Author Notes: Make that "Now with 90 more plot." LoL (Read story description, XD) Anyhow... I gave a different origin to the villain entering the scene. There's a lot of little details in this story I just can't crunch into the regular chapters. Like the Shrews who fought over a mate; there's a story behind that. Not too important but, just that I know why it happened and all. Likewise here, there's little things I would have liked to add, but for the sake of moving things along and not living in expose, I've tried to keep things short and concise.
The Egg Fort 3 flew lazily over the Hidden Congo. Dawn had arrived, a light golden haze just starting to strip the thick fog from the lush, vibrant lands. Eggman was still half asleep in his night robe and cap, and sucking down some black coffee.
"Decoe! Bocoe? Where's my breakfast?" the mad scientist demanded of two robots.
The vaguely humanoid bots clambered to do their master's bidding when the communications unit lit up and began beeping. "I'll get it!" they both shouted and ran into each other.
Eggman groaned and answered the call himself. "Yeeesss?" The video screen flickered on and a veritable mirror image of Eggman was reflected in its visage. Almost...the figure had slightly different styled clothing and a gray mustache. "Nega?" Eggman exclaimed.
"Ahh...Doctor Eggman, so good of you to remember me. It's been a looong time...or has it?" the figure said while rubbing its chin. The two robots behind Eggman gave each other dubious looks.
"Of course, how could I forget my genetic doppleganger? How is the future? Bright and cheery?" Eggman grinned while twiddling his wiry red mustache between his fingers.
"Painfully so, which is precisely why I've decided to give you a call...I have the most brilliant plan for world domination, but I need a bit of help..." Nega continued in all confidence.
"You do?" Eggman raised a brow in mused tone. "How so?"
"Well, as you saw fit to banish me to the future for not meeting your expectations, I've had a lot of time to catch up on my history studies. It seems that, if I have contacted you at the right time, you're massing an invasion fleet bound for Earth," Eggman Nega informed the original. "However, as I sit here in this rosy, happy future it's also apparent that you've done nothing but fail…. I believe I can help."
Any pretense of a smile Eggman might have had disappeared at that. Nega had been a huge success in some ways, and a failure in others. The brilliant doctor rarely dabbled in genetics, but the clone was perfect save the color of his mustache...and a certain malice in his personality that exceeded Eggman's. "What exactly are you planning?"
"Ahh…well, just a little something I've already set in motion. You've probably noticed the ripple in the fabric of time and space already." He waited for his creator to nod. "Well, I too have been massing an army. Our combined forces would be more than enough for Earth's defenses."
"Well...there is a little problem with that in the form of moving an army across dimensions…." Eggman interjected.
Nega grinned widely, "Oh that won't be a problem. I know you're already working on creating an artificial World Gate, but I'm thinking on a far larger scale."
"Doctor! Something's being downloaded to the main computer!" Decoe informed.
"Let's say I've done you one better...all it requires is a few Chaos Emeralds and…." Nega trailed off.
"And...?" Dr. Eggman the original queried.
"Let's say that...in order to call the future to the past...one must call to the future from the past," Nega said cryptically. "I already have my Element... The documents you're receiving now will tell you all you need to know." He paused a moment and then a dramatic air fell about him. "I highly suggest you go along with me on this...or else..." And with that the transmission cut off.
"Howdare that preposterous impostor give me such an ultimatum?!" Eggman grumbled, instantly in a foul mood. He moved over to the computer, glancing over the details of what was going on...and paled. "You've got to be joking..." Decoe and Bocoe looked at each other, not comprehending the true gravity of what was painted on the doctor's face.
--------------------------
At this time on Earth, the party for Shadow was just breaking apart. All the minor guests had gone home, and Shadow finally seemed to relax around the remaining guests. Maria and Blitz had upstaged the one for whom the party was thrown by trying to walk and having a playful brawl on the living room carpet. Of course, Shadow didn't mind that the attention had shifted away from him.
Both Chucks had been in a heated discussion off in a corner of the room, but now they looked on those who remained. Tails had hung around and was happily on the floor, monitoring the two hedgehogs' match. Chris was next to him in equal fascination. Amy and Sara were discussing the children, which had been their main source of bonding lately. Rouge and High Octane were still there, and Knuckles. Shadow was still there, of course, and Sonic as well, though he was joining in on Octane and Rouge's conversation, leaving the dark hedgehog to watch the scene unraveling before him in a passive way. Everyone else had left, and the hedgehog Charles nodded to his human friend, now was the time to talk.
"Excuse me," Grandpa chuck said, sitting down on one end of the table, the hedgehog seating himself on the couch opposite him. All eyes moved to him as one, save for the babies. "I'm sorry to interrupt the party, but Chuck and I have been talking about the third echo, and we think you should all know some things about it..."
"Ehh? What is it, Grandpa?" Chris sat up and turned to his grandpa. Blitz bumped up against the human teen and crawled into his lap. He smiled a bit like that and stroked the hedgehog's head while listening.
"Hmmm... It's about the dimensional pull, isn't it?" Tails asked as though everyone else understood what he was talking about. Knuckles was furthest removed from the conversation, though Rouge and Sam exchanged looks.
"What have you found out?" Sam questioned.
"Well, our time spear managed to send back some data on the third echo...it is the future," Charles the hedgehog said from his vantage point.
"Earth's future or Mobius, hon?" Rouge asked in a tone that sent shivers through Knuckle's spine. He really hated that bat...so why was he staring at her ample chest?
"Well..." the wrinkled human had responded, "both."
"Eeeh? How can it be both?" Amy blinked.
"Well...the images the probe sent back had landmarks both from Earth and Mobius..." Chuck hedgehog continued for his friend, "the floating island being the most notable landmark, the Statue of Liberty….. Some of the geography differs from the present and the cities seem to have spread further apart...but the whole thing looks rather...strangely peaceful."
Sam folded his hands into his lap and tried to follow the conversation. "So what else? It must be important to include us all..." he indicated to present company.
Chuck Thorndyke nodded. "Well, as you know...Mobius and Earth exist parallel to each other. The planetary synchronization is what allows our two worlds to interact as it does through the World Gate. However parallel we are, though, the gate is almost a mirror, like Earth and Mobius are a right and left hand, joined together when they touch." He put his fingertips together as a demonstration. "The recent activity and, as Tails said...dimensional pull, are actually causing our worlds to become further synchronized."
"Well if we're in synch already, how can it get any better?" Rouge inquired.
The human continued again, "That's kind of the point; if the two worlds fully synchronize, one of two things will happen...either the two worlds will merge harmlessly and become the image we saw in the echo or..."
"Disaster?" Shadow spoke up, causing heads to turn his way. "What are you all staring at? Forget I was alive?" He shrugged. "It's not that hard of a conversation to follow."
Both scientists nodded. "We've actually detected a change in the third echo's...signal, if you will," Charles hedgehog added. "It's getting stronger and changing in frequency. It's also likely the strange weather has been caused by the dimensional shift."
"So what does that mean?" Sonic put in. He was watching Blitz calmly seated in Chris' lap without a care in the world, not even an inkling that the world might be in trouble.
"The echo isn't in synch with either Mobius or Earth yet, though it's...approaching... If the dimensional pull doesn't continue to alter in a significant way, well..." Mr. Thorndyke sighed.
"We're still trying to figure it out. We think someone is influencing the shift in the worlds. The probe didn't indicate the source of the shift, and from a cursory glance, it doesn't seem like anyone even knows about it," the light blue hedgehog put in. "If that really is the future, then we may be worried for nothing…the two worlds can exist as one and the gate will simply disappear."
Chris was happy about the prospect of the two worlds merging; it meant he would always be on the same planet as his best friend. The apprehension of the adults dampened his spirits, though, and he worried there might not be a world left after...
"So what will happen? I mean...you mean the worlds are going to collide?" Worry flooded his tone. He pinned Blitz a bit more than the child wanted while he was distracted, so Chris had to flinch as delicate quills once again pricked his hand.
"That's about the size of it..." Mr. Thorndyke concluded. "I can't tell you why or any of that at this time; you understand why you were told, right?" He turned to Rouge and Sam.
The two of them nodded, and Sam answered, "Yeah. We're both working for the government... We can get this information to those who need to hear it. You're also concerned about gathering more information so we know what we're up against... That means...you're asking for help."
"No matter how much money the Thorndykes have, and I appreciate the fine facilities which we've been working with...as a matter of manpower...or otherwise…." Charles grinned a bit. "We need help from this point on."
Silence fell over the room in a thick blanket. Nobody said anything for a few minutes. The obvious question about what to do or how to stop it was still an unknown. There was no point in asking.
"Papa! Papa! Look!" All eyes darted to Maria, who was holding onto a table edge and standing on her own two feet. "Look! Look!" She giggled madly as she let go of the table edge and remained standing. Tension slipped away rapidly as the crowd, but mostly Shadow, marveled at her first steps.
---------------------
Maria was crying again. She went six hours this time. Shadow was keeping count. It had been an emotionally trying day for the two of them. He hadn't realized until that morning how stressed out Sara had been, and how much of that stress he was the source of. The least he could do was check on their baby.
Once again, he entered the rainbow room, though he could have sworn he saw a brief flash in the room. Maybe a firefly had gotten inside? "You just love being the center of attention, don't you?" He stepped up onto the toy chest and reached into the crib for his little girl. She was getting heavier, and he felt the strain on his weakened body. Ahh well, he was healing...that was the important thing.
He sat down in the rainbow rocking chair with his little girl and smiled at her. She was a little treasure, wasn't she? He examined her big round face, its dazzling ruby eyes, her deep reddish bangs. They were very fine to the touch, and Sara had compared her bangs to his white chest fur. The deep midnight blue looked almost black in the dim baby room, lit only by a My Little Pony night light.
Again she started fussing. It took a few minutes for Shadow to calm her, finally giving her a plush Care Bear to shut her up. "You did very good today...walking like that. Blitz hasn't yet." He grinned a bit. His rivalry with Sonic would likely extend to Blitz and Maria again. Though Blitz definitely had more raw energy and strength, Maria had better motor skills and control; she also fussed less, according to Amy. With him as a father, though, there was little chance Blitz would be allowed to have more than a ten second attention span, so the more quietly reared Maria had focus.
Focus she did. Her eyes locked with Shadow's again, and an eerie sensation came over him. "He needs help..."
"...Who needs help?" he asked in a very calm tone.
"He does. He says he's the Element." Maria's voice was soft but very clear. Her eyes held his gaze a bit longer.
"Element?" Shadow blinked. That simple action seemed to have broken the link, and once more he was holding his daughter.
"Emen...t?" She blinked in total confusion.
"Who or what is the Element?" Shadow asked her. There was no reply, just baby noises.
"Paaapaaa!" she practically sung, and curled up to his chest warmly.