clereen's story chapter 11

A Creature of many secrets

The last few days, Clereen had taken to going on walks by herself. She didn’t feel the need to tell anyone as she didn’t want them to try and restrict her like before. And besides, that would also ruin the point. Recently, she had felt the need to spend some more time alone. Despite, getting to know her friends rather well over the last few weeks and loving their company, she also felt like it was like being in another world. One where she didn’t belong.

She would often wander the roof tops of the skyscrapers so she couldn’t be easily seen and she would just think. Then walk, then think, then sit, then walk and then think again. It seemed she could never run out of things to think about. There was always something. Even if it was the same thing over again. A greater being, the universe and what it meant to be alive. There were so many things people didn’t understand and perhaps never truly will.

One day, on the way home after some thinking time, she noticed a strange sensation within her and stopped. There was something nearby. She turned and saw a jewellery shop and quickly discovered in the window that there was a large green jewel. Clereen gasped as she realised it was a chaos emerald! She was about to get it when she remembered she wasn’t supposed to be spotted. But how was she supposed to get this chaos emerald without being spotted? She considered going to tell the others but if she did, she was likely to forget where the shop was.

She didn’t know her way round very well and the only way she could get back home was because she could walk on the building tops. There was a great view from way up there and the richer district looked much different from the rest of the city. It was easy to identify the mansion from any distance this way. She looked over at the mansion she now called home and then looked back at the shop. It was so close and yet so far. This was her chance to help. This was up to her!

She used her super speed to rush into the shop and grab the jewel before heading back straight away. When she got home she felt pretty proud of herself. She started to think that maybe she could leave this as a surprise to make the event even better. However, as she started to walk closer to the mansion to find the others, she soon realised something was up. She looked down and could see her body was glowing yellow. This only usually happened when she used her powers. It never happened on its own! Then she noticed the chaos emerald was also glowing. Was she reacting to the chaos emerald? NO! I can’t let them see this! What on earth would they think I was then?!

Unfortunately, it was too late. Tails was in the garage with her tornado and was already staring at her with surprise and then suspicion as she edged closer. Clereen, not knowing how to react, started to sweat and ran as fast as she could to her bedroom. She put the chaos emerald away in a little blue cupboard. She looked for a while and smiled at the other two chaos emeralds, one purple and one a cloudy white before closing it. When she closed the cupboard the glowing stopped. At that very moment, Tails burst into the room with Knuckles following close behind.

“I knew it!” Tails said as she stomped closer to Clereen in anger.

Tails got right up to Clereen’s face before yelling “What are you hiding?”

Clereen quickly responded “I don’t know what you are talking about” while making sure to use her body to block her vision of the cupboard behind her.

Knuckles pulled Tails back “Woah woah woah! Hang on a minute! What is going on?” Knuckles yelled to Tails

“Why doesn’t anyone see this?! She is clearly hiding something!” Tails yelled accusingly as she pointed at her

“What? Another cake? Come on, Tails. What could Clereen possibly have to hide?” Knuckles explained to Tails.

Just then, Amy came rushing in “Guys, there is something on the news!” she said, looking desperate to rush off in another direction. Tails looked back at Clereen and glared at her. Clereen just moved her head back nervously and turned as she bumped it on the cupboard. Just then, Tails looked behind her and looked back at her, seemingly even more suspicious. Clereen tried to smile but failed miserably.

“Come on! I think you are going to want to see this!” Amy said, impatiently. Tails slowly forced her glare away from Clereen and they all went downstairs to see what was going on. When they got downstairs they heard the TV on loudly in the sitting room and they rushed to see the screen.

“Breaking news just in! The Hidden Gem Jewellery store was robbed only minutes ago. The CCTV footage shows a strange yellow light entering and leaving the scene” Clereen watched in horror as she saw her own yellow glowing light on TV. She had hoped that she would be in and out before anyone noticed but it seemed her timing was off. Tails immediately, identified the yellow glow and started her jabbing stare back at Clereen. Clereen looked back nervously as she knew what she was thinking.

“It’s not what you think!” Clereen cried desperately while backing away from the peering eyes of her friends

“What am I supposed to think this is then?! Enlighten me!” Tails yelled with fists clenched and ready for action. Then Tails remembered what she saw earlier.

“The cupboard. What’s in the cupboard?!” Tails interrogated Clereen. Clereen knew what her next move was and she was determined to stop her. Clereen tried to run to the cupboard with her super speed.

“Sonic, grab her!” Tails yelled. Sonic obeyed and rushed after her with his sonic speed. Clereen was just a little ahead but Sonic was also just as fast and grabbed her arms from behind as she reached the cupboard. Tails and the others caught up soon after. Tails walked ahead of everyone with a strong sense of purpose, heading straight for the cupboard.

“No wait! Please! I can explain!” Clereen tried desperately to get them to listen but Tails and others ignored her pleas. As Tails turned the door knob of the cupboard, Clereen soon realised there were no other options left. Clereen let out a burst of energy which knocked the others back. Then she used this time to grab the chaos emeralds. Then she handed out the green one to Tails.

“I got this for you” she said as her eyes weld up with tears.

“Then why are you hiding them?” Tails yelled back

“You can’t take these!” Clereen said as she held the purple and white gems tightly in her arms.

“Wait, what?” Tails soon realised that those emeralds were not the colours she knew.

“Purple and white?” Sonic asked as he also realised. Then Clereen started to glow again.

“I know you are looking for chaos emeralds and I want to help I really do...but these are not the emeralds you are looking for. They can’t be!” Clereen begged to Tails.

“Clereen is right” Knuckles said as he came closer, looking more shocked and staring at the emeralds.

“But if these are not the chaos emeralds then what are they?” Amy asked

“And why do YOU have them?” Tails added while further staring down Clereen. As they spoke, Knuckles got closer and stared right into the gems.

“The soul stones of the ancients” Knuckles whispered to himself.

“The what?” Amy responded

“These are the chaos emeralds but these are from the ancient tribes who used to care for the Master Emerald. The story is told in the ancient tomes on our island structures. The ancients were a tribe that existed long ago and are said to have created the chaos emeralds and the Master Emerald. They are also said to have had the power to travel to different dimensions and even different times. Then one day they swore to protect the land and they put their spirits into magical gems. Once these gems are put together, they can give the one who found them ultimate power to protect our world. There were more than seven chaos emeralds as they were created from the spirits of the ancients but only seven were awoken. These must be some of the others!” Everyone just stared in silence at this news. Knuckles looked very confused as he continued further.

“But how is this here?! They were said to be lost in another dimension ages ago. How do you have them, Clereen?!” Knuckles asked as he looked at Clereen, hoping for answers but Clereen didn’t have any.

“I don’t know” Clereen answered

“You don’t know?!” Tails asked in shock

“Oh that’s just great!” Amy said with great sarcasm

“What do you mean you don’t know?!” Knuckles asked Clereen

“I don’t know! I’ve had them ever since I was young. I don’t know where they came from. My dad found them” Clereen admitted

“He did?” Sonic asked with great confusion

“Oh boy” Knuckles said as he turned away, trying to get to grips with what was going on. Everyone else was just as shocked, including Clereen.

“So let me get this straight.” Tails started to yell

“Tails, please” Knuckles tried to stop her but she kept going

“So you have been hiding these gems from us ever since you have been here and then it turns out they are NOT the chaos emeralds but actually some sort of previous form of them that isn’t even supposed to exist anymore?!” Tails yelled, getting increasingly frustrated

“TAILS!!” Knuckles shouted and everyone went quiet. Then it became apparent that Clereen was weeping. She just looked down as poured down her face in buckets.

“This isn’t fair. What has Clereen done to deserve this?” Knuckles asked Tails

“That’s exactly what I want to know!” Tails said angrily

“Everyone, please. This is all a bit much to take in. Maybe we should all just take a step back first” Anna reasoned.

Knuckles gave a deep sigh “She’s right. We need more time to think this over before either of us make any decisions. We have enough going on already.” Knuckles agreed.

“But” Tails tried to but in

“Right, Tails?” Knuckles pressured Tails.

Tails sighed deeply just as Knuckles did before “Alright. We can have a meeting first thing tomorrow. Agreed?” Tails said

“Agreed” Knuckles answered

With that, everyone left the room, all except Clereen and Knuckles. Knuckles looked on at Clereen for a while longer before shaking his head with a sigh and leaving the room. Clereen stood there, thinking and sobbing. She did this for a good while before putting the chaos emeralds back in the cupboard and sitting on her bed to think and cry some more.

After a while to calm down but still with tears in her eyes, she realised there was only one option left. She stared at the window to the room in clear view from the bed she sat on. It was wide open and blowing a slightly cool breeze on a sunny day, inviting Clereen to join the outside. Only one option. She couldn’t let them know. She couldn’t tell them the truth. They already hardly believed the other things she had told them about her past. Why would they believe any more. She was doomed from the start. She should have never let them into her life. Into her mind. Into her heart.

Clereen fetched some spare note paper from a drawer and started to write and then left it sitting on the bed. Then Clereen wandered slowly to the window and cried as she turned around and looked at her room for the last time. She thought about how much she would miss them and how much they had done for her but it was no use thinking about those things now. This life was over. It was time for another. Clereen then jumped out the window and flew away into the distance.

Everyone left her in peace for a while before trying to call her out of the room for the meeting later that night. Tails volunteered to see her herself and knocked on the door carefully.

“Clereen? You there?” Tails heard no answer

“I’m sorry, Clereen. We all are. I think...No! I know, I put too much pressure on you. Let’s just talk and figure this out...please...” Tails said gently through the door but still heard no response. Tails just stared at the floor for a while and closed her eyes before then quietly going to see Knuckles to help. Knuckles tried his usual tricks to coach her out but to no success.

“Come on, Clereen. I know the last few weeks have been hard and you are a growing woman. Things are going to be difficult for you but you just need to talk to us and as long as you’re honest I’m sure we can sort this out...Clereen...Please...” Knuckles said but still to no response. Eventually, Knuckles and Tails agreed to knock the door down and interrupt her in whatever she was doing as this was important for her even if she didn’t want to do it.

Knuckles bashed down the door with his shoulder only to find an empty room with an open window blowing the curtains around the room like butterfly wings. Knuckles was first to see the note and the door with Tails close behind.

“oh no” Knuckles said under his breath as he went inspect the window and look out in hopes he wasn’t too late. However, it became clear he was when he heard the tears of Tails behind him.

Tails was holding the note in her hands as tears streamed down her face as waterfalls of her shame. Tails couldn’t take it anymore and sobbed her heart out as she handed the note to Knuckles and he began to read.

“There are so many things I want to explain. So many things you could never understand. But I just don’t have the words to tell you. I would never expect you to believe me and it would only end in tears. There are so many things you have done for me that I will never be able to pay you back for. I’m sorry. Goodbye”

Knuckles stared at the note for a good while in silence and nothing but the sound of Tails’ tears echoed around the room. Sonic came running up the stairs and was about to tell them something but his face fell when he saw Tails’ face full of tears like he had never seen before. This was not the Tails he knew at all.

“GUYS! Eggman has told us to come to the local football stadium or else! We got to go!” Amy cried soon after Sonic, desperate to rush off in the opposite direction as soon as they came forward.

Tails and Knuckles didn’t have any time to grieve. There was no time to lose. Eggman could cause some severe damage if he wanted so they had no choice. Tails and the others got into the Tornado mark 2 and rushed off to the stadium and one seat was empty.

Tails, Knuckles and the others arrived very quickly but they didn’t see Eggman on entry. Something was clearly wrong but they couldn’t ignore a threat no matter what it entailed. They were ready to escape at the drop of a hat but what they didn’t expect was what lay beneath them. A large round dome came out of the floor and trapped everyone inside. Eggman soon came out of the shadows laughing his usual laugh. It was a trap!

“Hello everyone. What a pleasure to meet you” he cackled before bellowing with laughter once more

“Oh, please!” Amy cried in disgust of his sense of humour

“At least we still have the tornado, right?” Sonic said, trying to keep the mood up but soon after saying it Eggman threw an explosive device out of his flying machine and, in one great explosion, blew the tornado mark 2 into pieces.

“Honestly, Sonic. Sometimes you really should just keep your mouth shut!” Tails yelled with anger as Sonic cowered under her.

“Now spin and get us out of here!” Tails demanded. Sonic did as he was told but, try as he might, he just couldn’t make even a scratch on the dome. Eggman bellowed with great laughter once again.

“That dome is made out of best material there is. It is cut proof, bullet proof and even bomb proof. Resisting is useless!” Eggman said with great pride.

“You might as well give up now!” Eggman cried with pure glee before laughing once more.

Tails gave a deep sigh. “Maybe he is right.” She said with a deep sadness. Knuckles found himself almost agreeing with her but then Amy shouted

“What are you talking about?” closely followed by Sonic saying

“There must be some way out of this!” Tails and Knuckles were happy to see their support but they were still doubtful

“But how the fuck are we gonna get out of this thing?!” Knuckles cried with frustration.

Just then, a familiar yellow beam swooped over their heads, narrowly missing roasting their ears and it melted right through the top of the dome. They didn’t need any reminded to move as they all jumped out as soon as they could. Tails then turned around and grinned from ear to ear.

“CLEREEN!” she cried as she saw her standing in front of them all. Clereen gave a quick smile but didn’t say a word before she quickly changed her focus onto Eggman but Eggman was soon ready as two great metal hands came out of his flying machine. Eggman and Clereen shared glances with fire burning between them. It was clear this battle was meant for no-one else but them and them alone.

“Clereen! NO!” Knuckles tried to yell to her but it was no use.

Her mind was made up and she went for it. Clereen aimed some beams straight at Eggman but his machine was fast and flew ahead of the beam. Eggman took this opportunity to fire missiles at her which she was easily able to avoid with her lightning quick speed across the chairs and walls of the stadium. Clereen decided to use a different tactic and pushed off the railings towards Eggman but she had to fly backwards as Eggman threw a metal hand at her.

“Clereen, stop! You don’t have to do this!” Knuckles yelled to her as he tried to put his hand on her shoulder but she shoved his hand away. Then she turned to him and smiled.

“Yes I do” she said before flying into the air to avoid another strike from Eggman’s metal arm.

Then Clereen surprised Eggman by jumping onto his face and then behind him. Eggman’s machine wasn’t fast enough to turn around before Clereen used her beams to melt the hands off the arms. She landed on his see-through screen looking straight at him and pushed her hand against the screen at his eye level. Eggman tried to fling his arm at her but she used her ability to force the arms away from her with one arm as she charged the beam into Eggman’s face with another.

“What are doing?! Clereen! STOP!!” Tails cried and Clereen stopped for a minute to look at Tails but this gave Eggman the opportunity to use a surge of electricity from the machines base to zap Clereen. Clereen’s muscles spasmed and she fell to the floor.

“Clereen!” Knuckles cried and him and Tails both tried to to reach her to help but she wasn’t willing to give up. It was difficult and painful but she forced herself back to her feet to face him once again.

“Look at you! Pathetic! Face it, you brown mutt! You can’t beat me! It’s no wonder you’re farther abandoned you!” Eggman taunted

“He didn’t abandon me! He loved me and protected me all his life and he would still be here if it wasn’t for the other scientist!” Clereen yelled in protest

“Is that really what you tell yourself? The other scientist? Do you even know who they were? Do you even know what work your farther did?!” Eggman replied

“All I know is that he was a good man and he made me. He didn’t deserve what happened to him! He loved me and that’s all I need to know!” Clereen protested further as she stood stronger than ever before.

“Ever heard of project 427?” Eggman said with a strange calmness as if asking a genuine question

“You’re tricks won’t work on me!” Clereen said with confidence and suspicion

“Oh my god! You mean you don’t know?!” Eggman said in a sarcastically nice tone as if having a casual conversation about the latest news

“What I don’t know doesn’t matter to me!” Clereen cried

“What if I told you, that scientist you call farther was Dr Ivo Robotnik.” Eggman stared at him, confused as to what he meant

“In other words, my farther!” Eggman cried with a loud sense of meaning.

Clereen’s face grew pale. “no no. You’re lying! Y-you y-y-y-you must be LYING!” Clereen cried but she just couldn’t completely convince herself

“What? Did you never think it was strange how he never let you see anyone? How he lived in seclusion on the edge of a large forest in the middle of nowhere?! Did it never occur to you why you never saw your mother?!” Eggman yelled with increasing passion and strength as he saw Clereen crumbling in front of him.

Clereen just stood there, her heart broken. Her farther, the one who brought this evil man to the world?! But how? Why? Surely this was some kind of mistake! It must be! It can’t be true! It can’t be true! Clereen’s eyes welled up tears without her even realising and the voices of her friends were drowned in the questions of her own mind.

“And you weren’t the first” Eggman continued

“What?” Clereen said, now weak with confusion

“You were one of many experiments! You meant nothing to him! The only reason he kept you happy or even fed you was for his own gain. For science! You meant nothing! You are nothing! Nothing!” Eggman cried louder and louder

“NO! NO! NO!” Clereen tried to put her hands over her ears but it didn’t silence the voice in her head.

‘you mean nothing’

‘Nothing’

‘Nothing’

‘Nothing’

‘a clone!’

‘a fake!’

‘spawn of evil!’

“Clereen...don’t listen to him! It’s not true!” Tails tried to cry to her. Clereen just turned with tears in her eyes.

“No Tails...it’s true...” she eventually said

“What?” Tails said with more confusion than anger

“You don’t know that, Clereen!” Knuckles yelled in desperation

“I was created through DNA in a science lab. It’s all I have ever known” she said as tears poured down her face and glistened in the moonlight

“I was afraid to tell you because I thought you would believe I was a spy for him” Then Clereen looked up and smiled

“Heh, funny...life used to be so simple then. I didn’t have a care in the world and all this time I was hoping it wasn’t really true so I could feel OK with my lies but in the end I was only running away from the truth. Wasn’t I?” Clereen said as she seemed to be more calm and adjusted than she had ever been. Knuckles saw her standing there and for the first time. He didn’t see the little silly girl he had been protecting but the woman she had become.

“NO!” Knuckles cried in a desperate attempt to make this stop but, in the end, he was telling himself more than Clereen. Just then Eggman came from behind and fried Clereen in a burst of electricity till smoke spewed from her skin.

“NO! STOP! PLEASE STOP!” Knuckles cried and Eggman eventually let go and Clereen flopped to the ground limp as a dead fish.

Knuckles ran forward to see barely any resemblance left of the girl he knew and yet he could still see the sparkle in her eyes he knew so well. Knuckles started to sob his heart out as he saw her chest stretching as she gasped for breath.

“It’s OK, Clereen. We’ll get you home. You will be fine. We’ll fix you up. You will be fine!” Knuckles cried as he lifted her off the ground. Clereen gasped for air as if she was a hundred years old and her lungs full of ashes. Just then, a weak voice responded.

“No, Knuckles. I have no home” Clereen said with some of the last of her breath

“Yes you do!” Knuckles yelled at her as his voice shook

“It’s OK Knuckles” Clereen said as her hand touched his arm

“I’m going to see the professor. I’m going where people love me for who I am” Clereen said as her voice grew weaker

“I LOVE YOU!” Knuckles cried with all his heart. The others stood around and watched in horror. None of them knowing what to say. There was an awkward silence as there was no response before he cried again.

“I FUCKING LOVE YOU, CLEREEN! DON’T YOU FUCKING DIE ON ME!” He cried even louder than before

“I love you to” Clereen said as she gave a faint smile before frowning

“I’m tired Knuckles” she said as her eyes grew heavy

“DON’T SLEEP, CLEREEN! Don’t sleep...” Knuckles tried to say but he got quieter as he didn’t even believe his own words

“I’m coming professor” she said as her eyes closed and she lay as if falling asleep like every other day.

“CLEREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!” Knuckles screamed before sobbing onto her chest but it was no use. She was gone. The others just stood and cried in a circle of ceremony around her and nothing but the sounds of sorrow echoed around the empty open walls of the stadium.