I've had to hide recently," Elise admitted shamefully. "I will say that I am not very proud of it… but I had no other choice."
Jack saw the tears well up in Elise's and frowned. "Princess…. What did you do? What is going on here?"
"Imperious was going to kill him, Jack! He was going to kill Sonic!"
"Princess! Explain slowly and calmly what the hell is going on!"
Elise sighed and gripped the bedpost to stabilize herself. The whirlwind of emotions she was feeling was thrashing against her as she explained, "Imperious is… he's an entity from another dimension. I don't know what he looks like because he is always shrouded in darkness. He captured Sonic and threatened to have him killed if I didn't send you back in time to take out John."
Jack's eyes widened and his clenched his fist. "So… You're telling me that John isn't really a rebel leader?" he asked, surprised at having been so betrayed by his own monarch. "You ordered me to kill someone on the whim that you might save some hedgehog?"
"He's not just some hedgehog, Jack! He's the hero of Mobius; people need him," Elise argued. She was angry for having been accused of frailty.
Their argument was stopped short when a doctor walked in through the door. "Well, I'd say his heroic days are just that—days in the past," he said from behind his mask. "We did everything we could to save his life. But with the way he was torn at, the way he was ripped at, there's just no way for his legs to recover. Scars are deep-seated there, and I'm not sure how he'll heal, but his running days are over."
Seeing the shock he'd instilled in the two, the doctor gave a sigh. "I'll take my leave," he said leaving the room soon after that.
Silence seized the room with its cold grip and dared not to let go. No words were said, no tears were wept. Only the thrum of silence persisted.
[Stop Music]
^/\^|v\/v
Crystal Palace
January-6-140
14:10 Mobius Time
[Now Playing: "Pushing Me Away" by: Linkin Park]
"The kit is the key to this? I still don't understand, Master."
"Miles is fragile. In fact, he is shattering as we speak. We need only wait. He is undergoing a painful test right now…"
Knuckles shivered as he looked around more in the crystal labyrinth. They had been wandering in there for what seemed like hours, though the echidna knew it couldn't have been more than one hour. "Thunder…" he said, grasping for the lion's hand. The echidna was genuinely beginning to feel afraid. This maze of mirrors was beginning to affect him.
"Calm down, Knuckles. You can't let this place get to you," Thunder reassured him, though the lion was unsure of anything around him either. What was real? What was illusion? It was so hard to tell in the spectral halls.
They stumbled through the halls occasionally, feeling the walls for support. Knuckles spotted a blotch of yellow and locked onto it. His eyes widened and he pointed to it. "Thunder…. Is that Tails? It's not just me seeing it, is it?"
"No, I see it too, Knuckles!" Thunder shouted in glee. "Let's go!" Hand in hand, the two ran over to Tails. The kit was unconscious and shivering. His body was becoming coated with heavy crystal deposits.
"We have to get him out of these," Knuckles ordered, kneeling besides Tails. He bashed at that crystal and crushed it, shaking it off of Tails. "C'mon, Tails… c'mon."
With enough shaking, Tails eventually came to. Knuckles set him on the floor and allowed the kit to stand up for himself. When he did, though, Tails' eyes had become sharp, and his lips seemed furled in discontent. "Hey, Tails, you okay?" Knuckles asked cautiously.
The kit turned away and walked down the hall, his steps possessed by a more important thought. Though confused, the lion and echidna followed him closely to make sure Tails didn't get into more trouble. The hollow steps of the fox pattered through the halls. He took calculated turns, carefully directing them.
"Tails, what's going on? Are you okay?" Knuckles asked him again. "Say something, Tails. Don't give us the silent treatment."
"Shut up, Knuckles."
Knuckles was caught off guard by those words. It wasn't the words themselves, rather it was the tone of malice that those words carried; it was the vindictive glare that came with those harsh words that caught him off guard. Something was dark about the kit that he didn't like.
"A test, Master?"
"Yes, and right now, he is failing that test."
Through Tails' calculated guide, they were led into a large chamber. Chandeliers of crystal hung from the ceiling, casting a soft glow from the refraction of light. Upon an altar in the middle of the room was the cyan Sol Emerald.
"Wait a minute, Tails," Thunder spoke up. "It could be a trap. Don't take it right away. You don't know what could happen."
Tails ignored his words, snagging the emerald from the top of the altar. Almost immediately, the entire palace of crystal began to glow with an eerie energy. It rang with a thrum of darkness before lighting up brightly and vanishing. When they opened their eyes again, the three discovered that they were near the edge of a cliff, the very cliff where the palace once stood.
Knuckles was right behind Tails when the kit fell back into his arms. Shivering and exhausted, the kit snuggled into the familiar arms of his strong companion. "Knuckles…" the kit whispered. "I'm so tired."
"I know, Tails. I know," Knuckles said with a sigh. "Can you walk? Or do I need to carry your fluffy butt back down to Lethos?"
"Let's just go, Knuckles. I don't want to talk right now."
Tails' quiet state worried Knuckles slightly, but he tried not to think about it as they descended unto the town again.
"What kind of test is he going through?"
"A test of willpower, Chameleon. He will undergo so many willpower tests. And he will fail. He will fail every time. And it will crush his fragile mind."
James met them at the edge of town, excited to see them. "Ya came back! And you destroyed tha' castle!"
The child ran up to meet them, but slowed down when he saw the kit in Knuckles' arms. "Is 'e okay? Wha' 'appened to 'im?"
"Tails got a little roughed up, but I'm sure he's okay," Thunder covered for the kit. Of course, the issue with Tails is far more serious in terms of his mental health.
"Well, tha's good. I 'ope the bloke comes out aright," James said, rubbing the back of his neck abashedly. "Will ya folks be leaving soon then?"
"That's right," Knuckles said as they walked back to the center of town where Ghost, Cynthia, and Silver were waiting.
"Did you guys get what we came here for?" Silver asked while suspending Ghost in the air. Thunder held up the cyan Sol Emerald as proof of their triumph. "Great. I guess we'll be on our way."
Thunder took two emeralds from his pouch and nodded created the portal. Everyone jumped through the portal except Thunder, Silver, and Ghost. The others had already said their goodbyes to James.
Wittily, Thunder cast a sly gaze and Ghost and smirked. "Glad to see you're hanging in there, John."
"Shut the hell up, Thunder. Your puns are horrible, and you should feel bad."
"Wow, Jonny boy. Can't we just hang out like buddies for once?"
"Shut up, shut up, shut up!"
"Come on now; don't hang up on me like that."
Silver laughed as they continued on through the portal. But they knew not of the darkness that would soon enshroud them.
[Stop Music]