"Rock...?" I called. He didn't even say anything through the communicator. "Tempo? Rush?"
My voice echoed through out, making goosebumps form on my arms. My head twirled backwards suddenly, and I forgot why I had turned, but there was a stream of fog forming a line down a hallway. I followed it suspiciously, thinking it just might lead to my friends... Or it would lead to my demise. But hopefully the first option.
It stopped in front of a normal door. My hand was on the handle, but I didn't feel in control of it. I didn't want to turn the knob. I was afraid that water would come and try to kill me again, drowning me before I could find Mega Man.
Fear. That's what the whole house wanted. Whatever I feared would appear behind the door. What was I really afraid of? What else was I afraid of? Because that was what would appear behind the door.
Or... So I thought. To my surprise, when I flung the door open, it was a dark room. I tested the floor before I walked on it, making sure that it wasn't a trap. The fog led downward, travelling through a what seemed to be transparent flight of stairs. As fast as I could, I went down them, taking them two at a time. I almost slipped and rolled down the rest of them at one point, but I didn't. I was able to stop myself just in time.
The stairs were at least a couple hundred yards down. It took forever to get to the bottom of them, and when I did, I saw nothing besides a light blue wall. The fog had massed itself against the stone, but I was unsure of what it wanted me to do. I touched my hand to it, but nothing happened. It was solid, and there seemed to be no way through it.
For minutes, I tried to figure out what to do. It looked like someone had spit all over the wall, slime dripping from the crevices. Surely, there wasn't something that led me to a useless, spit wall, was there...? I took my chances, and tried walking into it. As I did, I felt like I was being transported into another dimension or something.
Behind the wall, I found Mega Man and Tempo. They were trapped in what looked like a spider web, entangled in the giant mess. Mega Man was unconscious, but Tempo seemed to be trying everything she could to get free. Below them, there was a massive rainbow colored platform that seemed to float in the air. The edges didn't have anything on them, so falling was an easy option.
"Hang on, I'll have you out in just a second!" I shouted, running over to the web. I climbed up a string of silk that was as thick as my arm. "Ugh!" I grunted once I touched it. It was sticky and gross, like I was climbing a rope of tape. Really gooey, gross tape. I tried ripping off the stuff that quarantined Mega Man, but it was a long process. And it got all over me, and it was absolutely disgusting. The silk was like two month old milk.
In the middle of tearing it apart to get Mega Man free, I stopped when I heard a thud. The ground shook, but I really, really didn't want to look behind me.
"Well, well, well." The robot said. I still hadn't looked at him, trying silently to break Mega Man free. "If it isn't the poor sap I was ordered to kill."
I didn't reply. I had nothing to say, and I didn't want to pick a fight yet. I wanted help. I needed help. And I hated to admit that.
"Come down and fight me like a man, you twerp!" The robot shot something at me that made me fall to the ground, paralyzing me for a few seconds. It only stung, like a bee sting, and the feeling that kept me from moving went away quickly.
"I'm a hedgehog, but fine." I replied, angrily looking at the robot. I was covered in sticky goo and had a bee sting in my back. Great. The Robot Master in front of me was fully black, and looked like a shadow. Probably moved like one, too. Its eyes were the only thing that could be seen, and they looked like white dots with green cat-eye pupils in them. "What are you, Nightmare Man?"
The robot chuckled. "Close enough. I'm Night Man, but I am also the creator of this wonderful place. I got bored when you hadn't found where I was, so I sent the fog to bring you here. I'm glad you found a way through that wall; I was afraid you never would."
"Oh, c'mon." I replied. "I'm not THAT dull."
"Then let's see if you can make it through my tricks!" He said. He almost instantly disappeared.
I looked around, ready to jump or run if I needed to, watching for any sign that showed the robot. He was completely invisible, and he made no sounds at all. "You too scared to fight without cheating?"
The robot chuckled. "Perhaps you're just scared that I can do things that you couldn't even dream of."
In a quickly moving spin, the robot rammed into my back, hard, throwing me across the room. My spine felt like it had been shattered, leaving my left arm paralyzed. It wouldn't move at all. My back had just had a bad day that day...
I got back to my feet immediately, watching as the robot morphed into several others. I tried to jump and dash into one, but it disappeared, nearly making me fly off the edge of the platform. "Which one am I?" The robot asked, as if he didn't know.
I ignored the comment, just attacking each of the robots. Of course, the last one I tried to hit was the real Night Man, so he got away safely. I turned my head as I heard Mega Man make a noise, noticing he was awake. It probably would have been wiser to ignore it, for I got hit in the side. But, hey, at least my other arm wasn't paralyzed or something.
"Hang on, guys!" I shouted, not doubting my ability to defeat the robot.
"Focus on the fight, Sonic." Tempo replied. "Mega Man is fine."
I nodded back to her. "Dr. Wily had me worried for nothing." Night Man said. "Looks like without Mega Man to help you, you're nothing. Even with all that energy, you can't harm a fly, let alone something bigger than it."
I felt my teeth clench painfully together, my anger bubbling. Why had the comment made me so mad? I mean, it was just a robot trying to be witty. Every one of them I had met tried to do that. Either way, I started dashing all over, trying to kill the robot. After a while, I hit him, sending him flying across the room. "Who's weak now, you idiot?!" I screamed, running back to him, putting a giant dent in his chest with my feet.
The robot definitely wasn't going to be moving for a while. I had destroyed him from pure anger. And it felt great. But I couldn't stop there. No, I had to make sure this robot would cause me no further problems. I kicked him off the edge of the platform, where he tumbled into darkness.
I jogged over to the web Rock and Tempo were trapped in, seeing them trying to struggle away. "Ya'know, I was expecting a spider or something after seeing this web." I commented.
"Are you going to help us out?!" Mega Man said, as if he were stressed. I tried to move my arm, but it still didn't budge. It was as if it was frozen and numb.
"Nice to see you're okay, too, kid." I replied.
I used mostly my free hand to rise, then steadied myself on the web as I untangled them. Luckily, since it was sticky, staying on wasn't so hard. But it took an enormous amount of time to free them, and I was sleepy. Thankfully, I didn't fall asleep.
Once they were free, I landed on my feet to the ground, looking at the device stuck on my chest. It had grown considerably, stretching all along the arm I had injured.
"Uh, Mega Man?" I asked, pointing to my chest. "Is this supposed to be happening?"
He looked as if his eyes were going to pop out when he saw it, which nearly made me laugh. He came up to me and tried to touch it, but as he did, it shocked him away. He yelped in surprise. "I... I don't know what it is... It's not from my father, that's for sure."
I kept looking at it. It was a piece Wily had put in me, that was for sure. "Is Wily... Is he trying to take over me or something?" I asked.
"It seems as though Dr. Wily has given you a virus similar to those that are in robots and other technology." Tempo replied that time.
"But I'm not a computer!" I protested. "All he did was steal my energy... This doesn't make any sense..."
"I would explain the multiple energy spikes you have had." She said. "And your emotions getting out of whack occasionally."
I looked at the ground. "Then I shouldn't stay with you two... I mean, either way, if he's going to take over me..."
"No!" Mega Man shouted. It took me by surprise; he seemed to be almost angry. "You're staying with us. I don't care what Wily's done, and I don't care what he's going to do. I won't let this happen to you."
"I could just go back to the lab." I suggested. He seemed to consider it, but I knew he wasn't going to change his mind. "Dr. Light could figure out what to do, and, ta da! All better."
"Mega Man, there's no way to stop a catastrophe." Tempo commented. "But, I won't judge your choice." Woah. She wasn't as formal that time. Was she feeling okay...?
"He's staying with us." He said again. "We'll find a way to stop the device from spreading. And, while we figure it out, the energy spikes could come in handy, like it just did."
"You say that now, but..." My voice trailed off. Who knew when it would go majorly out of hand?
"Let us forget our worries and trail off to sleep." Tempo suggested. "Besides, this will get us nowhere. In a few hours, we can set out again into the next area."
Mega Man sighed. "What I really need is an energy tank."
"Are you sure it'll be safe?" I asked. "I mean, in such an open area... Kinda not safe."
"Would you rather sleep in the mansion?" Quake Woman asked.
I shrugged. "I guess not."
With a yawn, I curled up on the floor, hugging myself tightly. But only because it was cold!
Who knew what was to come? If Wily succeeded in taking control over me, we were all in trouble.