Agent Topaz - Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Struggling Fruitlessly

-S-

(Knuckles)
"....ARK?" I was surprised. An image of the massive space station crashing down to Earth had hit me. A memory. "What the..." Then Station Square flashed before my eyes, sinking into the water as it flooded. Then a flying fleet, Eggman's, above the clouds, and metal pieces flying about as thunder struck, going towards a familiar figure... I saw the Earth burning as an asteroid descended to it's surface, red as blood, and giant tentacles come out and bore into the ground, red mist seeping...
These were all memories. But of whom?

(Sonic)
"Woah!" I shouted as Topaz caught me. "Nice catch." We looked back at the figure, I'd just gone through its chest, but nothing had happened. I'd passed right through. It was strange, as I went through it felt like going through syrup, it was hard to breath and my head hurt like there was pressure on it, and it seemed to take forever...Yet I'd come out the other side and Topaz had caught me- it couldn't have been more than 5 seconds. Time seemed to slow in there.
"Ok, when in doubt,  try again!"

-T-

(Tails)
I glanced at Knuckles, then back at the Master Emerald.  I wasn't sure what to make of what he was thinking.

(Topaz)
"Right... let's aim higher this time."

I gained a bit of altitude, then repeated the previous launch.  This time I was sending the hedgehog towards the creature's head.

-S-

(Knuckles)
"It feels like..." But I couldn't say.
I saw the Biolizard, roaring as the ARK fell from space. Then I saw Perfect Chaos, screeching as it rose from the water in Station Square. I saw Devil Doom, clawing at the debris of the broken city her was perched over. I saw Metal Sonic, transforming into the Metal Overlord, laughing at the heroes in front of it. I saw a strange figure I couldn't remember... A large, angel like thing, golden with stretched wings...And what looked like a dark devil, Gaia, Dark Gaia.

"It's... It's them! IT'S THEM!" I shouted, making Tails jump. That thing in there...It's every creature that's ever used the chaos emeralds!"

(Sonic)
Didn't work. I had a feeling this thing wasn't going to be hurt like this, and that it was holding back. What was it waiting for?

-T-

(Tails)
I jumped again.  It didn't make sense, but at the same time it did.  So many distinctive energy signatures burned into the Chaos Emeralds, communicated to the Master Emerald... and now this.  Somehow, though, one detail didn't fit.

"Wait.  If it's a combination of every creature that's ever used the Emeralds, then shouldn't a part of Sonic be in there somewhere as well?"

(Topaz)
I caught Sonic again.  This was getting nowhere.

"Let's back up and scan this thing for weaknesses.  Some part of it has to be weak to something."

-S-

(Knuckles)
"I think it's missing something- that's why it's unresponsive and I can't quite feel it. It's not complete. It wants Sonic." I felt fear begin to creep into me at the thought of this thing.

(Sonic)
I had a brain wave.
"Take us back down! If we can't hurt it here, we'll try to get it down below! Maybe we can...Make it fall over?"
Topaz gave me a withering look, and I cringed at the sound of my badly thought out plan, but we began to descend.

-T-

(Tails)
A chill ran straight down my spine as I realized the meaning of what Knuckles had just said.  I fell completely silent.  After a moment, I sat down next to the Master Emerald and stared off into space.  Knuckles gave me a funny look, but I ignored him.

(Topaz)
We reached solid ground quickly, and Sonic and I paused to rest as we stared up at the beast.

"It has to have a weak point.  They always have a weak point."

Come on, Topaz, think.  What has Sonic always done when fighting beasts like this?

-S-

(Knuckles)
I was worried.
"You know, I'm not too sure these guys can take this thing on its own. Sonic's struggling, and Topaz is... Well, weak."
I massaged my temples.
"Hah, I think, I think, we need to reunite you with Topaz, Tails. If the machine ain't gonna work, what about we get you inside the Master Emerald?"

(Sonic)
"Dang it!"
I had spun through the monster, around the monster, punched the monster, flipped off at the monster, and even pleaded with the monster to give me a sign where to hurt it. None of them had worked.
I didn't know how long we'd been doing this, time was strange here, but long enough for us to get tired. Topaz was trying his best to help, but he got tired pretty quickly and kept having to stop. We both were landing punches on this thing that were going straight through, and I was getting really annoyed. Worse, this...thing, kept trying to grab and swipe at us, and it's speed was really unpredictable. Sometimes it's huge hand would  come down slowly, like it was traveling through syrup, and I could grab Topaz and drag him to a clear area of frozen green icy land, and other times it moved surprisingly fast, and we could only just get out of the way. All this stopping and starting and hitting nothing was really beginning to wear us down, I was panting and sweating, and Topaz looked worryingly pale.

-T-

(Tails)
I fell silent for a moment as I contemplated Knuckles's suggestion.  It sounded absolutely crazy... but at the same time it made perfect sense... but at the same time...

"It's worth a try," I found myself saying.  "What do I do?"

(Topaz)
"...This isn't working."

With few options, Sonic and I retreated for the moment and landed a safe distance away to rest.

"We need to think about this one a bit.  What do we usually do when facing opponents like this?"

-S-

(Knuckles)
I glanced over to Sonic's unconscious body, his chest slowly heaving, so faintly he looked like he was nearly dead. It was dangerous enough sending him in there, but Tails too?
Well, I'd put the idea out there, and I wasn't one for backing down, so I'd follow through.
"Place your hand on the Master Emerald." I said. Tails did so.
I began to whisper into the Master Emerald, requesting the same thing of it as I did Sonic.

(Sonic)
"Hah, obvious! Go Super! But..." I scratched my ear. "Can we even access the Chaos Emeralds from here? I can't feel them anywhere near. I know that they're all connected to the Master Emerald, but..."
I shook my head. "It's worth a try finding them, or some kind of power source to them or something, in any case. I'll keep Mr. Cloudy here occupied, you see if you can find anything of interest here."

-T-

(Tails)
I remained still, not sure what was going on.  I didn't remove my hand.  Then, slowly, I felt my consciousness slip out of my body... I grew tired... my eyes fell shut.

(Topaz)
"If you're sure."

I wasn't sure about leaving the hedgehog alone, but our options were limited.  I turned around and flew off, scanning the area.

The landscape wasn't remarkable.  Everything looked normal... at least as normal as it got in here.  Then, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted something yellow.  I made a sharp turn, and my suspicions were confirmed.

It was my other half, looking significantly dazed.  But what was he doing here?

-S-

(Knuckles)
Tails flopped over and I rubbed my hands together.
"Ok, we're making progress." I whispered to myself.

(Sonic)
Wow, this thing had really picked up the pace. It had begun to swipe at me regularly and I was having a hard time keeping up.
I finally had to call a break, and retreated a good few hundred yards away, the thing slowly walking forward with resounding, but strangely gentle booms.
"Ok, for the last time, what are you?" I bellowed at it.
It stopped, and a strange sigh came out.
Ahhh.....
We stood facing each other (assuming its hidden head was my direction) and stayed like that for a long time.
Dead silence.
Then, as if it was breathing, the shadow giant spoke.

NAZO.

-T-

(Tails)
I wasn't sure what to make of my twin... no... my other half, each of us staring the other down.

(Him) "I didn't expect you to show up as well."
(Me) "Knuckles and I thought it necessary.  That and we really need to become one again, and why not now?"
(Him) "No.  Now's not the time.  Our bodies must remain separate for now.  We may take one step towards unity, however."

Before I could ask what he meant by that, he raised one finger, and I began to have a really strange feeling in my head.

Meanwhile...

(Amy)
I looked over my tarot cards.  They never lied.  And the hand I'd just dealt myself was particularly unnerving.

Card one: Friendship.  This fortune was about a friend of mine.

Card two: the Scholar.  The friend in question was marked by his intelligence.  Probably Tails, then.

Card three: the Knight.  Tails was engaged in a very difficult conflict that he would have trouble winning.  Under the circumstances that didn't narrow it down very much.

Card four: the Visitor.  It was my destiny to go and visit him, probably to assist him.

To reiterate, the cards never lied.  I let out a sigh, and headed for the front door.

-S-

(Knuckles)
I was meditating next to the Master Emerald when I sensed another presence.
"Again..." I muttered to myself, rising, only to see Amy at the base of the altar. "Amy?!"

(Sonic)
"Nazo?"
I didn't like the name. I know it sounds silly, but that name... Sounded to familiar. Like a part of me should know it.
I frowned.
"What...Are you?"