The Chameleon Chronicles

Chapter 9 - Truth Will Out

The shout attracted the attention of someone else. Zoin had been drinking in the sight of all this just as Krona had, and upon seeing his sister had remained quiet. Surprised and ready to do something – anything – to get his sister out, but quiet and relaxed. As relaxed as he could be anyway. He knew to stay still as sounds reached him of equipment being adjusted. Machinery blocked the view of who it was that was adjusting the equipment, but knowing where they were, Zoin could make a good guess as to who that someone was.
Eggman.
When Krona had shouted, the sound had stopped. Waiting for the next move, or just surprised that Sonic had backup.
Vector quietly tells the group to move forward, and slowly the group arcs around to behind where Sonic is stood. Now they could see the scene better, Zoin felt it strange that one chao remained outside of all the vats. This one was black in colour with red stripes. It also appeared to be wearing a device on one of its arms. There was no sign of anyone else, and Sonic was looking directly at the chao. Zoin's surprise turned to confusion.
"Ah! It looks like everyone's here. Let's start the party."
The voice had sounded like Eggman. But there was no Eggman around. Expecting to find him revealing himself from somewhere, Zoin was looking all around the room. He was surprised to see everyone now focused on the chao. When Zoin faced it, his surprise further increased at the wicked grin on its face. That startling realisation then hit him.
This chao could talk!
Zoin looked again at the vats full of chao, and at his sister. He couldn't help but wondering why she had been taken again. What was it they wanted her for? Well – it, for it did indeed seem as though Eggman was nowhere to be seen. Just this dark coloured chao, which was fiddling with its arm device.
Suddenly hundreds of tiny voices screamed as the vats powered up and sapped the chao with draining charges. The same was happening to Cream and her chao as well.
Krona had took a few steps forward when Zoin realised what he was about to do and pulled him back. But Krona kept on struggling.

The chao! Why would this one hurt the rest? Krona couldn't understand it, but he knew the chao were in pain. He felt he had to help them, and was at a loss why no-one else was – especially Sonic. He took a few steps forward, leaning in and getting ready to run for the dark chao, when a hand gripped him and held him back. Krona wouldn't take that and tried to break free from the grip. He heard Zoin call for Espio to help, and he was restrained. He stopped struggling and looked back at the two others.
"Why are you holding me? Why aren't we helping? Why aren't we doing something?" Krona hurriedly whispered.
Espio pointed with his other hand and said "Look."
Cream the Rabbit was being hit with the sapping energy as well, which took Krona by surprise. He had been sure that she had been spared the energy before he had moved, and looked at the dark chao. It had been watching him closely, and also kept sparing glances toward Oreah. Krona understood. Both his sister and Cream had been a part of the plan, but were also hostages, to make sure everyone stayed still.
Then he noticed something else. The entire back wall was devoid of any electronics except for his sister in that capsule. Following the wires from the left wall led to the ceiling, and continuing to track them led to the right side, where the larger machine that had first blocked their view was. This was powering up from all the energy being taken from the chao. And it was working, as a portal of varying greys had opened.
At first, the portal was nothing but shapeless. It was just a mass of colour on colour, small at first but growing larger. As the continued screams of Cream and the chao rose, the portal itself grew. A white center had started to appear, itself growing larger and forcing the greys into a smaller outside ring. With the outside now circular, the rest of the portal took on a circular formation as well, with the white center being circular and the grey matter of the middle swirling around the center.
A maniacal laugh sounded through the portal, and Krona heard Zoin's growl of "Eggman". The man himself stepped out from the portal. At first nothing but a black shadow, but the further he stepped from the portal, the more his features gained their natural state. With a red overcoat and a black bodysuit, goggles resting on his forehead and a brilliant spiky brown moustache, this must have been Eggman. Following out of the portal was what looked like a younger version of himself – broader and shorter - and when this person had stood next to Eggman, it was indeed a younger version of himself with lenses over his eyes instead of goggles.
Looking to Sonic, Krona saw a face of shock. Looking behind to The Chaotix showed their shock as well. Wherever Eggman had been, he was back.

The portal closed itself off, and Eggman looked around. Upon seeing Sonic, he gave a small laugh. Then he noticed The Chaotix behind Sonic and said "It seems as though the plan went well despite what was very nearly a setback."
Eggman had the same voice of the chao, and Zoin realised that it must have been his. Looking to the other side, he saw all the chao – as well as Cream – sink to the bottom of their vats.
"Drained of all energy, they can hardly move," Espio explained. "It took a lot to power that machine."
It seemed Sonic had said something to Eggman, as he was now speaking directly to Sonic. Eggman seemed boastful, as he told his story exaggerating all his small victories while making it seem as though Sonic's defeats were nothing but setbacks.
"-so I decided to train this chao, if ever I needed something more special to finally defeat you. I gave it the ability to talk, and eventually set up a base right here. Far from you. It was all completed very quietly, and it seems as though you have only just found out about it. Though of course, I claim full credit for that. This chao would manage behind the scenes work, giving me updates, while I did my very best to torment you.
"During my adventures into space, this chao kept on working, and did so brilliantly. Then of course, you destroy my theme park, which led me to the Time Eater. I felt for sure this would be the time I would finally defeat you. Of course, your younger self got involved, and it became a two on two fight. Then you defeated the Time Eater, and with me still trapped inside, I was stuck inside that void, with no idea how much time was passing. That's when my chao gave me another update, and I had the brilliant plan of bringing myself back. I have to admit, I was losing hope of ever getting out of that void, but with the plan then set in motion of bringing myself back, I could only wait."
"The weapon has been complete, and a suitable controller has been found," the dark chao reported.
"Good. Now, Sonic. You will finally pay for all those defeats at the hand of my latest creation."
"Whatever it is, I'll beat it," Sonic retorted. "Your chao plays a better game than you do."
"Hmph. This is the chao who will be playing you. Let's see you face off against Dark Matter Dragoon."
The far wall opened up, revealing the capsule that Oreah had been trapped in was attached to the robot. It pulled away from the room, and lowered its head into it. The dark chao flew to the head and opened up a canopy, settled inside and now became the robot's brain.

Krona watched as the machine let the dark chao enter it, and he realised that his sister was a part of it as well. Shouting her name again, Krona struggled against Zoin and Espio harder than he had before. He wanted to attack that robot and rescue his sister.
He heard Vector say out loud "Don't ask", and looked up in time to see Sonic look back to the robot and dash toward it. Spinning in a ball, he struck it numerous times, but the robot itself didn't get a dent. Skidding back to the middle, Sonic grunts and keels slightly.
Eggman laughs, which makes Krona realise that Sonic might lose. "You can't give up!" he shouts.
"Calm down," Espio says. "Sonic won't lose this fight yet."
Curious why Espio would say that, Krona stopped struggling to see Espio bring out an emerald of some kind and throw it Vector's way. Charmy also reveals an emerald of a different colour and also gives it to Vector as well. Mighty and Knuckles reveal two each, and pass them to Vector – making six emeralds. Vector throws them into the air above Sonic and reveals a seventh emerald. This gets thrown with the rest, where they start spinning around Sonic.
"Not again!" Eggman called out, and the dark chao got the idea. Moving in for the attack, it found its way blocked by Mighty, who forced the arm it had tried to use back the way it came.
The robot used its head this time, but found Knuckles waiting to punch it. The head swung around from the punch and hit the ceiling, causing some electricals to spark. The robot was unfazed by this, and continued trying to get its head to Sonic. Vector slammed on top of it, forcing the head to the floor. Vector continued pounding the robot's head until he was shook off, at which point Espio continued, using the same tactics against the other robot he had fought. His shuriken were finding no good places to stick and he was forced to kick the head to the side so it missed Sonic.
Vector and Knuckles came back again, and forced the head back out of the room. Not wanting to harm the most vital part of the robot again, the dark chao instead used the arms of the machine again. Using the right arm gave no results, as Mighty cannon-balled into it and sent it crashing back. The left arm came lunging in and swiped the four from their feet. It then had a straight line to Sonic, who had almost finished transforming. The arm swiped in.

Zoin had watched the battle unfolding in awe. He knew these were experienced fighters, but never had he thought he'd actually be seeing them fight. The way they moved outclassed anything Zoin had ever seen, even within his outdoor excursions class.
It seemed the fight couldn't last forever though, and all four of The Chaotix who were fighting were swept off their feet. Zoin felt he should help, but had no idea what to do against such a robot. Since it wasn't grounded, he couldn't ram into it and hope for the best. He had to think of something though, as the left arm came in for an attack at the unprotected Sonic.
The arm fell to the floor in mid-attack. This was greeted by a "Ha! Got it!" which caused everyone to look at the joint.
There sat Charmy, who had been working to loosen the joint of the arm. A flash of gold light blew over Charmy, and everyone looked back to Sonic, whose transformation was now complete. Instead of his usual blue, he was now gold. Where his quills usually were relaxed and pointed down, they were now shaking with energy and pointed up. Charmy flew back inside to give Sonic a clear shot.
Sonic looked down at Vector, as his powered up form gave him flight. "Thanks for that. Now rescue Cream, rescue the chao, and get out of here!"
He then flew at the creature in a powerful charge, hitting it just below the neck, and sent it reeling far from the base. Zoin heard Krona's gasp of awe at that. The fight taking place was fierce, and several lasers came close to the base. It was getting further away, so all that could be seen were two specks. One gold and one black. This was joined by a red speck that started to grow. It was joined by another.
The first laser struck the underside of the base, violently shaking it and somehow reactivating the portal. With the portal open and the base shaking, the younger Eggman had stayed close by the machine that generated the portal, and was instantly claimed by it. The second laser struck the machine and destroyed the electrics that powered it.
It also seemed to have shut down the drive system that kept the base in the air.