Knuckles, the Chaotix, etc, are © to Sega.
Az Spyre, and any other characters are © to me.

This is the first story in my series. This particular part is the end of the Knuckles Chaotix adapt I'll never write. So it explains things.

Please read sipp . kiwiwolf . net / writing / katc / (remove the spaces) before reading this.

Anti-Climax

"Cowards die many times before their deaths,
The valiant taste death but once."

Prologue

Metallic claws met gloved hands.
Mighty the Armadillo blocked Metal Sonic's assault, the claws curled around his wrists cruelly. He snapped a leg up. The leg connected with the metallix's belly, and Metal Sonic flew back.
Sparks flew.
Digital red eyes narrowed.

The armadillo smiled grimly.

"Getting a bit rusty, Metal?"

It was the first time he spoke throughout the entire fight.

"You are not humorous," spat the robot.

"I wasn't trying to be."

Around him, Knuckles the Echidna and the rest of the Chaotix, stood.

Knuckles, a well-built crimson echidna observed the fight dispassionately, arms folded, and scowling.

Espio, a purple chameleon was a bit more enthusiastic. He was smiling.

Vector the Crocodile and Charmy Bee were cheering their friend on.

Metal Sonic's engines flared, thrusting him into the air. He stopped only when twenty feet above his enemy.

Mighty glanced upwards, calculating the robot's next move.

Metal didn't move.

"I need to get him down quickly," the armadillo thought of Sonic's antics, then grinned.

"Oy, toaster," he made the kiss-my-rear-end sign.

He saw Metal's eyes flash, and heard an enraged snarl as Metal Sonic swooped down, like an eagle.

"Perfect."

Claws outstretched, Metal hurtled through the air, towards his prey.

Mighty curled a fist back.

This was it…

Five feet between them.
Four.
Three.
The armadillo let his fist fly.
Two.
One.
Impact.

The robot seized the armadillo's throat just as his hand encountered the engine intake.
The force of the punch sent Metal flying, his clawed fingers scraped off of the boy, leaving slash marks. Metal crashed into the ground. Mighty stood up, feeling his marred neck gingerly.

"This ends, NOW."

The teenager paced towards the robot, who was lying motionlessly.
His red eyes were dim.
The faintest of smiles crossed the mecha's face.
Knuckles saw it, and stiffened.
The rest of the Chaotix watched in anticipation.
Mighty kept going.
Metal Sonic opened his arm compartment, and pulled something out.
Smooth, green.
A power stone.

"I believe the correct saying, is: If you cannot beat them…"

One flick of the mechanical wrist, and the power stone flew across the distance, before the armadillo.
It blazed to life.

"No!"

The source of the shout, Knuckles, began to run towards Mighty.

Metal openly smiled, and jetted away.

At the armadillo's feet, the power stone began to glow hotly. It jetted into the air, directly in front of him.

The air around them darkened and began to swirl. A vortex appeared, drawing the boy in.

"No!"

The Void was apparent now, the crystal floating in the midst.

"NO!"

Mighty disappeared completely, and Knux shoved a spiked fist into the power stone.

Fine crack lines appeared on the surface.

Then, an explosion.

It engulfed the echidna whole.

Azaelin Nymphadora Tarrun Supaya – also known as Az Spyre, jolted upright in her seat.

"So good of you to join us, Miss. Spyre. I repeat, Miss. Spyre, which trigonometry sign do you use to find the adjacent angle using a theta angle?"

"Sin," muttered the hybrid.

"Correct. I'll tell you what, Spyre, why don't you teach the class? You seem to know everything, judging by your constant desire to sleep and/or daydream in this class."

Az flushed and bit her lip, and a few of the other girls giggled.
Classic high school system, thought Az, ignoring them.

Someone had entered the Void- she could feel it.

"Sir?"

The teacher turned.

"Yes, Miss. Spyre?"

"May I go to the washroom?"

"No."

"But, sir, it's an emergency!"

"Five minutes, Spyre."

"Yes sir."

She shuffled out of the classroom, discreetly making a face at them as she did. It was a bit of immaturity she could afford.

Despite the knot that was forming in her stomach from the thought a Mobian in the Void, she was actually in a good mood.

Once outside, she ran. Her first stop was her home, where she paused to grab her brother's prized possession- his airboard.

She could hear her mother snarling after her as she left, and she clutched the airboard to her chest.

Eucalyptus had won that airboard at a competition. It was of very good quality, and it had been his most sacred possession.
He had given it to her, before Dokkun had taken him away…
That had been years ago…
Az snapped back to reality, switching the airboard on. It flared to life, jetting into the air. She smiled, and tipped the board up, as it shot into the air.

Aquacity was a beautiful place. The majority of the people weren't exactly hybrid-loving, to put it lightly, but the scenery was breathtaking.

She loved it.

Though she lived outside of it, in a small town named Nikel, she enjoyed visiting it, or rather, flying through it. Although she had a fear of heights, being in the air, and generally falling, for some reason she didn't mind being on the airboard. Probably because she had used it so many times…

She dipped down into the city, as residents darted by her vision. There were huge aquariums in the buildings, and non-sentient fish resided there.
Down, on the streets, sprinklers and fountains shot water into the air, in beautiful patterns.

She loved it.

Maybe not the residents, but the place… it was beautiful. Az had not traveled all that much in her life, but of all the places she had seen, Aquacity was her favourite.
The wind whipped at her hair as she shot through the city.

Her brother had shown her this route…

She exited Aquacity, directing herself towards the Aquatic Ruins.
The Ruins were Aquacity's main tourist attraction. Well, they had been, until months ago… Dr. Robotnik had attacked the Ruins, and had set it up as his base of operations, turning non-sentient animals and people alike into his robotic slaves.
Mobius's hero, the legendary Sonic the Hedgehog, and his sidekick, Miles "Tails" Prower had defeated him.
But robots still lurked.
And now, for the most part, it was abandoned.

And Az Spyre loved it.

It was without a doubt the best part of where she lived. She did most of her thinking there, most of her homework, she did all her training there.
She went there to escape her family, the people of her city…. everything.
It was her refuge from all her problems.

She used the Aquatic Ruins when she went to the Void.
And that's what she had to do now.
She hid the airboard behind one of the enormous pillars, then, concentrated, holding her arms out. Sure enough, a portal formed. She entered.

"The Guardian has arrived," one of the demons announced, as the others looked up from their prey; a battered, nearly dead armadillo known as Mighty.

"Welcome, Guardian," rumbled one of the more important demons.

"It's the little Supaya," it was a whisper, but somehow carried well.

Az Spyre gave no reply, as her eyes searched for, and then located the other Mobian.

"Guardian," interjected the demon smoothly, drawing her attention back to him, "For centuries we have been imprisoned here. We wish you Mobians no harm, we only wish to be free."

"No, harm, huh? Why'd you attack that one?"

"You must understand," he remained calm and pleading, "My people are restless. Please, set us free."

"No chance."

"Guardian…"

But the others had heard enough. They let out blood-curdling screams and rushed at her.

And then, she disappeared.

The demons blinked and whipped around in confusion.

"She's half chameleon, you idiots!"

She appeared next to Mighty, who groaned.

"Shh," soothed the hybrid, slipping her arms under his torso. She took a breath, inhaling sharply, but couldn't seem to lift him.

"You had a big breakfast, didn't you?" she mumbled, trying to drag him away from the fray.

A portal formed nearby, and she breathed some form of thanks to the higher power, then grinned.

A cry rang out from the demons. They had found her.
One of them let loose a blast of dark energy.

She tried to dodge, but it seared across her shoulder, and along her arm.

She cursed.

"I'm infected."

Mighty was now gone, Az had pushed him through the portal. He did, however, recall her face. Her bright lime-green eyes, her pale complexion, the unkempt reddish-blonde hair, the armadillo muzzle and the chameleon horn.

The portal closed.

Az collapsed to her knees, panting, clutching at her arm, from which black liquid was oozing out.

The demons surrounded her, grinning. Her pupils expanded and dilated from the pain. She was only barely conscious, and on her hands and knees, breathing harshly.

They lunged.

There was a loud crash as the beaten form of Mighty the Armadillo collided with hard, cold cement.