Chaos Reigns

1000‎ ‏feet

I woke up to a soft,‭ ‬red glow all around me,‭ ‬and the sound of air rushing past my ears.‭ ‬The glow looked like flames,‭ ‬and the wind was blowing them past but they weren’t touching me.‭ ‬It looked like I was inside a bubble‭ ‬…

800‎ ‏feet

…‎ ‏and it‭ ‬felt like I was standing inside of a hurricane.‭ ‬Except that my feet weren’t on the ground.‭ ‬I was still drowsy,‭ ‬so it felt surreal.‭ ‬Where was I‭? ‬Why couldn’t I remember how I’d gotten here‭?

600‎ ‏feet

What’d happened to my‭ ‬arms‭?‬ I looked down at them,‭ ‬dimly lit by the fire in front of me.‭ ‬They were bare and covered in fur.‭ ‬That didn’t seem right at all.

400‎ ‏feet

If my arms were covered in fur,‭ ‬I thought,‭ ‬then why weren’t they burning‭? ‬Why wasn’t‭ ‬I burning‭? ‬Where were the flames even coming from‭?

200‎ ‏feet

And what was that‭ ‬thing‭ ‬coming at me‭? ‬It looked like an enormous black wall,‭ ‬its surface rippling like‭ ‬…‭ ‬water‭ ‬…

20‎ ‏feet

OH CR-

* * *

Ugh.

My whole body felt heavy,‭ ‬like I’d just been dragged out of a‭ ‬swimming pool.‭ ‬I was sprawled out on top of something hard and damp,‭ ‬unable to get up,‭ ‬barely able to think.‭ ‬Water crawled past my feet up to my chest,‭ ‬and back again.‭ ‬It was warm.

Okay,‭ ‬I thought,‭ ‬so I washed up on shore somewhere.‭ ‬There were about a million things that could’ve gone wrong with this.‭ ‬I could be on a deserted island someplace‭; ‬I could have some huge gash or internal injury,‭ ‬that I wouldn’t even know about until I tried to move.‭ ‬Then I wouldn’t just be tired and limp,‭ ‬I’d be tired and limp and bleeding to death.

The thought made me scared enough to try moving to check,‭ ‬but I managed to lift my face about an inch from the sand before flopping back down and wincing.‭ ‬Wet sand shifted and ground beneath me,‭ ‬and there was something‭ ‬on top of my face,‭ ‬like a washcloth covering my eyes.‭ ‬I could hear waves and seabirds,‭ ‬but I couldn’t see anything even when I opened my eyes,‭ ‬and I‭ ‬smelled something salty and briny.

I lay there just breathing for a long moment.‭ ‬Then‭ ‬I made myself flop my arm up, from down at my side to over my shoulder,‭ ‬all in one motion.‭ ‬I could feel my hand hit the hard sand,‭ ‬but the pain barely registered.‭ ‬Slowly,‭ ‬I reached up with my fingers without moving my arm,‭ ‬and peeled wet,‭ ‬sickly orange seaweed off of my face.

I tried to toss it aside with a flick of my limp hand‭ ‬but just ended up dragging it farther over me.‭ ‬At least it wasn’t covering my eyes,‭ ‬though,‭ ‬and the sun seemed to be behind me.‭ ‬I could see down the beach‭; ‬there were tree-lined cliffs not far away,‭ ‬and what looked like a lighthouse past them.

You’d think I would’ve been happy to see a sign that I wasn’t alone here.‭ ‬But‭ the lighthouse ‬wasn’t what caught my eye.‭ ‬Instead,‭ ‬I was staring at my arm.‭ ‬It was covered in black fur,‭ ‬just like when I was falling.‭ ‬And it was matted,‭ ‬salty,‭ ‬and wet,‭ ‬but it was still fur.

There was something in front of my vision‭; ‬a muzzle,‭ ‬with a tiny black nose.‭ ‬I groanedand closed my eyes again.‭ ‬I wondered if I should feel hurt or betrayed‭ ‬…‭ ‬or giddy.‭ ‬But all I could feel was shock,‭ ‬and my heart beating fast against the sand.

I wasn’t stupid‭; ‬I knew what had happened to me.‭ ‬But for the life of me,‭ ‬I couldn’t remember how my transformation had happened.‭ ‬I couldn’t even remember if this kind of thing was unheard of,‭ ‬or if there were other people like this.‭ ‬I couldn’t remember my name.‭ ‬But it wasn’t like total amnesia‭; ‬it was like trying to recall how to say‭ “‬Hello‭” ‬in some language you’d barely heard of.‭ ‬There were hints of it there‭; ‬I could taste them.‭ ‬But my brain had somehow misfiled it.‭ ‬I couldn’t‭ ‬clearly remember anything‭ ‬…‭ ‬anything,‭ ‬that is,‭ ‬except falling.

Those had been re-entry flames around me.‭ ‬How the heck had I survived‭ ‬that‭?

Minutes passed.‭ ‬I focused on the soothing water behind me, still lapping at my legs,‭ ‬and I felt my heart rate go down. But the briny,‭ ‬seaweed smell was starting to get to me,‭ ‬and it was hard to breathe while laying on my chest.‭ ‬Worse,‭ ‬my back was getting warm from where the sun was shining on it.

I didn’t want to move.‭ ‬I knew I could make myself,‭ ‬but I didn’t want to.‭ ‬I just wanted the uncomfortable things to go away,‭ ‬so I could go back to sleep.‭ ‬But I knew that that wasn’t going to happen,‭ ‬so I groaned and tried to get up.

My arm lifted for a second,‭ ‬before flopping back down to the sand beside me.

Okay,‭ ‬I thought,‭ ‬let’s try that again.‭ ‬I got my other arm into position,‭ ‬then I tried to push off of the sand to sit up,‭ ‬grunting with the exertion.‭ ‬It worked,‭ ‬and the seaweed slid off down my back.‭ ‬Then I looked down at myself,‭ ‬just to get an idea of what’d happened to me.

Fur covered my whole body‭; ‬which was good,‭ ‬because I wasn’t wearing any clothes besides my gloves and my shoes.‭ ‬It was a glossy,‭ ‬unnatural shade of black,‭ ‬with tufts of white on my flat,‭ ‬male chest.‭ ‬Neon‭ ‬teal‭ ‬accents rimmed my arms and legs.

Those do not look like natural colors,‭ ‬I thought.‭ ‬What am I‭?

I felt something thick and bushy on the back of my head as I turned it to look around at myself.‭ ‬Not hair‭; ‬more substantial than that.‭ ‬I reached behind me to feel what it was,‭ ‬and my hand came back with stiff quills.‭ ‬Was I a porcupine‭? ‬Maybe a hedgehog‭; ‬the quills weren’t that pointy.

Then I looked up.‭ ‬There were people,‭ ‬a ways down the beach.‭ ‬Lots of them.‭ ‬Humans.

For a second,‭ ‬my heart leaped.‭ ‬There were people here‭! ‬I could get help‭! ‬I could remember I’d used to be human,‭ ‬too‭; ‬that had to count for something,‭ ‬right‭? ‬But then I remembered something else‭ ‬…‭ ‬a feeling of suspicion,‭ ‬of distrust.‭ ‬Like a hurt,‭ ‬upset animal would have.‭ ‬I remembered not liking humans.‭ ‬How could I not like them if I’d used to‭ ‬be one‭? ‬Was it even safe to approach them‭?

It’d better be,‭ ‬I thought.‭ ‬My energy was starting to come back,‭ ‬and I felt more clear-headed now that I was sitting upright.‭ ‬But I still felt tired and thirsty,‭ ‬and my fur was too thick for this weather.‭ ‬I realized that I was panting,‭ ‬even though my tongue was dry‭; ‬I was probably dehydrated.

Slowly,‭ ‬I made myself stand up,‭ ‬then started out down the beach‭; ‬limping at first,‭ ‬as pins and needles left my feet,‭ ‬then at a steady pace.‭ ‬I tried to think through the haze,‭ ‬to figure out what I should do when I got up to them‭ ‬…‭ ‬who I should talk to,‭ ‬what I should say.‭ ‬Unwritten rules came back to me:‭ ‬Don’t ask random strangers for help.‭ ‬Don’t talk to them,‭ ‬don’t look at them,‭ ‬don’t bother them with your presence.‭ ‬Especially since you’re not normal.‭ ‬It’s your fault that you’re not normal. You’re being weird just to offend.

Wow.‭ ‬No wonder I didn’t like humans.

Sure enough,‭ ‬no one offered to help me,‭ ‬even as I limped right past them.‭ ‬Instead I got lifted sunglasses and bewildered stares,‭ ‬from people laying on their towels.‭ ‬Parents called their kids to come away from me,‭ ‬and the kids stared,‭ ‬too,‭ ‬once they saw me.

This is ridiculous,‭ ‬I thought,‭ ‬my face turning red beneath my fur.‭ ‬I wanted to just ask one of them if I could have something to drink,‭ ‬or if they’d seen me fall from the sky or wash up on the beach or knew what had happened to me.‭ ‬But what I guessed had to be a lifetime of conditioning prevented me,‭ ‬and made me feel their stares on my back.

I wanted to just grab someone and start asking questions.‭ ‬Somehow,‭ ‬I wasn’t afraid of doing so‭ ‬…‭ ‬they didn’t seem like a threat.‭ ‬I just felt like it wouldn’t be worth it.‭ ‬As long as there were humans around,‭ ‬I thought,‭ ‬there’d be humans in charge that I could talk to.‭ ‬Humans in uniforms,‭ ‬or sitting behind counters.‭ ‬Those were okay to demand things from,‭ ‬I remembered.‭ ‬Even unreasonable things.

There were shacks set up,‭ ‬farther down the beach.‭ ‬Their signs advertised hot dogs,‭ ‬ice cream and sno-cones.‭ ‬And once I got in line,‭ ‬the family in front of me quickly got out.‭ ‬It made my face burn again,‭ ‬but I was okay with that,‭ ‬I thought,‭ ‬as I strode to the head of the line.‭ ‬At least now I could get some ans-

* * *

“Justin‎!”

That was my name‭! ‬And I was a human,‭ ‬wearing a t-shirt and jeans.‭ ‬The otter who was calling it was being pulled away towards a cage,‭ ‬his arms and legs bound to his sides,‭ ‬tail limply brushing the black metal beneath.‭ ‬But what was doing it‭? ‬I couldn’t see anything‭!

I ran to him,‭ ‬my footsteps clanking on metal deck plates,‭ ‬and tried to free his arms from whatever was holding him.‭ ‬I felt‭ ‬something around him,‭ ‬like invisible claws wrapped tight around his fuzzy chest and his arms,‭ ‬and I tried to pry them away but they wouldn’t budge.‭ ‬I couldn’t even get a firm grip on them‭; ‬they felt like fast-rushing air,‭ ‬and they were slippery like ice.

I dug in my feet and strained,‭ ‬trying to pull him away,‭ ‬my face turned towards the stars past the consoles.‭ ‬Then I saw him:‭ ‬a bird of prey,‭ ‬with grey and white feathers and a black‭ “‬mask‭” ‬of feathers around his sharp beak.‭ ‬One of his taloned hands was clutching a deep blue jewel on a chain around his neck,‭ ‬and the other was stretched out towards‭ ‬–‭ ‬what was my otter‭ ‬friend’s name again‭? ‬–‭ ‬and gripping the air in its claws.

I could put two and two together.‭ ‬I ran at the falcon,‭ ‬head down,‭ ‬getting ready to tackle him-

WHAM.‭ ‬Something hit my side while I was running at him.‭ ‬I was sent sprawling on the floor,‭ ‬hands and feet twitching,‭ ‬smoke coming out of my charred clothing.

‎“‏Can’t let you do that,‭ ‬human.‭”

Smugness dripped from the silky male voice.‭ ‬I wanted to look,‭ ‬to see who it was,‭ ‬but I was paralyzed‭; ‬my limbs and my head just weren’t working.‭ ‬Besides that,‭ ‬I thought I remembered.‭ ‬It was right there just past-

Cage bars slammed into place,‭ ‬outside my field of vision.‭ ‬All I could see were the windows,‭ ‬and the blue arc of the world beneath us.‭ ‬The falcon relaxed his grip,‭ ‬and turned to look as a black cat stepped into view‭ ‬…‭ ‬the one who had just‭ ‬shot me.

Something was wrong about him.‭ ‬Something was crawling across his sleek fur,‭ ‬something black and oily and alive.‭ ‬It turned into a belt and a holster,‭ ‬as soon as he put his gun by his waist.‭ ‬I remembered that wasn’t the real threat,‭ ‬though.‭ ‬It was something I couldn’t see right now,‭ ‬something-

The room began to glow green,‭ ‬from somewhere past where I could turn my head.‭ “‬Oh hey,‭” ‬the cat said,‭ ‬turning to look.‭ “‬What do you know‭! ‬Brighter than ever,‭ ‬this time.‭ ‬The God of Destruction must like it when we‭ ‬destroy things.‭” ‬He grinned.

The falcon coughed,‭ ‬one fist to his beak.‭ “‬The human is still alive,‭ ‬sir.‭”

It was true‭ ‬…‭ ‬I was struggling to my feet,‭ ‬shaking my head to clear it.‭ ‬Ignoring the ringing in my ears,‭ ‬and the stinging pain in my side.‭ ‬The cat just gave me an amused look.‭ “‬Chaos must favor this one‭!” ‬he remarked,‭ ‬to the falcon.‭ “‬Or else‭ ‬you are more than you appear,‭” ‬he told me.‭ “‬Some kind of Adept‭? ‬A wild Talent‭?”

I looked to see where the glow was coming from.‭ ‬There was a dark,‭ ‬green gem,‭ ‬the size of a grapefruit,‭ ‬set into a console in front of the wall.‭ ‬And the ringing in my ears got louder‭ ‬as I squinted into its bright glow.

‎“‏You could always just shoot him again,‭ ‬sir‭ ‬…‭ ”

“Quiet,‎ ‏Tachyon.‭” ‬The cat waved one hand to hush his pet‭ (‬how did I know that‭?)‬.‭ ‬Then he looked at me.‭ “‬Well‭?” ‬the cat asked.‭ “‬Chaos has given you another chance.‭ ‬What are you going to do with it‭?”

I looked between him and my friend,‭ ‬inside the cage.‭ ‬His eyes were wide and staring at me.‭ ‬Then‭ ‬my eyes fixed on the gem again,‭ ‬now glowing brighter.‭ ‬It seemed familiar somehow‭ ‬…‭ ‬I remembered my friend finding it,‭ ‬showing it to me,‭ ‬wondering what he should do with it.‭ ‬Being kidnapped because of it.‭ ‬But the familiarity was more than that‭; ‬it was more like seeing your favorite old keyboard,‭ ‬or game controller,‭ ‬after digging it up in the attic.‭ ‬Remembering it,‭ ‬and realizing what it was for.

I began to stagger towards it.

‎“‏Ooh‭! ‬Going for the prize,‭ ‬are we‭?”

“Sir‎ ‏…‎ ”

“Hush‎!”

I was still staggering toward it,‭ ‬wishing that I could move faster.‭ ‬Then I stepped over a circle design on the floor,‭ ‬and a glass tube shot out from it all around me,‭ ‬going right up to the ceiling.‭ ‬The cat had his hand on a button,‭ ‬on one of the consoles,‭ ‬and the falcon had clasped his hands behind his back and was looking away.

‎“‏Chaos seemed to like it when you got shot,‭” ‬the cat said,‭ ‬his voice muffled and echoey.‭ “‬Let’s see how he likes this‭!”

My friend screamed,‭ ‬as I got shot out into space.

Everything was quiet for a moment.‭ ‬I floated there inside the tube,‭ ‬my hair and clothes drifting,‭ ‬no longer held down.‭ ‬I could see the huge planet below me,‭ ‬blue and white,‭ ‬and could see the tiny space station we’d left,‭ ‬tethered down to the world by a thread.

Then I saw something glow,‭ ‬on its surface.‭ ‬And a second later everything was fire and noise.

* * *

“Can I help you‎?” ‏the otter girl asked,‭ ‬from behind the counter.‭ ‬She was wearing an apron and cap.

I blinked,‭ ‬uncomprehending.‭ ‬Then something caught my eye,‭ ‬from below.‭ ‬A tablet,‭ ‬still turned on,‭ ‬that someone had left on their towel.‭ ‬Its screen was in the shadow of a nearby umbrella,‭ ‬and it was open to a news website,‭ ‬with a familiar picture on the front page.

‎“‏Sir‭?”

I picked up the tablet and looked at the picture,‭ ‬holding it beneath the umbrella.‭ ‬It was a grainy,‭ ‬satellite photo of the space station I had just left,‭ ‬and the explosion that I remembered.‭ ‬The headline read‭ “‬Hostage Meets Tragic End.‭”

“Sir‎ ‏…‎ ”

I caught a glimpse of my name,‭ ‬there in the first sentence.‭ ‬It was still bright out, so it was hard to read‭ ‬…‭ ‬and the shock I was now feeling was making it surreal.‭ ‬But even though I was distracted,‭ ‬my eyes scanned over the article looking for clues.‭ ‬Cultists‭ ‬…‭ ‬Tether Station‭ ‬…‭ ‬God of Destruction‭ ‬…‭ ‬Chaos.

‎“‏Hostage Meets Tragic End.‭”

The shock was beginning to crystallize,‭ ‬as I looked down at my arms holding the tablet.‭ ‬I could remember who I’d been,‭ ‬but it seemed so far away now.‭ ‬What’d happened‭? ‬Why did I look like this‭? ‬How the heck had I survived‭?

Somehow,‭ ‬I wasn’t sure it was important.‭ ‬It felt like I‭ ‬had died up there.‭ ‬Or the person I’d been had died,‭ ‬anyway.‭ ‬All that mattered was saving my friend‭, and beating the daylights out of that stupid cat‬.‭ ‬All that mattered was getting back to that station.

The otter behind the counter had gone back to cleaning it off.‭ ‬I held up the tablet to her, and pointed at the picture on it.‭ “‬Tell me how to get here,‭” ‬I said.‭ ‬My human life seemed like a blur,‭ ‬and I couldn’t remember things like that.

‎“‏Tether Station‭? ‬Um‭ ‬…‭ ” ‬Her eyes flicked out to the horizon,‭ ‬and I looked behind myself out where she was looking.‭ ‬There was an island,‭ ‬out there in the bay.‭ ‬And a thin,‭ ‬black line,‭ ‬stretching up from it into the sky.

‎“‏Thank you,‭” ‬I told her,‭ ‬remembering my manners.‭ ‬I set the tablet back down on the towel,‭ ‬before another phrase came back to me.‭ “‬Do you have free ice water‭?”

* * *

For some reason,‭ ‬my instinct was still to try things the human way first.‭ ‬That’s why I spent the next hour or so trudging through grassy sand,‭ ‬heading towards the dock for the ferry that went to the island.

Of course,‭ ‬it was closed.‭ ‬It‭ ‬would be closed,‭ ‬given what was happening up there.

The boat sat there moored in the water,‭ ‬past a shack and the vacant parking lot.‭ “‬It looks kinda low-scale and tourist-y,‭” ‬my human memories told me.‭ “‬The people who can actually afford a ticket to the Station probably get to the island by air.‭”

Well,‭ ‬that wasn’t an option,‭ ‬seeing as how I couldn’t fly.‭ ‬For a moment I thought of commandeering the boat,‭ ‬but my human memories protested that I wouldn’t know how to operate it.‭ ‬So that ruled that out,‭ ‬too.

I stood‭ ‬there at the top of the hill overlooking the parking lot,‭ ‬my arms folded,‭ ‬looking out at the island.‭ ‬The sun was behind clouds now and the wind was starting to pick up,‭ ‬and the breeze fluffed out my quills.‭ ‬It was refreshing,‭ ‬and I closed my eyes and enjoyed it for a few seconds.‭ ‬I was still hungry,‭ ‬but I was more impatient.‭ ‬Somehow,‭ ‬I needed to get out there.

Seagulls called overhead as I‭ ‬hopped the barrier across the road and walked down to the parking lot.‭ ‬Then I sat down on one of those concrete speed bumps‭ ‬at the end of each parking space,‭ ‬took off my shoes and emptied them of sand.‭ ‬As I did so,‭ ‬something clicked,‭ ‬and I knew how I was going to get across.‭ ‬And for a moment it was surprising,‭ ‬but then I realized it shouldn’t be.

Looking back on it,‭ ‬I’m surprised I didn’t have an existential crisis right there.‭ ‬What did this all mean‭? ‬What had I become‭? ‬Was I myself anymore‭? ‬As it turned out,‭ ‬I had been all along,‭ ‬not that I knew that at the time.‭ ‬I just wasn’t concerned with thinking about things like that.‭ ‬All that I was concerned with was getting up to that station and saving my friend.‭ ‬I could worry about the hard questions later.‭ ‬For now,‭ ‬if my instincts helped me get up there,‭ ‬I would act on them.

I put my shoes back on and walked back up to the gatehouse,‭ ‬then turned around and fixed my eyes on the island out in the distance.‭ ‬I leaned over and assumed a runner’s crouch,‭ ‬my mind clear of distractions,‭ ‬my eyes still locked on the island.‭ ‬Then I started counting in my head.

3‎ ‏…

2‎ ‏…

1‎ ‏…

Go.

I took off.

It felt like riding a bicycle downhill.‭ ‬In seconds I’d cleared the parking lot,‭ ‬and was out on a sandbar running past the boat.‭ ‬I was going fast and my feet were pumping like mad,‭ ‬but it felt like they weighed nothing.‭ ‬There was no effort involved.

I pushed myself,‭ ‬as my feet touched wet sand.‭ ‬Wind screamed past my ears and flattened my quills to my forehead,‭ ‬and it began to feel like a physical barrier that I needed to push past.‭ ‬So I did,‭ ‬putting on a sudden burst of energy right as I cleared the shoreline.‭ ‬I shot out over the water like a rocket,‭ ‬a comet-like field of energy flowing around my front half like a bubble and trailing behind me in streaks.‭ ‬The air around me felt calm,‭ ‬and the water felt like it was solid,‭ ‬even though I was barely touching it.

I put on another burst of speed,‭ ‬suddenly afraid of the water,‭ ‬not wanting to slow down and drown.‭ ‬When I got within sight of the island’s shoreline,‭ ‬I could see it was much bigger than it’d looked‭ ‬…‭ ‬there were boats,‭ ‬landed airplanes,‭ ‬a whole slew of buildings.‭ ‬And there were army vehicles parked just past the beach.‭ ‬Would I have to fight my way past them to get up there‭?

Not if they can’t catch me,‭ ‬I thought.

The lines and dots on the beach resolved into fences,‭ ‬vans with antennae on top,‭ ‬and camouflage-colored vehicles.‭ ‬I jumped as soon as my feet touched the sand and then I somersaulted in midair,‭ ‬clearing the barbed-wire fence and landing back in a run without breaking my stride.‭ ‬A person carrying a microphone and talking into a camera had her hair blown back as I ran past,‭ ‬ignoring them and the soldiers in uniform and making my way towards the tether.

Alarm sirens sounded as I ran in a spiral,‭ ‬up the road that led to the tether.‭ ‬A truck was blocking my way,‭ ‬right up next to the gate,‭ ‬so I sidestepped around it and ducked under the road barrier.‭ ‬Then I ran towards the base of the tether:‭ ‬a big,‭ ‬square platform,‭ ‬indented into the ground and made of black metal.‭ ‬It reminded me of subway tracks.‭ ‬Something that traveled the tether was meant to land here,‭ ‬I thought.‭ ‬Something big.‭ ‬And it wasn’t parked here,‭ ‬so that meant it was still up there.‭ ‬Because I took it up there,‭ ‬I thought.

The sirens kept wailing as I stopped at the edge of the platform,‭ ‬looking down at the bowl-like indentation inside it and at the exposed machinery.‭ ‬Then I looked up at the tether itself.‭ ‬It was less than an inch thick,‭ ‬and made of black cable.‭ ‬How was I supposed to get up that‭? ‬Would I even be able to survive if I could‭? ‬That shield I’d created had seemed to trap air around me‭ ‬…‭ ‬would it block out cosmic rays,‭ ‬and scorching temperatures‭?

Somehow,‭ ‬I still wasn’t worried.‭ ‬I was still just acting on instinct.‭ ‬People were shouting at me from behind,‭ ‬and I heard weapons being cocked and machines being moved into position,‭ ‬but none of it bothered me as much as the fact that my friend was still in trouble.

I remembered reading about how the tether tram used magnetic levitation,‭ ‬like trains.‭ ‬Somehow,‭ ‬that was all that my instincts needed.‭ ‬I jumped down into the‭ “‬bowl‭” ‬inside the platform and curled into a ball as I did so,‭ ‬rolling inside it and starting to pick up speed.‭ ‬My fur and my quills stood on end,‭ ‬and the air around my ears crackled,‭ ‬as something inside me reacted with what I was rolling on.

I kept going around in circles,‭ ‬faster and faster,‭ ‬propelled by the reaction.‭ ‬And the crackling became more intense‭ ‬until I broke through just like I had while running,‭ ‬and could feel myself surrounded by the comet trail again.‭ ‬I couldn’t see or hear anything outside of the ball I was rolled in,‭ ‬but just felt the rush of speed and energy,‭ ‬and the circular track I was rolling in.

I leaned myself towards the inside of the track,‭ ‬towards the tether itself.‭ ‬Then gravity shifted,‭ ‬and all of a sudden I was flying upwards,‭ ‬not even touching the tether but somehow guided along it … rolling around it in circles, as I continued to shoot upwards.

I did not‭ ‬dare open my eyes.‭ ‬I didn’t do anything except try to force myself to keep making that field around me,‭ ‬and it didn’t help that I didn’t know how.‭ ‬All I know is that as I kept going the light around me got brighter and brighter,‭ ‬and I could feel burning warmth on one side of me and freezing cold on the other.‭ ‬The only thing that kept me from dying to either was the fact that I was still spinning around so fast.‭ ‬It felt like a carnival ride,‭ ‬and I was pretty sure I was going to throw up afterwards.

I don’t know how long it lasted.‭ ‬I just remember long minutes of silence.

Eventually I thought‭ “‬What am I going to do when I reach the end‭?‬” Then I reached it,‭ ‬as the tether drifted away behind me and I reflexively uncurled.‭ ‬To one side of me was a bright,‭ ‬white and blue wall,‭ ‬three-dimensional wisps of cloud casting shadows on the world beneath.‭ ‬To the other side was the Milky Way,‭ ‬every last star visible.

There was no station in sight.‭ ‬And the shield still around me was dim,‭ ‬and starting to flicker.

Now,‭ ‬you know I survived,‭ ‬or I wouldn’t be telling you this.‭ ‬And frankly,‭ ‬after seeing what’s already happened,‭ ‬I doubt if you’d be surprised anyway.

At the time,‭ ‬though,‭ ‬I was freaked out.‭ ‬My backside was numbing with frostbite, while my face‭ ‬–‭ ‬and the hand I‭ was ‬shielding my eyes with‭ ‬–‭ ‬felt like it was next to the oven,‭ ‬with the door left hanging open.‭ ‬I had only seconds to figure out what to do,‭ ‬but I couldn’t think of anything.‭ ‬I was really scared for my life.

But on another level,‭ ‬I was annoyed.‭ ‬I didn’t feel like I’d just been spaced,‭ ‬I felt like I had been cut off in traffic.‭ ‬Or scratched by an annoying black cat.‭ ‬It was running off with something important to me,‭ ‬and I wanted it back.

I could feel the emerald out there.‭ ‬And as the station crossed between me and the sun,‭ ‬I looked up at its silhouette,‭ ‬and‭ ‬…‭ ‬it’s like I grabbed onto the emerald,‭ ‬somehow,‭ ‬and started pulling myself towards it.

‎“‏Um,‭ ‬sir‭?‬” It was that bird’s voice! Tachyon’s. It sounded tinny and metallic. Was I hearing what was inside the room where the emerald was?

“One step ahead of you,‭” the cat said.

I saw bright flashes on the underside of the station.‭ ‬Then there was fire and noise again,‭ ‬deep rumblings as my shield shook.‭ ‬Sparks filled my vision as I was sent tumbling.

I didn’t care.‭ ‬I made the gem inside the station‭ “‬down‭” ‬and fell towards it again,‭ ‬face-first,‭ ‬my shield glowing like a comet’s trail.‭ ‬Sparks flew off of it,‭ ‬and I could feel myself being deflected by whatever that thing was shooting at me.‭ ‬But as it floated past the sun,‭ ‬and everything‭ “‬beneath‭” ‬me turned into a blaze of light,‭ ‬I just made myself keep falling towards it.‭ ‬Pulled to it by the emerald.

The sun was blocked out by black metal,‭ ‬a solid shape in the light.‭ ‬It got bigger and bigger,‭ ‬until finally-

SLAM

I‭ ‬bounced off of it.‭ ‬Well,‭ ‬not exactly bounced‭ ‬…‭ ‬I smashed through it like a bullet.‭ ‬And I got a brief glimpse of lights and deck plates before I was shot back out the way I’d came,‭ ‬the explosive decompression sucking me out into the vacuum.

‎“‏Okay,‭” ‬I thought,‭ ‬in between being shot out and being pulled back by the emerald.‭ “‬This is a little silly.‭”

Some kind of blast doors were closing across the hole that I’d made.‭ ‬I flattened myself horizontally,‭ ‬and‭ “‬fell‭” ‬inside just as they shut,‭ ‬tumbling sideways across the deck as the station’s gravity pulled me that way.‭ ‬Then there was a sound like a dozen blow-dryers,‭ ‬and my fur and quills were fluffed out by air jets before I heard a robotic male voice:‭ “‬Hull breach in sector‭ ‬208‭ ‬sealed.‭ ‬Sector‭ ‬208‭ ‬repressurized.‭ ‬Intruder in sector‭ ‬208.‭”

I could hear the voices in the room with the emerald talking again,‭ ‬but somehow it seemed‭ ‬noisier inside the station.‭ ‬I couldn’t make them out.‭ “‬Oh well,‭” ‬I thought,‭ ‬as I stood back on my feet and my shield flickered out.‭ “‬I know what direction the emerald is in‭ ‬…‭ ‬and that’s all that I need to know.‭”

* * *

“Hull breach in sector‭ ‬114.‭ ‬Hull breach in sector‭ ‬58.‭ ‬Hull breach in sector‭ ‬27.‭”

My spines were like chainsaws.‭ ‬I made myself spin in place somehow,‭ ‬just like I did to get up there,‭ ‬then I shot myself through closed doors and uncurled on the other side.‭ ‬I tried on the walls once or twice,‭ ‬but weird liquids and sparks shot out before I’d even broke through.‭ ‬The doors just folded and clattered in pieces around me.

Everything was black metal and colored lights.‭ ‬Alarm sirens and map displays,‭ ‬in multi-level hallways with windows set into the walls.‭ ‬I couldn’t believe anyone could live someplace like this‭ ‬…‭ ‬even the potted plants were plastic.‭ ‬It was so sterile and fake. Sort of like human social rules.

Another locked door.‭ ‬I smashed through and uncurled to see silver,‭ ‬four-legged robots,‭ ‬stopped in mid-strike,‭ ‬looking at me and shining red lights in my face.‭ ‬A corner of my mind could remember being scared to death by these things‭; ‬sneaking down hallways behind them,‭ ‬shooting at them just to distract them,‭ ‬bullets clanging off of their armor.

Right now,‭ ‬I just wanted them‭ ‬gone.‭ ‬So I charged through them,‭ ‬into an explosion of noise and gunfire and shearing metal,‭ ‬and sparks flying off of my shield.‭ ‬I came out the other side and looked back at the wreckage,‭ ‬just in time to see one robot collapse.

There was a scythe in my hand,‭ ‬shining metal with a jeweled hilt.‭ ‬It weighed nothing.‭ ‬Where had it come from‭? ‬I guessed that it must have appeared somehow,‭ ‬when I’d decided to destroy those robots.‭ ‬I tried to tear into the next door with it,‭ ‬but it got stuck there and I struggled with it.‭ ‬So I let go,‭ ‬and it disappeared.

I stopped there for a moment to catch my breath,‭ ‬and I jumped as something sparked.‭ ‬Deep down inside,‭ ‬I was still frightened and numb with shock,‭ ‬like I’d almost drowned.‭ ‬I still remembered‭ ‬running for my life from those things.‭ ‬And from Shadow,‭ ‬and Tachyon,‭ ‬and‭ ‬…‭ ‬and‭ ‬…

I looked down at myself,‭ ‬at my gloved hands and furred arms.‭ ‬What was I‭ ‬doing here‭? ‬What’d happened to me‭? ‬I’d-

Another loud spark,‭ ‬and an explosion from inside a dead robot’s chest.‭ ‬I jumped,‭ ‬and shielded my face.‭ ‬Then,‭ ‬after a long second of cringing,‭ ‬I smacked myself to snap myself out of it.‭ “‬Argh‭!” ‬I said.‭ “‬What am I thinking‭? ‬I can’t afford to have a crisis right now‭! ‬I need to get upstairs,‭ ‬to that emerald,‭ ‬to my friend‭ ‬…‭ ”

SLAM.‭ “‬Hull breach in sector‭ ‬8.‭”

* * *

I didn’t want to accidentally maim my friend‭ (‬what was his name,‭ ‬anyway‭?)‬,‭ ‬so instead of sawing through the door with my spines I took the scythe to it.‭ ‬It took me a second to get it to appear‭; ‬I had to just want to break down the door, without thinking about how.

I lodged my scythe in the door,‭ ‬then tore it out of the wall and sent it flying down the hallway.‭ ‬On the other side was a startled-looking Tachyon,‭ ‬his feathers ruffled and wingtips clutching the gem around his neck‭ ‬…‭ ‬and past him,‭ ‬a cat giving me an angry glare,‭ ‬next to the cage that my friend was in.

‎“‏Tachyon,‭” ‬Shadow said,‭ “‬destroy him.‭”

The falcon looked up at my scythe,‭ ‬then back at Shadow.‭ ‬After that he stepped out of the way.‭ “‬You first,‭” ‬he said.

‎“‏Fine.‭” ‬Shadow grabbed up Chaos‭’ ‬Emerald,‭ ‬from the console it was set into.‭ “‬I’ll just kill you next.‭”

He held out the emerald,‭ ‬clawing it in a vicelike grip.‭ ‬And my fur and my quills stood on end,‭ ‬as there was this rush like air across a cave entrance,‭ ‬and everything in the room except him and the glowing gem faded out and became dark.‭ ‬It was surreal,‭ ‬and I think that if he’d done that when I was human‭ ‬I would’ve grovelled for mercy right there.

I could remember being afraid of Shadow.‭ ‬There was part of me that was still scared of him.‭ ‬But even as ominous as he seemed,‭ ‬I didn’t feel like I was heading for certain death,‭ ‬or even a climactic showdown.‭ ‬It felt more like I’d cornered an unruly cat beneath a stairwell. He’d scratched my friend and run off with something of mine,‭ ‬and I wanted it back.

I launched myself across the void at him, and brought my scythe down hard enough to pierce metal.‭ ‬A shield bubble came up around him out of the gem,‭ ‬like mine but emerald green,‭ ‬and it rippled like water but didn’t break.‭ ‬Streamers of energy danced between it and the gem in Shadow’s claws.

I swung my scythe at his shield again and again,‭ ‬and I could see Shadow strain but his shield wasn’t breaking.‭ ‬Then it disappeared and he leaped at me,‭ ‬his claws slashing bright green arcs through the darkness.‭ ‬The trails of light burned into my retinas and nearly blinded me,‭ ‬as I tried to sidestep and parry using my scythe.

Sparks flew,‭ ‬as his claws clashed with my shield and the handle.‭ ‬Then he tore my scythe’s handle in two and brought his claws across my chest,‭ ‬before pouncing me with his back feet and jumping off that way,‭ ‬rolling and coming up in a crouch.

I touched my chest,‭ ‬where his foot-claws had drawn blood,‭ ‬and it stung. My gloves came up stained red.

I looked up at Shadow,‭ ‬and he hissed and held out the gem at me.‭ ‬And it began to draw energy into it,‭ ‬as if focusing for an attack.

‎“‏To heck with this,‭” ‬I thought,‭ ‬and tossed the pieces of my scythe away.‭ ‬I spun in place the way that I’d done to break down the doors,‭ ‬revving and charging and building my shield around me.‭ ‬Then I let myself fly at him,‭ ‬right as he released the energy he’d been building up.

There was a smashing noise,‭ ‬loud as a thunderclap,‭ ‬as I bounced off of him and across the floor and smacked into the wall.‭ ‬When I came up on one elbow the room was normally lighted,‭ ‬and there was a black scorch mark on the floor where we had collided.‭ ‬I had a headache,‭ ‬but Shadow looked even more out of it than I was.‭ ‬He was on his back moaning,‭ ‬his tail twitching,‭ ‬the gem a foot away from his hand.

Tachyon‭ stood ‬right next to me,‭ ‬watching the gem.‭ ‬He looked down at me nervously,‭ ‬and for a second it looked like he was going to go help Shadow.‭ ‬I grunted and got to my feet before he could move,‭ ‬and went over and picked up the emerald in one gloved hand.‭ ‬I tucked it under my elbow before grabbing Shadow by the scruff of his neck,‭ ‬holding him out in front of me and shaking him.

‎“‏I don’t remember why this blasted gem is so important.‭ ‬But I remember I used to be human.‭” ‬Somehow,‭ ‬I couldn’t look at my friend while I said that.‭ “‬Tell me what’s happened to me‭!”

“ …‎ ‏hwah‭?” ‬It looked like he was cross-eyed.‭ ‬He tried to rub his face with both hands,‭ ‬but his movements were slow and sluggish.

‎“‏Tell me what’s going on‭!‬” I screamed it at him.‭ ‬I hadn’t realized how mad I was,‭ ‬or how scared.

He just giggled,‭ ‬drunkenly,‭ ‬and made a clumsy attempt to reach for the emerald in my other arm.‭ ‬I threw him over the consoles,‭ ‬and he smacked into the floor next to the window.‭ ‬Then I stood there fuming,‭ ‬still unable to face my friend,‭ ‬still unable to so much as remember his name.‭ ‬After a long moment of this I realized I was clutching the gem in both arms and hugging it like a plushie,‭ ‬but I didn’t care.

‎“‏He thinks he’s Chaos,‭” ‬said a quiet voice.‭ ‬I looked over to see Tachyon next to the door,‭ ‬one wingtip pressed to the edge like he was getting ready to leave.

‎“ ‏…‎ ‏and he isn’t‭?” ‬I wasn’t sure where he was going with this.

‎“‏Chaos,‭” ‬Tachyon repeated.‭ “‬The God of Destruction.‭” ‬He said it like this was supposed to clear things up.

I gave him a long,‭ ‬annoyed look.‭ ‬He gulped audibly,‭ ‬and tried to explain,‭ ‬looking away and edging closer to the door.‭ “‬Shadow believes that he’s Chaos reborn.‭ ‬There are legends‭ ‬…‭ ‬and things‭ ‬…‭ ” ‬A sweatdrop had formed on his feathers.‭ “‬He was trying to fulfill them.‭ ‬He thought he’d assume his true form.‭”

“What‎ ‘‏true form‭?’”

Tachyon brought his eyes up from the floor,‭ ‬and gave me a long,‭ ‬meaningful look.‭ ‬And my face turned red beneath my new fur,‭ ‬as‭ ‬I realized what he meant. I had become this Chaos that they were obsessed with. That Shadow had thought he was.

It felt like I’d just been told I was on a hidden-camera show.‭ ‬Everything I’d done up to that point,‭ ‬everything since I’d fallen from the sky,‭ ‬all of it was living out this cat’s dreams.‭ ‬My friend had been used,‭ ‬I had been‭ ‬killed,‭ ‬and the only reason they were taking me seriously now was because I wasn’t‭ ‬me anymore.‭ ‬I was‭ ‬…

But wait.‭ ‬Hadn’t he said‭ ‘‬true form‭’? ‬Then that would explain why everything came so naturally‭ ‬…‭ ‬and why my memories were so hazy.‭ ‬It wasn’t like normal amnesia,‭ ‬it was more like I’d just woken up from a dream.‭ ‬And the dream world was starting to fade,‭ ‬as I remembered the waking world.

In that case,‭ ‬this‭ was what‬ I’d always been,‭ ‬before I’d fallen asleep somehow.‭ ‬And these jerks had some kind of whole stupid belief system where I was an icon to them.‭ ‬Because I couldn’t care less if that cat didn’t get to live out his precious power fantasies,‭ ‬and pretend to be me‭ ‬–‭ ‬or try to become me‭ ‬–‭ ‬and hurt people like my friend.‭ ‬I just wanted to get him out of there,‭ ‬and wait for my head to clear and my memories to return before I decided what to do next.

God of Destruction‭? ‬If I met any more people like that cat,‭ ‬I’d show‭ ‬them a God of Destruction.

I gave the falcon a cold glare,‭ ‬and he cringed,‭ ‬literally hugging the edge of the doorway and trying to shield himself from me.

‎“‏Tell me the quickest way off of this station,‭” ‬I told him.

‎“‏C-‭” ‬He coughed.‭ “‬Chaos‭’ ‬Control‭?”

“Which is‎?”

He cringed even further,‭ ‬as though unable to speak.‭ ‬But his eyes locked on the emerald, and memories of how to use it came back to me.‭ ‬“Okay,‭” ‬I said.‭ “‬Get out of here.‭”

He stumbled around the corner and fled,‭ ‬claws clicking.‭ ‬Then I turned around,‭ ‬and looked down at the cage that my friend the otter was crouched in.‭ “‬Hey,‭” ‬I said.

‎“ ‏…‎ ‏Justin‭?” ‬His eyes were wide.

‎“‏Kinda.‭” ‬I made the scythe appear again,‭ ‬and he jumped back.‭ ‬But I just used it to cut off the padlock,‭ ‬then tossed it away and pulled open the door before helping my friend out.‭ ‬He was a little taller than I was,‭ ‬and his fur was ragged and unwashed.‭ ‬I hugged him anyway,‭ ‬and while I could feel his heart racing it seemed to have settled down a bit by the time that I let go.

‎“‏W-what happened to you‭?” ‬he asked.

‎“‏I don’t know,‭ ‬and I don’t care.‭ ‬Now,‭ ‬hold still.‭ ‬We’re getting out of here.‭”

I held the gem up in one hand,‭ ‬and took his hand in the other.‭ ‬The cat started moaning again,‭ ‬and I turned to glare at him for a second before closing my eyes‭ ‬…

…‎ ‏and vanishing.