"So, you're a
hedgehog?" You ask, looking down at your new acquaintance Sonic.
"Yep." Sonic replies, hands behind his head, "Just said that."
"Sorry, I was just confirming." You shake your head, "It's a lot to take in, is all."
"I get it, trust me!" Sonic smirks up at you, "Imagine
my shock when I woke up and saw a
city! I mean, South Island isn't exactly industrialized!"
"So, I suppose you don't know how you got here?" You ask. You'd like to think you aren't too oblivious.
"Not a clue, but I've got a good hunch." Sonic scowls a little, "And, honestly, it's a fifty-fifty chance. Either the storms above South Island were caused by some "all-powerful" monster that wanted the Chaos Emeralds for some nefarious purposes, or..." Sonic sighs, "...It's Eggman. Again."
"That's the one who built the robots you were telling me about, right?" You try to remember your previous conversation, "With the bushy mustache?"
"
Bingo. You catch on pretty quick!" Sonic takes a step ahead, "Alright, I've pretty much given you my life story, so I think some explanations are overdue."
You nearly freeze, "Ah, right! I suppose I should tell you a little bit about Mitakihara and... Witches."
"Hey, as long as they keep their broomsticks close to the ground, I think I'll be a-okay." Sonic turns around, walking backwards to talk to you. He accentuates his point by making an "ok" with his left hand.
You sigh, pulling a Grief Seed out of your hat, "If only it were so simple."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[[ERROR]]
[[ELECTROMAGNETIC INTERFERENCE DETECTED]]
[[REQUESTING MAINTENANCE...]]
[[REQUEST FAILED: NO RETURN PING FROM EGGMAN NETWORK]]
[[DIAGNOSTIC CHECK...]]
[[ASSESSMENT: MOSTLY COSMETIC, DISREGARD DAMAGES]]
[[OCULAR SYSTEMS ONLINE.]]
You are in a dumpster.
[[COURSE OF ACTION: REMOVE UNIT FROM TRASH]]
You get up, letting the waste matter fall off of you.
[[MISSION: ACCOMPLISHED]]
[[AUDIO SENSORS RECALIBRATED]]
"Aah!!" You register a voice. Childlike, possibly female, "No, Mama!!" There is fear in her desperate plea.
[[IRRELEVANT, RETURNING TO PATROL]]
You begin to exit the alley.
"You little
shit!!" There is a second female voice, older, possibly belonging to "Mama", "You thought you could hide this from me?!"
[[IRRELEVANT, RETURNING TO PATROL]]
There is a yelp from the younger entity, as well as glass shattering.
"Yuma's sorry! Yuma's sorry! She pro--!!" Physical strike detected, likely by hand.
"Oh, I bet you
are!!" The older woman growls, "Sorry that you got
caught!"
[[IRRELEVANT, RETURNING TO PATROL]]
You walk past the home, focused on your current objective.
"Do you have
any idea how much that's worth?!" The woman points to--
[[RELEVANT. ENGAGING.]]
The engine in your back flares to life instantly as you crash through the wall. The older woman, covered in alcohol and trace amounts of blood, looks you dead in the eye.
The child, whom you can only assume is her daughter, lays still at your feet. You pick her up by the back of her neck, and show the woman her offspring.
She looks confused.
[[INITIATE: PERSUASION PROTOCOL]]
You point to the Chaos Emerald in her hand, and express your desire of it with your hand.
The older woman scoffs, "Hell no! You can kill the little shit for all I care! This diamond is
mine!"
You comprehend.
[[DISREGARD HOSTAGE, ENGAGE.]]
You drop the child off to the side, shoot forward, and deliver a devastating blow to the woman's sternum. Predictably, it shatters. As she hits the wall, you grab her arm and break it. The Emerald clatters to the floor as her daughter winces from the fall.
[[MAIN OBJECTIVE COMPLETE. COMBAT TIME: 0.48 SEC.]]
Aside from the damage you inflicted, she has suffered cranial damage from her impact with the wall, along with spinal damage. She will be dead within two to three hours, less so if the bone shrapnel has torn any vital organs.
Good.
You take the Chaos Emerald, content to vacate the pre--
The child grabs your leg on your way out. "P... Please... Don't leave... Yuma...!" She begs.
She failed to be used as a hostage once.
But then again, that woman was not Sonic.
You grab the child by the back of the neck again.
[[ATTEMPTING TO PING EGGMAN NETWORK...]]
[[RETURN PING: LOCATION LOCKED.]]
[[UNIT METAL SONIC RETURNING TO THE DOCTOR]]