Chapter 52: A One-Way Bridge
Slowly opening her eyes, the bright lights above obscured her sight. When her vision returned, Helen found herself in a small lab within the Egg Carrier. Seated in her wheelchair, she was unable to move her arms. In fact, upon further experimentation, she concluded that she was only able to move her neck, open her mouth, blink, and look around.
The young girl turned her attention to her friends who were strewn across the room haphazardly; Tails, Knuckles, Cream, Cheese, and Bokkun were face down on the floor while Sonic, Amy, Vector, Espio, and Charmy were sitting against the walls. Finally, Topaz, Rouge, and Metal Chris were lying on their backs. The closest to Helen was Tails, whose ears twitched ever so slightly.
"T…Tails?"
"H-H…Helen? Are you…okay?"
"I…can't move."
"Yeah…me neither." Tails scrunched his face as he tried mustering the energy to pull himself up, but to no avail.
"What'd they do to us?" Helen asked as she peered around the room once more.
"Eggman must've drugged us," Tails replied.
"Right you are!"
Helen peered at the door to reveal Eggman, with Decoe and Bocoe flanking either side holding cases full of syringes containing orange liquid.
"And it's time to receive another dose of the doctor's medicine," Robotnik continued, pulling a syringe out from one of the cases. "Decoe, Bocoe: administer the paralyzing drug to everyone but Sonic."
"Yes, Doctor!" They replied simultaneously as the former approached Knuckles and the latter pulled up Charmy's arm, swiftly administering the medication and earning a small wince from their helpless recipients.
Eggman approached Sonic, whose eyes were adjusting to the artificial light above as he tried, to no avail, to move his limbs. "Ready for your medicine, rodent?"
"I never thought you'd stoop this low," Sonic replied with a grin as Eggman yanked the blue hedgehog's arm. "So much for a fair fi—" He winced as the syringe poked through his skin, filling his bloodstream with the liquid.
"What's the matter? Can't finish your witty retort?" Eggman pulled the syringe from Sonic's arm as he fell out of consciousness.
"It's your turn now," Bocoe said to Helen, who was powerless to stop the robot from injecting the medication into her as well. Within moments, the young girl's vision blurred, and she lost consciousness.
"Such a brilliant plan, Doctor!" Decoe called. "This should be enough to keep them out of commission for at least a day."
"Indeed!" Bocoe added. "More than enough time for you to finalize your master plan."
"Perhaps you should spend less time sucking up and more time finishing up here so we can get the show on the road," Eggman replied, waiting impatiently at the door.
"Yes, Doctor!" They replied once more as they performed their final injections, gathered up their empty syringes, and followed their master out of the room.
Just as the three left the lab, however, did someone else, clad in a stereotypical black burglar outfit, sneak around the closing door. Creeping toward a lab table in the corner of the room, the masked individual picked up a set of syringes containing blue liquid. They then crept over the bodies strewn across the floor until they were within arm's reach of Helen. Gently pulling up her arm, they applied some rubbing alcohol to her skin before administering the medication and finishing it off with a medicated bandage.
Moments later, Helen opened her eyes once more. Her eyes readjusted to the artificial bright lights above, the sight of the masked individual within feet of her.
"W-Who…are you?"
They pulled off their mask.
"Grandpa Chuck!" Helen exclaimed as she raised her arms in surprise. "W…wait…" She peered down at her hands, balling them into fists. "Hey, I can move now!"
"All thanks to this…" Chuck gave Helen an empty syringe labeled "anti-paralysis antidote". The aging scientist grabbed another syringe and repeated the ritual with Tails, who shot up and gasped at the sight of his adopted grandfather with an empty syringe. Of course, the young kitsune swiftly calmed down once the situation was explained, and he joined Chuck in administering the medication to the rest of the group.
"That was certainly an ordeal," Sonic noted as he stretched his legs. "First those scientists at Area 99, and now Eggman…" The blue hedgehog shook his head. "I think I've had enough paralysis for a lifetime."
"This is no time for silly banter," Knuckles replied. "The fact of the matter is that Eggman has all the Chaos Emeralds now, and we have no idea what he's plotting."
"I do…"
The party gathered around the unmoving, metallic body of Chris Thorndyke.
"Mind spilling the beans?" Sonic asked.
"Shut it," Chris retorted. "I know exactly what Eggman is planning. Quite frankly, I don't know why he restored my personality, but as much as I hate to admit it…" The downed robot was hardly able to move his mechanical neck to observe his lifeless limbs. "…I need your help in taking him down."
"I can restore all of your functions," Tails replied. "Will you divulge his plan if I do?"
"…Yes."
"I'll just need a minute," Tails noted as he signaled Sonic to help him pick up the robot. They placed him across the nearest lab table and flipped him on his metallic belly. Pulling the Miles Electric from his namesakes, he connected some cables from his portable computer to Metal Chris' ears. With a few clicks, and a jolt of electricity, Chris was quickly back to his feet. The young boy peered down at his arms, balling his slender, metallic fingers into a fist before punching a hole in the nearest wall.
"Careful now," Chuck cautioned. "I know you must be angry, but it's best we don't draw Eggman's attention yet."
"Mr. Chris, please tell us what he's planning," Cream pleaded.
"Chao, chao," Cheese added, perched on Cream's shoulder.
"He's planning on accelerating the merger between Earth and Mobius," Chris replied.
"He's what!?" Rouge exclaimed.
"And he's going to use the Chaos Emeralds to accomplish this?" Topaz asked.
"Precisely," Chris replied with a nod.
"But why would he do something so dumb," Chuck asked. "As a fellow scientist, I find his behavior irrational and irresponsible."
"Rationality isn't really his strong suit," Espio replied, earning a supportive nod from Vector and Charmy.
"Eggman doesn't care what world he rules," Chris said, "and by causing time to freeze, he will have control over an entirely merged world forever, regardless of the consequences." The metallic boy approached the door. "Eggman has taken everything from me…just when I was starting to see what it was like to truly bond with my family, and take a step back from fame, that bastard roboticized me…" His eyes flickered red. "…and he's going to pay."
"For once, Chris and I actually agree," Sonic nodded.
"Eggman will be at the Sky Deck," Chris said. "Once the Egg Carrier arrives at the portal completed by the government and ready to send you all home, Eggman is going to use the mystical energy from the Chaos Emeralds to complete the merger. He will overload the portal, causing a cataclysmic event with profound consequences we can't even begin to fathom."
"Then let's get going!" Sonic sped forward. "We've stopped all of Eggman's schemes before, and this one won't be any different."
"Right behind you!" Tails replied as he followed, pushing Helen along as well. The rest of the party followed closely behind, running through a web of hallways until they made their way outside to the Sky Deck.
It was evening by this time, with the sun mostly set in the distance and the moon starting to rise, its reflection glistening in the ocean below. The Egg Carrier was within a short distance of the island where the massive portal was built, one big enough even to transport the entirety of Angel Island.
"At long last!" Eggman declared as he approached the base of a large satellite aimed at the portal below. "I am just mere moments from achieving true victory! Sonic and his little friends are out of commission, and there's nothing stopping me from merging and taking over our parallel worlds. Indeed, I an invincible! Wooahhooohoohooo!"
The evil doctor's ears perked up. "What's that sou—" Before Eggman could fully turn himself around, he was launched off his feet by a joint Sonic and Tails spindash, the Chaos Emeralds spilling from Eggman's arms and falling off the ship toward the ocean below.
"Nooo!" Chris exclaimed as he jumped off the ship and dove beneath the water's surface, trying to secure the gems before they would become lost to the sea.
"Badniks, attack!" Eggman cried as the party was surrounded by a mix of the evil doctor's classic creations, from Buzz Bombers to Egg Pawns and everything in between.
"This'll be a piece of cake!" Sonic exclaimed as he prepared a spindash.
"No," Helen replied, sticking a single arm out in front of him. "Let me do it."
"By all means," Sonic replied, gesturing toward the young girl as if to give her mission to strike.
Helen dramatically whipped out her Nintendo Switch Pro controller while pressing several buttons on the side of her wheelchair, transforming it into the Helengelion. Attaching her controller to her center console, she stomped the robots below.
"No!" Eggman cried. "Curse that hedgehog and his verminous little friends!" The evil doctor pulled himself into his floating Egg Mobile, Decoe and Bocoe piling in behind him. He increased his elevation, watching below as his Badniks were being decimated by the heroes. "Thankfully for me, I have one final trick up my sleeve." Robotnik inched a single finger toward a big red button on his dashboard. "So long, losers!" He pressed the button, causing various explosions within the Egg Carrier.
"Not so fast!" Helen exclaimed as she jumped up, her mech taking flight and heading straight toward Eggman. Using the Helengelion's large, metallic hands, she grabbed hold of the Egg Carrier like a ball and launched it straight into the ocean. The screams from Eggman and his robotic cronies were obscured by the continued explosions within the ship.
"Everyone, on top of my arms!" Helen exclaimed as she landed back on the ship and swiftly knelt, allowing her friends to climb aboard. With a final jump, Helen and the party escaped just as one final explosion engulfed the entire vessel in a ball of fire. With a thunderous crash, the Egg Carrier landed in the ocean.
As the ship started sinking beneath the water's surface, the Helengelion went in for a smooth landing on the island.
Sonic was the first to jump off, but after stretching his legs, the blue hedgehog approached the shore, sighed, and removed his shoes, socks, and gloves.
"Sonic, where are you going?" Amy asked as she landed next to the blue hedgehog.
"Gonna go rescue Egghead," he replied. "Figured it would probably not be a good idea to leave him behind when we return home."
"Yeah, I guess," Amy replied with a sigh. "Good thing I taught you how to swim."
"I'll at least get you a little further out to sea," Tails offered, hovering over the blue hedgehog using his rotary namesakes.
"'Preciate it, pal." He grabbed hold of Tails' ankles as the orange fox increased his altitude and flew over the ocean's surface, the water still disturbed by the ship's crash landing.
"I think I see him!" Tails exclaimed, pointing to the capsized Egg Mobile; Eggman was clasping on, his body sprawled across the top as Decoe and Bocoe bobbed in the water nearby.
"Need some help, Eggbreath?" Sonic asked, taunting from above.
The evil doctor peered up with a frown, too cold, wet, and tired to fight the blue hedgehog's mercy.
"Here we go!" Releasing his grip from Tails' ankles, Sonic launched himself at the Egg Mobile, the collision causing the capsized vessel to flip back over, now serving as a makeshift raft. Tails proceeded to pull Eggman, who took his turn to bob in the ocean water, into the Egg Mobile. Decoe and Bocoe shortly followed, crawling into the vessel.
Jumping from the hood of the Mobile, he clasped Tails' ankles once more and peered down at Eggman and his henchmen. "The way I see it is you have two options: you either come with us back to Mobius or you rot here on Earth in a maximum-security prison for the rest of your lives."
"Speaking of," Tails interrupted, "the Chaos Emeralds fell from the Egg Mobile. They're probably at the bottom of the ocean by n—" As if beckoned by the orange fox's doubt, the party witnessed multiple shades of color rising from the ocean directly below them. Before they knew it, the seven emeralds arose from the sea, a seemingly lifeless body suspended around the rotating gems like an atom.
"They're heading for the island!" Tails exclaimed. He followed the mystical gems and soon made landfall, where the party gathered around in amazement at what they saw.
At the center of the glowing Chaos Emeralds was Christopher Thorndyke, but not the roboticized version created by Dr. Eggman, but the flesh n' blood boy without a trace of Eggman's signature mechanization. The gems gently placed him in the sand before falling to the ground around him. The boy was wet and unconscious, but he was breathing with no apparent signs of injury.
"The Chaos Emeralds must have neutralized Eggman's roboticization," Tails said. Nobody challenged this readily apparent hypothesis.
Chris coughed before slowly opening his eyes to the sight of everyone peering down at him.
"H…H-Helen?"
"Yes, Chris," Helen peered down at him from her wheelchair. "I'm here."
"I'm…s…sorry…" A single tear left his eye before he fell back out of consciousness.
A few moments passed, and Helen reached down, gently clasping the boy's hand.
"I forgive you…Chris…"
A few tears dripped from Helen's cheeks as multiple rescue helicopters landed nearby.
A week had passed since the heroes thwarted Eggman's plan, and everyone had since reunited on the island, except now the beach was lined with various news reporters, politicians, police, and members of the military. The tall, wide portal was now active, powered by the seven Chaos Emeralds, a white void not dissimilar to the void that brought Sonic and friends to Earth all those months ago. A clearing on the beach was left open exclusively for the Mobians to say their final goodbyes before returning home.
Knuckles was the first to head home, steering Angel Island into the portal using his connection with the Master Emerald. Most of the Mobians who were teleported to Earth were also hitching a ride on the floating island, ensuring nobody would be left behind.
Knuckles ran back to the far end of his floating island, waving to the onlookers below as he was engulfed by the void.
"The portal is still stable," Tails called as he studied a monitor affixed to the portal intently, the seven Chaos Emeralds connected to the large contraption shimmering in place.
The next to go were Team Chaotix, who were given a helicopter from the US government to conveniently transport their detective agency. Vector, Espio, and Charmy waved from the cockpit of the helicopter just as they, too, flew into the empty white void.
"Are you ready, sweetie?" Vanilla asked as she bent her knees, placing a loving palm on her daughter's head.
"Yes, mother," Cream replied with a nod.
"Chao, chao!" Cheese added.
Cream then turned to Bokkun, gently grabbing hold of his hand, causing the messenger robot to blush. "Shall we, Bokky?"
"Yes," Bokkun replied with a nod.
Finally, the four turned to their friend and said their goodbyes.
"It was nice to get to know you, Helen," Cream said as she hugged her side. The bunny's eyes were glistening, as were Helen's.
Indeed, Helen's worst fear was coming true: her closest friends were now leaving her. This was a day she was dreading for months…but she knew what was at stake. At the end of the day, Helen watched her friends depart, one by one, wearing a brave face.
Amy was next, who waved everyone goodbye before disappearing into the void.
Rouge followed. The jewel thief stepped closer to the white void, but was stopped by Topaz, tears in her eyes.
"C'mon, girl," Rouge said. "I'm already bad at goodbyes." It didn't matter, for a split second later, Topaz was on her knees, giving the bat a big hug.
"I love you, Rouge…" The human agent tightened her grip around her Mobian girlfriend. Rouge simply closed her eyes, allowing a rare tear to drip down her face. As the two loosened their embrace, Rouge gave Topaz a kiss on the cheek, which was met by Topaz's kiss on her lips, one that lasted a full minute before they ended their goodbye ritual. Stepping into the void, Rouge waved from behind.
"Later…"
And with that, Rouge was gone, and Topaz was left on her knees, crying into the palms of her hands.
"Well, I would say it has been fun," Eggman called as he flew his Egg Mobile toward the portal, "but that would be a lie! Once I establish the Eggman Empire on Mobius, I'll expand my domain to Earth, so don't get too comfortable, Earthlings! Wooahhooohoohooo!" Moments later, Eggman, Decoe, and Bocoe were through the void as well, the evil doctor's echoing laughter reverberating into the humans' ears for, hopefully, the last time.
"Looks like I'm up!" Sonic declared as he stretched his arms and legs. He waved goodbye to everyone before approaching Helen, giving her a side hug, and stepping through the portal.
It was now Tails and the Chaos Emeralds remaining.
"I will now pull the emeralds out of the machine," Chuck said. "You should have about two minutes before the portal powers down. Of course, don't forget the gems!" Pulling out the emeralds and placing them in a bag, he handed them to Tails.
"Thanks," Tails nodded.
Kneeling, Chuck dove in for a hug, tightening his arms around him.
"You've been the best grandson I could've asked for," Chuck said, a tear falling from his cheek.
"I'm gonna miss you," Tails replied, his eyes glistening as well.
After the conclusion of their embrace, there was one more thing Tails had to do.
He approached Helen, and with tears running down his eyes, he gave her a big hug to her side. It was at this point where Helen burst into tears, her face buried into the fox's chest floof.
"Don't be sad, Helen," Tails reassured as they ended the embrace. "Remember, once we get this whole time stoppage and world merging thing figured out, we can work on reestablishing the bridge between our worlds. I'm confident we can visit again someday without endangering Mobius and humanity." The young fox, wearing a warm smile, clasped Helen's hands. "If there's one thing I've learned from Sonic over the years, it's that you should never give up hope, but also know that, while we may be a whole dimension apart, I'll always be…" Tails pressed Helen's palm against her chest. "…in your heart."
"Kinda cheesy," Helen replied with a smirk, her eyes glistening from her fresh tears, "but I like it." Tails simply chuckled in response, scratching the back of his head with his gloved hand, cherishing these last moments.
"Hurry, the portal's about to close!" Chuck exclaimed.
"Right!" Tails hopped into the Tornado biplane, the bag of Chaos Emeralds in-hand. He started the engine and sped toward the white void.
"So long, Helen! So long Chuck! So long everybody!" Tails called as he drove through the void.
"Goodbye…Tails…" Tears fell from Helen's eyes, but these were no longer tears of sadness; indeed, they were tears of joy; joy knowing her friends were now safe and sound back on their home planet; joy knowing they avoided the merging of their worlds; joy knowing that, one day, she would be able to see her friends again.
And so, as the press, military, police, and others departed, what was left were Chuck, Helen, Doug, and Alicia staring off across the ocean as the sun began to set over the horizon.
"Hey, ummm…Helen?"
The party turned around to find Chris standing several yards away, a helicopter behind piloted by Mr. Tanaka. The young boy approached the party. "Can I have a word in private?"
"Ummmm, sure…" Helen followed Chris several yards away as her family studied them in concern.
"Listen, I just…" Chris scratched the back of his head. "I just…want to…apologize for everything." Chris gulped as he fought the instincts to defend his honor, dropping his smug attitude and allowing himself to be truthful and vulnerable. "I've been an ass. Even before I started working with Eggman, I can't deny that my behavior has been reprehensible."
Chris pulled an envelope out of his suit jacket pocket. "I'm no longer going to ask you to be my girlfriend. I don't deserve it, and I know you don't like me like that anyway." He handed Helen the card. "This doesn't pay back everything I've done to you and your friends, but I hope it's at least a start."
The young girl opened the envelope to reveal what appeared to be a contract written in legalese.
"Remember how I promised you the finest healthcare in the world in exchange for being my girlfriend? Well, here it is: you have unlimited, free access to the finest healthcare facilities in and around Station Square, owned by the Thorndyke Estate. You also have priority access to the top doctors, physical therapists, and all other medical experts you need now and possibly in the future." Chris cleared his throat. "So I did talk out of my ass when I once promised to cure you of your paraplegia, but these doctors can at least treat you now and going forward."
"Chris, I…" Helen shook her head and returned the contract back to Chris. "I don't think I can accept this."
"But…why not?" Chris asked. "I know how hard it's been on your parents to afford even the most basic healthcare, and this could really ease their burden."
"Yeah, I know…" Helen spun around. "It just…doesn't seem right, you know? There are millions more patients out there who are worse off than I am. I'm nobody special."
"Helen…" Chris approached the young girl, folded up the contract, and cupped it in her palms. "Just…think about it. Talk it over with your parents at least. Can you promise me that?"
"Y-yeah…" Helen nodded. "Thank you."
With that, the young girl returned to her family as Chris returned to his helicopter, departing the island shortly after.
As for Helen's family? Well…they had a ride planned of their own.
Punching a memorized combination into the number pad on the armrest of her wheelchair, the young girl summoned forth her Helengelion once more. Pulling out her Nintendo Switch Pro controller, she affixed it to the dash of her control panel and lowered her large, metallic palms down, cupping them to provide her family safe passage home.
And so the Helengelion took off, taking flight and setting course back to her small, quiet home in her small, quiet suburb neighboring Station Square.
Epilogue:
All was quiet across the dark, evening skies of Mobius as Tails flew off the tarmac connecting his combined home and workshop bordering the Mystic Ruins. The sun was nearly set, the light emanating from the full moon above providing enough light for the young fox to make his way across the skies aboard the Tornado biplane.
Tails smiled and sighed deeply, reflecting on how fortunate he was to be in his happy place: flying across the lands in his contraption, without a care in the world. Eggman had been quiet as of late, leaving the fox, and really, all his friends, to recuperate and readjust to life back on Mobius after being gone for so long. Thankfully, save for some cobwebs, a lawn in desperate need of trimming, and a fridge full of expired food he had to throw away, the fox had little chores upon his return home.
The orange kitsune hummed to himself softly, but a bright light in the distance broke the tranquility.
"Is that…a shooting star?" He pulled out his binoculars. "No…that's a…a plane? Or even a…spaceship?"
Furrowing his brow, the young fox increased his speed. He watched the vessel make landfall deep within the Mystic Ruins jungle.
"Alright…" Tails opened the hatch of his plane and dove out, allowing the autopilot to return his plane home as he made his way to the ground below.
Peering up, Tails found the silver vessel lodged between the branches of multiple thick jungle trees. Flying up, he peered inside to find a young, plant-like girl, one who appeared close to his age, unconscious.
The hatch had loosened from impact, allowing Tails to pry it open. Upon closer inspection, the young girl appeared none the worse for wear; her red flower ears were well kept, and while her arms and legs were obscured by her flowery dress, the yellowish tint of her skin seemed normal and healthy…at least for her species.
Tails' eyes glistened as he studied the mysterious girl. He blushed slightly through his fluffy muzzle.
There's something about her that seems…special.
The young girl slowly opened her eyes, and as her vision returned to her, the furry creature before her caused the alien to scream in fright and launch a kick that sent Tails flying out of the ship and down to the grass below.
"Oh no!" She exclaimed as she pulled herself out of the ship and floated down thanks to the petal-like design of her dress. Upon landing, she found the fox boy's head was spinning from the fall. "I'm so sorry, are you hurt?"
"Can I get the number…on that spaceship?" His head dropped back as the orange fox fell out of consciousness, his arms and legs sprawled about, his tongue sticking out the side of his mouth, and two swirls in place of his eyeballs in typical anime fashion.
"Don't worry..." She climbed back up the tree, returning shortly with a blanket, bandage, and ointment from her ship. The young girl inspected Tails' head, finding a nice big bruise. Wincing, she applied the ointment and bandage before wrapping his body up with the warm blanket.
"Sleep tight," she said before allowing Tails to get some rest. Instead of sleeping herself, however, she simply laid on her back, her hands keeping her head propped up slightly, as she watched the night sky above, the stars glistening in the distance.
"I sure hope the inhabitants of this world can help me…"
"The fate of the universe will depend on it."
And with that, A Bridge Between Worlds is now complete! For those of you who have stuck around since the beginning of this story, or even since the first story in my "Sonic X Reimagined" series (A Prelude to Chaos Control), I want to thank you for your dedication. While I have not responded to all the reviews and comments I've received across AO3, FFN, and various social media websites, I want you to know that the comments you all have left have kept me going all these years.
Since the start of the pandemic, I rediscovered my love for writing fanfiction, which culminated in the writing of my Sonic X prequel fic and, ultimately, this massive reimagining of Sonic X as a whole. As time went on, my chapter uploads became less frequent as I accrued more workplace and household responsibilities. Having a child also took a toll on my writing time, as did my discovery of a whole new hobby: drawing (see my attempts at matching the Sonic X style on my social media profiles). That being said, I've been debating for over a year how I should end Bridge. Should it continue into season 3, while mixing in some elements of the show I intentionally excluded from seasons 1 and 2, such as the Tikal/Chaos segments, or should I develop a sequel to Bridge, effectively starting a third story in my "Reimagining" series? Ultimately I went with the latter, as I feel this will be a good natural break to allow me time to recuperate, recharge my creative writing juices, and ultimately put a plan into action for a sequel that both newcomers and longtime readers will enjoy.
I can't say exactly when I will start the next story, but I've been looking forward to writing some wholesome Tailsmo content for a while now, and one thing I will guarantee is that I'll be including a ton of Tailsmo fluff in the next installment of my reimagining series, so stay tuned!
Once again, I want to thank you all again for reading through until the end! I would be curious to hear how you enjoyed it, what you liked about the ending, and what you thought could've been improved. I'm especially curious to hear feedback on how I handled Chris' arc; I'm actually very surprised that the most controversial aspect of Bridge has been my decision to turn him into an outright asshole. It was quite polarizing to some readers, which I can totally understand, even considering the fandom's general dislike of the character. For those who were not fans of where I took Chris, I would especially be interested to hear your thoughts on how I concluded Chris' character arc. If you have other feedback, however, please feel free to share!
That's all for now! Feel free to follow me across various social medias if you would like to connect or see my fan art. You can also find me on the Tails Discord server (gg/Tails)
Signing off!
AndTails
UPDATE: Since publishing this chapter, I added a "true final" chapter based on reader feedback, so feel free to continue reading on!
