CHAPTER 13

SONIC

"Ohmigod!" Tikal gasped. "I can't believe this!"

Knuckles couldn't either. This can't be possible!

But it was. Almost every capsule looked like it held clones of Chaos Zero, Chaos Two, Chaos Four, or Chaos Six.

Tikal fell on her knees and stared at the capsules. "This isn't real!" she exclaimed. "It can't be!"

Knuckles was just as stunned. How was Eggman able to clone Chaos? Chaos was living water and nothing more. He had no DNA. Knuckles looked down at the princess. "Are you all right?" he asked.

Tikal used his arm for support as she slowly stood up. "No," she said truthfully. "I am not."

She clung to him in horror. He wrapped his arms around her body to keep her from falling over. "We have to do something," he told her. "Eggman won't get away with this. We can't let him!"

"But what are we going to do?" she asked looking up at him.

He clenched his fists in anger. "We'll have to destroy them." he declared.

Tikal wasn't sure she wanted to. "But what if one of them is the real Chaos?" she asked.

Knuckles said nothing to that question for a few minutes. Finally he replied. "Tikal, if one of them is the real Chaos he wouldn't be with the others."

"Bu what if Eggman put him with the rest to confuse us?"

"He wouldn't do that. If he did he'd become confused himself."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

Knuckles let her go and started to walk up to the capsules. "We need to destroy these," he said slowly. "If we don't he'll use them to take over the world."
Tikal still wasn't sure she wanted to do that. "Why would he clone Chaos?" she asked, hoping he'd know the answer.

Knuckles had no idea. "I don't know," he said. "Maybe he wants to use the clones for a scare tactic."

"Where would he put the real Chaos?" she asked.

"We'll have to look everywhere."

"Where do we start?"

Knuckles pointed to a door directly to their left. "Let's start there."

"All right."

They walked warily toward the door keeping an eye out for traps or security lazers. They soon discovered there was none of either and could breathe a little easier. They made it safely to the door.

The same time Knuckles and Tikal opened the door and headed inside they bumped into Sonic who was heading out. "Hey!" the blue hedgehog exclaimed, staring at the two echidnas. "Fancy meeting you two here. What's up?"

"We're here to get the last pieces of the Master Emerald," Knuckles began.

"And find Chaos and get him out of here," Tikal finished.

"Didn't you guys see the clones?" Sonic asked.

They nodded.

"You'll be here for hours."

"So you're leaving?" Knuckles asked hopefully. He did not want Sonic tagging along with him and Tikal.

"Nope," Sonic answered.

Knuckles fell over.

"I'm glad you're going to be here," Tikal said, looking greatfully at the blue hedgehog. "Will you help us find Chaos?"

Sonic grinned at her. "Sure, why not?" he said and took the echidna princess' hand.

Knuckles jumped to his feet and took her other one. "Let's go," he said.

Sonic's face filled with amusement. "All right! Just follow the yellow brick road!" He started striding down the corridor singing. "We're off to find the Doctor! The evil Doctor we'll find!"

"Stop singing!" Knuckles yelled. "You're voice stinks!"

Tikal giggled.

Sonic started laughing. Knuckles raised an eyebrow. "What's so funny?" he asked.

"You're one to talk," the blue hedgehog explained. "Your voice sounds like someone dropped gravel down your throat."

Knuckles' face turned pink. "It does not!" he yelled in Sonic's face.

"Then why are you acting so defencive?" his rival asked.

Knuckles ground his teeth.

Tikal put her hand over her mouth to stop her giggles.

Knuckles got ahold of himself. "Let's just keep walking," he said very calmly. "This discussion is stupid. We have more important things to worry about. Namely finding those Shards and Chaos."

Sonic shrugged. "Whatever you say."

The Master Emerlad Guardian glared at Sonic. "What is that suppost to mean!" he demanded.

Before a fight broke out Tikal intervened. "Let's look in there," she said, pointing at a door ahead of them.

"Okay," Sonic agreed.

They walked over to the door. Sonic put out his hand and opened it. The three walked inside.

"I don't see anything," Knuckles said squinting in the darkness. "It's too dark."

"Maybe this will help," Tikal said.

"What?" the two guys asked, looking in the direction her voice had come from.

Tikal put a Chaos Emerald in the staff she'd found in the ruin. As soon as the stone rested in the top clasps it glowed brightly giving off a pale red light.

"What is that?" Sonic asked, staring at the thing.

"The Staff of Ancients," she replied.

Knuckles looked around in the pale red light. "What is that?" he asked, pointing at something ahead of them.

Sonic and Tikal looked in the direction the red echidna had pointed. They saw something weird ahead of them. "Is that?" the echidna princess asked, walking toward whatever it was.

The two boy followed her.

When they were close enough Tikal put her hand over her mouth in shock. "Is that... It can't be!"

"What?" Sonic asked, as he and Knuckles stood beside her.

She pointed. The guys looked up.

"Oh my god..."

They all saw what looked like Perfect Chaos in a huge tank before them.

"How did he do that?" Knuckles asked. "I hope he's not planning on turning that thing loose."

"I hope not," Tikal said, holding the staff against herself. "but how did he clone Perfect Chaos and where is the real Chaos?"

"What if that is the real Chaos?" Sonic asked.

Tikal fell to her knees. "Please don't be," she prayed, her head down. "Please do not be..."

"Tikal?" Knuckles asked kneeling beside her. "Tikal? Are you all right?"

She looked up at him. Her eyes sparkled with tears. "This is all my fault!" she exclaimed. Then she flung herself against his chest sobbing. "All my fault! I shouldn't have pleaded to be released! I should have stayed with him!"

Sonic looked at Knuckles. "What is she talking about?"

"You would never understand," Knuckles replied.

"Why not?"

"This is just for me and Tikal to work out," the echidna snarled.

The blue hedgehog backed off. "Okay... Whatever..."

Knuckles rubbed Tikal's back and tried to comfort her. "It's not your fault," he told her. "It wasn't anybody's. You didn't know."

"I should have guessed," she wailed.

Knuckles held her tight and said nothing. He feared if he did he'd make things worse.

Sonic began nervously shifting his weight from foot to foot. "Uh, guys," he said. "Should I leave you two alone for a few minutes?"

The two echidna's looked up. They both put on embarressed faces. Quickly they stood up.

"Uh no, you don't have to," Tikal said rubbing her arms.

Knuckles held in a laugh. For some reason Sonic's ackwardness and Tikal's embarressment seemed funny. Then he lost it. He fell over on his back laughing loudly.

Soon Tikal joined in with quiet giggles and Sonic chuckled. Soon all three were rolling on the floor with laughter.

After a few minutes Tikal was the first to get ahold of herself. "Okay," she said looking at the two guys. "We have to figure out a way to get rid of that monster. We can't let Eggman release it into the sea. If he does it will most likely destroy anything in its path."

"You're right, Tikal," Knuckles agreed. "But how are we going to destroy it?"

"Good question," she said. "Maybe Super Sonic will work."

Sonic shook his head. "We don't have the seven Chaos Emeralds here," he pointed out. "I can't turn into Super Sonic unless we do."

They were back at square one.

"Maybe Eggman has the Chaos Emeralds around here?" Tiakl suggested after a few minutes.

"And how will we find them?" Knuckles asked. "You don't think Eggman would just leave them lying around do you? They could be anywhere."

"Well that's what you're here for," Sonic said grinning. "You're a treasure hunter. Start hunting."

"Please," Tikal pleaded, doing that cute thing with her face and hands.

Knuckles didn't feel like arguing anyway. "All right."