"Licking Your Wounds"
Authors: Robert Brown and Francis Tolbert
Disclaimer: This story uses characters created and copyrighted by Sega of
America, Inc. and Archie Comics (except where noted, in which case
they were created and copyrighted by us or by another and we have
permission to use them). The authors hereby give permission for
this story to be downloaded and/or printed at 1 copy per user as
long as (1) no changes to the story are made without our express
written(not e-mailed) permission and (2) no attempt is made to
profit from this story. If either or both rules are violated, it
will be considered a violation of copyright law.
Author's Note: Hello again everyone. We're back again, as if you didn't know
that already. Well, if nothing else, I think my life's plan is finally made
official. I'm currently working at a temp job which will last for the next
three months or so, ending at the end of January 2004. After that, I'm going
to take a month to talk things over with my graduate advisors at Lehman
College about returning for a Master's Degree, with the possibility of a Ph.D.
pursuant to a professorship teaching Creative Writing. Wish me luck on this,
I think I finally have something I can love to do.
On a side note, I notice that while our Sonic stories are
extremely well received and read, the Rescue Ranger and Pokémon stories on my
site don't get nearly as many hits. We put just as much care and dedication
into those stories. Come on guys, give them a chance. Please?
If anyone asks, yes the doctor in this story and all future
ones is named for who you think it is. We mean absolutely no disrepect, and
actually mean it as a compliment. With all the things currently wrong with
that comic, maybe he's the only one with the knowhow to fix it. Take care
everyone, and till next time, Happy Reading!
Cast of Characters (in order of appearance)
???????? ???????***
????? ?????
Krella###
Tanin###
Prince Juice Hedgehog***
Princess Alicia Rose Hedgehog***
Dr. Penders###
Desirée D'Coolette***
DJ Osaya###
Darrin D'Coolette***
Charleen Oster###
Angela Shi-rat***
Queen Sally Alicia Hedgehog
King Sonic Hedgehog
Rosie Shi-rat
Tanis Shi-rat***
Donovan Osaya###
Antoine D'Coolette
Bunnie D'Coolette
Princess Sondra Acorn-Prower***
Miles "Tails" Prower
The Unholy One***
Charisma###
Nadia Osaya***
Sir Charles Hedgehog
Michelle Burrow***
James Echidna***
Knuckles Echidna
Julie-Su Echidna
#36
Two weeks have passed since the defeat handed to the Chosen Ones at the
ruins of Maga. Two weeks full of reflection and recuperation. But for a pair
of cloaked figures, the past two weeks had been a time of travel. "We finally
made it," the first said, her voice clearly marking her as female. "After all
this time, I finally get to see the place where it all started."
"OK, you've seen it, so let's go back home," the other said, a male by
voice, though it sounded strangely off somehow.
"Stop your griping!" the female snapped. "We're here because we can be
of help. We just have to convince them of that."
"Yeah yeah, so you've said. Doesn't mean I have to like it. So, are we
going to stand here all day or what?" he asked, his foot tapping impatiently.
"I'm waiting on you," the female said, walking forward. She couldn't
help a smile that appeared on her lips as she heard her companion scrambling
to catch up. But she didn't look back; her sights were clearly focused on her
destination: the palace.
As the figures wended their way toward the palace, two other animals had
their heads bowed in concentration far away from them. Krella sighed and
nearly threw the book she was reading down on the table. "We've been through
every book in here," she muttered, looking around at the piles of books. "Are
you having any luck Tanin?"
A soft snore answered her and Krella's head whipped around in surprise.
Tanin was silent, his head buried in a book so that he appeared to be reading.
But when another snore sounded, she knew that he wasn't reading at all.
smirking slightly, she held her book near Tanin and dropped it on the table.
Tanin's eyes popped open and then he buried his head back in the book as if
nothing had happened.
Krella sighed and snatched the book away from him. "Hey," Tanin
protested, "I was reading that."
"Sure you were," Krella said, rolling her eyes. "Since when is snoring
a part of reading?"
Tanin blushed slightly, embarassed. "Never mind that. I think I found
something."
Krella immediately became serious again. "Is it a counter? A
protection? Anything we can use to stop that damned spell?"
"No, not really," Tanin admitted. "But there is tell of an inverse
spell, one with as much power as that Holy Vengeance, but aligned with the
power of Chaos. Unfortunately I do not have the power to cast the spell.
It would tear me apart, and then the world with it."
Krella sighed, rubbing her eyes. "All right, let's keep looking. There
has to be something."
"But if there isn't, we have to prepare ourselves to tell Father," Tanin
said darkly.
"I know, I know. Let's leave that for as long as we can though. Oh,
and Tanin?"
"Yes, Krella?" Tanin asked wearily.
"No more getting on me for overworking myself," she said, flicking his
nose. "You're just as bad once you get started."
Tanin muttered something under his breath and turned back to his book.
Krella smiled, an acutal smile that was probably the first of her life, and
picked up her book again in hopes of finding something useful.
Inside the palace in Mobotropolis, a door creaked open slowly. The
Crown Prince, Juice, stuck his head out and looked around carefully. "No sign
of her," he thought, opening the door wider and tiptoeing out. "So far, so
good. Now if I can only--"
"Hold it!" Alicia yelled triumphantly, opening the door Juice was
currently sneaking by and nearly giving her brother a heart attack. "You know
you're not allowed to be out of bed yet."
Juice glared at his sister, breathing deeply to calm the rapid beating
of his heart. "Did you really have to do that?" he growled at her.
Alicia smiled and smoothed down some wrinkles in her bright pink nurse's
uniform. Though she wasn't really a nurse, the palace doctor had entrusted
her, as the only uninjured Chosen One, with making sure the others did not try
to do things before they were ready. And like everything else she did, she
gave one hundred percent and more. But that didn't mean she couldn't have a
little fun with it.
Juice had been relatively uninjured physically, but mentally was another
matter. He had gotten over the effect's of the Kavenoff's fear stare in a day
or so, just as Nadia had. But unlike Nadia, Juice was now plagued by severe
nightmares that robbed him of a night's sleep. He refused to tell anyone what
they were about, but the bags under his eyes told the story themselves. True,
they looked less severe than they had, but they had yet to go away.
"Come on, back in bed," Alicia said, pointing toward his bedroom.
"Don't make me put you in there personally."
"You'd enjoy that too much," Juice retorted. "Come on Sis! I just want
to see Angela for a little while."
"I know it's hard," Alicia said, her voice softening a little, "but you
have to listen to the doctor."
"Did somebody call?" a middle-aged leopard asked, turning the corner.
He was dressed in a long white coat with pens stuck in the pocket. He held a
clipboard in one hand and a pair of glasses in the other. "I know I heard
someone call for a doctor."
"Oh, Dr. Penders," Alicia said with a smile. "Juice is trying to sneak
off again."
"Yes, yes. This is the third time today, isn't it?" the doctor
muttered, looking at his notes. "And to think, I was just coming in to let
you know you're off bedrest."
"Really?" Juice said, his features lighting up.
Dr. Penders nodded with a kind smile. "But you still have to take it
easy. Light training, and no running for a week."
"I don't care," Juice said, looking down the hallway. "Just as long as
I don't have to stay in that bed anymore."
"Fine, fine. Well, I have to finish making my rounds. Let me know if
you have any pain, or if the nightmares return."
"I promise," Juice said distractedly. "Anything else?"
"No, you're free to go. Alicia, if you would help me?"
"Of course, Doctor," Alicia said, watching her brother walk off. "I'll
go visit Desirée next."
"Excellent. If you'll excuse me." Dr. Penders turned and walked off,
going back to the hospital wing to check on some of his other patients.
Alicia walked toward Desirée's bedroom, located in the D'Coolette
cluster of rooms. She let herself in through the front door, taking a moment
to admire the mixture of styles in the main room. Bunnie's tastes were
obvious in the display of swords and other weapons, but Antoine's were also
evident in the paintings that adorned the walls. A low table served for
meals, as Alicia's knees reminded her. The couches were plush, but not overly
so. Somehow it all worked, even though it really didn't seem like it should.
"Guess it's because of their love," she thought, walking to Desirée's room.
She knocked on Desirée's door. No one replied though. "Desirée?" she
whispered, opening the door slowly in case her friend was asleep. But not
only was she not asleep, she wasn't even in the room. "She wouldn't," Alicia
thought, storming out the main door and down the hallway.
A left turn at a corner, up a flight of stairs, and the third door on
the right. Alicia knew these directions by heart because she followed them
most every day. And if her hunch was right, Desirée had followed that exact
route only moments before. And when she threw open the door, a muffled yelp
of pain and a muttered curse confirmed it.
Desirée was kneeling beside the heavy bag that hung in her mother's
dojo, rubbing her bandaged shin lightly. "Suck it up!" she told herself
angrily, hopping to her feet and snapping three quick roundhouse kicks at the
bag, wincing each time her leg hit the bag.
"I should've known you'd be down here," Alicia said, her voice cold and
accusing.
"Shh!" Desirée said, whirling around to face Alicia. "Not so loud
Alicia-girl."
"Why? Afraid a certain someone will find out you're out of bed when you
shouldn't be?"
"That's exactly--!" Desirée's voice was cut off as she disappeared in a
flash of light. When the moment of nausea passed, she realized she was back
in her own bed. "I'm gonna get her for this," she swore, laying back and
crossing her arms.
She looked over at a chair that sat by her bed, a chair that was usually
inhabited by a certain teenage squirrel. The only reason she'd been able to
make it down to the dojo was because Nadia had dragged her son off for
breakfast. He had been in that chair unless his mother forced him from it; he
even slept in it a few nights! And he'd also never be gone for very long.
No, DJ had spent most of the last two weeks in that room with Desirée, keeping
her company and keeping her spirits up.
She was by nature an active doe, never able to stay still long. And to
be forced to spend two weeks in bed was akin to torture. Yet with DJ there it
had been bearable. Everytime her frustration built, DJ made a face or tried
to juggle something(which invariably ended up on the floor, broken, or looped
around one of her ears). She could never help but laugh at his corniness, but
it always dispelled her frustration and soothed her nerves. And to see his
smile in return, it made her heart flutter ever so slightly.
She remembered one time three days ago when she had been in a
particularly foul mood. None of DJ's usual antics could cheer her up and all
she wanted was to be left alone. She was so bad that she had actually turned
her back on DJ and hunkered down under the blankets.
The room was quiet, so she had assumed he left. But then she had felt
something tickling her ear. Desirée had turned to face DJ to tell him to stop
it, but he had been in that chair, well out of arms' reach. Confused, she had
turned her back again, wondering if she had imagined it. Then it had happened
again, and she knew something was going on.
She had waited for a few moments before turning around and catching him
in the act. DJ had somehow gotten a hold of an old party favor and was
blowing through it, using the tip to tickle her ear. DJ had blushed a bit at
getting caught, but then had simply shrugged and blown through it again,
tickling her nose this time.
Desirée had swatted at it, but DJ had always kept it just out of reach,
sneaking it past her hands to tickle her. In the end, Desirée had ended up
almost hurting herself she was laughing so much. Even though she had paused
a moment when DJ made it tickle her lips. It had almost felt like her heart
skipped a beat or two when that happened.
"Ahh, well at least one patient of mine is in bed today," Dr. Penders
said, walking in the open door.
"Oh, hello," Desirée said, looking at him hopefully as she pulled
herself from her memories. "Here to tell me I can get out of bed?"
Dr. Penders looked over his chart and nodded. "You've healed remarkably
well, and I suppose you can get up now. Just remember not to overexert
yourself, and that means to stick to light training and build your strength
back up."
Desirée nearly jumped out of bed before restraining herself. "Oh, I'll
stick to light training for now," she told the doctor. But to herself, she
said, "Light for me anyway."
"Good, good," the doctor said, turning away. "And just to let you know,
I'll be informing your 'shadow' of all this the moment I see him."
Alicia couldn't help a rather unprincessly chuckle as Desirée almost
seemed to deflate at the doctor's words. Still smiling, she walked across the
hallway to Darrin's room, only to see she wasn't needed. Charleen sat on the
corner of Darrin's bed, keeping him company and stopping him from getting
bored. While not as tenacious about it as DJ was, that was because Darrin was
a better patient than his sister was.
Though he hadn't exactly enjoyed these past two weeks in bed, Darrin did
enjoy getting to know Charleen. She had even learned his deepest secret,
albeit completely unintentionally. One day she had come into his room, ready
to read him more of a novel she had picked up, and she'd caught him trying to
change his bandages. She simply put the book down on her chair and walked
over, taking the bandages from him. Darrin tried to stop her, but before he
could she saw it: his metallic arm.
Darrin had turned his head in shame, not wanting to see the fear and
loathing he was sure was in her eyes. Haltingly, he had told her that he'd
been born with it as a result of both his parents being partially
roboticized long ago. And though it had been hard for him, he'd whispered
that he understood it she never wanted to be around him again.
What happened next had completely shocked him. Not only had Charleen
not left him, but she actually bent down and kissed his metallic arm. "I
don't care about any of that," she had purred, fixing his gaze with her
green cat eyes. "I only care about the kind of guy you are, and that's why
I'm still here."
Darrin had never thought anyone outside his close friends could ever
accept that part of him. That Charleen could, and so readily, filled his
entire body with warmth like he'd rarely felt before. And if nothing else, it
was for that that he put up with being in bed. Of course, being waited on
hand and foot wasn't so bad either.
"Good morning you two," Alicia said, making them both look up at her.
"Oh, good morning Princess," Charleen said, looking down at the book she
held.
"We're all friends here Charleen. You can call me Alicia."
Charleen tittered nervously. "I never thought I'd be calling the
princess by her first name."
"Well, you've certainly earned the right," Alicia said with a laugh.
"You've taken quite a load off my shoulders these past couple weeks. I mean,
you are the only one who can keep him in bed without complaining."
Charleen nodded with a smile, then both she and Darrin turned bright red
as they both realized the double entendre in Alicia's words. Alicia herself
blushed as pink as her dress when she realized it, and backed away, making
some excuse for her leaving.
Alicia hurried away as Dr. Penders walked in, presumably with the same
good news he'd provided to the others. She couldn't believe she'd said
something like that, or that it had come so naturally. Maybe that part of her
personality she got from her father was asserting itself. But she didn't know
if that was a good thing, or a bad one.
Alicia slowed when she reached the main hallway. She had only one more
stop to make, but it was the hardest one. In a small, sparsely furnished room
away from the others, Angela lay quietly on a bed. She was awake, but hadn't
been for five of the fourteen days she'd been in there. Her hair had also
nearly returned to its usual black color with only a few white streaks
remaining.
The recent fight had taken the biggest toll on her, what with the use of
her Holy Vengeance spell. From the research Alicia had done, and what little
information had been there to begin with, she found that the spell allowed the
caster to act as a conduit for the raw power of the Almighty. But in doing
so, the caster used his or her own life force to keep the conduit open. Most
Holy Ones didn't even have the power to open such a conduit much less keep it
open. And in doing so, Angela had nearly given her life.
Which brought Alicia to another thought. Tanis and Rosie had been ready
to heal all the Chosen Ones once they'd been looked over, but Sally had
stopped them. Alicia confronted her parents in the throne room and demanded
to know why they were letting the others suffer. Sally's answer had been calm
and to the point, but Alicia could see the pain hidden in her mother's eyes.
"If Tanis and Rosie heal you every time you get injured, you will come to rely
on always being healed like that. That means you'll take great risks without
thinking, especially your brother. One day, that might get one of you killed,
and they cannot raise the dead. By healing on your own, you'll remember the
pain and think twice before doing something stupid."
"But what if the Fallen Ones go on the move?" Alicia had protested.
"If, and only if that happens," Sonic had said, showing his support of
his wife's decision, "then they will heal you. Not before."
Tanis and Rosie had both stood silently by, accepting Sally's words.
But though Sally's edict had prevented them from healing the others, nothing
she could or would do would stop them from healing their daughter. But after
numerous attempts to do just that, they'd had to grudgingly admit that it was
simply not meant to be. Because her life force had been willingly given to
power the spell, they could not replace it with portions of their own and were
instead forced to allow it to regenerate on its own.
Alicia finally arrived at Angela's door and peaked inside. As she
expected, Juice was sitting there, just spending time with his beloved.
Alicia's heart nearly broke at the look on her brother's face. "How are you
feeling?" Alicia asked softly so as not to startle them.
Angela smiled warmly, looking more and more like Alicia was used to
seeing her. "I'm feeling all right," Angela said, glancing over at Juice.
"So, did the doctor really let him out this time?"
Alicia chuckled and nodded. "Desirée and Darrin are up and about as
well. Now you just make sure you get better and everything will be back to
normal."
"I am better," Angela protested. "But I promised my parents I'd stay in
bed until I got cleared."
"Well, if the rest of us got cleared, maybe you will too," Juice said
hopefully, taking Angela's hand in his.
"Do you need anything while you wait?" Alicia asked, looking for a
reason to leave so she didn't intrude on their time.
"I've got everything I need right here," Angela murmured, yawning
slightly.
Alicia nodded, then quickly turned and walked out. Now that her rounds
were done, she could get to what she really wanted to do. She stopped by her
room and quickly changed into her jogging suit before heading to the library.
She took Nicole from her boot and opened her up. "Nicole, please show last
accessed file."
"Processing Alicia," Nicole said. "File found. Displaying now."
Alicia studied the hologram that appeared above Nicole for a moment
before walking to the nearby bookshelf and pulling two massive volumes from
the top shelf. She brought them back to the table she'd set Nicole down on
and began leafing through them. "I know the information is here somewhere,"
she muttered.
For the past two weeks, with every available moment she had, Alicia had
been in the library trying desperately to locate the artifacts which could be
used to recharge the Water Emerald. She'd hoped she could find them before
the others were healed so she could get them on her own. Her overconfidence
had nearly cost the others their lives, and she was bound and determined not
to let that happen again.
As she was settling down to her research, the two cloaked figures had
finally made their way to the palace gates. "Took us long enough," the male
mumbled, pulling the cloak closer about him.
"Stop griping," the female said as they approached the guards. "I've
never been here before and wanted to see the sights."
"Halt, who goes there?" one of the guards, a dog that resembled a
collie, asked.
"We're here to see the king and queen," the female said, drawing herself
to her full height which was actually almost a head taller than her companion.
"The king and queen are not entertaining any audiences at the time," the
other guard, also a dog though this one resembled a doberman. "And even if
they were we could not allow you in with your identities concealed."
"Well, that's it then," the male cloaked figure said. "Let's go home.
And hopefully it won't take us two weeks to get there."
"Oh be quiet!" the female said, exasperated. "Please, you have to let
us in," she pleaded with the guards. "We have information and skills that
they need!"
"Like we haven't heard that one before. Listen, why don't you two go
home before you get yourselves hurt? This is no game."
"I know it's not a game, why won't you listen to me?"
"Hey, don't talk to her like that!" the male said, stepping in front of
his companion.
"You going to do something to stop us?" The first guard sneered,
pushing the figure.
"If you insist." Just then, electricity arced into the guard that held
him and leaped through the air into the other guard. The guards tried to
scream in pain, but their vocal cords were paralyzed. In seconds, they were
on the ground, twitching as their nerves still fired randomly.
"You didn't have to do that!" the female screamed.
"You wanted in, we're in," the male said, grabbing her by the arm and
pulling her inside the palace.
From inside the security room, Donovan kept a camera trained on the
intruders at all times. He clicked on his communicator and spoke into it.
"Bunnie, Antoine, do you read me?"
"We're here Donny," Antoine said. "What is wrong?"
"We've got two intruders trying to make their way to the throne room.
Be careful, they have an electric weapon of some kind that they used to
debilitate the guards."
"We read ya," Bunnie said, sprinting beside her husband. "How far away
are we?"
"Turn the corner and you'll be on top of them."
Bunnie and Antoine rounded the corner with their swords drawn, making
the two figures stop and step back. "All right, don't either of you move!"
Bunnie ordered.
"Well well, long time no see," the male said, and a smirk could be heard
in his voice. "So how have you two been doing?"
"Don't provoke them, all right?" the female hissed.
"These two? Oh please, they've never been a match for me."
"I said don't move!" Bunnie yelled, assuming an offensive stance.
"Now now, we're all friends here," the male said, reaching up for his
hood and pulling it off. "Aren't we?"
"You!" Antoine yelled in shock, him and Bunnie dropping their guard for
just a moment.
But that moment was all it took. The figure, now revealed to be Metal
Sonic, curled up and rammed himself into the pair, knocking them into a wall
and stunning them. "They won't be down long," he said, grabbing the other's
arm again. "Let's get a move on."
"Why must you always do this?" the female cried, acting like she was
about to rip her hair out under the hood. But she offered up no further
protests as they ran off toward their objective.
As they made their way further into the palace, Bunnie and Antoine
picked themselves up. "Donovan," Antoine gasped into his communicator.
"I saw him," Donovan said, keeping track of those two. "I've already
alerted the king and queen. You need to try to cut them off."
"Understood." Bunnie sheathed her sword and motioned for Antoine to do
the same. With only a glance shared between them, they ran off in a different
direction than the others, moving quickly and silently.
Sonic was stalking through the halls, ignoring Sally's attempts at
talking to him. "No Sal," he said, his face hardened in determination. "He
wants to come here and pick a fight? I'll make sure he finds one."
"Sonic, wait a minute," Sally pleaded. "This might be a trap of some
kind. I can't lose you! We all can't lose you. You're the king!"
"Sally's right," Sondra said, running up in front of Sonic with Tails
by her side. "You know he's coming after you."
"Yeah well, let him try," Sonic said, his fists clenched but not going
anywhere. "I've got a score to settle with him."
"Calm down Sonic," Tails said, grabbing hold of Sonic's arm.
"Yeah, calm down you old geezer," Metal Sonic said as he came into view.
"Don't want to have a heart attack or something."
"Metal!" the female screeched, causing the robot to wince as Tails and
Sondra moved in defense of Sonic and Sally. "I've had enough of you! We're
not here to fight and within thirty seconds you have the whole palace pissed
at us! What is wrong with you?"
"Calm down Lissette," Metal Sonic said, taking note of Bunnie and
Antoine who had appeared behind them, hedging them in.
"I will not calm down! Dad sent you along with the agreement that you
were supposed to listen to me, not pull stuff like this! Now knock it off!"
"Aww Lissette, I was just--"
"Do I have to override you?" Lissette asked threateningly. Metal Sonic
snarled a bit, but backed away and leaned against the wall. "Forgive him,"
Lissette said, turning to gaze at the queen. "He's lived away from animals
for so long I guess he forgot how to act."
"Like he ever knew in the first place?" Sonic asked.
"Sonic!" Sally reprimanded. "What happened to calming down?" Sonic
grumbled, leaning against the wall himself just as Metal Sonic was. "Forgive
my husband, but he and Metal Sonic have a lot of history."
"And that's partially why I'm here." Lissette reached up and removed
her hood, showing herself to be a rather pretty human girl. She was young,
about a year younger than the Chosen Ones, and had a slender face. Something
about the set of her warm brown eyes and nose hinted at something other than
human in her parentage, but it was not immediately obvious what. With the
cloak pushed back, they could see she was wearing a green t-shirt with a pair
of oil stained blue overalls that covered her slender but obviously feminine
form. Her reddish hair was pulled back into a ponytail to keep it from her
lightly tanned face. "My name is Lissette Lexford, and I'm the daughter of
Snively and Lisa Lexford."
Everyone else but Metal Sonic could feel their jaws hanging. "Snively
and Lisa Lexford?" Sondra asked, putting voice to the question they all had.
Lissette shrugged and nodded. "Dad took Mom's last name when they
married to try and get away from his past. They found a nice little place
with no one around and settled down there. I showed up about a year or two
later."
"At least now I can see why you were wearing those cloaks," Sally said,
her regal personality finally overcoming her shock.
"Indeed. But whereas my dad wants to get away from his past, I'm
looking to confront it. I'm here to answer for my dad's crimes and try to set
things right."
For the second time in as many minutes, the Freedom Fighters found
themselves stunned. "Just how do you plan on doing that?" Sonic asked.
"My dad taught me everything he knows about electronics and building
machines. I was kind of hoping you could use the extra hands. Almighty
knows you can use all the help you can get against the Fallen Ones."
"How did you know about that?" Bunnie asked, suddenly suspicious.
"Mom was in the nearby town getting supplies when she overheard news of
the attacks. Apparently the shop owner has family who were attacked during
the party at the palace all those months ago. Once I heard what was going on
I knew I had to get here to help. My parents wouldn't let me go till my
birthday though. I told them that this was the only thing I wanted."
"How do we know we can trust you?"
"You don't," Lissette admitted. "I'll do whatever you ask to prove
myself to you. Just name it."
"Give us a moment," Sally said, pulling Sonic aside. A heated debate
followed, almost an argument of sorts except for the fact that they never
really fought. When it was over, Sonic just sighed and looked down as Sally
smiled in triumph. "We'll consider the matter," she said, surprising Lissette
as she thought the matter was settled in the argument. "For now, I'll assign
you both quarters and ask that you don't leave them until we inform you of our
decision."
"That's fair," Lissette said slowly. "I'll behave and I'll guarantee
that Metal will behave as well. Won't you?"
"Yeah yeah," Metal Sonic said, looking bored. "I'll behave."
"Bunnie, Antoine, please show them to a room in the Guest Wing."
"Shall we station guards outside their room?" Antoine asked, keeping a
hand on his sword's hilt.
Sonic glanced at Sally and then nodded. "Put two of your most trusted
there," he said. "We can't make any promises, but we'll try to have an answer
for you tonight."
Lissette bowed, followed by Metal Sonic after she glared at him. "We'll
await your answer there," she said, turning around and following Bunnie and
Antoine.
"I hope you know what you're doing Aunt Sally," Tails said as he and his
wife turned around.
"So do I Tails," Sally said. "So do I."
Unknown to them, a figure had watched everything from the shadows. "I
have to report this to Father," the figure thought, taking off unseen and
unheard.
But unknown to that figure, another one was watching the first. "It
seems things are about to get more interesting," this one thought, before
spinning on his heel and continuing toward his original destination.
Far away from the palace another kind of meeting was about to take
place. Krella and Tanin waited on bent knee for the appearance of their
Father. "He's not going to be happy," Krella murmured, keeping her head
down.
"Quiet," Tanin whispered. "He comes."
And at that moment the Unholy One did appear on his throne. "What news
have you to report?" he asked, gesturing with his hand for them to rise.
"Nothing good, Father," Krella said. "No spell or charm we found can
withstand the might of the Holy Vengeance. But we did find that it exacts a
terrible price on its caster, so she should not be able to cast it again for
weeks still."
"We did find an inverse spell," Tanin said. "But I do not have the
power nor the control to cast the Giga Slave. If I attempted it, I would
destroy the world."
"Even I have not the power to cast that spell," the Unholy One said,
looking at the scarred and twisted hand that emerged from the end of his
sleeve. "Perhaps at one time I could have, but not after tangling with that
blasted Lioness."
"Forgive my interruption!" Charisma said, running into the room and
dropping immediately to her knees. "I have urgent news you must hear."
"It had better be," the Unholy One said, dark energy flowing off him in
waves.
"Two travellers have arrived at the palace. One of them is a robot that
looks like the king and calls himself Metal Sonic. The other is a human girl
who claims to be the daughter of Snively."
"Snively had a daughter?" Krella asked, forgetting her place. Like all
the Fallen Ones, she'd been told tales of those who had tried to take over
Mobius in the past and where they'd gone wrong. Snively had been among the
best equipped to do it, and had his uncle not begun the Race, Krella honestly
thought he'd had a chance to succeed.
"This news is of great importance," the Unholy One said after a moment.
"Charisma, return to your post. Krella, get back to researching the artifacts
while Tanin returns to his meditation. I will handle this matter personally."
"Father?" Krella asked, unsure if she'd heard correctly.
"Leave me, now!" the Unholy One commanded and the others scrambled to
obey.
It wasn't until later that night when the council met in the palace to
decide the fate of their unexpected guests. "I don't know if they can be
trusted," Tails said from his seat. "I mean, she freely admitted to being
Snively's daughter, and we all know what he's capable of."
"But she's also a Lexford," Bunnie pointed out from next to him. "We
know they take a lot of pride in their honor."
"Yeah, I know Lexford honor all too well," Sondra said from the other
side of Tails. "Dorian tried to get me kicked out of Knothole because of the
debt of honor he owed Snively."
"But his honor to us never let him reveal just where Knothole was,"
Nadia reminded her. "Maybe we should ask her if she owes allegiance to
anyone else. Her honor would demand she answer us truthfully."
"If she has that honor," Antoine said. "But while I was observing her,
I found no sign that she was concealing anything. It is more Metal Sonic
that concerns me and not the girl."
"But even he has a strange form of honor. When Robotnik came in and
took over, he remained loyal to Snively. And with Lissette being his child,
it's safe to assume that the same honor extends to her."
"But one thing you must remember about Metal Sonic," Tanis spoke. "He
once attacked Sonic on the steps of Sanctuary, breaking the Covenant. Now,
that passed while he served Snively, and once Robotnik took over again and
the conflict with Snively ended that was no longer in force. Still, it is
more Metal Sonic we should worry about."
"I don't know about that," Rosie said. "I spoke with them at length
earlier this afternoon. I sensed no ill will or deceit from her, and I don't
think she has the ability to hide her intentions from me. I think we should
give them a chance."
Sonic and Sally listened to the back and forth debate quietly, letting
everyone have his or her say. "Donovan," Sally spoke up when there was a
pause, "do you have anything to add?"
Donovan sighed and closed his eye. He had purposely remained out of the
debate seeing as he never really lived in Knothole and was never directly
affected by his betrayal. In fact, it had taken a royal order by Sally to
even make him appear. "To tell you the truth," he began slowly, "I can't give
an unbiased opinion here."
"I never said your opinion had to be unbiased," Sally said.
Donovan took a deep breath and let it out. "If you remember, it was
Snively that caused me to try and capture you, and the only reason it didn't
succeed was because he neglected to watch the cell where you were being held.
Even then, his true motive was to make you not trust me when I tried to tell
you about his roboticization gun. For that reason alone, I cannot fully trust
this person.
"However," he continued, "this is the child, not the man. And if what
she says is true, we have to at least give her the opportunity to try." He
ran a finger along an old scar on his neck, one he had received from Sondra
so many years ago. "The same chance you gave me."
Sally grew thoughtful looking at the scar. "The sins of the father are
not to be visited upon the children," Rosie said, quoting a verse from many
holy texts she and Tanis were the guardians of.
Sonic had to smile at Rosie. "Once again, you are the wisdom we need
to listen to," he said. He bent his head close to Sally and they had a
whispered but quick discussion. "Bunnie," he said as they straightened up,
"could you and Antoine please go get them. We've reached a decision."
Bunnie nodded and stood with Antoine right next to her. It took them a
couple minutes to return with Lissette and Metal Sonic, but no talking was
done in that time. "Stand over here," Bunnie said, guiding Lissette to a spot
in front of the table.
"Lissette Lexford," Sally said in a calm voice, "we have considered your
request and have come to a decision."
"Whatever it is, we'll abide by it," Lissette said.
"I'll go get our things packed," Metal Sonic said, turning around.
"Hold it," Sonic said. "We've decided to give you the benefit of the
doubt."
"You have?" Lissette asked, her brown eyes lighting up.
"You have?" Metal Sonic groaned, shaking his head.
"We have," Sally agreed. "Now understand, this doesn't come without
restrictions. There will be a probationary period until we decide you've
proven yourself."
"How long will that take?"
"We don't know," Sonic said. "But we do know that one instance of you
acting against us is enough for us to turn you away. It will have to be
proven, of course. Don't think we're just going to accept anyone's word about
it."
"That's a relief," Metal Sonic said sarcastically.
"Metal!" Lissette hissed. "I'll agree to your terms, but I have one of
my own."
"What's that?" Sally asked.
"That you really give me the chance to prove myself. That means the
ability to come and go as I please, and the chance to help your engineers and
scientists like I came here to do."
"I'll introduce you to my Uncle Chuck," Sonic promised. "He's the head
of the Science Department here so he has final say."
"That's fair," Lissette said. "If he doesn't want my help, I'll find
some other way to be useful. Can we return to our room now?"
"By all means," Sally said with a smile. "We'll see you at breakfast in
the morning." Lissette and Metal Sonic bowed, though the robot could have
been a bit more sincere in his actions. Bunnie and Antoine moved to walk with
them but were stayed by a gesture from Sally. "No, we promised to trust her.
This is the first step of it."
Two days later, Lissette and Metal Sonic were taking a walk around
Mobotropolis on her lunch break. The morning after the council meeting, she
had met with Uncle Chuck as planned. After a few routine tests to show off
her knowledge, which she had passed with flying colors, Uncle Chuck had
accepted her into the lab and put her to work.
There had been a sense of anxiety or tension the first day, but that was
swept aside once she threw herself into her work. Once the others saw how
dedicated and determined she was, their own worries faded and they grew more
comfortable around her. Uncle Chuck especially had accepted her and was
starting to test her limits, see what she was really capable of. "I told you
everything would work out all right," she told Metal Sonic.
Metal Sonic just scowled, looking around at the assembled populace and
the fear and concern in most of their faces. "It's only been two days
Lissette," he reminded her. "I wouldn't start planning a party just yet."
Lissette shook her head but then had to stop as a young female badger,
no more than five or six years old, darted out in front of her and stopped.
"Hey there," Lissette said kindly, dropping to one knee to be eye level with
the girl. "Everything OK?"
The young girl nodded, hugging a plush doll modeled after Queen Sally
tightly. "Why don't you got fur?" she asked with the straightforwardness
only the young can get away with.
Lissette was momentarily taken aback by the question, but then had to
laugh. "What's your name sweetie?" she asked with a chuckle or two.
"Michelle," the little girl answered. "Michelle Burrow."
"Well Michelle, I'm Lissette, and it's nice to meet you. The reason I
have no fur is because I'm not supposed to."
"Why?" Michelle asked innocently.
Lissette thought about it for a moment. "Well, you know how some
Mobians are born with grey fur and some are born with brown?" Michelle nodded
so Lissette continued. "Well, it's kind of like that. See, you're a badger
so you have grey fur with that white stripe. I'm human so I don't have any
fur. It's just how we're made."
"Oh," Michelle said sticking a finger in her mouth. "Umm, can I touch?"
Lissette smiled softly and held out her arm to the girl. Michelle ran
her finger along Lissette skin and giggled softly. "It feels weird," she
said.
"Michelle!" an older female badger yelled, running up and snatching the
girl away. "What were you doing to my daughter?"
"Take it easy ma'am," Lissette said, getting slowly to her feet. "She
was just asking me something, that's all."
"I wanted to know why she got no fur," Michelle said, squirming under
her mother's firm grip.
Michelle's mother looked at her daughter a moment and then dragged her
away, murmuring apologies under her breath. "Children aren't born to hate,"
Lissette murmured, waving to Michelle. "Hate is purely an adult concept
forced on the children."
"That's true," Metal Sonic agreed as they continued their walk. "Even
I have to admit though, I was surprised by how easily the Chosen Ones accepted
us."
Lissette smiled a bit as they passed through the gates leading outside
the city. They hadn't really been that trusting at first, until Angela had
felt well enough to leave the bed later that first day. Against Juice's
wishes, she cast a spell on them which made Lissette glow with a light a few
shades off white. "If she was evil, that light would be black," Angela
proclaimed, sagging a bit even casting a simple spell like that. "I trust
her."
With Angela's trust Juice's was a given, and from there the rest
followed. It felt good to be around animals her own age, especially because
they didn't care she was human.
A scream ripped her from her thoughts. "That sounded like Angela," she
said, sprinting off in the direction of the scream.
"Lissette, I don't think," Metal Sonic began, but Lissette completely
ignored what he was trying to say. "This is not going to be good," he
muttered, revving up his legs and speeding off after Lissette.
Nearby, Angela lay dazed against a tree. She was exhausted and in pain
from the attack she had just suffered, and her body refused to respond to her
mind's commands to stand up. Her vision was a bit blurry, but she could still
make out the shape of her robed attacker standing over her and tried to cover
her face with her arms.
The robed figure over her sighed quietly. "I was supposed to take it
easy on her," James thought, pushing some of his lavender quills out of his
face. "I forgot how weak she still is. She shouldn't even be out here yet
until she's regained her strength completely." He sighed again and held his
hand out to her to help her to her feet.
"Hey you!" Lissette yelled as she burst onto the scene. James looked
up and at her when he heard her yell, just in time to be knocked for a loop as
she connected with a roundhouse lariat that even took her off her own feet.
"James!" Knuckles yelled, jumping down from the tree he and his wife
were watching from.
Lissette turned to face this new echidna when Metal Sonic sped in front
of her and held her back. "No Lissette, he's a Holy One!"
"He is?" Lissette asked, stepping back with a worried look on her face.
"That's right," Knuckles said, his fists starting to crackle with
mystical energy. "And since you attacked him in front of me, I declare that
you violated the Covenant!"
"Now hold on," Metal Sonic said, keeping himself in between Knuckles
and Lissette. "Your son's not a Holy One yet from what I heard. And since
you weren't out in the open, nor ever identified yourself, the Covenant was
never broken."
Knuckles dropped his fists as the truth in the robot's words sank in.
"Just don't let it happen again human," he sneered.
"My name is Lissette," Lissette said with a hard edge to her voice.
"Lissette Lexford, daughter of Snively."
Knuckles was noticably taken aback at that news. "Snively has a
daughter? I guess that anything really is possible."
"Why does everyone find that so strange?" she grumbled, kneeling beside
Angela and checking her over. When she was satisfied that she was all right,
she crawled over next to James to check on him. "Sorry about that," she said
reluctantly. "I thought you were trying to kill her."
"Well, obviously I'm not," James said, slapping Lissette's hand away.
"And you were lucky to catch me like that. Don't expect it to happen again."
"What is your problem?" Lissette demanded. "I said I was sorry but I'm
not going to let anyone hurt my friend."
"And just what would a human know about friends?"
Hurt flashed across Lissette's eyes but it was quickly swallowed by her
rising anger. "I'm sick and tired of this prejudicial crap!" she exploded.
"Where do you get off looking down on me just because I'm human?"
"No human has ever been up to any good," James said, getting right in
Lissette's face. "Besides, anyone with half a brain would've known that we
were only sparring."
"Are you calling me stupid?" Lisette demanded, pushing her head against
James'.
"Well, at least you were able to grasp that. I on the other hand am
always using my brain."
"I'm surprised you can still use it considering all the times you sat on
it!" James spluttered at Lissette's audacity, but Lissette never gave him a
chance to recover. "And I'll tell you another thing, I don't know about you,
but most people consider sparring an exercise. It's not about hurting your
opponent so bad she can't get up! Actually, I'm not surprised you attacked
Angela like this. When she's hurt must be the only time you can beat her!
Next time, try attacking me and see what happens." She spun on her heel and
gathered Angela up in her arms. "Come on Metal, we need to get her back to
the palace. She'll probably need more bedrest and she just got out of it!"
"Umm, bye," Metal Sonic said, catching up with Lissette as she stalked
off.
Both James and his father stood with their mouths hanging open, stunned
by this showing of Lissette's temper. They stayed that way until a feminine
hand shut each of their mouths. "Serves you right," Julie-Su said, standing
beside her son and looking in the direction Lissette had walked off. "You
were getting a little cocky there and were really overdoing it. I'm kind of
glad she took you down a few pegs."
James looked at his mother in surprise and then glared down the path
Lissette had taken. "She'll get hers," he vowed silently. "I swear that,
and I'll be the one to give it to her."
Another two weeks passed and Lissette found herself taking another walk
through town. Only this time, there was much less fear and anxiety about her
presence. Word spread quickly about how she'd acted to protect Angela, even
though she hadn't needed the protection. That she had acted so quickly
without any thought to her own well-being spoke well to many of the citizens.
And though a few still viewed her warily, more often than not a smile from her
would be returned with one in kind.
She sat down on the fountain in the center of the city, waiting for
Metal Sonic to catch up. He'd seen a few shops that had parts he could use to
upgrade himself, and Lissette had elected to go ahead instead of waiting for
him. Besides, it gave her a chance to enjoy the late summer's fading heat as
autumn was just around the corner.
"It's truly a shame that you are here," a voice said, making Lissette
turn to look at its owner. The hooded and robed figure that had suddenly
appeared beside her gave no indication of who or what it was, and yet she was
suddenly filled with an overpowering dread. "After all," the figure continued
in a honeyed voice, "your talents are clearly being wasted here."
"Wh-who are you?" Lissette demanded, willing her body to stop shaking.
"That is of little import," the figure said. "What is important is that
you should come work for me. I will reward you like these fools are afraid
to."
Lissette reeled back as if she had been struck by the realization that
had just made its way through her mind. "You're one of the Fallen Ones!" she
yelled, scooting away as fast as she could.
The figure rose to its feet as an evil chuckle escaped from its hood.
"You misunderstand me my dear. I am not one of the Fallen Ones, I am THE
Fallen One. Or if you prefer, the Unholy One."
Lissette's mouth went dry. Before her stood the most evil being in all
of Mobius, and her soul shook in terror. "What do you want of me?" she
tried to ask through trembling lips.
"Why, your service of course. You're clearly unappreciated here. After
all, it doesn't look like anyone's noticed what's going on. Or do most
animals ignore someone who looks like they're in need of help?"
Lissette looked around and saw that it was true. Everyone walked past
the fountain as if nothing were amiss. "Come with me," he continued in a soft
voice. "Come and join your real family." Doubt began to creep into her mind,
forcing her to wonder if she really wouldn't be better off serving....
"Lissette!" Metal Sonic yelled, running up and slapping the Unholy
One's hand away just as he was about to grab hold of Lissette. "Get away from
her, whoever you are."
"The robot," the Unholy One sneered. "I thought you sufficiently
distracted."
"I knew something was up as soon as I picked up one of the parts. Looks
nice enough, but no substance. Kind of like your promises, huh?"
"You forget your place," the Unholy One growled, dark power beginning to
coalesce around his hands. "Now step aside, this concerns you not."
"I was told by her father to protect her, and that's just what I'm going
to do. See, I'm not affected by whatever you did to make this place look
normal to everyone else. My scanners saw through that illusion right away.
Now I suggest you get out of here before I make you."
The Unholy One laughed at Metal Sonic's threat and loosed a huge bolt of
dark lightning at him. Metal Sonic screamed as the electricity coursed
through him, sending him flying until he landed in a crumpled heap beside the
fountain, showing no signs of activity.
"Metal!" Lissette cried, hurrying to his side.
"I will ask you only one more time child," the Unholy One said, his
voice suddenly dark and menacing. "Serve me or die."
Lissette glared at him, tears falling freely from her brown eyes. "I'd
rather die!"
"Such a waste," the Unholy One said mockingly as he began to charge up
his powers again. "Then die." Dark lightning streaked toward her and
Lissette turned away, unwilling to see her own death approaching.
But the dark power never struck her, turned away by the shield of a
lavender echidna that stood over her. "James?" Lissette asked, her brain
refusing to accept the fact that he'd helped her.
James spared a smirk for her, then focused all his mind on his opponent.
"I think you had better leave," James said slowly. But both he and his foe
knew the implied threat was empty. James had spent most of his power on the
shield; it could not survive another blast and he could not mount an offensive
while he tried to hold it up.
The Unholy One began to chant in a forbidden tongue, but his voice was
cut off as he felt the approach of many powerful beings. "You will regret
this day young Guardian," he snarled, pulling his robe more closely about him
and disappearing in a dark cyclone.
As the last remnants faded, no less than four Holy Ones appeared at the
fountain, as well as a Holy One in training. They too were immune to the
illusion cast by the Unholy One, and Tanis quickly dispelled it. The other
citizens that had been milling around suddenly turned to look at the fountain
in shock and worry. "What's going on?" he asked, shivering at the remnants
of darkness that pervaded the area.
If Lissette heard him, she paid him no mind as she gathered Metal Sonic
up in her arms and took off at a run toward the palace. James took off after
her, ignoring the calls of both his family and the Shi-rat family to wait.
Grabbing hold of her shoulder, he used his magic to teleport them into the
palace near the Science Lab, though he collapsed on the floor right after.
Lissette skidded to a stop as she came into the Lab, setting Metal Sonic
down on a work table. "What happened to him?" Uncle Chuck asked, running
over to the table.
"He was hit by a blast of dark lightning," Lissette answered as she
pulled on her work gloves and goggles. "I don't know how much damage has been
done."
"We'll fix him," Uncle Chuck promised, pulling on his own gear. "Let's
get to work.
As they began their work on Metal Sonic, quite the crowd had gathered
outside the door which was now locked down. All the Chosen Ones and the
Freedom Fighters that were their parents were clustered around the door,
trying to get the story from a recovering James as well as listen in on what
was going on inside the lab. But all they could hear were a few snippets
that wasn't making much sense.
"...neural net failing...."
"...re-routing power through cranial sector F-5...."
"...power grid shorting out...."
"...activating self-repair program...."
"...come on, work damn you!..."
"...may be permanent damage to memory circuits...."
"...circuits repairing, hoping for the best...."
"He might have sacrificed himself for her," James said, drawing
everyone's attention to him. "I don't know the whole situation, but I can
tell he'd protect her no matter what."
"What were you thinking?" Knuckles demanded of his son. "You don't
have nearly the training or power to handle a threat like that."
"I wasn't thinking," James admitted. "I was trying to find her to
start another one of our arguments, see if I could actually win one this
time. But when I saw her in danger...."
"It's all right," Julie-Su whispered. "You did the right thing."
"I guess this proves everything," Sonic said. "I may not have liked
that robot much, if at all. And yet, this is not how I expected him to
fall."
"He's not done yet Dad," Alicia said. "And if he's anything like
the original, it'll take more than this to keep him down."
Sonic smiled at his daughter and gently squeezed his wife's hand for
comfort. After a number of hours, the door opened, making Sonic, Juice, and
James, all of whom had been leaning against the door, fall flat on their
faces. A weary and drawn Lissette stepped over them and stumbled away.
"Lissette!" James called and would've gone after her had his mother not
restrained him.
Lissette walked until she couldn't walk anymore and collapsed onto what
she thought was a low bench. It wasn't until she had caught her breath that
she realized that she'd made her way back to the fountain. Tears brimmed in
her eyes, threatening to overflow and yet she did nothing to stop them.
"Lissette?" a young voice asked.
Lisette wiped away her tears and looked down. "Oh, Michelle, it's you.
what are you doing out here?"
"I live right over there," Michelle said, pointing. "I saw you looked
sad so I came out to give you something."
Lissette smiled tiredly. "You don't have to...." She was cut off by
the young badger jumping into her lap and giving her a hug. Lissette was
shocked for a moment, but then hugged Michelle back, her tears flowing.
"Why are you crying?" Michelle asked.
"I'm crying because someone close to me may be going away."
"For how long?"
"Forever," Lissette whispered.
"My daddy went away like that," Michelle said, hugging more into
Lissette. "I miss him every day."
"I'll miss Metal too. He's like a big brother to me. Always has been."
"No need to worry about that," Uncle Chuck said as he walked slowly
toward the fountain. "We did it."
"He's going to be all right?" Lissette asked, afraid to hope.
"He may be a bit disoriented for a while, but he should be fine."
Lissette's tears of sadness became tears of relief. Uncle Chuck smiled
and walked away, leaving the two girls alone. And there they sat, comforting
and taking comfort from each other. Nearby, a pair of eyes watched them from
a window and sighed. "Seems this time my daughter taught me something,"
Michelle's mother said, shaking her head. She let the curtain fallback across
the window and turned away, a smile on her face that hadn't been there since
her husband died. (
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