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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Froggy: Harley’s computer is on the fritz, so it’s up to me once again to provide the goods. This chapter is action, action, action! Enjoy, you adrenaline junkies!

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Chapter Eighteen: Reading Too Deep

The training room's usual occupant was there. Midnight was training as obsessively as ever, spinning his metal staff through the air, honing his skills in a never-ending quest for physical perfection. And he was closer to it than a few weeks ago, he could tell. His time with Mirage had improved him greatly; he had learned the value of having a worthy sparring partner. She was not there to help him that morning, though, taken away for more experimentation. The GUN troops wouldn't let him anywhere near the testing area, so all he could do was train and dwell on what could be happening elsewhere.

"Good morning, Project: Midnight," a smooth, almost musical, and instantly recognisable voice called out, "Good to see you so hard at work," Ashura smiled thinly as Midnight turned to face him.

Midnight's eyes narrowed at Ashura, and the echidna stretched his muscles, resting the staff behind his neck, wondering what the hedgehog wanted, "Good to see that you're still breathing,” he replied darkly, "Want me to fix that for you?"

"Oh, this little thing?" Ashura pointed at his lungs, "A temporary measure, I assure you. I know that you found out what I am. I can see you trying to comprehend it."

"I'm not sure what to believe,” the blue echidna admitted, slowly pacing around Ashura, "I haven't yet seen anything to make me think you're supernatural. So... what does bring you here? Feeling like granting me some wishes and screwing me over in the process?"

"Not really, there are other people who I have to 'screw over' first," Ashura smirked, "I see my daughter is very much on your mind still... and you've either got an extremely vivid imagination, or you really have been fucking her like a dog."

Midnight instantly felt anger rising up inside him at the intrusion to his privacy, but he squashed it, repressed it, kept it from taking control, "Stay out of my mind, djinn,” he growled softly, "It’s dangerous in there. Monsters lurk in the depths."

"Your mind is no darker than that of any other mortal, 'Quilla'," Ashura smirked, "You think you've fought him off, don't you? You haven't changed in... 3,000 years. The only difference is that you have no mentor to encourage you..."

"I am not that creature,” Midnight denied, "And if you are offering to teach me to be like you, thanks, but no thanks." The echidna glared at him, pacing around him like a predator, waiting for the right time to strike.

"I should have been there at your awakening..." Ashura turned with him, keeping eye contact, "But there were more pressing matters to attend to. Your will is strong, but your mind is pliable... no wonder your... uncle liked you so much." Midnight could feel the creature prodding around inside his mind.

"You are already a powerful warrior, my boy,” Pachacamac spoke to his young nephew, pacing around him, observing him carefully, "I can make you even stronger. One day, I will leave this Earth, and when I do, I must leave someone strong behind to lead our people. I believe this someone to be you, Quilla. You must learn to focus your anger, to unleash it on your enemies, to crush them and take what is theirs, for surely if you let them, they will do the same to you. Trust no man or woman or creature in this world, and make them fear and respect you! That is what will make our people great; that is what will make them thrive!"

Midnight growled and shook his head, trying to get the image out, "I said to stay out of my head!" he snarled.

"I'm only taking a little look..." Ashura smirked, "The images are not lies. It's so hard to read the minds of the insane, or those with mental illnesses... but yours is surprisingly healthy. That wouldn't be possible if you really had become a different person."

"I am not Quilla!" Midnight shouted suddenly, holding the weapon in his hands out as if he intended to use it, to crush Ashura.

"You are Quilla's exact replica in every way," Ashura smirked some more, "Your body, your brain, your thinking processes, they are identical. You don't need to be an immortal telepath to know that. As I said before, the only thing that has changed... is the situation. Instead of being born as a prince to a large tribe of echidnas, you were born in a city of metal as an experiment and left to your own devices."

"If that's true, than you're wrong. I have changed,” replied Midnight, trying to regain control of his anger, "I've become less of an asshole, thanks to your... daughter."

Ashura laughed, "My daughter changed you? She's insane. I always did have trouble reading her mind. It was so hard to tell what was her skewed version of reality and what was her warped fantasy."

"I suppose reality is what we make of it,” spoke the echidna, who stopped pacing and leaned on the staff, staring into Ashura's eyes, "So what is real to you, Ashura?"

Ashura blinked, "Let's just say that when you've seen the universe from the outside, reality is very different. It’s blue, for a start."

"Huh,” uttered Midnight, "So you've got a unique perspective on things. I suppose it wouldn't matter if I were to say... break your neck right now, would it?"

"Well..." Ashura looked uncertain for once, that smug expression briefly leaving his face, "You could try," his confidence returned, "Thereby proving my point."

"Well... I have been wrong before,” replied Midnight, giving the djinn a wicked grin, his grip tightening on the weapon.

"Are you really so arrogant as to think you can take me on?" Ashura asked, and his thoughts were projected straight into Midnight's mind, You are, aren't you...

"Are you so arrogant as to think that you are invincible?" the echidna retorted, beginning to pace again, twirling the weapon casually in his hand.

"I am over 10,000 years old," Ashura smirked, "I have watched mortals destroy themselves with their own arrogance many times over. Including your own people, might I add? You're a perfect example of them - so proud as to be arrogant, so stubborn, rash, violent... Not unlike humans in a way, except for that you are rather less treacherous. In fact, you're sickeningly devoted to those you've sworn loyalty to."

"Don't let it get to your head,” said the blue echidna, "Something I've learned about combat: often the least experienced fighter can be the most dangerous. And I'm rather proud of the fact that my loyalty elevates me above those bunch of furless fools."

"Very well then... let's see what you've got, your majesty," Ashura grinned in triumph. Without the sense of self-restraint that his love for Mirage had bestowed upon him, Midnight would simply degenerate into Quilla. And that had been Ashura’s goal. A pointless battle, fought out of hatred, was perfect. It didn't really matter who won; simply by fighting, Midnight had already lost.

Smirking, Midnight spun the staff around his neck, showing off, and then he struck a blow towards the green hedgehog's head, a move with enough force that it would split his skull open if it connected.

Suddenly, the setting of the battle changed. They were fighting in front of the temple of the Chaos Emeralds - an image plucked directly from Midnight's own mind. He knew deep down that he was still in the training gym on ARK, but his eyes insisted otherwise. Ashura had selected a setting of battle that would cause him difficulty. The green hedgehog ducked the blow, and smirked evilly.

It's just an illusion, Midnight reminded himself. His perfect memory told him exactly where he was on the training mat. He wasn't about to let the green bastard throw him off. Snarling, he launched a series of attacks at the green hedgehog, trying to be as random as possible. He knew he couldn't think too hard about his next move, because Ashura could read it before it happened.

Contrary to his expectations, Ashura wasn't an exceptional physical fighter. His attitude had led the echidna to believe it, but although the djinn was fast, his connecting attacks were no stronger than that of a normal person. It was the sudden wave of psychic energy that made Midnight reel. In that moment, the setting changed again, and this time they were in a black space, its only furnishing an image of Mirage and a blurred male who was raping her as she screamed in fear and pain. Midnight knew instinctively that this was the false memory Ashura had forced into Mirage's mind.

Not real, not real, NOT REAL! his mind screamed at him, his insides chilled by Mirage's screams. It took every ounce of willpower he had to focus on Ashura rather than the image of his tortured mate. Ashura was trying to distract him and doing a damn good job of it, "Bastard,” he growled, "I'm going to enjoy making you beg for your life."

"Why should I?" Ashura smirked, and the blurred image of the male reformed into an image of Midnight himself, as Mirage's screams increased in volume and she began to beg, "A perfect memory... that makes it so much easier for me to pluck your own fears from your mind."

"Shut up,” the echidna growled. His fury only rose with the louder, more anguished screams, his determination to keep from being the monster in the vision only making him more like it. Bellowing a cry of rage, Midnight dropped his staff and leapt at Ashura, knocking him down with the weight of his body, his hands clawing for his foe's throat, "SHUT UP!!"

Ashura smirked even as Midnight’s hands closed around his throat, “Losing control, Midnight? You have done before…” Even as he spoke, another image overlaid itself on top of him, and Midnight was throttling Mirage.

Gasping in shock, Midnight closed his eyes and squeezed harder, trying to strangle the life out of the green monster, trying to end the horrid visions and torturous screams, "Die, damn you!" he shouted in Ashura's face.

"You can't kill me, boy... do you think I've lived for 10,000 years just to die at the hands of some self-trained thug?" Ashura began to laugh.

"I think you're completely full of shit!" the echidna snarled, his grip like an iron vice. Although, for all he knew, he was just strangling some piece of exercise equipment. That was the trouble with these hallucinations: you never knew what you really were doing.

Another psychic blast hit Midnight, "Stupid boy," Ashura laughed softly, and suddenly there wasn't anybody in front of Midnight and he was throttling thin air. Ashura was behind him.

Snarling in frustration, Midnight whirled around to face the green hedgehog, aware that there was nothing he could really do to someone who could affect his very perception of the world, "What do you want from us?!" he bellowed.

"I already have everything I need from you..." Ashura sniggered, "You've lost, Midnight. Oh, and the world should be going to hell in three... two... one..." The illusions faded, and a loud siren blared.

Midnight looked around in confusion, wondering if it could be another of Ashura's tricks. Then he realized he couldn't afford to assume that, "Mirage,” he breathed, and then took off running, knocking the green hedgehog aside as he did.

"ALL GUN TROOPS REPORT TO RESTRICTED AREA. EXPERIMENT 121 OUT OF CONTROL. THIS IS NOT A DRILL," a calm, electronic female voice blared from the walls.

Snatching up one of the training room's swords, the blue echidna rushed out of the training room and ran down the corridors as fast as his legs could take him towards the restricted area. That was where Mirage had gone that morning for testing. She was in the same area as the experiment had escaped.

He collided flat out with Mirage. The semi-feline was limping and dripping with blood, and it didn't look like it was all her own. She didn't seem to be looking at Midnight, but through him. She pushed a small, frightened, blue, spiky bundle into his arms, "Take Sonic to the escape pods..." she gasped, blood pouring from her mouth, "Send him to Earth... random location... do not try anything heroic..." Midnight opened his mouth to protest, "DO IT!!!" she screamed at him.

After a moment of hesitation, he spun the sword around so that the hilt was facing her, and the echidna said, "Remember the training."

Mirage took the sword and bent down until she was on a level with Sonic, "Sonic... if ever you feel like you are not strong enough or smart enough or brave enough... if you ever start to wonder what is the point, or even think of giving up... there is something you must remember..." She pulled a small envelope from her vest and pushed it into his hands, "Good luck, kid."

Midnight didn't bother asking what it was; he knew Mirage wouldn't tell him. It was something for Sonic and Sonic alone. Holding the child up in his arms, the echidna turned around towards the escape pods. Before he took off, though, he turned his head towards his mate, "Stay alive. I'm coming back for you." Then he ran down the steel corridors again, taking the young hedgehog to safety and far away from the hellish prison in space.

Mirage turned to face Ashura, "You have not won," she said quietly, "I will find a way to break the loop."

The green hedgehog laughed, "Tell that to the soldiers you killed getting the boy out."

"There were only three of them," Mirage said reasonably, "And he did not see it, anyway. Now I have got to change the future or die trying, which will certainly change it, so get out of my way." She strode past Ashura, who didn't try to stop her.

It was fairly easy for Midnight to make it to the escape pods; everyone's attention was in the opposite direction, making security light. As he ran, all he could think about was Mirage, about her battered appearance, and about his rather pathetic words to her. He should have come up with something better than that, particularly in a situation like this. He didn't know if he'd get a second chance. But he had to follow her wishes, and he did so, running into the escape pod launch area and opening one of the escape vehicles. He quickly put a frightened blue hedgehog in the seat, strapped him in, and stepped back out. Looking into Sonic's eyes, he did not say anything, no goodbye. He just shut the door and launched him into space. He didn’t have much practice at goodbyes.

Mirage looked up, thinking of the rampaging Gizoid. She had fought it with Shadow, and they had both failed to bring it down. As far as she knew, he was trying to keep the Gizoid from entering the living quarters. Whether he succeeded or not, people had already died. She looked at the sword in her hands. It seemed rather superfluous now. She tossed it aside, and watched as the Gizoid walked down the hallways towards her. It even walked the way Shadow did. Each step it took was marked in blood. Mirage just smiled. Finally she had an opponent who would never surrender...

The Gizoid launched a vicious kick at Mirage, and she brought up a Chaos Shield on reflex, to buy herself more time. Time, that was what they lacked. The heavy, nauseous feeling she’d had on and off for the last few days wasn’t helping either.

The shield held back the attack... barely. The Gizoid seemed to have also adopted Shadow's relentless drive, pressing the attack on the hedgecat and not letting up, pummelling the shield with a variety of kicks and punches.

The shield wasn't a physical thing. It wasn't damaged by the attacks. But each hit knocked Mirage back a step. She dug her claws into the metal floor, and they dragged across the floor harshly, leaving deep scars in the metal.

Suddenly, a jet shoe slammed into the back of the Gizoid's head, shoving it forward into the shield. The machine spun around just in time to deflect Shadow's next blow. The black and red hedgehog was bruised and battered, but still in the fight and quite obviously pissed-off. As the hedgehog and robot clashed, it was like watching someone fight a mirror; they both used the same moves at the same time, meeting attack with block and counterattack, a blur of motion. The important difference that decided that several-second fight was the fact that while the Gizoid was made of steel and wiring, Shadow was still only made of flesh and bone. Being worn down by his own struggles, Shadow failed to stop another punch which struck him solidly in the chest, sending him skidding down the hallway, coughing up some of his own blood.

Mirage stepped forward again, her claws out. When the hell were those weak-ass GUN bitches going to do something USEFUL, damn them? She attacked the Gizoid, desperately trying to use Chaos Tempest on its insides. But she didn't know what was inside it, and she didn't know how it worked, and even as she used the attack, it bounced off the Shield the Gizoid brought up, "Damn," she said, with feeling.

It had learned her moves. It could manipulate energy just as she did. Shadow got to his knees and tried to stand up, but that last blow must have hurt him badly. The Gizoid ignored him and continued to advance on Mirage. The machine raised its hand, a bolt of chaos energy leaping from its fingertips towards her, a move which Shadow had tried on it previously.

Mirage held up her own hand in a blocking gesture. The Chaos Spear hit her, and faded, leaving no effect, "Eat invulnerability to Chaos Energy, you robotic bitch!" she shouted, encouraged.

The machine tilted its head, its glowing, insectile eyes staring into her. It gestured again, and Mirage could feel an uncomfortable tingle inside her body as the robot sought to find a good organ to simply twist out of her body, using her own skill against her. Before it could happen, though, Midnight's boot connected with the Gizoid's hand, ruining its focus. Growling, the echidna rushed in and out of the Gizoid's reach, landing small, quick blows against its metallic torso, trying to confuse, distract, wear it down.

"Midnight!" Mirage cried out. Then she clutched at her belly, "I shall never twist somebody's stomach out of their body again," she mumbled. She stuck out a leg suddenly, and the Gizoid tripped over it.

Unorthodox and unexpected, the move worked perfectly, sending the Gizoid tumbling to the floor. Snarling and leaping at its fallen form, Midnight never reached his foe, struck in the stomach by a kick which sent him sprawling to the floor in pain. Not an Ultimate or made of plate metal, the echidna was realizing that he could very well be out of his league. Suddenly, the Gizoid reached down and grabbed his right arm, squeezing hard. Midnight screamed in pain, realising that the Gizoid had just put him out of the fight.

Mirage stood up again, this time protecting her stomach... thanks to the robot, it really hurt. She attracted its attention by ripping a pipe out of the wall and hitting it around the head, "This way, robot!" she shouted, "See the kitty? Kitty wants to play!"

Predictably, the robot shifted its attention to the feline, moving towards her in Midnight's stance, "Kitty,” it spoke in a monotone voice before swiping its fingers at her like she had done earlier with her claws.

Mirage ducked the blow, "Kitty wants to play in the restricted area!" she shouted, still swinging the pipe, all her attention focussed on the robot, "Come on, come on and play!" She began backing away, heading away from Midnight and Shadow.

The robot stopped attacking for the moment, just following and observing the feline, trying to figure out what her plan was.

"Come on, come on, let us play!" Mirage's plan was to get the robot to an airlock and flush it out. It wouldn't suffer from explosive decompression like a flesh creature would, but it wouldn't be a danger to anybody out there either. And after it had calmed down a bit, GUN could bring it in again and take it apart with a damn screwdriver.

It followed silently, analysing the situation for possible advantages and disadvantages and came to the conclusion that it no longer had anything to gain from following, and so, copying Midnight, the robot lunged at Mirage.

Mirage swung the pipe at the Gizoid's head again, for what little good that did. She should have attacked. She knew it. The Gizoid knew it. But for some reason she didn't understand, she curled up into a ball, burying herself in a Chaos Shield. Each blow the Gizoid dealt landed on it heavily, and the floor buckled under her.

Do not pose a threat, do not pose a threat... maybe it will get bored and look for something else to destroy... Mirage knew the shield could not be damaged... but she couldn't hold it forever. It took conscious effort, and the shield was getting smaller. The floor under her buckled, and tore open, sending both her and the Gizoid ten feet down to the next floor, crushing a desk beneath them.

Scrambling to its feet, the Gizoid rushed at Mirage, taking advantage of the distraction, leapt on top of her, its metal fingers reaching to grab on to something to strangle or break.

Mirage didn't mean to scream. But the sound tore loose anyway, even as she sent up the shield and the Gizoid's hands closed around her neck. It was half in and half out of the shield, and it was being charged up by the energy. She dropped the shield as soon as she realised that, but it was too late.

The Gizoid's grip was like a hydraulic press wrapped around her throat, squeezing the life out of the feline, cutting off her breath. It seemed like the end was near for her, her vision filled with black spots when suddenly gunfire rang out, bullets sparking against the Gizoid's metal head, sending the robot backwards. GUN troops had arrived, and ironically, it looked like they were going to save the day.

Do not emulate their guns, do not emulate their guns... Mirage thought frantically. Unfortunately, the Gizoid already knew about guns. More gunfire ripped out, and she was lying in the middle of it, being totally ignored by both sides. A GUN soldier fell dead on top of her, and she managed not to scream, I do not want to die! she thought, as GUN lost another couple of soldiers, There are too many things I do not own!

Suddenly, an electric buzzing sound ripped through the air, and all was silent again. "It worked, sir! The EMP bomb worked!" she heard one of the soldiers call out. And just like that, it was done. GUN had brought to bare a weapon that the Gizoid didn't adapt to fast enough, and was now incapacitated. After a moment of relieved sighs and casualty reports, one of the troops pulled the dead body off of her and offered Mirage a hand. "Are you hurt?" the young trooper asked, looking unsure.

"I seem to be bleeding rather heavily..." Mirage stated, "What about... Shadow? And Midnight? They are... up there..." she pointed to the floor above.

The soldier looked up into the hole that she and the Gizoid had made and fallen through, "We'll check it out,” he said, "Looks like you put up one helluva fight."

"And my stomach... my stomach is fucking killing me..." Mirage added, "And I feel sick."

The soldier gestured towards the nearest medic, asking for him to look after the hedgecat, "You're going to be ok,” he told her as he stood up and walked towards the nearest elevator to look for the other experiments.

"I can tell you now... I do not bloody feel like it..." Mirage passed out.

Midnight had dragged himself over to the hole in the floor and was looking down into it at Mirage's unconcious form, "Is she..." he rasped, "Is she alright?"

The medic looking over her glanced up and said, "She's beat up bad, but I think she'll live."

“I think my arm is broken,” the echidna stated, before he rolled onto his back and gave a long, relieved sigh. The Gizoid had been taken out, and both he and Mirage were alive. Even Shadow seemed ok, if beaten up considerably.

It was going to be okay.

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Froggy: Suuuuure it will.