Chapter Text
A bit earlier…
As Mimic drove through Starlight City, he couldn't help but to recollect his previous visits to the town. He swore he could've remembered the place being more… lively? Loud, at the very least. But today, Starlight City was uncharacteristically silent, seemingly without reason — for fuck's sake, the sun hadn't even started to set yet! Where was everyone??
But no answer to that question Mimic asked himself ever came. All that there was to accompany him during his drive was the sound of his car's engine. He was beginning to see the edge of town, anyways, so he decided to just ignore the curiosity entirely and kept going.
As he did leave Starlight City, however, Mimic realized that what technically constituted as 'Wild Woodlands'; the tree, the grass, the bushes and other flora — they were all on each side the road he drove on. And as he had that realization, it also occurred to him that within the actual woodlands itself was the pathways most preferred by mobians that lived in the area, or so he's heard. The more lively layout was more natural to mobiankind, while the road that Mimic drove on was made for the humans and their preferences. Ironic, isn't it then, that Mimic is driving on this road as well, while being a mobian himself? Well, only somewhat. And even if it was… Mimic's car isn't suited for off-roading.
So with that thought in mind, he decided to park his car on the side of the road and hop out, opting to trek into the woodlands on foot.
"She'd probably wanna race in there anyways…" He remarked to himself in a snarky tone before heading into the trees.
As he began delving into the woodlands, Mimic made sure to keep his eyes out for any sign of Whisper and/or the wisps, since the letter never specified an exact starting location. His eyes scanned over every tree and bush about two or three times at least, maybe more. He wasn't exactly keeping count. He just kept scanning, scanning, and scanning again for any sight of his adversary, or at the very least his prize.
And just as he was beginning to grow tired of the pattern… he saw it. Not Whisper, but… one of the wisps. Blue, specifically. It was always them first, wasn't it? It made sense, though, that they'd be the first to approach him each time. They had been his back then, their bond with him was the strongest of all amongst his bonds with the wisps.
"What? Are you lost or something?" Mimic asked Blue rather playfully. After the freakout he had earlier, he figured it'd be a good idea to build back some good rapport with them.
But despite his attempt, all he got in response was what sounded like a chuckle from Blue, before they swiftly took off further into the woodlands.
"H-hey!!" Mimic sputtered out with surprise as he almost immediately began to chase after them. Little rascal, that damn wisp was. All of them were, really. Always have been, honestly. But Mimic was sure that them being with Whisper all this time certainly hadn't helped things.
Blue weaved their way through bushes and flowers and tree trunks with relative ease. Sure makes the job easier when there's no legs or ground contact to worry about, too bad Mimic can't just float around like they do! As they were flying around effortlessly, Mimic had many moments of hitting roadblocks along the way as he followed them. Even had a couple near-trips. But despite the setbacks, Mimic did not allow himself to fall behind. In fact, he actually managed to catch up to Blue, slowly but surely. As he drew closer to them, he began to outstretch his arms, hoping to catch them off guard and lock them into his embrace. The more the two of them raced through the woodlands, the closer to one another the two became. Physically, yes, but Mimic swore he could also feel a more metaphorical connection being made. Or perhaps, being rebuilt.
And then, just like that, the moment arrived. He could feel it. Now was his chance!! With confidence in his mind and determination in his heart, Mimic dived in towards Blue to grab them once and for all. But then, as he had already made the jump, the trajectory of his body already certain, Blue swerved out of the way, causing Mimic to fall gracelessly to the ground below, chin first.
"Dammit…" Mimic groaned with a slight bit of pain. Nothing he couldn't push through, though.
As he turned his head up towards the sky, preparing to get back up on his feet, he was faced with not just Blue, but now the other wisps as well, looking down at him. And amongst them was Whisper, mask covering her face completely, so Mimic couldn't actually tell whether or not she was looking at him too like the rest. But she was certainly leering over him.
As he stared back at her, taking in the situation that he was in, one of his hands began to gravitate towards his pocket, slipping inside and beginning to fiddle with the small knife he had tucked away inside.
He could do it. He could do it right now! He could kill Whisper right here and now and no one would ever know!! Well. The wisps would know. But they'd never be able to tell anyone! They can't even speak English! Besides, he could probably convince them in was all for the best. Or maybe Doctor Starline could build something to wipe their memories with!
But despite his internal ramblings, Mimic did not, in fact, go in for the kill. In fact, he didn't do much of anything at all, knife-fiddling aside. And why was that? Surely he didn't care about fairness. But… he did care about honor, to some extent. He wanted the kill to feel earned.
So he kept his knife in his pocket, and pushed himself up to his feet.
"Mimic." Whisper spoke.
"Whisper." Mimic replied in kind. "Don't tell me that was the race you wrote about."
"Don't worry your little head… It wasn't." Whisper answered him, sounding a bit more cocky than he had remembered her being. She even ended the sentence with a chuckle!
"It seems your writing style isn't the only thing about you that's changed, hmm?" Mimic pointed out the odd behavior.
"Things change, Mimic. So goes the unpredictability of life, the essence of chaos…" Whisper explained vaguely. Something about that statement seemed… off in a way. Off enough to cause a small chill to go through Mimic's body. But he paid it no mind.
"And I suppose… You were feeling sick a couple days ago?" Mimic continued on, playing along with what Whisper was saying, even if it did somewhat conflict with his own memories of her.
"… Yes," said Whisper, the single word carrying with it the slightest hint of hesitation. Not that it mattered.
The more time the two wasted just chatting was more time not spent on the agreed challenge. That much both Whisper and Mimic agreed on. So the two of them quickly shut their mouths and prepared to get into position as another one of the wisps, Green, prepared to start the two racers off with the wave of a flag he now held in his two circular hands.
"Prepared to lose?" Mimic teased Whisper, messing with her as he always had.
"Prepared to win?" She responded, the seeming defeatist angle of the 'taunt' confusing Mimic and throwing him off of his groove. So much so that he managed to miss Green waving the flag.
But as soon as he did notice, he was off like a rocket, cursing at himself for letting Whisper get to him like that. It seemed that she really did end up inheriting his proclivity for mind games, despite all the times in the past she's denied it. Clever girl. Too clever, even. But he'd get her yet! He'll catch up to her and win this damn race, he was sure of it!
As the race carried on, Mimic found himself rather thankful of the fact that Whisper was at least staying in his line of sight, even if it did mean that she was ahead of him. He had anticipated there to be a couple twists and turns about Wild Woodlands' pathways, as there tends to be in quite a few mobian populated regions. One trip to Mobotropolis alone would prove as much to be quite common. But the ways in which Wild Woodlands twisted around and around and branched out and came back together was more like a damn maze than anything else. He'd probably get lost in this place if it weren't for Whisper's lead! (Which he hated to admit.) In a word, it was… chaotic. More chaotic than he was used to, but that probably isn't saying much. He does work for the Robotnik Empire, after all, and Doctor Robotnik would love nothing more than to turn these confusing pathways into straight, orderly roads and highways, painting the ultra vibrant grass and plants into various shades of metallic gray.
Eye on the prize. Eye on the prize! That's what he ended up telling himself, over and over again. And it was easy enough to do, as the wisps accompanied Whisper as she raced through the woodlands. As long as he kept his eyes on them, on her, then he'd be sure to not get lost!
It was a wonder that Whisper wasn't getting lost in all this madness, frankly.
He kept to that mantra, over and over again, he stuck by his word as he ran faster and faster. Slowly, but surely, he was making progress towards Whisper. The pattern established with his brief race with Blue was repeating. But this time he was sure to not allow his victory to slip away from him.
As he got closer, closer, yet ever closer, it became more and more tempting to try to reach out for the wisps again, or to even reach for his knife and stab Whisper in the throat as he passed her by. But he didn't. He stayed patient, sticking to the agreement made prior. Sticking to his mantra. Eye on the prize. Victory — his ultimate prize.
And just like that, his patience was rewarded. As the two approached the border into Starlight City, Mimic slipped into the lead!
"Ha! Take that!!" He taunted Whisper as he passed her by.
But it wasn't over just yet. The letter specified an exact location not for the starting point, but for the finishing point. The start of Ebony Avenue. Mimic knew he must've driven past that street at some point in his trip over, but the name stuck out at him for another reason as well.
"Ebony Avenue… Ebony Avenue… Where do I know that name from?" Mimic began to question himself as he continued to run. He had to have seen it somewhere, right? Remembering why that street name was so familiar to him could just help him navigate to it sooner. So he persisted.
And then it hit him.
That was where the Mean Bean Cafe had been! And right next to it, the building's next door neighbor… was the Clysdale Care Clinic.
Why would Whisper pick such a place to be the finishing line, of all places in Starlight City— hell, in all places on Aerth! She could have just as easily made the destination the border of Starlight City and Spiral Hill!! Would give her a shorter trip home for if she does win if she had.
But! She wouldn't!! She's NOT going to win!! Mimic was certain of it.
So now that he remembered where his destination laid, he blocked out the rest of his thoughts and carried on towards the finish line, determined to seal his rightful victory.
Mimic nearly tripped over himself as he crossed the finish line, too distracted by the fact that he was keeping an eye out for the street signs to keep track of where his two feet were. But he managed to avoid falling onto the sidewalk, instead just briefly stumbling as he saw the sign for Ebony Avenue cross his eyes.
He… He made it! And Whisper, why, she was nowhere to be found! For a moment, he began to worry that she had beaten him there somehow and was just hiding from him. But he looked all around, and there was nowhere she really even could be hiding. All of the buildings on the avenue were not just abandoned, but boarded up as well, so there's no way she could have entered any of them. Well, all of the buildings except for the ones that had been reduced to rubble. Or to nothing at all. But it's kinda hard to hide in a building that doesn't exist anymore, isn't it?
Though… Now that Mimic had a moment to breathe and take in his surroundings… He noticed that while the buildings on Ebony Ave were pretty much the only ones to go so far as to be boarded up, a lot of the buildings he could see even beyond the one street looked to be completely abandoned. Just a couple months ago when he visited the Mean Bean Cafe, Starlight City was a lively place with many citizens both local and from afar traveling the streets and visiting shops and other businesses. But now, most of the buildings were empty, and the streets were somehow emptier. Somehow, while Mimic and the rest of the Robotnik Empire were trying to come up with their next new evil scheme, and trying to track down which one of their many enemies had caused the destruction of the Mean Bean Cafe… Starlight City had turned into a ghost town, with no explanation as to why.
Or at least… Mimic had no explanation. But he had to admit, he had been rather guilty of being tunnel-visioned onto his job, especially recently. Maybe he had… missed something? Some sort of cataclysmic event taking place just under his nose? Something, anything, that could possibly explain why Starlight City had deteriorated so quickly?
And if he was missing something… Just how many of the numerous of members of the Robotnik Empire were being left just as ignorant??
Despite his victory… something felt… wrong. Very wrong.
Mimic got his knife out his pocket, holding it gently between his hands as he waited for Whisper to arrive. He would be sure to end this quickly. Kill Whisper, take the wisps, go back to base and tell the others about his concerns.
Soon enough, he heard the footsteps of someone coming up behind him. He looked behind him, quickly tucking his knife behind his back as he did. Just as he'd suspected, it was Whisper, the wisps floating closely around her as she made her way towards Mimic. Weirdly enough, she seemed to be taking the trip rather leisurely, almost as if she had wanted him to win…
No matter. There was no time to question something so minor.
"Well would you look at that? I won, and by such a big margin too!" Mimic gloated, allowing himself to enjoy the moment despite what he had observed. He had earned it, after all.
"Indeed you did… You must be quite proud of yourself, huh?" Whisper responded, not even putting up a fight. It was almost as if she knew what Mimic was planning.
"Indeed I am!" Mimic confirmed. "Say, since I had such a lead, don't ya think I deserve a little extra…" He paused, dramatically revealing his knife. "Something?" He chuckled.
"What'd you have in mind…?" Whisper inquired, acting as if Mimic hadn't already pulled his knife out… It was a bit frustrating, how little she reacted.
But maybe… "Oh, you know…~" He began, before lunging forward towards Whisper, putting the knife to her throat. "How about I take your life as a little bonus along with the wisps, hmm?" He then asked, mouth stretched wide into a malicious grin.
And in response… Whisper laughed. SHE LAUGHED??? "I'd like to see you try!" She replied with an infuriating cheerfulness that just made Mimic's blood boil. How DARE she not take him seriously?? It's like she had completely forgotten the years he's spent terrorizing her, trying to hunt her down, all to complete the mission he started years ago, the mission where he KILLED ALL THEIR FRIENDS!!
"Ohhhh you think you're SOOO brave and confident, don't you?? Thinking you can drag me all the way out here, making me wear my damn legs out to take back the wisps that had been mine in the first place, and then laugh in my fucking face when I threaten to kill you all because you're a fancy pancy 'Freedom Fighter', huh?? Is that what you think??" Mimic exploded, pulling Whisper even closer towards him with a tug on her shirt collar, pulling her to the point where his face was touching her mask.
"I think you're an idiot." Whisper stated plainly, her voice a bit deep. Perhaps in any other circumstance, Mimic would have wondered about that fact, but he was too busy seeing red to worry about it now.
"THAT'S IT!!!!" He yelled, throwing Whisper to the…
To…
The…
When… 'Whisper' hit the ground, her mask was knocked off from… her…? Their face…? The face that was behind the mask…
It was not Whisper's
It was not Whisper's
It was not Whisper's
It was not Whisper's
It was not Whisper's
It was not Whisper's
It was not Whisper's
It was not Whisper's
It was not Whisper's
It was not Whisper's
It was not Whisper's
It was not Whisper's
It was not Whisper's
It was not Whisper's
IT.
WAS.
NOT.
WHISPER'S.
F A C E…
"What's wrong, Mimic? Getting cold feet?" The… whoever it was impersonating Whisper said to him in a snarky tone, speaking in a voice a lot deeper than they had been before.
Mimic held his knife close to his chest as his eyes met with theirs. The strange face, it kinda looked like his own, in the worst way. The same gray-ish blue skin, the same off-white muzzle, the same black sclera… But it was different. Scattered across their skin were various markings of a dull shade of red, and their irises were a vibrant golden yellow. And right in the center of their face, right between their eyes, was a large black oval with a ring of the same golden yellow as their irises around it, like some sort of black hole. Or, maybe, like an…
"Who… Who are you??" Mimic questioned the imposter through gritted teeth, his words soaked in a mix of equal parts anger and fear. But it was just one of the many questions that were swirling around in his head. Who was this person? What was this person? Why were they impersonating Whisper? How were they impersonating Whisper? Why do they have the wisps? Why did they bring Mimic out here? What did they want with him? What was the purpose of all this??
"I assure you that you'll find the answers you seek soon enough." The imposter told him, only riling him up further.
"What the fuck is THAT supposed to mean??" Mimic snapped. The imposter just laughed, the same way that they had laughed at Mimic threatening their life just a few minutes earlier, back when he had thought them to be Whisper. "ANSWER ME, DAMMIT!" He demanded.
"What do you think it means?" The imposter asked him.
"I don't fucking know!! How about you start explaining some shit on your end?? Like why you're going around pretending to be Whisper!! Or even how you're going around pretending to be Whisper, cause I know for DAMN sure you're not a fucking Octopus Tribe member—!!"
"How do you know that, Mimic? What makes you so 'damn' sure?" The imposter interrupted him. The interruption made Mimic pause. He… He was so certain of that assumption, but he didn't know why. He didn't even know where that thought came from. All he knows is that only the mobians from his tribe are able to shapeshift like that, and that they got that from… "Aww, poor Mimic! Still in denial of your situation, are you? Well isn't that such a shame?"
"My… 'situation'…?" Mimic echoed with confusion.
"But you'll come to your senses soon enough, whether you… want to or not." The imposter grinned widely. "There is one thing I'd like to tell you now, though."
"What? What is it??" Mimic replied almost instantaneously. He'd take whatever answers he could get.
"You still did win fair and square, and the wisps will be under your care from now on. There's no doubt about that." They paused for just a moment. "But as for that little… stunt of yours, well… That wasn't in the contact, Mimic." They paused again, this time getting up and pulling Mimic down towards them, just as Mimic had done to them before. "And you must know, the two of us actually have quite a lot in common! Like you, I had a bit of a rough start in life, so to speak. So, to put it plainly… I too am quite the fan of victory.~"
In that moment, Mimic felt a chill run down his spine, and he had the reflex to look behind him. As he did, he saw that the wisps were hovering just over his head, holding a wooden panel. It looked as if they were preparing to hit him with it. He tried to block the attack, or to maybe move out the way…
But it was already too late.