Chapter 131

The Ark of the Cosmos

Amy watched Knuckles from across the table. His expression was firm, and he shifted his gaze to everyone around the table as if challenging them to question his plan. A deep feeling of disquiet settled inside Amy's heart. She looked nervously to her right hoping that someone would speak up.

"We don't have the means for an all out assault," Vice President Acorn said. She leaned forward and scrutinized Knuckles with her intelligent auburn eyes. "Eggman's command ship is the largest aerial vehicle this planet has ever seen. I don't even want to imagine what its weapon systems are capable of. We won't be able to get anywhere near it."

"An army won't be able to get through," Knuckles allowed. "But a small group of commandos could land on the ship."

"That would be incredibly risky. That would be placing all of hopes in a single strike."

"And what's the problem with that?" Knuckles said with a sardonic smirk. "Battle always carries the risk of defeat."

"That is a condition that we cannot accept," Acord replied steadily. "I understand that you have already lost what you wanted to protect most, but we still have a nation to an all out assault on Eggman fails, he may retaliate against our cities. We should not risk open hostilities until we have a legitimate shot at victory."

Amy watched Knuckles carefully. His face paled slightly at the mention of the fate of Angel Island. "Delay will only serve to help Eggman. He doesn't know we have the Chaos Emeralds, and he doesn't know that I'm still alive. We should strike before he brings more armies here."

"He has a point," Jet interjected. "We should try and win before things break out into a wider conflict. Besides, he also doesn't know that we have a few Sol Gems. I think a sudden strike is our best chance."

Amy wanted to speak up, but she didn't know what to say. She waited for the vice president to argue more, but instead she simply removed her glasses and wiped her forehead. "I don't have the men or the firepower to help in this. But we will do what we can." She sighed heavily and pushed her chair around from the table. "Excuse me, I am getting very tired. I will discuss this with my soldiers and see what plan we can come up with."

The vice president's departure signaled the end of the meeting. Knuckles and Tails both stood up and let out loud yawns. "I can show you both to your rooms," Amy said helpfully.

"That's alright," Tails replied. "We remember."

Amy watched them leave, and they were followed by Jet and Wave. Soon Amy was alone in the dining room. She sat in the darkness and felt the crushing weight of it press down on her. For reasons she could not explain, she had been pressed by an overwhelming feeling of anxiety once the conversation turned to the battle against Eggman. Amy knew it was inevitable, but for some reason once everyone was talking about it she felt the full weight of the pressure suddenly drop on her.

What good would I be in a battle like that? Her instinct told her trepidation originated from a fear of war. Yet, as she sat there she realized that it was something else. That plan is wrong. Amy couldn't say why, but she knew it to be true. Eggman won't leave himself vulnerable, not even for a second.

Amy sat up and walked out into the halls of the temple. Flickering torch light illuminated the long passageways. Amy walked down them, aimlessly circling back towards her own room. She stopped suddenly when she saw a dark silhouette a few feet away from her. The shadow was crouched down and whispering faintly. Amy heard the subtle crackling of a radio and muffled voices.

"I can barely hear you." The voice said. "Where are you? Why is there so much interference?"

"I can't say."

Amy recognized the voice as that of the vice president. She rushed forward, realizing that Jet would not want the humans contacting people outside of the island. "All I can say for now is that we are safe and secure. How many other bases have you made contact-" The voice cut off. Acorn whipped around, her hand reaching for her sidearm.

"It's just me!" Amy threw up her hands in a sign of surrender

Acorn relaxed her grip around the hilt of her gun. Her back hand subtly placed the hand radio into her belt..

"Who were you talking to?" Amy asked quickly.

"A G.U.N agent in Westopolis. They've managed to secure a hideout in a decommissioned subway station."

"For what?"

"To resist Eggman. They've managed to form a group of a couple hundred people who know the real truth."

"Really? Are there more groups like this?"

Acorn nodded. "There are a few in every major city of the U.F. Right now we are working on coordinating a line of communication. If we can get all these groups organized we can form a real resistance." The vice president paused. For a moment, her shield of bravery faltered and she betrayed the fear lurking within. "It is all we can do…" She said faintly. "This is exactly what Argus was afraid of. All the power has been stripped out of our hands and we have to trust our fates to…" She looked over at Amy. "Argus would say freaks, but I…I don't know what to call you."

"Heroes?" Amy suggested. "That's what Tails and Knuckles are anyway."

A small smile spread across Acorn's mouth. "Heroes….yes…when you put it like that, it doesn't sound so bad." Acorn straightened her back and looked at Amy as if she was just seeing her clearly for the first time. "We really underestimated you, Miss Rose."

Amy tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

"Eggman sent us a file with detailed information about you and all your friends. Each one described your abilities at length, all of them except for yours. All it said was that you were obsessed with Sonic and it would be easy to use you against him."

"Well…it has been easy for Eggman to do that in the past…"

"I suppose we were both overlooked." The playful smile on Acorn's face shifted into a frown. "Your friend's plan. I don't like it. We risk everything and the chance of victory is simply too small. I don't think he should assume that Eggman doesn't already realize that I lied to him about what really happened at GUN Fortress. It is only a matter of time before he finds out that Knuckles is alive and that he has the Chaos Emeralds."

Amy bit her lip. "Knuckles comes from a long line of warriors. His instinct for battle is far stronger than mine."

"But he is also a man," Acorn said, her tone serious. "Men, whether consciously or not, always plan for a noble defeat. He will not consider options that risk ignominy or dishonor."

"Ignom-what?" Amy nearly twisted her tongue trying to pronounce the word.

"Men are too straight forward," Acorn clarified. "We need to think of other avenues of attack, strategies that Eggman has never considered. Perhaps, a woman's mind would be better suited to the task." Acorn looked knowingly at Amy.

Does she know something? Amy wondered. Does she expect me to come up with a better plan? Before she could ask, Acorn yawned heavily. "I think I will be going to bed now. There is much to think about and organize. Good night, Miss Rose." She turned and walked down the dark passageway.

Amy watched her go with a sense of disquiet expanding in her stomach. Her nerves were suddenly on edge and she could feel adrenaline racing through her body. She looked down at her hands and saw that they were trembling. What's wrong with me?

Knowing that she was too excited to sleep, Amy continued her solo walk through the temple. Her feet unbiddenly led her to the inner sanctum. The blue glass floor reflected the trace of silver moonlight that filtered through the gaps in the ceiling, causing a reflective hue to shine over the mural at the far end. Amy walked forward, almost drawn to the carved images on the wall. She gazed absently at the hollowed ring which depicted Babylon Garden when it was still a spaceship. Set within the ring was a black orb that was pulsing faintly.

It didn't use to do that. Amy thought suddenly. Her pulse quickened and she felt the blood inside her neck. Suddenly and forcibly she was reminded of the divination she had done back at the pool. Amy physically shuddered as an idea rapidly sprang to life out of the seed that had been planted so many days ago. She whipped around and broke out into a run.

"JET, OPEN UP!" Amy pounded on Jet's door. Waiting was physically painful as she was so flushed with energy and excitement it was hard to stand still.

Several agonizing seconds later, the door opened. Jet rubbed his eyes and yawned heavily into Amy's face. "What is it?"

"Listen, I have an idea!" She grabbed Jet by the arm and tugged him out of his doorway. He groaned and complained as Amy dragged him across the temple and back to the mural.

She released him and pointed at the image of Babylon Garden. Jet rubbed his shoulders and glanced uncaringly at the image. "What is it?" He said again. "Why the hell have you dragged me over here?"

"This is it!" Amy half shouted. "This is our ticket to beating Eggman." She pointed at the mural.

"I don't think carving pictures is going-"

"No, we use the island! Remember the divination I did with the sticks? It foretold that the island would fly again."

Jet's eyes narrowed. The yellow iris were filled with misgivings. "You cannot be serious."

"I am!"

"The island doesn't fly anymore," Jet snapped. "We lost the Ark of the Cosmos."

"Well we will just have to put it back together," Amy ignored the look of incredulity on Jet's face. She was absorbed by a sense of certainty that drove away all other considerations.

"Amy, if we knew where the pieces were we would have found them by now."

"There has to be a way," Amy said obstinately. "I bet you anything that Tails could create some kind of radar device."

Jet shook his head. "This is a waste of time. The pieces could be anywhere on the planet, we don't have time to scour the entire earth."

Amy seized Jet by the hands and squeezed them. "Jet, listen to me. I don't know how to explain it, but I know I am right about this. If we try and attack Eggman's flagship as we are, we don't have a chance. You heard what Acorn said, his ship is the largest vessel ever made. But look at this place." Amy gestured to the temple around them. "If you can get Babylon Garden airborne again, we would have the advantage."

Jet pulled himself out of her grip. "We have to deal with the cards we've been dealt. The pieces are lost and that is all there is to it." He turned around, but Amy grabbed his hand again.

"Your father gave you that key for a reason."

Jet flipped around, his eyes flashing dangerously. Amy didn't back down, returning his gaze with equal intensity. "It looked like it would be worth a fortune if you traded it away, but you never have. A part of you, some small part must still believe. Jet, what if this is that chance?"

Without answering, Jet withdrew the sparkling blue cube. The light danced in his eyes as he held it up. Amy could see the doubt inside him, and the internal wrestling match against hope and fear. "Jet, I'm asking you to believe in me. I know that this is the right thing to do."

"You want to do what?" Wave asked sleepily. She wore an elegant white sleeping gown which was such a dynamic change from her usual attire that Amy was temporarily stunned into silence.

"She wants to find the pieces of the Ark of the Cosmos," Jet repeated.

"Doesn't she realize that if we knew how to do that we would have done it by now?"

"Listen, I know it sounds crazy, but I think there must be a way to locate the pieces." Amy stood tall in front of Wave, knowing that it was important that she sound confident in her plan. "You and Tails are the smartest people I've ever met, if you work together, you are bound to figure out a way."

Wave scowled. She had not forgiven Tails for how easily he had defeated her while wearing his Power Suit. "Is this friend of yours really that smart?"

Amy nodded eagerly. "He is greatest genius in the world."

Wave crossed her arms. "Funny, I thought Eggman had that title." She looked sideways at Jet. "Did she really convince you on this?"

"I…I don't know. But maybe we ought to try. If we can get Babylon Garden mobile again that would shift the balance of power."

Wave sighed dramatically. "Well, I guess it all falls to me…again." She winked at Amy and then said brightly, "Come on, let's go wake up this Tails. If we are going to do this, we will have to start now."

Getting Tails on board had not been difficult. The fox's eyes turned glossy and Amy could practically see him salivating as Jet explained the true origins of Babylon Garden. The promise of new science was all the bait that Tails required. He had sprung out of bed and listened eagerly as Jet told him the story of the Bablonians and the Ark of the Cosmos.

Tails asked pointed questions laced with scientific jargon that went right over Amy's head. Wave answered eagerly and soon the pair were talking rapidly about gravitational waves, wormholes and black holes.

"So what do you think?" Amy asked, interrupting the flow of their conversation.

Tails looked at her, a smile stretched across his face. "I think it's brilliant!"

"So you think you could find a way to locate the pieces?"

Tails scrunched up his face in concentration. "That depends, if we had something that was connected to the Ark. Something similar that we could scan for any kind of energy signature or unique material."

"I have this." Jet held up the key and showed it to Tails. "This key activates the Ark. But as far as I know it doesn't have any other unique properties. Wave has scanned it before."

Tails reached out and took the key. He gazed intently at the square crystal. "It might not have a unique energy signature, but we might find a clue in its crystalline structure." Amy and Jet shared blank stares.

"We don't exactly have any spare CLA's laying around here," Wave told him.

"That's alright. I can probably make one."

Wave put a hand on her hip. "Can you?"

"Yes," Tails said simply, missing the sarcasm. "If we can map out the key's structure we can set a resonance with the pieces of the Ark, provided they are similar enough in structure. Since they all came from the same world, we can assume that the key will match with the Ark closer than with anything else on earth. Provided that works it's just a simple matter of creating a device that can scan for that frequency."

Amy didn't understand a word Tails had said, but it was clear from his expression that he was excited. Wave seemed impressed and she invited Tails back to her lab. Now that the plan was moving forward, Amy suddenly felt drained and tired. She excused herself and returned to her own room. She lay down on the strangely shaped bed and gazed up at the bare ceiling painted with a multicolored mosaic. Did I do the right thing?

Doubt gnawed at her, and she fell into a fitful sleep. She awoke several hours later with some sunlight peeking through her door. Amy sat up and headed outside. By now it seemed that word had spread about the new plan. Tails and Wave had both stayed up all night working on the key.

Knuckles had wasted no time tracking Amy down and berating her for questioning his plan. "This is a waste of time," He growled. "We can't afford to go on a fruitless fetch quest, we should be preparing for an all out attack."

Amy had not wavered. "You've never been good at judging Eggman," She said, knowing that the words were harsher than her affections. "We should assume that he knows more than we do. He'll know about you by now, and the Chaos Emeralds, but there is not a chance he knows about this island. There is no way he can prepare for it."

Knuckles' flushed slightly at the reminder of how he had been tricked by Eggman on multiple occasions. "I don't like this…" He said stubbornly.

"Neither do I," Amy said.

"If you're wrong about this…" Knuckles' words devolved to frustrated growls.

"It will work," Amy said with confidence she did not feel.

For the rest of the day, she waited anxiously along with all the others. Cream the Rabbit invited Amy to hang out with her and her fellow villagers, but Amy preferred solitude. She walked aimlessly through the vast temple, awed by the scope and beauty of its design. Eventually, she discovered a section of the temple that she had not seen before. The ceiling was incredibly high, and the open chambers were filled with uniquely shaped ramps and halfpipes.

It is almost as if it is a….There was a roar of an engine and Amy ducked down as a wave of energy passed over her. Jet streaked through the air on his board and ducked the tip down into a dive. He glided straight down before pulling up and riding up one of the ramps which sent him soaring through a complex obstacle of shoots and tubes.

It was the most amazing skatepark Amy had ever seen. The unique design of Jet's hoverboard meant that there could be obstacles situated on the walls and ceiling. Jet sped through them all moving at death defying speeds as he narrowly kept himself on his board.

Amy watched with trepidation as Jet's tricks became increasingly more difficult. His acrobatic skill was second to none, he moved through the air with absolute ease, and was in perfect control of his body and board.

After a particularly harrowing three-sixty spin, Jet rode over to where Amy was standing and jumped off his board. The extreme gear hummed with energy as Jet threw back the feathers on his head. "Do you want to try?" He asked, holding out the board.

"What?" Amy asked, completely taken off guard.

"Riding helps me clear my head. I couldn't just sit there and wait for them to finish." Again, Jet offered out the board.

"Riding down from the Primrose was enough for me," Amy said, waving her hands. "I can't do tricks like that."

"It isn't that hard." Jet kicked the board and it floated horizontally in front of Amy. He offered out his hand, and despite her better judgment, Amy accepted it. Jet helped her onto the board and the tip bent slightly. To her surprise, Jet jumped on behind her. "Just lean forward," He told her.

Amy did, shifting her weight towards her forward foot caused the board to drift forward, towards the edge of the ramp. The board wobbled as Amy adjusted her balance, afraid of what would happen once the board dipped beyond the edge. "Don't be afraid," Jet said. "Trust the board, and trust yourself. You won't fall if you don't want to."

"Why would I want to fall?" Amy asked nervously.

"When you get close to the edge, when you're about to break through a barrier of speed, sometimes we panic, and just before victory, we fall." Amy felt Jet's hand move gently to the small of her back, stablazing her and helping her balance. The board inched closer to the edge. Amy took a deep breath and made herself focus on remaining calm.

"Now just guide the board to where you want to go."

Amy did. The board hummed with energy and shot forward in a burst of speed. Wind lashed against her face as it dipped down and exploded down the ramp. Amy felt a sudden urge to jump off the board before it got any faster. Jet held her by the waste, keeping her steady. I can do this. For a moment, fear and determination were held in perfect balance. Amy's fate teetered on an expanse more narrow than a needle. If she did not trust herself then she would jump to stay alive. Or she would stay the course. This one moment seemed to contain a thousand smaller moments. Amy could see memories of her life as tiny bubbles floating in the air.

She closed her eyes and felt her senses expand outward. Amy became increasingly aware of the vibration against her feet, of the scent of the air, of Jet's hands, of her own heartbeat. Then she was riding easily. Amy opened her eyes and let out a jubilant cry of laughter as she zoomed up and through a series of vertical loops. Fear vanished in the wake of her joy and Amy felt as if she weighed nothing at all. Again and again she looked around the obstacle course, gaining more and more confidence every moment.

"You've got it." In a rush of green wings, Jet leapt off the board, allowing Amy to pilot on her own. She crouched down and pressed her foot forward, urging the board to pick up speed. Amy had known what it was like to move at this speed, but it had always been in the arms of Sonic. Now it was hers, and that change in perspective made all the difference.

Amy rode for a few more minutes before signaling to Jet to come and help her. "I don't know how to stop it!" She said with a girlish giggle.

"Switch your weight to your back foot and alternate to the middle until you slow down."

Amy did so and managed to eventually come to an awkward halt. She hopped off the board and lost her balance, prompting Jet to catch her by the hand. "That was really impressive," He said stoically. "Newbies rarely catch on as fast as you have."

Amy accepted the compliment with a warm smile. "I shouldn't have doubted myself so much."

Jet looked at her intently. His yellow eyes were bright and warm like fossilized amber. "I want to thank you," He said seriously. "Whatever happens with the key, I am glad that we have taken this chance. It is often said that hope deferred makes the heart sick, but long suffering is the sign of a true spirit."

Amy said nothing. She was surprised by how contemplative Jet was. On the surface his bravado and acrobatic skill gave off the impression of a one note jock, but there was far more to him than appearances suggested. Suddenly, his hand had taken hers. Amy felt blood rush into her cheeks and she looked down to see their interlocking fingers.

"Wha-"

"Hey!" Jet released Amy and they both turned quickly. Mighty was running towards them. "Tails and that Wave girl are down working. They want everyone to meet back at the dining room."