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Chapter 35: This is it

This was it.

Today was the day.

Noah sat at the edge of the bed, his hands loosely tied together, as his cerulean eyes stared blankly at his naked feet. A small stream of steam slithered from the slight openings of the bathroom doors. The silver hedgehog found himself absent-mindedly swaying to his sister's melodic hums. It was the only way he could distract himself from the vociferous silence that ebbed his soft ears. Radiance from the morning star was light and airy, as if today would be a good day; a day where cotton candy and lollipops would be freely given to all the children. But Noah knew better. He wished he didn't, but he did and it was killing him from the inside.

Soft drops of cold water drooled off his damp quills. The ends gently struck his back and Noah had to roll his shoulders in order to stop it. Shaking his head, ridding himself of his redundant trance, he took the towel beside him and roughly squeezed his head quills, making sure to absorb the rest of the water. Once he was done, he set it down and went to fetch his shoes. Walking to the closet, he pulled out his shoes and strapped them on securely. Just as he was about to turn away, the voice of his sister caught his attention.

"Hey Noah, could you get me a towel please?" she shouted over the rushing water.

Grabbing a random one, he opened the bathroom door just as the water was turned off. Without revealing anything, Cathy stuck out her hand from behind the curtains and thanked her brother as he handed it to her. Noah hummed in response and walked out to continue his routine.

"Now where are my gloves?" he muttered.

Blinking rapidly in realization, he quickly went over to the clothing drawer and pulled out the gloves. The white, cotton, material slipped on easily and Noah felt much better with them on. His jacket was out on the couch so he decided to go out and get it. They were to leave as soon as possible, so he might as well put it on.

It was odd how the closer he got the jacket, the more that increasing sense of impending doom filled his chest.

Before he even realized it, Noah was slipping on the ebony coat. He wiggled his head to get the tips of his quills from snagging the collar and rolled his shoulders to position the sleeves in place. Now that he was all set and ready, all he could do was wait while the other two got ready. So, with that, the metallic-colored hedgehog plopped down on the plump couch. He lied back, letting the cushions envelop his body. Without really thinking anything of it, Noah began to twiddle his thumbs, rolling them two times forward and three times back, tediously.

He thought about the plan, scanning each and every detail to identify any holes because one fatal blunder could get them killed. Well, if he was going to be honest with himself, even if this plan was full-proof, that didn't mean the three of them would execute it perfectly. All of them hadn't the slightest idea of what they were about to get themselves into. This mission, to rescue the three hedgehogs, might as well be titled suicide. They knew the probability of success was little to known, but they still went through with it.

Noah sighed heavily and let his head drop into his hands. The thought of death terrified him beyond comprehension. His heart was churning in its place, begging him to not to leave the comfort of this foundation. But at the same time, it was his own fear, passion, and need for redemption from a certain ebon hedgehog that kept him from backing out. It was a amazing how he only realized how hard he had fallen for the ex-human when he knew possible death was near. His guilty conscious accepted death as a penalty if it meant clearing it and receiving full forgiveness from her.

But how was he supposed to feel the after affects of it if he was dead? That was the real question here.

The more the word death ran through his mind, the less it frightened him. But that was pertaining to his own being. What would happen if Cathy or Chelsea were to die before he would? The mere thought of either one of their bodies (or even both) lying lifelessly on facility grounds sickened him. Noah willed himself not to think about it. But if Chelsea were to die first, would he and Cathy keep going? Would they feel as if they still owed her? If Cathy were to go first, how could he go on? He was sure Chelsea would back out and not want anyone else to get hurt, but what about the three hedgehogs? And if he somehow didn't make it what of the others? What if two of them died and only one would remain? What would that single person do against hundreds? It was already tough with three against hundreds. There was just no way—

"Good morning Noah," a shy voice said, cracking through is train of unsettling thoughts.

Said hedgehog blinked twice before his head darted towards the direction of the voice. Beside the corner of the wall stood the ebony hedgehog that he found himself infatuated with. Noah jumped to his feet, feeling as if he needed to give her his undivided attention. "Uh—hi! Good morning. How—How are you?" he stuttered pathetically. His cheeks warmed up from slight embarrassment and bashfulness.

Chelsea smiled lightly and kept their gazes locked as he walked forward. "I'm…I'm managing. And you?"

"I'm alright," he nodded.

Their gazes weren't expectant as the silence ran through them. Oddly enough, both parties felt as if there was no need for words as of now. It was obvious both were fearful of what was yet to come, but it was comforting just leaning into the other's stare. Noah found the corner of his lips lifting up in laziness as his silver lids began to droop to a halfway mark. It was small moments like these that he discovered happiness; just staring into her warm brown irises. Chelsea couldn't help but return the dazed grin with a blushing one of her own, her cheeks reddening along with his. Though it was nice, her fingers ran over the zipper on the back of her shorts and she was quickly reminded of why she was here.

The brown-eyes female cleared her throat and looked away, snatching both of them out of their dream-like spell. "Um…is Cathy here?" she asked.

Noah also cleared his throat and scratched the nape of his neck. "N-No, she's still in the bathroom."

Chelsea whispered a curse as she looked behind herself to where her hands lied on the curve of her back. Noah raised his brows. "Is there something you need?" he inquired.

Blushing heavily, the ebony hedgehog chewed on her lip, looking as if she were contemplating something. Upon catching this, Noah's brows furrowed in confusion as she sighed. Her coffee-colored irises looked into his with embarrassment and frustration. "I-I can't zip up my shorts because my hands are trembling too much," she confessed.

Noah knew he would be pushing it, but the words slipped out before he could hold them back. "I'll do it," he simply said. Though a red tinge began to settle upon his cheeks, he nodded as her eyes widened.

Chelsea gave him a look of warning making the taller hedgehog chuckle in good humor. "Don't get any funny ideas Noah, you hear?" she said, struggling to hide the smile on her face.

"I'll try and keep it in my pants," he retorted sarcastically.

"You don't even have pants—"

"Just turn around Chelsea."

Giving him one last look, the female hedgehog slowly turned around and let her hands drop to reveal the un-zipped back. Noah's eyes widened as what he was doing fully hit him. A blush drowned his cheeks and a massive lump was forced to be swallowed down his throat. Blinking away his sudden embarrassment, Noah took a hold of the golden zipper and then grasping the end of it for support. He felt Chelsea jerk at his touch and mutter incoherently.

"Sorry," he sputtered.

"You're fine," she responded subtly.

Trying his hardest not to continue staring, Noah let his hand slowly zip up the material. He watched intently as the zipper traveled and dipped up the deep curve of her back. Noah choked on the air in his throat as he caught sight of a black lacy string hugging her hips.

She just had to wear a thong today.

Reminding himself that it was just underwear, Noah continued on. He would be lying if he said that he wasn't enjoying the way the shorts began to decrease in size as it curved and hugged her waist, the size tinier compared to her wide hips. Once he had gotten to the top, Noah mentally whined. He took note that Chelsea's shirt wasn't tucked in. "Lift your arms up," he softly commanded. Doing as she was told, the young woman lifted her arms and silently allowed him to tuck in her shirt. Noah easily tucked in the back and sides, but once he got the front, he began doubting himself. He certainly did not feel like getting slapped in the face for touching something…off-limits. But possessed with foreign courage, he tucked the front part in without a problem.

"Took you long enough," Cathy suddenly said.

Almost instantly, the two looked at each other and then tumbled apart, red heavily coloring their cheeks. "C-Cathy! How long have you been there!?" Chelsea squeaked.

The golden hedgehog raised a teasing brow, placing her hand on her jutting hip. "Long enough," she stuck out her tongue in feigned disgust, "I know strip teasing seems fun but get a room you two."

"Catherine!" Noah grunted desperately.

Said hedgehog only laughed, her cheery humor only applying even more embarrassment to the other two. Cathy rolled her eyes as her older brother threw fictitious knives her way and Chelsea waved her hands frantically, begging the golden hedgehog not to get the wrong idea.

"Okay, okay. Back to business," she cut in, immediately cutting short the ruckus. Her demeanor hardened, sobriety in her eyes. "Here, take these."

Taking out three small devices, Cathy handed one to the others. Being familiar with the small machine, the two siblings fastened it securely to the fabric upon their waist. Chelsea held up the simple device in her hand. It was very tiny; it barely took up the space in her palm. It was a triangular shaped with the corners rounded sleekly. The majority of its design was metal. The touch-screen panel illuminated a blue hue and the tiny grey button centered towards the bottom reminded the ebon hedgehog of an iPhone.

Careful not to touch anything that could be problematic, the ex human frowned in inquiry; her brown eyes inspecting the device in her hand. "What are these again?"

"That is the AVTP: Automotive Voice-seeking Teleportation Device. Just like its name says, you tell it where you want to go while holding this grey button." The golden furred Mobian pointed at the control center. "There are also certain destinations already programmed into it." Chelsea watched as Cathy's finger swiped across the screen to display the different locations. "You can press it and then press the button."

Nodding in understanding, Chelsea took back the AVTP and continued to look through the different locations. There were many places she assumed were names of terrestrial tetras because she recognized close to none. Then, she came upon the name of the planet she almost forgot about.

"Earth…" she said, voice small and warding off into the cool air. Images and clips of the first time she had encountered the iconic hedgehogs filled her head. "So that's how you guys were able to travel so fast."

"Yup," Cathy confirmed the statement. "But usually that runs out all the juice from these things, so you'd have to have more than one person with you if you want to have a secure flight back."

Noah nodded. "That reminds me," he helped Chelsea fasten the device onto the waist line of her shorts, "the AVTP has only enough power to teleport three times. Generally, longer distances means more power is used, so only use this if the situation calls for it. Anyways, as long as we stick together, that's about nine travel possibilities. We should be fine."

The dark-furred hedgehog hummed in understanding but her brows furrowed in question. "Why is it that the power is limited?"

"The AVTP is powered by something called chaos energy." Just before the gasps could come out of her lips, Chelsea shut her gaping mouth and swallowed down her surprise. Politely, she let the silver hedgehog continue. "Chaos energy is an essence that flows in all celestial beings, non-living masses, and even in the air we breathe. Without getting into the demographics of it, we have been able to create a device that absorbs the surrounding energy and uses it to the best of its abilities. The only reason why there are limited uses is because the amount of chaos energy needed to teleport an individual is alarming. If the energy sustained in surrounding environments and in a life form suddenly depletes, it could throw off a lot; even potentially kill."

"Because the first place the ATVP looks for energy is what it makes contact with," the younger sibling continued. "You'll feel the effects after you teleport. It drains you and if the amount of chaos energy in your body is stripped without caution, it could mean serious trouble."

Before Chelsea was able to comment, a faraway look fixed itself upon both humanoids. Both sets of incredible blue crystals glowered at nothing in particular. An overbearing weight of spectral botheration shadowed their person. The mood before wasn't all that light, but the sudden dreariness of the space worried her.

A white glove covered hand perched upon Noah's shoulder; brown irises glittering in concern for both. "What is it?" Chelsea asked.

He offered her a reassuring smile, a soft blow emitting from his nostrils. Noah softly put his hand on top of the one on his shoulder and looked away in trepidation. "The MRF is a program funded to research on how Chaos energy can be harnessed in individuals and used for the good of Mobius and ultimately the universe. From stories I've heard, it was a peaceful facility, well, unless you're against feral animal testing. And even then, all animals died of old age," a humorless chuckle left his tan lips.

Cathy snorted aggressively. "Yeah, and then that good for nothing, low-life, alien nestled his way in and created blood bathes and forced us to slave over his sick commands. So many people were lost in trying to rebel against him. If any of us tried to fight back, he wouldn't waste any time in executing us and then rehiring others to take their place," she sighed and she looked exhausted, "After he took over the establishment, our objectives were slightly altered. Instead of trying to come to terms with how Chaos energy worked at a slow pace, he was more focused on hurrying the process up and creating life forms that were durable enough to handle vast amounts of energy. I couldn't tell you how many innocents were kidnapped and how many abominable creatures, sickening monsters, were created in this project." Chelsea winced at the sound of cracking bones as Cathy's hands were balled up into fists. She heard tiny growls emit from her throat. "There was just so much screaming. Having too much Chaos energy in your body is painful. It's torture. Noah and I weren't very much involved with laboratory work, but…but the things we've seen and heard…it's disgusting what he's doing. He's obviously after something, but no one seems to know."

The heavy information took a bit of time to settle in with the new hedgehog. Her heart's strings were pulled at the thought of so many people used as experiments and treated like soulless cartridges. It was hard to imagine the horrific scenes her two friends could've seen in the facility and guilt pricked her chest as she thought back on her accusations and harsh words towards them. It was safe to assume that quitting wouldn't please the dictator; they ultimately had no choice but to participate in the nightmare.

As the air remained silent with tension, Chelsea used the time to figure out some things that were…bewildering to her brain. With all the information she knew before hand about chaos energy and how certain individuals were able to harness its power, it was no surprise someone would suddenly come forth and try to take advantage of it…for worse. Sonic, Shadow, and Silver were three hedgehogs who could not only use Chaos energy with little to no problem, but also radiated it. At least, in shows and games, it was said that the quantity of power contained in their bodies was astounding. Even a fraction of the energy they held would normally kill an average being. It was kind of farfetched getting this knowledge from sources used for entertainment, but it was all she had in this mess.

The young mother tried not to focus on the fact that either one of them could've been created with disabilities, errant bodies, unstable mental and emotional habits, or worse. They could've been those poor creatures that were forced to endure torturous agony 24/7 enclosed within harsh metal walls. In fact, they could be enduring painful experimenting right now and she couldn't bear to think of them withering in pain, tears dripping down their soft cheeks, fingers, ears, toes, twitching—

Chelsea clenched her eyes, holding back the tears and ignoring the stinging in her nose. Now was not the time to become pudding. She had to think rationally. The three hedgehogs were successful in their development. There was no way the facility would permanently damage them. For some reason this new captain needed these three alive and well to complete a goal he would murder aimlessly for. Now the question remains: for what? Was it to reign over a certain planet? Then why would they waste time in making sure they were cared for by a human being? Wouldn't that instill a sense of wrong and right in them thus virtually eliminating all chances of just…well wreaking havoc? Well, yeah, they could train them to be ruthless monsters but there would always be a part of them that would exude goodness. On another note, their bodies were built to withstand extra-venous environmental factors. Maybe there was something to be found?

Chelsea blinked. "Do you think whoever this…alien is, is after the Chaos Emeralds?"

Noah's head snapped upright and he blinked multiple times, looking as if he was trying to figure out if he heard correctly. Chelsea paid no attention and only looked at the ground in concentration. The golden hedgehog closed her eyes in slight sorrow. "It can't be. No one's been able to locate those gems for decades. It'd be an impossible task considering we wouldn't even have a source to base any tracker off it. A Chaos Emeralds power is too magnificent to simply copy."

It went silent once again and instead of letting it prolong once again, Cathy decided it was time to get going. Releasing a heavy breath from that weighed down her chest, she stiffly turned to face the two other hedgehogs. "Never mind that." There was no time to ponder on reasons for the treasons committed by the new head of the facility. Their main priority was to get those three hedgehogs back.

Sapphire eyes glinted with long confidence. "It's time we leave."

A/N: I know I know.

I'm horrible.

It's like two am here but just know I love everyone that stuck with this story, and I will finish it! Please bear with me.

I'm very sorry this chapter was short and I'm not making any promises for the next chapter but our favorite hedgehogs will definitely be in it.

Thank you R&R

God Bless You~