Sonic the Hedgehog: Solar Tides [IC/Accepting]

[Wind Rider]

"Gah, son of a..." Alex winced a little from a spark that singed the tip of fur, a weak voice could be heard from where the spark came from. "Feed....me...." As Alex moved a big piece of rubble out of the way, a little robot came out of the wreckage, it was apparently chomping on some of the scrap. "Re-configuring junk material into....usable weapons fit for a badnik...." before Alex could respond, the little robot opened up a compartment and out from came some well-made, if a bit rusty, knives. Alex took the knives with a bit of caution but the robot started hovering around her, almost as if it had taken a liking to her. "Hey little guy... hmmm... you seem a bit lost... how about sticking with me for a while?" Alex thought she would find something useful, but a mobile weapon maker was hitting the jackpot.

 

"And in regards to what you say happened to Metropolis and why you're here...The dark hedgehogs you speak of are Mephiles' minions. They're called Shades, and Silver once said that their very presence is enough to infect all life in an area...He's probably either looking for Iblis or the chaos emeralds as we speak, and Metropolis was simply collateral damage." Hmph, collateral damage, whatever that thing was it was out for blood not destruction. "You're right, we need to get moving. Theres too much... interference here, and I can't properly tap into the chaos force. Lead us to the exit so that I can try see if I can locate the rest of the emeralds before Mephiles does." Getting out of a place where another crazy robot could attack did seem like a smart idea, plus if the hedgehogs could find more of those chaos emerald things, Alex couldn't help but tag along, a best chance she gets, those gems are as good as got.

 

"Hey. If you guys are trying to stop this Mephi...whatever the hell his name is...then I'm helping." Of course that wolf was coming along too, he didn't seem like the type to let so much innocent blood be spilled like what happened at Metropolis, a nice resolve but with a certain degree of cockiness, for a canine, Zane may be easy to get along with. "What about you, Alex? You gonna go back to Metropolis and help out our dingo friend?" Alex's face turned a bit pale at the reference to Harvey, did... did Zane not know... of course he wouldn't, he was the first to dive into that portal so he never saw... god, why was Alex getting bent about that? Harvey wasn't family, he was just another cop looking to cash in on her bounty, more persistent than others and decent shot but still, why was this so hard for Alex to swallow?

 

"Harvey... he won't be needing help... he's... he's..." why was she getting emotional over this? She only looks out for herself, but why, why was this bloodshed getting to her? "Just... drop the subject... there are better cops taking care of that city..." Alex just turned away so no one would see her like this. "Just find us a way off this scrapyard..."

[King K. Azo]

"You're right, we need to get moving. There's too much... interference here, and I can't properly tap into the chaos force. Lead us to the exit so that I can try see if I can locate the rest of the emeralds before Mephiles does."  A way off the island, he said? A flash of memory came into the robot's head.

 

"You think that's Mephiles' plan?  To gather all the emeralds?"  Ken's fist tightened.  "That won't happen!  We can't allow it!"  He looked to the robot with a calm demeanor, but a ferocious fire burning in his eyes.  "Axel said this place was an island...if that's so, then do you know a way off it at all?  After all this used to be your home.  You gotta know how to at least leave it, am I right?" Chimera nodded.

 

"Oh, yes. I can get you off the island," Metal, you glorious robot. Chimera took off, dashing up the stairs and ascending the tower. This was too good to be true, but it was. This was going to he amazing.

 

At the very top of the tower, he saw a control panel... One that activated a very certain function of this island. Setting Mecha's head down he began to flip the power on, it miraculously still working. With a robotic chuckle, Chimera flipped the switch, looking out the broken windows to see his handiwork.

 

The area began to shake as the ground about 500 feet away from the tower began to split open, mechanical grinding and whirls being heard as ancient gears began to turn. The junk began to fall into the now gaping hole as something began to rise from the ground. Grabbing Mecha's head, Chimera took a leap out of the window, landing on the ground right next to the hole.

 

As the others came out, they would be able to see a massive aircraft rise from the ground, the symbol of Eggman boldly painted on its side. Besides the paint faded and the color of the metal being dull, the ship seemed to be in perfect condition. Chimera simply watched as the ship finally rose above the ground, opening up and letting down a ramp they could climb to get in.

 

"This is our ride off the island. The Egg Carrier,"Chimera sounded proud as he climbed up the ramp into the inside, headed to the pilot's seat and sitting down in it. It was time for this old machine to fly again.

[Mr. Hyde]

Old Eggland

 

"Oh, yes. I can get you off the island,"  Chimera stated, as he ascended the entirety of the egg fortress.  Ken left the robot to do his work, he definitely knew what he was doing.  After all, this was his home.  As he finagled with some sort of control panel, there was some kind of disturbance in the fortress.  

 

The whole island seemed to shake, and Ken prepared an offensive stance.  Maybe they were going to fight another robot that could generate earthquakes.  His bones were on the verge of shattering, and every muscle in his body twisted, but he would protect this new alliance that had been created.  Luckily that was not the case, and father away a whole had been created in the island's surface.  Ken made his way outside the fortress, and in the distance he could see a rusty flying device appear.  Chimera made his way over in a hurry, and Ken chased after him.  A ramp was let down, and he followed Chimera inside.

 

"This is our ride off the island. The Egg Carrier!"

 

Chimera sat in the main chair of the haul, and Ken gave off a semi pout.  

 

"AWWW MAN!  Why do you get the cool chair!"  He said as he slammed his fist into the console in front of Chimera.  As he did so, the screen that was on the console read in big bold letters, FLIGHT SEQUENCE INITIATED.  The sound of motors whirred throughout the ship, and it almost got off the ground.  However, before it made it even a couple of inches off, it merely slammed back down to Mobius once more.  On the console it now read, CRITICAL ENGINE FAILURE: REROUTING TO SEA.  More mechanisms could be heard shifting, as the egg carrier changed from it's flying mode, into its more aquatic one.  Portholes began to shut, and turbines were pushed outwards.  The carrier was then rotated on the same platform it had risen on, and pointed straight towards the Mobian Ocean.  It slowly rolled its way into the deep Mobian Ocean with a gigantic splash.  Ken sat in silence with his fist still on the console.

 

"Uhm....I promise I didn't mean to do that..."

 

The egg carrier was setting sail!

[Wind Rider]

It seemed like the robot knee a way off this scrapyard as he flew up to a control panel at the top of the tower. At the press of a button, the ground began to shake as a hole opened up in the distance. A giant machine came from the opening and the robot hurried out to see it, as did everyone else, Alex just took her time as she didn't know if the little robot she found could keep up or not. She made it to where everyone had gathered to a ramp that had opened up from the machine. "This is our ride off the island. The Egg Carrier!" The robot said with a proud tone in its artificial voice.

 

"You sure that this rust bucket is going to get us out of here?" Alex said with worry in her voice, there was no telling if this thing was even operational after so many years. Either way, everyone was boarding the carrier, Alex could only hope that this rusted machine could work. "Come on little guy, let's get out of here," Alex said to her new robot friend.

 

The carrier had tried to take off, but whether on account of age or one of the hedgehogs slamming the console at the pilot's seat, the big aircraft had to take a more aquatic approach. Alex looked out a window to see the carrier splashing into the water. "Not a big fan of water, but at least we're getting somewhere... If anyone wants me... which I'm sure no one will... I'll be checking around this carrier," Alex said to the others before mumbling to herself, "I need to see if there are any medical supplies in here anyway."

[Super Chaos Sonic]

"This is our ride off the island. The Egg Carrier!"

 

"Egg Carrier? Uhhhh...no offense to you, uhh Chimera was it? But uh your creator had like...an egg fascination or something. Sheesh." Zane shook his head, shaking it a bit, chuckling some. "But still, a ship is still awesome."

 

With that, he followed the group, his eyes shifting in Alex's direction. When Zane had asked about Harvey, she dodged the question. Either she didn't really know...or she was definitely hiding something. And with him being pretty skeptical...his gut was going for the latter. I'm asking her again...I'm getting an answer. he said, entering the the carrier, walking into the control room. "Whoooaaa...this is pretty awesome. A bit old school in terms of tech, buuuut not too bad." he said with a whistle.

 

"AWWW MAN!  Why do you get the cool chair!"

 

Zane looked at the hedgehog, Ken, before he rolled his eyes. "Dude...I think ya might wanna 'chill'." he snickered, until he felt the carrier ending up moving as he lost his balance almost immediately, before making a splash into the water.

 

"N-Nghhh..." the arctic wolf groaned, holding his head some. "O-Okay...that...that was not fun." he said, slowly getting up, before seeing Alex walking off at this point. Zane planned to ask her about Harvey...but not now...not yet.

[Hälō]

BMG

 

Whilst the others began to familiarize them selves with the team's new aquatic vessel, Axel sat with his legs folded and his hands held gently on either lap, meeting at tips of the middle and ring fingers. They didn't have time to bother with Ken's tomfoolery. Every second they wasted brought the monster that had killed Silver one step closer to finding another emerald- or worse, Iblis...

 

"How strange..." Axel trailed off as his senses dived deep into the Chaos force through his meditation, causing his consciousness to spread all over the planet. Oddly enough, he felt an odd sense of vacancy within the chaos force. What was once a sweeping array of energies and the consciousnesses of those who held an above average intonement with the powers of chaos, was now desolate wasteland of basic life energy and what Axel would usually deem "normals" such as his brother.

 

"Though I guess it makes my job easier." Momentarily dismissing the fact that the presence of all the other beings who held the potentially to use the Chaos force had seemingly vanished, Axel moved on to the next stage of his task. With a slight twitch, he began channeling his power through the chaos emerald that rested at his side, causing it to violently shake before slowly levitating in the space above Axel's shoulder. 

 

A blinding blue light soon filled the room, claiming the attention of all those around, and even causing Alex to halt her exit and turn to see the source of the sudden disturbance. The low hum of energy reverberated from a shimmering blue hallo that surround Axel and the silver crystal as he observed the chaos emerald's energy signature and began syncing his own flow of energy with it. 

 

Spreading his senses across great distances with the aid of the emerald, Axel searched for any sources of energy that felt similar to the artifact. Before long, he settled on a large source of chaos energy that seemed to lingering on the continent closest to the north of their current location. "Got ya!" Sinking his mental teeth into the energy signature, the white hedgehog suddenly broke into a grin before reaching out and grabbing the emerald that floated at his side. 

 

"I've managed to pinpoint our next target..." Axel finally spoke as he shot open his eyes and brought himself up to his feet. "If Mephiles is looking for the chaos emeralds, then we have no choice but collect them all before he does." As he spoke he shifted his gaze over each of his new allies faces. "Even if he is actually seeking out Iblis, if we manage to secure all seven emeralds, we'll be able to reseal both of them before they can destroy the world..." As he said this, his eyes landed on Ken. Did his brother know what Mephiles had to do to free Iblis? Maybe it was better to keep him in the dark regarding that matter... less he demand that they try to play hero and go to protect the Iblis trigger. 

 

"I can't have your heart slowing us down in this mission, brother..." Axel thought silently as he stared into Ken's eyes with his glowing blue gaze. What did his brother see when he saw him like this? "I'll destroy this monster and avenge father no matter what." He resolved, breaking the slight tension that had formed in the air before moving to the front window of the ship. 

 

"The window for any of you to back down is rapidly closing." He addressed his allies as he stared out into the open. "Chimera, we're heading north," The white hedgehog glanced to the robot directly to his right before turning over his shoulder to the other three.

 

"Our journey begins now!" 

 

END OF PROLOGUE 

 

[spoiler=OOC]Feel free to add anything you did after my post in yours, but Hyde's next post will mark the beginning of episode one and will have us forward in time. Thanks for playing guys!

 

[Super Chaos Sonic]

-BGM | BGM-

 

What the hell did I find myself in? Zane thought, standing atop the deck of the now sea bound Egg Carrier. He sighed, feeling the ocean breeze against his fur before closing his eyes. How did this even happen? One minute he's just minding his business in Metropolis...and the next he's in the middle of a blood bath brought forth by some 'psychotic ancient evil'. Zane was still pretty skeptical on this whole thing...but what other choices and options did he have?

 

The eyes of the arctic wolf shot open, after he imagined the look of that accursed dark hedgehog...no...after imaging the look of the face of Mephiles. He could still hear the cries of the civilians of Metropolis and it made him clench his fists tightly. I swear...I'm going to make him pay for that. I just hope Harvey is going to be alright while we're gone... he thought, sighing slightly.

 

He turned around on his heel and got off the deck, before returning to the others. About this time, Axel returned into the room.

 

"I've managed to pinpoint our next target...If Mephiles is looking for the chaos emeralds, then we have no choice but collect them all before he does. Even if he is actually seeking out Iblis, if we manage to secure all seven emeralds, we'll be able to reseal both of them before they can destroy the world..."

 

Zane smirked before giving a thumbs up. "So a treasure hunt, then. Sounds like a 'cool' time to me..." he said, before crossing his arms. "Though I will say this...that Mephiles guy will have a lot to answer to when I see his ugly mug. Especially after the chaos he brought out in Metropolis."

 

"The window for any of you to back down is rapidly closing. Chimera, we're heading north, our journey begins now!"

 

The arctic wolf looked out the window, chuckling as he looked at Axel. "You got me. I got a score to settle with the psychopath...so you aren't hearing any complaints from me." he said, smirking. This was now their moment...

 

After everything that happened to them now...now... They'd strike back...

[Wind Rider]

After looking around the Egg Carrier, Alex came up short, there wasn't anything left but robot parts and scrap on the Carrier. "Sheesh, did this Eggman guy not have any human workers around here? So much for looking for medical supplies..." Alex limped back to the cockpit of the Carrier, her leg still twisted from the fight with that mechanical menace. Apparently one of the hedgehogs had got a lead on what to do.

 

"I've managed to pinpoint our next target...If Mephiles is looking for the chaos emeralds, then we have no choice but collect them all before he does. Even if he is actually seeking out Iblis, if we manage to secure all seven emeralds, we'll be able to reseal both of them before they can destroy the world..." Iblis? Great, another threat that was out there waiting for them. "The window for any of you to back down is rapidly closing. Chimera, we're heading north, our journey begins now!" Well, it's not like she had much of a choice, after what happened at Metropolis, that evil hedgehog or whatever he was would surely be looking for her. Best to stay in a group, even if it wasn't something Alex was used to. "You got me. I got a score to settle with the psychopath...so you aren't hearing any complaints from me." At least Zane was ready for this, heroism or not, Alex had her own motives.

 

"I guess you can count me in too... If you even have any use for a one armed thief like me," Alex said before mumbling under her voice so no one could hear her, "and when we find those emeralds, I'll be one rich cat."

[King K. Azo]

"Chimera, we're heading north," The one hedgehog named Axel said. Chimera nodded and began to steer the ship northwards. He sat in his chair, thinking to himself. Long ago, this is not what he imagine would happen in his life. He thought he would conquer Sonic and his friends, destroy GUN, bring home Omega, and they would create a world for badniks. Instead... he was trying to save it. It amused him, really.

He stood up after turning the ship. "I'm going to check on the ship," In his haste and excitement, he didn't realize that there might be more busted on it than he thought. He should at least check the weapon systems. "Don't touch anything until I come back," He stated as he headed down the hall. Time to get to work.

[Mr. Hyde]

Chapter 1: Riding the Tides

 

Mobian Sea: Egg Carrier

 

It had been a couple of days since the new heroes had left on their journey to strike back against the forces that had shook up the very foundations that Mobius had built over the past centuries.  Each member of the team had declared a room for themselves in the living quarters.  The subtle movements of the ship as they rocked back and forth on the tides had slowly become nothing more than a common occurrence.  The skies were clear in the morning, and at night, the stars filled the empty black void.  It was a good thing that the heroes had time to recover since their last encounter, but the mingling had become awkward.  After all, this was the first time they had actually been near new people for so long.  This amalgamation of a team was in desperate need of some bonding.  

 

Ken woke up with a vicious yawn.  As he rose quickly, he knocked his head against the metallic ceiling that was over it.  Ken was still getting used to the fact that there wasn't as much space above him as there was at home.  He was sharing a bunk bed with his brother.  Axel was still asleep at this time, so it must've been quite early for Ken.  He couldn't sleep well anyway.  All that he could see in his dreams was Silver's gentle smile, as the brothers were shoved into the void.  Ken clutched the medallion in his hand.  

 

He jumped down from his barracks, almost in the nude.  He just wore a pair of boxer briefs while he slept.  

 

"Wish the old geezer would've let us pack some stuff before he just whisked us away..."  He opened the chest next to his bed to get out his clothes.  They were freshly washed from the night from before, but there were some new tatters that he had received from those last two fights.  While he was dressing himself, he lazily left the room.  The eating quarters were pretty close to the crew rooms, and he made his way there.  It was strange to him that their were even eating quarters on this ship at all, seeing as how the occupants of the ship were usually robots.  Maybe the old doctor liked eating meals made by his crew.  Ken shrugged.  

 

In the back room, there was plenty of food in stock.  Of course, the only edible ones were the non-perishable food rations in cans.  The others were some sort of bagged powder that Ken had no idea what to do with.  He usually just took one can labeled "Breakfast Rations" and proceeded to eat the weird goo from a tray.  

 

"It looks and tastes bad..." he mumbled while chewing, "That's how you know it's good for you!"  Ken proceeded to snicker.  Ken would cease to snicker if he had seen a point on the horizon that wasn't visible at the moment.  

 

A storm was coming.

 

[spoiler=OOC]

Welcome to chapter 2 everyone!  We're just cruising on the Egg Carrier for the time being, but don't get too cozy just yet.  Trust me, we'll have a couple of rounds of character interaction before anything major happens.  Thank you everyone for sticking with me thus far!  I'm really glad that you all are here!  Let's keep it going!

 

Gotta go fast!

 

 

[Wind Rider]

It had been a couple days since the group had set sail on the Egg Carrier, Alex awoke to a bright sun peeking in through the window of her room. She let out a small yawn before getting off her bed and headed to the bathroom to change. Why that doctor had all these rooms despite having an army of robots was beyond her, but Alex was glad none the less. After she changed into her clothes she looked at herself in the mirror, her clothes looked worn and torn (likely from that crazy robot fight), her leg was feeling a lot better and her wounds have healed from the last fight a few days ago. All and all, the most she needed was some new clothes that weren't so worn out. "Ah well, when I get back to Metropolis I'll see what I can steal from the stores."

 

Alex left her room and headed into the eating quarters, one of the brothers was already there and eating his share of the "food", hard to call it that when it's some weird goo. "Bleh... I'm just going to skip breakfast today." A few days of eating that junk was enough for Alex. She sat a few chairs away from the hedgehog, even though everyone should be getting to know eachother right now, Alex wasn't one for starting a conversation. She looked around her and noticed that the little robot from earlier wasn't around. "Heh, must be charging it's batteries somewhere, that thing's useful I'll give it that much, I wonder if it could make something besides a weapon?" Alex thought to herself. She would just have to wait until the little guy was around to ask.

[Super Chaos Sonic]

-BGM-

 

All in all, even though it wasn't exactly a luxury cruise-liner, the Egg Carrier was pretty enjoyable for Zane. To think, something of this caliber was around during the time of his ancestor's time...it boggled his mind that it would even be in the condition it was.

 

Zane laid sprawled across his bed in the room he called. He laid there tossing up and down in his hand a snowball that he formed, just keeping himself busy. He was usually one of the early risers...well, aside from Ken, who seemed to always wake up first. Then again, that hedgehog was always running laps around the carrier's deck. It was amusing to say the least.

 

"Alright, guess I should get out of bed." Zane said, sitting up, tossing the snowball into the air before snapping his fingers and causing it to fall as snow above him. He dusted his black jeans off before tossing them on, strapping on his shoes soon after. The arctic wolf soon grabbed his vest and threw it on, watching as a piece of paper fell out of it. "Hm?"

 

When he went down to pick it up, Zane noticed it was the bounty poster for Alex the Cat. That reminded him freshly to ask the cat about Harvey...she dodged it the last time...but now he was going to ask....and get an answer.

 

 

"It looks and tastes bad...That's how you know it's good for you!"

 

"Well...either that or it's way past its expiration date!" Zane chuckled out, making his way into the eating quarters, seeing both Ken and Alex. "I mean, c'mon...how long has most of this stuff been ON this bucket of bolts?" he said, grabbing a chair as he sat down on it.

 

He looked at Ken, exchanging a smile and a wave, before turning to face Alex, his face turning very serious. "Alright, Alex...I think it's time you stop avoiding my question. What happened in Metropolis when I went through that portal? Is Harvey alright? Did he say anything?"

[Hälō]

BMG

 

"Alright, Alex...I think it's time you stop avoiding my question. What happened in Metropolis when I went through that portal? Is Harvey alright? Did he say anything?"

 

"If he was being targeted by the Shades like you two were..." Axel's voice called from the darkness of the hallway before he stepped out into the ship's eating quarters. His bright blue eyes settled intently on Zane's as he proceeded to walk towards the group with his arms crossed. In truth, Axel's opinion of the wolf was rather high considering that he reminded him of a more mature Ken. His powers were useful, and his attitude was one that would make him helpful at all times, despite the horrid ice puns...

 

"Then your friend's dead." He finished in is usual lofty tone before shifting to glance towards Alex. Though he couldn't deny that her ability to manipulate and project fire was powerful, he saw the way she looked at the chaos emerald that Silver had left them and found her generally untrustworthy. 

 

Apathetic to how the news might of effected the wolf and cat, Axel sighed before looking around the room, and noting that their robot companion was still absent. "Chimera, would you join us? It have something we need to discuss." The white hedgehog called up to the ceiling, allowing his voice to echo throughout the ship. 

 

"I didn't believe at first, but it seem like Mephiles wasn't just randomly popping up places looking for Iblis or the emeralds..." As he spoke, Axel placed his left palm on the spot next to Ken at the table before raising his right hand up near his face and forming a small sphere of chaos energy. "It was an extermination." Taking a moment to let his words settle in, Axel glanced around at the faces of his comrades with a deadly serious expression. "I can't sense a single entity on the planet with even the potential to tap into the chaos force... not one." As he spoke, a number of small spheres began to bud all over the larger sphere of chaos energy, only to slowly vanish one by one until there was only four left. 

 

"Except for us." The white hedgehog suddenly slammed his hand shut, crushing the sphere and sending light particles scattering across the table. 
 

"I-I don't know why he would do something this though... This wasn't how Silver described the creature's behavior in the stories... This was a planned presumptive strike; a battle tactic resembling that of an emperor, not a creature that simply seeks destruction." A sliver of doubt gleamed through as Axel's gaze fell to the table and his grip tightened. 

[Wind Rider]

Alex looked into the hallway to see that Zane was up and about now, he had a few flakes of snow on him, though that didn't surprise Alex. He sat down and sorta waved at Ken, friendly as always, though Alex avoids him when she can. "Alright, Alex...I think it's time you stop avoiding my question. What happened in Metropolis when I went through that portal? Is Harvey alright? Did he say anything?" And that's why she's been avoiding him for the past few days. "You really want to know... well... Harvey is... he's..." but before Alex could say it, the other hedgehog, Axel, came in and took the words right out of Alex's mouth.

 

"If he was being targeted by the Shades like you two were... Then your friend's dead." Axel said this without much hesitation, he didn't seem keen on how this news would be heard, but Alex had to confirm his statement. "He's right Zane... it happened just as you went into the portal, Harvey had me by my arm and was trying to rush to the portal, but before he could, those shades, they... they..." Alex put her head down in her arms to hide her face. "He threw me into the portal, last I saw he was saluting us off..." Alex wasn't about to cry over this, but the sadness in her voice was there.

 

Axel went on to say that the attack on Metropolis wasn't exactly a random massacre, it was planned. Using his telekinesis, Axel showed a large sphere to represent Mobius, and a ton of tiny dots on it. Seconds later all the dots started to vanish one after the other, until there were four left. Axel suddenly crushed the sphere, all that was left were light particles floating around. We're they the only ones, the only four left on Mobius who could harness this Chaos force? Alex didn't quite understand this, but she did understand one thing. "Heh, so I'm really alone now... the only people who cared about me died in a fire, and now the only person who cared about me to a certain extent is dead at the hands of some, monster. Some life I have."

[King K. Azo]

 

Chimera had been a very busy robot the past few days. He had inspected the Egg Carrier, looking for small cracks and electrical failures while also fixing the weapon systems. The missiles, somehow, were still online, while the lasers needed repaired. It took him about two days, but he did manage he to get them back online. He was repairing the security systems at the moment, tapping into the cameras to see which worked and listening in to the conversation the organics were having.

 

"Then your friend's dead." The organic known as Axel stated in a tone Chimera's systems identified as 'lofty'. Axel appeared to believe he was better than all of them. Quite honestly, Chimera couldn't give any less of a crap if he tried, but it would annoy the other organics. That wasn't good, if they were truly supposed to he a team. After all, Sonic and his friends showed Metal Sonic what 'The Real Super Power of Teamwork'... It was something that they needed right now.

 

Axel had asked for Chimera's presence, so the robot complied. Walking over, he kept listening in. Apparently, any creature with the potential to tap into the Chaos Force was exterminated, besides the four in the ship currently. It was worrying Axel. The robot walked into the room.

 

"All Eggman units possess a low amount of intelligence," he stated. "They can recognize targets and attack. However, if a Metal Series or a similar unit is nearby, they become organized, calculating, to almost a terrifying degree," He looked up to the group. "If Mephiles is truly as goalless as you stated then there must be someone or something behind the scenes, motivating him," It was the only logical explaination.

 

The good news was he had finished fixing the security system. He wireless turned it on... Only for a horrible, horrible sound to blare across the ship. An out of tune guitar played as drums were pounded on, an annoying voice screeching something about bees, and then what sounded like a crocodile began to scream into a mic. Eggman, what was that horrible noise?!

 

Quickly checking what was wrong, Chimera realized that the ship considered the four organics to be hostile, and as such activated countermeasures. He quickly shut down the system and made the necessary adjustments. "Sorry about the noise. It seems I reactivated an old security system, which recognized you all as hostile units. I managed to add you to the system though, so a repeat should not happen," Doctor Eggman was a mad genius...

[Super Chaos Sonic]

"If he was being targeted by the Shades like you two were...Then your friend's dead."

 

Zane reeled his head back, seeing Axel walking into the room, obviously saying this. He stared at the hedgehog for a good long period of time, before laughing. "Yeeeeaaaaah, no likely." he said with a chuckle. "The guy seemed like the type of guy who would be living for quite a while." The arctic wolf quickly dismissed this thought, waving his hand a bit. "And if I was to bet...he'd probably be hiding out somewhere with at least some survivors! Right Alex?"

 

However...Alex's answer...

 

-BGM-

 

"He's right Zane... it happened just as you went into the portal, Harvey had me by my arm and was trying to rush to the portal, but before he could, those shades, they... they... He threw me into the portal, last I saw he was saluting us off..."

 

The smile on Zane's face slowly faded as his eyes widened some. His posture began to slouch as he heard this grim news. But it wasn't the only news he would hear...

 

"I didn't believe at first, but it seem like Mephiles wasn't just randomly popping up places looking for Iblis or the emeralds...It was an extermination. I can't sense a single entity on the planet with even the potential to tap into the chaos force... not one. Except for us. I-I don't know why he would do something this though... This wasn't how Silver described the creature's behavior in the stories... This was a planned presumptive strike; a battle tactic resembling that of an emperor, not a creature that simply seeks destruction."

 

A mass extermination? Zane's eyes shifted towards Axel, before widening more. He quickly stood up from his chair, clenching his fists. Entities...that have potential to tap into the chaos force...? Wait...if I'm one...no...oh god no... he thought, before moving towards Axel, gripping his shoulders. "Northern Tundra!! P-Please...please tell me you can sense anyone there...PLEASE!!!" he shouted, almost on the verge of tears.

[Mr. Hyde]

Mobian Sea: Egg Carrier

 

"If he was being targeted by the Shades like you two were...Then your friend's dead."

 

Ken almost coughed up his food.  Before he choked to death as well, he forced the food down as his gullet.  He looked to his brother with a harsh scowl.  

 

"Yeeeeaaaaah, no likely. The guy seemed like the type of guy who would be living for quite a while.  And if I was to bet...he'd probably be hiding out somewhere with at least some survivors! Right Alex?"

 

"Hey bro...just take it easy...we don't know that.  And you possibly can't either!"  How wrong he could be.  His brother put up a projection of the entire world and the inhabitants of Mobius.  Lights that lit up the tiny sphere of chaos slowly degraded in number.  Ken's heart sank at the mere sight.  

 

"I didn't believe at first, but it seem like Mephiles wasn't just randomly popping up places looking for Iblis or the emeralds...It was an extermination. I can't sense a single entity on the planet with even the potential to tap into the chaos force... not one. Except for us. I-I don't know why he would do something this though... This wasn't how Silver described the creature's behavior in the stories... This was a planned presumptive strike; a battle tactic resembling that of an emperor, not a creature that simply seeks destruction."

 

Ken looked away, trying his best not to cry over those he didn't know...but this fact was especially tough to swallow.  He forced himself to give the globe a look over though.  He did in fact see three dots on the map in a close cluster...but upon further examination, one could see faint signals almost invisible, but still glistening on the globe.  There was still hope after all.  His brother was just to focused on the situation at hand to notice.  He was about to alert the others when an alarm went off inside the carrier.  

 

"Sorry about the noise. It seems I reactivated an old security system, which recognized you all as hostile units. I managed to add you to the system though, so a repeat should not happen. "

 

Good thing that was addressed before they were exhumed from the ship like a virus.  In the portholes in the cafeteria, a large flash of light permeated the room.  A loud crack of thunder that shook the ship soon followed afterwards.  The rocking of the ship started to get way more violent.  Ken held onto the table he was sitting at tightly.  

 

"I think we're heading into rough waters!  Brace yourselves!"  

[Wind Rider]

Alex jumped from her seat when a loud, horrible noise started blaring through the inside of the Carrier. "My ears! Turn that horrible excuse for an alarm system off!" The alarm, or whatever that was, turned off seconds later before Chimera came into eating quarters. "Sorry about the noise. It seems I reactivated an old security system, which recognized you all as hostile units. I managed to add you to the system though, so a repeat should not happen." Well it was a good thing that he fixed it, they were already far at sea so getting thrown out now would be very bad. "*Sigh* Great, now not only am I in a terrible mood, my ears feel like they're bleeding, thanks Chimera, but couldn't you have thought to verify that we're not enemies before turning on an old security system?" Alex was not good with having her ear drums blown out, she'd have smacked the robot if not for there being more important things to worry about, like a large storm that's now hitting the Carrier.

 

"I think we're heading into rough waters!  Brace yourselves!" Ken said as he was holding on to the table he was sitting at. Alex had a hard time standing as the Carrier rocked violently along the fierce waves. "Gah... this is... why I... hate... sailing!" Alex said as she swayed back and forth trying to keep her balance. She eventually grabbed onto a table like Ken did and held on tightly, cats may be known for their balance but your crazy if you think a cat can keep its balance in the middle of a storm at sea.

[King K. Azo]

"I think we're heading into rough waters!  Brace yourselves!"   Chimera knew right away that this was going to be a bad time. The ship was rocked by the waves, making it very hard to stand. And this is why he wanted this bird to fly. Still, there was something he could do to help. Trying his absolute best not to fall, he made his way back to the cockpit.

 

The trip was not an easy one. Due to all the rocking, anything not tied down was sliding across the floor, so Chimera had to make sure not to be hit by anything while also trying not to fall. He leapt on top of boxes, jumped and ran across the walls, and even spin dashed on the ceiling to avoid the sliding mess, but soon, he made it back to the cockpit.

 

He scanned the room, grumbling to himself. He needed to find a way to activate the safety harnesses. Wait... Those were in only two places... The cockpit and the cells. The robot threw his hands up in frustration. Well, that was a waste of a trip. Dammit.

[Hälō]

"Northern Tundra!! P-Please...please tell me you can sense anyone there...PLEASE!!!" 

 

"I think we're heading into rough waters!  Brace yourselves!"

 

As chaos (not the good kind) began to break out all across the inside of the ship, Axel found himself avoiding Zane's gaze as the wolf held him tightly be the shoulders even with the entire vessel violently rocking. "From what I can tell, connection to the force is hereditary..." He thought back to what Silver had taught him. "At least one of your immediate kin had to have the potential, even if they never learned to unlock it." The words struggled to escape his lips as he finally met Zane's gaze. The white hedgehog knew exactly what it felt like to lose family...

 

"It's very likely that your home wasn't spared in the purge." He sighed, raising his hand and gripping his companions arm in a rare display of sympathy. "I'm sorry. But I swear to you that we're going to find this monster and make him pay."

 

Suddenly the pair vanished in a flicker of blue light, moments before a large crate slide through the space they had be occupying. Reappearing at the far side of the room, Axel let loose a sigh before grabbing on to a nearby wall. "It isn't safe here! Everyone, follow Chimera's lead and head to the cockpit!"    

[Super Chaos Sonic]

-BGM-

 

"From what I can tell, connection to the force is hereditary... At least one of your immediate kin had to have the potential, even if they never learned to unlock it. It's very likely that your home wasn't spared in the purge. I'm sorry. But I swear to you that we're going to find this monster and make him pay."

 

Zane's face seemed to have a mixture of shock and despair on his face, feeling Axel's hand gripping his arm. He backed away, his arms slowly slumping to his sides, almost in defeat. He turned and watched Chimera move out from the room, with everyone following. Zane could only look and see what the others were trying to escape from: a massive storm.

 

N-No... the arctic wolf thought, running after the others, his fists clenching tightly together. T-They didn't do anything wrong...why... Zane could feel tears beginning to fall down his face, before they began to freeze and shatter.

 

Zane kept running through his mind, that he possibly could've done. What if he didn't leave the Northern Tundra? What if he stayed with his family and friends? ...What would he have even done? The last question surged through his mind as he remembered vividly what Metropolis looked like before he was taken into the portal...it caused him to stop as he held onto the wall. C-Could...could I just not do anything? he thought with a heavy sigh. His fist clenched tightly as he hit the wall he held onto before running again. As he did, however, Zane could remember the last moments he had in the Northern Tundra.

 

 

"Zane...are you sure you want to do this?"

 

"Dad, I have to."

 

Zane turned to face an older arctic wolf, this one a bit more gray than he was, but then again...old age would do that to some. "Look, I don't know the reason your keeping leadership of the Arctic Freedom Fighters...but...I'm not going to argue about it." he sighed heavily.

 

"So where will you go? Knothole?"

 

"What? And learn from history on how to be a Freedom Fighter?" Zane chuckled, shaking his head. "That is a...'cool' thought, but I'll say no." he smiled, before throwing his arms behind his head. "No, I'm going Metropolis. Things are always kicking there, from what everyone's said. I wanna make it out there."

 

The old arctic wolf sighed before approaching Zane, handing him a vest. Before his son had a chance to even ask, his father smiled. "A parting gift. It may not be the original...but, it'll give ya good luck regardless."

 

Zane was speechless as he held the gray vest, it resembling his ancestor's own. "Dad I..." he started, before smiling as he put it on. "Thank you. I'll make you proud dad."

 

"Heh, you don't have to...you always have."

 

 

Zane made it to the cockpit last, still keeping everything bottled up. He looked out from the windows and finally began to speak, his voice grief-stricken still. "W-Well...w-what's the plan...now...?"

[Mr. Hyde]

Mobian Sea: Egg Carrier

 

 

"It isn't safe here! Everyone, follow Chimera's lead and head to the cockpit!"    

 

As the ship rocked back and forth from the violent waves crashing into it, the others had made their way towards what was seemingly the cockpit of the carrier.  Ken realized he had to follow as well, but Alex had yet to make it off of the table that she gripped onto.  Ken stuck his hand out to grab her, but a wave crashed into the ship, causing him to careen into the hallway.  

 

"Alex, make your way to the cockpit!  We'll figure this all out when we get there!"  Every muscle he had was contracting to inch him forward through the ship.  If this was anything other than an annoyance, it sure as hell was quite the workout.  

 

Miraculously, they all made it to the cockpit.  

 

"W-Well...w-what's the plan...now...?"  As Zane made his way in, Ken could tell that the wolf was writhing with despair.  Ken put a hand on the wolfs shoulder.  

 

"I'm sure the Tundra is alright...if they're anything like you, they had to repel those forces back!  I just know it!"  He gave the wolf a thumbs up, and a sympathetic smile.  It was all he could do for him.  Hopefully it would be enough.  He turned his attention to the front of the cockpit.  He stared out the windows, as flashes of light and crashes of waves filled the horizon.  Between the flashes, a sight could be seen that made Ken's fear set in.  

 

The carrier was headed straight into the path of a giant whirlpool.  It seemed that the Carrier was already getting pulled into it.  

 

"Oh no...." Ken looked to the others.  "Anyone got any plans?"

[Wind Rider]

"It isn't safe here! Everyone, follow Chimera's lead and head to the cockpit!"

 

Alex was about to release her grip on the table to head to the cockpit before the ship rocked back from large wave, making Alex grip the table even harder.

 

"Alex, make your way to the cockpit!  We'll figure this all out when we get there!" Alex heard this from the nicer of the brothers and decided to take his word for it. "Okay Alexandra, get a hold of yourself." Alex let go of the table and slowly but surely made her way to the cockpit. "W-Well...w-what's the plan...now...?" Alex looked over to Zane, the news of his home possibly being attacked must of put a damper on his mood. Ken was at least trying to comfort him.

 

"I'm... sorry Zane... all we can hope is that... nothing terrible has happened..." Alex tried her best to cheer up Zane before looking to see that Ken's attention was focused on something else, something in front of the Carrier. Alex looked out the window to see that the Carrier wasn't just trapped in a storm, it was heading towards a whirlpool. Alex's face turned extremely pale at the sight of the whirlpool, she felt extremely weak all of a sudden.

 

"Oh no... Anyone got any plans?" Alex looked at Ken before turning towards the dangerous whirlpool. "What can be done? Unless we can get this hunk of junk flying we're dead... another option could be..." Alex turned to Axel and Ken. "You two were trained by Silver, couldn't you two like teleport us out of here or something?"

[Hälō]

BMG

 

"What can be done? Unless we can get this hunk of junk flying we're dead... another option could be..." Alex turned to Axel and Ken. "You two were trained by Silver, couldn't you two like teleport us out of here or something?" 

 

"You proposing that we use Chaos control?" Axel ripped his gaze away from the whirlpool to look at Alex. "If I was able to, I would have done so already..." As he spoke, the white hedgehog produce the silver chaos emerald and held it up to the cat. "The transportation technique that I frequently use is one that I created as a way to emulate the effects of true chaos control before I had access to an actual emerald. I can teleport myself and and anyone I'm in contact with instantly, but only short distances... theres no way I could move this whole ship like that, even with the help of the emerald we have now." He stared down at the gem for a moment. "We'll need a few emeralds before I'm capable of such a feat.."

 

He allowed a moment of silence to fill the room, almost as if they truly were doomed. "You aren't wrong though, Alex." He finally spoke again with a small smirk. "Me and my brother were trained by Silver, and it would be shameful if we were to let something as trivial as this impede our progress.." His smirk grew more visible as he turned to Ken, a rare air of excitement subtly exuding from the usually gloomy hedgehog. "When you guys met us, we had expended a large amount of our power fighting off Mephiles's shades... Ken, show them."  

[Super Chaos Sonic]

"I'm sure the Tundra is alright...if they're anything like you, they had to repel those forces back!  I just know it!"

 

Zane felt a hand on his shoulder, seeing Ken smiling at him as well as a thumbs up from him. For some reason, he couldn't help but be uplifted by this as he too began to smile slightly. "T-Thanks Ken..." he finally said, as well as hearing Alex's concerns as well.

 

"Anyone got any plans?"

 

"Uh yeah...anything you guys have in mind would probably be a good idea." Zane said, looking out from the cockpit's windows. "Now I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm fairly certain Chimera will short-circuit and we all know cats hate water...soooo yeah."

 

"You two were trained by Silver, couldn't you two like teleport us out of here or something?"

 

"You proposing that we use Chaos control? If I was able to, I would have done so already... The transportation technique that I frequently use is one that I created as a way to emulate the effects of true chaos control before I had access to an actual emerald. I can teleport myself and and anyone I'm in contact with instantly, but only short distances... theres no way I could move this whole ship like that, even with the help of the emerald we have now. We'll need a few emeralds before I'm capable of such a feat.."

 

"Well unless you guys have something else up your sleeves, we might as well pack it up now!" Zane shouted a little, trying to keep his balance from the carrier rocking back and forth.

 

"You aren't wrong though, Alex. Me and my brother were trained by Silver, and it would be shameful if we were to let something as trivial as this impede our progress.. When you guys met us, we had expended a large amount of our power fighting off Mephiles's shades... Ken, show them."

 

The arctic wolf was unsure on what Axel meant when he spoke to Ken, but he knew something big was about to happen...but he just hoped it was soon.