Sonic the Hedgehog: Fall into Chaos

Chapter 19

"That can't be right, Shadow. Someone as fast as you? Maybe you saw-"

"Don't tell me what I saw, bat, I was a foot away from him!" Shadow slammed his fist furiously against the mech-table. "It's our third player."

Dark Chaotix, aside from Espio and Jet, sat anxiously in the main quarters of the base. Dried blood still staining the cape of the beaten anti-hero. Vector scratched his head feverishly, trying to keep up with the conversation.

Shadow angrily sat back down on the remains of a downed badnik. "Whoever they are, they also aren't...alive. But I swear it, they were Mobian."

"Alright, now wait just a sec." Vector said, annoyed. "So you're sayin' he was Mobian, but not alive. Is that right?"

"...yes." The rebel gazed forward in a locked stare. Rouge gazed at her king in curiousity.

"And it wasn't robot? Too life-like?" Vector grilled.

"...yes. I don't know how, but. This was far too natural for a bot. It made mistakes, it had a style, it was...it was Mobian..."

"But it wasn't. It didn't 'feel' natural when you grabbed it."

The usurper nodded. In defeat, the croc threw his arms in the air.

"Listen, I'm a detective, not a miracle worker. You've gotta give me somethin' to work with."

Just like that, the entrance to the base slid open, morning light pouring in. A hawk and chameleon dropping inside, a signpost in their possession.

"Is this what your mystery man was playing with?" Jet asked with a hint of snark.

"That's it. Put it down, we need to inspect it." Shadow commanded.

It's just as Shadow suspected. A signpost, rectangular at the top, pole running toward the ground. The top was dented, with the word "FUTURE" on the front, and "PRESENT" on the back. It was also very loose, allowing it to spin as fast as it needed.

Espio stared in wonderment. "I don't get it. Clearly this person cared about the sign. Enough to carry it themselves in the dead of night. Why strike it so hard before running off?"

Shadow grumbled to himself. "That does remind me. Once he struck it, I heard someone say the word, 'future'. I had assumed he said it...but. Maybe..."

The king threw back his cape dramatically. "Stand back. All of you." The hedgehog struck the sign with all his might, causing it to spin rapidly. Through the loud bang, the word "FU-TURE" was spoken.

"Now what do I...the flashes. The faster he ran, the more strange flashes emerged from him." Shadow paused before charging a signature Spin Dash, before erupting from the secluded base. He cut through the open grass, weaved through the lush green forest, and blasted out the other side. Wind brushing his face, Shadow pushed himself faster and faster. Finally, in a burst of light, the warrior vanished into thin air.

The hedgehog grinded to a halt, planting his feet firmly in the ground. Caught off guard by the sudden shift of color. He caught his breath before surveying the world around him.

The air was thin, and coarse. The stench of smoke strong, and constant. Heavy smog choked the atmosphere, with metallic, lifeless buildings covering the area. Thick, dark clouds draped the dark, orange sky. No Island in sight. No castle in sight. The hero began to panic as he stared at the fiery horizon in horror. Reality sank in.

This was a defeated, lifeless, barren future.

The hedgehog raced back to his base at a blinding speed. The patches of dead grass catching fire as he further pushed his pace. Zooming past the buildings, leaping from the concrete, he reached the barren remains of his once home base.

Before stepping in, the dark traveler noticed a stub, jutting from the ground. A stone. Shadow pulled the rock from the ground, noticing something etched into the stone.

"Shadow The Hedgehog-
A brilliant fighter, and loving friend.

20XX-???"

The warrior's heart sank, dropping the tombstone, and rushing inside the base.

The once rusted metal had now all but deteriorated, thankfully making the entrance far easier to see. He climbed deeper into the base claimed by time. Moss and plant life had grown wildly, no control or direction, vines covering every wall. The king began searching frantically through the remains of his abode. Scratches, ash, and blood, all haunting the rooms he ventured in. Along with skeletal remains. Stretched and posed, as if the former life it held had been cut short. He didn't dare wonder whose they were.

The hero clawed through the wreckage, praying to find the post that sent him to the hellscape in the first place. Ash piling on his once crisp and clean gloves. Finally, in a secluded, long forgotten room, a sign lay. Unrusted. Gleaming in the faint light.

Without a moment to spare, Shadow wailed the sign as hard as his body would allow. He closed his eyes, silently begging for those merciful words.

"PRESENT."

The king shot his head upward, hope rushing into his body once more. Shadow barreled from the base, running laps around the entrance as fast as he could. Finally, after a flash of light, Shadow gazed upon a door barely visably in the fresh green grass.

His home.

Shadow leaped in through the entrance, immediately spotting the damning signpost.

"Well that didn't take long." Rouge shot. But with no response, the hedgehog withdrew his soot-covered hand.

"CHAOS, SPEAR!"

The Dark Chaotix screamed in terror as a violent bolt of energy pierced the sign. Shattering it, along with putting a sizable hole in the wall.

"Have you lost your mind?!" Vector screamed.

"That is no ordinary post you pompous, green idiot!" Shadow responded. His voice raspy, and low. "It's a time distorter. It showed me a future where I'm not present...if I disappeared right now, lost through time."

The group paused. Inspecting the shattered pieces laying dormant on the floor.

"...what did you see?"