A Future Of Dark

Darkness. Darkness and streetlights. A cold world with little compassion for what it has yet to befriend. A red creature, known as an echidna in the world he comes from and known as a freak where he is now, takes long, stalking steps as he makes his way through the broken darkness. Purple eyes reflect the void created from the almost empty streets. It might seem as if every object in that street is there merely to enhance the image and impression of emptiness; the exception that confirms the rule. Himself? Also a mere foreground object meaning to illustrate the aspect of emptiness called solitude. Abandoned? Or abandoning? What does it matter, when they both reach the same conclusion?
One of his wide shoes clash with a pebble, causing four taps to echo through the block; one when the shoe hits the pebble, one as the pebble bounces on the ground, another one when it hits a brick wall in an alley to his left ahead and the final one as it falls back to its frozen position, where it will be waiting until someone else does not mind his step and kicks it again. A low growl escapes the lips of the echidna, a growl of irritation and defiance. Irritation over his situation, his location and his yesterday; defiance towards the absurd suggestion of accepting it. Future. Chaos Control has two possible effects; travelling through space, time, or both. They travelled to another planet once before, but they handled. The people there did eventually accept them. But this time they have gone through a travel of time, to the future. The future without himself and his... allies. A simple deal of self-fulfilling, Tails called it. Them teleporting to somewhere else than their time and place led to the future not involving them. This is only one of the many parallel universes and possibilities, according said fox, meaning they can get back. And if they don't... well, then this will happen to the world. Robotnia... the new name for Mobius. Where all animals with intelligence matching that of humanity are to be extincted. Where he is now known as "Freak- 003" in the RSS-files. And where Sonic is of course going to be the hero again. He kicks another pebble. Six taps this time, six taps that play percussions to the music of silence in the city.

On the other side of the city in the campus of the university area, it is time to rest for most of the people there; students and tutors. However some of the inhabitants remain awake, all of them gathered in one room; the head master Allenby, three tutors and four very odd, anthropomorphic guests, creatures thought to only exist in imagination, all of them bearing resemblance towards one specific animal existing naturally in the world, but with the changes being so significant that one normal person would scream at the sight. For they walk on their two legs, speak our tongue and react humanely. The animals, or creatures, are one blue and one pink hedgehog, a two tailed fox and finally one green echidna, the latter standing a bit further from the three former and possessing a large crescent boomerang inspired tool. However all the humane like animals are standing in a row before the humans. The head master appears to be in his forties, hair grey at the temples and a matte shade of brown in the rest of it. He has a hard looking face, the kind of face you'd see on one who could freeze to ice at will. His clothing is what you would expect of a head master: grey and formal. His accompanying tutors, two women and one man, stand in a triangle around him and his chair. Their whole appearance, their arrangement, would make you doubt in whether they were really tutors or militaries. The two women are standing on each side of him, and the man behind. The women have green respectively blue eyes, and they are both blonde, although the green eyed woman has a bit darker blonde shade. They reflect the cold face of the head master, although in a smaller scale, as does the man standing behind him, who has brown eyes and black, back slicked hair.
"Sonic. Amy. Tails. Cheos. Is that correct?" the head master asks. His voice is deep, and firm. The blue hedgehog, named Sonic, nods for the group.
"Yeah, that's us" he says with a smile. The green echidna nods, though silent. The head master leans back in his chair.
"I welcome you all. We need any help we can get against Robotnik" he says, his frown tightening. The green eyed woman, with the darker blonde, takes one step forward.
"Allenby, where are we supposed to hide them? They will sooner or later want to be outside, and one glance from the RSS will have them all killed on the spot" she says. Her voice is bright, almost like that of a younger girl, but not less serious for that. Allenby nods.
"I am fully aware of that we should not make this a prison rather than a sanctuary, but the park in the middle of campus should not usually be inspected by the RSS. Unless, of course, they have seen you and are looking for you. In that case we would have to hide you" he answers, firm as always.
"Whether they go out to their death or not should not be our problem. We offer them a sanctuary, their problem if it does not suit them" the blue eyed, platinum blonde woman responds. Her voice is chilly, and almost grating.
"Talk about ice queen..." Sonic thinks, discretely rolling his eyes.
"We can take care of ourselves" Amy snaps back, getting looks from all the persons in the room; more or less discrete looks.
"I have no doubts you can. After all you did save the Landerson kid" Allenby says calmly. He looks at the platinum blonde woman.
"As for you, ms. Carson, there is no need for your frostiness with guests at our university" he says with a softer voice. Carson looks at the animals, and then at her chief.
"Yes, mister Allenby" she says coldly. Allenby nods, and turns to the black haired man and the other woman.
"Hartman, Wilson, please show them to some empty rooms. Close to each other" he says. The man, Hartman, and the woman, Wilson, nod and mumble a unanimous "yes sir" before smiling to the group, leading them out with the head master and Carson following after killing the lights. Cheos, the green echidna and seemingly stranger to the rest of the group, walks a bit behind the other animals and looks around. He has his boomerang tied to his back with a black belt. He sees Sonic looking backwards, smiling.
"Nice moves back there. Where'd you get that boomerang from?" he asks. Cheos gives a smile.
"I've had it all my life" he answers simply. Sonic tilts his head a bit to the side as they walk.
"How do you control it like you did back there? It's not a normal boomerang, I noticed" he comments. Cheos nods, smiling wider.
"It's made out of wood. Not dead wood, it's alive, and that makes me able to control it" he says. Tails, the two tailed fox, turns around as well a bit.
"Alive wood? How can that be?" he asks. Cheos shrugs.
"I don't know, I didn't make it, I just got it so long ago I can't remember how or why" he answers shortly. Sonic nods and turns around again, as well as Tails. Cheos doesn't continue the conversation, though. He decides to be quiet for now. He misses home, but what does it matter now?