(Chaos, I'm not proud of the description, but I did what I could with the limited characters allowed)
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
1. I don't really know what I'm doing and my Sonic knowledge is quite limited, but I really wanted to write something Sonic-related. I have a full outline for the story, but when it comes to the stuff between bullet points, I might just end up making things up as I go along.
2. My passion for writing is not the same as it used to be, yet I chose to fill my free time with this dang story. It seems pointless to write this and post it without my full commitment to it, but I'm doing it anyway.
3. The recent release of "Sonic X Shadow Generations" may or may not have influenced me to change my story. I might regret it, but, eh...
Anyways, enjoy.
Feel free to let me know what you think.
The Flash Freeze Mountains are infamous for their unforgiving snowstorms, which are at their most unforgiving in the night. No man or Mobian would dare explore these mountains at dark unless they were unaware of the stories of previous explorers succumbing to hypothermia unnaturally fast and almost freezing to complete stillness. You would be considered crazy to even dare to try climbing up one of these mountains with the knowledge of the risk...
And one person crazy enough to try is one Dr. Ivo Robotnik, a.k.a. Eggman.
He travels up the mountains in his brand new Egg Drill. It is bigger than a military tank, its armor is very thick, and the engines are designed to keep themselves warm enough is these harsh temperatures. The mad scientist thought of everything he needed for this vehicle in order to brave through the snowstorm in pursuit of what he's looking for now.
Eggman travels halfway up tallest of the mountains and enters a cave that was barely touched by the snow, simply because the storm blows in opposite direction of the entrance. Inside the cave, he sees another tank-like vehicle parked next to a dead end. It is smaller than and not as advanced as his drill, that's for sure, but its tracked wheels and thick metal shell were sufficient enough to survive the snowstorm outside.
"I could just drill through this wall, but I don't want to risk an avalanche," Eggman thought aloud. "Sage, would you kindly do the honors?"
On cue, a digital entity materializes right in front of the dead end. This entity assumes the form of a little girl. Her appearance seems to constantly shift between two color schemes. One second, her dress is black and she emits a menacing red glow. The next, her dress is white and she emits a calming blue glow.
Sage puts a hand on the wall at the end of the cavern, trying to detect any piece of technology beneath the rock for her to hack into. Suddenly, the rock wall turns into metal doors, as if a false image was being broken down to reveal the true appearance beneath. The doors were being cloaked the whole time. Sage bypasses the biometric scanners and quickly opens the doors, revealing a long corridor leading to a large elevator.
"Detecting irregular but familiar energy signatures ten stories blow," Sage reported. "I believe we have found Dr. Starbolt's secret lab. The coordinates we collected are legitimate."
"Well done, Sage," Eggman reacted. "Now, let's see if we can..."
A beeping sound interrupts Eggman. He is getting a video call from his brand new Egg Carrier. It's Orbot and Cubot, his two bumbling robotic henchmen. Eggman lets out an annoyed grunt before answering the call. The first thing he sees when the caller's camera popped up is Orbot and Cubot arguing, much to his further annoyance.
"I told you to use the socket wrench, not the pipe wrench," Orbot clarified angrily.
"You know I can't tell the difference between wrenches from just words!" Cubot shouted.
"If Metal Sonic ends up self-destructing or rebelling, I'm telling Dr. Eggman that it was your error," Orbot continued with frustration.
"Hey, the Boss put you in charge of recalibrating that treacherous robo-hog. If anything, blame him!" Cubot deflected.
"Ahem!" Eggman interrupted.
Orbot and Cubot both scream, startled, and reposition themselves in front of the camera like they've just been called to attention by a military general. They still proceed to shove each other while glaring at one another.
"What do you two want?" Eggman asked angrily.
"Oh, I was meaning to inform you that we hit a roadblock on updating Metal Sonic, thanks in no small part to my yellow companion here," Orbot reported, all the while not-so-subtly throwing shade at his robotic co-worker.
"Hey, you left me doing the tools and gears stuff while you're typing ones and zeros into his brain," Cubot reminded angrily.
"Well, pardon me for believing that you'll do less damage working on the hardware as opposed to the software," Orbot justified himself.
Cubot growls and says, "I'll show you software, you rust-brained piece of-"
Eggman hangs up, not wanting to hear any more of his robots' bickering. He is beginning to regret putting them in charge of working on Metal Sonic, but he didn't have time to do it himself because he wants to check out this secret laboratory in the mountains as soon as possible. He quickly exits his drill, dressed in winter clothes matching the look of his typical outfit, and walks towards the elevator with Sage.
"Why do you insist on keeping Orbot and Cubot the way they are?" Sage asked curiously.
Eggman just facepalms.
The elevator descends a hundred feet below to a secret laboratory. It's quite spacious, filled with both basic and advanced scientific equipment, from the simple telescope to an energy converter. Eggman is feeling underwhelmed by the setyo, mainly because all of this seems amateurish compared to his own creations over the years. Still, he came here for a reason - to find the man who was mad enough to build a secret lab in these mountains in order to hide whatever secret project he has.
"Father, look," Sage called.
Eggman looks to where Sage is pointing. They find a hedgehog in a lab coat lying motionless next to a damaged generator. This might explain why the lab's lights are flickering and dimming. As for the hedgehog, not only is he not moving but he's also not breathing. His body and clothes are both badly burnt, likely from too much exposure to the generator's electricity.
"Dr. Starbolt," Sage identified. "Status... deceased."
"Shame," Eggman said, disappointed. "I would've liked to pick his brain apart while he was still breathing."
"I am detecting a life signal nearby, inside the cryogenic pod," Sage reported. "And a Chaos Emerald."
Eggman turns his attention to the cryo pod that Sage pointed to. Before wondering about what could be inside, Eggman immediately notices a machine connected to the pod - a machine housing a Chaos Emerald, the white one. Sage hacks the machine, opens it, and takes the Chaos Emerald. Sage shows it to her creator, who smiles a smile that many in this world hate to see.
"Excellent," Eggman said with sinister glee.
With the Chaos Emerald secured, Eggman looks back at the cryo pod. It's still active. The cold temperature inside the pod is fogging up the glass, preventing Eggman from seeing who is inside. He could manually turn down the temperature in the pod, but he didn't want to tamper with it before getting all the necessary information. Fortunately, he has an AI who can see inside for him.
"Sage, what is it?" Eggman asked.
"It's another hedgehog," Sage answered. "Their biology has been augmented. The energy coursing through their system matches that of... Shadow the Hedgehog?"
"So, this is Starbolt's secret? Another Ultimate Life Form?" Eggman reacted. He was now more curious than ever. "Sage, access the good doctor's computer. I want everything there is to know about this project of his, including the identity of the lucky candidate inside the pod."
"There is a problem," said Sage. "The database has been wiped clean."
"What?!" Eggman reacted. "But how?"
"We are not alone," Sage realized. "Now searching for possible intruders..."...
Sage starts scanning the entire lab in search of any more life signals. It did not take her long to detect a heat signature inside one of the nearby lockers. Sage floats towards the locker with a one hand raised. That hand is glowing a threatening red, meaning that she is ready to attack the intruder if they don't comply.
"I know you are hiding in there," said Sage. "This is your first and only warning. Step outside and reveal yourself or face elimination."
The intruder responds rather quickly. They open the locker slightly and show one hand, holding up all five fingers as if pleading the AI to not attack and wait. The intruder slowly opens the locker and steps out with both hands in the air. They appear to be a lavender-colored female bandicoot. She looks young, about as young as a certain blue nemesis of the egg-shaped doctor. She's dressed in a purple jacket (and the sleeves appear to be ripped off) over a crop top, a tool belt and jeans, a pair of boots with fluff, and a red scarf wrapped around her hair.
"Hello, everyone," the bandicoot greeted casually.
"Who are you?" Sage asked.
"Call me Petra," the bandicoot answered.
"Are you friends with one Sonic the Hedgehog?" Sage asked. "Did you infiltrate this base per his request?"
"I haven't met him, but I'd like to," Petra said with a seemingly forced sweet tone.
"What's your relationship with Dr. Starbolt?" Sage questioned. "Did you eliminate him?"
"The poor doctor had a bit of an... accident... to put it mildly," Petra answered cryptically.
"Are you here to uncover his secrets, too?" Eggman asked.
"Funny you should mention secrets," Petra replied, dodging the question. "Because you may want to pay attention to his biggest one."
All of a sudden, the lab's alarm goes off and the lights flash red. The cryo pod shuts down. Without the cold temperature, the pod warms up and the fog on the glass clears up, allowing Eggman to get a clear look at the Mobian inside. It's a female hedgehog, a yellow one. She's wearing a dark blue blouse over a light blue minidress, a blue headband, and a pair of blue boots with white stripes.
The yellow hedgehog opens her eyes, revealing bright blue eyes, which start glowing. Strings of white lightning begin to circle around her. The lab suddenly starts to shake as if an earthquake is coming.
Eggman tries to maintain his balance. Sage conjures energy shields to protect Eggman from falling ice stalactites.
Petra goes back into the locker, but leaves the door slightly open so she can see what will happen.
The yellow hedgehog's power builds up until she releases a large burst of white energy. The blast shatters the pod's glass, sends Eggman flying backwards, causes Sage to temporarily glitch out, and closes the locker on Petra's face.
The yellow hedgehog drops to her knees, seeming drained after such an outburst of power. As she catches her breath, she sees Sage slowly floating towards her. The Mobian sees the white Chaos Emerald in the AI's possession. The sight of the emerald, for some reason, triggers a reaction in the hedgehog, causing her eyes to glow again and her body to produce sparks of white lightning.
In the blink of an eye, the yellow hedgehog zooms upward and grabs the Chaos Emerald, just ripping it out of Sage's hold with no effort. Both Sage and the hedgehog herself were surprised by the latter's quick action.
"Sage, stop her!" Eggman shouted.
The yellow hedgehog reacts by running for the exit. Once again, she runs with super speed. Despite seeing the elevator, she couldn't stop running. By the time she could stop herself, she had busted through the elevator doors as if she has super strength. Despite the initial shock, the hedgehog jumps up and busts through the elevator ceiling with her fist. She runs up the elevator shaft, right over the Egg Drill, out of the cave, and down the mountain. Despite being affected by the extreme cold, she focuses on just running as far as she can from the lab's intruders.
The lightning left behind from her super speed causes the Egg Drill's systems to malfunction. This seems to be bad for Sage, who was about to give chase, only to act up along with the drill.
Back in the lab, Eggman waits to hear from Sage, who did as she was told and gave chase to the yellow hedgehog. Sage returns rather quickly, about fifteen seconds after the beginning of her chase. Unfortunately for the mad doctor, there was no sign of the hedgehog or the emerald. Sage, however, seems to be malfunctioning as she was glitching between different colors and acting like an injured human being.
"Sage, are you alright?" Eggman asked, sounding like a concerned father.
"The energy from her speed trail short-circuited my matrix in the Egg Drill," said Sage. "I can't pursue without a proper reboot."
"We'll capture that hedgehog another time," said Eggman. "Right now, let's focus on stabilizing your condition... and punish the other pest."
Eggman looks to his left and sees Petra the Bandicoot exiting the locker rather nonchalantly. She does not seem threatened as she casually strolls towards the angry doctor. She strikes a "hand on hip" pose with that unbothered look on her face.
"Give us a good reason why we shouldn't obliterate you right now," Eggman said threateningly.
"I can offer you something you can't resist. Ultimate power," Petra proposed.
"Ultimate power? Now, you're speaking my language," Eggman reacted, intrigued. "But how do I know you will entrust me with such power?"
"How will you know if you can if you won't let me show you said power?" Petra replied with a smirk.
Eggman scratches his chin while glaring at the smug bandicoot. He knows he can't just blindly trust someone who is basically a stranger to him, remembering his first meeting with a certain anthropomorphic bat. But if what she's offering is real, can he afford not to play along and see it for himself?
"What do you want in exchange?" Eggman asked.
"The demise of Sonic the Hedgehog," Petra answered darkly.
That nasty grin of Eggman's appears once again.