Chapter 7: Back to Metropolis
In the very heart of the Metropolis Zone, an odd trio of individuals were advancing upon their destination. Rouge had led Espio and Mighty to Nack the Weasel's base, and they were preparing for their strike. At last, they would be able to bring their old adversary to justice.
It was hours after Wechnia's attack at Emerald Hill. The three partners had cooked up their plan, unknowing of what had happened.
"This place radiates evil..." said Espio quietly.
"Get used to it," Rouge said casually, greatly familiar with the place. After all, she had aided the weasel in many heists over a recent period of time. Also, her record included assisting the Syndicate, an evil group of Dr. Robotnik, Dr. Zachary, Shadow and a mysterious echidna called Vichama, whose history was veiled by more secrecy than the others of his kin, as was his current location. It wasn't known if he was even alive.
And there it was, looming in front of them, almost leering... it was strange how a building could radiate such a feeling of menace. Mighty and Espio paused a second and looked at each other, waiting for their team-mate to suggest that they retreated and deserted their assignment. Rouge continued walking for a moment before she realised that the two Chaotix members had stopped. She turned to them.
"Come on, boys. You're not scared are you?" she mocked in an infant's voice.
"Scared? Never!"
Both the chameleon and the armadillo, with heavy resolve, pressed on to the front entrance of the warehouse, which was locked. Had they already hit a dead end? Mighty raised his fist and told his partners to stand back. This was something he was getting good at saying, having said it many times.
"Idiots," stated Rouge bluntly, pushing Mighty away. "Either resigning yourselves to defeat at the first sign of a problem or taking the solution that would draw the security to us before you can say 'gem'. There's another entrance which won't draw any attention."
"Oh yeah?" said Mighty, annoyed that his moment of glory had been snatched away.
"Yeah. The ventilation system," she said, pointing up to a metal frame on the wall. "If I just remove that grille, we can slip inside unnoticed."
"Very good, bat-girl," said Espio dubiously. "So, how're we supposed to get up there? It's too high up for us with no footholes. Well, I can probably make it, being a chameleon and all, but ol' Mighty here don't have a chance."
"Watch yer mouth," said Mighty, yet again bringing his balled fist into the air.
"Shut up, both of you. Geez... are you always like this?"
"No," they both lied.
"Anyway, it's not a problem. Don't forget that I can fly. I'll carry you both up."
In about a minute, the three of them were crawling doggedly through the ducts. It was like a maze, but Rouge knew the system like the back of her hand and was the perfect guide. She soon tracked down the exit from the system, but the frame was securely fastened down. Rouge began to pick at the bolts, but some were almost jammed in and refused to budge.
Growing impatient, Mighty scrambled forwards. In a fraction of a second, there was a loud crash, followed by a reverberating clang against a steel floor, then some tiny pings that were the bolts.
Espio slapped a hand against his forehead and sighed in disbelief. Rouge scorched Mighty with her infuriated glower.
"I almost had it open then!" she hissed. "If you could just have sat down for a few seconds..."
As the grille slammed upon the floor, a shout was heard and a platoon of security guards marched into the room. Mighty's abrasive actions had put the mission in serious danger... but they couldn't give up. The rest of Chaotix was counting on them.
"We can't turn back now," said Espio. "Mighty, you know the signal." He at once seemed to melt into the metallic grey of the surroundings. Both Rouge and Mighty felt a rustling of air brush past them, and at once they knew what Espio had done.
Down on the ground floor, armed guards were inspecting every corner of the cluttered stockroom, piled with boxes containing the rewards of Nack's robberies, and also tall steel shelves lined with further treasures and containers.. Also around the room stood huge mech units with thick armour and heavy cannons functioning as limbs. Each mech housed an irritated pilot.
Suddenly one of the mechs toppled over, the pilot winded. The guards all veered around to see what had happened, but there was nobody there... The robotic vehicle was ripped apart by this unseen force, and the rider was thrown across the room. The others opened fire at the invisible attacker. Had their shots made contact?
More guards were sent whirling over the distance of the room. The battle units also sent powerful blasts in random directions, hoping to hit whatever was assaulting them. As the lasers ricocheted from wall to wall, a form began to materialise in the air. That was Mighty's signal. Once Espio had fully reappeared, the armadillo fell down from his hiding place in the ventilation system, landing smoothly on his feet.
The mechs and sentries started to circle around them, raising their cannons. Espio nodded, then he and Mighty rushed forwards. Espio began to spin rapidly before colliding with multiple foes, and Mighty ploughed his incredible punches into the thick hulls of the battle units, shattering them into pieces.
Reinforcements paraded into the vicinity. Wave upon wave of guards swarmed around the two brave fighters, but that didn't deter them, and they continued their onslaught, dismembering the ranks. Espio used his ninja skills to evade every weapon his adversaries threw at him, manoeuvring with amazing dexterity. On the other hand, Mighty employed his speed and strength to cause huge damage to the lines of guards and mechs.
Finally, after a long, harsh fight, the squad of guards was completely obliterated. Most of the security forces lay unconscious on the ground, but others had simply fled. Boxes had been strewn around the room, spilling their precious contents. Rouge hovered down to join the victors and they progressed to the large door at the opposite end. They found themselves in a long corridor littered with cameras.
"Uh oh..." breathed Mighty.
"Don't fret," said Rouge. "They don't work. It's what Wechnia did to them."
"Wechnia..." Espio murmured. "That's the guy that Sonic mentioned earlier. Who is he?"
"I think 'it' would be a better definition," Rouge said. "It's some sort of virus that neutralises computerised programs and kills plant life around it. It has some kind of power to turn people into some sort of 'negative' form."
"So, that's how it affected Omni Viewer. Omni still functioned though, so it must only disable the outputs of systems."
"Yeah, that must be right." Rouge went on to explain the origins of Wechnia and how it had caused Dr. Robotnik to revert back into Dr. Kintobor. Both Espio and Mighty were astounded, but very pleased, to hear about this.
So, no longer worried about the cameras, the group continued along the passage until they reached another door. It was sealed with a padlock, whereas it used to be computerised.
"No need to waste time here. Mighty," Rouge invited the armadillo to break down the entry, and he accepted gladly, causing it to come thundering down. Nack stood in the next room, counting a large amount of coins. He had already grabbed his pistol and was pointing it in their direction, a furious snarl on his pointed face.
"I told you to tell nobody I was here," Nack growled to Rouge, who shrugged.
"I'm not working with you anymore. I can do what I like," she retorted.
Nack sneered and fired a bullet in her direction. Espio pulled her to the deck, forcing the projectile to ram into the wall. Mighty thumped the floor, causing a tremor that made Nack lose balance. The weasel dropped his weapon, and Espio ran over to kick it out of reach.
"Give it up," Espio demanded. He looked at what was now a cowering wretch in the corner. He remembered the days where he and that rebel had fought side by side for Chaotix, before Nack sold them to Metallix (the Metal Sonic program). Now he felt sick at the thought of being allies with this backstabber.
"Get up," Mighty ordered. Nack slowly clambered to his feet, only to carry out his next trick. He threw three small capsules he had been concealing in his glove, and out of them erupted three long ropes coated in some sort of blue light. These magnetic bindings wrapped themselves tightly around Mighty, Espio and Rouge until their whole bodies were tied up, fastened themselves and then pulled the three of them to the metal floor.
"Well, you weren't expecting that, eh? I bet you regret selling me these magnetic ropes now, Rouge," Nack scoffed.
He gathered a few of his belongings into a backpack and slung it over his back, still laughing to himself. Mighty desperately struggled with his bonds, but even he was incapable of breaking them. Nack tipped his hat and hat and turned to leave when a sudden blue blur slammed into him at full force. Sonic had joined the fight.
"You again!" spluttered the weasel.
"Me," said Sonic smiling. "I knew this was one party I'd have to join in with."
Sonic whizzed around the room, and in his hands were the three long ropes. He spiralled around Nack, and in moments, the weasel was fastened up securely. Espio, Mighty and Rouge got up, looking a little shaken.
"How did you find us here?" asked Espio.
"I knew you were coming here, remember?" replied Sonic.
"Oh. Well, we'd better call Omni."
Espio and Mighty tapped a switch on their wrists.
"What're those?" enquired Sonic.
"They send a transmission to Omni that lets him know where we are," explained Espio. "Ray thought of them, and Vector made them."
"Pretty neat, but they won't work at the moment. Wechnia's shut down all those sorts of things."
"Oh yeah..."
"So how do we get back now?" Mighty groaned.
"Good question," said Espio.
"I'll tell you what," said Sonic. "Take Nack to the Metropolis police force, and let them hold him for now. You can come with me if you like. I'm trying to find the rest of my team." Sonic told them all about what had happened back at the base.
"I guess we can help out for now," Espio agreed. "It might help if we knew where we were going though..."
"Yup," said Sonic. "It just so happens I have a friend in this city who might be able to help me track them down. She's good at that sort of thing. Come on, let's get on with it."
Having deposited Nack at the police station, Sonic, Rouge, Mighty and Espio made way to Ebony the Cat's café in the city. The night was coming, but nobody would have realised the change because of the rain that continued to thrash the streets. More areas around South Island were beginning to flood, but Metropolis was situated on raised ground so it had not yet succumbed to such a fate.
Once they had reached the entrance, Sonic led the way inside. There were many citizens inside, talking amongst themselves. The general tone was one of panic. Ebony and her staff were serving behind the counter. Ebony was a tall cat with black fur. She wore a purple dress with a train to her ankles. When she saw Sonic, she smiled.
"I thought you'd come and find me soon," she said. "Come through."
Ebony led the four of them into the back room, which was cluttered with crystal balls, packs of tarot cards, spell books, and other curious objects that Rouge was eying up. Espio stared around, and Mighty just looked forwards blankly, bored. She was a skilled fortune-teller and conjuror of sorts, perhaps better at magic than foresight. She pointed to a collection of soft cushions on the floor and bade them to sit.
"So, I guess you're here because you desperately need help," she said to Sonic.
"Yeah," Sonic began. "Wechnia's driven away my friends and I don't know where they've gone. Uh... you know what Wechnia is, right?"
"I do."
"Okay, good. Anyway, Ashura, a new guy in the team, used Chaos Control to escape and I don't know where he warped to. I thought you could help track them down."
"I suppose I can try," Ebony pondered for a moment, "but that's not really my specialty. Maybe my friend Celeste could help?"
"Who's that?" asked Sonic.
"She's an old associate. She's great at predicting the future and locating others. Come on, I'll take you to her! She lives around Green Lake, so it'll be a bit of a trek to get there from here."
"I really don't have time," muttered Sonic. "Green Lake you say? We'll be there in about ten minutes!"
He grabbed Ebony and Rouge by their hands and whizzed out of the café at supersonic speed. Espio wrapped his hand around Mighty's wrist and raced after Sonic, being just as fast, or simply a little slower. As Sonic said, they reached the lake in a short time, having conquered a vicious, flooding terrain. The lake itself was higher than Sonic remembered. Ebony pointed to the top of a cliff upon which was a tiny little cabin, silhouetted against the lightning in the background.
"That's where she lives," she said. Sonic made his way up the precipice. When they came to rest in front of the door, Sonic released Ebony and Rouge, much to their relief. Espio caught up in moments, soaked through. After waiting a few seconds, the entrance creaked open and stood in the doorway was another tall cat, but with white fur. She wore a black tank top, long black gloves, a short skirt, and knee-high boots. She had a dreamy look in her yellow eyes and didn't even look at the guests.
"Oh... Ebony, come in," said Celeste. "I thought you were coming, I was just preparing some food."
Sonic spoke first. "We've not got the time for that. We need to know where my friends are."
"If it pleases you to know, they're up in the great Kingdom of Mercia, the region of Erinburgh to be precise," she said vaguely.
"Where's that?" Sonic had often prided himself on his knowledge of Mobius and its routes, but he had never heard of this place.
"It's a continent to the far north of Mobius, connected to the North Polar Icecaps," Celeste told him, still not looking at him. "They call it Mercia..."
"How the heck do we..."
Celeste cut him off. "Use my boat. It's set up below, at the edge of the lake. Take the delta south to the Urlean Sea, then turn. It's easy enough. Go."
She drifted away, closing the door softly.
"Well, that was quick..."
They hurried down to the vessel that lay on the banking. It was a little rusty on the underside where the paint was chipping, but it had a small roof that would keep them shielded from the weather for the time being. They each boarded in turn, brushing the rain from their bodies once in the dry confines.
"So, who knows how to navigate?" asked Sonic.
"I'm pretty good," said Rouge. "I can pilot a little old piece of junk like this in my sleep."
"Alright then, no time to waste, let's go!"
Rouge kick-started the engine and steered it skilfully out of the flooding valley, kicking up a vast quantity of foam. The spray licked the sides of the boat, thrown up by the acceleration of the craft. It was quite speedy.
Espio and Mighty huddled in a corner and talked amongst themselves, and Sonic sat at the small table with Ebony. The inside of the boat was immaculately clean, despite the unattractive exterior.
"So," Sonic asked the cat, "what've you been doing?"
"Business as usual I'm afraid. Nothing remotely fun. I guess I'm still missing Super Sonic."
Sonic recalled the time when he and Super Sonic, a demonic form of himself, had been two separate entities, having been split up from each other. Sonic became Super when exposed to great stress or high energy concentration. A while after they were divided, Super Sonic lost his power and his memory of evil. When Chaos attacked, Super Sonic stopped it, but the exposure to negative Chaos Energy forced him to become evil again. As a last resort, Ebony had combined them back into one, they way it was in the beginning.
"Mmm, yeah," said Sonic. He had been furious with Ebony when he learned that she had been hiding Super Sonic, even though he had been docile at the time (forgetting a few minor relapses of no real significance).
"This storm's been bad for business. People don't want to leave their homes," Ebony said. "It's as if the world is ending."
"Maybe it is..."
"What do you mean?"
"Wechnia causes death to all plant life around it. The ecosystem is starting to collapse wherever he goes."
"What exactly is it?"
"I'd love to know. All I've found out is that it's a sort of virus that Robotnik made. At least Robotnik's gone..."
"What?" exclaimed Ebony.
Sonic explained all about Wechnia and what he could do. Ebony was astounded to hear that Robotnik had been reverted back into Kintobor.
They were now out sea. The waves were violent, leaping up like vicious sea creatures snapping for their prey. They rocked the little boat, but they didn't stray far from their course. Suddenly, having just spoken about Wechnia, Sonic remembered something.
"Rouge!" he called to the bat. "Don't go straight to Mercia! Head for the Robotnik Isles!"
"Okay," she said.
She veered the boat around, heading north-east to the three islands that belonged to Dr. Robotnik and were now desolate wastes. His most prominent bases remained there. Sonic had recalled his conversation with Ashura about Grimer. He needed to speak with him, urgently.
In the very heart of the Metropolis Zone, an odd trio of individuals were advancing upon their destination. Rouge had led Espio and Mighty to Nack the Weasel's base, and they were preparing for their strike. At last, they would be able to bring their old adversary to justice.
It was hours after Wechnia's attack at Emerald Hill. The three partners had cooked up their plan, unknowing of what had happened.
"This place radiates evil..." said Espio quietly.
"Get used to it," Rouge said casually, greatly familiar with the place. After all, she had aided the weasel in many heists over a recent period of time. Also, her record included assisting the Syndicate, an evil group of Dr. Robotnik, Dr. Zachary, Shadow and a mysterious echidna called Vichama, whose history was veiled by more secrecy than the others of his kin, as was his current location. It wasn't known if he was even alive.
And there it was, looming in front of them, almost leering... it was strange how a building could radiate such a feeling of menace. Mighty and Espio paused a second and looked at each other, waiting for their team-mate to suggest that they retreated and deserted their assignment. Rouge continued walking for a moment before she realised that the two Chaotix members had stopped. She turned to them.
"Come on, boys. You're not scared are you?" she mocked in an infant's voice.
"Scared? Never!"
Both the chameleon and the armadillo, with heavy resolve, pressed on to the front entrance of the warehouse, which was locked. Had they already hit a dead end? Mighty raised his fist and told his partners to stand back. This was something he was getting good at saying, having said it many times.
"Idiots," stated Rouge bluntly, pushing Mighty away. "Either resigning yourselves to defeat at the first sign of a problem or taking the solution that would draw the security to us before you can say 'gem'. There's another entrance which won't draw any attention."
"Oh yeah?" said Mighty, annoyed that his moment of glory had been snatched away.
"Yeah. The ventilation system," she said, pointing up to a metal frame on the wall. "If I just remove that grille, we can slip inside unnoticed."
"Very good, bat-girl," said Espio dubiously. "So, how're we supposed to get up there? It's too high up for us with no footholes. Well, I can probably make it, being a chameleon and all, but ol' Mighty here don't have a chance."
"Watch yer mouth," said Mighty, yet again bringing his balled fist into the air.
"Shut up, both of you. Geez... are you always like this?"
"No," they both lied.
"Anyway, it's not a problem. Don't forget that I can fly. I'll carry you both up."
In about a minute, the three of them were crawling doggedly through the ducts. It was like a maze, but Rouge knew the system like the back of her hand and was the perfect guide. She soon tracked down the exit from the system, but the frame was securely fastened down. Rouge began to pick at the bolts, but some were almost jammed in and refused to budge.
Growing impatient, Mighty scrambled forwards. In a fraction of a second, there was a loud crash, followed by a reverberating clang against a steel floor, then some tiny pings that were the bolts.
Espio slapped a hand against his forehead and sighed in disbelief. Rouge scorched Mighty with her infuriated glower.
"I almost had it open then!" she hissed. "If you could just have sat down for a few seconds..."
As the grille slammed upon the floor, a shout was heard and a platoon of security guards marched into the room. Mighty's abrasive actions had put the mission in serious danger... but they couldn't give up. The rest of Chaotix was counting on them.
"We can't turn back now," said Espio. "Mighty, you know the signal." He at once seemed to melt into the metallic grey of the surroundings. Both Rouge and Mighty felt a rustling of air brush past them, and at once they knew what Espio had done.
Down on the ground floor, armed guards were inspecting every corner of the cluttered stockroom, piled with boxes containing the rewards of Nack's robberies, and also tall steel shelves lined with further treasures and containers.. Also around the room stood huge mech units with thick armour and heavy cannons functioning as limbs. Each mech housed an irritated pilot.
Suddenly one of the mechs toppled over, the pilot winded. The guards all veered around to see what had happened, but there was nobody there... The robotic vehicle was ripped apart by this unseen force, and the rider was thrown across the room. The others opened fire at the invisible attacker. Had their shots made contact?
More guards were sent whirling over the distance of the room. The battle units also sent powerful blasts in random directions, hoping to hit whatever was assaulting them. As the lasers ricocheted from wall to wall, a form began to materialise in the air. That was Mighty's signal. Once Espio had fully reappeared, the armadillo fell down from his hiding place in the ventilation system, landing smoothly on his feet.
The mechs and sentries started to circle around them, raising their cannons. Espio nodded, then he and Mighty rushed forwards. Espio began to spin rapidly before colliding with multiple foes, and Mighty ploughed his incredible punches into the thick hulls of the battle units, shattering them into pieces.
Reinforcements paraded into the vicinity. Wave upon wave of guards swarmed around the two brave fighters, but that didn't deter them, and they continued their onslaught, dismembering the ranks. Espio used his ninja skills to evade every weapon his adversaries threw at him, manoeuvring with amazing dexterity. On the other hand, Mighty employed his speed and strength to cause huge damage to the lines of guards and mechs.
Finally, after a long, harsh fight, the squad of guards was completely obliterated. Most of the security forces lay unconscious on the ground, but others had simply fled. Boxes had been strewn around the room, spilling their precious contents. Rouge hovered down to join the victors and they progressed to the large door at the opposite end. They found themselves in a long corridor littered with cameras.
"Uh oh..." breathed Mighty.
"Don't fret," said Rouge. "They don't work. It's what Wechnia did to them."
"Wechnia..." Espio murmured. "That's the guy that Sonic mentioned earlier. Who is he?"
"I think 'it' would be a better definition," Rouge said. "It's some sort of virus that neutralises computerised programs and kills plant life around it. It has some kind of power to turn people into some sort of 'negative' form."
"So, that's how it affected Omni Viewer. Omni still functioned though, so it must only disable the outputs of systems."
"Yeah, that must be right." Rouge went on to explain the origins of Wechnia and how it had caused Dr. Robotnik to revert back into Dr. Kintobor. Both Espio and Mighty were astounded, but very pleased, to hear about this.
So, no longer worried about the cameras, the group continued along the passage until they reached another door. It was sealed with a padlock, whereas it used to be computerised.
"No need to waste time here. Mighty," Rouge invited the armadillo to break down the entry, and he accepted gladly, causing it to come thundering down. Nack stood in the next room, counting a large amount of coins. He had already grabbed his pistol and was pointing it in their direction, a furious snarl on his pointed face.
"I told you to tell nobody I was here," Nack growled to Rouge, who shrugged.
"I'm not working with you anymore. I can do what I like," she retorted.
Nack sneered and fired a bullet in her direction. Espio pulled her to the deck, forcing the projectile to ram into the wall. Mighty thumped the floor, causing a tremor that made Nack lose balance. The weasel dropped his weapon, and Espio ran over to kick it out of reach.
"Give it up," Espio demanded. He looked at what was now a cowering wretch in the corner. He remembered the days where he and that rebel had fought side by side for Chaotix, before Nack sold them to Metallix (the Metal Sonic program). Now he felt sick at the thought of being allies with this backstabber.
"Get up," Mighty ordered. Nack slowly clambered to his feet, only to carry out his next trick. He threw three small capsules he had been concealing in his glove, and out of them erupted three long ropes coated in some sort of blue light. These magnetic bindings wrapped themselves tightly around Mighty, Espio and Rouge until their whole bodies were tied up, fastened themselves and then pulled the three of them to the metal floor.
"Well, you weren't expecting that, eh? I bet you regret selling me these magnetic ropes now, Rouge," Nack scoffed.
He gathered a few of his belongings into a backpack and slung it over his back, still laughing to himself. Mighty desperately struggled with his bonds, but even he was incapable of breaking them. Nack tipped his hat and hat and turned to leave when a sudden blue blur slammed into him at full force. Sonic had joined the fight.
"You again!" spluttered the weasel.
"Me," said Sonic smiling. "I knew this was one party I'd have to join in with."
Sonic whizzed around the room, and in his hands were the three long ropes. He spiralled around Nack, and in moments, the weasel was fastened up securely. Espio, Mighty and Rouge got up, looking a little shaken.
"How did you find us here?" asked Espio.
"I knew you were coming here, remember?" replied Sonic.
"Oh. Well, we'd better call Omni."
Espio and Mighty tapped a switch on their wrists.
"What're those?" enquired Sonic.
"They send a transmission to Omni that lets him know where we are," explained Espio. "Ray thought of them, and Vector made them."
"Pretty neat, but they won't work at the moment. Wechnia's shut down all those sorts of things."
"Oh yeah..."
"So how do we get back now?" Mighty groaned.
"Good question," said Espio.
"I'll tell you what," said Sonic. "Take Nack to the Metropolis police force, and let them hold him for now. You can come with me if you like. I'm trying to find the rest of my team." Sonic told them all about what had happened back at the base.
"I guess we can help out for now," Espio agreed. "It might help if we knew where we were going though..."
"Yup," said Sonic. "It just so happens I have a friend in this city who might be able to help me track them down. She's good at that sort of thing. Come on, let's get on with it."
Having deposited Nack at the police station, Sonic, Rouge, Mighty and Espio made way to Ebony the Cat's café in the city. The night was coming, but nobody would have realised the change because of the rain that continued to thrash the streets. More areas around South Island were beginning to flood, but Metropolis was situated on raised ground so it had not yet succumbed to such a fate.
Once they had reached the entrance, Sonic led the way inside. There were many citizens inside, talking amongst themselves. The general tone was one of panic. Ebony and her staff were serving behind the counter. Ebony was a tall cat with black fur. She wore a purple dress with a train to her ankles. When she saw Sonic, she smiled.
"I thought you'd come and find me soon," she said. "Come through."
Ebony led the four of them into the back room, which was cluttered with crystal balls, packs of tarot cards, spell books, and other curious objects that Rouge was eying up. Espio stared around, and Mighty just looked forwards blankly, bored. She was a skilled fortune-teller and conjuror of sorts, perhaps better at magic than foresight. She pointed to a collection of soft cushions on the floor and bade them to sit.
"So, I guess you're here because you desperately need help," she said to Sonic.
"Yeah," Sonic began. "Wechnia's driven away my friends and I don't know where they've gone. Uh... you know what Wechnia is, right?"
"I do."
"Okay, good. Anyway, Ashura, a new guy in the team, used Chaos Control to escape and I don't know where he warped to. I thought you could help track them down."
"I suppose I can try," Ebony pondered for a moment, "but that's not really my specialty. Maybe my friend Celeste could help?"
"Who's that?" asked Sonic.
"She's an old associate. She's great at predicting the future and locating others. Come on, I'll take you to her! She lives around Green Lake, so it'll be a bit of a trek to get there from here."
"I really don't have time," muttered Sonic. "Green Lake you say? We'll be there in about ten minutes!"
He grabbed Ebony and Rouge by their hands and whizzed out of the café at supersonic speed. Espio wrapped his hand around Mighty's wrist and raced after Sonic, being just as fast, or simply a little slower. As Sonic said, they reached the lake in a short time, having conquered a vicious, flooding terrain. The lake itself was higher than Sonic remembered. Ebony pointed to the top of a cliff upon which was a tiny little cabin, silhouetted against the lightning in the background.
"That's where she lives," she said. Sonic made his way up the precipice. When they came to rest in front of the door, Sonic released Ebony and Rouge, much to their relief. Espio caught up in moments, soaked through. After waiting a few seconds, the entrance creaked open and stood in the doorway was another tall cat, but with white fur. She wore a black tank top, long black gloves, a short skirt, and knee-high boots. She had a dreamy look in her yellow eyes and didn't even look at the guests.
"Oh... Ebony, come in," said Celeste. "I thought you were coming, I was just preparing some food."
Sonic spoke first. "We've not got the time for that. We need to know where my friends are."
"If it pleases you to know, they're up in the great Kingdom of Mercia, the region of Erinburgh to be precise," she said vaguely.
"Where's that?" Sonic had often prided himself on his knowledge of Mobius and its routes, but he had never heard of this place.
"It's a continent to the far north of Mobius, connected to the North Polar Icecaps," Celeste told him, still not looking at him. "They call it Mercia..."
"How the heck do we..."
Celeste cut him off. "Use my boat. It's set up below, at the edge of the lake. Take the delta south to the Urlean Sea, then turn. It's easy enough. Go."
She drifted away, closing the door softly.
"Well, that was quick..."
They hurried down to the vessel that lay on the banking. It was a little rusty on the underside where the paint was chipping, but it had a small roof that would keep them shielded from the weather for the time being. They each boarded in turn, brushing the rain from their bodies once in the dry confines.
"So, who knows how to navigate?" asked Sonic.
"I'm pretty good," said Rouge. "I can pilot a little old piece of junk like this in my sleep."
"Alright then, no time to waste, let's go!"
Rouge kick-started the engine and steered it skilfully out of the flooding valley, kicking up a vast quantity of foam. The spray licked the sides of the boat, thrown up by the acceleration of the craft. It was quite speedy.
Espio and Mighty huddled in a corner and talked amongst themselves, and Sonic sat at the small table with Ebony. The inside of the boat was immaculately clean, despite the unattractive exterior.
"So," Sonic asked the cat, "what've you been doing?"
"Business as usual I'm afraid. Nothing remotely fun. I guess I'm still missing Super Sonic."
Sonic recalled the time when he and Super Sonic, a demonic form of himself, had been two separate entities, having been split up from each other. Sonic became Super when exposed to great stress or high energy concentration. A while after they were divided, Super Sonic lost his power and his memory of evil. When Chaos attacked, Super Sonic stopped it, but the exposure to negative Chaos Energy forced him to become evil again. As a last resort, Ebony had combined them back into one, they way it was in the beginning.
"Mmm, yeah," said Sonic. He had been furious with Ebony when he learned that she had been hiding Super Sonic, even though he had been docile at the time (forgetting a few minor relapses of no real significance).
"This storm's been bad for business. People don't want to leave their homes," Ebony said. "It's as if the world is ending."
"Maybe it is..."
"What do you mean?"
"Wechnia causes death to all plant life around it. The ecosystem is starting to collapse wherever he goes."
"What exactly is it?"
"I'd love to know. All I've found out is that it's a sort of virus that Robotnik made. At least Robotnik's gone..."
"What?" exclaimed Ebony.
Sonic explained all about Wechnia and what he could do. Ebony was astounded to hear that Robotnik had been reverted back into Kintobor.
They were now out sea. The waves were violent, leaping up like vicious sea creatures snapping for their prey. They rocked the little boat, but they didn't stray far from their course. Suddenly, having just spoken about Wechnia, Sonic remembered something.
"Rouge!" he called to the bat. "Don't go straight to Mercia! Head for the Robotnik Isles!"
"Okay," she said.
She veered the boat around, heading north-east to the three islands that belonged to Dr. Robotnik and were now desolate wastes. His most prominent bases remained there. Sonic had recalled his conversation with Ashura about Grimer. He needed to speak with him, urgently.