Chapter 26
A few days later Dr. Eggman prepped Dark Sonic with some new gear around her right wrist. It was similar in size to her bracelet but there were buttons and blinking lights.
"What's with the new bling?" She asked looking it over,
"It's something I made to keep track of you." He said,
"Another counter measure? Yeesh you're paranoid." She said rolling her eyes.
"I told you before I don't trust you. Besides it's not just that," He said pointing at one of the buttons. "There are some fun additions to it." Dark Sonic presses the button as a holographic light shines for a moment as she looks to see nothing's changed.
"Uh… Cool?" She said confused, Eggman huffs and points at her reflection coming off of one of the turned off monitors. Her appearance changed into looking like Saya. "Way past cool!"
"That's not all, It's also a radio set along with a homing teleport." He said,
"Okay, before you start nerding out, could you explain what you mean by homing teleport?" She said.
"It tracks your Chaos Emerald energy levels. If you somehow transform back into Saya. The bracelet will teleport her right back here."
"Oh! So not a counter measure for me. But a counter measure for Saya. Ha, I'd love to see their faces as they think they saved their friend only to have her disappear again right in front of them." She laughs.
"But now that you have that form at our disposal, we can attempt your brilliant idea." Eggman said, "And all we have to do now is wait."
At Freedom HQ, Kolt heads to the Infirmary to talk to Dr. Q. He had to know for sure there weren't any other Dark Chaos Emeralds hiding. But he wants to be safe about it this time since having any one of them on bed rest while Dark Sonic is a threat was not going to go over well.
"Oh for peats sake, what did you do now?" Dr. Q said as he enters the infirmary.
"Nothing yet, that's why I'm here." Kolt said walking over.
"Okay?" she said looking confused,
"Tikal thinks we can confirm if there are any other Dark Chaos Emeralds with my help. But I wanted to make sure you'd be okay with it seeing as last time…"
"Wait you're actually asking me to supervise?" She asked looking shocked.
"If you want, I thought it would be better not to risk it since we're down one." He said as she smiles at him.
"Kolt, you have no idea how happy this makes me." She said grabbing her first aid bag. "Let's go inform Elias of the plan and then we can head to the alter room." She said as they walk to the computer room. Elias was sitting at a computer with a cup of coffee talking to Brandy.
"Good Morning, are you going to ask for permission to do something too?" He asked,
"Uh, yeah?" Kolt said, "We wanted to try and see if Tikal and I can confirm if there are any other Dark Chaos Emeralds we need to look out for. And I asked Dr. Q to supervise. What were you asking?" He asked Brandy,
"Caroline's been very distant so I thought maybe the two of us going to the Farmers Market might help distract her for a bit."
"And I was telling her that might not be a good idea." Elias said,
"I'm not so sure." Dr. Q said as Elias looks at her surprised. "You and I saw how much she disconnected after what happened. A change of scenery might help her."
"Do you suggest they take TK as well then? She was also in the same state." Elias said,
"You'd have to pry her away from her work bench and I don't think that's going to be possible anytime soon…" Sophia said walking up, "I don't think it's a good idea… But if you think it'll help Caroline, I say do it. I'll even be on standby just in case."
"That at least puts my mind at ease. Alright, Brandy and Kolt your requests are approved. But please be careful." He said as they both nod. Brandy runs off to grab Cream and Kolt and Dr. Q head to the alter room. Sophia pauses and waits for the others to leave before looking back over at Elias.
"If there is more than one Dark Chaos Emerald… I hate to say this, but finding them takes priority… Even before saving Saya." Sophia said,
"I'm surprised to hear you say that." Elias said,
"I want Saya back just as much as they do. But those Emeralds are a real threat. If they can turn Saya of all people evil, think of what else they are capable of?"
"You have a valid point… Let's hope there's only the one." He said handing her an envelope. "End of the week, we'll be getting the Submarine back. You and team Dark are to go to the Under-water Base and see if you can find any clues as to where Eggman went." He said as she nods and begins to look over the paperwork.
"Would it be alright if I bring Caroline along on this mission?" Sophia asked, "Having her hearing in a large place like that would help." She asked,
"You sure?"
"Rogue and Omega already know her a little bit and having an extra pair of eyes that sees things differently like I do would help."
"Sees differently?" Elias said looking at her confused,
"Our past lives give us a different perspective." She explained,
"I see…" He pauses and looks over at her while she reads, "How are you feeling? Helen told me a bit about of your… outburst" He said as she huffs,
"I'm fine, just a bit of the past coming back to haunt me." She said, "it's nothing to be concerned about. Besides, I did get hit in the head a few times." She joked as they get back to work.
Brandy heads to the kitchen to find Caroline sitting at the table with an untouched cup of tea, She was staring at the cup completely dazed.
"Hey Caroline," Brandy said as she snaps out of it looking up at her not realizing she zoned out. "Grab your purse we're going to the farmers market." She said with a smile,
"What? But isn't it dangerous?" Caroline said,
"I already asked Elias and he gave us the go ahead, and Sophia's on standby just in case." She said holding out her hand.
"Okay," She said taking her hand and they grab their things and head out towards the farmers market.
"You ready?" Kolt asks Dr. Q, as they both walk up to the Master Emerald.
"Yes, please be careful." She said. Kolt transforms into Knuckles and Tikal appears next to him while Dr. Q stands to the side to watch. They both stand opposite of one another around the Master Emerald and begin chanting. The room glows brighter as they both focus on the familiar energy of Dark Chaos.
"Knuckles, how are you feeling?" Dr. Q called out,
"Fine… but this is going to take a while…"
"Remember to take it easy," She said,
"Talking is making me lose concentration…" He said,
"Okay, I'll stay quiet, but if I start noticing you not looking well, I'm pulling the plug." She said as he gives her a nod. He could see the flow of Chaos and trying to recall how the Dark Chaos Emerald felt when he first felt it. How it felt so different from Chaos energy, something he wasn't expecting. He continued to focus, completely enveloped in searching within Chaos for the answers he was looking for.
Brandy and Caroline get to the Farmers market, it was crowded since the weather was so nice. There were many different stands with fruits and vegetables along with baked goods and odd bobbles. They slowly walked through the market looking at everything.
"This is so nice. The weather is perfect, and we were able to get some really good fruit." Caroline said with a smile.
"Maybe we can make a pie later." Brandy said, she was happy to see Caroline act like her cheerful self.
"That's a great idea! I bet that'll pull TK away from her desk." Caroline said,
"You noticed too?" Brandy asked,
"She hasn't stopped working since we got back from the Hedges…" She said as they both frown. TK was Saya's best friend and they knew that her being turned against them was eating at her inside. "Let's keep looking around, we should find something nice for Sophia." She said as they continue looking around. Brandy smiles as she watches her best friend trying to fight through her sadness and fear to put on a smile. She knew that Caroline was strong and that they were all going to pull through this hard time together. "Look, this booth has crystals." Caroline called her over as they both take a look. There were an assortment of different crystals on the table.
"Maybe we should grab one for Kolt?" Brandy asked as they both look over the booth, Caroline sees a green colored crystal that caught her eye it reminded her of the color of the Master Emerald. She purchases it and places it in her bag. "There's a booth over there with books, maybe there's something Sophia would like?" she said as they walk over to that booth and start looking over the books. As Brandy has her nose in a book about time travel Caroline tugs on her shirt to get her attention. "Did you find something?" She asked as she notices Caroline looking into the crowd.
"I… I think I see Saya…" She said,
"Dark Sonic is here?" Brandy whispered putting the book down looking through the crowd,
"No, it's Saya, look, she has long hair and her bangs are blue," She said discretely pointing in the direction,
"Are you sure?" Brandy didn't believe it but after she began to focus on the one area, she sees this Saya lookalike walk out of view down a nearby alley near one of the booths.
"What should we do?" Caroline asked,
"Text Sophia, "Brandy said as Caroline pulls her phone out while Brandy kept her eye on that alley, "Tell her where we are and what we just saw and to be ready the second our distress beacons go off." She said as they both pretend to go to other booths but keep an eye on the ally slowly making their way closer. Caroline gets a message and reads it,
"Sophia said they're not waiting; she's grabbing the other and heading here asap. She said we should keep our distance but if we can, we should try to keep an eye on her." She said as they slowly start making their way into the alley.
At Freedom HQ Sophia runs into the hangar bay up to TK's work bench taking her off guard for a second,
"Sophia?" She said looking confused,
"Get the Tornado ready, Brandy and Caroline need us." She said running towards another hallway. "I gotta go grab Kolt."
"Uh… okay." TK said running over to the Twin Tornado and getting it ready for takeoff. Sophia Bursts into the Alter room and runs up the stairs,
"Everything alright Sophia?" Dr. Q said looking startled,
"No time, Knuckles, we gotta go." She said as he doesn't respond, "Damnit, Brandy and Caroline could be in danger." She said grabbing his arm as a jolt of energy goes though both of them. The light of the Master Emerald dims as Knuckles snaps out of it.
"What happened?" He said looking confused and disoriented, as Tikal disappears.
"We need to go," Sophia said pulling him away from the Emerald.
"Bring him to the infirmary when you get back!" Dr. Q demanded. They run towards the hangar bay as Sophia transforms into Shadow and they jump onto the Tornado just as it's flying off.
"What's going on?' Knuckles asked,
"Caroline and Brandy saw someone who looks like Saya at the Farmers Market. We're not risking them being ambushed. I knew this wasn't a good idea." Shadow said.
"They went to the Farmers Market? I didn't even know they left." Tails said,
"That's because you haven't lifted your head from your desk in days." Shadow said as Tail's ears lower feeling Shadow's anger. Knuckles could also feel the anger coming from Shadow.
"Take it easy Shadow." Knuckles said as she glares at him, but he was starting to feel just as agitated towards Shadow. But he know he didn't have time to argue with her. They needed to focus on making sure Caroline and Brandy are alright.
Caroline and Brandy make their way into the alley but see no one. They continue to walk forward not knowing what might happen.
"Should we transform?" Caroline whispered as Brandy looks back at the street, there were still a lot of people in sight and their transformations were anything but discrete.
"If the next alley is clear we'll transform there." She whispers and Caroline nods. They slowly walk towards the corner and peak their heads out to see if anyone was in the alley. They enter the alley but right as they were about to transform another couple walks down the street. They try to move forward to the next alley where they see the one who looks like Saya standing near the dead end looking down at something.
"What's she doing?" Caroline whispered,
"Not sure, let's hide." Brandy said as they sneak behind a nearby dumpster and try to see what she was doing but she wasn't moving at all. "Something's not right… We gotta get out of here." Brandy said grabbing Caroline's hand as there about to make a run for it. Two Swatbots jump down from the rooftops blocking their exit.
"We're trapped!" Caroline said as they step back, they see the Saya lookalike walk towards them. "Saya?" she called out,
"No," She said with a chuckle and with a reflective shimmer she turns into Dark Sonic. Her appearance had changed, her spines stuck up straight and were a midnight blue and her clothes were the same color. Even her signature sneakers were a deeper red. "But very close," She said sarcastically. The Swatbots grab them while they are distracted with Dark Sonic. "Man! That was way too easy!" She laughs.
"Dark Sonic…" Brandy said as Dark Sonic lets out a sigh,
"Robotnik gave me that name… but I'm not so sure I like it, what do you two think?" She asks them but neither of them respond as they try to get free from the robotic hands grasping them, "I mean, Dark Sonic is kinda lame. It sounds like I'm related to Metal Sonic. I need something new… Something that shows just how much of a Scourge I can be." She said with an evil grin.
"How'd you know we'd be here?" Brandy didn't like this spiral Dark Sonic was going down and thought changing the subject would distract her. Dark Sonic laughs at her question.
"Did you really think we didn't have eyes on your base? In case you forgot, I know everything about you all." She said,
"How'd you change into Saya?" Caroline asked,
"Full of questions huh? This lovely bracelet." Dark Sonic said pointing at it, "Unfortunately, it's also how he keeps track of me." She rolls her eyes annoyed, "He's way too paranoid."
"Why are we here? Last time you wanted to kill us." Brandy said struggling to get free, now she was just trying to stall for time.
"Oh he does, but I thought of a better idea. Fill your Chaos Emeralds with Dark Chaos energy. There's no way the others would be able to win fighting three of us." Dark Sonic said with a laugh,
"I think I've heard just about enough from you!" Shadow jumps down from the sky landing in between Dark Sonic and the Bots holding Caroline and Brandy. "Even when you're evil you're just as annoying."
"Aw, what's the matter Shadow? Feeling left out?" Dark Sonic said jumping back. "So you two were just asking questions to stall me," Knuckles and Tails sneak up from behind the Swatbots. Knuckles rips Caroline free and smashes it away while Tails flies on the back of the other and disables it by tampering with some of the wiring.
"Don't forget we're here too!" Knuckles said,
"Did you really think they weren't protected?" Tails said as she and Knuckles stand in front of Caroline and Brandy as Caroline helps Brandy out of the shutdown Swatbots grip.
"Well it was worth a shot." Dark Sonic said with a shrug, "You all got here faster than I was expecting. I thought I had a few minutes to gloat. Oh well," She said turning away from all of them.
"Turn around and face me you faker!" Shadow yelled as Dark Sonic quickly turns back around and steps towards her,
"Faker? Ha! You're the fake! You can't even keep up with me." She said as they all saw it, the bright red eyes were gone, and they were Green again. But they flicker back to red as she shakes her head looking disoriented.
"Sonic?" Tails called out as Dark Sonic looks at them with a grin,
"Later losers!" She said disappearing, they all stood there in shock for a second.
"Did you see that?" Brandy said,
"Her eyes! They were green, only for a moment… but they were definitely green." Shadow said,
"So she really is still in there." Knuckles said,
"Are you two alright?" Tails asked as Brandy and Caroline nod, "We should get out of here before someone sees us." They all leave the alley and head back towards the Twin Tornado.
Dark Sonic gets back to Eggman's base still holding her head, she staggers to the main lab leaning against the wall. Her head was pounding, and she could tell Saya was starting to fight back.
"What happened? Did they beat you?" Eggman asked,
"She's getting stronger… fix it…" Dark Sonic said annoyed walking over to the pod.
"How is she getting stronger? You've absorbed enough Dark Chaos Energy that I'm surprised the Chaos Emerald isn't tainted." He said as Dark Sonic climbs into the pod.
"I don't know… but somehow she's doing it." She said,
"We should have just killed them. This wouldn't have happened." Eggman said angrily,
"Duly noted, now make it stop." She said as she pauses before closing the door, her hand was shaking again holding to the side of the chamber door tightly. She pulls her hand away and shuts the chamber. She leans back as Eggman gets to work on the computers trying to figure out how to stop Saya's internal struggle as the chamber Dark Sonic is in fills with Dark Chaos energy.