#Sonic: First One Standing & Unfinished Business

[sonicfangamebot]

'Sonic: First One Standing & Unfinished Business' by @HCStealth (Demo) Some of the earliest DOS demos to try and replicate the Sonic game mechanics. https://archive.org/details/unfinished-business

[darkjanet2]

Sonic Adventure 2: Sonadow

Chapter 16: Return to the Place Where We First Met

Amy and Tails were crying. Amy was trying to pull herself together, but Tails was still holding her close in a bear hug, even when she was sobbing on his shoulder.

“I can’t believe it! Sonic’s gone!” cried Tails.

“Sonic…! hics Sonic…!” cried Amy.

Eggman turned to them with an evil smirk on his, pointing his gun at them.

“Now, we have some unfinished business to take care of!” Eggman pointed his gun at them again. “Don’t try anything funny…If you give me the REAL Emerald, I’ll release you both.” he threatened, aiming at Tails’ head.

Amy stopped crying for a moment, she stood up, wiped her tears, and angrily glared at him.

“You really think we’re just going to let you get away with what you did?! Sonic is gone because of you! And it’s your fault that he’s no longer here!!” growled Amy.

Tails stood up, too, angry as well. He stared Eggman down, determined to keep Amy safe. “Amy’s right, and if you hurt us, then it’s going to be all your fault!” said Tails.

“You dare talk to me like that?! You little brats! Do you know how much trouble I could have gotten into by letting you live!?” roared Eggman. “All you need do is say yes, and this will all go away! Now shut your yapping and give me the real Emerald!” ordered Eggman. Amy and Tails didn’t answer Eggman.

“If you want that Emerald badly,” Amy withdrew her Piko Piko Hammer from behind her back. Tails pulled out his own weapon as well. They looked straight into Eggman’s eyes, their anger radiating off of them, like a wave of heat from a burning log.

“You’ll have to beat us cuz we avenge Sonic’s death!” said Amy, preparing to battle.

“We avenge your death, Sonic! We’ll beat Egghead!” shouted Tails. They both charged at Eggman. Amy held her hammer high, to swing with her Piko Piko Hammer to his head, while Tails shot his laser gun strike at his arm, hoping to weaken him so Amy could knock him out with her Hammer.

Hiiiyyyaa!!” yelled Amy, as she swung her hammer, hitting Eggman square in the face. He fell back, shocked by the blow. Amy and Tails charged at Eggman, swinging their weapons around wildly. Their attacks landed blows on him, knocking him onto the floor, unconscious. Amy and Tails walked toward the unconscious form of their enemy.

“This is for Sonic, you asshole!” yelled Amy.

“Sonic… we did it. We avenged your death,” said Tails, his tears flowing down his cheeks. He grabbed onto Amy’s hand tightly. Amy smiled and gently stroked Tails’ hair. She knew they would never let their anger stop them. The two stood there, holding hands, planning to tie Eggman up.

“Let’s tie him up,” said Tails.

Amy nodded, they went to find the rope while Eggman crawled away from them and found the real Chaos Emerald.

Meanwhile

Knuckles was strolling through the space corridor hallway, wandering around looking for any sign of his friends or his enemies. His feet echoed through the empty halls as he took one step after another. He reached the end of the hallway and stepped through the large doorway into the main room of the building. He stopped there as he felt something about the energy in the air shift. It made him uneasy.

'Huh? I feel some strange energy…' thought Knuckles.

As Knuckles stepped away from the door, something flashed before his eyes. He saw a blue hedgehog lying on the floor unconscious that possessed topaz Choas Emerald. Knuckles was confused. Why was Sonic lying on the ground unconscious? He quickly ran over to him. He knelt beside him. As soon as he got closer, Knuckles realized why Sonic was unconscious. There was no blood coming from Sonic’s side nor bruises or fatal injuries. He was fine. Knuckles shook him awake. Sonic groaned in pain. Knuckles was worried. What happened to Sonic?

"Sonic! Are you alright?” asked Knuckles. Sonic slowly opened his eyes. “Knuckles?" he weakly whispered.

He helped him to stand up to his feet. Sonic leaned against him slightly, almost as if he needed support to stay upright.

"Are you alright?" Knuckles asked again. Sonic looked at him with concern."Yeah…" he replied, "just a little dizzy." he rubbed his temples.

"What happened to you?” Knuckles asked.

"I remember. Eggman set me a trap inside the pod and threw me into space. And next thing I knew, I was able to use Chaos Control before it exploded," said Sonic.

"Chaos Control?" Knuckles asked, his brow furrowed.

"I'm getting worried about Amy and Tails. I hate to ask, but can you go help them? I have to go back to the Control Room and set the fake Emerald on Eclipse Cannon before it explodes," said Sonic.

Knuckles hesitated for a few moments. He wanted to help, but he didn't want to leave Sonic alone right now.

"Knux… please…" begged Sonic.

Knuckles sighed. "…Alright. I'll see what I can find," he assured him. Sonic smiled gratefully at him left Knuckles and went to the Control Room.

Meanwhile

Rogue walked to the Control Room with the clacking sound of her heel boots. There were six Emeralds on the panel, each one connected to a different circuit board. Each Emerald had its own power source and the same power source was used by the rest of the control panels. Rogue placed a finger on the Emerald connected to the power source, which emitted a purple glow, and hummed happily. Rouge tapped the Emerald again, and the humming noise subsided. Rogue removed her finger.

"Legend has it when all seven Chaos Emeralds are collected. If the power creates a miracle, I'll have six of them, they're all mine!" exclaimed Rogue excitedly, grinning widely at the thought.

"I don't think so," muttered a voice behind Rogue. Rogue jumped slightly before turning around. A black hedgehog stood there with his arms crossed, it was Shadow.

"So that was your plan from the very beginning, huh? Or was it the direct order from the president?" Shadow tilted his head to the side slightly with a raised eyebrow. Rogue smirked confidently at his challenge.

Shadow pointed at her, "Now I know who you are. You're the government spy, Rogue the Bat, aren't you?" he asked. Rogue laughed in amusement.

"My, you already figured it out… But I guess you're not half bad yourself, Shadow. I should've seen that coming though. You've always been too smart for someone your age!" Rogue complimented.

Shadow narrowed his eyes. "Why do you care? You're pretending to work with us. You're probably the reason our plan failed…" He started approaching Rogue menacingly. "And now you must pay the price."

Rogue smirked. "Oh dearie me, I didn't realize my job required my cooperation. I think I'd rather not join with you. Perhaps you could just tell me who you really are, Shadow." She held up a copy of the file with the picture on it. Shadow was on the profile picture as well. He looked at the article in monochrome color with a serious expression on his face.

"Here are the results of the research project called The Ultimate Lifeform. And that includes the true identity of the one responsible for creating the Ultimate Lifeform, but if this picture of the REAL ultimate lifeform named Shadow. Then exactly WHO or WHAT is standing in front of me?" asked Rogue, raising an eyebrow. She watched Shadow's expression closely. Shadow glared at her and he wanted to snap at her. However, his walkie-talkie came on.

"Shadow, good news!" It was Eggman's voice. "I have found all seven Chaos Emeralds! Furthermore, someone is heading to the Eclipse Cannon. There's no time to waste before the cannon fires again. Can you go over there and stop him?" he asked.

"If you want to live, leave the Choas Emeralds where they are. The fake emerald is good enough for you," Shadow walked away from her.

"Do you actually think you're the real Shadow?" asked Rogue, hands on her hip.

Shadow stopped his track and did not look at her, "No doubt." he replied.

"Even your memories might not be real, you know?" she continued, still smiling.

"Who knows? Even if my memories are not real, it's still me, Shadow," he turned his head to Rogue and clenched his fist in determination. "And I will fulfill my promise to Maria, that's all that matters to me now."

Shadow walked out to the Control Room and left Rogue silently staring after him. She sighed in frustration.

‘I wonder what kind of man he will become…’ she thought.

Meanwhile Outside the Colony

Sonic walked through the hallway, searching for the Control Room. After walking through several corridors, he noticed someone standing in the corridor, it was a black hedgehog just standing there. Sonic gasped and hid against the wall.

'It's him. It's Shadow.' thought Sonic. He recognized him immediately. His heart was pounding against his chest, his face turned red, and his breathing became shallow. He put his hand on his chest and tried to control himself.

'No… You need to stay focus, Sonic. You cannot falter now. You need to protect the city. You have no choice!' Sonic told himself. He then took a deep breath and calmed down. 'Just act natural…' he thought.

After he calmed down, he came out and met Shadow with a poker face. Shadow turned and saw Sonic there beside there.

"You never cease to surprise me, blue hedgehog. I thought that the capsule you were in exploded in space," said Shadow.

The two hedgehogs walked through the corridor. Sonic closed his eyes and smiled.

"You know what I can say, I die hard!" he exclaimed. He took out a Chaos Emerald. "You actually saved me, y'know?"

"It was Chaos Emerald, wasn't it? There's no way you could activate Choas Control using the emerald that's fake," said Shadow unamused. Sonic smirked at him and Shadow looked at Sonic. "So, there's more to you looking like me. Just what are you anyway?" he asked.

Sonic started to run and Shadow started to skate. They were both at full speed.

"Heh, what you see is what you get. I'm just a guy who loves adventure. I'm Sonic the Hedgehog!" said Sonic, pridefully.

"I see. But I can't let you live. Your adventuring days are coming to an end," said Shadow.

"I got one question," said Sonic, Shadow looked at him curiously. Sonic's face turned into a serious expression. "Why did you kiss me? You came to me wanting to punch me or something. Instead, you kissed me. So why didn't you kill me?" asked Sonic.

Shadow scoffed, "Nothing personal. It was for my safety. As much as it would've been fun to kill you, there's no point in doing it. I have no interest in killing you. My goal is to bring about an end to the world. I won't allow people like you to interfere with it. Not even in death."

"Huh… So that's how it is," replied Sonic.

As the battle began, a mysterious energy began to manifest around the combatants. They began to sprint with a red and blue aura around them, running from the colony ark and racing towards the Eclipse Cannon. As they ran, the aura began to intensify and ripple, almost as if they were using some sort of superhuman speed. With every stride, the aura grew stronger, and soon enough, the two combatants started to fight each other.

In an epic showdown, Shadow and Sonic clashed in a battle of epic proportions. Shadow was first to attack, unleashing a flurry of yellow spears with powerful CHOAS SPEARS!! yell. Sonic, however, was too fast and agile and managed to dodge the attack. Not one to back down, Sonic retaliated with a charge and a punch to the face.

Shadow growled angrily and then curled into a ball before launching a homing attack and hitting Sonic in the chest, was thrown to the ground.

"Hah! That's the end of the game, you piece of crap!" yelled Shadow.

"Not quite!" shouted Sonic and he threw himself on top of Shadow. Shadow tried to push Sonic off, but it was useless. "Shadow!" shouted Sonic and Shadow groaned in pain.

"This is getting tiresome!" yelled Shadow.

"Shadow, for what you did was wrong, they didn't do anything to you!" Sonic yelled.

Shadow punched Sonic in the face to get off of him, and he fell to the ground.

"You never understand! They killed Maria in front of me!" argued Shadow.

"M… Maria…?" stuttered Sonic quietly.

"Yes, Maria. Her name is Maria. You knew that." Shadow answered coldly.

Sonic frowned sadly. "Oh…"

Shadow was silent as he stared at the ground, lost in his thoughts.

"Shadow…?" whispered Sonic, trying to catch his attention.

But Shadow wouldn't answer back, so Sonic decided to try another approach. He placed his hand on the side of Shadow's shoulder, surprising him and making him look into Sonic's green eyes, which held a glimmer of sadness.

"I'm sorry, you really loved Maria. I had no idea… What happened to her?" asked Sonic quietly.

Shadow looked away from Sonic. "Why do you care? It's none of your business," he replied angrily.

Sonic was taken aback by Shadow's reaction. "I don't want anyone else to suffer. I know that you love her, and I can help you if you'll just-"

"I don't need your help," spat Shadow, pulling himself away from Sonic. "You're just going to distract me from my mission."

Shadow ran away from Sonic and left him behind. Sonic then pursued Shadow and caught up with him. In order to teleport, he used the Chaos Emerald.

"Chaos Control!" he teleported in front of Shadow and knocked him out cold. Shadow lay unconscious on the floor, unmoving.

'Sorry, Shadow. But I can't let you destroy everything…', thought Sonic.

Sonic hurried to the Control Room in order to avoid firing the cannon before it was too late.

Meanwhile at the Control Room

Eggman walked to the control panel and placed the last Emerald into the stone panel. The Chaos Emeralds began to glow bright brightly and the Eclipse Cannon was preparing to fire the Earth.

"Yes! It's finally happening!! Now I can make the world of Empire of Eggman!" Eggman laughed evilly. He was to succeed; nothing could stop him now. He pressed a button and the control panel beeped as the cannon fired. In a split second, an explosion occurred at the tip of the satellite causing a massive shockwave throughout the entire cannon to accientally explode.

What?! shocked Eggman, his mind reeling with disbelief and confusion as he desperately tried to make sense of the bewildering circumstances. The Eclipse Cannon was completely damaged.

Meanwhile in the Main Control Room

Tails and Amy were sitting on the floor and leaning against the wall, feeling sad that Sonic was gone. And Eggman had escaped from them and he succeeded in destroying the Earth.

Tails' walkie-talkie beeped, he was surprised by the sound, and he answered his walkie-talkie.

"Awesome job, Tails," it was Sonic's voice.

Tails smiled in exclaimed and relief. "Sonic! Thank goodness you're alright!"

Amy held her head up that Sonic was still alive and well. She felt a sense of joy when hearing his voice. She was relieved that her love was alive.

"Look outside," said Sonic.

Tails and Amy took a look outside the window. There was an azure hedgehog hanging on the pole. He scratched his nose. And he flashed a smile and gave Tails a thumb up.

[timetraveller29]

The Nearest Intersection

A Doctor Who fanfiction for #WhouffleWeek2020

Day 3 - Misunderstanding / Bad timing

Featuring the Tenth Doctor and Clara

“Travelling with you made me feel really special... Thank you for making me feel special.”

“Thank you for exactly the same.”

These words bounced around Clara’s mind as she studied the black device in her hands. She turned it over and over, examining it, remembering.

Her living room was empty and still. She sat on the right side of the sofa, leaning on a pillow. It had a wet spot right under her cheek.

She sighed deeply.

Her eyelids sparkled with teardrops, and she didn’t care enough to dry them yet. They kept fluttering upwards so she could see the blank space ahead of her, an empty cuboidal area. She had rearranged the furniture a week ago, just to feel a sense of control, but somehow had ended up with a wide space in that very same spot...

It was where the Doctor would park his TARDIS when he came around.

Why did she leave it empty? Out of hope?

Well, she had left the other side of the sofa empty too, hadn’t she? That hardly meant she had hope of Danny ever returning…

But one person had returned unexpectedly: Missy.

Well, not in person. She was dead, after all. However, she had left Clara something, a kind of gift. She hated to think that somewhere Missy had some cronies still carrying out her work, but the fact of the matter was, the package didn’t have any explosives, she had checked.

All it had was this vortex manipulator. And there was a message.

Set to meet the Doctor at the nearest intersection of space-time, it said. In case he tries to leave you behind. No need to thank me. – Missy x

It was suspicious to say the least. But Clara couldn’t help but see it as a sign.

Sure, Missy was a murderous evil witch of a person, but she was the one who had united her with the Doctor in the first place. Whatever her motivations were, she wouldn’t have met him without her help. And, after more than a month of not seeing the Doctor, she had to admit she had underestimated just how much it would hurt.

She stared at the vortex manipulator again, dark and otherworldly and dangerous.

But wasn’t travelling to worlds of the past and the future essentially just that? It's what she needed the most… A nice dark sky, an otherworldly foe, a dangerous mission… if only to put herself in reckless risk of death! She wouldn't mind!

She needed to stop thinking about this.

Putting the vortex manipulator in a drawer, out of sight, she began to wipe her eyes on her sleeves. She was being unreasonably weak. Where was the Clara that used to be so strong, confident, and put together? She coughed out a laugh. This was unhealthy. It was like she could almost hear the TARDIS materialise right now…

It became louder and louder, then shuddered to silence.

She looked up.

No. She had to be dreaming.

The door opened and a man walked out. Long, brown coat. Stuck-up hair. Rather young.

She stared. Maybe, if she didn't react, the vision would fade away.

"Oh!" The Doctor put a hand to his crest of hair, and looked around, tongue behind his teeth. "Sorry! I must have steered it wrong… Um, terribly sorry, but where am I?"

She still said nothing.

He squinted. "Do I know you? I could swear I've seen that face…" He pulled out his silver sonic and began bleeping it in short bursts, pointing it in her vague direction. "Doesn't seem to be..." He left the sentence unfinished and waved his hand in front of her face, grinning an adorable grin.

"Hello!" he said, light and cheery.

Clara closed her eyes. Nope. Not real.

She opened them.

"You're really here?" she said tentatively, trying hard to hold herself back.

"Yup! In the flesh! So you know me, then? From the future, I'm guessing?"

"I…" she bit her lip and nodded. "Yeah. I'm Clara Oswald."

"Clara Oswald! Lovely to meet you, Clara! Sorry to intrude and everything… the TARDIS detected an alien presence in this area but, well, that's pretty standard if you're one of my companions. I suspect your Doctor's already on the case."

She frowned. "Could that be an alien device you picked up or an actual alien?"

"Either of them could trip up the TARDIS, to be honest. I like to be surprised." He lighted his sonic again and scanned the room. "Whatever it is… it's probably a misunderstanding. I hate to get in the way, especially my own. I'll get out of your skin…" And he was just about to turn back when he spotted something. The wet cushion. The red nose.

He softened. His next words were so delicately-worded Clara's resolve melted. "Unless… you want some help? I'm the Doctor too, you know. And I can be your Doctor… if you want me to be."

She sniffed once, facing her lap. Then she looked at the Doctor, steady. Here was a Time Lord, at her service, boyish, enthusiastic, and helpful… her heart soared. Of course she wanted him there!

He must have recognised the sentiment because he crouched on the carpet at her feet and looked into her eyes.

"Clara," he breathed. "I know I can be… an idiot. I always have been. And if it's me that made you cry then I want to tell you that that's never my intention. I… I do that a lot, however. I know I've ruined lives and I've made people suffer." The self loathing was so evident Clara couldn't bear it. A final tear fell off her cheek. "But Clara, you should know that I care about you, wherever I am right now. I know myself. I try to protect my companions. I tell myself I'm good at it… but I'm not.

"And I'm only telling you this because you deserve to know: I regret it. Every one of my friends I've had to leave behind or who had to leave me behind, I regret it, I always do. And I hope you can forgive the Doctor, whatever he's done. Whatever I've done. Because you're so much better than I am, than the Doctor will ever be."

Clara's eyes wandered over his face, trying to see where he was coming from, where his pain was… she couldn't figure it out. He was a mystery to her.

"It's just that, for a Time Lord, you'd think he wouldn't have such bad timing," she remarked. "Always zipping in when I'm busy and zipping off when I need him. You're the only one who's got it right!"

"Well," he said, tilting his head. "At least that's some consolation. Score one for me, zero for him, then?" He smirked at her.

She laughed.

Oh, he was the Doctor!

Clara tilted her head as well, finding herself to be cheerful for the first time in ages. She exhaled, overcome with a fondness that she couldn't quite express, that called her to do something, make something… ooh!

"I wonder if you'd like a soufflé, Doctor?"

"A soufflé? Is that what I eat these days?"

She chuckled, remembering the fish fingers and custard he would one day have.

"Let's just say they've left such an impression on you, you sometimes call me the Soufflé Girl. So, if you're up for it, I could bake you one right away. Or you could keep wondering why that is...."

"Oh, a tantalising offer! Well, then, so long as you're not trying to poison me and take some kind preemptive revenge, Allons-y!"

"Does that happen often?" she teased, standing up to lead the way to the kitchen.

"Oh, you wouldn't believe," he said, his voice fading as he followed her out of the room, launching right into one of his stories. Clara's laughter could be heard, bouncing off the walls.

The TARDIS stood right in the same spot where it had always stood and yet never stood before.

And, in front of it, a certain drawer's outline glowed and dimmed, a bright blue.

It was a clever backup functionality, really, to send a warning beacon straight towards the TARDIS. It had pinpointed the time machine through the time vortex, and found it right there…

… At the nearest intersection.

[boomstyle]

Sonic Boom: Friend or Foe

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters and settings of Sonic boom. Oh, watch out for OCs!

Robot Apocalypse (Part 2)

"Woah! Woah! Relax!", I exclaimed in surprise. Okay, I know that this is going to happen but I don't expect it as soon as this.

I mean, we just entered the town and the alarm just shouts out like that. As long as I remember, the last we came to Roboken, the alarm was automatically shouted when we press a platform or anything. Must be an invisible laser but either way, these robots stepped up the game a little bit.

"These guys have been infected as well but is it possible that Lyric manipulate these robots as well. How could Lyric get into Roboken?", Tails notified me after scanning the robots.

Yep, this was indeed strange. There's no way Snake breathe would do that. He's just not capable enough. First of all, as advance as the Ancient's technology may be, Roboken still rocks the menu. These robots are out of Lyric's capability even if he's a techno bust. Secondly, Roboken is an extraterrestrial terrain untouched by any visitors. I mean I only saw Bolts and Mighton on Earth twice or triple time and that's it.

Before I got drowned in assumptions, sudden laser attacks woke my mind to reality. Okay, just think of that later! We've got robots assault right in front of us.

"We'll talk about that later! Let's run!", I instructed hurriedly when Tails attempted to talk.

"They're not fighting back! They must be afraid of our superior power and intellect.", Robot assumed we're weak but no. You asked why we should run? I mean we could have fought them but they're Roboken civilians. We can't just fight them.

Both of us run away further as armies of robots pursue and blast us with laser weapons. Eventually, we came to a dead-end though until...

"Over here!", a voice coming out of a chute directed us. That sound is familiar. It must be Bolts or Mighton.

As we run toward the direction, someone drags us down to the chute with a long arm. It must be Bolts. I know it's him. The robot closes the chute as soon as we got in.

"Mighton! Bolts!", we called.

"Glad to see you. How've you guys doin'?", I asked.

"No time for social ice cream, Blue boy! We've got a pressing situation to deal with. Lyric the Last Ancient has taken over Roboken. Projecting viral signal for miles in every direction.", Mighton replied in a serious tone.

"So that's why the robots on the ground are infected.", Tails concluded.

"Wait, that snake breath? How do you know him?", I asked.

"Long story short. The Ancients civilization used to be our allies for centuries. Sadly, we're forced to broke our alliance after Lyric abused our technology to destroy organic life all across the world. Since then, we never land on earth ever again.", Bolt said in gloom reminiscing the old times.

"Oh... Never see that coming.", I replied.

"We're safe here until we get out of the bunker.", Bolts assured.

"Well, if that's the case. Sonic and Tails reporting for duty!", Tails and I march up in stationary drill.

"Hold on with your potty language, privates! According to our intel, the leader of the enemy forces is located at the central power core", Mighton guides us to where Lyric was. Get It? Lyric is technically the one who leads the armed force.

"I'm transferring a map wirelessly right now.", Bolts said while transferring out the map of Roboken. Yikes, to be honest, the map doesn't help that much cause the buildings to look alike to each other.

"Give 'em heck, boys!", Mighton instructed the robot to salute us, and yeah they did.

On our way to the central power core, we reached a dead-end like last time. Geez, why can't they build them in different models? Seriously!!! And worse, we're approached and surrounded by armies of robots. Actually, it's not that bad if they escort us to Lyric the Ancient.

"Intruders! Get them! And take them directly to our leader's stronghold!", A robot instructed the armies.

"Okay... We'll come", Tails said hesitantly then I agree and give him a high five. Woohoo... Now, we got to take down Lyric and save the world from malware robot destruction.

Roboken Central Power Core

"Sir, the two surface dwellers loitered in section 5B.", the robot reported our location.

"Actually, we're trespassing, not loitering.", Tails said. Do you understand the term "negotiation", Pal? He got a real knack for negotiation.

"Tails, you really need to learn the art of negotiation.", I criticized him for being too childish at times. I mean, I know you're an innocent type of guy but you need to learn how to filter truths at times.

*Remember Lyric the Ancient from Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric and Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal*

"You and I have an unfinished business, Blue.", Lyric smirked in delight.

"I have no idea what you're talking about but you're going down. (spin dashes) So much for the end of world scheme, Snake breath.", I speak with confidence before he dodges my pin attack again.  

"It's been a year yet you're still predictable. How pathetic!", Lyric boasts himself after dodging my spin attack.

*Similar to this but a little bit different*

I was surprised that Lyric is indeed a tough foe. Guess what he did after dodging my spin attack with his robotic hand? He tied us in Enerbeam rope again with his new technopathy. Crut! He had a new one apparently. I remember throwing it last time. It's really amazing. I want to throw the technopathy again but that's not going to happen. Not while we're trapped inside an enerbeam though.

"Now! Stand up, my warriors! We have the world to destroy.", Lyric proclaimed while holding us captive as he stepped outside the room. As he went outside the room, the room was automatically spayed with a gas. Wow! This is new. I never knew Lyric would plan this.

"Let's see what a thousand years in a poisonous gas prison will do to you!"

"Ok, this is a little bit different but it's similar to last time.", Tails tinker with the robe until he finally dismantling it.

"Almost there and done", Tails assured me. Yeah! The Enerbeam got dispatched and now I am free.

"Woohoo! We are free but we've got to get out soon.", I reminded Tails while we covered my nose to reduce gas inhalation. We tried to escape after we're released but we're blocked by the force field.

"Ugh! The force field blocks the wall.", Tails stated.

"Now, what?", I asked.

Suddenly, I hear a conversation from robots. Their voices are familiar. Wait, they're the duplicates of us.

*Sonic refers to Team Cybonic. (look similar to Team Sonic, heh!)*

"Well. This ends up pretty terribly.", Cyborg Sonic said in a shiver. Yep, it's indeed Cyborg's version of me.

"Uh, what just happen?", Cyborg Amy didn't comprehend why Lyric suddenly captured them. What the heck? Did he make a rash decision?

"Well, let's see. We just allowed a random snake into the entrance and welcomed him as a visitor. Then, you convinced us and the older robots that he came for an apology when Migthon and Bolts clearly warned you about Lyric. Then in a blink of an eye, Lyric take control of the place and infect...", Cyborg Tails explained the situation. What? Since when Lyric pretend to be kind? I thought Lyric would just directly took over the place and done. He seemed to be straightforward and cunning at the same time. Of course, he's not so blatant to inform his diabolical scheme as Eggman did but this is just not what Lyric would do.

"Yeah, you forgot the part that this is Cyborg Sonic's fault.", Cyborg Knuckles cut Tails' explanation.

"Ugh... I was just welcoming the visitor. I mean, he seemed really friendly.", Cyborg Sonic talked back. Wait, he's just being impulsive and rather overconfident. Now, he runs headlong into trouble. Snake breath clearly has an ulterior motive. Even Mighton warned you so why are you being so stubborn? Wait, he's just like me.

"Speaking of which, I found the key code. Got it! I've just dissipated the enerbeam rope.", Cyborg Tails tinkered the enerbeam just like my buddy did. Ooo...Cyborg Tails is just as smart as my Tails.

"We're free. (punch fist and attempt to get out of the cage) Aaa... Ag... Agh... My cupcakes are miffing grandma. (collapse) ", Cyborg Knuckles delighted as they break free from Enerbeam rope but they're still stuck there. Well, he's just as simpleton as my Knuckles was. We gotta help them.

"Cyborgs, are you guys okay? This is Sonic.", I screamed as I take initiative in lending help.

"Sonic! You gotta bail us out.",  Cyborg Sonic called us for a rescue operation.

"Where are you, guys?", I asked their whereabouts.

"Right in front of you to the left.", Cyborg Amy answered. Wow, I can't believe it. It's not as far as I thought it would be. We're just too busy to handle Lyric and robot chase that we don't notice they're actually closeby.

"Sonic, I'll bail them out.", Tails said without hesitation.

"I am on you pal.", I supported him.

Well hello, guys. This is my second part of the robot apocalypse. Remember the episode Robots From The Sky part 3. Yeah, it's similar to that but the situation is a little bit different. What if Lyric the Ancient return and take control of the cityscape instead of Hypnobot? What if Lyric the Ancient got stronger because now he had an allied group and someone closeby who infiltrate the heroes group. What do you guys think will happen in the next round?

[mobius-prime]

96. Sonic the Hedgehog #58

Friendly Rogues & Foul Villains

Writer: Ken Penders and Clayton Emery Pencils: Art Mawhinney Colors: Ken Penders

The crediting for this issue is all wonky. For some reason, the credits for the second story appear on the first page of the first story, while the actual credit for the first story appear right at the end. You can tell easily, because the first set of credits lists Manny Galan with the second being Art Mawhinney, but the art style of the first story is very clearly that of Art. I've just fixed it and credited them appropriately for convenience here. Also, strangely enough, the writing for this issue seems very rushed and almost unfinished. The writing is choppy, lines cut themselves off abruptly, and sentences don't make as much sense as they should. I can only assume this is because Kenders was busy writing for the KtE issues and didn't have as much time to spare making this one polished, but even then, you'd think the editors would catch it. Ah well.

So as you'll recall, we ended on Sonic and Tails meeting Yanar as he's thrown into the dungeon they're trapped in. After a brief period of surprise at seeing an echidna that isn't "Rad Red," a couple Robians, acting evil as though they were still under Robotnik's control, come in and detach Tails from the wall, dragging him away despite Sonic's protestations.

Meanwhile, despite having a bead on Knuckles with his arrow from the beginning, the Sonic clone in the forest instead jumps down to yell at him to "Stand and deliver, varlet!" and name himself as Rob o' the Hedge, basically revealing himself to be the hedgehog version of Robin Hood, complete with cheesy medieval-style dialogue. Knuckles immediately responds by flipping him into the water.

I like how everyone's responses in this arc so far to being knocked onto the ground is to immediately look up at the attacker and be like "You know what, I respect you. Let's team up."

Back in the dungeon, Sonic explains to Yanar how he and Tails ended up here. They tried to fly too soon after the Day of Fury rainstorm, resulting in their plane crashing and them being taken captive by a group of hostile robots mistaking him for Rob o' the Hedge. Gee, I wonder how that happened? Shortly thereafter, the robots come back in, this time to take Sonic away for questioning, but Yanar notices the shiny golden key they're holding to Sonic's shackles, and tackles one of the guards, grabbing the key in the chaos without them noticing.

As he's dragged out the door, he flings the keys back to Sonic, who easily catches them on the toe of his shoe and begins unlocking his shackles. Freedom!

In the forest, Rob takes Knuckles to a treehouse hideaway while explaining to him how his "merry band" were all captured and roboticized in the past, leaving only him to carry on the fight - and what's more, during the maybe one whole hour Knuckles and Mari-An were away, these robots already managed to enslave the entire tribe Knuckles was supposed to be leading to safety. Good job, buddy!

With that, the two form a partnership to get their combined friends back. Back in the dungeon, Sonic waits patiently until the guards come back to open the door, then bashes them up a bit before racing down the corridors to find Tails. And oh no, it's a horrific sight! Tails is strapped to the rack, and is being tortured for information by t- …uh… t-tickling his…

Ken Penders, I swear to god, you can't even deny that this happened, okay? I know you drew that one Lien-Da picture for a fan with her feet all out and being tickled by Eggman. Far be it from me to judge someone for drawing art for a fan, or for having a fetish that they want to draw art for, but for goodness sake Kenders, you can't pretend like it was all business when you specifically write this kind of stuff into your plotlines. I was so shook by Tails' feet being tickled all up in our faces like that that I almost missed the reveal in the last panel above that the interrogator is none other than General D'Coolette, Antoine's own father roboticized ten years ago in the war against Robotnik!

Sonic rushes down and quickly frees Tails, then tries to reason with the general, mentioning his son, but the roboticized general states he has no memory of the names Sonic gives him and begins to attack. Sonic dodges and refuses to fight, stating that he can't hurt him as "he's sick," which really just adds to the insight into Robotnik's frankly genius strategy behind the roboticization. Not only did it give him a growing supply of free, mindless labor, but it ensured that those lucky enough to escape would be reluctant to fight against their former family and friends, rendering them easier in turn to capture. I suppose the early comics were too goofy to go into ideas like the use of psychological warfare, but despite how serious that phrase sounds I can assure you the later comics were not at all afraid to get deadly serious at times, something which I genuinely appreciated. Anyway, enough of my rambles here - Tails merely unties a light fixture above General D'Coolette while he's distracted with Sonic, causing it to crash down onto his head and allowing the two to escape.

Back in the forest once again, Knuckles and Rob are walking along when they encounter a suspicious robed figure coming towards them. Rob steps forward to challenge the figure, who immediately takes offense to his words and whacks him right back into the water, impressing him once again. The figure is, as you might have expected… Mari-An!

Geddit? Rob and Mari-An? Like Robin Hood and Maid Marian? Hoho, so clever! They head toward the fortress where everyone is imprisoned, as Sonic and Tails run circles around that same fortress looking for a way out. Naturally, as Rob shows Knuckles and Mari-An a secret tunnel to the inside, the two groups bump into each other, allowing them to join forces.

However, as they reach the fortress' main courtyard, they encounter a horrible sight - Yanar on the hangman's platform ready to be strung up, with the echidna tribe being forced to stand and watch as the roboticized general makes an example of their leader! What a nail-biting cliffhanger! I'm sure there's no way they'll come up with a rescue in time starting next issue!

The Living Crown

Writer: Ken Penders Pencils: Manny Galan Colors: Ken Penders

Now that the king is back to full health, Dr. Quack decides to give him a very thorough checkup, something which the king is a bit grumpy about. Hilariously, Dr. Quack's first name is revealed to be Horatio, which is about the funniest name you could possibly give a cartoon doctor duck. I'm just waiting for Yorick to show up at some point now. For some reason, the king decides to explain why their country is ruled by a monarchy, which, okay, despite this line of conversation kind of popping up out of nowhere, I'm interested. I mean, I've complained enough about this world's system of monarchy and how it's only hurt more than helped, so it'll be nice to find out the why, right?

Well, as it turns out, when little Maximillian (because that is revealed to be the king's name, though it's still not anywhere near as hilarious as freaking Horatio) was ten years old, his father took him to a secret chamber underneath their castle, where he was amazed to see a pool in the center of the room that looked like it was filled with liquid gold and silver.

…this sounds disturbingly like a cult. Like, terrifyingly so. The king explains how the Source of All is basically the Force from Star Wars, and once one bonds with it they can see into the future to limited degrees and be guided by it like some kind of spiritual divination force. The king's sword and crown are linked together, and when he sent Rosie away with his sword during Robotnik's coup the crown "merged with" him, which I can only imagine as some hilarious scene where the crown just melts and goes into his head pores or something. Without the sword and crown's power to protect him, the king was captured and exiled into the Zone of Silence, but now that he has the sword back, his crown has returned as well, sitting atop his head this very moment. He begins to get a little unnervingly excited - it's not played off as such, but to an outside reader like me, yeah, it feels very cult-like, as he essentially declares that he wishes to put Sally through the same ritual even if she doesn't like it, something we're promised to see the next Sonic the Hedgehog issue. Oh, boy…

[sonichedgeblog]

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A quick playthrough of ‘Sonic: First One Standing’ and ‘Knuckles: Unfinished Business’, extremely early tech demos of Simon ‘@hcstealth’ Thomley’s work, created in 1998 - nearly 20 years ago.  It was made for DOS using his own engine.

Simon is now one of the major developers behind the ‘Sonic 1 & 2′ iOS ports, and now ‘Sonic Mania’.

[nervouswreck-96]

Supernova (Sonic fanfic): Chapter 5: What's He Building In There?

Well…shoot. I can't really say anything here, other than I'm sorry. This is where you'd usually find me giving an excuse for slacking off (busy schedule, hectic family life, kidnapped by Bowser, etc.), but I honestly don't have one. There is no explanation for the delay other than a combination of writer's block, a horrific lack of inspiration, and flat-out laziness on my part.

In fact, the chapter you're reading here is somewhat unfinished, making up about 75-80% of the chapter I wanted to write. I'm only posting it for the sake of posting something, and just to see if anyone is still interested.

Don't be surprised if it takes another year for the next chapter to come out, although reviews may shorten the wait ever so slightly.

...too late.

He exhaled, forgetting his place for a moment, and slumped in defeat. Disconnected chunks of black plastic sliced through the lining of his gloves, cutting into his hands. This was all that was left of Tails' communicator. The damned thing had burst open from the casing, revealing a veritable Escher painting of disconnected wiring and snapped capacitors. Through the wreckage of what used to be a working radio, Sonic swore he could hear voices reaching out to him…the same ones he knew might be calling his name this very second, seeking a connection which had been rudely cut.

For a moment, time froze in the fierce stare between Sonic and his metallic duplicate, which isolated the two from the carnage formed in their struggle. A curtain of smoke enveloped the two combatants, as hardly a square inch of the once-pristine area remained untouched by Metal Sonic's explosive arsenal. But at last, there was a moment to breathe, free of the steady stream of fire, shrapnel, and near-death. The orchestra of battle went into intermission, its echoes still ringing in Sonic's eardrum. Still, it was nice to be able to hear his own thoughts for a change. Then again, that didn't mean very much when those thoughts mostly consisted of the words "too late" playing on a continuous loop.

Which quickly shifted to "get him".

Still very much compromised by the high-speed collision with solid ground, Sonic's mind continued to send mixed signals, playing a sick game with his sense of direction. He was twisting, spiraling, traveling at a million miles a minute, yet at the same time, going nowhere, for he knew his hands and feet were tethered to the floor. Even the slightest impulse to his eyes sliced and stabbed at his cranium, which with each passing second felt more and more like an overripe cantaloupe which had some things done to it by a sledgehammer, but by now he'd kept them closed for so long he didn't realize the multi-colored morass of noise in front of him was only an illusion. Regardless – once he worked out which way was up - he contracted his left leg and used it along with his right arm to push himself off the ground.

No sooner had he raised his body off the canvas than it slammed back down again, weighed down by a heavy, steel boot.

Urghhh…feels like someone dropped an anvil on me!

Second by second, keeping his body above the floor became more of a struggle. The weight on his back only seemed to grow heavier the more he fought against it. One forearm could only quiver at the sheer effort it took, so he moved his other down for extra support. But it did no good. The shaky foundation looked ready to crumble at any moment.

No…no, come on, you're better than that! Fight through it, Sonic! Fight through it!

But his puny arms could not take the strain, and his tenuous grip gave way. As he collapsed chest-first to the floor, repressed physical torment was unleashed in a firestorm that exploded from his aching calf muscle and raced up his backside, forcing a bone-chilling wail out of his mouth before he even realized the noise had come from him. That did it. No longer could he bottle everything up. He had been sent over the threshold where the deepest of primal urges finally surpassed overcame his will to fight them off.

There was something weighing him down. Metal Sonic stood over the pathetic sight…staring at him…judging him...his titanium foot firmly nailing the hedgehog to the floor.

"So…this is what the self-proclaimed hero of the universe, slayer of gods, savior of time and space, has been reduced to? Hmmph," he said, afterwards doing his best to synthesize the sound of a disapproving sigh. "I must say, I can't help but feel disappointed."

"Urgh...I've gotten out of bigger jams than this!" The words choked, sputtered out of his mouth as he fought and clawed to escape Metal's hold. He had to keep to short, stilted sentences, a sensible balance for getting his burning thoughts out.

Suddenly, a breakthrough. Sonic's glove managed to catch on a random spot on the floor, and saw his chance to propel to it and break free. He gradually swung his one free arm out, too gradually, and that's as far as he got. Metal Sonic swooped on the maneuver and crushed it with the other foot. With the hedgehog back under control, Metal leaned over to face Sonic's ear, in the process driving just a few more pounds worth of pressure into his back.

"You are nothing more than a horsefly who thinks himself capable of slaying a lion," said Metal. "As I see it, you have two choices; surrender to the Eggman Empire or face the inevitable."

Sonic's teeth clenched, as he channeled his own physical torment into seething rage, glaring with such fury that he could almost feel his eyes changing to match Metal Sonic's blazing red. 'Surrender'. 'Inevitable'. Those words tended to have that effect on him...now, of all times.

A subconscious impulse glued him to the floor, sending him on a mental journey to the other side of the ESS-1, and a picture emerged in front of him where there was none before, a picture of Tails and Knuckles' battered and broken forms lying before him, bearing the scars and bruises forced upon him by some unknown attacker.

But that's all it was. A picture. An apparition. They may have been on a distant planet for all he knew. The radio transmission was the only link the three had left to share, and it was gone.

Guys…I don't know if I'm gonna make it out of this one…

He scooped the cluster of metal and wiring from the floor and balled it tight into a trembling fist. As if to block out the voices, he thrust that same trembling fist into the floor, creating a shockwave that tremendous enough to resonate across the ESS-1 and command Metal Sonic's attention.

…but so help me, we're gonna finish this thing no matter what!

The next words passed from brain to mouth like a whisper, but with the ferocity and impact of a knife in the dark:

"You really don't know me at all, do ya?"

If he had a fighting chance, he had to make something happen now. Just as Metal Sonic put his entire stock of energy into this finishing blow, Sonic shoved himself in a roll toward his left, holding in a scream as Metal - in a last-ditch effort to hold him back - dug his claw-like toes into Sonic's chest, tearing into exposed flesh.

The gamble paid off. He'd forced the mecha-deity into an undignified pratfall.

With momentum on his side, Sonic rolled into a somersault and bounded back onto his feet. Every step he took widened the ever-growing cracks in the foundation that was his body, but he either didn't know or simply didn't care. The weight was now off his back, and it almost felt like he could leap into the air, swing his arms out, and fly. Sweet, sweet mobility, how he missed it so.

A plasma shot flew across his radar, forcing him into a slide that saved his face from extinction...yet plunged his lower body back into a maelstrom of grinding pain. If that was the price he had to pay for mobility, then so be it.

The world flew by in a blur, or at least this cold, gray prison of a world - man, Eggman really needed to vary the color pallette a bit here - and out of the corner of his eye he managed to catch the doppelganger in his moment of weakness. In the nick of time, he transitioned into a twirling handstand, his legs unfolding and spinning like the blades of a ceiling fan, aiming straight for Metal's head.

"Hey...what the-!"

He struck Metal's left hand instead, which did not flinch, but grabbed hold of Sonic's ankle. A flick of the robot's wrist, and Sonic was cast across the room like dirty laundry.

Hmph...not playing games anymore, Metal? Well, neither am I!

With one flick of his leg, Sonic went from tumbling uncontrollably to tumbling with perfect control, recovering with a short, impromptu breakdance routine and finishing with a devastating kick to Metal Sonic's head.

Too devastating. It actually seemed to connect.

At first, Sonic wondered if he'd missed Metal altogether and actually hit a nearby pipe. But after he got to his feet and noticed the fresh, new shoe scuff he'd added to Metal Sonic's shiny gold paint scheme, it all seemed to come together. The aura surrounding Metal Sonic had dimmed, fading out whenever he did anything more energy-intensive.

Just then, the room was set alight in a red glow so intense it forced Sonic to shield his eyes to look up.

When Sonic finally gathered the strength to gaze into the blinding gleam, he noticed Metal just…standing there, bent over, letting the energy channel into his body. A pair of miniature turbines spun in opposite directions, generating light from pure nothingness and storing it as pure energy, until the mechanism burst into life, ready to unleash it all on the hedgehog. When he noticed that the source was the engine contained in Metal Sonic's chest cavity, he engaged his defenses, expecting another pounding.

But something was off.

He stood perfectly still, both feet planted...never leaving the ground, not floating. That couldn't be right, unless...unless he simply couldn't.

Yes! I knew if I ran him ragged, he'd lose his strength!

"What's the matter, pal?" asked Sonic. "Gettin' tired?"

As if jolted with a cattle prod, Metal jerked his head toward Sonic, who realized that was probably the only answer he would receive. The glow intensified, and along with it came a high-pitched hum.

A very familiar hum.

One engine sputtered, throwing Metal Sonic off balance for just a moment. An auto-gyroscopic correction system boosted power to the other to compensate, and order was restored…until the other engine blew fumes. The problem spread across his body, as his internal processes couldn't figure out whether to stay on or not. Finally, all four rockets expired completely, forcing Metal Sonic to drop.

That laser. Sonic could recognize that whining hum anywhere.

I guess he's tryin' to go out with a bang!

A single sentence played on a continuous loop in Tails' mind – This wasn't supposed to happen.

The halogen spotlights practically seared into his fur. This was a play he'd never rehearsed for, and yet he'd practically been thrust onto the stage to perform to a packed house. And everyone in the packed house was itching to mow him down if he slipped up. They'd left him nothing. An entire battalion of Egg Gunners closed in on all sides – some forming an orderly division on the ground, others lining the catwalks above, a few even scaling the walls to get a good shot at the hapless fox.

The companionship of his radio earpiece was cold and dispassionate, providing no comfort or answers, only non-stop static. Static bombarded his left eardrum for so long that the sensations of dizziness he felt when taking a step were the only reminder he was wearing the stupid thing at all.

It all seemed so simple before. A race against time, and nothing more. Just find the nerve center of the ship, get inside, and raise hell. No questions, just do it. He knew he might run into some resistance along the way, but he hadn't counted on the possibility of this much resistance. There was no telling how much time he'd have to make up…how much time he'd already lost…how much time Sonic had to spare…

His head tilted toward the sky…more specifically, toward the impossibly-high ceiling that covered it. It was the only place that looked to be bot-free…at least he assumed it was. After all, the logic was airtight. Even if a Gunner was somehow stationed up there, how could it see him from so far away, much less keep a steady enough aim to shoot him down?

It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing. With one massive burst of energy to his tails, he took off, with the resulting wake force knocking a few Egg Gunners to the ground.

He curled his body into a corkscrew loop, rolling himself over to get a better look at his position. A veritable city of lights took shape behind him, hundreds of little specks of light forming one by one, like fireflies dancing in the autumn breeze. Well, except for that one little speck of light rising toward him. Rather quickly, in fact. Uncomfortably so. Enough for him to see the bolts of electricity jutting from it.

Crud. Make that a dozen big specks of light.

Suddenly, Tails knew how his mono-tailed, ground-bound brethren felt during the hunting season. He was all alone, and that made him the perfect target. There was, quite literally nowhere to go but up.

His lungs were fit to blow at any moment, each twist of his tails seeming like it could be the last his system could take, but damn it, he'd just have to outdo his usual best today. If these baddies were packing anything like what Metal Sonic had, he couldn't be a millisecond off. He sliced through the air like a knife through butter, pushing straight upward against gravity with every ounce of energy he had, because if his calculations were accurate—

A balcony railing passed by his field of vision.

Now!

In one massive effort, he flung his tails into reverse and brought them to a gradual stop, curtailing his ascent. With nothing propelling him, he curled into a sudden dive, and not a second too soon. His face scrunched into itself – he couldn't dare look. He could only pray he made the right call. The world around him flashed once…twice.

Then a thunderous smack. Then another, heralding an ear-splitting chorus of metallic clanging above. Tails' heart went up his throat. Was he hit? Was he hit? No…he wasn't.

The sight of the searing, magma-like red stain dripping from the ceiling, still sizzling from the heat of the combined laser blasts, was a stark reminder of what would have become of him had he not been so fortunate. It eventually dawned on him that this was all that remained of a steel beam that once suspended from above.

At the last moment, he revved up his tails again, seamlessly transferring the momentum from his dive into a near-vertical climb, toward the only open space . Great, he thought. You survived that. Now what?

As if in answer, from a shot rang out.

He couldn't see it, couldn't track it, until it was too late. He suddenly fell into a sharp, uncontrollable dive...and as the laser's searing kiss finally started to settle in his tail, he realized why. He'd taken a hit.

He managed to keep his convalescence to a brief yelp before the adrenaline of the moment kicked in. Powered by little more than panic, he reached into his draining reserves for one massive boost from his one remaining tail. Unfortunately, he'd generated more problems than lift. In his compromised state, all he managed to do was send himself careening upside-down, sideways, every direction other than the correct one. If anyone were to ask him how it felt to be trapped inside a juice mixer…yeah, this was probably it.

If this was the Tornado, the alarm would have been blaring already. PULL UP! PULL UP! But by then, it was too late. He'd fallen too far, too fast. He couldn't put in any more power, but maybe if—

Then the floor came out of nowhere and knocked the wind out of him.

Guess not.

Knuckles' face dripped with sweat, flushed by equal parts exertion and rage.

One door. One lousy, infernal steel door stood between him and the closest thing he'd ever have to a child. It sapped his strength, it took his breath, it took every pounding he could give it and practically mocked him.

He practically threw himself back onto his feet, throwing aside some flotsam from the pile of deceased Egg Pawns gathered around his feet. That situation went to hell in a handbasket real fast. At least he learned two things from the experience. 1: Entering the wrong password on the keypad will trigger a sneak attack by specially-placed Egg Pawns and gun emplacements. 2: The password is not "password".

Still, that was all he had in the idea bag until Tails got him through the door.

Where was he, anyway? He really should have called in by now.

Knuckles pulled out his earpiece just to check whether he hadn't accidentally deactivated it. Nope…the light was green. Still on.

He scoffed. "Typical. Of all the times to go radio silent…"

Deep down, he was thankful no one could hear him. He knew that they could've heard straight through the mask he tried to project. The irony was as unavoidable as it was painful. He found himself truly alone for the first time since he boarded the ship. In a way, he'd gotten what he'd wanted.

But at what cost?

Screw it. Being a guardian meant having to make difficult…even borderline illogical choices. It said in the old mantra that Chaos is power…power enriched by the heart. He could recite that mantra from memory, but now was the time to act on it. What the Master Emerald truly needed was an act of selflessness.

It felt wrong to turn away from the Master Emerald's glow when it was so close…separated from him by no more than a thick steel door and a line of encrypted code. But eventually, he wrenched himself away and headed down the corridor.

Hold on, guys, I'm coming!

Then it happened again.

Argh!

Knuckles stumbled, barely regaining himself. Everything went dark in a hurry, and the room spun out of control, becoming little more than a featureless vortex. The faint echoes of machinery and radio static faded out, giving way to the sound of the rustling wind – a vague, nothing sound which signaled that his mind knew to process something, but not exactly what. Both sides of his head throbbed in almost rhythmic fashion, seemingly ready to explode any second.

These pulses…they were worse than ever. The Master Emerald was in pain, and he could feel it. Not only feel it…see it. His eyes were drawn back toward the other side, where a blazing green light shone through the gloom, in tune with the pounding inside Knuckles' skull. Even from behind the thick steel door, the Master Emerald beckoned to its guardian. He tried to take a step, but when took his next one with his leading foot hanging over thin air, he nearly tripped.

This wasn't real. This was only in his head, he'd told himself. He'd been through this very situation time and time again. And yet, he had to ask. What the hell was real anymore?

Ugh…now he could hardly hear himself think.

Real or not…if the concept of pain could be distilled into a single sound, this was it. This…he didn't even know what to call it, this…throbbing in his head that wouldn't go away. It was there one moment, gone the next, then back again, and like clockwork the pattern repeated. Each step was a furious struggle, his better judgement knowing where to turn, but his senses pulling him in different directions. As he edged closer to the gleam, the flux between "searing pain" and "just fine" faded to nothing, and the pounding only intensified, latching onto him, chipping away at his senses like a mad gremlin crawling inside his cranium.

Nope. Not real. Only in his head. Keep moving.

The more he told himself that, the more he was convinced otherwise.

He pulled closer to the noise – if nothing else, to confirm his skepticism. But with each second, it came into focus, and he noted its location on his right. Some kind of impact…could those be gunshots? Punches landing on someone? No…more like metal clanking against metal. Best guess…someone's footsteps. Knuckles got as close as he reasonably could, and tracked the location of the sound. It didn't stay in one place, it was slithering like a snake…tunneling beneath his feet. It had to be on the next floor down.

There it was again. Tap. Tap. Tap.

…Tap.

Yep…those definitely were footsteps. Slow, consistent footsteps. Whoever this was, it didn't sound like they were in any hurry.

That makes one of us…

Sensing Eggman's presence, every light fixture in the room burst into life, bringing into focus the sheer scale of what he had created. The walls were covered in an intricate series of pipes and cables, every single one of them vital to the operation of the ship. They gave off a faint, green glow, normally too faint to have been visible to the naked eye were it not for the ever-present smog giving it something to bounce off. Soon, the majesty of the cosmos would come streaming through the panoramic viewscreen...though for now, he'd have to settle for a view of the sea and the occasional shipping vessel that passed by.

Strange. Somehow this space seemed almost too expansive to fit on a ship this size...and yet still too cramped. Perhaps the tubes were the culprit. They had arrived just last week, after all, and this was the only safe place on the ship where he could store row upon row of cryogenic-stasis tubes.

Speaking of which...

Dr. Eggman paused and turned toward the lines of tubes. There was one more thing he needed to check on.

"Hello? Sonny boy?" he said. "Daddy's home!"

He walked over the capsule marked with the Roman numeral 'I', the only one in operation. Yet more tubes jutted out the sides of each, meant to hyper-accelerate growth by supplying oxygen and water at high enough doses at the proper times. For all his studies and labors, this was his reward.

A shriveled mass of a lifeform grew inside, flaccid tentacles jutting out of the bulbous mass of a body trying desperately to form limbs, its color as pale as cigarette ashes. Eggman's head slumped to his chin, unimpressed with the results. It was just as he'd left it that morning...and the morning before that, and the night after that. He'd hoped he would see some positive growth after a hectic day apart from its master. But one look dashed those hopes.

He tapped on the tube vigorously, waiting for something, anything. Nothing changed...not even so much as a ripple in the standing water.

From a nearby table, he picked up a pen and clipboard and set about marking off all of the project targets that he hadn't come within a country mile of reaching. As he made his way through the list, marking off failure after failure, his nerves frayed.

Grandfather never had it this rough...

"Sir?" asked a muffled voice from afar. Dr. Eggman turned to find his trusty Egg Flapper occupying the space where he'd directed him to go, the glass tube at the very heart of the room. "Shall we begin the experiment?"

Oh! Of course! The...um..."experiment".

In one smooth motion, he tore the sheet off the clipboard, crumpled it, and threw it toward the closest trash can. Turning away, not even taking care to note that his impromptu sky-hook had undershot the basket by twenty feet, he entered the radiation-proof observation chamber. By the time he settled into his seat, he had already lapsed into another episode of "Dr. Eggman's Thinking Out Loud".

"Bah! No matter! After I'm through with the hedgehog and his friend, I'll have all the time in the world to perfect the procedure!"

"Sir, may I politely remind you that Project Beacon is still in an untested state?" asked Flapper.

"Hmm? Oh…yes," muttered Eggman, as he tapped on a touchscreen, cycling through a rather rudimentary menu. Sprawling bulleted lists of flora and fauna from all over the planet were, for the moment, rendered in little more than a white background and the default system font. He was planning to mold it into a sleek and shiny interface worthy of the Eggman name, but Sonic and his annoying friends just had to butt in and ruin his schedule.

If there was going to be a guinea pig for this test, Flapper was the ideal candidate. One of the few remaining holdovers from the Legacy Series, which all drew power from an "organic battery", it was effectively rendered obsolete for battle duty once Dr. Eggman had found a self-sustaining power source. In one stroke, this opened the possibilities for larger and more destructive Badniks...although Sonic and Tails' little jaunt through the middle decks of his ship should have indicated how successful he was on that front.

But Dr. Eggman kept many of the Legacy Series mechs around – or at least the few that hadn't been felled by the hedgehog's foot. Perhaps it was out of a perverse sense of loyalty. Maybe it was his sick version of 'survival of the fittest'. Either way, he bided his time, waiting for the right moment to use them in the field once again. That time had finally come.

"Ah!" He'd finally reached the right selection in the menu.

Theoretically, there was a checklist with scores of other safety procedures both before and after this part, but they'd all become unreadable by this point, obscured by months worth of coffee stains. Throwing caution to the wind, he flipped open a glass box and pressed the silver button encased inside.

The moment his finger pushed down, all electric light in the room dimmed, sprang back into life for a nanosecond, then went out altogether.

Flapper turned upward to watch the spectacle of light above it. Tiny, green bolts of lightning crackled from an orb at the center of the tube, intermittently at first, but becoming more and more frequent...even persistent. As more energy fired through the tube, the bolts connected with each other, forming a consistent pattern which settled in the miniature vaccuum-chamber at the top. The energy only intensified, and chaos collided with chaos to create more chaos. With nowhere else to go, it grew into an unstable vortex looking for an outlet.

This was an inconvenient time for Flapper to notice that the outlet was pointed directly at it.

"Sir?" Flapper asked. "Requesting information on the nature of this experimen-"

Eggman didn't even wait for his loyal servant to finish before pressing the button a second time. The time for questions had long since passed. Had Eggman given Flapper X-ray vision, perhaps it would have been able to see what Eggman saw on his touchscreen.

The target species he'd selected: FLICKY - Flapper's container animal.

Then again, there wasn't anything Flapper could have done about it.

One blast of Chaos Energy from the top of the tube phased through its skin, tearing through every atom of its being. One second passed. There was no movement, no signs of resistance. Two seconds.

The weapon depowered, and one by one, lights returned to the room to revealing Flapper unmoving at the bottom of the tube, reduced to little more than a non-functioning shell - a shell which the Chaos energy had left almost as pristine and new as the moment it left the factory.

But only a shell, with no power. And no power source.

The word, stuck to the tip of the doctor's tongue, fell out with a soft, almost awed whisper.

"Success."

"AAARGH!"

Knuckles fell to his knees. Never before, not during any of the crises he'd dealt with before, had Chaos cried out to him like this.

[airadam]

Episode 146 : Rise.

"Put on the wings of the morning and fly."

- Capleton

It somehow feels like an awful long time since the last episode - the new job has been keeping me extra-busy and the speed of world events just seems to keep accelerating. Sadly, one of those events was the passing of Biz Markie - another legend lost too soon. I've selected one of his most famous tracks to close the episode, but I hope you enjoy the fifty or so minutes before that as well.

Twitter : @airadam13

Twitch : @airadam13

Playlist/Notes

Above The Law : 100 Spokes

Air Adam trivia : I own four copies of this on 12"! I had a beat-juggle routine with one of the remixes, and in the old days, you couldn't just hit "instant doubles" on Serato - plus the records do wear out! The original is the better track for a straight listen though, with Cold 187um handling the production and the first verse, with the late great KMG bringing his trademark low-key style to the second. This is more easily available on the excellent "Time Will Reveal" album - which I actually have twice on vinyl, and once on CD...

The Rattler Proxy : Death Machine (Jokers of the Scene Remix)

I don't know if this will be everyone's cup of tea, but it's a track I've been playing heavily since I first heard it on one of Victoria Rawlins' Twitch sets. If you've got great headphones, or big speakers, you'll be amazed at how the low end comes in and envelops you after the long ambient intro. The Rattler Proxy were a Greek duo who broke up last year, but this remix of one of their 2014 releases feels like a lasting classic to me.

Semi Six ft. Tha Essence & 5'4 : Heaterz

Fellow Polo enthusiast and Detroit native Semi Six is back with a new EP "Assorted Fries", and brings a couple of spitters along for the ride on this single. Atlanta's Tuamie provides the crispy-clean instrumental, and the whole track is no hook, pure bars.

Elzhi : Light One, Write One

Last year saw the release of Elzhi's third solo LP "Seven Times Down Eight Times Up", which follows the old-school tradition of having the same production personnel from beginning to end - in this case, JR Swiftz out of Brooklyn. Always a skilled writer, El gets busy over the nice soulful jazz/vocal sample and classic boom-bap drums.

* as an aside - you only have to get up as many times as you fall down...

Capleton ft. Method Man : Wings Of The Morning

I remember having to look up the meaning of the title; it's shared with a 30s film, but originally from the Book of Psalms. This is a winner from the era when US artists began to collaborate with reggae and dancehall stars - with results of varying quality, it has to be said! It shows how well it really can be done, with Capleton's Rastafari lyrics and deejay style meshing with the characteristic grittiness of the sound of Wu-Tang's Method Man. The piano sample will be familiar to many, hooked up by Stuart Brown, and the drums are rugged enough to do justice to the vocalists. The 1995 "Prophecy" album was a strong release, and this was one of the best cuts from it.

Lone Apostrophe : Take Me

Manchester's own Lone Apostrophe is a true student of beatmaking, and his new "Webs" collection is a great pickup for anyone with an attachment to the golden age of the boom-bap. Those echoed/delayed horns take you back to mixtapes in 1993...a mood.

1982 ft. Skyzoo and Jared Evan : Summer In New York

If ever there was a track that announced the title before you hear it, it might well be this one! The combination of Statik Selektah and Termanology is also known as 1982, and their compact new release "The Summer EP" is headed up by this sunny track, which is definitely lifted by Jared Evan's hook .

Nas ft. Cordae and Freddie Gibbs : Life Is Like A Dice Game

"When I finish this shit, sure to be a hit..." I was extremely surprised to see this one pop up recently! Many years ago, there was an unreleased Nas track with the same title, ropey sound quality but as dope as you'd expect. It was recorded around the time of "Illmatic", and leaked on the underground but never made an official release. Apparently, Spotify recently asked Nas if he'd resurrect it and so the production was re-done (by Hit-Boy) and he brought in Freddie Gibbs and Cordae to join him for a memorable recording. This deserves to be the hit Nas predicted it would be over twenty-five years ago.

Sadat X ft. Jigmastas : Don't Get It Twisted (PUTS Remix)

One of those great independent 12" releases that illustrate why the streaming services aren't (at least yet) in a position to replace a collection built over years. This remix by People Under the Stairs was on the B-side of the "Plan X" single, and pairs up Sadat X with Kriminul of Jigmastas - as you'd expect, the original was produced by DJ Spinna.

Tanya Morgan ft. Kooley High : So Good

Sonically, seasonally appropriate once again - this 80s soul club-sounding cut has summer written all over it. Tanya Morgan (Donwill and Von Pea, if you didn't know) will be releasing their fifth LP "Don and Von" in August, from which this is the second single. The North Carolina crew Kooley High come along to deepen the MC roster for this one, which whets the appetite for the album perfectly.

Buckwild : Mad Ammo (Instrumental)

A vintage SP-1200 beat from the disk boxes of DITC's Buckwild, as originally heard when it was dug out and rhymed over by Celph Titled on the "Nineteen Ninety Now" LP. 

REMI ft. Konny Kon : Good Mates

I'm glad Michelle Grace Hunder put me up on the latest (and final) album by this crew out of Melbourne, not least since I happened upon a Konny Kon guest appearance I might otherwise have missed! "PTSD in the hood runs undiagnosed" - isn't that just the truth? Remi and Konny spit raw reality on their verses, with Sensible J on production. Definitely peep the "Fried" LP.

Pete Rock ft. Pharoahe Monch : Just Do It

We go back to the "Soul Survivor 2" collection for this track - not quite up to the mark of the first, but still an excellent LP. Only great producers can make a beat as sparse as this and make it sound complete, not unfinished. The spaced-out keys on the hook are an added bonus, a nice bit of additional polish. Pharaohe Monch can sound good on pretty much anything, so when he gets quality material like this then it's an easy win. 

Roots Manuva ft. Ricky Rankin : Bashment Boogie

I've been meaning to play this one for years - originally thought it would be one to open a show with, but I think it works well enough here! One of the early tracks on Roots' critically-acclaimed second LP "Run Come Save Me", this one bumps along with a digital flavour (Lotek on the beat) as he tells the story of getting ready to go out of town for a jam. One of the great artists ever to come out of the UK scene, Roots drops plenty of references that the home crowd will get, and it still stands up twenty years after release.

Khadejia ft. Product : Here We Go

A slightly obscure track, despite all the personnel involved! This was on Funkmaster Flex's "60 Minutes of Funk - The Mix Tape Volume III" release, and he produced it along with Wyclef and Jerry Wonder. I believe this is Khadejia's only headline release, but she's got a fair few features in her discography, including "Can't Help It" by Royal Flush which I love. Accompanying her are the duo The Product, whose releases I must say passed me by at the time! They borrow a classic Boogie Down Productions lyric and build around it for a nice little jam.

Flamingosis : Jet Skis & Hennessy

Flamingosis just has that knack of cooking up instrumentals that make you feel great. This selection from "Flight Fantastic" is no exception, and perfect for a summer's evening.

Biz Markie : Nobody Beats The Biz

What can I say that hasn't been said about this certified classic from a recently-departed giant? Well, maybe I can give you some trivia gems you may not have been aware of - it's got to be one of the most-sampled Hip-Hop tracks of all time, the title/hook is based on commercials from an 80s electronics chain in NYC, and Biz bought every copy of the Lafayette Afro Rock Band record containing "Hihache" (used for the drums here) from one shop to replace Marley Marl's scratched-up copy! A legendary track from the "Goin' Off" LP, which will be played as long as this culture lives.

Please remember to support the artists you like! The purpose of putting the podcast out and providing the full tracklist is to try and give some light, so do use the songs on each episode as a starting point to search out more material. If you have Spotify in your country it's a great way to explore, but otherwise there's always Youtube and the like. Seeing your favourite artists live is the best way to put money in their pockets, and buy the vinyl/CDs/downloads of the stuff you like the most!

Check out this episode!

[ricardosousalemos]

Patti Smith Group: Easter

In early 1977, the Patti Smith Group was on tour opening for Bob Seger, as part of Arista Records’ ham-fisted strategy to push Smith into the mainstream. She had just released her second record, Radio Ethiopia, while Seger was touring against Night Moves. While the PSG were steadfast in their resolve to win over the crowds, they were fighting a losing battle. Lenny Kaye—Smith’s guitarist and majordomo—would later say about Radio Ethiopia, “...that wasn’t an album of songs. It was an album of fields.” Fans who paid to hear “Old Time Rock and Roll” were not ready or willing to open their minds to the Smith and her band’s mix of esoteric, ecstatic punk-flavored garage-rock, performed by a bunch of scruffy, black-wearing hoodlums led by a woman who conformed to no one’s gender expectations but her own.

At a Tampa stop in January, Patti Smith whirled into final bars of “Ain’t It Strange.” As the song reached its climax, she spun, lost her balance, tripped backward over a monitor, and fell off the stage onto the concrete floor 15 feet below. Miraculously, she did not break her neck, but she still emerged from the hospital with two cracked vertebrae, broken bones in her face, and 22 stitches to close the wounds on her head. Smith interpreted the incident as God’s response to her constant challenges (“I feel it was his way of saying, ‘You keep battering against my door and I’m gonna open that door and you’ll fall in’,” she told Melody Maker a year later); but in matters more mundane, her fall cancelled the tour and obviated any support for the struggling Radio Ethiopia.

Smith’s injuries would confine her to bed rest for weeks before she entered into intense physical therapy in lieu of spinal surgery. She took to the challenge of PT with gusto and insisted to her doctors and to anyone else who would listen that she would be ready by Easter Sunday. She even had a new poem, called “Easter,” as a representation of her return to battle. 

After the commercial failure of Radio Ethiopia, there was an unspoken understanding that the next record needed to move Smith’s career forward. Smith was the first downtown artist to sign with an uptown label with her seven-album deal with Arista Records. She thought she could handle the Arista’s demands by insisting (and getting) complete creative control, but she also understood that she would lose her access to the kids she wanted to serve if she was not able to translate her vision into something for the masses. “When we started, we believed we had responsibilities that nobody else was taking on, to take this work that erupted in the ’50s and take it somewhere,” she told Circus in 1978. This was the kind of statement for which Smith would be pilloried by peers and the press, but this wasn’t just a front—she meant it.

So after working with John Cale on Horses and Jack Douglas (Cheap Trick, John Lennon) on Radio Ethiopia, she chose to work with a new producer named Jimmy Iovine, because she liked what he’d done as an engineer working with Bruce Springsteen. It was a deliberate business decision, no matter that she would later insist that the album was “more communicative. I don’t like the words accessible and commercial.” Lenny Kaye would back her up: “There was no conscious drive to sell records, that was our last thought.”

It made sense that Smith and Kaye would publicly try to disavow intent. “Ambition” was a four-letter word downtown, even though every single band that ever set foot on the CBGB’s stage hoped that it was a step up. But Smith and Kaye were sufficiently immersed in rock’n’roll history to know better. If Easter hadn’t been successful, Smith would have been dismissed as a one-hit wonder, post-punk also-rans. Even as early as Radio Ethiopia, the Village Voice’s Robert Christgau noted that Patti was “caught in a classic double-bind: accused of selling out by her former allies and of not selling by her new ones.”

The band entered the studio in November of 1977. On the shortlist were songs that were road-tested, such as “Space Monkey,” “Privilege (Set Me Free),” and “Rock N Roll Nigger,” as well as a handful of newly written songs. “Rock N Roll Nigger” was both Smith’s original choice for the album’s title as well as for its lead-off single, which was naturally a nonstarter for the label, much to Smith’s dismay. Unfortunately, out of the material Smith had assembled for the album, it was the only song strong enough to be a single. 

This was when Iovine went knocking on Bruce Springsteen’s door, asking about a certain outtake languishing in his archive. Smith was at first reluctant to even listen to the demo, wanting to write the record with her band. Iovine tried to sell her on the idea by suggesting that he loved the thought of a woman singing from a man’s point of view; Springsteen added that the song was in her key. One night, while waiting for a late-night phone call from someone she was romantically involved with, she decided to listen to the cassette, “...and the words just tumbled out of me,” she told Zig Zag later. By the time she recorded “Because the Night,” Smith already knew she had her hit single, and the rest of the album fell into place.

Smith could try as hard as she wanted to disguise or disavow her ambition, but Easter was not an accidental assemblage of material. It wasn’t an “album of fields,” it was an album of huge songs—songs that would effectively showcase the heart of the Patti Smith Group. So, yes, the album unironically opens with “Till Victory,” the kind of battle cry that made the cognoscenti roll their eyes at Smith and her band, and she doubles the cynicism by also using it as a petition to the mighty, announcing her return, and her intent: “God, do not seize me please, till victory,” Smith sings with the kind of iron-clad conviction that would make you follow her anywhere.

Even the cover concept was Smith’s twist on sex appeal; while it was probably the first major-label album cover to show a woman with unshaved armpits (which Arista tried to airbrush out), it was created with the object of selling records. After that inimitable Robert Mapplethorpe shot on the cover of Horses and the black-on-silver abstract by Judy Linn that graced Radio Ethiopia, for Easter, Smith went with Lynn Goldsmith, who had just founded the first photo agency that focused on celebrity portraiture. Smith would even tell Rolling Stone that she had masturbated to her own album cover: “I thought if I could do it as an experiment, then 15-year-old boys could do it, and that would make me very happy.”

But Smith’s version of “Because the Night” was an absolute monster of a hit. What she forged lyrically out of Springsteen’s unfinished, unwanted demo was an anthem of frank and unapologetic desire. In 1978, a woman wasn’t allowed to be an overtly sexual being in public unless she met the standards of the male gaze; if she did, there were always repercussions, and there would be constant attempts to diminish her power and/or her legitimacy. The fact that it went to No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was on every FM radio station, especially the ones who never played her before, was righteousness incarnate, as would be Easter’s eventual ascension to #20 on the Billboard 200.

The other love songs may not be as legendary as “Because the Night,” but their complexity is vital to the story being told on the album. The first line of “We Three”—“Every Sunday I would go down to the bar where he played guitar”—speaks absolute volumes. It is Smith’s history, it is rock’n’roll history, it is a quiet sentence whispered with a veneer of the innocence of early love, then immediately contrasted with a torch ballad, decisive and resolute, the expression of unresolved ardor, the saga of her relationships with Tom Verlaine and Allen Lanier. It’s not tragic so much tinged with the sadness of resignation, but it’s not the type of love song women had been writing.

Smith then flips the switch to “25th Floor.” This is when the woman in “Because the Night” takes out a match and lights the whole damn place on fire. “Love in my heart/The night to exploit/Twenty-five stories over Detroit,” she sings, tales of unabashed emotion in the ancient Book Cadillac Hotel in the Motor City, where she and Fred “Sonic” Smith had taken rooms. “25th Floor” then transmutates its closing ecstasy straight into “High on Rebellion,” the title of which is accurate and illustrative. It is about another important relationship, this time a treatise about Smith and her electric guitar: “...I never tire of the solitary E and I trust my guitar…” The band manifests its own chaos effortlessly behind Smith, before the exemplification of that solitary E fades out slowly.

On the subject of treatises, we come back to the literal black sheep of the album. “I haven’t fucked much with the past, but I’ve fucked plenty with the future,” Smith intones in “Babelogue,” plucked from Smith’s 1978 Babel, which firmly represents her artistic manifesto, issued with the pulsing energy of a heartbeat. “In heart I am an American artist and I have no guilt,” she cries as the music and the energy builds to a crescendo, before crashing head-on into “Rock N Roll Nigger.” The song is intensely rousing and absolutely spits fire, and as a rallying cry for those who feel like they were also “outside of society,” everything about the song is awesome except the title, which is the opposite of awesome.

Even in the ’70s, the slur was not something any reasonable person was going to feel comfortable yelling out loud, or feel comfortable standing in the middle of a large group of people yelling it out loud, even if the music and the performance are otherwise electrifying. Smith has been explicit over the years in her justification behind it: “The redefining of an archaic slang term as a badge for those contributing on the fringe of society was not favorably embraced,” she wrote in 1996. For someone as intelligent and empathetic as Patti Smith, this is the one moment in this otherwise triumphant record that just does make any sense. If, in 40 years, your attempt at the redefinition of a word that is pejorative and hurtful to a large part of society is unsuccessful, how, as an artist, do you not try something else? The legacy of “Rock N Roll Nigger” overlaps with the Patti Smith the iconoclast. Though Smith placed the song an album that embraces and subverts the vast spectrum of rock, underneath all of Easter is Smith’s ambivalence with rock as an art form. It is insufficient. The men for whom she wrote, the women for whom she sang, the labels to whom she catered, all are miniature underneath the soul of Smith which Easter seems to capture in spite of the limits of rock’n’roll. A hint is hidden in plain sight at the end of the liner notes, a quote from the New Testament: “i have fought a good fight, i have finished my course…” are the last words of Paul the Apostle before his martyrdom. Smith may not have known that she would soon retire as “r.e.f.m.” (radio ethiopia field marshall), but the possibility was on the horizon, and it feels like she was trying to make her departure easier by leaving clues, early warnings for her fans that she was getting ready to say goodbye.  

[bloodborne-on-pc]

Over the course of three days - Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday(today) - I have, with one of my siblings, watched all the Showa era Gamera movies. And I, I have come out a changed man. Or woman. Person. I dunno anymore. Back on subject, I just. Need to talk about them. Screaming into void about movies I recently saw is therapeutic - especially if they piss me off. And hoo boy were there times when I couldn’t stand these fucking movies - as in, there were only two whole-ass movies, out of eight, that I liked unironically. Everything else was either unintentionally funny, or just made me angry. Especially after being introduced to Gamera through the Heisei trilogy, which is AWESOME as FUCK. Probably raised my standards. Also, I’m just gonna put the rest under a “Read More” because this is gonna get reeeaaalllyyy long.

First, we got Gamera, the Giant Monster. This is one of the genuinely good ones. Technically this isn’t my first time seeing it - I saw the English dub, Gammera the Invincible. But I may as well have been seeing it for the first time - aside from the English version adding a bunch of new footage, there’s also this awful fucking song that I’m like 60% sure has some kind of amnesia curse on it, because it seems longer every time I’ve ever heard it, and I barely remember the English version except for two parts, one of which has the previously mentioned cursed song playing during it. BUT. Back to the original, un-cursed version of Gamera. Gamera gets woken up when a plane carrying nukes crashes in the Arctic, and he busts out of the ice, making a regular mess of things. He sinks a research vessel, rampages through Tokyo a bit - knocking over Tokyo Tower, which is kind of obligatory in these sorts of movies - and then stomps all over a power plant and eats some fire, ‘cause that’s just what he does. The humans try all sorts of tricks, ranging from just good old gunfire to freezing him - but none of it works. Dude’s just unkillable. So they lure him to an island by spilling a bunch of oil on the ocean and setting it on fire(insert BP joke), and then they trap him in a big rocket, which they launch into space.

Then, we get to Gamera versus Barugon. Not to be mistaken for Baragon, a completely different monster. This movie is...boring. The fights between Barugon and Gamera are kind of entertaining, but they happen near the beginning and at the end. The middle of the film just really drags on and on and on and ON. Barugon is kind of an interesting monster, at least. He has a chameleon-like tongue that shoots gas out of the tip and freezes stuff. He can also shoot rainbow lasers out of his back - which can be reflected back at him with a big enough mirror, something the humans do once the movie decides to stop being boring and let things happen again. Until Gamera shows up and just drowns the fucker. Also forgot to mention - the whole “shoot Gamera into space” thing was made moot when a meteor smacked into the rocket transporting Gamera to Mars and broke it open, freeing Gamera. He then just flew back to Earth and went back to stomping on power plants and eating fire.

Next, is Gamera versus Gyaos. This is the other good film. The explanation of Gyaos’s biology is pretty strange, though. There’s some shit about it having two spinal cords and two throats, which is how it can produce the sound necessary for its sonic beam - and these features essentially make it impossible for it to turn its head; something that plays into Gyaos’s defeat. Gamera gets behind and just whales on it, and Gyaos can’t do shit because it can’t turn its head to shoot the sonic beam. Also, Gyaos can’t stand sunlight - being out in the sun gives it god-tier sunburn. That was another contributing factor to its death - Gamera beating the snot out of it during the day make things a little easier. It also had this weird ability to shoot yellow gas out of its torso that put out fires. Seemed kind of random, but when you have a turtle that breathes fire, eats fire, and flies by spewing fire out of its leg and arm holes, it makes for a more interesting fight.

And from here on out, it’s downhill motherfuckers.

Film number four - Gamera versus Viras. This is the first film where a different but equally annoying song about Gamera shows up - and is then in almost every other movie afterwards, each with its own slightly different rendition of it. It’s enough to drive someone insane after hearing it enough - and watching this series, you are going to hear it a lot. There’s a lot of bullshit in this fucking movie. At one point, Gamera get stuck under a forcefield with a submersible - ya know what fucking happens? Gamera lifts up part of the forcefield to let the submersible out - but then, doesn’t continue to lift it up to free himself. He just sits there like a dumbass. Then some aliens read his mind, and look at stock footage of the fights from vs. Barugon and vs. Gyaos. Then they mind control him, and make Gamera wreak havoc on Earth, depicted through even more stock footage - some of it from when he destroys a power plant in vs. Barugon, and some of it from when he smashes Tokyo in the first film. Oh, did I mention that the first movie was in black and white, and the others are all in color? This means there’s a random part in vs. Viras that’s just in fucking black and white for no reason, because it’s fucking footage taken from the original movie! There’s also this one big plothole: at point, a pair of kids(b/c the protagonists of these movies from Viras forward are annoying-ass children) are trapped on the alien’s ship. They get shackled to the wall, but manage to free themselves, and try to find a way off. At one point, they find a monster in a cage. Eventually, the kids decide to distract the aliens(who are identical to humans) so they can teleport themselves off-ship. They run into the control room with the aliens and yell about how oh no the monster is free! And the aliens fall for it - not even questioning why the kids aren’t imprisoned anymore. If that sounds stupid, it gets worse. The monster? Is their fucking boss, Viras. Even worse, they’re not even actually humanoid,  but the exact same type of creature - they’re just wearing human skins as a disguise; kind of horrifying in hindsight, but at the time I was too busy being confused by how this made no sense. After that’s revealed, they all fuse with the boss monster, making him tall enough to fight Gamera. They duke it out, kind of interesting, especially the bit where Gamera gets impaled several times in a row by Viras. Reminder that this is when the franchise became aimed more at children. Gamera wins by flying high into the atmosphere, which freezes Viras, and then chucks Viras back down to Earth, killing him. There’s a lot more bullshit I could have covered, but I need to save my energy for the next four films and I feel exhausted writing about this already.

Next, Gamera versus Guiron. A pair of kids accidentally steal a spaceship and end up on another planet. This is witnessed by one of the kid’s sister, who tries to tell her mom, who denies that aliens even exist - even though, in the previous movie, the UN surrendered to aliens after Gamera’s mind control-fuelled rampage. On the planet, the kids meet two nice lady aliens who are the last of their species there - everyone else left because there’s a bunch of silver Space Gyaos making a mess of everything. The alien ladies have control of another monster named Guiron, who helps fend off the Space Gyaos with the giant knife on his head and telekinetic shuriken that rest on the underside of the knife. Oddly enough, they never actually showed the back legs of the suit on-screen - sometimes there’d be a puppet where you could see Guiron’s back legs, but never when it was a guy in a suit - I can’t help but wonder if the suit was unfinished and they tried to hide it. Anywho, Gamera - who chased after the ship to try and save the kids - is kind of a little bitch in this one - he seems to make a much bigger deal out of relatively minor wounds in this one than some of the others. Like, as previously mentioned in vs. Viras, he got fucking impaled and kept going right away - but here he makes a big stink about getting hit with one of Guiron’s shuriken. Also, the ladies are actually planning to eat the kids, but seem to switch back and forth between raw and cooked - not in “they argue about their preferences” way, but in the “in one scene they say raw and another cooked” kind of way. They also read one of the kid’s mind to see how strong Gamera is, resulting in stock footage from the previous three films. Ultimately, said annoying kids help Gamera kill Guiron - after Gamera lifts up Guiron and drops him on his head, getting him stuck in the ground thanks to a pointy head. Guiron shoots his shuriken at Gamera, but Gamera manages to dodge them; the kids shoot some missiles at Guiron, but they miss. Gamera managed to catch one - the hole where the shuriken were resting Guiron’s head is now empty, so Gamera throws it like a dart into the hole and breathes fire on the missile, causing it blow up. You see Guiron’s corpse fly into the air, headless, but then you see it on the ground with his head still attached, just slightly scorched, which is bizarre as shit.

The sixth film, Gamera versus Jiger, does not have aliens or stock footage, making it more tolerable than the others. Mostly it’s the latter that pisses me off, but there’s a lot of aliens in these movies. Jiger is, instead, an ancient monster from the fictional Wester Island off the coast of Africa. The statue that kept her imprisoned is removed and she is free to wreak havoc. Gamera tries to stop her, but Jiger shoots spears out of horns on her snout and impales Gamera’s limbs, then knocks him onto his back - bad news even for giant turtles. Jiger then swims off to find the statue in Japan. Gamera pulls out the spears and makes chase, but gets his ass beat a second time. He gets stabbed by the stinger in Jiger’s tail and falls comatose half-submerged on a beach. Turns out she laid an egg his lung and the baby Jiger is sucking his blood - which is fucking weird, because the stinger didn’t have a hole in it or anything. So a pair of kids steal a submersible and steer it into Gamera, then accidentally kill the baby with white noise from a walkie-talkie. The adults set up a giant speaker system to kill big Jiger with while the kids connect a bunch of powerlines to Gamera’s heart to jumpstart him. The first thing doesn’t work, the second does - they fight again, Gamera manages to dodge stinger and spears, and wins by picking up the statue then shoving it into Jiger’s brain. There was also some shit about how the statue was able to imprison Jiger because it made a low-frequency sound, which was harmful to Jiger because she could shoot high-frequency heat beams, and those two things are “opposite”, and, I dunno, this doesn’t make any fucking sense.

Now, we have Gamera versus Zigra. More aliens. One of who is a big fish, Ziger, who grows larger in Earth’s ocean because of the lessened pressure, even though that’s not how this shit works - the reason most deep-sea animals die when brought up isn’t because they suffocate, but because they can’t survive in lower/no water pressure. There was also some shit about SeaWorld or whatever. Fuck SeaWorld. There was also a part where some people got hypnotized into having dolphin brains, and the only way to fix them was to scream into a walkie-talkie. That, at least was hilarious. I honestly can’t remember much about what happened even though I watched it today - I think the other Gamera song might have an amnesia curse too.

And now, last, and agreed by everybody to be the least - Gamera: Super Monster. This, I actually did not watch all of - partway through, one of my parents texted me to make dinner, and by the time I finished the movie was basically over. Based off what I did see, and the fact that it’s primarily stock footage, I have no intention of seeing anymore. It started off kind of wacky, with a bunch of alien ladies on Earth doing some kind of Superman/Power Rangers type transformation. There was also another evil lady alien hunting them down. There was also a kid, who got a pet turtle, and then released it a couple days later because his mother convinced him that the turtle would be “happier” in the pond, and that makes me angry because that’s how invasive species happen, and please don’t release your pets into wild, people. There was some stuff where this kid played the organ and sang a really annoying song. There was also some boring stuff I can’t be bothered to write down. Then there was some stock footage of Gyaos from the third movie, because a new one just kind of showed up, I guess. That’s all I saw, then I had to make pizza burgers. I apparently didn’t miss much, though my brother mentioned there was one part where there was a train or something in space that was clearly ripped from some kind of animated movie, and Gamera chasing after it, probably also stock footage. Fuck this movie - I haven’t seen it all but fuck it.

In conclusion, fuck the Showa series, except for the original and vs. Gyaos. Those are the only good ones. Honestly feeling kind of disappointed. I expected more from these movies.

I think I’m gonna go watch the Heisei trilogy, AKA Gamera movies that are consistently good. My hands hurt from typing too much.

[kyberled]

@duskisms​​ asked for the ‘lion face meme’ and my computer wigged out and published the unfinished draft so here’s take two(TM)

Send "🦁" and I will write a Drabble about my muse and an NPC || Accepting

There was something grimly satisfying about the end of a battle. ... No, ‘satisfying’ wasn’t the right word, it was more like ‘draining’. He was tired, but, he had to be grateful.

You could only be tired if you survived.

He sighed, brushing sweat-streaked hair from his face. His fingers came away smudged with dirt, and he grimaced to himself at the implication.

“I must be filthy,” he muttered to himself, running his fingers through his hair in a vague attempt to sort himself out.

“The good news is, the rest of us are, as well.” The rumbling beside him was comparable to shaking earth and groaning wood and the strumming of a great bass instrument, a far cry from the lilting mewl it had been in their nursery days. A faint smile passed over Braig’s face, and he shook his head before looking up to his friend, squinting against the harsh light of the setting sun. Hano took a seat on the edge of the mesa beside Braig, letting one leg hanging over the edge while the other was crooked to support his elbow, and settled with a huff.

“Don’t sell yourself short,” Braig said, once again turning to look out over the lowlands again, where the transport ships looked like younglings’ toys and the men were no bigger than his thumb at largest. “You look positively stunning.” Hano’s mouth curled into a smile, lips parting just enough to give a flash of glinting fangs. The chuckle that leaves him starts as a chuff before progressing to something more human, though the rumble as Hano leaned back to support his weight on his arm, the way his whiskers twitched at the new scents carried on the breeze, was entirely Cathar.

“I always do,” he muttered, passing a hand over the mess of braids that spilled from the back of his mane. Braig let out a soft grunt of amusement, and the two padawans fell silent. Braig leaned forwards, propping his elbows on his knees and let his back arch to preserve his posture. A lock of hair fell in front of his face, and he thoughtlessly tucked it back behind his ear, fingertips kissing over the leathery stretch of damaged skin that painted the side of his face; he flinched away from the still foreign texture for only a moment before letting his fingertips press back down.

No, he still couldn’t feel a thing. He frowned, feeling the muscles in his forehead tense as his brow furrowed, and he let his eyes close for a few moments before he sighed, and his hand fell back to his lap with a faint plop. One of Hano’s ears swivelled in his direction, but, as no other reaction came, Braig dismissed it as a reflex, rather than a sign of concern. The silence between them stretched over a few long seconds, the softly-whistling wind carrying the scent of dry earth and beating sun up to them. Braig leaned forward, finally allowing his back to arch, and shielded his eyes as he peered down at the soldiers bustling around below. The white of their plastoid armour stood in stark contrast to the soft golds and browns of the desert and plains; though it was a few shades off, the rusted-copper tones of the 409th reminded him of the 212th’s orange, and he wondered how they were doing on their own mission (just his luck that they’d be called away right in the middle of Core World History Exams, but he supposed he should be grateful enough that he was allowed to tag along on this mission). He hoped that the men were doing okay; things hadn’t been easy for any of them, as of late. A frown crossed his face, though far more thoughtful than its most recent predecessor, and his gaze unfocused as his mind wandered. Movement beside him drew his attention, brown eyes flicking over to see solid muscle rippling under golden fur. A groan accompanied the motion as Hano rolled his shoulders, stretching his arm out behind him before scratching vigorously at the side of his neck. Braig wrinkled his nose, leaning away.

“I’m sick of all this dust,” Hano said, giving a shake that sent a puff of freshly-dislodged dirt and fur wafting through the air. “It keeps getting stuck in my fur. It itches,” he grinned and raised an arm in defense as Braig, who had not leaned far enough away to avoid being covered in fur, retaliated by plucking a handful of dry, dead grass and tossing it at him.

“I can see that,” Braig said, nudging his shoulder playfully against Hano’s side. “Are you going to shower when we get home?”

“I’m going to move into the sonic. They can hold my knighting there,” Hano decided matter-of-factly, rasping his tongue across his forearm. Braig shook his head, letting out a soft huff of amusement, then let his gaze once more settle on the horizon. A shiver of disgust rippled through the Force, and he tilted his head in confused concern. Hano frowned a silent apology, then held up his arm by way of explanation. A bright slash of crimson painted itself across golden fur.

“Are you okay?” Braig asked, sitting up straighter as worry lanced down his spine. He hadn’t noticed anything wrong with his friend’s signature, but then, he hadn’t been looking, and he had been tired after the battle, so he might have missed it... Hano shrugged and shook his head.

“No, it’s not mine,” he said, grimacing slightly. “I got lucky, this time. Singed, nicked on the shoulder, a few bruises, but, I don’t think it’ll even need bacta.” He sighed, and Braig nodded silently. “I just hate how this tastes.”

“Why’s that?” Braig asked, reaching to adjust his scarf before remembering that he’d lost it on that awful mission a few weeks ago.

“Sentient blood always tastes so much more electric, like ozone.” Hano said as Braig settled for adjusting his tunic collar, instead. “Can’t stand being covered in the stuff, though.” Braig nodded again, and silence once more lapsed between the two boys as Hano returned to his task. The only sounds were that of the chilling breeze (cool against drying sweat; Braig found himself brushing his hair to the side to allow the back of his neck to be soothed) and the voices of activity carried up from below.

“’S quiet down there,” Hano commented, scratching at the dark stain to dislodge a dried clump. “Think they’re getting ready to leave?” Braig blinked as he was snapped back to attention, then focused on the lowlands once again.

“Looks like it,” he said, shaking his hair back into place and scratching the back of his neck as he craned his head first one way, then the other. “We should head down. It wouldn’t do to make them wait on us.” Hano chuffed at this, and Braig glanced over in confusion.

“It would be uncivilised.” He said, and Braig scoffed and rolled his eyes as suppressed chuckles turned into proper laughter.

“You’re terrible,” Braig said, pushing off with his hands as he jumped from the cliff. He landed in a neat roll, Hano touching down beside him on all-fours before righting himself with ease.

“I’m surprised Master Eedai didn’t come up there to find us, tell us to hurry up,” Braig said, dusting himself off and pretending not to have noticed the burst of shock that radiated from one of the troopers behind them (Judging by the chuckles and teasing ‘they’re Jedi, what did you expect?’ his brothers weren’t being quite so generous; he must be new).

“He’s probably discussing some last-minute business with Lift,” Hano said, using both hands to push his mane, braids and all, behind his head, looking to the side to see if he could spot the Master-Captain duo amid the crowds; he couldn’t, but didn’t seem put-out by this.

“Or,” Braid said, grimacing as a familiar signature ebbed into the Force around them. “He’s hiding from the Magistrate.” Hano let out a groan, shoulders slumping and head falling back.

“Oh, Force, not the Magistrate,” he whined under his breath, closing his eyes before righting his posture and crossing his arms over his chest, whiskers giving an irritated twitch. “Probably avoiding him so we have to deal with it.” He snorted, then raised a brow. “Think this is our punishment for going off on our own?” Braig nodded, frowning.

“And what a punishment it is,” he muttered, tugging on his braid and thinking to himself that it might do to invest in a new scarf, once he acquired enough funds. He pushed that thought to the back of his mind and straightened his tunic, plastering his best ‘serene Jedi’ face, though confusion knitted his brows together as he noticed a second presence, and indeed a second person, beside the pompous politician.

“Who’s that?” Hano muttered, voicing the question that was on both of their minds. Braig shrugged, folding his hands behind his back, and Hano copied the gesture as they approached the Magistrate.

“Here we go,” Hano said under his breath.

“Best foot forward,” Braig added, though by the time their presence had gotten the magistrate’s attention, they had both painted themselves as pictures of the most proper Jedi to have ever lived.

“Good day, Magistrate Vrix,” Braig said, offering a deep bow as Hano echoed the movement beside him. The Magistrate dipped his head in acknowledgement, making a shrill chittering sound that Braig had learned signified contentment. The person beside him was smaller (Braig didn’t have to look up to make eye contact with this one like he did the Magistrate), but otherwise shared the usual traits of their species: long grey ears (two sets, one large and one smaller one underneath, both ridged and pointed and fleshy), very large, very round eyes (hers were more blue-green to the Magistrate’s amber, and lacking the cataracts that plagued the elder’s vision), a mouth lined with rows of needle-like teeth, and tough, mottled, slate-grey skin. Where the Magistrate had horns shaped like inverted cones, large and hollow, this one had the ridge of bony plates along their nose and forehead that were specific to the females of the species. She smiled in their direction, and Braig had the uncomfortable feeling that he and Hano were being assessed. The Magistrate was far more open about his appraisal, and clapped his hands together, beaming.

“Ah, greetings, my friends, and as you said, a very good day!” He clapped Braig on the shoulder, and went to do the same to Hano before thinking better of reaching so high, and simply patted the Cathar on the arm, instead (Braig could feel a blip of amusement spiralling out from his companion’s presence, but neither of them said anything). “It is a marvellous thing that you have done for us today!”

“It is our duty to serve the Republic,” Hano said, nodding.

“We’re happy to help in any way we can,” Braig added with a smile. The girl beside the Magistrate grinned; Braig couldn’t tell which of them she was staring at more.

“And you have!” The Magistrate kept his jovial spirits high, throwing one long arm around Braig’s shoulders, looping his other arm around Hano’s in a loose facsimile of a hug. Braig let himself be pulled into the embrace, but otherwise offered no reaction aside from flicking his eyes to Hano, who hadn’t budged, and seemed to be increasingly amused by the conversation. Braig was glad that at least one of them was having a good time.

“Our people cannot thank you enough,” the Magistrate said as he stepped back, and Braig had to fight the urge to dust himself off. “It will be good to not hear those awful droids everywhere. They were giving me a headache!”

“Believe us, we know how you feel,”  Hano said, crossing his arms over his chest.

“That’s why we call them ‘clankers’.” Braig said, and the Magistrate repeated the name to himself before laughing much too hard. The girl beside him tittered along with him, though the amusement Braig had felt from Hano was quickly dissipating, and the two padawans stood in awkward silence as they waited for the raucous mirth to subside. After a moment, the Magistrate collected himself, and wiped a tear from his eye (Though Braig had noticed no moisture at all, and that the gesture had been all for show), and sighed as he clasped his hands in front of his chest.

“Ah, we are forever grateful to you both,” the Magistrate said, dipping into a shallow bow. “You, and all of your men.”

“We are planning to sign a treaty with the Republic tomorrow, to make our joining be official,” the girl finally spoke, in accented Basic, and the Magistrate put his arm around her shoulders.

“This is my daughter, Tusii,” he explained, finally giving a name to the face before pulling the girl in to another hug. “She will be acting as our representative in the Galactic Senate.” Braig’s eyebrows raised, and he let out a soft ‘really?’ as Hano hummed his mild surprise. The girl - Tusii - nodded, and looked to her father with a shy smile before taking a step forward.

“It will be the first time we will have left our home, but if it will help my people be safer, I will do my best.” She said, folding her hands in front of her chest, and Braig and Hano glanced to each other, then smiled.

“You’re already doing a better job than a lot of other Senators,” Braig said, and Tusii smiled, chittering happily. Braig had been about to say something else, but a baritone trumpeting from somewhere on the horizon drew his attention. The Magistrate turned, as well, though he seemed far less concerned by the sudden noise than the padawans.

“Oh, that is just my brother,” the Magistrate said, and he turned away. “If you will excuse me, just a moment...” This time, the look the boys exchanged was one of alarm, and they turned away as well, clamping hands over their ears as the Magistrate turned, inhaled deeply, and blasted air through his horns to produce a similar trumpeting that was deafening in its proximity. Braig felt his shoulders  hunch and his muscles tense as the vibrations gripped at the marrow of his bones. He glanced to Hano, who returned his discomfort with a grimace, but they pasted on only slightly disgruntled expressions as the Magistrate faced them again, smiling.

“For now, I am afraid I must leave you,” the Magistrate said, reaching to clasp Braig on the shoulder and Hano on the arm. “But, I hope we can see each other again, soon, Master Jedi.” He turned to walk away, and Tusii lingered behind.

“You are welcome always in our village,” she said, smiling up at Hano before casting a friendly glance towards Braig. “You, and your young padawan.” She seemed proud of herself for pronouncing the strange word; so proud, in fact, that she failed to notice the way Braig’s brows twitched upwards or Hano’s jaw clenched in an effort to smother a surprised snort. Hano is successful in muting the sound, but not the surprised amusement that bursts like a firework across his signature, and Braig was quite certain that the bewildered irritation leaking into his own presence was enough to keep the silent laughter going. Tusii turned and loped off after her father, scaling the sheer cliff faces with ease and vanishing into the rocky horizon. Braig let his emotions show on his face, scrunching his features as he turned in practised synchronisation with Hano, each adjusting his stride to allow the two of them to walk side-by-side (Lengthening them in Braig’s case, and shortening them in Hano’s, meeting in the middle).

“Did she seriously think I was your padawan?” Braig asked, and the incredulity in his voice was enough to break Hano’s composure, and the Cathar’s steps faltered and his posture hunched as he was consumed by giggles.

“I’m three months older than you!” Braig carried on, struggling to keep his own grin at bay. 

“Keep your pride down, my young padawan,” Hano managed, and nearly snorted when Braig rolled his eyes with an audible scoff.

“I’ll amputate your shins, I swear it,” Braig said, scratching at his scar as his gaze slipped to the side. “I’m a medic, you know; I can do that.” Hano paused, folding his arms over his chest and cocking a brow. 

“Can you even reach my shins?” He asked, and grinned when Braig’s own steps came to a sudden halt.

“Okay.” Braig said, closing his eyes even as Hano started backing away, glowing in the Force with self-satisfaction and a hint of trepidation. Without a warning, Braig pivoted on his heel and launched himself in Hano’s direction. Hano responded by first jogging and then running away, dropping to all-fours to bound greater lengths, his chorus of ‘no, no, no!’ crescendoing into a spout of laughter. He wasn’t trying very hard to get away, as Braig was able to catch him easily. The result was an end-over-end tussle that kicked up an impressive dust cloud. Excess adrenaline burned brightly into energy, and in a flurry of limbs Braig found himself clinging to Hano’s back, arms looped around his in order to not fall, just barely able to peek over Hano’s broad shoulder to see Jedi Master Yokar Eedai, standing with arms crossed and face disapproving.

“Padawans,” he said curtly, and the Force around the two boys froze.

“Yes, Master,” they chorused as Braig dropped to the ground, both standing straight with hands folded behind their backs. Master Eedai said nothing, only jerked his head in the direction of their transport. If ‘uh-oh’ and ‘oops’ could have become emotions, Braig was sure that they were what he was feeling; judging by the look Hano was giving him, the feeling was mutual. After a set of mumbled ‘I’m sorry, Master’-s, they trudged onto the ship. However, though Master Eedai’s shields were up and concealing his signature, Braig was sure that he could pick up the faintest hints of a smile tugging at the weathered old Mon Calamari’s face. Once on the ship, Hano and Braig were subjected only to a halfhearted lecture on the importance of professionalism before being told that he was ‘too tired’ to deal with them.

Braig wasn’t so sure that was the case.

[geneticandunattainable]

Here we are - the top ten songs of 2016  Again, women continue to dominate this year’s list, with half of the top ten songs performed by female artists.  These are the songs that have dominated my ears for the entire year and I contend that they are all intricately crafted slices of musical genius. Even if you don’t love every single track, I hope you can find some joy in this list.

10. Maggie Rogers – “Alaska”

The launch of this song’s popularity is likely unprecedented even in today’s sonic landscape, obsessed as it is with viral hits and internet culture.  She was lucky enough to have a Masterclass with Pharrell Williams while she was at NYU, and played the unfinished version of this song…to his immediate and obvious delight.  He called her sound “singular” and had no criticism for her whatsoever; the most impressive part was that she wrote it in 15 minutes and recorded it the same day with her co-producer Doug Schadt, also an alum of the Clive Davis Institute.  There’s a real coming-of-age tone to the song, discussing a break up and life transitions in a way that comes across more as hopeful than melancholy.  The production is clearly electronic, but grounded, as she utilizes natural sounds to construct the instrumentation.  There is simply so much to enjoy in this track, from the harmonies to the lyrics to the, yes, singular arrangement.  Here’s hoping she continues to surprise us with her EP, due this spring.

9. Foxes – “Scar”

Louisa Rose Allen – better known by her stage name Foxes – isn’t particularly well known in the States. That didn’t stop her from releasing one of the most underrated pop albums of 2016 with All I Need.  Her vocals are simultaneously raspy and soaring, with the driving beat in the production instantly catchy, but the lyrics are what truly stand out.  I briefly dated someone back in June of 2015, and it ended abruptly when he got upset one night and threw me against a wall in his house.  Besides the trauma of the incident itself, it brought up a lot of painful memories from my childhood, and it was difficult for me to move past the incident.  I don’t think I realized how much I needed an outlet for that anxiety until I heard this song.   Allen uses the scar as a metaphor, of course, but it resonates for so many people who have some relationships they may regret in their past. With a chorus of “Now you're just a scar, a story I tell/Such an ugly mark, but I wear it so well…Now you're just a scar/A time that I fell for someone who didn't love me well,” she turns an experience that can be upsetting and shameful into a source of strength. She seems to be telling the listener, “You got through this, and it made you better.”  I know I, for one, needed that.

8. Bob Moses – “Tearing Me Up (RAC Mix)”

If you’re ever looking for a solid Canadian electronic duo, then these guys should be on your list. Tom Howie and Jimmy Vallance attended middle and high school together in Vancouver, but were merely acquaintances until they both got into the New York music scene and ran into each other at a hardware store.  They combined their two musical scenes – rock and trance – to work on their own alternative electronic sound together.  The original form of this song, released on 2015, was nominated for a Grammy in the dance genre.  Released in February of last year, the RAC remix of the track scored an eventual Grammy win at the 2017 ceremony; once you listen to it, it becomes quite obvious why the remix was necessary for the win.  The remix cuts over two and a half minutes from the running time, streamlining the arrangement and focusing more on the vocals.  Percussion and guitar hit you from the first note, and you get to the lyrics within the first 20 seconds.   Portland resident André Allen Anjos – also known as RAC – adds radiant synths and some gorgeous finger basses, creating a lush atmosphere for the arrangement, and expanding upon the initially minimal track.  The end result is nothing but exquisitely crafted music.   You’ll forget what the world was like before you heard it, because this is one that stays with you forever.

7. Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam – “In a Black Out”

Rostam Batmanglij is an alumnus of Vampire Weekend who has been making a name for himself as a producer (you may have heard some of his work on Carly Rae Jepsen’s last album). Last year he teamed up with Hamilton Leithauser, the frontman for the Walkmen, and the result was lightning in a bottle.  The two men worked together to fashion this slice of brilliance, which opens with an undulating Spanish guitar and even utilizes a small church choir to add a haunting backing vocal about ninety seconds from the start.  The last minute of the song is nothing but pure joy, as Leithauser shows off his true range, crooning over an outstanding drum loop and that same guitar that seems so vintage and so perfect at the same time...at no point do they slip into pastiche of any kind.  Both men are paying homage to decades of musical history while still creating a sound that is entirely their own.  There’s a timely narrative to the song, telling the story of returning to an old town and the old lover that may accompany it.  Some of the lyrics touch on the nostalgia of both experiences, with lines like “Midnight where we used to dance/Underneath the ugly halogen lamps/Oh, it all went away so fast/In a black out.”  Few people of my age can listen to this and not feel a thing.  

6. Caitlyn Smith – “This Town is Killing Me”

I connect with Caitlyn Smith on so many levels, what with her home state of Minnesota and her obsession with Patty Griffin leading her to Nashville by the age of 18.  She performed at a few gigs in Music City but set her dreams aside for a bit when she signed a contact to write songs for other artists.  There’s a versatility to her voice that makes her sound like no one else on the radio – country or otherwise.  There are flashes of Allison Krauss on this vocal, but so many other artists, too. The vocal track is clearly meant to sound raw, emotional – genuine, in other words.  Smith writes for herself in a way that I haven’t heard from other artists in Nashville or anywhere else, for that matter.   She focuses on the soul-crushing side of the industry that is all too often pushing dreams of whiskey and honky tonks down our throats. Smith pens a poignantly devastating letter to Nashville, admitting defeat at the feet of a city and an industry that moves on without you.  She sings of missing her grandfather’s funeral, of losing the only man she ever loved to her career, of pouring her heart out over the mic only to have the audience ignore her.  As she notes in the lyrics, “no one's listening, they're too busy drinking on the company tab.”  “This Town is Killing Me” is produced perfectly in a minimalist way, building ever so slightly with a slide guitar, a small strings section, and a piano to accompany her acoustic guitar; it’s clear, though, that her voice is the focal point.  Perhaps the toughest part of the song is when she comes clean to how much pain the town and the job have caused her, but admits she’ll get up tomorrow and do it all over again.  Several other artists may have won the attention last year, but Smith wrote the best song in country music.  End of story.

5. weslee – “Gassed”

If you aren’t watching You’re the Worst, you’re not only missing out on some of the best television available anywhere in the world, you’re now missing out on some of the best music, too.  There is so little known about this duo that the mystery and anonymity that surrounds them only adds to the allure.  Josh and Emma (the former American, the latter English) named their duo after her pet turtle, and their first real splash was the track “Gassed,” which was looked up on Shazam over 5,000 times the night it debuted during the end titles of an episode of You’re the Worst. According to an interview on BBC a week ago, Josh claims an EP is in the works, but most of us are content to simply play this on repeat.  The track is incredibly atmospheric, utilizing a hypnotic production that slowly builds anticipation through rolling crescendos that peak at each chorus.  This is a song that comes across as deceptively simply, luring you in with its seductive beat, captivating vocals, and sultry synth loops.  The song’s protagonist is clearly overwhelmed with her current situation, singing about changing the flow so she has the space to grow, about finding her way back home.  There’s a stasis on display here, as she so clearly wants to get back home, but questions whether that’s the right choice.   The entire song is electronic, but with such a grounded and quiet style, you could play it at the local nursing home and find some new fans. I sincerely hope Josh and Emma, regardless of their identities, bless us with some more brilliant music soon.

4. Ramin Djawadi– “Light of the Seven”

Of all the shows to discover mind-blowing music, I never usually think of Game of Thrones as a likely source.  “Light of the Seven,” from the show’s resident composer Ramin Djawadi, is the first track in its six-year history to ever feature the piano. Along with an organ, a small string section, and two boys’ vocals, Djawadi arranges the piano and the notes to slowly build the anticipation in what can only be considered one of the best sequences in the history of the program.  Djawadi explicitly wanted to tease out the tension and the mystery of the finale’s sequence, and utilized only two voices to make the environment of the song seem smaller and more intimate as the characters explore the catacombs of King’s Landing.  Over the course of almost ten minutes, the song helps guide the audience through several scenes mostly absent of dialogue, accentuating specific moments with perfectly timed notes, and intensifying the strings to serves as almost a countdown to a massive climax at the end.  Listeners who are paying attention will notice the recurring motifs from the theme of the show itself throughout the arrangement. With so much happening onscreen, the composition expertly weaves you in and out of multiple storylines that ultimately tie together through one character’s machinations and the brilliant work of Djawadi himself.  One thing I’d like to note: “Light of the Seven” tracks in at nine minutes and forty-nine seconds, and I have listened to it over 350 times since last summer. That sums up the virtuosity of this song. 

3. Kanye West – “Famous”

2016 was, for the most part, a complete and utter shitshow.  That said, one of the few bright spots for me among the carnage was the one-two punch of this song and the blow Kim Kardashian delivered to Taylor Swift in front of the entire country.   As Janene Garafolo would say, “The word ‘vivisection?’ A staggering understatement.” The ensuing controversy of Taylor’s mock outrage, unfortunately, nearly overshadowed the skill that ‘Ye showed off with this track.  He’s showcasing Nina Simone (with Rihanna’s vocals and the original singer herself), as well as Jamaican legend Sister Nancy, Italian band Il Rovescio Della Medaglia, and hip hop artist Swizz Beatz.  It is clear to anyone that he’s a genius provocateur, but also knows how to put a song together, and, along with other album highlights like “Ultralight Beam,” came back in 2016 with both arms swinging.   As Pitchfork noted when it comes to his work with Sister Nancy’s “Bam Bam,” the clip “sounds like a dancehall remix of Pachelbel's Canon, and it's the most joyful two minutes of music on the album.”  Kanye is upending expectations, undercutting the concept of celebrity, and giving you a banger all at the same time.  Regardless of the controversies that constantly swirl around him – many of his own making – it remains clear that Kanye is one of the best artists out there, and this track more than proves it.

2. Frank Ocean – “Self Control”

I consider these top three songs to be a trifecta, a package deal that all build on each other, though only one can reign as the best of the year.  Frank just missed out on the top spot this year (which he held in 2012 with “Thinkin’ Bout You,” by the way), but the perfection that was his latest album fought until the very end.   Ocean along with Jon Brion and James Ryan Ho – better known by his stage name Malay – collaborated to produce this track and the despondency on display may as well be in 3D.   There is a longing present in the song that wasn’t captured as well by any other artist in 2016.  He starts with the braggadocious “I’ll be the boyfriend in your wet dreams tonight” but eventually collapses in on himself, hoping to be involved even if it means literally inserting himself into a new relationship, singing “Keep a place for me, for me/I'll sleep between y'all, it's nothing.”  He begs to be reintroduced to his ex’s life, even devolving into looped vocals for the end of the song, pleading to have just one more night with this mystery man.   There is a tragedy contained within the lyrics “Know you got someone comin'/You're spitting game, oh you got it” that I literally cannot articulate in words.  There is a sense that he has been tossed aside, that he no longer matters, and Ocean capitalizes on what amounts to so many people’s biggest fear – that we will leave this life without making an impact.   The desperation here is universal, and not limited to solely one relationship.  It’s meant to encompass the meaning of our entire life.

1. Beyoncé – “Formation”

I have to be perfectly honest here – was there ever any fucking doubt?  When you’re Beyoncé, you can drop a song on Saturday, perform it at the Super Bowl on Sunday, and the entire country already knows every single world.  As Ashley Weatherford noted after its release last February, “Formation” is the blueprint to being “unapologetically black.”  In a country that is, arguably, irreparably divided, Beyoncé planted her flag on the hill of her identity as an African-American woman, and could not care less if it leads to a backlash.  She has faced criticism for years for being a bad feminist or not caring enough about Black Lives Matter, and this song is, in essence, presenting two middle fingers to the world as her response.  When you’re the biggest star in the world, you don’t have to apologize anymore.  Every single line of this track is crafted to highlight, as Dee Lovett put it, Black Girl Magic.  This song is meant to embrace and to celebrate a group, a culture, a gender – an identity – that has been ignored for so long.   The beat is inspired, utilizing an unnerving trap production that builds to a marching band in every chorus while also nodding to the Southern Gothic feel of the entire track.  As Rembert Browne noted, this song is a reminder of Beyoncé’s core identity; “I’m a woman and I’m black, but also I’m a black woman — please don’t ever forget that, and no, you can’t touch my hair, not never.”  It left an indelible mark on the entire year, and by my account, was easily 2016’s best song.

[nervouswreck-96]

Supernova - Chapter 3 (Unfinished Business)

I’m sorry this took so long. The process behind this was a process I swear I will never repeat. Basically, I wrote this chapter in chunks. That way, if I didn’t like how the chapter was panning out, I could simply replace one chunk with another chunk and smooth the cracks over. Things didn’t work out that way, and I spent ages trying to find out how to make this battle scene work. What I’m really afraid of at this point is that I’ve used up every narrative convention and cliché I know and that I’m just repeating them over and over.

A reader on DeviantArt (thanks a bunch, Blazerona!) pointed out a sentence in the last chapter that inexplicably repeated itself. No, I did not intend to write it that way; it happened after I saved the file to a cloud and some kind of conflict arose. But I still should’ve caught it. In response, I have gone back and edited the previous two chapters for similar atrocities, undid previous edits which were meant to tie into the deleted second chapter, and added new scenes and dialogue.

Remember, reviews keep my creative juices flowing! Even if you’re uncomfortable at peer reviewing, I need all the feedback I can get, whether positive or negative.

(Psst...I don’t think the Metonic shippers out there are gonna like this one very much...)

Punch. Climb. Release. Punch. Climb.

Uuuuuugh.

With each pull of his arms, Knuckles found it harder and harder to ignore the feeling that something was wrong. Gone was the numbness that once immunized him to the wounds on the sides of his body, replaced with a stabbing pain that reached down to his gut. Worse yet, he could feel the blood slide down his legs, tickling each piece of fur on the way down like a wet feather. Still, there was nothing Knuckles could do to cover the wounds. His hands were otherwise occupied holding up the entire weight of his body as he ascended the maintenance shaft.

But it wasn’t just the sides of his body that hurt.

Each pull brought him closer to the top, and closer into the faint green light that bathed the shaft. There lay the mystery that had eluded him since the moment he set foot on the ship. His sixth sense acted accordingly, sending him flashes that increased in intensity the closer he got. But it was telling him something else...something troubling. He couldn’t put a finger on it, but it felt familiar. It brought him back in time to a memory he would have rather forgotten, where everything could have been wiped out in the blink of an eye...

Knuckles pulled himself back to reality. Everything could be wiped out in the next hour if he didn’t get his red echidna butt moving.

Just...a little more...

The negative sensations only intensified, as if something drilled a hole inside Knuckles’ skull. No force on this earth could keep him from the Master Emerald for a second longer.

Then he saw it. Five horizontal columns of light poked through the darkness, illuminating a metal ventilation grate. He brought himself to its eye level and clawed over to the opposite side of the cylindrical shaft to take a peek through.

No...oh, Chaos, no...

On the opposite side of the grate, the Master Emerald was perched on a hastily-assembled shrine, wires attached to every surface of the iridescent jewel as if it were under intensive care. The once-constant green glow faded dramatically between full power and complete darkness, with almost no in-between. As far to the left as Knuckles could see from his limited perspective, he could make out a computer monitor perched on the wall, no doubt giving readouts of the Master Emerald’s energy.

Knuckles’ head exploded, and it wasn’t just his sixth sense that triggered it. He’d burst into the room and tear the whole place to shreds if the grate weren’t so damned tiny. The damned thing had been violated...taken advantage of for power. All the pieces came together in Knuckles’ head. If his theory held up, Sonic and Tails were in grave danger.

Lucky for him he never got around to crushing Tails’ annoying earpiece.

If Eggman’s robots were built with facial muscles, Metal Sonic would have a Cheshire grin a mile wide. He had every reason. For once, he was looking down on Sonic, and not the other way around. A new set of crosshairs appeared in Metal Sonic’s information-enhanced point of view, closing in around the boundaries of Sonic’s body in the frame. Once an identification match was confirmed, with the help of a picture of Sonic that Dr. Eggman helpfully stored in his internal memory, a blinking red message appeared before him: “BEGIN TERMINATION PROCEDURE”.

Not that he needed the hint. He had waited a year for this moment.

Below him, Sonic and Tails glared at the golden apparition, all the while trying in vain to hide their own fatigue – Sonic from the first missile impact, Tails from hauling him up two floors.

Metal Sonic forced Sonic and Tails to drink in his own magnificence as he descended from the rafters, arms held out at his sides, looking nothing less than the angel of death. Below his feet, clouds of rocket exhaust billowed out to herald his landing, forcing the two to turn away and squirm backward to avoid inhaling the noxious fumes. As the exhaust cloud loomed ever closer, they each met with a sudden bang against hollow steel piping, stopping them in their tracks.

They had backed all the way to the crude safety railing that separated them from falling two stories. From that point, there was nowhere for them to go but down.

There were doors up ahead. Plenty of them. Twenty or so, by Tails’ count, give or take two that might have been obscured by Metal Sonic’s presence. However, they were all sealed, each one flanked by a numeric keypad on the side wall on which, presumably, one of Eggman’s robotic assistants would enter the passcode to pry it open. Whatever dark secrets lay on the other side were obscured. All possible escape routes were cut off.

No way back. No way forward. No way up. The only way out was to fight.

Even with his eyes glazed over in pure terror, Tails couldn’t help but notice something oddly familiar. A bright, piercing golden aura surrounded Metal Sonic, illuminating the entire area and casting well-defined shadows in every direction. It was almost a carbon copy of the scene that usually followed Sonic’s super transformation.

Emphasis on “almost”.

He was the only one presently in the room to have ever gotten a first-hand look at such a scene from an outsider’s perspective, and yet even with his genius-level intelligence, he would be hard-pressed to put into words the raw, surging emotions he felt each time Sonic “went Super” – as was the crude term they came up with. No matter the level of danger they faced, no matter how close they brushed against death, Sonic’s golden aura of positive energy was enough to convince the world that everything was going to be okay. Even as a mere spectator from several feet away, the glow felt as warm and comforting as cozying around a warm fireplace even as the harsh winter closed in from outside.

But this was different. In Metal Sonic’s presence, Tails felt nothing of the sort. He felt nothing, period. Metal Sonic’s aura was not warm, or comforting, or in any way positive. Not that anyone should have expected it to be, of course. It was just...there, surrounding him almost as a display of power for power’s sake, just to show he could make one out of thin air. Or worse.

Inches above the floor, Metal Sonic’s rocket boosters cut out, allowing him to land face-to-face with the two. Sonic took this opportunity to examine his own reflection in his counterpart’s shimmering golden finish. Naturally, he came to admire it, despite the cuts and bruises he sustained not two minutes earlier.

“Say...nice paint job, Metal!” said Sonic. “Really brings out your eyes, y’know?”

“So...you do remember me,” said Metal, in an all-too-perfect synthesized replication of the real Sonic’s voice. “And yet, after all this time, you thought I had vanished into thin air?”

Sonic made a noise that could only be described as half-cough, half-scoff. “Yeah...wouldn’t say I’ve been cryin’ my eyes out over it.”

“Really? Well, I can arrange that.”

Tails could no longer hold himself together. He stepped out from behind Sonic’s shadow and pointed an accusing finger at Metal Sonic. “Where’s Eggman? What did you do with him this time? Is this your ship?” he asked.

“Oh, that? That was eons ago. Believe me, if I was up to that kind of nonsense again, I wouldn’t have bothered to keep up this level of subtlety,” said Metal Sonic.

“Believe you? Hmph. Yeah, right.” asked Sonic.

Without even realizing it, his head nudged closer to that of his metal counterpart. Soon enough, Metal Sonic’s drill-shaped approximation of a nose poked against Sonic’s organic, beady sniffer. As the two stared each other down, Sonic found himself permanently locked into a staring contest with a competitor who couldn’t blink, whose eyes were merely tools for intimidation that never surfaced. They weren’t merely staring into the face of a longtime rival. They each gazed into their own inverted image; Sonic’s streaming blue quills contrasting with Metal Sonic’s reflective golden paint scheme, Sonic’s vibrant and passionate emerald-green and white eyes gazing into Metal Sonic’s cold, heartless red and black.

Eventually, Tails grew tired of standing around. Something had to happen soon, if only to get this over with sooner. He poked his finger into the back of Sonic’s shoulder once. Twice.

No response.

He decided not to press the issue any further. After all, if years of experience taught him anything, there was method to Sonic’s madness. As far as he was concerned, this was Sonic’s Super-Happy Adventure Thrill Ride, and he was only tagging along. Stopping the ride while it was in progress would only turn out badly for all involved.

“If you must know...I don’t care who or what you ‘believe’. I am far beyond that...imposter you met last time,” said Metal Sonic, seemingly spitting on the “I” word...that is, if Eggman’s robots had any saliva. “I am far beyond you. Far beyond any of this...crude matter you call life.”

Sonic sighed and shook his head. “It’s always the same ol’, same ol’ with you, isn’t it? Tryin’ to make the whole world pay for your insecurity? Well, shove this into your hard drive! There is only one Sonic in this room, and I ain’t lookin’ at ‘im!”

Though Metal Sonic had no visible mouth, a faint chuckle could be detected from the mere bobbing of his head. “You fool...you imply that I want to keep up that old charade?”

“Don’t--”

But whatever witty repartee Sonic planned on using plummeted back down his throat. He stepped back and replayed what Metal Sonic just said, unsure if he even heard it right.

All right, what crazy pills did Eggman feed him THIS time?

“Being the ‘real Sonic’…keeping up with you? Hah! It means nothing to me anymore. You. Mean. Nothing. Why would I dare limit myself to such...pitiful standards, when the entire world is within my grasp?” said Metal Sonic.

Sonic rolled his eyes, calling attention to it by bobbing his head – a faux-dramatic gesture that Metal Sonic either failed to detect or simply pretended not to notice.

“Heh…pretty big talk for a three-time loser,” said Sonic, in the most mocking, singsongy tone he could manage.

As he turned away to let Metal Sonic absorb the barb, a distinct whirring sound from the other side convinced him to turn his gaze back.

The air itself swirled around his palms in an ever-increasing vortex, obscured by pinpricks of light that represented energy in its purest form. Soon, those pinpricks faded into a glowing ball from which miniature bolts of lightning shot forth. With a short burst of his rocket boots, he rose off the floor and wound his arms into a sidewinder throwing motion. The staring contest was over. Metal Sonic had blinked. Sonic spared a quick glance at Tails and realized this was a bad time to stand directly next to each other.

“Move!” they each said in unison.

With one lunging step, Tails took the mightiest dive he could manage, arms outstretched with the MilesElectric in unsteady hands. For an inch or two, his nose scraped against the floor, churning his stomach at the prospect that the rest of his body would follow and leave him an open target for Metal Sonic. Then, just when he needed it to, the motion of his tails kicked in, providing the lift he needed.

Without warning, the fur on Tails’ backside and head shot up. This couldn’t have been some sort of internal bodily reflex caused by his own excitement. If it was, this would have happened the moment he stepped onto the ship. Behind him, a thundering roar split the air, throwing Tails for a loop. When he turned around to get a look at the source of the noise, he noticed a charred black crater in the floor where the two had previously stood, and a pair of skid marks just inches in front of it. Tails didn’t need to be a forensic scientist to realize which direction those skid marks pointed.

Forwards. Into the danger.

A lump formed in Tails’ throat. When they said to move, they didn’t specify where.

Not taking any chances, Metal Sonic indexed every single file in every single folder on his considerable file system, leafing through essential drivers, blueprints, and documents, tossing aside anything that did not bear the name of the file he needed. Within the amount of time it took Sonic to take a single step, the task was completed, and a command appeared before him on the scan-lined viewscreen that represented his view of the world.

“EXECUTE WEAPON-PRESET ‘BLITZKR.egg’”

Without sparing a moment for showmanship, Metal Sonic fired off more energy blasts toward the onrushing hedgehog as fast as he could charge them up. He fired in an arc from left to right to left, gradually moving the line of fire back toward the ground directly below him, making sure that any earth where Sonic might have set foot would be scorched along with the hedgehog himself. Each blast struck the floor with a blinding flash of light and a deafening roar, leaving smoking, bubbling indentations so close together that cracks started to form between them.

Yet through the savagery, a familiar blue flicker danced around certain death, bouncing over the energy balls before they even struck the ground, zipping through the tiny cracks between impact zones. Metal Sonic increased the rate of fire, but still Sonic effortlessly navigated the maze of cracks that consumed the floor. The green on-screen targeting reticule that guided Metal Sonic’s fire was unable to cope with the lofty demand, jumping about in all directions in a hopeless attempt to follow something it could not possibly follow.

Something in Sonic’s head clicked. How he knew, even he didn’t exactly know. But he knew. He had reached the sweet spot.

“Heads up, faker!”

One well-aimed shot could end this battle before it started. With inches to spare, Sonic leapt headfirst for Metal Sonic and curled into a spin attack, and braced for the usual shower of smashed circuit boards, shorted wires, and infinitesimal capacitors that pierced his body as he thrust himself through the brains of the machine.

All he got was a dull thud.

No bending, no flexing, no sign of damage. He just...bounced off Metal Sonic.

What? Did...did he just...

His spin attack could deflect hollow-point bullets, cut the strongest of steel alloys into ribbons, tunnel through miles of the earth’s surface without breaking much of a sweat…and yet this…clone held up to it without taking so much as a scratch.

Before he could even consider the variables that could lead to that result, he had to coordinate his own landing. His fears were confirmed the instant he looked up: Metal Sonic came out completely unscathed. All Sonic managed to do was knock him a few feet out of the air, for which he could easily compensate with his rocket boosters.

Almost the second after he landed, Tails rushed to his side. He had only one question: “What the heck just happened over there?”

“Buddy, I was just about to ask you the same thing...” said Sonic, rubbing his head. Tails shrugged, his mouth still agape. For once, he didn’t have the answer Sonic needed.

Metal Sonic crept ever closer to the two, making sure the sound of his laughter would drown out any conversation the two could possibly carry out. Gently, he decreased the power of his rocket boosters, allowing himself to drop to the ground.

“Was that the best you could do?!” he asked.

Sonic’s expression was reinvigorated by the personal challenge, draining all sense of shock from his eyes. “Heh...I’m just getting warmed up!” he said.

“Is that so?” said Metal Sonic.

Even as Metal Sonic spoke, the engine inside his chest cavity slowly purred and roared into life. When it reached a specific speed, a spark ignited, and a trail of blue flames burst out of his backside.

“So am I,” he added.

The pocket of air immediately surrounding him vibrated, tore, and rippled with the sound of the initial blast before settling back into place, as if oxygen itself feared for its safety in Metal Sonic’s presence. Only specialized boots kept him bolted to the ground, preventing him from careering into Sonic and Tails right then and there. Without a second thought, Sonic turned toward his partner, knowing deep down that he might not get another chance.

“Back off, Tails!” said Sonic, pointing his finger forcefully at the ground. “It’s me he wants!” But Tails didn’t even need the signal. One look into Sonic’s eyes told him more than he needed to know.

“But...but I...thought he said…” said Tails.

“That’s what he says,” said Sonic, flashing his trademark thumbs-up. “But trust me. He’ll change his tune soon enough.”

“Sonic, wait!” shouted Tails. “He’s...”

But it was too late. It had been too late from the time he opened his mouth. While Metal Sonic was still boosting in place, Sonic charged forward with everything he had.

The first die had been cast. Sonic’s first step triggered Metal Sonic to unclamp his boots from the floor, releasing all his stored energy in the form of raw, uncontained speed. Two unstoppable forces converged on one another, racing to become the first to the center of an imaginary battlefield, each lowering their heads for the inevitable collision. Tails braced himself as well, gripping the MilesElectric firmly to his chest with both arms.

It took less than a second for the two forces to plow head-first into one another. The energy of one directly counteracted the energy of the other, and there was nowhere else for it to go but outward, resulting in a shockwave that resounded across the massive expanses of the ESS-1. Tails barely managed to get his feet off the ground before the blast consumed him and his precious device.

In an instant, both Sonic and Metal Sonic found their forward motion curtailed completely. No matter how far Sonic pushed the limits of his speed, his shoes slipped and slid across the floor with each step, pushed beyond even the limits of their endurance. The same held true for Metal’s afterburners, held into submission by Sonic’s sheer persistence. Even as they pushed their ailing engines harder and harder, neither one of them was willing to give an inch. The unstoppable forces had become immovable objects.

Grunting and straining as his muscles screamed out for mercy, a Gallic smile was fixed on Sonic’s face.

“Tryin’ to…pass yourself off as Super Sonic now…are ya?” he asked, struggling for each word. “Let’s see…if you’re as fast as him!”

His feet skidded across the floor at speeds that would propel him to Mach 3 under normal circumstances. Under these circumstances, however, his shoes kicked up a plume of thick, grey smoke from the constant friction of rubber and metal. On the other side, Metal Sonic’s rocket fire had long since surpassed the melting point of the steel floor, creating a puddle of silver magma that bore all the way down to the core. Second by second, Metal Sonic’s head pressed itself deeper and deeper against Sonic’s skull, crushing blood vessels flat, forcing vital cranial fluids into retreat, sending a rush of throbbing pain across his forehead. It seemed inevitable that the whole structure would crack open and collapse in on itself at any moment. But until it did, Sonic reached deeper into his reserves for that one extra helping of strength that would force Metal Sonic back.

Suddenly, a feeling of weightlessness jolted through Sonic’s every nerve. What was happening? He couldn’t turn his head, but he could turn his eyes toward the ground. That’s when it came to him – familiar debris marks on the floor began to move. Forwards.

Metal Sonic was pushing him back.

What is this thing even made of?! Urgh...doesn’t matter...I’ll tear through it no matter how long it takes! Sonic thought.

There was no recourse left for Sonic. He had to reach the upper limit of his speed, a point that even he wasn’t sure of. And yet…had he reached it already? His legs simply wouldn’t accept a command to “go faster”. Blood vessels and lungs, already conditioned to the rigors of hypersonic travel, were on the verge of exploding. Just one more burst of effort, it seemed, would be enough for the whole system to shut down. Yet for all of that, Sonic still lost precious ground against Metal Sonic’s ferocious assault.

He couldn’t escape that. In fact, it consumed him. His brain no longer listened to any impulses from tortured nerves begging him to give in. He couldn’t give in. He couldn’t accept the mere concept of giving in. Not after he had come this far. Sonic readied himself for his last valiant sprint...

…and took one bad step. That was all Metal Sonic needed.

For a fraction of a second, Sonic’s stumble forced both his feet above the ground, where his friction-enhanced rubber soles would be useless in holding him steady. With no opposing force to keep him in check, Metal Sonic shot forward like a bullet, dragging a stunned Sonic with him. By the time he even noticed where he was, Sonic’s face, chest, and shoulders had all come into contact with the floor, spewing a trail of blood from his facial wounds. He came to rest just inches short of the same wall where he had been attacked earlier, with his limbs thrown about into positions they were never intended to occupy.

A thick curtain of indistinct noise clouded his vision, causing him to lose a grip on his normally-keen sense of orientation. As he struggled to his knees, he couldn’t tell which way his head was pointed. He blinked once. He blinked twice. It made no difference; the fog was imprinted upon his eyes. The simple act of tilting his head forward brought an unwelcome splash upon Sonic’s upper lip. A nosebleed, once a mere trickle, soon became a mighty waterfall that threatened to engulf his entire face. Any effort he made to snort back the rush was futile.

After doing a complete aerial circuit of the room, Metal Sonic came to a stop hovering just over Sonic’s body. He slowly brought his head down closer to Sonic’s level to further twist the knife.

“I win,” he said.

After a few seconds, Sonic noticed a shrill ringing sound in his ears, a common side effect of a concussion. But...that didn’t make any sense. They weren’t ringing this much even in the first moments after he struck the ground. This wasn’t a ringing sound...it was a whirring sound. It couldn’t have been in his head. Metal Sonic was up to something.

A harsh blue light suddenly poked through his sealed eyelids, jolting him to force them open. Vague, formless streaks of blue light dotted Sonic’s vision, in tune with the movements of Metal Sonic’s left hand. A blue orb of light emerged from the inside of the robot’s palm, charged up with an unseen, amorphous weapon. Sonic didn't need telling what it was. He needed to move. But this time, of all times, he couldn’t. Each time he tried to forget about his injuries and keep moving, the pain only intensified, keeping him glued to the floor. The urgency of the situation did little to infuse him with life – a life that could be extinguished in the blink of an eye.

Suddenly, he felt a hand grip tightly onto his right wrist, yanking his entire arm up in one swift motion. And then the expressions changed.

“Don’t count your eggs before they hatch,” said Sonic, with a smirk. The Tails Express had arrived right on schedule.

Soon, the rest of his body gracefully ascended from the floor, leaving an empty-eyed Metal Sonic aiming at nothing but the opposite-side wall. His targeting reticule bounced around his line of sight, searching for someone who wasn’t there. The doppelganger looked up, only to find Sonic waving back at him as he dangled off the arm of his savior.

Tails carried Sonic as far away from Metal Sonic as possible, buying them time to come up with a new strategy. Sonic closed his eyes, letting the rush of the wind renew his life force and permeate his body and soul. He felt normal again. No...better than normal. He felt like he could take on the world. But Tails saw the world in a different way. A significant portion of his view was consumed by Sonic’s gashed, bruised head. His nosebleed oozed onto Tails’ right arm as it held him aloft. And this was just his head. Tails shuddered at the thought of the possible injuries to the rest of his body, which he hadn’t been able to see yet.

“I tell ya, buddy...” said Sonic. “I don’t know what I’d do without you!”

“Oh, Sonic...” said Tails, his voice cracking. “What did he do to you?”

“Nothin’ I haven’t gotten through before!” said Sonic, flashing a thumbs-up with his one free hand. “And I’ll get through this!”

“Not without me, you won’t! The only way we can beat this thing is if we do it together! He was built to destroy you…hate you…but I don’t think he’s prepared to take on both of us!”

Sonic beamed. Apparently someone was listening to his impromptu sermons on teamwork.

“Turn this ship around, cap’n!” he said. “Let’s get ‘im!”

“Yeah!”

Tails made a tight 180-degree turn, leaving Sonic to swing dangerously off to the side. But he would never let go – not of Tails’ hand, nor of this moment. For one fleeting moment, hope triumphed over despair. There was a chance they could pull this off.

It took only one second for that chance to be snuffed out. The entire cavernous space on the ESS-1 flashed with a sudden burst of illumination, and the room temperature shot up several degrees.

“What the heck--” Sonic asked.

In the blink of an eye, a blinding white laser streaked across the air, buzzing past Sonic’s head. A sudden pull of gravity forced Sonic back to the left, taking him out of the beam’s path with a split-second to spare. Tails was pulled into a temporary state of shock by the flash, just long enough for him to forget what he was even doing. Without him realizing it, his tail-blades momentarily came to a halt, only for him to fire them up again when the two began to drop out of the air like rocks.

A deafening metal crash above them commanded their attention. When they looked up, they beheld the full effect of Metal Sonic’s weapon for the first time. A steel beam on the ceiling had melted through as if it were a chocolate bar, and flashed a bright orange on the edges of where the laser had struck it. The blast destroyed the joints connecting it to the ceiling, causing the two-ton object to break free from its chains and swing on its one remaining hinge. Miraculously, the hinge held up, preventing the beam from collapsing.

“Whoa!” said Sonic, just after the noise settled. “Evasive maneuvers!”

The room lit up a second time, but Tails, recognizing the cue, made a swift turn to the right. Sonic’s legs escaped incineration from the second laser by mere inches.

“You’re kidding me! He’s got lasers now?” asked Tails.

“Apparently!” said Sonic.

Tails’ heart rate soared with the anticipation of the next one. He was trapped in a virtual thunderstorm, dreading the next flash of lightning that could strike at any moment. His right arm shook like pure jelly down to the wrist, where his glove became soaked in sweat that dripped off his brow. His mind whizzed between stations, with so many things to keep track of at the same time. Airspeed, heading, Sonic’s status on his right arm, the status of the MilesElectric still lodged in his left arm, when the next laser could strike and what the best strategy was to avoid it. He had committed himself to the world’s most dangerous aerial juggling act.

“Hold on tight, buddy! This could get rough!” said Sonic.

As if in reply, Sonic heard a voice crackle to life in his left ear. But it wasn’t Tails’. He was too preoccupied to talk. He couldn’t tell what it was saying in the middle of the chaos, but its identity came to him soon enough.

“Knuckles?!” said Sonic.

“What?!” asked Tails. “Where?!”

“On the ear-thingy! Didn’t you hear him?”

Tails made another 180-degree turn, so that they might be able to at least get enough quiet to make out what Knuckles had to say – hastily pulling Sonic above a fourth laser in the meantime. Finally, the two landed on the next floor down, buying themselves time for at least a few seconds of conversation. On this deck, they ran into the exact same layout – a wide enclosure with multiple locked security doors blocking the way forward. It was no less wide and no less deep than the deck above, but given the circumstances, somehow it didn’t feel that way.

“Guys! You’ve got to listen to me!” shouted Knuckles. “You’re in grave danger!”

The few seconds expired. Another flash, and the ceiling above Sonic and Tails rumbled and shook, knocking a tile to the floor.

“Tell me something I don’t know!” said Sonic.

The ear-piercing sounds of battle, destruction, and desperation clued Knuckles in. His discovery had come too late. Still, better late than never. On Sonic and Tails’ floor, more blasts came from above. More tiles fell from the ceiling. Metal Sonic dared the two to come back up and face him.

“Listen, there’s something more! I don’t know what’s going on, but I can feel it! It’s as if...as if the Master Emerald itself is being warped and distorted and...!” said Knuckles.

“Would you just get to the point?!” said Sonic.

“It’s negative Chaos Energy! Only it’s more concentrated than I’ve ever felt it! It’s...almost tearing me apart!”

Negative. Chaos. Energy. Three words that brought shivers through the spines of anyone who knew their significance. Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles were three of the unlucky ones who experienced their effects first-hand on multiple occasions. They could add this occasion to the list.

“Wait, you’ve got the Emerald?” asked Tails.

“No...it’s locked away. There’s only one entrance to the chamber, and I can’t break through. Believe me, I’ve tried,” said Knuckles, rubbing his sore fists.

The sound of a rocket engine overpowered Knuckles’ tinny voice, capturing Sonic and Tails’ attention. Just beyond the ledge of the deck hovered Metal Sonic, with yet another laser at the ready. With little time to think, Sonic grabbed hold of Tails’ wrist and yanked him along for a supersonic dash to the opposite end of the hallway. The next laser fired on their initial positions and gradually moved toward their current ones.

“You wanna speed this one up?” asked Sonic, as he and Tails made a perfectly-timed jump over the oncoming laser to save themselves from certain death.

“There’s a passcode, and no one here is nice enough to give it to me straight! I need Mr. Hacker over there to let me in!” said Knuckles.

Tails gulped. “Wait…I—”

“Go! I’ll keep ‘im busy!” said Sonic.

“What happened to sticking together?!” asked Tails. “I thought…”

“We are sticking together…all three of us! Knuckles needs you right you right now! Don’t worry about me, I can handle it!”

That was a hard sell to Tails, now that he could actually see the extent of the cuts and bruises throughout Sonic’s entire body. Tails couldn’t help but wonder if Sonic was hiding an even deeper pain from him, but if this were the case, it seemed nothing less than betrayal to not be there for him. He stared into his own reflection in the MilesElectric’s screen, and then back at Sonic, hoping that his mere aura of fortitude could force a decision.

The next moment, Metal Sonic fired off yet another laser, forcing them to dive in opposite directions.

“Hey, you said we were gonna have to ‘wing it’, right?” said Sonic.

That was all Tails needed. He scrambled to his feet, jumped to avoid the laser beam, and soared over the ledge back down to Deck 6 where they started. If this fight was going to be won, his place wasn’t with Sonic. His place was among machines. Ironically enough, so was Sonic’s. He rose to his feet, standing with a slight wobble, but no less tall and proud. He had been beaten up. But he hadn’t been beaten.

All right, faker. The kid gloves are OFF. It’s just you and me now.

On the next Supernova: The race to shut down the ESS-1!