-Chapter 185-

Old Faces

Robotropolis

In Citadel Robotnik, the titular doctor was in the lab with the 6-S, Grimer, Metal, and Eggatha, trying to come up with a new plan.

"Come on, come on. There has to be one thing we haven't tried yet. One good plan to take over Mobius or destroy Sonic! Preferably both."

"Doctor, there's a very simple way to kill Sonic once and for all," Orbot spoke up. "We could just shoot him and be done with it."

Robotnik turned to the spherical robot.

"Orbot, don't you think I've already considered that? A few blaster shots, a quick splash of blood... and then what? Wet hands...post-homicidal depression. No, no. I could carpet bomb him any day. The death of the hedgehog must be nothing less than a masterpiece. The triumph of my genius and technology over his speed and kindergarten cohorts."

"Perhaps that's why you always lose," Orbot insisted. "You always focus on big schemes. Place Sonic in easily escapable situations involving overly elaborate and exotic deaths."

"And aren't they all teenagers?" Cubot pointed out. "I don't think teens can still be in kindergarten."

"You're missing the point!" Robotnik snapped, slamming his fists on his table. "Sonic is my greatest rival. There's a right way and a wrong way to destroy your arch-enemy, and we're doing it right. Not anything like that coward Mephiles stabbing him in the back."

Eggatha had her arms crossed in thought before sighing.

"Well…" she began, "there is… Amino."

All eyes turned to her at that.

"I mean, we've had him in the solitary cells since the ARK," she pointed out. "And it's been a year. I'd say it's time to decide what to do with him, Uncle Ivo. At the very least, he might know something useful."

"Agatha, that man sold out our grandfather," Robotnik reminded her. "And tried to use us to steal his research."

"Well, you're not the pushover Great-Grandpa was," Eggatha said. "If he tries anything, we're more than capable of making him regret it."

Robotnik considered that point before nodding.

"Very true," he agreed. "But if he has nothing worthwhile, that's it. Even if I can't kill him… I can make him wish he was dead."

With that, he made his way down towards the dungeons. He went deep into the lower levels, eventually reaching a large, solid metal door. He scanned his palm and the door clicked open. He pulled it open, showing a barren, empty room that was covered with chalk scribbles and equations. Amino was sitting there, his beard and hair having grown out. He turned to see Robotnik, sighing.

"So… you finally came back," he remarked. "And here I thought you forgot about me and just left me here to rot."

"Oh I did," Robotnik confirmed. "It was my niece who actually remembered you. She seems to think you may yet be of some use to me. And since I've hit a roadblock working out plans to take over Mobius and/or kill Sonic, I figured I'd give it a shot."

"And what do I get in return?" Amino questioned. "Or do you expect me to simply give you information out of the 'goodness of my heart'?"

"Nigel, I believe by this point, anything is better than being left in this little room full of crazy," Robotnik deadpanned. "Help me now, and I'll let you out."

Amino actually looked shocked. "You'll… really let me out?"

"I did have some time to think about your situation," Robotnik confessed before getting serious. "But I'm only warning you once. I am not my grandfather. I do not overlook betrayal so easily. The first time you try to double-cross me, there will not be a second. You may be immortal, Amino... but you'd be surprised what you can live through. Catch my drift?"

"Believe me, I do," Amino confirmed. "So… what do you want to discuss?"

Westopolis

Meanwhile, Team Dark had moved out of the barracks at Area 99 and were in the process of moving into a brownstone in Westopolis.

"I still can't believe we managed to swing this," Hope remarked. "I mean, an entire brownstone just for us."

"Eh, the commander helped cover the cost," Rouge said with a shrug. "That, and I had an emergency fund from my hunts and missions."

"Emergency fund filled with money taken from stolen goods," Omega remarked.

"Hey, I can return the goods and you lose the deluxe birdbath and birdhouse for your Flickies," Rouge pointed out.

A moment of silence followed.

"Just this once, I will look the other way." Omega decided.

Hope laughed. "Glad you have your priorities straight."

With that, they entered the brownstone, looking around. Shadow, Rouge, and Hope all had their own bedrooms set up, while Omega's was relatively simple, equipped with just a recharging station and a birdhouse for Lily's family. Shadow's and Hope's rooms were right next to each other, the former's full of various memorabilia from the ARK they had retrieved after the Black Arms invasion. Once they had gotten settled in, Shadow led Hope to the basement, making sure her eyes were closed as they went.

"Can I open my eyes now?" Hope asked.

"Not yet." Shadow turned on the light. "Alright, now."

She opened her eyes and gasped. The entire basement had been transformed into a well furnished lab. There was a work table, various chemicals, some whiteboards, and all the equipment she could ever ask for.

"Shadow…" Hope let out. "Is this…?"

"All yours," Shadow confirmed. "Chris and Keith have their own lab at the Thorndyke place. So I figured it's only fair you get one too."

Hope rushed forward, hugging him tightly.

"Thank you…" she let out. "Thank you so much…"

-X-

Later, they were having lunch at a cafe. While Shadow, Rouge, and Hope were making do with coffee or soda, Omega was seated casually with a can of oil in his hand.

"Ah, I love this place," Rouge sighed. "I'm so glad we settled for Westopolis."

"Will this not affect Hope's education in the Station Square Middle School?" Omega asked.

"Nah, that's what Warp Rings are for," Hope replied.

As they chatted, they were unaware of Harold Schmitz watching them from a distance. He had been walking by when he heard their voices, and was currently standing there trying to steel himself and approach Shadow as he had been since the Black Arms attacked. As he stood there, Omega caught sight of him.

"Caution: we are being watched," he reported.

They all turned to see him, and he stiffened. Hope perked.

"Wait…" she said. "Shadow, that's the old man we saved at the retirement home during the invasion."

"I think I recognize him," Rouge remarked. "His name's Harold Schmitz. His testimony to Topaz, Frank, and Scarlet Garcia helped clear Sonic's name during the ARK incident. All he asked in return was to be relocated."

Shadow's eyebrows furrowed. "Schmitz… I know that name…"

Seeing the choice had been taken from him, Schmitz sighed before approaching them.

"Hello, everyone," he greeted.

"Hi, Mr. Schmitz," Hope replied. "It's good to see you again."

Schmitz and Shadow exchanged looks.

"Don't I know you from somewhere?" Shadow asked. "Your name sounds familiar."

Schmitz steeled himself.

"It should. I've been trying to get up the guts to come to you since the invasion, Shadow. I was one of the soldiers who participated in the ARK Seal Destruction Operation. And…" he took a deep breath, "I'm the one who shot Maria Kintobor."

Shadow stiffened, Hope choked on her soda, Rouge nearly dropped her coffee cup, and Omega crushed his oil can. They all looked at him in shock, unable to find words…

Robotropolis

At Citadel Robotnik, Amino was recalling more work of Gerald's to Robotnik.

"After the Biolizard's failure, Gerald began looking into the ancient past for Project Shadow. This led us to the Mystic Ruins, where we looked into the ancient Mobian cultures. We came across the tales of Chaos, which inspired the Artificial Chaos series. We also found the mummified remains of Solaran, a renowned warrior of the ancient hedgehog tribe, from which we procured some of the DNA used in the creation of Shadow and Terios. And then we found a relic of the Fourth Great Civilization... the Gizoid."

"Gizoid?" Robotnik repeated.

"In the ancient tongue, it translates to 'everything.' According to the stone tablets Gerald and I found, if the Gizoid establishes a 'Link' with someone, the Gizoid will swear loyalty to that person. We took it back to the ARK while researching Chaos energy and creating the first Chaos Drives. It was only when we began research into the Chaos Emeralds in earnest that the robot activated or showed any signs of life. The Gizoid watched our movements, mimicked everything we did. Our scans revealed reams and reams of data that crashed our most powerful computer, all of it focused on melee combat and weapons of that age. Gerald was horrified at what we had discovered; should the Gizoid be restored to its former state, it would be able to replicate modern weaponry as well. It would be an unstoppable superweapon, the likes of which we theorized destroyed the Fourth Great Civilization."

Robotnik nodded. "I see. Go on."

"In an attempt to make the Gizoid swear loyalty to him and thus curb the danger the robot posed, Gerald demonstrated his collection of model guns to him. This made the Gizoid form a Link with Gerald, prompting him to swear loyalty to Gerald and to never leave his side," Amino recalled. "After that, the Gizoid refused to listen to anyone else but Gerald. And then the government began to crack down on Project Shadow, leading Gerald to offer it up as a bribe."

"Then what?" Eggatha questioned.

"He had tried to make it safe, commanding it to never absorb any dangerous technologies," Amino went on. "But a team of other researchers had been conducting experiments and making it absorb more weapons behind his back. According to our research, the Gizoid will only form a new Link when shown power that surpasses that of its former master. Eventually, with the addition of a Chaos Emerald, the robot went on a rampage, destroying a good portion of the ARK before we managed to subdue it and seal it away. Gerald tried to destroy it, and when that failed, he opted to reprogram it in an attempt to curb its destructive tendencies. In the end, he seemingly gave up and sealed the Gizoid away in a secluded area of the ARK. It's been there collecting dust ever since."

"Hmmm…" Robotnik stroked his chin in thought. "Well, this is certainly useful information. Provided there's nothing you're leaving out."

"I've told you all I know," Amino assured. "But one thing is for certain, Ivo. If you retrieve the Gizoid, all of Mobius will be in the palm of your hand. Not even Sonic will be able to stop you."

Robotnik nodded.

"Well then, I believe this warrants an investigation," he decided. "I'm going back to the ARK to look into this Gizoid, and you're coming with me, Nigel. If you're lying... well, let's just say we'll find out whether or not your immortality extends to surviving being blasted into deep space."

Amino swallowed hard at that. "Understood."

Westopolis

Team Dark was still reeling from Schmitz's reveal. Shadow's mind drifted back to that day, recalling Maria collapsing from the bullet wound in her stomach, and him nearly killing Schmitz in return. Omega's voice brought him back to the present.

"Shadow... do you want me to use the plasma cannon?"

Shadow blinked, then shook his head.

"No… not yet," he said. "I want to hear what he has to say."

"I was just following orders that day, but that's no excuse," Schmitz went on. "As I told Scarlet Garcia, the guilt of what I did has been eating me alive to this very day. After the ARK was shut down, I couldn't stomach being part of GUN anymore. It was either retirement or suicide."

The team listened intently.

"When I saw you again during the invasion, I've been trying to build up the courage to come to you. I'm not asking you to forgive me, Shadow, and I don't expect you to. I wish I could take back what I did fifty years ago, but I can't. What I can do is this…" Much to their surprise, he knelt before them, exposing his neck, "offer you a chance at retribution."

They all recoiled. All eyes turned to Shadow, his expression vague.

"Shadow?" Hope let out nervously.

"Let's take this outside," Shadow decided. "We're making a scene."

They stood up, going outside. Once they were out, Shadow sighed, looking at Schmitz.

"I'm not gonna kill you," he told him. "I tried getting vengeance for what happened to Maria once already. It won't change what happened. It won't bring her back, and it's not what she would want."

"You…" Schmitz began, "you're letting me go?"

"Yeah…" Shadow confirmed. "I can tell you really regret what you did. And if I kill you, I'll lose everything I've gained. My friends... Hope." He ran a hand through his spines. "I'm not sure if I can forgive you, Mr. Schmitz. But you've suffered enough. We all have."

He turned to Hope, taking her hand. "C'mon. Let's pay for our drinks and go home."

They went back inside. After a minute, Schmitz walked away, feeling much better than he had in years.

Space Colony ARK

Amino led Robotnik to Gerald's personal quarters, heading into the lab.

"Gerald never told anyone where he sealed the Gizoid," he said. "But the most likely place would be here. No one but himself and Maria was permitted inside."

"And yet you know," Robotnik pointed out.

"I have an idea," Amino clarified. "I'm not positive. There's a difference."

They searched around for a while, feeling around the walls and floor for any switches and the like. Eventually, Robotnik felt part of a wall in the corner give in slightly. He pressed harder, and the wall spun around to reveal a stasis tube containing what they were looking for: a humanoid, mostly mustard-yellow, robot. He possessed five-fingered olive-brown hands and feet in the shape of shoes with orange soles. His upper arms, abdomen and thighs were olive-brown, and he had spherical orange joints as shoulders and pelvis-legs joints. He also had relatively thick armor around his forearms and lower legs (each one possessing orange cuffs), thick kneecaps, and some kind of jetpack on his back. On his chest, he had three beige circles. Lastly, he possessed a spherical head with a beige mouth plate, blue eyes, orange caps for ears, and a curved orange horn with a concealed blue eye on it on his forehead. Amino approached in awe.

"This is it, Doctor," he confirmed. "This is the Gizoid."

"Rather small," Robotnik mused.

"Well, as they say, big things come in small packages."

Robotnik shrugged, inputting commands on his glove. "We'll take it back to the citadel and conduct research."

"I assure you, you won't be disappointed," Amino promised. "Once the Gizoid is activated, you will have a weapon capable of crushing mountains, demolishing entire cities."

Robotnik grinned, chuckling. "And wiping Sonic the Hedgehog off the face of Mobius forever!"

Author's Note:

Yep, that's right! A Sonic Battle adaptation.

Also, the scene with Shadow and Schmitz was intended much sooner, during the breathers between the Black Arms and Soleanna arcs, but, well... I totally forgot to put it there. So here it is now.

Please R&R. Until next time!