This chapter contains material that I do not own, they are the property of one of the following: Akira Toriyama, Yoshihiro Togashi, Rumiko Takahashi, Tite Kubo, Masashi Kishimoto, Eiichiro Oda, and Yuji Naka. Please support these excellent artists.
BRRRRMMMMMMM!!
Alarms; something was happening on the planet. I woke up to the sound; it wasn't uncommon. Usually just Eggman up to something, or one of his lackeys. Usually Sonic would take care of it; usually I wasn't needed. I sped to the console regardless. I needed to double check, make sure I kept my promise to Maria. The computer flipped on, running a diagnostic of the space base Ark first. It was a safety procedure. I watched, thinking how this was my birthplace, my home.
Then the computer switched to the planet below. Mobius, Earth as the humans call it. My job, I guess my choice. Was to protect it. The screen zoomed in on one point, expanding it. It looked like a bomb of some sort. There was a figure hunched over it, wearing a black suit and hat. Then he turned, his face pasty white, and smiled. The look in his eyes, hunger. It was the only way to describe it. He knew I was watching him. How. This was a satellite camera, he couldn't know.
I shook the thought from my head, realizing in the moment I had taken to think he had vanished. The bomb was not Eggman's design. I could glean that much from here. He plastered his face on everything, this didn't carry his mark. I realized I was the only one who would know that it was there. The energy radiating off the device was immense, if it blew it would easily take the entire planet with it.
Determined I ran straight for the teleport. It would take me almost right to the bomb's location. In the meantime I had to figure out what I could do to stop it. If I could get Nicole or Rotor there soon enough, maybe they could stop it. But the thing was set to go in a matter of minutes. Even at top speed I'd only have a minute to figure out what to do. Maybe just destroy it? No, that'd just detonate it soon. I might be able to teleport back with it. I skidded to a stop at the teleporter, keying in the computer so that it would pick me back up, with the bomb. I also had the Ark start moving further away from the planet. It would be close.
On the surface I moved rapidly through the dense forest I had been dropped in. There. I stopped perfectly. There was a minute left on the counter. I reached down to pick it up, and prepared the teleporter. But the moment I touched it it beeped twice and exploded.
I didn't expect to wake up; but I did. I was in a forest. It was different than the one I had been in before though. Less foliage on the ground, the trees had higher branches. I guessed first that I had been thrown by the explosion, but if it had detonated the planet shouldn't still be standing. Yet there was no sign of damage.
I looked around, it didn't look like any place I had been; so I used my wristwatch to try and communicate with the Ark. There was no signal. Whatever happened, it was huge. I heard a sound come from behind me. There were a couple of men in black armor approaching me slowly. Odd, but I didn't have time to question. As soon as they were in range they lowered guns and began firing. Reflexively I ducked the bullets, and cut through the armor with my spines, figuring I could scare them away. The armor came apart and fell lifeless to the forest floor. No one was inside. I picked up a piece, the metal wasn't something I recognized. Touching it reminded me of that man I had seen; like this was a part of him.
There were a lot of questions running through my mind, and no answers. The planet had been under attack by many foes before, but none of them added up to what I was facing here. I ran as I thought. Whatever put that bomb on the planet was new. Why didn't the planet explode? I skidded to a stop as something passed the corner of my eye. Two more of those armored creatures were approaching a sleeping girl. Her messy auburn hair hung in her face. Within a second I had cleaved both in half and grabbed the girl. She was in strange garb, a flowery robe of some sort; I'd have to find a safe place to wake her.
Now going on 3 days without power. Plans for electrical restoration range from one involving 3 chickens, a ladder, and a cable to one involving 5 billion gerbils. To put it bluntly, I am not a happy camper.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, this chapter was a lot of fun to write, and yes I know I'm using Shadow from the video games rather than the comics; but I like where he ended up in the games, in the comics he's still kind of floating around. Anyway, I'd like to see people guess who Shadow found. I left a few hints above, and it'll be confirmed next chapter.
Have a Happy Halloween everyone!