Disclaimer: Chaotix, Babylon, Shadow, Tails, and anything else Sonic-related are all copyright SEGA/Sonic Team. Ultima the Hedgehog, Flame the Echidna, Mai, and Min, are all owned by me.

Flaming Fury

Chapter 6: Ambush

Surely if they were attacking him now, he must've been wrong the whole time. The shadows of the figures in the moonlight gave away their features clearly. Feathers, beaks, wings… all were present. Vector's eyes twinkled with fear.

He had clearly had it all backwards. If the Babylon Rogues had truly been the ones to hire Ultima, wouldn't he be the one doing the dirty business? No, it was all clear now. They didn't hire anybody. He hired THEM… and now he was going to die because he failed to realize it before...

For once in his life, Vector felt true fear. Death wasn't something one thought about much until you were nearing it… maybe it wouldn't be as bad as he thought? One could hope, at least…

Vector backed away and closed his eyes. His muscles tensed. He put his arms up in front of him in surrender. He braced for impact. He knew that he was going to die. After twenty years of helping people, he just knew that he could die peacefully.

… Nothing happened. Vector opened his eyes. The area was clear. The moon still shined above. However, something was different. The shadows had disappeared. A few trees rustled in the wind.

The wind kicked back up a bit and the trees moved. Three shadows were cast onto the ground, similar in style to the ones he had seen earlier.

Vector gave off a sigh of relief. Had he imagined the whole thing? He must've. Glancing around, nothing was in sight. Well, it was best if he went back now. It was no use staying here.

Vector ran back up the path, intent on getting back by the rest. Unbenownst to him, thogh, three figures stared down at him high up in the trees. The leader grinned slyly as he ran off. A nudge alerted him of something next to him.

He spun around towards his partner. She was female, had purple feathers, with a bandanna wrapped around her head. Evidenced by her facial expression—a deep frown—she was angry. "Why are you letting him go?" She hissed.

He quickly put his hand up in defense. "Patience, Wave. We'll show him a thing or two later, after we take care of the others."

Wave raised her eyebrows, eyes open wide. What was he planning? Their target was getting away! Following orders, she slumped back. It was irritating working under the role of an irresponsible leader. Wait… is that what that chameleon also thought? Boy did their groups have a lot in common, she decided.

XXXXX

Tails stared up at the enormous airship in front of him. Starting at the front of the ship—which was currently on the right—it had a beak-shaped yellow end, with a white cuff next in line. Afterwards there was a cuff of yellow in between the dual pair of white and the rest of the airship—which was red.

At the way end of the ship—the left side from his position, it was completely white, except for the red propellers. The main cabin below the upper portions was colored white. The lower area of the cabin, including the hangar, was all red.

The Babylonian symbol was on this side of the ship, in a faint green color. He had seen the other side many times, and this wasn't there. However, it clearly was seen on the opposite side—the right side of the ship. The ship was hidden in a crevasse in the mountains. A ridge wrapped halfway across this crevasse, making it nearly impossible to see if you hadn't been looking for it.

But… what were they doing here? Tails could only guess, but none of it made sense. Clearly, if it was stopped here, then they weren't on the ship. Meaning they must have had something to do in the jungle…

Tails spun around and glanced down into the jungle behind him. Nothing seemed out of place. Of course, though, he could only see the tops of the trees… they could be anywhere down there!

Curiously, Tails glanced back up at the ship. He lifted his hand up to his face. 'Hmm… I wonder what it looks like inside? Maybe some information, perhaps…?'

Yeah, perfect. Blame his curiosity of their technology on searching for information. Oh well, it wouldn't hurt to take a look anyway. The hangar seemed shut tight, though. How would he get in? Well, it wouldn't hurt to try.

He approached the ship cautiously, wary of possible alarm systems. He got a little closer… closer… he was only a few feet away. He approached closer, and…

…

Nothing happened. He gave off a sigh of relief. There weren't any alarm systems… on the outside at least. He walked up to the hangar, but he suddenly jumped back with surprise. As he had approached it, the door had swung open.

'Well that was easy,' he decided.

Now he just had to get through without activating any alarms systems… if there were any. Considering their reputation, they may not need any. They rarely ever landed.

Tails quickly slipped inside unnoticed. Nothing went off, and nothing noticed him. He made his way through the hangar and found a door. He opened it and went through. He'd figure out what was inside here if he had to explore every nook and cranny.

XXXXX

The boy swung his fist forward, coming straight at me. I quickly ducked to the side as he slammed into the wall. His fist caught in the wall, but he quickly ripped it back out again and turned back to me again, glaring at me with wide, vicious eyes. He waved his fist back and forth.

"You won't get away with this, Jan!" He proclaimed boldly.

He charged again. I simply stepped aside and let him pass by. He turned his feet sideways, stopping himself from moving farthing. He spun back around angrily.

I tried to calm him. "This isn't the way things should be!" I said, throwing my hands out in surrender. "We're family, we can talk through this! Why should we fight like sworn enemies, Min?"

Min didn't take it too kindly. He swung his fist forward, pointing straight at me. "Because you took everything from me... She was my life!"

I lowered my head. "I didn't do anything. She chose me instead of you; I had nothing to do with it!"

Min's eyes grew with hatred. He charged forward again. I didn't move this time. "I will kill you if I have to!"

"Stop!" A female voice cried. A girl flung herself in between Min and I. She spread her arms out. "What must I say to stop this nonsense!" She asked.

I held my breath. Min stopped his charge. I barely noticed it. I stared forward at her. A light cloth covered her tan fur. Mai stood before me, an angel in the night. Min still loved her, though she did not love him. I never chose her, but she chose me.

She always remained my best friend through our trials, and now she stood before me like a guardian angel. I would've loved to see her face again…

A howling noise echoed through the forest. The young boy lying in the grass sat up and rubbed his head. Wait, where was he? He glanced around. He was still in the jungle. He slammed his fist into the grass. It was all just a dream!

But he saw her… Mai was standing before him. Yes, that happened just before he had run away. They were all too cruel, he couldn't stay any longer! He had asked her to come with, but she didn't accept. Now he was trapped in this future with no way home…

He glanced up. The moon was high overhead. It had to be around the middle of the night right about now. He turned back towards the mountains behind him. If he had heard right, his destination should be just over that ridge. He'd have to climb a ways to get up there. Well, at least echidnas are good climbers…

XXXXX

A tingling sensation came over him. He felt as if he had been lifted straight out of the universe. The black figure ahead of him gripped his hand tightly. Something had agitated him enough to take him with. Someone was in danger?

It felt like he was flying a million miles per hour—rather unusual, even for one whom ran hundreds of miles per hour all the time. All surroundings were simply a dark blue blur mixed with green. The spinning colors were unusual, but not new. He had experienced this before.

Within seconds, they had reached the other end of the 'tunnel.' Shadow didn't hesitate to immediately begin running. Sonic strained to keep up with him, without the ability to move his arm freely. He quickly glanced around, noting that they were now in a dense forest.

Darkness surrounded them. Looking up, he could see moonlight overhead. The trees were too thick for the light to pass through, though.

Finally, irritated at being dragged into this without warning, and now able to run instead of being dragged, Sonic spoke up. "So, you got a good reason for dragging me into this?" Sonic asked.

Truly, he had meant it. Shadow literally 'dragged' him. Unfortunately for Sonic, the black hedgehog just grunted. Shadow's iron grip still kept a heavy hold on his arm. He said nothing.

Sonic rolled his eyes. 'You're a big help.' He thought.

XXXXX

The wind echoed. Howling could be heard in the distance. Down the path, Espio heard a noise—a mighty cackling. Wait, hadn't he heard that before?

Espio stared into the blackness: an endless, deep trap of death. The wind rushed all around him. His heart raced. He blocked out the oncoming turbulence with his arms and stared into the distance. He couldn't see a thing, but he knew that it wasn't good.

Espio didn't even noticed Omega and Charmy following him when he rushed down the pathway. Vector had been ambushed, and they'd let it happen!

XXXXX

Only a few more feet… he could see the top of the ridge clearly from here. There was a small notch in the rock above him. He grabbed it tightly, wrapping his hand completely around it. He knew the drills of climbing. Make your way up carefully and don't…too late.

He glanced down, and fear gripped his heart. It looked as if he were looking down off the top of the highest mountain in the world. The landscape stretched out hundreds of feet below him—a gaping chasm that stretched out in all directions.

Quickly putting his fear aside, he turned forward again. He was almost there. He could make it! He just…

A loud bang shot out from below. He had no clue what it was, but it startled him. A few speckles of dust collapsed off of the ridge near him. He didn't dare look down. He simply reached up with his left hand and stuck his hand into a crevasse in the rock formation.

Another loud 'bang' rang out. This time, the jut in the rock his right hand was gripped onto slipped, and… broke off. He held his grip on firmly with his left hand as his last support on his right hand crumbled away.

Now without a second grip, he hung down with one hand. He was looking down again. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a figure standing on a rock outcropping over four hundred feet below him, but about thirty feet from where he started his climb.

The figure was difficult to make out, but it appeared blue… almost black. Wait, was that a purple color? He couldn't tell in the dark. It clearly wore a brown hat, though he didn't know what kind it was. He'd never seen such a thing before. It had a long object pointed towards him. If that was what he thought it was, he'd better get out of here!

He glanced back up. There were no outcroppings or crevasses, but he was nearly to the top. If he swung himself enough, he should be able to push off of the rock wall below him and grab onto the way top of the mountain, then pull himself up.

The person below fired another shot. He blinked as the shot smacked into an outcropping of rocks nearby. A rock slipped at the bottom, and the entire pile collapsed. A miniature rock avalanche rolled down the side of the mountain. The figure below quickly disappeared as the pile buried the spot he was standing.

Well, that gave him a little break. The figure was gone. No doubt he'd be back though. Was this guy hired by the hedgehog he met in the cave? …he didn't want even to think about it.

XXXXX

They came too fast for him to have time to counter. With a swift stride, a figure quickly glided through the air and slammed something hard into his back. He collapsed onto the ground as fast as they had come.

A voice called out to him from behind. "Pathetic for one of your reputation, Vector," the voice cackled out behind him.

Vector rolled forward and, when doing so, pushed his arms into the ground. Using the momentum of the push, he quickly spun forward onto his feet. He quickly spun back around just in time to see a figure charged towards him.

The turbulence around him caused the winds to pick up, and made him block out his face with his hands. Peeking through his hands, he saw a purple figure lunge onto the other figure—which also appeared purple, just before colliding.

An instant later, a battle cry sounded. It was soft, young, and… male. "CHARGE!" The immature voice called out.

"Charmy?" Vector asked himself, still blocking out the turbulence with his hands. He saw metal flash into the turbulence, quickly dispatching of a bulky guy whom had fallen off of his board.

The turbulence died down and everything slowed. So HE was the one who was making all the turbulence. With Omega pinning down the large one, and Espio with the girl, who was left?

XXXXX

Tails couldn't help but touch everything in sight. The technology built into this ship was astounding. Much of the ship had been vulcanized. Doors, propellers, turrets… The door opened with vulcanized shields. The entire ship was completely powered on vulcan energy.

As his Vulcan Cannon was powered that way, so was this. He examined every inch of the ship. The technology was spectacular! He could easily develop something like this, but he never thought to try.

The hangar at the bottom of the ship was used as an entrance and for cargo. Though notably, small ships could also fit in here—possibly for the Babylonians to keep the ship afloat while still going to and from it. Obviously they hadn't done this right now.

A few gears were hanging along the walls of the hangar. The hangar was small compared to an ordinary one, but it could still fit a few biplanes if needed.

Moving on, he found a door along the middle of the north wall. He approached it and the vulcanized mechanics opened it up automatically. It split into four sections and disappeared into the wall. In front of him, there was a staircase leading up. More and likely, this led up into the main cabin.

The staircase went up four floors in a zigzag pattern. Four flights of stairs, four floors. Each flight of stairs, different from most places, instead was what was between each floor. At every landing was a door, and at the way top, Tails presumed, was the main cabin.

However, he also noticed a door right at the bottom of the stairs. Before going up, he tried approaching this door. Unlike the previous doors he encountered, though, this did not open up when he approached it. Instead, a small keypad appeared on the wall.

There was a small screen on it, and it contained solely numbers. The screen itself read 'Enter Password.'

Tails rolled his eyes. He could clearly guess what was in this room, now. 'Of course--they only secure the treasury.' He thought to himself.

He started up the stairs and approached the first door, wondering what could be on the other side.

XXXXX

The last thing she noticed was a figure lunging straight at her. She had charged the crocodile as Jet asked, but something attacked her before she made it. The figure collided with her body and she rolled along the ground.

They rolled a little ways into the forest, each trying to hold the other down. She reached for his neck, but he back flipped out of the way. Now she could make him out clearly. He was purple, with a long tail curled out behind him. He was clearly well-trained in his skills, as was she.

He swiped out a dagger in his left hand and a shuriken in his right. She had nothing to match it, though. No matter, they could settle this easily.

She grinned slyly. "Give up, chameleon!" She called out. "Chaotix are finished."

Espio raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, we're totally finished," He said sarcastically. "You guys sure are handling us well."

Wave backed up in surprise. He had outmatched her in words! That's impossible… no one out-speaks Wave the Swallow! He was… he was… he… he was perfect.

He and she had very similar viewpoints. They were both stuck under an incompetent leader. Both were well-trained in their own skills, unlike the rest of their teams. And both were wide open.

Wave backed up even further. She hid her face. NO! Don't think that way! We're sworn enemies, we can't… we couldn't… there's no way that…

Out of the corner of her eye, she peeked out at him. His strictness of voice, his trained posture... Everything about him mimicked herself. It's as if she was looking into a mirror and a guy peeked out! If only the Chaotix and the Rogues hadn't become enemies, they… they could be perfect soul-mates!

She slapped herself with her hand on her face. There's no thinking about that. She had a job to do, she couldn't be thinking about anything else. The mark on her face disappeared. She came out of her hiding place and looked over at the waiting chameleon.

She threw her hands forward. "Come on, Espio, let's finish this!"

XXXXX

Tails had now completely examined the first room. It was obviously Storm's room. It was basic, though. A hammock hung from one side of the room to the other, just to the right of the door. In the opposite corner, there was a punching bag in the corner. There were also a few posters along the wall for a variety of famous rap music groups.

Tails shuddered. Rap. Yuck.

He had then turned and headed up the next flight of stairs after that. Here he found what appeared to be a mechanics paradise. Various pieces of equipment lay on shelves along the wall. Wheels, metal lining, paint cans, brushes, wrenches, screwdrivers… you name it, it was there.

A work desk sat in the back and to the left. A chair was sitting up against, tucked neatly under it. On the opposite side of the room was a small bed. The sheets were neat and tidy, and everything looked perfect. Clearly the person who used this room was both a perfectionist, and a mechanic. Wave.

He made his way up the stairs again. Here he found the final room before he headed up to the main cabin. Just inside and to the left, close to the wall but not up against it, was a desk. A chair sat in front of it. In the left corner of the room was a stand of some sorts, but nothing was on it.

A large window looked outside upon the mountains below. Above the desk and just to the left of the window was a picture of an old hawk. Clearly this was Jet's room, and that was his father. The rest of the room was bare. No sign of even a bed was here.

Now he merely had the main cabin left to examine. He made his way up the final flight of stairs. The door was clearly visible there. He approached it and it opened. He looked inside to the enormous cabin of the Babylon Airship. The sight took his breath away.

XXXXX

Espio stared at the faint figure lying on the ground. Wave's complexion showed beautifully under the moonlight. He couldn't help but stare... He blushed and backed away. How could he be having these feelings… but as he stared at her peaceful face…

He remembered her unusual reaction earlier. He knew that he could've easily taken her down at that moment, but instead, he had let her go. When she got back to business, they had fought, but he finally knocked her out with a swift kick.

Had she been experiencing similar feelings? That's the only explanation he got out of it. She was really easy on him…and he was easy on her. She looked so peaceful as she lay unconscious on the ground…

Espio slapped his hand across his face. He couldn't think of such a thing! Clearly, Chaotix and Babylon were no sworn enemies. Or were they…? He shook the thoughts out of his head. He had a job to do, and he intended on completing it.

Espio approached her again. He pushed all feelings aside. He went and picked her up, wrapping his arm around her chest. He lifted her up and carried her over his shoulder. Using his hands to balance her, he carried her back to the main pathway.

Strangely, he noticed Shadow and Sonic over there. He knew that Shadow should be here, but… Sonic? 'What is he doing here?' Espio thought

XXXXX

He looked upon the glimmering city in the distance. In showed brightly in the midnight darkness. After all the trouble he had getting up the mountain, he now realized how worthy it was.

Back when that guy starting shooting at him, he had thought he was done for. He hung on by a single, tiny crevasse in the cliff-side. The other jut that he had been grabbing with his right hand had fallen down because of his attacker below.

However, the shooter made a mistake. He had knocked out a stone which caused a stone avalanche. The figure had to quickly escape before it crushed him. That gave him a short while to figure out what to do.

It didn't take long. He noticed a rut a few feet away. If he could swing over to it, he should be able to push off of it and use the momentum to reach the top of the cliff.

He had tried swinging a little bit, but his foot didn't quite make it. He kept on slipping off the edge. Finally, he did what he didn't think he could possibly do.

He swung over, purposely letting go just as he reached the rut. He was moving at a very fast pace. Using the momentum, he slammed his foot down onto the rut. It collapsed, but he was flying so fast now that it didn't matter.

Or perhaps it did. He wasn't even close to the top yet, and his speed was decreasing. He swung his hand up and around, and…

The bangs started up again. It startled him, but he couldn't let that stop him. He began falling… but his hand still grasped the edge of the cliff. Now firmly at the top, he had a chance.

The figure kept on shooting, determined… but failing. His target pulled himself up and over the cliff-side and rolled out of sight.

It was tough, but worth it. Now he could make it to the city he had heard of. The tall buildings, the advanced technology...it was too much to bear. He was finally on his way…

He collapsed to the ground, weary of all that had happened. His quiver slipped off of his shoulder. A few arrows fell out, but something startled him even more. A few bundles of green rolled out of them. He raised an eyebrow.

Picking up one of the stacks, he examined it carefully. Was this… money? Had someone planted this one him? He spun around, but saw nothing but sky and darkness. Wait, maybe… someone was helping him?

This would be enough to give himself a nice upgrade of equipment. Maybe even allow him to find a place to stay for a while. For the first time that day… he smiled.

XXXXX

Omega dragged over the struggling Storm, holding him down with his mighty limbs. Vector and Espio walked up beside him. Vector pushed Jet onto the ground, and he collapsed. Espio carefully set the unconscious Wave onto the ground. Omega threw Storm down also.

Jet glanced up, a new look of fear in his eyes. His mouth was opened wide with surprise, and his eyes twinkled with terror. Shadow and Sonic towered over him. Sonic had a particular look of surprise on his face.

"Why, Jet?" Sonic asked. His head hung low, his eyes filled with sorrow. "Just… why! Why did you do this?"

Jet frowned. His eyes narrowed in on the blue hedgehog standing above him. "I did it for the treasure! He made an offer I just couldn't refuse." Jet jumped to his feet and pointed angrily at him. "You'd do the same if offered such wealth!"

Sonic shook his head. "No, Jet, I wouldn't." Sonic backed away. "Do your duty, Shadow. I have nothing further to comment about such greed."

Shadow glanced back at Sonic and nodded. He swung his arm forward and grabbed Jet tightly around the neck. He ripped a pair of handcuffs out. "Jet the Hawk, you are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law."

He pulled Jet's arms back out behind him and closed them around his wrists. They clicked, alerting them that they had now been firmly locked into place. Wave and Storm attempted to sneak away while Sonic was interrogating Jet, but Vector and Espio had caught them and pulled them back.

Shadow went over to them and repeated the process on each of them—repeating the quote, pulling their arms behind their backs, and locking the handcuffs into place. Shadow beckoned to Omega, and together they marched the Babylonians back towards Sonic.

Before meeting up with the others, Shadow turned back around and glanced at the three Chaotix members. "You guys need a lift back to Central City?" He asked.

Vector shook his head. "No, I don't think that will be necessary." Vector glanced back behind him out of the corner of his eye, spying a shadow sneak away in the darkness. He smiled. Eying Shadow again, he finished his statement. "We've got some unfinished business to take care of."

Shadow shrugged his shoulders. "Alright then, good luck." The black hedgehog back away towards Sonic, Omega, and the Babylonians. He turned around and waved them off, then charged a small ball of energy in his hands. He swung his right hand around towards the others, and they all disappeared into a blue energy.

Vector immediately turned around when they disappeared, determined to finish what he had started. Espio quickly cornered him, blocking his way. His arms were crossed, and he had an angry look on his face. "What did you mean by 'unfinished business'?" He asked.

Vector smiled and continued moving, walking around the chameleon. Charmy quickly joined him by his side. "You'll see," Vector finally said.

Espio snarled. He ran off after them, wondering what trouble they were about to face.

XXXXX

As he glanced up at the monitor, his previous frown turned upside down. The Babylonians had failed. That was obvious. Not only that, but the weasel failed to take out the echidna. The echidna escaped, the Babylonians were captured… Everything had gone wrong.

But now… now they were coming. They knew he was here. They wanted him. He could see them walking through along the trail. His grin turned into a snicker. Now he could at least kill them for ruining his plans. They had no idea what power he possessed. Soon they'd be dead, and no one would know who had done it.

He walked away from the console and glanced up. The light was on. He clapped his hands together. It flickered, and then total darkness covered the entire room. They needn't know what lay inside. They'd find darkness and emptiness inside… nothing there to take hold of, until they soon met utter darkness themselves.

To Be Concluded…

Only one chapter left! Stay tuned for the final chapter in Flaming Fury, Chapter 7: Confrontations. Also stay tuned for the sequel—Team Chaotix: On the News, Coming Soon!

You can also check out more fics of mine at my deviantART account: www dot ultimahedgie dot deviantart dot com.

Author's Notes: If you're wondering about the names seen in Flame's flashback, and on what he was called by Min, I'll tell you. Before I wanted to make my characters more original, I just 'made' them, not worrying about race and appearance, etc. However, later, when I made them more original I didn't want to change them 'too' much. For those reasons, I kept the races.

To keep Flame original, though, I made him be transported from the past. Later I got the idea to try and make the names of his relatives and friends more 'ancient' sounding. That's where I came up with Jan (Flame), Mai, and Min (Mine). Mai is Flame's best friend. Min, or Mine as I originally wanted to call him, is Flame's cousin. I later made Flame and Mine's original names to be their nicknames instead. There are also some more characters I have, too, but I didn't reference them here.

Remember this, though—Mai is not meant to look like Tikal. I'll reveal exactly what she looks like later. Also, I have no intention of relating my characters to Tikal at all (that is, my past characters). In my storyline, all my characters existed well before Tikal was even born. They existed back when the echidnas began to become more corrupt, and that's Flame's reasoning for his leaving.

(P.S. 'Jan' is meant to be an older version of 'John.')