Early in the morning at the centre of a bustling Mobian city a large crowd of people stood before what could only be described as a high-tech train. It was bright chrome, completely smooth but the strangest thing about it was the lack of windows. You probably wouldn't be able to find the door as it seemed to be sealed so tight to the rest of the train the gap was nearly invisible. It wasn't too long until a human man in a lab coat walked onto a stage in front of the train "Hello everyone, I am Professor Hobbes and I am pleased to say that we are almost ready to demonstrate our project. I'd like to thank both the Guardian Units of Nations and the Mobian Islands in their joint effort in making this project a reality". There was a loud applause which the Doctor nervously laughed at. He took a breath before continuing "This vehicle, the Crusader, will be using a newly developed Phantom technology to cut travel time exponentially. The vehicle will travel through to a dimension where space is condensed. A mile travelled in said dimension, dubbed Midnight, will equal a hundred miles in our world. With the calculations of the onboard computer this will allow the vehicle to travel the complete distance of the planet within just four hours which will be the trip demonstrated for our lucky raffle winners today". Another applause "These will be the first of the public to experience this new form of travel. It may be faster but as someone who has taken part in previous expeditions, I can guarantee them when they see the sight that is Midnight they will wish it wasn't faster. Now I don't want anyone to worry, this has been tested multiple times by me and others. It is completely safe".
The Doctor then grinned "But if any are still concerned then I will put you at ease as to accompany our winners on their journey will be non other that the hero of Mobius, Sonic the Hedgehog!". This caused the crowd to practically explode with applause. Sonic, who was waiting backstage rolled his eyes and impatiently frowned. His friends watched him "Boarding starts soon. Quit brooding. You look like Shadow" Knuckles said. "I'm still surprised you agreed to this" Tails said raising an eyebrow. Sonic shrugged "I wanna see this dimension. They said the planet we're gonna be on has a sapphire waterfall and a jewel glacier. I'll never see anything like that again". Amy was reading a pamphlet on the demonstration "I know. It sounds so romantic". She suddenly ran her finger up Sonic's chest "Maybe we could go again together sometime". Sonic eyes widened and backed away "Uh…Maybe…Tails, what was the other thing it had?" "An Extonic Star" Tails said. He grumped "I'm so jealous. I'd give anything to see one of those" "You will eventually. I just wish they'd hurry up. Do you have the thing?". Tails handed him a small metal disc. "What's that?" Amy asked. Sonic smirked "Just for something I'm expecting on board" "If our passengers could please begin boarding" Sonic heard Hobbes say from the stage. Sonic sighed "Better get out there. I'll see you in four hours" "You be careful" Amy said sounding worried. Sonic sarcastically shrugged "What? I'm getting on a big space bus with a bunch of strangers across a diamond planet in the dimension of Midnight. What could possibly go wrong?".
Sonic was the first to get on board. He'd describe the inside as looking like a fancy first class plane. He sat down near the front and he was already feeling very restricted. He watched the other get on board. The first was a middle aged green female Pika with glasses. She sat down near the front as well and was greeted by the hostess, a sheep in a blue uniform "Would you like anything?" "Just the earplugs, please" the Pika replied in a very quiet voice. The hostess smiled and gave her a small plastic bag. She then moved on to Sonic "Here are your earphones for the Channels. Link to the video games. Ear plugs. Complimentary slippers. Complimentary Juice pack. And complementary peanuts". Sonic stared at the pile of things he was just handed and thought to himself he was sure he came here to see this other world. The hostess didn't seem to notice his annoyance "Enjoy your trip". Sonic, somewhat more sarcastically than he intended, replied "Can't wait. Let's do it to it!". The hostess stared at him "I'm sorry?" "Uh…Never mind" Sonic said. Professor Hobbes and a small grey rabbit who could only be around 18 sat behind Sonic. After the hostess gave them their things Hobbes was off "They call it the sapphire waterfall but of course there's no such thing. It's actually…". He then started naming a bunch of chemicals that Sonic was sure meant a lot to him and his assistant but didn't mean anything to him. Nearby two brown dogs entered. The taller, more muscular of the two wore a red shirt and the smaller one wore a pink cardigan. Not far behind came a smaller teenage dog in a black shirt. He had a chain wrapped around his right wrist and a few ear piercings. Despite Sonic guessing that he was with he couple, the boy sat far away from them. Sonic's attention was quickly diverted as Hobbes leaned forward in his seat and held out his hand "Professor Wilfred Hobbes".
Sonic politely smiled and shook it "Nice to meet you in person" "Oh, the pleasures all mine. You know, your recounts of your quick visit to Null Space inspired this project. It's honour to have you on the first expedition. Well, the first public expedition anyway. I've done 14 of these trips already and I can promise you, you won't be disappointed". The woman next to Hobbes looked a little star struck from Sonic suddenly held out her hand and shook his "I'm Dee Dee" "Oh, don't bother the man" Hobbes said dismissively. Dee Dee looked deflated and sat back down "Sorry". Sonic turned forward in his chair and nodded to the Pika who looked at him and then quickly looked away again. The female dog near the back finally noticed that her son was sitting at the opposite side of the cabin "Oh, Jethro, don't silly" "I'm sitting here" he replied. The father rolled his eyes "Oh, he's ashamed of us but he didn't mind us when WE won he raffle" "Don't start" the mother said who was now looking through everything the hostess gave them "Should I save the juice or have it now?". Sonic sunk a bit deeper into his chair. The hostess then moved to the front of the cabin "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome aboard. If your would fasten your seatbelts, we'll be making our first jump in a moment".
As everyone did so the door sealed shut with a very loud clank. A screen then activated next to the Hostess displaying both Mobius and the Midnight planet "So you understand our root. We will be traveling within hour intervals. At each stop we will make a jump back to Mobius at the four allocated points. These will demonstrate the speed of the vehicle. The final point is back here where we started. In each hourly interval we will have precisely ten minutes with the shutters opened so we might get a view of Midnight. Due to the X-tonic rays on Midnight I'm afraid ten minutes is the longest we can keep them open while ensuring your safety. The final hour will see us reach the waterfall which you shall see in all its splendour before we make our final jump. In case of emergency I urge you not to panic. The vehicle is completely sealed and we have rescue vehicles on standby if anything should halt us. Fire exits are at the rear and of course, you first". She laughed at her own joke before saying "I will now hand you over to driver Joe". A deep voice came over the speakers "Hello, everyone, this is Driver Joe and I am pleased to be taking you on the first official expedition into Midnight. Prepare yourself as we are about to Jump". The vehicle began to shake and then with a strange whooshing sound and a jolt there was suddenly calm. The others simply smiled but Sonic took a breath. He was warned that his powers would feel strange on Midnight. The condensed space meant his Super Speed would be erratic and he couldn't use it. He felt the affects immediately and they weren't helping with his already existing feeling of being cooped up.
The Hostess got up from her seat "It should be half an hour before our first opening of the shutters so in the meantime feel free to use the entertainment system. Loud music suddenly came over the speakers. Sonic looked around, almost everyone was now wearing earphones, watching TV on the screens or playing video games. The only two people beside him who didn't seem to like the entertainment was Hobbes who looked to be bothered by the noise. The other was the Pika who rolled her eyes at the music and tried with some frustration to read the book she brought with her. Sonic quickly took out the device Tails gave him, he was not going to spend the next four hours in awkward silence. He clicked the button on top and it sent out a signal. The music stopped and the screens on the seats went black "Well, that's a mercy" Hobbes said. The Hostess looked embarrassed and kept pressed a remote she had "Uh…I do apologise, ladies and gentlemen. We seem to have had a failure in the entertainment system". Sonic noticed the Pika staring at him and for the first time since she got on she smiled. The dogs weren't as happy "What do we do?" "Are we just supposed to sit here for four hours?". Sonic got up from his chair "I guess we'll just have to talk to each other". Everyone stared at him in horror.
It wasn't long before Sonic got everyone going. The two dogs, who were called Val and Biff, were laughing as they recounted a story to the others "So I go down to beach. I'm all ready, I have my trunks, fins on, I even had a noseplug on". Val laughed even harder "You should have seen him". Biff kept going "I walked up to the water, I'm about to jump in when…". Sonic noticed Jethro behind his parents roll his eyes and mouth the punchline as his father said it "An Egg Pawn burst out". Sonic laughed at Jethro but thankfully Biff thought he was laughing at the story so didn't noticed "I ran for my life, screaming my head off. I must have looked like an idiot with the fins on". Everyone else laughed, except the Pika who continued to read her book.
It wasn't long before they reached the first point. The shutters around the walls and the roof all opened. It was mesmerising. The whole surface of the planet was made of crystals, and they shined a heavenly white from the light of the sun. The sun itself was also white, it was almost blinding. Eventually though the view was gone. The glass could only protect them from the sun's rays for so long. The shutters re-sealed and the vehicle did the jump back to Mobius. According to the map they were in Spagonia. They heard cheers from the crowd outside. The shutters opened once again allowing everyone to wave at the crowd. The stop only lasted five minutes as they quickly jumped back to Midnight.
Sonic was now at the back of the cabin with Dee Dee getting a coffee from the machine "I wrote a paper on the Gaia cycle. Professor Hobbes read it, liked it and took me on as a researcher for the holiday". She gave Sonic a cup "Well, I say researcher but most of the time, I'm just fetching and carrying for him". Her eyes widened like she said something rude "But it's all good experience". Sonic smirked "Were you with him during the last cycle?" "Oh, yes. We got to go to Shamar and got to study one of the cracks up close. Still working on it" "Well, maybe it'll prove your paper correct". Dee Dee laughed a bit disbelieving "It was just a theory" "Well, you never know". Sonic then suddenly looked a bit solemn "To Light Gaia". He raised his cup and Dee Dee did the same "Light Gaia".
The next stop was even more amazing. A massive crater with the light constantly bouncing off the smooth surface creating a beautiful mirror of the sky. Despite his frustrations, Sonic knew that seeing Midnight made it all worth it. Eventually they made their second jump back to Mobius, this time they were in Westopolis. Sonic was amused to see Team Dark there when the shutters opened. Shadow looked as uncomfortable in the crowd as Sonic did in the Cabin. Then after another five minutes they returned to Midnight.
When lunch was served Sonic decided to finally talk to the Pika who introduced herself as Skye "My friends Tails, Knuckles and Amy are waiting. What about you?" "Just me" "Oh, I've done plenty of that. I love it. Get to go anywhere". Skye smiled "Well, I'm still getting used to it. I only moved a month ago. I never thought I'd win a raffle". She considered for a moment "I…found myself single recently. Not by choice". Sonic swallowed his food "Oh, I'm sorry. What happened?" "Oh, the usual. She wanted her own space which included the whole island apparently" "Well, don't worry. Emerald Hill's cool" "Thanks".
The third stop was through a cave. A single light from the Crusader was able to illuminate the whole thing and thanks to there being no sunlight they were able to keep the shutters open for most of the voyage. The last Mobian stop before returning to Emerald Hill was Soleanna. When the shutters' opened Princess Elise was there lighting a huge symbol with a torch to greet the passengers. The people of Soleanna all cheered and wished them luck on the final stretch of their journey before the jump was made.
They weren't long away from the waterfall which meant their journey was nearly over. Hobbes and Dee Dee had set up a projector and was now giving them a talk "So, the planet is constantly bombarded by the X-tonic rays, raw galvanic radiation. Even someone imbued with the seven Chaos Emeralds wouldn't survive full exposure to it. And that's why this planet is so fascinating. There is no history. There is no life in this entire system. There couldn't be. Before we arrived nothing has come here in all eternity". There was a short, awed silence until Jethro raised his hand "But how do you know? I mean if no one can go outside". Val rolled her eyes "Oh, his imagination, here we go" "He's got a point, though" Sonic said. This seemed to excite Hobbes "Exactly. We look upon this world through glass. Safe within a metal box. And here we are now, crossing Midnight, but never touching it". Everyone was suddenly jolted forward and the Crusader shook and then stopped "What was that?" Biff said. Hobbes frowned "That's strange. We're not supposed to stop" "We've stopped?" Val said. The Hostess appeared "If you could return to your seats. We seem to have had a small delay" she went over to a phone on the wall. Skye sat down and was looking very restless all of a sudden. Jethro was laughing "Oh, no we've broken down" "Jethro…" "In the middle of no where" "That's enough!" Biff said. The Hostess moved to the front of cabin "Laides and Gentlemen, this is only a short delay. The driver just has to stabilise the engine fields". Now Sonic was no mechanic but he's heard enough technobabble from Tails to know when someone is making it up. Sonic got up and went for the door "I'm sorry, sir, but I-" "Won't be a minute".
Sonic arrogantly walked past her and opened the door to the cockpit where Driver Joe, a lion was sitting. Next to him was a human scientist. They both rolled their eyes at the noise "Sir, if you could please…". Joe turned around and saw who it was "Oh, Gaia, your Sonic" "Yeah, I know. So, Joe, what's the problem" "Uh, well, we're just stabilizing the engine feeds. Won't take long". Sonic looked at one of the screens "Uh, no. This thing has a micro petrol engine, so stabilising it doesn't make sense. Sorry, my friend's been talking about this all week. What's actually wrong?". The human sighed "No idea. We've just stopped. All system's fine". He hit his fist off the console "Of course this happens now" "Did you work on it?". He nodded and shook Sonic's hand "Professor Henry. I'm one of the leads on the project. I designed the Crusader. I'm here in case anything fails. Fat lot of good I'm doing" "So, what's the plan now then?" Sonic asked. Joe shook his head "Once Control realises we're behind schedule they'll send a shuttle in to pick us up" "And how long that going to take" "Well, that's where a slight problem lies. We had to take a course correction in the final stretch cause of a collapse. Because of the condensed space that puts us far off course on the Mobius side. There's no danger though. Should only take them an hour to triangulate our position on their end". Sonic nodded and then smirked "So…Since we're gonna miss the waterfall how about we open up here".
Henry and Joe looked at one another before smirking. With the flip of a few switches the shutters in the cockpit and the cabin opened for a fourth time. Sonic grinned as he looked outside. He could hear the gasps coming from back in the cabin. They were through a massive trench. Skyscraper tall walls of diamond on either side with just the sliver of the sunlight above them. Sonic laughed and looked at Henry "Did any of you go this way before" "No, never needed to. The computer made the route". Sonic looked back at the beautiful sight "So, we're the first. This bit of ground's never been touched before". Sonic didn't noticed Henry "Did you…". He leaned forward and stared at the end of the trench "Sorry, I must have…". Sonic stared at him "What?" "It was nothing. I-I just thought I saw something at the end of the trench" "What kind of something". An alarm suddenly went of confusing Joe "What? It shouldn't happen that quickly" "What?" "I'm gonna have to close the shutters. The radiation's gonna get through". As the shutters closed Henry suddenly jumped and pointed up at the left trench "Up there! Look!" "Where?" Sonic said but it was too late, they closed. He stared at Henry "What was it?" "It was at the top of the trench. It was dark. It looked like it was running" "Running where?" "Towards us". Joe shook his head "Alright, Sonic, back to your seat. And not a word to the others. The rescue ship is on its way".
Sonic stared at the shutters before turning around and going back into the cabin. Skye was waiting "What did they say? What's wrong". Sonic throught for a moment before smiling "Just stabilising the engines. Nothing to worry about". Skye looked worried "I don't need this. I'm on schedule" "Back to your seats, thank you" the Hostess said with a fake smile. Sonic sat down and was thinking about what Henry said but a hand tapped his shoulder. It was Dee Dee "Excuse me, Sonic. They're Micropetrol engines, aren't they" "Don't bother the man" Hobbes said. Dee Dee glanced at him "My Dad was a mechanic. Micropetrol engines don't stabilise" "Uh…I don't know. That's all they told me". This caught Hobbes' attention "So it's not the engines" "It's just a breakdown. We're fine". Unfortunately, none of them realised the growing interest in their conversation "How much air have we got?" Val said across the cabin. Sonic stood up "It's fine". Biff looked to the Hostess "Are we running out of air" "If you could all just remain calm" "How much air have we got!" Val said with a raised voice. "Mum, stop it!" Jethro said. The Hostess was clearly losing her nerve "Everything is under control" "Well, it doesn't look like it!". Everyone started yelling over each other. The only one Sonic noticed was remaining calm was Dee Dee "Hey! HEY!". Everyone stopped and stared at him "Thank you. Now, I'm no engineer but I think my friend Dee Dee here knows something". Dee Dee looked surprised and nervously got to her feet "Um…Well…The air is on a circular filter so we could stay breathing for ten years". Sonic nodded "There you go. Now, we just have to wait. The Captain said everything's fine" *BANG BANG*. Sonic stared at the wall next to him. Everyone else did the samel "What was that?" Val asked.
Hobbes shook his head "It's just the rocks from the trench. We're shielded. It's fine" "What I want to know is how long are we going to sit here?" Biff said. Sonic narrowed his eyes at the wall when *BANG BANG* "Is someone out there?" Skye said. Hobbes rolled his eyes "Don't be ridiculous" *BANG BANG*. Sonic was beginning to understand "Knock, knock". Jethro laughed "Who's there?". There was a long silence "Is someone out there? Well…Anyone?" Sky said now shaking. *KNOCK KNOCK* it's moved. Skye looked frantically at the others "What the hell is making that noise!?". Hobbes got to his feet "I'm sorry but the light out there is X-Tonic. That means it would destroy any living thing in a split second. It is impossible for someone to be outside". Sonic wasn't listening to any of them. He looked around the cabin, following the noise *KNOCK KNOCK*. It was next to Jethro's seat, he jumped and backed away "Then what the hell is that, then" Skye said starting to hyperventilate. Sonic moved to the wall "Sir, I must insist you get back to your seat!" the hostess said. Sonic put his ear to the wall when *KNOCK KNOCK*. This time it was at the fire exit door. There was a rattle "It's trying the door!" Val said. Hobbes was clearly getting annoyed "There is no it. There's nothing out there". Another rattle from the door and then *KNOCK KNOCK* this time it came from he roof and it was louder now *KNOCK KNOCK* at the main door. Everyone stared at it, frozen in place "Can it get it?" Val said. Dee Dee shook her head "No way. That door's on 200-weight hydraulics" "Stop encouraging them" "What do you think it is?" she asked Hobbes. Sonic saw Biff going for the door "Hey, don't" "Biff, stop!" Val said. Biff felt the door "No way it'll get through that". He hit the door *KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*.
He walked away when *KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*. Val grabbed her husband and pulled him back "Three times! Did you hear that? It did it three times". Sonic got in front of everyone "Okay, okay, calm down". Skye wasn't calm, in fact she looked close to breaking down "But it answered! Don't tell me that thing's not real, it answered him". The Hostess moved in front of Sonic "I really must insist you get back to your seats" "NO! DON'T JUST STAND THERE TELLING US THE RULES! YOU'RE THE HOSTESS! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO DO SOMETHING!" Skye yelled surprising everyone. Sonic went up to the door and hit it *KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK* and then after a few moments *KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*. Skye looked close to crying "What is it? What the hell is it!? She said she'd get me! Stop it! Make it stop! Make it stop!". Everyone began to stare at her which made her instinctively back away "Don't just stand there looking at me. It's not my fault! He started it! WHY COULDN'T YOU LEAVE IT ALONE!". Sonic moved between her and the others "Calm down!" "STOP STARING AT ME!" *KNOCK*. That came from right above Sonic *KNOCK* right in front of Sonic *KNOCK* moving further from Sonic and the others towards "Skye, come back" Sonic said realising. But Skye just stared at the roof, hearing it getting closer "No!" *KNOCK* "NO!" *KNOCK* "NO!" *KNOCK*. She collapsed into the corner of the cabin and screamed *KNOCK* "SKYE!" Sonic yelled running towards her.
Suddenly the whole Crusader began to violently shake. The lights went out, everyone was thrown back and fourth as sparks fell from the roof. Finally, it calmed down. Sonic could just make out the others. Biff was hugging his wife "You okay?" "Yeah" "Jethro!?" "I'm fine, Dad". Sonic felt a pain in his left arm "Ah!". He got to his feet "Is everyone alright" "Earthquake. Must be" Hobbes grunted. The Hostess appeared from the light of a torch "Here". She started handing them out "Is anyone hurt?" "Me" Sonic said holding his arm. The Hostess came over and put his arm in a sling "Thanks". Jethro moved past Sonic and shined his torch at the end of the cabin "Jethro, sweetheart, come here" Val said to him. Jethro pushed her as she tried to hug him "Never mind me. What about her?". Everyone stared where his torch shined. The seats at the left corner looked like they had been torn off their hinges "What happened?" "Who did that?". Right at the corner Skye sitting, facing the wall with her hands clasping the top of her hand. Sonic moved behind her and put a hand on her back "Skye? It's alright, it's over. Look, the wall's intact". He looked up and saw a massive indent in the wall. The Hostess got on the phone "Joe, can you hear me? Joe? Henry? The intercom must be done". She went to the door to the cockpit and clicked the button. The door slipped open and a blinding white light shined into the cabin. Everyone screamed, Sonic shielded Skye as the Hostess hit the button closing the door "What was that!?" Val yelled. The Hostess stared at the door in disbelief "The cabin's gone. There's nothing there" "But it can't be" Hobbes said.
Sonic got to his feet "It looked like it was sliced off" "But then…" Hobbes said. They all looked to the Hostess who was shaking "It would have lost integrity. They're dead". Hobbes closed his eyes "Oh…Henry". Sonic held out his hand calmingly "They sent out a distress signal. Help is on the way. They saved our lives. We're gonna get out of here" "Sonic…Look a her" Jethro said, still staring at Skye "Why won't she turn around". Sonic kneeled down next to her "Skye? Can you hear me? Can you move?" "That thing outside. It was heading for her" Jethro said. Sonic glared at him before looking back "It's alright, Skye. Just turn around". Skye slowly moved her hands down to her sides and turned around. She stared at Sonic with a blank expression. Her eyes seemed to be scanning him and then quickly moved to the others. Each one she surveyed before moving on to the next. Sonic stared at her and titled his head left. Skye looked back at him and tilted her head the same way. Sonic narrowed his eyes "Skye?" "Skye?" she replied. Sonic moved closer "Are you alright?" "Are you alright?" "Are you hurt?" "Are you hurt?" "Skye, I'm trying to help" "Skye, I'm trying to help". Sonic looked annoyed "Can you stop?" "Can you stop?" "Skye, stop it" "Skye, stop it". "Why's she doing that?" Hobbes said. Skye immediately moved to look at him "Why's she doing that?". Biff stared at her "She's gone mad". Now she was on him "She's gone mad". Val looked angry "Stop it" "Stop it" "I said stop it" "I said stop it!". Dee Dee looked to Hobbes "I don't think she can" "I don't think she can".
Back to Hobbes "Now stop it. This isn't funny" "Now stop it. This isn't funny". Sonic knew this was getting nowhere "Hey, hey. Everyone stop". Now she was back to him "Hey, hey. Everyone stop". Jethro smirked "My name's Jethro" "My name's Jethro". Sonic was getting impatient "Everyone, shut up!" "Everyone, shut up!". This time everyone went quiet. Sonic looked back to her "Why are you doing that?" "Why are you doing that?". Sonic tried to think "7462342859…" "74623428592721475. Wow" she repeated it perfectly, not one wrong number. "But that's impossible" "But that's impossible" she repeated Hobbes. Everyone started talking over each other "She couldn't repeat all that" "She couldn't repeat all that" "Tell her to stop!" "Tell her stop" "Stop staring at me" "Stop staring at me" "You're scaring my wife!" "You're scaring my wife!" "What's wrong with her eyes?" "What's wrong with her eyes?" not one sentence was missed, she managed to repeat it all. Sonic got to his feet "Okay, everyone, just stop" "Okay, everyone, just stop". The lights suddenly came on shutting everyone up. The Hostess sighed in relief "That's the backup system" "Well, that's a bit better" Biff said. Val took a deep breath "What about the rescue? How long's it gonna take" "About an hour". Hobbes nodded "Then I suggest we all calm down. This panic isn't helping. And that poor woman is evidently in a state of shock. We should-" "Sonic" Jethro said staring at Skye. Sonic did the same "I know". Hobbes sighed "Sonic, step back. I think we should leave her…".
He finally noticed "Alone". Skye said it at the exact same time. Hobbe's eyes widened "What's she doing. How is she doing that?". The other's panic was beginning to rise again "She's talking with you. And…And with me" Val said. She started to shake "Oh, Gaia! Biff, how's she doing that" "That's impossible. There's not even a delay" Dee Dee said. Sonic hated to admit it, but his heart was beating very fast now. He was stuck in a metal box, he didn't have his speed, his arm was broken and he had no idea what's going on "I think we should all stop talking". Val pointed her shaking finger at Skye like she was a demon "But how she is she doing that? She's got my voice! SHE'S GOT MY WORDS!". Biff pulled her back "Val, be quiet. Just…She's doing to me". Sonic kneeled back down to be face to face with Skye "Okay, Skye…Are you Skye? Is Skye still in there? How do you know what I'm going to say?". He put on a confident smirk "Chilli Dogs. The Tornado. The Lost Hex". He leaned in closer "BANG! Miles Tails Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, Amy Rose, Chaos Emeralds! Shamble, bobble, dibble, dooble. Oh, Sonic, you're so handsome. Thanks, Skye. A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O…". He mothed the start of P but didn't say it, Skye did the same. Sonic got to his feet "She repeats then she catches up. What's next?" "What'd you mean next?" Dee Dee asked. Val started to cry and to the group's horror Skye copied her sounds. Sonic watched curiously. She remined him off Emeral and that wasn't a good sign "I think she's learning. Everyone, get to the other end of the cabin" "Sonic, make her stop" Val cried. Sonic took her arm "Val, come on. Don't look at her".
He made them all move to the back "50 minutes. That's all we need. And…". He looked back at Skye "She's not exactly strong. All she can do is stalk" "I can't look at her. It's those eyes" Val said. "There's nothing to be scared off. She's just a very sick woman" Hobbes said. Jethro kept staring at her "Maybe that's why it went for her". Hobbes glared at him "There is no it" "You heard it! It circled the cabin then went for her. And she was the most scared out of all of us. Maybe that's how it got in" "For the last time nothing can live on the surface of Midnight". Sonic nudged Hobbes a few feet back from Jethro "Professor, I'm glad you think you've discovered everything there is to know about an entire new universe but maybe you might have missed something". Hobbes looked insulted but backed off. Sonic stepped back so he could speak to all of them "Now, listen, something might be in Skye but that doesn't mean she's gone. We have to help her" "You can help he. I'm not going near her" Val said. Sonic shook his head "No. She might start copying more than speech. I don't want her copying me" "Oh, because your so special, Mr hero" Biff said. Sonic glanced at him in surprise but dropped it "We should just stay back and wait. When the rescue comes we can get her to a hospital". The Hostess was looking past him and glared at Skye "We should throw her out". Everyone stared at her "I beg your pardon?" Hobbes said. "Can we do that?" Val said. Sonic looked surprised "What?" "That thing killed Joe. It killed Henry" the Hostess said. She looked to Hobbes "Henry was a friend of yours, Professor?" "Well, yes…" "She killed him! And I don't think she's finished yet".
Sonic stared at her in disbelief "She can't even move" "Look at her! Look at her eyes! We're next!". Biff angrily pushed passed Sonic "She's still doing it. Stop it! Stop talking! STOP IT!" "Biff, don't sweetheart". He came back "We can't throw her out. We can't even open the doors". Despite being a foot shorter Sonic stared him down "No one is getting thrown out" "Yes, we can" Dee Dee said. Everyone turned to her "We can?" "Yes, cause when you opened the doors you didn't get sucked out immediately. The shields can hold the pressure for about six seconds. That's enough time" "Thanks, Dee Dee. Just what we needed" Sonic said sarcastically. Val however looked intrigued "Would it kill her outside?" "I don't know. But it's got a body now. The radiation should kill the physical form" "No one killing anyone!" Sonic yelled. The Hostess ignored him "I wouldn't risk the cabin door twice but we can still use the fire exit. All we need to do is drag her here and throw her out". Sonic's breathing was getting faster "Okay, just stop. We don't know what this is. It might not even mean any harm. Are you actually gonnna murder it? Skye as well? Can any of your actually go through with it? You're better than that". There was a long silence. Sonic was almost relieved thinking he had gotten through to them when "I'd do it" the Hostess said. This seemed to reinvigorate the others "So would I" "Me too" Biff and Val said. Dee Dee nodded "I think we should".
She started to cry "I want her out" "You can't say that" "I'm sorry, Sonic, but you said it yourself. She's growing in strength". Sonic took a step back "But…That's not what I said" "I wanna go home. I'm sorry. I want to be safe" "You will be. Any minute now. The rescue ship is on its way". The Hostess scowled "And what happens then? If we take that thing back to Mobius. If that thing reaches civilisation, what if it spreads?" "It won't. Me and my friends will be there" "You haven't done much so far" Val spat. Biff agreed "He's just been standing back here with the rest of us". The Hostess stared back at Skye "She's dangerous. It's my job to see that this vessel is safe. We should get rid of her". Hobbes stepped forward "Okay, hang on. I think perhaps we're all going a little bit too far" "Thank you" Sonic said relieved that someone agreed with him. The Hostess wasn't having it "Two people are dead!" "And you're about to make it a third!" Sonic said much louder than he intended. He was beginning to shake, he hated it, he needed help "Jethro, what do you say?". Jethro looked down at the floor "I don't wanna kill anyone" "He's just a boy" "What, so I don't get a vote?" he said angrily to his Mum. Sonic had enough now "THERE ISN'T A VOTE! It's not happening! If you try and throw her out you'll have to get past me first".
It didn't take long at all until Biff said "Fine by me". Sonic glared at him "What, you think you could do it. Can you actually kill her?" "You calling me a coward?" "Who put you in charge anyway?" Val said. The Hostess narrowed her eyes "You're the reason we're here?". Everyone turned to her "What?" "I heard the Professor. He said Sonic created the project". Hobbes looked taken aback "Well…He did inspire it. His voyage into Null Space, during the war" "And now the first expedition he shows up on goes like this. Funny, isn't it?" the Hostess said accusingly. Everyone looked back to Sonic who had no idea what they were getting at. Biff pushed him "What happened when you were in that Null place?" "What? Nothing. I got out as fast as I was sent in" "Didn't talk to anyone?". Sonic took a step back from them "What? No! It was empty" "If you got out so easily, why don't you get us out now?" Val said. Sonic's mind was racing now "I-I can't" "The thing is, Sonic, you've been loving this" Jethro said. Sonic sighed "Oh, come on" "But you have. You were smiling the whole time you were talking to Skye" "I-I just didn't think there was any danger yet. I was interested". Val narrowed her eyes "So you wanted this to happen" "No! Of course not". Biff pointed at him "You were talking to her! On the third stretch, you were on your own talking to that Skye woman. You were together! I saw!" "We all did!" Val added. Sonic felt his heart beating faster than he's ever felt it "We were just talking" "SAYING WHAT!?".
Dee Dee stared at him "How did you get of Null Space, exactly?" "I just ran and it broke the walls to Mobius open" "But how can you do that?" "I DON'T KNOW! I JUST CAN!" Sonic snapped. He knew immediately he shouldn't have done that. Hobbes let out a small laugh "Well, that makes everything clear" "You've been looking down on us from the moment we walked in" Val said. Biff nodded "Big shot hero, bored of having to sit with the normal folk". Sonic couldn't believe it, he wasn't like that. Sure he got bored but it had nothing to do with them. The Hostess crossed her arms "Even if he goes, he's practically volunteered". Sonic thought she couldn't mean what he thought but unfortunately Biff confirmed it "Do you mean…We throw him out as well" "If we have too". The others all looked between one another, not one of them objecting. Sonic held up his right hand "Okay…Look, just…". He sighed "I know you're scared. So am I. Look at me, I am. But we all have to calm down and think for a second" "Tell us how you actually got out of Null Space" Hobbes insisted. Sonic's could barely breath at this point "What does that matter?" "Then tell us" "I don't know, I just did". They all scoffed and started speaking over each other, all accusing Sonic "He's lying! Look at his face" "His eyes are the same as his" "Why won't you tell us" "He's been lying to us right from the start". Sonic lost all control at this point. He backed away from the lot of them, actually fearing for his life "OKAY, LISTEN! LISTEN TO ME RIGHT NOW! BECAUSE YOU NEED ME! IF ANY OF YOU ARE GONNA GET OUT OF THIS THEN YOU NEED ME!".
Hobbes rolled his eyes "So you keep saying. You've been repeating yourself more than her" "If anyone's in charge, it should be the professor. He's the expert!" Val said. Jethro stared past Sonic "Mum, stop" "You stay out of this, Jethro" "But, Mum, look! She's stopped". Everyone turned and stared at Skye. Sonic narrowed his eyes "When did she…No she hasn't. She's still going" "She looks the same, to me" Val said. She moved closer "Wait, she's not doing me anymore" "What about me? Is she…No, she's not doing me either. She's let me go" Biff said. The Hostess moved closer "Miss? Are you okay?". Skye wasn't looking at any of them, only Sonic "Skye, what're you doing?". The others seemed to have their suspicions confirmed "Do you see? I said so. She's with him. They're together" Val said. Sonic knew what they were thinking. He had to end this now "Skye, stop it! Just stop". He kneeled down in front of her "Whatever you are, help me understand. You're copying me, why? Do you think I can help". He wanted to help; he still didn't know for sure if this thing was hostile. But he looked into her eyes, and he felt danger "If you want help then you have to let Skye go. Whatever you want, you don't have hurt anyone. If you let her go I promise I'll help you. What do you say?". He gave her chance to speak but nothing then "Do we have a deal" "Do we have a deal" Sonic repeated. Everyone stared at the two in shock "Hold on" "Did she just…" "She spoke first". Skye slowly moved her head "Oh, look at that. I'm ahead of you" "Oh, look at that. I'm ahead of you" Sonic repeated, his body frozen to the spot. Skye had a small smile and looked to the others "I think it's moved" "I think it's moved" "I think it's letting me go" "I think it's letting me go".
Sonic's body started to shiver but he didn't move. Hobbes stepped forward "Ms Skye, is that you?" "Yes, it's me" "Yes, it's me". Biff pointed at Sonic "I knew it. It's been him" "It must have passed on" Jethro said. Dee Dee slowly shook her head "No, that's not what happened". Skye moved her fingers "I can move" "I can move" "I'm coming back to life" "I'm coming back to life". She held out her hand "Professor" "Professor" "Help me" "Help me" "Get me way from him" "Get me away from him". Hobbes was rooted to the spot. Skye made a familiar sob "Please" "Please" Sonic begged. Hobbes slowly moved forward and took Skye's hand. He helped her up and they went back to the others "Oh, thank you" "Oh, thank you" Sonic repeated still staring at the wall. His body was being drenched his sweat and his shaking got worse. Val hugged Skye "You're okay. Right?" "I am now" "I am now". She looked around at the others "It was so cold" "It was so cold" "I couldn't breath" "I couldn't breath" "I'm sorry" "I'm sorry". Tears fell down Sonic's face "I must have scared you so much" "I must have scared you so much". Dee Dee grabbed Val's shoulder "I wouldn't touch her" "But she's clean. It passed on" "No, that's not what happened". Hobbes pulled her back "Thank you for your opinion, Dee Dee, but clearly Ms Skye has been released" "No" "Just leave her alone" Val said. "Professor, what do you think?" Jethro asked. Hobbes gulped "Well, I'd say from observation, Sonic can't move and when she was possessed, she couldn't move so…". Biff nodded "Well, there we are then. The only problem we've got now is him". Skye stared at the back of Sonic "It's inside his head" "It's inside his head" "He killed the driver" "He killed the driver" "And the mechanic" "And the mechanic" "And now he wants us" "And now he wants us" Sonic's voice broke.
Skye paced around the others "He's waited so long in the dark" "He's waited so long in the dark" "And the cold" "And the cold". Skye's smile widened slightly "Until you came" "Until you came" "Bodies so hot" "Bodies so hot" "With blood and pain" "With blood and pain". Val covered her ears "Gaia, make him stop. Someone make him stop!". Dee Dee shook her head "But she's saying it" "Shut up!" "But it's not him, it's her. He's just repeating". Biff shrugged "But that's what it does. It repeats" "Let her talk" the Hostess said . Biff pointed at her threateningly "WHAT DO YOU KNOW! FAT LOT OF GOOD YOU'VE BEEN!" "Just let her explain!". Dee Dee lip quivered "Okay, well…I-I think from what I've seen, it repeats, then is synchronises, then it goes onto the next stage and that's exactly what Sonic said would happen" "What and you're on his side!? The voice is the thing" Biff said. Dee Dee pointed at Skye "And she's the voice! She stole it! Look at her! It's not possessing him, it's draining him". Val frantically shook her head "No, that's not true, cause I saw it pass into him. I saw it with my own eyes". Biff nodded "So did I. It went from her to him". Dee Dee stared at them as if they were mad "No, you didn't. There wasn't anything". Val looked to her son "Jethro, you saw it, didn't you?". Jethro's eyes were red "I-I don't know" "Oh, don't be stupid, of course you did" "I…I suppose he was right next to her". Dee Dee shook her head "You're making it up. It's stealing it's voice" "She's as bad as him. Someone shut her up". Hobbes put a hand on her shoulder "I think you should be quiet, Dee Dee" "But all I'm saying is-" "AND THAT'S AN ORDER!".
Dee Dee jumped and stared horrified at Hobbes "You're making a fool of yourself, pretending you're an expert in mechanics and hydraulics when I can tell you, you are nothing more than average at best. Now, SHUT UP!". Dee Dee backed away from him in fear. Skye's smile turned more sinister "That's how he does it" "That's how he does it" "He makes you fight" "He makes you fight" "Creeps into your head and whispers" "Creeps into your head and whispers" "Listen" "Listen". Skye closed her eyes with a look of relish "Just listen" "Just listen" "That's him" "That's him". Val clutched her head like she was hearing things "GET HIM OUT!". Biff nodded "Yeah, we should throw him out" "Well, don't you just talk about it. You're useless! DO SOMETHING!" "FINE! I will! You watch me!". Biff advanced on Sonic as Skye watched "Yes!" "Yes!" "Throw him out!" "Throw him out!". Biff put his arms around Sonic's waist and started to drag him "Get rid of him!" "Get rid of him!". Sonic's broken arm fell out of it's sling and hung limply from his body but not a single grunt of pain escaped him. Dee Dee started to cry "DON'T!" "It'll be you next!" Val spat at her. Sonic's foot hooked around one of the seat legs "Professor, help me!" Biff said. Hobbes' hands shook "I can't…I'm-" "What sort of man are you! Come on!" "THROW HIM OUT!" Val yelled.
Jethro coward into one of the seats as Hobbes finally moved and grabbed Sonic's legs. There was so much yelling that it was all unintelligible. Skye happily watched "Cast him out!" "Cast him out!" "Into the emptiness" "Into the emptiness" "The Midnight sky" "The Midnight sky" "Faster" "Faster" "That's the way" "That's the way". Sonic was halfway to the door "Do it to it" "Do it to it". The Hostess' eyes widened, and she stared at Skye "Gotta go fast!" "Gotta go fast!" "That's his voice" the Hostess said. Skye's smile vanished and she stared at the Hostess "It's you. You took his voice!". She grabbed Skye, pushed her to the fire exit door and hit the button. The door burst open and the blinding sunlight entered the cabin. Both Skye and Sonic started to scream in terror. Tears fell down the Hostess face "Three…Four…Five…". She closed her eyes "Six". She and Skye both got sucked out to Midnight and the door automatically closed behind. Biff and Hobbes released Sonic in shock. He hit the floor panting. He grabbed his left arm which was in so much pain "It's gone. It's gone". He rolled onto his back "It's gone. It's gone. It's gone". He closed his eyes and just lied there. Hobbes sunk into a seat and covered his face with his hands. Dee Dee and Jethro were both crying. Biff hugged his wife who was staring at Sonic guiltily "I…I said it was her". Sonic opened his eyes and glared at her and she looked away.
They all waited in their seats. Not saying anything for half an hour until a voice came over the speakers "Rescue vehicle is here, Ladies and Gentlemen. We will guide the Crusader the rest of the route. It's going to be a bit bumpy so please stay in your seats". Sonic then realised "The Hostess…What was her name?". There was a long silence, everyone was looking at each other for the answer. Finally, Hobbes said "I don't know".
It was long before they returned to Mobius, in the exact same spot they first left. The crowd was gone, forced to leave by GUN. Everyone, including Sonic, was debriefed on what happened. Sonic made it clear to GUN that the project had to be shut down. Hobbes thankfully supported this. Eventually he was let go. Sonic walked out to the town square of Emerald Hill where Amy, Tails and Knuckles were waiting. They could tell immediately from the grim look on his face that he was not okay. Amy ran forward and hugged. Sonic didn't even hesitate to return it, he really needed it.
The four of them stood by the Tornado "So what was it?" Tails asked. Sonic slowly shook his head "I don't know" "Do you think it's still out there?" Knuckles asked. Sonic simply stared at him. Amy was surprised "You told them, right" "Them. I'll tell Shadow. Rouge. I'll break into GUNs main base and tell Tower if I have to. That place should be left alone…Forever". Knuckles had a small smirk "I can't imagine you without a voice, buddy". Sonic managed to return it "You'd see it as an improvement" "Maybe". Tails sniggered "We should get going". Sonic nodded in agreement "Yeah, let's get out of here". Amy smiled and helped Sonic into the Tornado "Let's go. Gotta go fast, eh". Sonic frowned "Don't…Just…". Amy's smile disappeared as Sonic grimly shook his head "Don't".