| GCB Fanfics: The Fanfiction Project |
August 14th, 2003Preshow: "Viae Duae Vietae" Smaller than the tiniest cell in the human body, a MicroElectro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) nanomachine is compromised of no more than two-thousand atoms. Nanomachines were initially designed for the purpose of destroying cancer cells and saving lives. Hundreds of thousands of the microscopic particles would drift endlessly in a single human body, programmed to attach themselves to the hostile cells and 'defuse' them with tiny quantities of nuclear material. From these humble beginnings, nanomachines soon became far more than just a medical device. Soon, intelligent companies began marketing the potential of minuscule computer programs to government agencies. Neurotransmitters were created for the specific purpose of finding an undetectable way for the United States government to communicate with special forces agents deep in enemy territory. Thus, the Codec was born. An indistinguishable, colorless object of total density less than a fingernail clipping, a Codec would be surgically formatted into an operative's inner earlobes, allowing for instant visual and auditory communication with analysts thousands of miles away. Enemy forces would have no hypothetical way to tell that any information was being sent to and from the Codec, because the radiowaves of data were so small-pitched that hardly any scientific device could track it. So long as the subject in question was injected with the proper number of nanomachines, vital life signs could also be relayed. While the purpose of Codecs seemed underly benign, corrupt government officials knew how to milk the product for less-than-noble purposes. Including FOX-DIE. FOX-DIE was a virus that even nanomachines were unable to protect against; in fact, FOX-DIE was often injected into certain patients along with the miniature devices. More importantly, FOX-DIE's symptoms could easily be misdiagnosed as resultants from heart failure. Indeed, FOX-DIE was so covert that it, like nanomachines themselves, it was hard to track...and even harder to predict. Solid Snake had no idea when FOX-DIE would claim him. The process was so utterly random and nondescript that Snake barely understood what was eating away at his own body. Solid Snake, however, had bigger concerns than viruses or nanomachines. He was thinking of his upcoming match with an old competitor, one whose path he had crossed once before. I was lucky enough to win the first time, but he's probably learned from his mistakes. I can't assume that it will be just as easy today. He needed someone to talk to, a friendly voice to calm his senses before the match. Effortlessly, he concentrated on the numbers 141.12 in his mind, and, surely enough, his Codec responded. Within a few milliseconds, a connection was established over millions of miles. The wonders of modern technology, Snake thought idly, as a green, filtered image of Hal Emmerich eventually centered above his consciousness. "Snake! My God! Snake, is that you?" Emmerich's high-pitched voice was zapped with energy. He's been overdosing on caffeine again, Snake thought, remembering how poor Otacon began abusing the substance after Emma's death. I guess I should be glad I was never too close to anyone, because I've never had to go through the emotional hell that Otacon calls home. Then again, with Meryl...well, maybe I'm not totally immune to emotion... "Snake! Solid Snake! Talk to me, man! It's been way too long!" Otacon interrupted Snake's trailing thoughts like a sharpened knife through stale bread. Snake nearly winced in pain, as Emmerich was speaking so damn loud that his Codec was flooded with auditory information. Keep it down, Hal. I know it's been a while, but you know how I am...I don't make the effort to keep in touch unless I have to. Snake was occasionally reminded, at moments like these, of how utterly introverted he could be. Most soldiers tend to isolate their opinions, keep their minds focused on completing missions and never ask questions. Snake learned the hard way that knowing himself...both his strengths and his weaknesses...was key to his survival. He also learned not to blindly trust his superiors...harsh lessons from Zanzibar and Shadow Moses ingrained a general distrust for commanders. The Shadow Moses incident, in particular, was an instance where he did not defy his instructions until it was too late. Namely, one virus and far too many deaths too late... So, after Moses, Snake and Otacon carved their own way through life, acting as an independent unit free from any jurisdiction. Philanthropy was originally created to protect the overall interests of humanity, not just one particular agency. And so far, I don't regret it for a second. Sure, Philanthropy has been repeatedly antagonized by the government's propaganda, but while the public may think of me as a villain, I can at least breathe easy knowing I'm trying my best to keep them all alive. Snake desperately needed a vacation, though. The wear and tear of both the FOX-DIE virus and post-traumatic stress disorder were catching up with him, but Snake...like most other genetically-enhanced super-soldiers...felt at ease only when facing an opponent on the battlefield. So Otacon looked on the internet and found about this contest. And here I am, on my vacation, ready to earn the respect I believe I deserve. Snake had been underestimated ever since he walked into the doors of the coliseum. I was pretty underestimated last year, too...but that's a different story. While most the competitors concentrated on conquering the big names...names like Link, Sephiroth, and Mario Mario...Snake was dismissed as a quiet veteran too far past his prime. Well, it's their death wish if they keep ignoring me. I've faced three Metal Gears, Big Boss, a genetically superior brother, a psychologically dismantled ninja, a savvy mind-reader, a Russian sharpshooter, and a woman who could not be touched. I can't imagine I'll face much worse here, though Knuckles could give me the same problems he did last time... He refused to contemplate the issue further, as last year's match only brought back even more harsh memories he preferred to barrow in the subconscious realm. "SNAKE! S-N-A-K-E! Buddy, are you there? Jeez, man, don't leave me out in the cold!" Otacon screeched, becoming a little annoyed. Snake only now realized that, in his deep trance, he had completely ignored his good friend's wails. "Otacon, calm down. I'm just thinking a bit..." Snake muttered in response, un-meddled. "What you're doing is wasting my time!" Otacon shouted, the image through the Codec screen showing him grimacing in dismay. Snake could see that Otacon was more than a little stressed. Beads of sweat...so large that they even appeared on the Codec imaging...were dripping down the entrails of his face, passing by his large glasses. The curly-haired computer nut looked as if he had just endured strenuous exercise...but Otacon? Exercise? Snake realized that something bigger must have been going on. "What's wrong?" Snake asked. "Are you all right? You don't look too good." "Snake, I've recently hacked into quite a few highly classified U.S. government files. Concerning...well, you know. The Patriots. I've been tracked by the FBI for some time, now," Otacon replied hastily. "WHAT? Why didn't I know anything about this?" Snake barked. Dammit, I should be there... "You're on your vacation, Snake...and you're not anywhere near here as it is. I can handle this one by myself, trust me. I just don't have much time to wait for your five-minute disappearing acts," Otacon said plainly. Snake couldn't resist a chuckle. "We've known each other far too long..." "...that we have," interrupted Otacon. "But, seriously, an episode of my favorite Anime series is going to be on in a few..." "...wait a minute," Snake chimed in. "You're telling me you've hacked into government files, and you're being hunted down by the FBI as we speak, and you're going to sit down and watch a TV show?" "Hey, it's relaxing. Besides, as soon as I finish processing my next series of hacks, the government will have no clue who I am or where I'm hiding." "...wishful thinking. Don't underestimate them, Otacon. They've been crafty enough to keep us guessing through Shadow Moses and the Tanker. I think we don't even know the tip of the iceberg," Snake mumbled. Part of him wanted to run back then and there and help a good friend in need, but Snake knew that he also had obligations to complete his run in the tournament. The matches are well more than halfway over as is. I should be back in no time... "...you shouldn't patronize me, Snake." Otacon responded, his voice cackling a little through some newfound static in the Codec line. "I obviously should, you don't have any clue what you're getting into. Anyway, I got a match in about..." Snake glanced at his wristwatch. "...twenty-five minutes. I just wanted you to wish me luck before I enter the arena." "Oh, really?" Otacon brightened. "Well, jeez, good luck! Be careful, and try not to get yourself hurt..." "I won't. I know what I'm up against. I've faced this kid last time, seems that we'll always get stuck fighting each other. Have I ever mentioned Knuckles the Echidna before?" Snake asked, massaging his scraggly beard with the slender touch of battle-worn fingers. "I'm not familiar with the name..." Otacon stuttered. "He's an animal, and I mean that literally..." Snake replied. "About two thirds my height, red fur, spiked-down hairdo. A young punk, but I don't think I've ever fought against anyone faster. He curls up into this little ball and just chucks his whole body at you....at supersonic speeds." "You gotta be kidding, Snake!" Otacon chuckled, though deep down they both knew that Snake wasn't the type to lie about an upcoming match. "Nope. You have to see him to believe him. He's obviously not from our neck of the woods," Snake said, his brown eyes now gazing over to a nearby door. He was inside the competitor's locker room, a rather plaid, bland place that reeked with the odor of blood. The walls had been painted a putrid olive green and the lockers themselves clashed with wild tints of neon orange. The committee that established this tournament must have been in a rush to complete this coliseum. Everything here is mismatched, as if thrown together like a fleet of colliding freight trains. Snake had stocked the room with every weapon he planned on bringing in to his match. A Mark 23 SOCOM pistol dangled from a belt strap down from his stealth suit. The pistol was equipped with a silencer and laser-imaging, and was the ultimate in spec-ops fighting. A single bullet from the chambers of this sucker will kill a man without him even noticing the sound of the recoil. The SOCOM had long remained Snake's weapon of choice, and he concerned the rest of his weaponry mere extra firepower to make the match interesting. Snake also had a few tricks hiding in the 'pockets' of his stealth suit, but he'd save those unless using them were absolutely necessary. A FA-MAS assault rifle was resting alongside one of the locker stalls. With the ability to shoot 1,100 rounds of 5.56 mm bullets per minute, the FA-MAS gave Snake the much needed advantage of pure odds. Knuckles is fast enough to dodge a single bullet from a SOCOM, but throw 1,100 at him and he won't be able to escape. The black assault weapon was a bit heavy, so Snake figured he'd strap it to his right shoulder, let his back carry the pain. The FA-MAS wasn't the only heavy-duty weapon Snake made sure to carry. A Stinger missile launcher was also nearby, and that particular weapon would be saved for the occasion that Knuckles might try something truly nasty. I don't want to have to pull a rocket launcher against anybody, as one hit from a Stinger is nearly guaranteed to kill. Still, it's nice backup if the Echidna tries something dirty. Snake scoffed at the thought. So many of the other competitors in the competition...people like Kefka, Sephiroth, Bowser, Vercetti, Link, and even Knuckle's own friend, Sonic, had used unnecessary force and downright trickery to defeat their opponents. These fools just don't know the meaning of honor these days. It saddens me to see people like them perform so well in a contest that should uphold the traditions of chivalry. "Well, Snake, good luck with that Knuckles guy. I hope you don't beat him too badly," Otacon said with a lackadaisical smirk. "Yeah...I would be disappointed if I did," Snake responded, with a hearty guffaw. "Anyway, you stay clear from the Patriots until I get back. I know how horrible you are with a gun...there's no way you could defend yourself against a raid. Leave the tough stuff to me, right? And let me enjoy my goddamn vacation without worrying about your sorry ass." "All right, all right. Affirmative," Otacon said, meekly adjusting his glasses before the Codec signal evaporated into nothingness. Snake soaked in a large breath before fiddling around with his stealth suit, looking for a well-concealed pocket. He opened a small bottle and popped a multi-colored pill into his mouth, using his saliva to swallow it whole without any other liquid substitute. The Pentazemin, an anti-depressant, was designed to temporarily boost a user's immune system...and more importantly, calm the senses against a possible nervous breakdown. I'm actually breaking a sweat over this fight. Very few warriors have the skills and the talent to make me as tense as I am now. He would have lit a cigarette, but his mind was too concentrated to even notice the lack of nicotine's sweet scent in his mouth. ---- Barely twenty minutes until the beginning of the match. Twenty minutes before the battle that he had waited this past year for. Twenty minutes until the beckoning cry for revenge would send him into another warzone, against an old nemesis he couldn't possibly forget. Twenty minutes before the fight that would erase the word failure from his memory... Twenty minutes before the big event, and Knuckles the Echidna was sleeping soundly in his bedroom. Sonic the Hedgehog could only sigh at the sight of this pitiful development. "Knuckles! What...the...HELL...are...you...doing?" Sonic heaved, as he desperately tried to find some way to wake his comrade from slumber. Sonic had tried almost everything...he had poked him, slapped him, pinched him, screamed at him, and nearly ran over the poor dreamer. Knuckles, however, did not even blink an eye. "KNUCKLES!!!!" This time Sonic had screeched directly into Knuckles' earlobe, at such a loud decibel that the room nearly shook from the power of his voice. Knuckles could not avoid reality for too long. A single raven eye...his left...slowly opened and revealed Sonic standing one millimeter too close for comfort. "Get away from me, you filthy Emerald-snatcher!" Knuckles yelped, raising himself into an immediate battle position, obviously too half-asleep to remember that he and Sonic had, in fact, become good friends over the past few years. Sonic shook his sapphire head in dismay. "Idiot." Knuckles responded by rubbing his eyes, roaring a deep yawn in the process. "Aww, man, Sonic. You woke me from one helluva dream, dude. You better have a decent excuse or I'll *pound* ya to death for that one." "Oh, let me see..." Sonic said, making an elaborate gesture by glancing at an imaginary wristwatch. "...you're supposed to fight Solid Snake in, oh, about 19 minutes and counting now." "Woah!" Knuckles shouted, caught off-guard yet again. "...heh...wait a minute. Is this some stupid April Fool's joke? You seriously expect me to fall for that again?" Sonic folded slender arms across his quilled back, trying his hardest not to laugh. "I'm sorry, buddy, but you're fightin' Solid Snake, and you gotta hurry." Knuckles chuckled. "Us? Hurry? Sonic, my dear friend, you and I will have plenty enough time to enjoy the scenic views on the way there. Oh...let me think...it'll take me about...thirty seconds, maybe? Twenty-seven for you." "Still, Knux, you gotta break that bad habit you have. You're always sleeping whenever anything important's going on. You were sleeping when Robotnik initially stole the chaos emeralds. Then, you were sleeping when the chaos emeralds were stolen...again. And you were most obviously half-asleep through half of my journey through Angel Island, or you wouldn't of attacked me in the first place." "...hey! Sleep helps me relax. It's soothing, to be able to meditate on the past conflicts I have faced, to concentrate on the future instead of dwelling in..." "...yeah right," Sonic replied, sarcasm choking through his voice. "If anything, you were just dreaming about my girlfriend Amy again." Knuckles could barely contain a giggle at the thought of lusting for Sonic's girlfriend. Sonic merely responded by folding his arms and glaring menacingly, twirling a single finger from left to right in the process. He's made such an awesome gesture from that intimidating little move of his, Knuckles thought to himself. Knuckles jumped up from his bed and quickly slipped on a pair of white gloves and forest-green shoes, the only apparel he'd ever need to wear. His ruby-tinted fur was more than enough to protect him. "So Snake...we meet again," Knuckles muttered to himself, gazing at his three newly-acquired chaos emeralds as he spoke. The red one...the one that so elegantly matched his fur...was his from the beginning, but the other two were acquired from subsequent fights. The amethyst jewel was a token from Yuna, who left it after fleeing from the scene of their last fight in the coliseum. I still feel bad for that poor chick, she really didn't deserve to get walloped. She just wasn't in much of a fighting groove. The green emerald was a 'gift' of sorts from Shadow. Shadow came so close to beating that Mario guy, and that overweight crony was number two last year! Man, that's a great sign that Team Sonic is just beginning to show its real potential. Knuckles felt particularly bad that his friend Tails wouldn't be in the stands to cheer him on. Tails...dude, I can't wait to show him the contest trophy after I win. It'll be awesome! Maybe Mr. Prowler will look up to me instead of Sonic for a change. Sonic had followed Knuckles' gaze, and soon both of them were staring at the three emeralds together. "...Knuckles, you a little nervous?" Knuckles concealed his true feelings. Never hurts to at least act a little cocky around your friends, that way they don't think you're too weak. "Nervous? Me? Nah. Just bidin' my time before the match." Sonic allowed for a brief moment of silence before speaking again. "Well, y'know, you are fighting the guy who beat you last time." A nauseous feeling overcame the pits of Knuckles' stomach. "Don't remind me." "...maybe with those chaos emeralds, you'll fare a better chance," Sonic motioned, grabbing one of the emeralds...the violet one...with an outstretched palm. "The emeralds? Not this time, buddy," Knuckles mumbled, though not without initially regretting his words. He sighed a little as his eyes again darted towards those beautiful objects he had served under all his life. "WHAT?" Sonic bellowed. "Those emeralds are yours, Knuckles! I mean, well, they pretty much belong to you." "The powers of the chaos emeralds are not yours or mine," Knuckles mused emotionlessly, as if reciting an old story told long, long ago. "They are the planet's, and it is merely my job to protect them from ill will. Sephiroth and Bowser...I'm worried about the fact that they have emeralds." Sonic seemed shocked for just a moment, his jaw hung open. "You're sure they do?" "...Yeah. I wouldn't even need to watch their battles. At times like these...I can just...tell. It's hard to explain, but the emeralds and I...we have a slight bond with each other. That's what happens when you spend your whole life with 'em." "So, wait a minute. You're just going to let a bunch of baddies use your emeralds...but you're not even going to use them?" "Correct. I have to show an example, Sonic. I have to prove that I can beat a guy like Snake without resorting to any advantage that shouldn't be mine in the first place. I have to...I have to use my strength, my knowledge, and my willpower to defeat Snake. I can't call it much of a victory if I only win because I have emeralds and he doesn't." "...you'll fail miserably, Knux. You and I both know...Snake has some of Robotnik's types of weaponry. Guns, rocket launchers..." "All stuff we've faced before, and all stuff we've beaten," Knuckles said, brushing a soft glove against the fur of his spiked-down quills. "C'mon, Sonic. I can beat Snake, and I won't even resort to any emeralds...or any mecha-form...to handle it. You can't tell me that you truly deserved to beat Zero, the way you fought him." "HEY!" Sonic yelled. "...don't bring that up again! You didn't have to get involved!" "I'm just saying, Sonic," Knuckles replied. "This is about the spirit of battling. Snake deserves a fair fight from me, just like he got last time. But I'll show him that he was just lucky last year. This year, he's gonna have his hands full." "A-all right...but be careful, Knux. If you leave today, it's gonna be pretty boring representing Team Sonic on my own..." Yet by the time Sonic had finished his thoughts, Knuckles had already left, a speedy crimson blur darting through the hotel's halls and out the door. Battle: "One Hit Wonder" Solid Snake took a puff on his cigarette, he calmly surveyed the area, but he was sure the maze was different. Apparently the suits at the top of this didn't like that Snake could memorize the layout in such a short time. Oh well, not knowing where I am wont be anything new. Snake carried with him his trademark M9, tranquilizers equipped, there was no need for a casualty in this battle. Still though, Snake was beginning to feel worried about his lack of fire power, he had also begun to regret picking the maze. He had beat the red warrior last year, fairly easily, but the maze was a different story. Knuckles had the ability to fly, or do something along those lines, and the maze was a bad place to be if your opponent was in the air. Then again if Knuckles was in the air, he'd be a target for Snake, so that wasn't the best option. But he knew Knuckles was impressively maneuverable in the air, and wouldn't be an easy target to hit. Whatever thought Snake They always have some sort of advantage. Knuckles slowly entered the arena, and moved to the center of the maze. He nodded to Snake, and Snake returned the gesture. He threw his cigarette to the floor and grinded it with his foot, then he moved to the center of the ring. "Knuckles," said Snake, nodding his head in acknowledgment. "Snake," responded Knuckles. Then they both went back to their appropriate entrances to the maze. Not wasting any time. The match began, as they tend too. Snake whipped out his gun, but Knuckles was already into the maze. Snake grunted and went in after him. He held his M9 out in front of him, preparing for any attack that could be around the corner. This guy Knuckles was a veteran, he wouldn't make any of the mistakes Raiden did. He began to memorize the layout of the maze as he passed through it, in case he had to come back. He ran around more and more corners but still there was no sign of Knuckles. Corner after corner nothing. Then out of the corner of his eye he caught a disturbance in the calm serenity of the floor. He rushed over to see what it was. "Crap," Snake said aloud, as he looked into a shallow tunnel that had been created under the floor. Suddenly Knuckles burst up out of the floor behind Snake. Snake didn't even need to look to know what to do. He leaped forward, and tucked into a roll. Knuckles fist smashed into the ground where the secret agent had been standing, and leaped forward to counter the roll of Snake. Snake rolled up onto his feet and spun around with his M9. Kncukles was too close though, and got under the gun. He threw a powerful uppercut at Solid Snake, but the expert fighter leaned his head back and the punch barely grazed his gruff, unshaven, face. Snake dropped to the ground and flip-kicked out at Knuckles. The kick connected with Knuckles back propelling him forward to the floor. Snake kipped up and spun around to fire a shot at Knuckles, but the crafty warrior had already burrowed underground again. "Damn it," Snake said to himself, and went back to trying to find where Knuckles would pop up next. Damn it thought Knuckles, as he dug under the stadium floor. I forgot how good he is in hand to hand combat, even without any special powers he still was matching me blow for blow. I've got to think up of a way to suprise him if I'm gonna beat him, a straight attack won't work. Knuckles dug through the ground about eight feet under the surface. He stopped and began to listen again. He heard sounds coming from his left. He spun over and began digging that way. He heard thuds leading in a trail. He snuck up behind him and leaped out of the ground from behind the noises. He emerged out of the ground expecting to see Snake's back, what he saw was a medium sized rock hit the ground and roll a few feet. He spun around in the air to see Snake about 20 feet away with an armful of rocks, and one rock coming right toward his head at an impressive speed. Knuckles was no slouch though, with impressive reaction time and eye hand coordination he caught the stone and flipped backwards, landing daintily on the ground. Snake grunted and dropped his stones, and pulled out his M9, but Knuckles countered by hurling the rock right back at Snake. Snake ducked off to the side, to avoid impact, but that gave Knuckles enough time to close the gap between them. Knuckles lunged forward with a powerful punch, Snake being crouched over didn't have enough mobility to dodge it and it connected. Snake flew back into the wall behind the two warriors. Knuckles leaped up into the air preparing the final punch, the glimpse of victory shining in his eyes. Snake grunted in pain, but raised his legs to catch Knuckles in his descent. He thrust his legs out and Knuckles flew back down the hall way. He reached over for his M9, and aimed it at the spot where Knuckles was, but he was gone. Snake looked down into the ground. "Damn, he got away again," muttered Snake. "Not quite," said a voice from above him. Knuckles leaped off of the wall and descended onto Snake. He threw a powerful punch at Snake's head, but once again it met only air. Snake leaped back readying his M9 to fire at the red echidna. Knuckles looked around quickly and picked up a rock and threw it at Snake. The rock contacted the M9 knocking it off of target. Knuckles ducked back into his hole. Snake saw Knuckles retracting into the hole again. He began to shake his wrist, that contact had sprained it or something. This was getting serious, I expected him to attack from the air, not from the ground, I haven't thought of a strategy for this. I need to get him up into the air, thats my only real shot, or get him in a long corridor, but I don't think he'll fall for that one. Knuckles was also rethinking his battle strategy. I've got to mix it up now, now that he thinks this is my attack plan, if I change it, I should be able to catch him off guard, it's my only chance. But what, can I do, what skills do I have that he doesn't. Knuckles thought about it for a moment of two more, and then decided on a new course of action. Snake wandered through the maze some more, he was beginning to recognize his way around the maze now, so his pacing was much more methodical. He took silent steps, since from his last encounter he determined Knuckles used sounds to find him through the ground. Suddenly he heard the sound of Knuckles coming out of the ground far away from him. Snake's eye's narrowed, as he went down towards where the noise had come from. He reached there and looked around, there was the hole Knuckles had come out of, but there was no sign of his opponent. He looked around, grunted and ran off. Knuckles used his hearing to pick up on the footsteps of Solid Snake. He followed Snake down the path, until his footsteps stopped. Knuckles also stopped and leaned up against a wall, trying to listen for a sound, but there was none. Damn it thought Knuckles He's on to me, I've got to locate him fast, but how? Knuckles began to concentrate. Trying as hard as he could to hear something, then something else hit him. A smell, a masculine smell, coming from the other side of the wall he was pressed up against. He smiled and yelled out "Got you!" Then he drove his fist right through the wall separating the two warriors. The punch knocked out a large segment of wall, that flew up slanted against the other wall. Snake crawled out from under the wreckage. The dust cleared and Knuckles pounced at the downed Snake. The lower half of Snake's body was still under the stone slab so once again, he was unable to dodge a direct hit from Knuckles, this one went right into his ribs. Snake grunted in pain, but spun around and punched Knuckles in the face in return. He got up to his feet and drew his gun, but the hit to the ribs had made his motions groggy and slow, Knuckles was already there, and with a wave of a mighty fist he punched the M9 out of Solid Snakes hands. Snake responsively kicked Knuckles back, and then jumped up onto the wall, pulling himself up, just in time to see where his gun had come down. Knuckles leaped back and punched the wall out from under him. Snake landed and took off towards his gun. Knuckles smiled, Snake was formidable in hand to hand combat, but he wasn't that good. Plus that shot to the ribs had done some good damage. Knuckles decided to finish this one. He ran back down the corridor, so he had a strait shot at the slanted piece of rock, and then burst towards it. He ran up the rock and leaped into the air. He spread his two gigantic knuckles out, and felt the wind hold him up in the air. He looked down and saw Snake moving through the maze, like a mouse. "This time I win," he told the sky. It seemed to agree, as a draft of win, propelled Knuckles forward through the air. Like the peregrine falcon, Knuckles descended on his prey. Snake dodged through the maze, he had seen where his gun landed, and he knew the way. The irony wasn't lost on him, that this was the second time in two matches that a first seed was getting chased through the maze. He decided to be daring and take a look behind him to see what his opponent was up to. He looked back down the corridor to see Knuckles swoop in from the sky, and start gliding toward him with an incredible speed. Snake instinctively hit the dirt, and Knuckles flew right over him, and pulled up into the air again. "God damn it!" snorted Snake, "He's in the air now." Knuckles smiled back in response as Snake began to double time it along the corridors. He was getting closer to his gun, if he could get it he could win, but Knuckles wasn't going to make it easy for him. He came down with another gliding attack, this time, he hugged the ground much more closely. Snake turned to face the onslaught, and at the last second attempted to jump over it, but Knuckles was ready for him, he pulled up at the last second, knocking Snake's feet out from under him. Snake's face slammed into the tiled ground, but he got up wiped the blood off of his face, and kept going. He's getting too close now thought Knuckles high above the arena, I've got end it on this one. He began to position himself for his final descent. He looked down at Snake who was limping now. He seemed to know where he was going, but then he took a wrong turn and walked into a dead end. Knuckles didn't waste any time. He spun sideways and plunged down to the ground. He pulled out of his dive heading strait down the passage way between him and Snake. Snake had his back up against the wall, Knuckles came down screeching down the hallway. Then he pulled something off of his belt, something that really shouldn't have much use in a match like this. A chaff grenade. He pulled the pin and tossed it forward, it detonated almost instantly. There was a bright flash for a moment, and Knuckles blinked. When he opened his eye's he saw nothing but the wall in front of him. He managed to see out of the corner of his eye Snake ducking off to the left, but then Knuckles flew strait into the wall. Knuckles threw his fists in front of his face to protect himself, as he crashed through the wall. He got up fairly quickly and began to look around, his head still hurt a lot, but he was conscious. Then he felt a painful prick on the back of his neck. He reached back to feel a dart of some kind extruding from the painful spot. He whirled around to see, Snake holding his M9, and pointing it directly at him. Damn it, he used me to break through the wall, so he could get to his gun faster thought Knuckles, but then his vision began to blur, and he felt himself fading to sleep as the tranquilizer ran its course. Maybe I should've used the emerald after all but that was all, as unconsciousness swallowed him and he passed out. Snake walked over and picked up Knuckles body, and walked to the exit. Aftermath: "Chaos Theory" All things considered, there are a lot of worse ways to wake up than being in a hospital bed, trying to snap your drugged self awake while your victorious opponent looks down on you. You could wake up to find out that while you were sleeping, your biggest enemies re-emerged, and you have to thanklessly save the world again. You could wake up to find yourself 65 Million Years in your own past, cut off from your own time, where you might very well end up dying before you were born. And you could wake up dead. But waking up to find you'd been knocked out with a single shot... KO'd by one blow, after dishing out several better attacks over the course of the match... that still didn't rate very high on Knuckles's list. The echidna groaned, trying to drag himself out of his catatonic state. He felt like falling back asleep again, but he knew he'd wake up if he pressed himself hard enough. His hand strayed to the back of his neck... he couldn't feel where the wound was, two bandages covered it in a cross, sticking to his fur. Knuckles began peeling them off, trying not to rip any loose hairs out. "Hey, don't touch that!" One the nurses shuffled over to him impatiently. "I'll heal faster on my own anyway," Knuckles grumbled. Humans were too chatty. He let the bandages fall onto the floor in a trivial act of defiance. The nurse sighed, and dropped the bandages into a spherical trash receptacle. Knuckles placed both his hands on the sideboards of the hospital bed, and propelled himself into the air. The guardian of the master emerald smacked down on the floor, skidding for a few feet. Snake watched silently as Knuckles slid past him, nodding his head briefly. "Fine then, shoo! Out of here, both of you!" Snake was already making his way to the exit, and Knuckles rolled out the door, shaking off the effects of the drugs. Knuckles built up a slight momentum as he started heading back to the mansion... or to the portal... the guardian of the master emerald was still coming to grips with realizing that this meant he was out. Booted. Eliminated. For the second year in a row, Solid Snake had his number. No more arguing with Sonic, no more worrying about the chaos emeralds, it was just time to move on. And the chaos emeralds... Knuckles felt a pang of loss as he realized he'd be leaving them here, letting Sonic or someone else finish collecting all of them. Now he knew how Shadow must have felt. But things could definitely have gone a lot worse. Annoyingly enough, Knuckles felt perfectly fine, although he probably had the healers to think for that one. It almost felt like Snake had deliberately been cautious in fighting him, which was surprising given how competitive the matches had been lately. Knuckles realized his feet weren't taking him anywhere he wanted to go, and turned around suddenly. Snake was several paces behind him, walking at a leisurely place, still with both eyes trained on him. Knuckles matched his firm gait. The two had never spoken, as fair as Knuckles could recollect. Knuckles wondered idly if they ever would. The silence dragged on. Knuckles thought he caught a slight smile on Snake's face as they grew closer to their final destination... the mansion, apparently. Yeah, he's got nothing to say to me. Great. Knuckles did a sharp turn to the right and came to an abrupt halt in front of Snake. He had to tilt his head slightly upwards to face the secret agent. Solid Snake had a small amount of fur covering his face, and some on top of his head... humans were just weird like that. "You took a big risk out there. Choosing to only use that little thing." Knuckles pointed to the tranquilizer, still strapped to his belt. Snake shrugged. "We've seen enough more than enough death recently. I didn't feel like upping the body count today." Knuckles snorted. "And you weren't worried about me?" "I don't worry, Knuckles. About anyone. But in your case... a good shot with the right gun would finish you, and a tranquilizer carries fewer moral repercussions than a rocket launcher. Not to mention less recoil. You're a good fighter, I've seen that twice. If I'd gotten sloppy, you could have won. But filling the arena with bullets would have been pointless. One shot is all I needed." Knuckles nodded reluctantly. Sonic's still going to have my hide for losing like this... Snake's next comment reinforced his belief. "And you took a gamble not using any of those emeralds either." "I did the only honorable thing. I don't want to end up like Bowser or Zelda. The emeralds were never intended to be used like this. They're meant to aid in times of crisis, and used separately, they're simply too volatile. Using them might make me too unstable, it would be too much of a risk to take, just to try to win." Snake gave Knuckles a funny look. The human seemed to be regarding him with a little more respect. "You have a lot more sense than most humans, I hope you know. We have a lot of struggles and fight a lot of wars over powers we shouldn't try messing with." Knuckles suddenly wished he had spent more time with this particular rival of his. Aside from Sonic... he didn't really have anyone to trust. Knuckles took a deep breath. Sonic might hate him for what he was about to do... "Listen, I have three of the emeralds... I'll need someone to hold onto them now that I'll be leaving. Someone who could protect them from being abused." He didn't even have to vocalize his own worries about Sonic. Snake just shook his head knowingly. "Magical gems aren't my thing. I'd rather not attract any attention for having them. There are some forces I'd just rather not come into contact with. They're not part of my world, they're a part of yours. I think you'll just have to leave them with your friend." "All right," Knuckles sighed. At least he had made the effort, nothing lost there. He started to sprint off towards his room, then stopped himself, and turned back to Snake again. "One more thing... I know Bowser and Zelda have the other emeralds, and I believe Sephiroth has one too. They'll all have to be dealt with, eventually." Knuckles raced off back to his room, not caring to wait for Snake's confirmation. He zipped into the door of the mansion and careened down the halls towards his room. He leaped through the door to find Sonic rummaging through all of his stuff. "Hey Rad Red!" The hedgehog yelled out. "Nice fight... but you could have had him! Hey, I could have beaten that guy. It's ok though, you'll get him next year. Best two out of three." "Actually, this was the second time he beat me, Sonic." "Oh really?" Sonic called out, pulling his head up from under Knuckles's bed. He disappeared under the mattress again and emerged triumphant with a red and purple emerald in each hand, and balancing a green one on the top of his head. "Got 'em! You hide your stuff too well. I can keep them, right?" Knuckles sighed, trying not to be annoyed with his friend. He's saved us all enough times, let him have his fun. "Yeah Sonic, just keep them safe until you're done here. Try to keep the others out of harm..." Sonic wasn't even paying attention to him, he was juggling the emeralds in the air, tossing them higher and higher. "SONIC!!!" The hedgehog fell to one side, startled. The emeralds crashed on the ground, two landing on the bad, one plonking down onto Sonic's head. The hedgehog rubbed his head and his ears. "Geez, Knux, chill out. What's your problem?" Knuckles looked him in the eye and made his voice as serious as he could. "Sonic, I want you to promise me not to use the emeralds. You shouldn't have to abuse their power just to win. There are much more important things at stake here, and you have to set an example for the other fighters who would be tempted to abuse an emerald's power. Do I have your word?" Sonic opened his mouth to protest, but saw the look in the guardian's eyes. He closed his mouth again, wincing at the choice presented to him. Finally Sonic drooped his head and sighed. "Fine. I'll beat them anyway." Knuckles patted Sonic on the shoulder. "All right, you can tell me about how it goes when you get back. I should probably get going. I'll see you later." "Heh, not for a while, Knux. You've got quite a wait in front of you. This tournament's still going, and I'm going to make it to the end!" Knuckles shook his head. "Sure thing, Sonic. Whatever you say." Next Entry Back |