Chapter 19: Inner Chaos

Chao Island was a mysterious, beautiful place that sat in an ocean at the exact opposite side of the world from Angel Island's place in the sky. The grass was the greenest of greens, and flowers bloomed everywhere in varying colors. There was a central rock formation not quite tall enough to be called a mountain, from which a waterfall streamed into a crystal-clear lake. It was on pale golden sand that Tails's helicopter eventually touched down. The four of them filed out into sunlight so bright, each of them shaded their eyes. Despite its intensity, it was a pleasant brightness, not hot, just warm, immediately putting the group in a good mood.

Even Cream was smiling as she left the copter. Her visit to this place was replaying in her mind again, and she was happy to see other chao's floating around. Her heart filled with hope at the prospect of finding Cheese here, and she took off running toward the center of the island.

"Cream!" Tails called after her, but she was already long gone.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Sonic started running in place. "Let's go!" And soon, he, too, was sprinting off.

The island was so peaceful, so innocent. The idea of exploring the place, a world untouched by Eggman's evil, a distant island, far from home… They were due for the vacation. "Come on, Tails!" Amy beckoned as she ran off, too.

Laughing, Tails spun his tails and followed behind her.

.

Who are these strangers? They are not welcome here. Movement within the island, coming from its center, as the core itself rose up… up… into the sun.

.

Sonic smiled as he watched the chao's floating around them. "Wow! These little guys are something else!"

"Cheese!" Cream was shouting. "Are you here, Cheese?"

Amy was giggling as two chaos circled her and nuzzled at her quills. "They're so cute!" she gasped.

Sonic held out his hand to one, and it hesitantly approached, then floated right above it. "Adorable," Sonic agreed.

That's when he heard his best friend mumble, "Oh no…"

Sonic turned. Tails seemed to be staring at nothing. "What's wrong?"

Tails looked over toward Cream, making sure she was out of earshot. "Sonic… I think I just saw a chao disappear…"

"What?" Sonic looked around at all the chao's. They all seemed happy. More importantly, they seemed many. "You sure?"

"It just… vanished."

"That's crazy."

Tails looked at him with a worried expression. "Do you think that's what happened to Cheese?"

Sonic looked up and saw Cream still calling to her chao friend. "I hope not."

"Do you think that's… how they… die?" Tails asked hesitantly.

Sonic shook his head. "I hope not," he repeated.

That's when the rumbling started.

"What's going on?!"

The group was knocked off their feet. Suddenly, the cheerful chao's became panicked. They flew every which way to get away from where they were, away from what was coming.

"Strangers!" a smooth, billowing voice as if on the wind echoed across the island.

Cream's ears perked up. "Chao Island! It's me! It's Cream! I came looking for my chao friend, Cheese."

"You know this… voice?" Sonic asked.

"You are not welcome here!" the billowing voice called.

"What?" Cream looked distraught.

"Who is speaking?" Sonic demanded.

"It's the island. It welcomed me here back when I first met Cheese. It spoke to me and told me the name of the island!"

Sonic didn't like the sound of this. "And why aren't you welcoming us with open arms like before, island?" he called out, looking around for the source of the voice and inching his way closer to Cream.

"You don't belong here! This is my domain and I want you OUT!"

"And who are you?"

Suddenly, right in front of him, the ground exploded dirt and grass and out flew a malleable, circular, beach-ball-sized sphere of goo. More specifically, it looked like a cell. Sonic could almost see his reflection in its glossy membrane.

"Sonic!" Tails yelped.

The cell had a large red center, but at the top of its spherical shape were two glowing green ovals that were akin to eyes.

"What is that?!" Amy gaped.

"I am a Cell of Chaos. This island is my home. Here, I have rested and grown as time has gone on. I was once naïve, thinking that my life was to live within the island, taking in the nutrients the world passed to me, living with the power granted to me by the life above. But I soon discovered that I could take those nutrients… that power… for myself. I need not wait to be given it."

"What does that mean?" Sonic asked, afraid of the answer.

The glowing green eyes closed and the cell rippled. In the space around it, the grass turned grey, a bush shriveled, and both fell to dust. Then, a few chao's disappeared, just like that. Then, the cell grew larger. "I take energy where I wish."

"You're stealing it!" Sonic raised a fist. "You're taking it from living things on your island! That's terrible!"

"It is the way of my life!" the cell seemed to burst as it spoke.

"But the chao's!" Cream cried. "They don't deserve that!"

With malice in its voice, the cell growled, "I have been dormant for years, watching the chao's live about their lives without a care in the world! Sleeping, with no purpose or joy or true life! Then… little one…" its voice softened as it spoke to Cream. The others stepped toward her, not liking the change in tone. "Then you came along… and it showed me that there was a world beyond this one… outside this island… and I want to see that world… I want to see all worlds… I want… to be FREE!"

"But… killing the chao's?" Sonic asked.

"They mean nothing to me!"

"And the life around you?"

"It is merely sustenance for me… Sustenance I will take more quickly now! I will be the greatest, purest creature in the world and gain power from all worlds!"

Sonic charged it. He jumped up, curled into a ball, and shot at it. It dodged out of his way quickly.

"Do you wish to fight me?"

"If you continue to take the life of everything on this island and aim to take life from the world of Mobius itself! Maybe there's a reason you haven't been free!" He leapt at it again, but it dodged once more. The cell was slippery, and even with his usually superior speed, Sonic could not hit it.

"Fool! What do you know? You are an inferior creature of another world. I am made from the energy of the great Chaos itself. You are a creature of mere normalcy. You stand no chance against me!" Eyes wide, a green light shot from them at Sonic.

He cried out. He was engulfed in a cylindrical beam of green light, suspended in the air as he shouted in pain.

"Sonic!" Tails cried. He flew up to the cell, knocking it sideways, trying to knock the beam off its path.

Sonic fell to the ground, groaning.

Cream watched in terror, tears forming in her eyes quickly. She watched as the world around them turned to dust. It even seemed like the sun itself was leaving, its happy shine darkening to grey. More and more chao's disappeared. Worst of all, the cell's membrane was wrapped around Tails and seemed to be sucking the life out of him.

She screamed. "No!"

The cell grew and grew… It grew bigger and bigger… The bigger it got, the more defined its form got. Now, it was clutching Tails in a hand, connected to a large body standing tall, about twice the height of Tails. It had two legs, two arms, and an apparent head where its eyes glared at the fox. That red center was still behind them.

It was no longer just a cell. It was… Pure Chaos.