"It's good to have you back."
A hug couldn't fix it all.
Knuckles tore away from Silver's grip quickly, eyes wild with a storm of emotions. "Where is everyone-?! Is it just you-? No, what are Tikal and Metal doing here-?!" Knuckles yelled in increasing anger and panic.
"I mean, we're all still trying to figure that out-" Silver admitted, stepping back from the echidna with his hands up in surrender.
"Tikal shouldn't be here… if she's here, what about Chaos-? Oh no…" The echidna shook his head. "Did the Master Emerald shatter?!"
"I don't- I don't know-" Silver stuttered out, Knuckles' yelling beginning to wear him down.
"Where is the Master Emerald?! Where is Angel Island?!" Knuckles asked desperately.
"Again, I don't know!" Silver tried his best to sound firm. "And to be honest, that's all kind of low on the priority list-"
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT'S LOW PRIORITY?!" Knuckles snapped.
"Okay, okay – poor wording-" Silver held his hand up to his forehead. "What I'm trying to say is – it's kind of hard to figure out anything about the emeralds when we barely know where we are in the first place. Right now, we're just trying to gather up all our friends-"
Knuckles gripped onto Silver's arms so tightly that he could have sworn they'd be crushed if Knuckles applied even the slightest more pressure. "Where is Sonic?! Tails?! Amy-?!"
"Sonic is… fine, presumably. I can't speak for anyone else-"
"Where is he?" Knuckles immediately looked around the train cart for a glimpse of the hedgehog's face.
"Not here-" Silver said as the echidna looked back at him – distraught.
"Then where-?!"
"Please." Tikal's voice was barely more powerful than a breath, but it startled the two boys enough to grab their attention. "Let the yelling cease… discussions can be held at a later time at which our minds are settled." She said, sitting up with a tired gaze.
Her words only served to aggrevate Knuckles further. He let go of Silver and almost stomped towards Tikal, glaring firociously. "Did you have something to do with it?" A growl edged his tone. "Was this your twisted idea of a helpful vision?!"
"I would not wish to place such torment upon you, Knuckles." Her voice quivered, and Silver was surprised by how hurt she seemed in her eyes. "I've caused enough harm in my time..." She averted her gaze away from them.
Silver wanted to ask her what she meant by that, but Knuckles wasn't about to give him the opportunity. "What was I supposed to learn from that?! Chaos said I was to remain there until I learnt something... but it just made me live through the massacre again! Was that...?" It was clear that Knuckles was just thinking aloud now. "Was I supposed to learn about the greed of my people? As if I don't already know that's what led to their demise?"
"You understand now... the origin of the power... the first guardian that walked the planet." Tikal explained slowly. "I bestowed the power of the Master Emerald on a good man, who was driven to protect the remains of his home and his people. Viracocha is your distant ancestor - and the duties of a guardian have been passed down your lineage ever since. That is why you have this duty-"
"So..." Knuckles closed his eyes, and clenched his fists as he took in a breath. "I have you to blame for it all, then?"
Silver froze.
"You're the reason I had to spend so much of my life alone?"
Tikal flinched at his words. "My Guardian..."
"Don't. Don't call me that." Knuckles shook his head.
"Come on, man-" Silver stepped in between the two, placing a hand on Knuckles' shoulder. "Saying these things... it isn't like you."
Knuckles sharply pulled his shoulder away, and continued to ignore Silver's presence. Whatever this was - it seemed to be between just him, and Tikal. His voice grew louder as his frustrations continued to build. "Don't you think it's cruel? Some God decided the best way to deal with his people was not to guide them, or correct them - no! Instead, he committed a massacre! You can't look me in the eyes and say that all of them deserved to to die!"
Tikal didn't seem able to bring herself to argue - with her shoulders bunched in and her head looking down towards the floor, she made herself look small - helpless. It left room for Knuckles to continue on, but Silver instead tried to cut in once more.
"You must be tired after everything you've been through. How about you just take a rest?" First Sonic, now Knuckles - he was seeing sides to them that were completely new to him. Sonic - panicked and desperate, and Knuckles seeming to resent his position as Guardian - rather than wearing it with pride.
"Ha! Rest..." Knuckles scoffed at Silver. "I haven't had a rest since... since- I can't even remember!" He snapped at him. "I don't get to rest, Silver. Because I have an emerald to look after! Because I have to do a job I never asked for! Tell me, Tikal..." He went back to addressing her. "Tell me. Was the duty of a Guardian an 'honour' you bestowed on a hopelessly grieving man to compensate for what he lost - or was it a punishment? A needlessly cruel punishment for the echidna generations to come - to make them suffer for the sins of their ancestors despite having no involvement themselves!"
Knuckles' body was trembling as the fires of rage burned beneath his skin. Silver realised that if he wasn't able to stop this soon, the echidna might just explode. Knuckles' temper was renowned for being fierce, and he was finally starting to witness it in its true form. "Knuckles... please." Silver urged him. "We're all stressed so let's just take a breather-"
Knuckles whipped around to face the hedgehog - eyes burning, fangs visible in his mouth as he was ready to yell.
Then suddenly, he fell forward - body limp. He would have toppled over Silver if the hedgehog hadn't managed to catch him. Silver grunted, not prepared for the sudden weight of Knuckles' unconcious body.
The hedgehog glanced up and saw Metal Sonic slowly lifting his arm down. Silver hadn't even realised Metal Sonic had moved from his seat. For a moment, he worried that Metal had taken a sudden turn to his old ways.
Silver sighed quietly with relief - that wasn't the case, made clear by the fact the robot remained standing still. He couldn't hold Knuckles up for much longer, so he activated his powers to lift the echidna instead. Ignoring how odd it was that his powers seemed to work and not work at random - he lifted Knuckles slowly through the air, setting him down across an empty pair of chairs. Finally, Knuckles could lay down and rest - if only for a little while.
No one said anything. Tikal's face was partially concealed by her dreads falling in front of it.
"Does... anyone have a blanket? Or anything of that nature...?" Silver asked finally. Metal Sonic walked to one of the luggage compartments above the seats before prying it open. Unsurprisingly, there was nothing to be found, so he faced Silver and shrugged.
"Right." Silver said. "At least the train isn't too cold... or anything." Silver looked back towards the red echidna - with his eyes closed, he was breathing slowly and steadily. Unless you had been there to see it, you couldn't have predicted he had been an emotional wreck just a minute before. "Do you think he... think he's going to be alright?" Silver asked Tikal.
"I'm sorry..." It was a struggle to hear her. "I just... need some time to myself right now." Abruptly, she got up from her seat - still unable to show her face to anyone. She practically jogged to the door at the end of the carriage, and they slid open for her - before shutting behind the echidna, giving her the seclusion she desired in the next carriage.
It left Silver and Metal Sonic standing - exchanging a wordless glance, but at the same time - a mutual sympathy.
"Metal... do you feel as though Tikal might be hiding something?" Silver asked.
The robot didn't do anything at first, and Silver was about to give it up - until the robot actually nodded.
"... Hopefully, it's nothing... bad. Right?"
"Wait, you know Rouge?" Amy asked in disbelief. "You worked with her?" Amy paused in the middle of dusting the mantelpiece.
"Yep." Jet sighed, leaning back in his chair. "Interesting times… We're still in touch with her, somewhat. After that miserable assassination attempt though… there's a bit more of a distance, I'll say that much."
"Assassination-? You mean, at the festival?" Amy asked for clarification, narrowing her eyes.
"Yeah – she was supposed to kill Robotnik, but that wolf girl took a shot before our plan could even be put in motion." He rolled his eyes. "Seriously, what took her so long-?"
"Jet." Wave spoke through gritted teeth, looking up from her work to glare at him. She was using the living room floor as a makeshift workshop – with tools scattered everywhere as she made adjustments to her extreme gear. She typically ignored the conversations going on around her, but what Jet had said was enough to provoke her involvement. "Could you stop revealing everything we've been doing?"
"And the amount of fucks I give about that?" He pressed his forefinger and thumb together. "Zero."
"Zero!" Storm piped up in support haughtily at Wave, leaning himself against Jet's chair.
"We've all established we hate Robotnik – what's the point in hiding anything?" Jet continued on, only to be met with Wave rolling her eyes.
"I… wow, it's difficult to believe you guys ever worked together in the first place – let alone trying to kill Robotnik…" Amy said, scratching the side of her head with her free hand. "Rouge has made my job as Station Square's Egg Boss… a challenge."
Jet's smile was smug. "Yeah, well – I did teach her everything she knows, so-"
"No, you didn't." Wave quickly corrected him. "She was the best thief in the world before you even met her."
"Hey, who's side are you on?!" Jet asked incredulously.
"Not yours." Wave picked up her screwdriver as Jet folded his arms in a huff. Storm shook his head in disapproval of Wave's lack of support for their leader.
The hawk then decided to get petty. "You know… your mechanics work belongs in your room. Not here."
"And I'm not going to listen to the rules you make up when you're butthurt." Wave retorted, not looking up from her board. "So shut up, idiot."
"Whiner."
"Brat."
"So! As we were saying-" Amy quickly halted the insult train. "How did you guys meet Rouge, exactly?"
"Pah!" Jet waved his hand dismissvely. "Is it really that important? We met at the beginning of the Empire's takeover, that's all. We worked together for a time to make sure we all survived, then stuff happened then blah-"
"What she wants Jet - is a story." Wave spun the screwdriver in her hand. "And a story she shall get, because I'm happy to tell it."
"Oh, here we go..." Jet sighed. "Once you set her off she'll be going for hours." Jet looked over to Storm for validation - but he didn't get it. The albatross had an excited sparkle in his eyes before realising Jet was looking at him, and his face grew red in embarrassment.
"Oh, yes... uh- hours." Storm forced himself to agree, causing Jet to scoff.
Wave ignored the protests. "As Jet said - it was only a couple of weeks after Robotnik's initial attack on the world. We had been staying in a hotel ahead of a grand prix we were supposed to be a part of in Central City - but when robots began to fill the streets, we managed to take off in our air ship-"
"Air ship?" Amy questioned in surprise.
"The Zeppelin..." Jet surprised her as he spoke with a forlorn longing.
"It's rude to interrupt." Wave pointed out bitterly before continuing. "Rudeness aside, we took off and managed to survive in the air on our own for a while - flying out towards remote areas where we were unlikely to be followed by any bots. However, what we didn't anticipate - someone else would be on our tail, and they wouldn't be affiliated with the Empire..."
Wave walked out of her workshop, rubbing her eyes after having pulled an all-nighter of intense work. She had deemed it important to ensure all their extreme gear was upgraded to ensure they'd last longer, and travel even faster. Any one of these days - their ship could get shot down, and their boards would be their only hope of escape.
She wasn't sure whether it was tiredness or something else, but she could have sworn she saw something move out of the corner of her eye. Wave looked back towards the door of her workshop, but nothing seemed amiss.
Oh well.
She continued to walk until she heard a loud crash, followed by annoyed swearing coming from a voice she didn't recognise. That had definitely come from her workshop.
She immediately turned and swung the door of the room back open. "Who do you think you-?! Oh-"
The swallow and a bat made eye contact. The bat was reaching over the workbench, in the middle of attempting to snatch up the tools belonging to the bird. There was also a sack on the floor - no doubt filled with other stolen items. It didn't take long for Wave's gaze to drift towards Rouge's arm - or rather, what was left of it. It was just a bandaged stub now.
"Rouge?" Wave narrowed her eyes in disbelief. That was her, right? The legendary bat thief!
The tips of Rouge's fingers inched closer to the tools.
"Don't." Wave raised her finger. "Don't you think about it."
Rouge continued to stare at Wave, she wasn't about to stop.
"Last warn-"
Abruptly, the bat snatched up the tools and tossed them into the bag. She picked up the sack with her hand and made a break for the door. Wave stood with her stance wide - ready to tackle Rouge, but the bat had other plans. With a heavy kick, she launched Wave aside and slammed her against the wall - leaving the exit clear to run through.
Wave coughed and struggled to get her breath back, before gritting her teeth. Who did that girl think she was?! The swallow looked towards the extreme gear in the room and let out a frustrated growl. It all needed to be callibrated! She couldn't use it now - ugh, she'd just have to be quick.
Wave sprinted out the room, and when she saw an empty hallway - she knew there was no way she could know where Rouge had went unless she checked the cameras.
...
"JET!" Wave snapped loudly as she came to the entrance of Jet's office., slamming Storm against the doorframe to get him out of the way. She kept the albatross pinned there. "We have an intruder!"
Jet, unsurpsingly, had been sleeping at his desk. He snorted as he was suddenly woken up - almost toppling over in his chair before he grabbed his desk to stop himself. "H-huh? What-?"
"Check the cameras! Where is Rouge?!" She snapped at him.
"I'll... do you one better. Who is Rouge?" He asked, still sleepy as he scratched his head.
"I'll do you one better-" Storm began, obviously angry he was being pinned by Wave. "Why is Rouge?!"
"Oh my God!" Wave exclaimed. "You two are such massive idiots!" She finally let go of the albatross and skidded behind the desk so she could look at the live feed. It showed Rouge running through the halls - and one glance towards the footage of the hangar told her where she was going immediately. "Why is the hangar open?!" Wave exclaimed. "How did you not notice the hangar open, Jet?! We have an alarm system for that!"
Jet peered at the screen closer. "What's that bag-?"
"IT'S GOT OUR STUFF IN IT!" She screeched with a large voice crack.
"Oh, hell no-" Jet stood up. "The spare boards are in the closet!" He pointed to it. "Let's catch this thief!"
...
The three swept past the bat with tremendous speeds, blocking her way right before reaching the exit of the hangar. On the way, Jet had managed to swipe the bag right out of her hand. Even on old, spare boards - their speed was tremendous.
Rouge was forced to halt, glaring at the rogues with fury.
"Where do you think you're going?" Jet asked her angrily. "I don't take kindly to thieves in my domain."
Unphased, Rouge raised a brow. "Aren't you guys all thieves yourselves?"
"Still doesn't give you the right to steal from us!"
"Of course." Rouge rolled her eyes. "Look, let's not waste time here - and let me make my terms plain. You can hand that bag to me, and I'll leave you alone. If you don't want to do that, we'll fight. I'll win, throw your asses overboard - and take control of your whole ship. So, what's it going to be?" She frowned.
"And what makes you think we can't take you in a fight?!" Jet narrowed his eyes, but Wave held up her hand to interrupt their conversation.
"Ugh, antagonising each other like this won't get us anywhere." Wave pointed out with annoyance. "I can tag a third option onto that." She folded her arms, and looked to make sure she had everyone's attention. "We're all in the same situation here - all thieves, all looking for means of escape and survival after those robot attacks - right?"
No one objected.
"So why the heck should we fight and steal from each other? Wouldn't working together be better for all of us?"
"Wave!" Jet spluttered in shock. "We don't work with others! We're the babylon rogues - we don't need anyone else! Let's just send her packing-"
"I could throw her out of this ship like she's a toothpick!" Storm claimed.
"You don't get it, Jet-" Wave said. For a moment, the rogues seemed to forget they were in the same room as Rouge. Instead of taking advantage of this moment however, Rouge waited - almost as though she were interested in what Wave had suggested. "Rouge, although she might not look it - is literally the best thief on the planet right now! And a renowned fighter at that - what idiots would we be if we didn't take advantage of this?" Wave then pointed at Rouge, adressing her. "And you'd be an idiot if you gave up the opportunity to live on our ship and have a crew!"
Jet made some incomprehensible noises before turning his head away with a pout.
"Well, I'm not against it - if your leader decides to not be so stubborn." Rouge shrugged.
"And how do I know you're not going to betray us?" Jet asked, folding his arms.
Rouge's ears drooped slightly, her shoulders dropping as she sighed. "Well, might as well address the elephant in the room-" She looked towards what was left of her arm, moving it slightly - even though it caused her to flinch. "I'm not exactly performing at my best right now... so if you're actually offering shelter, food, the like- I'd rather take advantage of that opportunity. As Wave said, it'd be stupid not to. I know you Babylon Rogues - you've got quite the reputation. I know you're all skilled."
It was the praise, and only the praise - that made Jet consider allowing Rouge on the ship as a viable option. "And if you join us - you understand that it isn't going to be some easy cruise - we're going to make you work." He warned her.
"Wouldn't expect anything else." Rouge told him.
Observing his two teammates - he was met with Wave nodding at him encouragingly, wanting her plan to be followed through. Storm's face told him nothing, but he knew the bird was about to agree with whatever ended up coming out of his mouth next.
Another look at the stub caused Jet's gaze to soften ever so slightly. "Whatever- you can stay with us. I guess. If this goes wrong, I'm blaming Wave."
"We worked together pretty well after that! We hunted for supplies on the ground with our ship as the home base." Wave finished explaining. "We had Rouge just doing cleaning chores at first, but she worked her way up."
"Oh, so like you guys have me doing now?" Amy smiled with some amusment.
"Pretty much." Wave said.
"But if everything between you worked so well - how come you guys still aren't together? And- where's your air ship now?"
"Enough storytime for now." Jet proclaimed loudly. "I have a kitchen that needs to be cleaned. Storm, go with her. Make sure you dust the places she can't reach." Jet commanded him.
"You got it, boss!" Storm gave him a salute, picking up his own duster from where Amy was - and making his way out towards the kitchen. He never questioned anything he was told, and always seemed to be in agreement with Jet - it made Amy curious. She was actually somewhat glad to be given the opportunity to be alone with him, even if Jet hadn't given the answers to satsify her curiosities.
She'd find out soon enough, right?
Amy picked up her own duster and strolled into the kitchen, closing the door behind her. Storm was already at work, reaching up to the top of the cupboards. "Hey, Storm." She smiled.
"Hello!" He beamed right back.
"Um... I had a question for you, actually." She admitted. "I don't want to be nosy-"
"It's okay, I like answering questions!" He assured her, before humming to himself - concentrating on dusting again.
"Well, I don't know how personal it is. I was just curious - how come you follow Jet with such..." She struggled to find the right word. "Devotion? Like- I don't know if I could do the same, I mean-" She was about to call attention to Jet's ego and frankly douchey nature - but she felt like Storm wouldn't appreciate it, so she danced with her words. "He's certainly... unique."
"Oh, that's easy." Storm said. "I trust Jet. We Rogues have been together for as long as I can remember - inseperable! Even though we argue a lot, there's nothing we wouldn't do for each other." He smiled at her.
"Huh, that's nice." She tried to sound optimistic - but she honestly didn't believe it. "But... I'm not sure if trust explains why you seem to agree with him all the time, on everything-"
"That's because I've chosen to dedicate my life to him. Before the Rogues formed... my life didn't have a purpose, but once I was in a team - I decided that my purpose would be to become the best teammate I could ever be! That means supporting my leader at all costs."
"Purpose, huh?" Amy repeated. "Is having a purpose in life... really that important?"
"I think it is." Storm said. "Having a purpose - something you're driven by - it's what allows you to succeed and be the best in what you do. It's how we Rogues managed to climb our way to the top!" He claimed. "Wave's purpose is to create the best extreme gears ever made! And Jet's purpose is to be the fastest thing alive! And more recently it's been to find the-"
He stopped abruptly. "Actually I... don't think he wants me to say that."
They continued to withhold things from her. She couldn't blame them. "I see."
"So, what's your purpose?" Storm asked innocently.
"My... purpose?" She looked at him. "Oh, I- I don't have one."
Storm eyed her curiously. "Sure you do. There has to be a reason you're working for Robotnik, despite the fact you don't like him."
Amy's face twisted uncomfortably as old memories began to surface. "It's... not that simple, I had a reason for joining - now I... I just can't leave, if I try to - I know I'll die. It's impossible to leave."
A pause. "If Jet has taught me anything, it's that nothing is impossible. You'll find your purpose, I know you will. It's dangerous to live without one - who knows what you'll be influenced by otherwise?"
Amy bit her lip. "Interesting... perspective. Thank you - for answering my question..."
Sonic had been following Knuckles' lead blindly - partially because he trusted the echidna, but mostly because the frown on Knuckles' face warned Sonic that it was best not to ask him any questions right now.
Yet - enough silence had passed, and Sonic was finally willing to test the boundaries. "How's the emerald signal?"
"Can't feel it anymore. But since Shadow wasn't in the city not long ago - the emeralds leave behind a visible trail wherever they travel. I'm following the blue line of energy, even though it's faded."
"A trail?" Sonic questioned with surprise. "I've never heard of that before..." He couldn't recall his Knuckles or Shadow ever mentioning that. It was always the case of sensing them, like a magnetic pull - never something that could be seen.
"I have these abilities because I'm the guardian."
The differences between the two versions of Knuckles continued to irk him - mainly because they didn't make sense. Why did one version have access to all these powers, where his Knuckles didn't? Was the original Knuckles hiding these abilities? Why, for what purpose?
No, Knuckles wasn't the type to lie. Ever. That was one thing you could count on.
Then... the original Knuckles really didn't have these powers. If that was the case, the question was still why.
The sound of an engine rumbling in the air caught both of their attention. Sonic suddenly felt his quills blowing in the wind, before he was abruptly slapped by Knuckles' long dreadlocks that swung around harshly in the air.
"It's the fox." Knuckles said with a hint of a growl.
"Huh-?" Sonic stepped aside, finally able to see what Knuckles was talking about.
Sonic's eyes widened at the sight of a small air ship making it's way down onto the same rooftop they were stood on - the most notable thing about it, to him at least, was an emblem on the ship that consisted of two yellow tails with white tips. It was how Knuckles had been able to identify who's ship it was.
Sonic froze, his breath held.
The pair stared at the ship as it finally touched down and the engines ceased. Knuckles raised his fists in front of his face, prepared to fight the moment Tails- ugh, Miles - the moment Miles stepped out the doors.
"Sonic and Knuckles..." Miles said when the doors slid open. "My, what a pleasure it is to see you both." He stepped off the ship, adorned in a long, white lab coat - wearing a pair of long black boots. They made him look unordinarily tall, despite the fact Sonic knew he was no taller than the original. "Ease the fists, echidna. I come with no intent to harm."
Slowly, Knuckles lowered them - but Sonic knew he'd still be alert.
"I came down all the way from space to see you. The least you could do is smile." The smugness, the patronising tone - none of it was like Tails at all. Sonic honestly couldn't bear to look at him - but he persevered, gritting his teeth - reminding himself that whatever this was - it wouldn't last. He'd get his little bro back.
"What do you want?" Knuckles asked impatiently.
"I have a proposition." Miles smiled. "I'm not sure how much of the situation you truly grasp but... Central City footage has shown me that you have an Ultimate Life Form problem. And if my intellect continues to be right - then I'd be willing to place bets on the fact you're chasing it down right as we speak. If this is the case, then we have a common goal."
"You're going after Shadow too?" Sonic asked, almost hopefully. Knuckles gave him a look that Sonic ignored. Was Miles about to suggest an alliance? Then he needed this - it was an opportunity to get through to him!
"Of course, considering it aims to destroy the world."
Miles went quiet, allowing a pause. He then tilted his head, smiling again. "We aren't surprised? Good, we're on the same page then. Then you must understand urgency is of the utmost importantance." Miles' relaxed and composed tone wouldn't have indicated any sense of urgency at all. "I saw firsthand, Sonic. You put up quite a fight against the Ultimate Life Form. Where did you learn to fight like that?"
"I... taught myself?" Sonic fought to keep his voice steady.
"Such speed as well - fascinating speed. While it's hard to make out from a mere sample of footage, I honestly, whole-heartedly believe you have the potential to reach speeds that even exceed that of the Ultimate Life Form-"
"Get to your point." Knuckles folded his arms, glaring.
Miles looked towards him calmly. "Interrupting will only make this go slower." He said, placing one of his hands in his lab coat pocket. "While you may have the speed to rival it - you're lacking in the talents that it otherwise excels in... if we wish to win a fight against it, then it would be wise to remove your weaknesses. That project is designed to have the most optimal mobian body one could possible have - the only way to compete with that, is the one thing superior to organic life - machinery."
Sonic's eyes widened when he realised what Miles was about to propose.
"Allow me to robototicize you - and then, you'll be able able to defeat it." Miles held his hand out. "It makes sense, does it not?"
"No? No-" Sonic stuttered out, taking a step backwards. Those words coming out of someone that looked just like him, sounded just like him- It felt like something was clawing at Sonic's chest, threatening to tear his heart out. The hedgehog suddenly felt very overwhelmed - unable to properly articulate his thoughts.
"Come now, you're an adult... I think. Many people have gone through the process, and not one has complained." Miles let out a small chuckle. "Mostly because they physically can't, but either way-"
"I can stop Shadow without being roboticized." Sonic finally managed to say, trying to be as firm as possible.
The smile on Miles' face finally faltered, giving way to annoyance. "Really now...? Chaos Energy is incredibly powerful, and it is full of it. It can weild that energy like-"
"He has a name." Sonic glared.
"Oh, please." Miles rolled his eyes. "It is barely more than a glorified AI - an aritficial mobian is never going to be a real mobian. Anyway, we don't need to have this debate-" Miles scoffed.
Sonic bit his lip - in no world could he have imagined he'd be defending Shadow against claims made by... no, it wasn't Tails. This was Miles.
"My goal is to stop him. Not defeat him, and certainly not kill him." Sonic made clear. "And if you're only here to convince me otherwise... then I'm afraid this isn't going to work out." Sonic sighed.
"What exactly are you suggesting? Do you plan to talk him out of world destruction?" Miles questioned in disbelief.
"Pretty much."
Dumbfounded, Miles blinked rapidly. Sonic could also feel Knuckles staring at him. After the initial shock, Miles laughed awkwardly as he tried to process what he had just heard. "No cure for idiocy... I suppose-" He said. "Do you-" He pointed at Knuckles. "Do you agree with this?"
Knuckles looked caught off guard by the question, but steeled his gaze - and gave a small nod. Sonic had a sneaking suspicion that his opinion wasn't as clear cut as he made it out to be to the fox.
"Huh. Well - I guess I should have expected that sort of answer from a Guardian foolish enough to leave his emerald-"
"I suggest you get back on that vehicle, fox." Knuckles warned. "If you know what's best for you."
"Perhaps that is the only option I have." Miles sighed, finally placing his other hand in his pocket. "I suppose I shouldn't have expected anything else from the people foolish enough to rebel against the Empire... but I will give you the option to redeem yourselves." The fox turned around.
Suddenly, Miles tossed a small device over his shoulder. Sonic caught it, seeing that appeared to be some sort of walkie-talkie.
"If you change your mind, that will reach me." He informed them. Miles then walked back to the entrance of his ship, but before getting back on board - he had something else to say. "You know, Sonic - there are no records of your existence on any and all databases." He said without looking at him. "Do you know why that is?"
"No." Sonic said, with no option but to lie.
"Hm." Miles hummed to himself. "Farewell." He said as the doors slid open for him, and the fox stepped back inside. Sonic noticed how Knuckles' face finally relaxed from the anger it previousy held... but it soon became worry.
The engine kicked up again, and Knuckles turned his head to Sonic. "You weren't serious, right?"
"Nope, I was." Sonic twirled the device in his hand.
"You-" Knuckles cut himself off, taking in a deep breath. "Your solution to deal with the incoming doomsday is-"
"Knux-" Sonic suddenly held his finger to the echidna's lips, hushing him. "Let me just... let me get one thing straight. I know I sound crazy, alright? I'm tired of everyone saying that. But if we're going to work together, you have to trust me." He urged. "I'm getting all these prophecies, and in many ways - I can't explain everything I know. But I know so much more than you realise, okay?"
Knuckles was staring blankly, with the occassional glance down towards Sonic's finger. "Right now, I know that Shadow is being influenced by fake memories and programming - he doesn't actually want to destory the world." Sonic explained. "And I know you, because you're a good guy, wouldn't want to kill a man who's being forced into something he doesn't actually want and has no control over - right?"
At last, Sonic removed his finger. Knuckles had a small tint of red to his cheeks when he spoke again. "You... you give me a headache, honestly." He admitted. "But I've been told to ensure your success... that I know, and for that - I need to trust you. I agree there. It just... it sounds unbelievable. How do you even propose we talk him out of it?"
"I'm not sure." Sonic admitted. "But we have to try."
"Is that how you tackle all your problems?" Knuckles asked him skeptically. "Jump right in and hope for the best?"
"Near enough." Sonic found himself able to smile slightly. "But hey... it's worked so far."
The moment they stepped out of the car, they were met with a barrage of bombs.
Shadow scooped Rouge into his arms as fast as he could, and warped away from the explosions.
When they reappeared again, Rouge was panting in shock. "Holy shit..." She breathed out.
"Pull yourself together." Shadow told her as he set her down. "This isn't the last of the attackers."
Through the smoky haze, a trio of mobians sprinted towards them. Another bomb was tossed their way, and both Shadow and Rouge managed to flip to opposite sides to avoid it. "You guys again?!" Rouge snapped, letting Shadow know that there seemed to be some history between them.
The purple weasel stepped forward with a smug grin. "Missed us, didya?"
A green duck stood beside him excitedly, eagerly bouncing on his toes as he held another bomb in his hands. To the other side of the weasel, a large polar bear approached - his expression so neutral that Shadow had to wonder if even a single thought was going through his head.
"I'm afraid your good luck streak ends here." The purple one said. "In case you two somehow aren't aware - the Empire wants your heads, and they're giving those that manage to do so a reward. So you know what we're after."
Rouge surprising snickered. "Come on, you believe that, Fang? They didn't even tell you what the reward is - it could be a penny, it could be an execution ceremony - if it's the Empire, it's never something you want." She pointed out.
"They'll never get to find out." Shadow said. "Leave. You aren't killing anyone today."
"You see, that's where you're wrong, my friend." The weasel said, pulling out his pistol and pointing it right between the hedgehog's eyes. "I never miss."
Shadow stared down the gun, his breath catching in his lungs.
"Shadow..."
Her.
"Shadow... help me!"
"You're about to."
As soon as the gun fired, Shadow warped behind Fang and kicked him in his back - a loud cracking sound ringing out across the car park. Fang yelled in pain as he stumbled forward, but Shadow made sure he fell down with yet another kick. At last, Shadow held him down by planting his foot on top of him.
"Is that it?" Shadow snarled. "Pathetic." He bent down and pried the grun from the weasel's hand before looking up at Rouge.
She had seemingly managed to distract one of her opponents with her own bomb. Not by using it, no - but simply handing it over and allowing the duck to admire it. That one certainly seemed to be lacking in mental stability... but at least he wasn't attacking.
Rouge was caught in the midst of a brawl with the polar bear over twice her size, She was much faster and nimble, but he appeared to be quite durable - blocking and being seemingly unaffected by her punches - allowing him to just focus on dodging her kicks. He seemed to be waiting on a moment to strike.
Shadow raised the gun in his hand and took aim, resting his finger atop the trigger.
"Step away from the lever!"
The hedgehog gasped.
"Step away or we'll shoot!"
Shadow's hands trembled significantly, leaving him unable to aim accurately - furthermore, his finger refused to move.
Suddenly, he felt a punch at the back of his head. Shadow turned around, enraged - and saw it was the weasel, ready to take him in a brawl. Shadow hadn't even realised he had stepped off of Fang - that was... concerning.
Shadow threw the gun away as far as he could manage, and launched a punch at Fang's face. He managed to swerve out of the way before delivering his own blow to Shadow's gut.
The hedgehog grunted, bending over - but warped before Fang could catch him while he was vulnerable.
Shadow reappeared on top of a car - charging a ball of chaos energy within his hands, glaring in annoyance. He couldn't believe some worthless criminal had even lasted this long against him. He was ready to fire until-
Rouge suddenly flew down, drop kicking Fang right on the back of his head in a blow that managed to knock him out instantly. She hovered above the ground, staring down with pride. "That's revenge for Mystic Jungle." She told his unconcious body before looking back up at Shadow. "Not bad, huh?"
Shadow looked around and saw that Bark also laid on the floor, while Bean continued to hopelessly admire the love heart bomb in his hands. Eventually, he seemed to realise that both of his teammates had been defeated - and he blinked. "Sheesh... Guess it's my responsibility to make sure they're okay." He shrugged, throwing away the bomb as though he were already bored with it. "Don't kill me, please~" He told the two opponents as he walked over to his friends - grabbing both of them by their ears and dragging them slowly, very slowly across the concrete floor.
The two stared on with bewilderment, but at least he wasn't causing trouble.
Rouge gazed at Shadow. "Hey, you okay?"
"Why?"
"Usually you're pretty on top of it, you know? But you kind of phased out there when you had that gun." She pointed out, Shadow looked away from her sympathetic eyes.
"I see." He spoke stiffly.
"But I suppose you've been driving for hours straight so, I guess I'll give you a pass." She tagged on awkwardly as an attempt at humour, seeing that Shadow wasn't in the mood to talk. "Certainly wasn't the reception I expected when we got to Apotos."
"Come on." Shadow said abruptly, already walking far ahead of her. "We can't afford to waste time."
"So, like - I'm assuming they're in this jungle, but also like - I can't guarantee that they're here. Again, I'm guessing only because this is the area they're most familiar with - and it easy to travel to, it makes the most sense. You getting me?" Tangle rambled. "Worst case scenario - they've abandoned the jungle and are now in Station-" She was met by a tree branch slapping her in the face as a result of Whisper having previously pushed it out of the way.
"Ah! Gosh- You keep leaving me behind!" She called to Whisper with worry, tripping over branches as she tried to catch up with her. "I know you're used to going solo but it's important we stick together here-"
Whisper stopped, then turned to face her without saying a word.
"I'm sorry that you got stuck on kid hunting duty for your first mission." Tangle apologised sincerely. "I know you're here because you wanna save the world and this all seems trivial-"
"Tangle." Whisper said. "It's fine."
"Are you... sure?" Tangle asked uncertainly.
Whisper nodded. "It is not what I came here to do... but it is helping the others work towards that goal." Whisper achknowledged before continuing to walk again.
"Right, yeah you're right." Tangle nodded again with confidence, now assured her partner was actually happy to be there with her - despite her silent demeanour. She followed behind and thought to herself. She had caught herself glancing at Whisper's face several times throughout the journey - and Tangle wasn't sure whether that was because she was fascinated by the way her eyes always appeared squinted... or if it was something else.
Well, just look at her - her muzzle was beautifully dark, her fur a pale golden. Her face was gorgeously structured... that's what people said about attractive looking faces, right? It also didn't help that the silent Batman-aestheitc was captivating in almost every way - Tangle found she had so many questions for the wolf, such a strong urge to get to know her more.
She was pretty, she was cool - and her weapon was a super-weird-looking but also super cool laser gun. That stuff was awesome! Admittedly, Tangle really wanted to be her friend- but Whisper didn't seem all that comfortable.
Perhaps Whisper would feel more welcome with some casual, lighthearted conversation.
"So, uh..." Tangle began. "What's your... favourite ice cream flavour?"
Whisper suddenly stopped again before turning around. "What?"
"You know... ice cream? Milk go moo, no wait- the cow goes moo-"
"I'm... lactose intolerant..."
"Oh..." Tangle said awkwardly, but was at least grateful that the wolf decided not to comment on her mix-up. "You don't like the uh, vegan alternatives?"
"I've never tried them."
"Fair, I mean - I haven't either - hey, maybe we should try it together some day!" She then realised the stupidity of her words. "You know... when we aren't living in a robotic dictatorship... providing... we're friends after all that - if we're even friends at all now..."
"You're an ally."
Tangle snapped her fingers. "That is a positive word so I'm going to be happy about that!"
She had to be a little more patient for friendship, that was fine. At least Tangle knew where they stood now. It took a moment for Tangle to realise that Whisper still wasn't moving. "Aye, uh-"
"Sh. I think I hear something."
A blade grazed against Tangle's cheek as she just barely moved her head out of the way. Tangle's eyes widened as soon as she realised who's blade it was. "Oh no... we gotta run!" She told Whisper.
Doing their best to leap over the many twigs and logs lying around on the ground, they picked up the pace - Tangle's heartbeat rang loud in her ears. They had to skid to a halt when their adversary finally decided to make themselves visible in front of them.
Espio pointed the tip of his kunai blade at the girls. "I'm going to ask this once." He clenched his teeth. "Where is Charmy?"
Knuckles angst hours, Silver and Metal Sonic are questioning stuff, Amy learns things and gets to contemplate, Miles is a bastard and Sonic doesn't like that, Shadow is still suffering but hey at least he's in Apotos now, and Tangle and Whisper are being blamed for the disappearance of Charmy. So you know - just your average Friday.
Hope you all had a great Christmas! And a happy new year in advance! 2022 has certainly been a wild ride, a lot of negativity when it comes to world news - so let's hope things can pick up nicely for 2023 :) In terms of Sonic content - us fans will certainly continue to feast.
As alwayssss, feel free to leave your thoughts in a review! Always great to read them. I really hope you enjoyed this chapter! Answers are slowly starting to unravel, and if you haven't noticed - all the characters are starting to converge mwahaha!
Next time! Answers, alliances, and shipping fuel :)
For now though, I'll see ya'll later!