Disclaimer: I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) during this inquiry… especially for the quiet one.

~保護者~

REVIEW REPLIES:

Hello, MelGamingPlays! Oh, no, don't fall into the trap of believing that! Things are definitely kicking up, just you wait and see. ;) There are definitely things getting ready to go down...

~保護者~

"Choosing Sides"

~保護者~

"You look like you're thinking, Sonic."

In the quiet that followed the earlier conversations, this fact had become readily apparent to any and all who bothered to look. Sonic sighed, arms crossed, and said, "You better not emulate Jet here and make some snide comment about that being a bad thing."

Though Tails smiled and was visibly tempted, he held back. "I won't, I won't," he assured. At about the same moment, Sonic noticed that Steam had pulled one of his weird disappearing acts and was nowhere to be found. "I was serious, though. What's on your mind?"

Sonic took a moment to gather his thoughts while he sat down on the edge of one of the many unused beds. When he felt ready, he answered his old friend. "It's just… it feels like we're disorganized yet again. You know, like it always was whenever I had to try to be in charge. I was never that great at… erm, leading. Guess that for the most part, none of us exactly are. Even Jet has his issues trying to be in charge of people."

"That's true," Tails acknowledged, gaze lowering. "But I have to disagree with you a bit. Things have been a big mess lately, that much is obvious. To say that everything is disorganized, however… that isn't exactly right."

"I think I see where Mister Sonic is coming from," Cream, who was seated in her earlier place, unexpectedly added. "It seems that most everyone has their own agendas while also ultimately retaining the same end-goal. We all wish to see to it that these great evils are defeated, but along the way people have different matters they wish to attend to."

"Yeah, exactly," Sonic agreed with a small nod aimed at her. "I mean, Steam's here to help our timeline not fall to shit, but who knows just what exactly that entails. Shadow here," he jerked a thumb at the other hedgehog, "has an entire planet to worry about running and such. Cream and I have to train a ton before we can even be as useful as we need to be. Espio's in a mess of his own with that woman and her allies while also being dragged around by us to help with the larger issues at hand. Armaris is exclusively loyal to some goddess I've never really heard of before recently and there's no telling how or when she'll even be specifically willing or able to help us out much at any given moment because of that. And Wave and Jet… who the hell even knows what they're up to half the time."

Shadow, who was sitting on his bed again, decided to offer his input at this time. "He isn't wrong," he muttered, aiming his words at Tails via a quick shared glance. "Jet and Wave have done what they can to manage things from afar, but their guidance can only be offered so often when they have such massive threats demanding their undivided attention so much of the time."

Seeing the point, Tails inclined his head and ran his hands over his face, lifting his glasses up in the process. "...Yeah. I get it." Gears began turning in his mind as he fixed his glasses and shifted in his seat. "Right. So, what do we do? I suppose we should work that out now, while we can."

"There is little to do," Shadow stated simply. "Wars are messy, complicated affairs at the best of times. Knowing that changes little. However, being aware of the specific flaws Sonic pointed out may help us better prepare for enemy exploitation of them."

"It may be possible that our enemies might want to make use of those flaws by creating a conflict of interests," Cream said quietly. "For example, what if we are off… say, defending this world from a violent attack when Mobius suddenly becomes threatened as well? It would force a divide in both our group and the Babylonian military as both parties would then be forced to send help to Mobius. That would strain us all and, ultimately, weaken our ability to fight on both fronts."

"Shit, she's right," Sonic replied, eyes widening. "What the hell would we do if something like that did happen?"

"God, I don't even know," Tails mumbled. "But, I mean… Surely Wave, Jet, and the Queen have plans in place for that sort of thing. There's no way they wouldn't."

"The question is not whether or not those plans exist," Shadow told him, "but whether or not they will be enough."

"If something like that happened," Tails suddenly said, "we'll have to be ready, too. That means we'll have to decide who would go and who would stay. Shadow-"

The dark hedgehog crossed his arms tensely. "You already know what my answer will be."

"I was just looking to confirm," Tails assured. His gaze shifted to Sonic. "What about you?"

Blue ears lowered, Sonic felt a wave of dismay spread through his body. "Fuck, do not ask me to make that kind of choice. Both of these worlds are home to me. I can't just pick one."

Tails inclined his head. "I understand that. Believe me, I do. This isn't a choice I want to force you to make, but… it does need to be made."

Perhaps sensing that Sonic needed a moment to think, Cream spoke. "Espio-san will most certainly defend Mobius to his dying breath," she murmured, "just like Mister Shadow. If it comes to that point… I will want to be there, too."

Sonic, eyes closing tightly, swore again just as forcefully and yet more quietly than before. Then, voice breaking a little, he all-but whispered, "I… I'll go. I'll just… have to." Babylon may be home to some of the most important people in my life, and it may be home to me as well in many ways, but… Mobius is truly home, no matter how messed up and painful that home often is. I can't just leave it to die… I could never do that. Not after all the wonderful memories we made there and how goddamn hard we always fought to keep that world safe…

"And of course I would want to fight for our home, too," Tails sighed. "Out of the people in our group, that would leave just Jet, his parents, and Wave here to fight for Babylon while the rest of us left. ...Depending on where Armaris and Steam would choose to go, if they were to even get involved, of course."

"That means most of us would be leaving here," Sonic murmured. "That… wouldn't necessarily be good."

"On the flip-side, though, it wouldn't automatically be bad," Tails said slowly. "After all, there'd be three Immortals on Babylon. Plus the Babylonians have a vastly larger and more powerful military. That gives them an immediate advantage over Mobius in terms of defense."

"Then it also stands to reason that from the beginning they will be hit harder than Mobius," Shadow told them. "In theory, their forces would be able to hold out against such an assault, but there is no way to be certain without knowing precisely what said assault would be."

"Which we would not," Cream pointed out very softly. "Not unless we were very, very lucky."

Sonic started to bite into his lower lip with one of his fangs, but stopped the second he noticed what he was doing. "So, in other words… Both worlds could potentially be screwed no matter what we do."

Not usually one to sugarcoat matters as serious as this, Tails responded frankly. "It depends on a lot of factors, such as who attacks us and when, where we all are when the attack begins, and so on, but… yeah. Basically, you're correct. And all the planning we might ever do will probably wind up being pointless purely because we have no way of knowing these things."

This was utterly awful to hear. It wasn't as though this was some small "nothing" problem that they were worrying about, after all. This was a very real and very dire scenario that could easily happen at any moment. And, unfortunately… this probably wasn't even a problem that three Immortals together could fix. Not so far as Sonic knew, anyway. Still, worrying themselves sick right now wasn't going to help anything in the long-run. He knew that much from years and years of experience. Taking a breath, he tried to steady himself. "...If nothing else, we should monitor both worlds as much as possible."

"Of course," Tails readily agreed. He looked over at Shadow. "On that note, between the two of us, do you think we can accomplish full-time surveillance of Mobius?"

Shadow offered a one-shouldered shrug. "In theory."

Bemused, Sonic and Cream traded a look. Cream, trying to be tactful, started to ask, "How would you do this? I had thought his…" She trailed off, uncertain how to proceed politely when that crimson gaze shifted unhappily to her.

"You're not wrong," Tails told her, standing as he spoke. He picked up his scanner off of the small bedside table he had left it on after his earlier scan of Shadow. Without asking permission this time, he initiated another scan and began typing rapidly on his screen. "Your software's still a hot mess after all those stupid experiments Gerald and Ivo both ran on you, but I think we've fixed enough at this point that you should be able to pretty easily synch with all the systems you have on Mobius. Have you tried doing that before?"

"Yes."

"And it's worked?"

"Yes."

"Good. We should be able to get you connected even from here, if all goes well. Linking you in." Shadow blinked several times, trying to adjust his vision as fuzzy lines and strange colors briefly overtook it. He heard some distinct crackling and pops before Tails's voice faded back into focus. "Sorry, that probably wasn't the smoothest of transitions. It didn't hurt you, did it?"

"No," Shadow answered simply, not bothering to mention his continuing discomfort. With his vision clearing, he gradually shifted it from this setting to the computer he was now mentally linked to. Dipping into one of the programs he'd installed on it years ago, he remotely accessed and turned on many various cameras and other far more complicated security systems that this computer was in charge of all over the planet - and outside of it. As his awareness broadened, he said, "The immediate territory around Mobius is clear. Things are quiet for now."

Sonic stood and walked over, eyes a bit wide. "That's amazing. How'd you do that?"

For the first time in a while, Tails was able to smile a little. "His implants. It sounds awful to say, but in some ways he's more machine than organic. It… has its advantages. For one thing, he can use his mind to access, control, and otherwise use all sorts of things. Computers, high-tech weapons, security systems, robots… you name it. He can even do it on other things, like electronically locked doors, or an electric scooter, or an escalator, or… heck, maybe even a giant mech if he ever feels like giving that a shot."

Eyes roving over his brother's face, Sonic gave himself a second to process this. Shadow's mind very much seemed to be elsewhere (it probably literally was, at the moment), so he opted not to bother him for now. Instead, the slightly older hedgehog chose to pursue a new line of questioning. "So… this is new. Mind telling me what else is?"

"In relation to abilities, I take it?" Tails inquired.

"And powers," Sonic thought to add. "What all can you guys do now that's different from what Cream and I used to know?"

"Well, with the exception of Jet and Wave… we don't have as much to report as you might expect."

Sonic looked over at him in surprise. "Really?"

Tails slowed his typing, then ceased it altogether and set his scanner aside. Things were apparently looking good, or at least okay, judging by how calm he remained. "Yeah, believe it or not. For one thing, most of us haven't had any real need for trying to further develop our powers. Take me, for instance. I've lived a really quiet life, you know? No real need to further my offensive abilities. Then there's Espio, who's definitely picked up a thing or two over the years but mostly just perfected what he already had. But then you look at people like Wave, who's gotten a bunch of new abilities compared to us." He tilted his head, thought that over, then continued, "Well, maybe not quite as many as me saying 'a bunch' would imply."

"We were discussing Mister Shadow already," Cream said slowly, glancing at the hedgehog in question. "What all has changed in regards to his abilities?"

"He's definitely improved his Darkfire and other Darkness-related abilities the few times he's been able to access them," Tails reported, "and as you both know, he's now a highly skilled field medic. But, mostly, his it's his abilities through his implants and such that have changed. For example, as we just demonstrated, he can link with things in a way he just couldn't before. Plus his optical scanners are fully operational now, though they still aren't fully synced with his thoughts and he can't always instantly scan things when he wants to. But eventually the scanners should read his intentions and respond appropriately." He paused, then shrugged at them. "It's mostly just things like that."

Steam appeared in the room once more all of a sudden, glancing around to see what was happening. "What's happening?"

"We're discussing powers and abilities," Tails helpfully explained, not missing a beat. "On that note, have anything to share? We're, ah, attempting to be able to coordinate a bit more than we have been lately."

A few blinks came from the hedgehog, a touch unsure as to what should be shared before he began speaking. "I'll list it out for simplicity. Fire, some kind of magic, teleportation, speed, strength, and regeneration. I have access to Light and Darkness due to being the Neutral Balancer." He stopped for a moment before suddenly adding, "Oh, and I have Aura."

For once, it was Sonic who had already caught on to this little detail. "I'd wondered about that," he admitted. "I mean, you're green. Tokarians just aren't. But, you know, sometimes Babylonians are."

"Yeah… My grandfather was a Babylonian."

Sonic just nodded, so Tails pressed on. "How about you, Sonic?" he asked with a sly grin and a wink. "Get anything new while you were gone?"

Emerald eyes rolled. "'Gone'. Right. Sure. And no, thanks for asking." Cream giggled softly.

"I'll go ahead and vouch for Armaris' abilities, at least as far as I can assure is there based on my timeline," Steam cut in easily, crossing his arms. "She's a being of Darkness, very skilled with it. She likely has wind, fear, teleportation, hair manipulation, clothing manipulation, Darkness-based magic, a separate magic that she inherited from her father, enhanced speed and strength, and some other more passive ones that will be more relevant another time," he explained vaguely.

Cream spoke up faster than Tails, posing the very same question he had intended to. "What is 'fear'?" she asked. "I have never heard of such a power."

He took a moment to think before giving an answer. "It's a power that allows the user to cause others to see fear-inducing illusions or images of their greatest fears and/or worst memories. It's effectiveness is a little… unpredictable."

Tails caught on to the implications. "Because, I imagine, it won't always actually cause fear in some people, correct? Some would be more inclined to feel anger or aggression."

"Yeah." Steam coughed, as if asking Tails to cut it out with the minor comments before continuing. "Or, if they're legitimately incapable of feeling fear."

Sonic switched gears a little. "What about Wave? I know she has that magic, but what else?"

"That's kind of it, really," Tails shrugged. "But it gives her more than that implies. With that magic alone, she can open and close portals, animate inanimate objects, cast specific spells native to the Lost Hex Realm, clone herself, paralyze enemies, and much more."

"Impressive," Sonic found himself saying.

"Very," Cream was quick to agree. "No wonder she is so strong." She tilted her head inquisitively. "What about you?"

"Oh, there's not much to report on my end," Tails smiled. "Through mutations, I've definitely gotten some new stuff, but it's mostly limited to minor abilities. For example, technopathy. It's part of why and how I can build things so quickly and easily most of the time. Though, I'm very much still learning how to use that one."

"Mostly?" she echoed.

"Well… I did pick up a couple other weird ones. Like, I found out that if I'm careful, I can actually mix my powers now and then. For example, radiation and electricity." He paused, smiled sheepishly, then added, "Erm… that was discovered purely by accident. And, before you ask, yes. It was catastrophic."

"What else is there?" Sonic prompted, curious.

"Apparently, I can transport myself through wires, so long as there's electricity running through them," Tails added thoughtfully. "No idea why, or even how to do it deliberately. I just know I can, and I got myself stuck the last time it happened. Not really sure how I managed to get myself out of that mess. Then there's the microscopic vision thing I've explained before, hence the glasses. Plus I've managed to emit massive vibrations and shockwaves before… also on accident. Erm, via the radiation. Which was bad."

"Seems like the only real downside to these mutations," Sonic mused, "and your radiation as a whole is that you can't really control how you mutate or when and shit, huh?"

"Right," Tails nodded. "I've been trying to work on adapting to and utilizing the powers that've popped up, though, so I guess there's that."

"What about Jet, then?" Sonic asked, steering the conversation away from Tails finally.

"Oh, trust me, we do not have time to delve into that," Tails hastily replied. "We'd never finish talking about it."

Somehow… somehow, that wasn't actually surprising. At all. "Oh. Okay." Sonic thought for a second before finally saying, "Well, what about Espio? I think he's the only one left we haven't discussed."

"Like I said," Tails said, "he's mostly spent his time further perfecting what he could already do. From what I know, at least. We haven't exactly seen him much throughout the years, you know? But he's picked up a few things here and there, though I don't know how."

"Such as what?" Cream asked.

"Phasing, for one thing," Tails told them. "Plus he can create and manipulate threads made out of this odd purple or reddish (not sure which it is) energy, usually for the purpose of further manipulating his weapons during combat. Oh, and… um, I've seen him use something a bit freakier in nature, but…" He hesitated, trailed off, then rallied with, "But we'll get into that another time if it ever becomes relevant. There are a few more relevant things, anyway. For one thing, I don't know if you guys ever knew, but he's an empath. That means he can sense other people's emotions and understand them even on a subconscious level. Going along with that, he's developed an uncanny ability to detect lies without even trying most of the time."

"That sounds about right," Sonic said slowly. "I did used to notice in the past that he kinda guessed at people's feelings pretty easily…"

"Mm-hm." Tails stopped for a second, then exclaimed suddenly, "Oh! And there is one more thing. Remember his camouflaging? ...Right, of course you do. Anyway, it turns out that that ability kinda evolved over the years."

"Evolved?" Sonic echoed, perplexed. "How?"

"Getting to that. See, there's this thing called 'polymorphing'. This is the ability to transform and reshape one's body at will, sometimes partially but usually completely. The user can potentially reshape themselves down to the molecular level, even. Sometimes they can impersonate others, enhance their body for combat, and so on, all depending on their specific polymorphic capabilities. Users with particularly flexible abilities can manipulate their form at will, mix and match abilities and traits, form limbs into weapons, and more."

When neither Cream nor Sonic offered any commentary, Tails merely continued. "This differs from normal shapeshifting," he explained, "in how detailed and specific the abilities are, how many abilities one person with this power can have and access, and so on. As I said, it seems these developed in Espio as a sort of off-shoot of his camouflage-related powers, including but not limited to basic camouflage itself and invisibility. Some of his polymorphic abilities, however… kinda took a more dramatic turn than others when they evolved and, as a result, can't exactly be used for camouflage in the traditional sense. They're still great for disguise, though!"

Utterly bemused, Sonic prodded, "...Care to elaborate?"

"Tell you what," Tails said. "I'll give a few specific examples. He let me do a scan on him once, so I know what specific transformations he's unlocked (so to speak) and, thus, has used at least once before. But, I can't list everything since it might take too long."

"Okay," Sonic agreed.

Free to speak again, Tails resumed doing just that. "One ability I've noted him using before is what's known as 'adaptive appearance'. Essentially, these are non-permanent transformations based on adaptions the user has. In his case, he has special adaptions to (and thus resistance against) extremely harsh and cold weather, and to natural energies such as Life Magic, both because of where he grew up. So, he's able to polymorph based on those things. Like, for example, if you had this ability, Sonic, you'd be able to turn yourself into fire because you're resistant to it. Cream would be the same way with psychic energy."

"Wow," Cream murmured, eyes a bit wide.

Tails nodded. "Yeah. He's also got access to a much more morbid one that's quite appropriately referred to as the 'Post-Mortem Form'. This actually encompasses a variety of forms. Essentially, the user of this particular polymorphic ability can transform into anyone or anything they have ever killed, in the process gaining access to all of their unique knowledge, powers, and memories as well. Of course, they also take on the voice and such as well. Only downside is that, aside from retaining the ability to shift back, the user seems to lose access to their own powers while essentially inhabiting another's body."

Sonic swallowed hard. Morbid is right… that's fucking creepy. Sure, it probably had its uses here and there, but even so…

"The last one I'll mention right now is probably the one you'll see him use most frequently," Tails continued. "But it's not really one polymorph. It's sort of a collection of them, really. Basically, he can polymorph into all sorts of natural things in order to hide himself. For example, if in water for whatever reason, he could make himself water as well so as to remain undetected. If in the sky, he could turn into pure air. That sort of thing. But, mind you, I don't know what specific polymorphs of this kind he can or necessarily will use. This is just the type of polymorph he would use."

"How did Espio-san even gain such abilities?" Cream queried.

"I think it was kind of inevitable, really," Tails answered her. "See, camouflaging itself is a subcategory of polymorphism, as are the regeneration ability that lizards tend to be gifted with and the special sort of healing factor he's always seemed to have. More on that another time, by the way, if it ever comes up again. Anyway, point being, he's already had abilities that fall under the broad category of 'polymorphism', and he has for a long time. Clearly his abilities have, from the beginning, been inclined to develop in that area further."

"That… makes sense. I think." Sonic crossed his arms. Sort of, anyway. The three of them fell silent for a long moment, but he was quick to cut into it. "You have anything to add, Cream? You've been real quiet throughout most of this."

She smiled at him. "No, I am alright. I prefer to listen, honestly. That alone tends to answer my questions."

"Alright." Sonic was about to say something else, but stopped short when Wave suddenly walked back into the room.

"Hey, you lot. Jet's back." She jerked her head to motion them all out of the room. "Come on. We're going to meet with the queen."

~保護者~

4,289 words this time. Hope you all enjoyed and, as always, many thanks to Blazing Winds for all of his help! Posted (at about 10:55 a.m.) 09-06-19.