Turning of the Gears
by DragonKnight
Copyright notice: All original Sonic the Hedgehog characters are
property of SEGA and based upon the Saturday AM cartoon on ABC. Other
characters may come from the video games or the Archie comic books. The
AI SWATbots are the original creation of Robert Brown and Francis
Tolbert. All original characters are of my creation and idea and
require written permission before usage. You are permitted to print off
one (1) copy for personal use and do not attempt to make a profit from
it. You may make changes under the condition that it does not affect
the story as a whole.
Author's Note: Well, this continues the Kinos Arc. I guess maybe I
should have mentioned earlier where I draw the majority of my
inspiration. Obviously Robert and Francis' work is key. I also draw
heavily on Japanese terminology and beliefs. This will be become more
apparent later on. I also draw from the anime series "BLEACH" by Tite
Kubo for a certain character who will be seen later. Other than that
it's all original material. Enjoy!
WARNING!! This story may contain mild language use and graphic
description. You have been warned.
The sorcerer Naugus has died leaving King Acorn trapped in the
Void with Snively, who through Nano Sonic's, who now calls himself Kinos
the Enslaver, treachery is exiled there as well. Sonic and Sally's
relationship moves to the next level as she passes her responsibilities
to Antoine. Little do they know that Kinos has begun to set into motion
a plan that could tear the Freedom Fighters apart. What does this vile
robot have planned for them?
Cast of Characters:
Sally Alicia Acorn
Rotor Walrus
Dr. Adrian Osaka***
Sonic Hedgehog
Bunnie Rabbot
Antoine D'Coolette
Dulcy
Kinos the Enslaver***
Amy Rose
Miles "Tails" Prower
Rosie
Sylvanix the Wind Dragon***
Griff
Rotor Walrus
Sir Charles "Chuck" Hedgehog
Sally stood over Rotor's computer to see what all they had managed
to accomplish in the two weeks she and Sonic had been gone. After
spending the last few hours looking over Snively's notes she needed a
break. She had uploaded the plans for the R-Wave and the AI SWATbots
into the computer and Rotor couldn't have been happier. Finally having
the plans to the weapon had opened up new venues for them, they could
even build their own version of it to scramble bot circuits.
"I still can't believe that you got all this info Sally," Rotor
said typing away. "I've been able to analyze the plans for the R-Wave
and should have a scrambler ready in no time." Sally smiled.
"That's great Rotor," she said. "Will it damage roboticized
Mobians though?"
He shook his head. "Not after I get done with it," he said.
"Although I am going to have to find a new casing for it. Carrying
around an arm isn't exactly convenient."
Sally smiled. "I hear you there," she said and started walking
away. "Get to work and see what you can come up with."
She walked outside. It felt strange, being able to look at the
village as a civilian and not royalty. There would always be animals
who recognized her as a princess but she could get used to that. It was
just that she had always been a princess and now that she wasn't she
didn't really know how to act. Asking Sonic for advice was out of the
question, regardless of the situation. Besides, the last time she had
seen him he was still unpacking all of their stuff and had probably
slipped into meditation by now. He had never been this calm before and
it was a little unnerving. But at least in his heart he was the same
Sonic he had always been: Rash, irresponsible, crazy, risk-taking Sonic.
The other villagers still saw him as the leader of the Freedom Fighters
even after she had officially given Antoine her responsibilities. She
rubbed her finger where her family signet ring had been. So much had
changed.
"Things never work out how you want them too, eh Sally?" a
masculine voice said behind her. She turned around to see Dr. Osaka
walking towards her.
"So now you can read my thoughts?" she asked smiling.
"A face can tell you anything you need to know about a person," he
replied walking next to her. "Learn to read their emotions and how
their face moves and you can know what they're thinking. It takes time
but the payoff is worth it."
"I guess," she said sighing. "I just wish I knew what Sonic was
thinking half the time. That hedgehog is absolutely impossible."
"You would know better than me Sally. Speaking of which, any word
on how Sonic intends to deal with, what was it, Kinos?"
Sally shook her head. "Sonic's stumped," she admitted sadly. "I
guess the only real test will be to wait for Kinos to throw something
our way."
"So you mean to say fall for one of his traps?" Osaka asked
raising an eyebrow. Sally nodded.
"It's the only thing that makes any sense," she answered. "How
else will we know what he has in store for us?"
As she said this Nicole began beeping. She pulled the computer
off her boot and opened her. "Incoming message from Griff Sally," the
computer said. "Sender requests that all Freedom Fighters be present
for message."
Osaka and Sally looked at each other and nodded. "I'll start
rounding people up," Osaka said and ran off. Sally ran towards her and
Sonic's hut and threw the door open. Everything had been put away and
Sonic sat on the floor with his legs crossed. His eyes were closed but
she could feel power radiating off him. There was so much that she
realized it was harder to walk and breathe.
"Sonic, snap out of it!" she yelled. Without warning a massive
force picked her up and slammed her against the wall. Sonic's eyes were
now open but were completely grey with the same swirling pattern as
before. The color faded and his eyes went back to normal and he ran
over to her.
"Sorry about that Sal," he said pulling her up off the floor.
"Sylvanix gets cranky when our conversations are interrupted. What's
up?"
>At least it wasn't you who did that,< she thought brushing
herself off. "Griff just contacted us," she told him. "We need to
gather in the War Room for the message."
Sonic nodded and began following her out the door. Suddenly the
fur on the back of his neck stood on end. He shook it off and continued
after her. >No, it couldn't be that,< he thought running towards the
War Room. >Griff's not that stupid.< At least, that's what he hoped.
He was the first to get there as Bunnie followed Sally in.
Antoine followed close behind her out of breath. The rest of them
except Rotor came in and Dulcy stuck her head in through the window.
Once everyone was there Sally opened Nicole and put her on the tabletop.
"Nicole, display message," she said.
Nicole beeped and then a holographic image came up. Rather than
Griff's face popping up it was a white hedgehog with black tips and
black and red eyes. His mouth was turned upward in a twisted smile.
"Greetings Freedom Fighters," he said in a voice identical to
Sonic's. "It's good to see you all again. In case you don't remember
me, I am Kinos the Enslaver, formerly known as Nano Sonic. I suppose
many of you are wondering what happened to Robotnik and Snively so allow
me to break the news to you. Robotnik nor Snively are in charge of
Robotropolis now, I am. Robotnik is lying in a ditch somewhere with a
gaping wound in his chest and Snively is trapped in the Void. I have
taken it upon myself to capture, turn, and enslave every single one of
you. And when I am done here I will move onto the other nations of
Mobius and do the same. From there I will move from planet to planet
until everything is under my control.
"Now, onto why I am contacting you. I have a present here for
you." He stepped to the side to reveal Griff bound in chains to the
wall. "I have your friend Griff from Lower Mobius keeping me company
right now. I am willing to return him to you unharmed and unchanged on
one condition: You have to rescue him. Now if it was that simple it
wouldn't be any fun now would it?" Kinos smiled baring his jagged
teeth. "The catch is that Sonic must come alone to rescue him. That's
it, nothing else. I promise you that I will not harm him or Griff and
they will be allowed to leave peacefully. Oh and Sonic, don't try that
wind teleporting thing you've got. You're going to have to come here
the old fashioned way. To make things more fun, I'll give you, let's
say, an hour. If in that time you are not in the control room I will
kill Griff." A gasp escaped the Freedom Fighters. "On top of that if
you do not come alone I will kill him. If any other Freedom Fighters
enter this city in the time that I've given you I will kill Griff. And
it will not be quick like how I killed Robotnik. I will take my time to
enjoy every cut, every shot and every scream of agony. I will then send
the video to you Princess so that you may see what happens when you
cross me. Hope to see you soon bro."
With that the image cut out and Sally closed Nicole up. She
looked at Sonic. His eyes were swirling like a hurricane was behind
them. She had never seen him so furious. "Sonic wait," she started to
say but his eyes turned to her.
"And let that monster kill Griff?" he demanded. "No way in hell
am I letting that happen!"
"It's a trap sugarhog," Bunnie insisted. "You'd be walking right
into what he wants us to do. We need to figure out what to do first
then-"
"WE DON'T HAVE TIME!" Sonic roared shaking the entire hut. His
voice was doubled as if there was someone speaking with him. Everyone
took a step back. "You would rather sit here and let one of our allies
die? I know it's a trap! We don't have a choice, Kinos has forced our
hand. If anyone has a better idea than to just go in and save Griff I'd
love to hear it."
No one spoke. Sonic sighed and closed his eyes. "Then I'm
going," he stated and walked out the door. A couple seconds later they
heard his trademark sonic boom. They stared after him fear in their
eyes. Antoine was the first to speak up.
"That...was not the Sonic I remember," he said slowly. Dulcy
nodded.
"I've never seen him lose his temper like that," she commented in
awe. "And it wasn't just him. Sylvanix was mad too."
"Who's Sylvanix?" Tails asked.
"Another time sugah," Bunnie said walking out with him. "Now, you
wanna go make those cookies we were talkin' about?"
"Wait for me!" Amy yelled following the two of them out. The rest
of the Freedom Fighters watched as they left. Rosie and Osaka smiled.
"What I wouldn't give for that kind of attention span again,"
Osaka said.
"Aren't they the ones we are fighting for?" Rosie asked looking at
all of them. "Sonic may have the wrong way to go about this but he's
right in saying that we must stick together. I can't believe I'm saying
this but his plan may indeed be the best one for this mission."
Not a word was spoken among them. Finally Sally cleared her
throat. "We should follow Sonic's plan then," she said nodding towards
Antoine. "In the meantime we need to coordinate information with the
other Freedom Fighter groups to let them know of these new
developments."
"I will do it Princess," Antoine said. "I...just need you to show
me how to."
Sally smiled and handed Nicole to him. "It's simple really," she
explained.
Sonic arrived at the edge of the city. By his count it had taken
him fifteen minutes to reach this spot. He had a rough plan on how to
get to the control room but he wasn't sure what kind of traps Kinos had
planned for him.
[Be careful here Sonic,] Sylvanix warned him. [There's some sort
of barrier that my powers cannot penetrate.]
>What about inside?< he asked the dragon. Sylvanix gave a rumble.
[I cannot tell,] he replied. [There's only one way to find out.]
Sonic nodded and walked ahead. He felt a brief tingle and then it
was gone. He didn't feel different and he could still hear Sylvanix
directing him. He brushed it off to the side to mention when he got
back. He took his time in the city making sure that nothing would catch
him off guard. It was totally silent. No way Kinos was going to make
it this easy.
Meanwhile, Kinos sat in the control chair watching the various
monitors. From the time the message had finished a countdown had
appeared on the far right screen. Sonic was taking his time, not
because he didn't like Griff but because two dead Freedom Fighters would
only help Kinos. He smiled and turned to one of the SWATbots in the
room.
"You, come here," he said motioning to it. It walked over and
stood at attention. "Send four squads down to where the hedgehog will
be entering this building. Also, spread throughout the city to waste
time. You may kill him if you wish."
"AFFIRMATIVE LORD KINOS," the bot droned and turned on its heel.
Kinos turned back to the screens and watched as Sonic snuck around the
city. The only reason he was sending SWATbots after the original was in
hope that Sonic would use some of his wind techniques on them. If that
failed he would have to lure the hedgehog back into the city in another
attempt. There was a moan behind him and a SWATbot shot Griff with
another weak stun blast. That goat was getting annoying. Kinos was
almost hoping Sonic wouldn't make it so he could kill the creature.
Sonic ducked behind a corner as blaster fire poured down the
alleyway. The SWATbots had come out of nowhere. One second he had been
alone, the next second they emerged from a flash of bluish-white light
firing at him. There was a pause in the firing and Sonic leapt out
running at full speed. He curled into a ball and tore through them with
a spin attack. He uncurled and kept running taking out bots when they
would try and attack him. He stopped to catch his breath near one of
the new factories that had gone up. He could see the SWATbots ordering
each other around to search for him. Oddly enough he hadn't run into
the R-Wave yet. Maybe Kinos had told them not to use it, though why he
couldn't imagine. He jumped as the wall behind him shook. He moved
over to the window and looked in. From where he was he could see what
looked like SWATbots but with more armor. They were still incomplete
but the weaponry on them was more intense than anything he had seen
before. These definitely weren't SWATbots but something worse.
>I'll mention it when I get back,< he thought and checked his
path. He sprinted out jumping between junk piles. At more than one
point he found himself greatly outnumbered. A dash here, a spin attack
there and he was out of it. He had about twenty minutes he figured.
The SWATbots seemed tougher, both physically and in their intelligence.
If this kept up he'd never make it in time to the command center. He
needed a way through and fast.
A laser grazed his shoulder and he jumped into an alleyway. >I
have to get moving and now!< he thought holding the burn. He felt the
wind pick up and smiled. He leapt forward and the wind picked him up
carrying him over them and towards the command center. He wasn't sure
how he didn't get hit but he needed to thin their ranks. He brought his
right hand behind him like a claw and brought it down. Three large
blades of wind loosed from his hand and ripped apart any SWATbots they
touched. He repeated the actions until he was able to move easily
without too much laser fire coming at him. Ten minutes now and he could
see even more bots in front of the command center. He drew his sword
and made a long diagonal cutting motion with it.
"Blades of Wind!" he yelled. A huge column of air extended from
his sword and began tossing SWATbots around. He landed in the path and
ran through the door before the bots surrounded him. He was almost out
of time and he knew that Kinos intended to keep his word, at least about
killing Griff.
>Hang in there Griff!< he thought running through the corridors.
>I'm almost there.<
Kinos leaned back in the control chair. His twin had a minute and
a half left at this point. He had gotten what he wanted and no longer
needed Griff so he didn't really care if he made it on time or not.
Griff moaned again and he heard the SWATbot stun him again. Well, he
may still kill Griff just to shut him up. He looked at the countdown
timer. Less than ten seconds now. As the timer hit one he felt a
massive force tear the door off its hinges. Out of the smoke emerged
Sonic panting heavily. He was bleeding in various places and looked
absolutely furious.
"Just in time bro," Kinos said jumping to his feet smiling. "I
was afraid that I'd have to hurt poor little Griff here. But now that
the hero is here everything will be okay."
"Shut...the hell...up," Sonic said gasping. "I thought you said
that you wouldn't hurt either of us."
"I have no intention of harming you," Kinos said defensively still
smiling. He walked towards Sonic until he was right in front of him.
"But you know how SWATbots can be. They heard you were coming to visit
and simply wanted to roll out the welcome mat."
Sonic clenched his fist. "But enough of this," Kinos continued.
"Surely you must have put together that I actually wanted to meet you
without the fat man watching over me. I mean, why else would I have not
killed or roboticized Griff here?"
"I gathered as much," Sonic said shortly. "Though it's amazing
that you think I have any intention of listening to whatever you have to
say. I'm a Freedom Fighter, I don't consort with lowlifes like you."
"Such harsh words bro," Kinos said walking away. "I was hoping
that you would at least hear my offer before throwing it back in my
face."
Sonic's eyes widened. "What do you mean by 'offer'?"
Kinos smiled. "Haven't you felt unappreciated by the Freedom
Fighters lately?" he asked Sonic as he circled around him. "Like your
abilities are being held back because they're afraid of what you can
really do? I mean, if your fight against Daryl is the extent of your
fighting powers I have no reason to worry about you. But if that's just
the beginning, now that would scare me."
Sonic was silent. "But I'm not scared," Kinos continued. "And
you know why? The other Freedom Fighters would reject you because of
that power. They're scared of things they can't possibly understand. I
wouldn't turn you away though."
Sonic took a step back. "You can't possibly mean..."
Kinos held his hand out towards Sonic. "Join me Sonic Hedgehog,"
he offered. "I am nothing like Robotnik, I won't betray you in any way,
shape or form. You would be surprised how similar the two of us are in
the ways we think and act. One could say we're brothers of a sort.
With the two of us in charge no one could stand against us. By standing
with me as an equal your powers would grow beyond anything that the
Freedom Fighters would allow them to. So what do you say, 'partner'?"
Sonic was quiet as the offer ran through his head. He wanted to
tell the bot "no", there was no way he'd ever join up with him. But at
the same time he was right. If the other Freedom Fighters learned what
he was actually capable of doing he'd be exiled. He knew Sal would stay
with him, that much he was sure of. This whole time Sylvanix was
silent, though whether he wanted Sonic to make this choice on his own or
was being suppressed by something else he didn't know. Sonic's face
hardened trying to make it seem like it wasn't really a hard decision.
"There's no way I'd ever join you," he said finally. "I'm a
Freedom Fighter all the way and that'll never change pal."
Kinos' smile widened. "You are such a terrible liar," he said
walking towards Griff. "If what you're saying is true then why did it
take you so long to make up your mind?"
"Shut up!" Sonic yelled trying to force Kinos to his knees by
pressurizing the air. Kinos stood unfazed by the display of power.
"If you're that mad," he said quietly, "then just kill me." He
walked over to Sonic and pointed in the center of his chest. "My
control cluster is right here. One quick strike and you can end all of
this." Sonic put his hand on the hilt of his sword. He tried to draw
it but he simply couldn't. "Well, what are you waiting for?" the bot
asked. "Kill me already. C'mon Sonic, it can't be that hard. You kill
me and this entire war ends. You can have your home back and be the
hero."
Sonic tried again to pull his sword out but something was stopping
him. It was nothing Kinos was doing though. So why did his sword
refuse to pull out? Why couldn't he do it? This guy was pure evil,
making even Robotnik look good. Kinos smiled. "I figured as much," he
said and nodded towards the SWATbot by Griff. It released his chains
and tossed him at Sonic's feet. "You can leave, as originally agreed,"
Kinos said walking back to the chair and sitting in it. Sonic picked
Griff up and threw him over his shoulder. He stared at Kinos his offer
still running through his head.
"This isn't over Kinos," he said sternly and vanished in burst of
wind. Kinos smiled.
"You have no idea how right you are partner," he muttered as
energy readings and patterns flitted across the screen. "Unfortunately
it will soon be over for you."
Sonic and Griff materialized in the War Room where the other
Freedom Fighters waited. He set Griff down on the table as the other
gathered around him. Sally saw his wounds and waved Dr. Osaka over.
"I'm fine," Sonic said not looking at them. "We need to get Griff
to your hut doc. I think he's just stunned but let's not take any
chances."
Osaka nodded still staring at Sonic. He could tell something else
had happened but now wasn't the time to push it. He picked up Griff and
carried him out. All the Freedom Fighters followed except Sonic and
Sally. She turned Sonic so that he had no choice but to look at her.
"What happened Sonic?" she asked softly. "You seem out of it."
"It's nothing," he lied. "C'mon, let's go over to doc's. Griff
should wake up soon hopefully."
He left and she stared after him. He wasn't telling her
everything. Something else had happened when he had been in
Robotropolis. She would get the answer out of him one way or the other.
She ran and stopped when she reached his side. They opened Osaka's door
in time to see Griff wake up.
"Glad to see y'all're okay," Bunnie said handing him a glass of
water. He took it and drank it down quickly. "How ya' been Griff?"
"I've been better," he said coughing. "You guys sure took your
time in getting there, almost like you didn't want me to make it out of
there."
"When you have practically every SWATbot on your tail it's kinda
hard to move fast," Sonic replied crossing his arms. Griff's eyes
locked with his and Sonic saw a twinge of anger.
"Whatever happened to being the fastest thing alive?" he asked
acidly. "Losing your touch ever since Robotnik was killed?"
"How could you know that?" Antoine asked. "We just found out
about it a few hours ago. The only other way would be if Kinos told you
about it."
"He did and admitted to killing Robotnik himself after that
villain tossed his own family into the Void," Griff explained sitting
up. "He went after Robotnik after Cherrywood's destruction and took him
out."
"You're close," Sonic interrupted. "It's true that Robotnik
ordered the destruction of Cherrywood but he was already dead when
Snively was thrown in the Void. And if you think that the guy you met
is some kind of savior I'd rethink that very quickly. What kind of
savior promises to kill those he wants to protect?"
"It's what he needed to do since you branded him an enemy!" Griff
yelled. The hut was silent for a moment. "You wanted Robotnik all for
yourself didn't you? When you found out that you couldn't have him you
made Kinos out to be the enemy so you could still be the hero. You
don't even deserve to be called a Freedom Fighter you traitor!"
Sonic's reaction was instantaneous. He grabbed Griff by the
throat and slammed him against the wall with incredible force. His
teeth were bared and his eyes solid gray. The tips of his ears began to
form small points and his teeth had elongated to form short fangs. The
others backed away at the sudden change.
"Watch your tongue Mobian," Sonic said in a deep rumbling voice.
"My Guardian may be many things but he is no traitor."
"What...the hell?" Griff said struggling to pull Sonic's arm off.
"You're not Sonic. Who are you?"
"I am Sylvanix," Sonic said growling, "the Dragon of Wind. Only
one knows my Guardian better than I and she knows that he would never do
such a thing. If you _ever_ say anything like that about him again I
will make your death long and painful." Sonic's features shifted back
to normal and he dropped Griff. He took a few steps back trying to
regain his composure. Sylvanix's sudden takeover had thrown his senses
off and he needed to be back at a hundred percent. >A little warning
next time,< he thought to Sylvanix. The dragon muttered something he
couldn't make out. Sonic stood up and looked down at Griff. "Sorry
about that," he said holding his hand out. "Sylvanix has been in a bad
mood lately."
Griff batted Sonic's hand away and stood up on his own. "I don't need
help from someone who turns against his friends," he snapped. Sonic's
eyes narrowed and then he sighed. "If you say so," he said turning to
leave. He walked out leaving the others staring after him. Before
Griff could say anything else Sally slapped him across the cheek as hard
as she could. The resounding smack made everyone there flinch. She
then grabbed Griff by the scruff of his neck and pulled him to her until
their noses were touching.
"You will never speak to Sonic in that tone ever again,
understand?" she said quiet fury in her voice. Griff nodded nervously
and Sally let him go following after Sonic. The others stayed by
Griff's side so they could hear both sides of the story.
"So what exactly happened?" Osaka said.
"I attacked Kinos thinking he was Robotnik," Griff
explained. "Imagine my surprise when he wasn't there."
"That was a reckless thing to do," Rosie admonished him. "Why
didn't you go with a team to support you?"
Griff looked to the side. "I guess I wanted to be like Sonic," he
admitted. "But I could tell that Kinos didn't mean me any harm. He
even offered to clear the rat bots out of the sewers for us."
"You're an idiot," Osaka said bluntly. "Don't you know that's the
oldest trick in the book? The easiest way to take out your enemies is
to let them tear each other apart."
"That's not true!" Griff insisted. "If he really wanted to
destroy us then why would he have offered to help us?"
"You mean with the rat bots?" Antoine spoke up. He had been
mostly silent trying to take in as much as possible before saying
anything. "Going with what the good doctor has said then he would need
some way to earn your trust. What better way than agreeing to help
you?"
Everyone stared at Antoine. "That was very...perceptive Antoine,"
Rosie said speaking first. "Where on Mobius did you learn to think like
that?"
"Years of admiring the Princess," he answered smirking.
"I still think you're wrong," Griff insisted changing the subject
back. "Something tells me to trust him."
"He is an enemy, a creation of Robotnik's," Antoine answered
back. "I saw him myself when he first came off the line. He may have
been Sonic's twin back then but he was still the same nonetheless."
"Perhaps this would be better solved tomorrow," Osaka
interrupted. "Much has happened today. Tomorrow our heads will be
cleared and we can discuss this more thoroughly."
"No, I've heard enough," Griff said heading to the door. "All of
you would rather believe Sonic than the truth. Just don't expect any
help coming from Lower Mobius." With that he left the hut and walked
out of the village. From where Knothole was he could see the clouds of
pollution rising from Robotropolis and followed them back to the
city. The three of them stared after him and sighed.
"I just hope that the other Freedom Fighter groups aren't as
stubborn as him," Antoine said.
"Or as gullible," Osaka added nodding. "You should contact the
other villages to let them know of what's happened. If nothing else
they can decide for themselves what's going on."
Antoine nodded and went to his hut. Rosie looked at Osaka concern
written on her face. "Now that this business is out of the way," she
said, "about Sonic. Did something seem off when he got back?"
Osaka nodded. "Most definitely," he told her. "To tell the truth
he hasn't been himself since he and Sally got back from the Void."
"Do you think that has something to do with it?"
"No," he answered shaking his head. "You heard how Kinos called
Sonic 'bro'?" Rosie nodded. "I think that he's trying to get in
Sonic's head. Whatever happened in Robotropolis worked and it's
distracting Sonic enough that he'll be almost useless."
"In all the years we spent raising all of them I never thought
something like this would happen," she admitted. "I was happy for the
first time in a long time when I heard he and Sally had destroyed the
Doomsday Project. Now one villain has been replaced with another even
worse."
Osaka sighed. "Such is the way of the world," he said. "As long
as good exists so will evil. And as long as those two exist they will
battle until one falters. The cycle never ends, from the beginning of
the world to the end of it."
They were quiet for a moment until Osaka furrowed his brow. "Why
is it that we're always the ones left behind?" he asked. "It's always
one or both of us that end up discussing things after everyone has
left. Shouldn't they be listening to what we have to say? At the very
least it would be considerate."
Rosie laughed. "We're not as young as we used to be," she said
echoing his words. "When you're young you go where your heart leads
rather than listening to the advice of old timers like us."
"Even still," Osaka said. "If I didn't know better I'd say they
were hinting at something."
Rosie intertwined her hand with his. "Maybe so," she said
quietly. "With all this young love in the air I have to admit that I've
been quite jealous." Osaka smiled and squeezed her hand gently.
"You're not alone."
Sonic stared down into the ring pool at his reflection. He and Kinos,
the same? He had never really thought about it before but everything
that had happened thus far...
"There you are!" he heard Sally yell. He turned as she came up
next to him. "I've been looking all over for you."
"Sorry about that," he said blankly. "I...needed to think."
"That's a first," she said smiling. When he didn't reply she gave an
exasperated sigh. "What, no smart comeback?"
"Sorry Sal," he said his voice still empty. "I've got a lot on my
mind right now."
"Feel like talking about it?" she asked sitting down and removing
her boots. She slipped her feet into the pool and shivered as the cold
water surrounded them. Sonic sat down and did the same. "What happened
in the city? Whatever went on it was enough to put both you and
Sylvanix on a short fuse."
"It's Kinos," he answered still staring into the
water. "He...offered me the chance to join him."
"Please tell me you said no," Sally said. Sonic nodded and gave a
light smile.
"Of course I did," he answered. "But there's more to it. A lot
of what he said was the truth. Ever since I came back from my training
with Daryl I feel like the others are afraid of me."
"You know that's not true," Sally insisted. "I mean, yeah we were
kinda scared when you gave that huge display of power to beat him. Why
would you think that they would believe you would let that power corrupt
you?"
"It's not that Sal," Sonic said looking at her. She now saw the
fear and confusion in his eyes. "What you guys saw in that fight was
just the tip of the iceberg. What would you say if I told you that I
could wipe Robotropolis off the map with a single technique?"
Sally was taken aback. A single attack? It didn't seem
possible. "I know that you wouldn't use something like that unless you
were sure it was the right thing to do," she told him. He breathed a
sigh of relief and looked back at the pool.
"I was hoping you would say something like that," he
admitted. "I'm just not so sure the others would believe it."
"We'll always be here Sonic," she said holding his hand. "We were
here before Robotnik took over and we'll still be here after Kinos is
beaten and Mobotropolis is restored." He smiled and looked at her, his
eyes clear of all doubt.
"Thanks Sal," he said standing and pulling her up with him. "I
really needed to hear that."
"Glad to see you're back to normal," she said giving him a quick
kiss. "Come on, let's get some sleep. This hasn't exactly been the
most relaxing day."
They put their shoes back on and walked back to their hut hand in
hand. Soon all of Knothole began to turn in for the night. Soon all
the cares of the day faded away. Tomorrow was another day and their
cares could wait until morning. Bunnie was already out and Antoine
kissed her forehead. She smiled and sighed as Antoine slipped under the
covers with her. Sonic and Sally were wrapped in each others arms
looking as if nothing could bother them. Amy was asleep in Dulcy's hut
while dreaming of an orange two-tailed fox while Tails slept in his hut
with dreams of a pink hedgehog running around in his head. Osaka and
Rosie were the only two still awake talking about the old days and how
much had changed. They looked happy together, happier than anyone had
ever seen them.
A week went by and the Freedom Fighters unsuccessfully led several
raids against the new ruler of the Robotropolis. Every move they made
was countered and they had to make too many close calls. Thanks to
Sonic's earlier reconnaissance they managed to determine that the new
factories were producing Type II SWATbots, or SWAT 2's for short. They
lacked the AI that the older SWATbots possessed but were much tougher
than their predecessors. Only a few had been finished but they were
more than a match for close to five of the Freedom Fighters. Even Sonic
had difficulty taking them down. They gathered in the War Room after a
botched raid. Sonic massaged his right shoulder where a SWAT 2 had
punched him.
"This has been a productive week," he said sarcastically. "First
Griff, now these new bots. What else can we expect?"
"Easy Sonic," Antoine said moving his neck from side to
side. "We're all frustrated but we need to find a weakness in Kinos'
plans before we can make a real move against him."
"Speakin' of that," Bunnie said panting for breath, "why is it
that none of the SWATbutts are aiming for you sugarhog?"
Sonic winced slightly. He hadn't said anything of Kinos' offer to
anyone except Sally. "I don't know," he lied. "We have to shut down
those plants though."
"Oh no you don't," Bunnie growled slamming her robotic hand on the
table. "Answer mah question Sonic Hedgehog. Why aren't the SWATbots
aimin' for ya? If Ah didn't know better Ah'd say they had orders not to
fire on their allies."
"Bunnie!" Sally exclaimed. "You know as well as I do that Sonic
would never join Kinos. How could you even suggest it?"
"Then you wanna explain how it is that he knows all our plans?" Amy
joined in. She had managed to get one of her ponytails to stop smoking
and was rubbing oil into it. "I don't wanna believe it either but he's
the only one of us that's actually met this guy."
"Amy, not you too!" Tails said incredulously. "I thought that you
would take Sonic's side no matter what."
"Why are we even fighting like this?" Antoine asked. "We should
be focusing our efforts on Kinos, not each other."
"If we take out his allies it's the same thing," Bunnie said.
"Are you guys mad?!" Sally said nearly yelling. "You're all
saying that Sonic could ever be like Kinos. We've known him for years,
there's no way you could seriously believe this."
"What do you think Sonic?" Tails asked the hedgehog. Sonic
folded his arms and bowed his head. After a bit he opened his eyes and
looked around the room.
"I'd say his plan is working," he answered simply. Everyone
stared at him confused. "It was the same thing with Griff. No one
believed a word he had to say then but now that Kinos has put a twist on
it we turn on each other."
"How would you know about something like that?" Bunnie asked
narrowing her eyes. Sonic looked at her his eyes filled with concern.
"Because it's what I would do."
The room was silent and everyone stared at him in
disbelief. "You mean to tell me that I'm the only one that noticed it?"
Sonic asked in disbelief. "Every move that Kinos has made, every plan
he's executed, it's exactly the way I would have done it."
"What about Griff?" Amy asked. Sonic nodded.
"It's simple strategy," he replied. "Kinos realized that Griff
isn't the brightest bulb in the bunch and took advantage of it. Had I
been in his shoes I would have done exactly the same thing."
"Then what about this entire week?" Antoine questioned him. He
was concerned that maybe the others were right. Maybe Sonic was working
for Kinos behind their backs.
"Tails was the first to notice that it looked like I came up with
the plans used against us," Sonic answered. "Baiting us into a
warehouse with all the supplies we need until winter and then ambushing
us is something that I would have done."
"So now you're telling him our plans," Bunnie suggested. "You're
only diggin' your hole deeper sugar."
Sonic unfolded his arms his hands clenched in fists. They
couldn't seriously be that thick. "None of you get it yet?" he asked
angrily.
"Just say it Sonic," Antoine said. "Let's hear why Kinos seems
to know our every move."
"You haven't heard a damn word I've said have you?" Sonic asked
the anger apparent in his voice. "Everything that Kinos has done, and I
mean everything, is EXACTLY what I would have done were I in his
shoes. He was Nano Sonic, remember? Snively even told us he programmed
him to think like me."
"You can't be serious Sonic," Sally said. "Are you telling me
that you would have killed Robotnik the same way Kinos did?"
Sonic was silent for a moment. "War does terrible things to all
of us Sal," he said quietly.
"You have no way to prove any of this," Antoine insisted. "I
hate to say it but you could be making all of this up to cover something
else."
Sonic looked at the floor and ground his teeth. "Do you remember
the look in his eyes when he said that he'd kill Griff?" Sonic said his
eyes hidden from Antoine. "The look of sick twisted joy that comes from
torturing innocents and killing for the fun of it?" Antoine nodded.
"Then tell me if this looks familiar."
In a split second Sonic held Antoine by the throat up in the
air. He struggled as much as he could but Sonic's grip was iron-
tight. Sonic finally looked at Antoine. The fox's eyes widened in fear
and realization. Sonic's eyes had shifted colors, a black iris
surrounded by a glowing yellow energy. His smile was one they had seen
far too many times from Robotnik. Sonic let him down and Antoine fell
to his knees coughing. Bunnie ran over to him and looked up at
Sonic. When she saw him even she cowered under the stare. Sonic closed
his eyes and took a deep breath. When he exhaled his face returned to
normal.
"I'll say it again," he said quietly. "Kinos and I are like peas
in a pod. We think and act alike. Just like him I have my own sadistic
side."
No one said anything. Antoine stood up holding his neck where
Sonic had grabbed him. "I understand," he said calmly clearing his
throat. "Sonic, I am putting you in charge of strategy. If anyone can
come up with a plan to counter Kinos' efforts it's you."
"Sugarfox," Bunnie said. Antoine held his hand up stopping
whatever she was about to say.
"Sonic is right," he continued. "To beat our enemy we need to
think like them. Do you accept?"
"I do, with some requests," Sonic said nodding. "I'd also like
someone working with me on them. We may be able to throw some curve
balls at Kinos that he's not expecting."
Antoine nodded and looked at Sally. "I do not assume you are to
be complaining Princess?" he asked his accent slipping back.
"Of course," Sally answered smiling. "It'll be like the old
days."
"Sorry Sal, but no," Sonic interrupted. "We think too much alike
in terms of strategy. I need someone that I don't think like at
all." With that he turned to Bunnie. Shock crossed her face as she
stared back at Sonic.
"Me?" she asked. Sonic nodded.
"This way we can take care of two problems with one solution," he
told her. "We can come up with strategies that Kinos should have a hard
time figuring out and you can keep an eye on me." Sally started to
protest but Sonic silenced her with his hand. "It doesn't matter what
we want to believe," he explained. "If it helps settle your minds then
Bunnie can keep tabs on my behavior and actions. Then you can see for
yourselves where my loyalties lie."
[Not bad,] Sylvanix said quietly. [It's an interesting plan to
say the least. But what I'm wondering is what your real answer to Kinos
is.]
Sonic didn't answer the dragon. The truth was that Kinos' offer
still weighed heavily on his mind. If the Freedom Fighters were this
quick to turn on him was it worth staying with them? He didn't want to
believe that his place was at that monster's side, but maybe it wasn't
by the Freedom Fighters either.
>What do you think?< he asked the dragon finally as the others
began discussing things among themselves.
[They do not trust you, that much I can tell,] the dragon
said. [However Kinos is no better than they are. I would say to pick
the lesser of two of evils and make your real decision once everything
is settled.]
"It is settled then," Antoine said putting his hands on the table
and leaning inward. "Sonic, you and Bunnie will be responsible for
strategy when we raid Robotropolis. Tails and Amy will continue to
scout out the perimeter of the city and Tails and the Princess can be
our aerial eyes."
"Not bad Ant," Sonic said impressed. "Your lessons with doc are
going pretty good." Antoine nodded.
"The good doctor has been very insistent for some time on these
things," he told him. "Only when you left to train did I finally take
him up on it."
"Wait a sec," Tails interrupted. "Why is it that I get stuck
with two jobs and both are recon?"
"Recon's extremely important bro," Sonic explained. "If we don't
know what's around the corner we'll all either end up dead or
roboticized. You're the most well-rounded of all of us so it makes
sense."
"Do I get to go on raids?" His tails twitched in
anticipation. Sonic looked at Antoine who frowned.
"I will think about it," he said. "Of course the decision will
also affect Amy," he quickly added as she glared at him.
"Thank you!" she said happily.
"Now Sonic," Antoine continued looking at the hedgehog, "what do
we do about our raids? Should we change the grouping at all or shall we
keep it the same?"
Sonic closed his eyes and thought carefully. His first instinct
was to change the teams so everyone who trusted him were in one
group. The current system was mixed and they wouldn't be able to act
efficiently. If that was the case...
"Leave them," he answered opening his eyes. "Kinos is hoping to
create a rift among us, so the first option would be to keep everyone
who felt the same together to increase group efficiency. However, by
keeping the groups the same we'll create a dissonance that may work to
our advantage."
Everyone stared at him in awe. "Where did you learn to talk like
that?" Sally finally asked. Sonic smiled.
"Years of doc telling me to think more strategically," he
said. Bunnie looked at him a curious look on her face.
"You said our first option," she said slowly. "Is there
somethin' else you had in mind sugar?"
"Make the teams random for each raid," Sonic suggested. "That
way there's no solid way to plan for each group. We've got to remember
that he's probably scattered supplies all over the city."
"Which means we can't get as many in one trip, right?" Amy
finished for him. Sonic nodded.
"We should either make multiple raids in one day or find an
alternative."
"You mean boosting our crop output," Sally said catching his
drift. "With winter coming that may be difficult." Sonic swore.
"Well," he said sighing, "it's either increase our raid frequency
or..." A thought crossed his mind right then that seemed almost
plausible. Unfortunately the others would never even consider the idea.
"Or what Sonic?" Sally asked curious. Sonic shook his head.
"Another idea came to mind but there's no way that it would ever
fly by you guys," he told them trying to dismiss the thought.
"It can't be all that bad," Amy said hopefully. "I mean, unless
you're suggesting that we start stealing our supplies from other Freedom
Fighters, in particular Lower Mobius." The last part was said with a
smile.
"No way," Sonic answered shaking his head. He sighed and looked
around the room. "There's no one in Cherrywood, right?"
Silence filled the room. "You want us to raid a ghost town
sugarhog?" Bunnie asked in disbelief.
"I can't believe you'd suggest that Sonic," Tails said as
memories of what occurred there came flooding back.
"I told you you wouldn't like it," Sonic said
shrugging. "Besides, I'm not exactly hot on the idea either. I'm just
thinking practically."
Antoine rubbed his chin. "What do you think Kinos expects us to
do?" he asked finally.
"Increase how often we raid," Sonic told him. "Either that or
begin working with other Freedom Fighter groups to get supplies."
"So going to Cherrywood would throw a wrench in his plans?"
Sonic nodded. "If it were me I'd be on guard for awhile too," he
added. "I'd give him a week before he'd loosen up his defenses if we go
this path."
"He might even think we're too afraid to attack him," Sally
said. "In which case he'd get full of himself and let his guard down
too much."
"Are you implying something?" Sonic asked quietly. Sally smiled
back not giving an answer.
"Does anyone have any objections, other than the obvious?"
Antoine asked looking around. No one said anything. "Then we'll
prepare a team to head to Cherrywood."
Sonic was about to volunteer when Sylvanix stopped him. "I'd
love to go," he said tapping his temple, "but there's a certain dragon
who wants me to stay, though he won't say why."
"I'm gonna pass too," Tails said nervously. "Once was enough for
me."
Antoine sighed. "Then Bunnie, myself, Amy, and Dulcy will go,"
he said. "Princess, if you don't mind watching the bike for a little
bit..."
"Sure Antoine," she answered smiling. "And it's 'ship', not
bike."
Antoine waved it off as the three of them went to fetch
Dulcy. Amy gave Tails a quick kiss on the cheek making the fox turn
bright red. Sonic smiled as Sylvanix growled.
"Alright alright, we're going," he muttered out loud. Everyone
stopped and looked at him. He looked around and realized why. "I said
that out loud didn't I?" Everyone nodded smiling and Sonic
sighed. "It's distracting when you have someone talking in your head,"
he said defending himself.
"Sure Sonic," Sally said intertwining her fingers with
his. "That's what all the crazy people say."
"I'm serious," he argued as they walked away. "You try walking
around with a cranky dragon in your head and not go crazy!"
The rest of them smiled after them. "We should probably go get
Dulcy," Amy said still watching Tails as he left. "I don't feel like
spending a lot of time in that village."
The others nodded in agreement and went to find Dulcy. After
retrieving his sword Sonic and Sally went to the Power Ring Pool. Sonic
sat on the ground and closed his eyes focusing his attention inward. He
landed gently in the field that was his inner world. There in all his
glory stood Sylvanix as Sonic knelt down before him. The dragon stood
on two feet and towered over Sonic at nearly ten feet. His body was
rippled with muscle but remained very well trimmed. His skin was
covered in large dark gray scales that gave him his reptilian look but
also functioned as incredibly hard armor. His face and snout were that
of a typical male dragon but much more jagged, evidence of the millennia
he had existed. The dragon's yellow eyes gazed down towards his
Guardian.
"Rise Sonic," he said his voice sending vibrations through the
hedgehog. "While we are here you should bow to no one."
Sonic stood up and looked up at the dragon. "Sorry, it's a
habit," he apologized scratching the back of his head. "So, why did you
want me to stay behind?"
"Do you have any intention of fighting Kinos?" Sylvanix
asked. Sonic averted his gaze.
"Do you really need to ask?" he replied weakly.
"Apparently I did," the dragon said. "If you fight Kinos with
that attitude you _will_ die. He was not lying when he said that you
and he are essentially brothers. He will not hesitate to kill you and
you must do the same."
Sonic didn't say anything back. "Regardless of that," Sylvanix
continued, "you will need a much more effective weapon to fight him
with."
Sonic looked at the dragon a hurt expression on his
face. "What's wrong with my sword or techniques?" he asked.
"That field we passed through before blocked my powers," the
dragon explained. "As time has passed I have found that my connection
with you was fading inside the city. Once you leave my powers were able
to flow through the same as before."
"But how could he have..." Sonic started.
"We can worry about that later," Sylvanix said waving his
hand. "Right now I need to show you how to call out your Guardian
Weapon." Sonic raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Each Guardian is
granted a weapon from his dragon, a weapon that reflects his element,"
the dragon explained. "My weapon is the most unique, useful, and
difficult one to master."
With that a sword appeared in the dragon's hand. The hilt was a
deep gray like his scales with a hurricane-shaped guard. The blade
consisted of what appeared to be three large rings. It looked like an
awkward weapon at first glance.
"Umm, what is it?" Sonic asked scratching his head.
"Your sword you idiot," Sylvanix said growling.
"I know that, I meant more how do you use it?"
The dragon smiled and drew back the weapon. He swung it forward
and all three rings detached and flew out. Each ring split nearby trees
in half vertically, performed some aerial acrobats and then returned to
the guard. Sonic's jaw was slack in awe and amazement. "_That_ is how
you use it."
"I like," Sonic said smiling. "I like it a lot. So how do I
summon it?"
"Remember this shape," Sylvanix told him. "Then focus the wind
energy into your sword. After it has emerged it will maintain itself."
Sonic nodded and looked towards the horizon. There black clouds
with yellow lightning arcing between them gathered. "How's he
behaving?" Sonic asked a concerned look on his face.
"He was happy to scare the hell out of Antoine and Bunnie,"
Sylvanix said looking back at the clouds. "He won't be a problem to
control, even when you're in the city. But you should know, as long as
you stay here he will grow stronger at a significantly faster rate."
"How so?"
"He feeds off of anger and hate," the dragon explained. "You
should know that better than I, he's you after all."
"So all the distrust the others feel towards me and my anger
towards them for it will only hurry the process along," Sonic
realized. "Why me? Why is this happening to me?"
"It may partially be my fault," Sylvanix admitted. "Normally
such creatures are sealed alongside elemental powers. Tapping into them
does cause it to bleed through slightly but not enough to see a
significant difference. As a Guardian though I unlocked all of your
power, including him apparently."
"How much longer before he becomes a problem?" Sonic asked
looking at the wind dragon.
"At the current rate of events," Sylvanix said, "I'd say about
two months, if that."
"Can I slow it down?"
"Yes, but you won't like the method."
"Try me." Sylvanix stared at Sonic and narrowed his eyes.
"You must fight without abandon," the dragon told him
sternly. "You must not fear a single thing. Anyone that gets in your
way will be cut down, friend or foe. You must release all the pent up
anger thereby taking away his power over you."
"Yeah, and the resulting crap from the Freedom Fighters would
undo everything," Sonic scoffed. Sylvanix shrugged.
"Such is life," he said. "Anyway, you should be getting back to
the real world here soon."
"One more thing," Sonic said. "Using the same summoning method
could I form any weapon I wanted?" A curious expression crossed the
dragon's face as he stroked his chin.
"I...don't see why not," he answered. "No Guardian has ever
tried it, but it could take years for you to form something from your
imagination and have it work precisely as you want it to."
"I'll keep that in mind," Sonic said as the world faded around
him.
Sonic opened his eyes and stood up. Sally, Osaka and Rosie were
sitting nearby talking but stopped once they saw Sonic back among
them. "So?" Sally asked. "What did he want?"
"Let me try and show you first," Sonic said smiling. He drew his
sword and stared at the blade. The red hilt should be dark grey, the
guard a hurricane. Then three large rings for the blade. It was simple
yet elegant. He closed his eyes seeing the flow of wind wrapping around
him. He squeezed the hilt tightly and pushed the flowing energy into
the sword. Sally stared at him. She didn't see anything different just
that he was holding his sword with his eyes closed. The image of the
sword danced through Sonic's mind as he tried to shape his sword to the
image. Rosie's eyes widened slightly when the blade of the sword
started bending into round circles.
"Is it supposed to do that?" she asked turning to Osaka. He
shrugged.
"The only one that knows is doing it," he replied
smiling. "Besides, when has Sonic ever known the answer to anything
that wasn't involved with chili dogs?"
The two women laughed and continued watching. The blade had
solidified into three rings and now the hilt and guard were
shifting. Finally Sonic opened his eyes to stare at the newly formed
sword and smiled. [Impressive,] Sylvanix said pride in his voice. [No
one has ever gotten it in the first try.]
>Getting the shape is the hard part,< Sonic said taking a deep
breath and exhaling. >The energy is practically infinite.<
"Wow," Sally said softly. "That's absolutely incredible Sonic."
"You ain't seen nothin' yet!" Sonic said bringing the sword
behind him. Sonic slashed forward only releasing one ring. The flying
blade lashed out in some impressive aerial moves but Sonic made sure not
to hit any of the trees. If Kinos was keeping close watch on the forest
like Robotnik always did then he'd notice if trees just started
dropping. Finally the ring flew back and reattached itself.
[You will never cease to amaze me Sonic,] Sylvanix said
quietly. [Forming the sword on your first try and even being able to
control part of it is something no other Guardian has ever been able to
do.]
>What can I say?< Sonic said smiling. >I had a good teacher.<
Sally, Rosie and Osaka were all gathered around him staring at
the sword. "That was incredible Sonic!" Rosie said excitedly. "But how
can you lift something so big with just one hand?"
"The sword is lighter than it looks," he explained holding the
sword higher. "My guess is that it conforms to the Guardian currently
using it. Otherwise the weapon would be useful to some and useless to
the rest."
"But with how long it took you to bring it out an enemy could
easily take advantage of that," Osaka pointed out. Sonic sighed.
"I need to practice bringing it out," he admitted. "The faster I
can do that the more useful it becomes." The sword seemed to sigh
expelling all the wind energy in it and returned to its normal
size. "Once I do that future fights should be a breeze. I also need to
work on my control and learn to use all three rings at once." He
sheathed the sword and pulled the whole thing off his back to hold in
his hand.
"And when do you plan on more of those?" Rosie asked raising an
eyebrow. Sonic sighed.
"Kinos is the only person I intend to fight right now," he
answered. "If there's someone I really want to beat it's him."
"You'll do it Sonic," Sally assured him hooking her arm in
his. "Now I would love to get some sleep. It was rather boring
watching you, well, except at the end."
Sonic smiled and looked up to see the Cherrywood group return
with a load of supplies. "Are they just finishing their first run?" he
asked impressed. "That was pretty quick."
"Sonic, that's the third run they've made," Osaka corrected
him. "You were meditating for close to two hours." Sonic scratched his
head confused.
"No way doc," he insisted. "I only talked to Sylvanix
briefly. It couldn't have taken more than ten minutes." Osaka took his
watch off and threw it to Sonic. He looked at it and his eyes widened
with surprise. "Well I'll be..."
"Antoine said the last time they were back it would take more
time than they had anticipated," Rosie said. "They're gonna be moving
supplies throughout most of the night."
"Well, let's see if they need any more help," Sonic said and took
a step forward. His legs gave out underneath him and Sally caught him
before he hurt himself. "Nevermind," he said the pain in his voice
evident.
"C'mon you," Sally said pulling his arm over her shoulder. "You
need rest more than the rest of us right now. You're going to bed
whether you like it or not."
Sonic muttered something but tried his best to walk. Antoine
walked over staring at Sonic and Sally and stood next to Osaka and
Rosie. "Did I miss something?" he asked looking at them from the
corners of his eyes.
"Sonic just showed us something very interesting," Osaka said
simply. "It should make the fight against Kinos much easier. Now, what
was it you needed?"
"I was going to ask if Sonic or Sally would like to help," he
said sighing, "but it seems that's not going to happen."
"What's wrong?" Rosie asked. Before Antoine could answer they
heard Bunnie yelling for Antoine to come back.
"Perhaps later," he said turning to leave. "It's not really that
important." He ran back towards Dulcy who took off once he got on her
back. Rosie looked at Osaka who had a concerned expression on his face.
"If he had to ask it was important, wasn't it?" she asked
quietly. Osaka nodded.
"I don't think Sonic has much support left here," he told her
keeping his voice down. "One has to wonder if it is truly Kinos' doing
though."
"Are you saying you believe that Sonic would betray us?"
Osaka sighed. "No, not for an instant," he answered. "But
something tells me that Sonic's going to have to watch his back very
closely from now on."
The next day Sonic and Sally woke up early to go for a run. They
talked about current events and developments. Sally could sense that
Sonic had a lot on his mind, between the lack of trust from the other
Freedom Fighters and Kinos himself. When they got back the rest of the
village had begun stirring except the group that had gone to
Cherrywood. They had finished the last trip only a few hours
ago. Sonic and Sally decided the best use of their time would be to
sort out the supplies they had brought and inventory them.
"We have enough foodstuffs to last us almost an entire year,"
Sally said looking at Nicole. "Plus the medical equipment and supplies
should make Dr. Osaka very happy."
Sonic sat down on the floor sweat pouring off his brow. He could
have easily used the wind to lift all the boxes but had chosen not
to. "Makes you wonder if they knew something like this would happen,"
he said panting. Sally glanced over at him.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"Maybe they knew Robotnik intended to attack them so they built
up their supplies to help others out. Either that or they knew it was
coming eventually." Sally turned away.
"That can't be it," she said though not believing it
herself. "There has to be some other reason."
"The alternative would be that there was a spy," Sonic
offered. "Either way it can't be good."
"But who in their right mind would be a spy against us?" Sally
asked. "What possible reason could there be?"
"Remember Robotnik was in control of the world as we know it,"
Sonic answered. "He knew that most of our families were
roboticized. All he would have to do is offer to someone that he could
free their family if they worked for him."
"It makes sense," Sally admitted sighing. "I can't tell you how
tempted I would have been if he had offered to bring my father out of
the Void."
"Same here if he could give me my parents," Sonic said shaking
his head. "Most everyone here would give anything for what we've lost."
"So once Robotnik got everything he needed from Cherrywood he
simply had the spy followed and then wiped the village out?" Sally
suggested. Sonic nodded.
"Sounds right to me," he agreed. "Plus it fits Buttnik's style
too."
"Where does that leave us with Kinos though?" Sonic shook his
head.
"To tell you the truth Sal," he said quietly, "I was actually
tempted to join him. I still am." Sally's expression changed to shock
at his confession. "It would be easy enough for me to get close to him,
get stronger and then wipe him out."
"But would it be worth having to fight us?" she asked hoping she
knew what his answer was.
"Not in a million years," he said smiling. "Besides, I'd only be
useful as muscle to him. He and I think the same so it'd be pointless
for me to help him plan things out. I'm not too fond of fighting
against my friends either."
"Glad to hear it," she said smiling back at him. "Still, what
appeal could that have had for you?"
"He understands me," Sonic told her. "He knows the things that I
want and getting stronger is one of those things. If nothing else it
also opens the possibility that I'll flat out just leave."
"With all that's happened I'm surprised you haven't," Sally
commented and then smiled. "Of course if you did you would take me with
you right?" Sonic smiled and gently held her hand.
"Do you even need to ask?" She moved closer and kissed him. He
returned it by pulling her closer to him. They parted and continued
with the task at hand. Villagers passing by watched them briefly and
some joined in to help. Within a couple hours everything was sorted,
inventoried and put away. The group that had helped decided that they
would all get breakfast together. It seemed that nothing could go wrong
this day.
Kinos paced the control room impatiently. Three weeks had gone
by and the Freedom Fighters had done absolutely nothing! He was losing
his patience waiting for them. Even Griff couldn't tell him what was
going on. The goat and his Freedom Fighters had proven useless. None
of the villages had taken the bait and the only one on his side was
Lower Mobius. Out of sheer anger and frustration Kinos snarled and
brought his right hand back to hit a techbot. The force of the blow
threw the bot into the far wall and exploded.
"Where the hell are they?!" he yelled angrily. "Why haven't they
attacked me? If I knew where Knothole was I'd just crush it, but that
damned goat doesn't know a thing!"
"IT SEEMS 'THAT DAMNED GOAT' WILL BE ARRIVING SHORTLY," the
computer said. Kinos clenched his hands into fists. This was the last
time that goat would bother him, one way or the other. A thought
crossed his mind that instant that made him smile. He knew _exactly_
how to mobilize the Knothole Freedom Fighters. He walked calmly over to
the command console and began flipping idly through the different
cameras. The door hissed open and Griff entered looking disappointed.
"Sorry I'm late Kinos," he apologized walking up next to the
white hedgehog. "We still haven't been able to get others to join our
cause."
"Don't worry about it," Kinos said his face hidden from
Griff. "It's no longer an issue."
"What do you mean 'it's not an issue'?" Griff asked slightly
angered. "As long as Sonic is out there it's an issue!"
The hedgehog placed his hand on Griff's shoulder halting any
further arguments. "I said it's not an issue," he repeated. "Sonic is
no longer the problem."
"What do you...!" Griff started but then felt something
odd. There was a green glow from his left shoulder where Kinos had put
his hand. Looking at it Griff realized that the glow was coming from
Kinos' hand. "What the hell is this?!"
"You should have listened to Sonic," Kinos said facing
Griff. His mouth was curved in a twisted smile. "He was never the
enemy, just me."
Griff felt his flesh and blood arm slowly replaced by metal but
it stopped there. Without warning his hand shot up to his throat and
grasped it. He tried pulling it off but to no avail, his metal hand was
stronger than his normal hand. Kinos turned back to the command console
and Griff could see six platoons of AI SWATbots and SWAT 2s preparing
for something.
"Platoons one through six, are preparations complete?" Kinos
asked.
"WE ARE READY TO DESTROY LORD KINOS!" the bots droned in
unison. Kinos' smile widened.
"Then move out, and destroy Lower Mobius."
"No!" Griff cried weakly as his hand tightened. Kinos turned
back to him still smiling.
"You see Griff, you were nothing more than a pawn," Kinos
explained slowly. "In a game of chess the pawns are always the first to
go. By sacrificing one or two pawns I have now exposed the king and
queen, or Sonic and Sally. From here it is a simple matter to corner
them for checkmate."
"You'll never get away with this," Griff gasped. "Sonic...will
stop...you!"
"We shall see," Kinos said as Griff collapsed still struggling to
breathe. "Like it matters at this point anyway. Sonic has no power
here, he will die within moments of entering the city."
Griff tried arguing back but his vision was starting to fade. He
had to fight this thing! He kept pulling at the arm, knowing it was
pointless but having no idea what else to do. He could feel his
strength fading away. The last thing he saw was Kinos' jagged smile.
"I'll give you this," Griff heard, "you played your part
well. You planted the seed of doubt that will rip the Freedom Fighters
of Knothole in two. Congratulations Griff on a job well done." His
vision went dark and he could see a bright light coming towards him. He
could hear his friends and family calling to him from there and reached
out to them.
Kinos watched as Griff reached out with his right arm and then
fall limp. That had been odd but of no consequence. He turned back to
the screen watching as the SWATbots entered the sewers. A patrol had
come out in the open but the presence of the bots didn't even phase them
until they opened fire. They wandered through the sewers until they
reached the city and began pouring laser fire into it. The Freedom
Fighters were unable to maintain a proper defense and the SWATbots soon
marched into the city. Kinos turned away to look at Griff's body
again. He felt a small twinge of guilt but it was gone just as
quick. He motioned a SWATbot who picked the corpse up and dumped it
down the garbage chute.
"LOWER MOBIUS IS NO MORE LORD KINOS!" he heard one of the
SWATbots yell triumphantly. Kinos smiled.
"Destroy everything," he commanded them. "Leave only rubble!"
"AS YOU WISH."
Kinos sat back down in the command chair and smiled. If this
didn't get them moving he was in trouble. He watched patiently as Lower
Mobius was reduced to ash and the SWATbots pulled out. The distress
call that had gone out would bring them to him.
Sally was pulled from her nap as Nicole began beeping
furiously. Sonic was out training with the sword Sylvanix had given him
and she could hear the rings whistling through the air. She pulled
Nicole out of her boot and opened her up. When she read the message she
jumped out of bed and grabbed her vest. She stepped out the door and a
ring flew past her. Had she gone out a second earlier it would have cut
her in half. She heard the blades reconnect and Sonic running up to
her.
"Sal! Are you okay?" he asked worriedly. She took a deep breath
and exhaled.
"I think so," she said slowly. "At least physically."
"I'm so sorry, I didn't know you were coming out," he
apologized. "I finally got two rings working at once but I can't really
focus on anything else when they're out."
"That can wait," she said showing him the message Nicole had
gotten. His eyes widened and then looked back at her.
"We need to get the others," he said his voice serious. She
nodded and ran towards the emergency bell. Sonic released the energy
from the sword and sheathed it. He took a step forward when he felt a
wave of agony and anguish wash over him. He fell to one knee and put
his hands over his ears but even that did not dull the noise. When it
finally subsided he could hear Sally ringing the bell.
>What was that?< he asked Sylvanix.
[Death carried on the wind,] the dragon answered. [As I told you
before the wind carries many things.]
>But for it to be this intense...<
[It was a great and sudden loss of life,] Sylvanix finished as
Sonic began walking towards where the villagers were gathering. [It
seems Kinos has made a move. Are you ready for this?]
>We'll see,< Sonic thought tuning into what Sally was saying.
"...and we need animals who are willing to go into enemy
territory to find out what happened," she said. Sonic stepped forward
volunteering himself. Following him were Antoine, Bunnie, Osaka, Rosie
and Rotor. Sally smiled at the group. "Antoine, if you would?"
The fox stepped forward and faced all of them. "Let us move
out!" he shouted and the group gave a brief cry.
"Umm, before you guys start running all over the place," Sonic
suggested as they began to walk off, "you do remember that I can
teleport us there?"
They all looked at each other and began laughing. "Ah can't
believe we forgot somethin' like that!" Bunnie said giggling.
"Can we not go directly in?" Rosie asked looking ill. "I have a
bad feeling about all of this." Sonic nodded.
"Kinos has some kinda field up that blocks my powers," he
said. "I'll get as close as I can but it won't actually be in Lower
Mobius. I'd rather not end up in the middle of a massacre like there
was at Cherrywood."
The others nodded and gathered around him. He closed his eyes
and felt the wind pick up. When he opened them they were just outside
the city outside of where the trash emptied. Bunnie held her nose
glaring at Sonic.
"Right next to the trash sugarhog?" she asked. "Not your best
work."
"Hey, it's not my fault," Sonic said defensively. "For some
reason we were drawn here, though why is beyond me."
"What's that?" Rotor asked pointing towards the pool. There
floated something larger than the other garbage. They walked up and
managed to pull the object to shore. They rolled it onto its front and
reeled back in horror and disgust. It was Griff's body stained and
tainted by the muck with his roboticized arm still gripping his
neck. Sally buried her head in Sonic's jacket as Bunnie did the same to
Antoine. Osaka and Rosie looked away a pained look in their eyes.
"This is going too far," Osaka said quietly fury in his
voice. "Kinos must be stopped."
"Lower Mobius!" Sally yelled pulling from Sonic. "If this is
what happened to Griff then they're in terrible danger!" They began
walking away but turned when Sonic didn't follow. "Sonic, aren't you
coming?"
"Lower Mobius is gone Sal," he said bluntly.
"But how could you know Sonic?" Rotor asked. "We just got
here. Maybe Kinos left the city alone."
"Not a chance," Sonic said shaking his head. "Before we left I
felt a wave of death wash over me. Everyone in the city is dead."
Sonic's words hung heavy over the Freedom Fighters. Sally, Rosie
and Osaka knew that he was right but the others were still trying to
accept the idea.
"Then what should we do?" Osaka asked raising an eyebrow. "If
Kinos acts like you said he does then the city itself is nothing more
than rubble right now. We have no way to contact their people that are
outside of the city either."
"We need to call a meeting of the different Freedom Fighter
groups," Sonic answered looking at Antoine. "Doc's right. Kinos must
be stopped, one way or the other."
Antoine nodded and looked at Griff's body one last time. "Do you
have some idea of what we can do Sonic?" he asked finally.
"Nothing but all out war," he said grimly. "In terms of numbers
Kinos has us outnumbered exponentially, but when it comes to ingenuity
we have the upper hand."
"We should head back to Knothole then," Rosie said. "We can
discuss our strategy when we get back."
"You guys go without me," Sonic told them. "There's something I
want to check out before we start planning anything." They looked at
him concerned and Sally stepped forward.
"Not alone you're not," she said handing Nicole to Antoine. "I'm
coming too." Sonic started to argue but just sighed and smiled.
"Like it would do any good to debate the point," he
muttered. "We're still gonna need some way to hack the computers. I
don't know about you Sal but I'm lucky if I can get them to turn on."
"We'll be fine," she assured him and hopped into his arms. He
gave her a curious look and she just smiled at him. "Just like old
times."
"We'll see y'all later!" Bunnie said as they walked off.
"Be careful you two!" Rosie added. "You had better be back
before it gets dark!"
Sonic and Sally chuckled and watched as they disappeared into the
trees. They looked at each other and kissed briefly. Sonic revved up
his legs and took off around the city. He felt the small shock of
passing through the barrier and Sylvanix's voice and presence vanished
from his mind. It was lonely to a degree. He ran over to the junkyard
and ran by a little too close to a metal pipe. It caught his upper arm
and a small trickle of blood ran down from the wound. He muttered a
curse and stopped, setting Sally down. It was a light scratch, nothing
to worry about really.
"Here, let me look Sonic," Sally said holding his arm to her
face. She brought her other hand by the scratch when her hand lit up
and the light enveloped Sonic's arm. When the light subsided Sonic's
arm looked brand new and they both had a look of shock and surprise on
their faces.
"That was...new," Sonic said finally. "When'd you learn to do
that Sal?"
"I didn't know I could," she admitted looking at her
hand. "That's never happened before."
Sonic was about to say something else when he noticed her eyes
glowing like they had after he had proposed. So it WAS what he had
thought.
"Sal, I think that Sylvanix may have awoken some of your powers,"
he told her smiling.
"But when?" she asked still looking at her hand.
"When you traveled to my inner world," Sonic explained. "I don't
know why he woke them up though. Either that or the entire situation
brought them out."
Sally was quiet with awe. She now had similar powers to him
though not destructive. She wasn't about to complain especially since
her powers worked in the city where Sonic's didn't. "Is there anything
I can do besides heal?" she asked curiously.
"Heck if I know," Sonic answered shrugging. "Though we may not
want to hang around here much longer."
"You got that right," a voice said nearby. Sonic immediately
spun around his sword drawn. Uncle Chuck easily caught the blade and
pushed it aside. "Easy there sonny, I'm not gonna hurt you guys."
"Sir Charles!" Sally said hugging the elderly robot. "It feels
like it's been forever."
"We'll have time to catch up later," he replied. "Right now we
need to get out of sight so Kinos doesn't find you two." He grabbed the
pipe that Sonic had scratched himself on and pushed it down. A door
opened up on a nearby pile and they went in. Sonic looked around as the
door closed impressed.
"Not bad unc," he said. "Umm, sorry 'bout earlier. The whole
sneaking up on us kinda set my instincts off."
"Don't worry about it," Uncle Chuck said waving it aside. "I
would've done the same thing in your shoes. Anyway, what brings you two
here?"
"Well, we wanted to do some scouting around to see what my evil
half is up to," Sonic said as they all sat down. "I know for a fact
he's got some kinda field up that disables my powers leaving me with
just my wits and speed."
"His disruptor field," Uncle Chuck confirmed nodding. He pulled
up a diagram of the city that had a yellow ring around it. "He's put up
a massive shield for the sole purpose of that. Everything else works
inside it except your wind powers."
"But to keep something like that up would require a massive power
source," Sally piped in. "He hasn't put up any new factories to suggest
that though."
"That's because he's using something else," the elderly hedgehog
replied pulling up a different diagram. It showed a flow of energy
coming from far beneath the city powering everything. The screen showed
the energy flow in a violet and yellow swirl. "I've been picking up
some pretty strong Void readings the last few weeks. I think he's using
the portal room like a giant battery."
"Using another dimension to power the city," Sonic muttered and
sighed. "Why am I not surprised? But how was he able to separate my
powers from everything else?"
"Can't help you there nephew," Uncle Chuck replied shaking his
head. "Have you used anything that he could have gotten a reading off
of?"
Sonic was quiet for a moment and then it hit him. "Son of
a...!" Sally and Uncle Chuck stared at him. "When I came to rescue
Griff I used a couple wind attacks," he explained. "He must have done
it then! I knew it was too easy!"
"See what happens when you rush in without a plan?" Sally said in
a very 'told you so' voice. "Let me guess though, that was his
intention the whole time?" Sonic nodded and Uncle Chuck just stared at
the two of them.
"What in the blazes are you two talking about?" he asked
finally. "I know that Kinos used to be Nano Sonic but you two make it
sound like he's Sonic's evil twin. Robotnik may have been creative in a
twisted sort of way but no way he was that good."
"Sorry unc," Sonic said sighing. "You've got an evil nephew
who's white and black."
"Even if he does think like you most of the time," he argued,
"he's still a creation of Robotnik's. He's not perfect, he's not you
sonny." Sally rubbed her chin pensively.
"That would make sense," she said. "But it's still too hard to
determine what's Sonic and what's Robotnik."
"More than that," Sonic said changing the subject, "we've got to
find a way to shut down that shield. I can annihilate Kinos if it's not
there."
"Can't help you there Sonic," Uncle Chuck said. "He's got a
hundred failsafes on the Void portal so anything short of blowing the
whole thing up will shut it down."
"We'll do it somehow unc," Sonic said standing up. "In the
meantime we should head back to Knothole. We have enough info that we
should be able to get a few raids in before winter hits us in full
force."
"Be careful you two," Uncle Chuck said hugging both of them. "I
don't know what Kinos has up his sleeve, his security is too
tight. I'll let you know of anything vital I dig up."
"Thank you so much Sir Charles," Sally said hugging him
again. "You be careful too, there's no telling if Kinos knows about you
or not."
With that the two of them checked the periscope. Seeing the
coast was clear they opened the door and took off towards
Knothole. Unseen by all of them a figure stood up from leaning on the
side of the pile the base was hidden in. It smiled as Sonic and Sally
vanished into the forest. It pushed down on the pipe and walked towards
the door. There sat Uncle Chuck buried in his computer trying to hack
into Kinos' mainframe.
"Hey there, unc," the figure said slowly. Uncle Chuck didn't
even turn around.
"I thought you and Sally left Sonic," he answered. "You forget
something?"
"I didn't forget anything," the figure said with a sneer, "though
it seems you forgot that I know everything that happens in my city, Sir
Charles."
Uncle Chuck whirled around to face the figure and his eyes
widened in fear. "Let's talk, 'unc'," Kinos suggested as he closed the
door behind him. "Just you and me."
(
geocities.com/televisioncity/satellite/6616/sonic) (
geocities.com/televisioncity/satellite/6616) (
geocities.com/televisioncity/satellite) (
geocities.com/televisioncity)