Chapter One
Kay opened her eyes. The room was mostly dark since there were no windows in the lower level of Freedom HQ, but she always left a lamp on when she went to bed so she didn’t hurt herself when she tried to find the door in the morning. Even in the dim light she could see that nearly everything was some shade of pink, with the exception of a few photos on the wall that featured a certain blue hedgehog.
Then Kay remembered what had happened last night and she sat up in bed, realizing once more (and still having a hard time grasping) that she was the prophesized Emerald’s Chosen. She would one day rescue Mobius from a terrible fate, and she wasn’t even Mobian (not inside, anyway). Kay remembered the looks on her friends faces when they’d recognized who she was destined to become. It had changed the way they acted around her, and it hadn’t even been twenty-four hours since the truth came out.
Kay made her way to the door of her temporary bedroom and turned the knob to open it. She was surprised to see that the living area of HQ was completely silent and unoccupied. It must have been early in the morning. She had just set foot on the first stair leading to the upper level when she heard his voice.
“Good morning,” the deep, calm tone of Espio greeted quietly. Kay turned around to face him, taking in his tired eyes and realizing that he must not have been able to sleep, either.
“Hey,” she replied in an equally soft voice.
“Hungry?” he asked, motioning towards the miniature fridge with a nod of his head. Kay had a brief image of him preparing breakfast with only one arm after he’d been injured in combat with Eggman. She glanced at the shoulder that had been wounded, glad to see that the bandages had been removed.
“Not really,” she said with a shrug, averting her eyes from his golden ones. “I think I’ll go outside and…uh…think for a while.” She glanced back at him just long enough to see him nod in understanding. Then she turned and resumed her ascent.
Outside, the morning air was cool and the sky was a perfect mix of blue and grey; the sun was still coming up. Kay thought about how she used to never let herself get out of bed this early. However, due to the situation, she made an exception and sat down in the fresh grass, leaning her back against the outer wall of HQ. She took in a deep breath of air and closed her eyes, recalling the events of last night.
After Espio had confirmed their suspicions about her aloud, Valdez had suggested they all go home and rest after the long and somewhat overwhelming day they’d all had. No words passed between Espio, Vector, and Kay as they opened up a warp ring and returned to HQ. They’d all gone straight to bed. Kay knew that Vector wouldn’t speak to her for a while, at least – he was probably still upset about seeing her with Geoffrey/Naugus, though what had happened between them wasn’t what the crocodile thought it was. She also knew that he was no longer in HQ right now. He was in the city, taking a long walk and trying to clear his head. She could see him in her mind right now, no matter how much she tried to block it.
It was Espio she was concerned about. He’d been acting strangely ever since the idea of her being the Emerald’s Chosen was presented. He’d gone from being suspicious of her to completely intrigued in seconds, and he was acting different around her. Kay didn’t like it at all. She wished her friends would treat her like they did before she’d begun having her visions. Things were much simpler then. Well…simpler except for the fact that Eggman kept coming after her.
In addition to all of that, Kay now knew why Espio had been unable to get in touch with Knuckles for the past few days. She wouldn’t tell anyone, of course. She’d let history unfold as naturally as possible with her presence altering its flow.
She saw him climbing the stairs in her head and tensed just a little. She knew he was coming to see her, and as much as she enjoyed his company, she was afraid he would behave differently just because she had been given an important title. That would be like all of Sonic’s friends suddenly bowing before him simply because he married Princess Sally in the future. If that even was the future anymore.
“Are you sure it’s safe for you out here?” Espio asked her as he stepped out of HQ. Kay didn’t look at him as he moved to stand beside her in the grass.
“Yes.”
The chameleon gradually lowered himself so that he was sitting next to her, and the two were silent for a while. Kay remembered how close he’d been to her before they’d gone to Angel Island last night and glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. He was a good distance from her this time – not too close and not too far. Good, she thought. He’s starting to act normal again.
“So…what’s it like?” he asked her after a few minutes of silence. Kay looked at him with a quizzical expression. “Knowing everything, I mean.”
She thought about it. Before Eggman had transformed her into the hedgehog she was today, she’d studied all she could about Mobius and learned a great deal. “Well…” she replied slowly, “I knew a lot before I came here. Knowing everything just makes me feel…” Like all of the holes in my information have been filled, she thought. Instead she finished with, “…complete, I guess.”
Espio turned to her with a curious frown. “Where did you come from, anyway?”
Kay remembered her life before Eggman’s interference, though she didn’t want to. She thought about whether she should tell him and decided that she would have to start opening up sooner or later. And she had promised herself she would be as truthful as possible with her friends. “I…” She stopped suddenly. If I tell him he’ll only start acting weird again. Kay quickly changed tactics. “I’d rather you didn’t know.”
Espio kept silent and made no gesture one way or the other. He just turned his gaze out to the city and held it there for a while.
Kay watched the grass begin to glow with the light of the sun and asked, “So what happens now?”
The chameleon looked at her once again. “What do you mean? You’re the Emerald’s Chosen.”
“Yeah, but…what is that?” she asked. “I thought the Master Emerald would clear it up for me, but…” She rolled her eyes. “That’s like the only thing it didn’t tell me.”
“Well…” he began, his golden eyes darting this way and that as he tried to remember what he could about the ancient Albion legend. “The Emerald’s Chosen is prophesized to save the world.”
“I don’t know anything about being a hero,” Kay told him, meeting his gaze for the first time. “I can’t even walk without tripping over myself.” She swiftly recalled what the Master Emerald had shown her concerning her future and shook her head again. She was never going to be able to do all of that.
Espio observed her calmly and then suggested, “Maybe you just need some training.”
“Training for what? Am I supposed to fight for Mobius?”
“I don’t know.”
Kay sighed and looked away again. “Besides, Team Freedom and Team Fighters are busy, and so are you Chaotix. I don’t know of anyone who would have the time – or patience – to train me.”
Espio frowned and gazed out at the glistening city before them. Kay was right – Team Freedom had barely enough members to protect the citizens from the numerous evil forces in the world, Team Fighters was tracking down Eggman, and he had a feeling the Chaotix would soon be called away to help protect Angel Island. The chameleon thought long and hard through their list of allies, finally settling on one in particular.
That’s when he spoke again. “I know someone.”
Kay looked at him in surprise. “Who?”
Espio glanced at her in silence, observing how clueless she looked even though she was supposed to know everything. He looked into her deep blue eyes for a few moments before saying, “You’ve probably already heard of them. They’re the Guardians of the United Nations.”
Kay stared at him, only one word coming to mind. Shadow.