Chapter 3 – Knowledge

Robotnik was about ready to tear the planet of Mobius apart with his own hands. He had just lost data from Sonic and he knew exactly why. He growled to himself and slammed his fist on a console. He knew what his mistake had been. The Chaos Zone was a field of pure Chaos Emerald energy. And what does Sonic do when he gets all of the seven Chaos Emeralds? He goes super. The energy from the zone had disrupted the robotisation procedure and shut Sonic down. And Robotnik knew that he was probably back in Knotlake now with the rest of the Freedom Fighters. He turned and looked at his one surviving prisoner, Amy. He looked her over. He hadn't used Amy much outside of Robotropolis, that had been Sonic's area, but now maybe he would. After all Amy had never gone super before.

"You have now acquired you friend's job." said Robotnik.

Amy didn't move but her red eyes seemed to pulse slightly.

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The feeling was strange. It was like he was floating in and endless mist. He could feel everything around him. He felt his physical form being torn apart and dispersed but still felt his own self.

"What is going on?" said Links.

"I see you are confused too." said a reply.

"Who said that?"

"Don't worry.  I won't hurt you."

He could feel another presence approaching. A powerful presence. Links suddenly found himself feeling nervous and very scared.

"Who…who are you?" he said again.

"I…..I……I don't know."

"What?"

"I can't remember. I could…before…..but now I can't."

Links found himself feeling sorry for the other presence.

"I'm sorry." he said.

"It is not important. I will not need a name here. We do not even have forms."

"What is this place?" asked Links.

"This place?" said the voice, "I am not sure myself. I have been here for three years and I still don't really know."

"Three years? How did you get here?"

"I can't remember that either. I can't remember anything before coming to this place. If I ever was outside it."

Links suddenly found that he couldn't remember a lot of what he once could. His entire life was going blank. He started to panic.

"Help me!" he cried.

"I can't help you anymore than I can help myself." replied the voice, "What is, is what is."

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The robotic Amy sped through the forest at a steady speed. Unlike Sonic she couldn't rely on her legs to carry her anywhere fast. She currently rode inside a small craft. Robotnik had never used Amy for anything other than guarding Robotropolis. The robotic Amy didn't know the reasons to this but the true reason was that Robotic was disappointed with Amy. He had hoped that when he had robotisised Amy that her skills as an Acolyte would have been transferred as well. They hadn't been. Amy had lost all of her skills with Time and healing and now that Little Planet was gone who knows what would happen. Little Planet hadn't reappeared since it had disappeared three years ago. Everyone in Knotlake was secretly worried sick for Amy's parents but Amy herself didn't have a though of them in her head. The craft continued on at a steady speed.

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In Knotlake the search for Links had intensified but they had found nothing. Tails had managed to get Lavender to accept a few ice packs. Just enough to numb the pain slightly though as Lavender refused to accept anymore. Lavender now sat in a corner of the hut she and Tails had. She was shaking and whimpering softly to herself. Bunnie and Petya were looking after her.

"Ah worry about the little darling sugah." said Bunnie quietly.

"So do I." replied Petya.

"She's always so happy. Ah don't like to see her like this."

"Yes. I can sense what she is going through too. It isn't pleasant."

"Ah don't doubt it sugah."

Bunnie looked back at the kitsune for a moment.

"Any news from T2?"

"Not yet Bunnie."

"What's taking them so long? Surely Links wouldn't go too far would he?"

"I don't know. He has never gone off without telling at least Lavender…..but what she said worries me. That he is gone."

"I know sugah but this business with the Chaos Zone could have effected her more than we think."

"Yes but….wait."

"What is it Petya?"

"The Chaos Zone. Links!"

"What do you me…..oh ma stars! He wouldn't!"

"Why not? It was affecting Lavender. Those two are closer than anyone I've seen."

"You better let T2 know."

"Right."

Petya closed her eyes and though.

T2! T2!

Petya? What is it? Never mind we have a bit of bad news.

So do I .Links he's….

He's gone to the Chaos Zone.

Yes! How did…?

We found his track a few moments ago. They lead straight to the Chaos Zone.

We'll be right ther….

No. We are coming back. We'll be back in a little while.

Petya opened her eyes. Bunnie looked at her expectantly.

"Well?" asked Bunnie.

"They found Links' tracks. They head straight into the Chaos Zone." replied Petya hanging her head.

"Oh ma stars. Then he's….?"

"He's inside it. He's gone."

Bunnie blinked. It wasn't possible. Memories and feeling of old came flooding back to her. Three years ago since…..she suddenly burst into tears and collapsed into a chair. Petya quickly sat down next to her and put an arm around her shoulder.

"Thanks sugah!" wailed Bunnie.

Petya pulled out a tissue from her pocket and handed it to her. Bunnie took it and blew her nose and sniffed.

"It's just like before." she said slowly.

Petya knew what she was talking about. Knuckles had disappeared when he had gone to investigate the Chaos Zone three years ago. Bunnie had cried for days when it had happened. Petya hoped she wouldn't be the same now. Just then Petya felt something soft touch her shoulder. She looked round to see Lavender had got up and was now standing in front of them. Her tails were swishing around in front of her. Lavender suddenly collapsed forwards onto them both and burst into tears.

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Amy left the craft and walked slowly towards the Chaos Zone. Her orders were to gather data and return to Robotropolis and that was exactly what she would do. Being robotisised she had no option otherwise. She held a set of scanners in her hand as she approached the Zone. The scanner bleeped a few times and then went silent. The data she needed had been collected and Amy turned to leave. As she did the Chaos Zone shimmered. The scanners bleeped again and Amy stopped. She turned and looked at the Chaos Zone. It was the last thing she saw.

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It was a while later when T2, Petya, Sonia, Manic and Sonic stood outside in the main area of the village. Like three years ago, Bunnie still hadn't stopped crying and she and Lavender had been hugging each other for the last hour or so. Petya had decided to leave them to it. T2 and the others had arrived back a little while ago. Everyone in the village was looking glum.

"We should have thought of it sooner." said T2 to himself but loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Hey cool it T2." replied Sonia, "We couldn't have predicted that he'd do this."

"Yeah but it doesn't make it any easier sis." said Manic hanging his head.

"I know." said Sonia hanging her head also.

Sonic was looking around at them all. He couldn't understand their pain. After all he had never met Links. He had only heard what Robotnik had told him and that hadn't been much. For that matter he didn't know much about the Chaos Zone either.

"Guys." he said.

Everyone turned their head to look at him.

"I don't mean to sound ignorant and all that but what exactly is this Chaos Zone and who is Links….I mean I know that he is Tails uncle but I just don't get anything else."

T2 sighed, this really wasn't the time for explanations but Sonic needed to know.

"The Chaos Zone was formed when Robotnik shattered the Chaos Emeralds. Since then it has been relatively stable, but not any more. It is expanding, and expanding quickly." said T2.

"How fast?" asked Sonic.

T2 stopped. He hadn't told anyone this. He had only just found out himself from Charles as he had got back to the village. Petya caught this sense of apprehension.

"T2? What is it?" she asked.

Sonia and Manic raised there heads and looked at T2. T2 sighed.

"Charles caught up with me when we got back. He stayed here to monitor the Chaos Zone. It's not good. The Zone is expanding exponentially."

"Exponentially!" said Sonia, "You mean it's getting faster?"

"Yes." replied T2.

"Are we in any danger?" asked Sonic.

T2 swallowed.

"Well……" he started.

"……we are, aren't we?" said Petya.

"Not for a while but yes."

"How long a while?" asked Manic.

"Charles says if the Zone keeps expanding at its current rate of increase it will absorb Robotropolis and Knotlake within eight months." said T2.

Everyone in the group turned white.

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Chalk growled and picked up a coffee cup from the desk. She raised it behind her head and threw it hard against the wall. The cup hit and shattered into fragments. She looks at the ceiling and screams.

"MY FAULT!"

Chalk almost broke into tears but caught herself. She took a few deep breaths and steadied herself against a chair.

"It's all my damn fault!" she cried and threw the chair sideways.

The chair skittered across the floor and hit the far wall. Just then there was a knock at the door. Chalk ignored it. It came again.

"WHAT?!" screamed Chalk at the door.

"Chalk its Sally. I need to talk to you." came a reply.

"Go away Sally. I'm not in the mood for a talk."

"Chalk I know what you're thinking. Please let me in."

"Just go away Sally!"

"Chalk, don't be like this. It's not your fault."

Chalk spun towards the closed door and glared at it.

"SHUTUP SALLY!" she screamed, "Stop telling me it isn't my fault! It is! It's all my fault! Everything is my fault!"

"Chalk it's not! It's not your fault. Please let me in. Please."

Sally's voice sounded like she was really concerned. Chalk found herself calming down slightly. She didn't want to. She wanted to remain mad. She found herself walking towards the door and opening it. Sally stood on the doorstep with….

"OH MY!" said Chalk quickly as she saw Alicia and Miles standing next to her, "I'm sorry Sally….I….I didn't know….."

"It's ok Chalk. Let's just go inside." replied Sally waving her hand in a dismissive gesture.

Sally walked past Chalk and into the hut followed by Miles and Alicia. They both gave her worried look as they passed. Chalk swallowed hard. She had become Miles and Alicia's…well caretaker she guessed over recent year. The children were always coming to her with problems, which had surprised her at first. The look the children had just given her was sickening at best. Chalk suddenly felt an urge to pull the ground up over herself. She hung her head and followed Sally and the children into her hut. She shut the door and sighed.

"I'm sorry Sally. I really am." she said turning round.

Sally walked over to her and put an arm around her shoulder.

"It's ok Chalk. I know how bad this is for you." said Sally.

"You do?" said Chalk sarcastically, "You know how this feels? To know that you are responsible for everything bad that happens?! HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY KNOW?!"

Chalk brushed Sally arm off and walked a few paces away her back turned on the former queen. Sally sighed.

"Chalk you can't keep blaming yourself! You've suffered long enough!" said Sally.

"You don't know anything about my suffering." replied Chalk not turning round, "Have you woken up virtually every night screaming? Sweat pouring off you?! Well?! Have you spent every living second of your life regretting a single moment of weakness?!"

Chalk was finding it hard to keep her emotions down. She sniffed heavily and continued.

"If I hadn't helped Robotnik build that cannon then the Chaos Zone wouldn't be here and none of this pain would have happened. It would have been better if I had let Robotnik robotisise me! At least then I wouldn't have been responsible for all this!" she said.

"Chalk no!" said a small voice.

Chalk turned to see Alicia standing next to her. The squirrel's eyes were wide open and full of panic. There was a small noise and Miles appeared next to Alicia looking at her in a similar way.

"Chalk no." said Alicia again.

"We care about you." said Miles.

Chalk looked from one to the other.

"But you don't understand." she said, "I caused all this trouble. Anything would have been better than this."

"Maybe Chalk but we still care about you." said Alicia, "All of this death and disaster. All of this pain and hurt. Chalk, we know it wasn't you're fault."

"Yeah Chalk." put in Miles, "You have to stop blaming yourself for stuff that wasn't your fault."

Chalk just stared at the children and Sally smiled. Miles and Alicia had really matured over the last few years. They had both grown up so much. Maybe it was the current situation they were all in? Maybe it was just natural? To Sally it was the fact that they both spent so much time with Lavender. Sally wasn't sure but Lavender seemed to have a certain influence over them. Sally could also tell that Miles had a small crush on the small kitsune although she was only six.

"Chalk." said Sally, "You can't do this to yourself. Let it go. What is, is what is. You can't live your life always looking over your shoulder."

Chalk looked at her. She didn't say anything and slowly she nodded. Just then there was a knock at the door. Sally answered.

"Who is it?" she said.

"Sally." said a voice.

"Oh Petya. One second." replied Sally.

Sally walked past Chalk, who was now hugging Miles and Alicia, and opened the door. Petya stood there looking very worried.

"Petya? What is it?" asked Sally.

"It's the Chaos Zone it's expanding again…….exponentially!"

Chalk suddenly let out a wail and released Miles and Alicia.

"MY FAULT!" she cried and burst into tears.

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Amy couldn't describe it. She was a robot after all but even so she couldn't. Energy surrounded her on all sides and she seemed to have no physical form. Her robotic brain couldn't cope with it and shut off.

When she woke a little later she could feel something around her. Strangely enough she recognised the feeling but she didn't know how. It was then that she noticed something else. She was actually thinking by herself, there wasn't anything holding her back. Her mind raced, what was going on?

"Hello." said a voice.

Amy would have frozen if she had a body to do it with.

"Who's there?" she said quickly.

"Don't be afraid." said the voice.

Something clicked in Amy's mind. She knew that voice. It was…..

"Knuckles?!" she said.

"Who?" replied the voice.

"It is you!" cried Amy.

Amy couldn't believe it. How could Knuckles be alive? He had been missing for three years! More to the point how could she think for herself? Wasn't she supposed to be robotisised?! It was then that she noticed a second energy around her. It was strong…incredibly strong. She suddenly became very nervous.

"Who are you?" she asked again.

"Me? I don't know." said a second voice.

Amy was confused. Both of them acted as if they didn't know who they were. This was too weird.

"How can you not know who you are?" she asked.

"I don't know." replied the second voice.

"It's something about this place. I don't even know what this place is." said Knuckles voice.

Amy thought for a moment. What was this place…..wait. Events started to come back to her. She had been standing gathering data on the Chaos Zone. The scan had finished and she was about to leave when…..

"My god! I'm inside the Chaos Zone!" she said.

Was that even possible. No-one, not even Robotnik with his advanced scanner, had been able to see what was inside the Zone. Just then something Knuckles said hit her.

"What do you mean something about this place? You mean……." Panic washed over her, "…..HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE?!"

"The memory loss is usually instantaneous." said Knuckles.

As if to answer this Amy began to feel things slipping away. She couldn't remember here parents, did she even have parents? Childhood memories, friends, feelings, thoughts……all going. Slowly melting away into nothingness. Suddenly one memory flashed in front of her.

"TAILS! LAVENDER! NO!" cried Amy catching hold of the memory, "I'm not letting go!"

The force increased and increased. Still Amy held on to the memory. Suddenly something snapped. Amy was knocked backwards by the force. Things seemed slightly fuzzy for a moment and then she noticed something. Things were coming back to her. The memory of Tails and Lavender was still there but there was more. Her whole life was coming back. Slowly but surely ever memory she had came back to her. She couldn't believe it. The other two energies around her noticed this.

"What happened?" said the second one.

"I don't know." replied Amy, "I just held onto a memory."

"What memory?" asked Knuckles' voice.

"Tails and Lavender. My family." said Amy.

"Wait….that sounds familiar." said the second voice.

"It does?" asked Amy, "How come?"

"I don't know. But it sounds…….wait………..Lavender……….yes." said the voice.

"You know Lavender? How?!" said Amy.

"I can't remember….but it sounds familiar."

Amy was thinking hard. The only people who would know Lavender would be the Knotlake Freedom Fighters….maybe.

"Where you a Freedom Fighter?" she asked.

"Freedom Fighter?" said Knuckles voice, "That sounds familiar to me."

"It should do Knuckles. We were friends. Don't you remember?"

"No. And why are you calling me Knuckles?" said Knuckles.

"Because that's your name you clot! How can you not remember?! You were one of the best of us." said Amy.

There was a few seconds of silence. Finally the second voice spoke.

"Freedom Fighters…….why can't I remember?!" it said.

"I don't know but we have to get out of here. I have to get back to my family." said Amy.

Family thought the second presence. I have a family too. Lavender….wait! LAVENDER!

"LAVENDER!" the voice cried, "I remember her……small white kitsune, nine tails, joyful personality and……..my great niece." said the second voice.

"WHAT?!" cried Amy, "What did you say?"

"I remember. It's all coming back." said the voice.

"Just who are you?" asked Amy.

The voice paused for a moment and then spoke.

"I am Links Prower." it said.

"PROWER!" said Amy, "As in my Tails' family?"

"Yes. I am his uncle."

Amy was stunned. She never imagined this but…..

"Uncle? Then you're his father's brother! You're part of Pholon!" said Amy becoming scared.

"No! I'm not." said Links quickly.

"You are! How could you not be?!" said Amy.

"I can't prove it to you now. But trust me, please. I'm not with them. I swear it on my great niece's life!" said Links.

"You're talking about my daughter!" growled Amy.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean it like that. Please trust me, we have bigger problems right now. Like getting out of here."

Amy was in a state of shock, anger and fear but she knew what he said was true. Getting out of here was more important right now.

"Wait a minute." said Knuckles, "This place is all I know."

"Knuckles it's not. You have friends out there. Why can't you remember?" said Amy.

Amy's thoughts shifted to Knuckles. Since she had been robotisised before Knuckles disappeared she didn't know why or how Knuckles had disappeared but through Robotnik she knew he had. He had been missing for three years. Was it something to do with the time he had been here? She still didn't understand what this place was. She couldn't feel her body, all she knew is that she was here. But as what? Without a body who was she? A though, a memory, a ghost?

Just then she felt a rush of energy. It enveloped her and swept past her. For some reason she understood what it meant and so did Links and Knuckles.

"The Zone is mad." said Links slowly.

"It's our fault." said Amy.

"Mobius will not survive this." said Knuckles.

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On Mobius the Chaos Zone was shimmering fiercely. Sparks of energy leapt of it and into the sky of many miles. It gave a final shimmer and began to expand at an increasing rate. It gained speed…..50mph……..70……..100…….200! Still it kept increasing in speed, tearing itself across the face of Mobius.