The sound of a metal grate being broken free from it's hinge echoes through a long industrial hallway. The head of a dark blue hedgehog popped out from above and scanned the hall with his purple eyes before dropping down slowly. A grey jacket made a soft 'fwoosh' as he stood up and tapped his red shoes on the floor softly.
"Alright I'm in." The hedgehog says in a younger nasally voice while putting his hand to a small earpiece that was in his left ear. "I'm making my way to the central terminal now."
"Be careful Wind." A voice comes from over the earpiece. "I have a video link. Cameras are ours." It says. The blue hedgehog gives a thumbs up in the direction of one.
Behind a screen far away was a young brown-yellow fox and a middle aged yellow Fox watching as Wind made a face into one of the cameras. "Now's not the time to goof around Wind. We only have a few minutes before security makes their next pass." The older fox spoke into a microphone on the desk.
"Yeah, 're no fun sometimes Tails..." The hedgehog sighs before running down the hall and entering a door on his right. Inside was a large computer access terminal. Wind slowly walked up in awe at the sheer size. "The doc sure isn't subtle is he?" He says looking at the keyboard before he begins clacking away.
"His father is the same way." Tails says "Remember to load the data drive after you disengage the firewall."
"I know, I know." The hedgehog whines as he inputs various commands. Finally a small port pops out of the terminal with a small slot for a thumbdrive. Wind pulled a thumbdrive from the large bag he had slung over his back and plugged it in.
The computer then showed a progress window. Slowly progressing "Drive is doing it's thing Tails."
"Good once it's-" Tails begins to instruct but stops when he is interrupted by a low tone, shouting over the radio.
"We have company!" It shouted.
Outside of the large arctic fortress was a black hedgehog looking much like Shadow albeit for orange-brown features over Shadow's red. His amber eyes were gazing through a pair of binoculars following a small airborne craft that was heading for the base. "What is it, Mason?" Tails asks over the radio.
"Doc is here!" He says
"Darn." Tails muttered from his command post "Get out of there, fast!" He orders.
"Roger." Mason says putting the binoculars away, tightening the snow coat he had on and hopping off of the perch he had.
"Hold almost done!" Wind says seeing the terminal reading 95%. It slowly crawled up and Wind could hear the sound of a machine approaching. It finished and Wind turned to leave.
"No time you have to hide!" Tails calls over the radio. Wind nods and dives behind a pile of parts. From a door in the ceiling drops an Eggmobile. It paused at the terminal and out hops a large man. Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik. He looked at the terminal which was on.
"Odd…" the large man says "I don't recall leaving this on…boy must have been working again." He grumps before typing into the console. "Let's see…"
Wind slowly tries tip-toeing to the door to slip out. However Eggman turned, feeling like he was being watched. He scanned the room unaware Wind had hidden again. "Huh." The large scientist shrugs before he closes the terminal and gets back into the Eggmobile and flying back the way he came.
A few seconds later Wind sighs "That was too close Wind." Tails says "Now get out of there!"
"I got it. Don't worry, I'll be back in a flash!" He states as he goes running back to where he entered the structure and crawled back into the vents and secured the grate again.
Wind navigated back to the intake line that he had used to get in. One of the few unguarded accesses to the structure where Mason was waiting. "Did you get it?" Mason asks as he helps Wind out of the shaft.
"Course I did." He smirks, holding the drive in his hand up. "Let's get back to Central City as fast as we can."
"Oh I wouldn't be so hasty." A nasly voice chuckles as a swarm of robots surround the two.
"What?!" Mason exclaims as a tall, younger man with short black hair walks up. He was covered by a thick red and yellow jacket. "You!" Mason shouts.
"Dr. Eon Robotnik." Wind says.
"Wind and Mason the Hedgehogs…what brings you all the way up here?" He chuckled. "Let me guess…Freedom Fighter work?" He laughed looking at the angered expressions on the two "I knew it you two take so much after your fathers."
"Shut up!" Mason shouts.
"After what you did to them you have no place to talk!" Wind jeers.
"Whatever. What were you doing here?" Dr. Eon repeats.
"Why should we tell you?!" Wind scoffs.
"You will eventually…surrender or perish…make a choice." Dr. Eon states.
"What do we do? There's no way we can take him and the robots…" Mason whispers.
"We give him what he wants." Wind says as he pulls a thumbdrive from his pocket, identical to the one he had used earlier. He then looks at Dr. Eon and throws it at him. "Take it."
"This?" Dr. Eon asks as he caught it. "Hmph, you're not as smart as you look." He laughs, crushing it in his hands. "I'll give you ten seconds to get out of here next time I won't be so generous." The robots moved, giving the two a path who both ran as fast as they could.
Two hours later, Central City, Freedom Fighters Outpost A-113…
Wind and Mason come off of the elevator leading into the underground bunker where Tails and Maxis, his own son and the other fox who had been helping them were waiting for them.
"Sorry we returned empty handed." Mason says.
"It's okay. You're more important than some data." Tails says. "Dr. Eon destroyed it didn't he?"
"Thumbdrive and all." Mason answers.
"No, he destroyed the backup." Wind chuckles handing Tails a thumbdrive.
"You gave him a blank?" Tails asks "Clever…good work."
"Anything else?" Mason asks.
"No, you two are good to rest for a while." Tails says.
"Thank you." Wind sighs with relief. He and Mason exit the room and take a doorway that led into a vast underground cavern that looks like a village situated in the woods. New Knothole, the center of operations for the New Freedom Fighters, a group dedicated to keeping Dr. Eggman and now Dr. Neo from achieving their ultimate goal; world domination.
The group had been started by their fathers. Sonic and Shadow following Eggman's rise to power. However they've been missing for three years following a confrontation with Dr. Eggman. Given there was no celebration cry that they were dead, many held on to the belief that they were alive somewhere but hope had begun to falter.
The two walked down the road in silence before Wind broke it; "You think that data has anything on what happened to our dads?"
"I doubt it…" Mason sighs "None of the other bits of data we've stolen have had anything so what would be different now?"
"I dunno luck I guess…" Wind sighs putting his hands in his pockets as they walk they see a maroon ted hedgehog walking across the intersecting street. Medium-long jet black hair with bright crimson accents flowed in the gentle breeze as did. The hedgehog had a charcoal shirt on and dark blue jeans. A pair of red shoes with a dark gray stripe running up the top covered his feet. He was adjusting dark leather gloves when Wind called out the hedgehog's name. "Hikari!"
The hedgehog looked over and his deep emerald green eyes met Wind's gaze. Hikari Chaotic the Hedgehog, son of the third of the three heroes, Ragis Chaotic the Hedgehog, Guardian of Chaos. "Wind, Mason!" He calls running over. "Been a while. I wasn't expecting you guys to be back so soon." He says giving Wind a high five.
"It was easy." Wind boasts "You should have been there!"
"I wanted to go…" the maroon hedgehog sighs "But you know Tails refuses to let me do any field work and when I ask why he always dodges the topic…"
"So what did he have you doing that got you all dirty?" Mason asks.
"I had to move supplies all day." He sighs "Since apparently I was the only 'able body' it was all me today which is Tails' way of saying nobody else wanted the job and I want to prove I can handle field duties…I get stuck with all the scut work"
"You should just forget it." Mason scoffs "As dumb as it is Tails only clears people with powers for Field Duty."
"Why couldn't I inherit powers from my old man like you two?" Hikari grumps as he walks past them, pushing them both out of his way.
"Hikari!" Wind shouts but the hedgehog ignores him. "Smooth..." the dark blue hedgehog says, crossing his arms and looking at Mason who sighs.
"I didn't mean anything by it...I didn't know he was so sensitive on the matter." The tall dark hedgehog sighs as the two watch the red hedgehog turn the corner, and out of their sight.
Hikari continued down the road before he entered a small house where he closed and locked the door before getting himself cleaned up. He then crawls into bed.
Sleep quickly took the hedgehog thanks to his exhaustion following the work he had done. However shortly after falling asleep he felt something brush against his face.
Hikari opens his eyes to see blades of grass and he shoots up into a sitting position . He was somehow in a strange forest. He looked around and stood up. "What…what is this place?" He asks. The trees looked unfamiliar. Tress that he had never seen before. "I have to be dreaming…" he mutters as he takes a few steps.
A distant incoherent voice echoed over the winds and Hikari shot his head around. He was now face to face with a golden wolf with a slight glow to him. "Geez you're hard to get through to." The wolf sighs
"Who are you?" Hikari asks.
"Oh right, how rude of me." The wolf says. "I am Chaotix the Wolf." He answered. "I was a Chaos Guardian."
"Great, now I am dreaming about old ghosts from the past too." Hikari sighs, covering his face with his hands and sitting down. "I know all about you...my dad never shut up about you..."
"Dreaming about what now?" Chaotix asks offended "I assure you there is no mere dream."
"Pfft yeah right. Next thing you're going to say is that my father's alive." Hikari scoffs.
"He is." Chaotix says "I know where he, Sonic and Shadow are trapped."
"And where would that be?" Hikari asks in a mocking tone showing he didn't believe a word coming from him.
"The Dark Realm. Eggman trapped them in there and without the Chaos Emeralds they have no means of escape." Chaotix answers.
"Okay, let's say I believe that…why are you here?" Hikari asks, crossing his arms. "If you're real and not just a figment of my imagination, what would an ancient Chaos Guardian want with someone like me? I am a nobody! I have no powers! Nothing! Unless you count being able to put up with Tails' menial tasks day in and day out a superpower..."
"You were never told?" Chaotix asks.
"No, my dad never talked much about what he did with Sonic and Shadow. Tails refuses to say anything as well. I knew he was a Chaos Guardian and he had done some big things but that was all. Like it even matters now, he's dead." Hikari scoffs, turning away. "If you want to say anything, say it now before I decide to stop listening.
"There's more to it than just him being a Chaos Guardian..." The glowing wolf says. "He is a Chaosblood. He is the last Chaosblood. Or he was anyway."
"What are you saying?" Hikari asks, looking more interested at Chaotix who slowly points at the hedgehog. "Chaosblood? That's impossible. All of your texts make it clear all Chaosbloods died off after the Shadow War."
"Hikari Chaotic the Hedgehog, you are a Chaosblood." The golden wolf proclaims "By all right you have the same latent powers within you."
"Yeah right." Hikari scoffs "If I had powers I'd have figured them out by now."
"No wonder it took this long to just contact you…" Chaotix grumps "You're really stubborn."
"Look, it's nice you're trying to make me feel better but even if this is all true what good does it do me? I am not allowed out on field duty and I sure as hell can't go after Eggman or Eon on my own." Hikari says. "I don't have any powers and never will."
"Look inside Hikari…" the wolf says, fading "When you need me just clear your mind and focus…"
"More cryptic shit cool." Hikari complains before he turns around. In front of him was a large monstrous creature. Glowing red eyes, razor sharp teeth and two hands with knife like claws. Like a light switch Hikari went from pissed and annoyed with Chaotix to fear. "What the hell?!" He exclaims as the monster swipes at him. He extends his arms and screams. A loud crashing sound was heard but he refused to open his eyes.
The next thing the hedgehog knew he shot up to a sitting position in bed. He panted before regaining his composure. "What…what was that…?" He asks himself, burying his head in his hands. Shortly after he felt a small hard object hit his head. He shot his head up to see a large hole in his ceiling. Had he done that?
The hedgehog got out of bed and looked at his hands. There was no way. He couldn't have done something like that. Had there been some cave in or something? He got out of bed and shortly after Wind, Mason and Tails bumped into his back startling him.
"Hikari?! Are you okay?!" Wind exclaims looking at him in a panic.
"Y-yeah I am fine." He says "Why?"
"We heard a loud noise and saw some beam shoot out of your roof." Mason says. "We thought we were under attack."
"You didn't do that did you?" Wind asks.
"I…I don't think so?" Hikari asks, worried.
"Hikari what happened?" Tails asks sternly.
"I was asleep!" He says in a panic "Honest. I was in this weird dream…"
"Weird dream?" Wind asks.
"Yeah! Some wolf named Chaotix was going on about Rage, Sonic and Shadow being trapped in the Dark Realm." Hikari says. "Something about being trapped without the Chaos Emeralds."
"Impossible…" Tails says silently. "How does he know that...?"
"What was that?" Mason asks. "Tails?"
"Come to the HQ with me. Quickly" Tails says. He, Wind and Mason turn and start walking out of Hikari's house before Tails turns "You too Hikari." He says.
Hikari looked at Tails in surprise but said nothing as he followed. The four walked to the large building that was the HQ for The New Freedom Fighters. Tails led the three into the "War Room" , a room that held communication equipment, multiple computer consoles and a large holographic table. Once the three were inside he locked it down.
"Tails?" Wind asks, a bit alarmed. "What's going on?!"
"The last mission with your fathers..." Tails says "We were doing an assault on Eggman's base in the Ice Cap Mountains. The mission was to destroy something he had been working on codenamed Project Trident."
"Project Trident? Did that end up being the whole island he and Eon built in the middle of the ocean. Their little Eggman Land?" Wind asks.
"Yes." Tails nodded "We didn't expect it to be a trap. When we thought we had Eggman cornered… Eon made himself known. He had trapped Sonic, Shadow and Rage in some teleporter of some kind. I barely managed to get out of its confines. At the last minute Rage decided to scatter the Chaos Emeralds…I managed to retrieve one as I fled. That was the last we saw of them." Tails says "Nobody but me knew where they were sent…"
"If you knew why didn't you send anyone?!" Wind shouts in anger.
"I couldn't!" Tails cries "Getting into the Dark Realm isn't easy. I know…I was there before when I first met Rage. The Dark Realm is dangerous. We can't go there without precautions…ones only a Chaos Guardian knows how to take…and without a Chaos Emerald they're trapped there."
"What does that have to do with anything?" Mason asks.
"Hikari you said a wolf named Chaotix was in this dream of yours?" Tails asks and Hikari nodded.
"It was a dream." Hikari scoffs, crossing his arms and looking away. "Nothing to make such a big deal over..."
"Chaotix was one of Rage's teachers. I met him a few times. He was the only other one who could possibly know what happened to them." Tails sighs "Because of his connection with Rage."
"What's your point?" Wind asks "Without a Chaos Guardian we can't rescue them anyway…and they've been dead for generations!"
"My father was a Chaos Guardian…" Hikari says "But that's nothing new."
"Yes." Tails nods "More importantly he had what was called Chaosblood, it's how the gift was passed down. However Rage and Chaotix were both under the impression he couldn't pass it on due to his…unique situation." Tails explains as he opens a locked container that was near his console. Inside was the blue Chaos Emerald "However..." he says holding the Chaos Emerald out. "Hikari…"
Hikari reached his hand out. The blue Emerald hummed softly and glowed before it flew to Hikari who grabbed it and his face showed a sign of shock as it vanished. In a blinding light Hikari's fur turned golden and his eyes red.
The other three looked in awe at what was standing or…now floating just off the ground before them. "Super Hikari…" Wind mouths.
"Wh-what's going on?!" Hikari exclaims, looking at himself in shock.
"As I thought." Tails says scratching his chin "Hikari…you're just like your father."
Hikari looked a bit shaken as he returned to normal and the Blue Chaos Emerald sat in his hand. "I am a…Chaos Guardian?" He asks in shock and Tails nodded.
"This changes everything." Wind says "Hikari can join us in the field!"
"Hold on! I don't know the first thing about using these…powers…" Hikari objects. "I could kill someone with them!"
"Without Rage or any of the other Chaos Guardians you'll have to learn somehow." Tails says "I think it's best we limit your field work for now, until you figure it out."
"I don't understand any of this!" Hikari exclaims "It makes no sense…why is all of this happening now?!"
"Maybe it's fate." Wind shrugs "You know time is right and all?"
"Yeah sure whatever." Hikari says "I'll pass."
"What?!" Wind exclaims as Hikari walks out.
"Hikari!" Tails shouts but the red hedgehog ignores him. The fox sighs. "I was afraid of that…"
"Now what?" Wind asks
"I don't know…" Tails sighs "I guess we go on as usual…Hikari probably won't even help out now."
Meanwhile, Hikari was walking down the road back home when he felt the Chaos Emerald he still had hum in his hand. Next thing he knew Chaotix was in front of him. "You." Hikari says "What the hell do you want?! Are you here to torment me in the waking world now too?! Or here to sic that monster on me?! If so just get it over with!"
"You're just going to turn your back on them?" The golden wolf asks.
"What? No! That's not it." Hikari responds with a shocked stutter. He wasn't sure what to say "I don't know what's going on but it all started with you! Why don't you just piss off and take this nonsense about the Chaos Guardians with you!"
"Hikari…I know you're upset and this is a lot to take in." Chaotix says. "But please at least hear me out before you make a rash decision."
The hedgehog stood there quietly for a minute or so before he let a heavy sigh out and answers; "Fine...I'll hear you out."
Chaotix, or rather the illusionary figure that called itself that; led Hikari to a small hill in the caverns that overlooked the small collection of buildings that encompassed New Knothole. "My first question is Chaotix, why now? Why show yourself now?"
"Bad timing." Chaotix says "I've been trying to reach you since before your father got trapped on Dark Mobius. You're a bit bullheaded though. You never heard me until today."
"So you mean all of those empty dreams in that forest…" Hikari starts and Chaotix nods.
"Yes. Those were my failed attempts to contact you." Chaotix answers "My hope was to start you down a path to control your powers while Rage could help you."
"If what you say is true…why hasn't he returned?" Hikari asks with a hint of scorn still in his voice.
"Rage can't cross the barrier that separates Mobius and Dark Mobius without a Chaos Emerald…before he was sent there by Dr. Robotnik, he scattered the other six emeralds. He gave one to Tails as you know." Chaotix explains.
"Yeah…" Hikari says, looking at the Emerald in his hand. "I should probably give it back."
"Keep it." Tails' voice came from behind the young hedgehog who turned to see the fox walking up the hill. "I figured I'd find you up here."
"Tails…I'm sorry for just storming out like that." Hikari apologized.
"It's alright, you've had a lot thrown at you the last few hours…" Tails sighs "I shouldn't have kept everything a secret either but I thought that it would be better for everyone if I did…"
"Don't apologize for that." Hikari says "I don't care about it…why did you come up here Tails?"
"Well I wanted to talk…about all of this. Hikari, what do you want to do?" Tails asks.
"If you're asking about all of this Chaos stuff…I am still figuring that out…I mean could I even learn to wield this? Just holding this Emerald makes me want to explode…" Hikari says, shaking. "Without anyone who knows how to use it…I don't know what to do!"
"Maybe some of the old Echidna writings?" Tails suggests looking at Chaotix.
"You can see him?" Hikari asks.
"Of course. Tails and I have talked some from time to time. Even after Rage was trapped. You could say I've been sorta...guiding you all from behind the scenes" Chaotix answers before looking at Tails "However I don't see their writings doing us any good here. Their writings focused little on using their power."
"You could train me." Hikari says to Chaotix.
"I wish I could but…we swore an oath that there would be no more Chaos Guardians trained under the Council after Rage…" Chaotix says reluctantly.
"That was before Rage went and had a kid!" Hikari shouts. "Do you honestly expect me to just live with this?! I have no clue how to even use these so-called powers that I'd have been none the wiser to had you not been so adamant about 'awakening' them or whatever! All of this is too much!"
"Hikari-" Tails starts to speak.
"You're no better!" Hikari shouts at Tails "You knew what had happened and kept it a secret! Some leader you are!"
"I had to!" Tails cries. This sends Hikari for a bit of a loop and he stops. "If I so much as hinted that's what had happened Wind would have gotten himself killed or worse trying to stage a rescue! I didn't want all of this thrust on me you know! If I didn't step up though everything your fathers worked for, that I worked for would have all been for nothing! I didn't want this to happen!"
"I-I'm sorry…I don't know what came over me…" Hikari apologized. "I just…don't know what to think now…"
"Hikari, all we can do is give you the basics." Chaotix says "All I can do…"
"What about the other Guardians…?" Hikari asks "In the Chaos Realm?"
The mention of the other Guardians made Chaotix's look soften into one of sadness. Tails looks at Hikari with a glum look "There aren't any others…not anymore…" Tails sighs.
"But- Rage used to tell me all kinds of stories about Dranzer, Vex, Liam and others!" Hikari exclaims "Dex-"
"Do not speak that name!" Chaotix snaps looking at the hedgehog in anger, causing Hikari to look at the normally calm wolf in shock.
"It's not something Rage likes to talk about…" Tails sighs "I always assumed he had told you…so I never mentioned it…"
"Told me what?" Hikari asks.
"A few years before you were born…" Chaotix says in an agitated voice. "That traitor…he killed the others…Had Rage not arrived when he did…we all would have perished…since then Dranzer has been lost and we can't find hind or tail of him…leaving Rage and I as the only two remaining Chaos Guardians…until now that is…"
"I…I'm sorry…" Hikari says unsure what exactly to say.
"Best I can do is train you in the basics and in controlling your power level…the others got more in depth and were better at specific parts…it took all of us hundreds of years of Chaos Realm Time to fully train Rage…"
"Then train me as much as you can and once we rescue Sonic, Shadow and Rage then Rage can help me more." Hikari says.
"Hikari…" Tails says "Are you sure? Once you start down that path…you can't just turn back...I've seen what it does to people...what it did to you father..."
"I am positive. If we don't do something Dr. Eggman and Dr. Eon will succeed in taking over the whole of Mobius and snuff out New Knothole and the rest of us." Hikari says "If I have the chance to change that then I have to take it!"
"Once your mind is made up there's no stopping you huh…?" Tails sighs with a chuckle and Hikari smirks.
"Well then, brace yourself, Hikari Chaotic." Chaotix says "You have a long road ahead…"
