Chapter 1
Eye of the Storm
Espio kept his eyes shut and his hands firmly clasped around the rubber handles. He could feel the plane swaying nauseously from side to side. Lighting exploded overhead causing Espio to brace his head between his knees. His stomach grumbled and Espio had to struggle not to hurl.
"This storm is no joke," Mighty announced cheerfully.
"This isn't a storm," Rouge reminded him. "Not a natural one at least."
"I don't understand how that is even possible," Ray added. He, alone of three, sounded as uncomfortable and afraid as Espio felt. The fact that he was the pilot only made Espio more sick. A hand squeezed his shoulder prompting Espio to crack open one eye. Rouge smiled sardonically down at him. "We're almost there, you might want to wake up now."
Espio raised himself a little in his chair. From beyond the window, he saw a world of cloud and storm. A harsh wind rocked the plane onto its side. Espio's stomach was in free fall and he reached for the closest thing to him, wrapping his arms around Rouge. He closed his eyes and clung to her until Ray straightened the plane back out. Rouge pried Espio's hands off her back and shoved him back in his seat. "Get a grip."
Espio's cheeks burned as he braced his head back between his knees. "Can we land?"
"I'm not seeing anything yet," Ray answered. "I'll have to get close to the water, the storm is making it almost impos-"
Epsio felt the plane nose dive and then violently thrust back up. He slipped forward in his seat and bashed his head into the back of Mighty's chair. Everything turned upside down as the plane started to roll. Espio lost all orientation as he hung limply by his seatbelt. His heart beat at a frenzied pace as a paralyzing fear stole over him. Bang! The plane turned right side up just as it made contact with something. Espio heard the wheels screech as they tried to stop the plane's momentum. He lurched forward in his chair and couldn't hold back the urge to vomit.
Suddenly, the plane came to an abrupt halt that made Espio hit his head again. He fell back in a daze and tried to sink into his chair. A hand grabbed him and shook him. "Get up! Time to go!" Espio didn't move. Crack! The door to the plane was wrenched open. Strong arms seized Epsio and pulled him out of the plane. He collapsed on a wet metal floor and felt a torrent of rain beat down on his head.
Espio staggered to his feet. The others were already busy placing a dark shaded cover over Ray's Glider. Espio took a deep breath and relished the sense of security he felt now that he was out of the air. Now that he was stable again, he took in his surroundings. They had landed on a narrow platform amongst a sea of ruin. Hundreds of partially sunken structures littered the turbulent seas which crashed to and fro in a ceaseless dance. Across the stretch of ruins, Espio could make out the shadow of a massive rig erected far above the water. It was the only structure with lights.
"How do we get there?" Mighty asked as he stood beside Espio. "I don't fancy swimming in these waters."
Rouge pressed her hand on her hip and examined the terrain. "I think we can jump from platform to platform." She indicated a series of floating ruins that led over to the rig.
"And once we get there?" Ray asked nervously.
"Find the Eclipse Canon and set the charges." Rouge swung around the bag she was carrying and reached inside. She handed each of them two thermal detonators. They had gotten the devices from Eggman's pyramid base. After interrogating the president, the group had not wasted any time implementing their plan. Rouge was certain the cannon would be moved if they didn't act on the intel fast enough.
Rouge led the way across the water. She leapt gracefully from one floating ruin to the other. The others followed close behind. Espio had no fear of water, so he made his jumps easily. Ray gilded overhead, not needing to use the ruins at all. Mighty meanwhile, struggled. His jumps were heavy and stomping. Whenever he landed on a ruin it sank deeper into the water forcing him to make a quick escape. Espio watched him out of the corner of his eye, in case he fell. Halfway across, Rouge came to a sudden halt.
Espio stood beside her and signaled for Mighty to wait. Rouge pointed beneath the surface of the water. Espio squinted to see what she was pointing to. Then he saw it, a large, slithering serpent gliding just below the surface of the water. The eyes were yellow and shining brightly, even the skin had a glinty sheen to them. "It's a robot," Espio breathed.
"A badnik," Rouge clarified. "It seems G.U.N is playing right out of the Eggman playbook."
"How many are there-" The question was answered before he could finish. The waters closer to the rig were filled with flashing yellow lights. Each of them connected to a twelve foot long metallic serpent.
Rouge scooped down and retrieved a piece of stray debris, and tossed it into the water. At once, there was a series of snapping noises as the piece of debris was seized upon by a dozen serpentine badniks. The frenetic movement caused a surge of electrical charges that made all the nearby water light up. Rouge retreated from the edge of the platform. "You boys have fun," She said with a wink as her wings extended and she flew up into the air.
Espio turned back to Mighty. The armadillo's face was as pale as a ghost. "I'll get zapped into a crisp if I fall into the water…"
"I could try and carry you over?" Ray said timidly.
Mighty shook his head. "I'm too heavy. There is too great a chance I'll pull us both down."
Espio surveyed the remaining platforms along the path to the rig. There were a few large gaps that Mighty might struggle to leap across. "Don't think about the water," He said. "Just keep your head up and jump. You go first, I'll be right behind you."
Mighty smiled nervously and stepped forward. He leaned out over the edge to gaze at the slithering machines. Mighty gulped as he stole himself for the jump. "Here we go!" Might leapt forward and, as soon as he cleared the gap, he started sprinting towards the next.
Epsio followed behind, gracefully and easily crossing the gaps. With every jump, Mighty seemed to land heavier and with more force, threatening to break the platform beneath him. But he could not stop, he needed his momentum in order to clear the larger gaps. They were only a few jumps away from reaching the rig. Espio watched Mighty closely, but with every jump he was starting to worry less and less.
CRACK! Mighty just barely cleared the largest gap, but his weight was his undoing. The platform snapped beneath him. Mighty flung out his arms as he fell backward towards the water. Espio reacted instantly. "Yari!" A rope sprang from Espio's hand and snaked around Mighty's wrist. Espio leapt into the air and pulled with all his strength. Mighty's armored shell smacked the surface of the water, causing a hundred serpent drones to attack. Their razored talons snapped onto Mighty and tried to pull him back into the water just as Espio landed on the far platform. Espio pulled the rope, but his feet started to slide on the sleek surface. He would have fallen forward, but Ray landed behind him and grabbed him around the chest and pulled, he was followed swiftly by Rouge. With the three of them pulling together they managed to heave Mighty back onto the platform.
Mighty scrambled to his feet and the four of them hurried to the end of the platform, made one final leap, and managed to climb onto the rig. They all fell back on their arms and caught their breath. Mighty started to laugh. "I thought I was done for. Awesome reaction time, Espio."
"How did you do that?" Ray wondered. "Where did that rope even come from?"
"Ninjitsu," Espio answered quickly. "Come on, we don't have time to talk, let's get this over with."
Rouge led the way as the team kept to the shadows. They snuck around the far end of the base and towards the more illuminated area. There seemed to be only one entrance into the main tower and it was guarded by several smaller guard houses. "Wait here," Espio hissed. He made a complex series of hand gestures, and his skin shifted hue to blend into the background.
He strode out into the open, covered by his camouflage and the darkness. Espio walked right up to the entrance, but did not see a single guard. Goosebumps shivered on Espio's back. Something's not right. The glass doors that led into the main tower slid apart at his approach. A white hallway branched out in front of him into several smaller passageways. At the far end was a single elevator. Espio stepped forward cautiously.
It was more difficult for him to maintain his camouflage in the all white hallway. He glanced up at the cameras mounted on the ceiling and wondered if the operators could see him. Espio was halfway to the elevator when the glass doors behind him closed. There was the faintest change in pressure in the room that alerted Espio to his danger. Instinctively, he leapt up and clung to the ceiling. Just in time, as a second later, a red beam shot across the room.
"You're a slippery little menace," A voice echoed out of an intercom. The voice was that of a woman. Espio felt that he knew the voice from somewhere, but he could not place it. "Did you really think you could just walk in here and destroy our most valuable asset?"
Espio landed back on the floor and removed his camouflage. He turned towards the camera and smiled at it. "So it is still here."
A heavy pause followed. "Kill him!" Boots rang out in all directions. Espio retreated just as a swarm of armored grunts came pouring into the hallway.
"Kemuir!" Espio tossed the smoke bomb into the air just as the soldiers opened fire. He lay flat to the ground and crawled forward beneath their bullets. Once he was covered by the smoke, Espio leapt into the air with both fists full of Kunai. He threw them out, each dart striking their target right in the opening in their armor. The soldiers gasped in pain before falling backward. Espio had coated his weapons in a diluted poison that would knock a human out.
Espio did not have long to savor his victory. From across the smoke, he saw a pair of glinting red eyes glaring back at him. Whrrrr! A fierce wind cleared the smoke away in a mere instant. Two steel coated machines stood guard in front of the elevator. Each was shaped like a mixture between a hedgehog and a sword. Every part of their frame was angular and sharp, even their fingers were extended into serrated blades. Between their glowing red eyes was set a pink gem which pulsed with vibrant energy.
"Do you like them?" The voice from the intercom asked mockingly.
"Metal Sonics….real original," Espio used this pause to take a few more steps back.
"These prototypes should not even be compared to that amateurish scrap of parts. These droids have been overlaid with the most advanced armor plating known to science. The NT-1, also known as diamond coating. Your little tricks and gadgets cannot even scratch them. Each one is operated by a super computer, capable of making innumerable battlefield calculations in less than a heartbeat. Say hello to your demise, Super Diamond Metal So-" CRASH!
Espio's kunai buried itself right into the heart of the pink gem. The Diamond Sonic staggered back into the elevator doors. Espio tightened his grip around the rope connecting his wrist to the knife. "I'll take that!" He pulled and the gem tore out of the machine's skull. The voice on the intercom screamed as the Diamond Sonic crumpled into a useless heap.
"KILL HIM!"
The second machine roared to life and sprang into action. Its sword-like hands came slashing forward in a cyclone of blades. Espio just managed to slip beneath it. It's fast. Espio leapt to his feet and threw a barrage of throwing stars. They bounced off the machine's armor without leaving the faintest damage. When the Diamond Sonic whirled back around, it stopped spinning and placed a hand over the power gem to shield it. So they do learn…
Espio wasn't given a chance to think more. The Diamond Sonic rushed forward again, this time, it changed its strategy, attacking head on. Espio punched and kicked, but his every attack glanced harmlessly off the machine's exterior. He threw smoke grenades and kunai, but his weapons may as well have been made out of rubber for all the good they did.
The Diamond Sonic clenched one of its hands around Espio's throat. There was a grinding sound as it tightened its grip. The room blurred as Espio was lifted off the ground. The pressure in his neck was so intense he thought it might snap. BANG!
The sliding doors exploded. "Let him go!" Espio heard Rouge shout. Espio was swung around like a rag doll and thrown forward. He covered his head as he smashed directly into Ray. Rouge and Mighty charged forward as Ray attempted to help Espio to his feet.
"The gem…" Espio croaked. "The gem is his weakness."
Mighty and Rouge were no more effective than Espio was at damaging the Diamond Sonic. It threw them off with contemptible ease and its eyes flashed red. "Get down!" Espio pulled Rouge aside as a huge blast of red lasers swept over them.
"I got this!" Mighty rolled into a ball and dashed forward. The red laser blasts glanced off of Mighty's shell. Mighty bounced upward and smashed down on the droid's head. This only annoyed it more, it seized Mighty by the ankles and tossed him hard into one of the walls, breaking the white panels.
Ray let out a scream of rage and rushed forward. Diamond Sonic tried to grab him as well, but Ray managed to slip its grasp.
"Is this thing invincible?" Rouge asked in annoyance. She reached into her bag and drew out some thermal charges. "I hate to waste these…"
Espio grabbed her arm. "Don't. They won't work anyway. We have to remove the gem inside its head." He pointed to the disabled Diamond Sonic near the elevator. "That is their power supply."
Rouge pursed her lips. She looked at Espio and then back at her bag. "I got an idea."
Meanwhile, Mighty had rejoined the fight. His punches were strong enough to break walls, and while he couldn't put a dent in the Diamond Sonic's armor, he could at least knock it backward. Mighty seized the Diamond Sonic by each hand and the two of them locked in a struggle. Diamond Sonic's eyes burned red as he prepared to fire down directly into Mighty's face. This was interrupted as Ray took the machine's quills and pulled them backward forcing the blasts up into the ceiling. Tiles collapsed, covering the room in dust and smoke.
"Now's your chance!" Rouge urged Espio.
He sprang forward just as Mighty and Ray ran backward. Unfazed by the smoke, Diamond Sonic covered its gem with both hands. Espio didn't care, he threw the thermal charge directly at Diamond Sonic's face while leaping over it and unleashing a rain storm of throwing knives. Unsure of how to defend, Diamond Sonic kept his hands over its gem. The thermal charge exploded right in its face, causing its arms to be knocked aside.
In that brief second, Rouge attacked. She jabbed a piece of broken ceiling into the heart of the gem and ripped it free of its casing. Diamond Sonic collapsed immediately.
They all gathered near the elevator to collect themselves. Rouge placed the two pink gems into her bag. "It's about time we knew what these really are."
"It doesn't matter," The woman's voice from the intercom returned. "You won't make it up here. Even as we speak, there are more on the way. Soon this whole island will be surrounded by G.U.N forces. You will never make it up here before they arrive."
The white lights in the room turned red. A grate dropped down in front of the elevator. "You may as well get comfortable, you will not-" The voice died as Rouge threw a shard of wall panel at the nearest intercom.
"Can you hack this?" Espio asked, indicating the console near the elevator.
Rouge took a brief glance and shook her head. "It's no use. We will have to find another way around."
"Hold on, let me give it a try." Ray drew out a tiny screwdriver and knelt down beside the console. He fit the narrow end into a small gap and managed to pull loose the keyboard. Ray scratched his chin as he surveyed the complex wiring underneath. "It would take hours to try and override this, and even if we did, there is probably a remote system to stop me from opening the elevator."
"Is there anything we can do?" Mighty pressed.
"We could overload the system, but we'd need something extraordinarily powerful."
"Something like this?" Rouge reached into her bag and drew out one of the pink gems.
"That should do it, but we have to be careful, there is no telling how strong the blowback will be."
"Let me do it." Mighty took the gem from Rouge and approached the console. "You guys wait outside, my shell can protect me from pretty much anything."
Espio, Rouge and Ray retreated out of the tower. They watched as Mighty drove the fist holding the gem deep into the console. There was a dazzling flash of pink light followed by a loud Boom! Espio covered his face, and by the time he could see again, all the lights inside the tower had gone down. Ray rushed inside calling for Mighty.
"I'm alright," He called back. Without any security hinges to keep them in place, Mighty was able to throw off the grates covering the elevator and pry open the doors. The elevator shaft was completely dark, with only a faint ring of light illuminating a floor several dozen feet above them.
"I'll stay here and keep watch," Mighty said as he stared up at the vertical ascent. He handed the few thermal charges he had over to Ray.
Espio ran up the sides of the shaft, while Rouge flew up gracefully. Ray was forced to jump back and forth, gliding slightly between jumps in order to ascend. The rig was so tall it took them several minutes to reach the highest floor. Beyond the closed elevator door, they could see a faint purplish light trickling from between the gaps. Ray drew out his screwdriver, fit it between the doors and slowly managed to pry open a small opening.
The three of them stepped into a glass atrium. They all paused momentarily to take in the strange beauty of the scene. The perpetual storm raging outside served as a kind of mosaic, transforming the simple glass chamber into a dome with an almost church-like atmosphere. Something about the glass walls muffled the sound of the storm, making the pouring rain and streaks of thunder, almost comfortable and peaceful.
At the center of the dome, entrenched within a deep bowl, was the Eclipse Canon. Espio did not need to have seen it before to know what he was looking at. The weapon was massive, nearly fifty feet long and twenty feet high. A complex halo of magnetized rings spiraled around the base of the weapon, while four spherical pistons heaved up and down its body. The movement gave off the impression as if the weapon was alive, something further enhanced by the low airy sound as if a great monster was breathing softly.
The light that had been issuing out into the elevator shaft was coming from the Eclipse Canon. A brilliant rainbow of neon purple light formed a semi transparent curtain over the weapon. The source of this rainbow came from the center of the weapon, a great "X" shape where the heart would be. Seven open pedestals were outfitted with unmatching metal cages. Crudely inserted into these cages, were seven pink gems.
The trio had all stopped to gaze in awe at the weapon. Espio had never been struck by such a sense of genuine awe and spine numbing dread. He knew with the same certainty that he knew his own name, that this was a power beyond all of their understanding, a power beyond nature, and one that did not belong in the world.
"She's beautiful, isn't she?" Espio tensed as soon as he heard that voice. Instinct made him move before his mind was even cognisant of the danger. He grabbed Rouge and threw them both sideways into Ray knocking them all onto the floor. BANG! BANG! BANG! Gunshots struck the ground where they had been an instant before.
"Hikari!" Espio flung the fireball into the air and it exploded into a bright white light, illuminating the rest of the atrium. He saw Fang from the other side of the Eclipse Canon moving to get into a position to fire. "Move!"
Rouge and Ray did not need to be told twice. Each of them took to the sky as Fang released another round of gunfire. Espio stayed low and rolled until he reached cover. "He's not alone!" Espio cried out, but his warning was not needed. A second later there was a loud, manic laugh and an explosion. Ray screamed and dropped out of the sky.
Espio's heart seemed to leap into his throat. He forgot all about the mission. Rapid images of Charmy and Vector came flooding into his mind. His hands tightened into fists and he sprang out of his hiding place. BANG! BANG! BANG! Gunshots fired, but they only managed to strike the smoke bombs Espio had flung in front of him. Concealed beneath the smoke, Espio raced forward.
He was dimly aware of the sound of Rouge engaging in combat to his right, but he did not stop. All that mattered was that he got to Fang. A series of metal stands were set around the Eclipse Cannon, and Fang had decided to conceal himself somewhere underneath. Espio slipped underneath one of the rows and changed his skin hue to match the lighting. He crept forward, listening intently for the faint sound of movement. He caught sight of Fang, hiding behind a pillar. Fang looked out, but it did not seem as if he could see Espio. This was the closet Espio had gotten to the jackal since they had first met. Fang's mouth was curled in a twisted smile and he munched on a long string of wheat.
Espio's hand tightened around his knife. Only a few more inches, and he would be close enough to throw. There would be no way for Fang to dodge. Espio thought of Charmy, gunned down when was already wounded and scared. The thought made his blood boil and Espio accidentally stepped too quickly. The sound made Fang draw back. He fired his gun blindly before tossing a grenade forward and diving backward. Espio threw his knife, but it missed badly. He raced backward just as the grenade exploded, blowing up the stands.
"Hah! Hah! Hah!" Fang cackled with laughter as he emerged from the debris. He stood beneath a set of tall doors and waved at Espio, before turning around and escaping.
Espio stood frozen in place. The rest of the chamber had devolved into an open battlefield. Ray was spiraling in the air, trying to escape the explosions of Bean, meanwhile Rouge was locked in a close quarters fight with Bark. "Espio!" She cried. "Get the bag and set the charges!" Espio looked and saw that a bag of thermal charges had been dropped only a few feet away from the Eclipse Canon.
But he gave them only a passing glance. He was already racing towards where Fang had gone. Rage had overruled his basic senses, Espio could feel the blood pumping in his ears. He could barely hear Rouge as she screamed out his name.
Espio ran down a long tall hallway. He paused at every turn, expecting Fang to have turned around to try and attack. "You're coming for me are you?" Fang's voice echoed from the far end of the hall. "Good, let's finish this then. Just you and me."
Espio lowered his head and ran forward as fast as he could. Presently, he heard footsteps ahead of him. Fang was running away, but he wasn't fast enough. Espio urged his body to go even faster. The glass door at the end of the hall opened as Fang escaped outside. Espio was hot on his trail, reaching the doors only a few seconds later. He emerged out onto a landing platform at the very top of the rig. Rain beat down on top of him and the sound of the storm was so deafening, it drowned out everything else.
Espio stood still and looked around. He could not see Fang anymore, but there was nowhere else for him to have gone. The road ended at a circular helicopter pad with nothing but hundred foot drops in every direction. Espio strode forward cautiously. In one hand, he held a smoke bomb, and in the other, a fist full of ninja stars. The rain made it difficult for him to see even a few feet ahead, and he could hear nothing but thunder.
Dimly, Espio saw a shadow ahead of him. It slowly materialized to the vague outline of a coat and hat. "Let's end this the old fashioned way," Fang's voice called out of the storm. "An old fashioned duel."
Espio paused and crouched down. "Fine by me."
"I'll do the count. 3…2…1-" On one, Espio hurled his smoke bomb forward and threw half his ninja stars. The smoke exploded just as Espio launched himself forward. He sprinted through the mist like a bolt of thunder and emerged onto the other side. His knife delved straight through the top of the hat. It was empty. Espio stood still with the hat fluttering in the wind. He just managed to turn his head and see Fang walking through the smoke he had made. "I win." Espio flinched just as the bullet struck him in the shoulder. He fell back, wobbled on the edge of the platform, slipped and fell.
An eternity seemed to pass before Espio finally reached the water. The surface broke beneath him as if he had fallen through concrete. Stars blinded him as he sank down into the depths. The pain ravaging his body lessened as he drank mouthfuls of sea water. A strange peace seemed to steal over him. He felt oddly relaxed as if he were drifting off to sleep. Something moved in front of him. He saw a faint spark of light, and for a moment, he thought it was Charmy. "I'm sorry…" He could not avenge his friend, but he could at least join him.
The shadow moved closer. Yellow lights illuminated its long, slender body. The badnik opened its jaws to reveal a set of rotating pincers. Sparks of electricity shot from its tail, breaking back the darkness of the water, revealing hundreds upon hundreds of the metal monsters. The pain returned as Espio started to scream. His lungs burned as they filled with salt. A metal jaw clamped down on his leg just as two others bit him on either arm. Espio tried to wrestle himself free, but the combined weight of all the bandiks pulled him further underwater. With the last of his energy, Espio pulled one hand free and raised it as high as he could. "Yari!"
