Author's notes: It is time for the next chapter of the story. Who is this mysterious person who spoke from the com radio. It is time to find out and more. But first, a response to a review from my loyal internet friend, Leodragon678, who further strengthens my resolve to write this story till the very end:

Ch6: Well, we have yet to determine who his unseen guide is. Even if he is Tails' long lasting friend, he certainly isn't in mint condition. Shadow definitely wasn't. Oh, by the way, what do you think of my story cover art? I drew it myself, as well as my profile pic. Despite that, they're far from my best work, but still, even if I spent only an hour on it, do you like it?

Alright, let's go:

Chapter 7: An Avertable Event

Listening to my guide may not have been such a splendid idea after all, and yet, this place is his good acquaintance, and defying him might just lower my odds of getting out alive. I can only hope that my existence doesn't end up discarded either way.

I found myself even more puzzled than before once the gate was up and the feral was avoided. Taking advantage of the directions most predators disregard, the scaffolding became just as good hiding spot as the crates. Never looking up, the creature passed by me, and once its back was turned, a simple drop from the scaffolding and towards the inclined direction I went.

I could've sworn I heard voices coming from every direction as I walked up to the metal door. Weird whispers, similar to the ones I hear whenever I touch one of these artefacts, but this time, they felt different, somewhat unnerving. Brushing it off as wind whistling through the cracks in walls, I entered the door.

A set of overwhelmingly branching hallways is the only way I could describe my newfound surroundings. At least, that is how the map presented this area from which I could only observe its tiny fraction. The north-western and south-western part of the map housed a more recent storage room and an excavation site, respectively. North of me, behind many thick walls, was a small compartment labeled "Tool shed". There was a metal door in the middle that lead to even more of these conjoined hallways, all ultimately converging to an "Auxiliary shaft". I knew there was a metal door separating these two sets of hallways as the map clearly differentiated them from other types of doors, and the door I just passed through was also marked as such.

My attempts at memorizing the map were interrupted by a transmission from the com radio:

"Ah, the prophecy of a wanderer taking its hike past the gates of protection has come true, and now I shall reveal what begs to be undressed." He spoke sanctimoniously.

"A demolition must be performed if we are ever to meet. A glorious destruction, courtesy of a giant metal monster sitting idly among the cold stone barrier. It craves its power juice greedily, and will only bend to your will if you accept the role of its provider. As for the beverage itself, it is kept where the role of keeping is assumed."

I thought the last of his instructions were spoken, but the rest of his words were spoken after a few seconds delay:

"By the way, you may know me as Silver. It is the name I was given, yet now its purpose eludes me, as does my past. Regardless, even if I no longer consider my name assigned at birth, it is the only one that I can bear, and no other would be close to fetching as this one."

I immediately recalled Silver to be one of the many names my father uttered. Unlike with the others, he didn't disclose much about him, most likely due to his remoteness. Silver apparently came from a disaster-stricken future, a couple centuries away, and his disposition at the moment of his debut resembled that of Shadow. A deliberately created misunderstanding made him a foe to Sonic, but as the facts became straightened out, the hatchet was buried. For some reason, these events were kept obscure, and the gray hedgehog with golden eyes never really got much development over the years. His ability is psychokinesis, as he is able to remotely move objects, regardless of type.

His current status was made an exception, since nobody could tell whether the future-dweller was missing or not. In his time, he might have as well been missing for ages, seeing as the compassionate and naive hedgehog exhibited a personality unlike him. A victim of a long lasting cabin fever, possibly coupled with disturbing circumstances to which I still remain oblivious. Nevertheless, I would have to scour this place clean, regardless of the instructions I received.

The hallways were narrower than in the previous area, though the scaffolding and the crates are the two things they shared in common. It didn't take long to discover an infestation of ferals roaming around, staying alert for any prey worth of being ripped to shreds. Luckily for me, patience is a virtue of mine, and the boxes provided beyond adequate cover.

While moving sneakily from cover to cover, I passed by a gate leading to the Auxiliary Shaft door. I grunted in annoyance as I ascertained that the gate was barred from the other side by a sturdy looking wooden plank. Neither my hammer nor my pick fit through the gap in the gate. I needed another tool, and so I decided to pay a visit to the Tool Shed.

My decision was backed up immediately by my companion, who undoubtedly recalled that my duties aren't going to go as smoothly as they could.

"My mind must have become a gaping hole, as you linger instead of taking action. The four legged beasts are comprised of vigor, and hurdles are in vain where vandalism is unbounded. This particular one is an exception, yet it is pointless if the side you're on requires no thumbs to shift its position. And on that side I meticulously added a cautionary measure, as to not tempt my fate. But fret not, as you are graced with handiness these creatures yearn to possess. A saw waits for your arrival in the shed. You already know ensues next."

A saw could fit through the gap easily, so I carefully made my way to the tool shed, but not before 'he' interrupted again.

"You must think I am a wreck, a terrible excuse for a guide. My voice may be far from golden, but my words are an absolute, the unyielding constants of the universe. I despise that my uncoordinated and unfitting voice taints my honeyed words with lead, but I despise a lot more those who selfishly consider a teeny bit of lead poisoning a valid reason to discard my sentences as putrid. This is my final warning." He rambled angrily, based merely on an assumption that caught itself in his mind.

Brushing of the signs of instability coming from Silver, I set foot into the tool shed, a cramped, but well-lit room. Besides the grearly sought out saw, I managed to find some batteries just in the nick of time. The glow from the slim green stick remains noticeably dimmer than the glares of my old flashlight, so it still served the purpose of a backup while the ever-ravenous torch was vaguely familiar with the bottom of my bag. Among the barren shelves was a note that further described the artefacts and hypothesized about their origins, believing them to be naturally generated.

The note disclosed some abnormalities regarding the research team that found its way here to study said artefacts. It didn't mention my father by name, but I had my doubts about the existence of more than one research team, so I made sure not to skim over it like I would do with any other note. The abnormalities weren't explicitly unimaginable, mostly members going temporarily missing, with the structural integrity as the sole culprit behind these disappearances.

Seeing everything there is to see in the shed. I followed the signs to the storage hatch, where I assumed I would find that 'power juice' Silver ranted on about. I was met with a mixture of confusion and disappointment as the door refused to budge. It was difficult enough avoiding these ferals and regaining composure whenever one of them found itself in my direct line of sight, but I felt as if there really shouldn't have been an issue in here.

A few seconds after my departure from the storage entrance, my friend decided to make a call in my direction:

"I apologise that my memory is as hollow as an empty barrel, a gaping hole would have been of use to you more if it weren't in my memory. You desires were unfortunately met with a disasterous attempt at entry, as you cannot breach the inner sanctum of the place of storing" he rambled, before his emotions took a turn for the worse:

"Do you choose now not to trust me? I am not be as perfect like a hanging picture, and my echoes are shrill as a sickly pest, but my words are cunning, an epiphany from beneath the underworld. I hope your twisted morality is a better friend than me, because it remains your only friend now." he shouted furiously, believing his assumption to be true.

And so, our unorthodox friendship was shattered, as instantaneously as it began, and I rolled my eyes at this short-lived charade. My impression didn't last long, as a few seconds later the silence was broken yet again:

"S-silver feels apologetic, I should not have done what I did. You see, the ever brewing turmoil is an evil burden, comparable to being rolled in fecal matter, and with mere contact, it rubs on others. I was so alone, my hope was murdered and poor Silver couldn't escape the stench of its decomposing remains.", he explained sorrowfully.

"There is hope after all for you. There is a path, the cave and the storage may not be similar at all, however a way was carved between them. Only those gifted with a clear mind and unscathed body can pass. Good luck, friend" he said before he ended the transmission.

The only location I can assume would be a cave is the one labeled as "Excavation" on the map, and I had no trouble reaching it, since that path was mostly overlooked by the ferals. I knew immediately that I was right once I set foot, as I could gaze at the beautiful cave with its stalagmites and stalactites beautifully reflecting the light from the many LED mine lights. The cave was wider in the middle, with one half of the floor elevated compared to the other. On the elevated part stood a single table, and on it, yet another artefact that I would touch. The other part had boxes filled with mineral water and a broken ladder. The end of the cave sheltered a small, misty trench which had an uneasy vibe to it, so I avoided going into it.

An small tunnel was present on the stone wall, three feet from the ceiling. I could have reached it with the ladder, if it wasn't broken on the floor in two uneven pieces. Still, I could utilize that perfectly, as I threw the longer part of the ladder onto one of the cable holders. It took a few leaps from the elevated area, but I managed to grasp the ladder and enter the tunnel.

I would regret that only half a minute later. The tridentented tunnel system was swarming with giant, leathery eggs that looked like they could burst at any second. They eventually did, and from each and every one came out a giant spider. I was in a nightmare, surrounded by spiders, having no room to maneuver, and the ceiling was too low for me to sprint out of there. My restless thoughts paced back and forth, only one of them useful. I pointed the flashlight at the damned arachnids, which winced at the blinding white light.

I went as fast as I could, my flashlight almost reached its limits as the cursed eight legged abominations crawled creepily from every direction. My knees swayed and my heart was mere inches away from jumping out of my chest. Finally, at the end of the tunnel, I knocked out a supporting column with my pick, causing a part of the cave to collapse, severing me from the spiders. A few thin stone walls separated me from the very end, and as the last one fell, so did I.

I crashed on the cold paved floor. Looking around, I saw many metallic shelves storing piles and piles of food rations, and deduced that I did, infact, reach the storage area. Standing up straight, I evaluated my current condition. My muscles were sore from the fall, and drops of blood trickled from several small holes, blind spots nibbled on by these terrifying oversized lurkers. My arachnophobia only made my condition worse, I couldn't catch a breath and my head pulsed with a dull pain. As I was in my near-breakdown state, Silver contacted me again.

"The white box with the cross should mend your bites, in case the spiders found you to be a delicacy. How do I know that your fluids are leaking, you wonder? Because it is I, Silver, who pulled a trick on you!" he declared.

"They were far from necessary evil, but a well deserved punishment. You thought my mind was lost to the ravages of time, and justice served cold struck you as an equal countermeasure. Now that we are even in our wrongdoings, I hope we can now be good friends."

My head filled up with great fury when these words were spoken, but it quickly dispersed as my body used its remaining energy to resist the urge to collapse again. I regsined control over my breathing and dragged myself to the medicine cabinet, from where I happily grabbed a painkiller.

Right now, I'm losing blood, but I should be ok.