Chaos Within

[Gail Strafer]

[I feel like throwing in some theme music http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUPmQJCqPaw ]

So...climb up high, he says...

Gail wasn't much of a climber, but nonetheless he scanned the area for a way he could get higher. And it looked like he found it. An old fire escape went up a building next to the one they were on top of. The wolf patted Chadin on the shoulder.

"Come on Chadin, we can go up that way."

Quickly, he made his way to it, because he sure didn't want to be on ground level with that thing. The wolf just prayed his bazooka might make a difference.

---

By this time, the creature looked to have fully formed itself. A long line of spikes snapped into place along its spine, culminating in a spiked tail. Claws formed on the digits of the legs. The rubbery mass of the shadow hardened into what looked like armored scales. And the mouth fully formed into a long line of sharp teeth, while new slitted eyes gazing towards all the targets gathered at the low building.

It let loose an intensely loud shriek. The scream sounded like the screams the smaller creatures made, but now it was like hearing all the separate creatures screaming completely in unison. The sound shockwave completely shattered every piece of glass in the vicinity, whether it was windows, bottles, or street lights. In fact, that very glass would start raining down on everybody.

Meanwhile, if the group could hear over the sound, they'd hear the thumping sounds of the creature marching towards them down the street. Alpha, however, was unnoticed as the creature focused on the large group.

---

Gail, being a wolf and all with sensitive hearing, doubled over from the creature's screams. He too let out his own scream, from the pain of the sound assaulting his ear drums. It felt like someone taking a jack hammer directly to the inside of his skull. He literally couldn't do anything but just sit there and try to deal with the pain.

[Mammoth Mogul]

"Pfft, do not presume to order me about, Chaotix. I do this not for you but for the kingdom I eventually will rule over." Mogul huffed outwardly. On the inside, he smiled, having expected that the noble chaotix would likely opt for the lead role in the coming attack and relegate the other, unknown factors to support roles while he himself took a more direct approach. Truthfully, that was one of several ideas he had come up with already. If nothing else, this Espio is very much alike to the one he knew all too well from his own reality.

Mogul would do his part, but he also fully intended to watch his impromptu "Allies" skills and abilities closely. Once the creature fell he would need to quickly turn the tables to his favor if he wished to secure his ultimate prize. Especially since there would likely be a three-way race for them at the end of all this.

Mogul turned towards the creature and casually began to stroll down the street towards it. So, how best to distract it? He pondered. A chaos slash would do damage surely, but as a very manifestation of chaos, such direct applications of his chaos powers would be of limited effect. Just about then, the creature unleashed it's ear-splitting roar. Mogul clapped his hands over his ears and roared in pain.

With the screaming over, Mogul glared at the creature with righteous fury in his eyes. So that's how it's going to be? In that case, perhaps a more, direct approach in this instance. He mused as his free hand and eyes began to glow with an eerie green glow. All around him, the husks of several destroyed Swat-bots equally began to glow with a matching green aura as they lifted off the ground. Once air-borne, Mogul thrust his hand outward, hurling the inanimate machines at the creature at tremendous speed.

[Dr. Robotnik]

Before Dr. Robotnik answered Rampage's question, he decided to observe what the others were doing. It looked like everyone else was all gathered around a small building, as the creature advanced. The earsplitting shriek shattered what was left of the front windshield on his small mecha, as Robotnik covered his ears. The sound was truly an exquisite form of pain, but the doctor did his best to maintain focus as the sound attacked him.

As sarcastic as Rampage's reply was, he did raise a very good point about their predicament. Robo looked down at his machine, and knew that his mini mecha was in no shape to fight right now.
However, this machine would allow him to get to an arsenal faster, at least.

"Sorry Rampage, but I'm afraid I haven't invented any nukes you can put in your back pocket yet. What would you say to letting the Freedom Fighters and our elephant friend play hero for a while? I don't think we'll be missing anything. The monster might even get rid of some of these pests for us."

And then the doctor put on a most sinister grin.

"First, let's go get some bigger toys from one of the armories in the Egg Tower. Hopefully by the time we get back, the monster and the Freedom Fighters will be a little more softened up. Then with our larger guns, we can just destroy the creature, take the shards, and the Freedom Fighters will be in no shape to stop us. Sound good?"

[Chadin]

"You got it." I replied with an enthusiastic thumbs up. Espio's plan suited me just fine. I never was all that keen to be put at the head of an attack. My marksmanship was better suited for providing others support. Besides, after my last adventure, I was not keen to put myself into the thick of things the way I had against Robotnik himself.

I followed right behind Gail and was just about set to start climbing the ladder when the creature let out a wail that I swear could have split my head wide open. I dropped to my knees as my hands clenched my ears while screaming in agonizing pain. My ears hadn't received such thorough abuse since my and that thief Giichi infiltrated Robotnik's base.

As I hunched on the ground, I felt something bounce off my back, maybe I was starting to get used to this kind of thing, or maybe my instincts were one step ahead of my brain, because out of instinct I looked up in time to see a cascading waterfall of shattered glass from the higher roof falling towards us at that very moment.

"TAKE COVER!!!!!" I screamed, or at least, I think I did as I instinctively grabbed a hold of Gail and hurled him with an unknown strength born of fear and adrenaline towards the middle of the roof and hopefully away from the glass's fall zone. I immediately followed his example, though, because of my earlier action part of the glass came down on me, one of which leaving a sizable gash across the outside of my right calf muscle.

[Jijeka-Te]

Needless to say, Ji couldn't stay in the air when the creature shrieked. The noise paralyzed her while the wind tossed her away, and somehow she crash-landed on a safe ledge. She couldn't quite get to her feet yet.

Anu couldn't do much but follow Chadin and Gail.

[Rampage]

Rampage feigned uncertainty as he dramatically scratched his chin with his cybernetic left arm whilst resting his laser rifle against his other shoulder.

"Hmmm... I do LOVE a good challenge, on the other hand, I LOVE big toys a whole lot more." Rampage replied with a rakish grin as he hopped up onto Robotnik's walker, intent on catching a ride.

"Lead on, boss!"

[Espio]

"Hmph.", Espio merely said silently acknowledging Mammoth's compliance without making a fuss about it for either side. He knew as soon as this threat was taken care of, it would be a race to the shards, and Mammoth would more than eagerly get his hands dirty in the process. Alone, even he lacked the abilities to sneak off with more than one or two shards perhaps under Mammoth's nose. He was betting instead on numbers. With Ji and Anu reunited, maybe...just maybe his group could make off with the shards, scatter and regroup later using the narrow alleyways for cover. He'd have to keep an eye on the tusked elephant.

He leaps off of the building, turning his focus on the creature. It by now had reared back, opening its mouth. A bellow? Espio quickly threw his hands in front of him. With that the creature had let out an ear splitting bellow, but Espio was unfazed, a sphere of wind surrounding him to block out the noise. He lands on the ground, just in time to see the doctor starting to turning tail with his mecha.

"The doctor wouldn't give up on the shards that easily..., he reasoned in his mind. No...he would be back. Another problem added to his current stack. "If I have the time...it would be wise to booby trap the area before HIS return.", he suggests to himself as the cushion of wind ceases, the falling glass blown away from him.

He sighs as he quickly uses his right hand to check his supplies. Of intrest, he still had his elixer, and that leftover power ring. He begins to run back, away from the creature to get some space as he sees the husks of Robotnik's minions being flung at the creature. Glad that Mammoth wouldn't be a problem -yet-, he readies his means of attack.

[Alpha Omega]

Omega dropped to his knees, covering his ears with his hands. His eyes started to water, and he wanted nothing more than to curl up and pass out. After a few moments, he stood back up, shaking his head a few times, and brushing glass shards off his back, as well as tugging them out of his spines. He looked up at the beast, trying to will the ringing in his ears away, and wiping the tears from his eyes.

"Oh man... What is that thing...?

[Gail Strafer]

As the black dragon plodded forward, it got pelted by multiple SWATbots courtesy of Mammoth. The creature paused for a moment, as it growled in frustration from being smacked. One of them hit it cleanly in the eye, and it shook its head noisily. Mammoth appeared to have made a nice big hole in its face with the impact, but the indendation began healing itself almost immediately. With the other (currently intact) eye, it zeroed in on the suited elephant.

Appearing angered, the creature disregarded the group on the building and simply charged straight at Mammoth, intending to flatten him with its massive girth.

---

"Wha--?!"

Gail gasped in surprise as Chadin hurled him aside. The wolf stood rather tall and heavy for an anthro, so he wasn't used to someone else picking him up like that and tossing him around. He turned to look at Chadin, but then got showered by some glass himself, leaving multiple small cuts. Mostly it affected his arms, considering his vest and jeans helped protect the rest of his body.

After shaking off the glass powder, he couldn't help but look at amazement in Chadin briefly. Sure the glass hurt, but he was momentarily stunned by the deer's heroics.

"Whoa nelly...didn't know ya had that kinda strength in ya!"

The amazement was cut short, as he heard the snorts, snarls, and stomping of the massive black dragon running straight down the street. That sent him scampering back for the fire escape. While he had the rocket launcher, he for sure didn't want to take it on at its eye level. Gail wanted to wait until he was up high and out of reach.

Immediately he started climbing the ladder and the stairs as quickly as possible.

[Mammoth Mogul]

Mogul knew as well as anyone else might that there would be no way for someone of his size to be able to dodge a charge from such a massive, imposing creature. That said however, Mogul may look like a big fat mammoth, but beneath his impeccably tailored suit, thick insulating fur and layers of fat, Mogul was possessed a strong, powerful build that one might expect for his species.

Mogul braced himself, raising his barriers out in front of himself to receive the charge.