Asphyxiation
The echidna guardian kept a watchful eye on the storm, perched atop the highest point of The Babylon Nest. He felt nostalgic; Angel Island, too, had once been regularly engulfed in storm clouds. There was nothing Knuckles could do but help the Chao find shelter, take refuge himself if necessary, and maintain his vigilance. Fighting nature always led to defeat, but this particular storm was strange.
Knuckles wasn't the only one who noticed. When Amy ran to find Sticks and him to tell them about Wave's warning, the badger immediately jumped to the conclusion that "Flying pirates were controlling the storm to trap their victims and take them before an evil sun goddess." Neither Sonic nor Amy believed her, but Knuckles remained cautious. He let the two hedgehogs go and respond to the warning while he and Sticks protected the nest; after all, Knuckles is the expert guardian. He certainly didn't let the blue hedgehog leave empty-handed.
Before the hedgehogs left, Knuckles called Sonic privately.
"Is something wrong, big bro?" the hedgehog did his best to appear unconcerned.
Something was wrong with the speedster. The brilliance and energy that characterized him had almost completely vanished. He didn't even seem enthusiastic about going out to brave the storm. Knuckles couldn't find any other word to describe how he looked other than "tired," but in a way that went beyond the physical. The echidna found it unsettling to see the fastest living being in the world, a dynamo, his dear friend, so tired of... living?. Of course, as was the hedgehog's custom (and Knuckles's too, to be honest), he didn't speak of what he felt or thought, maintaining that stoic silence of those who see vulnerability as a lack of self-respect.
Knuckles pulled something wrapped in thick fabric from his robes. He carefully handed it to Sonic, who took it curiously. When Sonic revealed the Meta-Quartz bracelet, his eyes regained some of their sparkle, though Knuckles found it rather unsettling than happy.
"Where on earth did you get this...?" Sonic asked, still mesmerized by the stone.
"From the same place where I saved Sticks," Knuckles' nonchalant reply couldn't hide the fact that he, too, was under the spell of quartz. He knew all too well about that fascination with Meta-Quartz.
It was strange; in the past, he hadn't felt the slightest interest in quartz, but in that moment of need, when he most wanted to find what he was looking for, not taking a handful of quartz crystals with him on his travels seemed like a stupid idea. It was Sticks who noticed the change in the echidna and pointed it out to him.
You look like a hungry coyote eyeing a pork chop. Are you really okay?, The questioning of his sanity by the Badger, the most irrational person Knuckles knew, brought him to his senses. That's why he preferred that she carry the quartz crystals, due to her disdain for them.
Sonic was slowly removing the fabric from the bracelet, almost ceremonially.
"Be careful when you touch it," the echidna warned. The thick cloth prevented the red aura that appeared when Knuckles touched the quartz from manifesting. He feared something similar would happen to the hedgehog if he touched the stone carelessly, though Sonic seemed to pay no attention.
When the hedgehog's index finger made contact with the bracelet, in less than a blink a blue aura expanded, enveloping them both. For a split second, Knuckles felt the air escaping his lungs, rushing uncontrollably through his nose and mouth, suffocating him. The aura immediately receded as Sonic properly put the bracelet on.
"Sorry Knux! I've lost the habit a bit, hehe," said the hedgehog half-jokingly.
Deep down, a little hunch told Knuckles that this might not be a good idea.
"Do you think you can handle it after all this time?"
"We'll have to put it to the test."
"Sonic, this isn't a sparring session. It could get serious."
"Relax Knux, for me it's like riding a bike, one can't forget it."
"Sonic, we have to go now! Are you ready?" called the pink hedgehog from afar.
The two boys exchanged glances. Sonic winked and waved goodbye; Knuckles responded with a nod. That was it.
Even so, the echidna was unable to shake that unpleasant feeling from its body. It couldn't tell if it was worry or guilt; and if it was guilt, he couldn't recognize what it could possibly feel guilty about.
"They're coming back!" Sticks shouted from under Knuckles, although the echidna had long since seen the Gears' lights approaching.
Wave and Amy landed at one of the nest's ports, next to where Sticks was. Behind them came about thirty pink bubbles containing the boys who had accompanied the Babylon Rogues, but there was no sign of Sonic, Jet, or Storm.
Knuckles leaped down to meet the girls. He went with Amy as she carefully freed the injured from the bubbles.
"I can't believe you actually mastered it," the echidna complimented Amy as he patted one of the bubbles. "Although, why only bubbles?"
"They're the only thing I can create, nothing else. Believe me, I've tried," the hedgehog's frustration overwhelmed her.
Knuckles held the bubble firmly in his hands and delivered the strongest blow he could muster. Amy was startled for a second, but calmed down when she saw that not only was the bubble intact, but the person inside was also undisturbed.
"Maybe that's all you need," the echidna said, and Amy smiled before continuing to free the injured. "Where are Sonic and the others?"
"They stayed to fight, it's serious, and very, VERY strange. Sticks, I can't believe you hit... well, everything!" she commented towards the badger.
"I don't know what you're surprised about, it was so obvious," replied Badger.
"Do you think it was a good idea to leave Sonic there? Given the state he's in..."
"I know, and you're right. I wouldn't have left him alone before, but with that Meta-Quartz you gave him... If he still remembers how to use it, Jet and Storm might end up being redundant in the fight."
Knuckles remembered that brief moment when he handed the bracelet to the hedgehog and was literally left breathless. Perhaps Sonic was now more of a danger to everyone than whatever was lurking in the storm.
Knuckles and the three girls took the most seriously injured to the infirmary and the less seriously injured back to the bunkers. Wave requested assistance from some of the guards to take up defensive positions around the nest and prepare for the worst.
"Amy, do you think you can create a bubble around the whole nest?" the swallow asked.
"Uh... I-I can try," the hedgehog didn't hide her skepticism at all.
"Do it. I need to go take care of the generator."
"I'll go with you," Knuckles proposed.
"NO!" Wave snapped.
Everyone was stunned. The swallow seemed determined but also nervous, as if it were hiding something.
"None of you can follow me! Don't even think about it! You just...!" Wave seemed to regain consciousness from her sudden outburst. She tried to take a breath and calm herself. "...Just protect the children, okay?"
Amy, Knuckles, and Sticks exchanged glances and simply nodded, letting Wave disappear behind the large gates that led to the corridor towards the generator.
"Perhaps these birds have something those winged pirates are looking for," Sticks speculated.
Amy turned to look at Knuckles hoping that the echidna would dismiss the badger, but there was no luck.
The hedgehog's nose pricked with that familiar sensation, the same feeling that told him where adventure lay, but which in recent years had only told him he had to run away. A fresh breath filled his lungs, a faintly familiar air. The feeling of helplessness he had carried for years had lessened, and he was expectant, the Meta-Quartz bracelet dancing on his wrist.
Sonic and Jet had concluded that the best way to stay free of the water was to maintain high speed. The hedgehog hadn't been hit by any water spouts along the way, and Jet was only captured when he stopped in front of the ship. Keeping moving was essential; if they slowed down even a little, it was the end.
Jet, Storm, and Sonic circled the great flying galleon like vultures over their next prey, even though they knew the real predator was hunting them. The ship remained inert, as if it were more of a collective mirage than a physical object. But it was definitely real; its form was firm and static, yet there wasn't the slightest sign of life inside. Sonic felt the prickle of danger at the tip of his nose, but he had a hunch it wasn't coming from the fox that was chasing them.
Jet deviated from its trajectory to approach Sonic.
"Since when did the echidna have Meta-Quartz on him?"
"Since always, I think"
"And why wasn't I informed?"
"Because you didn't ask"
"Boss, Sonic! here he comes!" Storm warned.
The two speedsters turned to watch as Kit emerged from the clouds, extending his tentacles in all directions as he tightened his grip on the galleon. The water limbs were far faster than they had anticipated; while they couldn't catch the Wind Master and the fastest living being, they could reach the lumbering Storm, surrounding him to crush him. Jet made a move to turn and help, but Sonic signaled him to refrain and focus on the ship; he would take care of saving Storm.
As the falcon tightened his circle around the ship, Sonic turned his Gear around and flew straight toward Storm. The water tentacles were about to ensnare the albatross when the hedgehog flew above its head, brushing his feathers, and extending his right hand, snapped his fingers. The Meta-Quartz glowed brightly, a blinding, icy blue light. Sonic traced a line in the air with his hand, forming a crystalline structure as thin as a blade in less than a second. In that instant, the tentacles that made contact with the blade were shattered, cut to pieces.
In his hand, Sonic carried something that could barely be called a sword, with a blade of smoking glass that simultaneously dripped, melting and evaporating. The smell of ozone was suffocating, giving the impression that all the air around the sword was being absorbed by it.
"Bad habits die hard," joked the hedgehog to himself as he looked with deep satisfaction at the sword in his hands.
At that moment, Kit focused his full attention on the hedgehog, directing all his tentacles to attack him and leaving Storm free to escape. With the help of his Gear, Sonic was able to fly through the tentacles and destroy them with his air sword. His target was Kit himself, and the fox knew it, so he began moving toward the Galleon, as if he were going to attack Jet and Storm. When Sonic went to protect the birds, Kit surrounded him with his tentacles and managed to knock him off his Gear. Sonic reacted quickly, releasing his grip on his air sword, making it vanish; he placed his hand beneath him, snapped his fingers, and with his open palm created a platform made of steaming air on which to fall. He didn't have time to feel relieved before he saw his Gear plummet into the void, and he sensed the tentacles approaching. He got back on the platform and jumped off. When it disappeared, Sonic snapped his fingers again, and as he fell, a slide formed in front of him and dissipated behind him. He got back up and started running on the air platforms he created as he went. The water tentacles did their best to attack him from all directions, but the hedgehog was much faster and more agile, barely breaking a sweat to dance through them... Or at least that's how it seemed, because Sonic was starting to breathe heavily...
You're reaching your limit, hedgehog. Feist said inside the hedgehog's mind.
The good humor Sonic was trying to maintain vanished. He made an acrobatic maneuver that took him quite high. Behind him, the air platforms disappeared, water tentacles surrounded him, and he was at their mercy.
Sonic extended his left hand,** snapped his fingers**, and a blinding flash emanated from the Meta-Quartz bracelet.
In less time than it takes to blink, a thousand microscopic blades made of air fluttered around the hedgehog. The water tentacles that threatened to attack him evaporated. The cloud of dancing blades spread until it reached one of the Galleon's masts, shattering the wood, tearing the sails, and cutting the lashings until they were less than dust.
The impact of the destruction left Kit paralyzed. Jet and Storm also watched the scene intently; Storm seemed to be struggling not to tremble with fear, while Jet's expression was unreadable. Even so, the hawk signaled his partner to take advantage of the distraction and enter the ship.
Sonic dropped down, snapped his right hand, and created several air structures to propel himself further until he reached his Gear. Once atop the machine, the hedgehog collapsed, exhausted. He could feel every tiny muscle screaming in pain.
That's all, Feist declared. The runner can no longer run.
"I don't need to run," the hedgehog replied aloud inadvertently as he looked at the Meta-Quartz on his wrist.
Don't fool yourself, hedgehog. You know it's not enough.
"It is for now—" Before he could snap his fingers again, Sonic's right hand was trapped by the water. "Oh, come on..."
The hedgehog's limbs were caught one by one, and he was once again separated from his Gear. The water quickly enveloped him, climbing up his legs and arms.
By Gaia! How he hated that feeling of being submerged in water! The exhaustion he felt, combined with his utter dislike for water, plunged him deeper into panic. When he felt the water reach his neck, he could see the fox approaching him.
"Hey, Drippy! Long time no see-"
"Don't call me that!", Kit's voice sounded like a ghostly howl. "Neither you nor anyone else has the right to call me that!"
"Okay, sorry. I just wanted to talk, you know? Just a chat between friends."
"You're not my friend, you're my target."
"Are you still with that? It's been a loooong time. I thought you'd gotten over Star-loser's control."
"Nobody controls me. This... I do it for Miss Captain."
"Miss? okay. Can I request an audience with her? What was it they said in that pirate movie? Parley? It always worked whenever they said it."
"I thought you had died in The Union"
"Yeah, everyone does. Welcome to the club."
"Miles didn't... At least not until recently."
That name echoed in the hedgehog's mind. His defenses lowered, the mask fell away.
"M-Miles? You're talking about Tails, right? Miles 'Tails' Prower? You mean Tails is still alive?"
"No, Tails is dead. Only Miles remains. Don't worry, you'll join Tails in the afterlife in a few seconds."
The water closed around Sonic's head, not giving him time to take a final breath. A large bubble of water formed over the hedgehog's entire body, leaving him with no chance of escape.
But suddenly, a bluish aura began to emanate from the bracelet, and as it expanded, the water bubbled, as if it were boiling. The raindrops from the storm evaporated the moment they touched the aura. It expanded until it reached Kit, and the fox felt the air violently force its way out of his lungs through his nose and mouth, leaving him suffocated. Try as he might, he couldn't breathe; the air around him had vanished. His water tentacles bubbled violently, becoming thinner and thinner until they disappeared. Little by little, the water bubble that held Sonic evaporated, and he was able to remount his Gear. The water tentacle that had been holding Kit to the ship was now so frail and weak that it couldn't support his weight, so the fox plummeted into the void, but Sonic caught him.
Kit turned to look at the hedgehog as he struggled to breath. The hedgehog was unmoved, even detached, as if what was happening around him didn't concern him. He began to speak; the complete lack of air made it impossible to hear him, but because he exaggerated his words, Kit managed to read his lips.
No-thing--Per-so-nnel--Kid, A few seconds later the fox lost consciousness.
The aura began to recede until it was contained within the bracelet. The rain resumed its normal course. Sonic looked at the fox slumped on his board, then at the Meta-Quartz in his right hand. He still felt that nagging sense of danger in his nose. Was he the danger...?
Out of nowhere, the ship exploded in flames.
"Oh, that's it", the hedgehog said to himself, somewhere between relieved and annoyed. He glanced around. "Where on earth are Jet and Storm?"
When he laid eyes on the burning ship, the realization hit him hard and he immediately went to the rescue.