It was bright Chris noted in calm disinterest when he regained consciousness
its cold too and wet
Perhaps he was concussed in the crash?
Chris felt understandably confused as to why wasn't he reacting more violently
or maybe shock
Chris mused belatedly his surroundings were blurry too he focussed a little harder gathering his scattered wits about him
I'm under water and still breathing strange, hurts to move too, I hope sonic and the others escaped the blast range
I'm definitely under some kind of drugs this feels just like when I totalled that car I bought
although come to think of it considering I then crashed a sub and then the tornado maybe Helen and Sonic were right about my vehicle driving skills…nah Uncle Sam would have told me when he taught me.
Lets see attention span of a gnat or Sonic
blasé attitude in the face of a possibly dangerous situation
Chris raised his hand in the water coming into contact with a glass barrier, he tapped lightly Tap! Tap!
Suspended in a glass tank of some kind with breathable water
Tap! Tap!
Chris looked up into the no longer blurry distance
an old man in a white suit stood in front the tank looking curious
He had greying brown hair than came down to his chin and kind brown eyes, his face worn down by age but not overly so, more in the manner of someone who had seen too much, it gave him a sense of dignity he rather resembled a old scraggy lion.
The man then raised his hand and placed it against the glass
Four fingers?
Chris mentally shrugged and placed his own hand against the glass
his own friend was a blue spiky midget hedgehog who was he to judge
Chris the waved his hands about in a way indicating he wanted out of the tank
the man shook his head with a wry amused expression on his face and held his hand in front of him in a gesture commonly known in all universes as "find someone else I'll be walloped if I do"
Chris crossed his arms and pouted causing the man on the other side to grin he then vanished from view letting Chris take in his surroundings.
A hospital a very advanced one by the looks of it more tanks with people in them it looked like the water was healing them somehow
Nanotechnology in healing!
Incredible, advanced doesn't even begin to describe it
Tails would love this, heck I love it this is totally wicked
I want that for my birthday!
…what day is this anyway?
Chris turned around in the tank and looked for a sign to identify the date only to pause when looking at his legs
What in the world?
Green, solid crystal, his legs weren't just encased in crystal but were made of it he could still feel normal he could still move them it just looked weird
Chris quickly checked his body for any more changes
I'm eighteen again yay!
Still have that stab mark Black Narcissus gave me…git.
Need a hair cut ugh I look like my mother
That last remark was said with a cringe his mother was always trying to get him to grow out his hair she said it would look nicer
his grandfather had choked on his own spit, Danny and Francis had nearly laughed themselves sick whereas his father had shivered and abruptly legged it, Apparently when his dad married his mom he'd had long hair she'd attempt to style his hair which usually ended as bad as her cooking attempts.
His hair was down to his bum he grabbed it and yanked it lightly
Maybe I could layer it like Sonics looks like at the back it'd be longer and wouldn't be spiked up cause the weight but it would look cool I suppose…
He brought his crystal legs up to his chest and examined them
Wait not crystal, chaos emerald! I recognise that sheen anywhere
I wonder if I've gained any special abilities…
Chris paused
just how doped up am I to accept all this so easily, I get the feeling if I was in my right mind right now I'd just break down and weep…
Tap! Tap! Tap!
Chris spun around, the man from before was there and it looked like he'd brought company.
A short man in his late teens with orange hair with green eyes wearing what looked to be a grey jumpsuit and an aura of impatience who looked like he'd rather be somewhere else was tapping away at the controls at the side of the tank.
it was then that the water in the tank began to drain.
Chris would later conclude that changing from breathing oxygenated water to real oxygen in the span of one minute while a technological marvel felt like hacking up his spine through his mouth and vowed never to be that injured as to require the healing tank ever again, even if he found it awesome
"ouch that looked painful so have you learnt your lesson about getting hurt or do I have to put you back in the tank again"
Chris looked up at the older man the younger having walked of a while ago and cast a withering glance that just screamed try it and die
The older man just laughed delightedly
"So you got a name kid"
"Christopher or just Chris" replied Chris his voice a little rough from all the hacking up water
"Mines Juana we can talk more later, here take these there's a room you can dry off and get changed in, I took the liberty of finding something to hide those weird legs of yours" Juana pressed a grey ribbon tied paper package into Chris's hands and pushed the unsteady teen to the door
the room itself was rather sparse with a shower cubicle sink and toilet he gently placed the package on the toilet turned on the shower waited for the right heat striped himself of the swim boxers he'd been provided and stepped in he sighed in exhaustion and delight at the warm water battering his tired body washing away the glop from before he leaned against the wall of the cubicle and shut his eyes
Now that the drugs were being flushed from his body he could think clearly
Where am I and what's happening to me?
what if sonic and the others think I'm dead?
how am I alive do the others even know I'm alive?
What about my family and friends what if I never see them again?
Chris scrubbed himself with the shampoo and body scrub provided in the cubicle trying to distract himself from any more morbid thoughts.
A little while later Chris was dried and looking at the package Juana had given him in side was a almost identical lab coat, shirt and trousers combo outfit to the one Chris had been wearing when working on the portal to Sonics world though it was slightly different being made of tougher material Chris especially loved the comfy black boots that went up to the base of his knees with a single white stripe down the side and vowed that he'd take them home come hell or high water.
Looking at his reflection in the mirror he spotted the silver ribbon used to tie the package and improvised it to tie his long hair in a pony tail to keep it out of his way.
now smirking at his reflection he met Juana at the door
"Ready now" asked Juana eyeing Chris's outfit in approval and gesturing him to follow
"Yes, nice choice by the way I like it where'd you get my size?" Chris asked while trying to map the confusing labyrinth of corridors
"When you were unconscious and there was a picture in your crashed ship" replied Juana easily
"Oh" there wasn't really much to say to that.
They approached a door with a name plate stating Juana Morgan
"Here's my office In you go we need to talk" he ushered Chris inside the door.
The office itself was large and had several unrecognisable landscape portrait's a two sofa facing each other a table in between.
"I'd offer you something to eat but in all the commotion your arrival caused I've been to distracted to shop I've got tea and tomato soup you want some id imagine your hungry"
"thanks Juana soups fine"
"Now lets get started shall we your arrival on Mobius used some form of chaos control from what our scientists have theorised indicating some form of un controlled energy flux" at this Juana looked up at Chris "Care to explain?"
It took Chris some time to explain everything that had happened he started at when he first met sonic up to present day Chris found Juana to be a great audience he gasped at all the right bits and asked all pertinent questions when he finished Chris was feeling rather tired
"that's quite a story Christopher from what I gather you've ended up on an alternate Mobius there is a sonic here however he is not the sonic you know, as it is I'm most interested in your home planet Earth"
At Chris's somewhat puzzled look he elaborated what he said woke Chris up into a near panic.
"This is not well known but nearly 12,000 years ago, during Earth's 21st century, the alien race called the Xorda came to the planet to offer an alliance to humanity.
However, a science team led by Dr. Ivan Kintobor instead captured the Xorda's emissary and imprisoned it. After probing it for knowledge for various information, the team then dissected the alien.
In response, the Xorda attempted to wipe out all life on the planet.
As vengeance for murdering their emissary, the Xorda bombarded the planet with Gene Bombs which were made to genetically destroy only the human population but preserve the rest of the life on the planet as it was at the time.
Many of Earth's human life was wiped out
Instead of preserving the planet's environment, the Gene Bombs caused massive volcanic eruptions which sent billions of tons of ash and dirt into the planet's atmosphere. This is known as the First Day of Fury in Echidna theology. It also resulted in the creation of the Chaos Emeralds, and the rapid evolution of the animal kingdom which formed Mobians as well as creating a new breed of four fingered humans known only as the Overlanders.
The Xorda attack on the planet marked the end of Earth and the beginning of Mobius."
Chris looked horrified "do not worry Christopher your home planet is fine they came in the early 21st century your Earth has already passed the deadline though it may be prudent to warn them if you return…"
That last part was murmured but Chris took it to heart he was not about to let such an easily avoidable tragedy happen ever again.
Juana yawned "Right its getting late my office is only the entrance to my private rooms there's a spare bed in the guest room.
we can finish this conversation tomorrow we have been talking for most of the day.
I may have the solution to the problems with your legs but we will talk about that later after some research. Your rooms second door to the right the bathroom is opposite some pyjamas' in the closet Goodnight."
As Chris lay on his bed that night and looked out the window at the starry sky with a dozens of moons
I won't give up Sonic I'll find a way back home.
I refuse to quit.
Next time we meet I'll be strong enough to stand besides you instead of behind you.
I'll protect everyone with my own strength!
Meanwhile Sonic X verse
Blue Typhoon
Main Bridge
Sonic lent on the bridge railing looking at the stars just looking not really concentrating on anything only to be startled when Eggman stood beside him
"Its unusual for me to be able to sneak up on you like this I might thing you were loosing your touch."
"What is it this time Eggman" sonic asked tiredly not in the mood to exchange witty remarks
"Strait to the problem as usual I need to ask you something serious" sonic looked at Eggman curiously
"You remember when Christopher and Cosmos were kidnapped and Chris was injured" sonic nodded and shivered how could he ever forget..
"You know the chances that Christopher being alive are slim what I'm asking is to try to control yourself if we don't find him alive"
Sonic looked at Eggman sharply Eggman held up his hands in a placating gesture.
"Sonic I'm really serious in that base you looked genuinely murderous.
If I had arrived a second later Black Narcissus would have most likely ended up splattered against the wall, I don't think you could tell friend from enemy"
Sonic shivered again and lowered his head "I know but Chris is my friend and not like Tails and the others I don't know how to explain it, its just different" sonic roughly dragged a hand through his quills and shot a look at Eggman he sighed in defeat
"but I'll try to control it for the sake of my friends"
Eggman nodded and made his way to the door "that's all I can ask"
"And Eggman?" Eggman looked back at sonic pausing at the door
"for the record I believe in Chris he's a tenacious stubborn guy almost worse than me!" this was said in Sonics signature thumbs up pose and cocky grin
Eggman gave a amused bark of laughter
"ha ha ha of that I have no doubt whatsoever"
both Sonic and Eggman had a vivid flash backs to when Chris broke the steel bars restraining him and snatched the chaos emeralds refusing to let them go even as they burned him
"goodnight.. Rodent!" Eggman walked out the door closing it behind him.
Sonic blew a raspberry and promptly hopped onto the observation deck and laid down in Chris's old seat where he watched the stars pass by slowly drifting off to sleep.
It was a big day tomorrow searching planets for the emeralds would take a while, probably a few months but Sonic had faith thing would turn out ok, he just knew it.
