Tin Soldier
Chapter 2.

chaos: complete disorder and confusion.

'Call me old-fashioned, but I've never seen a lass scoff up food like you do.'

Receiving a harsh glare Sonic considered it wise to not say anymore. There was a valid reason why Blaze eagerly ate away at his chilli dogs: the last time she ate proper edible food was more than two days ago. Why, Sonic didn't know entirely yet. The Princess still had to confirm just what had occurred to her, and by the looks of it, she wasn't going to reveal all soon.

Tails was already at work. Sitting behind his computer, the young fox had a map shown on the screen with little dots flashing here and there. He typed a series of code, and what was displayed moved closer towards one of the flashing dots. There, he used the scroll on his mouse, zooming into the map. Not long afterwards, a specific area was shown, detailed with houses and roads.

Folding his arms, Sonic leaned back in his seat and watched Tails proudly. 'You found another Chaos Emerald, mate?'

'Sort of. This one keeps jumping around everywhere. Only a minute ago the map informed me it was in a different country.'

'No harm in checking both places, though, right?'

'Maybe–– Oh no!'

Sonic stood to his feet and approached Tails, leaning forwards to examine the screen. 'What?'

'It's gone!' Tails curled his lips and shook his head. 'There's something weird about this Emerald, Sonic. It's almost as if the Emerald is moving around independently.'

'You're real good at this stuff, pal, but you have to admit this tracking device won't always work.'

'It is working, Sonic! That's the point. I just don't understand why this Chaos Emerald keeps jumping all over the place.'

'Where is it now?'

Tails sighed, and typed another code in. As soon as this happened, the display zoomed out of the area and began to load. After a short wait, the two were directed towards the sea, where a little red dot continued to flash.

Before either could say a word, the flashing suddenly stopped.

'Oh. And now it's popped out of existence.'

'Hold on. Go back to where you were, Tails.' This wasn't Sonic's voice. Without the two noticing, Blaze had appeared on the other side of the young fox.

'Okay.' Tails directed the screen back to the piece of land he was previously focussed on.

'Hmm...'

'What are you thinking?'

She hesitated for a while, before replying, 'How far away is that?'

'Not too far, but you'd best use some form of vehicle.'

'I can run there,' Sonic suggested.

'You can always run away,' Blaze muttered.

'Haha, funny. Anyway, what's on your mind?'

'Just the location seemed very similar to what I've seen in my dimension. While it's not very wise of me to inform you this, I had hid a Sol Emerald around there.'

Tails raised his brows. 'It might be that. But why would it keep flashing in different areas? Plus, I'm tracking Chaos Emeralds.'

'I don't think there's much difference, Tails. Personally, I don't know a great deal on why our dimensions keep crossing, but whatever Nega's up to, I wouldn't underestimate him. He's a very, very clever man.'

'Nice to know he has an admirer,' Sonic chirped.

'The point is, just remain sceptical. Accept the impossible. This will sound ridiculous, but your device may be getting confused with what belongs here, and what belongs in my world. We might be entering some sort of dimensional shift.'

'Meaning?' Sonic queried.

'Some parts of your world, and some parts of mine, will... well, disappear.'

Even Blaze was tempted to laugh. Sonic snorted, but at once his smile vanished and he stared at her in disbelief. Tails remained silent, watching the screen in thought. The blue hedgehog slowly said, 'This is because of Eggman-Nega?'

'I wouldn't doubt his abilities to do this. It's about time. He's been playing nice with your fuzzy fellow for ages. Nega has been desperate to control his own empire for years. I'd go as far as saying he's only continuing his father's work.'

'So, in a way, Nega is trying to achieve the power to control both dimensions and merge them together as one?' Tails asked, now prying his eyes away from the screen.

'If they merged, then inevitably something will be lost. Both dimensions are too much for a small amount of space. A couple of aspects in your dimensions will be chucked aside.'

'Whoa! Whoa, can we all just take a breather for a moment please?' Sonic exclaimed. He felt as if his head was about to explode. 'Blaze, you need to lighten up. Don't you think you're jumping to conclusions a bit too fast here? All we know is that Tails's tracking device is dodgy, that's all. What made you think Nega has anything to do with this?'

Admittedly, Sonic had some valid points which she appreciated. However, in quite a few ways, the two were different when it came to thinking things through. As much as she wanted to deny this, Sonic had the tendency to act naïve. 'You're right: not everything is in black and white. But you don't know Nega like I do.'

'Can't you tell us then?' Sonic shrugged. 'I honestly thought the guy was a mirror of Eggman.'

'That's what he would have liked you to believe, yes.'

'Then who is he?'

Blaze was never fond of revealing what she knew. The girl had to work independently ever since the throne was passed onto her. She was taught to believe not everything was handed on a plate; she had to do the thinking and decisions. A harsh, but true fact. One thrust upon her when she had just reached the age of ten.

Thankfully, she did have fellow advisors to guide her, but that didn't mean she wasn't suspicious. There were enemies everywhere, hiding behind masks and obedience. Of course they frightened her to a degree; it was one of the reasons she was so secretive, even to Sonic, who was someone she hoped to trust by now.

Watching him, she decided he deserved to know who Nega was. One of her advisors, Stalking, would scold her for this, but, hopefully, it would be worthwhile.

'First, he isn't called Eggman-Nega. His actual name is Byron Hunter... Why are you looking at me like that, Sonic?'

And here the hedgehog thought Ivo didn't suit Eggman. Slumping down onto a chair, he inhaled sharply. 'Something terrible must have happened to him.'

'Nega was never mentally stable. I wouldn't call him "insane"; just handicapped. Which is ironic, considering what he has invented. The reasons for his sinister manner go back before either of us was born. Strangely enough, my father and his knew each other. They weren't necessarily "friends", but they had a sharp interest in the Sol Emeralds and what could be performed with them.'

Tails smiled. 'Let me guess, Bryon's father turned against yours.'

'Actually no. More the other way around. My father discovered on his own what sort of form he could transform into if the Emeralds were used correctly. He never wrote down how this was possible, and he refused to pass this information onto Nega's old man, despite the fact they had worked together on this for a long time. Moreover, my father refused to have anything to do with him after that.'

'Why?'

Blaze looked at Sonic. 'I wish I knew. All I'm aware of is that the King had him executed. This all occurred when I was only a few months old. Nega was around ten at the time, and before his father's execution, he was taught everything his father knew. He wasn't great in school. In fact, I'm certain Nega didn't even achieve a pass in any basic exam. That never meant he was stupid, though, even if he was called that frequently. He was bitter, however.'

'I'm not surprised,' Tails stated. 'Being called "stupid" for the majority of his childhood must have been harsh.'

'Still: why would he be so aggressive?' Sonic asked. 'I suppose his father being killed thanks to yours doesn't help much...'

'Like I said,' Blaze replied, 'I don't know much on their history.'

Silence was shared between the trio. Tails and Sonic had a little trouble absorbing all of this new information, but, in some ways, it did make sense. There had to be a reason why Nega resented the monarchy so much.

The quiet was disturbed when a dot on the screen began flashing again. Tails swivelled around in his chair, typed a few codes, and was directed towards the area Blaze recognised before. Whether it be a Sol or Chaos Emerald, something was there, and it had caught the attention of his device again.

It was clear what should happen next.

'Tails has brought his helicopter with him. He'll be able to fly us to that spot.'

Blaze swallowed. Fly? Not wanting Sonic to know about her phobia of heights, she nodded. 'Fine. I don't know what to expect there though.'

Together they shut down the computer and exited the shelter. Snow was beginning to fall, and the cold ruffled through their fur. Shivering, Tails escorted the other two over to what looked like a garage. Opening the heavy doors, they entered, and came face-to-face with a medium-sized helicopter. It was red, with a yellow line around the middle.

'Unfortunately the original got crushed a few years back. So I redesigned it, and now it is far better. I call this The Whizz.'

Guessing its name came from the propeller, Blaze hopped into the back seat, while Sonic sat at the front beside where Tails would soon vacate. In all honesty, Blaze did trust Tails to not crash his helicopter, but she still felt very on edge when it began to lift into the air.

Clinging onto the sides, she held her breath and kept her eyes on her feet. Hopefully they would reach the ground soon. Not much to her surprise, Sonic was having the time of his life, encouraging Tails to fly higher.

During their journey she diverted her mind towards Nega and the way he had behaved before they were separated. She knew he had deliberately brought her here so she and Sonic would meet, but she hadn't a clue why. Finally Nega was one step ahead of her, and she was helpless. No other situation could be more humiliating.

She needed to contact those in her dimension, warn them, and hopefully build some form of defence in case Nega attacked. Such luxuries appeared unlikely at the moment, but she wondered if Tails would be capable of creating a type of phone so she could communicate.

Instantly Blaze was sidetracked when the helicopter made a sudden jolt.

'Wh–– What's happening?!'

'Don't worry, lost control a little.'

Lost control? Whatever faith Blaze had in the kid, it was gone now. 'You'd better not come up with that excuse when we smash into the ground.'

'Someone's tense,' Sonic grinned.

'You'll be tense in a minute.'

'What's up? I thought you cats were prone to heights.'

Blaze could only muster a sarcastic smile, before wrapping her arms around her skinny frame and remaining still. To her utter horror, Tails actually looked away from the controls so he could see her. 'I'm very skilled when driving this.'

'Look where you're going!'

Sonic burst out laughing. 'Or what? He'll bump into a cloud?'

A rather disturbing smile stretched over her face when she met his gaze. 'I want to kill you sometimes.'

'We're here!' Tails announced, probably wanting to break the verbal mockery from his companions. 'Sonic, look: apparently we're not the first to arrive either.'

Leaning forwards, Sonic examined the land below. Tails was right. A group of robots patrolled the area, while others appeared to be studying the ground. Looking for something? Sonic smirked. 'Apparently we're also not the first to have discovered treasure. Blaze, there are some crooks I'd like you to roast.'

'You're not in charge of me... But I'd love to.'

'Awesome. Follow me then––' Sonic was cut short when he realised the feline was no longer sitting behind him. Wide eyed, he panicked for a moment, then realised she had already exited the helicopter. Thanks to her genetic ability to withstand large falls, she was already hurrying towards the robots. 'In a bit, Tails,' Sonic said, jumping off once the helicopter had lowered slightly.

Desperate to not lose the joy in destroying a group of thugs, Sonic chased after Blaze, which wasn't very difficult. Soon, the two reached the group and hid themselves behind several bushes up ahead. Blaze peered through the leaves, watching the robots' movements, and how they were addressing each other. Red lights shone from the tip of their heads, and they walked steadily, almost human.

Sonic frowned. 'I've never seen robots like these before. Eggman isn't this advanced.'

There was something fascinating about these robots. They were very human in fact. Actually, if the hedgehog and cat weren't so close, they would have mistaken them for people. Wires could be seen through their body, and their expressions were lifeless, eyes dead. But the red lights atop of their heads continued to shine, freakishly.

'That's because they don't belong to him,' Blaze said.

Sonic scoffed. 'You think they're Nega's?'

'I don't know.' She looked at him. 'Should we go ask them?'

'You don't have to be such a wise-ass.'

'No, I'm serious, Sonic. You don't always have to kill everything that lies in your way,' she said, and was just about to stand up straight when a series of gunshots rang through the area. Sonic grabbed onto Blaze, pulling her beneath him protectively.

The bullets darted past him, and were aimed at the robots. Sonic lifted his ears, and could hear metal hitting metal, glass shattering. He guessed the shattering was the robots' shell. It didn't take long for Blaze to grow impatient, but by the time she shoved Sonic off her, the battle was already over.

Raising her head, she watched a dark figure approach the corpses of robots. Then the figure knelt on one knee, and picked something up from the ground. It was gorgeous and bright, twinkling in the sunlight.

A Sol Emerald.

Hot, scolding fire escaped her palms and went straight for the figure. It reacted at once, swiftly swerving out of the way, before retrieving its heavy weapon.

'Shadow?'

The figure lowered the gun a little, then grunted. 'Damn it. What do you want, hedgehog?' Sharp, red eyes then focussed on the purple feline. 'Ha! Well well, of all people to meet, I wasn't expecting you.'

Sonic narrowed his brows and looked between Shadow and Blaze in confusion. 'Have you two met?'

'Unfortunately,' Blaze said through jarred teeth. She stepped over towards the black hedgehog, kicking a robot's arm out of the way. 'Give me back my Emerald, or this time I won't stop burning you until you die.'

Shadow allowed a ghost of a smile. 'I'm afraid not, and try as you may, Your Worship, but I cannot be defeated.'

'Is that a challenge?'

'No. You can't win, so how is it a challenge? For someone who is viewed so highly, I'd expect more wit. Is this the second item I have retrieved from you now?'

More than anything she would love to click her fingers and make this individual scream in agony. But she wasn't a fool. Shadow was immortal. Most inconvenient. Scowling, she swivelled around on her heels and made her way to where Sonic stood. Just looking at Shadow made her want to tear him in two.

Sonic was more confused than ever. There wasn't any possible reason how Shadow and Blaze had met. 'Did I miss something or...?'

'You tend to miss a lot of things,' Shadow muttered. Then he sighed. 'Her Highness and I bumped into each other about two years from now? I can't remember. Such a short, and tedious meeting. One I barely have the energy to remember.'

The blue hedgehog could feel Blaze's anger from where he stood. Not wanting a fight, he stepped in between them. 'So I suppose both of our dimensions collided once more?'

'No. I voluntarily took myself there. Honestly, Sonic, you talk so much about this young lady, I had to visit her myself.'

'... and my armoury too.'

'Ah yes. I still have it, by the way. Gorgeous weapon, and very advanced. Who created it?'

'Certainly someone not of your calibre.'

'Your confidence amuses me, seeing as I'm still in possession of the weapon and of your precious gem.'

'Oh really?' Blaze pulled a crooked smile and pulled at her glove. 'I might not be able to kill you, but that doesn't mean I can't break you.'

'Come right at me, Your Highness.'

'You keep calling me by that name, I will.'

Sonic almost slapped himself. It was hard to take these two seriously. They were starting to remind him of two children fighting over a toy. Funnily enough, it appeared he was the most mature out of the three. So it was his duty to break the fight.

'Ladies, you're both pretty. Now, can we face the fact that we just found a Sol Emerald in our dimension, Shadow? If you have travelled to Blaze's world, then surely you must know that Sol Emeralds don't belong here!... And how did you know the Emerald was here?'

'Not everyone relies on machinery created by our five-year-old friend.'

'Tails is sixteen. And I don't always rely on him. Oh, and you still haven't answered my questions.'

Just as he said this, the young fox himself came hurrying over. It took him a moment to realise that Shadow was currently holding a Sol Emerald, while Sonic seemed to be consoling him and Blaze. Keeping a good distance between him and the fiery Princess, Tails proceeded to Sonic's side.

'Speak of the boy himself,' Shadow murmured. 'Tails, Sonic just told me you discovered the Sol Emerald to be here.'

'That's right,' Tails said, frowning. 'Why are you here?'

'I've just been asked the same question by your friend. Unfortunately for you three, I can't say anything. It breaks my heart to betray you all like this.'

'Quit it with the sweet talk,' Sonic replied, slumping his shoulders. 'Look, we need that Emerald badly. If you don't, then something very dangerous could happen. I'm being serious, Shadow.'

'That's a first,' Shadow said. 'I still stand by what I said: I'm not revealing anything. Pussy Galore here can click her fingers in a zed formation for all I care, but I shall stay quiet.'

It had to come to a point where Blaze could barely listen to what he was saying anymore, she was so riddled with fury. Sonic, on the other hand, decided it would be best to back down for now. On some occasions, he had been able to snatch something from Shadow's grasp, but the hedgehog seemed incredibly determined to keep the Emerald.

Of course there was a secret not being shared. Sonic folded his arms. 'You may only have one Emerald, Shadow, but we'll have the others. You don't know where they are.'

'Maybe,' he said. 'Good luck, you three. It's been most enjoyable,' Shadow flickered his gaze towards Blaze, then back at Sonic. 'Don't ever embarrass yourself by considering me a friend again.'

Not another word was spoken. Sonic kept his mouth shut, and Shadow soon skated out of sight, clutching onto the Sol Emerald. Everything that had occurred discomforted the hedgehog. He loathed Shadow whenever he kept secrets from him, which was pretty much all the time. At a time like this, though, Sonic really needed Shadow's help.

Chaos. Everything was complete chaos, and he and Blaze were trapped in the middle of it.

author's note: I'm sure what has occurred seems very fuzzy. A lot of questions need to be answered, especially that of what happened between Blaze and Shadow. I shall also delve into Nega's past more later on. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and thank you for reading.

By the way, it might be worth me noting that the British say "zed" instead of "zee", so don't feel confused by the way Shadow pronounced the letter.

Thank you sonicxblazey, [ Guest ] and Unknownlight for reviewing the prior chapter. Until next time!