Chapter 34

Countdown to Zero

The Mourning Star flew silently and cloaked over the ocean until they came to the given coordinates. In the middle of the air a hanger door opened exposing the interior to the outside world. The base ship slipped inside, and the door closed making it appear as if nothing was there at all.

Once the ship had landed all the rectifiers stepped out of the vessel as Superior Prime floated over in his canopied chair. "The time is almost at hand, while the loss of Omicron One is heavy, her sacrifice ensures the birth of a new order in the universe."

"With all due respect Superior," said Manik. "We failed in our mission; our parents and our juvenile selves had taken all the emeralds we have collected."

"While this is not the optimum outcome, the fact all the emeralds have been gathered in one place works to our advantage. Before the end of the day, they will be ours." Just then several similar chairs to Superior Prime's came floating in, these featuring grey canopies. "The superior council wishes to congratulate you all for all your hard work and sacrifice. Thanks to you we are on the verge of a new reality, a better reality.

Superior Prime turned to Lara. "During that mission however, it seems as if your limbic regulator was malfunctioning Alpha Three. During your time in The Garden did you have any strong emotional situations that might have been connected to this?"

Lara responded stoically, she felt something was off. "Just before the mission I was remembering those we lost along the way, I promised my son that we wouldn't lose anyone else. The thought of that promise being broken so soon might have been too much for the regulator."

If Superior Prime had any expression their response was shielded from view. "I see, this will need to be accounted for so close to the endgame. All rectifiers report to the laboratory for a diagnostic of your cybernetic and biological systems, we need you all in top condition for the final step of the plan, until then leave things to us."

"Compliance," all the rectifiers answered.

Outside the cloaked spire shimmered and warped, soon there was no sign anything was unusual over that patch of ocean.

Over in The Hideaway the kids were all watching a wall clock intently, each tick seemed to take longer than the last. Eventually Candy laid on her back and groaned. "Ugh, this decoding thing is taking forever! Can't we just go home now and learn this stuff when it's been done for twenty years?!"

"If we keep waiting for this, we'll get back the long way!" whined Juanita.

"Look nobody likes waiting to know what all the fuss has been about," said Eddie. "But too much can change between now and home. As much as we don't like it you kids might have to act almost as soon as we get there."

"It's not like we can just go right now," said Alexis. "Not with Kneecaps, Rora and Jackie taking a field trip."

Lara looked in Alexis' direction. "So, Dad decided to go ahead and let Uncle Kneecaps see grandma. I mean I did run into her while I was pretending to be Maril-In on that training trip to Angel Island and that was speed. But it's kind of unfair I wasn't asked."

"This is just as much for your grandmother, set her mind at ease, even if she might not know exactly why. Jackie and Rora are mostly there for moral support. It's not like we're going to leave without them."

"It's not just about us going home!" said Manik. "That capsule is the whole reason we were dragged back here in the first place, of course I want to know what's in it! It's like waiting for the morning after Brightstar Eve to open presents! The fact that the only thing between us and that is a progress bar is agonizing!"

"Can't be helped," said Eddie. "But just think back to just how much you've all grown since this started, you're far from the unhappy campers you started as."

"Yeah," Sonia said. "Camp might have been a disaster, but it did bring us together, just not the way our parents thought."

"Well, we need some way to pass the time until it is ready," said Melody.

"I know it's been a while and we kind of outgrown it," said Mellow. "But maybe we could watch an episode of Prism Pals, for old times' sake?"

"It hasn't been made yet," said Salma. "But, thinking back on it I loved just talking about it with all of you when we were little."

Ace gave a resigned groan that Gale, Rutan and Gleam joined in on. "Feels a bit sappy at this point, but it was fun when we were dumb tykes."

"Does anyone know how it ended?" asked Gasket. "I mean I was too caught up with dealing with the Synaptix stuff and by the time we got to a resemblance of normal the last season was already over."

All Gasket got back was a series of shrugged shoulders and shaking heads.

"Ok," Manik muttered. "Sometime after we get home we'll pick up where we left off and go to end of Prism Pals, but I think we all can agree nobody else should know we're finishing up a cartoon intended for preschoolers."

"I'll take that secret to my grave," said Ajax.

Going back to watching the clock Lara found herself singing softly.

"Clear blue skies and warm sunny days, we have to find the light within, for whatever comes our way, our great adventure's about to begin…"

Sally entered Sir Charles' lab; the data capsule was hooked up to a computer as Nicole looked at its monitor manually decoding parts she recognized. "Almost done," the lynx said. "Just one or two layers left."

Sally took a deep breath. "Nicole, can I ask you a strange question? Have you had any odd dreams last night?"

"I dreamt I was a program again and beat up Phage with a digital super form I got from red star rings, but I'm chalking that up to me coming off my caffeine high."

"You didn't dream about Specter?"

Nicole's face turned sour. "Why would I dream about that mental parasite?"

Sally sighed. "Sonic and I both had the same dream. Specter taunted us, said he knew was who responsible for the Imperium and our kids' becoming rectifiers, then he shown us a mirror before we woke up."

"And you thought the rest of us would have the same dream?"

"Yes, but after asking around it just seems to be the two of us. It can't be coincidence."

"Maybe it's just your worries about the children and the future of Mobius. You two tend to invest yourselves more in this fight than anyone else."

"Then why was it Specter in our dream? He was taken out almost three months ago now."

"I'm still new to this dreaming thing, seems like nonsense most of the time, I wouldn't worry too much about it." The computer beeped and Nicole turned back to the monitor. "Decoding complete! Let's have everyone meet at Acorn Army HQ so we can all hear this at once!"

Athair entered the living room of his house and spotted his wife Crystal-La doting over the baby Aurora and Enerjak laying on a mat on the floor. He came up to her and smiled. "I'm sorry you were never able to do this with Locke, but I'm so glad we can enjoy moments like these in the twilight of our lives."

Crystal-La turned and smiled. "I've always understood why you had to take Saber with you, but I'm happy that Knuckles and Julie decided that tradition and family shouldn't be at odds with each other."

The two-diapered clad puggles babbled at the elderly couple.

"Still, it is quite an honor we've been given. Nurturing our goddess of life reborn and the protecting the innocence of the god of destruction redeemed by her love, whatever the actual nature of their power that is how many will want to see it."

"Which is why we cannot let anyone know who they are for a good long time. Aurora wanted them both to have a clean slate unburdened by the past, a chance for their love to truly rekindle. But for now, I guess they're willing to settle for being playmates."

Crystal-La nodded. "I heard you were communing with the Master Emerald, any new insights?"

"I think me, Relic and Tikal might have found something interesting about Chaos. Relic had always assumed he was originally a Chao that had mutated into his current form, but with Tikal's insight Relic developed a theory that Chaos' mutation might have brought him closer to an ancestor of the chao, one that didn't seem to exist before the gene bombs. There might have been some truth about an uncommon legend in our people's history, that we and even the Ancient Walkers didn't discover the power of the first chaos emeralds, but rather were taught. The Ancients might have once been real."

"Who are the Ancients?"

Athair sighed. "It was one of things the Ancient Walkers had promised to teach us before they sacrificed themselves, but I recall The Brotherhood found scraps of tales about a tribe of people who tried to nurture and shepherd all mobians before they suddenly vanished."

Crystal tapped her chin as she pondered. "I remember in Albion there were old tablets mentioning a hidden land called the Starfall Islands, do you think that the two stories are connected?"

"Perhaps. It is just a curiosity for now but one that…ARGH!"

Athair suddenly clutched his head in pain, the two puggles also began crying as if something was hurting them.

"Athair!"

A couple of more screams came from outside, a moment later Knuckles burst into the house. "Is everyone here alright?!"

Athair was breathing hard while the two babies were crying their lungs out while Crystal-La tried to soothe them. "I, I felt something in the Chaos Force, the puggles must have felt it too."

"I didn't feel anything," said Knuckles. "Is it because you were a Neo Walker?"

"Perhaps, but if that's so at most Merlin would have been the only other one to have felt it. Why did I feel others sense it outside?"

Knuckles turned to Crystal-La. "I, need Athair to speak with me alone, guardian business." Crystal-La nodded Knuckles escorted Athair outside. "I need you to come with me but get ready for a shock."

They rounded a corner and found to a pair of young adult echidna, a pink female and red male. Athair immediately recognized one of them. "Aurora?!"

"Gramps?" the male asked. "What's going on!? We shouldn't be meeting like this!"

Athair sighed. "You must be Enerjak, you're both from the future, aren't you?"

"What was with that?" Aurora asked. "It felt like my brain was being ripped apart from the inside!"

"Something is happening with the Chaos Force," said Athair. "Your strong connection to it must have left you vulnerable to it."

"What connection?! We're just college students who took camp counselor jobs out of nostalgia and got pulled back in time!"

"I don't think they were told," said Knuckles. "About who they…once were."

Athair sighed. "We need to reach Merlin, figure this out."

"I am already ahead of you!"

Merlin suddenly teleported in with a pair of college age squirrels. "Things are moving quickly, I thought having Alexis and Edward here might be important for what we need to do. Knuckles you must head back to Freedom City, that data capsule has been decoded and while I also want to understand the vision that I saw thanks to the Nocimonorcen this incident requires the attention of the Neo Walkers, empowered or not."

"I understand," Knuckles nodded. He took out the Guiding Star Gem and vanished.

"Neo Walkers!?" Enerjak asked. "What are you talking about?!"

"Athair," Merlin said taking out the white book with gold wing shaped clasps. "I need you to tell them while I prepare a spell of astral projection, it is the best way for the four of us to see what is happening in the Chaos Force. It's best we do this at the Master Emerald, we can use its power to bridge the gap more easily between the physical world and the chaos force." He then turned to Alexis and Eddie. "While that is happening, I need you two to watch over our bodies once our spirits are within the chaos force."

Alexis nodded. "I'll go get Kneecaps; the kids might have that big destiny but that doesn't mean we can't step up when it counts!"

Aurora waved at Athair and Merlin. "Excuse me but how and more importantly why are me and Jackie involved in this?!"

Athair sighed. "I wasn't expecting to do this so soon, particularly since from my perspective you're only just starting to even reach for things you want. But you two weren't named after Aurora and Enerjak, you ARE them reborn."

A small auditorium had been set aside for the Freedom Fighters in the headquarters of the Acorn Army, Lara came in with Knuckles followed by the other children. "First, we were bored now things are moving at Mach speed. First Merlin comes in takes Alexis and Eddie out of nowhere now you tell us not only is the capsule ready but there's some chaos force thing going on that might have hurt Rora and Jackie?!"

"I'm not sure but don't worry," said Knuckles. "We won't let you go home without them."

Nicole set up the data capsule up on stage. "This is it, the moment of truth."

Nicole pressed a few buttons on the capsule as the hologram of Red Knight projected itself without stopping.

"This is a warning from the year 3438 P.X.E. This data capsule contains vital information to be delivered to the Robotnick Ascendancy or the Freedom Fighters. It can't be intercepted by wrong hands, or the fate of the galaxy will be one dominated by a hostile force. Commencing identity scan now."

The capsule swept a green laser harmlessly over the room. "Freedom Fighters confirmed, approximate year estimated, compiling message."

"Still a bit hard to believe it was Robotnick the whole time," said Gold. "Did he really change or was it all a power play?"

"After obtaining high level access data from Superior Prime's personal terminal I have been able to determine the timeline of events that had led to the founding of the Mobius Imperium, their subsequent takeover of the Milky Way and their ultimate goal behind it all. According to history as Imperium citizens know it by the middle of the next century a global attack using a combination of specially designed nanites, a designer computer virus and neural based weaponry had wiped the memories of the entire planet, an event referred to as 'Day Zero'…"

The Rectifiers entered familiar tubes that filled up with a clear fluid as wires attached to them.

"Entering diagnostic mode," their suits' onboard computer said. "Note unbidden recall of memories may occur and is normal."

Lara-Su fell unconscious as the system did its work, soon in a dream like state things began coming back to her.

220th day of 3453 P.X.E. (Day Zero)

Lara-Su lay on the hospital bed looking at the "nest" for her recently laid egg that was currently empty while the doctors took it for a checkup. Argyle was probably at the party her friends and family were having while she took the moment to rest, laying an egg wasn't as painful as live birth but it still took a lot out of her.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Lara said.

A curvy white hedgehog woman wearing makeup and jewelry came walking in with a magazine and a smile. "How you feelin' Red?"

"Gleam," Lara chuckled weakly. "I thought you were doing a photo shoot back in Central City."

Gleam gave a playful smirk. "As if I would not be here for your biggest moment, someone needs to keep your ego in check."

Lara smirked back. "I kept yours in check just as much, if not more, over the years."

"Well just to remind you other things are happening, look who made the cover of Ishtar Magazine." Lara looked at the cover of the fashion mag where Gleam was posing front and center looking oddly attractive and dangerous at the same time. "I like to think I've shown both sides of myself, the battler and the beauty."

Lara giggled as she set the magazine aside. "Have you seen Argyle? I know it's only been about an hour or so but accepting congratulations from everyone is bound to keep him busy."

"Not yet crowd's a bit too large so I thought I'd see you while you're still resting up. This is a big thing, the first child of the Future Freedom Fighters. You two were in a bigger hurry to get married and start a family than the rest of us, of course you didn't really have paparazzi to deal with like me and Astral. But I get the feeling now things are…" Gleam stopped at the room's window. "Lara if you feel up for it get over here."

Lara-Su slowly got out of bed and looked out the window, in the courtyard outside Manik and Aleena were sitting on a bench, from their angle they could easily see he was palming a ring box.

"He's finally going to do it," Lara said smiling. "He's going to ask her."

"I think a dam's about to break with all of us," Gleam said. "Lots of weddings and babies in our future."

Down below Aleena looked at Manik with anticipation. "Ok, why did you bring me out here?" She already knew but played along for them both.

Manik gulped. "Well, everyone is so excited about Lara and Argyle's baby that I didn't want to get in the way but it wouldn't be fair to you so I decided first it would just be the two of us then if you want, we'd tell everyone after the egg hatched…" Manik could feel his heart race as he went down on one knee, he just knew Aleena's was racing too. He showed the pink hedgehog the box and opened it. "Aleena, will you…"

He saw Aleena's eyes widen; her gaze wasn't on him or the ring but behind him. As he turned the two ladies in the window also turned, a bright light was coming over the horizon, the young man so stunned he didn't notice he dropped the box that held the engagement ring, rolling under the bench out of sight. Soon the light swept over the hospital just as it had the rest of the world.

The light soon faded; the two hedgehogs looked at each other confused. "I, I can't remember a thing!"

"W-who am?! Where am I?!"

"W-what am I doing here?" the echidna woman asked. "Why do I hurt?"

The white hedgehog looked at the now blank magazine on the bedside stand and began flipping through it. "I don't believe it, there's nothing in here! These pages are all blank! I-I know how to do things but names, dates, places, all of them are gone!"

From the sounds of panic coming from the hall and courtyard no one was alone in their predicament.

Back in the present at the Shrine of the Master Emerald Rora and Jackie were reeling from Athair's explanation. "I-I did all that?" Jackie said trembling. "Those horrible things..."

"Jackie that was a whole other life," said Aurora. "If anything, I'm disgusted with myself for not trying to save you back then, because I was afraid of even more heart break."

"I know it's a lot to process," said Athair. "But right now, we need to find out what is wrong with the chaos force and if you can both feel it, we need your help and better to involve you as you are then yourselves as puggles."

Merlin drew a chalk circle around the Master Emerald. "The preparations are finished."

Athair nodded and turned to Kneecaps, Eddie and Alexis. "Since we don't have our full power, the best we can do is use this spell Merlin found to astral project into the chaos force. While this is happening, our bodies will be vulnerable, so we'll need you to watch over them."

"And if my brother or the rest of the Freedom Fighters say it's time for us to go back home?" asked Kneecaps.

"Explain what's happening, hopefully they can delay or repeat this Chronos Control," Merlin said as he sat down in the lotus position. "Once we are in the chaos force remember our astral forms can act only as observers. If there is something wrong our best bet is to inform Knuckles of the danger.

The four then held hands next to the emerald and closed their eyes, once they were in a void of swirling light their bodies semitranslucent.

"Trust your instincts," said Athair. "What seems wrong here?"

"That is a question I can answer."

They turned to see a glowing cyan bird with luminous yellow eyes.

Merlin's eyes widened "A chaos titan!?"

"What you felt were ripples within the Chaos Force that are reaching out to your world, why we do not know but the source has been identified. Come with me."

The cyan titan flew through the Chaos Force as the other four followed behind. After a distance that was impossible to determine they stopped before a creature of mind shattering scale. A roaring horned being with six glowing eyes and four arms each ending at a six fingered claw that each looked big enough to grab and crush Mobius if they weren't held firmly in place by a glowing chain that slowly vanished into the ether. Its chest was open exposing a hideous beating glowing heart the size of their world.

"T-this…" Enerjak trembled. "I-I remember this feeling, this dread!"

"Why?!" Aurora quaked. "Part of me wants to hate it but it's just as quickly swallowed by terror!"

"We have encountered this being before," said Athair. "Our tempter and torturer that robbed us of our power as Neo Walkers."

"The puppet master behind Specter and the order that came to bear his name," said Merlin. "The one who came so close to enslaving Mobius."

"The being who in this iteration of reality hastened and deepened Enerjak's corruption." The Bird Titan said. "The eternal being of the primeval void sealed here by myself and my siblings, Ixis."

Ixis gave a roar that echoed throughout the chaos force.

"A world without memory, without history, a mass panic was inevitable," The image of Red Knight continued.

"It wouldn't just be the factual stuff," Mina cried. "My music, ALL music, I-I just can't imagine all of it being gone."

"Add to that between humans, overlanders, mobians of various types and seedrians with no knowledge on how so many intelligent species came together had sparked paranoia between them. Eventually some records were found that miraculously survived Day Zero, records we later confirmed were total fabrications, but everyone was so desperate for any kind of past that the possibility was rarely considered.

"According to this false history Humans had enslaved mobians for millennia with the overlanders acting as overseers. The mobians supposedly liberated themselves centuries earlier and welcomed the seedrian refugees in recent years. Needless the say the humans had mostly disbelieved this, caution was warned by some but then messages came from mobians claiming to be the leaders of their government that had put themselves into hiding during the initial attack. Remaining in the shadows this group calling itself the Superior Council produced "evidence" that the attack was instigated by the humans in order enslave the mobians again only to also fall victim to it. While the population was divided on the issue it was during this time the council revealed their own weapon. A cadre of elite warriors called Rectifiers."

Julie-Su tightened her grip on her chair.

"They were ruthless…"

One month after Day Zero

The chipmunk stirred and opened her eyes, she was in a tube and wearing a black set of armor with a face covering helmet. "Wha, how'd I get here? What am I wearing?"

"Attention subjects," said a voice that sounded familiar to the chipmunk. A voice that sent a chill down her spine. "This exercise will be the final evaluation before determining which subject is optimal for final testing. For this test we'll be pulling from your school days, we're playing the task game."

"Task game?" asked the chipmunk. "What's going on?!"

"All subjects: take a look at your left wrist."

The chipmunk raised her hand and saw a wristband with a digital readout that said. "Lara-Su: steal Manik's helmet."

"Lara-Su?" the chipmunk asked. "Is that my name? Who is Manik?"

"The name and task on the wristband aren't yours, it belongs to one of the other test subjects."

"This guy knows who I am?!"

"The deadline is one hour once the evaluation begins, find and complete your task by the deadline to pass, those who fail to do so will be eliminated, permanently."

"I have to find who I am and what I need to do or die?!"

"The wristbands cannot be removed until the evaluation ends, its bearer cannot finish their task resulting in elimination or they are eliminated by other means. Obviously the fastest and surest way to find your task is to learn them all and the fastest way to learn a task is to eliminate the one who is wearing it. Once the predetermined number of subjects move from the evaluation all others will be eliminated. The number of subjects moving on from this evaluation is…one."

The chipmunk began hyper ventilating. "No one can trust each other in this task game, only one may pass so the only way to survive is to kill everyone else and hopefully have enough time to do everything."

"Your hour begins…now."

A digital timer came up on the helmet's HUD counting down from 60:00. The front of the tube slid up and the chipmunk stepped out into domed area with several other tubes stretching up into the ceiling. The chipmunk began to feel an overwhelming panic and rage, she turned her head until she caught sight of a similarly dressed female seedrian.

"I-I-I'm gonna live!" The chipmunk formed a pair of blades from the rings on her wrists.

The seedrian then grew thorny vines from her back. "I-I-I must survive!"

The fight had gotten very intense, just when it seemed one got the upper hand either the other would pull a reverse or someone would step in mixing an ongoing fight with theirs. Time consistently ticked down.

"The first task with a time limit will expire at ten minutes until deadline." The voice said over the PA.

"I need to end this now!" said the monkey currently fighting the squirrel. "I need…!"

Suddenly every subject was hit with a massive electric shock.

"Who are you?!" the voice said. "I can still…ARGH!"

Whatever happened next the squirrel blacked out before she could learn.

"…completely loyal to the council…"

The fox opened his eyes and saw he was back in a tube, this time floating in a liquid.

"Ah, you're awake."

The fox turned to see a mobian masked and clothed in such a way as to not be able to determine his species.

"It's ok, you and the others are safe here. None of you had died and your injuries were within our means of treatment. Tell me, how do you feel?"

"Feel? I feel…nothing."

"Good, we were able to reverse the limbic regulators that doctor implanted in you and the others. He was intensifying your emotions, by putting you in a life-or-death situation you had no way to control your anger and fear."

The fox oddly wished he could feel shame. "I-I never thought I'd want to hurt someone so badly, not even to save myself."

"Even if you were a criminal before Day Zero?"

"Day Zero?"

"That's what people are calling it, all these weeks later and still nobody can remember who they are."

The fox touched the glass. "…I might not be able to remember my past or my name, but I still got a sense of who 'me' is, and that sense says I had at least always tried to do what's right."

"We still need to keep the limbic regulators on for now, your hormonal balance had been thrown completely off."

"…I understand."

"You don't have to worry about your captor anymore but…he was working for those behind Day Zero. Some very powerful people, we can tell you and the others more once you have fully recovered."

The fox nodded. "Did…that guy know who I was?"

"…If he did, he managed to erase that information before we could find you. All we do know is that each of you is gifted in various ways and we could use those gifts to not only restore peace to this world but ensure it for the rest of the galaxy from what we've been able to piece together."

"I…see, in that case I wish to apologize to the others. After that, I think we'll be able to decide what to do from there."

"The others mostly felt the same, at the very least they all want the air cleared. I promise you; we'll do all we can to find recover everyone's past."

The tube was drained of liquid, the fox stepped out shakily. "We…owe you…everything."

"…And seemingly unable to be defeated."

Epsilon Two looked on as the rest of his task group attacked a heavy metal door that was groaning under the strain as it was dented by several heavy thuds. The lynx was focused on listening to those on the other side through his suit's equipment as he placed other devices around the door. This was one of the last major armed holdouts of the humans, peace on Mobius at least was almost in their grasp. Epsilon Two finished tuning in.

"We're out of options!" said one young man. "Maybe if we turn over the weapons in this base and ourselves, they'd at least let the kids go! I mean even if what they're claiming about us is true, they wouldn't hold that against them! Would they!?"

"I've seen what these rectifiers can do, once they are given a mission they won't stop until it's done, or they're told to by the council." Came a feminine voice.

"I still find it hard to believe," said a gruffer male. "Most of your kind want us dead and you're here willing to stand against those killing machines."

"I…I'm just trying to make amends for letting myself follow that mob. I was so afraid after Day Zero it felt so good to have 'someone' to lash out at, but after a few years I just began to feel ugly about it. What did it really accomplish? All most of us really got back was their names."

If his regulator wasn't on Epsilon Two knew he'd be jealous, none of his comrades got their names back, not yet anyway.

"I was happy at first, Cassidy Ellidy, that was who I am; but I began to wonder who Cassie was. Was she the type to hold a grudge? That day I realized none of us were any closer to knowing who we were despite how righteous we felt."

"Well, I think I know who you are in the way that really matters," came another female along with heavy metallic footsteps. "One of the good guys."

"Scan complete," said the lynx. "Opposition consists of one hot shot walker, twenty beetle drones, ten hunter robots, a dozen humans and one subversive."

"Acknowledged," said the hawk/swallow as he and a flying squirrel pounded on the door. "The enemy is running on fumes."

"Orders received from HQ," said the walrus/seal. "The subversive is to be taken in for questioning if possible."

Epsilon Two nodded and took out a remote. "Understood Epsilon One, stand clear."

The Lynx pressed the button causing the door to be blasted off its frame.

As soon as the door came down the hawk/sparrow and flying squirrel swept in and took out most of the resistance in seconds. Cassie was spared thinking seeing such a display would break her will to fight, it at least shook her enough for Epsilon Two to grab her.

"You are under arrest for subversion of world security and have been deemed hazardous," the lynx said. "Comply or termination will be authorized."

Cassie gave a defeated sigh, then suddenly grabbed the detonator remote. "Whatever we deserve for this horror we'll be facing it together!"

Cassie lifted the safety off only to be struck by a laser blast from Epsilon One. The detonator was dropped but caught by the flying squirrel. Epsilon Two looked into the girl's eyes.

"I-is that you? I…had…a bi…"

Cassie closed her eyes and fell limp.

"Apologies," said Epsilon One. "The standing order to minimize rectifier casualties where possible superseded the capture order."

"Acknowledged," said Epsilon Two. "I doubt we will be disciplined."

"Either way the mission is complete," said the hawk/sparrow. "We are to return to base for debriefing, a cleanup crew will be by shortly."

"Compliance," the three remaining rectifiers echoed as they left the scene of the massacre behind.

"In the following decades after the Imperium established their hold on Mobius," Red Knight continued in the auditorium. "An army mostly consisting of advanced drones backed by The Rectifiers had forced most resistance underground. Planets that surrendered were forced to provide resources and manufacture components for immense structures called Chaos Spires, large spaceborn structures designed to combine and release the energies of a Chaos and Sol Emerald of matching colors into a single beam.

"The beams themselves are harmless but if focused on single point either through the Master Emerald or across interstellar distances from strategic points they could tear a hole directly into the chaos force. If two arrays focus the on the same point in different time periods it would create a singularity that could rapidly spread the energies of the chaos force into the physical universe throughout history, allowing them to rewrite reality however they see fit."

"Does that mean rewriting people too?" Candy whimpered.

"This is real end of the world stuff," said Argyle as he tried to stroke his little sister.

"For 170 years we managed to keep the white Chaos Emerald out of the Imperium's clutches," Red Knight continued. "But it was only a matter of time until they found us. The Superior Council will try to get the emeralds of your time and try to focus them through the Master Emerald. No matter what happens, whatever the cost that needs to be paid, whatever it takes you must prevent this from happening!"

The hologram of Red Knight vanished as the data capsule powered down.

"Well, we finally got Red Knight's message," said Silver. "Too bad they couldn't find The Interloper who started all this."

"Once we send these kids home, we'll both have to do our parts," said Knuckles. "First step for me will be to re-double the security on the Master Emerald."

Gold stood up. "Give me hour or two and I should be able to ready the memory suppression so while we won't remember the kids, we will remember what we learned here," she then turned to Aura. "However, I'm going to need your help to make sure MY memories are suppressed."

"So, this is it," Aura sighed. "Time to say goodbye, at least to the versions of you in this time."

"Only for about a day when you get home, give you some time readjust. After that, I bet we'll all have a lot of catching up over what happened these last few weeks."

Suddenly a sound came from Bunnie's forearm. "That's my emergency line!" She pressed a button on her arm. "Freedom Fighters, what's ya'll's problem?!"

"The vault is under attack!" came the voice on the other end. "They somehow got the access codes to…AGH!"

"Ya'll still there?! Respond!"

Bunnie only got static back.

"Isn't the vault where all the emeralds are right now?!" asked Brawn.

"Without those we can't get home!" gasped Taffy.

Tails' Miles Electric then went off, he switched it on to find Amadeus Prower was on the screen. "Dad!?"

"Tails we have an emergency up here! The city shield is down and our defensive weapons have been deactivated! We tried to reverse it but all the access codes have been changed on us!"

"Someone's making a move on the vault, probably our saboteur. We'll stop 'em and get the changed codes from them!" Tails began to turn. "Sonic! We gotta…!"

He found the hedgehog was already gone and the door out was wide open.

"Didn't have to wait on us!" said Sally. "Let's go Freedom Fighters!"

Within the chaos force Ixis roared as he pulled against his chains. Jackie gritted his teeth. "No, what you want to tell me won't work this time! Rora and I are going to be happy together, there's nothing you can say to tempt me!"

Ixis continued to bellow.

"You're not the only one who needs to be on guard," said Merlin. "Last time we nearly lost Aurora to his corruption as well when she got close trying to get back the kind Enerjak she once knew. You two were only saved when she used the last of her energy and willpower return you both to the egg!"

"And when we refused, he drained our Neo Walker powers almost completely!" added Athair. "Keep your distance and ignore anything he might say!"

Another roar as the void deity pulled against the chains of light.

Jackie gritted his teeth. "No, not this time, not again! Whatever you do!"

"REEEEEEEGH!"

Enerjak's expression of determined rage was quickly replaced by confusion. "Why isn't he doing anything?"

Merlin sighed with relief. "Perhaps we're lucky, he's still raging over Specter's defeat preventing him from escaping."

"No," Aurora said quietly. "Something feels off about him, wrong."

Athair turned to young woman. "Your memories, they're returning?"

Aurora shook her head. "Just feelings, echoes. But Ixis isn't like he was last time."

Aurora looked at Ixis cautiously. "There was evil and anger, but also cunning, a vast intelligence that had plans within plans, wheels within wheels. That's gone now, I don't see a great tempter."

Aurora turned, seeming more afraid of her own ignorance than Ixis.

"All I see here, is a beast."

Ixis stopped roaring and pulling to give a low chuckle.

As the team made it into the vault's control room the security lain unconscious and the door leading to the emeralds was wide open.

"Sonic!" Tails yelled. "Did you find the intruder?! Are the emeralds still safe?"

Sonic slowly walked out of the emerald room, the gems orbiting around him in two circles. But surprising Tails more was the fact that Sonic's quills had darkened to a navy blue, his eyes now a darker shade of green, a dark blue aura emanated from him, and a wicked looking smile was on his face.

"Uh that's an interesting look," Honey said worriedly. "Trying to fit in with Shadow's team as some kind of Dark Sonic? Whatever it is maybe you should take the emeralds back into the vault."

"The emeralds are right where they belong," Dark Sonic said with strangely sinister tone. "Or they will be soon enough."

"Uh Dad?" Manik said shaking. "I never heard of you using this power before, are you ok?"

"Sonic," Knuckles growled. "Did you do this?! What's with this new form?!"

"Sonic, we need the emeralds to send the kids home!" said Blaze. "Whatever all this is you can explain later!"

"I don't answer to you princess, or anyone," Sonic said darkly. "I am going to use their power to open the way to the chaos force, trying to resist will only result in pain."

"Dad, I don't understand!" cried Sonia. "This is exactly what the bad guys want!"

"What Superior Prime wants is only important because I can use it to get what I want."

Shadow began charging Dark Sonic. "Not if I stop you here and now!"

Shadow threw a punch only for Dark Sonic to evade and counter with an elbow to the back of the head.

"Shadow!" Rouge yelled.

Knuckles ran up to Dark Sonic, his fist clenched. "Maybe this will knock some sense into you!"

Tails began to speed over holding a wrench like a club, tears in his eyes. "This is going to hurt me more than you!"

Dark Sonic sped around them as they swung, grabbed Tails by his namesakes then spun him into Knuckles send them crashing against a wall.

"You're right, it did hurt you more."

Blaze ran towards Dark Sonic, used her flames towards the floor propelling her over him in a flip. Silver stood opposite her as they shot a bolt of flame and a blade of psychic energy at Dark Sonic. In a flash Dark Sonic vanished causing the two attacks to pass in midair and hit the other attacker before he stepped back in.

"My turn now."

Dark Sonic leapt in the air and curled into a ball. A few Freedom Fighters moved to cover the unconscious guards.

"Stay back!"

Big pushed the kids out of the room and blocked the door with his body, Bunnie and Antione did the same with Sally.

"If he ended up doing anything to you Sally girl, he'd never forgive himself when we get 'em back to normal!"

Dark Sonic spun in midair and shot several quills from himself covering the room, everyone not covered soon grimaced as the quills pierced their skin.

"Sonic stop please!" Sally screamed.

Dark Sonic turned to Sally and lowered himself to the floor.

"Whatever is happening to you we can find a solution together. This isn't you, don't break my heart." Sally buried her face in his chest and started to sob. "I just can't believe…"

Suddenly Sally's sobs sounded more like a laugh. Suddenly she turned around and everyone saw her eyes were now glowing like hot coals.

"…Just how gullible you all are!"

"Ze Princess too?!" groaned Antione. "What did he do to you?!

"He did nothing to me, I've just been helping him. Who do you think changed those codes?!"

The Chaos Emeralds entered Dark Sonic, his quills became pitch black, his eyes glowed an intense white and his mouth seemed to vanish from his muzzle. With a gesture Dark Sonic blew the ceiling away exposing a sky that was rapidly becoming cloudy.

"If you want answers" Dark Sonic said but none could see how. "Then come to the Central Control Spire, that is if you can make it past the defenses."

Both Sonia and Manik came running towards them. "Mom! Dad! Wait!"

Dark Sonic flew through the hole carrying Sally. The two went up a high before Dark Sonic opened his palm.

"Chaos control."

A colossal aura of darkness spread out only to fade as Angel Island appeared in its place.

As the people in the city and island began to panic the sky between them warped and shimmered until a massive tower like structure materialized.

Knuckles narrowed his eyes then gasped. "That tower, the tip is right under the emerald shrine!"

"That's a chaos spire!" said Gold. "Those are what the Imperium had been powering the emeralds of the future!"

Silver watched as a black light entered the tower. "And Sonic just delivered the emeralds of the past right to this one!"

After completing their rejuvenation the rectifiers came into a large chamber that stretched all the way to the tip of the tower and took fighting stances as he let Dark Sally go and stand before them.

"Surrender," said Manik. "Or prepare to be rectified."

"Rectifiers stand down," Superior Prime said as their canopied chair and those of the council hovered into the room. "We were expecting them to come."

The rest of the council's chairs moved towards the wall and docked forming a circle where they seemed to watch.

Dark Sonic levitated the sixteen emeralds up and into conduits along the wall. The conduits were in pillars where chaos and sol of matching colors pulsed energy into a central point far overhead.

"Everything is in place," said Dark Sally. "Soon the Imperium will fulfill its purpose then past, present and future will be remade."

"I still don't" understand," said Lara-Su. "They're the enemy."

"Far from it," chuckled Superior Prime. "The imperium as you know wouldn't have existed if it weren't for one interloper who stands before you. Sonic the Hedgehog."

Up at the emerald shrine Alexis and Eddie looked in horror as a beam of rainbow light came from the tower below, through the ground and trough the Master emerald which enlarged the beam as it left the atmosphere and collied with seven separate beams of light that seemed to fade into existence only to hit at a single point out in space. Alexis turned to the former neo walker's unconscious bodies worriedly. "Rora," Alexis squeaked. "Whatever it is you're all doing you better finish it, fast!"

"What do mean his mind is gone?" asked Enerjak. "What could cause that to something that immensely powerful?!"

The planet sized form of Ixis continued to wordlessly laugh.

"How could we have not seen this?" Everyone turned to the cyan bird chaos titan. "We thought our seal was perfect, he was bound to the chaos force, his power can be called out, but he can't slip through the same way. But beings like us, like him, are more than consciousness, we are ideas, thoughts, and if the right window is open those CAN escape. Even we cannot stop an idea from being thought."

Athair looked back to Ixis. "So, this…is just a body or essence with instinct, his mind or soul is in longer here?!"

Ixis laughed even harder.

"We have been deceived," the titan continued. "I must go back to the others, prepare new champions. You must return to your reality. May the light of creation protect us all."

The titan vanished as the group gasped as if waking from a nightmare.

"Your timing couldn't be better!" said Eddie as he approached the group. "The whole island just suddenly was transported above Freedom City, this tower showed up below us and shot this beam through the Master Emerald and into space, and we have no idea what's going on!"

Athair picked up his staff with a growl. "Much more than it appears, we will need to contact Knuckles and the Freedom Fighters as soon as we figure out the meaning of Ixis' mind leaving his spiritual body."

Aurora looked downward towards the tower. "All this happening at once, it can't be coincidence."

Merlin picked up his own staff. "I agree, but to find out the connection need to find out how Ixis' mind escaped and more importantly, where is it now?"

Sonic groaned, he couldn't even tell when he fell asleep. It was pitch black but he felt heavy chains attached to his limbs and wrapped around the rest of his body. He pulled with all his might but even as his vision started to return the chains wouldn't budge.

"Where am I?! Let me out of here!"

"Sonic?!" Sonic heard Sally yell. He turned and found her in the same predicament he was in. "I can't activate my ring blades for some reason!"

Sonic tried to spin but the chains wouldn't budge. "My quills aren't working either, just where are we?!"

"Where your speed and cunning cannot help either of you," said a deep guttural voice. "Within your own minds and the space between them. Your kind calls it the Collective Unconscious."

A set of six glowing eyes appeared between them.

"Ok next question," Sonic growled. "Who are you?"

"You already know, deep within."

Sally then clenched her teeth. "Ixis, but you're supposed to be trapped in the Chaos Force!"

"My spiritual form is, my mind however found an opening, one you are well too aware of."

Sonic felt a sharp pain in his chest as he remembered taking Specter's sword to land the final blow on him. Then words he half remembered as he hung on the edge of life and death.

"A perfect vessel, capable of withstanding the raw power of the Chaos Force…Now I understand…"

"No way, Masquerade's dead, he failed!"

"Yes and no, he tried to take your body, but I never revealed to him that the perfect vessel was never meant for him, but for me."

Sonic pulled as hard as he could. "If it's me you want then let Sal go!"

"But having her is why I needed you, your body is now a living phylactery, one through which I could also possess others. Such as when the princess cut her hands trying to save you, since then I had been hiding in your minds studying, learning through mortal eyes as to set into motion the powers and soldiers I need to release my spiritual form onto this universe where I can reshape it."

Sally felt a sharp pain in her hands as a realization struck her. "What Silver and Gold saw, it wasn't Sonic's death they were supposed to prevent, it was you taking our bodies!"

"Time has looped back on itself, soon I won't need a future with the Mobius Imperium anymore."

Suddenly it was like they could see two things at once, them as Ixis' prisoners and them handing the emeralds over to Superior Prime and The Rectifiers.

"Soon your mission will be fulfilled," they heard Dark Sonic say. "There will be no war…"

"…there will be no peace…" Ixis laughed as a head formed around the eyes.

"…there will be no pain…"

A torso formed "…there will be no joy…"

"…there will be no evil…"

Four arms appeared each ending in a six clawed hand. "…there will be no good…"

"…there will be no death…"

Now a pair of powerful looking legs held up the body. "…there will be no life…"

"…there will only be a perfect universe."

The void god laughed madly as a glowing beating hear appeared inside his chest. "…THERE WILL ONLY BE, IXIS!"