Hey, everybody I just want to say thanks for the review (thank you, Snow Blade!), and hope everyone likes this chapter. More reviews would be nice... otherwise I might lose interest and start to not update this story... I'm sure people wouldn't want that, would they?
Oh, this is mostly a filler chapter, introducing a few new characters and their personalities. I hope no one is creeped out by my one character laugh
If anyone's wondering, Ersatz means 'false'... not saying anymore on it.
Yellow jumped up with a muffled yelp, suddenly wide awake and body gleaming with sweat. His hands clutched the sides of the worn mattress so tightly that his knuckles turned to a grayish-white, and his limbs were rigid. After a time of sitting quietly like this, Yellow's breathing slowly, painstakingly, began to return to a normal rate.
It was the dream, the nightmare. Again it had come to haunt him… but why? And why couldn't he ever remember it?! What use was a dream if its contents were never known? Sure, Yellow had heard that many reoccurring dreams were warnings or prophecies of things to come, but his was just… shifty. It never stayed so that he could examine it…
Yellow flipped over, staring at the ceiling. It was then that he noticed one small window set in the corner of the room, near the roof. The sky outside was gray and it seemed like there might be another fog covering the ground. That in itself wasn't too surprising; fog often covered the land at this time of year, especially in the cold of the cities.
A movement above him caught the Chameleon's eye, and he shifted his gaze to watch the meanderings of a tiny, almost imperceptible bug scuttling across the tile. Yellow thought back to his readings, wondering what kind this one might be. He could already see that it was a beetle, but the name eluded him. It was a pretty thing, though, metallic red and orange.
The door burst open, and Yellow jumped, almost falling off the bed. Illusion looked at him with faint surprise, seeming to be set off balance that he was awake, but shrugged slightly and grinned.
"You must be a morning person, after all," she said. Seeing that Yellow wasn't really paying attention, she shifted her gaze upwards, and caught sight of the brilliant beetle that was scurrying there, "Damn pests," she mumbled.
"I know what it is," said Yellow quietly, seeming to Illusion to be a little perturbed by something, "but I can't remember the name."
"Firebug," said Illusion shortly, her dark, stormy eyes locked on the Chameleon's expression, "You'd better get whatever's troubling you out of your mind, now, boy. We have training to do, and you need your concentration. Besides, some of the others are here."
"Others?" asked Yellow, slipping on his shoes and following Illusion out of the room.
"What, you think I was the only one working for Vortex?" snorted Illusion cynically, "Come on, if you keep this up, I'll have to classify you as brain dead."
Yellow snorted, and followed Illusion out of the hallway. It was, as he looked out the larger windows in the main room, early morning, which was part of the reason why the thick fog still shifted past the glass. If the building hadn't been so well heated, a surprising fact when taking in the general appearance of the exterior, it would have been very cold in the room. Yellow was glad that he hadn't been forced to find a hotel in all the mess out in the city, he was sure it would have been worse had he not been so lucky to find this place.
Lucky! Yellow laughed at himself mentally. What part of this situation was lucky? He was probably up to his waist in some sort of secret plot to seize power, steal, or some other such thing. Why else would the old fox need a person with 'his talents'? It was well known that Chameleons were the only species that could blend into their surroundings, and as such that made them very… desirable, to certain agencies. That was why they were only found in the most remote areas of the floating island, and why the locations of their villages were kept so secret.
Illusion led Yellow to the room at the end of the long hallway past the main room, and pushed it open. The area inside, once the ebony Chameleon looked, was a huge training area, set with every sort of machine conceivable, and some that Yellow had no idea what they were for.
"Meet your new favorite hangout," murmured Illusion with a foreboding and feral grin, "and your teammates."
"Hey, Storm Eyes," said a voice above them in a seductive manner. Yellow flinched and looked up, but Illusion sighed heavily.
"What do you want, Altaka?" she snarled, glaring up at the creature clinging easily to a column.
"You," replied the green hedgehog with a joking air. He swept back a stray spine, which had fallen over his face, and grinned roguishly, "But since you've made it so very clear that I can't have that, a proper greeting would be nice."
"Stuff it, ass wipe," growled the golden hedgehog.
"Ah, it's always so very refreshing to hear your sweet, honeyed voice, darlin'," said Altaka with a bow. Illusion took up a steel bar from a machine nearby and threw it at the green creature, but he dodged and, with another crazy smile, bounded away through the beams on the ceiling.
"That…?" asked Yellow, barely concealing his own grin. He had a feeling the golden hedgehog wouldn't appreciate laughter, and might even use a bar on him if he even let a twitch of a smile tough his face.
"That," growled Illusion, "was Altaka. The definition of self-centered prick."
"Okay…" said Yellow, still amused.
"Don't even think it," snarled Illusion, her flat black eyes locked on the Chameleon, "The only reason I haven't killed him yet is because he's too fast for me. I'm sure you're not that fast, country boy."
Yellow, mollified and slightly mortified, nodded quickly. Illusion sounded very much like she was telling the absolute truth, and he wondered if the green hedgehog had any idea of this. Well, it wasn't as if it really mattered to him, anyway.
"Follow me, hick," said Illusion cheerfully, moving off through the machines.
Yellow, starting to become annoyed that Illusion never called him by his name, followed sullenly. Even Altaka, whom the golden hedgehog seemed to hate more than anyone he'd ever seen, had been addressed by his name! What was so hard about his?
"I'll beat you… every… time…" came a strained voice around the corner. Yellow saw through the spaces between the machines that two people seemed to be having a contest of some sort.
"Not… if I… can help it!" came the reply. Suddenly, there was a loud sound, as if something soft had been slammed into a table abruptly.
"Hah, beat you again, Macabre!" came a triumphant yell.
Illusion rounded the corner, and for the first time since he had arrived Yellow saw that she actually seemed pleased to see these two sitting and glaring at each other.
"Don't burst a vein over your win, Ersatz," said Illusion with a faint shadow of a grin, "You know Macabre will just beat you next time."
Yellow looked at the two, his gaze curious. The figure on the right… Ersatz, as Illusion had called him, was still laughing over his newest victory. He was short, with soft white fur covering his entire body; even the stiff plate on his back was pale crème in color. But, as the white-coated figure turned his head to look at Yellow, the Chameleon's eyes widened, for the armadillo's eyes were pale rose in color, the mark of an albino.
The other figure was much more normal, being of a uniform roan in fur color with a few tattoos scattered here and there over heavily muscles limbs. His spines were long and framed his face in the characteristic curve of his species, though interestingly, they were dyed in swirling colors to seem as if they were a mix of white, blue, green, and red. Despite his recent loss, he wore a broad grin on his face, his blue eyes shining with amusement. The Echidna looked fleetingly at Yellow, before beginning a lively tapping with one of his silver shoed feet.
"A new guy, eh?" he said cheerfully in a slightly accented voice, "We do'en get many of them, round 'ere."
"A new partner already, though?" said Ersatz worriedly, glancing at Illusion, "But it's only been a month since-"
"Ah, but we're being rude, Ersatz!" interrupted Macabre quickly, giving a pointed glance at the armadillo, "We 'aven't even introduced ourselves to the new recruit!"
"Sorry guy," said the albino, grinning at Yellow, "The name's Ersatz, I'm the communications extraordinaire. Macabre here is my buddy, he works on the field and on training."
"My name is Yellow," said Yellow, ignoring the strange look given to him by both of the others, "It's… nice to meet all of you."
"You ain't from 'round here, are ye?" asked Macabre, raising an eyebrow as he looked at the flustered Chameleon.
"He's a country boy," smirked Illusion before Yellow could answer. She walked over to a nearby weight machine and sat down on a seat, still looking amused, "Found him wandering by the spaceport. He wants to go planetside."
Ersatz snorted with laughter.
"Planetside!" he exclaimed, "Well, boy, you just happened to have picked one of the most difficult goals in the city! Heck, I remember when I wanted to go Planetside…"
"Did you?" asked Yellow, suddenly interested in the conversation, "Did you go?"
"Hell no!" snorted the albino, "Where is someone like me supposed to get that kind of money? I'd be lucky to get a job cleaning a transport, much less fly in one."
"Oh…" said Yellow, disappointed and a bit disheartened by the news.
"Ah, do'en sweat it, Yellow," said Macabre heartily; giving the ebony Chameleon's back a cheerful slap. Yellow staggered, knocked out of breath… he couldn't help but wonder how the much smaller Ersatz could ever beat Macabre in arm wrestling, "I'm sure you'll get your chance!"
"Well, Yellow," said Illusion as she led him to another area, "You've met our motley crew, so now you begin training."
"Wait," said Yellow, slowing, "That's all of you?"
"All that stay here," replied the golden hedgehog with a shrug, "We have a few that come and go. They're trustworthy, but I don't know them much beyond just the occasional mission."
It was only after Yellow had nodded and begun following again that he realized that Illusion had actually called him by name for once. At least she didn't want to insult him all the time, only when it suited her. Though he did wonder about what sort of training he could possibly need in this place… and what was the need of field agents and communications engineers? It seemed that this place only became more and more strange as time went by, but, if what Ersatz had said was any indication, Yellow would have to get used to it. It would be a long time before he ever got out… if he ever got out.
"Ah, here's where you'll be training for the first few days… I hope you don't mind having a crash course… well, it doesn't matter anyway," said Illusion with a derisive laugh, "Your getting a crash course! I hope you learn fast, country boy, because otherwise you'll be left in the dust!"
"I'm afraid his training will have to wait until another day," came a voice from the shadows.
"Vortex," said Illusion, turning towards the old fox and inclining her head, "What do you wish?"
"Come, there is a project I require you're assistance with," said the fox shortly, "Yellow will be fine here. I am certain that the others will take care of him while you are gone."
Yellow bristled a bit at that; it wasn't as if he were some sort of child, needing to be looked after by his elders! He could take care of himself, he had before he had arrived at the city, and he would now. Just because Vortex had taken him in didn't mean he had a right to speak of him in such a manner!
"Yellow can take care of himself," said Illusion quietly, and Vortex blinked in some sort of reaction that Yellow couldn't distinguish.
"Come," he said after a pause, and swept past the black Chameleon with barely a glance at the smaller creature. Illusion followed, and it seemed to Yellow as if she nodded to him as she walked past. Then, they were gone, and Yellow was left alone among the machinery.
"Hey, kid," said a familiar voice above as soon as Vortex and Illusion was out of sight. Yellow glanced up, and saw that Altaka had returned. The green hedgehog looked slightly less foolish now that Illusion was gone, and his face held little of the joking air that he had held before.
"My name's not kid," said Yellow angrily, "It's Yellow."
"Yellow as in… coward, perhaps?" snorted Altaka, jumping down from the beams to land with a rough thud in front of the black Chameleon, "Come on, I know that can't be your real name."
"What, and Altaka isn't yours?" asked Yellow snidely.
"Of course not," said the green hedgehog with a grin, "No one here goes by their real name. No one gives their real name to anyone except those they trust, here."
"Ah," said Yellow with a nod, beginning to understand. The customs in this place were strange, indeed. He was beginning to wonder if he had given his old nickname out by coincidence, or some sort of blind instinct…
"Heh, what's the importance of a name, anyway?" said Altaka with a snort, "I answer to Altaka, you answer to Yellow… Illusion answers to Storm Eyes…"
"But Illusion isn't her real name, either, is it?" asked Yellow, a curious look on his face.
"No… no, not at all," said the green hedgehog, his manner becoming more withdrawn as he thought about the golden crossbreed. He shook his head suddenly, and looked at Yellow with searching eyes, "You know, I wonder about you. Really, I've never seen Illusion being so nice before, even to Macabre and Ersatz. Either something happened, or it's you."
"What?" said Yellow, surprised.
"What is it about you that makes her less angry, I wonder?" mused Altaka, his eyes sparking slightly as he thought, "And how do I get it?"
Yellow just stared, eyes wide and shocked as the green hedgehog muttered to himself.
"Why…?" he began.
"Because," said Altaka with a crazy grin, "I want Illusion to like me. I've tried for years, but still she hates me… I've been serious, crazy, respectful, rude, timid… whatever you can think of, I've been."
"How about being yourself?" asked Yellow, thinking that this hedgehog was trying far to hard… was perhaps even obsessed in his mission.
"Nah, she wouldn't like that," said Altaka with a shake of his head, inching closer as he spoke, "Even I know that I'm a Grade-A asshole when I forget to be polite. I'd never have a chance… but perhaps you can tell me what she likes?"
"What?!" again, Yellow was shocked, and his suspicion that this guy really was crazy clicked firmly into place. He shook his head violently, "Why me? Can't you just ask her yourself?"
"Hey, I may be kinda crazy, but I'm not suicidal," laughed the green hedgehog, jumping up onto a machine and back down again in an instant, "Ever wonder why I stay in the rafters whenever Illusion is around? I'm just lucky she can't fly with those mutilated wings, or else I wouldn't be standing here talking with you. Besides, you're her new partner-in-training, so you'll have plenty of chances to watch and relay what you observe back to me."
"Partner-in-training?" things were just getting weirder by the minute, with this guy!
"Yeah. Illusion always has a partner. In her line of work, it's a must. The last one didn't last long, so she needs another… I guess she chose her own, this time around. None of us were expecting to see a new guy come in so fast, though. It's only been a month since…"
"Since what?" snapped Yellow, getting annoyed by all this dodging, "What are all you people trying to keep from me?!"
"Oh, just her last partner and his untimely demise," said Altaka with a slightly wicked gleam in his eye, "Since you want to know… His name was Jake, a bat. He actually seemed like he was going to last a while, but then… well, let's say that bats aren't exactly fond of crossbreeds, and he'd been tailing her for an organization. He betrayed her to that organization, almost had her killed… but Illusion can take care of herself. My, she did have fun killing him…"
"She… killed him?"
"What would you do? It was one or the other, and she certainly wasn't ready to go down," said Altaka with a shrug. Suddenly, he turned his head, eyes flaming.
"Get back to your rafters, Altaka," snorted the slightly tenured voice of Ersatz as the albino stalked around a large machine, "Leave the Chameleon alone, and stop asking for things. You know Illusion would never take you, no matter how you acted. Don't get innocents mixed up in your problems."
"And why shouldn't I make a perfectly reasonable request?" snorted Altaka, backing up with stiffened limbs. Yellow looked at the confrontation in confusion, wondering what would make the two others stand so much on edge.
"'Cause tis not 'resonable'," snorted Macabre as he came up behind Ersatz. Altaka growled, backing up a step from the others, "Ye know yer actin' like a stalker, boy. Tis time to get those foolish fantasies out 'o yer 'ead."
"Never," mumbled the green hedgehog. Suddenly, he leapt up on top of the machine and again gripped a large beam on the ceiling. In a few moments, he was lost from sight.
Yellow was still staring upwards when Ersatz tapped him on the shoulder. He yelped, jumping up, and was already mostly invisible before he caught himself.
"No need to be so jumpy, Yellow," said Ersatz cheerfully, "Though I know that Altaka has that effect on most people."
"He's so… obsessed," said Yellow quietly.
"Yeah, we know," grunted Macabre, plopping down upon a nearby bench with a frown, "Been tryin' to get 'em to snap out 'o it for a long time now. Fella just won't come an' face the facts. Heck, we can't even get 'im to talk to Illusion 'bout it."
"Why would you want him to do that?" asked Yellow.
"Because Illusion doesn't know," replied Ersatz seriously, "she thinks it's all a big joke at her expense, she has no idea that he really is obsessed with her."
"But, if you're trying to get him to tell her himself… why were you telling him that she'd never listen to him?" Yellow was truly confused now.
"'Cause," snorted Macabre, "That would be given 'im the easy way out. 'E needs to know fer sure that what 'e feels tis real, get what I'm sayin'? Plus, 'e needs to do it 'imself; we won't allow anyone else to 'elp 'em."
"I see, I think…"
"I think you do," said Ersatz with a smile, "You see, Altaka used to be a good friend, but then he sorta… drifted. We're trying to get him back to his old self before it's too late."
"But…"
"Yeah, we know he was an asshole, but he was a fun asshole," snorted the albino armadillo.