Sonic Series Fan Fiction ❯ Lost Memories, Reborn Evil ❯ Scuffles in the Dark ( Chapter 6 )

 

Lost Memories, Reborn Evil------------------- By Shadow in the Dark

Okay, it's been…6 months…Wow, it's actually been that long. I actually never realized time went so fast… After all this, I only have one thing to say: Christmas holidays went too fast, and February and March are the busiest months of the year. Ok, I admit that was two things, but it sounded better to say that I have only "one" thing to say rather than "two" things to say… right…Right?

Uh, I guess no one really cares; you must all really want to read the next chapter, especially if you waited this long for it... Well then, I'm not going to stand in your way…*bows*

 

OH! WAIT! …*holds out hand* you should know first that this chapter takes place DURING the last chapter, if you want verification, check out the beginnings of both chapters….

 

Now, let's try this again…

 

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Chapter 6: "Scuffles in the Dark."

 

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LAST TIME

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"I've had lots of practice, and if there's anything I know, It's my own speed." He spoke slowly and quietly, trying to get his point across. He must have, because after that no other word was said, save a couple whispered "goodnights".

An hour later, silence once again encompassed the camp broken only by two pairs of quiet snores.

All of a sudden, in the corner of the camp, then was a small ruffling sound, and in the smallest corner of the camp, something smooth and dark fell to the ground silently, the only noise being a sharp "clink" of metal on rock. The sound of the clasp was quickly muffled; the cloak was then left on the ground, but was soon joined by a pair of goggles, which landed neatly, and silently on the bundle.

Slowly, a pair of bright, jade-green eyes opened, blinked once, and were gone in a flurry of shadowed dark-blue spikes.

It's time to do a little hunting…

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NOW

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Night had fallen.

 

The area outside the rocky outcrop was empty and still, save for the torrential rain which still peppered the land, and save for the dark shadow which moved stealthily along the rocky mountain.

 

The figure no longer had it's cloak, as he had given it to Sonic, and he was regretting it fully now. All he had was a thin long white scarf that nearly touched the ground but did nothing to keep him dry. The rain poured down mercilessly and he had been soaked to the bone two minutes after he had stepped into the rain after leaving the triplet's trailer.

 

He had been in the rain for 4 hours since then…

 

The figure peeked into the "shelter" Sonic and his siblings were staying in. He made no sound except for an annoyed shuffle when he realized that the three weren't even thinking of leaving until the next day.

 

The figure turned so that his dark spines were pressed up against the rock, and then he growled quietly, and hissed to himself, "Didn't the letter I gave to him mean anything? I inscribed everything, I explained the situation, hypothesized the probabilities. I even described the results that would occur if too much time was taken. What more do I have to do, threaten him?" The figure paused and rubbed at his temple with two figures.

 

No, he said. I can not afford to loose his trust. He thinks that I am Knuckles, I can not let him think otherwise… It's for his own good.

 

The figure raised his head then and jumped silently from his perch. He landed with one hand on the ground, and the other stretched out near him. His legs were spread in a wide stance and his entire body was tense. He paused for a second and raised his ears questioningly.

 

That's strange, I could have sworn I heard something…

 

All of a sudden, not far from where he crouched, there was the telltale sound of a robotic beep.

 

Oh no, not here, not now… if the Doctor finds them now, it could be all over. Sonic can't risk being seen, not for another two days at the very least, if he is seen before that he will have no chance in getting to the emeralds before Robotnik.

 

The figure crouched lower. Then, using his hand like a springboard, he pushed himself forward into an easy run. Even without using his shoes he could run faster than most, if not all, animals.

 

It only took two seconds for him to reach the robot. Sensing it's presence, the figure whipped behind a tree, he pulled his scarf tighter, so that it's white color would not betray his presence. Peeking around the tree, he saw the robot approach his hiding place. Unconsciously, one of his eyebrows lifted. The robot was not like any other he had seen before. He had been expecting the bright, orange-colored robots that had originally been made by Robotnik. He had not, however, expected the behemoth in front of him.

 

Besides being almost four times the width of the normal robots, it was also 2 times the height. It was entirely black and blue, so the only thing that gave away its presence was its slight metallic shine. It's head and middle section were entirely encased it tough-looking armor. There was also no visible weak point; that was what caught the figure's attention.

 

So, he thought, almost chuckling, The old man does learn something every now and again.

 

As the robot took another large step forward, the figure noticed that it was heading directly toward Sonic and the others. The figure sighed to himself and took off his scarf. He hung it on a nearby branch and then prepared himself for what he was going to do, guess I have to stop that thing.

 

Stepping in front of the robot, the figure took a confidant stance. His legs were straight, and he had one gloved hand on his hip and the other raised in greeting. He acted as though he posed no threat and was in no way prepared to fight.

 

"Hey there," was his greeting.

 

The robot bleeped in what the figure liked to think of as surprise. It paused then and there was a quiet sound of a scanner.

 

"Unidentified warm-blooded creature." It bleeped. "Identify your name and connection with Doctor Robotnik, or surrender yourself."

 

The figure paused for a second, and put his hand to his chin, as though he was thinking it over. The robot waited a second then said:

 

"Identify yourself as friend or foe or face the consequences."

 

The figure took his hand off his chin. "And if I-"

 

"Failure to adhere to proper protocol will lead to immediate and complete eradication."

 

"Well," said the figure, leaning backwards and folding his arms. "That does put a damper on our relationship."

 

The robot (now noted by the figure as the E-900) waited a few seconds then said: "You have failed to identify yourself, you will now be eliminated."

 

"Gee," said the figure, smirking, "your going to do that all by yourself? I wish you luck."

 

All of a sudden, the figure realized that while they had been 'chatting' five other robots had appeared out of nowhere and were now moving to surround him.

 

The figure groaned slightly and immediately settled into a fighting stance. WHY is it that I can wish luck on someone else and have it immediately effect them, yet somehow manage to have an abhorred amount myself?

 

He noticed that his luck was not all bad however, the robots that closed in on him now were normal-sized. However, they were also black and blue, making it difficult to spot them. However, they would probably block him off from the bigger robot, allowing him to first fight them, without worrying about the bigger robot. On the other hand…

 

Argh! I have to stop doing that! I must focus.

 

By this time, the robots had completed their circle. The figure's prediction had been right, the large robot was blocked off from the fight. However, it stayed where it was, probably as back-up incase the others failed.

 

For a moment, the figure considered jumping up and doing a homing attack on all of the robots. He shot down the idea however when he realized that the golden light given off by the attack would probably attract more unwanted attention.

 

Looks like I'm going to have to do this the old-fashioned way…

 

It was at this moment that the figure noticed that not all the robots had lasers. In fact, only one had a laser, and it was in the form of a hand-held gun. Two of the other robots had metal clubs, and the remaining two had long metal poles with sharp points at the end. The robots raised their weapons in a menacing manner, in turn, the figure dropped into a low karate stance.

 

Here it goes.

 

To the figure's surprise, only the pole-bearing robots attacked at first. Forced to abandon his stance, the figure dodged to one side to avoid the vertical strike of one robot. He then dropped completely to the ground in order to avoid the horizontal slash of the other. Spinning around, he struck out his leg and sweeped the legs out from under one of the attacking robots. The robot fell backwards onto his rounded back and dropped his pole. It flailed its arms and legs fruitlessly, due to its rounded back it could not get back up.

 

Bending forward, the figure grabbed the pole, but as he did, he saw a bright flash in his peripheral vision. Rolling to the side, he just managed to avoid the burning laser of the gun-bearing robot.

 

Rising to one knee, the figure spun around, and with an upward, vertical slash he disarmed the robot, and in the same movement, he spun once again holding the pole above his head with both hands. He was just in time to catch the two clubs that would have pounded him into the ground. From one eye, the figure saw the laser gun fly into the surrounding foliage. He expected the robot that had lost it to run after it, so he turned his back to the unarmed robot.

 

Due to this action, he did not see the robot pause to extract long claws from its knuckles. However, he did see the last pole-bearing robot run at him, intending to skewer him. Forcing the clubs upward, he threw the two club-bearing robots backward. Once again, he rolled to the side, avoiding the running robot. Then, something unexpected happened.

 

The robot that he had previously thought to be disarmed, now outfitted with gleaming claws, had lunged to cut him in half at the same moment that the pole-bearing robot failed to hit him. When the robot with the pole had missed its target, it had kept running forward due to build up in momentum. At the same time, the robot next to it brought down its deadly claws, right onto the passing robot. The robot that had been running then tripped over the robot that had fallen (and failed to get up) at the beginning of the battle. The robot landed on the other and soon caused the both of them to short out from the flying sparks that came from the gash caused by the robot with the claws.

 

The figure did not have time to see this entire exchange however, as he had had to roll quickly out of the way in order to avoid the two clubs which had smashed down towards him. As he rolled a second time, he gathered his feet beneath himself and was soon standing. He looked at the two former pole-bearing robots in surprise. As he did, he saw the clawed robot run towards him. He raised his pole up in defense; however, he was surprised when the claw cut through it. He dodged to the side just it time to avoid the second claw; however, he could not help but slam shoulder first into a tree.

 

This really is not a very good place to pick a fight. He thought, he then reprimanded himself for not looking for reinforcements before confronting the big robot.

 

Speaking of which, He looked upward and just managed to avoid the sharp spear of the E-900. However, he was not lucky enough to avoid the club of the robot next to it. He flew backwards as the club hit him square in the chest, he thanked the god that his head didn't hit anything as he fell. Instead, he landed in a small patch of moss. In a flash, he was up on his feet again. Ignoring his throbbing ribs, he threw up one end of his pole to block an oncoming club. Using the other part (the pointed side) of the pole, like a dagger, he thrust it deep into the robot's chest. He then pulled it out quickly and backed up as sparks flew from the hole. The robot fell to the ground a few seconds later, dead.

 

"Thank goodness I studied their robotics enough to locate their power source." He whispered softly, not wanting to think of what would have happened if the robot had survived and managed to beat him again with the club.

 

Now panting a little, the figure realized that he was beginning to tire. However, there was still one club-bearing robot and the clawed robot to deal with. Not to mention the E-900. Looking up, he saw the clawed robot slash at him. He dodged to the side, and backed up until he hit a tree. That was when he got an idea.

 

He looked around quickly first to get his bearings. The E-900 was still awhile from arriving. Its steps were incredibly slow due to its large weight. However, its strides were long, and the figure estimated that he had about half a minute before it would reach within striking distance. The club robot on the other hand, had somehow managed to trip over one of its fallen 'comrades', the figure guessed he had a few minutes before the robot could gather itself. Finally, he realized that he was quite close to Sonic's camp, so he would have to keep the noise down.

 

By this time, the clawed robot was ready to attack him. It drew back its claw and aimed for the figure's head. He did not move however. He knew that if he did not move now, he would not be able to dodge to the sides, but he didn't want to, so it did not matter. The robot mistook the figure's silence and lack of movement for surrender and it lowed its claw.

 

"Do you wish to-"

 

Not giving the robot a chance to finish, the figure raised the sharp end of his pole, and with a short yell, he drove it into the robot's head. Bleeping in what the figure could only guess as its death throes, it lashed out with both its claws. The figure ducked under the robot's arm, causing both claws to stick into the wood of the tree. Beeping again, the robot tried and failed to extract its claws. The figure came up behind the robot and moved into striking position. He raised his second piece of the pole and, with strength he did not know he had, plunged it through the robot's metal back. He backed off then as the robot fell.

 

Four down, he realized, slightly surprised, and two to go.

 

Turning swiftly, he was just in time to see the sharp pole of the E-900 head straight towards his chest.

 

Jumping to the side desperately, he managed to make the pole miss his chest, however, his arm was not so lucky.

 

"Ahh!" He cried, grasping the wounded arm. The spear had not gone through arm, however, it had scratched deep into it. The figure did not have time to nurse his wound, as he was forced to roll away as the spear came crashing down were his head had been.

 

I seem to be doing a lot of rolling today, he thought, trying to make light of the situation. However, when he tried to smile at his own joke, it came out as more of a grimace. Standing quickly and still grasping his arm, the figure stumbled backwards, trying to bring space between him and the E-900. He stumbled on a loose branch and fell backwards, twisting his ankle slightly as he did. Losing his temper slightly the figure cursed.

 

"Dammit," he cried, a little too loudly. "I just can't do this. I've had my powers forever, yet I can't use them without being seen." He let out a loud breath of air angrily. "Oh sure, Sonic gets to stay all nice and tucked in inside his shelter with his family, one that he was lucky to even have! Meanwhile, I'm out here, in the rain, fighting for his life! Of course, I'm just lucky the robots didn't notice Sonic, or else the whole word will succumb to Robotnik's tyranny. Great, my life has SO much meaning." The figure stopped his ranting then. He realized how out-of-character he sounded and immediately chastised himself.

 

Stop this childishness. You are not here to be selfish, you are here to follow your purpose. It was what you were created for, it was what she wanted, and she is the most important person in your pathetic excuse of a life. Even if you do it for no other reason than for her, you should do it.

 

He stood up then, fresh conviction shinning in his eyes. He realized then what he had to do. Reaching back into a pouch that hung at his side with his good hand, he pulled out a shiny green emerald.

 

Hmm, you will do. I just hope I have enough energy to pull this off. It is a good thing that there is only two of those guys left.

 

So lost was the figure in his thoughts that he failed to see something dark and cloaked poke its head out from under a rocky outcrop. The cloaked stranger waited for a second, then disappeared back under the shadows of the outcrop.

 

Throughout this, the figure had eyes only for his emerald. He lifted his head suddenly, eyes narrowed and hate flashing at the two robots, which were now very close to reaching him.

 

"You know," he said softly, "you brought this on yourselves."

 

The figure held the emerald high above his head and spoke only two words.

 

"Chaos, CONTROL!"

 

Bright green light flashed from the emerald and tendrils of magic snaked around his body, drawing power from it. He sagged slightly, but still held strong as the spell was cast. Two seconds past and the world froze. The robots stopped moving, the wind stopped blowing and the rain was suspended as tiny crystals hanging in the air. Stepping forward, the figure stumbled slightly as he felt the energy drain from him more and more for every second he held the spell. I must work quickly. I must fulfill Maria's wish. This was his mantra as he made his way to the E-900.

 

Nearing the robot, the figure could see a small compartment at the back of the frozen monster. Stepping in front of it, he pried it open and reached in. For a second, he found nothing, then, he felt his fingers brush against something soft. Surprised at this, he carefully pulled out the object.

 

What is something soft doing in this monster?

 

To his amazement, it was a bird. It wasn't even a flicky, it was very small, fitting comfortably into the palm of his hand. It had feathers the color of inky blackness, However, even in the moonlight the figure could see small glimmers of blue and red between the black. The bird itself looked exhausted, and the figure could not blame it. Its energy had been used to power a monstrous robot. He would have to see whether the bird was alright later though, his energy was nearly gone and he still had one robot to take care of. After placing the tiny being carefully into his pouch, where it would not be reached by the rain, he shoved himself off the tree he had been leaning on and stumbled towards the last club-bearing robot. He scooped up the pole of one of the fallen robots and quickly thrust it into the middle section of the robot. He did not have to worry about hurting anything since Robotnik only used animals to power his larger robots.

 

There, he thought, all done. It was as easy as making pie…

 

His strength failed him and the figure dropped to his knees. He felt the spell lose its hold on him and he fell forward as it let go. He felt as though a large pressure had been removed from his chest. Around him, the world returned to normal and he felt the ground shake around him as the E-900 fell.

 

Standing slowly, and dragging the pole he used to skewer the other robot with him, he walked painfully towards the E-900, his arm trailing blood the entire way. Slowly he pulled himself into the vision of the fallen robot. He paused as he felt the failing scanners attempt to look him over.

 

"Unidentified… Unidentified… unidentified" the robot beeped uselessly. "… iden-tify…"

 

The figure paused for a second, then smirked as an old memory of his first meeting with a certain blue hedgehog resurfaced.

 

"My name is Shadow. I am the world's ultimate lifeform."

 

He then thrust his pole through the face screen or the robot. Without another word, he turned and fled, his fluttering white scarf just disappearing into the darkness as a pair of green eyes opened not too far away.

 

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THAT'S ALL!!!!! Actually, I was thinking of ending it at the part where Shadow sees the spear of the E-900 about to run him through. But then, I figured that you guys had already had enough waiting for this chapter, and if I made you wait any longer, you would probably kill me… so I continued it. Anyway, how many of you thought Shadow was the figure? I mean BEFORE this chapter (`cause in this chappie I kinda made it PAINFULLY obvious). I know some of you did, but how `bout the rest of you?

Oh! And one last note: I got the line "puts a damper on our relationship" from a movie called "The Princess Bride". Anyway, for those of you who've seen the movie, you know what I'm talking about, as for the rest of you… well… don't pay any mind to my rambling.

Anyway, I shall end it here, and let us all hope I do not take another half a year to update… heh…

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~TBC~