Sonic Series Fan Fiction ❯ Chronicles of Mobius book 2 ❯ Searching for the army ( Chapter 5 )

Sonic and Nikós sat beside the main road in Mobodoon (what was left of it, anyway), waiting for Tails and Knuckles to meet them.

"This was the town your dad and I were born in." Sonic said. "He was pretty fond of it."

Nikós laid his arms on his knees. "Ma said he promised to take us here after you all defeated the echidnas."

Sonic looked at Nikós. "So he knew?"

"Ma told him she was pregnant after he defeated the dragon." Nikós replied. "I guess he never said anything to you because he was very private about his life or because it was too early to announce it."

"Or both." Sonic said.

Nikós yawned. "When are those guys getting here?"

Sonic spotted Tails and Knuckles in the distance. "Here they are."

Knuckles and Tails walked over to them.

Sonic got up and helped Nikós up.

Tails and Knuckles showed up.

Sonic got up and helped Nikós up.

Knuckles clenched his fists and glared at Sonic. "So is this what you did when you were alone with the Master Emerald?" He questioned. "I thought you agreed we wouldn't make duplicates of loved ones."

Nikós furrowed his brow.

"He's not Manic." Sonic said. "This is his son, Nikós. Doesn't he kind of look like Jade too?"

Tails held his thumb and index finger barely apart. "A little."

Knuckles nodded in agreement.

"Anyway, Nikós, this is Tails and Knuckles." Sonic said, motioning to his friends respectively. "Alright, do you two have any idea where the metals came from?"

"My sources say they're from the other side of the forest." Tails replied.

Sonic tilted his head slightly, propping his chin on his fist. By sources, you mean…?"

"Aleena." Tails said. "Since she's recovered from her illness, she decided to go undercover after Shadow tried to stir up some trouble."

"I think he's behind this." Sonic replied.

"He is." Knuckles said. "He has somehow gotten incredibly strong. He annihilated nearly all of the guards at the Chaos emerald mine before he got into the mine."

"Before?" Sonic asked.

Knuckles and Tails nodded.

Sonic tapped his chin. "Huh."

"I'd let you have access to the Emeralds at the palace, but I don't think it's a good idea." Tails said. "Prolonged exposure to the emeralds causes mutations. Just that little bit of exposure you had from the echidna war caused mutations in your kids."

Sonic scoffed. "I'm naturally fast, so are they."

Tails shook his head. "Explain that weird blast Lola caused a month ago."

"Or the fact that your kids and mine and Sonia's kids all have that same mutation." Knuckles added.

Sonic groaned. "Okay. Fine, but if things get worse, that's a risk we have to take."

"I agree; you're overruled, Tails." Knuckles said.

Tails rolled his eyes. "Alright, you were warned." He replied. "Let's head out."

Nikós tried his best to keep up with Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles as they trudged through the Great Mobius forest.

Their torches did very little to light the way through the forest in the dark.

"You doing okay back there, Nikós?" Sonic asked.

Nikós swatted a branch aside. "Yeah."

"We'll camp out as soon as we're in the clearing." Tails said, brushing away some spindly branches.

"Great." Nikós replied. "I'm exhausted."

A silent tube shaped robot hovered over to Nikós.

Nikós tried to swat away a tube shaped robot. "Stupid bat." He thought.

The robot released a blue vapor.

Nikós collapsed.

Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails didn't hear anything and kept going.

Sleet walked over and grabbed Nikós by his arm. "Too easy." He said, dragging Nikós back to his vehicle.

Shadow walked into the control room as he rubbed his aching shoulder after leading five raids. "I hope I get a day off soon."

Sleet and Robotnik were already in the room.

"Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles are on their way here, sir." Sleet said.

Shadow stood where Robotnik could see him, waiting for his turn to give a report.

"Was Nikós with them?" Robotnik asked.

"Yes, sir." Sleet replied.

"Then why didn't you use the extra sleepers to catch those two?" Robotnik questioned. "The metals and Shadow could just storm the castles and take the Emeralds by sheer brute force then."

"You never said to capture them, sir." Sleet replied.

"It was implied, you incompetent fool." Shadow said.

"He's right." Robotnik said. He whipped around to face Shadow. "But don't you scold him. That is not your duty."

"With all due respect, why is he given those missions?" Shadow asked.

"That is none of your concern." Robotnik said.

"It should be." Shadow replied. "I would've captured Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails too."

"It was your idea to have him in charge." Robotnik said.

Shadow glared at Robotnik. "I never said-"

"Go check on the prisoner in cell A, Shadow." Robotnik ordered.

Shadow clenched his fists and stormed out so fast, it was as if he teleported out.

Shadow headed down the prison corridor because he had to have a minute to keep from throttling his allies aside from having to check on some prisoner in cell A.

He couldn't stand Sleet's incompetence or Robotnik's ego and occasional lapses in judgement due to said ego.

Shadow found the cell and opened the door with his keycard.

A battered dark green male hedgehog, who was shaking and sitting on a cot, looked at him. "You must be Shadow." He said. "Robotnik said you'd come over."

"Yes and you're… Nikós?" Shadow asked.

Nikós nodded. "Please don't hurt me."

Shadow furrowed his brow. "This is a kid." He thought. "Why is he being treated like this?"

"I think this guy's behind the metal army." Nikós said. "Do you know if my ma was captured or killed? Her name's Jade."

Shadow shook his head. "I don't know, but I think I know how we can find out." He replied. "Come on, we'll check the archives."

Shadow led Nikós out of his cell and to the control room, keeping Nikós hidden with Shadow's hooded trench coat.

Shadow activated the computer with his keycard and typed in Jade's info.

Nikós furrowed his brow as the file loaded. "What does robotization mean?"

Shadow exhaled slowly. "He's turning them into a robot army."

"You mean those things that raided the village are actually Mobians?" Nikós asked.

"Not all of them." Shadow replied. "It could be reversed."

Nikós sighed. "That's a relief." He said. "Can you-"

Nikós and Shadow flinched as something hissed loudly overhead.

The room filled with dark yellow gas.

Shadow and Nikós coughed for a couple of minutes before passing out.

As soon as the gas dissipated, Robotnik had his robots drag Nikós out of the room.

"Take him to the lab and have him prepped for gene splicing and the mind control serum." Robotnik ordered.

"What about Shadow, sir?" Sleet asked.

"I tried, the serum doesn't work on him." Robotnik replied. "I'd de-splice him, but he'll realize something's up and he'll retaliate. I should've made him dumber when I had the chance."

Shadow groaned and sat up.

Robotnik and Sleet flinched.

"He wasn't supposed to wake up so quickly." Robotnik whispered.

Shadow looked at them and then looked around for Nikós. "What are you going to do with him?" He asked. "Turn the kid into one of your metal zombies? Or just beat the kid some more?"

"No, I didn't turn you into a metal zombie, did I?" Robotnik asked. "He wasn't beaten as much as you think. Sleet dragged him here."

Shadow motioned to the computer. "I was fine helping you overthrow the Mobotropolis empire, but don't think I'll stand for this." He said. He stormed out, pushing his way past Robotnik and Sleet on his way out. "You just shot yourself in the foot, doctor."

Robotnik glared at Sleet. "Don't stand there gawking like an idiot." He bellowed. "Do something about that ingrate."

Sleet shook his head. "You made him a living super weapon." He yelled. "I am not getting killed because you don't want to get your hands dirty."

Robotnik nodded. "Very well." He said calmly. "As the saying goes, 'if you want something done right, do it yourself'."

Sleet raised an eyebrow as Robotnik strutted out. "Sir?"

"Guards." Robotnik yelled. "Deal with that so-called bounty hunter."

Two robot guards seized Sleet as the door shut behind Robotnik, locking Sleet and the guards inside.

Robotnik pressed a button on his gauntlet. "That should be the lethal dose of the gas."