Chapter 21
Saya walked with TK to breakfast letting out a heavy sigh as they walked. It had been over a week and not having a moment to herself was starting to get to her. "You okay Saya?" TK asked noticing her discomfort,
"I'm getting to the point where I want to get attacked by Chaos…" She said looking down, "It's not against any of you but I literally haven't had a second to myself for a week… It's starting to drive me nuts. I don't enjoy fearing for my life while I take a shower…"
"I'm sorry..." TK tried to comfort her.
"Not your fault, just wish this guy would just show up so we can beat him." Saya said,
"He's probably waiting you out till he knows you're alone." TK said,
"That's creepy to think about." Saya shivers, "So who's watching me next?"
"It's Brandy's turn." TK said as they enter the Kitchen,
"You make it sound like you all have split custody over me." Saya joked
"That's because we do." TK joked back as they both chuckle.
"Good morning." Caroline said,
"Morning," Saya said, "Anything I can help with?"
"Coffee's ready if you want to set it on the table." Brandy said, Saya walks over grabs the coffee pot and places it on the table with some cream and sugar.
"So what's on the agenda for today?" Saya asks looking at Brandy,
"I don't have anything in particular, I'd say you could go run outside while I read a book but it's going to rain soon." Brandy said,
"Probably should stay away from rain." Saya chuckles,
"How about a comic book and music day?" Brandy asked as Saya smiles at her,
"You're my favorite kind of person." Saya said, Brandy lightly chuckles at Saya's happy expression.
"I didn't know you were into comics," Alan said,
"She loves comics, you're never going to be able to guess who her favorite superhero is." TK chuckles,
"Hmmm… I'm not good with comics. Is it Spiderman?" He asked as TK shakes her head,
"It's the Flash," Sophia said,
"Bingo!" Saya smiles pointing finger guns at Sophia, "Ten points to Soph!"
"What do the points mean?" Kolt asked,
"I was just making a Harry Potter joke." Saya shrugs, "They don't get you anything special."
"I need to tune up the Twin Tornado, let me know if you guys need anything." TK said leaving.
"And she's off, what about you Sophia? What are you up to today?" Saya asked,
"I've got a mission with Team Dark," Sophia said,
"Anything we should know about?" Kolt asked,
"Doesn't have to do with Eggman, we're just doing a simple escort." She said,
"Who are you escorting?" Caroline said,
"I'm told we'll find out when we get there." Sophia said finishing up her coffee,
"Maybe it's royalty." Saya joked, "You could be knighted"
"I highly doubt that." She said,
"Aw, but it'd be fun to call you Lancelot again." Saya smirks, Sophia looks a little flustered and starts leaving,
"I'll see you all later," She said,
"Something I said?" Saya shrugs,
"Why Lancelot?" Alan asked,
"Remember in the past when I promised you, I'd go on that… date with you and then I disappeared for a while?" She asked as Alan crosses his arms and looks angry.
"Yes…" He said as Saya flinches out of instinct.
"We'll I was pulled into another storybook. The Knights of the Round Table." She explained, "When I was there, all of the people looked like the people I knew here. Knuckles was Sir Gawain, Blaze was Percival, and Shadow was Lancelot. I think Tails was a blacksmith…" She pondered trying to remember.
"What about me?" Alan asked,
"You were the lady of the lake." Saya said,
"Cool."
"What about you Saya, who were you?" Caroline asked,
"I was still me… but by the end of it, I might have become King of Camelot." She chuckles, "After I got back, I kept calling Shadow Lancelot for a while." Saya said, "Just to mess with him."
"You just like messing with everyone huh," Caroline said,
"Yep," She jokes, as they all laugh. Brandy and Saya go hang out in her room and chill for most of the day while Caroline trained with Alan and Kolt.
Later that evening Saya and Brandy were walking around the bunker to stretch their legs after sitting for a long time, "So who's watching me tomorrow?" Saya asked,
"I believe Alan." She said as Saya makes a face of discomfort, "That bad huh?"
"He's a nice guy but man is he clingy." She lets out a sigh,
"Don't like clingy guys?" Brandy asked,
"Never liked it when Amy did it either." Saya said, "Can Chaos just come out and attack already?" She said,
"You really want to be attacked by water again?"
"No… but it's better than having to dodge all of Alan's flirting." Saya said as she pauses, "What if we don't have to wait." She starts to walk towards the alter room.
"I don't like where this is going. What are you planning?" Brandy said following after her.
"Before Chaos appeared I was meditating with Kolt. When I touched the Master Emerald I got shocked I think that could have been how he found me, maybe I can use it to make him show up." She said, "That way he doesn't get the jump on us."
"I'll message the others to meet us in the Alter room," Brandy said,
"Should probably leave Soph out of that message, don't need her distracted on her mission." Saya said,
"Fair point, or you just don't want her to know so she can't get mad at you." Brandy gives her a look.
"Can't it be both?" Saya shrugs as Brandy sighs,
"One day you'll figure it out." She shakes her head,
"Huh?" Saya looked at her confused,
"Don't worry about it," Brandy said as they get to the Alter room,
"Hey Tikal, we're going to try and lure Chaos so you might want to be out here just in case he tries to trap you in the Master Emerald again." Saya called out as Tikal appears next to her.
"Thank you again for wanting to help Chaos," She said,
"It's not his fault he's infected, I should know." Saya said walking up to the Master Emerald,
"Saya we should wait for the others to get here." Brandy said as Saya places her hand on the Master Emerald,
"Alright Chaos, no more playing around. You want me? Come and get me!" She yelled,
"Dangit Saya…" Brandy said transforming into Blaze.
"What? I give it five minutes before he shows up." She said transforming into Sonic. Water begins to pour out of the Master Emerald causing a chill to run down her spine just hearing the sound, "On second thought…" She runs over next to Blaze.
"I'm resisting the urge to throw fire at your face…" Blaze said as Chaos begins to form,
"The others will be here any second, we just need to stall." Sonic said as she looks at Chaos, "Hang on…We got another problem…"
"What is it now?" She said lighting her hands,
"I can sense the Dark Chaos… but I can't see the shard…" She said, "Not like I could before."
"What do you suggest we do?" Blaze asked as they both dodge an attack.
"Can you trap Chaos in a ring of fire?" Sonic said running around keeping Chaos distracted,
"Not for very long, I'll run out of Chaos energy." She said,
"That's why you have me." Knuckles said as the others run in.
"What are you thinking?" Amy asked,
"If Blaze and I can get next to the Master Emerald I can channel the Chaos Energy into Blazes Chaos Emerald like a conduit." He explained,
"What will that do to you?" Tails asked,
"I'll be vulnerable, but I'll try not to burn myself out." He said,
"How can you be sure?" Cream asked,
"Honestly, I'm not." He said as Tikal floats next to him,
"I will try to assist." She said as they nod at one another.
"Sonic, Blaze can make the fire ring! What's the plan after that?" Tails called out,
"I jump in." She said,
"Nope, I no longer like this plan," Amy said,
"Are you nuts?" Knuckles said,
"I have to look into his eyes, that's how I saw the shard last time. But I need him in one spot long enough to be able to pull it out." She said as they all let out a sigh.
"Alright, first we get next to the Master Emerald," Knuckles said as they all run forward dodging Chaos' attacks when they come their way. But he was more focused on Sonic. They get to the top of the alter and Knuckles places his hand on the Master Emerald and holds out his hand to Blaze.
"You sure about this?" Blaze asks, as Knuckles nods. She takes his hand and Tikal enters Knuckles' body. His eyes glow gold as he begins chanting his and Tikal's voices spoke in unison. Blazes Chaos emerald begins to glow brightly. Chaos turns towards the Master Emerald as they are chanting,
"We gotta protect them." Tails said as her Amy and Cream stand in front of them. And tendrils of water swing down towards them.
"Hey ugly!" Sonic waves her hands as Chaos turns back towards here, "Your target's standing over here!" She stops moving as Chaos grabs her by the arms and pulls her close, "Now!" She yelled as Blazes entire body starts to glow a reddish pink as her eyes glow with flames.
"What's happening?" Caroline asked,
"Being connected to the Master Emerald caused her to transform into Burning Blaze!" Tails said as they all look shocked; she holds out her hand and surrounds Chaos within a ring of fire trapping him and Sonic inside.
"Sonic be careful!" Amy calls out but none of them could see anything. Sonic was face to face with Chaos as she doesn't struggle out of his grasp.
"C'mon, I know you want to show me…" She said as she looks into Chaos' eyes and they flash red again. Her eyes flash red back as she can see the shard. "Chaos Shield!" She said as a small field surrounds the shard as Chaos stops moving almost making a guttural growl. She focuses on starting to pull out the shard as Chaos starts tightening his grip on her causing her to wince in pain. "I know it hurts pal but you gotta deal until I pull it out!" She tries to concentrate.
"Sonic are you okay?" Cream calls out,
"We can't see them…" Tails said starting to panic,
"I can see through the flames." Blaze said, "Sonic isn't struggling against Chaos, but I'm not sure if she's winning…"
"We gotta help her!" Amy said,
"No, this is how we help. Blaze's flames are keeping Chaos contained. Now we just need to have faith in Sonic and that Knuckles can hold out." Tails said more trying to convince herself that everything will be alright. Inside the fire circle Sonic was still trying to focus as Chaos starts enveloping her in water.
"Attempting to drown me isn't going to work… not when I'm this close." Sonic knew if she could move it just a little more Chaos would be free. She quickly takes a deep breath before being completely enveloped in water trying not to lose her concentration.
"I don't think this is working…" Blaze said, "Chaos has her completely underwater…"
"Oh no…" Caroline said, but Sonic was still fighting and with one last pull the Dark Chaos Emerald shard is removed form Chaos' head as he stops moving again. Sonic starts to struggle, her chest beginning to burn needing to breathe as the water releases and she drops to the ground. Blaze drops the flames as her form reverts back.
"Sonic!" Tails yells as she and Amy run over to her as she's coughing. Blaze lets go of Knuckles' hand as he stops chanting. Tikal leaves his body and flies over to Chaos as Knuckles falls to one knee breathing heavily.
"Take is easy," Cream said checking him over, Blaze pulls him up to his feet and puts his arm over her shoulder.
"Did it work?" Knuckles asked looking dazed,
"Yeah, you did great." Cream said,
"Amy, need some help over here." Blaze said as he looks back and forth at Sonic conflicted,
"Go Amy, I'm fine." Sonic said as he nods and runs over to help Blaze with Knuckles take him to the Infirmary. "And you should get this away from me asap little dude." Sonic floats the Dark Chaos shard in front of Tails. She holds her hands out and it drops into her hands.
"On it!" Tails said flying out of the room,
"Cool… I'm just going to lay here for a bit." Sonic said laying back down with a small splash catching her breath,
"Thank you again for helping him Sonic." Tikal said,
"Like I said, it's not his fault he was infected. Besides that's why you came after me in the first place wasn't it?" Sonic asked as Chaos nods his head.
"He knew you were able to sense the Dark Chaos energy and were the only one who could help him." Tikal said, "But how did you know?" She asked looking at Sonic surprised at her foresight.
"Eh, I just kinda knew." She said still not moving.
"Chaos says thank you." Tikal said,
"Any time, just maybe not try to drown me next time?" She chuckles but then coughs again as Chaos holds out it's watery hand to her. She takes it and he helps her up to her feet.
"Sonic we should get you to the infirmary." Cream said,
"Yeah, we gotta check on Knuckles." She said,
"I will assist Chaos getting home." Tikal said as they both fade into the Master Emerald.
"Are you feeling okay?" Cream asked,
"I still hate water…" Sonic said shaking out her quills. Cream laughs as they head to the infirmary.
Tails gets to her workshop and goes over to the device holding the other Dark Chaos shard. As she gets close the Dark Chaos shard moves like a magnet and is pulled into the field as the two pieces instantly fuse forming one piece. "I better go tell the others…" She said running back.
Sonic and Cream get to the infirmary as Dr. Q is yelling at Knuckles and the others. "How many times have I asked for you to tell me when you decide to do reckless things like this? You could have died Knuckles, you're not a battery for other people!" Sonic stops starting to regret coming into the room thinking about turning around before she's seen. "And you!" She points at Sonic as her ears lower in fear, "Sit down!" She said pointing at the other bed.
"Y…yes ma'am…" Sonic runs and sits on the cot in a flash.
"Honestly!" She lets out a sigh shaking her head,
"How are you feeling Blaze?" Cream asked,
"I feel great actually. I had no idea I could still do that." She looks down at her hands, "I thought I lost that ability when I lost the Soul Emeralds." Cream grabs her hands,
"You did amazing." Cream smiles at her,
"You're staying here too young lady. I have no idea what you did but I need to make sure there are no side effects." She looks at Blaze and points at another bed.
"Of course." Blaze said sitting down,
"Guys!" Tails runs in, "When I went to go put the shard into the container it floated in on its own and then they fused together." She said,
"That's a little freaky." Sonic said as they all transform back. Dr. Q walks over and starts checking her over.
"What were you thinking? You even did this when Sophia isn't here." Dr. Q said,
"Because I was going crazy. You try being on twenty-four-hour guard for an entire week." Saya said,
"That's not enough of an excuse to get yourself and your friends in a dangerous situation," She said,
"It was better than when we were taken off guard like last time." Saya argued back,
"You could have made a more decent plan, one that didn't put Kolt in a hospital bed." Dr. Q countered,
"Take it easy Doc, it was my decision." Kolt said, "It was a good plan and it worked. Chaos is free and we were able to contain another shard."
"I'm going to have you benched if you keep this up Kolt." She said,
"Sorry, I'll try harder to not use my abilities like that." He said with a sigh.
"You three rest, we'll go get some food ready." Caroline said as Alan nods and they all leave. Brandy occasionally glanced over at Saya, specifically at her eyes. She knew what she saw when Saya was trying to help Chaos, and it concerned her.
Later that evening after Sophia returns from her mission Elias and Sally explain to her what happened. She immediately heads to the infirmary and bursts through the door. "Damnit Saya what the hell!" Sophia yelled causing Saya to almost jump out of the bed,
"H… Hey Soph, how'd your mission go?" Saya tried to change the subject looking slightly terrified,
"You couldn't wait till I got back?" She stormed over to her, "I could have at least helped Kolt and maybe he wouldn't have collapsed." Sophia lectured,
"Sorry…" She said trying to lightly chuckle.
"Why did you do it?" Sophia asked holding the bridge of her nose,
"She didn't want to spend the entire day with Alan again," Brandy said as Saya's face turns red,
"You didn't have to call me out like that…" Saya said hiding under the covers,
"He really did a number on you huh?" Kolt joked,
"Can we please stop talking about it?" Saya said from beneath the covers, "It makes me sound like I'm a bad person."
"You're not a bad person for not liking someone's advances." Sophia said trying not to be annoyed,
"I'll talk to him Saya, see if he can tone down the Amy a bit." Kolt said as she peaks her head out of the covers,
"Thanks…" she said,
"You three get some sleep. We'll talk in the morning." Sophia said leaving the room.
In the middle of the night, Brandy woke up to the sound of Saya climbing out of her bed. She quietly sits up and looks over at her to see her stretching. She decided this would be the best time to talk to her, so she climbed out of bed and tapped Saya on the shoulder. She turned around shocked that she was awake as Brandy points to the door and they both go out in the hall to not disturb Kolt. "Sorry if I woke you up." Saya whispered,
"It's alright, I wanted to talk to you anyway." Brandy said,
"What's up? Everything alright?"
"You tell me."
"Huh?" Saya asked tilting her head confused,
"The others couldn't see what was happening within the ring of fire. But I could." She said as Saya looks at her surprised but still confused, "When you looked into Chaos' eyes and they flashed red. Yours flashed red back."
"I… I didn't feel any different or… I don't feel any different if that's your asking," Saya said, her voice shaking.
"I just wanted to talk to you about it first to be sure." Brandy said,
"C…could have been because I was so close to the shard." Saya tried to rationalize as her body began to shake.
"Shit, I shouldn't have said anything." Brandy said grabbing her hands,
"No… I need to get over this… I was in control… I had to be… I was reacting to Chaos calling out for help… that has to be it." Saya said trying to slow her breathing.
"C'mon, let's get you some fresh air." Brandy said pulling her along to the outdoor track.
"Won't Doc get mad?" Saya said as she just lets her drag her along,
"She'll understand," She said getting them outside. The sky was clear, but the air still smelt like rain. "Here, look, you can see the stars." She said as Saya looks up.
"It's so nice how little light pollution there is out here." She said as Brandy could tell the shaking began to slow. She leads Saya over to the grass and they both lay down and look at the stars. Saya talks about what Spira told her about charting stars until she relaxed and fell asleep. Brandy pics her up and carries her back to the infirmary where Dr. Q was standing looking panicked as she brings her in. Right as she's about to yell at them Brandy puts her finger to her mouth then places Saya back in the bed.
"She had another panic attack; I took her outside to get some air and we looked at the stars until she calmed down then fell sleep." Brandy whispered as Dr. Q looks apologetically at Saya,
"Now I feel bad for yelling at her." She whispered back, "Did you catch what triggered the attack?" She asked as Brandy shakes her head, she didn't want to tell Dr. Q what she told Saya worried that they would bench her permanently. "It must have been the scare of being close to the shard again. You should get some rest I'll check up on her in the morning." Brandy climbs back into bed and watched over Saya for a bit before falling back asleep.
It took Kolt a few days to recover from what happened with Chaos and everything else was quiet. Caroline dragged her feet to the kitchen, she struggled to get sleep last night. Something had her feeling unsettled and she didn't know what it was. She walks into the kitchen to see Brandy getting food ready. "Caroline? You okay?" Brandy asked looking at her concerned, noticing how tired she looked.
"Yeah, I just didn't sleep well." She said with a tired smile, "I'll be alright."
"Why don't you try to get some more sleep?" She asked,
"I'd just be lying in bed; I've never been good at sleeping in." Caroline said,
"Well, coffees ready if you want some." She said,
"Lovely," She said grabbing a mug and pouring herself some coffee and placing the pot on the table for the others. Sophia was the first to enter, she didn't look tired, but she also didn't look well rested. "Unable so sleep?" Caroline asked,
"Something like that…" She said pouring herself coffee. Saya runs into the room with a smile on her face,
"Good morning!" She said as Sophia let's out an annoyed groan. She looks to see both Sophia and Caroline not as enthusiastic,
"Good Morning Saya!" Alan said from behind her happily causing her to jump,
"Geez Alan, it's way too early to jump scare me." She said looking flustered from getting startled.
"Sorry, I just heard how enthusiastic you were, and I couldn't help myself," He smiles,
"Ha, ha… yeah." Saya goes and sits next to Caroline.
"Lot a noise in here." Kolt walked in yawning, with TK walking in half asleep behind him.
"Yikes, looks like most of you had a rough night." Saya said,
"Too early…" TK said grabbing the coffee pot.
"Well it's going to be really nice out today so I'm going to see if Elias will let me go for a run later." Saya said looking excited,
"Just through the mountains?" Kolt asked,
"Yeah, I want to get a scope of the surrounding area." She said,
"You just want to run at top speed." TK said as Saya looks like she just got caught doing something she shouldn't. She chuckles to play it off.
"Guilty." She said rubbing the back of her head. Brandy places food on the table as they all start eating.
"Anyone feel weird that Eggman hasn't shown his face ever since we rescued Spira?" TK asked as they all sit there silent.
"Yeah, I don't like it." Alan said,
"Me either, that usually means he's up to something." Brandy said,
"Whatever it is, you all can handle it." Saya said with a thumbs up, she was trying to be supportive since she was still benched from going on missions.
"Elias should hopefully let you go on missions soon." Caroline said trying to cheer her up,
"Maybe… Anyway, I'm going to go ask to take a run. See you all later." She said finishing up her food and leaving.
"I'm surprised you didn't argue with her about going running." Kolt said looking over at Sophia, "You usually get angry whenever Saya tries to do something on her own."
"She's asking Elias for permission, it's not like she's attempting to sneak out again." Sophia said giving him a look, "Why? Looking for an excuse to pick a fight with me?" they both glare at one another. "I need to get some paperwork done," She left the kitchen,
"What the heck was that about?" Alan looked at Kolt confused,
"You two need to stop making jabs at one another." TK said,
"I was just asking a question." He said,
"A pointed question," Brandy said as he looks down,
"It just annoys me how much she tries to restrict her." Kolt said,
"I agree with Kolt," Alan said,
"You two sound jealous of their relationship." Caroline said as they both stand up.
"What relationship?" They both said,
"You two are easier to read than an open book." Brandy said shaking her head.
"They're good friends." TK said, "Sophia is the type of person that once she becomes your friend, she'll guard you with her life." She said as both Caroline and Brandy shake their heads. "W…was I wrong?" She looks at them confused,
"Never mind, don't worry about it." Brandy said standing up. "I'm going to go enjoy the nice weather."
"I'll come with." Caroline said following after her leaving the three there looking confused,
"I feel like we just missed something important…" Alan said as both TK and Kolt nod,
"Oh Kolt, since Saya's going running. Would you help train with me?" TK asked,
"Sure, what about you Alan? Want to join?"
"It's not like I have anything else to do since Saya left." He pouts as he agrees.
Saya walks into the computer room to see Sally and Elias talking, "Hey!" She called out as they both turn to her,
"Good morning Saya," Sally said,
"Everything alright?" Elias asked,
"I was wondering if I could go out running? Just out in the mountains." She asked as Elias lets out a sigh,
"At least you asked this time. Be sure you have a charged tracker on you." He said as she walks over to the charger and switches out her tracker with a fully charged one.
"Thanks a lot, I'll be back around lunch time." She said transforming into Sonic and running out in a blue blur.
"She seems better." Sally said,
"I agree, but we don't know how much of it is an act. She could just be covering up how she's really feeling." Elias said,
"It depends on the day." Sophia said walking in, "She's doing better since they saved Chaos. I think having two pieces safely locked away and having a way to contain the other pieces gives her a little relief."
"You don't seem as stressed either." Sally said,
"Yeah, this breather after everything has happened has been nice. But I also know that can change in a matter of seconds." She said going over to a desk.
"Always the cautious one." Elias said,
"Someone on this team has to be." She said getting to work.
Brandy and Caroline were sitting outside enjoying the sun. the breeze was nice and cool as they both eventually drift into sleep. Caroline begins to dream of a place she hasn't been in a long time. She was on Angel Island, but it was night and the moon and stars were not bright enough to light up things around her. Small lights float around illuminating a path up to the Master Emerald alter. The lights danced around as something feels familiar to her. Bur as she attempts to see what was within the lights, they begin to turn black and fade away. Caroline jolts awake looking around blinded by the light for a moment. "Caroline?" Brandy slowly wakes up, she notices that there are tears in her eyes, "Hey, what's wrong."
"I keep having this dream… And I always wake up feeling sad."
"Do you want to talk about it?" Brandy asked,
"I'm at Angel Island, and there are these lights. Seeing them makes me feel happy but then they start fading away and I'm just left feeling sad and empty." Caroline explained,
"How long have you been having this dream?" She asked,
"A little over a week," Caroline said,
"Why didn't you tell me?" Brandy asked,
"I just thought it was a dream."
"Caroline, we're reincarnations of creatures from another universe. Nothing is just a dream." Brandy said pulling her up to her feet. "We should go tell the others."
"I don't want to worry them." Caroline said,
"They are allowed to worry about you, they're your friends." She said as Caroline nods and they head inside.
TK, Kolt and Alan were sparing with one another in a free for all as they all stop to catch their breath Brandy walks by with Caroline as they could see she was visibly upset. "What's going on?" TK asked as they all run over to them,
"We'll talk about it once Saya gets back at lunch." Brandy said as they all follow them to the kitchen. They enter to see Sophia already there as she looks at Caroline then at the rest of them.
"Which one of you made her cry." She said looking angry as she walks over to Caroline,
"They didn't do anything Sophia…" Caroline said trying to calm her down,
"Don't jump to conclusions." Kolt said,
"Then what happened?" Sophia asked looking skeptical,
"Let's wait for Saya so we don't have to explain it multiple times." Brandy said as a blue flash enters the kitchen as Sonic stands there stretching.
"Man that was a great run!" She said with a bright smile. She notices everyone's mood and looks confused, "Something wrong?"
"I've been having this weird dream for about a week now and Brandy doesn't think it's just a dream." Caroline said,
"What's it about?" Sonic asked transforming back. Caroline explains her dream to them in detain as they all prepare for lunch.
"It's obvious what we should do. We should go to Angel Island and investigate." Kolt said,
"Yeah, maybe there's something there you're supposed to find." Saya said,
"Do you think Elias would let us?" Caroline asked,
"I don't see there being a problem. Eggman's been quiet and we're just going to look around, not get into a fight." Sophia said,
"Does that mean I can come?" Saya asked as Sophia gives her a look, "Right… dumb question."
"I don't see any reason why she can't come." TK said looking at Sophia,
"That's up to Elias," Sophia said crossing her arms.
"We can ask after lunch." Alan said as they continue eating.
They go to the computer room and run their idea to Elias and Sally. "That is concerning that you have been having a recurring dream for that long… And you believe going to Angel Island will help?" Elias asked,
"I've had dreams like this in the past. They went away after I either went to the location of the dream or discovered it's meaning." Kolt said,
"I don't see the issue with it." Sally said looking at Elias who was glancing at Saya who was waiting expectantly for his answer.
"Fine," He said with a sigh, "And Saya, you can go with but only if you stay next to Sophia the entire time." He said,
"I can do that." Saya said with a smile,
"I wouldn't recommend going today though, it looks like a thunderstorm is heading towards Angel Island." Sally said as Brandy looks extremely uncomfortable.
"We can wait till tomorrow." Caroline said holding onto Brandy's hand.
"Bet you're excited to get back to your Island huh?" Saya said to Kolt,
"Kinda," he shrugs, "Haven't been there since I remembered everything. Maybe I'll find something there." Kolt said,
"I'm going to make sure to bring some of my tools to make sure nothing weird is going on there." TK said heading over to her workshop.
"You sure you're alright being around me for that long?" Sophia teased Saya as she grins back,
"I was about to ask you the same question." She crosses her arms, "But I'm definitely going to go find my hiking shoes!"
"Should we make sure to bring climbing gear?" Alan asked,
"Good idea there's definitely some dangerous… cliffs." Saya said with a chuckle.
"I suggest you all go in the morning so to not draw too much attention." Elias said as Sophia nods.
"We'll leave in the morning then." Sophia said. They all prep the night before going to bed early to get an early start on their plan.
That next morning they pile everything into the Twin Tornado and get ready to leave. "I think you're going to need a bigger plane soon bud, seven of us on that thing isn't going to work for very long." Saya said,
"I know, I've been thinking the same. Probably when we get back, I'll work on modifying it to accommodate our numbers." She said as they all transform and take off towards Angel Island. Tails is able to land the Twin Tornado near a beach.
"It's a very pretty day." Cream said,
"I agree, much better than thunderstorms." Blaze said, her ears lower just thinking about it.
"We should have a look around. Keep an eye out for anything strange," Shadow said turning to Sonic, "You stay close."
"Aye!" She salutes with a teasing smile as they all spread out and search. An hour passes and they don't find anything strange.
"Cream, what were you doing in your dream again?" Tails asked,
"I was walking to the alter where the Master Emerald used to be." Cream said,
"Let's check there next." Blaze said as they all head up the stairs.
"Remember last time we were here?" Sonic asked Shadow,
"You mean the time we fell off a cliff and then you almost died?" Shadow looked at her unamused,
"Yeah, you know just a regular Tuesday." She chuckles as Shadow smiles. Amy walks up behind and butts in between their conversation,
"What do you mean almost died?" Amy asked,
"I used Chaos Control in my human form… but apparently that's no good." Sonic said moving over a bit to give her some distance between her and Amy.
"Chaos poisoning is a bad thing." Shadow said,
"Well yeah, but I didn't know that would happen at the time." She shrugs as Shadow rolls her eyes.
"And now you can use Chaos in your human form all the time." Alan said,
"Which I should have attempted to do when I was imprisoned," Sonic said thinking back, "Guess I was still worried it would hurt me."
"Better safe than sorry." Shadow said as Sonic nods. They get to the top and start looking around. Kolt gets distracted staring at the alter where the Master Emerald used to be.
"You okay Knuckles?" Tails asked,
"Yeah, it's just weird seeing it without the Master Emerald." He said,
"Wonder if Angel Island would float if we put the Master Emerald back," Sonic said,
"That would probably turn some heads." Blaze said,
"Guys, I think I found something." Cream said trying to pull at some thick vines.
"Allow me." Amy said grabbing at the vines and ripping them out of the way revealing a cavern entrance.
"I don't remember there being this on the Island." Knuckles said looking at the stone walls. "These look similar to the Echidna ruins from the past but they're a little different." He said,
"What do you think is down there?" Tails asked,
"I don't know. But I'm going to find out." Knuckles said,
"Wait," Blaze said walking up next to him. "I will light the path." She said as she hand holds a flame.
"Thanks Blaze." He said as she nods. Cream goes and stands next to Blaze and they start heading down the tunnel,
"Uh… We sure we gotta go in there?" Sonic's ears lower as she grabs onto Tails' arm,
"If we wanna help Cream we really shouldn't split up." Tails said,
"I was hoping you wouldn't say that…" She said.
"You can hold onto me if you're scared." Amy said,
"Yeah, no thanks Amy…" She said still holding onto Tails.
"Aw! But what if Tails needs to use her hand for her tablet?" He tried to persuade her as Shadow starts to get angry at how uncomfortable he was making her and moves in between them grabbing Sonic's hand pulling her along.
"Hurry up or we'll lose the others." Shadow said,
"W…wait…" Sonic said surprised as they enter the cavern.
"No fair Shadow!" Amy ran after them along with Tails. They catch up to the others who were waiting at a fork in the path.
"What took so long?" Knuckles asked,
"Just an annoyance," Shadow glared at Amy, "Which way?"
"I'm not sure." Knuckles said,
"Let's just pick one and head that way." Tails said,
"Left!" Amy said,
"Let's go left then," Blaze said as her and Cream walk forward.
"You don't think this place is haunted, do you?" Cream asked,
"Don't say that Cream…" Sonic said looking terrified, Shadow could feel her hand trembling. She didn't understand why she was scared.
"If there are any ghosts, I'll just punch them." Knuckles said as they continue walking,
"You can't just punch a ghost… that's how you get possessed." Amy argued,
"I've punched ghosts in the past and that never happened to me then," Knuckles said,
"Will you both stop." Tails said letting out a sigh, "I'm not seeing anything out of the ordinary on my scanners."
"You wouldn't be able to see ghosts on your scanners." Amy said,
"Can we please stop talking about ghosts!" Sonic whimpered,
"Hang on, I think I see something up ahead." Blaze said, they all look forward seeing an unnatural blue light coming from the next room,
"I am way past over this…" Sonic said holding onto Shadow's arm.
"C'mon, let's take a look. But be careful." Shadow said as they walk forward. They enter a room with blue glowing braziers illuminating the room where there were strange markings and pictures on the walls.
"Whoa…" Cream said as they all look around.
"What do you think it means?" Amy asked,
"Something about the… great purge? Or something?" Knuckles said as they all look at him,
"You can read it?" Blaze asked,
"Yeah, It's similar to the language of the Ancient Echidna's so I can get the general gist of it, It's the same language carved into our bracelets." He said,
"Wait a mondo minuet! You can read the bracelets?" Sonic asked,
"Why didn't you tell us!" Tails asked,
"You never asked," He shrugged, "I thought you all could read it."
"Do we look like Echidna's to you?" Sonic said looking annoyed,
"What else does it say?" Shadow asked,
"Give me a minuet…" He said looking back at the wall as Cream gasps. Sonic gets startled and tightens her grip to Shadow's arm.
"This picture looks like a Chao." She pointed out,
"Hey, it does," Tails said taking multiple pictures of the walls, "I'm going to take as many pictures as I can to look at later."
"Good idea," Knuckles said,
"Um… Sonic…" Shadow said,
"Yeah?"
"I know you're scared… but would you mind loosening your grip a little bit?" Shadow asked trying to not look embarrassed, Sonic's face turns red as she lets go.
"I… I'm sorry." She looks away,
"It's… fine… you were just squeezing my arm a little too tight…" Shadow said,
"S…sure…" She starts looking around, "W…wonder what's keeping the lights lit?" She walks over to one of the braziers.
"It's not fire…" Blaze said, "I feel no heat coming from it."
"Weird…" Tails said jotting something down.
"Guys… these walls talk about Mobius." Knuckles said,
"What?" Amy said surprised,
"Yeah this is talking about the Master Emerald and Dark Chaos… I can't believe this…" Knuckles said looking shocked,
"What is it?" Cream asked,
"If I'm reading this right… this is Mobius…" Knuckles said turning towards them looking shocked,
"That's impossible… Mobius was destroyed by the Dark Chaos." Blaze said,
"Not according to this… it's saying that the Dark Chaos triggered a Genesis wave…" He said,
"No way!" Sonic said shocked,
"The Dark Chaos rewrote the entire universe?" Shadow said as she begins to think about her talk with Spira about the Dark Arms. This would explain why they still exist.
"G…guys…" TK said pointing up. "We got company!" They all look up to see a large mechanical spider the size of a large car on the ceiling.
"That looks like one of Eggman's robots…" Cream said moving closer to Blaze.
"Oh, ho, ho! This is a fascinating turn of events." They hear Eggman's voice over a speaker coming from the robot.
"What in Chaos are you doing here Egghead?" Sonic said as Shadow moves in front of her defensively. She knew the first one he'd target would be Sonic and she wasn't going to let that happen.
"Same as you, exploring these ruins. Though I'm curious where you came in from. This place must have multiple entrances." He said,
"You're not welcome here Eggman!" Knuckles said. "I won't let you damage this sacred place!"
"And how do you intend to stop me?" He said as the robotic spider drops off the ceiling and slams on the ground causing the ground beneath all of them to shake.
"We gotta get out of here before he brings the whole place down." Amy said as the ground beneath all of them begins to crumble.
"Amy give me your hand!" Tails reaches out as the floor collapses and they all begin to fall into darkness.