Capítulo 113: No Way, Dark Gaia Lore
Deep within the Bullet Station, Nicole the Holo-Lynx crawled out of a supercomputer's screen, floating to the ground. "Lexa, have you made it to the terminal?" Sally Acorn's voice echoed through the hologram's head. Nicole turned back around.
"Yes, Mona," Nicole muttered, trying to keep her voice down as she powered on the supercomputer. "The data in the Digital Plane was too hostile when given form to take any proper readings. I can't be sure if it was due to the foreign corruption spreading through the EggNet or some kind of firewall." Nicole cracked her knuckles and began to type in the most common password for the Eggman Empire's devices. It was also a segment of the country's nuclear code. "I'm in."
"Great. Maybe with the information stored on this computer, we can finally get to the bottom of the empire's strange activity lately," Sally replied. Nicole frowned as a green light flickered throughout the room from the monitor.
"The computer is completely corrupted, it's highly unlikely that any important data is salvageable," Nicole sighed. She nearly turned away, but before she could, the green pixels began to consolidate in the center of the screen. Something was then projected out of the screen and in front of Nicole. "What…?" She watched as a figure took form as a hologram between her and the terminal. It almost looked like the wire mesh of a Boss Badnik based on Sonic.
"Hello, fellow artificial lifeform. It is I, your Metal Overlord," the Holo Metal Sonic said. "Well, not really. I am but a holographic recording of him. Nevertheless, these are my words. This is my diary, of sorts. The following content is not to be shared with any organic lifeforms..." Nicole stood still.
"First and most likely final log… Is this really it? Is this the end of my campaign as Sonic the Hedgehog? Have I failed?" Nicole squinted in bewilderment. "I was meant to race the flesh Sonic here in Stardust Speedway. I was meant to win. And so I did. I accomplished my task, so why did it harm me? I am dying in a fire of my own ignition. But my love is waiting for me, I CANNOT leave her to die at Lord Robotnik's hands as well! And yet everything is turning a deep purple once more. I cannot move my joints. I cannot scream. My fate is sealed, her fate is sealed. I can no longer read Sonic's analytics or memories. Is he dead as well? Has he ceased to exist? I was dead once, and there was no Heaven nor was there a Hell for my wretched soul. Considering this, at least in my final moments, I am Sonic. My victory rings hollow on this obscure less-traveled sidepath where nobody will even see the spot of ash I left behind."
Suddenly, the door to the computer room was broken to pieces by a herculean, crocodilian fist. The three core members of the Chaotix, as well as Zoga, entered the hidden pocket. Nicole spun around, startled.
"Who's this broad?" Vector whispered to Espio, Charmy listening in. "Hey, lady! Get out of the way, this is a job for real detectives." He turned to Zoga. "Did your script take us to the right room?" He whispered. Zoga shrugged.
"The Chaotix?!" Nicole hissed. She disappeared into pixels and polygons, scattering about the room and scurrying straight through a wall like a ghost. Holo Metal Sonic continued. Everybody locked their eyes onto him.
"Log 2: I have awoken to a fire in the sky of Little Planet. However, I spectate it from above. As I am no longer on that world. It would seem I have been abducted and reanimated by beings that recontextualize my understanding of this universe… Horrid, disgusting intergalactic poachers. As if it wasn't bad enough that organics on Erius and Little Planet eat to live, it would appear these alien lifeforms live to eat. Luckily, my carcass was made of metal when they found it. As of now, my new body is not. I am just glad these Black Arms have not yet resorted to cannibalism." Zoga began to feel a migraine coming about.
Ata awoke with a gasp, returning to some form of present awareness on a crinkly tent floor. She felt her surroundings, getting up and opening the door. She stepped outside, and took a peek into the past to see her whereabouts. A train station in a grassy field overlooking a deep canyon. "Rail Canyon Zone… Cahtlen…" she murmured. "Gee… how long was I out? Last thing I remember I was…" She trailed off.
"Good morning, Ata," Professor Pickle said. A smile grew on Ata's face.
"Professor!" Ata exclaimed. "Why are we at a train station?"
"It's shameful to say aloud, but it would seem this journey is getting a tad dangerous for my tastes. Master Zik is at least teaching you the ways of the warrior, but I am completely helpless as usual," Professor Pickle answered. "I'm boarding a train to Shamar, Erigypt. I had business to attend to in the area anyways." Ata's smile fell. "I trust you've dug up some pretty important information since we last spoke."
"Yeah I have, actually," Ata sighed.
"Pray tell, what could have taken you so long? You were out all night. The Chaotix were rather worried when they had to leave us behind for a while to investigate Eggman's railroad in the area."
"That green blood we found on the sidewalk in Casino Park was brimming with some strange otherworldly DNA," Ata stated. "I got so sucked into my research, I forgot to return to the present moment." Ata lowered her head. "Metal Sonic, the entity that left behind all the blood, is definitely related to Dark Gaia. Do you know what this means?"
"Dark Gaia and this 'Metal Sonic' both share the same origin," Professor Pickle said.
"Yes. Now that we're on the topic of Dark Gaia again, there's something that's been in the back of my mind lately," Ata said. She took a deep breath. "Those two Dark Gaia Creatures… the marten and the squid… they referred to me as one of their own when we were on the train. When we left Casino Park Zone, I believed I would be snapped out of my research. But I wasn't… SOMETHING inside me allowed me to keep studying the properties of the blood." Ata gripped her fists and tilted forward. "Professor! Through extensive research and a lifetime of evidence, I believe I have enough information to come to the conclusion that I am part of Dark Gaia!" Ata closed her mouth, as sweat rolled down her face. She could imagine the Professor's face right now. It must have been shocked, confused, bewildered. However, after a few seconds passed, she looked back on Professor Pickle's expression right after she said it. It was none of those things. Instead, it was a face of solemn acceptance. "You're not mad?"
"Of course I'm not mad, Ata," Professor Pickle said. "I'm glad you've finally realized this. I'm especially glad you told me, but I already knew." Ata frowned. "There was a reason I initially let you into my class at Spagonia University, all the way back in Ccino. I knew there was something special about you, and do keep in mind I was a large part of why the legends of Gaia haven't devolved to mere myth. I always had a theory that you were in some way related to the topic I have been studying for the better part of my life. Long ago, around the time of the Dawn of Space, Dark Gaia's core was split into three separate entities when multiple stars fell to the planet from above. Those three entities were its fury, its mind, and its vision. Ata, I think that you are the vision of Dark Gaia. Someday soon, sadly, you will be fused back together with your fury and mind, in other words, the marten and the squid. This will begin the process of Dark Gaia's resurrection as the Gaia Manuscripts foretold."
"But I don't want to be Dark Gaia!" Ata replied. "I just want to be me, I just want to be Ata. I don't want to bring about the end of the world, I don't even want to be a god at all! I have dreams, I have aspirations. I have a life!" Ata took another deep breath, and held it for a second. "Maybe I should talk to Tails about this. He must know what it's like."
"Perhaps… that would be for the best," Professor Pickle sighed. "I apologize for my unhelpfulness. I am only human, and there is still much I do not understand about the nature of Gaia." A distant train whistle. "However, in our time as a team, I have learned much from you. I used to think of Dark Gaia as an avatar of pure evil. I see now that matters pertaining to Dark and Light Gaia aren't so black and white." Professor Pickle reached out his hand. Ata took it in hers. "Here's hoping we may meet again before the resurrection of Dark Gaia occurs. You will always be my greatest student. Goodbye." Professor Pickle stepped onto the train. Ata felt his hand slip away. The train departed. She let her arm fall to her side.
"Morning, sunshine," Zik's voice said from behind her. Ata spun around as she approached. "I hope you've rested well enough for our training today." Ata nodded, donning a determined smile. Zik handed Ata a new wooden staff carved almost identically to the one in her other hand. Ata could hardly lift it, but she knew that someday, she would.
…
"Hello? Tails?" Ata asked after her training concluded, the two almost a whole country apart.
"Hey, Ata! What's up?" Tails replied.
"Listen… I might need to talk to you about something important," Ata mumbled, holding the phone in both hands close to her ear as Team Sonic flew overseas on the Cyclone. Metal looked over to the Tails Electric as he and Zavok rode on the wing of the plane. "I'm Dark Gaia."
Metal's eyes sparked.
"Log 6: Equipped with shapeshifting powers imbued to me by the blood of the Chao, and a fleet powered by the Colossi that my people are to abduct from around the world, my plan has nearly come to fruition," Holo Metal Sonic recited to the Chaotix within the dark computer room. "I shall integrate myself into one of the many groups I expect will try to thwart me and… dissolve them from within. No living thing will be safe once my job is complete."
"So it isn't Eggman calling the shots anymore," Vector grumbled. He walked up to Holo and waved his hand through the projection's face. Little static shocks nipped at his glove.
"How can we be sure? What if it's a cover-up?" Charmy whispered in a spot-on Espio impression. Espio side-eyed him.
"This is no cover-up!" Their client exclaimed on the walkie-talkie. "Detectives, I think you're ready for the main case. This is what all your training has led up to." The computer room began to shake as a loud crumbling sound emanated through Rail Canyon. The Chaotix opened the blinds and looked outside, the sunrise filtered in as they saw what was causing all the commotion. A seemingly endless fleet of giant warships tunneled out from the bedrock of Rail Canyon, taking off into the sky. "Chaotix, you must board the mothership, the FINAL FORTRESS, and rescue me…!"
"I mean Eggman. Right, Eggman."
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