Clipped Wings

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Hey, well I'm trying out a new writing style...sort of a World War Z theme about it. Writing style, anyway. It has the same layout, and I actually like this a lot. The story takes place after Sonic Riders after I noticed something a bit odd about the Babylon Rogues...

[Brackets mean an action is taking place, or background information]

(Parentheses mean the interviewer is speaking)

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[A/N: I had taken to questioning these three about what had happened after something only referred to as, 'The Incident'. I was just a reporter, trying to get a story. I stumbled upon a few interesting interviews, which quickly grabbed my readers' attention. I was eventually pulled into bigger and bigger stories, finally landing an interview with the world famous Sonic the Hedgehog. I learned a lot from him. I learned about his adventures. I learned about his famous races with the three known only as the Babylon Rogues. Something there peaked my interest more than anything...three birds; a hawk, a swallow, and an albatross. Not one of them could fly on their own. Sonic said he had pointed out their inability to fly without help and Jet, their leader, had harshly responded with crude remarks of his own and mention of, 'The Incident'. I set out shortly after that to track them down.

I succeeded, and after much bribing and negotiating, we agreed to discuss this...'Incident']

Jet's PoV

I honestly can't remember much about the last time I took flight on my own. It was a normal day for me...I never figured it would be the last I would fly. I was circling around our small camp—we had set up one due to a rumor of treasure nearby—searching for anything to lead us to our big find. I miss the wind in my wings. I miss being independent.

[He stares ahead for a few moments]

I suppose I shouldn't get all depressed about it. I've got to hand it to Wave...she kept us from being grounded the rest of our lives. I love the Extreme Gear, don't get me wrong...it's just...unnatural for birds like us to need help to lift off the ground again.

(Can you start at the beginning of this...whole ordeal?)

Hey, I'm getting there. Don't rush me. I'm going to give you my whole side of it. You'll have to ask the others when they get back for their share...they're out fishin' or something.

(Okay. Continue, please.)

Allright. As I was saying, I was flying around, searching for any clues to this treasure. It was foggy, I wasn't getting anywhere, so I turned to head back to camp. That's when I ran into this...cloaked figure.

(Can you describe him?)

I'm not sure if I can. He was completely covered by this dark blue cloth. It was almost black. He was a human, that was all I knew. I saw him standing in a small clearing, just staring at me. So I landed and approached him.

"Who're you?" I asked.

He chuckled, as though I should know who he was.

I thought this guy was some sort of a threat. I'd never really defended our bases myself...Storm did most of that. I did pick up a few things from him, though. Ruffled feathers give you an impression of being bigger and stronger, but I usually ended up looking like I was in need of a good plucking and Wave generated enough static to power her gizmos for a week straight. That's why Storm does most of the defending. He actually looks threatening. Anyway, I tried to make myself look bigger and stronger. I really did...but the nerve of this guy...! He laughed so hard I feared he would topple over and die! When he finally regained his breath, he spoke again in that calm, cool manner he had about him... "I'm here to challenge someone worthy. I've heard a lot about you...about the Babylon Rouges. You are competitive?"

I nodded. I was as competitive as they come. I would challenge anyone to anything. And I would win. That was how we ended up with most of our stuff. I won it.

(You won it? Or all three of you would win?)

I would usually win. There was always a challenge every now and then where Wave would pull forward at the last second and take it all...usually due to the other guys cheating or something. She really saved our butts numerous times. I don't know what I'd do without her.

Anyway...the cloaked guy just gave me a slight nod and turned his back to me. "I want to race you."

It was my turn to laugh. "You? Race us? You don't know what you're getting yourself into!"

"I know very well what I'm doing." The man said instantly. "And I'm willing to raise the stakes extremely high."

"Yeah? Like...?" I prompted.

"We will bet what we treasure most dear." The man said.

I nodded, thinking he was mentioning a great amount of wealth or fortune. "You've got yourself a deal. When and where do we race?"

He raised an arm and pointed ahead of him. "Around this area and back...three times. No shortcuts. No aid from anyone or anything. Every man for himself. Today."

He turned to face me again, hand extended. "Do we have a deal?"

I nodded again, and we shook on it. I never realized I was handing my very passion over to him.

Wave's PoV

Thinking back on that day, I should have realized something was wrong. I was an idiot for not speaking up!

[She throws a wrench angrily into a toolbox]

And now look at us. Flightless. Basically colourful penguins. I would trade anything to soar again...just for a few moments.

(This man...did he have a name?)

We don't know. He never mentioned one. We never even asked. To us, he was just someone to rob of their possessions. We did have a title for him, though. One rather fitting name.

(Which was...?)

The Nameless. We don't know anything about him. We don't know where he is. We don't know what other poor souls he has robbed of their dreams and hopes. He was...like a ghost.

(Go on.)

He had some sort of aura around him...a mind-numbing one. He kept us from thinking clearly. He messed with our heads...he stole our abilities. It...changed both us and him.

I'll explain that a bit later once we get the beginning sorted out. We were challenged, Jet accepted for all of us, and we entered this race. It seemed simple enough...three laps, hardly any obstacles. He didn't allow any Extreme Gear in the race, either. Back in those days, we only used a weak model for hard turns...we had all the speed we could ever want in our own wings. Turning would be a bit difficult for us now...but we would manage. We always did.

The race itself took place on a misty, cold morning...The same one Jet accepted The Nameless' terms and conditions on. He allowed us to prepare for a few hours. The fog was thick. It would obscure our vision. But that was a minor obstacle. We would make it.

The Nameless was waiting for us. He indicated a starting line on the ground, a crude line etched into the dirt and lined with stones around the edges. It would do.

"The course is marked. If you need a moment to familiarize yourself with the track, take this time and memorize it." He said.

We did. I remember wondering why he let us do this...most challengers didn't want us to have the upper hand. I thought he had an attitude worse than Jet's...cocky and overconfident. Maybe this guy was a long-lost cousin.

We rounded the track back to The Nameless, who was standing just over the finish line. "Are you ready?"

Jet gave the answer: "Of course! I bet my Gear we're going to win!"

I rolled my eyes. I just wished I realized we were betting more than Extreme Gear.

Storm's PoV

Who does this Nameless guy think he is?! He has no right to what he did to us...how he made our lives miserable! If I ever see him again, I'm going to knock him back to where he came from with one punch!

[He takes a violent swing at the air]

So...anyway...about the race. It was looking to be in our favour. It was a depressing day...but it was perfect for our victory. I still think we won. I know that Nameless guy cheated. I just know it. He rigged the course.

(How do you know?)

He did something to mess with our eyes. I saw people we challenged in the past...people we have won against fair and square. They all vanished in a matter of seconds, but they were in our way. They blocked our paths, trying to slow us down. One of them tried to signal to me, but I had already crashed through him, only he wasn't there.

(Illusions? Do you know why this was happening?)

No...you could ask Wave or Jet. They've been obsessed with this since it happened. Wave's got all these theories tacked to her room's walls.

Wave's PoV

[We are sitting in her workshop. All around me are billboards hung around the walls, papers spilling off them onto the floor. All about The Nameless. Sketches and theories everywhere...]

(These...visions. Tell me about them)

[She hesitates slightly]

Well...I've run off some theories. Either we were drugged somehow before the race, or this Nameless guy was more powerful than we thought. I don't doubt he cast these projections somehow...but how he did it is still a mystery. I think it was a drug in the mist.

(What did you see? Who did you see?)

We were ahead of The Nameless for most of the race. That's how we saw them. I picked out faces I hoped to never see again...gang members, brainless idiots who challenged us to a competition. They all wore expressions of...extreme worry. I never thought to see that on some of their faces. They signaled to me to turn back, to give up. I thought it was some sort of trick cast by The Nameless, but now I know I should have listened. I was an idiot. I could only focus on winning.

(So you were winning the race?)

We were, until The Nameless...did something. I'm not even entirely sure what it was. He...changed. He was right beside me when it happened. His cloak shifted and strained against his changing shape. He was being propelled along by some sort of darkness from the beginning of the race, but this time it was flaring up blue and purple fire and I caught sight of his face under the hood. His...eyes had changed. It was horrifying.

(What did you see?)

His red eyes had changed, along with his face. He was composed of darkness...with blue, fiery gashes for eyes and a jagged cut for a mouth, spitting the same fires. It was only for a moment before it all changed again, back to his normal self. His body went back to normal. And he beat us. Somehow, he beat the undefeated Babylon Rogues.

[She stares at the billboards wordlessly]

Jet's PoV

He didn't just take our wings from us. He took something quite near and dear to us. He siphoned some of Storm's strength. He took some of Wave's mechanical genius. He took from me half my ability to beat my rivals...that's what I blame for Sonic winning against us so easily.

(What do you mean by...'siphoning'...? Taking mechanics...?)

The Nameless is a curse. I just know it. When he won the race, he gained power. The mist became his knives. He cut our wings from us...he could now fly, although wingless. The darkness he was propelling himself on was able to be self-sustaining. He laughed and half of his face changed to darkness, leaving a ragged blue gash for an eye and half a mouth. He raised his cloaked arms and declared, "I thank you...you have given me the power I seek."

His cloak fell away from his horribly disfigured body. He was nothing but darkness under the cloak...darkness lined with purple and blue flames. His arms grew, the dark transforming them into longer and stronger limbs. I thought I saw gears jut out of his back. He laughed once more before vanishing into a crack of white he carved into thin air, leaving us flightless and shocked. He said one thing before leaving.

(And what was that?)

"I will gather the last of my needed strength before I attack and destroy this world entirely. Enjoy these last moments while you can."

(I know who this is. Sonic spoke of him)

Oh, Sonic. That annoying little pincushion. Of course he said something about The Nameless. He knows everything, of course. The hero always does.

(He is the Time Eater.)

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[A/N: My research concluded, I set off once again to snag a decent interview. I had solved the mystery of the Time Eater...but that left more questions unanswered.

Who had supplied the Time Eater with power before the Rogues? Who had lost battles against the monster before them? Who had lost what was closest to them? How did the Time Eater end up with Robotnik?

Perhaps another story for another time.]

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Well, oneshot completed! I hoped you all liked it! I needed a story out on the site due to the fact I sort of vanished off the face of the earth for a while and I'm writing a series of fanfics right now. I think this oneshot didn't turn out half bad...

What did you guys think? Please leave a review with stuff! Flames will be doused with the waters of Chaos!

Hasta la Vista, Readers!

Lordoftheghostking28