Chosen from Chaos - Ch. 5
Title: Chosen from Chaos
Chapter: 5
Fandom: Sonic the Hedgehog/Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go! crossover
Character(s): Sonic the Hedgehog, Chiro, Miles "Tails" Prower
Genre: Drama, action/adventure, angst, some romance, friendship
Rating: K+/PG
Disclaimers: Sonic the Hedgehog © Sega, Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go! © Ciro Nieli
Notes: This was a...really weird idea I had one day, a long long time ago. I'm not sure why, other than I had just gotten into SRMT so I wanted to write about it all the time, and I was a really big Sonic the Hedgehog fan, so for some reason the crossover at the time made sense in my head. I don't...even know.
And again, I wrote this a really really long time ago. Like...Sonic Adventure 2 long time ago. So all the Sonic-related stuff takes place after that, pre-Sonic Heroes. In fact, none of the Sonic games after SA2 happened in this story and is directly a year after SA2, so it's kind of AU I guess. And in SRMT, it's kind of...after the war with Skeleton King, so...yeah...convenient. I'll stop now.
Summary: Dr. Eggman's newest plan is not only a threat to his world, but to another. And things get personal for the Hyperforce when the evil scientist takes some of their own.
[Chapter 4]
~*~*~*~
"Are you sure?" Sonic asked his younger friend for the second time that afternoon.
"Uh huh," Tails replied, turning in his seat slightly to look at him. "When I was in the forest earlier this morning, I swear I saw Angel Island. I've been trying to contact Knuckles since then, but he hasn't responded yet."
"Sonic…" Amy said softly, "could…Angel Island really have fallen again?"
Glancing at her, the blue hedgehog then shrugged slightly. "Maybe…but then that would mean that something's happened to the Master Emerald as well."
"Maybe we should go and see if Knuckles is okay," the fox suggested, starting to get up.
"Hold up a minute, lil buddy." The azure hero placed his hand on the other's shoulder. "If something did happen to the Master Emerald, then Knux will probably be already on it. Tryin' to find him won't be easy…"
"Chao!" Cheese suddenly exclaimed, flying in front of Sonic and waving his small blue arms frantically. "Chao chao chao chao! Chao chao!"
"Ow - hey! Cheese! What…?" He reached up and grabbed the rabbit's pet, pulling him away from his face. "Cream, what's with your chao?"
"Sorry…" the rabbit answered shyly, taking the chao from the hedgehog. "He was just trying to tell you something…"
"Oh yeah? What was he trying to tell me?"
"Um…well…" She pointed to the open door leading out of Tails' workshop. "He said that there was something outside that you should see."
Blinking curiously, the teen looked at the chao who continued to squirm in the girl's arms anxiously and kept eyeing the door nervously. Shrugging a little, he then walked over to the door before freezing in his tracks.
Several yards in front of him, Knuckles lay face down on the ground, his body trembling with every intake of breath that coursed through him. A cough suddenly erupted from him, followed by a low groan. And the faint spatters of blood just behind the echidna made his own run cold.
"Knuckles!" In a second, he was kneeling by the other's side. He carefully reached over to touch the echidna's shoulder, but he stopped as he scoped the extent of his friend's injuries. His giant gloves that were normally pristine white were now stained dark with dirt and dried blood, ripped and torn to reveal the bruised flesh underneath them. Patches of his crimson fur were blackened, burned it looked like, and the ground where he lay was discolored deeply, causing the hedgehog to shudder slightly. "Knuckles! Knuckles, wake up!"
The older teen groaned softly, struggling to lift his head. Dim, violet eyes locked with the concerned emerald ones that watched on. "S…Son…ic…" the echidna rasped weakly, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Knuckles! Man, what happened? What's going on?"
"Egg…man…" Knuckles replied, fighting to stay conscious, "new robots…M-Master Em…erald…" Soon he lost the battle, collapsing as he slipped into darkness.
"No! Knuckles!" A soft gasp from the door kept him from shaking the young guardian awake again. His head snapped up and saw Tails, Cream, and Amy standing at the door, looking on in horror. Cream held her chao tightly to her while Amy's hands flew up to her mouth; both wore the same expression of unrestrained shock on their faces as they stared at their comatose friend. But breaking out of his own astonishment, Tails rushed forward, bending down to kneel at Knuckles' other side. "Let's get him inside," he said softly to the teen.
Sonic nodded slightly, and the two of them carefully hoisted the other up, draping his arms across their shoulders and supporting him on both of them as they got to their feet. Looking at the two girls, the fox said, "Amy, I need you to get a lot of water. And Cream, there's a first aide kit in the closet downstairs…"
The two did nothing at first, too absorbed in the alarming sight to even move.
"Amy…" Sonic said hoarsely, "please…"
That quickly snapped the female hedgehog out of her daze. Lowering her hands, she nodded slightly before placing her hand on top of the young rabbit's head. The younger girl glanced up at the teen, and she simply motioned inside, leading the child back into the lab.
When the girls were gone, Sonic and Tails began to follow after them. But for the hedgehog, their pace was agonizingly slow. Not because he preferred quick speeds, but rather…he could feel just how weak the usually-tough echidna was at that point. If they didn't hurry and help him…
Sonic shook his head furiously. No…he wouldn't allow himself to think that way. He couldn't. They'd find a way to do something for the unconscious teen. Even if Tails wasn't a doctor, there still had to be something he could do. But as he took one more glance at the echidna, Sonic frowned deeply.
'Man, Knux…What happened to you?'
Chiro winced slightly as his arms were roughly pulled up above his head. When the egg-robots secured his bonds, they released him and moved away. Nearby, he could hear his friends' protests as they were handled none-too-lightly as well, pushed up against the walls.
"What was the point of moving us?" Gibson asked, turning his attention to the nearby doctor who was merely supervising his machines' work.
Eggman chuckled. "Because I felt like it," he replied, sounding as though the answer was the most obvious in the world.
The teen sighed softly. The transfer would have been a perfect opportunity to try and escape…if only he and the others hadn't still been connected to that power core. How that was moved with them as well, he wasn't entirely sure. But as long as they were all hooked up to it, he couldn't chance anything that would end up harming them.
"So where are we now?" Otto wondered as he looked around. The room looked exactly the same as the one they had been previously held in.
"We are aboard my mobile base, the Lithium Egg. I thought it might make things more interesting by allowing you all to be present while I take over Station Square."
The boy's eyes widened. "What?"
Smirking deeply, the man nodded. "You heard me right. Even as we speak, we're launching and on our way to the city. Once there, this base will begin taking over the city for me while I take care of some business."
"Business?" Nova repeated. "What kind of business?"
"Just…a certain pest that needs to be dealt with." He chuckled again. "But don't worry. Jinmay will provide you all with an excellent show."
Glaring at the scientist, the teen then glanced at the robot girl and the computer monitor that she stood beside. The screen was blank for now, but he knew the camera would be switched on soon.
What really worried him was what he would see when it was on.
The door of the room suddenly slid open, allowing Antauri to enter. "Dr. Eggman," he stated with a bow, "your Egg-mobile is ready for departure."
"About time," the mad genius snapped.
Chiro gritted his teeth tightly. He hated the way the doctor spoke to them; as inferiors simply because they were robotic. He had absolutely no right to talk to them like that.
"All right," he heard the doctor speak again as the man turned to look at his two friends. "I want you two to accompany me to pay a visit to an old friend."
"Yes, Dr. Eggman," they replied mechanically.
Taking one last look at the leader of the Hyperforce, Eggman smirked and sauntered out with Jinmay closely behind. But strangely enough, Antauri lingered and seemed to watch them all with empty cobalt eyes.
And as Chiro stared back into those vacant orbs, he could have sworn that a flicker of life passed through them. That was when he knew.
"Antauri…" he said softly, "you're still there, aren't you? You're still in there…watching everything…"
The Monkey Team watched the two with bated breaths, but the second-in-command gave no answer.
"Antauri," the teen tried again. If there was any hope to reach the other, then he would have to make the most of this chance. "Antauri, you have to fight this! You know that whatever Eggman's up to is no good, and I know you can fight this! You know this isn't what you want to do!"
Light flickered in the silver monkey's eyes again.
"Please Antauri…don't do this…"
"Antauri!" Eggman's voice suddenly bellowed from down the hall. "Get over here now!"
The light faded and died, the cold emotionlessness returning to Antauri's eyes. Turning slightly, he slowly began to walk away.
"No!" Chiro called after him. "Antauri, don't go!" But he could do nothing as the robotic simian disappeared. When the door closed after him, his head hung in defeat.
For an eternity, nothing was heard but the crash of silence. Then, in a gentle voice, Sprx said, "Hey…don't worry, kid. Everything's gonna be okay."
But Chiro shook his head slightly. "No it won't…" he answered. "I know Eggman's gonna end up making Antauri do something he'll never forgive himself for. He's always gonna blame himself…if we ever get him back to normal…"
Tails sighed softly; wiping his brow with the back of his glove as he carefully surveyed his work. He had done the best that his abilities would allow him, but being a nine-year-old with no medical expertise to speak of didn't give him much to work with. Still, he felt that he hadn't done too badly given the circumstances.
"Tails-san?" a meek voice suddenly spoke, reminding the kit that there was one other in the room. He turned slightly to look at Cream, who stared back at him with wide anxious eyes, expressing the question that her voice couldn't state. Exhaustion overcoming him, he could only give her a weary smile to reassure her that things would be fine. She nodded slightly, but the concern never left as she once again looked at the unmoving guardian.
He couldn't really blame her. After all, the echidna had been in such bad shape when they started.
After he and Sonic had brought Knuckles into his lab, they had placed him into the bed that Sonic usually occupied, turning the room into a makeshift medical center where the fox had done his best to address Knuckles' wounds. Sonic, meanwhile, had gone off somewhere with Amy close behind him, leaving Cream and Cheese with him. The rabbit had asked to help then and, with no real idea of if he was going about things the right way or not, he had accepted, though felt a little guilty subjecting her to the sight of the battered guardian for those painfully slow two hours.
But they were done now at least. Bandages were tightly wrapped around Knuckles' chest and arms, replacing the torn gloves covering his hands, and around his head. Luckily no bones had been broken, though Tails wouldn't have been surprised if some of the muscles had been torn. Bruises were now well formed, leaving dark patches of black and blue on the echidna's skin that were even visible over the crimson fur, but at least the swelling had subsided.
A gentle nudge rough him back to reality. Curiously he glanced at the Chao that hovered next to him, holding a damp piece of cloth in its arms.
"Chao chao," Cheese said softly, offering him the cloth.
His brow furrowed in puzzlement. "What?"
"He wants to help you clean up a bit…" the girl said softly. "There's still…" Her voice trailed off as she turned away.
It took a minute longer for the kit to understand what she meant. "Oh…right." While they had carried the echidna inside, he and Sonic had both supported the unconscious body. However, because of the hedgehog's spines, most of the weight had to rest on him. He hadn't minded, but he also hadn't realized that the open wound on Knuckles' front had still been bleeding. He could only imagine the kind of stain it had left behind in his light fur.
Carefully he took the cloth from the blue creature. "Thanks," he said softly.
"How is he doin'?" The three pairs of eyes looked over to the speaker as he and Amy slowly entered the room. The expression on the hedgehog's face looked similar to how Tails felt at the moment; confused and exhausted.
"He's doing better now," the kit answered softly. "He'll need a lot of rest, though. Luckily, his wounds have already started healing, which I'm guessing is because of his connection to the Master Emerald. So he'll definitely be okay as long as he doesn't overexert himself."
Studying the guardian for a moment, the azure hedgehog then nodded. "Good," he said softly. "That's real good." He turned away and began to pace a little.
"But I don't get it," Amy Rose said suddenly. "Knuckles is so powerful. What could have done this to him?"
"Knux said something about Eggman and some new robots." The teen hero froze in his tracks, clenching his fists together. "When I find the doc, I'll make sure to give him what's coming to him."
Tails ignored the frighteningly fierce tone in his best friend's voice only to give way to his extreme curiosity. "But Eggman's robots have never been able to cause this kind of damage before…"
"That's because…these robots are much different…"
The group snapped around with wide eyes at the unexpected sound of the familiar - albeit extremely weak - voice. It was too much to hope for, but sure enough they watched as Knuckles slowly sat up, a grimace of pain fixed on his face.
"Knuckles!" Sonic was soon standing by the bed as the guardian shifted his position to sit on the edge and allow his feet to touch the floor. "Man, Knux! I didn't think you'd be up for a while."
The older teen shrugged slightly, wincing a little as he placed a hand to his chest. "The Master Emerald is granting me some of the energy to heal, and I can draw on its power if I need to," he replied softly. "It'll still be a while before I recover completely, though."
Looking over the worn echidna, the hedgehog nodded slightly. Considering how bad the other had been roughed up, that particular piece of news didn't surprise him. "So what happened, man?"
Knuckles shook his head slightly as a low growl escaped his throat. "Eggman stole the Master Emerald…"
Normally, the azure teen would have laughed at that statement. It was nothing new, and he was sure that they'd have no problem getting the giant emerald back. But the dark expression in the other's violet eyes made him think twice about cracking even a smile. Instead, he said, "Again? Doesn't he ever learn?"
"Oh, he's learned," Knuckles retorted. "Trust me, he's learned. Those robots were unlike anything we've ever seen before."
"How so?" Tails wondered. It was difficult to determine if he was asking out of concern or his own curiosity. "What makes these robots any different from his previous creations?"
Sighing, the echidna placed a hand to his head. "Where do I begin…?"
Before Sonic could give any form of reply - witty or otherwise - a low rumble shook the walls of the workshop and caused the ground to tremble beneath them. Snapping his head up, Sonic's ears twitched slightly at the familiar sound of maniacal laughter. He clenched his fist.
"Eggman…" he hissed softly. Before anything else could be said, the hedgehog raced out of the room.
"Sonic, wait!" Knuckles called after him. Hastily he tried to get out of bed, but he groaned as a wave of pain arose within him, forcing him to lean back against the bed just to remain standing.
Watching the young guardian for a moment, Tails and Amy then exchanged wondering glances. The same idea seemed to pass through their minds, and without a word Amy was at the echidna's side while the kit turned and followed the path that Sonic took. Reaching the long staircase, he jumped up and used his namesakes to fly up rather than run all the way up.
Finally he reached the open door that led out to the Mystic Ruins, stopping abruptly at the door frame when he saw that Sonic stood only on the stone steps, staring up at Eggman who sat in his Egg-mobile.
"It's been a long time, Sonic," the doctor greeted.
"Not long enough, Eggman," the hedgehog shot back with a strange combination of taunting anger.
The man simply smirked, his bushy mustache giving a slight twitch. "Still haven't grown up, have you? Oh well. I suppose some things aren't meant to change. By the way…how is Knuckles doing?"
Sonic growled, glaring at the evil scientist who simply laughed at him.
"Marvelous work, don't you think?" the round villain continued to jeer. "I must say, my new machines are by far the most impressive things I've ever seen. And you know I don't impress easily."
Sonic couldn't help but roll his eyes, but there was a tiny bit of truth in the man's words. Anything that could impair the powerful guardian in that manner was certainly impressive…but exceedingly dangerous. And he had to take these robots out before anyone else was hurt.
Folding his arms across his torso, he impatiently tapped his foot. "So what're ya doin' here anyway, Eggman? Besides wasting my time, I mean."
If possible, the doctor's sinister smile just seemed to broaden. "I just wanted to…offer you a challenge."
"Challenge?" the teen repeated, allowing his arms to drop to his sides. That was an answer he hadn't been expecting. "What kind of challenge?"
"Just you against one of my new robots in a one-on-one battle. Sounds simple enough, doesn't it?"
Sonic hesitated, turning slightly to look at Tails. The fox kit returned the gaze. There was obvious doubt in the cerulean eyes that mirrored his own. Turning back to the man, he retorted, "Why should I?"
"Because I have my Lithium Egg base over Station Square, ready to destroy it at my command," Eggman nonchalantly.
Jade eyes grew large. "What?"
"That's right, Sonic. As we speak, my Lithium Egg is positioned directly above the city, hidden from sight by human eyes and technology. If I so choose, I could strike and it would be too late for anyone to stop me. However," he quickly added before the hedgehog could say anything, "I'd be willing to retract the base providing you battle one of my new robots. If you fight the robot of my choosing, and if you win, then I will concede to you and remove the Lithium egg, leaving Station Square as it is with no one as the wiser. And everything will continue on as it has for the past year."
Admittedly, it was a tempting offer. While the adventurous hedgehog enjoyed action and challenges, he was fairly certain that officials in Station Square preferred the city in one piece. And personally, he preferred avoiding any harm to the residents if it could be helped. The conditions of a battle with one of Eggman's robots seemed to be an option that could please everyone: It would give Sonic something to do, and when he won Eggman would leave the city alone, untouched and peaceful. At least so he said. But the teen was still apprehensive of accepting the deal.
Tails seemed to pick up on his friend's hesitancy as he asked, "How can we trust you? If Sonic does beat your robot, how do we know that you'll really leave Station Square alone?"
"Tails, you wound me!" the doctor exclaimed with a feigned hurt tone. "Do you really think so low of me?" He held up his left hand as the other was placed over his heart. "I'll even give you me word."
"Your word isn't worth much, doc," Sonic couldn't help but remark.
Eggman scowled at him, which he met with a teasing grin. Then the man cleared his throat and added, "Well, you're going to have to trust me anyway. After all, the Lithium Egg is ready to attack. Either you accept my proposal, or I commence with the eradication of the city…It's your choice."
The two friends exchanged uncertain glances. After a brief moment, the young mechanic shook his head once, and the teen returned it with an understanding nod. They both knew that even with his speed, he didn't have much of a chance to get to Station Square before any damage came to the city. Even if he were to leave now, and even if he ran at top speed, it would still take a while for him to reach the city, and by then the evil scientist could have already instigated the attack.
He could always try to attack Eggman. But without knowing how the doctor planned to have his base attack Station Square from here in the ruins, the idea wouldn't end well. And he was sure if he attacked, the man's robots (hidden from sight at the moment) would step up to defend their creator. Thus he would have to fight them anyway, only with the added knowledge that the base was launching its attack.
Given the conditions, it seemed trusting Eggman was the least risky.
With a small shrug, Sonic finally answered, "All right, Eggman. I'll fight one of your robots. I just hope this'll be interesting."
The man smirked. "Oh, I assure you it will be." He then pushed a button on the consol of his vehicle.
The teen then watched as a silver monkey, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, hovered forward and landed on the plateau just at the bottom of the stairs. He couldn't help but stare.
"You want me to fight that?" he asked incredulously. The machine couldn't have been any bigger than Cream, and it didn't look like it could do much. It looked a lot like the other monkey robots Eggman had built before that would climb trees and throw bombs. But this one didn't even seem to do that as the hands were too small to hold the kind of bombs Eggman usually used. It didn't seem like much to worry about.
Except…its large cobalt eyes…Something in those devoid depths sent a strange shiver through the hedgehog's spine.
"Indeed," he heard the scientist say, tearing his attention away from the robot to look at the man. "I'd like to see how you handle facing off against this one."
"I thought you wanted me to fight against it, not completely destroy the thing. This ain't gonna be much of a brawl."
Eggman's smirk only seemed to broaden. "So you say…yet you still hesitate to fight against it. You're not scared, are you?"
Sonic glowered at him. "Scared nothing! I was just kind of feeling sorry for it when I win."
"Why don't you prove it then?"
The teen shrugged, limbering up a little. "All right…though it doesn't seem too much of a fair fight."
"Don't be too sure, Sonic…"
Slightly startled, the azure hero spun around as Knuckles heavily leaned against the door frame. Tails stood beside him, surprised by the echidna's suddenly appearance but still helping to support him. Amy hovered behind him, concern for the guardian only slightly overshadowed by a rather vexed expression, which he guessed was because the stubborn older teen refused to stay in bed.
Despite the wonder he felt from seeing the guardian up, he turned the other's words in his mind before asking, "What do you mean?"
Violet eyes quickly glanced at the robot monkey before focusing once again on the hedgehog. "That robot…it's not like any of the kinds we've seen before. It's much different."
Sonic was able to detect the urgency in the hushed voice; an attempted warning meant to be concealed from Eggman. "How so?" he wondered, his tone matching the other's.
"It's hard to explain. It…it has these powers…"
"Powers?" Tails repeated. "What kind of powers?"
"They're like…"
"What is taking you so long, Sonic?" Eggman jeered. Then he added mockingly, "I'm waiting…"
Growling softly, the azure teen jumped and shot forward, landing on the plateau just a few feet from where the simian stood. "All right, Eggman," he retorted, "let's get this over with!"
"Sonic, be careful!" Knuckles urged. But without being able to inform the other of the monkey's abilities, he didn't like the hedgehog's chances.
The younger teen simply grinned and waved off the other's concern. But his emerald eyes never left his mechanical opponent. "All right…let's see whatcha got!" Without another warning, he shot forward in a blue streak.
The automation barely avoided the charge, jumping up into the air. Instead of stopping, however, the blur of the hedgehog sprung up after it. But the monkey's jet pack activated, carrying the silver robot higher and out of Sonic's range.
Landing back on the ground, the teen shook his head. "I thought it was gonna fight me, not run away!" he exclaimed with a laugh.
But the evil scientist only smirked. "Just wait and see…"
Before he could make another witty comeback, his eyes widened when the monkey's silver arms were replaced with violet, its small hands now large, fierce claws. Sharp tips readied to attack, it surged forward so quickly that Sonic barely avoided.
Jumping back, he couldn't help but stare at the monkey, confusion creeping in. "What the…?" he muttered.
Eggman laughed. "Surprised, Sonic?"
He didn't have time to answer as the robot sped forward again, slashing its claws at him once more. While it wasn't as fast as he was, he had to admit that it was still pretty fast. If he wasn't careful, he'd be in big trouble.
Maybe if he could take out its jet pack…
He jumped out of the way as it came towards him again, wincing a little as one of the cutting nails grazed his arm. But before it passed him completely, he quickly kicked upwards, sending the device up into the air. Then, jumping after it, he curled into a blue sphere and bolted towards it. The silver monkey, however, seemed to be waiting for its opponent. Waiting, planning, until…
"MONKEY MIND SCREAM!"
The words were followed by a high, ear-piercing shriek from the machine's mouth, accompanied by violet echo waves that surrounded the hedgehog, freezing the ball in mid-air for a brief moment before hurling him back and slamming him into the ground, forcing him to instinctively uncurl.
Sonic lay there for a moment, slightly dazed from his impact on the ground. Even protection with his spines hadn't blocked all the pain from that blow. He quickly snapped out of it and hastily jumped to his feet just in time to avoid the monkey's claws. Glancing back, he flinched slightly at the deep, piercing holes that were left behind.
The robot charged at him again, wildly slashing its claws at him. He managed to avoid most of them, though occasionally felt a sharp sting cut across his skin. Quickly, he jumped back and curled into a ball again, shooting forward around the machine before aiming at it from behind.
But the monkey was ready for him. It turned with a raised hand, forming a deep purple shield that the hedgehog bounced off of. Spinning, Sonic landed on his feet and dodged as claws came at him again. He began to run as fast as he could around the simian, hoping to confuse it and surprise it that way.
But it simply stood in the center, cobalt eyes focused just in front of it. It held up its claws, crossing its arms over its torso. Suddenly violet curved-blades formed in its hands from the same energy that surrounded its claws. Holding them tightly, its eyes narrowed before it quickly threw one of the blades behind it.
The hedgehog faltered, trying to skid to a stop but instead tripped and fell face-down, all to avoid his legs from being cut off by the blade. But he rolled over, once again just barely avoiding the simian's claws. Springing to his feet, he ducked as it threw its second blade. It recovered quickly and lunged at him again, but he jumped up, landing on and springing off of the robot's helmeted head, pushing it into the dirt as he landed a few feet away.
"Heh heh…Looks like your robot's too slow for me, Egghead!" Sonic declared smugly.
To his surprise, though, the doctor simply gave a small laugh. "Oh dear…" he stated with feigned concern. "That is a problem, isn't it? My, my…Whatever shall we do, Antauri?"
Crouched down on all fours, the silver monkey glanced up at the man briefly before looking at the teen hero. Then an empty smirk crossed its sterling features as its violet claws gripped the ground, sending another shiver through Sonic's body.
"Perhaps it's time to show Sonic what you can really do," Eggman said.
"Yes, Dr. Eggman…" the monkey answered softly.
Emerald eyes widened when the robot was replaced with a transparent shadow, the violet energy that formed its claws surrounding its entire body. Its silver features were gone, but its skeletal design was now ominously revealed to all the onlookers. And while the cobalt orbs had disappeared, the outlines of its eyes were locked with the surprised green that stared back at it.
"Sonic!" a voice called from behind him, snapping him out of his astonishment. Shaking his head, he glanced back at the echidna who called his name. Knuckles pointed forward, and the azure teen followed his direction to watch the violet monkey. This time, however, he noticed that its claws and feet had disappeared into the ground, something that his shock had somehow ignored.
He shot forward towards the simian, but he wasn't able to catch it before it completely vanished into the ground. Skidding to a stop, he looked around. "What the…? How did it…?"
"That's what I was trying to tell you!" the guardian exclaimed in exasperation. "That robot has ghost powers!"
Sonic shot him a startled look. "Ghost powers?" he repeated loudly.
"Yes! And I don't mean ghost-like, I mean it feels like an actual ghost!"
About to ask when the older teen received the ability to sense paranormal beings, he was interrupted by Eggman clearing his throat. "I believe one of the terms to the challenge was that this would be a one-on-one battle. Receiving outside help of any kind isn't allowed."
"Damn the challenge!" Knuckles growled, taking a step forward. "This was unfair from the beginning, and I'm cutting in!"
The scientist seemed to ignore the echidna as he kept his gaze focused on the hedgehog. However, in a soft tone, his words rang clear, "Be careful, Sonic…You wouldn't want anything unfortunate to happen just because our agreement was violated, would you?"
Though he took a quick glance around the immediate area mostly to try and locate the silver monkey, his eyes soon became fixed on the roof of Tails' workshop where a robot girl comfortably sat, jade eyes watching him with a wicked glint and a small smirk. Mischievously, she placed a finger on her lips and got to her feet.
And realizing just what was being indicated, both by Eggman and the robot, Sonic sharply looked at the other teen. "Knuckles!" he warned.
The echidna had been ready to charge forward, stopping only by the tone his name was called with. Giving him a fixed stare, Sonic silently shook his head slightly, causing violet eyes to widen.
"But Sonic!" Knuckles began to argue. "You can't…!"
"Don't worry about it, Knux," the hedgehog then said playfully, a grin appearing on his face. "I got this one! You just sit back and watch the show."
Eggman smirked slightly, pressing a button on his Egg-mobile consol. "That's much better. Now, I think we've suspended this battle long enough, and it's about time we resume it."
'That must be why the monkey hasn't attacked me yet…' Sonic thought, his eyes darting from side to side. 'But unlike Knux, I can't sense ghosts…and if he tries to help me, or if I try to warn them about the robot on the roof, it'll just attack them anyway. Knux is already hurt, and I don't wanna put Tails and Amy up against something that can do that kind of damage…plus there's Cream to worry about and…' He gave a little growl of frustration as he spun around to make sure the simian wasn't behind him. 'There's gotta be some way to end this!'
"That guy's pretty quick, isn't he?" Otto asked as they watched the battle onscreen.
"Yeah, but…what is he?" Sprx wondered with an inclined head.
"His form mostly resembles that of a hedgehog…" Gibson observed, mostly to himself. "A bigger, blue version of a hedgehog…but a hedgehog nonetheless. It's rather interesting, really…Hedgehogs are normally not recognized for their speed, so this one is actually very unique in that. However, it does curl into a ball for protection, which is a normal behavior for -"
"We get the point," the red monkey interrupted edgily.
Chiro frowned deeply, trying to block out their words but having little luck in doing so. Shutting his eyes tighter, he inhaled deeply before releasing it in a long, drawn out breath.
Tearing her eyes away from the screen, Nova glanced at the boy curiously. "What are you doing, Chiro?" she inquired softly.
This time the words he tried to ignore were directed at him. Once more being interrupted, the teen sighed irritably, opening his eyes and focusing on the screen. "I'm trying to get in touch with Antauri through the Power Primate…Since he's still in there somewhere, I thought I'd give it might work."
The four monkeys glanced at each other, then looked at their leader curiously. The battle on the monitor was temporarily forgotten. "Can you really do that?" the golden monkey asked. "We don't know how far away we are from him…"
"So?" the teen replied. "Antauri was able to hear Captain Shuggazoom's thoughts in the Alchemist's lab all the way in the Zone of Wasted Years, and that was without the Power Primate…I should be able to reach him if I can just concentrate hard enough."
"But what will that do?" the chief of science asked.
"Well…" Chiro sighed softly. "I'm not really sure. I'm hoping…that maybe if I can talk to Antauri, it'll help him fight off whatever hold Eggman's got on him. Then he can help that Sonic guy…or something…"
The simians all glanced at each other again, uncertainty reflected in their eyes. But as he turned back to the boy, the red monkey stated, "Well it's worth a shot. Go for it kid."
Rather than try to point out that he had already been attempting to do so while they continued to disrupt him, the teen once again closed his eyes and focused his energy on the Power Primate within him. In his mind's eye, the Power Primate within was connected to other "threads" of energy, and he willed himself to follow the largest and strongest thread that lay before him.
'Antauri?' he called through the energy. 'Antauri, are you there?'
There was no answer, and all he felt was a strange cold and emptiness. But not willing to give up, he tried again. 'Antauri? Can you hear me? Antauri, where are you? Antauri, please…Answer me!'
Still nothing but silence.
'Antauri…! I know you're there somewhere! Please…!'
For a moment, the stillness persisted. And then…
Chi…ro…
His physical body somehow managed to stifle a gasp. 'Antauri!'
I'm sorry…I'm…sorry…
The teen frowned slightly, confused by the other's apology. 'What do you mean? You don't have to be sorry, Antauri…'
I can't…my fault…
'What…? This isn't your fault!' Shaking his head slightly, Chiro then remembered the reason he had wanted to contact the other to begin with. 'Antauri, you have to fight this! I know you don't want to do this! You have to fight this before anyone else gets hurt!'
I can't…I can't…
'Yes you can, Antauri! I know you can! You can't help Eggman win and beat this guy! You know it's not right!'
When the other failed to answer, the teen was afraid that he had somehow lost the other. Even through the Power Primate, his connection to Antauri's mind was weak and it was difficult for him to get through. But he continued to push on. 'Antauri, please! You have to fight this! If Eggman wins, he's going to conquer this planet!'
For a terrible eternity, there was once again no answer. But then he was given a rather faint reply: I'm afraid it's…far worse…than that…
He spent only a few seconds contemplating the meaning of his mentor's words before an image flashed through his mind, forced through their link before the connection shattered. Eyes snapping open, he gasped as terror suddenly filled him. "No…!" he cried out loudly, eyes fixed on the screen. "No…! No, he can't…!""
"Chiro!" Nova exclaimed. "What's wrong?"
He disregarded her, continuing to yell at the screen though the link between him and the silver monkey was already broken. "Antauri, don't do it! Please, you can't…!"
A voice off-screen suddenly gasped. "Sonic, look out!"
"NO!" But nothing Chiro said could stop the forced actions of the silver monkey. He, as well as the others, could only watch in horror as a violet claw slid through the forehead of the unaware hedgehog.
"SONIC!" Amy screamed, her cry mingling with the howl of pain from the azure hero.
"Dammit!" Knuckles exclaimed as he and Tails dashed forward towards the hedgehog. Before they could reach the other, though, a force pounded into the fox and sent him crashing into the echidna. The two of them toppled over the edge of the plateau.
The pink hedgehog gasped as her two friends disappeared. Floating in their place was a robot girl, her hands placed on her hips as she smirked proudly at her work. Then, turning jade eyes towards her, the robot continued to grin, challenging her to try and fight. Clenching her teeth, Amy reached behind her and pulled out her hammer, feeling it expand as she readied an attack.
"A-Amy-san…?"
Eyes widening, the young teen turned to see Cream standing behind her, clutching Cheese to her tightly. The rabbit quivered slightly as the Chao in her arms clung to her and trembled as well.
"Cream, get out of here!" she said, swiftly turning back to the robot girl; she couldn't do anything in fear of endangering the young girl behind her. Unfortunately, she watched as the robot girl's eyes began to glow with a fiery heat.
However, it never had a chance to fire as Knuckles rammed into it, knocking it away from the lab entrance. As the echidna landed on the ground, he collapsed to his knees and clutched his chest, forcing Tails to kneel beside him and check on him.
"Antauri! Finish him off!"
Three heads snapped up as Sonic's tortured cries grew louder, filling the entire area with anguished echoes. Three eyes watched as the blue body grew taut, rigid from the pressure of the pain brought on by the ghost robot. And three hearts skipped when the cries suddenly fell silent and the body crumpled to the ground.
Stillness quickly filled the area around them. Even Eggman, leaning over the side of his aircraft, wordlessly watched on as the robotic simian assumed its silver form once more, landing mere inches from the unnaturally still body of the azure hero.
Turning cobalt eyes up towards the man, the robot bowed and finally broke the curtain of quiet. "It is finished, Dr. Eggman…"
Then, with a twitch of his mustache, the round villain threw his fists into the air triumphantly. "Finally!" he bellowed. "Finally I have been able to get rid of Sonic the Hedgehog ONCE AND FOR ALL!"
"No…" Amy said softly, her hands muffling her words as a silvery tear ran down her cheek.
The mad scientist roared with a sinister laughter, turning the Egg-mobile and flying away from the scene. "Now there is nothing left to stop me!" he screamed as he sped off, followed in tow by the two robots.
But the others hardly noticed his disappearance. Instead, they kept focused on Sonic's limp body, almost as though willing him to move. When it didn't after what seemed like hours, Amy rushed past the two and quickly knelt down beside him, her mind frantically trying to come up with ways to awaken him. She began to reach for his shoulders, but then snatched her hands back as though afraid to touch him. Her mouth opened to call his name, but her voice refused to utter what she wanted to say. Shoulders trembling, she shook her head and finally resigned herself to burying her face in her hands and sobbing.
Knuckles and Tails both struggled to rise to their feet, their own bodies quivering as they looked on the girl crying over the unmoving body. Then the kit shut his eyes tightly, unable to view the scene any longer. Turning away from it, he unsuccessfully choked back a sob.
But instead of sharing the same sorrow that the other two experienced, the guardian instead felt a burning rage spread through his body. The longer he stared at the fallen hero, the larger it grew, filling his eyes with a dangerous fire. Clenching his fists together, he suddenly gave a low snarl and started to storm away. The only thing that stopped him was a firm hand grabbing his wrist.
"Let go…" he demanded, not bothering to look at the fox.
"You can't go…" Tails said, his tone barely above a whisper. "You're still injured from before."
"I don't care. I'm going after Eggman." It was a struggle to keep his words calm, but the tone they were spoken with gave his anger away.
"You can't," the younger one insisted. "You'll only get hurt worse."
Yanking his arm out of the other's grasp, the echidna finally spun around to face him. "I don't care, dammit! I'm not going to let Eggman get away with this! We can't just sit back and do nothing! Aren't you even going to bother to…?"
The words were just on the tip of his tongue, but the urge to say them quickly died as his eyes finally fell upon the fox. His gaze focused away, Tails' shoulders trembled as he tightly held his arms to his sides. He sniffled slightly, but his eyes were shut to prevent any of his tears from escaping. His teeth were tightly clenched together, and he seemed to be struggling to keep himself standing.
And Knuckles finally realized how much worse it was for the other two than it was for him. After all, Sonic had been the fox's best friend for so long, even before he knew either of them. The two had been so close, even with all that time they had been apart. And Amy obviously had such strong feelings for Sonic, stronger than he had initially thought. She had spent so much time chasing after him, but it only demonstrated her true dedication to him. Now that he was gone…
Knuckles was a bit startled when Tails suddenly looked up at him. Though tears glossed over his cerulean eyes, the fox refused to let them fall. "We'll take the Tornado…" he said firmly.
Hesitating for a moment, the echidna then nodded. He knew that the plane would probably catch the man faster anyway, but more importantly he didn't want to take away the kit's means of avenging their fallen friend.
"I'm coming too…" Amy said suddenly, and he turned slightly to watch the girl slowly rise to her feet. Facing them, she quickly wiped some of her tears away, making way for the determined expression on her face. "I wanna help."
It was one thing to involve Tails, for he knew that the fox was used to more dangerous situations. But he was less sure about Amy, and this would probably be much worse than anything they had ever done before. Still, he recognized her unwavering will to do what she could to help with stopping Eggman and making him pay for what he's done. Plus, with those two robots he had, it might be better to have as much help as they could get.
"Okay…" the guardian finally conceded reluctantly. He made note to do his best to protect these two to the best of his abilities. There was no way he'd allow them to end up as Sonic had.
Turning, Knuckles then followed Tails back into the workshop, Amy close behind them. As they entered, the three passed by Cream, who simply watched them go. Then glancing back, the young girl began slowly walking outside towards the unmoving hero.
Neither she nor her pet Chao noticed the slight twitch of his hand.
TBC
[Chapter 6]
Chapter: 5
Fandom: Sonic the Hedgehog/Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go! crossover
Character(s): Sonic the Hedgehog, Chiro, Miles "Tails" Prower
Genre: Drama, action/adventure, angst, some romance, friendship
Rating: K+/PG
Disclaimers: Sonic the Hedgehog © Sega, Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go! © Ciro Nieli
Notes: This was a...really weird idea I had one day, a long long time ago. I'm not sure why, other than I had just gotten into SRMT so I wanted to write about it all the time, and I was a really big Sonic the Hedgehog fan, so for some reason the crossover at the time made sense in my head. I don't...even know.
And again, I wrote this a really really long time ago. Like...Sonic Adventure 2 long time ago. So all the Sonic-related stuff takes place after that, pre-Sonic Heroes. In fact, none of the Sonic games after SA2 happened in this story and is directly a year after SA2, so it's kind of AU I guess. And in SRMT, it's kind of...after the war with Skeleton King, so...yeah...convenient. I'll stop now.
Summary: Dr. Eggman's newest plan is not only a threat to his world, but to another. And things get personal for the Hyperforce when the evil scientist takes some of their own.
[Chapter 4]
~*~*~*~
"Are you sure?" Sonic asked his younger friend for the second time that afternoon.
"Uh huh," Tails replied, turning in his seat slightly to look at him. "When I was in the forest earlier this morning, I swear I saw Angel Island. I've been trying to contact Knuckles since then, but he hasn't responded yet."
"Sonic…" Amy said softly, "could…Angel Island really have fallen again?"
Glancing at her, the blue hedgehog then shrugged slightly. "Maybe…but then that would mean that something's happened to the Master Emerald as well."
"Maybe we should go and see if Knuckles is okay," the fox suggested, starting to get up.
"Hold up a minute, lil buddy." The azure hero placed his hand on the other's shoulder. "If something did happen to the Master Emerald, then Knux will probably be already on it. Tryin' to find him won't be easy…"
"Chao!" Cheese suddenly exclaimed, flying in front of Sonic and waving his small blue arms frantically. "Chao chao chao chao! Chao chao!"
"Ow - hey! Cheese! What…?" He reached up and grabbed the rabbit's pet, pulling him away from his face. "Cream, what's with your chao?"
"Sorry…" the rabbit answered shyly, taking the chao from the hedgehog. "He was just trying to tell you something…"
"Oh yeah? What was he trying to tell me?"
"Um…well…" She pointed to the open door leading out of Tails' workshop. "He said that there was something outside that you should see."
Blinking curiously, the teen looked at the chao who continued to squirm in the girl's arms anxiously and kept eyeing the door nervously. Shrugging a little, he then walked over to the door before freezing in his tracks.
Several yards in front of him, Knuckles lay face down on the ground, his body trembling with every intake of breath that coursed through him. A cough suddenly erupted from him, followed by a low groan. And the faint spatters of blood just behind the echidna made his own run cold.
"Knuckles!" In a second, he was kneeling by the other's side. He carefully reached over to touch the echidna's shoulder, but he stopped as he scoped the extent of his friend's injuries. His giant gloves that were normally pristine white were now stained dark with dirt and dried blood, ripped and torn to reveal the bruised flesh underneath them. Patches of his crimson fur were blackened, burned it looked like, and the ground where he lay was discolored deeply, causing the hedgehog to shudder slightly. "Knuckles! Knuckles, wake up!"
The older teen groaned softly, struggling to lift his head. Dim, violet eyes locked with the concerned emerald ones that watched on. "S…Son…ic…" the echidna rasped weakly, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Knuckles! Man, what happened? What's going on?"
"Egg…man…" Knuckles replied, fighting to stay conscious, "new robots…M-Master Em…erald…" Soon he lost the battle, collapsing as he slipped into darkness.
"No! Knuckles!" A soft gasp from the door kept him from shaking the young guardian awake again. His head snapped up and saw Tails, Cream, and Amy standing at the door, looking on in horror. Cream held her chao tightly to her while Amy's hands flew up to her mouth; both wore the same expression of unrestrained shock on their faces as they stared at their comatose friend. But breaking out of his own astonishment, Tails rushed forward, bending down to kneel at Knuckles' other side. "Let's get him inside," he said softly to the teen.
Sonic nodded slightly, and the two of them carefully hoisted the other up, draping his arms across their shoulders and supporting him on both of them as they got to their feet. Looking at the two girls, the fox said, "Amy, I need you to get a lot of water. And Cream, there's a first aide kit in the closet downstairs…"
The two did nothing at first, too absorbed in the alarming sight to even move.
"Amy…" Sonic said hoarsely, "please…"
That quickly snapped the female hedgehog out of her daze. Lowering her hands, she nodded slightly before placing her hand on top of the young rabbit's head. The younger girl glanced up at the teen, and she simply motioned inside, leading the child back into the lab.
When the girls were gone, Sonic and Tails began to follow after them. But for the hedgehog, their pace was agonizingly slow. Not because he preferred quick speeds, but rather…he could feel just how weak the usually-tough echidna was at that point. If they didn't hurry and help him…
Sonic shook his head furiously. No…he wouldn't allow himself to think that way. He couldn't. They'd find a way to do something for the unconscious teen. Even if Tails wasn't a doctor, there still had to be something he could do. But as he took one more glance at the echidna, Sonic frowned deeply.
'Man, Knux…What happened to you?'
Chiro winced slightly as his arms were roughly pulled up above his head. When the egg-robots secured his bonds, they released him and moved away. Nearby, he could hear his friends' protests as they were handled none-too-lightly as well, pushed up against the walls.
"What was the point of moving us?" Gibson asked, turning his attention to the nearby doctor who was merely supervising his machines' work.
Eggman chuckled. "Because I felt like it," he replied, sounding as though the answer was the most obvious in the world.
The teen sighed softly. The transfer would have been a perfect opportunity to try and escape…if only he and the others hadn't still been connected to that power core. How that was moved with them as well, he wasn't entirely sure. But as long as they were all hooked up to it, he couldn't chance anything that would end up harming them.
"So where are we now?" Otto wondered as he looked around. The room looked exactly the same as the one they had been previously held in.
"We are aboard my mobile base, the Lithium Egg. I thought it might make things more interesting by allowing you all to be present while I take over Station Square."
The boy's eyes widened. "What?"
Smirking deeply, the man nodded. "You heard me right. Even as we speak, we're launching and on our way to the city. Once there, this base will begin taking over the city for me while I take care of some business."
"Business?" Nova repeated. "What kind of business?"
"Just…a certain pest that needs to be dealt with." He chuckled again. "But don't worry. Jinmay will provide you all with an excellent show."
Glaring at the scientist, the teen then glanced at the robot girl and the computer monitor that she stood beside. The screen was blank for now, but he knew the camera would be switched on soon.
What really worried him was what he would see when it was on.
The door of the room suddenly slid open, allowing Antauri to enter. "Dr. Eggman," he stated with a bow, "your Egg-mobile is ready for departure."
"About time," the mad genius snapped.
Chiro gritted his teeth tightly. He hated the way the doctor spoke to them; as inferiors simply because they were robotic. He had absolutely no right to talk to them like that.
"All right," he heard the doctor speak again as the man turned to look at his two friends. "I want you two to accompany me to pay a visit to an old friend."
"Yes, Dr. Eggman," they replied mechanically.
Taking one last look at the leader of the Hyperforce, Eggman smirked and sauntered out with Jinmay closely behind. But strangely enough, Antauri lingered and seemed to watch them all with empty cobalt eyes.
And as Chiro stared back into those vacant orbs, he could have sworn that a flicker of life passed through them. That was when he knew.
"Antauri…" he said softly, "you're still there, aren't you? You're still in there…watching everything…"
The Monkey Team watched the two with bated breaths, but the second-in-command gave no answer.
"Antauri," the teen tried again. If there was any hope to reach the other, then he would have to make the most of this chance. "Antauri, you have to fight this! You know that whatever Eggman's up to is no good, and I know you can fight this! You know this isn't what you want to do!"
Light flickered in the silver monkey's eyes again.
"Please Antauri…don't do this…"
"Antauri!" Eggman's voice suddenly bellowed from down the hall. "Get over here now!"
The light faded and died, the cold emotionlessness returning to Antauri's eyes. Turning slightly, he slowly began to walk away.
"No!" Chiro called after him. "Antauri, don't go!" But he could do nothing as the robotic simian disappeared. When the door closed after him, his head hung in defeat.
For an eternity, nothing was heard but the crash of silence. Then, in a gentle voice, Sprx said, "Hey…don't worry, kid. Everything's gonna be okay."
But Chiro shook his head slightly. "No it won't…" he answered. "I know Eggman's gonna end up making Antauri do something he'll never forgive himself for. He's always gonna blame himself…if we ever get him back to normal…"
Tails sighed softly; wiping his brow with the back of his glove as he carefully surveyed his work. He had done the best that his abilities would allow him, but being a nine-year-old with no medical expertise to speak of didn't give him much to work with. Still, he felt that he hadn't done too badly given the circumstances.
"Tails-san?" a meek voice suddenly spoke, reminding the kit that there was one other in the room. He turned slightly to look at Cream, who stared back at him with wide anxious eyes, expressing the question that her voice couldn't state. Exhaustion overcoming him, he could only give her a weary smile to reassure her that things would be fine. She nodded slightly, but the concern never left as she once again looked at the unmoving guardian.
He couldn't really blame her. After all, the echidna had been in such bad shape when they started.
After he and Sonic had brought Knuckles into his lab, they had placed him into the bed that Sonic usually occupied, turning the room into a makeshift medical center where the fox had done his best to address Knuckles' wounds. Sonic, meanwhile, had gone off somewhere with Amy close behind him, leaving Cream and Cheese with him. The rabbit had asked to help then and, with no real idea of if he was going about things the right way or not, he had accepted, though felt a little guilty subjecting her to the sight of the battered guardian for those painfully slow two hours.
But they were done now at least. Bandages were tightly wrapped around Knuckles' chest and arms, replacing the torn gloves covering his hands, and around his head. Luckily no bones had been broken, though Tails wouldn't have been surprised if some of the muscles had been torn. Bruises were now well formed, leaving dark patches of black and blue on the echidna's skin that were even visible over the crimson fur, but at least the swelling had subsided.
A gentle nudge rough him back to reality. Curiously he glanced at the Chao that hovered next to him, holding a damp piece of cloth in its arms.
"Chao chao," Cheese said softly, offering him the cloth.
His brow furrowed in puzzlement. "What?"
"He wants to help you clean up a bit…" the girl said softly. "There's still…" Her voice trailed off as she turned away.
It took a minute longer for the kit to understand what she meant. "Oh…right." While they had carried the echidna inside, he and Sonic had both supported the unconscious body. However, because of the hedgehog's spines, most of the weight had to rest on him. He hadn't minded, but he also hadn't realized that the open wound on Knuckles' front had still been bleeding. He could only imagine the kind of stain it had left behind in his light fur.
Carefully he took the cloth from the blue creature. "Thanks," he said softly.
"How is he doin'?" The three pairs of eyes looked over to the speaker as he and Amy slowly entered the room. The expression on the hedgehog's face looked similar to how Tails felt at the moment; confused and exhausted.
"He's doing better now," the kit answered softly. "He'll need a lot of rest, though. Luckily, his wounds have already started healing, which I'm guessing is because of his connection to the Master Emerald. So he'll definitely be okay as long as he doesn't overexert himself."
Studying the guardian for a moment, the azure hedgehog then nodded. "Good," he said softly. "That's real good." He turned away and began to pace a little.
"But I don't get it," Amy Rose said suddenly. "Knuckles is so powerful. What could have done this to him?"
"Knux said something about Eggman and some new robots." The teen hero froze in his tracks, clenching his fists together. "When I find the doc, I'll make sure to give him what's coming to him."
Tails ignored the frighteningly fierce tone in his best friend's voice only to give way to his extreme curiosity. "But Eggman's robots have never been able to cause this kind of damage before…"
"That's because…these robots are much different…"
The group snapped around with wide eyes at the unexpected sound of the familiar - albeit extremely weak - voice. It was too much to hope for, but sure enough they watched as Knuckles slowly sat up, a grimace of pain fixed on his face.
"Knuckles!" Sonic was soon standing by the bed as the guardian shifted his position to sit on the edge and allow his feet to touch the floor. "Man, Knux! I didn't think you'd be up for a while."
The older teen shrugged slightly, wincing a little as he placed a hand to his chest. "The Master Emerald is granting me some of the energy to heal, and I can draw on its power if I need to," he replied softly. "It'll still be a while before I recover completely, though."
Looking over the worn echidna, the hedgehog nodded slightly. Considering how bad the other had been roughed up, that particular piece of news didn't surprise him. "So what happened, man?"
Knuckles shook his head slightly as a low growl escaped his throat. "Eggman stole the Master Emerald…"
Normally, the azure teen would have laughed at that statement. It was nothing new, and he was sure that they'd have no problem getting the giant emerald back. But the dark expression in the other's violet eyes made him think twice about cracking even a smile. Instead, he said, "Again? Doesn't he ever learn?"
"Oh, he's learned," Knuckles retorted. "Trust me, he's learned. Those robots were unlike anything we've ever seen before."
"How so?" Tails wondered. It was difficult to determine if he was asking out of concern or his own curiosity. "What makes these robots any different from his previous creations?"
Sighing, the echidna placed a hand to his head. "Where do I begin…?"
Before Sonic could give any form of reply - witty or otherwise - a low rumble shook the walls of the workshop and caused the ground to tremble beneath them. Snapping his head up, Sonic's ears twitched slightly at the familiar sound of maniacal laughter. He clenched his fist.
"Eggman…" he hissed softly. Before anything else could be said, the hedgehog raced out of the room.
"Sonic, wait!" Knuckles called after him. Hastily he tried to get out of bed, but he groaned as a wave of pain arose within him, forcing him to lean back against the bed just to remain standing.
Watching the young guardian for a moment, Tails and Amy then exchanged wondering glances. The same idea seemed to pass through their minds, and without a word Amy was at the echidna's side while the kit turned and followed the path that Sonic took. Reaching the long staircase, he jumped up and used his namesakes to fly up rather than run all the way up.
Finally he reached the open door that led out to the Mystic Ruins, stopping abruptly at the door frame when he saw that Sonic stood only on the stone steps, staring up at Eggman who sat in his Egg-mobile.
"It's been a long time, Sonic," the doctor greeted.
"Not long enough, Eggman," the hedgehog shot back with a strange combination of taunting anger.
The man simply smirked, his bushy mustache giving a slight twitch. "Still haven't grown up, have you? Oh well. I suppose some things aren't meant to change. By the way…how is Knuckles doing?"
Sonic growled, glaring at the evil scientist who simply laughed at him.
"Marvelous work, don't you think?" the round villain continued to jeer. "I must say, my new machines are by far the most impressive things I've ever seen. And you know I don't impress easily."
Sonic couldn't help but roll his eyes, but there was a tiny bit of truth in the man's words. Anything that could impair the powerful guardian in that manner was certainly impressive…but exceedingly dangerous. And he had to take these robots out before anyone else was hurt.
Folding his arms across his torso, he impatiently tapped his foot. "So what're ya doin' here anyway, Eggman? Besides wasting my time, I mean."
If possible, the doctor's sinister smile just seemed to broaden. "I just wanted to…offer you a challenge."
"Challenge?" the teen repeated, allowing his arms to drop to his sides. That was an answer he hadn't been expecting. "What kind of challenge?"
"Just you against one of my new robots in a one-on-one battle. Sounds simple enough, doesn't it?"
Sonic hesitated, turning slightly to look at Tails. The fox kit returned the gaze. There was obvious doubt in the cerulean eyes that mirrored his own. Turning back to the man, he retorted, "Why should I?"
"Because I have my Lithium Egg base over Station Square, ready to destroy it at my command," Eggman nonchalantly.
Jade eyes grew large. "What?"
"That's right, Sonic. As we speak, my Lithium Egg is positioned directly above the city, hidden from sight by human eyes and technology. If I so choose, I could strike and it would be too late for anyone to stop me. However," he quickly added before the hedgehog could say anything, "I'd be willing to retract the base providing you battle one of my new robots. If you fight the robot of my choosing, and if you win, then I will concede to you and remove the Lithium egg, leaving Station Square as it is with no one as the wiser. And everything will continue on as it has for the past year."
Admittedly, it was a tempting offer. While the adventurous hedgehog enjoyed action and challenges, he was fairly certain that officials in Station Square preferred the city in one piece. And personally, he preferred avoiding any harm to the residents if it could be helped. The conditions of a battle with one of Eggman's robots seemed to be an option that could please everyone: It would give Sonic something to do, and when he won Eggman would leave the city alone, untouched and peaceful. At least so he said. But the teen was still apprehensive of accepting the deal.
Tails seemed to pick up on his friend's hesitancy as he asked, "How can we trust you? If Sonic does beat your robot, how do we know that you'll really leave Station Square alone?"
"Tails, you wound me!" the doctor exclaimed with a feigned hurt tone. "Do you really think so low of me?" He held up his left hand as the other was placed over his heart. "I'll even give you me word."
"Your word isn't worth much, doc," Sonic couldn't help but remark.
Eggman scowled at him, which he met with a teasing grin. Then the man cleared his throat and added, "Well, you're going to have to trust me anyway. After all, the Lithium Egg is ready to attack. Either you accept my proposal, or I commence with the eradication of the city…It's your choice."
The two friends exchanged uncertain glances. After a brief moment, the young mechanic shook his head once, and the teen returned it with an understanding nod. They both knew that even with his speed, he didn't have much of a chance to get to Station Square before any damage came to the city. Even if he were to leave now, and even if he ran at top speed, it would still take a while for him to reach the city, and by then the evil scientist could have already instigated the attack.
He could always try to attack Eggman. But without knowing how the doctor planned to have his base attack Station Square from here in the ruins, the idea wouldn't end well. And he was sure if he attacked, the man's robots (hidden from sight at the moment) would step up to defend their creator. Thus he would have to fight them anyway, only with the added knowledge that the base was launching its attack.
Given the conditions, it seemed trusting Eggman was the least risky.
With a small shrug, Sonic finally answered, "All right, Eggman. I'll fight one of your robots. I just hope this'll be interesting."
The man smirked. "Oh, I assure you it will be." He then pushed a button on the consol of his vehicle.
The teen then watched as a silver monkey, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, hovered forward and landed on the plateau just at the bottom of the stairs. He couldn't help but stare.
"You want me to fight that?" he asked incredulously. The machine couldn't have been any bigger than Cream, and it didn't look like it could do much. It looked a lot like the other monkey robots Eggman had built before that would climb trees and throw bombs. But this one didn't even seem to do that as the hands were too small to hold the kind of bombs Eggman usually used. It didn't seem like much to worry about.
Except…its large cobalt eyes…Something in those devoid depths sent a strange shiver through the hedgehog's spine.
"Indeed," he heard the scientist say, tearing his attention away from the robot to look at the man. "I'd like to see how you handle facing off against this one."
"I thought you wanted me to fight against it, not completely destroy the thing. This ain't gonna be much of a brawl."
Eggman's smirk only seemed to broaden. "So you say…yet you still hesitate to fight against it. You're not scared, are you?"
Sonic glowered at him. "Scared nothing! I was just kind of feeling sorry for it when I win."
"Why don't you prove it then?"
The teen shrugged, limbering up a little. "All right…though it doesn't seem too much of a fair fight."
"Don't be too sure, Sonic…"
Slightly startled, the azure hero spun around as Knuckles heavily leaned against the door frame. Tails stood beside him, surprised by the echidna's suddenly appearance but still helping to support him. Amy hovered behind him, concern for the guardian only slightly overshadowed by a rather vexed expression, which he guessed was because the stubborn older teen refused to stay in bed.
Despite the wonder he felt from seeing the guardian up, he turned the other's words in his mind before asking, "What do you mean?"
Violet eyes quickly glanced at the robot monkey before focusing once again on the hedgehog. "That robot…it's not like any of the kinds we've seen before. It's much different."
Sonic was able to detect the urgency in the hushed voice; an attempted warning meant to be concealed from Eggman. "How so?" he wondered, his tone matching the other's.
"It's hard to explain. It…it has these powers…"
"Powers?" Tails repeated. "What kind of powers?"
"They're like…"
"What is taking you so long, Sonic?" Eggman jeered. Then he added mockingly, "I'm waiting…"
Growling softly, the azure teen jumped and shot forward, landing on the plateau just a few feet from where the simian stood. "All right, Eggman," he retorted, "let's get this over with!"
"Sonic, be careful!" Knuckles urged. But without being able to inform the other of the monkey's abilities, he didn't like the hedgehog's chances.
The younger teen simply grinned and waved off the other's concern. But his emerald eyes never left his mechanical opponent. "All right…let's see whatcha got!" Without another warning, he shot forward in a blue streak.
The automation barely avoided the charge, jumping up into the air. Instead of stopping, however, the blur of the hedgehog sprung up after it. But the monkey's jet pack activated, carrying the silver robot higher and out of Sonic's range.
Landing back on the ground, the teen shook his head. "I thought it was gonna fight me, not run away!" he exclaimed with a laugh.
But the evil scientist only smirked. "Just wait and see…"
Before he could make another witty comeback, his eyes widened when the monkey's silver arms were replaced with violet, its small hands now large, fierce claws. Sharp tips readied to attack, it surged forward so quickly that Sonic barely avoided.
Jumping back, he couldn't help but stare at the monkey, confusion creeping in. "What the…?" he muttered.
Eggman laughed. "Surprised, Sonic?"
He didn't have time to answer as the robot sped forward again, slashing its claws at him once more. While it wasn't as fast as he was, he had to admit that it was still pretty fast. If he wasn't careful, he'd be in big trouble.
Maybe if he could take out its jet pack…
He jumped out of the way as it came towards him again, wincing a little as one of the cutting nails grazed his arm. But before it passed him completely, he quickly kicked upwards, sending the device up into the air. Then, jumping after it, he curled into a blue sphere and bolted towards it. The silver monkey, however, seemed to be waiting for its opponent. Waiting, planning, until…
"MONKEY MIND SCREAM!"
The words were followed by a high, ear-piercing shriek from the machine's mouth, accompanied by violet echo waves that surrounded the hedgehog, freezing the ball in mid-air for a brief moment before hurling him back and slamming him into the ground, forcing him to instinctively uncurl.
Sonic lay there for a moment, slightly dazed from his impact on the ground. Even protection with his spines hadn't blocked all the pain from that blow. He quickly snapped out of it and hastily jumped to his feet just in time to avoid the monkey's claws. Glancing back, he flinched slightly at the deep, piercing holes that were left behind.
The robot charged at him again, wildly slashing its claws at him. He managed to avoid most of them, though occasionally felt a sharp sting cut across his skin. Quickly, he jumped back and curled into a ball again, shooting forward around the machine before aiming at it from behind.
But the monkey was ready for him. It turned with a raised hand, forming a deep purple shield that the hedgehog bounced off of. Spinning, Sonic landed on his feet and dodged as claws came at him again. He began to run as fast as he could around the simian, hoping to confuse it and surprise it that way.
But it simply stood in the center, cobalt eyes focused just in front of it. It held up its claws, crossing its arms over its torso. Suddenly violet curved-blades formed in its hands from the same energy that surrounded its claws. Holding them tightly, its eyes narrowed before it quickly threw one of the blades behind it.
The hedgehog faltered, trying to skid to a stop but instead tripped and fell face-down, all to avoid his legs from being cut off by the blade. But he rolled over, once again just barely avoiding the simian's claws. Springing to his feet, he ducked as it threw its second blade. It recovered quickly and lunged at him again, but he jumped up, landing on and springing off of the robot's helmeted head, pushing it into the dirt as he landed a few feet away.
"Heh heh…Looks like your robot's too slow for me, Egghead!" Sonic declared smugly.
To his surprise, though, the doctor simply gave a small laugh. "Oh dear…" he stated with feigned concern. "That is a problem, isn't it? My, my…Whatever shall we do, Antauri?"
Crouched down on all fours, the silver monkey glanced up at the man briefly before looking at the teen hero. Then an empty smirk crossed its sterling features as its violet claws gripped the ground, sending another shiver through Sonic's body.
"Perhaps it's time to show Sonic what you can really do," Eggman said.
"Yes, Dr. Eggman…" the monkey answered softly.
Emerald eyes widened when the robot was replaced with a transparent shadow, the violet energy that formed its claws surrounding its entire body. Its silver features were gone, but its skeletal design was now ominously revealed to all the onlookers. And while the cobalt orbs had disappeared, the outlines of its eyes were locked with the surprised green that stared back at it.
"Sonic!" a voice called from behind him, snapping him out of his astonishment. Shaking his head, he glanced back at the echidna who called his name. Knuckles pointed forward, and the azure teen followed his direction to watch the violet monkey. This time, however, he noticed that its claws and feet had disappeared into the ground, something that his shock had somehow ignored.
He shot forward towards the simian, but he wasn't able to catch it before it completely vanished into the ground. Skidding to a stop, he looked around. "What the…? How did it…?"
"That's what I was trying to tell you!" the guardian exclaimed in exasperation. "That robot has ghost powers!"
Sonic shot him a startled look. "Ghost powers?" he repeated loudly.
"Yes! And I don't mean ghost-like, I mean it feels like an actual ghost!"
About to ask when the older teen received the ability to sense paranormal beings, he was interrupted by Eggman clearing his throat. "I believe one of the terms to the challenge was that this would be a one-on-one battle. Receiving outside help of any kind isn't allowed."
"Damn the challenge!" Knuckles growled, taking a step forward. "This was unfair from the beginning, and I'm cutting in!"
The scientist seemed to ignore the echidna as he kept his gaze focused on the hedgehog. However, in a soft tone, his words rang clear, "Be careful, Sonic…You wouldn't want anything unfortunate to happen just because our agreement was violated, would you?"
Though he took a quick glance around the immediate area mostly to try and locate the silver monkey, his eyes soon became fixed on the roof of Tails' workshop where a robot girl comfortably sat, jade eyes watching him with a wicked glint and a small smirk. Mischievously, she placed a finger on her lips and got to her feet.
And realizing just what was being indicated, both by Eggman and the robot, Sonic sharply looked at the other teen. "Knuckles!" he warned.
The echidna had been ready to charge forward, stopping only by the tone his name was called with. Giving him a fixed stare, Sonic silently shook his head slightly, causing violet eyes to widen.
"But Sonic!" Knuckles began to argue. "You can't…!"
"Don't worry about it, Knux," the hedgehog then said playfully, a grin appearing on his face. "I got this one! You just sit back and watch the show."
Eggman smirked slightly, pressing a button on his Egg-mobile consol. "That's much better. Now, I think we've suspended this battle long enough, and it's about time we resume it."
'That must be why the monkey hasn't attacked me yet…' Sonic thought, his eyes darting from side to side. 'But unlike Knux, I can't sense ghosts…and if he tries to help me, or if I try to warn them about the robot on the roof, it'll just attack them anyway. Knux is already hurt, and I don't wanna put Tails and Amy up against something that can do that kind of damage…plus there's Cream to worry about and…' He gave a little growl of frustration as he spun around to make sure the simian wasn't behind him. 'There's gotta be some way to end this!'
"That guy's pretty quick, isn't he?" Otto asked as they watched the battle onscreen.
"Yeah, but…what is he?" Sprx wondered with an inclined head.
"His form mostly resembles that of a hedgehog…" Gibson observed, mostly to himself. "A bigger, blue version of a hedgehog…but a hedgehog nonetheless. It's rather interesting, really…Hedgehogs are normally not recognized for their speed, so this one is actually very unique in that. However, it does curl into a ball for protection, which is a normal behavior for -"
"We get the point," the red monkey interrupted edgily.
Chiro frowned deeply, trying to block out their words but having little luck in doing so. Shutting his eyes tighter, he inhaled deeply before releasing it in a long, drawn out breath.
Tearing her eyes away from the screen, Nova glanced at the boy curiously. "What are you doing, Chiro?" she inquired softly.
This time the words he tried to ignore were directed at him. Once more being interrupted, the teen sighed irritably, opening his eyes and focusing on the screen. "I'm trying to get in touch with Antauri through the Power Primate…Since he's still in there somewhere, I thought I'd give it might work."
The four monkeys glanced at each other, then looked at their leader curiously. The battle on the monitor was temporarily forgotten. "Can you really do that?" the golden monkey asked. "We don't know how far away we are from him…"
"So?" the teen replied. "Antauri was able to hear Captain Shuggazoom's thoughts in the Alchemist's lab all the way in the Zone of Wasted Years, and that was without the Power Primate…I should be able to reach him if I can just concentrate hard enough."
"But what will that do?" the chief of science asked.
"Well…" Chiro sighed softly. "I'm not really sure. I'm hoping…that maybe if I can talk to Antauri, it'll help him fight off whatever hold Eggman's got on him. Then he can help that Sonic guy…or something…"
The simians all glanced at each other again, uncertainty reflected in their eyes. But as he turned back to the boy, the red monkey stated, "Well it's worth a shot. Go for it kid."
Rather than try to point out that he had already been attempting to do so while they continued to disrupt him, the teen once again closed his eyes and focused his energy on the Power Primate within him. In his mind's eye, the Power Primate within was connected to other "threads" of energy, and he willed himself to follow the largest and strongest thread that lay before him.
'Antauri?' he called through the energy. 'Antauri, are you there?'
There was no answer, and all he felt was a strange cold and emptiness. But not willing to give up, he tried again. 'Antauri? Can you hear me? Antauri, where are you? Antauri, please…Answer me!'
Still nothing but silence.
'Antauri…! I know you're there somewhere! Please…!'
For a moment, the stillness persisted. And then…
Chi…ro…
His physical body somehow managed to stifle a gasp. 'Antauri!'
I'm sorry…I'm…sorry…
The teen frowned slightly, confused by the other's apology. 'What do you mean? You don't have to be sorry, Antauri…'
I can't…my fault…
'What…? This isn't your fault!' Shaking his head slightly, Chiro then remembered the reason he had wanted to contact the other to begin with. 'Antauri, you have to fight this! I know you don't want to do this! You have to fight this before anyone else gets hurt!'
I can't…I can't…
'Yes you can, Antauri! I know you can! You can't help Eggman win and beat this guy! You know it's not right!'
When the other failed to answer, the teen was afraid that he had somehow lost the other. Even through the Power Primate, his connection to Antauri's mind was weak and it was difficult for him to get through. But he continued to push on. 'Antauri, please! You have to fight this! If Eggman wins, he's going to conquer this planet!'
For a terrible eternity, there was once again no answer. But then he was given a rather faint reply: I'm afraid it's…far worse…than that…
He spent only a few seconds contemplating the meaning of his mentor's words before an image flashed through his mind, forced through their link before the connection shattered. Eyes snapping open, he gasped as terror suddenly filled him. "No…!" he cried out loudly, eyes fixed on the screen. "No…! No, he can't…!""
"Chiro!" Nova exclaimed. "What's wrong?"
He disregarded her, continuing to yell at the screen though the link between him and the silver monkey was already broken. "Antauri, don't do it! Please, you can't…!"
A voice off-screen suddenly gasped. "Sonic, look out!"
"NO!" But nothing Chiro said could stop the forced actions of the silver monkey. He, as well as the others, could only watch in horror as a violet claw slid through the forehead of the unaware hedgehog.
"SONIC!" Amy screamed, her cry mingling with the howl of pain from the azure hero.
"Dammit!" Knuckles exclaimed as he and Tails dashed forward towards the hedgehog. Before they could reach the other, though, a force pounded into the fox and sent him crashing into the echidna. The two of them toppled over the edge of the plateau.
The pink hedgehog gasped as her two friends disappeared. Floating in their place was a robot girl, her hands placed on her hips as she smirked proudly at her work. Then, turning jade eyes towards her, the robot continued to grin, challenging her to try and fight. Clenching her teeth, Amy reached behind her and pulled out her hammer, feeling it expand as she readied an attack.
"A-Amy-san…?"
Eyes widening, the young teen turned to see Cream standing behind her, clutching Cheese to her tightly. The rabbit quivered slightly as the Chao in her arms clung to her and trembled as well.
"Cream, get out of here!" she said, swiftly turning back to the robot girl; she couldn't do anything in fear of endangering the young girl behind her. Unfortunately, she watched as the robot girl's eyes began to glow with a fiery heat.
However, it never had a chance to fire as Knuckles rammed into it, knocking it away from the lab entrance. As the echidna landed on the ground, he collapsed to his knees and clutched his chest, forcing Tails to kneel beside him and check on him.
"Antauri! Finish him off!"
Three heads snapped up as Sonic's tortured cries grew louder, filling the entire area with anguished echoes. Three eyes watched as the blue body grew taut, rigid from the pressure of the pain brought on by the ghost robot. And three hearts skipped when the cries suddenly fell silent and the body crumpled to the ground.
Stillness quickly filled the area around them. Even Eggman, leaning over the side of his aircraft, wordlessly watched on as the robotic simian assumed its silver form once more, landing mere inches from the unnaturally still body of the azure hero.
Turning cobalt eyes up towards the man, the robot bowed and finally broke the curtain of quiet. "It is finished, Dr. Eggman…"
Then, with a twitch of his mustache, the round villain threw his fists into the air triumphantly. "Finally!" he bellowed. "Finally I have been able to get rid of Sonic the Hedgehog ONCE AND FOR ALL!"
"No…" Amy said softly, her hands muffling her words as a silvery tear ran down her cheek.
The mad scientist roared with a sinister laughter, turning the Egg-mobile and flying away from the scene. "Now there is nothing left to stop me!" he screamed as he sped off, followed in tow by the two robots.
But the others hardly noticed his disappearance. Instead, they kept focused on Sonic's limp body, almost as though willing him to move. When it didn't after what seemed like hours, Amy rushed past the two and quickly knelt down beside him, her mind frantically trying to come up with ways to awaken him. She began to reach for his shoulders, but then snatched her hands back as though afraid to touch him. Her mouth opened to call his name, but her voice refused to utter what she wanted to say. Shoulders trembling, she shook her head and finally resigned herself to burying her face in her hands and sobbing.
Knuckles and Tails both struggled to rise to their feet, their own bodies quivering as they looked on the girl crying over the unmoving body. Then the kit shut his eyes tightly, unable to view the scene any longer. Turning away from it, he unsuccessfully choked back a sob.
But instead of sharing the same sorrow that the other two experienced, the guardian instead felt a burning rage spread through his body. The longer he stared at the fallen hero, the larger it grew, filling his eyes with a dangerous fire. Clenching his fists together, he suddenly gave a low snarl and started to storm away. The only thing that stopped him was a firm hand grabbing his wrist.
"Let go…" he demanded, not bothering to look at the fox.
"You can't go…" Tails said, his tone barely above a whisper. "You're still injured from before."
"I don't care. I'm going after Eggman." It was a struggle to keep his words calm, but the tone they were spoken with gave his anger away.
"You can't," the younger one insisted. "You'll only get hurt worse."
Yanking his arm out of the other's grasp, the echidna finally spun around to face him. "I don't care, dammit! I'm not going to let Eggman get away with this! We can't just sit back and do nothing! Aren't you even going to bother to…?"
The words were just on the tip of his tongue, but the urge to say them quickly died as his eyes finally fell upon the fox. His gaze focused away, Tails' shoulders trembled as he tightly held his arms to his sides. He sniffled slightly, but his eyes were shut to prevent any of his tears from escaping. His teeth were tightly clenched together, and he seemed to be struggling to keep himself standing.
And Knuckles finally realized how much worse it was for the other two than it was for him. After all, Sonic had been the fox's best friend for so long, even before he knew either of them. The two had been so close, even with all that time they had been apart. And Amy obviously had such strong feelings for Sonic, stronger than he had initially thought. She had spent so much time chasing after him, but it only demonstrated her true dedication to him. Now that he was gone…
Knuckles was a bit startled when Tails suddenly looked up at him. Though tears glossed over his cerulean eyes, the fox refused to let them fall. "We'll take the Tornado…" he said firmly.
Hesitating for a moment, the echidna then nodded. He knew that the plane would probably catch the man faster anyway, but more importantly he didn't want to take away the kit's means of avenging their fallen friend.
"I'm coming too…" Amy said suddenly, and he turned slightly to watch the girl slowly rise to her feet. Facing them, she quickly wiped some of her tears away, making way for the determined expression on her face. "I wanna help."
It was one thing to involve Tails, for he knew that the fox was used to more dangerous situations. But he was less sure about Amy, and this would probably be much worse than anything they had ever done before. Still, he recognized her unwavering will to do what she could to help with stopping Eggman and making him pay for what he's done. Plus, with those two robots he had, it might be better to have as much help as they could get.
"Okay…" the guardian finally conceded reluctantly. He made note to do his best to protect these two to the best of his abilities. There was no way he'd allow them to end up as Sonic had.
Turning, Knuckles then followed Tails back into the workshop, Amy close behind them. As they entered, the three passed by Cream, who simply watched them go. Then glancing back, the young girl began slowly walking outside towards the unmoving hero.
Neither she nor her pet Chao noticed the slight twitch of his hand.
TBC
[Chapter 6]