Chapter 16: Absolution's End (Part One)

Silver and Pia reappeared in the middle of a flat plain. If this was Glyphic Canyon, then... No, this couldn't be Glyphic Canyon. For one thing, there was no canyon. This flat turf extended as far as the eye could see.

"I think you sent us to the wrong place," said Silver looking around.

"That's odd," said Pia, looking over the read-out on her heads-up display. "I used the point from the last time we were here to calculate a location near the edge of the canyon top. Maybe continental drifting has-"

Pia stopped when she saw before her very eyes, a sight that didn't belong anywhere before the twentieth century. The shimmering of light as the little yellow robot de-cloaked was every bit as out-of-place as the robot itself. The yellow and orange robot looked unarmed, but Pia didn't underestimate it, as she recognised it from the picture she'd seen years ago. The only difference between the droid standing in front of her, and the one Sonic had encountered was that this model lacked the third eye in its forehead.

"Silver, it's the Gizoid," said Pia, no taking her eyes off the immobile robot.

"Which one?" she heard Silver respond.

Pia blinked and looked around. She'd been staring so intently at the first one, that she hadn't seen the other Gizoids appearing all around them, at various distances, and closing in slowly.

"Wait, how can-?" she began. "There was only supposed to be one of these, wasn't there? The one that destroyed the 'Fourth Great Civilisation'."

"History got it wrong!" came an all too familiar voice from close by.

Dr. Pretorious and two others de-cloaked behind the line of Gizoids. Pretorious wasn't wearing his trademark gentleman's suit anymore, but had donned some kind of golden outfit that looked like a cross between a space suit and a Roman army officer's uniform. The clear blue button on his chest looked like the same material that the Gizoids' eyes were made from. The two fox animaloids standing beside him were wearing the same kind of clothing, but less ornamental, as if he was some kind of superior to them.

"Professor Gerald was a fool," said Pretorious, looking more serious than usual. "The three 'Great Civilisations' he compared this one to were nothing but primitive tribes of no consequence to the grand scope of history. THIS, this is the FIRST Great Civilisation of Earth! The word Gizoid doesn't mean 'everything', it means 'every tool'. Yes, the tools of the Gi - 'The One and the All'. The foolish Gerald focused so much on the weapon capacities of the Gizoid he discovered. He assumed that just because it had collected data of primitive weapons, it must also be the product of a primitive society. It never occurred to him that the reason his Gizoid was available to be discovered was because it had been thrown away before the fall of the Gi. It was a failure, and it had nothing to do with the destuction of this civilisation."

"How long have you been here, Pretorious?" Pia asked, ignoring the rant. "You went back to a point well before that date you gave us, didn't you? More than enough time to get nice and friendly with these people. You don't even care about the past anymore, do you?"

"I take offense at that accusation," Pretorious answered. "Yes, I've been living here for well over a month now, and yes I've made myself a valuable member of their society. But don't think I didn't consider every single hazard before embarking on this grand journey across time. This isn't my first visit. It took me over two years of my life just to decode the language of the Gi, so that I could communicate. A universal translator device is quite useless if no one has ever recorded the spoken language. The pictograms that Gerald deciphered were next to useless."

"Planning on getting to the point anytime in the next hour?" Pia interrupted.

"Frankly, no. I wish to give you a lovely tour of the Gi civilisation before I have you both put to death. It's important that someone from the timeline that WAS understands the grandness of my work."

"What did you say?" Silver burst out. "You're just like Metal Sonic, after all!"

"Oh please. That robot's master objective was to kill one hedgehog and then install itself as ruler of an enslaved universe. My goal is far more noble. I am going to correct the greatest mistake of all history, and guide man and animal kind to the greatness they are destined for. Can you imagine how far our society would have advanced if this amazing civilisation had not been lost? Ten thousand years of technological evolution surround you. I will not allow it all to be lost! One malfunctioning relic will not be the only evidence left behind of the greatest culture Earth has ever seen."

"So this is the end of your journey? You were heading to this time all along? Why did you bother to stop up in all those different time periods between here and the present?" Pia asked.

"You assume too much. The chain of events that will lead to the destruction of the Gi has already been set in motion, and I cannot stop it. It is an event that is necessary for the balance and survival of this planet, I'm afraid. No, this is not my final destination. As before, I sought a trinket from this time period, in order to ensure my success in harnessing the power of the Chaos Core. Once done, I can save the Gi. I can ensure a new timeline that leads to a golden utopia of peace and undertanding of all things."

"You can't be sure of that," said Silver. "Do you know that just by being seen at Glyphic Canyon in the first century, you caused a timeline where the Black Arms conquered Earth?"

Pretorious shrugged. "Even if that were true, what of it? Once my work is done, it will no longer be a concern. The Black Arms were no match for the Gi the first time they attempted to invade this planet. What, did you think only one Black Comet has visited Earth in the past? No. The Gi destroyed the first one, and would certainly have dealt with the second one if they had survived."

"That's not a chance we're willing to take, Dr. Pretorious," said Pia, glaring at her long-time enemy. "Whatever you're after here, we'll stop you from getting anywhere near it."

"Sorry, didn't I say? I've already finished. The only reason I haven't yet departed for my final destination is the troubling fact that you two are still alive. Your constant leaps across time save you from being uncreated by the temporal distortion waves caused by our shared activities across history. By all logic, your father should be dead, and you should never have been born. Yet here you are. Even I don't fully comprehend the matter. If your lives are evidence that I will ultimately fail, then the reasonable thing to do is to kill you both before proceeding to the final phase."

The heroes tensed for battle, looking around at the Gizoids.

"What? I didn't mean right now," said Pretorious, cocking an eye brow. "No, no. My method is far more elaborate. Silver A is a wild-card, kept safe by the existence of a predestination featuring Silver B. I intend to force the time loop closed. As long as I can keep Pia staying put at one point in time long enough for the distortion wave to take her, she should cease to exist the instant our Silver A becomes Silver B."

The two looked at each other.

"But that can wait," Pretorious continued, revealing his normal smiling attitude. "As I said before, it is fitting that the last two survivors of a soon-to-be-erased timeline appreaciate the wonders of this place. Your testimonius will make wonderful contributions to my work. My work as an author, I mean. Once the rewriting of history is complete, no one but I will have any memory of what was before. It MUST be documented, and some words from those who do not fully share my point of view should provide a valuable addition to the book."

"You're insane," said Pia.

"Genius is often described as such. Let's be honest, I AM a psychopath. I cannot feel true empathy. Sad. But my nature helps me understand the things that are more important than individual lives. A sentimental fool could not have accomplished all that I have, and all that I will. It's really more of an aid than a handicap, when you think about it."

While Pia tore her enemy a new one, verbally, Pretorious said something to his fox associates, who in turn barked out some instructions. The Gizoids immediatelly stopped merely standing around menacingly, and closed in on Silver and Pia.

"Aheeheeheeheehee!!" Dr. Pretorious laughed.

-

In the next chapter:
- The grand civilisation of the Gi.
- The grand escape-proof cells of the Gi.
- Oh come on, they can't block time travel, can they? They can? Of the Gi.