Chapter 5: Seeking
Alex stayed in the shadows of the jungle, her sword at the ready. As she journeyed, she found pieces of the roof scattered across the forest floor and stuck up in the tree branches.
Aside from the pieces of wreckage, all seemed normal again. The chirping of the birds, the rustling of critters scurrying across the ground, and the bubbling of water in the brooks; it was as it should be.
But Alex remained on guard, as if waiting for the serenity to be broken at any moment.
At last, she came upon the remains of the hut. She scanned the area for any signs of that Dr. Eggman and his water minion. Seeing and hearing no danger, she stepped out, only to immediately stop. Sweat formed on her forehead, her pulse quickened, and she breathed heavily. The longer she stared at the wreckage, the more vivid the memories of last night became. She could clearly see Chaos standing triumphantly over her Master, with her friend limply under his arm.
Her legs tensed, and every instinct in her body told her to run.
"No!" she said forcefully, needing to hear her voice. "It's fine! He's not here! I can do this! I have to!"
Steeling herself and swallowing back her fear, Alex pressed on. The closer she got, the more damage she saw. Wooden beams that had been supporting the structure were snapped at varying heights, the roof was completely gone, and the walls were reduces to splintered planks. The floor was the only thing that appeared to remain intact.
And to Alex's dismay, the desk that had Aaron's personal books was obliterated, and torn pages were littered all over the place. She knelt and picked up a stray piece. All it contained was the date from a journal entry. Nothing of any value now.
And there was no sign of the stone tablet.
"What a waste of time!"
Frustrated and angry, Alex stood up, dropping the piece of paper, and kicked a nearby block of wood. As it bounced across the floor, Alex heard something. The block hit a spot that made an odd, hollow sound. Curious, she walked over and saw a was a hole in the board.
Suddenly, a memory from a few days ago flashed across her mind. When she, Carrie, and Master Aaron first arrived, she saw him store some items under the floor to make room.
"I wonder."
Alex put her finger in the hole and pulled up. The board came out with ease, revealing a trove of books underneath. The curiosity on Alex's face morphed into a smile. Now she was getting somewhere. One by one, she pulled the books out and set them aside, hoping that what she was looking for was in here.
At last, she came across a stone slab.
"The tablet!"
Feeling intense relief, Ales pulled the tablet out and inspected the front. It appeared to be made of marble, but it was surprisingly light for the material. A single amethyst gem was embedded at the top, nestled in carved hands of a female Mobian Echidna. On the main body, in the upper left-hand corner, was a single sentence:
"With the power of the Chaos Emeralds, Chaos ravaged the land."
"Chaos!" Alex exclaimed. "This is it! Wait…this is a forcejewel. Specialization, too. But for what?"
Alex put her index finger to her forehead and closed her eyes. "If it's Specialization, that means it works under certain conditions. But what? Did Master Aaron say anything about it? I think the writing was already there when he showed it to us. Let me try giving it some Energy."
Alex held her hand over the violet gem. The red gems on her bracelets glowed, and a bright green stream of light flowed from her palm to the tablet. The Energy covered the gem and spread out over the tablet. However, nothing happened. Her Energy wasn't even being absorbed. She stopped and sat back on her heels.
"So much for that idea," she mumbled. "If only Master Aaron was here. He'd know what to do."
Alex rubbed her arm before squeezing it, fighting back the tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. She sat in silence, trying to take in all that had happened. Finally, she furrowed her eyebrows and stood up, still holding onto the tablet.
"Whatever," she said. "He's not here, and I've got find him, and Carrie. If Eggman is in league with Chaos, that must mean he knows where they are. I couldn't save them before, but I can save them now."
Alex looked to the sun through the trees, letting its warmth revive her spirit. She took a deep breath, her resolve growing stronger.
Before leaving, she put the books back underneath the floorboards. She then put her right hand over her left and focused. A small gem-like item began to grow between her palms. She cupped her hands together and an amethyst jewel dropped into them. She placed it on the floorboard, right over the notch, and wiped her hands.
"That should keep them dry," she said. "As for this."
Alex took the tablet and put it in her hip bag. As she did, she caught sight of the Chaos Emerald. She shuddered, remembering what happened when that Eggman gave Chaos an Emerald.
"I'll have to keep this out of his reach, too," she muttered. "Which is going to be difficult since I also need to find him. Oh well, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. Better head back to the city. I'll plan my next move there."
Alex closed her bag and set out through the jungle. The blue gems on her shoes glimmered and she picked up speed. The whole place became a stream of green as she rushed along the path. She herself became a teal streak as she raced on like a speed skater.
As she passed a large bush, her hip bag trembled, making her slide to a stop. She looked and saw a yellow light shining through the seam of the flap. She lifted it and pulled out the now glowing Chaos Emerald. She stared at it for a moment before moving it to the left. The light dimmed. As she moved it to the right, it grew brighter before fading again. Then, she brought it back in front of her. It was bright again. She narrowed her eyes, remembering something Master Aaron said some time ago.
"We Mystics can sense great power. That includes the Chaos Emeralds. That said, the Emeralds are attracted to each other, and thus have a stronger pull. However, when all seven are together, if not handled properly, they will disappear and scatter all over again."
"Does this mean there's a Chaos Emerald here?" Alex asked aloud. "Hmm, might as well check it out."
Using the Chaos Emerald as a compass, Alex walked towards the bush. She pushed the branches aside and saw a small stream of water leading into the mouth of a cave. She could sense it now. A great power was inside. A power that was exactly like the one she was holding.
Summoning her sword, she walked into the cave. It was smaller than she expected, no larger than an average bedroom. In the center was a little hole where the water fell through. And on the far side of the cave was a large gem like the one in her hand. The only difference was that it was a bright aquamarine. As she drew closer, the brighter her Emerald and that one became.
"A Chaos Emerald. No doubt."
Alex dismissed her sword, put her Emerald back in her bag, and picked up the other one.
As her fingers closed around the Emerald, she felt the presence of another energy power. A light suddenly shone from the Emerald, and she shielded her eyes. At the same time, she felt a gentle breeze, and smelled wild grass and daisies. She opened her eyes, blinking from the unexpected brightness, and gasped.
She was in the middle of a field full of flowers!
"What the…?"
Looking around, Alex caught sight of a stone structure in the distance. Curious and confused, she got up and ran towards it. The whole time, she continued to sense a strange energy around her. She could feel the ground under her feet and the wind through her hair, but something felt off.
Almost…artificial.
At last, she arrived at the structure.
"Looks like some kind of shrine," she said. "Wait, what's that?"
Just beyond the wall, Alex heard a curious sound. It was like little children singing "chao" repeatedly. Alex followed the song and came across an adorable sight.
On the edge of a moat that encircled the temple at the heart of the structure was young female Mobian Echidna. Flying around her, singing with delight, were little teal-blue creatures.
"A chao colony?" Alex thought. "Just what is going on here? And who's that?"
"Excuse me, where are we?"
The Echidna didn't reply. She didn't even seem to notice Alex.
Alex was about to call out again…but then got a shock.
A chao behind Alex flew towards the Echidna, and right through her body!
Alex held her breath, staring at the spot where the chao passed through her, and covered her stomach. She was solid. She grabbed her arms and shoulders. All solid.
Just what was going on?
"You all sure love to sing," said the Echidna, snapping Alex out of her bafflement. She then petted the chao's head, making it chirp with delight.
"And this place. I sense a great deal of Chaos Energy here. Now I see why my father warned me to be cautious. But I don't feel anything evil. Only light. If you all can live here peacefully, it can't be that dangerous."
The Echidna then turned and looked straight at Alex. As soon as the two made eye-contact, the bright light from before enveloped Alex again. All at once, the strange energy disappeared, the breeze vanished, and the smell of grass and flowers was gone.
Alex snapped her eyes opened, inhaling sharply. She was back in the cave, and the Chaos Emerald was back in her hand. She stared at it with wide eyes, feeling as if she had just woken up from a lucid dream and was coming back to reality.
"What was that?" she whispered, shaking. "Some kind of vision? And that power? That was Chaos Energy. I'm sure of it. But from where? And who was that?"
Steadying her breathing, Alex recollected herself. Silently, she put the Chaos Emerald in her bag and left the cave. Despite her bewilderment, the moment had passed, and there was nothing more she could do about it.
She had to refocus. Carrie and Master Aaron needed her.
Still, the current reality didn't stop the vision from making a place in the back of her mind.
At Tails' workshop…
Sonic paced back and forth as Tails sat at his supercomputer, typing in codes, analyzing the screen, and adjusting a green Chaos Emerald in a slot in the control panel.
"You got a signal yet?" Sonic asked.
"Two faint ones," Tails replied. "I'm trying to pinpoint their exact locations. Though I'd say they're no more than ten miles away."
"Then why don't we just search in a ten-mile radius?"
"We can't just chance it based on that info alone. We should at least figure out what regions they're in. Remember, we need to find those Emeralds before Eggman does."
"Yeah, yeah, I know. I just hate waiting around."
"I know, Sonic. I'm working as fast as I can."
Tails winced in pain and gingerly rubbed the bruise near his eye. Sonic stopped pacing and looked at his friend, his annoyance quickly becoming replaced with concern.
"You holding up okay, Buddy?" he asked.
"I'm fine," Tails replied. "Though Eggman got me pretty good. I'll need to more careful from now on."
Sonic glanced away, frowning. "It wasn't your fault."
"I know that. It's just—"
A beeping noise cut Tails off, and he turned back to the screen.
"Oh, I just got the coordinates!" he said, smiling. "One Emerald is in Windy Valley, and it looks like the other is in Station Square!"
"But we just came from Station Square," Sonic pointed out.
"THAT must be why my prototype malfunctioned," Tails said, perking up with realization. "The Chaos Emerald was reacting to the one hidden in the city, and that caused the engine to overload."
Sonic smirked. "Well, we should start paying attention to stuff like that from now on. Now, c'mon, let's get those Emeralds."
"Right. We'll make better time if we split up. I'll head for Windy Valley, and you head for Station Square."
"Sure thi—Wait, that means I'll have to take the train again!"
"Yeah, but Windy Valley is mostly made up of rivers and ponds," Tails said. "Deep ones. You can't swim, and I can find the Emerald faster in the air. The winds there are ideal for flying. Besides, you know Station Square better than I do."
Sonic made a face. Tails was right on every point, but he really did not want to ride the train again. However, he could not deny the situation at hand, nor could he deny the fact water was his greatest weakness.
Finally, he let out a defeated groan. If he had to choose between a boring train ride that would eventually end, and a valley full of water death traps, he would take the train. Not that it was a better choice, just the lesser of two evils.
"Fiiiiine," he groaned.
Tails gave an uncomfortable smile before opening a drawer and pulling out two small devices. He plugged them into the main computer and typed a few things on the keyboard.
"Okay," he said, "I'll copy the data into these wrist communicators. Take one with you so we can stay in touch. It'll also help you locate the Emerald quicker. Once we've got our Emeralds, we'll contact each other and meet back here."
"No way," Sonic said fervently. "I don't want to have to ride that train more than I need to. Let's meet up at Emerald Coast. You can fly the Tornado over and land on one of the inlets."
Tails let out a sigh and shook his head.
"Okay, fair enough," he shrugged. "I'm downloading the data right now. Best of luck."
Later…
The sun was starting to set as Sonic ran through the streets of Station Square. Every so often, he checked the device on his wrist. A blinking red dot on the screen grew closer as he ran on.
Finally, Sonic rounded the corner and stopped. He blinked in surprise, looking back and forth between his device and the building ahead of him. It was the casino with the wall smashed in. The place he first saw Chaos.
"Hmm, looks like there's a Chaos Emerald in there," he said. "I'm guessing that's why Chaos was here in the first place."
Sonic scanned the area. There were blockades warning civilians to stay out, but he didn't see any police about.
With a speed so fast that anyone watching would blink and miss him, Sonic raced towards the building, up the wall, and into the hole. He ducked down and checked his device again. The signal had gotten stronger.
He was getting closer.
He ran in the direction of the signal until the dot was in the center of the screen and blinking rapidly. Sonic looked around. He was in the middle of the room with slot machines on each side of him, and some rings from the upper deck scattered across the floor. The only place the Emerald could be hiding would under the carpet.
"I should be right on top of it," he mumbled. "Unless…I AM on top of it."
Sonic looked at the ground scratched his head. He soon remembered the sewer system. He chased Chaos in the opposite direction, but he seemed to recall the tunnel ran underneath the casino as well.
He also remembered the gross water below the walkway and frowned.
"So much for avoiding water," he grumbled. "Oh well, at least it's shallow."
Remembering the cover outside the main entrance, Sonic ran back the way he came and out the wall. He raced down to the courtyard, lifted the sewer cover, and was inside before three seconds had passed. Covering his nose and mouth, he checked the navigator. The signal was even stronger than before. He followed the trail, coming to the spot right underneath the building. He glanced around, seeing nothing but stone walls and gross water.
"Ugh, don't tell me."
A sick feeling grew in Sonic's stomach. It was one thing to fish out a Chaos Emerald from water, but from sewage water; he'd sooner ride the train ten times in a row with no way out than go diving in that muck.
Sonic thought for a moment, putting a finger to his chin. There had to be a way to remove the water long enough for him grab the Emerald. The best thing he could think of was using his speed. He looked left and right, seeing a bridge on each side of him.
A grin spread across his face.
"Okay, here goes!"
Sonic began to run in a circle on the platforms and bridges. He ran faster and faster, and the water beneath began to stir. Soon, he was at top speed. The disgusting liquid began to rise into a waterspout, bring some other unpleasant gunk up with it. It was kept in control only by the wind Sonic commanded with his speed.
Then, just as he had hoped, a glimmer of silver light flashed in the funnel.
"That's it!"
The light came around again, and Sonic snatched it right out of the water with incredible skill. He was now holding a silver Chaos Emerald, and his glove was completely dry.
"Got it! Time to get out of here!"
Sonic dashed away from the funnel and back towards the exit. The water collapsed back down into the sewer, sending a wave rushing back his way. He jumped out and slammed the cover shut just as the water splashed up.
"Piece of cake, no sweat." he said confidently, brushing some dirt from his arms. "Now, time to meet up with Tails."
Sonic pressed the button on his device…
And a bright light suddenly surrounded him, making him shut his eyes.
The light faded, but a brightness still lingered. The smell of the city was replaced with cool, clear air, and Sonic soon became aware of the grass beneath his feet.
He opened his eyes and was met with a surprise.
He was no longer outside of the casino with twilight approaching, but now standing in front of a large shrine with the midday sun high in the sky!
"What the? Where am I?"
"You see, father? The chao aren't dangerous."
Sonic blinked at the sound of the female voice and turned sharply to his left. Just a few feet away from him were two Mobian Echidnas surrounded by chao.
"Hey, where are we?" Sonic asked.
The Echidnas didn't answer. Not even the chao acknowledged Sonic's presence. Not liking to be ignored, the Hedgehog walked up to the male Echidna and reached out to grab his shoulder.
"Hey, I just want to know—"
Sonic's sentence was cut short by his hand going through right through the Echidna!
Shocked, Sonic reach out again. The same thing happened. His hand when right through like he was a ghost. He tried to pet a nearby chao, but the result was the same.
"What the heck is going on?"
"It's not the chao that worries me, Tikal," the male Echidna said to the female, "it's the Energy of this place. I can feel it. This place is overflowing with Chaos Energy?"
"Chaos Energy?" Sonic whispered, confused.
"I can feel it, too, Father," said the female Echidna the male called Tikal. "But when the chao sing and play, the Energy is all pure and full of light. As long as they are here, I think the Chaos Emeralds will stay in check."
Then, the female Echidna looked straight at Sonic. Sonic tensed. He couldn't explain how, but he knew that she was looking right at him.
Before he could speak, the bright light from before surrounded him again. The images before him disappeared in a blink, and he found himself back in the city.
"What in the world—"
Suddenly, something struck Sonic from behind!
Sonic slammed to the ground, smashing his wrist device, and losing his grip on the Chaos Emerald. He got up and raced toward it, and a purple cloud shot in his face, obscuring his vision, and making him cough. His senses became muddled, and his body weak. He fell to his hands and knees, struggling to stay awake. The cloud cleared, but his vision blurred.
"Oh ho ho ho, thank you for leaving yourself open, Sonic!" said a familiar, maniacal voice. "And thank you for the Chaos Emerald! Now take a rest! You've earned it!"
Through his fading vision, Sonic watched as a fuzzy form of Dr. Eggman walked in front of him and picked up the Chaos Emerald. He tried to reach for it, but his arm was too heavy to lift.
"Don't worry, this won't kill you," said Eggman, sounding like he was underwater. "I'm saving that for later. Nighty-night, hedgehog."
"Egg…man."
Finally, Sonic's world grew dark, and his strength gave out.