Part One
The light was very bright that night. Shadow, now having been on the ARK for 14 years now was looking down at Earth through the window. Maria came from behind. “Its beautiful isn’t it Shadow?” Shadow exhaled. “Yes it is. The Professor has said for countless years now that the planet is full of creatures such as yourself.” Maria put her hand on his shoulder. It was very cold and clammy, as if she had had a terrible cold. “ One day we will live there…all three of us.” “Yes the three of us.” Shadow replied. A voice brought him back to the present. The lights, colors, memories, and voices of the past faded as his consciousness returned to what was at hand. "Shadow?"
Rouge, that bat. Shadow didn't like her, nor did he trust her. Why did she have to interrupt his solitude?
"What, pest?!"
"I just wanted to thank you for saving me... that was so unlike you,
anyway."
"So?"
"Your ability to Chaos Control sure is handy..."
"Think what you want, Bat, I wasn't saving you... I was saving the Chaos
Emeralds."
"Well, I'm sure that's not the whole story. I was in distress, and if
you're lonely..." she turned around, her back facing the window, wings
folded, eyes closed, and her legs crossed.
Making advances... that's what that worthless creature is doing. Shadow gritted his teeth.
"I am not afflicted with the same desires that most of the males you have
encountered have. I cannot fall for your silly game."
"Hm?"
"Get away from me. Now!! I don't have any interest in you."
She walked out; doing her 'model walk', "Fine then, your loss."
---
“ Hmmm…. What is this?!” Dr. Robotnik pounded the table as he searched the
detector readings. Somehow the screen showed a reading from two separate
emeralds. While normally that would not be unusual, he had the first six
emeralds with him. There are only seven chaos emeralds in existence.
Therefore, one emerald had to be a fake!
Did they really think they could trick me with that fake emerald? He thought
to himself.
He really was at a loss of patience at the moment and did not need to be
interrupted at his moment of peace. But, of course some one just had to
disturb him.
Rouge, having been shunted out of Shadows room, was a little angry herself.
So, to take her mind off it she decided to visit the ‘doctor’.
“This better be important!” Robotnik snapped when she entered the room.
“ Oh yes, actually, I have good news!”
“Did you get the last emerald?!” He asked hopefully.
“ Well, no. But about that, I think if I find the last few shards of the
master emerald you can use it. The power will be stronger of course,…but
that’s what we want…right?”
“Do what ever you want. If you want to get killed fine. Your safety is no
concern of mine.” He said coldly.
“sure sure. But you’ll thank me later!”
“I don’t really care! You have failed me bat girl! I wanted my emerald by 6
hundred hours and I don’t have it now do I? Our plan has failed!”
“not so fast! I’ll get the master emerald. And you can go get the real
emerald. I saw them going east in the complex, you can catch them there!”
“Very well, if I don’t make it I want Shadow to finish the plan….there is no
more time for mistakes! Its now or never!”
“Darn,” said Amy pacing back and forth in a dark cellblock. The door was not
even closed but she wanted some shelter from the dark. “ Why would they want
to leave a sweet little girl like me all alone?” She was always left behind
when Sonic went to fight Robotnik or whatever he had to do at the time.
Somehow, he needed to put the fake emerald into the ARK’s core. The emerald
was fashioned by the real one and looked so real a machine could not tell
the difference. It was supposed to reverse the energy produced by the real
ones and blow itself up. It was a great plan, but rather dangerous when it
was all said and done. The core was heavily guarded…no doubt and you
probably would have a hard time to find it; it may have a maze leading up to
it.
Amy began to grow impatient. She was tired of being left behind and needed
to get out of the dark. She heard a soft metallic ‘click’ somewhere in the
darkness. “ Who’s there?” She shouted loudly. She felt the cold muzzle of a
gun pressed against her head. “ Don’t move and I won’t shoot!” Came
Robotnik’s sinister voice from the dark. “ Dr. Eggman!!”
Amy squeaked. “ If you value your life you will tell me where Sonic is!”
---
Rouge was in the central control room facing “Knuckles” (As the Echidna called himself.) He sized her up when she discovered him…he must still be a little weary of me after the meteor herd. “What do you want?!” He demanded. She smiled to herself. “ I need your help.”
---
Knuckles was perplexed.
She had his attention.
This should be good. Knuckles told himself.
“Well, Robotnik has all the chaos emeralds. The emeralds charged by a
negative frequency… the master emerald is positive in charge…. So we need to
use it to stop the chaos…. otherwise…”
“Otherwise?”
“ Otherwise my country will cease to exist!”
Knuckles was a little confused with Rouge at this particular moment.
First, she tries to steal your emerald, then, she tries to kill you, now she
wants to save the country?! This doesn’t make sense! Knuckles thought.
She stared at him as if he was acting like a fool. The way she looked at him
made him think of a small child. I never noticed how young she is! He
thought. He looked at her. Late teen’s or early twenties maybe…. perhaps its
because of what she does to get what she wants. She can’t be much older then
you… Knuckles shook that thought away.
Then he realized what was at hand.
“How do I know you can be trusted?”
She grumbled and pulled out a necklace.
It was a beautiful ruby that could easily be worth more then half a million.
“What’s this?”
“ My dad’s old chain…. gave it too me ‘fore he died.”
She looked away as if she cared less but Knuckles noticed her gaze was
distant.
“Ok then…. Lets go!”
---
The door in front of Robotnik opened slowly with a mechanical hum. From the
shadows came Sonic. He was breathing heavily and had sweat dripping from his
quills.
“ Ah! Sonic! How nice of you to join my little subrosa! Why don’t you drop
the emerald… slowly, and back off!”
Sonic looked at Amy who only nodded to Sonic.
“ Then we will discuss your girl friend. That is, if you really care for
her….”
Sonic reached into his leather pouch tied to his waste and pulled out an
amber colored emerald.
He walked to the center of the room placing the emerald on the floor in the
center of the room, saying, “ You’ve turned into a big time villain now
doctor!”
Robotnik smiled grimly and pressed a button on his console. Suddenly a
glass prism enclosed around Sonic. “ HA HA! Did you really think you could
trick me with that fake emerald?” He showed Sonic the real one. Look what I
got!
Sonic pounded the glass.
“ You can’t stop me Eggman! There will be others after me!” Robotnik
grinned.
“ Yes of course… more of you… well, that won’t happen any time soon. But I
can say you have been a worthy sparring partner for the past six years…and
you think it was this easy…Killed shadow…a shame really…. take him away!”
Sonic gasped his last breath and the air supply in the prism ran out. He
passed out.
---
Sonic awoke fifteen minutes later. He looked up and felt the cold air in his
lungs, Knuckles and a Bat was standing over him.
“ He’s alright!” Knuckles exclaimed.
Sonic looked at the bat.
“Who’s this? Can she fight?”
“ Yeah I can fight!” She said indignantly.
Sonic was amused.
“ Oh…sorry… My name’s Rouge.”
Sonic said his greetings and thanks for saving him and he was off in a
flash.
---
Robotnik was angry. Just when his plans began to work, his guard taking care
of Sonic was destroyed. Must be knuckles… he thought very annoyed now.
He was not armed to the teeth at the moment and only had enough power to
fire one shot from his powerful laser. Oh well, it will get the job done. He
rounded the corner and saw Knuckles talking to Rouge. He fired the laser
quickly. Knuckles did not notice it was almost going to get hit but Rouge
pushed him out of the way. Robotnik scurried away to get more ammo Fool! He
thought as he faded into the darkness.
Rouge didn’t scream as she hit the ground- although she had to be in agony.
Knuckles was sick with sorrow when he looked at the tatters mess that had
been Rouge’s back. Dying….she’s dying
In seconds she lay in a pool of her own blood.
Through the tatters off her leotard he could see the ripped flesh, the ton
muscle fibers and the slick shine of bone underneath.
Rouge was breathing short shallow breaths with her eyes tight shut and hands
trembling.
There was nothing he could do for her.
Knuckles looked around the hall. It was all steel with no remains of life in
it at all.
It was a cold and lonely place to die but at least she was knocked out and
could not feel any-
“ Turn me over…” She gasped
“ Your gonna be fine” He said gently “ Just don’t move-“
“ Bull shit… I’m…dying…”
Knuckles turned her over and she hissed with pain.
“Thanks….” She whispered with a blood bubble popping on her lips.
“ Keep my chain…wear. it…forever”
Knuckles nodded.
“The mainframe password is MARIA.”
Knuckles nodded again in fear he would cry.
She grabbed his neck and brought him closer. Their lips met.
“ Give em’ trouble”
Rouge took one last breath and didn’t breathe again.
Knuckles leaned over and kissed her one last time.
“ Wait for me.” He said quietly before leaving her in the dark.
-
Knuckles ran the rest of the way. “ I will avenge you Rouge. I swear it.”
TO BE CONTINUED
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