ARAAT4: Origins

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A Rose And A Thorn 4: Origins

Co-Written by Harley Quinn hyenaholic and Froggy22651

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Harley: Oh, you’re all getting it so wonderfully wrong… I can’t believe it…

Froggy: Well, the smut’s done with. Now that this is an NC-17 fanfic, we can get on with the story. More experimentation, ain’t it a blast?

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Chapter Twelve: The Big Plan

"Mirage!" Bang, bang, bang, "Project Mirage!" Bang, bang, bang. Somebody... banging on her brain... Mirage clutched at her head, "Project Mirage, wake up now!"

Mirage gave up, "I am coming!" she shouted at the door, and stood up. She grabbed her shoes and pulled them on, then her vest, "Coming, coming," she called again, finally opening the door. A scientist was standing there, "See? I am ready," she sighed, perfectly aware that she looked appalling after having about four hours of sleep. Her hips still ached too.

"You're required in the core of the ARK for testing, Project Mirage," the scientist told her.

Mirage groaned softly.

"Come on; we've been waiting for over 15 minutes,” said the scientist, obviously frustrated with the groggy hedgecat, "Follow me,” he sighed, turning and leading the way towards the core, probably the most secretive place on the colony.

Mirage knew she was about to gain entrance to the Restricted Area. Memories of the future ganged up on her, and she realised that the future was coming far faster than she had anticipated.

The scientist led her through several security checkpoints and steel blast doors before they finally entered the chaos energy testing area, where many other white-coats and instruments were impatiently waiting. As she was led into the room, the scientists surrounded her and started attaching wires and sensors to her while one lone researcher placed a small, steel cube on a pedestal in the center of the room. "We want to closely examine what happens when you 'twist' an object out of normal space,” he explained.

"Fair enough," Mirage replied, "What do you want me to use Chaos Tempest on?"

"This cube I've set here,” the scientist explained, gesturing towards the object, "We had it specially made for this test. Loaded with all the sensors we could pack into it, including a camera. We also want to know as much as we can about where these objects are temporarily going."

Mirage nodded. Reaching into herself for the knowledge not of doing something, but how she did it. She had done it. But it was too easy, she hadn't thought how it was being done. Now she had to remember. She glanced down at her Master Emerald Shard. She never took it off now. She didn't feel right without it. Like the Power Rings on her tail, it had fused with her, not with her body, but with her mind. Therefore it was part of her. That made her a part of the Master Emerald. She was not a person, she was a conduit. One with a voice and a mind and a will to use the power she did not hold, but rather, was a part of. She looked at the cube and outstretched a hand, "Chaos... TEMPEST!" she shouted. For one moment she felt like a goddess, controlling the very nature of time and space, and then the feeling was gone, and so was the cube.

The scientists scribbled notes on their pads of paper and stared at instrument readings, talking amongst themselves. Faintly through steel walls of the ARK, the hedgecat could hear a deep, booming voice call out, "Gerald! We need to talk, human."

The cube abruptly returned, but Mirage ignored it, straining her sharp ears to listen to the conversation, knowing how important it would be to listen to every moment of it, remembering that voice, and hating and fearing its owner.

"Doom,” she heard the familiar voice of Gerald reply, "I wasn't expecting to see you again for some time. What brings you h..."

"Project Shadow!" the voice called 'Doom' replied angrily, "My patience has been considerable, Professor, but it has its limits. Your progress thus far on Shadow has been... uninspiring, to say the least. I want progress, and I haven't seen any! You know the consequences of failure in this regard."

Mirage could hear the scientists busily congratulating each other - and not her, who had done all the work, she thought sourly - but she ignored them, still listening to Gerald and Black Doom.

"Much progress has been made on Shadow, I assure you. You will not be disappointed, Doom. When complete, he will be a being unlike any this universe has ever seen,” said the Professor, trying to appease his dark visitor.

"I hope so, for your sake,” Black Doom replied threateningly, "Your previous attempt was a pathetic excuse for a lifeform. I want better than that, and I want those chaos emeralds. If you ever want the cure to what ails your progeny, you will redouble your efforts, human!"

Mirage considered herself and wondered what Black Doom would have done to Gerald had he ever found out about her true purpose. Future memories assured her that all he thought she was another prototype - immortal but lacking in the power needed to retrieve or use the Chaos Emeralds. She listened further - it sounded as if the conversation was over, but one could never be sure...

"The truth is that we are ahead of schedule,” said the professor, with a hint of pride in his voice, "The new form chosen for Shadow is leaps and bounds ahead of the last. Compact, and it doesn't rely on bulky technology to sustain its powers. I based him on a figure from echidna mythology. As you may know, the ancient race of echidnas had great ties to the Chaos Emeralds.”

Black Doom gave a rumbling hum, "Indeed,” he replied, "I have pressing matters to attend to elsewhere, but I will return soon to observe your creation. Do not fail me."

Mirage scowled mentally, hating the way that Black Doom treated Gerald like a servant. She looked around at the scientists surrounding her. They were giving her strange looks - she wondered if they could hear the conversation between Black Doom and Gerald, or if it was only her ears picking it up. Humans had weaker hearing, so it was likely that she was the only one hearing the conversation. It didn't matter, though. If they did hear it, they didn't seem to care.

More of the white-coats stepped forward and began removing the sensors, "Very good, Mirage. We are done with you for now. We've got a lot of analysing to do; you are free to spend the rest of the day however you like."

Mirage nodded. She was inside the restricted area. She wondered quietly if there was something she could do here, to prevent the fall of the ARK. Then it occurred to her - the Artificial Chaos were being contained in this area. They had escaped somehow... broken free of their prisons. It didn't matter that they sounded safe - she knew what would happen, and she had to stop it.

She walked silently away, thinking. The scientists were jerks. But she cared whether they lived or died. She had no idea why, but she planned to find out. It wasn’t long before she found an empty computer room.

She sat down at the desk, and tapped a few keys on the keyboard, and Gerald’s voice rang out.

“I have watched Artificial Lifeforms for years. How is it that even the most isolated of them will seek out companionship rather than stand alone? Why does a programmed coward sometimes spring to the defence of other Artificial Lifeforms? Why might the biologically programmed soldier rebel against orders? How is it possible for some clones to retain memories of past lives?

“To control a creature one cannot merely suppress free will. Free will is the way we make intelligent decisions. Without it we could not survive in a chaotic world. The only sensible way is to make it choose, through its own free will, to obey orders. Project Mirage is my prototype of this version of free will.”

Mirage’s eyes narrowed.

“After Ashura located Black Doom for the purposes of Project: Shadow, he made a very curious request; that some of his DNA be combined with that of Project: Mirage so that she would always be, as he put it, close to his heart.”

Mirage froze up, but she didn’t stop reading.

“By programming her with a personality that always makes the logical decision, and merging that programming with her abilities, she will do what is necessary of her own free will. I attempted to give her a soul, specifically the soul of Maria, but failed…”

Mirage shuddered as she turned away from the computer, not wanting to read any more. So, what she had always believed was true. She had perceptual schematics, a difference engine, and a personality simulation. But she didn’t have a soul. Except for that one insignificant detail, she was perfect.

She left the room. She didn’t see the last few lines of the file scrolling up on screen…

“After observing some of Project: Mirage’s illogical interactions with both Project: Midnight and Project: Sonic Speed, I believe that she is no longer the creature I programmed. Doctors reported that for several seconds before her ‘birth’, Project Mirage was technically brain-dead. Is it possible that in those brief moments… something else found its way in?”

I do not have a soul, Mirage left the Restricted Area and headed over to the Training Gym - it was habit by now - and pushed open the door, hoping to see Midnight in there.

As usual, Midnight was in the training gym like every other morning she had known him. What was not usual was what he was doing, or rather not doing. Not working his body or in meditation, the echidna was sitting off to the side, a blank expression on his face, lightly tapping a staff against the floor.

Mirage stared, "Uh, Midnight?" she walked over to him, "What are you doing? I mean..." she corrected herself, and settled for, "Is something wrong?"

The echidna blinked and looked up at her, ceasing his tapping, "Mirage,” he breathed, obviously relieved to see her, "I'm fine, I just... well, you didn't show up this morning, and I thought... what happened? You look a little…"

"The scientists just dragged me off for a little testing," Mirage smiled, hiding her discomfort about her new discovery, "You should not get so worried - I can handle myself."

Midnight smiled back, "You're right, of course. You're a lot tougher than when we first met in here. It’s just... when you didn't show, I thought that maybe I messed up and they found out about us..."

Mirage sat down next to him, "Well, they did not," she told him, "Or they do not care. Anyway, I checked up on the Artificial Chaos. They seem to be okay... I cannot see how they would break out. The problem is that they will," she said morosely, "And I am fresh out of ideas. I thought I would find dodgy controls or a security loop... but I am starting to think that somebody let them out."

Midnight slowly nodded his head, thoughtfully, "Purposely released to create havoc. I can believe that,” he said, "GUN themselves might be responsible for their release. Gives them a good excuse to close down the ARK. Or someone else, perhaps, who wants the ARK gone, someone who finds the work here unethical."

Mirage nodded. It could be either, but she'd put her money on GUN... "Or it could be that creepy guy I heard today," she said suddenly, "Some alien called Black Doom."

Midnight blinked and stared at Mirage in disbelief, "Alien? What do you mean? You aren't seriously implying that extraterrestrials have something to do with the ARK... right?"

"I am," Mirage said quietly, "I probably should not be telling you this, but hell, I should not have told you a lot of things. I do not know a whole lot about this Black Doom, except for that he sounds like a total psycho, he is looking for the Chaos Emeralds, and I would not be surprised if he has got megalomania on the brain. I do not know why he would want the ARK to fall, exactly," she admitted, "But it just... feels like something he would do - although that may just be me."

Midnight mumbled something under his breath and rubbed his head. Things were complicated enough without aliens from another world being involved, "It might have something to do with his comic book villain name,” the echidna pointed out.

"It is probably a pseudonym," Mirage pointed out, "I very much doubt that the home language on his planet - whatever it is - is perfect English."

"Regardless, you don't get that kind of name by being the flowers and sunshine type of person,” said Midnight, "It looks like we've got another possible threat on our hands. With how it’s all adding up, I'm starting to think it would be better if we just cut our losses and escaped from here before the shit hits the fan."

Mirage shook her head, "That would only be an escape for us," she said, "Shadow, Maria, Sonic, Gerald and a whole crapload of scientists would still suffer," And so would you, she thought, "And I have had enough problems with the complexities of time and space without wasting them."

"Yeah, the scientists..." he muttered, "You're right. We can't just leave them. But so far, my only solution to this all seems to be 'fight better than the other guy'."

Mirage looked down. Midnight was right - so far, that was the only plan they had, and it obviously wasn't going to work. She'd put Chaos Emeralds on betting that she'd trained hard last time, and she certainly hadn't succeeded then. She gave this some thought, "Then we have to stop the Artificial Chaos being released," she said, "There is a password that lets them out - without the password, whoever had broken it would set off about a million alarms. So somebody either found out the password, or they had nothing to lose by breaking the glass and getting caught."

"We have to guard them somehow,” Midnight agreed, "Take turns watching over that area; something like that."

"Hmmm… I have a better idea," Mirage said, "We change the password. Gerald is as predictable as a yo-yo. I bet it is ‘Maria’ now. Somebody with the maturity of a three-year-old could guess it if they knew Gerald. But if we change it, even he will not be able to let them out!" She looked excited at the idea.

Midnight smirked, "A nice idea, but I'm not sure if it would work. Once the scientists learn that they've been locked out, they may end up breaking the cage trying to get back in."

"It does not matter," Mirage replied, "If they do break it, the Artificial Chaos will just... well, they will dissolve into water."

The echidna didn't look convinced, but he shrugged, going along with it anyway, "I haven't got any better plans. It’s worth a shot."

"The problem is getting in there," Mirage said, "I do not think I will be allowed into the Restricted Area again - not without escorts.”

Midnight sighed and shook his head, "Then all we can do is wait and hope for an opportunity, or we figure out some clever way of smuggling ourselves in."

Mirage looked troubled suddenly, "You know, it is odd," she said, "I do not remember the future like I used to... I mean, I remember the doom and destruction... but I am forgetting the details. It is all foggy now. There are too many gaps... and I think they used to have you in them."

“That could be because you've already changed the course of history,” Midnight suggested, "This second time around, you've been acting differently, knowing full well what is going to happen."

"Maybe..." then Mirage shook her head, "No. Not all of it. I forgot you. I know that now. I forgot you and I do not know why... or how..."

"Maybe we never met the first time,” he suggested. It certainly was possible in a place as large as the ARK and with the constant testing the scientists had been conducting on her.

Mirage didn't seem to be listening. She continued, dreamily, "There were always holes... and every time we are together, it is like another hole in my memory is filled. It is as if... you complete me." Mirage blushed, "And I do not know why I forgot you."

Her words caused a smile to spread over his face, and the echidna reached over caress her face, "It’s alright,” he told her, "You know me now, and that's all that really matters."

Mirage smiled, but it was forced. Midnight didn't seem to understand... that every time she remembered that she'd forgotten, a little spike of fear, a nagging doubt went through her. Why had she forgotten him?

Midnight looked into her eyes, his own steely eyes calm and soothing. They hid the fear he had, as well. He was afraid of losing her. To the scientists, to Ashura, to GUN... He was afraid, because she completed him too, and he never wanted to be half of himself again.

Mirage hugged him tightly, feeling that this was all her fault with no reasonable explanation as to how. Resting her head calmly on his shoulder, she sighed, "What would you say," she said quietly, "If I were to tell you that you look rather like someone I met?"

Midnight was quiet for a moment, returning the tight embrace, "What do you mean?" he asked her, "It’s not like you could have run into another echidna."

"But I did - or will," Mirage told him, "Not that long ago, 56 years in the future."

His arms still around her, he pulled back slightly, looking into her eyes once more, "That can't be right. The echidna race is extinct; I'm the only one left,” he said, "Unless... someone clones another one."

Mirage shrugged, "I only know..." her eyes dropped, "He had a crescent mark on his chest, but his fur was red, and the mark was white. And he did look... awfully like you."

"A relative of mine, perhaps?" Midnight thought out loud. It made sense to him that another clone could have been from his family. The bodies of royalty would have been better preserved.

"I honestly do not know," Mirage lied. Memories were smuggling themselves back in, "Maybe GUN does it - I would not put anything past them," she added with venom, "But despite the fact that we tried to kill each other over some stupid rock," her hand hovered over the Shard, "He seemed like a nice guy."

"Maybe I'll get to meet with him someday,” said Midnight with a smile, "It would be nice to have another of my kind around."

"Who knows?" Mirage shrugged. Maybe things were going to work out after all, "But in a funny kind of way... I am your kind. We were grown here, woken here, raised here, trained here... after all of that, a little thing like what species you are does not mean a whole lot. There is more to DNA than little spirally things."

"Good point,” he replied softly, bumping his nose against hers, "And ours is a very rare people indeed."

Mirage smiled, her arms looped around his shoulders, rubbing her nose against his. She fingered his dreads gently, "Have I told you I love you today?" she asked him.

"No, you haven't,” he answered softly, running his fingers through her quills.

"I love you," Mirage told him, smiling gently. They were about to kiss, and then she pecked his cheek lightly, aware of the cameras watching.

The cameras. Midnight glanced over at them briefly, silently cursing their existence. He didn't want to be afraid of showing his love for her, "I love you too,” he whispered, forcing a smile for her sake.

Mirage stood up again, holding out her hand, "Come on," she said, "We had better get training."

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Harley: What was all that crap about the data on Mirage? Mirage doesn’t have a soul – or does she? Mind-fuck time!