Chapter 51: The Body Electric
"Alright…just a little bit lower…"
Slowly reducing his altitude, the orange fox kept his rotary namesakes spinning as he observed the large face chiseled into the mountainside. Tails inspected his smartwatch.
"According to the detector, a Chaos Emerald is right inside the sculpture…" Tails peered up at the large face of President Washington seemingly greeting him from above. "How'd it even get in there?"
"Did you check the nostrils?"
"Excuse me?" Tails asked into his headset.
"The nostrils," Helen replied, watching from the tourist view far below. "They always have stuff hidden inside the monuments' nostrils in cartoons."
"…you know cartoons aren't real life, right?"
"Do you have any better ideas?" Helen retorted.
"I guess not…" Tails lowered his altitude a few feet and peered directly up into the nose of the nation's first president. "Hey, it does appear to be hollowed out..." Flying up a few inches, the fox reached in with his gloved hands, feeling around for any resistance, but the indent kept going, and the nostril-shaped tunnel was wide enough for the fox to eventually completely fit through until the upward indent curved back toward the mountain.
"This is so bizarre," Tails observed. "What was the artistic purpose of hollowing out the inner nostrils of the nose?"
Through the pitch black of the stone cavern was a shining blue light. Crawling a bit deeper, the fox soon discovered the light was coming from none other than the blue Chaos Emerald.
"Well Helen, it turns out your cartoons have a bit of merit," Tails said into his headset.
"I told you!" Helen exclaimed. "Besides school, parents, and YouTube, cartoons and anime have taught me everything I need to know about the world."
"Maybe not a good thing," Tails replied with a chuckle, "but in this instance, I can't deny the results." The nostril was too narrow for Tails to rotate himself, so he crawled backward until his feet started dangling off the precipice, where the orange fox simply let himself fall, his rotating namesakes preventing him from dropping further than a few feet.
"Objective complete!" Tails exclaimed.
"You definitely gained some experience points there," Helen replied as she watched the orange fox make his descent toward her. "You may've even leveled up!"
"Oh boy!" Tails replied with a chuckle. "I could use a strength stat boost."
"With all that flying and spelunking," Helen said, "I say your physical fitness stats improved for sure."
"That's a relief."
Tails shortly made landfall where Helen patiently waited. He removed the gem from his namesakes, the emerald shimmering in a mystical blue light as Helen studied it closely.
"The sight of these gems never grows old," Helen observed as Tails handed it to her, the emerald giving a warming aura.
"It's too bad they get scattered like this whenever they get used," Tails replied. "In speaking of which, I think our little victory calls for a celebration."
"What do you have in mind?" Helen asked.
"I was thinking of some lunch," Tails replied as he pointed toward a nearby food truck.
A few minutes later, the two dual-wielded a corn dog and an ice cream cone as they sat at a nearby picnic table, enjoying their food in the late morning sun.
"I wonder how the others are doing," Helen asked.
"Let's find out," Tails replied as he placed his Miles Electric on the table, standing it up to give them both a good view. The first to appear on screen was Knuckles, who was tunneling through an icy cavern. "Hey Knuckles, how's it going?"
"Let's just say I'm not the biggest fan of Antarctica," Knuckles replied. "If I'm using this app correctly, I should be approaching the emerald any moment now."
"Good luck!" Helen called before Tails switched the feed to Amy, Cream, Cheese, and Bokkun, who were enjoying a late-night dinner in the heart of Paris.
"Bonjour!" Amy called through her wristwatch.
"I see you're taking in the local language well," Tails replied.
"Ever since learning about all the places Earth has to offer," Amy replied, "I've especially wanted to visit Paris! Too bad it couldn't be on a romantic date with Sonic, but at least I've got some nice company!"
"Hello Mr. Tails! Ms. Helen!" Cream replied.
"Chao, chao!" Cheese added.
Bokkun simply waved in the background while half a baguette was lodged down his throat.
"How goes the Chaos Emerald hunt?" Tails asked.
"Oh, you mean…this?" The pink hedgehog pulled the yellow emerald from her dress.
"Way to go!" Helen said.
"Good work!" Tails added. "I'm gonna check on everyone else now."
"Bye!" Amy and friends cheered before the feed switched to Rouge and Topaz.
"Hey Rouge," Tails called. "How's the sea—"
"Shhhhh…" Rouge whispered. "We're in stealth mode."
"Ah, okay," Tails whispered back.
"The emerald is being held by the mafia," Topaz whispered into Rouge's communicator, "but we're about to locate the gem according to the app you installed. We'll be out of here long before they realize it's gone."
"They never suspect stealth lesbians," Rouge replied, earning a slap to the back of the head by her human companion. The bat covered her mouth with both palms to suppress the yelp.
Tails switched the feed to Team Chaotix.
"How's the detective work?" Tails asked.
"With this detectin' gizmo you gave us?" Vector asked. "It's a peace o' cake!"
"Well, sorta," Espio replied. "The good news is that the emerald is close to our vicinity, but the bad news is that we're in the middle of a beach in Hawaii, so we're about to do some digging."
"I got the shovels!" Charmy exclaimed, appearing with three small, children's sand shovels.
"Uhhh, Charmy?" Vector shook his head. "You know these are not helpful in any shape or form, right?"
"What'd you want from me, to carry three full sized, adult human shovels across the island?"
"Did you at least save the money we gave you to buy real shovels?" Espio asked.
"Oh, about that…" Charmy pulled out a bag of king-sized candy bars.
Vector gasped. "You didn't…" The crocodile lunged at the bee as the feed cut out.
"I think they'll be fine," Tails said, earning a chuckle from Helen.
"And finally, we have Sonic…" The orange fox called the blue hedgehog.
"Hey, can't a hedgehog get some shut eye?" Sonic asked, his voice groggy.
"Oh, sorry Sonic," Tails replied apologetically. "Helen and I wanted to check on your progress."
Sonic pulled out the red chaos emerald from his quills. "Had to wrestle it from a tiger's mouth. Nothin' too crazy."
"Well, glad you're okay!" Helen said.
"I've faced interdimensional gods of destruction," Sonic replied with a chuckle, "so oversized Earth cats are a walk in the park. In any case, it's a bit of a jog from Africa, so I'm gonna hoof it. Catch ya later!"
Tails and Helen waved as the final feed cut off.
"So if we have one of the emeralds," Helen noted, "and our friends are retrieving five more, that leaves one left unaccounted for."
"That's because I'm pretty sure I know who has it," Tails replied as he pulled up the Chaos Emerald tracking app on his Miles Electric. The gem was represented by a dot moving in a singular direction. "I'm sure it's being housed in Eggman's Egg Carrier, without a doubt. He'll be the biggest obstacle for our return to Mobius, but maybe even he can be reasoned with." Tails closed the app and took another bite of his half-melted ice cream cone.
"Yeah, I hope so," Helen replied nonchalantly as she rested one elbow on the armrest of her wheelchair, using it to prop up her chin. "Hey Tails?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you…miss home?"
"I'm sorry?" He tilted his head in confusion as a trail of ice cream melted down his waffle cone.
"You've been gone for so long, but you've never been…distraught about being away."
"Yeah, I guess not," Tails replied, using his free hand to itch his chin. "Knuckles was bent on getting home because the Master Emerald was left there unguarded, but when Angel Island was teleported to Earth, the urgency quickly subsided. Cream was sad to be separated from her mother for so long, but when Vanilla came here, she stopped feeling homesick, at least to my knowledge."
Eating the last of his waffle cone in a few large bites before pulling himself up, he stretched his legs. "I guess it's one thing to miss home, but it's another thing entirely to miss what is truly important to you."
"So you're not eager to go back?" Helen asked.
"I guess I do miss my old workshop," Tails replied, "but most of my friends came along for the ride on this crazy adventure to Earth. Honestly…" The orange fox sighed. "It's gonna be hard to leave, knowing it'll be a while before I can see you or Chuck again."
"Yeah…" Helen followed as Tails led the way back to the parking lot, where the X-Tornado took up several spots. "You're still confident grandpa's theory is wrong?"
"If there's one thing I've learned from Sonic," Tails replied, "is that if there's a will, there's a way. I could totally build a new portal to bridge our worlds like what the humans are doing right now, but figuring out how to do so without causing a convergence of our worlds would require a bit more study. Once I'm back on Mobius, I plan on further studying this phenomenon."
These words provided Helen with much needed encouragement; she had ruminated on Chuck's pessimistic outlook concerning whether a bridge could be reestablished safely, one that wouldn't threaten the lives of Earthlings or Mobians, but being around Tails and his friends for so long, their infectious optimism and overall positive outlook had a way of rubbing off on her.
And so, as Tails and Helen took the trip from South Dakota all the way back to Station Square, her mind was not full of remorse, sadness, or regret; it was filled with hope that, once her Mobian friends returned home, they would soon find a way to reunite with her once again.
Helen leaned back in her wheelchair as she aggressively smashed the A button on her Nintendo Switch Pro controller. Instead of using this controller to pilot her Helengelion, however, she was using it for its intended purpose: gaming.
"C'mon, I almost had it!" Helen exclaimed. "That world record's as good as mine." Shaking her head in disappointment, she took another sip of her Mountain Dew Baja Blast before reattempting to beat her personal best Pokémon Crystal speedrun time. Glancing to her side, she read a message she received from a fellow user, PikaGod2012, on a speed running Discord server. "Glad to see you back," Helen read out loud. Placing her controller to her side, she grabbed her laptop and penned a reply.
Thanks, lol. Busy irl.
A few moments later, the user replied back:
With school or something? That's not very skibidi rizz.
Helen took a few moments to reflect on her reply while taking a bite of her Taco Bell Crunch Wrap Supreme. Finally, she settled on:
Yeah, something like that. Not based at all. Lmfao.
The young girl sighed. "Maybe I should invite my school friends over…but I know they'd get bored with gaming and just sitting in the house. But still…" Helen's smartphone rested next to her laptop. "…I suppose it wouldn't hurt to ask what's up." Opening her texting app, she scrolled down to the last digital conversation she had with Frances. "Two months ago…yeah, I should really text her." Before she started typing, she stared back at her television. "Then again, it is getting late…maybe I'll just keep gaming and text her tomorrow." The young girl nodded to herself before taking the last bite of her meal, burping loudly, and starting a new game on Crystal, hoping to put a bigger dent into her speed run personal best.
As she named her character "A" for efficiency, she heard a knock.
"Grandpa, the door!" Helen called, but there was no answer. "Grandpa!" Once again, no answer. Shaking her head, the young girl paused her speedrun, brushed the crumbs from her dress, and rolled out of her bedroom toward the entryway. When she opened the door, she gasped.
"Hello, Helen."
"C-Chris?" She was staring at the roboticized young boy formerly known as Christopher Thorndyke. "I thought you were being held by Eggman!"
"And I was," Chris replied, "but I'm free, and I'm back." The metallic child peered around the house as if on the hunt for someone.
"Here, let's get you to Tails' workshop. Maybe we can work on deroboticizing you."
"There's no time for that," Chris replied as he shook his metallic head. "I escaped from Eggman's clutches to deliver a warning concerning his next evil scheme."
"What is he planning now?" Helen asked.
"I'll tell you and your friends all about it," Chris replied as he wagged a metallic finger, "but let's go to Tails' workshop on Angel Island. I'm sure we could hatch a countermeasure there."
"Ummm, sure?" Helen cautiously rolled out of the house as Metal Chris jumped in the air, keeping himself afloat using the fiery jets on the bottom of his feet.
"Get into your mech and let's go before it's too late!"
"Okay…" Whipping out her controller, she pressed the necessary buttons to begin the transformation of her wheelchair into her Helengelion. About a minute later, she was flying after him, using the jets recently installed by Tails in his latest improvements to fly close behind.
"This is just too weird," Helen said to herself. "Chris isn't acting like himself. Could it be some sort of coding error? Did something go wrong when Tails freed Chris of the mind control that came with getting roboticized, or did Eggman cause this? Did he reprogram himself with a new personality?" These questions were at the forefront of Helen's mind as she sent a group text to her Mobian friends, explaining what was going down and requesting everyone to meet at Tails' workshop ASAP.
Gathered inside the living room of Tails' Angel Island workshop, the Mobians all stared awkwardly at Metal Chris, who simply stood in the corner, as if in some sort of power save mode.
"So is there a reason why we're hearing Chris out?" Knuckles asked. "I mean, he's an Eggman robot, after all."
"And I'm not?" Bokkun asked.
"Well there's a difference," Knuckles replied. "You've shown we can trust you, while Chris is very likely still under Eggman's control."
"He was acting rather peculiar," Helen added. "Not like his normal snobby self, but also not like a robot. It's as if he had a total personality reset."
"Yeah, that's exactly what he needed," Sonic replied with a grin. "That old personality wasn't winning him any awards, that's for sure."
"You all can choose whether to trust me or doubt me," Metal Chris said, stepping into the middle of the room. "At least hear me out before coming to a conclusion."
"Alright," Sonic replied as he leaned back on the sofa and scratched the base of his nose. "Let's hear it."
"Eggman is plotting to steal all the Chaos Emeralds," Metal Chris began.
"Shocker," Amy interjected sarcastically.
"Well, you see," Chris continued, "this isn't one of his normal, run-of-the-mill plans. He found out about the humans' merging worlds theory, and he knows his cooperation is required to send everyone back to Mobius. The only problem is that he won't cooperate."
"Even with what's at stake?" Tails asked.
"Correct," Chris replied with a metallic nod. "In fact, he's hoping to capitalize on the ensuing damage by being ready to enslave the entire disoriented planet when the merger occurs. At humanity's weakest, he will take over and declare a one-world government, where he'll sit as the king."
"What's worse," Chris concluded, "is that he's already in possession of a Chaos Emerald."
"We've gotta do something!" Cream exclaimed.
"Chao, chao!" Cheese added.
"We'd need to infiltrate the Egg Carrier," Rouge said. "It's a large ship, but I'm sure his sensors would detect us from a mile away."
"I can deactivate all security protocols remotely," Chris replied. "My only recommendation would be to bring the Chaos Emeralds you've gathered around the world at this point. Leaving them behind could prove to be a liability, and once you retrieve Eggman's gem, we can prevent the ultimate calamity."
"Your plan makes sense," Helen said, "but something still seems fishy." The young girl rolled closer to the metal human. "You were either a mindless slave or, when Tails freed your mind, the same old Chris but in robotic form. It's as if your entire personality has changed. That patented Chris snark and entitled smugness is gone, replaced with, well…a generic human personality. I've programmed more interesting personalities with ChatGPT."
"Yeah," Tails added, "and we know Eggman's particular about his hardware. He would've either kept your sentience as a joke or turned you back into an unthinking slave."
"I have no explanation for my personality," Chris replied. "You'd need to take that up with the doctor himself."
"Hey Tails," Vector said, "didn't you plug Chris into one of your computers before? Maybe you could do a little detective work into his internal files."
"Sorry, won't work," Chris replied. "Eggman upgraded my firewalls. You won't be getting in any time soon."
"Sounds like a challenge," Tails replied with a grin, removing a screwdriver from his namesakes.
"Even if you could," Chris replied, "there's no time."
"So what would you propose?" Sonic asked as he leaned forward in his seat.
"I would recommend confronting Eggman directly when he's least expecting it," Chris replied. "You all should go. There is strength in numbers, and there would be a better chance you would reclaim his Chaos Emerald that way."
"This could be a trap," Rouge suggested. "We'd best be prepared for anything."
"Agreed," Tails replied with a nod before returning his attention to Metal Chris. "Well, I think we've decided. We will trust you for the time being. My X-Tornado can hold some passengers, but others will need an alternative mode of transport."
"I have GUN on speed dial," Rouge replied. "I'm sure they would be more than happy to provide some transportation assistance."
"Great!" Tails exclaimed. "We've got no time to lose!"
Within hours, the gang were split in two: Tails, Helen, Sonic, Amy, and Knuckles were in the X-Tornado while Cream, Cheese, Bokkun, Vector, Espio, Charmy, and Rouge were in the military helicopter piloted by Topaz. Leading the two flying vehicles was Metal Chris, flying several yards ahead.
"We are closing in," Chris announced. "Deactivating all security measures now."
"Helen," Tails said.
"Yes?" she replied from the back seat of the X-Tornado.
"You should stay close in case Eggman tries pulling a stunt, and don't be afraid to use your mech."
"Oh, I'll be fine," she replied with a grin. "With all of us converging on his ship, he doesn't stand a chance."
"Don't forget he has home field advantage," Amy said. "We may have strength in numbers, but Eggman should not be underestimated."
"Plus," Knuckles added, "I still don't trust Metal Chris."
"Yeah…" Helen rubbed her chin in thought. "He didn't even try to address our concerns, but then again, now that we have six of the Chaos Emeralds, and Eggman has the one remaining gem, this showdown was all but inevitable, right?"
"Probably," Tails replied. "But still, best to get his gem and get out. We can work on a way to compel Eggman to return to Mobius later."
On cue, the defenseless Egg Carrier was getting closer and closer, no longer shielded by any cloaking technology. Eggman was a floating duck, and the heroes were now within striking distance of reclaiming the final Chaos Emerald.
Tails landed the X Tornado on the deck of the ship, with the helicopter making a vertical landing nearby. They all poured out of their respective seats. Topaz loaded her pistol as everyone else peered around.
"I can lead you to Eggman," Chris said. "Follow me." The metal boy opened a door serving as an entrance into the sprawling passageways within the ship. The group followed single file.
"Is that the smell of…" Tails sniffed the air. "Chlorine?"
"Yes. Eggman has his own pool room," Chris replied.
"I guess the man wants to relax from time to time," Sonic replied with a shrug. "Not my ideal form of relaxation."
"You know," Tails said, "I recently heard some scientists conducted a study on how to detect when someone pees in a pool. They concluded the chlorine smell is activated by urine and doesn't occur naturally."
"I hope you're not implying what I think you're implying," Sonic replied.
"That Eggman pees in his pool?" Tails asked. "Hey, I'm only stating the facts!" This bantered earned laughs from everyone except Knuckles and Topaz, who were focused like hawks on the mission while on the lookout for any potential threats.
"How long does this hallway go anyway?" Rouge complained. There was no answer from Chris as the metal boy led them down winding paths that seemingly took them across every corner of the interior of the ship.
Finally, Chris stopped, compelling everyone else to halt in place.
"Did we make it?" Knuckles asked.
"…Ha…haha…hahahahaha!"
"Oh no…" Helen pointed toward Metal Chris, whose shoulders rolled as he performed a laugh, but not his signature, snobby rich kid laugh…one that was more bellowing, reminiscent of a certain evil genius.
Chris slapped his behind crudely with a clank, earning nothing but a look of disgust from the rest of the party. "I've led you right into the deepest clutches of my master's lair!"
"So you've been tricking us the entire time?" Tails asked.
"Obviously," Chris replied.
"But…why willingly work for Eggman after all he's done to you," Helen asked in disbelief.
"Oh, the Chris you knew hated his guts," Chris replied as he massaged an invisible mustache. "He was even turning a corner, so to speak. That brat's parents were finally showing him the affection he needed to realize just how spoiled rotten he'd acted all his life, but just as he was about to make a major breakthrough, he went through a bit of an upgrade." Chris smirked, or as much as a roboticized child could smirk through his metallic exterior. "And his true personality files are locked up here…" Metal Chris tapped his shiny head with a single finger. "Substantial reprogramming and a complete deroboticization process would bring him back, but unfortunately for you pests, that won't be happening any time soon."
As if on cue, the ground started to glow blue. "My orders were to bring you in alive, but he didn't tell me just how alive he wanted you."
Snapping his metallic fingers, the floor was soon enveloped in electricity. A chorus of screams could be heard in the hallway as everyone, human and Mobian alike, were frozen in place, their bones visible for split seconds at a time like a scene out of a children's cartoon as electricity coursed through their bodies. Chris, who was floating in the air using his thrusters, was immune, and while Cheese could've similarly been spared the shock, their instinct to protect Cream proved to be their own undoing, as landing on her shoulder brought the same voltage through the small chao as well.
Finally, with a maniacal laugh, Metal Chris snapped his fingers once more, causing the electric shock torture to end and the floor to return to normal. Everyone fell over, the smell of toasted fur permeating their nostrils. Helen was sitting back in her chair, her head down and eyes closed.
"Wooahhooohoohooo!"
The door behind Metal Chris opened to reveal Dr. Eggman, who was gleefully massaging a single side of his mustache as he studied the results of the roboticized boy's mayhem.
"Excellent work, Metal Chris!" Eggman exclaimed. "Are they carrying the remaining Chaos Emeralds?"
"Yes sir," Chris nodded.
"Retrieve them on the double!"
Without a moment's hesitation, Chris used the scanners built into his eyes to examine each of the unconscious bodies before him until he recovered the Chaos Emeralds from Amy, Knuckles, Sonic, Tails, Vector, and Rouge.
"Finally, at last…all seven Chaos Emeralds are mine!" Eggman performed another bellowing laugh as Chris poured the gems into Robotnik's bag.
"What shall I do with the bodies?" Chris asked.
"Well, they're not dead," Eggman replied, "and you know what? I'm feeling merciful. Instead of sentencing them to death, I will make them my captives as I bring this world's civilization to its knees. They will get to witness in real time the destruction of this planet, and above the ashes, Eggmanland will be built!"
"And you know what?" Eggman's smirk grew ever wider across his face. "You will join Sonic and his friends in captivity." Metal Chris simply remained still at this proclamation, his programming forbidding him to show any disloyalty, or to even think disloyal thoughts. "Chris, I command you to deactivate the use of all of your limbs." Doing as he was told, the metal child quickly rag dolled to the floor. "Decoe and Bocoe!"
"Coming, Doctor!" They shouted simultaneously. Upon arriving to the room, they gasped at the sight of their adversaries sprawled across the floor. "Bring each of them to the prison, including Metal Chris. Sonic and his friends will witness the rise of my new empire, and now that Chris has outlived his usefulness, he shall join the same fate as the rest of my enemies." Eggman knelt beside the robotic boy, removed a door to a small terminal on the back of his head, and typed into the keyboard that sprang out. "There we go. I will at least give him back his old personality. That'll be more entertaining anyway."
Closing the lid, the evil doctor pulled himself up. "Get the task done on the double!" He pulled out his sack of Chaos Emeralds, all of which glowed their respective majestic colors. "I've got some preparations to make."
"Wooahhooohoohooo!"