Hop To It - Eclipse Epilogue 1

[Heyu]

I clicked the power off on the communicator and handed it back to… someone. Robotnik, I think, since I didn’t have to hand it down. It didn’t matter, I just kept watching the planet.

There was no way for me to see Shadow. He was a tiny speck of light in the morning sun, miles away. But I felt like I owed it to him to keep watching anyway.

“...I don’t think you’re getting your Emerald back, Humi,” I said, faintly.

She took my hand. “I don’t care about that right now.”

Amy spoke up. “Heyu, how did you do that?”

“Do what?” I asked, looking at her.

“How did you know what I said to Shadow?” She tilted her head. “About being happy.”

“Oh. I… It felt like the right thing to say.” I wondered if my eyes were glowing again. I had a headache. Must be lots of leftover chaos from that lizard exploding.

It didn’t matter right now.

The door behind us opened, and as one we turned to see Sonic stepping into the room. Such a solemn expression had no place on his face… although, right now with that down expression, I really could see the resemblance between him and the black hedgehog.

He looked at all of us, relaxing slightly with each face he saw, even Robotnik and Mecha and me.

Rouge stepped forward. “Where is Shadow?” she asked, though from her tone she already suspected.

Sonic could only shake his head. He stepped forward and handed her one of the rings Shadow wore around his wrist. Rouge took it, cradling it in her hand.

“Do--” she began, then started again. “Do you really think that the Professor created him--Shadow--to carry out his revenge on all of Earth?”

Sonic’s reply was immediate. “He was who he was: a brave and heroic hedgehog, who gave his life to save this planet.” He broke away, walking over to stand by the window. “Shadow the Hedgehog…”

Rouge nodded to herself. Her voice broke. “I guess you’re right…”

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We broke up into groups after that, the better to process everything that had just happened. The fate of the world. The fate of someone who could have been a friend, if we had a little more time.

Humi stayed next to me, and after a moment we were joined by Tails and, of all people, Robotnik. They joined us in looking out at the stars.

“...You know,” Robotnik began, arms folded behind his back, “When I was a child, I looked up to my grandfather because of all the great things he accomplished in his life… He was my hero.” He let out a breath. “I wanted to be a great scientist just like him. But I wonder… did he really mean to destroy us?”

I looked at him, then shrugged. “I think… that you shouldn’t judge someone by how they act on the worst day of their life. He lost the person he loved most in the world.” I let go of Humi’s hand so I could pat her on the head. “I don’t think I’d lose it quite as bad as he did… but you never really know.”

“Hm.” He hummed noncommittally.

From next to me, a very small voice spoke. “It’s not easy, losing what matters most to you.” Humi leaned into my touch, and I hugged her.

Tails, with a look of concentration, nodded to himself. “There’s no need for sad faces! The day was saved, and we all did it together!”

Robotnik and I exchanged a look, while Humi burst into giggles.

“Tails, you’re such a dork.”

“What? What did I say?”

The Doctor chuckled slightly as Tails and Humi drifted away slightly to talk, and I snapped my fingers. “Right, I almost forgot.” My ears drooped. “I would have given it to Shadow if there’d been more time, but I found an old photo album of Maria’s while we were exploring.”

Robotnik looked at me, perplexed.

“...And I figure I’d ask if you want it, since she’s your family?” I continued, a little put off by his lack of response.

Robotnik seemed to consider the question for a moment, before shaking his head with a grunt. “No, I’d rather not. Maria died before I was born. I’m not interested in seeing a dead girl’s memories.” He turned and walked off to be alone. “But thank you for the offer.”

I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. With that out of the way, I turned to the kids. They were quietly discussing things like minor changes to their tech, Gamma’s progress, their next projects, and so on.

Clearing my throat to alert them, I pulled out mom’s phone. “I don’t suppose one of you can rig this to reach planetside? I should probably call my folks.”

Humi grinned. “Yeah, you don’t want to forget for two months again.”

“Pack it in, packrat,” I said fondly.

Tails chuckled and held out his hand. “Let me take a look.”

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[Knuckles]

Knuckles stepped over to join the bat by her window. “So, what’s next for you, Rouge? Off again to find those jewels you love so much?”

Rouge smirked. “Nah, I think I’m going to give up that line of work,” she said, lying. “Too much effort for too little reward.” She sighed happily. “Besides, I’ve got something much better than gems in mind right now…”

“What’s that?”

Rouge didn’t answer, instead saying, “It’ll all work out, hopefully.”

“Hopefully indeed.” Iota rolled up behind them, using his wheels to keep from loudly stomping. “Wistful: You know, all told, I think things worked out nicely.”

Rouge turned a flat stare onto him. “Oh, really?”

Iota nodded. “Yes, really. Shadow was the hero. He saved the world. And we are still here, to remember him for it.”

Her expression softened, and she turned her head to hide it. “So, what? He lives on in our hearts? This isn’t an after-school special.”

Iota made a sad beep. “The thing with life… is that it ends. For all of us. It is only here for a short time, and that is why it is precious.”

Knuckles nodded sagely, only to snort when Rouge groaned in frustration.

“As an aside, during this adventure I discovered a most fascinating colony of bats with white fur,” Iota added, leaning in a little too close for comfort. “Tell me, friend Rouge, do you enjoy fish?”

“What?”

Knuckles patted her on the back. “Don’t worry. You get used to him.”

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[Mecha]

The others were all in their own little groups. Mecha stood in the corner, not engaging. He barely understood what had happened, except that the Doctor’s plan had failed and he somehow didn’t seem too upset by it.

Mecha stared at Sonic, who was softly murmuring to himself, and contemplated things. He was built to look like Sonic, to mimic him, to destroy him… but Mecha felt no need to at the moment. This wasn’t the time, he felt.

Maybe there would never be a time.

And Shadow… was gone. Mecha didn’t like Shadow, but based on what he’d heard…

Mecha was so very confused.

Amy walked up behind Sonic, and Mecha listened in. “Sonic? What’s the matter? Are you okay?”

Sonic looked at her, looking startled for a moment before shaking it off and smiling. “Oh, it’s nothing. Let’s go home!” He turned and pointed at the door. “To the planet as cool and blue as me!”

…was Mecha meant to emulate this? He didn’t even have his own voice. Just another sign he wasn’t meant to be here.

Mecha glanced over at the Fivers. The mouse was happily talking to Tails while the hare spoke on the phone, not letting her out of his sight. The former badnik was still conversing with Rouge and the Echidna.

They were happy. And why shouldn’t they be? They got to go home. They got to have each other.

Mecha closed his optics, thinking. He wasn’t equipped to deal with this.

His thoughts were interrupted by someone grabbing his arm and dragging him to the center of the room.

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[Eggman]

“Well, this has been fun, everyone,” Eggman declared, getting all their attention. He pulled Mecha onto his feet and shoved him onto the teleport platform. The robotic hedgehog vanished in a flash of light, and then he stepped in himself. “We’ll call it a draw this time, Sonic.”

That blue menace grinned. “A draw? You must be--” He cut himself off. “...Yeah, sure. Go on then.”

Eggman’s brow rose, but he adjusted quickly. “Next time, things will be different, hedgehog. And don’t think that this little quiet moment means anything, either!”

“Wouldn’t have it any other way, Egghead!”

“Harrumph!” Despite himself, Eggman grinned back. Then the teleporter whisked him away, and he was back in the pyramid, where Mecha was waiting.

First things first. He immediately turned around and deactivated the teleport pad. No reason to give Sonic and his little friends an easy time getting back. They went to all that effort to steal his shuttle, they might as well get some use out of it, hoho!

And so many surprises. Rouge pledging her service, Shadow’s very existence--and E-108 Iota, up and about and totally rebuilt. That mouse girl would need watching… and perhaps he should keep a closer eye on the two-tailed freak as well. Going from a barely-functional mech to a highly competent war machine in less than 72 hours was impressive, he’d admit. Ivo could do it in twelve, but hey, the boy was young.

Once again, his plan failed. Last time, he underestimated how hard it would be to control Chaos; he admitted to his failure there. This time, he got blindsided by secrets he couldn’t possibly have known about.

“Grandfather…”

Ivo Robotnik grew up hearing about his cousin Maria. His own father spoke of her almost religiously, like she was an actual saint, and it was rare to hear them talk about Gerald without mentioning her as well.

He’d always hated her. Dead and gone, and she was still taking all the family’s attention. They never said what she liked, or what she did, just that she was sick and nice, bleh. Her death was a tragedy to be sure--the world could use more Robotniks!--but was it really necessary to act like the world warped around her?

Well. Apparently it was. Gerald, their shared grandfather, who he looked up to so much… loved Maria enough to destroy the world once she was no longer in it. And unlike his parents and uncle, Gerald actually knew her, spent so much time on her, trying to help her…

Maybe he should have taken that photo album. Maybe if Ivo could understand just what was so great about Maria… but no, no, it would make no difference. At this point, after everything he’s heard about her, learning the truth could only ever be a disappointment.

What to do next? Last time he almost flooded the continent. This time his actions almost destroyed the world. Maybe it was time to back off. Maybe conquering the world in one go just wasn’t as easy as he hoped, even for someone like him.

Next time, he’d start small and just take over a town or a city, and build up from there.

“But I can’t do it from here,” he said out loud. “This place is compromised. Mecha!”

The robot jumped, having apparently not expected him to address it. Eggman gave it a proper look.

“Good grief, what happened to you? You’re even more of an eyesore than usual.” Eggman flapped a hand at him. “Whatever. Go prep the cruiser. We’re packing up and falling back to a new location.” He rubbed his chin. “Perhaps that rig off of South Island again… or given how much heat I’m facing, a mobile base would be better… where did I park that ship?”

Yes, somewhere out of the way like that. South Island would be ideal; it might be nice to go back to basics for a while.

On the other hand… as much of a hassle as the past few days had been, it gave him so many ideas.

For example, Shadow… the ultimate lifeform. 

“Mecha!” The robot jumped again. What was wrong with this scrapheap? No matter. “I have a task for you. Once you’re repaired, I want you to find Shadow.”

Mecha Sonic tilted its head.

Sensing its confusion, Eggman explained. “I doubt he’s survived that fall, but his body should be mostly intact. By studying it, I should be able to recreate his more useful qualities…”

Mecha stared for a long moment, then nodded stiffly and moved out.

Eggman left the pyramid’s control room as well, taking a different path. So much to do, and plenty of time to do it…

He rubbed his chin, talking to himself. “You know, the BioLizard was impressive in its own right… such incredible regenerative abilities… the final product isn’t always as good as the prototype. Perhaps I might be able to find some remnants of it on the ARK.”

Something to think about later. He wasn’t about to return just yet, not when those animals might still be up there. He wasn’t going to waste a dramatic exit like that.

“Hohoho… Time for a little vacation.” Eggman grinned. “A rested conqueror is a successful one, after all!”

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[Heyu]

“Yes… I know… Yes, I saw the moon,” I said, trying to get a word in edgewise. “Mom, listen, this is important. I’m safe, Humi’s safe, Iota is safe, we’re all safe, okay?”

“Hayden, you found her? Why didn’t you call me immediately?”

“I was out of service range until just now, mom.” I sighed.

“I want you home as soon as possible; I’m not going to be happy until I can see you. Where are you right now?”

I looked out the window. “...Mom, I love you, and for that reason I am not going to discuss this until we’re face to face.”

“What?!”

“Please. If I told you where we are right now, you’d panic. Please, wait until we’re standing in front of you.”

“...Hayden. Is this… is this like what happened with that Chaos creature?”

“I’m afraid so.”

There was a long silence from her end. “...And you can promise me you’re safe?”

“I promise. Everything is resolved, we just have to do cleanup now.”

“Then I’ll trust you. I love you.”

“Love you too. I promise I’ll be home soon.” I let her hang up first before flipping the phone shut and looking around. “Where’d Sonic get to?”

Tails climbed into the Cyclone and started its engine. “He and Amy went on to the shuttle bay. Don’t worry, they can’t leave without me and I won’t leave anyone behind.”

“I hope you’ve got plenty of room,” I said. “We destroyed a lot of badniks earlier. Right Iota?”

The robot straightened and walked to the door. He mimicked the sound of a deep breath, then let out a piercing whistle that forced me to cover my ears.

Tails grimaced at the sound. “What’s that for?”

Iota stepped aside, keeping one hand on the door frame to prevent it closing. And then the ground started shaking.

A small horde of animals charged in; birds, cats, rabbits, miniature gorillas, all sorts of things.

Tails’s eyes widened. “Whoa!”

“These guys are going to need a ride back to the surface,” I said, smirking a little at his expression.

“No kidding.” Tails blinked, shook his head, then walked his mech forward. “Alright, everyone! Follow me! Knuckles, Humi, can you help me herd them to the shuttle bay?”

The red echidna cracked his knuckles. “Yeah, yeah… Yah! Get! Go on!”

“Are you coming, Heyu?” Humi asked, climbing into the Y-Nought.

“I’ll be right behind you,” I promised. “Just have a couple things to take care of first. You go on.”

She shrugged and went to help.

Now it was just the three of us left. I turned to Rouge. “Howdy, Miss G.U.N. Agent.”

Rouge raised a brow at me. “I hope you know I’m still annoyed with you.”

“I figured,” I said, not caring. “But before we go back down to the planet, I’d like some assurance that we aren’t going to be arrested.”

She scoffed. “As much as I’d like to say that, I’m not entirely sure I won’t be arrested. I’ll be lucky to still have a job at the end of all this.” She folded her arms. “This whole mess with arresting Sonic, I have no idea what the status is with that.”

Iota spoke up from the door. “Surely our parts in saving the Earth will warrant pardons, yes?”

“Assuming they believe us.”

“They might. On our way to the pyramid, G.U.N. seemed to be experiencing some sort of schism.”

“Really? Well, that is interesting…”

I shook my head. “I’m not terribly worried about myself or Humi, but I know that the rest of you guys might be in trouble. There has to be something we can do…” I chuckled, despite the situation. “If only Robotnik were still here. Maybe we could convince him to testify on our behalf.”

“Doubtful: I expect that would be a point against us, not for.” Iota hummed for a moment. “Would it be useful to mention at this point that I have been recording video for the past twenty-four hours?”

Rouge and I both turned to look at him, incredulous. “What?” I asked.

“I encountered a marvelous ecosystem in the caverns beneath Pumpkin Hill and wished to make a record of it. And then I forgot to turn it off.” He paused. “Video storage is now at 87% capacity.”

“Well now…” Rouge said, thinking. “That could be useful. You weren’t around for a lot of the important stuff, but you saw the big battle with Shadow and Sonic and the BioLizard.” She snapped her fingers. “Did Tails take it with or did he… aha!” Rouge walked over to a console and picked up a data disk. “This is part of Gerald’s journal, given to me by Eggman.”

“I suspect we have the beginnings of a plan,” I said happily. “But it sounds like things have gotten complicated down on Earth, too. “Let’s go and see if we can figure things out, aye?”

The story didn’t stop once you reached the end. We still had a lot to do.

For us, and for everyone, life goes on.