'Stupid, Stupid! How could you be so stupid?!'
Shakily looking at his hands, Lec tried his best not to look at the dried blood on them. Yet how couldn't he not? He had just killed someone after all.
Sure, he was acting a bit nonchalant earlier, but that was mostly a heat-of-the-moment thing. Plus, he didn't want to reveal his true emotions to Maria. This was a girl who had never seen true violence throughout her life, and her first experience with it was seeing one of her few precious people douse his hands in blood.
Sighing, the teen tried his best to take his mind off of it and focus on something more...productive—his ability to use chaos energy.
It was amazing! He had never once imagined feeling that strong before. Well, that might be a lie; he has dreamt of having power plenty of times before, but what hopeful slum rat hasn't?!
Increasing his grip on Maria's hand, he continued his train of thought. 'But those emotions I felt...that disgusting hatred so deep that it threatened to swallow me whole.' The simple thought of it made him shiver.
'The power of chaos energy is great, but what will happen if or when I get stronger. Will there even be a me left?' The memory of the soldier's death resurfaced within the deep, dark pits of his mind. He could almost feel his heel popping the vile man's head open.
He felt sick...
Suddenly, the small steps of the girl behind him stopped, causing the young vessel to turn around, a puzzled expression marring his face.
"Lec...are you okay?"
"What?"
The question came as a shock to him. 'What sort of question is that? I'm fine.'
Trying his best, and failing, to produce a reassuring smile, he'd begin to force words to come out of his mouth, only for the blond-haired girl to pull him into a warm hug. "I know I'm not truly capable of understanding what's going on inside that head of yours, but I know it's nothing good. So I want to tell you that it isn't your fault."
Lec's mind stalled for a few moments before a soft smile appeared on his face. 'It isn't fair, how come she's always the one to comfort me...'
Slowly pulling away from the hug, a large, reassuring grin spread across his face, but this time it was real.
"Maria, I promise you that I'll find your grandfather."
***
Gerald Robotnik was overjoyed; not only had Lec saved Maria, but he had also taken the first step in mastering chaos energy. He could not have been prouder of his creation.
But there was a problem, a truly troubling problem indeed. None of this mattered...
Shaking his head vigorously and turning to the captured soldiers, the good doctor took his time to analyze every one of their faces. And much to his horror, he found each of them calm, as if they knew everything was assured.
That all but confirmed his thoughts. Focusing his attention on the leader that the Artificial Chaos captured, the Professor spoke. "It doesn't matter, does it?"
Perking up, the smug captain simply chuckled with a wry smile on his face. "Took you long enough to figure that out. Yes, none of this matters. Not really. Even if you and that freak of a creation manage to escape and return to the world below, G.U.N will find you, and all of this would be for naught."
Grabbing his head, the good doctor tried his best not to panic. Gerald's eyes drifted to the window. To the world below. To the tiny, fragile, indifferent world that had sent these men to his station with guns and orders and not a single question about what he was actually trying to accomplish up here. 'They're willing to ruin everything because of their fear!'
Maria's face surfaced in his mind. Then Lec's. Then the faces of every person on the Ark. The face of everybody these monsters had robbed of life.
"How long," Gerald said quietly, "do you estimate before G.U.N moves openly against this station?"
The captain tilted his head, amused. "Why would I tell you that?"
"Because you're already smiling. You've already won in your mind." Gerald turned to face him fully, his expression unreadable behind his glasses. "Men who've already won like to talk."
Something flickered behind the captain's eyes. Then the smile returned, wider. "Seventy-two hours. Give or take. After that-" he shrugged as much as his restraints allowed. "-well. Let's just say the professor and his little science project won't be anyone's problem anymore."
Seventy-two hours...Plenty of time.
His eyes drifted downward to Earth's surface. So small from here. So terrifyingly small.
'Would the innovations, the awards, the prizes matter if my granddaughter isn't by my side?'
No.
They wouldn't.
But then, and this was the thought that frightened him more than G.U.N, more than the smiling captain, more than the word worsening on that report, what if Maria wasn't by anyone's side anymore? What if the world below simply continued, indifferent and churning, after she was gone?
What did any of it matter then?
Gerald's gaze fell to the schematics he'd left open on his desk. He hadn't meant to leave them out. He barely remembered pulling them.
The captain was still talking, most likely blabbering on about G.U.N's motivations. Gerald had stopped listening.
His hand moved almost on its own, picking up the briefcase holding the chaos emeralds. These seven legendary gems would be the key to all of this. This was the only way he had to fire it.
He had to fire the eclipse cannon!
Turning around to face the soldiers once more, a cold, resolute expression settled on the good doctor's face.
"P-1...kill them all."
The creature wasted no time following its creator's orders. In an instant, a green glow filled its robotic eyes before a laser of pure chaos was fired from them, burning the men alive.
Caressing the creature's robotic head, Gerald couldn't help but think to himself. 'Am I really doing the right thing?' But it was far too late to question that, it was either the world or his granddaughter, and he'd gladly choose his granddaughter.
"I need to do this...for Maria."