Characters © Respective Owners

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Ch. 5: Charmy’s Chaotix pt. 1

If that kid keeps looking at me, I’ll smack him, Jet vowed, glancing over to Charmy.

After meeting the future version of Amy, they had taken in the fact they were somehow stuck in the future with no explanation. The trio, consisting of himself, Charmy and Knuckles were about to follow Haru the Hedgehog, her and Sonic’s son, and Tech Prower to find any sort of clues for why they were in the future. However, night had already fallen, making Amy throw them all into rooms for their own good rest. Knuckles was lucky enough to get a single room, but Jet was stuck with Charmy.

“Jet?” Charmy called from his bed, making Jet twinge in distress. “Jet? Jet? Jet? Jet? Jet? Jet? Jeeeet!”

“What is it, Charmy?!” Jet screamed. Leaping out of his bed in absolute rage, the hawk panted as Charmy obliviously blinked at him. “It’s late! I’m tired! What do you want?!”

“Um, I just wanted to say I’m happy to share a room with ya!” Charmy jeered, smiling brightly, not concerned with Jet’s left eye twitching. “Do you have an eye twitching problem? Espio’s has one of those whenever he talks to Vector about money.”

Sighing in disgust, Jet grabbed the covers of his bed, slumping into sleep. “Just go to bed,” he snorted.

“But I can’t go to bed without a bedtime story,” Charmy whined.

Jet sat up in bed, glaring daggers at the sweet-natured insect. Rubbing his temple, he gestured for Charmy to come closer. Oblivious to Jet’s intentions, Charmy obediently hovered towards the hawk, but Jet grabbed him by his wings. Kicking the door open, he gently placed Charmy onto the ground before slamming the door shut. Gasping as he felt the door sting his back, he pounded away at the door, screaming at Jet to let him back inside.

“Shut it, you useless, aggravating brat!” Jet cried from his room. “You can sleep in the hallway!”

“Please?” Charmy begged absent-mindedly. “Can I come in?”

No answer. Charmy pouted, kicking the door before wincing and held his foot in pain. Clenching his fists, he darted off down the darkened halls, avoiding the doors that held Knuckles and Amy’s rooms. Bolting down the stairs, he hesitated as he landed onto the bottom step. Sucking a deep breathe down his throat, he quietly staggered towards the front door. Grasping the knob, he peeked outside the window and viewed the hauntingly dark skies with lighter blurbs that seemed to act as clouds.

Stupid Jet! I can find out how to get home all by myself! I don’t need him! Charmy mentally seethed as he flung the door open.

Cold wisps of air cascaded throughout the house, making him shiver. Shrugging, the hopeful bee burst outside into the night with only streetlights as he guide for enlighten his way. With each bolt of his wing, an audible, “Stupid Jet!”, could be heard. Unfortunately, his blind, oblivious rage kept him from shutting the door.

Knuckles, hearing some sort of banging, jolted from his bed. As the Guardian of the Master Emerald, he was instantly awakened at the noise and for a moment, forgot he was in the future by placing his fists up instinctively. Gathering his surroundings as he climbed out of his bed, he glanced over at the alarm clock situated on a nearby desk that read it was just past nine by a few minutes. Deciding to investigate the banging, the echidna hopped off his bed and left his room.

“Oh, Knuckles?” Amy called, appearing out of her room, wearing a white sleeveless loose garment of clothing that went down to her knees. “You heard that loud banging as well?”

“Yeah…” He glared over at Jet’s door. “Maybe Birdbrain here knows something about it.”

“Allow me,” Amy stated, yanking her hammer out of her dress.

“I still don’t know where you get that,” Knuckles murmured.

Slamming her hammer against Jet’s bedroom door, it shattered on contact. Jet yelped, falling out of bed with the sheets covering his eyes. Frantically, he snatched his Extreme Gear in response, hiding behind it. When it turned out to be Amy and Knuckles, he immediately returned back into his arrogant self.

“What are you two fools doing?” he demanded hotly. “I’m trying to sleep, and you two barge in like lunatics.”

“Hey, where’s Charmy?” Knuckles asked, shoving Jet aside to find Charmy’s empty bed.

“Oh, the brat? Hah! I kicked him out!” Jet proclaimed, patting himself on the shoulder. “He’s probably out crying somewhere!”

“You did not,” Amy hissed, fingers coiling tightly around the stick of her mallet.

“Yep, and it felt absolutely great,” Jet replied smugly, closing his eyes with a grand smirk. Noticing the horrified expressions on their faces, he immediately turned confused. “What, was that a bad thing?”

“Yeah, you moron: Charmy’s gone!” Knuckles barked, shoving Jet onto his bed. “He could be lost or kidnapped! He’s really sensitive though he acts like he can handle anything. Remember, Jet, we’re in the future which means he could be anywhere.”

“Tch, better for me,” Jet scoffed, collecting his blanket. “Excuse me, I’ll try and find a reason to care.”

“You were always insensitive!” Amy accused. “But when he died, you changed and saved the life of another.”

Jet stared at the rose hedgehog for a few moments before asking quietly, “And who were they?”

Amy scowled at him, turning to Knuckles. “Come on, let’s go find Charmy before anyone in Soleanna tries to kidnap or worse. Soleanna is a pretty nasty city to be around at night, and thugs are everywhere.”

Knuckles nodded, glaring at the frozen bird. He and Amy left Jet to ponder just what exactly she shrilly explained. Jet slumped onto his bed, feeling guilt raise in his chest until it got into his throat like stuck bile. Folding his hands, Jet hunched over the side of his bed with closed eyes.

Amy locked the front door to make sure no hooligans decided to rob her. Knuckles sniffed the air, pointing in the direction of Elise’s castle, stating that Charmy went there for a period of time. They darted out into the streets, and Knuckles was utterly astounded at how little everything changed. The same stores were there with the regulars at the open late night bars. Sometimes, he wondered if anything major had changed, like what had happened to him? Clearing his head, he began to call out Charmy’s name with Amy and hoped that the young detective didn’t do anything stupid.

---

Of course, Charmy got lost. He stood stupidly at a street corner on the far edge of Soleanna, finding an odd woodland forest in the distance. Squinting his eyes, he recalled Espio pointing out a map to him, saying that beyond the Mystic Ruins would lay a forest where the echidna temples were. He added that across from the temples would be a fantastic paradise known as Soleanna after trekking through the desert for a couple miles. With his wings, he knew he would be able to get into the forest in just a matter of a few minutes.

Fear started to come into his chest as he started for the forest. He knew absolutely nothing about the future, and Station Square could’ve been destroyed by only the heavens know. Gulping, his wings fluttered before he bolted off for the darkening forest. The moon glistened above him, sending him a light to cut through the darkness. He found it peculiar that no stars were shining since he and the Chaotix would sometimes go out to point constellations out. Charmy dug through his jacket pocket and took out a small flashlight that Vector gave him for his sixth birthday, aiming it at the sky. He giggled, comparing the frailness of the yellow sparks to the overwhelming brightness of the moon.

As the forest got closer, he could hear muffled voices. Pausing, he landed into a large branch of the abnormally giant trees. He never recalled the trees being the size of the man from the beanstalk tale Vector once told him about. Charmy zoomed past the trees with enormous green leaves covering the sky, and his mediocre flashlight provided the only light. Charmy shivered as the winds began to pick up, leaving him bitter and cold as he seeked shelter underneath a massive branch that enveloped his entire body. Peering out into the tundra of a forest, Charmy poked his flashlight out, cutting the darkness like a knife through hot butter.

“Hello?” Charmy called meekly. “Anybody out there?”

“Man, it’s freezing, Tango! Why’d we come all the way out here?” a feminine voice screeched just a few paces away from Charmy’s location.

“Oh, shut it, Momoka,” the one referred to as Tango snapped.

“But it’s freezing out here,” a younger voice whined.

“Honey, I don’t want to hear it.”

Charmy flashed his light at them through the leaves he hid underneath. He was careful not to get caught in case they were thugs or gang members or worse: people like Jet!

The one called Tango is a seventeen-year-old dark green rabbit with a white muzzle and ferocious looking scarlet eyes with specks of brown. Two extremely tiny fangs can be seen protruding from his upper lip that blended into his muzzle. He wears a pair of black head phones around his neck with a gold chain underneath it. For an attire, Tango wears dark azure baggy slacks with a white tank top that exposed his developed, built chest. His ears were hanging low, but they were shorter than average.

Momoka is a fifteen-year-old a deep violet chameleon with black eyes with a black cloth covering her right eye. She has a lighter shade of amethyst for hair that is bound up in a ponytail. When dropped, her hair reaches her shoulder blades. She wears a camouflage tank top with bandages suiting as gloves and socks and a pair of matching shorts that have white edges. She wears a tan belt that holds all of her kunai, shuriken and other ninja gear. Her sandals are azure with steel covering her toes while a scar resides on her back.

Honey is a five-year-old bee with white stripes instead of black that contrasted with the yellow stripes. She donned a white pilot vest and matching gloves. With glimmering sea blue wings and shorts that matched her wings, those contrasted with a pair of red tied sneakers. Her eyes were wide and amber that shone another hopeful light through the night. Unlike the other two, she hovered in the air as Tango and Momoka quibbled.

“Alright, you two babies can head back home,” Tango grumbled, crossing his arms. “I’m gonna be a man and try to locate some clues.”

“Can I stay, Tango?” Honey begged with wide eyes.

“Nah, you girls get outta here,” Tango commanded softly, nudging her away. “I’ve got some unfinished business to take care of.”

“Tango, we’re searching for the Babylon Rogues, one of the most nefarious gangs out there,” Momoka warned. “They could jump you at any given moment.”

“Yeah, blah blah blah.” Tango picked the chameleon up, making her snatching Honey’s hands. As both girls retreated into the forest, Tango whistled a tune, staring directly up at the leaves that covered Charmy. He sneered, shouting at Charmy to reveal himself.

Charmy froze, remaining perfectly still. He had no idea what Tango was thinking as the rabbit began to slam his foot against the tree, shouting at him to come down. Fate conspired against him as he slowly shoved the leaves away, floating down to meet Tango. His grip on his flashlight tightened as he took a gasp before darting away. Before he could get anywhere, Tango snatched up his wings like he was swatting away an annoying fly.

“Tsk, tsk, what’s a little kid like you doin’ all the way out here?” Tango demanded harshly.

“Little kid? That Honey Bee was younger than me, I think,” Charmy retorted.

“She’s five,” Tango replied, dropping Charmy on his bottom. “Tango the Rabbit’s the name, leader of the Chaotix Detective Agency. You are?”

“I’m Charmy Bee, Chao-!” Charmy cut himself off, staring at the rabbit with intrigue. If he was the leader, what did that make of Vector? “Just Charmy Bee.”

Tango smirked, rubbing his head. “Lost or something? I can try and get you home.”

“Oh, my home’s far away,” Charmy joshed, chucking lightly.

Confusion overtook the rabbit for a few moments, making him nearly forget his objective. Taking out a small photograph, Tango paused before shoving it back in his pocket. When asked what the picture held, he just snickered and shrugged. Grasping Charmy by his hand, he asked again if he needed help getting home.

“Actually, can I just have a place to crash for tonight?” Charmy inquired as Tango heaved him over his shoulder. “I kind of…left unexpectedly from my one-time home in Soleanna.”

“Ah, runaway?” Tango questioned. Before Charmy could defend himself, he just guffawed like a hyena. “It’s all good! No worries! You can crash with me, Momoka and Honey. We have a little hut set up in the heart of the forest that was abandoned by the previous owner. Nobody knows where he went too, but whatever. Ours now.”

As Tango dragged Charmy over his shoulder, Charmy felt his eyelids grew extremely heavy. The forest seemed to swirl and roll into an endless maze that Tango expertly navigated, but as he continued to walk, Charmy slumped onto him. The sky was painted an eternal black with the golden moon, making it the last object he witnessed before falling asleep.

---

Outer space: enormous, lifeless, and airless. Some people would obsess over it, hoping to find to locate new life in order to move there in case their world ever was polluted. Other believed that space was just another thing in life you had to learn about. However, space was magical and filled the species that humans couldn’t even dream off.

Up by several asteroids laid a seemingly deserted colony. This was known as the Space Colony ARK, the birthplace to Shadow the Hedgehog. A lone figure can be seen hovering glowering down at the planet, but his entire body was covered by a silver cloak. The only visible part about him was a tail dipped in white at the end. His emotionless gaze glared towards a pounding coming near him. A crow donning the same cloak sauntered towards him cockily, but his face wasn’t covered by the hood. He had putrid, violet eyes with a golden yellow crooked beak with jet black feathers. Across his forehead was a massive scar that seemed to encircle his entire head.

“You’re looking miserable as usual,” the avian sniggered.

“Rodrigo,” the man muttered, “what are you doing? Do you have anything to report about our situation?”

Rodrigo smirked, shaking his head in a positive manner. “According to some tests I recently ran, our master should be awakening from his pod in a matter of weeks,” he stated eagerly. “I just can’t wait to exact my revenge on those Babylonians that accused me of treachery.”

The man hollowly laughed, sending a chill down Rodrigo’s spine. Turning to him with vacant, sky blue eyes, he walked past him and headed into another room. Rodrigo gulped to himself, questioning the man’s sanity. As he darted away, he could only smirk as his life seemed to reflect in his mind. He was once a hero, but look at how he fallen.

“Sometimes I worry about that guy,” Rodrigo murmured, staring down at the blue glass orb of Earth. “I wonder if Babylon looks as beautiful as this planet. Don’t you agree, Nack, Tomo?”

From another door came a light amethyst weasel with a single protruding fang with a dirty brown ripped-at-the-sleeves jacket and dark blue jeans with matching brown and white boots. Around his waist as a belt holding several guns, but a large holster held his favorite pistol that matched his black fingerless gloves. Creating a shadow around his face was a massive cowboy hat that matching his sinister crimson eyes. He is the Nack the Weasel, age thirty-eight.

Standing next to Nack was a dark violet chameleon with matching hair that reached her shoulder blades. She donned a black jacket over a matching jumpsuit that fit her skinny form. On her back was a sheath that was held to her body by a strap that went onto her chest. She donned dark emerald shoes with a single white vertical stripe with standard white gloves with black cuffs.

“Just why the hell did you call us here, Rodrigo?” Nack snapped irritably. “You drag us from Earth, away from our daughter, to this space shuttle for what?”

“Actually, I received word from my master that he would like the two of you to work for him,” Rodrigo explained tentatively, smoothing his headfeathers.

“Your master?” Tomo recited suspiciously. “You can’t be referring to the man in the pod, are you?”

“He is our master,” the man in the cloak said, coming back from the hallway. “I just checked in with him, and he’s doing better. His plan is coming together with this little troop: I, Rodrigo, Nack, and Tomo. The four of us shall serve him.”

“…Your master sounds like a maniac,” Nack admitted straightly with a sneer. “However, if he claims to be stronger than Shadow, we’re in good hands. I’m sure the pay will be good, am I right?”

“Money’s all you think about,” Tomo snickered, shaking her head.

“I think you about you, too, Tomo,” Nack whined, wrapping his arm around his shoulder lovingly. “Of course, I think about our daughter, Nic, as well.”

“I know. So, what is it that you want us to do?” Tomo questioned.

“What he needs is for you to find and locate the currant positions of the past versions of Knuckles, Jet and Charmy,” Rodrigo stated. “From the Ark, I’ll monitor you two along with Mr. Emotionless here.”

The man in the cloak hardly seemed affected by the insult as Nack sniggered. Announcing his leave, he stormed back into the room he was previously in. Rodrigo, Nack and Tomo stared at his back for a few moments before the devious crow suggested that the married thieves get moving.

---

Seems that a mysterious group is after Jet, Charmy and Knuckles! Will Jet, Amy and Knuckles find Charmy? Can these new “Chaotix” be trusted? And who are these strange collections of characters, and what do they want? Find out next time in Future Reign!