Hop To It - Eclipse Epilogue 3

[G.U.N.]

Abraham Tower replayed the scene again.

The robot that was the recording’s point-of-view hurries into the observatory--and wasn’t that a trip down memory lane by itself--to see Dr. Eggman plus a collection of Mobians. They talk for a bit, then all rush to the windows where a giant lizard is attaching itself to the Cannon.

And then Super Sonic and Super Shadow come out of nowhere to save the day.

Tower wasn’t sure he wanted to believe it, but the robot’s recording included its HUD, which was helpfully providing commentary, keeping track of both hedgehogs. It also included a countdown to the point where it would no longer be possible to save the day; they got much closer to zero than Tower liked.

The last five minutes played out with the ARK suddenly being transported back to its original orbit and the robot taking a moment to find the tiny glowing dot that was Shadow, falling to earth, until the glow went out and he could no longer be seen.

He rewinded to see it again. Just in case Shadow somehow managed to get out of it, just in case his human eyes could notice something the robot’s cameras didn’t, but there was nothing. To all appearances, Shadow was gone. And he went out saving the world.

Of course, he was the one who put the world in jeopardy in the first place. What happened? First he goes on a rant in front of the robot about hating humans, then just a couple hours later he’s sacrificing himself. What could have changed him in such a short timeframe? Hopefully one of the analysts would be able to figure it out…

The Commander leaned back and growled, massaging his forehead. “Trench, how are the analysts doing?”

“Still working, sir,” his comms officer reported. “The Iota unit recorded a lot of data. Even splitting it up into segments it’s going to take some time.”

The officer sitting next to him and his own console muttered. “I didn’t even know there was a subway built that far out.”

“And what about the other data?” Tower asked, dreading the answer.

The recording wasn’t all they had. Agent Rouge had also provided documents, compiled mostly by Mr. Fiver, that indicated troubling things. Tower had always been fed the story that the ARK colony project was destroyed by Project: Shadow, but not only did it turn out that the Project: Shadow being referred to was the BioLizard creature, but the lizard had been in stasis since before the attack took place.

And a fragment of Gerald’s journal. If only they had the whole thing; Tower had hunch it would have explained everything.

Lt. Foxhole spoke up. “We’ve dug through the records. There was an attack by the BioLizard, but it’s listed as having happened over a year before the ARK’s accident. Furthermore, I dug into your predecessor’s own file, sir. Commander Saloon’s approvals sheet has a massive block of blacked out text that coincides with the decommissioning of the ARK.”

Tower closed his eyes and groaned. That wasn’t proof, but it was a very bad sign. “We have to do something about this.”

Captain Bunker entered the room, holding a folder. “Here you are, sir.”

“What’s this?” Tower asked, taking it.

“Missive from the President.” Bunker winced. “He’s not happy.”

“I don’t blame him, I’m not happy either.” He flipped it open and read through. “...He wants us to do a full audit. Clean house, basically.”

“Well, good, that’s what we’re doing already,” Bunker said.

“Mm.” Tower grunted. “Bunker, where’s Palisade?”

“At home.” Bunker paused, then took his hat off and tucked it under his arm. “Stuffy in here. Julie went home for the day, sir. Wanted to sleep in her own bed for once, after all this. I plan on doing the same soon.”

“I see. Someone--Trench--make a note. I want her to spend some time in PR, since she somehow managed to get through all this without alienating the heroes. I want her to be the face of our restructuring.”

Bunker blinked. “Restruc--what do you mean?”

“What happened last week was unforgivable, and it happened because one man with enough power was able to act on a petty grudge.” Tower set the folder aside and leaned forward in his chair, steepling his fingers. “That sort of thing can’t be allowed to happen again. The President wants us to be held accountable, and I agree with him.”

“Sir.”

“And bring me Agent Rouge. I want her opinion on something.”

---------------------------------------

[Heyu]

One Week After the ARK

Bliss.

I was lying on my back on the softest grass I’d ever encountered, eyes closed. The sky was partly cloudy, and at the moment a cloud was casting a cool shadow over me. It was pleasantly warm. And about half a dozen Chao were using my body as a jungle gym.

One of them was chasing another through the arch of my legs, two more were playing jump rope with my left ear, one was playing with my fingers, and a final one was sitting on my stomach and playing with a yo-yo.

Chao were soft creatures, about halfway between water balloons and stuffed animals in a way that was difficult to describe. Little water droplet babies with wings. Adorable little fairy creatures. I had no idea what they were but they were cute.

A week passed, and while Knuckles left as soon as he was able, Tails and Amy stuck around for a while. Coming to the Chao Garden to unwind was Amy’s idea, and it was a good one.

I cracked one eye open and turned my head as much as I could without disturbing the Chao. I saw Humi stuff a purple Chao with pronounced wings inside her T-shirt cannon and fire it into the sky. The little critter cheered wildly in exhilaration as it flew faster than it could manage on its own, turning loop-de-loops and corkscrews as it glided back down to the ground. It landed rough, but jumped right back up and ran back to get launched again, which Humi was only too happy to do.

Iota, while hesitant at first and worried that he’d hurt them by accident, had been assured by one of the attendants that the orange Chao with horns were sturdier than they looked, had been convinced to juggle them. A young Chao of the standard colors was sitting on his head, wearing a mask made out of an eggshell.

Amy, by contrast, was content to draw and color with a pair of the critters. I closed my eyes again.

This was nice. Dad was working, because the near-end of the world could only put off the mail for so long, but I was honestly surprised that Mom let us go without her, after everything. Apparently she thought Chao were ‘creepy.’

Madness. These creatures could do no wrong.

“I’ve got snacks!” Tails arrived carrying a tray and a small folding table, using his tails to set up the latter before setting the platter down. 

I groaned and sat up, catching the Chao on my chest before it could fall and placing it gently on the grass. The one holding onto my ear refused to let go and got pulled off its feet, but they weighed so little I barely noticed, and they had wings, so I let it be. The other four all ran off now that their playground was moving, so I joined the others by the table.

“Thanks for inviting us out here, Amy,” I said, grabbing a chocolate cookie off a plate. “I needed this.”

She giggled. “You certainly look like you’re having fun.”

Humi laughed as she launched the flying Chao one more time. “These guys are great! I wonder if I can build a catapult he can use when I leave.”

“Ask the attendants for permission first,” I said. “How about you, Iota, how are you holding up?”

The robot continued juggling. The Chao loved it; in the time between my last look and now three more had thrown themselves into the circle. “Perhaps a miniature Ferris wheel would be better received. Apologies, small friends,” he said, setting them down one by one to their audible disappointment. “We don’t want you getting dizzy, do we?”

“So,” Tails said, sipping at his milkshake. I was pretty sure it was mint chocolate; it looked good. “What’s next for us?”

Amy smiled and opened her mouth.

“Yeah yeah, chasing Sonic,” Humi said dismissively. “Same thing as always.”

“I--but--it might not be that!” Amy said, turning red. “Maybe I was going to, uh, practice my fortune telling! I could set up a tent and charge for readings like I did sometimes back in Station Square!”

“Were you?” I asked.

“...I might.”

I smiled and shook my head. “Amy, are you still homeless? Maybe you should consider finding a new place.”

“Probably,” she admitted, swirling her tea with a spoon. “I’ll admit, wearing the same dress every day is getting old… all the things I could salvage from my old place are just sitting in storage. It’d be nice to have a proper bed again.”

“Tell me about it.” I took another cookie. “I’ve actually grown a couple inches since I left home; staying in my old room again is nice, but my feet stick off the end of the bed. Our place in Mystic Ruins has a queen-size I’m looking forward to returning to.” I turned to Humi. “Speaking of, do you want to get a proper bed, or are you happy with the hammock?”

“I’ll think about it!” She took a bite out of a slice of cheesecake like it was a pizza. “I want to build more robots. Those fake Gamma robots suck compared to the original. I can do better in my sleep!”

Tails chuckled. “Speaking of Gamma… Amy, I checked in on him. It’ll be just a couple more weeks before I should be able to turn him back on. You should stick around to meet him when he wakes up.”

“Oh, that’ll be great!”

“Excitement: I too would like to meet my brother!”

The fox sipped on his straw. “After that… I dunno. Sonic’s run off back to the coast. He told me he wants to visit the islands again, so he’ll probably need a ride.”

Humi pouted. “Can’t he fly the plane himself?”

“I don’t mind,” Tails said. “It’ll be just like the old days.”

“You are eight years old,” I pointed out. “You don’t have any old days.”

“I’m almost nine!” he protested.

“Bah.” I waved the complaint away. “Well, don't be afraid to visit. We’ll keep your hangar on the cape clean for you.”

“Of course I’ll visit,” Tails said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Why wouldn’t I visit?”

Humi beamed.

“I intend to explore the jungle around our home more thoroughly,” Iota offered. “The exotic locales around Central City were… interesting, but I’ve decided it is worth getting to know our home as much as possible.”

“What about you, Heyu?” Amy asked.

I paused, considering the question.

“I don’t know. Everything’s been crazy these past few months.” I took a bite and chewed quietly for a few seconds. “I guess I’ll keep doing what I’ve been doing: taking it one day at a time. Who knows what’ll come next?”

One thing’s for sure; whatever it was, it wouldn’t be boring.

Then I frowned. “Man, I need to find a job.”

Another Chao grabbed at my leg. I passed it a cookie without looking. Instead of accepting it, the Chao climbed up my fur, and I yelped--it was much heavier than the others. “What the--”

I grabbed it and held it out in front of me. “You again?”

“Hello,” the silver Omochao said, waving. “Sorry to bother you.”

“Is that the one we met on the ARK?” Humi asked. “How did it get down here?”

Its head swivelled to look at her. “You promised me a submarine.”

“Oh yeah…”

Two more Omochao hovered down from somewhere above, circling our group. One of them had taped fake glasses that looked like it came from a doll to its face.

“You know, these treats might be tasty, but they’re actually not very good for you! They’re safe to feed the Chao in small amounts, though,” the glasses one said.

“They don’t care about that, stop talking,” the last one retorted sourly.

Great. I had a feeling I knew these two, also. I opened my mouth to ask why they were here, when my ears twitched and I heard wings flapping nearby. I dropped the battered Omochao, who shouted in alarm, and stood up to walk away from the table. “I’ll be right back.”

“Oh, sure,” Amy said, watching the flying robots curiously. “Can you find a server while you’re up? I’d like more tea.”

“And ask about adopting a Chao,” Iota said, trying to sound casual.

“Not gonna happen.”

I walked out of the garden area to the small café building, keeping an eye out. I caught the waitress’s eye and pointed back at our spot, and she nodded, grabbing a pitcher. She was a rabbit, so I figured she heard what Amy wanted.

Huh, the waitress was oddly familiar. Did I know h--

“Hey, big boy.”

I rolled my eyes and turned to face Rouge, who was leaning against a palm tree at an angle invisible from our spot. “Do not to be flirting with me, please.”

“Oh no?” She winked. “What’s the matter? Already taken?”

“No,” I said flatly, “But getting flirted with by a teenager makes me feel gross. Stop it.”

Rouge faltered. “What, can you hear my age now?”

I just raised an eyebrow, not deigning to answer.

“Oh, you’re no fun.” She sighed, then straightened, all business. “Commander Tower’s gone through our report and sent me out to discuss rewards with you.”

I blinked. “Rewards?”

“I know, you and I hardly did anything,” Rouge said with a smirk. “But somehow I got promoted, and you’re getting rewarded. You might even get some actual contract work eventually.”

“Oh,” I said, intelligently. “Congrats on the promotion?”

She waved it away. “It’s more of a pay raise. I can’t say much about it yet, but keep an eye on the news. I’m sure it’ll come to light soon.” She gave me a look. “So, what’ll it be? Money? A job? Dibs on the Emeralds when they show up?” Her eyes twinkled. “That’s one I chose; I’ve decided I want the pink one.”

“It’s more purple, I think.” A job? I was being offered a job? With G.U.N…. Hm, no, I don’t think I wanted that. As much as I needed employment right now, I didn’t think I could stand being a soldier. Money would be nice. How much could I ask for for helping save the world?

…Sonic and Shadow were the ones who did all the real work, really. All I did was make sure people knew what went down. I wouldn’t feel good asking for big money for that, not after Shadow had to… die for it. It was a shame, but…

I looked back over at my friends. Then I blinked, because Big had appeared and joined them, Froggy riding between his ears. It looked like Humi had convinced him and Amy to arm wrestle, though Big didn’t seem to have realized that’s what they were doing, despite Amy trying her hardest. Iota was cheering for Big while Tails was cheering for Amy.

“Hmm.” I nodded to myself. “I want three things,” I said, holding up the relevant fingers.

Rouge pulled a notebook out. “Go on.”

“First, I want legal personhood for Iota. And Gamma,” I added, remembering the other robot in our group. Rouge looked confused, so I explained. “G.U.N. was clearly uncomfortable dealing with Iota when we got back from space. It hasn’t come to it yet, but I want to get ahead of any attempt to confiscate them just for being former Robotnik creations.”

The bat stared at me for a long moment, then wrote that out. “Iota and… Gamma? Should I know who that is?”

“Check the news regarding the Chaos Incident. I’m sure he gets mentioned. Tails can tell you more. Next,” I trailed off, pondering what was reasonable. “G.U.N. probably has a lot of wrecked robots right now. I want a big pile of them for Humi to tinker with. She wanted to build more robots, so I’ll get her something to practice with.”

“Ooh, that might be a hard sell,” Rouge admitted. “Robots are expensive, after all. On the other hand, the scrap is as likely to be melted down as it is recycled… I’ll see what I can do. What’s the last one?”

“I’ll take… one hundred thousand dollars.” That would be a decent buffer, yes. Not a ridiculous amount I wouldn’t know what to do with, but enough to handle the bills and utilities until I could find employment.

“...Is that a joke?” Rouge asked. “You only want a hundred grand?” She looked at me like I was crazy. “I got enough money to buy up this lovely property I’ve had my eye on for a business venture. You could get so much more than that pocket change!”

I shrugged. “Two hundred?”

She scoffed. “Incredible. I thought for sure you’d go for the Emerald.” She wrote it down anyway.

“I’m not worried about that,” I said easily. “I’m sure it’ll turn up on its own. The white one likes Humi.”

Rouge made a disbelieving sound. “You’re sure those are all you want?”

“I don’t need a lot.”

“Well, whatever. I’ll take this to command. Nice seeing you,” she said, unfolding her wings.

“Do you want to stay for a bit?” I gestured over to my friends. Big got distracted by a butterfly and slammed Amy’s arm onto the table hard enough to break it. “You were part of the ARK debacle too, I’m sure we’d be happy to have you.”

Rouge looked at me, obviously surprised. Then she smiled, more genuinely now. “I appreciate it, but not this time. So much to do, so little time to do it.” She took off, starting to fly away. “We’ll deliver your junked drones to your home in Mystic Jungle. It’ll be waiting there when you return, probably.”

“Just be careful, there’s still construction going on.”

She smirked. “Oh, didn’t you know? Your house was finished three days ago.”

---------------------------------------

[??????]

In a forest, somewhere far to the north of Central City, outside the borders of the United Federation, there was a crater. It wasn’t quite home, but it was familiar, and so he stayed nearby.

He didn’t quite know where he was. Or who he was. He just woke up there a few days ago, in a fair bit of pain and holding a green gem. It was important, even if he didn’t know why.

He fiddled with the ring around his wrist. The back of his hand was itchy, and he was having a hard time getting his gloves off. There was a ring locking one of them in place, so he snapped it off.

A feeling of dread loomed in the back of his mind, though he wasn’t sure why, but after a minute passed and nothing happened, he shrugged and tucked the ring into his quills for safe keeping alongside the gemstone. With that done, the glove was loose enough that he could remove it. 

The source of the itch turned out to be a piece of paper. It was slightly singed, probably from whatever had hurt him before, but mostly intact. Carefully, he unfolded it.

A picture of a girl looked back at him. He rubbed his thumb over the pawprint in the corner.

Maria.

He didn’t quite know who this girl was, except that

She loved you very much.

And that was important.

Overhead, the whine of engines drew his attention, and he quickly folded the paper back up and slipped it into his sock, just for now.

A… robot descended from the sky, one that looked vaguely familiar. It stared at him, navy blue and with yellow eyes looking out from behind a clear visor.

“H-hello?” he greeted, not certain what was happening or how he knew what a robot was.

The machine stared. Then it raised its arm to where its mouth would be if it had one.

“...location of Shadow’s landing found. Location of Shadow…”

He tensed. Shadow. Yes. That was his name. It felt correct. But this robot was looking for him. Why? He felt uneasy. Shadow prepared to run. Or fight. He could also fight.

The robot looked off to the side. “Location of Shadow… unknown. Will continue search.”

And then it flew off, not giving him a second glance.

Shadow didn’t know what that was about, but he instinctively felt he needed to go somewhere else.

Good thing the weather was so clear. It was a beautiful day for a run.