A/N: Chao Cam Productions is proud to present the next episode of Sonic Chao Chronicles.
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GUN Fortress, Arizona Base- 15:25, About a Week Later
When a young adult first joins GUN's ranks, they are usually assigned to a base to begin their four year training. The closest GUN base to Station Square in Arizona was but one of those many locations. And these greenhorn cadets were currently watching one of the recently recorded battle tapes of one rather unpredictable "enemy".
They were watching Sonic the Hedgehog combat several of Robotnik's Egg Pawns and a giant robot monkey. One of the robots attempted to stab him, but he swiftly dodged, and then thrust an open palm straight into the robot's chest, tearing the entire upper body clean off.
"Imagine that was a flesh and blood human on the receiving end of that counterattack," their instructor, Card Passer, announced to the rookies. They didn't really have to think about it for long- Sonic could most likely kill anybody if he didn't hold back. Passer, a tall man with tanned skin, a pair of rather soulless green eyes, brown hair, and a full goatee was a one colonel that you didn't want to screw with. If it wasn't for his questionable methods, he would be the forth of GUN's elite generals.
Even though he didn't really have to remind them that Sonic wasn't to be trusted, Passer felt the need to get it into his soldiers' systems now- Sonic was to be killed on sight. "That hedgehog may seem to be working against Robotnik, now," Passer declared, "but it'll only be a matter of time before Sonic starts to attempt to conquer the country himself. I say we take him out, now, before he decides to make a move."
"But sir," one of the rookies voiced, "what if Sonic is just trying to help? Then we're just declaring war on a possible ally!"
Passer took one look at the young soldier who said that, and then turned to his more loyal and knowledgeable soldiers. He nodded at them, and two of them walked over to the recruit. They grabbed both of his arms, and dragged him out of the room, the poor boy flailing and screaming. Soon, after a few minutes, the screams got louder, as well as the sound of bones cracking. Passer did not at all tolerate free thinking in his base.
"Let that be a lesson to all of you," Passer warned. "The next person I catch on my base viewing Sonic in a positive light… you're going to go home honorably discharged, just most likely paralyzed from the waist down." All of the young cadets instantly got the message, and nodded. "Now then, for your first formal assignment, ladies and gentlemen… as we all know, Sonic the Hedgehog has been fighting off Robotnik's forces in the past two weeks. We need to interfere with one of those battles, and eliminate Sonic before it ends.
"Now, short and simple… I want Sonic the Hedgehog's severed head on my desk by the end of next week." Passer looked back to the video, and saw Sonic spin dash through the large robot monkey with ease, and sake off the oil covering him. "Do you all understand me?"
The new GUN troops all stood up and saluted, "SIR, YES SIR!"
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Episode 4: I Wanna Fly High! Tails Takes to the Skies!
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Prowers' Workshop- 08:24 on Saturday
"So," Swift asked while looking at his dark blue Chaos Emerald and sitting in the back seat of Tanaka's Lamborghini with Miles and Karin while Chris was in the front seat and Tanaka parked the car, "why are we taking the day off from all of our field work at your friend's house?" Chris today was wearing a dark blue jacket over a black sleeveless shirt and a pair of black jeans, while Karin was wearing a sun yellow blouse with a spring green skirt.
"For starters, Swift," Miles answered, a swirl over his head, "in the short amount of time we've known Chris, neither of us have been to any of his friends' houses. Secondly, I have something called 'a life' that's outside of Chuck's garage working on the second Morpher with Karin's help!"
"Which is nearly finished, I may add," Karin interjected. "Besides, Swift, as a Wild Chao turn Citizen, you should take some opportunities to see what life is like for Chao who were born home-raised."
"Um, I only know one home-raised Chao," Swift thought aloud, thinking of Amy. A heart appeared over his head, and a blush on his face. She was pretty cute… He then snapped his thoughts to reality, getting rid of both the blush and heart, and then asked, 'What the hell am I thinking of her, for!?'
To distract himself from the thought, he looked at Danny's house. Now, he knew Chris' house was huge, but Danny's place wasn't one to shake a stick at. It was a huge brown house that had real stone in the foundation, as well as a long driveway, and- despite it looking like an ordinary log cabin- Swift could tell that there was something odd about this building.
Miles casually flew up towards the door, and looked at the odd custom knocker. It looked like two fox tails joined together by a ring. He lifted it up, and slowly knocked on the door three times. The entire time, he felt weird… like he was Swift staring at a sense of Chaos Energy… of course, before he could ponder this any further, he was distracted by something that made an exclamation point over his head. Having Danny open the door and greeting you will do that to you.
"Hey, Chris!" Danny greeted. Today, the boy was wearing a coffee brown vest over a yellow t-shirt and a pair of brown pants. He noticed the shocked fox Chao flying in front of him, and blinked. "Hey… you brought both of the Chao!"
"Y-yeah," Miles stated, landing on the ground and calming down. Politely bowing to the boy, the fox Chao greeted, "My name is Miles. You're Chris' friend Danny, right?"
"Yep," Danny grinned. "Daniel Prower at your service!" Looking at Tanaka and Karin, Danny asked, "Um… did Tanaka get a girlfriend?"
"What!?" both the butler and the former doctor asked, blushing furiously. "HELL NO!"
"Um, Danny," Chris whispered, "Ms. Naka here is Swift and Miles' official doctor. My grandpa hired her, since Swift is so… clumsy."
"A doctor, huh?" Danny asked. "Are you sure your parents didn't hire her since you've been getting tired and banged up, lately?" This was rather true- with all of the robot attacks, Sonic has to fight more and more, getting hurt often. Also, these incidents have been costing him some homework and study time, forcing him to lose precious sleep. And it was all because of what his grandfather said.
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Flashback to a Week Prior
"W…What!?" Chris gasped, looking at his grandfather. Swift and Miles were also stunned by this sudden announcement. "Grandpa… what do you mean 'the end of the world!?'"
"It's exactly what it sounds like," Chuck answered. "Karin, share with them your research you've shared with me."
"Right," the former doctor nodded. Looking back at her laptop, she began, "You three are no doubt unaware of the rumors that all Chao today are the descendants of aliens that came to this planet as part of a pioneer program?" While all three looked pretty confused, Swift had somewhat of a clue.
"Well… I heard of it from my mom when she told me some of the origins of my Chaos Emerald," Swift answered, looking at his Emerald still floating in the air, circling Karin's green Emerald in a seemingly eternal dance. "Chao came to this planet in an island shaped spaceship near the territory of the Echidna Mobian Tribe for peaceful settling of our race. Back then, the Mobians that are now extinct were the dominant species on the planet, the Echidnas being the ruling tribe. As much as I hate it, we Chao have a code to honor and aide the dominating species of any planet we decide to settle on in exchange for personal freedoms and a little territory of our own- hence, this world's Chao World on one of the Hawaiian Islands.
"Anyways, our code would have eventually formed a treaty between Chao and the Echidnas, had their species not started a small war with us for our life sources, the seven Chaos Emeralds, and their controller, the Master Emerald. The reason why was because the head of the Echidna clan heard that our guardian god, Chaos, had gained great power with the might of the Emeralds he created, and the Master Emerald was so strong that it could stop any source of Chaos Energy with the help of a sacred chant. The Chief wanted plenty of power, and he saw the Chao as a threat with the Master Emerald able to stop the Chaos Emeralds on a dime. So, he attacked the colony with a hundred warriors strong. The original clan of Chao that came here weren't exactly fighters, so I'll leave how that little assault went down.
"My mother didn't go into detail, but she said that Chaos came down onto this planet, and, seeing his worshippers in trouble, used the Emeralds to cause a great flood to wash over the world, killing off many of the Mobians, kind of like what happened in your Christianity's Holy Bible in the chapters of Noah's Ark. After the flood, Chaos has never come back to Earth to issue judgment, the Emeralds split away throughout the planet giving us free reign as to how far we can go, and the world has since been in peace." He then noticed the shocked eyes just staring at him. "What?" the hedgehog Chao asked, a question mark above his head.
"…Who was your mother?" Karin asked Swift. "Because she knew stuff that not even most of today's researchers should know. Charles and I knew some of it because of our previous respective affiliations with Chao."
"Grandpa," Chris blinked, "you never told me you worked with Chao."
"Well," Chuck nervously chuckled, "you never asked, and I only worked with one Chao before Swift and Miles."
"To answer your previous question, Dr. Naka," Swift interrupted, "my mother was the descendant of one of the original Chao pioneers that came to this planet and lived to tell their story to their children, who have passed it on for generations. I've heard the whole story and even the tale of the Chaos Emeralds were covered up by the damn DCS in Paris, France to encourage Chao-Human relationships. They think that now that we have an actual planet to call home thanks to humanity, we Chao who do still know should keep it away from the public, lest we reopen old wounds- because nothing opens a wound quite like our god bringing the apocalypse to punish the greed of humans."
"Swift…" Miles asked, a question mark above his head, "did you know something I didn't?" Swift casually nodded. The question mark turned into a swirl of annoyance as the fox Chao continued, "And this is the first time you're sharing this with me?"
"Hey," Swift replied, "as much as I hate the DCS, I like to stay alive, too. I heard that the DCS actually executes Chao who spread insane public propaganda."
"Anyways, back to the topic at hand," Chuck announced. "As we now all know, the Chaos Emeralds could- in the wrong hands- wipe out all life on the planet. Now, Chris, as we've both experienced first hand, we know how cruel GUN can be. And we just know that Robotnik is after the Emeralds after what he said to Swift last Saturday. If either of those groups gets their hands on the Emeralds, it'll be World War III, which will just be an equivalent to Armageddon. And it just seems safer for the rest of the world if we find the Emeralds first, and return them to the space ship. I plan to find out possible locations on the world news, but for now… we should focus on the fight at home."
"You mean Robotnik, right?" Chris asked.
"Leave him to me and Chris," Swift grinned.
"Oh, no you don't," Miles scowled. "I want to take to the field myself. And since I like the results you guys have given me, I think it's time for a second Morpher, and to figure out who's to wear it."
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Back to Present
Now, Chris was involved in a rather interesting fight to capture the Emeralds. So far, his grandfather hadn't found anything. But Robotnik had been attacking constantly, which was really costing the boy his sleep.
Anyways, the group was now inside Danny's house, touring the facility. Miles was letting his curiosity show- he had always wanted to explore a laboratory, but he could never convince Chuck to let him go to his actual work. So, seeing the Prowers' home laboratory was the second best thing for him. The fox Chao was impressed with all of the junk just lying around in Chuck's garage, but the sights and sounds of tinkering technology was amazing.
"…And this is my dad's prototype for a dog sentry robot!" Danny introduced, turning towards a small, metal dog that looked exactly like a cocker spaniel puppy. The robot dog just barked once to acknowledge that it heard him. "It's alright, Scrap."
"Why'd you name this thing 'Scrap'?" Miles asked, looking at the robot dog.
"Well," Danny grinned, "he was made from various bits of scrap metal that dad had lying around."
"But he looks so well built."
"The scrap metal came from our prototype biplanes that crashed."
"Oh." He had heard about each of the plane attempts, all ending in disaster. Miles supposed that Scrap would be the perfect way to reuse all of that metal that was destroyed in the crashes. Better than letting it all go to waste by rusting.
The group was then taken to the basement, which housed the only successful plane that Danny, Chris, and Chuck had built. The plane had changed much over the past couple weeks- now it had a red and yellow paint-job, there was an actual GPS system in it, the engine was overhauled, and the insignia that was the knocker on the front door.
"Hey," Swift said, actually interested for once. "Did this plane get an upgrade!?"
"Yeah," Danny replied. "Chris, I hope you and your grandpa didn't mind that me and my parents went ahead and finished the plane without you."
"No, it's fine," Chris honestly answered. "The plane's been your project for the past five years. I'm just glad it's finally finished." This drove Miles to complete excitement, a heart over his head..
"…Can this thing actually fly!?" Miles asked, jumping into the pilot seat. "How fast can she go!? What fuel do you use!? Any weapons on board!?"
"Calm down, Miles," Swift stated, jumping into the pilot seat as well, pulling the fox Chao out. "Sorry, Dan… Miles' inner techie got to him."
"You mean he's also into all the technology?" Danny asked, looking at Miles struggling to escape the headlock Swift placed him in. "Where and how did you two meet?" The two stopped their fighting to look at the boy.
"It's a long story," both of them stated. Just then, Scrap ran downstairs, barking up a storm, shocking the entire group.
"What is it, Scrap?" Danny asked. Scrap barked again, and ran upstairs. The group casually followed until they saw Scrap in front of the television, looking at the news. A giant, metal falcon was on the screen, flying above Station Square, dropping off plenty of rather unwanted cargo in the form of Egg Pawns.
"Looks like we're going to have to cut this tour short," Swift announced, looking at Chris. "We've got to get back to the mansion, right, Chris?"
"Right," the boy nodded. Turning to Danny, he stated, "Sorry, Danny. But I just remembered I have something to do, today!"
"What?" Danny asked, looking at Chris. "Um, hate to tell you this, but those robots are attacking. You're not going to even get downtown! If you've got to go home, then let me fly you!" Chris blinked at this offer. He didn't really know what to say. If he took it up, then he would have to reveal to Danny that he's Sonic. However, if he didn't, then it would only make the group seem suspicious without an excuse. But all of the good ones Chris personally could not just pull off!
"I left something in the oven?" No; the last time Ella let anyone else in her kitchen was when she was sick with the flu, and to this day, Tanaka and Chris are still under that restraining order that they can't be within ten feet of the kitchen door.
"I forgot to do my homework?" No; Miles had been tutoring Chris ever since the official adoption of him and Swift. Besides, Danny had the exact same class schedule as Chris, and he knew darn well that they didn't have any homework.
"I need to set my DVR for the uncut episodes of One Piece?" No, Chris loved that show too much to not set the DVR whenever he couldn't watch it, and Danny knew it!
"I have to help grandpa?" Not going to work either; Danny would've been called over as well.
"I have some errands to run?" Didn't Chris and Swift just say they were going to the mansion?
Look, I could keep going, but you get the point- Chris had no real reason to suddenly leave, and he'd look suspicious if he did. As he was thinking, he then remembered something that Swift and Miles brought up.
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Flashback- a few Days Ago
Sonic collapsed on the couch of Chuck's living room before turning back into Chris and Swift. "Owwwww… that monkey had a sucker punch," Chris groaned, rubbing his sore cheek. "It took us three spin dashes and a Homing Attack to take down."
"But you're still alive, at least, Master Chris," Ella stated while handing him an ice pack to nurse his cheek with. Karin walked over, and picked up Swift.
"Let's tend to your scrapes, Swift," she smiled at the Chao, tickling his small stomach. It actually made him giggle a little bit.
"Not yet," the hedgehog Chao chuckled. Turning to Miles, he asked, "How close is your second Morpher to completion."
"A few days," Miles answered while looking up from working on his device. "Give or take. Great fight, by the way. Sonic's approval rating is starting to rise up. But add a little more flair in your next battle. No offense to all humans present, but all of you love over the top performances."
"None taken," Chris acknowledged. "But I don't want to make Sonic look like an egomaniac by making street shows out of fighting Robotnik's Badniks." Miles and Swift just stared at him. "What?"
"'Badniks,' Chris?" Swift asked. "Really? Is that the only thing you can call those insane robots that are different than the grunts? We've been fighting these things for almost two weeks now, and all you can come up with is 'Badniks?' It's like it came out of a comic or Saturday morning cartoon!"
"It was either 'Badniks' or 'Hatchlings.'"
"…Badniks, then," Swift sighed. "But I still think it sucks. Anyways, you were saying?"
"Right," Chris remembered. "Look, not to sound selfish, but when I signed on board for this whole hero thing, it was only because my friends were in danger at the time. Now, I'm only keeping this up because we can't let the likes of GUN or Robotnik have seven gemstones that have the powerful equivalent to or possibly even greater than a nuclear warhead. Otherwise, they could destroy civilization as we know it. I'm not doing this to help with your guys' whole 'hero' business."
"Too late for that," Miles replied. "The entire world has been debating Sonic's true alliance. Whether we like it or not, you're the news."
"Look, Miles," Chris yawned, "I'd normally argue with you if I wasn't so darn tired. All of these attacks with no real break!"
"Which is why we may have to get somebody else involved," Swift announced. Chris stared straight at him. "Look, I know Miles. And last week, he said he's going to take to the field as soon as the second Morpher is active. Once he makes up his mind about something, it's rarely ever changed. That means I have to use my Chaos Sense to track a suitable ally for him. I've checked everyone here, and nobody has the proper energy reading as the guy."
"But what about secrecy?"
"I know," Miles agreed. "But despite having amazing healing, super speed, enhanced endurance, and increased strength, you on that couch proved that even with these extra powers, you're still human. It may end up exposing up, but if we're going to have a proper crack at the other five Chaos Emeralds that are no doubt around the world, our little team needs more firepower than Sonic alone can offer. We need to start thinking of candidates for the team."
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Present
Chris was still annoyed about that memory. He had tried to argue with them, but eventually, he came to the difficult conclusion that Sonic just wasn't going to be enough to tackle on an international treasure hunt on the level of one he read about in a thriller novel (A/N: Seriously, if you have the time, READ Seven Ancient Wonders by Matthew Reilly! It's like a hardcore action flick/video game successfully novelized! Oh, his other works are good, too!) If Chris was going to seriously help Swift and Miles in his grandfather's set-up Emerald hunt, then he had no choice but to tell somebody and ask for their help. And right now, Danny could help.
"…Danny," Chris sighed. "If you're going to fly us somewhere, could you fly us above downtown?"
"Sure," Danny answered. "Why do you wanna go there? It's not like Helen and Frances are being hostage, again."
"There's something I have to do." Miles instantly headed downstairs, and jumped into the copilot's seat.
"I'll move the car," Tanaka sighed. "Ms. Naka." Confused, she followed him, as well as Chris and Swift. Danny, meanwhile, got into the pilot's seat, and turned on the engine of the plane.
"Computer," Danny ordered, "activate the Prower biplane's runway launching sequence." While the platform that the plane was on suddenly seemed to rise- much to the amazement of Miles, who had always wondered what flying without the use of his tails would be like- Danny put on his dark brown flight helmet and goggles. Miles, to imitate him, placed his own goggles over his eyes. Eventually, the lift made it to the top- inside the extra garage on the side of the house. When it opened, Miles looked out to see the driveway had been cleared for takeoff. He had only one thing to say.
"I have got to build something like this whenever I get back to Maya!" Chris and Swift were right outside of the garage waiting for them as Danny pulled up a little.
"Hop in and put on your helmets and goggles!" Danny yelled over the propeller. The two didn't need to be told twice. However, the closest thing that the two Chao had to helmets their size were Chao egg shells that just happened to be lying around, and Swift's sunglasses had to do for his goggles. Turning to the two adults, he asked, "Are you guys coming?"
"No," Karin replied, shaking her head. "I've only been in an airplane once, and I don't want to do it again!"
"I should probably drive her home," Tanaka announced. "Oh, and Master Chris… do be careful!"
"I will!" Chris replied. "You two stay out of trouble, yourselves!"
"Alright," Danny grinned. "Prower biplane, Tornado, engage!" Tanaka and Karin then watched as the plane took off, heading towards the town. After they flew off, Karin turned to Tanaka.
"…Danny's a nice kid, isn't he?" she casually asked the butler.
"Master Daniel and Master Chris have gotten along ever since they met when they were younger," Tanaka replied. "Daniel has aspired to be a pilot for a long time, and the two have been working on planes for the past few years."
"And he doesn't know that Chris is Sonic, right?"
Tanaka only sighed. "He'll probably find out. But then again, if Master Chris is truly serious about helping Swift and Miles, then Daniel is a good start- he has a method of transportation that could get this little team into serious locations and out of tight spots, as well as the expertise to do so. Not to mention that his IQ is just about as high as a certain fox Chao's… in short, I think Master Daniel is the best recruit Master Chris could ask for."
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Skies above Station Square- 09:12
"This… is… AWESOME!" Miles whooped over the loud gale of the wind blowing into their faces. The group was flying over the city, looking at the Egg Pawns running amok.
"Welcome back to the field," Swift casually told the fox Chao. "You know, when I look back, I can't call you the same Chao I met back in the Mystic Ruins Chao Garden. You were too scared to get involved in anything!"
Miles could barely hear this, but he heard the last part. A swirl over his head, he scowled, "I wasn't that scared when I first got in the field with you."
"You almost got us caught when we had to harvest those junk parts for that hover board that didn't even work!"
"What are they talking about?" Danny yelled to Chris. "I can't even hear them!"
"Beats the heck outta me!" Chris answered. "I barely understand half of their arguments that aren't adventure related!" Looking down at the destruction, he saw that the Egg Pawns weren't really doing anything out of the ordinary. Just doing basic destruction that was similar to the attack that would be the precursor to his career as Sonic.
"Hey, Chris," Swift spoke up. "Should we tell Danny about why we had him fly us over here?"
"…Yeah," Danny agreed. "I've been wondering why you guys had me fly us out here. What's up?"
Chris reluctantly showed Danny the Chaos Morpher. "You know that Sonic the Hedgehog shows up whenever I'm near somewhere when an attack by Robotnik happens?" Danny nodded, looking at the Morpher before turning back to the sky. Danny couldn't help but feel as though as he had seen that watch, before.
"…Where did you get that watch?" Danny asked. Before Chris could answer, a laser shot past both humans' heads, barely an inch away from their cheeks.
Chris turned to see that there were five floating versions of the Egg Pawns chasing after Danny's plane. "We've got bogeys!" Swift yelled, unbuckling himself. It should be noted that the Chaos Emerald in his pocket fell out into the seat. Chris followed suit.
"Chris, what the hell are you doing!?" Danny questioned as the duo stood up. Chris sighed as he walked out onto the wing.
"Danny," Chris began, "what I'm about to do and say is going to freak you the hell out. But no matter what happens to me, you've got to keep this plane airborne in case I need a pick-up." The next thing either Miles or Danny knew, Chris and Swift both jumped out of the plane, and Chris pressed down on the Chaos Morpher.
"CHRIS!"
"Chaos Soul, Activate!"
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Human Card: Daniel "Danny" Prower
Occupation: High school student, Inventor, Pilot (second and third in spare time)
Known Family: Jackie Prower (father), Hannah Prower (mother)
Hobbies: Building inventions, flying planes, hanging out at the mall
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Kingdom Rider92's Notes: Yeah, Happy Halloween, peoples. The reason for the huge delay is that applying to college sucks! And now for something completely different.
Salamander Hanzo: ...You know, after the first three times of proding, I should've expected an answer like this. Still, it's glad to know you're not a zombie.
White Hunter: My real life chooses the worst times to suck. And I also picked the worst year of my life to attempt to start a new fanfiction project. Hence, the near 1-2 times a month updates.
SPark681: I'm sorry to hear about your Godzilla movies. But I'm even sadder to say that Godzilla is playing the role of Sir Too-epic-to-appear-in-this-fanfiction.
Zohaku: ...Are you stalking my brain? Stop finding out ideas as to how I do stuff! But serious, though, next part will have some heavy Miles and Danny conversation, and then the episode's titicular character will show up in a dogfight with GUN. I figured at this point, Danny would have a personal agenda with them, anyways. They blew up his other plane and not allowed him in the state of Arizona, after all- he's the perfect first choice for Swift's little gang.
This has been something completely different. Kingdom Rider92, out!