Constellations

Chapter 2: Time

South Island – August, 2016

A lone traveler trudged slowly through deep mounds of snow, each step taking him closer to the mouth of the cavern not too far off. Solemn emerald green eyes stared up into the overcast sky, trying to gauge how long it would be before the sun set amidst the chaotic snow storm around him. Another ten minutes of walking passed by, and at long last he found himself walking through into the darkness of the cave, hidden away from the cold, blowing winds outside.

"Brr...can't say I missed the crazy weather this place had," the figure moaned to himself, sitting down on a log left behind by earlier travellers like himself. "I wonder why Uncle decided to move his cottage way out here...hopefully he's okay."

With his hands clasped together, the traveler sighed to himself and pulled the hood down from his cloak. Long, blue quills popped outwards, free of the uncomfortable containment they'd been in, which also brought a loud sigh of relief from the world renowned hedgehog. After warming his hands for a bit, Sonic stood back up and stared out of the cave, ready to continue his descent down the biggest mountain on his home island.

The blue blur strode out into the blowing snow, and began walking down the path, which led to the beautiful green forest South Island was known for. Seconds blended into minutes, and soon minutes turned into a six long hours of walking. The snow had finally stopped falling when he reached the base of the mountain, and once he had entered into the dark, quiet of the forest he pulled his cloak down off his head again.

"It should be around here..." Sonic muttered, jogging down the long, winding trail that he knew lead to his destination.

The path squirmed down into a swamp, with a lonely cottage nestled against the waters edge. Sonic whistled at the gloominess of the location, and trotted over to the frail wooden door of the house, noticing the rusted out mailbox and the wood nailed over the windows.

"Jee...I never thought Uncle Chuck would let his house go downhill," Sonic whispered in disbelief, knocking on the door. "Yo! Uncle, you in there?"

Birds flew from their nests in the nearby trees, and then he knocked again earning yet again no response. Disgruntled, Sonic checked the door knob, only to find it was unlocked. With a curious look to each side of the cottage, the blue hero walked inside.

"Geez, he sure got lazy with the spring cleaning," Sonic groaned as he swatted away the cob webs hanging in the doorway. "Hey, uncle, long time no see!"

Still no reply.

Growing suspicious, Sonic continued into the living room, where he was sure he'd find his uncle napping with a book, as he remembered from his childhood. With each creaking step on the rotting wooden floor, Sonic made his way to the back most part of the house and turned the corner into the living room.

"Huh...not here either," Sonic grumbled to himself. "Where in the world did he go?"

The blue hero groaned in annoyance and strolled into the kitchen, hoping to find some food. And ideally...some chili dogs. His stomach roared with hunger, causing the blue hero to rub it in anticipation of his uncles famous chili dog recipe.

Sonic walked into the kitchen, eying up the old stove and sink in the corner and newspaper was set gently on the kitchen table. The blue blur walked over to the table to get a look at whatever section his uncle had been reading before he left,, anxious to catch up with his god father. Sonic grasped the newspaper and pulled it up, watching as bugs scurried away from the rotten food left underneath the paper.

Eying the plate of disgusting mush, Sonic grunted and flipped the paper to the front page, glancing at the date.

"...2009," Sonic mumbled. "Where could he have gone...?"

Frustrated, Sonic tossed the paper back onto the table and spun over to the fridge, where he found a note taped to it. Staring at the signature he knew to be his uncles, Sonic tore the letter from the appliance and scanned over it, finding only two sentences scribbled down.

"Don't ever forget who you are, Sonic. You're destined to the change the world into something we can only dream of," the blue hero read out loud, letting his voice echo through the cottage. "What happened to him...?"

A familiar tightness sprang into his chest, and Sonic stuck the letter back onto the fridge. Now he was eager for some answers. He came all the way back to South Island, solely to talk with the man who wasn't even there!

The White House, Capital City – July, 2016

Gathered quietly around a large conference table, the leaders from every corner of the world impatiently waited for the arrival of the President. After waiting nearly two hours for everyone to arrive, they were more than eager to get this meeting over with, as they all shared the mutual contempt for the choices the United Federations had been making as of late.

Suddenly the door to the meeting room opened up, allowing the President to stroll in and take a seat. At his side, both his assistant and Commander Shrike were present, quietly spectating the Summit as they were told. Erica looked around the table, noticing the extreme differences in each of the leaders' appearances.

Sitting directly across from the President was King Darius the XIV, King of all Procella due to the sheer strength of his families monarch. The robes and chains he wore seemed to distinguish him the most out of anyone else, yet despite the glamor his face was solemn and quiet. Though she expected as such, he had lost both his sons due to GUN in some way, shape or form.

"Hello everyone," The President greeted warmly, earning nods and other gestures of response around the table. "I assume you all had no issues on your flights here?"

Erica turned to look at the man sitting beside Darius, who happened to be the same perverted old man gawking at her from earlier. Gwek Ukani winked in her direction, causing her to blush in embarrassment. The old man, whose simple savannah robes displayed his bleak Areno beginnings in it's capital, Mazuri, simply grinned at her reaction.

"That presidential plane of yours definitely lacks good in-flight movies," Gwek interjected with a grin. "No pretty girls in them whatsoever!"

The entire table sighed to themselves, and turned to look back at President Lincoln McHolm, who had laid out a variety of papers in front of him. "Was a meeting like this really necessary? We all know what you brought us here to ask, and you should be ashamed of all the loans you've been taking out."

The young assistant turned to look at the harsh comment from the only woman among the group; Mei Xing. Her ostentatious and proud gown passed down through her family resembled the greatest burning fires of a phoenix, and her personality was a perfect match. Erica knew that the royal family of Terra were a force to be reckoned with, especially after how they dealt with the terrorist attacks on their capital, Chun-Nan.

"As a matter of fact, this meeting was called to discuss the problem of ensuring national security," the President corrected, as a wall of monitors displayed the many faces of Sonic and his comrades. "As of late...we've noticed that with the influence of vigilante activism, there's been an increase in destructive terrorist action."

"What was your first guess?" Mardoc Enki spoke up, his thick accent showing through. "Since you've allowed that glorified rodent to take your policing into his own hands, we've all experienced the backlash."

Mardoc Enki, the Prime Minister of Foliumager was a tall man, with wavy black hair and a strong jaw line, though he never wore a suit but simply cargo shorts and bowling shirt. He knew very well the consequences of Sonic's actions. During Sonic's adventure around the world to defeat Dark Gaia, Mardoc had witnessed the desolation the event left his hometown of Adabat in. And it infuriated him to no end.

"Unfortunately that is the case...that is why I've brought you all here," the President commented with a look of guilt. "I come to you, the Leaders of our modern world, to propose an alliance against the vigilantes that the public now calls heroes."

A larger man dressed in a thick, blue winter coat snorted in laughter, stroking his thick white beard, which seemed to make up for his balding head. Leo Varkatzis, third king of the Eluvies monarch in the north. In Erica's opinion, Eluvies was one of the most diverse and vast countries, for one could experience the cold, beautiful landscape of Holoska and then see the crystal clear oceans surrounding Apotos at it's southern edge; she definitely wanted to go there one day.

"You really think any of us are going to agree upon a deal as preposterous as that?" Leo bellowed in laughter, mocking the President for his proposal. "Why would any of us in our right mind align ourselves with your crippled country?"

"Because without this alliance...I have reason to believe humanity as we know it could be wiped out and obliterated..." Lincoln informed gravely. "After the attack on Station Square by the terrorist organization we now know to be Dusk, we've had intel come to us about a second attack in the future. And if their first phase was of any significance for us to note, I can tell you that when they strike again there won't be many survivors the next time around."

"So...to ensure everyone's safety, you're suggesting we ban and criminalize some of the most successful peace keepers the planet has seen in centuries?" Queen Elise, the Third spoke up in disgust.

Reigning from Soleanna, the capital of the ocean country of Mare Maries, Elise had a long standing knowledge of just how needed Sonic and his friends were. She knew that without Sonic, the world have crumbled under Doctor Robotnik's clutches ages ago, yet how could the President not accept this?

"Because when it comes down to the source...Sonic is the reason why we've been experiencing the attacks from Doctor Robotnik. They had a sick game going on," Mei Xing butted in furiously. "Robotnik would trample into a city, and Sonic would carelessly ruin everything in his way to put a stop to this mad men, and in the end...let him go. What kind of peace keeper allows the criminal to escape to continue causing havoc?"

Tensions had begun to rise among the leaders, and while most held the mutual belief that the heroes were to be arrested for their acts of equal tyranny as Doctor Eggman, only Queen Elise rejected the thought.

"I understand the stigma the United Federations has given itself in the last decade, and even over the last fifty years, but," The President sat down, looking stressed. "We cannot ignore that without unity in all corners of our planet, we can't hope to protect each and every innocent civilian if a second terrorist strike, like the one earlier this year, were to occur again."

Suddenly the large windows lining the rear of the room exploded, sending shards of glass flying across the room. Screams filled the air, while everyone dove to the ground for shelter, except for Shrike who had jumped to the front of the table in order to defend the President.

In a blur, a single man appeared in the centre of the meeting table, the cloak he wore flapping in the wind his entrance had created, making it seem somewhat cinematic. Everyone sitting around the table slowly stood up to stare at the disguised intruder, their eyes all demanding an answer to his madness.

"My, never thought I'd see all the major powers gathered in one room," the man mused, an entertained laugh sounding from behind his hood. The white cloak fluttered at his feet, causing the gold seams lining the front and the hood to look like waves of light. "The security on this place is surprisingly weak, Mister President, you ought to fix that. Though...if that were the only reason I came here, I'd be mad."

Shrike growled with contempt, immediately noticing the same black circle on the back of the man's cloak as the last batch of Dusk agents. Immediately the GUN Commander leapt to action, and jumped onto the table in front of the intruder, his body and horns glowing with a deadly turquoise glow. The cloaked man snickered and side stepped past a blazing orb of psychic energy, then in the blink of an eye clutched the GUN Commander's throat.

"It'd be wise not to interrupt me when I'm speaking, Commander Shrike," the intruder warned with an ice-cold tone. "I didn't come here to shed any blood, in fact I only came here to pass along a message. However, don't get me wrong...I won't hesitate to kill you, or anyone else if I get a little pissed off."

The intruder growled quietly and with ease tossed Shrike through the doorway, sending wood splinters and metal pieces across the floor. Once everyone had quieted their hushed conversations amidst their group, the cloaked intruder jumped from the table, and stood in front of the wall of TV monitors.

His ghastly yellow eyes scanned over the strained and fearful expressions of the supposed most powerful people on earth. He couldn't help but giggle at their terror, it was quite ironic. Suddenly the monitors behind him flipped on to reveal different angles of a shadowed figure along the wall.

"Now if you'll all kindly shut up," the intruder shouted, and took a seat on a chair that had been sent flying across the room. "Someone very important has something to tell you."

Each person within the destroyed room turned to the quiet breathing of the figure on the screen. On the center screen, a set of vibrant, haunting purple eyes stared at them, as if he could see past the confines of the monitors and into their souls.

A gentle laugh filled the walls of the meeting hall, and then a quiet...and adolescent voice followed.

"Greetings, United Nations. You're all probably wondering...and dying to know what reason my accomplice had for destroying and interrupting you're tea party. You see...when it comes to sensitive information regarding the secrets of all seven countries of the world, you're all very, very stupid. I've stumbled upon every thing you have all fought to keep secret, putting me at a great advantage already. I know I've already crippled the United Federations at this point. Strange how I predicted the future all the way back here in 2010."

An unanimous feeling of dread seemed to simultaneously fill the minds of every person in the room. As if all their hopes, dreams and plans for a happy future crashed into the ground like a flaming piece of paper. Suddenly each monitor but one changed to display the face of each World Leader present in the room, and one by one an "X" found it's way across their faces.

"My goal...is to create the world my father dreamed of," the being explained flatly. "I aim to eliminate what you call a government...democracy. I desire to demolish the relics of this tired, and wretched civilization. You're all apart of a society that suckles upon the breast of greed, quickly poisoning your entire planet. You proclaim you'll all save it, that you'll end poverty, war...famine..."

Images of sick, dead or rotting people flashed across the monitors, followed by destroyed homes and ruined towns. The images began to loop into a cycle, becoming a montage of what the planet had become.

"You'll all become decimated husks of life if there's any kind of objection to my next request," the enigmatic being proclaimed venomously. "Now, regardless of where the Chaos Emeralds are, I want them. If that means you have to flip every stone on this diseased planet, or kill your dearest friend...I demand the Chaos Emeralds if any of you wish to see another day. Feel free to take your time...but the hands on this clock are ticking faster and faster."

Suddenly the images on the screens turned to static, and the mysterious intruder had taken a seat on the edge of the table beside Elise, staring into her eyes.

"So...now that you've all heard what I've come to deliver..." The man grinned past the shadows of his hood. "I should expect those Emeralds. Whenever you've come to agreements on where they are, and how to collect them, I'll be waiting."

Fear had chilled Elise down to her very bone, realizing who this cloaked man truly was. She couldn't mistaken the ghostly look he had stared at her with back in January, and now that she had seen it again, she knew without a doubt what they were dealing with.

Without a second glance to the others, the intruder disappeared through a vortex at the ledge of the room, leaving behind a note on the table with coordinates that led to South Island.

To Be Continued

Authors Note~ Just for reference...the country names all have their real world counter parts:

Areno = Africa, Procella = Europe, Terra = Asia, Foliumager = South America,

Eluvies = A Mixture of Antarctica/Canada, Mare Maries = Australia/New Zealand, United Federations = the US (Duh lol)

As always, leave your theories, tips and comments in a review! Thanks for reading