Everything Changes (A Sonic Boom Fanfic)

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

They had only been walking for a couple of minutes, but it felt like an eternity to Kay due to the silence between them. She was trailing behind Tails as he led her away from Meh Burger and the others towards his workshop after having asked to talk to her privately. She thought Tails was smart enough not to really believe she was an alien as Sticks suggested...but then, this was an entirely different Tails. Who knew what he would believe?

After another couple of minutes of silence, Kay sighed and decided it was time to break it. "I guess you agree with Sticks, then? Do you think I'm an alien, too?"

Tails threw a glance at her over his shoulder. "Not quite. But she was right about one thing. The only reason I was up on Mount Safety yesterday was because of that anomaly. And the only thing out of the ordinary that we found was you. It seems odd that the two wouldn't be related somehow."

Great. "What kind of anomaly was it?"

"A corruption in the space-time continuum," Tails replied. "Which means that you could have come here from a different dimension, if nothing else."

"Well..." Kay scrambled for words. She really, really didn't want to tell Tails about Mobius Prime and risk jeopardizing whatever universe this was, but she was beginning to suspect she wouldn't be able to keep her secret forever without looking suspicious. She felt trapped. "How can you know for sure? Dr. Eggman seemed to brush it off."

The workshop was in sight now. Tails turned around again, frowning slightly. "Eggman doesn't have the same scientific curiosity that I do. He's only interested in what might benefit him in his battles against us. He didn't see you as anything useful, that's all."

Kay was surprised to find she was more relieved than offended by that statement.

Neither of them spoke again until they were physically in the workshop, which Kay had to admit she was a little disappointed in. The Tails she remembered would have considered this place "cute," for lack of a better term. It was nothing compared to his workshop on Mobius Prime. Kay could see no evidence of anything super techy beyond the computer that this Tails was now typing away at.

"So what do you think?" she finally asked.

Tails finished typing, picked up a handheld device, and held it out in front of him as if he were scanning her.

"I don't think your connection is a bad thing, necessarily. I just find it fascinating that you don't seem to know anything about it."

Kay frowned. "But you do think I'm connected?"

"Most definitely."

Great. Again. "Do you think I'm lying when I say I don't remember anything?"

Tails considered the question. "You've given me no reason to think you're lying, and you certainly don't seem hostile." He lowered the device, punching a few buttons on it. "I wish you could remember something, though. The possibilities are endless when it comes to these things. You could be from a different dimension, or a different time period...even an entirely different world. You could be an alien, though I kind of doubt it." He looked up at her. "You did know Sonic and I by name, after all. That suggests that you've met us before in a different time period, or a parallel universe."

Kay was very rapidly running out of things to say, or questions to ask. She closed her eyes for a few moments to clear her mind, then spoke. "Tails, I'm not sure what you want from me. What exactly did you want to see me about privately?"

"Mostly I just wanted to get you away from Sticks and her crazy ideas," Tails admitted. "But I really am curious to know if you remember anything at all. You know your name, and you knew Sonic and I before we even introduced ourselves. But other than that you seem to look at the world as if seeing it for the first time. Have you been to Mobius before? Do you remember anything about where you came from?"

Kay looked at Tails but said nothing. Her heart was racing. She hated lying to him, but if there was even a chance that this really was the new Mobius Prime, she couldn't risk ruining this peaceful life – however absurd – just because curiosity got the best of her. She'd already accepted that she'd have to adjust to a different version of the Mobius she knew. That was that.

So, with a deep breath, she shook her head. "I really believe that the only reason I knew you two was because I've heard of you guys somewhere before. Maybe I come from a different part of Mobius, but I don't think I'm from any alternate dimension or anything." She sighed. "Maybe my supposed connection to the anomaly was just a coincidence. A misunderstanding."

Tails studied her carefully for several moments. When he frowned, his eyes showing clear suspicion, Kay's heart raced even faster. "Until further evidence is presented, I am officially stating my theory as follows: You and the anomaly I detected are connected with one-hundred percent certainty. How is unclear, but you are connected somehow. I propose that you have come from an alternate dimension or different time period and simply have no memory of it. You may not be an alien, per se...but you're not from around here."

That said, he put the handheld device back on his work table and began typing away at his computer again.

Kay swallowed. "Do you not trust me, then?"

Tails continued typing. "I think you're confused, but I don't hold that against you. I also stand that you're not hostile until further evidence is presented to state otherwise. And..." He finally looked up at her again. "I won't share this information with Sticks, or any of the others, unless I feel it's necessary. For now if anyone asks, I'll just say that I think you're not from Bygone. Whether you have amnesia or not is really not a question at this point, don't you think?"

In that moment, Kay decided that of everyone she'd met so far, Tails was the most like his old self than anyone else. And he was officially the smartest Mobian she'd met in this new world so far. She nodded her agreement and took another glance around the workshop. "So...is that it?"

"I got the answers I wanted," Tails affirmed. "You can go if you want. Or I could show you around. Whichever you prefer."

"I...I think I'll go do some more reading," Kay replied, already taking steps towards the door. "I have a lot to catch up on." After saying a hasty goodbye, she hurried outside into the fresh air, taking it in by the lungful. That was a close one.

As she walked alone back down the path the two of them had just traveled together, Kay couldn't help but worry. Tails may not think of her as an enemy, but he was definitely suspicious about her origins. If this same suspicion spread to the others at all she may have to look into traveling to the other side of the island as Amy suggested, or even beyond. This was all happening quicker than she liked, but if there was one thing she'd learned from her time both on Mobius Prime and with the Turtles, it was that nothing was stable and nothing was certain. If she was going to adjust to life here, she'd have to learn to go with the flow and accept the possibility that she may not be able to stay close to Sonic forever.