Chapter 11: Island in the Sky
The FF was almost certain that Chuck had cracked. The mere mention of the mythical Angel Island came as something of a shock, especially coming from such a logical and scientific mind such as Sir Charles Hedgehog. It just didn't seem logical to them that he would even suggest what they were looking for resided on such a fairy tale.
Angel Island was something of a legend amongst the mobians. It is said that it was once inhabited by the echidnas, an ancient and advanced race that raised their homeland to avoid a great cataclysm. It was stuff of pure fantasy. The FF was sure that there had to be a logical explanation to this. Sally, for one, wasn't entirely convinced.
"You can't really think what we're looking for is on an island that isn't supposed to exist?" she questioned.
"It is the only explanation. The signal indicates that the location is moving much too slowly and erratically to be an aircraft or air-station," Chuck explained.
"But, how would anyone miss an island floating through the air?" Sally asked.
"Even with all our advancements and knowledge, people still never look up. Even when someone does spot it, it doesn't stay in one place for too long. In any case, even if it isn't the Floating Island, it doesn't change the fact that whatever the Emeralds are all calling to is in the air somewhere. That means we need flying vehicles in order to reach it."
"We have one of Robonik's hovercrafts," Rotor said. "We could modify it for longer ranges."
"Is anyone else at all skeptical about looking for an object that we don't know even exists, on an island that CAN'T exist?" Sally said skeptically.
"A month ago, you were introduced to a young man that can move faster than sound and mystical gemstones that are more powerful than any energy source on the planet. It is by no stretch of the imagination that the object those gems call out to can cause a land mass to float in the air."
"Well, when you put it that way..."
"This is something that Robotnik is fully capable of beating us to. He doesn't need an Emerald tracker to search the skies. Our fair dictator seems to be grasping at anything that would give him an advantage."
"Alright. We have a problem though," Sally said. "In order for the hovercraft to take us that high, we can only bring two people, three at most."
"I think I've got a solution for that," Tails cut in.
"You think your plane's ready?" Sonic asked?
"Definitely," the young fox said confidently. "I just need some fuel, and my plane will be sky-worthy."
"Well, if it's fuel you need, then I think Power Rings would make it run cleaner and more quietly than fossil fuels," Chuck suggested. "Unlike the Emeralds, the Rings' power is much more manageable."
"Awesome! It'll only take an hour or two for me and Rotor to rig the vehicles to run on the Power Rings."
"I'll coax a few rings out of the machine," Chuck said. "Better to be safe than sorry."
"Right. Once the vehicles are prepped, and a fix on the target is acquired, we'll decide who will go. Dismissed."
Despite what she had said, Sonic was certain that Sally was going to be going on the mission herself. This would be her first actual mission since Chuck would also have to go on the mission since he is the most knowledgeable about the Emeralds. Besides that, the FF was still skeptical about where the robotic hedgehog's loyalties lied, or that Robotnik had no way of tracking him. The less time he spent in Knothole, the better. Although Sonic was certain Chuck wouldn't betray them, he couldn't really explain his reasoning without revealing his secret.
Of course, the blue blur would have to eventually tell them. He couldn't keep lying to them, and he was fairly certain that Sally would eventually figure it out by herself. That was inevitable. Sonic wanted to tell her. He couldn't stand the thought of deceiving her, especially when their feelings for each other were becoming undeniable. Sonic knew that he had to tell her, but the question remained: when?
Their mission to the mythical Angel Island, there was going to be a lot of unknowns. They didn't know what they would find, or if Robotnik had beaten them to the Object the Emeralds all call to. This had Sonic at a bit of a dilemma. He could tell her before they embarked, but it might interfere with the mission. Logically, it would be better to tell her after the mission was over, but there was no guarantee that they would even come back.
No… I can't think like that.
They had to make it back. They had to take back their world from Robotnik. And that meant that they had to find the other Emeralds, and the Object. Robotnik should not be allowed have any of the Emeralds, let alone something that can supposedly cause a landmass to float in the air. The kind of power Robotnik was playing with was more dangerous than even he could comprehend. In his obsession for world domination, the dictator could very well end up destroying the planet.
After a few hours, Rotor was still unable to get a solid fix on the Object based on the Emeralds' connections. It could give a direction, but not a distance. However, this gave him an idea. The walrus hurried over to the small observatory at the south edge of the village. The observatory was built into a large tree, similar to Freedom HQ. Inside there was a powerful telescope that both Rotor and Tails designed. While it could show the night sky in stunning detail, it was more useful for keeping an eye on Robotropolis. This time, however, Rotor intended to look for something a little more, mythical.
After Rotor dialed in the direction and elevation that was indicated by the Emeralds, searching the sky for something, anything, that gave them a clue as to where and what their destination was. Only a few minutes passed before he got something that was more than a clue. Much more. Without a second thought, he got on his communicator and called the rest of the Freedom Fighters. They weren't going to believe this unless they saw it for themselves.
But even after they had seen it on screen, they still couldn't believe it.
"No way…" Sally said with disbelief.
"Way, Sally," Rotor reassured. "There can be no doubt. That is the floating Angel Island."
It was true. The powerful telescope made it abundantly clear. Rotor was right. There could be no doubt. It wasn't some optical illusion, or some kind of large aircraft made by Robotnik. The bottom of the island was rocky and pointed, with no sign of any kind of propulsion It was an island floating in the air. At this distance, it was well within range. This confirmed the location of the Object. But this also revealed a rather large problem.
"Several of Robotnik's airships were spotted heading in that direction," Rotor pointed out. "Even if he wasn't looking for it, there was no way they would have missed it."
"Indeed. That means we don't have any time to waste. So, Bunnie, you're coming, the rest of you will stay here if Robotnik is just using this as a distraction."
"Ahright, boss lady," Bunnie replied.
"Tails, tell me you've got the vehicles ready to go."
"They're ready, I just need a few Power Rings," Tails said.
"I've got that covered," Chuck stated.
"Alright then. We've got a previously mythical island to get to."
Tails was quick to run the checklist to get his plane in the air. Part of him would have preferred to have done a test flight before a practical one, but a larger part wanted to put it through its paces immediately. He'd been working on this thing for almost a year. He was ready to take to the skies. It has been his dream ever since he was very young. And now, he was going to get to fly his plane to Angel Island. This was more than he could have ever dreamed.
Tails had moved the plane to a hanger he and Rotor built outside the village. He didn't want to give away Knothole's location, after all. It was a bit of a challenge moving it through the forest, but eventually the plane was moved. The hanger itself was located in a small clearing in the forest, but still had enough cover to keep it hidden from aerial surveillance. The short runway had to be built with a hydraulic launcher in order to get the Tornado airborne in the scant space they were afforded.
The young fox finished his checklist: everything was nominal. Everything was ready to go. Just as he finished up, he heard a voice calling up to him. It wasn't Sonic's or Sally's or any of the other Freedom Fighters that he knew before the Blue Blur arrived. It was Fiona, one of Geoffrey's rebel squad. Since the infiltration of Robotropolis that had given them the Chaos Emerald, their team had been inducted into the Freedom Fighters as a secondary unit. They had a particular talent for black-ops.
"Hey there," Fiona called.
"Um, hi…" Tails greeted.
"So, I hear you're going to some island that, until recently, was a myth," she quipped.
"Oh… Yeah. I could hardly believe it when I saw it. We all thought chuck had a loose wire or something."
"Heh, is this a typical outing for you guys?"
"Well, actually, all this chaos and mythical island stuff started popping up after Sonic joined us. After that, things started to get really interesting."
"Yeah, that guy seems to attract craziness. I never heard of anyone seriously getting under Robotnik's skin before. Knocking him into a roboticizer… that's hardcore. Hmph, serves him right for what he did to Valdez."
"They must really hate each other. I'll bet anything that when the final battle comes, it'll be those two fighting it."
"Yeah." Fiona noticed Sonic and Sally heading their way and decided to head off. "Well, good luck."
"Thanks."
It was almost time to go. Rotor was making some last minute calculations so that they didn't run out of fuel halfway to the island. Sonic and Sally decided head over to Tails' hut so they could be ready as soon as Rotor was finished. Part of Sonic wanted to try and convince Sally not to go on this mission, but he knew there was pretty much no way to do that. She was committed to going on missions with the rest of the Freedom Fighters. Plus, this would be her first actual mission. The last time she just rushed in after getting fed up with just sitting around. There was absolutely no way that she would pass this up.
Sonic was still thinking about how to tell her the truth. It wasn't something he could rush. How would she react to learning that he was from 12 years in the past, or that he could have stopped all of this from happening in the first place. He was afraid to lose her friendship. Sonic had very few friends before he arrived in Knothole. Having to hide what he was, he never really had the chance to make many friends, so he tried hold on to the ones he had. Sally was something special, though. The only person in the world to ever stopped him in his tracks. If Sonic was going to be honest with her, he had to be honest with himself: he wasn't seeking approval from the Freedom Fighters when he joined; he was seeking it from Sally. Everything he did for the FF, he really was just doing it for the princess. He wasn't sure why, though. But if he had to guess, it would have to be that he felt guilty about failing to stop all this in the first place. While he failed an entire planet, Sally stuck out the most. The look on her face while the city crumbled around them was burned into his brain. Sonic wouldn't fail her again.
All this new found purpose didn't help with the issue that he needed to tell her that he was from the past. Even after everything Sonic had been through, he still has never had any real experience talking to girls, at least about serious stuff like love. Bernie never passed up a chance to show off, though. It wasn't that he had a high opinion of himself, though. Being sheltered most of his life made him feel he needed to validate his existence.
One thing was for sure: he couldn't tell her just before their mission. It would have been extremely awkward and it would end up distracting them from whatever awaited them on the Island.
"You look like you've got something on your mind," Sally spoke.
"Wha?" the hedgehog snapped out of his thought. "That obvious, huh?"
"Kinda hard to miss with your brow scrunched up like that," she pointed out. "Plus you were quiet, which was a dead giveaway."
Sonic gave a sarcastic laugh. "Funny." He got quiet again, thinking about his next words very carefully. "Look, Sal. There's something I really gotta get off my chest, but now's not the right time ta do it. It's some pretty heavy stuff and I don't want getting our heads twisted for this."
Sonic looked directly into Sally's eyes, making it very clear that he was serious. "After this mission, if- when we come back, we'll talk, okay?"
Sally closed her eyes briefly, and then nodded understandingly. "Alright. But you better make sure we get back, otherwise we'll have all eternity to give each other grief about it," she joked.
"Well when you put it that way, I guess I'll have to get us back.
Sonic chuckled. "I don't think I could stand the nagging for a few minutes, let alone eternity."
The princess gave him a playful punch in the arm. She knew Sonic had something extremely important to tell her. He didn't hide his feelings very well. Sally could be patient, however. The mission had to come first. They couldn't risk their emotions distracting them from whatever was awaiting them on Angel Island. Although, she had to admit, she was really excited about going to the mysterious floating landmass. As a child she had always her tales of Angel Island, of the legendary echidnas that dwelled there. They were said to be incredibly advanced, able to make their home fly through the air like a bird. She didn't know how many of the stories had actually been true. The revelation of the Object's involvement with the Island might explain a lot of those stories. As excited as Sally was about the mission, she was equally concerned. The Chaos Emeralds were calling to something on the Island. That notion was somewhat unsettling. What could be so significant as to attract what was understood as the most powerful objects on the planet?
"Sonic," Sally spoke. "What do you think we'll find up there?"
Sonic wondered why she was asking him. He had no more experience with the Emeralds than anyone else, aside from getting blasted into the future by one. "I don't know. The meaning of life, the universe, and everything?" Joking was all he could do to hide the concern he had about the mission. He knew that Robotnik could already be on the Island. That could complicate things a bit.
There was no use worrying about it now; they would cross that bridge when they came to it. First, they needed to get there, and that hinged on Tails' modifications, and his untested plane, held up. They had never considered using Power Rings as a fuel source. Though, it did seem kind of obvious when they thought about it. The Rings had to have had a practical purpose beyond giving Sonic a power boost. Suddenly the Freedom Fighters saw the allure that the Emeralds had over Robotnik. The very idea of virtually free energy was something many hoped to possess. But in Robotnik's hands, it would be used for all the wrong reasons. It all came back to the same, undeniable fact: They could not let Robotnik harness the power of the Emeralds. They couldn't allow him to obtain the Object either, especially if it was holding an island in the air.
Sonic waved as they walked up to Tail's hanger. Chuck was already there; he had been assisting the young fox with adapting the vehicles to run on Power Ring energy. The Rings' power was different than anything Tails was experienced with, so the robotic hedgehog's expertise was a great help. Chuck was able to coax his machine into spitting out six Rings: more than enough for the trip to and from Angel Island, as well as a couple for Sonic. Bunnie showed up soon after Sonic and Sally got to the hanger. She was carrying a rather large backpack: provisions for the mission in case they were on the Island longer than they expected. She was always one to be prepared for anything. Though lately, things had been a might unpredictable. Still, the half-robian hare would be sure to keep her senses and her wits sharp.
"Well it looks like your plane's rarin' ta go, Tails," Bunnie said.
"Yup. She's aching for her first flight."
"Are you sure you want to bring it on this mission?" Sally asked. "There's a chance she won't make it back."
"Trust me, the Tornado's up to it," Tails said confidently.
"You gotta quit worrying, Sal." Sonic nudged her in the arm. Of course, he couldn't really deny there was an element of danger in flying an untested plane with a power source that hasn't been used before. But then again, he liked danger.
"Well then cowboy up, Hon, 'cause we're movin' out," Bunnie said.
"Okay!" Tails said.
"No way I'm missing out on the first flight." Sonic wasted no time in hopping into the passenger seat.
"Alright! Clear the runway, we're taking off!" The others were quick to move out of the way. Tails' plane roared to life as the young fox hit the ignition. Sonic could almost feel the power from the Ring used as its fuel source. Nearly a year of work was about to pay off, or blow up in his face.
Fortunately it was the former. The Tornado was launched forward, screaming off the runway through the opening in the trees. The wind roared around the plane as it took to the sky. The Great Forest became smaller as the Tornado rose into the air. For Sonic, it was a strange feeling. He had never actually flown in a plane before.
"You okay back there, Sonic?" Tails yelled over the noise of the wind.
"You kiddin'? This is awesome!" Sonic yelled back excitedly.
He was used to going fast, but not to going fast while flying hundreds of feet in the air in an open seated biplane. Sonic was always looking for a rush, be it running at break neck speeds, riding Extreme Gear through traffic, or fighting thugs in back alleys. Flying was by far one of the bigger thrills he had ever experienced.
Soon, Sally, Chuck, and Bunnie were following them in the Whirlwind. The craft was indeed operating more efficiently than it normally would have. Over the years, the Freedom Fighters had improved on the design, customizing it to their needs. However it was never as efficient as their other vehicles, mostly because, as one of Robotnik's designs, it was built more for flash than efficiency. With a Ring powering it, however, the Whirlwind proved to be a very functional vehicle.
"Tails," Chuck called over the radio. "The island is currently fifty miles due north and is moving at a rate of approximately twenty-five miles per hour in a southbound direction"
"Got it." Tails replied, turning the plane to the right direction. At their current speed, they would reach the island in less than an hour. It wouldn't be long before it came into view.
It was a small thing at first: something that could have been mistaken for a bird or a trick of the mind. But it quickly grew into something that couldn't be ignored. Even after they had spotted it in the observatory, the Freedom Fighters couldn't believe that Charles could have been right. Now there was no denying it: It was the legendary Angel Island.
None of the stories ever uttered by mobian lips could have possibly done the Island justice. It was massive, to say the least. The surface was covered in thick forests surrounding a range of mountains. Ruins could also be seen among the forests and along a large clearing on one side of the landmass. If there were ever any people there, they were either long gone. Several waterfalls could be seen cascading off the island. One had to wonder where the water on the island came from if it was constantly falling off of it. Many different questions popped into the Freedom Fighters' heads while taking in the sight of this island in the sky. The answers to those questions would have to wait, however, as they were quickly approaching the Island.
Tails spotted a clearing large enough to set down. The landing was a little bumpy, but the young fox handled it well. Soon after, the Whirlwind set down. Sonic was the first to set foot on the island. It was an odd feeling. Even though they had landed, they were still hundreds of feet in the air. They would have to make a note to keep away from the Island's shores.
Chuck got out of the Whirlwind, bringing the Emerald tracker with him. There was a profound look about him, like he was the first person to walk on the moon. Who could blame him? Before he was roboticized, Charles spent much of his life studying ancient cultures. Sonic had always wondered why an inventor would be so interested in the past. Charles simply said that one must learn from history, or be doomed to repeat it. A good point.
"So, this is Angel Island, eh?" Bunnie said, stepping out of the Whirlwind. "Sure is pretty up here."
"Yes," Sally agreed. "But we don't have time to go exploring. We've got a job to do."
"Ah know Sally-girl. Just hope we can come back latah." Bunnie started to drag out some of the equipment they brought along with them. In particular they had brought some monitoring devices so that they could track Robotnik's forces on the Island. An easy task when his forces are all robots and when there's no other technology around. Sally also brought an uplink pad that acts as a pipeline to NICOLE's systems back in Freedom HQ. The artificial intelligence was able to confirm that there was Robotnik tech on the island.
"Alright then, let's go find this thing the Emeralds are callin' to," Sonic said. "Can't have Robotnik getting his hands on it."
"Especially not if it really is the thing holding this island in the air," Chuck added.
"Okay. Can we use the Emerald tracker to find it?" Sally asked.
"Yes. I modified it to do just that. However, it will only show us the direction, not the distance." Chuck placed the green Emerald into the tracker, which immediately began to indicate a direction.
"Nice." Sonic takes the tracker. "Let's do it to it"
As they set off, Sonic couldn't help but feel that there was something off. Like someone, or something, was watching them. Maybe it was just nerves. After all they were on an island that, as far as they could tell, was completely uncharted. It didn't really matter. All that mattered was stopping Robotnik from getting the Object, no matter the cost.