Chapter 36
"You sure we can't fight them?" Saya said as they try to keep an eye on the robots waiting for them to do something as they all had their hand cannons pointed at them.
"Do not resist, you are now property of the Eggman Empire." One of the robots said,
"Property?" Caroline said, Saya's fist clenches.
"Nope! That's the last straw, I'm smashing." Saya said,
"Fine but don't transform," Sophia said,
"Deal, I don't need my full speed to beat these Badniks." Saya said with a grin as she jumps up on top of one of them. Alan summons his hammer as Brandy lights her hands. "Now if my best bud taught me anything it's that I should pull out all the wires." She reaches her hand into the gap between the head and body of the robot grabbing a handful of wires and rips them out. The robots eyes flicker before it shuts down completely.
"This way!" Kolt leads TK and Cream out of the way as Alan smashes one bot with his hammer and Brandy burns one until it stops moving. Sophia creates a Chaos Spear, jumps up and stabs the bot in the eye as the head explodes.
"We gotta keep moving, Robotnik will send more bots the second that first one went offline." Sophia said as they run outside.
"Should we leave the city?" Kolt asked,
"No, the field is too open. We'll be seen immediately." Brandy said,
"We need to hide but in a place their infrared scanners can't see us." Sophia said,
"Leave that to me." Saya said giving a thumbs up as they head to another building far enough away as they hear more robots heading towards the building they were at, along with drones flying around the air. They get inside quickly and find a room not connected to any outer walls.
"How are you going to hide us Saya?" TK asked,
"Chaos Shield!" Saya creates a field around them. "Their scanners won't see us in here. On top of that Tikal should be able to track this Chaos energy and find us since we had to move."
"Nice going Kolt," Alan teased,
"Hey! It got caught, that wasn't my fault!" He argued,
"How long do you think you can maintain it?" Sophia asked ignoring their argument,
"Since I'm not transformed probably for a while, but I can't say for sure." Saya said, "We should be safe for now."
"Let's hope Tikal gets to us soon." Caroline said as they all nod.
"I definitely feel like we're back on Mobius… Back when we were on our own against Eggman…" TK said,
"Yeah… I feel the same." Saya said, "But we had Sally and the others to help us." She said as they both frown.
"What are you guys talking about?" Caroline asked,
"You were too young as Cream to remember but this is terribly similar to when we all lost our homes and our families to Eggman in our past life. That's when we created the Freedom Fighters. To stop Eggman and save the world." Saya said,
"You all went through a lot as kids huh." Sophia said as they nod,
"You were kinda busy having a fifty-year nap," Saya teased Sophia turns away with a pout,
"I was on Angel Island and wasn't pulled into the war until Sonic and Tails came to my Island." Kolt said,
"You literally punched me in the face the first time we met." Saya said,
"And took all the Chaos Emeralds." Kolt said as they both chuckle.
"And was tricked by Eggman." TK said as Kolt looks called out.
"I'm from another dimension entirely so I do not have the knowledge you have to sympathize…" Brandy said,
"You chased me around even then you crazy goof." Saya elbows Alan,
"The heart wants what the heart wants." He said jokingly as they all quietly chuckle.
Another few hours pass, and the sun begins to set as they all wait in quiet for word from Tikal. Saya's brow furrowed trying to keep concentration on the Chaos Shield. "Saya I think you can take a break, if the robots could find us they would have by now." Kolt said, noticing that she's getting burnt out and the Chaos Shield was starting to flicker in and out.
"But what about Tikal…" Saya said,
"They'll find us, but we don't need you burning yourself out any further." Sophia said as the Chaos Shield fades,
"Was anyone keeping track of how long I did that?" Saya asked,
"None of have phones remember?" Alan said as she lets out a sigh,
"Would have been nice to know how long I can hold that…" She said,
"We can figure it out later, you just rest." Sophia said as Saya nods, she leans her head onto Sophia's shoulder.
"Wait, I hear footsteps!" Caroline said as they all quickly stand up,
"How far?" TK asked,
"Not far, but they don't sound like metal." She said as Alan summons his hammer,
"Still, be on your guard." Sophia said as she pulls Saya behind her, "Don't overdo it okay?"
"I make no promises if it's Eggman." Saya said, they all wait for a moment as the door bursts open. Four masked soldiers carrying guns burst into the room as Sophia, Kolt and Alan instantly take a defensive stance in front of the others. They all pause for a moment and one of the masked soldiers puts down their gun and takes off their helmet and mask revealing it was Sally.
"Sally!" They all say as Caroline runs up and hugs her.
"Thank the Chaos you all are alright." Sally said hugging Caroline back tightly, Small tears of joy well up.
"Are we glad to see you." Kolt said as they all looked relieved,
"Where did you all go?" Alan asked,
"What happened?" TK asked,
"Let's save the questions until we're out of the city. We're too close to the factory and patrols will be making their rounds soon." She said putting her mask back on. "You all stay close, and do not transform, we don't want him knowing you're back." She said as they all nod and follow her out of the building. They take protective positions around the seven of them as they quietly make it to the edge of town,
"That was too easy…" Brandy said,
"That's because this is the hard part." Sally said, "Robotnik has randomized sensors throughout the field to stop people from leaving." She explained,
"Wait, we didn't run into those when we walked in." Saya said,
"That's because they are only active at night." She said, "But our gear shows us where they are."
"That doesn't really help us." Alan said,
"We're going to guide you, but you have to be careful, these sensors have traps to catch people. Setting one off might be game over for all of us." She said as they all look nervous.
"I'm scared…" Caroline said,
"I know, but we have to keep going, you all can do this." She said, "just follow my lead." She steps forward as they all follow her movements in a single file line. They all get halfway through the field as Alan slightly trips, Kolt tries to catch him and they both fall,
"Chaos Shield!" Saya quickly catches them before they hit the ground.
"Good catch.." Alan said as she moves them back into place.
"Let's not do that again… I don't think I can keep that up…" She said letting out a sigh holding her head,
"We're almost there," Sally said, and they continue forward, and eventually make it to the other side of the field.
"We made it." TK said letting out a long sigh,
"Barely…" Kolt said,
"The helicopter isn't far," Sally said as they follow her to another clearing where a Helicopter was waiting they all get on as the helicopter flies off.
They arrive to an unknown location as the helicopter lands in an empty field, they all look at Sally confused, "Hey Sal? Uh… where are we?" Saya asked,
"We're above HQ." she said, the ground beneath them starts to lower. They all grad hold of the helicopter to not lose their balance as the elevator beneath them lowers for a long time before stopping. "The rest of you, go get your things back in storage and report to Espio." She said as they all nod and leave. "You all come with me, Elias wants to see you." She said leading them down a hallway.
"Freedom HQ 3.0! this is awesome." Saya looked around excited,
"I'm happy you like it," Sally smiles as she enters an office where Elias was sitting behind a desk. He quickly gets up to his feet as he notices them and rushes over to them grabbing them all hugging them tightly,
"I thought we lost you all for good." He said,
"We're so sorry… we had no idea this would happen." Caroline said,
"I had hoped if you returned, you would appear where the book was," He said looking over at the book laying on a side table to the left of them. "but I guess my theory was wrong." He smiles at all of them, "You'll have to tell me what happened later."
"We will… but we need to know… How long have we been gone?" Sophia couldn't wait with the small talk anymore as they all pause expectantly waiting to hear what he said as he lets out a sigh,
"You've been gone for a little over fifteen months." He said, they all stay quiet for a moment not entirely sure how to process that information.
"We were gone for over a year?" Kolt said,
"What happened?" Saya asked,
"I'll be brief since you all look exhausted. Four months after you left Eggman attacked. And after meeting no real resistance he took over Station Square and then one by one he slowly took down major cities." He starts to say as Saya's face starts to darken, "Caroline, Brandy, Kolt, Alan… our men were taken out when we attempted to evacuate your parents."
"What?" Alan said, "What about my sister?"
"She is safe here. We barely managed to get her out." He said glancing to his left hand that was gloved.
"What happened?" Saya asked looking at his hand,
"It's just a burn, but it's a little unsightly so I keep it covered." Elias explained.
"Our parents are…" Caroline began to cry and Brandy hugs her tightly trying not to cry herself,
"We did all we could… But luckily Agent Rogue had infiltrated the main factory in Station square and confirmed they are all alive." He said,
"Had?" Sophia looked worried,
"I'll explain that in further detail later." Elias said, "I assure you Rouge is alright." Sophia relaxes a little after hearing that.
"My parents?" Saya asked,
"Your parents are here on base. I wanted to debrief you all before you went to go see them." He said,
"And… my mom?" Sophia asked hesitantly,
"She is with Saya's parents. Along with TK's, which I have to say before you go, thank you TK." Elias said as she looks at him confused, "If you didn't create the fountain of power rings we would not be operational."
"Glad I could help." She said,
"Tikal?" Kolt asked as she appears next to him.
"I am here Knuckles," She said giving him a hug as he hugs back. "I am glad you all are here."
"Where's the Master Emerald?" He asked,
"It's in the Alter room, we can give you all a tour tomorrow. For now it is late, and your parents will want to see you all." Elias said,
"But!" Saya said,
"Answers can wait till the morning. Family comes first." Elias said placing his hand on her shoulder.
"I'll take you to them. They can't wait to see you." Sally said as they all follow Elias out of his office.
"Sally make sure to take them to Dr. Starline in the morning to make sure they all are physically healthy." He said as she nods shutting the door behind her,
"Who's Dr. Starline?" Alan asked,
"The HQ Physician." Sally said, she quickly notices their confused looks.
"Wait, what about Dr. Q?" Sophia asked as Sally frowns avoiding their eyes,
"Unfortunately, she has been MIA since we evacuated the previous Headquarters." Sally said as they all lower their heads. "We're hopeful that she's been captured. But as of yet, we haven't found any sign of her."
"This is all so terrible…" Caroline said, Saya looks over at her looking completely guilt-ridden.
"Caroline… I…" Saya was about to say as Sophia stops her,
"We asked you to look into the Legendary Hedgehog stuff. Stop trying to blame yourself." She said taking her hand.
"I still feel bad…" She said,
"Saya, you were almost turned into an eternal puppet for an evil sorcerer. We should be the ones feeling bad." TK said, "You all only went in because Caroline and I got caught."
"So we're all to blame. Not just you." Brandy said,
"Besides! Better late than never." Kolt said,
"Thanks guys." She lightly smiles as Sally opens another door and they see their parents.
"Alan!" A little girl about six years old jumps out of TK's mom's lap and rushes towards them.
"Rosie!" He said running to meet her as he picks her up and hugs her tightly with tears in his eyes. "Oh thank Chaos you're okay."
"Where have you been? I missed you." Rosie said with a sad expression,
"I missed you too sparkler, and that's a little complicated." He said.
"Saya!" Her mom and dad rush up and hug her tightly as Sophia walks over to her mom,
"Mom!" TK rushes over and hugs her parents.
"You are in so much trouble young lady!" Her mom said as tears streamed down her face, "Brandy! Caroline! You two get over here!" she demanded holding open her arms. They walk over and she hugs them as they start to cry.
"You are not off the hook either!" Sophia's mom said looking angry at her as she then hugs her. "Why must you make us worry?" Kolt stands near the door in silence as Saya's dad walks over to him and places his hand on his shoulder.
"Sir?" Kolt looks confused as he pulls him into a hug,
"Don't worry, we'll get your parents back." He said as Kolt is taken off guard by the comment as he starts to tear up.
"Thank you…" Kolt said returning the hug.
"Mr. Elias said you were far, far away helping people." Rosie said,
"We were…" Alan said,
"Explanation, now!" Saya's mom asked,
"I'll give you the short version cuz I'm tired." Saya said with a yawn, "Evil sorcerer wanted to use the holy grail to become an immortal puppet master."
"Sorcerer? Holy Grail?" TK's dad looked confused,
"We were pulled into the book of King Arthur." Sophia said,
"How is that possible?" Saya's dad asked,
"Magic exists?" Saya said with a shrug, "Also I'm King Arthur," She said crossing her arms proudly,
"No you're not!" her mom argued,
"No… she actually is…" TK said as the others nod,
"Pulled the sword from the stone and everything… though technically that was a lifetime ago." She chuckles,
"You didn't tell us this story…" Her dad said,
"Like I said I can explain more in the morning, I just want to sleep." She said with a loud yawn,
"We don't have a lot of room right now with all of the refugees, so space is limited. Those whose parents are here can bunk with them, but I have a room set up for you all to share." She explained,
"You wanna bunk with everyone?" Alan asked as she waves her hands,
"Slumber party!" She giggles as they all smile,
"Is it okay if I stay with everyone?" TK asked her parents, "I don't feel right being away from them."
"Me too," Saya said as Sophia nods,
"Alright, then we'll see you all at breakfast." Sophia's mom said with a sigh, as she walks over to Saya, "I've heard a lot about you from your parents." She said looking her up and down, "You need to stop being in danger you stress your parents!" she pointed her finger at her,
"He, heh… Sorry." Saya said,
"Mom," Sophia said rolling her eyes,
"You still not off the hook either! You don't tell your mom you're a superhero?" she smacks the back of Sophia's head.
"Sorry…" She said as they all leave and follow Sally to their room. It wasn't a large room, but large enough for seven cots to fit. Along with boxes they could only assume was their stuff that was grabbed from their previous base.
"You're a superhero too right?" Rosia asked Alan,
"Kinda yeah." Alan said trying to get her to settle down so they can go to bed,
"Do you have powers?"
"Yep!" he smiles as everyone was getting ready for bed,
"What are they?"
"I'm super strong and use a magic hammer." He said making his hammer appear,
"Cool!" She said excitedly,
"It also turns into a staff." He said showing her, "And I can use some magic."
"If you knock me out again Alan I swear to Chaos I will throw you at Eggman!" Saya said as they all laugh.
"You're supposed to be winding her down… not winding her up…" Kolt said yawning,
"Sorry," He chuckles, "But he's right we should get some sleep Sparkler." He said as she yawns,
"Will you tell me more about King Arthur tomorrow?" She asked as he starts tucking her in,
"Promise." He smiles as he kisses her forehead and they all go to sleep for the night in their supposed new home.
The next morning they all slowly wake up. Saya goes over to the door hearing movement of people walking past the door and is surprised to see that there were guards posted. "Uh… hi?" She said,
"Hello, please stay inside until Agent Sally comes to collect you." He said as he closes the door,
"Well that was weird…" Saya said,
"Did they really have guards posted last night?" TK asked,
"Looks like it." She shrugs,
"We're inside the base… why would we need to be under guard." Kolt asked,
"Maybe paranoid we might disappear?" Alan shrugged as Rosie woke up and jumped onto his shoulders,
"We can ask him when we talk to him. I still have questions" Sophia said,
"He probably has questions too." Brandy said, they all notice that Saya starts pacing,
"Why is she walking back and forth?" Rosie asked watching Saya move around,
"She doesn't like being in enclosed spaces for very long." Alan said,
"There are no windows…" She said to herself as Sophia walks up and stops her.
"You're working yourself up," Sophia said pulling her onto a cot to sit down. "You'll give yourself a panic attack."
"Easier said than done…" She said looking around as Rosie walks over to her,
"So you were a King?" She asked,
"Yeah." Saya said with a smile,
"Where's your crown?"
"Back in Camelot." Saya chuckles,
"Sophia's also a Knight." Alan teased as Rosie gasps,
"That's so cool!" She giggled, "Does that mean you protect the King?" She asked,
"Oh yeah, She needs to be rescued all the time." Sophia joked,
"Hey!" Saya said crossing her arms with a pout, "I'm not that bad,"
"Oh yes you are," Sophia said,
"At least she said she won't volunteer as bait anymore." TK said shaking her head,
"I don't believe that for a second." Kolt said,
"It's true, I heard her say it." Caroline said,
"I did actually say that huh…" Saya lets out a sigh as they all laugh. Sally enters the room and smiles at them.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Sally said,
"Why are there guards posted outside?" Brandy asked,
"Elias wanted to make sure you all felt safe. Along with making sure you didn't decide to go exploring and got lost." She said looking at Saya.
"Getting called out all over the place this morning." She said crossing her arms,
"Let's get you all some food and then you can meet with Dr. Starline." She said as they all follow her out of the room to start their new lives in a world they no longer recognized.
They all finish eating and leave Rosie with TK's parents and head to the new infirmary. It was much larger and there were separate rooms to the side. A man with white hair that had a black streak on the left side wearing round glasses and a Purple and red intricate lab coat walks up to them. "Good Morning Agent Sally," He said with a smile, "Are these?" he asked looking at them all,
"Yes, they are the Servers." She said,
"A pleasure to finally meet you all at last! My name is Dr. Hector Starline." He said with an extravagant bow.
"Sup!" Saya waved,
"Elias wants you to make sure they all are healthy." Sally said,
"Of course! We need to make sure you all are in fighting shape." He said excitedly,
"I need to do a few more things but I'll be back." She said leaving them in the infirmary.
"This all must be a lot to take in. But I want you to know I will take care of you all just as well as Helen did." He said with a smile as he goes over to a file cabinet and pulls out a bunch of files, "Now which one of you is Saya?"
"That's me!" She said,
"Excellent! Let's go over to that first room and make sure you are all good. I'll check you all individually and have the other doctors come and make sure all of your vitals are normal." He said as Saya follows him to the first checkup room and shuts the door behind her,
"This is weird…" TK said,
"It'll definitely take some getting used to…" Alan said as other Doctors walk up to them and lead them to the side to check their vitals. At the same time Saya sits on the table and waits to hear from Dr. Starline who was still skimming over her file.
"You've been injured a lot… But no permanent damage due to your healing abilities. How are you feeling psychologically? It says here you have an issue with enclosed spaces." He asked,
"I'm usually okay unless I start to feel trapped." Saya said,
"And have you had any panic attacks recently?" he asked,
"Not since I got back…" She said feeling a little uncomfortable, Starline was nothing like Dr. Q and she couldn't put her finger on it, but something left her feeling unsettled.
"We don't have to talk about it until you are ready, I know opening up to a complete stranger can be difficult." He said with a calming smile. "Where did you come back from exactly?"
"Camelot." Saya said,
"Beg pardon?" Dr. Starline looked at her confused,
"I should warn you; you're going to see some crazy things." She chuckles, "So how do you know Sal and Elias?"
"I worked with their parents." Dr. Starline said,
"Oh…" Saya looked away feeling awkward,
"It was a long time ago… Would you mind transforming for me?" He asked,
"Sure, Chaos Control." She transformed,
"Incredible! And the Chaos Emeralds are what fuel the transformations correct?" He asked looking at her bracelet.
"Yep! Though ever since we all got together we can use a majority of our powers in our regular forms." Sonic said,
"There's a note in here about you suffering Chaos Poisoning. Is that the reason?" He asked,
"It was at first, but then after we all found each other we kinda leveled up and now all of us can use our powers outside of our transformations." She explained,
"I see… I assume that's also why your eyes changed from brown to green… Well, my main concern were the anxiety attacks, but we can talk about those another time. If they start happening more frequently let me know. I can prescribe something to help." He said,
"Sure Doc." She said standing up and transforming back.
"Will you have Sophia come in?" He asked as she nods and walks out,
"You're turn Soph." She said as Sophia nods and walks into the room,
"How was it?" Kolt asked as One of the doctors starts to take her vitals.
"Felt like a doctor's office in a hospital… he's definitely not Dr. Q" Saya said,
"No one is Dr. Q." Brandy said,
"I really hope she's okay…" Caroline said,
"We'll find her." Saya said confidently,
After a few hours they finish up their physicals by taking some bloodwork and Sally returns to collect them. "I apologize that it took so long but we're finally done," Dr. Starline said with a smile, "Sally they are all perfectly healthy pending checking their bloodwork."
"That's good to hear." She said, "Also, these are your access cards," She said handing them all one,
"Access cards?" TK asked,
"Yes, until we can get your fingerprints into the system. These will give you access to the base." She said, "Let me show you around before we talk to Elias." She said as they all follow her around finding a massive recreational center with multiple obstacle courses.
"Okay, those look mondo fun!" Saya said looking excited,
"You can test it out later." Brandy said,
"Aw! No fun!" Saya pouts as they continue into a large cafeteria and greenroom and a new workshop for TK.
"Oh good all of my stuff is here!" TK said cheerfully,
"There's also a safe for any of the things you want to keep secure." Sally said vaguely giving TK a look as she gives her a nod.
"I… Is the Dark Chaos Emerald in here?" Saya asked looking nervous,
"No, that's locked up in another location." Sally said,
"Probably better I don't know about it." Saya said,
"Yes that was our thought as well. Let's finish up the tour." They get down a long hallway as they almost complete the tour. "Our last stop it the Alter room. You seven, Elias and I are the only ones with permissions to get in here." She said opening the door as they see an extravagant garden with lush grass and flowers and a large pond. In the center on an elevated Platform was the Master Emerald,
"It's beautiful!" Caroline said,
"Chao!" They all hear as Hope flies out from behind the master Emerald along with two other Chao's.
"Hope!" Caroline cries as Hope flies into her arms. "Oh! I'm so happy you're okay!"
"And made some new friends," Saya said as the Chao flies up and nuzzles her cheek, "Hey! Cut that out! That tickles!"
"We took the time to make the Alter room a Chao Garden so that more Chao can thrive." Tikal said appearing in front of them.
"You even turned the fountain of rings into a pond!" Tk said seeing a power ring float up.
"Yes it helps the base stay powered." Sally said,
"I feel a little better knowing that only a few people can come in here." Kolt said,
"You're not the only one that wants to keep the Emerald safe." Sally said, "Now, we've definitely kept Elias waiting long enough. He wants to hear what happened to you all along with answer any questions you all have." They head to a conference room where Elias was waiting for them.
"What do you all think?" Elias asked,
"It is rather intricate." Brandy said,
"It's definitely going to take me a while to find my way around this place." Alan said,
"I know this is a lot of change for you all especially in such a short amount of time. But before we get to what happened here, let's talk about what happened to you all." He said as they all sit down. "The only thing Tikal told us is that you all jumped into a storybook, King Arthur and the Knights of the Round table I believe?"
"Yes," TK said,
"So… it wasn't my first trip to Camelot." Saya said,
"You've been inside this story book before?" He asked,
"Yeah, Merlina the granddaughter of Merlin summoned me to fight King Arthur because he had become corrupted by evil. To fight him I needed Caliburn."
"You pulled the sword from the stone?" Sally asked,
"Yep! Long story short, turns out I was the real King Arthur and the guy I fought was a fake."
"And that's what happened your first trip?" Elias asked,
"For the most part yeah."
"I remembered that Sonic told me this story and that he was referred to as the Legendary Hedgehog. Saya wanted to reread the book to see if she could remember anything else." TK said,
"But after I touched the book it started glowing and this guy Morrigan, the grandson of Morgana and a mind-controlled Lancelot showed up." Saya said,
"He first tried to trick Saya and when that didn't work they caught TK and me…" Caroline said,
"Right as I was about to trade them for me, the cavalry showed up and they fled taking them with." "Saya said,
"So you jumped in after them after you asked Tikal to tell us." Elias said, "More detail would have been nice in the future please."
"I tried to." Sophia said giving Saya a look of 'I told you so',
"Yeah but my mindset was that Camelot time moves faster than here so if we took too long it could have been weeks there." Saya argued,
"Fair point…" Sophia said,
"Anyway, we all jumped in and ended up just outside Camelot." Kolt said,
"I led everyone to Nimue, she'd definitely help us get them back." Saya said,
"We were imprisoned in the dungeon with Merlina." TK said,
"We ran into Gawain and Percival who looked identical to Brandy and Kolt." Sophia said,
"Parallel universe kinda thing." Saya said,
"Nimue knew a way for us to sneak into the castle but she suggested we train first before rescuing them." Brandy said,
"Wait, why would you need to train?" Sally asked,
"We were completely cut off from Chaos and the majority of our abilities." Sophia said,
"I lost my strength and now I can use magic." Alan said summoning his staff to show them,
"Our clothes changed too." TK said,
"I still don't understand why I was in a dress…" Caroline said letting out a sigh.
"I thought you looked very pretty." Brandy said as Caroline giggles,
"So we took the time to attempt to learn these new abilities so we could stand a chance at rescuing them… then Lancelot came after us… and I kinda got caught." Saya said,
"How?" Elias asked,
"I did the one thing Caliburn told me not to do, I took my eyes off my opponent." She chuckles,
"Wait… you said Caliburn told you that?" Elias said looking confused,
"Oh, forgot to mention… Caliburn is a talking sword." Saya said,
"This is nothing like the book…" Sally said, looking overwhelmed by this story.
"What happened after that?" Elias asked,
"Lance took me to Morrigan, and he tried to mind control me, but for some reason he couldn't, so he put a curse on me instead that sealed my powers. But they were dumb enough to lock me in my old room. They didn't know I had a secret escape passage that I used to use to sneak out when I wanted to walk around the kingdom without an escort." Saya said proudly,
"Was that before or after Lancelot kissed you?" Alan said. Saya's face turns red as Sophia's eye twitches.
"Lancelot kissed you?" Sally asked,
"T… That's not important!" Saya said seeing the rage coming off of Sophia, "Easy Soph, it's all in the past… He was mind controlled remember?"
"Still ripping his head off if I see him again." Sophia snarled, Saya takes her hand and it instantly calms her.
"Then Saya found us in the dungeon, but the cells were magically locked." TK said trying to get back on track,
"Yeah, so I went to go find Caliburn to break the locks, but I got caught again thanks to the cursed thorns." Saya said,
"We realized that Morrigan might find out that Saya knew where the grail was hidden, and we went to rescue all of them. We found them in the Dungeon and broke them free before looking for Saya" Alan said,
"But by that point they forced the info out of me using magic. Then he forced me to lead him to the grail." Saya said,
"We went back to Nimue to grab Percival so she could lead us to the grail." Sophia said trying to haste the story along,
"Only after you almost killed yourself by forcing Chaos Control." Kolt said giving her a look,
"Wait what?" Saya said turning to Sophia, she turns away from Saya's gaze.
"I couldn't stand not being able to use my powers, especially after watching them take you away for a second time…" Sophia said,
"Did you take off your inhibitors again?" Elias asked and she nodded, "Sophia, if this continues to be an issue I will bench you also."
"Understood but do keep in mind we were in another dimension and there was no way to ask permission." Sophia said not wanting to ask what he meant by, also.
"Noted." Elias said,
"Caliburn Knighted Sophia," Alan said,
"Why do you keep telling people that?" Sophia asked looking flustered,
"Cuz you both are easy to tease." He grins as she glares at him,
"Percival was able to lead us to the grail before they could get there," Kolt said,
"Then I challenged Lancelot to a duel and freed him from Morrigan's spell." Sophia said,
"But Morrigan got away with the grail." Brandy said,
"We regrouped and went after him and planned to use Excalibur to defeat him." Sophia said,
"But it was a trap… he got a hold of everyone inside and attempted to erase Sonic's memories." Caroline said.
"Wait… why?" Elias asked,
"He wanted me to be a puppet, an empty king for him to control… he might have succeeded if I didn't tell Caliburn plan B." Saya said,
"Plan B?" Sally asked,
"In desperate situations Caliburn can possess my body as Excalibur. So when my mind was dormant he took over and beat Morrigan banishing him to the underworld."
"Then Excalibur used the Grail to wake her up and after some rest we came back." Alan said,
"We believe that when Morrigan got the grail the time dilation that Saya mentioned became reversed and time here started moving faster than there." TK said,
"That would explain why more time hadn't passed," Brandy said,
"You all have the craziest adventures." Sally said,
"And will you stop getting kidnapped?" Elias said looking at Saya,
"What can I say? I'm a hot commodity." She shrugs letting out a chuckle as they all let out a sigh,
"It's half of the reason you're not leaving my sight." Sophia said as Saya starts turning red,
"Before that… Now it's your turn. What happened the last 15 months? We know Eggman attacked 4 months after we left, and he took our parents. But what happened after he took the major cities?" Kolt asked,
"He first thought you were all hiding so he attempted multiple ways to lure you out, but after the sixth month he stopped trying and continued running experiments and building new robots, forcing prisoners to work the factories." Elias explained,
"You said Rogue used to keep an eye of their parents, why isn't she doing so anymore?" Sophia asked,
"While she was keeping an eye, she discovered something she believed was worth blowing her cover." Elias said, "She found out that Robotnik is trying to rebuild the Robotisizer."
"What?" Saya jumped out of her seat, her face goes pale.
"Don't worry, She destroyed the progress he made and all of his notes so he would have to start from scratch. But because she did that, we no longer have a visual on your parents." He said as they all lower her heads,
"Did Rogue at least get out okay?" Sophia asked gently leading Saya back to her seat,
"Yes, though she was injured. She's already made a full recovery and back in the field." Sally said,
"That's not the worst of it… with how long it's been, Eggman has started to accumulate followers that agree with his metal utopia philosophy."
"That's a Kool-Aid I will not be drinking ever." Saya said crossing her arms,
"So he has more than robots… great…" Alan said,
"What about Dr. Q? What happened to her" Brandy asked. Elias stays silent for a moment as his face darkens.
"We… don't know. When we were evacuating the bunker and she was just, gone. I looked everywhere for her but Robotnik's forces found us and we had to leave…" Elias said,
"But we're not giving up hope. She has to be somewhere." Sally said trying to lift his spirits.
"Yes, people don't magically disappear." He said with a teasing grin, "Well, normal people."
"So Egghead took over the world and now has crazy followers. Big deal, we'll beat him back into hiding and take Mobius back!" Saya said,
"I think you mean Earth?" Sally said,
"Technically the same thing so…." She chuckles,
"If there are no more questions, shall we get to your first mission?" Elias said,
"Not wasting any time are you." Caroline said,
"You all have already lost so much time. And there are a lot of people who need help." He said as a projector screen lowers and turns on showing one of the factories. "This factory in Diamond city is one of the ones that build the energy reactors that go in Eggman's robots."
"So you want us to trash the place?" Saya asked,
"No, this is a covert mission." Sally said,
"Meaning you will be staying here." Elias said to her,
"Oh c'mon! I totally proved in Camelot that I can be stealthy! And I didn't even have my powers." She argued,
"You're literally a glowing blue blur. That's going to be noticed. And we want Eggman to be unaware of you all for as long as possible." Elias said,
"This blows!" She pouts,
"Unfortunately Kolt, you'll be benched for this mission as well." Elias said as Kolt stands up,
"Why am I being benched?" He asked,
"Robotnik still wants you to decipher the scroll. We want to keep you hidden more than Saya at this point." He explained,
"So am I benched forever then?" Kolt said sounding angry,
"No, we recently got a lead on the whereabouts of the scrolls location. If we can get the scroll and lock it away, then we will be good." Elias said,
"That could take months! You expect me to sit here and do nothing while everyone else fights?" Kolt said,
"Kolt this is not up for debate. Or did you forget that if he forces you to read that scroll the world could end?" He said as Kolt stops, he understood what Elias was saying but he hated knowing he couldn't help his friends or his family.
"Fine… then you all don't need me. I'll be in the Alter room." He said storming out.
"Kolt…" Sally tried to stop him, but Sophia stops her.
"Let him go cool off. Not being able to help especially when his family is in danger is a lot to take in." Sophia said, "But as safe as this location is, I don't feel comfortable leaving Saya here."
"I'll just chill in the Alter room with Kolt while you're on mission." Saya said trying to reassure Sophia,
"Can you really stay in there for that long?" TK asked,
"I'll practice meditating with Kolt again?" She shrugs,
"Fine, not that I have a choice. When do we leave?" Sophia asked,
"Later this evening, Until then please try to get more accustomed to your new surroundings." Elias said,
"Oh! dibs on trying the obstacle course first!" Saya said standing up, "Bet I can beat it faster." She looks at Sophia, as she slowly stands up.
"Really? Care to make another bet, faker?" Sophia said with a grin,
"You're on!" Saya smiles as they walk out of the room,
"I wonder if those in the kitchen need any help," Caroline said,
"We can go check," Brandy said as they get up to leave,
"TK, would you remain here for a moment?" Elias asked as she nods, and they wait for the others to leave.
"Is this about the safe in my workshop?" She asked,
"Yes, the Limit rings are in there. However there is only one set." He said,
"What happened to the second set?" She asked,
"We never found it when we cleaned out your workshop, the bag you usually use was missing." Sally said,
"Maybe I had left them in my bag, and someone grabbed it?" TK pondered,
"None the less I would recommend making another set just in case." Elias said
"Guess I have something to work on then." She said getting up, "I'll see you guys tonight," She said leaving and heading back to the Alter room.