Sonic Series Fan Fiction ❯ Sonic Adventure 2: The ARK Incident ❯ 2. Day Two--Wild Canyon/Dry Lagoon ( Chapter 2 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Disclaimer: Plot and game dialogue, as well as characters, are owned by Sega and Sonic Team. I'm just borrowing them for my guilty pleasures and bringing out their personalities a bit more. Yaaaay. So no stealing this fic >(

Dr. Eggman felt like he'd been punched in the gut. He was mere feet away from the weapon that could finally defeat Sonic…and yet the shadow reflected on the ceiling told him that said blue blur was standing on it. Standing on it!!

“Is that you, Sonic?” he snarled. “Are you trying to spoil my plans again?!”

Then quite suddenly it occurred to him: Sonic wasn't black. Now, he didn't mean this as some sort of racial slur, oh no. Simply, Sonic was blue. This hedgehog had black fur splashed with crimson. “Wait a minute…” he said slowly. “You're not Sonic…” Peering closer, Eggman's glasses nearly flew off as he jumped in shock.

A hedgehog, black with red stripes, and a most beautiful set of red eyes…

“This is impossible!” the doctor breathed quietly, in shock.

The hedgehog unfolded his arms and instead rested them on his hips, his golden bracelets glowing in the single light beneath him. He took in his first deep breath in quite a long while. “My name is Shadow,” he said, his voice one of utmost calm, and eerily serene. “Since you were so kind to release me, my master--” here his body jerked as if controlled by a puppeteer, arms relaxing and fists clenching, “—I will grant you one wish.”

The alarm sounded anew, and Eggman could hear the roaring jets of…something that was definitely bigger than a beetle. “Now what?!” he growled in irritation, snapped out of his awe.

“Behold,” Shadow spoke, the tranquility dropping a little from his voice, his mind beginning to kick into gear. How long had it been, he wondered, since he was sealed and frozen in this hellish place? Didn't matter, not now. This was perfect for demonstrating his powers to the one who looked so much like…his father? No…his creator. Creator. A flare of light shot out from beneath him as the jets in his shoes kicked on, lifting them into the air. A familiar power flowed through his blood, and he spotted a glimmer of silver below him.

A Chaos Emerald.

“Behold,” he repeated, “the true power I posses.”

A flash of light surrounded him as his power flexed itself, then died as he shot into the air, facing the opponent.

“This is Scorpion Troop's Hotshot,” the human in the cockpit of the mechanical monster said, looking at the hedgehog before him. “Enemy movement has been detected. En route to intercept…and destroy.”

“Copy that,” a voice echoed on the other end. Placing his radio down, the pilot eyed the creature before him. This was the danger that the military was frantic to keep secret? A hedgehog? Ridiculous.

His hands gripped the controls tightly and prepared to shift forward. Really, that was the last thought he would ever remember. His last words were a cry of disbelief as a white gloved hand shot through the bulletproof glass, grabbed his neck, and twisted.

Shadow landed calmly, snapping his fingers. The robot went up in flames, scorching his fur. He looked down at the burning flesh and watched it repair itself.

Eggman's steel eyes were wide behind his glasses. The entire thing had taken place in less than five seconds. And……and Shadow should've been killed! But there he was, looking down into the pit at Eggman calmly. Closing his jaw, the doctor floated out of the pit and regained his voice.

“D-Destroying that guard robot was spectacular! So, Shadow, you are the military's top secret weapon?”

Is that what they call me now? Pathetic and wishful on their part. Humans…

“But what did you mean when you said you would grant me a wish?” Eggman asked suspiciously.

Shadow toyed with his response, tossing a few around in his head. “Bring more Chaos Emeralds,” he said finally, then turned.

“Shadow, wait!”

The hedgehog looked back. “I'll be waiting for you…in the Central Control Room on the Space Colony ARK.”

Eggman's fists were re-introduced to his console rather violently. He'd wanted immediate destruction, not this mysterious bullshit! “ARK?!” he demanded.

Shadow said nothing. He simply smirked and walked away, his shoes clanking against the metal floor.

Free again…

Eggman sat back and sighed, taking off his glasses and massaging his temples. He'd best get back to the base and research this colony. After a brief pit-stop. He took up the controls, readjusted his glasses and goggles, and nodded.

It's the beginning of the end.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The day proceeding was gorgeous. The sky was painted an infinite, clear blue, and the wind was fresh and soothing.

Too bad breezes can be few and far between here…

A gloved hand crunched into the dirt, followed by another, identical mitt. These hauled up strong arms, followed by a stern face with matching amethyst eyes, attached to a broad chest with a white crescent splashed upon it, looking much like a necklace.

Knuckles the Echidna finished levering himself up onto his rocky platform and rested, his back against the dry wall. He closed his eyes and welcomed the small blessing of a breeze. But it was gone too soon, before it could even draft through his quills.

Damn…it's so hot…

He looked up, shielding his eyes from the sun with a large mitt, sighing. Briefly, he wondered how he had gotten into this mess…then remembered the coy smile and triumphant giggle of that…that bat girl as she'd swooped in and took off with his Master Emerald.

His Master Emerald, dammit!

His mitt rested against his forehead, then clenched tightly into a fist. She'd led him on a merry, merry dance from Angel Island, swooping down to the mainland, even making it all the way into the desert. It was there he'd finally tackled her, the large green beauty caught in between the two of them as they'd leapt apart, panting.

“Just…let it go!” the bat cried angrily, her large chest heaving. Her wings flexed briefly, and more of her blue eyeshadow was shown as her blue-green eyes narrowed. “You just don't know when to give up, do you?!”

“What are you talking about?” Knuckles snapped, clenching his fists tightly. “That Emerald's mine. Y'got that?” He crossed his arms over his broad chest, the symbol swelling as he puffed it indignantly. “The Master Emerald contains special powers that neutralize the Chaos Emeralds. That makes it very powerful.”

His eyes opened just in time to see a large metallic claw lifting said precious Emerald into the air. “What the--?!”

“Wha—theif!” the bat cried, her pristine white ears going rigid and her heeled white boot connecting with the ground.

“Look who's calling who a thief,” Knuckles muttered bitterly, unable to resist the temptation to push more of this beauty's angry buttons. She was probably mad that their chase had gotten sand on her precious white headfur and made her tan skin all sweaty, or some crap like that. His own tan muzzle twitched in annoyance before he knocked himself upside the head, remembering that, maybe his Master Emerald had just been stolen again.

“I came here following the signal from the Emerald,” a voice drawled. “If I'm not mistaken this is the Master Emerald, is it not?”

“It's you…Dr. Eggman!” Knuckles snarled. Eggman grinned and waved a little. Even if Shadow didn't find it useful, he could most definitely still use this beauty.

“So that's Dr. Eggman,” the bat said thoughtfully. Good, she thought. Saves me the trouble of looking for him.

“I'll just take it with me,” Eggman continued, pushing the gears forward, the Emerald held just below his craft. “Farewell, Knucklehead,” he snickered.

Ignoring the feeling that came with the sudden grinding of his teeth, Knuckles reacted instantly. He leapt into the air, with a roar of: “Not if I can help it!!” Inwardly apologizing to Tikal and Chaos, he slammed his powerful fist into his precious Emerald. There was a pause. He was blown to the ground as the crack along the Master Emerald spread, then abruptly shattered in a flash of light.

Eggman's mech jerked, and he struggled furiously to keep it in the air. Rouge gave a cry of alarm as she saw the pieces blasted away, completely scattered to god only knew where. She leapt upon that damned echidna as he stood, trying to regain his balance. His effort was in vain as he found a furious bat closing her white gloved hands around his throat and shaking him, her eyes ablaze.

“What was that all about?!” she shrieked. “And look what you did with my Emerald!!”

With an irritated grunt, Knuckles pried her death grip from his neck and shoved her away. “I did that to prevent the Master Emerald from being stolen, you idiot,” he snarled. “And by the way, that's not your emerald.”

“Doesn't matter,” Eggman sighed, deciding to get away as fast as possible. He scratched his head as their shouts faded. “I'll look into it once I get back to the base,” he murmured, his mind already refocused on Shadow's cryptic instructions.

Rouge watched him, knowing she'd have time to follow, her wings flapping lazily. “I despise anyone who takes jewels from me,” she said finally, whirling around to face Knuckles. “All the world's gems are mine to keep.”

“Yeah, we'll see about that, bat girl,” Knuckles spat, his hackles rising.

“You'll see, all right,” Rouge the Bat muttered bitterly, clutching two green shards in her hand. She held her glove up to a sensitive ear, listening to the radar device in the wrist of it. Hearing a small beep, she gave a fanged grin and leapt from her perch, swooping into the shade of the oasis. “Bet you weren't as lucky as me,” she sang aloud, landing next to the water. “But god, I hate that infernal sun…” she sighed, looking into the clear liquid below.

Her mind drifted to the beauty of the Master Emerald. Oh, how it shone, glimmered, and sparkled…its mysterious brilliance, even moreso than a Chaos Emerald. The verdant color so deep she could get lost in it forever…

Feeling a longing tug in her chest, Rouge screwed up her eyes at the water. “I'll find these shards and repair it myself,” she hissed. “I simply must have that gorgeous Emerald…!”

With a smirk and a bound she was off, following the sound of the radar.

While Knuckles didn't have a radar, he did have the proud blood of his ancestors flowing through his veins. Briefly, he stopped scaling the cliff wall to sneeze violently. He briefly toyed with the idea of allergies, then shrugged and continued on.

Reaching the top of the cliff, he squinted at the horizon. Was that a group of pyramids in the distance…?

He shook his head, reminding himself to trust his instincts and not his eyes. It was dangerous to let one's five senses direct them in the desert.

Then again, he wouldn't be in this position if not for that greedy girl and her eye for jewels. Damn, women could be so infuriating! At least Amy didn't make a snatch at his Emerald…

He sighed and continued on, slugging through a dune, feeling the mere three shards he had gotten so far.

He couldn't expect to return to the grounded Angel Island anytime soon, that was for damn sure.

END NOTES

Um, yeah, we all know Shadow couldn't break the guy's neck in the game…but again. Shadow isn't gonna screw around. And the flesh-burning bit is a reminder that he's immortal.

Aiogapirgja damn it, the Treasure Hunting stages are hard to write out! Sorry guys…I'll get the hang of them soon T.T

Danni