Mobius Destiny (A Sonic Boom Fanfic)

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

Kay filled Espio in on everything she'd learned in the brief time she was away, eventually finding the energy to sit up again as she did so. It took her a while to explain the significance of everything to he who had never heard of half of the things she was talking about. When she was finally finished, Espio was silent for a bit, soaking in everything he'd learned. Poor Nikōru watched them both intently, although she couldn't understand what was being said. Kay wished Li Yuen had stayed to translate, but she knew how important it was that the Gossamer clan be informed as well.

At last Espio spoke. "So that Emerald..." He pointed to the gem. "...is the real power source behind this war? It's powered the portal for Aurora to turn half of my kingdom against me?"

Kay nodded. "And then some. She used it to show Shadow how powerful he could be with Chaos at his command, and now she's gotten Eggman on her side as well. I can't imagine he'll be an immediate threat, but if we don't find a way to get this Emerald back where it belongs things could get a lot worse."

"You said Shadow is now out of the picture?"

"He seemed like he wanted to be done with it all, but..." Kay shrugged. "It's Shadow. We may run into him again in a few minutes from now. You can never really tell with him."

Espio nodded again, paused, then asked, "Do you have any idea how to get this thing back where it came from?"

"Yes," Kay said immediately, "and I think our chances are highest if we act before Aurora can persuade more people to her cause. But there is one variable that may hinder us if we can't figure out a way around it."

"And what is that, senshi?"

"The portal itself." Kay looked down at the Emerald in her hands. "I've seen the Genesis Portals work before, but that was before the Dark Gaia crisis was resolved. Before, they could open on their own and stay open until someone who knew what they were doing closed them. That's how this Emerald got here in the first place. But now that Dark Gaia has been taken care of, I'm not sure how the portals work. It's obvious that this Emerald can open one, but the big question at this point is: Can it open a portal on its own, or does it have to be on that pedestal? And if it can open one on its own...how on Mobius would we even get it to do that? No one on this entire planet is connected with Chaos in any way. Trying to find someone who could open the portal without the use of the pedestal would be a lost cause."

Espio looked at her. "You cannot use Chaos anymore, correct?"

Kay nodded. "In the past my mere presence would cause the Chaos Emeralds to react in some way. But now look." She held up the gem. "I've been touching it for a long time, and nothing's happened. I can't even sense its power anymore; it just feels like a glass bauble to me."

"Yet it glows," the prince pointed out. "Is there any significance to that?"

This very question had been on her mind as well, from the moment she first saw it in that chamber. Kay stared at the faint blue light the Emerald was emitting. "I would say no, but when this came back to Earth with me it dulled down because there is no Chaos Energy there. So if it's still glowing here..."

"There must be some Chaos Energy in this dimension after all," Espio suggested.

"Or someone who is Chaos sensitive." Kay looked at him with both hope and trepidation. "But we'd still need them to open the portal without the pedestal, and we don't have time to search the whole planet for someone like that."

"Especially not with that ransom hanging over my men's heads." Espio sighed and looked away, his golden eyes glowing with intense focus.

Kay considered the situation. She really need more time to weigh her options, what everything meant, and what she ultimately should do about all of this, but there was no guarantee she'd have the opportunity. Aurora would be after her any second now; she had probably already sent people to track her down and get the Emerald back. The sun had set, and it was getting darker and cooler outside. Kay sighed. She hated feeling rushed, but rushed was all she could work with for now.

"Senshi," Espio said quietly after a few moments, drawing her attention back to him. "You said you believe you know what Aurora intends to do with me? Could you explain what you mean by that?"

Kay nodded, thought for a moment, and then replied, "So far Aurora has only seemed interested in contacting those who have some connection to Chaos on Mobius Prime. If there's no connection she doesn't seem to care whether they're on her side or not. It's the power of Chaos she's after, so connection to Chaos in any form is all she wants, as far as I can tell. That's why she was able to get Shadow's attention, and Eggman's, and the Storm Clan's Bride. The Yagyu..." She paused. "I'm not entirely sure how that happened, but I digress."

"The Yagyu's loyalty was wavering before the war started, senshi," Espio explained with a small smile. "Aurora was merely the extra persuasion they needed to go ahead and rebel outright."

"My point is, Aurora is after Chaos above all else. But because you don't have the connection to Chaos that she wants, she hasn't put a target on your back yet. Until now." Kay frowned as she spoke. "She's been talking about you more and more as of late, and now she's trying to lure you back to the palace, using your men as a ransom. That makes me think she's suddenly taken an interest in either getting you on her side or making sure you stay out of her way as she moves into the next phase of her plan...whatever it is."

Espio was silent for a moment, and Kay could tell he'd understood her implication perfectly. "In other words," he finally said, "she wants me dead."

It was so harsh to hear the words aloud, but the more Kay thought about it, the more she knew that it was exactly right. Prime Espio was connected to the Master Emerald, yes, but he himself had no Chaos abilities, and that's all Aurora cared about. No Chaos, no interest. But the prince had certainly been a hindrance to her, and if he was a threat to her now Aurora knew he would only be a bigger one as she moved into the next stage of her plans for this version of Mobius. And that meant she had to do something about him. And Kay knew that this version of the echidnan goddess was determined enough that murdering the heir to the throne would not scare her away from her task. She'd already killed the rest of the royal family.

Slowly, Kay nodded in response to Espio's assessment. "If you go back to the palace for your men, she will try to kill you, your highness."

"Well, then." Espio nodded once, firmly, decisively. "We must come up with a plan to stop her within the next three days, mustn't we?"