Sonic Series Fan Fiction ❯ The Stage is Set ❯ Weird Dreams and Finally Getting to Work ( Chapter 5 )

A/N: Here's the fifth chapter. Enjoy.

Alrighty, then, ON WITH THE FIC!

Chapter 5: Weird Dreams and Finally Getting to Work

I looked at Sonic, trying to figure out how he had become one of my favorite video game characters of all time. Shadow got up and dragged Sonic over to the corner and dumped him with the others.

"I don't see how he's survived this long," Shadow commented. He turned to me and said, "He'll be out for a while, so we might as well get some sleep."

I nodded and sat down against the wall, ready for the nap. Before long, I gave in to tiredness and drifted off to sleep.

/???/

I stood up, and I could tell I wasn't in the warehouse anymore. There was only darkness here. 'Hey, Zane, what do you-' I stopped, not feeling our connection anymore.

"Hehehe..."

'What was that?' I wondered, still thinking abou what happened to Zane. Spirits resting within you don't just disappear for no reason.

A light appeared out of the darkness, and Roland's form was in the center of it. "Hello, foolish boy," he said. "You are lucky, being able to see the true god's rebirth. Judgement Day is upon us! Ha ha ha ha ha!!"

"And just what makes you think that I'll allow you to do that?1' I inquired.

"You don't have the help of your buddy, Zane!" With this, he pointed, and another light appeared, showing a body lying on the ground, blood seeping out of the body.

I didn't see how this body had anything to do with the situation at hand, until I realized who the figure was. "Oh, no!" I said, running towards him. "Zane!" I reached him, and knelt down beside him, trying to stop the blood from flowing out of him. "Zane, don't you dare die!" I said, tears forming in my eyes. "If you die, who's gonna beat Roland and stop him from reviving Chaos?" I was truly crying, watching his form losing it's life. "Zane, I need you! I don't have the power to stop him on my own! Get up you stupid asshole!"

"Shut up, you stupid newbie," Zane said weakly. "Stuff like this happens everday. One casualty isn't gonna make a difference in this war."

"But the only reason I'm able to fight is because your spirit is a part of me!" I realized a part of me had died when I lost the connection with Zane, and I just now felt how much I had really lost. "If you don't get up, the war will end! We will have lost it."

"Stop your whining!" he ordered. "An Elemental Warrior thinks about the problem at hand, not a lesser one like a casualty!"

"But, I'm not one of the warriors!" I said. "You are."

"The reason I awakened in your body is because you pretty much ordered me to. You commanded me with your need of adventure and danger. Now use my powers rightfully, and let those pansies feel the blaze of a thousand suns!" At this, he began to fade away, his form becoming see-through. "Good luck, although I doubt you need it." He fully faded away, leaving me to sit there and cry.

"Hahaha, you weak fool!"

I stood up and faced the voice, expecting to see Roland. I did, but he was laying on the ground, unconscious. The form looming above me was undoubtedly Chaos. "So, you finally show yourself, eh, Chaos?"

"Yes, and now I will take my revenge on you! Then I will find and destroy all the other warriors that helped to defeat me."

"I won't let you!" Even if I don't have Zane within me, he said I still have the powers. I decided to try and transform, but I couldn't. I felt the transformation try to begin, but without Zane, I didn't have much power. But I still formed the fire around my fists and feet. "You still think you can take me?" I taunted, knowing full well I didn't stand a chance against him.

"I always liked how foolish humans were," was his reply. "but I can tell you don't have the proper energy to fight me!"

'Great, my bluff didn't work,' I thought. 'Oh, well, I hadn't really expected it to.' I leapt at Chaos, determined not to let him have his way. Of course, I was a puny little human going up against a god, so he hit me away with a finger.

"Sorry, you lose." He began to charge up a ball of energy, and I knew that I wouldn't survive it, so I just prepared myself for death.

{YOU NEED TO BECOME STRONGER, BUT ALSO SMARTER. IF NOT, YOU WILL NEVER ACCOMPLISH YOUR GOAL. HURRY, FOR TIME IS SHORT.}

/BACK TO THE REAL WORLD/

I sat upright, sweat pouring off my face. I didn't know where I was, and I was scared out of my mind.

[Hey, you alright, Tim?] Zane asked.

[Zane, where am I?]

[You're in Sonic's world, remember? You fell asleep and had a nightmare]

[Do you know what happened in it?] I asked.

[Nope,] he replied. [Your dreams are safe from my prying eyes.]

I wished that he could've seen what had happened. I didn't know if it was a dream, or something that would soon happen in the near future. But, I decided not to worry about it until I had to.

Shadow walked over to me, and said, "Everyone else is awake. C'mon and get something to eat."

I got up and walked over to the others, who were sitting around and eating. They were also, with the exception of Shadow and newcomer Espio, messing around. They seemed like nothing was happening in the outside world. 'I could get to like these guys,' I thought. 'Nothing bothers these guys.'

I joined the group, and was instantly given a plate of biscuits and gravy. I love biscuits and gravy. I started eating, and then finished in a couple minutes. I wanted another plate, but the others started to look serious, so I set the plate aside, ready to get to work. I was handed a glass of juice, which I chugged greedily. "Alright, so you guys ready to get started?" I asked.

"Before that," Sonic said, "who are you?"

[Hey, use my name,] Zane said.

"Zane," I replied, then to Zane, [Why?]

[It's just safer, in case one of the villains ever makes it into your world. That way, they won't know who you are.]

"Alright, secondly, why are you here," Sonic continued.

"To provide backup for you guys."

"Alright, who sent you?"

[Who did send me?] I wondered.

[Nobody. You came here of your own free will,] he replied.

"Nobody. I, uh, came here of my own free will," I said nervously. I didn't think they'd buy it, but they obviously did. "So, uh, any idea on how to, um, liberate this place?"

"Yeah, but we don't have a way to get there," Sonic said. "We need to get to the Mystic Ruins, but none of us, with the exception of Tails, knows how to run the train. And there's no way we'd get enough time to start it and get going, not with those robots!"

"Wait, the train?" I said. There's something that I should know about that, but I couldn't remember. "Train? That's right! The train's how those robots are getting into the city!"

"How'd you know that?" Shadow demanded.

"I rested near the train station before I found Tails and Knux, and I was attacked while I was there."

"Hmm," Knuckles said. "Then that would explain why the station is so heavily guarded."

"So, Espio, did you find anything on your patrol last night?" Sonic inquired.

"Just one thing: my stealth doesn't work on the robots anymore." Espio looked kinda disappointed. "I won't be able to go on anymore patrols. I don't have the speed you and Shadow do, so I will more than likely get caught."

"Hey, don't worry about it," Sonic said. "We learned much because of your skills in the past, so you did your share of the work. We'll take care of the rest."

"So what's your plan?" I asked, curious.

"Well, Eggman was given a new Chaos Emerald. One that radiates with darkness."

"A dark emerald? That sounds like something Roland would give away."

"Who's Roland?" Sonic asked.

I described Roland to them. "Hey, I know who you're talking about!" Knuckles said. "I saw him give the emerald to Eggman, and then he disappeared through a portal. After that we were all captured."

"Yeah, and then me and Shadow escaped. It was rather easy, but hey, Shadow and I are unstoppable together. It's a good thing he escaped and got me, or we wouldn't be here today talking about how we were gonna beat him."

"Wait a minute. Shadow escaped, got you, and got back here? Huh, I'd expect him to try to destroy the fortress on his own," I said.

"Well, onto the plan," Sonic said. "If I'm right about this, then the Dark Emerald is exactly like the regular Chaos Emeralds. That means that the Master Emerald will have the power to neutralize it."

"Oh, hey that may work," I said. "So, what's keeping you? Knux keeps the Master Emerald with him wherever he goes, right?"

"Yeah, well, Knucklehead left it at the shrine this time."

"Which is in the Mystic Ruins, where we can't get to. Right?" I asked.

"Yep," Sonic confirmed.

"Hey, what about the Tornado?" I asked.

"First, we need to stop the train from getting in,' Sonic said. "Hey, Tails, you got any explosives that will be of any use?"

"Sorry, Sonic," he said. He put a grin on and said, "But he can help!" He pointed at me.

"How can he do anything? He's just a human," Sonic said.

"Just a human?!" I said, a little pissed. "I'm not a normal human! Tails, will you set up a target for me?"

"Sure." He got up and walked to the other side of the room, setting up a box and a few other things that will make a good explosion. "There you go!"

I instantly transformed, and started charging up for a weak fireball. "Don't blink!" I told Sonic. "You might miss something good." I shot the pyro ball at the target and watched as it exploded. "So, do you think I'm still 'just a human?'"

Sonic was speechless, and just shook his head. Tails and Knuckles just stood, grinning. Espio and Shadow looked like they could care less. "W-w-where did you get your powers?!" Sonic stammered.

"Eh, they awakened shortly after I was attacked by Roland," I replied casually. "And I'm gonna use them to save the world."

"So, in other words," Shadow said, "you're a newb at the whole 'super hero business,' right?"

This got me quite angry, and fire began to flow out of me. "Quit calling me a newbie!!!"

Shadow jumped back and went into an attacking position. "Spill it already, you are working for Chaos, aren't you?"

"What are you talking about?" I demanded. "I am fighting to stop -- hey, I never said anything about Chaos! Who are you?!"

The fact that I had caught him hit Shadow pretty hard, and he turnd and began to run for the exit.

"Oh, no you don't!" Sonic said, getting in his way.

Shadow began to run to his left, only to have Knuckles get in his way. Tails on his other side. "Well, well," he said. "It looks like I'm caught."

"So, who are you? Say something, you fake hedgehog!" Sonic began to run towards the fake Shadow.

Shadow materialized the green Chaos Emerald in his hand. "Chaos Control!" Shadow then reappeared on the other side of the room.

"Wow, he's fast!" I commented. "Hey..."

"It's not his speed," Sonic said, "he must be using the Chaos Emerald to warp."

'Where have I heard this before?!' I thought to myself.

"My name is Shadow. I'm this world's ultimate life form." Shadow stared at us from across the room. "There's no time for games...farewell!" He then begins to glow, but not from the Chaos Emerald energy. He begins to shrink, until he was only about a foot in size.

Sonic and the others had looks of pure terror on their faces, and they ran to the other side of the room and hid behind some boxes. I, however, was clueless as to what was going on, so I just stood there. "Zane, get back here! Run for it!" I heard the pleas from the others, but I didn't see any reason to run from the small glowing thing.

"If you know what's good for you, you'll get back here!" Knuckles warned.

The little thing finally took a solid form, and I turned back to the others. "Aww, come on guys, it's only-"

"Hi, I'm Omochao!" The little robotic being started flying around me. "Scanning life form. Unidentified."

It landed, and I knelt down to get a good look at him. 'Hey, what's up little guy?" I said, patting him on the head. I heard Sonic mumble something about dieing a horrible death, but I chose to ignore it.

"Hey, ya wanna know something?" Omochao asked.

"Sure, what?" I said, thinking he'd say something like 'To use the Homing Attack, press A while in mid-jump.' Unfortunately, that's not what he said.

"You die now!!" His body turned a dark color, and his eyes began glowing red. Lasers then shot out of said eyes, hitting me and sending me soaring out of the warehouse.

/SONIC'S P.O.V./

That was one of the funniest things I had ever seen. The little guy blasted Zane out of the building, probably a few blocks away. We started cracking up, and then settled down after Omochao saw us. Spikes appeared on his body, and then shot out at us. Espio hung onto a wall and began chucking shurikens at the mechanical beast. Knuckles caught the spikes and threw them back at Omochao. Tails ran to one of the walls and grabbed a beam rifle, and opened fire on the little mecha devil. I ran towards Knuckles, and said, "Hey, Knux, I need to get airborn!" I jumped into the air and curled into the ball, while he jumped up and spiked me in the direction of Omochao. I then activated the Homing Attack, feeling myself be pulled in the direction of Omochao.

"I don't think so!" Omochao cried out. "Reflect!" A barrier appeared around him, which I ran into. The shield propelled me back into the direction of Knuckles.

"Sonic, what are you doing?!" Knuckles yelled.

I slammed into him, both of us feeling the full impact of the Homing Attack. Omochao blasted Tails and Espio with his eye-lasers, and then began laughing like a maniac. "Hya-hya-hya-hya-hya!!"

A second later, he was seen flying into a wall, while on fire, and shattering like glass. I looked over to the door, and saw an extremely pissed looking Zane standing there.

/BACK TO MY P.O.V./

I sat down, extremely pissed. I got shot out of a window by a mechanical midget, which, in turn, made me land in a trash can three blocks away. On my way back, I had to put up with Zane's attitude and the fact that I was attacked three times by the robots. Then I walked in to find the Sonic team losing against the same mecha-midget that blasted me through the window.

"About time you got back," Sonic commented. "Didja have fun out there?"

"Shut up, rodent," I said.

"Hey, you've got a banana peel on your head," Tails said.

I quickly grabbed the banana peel out of my hair, and angrily threw it across the room. It landed on Knuckles' head. "Hey, who threw that?!" I pointed at Sonic, who pointed back at me. Knuckles just sighed and shook his head.

"Alright, I think it's about time to destroy that train station. We can't be here for much longer," I stated. "Omochao was probably reprogrammed by Eggman and that Dark Emerald. If so, then that means Eggman knows that this is where we're hiding."

"I agree," Knuckles said. "I'll take him to the station, alright, Sonic?"

"No, I think we'll need to use Chaos Control. You know, in and out really quickly."

"No prob. I just need an emerald." Sonic relinquished the red emerald, curious to see if the echidna really could use the Chaos Control. "Alright, come here, Zane," he said, motioning me over to him. I put a hand on his shoulder, and with a wave, we left. Once again, the ground began blurring past me. We exited the Control about a block away from the station. "Sorry, but I need to rest," Knuckles said weakly. I helped him walk over to a wall, where he collapsed. "Hehe, be sure to take your time," he said as I walked off.

The walk to the station was rather uneventful, but once I was in sight of the station, robots began swarming out from everywhere. 'Alright,' I thought. 'It's time to have a little fun!' I began to clobber the one straight ahead of me, then blasting it after enough hits. After the sound of the explosion, I ran towards another one, doing the same thing. I made short work of the robots, and then I set my sights on the station. But I heard a noise coming from inside, a kind of screeching sound, like something stopping. Something lika a...a train. "Uh-oh," I said, knowing what was coming next. Robots began filing out of the building, forming a large circle around me. I ran towards the closest robot and hit it with all of my force, but to no avail. It took the hit like it was nothing, and then aimed it's beam rifle at me. I dodged, but barely, the beam scraping against my leg, and ran back towards the center.

I could sense the other robots taking aim at me, and I suddenly felt really helpless. I surrounded myself with a thin ball of fire, not wanting to waste all my energy like last time. The beams converged on me, nearly breaking through my shield. 'Crap, my shield won't survive through another attack.

"Zane, catch!"

I turned around to see Knuckles running towards me, launching the Chaos Emerald in my direction. I disappated my shield, jumping slightly to catch the jewel. "You stupid robots are screwed, now!" I said, holding out the emerald. "Pyro Chaos!" I activated my new special attack, causing flame pillars to erupt under the enemy, shooting them into the air. The pillars then became arrows, shooting up and through the robots. The robots all blew up, sending flaming debris flying everywhere. "Well, that was easy," I stated. I walked towards the station, trying to decide which move I'd use to destroy it. I decided on a move from the anime Digimon. I just hoped that this move wouldn't drain me of all my energy. 'Alrighty, then,' I thought, 'it's time for the Terra Force!' I started charging the ball of energy in my hand. When I thought I had enough energy, I jumped up into the air, pulling the ball of flame above my head where it multiplied in size, and launched it towards the building. The collision made a cool looking explosion, although I instantly regretted doing it: it'll be killer to rebuild once we defeated Eggman.

Knuckles walked up to me, an expression of surprise all over his face. "Nice job. Now let's go back."

"Hey, is it alright if I try to use the Chaos Control to get us back?" I asked.

"If you can manage it," Knuckles answered.

After I knelt down, Knuckles put his hand on my shoulder and I activated the Chaos Control. The ground began speeding by again, and we appeared at the warehouse's location. Or what used to be the warehouse. The building was demolished, the only things in sight were Sonic and Espio, who were sitting on a rock.

I walked up to them, Knuckles following closely behind me. "Hey, what happened, you guys?"

"Shortly after you left, Omochao pulled himself together and transformed," Sonic said. "He called himself Onichao. But who would want a crappy name like that?"

"Crap," I said. "Sonic, the word 'oni' means devil in Japanese," I stated.

"Oh...crap."

"Hey, where's Tails?" I asked.

"Huh, I dunno," Sonic said. "I didn't even notice he was missing."

"Do you think Onichao-" Espio started.

Sonic cut him off. "No, Tails didn't get captured."

We heard a low buzzing sound in the distance. "Hey, Sonic, do you think that those are Buzz Bombers?"

"Possibly, although Eggman hasn't been using them much ever since we came to Station Square."

The buzzing sound became steadily louder, and a blue plane was soon visible. "Heh, no worries," Knuckles said. "It's only Tails and the Tornado."

Tails landed, then apologized to Sonic for making him worry. Sonic then turned to us. "Alright, this is it. It's time we went to Eggman's base! We're gonna take Eggman down for good! But first, we'll stop at Angel Island to pick up Knux's emerald. Alright, guys, let's go!"

All of us nodded. "Right!"

A/N: See ya next chapter.