West Side Island
The Norn Stone was in a small glass cubic case with strange devices surrounding it. Tails, wearing protective goggles over his eyes, snaked his hand towards a lever and pulled said lever.
As soon as he pressed it, miniature pylons fired lightning bolts from the sides of the container straight towards the rock, enveloping it in an unusual energy field that seemed to absorb the lightning. The runes and cracks on the stone began to glow as the energy field was active.
Tails flipped the lever, shutting it down and being thankful there wasn't a dangerous reaction that enveloped the island in a nuclear fire. He put the goggles on his forehead as he looked at the computer screen.
The energy readings were unusual, but not inconsistent with that of dimensional and reality breakage. Whatever this stone was, it was either from another dimension, or got caught up with a sudden break of space and time.
He put a hand on his chin as he looked to his side and wrote down on a notepad wondering if he should classify it as an extra dimensional object.
"This is definitely something to be shared with the professor." He said to himself.
Once done, he put down his pen, and then put on protective gloves on top of his already on white gloves and opened the containment cube, gingerly clasping the stone in his palms.
Picking up the stone with utmost care, he headed to a small box made of metal and placed it inside. Closing the lid and locking the latches nice and tightly. He didn't want to have a potentially radioactive item turning his plane into a quarantine zone, did he?
As he prepped the Tornado for flight, he heard his tablet ring a notification to him. He went up to it and tapped on a call button. The screen flashed to an image of Blaze.
"Hello, Tails!" she greeted from the other side.
"Blaze!" the fox exclaimed, "How are you?"
The cat smiled, "I've been most well," her small smile faded as she carried on, "though, recently there has been an… interesting event."
The boy raised a brow, "Oh?"
"It's the reason I called you to begin with. Let's just say an… interesting visitor has come to my palace."
Blaze's side of the feed turned around to show Marine chatting with a duck with a suit who was sipping on a wine glass. They were having a grand old time as indicated by their laughter.
Blaze explained, "He… appeared from a ship of some kind. No doubt from outer space given his ramblings about 'Guardians of the Galaxy' and whatnot-"
"Amazing!" Tails said, making Blaze recoil from the noise, "Extraterrestrial contact!"
If he looked closely, he could see Howard and Marine look at Blaze's direction, confused as to how someone could be so loud. The cat readjusted herself and cleared her throat, "well, I wouldn't say 'alien', more like someone who was abducted?" Confusion was clear in her voice, "I admit, I kind of lost the plot in his story."
Tails had to contain how giddy he was, but it was clear he was struggling to do so. "I gotta know the full details on this!"
"I think it's best if you get it from the source." Blaze said with a smile. "Well, I don't want to bother you too much, but I'm gonna be a bit busy dealing with the fallout of this incident and no doubt, you're busy too, so uh-"
"Don't worry, Blaze!" The fox reassured, "I'll be there before you know it!"
"Thank you, Tails. Farewell, for now."
"See ya!" And the screen went blank.
In his excitement, he realized he forgot to tell her about the stone he found near his home, but settled for later for when he would get to the Sol Dimension. He was just as eager to find out about Howard as he was figuring out the rock.
Eggman Outpost Theta
Doctors Doom and Eggman have spent a better part of the day laying the foundations for a plot that will result in world domination. Most of it was spent teaching Eggman the formulas for the artificial Vibranium and Adamantium metals.
"The materials required for such a metal, even in small quantities, are rather costly…" Doom said, arms crossed in both boredom and concentration.
"Indeed," Eggman concurred, stroking his mustache. "I'll have to amp up production in all my factories."
Doom let out the tiniest of snorts, "There are greener methods to producing these alloys."
"Where's the fun in that?"
Victor narrowed his eyes at that statement as Eggman steered the conversation to another direction, "So, about the Egg Mammoth legion you want made."
Victor let out another tiny snort before looking to the screen showcasing the modified blueprints for the Egg Mammoth. "Yes, your Egg Mammoth," He intoned, putting a hand on his chin, "there was one thing I noted that could be improved."
Ivo was immediately on board, "Joints? Weapons? Armor" He listed off as Doom held out a palm to get him to silence.
"I recommend automation for them." He coldly stated.
Eggman's face dropped, "Are you suggesting I get rid of the Egg Mobile slot?" He asked, almost ready to yell at any other answer that wasn't 'no.'
Doom elaborated, "While the universal compatibility of your aircraft is certainly impressive, it will be a detriment to the overall scheme," he crossed his arms, "after all, how do you plan on piloting a dozen of your Egg Mammoths on the battlefield?
Eggman paused, as if forming a retort, but couldn't. "But it's tradition…" He winged.
"Do you desire my help or not?"
The scientist grumbled before throwing his hands up in the air, "fine! We'll make them automated." He turned in his chair to face the screen, "but I won't like it."
Doom just rolled his eyes.
It was then that Eggman let out a yawn and stepped off his chair to stretch. "Boy, all this planning makes me rather tired." He looked to Doom, "No doubt you are too, given the whole dimensional travel."
Doom stared at him blankly, "Yes." He flatly responded.
Eggman finished his stretches and sat back down, "Sage, my dear," He called out, Sage appearing in a blue flash.
"Yes, father?" She asked.
"Escort our esteemed guest to his room, please."
Sage glared at Victor, eyes slightly narrowing as she changed appearances, her white dress shifting to black and the blue lights turning to red, "Yes, father…" She muttered as she turned off the ray shields surrounding the Latverian, "follow me."
Doom followed Sage down the hallways of the factory and had it not been for the ceaseless noise, the trip would have been deathly silent. Doom was not one for small-talk and Sage wouldn't bother trying to converse with him anyways.
Eventually, they arrived at the room he would be staying in and based on how lackluster it was when it came to decor and the rather cramped space, Doom didn't need to be a supergenius to know what it was.
"A prison cell…."
"Correct." Sage said.
"Doom deserves better."
"Too bad." She then disappeared in a red flash, leaving Victor alone.
He walked inside the cell, the ray shield doors immediately activated behind him. He resisted the urge to snark at the shoddy conditions, even for a prison cell and sat down on the incredibly uncomfortable bed.
He raised his gauntleted arm, looking at the damage to his suit he sustained. Nothing too bad by the looks of it, but it was better to be safe than sorry. A quick fix should do the job.
Only he quickly realized that he lacked the proper equipment to do such a thing.
"Doom demands tools!" He ordered, his voice echoing in the cell before silence followed. A sudden flash of red pierced the silence, revealing Sage, her blank, emotionless face not even hiding the contempt she had for the man.
"You have a request?" She asked, unamused.
"No," Doom clarified, "A demand."
She remained unamused, "Say 'please.'"
Victor growled before the voice of Eggman over the intercom ceased the squabble, "Will someone give our new esteemed guest a toolkit? That is an order!"
Sage looked a bit shocked at this but furrowed her brow as she looked back at Doom. She could have sworn Victor was giving her a dirty look under his mask. He wasn't, in truth, but she didn't have to know that.
A minute later, a badnik arrived with a tool kit in its hand as the ray shield dissipated to let it in. It approached Doom and raised it up for him, only for the monarch to snatch it out of its hand rudely.
"You're welcome." The badnik said before turning around and exiting the cell.
Doom opened the toolkit and let out a tiny huff of contentment before he grabbed one and got to work on checking his gauntlets. He would not take them off, no, but he can easily work with his armor on.
It was then that Sage spoke, "My father may be willing to work with you, but that does not mean I will drop my guard," Sage clarified, venom dripping from her words, "if I see something even slightly out of the ordinary, I will not hesitate to take action."
Doom looked up at the artificial being, "You are wise for your level of caution, Sage." He muttered before resuming the work on his armor without another word.
Sage narrowed her eyes before disappearing in a flash of red, leaving Doom alone.
He usually prefers isolation with a nice dose of silence, but, unfortunately, he can hear the clings and the clangs of the factory machinery even in the confines of the cellblock. It reminded him of the university years where Ben Grimm's ridiculous music played loudly every night, forcing many projects of his to be delayed from distraction.
And he knows for a fact that he isn't truly alone.
He looked at a camera in the top corner of the cell. He could almost hear the lenses zooming in to get a better look at him. He knew it was Sage looking at him. She has every right to be paranoid about him. She knew exactly how dangerous he could be.
He let out the softest of sighs before continuing to work on repairing his suit. He reached for his mask before he hesitated. A man like Eggman surely wouldn't resort to just one camera in a cell. He has a suspicion that there were many hidden cameras to give him even less privacy.
He would have to work on his suit without removing his mask. Oh, well.
Back in the planning room, Eggman kept a live feed playing on Doom's cell in the very corner of his monitor screen. Most of said screen was taken up by a map of the country of Soleanna. He had to be careful making a ruckus around here. Though Soleanna was far from an isolationist nation, its bustling tourist market meant there were plenty of people sticking their noses everywhere.
All it took was one tattle-tale and his whole operation would be compromised, forced to relocate and go back into hiding. So far, nothing happened as of yet.
Yet.
When reviewing the footage of Doom's arrival, he noticed the Latverian brought a unique energy signature with him. This energy signature matched those of typical dimensional rifts, such as the time when the pesky little Blue Bomber's dimension crossed over with his (a small part of him misses Albert, admittedly), or when the Time Eater pulled Sonic's friends into various time periods in White Space.
If it took him this long to realize it was there, that means G.U.N. had already found it. No doubt they are already sending their best to investigate.
The pesky edgelord hedgehog, that greedy bat, or that annoying defective robot.
He grumbled, tapping his finger against the arms of his chair as he pondered on what to do next.
Best case scenario, they discover nothing. Worst case scenario, he ditches Doom and leaves them for those proverbial wolves. Both admittedly did sound very appealing.
"Sage." He called out, his daughter showing up on the screen shortly after, back in her white and blue appearance.
"Yes, father?"
"Make sure all surveillance systems are fully operational," he ordered, "I don't want so much as a housefly being detected by the radar without me knowing."
"Yes, father."
G.U.N. HQ
As Team Dark was being escorted to their transport, Rouge was all too eager to show her excitement.
"Soleanna…" She swooned at the very utterance of the name, "I've heard it was so lovely, especially around this time of year where the sun hits the horizon just right."
She continued to ramble on, "all the scenery, the culture, the gems- I mean, the history. Dating back centuries." She clasped her hands, "Been on my bucket list to go there for a while."
She looked at Topaz, who didn't seem that interested so she didn't bother with her. She turned to Shadow, instead, "What about you, Shadow?" She asked, "Are you excited to go there as much as moi?"
The hedgehog snorted, "We're heading there to complete a mission, Rouge, not to be a bunch of sightseeing tourists," He grumbled, "Besides, from what I've seen, that place gives me an odd sense of déjà vu… and not in a good way."
The bat thinned her lips, "Well, I should have expected an answer like that from you, ya big grump." She then flapped her wings to get onto eye level with Omega, "What about you, Omega?"
"IF IT DOES NOT INVOLVE DESTROYING EGGMAN OR HIS CREATIONS, SIGHTSEEING IS IRRELEVANT AND NONESSENTIAL." The robot bluntly answered.
Rouge sighed, "You're hopeless, both of you."
The four eventually found themselves in the hangar bay. Aviation vehicles of all kinds from jets to helicopters, to even mechanized hang gliders were around, pilots and mechanics rushing around the place. And in the center was the dropship set to carry Team Dark to their destination.
"You should arrive at your destination in three hours." Topaz said, looking up from the tablet in her hands, "I also have to remind you that it's a stealth mission, so that means no blasting at everything that moves, Omega. Understood?"
"AFFIRMATIVE." Omega said, getting onto the aircraft, though Topaz had a feeling he was lying.
"You're not coming with us?" Rouge asked.
"Nope." Topaz flatly responded, "Paperwork."
The bat frowned a bit before giving her some reassurance, "Don't worry, sweetheart, we'll send pictures."
"Need I remind you why we're there, Rouge?" Shadow butted in, hopping on the boarding ramp.
The bat rolled her eyes, "Ugh, liven up a little." She muttered, following suit.
Shadow ignored her and went up to take his seat on the ship. He turned to Topaz and gave her a nod, one which she returned.
She saluted them all, "Good luck, Team Dark."
Shadow brought out a cocky smirk, "We won't need it."
Team Dark saluted her back and with that, the door to the gunship closed and took off into the sky.
As Shadow settled in his seat, his ears twitched and he suddenly felt like a cold breeze hit him, his fur sticking out on the ends ever so briefly. He looked around, wondering what the heck that was.
"Shadow?" Rouge asked, "There something wrong?"
The hedgehog snorted, "Nothing," he answered, "just felt a sudden chill in the air."
Rouge looked at Omega, who seemed disinterested and just shrugged her shoulders as the dropship continued its voyage.
Angel Island
It was Knuckle's duty to forever guard the Master Emerald. As far back as he knows, that was pretty much the first thing he was doing at birth. Everything else was secondary. He can't remember his father, assuming he ever had one, let alone his mother. There was only the shrine to the emerald, the many ruins that dotted the island, and the countless animals that called this place their home.
A while back, Chao were reintroduced to the island after the Perfect Chaos incident years ago, so at the very least he had them to keep him company now, even if he couldn't really understand what they were saying.
Still, he won't deny that sometimes it just got boring. Clearing his head usually required a quick glide across the island, hopping around Sky Sanctuary or making some snowmen at Ice Cap Zone (how snow existed on a tropical island never made sense to him but he stopped asking himself that a long time ago).
Every now and then, Rouge would pop up, trying to steal the Master Emerald and he would chase her around the island. But lately, those days were few and far between. Eggman was out there, somewhere, and she and the rest of Team Dark were no doubt busy searching for him. He can't believe he actually misses chasing her around the island like a maniac.
Not that he would admit it to her, obviously.
He sighed, sitting down on the steps to the shrine and looking up at the sky. The twilight had already set in, giving the island a nice lavender glow. If there was anything he could say as guardian of the Master Emerald, is that the views were always the best.
He yawned a bit, stretching his arms. It was time to call it a night and relax. Though, he did get a sudden chill that made his fur stand up on their edges for some reason. He paid no mind to it though and laid down upon the stony surface, far accustomed to the idea of using carved rocks as a bed, he closed his eyes rather quickly and went to sleep.
"CHAO, CHAO!"
He opened his eyes at the disturbance and shot up, looking to his side and seeing a distressed looking Chao fly up to him. The floating orb on its head turning into an exclamation point.
"What's going on, little guy?" The echidna asked, watching the Chao point westward and let out its little cries. The echidna needed nothing else to be said as he leapt off the temple and began to glide to where the Chao was directing him.
Just as Knuckles left the shrine, however, two figures and a feline animal made their way through the shrubbery of the jungle below the temple and gazed upon it with a curious stare.
Knuckles heard the cries of the Chao even from here. He adjusted his body at a certain angle so that he could glide downwards even faster. The cries were getting louder, meaning he was getting closer. He looked down to see the culprit: A weird two-legged animal that was definitely way too into sticking its head in a hole to be a coincidence.
His culprit found, Knuckles aimed at the ground and landed with an earth-cracking 'thud', getting the attention of the beast harassing the Chao.
It was big. Bigger than a bear and almost as robust. Its eyes were big, and its snout was long and carried a mouth full of sharp teeth. It walked on two legs in a horizontal posture, a coat of feathers covering most of its body, including its arms, making it look like some kind of hawk or eagle with long legs and a long tail. Only its muzzle and feet were exposed. On its feet were deadly sickle-claws that were perfect for pinning down anyone unfortunate enough to get caught under them.
It was one of the deadliest predators that ever existed on earth and the largest dromaeosaurid: Utahraptor.
Knuckles gasped at the sight of the beast, taking a fighting stance as the Utahraptor hissed at him, raising its wing-like arms at him to make himself look even bigger than it was.
"I thought you guys were supposed to be extinct!" The echidna said as the Utahraptor continued to threaten him before leaping at him, which the echidna easily dodged by side stepping.
The raptor seemed confused at where its adversary went before it saw where he was, hands crossed almost in boredom. It hissed again before charging forward with a bite, which Knuckles dodged again, this time by leaping backwards. The raptor hissed some more at Knuckles, who remained unfazed.
"Are you trying to scare me?" He asked, receiving no answer, only more hisses. His lips curved into a grin, "Charmy is scarier than you!"
The Utahraptor hissed some more and got ready for another charge just as Knuckles slammed his fists together with such force, they created a small shockwave, cracking the air and blowing away many plants as though there was a strong breeze.
The Utahraptor was in point blank range by the shockwave. It shook its head as its ears rang and vision blurred. It let out a few yelps of pain and confusion as it backed away from its adversity. When it finally recovered, it decided that its prey was ultimately not worth it. It hissed at Knuckles before turning on its feet and running away in the opposite direction.
"Yeah, you run away!" the echidna taunted, "And stay out!" He chuckled as the raptor disappeared into the foliage before his ears twitched, picking up the distressed calls from the Chao the raptor was chasing.
He turned to see the trio in the little hidey-hole, still shaking from the event, "It's okay, little guys," he reassured, "I scared it away for good. It won't be bothering us again."
The Chao seemed to smile as the echidna raised an open palm to them and they happily took it, following him back to the shrine.
As Knuckles was escorting them, his ears twitched and his fur began to stand up for a bit, as if a sudden cold breeze had just passed through. He stopped in his tracks and looked around. Something was fishy. Really fishy and he didn't know what.
"Hmmm," he grumbled. It was one thing to get sudden goosebumps like that, but it was another to get that and encounter something that wasn't supposed to be on the island. As he was deep in thought, a noise that sounded like a rumbling bellow broke him out of it. He turned to the source of the noise, just over the cliff, and ran to it.
What he saw made his jaw drop.
Dinosaurs. From the herd of gigantic sauropods known as Dreadnoughtus that towered over the trees, to the small, yet fast, Dryosaurus that scurried around the plains. Even other non-dinosaurian prehistoric creatures like Uintatherium and Lisowicia were grazing around the island.
He knows Angel Island was home to many things that some would consider odd in the grand scheme of things, but this was new. This wasn't supposed to be here.
But he couldn't dwell on the new life forms now because he remembered the Master Emerald was now even more vulnerable than before. He rushed back to the shrine, the chao trying their hardest to catch up with his great speed. He climbed up the stairs in big strides before stopping at what he saw.
He saw two humans, one male and one female, adorned with long blonde hair that billowed in the wind and clad in hide "outfits" that left incredibly little of their sculpted physiques to the imagination. They didn't seem to notice Knuckles as they were too fixated on the Master Emerald, the male one gently caressing the surface of the massive gem with his palm.
What also surprised him was seeing a big cat that was about as big as the man it lounged with, with long saber teeth hanging from its jaw. An unusually big Smilodon by the looks of it.
Knuckles immediately went into a defensive position seeing those three, "What do you think you're doing?" he asked, his voice low and stern. The two humans and predator turned, a bit surprised at his sudden appearance. The Smilodon snarled and growled while the humans just watched.
"Ah, so there are other people here," the man said, a slight English inflection in his gruff voice as he raised his arms to show he was no threat.
"We mean you no harm, stranger," the woman clarified, her voice lacking such an accent as she did the same.
"Oh, really?" The echidna raised a brow, "then why were you getting all grabby with the Master Emerald?"
"So that's what it's called…" the man muttered before answering, "we apologize. Curiosity got the better of us. It won't happen again."
He grumbled at his words. He found it a hard time believing him, especially since people like Eggman have tricked him with such words before. Doubly so since their pet saber-tooth looked all too eager to get a bite out of him.
The man noticed the silence and decided to come forward, holding the cat back with his arm, "I know our words do not mean much, stranger, but if introductions will help ease tensions, then give us that at least." A brief moment of silence occurred before Knuckles nodded at this request. The man finally introduced himself, "I am Ka-Zar and this is my wife, Shanna, and my companion, Zabu."
The woman, now known as Shanna, bowed while Zaba growled before finally calming down. Knuckles crossed his arms with a huff, deciding it would be best to introduce himself as well, "the name's Knuckles. Guardian of the Master Emerald."
"It is an honor to meet you, Knuckles."
"I wish I could say the same given the fact that you were all touchy-feely with said Master Emerald."
"Again, my sincerest apologies."
The echidna warrior raised a gloved finger, "alright, let's cut to the chase," he sighed, "I met a bunch of dinosaurs and you two are here waltzing around with your saber-toothed pet here. No way that's a coincidence."
"We agree." Shanna responded, "We were hoping someone would tell us of what was happening and why we were displaced from our home in the Savage Lands."
Knuckles raised a brow, "Savage Lands?"
"A land where prehistoric creatures still roam the earth."
"Never heard of it." The echidna intoned, "You're on Angel Island right now."
"Likewise, we never heard of your home, either." Ka-Zar added.
Knuckles sighed. This was going to be a long night…
