183Dib07: I am going to try and update this story much quicker than my earlier ones, and rating may go up in this fic. Again as a warning this fic contains angst and is based off of Sonic X that was originally inspired by the Sewer Search episode. I try to keep all of them in character.
Added note: All the herbs Knuckles mentions are all made up. They would have natural herbs on their own world to cure illnesses, and this must be rather tough for them when they are evidently stuck on Earth with strange, alien plants to contend with. Plus all of our normal medicines would be strange to them.
Chapter 2: Trouble ahead
"What the hell happened?" Knuckles grunted as he followed the perplexed fox up the long winding stairs. He barely bothered to wipe his dirty boots on the indoor mat. Ella grumbled at him as he went through, grabbing a bucket and mop.
"Quickly! Up here!" Chuck yelled from the landing.
"Does Sonic spend his time here? In such a rich place?" The emerald guardian mused aloud, admiring the wallpaper, tapestries and paintings. Chris sure was well off. Not that he liked it. Knuckles preferred natural stone, the warm stench of soil. The overhanging sky. Nature itself.
Still leaving a neat muddy trail up the marble staircase, Knuckles followed the kitson with robust, confident strides.
"It was horrible, Knuckles!" Tails was saying who was a few steps ahead, "Eggman set a trap, and when Sonic attacked him, the machine just blew up, carpeting the place in gas and flame! Sonic got caught in the middle of it!"
"And Eggman?"
"We don't know! There was no sign of him! Honest!"
"Figures." Finally reaching the top of the landing, Knuckles was surprised when he felt his legs actually ache from that climb. Well, the temple housing the Master Emerald had stairs, but those steps weren't as small or as narrow. "Humans." He muttered vacantly.
Following a hysterical kitson, the echidna sauntered into Christopher's room where Chuck and Chris were waiting for him. Despite Knux's guarded affront and brazen image, he wasn't prepared to see his arrogant blue friend wrapped in blankets in the boy's arms. At first he didn't know what to say. He just stood staring with his mouth wide open. Feet rooted to the spot.
"Knuckles!" Chuck's ardent voice brought him swimming back to reality, "we need your help!"
"Eggman did this?"
"Yes. Please help. Sonic may not have much time."
"Give him to me." The echidna, barely getting over the sway of panic, pushed past any weakness and recollected his confidence. The boy looked down at him.
"Be gentle with him." Chris knelt down, Sonic lovingly bundled tight. It was clear that Chris was reluctant to allow anyone else to take him.
"I will." He promised. Taking Sonic into his own arms, he rested his legs on the carpet and began to peel back the soft blankets. "I'm amazed actually. If you said he survived an explosion, he has hardly any heat damage. No burn or scorch marks."
"He was in the building quite a long time." Tails said at his shoulder, "Chris had to run in and get him out. He breathed in all the toxins, we believe."
"Well, it's easily done, considering his fast respiration rate." Once all the covers were removed, Knuckles noted the tight dressing round his abdomen. Carefully running a paw over Sonic's chest and pelvis for broken bones or anything abnormal, he said, "at home on our planet, there was plenty of natural medicine for common ailments and the like. The medicines are herbs that grew abundantly if you knew where to look. There was the muleunka plant that healed damage to the lungs, the hyssops of Qun that neutralized any snake bite. The typok that cured belly ache in seconds. But alas, we aren't on our home planet anymore. And so I cannot use natural medicine for him. Otherwise I would have known what to use."
"Can't we remedy this by getting herbs that closely resemble your ones?" Chris offered hopefully.
"You could try to find alternatives I suppose."
Gently laying Sonic down, Knuckles felt his throat and legs, pleased to find no broken bones and nothing else amiss. Everything problematic it seemed, was internal. However, when he came to physically examine his bandaged torso, his sensitive touch came across something unexpected and not altogether welcoming.
"What happened to his stomach?"
Chuck leaned forward, one hand scratching absently on his chin, "a bit of shrapnel I think skimmed him. It bled just a little."
"You don't understand," Knuckles growled at once, his frown deepening, "he still has some metal in there! It has to be taken out!"
"But I thought..."
"It doesn't matter what you thought! The piece of metal was obviously so fine and small that it must have gone through him like a bullet." At that he started cutting away at the gauze.
"Knux!" Tails protested, "are you sure?"
"Of course I'm sure! Someone with small hands is going to have to remove it. It isn't in too deep, but my paws are too thick and bulky."
"I'll do it." Chris said quietly. They all stopped and looked at him as if he had coolly claimed that he was pregnant. "I'll do it." He repeated. "It's my fault Sonic's this way. You have no idea how guilty I feel. Please let me do this."
"It'll be real easy, kid." Knuckles said, violet eyes lucid and clear, "I'll guide you. It's the blood you're going to have to get past."
Chuck gripped Christopher's shoulder. "Are you sure about this, Chris?"
The boy nodded.
"You're going to need some equipment ready." The echidna reminded them, "pliers, a metal dish. And some painkillers for him."
Too frail to be put under even light anaesthetic, he was injected with a mild painkiller that didn't induce sleepiness. Rubbing the open wound with alcohol, this promoted the wound to bleed afresh. Taking up the pliers, Knuckles guided Chris towards the small hole. "I'm too rough," he was saying, "but you have a gentle, patient touch. Just go up a little... that's it. Now go in a little more." Knuckles encouraged him calmly, praising his tiny jerks of progress. "Just a little more, Chris. That's good. You should be able to feel it."
"What if I go in too deep and damage him more?"
"No, you're doing all right. I promise."
Groping round the hard splinter in a sea of blood, Chris latched on to it and gently, slowly pulled the pliers out. As soon as the tool came loose, Tails and Chuck pressed hard on the hedgehog's abdomen to ease the bleeding. In the grip of the pliers was the piece of metal. It was like a thin curly bit of wire that was so fine like paper. Only, if it had stayed in Sonic's body, it would have produced infection and sepsis.
Knuckles smiled reverently at him. "Good job, kid. Knew you could do it!"
It all felt incredibly surreal, as if Chris was watching his own life unfurl and not having any direct control over it. His terrible, aching guilt however, was repressed by his lifesaving act only a few short hours ago. Sonic's direful bit of metal shrapnel had been removed, and the deep cut stitched by Amy who had a way with the thread. She proclaimed with dignity and pride that she used to spend hours every night before bed knitting clothing either for neighbours, extra blankets for the winter, or more socks for Sonic. Of course, ever since coming to Earth, she hadn't the need to make or repair clothes, as they were now a common, ready accommodation. However, her skills were greatly rejoiced, and so she too had done a great part in helping.
With Sonic sleeping on a specially made bed by the blazing hearth that consisted of a wide mattress coupled with pillows and blankets, they left him snuggled by the fire. He was still firmly hooked up to the oxygen apparatus and drip to support his body.
"So, this all happened the day before yesterday? I'm confused." Knuckles left the cooling cup of tea on the table as he made himself at home in one of the plush living room chairs. The cushions were made out of silk and he had to be careful not to get his claws snagged up in them.
"It happened on Thursday," Tails had already recounted the tale a few times in order for Knuckles to keep up, "Eggman had been very quiet as of late. We haven't heard from him in weeks. Then this happened."
"Was it a new design?"
"No, not really. I think Sonic just got caught out. He does have this unfortunate habit of throwing himself into danger body first. Something like this was bound to happen."
Knuckles concerns were elsewhere. "Say if Eggman attacks again? I can take out a few robots, sure, but if something happens to me, then who'll help us?"
"Me! I have the X-Tornado!"
Amy came into the lounge looking dismal. "Cream and Cheese have just gone to bed. I had to lie, telling her that Sonic'll be fine."
"He will be, Amy." Chris told her. Meanwhile, Chuck was in the kitchen preparing some kind of supper with Ella. None of them were hungry, regardless of the strong cooking smells wafting from the other room.
Amy sat on a chair opposite to Knuckles. With a great sigh she leaned against the plush cushions, mulling over her thoughts. "Talk about bad luck." She said limply. "And Sonic is... or rather was, luck."
"Yeah, I thought he had it tattooed to his shoulder!" Knuckles tried to lightly joke. But his thin smile was drawn tight. "We wait until he gets better. It shouldn't take too long. Then we'll get Eggman back for this. Mark my words!"
"Is that all you can think of? Revenge?" Amy hissed.
"What better idea do you have?"
"Hey!" Tails cried between them, "let's not get angry. It doesn't help."
"Anger gives me strength." Knuckles declared solemnly, "something you critters will never understand!" He rose to get up. Knuckles was like the upper cuts he delivered. Short, fast and to the point. Once he had his mind made up, he was gone again, back into the folds of nature or wherever adventure took him. Chris rose with him and took out something small and red in his pocket. With quiet purpose, he delivered the object into the echidna's paw.
"It's a phone." The boy said, "I know you may not like or even understand it, but I can teach you while we head for the door. If I have any questions, I'd like you to help me."
"By calling me up on... this thing?"
Chris nodded bluntly.
Knuckles, ever the proud, do-it-alone type, was a bit taken back. Chris had Tails, Amy, Chuck and Cream for assistance. Yet the boy felt more confident in the Guardian's abilities. Maybe it was because of his experience? Not just on the field, but in medicine and wisdom?
"Okay." The Emerald Guardian agreed. "Just don't expect me to reply to text messages! My fingers are too big to punch in numbers!"
Angry and insulted, Doctor Eggman plopped himself in his hi-tech chair mulling over ireful thoughts and dark fantasies. His latest invention had been an utter failure and he couldn't perceive why. The robot had been a marvel of invention and classic defence – and was far superior to all previous models. In fact, it was built so well that Eggman had barely got out in time before the whole thing exploded. Luckily for him, he had an in-built ejection module into his robots to ensure his own safety. But despite the vigorous armour, weaponry and vitality, his arch nemesis had very rudely put an end to it like he had done to all his others before. The one thing Eggman's machines lacked was speed. Unable to outmanoeuvre the hedgehog, Eggman was forced to build designs using great defence and strength. Not his plans were mottled with defeat.
"That blue rodent is invincible!" He grounded his fist into the desktop so much so that he swore he had just made a dent.
"Why not use the chaos emerald?" Bocoe suggested from behind him, hands folded on his hips in a very human-like fashion that befitted his personality. "You managed to find it just yesterday by accident near a toxic waste dump!"
"If I use it, it will only be snatched from me again!" The doctor spat from beneath his ginger moustache, "and then they'll have it! The weasels! Animals are supposed to be dim-witted! Dumb and senseless! Yet here I am, waging a war against them! It's not fair! If Sonic were out of the way, I'd win and take over the world in but a few days. Not even the government could stop me!"
"You're forgetting one thing." Came a sharp, authoritative female voice. Rogue the bat walked into the room, arms crossed in front of her chest, wings neatly folded. "That I got you that chaos emerald in return that you find me another two. That's all I'm asking."
"I never did understand you." Eggman barked bitterly, "chaos emeralds are pure, raw energy, yet you merely want a couple because they are pretty? Pah-lease!"
"I want my insurance against possible threats as much as you do." She returned, sounding a little hurt. "And my services don't come free. What I do with the chaos emeralds are none of your concern. On the other hand, you need my help."
"Only when it suits." He said, distrusting her to the fullest. She worked for the government when it suited her after all, making as many threats as neutral as possible, including himself and Shadow. She was like a bee, taking the nectar whenever possible but not helping the hive.
"You try too hard." She continued, taking a step forward, "you need to be more subtle. Get rid of your giant sized robots for smaller creations. And use the emerald!"
"I will use what I like!"
He turned away from her in his chair and contemplated the black screen in front of him. "Fine." She said, "I was only trying to help. After all, you owe me two emeralds."
"Yes, yes. Run along now."
She did so, silently. And was gone. It was strange of her to side with him on occasion and not Sonic. He wondered why. Had there been some calamity in the past that made the bat and the hedgehog seemingly ignore one another? Or was it merely for self-gain that made Rogue so independent?
He shrugged to himself. What did it matter? His one and only goal was to get rid of Sonic, and this had been a constant task for nearly twenty years.
"Decoe, Bocoe, get me those designs again on the 'Eggsecrator,' I want to change a few things."
TBC
Dib07: I have never actually explored Eggman's character that well and never done his side of things, which makes it different for me. I always try to make him appear more evil as he was orginally intended. Please R & R!