Chapter 21
The four of them head to the alter room. Caroline hands Kolt the Chaos Emerald piece as they all walk up to the alter. He places the final piece as the entire room is enveloped in a warm light.
"I feel different…" TK said,
"Yeah, almost lighter." Brandy said.
"The Master Emerald is complete." Tikal said as Kolt could tell she was different.
"You're real," He said as Tikal grabs his hands.
"It's thanks to you all. I'm now at full strength." She said,
"Which means we're one step closer to finding Saya!" Caroline cheered,
"I'll continue my search." Tikal said as she returns to the Master Emerald.
"I have work to do." TK said walking down the stairs.
"What do mean?" Brandy asked,
"I have an idea that'll help Tikal pinpoint Saya's exact location." She said running off,
"Kolt, I have a question," Caroline said,
"What's up?"
"The first time Saya transformed, she was seriously injured. After she transformed into Sonic the injuries disappeared. But when she reverted back her injuries came back."
"Exactly like on the Space colony ARC." Brandy added,
"But if we're injured in our transformed forms, those injuries pass back to our normal selves. Why is that?" Caroline asked,
"I'm not one hundred percent certain, but I think it's because we're tapping into our past lives. Technically they can't be injured, but we can so the injuries transfer to us after we revert back." He theorized.
"It makes sense, we can't alter the past." Brandy said, "But that doesn't mean the past can't alter the future."
"I think I understand." Caroline said,
"C'mon, let's go check on Sophia, hopefully she'll wake up soon," Brandy said as they all leave. They enter the infirmary to see Sophia sitting up talking to Dr. Q.
"I'm so glad you're okay," Caroline ran over and hugged her,
"I'll live, just a little tired." She said, "So, did it work?"
"The Master Emerald is complete." Kolt said, "Tikal is already trying to pinpoint Saya,"
"And TK is trying to find a way to help Tikal." Brandy said,
"So now we wait." Sophia said,
"You're staying in here for the night, I want to make sure you're okay," Dr. Q said,
"Now I know how Saya felt," Sophia said with a sigh,
"Try to get some rest," Caroline said as she nodded, and they leave her to rest. Knowing how close they were to finding Saya had them on edge.
The next morning, Sophia gets permission to leave the infirmary and decides to go talk to TK and see if she needs any help. She sees her pilling stuff into a small crate.
"Need any help?" she asked,
"Oh, hi Sophia, Actually! Could you do me a huge favor and ask Kolt to join me in the Alter room?" She asked,
"Sure, I'll go let him know."
"And could you grab my notebook from my room? I need the formula's I made in there, it should be on my desk." She said quickly leaving, Sophia shrugs and goes to look for Kolt while she headed to TK's room, she found him in the gym lifting weights.
"Hey, TK needs you in the Alter room," She said as he puts down the wrights.
"Sure, everything alright?"
"Not sure, she just asked me to grab you. Probably something with the Master Emerald." She said, "I'll walk with you, just gotta grab her notes from her room" Kolt followed her to TK's room as they walk in silence for a bit. She enters her room and grabs the notebook. She sees Kolt looking at the door to Saya's room.
"What's she like?" he asked,
"I couldn't stand her at first," Sophia said rolling her eyes as they started to walk, "She harassed me all the time trying to get me to join her and her friends for lunch, but then I got to know her. She's impatient, sarcastic, and sometimes doesn't think things through. But she cares with all of her heart and always puts others before herself." She began to realize how much she deeply missed her, "Saya's the reason I now have friends… Friends I can no longer live without."
"She sounds incredible," He said,
"You do remember she used to be Sonic right," She chuckled,
"Yeah, I mean, you're not what I expected. I remember you being cold and distant… And you were never a Freedom Fighter."
"Neither were you, besides, I'm not Shadow. He was a past life whose skills I use to my advantage, But I'm not him." Sophia said,
"I'm still having trouble keeping my memories apart. Caroline said it gets easier as time goes on."
"It does," She said as they make it to the Alter room. They head inside and see TK next to the Master Emerald surrounded by electronics and pieces of paper.
"It took you two long enough!" She said as Sophia hands her the notebook, "Thank You," She said as she turns to Kolt, "Hurry up and transform into Knuckles."
"Uh… Okay?" He said as he transforms,
"I know you're focused TK, but maybe tone it down a little?" Sophia said,
"We don't have time for that. The longer I take the longer Eggman has Saya." She said turning to Knuckles, "I need you to use Chaos Control to help this devise connect to the Master Emerald." She explained as Sophia watched.
"Should be easy enough, Tikal, will you help me?" Knuckles asked as she appears.
"Of course," She said as they flank the Master Emerald and have their hands in the air as they begin to chant. The Master Emerald begins to glow, and the energy starts to flow towards the devise in TK's hands as it begins to light up and the room is filled with energy.
An Hour passes as TK is keeping an eye on the devise as she gives them the thumbs up to stop. They both stop the chant and Sophia could tell they looked exhausted. Knuckles transforms back and begins to stumble.
"Easy there," Sophia said helping him keep his balance.
"I must rest…" Tikal said as she disappears back into the Master Emerald,
"I'm sorry Kolt, I shouldn't have pushed you so far…" TK said,
"It's all good, I'm happy I could help." He said giving a thumbs up.
"Sophia, could you take him to the infirmary? I need to get this into our system and see if it works." Sophia gives her a nod as TK quickly leaves the room.
"Let's go before you keel over," She said helping him out of the Alter room,
"Do you think it worked?" He asked,
"We'll know soon enough," She said as they get to the infirmary, Sophia opens the door and they walk inside.
"What happened?" Dr. Q asked walking towards them,
"Just used too much energy." Kolt said as she looks at Sophia for a better explanation,
"He and Tikal channeled the energy from the Master Emerald into TK's devise so we can find Saya," She said,
"I really wish you'd have me supervise when you do these kind of things." She said as they help him onto a bed. "And you, she looks at Sophia, "We still need to talk about those limit rings,"
"Guys!" They all hear TK over a loudspeaker, "You're gonna want to see this." Sophia looks at Kolt,
"Go, I'll catch up." He said as she does not hesitate to run to the computer room before Dr. Q could say anything. TK was waiting with Elias and Sally as Caroline and Brandy run in after.
"Well?" Sophia asked,
"See for yourself…" She said pointing at the monitor, but none of them could see anything,
"Is this a joke?" She said looking annoyed,
"Look closely, out past Angel Island," She said as they focus on the islands close to it as they see it, a very dim dot in the middle of the ocean,
"There!" Sophia points it out as Dr. Q helps Kolt into the room.
"Why is it so hard to see?" Brandy asked,
"Tikal believes it's because she transformed a while ago, and because she's so far away from the Master Emerald it can't charge properly." TK explained,
"Wait… are you saying Saya's underwater?" Caroline asked,
"Worse… She's saying she's underwater, and without her powers…" Sophia said,
"What better way to keep Sonic trapped than in an underwater prison." Kolt said,
"But how do we get down there? Last I checked our powers didn't give us the ability to breathe underwater." Brandy said,
"That is why the military are sending us their underwater submarine." Elias said,
"So we're in the clear?" Sophia said as Caroline hugs Brandy with joy,
"After I give you and Kolt the okay." Dr. Q said,
"Wait… me?" Sophia said confused,
"Yes you, We still need to talk. And I will not give my stamp of approval until then. You can talk to me in the morning. For now I'm taking Kolt back to the infirmary." She said leaving the computer room. As Sophia looks annoyed,
"Just go see her in the morning, I'm sure she'll let you go as soon as possible." Caroline said as she lets out a heavy sigh.
"It will take some time before the sub gets here, Make sure you're all well rested. Once the Doctor giver her stamp of approval, the mission begins immediately." Elias said.
In the middle of the night in Eggman's Underwater base Saya was attempting to get some rest. Suddenly, the room to her cell bursts open as she jolts up just as the Swatbot grabs her and pulls her out of the room,
"What's with the midnight meeting?" She said trying to wake up and the bot carries her into Eggman's lab, "Is this a new tactic? Throw me off while I'm sleepy?" As she notices the table move again, "on second thought… I think I liked the wheelchair better…"
"Apologies, but I was just too excited not to start as soon as possible." He said as the robot pushes her onto the table and the straps wrap around her wrists and ankles. She tries not to yelp at the pain in her leg shooting up from hitting the metal band and the table moves,
"Start what? I'm not going to tell you anything! Break my other leg, see if I care!" She taunted trying to ignore the pain,
"Oh, no more limbs will be broken." He smiled as he walked over and stood above her.
"Then what, going to just smile at me creepily?" She said trying to anger him,
"What I have planned for you will be nothing you ever expected." one of the robots pushes over a cart carrying a strange oxygen mask and an IV hook.
"I'm not liking where this is going…" She said as she tries to struggle,
"There's no use in you struggling, I just need you to sleep for a bit." He grabs the mask and attempts to place it over her face.
"Not going to get your way that easy" she moves her head and bites his hand before he is able to get the strap behind her head, "Curse you! You little rodent, hold still!" She continues to fight but eventually he straps the mask to her face.
"Whatever you're planning won't work!" She said trying to get the mask off as he moves over to the machine,
"Oh, but I've already won." He said turning on the machine as a gas starts to fill the mask. She holds her breath still trying to fight out of the restraints, but she was only delaying it as she struggled not to breathe. But after almost a minute she had to inhale, as the strange gas filled her lungs, she felt her body begin to go numb. "Good night, Sonic."
The following morning Sophia quickly goes to the Infirmary to talk to Dr. Q, she didn't want this to delay their mission. She enters the room to see her packing a small bag.
"Oh, Good Morning Sophia,"
"Let's get this over with, what do you want to know?" she asked,
"Why do you need the inhibitors?"
"I thought the others explained it."
"I want to hear it from you, I need the whole picture."
"To keep me from overexerting myself."
"But why? Kolt said your body is like a sponge." She asked still filling the bag,
"What are you doing?" Sophia asked,
"I need to be there if Saya is in serious condition."
"I don't remember Elias saying you were coming with us." She said,
"That's because I didn't," Elias said entering the room, "Helen, you can't come."
"I need to be there! I'm the only one who can help her."
"That's why I asked you to make a pack for the Freedom Fighters so they can do that. Besides, you're not combat trained. The team doesn't need to worry about you while trying to save Saya." He said as she stops.
"Fine, but you still need to explain better Sophia."
"It's because I'm the Ultimate Lifeform." She said,
"That's not an answer! I already knew that, what makes you the Ultimate Lifeform?" Dr. Q asked as she zips the bag closed.
"I was created from Alien DNA." She said as both her and Elias look at her surprised, "Well, Shadow was at least. That and Chaos energy, I was created to protect Mobius from the same Aliens that helped create me."
"You were created?" Elias looked just as surprised,
"Yeah, but they underestimated how powerful I would be, without the inhibitors I have full connection to chaos. Similar to how Saya's body had a negative effect mine does as well, if I use too much chaos too quickly, I burn out. Does that answer your question?" She asked,
"Yes," She said,
"Sophia, knowing this information now, you are not to remove your inhibitors without approval." Elias said, "That's an order,"
"Yes sir," She said as Dr. Q hands her the medical bag.
"Make sure you treat any open wounds first." She said as Sophia nods.
"Let's meet the others in the hangar bay." Elias said as they wave to Dr. Q,
"Sophia, this is going to be a hard question, but what do you plan to do if it's worst case scenario?" Elias asked,
"As in if Saya's…" She could bring herself to say it, "I'll get the rest of them back here safely. Then I finish off Eggman, my way."
"I just want you to be prepared."
"I am, I think TK and Caroline are the ones I'm most worried about. If something has happened to Saya they are the most likely to break down because of it." She explained,
"I know you'll get them back here safely, just don't overdo it yourself." He said as they get to the hangar bay to see the rest of them talking.
"Sophia!" TK runs up, "Did she give you the okay?"
"Yep," she said as they all cheered.
"Are you alright coming with us Caroline? I know you're also not the best swimmer," Brandy said,
"I'm a little nervous, but I know with all of you with me I'll be fine." She said,
"I think whatever happens Caroline should stick with Brandy," TK said,
"Why? Wouldn't Kolt or Sophia be better for that," Brandy asked as TK shook her head,
"Sophia is probably going to be completely engrossed in finding Saya that she might lose control." Sophia felt a little attacked at that statement, "Whereas Kolt would be to distracted by protecting Caroline that he'd be of no help." She said,
"You know I'm standing right here…" Kolt said looking annoyed,
"I didn't mean it as an insult, but you do tend to over focus." She said as he looks away embarrassed that he couldn't argue with her logic. "Brandy can do both, her eyes are sharper than ours and in times of stress she can have faster reflexes than even Shadow."
"We'll have to test that at some point," Sophia said as they climb into the helicopter, "Everyone ready? They all nod their heads, "We don't transform until we're in the submarine, that way we get the most time out of our Chaos Emeralds. Now, let's go get our friend back." She said as they fly off towards the coast where Sally was waiting for them in full gear.
"You're coming too?" Caroline asked as they climb out of the helicopter.
"Someone has to pilot the submarine and keep guard of our exit." She said, "Elias wouldn't have approved of this mission otherwise."
"Fine but be careful." Sophia said as they all climb into the submarine. It was a lot smaller than they were expecting, it should help them get to Eggman's base undetected.
"Everyone ready?" Sally said as they all nod, "Let's go." She said as the door of the sub closes, and they dive into the sea. Everyone went silent, it would be a while before they get to the base, but they were already feeling tense. All of them trying not to think of the worst-case scenario.
"Oh!" Caroline breaks the silence taking them all by surprise, "Kolt, you don't know what Saya looks like." She said taking out her cell phone and showing him her screen background. It was of four girls, he recognizes, Caroline, Brandy and TK, and figured by process of elimination the fourth girl must be Saya.
"The only difference is that most of her bangs are now blue." Brandy said,
"Got it," he said,
"We're almost there," Sally said as they look out the window to see Eggman's underwater base. They were shocked at how large it was,
"This might be more difficult than we expected…" TK said,
"We'll run out of Chaos energy before we find her…" Brandy said,
"Then we split up…" Sophia said reluctantly, but she knew time wasn't on their side. "We might not be as strong on our own, but we will have a better chance of finding Saya that way."
"And you'll be able to run at full speed if you're not staying at our pace." TK added,
"Caroline and I will stick together," Brandy said as they all nod.
"We can check multiple floors this way, we can do this." Kolt said,
"I found an entrance," Sally said as they all hold out their hands,
"The seven servers are the seven Chaos, Chaos is power, power enriched by the heart, the heart is the controller, the controller serves to unify the Chaos. Chaos Control!" they all transform as the sub enters the base and hits an air pocket with a dock.
"You're clear!" She said as they jump out of the open door ready to fight.