LOST IN AN ENIGMA
A loud alarm went off, alerting Todd as he slowly got up, groaning. "That isn't my alarm clock. What the Hell?" he asked as he scratched his head. He looked at his hands and saw that the ends were like talons. "Since when did my suit have talons?…Since when did I sleep in my suit?" He shrugged as he got up and stretched. He pushed a switch in his hand, and a spark ignited a beam sword in his right hand. He stared in awe and said, "Coooool. Wait a tick, I never got my prototype working, and I didn't bring it, either." He turned it off and then realized that he felt weird.
"My stomach feels weird…like it's…not there, or something. And my face feels weird, too," he said to himself as he walked over to the mirror and gasped. His body was thin and lean, with a long head. He wasn't in his own suit, but another. His face wasn't even human. His cheeks were another set of jaws. "Oh man…I got gills!…Cool! I'm a Covenant Elite! I even have two sets of teeth! I wonder if that means I can talk with my mouth full now?"
Suddenly, there was an explosion in another room, which shook him. Another Elite ran in and began roaring at him. "Uhhh…I don't speak French…where's Antoine when you need him?" A door opened and a barrage of bullets sent the other Elite flying dead into the wall. Todd slowly turned around to see another armored figure, only he appeared more human. His armor was a jade green, with a yellow visor. "Master Chief…Dude…I've played both your games! They rule! And…" Todd looked at Master Chiefs hands to see he was holding an- "AN ELITE ASSAULT RIFLE! SHWAY, MAN! Why…are you…pointing that at…me?" Todd looked down at himself and began to panic. "Wait! I'm a human! Well…I was…I think…But I'm a fan!" Master Chief pointed his weapon at the Elite as it began to roar at him. "Raaaargh! Arrrgh! Braaagh!" 'Ooooooooo-kay,' Master Chief thought to himself. "If this is about the plasma disk thingie months back, and me saying you got nothin' on me, I'm sorry man! Look! Here! Take my beam sword! It's cooler than the assault rifle!" Todd said as he drew the sword and held it before him. Master Chief raised the gun and pulled the trigger.
"AAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Todd yelled as he shot up out of bed. He quickly checked himself over to make sure he was still human, and to make sure he didn't have a hole in his chest. He panted as he realized it was a dream and flopped on his back onto his bed. He looked over at his hand and tried to click the switch for the beam sword, but nothing happened. "Dammit!" he shouted.
Everyone was in the middle of eating when DJ finally met up with them. "'Bout time! Thought you wussed out," Vector said. "I had a weird dream last night. Master Chief came to me in a vision. I think I'm gonna win!" "What makes you so sure?" Cap asked. "Duh! Master Chief! The Pope might as well have given me his blessing!" DJ responded. "Well you better eat. You have to fight Enigma today," Sally said. "Copy that, Cortana?" DJ said. Sally just stared at him and shook her head as she went back to eating.
"WELCOME! To the second day of fighting! You have the honor of competing in the first official round of the tournament! Now…LET THE FIGHTING BEGIN!!!" Chaose announced as he took his seat. The dark chaos cheered as the first combatants entered the arena. Shadow was pitted against a muscular lion. "I love the kill almost as much as I love the hunt!" the lion snarled with a malicious smile at Shadow. "Funny. I thought female lions did most of the hunting while the males sat on their lazy-" The lion roared as he charged at Shadow. He was positive he had pounced on his prey, but when he looked, Shadow was not there. He stood up and looked behind him to see Shadow just standing there, smirking at him. "How dare you mock me!!!" the lion roared as he pounced again, when he landed, though, he didn't get up. Before Shadow had evaded him, he violently struck him in the stomach. Shadow turned away from him and began his descent from the arena floor.
"Nice, Shadow. Learning to do it with style!" Vector commented. "Or just doing it," Mighty said. A few more matches went by, and they got to see many kinds of fighters. All forms of fighting were used. Some with weapons, some without. No one was killed, however, not that it was illegal in the tournament. The fighters of Mobius had vowed not to kill any of their own while at the tournament. Finally, it came time for the match they had waited for. "Mecha DJ and Enigma the Echidna!" They all looked over at DJ, who was hopping back and forth to get loose. He dropped to the ground and spun on the small of his back, his trademark break-dancing move. "Aight (Misspelled purposely)! I'm ready!" DJ said as he balled his fist and held it before Cap. Cap smiled and finished the pound-up as DJ walked up onto the arena floor. Enigma slowly drifted towards the center of the arena, where the two met. "Sup!" Silence. Enigma didn't even flinch. "Silent type, huh? Cool mask. Couldn't resist a Predator mask after seeing AVP, huh?" Still no answer. "Fine then. Good luck." "I won't need it. However, I extend the same to you." "Ready…FIGHT!!!"
DJ jumped back and began to hover into the air. "Alright! I'm da Mecha D-DJ, and we're gonna mix it up!" he shouted as he began to move his arms and hands around as if he were playing a scratchboard. "What's he doing?" Tails asked. "New move," Swiper replied. Suddenly, a clear blue energy disk appeared in each hand. "Here's my latest mix! I call it 'Enigma Beat-down'!" he shouted as he tossed the two spinning disks at Enigma. Enigma stood still, not budging from when the match started. "Uhhh, dude! The disks! Coming…at…you." Still Enigma didn't move. "DUDE! Those things will cut right through you! Move!" DJ shouted. He didn't want to hit Enigma with them. He had planned to use them as a diversion and sneak up on Enigma after they exploded. The disks were drawing nearer as DJ hit his jets and flew towards Enigma. "DJ!!! What the hell are you doing?!?!" Sally shouted. "The good guy thing!" he replied as he shot two mini-disks at the two larger ones, making them explode before reaching Enigma. DJ shut off the jets, but was caught off guard as Enigma flew through the cloud of smoke between them. DJ never even saw the punch. He felt his body going backwards as the chest plate of his armor burst, shattering all over the ground. His body went sliding along the arena floor with a screeching sound as he finally stopped at the edge with his head dangling over the edge. His friends hurried to him, shouting his name. "DJ! Say something!" Sally pleaded, tears in her eyes. "msr chf…" "Huh?" Julie-Su said as they listened closer. "…master chief…I failed you…" Sally growled in frustration as the guys let out a sigh of relief.
"Do not look so relieved. He is still in the ring, and Enigma can still kill him if he wishes," Chaose said. They turned to Chaose and then to Enigma, who was standing over DJ. DJ looked up and muttered, "Well…you…said you'd kill us…if we got in your way…Give me…one last request and…make it quick." They others looked in horror as Enigma raised his foot over DJ's chest, ready to stomp on it. They couldn't interfere, or else they'd be disqualified from the tournament. DJ opened his eyes under the visor to see Enigma frozen above him. He put his foot down oh DJ's side slowly, and pushed him off of the arena floor into the arms of his friends. "And the winner is…Enigma the Echidna!!!" As the crowd cheered, they looked up at him as he walked away. He glanced over at Chaose and said, "You will be my only victim."
As Julie-Su helped the others lower DJ softly to the ground, she glanced over at Enigma leaving the arena and noticed a limp in his step. "Uh, guys…I'm just…going for a walk," she said. They nodded and turned their attention back to DJ. It's not that they didn't care, but they knew that sometimes she wanted to be alone, and they had to accept it. She tightened her hat as she walked out of the arena. She looked up at the sky and sighed. It was as black and cloudy as it was on Mobius. It had been weeks since she had seen the light of the sun. It was then that she caught a growling in her ear, and looked over in that direction. She walked towards a patch of trees by the beach and saw Enigma sitting on a rock, doing something with his leg. Obviously, he had gotten a shard of DJ's armor stuck in his leg. She stood there for a moment, thinking to leave, but took a deep breath and slowly walked forward. "…Enigma?" Enigma quickly turned around, causing her to jump. There was a short pause, until he said, "Forgive me. I did not mean to frighten you." "With the way you've been treating us, I thought that was all you wanted." He didn't reply at first, but finally said, "I only wish for no one else to become a victim of this tournament. I have no quarrel with you or your friends. I only wish to destroy Chaose."
She looked down at his leg to see that there was a shard stuck I it. It had shredded through the cloak, and had dug into his upper leg. "Are you-" "I'm fine." "Do you want me to-" "No. I can –" "Look, let me help you before you bleed to death! If you are supposed to beat Chaose, you can't if you bleed to death," She said as she pulled out a tweezers from her belt and knelt next to him. "This might hurt," she warned as she began to try and remove the shard. She was surprised when he didn't even flinch. "That didn't hurt?" she asked as she flung the bloody shard away. "Pain is something I am used to." She sprayed some disinfectant on the gash, but before she could bandage it, he tore a piece of his cloak and tied it around the wound. He looked up at her and paused. "Thank you." "You're welcome." She replied. "Forgive my silences. It…has been so long since I have carried a conversation with anyone." She sat down on a rock across from him and asked, "Why? Why did you spare DJ?" "Perhaps I am not as evil as you and your friends think." "Maybe."
He looked up at her head and said, "That is a very interesting hat." She took it off and held it over her heart. "It…it was given to me by someone…special. A good friend." "Was he your lover?" She looked up at him curiously and asked, "What makes you so sure it's a guy in the first place?" "Only such a thing as lost love could make one's aura so empty and desolate." The paused and lowered her head. "Yes. He was. But…he's gone now," she said just above a whisper as a tear began to fall from her eye. She opened her eyes when she felt the tip of his finger wipe her tear away. "Such beauty should not be soiled by a frown or a tear." She paused, but then smiled and said, "Thank you." There was a moment or two of silence, until she asked, "So what will you do after this is all over? Do you have a lover waiting for you?" He sighed and replied, "I cannot go back to my old life, now. I must wander alone…for the rest of my days. I had a great life. Family…friends…a love so great…but then the Walkers took me from it all. All for this. I cannot return to them now, for reasons you would never understand. It has been three, long, miserable years since then. Now…I am alone." He lowered his head as she stared at him sympathetically. Suddenly, an idea hit her. "No. You don't have to be alone. You can come with me and the others…back to the Floating Island." He looked up at her, surprised, and asked, "What?" "You'd like it up there. It's beautiful. Flowers of every color you can think of, forests, jungles, fields, mountains…you name it, it's there." "To me, you are describing paradise." "It is." "But why? Why offer this great thing to one such as I? A stranger!" She smiled and answered, "Because he would. Our friend Shadow was alone at one point, and he offered him refuge. It's kind of a place for people who need to find a place to belong." They heard the crowds cheer, and Julie-Su's friends cheering with them. "You must go back to them, and I must be off." They both stood up, but paused for a moment before leaving. "I will consider your offer." "Good." He turned to leave, but she felt compelled to ask, "Why do you wear that mask? Why do you never show your face?" He paused, turned back to her, and replied, "This is my face," before making his departure. After a few seconds, she too left, heading to the arena.
When she re-entered the arena, Sonic and Vipes were in the ring, panting vigorously. "That last one came close! Watch those ninja stars!" "I'm just letting you know your speed won't help you." Sonic smirked and said, "Oh really?" as he began to run around Vipes in a wide circle. 'He's trying to make a tornado and lift me off the ground! Better work fast,' Vipes thought as he threw a ninja star, just missing Sonic. 'Darn! He's speeding up and slowing down to avoid my stars, but is still keeping the momentum going!' He twitched his wrist, but no additional stars came from his wrist cuff. 'All out. Time for close up!' Vipes ran to the edge of the arena, finding it harder to keep his feet on the ground. He transformed his sword into a nun-chuck, knowing Sonic could duck under it and allowing Vipes to attack with a kick. He swung it into Sonic's path, but was stunned when his feet came out from under him. Sonic had slid by and tripped him, and was about to connect with an uppercut. "Well played," Vipes said before Sonic's fist connected, sending him out of the ring.
As they rejoined the others, Sally had just finished filling Julie-Su in on what she missed. Shadow and F.C. had fought, but it was over rather quickly. Shadow knew not to let F.C. speak, especially after what almost happened to Swiper, and used chaos control to quickly knock him out of the ring.
"Next up is…Captain Independence and Grim Reaper!" The two Ravagers looked at each other with glaring eyes, and slowly entered the ring. "This'll be good. Ever since…the funeral, they've been training non-stop. I'd like to see what they can really do," Morph said.
The two met in the middle of the ring and paused. "Just so you know…no matter who wins, no matter what happens-" Cap began, until Grim finished his sentence, "Always be true to each other." Cap smiled as the two friends shook hands and got positioned for battle. "Ready…FIGHT!!!" Grim didn't even bother with his sythe. He and Cap just went at it hand-to-hand. Every few seconds, one would land a blow, then the other would exchange it with their own. "Their fighting seems the same to me," Espio commented. "Just you wait," DJ said as he clutched his bandaged chest. Cap and Grim both threw up a right kick at the same time, sending each other flying in opposite directions. They slowly brought themselves up and chuckled. "Done with your warm-up?" Grim asked. "Yeah. You?" Cap replied, cracking his knuckles. Grim nodded as he cracked his neck. Both yelled as they concentrated their energies, Cap focusing his upped glucose levels and Grim focussing his raw half-demon energy. The two charged and met in the center where they clashed. Everyone looked on in awe. Even Chaose was impressed. "I have never seen such flawless fighting in my life! Their blows are too strong to be countered, and they're both fast enough to block each other's attacks! It's a perfect stalemate!" Espio said as he watched, wide-eyed. Indeed it was a stalemate. Neither could land a blow. Finally, it ended in a grip lock. Both yelled as they pushed with all their might, cracking the arena floor. Cap drew back his right fist as Grim drew back his left. "KENZO…" "FLAME…" "FIST!!!" they yelled together as their energy-charged fists collided, sending each other flying off of the arena floor and into the solid walls of the stadium. They both groaned and looked at each other. "G-Got y-you," Cap said with a smile. "Go-ot y-you, t-too," Grim said. They both chuckled slightly, until they both fell to the ground unconscious.
"Uhhh…how do they call this one?" Sonic asked Shadow, who shrugged. "Both the fighters have been fried, so they will be disqualified!" the dark chao announced. "That is such bull, man! It's a draw! They should get to fight again! Have you ever played a fighting game in your life? Draws are always re-fought!" Freezie yelled. "In this tournament, those are the rules. Besides, they will be in no condition to fight tomorrow anyway, no matter who is the winner," Chaose said, "However, that was quite a spectacular match. I am very pleased. In light of this match, the semi-finalists of Mobius are…Sonic the Hedgehog, Shadow the Hedgehog, and Enigma the Echidna! Tomorrow, it will be decided who will face me in the final match of the final Chaose Tournament!" The dark chaos cheered while the fighters from Mobius looked at the two hedgehogs. "It doesn't matter what happens now, but it rests in you now. You must stop him," a bull said to the two hedgehogs. "Don't worry. Well be heading home before you know it," Sonic said with a smile. "C'mon. Let's get Cap and Grim to the infirmary," Mighty said as he and Ray took Cap's arms over their shoulders and moved him along.
As the others were in the infirmary, Shadow asked Sonic to step outside with him. When he stepped outside, Sonic shivered. The air was chilly. "Yeah? What is it, Shadow? Can't we do this inside?" "We need to talk about Enigma." "What about him?" "Today, during his match with DJ, did anything seem strange to you?" "Besides the fact that DJ lost?" "I'm serious. When DJ attacked, Enigma didn't even budge. He knew DJ wouldn't let the disks kill him. He knew to wait for DJ to create the proper cover." "Maybe he just knows that we're good guys and we do that kind of stuff." "I think that maybe it's something more. I think…he might be able to read minds." "What???" Sonic was baffled. If it was true, they were done for. "He seemed to anticipate the movements of all his competitors. If I am correct in my judgement, then we have no chance against him." With this said, Shadow walked towards the door. As he opened it, he turned to Sonic, who was frozen in thought, and said, "Let us hope I am wrong," before walking inside and closing the door, leaving Sonic to dwell on the thought.