FicWad

Disclaimer: Sonic and related characters (c) Sega and STC. Aura and other characters (c) Aura Starfire. Telling you each individually would take too long, and I hope people can tell the difference ^^

Authors note: This is essentially a complete rewrite of 'Return' in that almost everything here is different. That withstanding, the plot remains the same - Aura returning to Mobius - but with Sonic and co playing a bigger part.

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Full Circle

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There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged
to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.
Nelson Mandela









Early morning dawned.

A flicker of light illuminated the woodland and broke through the trees, giving the illusion of a sunrise from the ground. In the space of seconds, it intensified, and in the middle was a shadow. As the light grew, so did the shadow begin to take form, and grew more pronounced, until a figure could be seen. Just as soon as the light had appeared, it vanished, and the figure inside fell to the ground.

Aura began to shift restlessly, arms stretching out, feeling soft grass and pushing against the ground for the force to lift her body up. Her limbs felt so heavy, and opening her eyes anymore than halfway was just too exhausting; but as severe as it might seem, this was nothing out of the ordinary.

After realising what she could do, and not wanting to go back home, she had decided to train it, hone it, and make the most of it. This 'gift' had saved her from death many times over, and in training her teleportation, she knew the effects on her body - the feeling of her limbs being weighted down, the cloudy thinking, the slight pounding in her head, the after effects that tingled in her hands. The best thing was to just sleep and give herself time to recover. But something kept her anchored to the waking world. Something would just not let her rest.

So sitting against a tree and taking in her surroundings, she watched the leaves that were beginning to turn to reds and purples fall to the ground. It niggled something at the back of her mind, but this was forgotten, as from the backpack beside her, a small creature crawled out. Around the size of Aura's head, with ears that seemed a little too big, a long bushy tail, and two long appendages either side of his face, Ryndar's entire body was a lighter shade of grey to his owner's fur, and lavender markings adorned his face, appendages and tail.

Ryndar looked up at Aura, squeaking softly, holding out his arms. Aura picked the chao up, and held him against her chest.

"This is my home" she paused "It's not where I live exactly, but this is my home"

Ryndar probably didn't understand, the fact that he always seemed happy to listen and comfort was more than enough. It was far easier for her to talk about a problem this way, Ryndar couldn't support or assist, but neither could he argue or condemn her. He showed his understanding through affection, for Aura, who had been alone for such a long time, it was reassuring to have Ryndar around, because she didn't want someone to tell her what she should do, just somebody to listen and Ryndar filled this role perfectly.

She yawned. Rest was the best thing, but first she had needed to see the place she had been afraid of for all these years. Right now, it seemed so unthreatening, but experience had taught her that just as a strong tree could be rotten in the middle, even the illusion of perfection could be just that, an illusion.

But for now she would sleep, secure in the knowledge that the hardest step was over.


___________


By the time she woke up, the sun was descending, casting a startlingly beautiful glow of orange and yellow in the sky as she walked through the woods. The earlier unease she felt was defined as the fact that it was undoubtedly autumn, unless she was on the other side of the planet. This could be true; she had never much cause for going back to a place, and no idea if she could pinpoint it exactly. She had been able to test teleportation just over a distance, but never achieved an exact direction - so for all she knew it could be the other side of the planet. Where she had landed didn't really matter, more concerning was when. She hadn't even considered this when making her decision; if other dimensions ran at a different speed to her own, she had gone to so many that it could be anything from a few days, to hundreds - even thousands, she swallowed - of years, not to mention the possibility of going back through time and not forward.

"Please be the future..." she murmured.

The circumstances leading to the only other time she had come back here landed her in the past, and she had almost ruined the timeline for her own selfish reasons. Faced with that kind of temptation again, could she resist it? Then there would be the problem of where to stay, at least until her past self left Mobius. The future, by contrast, wouldn't be any less daunting, but it would be easier in a way. Since she had left and there would be no chance of finding her, being declared dead was likely, and depending on what year it was, she may need to prove her identity before anything else could be done. Hopefully Sonic could help; they had met in that other 'trip' home, the peculiararities of time travel meaning that while it was the first time he had met her, it was the second time she had met him (the first when he saved her in Green Hill, over two years later for Sonic) - he at least would believe her. She would know soon enough; when she found out her location she could make her way to Emerald Hill, and if the freedom fighters were still around, ask to join. Maybe she couldn't solve all her problems, but she didn't want to run away from them.

The woodland turned out to border a small city, which was blessed with a number of hotels. Even after all those years, she had the purse - and emergency money - that Kharis had given her the day before they were going to leave.


"Don't use this unless it's an emergency" Kharis urged her, trying to look forceful, but from Aura's giggling, failing miserably.

"I won't!" she promised, then fell about in another fit of giggling.

Kharis regarded her for a moment, then rolled his eyes upwards, and tackled her, ticking her until she begged for submission.


"How many nights is the room for?"

Aura's thoughts were pulled back as the clerk repeated his question. She hummed, thinking. She had enough here to last a week, but it would be more of a thrill to travel to Emerald Hill than stay here and then teleport.

"Just two days please"

"One day and two nights, or two days and three nights?" the clerk asked, the clock on the wall reading just past seven in the evening.

"The first" Aura decided, handing over the money, and given a key in response.

"Do you require a wake up call?"

"No, thank you" Aura was amused, she tended to be an early riser anyway, since the hours of day and night could be radically different wherever she was, she had unwittingly self-trained her body to survive without an alarm clock; except when she had just arrived, or done a distance teleport and her body had been depleted of energy.

It felt a little strange, the normality of it all; she took the lift up to her room, trying to get used to the fact that she belonged here. She still felt defensive, but it would ease with time. The room was a reasonable size, and with her body almost fully recuperated - it would take a little longer for her abilities to be at full strength - she turned her attention to its wants and needs. Firstly food; feeling a little mischievous she ordered an entire tub of ice-cream along with a full dinner, justifying depleted electrode levels and depletion of energy for the amount of sugar. The dinner was delicious, but Ryndar gave her big sorrowful eyes and ended up digging out the rest of the ice-cream with a spoon as Aura turned to her next indulgence, a bath. For the next hour, she indulged herself until she looked a lot better than when she had come in. By now it was close to ten in the evening; a few hours of sleep to wake at a more reasonable time would shake off the dimensional 'let lag' she had. Eventually she did fall asleep, and for the first time since discovering her fire ability there were no nightmares, and everything seemed right.


___________


"It could have been worse - I might have ended up in the past or the far future..."

It was morning, and before setting out, she had thought to check the date; last night having been tired, weary and apprehensive, and giving more thought to acclimatising herself to a world she hadn't been back to for who knew how long. Now she knew. It was early autumn, and three and a half years, give or take, since she had 'left'. She - if she hadn't left at all - would...should be eleven.

"Thankfully I'm not" she mused, packing her backpack before setting off.

At seven in the morning, the streets were mostly deserted, which was relaxing. The clerk had given her directions to a local library, which Aura decided would be the best place to do her research. She wasn't going to go and find Sonic without knowing if the freedom fighters were still together or still resided in Emerald Hill. A lot of things could happen in a little over three years; Aura's entire life had been changed in less than five minutes not once but twice, when her parents and then Kharis had died. No knowing exactly how old she was, Aura settled on nineteen as likely, and the last eleven years, she thought, had seen her more mature than the scared child who had run away after Kharis' death. Where she had once been unable to see any sort of future, now she was able to look back at that event with reflection and clarity - yes, it would never go away, but she was stronger in mind as well as body; hopefully guiding her well in this next step.

Of course, being older didn't necessarily mean being wiser, especially when she discovered the library wasn't even open yet. The sign said it would still be an hour, and rather than go back to the hotel, she found a small shop and bought her breakfast, sitting on the wall outside reading a paper as she waited. Once or twice, she felt as if being watched, but brushed this off...her excitement at being back was sending her senses into overtime...Ryndar seemed more interested in the blueberry muffin than anything else, so to pass time Aura would tease him with small pieces she tore off, laughing at the annoyed expression that continuously crossed his face.

He pouted, and she felt bad. "I'm only playing" Aura urged him, holding out the rest of the muffin; he grabbed it from her and sat with his back to her guarding it and tentively sneaking small bites from it.

"Dat is some strange creature..." a voice lisped, making Aura look up. A tall salamander stood in front of her, dressed in a smart suit, and carrying a bag. "Wh't is it?" he asked.

Aura opened her mouth, about to say 'a chao', then remembered they didn't exist here. "I don't know" she finally settled on "I found him"

"Looks like some s'rt of squirrel thing..." the salamander mused. Aura couldn't deny that Ryndar did resemble a non-anthromorphic squirrel to some extent. "M'bby you'll let me examine it, f'nd out what t'is?"

Aura didn't feel comfortable with this, he spoke politely, but there was something that unnerved her. She shook her head "No, I'd rather not, thank you"

The salamander shook his head "Tch, your loss" he smiled again "If ya change your mind, call me" He handed her a card before walking away. Aura didn't look at it, but placed it in her bag. Ryndar sensed her unease and squeaked softly, nuzzling against her shoulder from where he had been sitting. Aura rubbed his head, making him purr slightly.

"That was strange..."

"Are you waiting for us to open?" a voice broke into her revere. A middle aged hare was standing where the salamander had been, but she didn't make Aura feel uneasy. A shoulder bag was slung across one shoulder, and the other hand held a ring of keys.

"Yes, I was ma'am" Aura nodded politely "I didn't realise I was so early"

The hare chuckled "I should feel glad that someone wants to read so badly that they get here for eight in the morning" she eyed Aura curiously "You won't be in school anymore...how old are you?"

"Nineteen"

"College then?"

Aura nodded, this would be the safest bet, at least until she knew more about the years she had missed. This gave her an idea "I'm doing a project on what things have been like since Robotnik took over, right up to the present day"

"Ah, then you'll be wanting to use the computers - we have a few books, but not many people have written about him - mostly because they're scared he'd retaliate, but also because it's hard to get information aside from first hand accounts" the hare opened the doors, and Aura followed her in "Any particular reason for this project" she caught Aura's eye and laughed softly "I don't mean to pry, but working here, you get curious"

"I guess it's personal really..." Aura said "I lost someone close to me in his first takeover of South Island...I thought that doing this could be a sort of tribute". It was sort of the truth - but Aura didn't want to give away too much information just in case. "I was..." she calculated her 'age' quickly "ten when he took over, and I didn't really think about it as much - and the things I do know are interesting...though it is horrible" she quickly added.

"That is sad" The hare mused, then added "Not on why you're doing it, but so many people have been in the same position..."

Aura nodded, she had never really thought about that as a child. For her it had seemed like just her parents and brother, but she knew other people must have died as well.

"Anyway, the computers are over there, we have a section set up for anything about Robotnik, which you'll find at the top of the index, but come to see me if you need anything else, alright?"

"I will" Aura thanked her, and sat down at one of the computer screens.

Since she had time to spare, she took the archives from the very start. She had told the librarian she was ten when Robotnik took over South Island, but that was taking into account the time difference, and her age being different than what it should be. In truth she was only two then, and when she had said 'someone close to me', it had been her parents. It felt horrible to think of it, but she had never missed them in the same way she missed Kharis, and while he had told her all about them, Kharis had never taken her back to Green Hill. She made a note to do so at some point - maybe she could cope better with her phobia of fire if she went back to the source. In any case, she really didn't know much about what had happened in any of the years with Robotnik taken over. Kharis had shielded her as much as he could, something that seemed extremely overprotective now, but she had managed to find out a few things. Mostly this was the progress of Sonic and his freedom fighters. After all, he had saved her, and she entertained a very small crush on him for that. Of course, meeting him during her travels with time travel involved - that meant he was six, and she was at least twice that age - had pretty much destroyed that. Around halfway through then, she had to laugh reading a report about Amy Rose's' entry to the freedom fighters, which began with a crush on Sonic spiralling out of control.

Then, she found the reports on the Mettalix, and her laughter stopped.

It didn't actually register until she saw the date, and the city, that this was what had happened the night her brother died.

She finally had a name for what had killed him.

Mettalix.

Robots built on the design of Sonic, which had attacked several towns, as what Sonic had later claimed were 'tests' by Robotnik of their effectiveness. There was an audio recording, and she could hear the regret in his voice as he told reporters that Robotnik had been so secretive, that he and the freedom fighters hadn't known about the Mettalix until it was too late for the people of those towns.

Seven had died, including Kharis. Her emotions were mixed; Kharis hadn't been the only one, which, in a way made her feel better; but others had also died.

"I never knew..."

A desire gripped her, and she frantically browsed back through the reports, before falling on a particular date.

15th April 1993.

She read a newspaper report for the day after Robotnik's defeat. About how Sonic had defeated him; about the people that had been saved; and the people who had died. She looked for a mention of Green Hill. Kharis had told her that her parents died in a fire, and that they hadn't suffered. But given that he had been so protective, would he have lied just to keep her from more pain?

'...Green Hill was the last area of the South Island to be attacked by the man that is believed to have been Ovi Kintobor, but now goes under the name of Robotnik. Our information comes from a source that we should be thanking for the lives of the people who survived - Sonic the Hedgehog - who though not yet ten years old, fought this madman, and won. In the small village of less than fifty people, there were two deaths, that of Alex and Sapphire Starfire, whose house caught on fire in the initial attack. Sonic told us that he went inside the house when it was safe [as he and a friend had escaped being captured - see the interview for more details] and that they had not been injured in any way. Their room had been blocked by timber from the roof, and it had been smoke, which could still enter, that led to their death. Our investigation by a trained fire-fighter came to the same conclusion, and the verdict is that they would not have suffered any pain. Their daughter - Aurora (two) - was saved from the home by Sonic before the flames became too fierce, and is being taken care of by their adult son, Kharis (twenty).

Now we are going to show you an exclusive interview with the hero who appeared like a 'bolt from the blue' - ironic because he is blue - Sonic the Hedgehog! Turn to pages 7, 8 and 9 for this amazing true-life account.'

"He didn't lie to me..." Aura murmured, staring at the page.

'they would not have suffered any pain'

"I didn't think he would...but goddess...that...that's..." Aura found her entire world turned upside down, not by this discovery, but really turned upside down as a loud rumble and shaking turned her chair over, clattering onto the floor and making her fall to the ground. The metal chair leg slammed against her arm, and she cried out. The librarian rushed over, also shaken up, and gave her a hand to rise.

"Are you okay?" she cast a glance at Aura, who was rubbing her arm painfully.

"Nothing's broken, I think it just bruised a good deal" Aura assured her "But what on Mobius was that!"

"An earthquake" the librarian eyed her carefully "Couldn't you tell"

"Well, yes, but I didn't think this part of the continent got them"

"Neither did I, but here they are"

"How many have there been?" Aura asked, helping to pick up books that had spilled from the shelves, and righting other chairs "Could this be Robotnik's work?"

"I don't know, he's been very quiet since Chaos"

"Chaos?"

"A few months ago, he unleashed this monster - at least, that's what Sonic said in an interview" the librarian explained "he seemed very subdued, although it's not hard to guess why - I don't think a freedom fighter has died before"

Aura's eyes widened "Died?!"

"Where have you been?" the librarian was even more curious now "Johnny Lightfoot was killed when the freedom fighters faced Chaos" she tutted sadly "That poor thing"

"I've been away..." Aura explained quickly, but her mind was taking in this new piece of information. Aside from Sonic, Johnny had been the only other freedom fighter she had known, and this was before either he or Sonic had formed the freedom fighters. Johnny had lived in the house opposite them, his mother and her mother, Sapphire, had been friends. There hadn't been many children in the small village, and he would sometimes take care of her when her parents went out - she had a vivid memory of when Sonic had come to Green Hill, and she had poured a plate of strained carrots over his and Johnny's head.

Now he was dead as well.

The librarian noticed her quietness, and opened her mouth to say something, when another earthquake rocked the building. This one was much more severe than the last one, and bricks actually crumbled from the walls.

"Oh my goodness!" the librarian uttered "It's going to take the entire building apart!"

"I don't think it wi..." Aura began to say, then her eyes swung upwards as a sound caught her ears. A beam of wood from the roof was straining, the shaking hadn't stopped, and she could almost see the structure breaking. The librarian had started to run to the other side of the room and hadn't noticed.

"Get out of the way!" Aura yelled.

The librarian looked up, eyes widening in surprise, as the massive beam fell. Aura didn't hesitate, flinging her arms out and aiming her hands at the falling beam.

'I hope this works...'

It should have been enough time to recharge, and a massive wave of relief washed over her at the same time as a burst of energy came from both hands, heading straight for the wooden beam. It buckled easily under the strain, splintering into hundreds of pieces, and scattered across the floor, on seats, getting in their hair. But it hadn't done any damage, and Aura sighed, relieved.

The librarian stood and stared, opening and closing her mouth a few times. "What..."

Aura could hear the other beams creaking. A quick glance around made sure that there was nobody else there; she ran over and grabbed the librarian's hand, snapping her out of her bewilderment to nod mutely and flee as well. The building didn't collapse as soon as they were out, but if there was another quake like that, then it wouldn't last much longer.

"Is it over...?" the librarian asked breathing harshly, hands on her knees. "And what was that?"

"It's my ability" Aura could only answer 'Among a few others' "I'm just glad I noticed"

"So am I!" the librarian said incredulously "Forget learning about the freedom fighters, maybe you should be one..."

"That's a little ironic" Aura mused "I was just considering it"

Another shake rocked the ground, but both managed to keep their feet; there was no way of measuring it, but it couldn't have been far off that last one. A soft nudge to her arm from the librarian made Aura start, and stare at her.

"Go and help!" the librarian urged "These are the most severe earthquakes in weeks...people won't be prepared"

Aura wasn't either, but how could she refuse? After all, hadn't she come back for this very purpose - to use her powers to help? She nodded and ran off, searching for any way she could help. The trembling caused by the earthquake was still continuing and showed no signs of letting up soon. In that respect it seemed natural, but this part of Mobius wasn't prone to earthquakes...at least, not this severe.

Could it be Mobian-made?

Pushing this thought aside for the moment, she concentrated on assisting people. Many had panicked, but some remained calm and were heralding people to secure structures made of strong metals or other materials able to withstand such a quake. But there were still those huddling under trees, loose brick walls and other places that when struck by the quake, sent rubble and brick flying through the air. These were taken care of quite easily with a few energy blasts from Aura, and in-between this, she helped people to safer places, usually met by someone, and let them take over.

When the quake ended, she was in the middle of a large square, where she flung blast after blast at the high-flung materials ejected by the force of the quake.

Then, it was over.

Breathing harshly, Aura didn't let her guard down - this could just be the centre of the storm, or whatever the term was for an earthquake. Another could come. But after a few minutes things were still silent. People began to appear from the makeshift structures, murmuring to themselves and each other. Aura let her hands stop glowing, took some deep breaths, startled when her head started to spin, and was forced to grab a nearby tree for support. In the distance, sirens became more audible, and a minute later saw a fleet of ambulances draw into the square and set up tables, chairs and stretchers for a makeshift first-aid camp.

"Hello there" a quiet voice punctuated her hearing. Aura was startled, and found herself facing a dark brown furred raccoon, at least ten years older, regarding her with a mix of amusement and concern. "Sorry if I startled you, but I'd like to take a look at that nasty gash you have"

"Gash?" Aura's thoughts were muddled, and she looked at her arms and legs, before looking back.

"Your head, silly" the raccoon chuckled, leading Aura to a seat by one of the ambulances "Now, sit here and let me take care of it"

It certainly explained the dizziness, and she resisted the temptation to reach up and check. The raccoon cleaned it, dabbed some antiseptic which made Aura wince, before wrapping a light bandage around her head and securing it with a knot at the back, hidden by Aura's hair. Then the raccoon asked her for identification, explaining that if she needed any more treatment, it would be very useful. Aura rattled off her full name, birthplace, and current residence then sat back, closing her eyes to try and starve off the throbbing of her head.

Because of this she didn't notice the expression of the nurse change to horror and revulsion, or her departure, and then subsequent return with a tall, dark furred wolf in a police uniform.
What she did notice were the handcuffs snapped over her wrist, and being pulled to her feet.

"...what's going on?" Aura blurted, trying to concentrate through her head aching.

"You're coming along with us, 'Aura'" the wolf snapped derisively, pronouncing her name with a sceptical snort.

Aura didn't know what was going on, and she was literally thrown into the back of a vehicle, enacting another hiss as her head hit the side. The movement of the car passing through the streets forced her to keep her eyes closed to try and settle her stomach and head, while trying to figure out what had gone wrong.


___________


"Finally!" Sonic exclaimed flexing his arm, now fully healed and no longer in a sling. For the last month he had been forced to take things easy; no running or heroics at all. He regretted the things he had done leading to his injuries, knowing fully well that running away had not been the answer, just as it hadn't been his fault Johnny had died. That whole motion of events, leading up from when that dreadful day until he had woken up in the hospital had taught him one important lesson. He had friends who didn't think he was a waste of space, or blame him for Robotnik now that they knew the truth, and if they felt he was a good friend to them, well he was determined to make that true.

Robotnik hadn't made any move in that time, which concerned him, though there had been increased activity by the members of DRAT, also known as the Doctor Robotnik Appreciation Tribe. They actually believed -- and Sonic chuckled at this -- that Robotnik should be the leader of Mobius. Originally just a group of mismatched and usually completely senseless Mobians, they had become more organized in the last year or so. Whereas they had once resorted to stealing parts from Badniks after a fight between Sonic and Robotnik, they now went straight to the source, and developed camaraderie with Robotnik. But they were as much of a threat to Sonic as always.

'Still'/, Sonic mused, 'Robotnik's never been quiet for this long... he's up to something... I'm sure of it'./ He stopped in his tracks, and slapped himself. "Geez... why am I walking... I can run now!"

Sonic took off into a run, enjoying for the first time since his accident the thrill of running, the wind coursing through his spines, and the scenery zooming by him in a blur. For anybody else, running at such high speeds would be dangerous, just one second daydreaming and crashing would be inevitable. But to Sonic, this had been a part of his everyday life for as long as he could remember, and he circled obstacles and the terrain with a skill perfected through years of practice.

"Yeah!" He grinned. "I'm back!"

At this speed, though he didn't go full tilt, the trip to the base took less than a minute, and he saw Tekno outside. Grinning, Sonic skidded to a halt just inches away from her; Tekno uttered a sharp yelp and fixed Sonic with an exasperated gaze.

"I begin to wonder," she sighed. "Is this a good thing or a bad thing?"

"A good thing, Tekno," Sonic grinned, following her back inside and up to the control tower. "Definitely a good thing."

"Sure, Sonic," she smiled back, appearing faintly distracted.

"You OK?" he asked, giving her a concerned look.

"Mmm?" Tekno turned back to the computer "Oh, I'm fine, it's just I got this signal a day earlier and can't figure out what it is..."

"Robotnik?" Sonic ventured "Or DRAT?"

"Can't tell, but I do have a source for the signal" Tekno turned back to Sonic, a glimmer in her eye "Want to go check it out?"

"Do I ever!" Sonic exclaimed "I've not done anything for the last month! Doesn't matter that Robotnik hasn't shown up yet - Amy wouldn't let me do anything anyway..." Sonic grumbled, putting on an imitation "Oh Sonic, you might hurt your poor arm and I'll have to kiss it better!"

Tekno raised an eyebrow "She isn't that bad"

"Now" Sonic added "She used to be - but that was before you joined up"

"I have heard the stories - mostly from Amy herself, and how do we know you don't harbour some kind of deep desire for her?"

Sonic turned and harrumphed, one hand on the door, then went to the other side of the room and opened the window "How about I tell you what happened all those times for real"

Then he jumped from the window, effortlessly landing the fifty feet below, on one hand.

Tekno noticed it was his recovered arm.

She shook her head, before picking up a few items and stuffing them into a bag, before doing the same exit. Except for Tekno, she allowed her body to float in mid-air. A trait inherent from when her species had wings instead of arms, the Mobian canaries had evolved - probably a result of the chaos wave, and could float in the air for a short period like a puppet on unseen strings.

She landed, and glared at him "Amy won't be happy"

Sonic flashed her a grin "Amy can bite me"

"Sonic!"

He shrugged, then laughed "Just kidding" he extended an arm to Tekno, who took it with a concerned expression flickering across her features.

"Are you sure?"

"Only one way to find out" Sonic quipped, and before she knew what was happening, he was racing across the landscape, Tekno trying to keep her stomach from leaping from her mouth.

"S...Sonic" she stuttered "Do you even know where we're going?"

A string of curses answered her.


___________


"But I haven't done anything wrong!" Aura protested, led into a cell. Her head was still sore, and she had no idea what was happening. The wolf didn't say anything, just locked the door and went across to a metal table, putting the backpack he had taken from her and opening it, spilling the contents over the surface.

Aura watched, noiselessly, as he rifled through her possessions, then noticed that Ryndar was nowhere in sight.

Did he run away...or sense that something was wrong? she pondered, then something made her utter a small gasp, unheard by the wolf, who was searching through some notebooks.


"Name?"

"Aurora Crystal Starfire"

"Birthdate?"

"11th day of the second month, 1991"

"Birthplace?"

"Green Hill, South Island"

"Place of residence?"

"Azure City, Northern Mainlands"

She slapped her head, then bit back a groan.

No wonder they had arrested her - she had just given her age and identity not only of a person who would be - and look - eight years younger, but from the reports she had read earlier, she had been presumed dead after the Mettalix attacked three and a half years earlier. So disorientated, she had completely forgotten about not claiming to be herself, at least until it was sorted out - if it could be. She should have made up details then left, but hadn't. Instead, she had rattled off details that would make her seem like a criminal.

Now what was she going to do?

Explaining what had happened clearly wasn't an option - she only knew two people who would believe her, and that was Sonic and Kintobor. Kintobor had turned into Robotnik, so there was no help there, and Sonic was probably in Emerald Hill, a good three hundred miles to the south-east. She could admit to her 'crime', but she hadn't done anything wrong, not really, and at least now she would be 'innocent until proven guilty' The best thing to do was to wait. Let herself recharge, and then teleport back to the hotel or just outside it. Then rest, and teleport to Emerald Hill - she couldn't risk travelling there now, not if she was going to pretty much break out of jail - and find Sonic.

'And if I can't...' Aura thought for a moment 'What then?'

She honestly didn't know.

The guard finished rifling through her bag, then shoved all of it back inside save for one or two electronic items, and slung the bag on a hook. Then he came over to her, close enough so she could feel his breath brush past her face.

"I bet you work for DRAT..." he growled softly

"No, I don't" Aura responded "I'm innocent"

He laughed "Sure you are, and I'm Robotnik's son"

'Actually...that would be Sonic' Aura thought about replying, but no-one else knew this. Even she hadn't before ending up travelling back to Mobius - and in time - inadvertently a few years after leaving. At that time she had wanted nothing more than never to see her birth planet ever again, but through a twist of fate, had, and met Sonic - six years old, Kintobor, who would later become Robotnik, and Kharis, seventeen years of age and still an only child. She was deeply ashamed of her behaviour then, and if it hadn't been for one of the people she had inadvertently pulled along with her - one of an entire spaceship with over three-hundred people, only possible because of the gigantic amounts of energy she had pulled in while connected to the warp drive - then she could have jeopardised the future when she gave him the knowledge that he was going to have a sister.

The guard noticed the lack of a reply, and took it as what he saw it as - an admission of guilt. But he didn't have any way of proving it yet. "You'll stay here, maybe that'll make you tell the truth"

Aura said nothing, and when he had left, sighed in annoyance and relief, slumping against the wall. There was a bed on the other side of the cell, really just a step or two away. It wasn't very comfortable, but right now anything would do. It took a long time for sleep to come.


___________


"Is this the place?"

Tekno nodded "This is where the signal originated. I can't get an exact reading, so we're going to have to do some detective work"

Sonic snickered "Let's hope we're more successful than the Chaotix"

"Who?"

"Before your time again" Sonic explained "When I was visiting Porker on the Floating Island and fell into the emerald chamber..." he paused, and shuddered at the memory "...I turned into the most destructive Super Sonic ever...it ended with Porker rigging up a Star Post to absorb the excess chaos energy - only it didn't just absorb that...it removed it all"

"Amy told me about that" Tekno nodded "She said you thought Super Sonic was gone for good, but then discovered that the Star Post led into a place called the Special Zone"

"Yeah - and I went after him, and ended up teaming up with a group of guys called the Chaotix. We got off to a rocky start, but together we managed to catch him, and the Omni-Viewer..." he caught Tekno's confused glance, and explained "He's this big...well, looks pretty much like a TV screen, and he can transport himself through space and time - so I asked him to trap Super Sonic there - it worked, at first, but then we figured that he'd only slowed Super Sonic down - because he's just too powerful"

"And you were stuck there, right?"

Sonic nodded "Yeah, cause the Star Post was destroyed, and the Omni-Viewer was my only ticket back to Mobius, so I didn't get back until I managed to get contract to Amy and the others, and we figured a plan"

"You, figured a plan?" Tekno teased "Well I never..."

"Hey!" Sonic uttered, but grinned back "Well...anyway, when we found out Super Sonic was only slowed down, I got the Omni-Viewer to transport him into an asteroid, and then to Mobius. When it exploded, it caused an electromagnetic pulse, and knocked out all the electrical stuff over the planet"

"I did wonder what that was at the time" Tekno remarked dryly "And then you came back as well?"

"Mhm" Sonic nodded, stretching his arm out, flexing it, then doing the same with the other arm "Me and Super fought, and it ended with him running away...I didn't know why tho..."

Tekno caught the catch in his voice, and asked, softly "You do now?"

Sonic sighed "We're...together again, Ebony rejoined us, and I have his memories - not all of them, and it's like they're muted, but what I do know is that for some reason the electromagnetic pulse gave him amnesia..." he scoffed angrily "Like I believe him...Super Sonic is nothing but a DEMON! a MONSTER...and he's inside me!"

Standing silently, Tekno broke the angry silence with another question "How does this relate to these...Chaotix you mentioned?" she smiled "Getting back to the original question" She hated seeing Sonic get distressed, especially on the topic of Super Sonic. She hadn't been there when he was created, but had seen him 'in action', and could see why he got so upset.

It seemed to work, his expression changed to amusement. "When I was stuck there, they decided to start a detective agency...which didn't go too well"

"First hand experience?"

Sonic gave a wry smile "Very much so"

What Tekno was about to say was interrupted as somebody came running up to them, calling Sonic's name. They turned, and the tall feline who had been trying to talk to them hunched over, hands on knees and catching his breath. Around a foot and half taller than them both, he would be at least fifteen years their senior, and was a deep orange shade with darker markings on ears and tail, and lighter paws.

"I...I didn't think we'd called you yet..." he said breathlessly.

"Called us?" Sonic was confused "Nobody called us...we're here trying to track down some strange energy signals"

The feline's brow furrowed "Well, I don't remember anything like that, but it's still very good that you are here" he nodded "Would you talk to the mayor?"

"...Sure" Sonic shrugged "If it's important"

"Very much so...the mayor is getting very worried, of course if you weren't called, then you won't know what I mean" the feline grinned, then his face soured "But it will all be explained"

Both exchanged glances as they were led to a tall building in the busy part of the town. Sonic noticed that many buildings had been damaged in some way, and Tekno waved her scanner around.

"I'm picking up traces of the energy, it's different, but there's the same base structure"

"We'll find out soon enough" Sonic could only comment.

They entered the building, took an elevator to the top floor and walked down a long corridor. The feline knocked on a set of double doors, and with a muffled 'enter', he did so, ushering Sonic and Tekno in. The room was spartan; bookcases lined each wall, a filing cabinet on one side, and a desk by the large windows. The desk was covered with papers, but the Mobian sitting behind it, a slightly overweight rabbit, was staring at one sheet of paper in particular.

"Sir" the feline coughed "I brought somebody to see you"

"Mmm?" the rabbit murmured, lifting his head, and blinking twice on seeing Sonic and Tekno standing there, and looked at his aide "I wasn't aware we had called them"

"We hadn't sir, apparently they came here independently"

"Well...that's good I suppose" the rabbit nodded, taking a good glance at Sonic, who was standing, looking a little perplexed with the whole situation "Marlon, thank you, we'll be fine now"

"Okay sir" the feline nodded, and left the room, closing the doors.

Sonic was the first to speak "Um, I'm guessing that you have a problem that you wanted to ask us about, but we're in the dark about it"

Mayor Ashford - that was the name on the plaque - sighed, easing his body from the chair and walking to the front of the desk "Yes, we do have a problem, but I was reluctant in asking for your assistance"

"Why?" Tekno looked confused "We're happy to help"

"Three days ago, we suffered an earthquake - it wasn't severe, and though this region isn't known to have earthquakes of that magnitude, the occasional one isn't unheard of. But a few hours following, I received a letter which warned me that if I didn't ask Sonic to come here, that we would suffer another earthquake much more severe" Mayor Ashford shook his head "I dismissed it as a hoax, but the next morning at the exact time stated there was another earthquake, and afterwards another letter with the same demand"

"Coincidence?"

"I thought so myself, until last night when it happened again, this time severe enough to cause bad structural damage to buildings and houses" Ashford sighed, pacing the floor, then stopped and leant against the desk resignedly "I figured that it must be the work of Robotnik...but I had heard of your incapacitation..."

Sonic gritted his teeth - it was a sprained leg and a fractured arm - hardly incapacitated, but he kept his cool.

"...and I didn't want to ask you to come here if it would jeopardise that"

"Why not ask one of us?" Tekno suggested "Myself, Tails, or Amy?"

"They specifically asked for Sonic...not at all odd, but I still had a bad feeling about it" the Mayor sighed "The last earthquake was this morning, and there was no warning this time...we did capture one of the DRAT members following it, trying to assume somebody else's identity to avoid capture, but just an hour ago the police station was attacked and the DRAT operative recovered by her fellow members"

"Did you put any sort of tracking device on her?"

"We tried, but we can't get any sort of signal from it" Ashford rubbed his face "Things just seem to be going downhill, if it wasn't yet midday, I'd have a drink..."

"Sonic?" Tekno turned to her friend "Do you think it could be connected to this signal I picked up?"

"I dunno...it appeared after these earthquakes started, right?"

"Yes, but it could just be that when they increased in severity, that the signal became more traceable, and I did pick up traces from where the quake was this morning"

Ashford coughed lightly "Will you help us?"

"Sure" Sonic agreed immediately "Aside from the fact that we'd help anyway, I need to practice and prove to Amy - and you Tekno - that I am completely, totally and utterly FINE!" he uttered, slamming a hand on the desk, and jumping in the air as it made a loud bang on doing so. He lifted his hand to his face, and silently did the same again "Um...was that me?"

Another bang that followed proved it was just a coincidence.

"It's coming from outside" Ashford commented, making his way to the window and looking out. Sonic and Tekno joined him; at this far above the ground the people below looked like ants, but there was a vehicle firing blasts that hit the edges of buildings, the people on the street screaming loudly and running for cover. It stopped just outside the building, and a blast headed straight for the window.

"GET DOWN!" Sonic yelled, pushing himself and Ashford down, Tekno following his lead. It hit shattering the glass into thousands of tiny shards, which scattered all over the table and floor. "Ok, now I'm annoyed..." he growled "If they want me so badly, I'll give it to them"

He leapt to the windowsill, sneakers protecting his feet from the jagged edges.

"Sonic! Jumping from the tower is one thing, but this has to be at least two hundred feet!" Tekno uttered warningly "If you jump..."

"Well then, help me get down" Sonic turned to her, eyes set hard but a trace of a smile on his lips "I'm not suicidal"

Tekno blushed, but hovered out of the window and took his hands. Normally this would be a slow process, but the blasts continued every few seconds, and she sped down as fast as possible. Dodging and weaving, she wondered if Sonic felt like this when he ran carrying one of them but one look at his face saw he was actually enjoying it. 'Typical' she rolled her eyes, then yelped as a blast shaved some feathers from the top of her head. She increased her speed, and dropped Sonic onto the ground before landing herself. She recovered quickly with a few deep breaths, though her arms still felt sore "Sonic, you need to lose weight..."

Sonic laughed "Yeah right - I'm slim n trim - my metabolism assures that!"

"I wouldn't say that in a room of dieters"

"Here comes the mystery mobile..." Sonic quipped dryly as the vehicle turned towards them. He pulled his gloves tight, and got into a stance "Let's get this over with"

But instead of trying to run him over it just stopped. A door in the side opened upwards and a figure stepped out. It was a lizard slightly taller than Sonic, with deep green skin, and wearing a dark suit.

"Finally, th' hero comes to greet us" the salamander grinned maliciously "So good of you t' join us"

"Is this your work?" Sonic snapped, waving his arms at the devastation of the earthquake.

"It took a great deal of damage t' draw you out" was the salamanders comment.

"What do you want with me?" Sonic demanded.

"Oh, I couldn't possibly tell y' now, not while I want t' give our newest member a trial run - and what better way t' prove themselves a worthy DRAT member than taking on Sonic t' Hedgehog"

"I could beat any of you guys any day of the week" Sonic retorted, then snickered "You guys are pushovers!"

"Now now, don't say something y' may regret later" the salamander taunted, shaking a finger at him "Y' see, that blast fired at your window, and t' others just now - that wasn't from a weapon"

Sonic's brow furrowed "What do you mean?"

"Les' just say this potential member has some very interesting potential" the salamander commented "But 's much as I would like t' stay, I am not too eager t' remain here while it is in progress". Leaving Sonic and Tekno in confused silence, the salamander strode to the side of the vehicle. Pressing a button the door lifted, and they could see him talking to somebody who didn't answer.

"Don't hold back, knock Sonic out and bring him t' me - the canary, Tekno, is here as well - just knock her out"

Then he hopped back into the front and revved the engine; this seemed to be the cue for whoever it was to make their entrance.

Sonic got back into his stance "No DRAT member can be that tough..."

Then the figure came into view.

On the verge of launching himself, Sonic could just stand and stare.

"What the..." The appearance was just the same as he remembered, except older. But the blank stare, hands that crackled with untamed power, and the outfit entirely of black wasn't anything like he recalled. "...Aura?"

"Ah" the salamander smiled, "You know each other, how pleasant"

Tekno waved her scanner around "I'm getting that signal again..."

"Yeah...you would" Sonic murmured absently, staring at the salamander "What did you do to her?"

"A little mind control can work wonders" the salamander grinned "Now my new recruit, KNOCK HIM OUT!"

Aura flung herself at Sonic sending blast after blast at him. Sonic dodged and weaved, but didn't launch any offensive attacks. He was completely confused by this entire situation, though some things made sense - the signals Tekno had picked up, the 'DRAT member' pretending to be somebody else; he knew Aura from all those years ago - firstly when he was six, in his first experience with time travel, then secondly three years later, after Robotnik was created and he ended up in Green Hill. She had been just two years old and when Robotnik attacked, her parents had died in a fire.

He had been there and she would have known that. Sonic had often wondered why she hadn't told him what would happen to Kintobor; as a child torn away from the only family he had known he had been angry at her, but through the years he had realised why. Changing the past or future was not something to be done lightly, if at all, and when the Mettalix had attacked, he understood even more. It wasn't until the morning that the freedom fighters knew of it; too late for Kharis, found lifeless, and no sign of Aura. Sonic hadn't told any of the freedom fighters what he knew, and slipped away to help with the funeral and make some arrangements. In the first year, Aura was declared missing, and then presumed dead...only Sonic had known she wasn't, but he never told anybody. After all, he had promised.

He wondered if she would come back one day, obviously she had, unless it was a robot, or some sort of clone. But who would know of her powers - they weren't discovered until she left, that much he knew. Dodged another shot, he launched a kick at her midsection; it sent her to the ground but didn't fell her for long. Sonic wasn't surprised, he hadn't put much force into it, but needed time to figure out what to do.

"Sonic!"

Tekno's shout caught him unawares, and he felt a shock pass through his body. Playing it, he fell to the ground and lay still. Tekno started to run up to him, but saw him wink and stood still.

Aura came up to him, and raised a hand. It crackled with electricity and probably wouldn't kill him - Sonic was made of stronger stuff than that - but it would certainly knock him out, and he wasn't about to let DRAT win. Throwing his legs up, they hit her chest again, but now he put more force into it. This time she was thrown a few feet in the air and into some bushes. As he flipped himself to a standing position, he could see her trying to get free of the brambles.

"What's going on Sonic...?" Tekno asked as she ran up to him "You know her?"

"It's a long story..." Sonic frowned "But he's right, this is more dangerous" he looked over, noticed the large patch of grass, and clicked his fingers "Got it!"

"An idea?"

"No, a headache" he rolled his eyes "Of course an idea"

"What is it?"

"We need to get her to the centre of that grass, and let me do the rest"

Tekno didn't seem convinced "How is that going to stop her?"

"Just wait...it should work" Sonic replied "look, just go stand over there and look like a target - when she gets there, get out of the way and let me handle it"

"I'm bait?!"

"Well...uh..." Sonic scratched his head, then grinned "Yes?"

Tekno threw up her hands "Don't bother explaining...it would probably sound even more ridiculous..."

Sonic watched her run over to the grassy area, then turned his attention back to the brambles which Aura was pulling herself free from. Surprisingly she didn't look angry, even with the red scratches on her face, and the tears in the outfit she was wearing. In fact, she still had the same blank expression as before, which creeped him out slightly.

Then she launched herself again.

'Her aim's improved' Sonic reflected as he dodged each 'But I'm still too fast for her'

One narrowly missed his leg

"Concentrate Sonic!" he urged himself "Unless you'd like to be a shish-kebab hedgehog!" he started to draw her over to the large patch of grass. On his cue, Tekno waved her arms around, catching Aura's attention.

"Hey, why not try a target that can't run at six hundred miles an hour!" she taunted.

When Aura threw a blast at her, Tekno threw herself to the ground. A moment later, she lifted her head to see Aura looking straight down at her.

"Um..." she tried to say something more, but the hand aimed at her with crackles of energy wasn't very reassuring.

"TEKNO! Get out of there NOW!"

"R...right!" Tekno stuttered, recovering her composure, and launching her body into the air to hover out of the way. She landed a few feet clear, and watched Aura stand there. Sonic then started to run around her in a circle.

"What is he doing?..." Tekno muttered "If he does that for much longer, he'll set the grass on fire..."

That was exactly his plan. As the grass burst into flames he leapt out of the way, almost singeing his top spine, and watched Aura's reaction. She still didn't show any expression, but this time didn't move an inch. Underneath all of that mind control, he assumed that the fire had achieved exactly what he had wanted - frozen her in fear. It wasn't what he wanted, knowing about her phobia, but if he was going to stop her he had to get her to stay still...and now her fear had incapacitated her. Of course, from the age she appeared, she could have cured herself of it, but obviously hadn't.

As the flames died down, he threw himself at her, knocking her unconscious and to the ground.

He then looked at her. Older, but still the same as he remembered.

"Sonic?" Tekno came up to him "Is she okay?"

"I think so" he answered "But we need to figure out how they controlled her"

"So it is mind control?" Tekno asked "She doesn't work for DRAT?"

"I highly doubt it"

Tekno looked over her body for anything that could have done this. As she turned her over, something on the neck, hidden under long hair caught her eye.

"You found something?"

"Yes" she nodded, investigating it.

"Can you get it off?"

"I think it's connected to her nervous system..." Tekno explained "But it's only on the surface, so I should be able to just take it off. I think it sent signals to her nerves like radio waves"

Sonic stood up "Okay, you do that"

"Where are you going?"

"After that slimy creep...if he wanted to confront me so badly, I'll give him what he wants"

"Are you sure, what if it's a trap?"

Sonic laughed "Like DRAT is that clever!" he shook his head amusedly "Don't worry, I'll be fine. I'm too fast for them" He looked down at Aura "Um, when she wakes up, apologise for me, and keep an eye on her"

"I don't know anything about her..."

"Her name's Aura, I met her a long time ago, and I'm sure we'll both explain that when this is all over with"

"What do I tell her about what she did?...I mean, she did just fire bolts of..."

"Electricity"

"...electricity from her hands...how do I explain that?"

Sonic waved this off "Don't worry, she already knows about that"

He turned, cracked his knuckles, then without another word, was about to run off.

"Sonic?"

"What?!"

"You might want this" Tekno handed him her scanner "I left a little homing beacon of our own on his vehicle, so you should find it with no trouble"

"Thanks"

"No problem" Tekno shouted after him, then turned to her task. Like she had told him, it was actually just a chip placed on the surface, but her scanner had shown that it was sending some sort of radio pulse to her nerves, those that controlled movement and actions. Unless it was able to do so over a large distance, Tekno assumed the salamander had set it for Aura for just one command - knock them unconscious and bring them back - and activated it on arrival. This removed; she sat by Aura's side. As she waited, a movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention.

"What on Mobius are you..." she murmured, amused and curious of the small grey creature that had scampered up to them, burrowing itself into Aura's side, squeaking softly. It turned, and pointed to itself, then at Aura.

"You belong to her?"

It squeaked again and nodded.

"Cute little critter" Tekno chuckled "Today is just full of surprises"

Aura began to stir a minute or so later. Though she was sure the chip's effects had been negated, Tekno still watched her carefully. It was reassuring that the eyes that opened, flashed with confusion instead of that blank stare.

"W..What hit me..." Aura groaned, letting Tekno help her up, then noticed Ryndar "You're okay" she sighed, letting the creature climb onto her shoulder. Then she lightly touched her face, and her eyes screwed up in concentration "Now I...Sonic hit me"

"He apologises"

"I don't blame him" Aura shrugged "I was aware of pretty much everything"

Tekno mused "So the chip only stops someone from controlling movement and speech independently"

"Exactly"

"Interesting design, disturbing, but interesting" Tekno smiled "Sorry, that was a bit rude. I'm Tekno, and you're Aura?"

"Aura Starfire" Aura nodded, shaking her hand "I know who you are, though these aren't exactly the circumstances I intended to meet you in"

"You were coming to meet me?"

"Well, the freedom fighters. See, I've been...away" she said, then paused for a moment "and while I was, I discovered some interesting abilities, and want to try and help with them. I knew Sonic a while back, and was going to ask if I could join you"

"Sonic said he knew you, but he didn't explain it, said it was complicated"

"It is..." Aura looked around "Where is Sonic anyway?"

"He went..."

"...after DRAT?" Aura finished.

Tekno nodded "They've been behind these earthquakes, and apparently the mayor was sent messages telling him that if he didn't bring Sonic here, they'd get more and more severe"

"Why didn't he ask Sonic to come before"

"Sonic was injured a month ago, and he's just recovered, apparently the mayor didn't want to jeopardise it" Tekno explained "Though we didn't actually come here at his request - I picked up a strange signal and we came to investigate it" she helped Aura to stand, then spoke again "the signal I got then was very similar to those I picked up while you and Sonic were fighting"

"Would that be about a day and a half ago?" Aura asked, receiving a nod "That would probably be me then, but I'll explain that later as well - right now we've got to find Sonic! I was just a diversion! He's walked straight into a trap!"

"And I gave him my scanner!" Tekno uttered in annoyance "So what do we do?"

"I know where it is" Aura said simply, starting to run "Hopefully we can get there before...well" she amended "not before he does, but before he manages to do something stupid..." Tekno didn't make a comment on that, just matched Aura's pace as they sped through the street. "I think we need to move faster..."

"Why? Did you remember something else?"

"Not exactly..." Aura murmured, casting another glance back "Just that if we don't, I'll be arrested"

"Ah" Tekno nodded "You'd be..."

"The person they arrested earlier, about being a DRAT member" Aura finished, eyes sparkling with irritation "I know it's not their fault, but I've had enough of being told what to do by anybody but myself..." she dodged into an alleyway "It'll take longer if he catches us to explain exactly what happened...though I doubt he'd believe me"

"Would this be another thing I'll find out later?"

Aura suddenly chuckled "Probably"

Thankfully, they had lost their pursuer, and the rest of the city centre started to gave way to more suburban housing then to woodland. Aura assumed it could be the same area where she had appeared - it did seem to stretch around the city to the point of surrounding it, and the thick tree trunks and leaves kept their leaves all year round. For DRAT, it would be the perfect place to set up a base. Tekno couldn't see anything - her scanner was with Sonic, so that was no use. Then they stopped in front of a large tree, which as she looked closer, didn't seem exactly right. Aura's brow furrowed for a moment, contemplating something, then reached up and pulled at a small branch. Tekno expected the tree to flip open, but was surprised when instead a platform below them slid back revealing a flight of stairs.

She raised an eyebrow "I wonder how they built this so secretly"

Aura didn't say anything, and began to walk down the stairs. "Be careful"

Tekno squinted "How do we see?"

Aura paused for a moment, then asked to be passed a piece of wood. When she was, Tekno saw her hand flicker with light, and put it to the wood. It flickered to light, and by it, Tekno could see Aura shaking. "Here..." Tekno was handed the makeshift torch "Just keep it away from me" she requested, letting her hand glow lightly again so she could see her way down.

Navigating the stairs took some care, and Tekno mulled over what had just happened "That's why Sonic set the grass around you on fire, isn't it, you're afraid of fire..."

"Yes" Aura answered softly "It doesn't help that I can use it..."

"Another ability?"

"Recent, but yes"

"When..."

"I hope Sonic's okay" Aura changed the subject, and below them they could hear soft voices. One was the salamander from before, and another they didn't recognise, but it wasn't Sonic.

"So do I..." Tekno nodded "I don't think he's stupid enough to..." she began to say, but quietened as they came to the end of the staircase and saw it lead onto a balcony overseeing a large room. Not a comfortable room; the walls were metallic with pieces of equipment that varied in size dotted along the edges, and stood in the middle were three figures. One was the salamander, another a taller, brown rat, both conversing in voices too low to understand.

The third was Sonic. Even without getting close, Tekno knew he was under the same control as Aura had been. For one thing, he wouldn't have been standing that still, and he had no expression on his face that she could see from here, and it unnerved her. Aura seemed to have the same thought.

"How can we stop him..."

Tekno was at a loss "I'm not sure, I..."

"Ah, I see we have visitors!" a voice cut in from below, jolting both from their whispered conversation "I think we should give th'm a proper 'welcome'"

The rat chuckled "Oh I should think so"

He pulled a switch, and the platform collapsed. It was a short drop, and there was no time for Tekno to prepare to take flight. She grabbed hold of Aura's arm instinctively, and it probably saved her life, because as they fell to the ground, she felt a spasm of pain go through her entire body. It felt ten times worse than those times she had accidentally electrocuted herself, and when it passed, she blinked open her eyes to see Aura, fingers curled on one hand pressed firmly to the floor, her other arm still clutching at Tekno. Clarity went through her mind "The floor's electrified, isn't it"

"Well done" the salamander clapped theatrically, striding towards them "A nice little deterrent"

"That must have been enough to kill a person..." Tekno was nervous, but her statement was anything but questioning "It should have"

"I'm sure if your friend here takes her hand off of th' floor, it certainly shall kill you"

Aura looked at him "Do you know how many times somebody has tried to use my powers for themselves"

"I honestly couldn't care less"

"Enough for it to really annoy me" Aura gritted her teeth, but kept her hand on the floor. He was right, the flow was constant, and by keeping hold of Tekno she was making sure the electricity bypassed her body "Tekno, can you fly now?"

"Sure" Tekno nodded and did so, Aura not letting go of her hand until she was well clear of the floor.

Thank you" Aura murmured softly "Now, you were saying?"

The salamander shrugged "I have wh't I need, you no longer concern me"

Aura aimed a blast at the console that the rat had been standing at. He yelped, jumping out of the way as a shower of sparks emitted from it, then growled, shooting a glance at his comrade "Can we go now?"

"I think we should let Sonic greet his friends" the salamander smiled. This didn't make either Aura or Tekno feel better. Aura mouthed the controls were now off - she couldn't feel any more electricity - and Tekno glided onto the ground, relieved when nothing happened. She didn't know this person well - Aura could just be trying to double-cross them, but Sonic had vouched for her trustability. If anything, that meant waiting until this was all over and getting it all explained.

"Sonic, you know what to do"

A blank stare answered the salamander, then Sonic launched himself at them, throwing Tekno into a wall and shoving Aura aside. Falling against the broken console, Aura rubbed her head senselessly. Tekno, while dazed, managed to launch herself into the air when Sonic came at her, one hand curled into a fist. Then she saw something strike Sonic, he fell back but didn't show any signs of being hurt.

"That's payback for hitting me" Aura said, going across and standing with Tekno.

Then he was up again and coming at them, and the next few minutes, which seemed to stretch into an eternity, was a flurry of dodging and weaving; Tekno flying and picking up pieces and flinging them at Sonic to try and distract him; Aura flinging bolt after bolt which while stopping him for a moment, didn't last - she couldn't risk full strength in case she hurt him badly. Tekno thought she was holding back for another reason, but while they were being constantly attacked from all sides by the fast moving hedgehog, she couldn't ask.

The closely confined space meant he couldn't use his full speed, but this was the only positive thing; unless they could knock him out, she couldn't remove the device.

Stalemate.

Tekno jumped up as he came at her again and slammed him into the wall. Falling back with a dull thud, he shifted restlessly. Tekno took this chance to run to Aura who was trying to shake the cobwebs from her head after Sonic had thrown her against another piece of machinery. Her head didn't hurt but she could feel a dampness spreading through the bandage, and she groaned "What do we do?"

"We need to use his weaknesses against him" Tekno reasoned, helping Aura up "Except he doesn't have any...except a large ego and overconfident tendencies"

"Not very applicable here" Aura agreed, then her eyes brightened and she clicked her fingers "I've got it!"

"What?" Tekno shot a glance back at Sonic, who was up and running towards them.

They started to try and dodge him again, and Aura whispered at her as they crossed their paths "He can't swim, right?"

Tekno shook her head, then weaved to avoid Sonic's fist hitting her. It was the time spent fighting alongside him that allowed her to know what he was capable of.

"I'll take care of disabling him, but you need to follow us" Aura yelled.

"Follow you..." Tekno didn't have a clue what was going on "Where?"

"We passed a lake on our way here, meet us there!"

This only added to Tekno's confusion. "But..." she started to say, then stopped, aghast "What are you doing!"

Aura had stopped and held out her hands at the approaching figure of Sonic. He grabbed her, and brought her to his face.

"Aura!" Tekno yelled, wondering what in the name of Mobius she was doing.

Aura was disturbed by the blank stare - was this what she had looked like? Could he hear and see her, know what he was doing, but not able to stop it? She shuddered, then blinked rapidly. Instinctively she flung out her arms before he could do anything, and grasped his tightly. Then she closed her eyes and concentrated.

"Meet us there!" she shouted, before Tekno saw them vanish.

Not by Sonic running out of the room, but literally vanish; only a glow surrounding them and a flash of light that would have been barely recognisable in the light of open day.

The rat and salamander, watching from the opposite staircase both seemed astonished by this revelation.

"You didn't say she could do that!"

"How the heck was I supposed to know!"

"Useless rat"

"Slimy lizard"

"SALAMANDER!"

"Whatever!" the rat muttered "We got what we needed, didn't we"

Ignoring them, Tekno rushed out of the room; hovering up in the air to the entrance and racing up the staircase.

Back in the room, the salamander turned to the rat.

"Yes, we did, and we need to get going, there's still more to be done"


___________


Tekno didn't know where she was going or what had happened. Had she really just seen Sonic and this stranger - Aura - just vanish into thin air?

Out of the underground DRAT base, she stopped for a breather, then launched herself into the air.

The trees turned into flurries of brown, purple and red as she willed her body to move faster. While her species had adapted to flying without wings, it didn't mean that she could do it for long; just like Tails, who couldn't fly using his unique abilities of his twin tails for long periods without rest, neither could she; it was a consequence of adaptation that left their arms free. Woodland gave way to small houses, then to what she had been searching for - not a particularly large lake, but still larger than a pond.

She landed, noticing nothing out of the ordinary. But she had found her scanner on the floor of the base, and waving it around picked up the same energy as before. This time it was more identical to the energy source that had prompted Sonic and herself to come here than the energy discovered after their arrival. It still hung heavily in the air, and she realised with a jolt that they must have landed above the lake.

"But it's too large to search...the water is clear, but it'd take too long..." She fiddled with the scanner "It's a long shot...but if they arrived recently, maybe I can search for residue energy..." In the end she set it for this as well as minute traces present in Sonic following his battle with Chaos, since he was now more closely attuned with chaos energy. Then she flew into the air again and skimmed the lake, scanner hanging around her neck but aimed with her hand at the water surface.

It was a third of the way along where the signal was strongest.

Wordlessly she dived, arms pressed down her sides and pushing her body through the water, using her flying ability to move more effortlessly through the water.

Then - two murky figures. She squinted, but who else could it be?

They were both sinking, but Aura was still conscious and trying to pull Sonic up. She saw Tekno, and the latter helped take hold of Sonic, and with this help both moved through the water. As they neared the surface, Tekno could see Aura struggling to breathe and move, and as they broke the water surface she took deep breaths, her eyes glassy, and moved with Tekno's help to the edge, her grip starting to slip from Sonic.

Tekno got out first, and pulled Sonic to the edge; Aura tried to get out but her grip slipped and she fell under the water again, but bobbed back up, gasping.

"Are you okay?"

Aura was breathless, but nodded "J..just tired"

Tekno hunched over Sonic, and her relief was short lived "He isn't breathing!"

"Oh goddess..." Aura uttered, panicking as she pulled herself out "I...I didn't think it would..."

"It was the only way..." Tekno answered "can you give him a small shock...it might jump start it"

"I thought that only worked when..." Aura started, then swallowed "...hearts stopped"

"Give it a try!"

Aura tried, but nothing happened "I...I can't!"

Tekno started to rub at Sonic's chest, silently urging him to breathe. Then he began to choke, water coming from his mouth, and she turned him over. There was no sign of the small chip that she had found on Aura. She voiced her concerns.

"Maybe it fell off...the water could have washed it away..."

"Or he could be under their control a different way"

Then Sonic shifted, and his eyes fluttered open; he groaned, and both held their breath, but the stare wasn't blank. "Um..." his voice was hoarse "W..what happened?"

"I think you know, right Sonic?" Tekno suggested "Just think about it"

Sonic closed his eyes, squeezing them slightly, then sat up, helped by Tekno.

Aura hung her head "If you remember, I need to apologise - I shouldn't have used your weakness against you"

Sonic waved this off "Don't worry about it, I used yours against you remember - we both know how much our fears can stand against us"

"You've matured" Aura gave a half-smile.

"So have you" Sonic chuckled, then nodded "Glad to see you came back"

"I'm beginning to wonder if it was the right choice, not even back a week and I drag people into trouble"

"I think that tends to hang around freedom fighters" Sonic squeezed the water from his gloves "Not just you"

"It did tend to hang around you when we first met" Aura chuckled "Or should I say, when you first met me"

Tekno interrupted them "Can you please explain what is going on here! This is all too confusing"

"I think we should get dry first" Sonic smirked, taking in their complete and utter dishevelment.

"As long as I don't get arrested, I still have another day left on a hotel"

"I think we can make sure that doesn't happen" Sonic nodded.


___________


An hour later, Tekno and Sonic were standing in the mayor's office.

After arriving at the hotel, and taking turns to use the shower so they wouldn't catch their death of cold, they'd left Aura sleeping. Sonic had explained to Tekno as they left how using her abilities exhausted Aura, but nothing further - he hadn't known much about her teleporting then, and had nothing else to add now. In the meantime, they went to take care of a few things; firstly unfinished business at the DRAT base - going back found no trace of the rat or salamander, but everything else was untouched. Then back to the city, where Mayor Ashford ushered them into his office, shutting the door behind them.

"They're gone?"

"No trace of them, but we found the machine they were using, and Tekno disabled it" Sonic explained "Dunno where those two slimy creeps ran off to, but they shouldn't be any more trouble"

"That is such a relief" Mayor Ashford sighed thankfully "I'm grateful for your assistance"

"No problem" Sonic nodded "But would you be able to do me a favour?"

"For you, of course!" Mayor Ashford beamed.

"You said earlier that a prisoner had escaped from your police station, pretending to be someone else"

"Yes..." Mayor Ashford began, but trailed off "I don't see what you are referring to"

"She's not pretending - I can't explain it, but she really is the person your officer thought she 'claimed' to be" Sonic explained "I know it sounds ridiculous, but something happened to her and now she's as old as she looks"

"Well..." Mayor Ashford paused "I must say it confused me as well, but how do you explain why she was fighting against you earlier?"

"They were using a mind control chip" Tekno explained "Did the same with Sonic as well"

Sonic growled softly, but calmed himself "So I wanted to know if you'd be able to clear it all up"

"I should be able to arrange that - it sounds a little confusing, but I'm sure that you wouldn't lie so I would be happy to"

"Thanks - we'll collect her stuff from there before heading back to where she's staying, if that's okay?"

"I should be finished with contacting them by the time you get there" Mayor Ashford sat down, picking up a phone and dialling a number "Yes, Marlon, put me through to the police station, thank you" he nodded at Sonic and Tekno as they left, mouthing thank you.


___________


After all this, and picking up something to eat, it was six hours before they returned to the hotel. Aura was awake, but still looked tired, waving off any concern "I'm fine, just a little short of energy"

"No more lightning blasts for a while" Sonic chuckled, as Tekno handed out the food, then his brow furrowed "What is this thing?" he watched Ryndar, who had taken a sandwidge from Tekno and sat eating it happily.

"Ryndar is a chao"

"Chaos!?" Sonic started.

"No - a chao" Aura explained "I know you fought a creature called Chaos - and I heard about Johnny...I'm sorry" she paused "But Ryndar is from another Mobius; chaos had a very different origin than here"

"Different Mobius?!" Tekno sounded incredulous "I think that explanation is in order"

Aura nodded "I'll give you the short explanation"

She took a deep breath.

"I was born in Green Hill in 1991, Robotnik appeared when I was two and attacked Green Hill, my parents died in a fire, Sonic rescued me, and that's the first time I met him. Then I went to live with my brother, he died when I was eight in a Mettalix attack. This is where it gets confusing...I was trying to get away and unlocked, or made some sort of power. My vision goes blurred and all these colours flash in front of my eyes, feels like I'm falling down a long tunnel, and the next thing I know I'm in this forest where I defiantly wasn't before"

"You teleported?"

Aura nodded at Tekno's question "I did - except I didn't figure that out for a while. In time, I found that I'd teleported not to another part of Mobius or even another planet - but somehow I was in another dimension" she shook her head "I couldn't believe I could do something like that. Then I discovered I could use electricity as well..."

"You didn't come back?" Tekno interrupted "After you figured out what you could do?"

"What was left for me?" Aura stated, staring at them "My family was gone, and if I went back, I'd be stuck in a foster home or something like that - with this power, I could go anywhere, I had freedom. I used the excuse of having that power to stay away." Aura then smiled sadly "Except I ended up coming back a few years later, but it ended up being in the past, so that's how Sonic met me for the first time, but it was the second for me"

"Continual differences between dimensions, I'd assume..." Tekno paused, thinking "Okay, that makes sense, but why do you look older?"

"I didn't come back straight away. I never really measured time, but I think I'm around nineteen now; I decided to come back after I landed in this alternate Mobius and found their Robotnik was defeated" Aura paused "I'd never really thought about it until then, but that maybe I could use my powers to help fight our Robotnik so we could be like they are. It was so peaceful..." she stopped "Well, not completely, but so different to what I remembered ours to be; so I arrived back just over a day ago...and already end up in trouble"

"And that's the short version?" Tekno blinked.

"I did travel for quite a bit" Aura raised an eyebrow "not always peaceful"

"What do you think Tekno" Sonic grinned, nudging the canary with his elbow "Room for one more at the base?"

Tekno smiled "I think we can fit another person in"

"We'd be happy to have you Aura" Sonic nodded, holding out a hand "You've got potential, and I think you need to be with friends"

Aura was speechless for a second "...thanks Sonic"

They all stood up to leave, and Sonic suddenly remembered the backpack "Here, we got your this back for you" he handed it over "and the mayor sorted things out so you won't get arrested"

"Thanks" Aura smiled "There are a lot of things important to me in here" she fingered the necklace hanging around her neck "...though not everything" she murmured to herself, making sure nothing was missing as they rode down in the lift, Tekno and Sonic talking amongst themselves. Ryndar waited until she closed it and put it on, before jumping up onto Aura's shoulder, curling his tail around her neck. Aura smiled.

They reached the lobby and Aura went to the desk to pay the bill, before joining the others outside

"What am I going to do?" Aura asked Sonic "I'm officially eleven - technically, I'm legally a child..."

"We'll figure something out" Sonic assured her, then turned to Tekno "Is he coming?"

She nodded "Tails is bringing the tornado just outside the city so not to frighten anyone, considering all the earthquakes they had"

"Should have stopped now" Sonic commented "Wish I could have gotten a hold of them - I am NOT played like a puppet"

"Same here..." Aura shuddered "It was horrible...I could see and hear, but not move..."

"I think we lost our chance" Tekno shook her head "But I think the authorities can take care of that base and now that they know who those people are they can keep an eye open"


___________


As they flew above the land, Aura just stared out of the window, every so often sneaking a glance out of the corner of her eyes at the others. Sonic was sitting behind Tails and having a conversation with the twin-tailed fox pilot, while Tekno was making modifications to her scanner.

Her life was changing; she was sure she could deal with the excitement and confrontation; her abilities were becoming more honed; and she had faced her fair share of excitement during the years she had travelled. But could she deal with being part of a team? Could she live with other people after being alone for so long? Could she fit back into life on Mobius easily, or would it be difficult?

Only time would tell...


___________


A figure sat in a chair in a darkened room. The only light came from the glow of a computer screen, where rows and rows of data were intently studied.

DRAT had done well, Robotnik reflected. He had expected failure because they were dealing with Sonic, but their objective had been achieved. He had the data, and that was all he desired. Sonic's destruction would have been an added but unrealistic bonus.

Last time he had used the image of his nemesis to create a destructive force, it had failed. The Mettalix had been flawed, imperfect, and vulnerable, their design insufficient for defeating the hedgehog. But this time, thanks to some outside assistance he could use real life data to emulate all of Sonic's moves, his thoughts and speech; a robot that would be literally a robotic clone of Sonic. But Robotnik had learnt from his mistakes; this robot, while gifted with the speed and strength of his nemesis, would not have the same patterns of thought or the way he acted; the worst thing could be for this robot to be Sonic in mind as well as body.

It would take time.

"Let them wait...let them think they are free..." Robotnik chuckled "I will not go down easily..."