Chapter 6: Chaos Control
Author's Note: This chapter is a lot
like a level in a Sonic game: short yet hectic! Pay attention, a lot of
important things happen in this chapter!
"We could always try and rebuild the Tornado again," Tails said. "I've had blueprint designs for the Tornado 3 for quite a while now."
"No, rebuilding it would take too long," Sonic disagreed. "We need to get the Chaos Emeralds again. Knuckles, where'd you put them?"
"They're in the shrine with the Master Emerald, why?" Knuckles asked.
"Hey, do you guys hear a helicopter?" Tails asked.
Everyone stopped talking, and sure enough, they could hear one in the distance.
"Let's see what it is," Tails recommended. "There aren't any major air routes that fly over this part of the hills, and nothing was registered earlier today."
"How do you know that?" Amy asked.
"You think I fly a plane and don't know standard airport regulations?" Tails asked. "All flights on Mobiüs must be registered. All we have to do is check the Tornado's onboard computer."
"No need for that, Tails, I can see the, whatever that thing is, from here," Knuckles explained.
They didn't know what the thing was, but what really confused them was the fact that it was flying at all. It looked like nothing more then a large bowl-shaped machine with a clown face painted on it, and a single propeller underneath it to keep it afloat.
"How in the world is that thing flying?" Sonic asked. "It defies all logic!"
"I'll check inside of it," Tails said as he flew up until he could see that Bowser was inside.
"What are you doing here?" Bowser asked.
"Sonic! It's that turtle from the Mushroom Kingdom!" Tails shouted.
Bowser threw a Mechakoopa at Tails, knocking the fox to the ground. Tails wasn't really hurt by the attack, just knocked out of the air.
"I'm a Koopa, you fool!" Bowser shouted. "And not just any Koopa! No, I am Bowser, KING of the Koopas!"
"Well, turtle king, perhaps you'd like to explain what you're doing here!" Knuckles said as Tails got into the Tornado.
"I'm a Koopa!" Bowser shouted as he dropped a bowling ball near Sonic.
"Okay, turtle man, I take back what I said earlier; now that defies logic!" Sonic said as he jumped out of the way.
At that time, Tails started up the Tornado, and took off.
"KOOPA!!! K-O-O-P-A!!! KOOPA!!!" Bowser shouted as he threw five Mechakoopas to the ground, "KOOPALINGS!!! ATTACK!!!"
All eight of the Koopalings appeared from behind a small group of trees.
"Can we do this some other time?" Larry asked. "I'm still sore from the last time we fought them."
"Stop your whining, wimp!" Roy shouted. "It's payback time, Enchida!"
"It's pronounced Echidna!" Knuckles said. "And you idiots really think you can take us on? Look what we just did to the ocean!'
The eight of them looked at the flaming Oil Ocean and took a few steps back.
"What are you talking about, Knuckles? That Exor thing did that!" Amy said. "Did you leave your brain back there or something?"
The Koopalings sighed with relief and went forward again.
"Real smooth, Amy!" Sonic said. "He was trying to scare some of them off!"
"Why do that when we can take them on?" Amy asked. "It'll be easy! You're always saying what fun it is to stop the bad guys, and you know I'm not bad with a hammer myself!"
"Did ze say hammer?" Ludwig asked nervously.
The Koopalings stepped backwards again.
"Yeah, I'm invincible with my Piko Piko hammer!" Amy said gleefully as she held up her prized weapon.
When the Koopalings realized that she wasn't talking about the type of hammer used in the Super Smash Bros. tournaments, they gave another sigh of relief and stepped forward yet again. Roy was being his aggressive self, as he was the first to attack. He swiped his claw at Amy, who stepped backwards to dodge the attack.
"Where's that fox?" Iggy asked. "Lemmy and I want to show him what a real water gun looks like!"
Iggy and Lemmy pulled out some water guns made by Ludwig, both about a quarter as powerful as the bomber nozzle, which they still didn't even know existed. The two of them started shooting the water at Sonic, who had trouble dodging the quick blasts.
"So you're the ones who took my veautiful water zooters!" Ludwig shouted. "After zis is over, you two will ve dead!"
Wendy slashed at Sonic with her claws. Sonic jumped back, but into the way of a water bullet. Although it wasn't as bad as he expected, it knocked him back, and injured his left shoulder.
"That stings!" Sonic said as he got back up. "You can dish it out, but can you take it in?"
Sonic jumped up and kicked at Morton.
"Hey! I don't like being attacked, hit, assaulted, injured, mugged..." Morton started.
"Then you better shut up now!" Roy interrupted. "Got it, wimp?"
"Whose side are you on?" Wendy asked. "We're supposed to be attacking that hedgehog!"
"Stop arguing and take care of those four!" Bowser said, then recounted. "Hey, where's that fox?"
"Right here!" Tails shouted as he fired at the Clown Copter from the Tornado.
The Clown Copter crashed into the ground. Bowser got out, roared, inhaled, and blew three fireballs at Tails. Tails dodged the first two, but the third hit the Tornado, ruining its lower right wing. Tails was having trouble keeping the Tornado in the air and had to land it to prevent from crashing.
"You're not the only one who knows how to ruin an air vehicle!" Bowser laughed.
Knuckles threw a punch at Iggy, knocking him into the ground. Lemmy saw his "twin" in trouble, and shot the water gun at Knuckles. It hit his left hand, paralyzing the lower part of his arm. Amy swung her hammer at Roy, knocking the bully into a tree. Ludwig used a shell charge to trip Knuckles. Lemmy shot another water bullet, this time at Amy. Amy dropped her hammer. Sonic kicked Wendy away, but Bowser put a small cut in Sonic's arm by swiping his claws.
"Do we really have time for this?" Tails asked. "We should be figuring out a way to stop Exor!"
"Hold everything!" Bowser shouted. "Fox kid, did you just say Exor?"
"Yeah, why?" Tails asked while trying to catch his breath.
"Well then, maybe you'd like our help,"
Bowser said. "I've got a bone to pick with that overgrown sword!"
Shadow was running over the ocean again, but this time, he spotted something that he didn't recognize last time: an island was in the middle of the ocean that was nowhere in sight last time. Shadow found that suspicious, and decided to check it out.
Islands don't just appear out of thin air, he thought. Why didn't I see this one on the way there?
Shadow thought about it for a moment, then realized that this was the island that he had seen floating a few hours ago.
"I guess it wouldn't hurt to take a look around," Shadow said to himself. "Besides, I've got a feeling I'll find something here."
And sure enough, he did.
"I don't know how, but I know this thing has to be a Chaos Emerald," he said. "I'm not sure what it does, but I'd better take it. It must be of great importance if I can remember it and nothing else."
"Hey, you're that Shadow guy!" Wario said. "What are you doing here?"
"You again? Well then, how goes your hunt?" Shadow asked.
"I'm under new management, and I still haven't even seen this Sonic the Hedgehog guy!" Wario complained. "But, at least I got paid!"
Wario held up the Chaos Emerald that Metal Sonic had given to him.
"Hey! That looks like another one!" Wario said as he spotted the Emerald in Shadow's hand.
"Do you know anything about these things?" Shadow asked. "And am I correct in assuming that it is called a Chaos Emerald?"
"I have answers for you," Robotnik laughed, "and you aren't really Shadow!"
"Who are you, and what do you know of me?" Shadow asked.
"I'm saying that you aren't even truly a hedgehog, you're not even completely organic!" Robotnik laughed. "I was trying to clone the real Shadow, but I couldn't quite perfect the process. You're part machine, part clone, and not one part of you is your own!"
"You, you're lying!" Shadow said. "I'm real enough to destroy you!"
"Stand down, Eggman!" Smithy said.
"What? Why are you here? You're that Smithy guy!" Wario said. "I've heard of you!"
"Well, we are partners," Metal Sonic said, "and phase two of the plan is almost complete: all is still going according to plan. Gadd will arrive soon."
"How do you know that?" Wario asked.
"We have our ways." Smithy laughed.
"Fine then, I'll destroy you all!" Shadow said. "I was warned of the one named Smithy, he is the enemy of my master's father!"
"If you wish to destroy me, I'd be happy to destroy you," Smithy laughed. "Come and try me!"
"I accept your challenge, just you and me!" Shadow said as he performed a tornado attack. Smithy whacked Shadow with his hammer, knocking the hedgehog into the ocean. Shadow jumped out of the water and got on top of Smithy's head, then started running in place to kick Smithy.
"Is that supposed to hurt?" Smithy laughed. "Pathetic!"
Smithy grabbed Shadow by the leg, and threw him into the ground. He then smashed Shadow's right hand, revealing circuitry instead of flesh.
"It's true..." Shadow said. "Then that would mean that..."
"I created you," Robotnik said, "and I am your true master!"
"If you created me, then tell me, what is my purpose?" Shadow asked.
"First of all, tell me, did you say you saw Mario?" Robotnik asked.
"Yes, why wouldn't I have?" Shadow asked.
"That means that they came here for something," Robotnik said. "Bowser! They must want to take Bowser back into the Mushroom Kingdom!"
"And what are your orders?" Shadow asked.
"Destroy Bowser, Sonic, Mario, and anyone who tries to protect them," Metal Sonic said.
"And you go, too. Understood, Wario?" Smithy said.
"Right, just don't give me the hammer!" Wario said.
"One last thing," Robotnik said. "Follow
me to the Egg Carrier, and I'll repair that hand of yours."
Back in the Mushroom Kingdom, Professor Gadd was just coming around.
"Professor Gadd, are you quite all right?" Toadsworth asked.
"I'll be fine," Gadd said. "What happened...? That's right, the Mario Bros. went into Mobiüs, and Wario attacked me. Wait a minute, I just remembered!"
"Remembered what?" Toadsworth asked.
"When Roboshi attacked me, he knocked me out, giving me a concussion and causing me to temporarily forget what happened, but I just remembered!" Gadd explained. "He was created by Metal Sonic and Smithy. He was trying to get his hands on two things for his creators: the IDMET, and the Coronos Reactor! The only thing was, until then, the only place I even heard of the Coronos Reactor was in my head, I've actually known how to make it for almost twenty years. But I still don't understand, I've never written down anything about it, or even mentioned it to anyone until I created it and used it to open a portal to get Tails, Sonic, Knuckles, and Amy back to Mobiüs!"
"So how did they know you were going to make it?" Toadsworth asked.
"I'm not certain, but I'm going to find out," Gadd said as he gathered some supplies.
He took FLUDD and the Power Stars, and then shut down the Coronos Gateway.
"I thought you were going through there," Toadsworth said.
"I am, but first I have to attach the Coronos Reactor to a different means of controling it," Gadd explained. "If I'm going to Mobiüs, I won't be able to operate the Coronos Reactor without taking it with me, so I'm making a portable gateway."
Gadd held up what looked like a large metal backpack, and wired it to the Coronos Reactor. Then he strapped FLUDD on over it.
"It's heavy," Gadd said, "but it'll do."
Gadd reached behind him and pressed a button. A portal appeared in front of him, and he jumped through it. The portal disappeared shortly afterwards.