Chapter 12
Eggman laughs again as Dark Sonic throws Knuckles at the rest of the group then turns back towards him. Shadow and Blaze manage to catch him before he hits the ground. "Ha! That's original," Dark Sonic said tapping her foot.
"Are you okay?" Blaze asked as Knuckles coughs rubbing his throat,
"I'll… Live…" He said as he gets up to his feet.
"Couldn't you think of anything cooler?" Dark Sonic said sarcastically,
"Enough back talk!" Eggman yelled,
"As you wish," Dark Sonic said with a shrug. Tails placed all of the pieces together realizing that all of this was part of Eggman's scheme.
"This was his plan all along…" Tails said,
"What do you mean?" Shadow said,
"Eggman needed Chaos energy to complete her transformation. And we fell for it…" She said,
"Right you are Tails," Eggman said, "I used the same hypnotic suggestion on myself to remove that idiot Professor Ivo from my mind. But I knew it wouldn't be as easy for someone with a Chaos Emerald protecting them. So I tainted the thing protecting her, and the result is better that I could have imagined." He praises himself.
"What do we do?" Cream asked as they all give one another glances trying to think of a plan.
"Now Dark Sonic…" Eggman points at them and smiles, "Break them."
"With pleasure," She said getting ready to dash towards them,
"Blaze… Get Cream and Tails out of here…" Knuckles said, giving Shadow a knowing look. Both of them knew they all were reaching their limit and they had to try and escape.
"You're in no condition to fight!" Cream protested as Dark Sonic dashes forward in the blink of an eye appearing in front of Tails. Shadow grabs her by the collar and pulls Tails out of the way of a kick that swings next to her.
"Aw! I missed," Dark Sonic said sounding disappointed then turning towards Tails and Shadow, "It won't happen again." Shadow looks at Tails,
"We don't have time to argue! Go, now!" she yelled as she pushes Tails towards Blaze and Cream and runs at Dark Sonic. They clash quickly moving around the room in blue and black blurs. "Sonic, snap out if it!"
"We gotta go!" Cream grabs Tails' arm pulling her towards the exit.
"You'll have to get past me first!" Eggman said moving the robot in their path as Knuckles runs in front of them,
"Why do you think I'm here?" He said punching one of the legs as in bends in and begins to lose its balance falling over out of their way.
"Blast you!" Eggman yelled trying to rebalance the robot.
"Keep moving!" Blaze said pushing both Cream and Tails forward. None of them could keep track of Dark Sonic and Shadows fight. They were too fast, and Shadow knew Dark Sonic had the upper hand with a fully charged Chaos Emerald.
"I see what you're doing Shads, but you're gonna have to do better than that to save your friends." Dark Sonic said as she disappears. Shadow stops, looking around trying to see where she went when she appears behind Blaze, kicking her in the back of the head causing her to be thrown into a wall.
"Blaze!" Cream scrams in fear as Blaze falls from the wall unconscious. Sonic looks at Cream and Tails they both freeze in fear as she began to get ready to strike again.
"Not on my watch!" Knuckles runs up swinging a fist at Dark Sonic, she jumps back and laughs,
"Aww, protecting them won't keep them safe." She said running up and grabbing his arm and throwing him over her shoulder to the ground, "I already took out Blaze with one kick to the back of the skull. I wonder how many hit's it'll take to open you up like a piñata." She chuckles. Tails was in shock; the person in front of her this Dark Sonic was playing with them and she was enjoying it. She could no longer recognize her best friend.
"Tails! Help me get her up!" Cream begged with tears in her eyes as Tails snaps out of it. She knew this wasn't the time to freeze… They'll all die if they don't get out of there. She helps Cream pull Blaze up by the shoulders and start to drag her towards the exit.
"Not so fast!" Eggman said as he manages to get one of the arms to swing towards them. Shadow runs up and spin dashes through the hand stopping the attack.
"Go! We'll hold them off." Shadow said as Dark Sonic throws Knuckles into the air. Tails and Cream reluctantly continue towards the submarine making it to the staircase.
"Forgot how slow you were Knux," Dark Sonic joked kicking him back down into the ground.
"Sonic… You gotta fight…" Knuckles was struggling to talk as Dark Sonic comes down on his ribs.
"What was that? I couldn't hear you over the sound of you coughing up blood." She laughed, Just as Shadow could see Tails and Cream were out of sight she runs back and kicks Dark Sonic off on Knuckles. "Two against one? That's not a fair fight." She teased as she got back up to her feet, "Not fair for you."
"Saya please, I know you're in there." Shadow tried pleading with her as she helps Knuckles to his feet. He was having trouble breathing and she could tell he wasn't going to hold out much longer.
"Didn't you hear Robotnik?" Dark Sonic said spin dashing Knuckles knocking him away from Shadow and standing next to her. She leans uncomfortably close to her face and grins. "Saya is gone." She grabs Shadow and throws her at Knuckles right as he was trying to stand up. "Now, I'll kill you both and then I can take my time killing the three trying to escape." Shadow lowers her head and starts to whisper,
"Cream, when you get in the sub get ready to dive. Wait for my signal." She said,
"What was that Shads?" Dark Sonic said cupping her hand around her ear unable to hear what she just said,
"I said, we're not going down that easy." She said running towards her.
Cream heard Shadows whisper amongst all of the noise as her and Tails finally get to the bottom of the stairs. They carry Blaze over towards the submarine as Sally opens the door and runs up.
"What is happening?" Sally asked seeing Blaze unconscious and her head bleeding,
"There's no time!" Cream said, "We need to get the sub ready to leave."
"Where are the others?"
"Sally do it!" Tails yells as she stops giving them a frightened look and runs back into the submarine as they slowly follow after her.
Dark Sonic and Shadow continued to clash as Dark Sonic pins her to a wall as she knees Shadow in the stomach causing her to cough spitting blood. "So much for you being the Ultimate Lifeform, you can't even keep up." She said sounding bored, as Knuckles staggers over and attempts to strike Dark Sonic but there was no more strength behind his attacks as she easily dodges, "I'm surprised you're still standing," She grabs him by the neck and throws him into the ground holding him there. "We should change that." She tightened her grip as he struggled to breathe. Shadow punches her in the face and tackles her off of him.
"Knuckles, you okay?" Shadow asked as he coughs rolling off of his back attempting to stand back up with shaky arms but could no longer bear the immense pain coursing through his body. He had reached his limit; his arms buckle and collapses falling unconscious.
"There he goes!" She clapped, "Man that guy could take a beating!" Dark Sonic said shaking her head, "Now it's just you and me."
"I'm here too!" Eggman protested trying to get his robot to move,
"Oh yeah, and him." She said rolling her eyes.
"That's where you're wrong." Shadow said making Dark Sonic raise an eyebrow,
"What are you talking about? If you hadn't noticed Knux is down for the count and the rest of your friends ran away." Dark Sonic taunted, Shadow quickly runs up and picks up Knuckles.
"You're wrong, cuz now it's just you." She said with a grin, "Chaos Control!" Shadow teleports faster than Dark Sonic could stop her.
Tails and Cream pull Blaze into the submarine and secure her in a seat. TK started to check Blaze's head wound while Cream walks over to the door and shuts it. "What are you doing?" Sally said,
"Be ready to dive at any second." Cream said trying to fight through the tears as they were already streaming down her face.
"A…alright." She said prepping the sub. All three of them are blinded by a Green flash as Shadow appears next to Tails holding Knuckles.
"DIVE!" She screamed as Sally quickly followed orders and in a matter of seconds, they were underwater and out of Eggman's base. Cream and Tails see that Knuckles was unconscious and Shadow looked bloodied ready to collapse.
"Let me help you," Cream said helping Shadow lay Knuckles on the ground.
"She barely gave us a chance to react…" Shadow said breathing heavily the fatigue finally took over, "We barely…" Her eyes darken as she begins to collapse as Tails and Cream catch her.
"Is someone going to tell me what happened?" Sally yelled confused and angry. Cream and Tails lie Shadow down next to Knuckles. "Where's Saya?" she asked but they didn't know how to answer. They both just stare at one another with tears running down their cheeks.
"We failed…" Tails said as all of their transformations end in a flask of light.
"Failed? What do you mean? What happened?" Sally said trying to concentrate on piloting the sub moving at top speed trying to make as much distance between them and the underwater base. While trying to look at Tails and Cream to get them to talk, she could see from the corner of her eye both Sophia and Kolt unconscious.
"We need to stop any bleeding first…" Caroline said wiping her eyes as she grabs the medical bag.
"This is Sally," She said over the radio to inform Elias. "Mission failed we're going to need emergency Medical assistance when we breach the surface."
"Failed? How did it fail?" They all could hear Elias' voice through the speaker, "I'm having Dr. Q mobilized to meet you at the docks. How many injured?"
"Three?" She said with a question towards both Cream and Tails. They nod as they begin to bandage up Sophia and Kolt best they can. "Yes three."
"Understood, we'll see you soon." Elias said,
"Okay girls, I'd really like to know what happened."
"It was a trap." TK said,
"Weren't we expecting it to be?" She asked,
"Yes but the trap was a red herring. Eggman did something to Sonic… She turned on us." TK explained.
"Wait you're not telling me that those injuries…"
"Are from Sonic…" Caroline said as she couldn't bear it any longer and began to cry. All TK could do was hug her trying to fight crying as well.
"We barely made it out…" TK said,
"Our first priority is to make sure the others are all okay." Sally said, "For now you two just keep an eye on them. We're almost to the surface." They sat in silence watching over their friends.
They make it up to the surface where Elias and Dr. Q were waiting with stretchers and backup. Sally, Caroline, and Tails get out of the way as Dr. Q quickly gets them prepped to be moved back to the base.
"Are you two…" Elias stops as he looks at Caroline and TK both in shock, barely coherent of their surroundings. "Let's get back." He said as he and Sally lead them to the car giving each other concerned glances while Dr. Q worked with a team to get Sophia, Brandy and Kolt onto the Helicopter. They head back to Freedom HQ without a word only left with the feeling of failure.
Back in the underwater base, Eggman was attempting to climb out of his destroyed robot as Dark Sonic walks up to him, "They got away," Dark Sonic said sounding disappointed,
"You let them get away," He glared as he slips falling out of the robot onto the ground in front of Dark Sonic. Eggman jumps back up to his feet annoyed.
"Did not! I can't teleport constantly like Shadow and they escaped in a submarine. In case you forgot; I can't swim." She said crossing her arms.
"Right, well, it doesn't matter we were moving bases after they showed up regardless."
"If I last that long," Dark Sonic said, "How do you intent to stop Saya from coming back? I'm kinda on a time limit." She asked following Eggman to his lab. "You and I know she's not actually gone." She said with air quotes.
"Here," Eggman tosses her the Dark Chaos Emerald, "Keep it with you until we get to our new location. I won't need it till then."
"So that's how we keep the Emerald full of Dark Chaos energy. Seems more convenient then the Master Emerald."
"You can't carry it all the time I have experiments to run. Besides it's safer to keep it hidden from the Freedom Fighters." He said going over to the computer and removing the external hard drive. "For now, tell me everything you know about them."
"Where would you like me to start?"
Caroline and TK were sitting in the kitchen waiting to hear how their friends were doing. Sally made them both a cup of tea and was trying to snap them out of it. "Girls?" She called out to them as she handed them their teacups. They both took them without a word and continued to sit there. Elias enters the room and looks at them with a worried expression.
"Anything?" He asked as Sally walked up to him,
"They haven't said a word… their spirits are broken."
"Did they tell you anything?" He asked as Sally looks at the girls then gestures to continue talking in the hallway. They both leave the kitchen to continue talking.
"TK said the one who injured Sophia, Kolt and Brandy was Sonic…"
"What?"
"She said Sonic turned on them? But that's all I could get before they were too focused on making sure Kolt and Sophia were okay."
"We need the whole story," Elias said,
"I know… but I think we're better off waiting until one of the others wakes up. They need time." She said,
"I'm pretty sure Helen would agree." Elias said with a sigh. "Try to keep an eye on them."
"I will," She nods going back into the kitchen. TK and Caroline hadn't moved or taken a sip of their tea. Elias heads back to the infirmary to check on how the others were doing. Dr. Q walks out of the Infirmary just as he gets there.
"Helen, how are they?" He asked as she lets out a sigh.
"They're out of danger… Honestly if they didn't have the Chaos Emeralds, I don't think Kolt would have made it…"
"That bad?"
"Brandy got off the easiest, Just a concussion. She might be up by tomorrow morning. Sophia's in pretty bad shape. She has countless fractures in her arms and legs. Kolt has three broken ribs and is slowly recovering from bleeding internally. I had to put him on a respirator." She said,
"When do you think Sophia or Kolt will be better?" Elias asked,
"Kolt I'm not sure, the amount of injuries he sustained will take some time to heal. Sophia might be up within a day or two."
"Alright, try to get some rest." He said going to put his hand on her shoulder than stops, "You should know… Sally just told me that TK told her that Sonic was the one who caused the injuries…"
"You can't be serious." Dr. Q stepped back in shock not believing what he said, "Saya would never."
"I'm just telling you what Sally told me. We don't have the whole story yet. TK and Caroline stopped talking after they got off the Submarine." Elias said,
"Maybe hearing the others are out of danger will help them. I'll ask if they want to wait for them to wake up in the infirmary. Even if that doesn't help them snap out of it at least I can keep an eye on them." She notices Elias' hand shaking, "Elias? Are you alright?"
"No, how could I be alright? That mission was a complete failure… On top of it all three of them were seriously injured." He said clenching his fist. "What if all of this was a mistake?"
"Elias, I've known you for a long time. Your parents were the ones who found the Master Emerald and grew up hearing them tell stories about the Seven Servers. You and Sally have been doing an amazing job keeping the Master Emerald safe." She grabs his hand, "You couldn't have known the servers would be kids."
"We should have trained them more…"
"More than having superpowers?"
"Look where that got them…"
"You need to stop beating yourself up. I need to go check on those girls." She said starting to walk towards the kitchen, "Just don't forget that this team needs you." She walks into the kitchen to see Sally sitting with TK and Caroline as all three of them look up as they see her.
"How are they?" Sally asked,
"They'll live," Dr. Q said as she could instantly see a small light of hope in their eyes. "Do you girls want to wait for them to wake up in the infirmary?" They both nod and begin to stand up. "I'll keep an eye on them Sally, you go get some rest." She said,
"Don't forget you're going to need rest too." She said,
"After I make sure all of my patients are okay." Dr. Q said with a smile placing a hand on both Caroling and TK's shoulders leading them to the infirmary. She gets them chairs as Caroline sits next to Brandy, TK sits in between Sophia and Kolt and they wait for them to wake up.
Brandy slowly begins to come to, her entire body felt sore as she began to open her eyes. The above lights blind her for a moment as she realizes she's in the infirmary. She moves her head to see Sophia lying in the bed next to her. "Brandy?" She hears Caroline's voice as she turns her head to see Caroline sitting next to the bed. "Thank goodness. TK, Dr. Q, she's awake." She started wiping away tears.
"What happened?" Brandy asked moving her hand to grasp her hear. She could feel a pounding pain in the back of her head.
"You don't remember?" she asked looking at TK and Dr. Q who were starting to walk over.
"The last thing I remember is we were all finally together and then…" It all came flooding back to her as she jolts up from the shock, but the pain her body felt stopped her from getting out of bed.
"You shouldn't move around too much, you need rest." Caroline said trying to get Brandy to lie back down. She looks over a Sophia and gets a better look of her condition, she was covered in bruises, then she noticed Kolt on the far bed attached to a respirator.
"Saya did this?" Brandy looked shocked, not believing what she was seeing.
"It wasn't Saya…" TK said moving her chair from between Sophia and Kolt over next to Caroline. "She's being controlled by Eggman." Caroline gets Brandy to lay back down on her pillow
"Why… This wasn't supposed to turn out this way…" She covered her eyes with her arm trying to hide her tears from them.
"Please Brandy, you need more rest." Caroline begged as she grabbed Brandy's hand. Dr. Q walks over and places her hand on Brandy's head.
"Focus on getting better, you have a concussion and at the rate you're healing you should feel better by the end of the day. But rest will help speed it up more."
"What will resting do? We've already lost." Brandy said letting out a sigh sounding defeated. Sophia jumps up out of bed quickly taking the four of them by surprise as Sophia looks around like there's danger as she's not recognizing her surroundings.
"Sophia?" Caroline calls out but she doesn't react.
"You should not be moving around." Dr. Q runs up trying to stop her as she notices her eyes were red. "Shadow?" She said as Sophia reacts to that.
"Where am I? Where's Maria?" She said looking around, she gets winded and falls to her knees. Dr. Q runs up and helps her back to the bed,
"Try to relax, you're safe." She said as Sophia's eyes change back to black as she lies back down and passes back out.
"What just happened?" TK asked, "She reacted to Shadow's name but not her own?"
"Her eyes were also red…" Dr. Q said thinking to herself. TK, Brandy and Caroline look at each other confused and worried. "The aftereffects of her removing her inhibitor rings must have been delayed…" Dr. Q tried to reassure them. "She just needs more rest, as do you Brandy." She said walking over to them.
"Alright," Brandy said,
"We'll be right here." Caroline said as Brandy falls back asleep.
"Do either of you girls know the Alien Species Shadow was made from?" DR. Q asked, Caroline looks at TK confused.
"Do you mean the Dark Arms?" TK asked,
"Can you tell me about them?" She asked grabbing a chair and sitting next to TK.
"They were a race that attempted to destroy Mobius, twice. From what I know, all of them shared a Hive mind with their leader Black Doom. Shadow was the one that destroyed them."
"What about the ability to use Chaos Control?" She asked,
"From what I understand, Doctor Gerald Robotnik used Chaos energy to create Shadow with the help of Black Arms DNA. But I wasn't there when they fought."
"Doctor Robotnik? Isn't that Eggman?" she asked as TK shakes her head,
"Eggman's great grandfather was the one who created Shadow."
"Maybe I shouldn't have asked, now I'm even more confused," Dr. Q said shaking her head,
"Why did you want to know about Shadow?" Caroline asked,
"I'm just trying to get as much information as I can. I can't know how to take care of you all if I don't know how your past lives could affect you." She said glancing at Sophia. "And Shadow being called the Ultimate Lifeform has too many unknown variables."
"That makes sense." TK said, "I hope Sophia's okay…"
"She'll be alright, the worst is over. But I think you both should go rest as well. If any of them wake up, I'll come get you." She said as they both nod and leave the infirmary. Dr. Q kept a close eye on Sophia.
Meanwhile, Eggman was finishing up moving into his base hidden in the mountain side. Dark Sonic followed behind him, letting out a yawn. "Will you stop that," He said annoyed, "Once I've finished here, I'll set up your chamber."
"Chamber? What, don't trust me?" Dark Sonic teased with a grin,
"It's to help you absorb Dark Chaos energy more efficiently." He said holding out his hand as Dark Sonic hands him the Dark Chaos Emerald. "And no, you may be a fake personality I embedded inside the Chaos Emerald but deep down you're still Sonic."
"I'd say I'm hurt, but I actually don't care." She shrugs, "I just want to beat up Shadow and Knuckles again. Watching them squirm was the best." Dark Sonic said,
"Yes it was quite pleasing to watch. They won't be much of a threat now that Sonic is gone. Their spirits might even be broken." Eggman set up a small pod and at the top was a chamber for the Dark Chaos Emerald to be placed. He places in the Dark Chaos Emerald and looks at Dark Sonic, "Get in and rest, you sustained some injuries with your fight with Shadow."
"You're lucky I'm fine with small spaces." She shrugs and lies in the pod as it closes, she lets out a yawn and goes to sleep. The Dark Chaos Emerald begins to glow as does the Chaos Emerald on Dark Sonic's arm.
"Good, it works, now to start the next phase of my plan."
That morning Brandy wakes up feeling better. She sits up, the infirmary was darkened but she could still see perfectly fine. She looks over at Sophia who as still asleep. Slowly and quietly she climbs out of bed and heads towards the door. "I don't remember giving you permission to leave." Dr. Q said switching on the lamp on her desk,
"Sorry, I was hungry and thought I'd go grab some food." Brandy said as Dr. Q lets out a sigh.
"Fine, but then come right back I need to make sure your concussion is completely gone." She said as Brandy nods then leaves the room. She walks to the kitchen; she wasn't sure what time it was, but it was uncomfortably quiet. She kept replaying what she remembered in her head, wondering what happened after she was knocked out. She enters the kitchen to see Caroline and TK making food as they both stop as they see her.
"You should still be resting." TK said as Caroline walks up and hugs Brandy,
"I'm so glad you're okay." Caroline said,
"Me too, I just came to grab something to eat, I'm starving." Brandy said,
"Food's almost ready, have a seat." Caroline said with a smile as she runs back to finish cooking. Brandy takes a seat at the table.
"Are you two alright?" Brandy asked as they both stay silent not able to make eye contact with her, "That good huh?"
"I… I still don't know how to feel…" TK said,
"Yeah…" Brandy said as Caroline puts a plate of food in front of her.
"Eat up! You need to recover your strength." Caroline said,
"Thanks Caroline," Brandy said as she starts eating.
"Have Sophia or Kolt woken up yet?" TK asked,
"They were still asleep when I left." Brandy said, "Dr. Q wants me to go back so she can make sure my concussion is gone." Brandy said,
"I hope they wake up soon…" Caroline said.
"Me too, I'd really like to know what happened after I was knocked out…" She said as both TK and Caroline's faces darken, "I know you both went through a lot… But I need to know what happened."
"We understand… it's just…" Caroline tried to say,
"I don't want to believe it…" TK said, "Hearing it…makes it real…"
"I understand that, I don't want it to be real either but pretending it didn't happen isn't going to change anything." She said, "We need you to think of a way to fix this TK."
"Me?" TK looked at her surprised,
"You're the smartest person out of all of us, and you're Saya's best friend. If anyone is going to find a way to save her, it's you." Brandy said, as TK thinks.
"I… I can definitely try." She said, "But we need more information."
"Which is why we're waiting for the others. Once they are healed, we figure a plan of attack to turn Saya back." Brandy said finishing her food. "I'm going to head back before Dr. Q thinks I collapsed in the hallway." She lightly joked. They both smile as she leaves, she could tell they were broken, and they needed something to hold onto. Now to make sure Sophia and Kolt are alright. She enters the infirmary as Dr. Q is checking on Kolts vitals. He was still attached to a respirator and monitor.
"Oh good, how are you feeling?" She asked,
"Better then TK and Caroline…" Brandy said with a sigh,
"Yes, where you suffered physical damage, I fear their spirits have taken far worse damage." She said walking over to the bed as Brandy sits back down and Dr. Q starts checking her over.
"I think once Sophia and Kolt are awake, they will start to get better." She said, "Has Sophia had any more outbursts?"
"No, I've been keeping an eye on her and there hasn't been any change. But she should be waking up soon."
"Mind if I stay and wait for her to wake up?"
"Of course not." She said with a smile, "You're good as new but I still suggest taking it easy." Brandy takes one of the chairs and sits next to Sophia.
"I hope you wake soon… We need you."
A few hours pass. TK and Caroline walk into the Infirmary to check up on their friends.
"Hey," Brandy said as the walk over,
"Anything?" TK asked as she shakes her head, "You were right before… We need to know the whole story before we can figure out what to do next." She said,
"Even though it hurts to think about." Caroline said as Brandy grabs their hands.
"I'm proud of you both," She said with a smile.
"What time is it?" They hear behind them as they turn to see Sophia sitting up,
"Sophia?" TK hesitantly called out not knowing who would respond.
"Yeah?" She said holding her head, "Man, everything hurts…" She said as Dr. Q walks over and checks her over.
"Feeling better?" She asked,
"Not really…" She said pushing the flashlight away from her eyes.
"What's the last thing you remember?" Dr. Q asked,
"Teleporting with Knuckles…" She stops and looks around then sees Kolt on the other bed. "Damn…" She attempts to climb out of bed, but they all stop her.
"He's out of critical condition and still recovering. Which is what you need to do as well." She said.
"I'm going to go grab Sally and Elias, they wanted to be informed when Sophia woke up." TK said leaving the room.
"Being on the submarine is the last thing you remember?" Caroline asked,
"Yeah, why? Should I be remembering more?"
"You had a bit of an outburst yesterday, almost like you were sleepwalking." Dr. Q said, "it could have been from the shock.
"Makes sense…" She said still holding her head. "Still feel kinda fuzzy…" They hear the sound of beeping coming from Kolt's bed as he's pulling out the respirator and climbing out of the bed.
"What in the world?" Dr. Q said running over to Kolt trying to stop him, "You are in no condition to be moving!" She said as he pushes her away.
"Tikal!" He yells coughing and standing up.
"Yes Knuckles?" She asked appearing next to him.
"Why didn't you tell us there was a Dark Chaos Emerald?" He asked with anger in his eyes as she looks shocked.
"I… I didn't know… I had no idea there was a Dark Chaos Emerald." She said,
"You expect me to believe that? You're connected to Chaos, there's no way you couldn't have known." He said as she lowers her head.
"I felt the presence of Dark Chaos energy… But I couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from. I thought it was just energy… I had no idea Dark Chaos took a physical form." She said.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Caroline asked,
"Because… I didn't want to worry you." She said,
"Look where that got us!" Kolt yells, "We all almost died, all because… you … couldn't…" Kolt's eyes darken as he collapses. Caroline stops Sophia from moving as the others rush over to him.
"This is why I said stay put!" Dr. Q said, "Help me get him back in bed." She said as Brandy helps her put him back in bed.
"Good to know there's no brain damage, he's still his hot-headed self." Sophia said,
"Any longer of his hot-headedness could have killed him." She said as Elias, Sally and TK enter the room.
"What's going on?" Elias asked as Brandy noticed that Tikal left in the middle of the commotion.
"Kolt had a little outburst. I need to make sure he's alright." Dr. Q said looking him over.
"And you Sophia, how are you feeling?" Elias asked,
"Still recovering sir." She said as Caroline lets her go.
"I'm glad you're alright. After you're recovered enough to leave, please come find me, I need a full report of what happened." He said.
"Understood." She said as she starts to try to leave the bed.
"Sophia, I swear, if you attempt to leave that bed again, I will restrain you to it." Dr. Q said with a glare that frightened all of them.
"Maybe wait till she gives you permission to leave…" Elias said,
"Those who are not current patients, please leave. I'm not done making sure Sophia is alright and now I need to make sure Kolt didn't harm himself further." She said as they all begin to leave.
"How are you feeling Brandy?" Sally asked as they all left.
"Better," She said,
"Would you be able to tell us what happened?" Elias asked,
"I can tell you what happened up to me getting knocked out." She said,
"Any little bit helps, at least until I get Sophia's report." Elias said,
"Are you two okay talking about it?" Sally asked Tk and Caroline as they walked into the conference room. They both nod.
"Alright, start from the beginning." Elias asked as they begin to recount what happened.
Meanwhile back in the infirmary Sophia was lying down impatiently waiting for Dr. Q to finish checking on Kolt. "How is he?" She asked,
"Obviously, he'll live, but I swear you all want me to have gray hair by the age of 30." She said with a sigh.
"Sorry," Sophia said,
"How are you feeling, anything out of the ordinary?" She asked glancing over at her.
"No, just angry… Robotnik got the upper hand and now…" She lets out a sigh, "Now I don't know what to do."
"I have to ask… Did you remove your inhibitors?"
"Right after Elias ordered me not to? No. This is just straight up burn out from fighting a being controlled by Dark Chaos." She said.
"Kolt said Dark Chaos as well, what is that?" she asked,
"The thing that originally destroyed Mobius…"
"Did you touch it?"
"No? Why are you asking odd questions? You're acting like something happened."
"You really don't remember…"
"Remember what?" She asked sitting up looking annoyed.
"Your outburst… it wasn't you but Shadow." She explained finishing checking up on Kolt ad walking over to Sophia's bed.
"What? That doesn't make any sense." Sophia said,
"Who's Maria?" Dr. Q asked. Sophia looks shocked at the question as she looks away.
"Someone who was very important to … Shadow…" She said,
"Not important to you?" Dr. Q asked sitting next to her bed.
"Why would she be important to me? She died fifty years before I even met Sonic and his friends." She said,
"Because she was important to Shadow." She said, "You may want to distance yourself from your past but it's still a part of you. On top of that it seems to be reaching out." She said,
"Could have been the shock of failure… I don't take losing very well. Especially if it's people I care about."
"Your eyes were red." Dr. Q said as Sophia looks confused, as she begins to ponder.
"Just like when Saya was recovering from Chaos poisoning…" She said out loud,
"Wait, Saya's eyes turned red?"
"No they turned green, the same color as Sonics." She said.
"So it really could be a side effect of you removing your inhibitors…" Dr. Q said,
"At this point that's the only thing that makes sense. I haven't used Chaos Control in my human form like Saya did." Sophia said.
"But do you think you could?"
"I am the Ultimate Lifeform." She said half-jokingly,
"I hate it when you say that." Dr. Q said rolling her eyes. "For now don't try anything like that. Just rest for now." She said as Sophia nods her head and lies back down turning towards Kolt and watching him. She was concerned for him but was also concerned about what Dr. Q just told her. She didn't need to worry about herself while trying to figure out how to save Saya. And now that they know a Dark Chaos Emerald exists. She fears what will happen next.