Chosen from Chaos - Ch. 7
Title: Chosen from Chaos
Chapter: 7
Fandom: Sonic the Hedgehog/Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go! crossover
Character(s): Sonic the Hedgehog, Amy Rose, Knuckles the Echidna, Miles "Tails" Prower, Cream the Rabbit, Chiro, Gibson, Otto, Nova, SPRX-77, Antauri, Shadow the Hedgehog
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 6]
~*~*~*~
"Are you sure you're up to this Sonic?" Amy asked softly as she continued to support him. "I mean, shouldn't you rest first?"
"Don't…worry 'bout it…" the blue hedgehog replied, rubbing his head with one hand. "It'd…be better if I…explain everything…"
"But it can wait, can't it?" Nova asked as she and Sprx pulled a work table into the area. "You could explain what happened after you've gotten some rest, couldn't you?"
Sonic sighed. "I think…you need to know…as soon as possible."
"And what's the point of moving all this stuff here?" the red monkey asked when he and Nova had the table situated. "I mean, I think I get this part." He patted the table leg. "We gotta get fixed up somewhere, and the thing was already here. But why bring the bed?"
The hedgehog glanced over as Tails and Chiro pushed and dragged the bed into the work space. With a small grin, he replied, "Multitasking. It'd be…easier if I only…explained this once…don't ya think?"
When the bed was finally close enough, Amy carefully helped Sonic sit on the edge as Otto and Gibson returned with Tails' set of tools. Nearby, Knuckles sat in a chair and carefully flexed his fists, wincing a little as pain flashed across the reopened injuries. Soon, Cream ran up to the fox with Cheese floating behind her.
"Here Tails-san," she said, holding the first aid kit up to him.
"Chao!" Cheese added.
"Thanks," Tails replied as he took the kit from her. Looking at the boy, he said, "By the way, Cream, this is…um…"
"Chiro," the boy stated. He pointed to the robotic simians. "And these are my friends; Nova, Sprx, Otto, and Gibson."
Looking at all of them, the rabbit smiled warmly and curtseyed. "It's nice to meet you all," she said softly. "My name is Cream, and this is my chao, Cheese."
"Chao chao!" Cheese said, waving its arms excitedly.
"Chao?" Otto asked with an incline of his head. "What's a chao?"
"It's…difficult to explain," Knuckles said. "They're creatures that are mostly raised as pets nowadays."
"And that's…a story for another time," Sonic added, stretching himself out on the bed. Cracking an eye open to look at Tails, he said, "I don't think there's much you can do for me, li'l buddy. You better help the Monkey Team."
"Excuse me?" Gibson said. "How do you propose he does that? Our systems are rather complicated and difficult for others to understand…" His voice trailed off as Nova glared at him.
"Well, Eggman did…something to…shut your weapons down…" Sonic said. "So…he would hafta know…all about your gears and stuff. And Tails…is just as smart as Eggman…if not smarter."
The fox blushed a little. "Well, I dunno about that…"
"It couldn't hurt," Chiro added, pulling up another chair and sitting near Sonic's bed. "If that Dr. Eggman really did something to disarm you guys, then Tails would be able to recognize it, right? So it might help if he looked you guys over."
"But there's still the problem of him not knowing how we operate," the chief of science insisted.
"I'll teach 'im," Otto offered. He looked up at Tails. "That okay?"
Looking at the blue monkey with an uncertain frown, the fox then turned to the green one. "Sure."
Otto grinned. "Okay! Gibson, get on the table."
Gibson turned sharply to his teammate. "What? Why me?"
"Well, I hafta show Tails stuff and explain about them," the green monkey replied seriously. "I can't do that if I'm on the table. So I'll show 'im while we're fixin' you."
Sprx laughed. "You heard 'im, Gibson," he said. "Better get up on the table."
The chief of science glared, but slowly climbed onto the work desk. "You just better be careful, Otto," he warned as he lay down on his back.
As Tails stood beside Otto and the green monkey began to show him what to do, Knuckles looked at the hedgehog resting on the bed. "Okay," he said impatiently, "would you mind telling us what's going on?"
Sonic shrugged a little, opening his eyes. "Sure. But first…" He looked at Amy. "Think you can patch him up?"
The pink hedgehog looked at the other curiously, but then smiled. Sonic was asking her to do something? "Sure!" she replied, taking the first aid kit and going over to the echidna.
Once he was sure Knuckles was being treated, Sonic slowly sat up again and leaned against the headboard. "Now…" he began, "as I believe I've already mentioned… Chiro and the Monkey Team are the good guys. Back where they come from, they're called the…" The hedgehog paused and appeared to think. "…Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce…"
"Go!" Otto exclaimed, earning him irritated expressions from his fellow simians. "What?"
"That's…an interesting name," Amy said, looking at the boy.
"Well, we usually just go by the Hyperforce," Chiro replied.
"Or Monkey Team," Nova added.
"Anyhoo," Sonic said, folding his arms under his head, "the Hyperforce are the heroes and protectors of Shuggazoom City, the place where they come from."
"Shuggazoom City?" Tails repeated curiously as he looked at Otto. "I've never heard of it before."
"That's because it's not a city on your planet," Gibson replied.
Knuckles and Amy looked towards the blue monkey with wide eyes. "Our planet?" they asked in disbelief.
Sprx shrugged. "We're from a planet called Shuggazoom," he said, as though it wasn't a big deal.
"Yup," Sonic replied. "They were all brought to Earth when Eggman attacked them on their planet and captured them."
Knuckles held up his hands. "Okay, okay, hold on a minute," he said. "Let's say that I buy the fact these guys are from another planet. What does it have to do with Eggman's robot girl and monkey?"
Chiro suddenly jumped to his feet, knocking his chair over. "Antauri and Jinmay are not Eggman's robots!" he retorted.
"Calm down, Buddy," Sonic said, motioning for the boy to sit back down. "I've got this one." Looking back at the echidna, he said, "Y'see, Knux, Antauri and Jinmay are members of the Hyperforce, but unlike these guys, they're both completely robotic. And Eggman, being the weirdo he is, captured and took control over them. So it's not their fault for what they've done, because Eggman is makin' them do it."
"But why?" Amy asked, turning to face Sonic. "Why would he go through all that trouble?
The blue hedgehog looked away from her. "Why else?" he answered. "He wanted to use them to get rid of me."
"I've been wondering about that," the red monkey said, walking towards the hedgehog as Chiro pulled the chair upright again. "I mean, what's up with that? That Eggman guy captured all of us on our planet, brought us all here, controlled Antauri and Jinmay and everything. He seemed pretty desperate to get rid of you."
Sonic shrugged a little, looking up at the ceiling. "You could say that. See, Eggman's whole goal in life is to conquer the world. He first tried to about five years ago. I was 11 at the time, but I couldn't just let him take over. So I got in the way, messed up his plans a little. He kept trying, though, and I had to stop him again. So now every time he rears his ugly head, I step in and defeat him. I guess he finally got tired of losing."
"What made you decide to do something like that?" Chiro asked. "Taking on someone who wanted to take over the planet? All by yourself? Why would you do it?"
Looking at the boy, the hedgehog smiled. "Same reason why you're leader of the Hyperforce, I guess. I didn't have much of a choice. Besides, it hasn't been so bad. If I didn't do what I do, I never woulda met these guys." He motioned his hand towards Tails, Knuckles, and Amy.
The leader frowned a little. He was about to say something else, but was cut off when Nova spoke. "There's something you haven't told us yet," she said, turning her full attention to Sonic. "You've never said how you know all this stuff about us. How you knew who we were and what we do, how you knew where we were and that we were captured. How could you possibly know all of that?"
Looking at her, Sonic then sighed softly. "I know…because Antauri told me."
The eyes of the Hyperforce all turned towards the hedgehog, widened with surprise and disbelief. "Antauri?" Chiro said. "Antauri told you?"
"How…how can that be?" Gibson wondered.
"He's not completely gone, y'know," Sonic stated, turning his attention to Chiro. "There's still a part of 'im that's holdin' on, a part of 'im that Eggman can't control."
The teen leader bit his tongue, nodding slowly. "I know," he responded, his tone nearly inaudible.
The hedgehog pointed to his forehead, where faint traces of violet claw marks were left behind. "That's the only reason I'm not dead now, even when Eggman ordered him to kill me. That part of 'im managed to get back enough control to keep me alive…even though it did hurt like hell."
"But when did he tell you everything?" Amy asked. "I don't remember him saying much."
"That's because Antauri's psychic," Otto replied, waving his arms around to emphasize the effect.
"When Antauri reached in," Sonic explained, "and grabbed my…brain…" The blue hedgehog shuddered a little. "That was still really creepy, by the way…But anyway, when he did that, he was able to establish a connection to my mind. That's when he told me that he needed my help, and that he didn't want to hurt me but didn't have any choice.
"He explained that he and Jinmay were being controlled by Eggman, who had also captured you guys and still had you at his base. Then he asked me to rescue you. Mind you, it was all a bit weird for me, so I asked him what was going on. But obviously, we didn't have a lot of time to chat, so instead he left me a bunch of his memories before I 'died.'"
"Memories?" Chiro repeated.
"Yeah. Y'know, to explain who you all are, where you came from, what happened with Eggman, where to find you…all that kind of stuff." Sonic paused, rubbing his chin as he thought. "I think a lot of what he showed me, though, was meant to prove that I could trust him…" He shrugged. "I dunno."
"But how did he know what happened to us?" Nova asked. "We were separated when Eggman attacked Shuggazoom, and there was no way he'd know that Eggman had captured us too. So there was no way he'd know to sense if Chiro was nearby or not."
"Oh, he knew," Sonic replied, his emerald eyes darkening. "How'd ya think Eggman was able to take control of him?"
Chiro stiffened, his heart painfully pounding in his chest as he turned Sonic's words over in his head. Glancing at the Monkey Team, he could see the troubled expressions in their eyes as well. "What…what do you mean?" he finally managed to ask.
The hedgehog scratched the back of his head, looking at the ceiling as he thought of the right words to say. "Technically," he said slowly, "Eggman gave Antauri and Jinmay a 'choice'…whether to be controlled or not."
"A choice?" Sprx repeated. "You mean they chose to work for Eggman?"
Knuckles scoffed loudly. "Knowing Eggman, they probably couldn't refuse."
"Exactly," Sonic replied. He turned back to Chiro. "See, Eggman technically gave them a 'choice', but honestly there was nothing to choose…"
oOoOo
Slowly the darkness around him seemed to fade as he returned to consciousness. He felt the heat of the lights even before he opened his eyes, but still he winced from their brightness. When the white intensity finally dimmed from his vision, he was able to get a better look at his surroundings. But the white metallic room still gave him no idea where he was. It didn't matter, however, when his gaze rested on the table beside him.
Antauri's eyes widened. "Jinmay…!" he said. But when he tried to sit up, he realized that he was held down to the table he rested on. Looking at his restraints, he then began to focus his energy into his powers. Yet several minutes passed and nothing happened. For a moment, alarm coursed through his metallic body, but he forced himself to calm down before turning to look at Jinmay again.
"Jinmay," he said, as loud as a whisper would allow. "Jinmay, wake up!"
The girl groaned softly as her eyes fluttered open. Blinking slowly, she then turned her head toward him. "A…Antauri?" she murmured.
His eyes quickly scanned over her. Initially he was checking her for any injuries, but he realized that she was confined to her table as well. He frowned; were her powers disabled as well?
"Antauri?" her soft voice brought him out of his thoughts. "Where are we?"
The silver monkey shook his head. "I don't know," he replied.
"Why, you're both here in my secret base."
The two turned their attention towards the open door, where a large, round man stood and watched them, a proud smirk on his features. Slowly he entered the room, walking to stand between the tables. "I hope you're both comfortable," he said, the sarcasm in his tone only partially concealed.
"Who are you?" the robotic simian demanded.
"Just a…curious scientist," the man replied, the smirk on his face never fading. It was that smirk that really unnerved Antauri. "You may call me Dr. Eggman."
"Eggman?" Jinmay said. She gasped as recognition finally caught up to her. "Then you were the one who sent all those egg-shaped robots into Shuggazoom!"
The man chuckled. "That would be me," he said smugly.
Antauri's eyes narrowed. "But why? What do you want with us?"
Dr. Eggman stepped back, and suddenly the tables they were lying on moved, shifting the two into a vertical position. "As I stated before, I'm curious." The man twisted his orange mustache between two fingers. "You see, I've been watching you two for a while now…and I must say you two are quite fascinating."
Antauri glanced at Jinmay, catching her worried expression. Then he turned back to scientist. "And what do you plan on doing with us?"
The man smirked again, and the silver monkey felt something twist inside of him. "I just wanted to try a few…experiments with you, that's all."
"Experiments?" Jinmay repeated, her eyes wide.
"That's right. You see, I myself enjoy creating robots and the like. But you two are much different than most robots I've seen, and I would like to see just what you two are capable of."
"Perhaps if you gave us our powers back, we'd show you," Antauri replied venomously.
Eggman laughed. "That's exactly why I disabled your powers to begin with. I couldn't have you destroying my base, now could I? No, I want to see what you two can do in a more controlled setting…specifically, one where I am doing the controlling."
Turning his back to them, the man walked over to the wall across from them. "However, I am a generous man," he stated, facing them once again. "The experiments I plan on performing are a little difficult at best, and because of that I would need you two to cooperate at all times. Unfortunately, that would not be possible unless you two consented to such. Therefore, I will let you two decide whether you wish to be part of my experiments or not."
Jinmay blinked, looking at Antauri. "You're letting us choose?" she asked.
Eggman smirked. "Yes I am…however, before you make up your mind, you may wish to see everything that's at stake."
The white wall behind the scientist suddenly flickered into a black screen. It was blank for a few seconds before an image appeared. Jinmay and Antauri both gasped.
"Chiro!" they said.
The man laughed, walking towards them. "That's right. Shortly after capturing you two, I was able to capture the rest of your friends as well."
Antauri growled, and the only thing that prevented him from attacking the man was his bonds. "If you dare hurt them -"
"You have nothing to worry about," Eggman answered, waving him off. "I have no real interest in them. However, if you two decide not to cooperate with me, I suppose they will serve as adequate replacements…Except the boy. I wouldn't have use for him unless I turn him into a robot as well."
"What?" the silver monkey said, his eyes widening.
"I told you that I create robots of my own. My method, however, involves taking living creatures and using them as the base for the robotic systems. It's a little similar to your other monkey friends, actually, except the creatures that I roboticize - that's what I call turning them into robots - don't retain any of their biological components once the robotization is complete." Eggman paused, contemplating his explanation. "Think of it as taking an animal…say a monkey for example…and turning it into…" He paused again, then pointed to Antauri. "You."
Antauri and Jinmay looked at each other, the horrified expression clearly written on their faces. Eggman laughed. "Of course, I've never roboticized a human before," the man said after a moment, " and I couldn't say it'd be very successful…Not to mention that the experiments I plan on carrying out would work best on your metallic bodies. So I don't know how well the other monkeys' biologic parts would handle it. Still, if you two choose not to help me, I suppose I'd just have to take those risks…"
Even within his restraints, Antauri could feel his fists clench. He glanced at Jinmay once more, who simply answered him with a defeated nod. Turning back to the scientist, the silver monkey said in a low voice, "If we agree to your experiments…you must agree that the others will not be harmed."
Eggman smiled, his moustache twitching. "You have my word, Antauri," he replied sinisterly.
oOoOo
"It was only after Eggman started his 'experiments' that Antauri realized what was going to happen," Sonic said, shaking his head a little. "But there still wasn't anything he could do about it."
"That…that's horrible!" Amy said. "That's so low, even for Eggman!"
Tails frowned, placing down the tool he was using and handing Gibson's helmet back to him. "Especially since Eggman wouldn't have roboticized Chiro in the first place," he murmured.
Propping himself up on his elbows, the blue monkey looked back at the kit. "What do you mean?"
Sonic sighed. "Eggman… only ever roboticizes animals. I'm not sure if that's because he can only roboticize them or he just chooses to do so. But the truth is, he doesn't roboticize people…ever. What Eggman does do is whatever it takes to get what he wants. He lies a lot, and he knows how to manipulate people." He jabbed his thumb towards the echidna. "You can just ask ol' Knux over here, he'll tell ya."
Knuckles scowled at him.
"But you're saying," Nova said softly, "that what happened to Antauri and Jinmay…was really for nothing?"
The blue hedgehog's eyes focused on the bed. "Pretty much…"
With a shaky sigh, Chiro closed his eyes to hold the tears back. It was bad enough knowing that Antauri and Jinmay were being controlled to save him. But that they were being controlled to save him when they didn't really have to? That was just too much.
"There's something that's bothering me, though," Tails suddenly piped up, gaining everyone's attention. The kit looked at Otto. "You guys said that you're from another planet, right?"
"Yup," the green monkey replied, climbing up onto the table. "We're from Shuggazoom. I dunno where that is from here, though."
"It's not a planet in our solar system, that's for sure," the fox said, turning to Sonic. "But if Eggman really had to go there to get them, don't you think we'd hear something about it?"
The blue hedgehog frowned, sitting up fully as he looked at his younger friend. "What do you mean?"
"Well, if Eggman had to travel through space to get to Shuggazoom, wouldn't we have found out about it sometime?"
Sonic shrugged. "I dunno. I mean, we weren't aware of what he was up to the time he was going back and forth on A.R.K."
Tails shook his head. "That's different. Eggman knew where A.R.K. was, and he got there with a transporter. Besides, it's because of A.R.K. that we should have heard something if he was traveling in space again."
"Okay, Tails…" Knuckles said, "you're making less sense than usual."
The fox rubbed the back of his head, his twin namesakes twitching anxiously and earning him strange looks from the Monkey Team. "After the event on the A.R.K. a year ago," he explained, "I've been monitoring our atmosphere and the space colony. It was only meant as a precaution, but I thought it couldn't hurt. For Eggman to go to Shuggazoom and capture the Hyperforce, he would have to find the planet first. That would have required some kind of satellite, or a probe…anything suited for long-term space travel."
"But if Dr. Eggman had sent out something like that," Gibson continued, understanding what the kit was trying to convey, "then you would have noticed it as it was leaving your planet."
"Exactly," Tails said. "Just the fact that he was able to slip anything without it being noticed was strange, especially if he managed to attack and capture all of you."
Sonic rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Now that I think about it, Antauri did mention fighting Eggman's robots when he attacked Shuggazoom. I wonder how he got all of them there in the first place."
"Well, he didn't do it by ship, I'll tell ya that," Sprx remarked, crossing his arms.
Tails frowned as he looked at the red monkey. "He didn't?"
Chiro shook his head. "It was really weird," he said, recalling the moment of the attack. "The rest of us had just finished patrolling the city, and we were waiting for Jinmay and Antauri to get back when…something happened to the sky. Like…" He paused, trying to think of the best way to describe it. "This light colored the whole city dark purple, and there was this pressure and heat, and this terrible screeching noise…Then the sky seemed to open up, like a portal or something, and that's where all the robots came from."
Listening to the boy's story, Sonic then turned to Tails. "Any ideas of what that could be, li'l buddy?"
Tails scratched the side of his head. "Well…it sounds a little like a transportation system," he replied slowly. "But it's definitely unlike anything I've ever heard of."
"Besides," Gibson added, "any transportation device with the capacity to transfer that many robots of that size across any distance in space would require a substantial amount of energy that would be nearly impossible to harvest. How could Dr. Eggman gather enough power to make such a device work?"
"He'd use the Chaos Emeralds."
Everyone froze at the sound of the new voice that echoed through the workshop. To most, the voice was strange and unfamiliar. But to the rest, the voice was easily recognized…and yet impossible to believe.
Ears perked forward as footsteps slowly tread on the metallic staircase, and several pairs of eyes watched the black hedgehog descending the steps. Even with an arm wrapped around his middle, he walked with a powerful air surrounding him. Reaching the last step, he stood and watched them with a strange coldness in his fiery eyes.
Sliding off the bed, Sonic felt his mouth run dry as he stared at the other. "Sh…Shadow…!" he managed to gasp out. "You're…you're alive?"
Crimson eyes focused on the blue hedgehog as a faint smirk flitted over the dark features. "I don't die easily," he replied simply.
And for some reason, that brought a small grin to Sonic's face. "Talk about being stubborn and full of surprises," he muttered.
The Hyperforce silently looked between the two hedgehogs, their eyes wide. "Wow!" Otto said suddenly. "You two really look alike!"
Snapping out of his astonishment, Sonic looked over at the green monkey. "Yeah…people seem to think so," he said with a small frown. Clearing his throat, he looked at all of them and added, "You guys, this is Shadow…Shadow the Hedgehog. Shadow, these are -"
"Could care less," the midnight hedgehog cut in, slowly approaching his look-alike.
Nova glared at him as he passed her. "Attitude much?" she spat out.
Shadow ignored her - and everyone else - as he stood before Sonic. "The doctor had the Chaos Emeralds up in the base you blew up," he stated.
Sonic's eyes widened. "He did?"
"Chaos Emeralds?" Chiro asked, looking towards Knuckles; the two hedgehogs seemed too lost in their own conversation. "What're those?"
The echidna sighed and clenched his fists. "The Chaos Emeralds are powerful gems that hold unlimited energy," he said. "There are seven in total…"
"All of which were up in the doctor's base," Shadow added. "When you blew it up, though, all the emeralds flew off in different directions. One of them is still in Station Square, but the other six are gone."
"So you're saying that these…gems…were strong enough to power Eggman's transport thing?" Sprx asked skeptically.
Shadow shook his head. "It's more than that," he replied in a low tone. "The doctor…used Chaos Control."
To those who knew what that particular move entailed, their eyes widened. "Chaos Control?" the four gasped.
"Chaos Control?" Gibson repeated. "Why, the very name is absurd! It's impossible for chaos to be controlled in any way or form! How could anyone -?" His mouth quickly clamped shut when Shadow scowled at him.
"How?" Tails asked. "How could Eggman do that?"
"He learned," Shadow retorted, his gaze for once focusing on the ground.
Sonic watched the darker hedgehog curiously. "Shadow…" he said after a moment, "how do you know that Eggman used Chaos Control?"
Shadow's stoic expression never wavered, even as he stared at the ground. But the hand around his middle clenched tightly. "I have a good idea," he replied tightly.
Nearby, Cream watched the scene before her curiously. After being introduced to the Hyperforce, she had been sitting silently off to the side and trying to understand all that was happening. She was aware that this entire discussion was important to everyone and didn't want to interrupt (and for the most part, she grasped all the essential ideas). But as she watched the black hedgehog, she couldn't stay quiet any longer. "You're hurt," she said, slowly approaching him.
Shadow turned to the small rabbit, surprise slightly widening his crimson eyes. But it passed quickly as he turned away from her. "I'm fine," he said.
Cream shook her head, and those who knew the dark hedgehog stiffened when she suddenly grabbed his hand. "You are hurt," she insisted. "You need to rest so you can get better!"
The black hedgehog frowned, though it wasn't his usual scowl, as he looked at the child curiously. He pulled his hand away from her grasp and stepped back, wincing a little as he did so. But it was noticeable enough.
"Was it…when you fought the silver monkey?" Amy asked hesitantly, walking towards him.
Sonic turned to look at her. "What do ya mean?" he asked.
"Well, uh…" Amy played with her hands. "Shadow…kinda…saved me earlier…" She turned back to Shadow before Sonic or Knuckles could ask any other questions. "Is that why you're hurt, Shadow?"
"No," Shadow responded. "It was long before that…and it's nothing that needs to be worried about now." He looked at Sonic again. "One of the emeralds landed on the edge of Station Square, at the city's seaport."
Knuckles looked up curiously. "Seaport?" he asked.
"Ring any bells, Knux?" Sonic wondered.
"It…sounds familiar," the echidna replied, scratching the back of his head.
Sonic folded his arms. "If Eggman had the Chaos Emeralds, then he's probably gonna be looking for 'em. Which means we need to find 'em first." He looked at Shadow once again. "But why tell us? I didn't think you'd help us at all."
"I have my reasons," the dark hedgehog replied.
Looking at him suspiciously, Sonic shrugged. "Good enough for me." His emerald eyes glanced at the small rabbit. "Cream?"
"Yes, Sonic-san," she said. She and Cheese then turned and headed out of the main work area.
Watching her go, Sonic then looked at Knuckles. "Feel like takin' a trip by the sea?"
The echidna smirked, rising to his feet. "If it's the place I'm thinking of," he replied, "then fine with me."
"Sonic," Tails said, "are you sure you should be going? You're still injured, aren't you?"
Cream returned, running up to Sonic and presenting him a gold ring. "Here, Sonic-san," she said.
"Thanks, Cream," he replied. As he took the ring, it began to glow softly. He grinned and tucked it beneath his quills. "Don't worry, Tails. I'll be okay."
"Sonic…"
"Hey, we won't be long. We'll get the emerald and bring it back here. Think you can handle things here while Knuckles and I are gone?"
Tails frowned, his sapphire eyes bright with concern. He wasn't sure if it was a good idea for both of them to go. But he nodded. "Yeah."
"Maybe someone should go with you," Chiro suggested. "I wouldn't mind going."
"I'll come too!" Amy offered.
Sonic shook his head. "Knuckles and I can handle it. Besides," he added with a look at Chiro, "it'd probably be better if you stayed with your team right now. I bet things are still a little weird right now."
Glancing at the Monkey Team quickly, the boy then nodded a little.
Turning towards Amy, Sonic motioned for her to come nearer. When she was close enough, he whispered to her, "And I need you to help out and keep an eye on things around here. If Shadow is hurt, maybe you can help 'im out a bit, huh?"
Shadow's ears twitched slightly. But he chose to say nothing and simply folded his arms across his chest.
"Think you can do that for me, Amy?" Sonic asked with a small smile.
Looking at him, Amy beamed. "Sure!" she replied.
"Great!" Sonic turned to Knuckles. "Ready?"
Knuckles smirked. "Let's go."
Cream stood and watched as the two older teens began to leave, and the rest of the group started doing other things. She could feel that there was still a lot of confusion and doubt, and there were still so many things that didn't make sense to her…to everyone, really. But she knew…she knew everything would be explained eventually.
She could just feel it.
TBC
[Chapter 8]
Chapter: 7
Fandom: Sonic the Hedgehog/Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go! crossover
Character(s): Sonic the Hedgehog, Amy Rose, Knuckles the Echidna, Miles "Tails" Prower, Cream the Rabbit, Chiro, Gibson, Otto, Nova, SPRX-77, Antauri, Shadow the Hedgehog
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 6]
~*~*~*~
"Are you sure you're up to this Sonic?" Amy asked softly as she continued to support him. "I mean, shouldn't you rest first?"
"Don't…worry 'bout it…" the blue hedgehog replied, rubbing his head with one hand. "It'd…be better if I…explain everything…"
"But it can wait, can't it?" Nova asked as she and Sprx pulled a work table into the area. "You could explain what happened after you've gotten some rest, couldn't you?"
Sonic sighed. "I think…you need to know…as soon as possible."
"And what's the point of moving all this stuff here?" the red monkey asked when he and Nova had the table situated. "I mean, I think I get this part." He patted the table leg. "We gotta get fixed up somewhere, and the thing was already here. But why bring the bed?"
The hedgehog glanced over as Tails and Chiro pushed and dragged the bed into the work space. With a small grin, he replied, "Multitasking. It'd be…easier if I only…explained this once…don't ya think?"
When the bed was finally close enough, Amy carefully helped Sonic sit on the edge as Otto and Gibson returned with Tails' set of tools. Nearby, Knuckles sat in a chair and carefully flexed his fists, wincing a little as pain flashed across the reopened injuries. Soon, Cream ran up to the fox with Cheese floating behind her.
"Here Tails-san," she said, holding the first aid kit up to him.
"Chao!" Cheese added.
"Thanks," Tails replied as he took the kit from her. Looking at the boy, he said, "By the way, Cream, this is…um…"
"Chiro," the boy stated. He pointed to the robotic simians. "And these are my friends; Nova, Sprx, Otto, and Gibson."
Looking at all of them, the rabbit smiled warmly and curtseyed. "It's nice to meet you all," she said softly. "My name is Cream, and this is my chao, Cheese."
"Chao chao!" Cheese said, waving its arms excitedly.
"Chao?" Otto asked with an incline of his head. "What's a chao?"
"It's…difficult to explain," Knuckles said. "They're creatures that are mostly raised as pets nowadays."
"And that's…a story for another time," Sonic added, stretching himself out on the bed. Cracking an eye open to look at Tails, he said, "I don't think there's much you can do for me, li'l buddy. You better help the Monkey Team."
"Excuse me?" Gibson said. "How do you propose he does that? Our systems are rather complicated and difficult for others to understand…" His voice trailed off as Nova glared at him.
"Well, Eggman did…something to…shut your weapons down…" Sonic said. "So…he would hafta know…all about your gears and stuff. And Tails…is just as smart as Eggman…if not smarter."
The fox blushed a little. "Well, I dunno about that…"
"It couldn't hurt," Chiro added, pulling up another chair and sitting near Sonic's bed. "If that Dr. Eggman really did something to disarm you guys, then Tails would be able to recognize it, right? So it might help if he looked you guys over."
"But there's still the problem of him not knowing how we operate," the chief of science insisted.
"I'll teach 'im," Otto offered. He looked up at Tails. "That okay?"
Looking at the blue monkey with an uncertain frown, the fox then turned to the green one. "Sure."
Otto grinned. "Okay! Gibson, get on the table."
Gibson turned sharply to his teammate. "What? Why me?"
"Well, I hafta show Tails stuff and explain about them," the green monkey replied seriously. "I can't do that if I'm on the table. So I'll show 'im while we're fixin' you."
Sprx laughed. "You heard 'im, Gibson," he said. "Better get up on the table."
The chief of science glared, but slowly climbed onto the work desk. "You just better be careful, Otto," he warned as he lay down on his back.
As Tails stood beside Otto and the green monkey began to show him what to do, Knuckles looked at the hedgehog resting on the bed. "Okay," he said impatiently, "would you mind telling us what's going on?"
Sonic shrugged a little, opening his eyes. "Sure. But first…" He looked at Amy. "Think you can patch him up?"
The pink hedgehog looked at the other curiously, but then smiled. Sonic was asking her to do something? "Sure!" she replied, taking the first aid kit and going over to the echidna.
Once he was sure Knuckles was being treated, Sonic slowly sat up again and leaned against the headboard. "Now…" he began, "as I believe I've already mentioned… Chiro and the Monkey Team are the good guys. Back where they come from, they're called the…" The hedgehog paused and appeared to think. "…Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce…"
"Go!" Otto exclaimed, earning him irritated expressions from his fellow simians. "What?"
"That's…an interesting name," Amy said, looking at the boy.
"Well, we usually just go by the Hyperforce," Chiro replied.
"Or Monkey Team," Nova added.
"Anyhoo," Sonic said, folding his arms under his head, "the Hyperforce are the heroes and protectors of Shuggazoom City, the place where they come from."
"Shuggazoom City?" Tails repeated curiously as he looked at Otto. "I've never heard of it before."
"That's because it's not a city on your planet," Gibson replied.
Knuckles and Amy looked towards the blue monkey with wide eyes. "Our planet?" they asked in disbelief.
Sprx shrugged. "We're from a planet called Shuggazoom," he said, as though it wasn't a big deal.
"Yup," Sonic replied. "They were all brought to Earth when Eggman attacked them on their planet and captured them."
Knuckles held up his hands. "Okay, okay, hold on a minute," he said. "Let's say that I buy the fact these guys are from another planet. What does it have to do with Eggman's robot girl and monkey?"
Chiro suddenly jumped to his feet, knocking his chair over. "Antauri and Jinmay are not Eggman's robots!" he retorted.
"Calm down, Buddy," Sonic said, motioning for the boy to sit back down. "I've got this one." Looking back at the echidna, he said, "Y'see, Knux, Antauri and Jinmay are members of the Hyperforce, but unlike these guys, they're both completely robotic. And Eggman, being the weirdo he is, captured and took control over them. So it's not their fault for what they've done, because Eggman is makin' them do it."
"But why?" Amy asked, turning to face Sonic. "Why would he go through all that trouble?
The blue hedgehog looked away from her. "Why else?" he answered. "He wanted to use them to get rid of me."
"I've been wondering about that," the red monkey said, walking towards the hedgehog as Chiro pulled the chair upright again. "I mean, what's up with that? That Eggman guy captured all of us on our planet, brought us all here, controlled Antauri and Jinmay and everything. He seemed pretty desperate to get rid of you."
Sonic shrugged a little, looking up at the ceiling. "You could say that. See, Eggman's whole goal in life is to conquer the world. He first tried to about five years ago. I was 11 at the time, but I couldn't just let him take over. So I got in the way, messed up his plans a little. He kept trying, though, and I had to stop him again. So now every time he rears his ugly head, I step in and defeat him. I guess he finally got tired of losing."
"What made you decide to do something like that?" Chiro asked. "Taking on someone who wanted to take over the planet? All by yourself? Why would you do it?"
Looking at the boy, the hedgehog smiled. "Same reason why you're leader of the Hyperforce, I guess. I didn't have much of a choice. Besides, it hasn't been so bad. If I didn't do what I do, I never woulda met these guys." He motioned his hand towards Tails, Knuckles, and Amy.
The leader frowned a little. He was about to say something else, but was cut off when Nova spoke. "There's something you haven't told us yet," she said, turning her full attention to Sonic. "You've never said how you know all this stuff about us. How you knew who we were and what we do, how you knew where we were and that we were captured. How could you possibly know all of that?"
Looking at her, Sonic then sighed softly. "I know…because Antauri told me."
The eyes of the Hyperforce all turned towards the hedgehog, widened with surprise and disbelief. "Antauri?" Chiro said. "Antauri told you?"
"How…how can that be?" Gibson wondered.
"He's not completely gone, y'know," Sonic stated, turning his attention to Chiro. "There's still a part of 'im that's holdin' on, a part of 'im that Eggman can't control."
The teen leader bit his tongue, nodding slowly. "I know," he responded, his tone nearly inaudible.
The hedgehog pointed to his forehead, where faint traces of violet claw marks were left behind. "That's the only reason I'm not dead now, even when Eggman ordered him to kill me. That part of 'im managed to get back enough control to keep me alive…even though it did hurt like hell."
"But when did he tell you everything?" Amy asked. "I don't remember him saying much."
"That's because Antauri's psychic," Otto replied, waving his arms around to emphasize the effect.
"When Antauri reached in," Sonic explained, "and grabbed my…brain…" The blue hedgehog shuddered a little. "That was still really creepy, by the way…But anyway, when he did that, he was able to establish a connection to my mind. That's when he told me that he needed my help, and that he didn't want to hurt me but didn't have any choice.
"He explained that he and Jinmay were being controlled by Eggman, who had also captured you guys and still had you at his base. Then he asked me to rescue you. Mind you, it was all a bit weird for me, so I asked him what was going on. But obviously, we didn't have a lot of time to chat, so instead he left me a bunch of his memories before I 'died.'"
"Memories?" Chiro repeated.
"Yeah. Y'know, to explain who you all are, where you came from, what happened with Eggman, where to find you…all that kind of stuff." Sonic paused, rubbing his chin as he thought. "I think a lot of what he showed me, though, was meant to prove that I could trust him…" He shrugged. "I dunno."
"But how did he know what happened to us?" Nova asked. "We were separated when Eggman attacked Shuggazoom, and there was no way he'd know that Eggman had captured us too. So there was no way he'd know to sense if Chiro was nearby or not."
"Oh, he knew," Sonic replied, his emerald eyes darkening. "How'd ya think Eggman was able to take control of him?"
Chiro stiffened, his heart painfully pounding in his chest as he turned Sonic's words over in his head. Glancing at the Monkey Team, he could see the troubled expressions in their eyes as well. "What…what do you mean?" he finally managed to ask.
The hedgehog scratched the back of his head, looking at the ceiling as he thought of the right words to say. "Technically," he said slowly, "Eggman gave Antauri and Jinmay a 'choice'…whether to be controlled or not."
"A choice?" Sprx repeated. "You mean they chose to work for Eggman?"
Knuckles scoffed loudly. "Knowing Eggman, they probably couldn't refuse."
"Exactly," Sonic replied. He turned back to Chiro. "See, Eggman technically gave them a 'choice', but honestly there was nothing to choose…"
oOoOo
Slowly the darkness around him seemed to fade as he returned to consciousness. He felt the heat of the lights even before he opened his eyes, but still he winced from their brightness. When the white intensity finally dimmed from his vision, he was able to get a better look at his surroundings. But the white metallic room still gave him no idea where he was. It didn't matter, however, when his gaze rested on the table beside him.
Antauri's eyes widened. "Jinmay…!" he said. But when he tried to sit up, he realized that he was held down to the table he rested on. Looking at his restraints, he then began to focus his energy into his powers. Yet several minutes passed and nothing happened. For a moment, alarm coursed through his metallic body, but he forced himself to calm down before turning to look at Jinmay again.
"Jinmay," he said, as loud as a whisper would allow. "Jinmay, wake up!"
The girl groaned softly as her eyes fluttered open. Blinking slowly, she then turned her head toward him. "A…Antauri?" she murmured.
His eyes quickly scanned over her. Initially he was checking her for any injuries, but he realized that she was confined to her table as well. He frowned; were her powers disabled as well?
"Antauri?" her soft voice brought him out of his thoughts. "Where are we?"
The silver monkey shook his head. "I don't know," he replied.
"Why, you're both here in my secret base."
The two turned their attention towards the open door, where a large, round man stood and watched them, a proud smirk on his features. Slowly he entered the room, walking to stand between the tables. "I hope you're both comfortable," he said, the sarcasm in his tone only partially concealed.
"Who are you?" the robotic simian demanded.
"Just a…curious scientist," the man replied, the smirk on his face never fading. It was that smirk that really unnerved Antauri. "You may call me Dr. Eggman."
"Eggman?" Jinmay said. She gasped as recognition finally caught up to her. "Then you were the one who sent all those egg-shaped robots into Shuggazoom!"
The man chuckled. "That would be me," he said smugly.
Antauri's eyes narrowed. "But why? What do you want with us?"
Dr. Eggman stepped back, and suddenly the tables they were lying on moved, shifting the two into a vertical position. "As I stated before, I'm curious." The man twisted his orange mustache between two fingers. "You see, I've been watching you two for a while now…and I must say you two are quite fascinating."
Antauri glanced at Jinmay, catching her worried expression. Then he turned back to scientist. "And what do you plan on doing with us?"
The man smirked again, and the silver monkey felt something twist inside of him. "I just wanted to try a few…experiments with you, that's all."
"Experiments?" Jinmay repeated, her eyes wide.
"That's right. You see, I myself enjoy creating robots and the like. But you two are much different than most robots I've seen, and I would like to see just what you two are capable of."
"Perhaps if you gave us our powers back, we'd show you," Antauri replied venomously.
Eggman laughed. "That's exactly why I disabled your powers to begin with. I couldn't have you destroying my base, now could I? No, I want to see what you two can do in a more controlled setting…specifically, one where I am doing the controlling."
Turning his back to them, the man walked over to the wall across from them. "However, I am a generous man," he stated, facing them once again. "The experiments I plan on performing are a little difficult at best, and because of that I would need you two to cooperate at all times. Unfortunately, that would not be possible unless you two consented to such. Therefore, I will let you two decide whether you wish to be part of my experiments or not."
Jinmay blinked, looking at Antauri. "You're letting us choose?" she asked.
Eggman smirked. "Yes I am…however, before you make up your mind, you may wish to see everything that's at stake."
The white wall behind the scientist suddenly flickered into a black screen. It was blank for a few seconds before an image appeared. Jinmay and Antauri both gasped.
"Chiro!" they said.
The man laughed, walking towards them. "That's right. Shortly after capturing you two, I was able to capture the rest of your friends as well."
Antauri growled, and the only thing that prevented him from attacking the man was his bonds. "If you dare hurt them -"
"You have nothing to worry about," Eggman answered, waving him off. "I have no real interest in them. However, if you two decide not to cooperate with me, I suppose they will serve as adequate replacements…Except the boy. I wouldn't have use for him unless I turn him into a robot as well."
"What?" the silver monkey said, his eyes widening.
"I told you that I create robots of my own. My method, however, involves taking living creatures and using them as the base for the robotic systems. It's a little similar to your other monkey friends, actually, except the creatures that I roboticize - that's what I call turning them into robots - don't retain any of their biological components once the robotization is complete." Eggman paused, contemplating his explanation. "Think of it as taking an animal…say a monkey for example…and turning it into…" He paused again, then pointed to Antauri. "You."
Antauri and Jinmay looked at each other, the horrified expression clearly written on their faces. Eggman laughed. "Of course, I've never roboticized a human before," the man said after a moment, " and I couldn't say it'd be very successful…Not to mention that the experiments I plan on carrying out would work best on your metallic bodies. So I don't know how well the other monkeys' biologic parts would handle it. Still, if you two choose not to help me, I suppose I'd just have to take those risks…"
Even within his restraints, Antauri could feel his fists clench. He glanced at Jinmay once more, who simply answered him with a defeated nod. Turning back to the scientist, the silver monkey said in a low voice, "If we agree to your experiments…you must agree that the others will not be harmed."
Eggman smiled, his moustache twitching. "You have my word, Antauri," he replied sinisterly.
oOoOo
"It was only after Eggman started his 'experiments' that Antauri realized what was going to happen," Sonic said, shaking his head a little. "But there still wasn't anything he could do about it."
"That…that's horrible!" Amy said. "That's so low, even for Eggman!"
Tails frowned, placing down the tool he was using and handing Gibson's helmet back to him. "Especially since Eggman wouldn't have roboticized Chiro in the first place," he murmured.
Propping himself up on his elbows, the blue monkey looked back at the kit. "What do you mean?"
Sonic sighed. "Eggman… only ever roboticizes animals. I'm not sure if that's because he can only roboticize them or he just chooses to do so. But the truth is, he doesn't roboticize people…ever. What Eggman does do is whatever it takes to get what he wants. He lies a lot, and he knows how to manipulate people." He jabbed his thumb towards the echidna. "You can just ask ol' Knux over here, he'll tell ya."
Knuckles scowled at him.
"But you're saying," Nova said softly, "that what happened to Antauri and Jinmay…was really for nothing?"
The blue hedgehog's eyes focused on the bed. "Pretty much…"
With a shaky sigh, Chiro closed his eyes to hold the tears back. It was bad enough knowing that Antauri and Jinmay were being controlled to save him. But that they were being controlled to save him when they didn't really have to? That was just too much.
"There's something that's bothering me, though," Tails suddenly piped up, gaining everyone's attention. The kit looked at Otto. "You guys said that you're from another planet, right?"
"Yup," the green monkey replied, climbing up onto the table. "We're from Shuggazoom. I dunno where that is from here, though."
"It's not a planet in our solar system, that's for sure," the fox said, turning to Sonic. "But if Eggman really had to go there to get them, don't you think we'd hear something about it?"
The blue hedgehog frowned, sitting up fully as he looked at his younger friend. "What do you mean?"
"Well, if Eggman had to travel through space to get to Shuggazoom, wouldn't we have found out about it sometime?"
Sonic shrugged. "I dunno. I mean, we weren't aware of what he was up to the time he was going back and forth on A.R.K."
Tails shook his head. "That's different. Eggman knew where A.R.K. was, and he got there with a transporter. Besides, it's because of A.R.K. that we should have heard something if he was traveling in space again."
"Okay, Tails…" Knuckles said, "you're making less sense than usual."
The fox rubbed the back of his head, his twin namesakes twitching anxiously and earning him strange looks from the Monkey Team. "After the event on the A.R.K. a year ago," he explained, "I've been monitoring our atmosphere and the space colony. It was only meant as a precaution, but I thought it couldn't hurt. For Eggman to go to Shuggazoom and capture the Hyperforce, he would have to find the planet first. That would have required some kind of satellite, or a probe…anything suited for long-term space travel."
"But if Dr. Eggman had sent out something like that," Gibson continued, understanding what the kit was trying to convey, "then you would have noticed it as it was leaving your planet."
"Exactly," Tails said. "Just the fact that he was able to slip anything without it being noticed was strange, especially if he managed to attack and capture all of you."
Sonic rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Now that I think about it, Antauri did mention fighting Eggman's robots when he attacked Shuggazoom. I wonder how he got all of them there in the first place."
"Well, he didn't do it by ship, I'll tell ya that," Sprx remarked, crossing his arms.
Tails frowned as he looked at the red monkey. "He didn't?"
Chiro shook his head. "It was really weird," he said, recalling the moment of the attack. "The rest of us had just finished patrolling the city, and we were waiting for Jinmay and Antauri to get back when…something happened to the sky. Like…" He paused, trying to think of the best way to describe it. "This light colored the whole city dark purple, and there was this pressure and heat, and this terrible screeching noise…Then the sky seemed to open up, like a portal or something, and that's where all the robots came from."
Listening to the boy's story, Sonic then turned to Tails. "Any ideas of what that could be, li'l buddy?"
Tails scratched the side of his head. "Well…it sounds a little like a transportation system," he replied slowly. "But it's definitely unlike anything I've ever heard of."
"Besides," Gibson added, "any transportation device with the capacity to transfer that many robots of that size across any distance in space would require a substantial amount of energy that would be nearly impossible to harvest. How could Dr. Eggman gather enough power to make such a device work?"
"He'd use the Chaos Emeralds."
Everyone froze at the sound of the new voice that echoed through the workshop. To most, the voice was strange and unfamiliar. But to the rest, the voice was easily recognized…and yet impossible to believe.
Ears perked forward as footsteps slowly tread on the metallic staircase, and several pairs of eyes watched the black hedgehog descending the steps. Even with an arm wrapped around his middle, he walked with a powerful air surrounding him. Reaching the last step, he stood and watched them with a strange coldness in his fiery eyes.
Sliding off the bed, Sonic felt his mouth run dry as he stared at the other. "Sh…Shadow…!" he managed to gasp out. "You're…you're alive?"
Crimson eyes focused on the blue hedgehog as a faint smirk flitted over the dark features. "I don't die easily," he replied simply.
And for some reason, that brought a small grin to Sonic's face. "Talk about being stubborn and full of surprises," he muttered.
The Hyperforce silently looked between the two hedgehogs, their eyes wide. "Wow!" Otto said suddenly. "You two really look alike!"
Snapping out of his astonishment, Sonic looked over at the green monkey. "Yeah…people seem to think so," he said with a small frown. Clearing his throat, he looked at all of them and added, "You guys, this is Shadow…Shadow the Hedgehog. Shadow, these are -"
"Could care less," the midnight hedgehog cut in, slowly approaching his look-alike.
Nova glared at him as he passed her. "Attitude much?" she spat out.
Shadow ignored her - and everyone else - as he stood before Sonic. "The doctor had the Chaos Emeralds up in the base you blew up," he stated.
Sonic's eyes widened. "He did?"
"Chaos Emeralds?" Chiro asked, looking towards Knuckles; the two hedgehogs seemed too lost in their own conversation. "What're those?"
The echidna sighed and clenched his fists. "The Chaos Emeralds are powerful gems that hold unlimited energy," he said. "There are seven in total…"
"All of which were up in the doctor's base," Shadow added. "When you blew it up, though, all the emeralds flew off in different directions. One of them is still in Station Square, but the other six are gone."
"So you're saying that these…gems…were strong enough to power Eggman's transport thing?" Sprx asked skeptically.
Shadow shook his head. "It's more than that," he replied in a low tone. "The doctor…used Chaos Control."
To those who knew what that particular move entailed, their eyes widened. "Chaos Control?" the four gasped.
"Chaos Control?" Gibson repeated. "Why, the very name is absurd! It's impossible for chaos to be controlled in any way or form! How could anyone -?" His mouth quickly clamped shut when Shadow scowled at him.
"How?" Tails asked. "How could Eggman do that?"
"He learned," Shadow retorted, his gaze for once focusing on the ground.
Sonic watched the darker hedgehog curiously. "Shadow…" he said after a moment, "how do you know that Eggman used Chaos Control?"
Shadow's stoic expression never wavered, even as he stared at the ground. But the hand around his middle clenched tightly. "I have a good idea," he replied tightly.
Nearby, Cream watched the scene before her curiously. After being introduced to the Hyperforce, she had been sitting silently off to the side and trying to understand all that was happening. She was aware that this entire discussion was important to everyone and didn't want to interrupt (and for the most part, she grasped all the essential ideas). But as she watched the black hedgehog, she couldn't stay quiet any longer. "You're hurt," she said, slowly approaching him.
Shadow turned to the small rabbit, surprise slightly widening his crimson eyes. But it passed quickly as he turned away from her. "I'm fine," he said.
Cream shook her head, and those who knew the dark hedgehog stiffened when she suddenly grabbed his hand. "You are hurt," she insisted. "You need to rest so you can get better!"
The black hedgehog frowned, though it wasn't his usual scowl, as he looked at the child curiously. He pulled his hand away from her grasp and stepped back, wincing a little as he did so. But it was noticeable enough.
"Was it…when you fought the silver monkey?" Amy asked hesitantly, walking towards him.
Sonic turned to look at her. "What do ya mean?" he asked.
"Well, uh…" Amy played with her hands. "Shadow…kinda…saved me earlier…" She turned back to Shadow before Sonic or Knuckles could ask any other questions. "Is that why you're hurt, Shadow?"
"No," Shadow responded. "It was long before that…and it's nothing that needs to be worried about now." He looked at Sonic again. "One of the emeralds landed on the edge of Station Square, at the city's seaport."
Knuckles looked up curiously. "Seaport?" he asked.
"Ring any bells, Knux?" Sonic wondered.
"It…sounds familiar," the echidna replied, scratching the back of his head.
Sonic folded his arms. "If Eggman had the Chaos Emeralds, then he's probably gonna be looking for 'em. Which means we need to find 'em first." He looked at Shadow once again. "But why tell us? I didn't think you'd help us at all."
"I have my reasons," the dark hedgehog replied.
Looking at him suspiciously, Sonic shrugged. "Good enough for me." His emerald eyes glanced at the small rabbit. "Cream?"
"Yes, Sonic-san," she said. She and Cheese then turned and headed out of the main work area.
Watching her go, Sonic then looked at Knuckles. "Feel like takin' a trip by the sea?"
The echidna smirked, rising to his feet. "If it's the place I'm thinking of," he replied, "then fine with me."
"Sonic," Tails said, "are you sure you should be going? You're still injured, aren't you?"
Cream returned, running up to Sonic and presenting him a gold ring. "Here, Sonic-san," she said.
"Thanks, Cream," he replied. As he took the ring, it began to glow softly. He grinned and tucked it beneath his quills. "Don't worry, Tails. I'll be okay."
"Sonic…"
"Hey, we won't be long. We'll get the emerald and bring it back here. Think you can handle things here while Knuckles and I are gone?"
Tails frowned, his sapphire eyes bright with concern. He wasn't sure if it was a good idea for both of them to go. But he nodded. "Yeah."
"Maybe someone should go with you," Chiro suggested. "I wouldn't mind going."
"I'll come too!" Amy offered.
Sonic shook his head. "Knuckles and I can handle it. Besides," he added with a look at Chiro, "it'd probably be better if you stayed with your team right now. I bet things are still a little weird right now."
Glancing at the Monkey Team quickly, the boy then nodded a little.
Turning towards Amy, Sonic motioned for her to come nearer. When she was close enough, he whispered to her, "And I need you to help out and keep an eye on things around here. If Shadow is hurt, maybe you can help 'im out a bit, huh?"
Shadow's ears twitched slightly. But he chose to say nothing and simply folded his arms across his chest.
"Think you can do that for me, Amy?" Sonic asked with a small smile.
Looking at him, Amy beamed. "Sure!" she replied.
"Great!" Sonic turned to Knuckles. "Ready?"
Knuckles smirked. "Let's go."
Cream stood and watched as the two older teens began to leave, and the rest of the group started doing other things. She could feel that there was still a lot of confusion and doubt, and there were still so many things that didn't make sense to her…to everyone, really. But she knew…she knew everything would be explained eventually.
She could just feel it.
TBC
[Chapter 8]