Discovery
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 of
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: Same as the first one. If you haven't read it I would
strongly suggest doing that so you understand what's going on.
WARNING!! This story may contain mild language use and graphic
description. You have been warned.
With an ally missing and a new threat on the horizon, the Knothole
Freedom Fighters find themselves in a mess of trouble. Sonic has left
with the one called Soul Child, training his body and mind to take down
Robotnik. Robotnik has developed a weapon with horrific effects. Now
the Freedom Fighters must band together tighter than ever so that
everything they have worked for is not lost.
Cast of Characters:
Princess Sally Alicia Acorn
Bunnie Rabbot
Rotor Walrus
Sir Charles "Chuck" Hedgehog
Dulcy
Dr. Ivo Robotnik
Snively
?????????????
?????????????
Lupe
Ari
"Magus" the Spirit of the Magi***
Dr. Adrian Osaka***
?????????????
The morning after Sonic's departure Sally awoke to someone
knocking on her door.
"C'mon Sally-girl!" Bunnie said. "Rise and shine! Rotor and
Uncle Chuck got some good news."
Sally sat up her eyes still red from crying. Her pillow was
practically soaked making for an interesting night of sleep. In a way
she could still feel Sonic's lips on hers and another pang shot through
her. It had all happened so suddenly. First Sonic was attacked by Soul
Child and nearly killed, then the attack on Cherrywood, and then Sonic
leaving. Not to mention the kiss the two of them had shared the
previous night. It was too much too fast.
"I'll be out in a bit Bunnie," Sally answered back wiping her
eyes. "Let me get a shower first."
"Alright then sugah. Ah'll meet ya' at the dining hut for
breakfast."
Sally got out of bed and went to her bathroom. She slipped out of
her nightgown and into the shower. She adjusted the water temperature
until it was warm but not too hot. By the time she got out she was
feeling slightly better though she had hoped the shower would melt away
her troubles. Well, it can't hurt to wish. She threw on her vest and
boots, grabbed Nicole and went outside to meet Bunnie. It was a
beautiful spring day. The sun was shining through the clear skies and
she could hear birds chirping all around her. If Sonic had been here
she could've spent the day with him.
She sighed and walked over to the dining hut where Bunnie was
waiting for her. "I thought you said Rotor and Uncle Chuck had news for
us?" she asked.
"They do," Bunnie said nodding. "They said they wanted some
coffee and a bite ta eat. Apparently they've been workin' all night
long."
Sally stretched out trying to act normally. "Well, why don't we
do the same?" she suggested. "I didn't eat much yesterday and now I'm
starving."
"You and sugarhog both," Bunnie said shaking her head. "Come to
think of it, I haven't seen him since Cherrywood. How 'bout you?"
The two of them entered the dining hut as Sally struggled to come
up with something. "Sonic left last night," she said finally. "He said
he may have found a weapon that can beat Robotnik. He didn't say how
long he'd be gone, but something tells me it'll be a long time."
"But we need him!" Bunnie said slightly angered. "Without Sonic
how are we going to do any real damage to Robotnik? Whether anyone
wants to admit it we need sugarhog more than anyone."
"I know Bunnie," Sally said grabbing a bowl of oatmeal. "But he
said that this is the only way. He didn't want to alarm anyone with his
leaving, that's why he left in the dead of night."
Bunnie didn't say anything to that. Sally felt terrible lying to
her best friend in all of Mobius but it was the truth, for the most
part. Sonic had chosen to tell her what he was going to do, meaning he
trusted he to know what was best for all of them. She wasn't sure how
the other villagers would react to his leaving them to train with Soul
Child either. Word had gotten out that Sonic had been critically
injured by him and she knew the villagers wouldn't look highly on Sonic
training with the same person. Even she wasn't too enthusiastic about
it. Sally and Bunnie sat down and started eating making small talk.
Sally was starting to feel better but she still missed him. When they
finished eating they took care of their dishes and headed out to Rotor's
workshop. When they went in they saw Rotor and Uncle Chuck asleep at
the workbenches. Bunnie smiled and snuck up behind Rotor. She put her
mouth right by his ear and Sally expected her to whisper something in
his ear.
"BOO!!" Bunnie yelled.
The effect was great. Rotor was so surprised that he jumped over
a foot off his stool and fell onto the ground. The ruckus woke up Uncle
Chuck as well though without the same display. Sally and Bunnie laughed
as Rotor picked himself up and shook his head trying to get rid of the
cobwebs.
"For cryin' out loud," he said. "You could've just shaken me."
"Yeah, but what fun would that'a been?" Bunnie replied wiping a
tear from laughing.
"That aside," Sally said still giggling, "what kind of progress
have you guys made on the blaster Sonic brought back?"
"Well, it's not really a new weapon," Uncle Chuck said dejectedly.
"It's simply a souped up blaster. It's possible that the files on the
R-Wave were simply rumors to spring a trap."
"The only other possibility is that whatever took out Cherrywood
wasn't a blaster," Rotor piped in.
Sally rubbed her chin thinking. From what Dr. Osaka had said the
freshest of the injuries were the heart and major arteries and all of
the victims had damaged ear drums.
"Maybe it's a type of sonic emitter we should be looking for," she
said voicing her thoughts. "The damage is consistent with sound-based
weapons and wouldn't have to be installed in the blaster. More than
likely the controls and emitter would be in the head unit."
"That might just be it," Rotor said yawning. "If I can take a
look at one of those heads I can tell you fairly soon."
"There's just one problem with that Rotor," Uncle Chuck said
raising his finger. "All of the SWATbots have tracers installed in
their heads. We couldn't safely bring one of them here without giving
Robotnik Knothole's location."
"Do you have the tools to work on them on site?" Sally asked.
Rotor sighed. "I don't know," he admitted. "I'm pretty sure I do
but it may take some time to find everything."
"See what you can gather up Rotor," Sally said. "If you're ready
we'll leave this afternoon."
Sally turned to walk out the door when she felt a metallic hand on
her shoulder.
"Sally," Uncle Chuck said, "what's wrong? You haven't been
yourself lately. Did something happen between you and Sonic yesterday?
You haven't said a word to him since the attack on Cherrywood and we
hardly saw you yesterday. What's going on?"
Sally wanted to tell him. He was Sonic's uncle. But she still
wasn't sure how he'd handle it.
"I'm fine," she answered. "Sonic left to find a weapon to fight
Robotnik."
"Well, I hope he gets back soon," Uncle Chuck said. "I've been
getting some really odd reports from SWATbot units lately. Robotnik is
planning something big and I'm not sure when he plans on unleashing this
new threat."
Sally sighed. "I hope so too," she said quietly and left Rotor's
workshop.
The three of them watched her leave and turned to each other.
"Anyone here believe her?" Rotor asked breaking the silence.
Bunnie shook her head. "She's not telling us something," she
answered. "Sally-girl was never good at lying and this is her worst one
by far."
"I think it's more than that Bunnie," Uncle Chuck said. "For the
time being I think it's best to just accept what she says and worry
about the details later. Right now the more important matter is this new
weapon of Robotnik's."
All three of them nodded as Rotor and Uncle Chuck began digging
through Rotor's closet. Bunnie went outside to try and find Sally. The
two of them needed to talk. She went to her hut and knocked on the
door. When no one answered Bunnie quietly opened the door and looked
inside.
"Sally-girl?" she said looking around. "You here?"
>Well, if she ain't here, where is she?< Bunnie thought.
Bunnie checked all over the village. She had expected to find
Sally by the Power Ring Pool. It was the one place most of the Freedom
Fighters went to relax. But Sally wasn't there. The only place Bunnie
hadn't checked was Sonic's hut. But why would Sally be there?
>It can't hurt to try,< she thought.
She went to Sonic's hut. All the lights were off and his door was
closed. Bunnie took a deep breath and knocked on the door. No one
answered, pretty much what she had expected. She was about to walk away
when she heard a small sniffle. Bunnie stopped and listened closely.
She heard it again and opened the door. There sat Sally on Sonic's bed
looking at a picture. She was so absorbed in her own world that she
didn't even see or feel Bunnie sit next to her. Bunnie looked at the
picture. It was from a few weeks ago after Sonic and Sally had used the
Deep Power Stones to destroy the Doomsday Project. It was of Sonic and
Sally standing on the stage holding each other after thinking that it
was all over. It had been only minutes after when they heard
Robotropolis was still active and that Robotnik was still alive.
"Sally-girl," Bunnie whispered, "what's wrong?"
"I really miss him Bunnie," Sally said wiping her eyes. "He left
so suddenly. I don't know what to think right now."
"It's okay girl," Bunnie comforted her. "Sugarhog'll be back
before you know it. Once he finds that weapon we can beat Robotnik and
take back Mobotropolis once and for all."
"Sonic didn't leave to find a weapon," Sally admitted. "He left
to train."
"Train?" Bunnie said incredulously. "He could've done that here.
Who could possibly train him better than us?"
"Soul Child."
Bunnie sat there dumbstruck. "Come again?"
"He left to train with Soul Child," Sally said again. "He said
that it was the only way to beat Robotnik. At least, that's he told me
last night."
"Last night?" Bunnie asked beginning to feel like she was
interrogating her friend. "What exactly happened?"
Sally was quiet. She then proceeded to explain what Sonic had
told her the night before all the way up to when the two of them kissed.
When she got to that part Sally stopped rather abruptly. Bunnie raised
an eyebrow.
"Sally-girl, Ah'm your friend," she said bluntly. "Ah'm not gonna
judge you for anything you do. Something else happened that you're not
sayin'. What was it?"
"We...we," Sally stuttered. She swallowed and gathered up her
courage. "We kissed."
"Is that it? Ain't nuthin' wrong with that," Bunnie said
shrugging. "It's pretty obvious how close you two are, one little kiss
don't...mean..."
Bunnie stopped as the full meaning of what Sally had said sunk in.
"It wasn't a little kiss was it?"
Sally shook her head. "I've...never kissed anyone, or been
kissed, like that before," Sally said smiling as she remembered. "It
was like flying, all of the worries of the world just falling off my
shoulders when I was in his arms." Sally looked up at her friend. "I
love him Bunnie. More than just as a friend, I love him with all my
heart."
If Bunnie's jaw had not been attached to her head it surely would
have fallen to the floor. Sure, she had caught the two of them looking
into each other's eyes a little too long, maybe their lips awful close
for talking, but this was on a whole new level.
"Damn girl," Bunnie said finally. "I gotta say that Ah envy you.
If y'all weren't gonna make a move I was about to." She nudged Sally in
the ribs with her non-robotic limb. Sally smiled and nudged her back.
"Not anymore," she said warningly. "You can't have him."
"Now that's the Sally I know and love," Bunnie replied hugging her
friend. "C'mon, we need to get some stuff ready for the trip to
Cherrywood."
The two of them got up and left, making sure to close the door
behind them. It was almost the afternoon and Rotor and Uncle Chuck were
still digging through Rotor's closet. Uncle Chuck sighed tossing
another mystery piece over his shoulder.
"You ever think of cleaning this thing out Rote?" he asked.
"The day Sonic cleans his hut," Rotor replied yawning. What he
wouldn't give for a nap. Or a fish. "Besides, most of this stuff can
be recycled and turned into stuff that we can use. Might as well keep
it where the weather won't get to it."
Uncle Chuck muttered something unintelligible and kept digging.
"Jackpot!" he yelled after a few minutes holding up the last tool
they needed. "It's about time too, I thought my back was gonna give out
on me."
"Nothing some oil and a wrench won't fix," Rotor commented putting
the tool in his pack. "At least you won't have to wait weeks for it to
heal."
"The one advantage to being a robot," Uncle Chuck said. He shook
his head quickly. "What am I saying? I'd rather be flesh and blood
than this blasted form!"
"Don't worry," Rotor said. "We'll find a way to deroboticize you
and all of the people Robotnik has imprisoned."
"Assuming his new weapon doesn't take us out like it did
Cherrywood," Uncle Chuck said. He scratched his chin. "Though if we
find what we're looking for we may be able to find a counter to that
weapon so it doesn't even affect us."
"Hey, not bad!" Rotor said catching on. "If it's a sonic emitter
like Sally thinks it is then some type of earplug or earmuff should do
the trick."
"Well, you still need to be able to hear," Uncle Chuck pointed
out. "A lot of good stopping one weapon is if you get shot by another
from behind. If we could filter out the sound waves-"
"Y'all ready yet?" Bunnie said surprising them. "Sally and I've
been ready forever."
"Yeah, we just got the last of the tools that we'll need for
this," Uncle Chuck said. "Just talking about what we may be able to do
once we get this thing."
"Well y'all better hurry," Bunnie said beckoning them. "Sally
went to go get Dulcy to take us to Cherrywood."
The two mechanics grabbed their gear and went outside to see Dulcy
hanging upside-down from a branch napping. Hearing all the noise she
opened her eyes a little and smacked her lips together.
"Five more minutes ma," she said sleepily.
"You said that five minutes ago Dulcy," Sally said in her most
motherly tone. Bunnie couldn't help but notice her arms were crossed
and foot tapping like a certain blue hedgehog. "It's time to go."
"Alright alright!" Dulcy said swinging down. "Everybody here?"
"Ready when you are Dulce," Rotor said giving the dragon a thumbs
up.
Dulcy looked at the group of them. "This is it?" she asked. "No
problem, just hop on and off we go."
"No offense Dulcy, but do you mind if I fly separately?" Sally
asked. "I wanna get used to flying with passengers."
"Works for me!" Dulcy said as Rotor and Uncle Chuck climbed onto
her back. She spread her wings and took off. Bunnie grabbed onto
Sally's hands as she lifted off the ground. Sally made sure not to fly
directly behind Dulcy since she still wasn't sure how to handle
headwind. After a couple minutes she had managed to catch up with Dulcy
and flew right beside her. The boys were talking about something but
Sally couldn't hear a word through the wind. Just ahead she could see
the remains of Cherrywood. The thought of the village just being gone
still sent shivers down her spine.
"Dulcy!" Sally yelled. "Make sure to watch your landing down
here. There's not a lot of room."
"I'll be fine Sally," Dulcy yelled back. "Just watch!"
Uncle Chuck was lost in this whole conversation and even more so
when Rotor grabbed onto Dulcy's saddle as if his very life depended on
it.
"What's all this about?" he asked the walrus.
"Dulcy's landings are never the most...well let's just say you
better hold onto something if you like being in one piece."
"I still don't...Dulcy! You're coming in too fast!" the hedgehog
yelled as he grabbed the saddle as well.
"Trust me, this will work," Dulcy said. Sally watched as Dulcy
dove towards the village with Rotor and Uncle Chuck screaming. She
couldn't help but giggle. What amazed her even more was that Dulcy,
after a small loop de loop, landing softly on the ground without causing
any harm or damage. Sally landed next to them as the boys climbed off
nervously.
"Told you it would work," Dulcy said proudly. "But all the same,
I'm just gonna hang here. Doesn't look like this place is dragon-
accessible."
With that she wrapped her tail around a branch and hung herself
up. A few seconds later they could hear her snoring. Rotor shook his
head.
"I still can't believe she made that landing," he muttered
checking his pack. When he was sure he still had everything they walked
to where they had left the pile of SWATbots. Looking around Sally
noticed that one of the huts had been knocked over.
"Bunnie, come over here for a sec," she said motioning her friend.
Bunnie followed Sally over to the hut. They bent down looking at the
wreckage.
"It doesn't look like the SWATbots did this," Sally said. "There
are no blaster marks."
"Looks more like somebody was thrown in here," Bunnie said looking
closer. "This hut here was hit from the side facing the fountain and
then fell apart from there. You think sugarhog did this?"
Sally shook her head. "No, it would have to be someone much
bigger," she replied. "If it had been Sonic I don't think he'd have
been capable of moving after this. When he, Antoine and Tails came back
Sonic hardly had a scratch on him. My guess is that someone ambushed
them and somehow Sonic managed to throw them into the hut here."
"But who would've been waiting here for them?" Bunnie asked.
"I'll give you one guess."
Bunnie sighed and shook her head. "That hedgehog has got one
crazy mind on him," she said. "Ah still don't get the idea of training
with someone who not only tried to kill you but then ambushes you."
Sally had expected her to mention something about the two of them
and was thankful she hadn't. She stood off and dusted off her hands.
Sonic hadn't mentioned being attacked by Soul Child. Maybe he had done
that so she wouldn't worry. Like she wouldn't anyway. He had probably
guessed she'd be stressed enough hearing the village was gone and had
left Soul Child out of it. Sally rubbed her chin thinking. Unless he
had thought she would assume Soul Child had been responsible for all
this and Sonic had let him go. She had to admit that would have made
her furious at Sonic.
"But he wouldn't have said it if he didn't believe it himself,"
Sally said thinking out loud.
"Who said what now?" Bunnie asked hearing Sally.
"Umm, nothing," Sally responded quickly. "Let's go see if Rotor
and Sir Charles need any help."
Sally walked towards the two as Bunnie just stared at her. She
didn't know what was going through that girl's head but she intended to
find out.
Rotor lifted the top off of one of the SWATbot heads. He stared
at the mess of circuitry trying to find something he didn't recognize.
He sighed. He didn't recognize any of this. They had never studied how
a SWATbot was actually built, they just let Sonic trash them and that
was the end of it. Uncle Chuck seemed to be having more luck. The
hedgehog did have more experience studying bots than Rotor did but even
he seemed to be having trouble.
"I just don't see anything different," he said throwing down the
head. "If I didn't know better I'd say that these SWATbots didn't take
out the village and they were just taken out before they could do
anything."
"But if they didn't do this, who did?" Rotor asked. "There's no
way Sonic or Antoine would do this, and there's no point in thinking
Tails did."
"Any luck boys?" Sally asked walking over with Bunnie right
behind. Rotor gulped when he saw Bunnie. The sun was at the perfect
angle right behind her that it almost seemed to make her glow. He'd
always had a thing for Bunnie but figured there was no way it could ever
be. She was a fighter and he was a thinker. No way it would ever work.
"None," Uncle Chuck said. "I don't see anything different about
these bots."
"Let me try," Sally said pulling out Nicole. "Nicole, run a scan
over one of these SWATbots and then compare it to the original
schematics."
"Unable to process Sally," Nicole said. "The parts from all the
SWATbots are mixed up. I would need a whole unit in order to initiate a
scan."
Sally sighed and closed the computer placing it back on her boot.
"Looks like we're digging," she said.
Nearly two hours later the four of them stood over six partially
reassembled SWATbots. Sally couldn't help but notice that each one
looked like it had been cut apart rather that knocked apart like Sonic
would have done to them. Well, Soul Child had obviously destroyed them
and erased any doubt in her mind that Sonic had let a killer go. She
pulled Nicole out and opened her up.
"How about now Nicole?" she asked.
"Scanning initiated Sally," Nicole said her screen flashing.
"Scan may take some time."
Sally sat down and set Nicole near the SWATbots. She was tired
and sweating, and this heat wasn't helping any. Rotor and Bunnie joined
her while Uncle Chuck searched through his pack for something. His hand
emerged with a can of lubrication and his face was beaming. He squirted
some onto his joints and let loose a huge sigh. He sat down with the
others and handed the can to Bunnie. She in turn put some onto her
robotic joints and moved them around to spread it.
"Oh mah stars that feels better," Bunnie said happily. "It's like
a cold drink of water on a hot day."
"You're not helping Bunnie," Sally muttered wiping her brow.
"I still can't figure out what happened here," Uncle Chuck said.
"First off, when Rotor and I were looking at those bot heads I didn't
see anything different."
"Nicole will be the judge of that," Sally replied looking at her
computer. "The damage here is consistent to a sound weapon. I noticed
too that none of the windows are broken."
"Maybe something in the circuitry allows the SWATbots to switch
from blaster to emitter," Rotor offered. "Using the blaster as an
emitter would allow the bots to focus the waves so they didn't break the
glass. I'd say it was like they were trying to make it look like the
town was just abandoned."
"They succeeded in that," Bunnie said. "From what sugarhog and
doc said Ah'm glad Ah wasn't the one who came here."
They all nodded at that. None of them could forget the
description that had been given to them. Thankfully doc had covered the
bodies so the other villagers didn't have to go through with that sight.
"Scan complete Sally," Nicole chimed. "There is a twenty-five
percent difference in these SWATbots and the original SWATbot
schematics."
Sally picked the computer up. "Is there anything that looks like
a sonic emitter or circuitry that allows for a wave conversion?" she
asked.
Nicole beeped a couple times. "Positive Sally," she said. "The
mechanism is located in the entire right arm. Scans for tracking
beacons shows negative in this area."
Nicole had answered Sally's next question. Looking at the bots
she realized that all of their right arms were in one piece. It was if
Soul Child had known about the weapon and where it was. Rotor was
scratching his head trying to think.
"That would explain all the extra circuitry," he said. "It was so
well integrated that I didn't even notice it."
"Robotnik's getting better," Uncle Chuck said. "He must be
following Snively's advice on this one. Though it does seem odd there
are no tracers in his newest piece of technology."
"Maybe there wasn't enough room," Bunnie suggested. "Maybe the
signal from the tracer messed the emitter up."
"Either way I don't think we should complain," Sally interrupted
standing up. "Let's grab as many as we can and take them back to
Knothole."
The others nodded and each grabbed an arm to take back. After a
rather interesting wake up call to Dulcy they packed up and headed out.
Sally was still worried about the hut being in the condition it was.
What had really transpired here? Did Sonic fight Soul Child and win or
was this another case of the human letting him go? More importantly why
hadn't Sonic told her about it? She sighed. Right now that wasn't
important. She could always ask him when he got back.
"Snively! Report!"
Robotnik had been in a foul mood lately and Snively was getting
the brunt of it. He muttered something under his breath as he got his
list together.
"Sir, SWATbot production is currently at seventy-five percent," he
started nervously.
"And why is it that low, Snively?"
"We have had to temporarily redirect power to the new plant you
just got online," he replied quickly. "The plant should be running on
its own power within 48 hours sir."
"Very good timing Snively," Robotnik said pyramiding his fingers.
"Go on."
"The AI units for the new SWATbots have finally been perfected and
we're installing them in every tenth unit like you ordered sir."
"How 'perfect' are they?"
"We're running the final field test on them right now sir, we
should have the results within minutes." Snively hoped his uncle was
happier now.
Robotnik smiled and laughed quietly. "And the new weapon?" he
asked.
"The new R-Wave has been integrated into the SWATbots for seamless
transition," Snively reported. "I also have the Alpha Prototype ready
for you sir."
"Bring it in," Robotnik beckoned.
Snively pressed a button and a very familiar looking robot walked
in. Robotnik stood up and walked around the bot eyeing him carefully.
"I can still tell this is a robot Snively," he angrily. "Do you
really think that the Freedom Fighters would fall for this?"
"As I said sir, it's only the prototype," Snively said breaking
into a sweat. "We should have an exact replica very soon. We're still
developing the technology necessary-"
"I do not want excuses Snively!" Robotnik yelled backhanding the
robot. The bot shattered from the impact of Robotnik's metal hand.
"When will you have a fully functional realistic replica for me?"
"About six months sir," Snively said whimpering. "If all the
tests go well then it could be as short as four months."
Robotnik smiled again. "Very good Snively," he said sitting back
down in the control chair. "Continue your work with this model. I'll
be expecting good news very soon."
"Oh you'll be getting news alright," Snively muttered sneering.
"Just wait 'til I finish this one. You won't know what hit you fat
boy."
Rotor set the arm down and sighed. He had been working for almost
two days straight now and still couldn't figure out how the weapon
itself worked. He had been able to fire the blaster with ease but
getting the right energy configuration to fire the sound wave had proved
far more difficult. He made a couple minor adjustments and set the arm
down on the table. He went over to his computer panels and pressed a
couple buttons. Charge at twenty percent...fifty percent...ninety...one
hundred!
"Fire!" he yelled for no one's sake but his own.
A laser shot out and he sighed powering down the system. He was
tired, hungry, and fed up with this thing. Maybe if he got something to
eat and some sleep he'd be able to think more clearly. He walked out of
his lab into the night and went over to his hut. He opened his cooling
unit that he had whipped up a few months before and pulled out a fish.
He licked his lips and swallowed it whole. Already he felt better. He
stepped into the shower trying to think about what he was doing wrong.
When he got out and dried off he was still thinking about it. He laid
down running more scenarios through his head until he drifted off to
sleep.
He woke up early and let out a loud yawn that could've woken the
dead. He finally felt like he was at a hundred percent again. He
grabbed his toolbelt and hat and went over to his lab where Sally and
Bunnie were waiting for him.
"Any luck yet Rote?" Bunnie asked yawning lightly.
He shook his head in dismay. "I've spent two days on that thing,"
he said opening the door. "There's just something I'm missing. I just
don't know whether it's in the physical parts or the amount of energy
that needs to be generated."
"You want me to have Nicole look at the arm?" Sally offered.
He shook his head again. "This is something I want to find on my
own," he insisted. "And after spending two days there's no way I'm
gonna let a computer find it in five minutes. No offense Sally."
Sally smiled understanding. If it had been her she would have
said the same thing. Rotor opened the arm again and looked carefully
through it moving wires aside. He eyes opened in disbelief and disgust.
"Is this little thing it?" he asked reaching for his screwdriver.
"If this is it I swear by the Maker I'm gonna rip this thing apart."
He put the arm back together and aimed it towards that opposite
wall. He stepped behind the computer and turned on the generator. He
watched as the power climbed little by little.
"What was it y'all found Rote?" Bunnie asked watching the meter.
"It was this tiny gear I've missed every time I've opened the
thing up," he said. "I just turned it around so we'll see what happens.
Fire!"
He slammed his hand on the button and nothing happened. He
scratched his head and looked at his monitors. All of them were blank
except one which was fluctuating rapidly. He smiled and began hopping
and shouting.
"I found it!" he exclaimed happily. "After two days I finally
found the little bugger."
"How long until you can make something to defend against it?"
Sally asked.
At this he just shrugged. "I don't honestly know," he admitted.
"It may take a few weeks, it may take a few months. I do know I'm gonna
need Uncle Chuck and Dr. Osaka's help on this."
"What you need doc for?" Bunnie asked raising an eyebrow.
"I'm gonna need him to create a dummy so Uncle Chuck and I can
test whether whatever we come up with actually works."
Sally nodded excitement coursing through her. "I'll send a
carrier pigeon to Sir Charles to let him know," she said smiling.
"Bunnie, go get Dr. Osaka and tell him to come here. We may have found
a huge weakness in Robotnik's greatest weapon. Just tell me what you
need Rotor and you'll have it."
"Thanks a lot Sally," he said turning back to his workstation.
As they left the hut Sally turned to Bunnie concerned. "If this
takes Rotor as long as he thinks it will," she said, "we may want to
hold off on any unnecessary raids into Robotropolis."
"Ah'll start tellin' the others," Bunnie said running off. "Ah'm
sure everybody'll understand Sally-girl."
"I hope they do Bunnie," Sally whispered. She looked up into the
morning sky. "Sonic...please come back to us, and me, soon."
Meanwhile, somewhere in the Great Unknown, two figures did battle
with one another. Their swords clashed intensely with each parrying the
other's blows. The taller one carried a much larger sword had the
obvious advantage but the smaller katana-wielding figure moved much
faster than his opponent.
"You are using your speed to your advantage," the taller one said
locking blades. "Excellent! But you must improve your technique. You
will need more than speed."
"Don't act as if I don't know that," the smaller one said
growling. "My speed is part of my technique."
With that he disengaged and slashed quickly. The larger figure
had no time to block and a small amount of blood spurted from a small
cut on his forearm. He lowered his sword and smiled.
"That is enough for today," he said sheathing the blade. "You
have drawn first blood. You are rapidly improving. We may be able to
start the second stage of this training much sooner than I had
anticipated."
"Don't you dare start going easy on me," the other said sheathing
his blade as well. "I want you to push me to the very brink of death
over and over. I have to be able to survive anything if this is to
work."
The tall figure laughed and patted his apprentice on the shoulder.
"If it's that kind of training you want then I will give it to you," he
said walking back towards their campsite. "That type of training is for
later however. For now what we must do..."
**4 MONTHS LATER**
Sally sat down with Nicole and brushed her hair out of her eyes.
She had chosen to let her grow out further than she normally kept it,
much to Rosie's dismay. It had only grown down to about her shoulders
in the last four months and she intended to let it keep growing. She
liked it; it gave her a more mature look. Nicole's screen projected the
latest map of Robotropolis and she looked around for anything new.
Robotnik's newest factory had gone online months ago and even had its
own power source. They had been wondering why the raids were so easy
when they went in; Robotnik had drawn energy away from the main SWATbot
plants. On top of that Uncle Chuck had been unable to determine what
was actually in the plant. Nothing had come out of the plant the entire
time they had scouted it out and it was practically impenetrable. They
would have needed Sonic to have even a remote chance.
Sally shook her head trying not to think about him. It had been
over four months since he had left in the middle of the night. He had
told no one except her what he was doing but what he hadn't said where
he was going or how long he'd been gone. Most of the village had seen
through her lie easily and figured he was doing something else, though
they couldn't determine what. She still missed him and his absence was
still like a void in her being.
>He promised he'd come back,< she thought zooming in on an area of
the map. >Sonic has always kept his promises, he wouldn't start
breaking them now.<
She yawned and looked at the area she had zoomed in on. A
confused look crossed her face as she zoomed in closer on a particular
building. It was the size of a small house but from what the map showed
it was heavily guarded. What would Robotnik want with a simple house?
"Nicole, can you give me an interior view of that building?" she
asked the small computer.
"I will try Sally," the computer said.
Sally waited while Nicole redrew the hologram. She would have to
ask Rotor if he'd be able to install some of those updates he kept
talking about into Nicole. She still ran fine for what they needed but
some extra power wouldn't hurt.
"Simulation complete Sally," Nicole said. "Unfortunately due to
interference I am unable to show all objects."
Sally looked at the one room building carefully. There were no
SWATbots in the building, only outside it. The only area that Nicole
had been unable to draw up, as far as Sally could tell, was a large
square in the middle of the floor.
"What kind of interference Nicole?" Sally asked curiously.
"Unable to determine Sally," the computer replied. "Energy is of
an unknown source."
Sally was taken aback. This was the first time Nicole had ever
given her an answer like that. She'd been able to determine the amount
of energy that the Deep Power Stones could generate and yet a hole had
her stumped. This was something she had to check out.
She closed her up and attached her to her boot. She went out her
hut door and almost knocked Lupe and Ari over.
"Princess Sally!" Lupe said as Sally grabbed her arm. "Nice
running into you."
Sally smiled at the leader of the Wolf Pack Freedom Fighters.
"Sorry you two," she said helping Ari up as well. "I was just going to
get Dr. Osaka to take a look at something I had found."
"Perhaps we can help Princess," Ari offered. "Lupe is very
knowledgeable in the ancient history of Mobius and I have a great deal
of experience with technology, especially Robotnik's."
At the end his face twisted as if he had heard a sour note. Sally
remembered that Ari had been tricked by Robotnik to lead Sonic into a
deadly game that had almost gotten him sucked into the Void, though he
himself had gone in saving Sonic. Though no one blamed him he was doing
everything in his power to make up for his mistake. Sonic's
disappearance had hit him rather hard since he had never really had an
opportunity to apologize or thank the hedgehog.
"Well, I found this odd house in Robotropolis," Sally began.
"What's odd is that Robotnik has it heavily guarded from the outside,
but there's absolutely nothing inside."
"That does seem odd," Ari said crossing his arms. "Perhaps it
would just be easier to show us."
Sally nodded and motioned for them to follow her to the War Room.
Once there she set Nicole on the table.
"Nicole, display last hologram," she commanded.
"One moment Sally," Nicole said.
Once the image came up Sally pointed to the blank square in the
floor. "Nicole wasn't able to scan what's in this area," she explained.
"No matter what kind of field or energy I've had Nicole scan she's never
failed me. Whatever's in there is interfering with any sort of sensors,
which may explain why Robotnik has his SWATbots on the outside."
Ari had a confused look on his face while Lupe looked extremely
concerned. "I believe I may know what it is," she said. "Unfortunately
the only way to determine whether I am accurate or not is to go there."
She began coughing gradually getting more violent. Ari caught her and
helped her up.
"Are you sure you want to do this in your condition?" he asked
still holding her. Lupe nodded and looked at him.
"I am sure," she answered. "I will not let a little illness stop
me."
"What's going on?" Sally asked. "Is there something wrong at your
base?"
"We have been having some strange...storms lately," Ari said as
Lupe erupted into another coughing fit. "It began earlier this month.
Many of the Wolf Pack have felt something odd in the wind for some time
now. Just a couple weeks ago we began experiencing intense winds near
the top of the canyon as well as lightning. It was nothing at first,
but with every passing day it has gotten worse."
"We should check that out first," Sally said closing Nicole. "We
can check this out any day; I'm more worried about you guys."
"We will be fine Princess," Lupe said standing. "The only reason
that I am ill is because of someone's meddling in the elemental
energies."
"The what?" Sally asked raising an eyebrow.
"The very energies that hold Mobius in balance," Ari explained.
"Certain tribes are more aware of changes that occur when someone
attempts to harness their power. It just so happens that the Wolf Pack
is sensitive to changes in the wind, including the lightning storms."
"Some time away will help," Lupe said gently brushing Ari's hands
off. "Besides, what is in that dwelling may in fact help with our
problem."
"I'll get a team together," Sally said. "In the meantime, I want
you to go see Dr. Osaka Lupe. No complaints!" Sally raised her hand as
the wolf began to protest. "I need you in your best condition for this
mission. Don't force me to make this a Royal Order."
Lupe sighed. "Very well Princess," she said. "We will need a
team of at most seven for this to work correctly."
Sally arched an eyebrow but chose not to question the wolf. Lupe
broke into another fit and Ari picked her up. As he carried her to
Osaka's hut Sally couldn't help but wonder if there was something here
she was missing.
Two hours later Sally, Ari and Lupe, Tails, Bunnie, and Antoine
were crouched behind a pile of scrap just beyond the guarded house.
Sally looked to the sky to see Dulcy circling around. Robotnik's radar
had not yet picked her up and Sally couldn't help but be grateful.
Dulcy was wearing soundproof earmuffs that would protect her against the
R-Wave but it also prevented her from hearing anything else.
Without warning Dulcy plunged, sucking in a huge amount of air.
She let loose her icy breath freezing all but one of the SWATbots who
had the mind to duck out of the way. It had only begun to raise its arm
when Dulcy shot out a small fireball and melted the bot away. The
others ran towards the house as Dulcy gently touched ground and removed
her earmuffs.
"I have to admit Dulcy you're getting much better at landing,"
Sally commented to the dragon.
Dulcy beamed. "I've been practicing," she said. "That was
landing number ten with no accidents during or after."
"Should we be getting inside soon?" Antoine asked nervously
looking around. "Ze lack of the alarms is unsettling."
"Tony's right," Dulcy said. "You guys get in there, I'll make
sure these guys don't thaw out until you get back."
"Be careful Dulce!" Bunnie yelled as they entered.
Once the door closed behind them they were surrounded by darkness.
Sally looked down at Nicole. Her screen was fluctuating wildly. She
sighed and clipped the computer back on her boot.
"We need some light," she said looking around.
A bright flame lit behind her as Ari and Lupe took the torches
off the wall. They handed one to each of the Freedom Fighters. Sally
looked at them curiously.
"It is much easier for me to see in the dark," Lupe explained
seeing her look. "Our eyes have adapted to living in the darkness of
the canyon's catacombs."
"Is anyone else hot?" Tails said fanning his face.
"Sugarfox, what in the hoo-hah are you talking about?" Bunnie said
shivering. "I feel like I just jumped into a cold lake."
"Wait, what's going on?" Sally asked looking around.
"Tell me Princess," Lupe looking at her, "how do you feel?"
Sally stopped and thought. She didn't really feel that different,
just very...
"Peaceful," Sally said finishing her thought out loud. "I've
never felt this at peace in my entire life."
"Antoine?" Lupe asked turning.
Antoine looked unsure. "I am feeling...strange," he said slowly.
He then turned to Bunnie. "I am not sure I can say what it is."
Without warning he grabbed Bunnie and kissed her, leaning her
back. Responding instantly Bunnie returned the kiss in full as the rest
of them stood there in shock. When they came up Antoine smiled.
"Spontaneous," he smiled. "That is what it is being."
"Phew, now I'm feelin' hot too Tails honey," Bunnie said. She was
probably blushing though in this lighting it was impossible to tell.
Everyone laughed lightly.
"What about you Ari?" Lupe smiled her smile fading.
Ari adjusted his pose as if he was slightly uncomfortable. "I
feel...strong," he said finally. "I feel like a wall that will let no
intruder pass."
"What about you Lupe?" Sally asked. "I think it's only fair that
you tell us since you asked us."
Lupe smiled and closed her eyes. "I feel as if a million secrets
are being whispered to me," she said. "I feel a little mischievous as
well."
"What exactly is it that we are feeling?" Antoine asked holding
Bunnie's hand.
"They are manifestations of the elements," Lupe explained. "Fire
is the consumer and life bringer. Water seeks to protect and heal.
Lightning is unpredictable and powerful. Earth stands strong in the
face of danger. Wind is the trickster and keeper of secrets."
Tails counted on his fingers. "That's five," he said. "So why
did we need seven?"
"I have not finished," Lupe said. "There are two additional
elements that are frequently overlooked, though I am glad one of them is
not present." She looked at Sally. "Life guards all that is sacred and
preserves the light of hope."
"So what's the last one?" Tails interrupted impatiently.
Lupe looked at the young fox. "It is the very power over death.
It allows you to hear the spirits of the dead and the damned. It is a
tool of evil and deceit. It is the power of shadow."
A sudden chill went through the air at the end of what Lupe said.
It was not a cold breeze. It was as if something about that element the
very planet itself did not like. Lupe looked down into the well.
"We must descend," she said. "Whatever answers we seek will be
found at the end of the tunnel."
"Please do not be using that term," Antoine said swallowing. "I
am being uncomfortable as it is."
Everyone smiled, Antoine's comment unintentionally being humorous.
The further they went into the tunnel the stronger the feeling they had
each gotten earlier intensified. Poor Bunnie and Tails were a wreck but
Antoine held onto Bunnie to help her. Sally had to carry Tails. He
didn't feel any different to her but he insisted he felt like he was on
fire.
"Let's take a breather," Sally suggested. "We've been walking for
awhile now and I'm getting worn out."
"Couldn't agree more Sally-girl," Bunnie said shivering. "This
cold is takin' a lot outta me."
"Here Bunnie," Antoine said taking his jacket off and wrapping it
around her. "You need this more than me right now."
"Why Antoine," Bunnie said blushing, "are you sure that it's this
place doing this to you or have y'all been hiding something?"
"I-I am not knowing what it is you are to be talking about,"
Antoine said nervously pulling at the collar of his undershirt. Bunnie
pulled him to her.
"Whatever you say sugarfox," she said hugging him and smiling.
"How is Lupe holding up?" Sally asked turning to Ari.
The ram set her down. "All of her senses have been deafened by
the roar of the wind," he said concerned. "I can only hope that once we
reach the main chamber these feelings will lift."
"How far down do we have to go Aunt Sally?" Tails asked.
Sally opened up Nicole but the computer was still on the fritz.
She sighed and put her away. "I don't know honey," she answered. "We
have no way to tell how long we've been walking. I hope Dulcy's
alright."
"You must have faith," Lupe said weakly. "Believe in your inner
power and we shall reach the end."
They all looked at each other. Sally had had a hard time dealing
with the inner peace she felt, it just didn't feel natural. Maybe that
was it.
"Maybe the reason these feelings are intensifying is because we
don't accept them," Sally said. "If we accept that they're just
feelings and nothing real perhaps we'll reach the main chamber."
"Lupe and I have both accepted what these feelings are," Ari said.
"We must all believe or we will be trapped here forever."
Sally closed her eyes. The peace she had felt had now manifested
itself as a bright white light. She shielded her eyes at first but then
lowered it.
>This isn't real,< she told herself. She began walking towards
the light without squinting her eyes or shielding them with her hand.
>These are nothing but feelings that have no physical root. Why else
would Tails think he was hot but he's not sweating or running a fever?
These feelings were also what caused Antoine to lose his inhibitions
about Bunnie. Otherwise, he would have never kissed her. This is all a
dream and it's about time I woke up!<
When Sally opened her eyes she was in a large chamber with a stone
pedestal in the center surrounded by seven doors, each with a different
symbol on it. Oddly enough there was one door that was already open and
a light breeze was coming out of it. The others were looking around
somewhat confused.
"It was an illusion," Sally whispered. Out loud she said, "As
long as we believed that what we were feeling was real this place would
not let us enter."
"Determining truth from falsehood is a technique that many of the
Magi were capable of, among many others," a voice said.
They all looked around for the source of the voice. A ghostly
hedgehog appeared in front of them and both Ari and Lupe knelt down
before it.
"Ancestor," Lupe said. "We are not worthy."
"Rise my children," the spirit said. "You are indeed worthy."
"Who are you?" Sally asked. "And what is this place?"
"If it helps you I will refer to myself as Magus, though I am many
entities," it said. "I am the collective energy and memories of the
Magi. And this chamber is our sacred temple where all our secrets are
held, where Guardians are born."
Lupe's eyes widened. "The Magi?" she said incredulously. "I
thought they were all wiped out!"
"We were," Magus answered. "A thousand years ago our kind was
eradicated from this world. We were feared as sorcerers and
necromancers, though only one of us truly was. It is amazing what the
actions of one can do to an entire people. Before we died out we left
all of our knowledge in this temple drawing those with the same power we
had to it. Here they could become our avatars and allow our people to
be reborn."
"What did you mean 'the actions of one'?" Ari asked. "You make it
sound as if one of your kin went on some kind of rampage. I thought
that the Magi were guardians of peace."
"Not all of us," Magus said crossing his arms. "There was one who
became so consumed by the power of shadow that all he sought was power.
The power of death becomes more powerful when one is surrounded by it.
His power was immeasurable but in the end it was his very power that
consumed him."
Sally looked at the other three from Knothole. From the looks on
their faces they were as lost as she was. None of this was making sense
to her. She just wanted to know what was going on.
"Was that feeling earlier a sign of anything?" Sally asked.
The hedgehog nodded. "What you felt was your inner power
surfacing," Magus explained. "Should any of you seek the power of the
Magi you will be able to use the feelings from when you entered to
unlock it."
"That's all fine and dandy," Bunnie said still wearing Antoine's
jacket, "but what Ah wanna know is why y'all're telling us this."
Magus looked at her confused. "You mean that none of you here has
power over your element?" he asked.
Sally shook her head. "I'm afraid not," she admitted. "Why would
that be important?"
"Only one who has grasped his power may truly awaken this
chamber," Magus said. "Through the ages many have come here seeking
this power. Only one has dared enter these passages."
"That would explain the open door," Tails mused. "Why only one
though?"
"As I said, many have come here," Magus answered. "None have
sought this power to protect until recently. In the past twenty years
only three have entered here. One came but turned from his path, for
all it would bring was death. Another's heart was encased in metal and
could not hear the power within."
"That would be being Robotnik," Antoine said with a scowl. "I am
glad that he was being unsuccessful."
"There was one more, was there not Ancestor?" Lupe asked.
Magus nodded. "Most recently another came here," he replied. "He
accepted the power we had to offer and travelled the path of wind." He
motioned to the open door. "It has been quite some time since one of
his potential has come here. Were I still alive I would enjoy seeing
his progress."
"That is partially why we're here," Sally said. "There have been
a number off odd storms in the Great Canyon as of late. Lupe believes
that it is someone meddling in the elemental energies."
Magus smiled and nodded. "Lupe is it?" he murmured. "It is
strange; the first wolf that I allowed to feel the powers of the planet
was named Lupe."
"I was named after the first of my people," Lupe said. "My mother
told me that it was a blessed name, the first to feel the planet, a
power passed down from one of the Magi."
"In answer to your question," Magus continued turning to Sally,
"such a storm is indeed the work of a Magi. If it is the same one who
came here then you are also experiencing lightning."
Ari jumped in surprise. "Yes, how did you know?" he asked the
spirit.
"The one who travelled the wind was also blessed by the power of
lightning," Magus said. "I believe that it is also something that has
been passed down in his family, though I am not sure."
"I thought you were the 'collective memory' of the Magi," Tails
said. "Shouldn't you know?"
"I cannot remember everything," Magus admitted sighing. "There
are so many memories to sort through that much has been lost to me as
the ages have passed."
"Is there anyway to stop the storms?" Bunnie asked. "We don't
want our friends getting' hurt just 'cuz one of y'all is tryin' on his
powers."
"That depends," Magus said. "If he has called the name of the
wind then his power would be complete. If he hasn't called it then it
means that he cannot hear it yet."
"The name of the wind?" Lupe asked arching an eyebrow. "That is
something that I have never heard of."
Magus went to answer but for a brief moment he faded from view.
When he came to he looked at all of them.
"It seems that I have remained here too long," he said sighing.
"I am afraid that I cannot help you any longer. This room is covered in
the glyphs we used to keep our history. You may study them as long as
you wish. When you wish to leave the elements will carry you from this
place."
With that he vanished completely. The six of them looked at each
other all with confused looks. Sally pulled out Nicole and opened her
up.
"Nicole, can you scan the glyphs in this room?" she asked hoping
the computer was working.
Nicole beeped. "Yes I can Sally," she said. "Beginning scan."
Sally closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "That's one good
thing," she said exhaling. "Now we just need to figure out who is doing
all this."
"It couldn't be Soul Child," Tails said looking around. "Everyone
said Sonic had burns from the first time he fought him. When Sonic
fought him in Cherrywood Soul Child used a massive fireball against
him."
"And Ah don't think sugarhog would do something like this," Bunnie
added. "If he knew he was hurting the Wolf Pack then he would have
stopped immediately."
"Well, that's all the people we know," Sally said sighing. "That
leaves a lot of people we don't know."
"Scan complete Sally," Nicole chimed in. "Glyphs appear to be an
extremely ancient dialect of Mobian. It will take some time to
translate."
"How long Nicole?" Sally asked brushing away her hair.
"I...am unsure Sally," she replied. "I am afraid that in order to
produce a working translation I will have to compare each glyph to more
recent ones."
Sally sighed. This was not good news. "Get to work Nicole,"
Sally said. "And good job." She closed the computer up and put her
back on her boot.
"That's one thing done," she said. "Let's think more on the
storms when we get back to Knothole."
The others nodded in agreement. They walked towards the upward-
sloping tunnel when they suddenly felt a great force around them. In a
heartbeat they were at the surface of the tunnel.
"That saved us a great deal of trouble," Lupe said smiling. "Let
us go before Robotnik realizes that we have entered that chamber."
"That is being the best idea of the day," Antoine smiled.
"Oh, before Ah forget sugah," Bunnie said slipping his jacket off.
She handed it back to him and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks."
Antoine blushed as he put his coat back on. "We should be leaving
soon, yes?" he asked. "I am hoping Dulcy is okay."
Ari opened the door and there curled up on the ground was Dulcy
napping. Sally let out a little laugh and put her fingers in her mouth
to whistle.
"What? What? Where's the fire ma?" Dulcy said snapping awake at
Sally's whistle. She looked down at them and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Glad to see you guys are okay, I got bored after the first hour."
"How long were we down there Dulce?" Tails asked. "It didn't feel
like an hour."
"Try six," Dulcy corrected him. "I would've gone after you guys
but I get claustrophobic in places that are smaller than me."
Bunnie and Antoine climbed onto her saddle as Ari and Lupe grabbed
Sally and Tails' hands. They took off towards Knothole making sure to
keep under Robotnik's radar. When they arrived Rotor came running out
of his hut.
"I've got news from the Wolf Pack!" he said winded. He handed a
piece of paper to Lupe who opened and read it.
"The storms have passed!" she exclaimed happily. "Our scouts
found a hooded Mobian at the top of the cliff who looked like he was
controlling the storm. Unfortunately he managed to fight off our people
before they could capture him."
"That is something," Antoine said. "I am remembering the Wolf
Pack are all being very fierce fighters."
"They are," Ari said. "And if it was a standard party it was
close to twenty animals. That's no small feat by anyone's standard."
"We should head back," Lupe said. "That part concerns me, though
from what this said no one was killed by this Mobian, and I am
grateful." She and Ari turned to Sally and bowed. "Princess, thank you
for helping us, even if it truly accomplished nothing but increase our
knowledge of Mobius."
Sally smiled as they rose. "That's something I should be thanking
you for Lupe," she replied. "If it hadn't been for your and Ari's
guidance I would've left that place undisturbed."
"We shall see you around Princess," Ari said. The two of them
turned and walked into the forest. They watched them leave and sighed.
"It is good to be back," Antoine said. "I could be using a nap."
"Sounds like a good idea 'Twan," Bunnie said smiling
mischievously. "And I know just the thing that'll help."
Sally couldn't hear what Bunnie told Antoine but whatever it was
made him blush profusely and stammer out his response. Maybe it was a
good thing she couldn't hear them, especially with Tails right there
watching them. He made a face and stuck out his tongue.
"Gross," he said. "What do they see in stuff like that?"
Sally laughed. "You'll understand one day Tails," she said
mussing his hair. "Soon you'll be as flirtatious as Sonic." At that
thought she shivered. "On the other hand Tails, if you do that I may
have to hurt you."
"Nuh uh, I don't ever wanna get old and date girls," he said
shaking his head.
"You don't have much of a choice about that honey," Sally replied
walking towards Osaka's hut. She could see him go back to his hut
yawning. The sun had just started to go down. How had they been down
there six hours? It had hardly seemed over a half-hour. She knocked on
Osaka's door and the lynx answered promptly. When he saw her he smiled
and let her in.
"Glad to see you're alright Princess," he said as she sat down.
"I was hoping that I wouldn't have to be patching anyone up today. So
far so good."
Sally couldn't help but smile at that. "As long as Sonic's not
here I think you're going to be pretty bored," she said pointing to the
book he had nearly finished. "If I remember you just started that one
too."
"Don't take this the wrong way Princess," Osaka said, "but I
consider it a good day when I don't have to see anyone. Visiting, on
the other hand, is perfectly fine. Coffee?" He offered her a mug and
she smiled taking it.
"At this time of night?" she asked warily taking a sip.
"It's decaf, so it's kinda pointless."
He and Sally laughed. When it had subsided she looked at him
seriously.
"You're a pretty knowledgeable guy Dr. Osaka," she began. "What
do you know about the Magi?"
A worried look crossed his face for an instant and was gone, but
not before Sally caught it. "I know a little about the Magi," he said
slowly. "I have made it a point to know much about Mobian myths and
legends. The Magi are the source of many of these, including the power
of magic. It is more commonly referred to as 'elemental power'. I have
even heard several legends regarding the creation of the Magi."
"Would you mind telling me?" Sally asked. "Nicole is working on a
pretty massive translation of a temple we found built by the Magi.
Unfortunately she doesn't know how long it's going to take."
"The stories themselves are extremely long," he explained. "I
will give you the shortened version of them. One tells of seven Mobians
who could feel the different energies of Mobius. They combined their
powers to seal a great evil that would have consumed the whole planet.
Afterwards they dispersed their powers to their followers, thus creating
the Magi.
"There is another tale that seems far more feasible to me," he
continued taking a sip of coffee. "It concerns Dulcy's people and it is
one of their most treasured legends. When Mobius was first created
there were two forces that fought against each other, Chaos and Order.
Order sought to bring control to the swirling mass that was our world
while Chaos wanted to destroy it. In the end Order won but was broken
into six pieces. Each piece represented a different aspect of its very
being. They are the six elements: Earth, Wind, Fire, Water, Lightning
and Life. However, the remnants of Chaos formed its own shard: Shadow.
Everything must age and die and the existence of these two forces
brought balance to our world. The shards of the great beings grew and
became dragons. I am afraid that their names have been lost to time.
"When they had shaped the world as they saw fit they released
their energies to the animals living there, giving them life. These are
our Progenitors, the first Mobians. They were each entrusted with the
powers of a dragon and therefore became their Guardians. Time passed
and those who could not feel the power of the dragons were born.
Eventually the two populations grew so much that a division was formed,
that of the Mobians and the Magi. Guardians still existed but the line
has become so thin that only one or two every several generations can
hear their call."
Sally sat there absorbing what he had said. She had heard the
same story from Dulcy but had simply passed it off as a dragon tale.
Hearing it from Osaka now made her doubt that it was simply a
dragonling's bedtime story. "Where does the Maker fit into all of
this?" she asked finally. "I was taught as a child that the Maker
created Mobius and life on it. Are you telling me that none of that is
true?"
"It is simply another story of the creation of Mobius," he said
waving it away. "Believe what you want, but know all you can. Your
father has more than likely told you this before but knowledge is power.
To know all that you can prepares you for anything that life throws at
you. What you believe will shape your morals that you follow for the
rest of your life. What you know will determine how long you live."
Sally pondered what Osaka was saying. It made sense and her
father had always pressed her to learn as much as she could especially
in regards to history. She would have to think about all of this.
"Aside from that," she said changing the subject, "have you heard
anything new about Robotnik's new factory? We didn't get a chance to
head over there once we got out of the temple and I know Sir Charles
probably contacted either you or Rotor about it."
"I am afraid I know nothing more of this plant," Osaka said
sighing. "Though something tells me that something sinister is in
there."
Sally couldn't argue there. Just thinking about Robotnik though
brought up another thing that had been bothering her. Antoine had given
her a detailed description of Sonic and Soul Child's fight, including
what had made Sonic choose to follow the human to train.
"Doc, what do you know about the elemental powers someone can
wield?" she asked.
"What I do know is somewhat limited," he admitted. "Basically
everyone is bound to a particular element. There are exceptions to some
techniques, such as the ability to command the wind to move you or use
water to heal minor injuries. I also know that when you grasp a power
it changes the color of your eyes to match that particular element.
Why?"
"Antoine told me about Sonic's fight with Soul Child in
Cherrywood," Sally continued. "Antoine said that before he disappeared
Soul Child shouted a command that sounded like 'Time Freeze'."
Osaka's eyes widened. "That is a technique I am familiar with,"
he said. "It is a very high level Water technique. It has to deal with
freezing time." This last part was in response to Sally's confused
look. "It would take a very powerful user of water to use this,
something that Soul Child was not; he was a fire user."
"Then how could he use it?" Sally asked now concerned. "His eyes
are red, which means he's a fire user like you said. How could he use a
water technique like that?"
"He couldn't," Osaka answered simply. "The only way that he would
be able to simulate the effect would be to implant memories in someone.
He could then shape what the memories looked like and manipulate what
someone feels when they are in that 'memory'. And before you can
suggest it there are no such things as psychics and telepaths.
Tampering with someone's mind that way would cause irreparable damage."
"Then what?" Sally pressed him.
"It is something that is capable with technology," he said. "It
would be simple to create a situation with a computer but it would take
an equally powerful one to transmit the memory..."
Osaka stopped. No, not even Robotnik would be that foolish. But
he could have easily have done it if he was twisted enough.
"Robotnik you fool!" Osaka said angrily. "It makes perfect sense
though."
"What does?" Sally asked nervously. "What did Robotnik do?"
"Have you ever heard of an android Sally?" Osaka asked.
Sally nodded. "It's a robot that looks, feels, and acts like a
living being," she answered. "They're incredibly fast and strong, they
rarely need to rest and never need to eat, drink or sleep. It's even
possible to create an android by substituting organic organs with
mechanical ones that allow a person to retain their natural abilities,
though I think that's technically called a cyborg."
Osaka was silent as Sally began to add everything together. "By
the Maker!" she realized dropping her mug. "Soul Child is...is..."
"An android," Osaka finished. "Robotnik took what was left of him
after killing him and began piecing him back together. Though why he
would train Sonic rather than just kill him is beyond me. Perhaps some
of Daryl's old personality is intact."
"Who's Daryl?" Sally asked. For every answer she got another
question came along.
"Daryl Kintobor is the son of Julian Kintobor, otherwise known as
Soul Child," Osaka said standing up. "With things as they are it seems
I can no longer remain in the background." He walked into his room and
closed the door before Sally could ask him anymore questions. When he
emerged he was wearing black loose-fitting pants, a matching shirt and a
black trenchcoat. He had replaced his brown gloves for black leather
ones. He looked totally different than Sally had ever seen him, the
look on his face was not that of the kindly doctor she had known almost
her entire life. This face belonged to someone who was not afraid to
fight, and kill, if necessary.
"Doc..."
"Sally, listen closely," he said sternly looking down at her. "I
am going into Robotropolis to find out what Robotnik is up to. I will
be in contact with Sir Charles, if you have need of me you can reach me
through him."
He walked towards the door and Sally saw for only a second as his
eyes flashed a deep violet. A chill went down her spine when she saw
them. It was almost identical to the chill when Lupe had described the
power of shadow to them.
"Dr. Osaka please wait," she insisted. "Magus told us of someone
who had gone into the temple but turned from his path. He said that the
path he had denied led only to death. Was that...you?"
Osaka had stopped just in front of the door. He turned his head
to Sally his eyes violet rather than brown. "Some things are better
left buried Princess," he said darkly. "Not everything wishes to see
the light of day."
With that he left as Sally stared after him. His demeanor had
changed completely. It was if the doctor she knew was simply a mask he
had taken off and this was his true self. Sally shivered involuntarily
as she remembered his eyes.
>No, he is still the same Dr. Osaka that everyone knows,< she
thought shaking her head. >Maybe what he was saying that the part of
him I just saw was something he's been trying his whole life to forget.<
Sally looked down at her broken coffee mug and frowned. She went
over to Osaka's closet and got a broom and some old rags. She swept up
the pieces and soaked up the coffee still thinking and trying to piece
everything together.
Sally closed his door once everything was cleaned up and sighed.
It had been an interesting day to say the least. Still, she felt like
she was forgetting something. She smacked her forehead and laughed as
she remembered: it was her birthday today! On the way back to her hut
she took a peek in the War Room and could see the villagers taking down
what could only be party decorations. She felt bad having missed the
celebration. Now that she thought about it right now she would be
chewing Sonic out for forgetting her birthday. She laughed quietly
remembering all the excuses he had given the last few times he had
forgotten.
"There's no way you're a year older Sal! You haven't aged a day."
"It's been a year already? Wow, that snuck up on me." "Your present's
in the mail, it should be here anytime."
She giggled remembering the last one. They had no mail system in
Knothole other than the carrier pigeons to the different villages and
Uncle Chuck. Each time though Sonic had found a way to make up for his
forgetting and every time it had topped what she had gotten from
everyone else. She missed him even more thinking about it. He had made
sure never to miss her birthday, even if he was out scouting. Now she
didn't even know where he was. She felt a tear trickle down her cheek
and she quickly wiped it away.
She got to her hut and almost tripped over something in front of
her door. She picked up the object, which turned out to be a box, and
looked at it. It wasn't wrapped with anything special or festive and
had something heavy in it. She looked around her to see who had left
it. Her eyes scanned by Sonic's hut and almost missed it. There right
by the door stood a robed figure with their face covered by a hood.
Sally blinked and they vanished. Weird.
She went into her hut and set the box on the bed. She opened it
carefully unsure of what was in it. When she finished opening it she
brought her hands to her face in shock. Tears formed at the corners of
her eyes at she stared at the picture. It was of her and Sonic before
the coup. Her father had finally gotten him to stand still long enough
for a picture with her and he had ruined it by jumping on her head just
as the picture was taken. She remembered being furious at him and her
father had just laughed. From then on he had kept the picture on him
at all times to remind himself of the two of them. She picked up the
picture and ran her hand over the stone frame. It was intricately
carved, better than even the artisan stone smiths of her father's court
could do. In one of the corners was carved the crest of her family. It
was smooth without any edges at all as if it had been carved by the
wind.
"Sonic," she whispered holding the picture to her heart. "Thank
you."
Sally felt something odd around her. It felt as if someone had
wrapped their arms around her and held her close. She smiled closing
her eyes and stood there in the embrace. She had seen no arms and yet
it felt like Sonic was holding her. A tear ran down her cheek thinking
about him. Her eyes opened wide as three words were whispered into her
ear.
"I didn't forget."
She turned around. No one was there and the embrace that had
surrounded her was gone. There was no mistaking that had been Sonic's
voice. But how? He was nowhere to be seen and she hadn't actually seen
any arms around her. But it was as if Sonic had been standing right
there behind her and whispering into her ear. She looked down at the
picture and smiled again. She set it on her nightstand and looked
around her hut. In one corner were piled a few gifts of varying size.
There was also a note on the back of her door from Rotor about the
upgrades for Nicole and an update on the newest version of the R-Wave
cancellers. She would have to go through the village tomorrow and thank
everyone. She laid down on her bed and closed her eyes. She fell into
a deep sleep with a smile on her face.
A hooded figure stood just outside the village of Knothole. He
had just barely allowed himself to be seen by the princess. His teacher
would be furious at him if he knew but this was something he had to do.
His other reason for visiting had been the dark chill coming from here.
>I was afraid of this,< he thought still staring at Sally's hut.
>I pray that it does not come to it, but if it does I am afraid that I
will have to kill him.<
[Are you sure that is what you want?] a commanding voice boomed
inside him.
The figure turned from the village and walked away.
>No it's not,< he answered. >I simply hope that he knows what he
is doing taking command of that dark power once more.<
[Then we agree on something for once,] the voice said chuckling.
[The time is almost at hand. Your powers have nearly reached their peak
even without calling my name to aid you. I have not seen anyone like
you since the beginning.]
>I am honored,< he thought teleporting to the Great Canyon. There
he stood at the ledge looking down. >How much longer must I train until
I have reached the height of my abilities?<
[Only time and determination will tell,] the voice said. [I would
suggest a more remote place to train however. I was unaware the members
of the Wolf Pack were still so sensitive to shifts in the wind.]
>As you wish,< the figure thought and vanished again.
**TWO MONTHS LATER**
A tall robed figure sat on a mountaintop in the Great Mountains
meditating. His pupil would be arriving soon and it was time to make
their move. This was the day the two of them had been waiting for. As
if on cue a smaller figure wearing an identical robe appeared next to
him.
"Are you ready for this?" the taller one asked standing up. He
picked up the claymore at his side and strapped it to his back.
"I am teacher," the smaller replied holding the katana on his left
hip with his hand. "I have waited all my life for this day, when
Robotnik would answer for the crimes he had committed."
The taller figure smiled, his red eyes flashing. "Then everything
must be set up correctly," he said. "Inform the others that the time to
take down this tyrant is soon at hand. I will wait for you by the
northern junkyard. I will head there now and wait for you."
"As you wish," the other replied bowing. He put his hood up and
vanished. The lone figure took a deep breath and exhaled excitedly.
This was a moment he had been waiting for as well. True, he had not
followed his orders correctly but it would be a small price to pay for a
real fight. And if he lost then it would at least be an honorable
defeat by a superior opponent.
"Like father like son I suppose," he said looking at Robotropolis.
"Do not worry father, I will bring him to you as you told me to. But
betrayal runs in the family, no matter what you may have done to me."
He smiled and let loose a sadistic laugh.
"Come to me Sonic Hedgehog!" Daryl Kintobor, the Soul Child,
yelled still laughing. "We will engage in one final battle! A great
and glorious fight that will ring through Mobius's history for all
time!"
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