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: Hmmm… let me assure you, Antwerps Rule, the first two parts were not a lead-up to Mirage and Midnight. Glad you like him, by the way.

Froggy: As for some people being discouraged to write… have you ever seen the quality of some of the stuff on ff.net? Discouraging some people from writing is a good thing. Trouble is that you can never discourage the right people.

Harley: Now this chapter has a lot of stuff going on in it. It may be slightly confusing if you don’t pay attention. So DO pay attention. And then review.

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Chapter Eight: Forbidden

Simply breathing in the fresh, living air of the ARK's gardens made Midnight feel better. Sitting in the middle of a peaceful forest with the sun shining through, even if it was fake, was like healing for the soul. And the echidna knew it needed a lot of healing. Getting off the beaten path and finding a nice clearing among the trees, he placed a sheet on the ground for him and Mirage to sit on and placed the basket of food down on it. He soon followed, sitting down cross-legged on the cloth.

Mirage curled up next to him, smiling. She kissed his cheek, "It is nice in here," she said. She still ached lower down, and would do so for the rest of the day, but it probably wouldn't make Midnight feel any better to know that, "Nicer with you..."

Privately, he wondered if she really meant that. Outwardly, he smiled at her, "It always helps me to clear my mind to be in here. Everything seems so much more simple in this place."

Mirage leant her head on his shoulder, "So you have been coming here a lot?" she asked him, opening the basket and taking out a cold chicken leg.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and nodded his head, his dreadlocks bumping against her cheek, "Yes. This is my favourite place on the ARK, the one part which doesn't seem like a space colony." He looked up and around at the trees stretching above his head. "I would very much like to visit the Earth some day,” he told her, "But I wonder if these damn... scientists will ever let me."

"I really do not know," Mirage replied, "But you know, they say that the grass is always greener on the other side. I did not see a lot of it, but I would say that the people of Earth kind of let their planet down a bit."

"Figures,” the echidna mumbled, "But then I guess there is a downside to everything in this world. You just have find the ones worth enduring.”

Mirage took a bite of the chicken leg, "I hope I am one of the ones worth enduring," she said, smiling with her mouth full.

Smirking at the hedgecat, he replied, "Most certainly." Opening up the basket, he pulled out a ham sandwich and took a bite out of it.

Mirage rubbed her head against Midnight's shoulder affectionately, still chewing on the chicken leg, "Well that is good," she said, "Because I would say that you are worth warping the fabric of time and space for."

Chuckling softly, Midnight returned the nuzzle. "We sure are an interesting couple, aren't we? A time-travelling biological weapon hybrid, and the clone of some ancient royal bastard of an extinct species."

"Wait a minute - royalty?" Mirage sat up, "You never said anything about being royalty!"

Midnight raised an eyebrow at the hedgecat. "Well, in those memories, I always seem to be a leader of some kind, and everyone calls me 'lord'. ...What, is there something wrong?"

"No, nothing is wrong," Mirage assured him. She twisted one of his dreads around her finger, "It was just... I did not know, that is all."

Midnight relaxed against her touch and kissed her cheek, "I think Quilla was the nephew of the echidna leader at that time,” he explained, "Not that it’s important any more."

"No, it is not," Mirage agreed, still munching on her breakfast. They sat there for several more minutes in relative silence, then she spoke again, “I wonder when phase one of the ARK getting screwed up the ass is going to happen..."

Ah yes. The disaster that she had mentioned happening to the ARK. As if he didn't have enough to worry about... "I hope it can wait a little while longer,” he said softly.

"Huh... we should be so lucky..." Mirage noted, "It had better though. I still need to work this out again..." she tugged at the shard around her neck, "I wonder how they got it anyway..."

The echidna reached over and ran a finger over the shard around her neck, "What is it, anyway?" he asked her.

"It is a tiny shard of the Master Emerald," Mirage told him. She saw no reason to lie, "I should be strong enough to use it soon... I do not know why I have not been able to already."

"Master Emerald..." he whispered, still stroking the shard, "Is it related to that Chaos Emerald we saw?"

"Yes, sort of," Mirage replied, "They cancel each other out, I think. They used to be in one place and then the Chaos Emeralds were moved... it was in my Flash programming."

Midnight gave a quiet hum of amusement and then removed his finger from the shard, instead stroking the feline's neck and scratching her lightly beneath her chin.

Mirage giggled quietly and batted Midnight's hand away, "Stop that! It tickles!" she told him.

Midnight gave her a playful smirk and softly poked her nose with a finger, "Oh, if you insist,” he told her. He put down his half-eaten sandwich; he honestly didn't feel very hungry.

"If you do not want that, I will have the ham in it," Mirage volunteered.

Shrugging, the echidna pulled out the ham and handed it over to her. "I'm more of a fruit-eater, myself."

Mirage ate it, "I wish it could stay this way..." she said calmly, "I wish I was wrong and just completely insane..."

Midnight nodded, "Me too. But nothing stays the same forever. We just have to face the changes and hope everything turns out alright."

Mirage shrugged and rested her head on his shoulder. Suddenly the two of them became aware of somebody walking up behind them, and turned, "Project Mirage," the young scientist spoke, "You'll have to come with me. There are some things your superiors wish to discuss with you."

Midnight slowly turned his head and glared at the scientists, angered by the interruption, but wisely kept his mouth shut.

Mirage stood up, "Is not there always?"

"Don't talk back," the scientist told her, "Come along." The half-feline followed him out of the garden.

Midnight turned away, fuming, imagining taking the scientist's white coat and shoving it down his throat. How dare they speak that way to Mirage? he thought, his throat almost closing up in rage.

When they reached the lab, Mirage found herself looking at Professor Gerald Robotnik for the first time. The old man began to speak calmly and slowly, "Project Mirage, our cameras have caught you spreading rumours of death and destruction around the ARK. You must stop this now."

Mirage shrugged, "Okay..."

"The ARK is well protected by GUN and its own security guards," Gerald told her, "The Artificial Chaos are not going to break out."

"Of course not," Mirage replied, "I am just being paranoid."

"You're just being paranoid," Gerald told her. He didn't seem to be listening, "And furthermore, we've caught quite a lot of camera footage of your interaction with Project Midnight."

"Are you going to tell me I cannot see him any more?" Mirage asked him, her eyes narrowing and violent thoughts entering her mind.

“Of course not,” Gerald reassured her, “As long as you continue your other studies.”

“What other studies? I only have my training,” Mirage pointed out.

“You must also work on tapping the power of the Master Emerald from the shard that hangs around your neck.”

Mirage looked at the Emerald Shard around her neck, “I will try,” she said.

“She should be able to generate a force-field of some kind already by now,” another scientist complained, “She’s obviously not concentrating…”

“I have been concentrating!” Mirage protested.

“Maybe you’re concentrating too hard,” one suggested.

“Or not hard enough,” another pointed out.

“Or on the wrong thing,” said a third.

“Mirage, the upper echleon is going quite frantic, demanding your brother Project, and I don’t have a lot of time left,” Gerald told the feline, “You must uncover your powers soon.”

“But I am trying-“ Mirage started.

“Because if you can’t use them soon, we’ll have to intensify your studies,” Gerald warned her, “Oh, and one more thing - you are NOT to sleep in the same room as Project Midnight any longer. He’s distracting you.”

Mirage looked disappointed briefly, then nodded, “Yes, Professor. Can I go now?”

“Yes, you may.”

Mirage exited the lab, and leant on the metal wall with a heavy sigh. It wasn't that they were stopping them exactly. It was just that... well... they were being watched. That was discomforting.

When she opened her eyes again, she was looking into Ashura's sky-blue orbs. He sneered, "Having fun talking with the Professor?" he used the word ‘professor’ as most people would use the word 'sex offender'.

"Go away," Mirage turned away from him, heading back towards the garden, "Your nasty little trick with my head did not keep me from becoming friends with Midnight. Nothing else you do will either."

"You're a lot more than just friends," Ashura walked right behind her, "But that's not the point. The point is that you're not concentrating properly."

"Keep away from me!" Mirage snapped at him, one hand on the door to the artificial garden.

"If you were at your full power you could get inside my head and make me go away," Ashura sneered.

"What?" Mirage stopped suddenly.

"Stop seeing him, and work on your Emerald Tapping abilities," Ashura prompted her, "That’s an order! You could take over the ARK... rule the universe!"

"I do not have the time to rule the universe," Mirage snapped at him.

"I can show you how to make time," Ashura told her, "Leave the boy. He's not right for you anyway."

"I am not ending my friendship with Midnight, no matter what your offer!" Mirage snapped, "That is all I have to say on the matter!"

Ashura grabbed her wrist, "Very well. Then I'll make you FEAR him... I'll put a face to that nasty memory..."

"You will do no such thing,” Midnight's voice whispered in the hedgehog's ear, having snuck up on him undetected. Then he grabbed the green hedgehog and shoved him against the steel wall, hard enough to make his vision explode into stars.

"Wretched child of the dead!" Ashura choked, and Midnight felt the green hedgehog's mind poking around inside his head, "You and your dirty past... I can make you remember it... or think you remember it... who knows, maybe I'll get it right... Quilla..."

"Turning me into that monster is the very last you would ever want to do, you cowardly piece of shit!" the echidna snarled in his face, "Go ahead. Do it. I dare you!"

"Okay..." Ashura wormed around in his head, sparking off the recent memories, embellishing them, and in general, encouraging the dead Quilla to return to his body.

Midnight closed his eyes, feeling ancient memories return to him, scraped out of the deepest parts of his mind by Ashura and brought to the surface. His eyes snapped open, and Quilla saw the face of his enemy. Grinning insanely, his grip tightened around his throat, slowly squeezing the life out of him. Watching the hedgehog struggle for breath, he gave an animal snarl and smashed his head against the wall once, twice, three times.

Ashura gurgled quietly, a thick stream of blood pouring down the back of his head as he was slammed repeatedly against the metal. Despite the pain and the threat of unconsciousness, he forced his way harder into the echidna's mind, deliberately smothering the part of the echidna that was Midnight, who was shocked at what his body was doing without cross-referencing his brain, and giving strength to Quilla.

"Die, enemy,” spoke the echidna that was no longer quite Midnight, a malicious voice, enjoying the kill. His fingers tight around Ashura's throat, bruising the flesh and closing around his windpipe. Quilla leaned in and stared into the green hedgehog's eyes, wanting to see them turn glassy and roll back into his head.

Ashura was starting to realise his mistake. What he'd wanted was for Midnight to do something that would scare Mirage away from him, but he hadn't exactly wanted to endure vast amounts of pain to do it. He tried to retreat, but in the time it took for his mind to pull out of the echidna's head, his body had already become limp, and his face, always glacier pale, was now an ashen grey.

Quilla grinned wildly, feeling the hedgehog grow limp in his hands... And Midnight gasped, letting go and watching Ashura fall gasping to the floor. Taking a step back, the echidna glared down at the green hedgehog, fuming angrily, his rage still seething under the surface.

"Is he... dead?" Mirage's voice asked Midnight shakily. Before either of them could check, three security guards and a scientist ran up and grabbed hold of him firmly, "He did not do anything!" she cried out, "He did not! He was protecting me!"

The scientist ignored her and produced two needles, bending down and listening to Ashura's breathing, "He's alive." He took one of the needles, and pushed it into Midnight's arm.

Midnight panted, suddenly feeling like his body was made of lead. Trying to stay up was futile. Just holding his eyelids open felt like lifting boulders, "Damn you, Quilla..." he muttered softly, losing his footing.

Mirage pushed her way forward to him, but now since the guards didn't need to hold Midnight still, they could block her, "Get out of my way!" she snapped.

"Be glad Ashura's still alive," the scientist told her, "If your friend there had killed him, we'd have had to terminate him to keep to safety codes."

"YOU WHAT?!" Mirage elbowed her way through and knelt beside Midnight, looking into his eyes.

"It's just a sedative, he'll be fine in a few hours... just a bit sleepy for a while..."

Blinking slowly, the echidna looked up into Mirage's eyes. He tried to reach up and caress her cheek, but he couldn't quite reach that far before his arm had to drop again, "I'm sorry,” he whispered.

"I shall take him back to his room," Mirage said firmly.

"You're not allowed in his-"

"Not at night," Mirage corrected the scientist harshly, “And I do not give a shit what the Professor says about that anyway.” She wrapped her arms around Midnight and helped him up.

Midnight groaned quietly and stood up, leaning heavily on the hedgecat.

"Dammit, but you are heavy..." Mirage muttered, helping him to walk, not even looking back at the unconcious Ashura being carried away.

"I… I couldn't stop it,” he whispered to her, "He dragged that thing out of me... I couldn't stop it..."

"It is okay, it is okay," Mirage replied, "I am glad he is hurt, and if you had not stopped him... he would have put your face in my memories... I could not bear that..."

"Bastard,” the echidna mumbled, giving a weak shake of his head, "What is that guy's problem?"

"He is a damn megalomaniac, that is his problem," Mirage replied, "Obviously he wants me to get big and strong so that he can use me in his schemes..."

"What is he?” he asked her.

Mirage would have shrugged were it not for Midnight's weight on her shoulder. She walked up to his cell door and it slid open. She was practically carrying him now.

Midnight lay down on the floor with a long sigh, "Thank you, Mirage..." he whispered.

Mirage sat next to him, her hand on his forehead, "There is nothing to thank me for," she told him gently, "Anybody who cared about you would do it."

"I know,” he said, nuzzling her hand, "That's why I said it..."

"Because I care?" Mirage's forehead creased up in confusion.

"Why else?" he asked with a slight smile.

Mirage smiled back, then lay down behind him, wrapping her arms comfortingly around his waist, "At least now I have a chance to comfort you..." she said, stroking his chest gently.

Smiling softly, he murmured, "Certainly a change... I could get used to it, though."

Mirage nuzzled the back of his neck, "Me too," she told him, her furry tail wrapping around his waist. She stopped, realising that the gold rings encircling her tail would be cold to the touch. Midnight didn't seem to care, though, resting his hands on the tail and stroking it gently as the echidna did his best to snuggle against her. She started to stroke Midnight's cheek.

Midnight pressed his cheek against her paw, closing his eyes and murmuring softly, happily. Yeah, he may have been mentally violated and drugged, but this certainly wasn't a bad way to recover.

Sensing he liked the contact, Mirage kissed the back of his neck gently, her other hand moving down a little so that she was stroking his belly instead of his chest.

Midnight sighed and quietly rumbled in pleasure, enjoying the attention the feline was giving him. He smiled, his shorter tail wagging slightly.

Mirage kissed Midnight's neck again, her tail wrapping around his gently, flicking slightly. She began to purr quietly in satisfaction, her chest vibrating gently.

Midnight rumbled in response, tilting his head back to let the hedgecat reach his throat. He closed his eyes and rubbed the back of his head against hers, his dreadlocks draped over her face.

Mirage smiled, and began to lick at his throat with her rough tongue, breathing in his heavy scent deeply. The smell of him made a warm, comfortable feeling pool in her stomach.

Midnight sighed again, louder, and the echidna chuckled at the feel of her rough tongue on his neck. He carefully wrapped his arms around her, scratching her neck and ears, letting his hands roam down her back.

Mirage chuckled peacefully, one hand rubbing up and down Midnight's spine, the other still stroking his cheek, "Are you feeling less tired now?" she asked him, looking up into his eyes.

Looking back into hers, he sure wished so, "A little,” he said, "Whatever they stuck in me, it’s sure strong stuff."

"It would have to be," Mirage nuzzled into his chest, still holding him gently, "You will feel a lot better in a couple of hours. Maybe you should just sleep." She kissed his lips gently.

Midnight returned the kiss and nodded, his eyelids hanging heavily. "That would be nice,” he told her, ready to just give in to the drugs.

Mirage shifted somewhat, so that it was easy for Midnight to rest his head on her chest. Her hand stopped stroking his spine and trailed through his dreads instead.

Midnight closed his eyes and rested his head on her chest as offered. Gradually, his breathing slowed and deepened, and the echidna fell blissfully asleep.

Mirage smiled. She would very much liked to have fallen asleep too, but she denied herself that for now, instead lying quietly and restfully next to him. It was like looking after an 88lb baby, and it wasn't that bad a feeling - in fact she supposed that it rivalled their make-out sessions. And best of all, she wasn't getting scared.

~~~

Harley: I can’t see how anybody could think Mirage is perfect as fuck. Perfectly fucked up, maybe, but no way is she perfect…

Froggy: I can’t see how anybody could think Midnight is homosexual.

Harley: Well, he didn’t rape Mirage as soon as he had the chance… maybe to SOME PEOPLE that qualifies as a closet homosexual.