PROTEVTEOREYA
DVA
(Antithesis 2)
In and out. Back and forth. Here....not here.
That is what he sees now. Ever since that day he was broken free. The light has
inspired him. No matter where he went, no matter whom he talked to, the light
has intrigued him to no end. He wants to repeat the process.
He had made a promise, many years before, that this was what he would do. And
now, standing behind a darkened pillar overlooking the treasure, he knows he
could do it.
But a sound startles him. The sound of an opening door. Overlooking Steppenwolf
is a difficult task as the desecrator enters. He closes his eyes, hopes, wills
himself to be unseen by her ignorant eyes.
Indeed she sees him not, and it is obvious. She walks in, another one in tow,
this one not as bad, but still one nonetheless. This one is a follower.
Come again? The conversation begins. In front of the treasure.
This would be madness, Councilor. The follower seems reluctant. I implore you
no to do this. It is too soon, and our peo-
Our people is the reason why I do this. Her voice is sharp. I will not allow him
to destroy us at our weak point. And it doesn't matter anyways what you say.
You can't.... The look on the follower's face is aghast. You....
I have already done what I have to do.
But this act could destroy an alliance!
They are no longer our allies. They are harboring a villain, a murderer. The
desecrator turns. Perhaps if I explain what he has done, you will
understand the swiftness of the mobilization....
He sighs. He isn't going to get the treasure. It is obvious to him as the
desecrator spread the lies.
But they are going to do something terrible. They will fight. He knows this,
and he knows he has to find a way. The time isn't now.
But he knew a way. There was another, and there was only one thing left. He
knows this as he disappeared.
To shed the fake skin. It was the only way.
-------------------------
"Are you all right, sir?"
"Yes, yes...."
Fortinbras took a deep breath. The feeling in his stomach was gone.
"Thank God they still have functional garbage bags in Japan, eh?"
Fortinbra wiped his mouth with a handkerchief. "I am never flying
again."
"Sometimes flying is the only way to truly excel, sir."
"Eh?" Fortinbras looked at the redhead attendant. "Well, er, I
suppose...."
"Over there." The dark-haired attendant pointed. "I believe
we're where we're supposed to be."
Over near the end of the terminal, a large crowd of several hundred people were
surged into the lobby. As Fortinbras rid himself of the last of the mouth
excrements and walked towards the crowd, he could see faces of many different
shades of peach, sand, brown and tan.
"The other delegates," he marvelled.
There were hundreds, almost thousands, of people. They were mostly shaking
hands, or hugging, or bowing to each other. Fortinbras began to scan the crowd,
uncertain of entering in fear of being trampled or separated from his aides.
"Interesting....."
"Sir?"
"I....I recognize most of these fellows from the U.N." Fortinbras
squinted. "Interesting. I don't see Horton anywhere."
"Horton?"
The U.S. delegate." Fortinbras chuckled. "Then again, he was always a
stickler for privacy. I wouldn't be surprised if he already left."
"What do we do, sir?"
"Well," Fortinbras looked regrettably at the crowd. "As much as
I want to catch up on the conditions of the other delegates I think what's high
priority now is to find where we're staying and unload, I believe."
"Of course."
The three aides looked at one another, nodding. With that, they began to walk
behind Fortinbras, their heads down, speaking in low voices. Their own work had
only begun.
-------------------------
Usagi.
The sound of gunfire.
He thought he had pushed it back. But he hadn't. It was that hurtful to think
of it......to know......to realize......
No.....I must't think of it....if I do....then....
Locke's eyes bolted open in a jolt. Someone was at the door.
"W-who's there?"
It happened quickly. A small gasp from the crack of the doorway. Locke decided
to take no chances, even in a a temple. He jumped up and threw the door open.
"Oh......!" Locke's eyes eidened. "Kakyuu......?!"
"I....I...."
Looking rather embarrassed, the red-haired guest's head turned down. Locke
stared at the girl, looking down at her feet.
"Might I assume you are going without any aids?"
"I...I..." The girl groped for an explanation. "I heal
quickly."
"What...."
Locke's eyes widened. Her lilac-scented foot, swollen and briused two days
before, was on the ground, normal, as if there had never even been a scratch to
defile it.
"I, um, was simply looking for the shower." Kakyuu began to back up
uneasily as Locke looked up at her. "I.... I need to-"
"No."
The way the words came from his mouth surprised him. The word was abrupt, and
he didn't quite want the words to come out that way for some reason. Shaking
his head, he quickly forced control over his voice.
"I wouldn't want the shrine master to see you out like this," he
quickly shuffled her into his room. "My apologies. Stay in here for a bit
so that he doesn't see you."
"But my shower...!"
"Your shower may wait." She was suddenly sat down. "It's all
right."
Locke closed the door quietly, giving a sigh as he did. He turned to see
Kakyuu's widened eyes.
My god..... A feeling of dumbfoundedness slapped him. Those
eyes........they are...
"Sir?!"
"Oh!" Locke was snapped out of his trance. "My apologies. I....I
actually wanted to ask some more questions...."
"Rather an abrupt way of doing it?"
"Well..." My God. What must I say.. "I....I was wondering
if you were thirsty."
"That's it?" Kakyuu's eyes lowered, and she began to chuckle.
"Well, I suppose that's nice."
"Of...of course...stay here..."
Keeping himself from shuddering, Locke quickly left the room, walking briskly
to the storage room. As he did, a sharp pain erupted in his side.
"Dah!"
He quickly recovered before anything horrid happened. However, the pain
lingered longer than it had been as he shakily prepared the tea for Kakyuu,
crawling up and down from his hip to under his ribs.
The pain... His mind began to wander. It's been with me since she
came......what could it be....?
--------------------------------
"This isn't working."
Knuckles looked down at the ground, his voice filled with a saddened disgust.
Julie-Su turned to face him, her head hunched.
"It isn't. No one will ever understand if we keep this to ourselves."
"Even though it's only been two days, Julie-Su?"
"Knuckles, they will never see what happened unless we tell them the
entire truth."
"And reveal too much?" Knuckles looked at his partner. "I know
it sounds stupid that I wish to keep Earth's existence from everyone....but
there are good reasons for it."
"I don't see anyone here that would want to take advantage of that type of
info, Knuckles."
"Maybe not here..." Knuckles folded his arms. "But there are
others who are interested."
"Others?" Julie-Su looked at him. "Knuckles, no one knew of the
warp until the Floating Island passed under it, and almost everyone who knew
is......"
Knuckles' face darkened at Julie-Su's words, and the pink echidna knew better
than to venture on another word.
"It's not just because I'm being selfish, Julie-Su." Knuckles voice
almost seemed to quiver. "It's the dead, and the living, that I want to
protect. If someone knew....if someone here with enough intentions found
out...."
"Knuckles!"
Suddenly, the door of the hut flew open. It hit the wall with a loud bang. The
two echidnas threw their heads around for the confrontation.
"Wait!" Sally's voice suddenly filled the room. "Stop this
instant!"
"We haven't started anything." Knuckles turned his whole body.
"But I'd like to know who you are."
In front of Sally was a cloaked figure, who immediately unmasked his face.
Brown dredlocks fell from around his face, eyes uncovered, staring at Knuckles
with a tightly-controlled anger. Knuckles gave no reply; only his eyes moved to
scan the newcomer.
"So." The voice, only slightly deep, spoke. "It's you."
------------------------
"Sleeping again?!"
"That man...."
The soldiers were in Ami's house, savoring what little tea was left in the
cupboards.
"I really don't understand." Rei looked at Ami. "He'll be up for
several days, then he'll sleep for several more. It makes no sense."
"It makes perfect sense."
"Setsuna...?"
The guardian of time stood up and took out her time rod.
"I know....this will sound strange." A soft light began to glow from
the Garnet Orb. "Perhaps even complicated. But Locke's body is not
adjusted to our time."
"Our time?"
Suddenly, the orb flashed, and a dark black mass filled the room, darkening it
completely.
"What's going on?!" Minako's voice penetrated through the black
magic. "Setsuna, what is this?"
Suddenly, a tiny spark of light appeared above the girls. Within an instant, it
flashed, engulfing the dark and speading into what seemed to be infinity. The
girl covered their eyes.
"Setsuna!!!"
"It's all right." Setsuna's voice came through the brightness.
"This is simply a diagram of the atomic explosion which allowed existance
to be birthed."
"You mean...." The light began to dull. "The big bang? But
what-"
"Wait."
The light drew back towards what was percieved by the girls to be the center,
trillions of sparks, some large, some tiny, left behind in its wake. Finally,
the light stopped shrinking, stopped growing. It floated above the girls, as
did the sparks.
"The universe." Setsuna's voice came through again. "Caused by
immense power resulting from reactions that occur so fast that no one could
possibly count them. For billions of years , this energy has radiated from the
bright origin of the first reaction - the "center" of the universe -
helixing across the dark nothingness of atomic matter. As the energy went
further along, away from the center, the rate the energy travelled became
slower." At this, colors began to appear around the light, creating
circles of red, green, purple, other colors. "As the energy became slower,
as did the rate of which the matter itself moves forward. That matter became
evolved, into planets, suns, people. And time."
"So....But," Ami's voice came. "I thought time was
uniform."
"The "center" still pulses out energy at incalculable speeds as
the universe becomes bigger." Setsuna replied. "That is where energy,
and time, moves fastest, at rates as fast as sound and light. Older energy,
planets, galaxies, move slower. It is impossible to create one set standard of
time for the entire universe - completely impossible. But time can be
approximated for each 'zone' depending upon when the energy used to evolve them
was created by the "center", the eternal reactor."
One purple section, several colors away from the light, blinked. Then, a little
further away, closer to the middle of the lights, a forest green section
blinked as well.
"The purple section is where Earth lies. Since its younger, time moves
faster."
"And Locke must come from somewhere in that green section!"
"And time moves slower because it is older." The light, the colors,
the dark began to disappear, and the girls were in Ami's apartment once again.
"It will take a while for Locke to adjust, if he ever is able to adjust.
All we can do is wait."
"Wow..." Minako plopped onto the couch. "That was so
complicated."
"It is far more complicated than what Setsuna mentioned." Hotaru took
up her tea again. "There are all kinds of variables that must all be taken
into consideration. The map was only a rough scale of the true universe."
"Understood..."
"Ami?" Ami's mother's voice came through the door. "I'm
home!"
"O-of course, mother!" Wiping her eyes from the powerful glare of
Setsuna's power, Ami stood up and ran to the door. "Coming!"
As Ami left, the others looked at each other.
"Where is Haruka and Michiru, Setsuna?"
"Michiru is in Yokohama." Setuna looked down. "She was detained
by something at the last minute. Haruka...."
Setsuna's voice trailed off.
"I don't get it..." Makoto huffed. "Can I assume that she is not
here because it is involved with Locke?"
"Why don't you try to talk to her about it?" Minako looked at Ami as
she let her mother in. "Isn't there some way?"
"I have told her that her unfounded anger, even after forgiveness and
retribution, will lead to nothing but tragedy for her. She will not
listen."
"Hate is powerful." Hotaru looked out the window. "It can
consume us in body and soul. When that happens, there is no hope for them. Only
death awaits."
Minako was slightly struck by the way Hotaru said her words. It seemed almost
as if Haruka would be a terrifying monster to behold with such a power at her
side.
"Hotaru-" she started.
She didn't get to finish; Setsuna shook her head as Ami's mother came into the
room.
-------------------------------
"Me...."
Knuckles looked at the brown echidna, his eyes slightly confused.
"Who are you?"
"Antithesis..." Sally looked uneasily at the newcomer. "That's
what he said."
"Brother to a woman whom lived on your island." Sally;s uneasiness
began to grow as Antithesis looked at Knuckles. "Her name was
Komi-Ko."
"Komi-Ko...?"
Knuckles' eyes widened in shock. Julie-Su gave a gasp.
Lived.......She lived on the... It clicked with Julie-Su. Oh
no...
"She had a brother?"
"So you knew her." Antithesis didn't even flinch. "I'm not
surprised. Considering what you did to her."
"What I...?"
"Don't play games with me. Everyone in Albion's High Council knows what
you did to your people."
"What I did?!" Knuckles looked horrified as it began to dawn
on him as well. "What...How..."
"Does you friend here even know what happened?" Antithesis motioned
to Sally. "About what happened to the Island?"
"The Island?" Sally looked at Knuckles. "What happened to the
Island?"
Julie-Su looked at Knuckles. Knuckles looked back at Julie-Su with a huff.
"I suppose since..." Knuckles looked up. "Princess, the
island....it's....it's gone."
"Yes." Antithesis looked at the princess. "And we've been
cleaning up his mess for the past three days."
"My mess?" Knuckles' tone was both indignant and confused.
"What are....what are you talking about?"
"Look." Antithesis raised his eyes. "All I want is a simple
explanation. Why?"
"Why what?"
"You know what."
"Maybe if you tell me what you're talking about, I might have something
better that 'what?' to say about it."
Antithesis' face only darkened as he took out a folded piece of paper. His hand
unwaveringly went towards Knuckles.
"This." Antithesis looked at Knuckles. "This will explain."
Knuckles quietly took the paper from the brown echidna's hands. Sally watched
carefully as he slowly opened the letter, uncrumpling it and smoothing it out.
Quietly, the red echidna scanned the paper. His eyes slowly slit as his head
bent over to further read the contents.
"What do you think?" Antithesis folded his arms. "Does it
explain it for you?"
"Yes…." Knuckles' tone was slightly angered. "I think it
explains something to me. Was this addressed to you?"
"No. It was on the desk of my boss."
"Your boss…"
"Gala-Na."
The red echidna's hand dropped, and Sally nearly jumped as she saw the
expression on Knuckles' face. It was obvious that there was sudden anger at the
mention of the name, and the guardian was going to great lengths mentally to
restrain himself from inflicting violence upon...anything, not necessarily
Antithesis.
"That," Knuckles' teeth clenched. "Little piece of third rate
cold tail."
Without another word, he dropped the letter and stormed out of the room. Sally
quickly picked the letter up and read it, her eyes widening as she did so. With
a gasp, she too dropped the letter and stared out the door.
"Knuckles?!"
Sally went to stop him, but was restrained by Julie-Su.
"No! Not now."
Antithesis looked down at the letter, feeling somewhat satisfied.
Good. Now he knows that wh-
"What is this?" Sally turned to the brown echidna. "What did you
mean?"
"He knows exactl-"
Antithesis stopped when he saw Julie-Su pick the letter up. Her eyes widened in
horror and disgust. Sally looked over her shoulder and gasped as well.
"Who in...." Sally's eyes slit. "Woah. No. NO."
"Now you see?"
"Oh, yeah." Sally looked up from the quivering letter and walked
towards Antithesis. "I see..."
Without warning, her hand smacked across his face.
"I see that you and your boss are complete fools!" Sally smacked him
again. "Knuckles could never have done that. He wouldn't wish
something like that on his worst enemy. He, and all of us, have been through
just a little bit of stress recently, and you come in here, with this letter
that isn't even in his own handwriting, claiming he-"
"I beg your pardon?" The insults were expected, but not the
defense. "Handwriting?"
"You heard me."
Taking the letter from Julie-Su, the princess stormed out as well. Julie-Su
slumped down into a chair, her head down, her face red with anger and disgust.
What? It had not gone in any way that Antithesis expected. But
Gala-Na said that it came from......I don't get it..........what's going on?!
-------------------------------
"Time delay?"
"Yes."
Rotor looked up uneasily at the two in the audience of the lab. Sonic tapped
his foot onto the ground, while the king simply stared at Rotor, no emotion in
his eyes.
"I really don't get it, Rotor." Sonic looked up at the walrus.
"So you're saying that something in those vines caused us....to
sleep? For two hundred years? And it wasn't the Chaos Emeralds??"
"I know it sounds bizarre, but it's true."
"Is it?" The king sat back. "If it is true, and this theory can
be reliable, there are still very serious flaws with it. For example, can you
explain how we could stay the same age for such a long time? Or how Knuckles
aged while the rest of us didn't?"
"I....I don't know. yet." Rotor looked at the king. "I do
have a theory. It's possible that some sort of mutagen in the echidnas' bodies
reacted to whatever magic was in the vines and caused them to age."
"Have you tested the vines?"
".....No, Your Majesty."
"Well then." The king shook his head and gave a huff. "Unless
you can prove this theory, then I shall have to dismiss your claims."
With that, the king wheeled himself out of the room, leaving only Sonic and
Rotor.
"Wow." Sonic's eyes widened. "He just.........rejected your idea
down flat."
"I don't understand. Maybe..." Rotor plopped down. "I don't know
about you, but I am positive that there's some other power in those vines that
we have no knowledge of. I think Knuckles was right."
"You know..." Sonic cocked his head to the side. "Before, I
would have just dismissed this whole thing as totally insane. You know, what
other kind of power can rival the Chaos Emeralds?"
"Yeah. But what are you saying now? That you do believe me?"
"Yeah...." At this point Sonic's face became quizzical. "I....I
don't know why, but.....something....I feel like I knew it the whole time,
huh?"
"Like you knew it? But I didn't know it until Knuckles
pointed it out to me." Rotor huffed. "I wish he'd tell us more. He knows
more than he's letting on, and I don't like this secretive attitude he's
adapted."
"Heh. Just another one of those effects of the 'power'."
Sonic started to laugh, but stopped. His body, which had shaken slightly with
humor, suddenly stopped. Rotor gave a smile.
Eh?
"Not so funny anymore, Sonic?"
"Well...." Something had suddenly made it difficult to speak.
"I..."
Come on, Sonic.
"Eh?" Sonic looked confused. His head turned around.
"Wha..?"
"Sonic?"
It's no laughing matter. The familiar voice that had inexplicably
entered into his thoughts suddenly charged again, its youthfulness tainted with
a father-like disdain. Don't deny that you know! There IS power here! You
just have to find it.
What? Sonic felt inclined to simply break off this bizarre subconscious
conversation that had suddenly incurred. Who are you?! And what do you mean
I have to 'find it'?!?
Come on, Sonic. It's not that hard to find something that's in the easiest
place to find things!
"Sonic?" Rotor tapped Sonic on the shoulder, but Sonic's shocked look
did not change. "Sonic?!? Are you listening to me?!?"
Are you listening to me?!? It's locked up!
WHERE?!?
Sonic could see Rotor's increasingly worried face as he began to shake his
body. Yet Sonic wasn't in his body - it felt like he wasn't really in his body,
or most of it. It was more like his mind peering through his eyes, through a
shell, even perhaps a fake skin, a skin that was too light....
Dark..... Sonic's mind suddenly clicked at his thoughts. Darker....my
skin should be darker......like the night.....
There. Now you're beginning to understand.
Understand.....WHAT?!?!?
"SONIC!!!!"
The effect of a metallic slap suddenly rang through his ears, and his mind
jerked from the moment of bizarre clarity he had suddenly experienced.
"Oh!!" Back into his fake skin, he saw Bunnie standing over it, her
face worried. "Suga-hog! Ah thought you wa goin' into shock jist
nail!"
"I thought you were going into shock..." Rotor turned to Bunnie.
"Thank god you got here! How did you get here?"
"Tails told me ya'll wanted to see me?"
"Tails?!"
Sonic turned around towards the door. No one was there.
The voice!....
"Tails?" Sonic heard Rotor talking. "But Tails wasn't in here.
How would he..."
"Oh, he was at the door..." Bummie looked over. "But I guess
he's gone..."
Tails?.... Sonic looked confused. You were there....but now you're
gone......this strange behavior of yours.....what is it?...
-----------------------
"Up here, Art."
"Come on, Luna...."
"I mean it." Luna jumped onto a ledge. "You really....must see
this...."
Artemis grudgingly jumped up onto the shrine ledge. A light came from the
window as Luna glanced in. She then nodded, her body blocking Artemis's view as
she turned to him.
"Artemis, I think I have found the key to saving Earth when Serenity
arrives."
"Luna?"
"In here." Luna's voice seemed almost excited. "You will
understand."
Moving out of the way, Luna smiled. Her body was in front of a wondow, where
Locke and Kakyuu were sitting down. Locke was handing what seemed to be a cup
of tea to the girl, whom accepted it graciously. The two then began to talk;
however, their voices were slightly mifled from the window, and whatever they
said could not be heard.
Artemis simply stared at Locke, as he knew that the girl was not of interest to
his partner.
"Artemis, do you see it?"
"Is that…." Artemis's eyes widened. "It….can't be!"
"But you see it."
"Yes." Artemis stared. "Even in this form, I can see it. Sense
it. The resemblance. It's completely uncanny to…..to them."
"It is, isn't it?"
Luna simply watched as Locke's fingers quietly molded the candle into a
cylinder.
"…..Luna." Artemis watched as well. "You can't…"
"I must."
"Look..." Artemis turned to Luna. "Whatever you two had, it's
past. He's been dead..."
"Yes, but, well..."
"Is anyone here?!"
The loud voice at the door of the shrine cause the two cats to jump up in
shock.
"My word..." Luna looked around the bend. She gave a gasp.
"What....is this?!"
"Hello!" Four figures stood at the door, one with a British accent.
"We wish to come in!"
"Huh?" Oji-san's voice came through as he opened the door.
"Who's here?....Who are you?!"
"What in...!" Luna heard Locke's voice as she turned. Locke and
Kakyuu had stood up.
"What is...!!" Kakyuu's eyes widened. "They're...here?!"
"Kakyuu?!"
Luna and Artemis jumped off of the ledge and zipped into door just as it
closed. They ran down the hall, stopping short at the end. The four who had
been at the door were now in front of Kakyuu's room.
"Kakyuu." A familiar female voice came through. "Fancy we would
meet you here..."
-----------------------------
"This….letter." Vector looked at Knuckles. "It's dated two days
before those guys mysteriously appeared on the island? But.......why believe that
if you know you didn;t do what that letter says you did?!?"
"Vector...." Knuckles looked listlessly at a window. "I'm not
stupid. I know the letter's a forgery. But it angers me she'd even think of
doing such a thing- wrongfully accusing me of such a thing. You know I would
never have done something like that."
"Well...." Vector looked at Knuckles blankly. "If this is what
they're saying you did....what did happen on the Island that caused it
to disappear?"
Without another word, Knuckles turned and left the room.
"There's no use," Vector moaned after the door closed. "I have
tried everything, but he still doesn't see the light! Looks like I was right.
Premature aging is be turning his brain into cow dung...and maybe he's lost a
few memories from sizzling all that power."
"Or maybe you aren't seeing the light." Espio looked up at him.
"Knuckles used to have a lot of power, true. But to use it for something
like that? He always did things for the good of the island, and I
don't think that was what was on his mind as being for our good."
Vector didn't reply to Espio. He simply rolled his eyes.
"Knuckles has changed....." Espio continued. "But I think he's
right. Albion i-"
"RUN!!!!"
The sudden sound of screaming caught the attention of the two Chaotix. They ran
outside, where several Mobians were screaming, several were running, and many
were doing both.
"Woah!!" All who were running had a look of bottomless fear set upon
their faces. "What in..?!?"
A loud explosion in the distance interrupted Vector. Smoke came from a distant
tree, filling the sky.
"Vector!!!"
A ash-caked Mighty came huffing towards the two, throwing himself on them.
"You're not going to believe this..."
"Mighty!!! What's going on?!?"
"Albion." Mighty gulped. "The forest fighters....they've
appeared from nowhere, and now they're attacking Knothole!"
Vector and Espio looked in horror to see the tiny outline of tanks, hundreds of
tanks, coming from the distant clearing. Tiny outlines or people were running
from them. The tanks started to fire, and many of the people were instantly
engulfed in flame.
Vector, Mighty and Espio looked at one another before they began to run. There
was no time to waste.
"ATTACK!!!" they screamed as they descended upon the tent camp.
"ATTACK!!! RUUUUUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
