#edit: IGNORE THE TAGS HE’S GOTTEN WORSE OUTSIDE OF HIS REVIEWS I JUST FOUND OUT

[magic-can]

MR. ENTER TURNED OFF COMMENTS ON HIS TURNING RED REVIEW LMAO

[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!