Chaos Rising Part 1B

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Tails stared intently at the orange chaos emerald, as though trying to will the gem to give up its secrets to him.  Though the cub had promised Nicole to refrain from any actual experiments on their find, that didn't mean he couldn't make observations.  In a small notebook the fox jotted down his theories concerning the emeralds, eager to test them out as he added the observations he'd from his earlier escapades.

"From personal experience, it is known that the chaos emeralds, both collectively and as individuals, possess limitless reserves of energy," he wrote.  "But only a certain percentage of that power can be accessed in one time, even by those who are naturally attuned to the energy.  This is the reason the aptly dubbed 'super-forms' are extremely transitory, requiring additional energy from an outside source, such as the power rings, to sustain them for an extended period of time."  Tails bit the eraser end of his pencil, thinking about what he would write next.  "But, the entity known as Feist is able to tap into the full power of the emeralds, as evidenced by how easily he is able to manipulate the Special Zone.  Therefore, the question would be what difference between this dimension and the Special Zone inhibits the chaos emerald's full power?  If this can be isolated, controlled, it should be possible to harness the full power of the emeralds in this dimension, an act that would provide a limitless source of pure, clean energy to Mobotropolis, if not the world."  The fox reread what he'd written, his fertile imagination already dreaming up all the ways such a discovery could benefit Mobian-kind.

Suddenly, Tails's ears twitched as he heard the sound of footsteps traveling up the stairs to his room.  Quickly the cub snatched up the emerald and his notebook, stuffing them into the back of the bottom drawer of his desk and snapping it shut.  A second later his bedroom door opened and Rosemary entered.

"Mom!" the boy squawked, half in surprise, half in indignation.  Having only had actual parents for a short time, the youthful inventor was not entirely used to, or comfortable with, someone so nonchalantly invading his privacy.  For their parts, Amadeus and Rosemary did try to respect their son's needs, but exceptions tended to be made at the most inopportune times.

"Miles," the vixen cordially responded as she stepped into the bedroom, her eyes casting about as she took in the cub's heavy breathing.  Finding nothing else to feed her suspicions, Rosemary's attention returned to her son.  "So, how was your day?"

"Uh, fine.  You know, a day like any other.  'Wake up, go to school, go home,'" Tails responded, trying his best to not look any guiltier of anything than he already did.  "And yours?"

"Exhausting," Rosemary admitted.  "Made even more so when King Naugus decided he needed to talk to me."

"He didn't do anything to threaten you, did he?" the concerned cub asked.

"No, he was a perfect gentleman," Rosemary assured him.  "But he did express concern over something."  The Councilwoman sat upon her son's bed, her gaze never leaving him.  "Miles, in between 'go to school' and 'come home,' what did you do today?"  Tails looked at his mother carefully, trying to determine exactly how much she knew of the afternoon's escapades.

"I was just… hanging with a friend," he admitted.  Not an outright lie, but hopefully she would think he was referring to Sonic.

"I see.  And does this 'friend' of yours happen to be a certain hologram done in the form of a lynx?"  When her cub's eyes failed to return her gaze this time, she took that as a confession.  "I see."  She took a deep breath.  "Miles, we've talked about this.  I do not like you spending so much of your free time with that computer."  A sour look crossed the kit's face.

"Nicole is not just a computer.  She's my friend," Tails retorted.

"It's not healthy," Rosemary stated firmly.  "A boy your age should be making friends with other children, socializing with other boys and girls who aren't made of electronic ones and zeroes."

"You sound like Dr. Helnman," Tails muttered.

"That's because we're both concerned.  You haven't even made an effort to socialize with people in your own age group and that worries us."  Her lips pursed.  "Dear, you're a friendly, intelligent Mobian; you can't expect me to believe it is so impossible for you to meet people that you're forced to spend your free time with a computer?"

"Oh no, it's not hard at all me to meet people," the kit responded, his voice tinged with sarcasm as he looked at his mother with a mock smile.  "Everybody wants to talk to me, be friends with me.  The problem is the only things they want to talk to me about how I can help them meet the other Freedom Fighters, like Sonic or Sally.  The problem is they only want to be my friends so I can do their homework for them.  Otherwise I could just rot for all the other kids want to do with me."  At this last part Tails's voice got noticeably huffier, as if he was tired of explaining this so often.

"Then maybe you need to become a bit more… proactive.  Join an after school activity, a club that has the same interests as you," Mrs. Prower suggested optimistically, hoping her son would take the advice.

"There is no one with the same interests as me," he pointed out dejectedly, turning his chair back to face his desk before adding, "except for Nicole."  On Tails's bed, Rosemary released a long suffering sigh, clearly becoming agitated by her cub's stubborn streak.

"Miles, it is neither healthy nor natural for a boy your age to be so attached to a computer.  I realize that, in the beginning, when it was just you and the other Freedom Fighters, Nicole seemed like a fine playmate to have, but it is time to move on."  The fox cub spun around in his chair, angry eyes staring at the vixen.

"I am NOT going to just abandon her," he said.  "Nicole would never do that to any of her friends, and she doesn't deserve to have it done to her."

"Nicole is not a 'she' or a 'her,' Miles, it is a computer.  A program.  Thousands and thousands of little ones and zeroes, something you should understand quite well given you predilections for technology," Rosemary countered back, unfazed by her cub's glare.  "The fact that you don't seem to understand the difference is a big part of the reason Dr. Helnman declined allowing you to skip any grades."

"Yeah, yeah, I know.  I'm 'socially maladjusted' according to him."

"Not maladjusted, just underdeveloped," his mother quickly corrected.  "And considering how isolated you were, that wasn't all that surprising.  But now you aren't and, as hard as it may be, you can't just hide yourself away.  You are going to have to go out and meet people, make friends, be sociable.  And you certainly can't do that in front of a computer."

"She's not just a computer!" Tails reiterated through ground teeth.  Rosemary's eyes narrowed at that.

"Don't take that tone with me, Miles Prower," she warned, standing up from the bed.  "If you cannot remain in a civil temperament, then I refuse to continue this as a discussion with you.  King Naugus has said he is willing to ignore your activities today, but that doesn't let you off the hook where I'm concerned.  If you cannot find constructive and legal uses for your time on your own, I can certainly arrange for you to have supervision to help."

"That's not fair," Tails stated, trying to control his temper as Rosemary walked to the door.  The vixen turned her head back to her son, a stern look on her face.

"Be that as it may, I would suggest you learn some restraint or at least to show it, Miles.  Because at this point, my son, you are skating on very thin ice."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

In the Mobius of the far flung future, inside a burnt out and dilapidated library, Silver the Hedgehog sat at a rickety old table, a pile of dusty and worn books stacked beside him.  The teen hedgehog's eyes strained as he read the faded words in the books, trying to desperately to answer the question that has plagued him for most if not all of his young life; namely the identity of the person who once betrayed the Freedom Fighters and destroyed Mobius's future.  

Growling in frustration, the white furred hedgehog snapped the book shut, throwing the tome against the wall in his fury.  The decayed glue of the binding sent pages scattering everywhere, but Silver didn't care.  The book was useless to him.

"I'm missing something, I know it," he growled to himself, slamming his fist on the table, causing it to creak and groan.  "There has to be some shred of evidence, some clue pointing to the traitor.  But what?"  Rubbing his strained eyes, Silver reached out for the next book in his stack.

'Apprentice,' a deep voice psychically called to the hedgehog, causing him to pause.

'Master?' he thought back, casting his eyes in the direction he knew the thoughts were originating from.

'I would bid you return home, my pupil.'

'But Master, I have found nothing new…'

'I understand, child, but I fear the time is no longer on our side.'  Biting his lip, Silver obeyed his master, his body glowing as he rose in the air.  Concentrating, Silver flew forward, exiting through a hole in the library's wall.  Below him landscape sped past, swiftly changing from a destroyed city neighborhood to a torched forest and finally a desiccated plain before becoming the edge of the ocean.  Where once a clean, pristine beach marked this boundary, nothing but a sandy wasteland remained.  Silver spared the place a sad look as he flew out to sea.  On the horizon he spotted his destination, the small chain of floating islets that are all that remain of the once glorious Floating Island.  

On the largest chunk of the shattered landmass, Silver found the small building he and his master called home, sheltered amongst what remained of the ruins of the city of Echidnopolis.  The roof was open, allowing the telekinetic hedgehog easy entrance from the air.  Inside he found his mentor and guardian, the ancient demi-god Mammoth Mogul.

"Master, I have returned," he announced.  The wrinkled mass that was Mogul's head shifted a bit as the old Mobian regarded his ward.

"And you have had no luck with the library?"

"Not for lack of trying, Master," the hedgehog answered.  "Whatever happened to destroy our world left so little behind, and what has been left has suffered the ravages of time."

"And time has become our enemy once again, I'm afraid," Mammoth said.  "I fear we are coming fast upon the point when the catastrophe struck in the past.  If we cannot prevent it from happening soon, I fear nothing will be able to prevent this future from coming to pass."

"Master, you were present when the event took place.  Surely you know… something that can be of use to us."  Mogul shook his head, a massive hand rising to massage his wrinkled brown brow.

"Whatever memories I possessed of that time, they have gone now, damaged no doubt by the same force that transformed the world into this… abyss.  They are beyond my power to recall."  Silver's disappointment was palpable as he sank to his knees.

"Then all may be lost," he stated in despair.  "If you couldn't stop this tragedy from coming to pass in your prime, what chance have I got, even with the time stones?"

"There may be a chance, my apprentice," the furry mammoth offered.  "Though whatever memories I possess may be beyond MY power alone to recall, your psychic powers might be able to accomplish it."  Silver looked at his master dubiously.

"Telekinesis has always been where my talents have run, not telepathy," he warned.  "I might not be a strong enough psychic to penetrate your mental defenses."

"My mental defenses have greatly lessened with time and my depowerment.  But with what power that does remain to me, I should be able to enhance your latent telepathic abilities to disrupt whatever represses my memories of the event."  

"And I might accidentally turn your brain into tapioca," the hedgehog warned.  Though he still looked skeptical, Silver nodded his head, willing to give this desperate gamble a try.

Closing his eyes, Silver once more began to glow as he directed his powers towards the old pachyderm.  Mammoth's eyes too closed as he willed his powers towards the boy.  Silver's teeth gritted as he felt the presence of his master's mind, a psychic wall blocking his own mind as effectively as a brick one would his body.  The hedgehog felt the surge of power from Mogul, bolstering him as he fought his way through the reformed villain's defenses.  

"Uh… Ah…" Silver groaned as he felt the pressure of Mammoth's mind, threatening to overwhelm his own however unintentionally it might have.  White fur grew damp with perspiration as the hedgehog concentrated, forcing his way deeper into his master's subconscious.  

A sudden, sharp gasp escaped the two psychics.  Silver's eyes opened and, instead of the ruins of the Floating Island, he found himself in New Mobotropolis, the bright rays of morning light illuminating the city.  In the distance, at the edge of town, what can only be described as a seven pointed crown of thorns cast an eerie shadow over the city.  Suddenly seven multicolored lights shot through the sky, racing towards the ominous structure.

'Are those the Chaos Emeralds?' Silver asked as he watched each light attach itself to one of the spires.  Without warning a massive wave of energy washed over New Mobotropolis, shattering windows and cracking masonry as it passed.  A moment later, the sky itself began to warp as familiar, fiery tears opened in it, the very fabric of reality distorting violently as the unleashed elemental energies waged war with the planet itself.  Fissures in the ground began to open up all over the city, toppling buildings and causing lava to spurt up and begin to overrun the streets.

Several citizens raced past the stunned Silver, only to disappear in a flash of light as another pulse of chaos energy was released from the crown.  Fighting to keep from getting overwhelmed by the repressed memory of his master, Silver still manage to catch sight of such figures as Shadow and Ixis Naugus trying unsuccessfully to combat the apocalyptic power from overwhelming them.  Marshaling his own abilities, Silver unsteadily rose into the air, trying to get a better view of what was going on, and more importantly how to stop it.  Buffeted by the chaotic winds, the teenage time-traveler spotted the aged form of Merlin Prower as the fox wizard stood on a balcony of Castle Acorn, passively observing the destruction taking the city.

"What have I done?" asked a voice that seemed to come from all around Silver as the hedgehog struggled to retain control.  A scream escaped him as he felt the uncontrolled chaos energy finally take him.

"Huh…. Huh-huh-huh," Silver gasped as he broke his psychic connection to Mogul.  Beside him the massive Mobian was also panting, the strain of reliving such a memory evident on his face.  For a few moments, both Mobians collected their breath.  Finally, their collective nerves somewhat under control, it was Mammoth who chose to speak.

"So… quite obviously, the destruction was caused by someone's attempt to tap into the energies of the Chaos Emeralds."

"That figures," Silver bit back.  "Those stupid rocks are always at the root of one problem or another.  They cause more calamities than they help to solve.  And we still have no idea HOW to stop this from happening, or even who was responsible."

"No, but thanks to you I am now in possession of more of my memories than I have had.  Specifics still fight to elude me, but I do remember it was a time of civil unrest in New Mobotropolis.  I seem to recall it centered around the city's computerized avatar; Nicole."  Silver looked at his master in concern.

"Could she have been cause of the calamity?" he asked.

"It is possible.  I get the sense that there was a great desire to destroy the program, much to her chagrin."

"Yes, and she tried to use the Chaos Emeralds to defend herself," Silver triumphantly surmised.  

"I would advise caution, apprentice," Mogul warned.  "Twice now you have returned to the past, sure of who the traitor to the Freedom Fighters was.  And twice now you have been wrong.  If as I suspect the calamity draws near, this may be our last chance to stop it."  Silver walked over to the shelf where the time stones rested, activating their power to open the time portal.

"I understand your concern, master, but we are also running out of time," he said as the portal fully formed next to him.  "I'll see what I can find out about the situation going on there before I act, but right now this is our best lead on stopping the world from turning into this."  With that, Silver stepped through the portal, and into the past.

To be continued...