ADVENTURE

  Written by:Shax the Raptor 

  PROLOGUE:

  The echidna rushed past tree after tree after tree... the monster's 
  roars behind him and the crashing of waves was almost deafening. 
  The echidna stumbled and regained his composure. Such was the life 
  of a page.. he was being used as a guinea pig once again. As bait 
  for the creature sent by the gods to destroy them all. Suddenly, a 
  figure rose up behind him.. his master. He was surrounded by other 
  echidnas high in he ranks of the government. 
  "Is he coming?" the lead echidna asked.
  "Yes.. my Lord.." the page panted. "Can he.. be stopped? He.. is a 
  God.. after all.."
  "Yes, but this is a test." the lead echidna replied. "A test of our 
  strength.. as a culture and as a race. We have chipped seven pieces 
  from the Havoc Gem, emeralds which can absorb the creature's evil."
  Suddenly, a shadow swept over the congregation, and a massive roar 
  was heard. A couple of the echidnas freaked out and tripped over 
  themselves to get away, and others fell back. Only the lead echidna 
  and six others remained.
  "XNAOO!" he screamed. "YOU HAVE DESTROYED THOUSANDS OF OUR PEOPLE! 
  YOU HAVE OBLITERATED OUR BUILDINGS.. OUR CITIES.. IT IS TIME TO END 
  YOUR REIGN OF HORROR!"
  He walked through the forest. Leaves made a dry crunching sound under 
  his feet. He was looking around with his radar, when something on 
  his arm clicked. He checked it. It was a digital clock he installed 
  to his arm. The clock had clicked over, and was now reading 12:00 
  midnight, 1st December 1999. "A pinch and a punch for the first of the 
  month." he growled to himself. He continued to check around with his 
  radar. There was a large city to the west of him. "That must be 
  Station Square." he muttered. His goal. After all, he knew where 
  Sonic was headed the last time they met. Sally Acorn was too smart 
  for her own good, and now she would be ready for him. He needed a 
  new target.. somebody else that Sonic was attached to in some way. A 
  new kidnap victim. Zero Tolerance turned his radar off, and headed 
  west. Last time they had met, he was still young. Now the armored 
  hedgehog was a little older, a little wiser, and thanks to all the 
  wonderful machinary of Mobius, he was much better equipped. He was 
  more like a robot now than he had ever been since he became alive. 
  He didn't know what he was about to bring himself into. He had 
  absolutely no idea that he was going to become entwined with the most 
  fearsome and terryfying series of events that Mobius would see for a 
  very, very long time. All he knew was revenge on Sonic the Hedgehog. 
  He was also deeply offended by the robot Mecha Sonic, but that grudge 
  would have to wait. Sonic was the one to knock him off the cliff that 
  time. Sonic would have to pay first. 

  Robotnik, Mecha Sonic, the E-102 series and a group of E-101 robots 
  marched through the thick scrub with the seven Chaos Emeralds. 
  Robotnik was very excited. He was about to unleash a monster apon the 
  world.. a monster who was completely under his control. The echidna 
  tablets and scrolls said so.. the grey emerald had even said so. 
  "Sire.. we're here." Mecha stated. Robotnik looked up, and saw a 
  temple. A very large temple. It resembled that of the Earthian 
  Aztec or Mayan build.. it didn't seem echidna-like at all. Robotnik 
  leaped towards it with heavy strides, and felt the smooth stone. It 
  hardly had a trace of moss on it. Of particular notice was the 
  association with snakes and eels and other legless squirming creatures 
  that the temple had. The group moved up the stairs, and found a 
  massive snake's head facing them. It was made of stone, like 
  everything else, and had quartz crystal in the eye sockets. This 
  temple was the most magnificent thing Robotnik had seen on the 
  Chaos Isle, without a doubt. So perfectly sculpted... yet it transmitted 
  a dire warning. It looked very dangerous indeed, and the snakes and 
  eels were echidna symbols for danger and death. The Chaos Isle echidnas 
  had constructed this temple for the Chaos Emeralds.. but they never, 
  ever wanted it to be used. To do so would definately mean the 
  destruction of their species.
  Ivo looked down and noticed two platforms.. one was silver plated, the 
  other gold. "Do you have the statues?" he asked. Mecha handed him two 
  statues.. one silver, the other gold. One was a statue of a coiled 
  snake, the other was the head of a dragon. Funny, echidnas never even 
  mentioned dragons in their myths before. Robotnik placed the statues 
  on the corresponding coloured platforms, and waited. A low rumbling 
  suddenly began. Epsilon, Beta, Delta and Zeta cautiously loaded 
  their weapons, and Gamma slowly did the same. Everyone backed away as 
  the snake's head began to open. Robotnik and Mecha stepped into the 
  darkness, while the other robots waited outside.
  Mecha had Chaos' commands stored in his database, so he acted as navigator.

  Robotnik walked behind him, carrying the emeralds. Eventually, they 
  came to a doorway. It was blocked by a large stone door. Robotnik 
  enthusiastically pressed the keystone, and the door screeched open. 
  It was so dark inside that only Mecha could detect what was inside 
  with his scanners.. and he assured Robotnik that it was magnificent. 
  Robotnik looked to the corner of the room, and could just make out a 
  large object. He touched it. Smooth.. it was glass. He could just make 
  out his own face in it. It was a mirror. He pushed it, trying to 
  manuveur it. It budged, but it was difficult to move. Suddenly, 
  there was an explosion of light, illuminating the entire room. The 
  light from the hallway bounced off the mirror onto another mirror, 
  and through a series of mirrors throughout the room. Ingenius. 
  But that wasn't what Robotnik was focused on. He was looking at a 
  massive construction, six stone containers and a large platform, 
  surrounded by runes. Each container was large enough to house a Chaos 
  Emerald, and the platform above, according to Chaos' instructions, would 
  be for the controller.. the grey emerald. Rushedly, Robotnik went 
  around the machine, stretching out to place an emerald on each pedestal. 
  The containers closed around them with a satisfied click. Robotnik 
  then climbed the construction to place the grey emerald in the center, 
  but as soon as it hit the pedestal, there was an explosion that threw 
  him to the ground. Mecha ran up to him. "Sire, are you hurt?" he asked. 
  Robotnik grunted. "No, I'm alright. Switch the machine on."
  Mecha was about to comply, but stopped.. the machine was ALREADY on. 
  The pedestals with the emerald containers rotated and danced hypnotically 
  around the center. Then they rose with a screech. Robotnik and Mecha 
  jerked back a little. The containers rotated faster and faster, and 
  the grey emerald was glowing steadily. Suddenly, the containers 
  turned and shot six different coloured beams of light at the controller 
  emerald in the center. Colours matching the colours of the emeralds 
  inside them. The pedestal with the grey emerald began to rise into
   the air, the beams of light following it. The room was almost 
  intolerably bright, now, and the machine was spinning faster and 
  faster. Robotnik could see murals all over the walls.. stone murals. 
  They were of giant eels and tidal waves swallowing the echidna cities, 
  and one in particular, the largest one, depicted a gigantic, monsterous 
  dragon roaring as it looked down at the ruins of its enemies. Robotnik's 
  eyes had stars in them. While he stared, he suddenly heard the 
  monsterous sound of the creature's roar. No, it wasn't the mural... 
  it was a massive swirl of colours, which appeared over the grey 
  Chaos Emerald, which was hovering above the pedestal, spinning. 
  Mecha put his arm out to shield his master, but Robotnik pushed it 
  away. He walked right up and stood under the thing... he knew it was 
  a vortex, what else could it have been? Raising his arms, he bellowed 
  "COME FORTH CHAOS!! YOUR MASTER COMMANDS YOU!!" He began to laugh 
  maniacally, staring into the void. He laughed and laughed.. but this 
  particularly evil moment was spoiled when nothing happened. Robotnik's 
  laughter died down, he lowered his arms and stared into the portal. 
  "Chaos!" he shouted. "Are you there?"
  He was answered by a drop of water on his forehead.
  Stepping back, he looked at the Chaos Emerald vortex from a distance. 
  What had gone wrong? He had done exactly what Chaos told him, so why 
  was his monster not there?
  "Scanners detect no signs of the monster, sire." Mecha reported 
  glumly, as three more, larger drops of water from the vortex turned 
  into a small stream, as if from a tap.
  "What have we done wrong?" Robotnik demanded. "I can't believe this!" 
  He began to pace around the room, every so often glancing at the 
  leaky vortex. His black boots slopped on the wet floor. "I ask for a 
  monster, and what do I get? WET!" Neither Robotnik, nor the robot 
  noticed that the water was rising off the floor... rising into a 
  shape. The liquid had stopped dripping from the vortex, and was now 
  struggling and squirming around.. like the water was alive. Mecha 
  sensed movement, and turned to face it. The water had risen into a 
  shape about the size of a human, and was pulsating like a glob of 
  oil underwater.
  "Sire..." Mecha started. Robotnik did not reply, but his attention was 
  turned to the system of mirrors. He admired the engineering.
  The glob of liquid sprouted two limbs like arms on both sides of it. 
  They formed claws on the end. The base of the blob lifted up in the 
  middle to a crotch... two legs. What also seemed like limbs began 
  to sprout from the top, which now resembled a head. A yellow tint 
  began to darken on its 'face', and then sprouted into two, and 
  rounded. The yellow bits blinked and looked around.
  "SIRE..." Mecha said, a little louder and more forceful. "Be quiet, 
  Mecha!" came the reply.
  The glob of liquid appeared to solidify a little on the inside, 
  forming a very simple bone structure. Even the bones bent and 
  twisted when the liquid entity moved. A mouth with jagged fish-like 
  teeth appeared, and the entity's ugly yellow eyes fixed on Mecha 
  for a long time. The robot backed off a little, but the blob-creature 
  melted in a very fluid motion, slid across the floor, and 
  reconstructed itself right before Mecha's eyes. It coiled around 
  the robot a little, making Mecha feel a little threatened. "Ivo.. 
  Robotnik.." the creature stated. Its voice was jerky, and sounded 
  as if it had a mouth full of water, which, in a way, it did. "You 
  are Ivo Robotnik?" it asked. "Chaos thanks you for his release..." 
  "No." Mecha replied suddenly. "No, I am Mecha Sonic, Robotnik's 
  assassin robot. My master is over there." He pointed to Robotnik, 
  who was trying to take one of the mirrors apart.
  Without a second thought, the creature slithered to Robotnik, and 
  slid its hand on the doctor's shoulder. Robotnik jumped at the 
  unexpected cold touch, startled. He turned to face the creature, 
  his mouth wide open. He cocked his head to the side.
  "Ivo... Robotnik....?" the creature asked, as if it was an infant's 
  first words. Robotnik took a step back, and nodded. "Yes, I am 
  Robotnik." he replied. 
  "You.. are Chaos?"
  "YESSSSSSSSSSS..." the creature hissed gluggily, its eyes brightening 
  slightly. "You have released Chaos, Ivo Robotnik... Chaos is FREE!" 
  The creature seemed to constantly refer to itself in the third-person, 
  showing it was anything but selfless. Robotnik approached the creature, 
  Chaos, and poked him in the chest. It was difficult to enter at first, 
  as if breaking a seal.. the creature had a very thin skin. Robotnik's 
  finger broke through, and swooshed around inside Chaos.. it bumped a 
  bone which felt and broke like toothpaste. Robotnik retracted his 
  hand, and Chaos repaired immediately, never shifting his glance, 
  never moving a muscle (so to speak). "Peh.." Robotnik snorted. He 
  flailed his arms around and moved towards the exit. "Come, Mecha." he 
  commanded.
  Chaos, with precision speed and accuracy, globulised, rushed through 
  Robotnik's legs, and re-formed in front of him. "You are not happy with 
  what you see?" he asked. "You should be.. Chaos is at your command!" 
  Robotnik tried to push the liquid monster away, but his hand just 
  went through Chaos' face. He pulled it out and brushed it off. "You 
  are not a monster." he said coldly. He flung his arm at the huge 
  mural at the side of the room, under the vortex which was slowly 
  dying down as the machine began to stop. "THAT is a MONSTER!" the 
  doctor screamed. "THAT is the Chaos I expected! A POWERFUL MONSTER 
  WHO CAN LEVEL A CITY!!" He turned back to Chaos. "YOU.... I don't 
  know WHAT you are!" he screeched. "But you are NOT a monster! _I_ am 
  TALLER than you! _I_ would have an easier time levelling Station Square! 
  AND LOOK! You aren't even SOLID! I could kill you with a VACUUM CLEANER!!"
  Chaos appeared startled at Robotnik's lashing out, but fluidly moved 
  to Robotnik and put a limb around Robotnik's shoulders. A friendly
   gesture, despite the ominous and threatning appearance. "Chaos is 
  still young..." the creature said. "Powerless. If you want THAT.." 
  Chaos motioned to the mural "Then Chaos can provide, Chaos is under 
  your command, Ivo Robotnik. But Chaos will need power. Chaos GROWS 
  with power. Do you HAVE a power source, Ivo Robotnik? You will not 
  be disappointed." Chaos looked Robotnik over, hungrily and greedily, 
  to see if the doctor was packing any kind of high power source. 
  Robotnik shook his head. "The Havoc Gem is nearby.." he commented.
  "NO!!" Chaos screeched, wavering. "Chaos was trapped inside just seven 
  small pieces of that gem for one hundred and fifty years!! It is 
  unsafe, it will not do."
  "Well what else is there?" Robotnik snapped back. "There is the 
  MASTER Emerald, I suppose, it has less power, but it does not have 
  the same containment properties as..."
  "Yess!" Chaos hissed. "The... MASTER Emerald! Feed Chaos the 
  Master Emerald!"
  Robotnik looked at the mural on the side of the room. "And you will 
  turn into that?" he asked. Chaos nodded, a visible grin on his 
  jagged lips. A bubble formed in his stomach and went to his head. 
  "Come, Ivo Robotnik, Chaos craves to see the sun. Let us exit this 
  temple!" Chaos liquified into a puddle, and slithered away, under 
  the wall. Robotnik turned to exit through the doorway, but Mecha 
  Sonic stopped him. "I sense treachery in this creature." the robot 
  said, keeping his voice down. "Perhaps you should not be so quick 
  to provide it with what it wants."
  "A shrimp like that cannot assist me to dominate Station Square!" 
  Robotnik stated. "I have no choice!"
  "Perhaps you should not give this 'Chaos' everything it wants 
  straight away.." Mecha advised. "Give it small amounts.. see what 
  happens. Keep it loyal." "You mean, take the Master Emerald apart 
  and offer it as doggy treats when Chaos does a good job?" Robotnik 
  asked. "That is an intelligent solution, Mecha, I shall have to reward 
  you!" The doctor motioned for the robot to follow him, and they 
  exited the temple.
  Once outside, they found that the five E-102 robots were holding
   Chaos at gunpoint. Chaos seemed un-stirred. "Epsilon! Beta! Gamma! 
  Delta! Zeta!" Robotnik shouted. "Chaos is to be treated as your 
  superior, and without suspicion! Put the weapons away!" The five robots 
  obeyed. "Epsilon and Beta!" Robotnik commanded. "Take the two key 
  statues and hide them somewhere around here. Gamma, Delta and Zeta, 
  get the E-101s and return to the Egg Carrier!"
  As the robots and their master did their own things, Chaos remained 
  in the jungle for a while.
  "Chaos shall honor his creators." Chaos said to himself. "He shall 
  show that he surely is the perfect organism.. the Perfect Chaos!" He 
  chuckled to himself. "I must acheive perfection quickly. CHAOS... IS
  ... BACK!!!" As his gluggy voice echoed through the canopy, he seeped 
  through the ground, into the dirt.