"Mama...Mama!"
She still felt kind of hazy when she was pulled out of sleep, and groggily she tried to look at who was poking and prodding at her. A small ewe girl looked at her mother with uneasy terror. "Mama...I had a bad dream," she uttered, trembling.
Jill rubbed her eyes and yawned while she sat up from her bed, and the little ewe crawled into her bed; then, her lap, just for her mother to place her comforting arms around her little girl. Like she had done years ago, Jill gently rocked back and forth the little ewe, easily calming her down.
"Mama...are you mad that I woke you up?" she asked.
Jill shook her head no, and stroked her daughter's short hair. Nothing would make her mad at her. She loved her too much for that. The little ewe snuggled up in her mother's embrace, and felt her eyes grow heavy, but she tried to fight it. She didn't want to fall asleep and miss out on how safe she felt this moment. "...Mama...why did you name me Joy?" she asked, trying to find a way to stay awake.
Jill smiled; she could tell she didn't want to go to sleep. Picking up a pencil and notepad from the end table beside the bed, she wrote a simple message, and showed her it.
Little Joy squinted while she tried as hard as she could to read, and sound out the words. "...You...make...me...happy," she read, and looked up at her mom in innocent amazement. "Do I really make you happy, Mama?" Jill nodded in reassurance, and this made Joy smile the smile that Jill lived to see.
Joy yawned then, and reopened her sleep-deprived eyelids to try staying awake; only for Jill to gingerly press them back closed with her fingers. Joy finally gave in, and settled down in Jill's arms as she drifted to a more content sleep; soundly sucking on a thumb eventually. Jill moved slowly and quietly as not to wake her, lying back down in bed with Joy still tucked in her arms, and she finally had the two of them underneath the covers comfortably.
Jill gave her little girl a loving kiss on the forehead before she herself fell back asleep; holding Joy closely.
5 Years Later - Chapter One...
...darkness... darkness... again, this damned darkness...
For five years, this darkness has haunted me; never once letting me sleep. I can't even begin to count the days that I've fought the urge to fall asleep. Those three forces... Purity, Corruption, Unity...
...sometimes... I regret ever getting involved with them...
A hissing whisper returns to me...
...those whispers again... they keep haunting me; keep telling me to give in to my inner demons...
Their efforts are in vain. Just as I told that damn vampire five years ago, I can endure his tricks... if only to keep her safe...
"...get him," ordered that hissing whisper.
Again, that dark, metallic contraption erupted from the darkness, rushing right at me with its claws bared. I didn't even need to glance at it, as I simply formed a blade in my hands, before parrying the incoming attack. "The same song and dance as always..." I muttered. "...one would think that after five years, you'd have figured out some new tricks."
"Oh, but I have," that whisper said. "Observe..."
At that point, darkness suddenly swelled from the dark creature, flowing around him like an aura, as it grew in size. Soon enough, the creature towered significantly above me, leering down at me with a snarl.
In spite of this, however, I scoffed. "Charming... but it's not going to make you win." Then, I leaped a distance back, before looking up at the massive, Corruption-enhanced monster. "Rather... you've just given me a bigger target, Novagod."
"Well then, have fun with it while it lasts," the whisper hissed again.
At that point, the creature roared, as it reached down to try and grab me... however, I merely allowed it to pick me up, raising me up closer to it. "...come on." I taunted. "Why don't you try and finish me?"
As I suspected, the monster didn't seem too happy about that, so instantly, it opened its mouth, and hurled me inside, intending to consume me.
Big mistake.
Just as it closed its mouth, massive spikes shot out from my body, which also pierced its head every which way, forcing it to roar in pain, as it slowly began falling over. Before it crashed, however, I managed to fly out of its mouth, watching it crumble into nothingness.
"...why do you bother persisting, Novagod?" I muttered, glancing around the area. "For five years, you've tried corrupting me... and each and every time, I've foiled you. What do you hope to accomplish?"
"The only thing I can hope to accomplish," Deity Novagod answered. "And that is to break free from this prison you have me in...by destroying you."
I sneered at that. "You don't get it. You can't destroy me." I muttered, as I folded my arms. "Not unless you think of a different trick to do so, at least."
"Metal...why did you do that?"
...it was her voice again. Hearing it, I rubbed my temples; trying to ignore it
"Metal, why are you ignoring me?" her voice pestered in a weepy tone...
I gritted my teeth. Just how could he manipulate her voice into saying those things? Even though I never saw her again since that day five years ago...
"...a thought crossed my mind," Deity Novagod's voice cut in. "Perhaps, all these years...she has forgotten about you."
I blinked. While that was a possibility, I found it hard to believe; especially since I had saved her life. Still... "...if she has forgotten about me... maybe it's for the best." I muttered.
"...is it really worth protecting her from me, if she has forgotten about you?" Deity continued.
"...of course it is." I muttered. "I'm not just protecting her from you, though... I'm keeping you from the world as a whole, Novagod."
"...I miss you Metal...please, come back..." that was her voice once more.
Growling, I looked away. "...would you stop that, Novagod? If she wanted to see me again, she'd have come back here to look for me! I know that she's better off without me in her life!"
"Perhaps she could also have been afraid that you would just push her away like before..." Deity suggested. "Either way, it is a pity indeed..."
Growling, I slowly regained my composure. "...let me wake up." I muttered. "Maybe you can try something more original tomorrow."
"As you wish."
Slowly, Metal Sonic opened his eyes, as he sat up, rubbing his eyes; or rather, his left, organic eye. Due to what transpired five years ago, parts of his body, including his right eye and left leg, had become mechanized once more.
In spite of that, his organic parts had actually aged beyond what he looked like back then. He was taller definitely, and he gained more mature muscle-tone; so his shoulders had outgrown his shoulder pads that he wore years ago. He still had the same collar and wrist bands, and now even a belt the same style, no longer dragging behind that long waist-cape. Boots covered up the left mechanical leg he had.
Sometimes, he'd wonder if Sonic himself actually would look like that, were he still alive. Well, without any mechanical attachments of course.
Sighing, he glanced around the room; the same room he had received repairs in five years ago. As he got off the bed, his eyes moved towards a desk, where he saw a small, necklace with a pale-green orb stuck in it.
That necklace belonged to Light Gaia, and had been instrumental in bringing about the downfall of Novagod.
With a small sigh, Metal walked over to the necklace, taking hold of it and simply looking at the spherical gem. As he kept looking at the gem, a thought dawned on the hedgehog-metallix... it had been five years, and not even one person had come to claim it back. Along with what Novagod had said, this inspired him.
Nodding, Metal placed the necklace around his wrist, before he walked out of the room. "...I think it's time to return this trinket."
"How's that?" someone asked. At first, it was hard to tell who it was, but they turned off the welder and removed the welding mask they were wearing, showing it to be a Mobian black bear in his middle teens. He still wore the brown and blue-green baseball cap he had worn when he was ten; there was no way he was going to take off a family heirloom.
"That looks pretty good," commented another, which was a Mobian lion who was just the same age as the bear. Now his black mane had grown out to be seen, but it was still short. It would grow though, hopefully to be as long as the other lion he knew. The lion turned and called, "Professor! What do you think?"
"Well, you've certainly made improvements..." the old fox chuckled, as he had been watching the two work on this little invention. "Now, let's see if it actually works, shall we?"
At that point, coming from outside, they heard something akin to harmonica music. "Ah, what do you know; Jack must be back from Future City." the fox chuckled.
"Nice!" The bear threw off the welding mask and hopped out the door, with the lion catching it frantically.
"Striker, you have to be careful with the equipment!" the lion called out, setting the mask down carefully and then trailing his friend out the door as well.
Chuckling, the old fox took a seat, before closing his eyes. "Still the same..."
"Aren't you going to go after them, Professor?" At that point, a small plushie resembling the old fox fluttered up to him, tilting its head.
"No; someone needs to make sure that the house doesn't catch fire, you know." Tails chuckled. "Though thankfully, Whisker isn't too far away, so we could always have him fix the problem..." Then, he looked back at the plushie. "You go after them, though, Tails Doll."
"Alright! Be right back, Professor!" Tails Doll laughed, as he quickly fluttered after the two.
Upon coming outside, the two spotted their friend. The older lion was, of course, much older than last time. He towered over the two with an incredible height, hopefully the tallest he would get, and that meant he had to wear a much longer pair of black jeans. His red mane grew so long that he had to wind it up in a pony tail, and he even had some red fur above his lips as a beginning mustache. However, while physical appearance had changed drastically, he was still the same man child as always.
"Jack! How was Future City?" The black bear asked eagerly, whom the younger lion referred to as Striker.
Looking up at the two, Jack stopped playing his harmonica, before smiling. "It was awesome! I think they were getting ready for a festival, so there were lots of people there, too! Too bad that the Extreme Gear course is being renovated; otherwise, I think it'd have been a really awesome race!"
"So you had fun in the city?" Tails Doll chimed in, as he fluttered on top of Jack's head, looking down at him.
"You bet!" Jack laughed, as he looked at the younger lion and bear. "So, what have you guys been doing today?"
"Been working on the same thing we've been working on for the past week," Striker answered. "Though I think it's almost done now!"
"Oh, that's awesome!" Jack laughed. "Can't wait to see it finished!"
"The Professor thinks it's gonna be really awesome!" Tails Doll chimed in. "And when he thinks that, it's bound to be great!"
"So Striker...when you're finished with it, what're you going to name it?" The younger lion asked.
Striker rubbed his chin. "Don't know. Never been real good with robot names..." then he looked at the younger lion. "Any suggestions Milo?"
The younger lion, Milo, made a shrug. "...I'm not sure."
"Well, we'll figure it out sooner or later." Jack said with a smile, as he looked towards the workshop. "But I really gotta see how far you've gotten with it!"
"Sure! Let's go!" And Striker hurried along back inside with the other boys and Tails Doll following them. Soon, they arrived back into the room where they just were. "Have you gotten it started up yet, Professor?" Striker asked.
"Not yet; I wanted to wait for you all to come in, first." Tails chuckled, as he looked at the robot. "Well, shall we give it a go?"
"Yeah," Milo said, nodding.
"Alright..." Nodding, Tails approached the robot, and prepared to activate it... but before he could, they all heard knocking on the door. "...more visitors?"
"I wouldn't know; I didn't see anyone else go off the train after me." Jack hummed.
"Wonder who it could be," Striker said, walking out of the room to head for the door.
As he opened the door, what he'd see was a cloaked man looking back at him; with no distinguishable features visible whatsoever. "...does Miles Prower live here?" he uttered, in a voice Striker wouldn't recognize.
"Yes, he does, sir," Striker answered politely. "Do you have any business with him?"
"...I have something I wish to deliver to him." the stranger replied, as he reached for something up his sleeve, before pulling it out; a small necklace, with a large gem encrusted in it.
"Hey, look at that," Striker took the necklace and observed its pretty gemstone. The longer he looked at it, he squinted. "...this looks familiar..."
"...it should be; you forgot it at my place five years ago." the stranger hummed.
That sparked a memory from Striker that truly surprised him, and he gawked up at the stranger. "...no way..." he murmured. "...is...it really you?"
"...it truly is." Now, the stranger's voice finally changed into a recognizable one, as he removed the hood covering his face, which revealed his true identity. "Long time, no see." Metal Sonic chuckled.
Striker was pretty stunned, and just stood there. Then he smiled. "I never thought I'd see you again...do you want to come in?" he offered with a gesture indoors.
"I suppose..." Metal hummed, as he entered the house. "...you've certainly grown."
"Striker, who is it?" At that point, Jack and Tails Doll went out to the entrance as well, just as they caught a glimpse of Metal... and both of them reeled back in surprise, Tails Doll most of all. "...B-Big... Bro?" Tails Doll uttered.
"...hello, Tails Doll." Metal said with a slight nod to the plushie.
"Yeah, I know," Striker laughed. "I was pretty surprised too."
"About what?" Milo entered in, and he too stopped in utter surprise. "...Professor! Look who's here!" he called back into the room.
"Now what is it...?" Tails muttered, as he went out into the hall as well, only to see Metal standing there. "...well, now..."
"I take it that you're all surprised to see me." Metal chuckled, as he closed the door after him.
"Understatement of the century, Big Bro!" Tails Doll cheered, as he quickly latched onto Metal's face, hugging him. "I've missed you very much!"
"...glad to hear it." Metal responded, as he managed to pull Tails Doll off his face.
Then Striker thought of something, "Hey! Maybe you could help us! I just got done making a robot of my own, but I haven't been able to figure out a name for it..."
"Well, I suppose..." Metal hummed, as he glanced at Striker. "...but there seems to be a lack of people in the group. Are the others over at the Clubhouse?"
Milo tilted his head in puzzlement. "...what do you mean?" he asked.
"Whisker's at the Clubhouse, but there's no one else," Striker added.
Hearing that, Metal blinked. "...wait, seriously?" he uttered, as he scratched his head. "Then... what about Jill, Brick and Ani? Where are they?"
Things became uncomfortably silent then, while most of them tried to look away from Metal.
"...Ani's been with her dad so that she could help start up Safe Haven..." Milo answered, but the others were afraid to say anything else.
"...and... the others...?" Metal uttered, as he looked at the reactions this garnered from the group. "Where are Jill and Brick?"
"...th-they..." Tails Doll uttered, as he sounded like he was on the verge of tears; even though he couldn't cry.
Milo was getting too sentimental to answer as well, so Striker swallowed his own feelings and sighed. "...there's something you should know, Metal," he managed to say.
"...what?" Metal uttered, as he glanced at Striker.
"Brick-" Striker voice shook, so he cleared his throat to start again. "...Brick died 3 years ago...and Jill's been missing ever since..." Tears were coming into his eyes but he turned away to keep Metal from seeing them, and tried to hold them back.
Hearing that, Metal was stunned. ...d-died...? he thought, holding a hand against his head. "...I... I'm sorry; I didn't know..."
"You couldn't have known..." Jack muttered, as he looked away from Metal as well.
"We...didn't mean to get emotional like that," Striker stammered, gathering the courage to look at Metal again with a straight face.
"...y-yeah," Milo added, sniffing as he tried to wipe away his tears.
"...it's alright." Metal muttered, as he let out a small sigh. "...well... shall we take a look at this robot, then?" he said, hoping to lighten the mood just a little bit.
"...yeah," Striker murmured, while he and the others went down to that one room.
Metal confronted what was just a pile on the ground: a torso with a big head, two arms; well, one looked more like a type of cannon than an arm, and two legs. The limbs didn't seem to be attached to the torso whatsoever...and the robot was made out of black and dark sea green metal. Two big bolts were on its cheeks.
Looking down at this pile of robotics, Metal hummed with intrigue. "...impressive..." he hummed, as he rubbed his chin. "...I do wonder what it's capable of..."
"That's what we want to find out," Striker said, walking over to it. Behind the head, he popped open a tiny door into a compartment where the switches were, and he flipped a switch.
The pile suddenly animated and came to life. The limbs rose and twirled around, until the torso finally rose. Then the hand touched the head, while the eyes opened. A pair of yellow, lens-like eyes were slowly adjusting, and looking at all of them blankly. It jumped when Striker closed the door behind its head, and spun to meet his maker.
"Hi," Striker greeted.
The robot rubbed its head, for it couldn't tilt it with a locked neck. "...who are you?"
"My name's Striker and I made you," Striker said. "Those are my friends over there," and he pointed to the others as the robot turned to them.
While both Jack and Tails Doll waved at the robot, Tails simply regarded a nod to it, whilst Metal merely looked at it.
"Well, if those are your friends...and you're you...than who am I?" the robot asked, turning to Striker. "Do I have a name?"
"Not yet," Striker said. "But we're going to give you one."
"...hm." Nodding, Metal began inspecting the robot from where he stood with a thoughtful look on his face. "...Striker... how about we see what he can do, before we think of a name?"
"Okay," Striker motioned for the robot to follow him, and it did all the way outside, just as everyone else followed. The robot's movement bounced with each step, as if its limbs were attached with springs; invisible ones in this case. Sometimes, it even was a little clumsy about it like a baby taking its first steps, but it managed to regain balance.
"So, do you think you can show us if you can do anything?" Striker asked.
The robot observed that one of its arms was some type of cannon. Bringing it up, it aimed the cannon toward one of the palm trees near Tails' workshop. The jewels on its arms began to blink and glow and power started building up at the barrel of its cannon. Suddenly, it shot a sea-green laser that burned off all the leaves at the top of the tree, and the cannon sizzled as recoil. "...is that what you meant?" the robot asked Striker.
Striker shrugged, "Something like that."
"The cannon works," Milo murmured to himself. "That's a good sign..."
"It's really strong, too..." Jack hummed, as he looked up at the palm tree in awe.
"...curious..." Metal mused, his eyes on where the robot's limbs were supposed to be. "...I do have to wonder about his arms and legs, seeing as they're not entirely connected to his main body..."
"I made up these wireless motion sensors," Striker said. "I figured that limbs could break easily...so this sort of saves all those trips to the repair ward, if you know what I mean."
"...that could make somebody pretty flexible, couldn't it?" the robot supposed. Striker suddenly found it on a hand-stand, and its legs spun around like a helicopter propeller; though not at that kind of speed.
Striker laughed. "Yeah, I guess it could." The robot jumped back onto its feet, and looked back at Striker. Seeing a smile for the first time, it attempted to do something like that. A light blinked on its face, taking the shape of a mouth, and with that, it made a smile.
Seeing that, Metal couldn't help but chuckle. "It's certainly more advanced than most of what Eggman cooked up back in the day." he mused jokingly.
"So how are you holding together?" Striker asked the robot.
"…fairly well," the robot answered back, looking over itself. Its arms suddenly switched, and its hand flipped around, while the fingers bent backward, becoming its right hand.
"…nice," Milo muttered. "He's double-jointed."
The arm switched back to its left.
"...he's certainly versatile." Tails noted with a slight nod.
"Indeed..." Metal nodded in agreement.
"…oh yeah, and I have photographic memory," The robot said. Its lens-like eyes dilated drastically just as everyone heard a loud clicking snap. Shortly after, the robot spat out something from its mouth, and showed it to Striker.
"Ha! Look at that!" Striker showed it to everyone else to reveal it was a photo of him.
"...that's quite a literal definition of the term." Metal chuckled, as he folded his arms, humming. "...Snap..."
Blinking, Tails Doll glanced at Metal. "What snapped, Big Bro?"
"Nothing..." Metal hummed, as he looked at the robot. "...I just got an idea for a name. Pretty silly, but..."
"Actually, that was just what I was thinking," Striker said. "Snap is a good name."
"…Snap huh?" the robot muttered. After thinking about it, it formed a smile. "I like Snap."
"Snap it is, then." Metal chuckled.
"Nice!" Milo said, coming up to the newly named robot, Snap, and giving him (yes, since he was named, he has also been given a gender to refer to,) a hand on the shoulder pad. "Welcome to the group, Snap! My name is Milo!"
"And my name's Jack!" Jack said with a grin, as he patted Snap's back.
"I'm Tails Doll!" Tails Doll chimed in, as he fluttered on top of Snap's head.
With a chuckle, Tails approached Snap as well. "My name is Miles Prower, but you can call me Tails."
Metal, on the other hand, was silent, as he glanced away with a thoughtful look on his face.
"Jack...Tails Doll...Tails...and Milo," Snap nodded to each of them, smiling, but the smile dropped when he glanced at Metal. "...what's his name?"
Seeing that Metal might not answer, Striker did instead, "His name is Metal Sonic..."
"...Metal's fine." Metal eventually said, still not looking at anyone in the group.
Snap noticed that Metal's behavior was a little unusual compared to everyone else. "...how come he isn't as enthusiastic as you guys are?" he wondered, asking the group around him.
"...well, these guys have been working on you for quite some time now, I'd assume." Metal said, as he glanced at Snap, a small smile on his lips. "Not to mention... they work better in crowds than me." he added with a chuckle.
"Oh, you don't like crowds?" Snap said uneasily.
"Don't worry Snap, he isn't saying that he doesn't like us," Striker said, setting a hand on his shoulder pad reassuringly. "He's just uncomfortable is all..."
Milo looked over at Metal. "Although Snap's got a point...you're thinking about something." even if Milo had trouble sensing a soul in Metal, his observation skills have sharpened with age.
Metal's smile slowly fell, as he glanced away again. "...yes..." he eventually admitted.
"About what?" Milo asked.
"...lots of things, really." Metal muttered, not wanting to tell them exactly what he was thinking.
Milo could almost guess what he was thinking, so he didn't bother to ask anything else other than, "...so I suppose it means that you'll have to leave."
"...I suppose so." Metal nodded.
"Wha- you're leaving already, Big Bro?" Tails Doll uttered, fluttering up to him. "But... you just got here!"
"I know..." Metal muttered, as he glanced at the others. "...I suppose we'll have to wait until a later date to catch up, then."
"Well...wherever you're going...do you think I could come with you?" Snap was the one who asked that, and that surprised everyone around him.
Metal could only blink, as he looked at the robot. "...I... suppose..." he muttered, before glancing at Striker. "...but I think you need to ask him, first."
"Well...I know he just started up...but I guess Snap does need a field test, just to make sure he'll work alright," Striker murmured, rubbing his chin.
"So...does that mean I could?" Snap urged.
Striker finally nodded. "It's okay with me..."
"Then I suppose it's settled." Metal nodded, as he gave Snap a nod.
"...um... can I come, too, Big Bro?" Tails Doll inquired, fluttering around the Metallix. "I mean, if you don't want me following you, that's alright..."
"...of course you can come along." Metal chuckled, before he glanced at Striker. "I assume that you all are okay with it?"
"Just as long as you guys come back," Striker said, smiling, while Snap walked over to Metal.
"Don't worry; I'll see to it that they return." Metal chuckled, before he covered his face with his hood again.
"...Big Bro, why are you hiding your face like that?" Tails Doll inquired curiously.
"...well, it has been five years since anyone last saw him..." Jack suggested, as he folded his arms. "...maybe he doesn't wanna cause a commotion?"
"Good point," Striker remarked.
"Bye Striker, and everybody else," Snap said, waving to them.
"We'll see you later, then." Tails said with a small smile.
"Right... let's go." Metal uttered, as he made his ways towards the stairs, Tails Doll fluttering after him.
Quickly, Snap tried to catch up with them. "So...where is our destination?" he asked.
"...I have someone I still need to visit..." Metal muttered once they were out of earshot, as the trio headed for the train station, where a train was waiting for them. "...so we're heading for Safe Haven."
A middle-aged wolf was walking down the hall that morning, yawning.
"Kekekeke! Good morning!" At that point, coming up behind the wolf was a mantis, looking quite excited for someone up at this hour. "Did you sleep well, Hunter? Kekekekeke!"
Hunter turned to his old friend with a smile. "Actually, I slept fairly well." Except for being slightly taller, and his hair being trimmed shorter and more orderly, he hadn't changed much in the few years. "How about you, Ripper? You look pretty giddy this morning..."
"Kekekeke! Why shouldn't I?" Ripper cackled. Much like Hunter, the praying mantis hadn't changed much either, aside from growing slightly taller as well. "We're getting new recruits coming to the island today! That's always the best day of each year! Kekekeke!"
"Someone's certainly enthusiastic to see the new guys come in." they heard a female chuckle, as they came across a female, black bear leaning against a wall in the hallway. "Though compared to King, you're even calmer than normal, Ripper." she said with a slight smile.
"I guess I somehow managed to forget that today the new recruits were coming in," Hunter murmured. "Course, then again, I've been pretty busy, so I guess it slipped my mind."
"For 4 years in a row Dad? C'mon!" hearing that laughter, Hunter glanced down a hallway to see his daughter come in.
Now, Anistasia Symphony had very much changed throughout the years. She was just about to meet her father's height, having hit puberty, and looking more like a girl than she did years ago. Combat boots, cameo pants, and a white tank-top was a simple get-up that she was plenty happy with, and nothing tampered with her sparky personality at all. She, too, looked pretty excited for today as she joined the three of them in the hallway.
"Kekekeke! So Ani and Queen are awake as well!" Ripper cackled, looking at the two of them. "Now, we only need to wake up Miser and King!"
"King's been awake for quite some time, actually." Queen chuckled, as she closed her eyes. Out of all the former GUN Agents, Queen had definitely changed the least, to the point that one could say that she looked identical to how she looked five years ago. "And if Sage isn't mistaken, Miser's about to wake up, as well."
"Ah, it'll be great!" Ani sighed happily. "More boys to pound if they try to hit on me!"
"Don't get ahead of yourself now," Hunter chuckled.
"I rue the day when you actually find someone you consider attractive, Ani." Queen chuckled, as she stood away from the wall. "Why don't you all see if the ferry's on the way? I'll fetch the others."
"Kekekeke! Sounds like a plan!" Ripper laughed. "Come on, let's go to the harbor! Kekekekeke!"
"Yeah, let's go!" And Ani grabbed Hunter by the wrist, dragging him. This made him laugh.
"Alright, alright Ani! I'm coming," he chuckled, following her and Ripper down the hall.
With a small sigh, Queen began walking down the other hallway. "...time sure does fly..."
Once the three made their way out of the building, they would all see a ship coming towards a harbor on the island. "Keke! There it is!" Ripper laughed, glancing at Hunter and Ani. "Do you guys think that Flamenco and Lin are getting ready for work?"
"Let's hope so," Hunter said. "Otherwise, we get the chance to wake them up the hard way."
Ani snickered. She remembered a year where the two of them accidentally slept in, and she made sure to administer the embarrassment as much as possible. Charmy certainly taught her well...
"Keke!" Ripper snickered, as he began heading for the harbor. "Come on; maybe we can spot someone lounging on deck before the ferry docks! Kekekeke!"
Ani rushed, tugging Hunter along so he'd keep up.
"Aye..." when he joined Safe Haven, he didn't imagine he'd be here, but why should he complain? He's not entirely stranded on the island with nothing to do, and since his shifts were easy, he could kick back and relax a lot...maybe too much...5 years had done nothing to the toucan, and when his hair grew out, he just cut it short; nice and proper, just the way he liked it.
"Flammy!" His relaxation would have to wait, however, as three index fingers repeatedly poked at his skull. "Wake up; the newbies are comin' in!" Lin said with a wide smile; she, too, hadn't exactly changed much, aside from one of her right arms. What had used to be a simple arm stump now held a metal detector, which came in handy for the position she and Flamenco had been given.
Flamenco batted away her hand and sat up grumbling, "Yeah yeah...I'm awake Lin, don't worry. I'm not oversleeping after what Ani did that year..."
"You still sour over that?" Lin hummed, before giggling. "Come on; it was kinda funny, wasn't it?" she said.
"Eh..." Flamenco shrugged about it. He wasn't exactly sour over it...anymore. It was a good motivator for work though... "...just wish that hombre would control his hija..." he muttered; and, of course, time had done nothing to his minor spanglish.
"Aw, she's just playing around." Lin said with a small smile.
"Who's playing around? Kekekeke!" Hearing that voice, Lin glanced up to see Ripper, Ani and Hunter approach them.
"Oh... h-hi, guys." Lin uttered shyly, quickly trying to hide behind the shorter toucan; not even time could do anything about her mood swings. "Th-the ferry's gonna land, soon..."
"How long?" Hunter asked.
"20 minutes or so," Flamenco guessed, glancing at it. "...there are a lot this year." He could notice the ferry practically overflowing with newcomers. That wasn't right, was it?
Ani, secretly disappointed that her opportunity for another prank was spoiled, went to the railing to see if what Flamenco was saying was true.
True enough, the ferry seemed to be packed to the brim, especially on the deck, where there seemed to be some commotion. "...what's going on out there?" Lin uttered.
"...does anyone have binoculars?" Ripper inquired, as he tried catching a better glimpse of what was going on.
"To the utility bag!" Something everyone always forgot was that Ani carried around a bag of things. Somehow, there always seemed to be something they needed in there, and after a quick look, she found a pair of binoculars and handed them over to Ripper.
"Keke, thanks!" Ripper nodded, as he used the binoculars to scout over the ferry... before sighing. "Looks like some of the recruits have gotten into a brawl."
"Again?" Lin groaned. "Man, this happens every year! Flammy, count down how long it'll take for King to show up and break it up once the ferry docks."
"On it..." Flamenco muttered.
"I wanna see, I wanna see!" Ani pestered Ripper. These brawls were always a thrill...
"Wait, wait, I gotta see who's fighting, first..." Ripper muttered, trying to get a better view. "...kekeke! One of them's a scorpion! But the other one's cloaked..." With a nod, Ripper handed the binoculars to Ani.
"Nice!" once she saw it, she was absorbed in watching the fight; especially the cloaked one. He had some good moves!
"I wonder what's got them fighting, though..." Lin muttered, as she folded her arms. "Always the silliest reasons..."
"Keke! You don't need a good reason to have a fight!" Ripper laughed, as he glanced at Lin with a smirk. "I thought that you'd have gotten that, by now. Kekekeke!"
"When King enforces that kind of thinking?" Lin said with a dry chuckle, glancing back at Ripper.
"Oh! The scorpion got one right in the kisser!" Ani laughed, continuing to watch. "My money's on the cloaked guy!"
"Do you think they'll actually finish the fight before the ferry docks?" Lin mused, as the ferry was only getting closer and closer.
"Knowing what happened last time, I think they'll finally just throw one of them overboard to end it," Flamenco remarked.
"Oooh! That's smarts!" Ani remarked, continuing to watch through the binoculars...until Hunter finally swiped them. "Hey!"
"Aw, come on, Hunter!" Ripper pleaded, looking at the wolf. "We need to know who's going to win! Kekekeke!"
"The ferry's here, guys," Hunter said, pointing. Indeed, the ferry was just beginning to roll into the harbor, and the rip-roar of the brawl was at its loudest.
"...then... maybe we can see who won!" Ripper said gleefully, as he looked up at the ferry.
Before that could happen, however, a loud thunderclap suddenly stole the attention of everyone in the brawl, and looking behind them, the group saw four people there; Queen, along with a female rhino, a female raven, and a male tiger, the latter brimming with electricity. "...alright, enough fooling around!" he called to the ones on the ferry. "Let's get ashore, people!"
"Time it." Lin uttered dryly.
Flamenco glanced at a watch. "...5 minutes, 24 seconds," he replied. "New record..."
Slowly, the ferry's passengers began filtering out from the ship, as the raven looked among the horde of recruits. "...Sage. How many?" the tiger hummed.
"...approximately 152 people are here, King." Sage hummed; aside from her feathers having grown out, along with a slight crack along her beak, the raven hadn't changed that much. "37 more than last year."
"Is that right..." King hummed, as he folded his arms; over the years, King's physique had gotten a lot bulkier, as if he had been in constant exercise. "Alright, who're the two who started the brawl?"
At that point, the group pushed out three people; two of them being cloaked, and the third one a red, female scorpion, whose arms were folded.
"Alright now, what's your major malfunction?" Hunter asked.
The shorter of the cloaked figures jumped, "N-nothing sir, I'm functioning perfectly fi-OW!"
"...don't mind him." the taller cloaked figure uttered, after having shoved the shorter cloaked figure. "He's just eager to get things started... but it seems this woman took it too far."
"Took it too far, my ass!" the scorpion scoffed, as she glared at the two cloaked people. "That little perv was taking pictures of me, I swear..."
"It's all nothing but a misunderstanding." the other cloaked figure shrugged.
"That's not how I remember it..." the scorpion hissed, glaring at the two.
"Alright, just calm down!" King called, looking at the three. "...sheesh... you guys need to learn the number one rule here on Safe Haven. If you're looking for a fight... wait until after lunch!"
The three could only look at King in astonishment at this. "...eh?"
"Uh, understood, sir," the shorter cloaked figure said, though with some puzzlement.
"Nice brawl by the way, though!" Ani stepped up to them, smirking.
"...hmph. Don't mention it, kid." the scorpion muttered, glancing away from Ani.
"Alright, let's not wait any longer!" King chuckled, rubbing his hands together. "First off, Flamenco and Lin are going to search you all for any sort of weapons you might have on you. After that, Miser and Ripper will take you to the mess hall, where we'll get you guys something to eat!"
"...King." Sage hummed, as she looked at the two cloaked beings. "...those two. We'll need to talk to them on our own."
Hearing that, the taller cloaked being glanced away.
"...sure..." King muttered, as he motioned for the two to follow him. "Come along, you two."
"Ani, Hunter, Queen, Ripper, Miser, you guys, too." Sage said, before glancing at Lin and Flamenco. "You two check up on the rest, alright?"
"Can do," Flamenco said, walking over to tend to the rest.
The shorter cloaked one looked at all of them, while they were led away by the group said by Sage. "…uh, excuse me, but…are we in trouble?" he asked uneasily.
"Not in trouble, per se..." Sage muttered, as she looked at the shorter one once they were out of sight. "...well, not you, at least. Your friend on the other hand..."
"What, do you know him?" King inquired, as he glanced at Sage.
"...we all do." Sage said with a chuckle, before giving Ani a nod. "Take his hood off."
"…okay?" Ani was bewildered, but did what Sage instructed her to do, taking the hood off of the taller one.
Once she did, everyone immediately realized what Sage had meant, when Ani was met with a pair of red eyes; one organic, one mechanized. "...hello." Metal Sonic said curtly.
"...keke?" Ripper uttered in surprise.
"...well, now..." Queen hummed, as she folded her arms.
"...that's... really him?" Miser said in surprise.
"…whoa…" Hunter muttered, wide-eyed.
"…I thought that fighting looked familiar!" Ani said, a big grin on her face, giving Metal a thumbs-up. "How's it going Metal?" Then she looked at the shorter one. "…who's this guy?"
The shorter one took off the hood, and looked at Ani with yellow, lens-like eyes. "My name is Snap," the robot said.
"...one of your new creations, Metal Sonic?" Queen presumed, as she raised an eyebrow.
"No, not at all!" At that point, Tails Doll fluttered up out from Metal's cloak, perching himself on Ani's head. "Striker made him! He wanted to come with Big Bro to say hello!"
"Tails Doll!" Ani sure was glad to see him. She pulled him right off her head and hugged him warmly. Then she recalled something he said, "Wait…Striker made you?" she asked, turning to Snap.
"Yes," Snap answered.
Ani forgot to let Tails Doll go. "…how is he doing?"
"He looked healthy," Snap answered, not quite understanding what Ani was asking.
"He, Milo and Jack seemed to be in perfect shape..." Metal uttered, as he looked at Ani with a worried look; somehow, he had a feeling that her question could be related to what happened with Jill and Brick. "...I hate to intrude on personal affairs, but is there something wrong?"
"Uh…nothing really," Ani said. "It's just been a long time since I've seen him and the guys…" She tried to put her mind on other things though…
"I have a photo stored in my memory of him," Snap said, and he spat out another photo before anyone could say anything.
Ani snatched the photo, releasing Tails Doll, and looking at it her eyes boggled. "Wow, he's taller…and…" while staring at it, she started to blush.
"…oh dear lord," Hunter chuckled, seeing the look on her face.
"Kekekeke..." Ripper chuckled, trying to hide a smirk.
"My, he's certainly changed." Sage noted. "...you know, he could still easily pass off as your kid, Queen." she eventually chuckled.
"Hm." Queen hummed, before folding her arms.
Ani looked up from the photo finally, and noticed Hunter and Ripper staring at her with those smirks. "…what're you looking at?" she asked defensively.
"The photo," Hunter remarked, though her reaction was very obvious to what he was thinking.
Grumbling, Ani withdrew the photo within her 'utility bag.' "…so Metal, what brings you here?" Ani asked, changing the subject.
"Well, I went to deliver a small trinket to Tails, at first..." Metal began, as he folded his arms, whilst looking at Ani. "...then I learned that you were over here, so I figured that I should check up on you, too."
"Really, now?" King hummed, before chuckling. "Five years of just sittin' in your city, and you decide to pay us a visit? You sure got some nerve, Metal."
"I suppose I do." Metal chuckled as well.
"If you don't have anything else to do, why not stick around?" Hunter said. "Ani here could give you a tour of the island; that's her job anyway…"
"...well, I suppose..." Metal shrugged.
"Awesome! This is gonna be so cool!" Tails Doll cheered.
"Well, you guys have fun, then!" King said, as he, Queen and Sage began heading off. "We gotta get the food ready, and I bet that Lin and Flamenco are just about finishing up!"
"Right! Kekekeke, come on, Miser!" Ripper said with a nod, glancing at the rhino; her body certainly showed signs of change, as her horns had several cracks in them, and a few scars riddled her body, but she still seemed like the same person she had been five years ago.
"Right, Ripper." Miser nodded, as the two headed back towards the harbor.
"Okay then, let's get to that tour before that crowd starts running through the island after brunch," Ani said, turning to walk away.
"…Metal," Snap said, as they followed her. "These people are strange…"
"...yes, they are." Metal nodded. "And I wouldn't have it any other way." he chuckled, as he walked after Ani.
Ani made a secret thoughtful glance at them over her shoulder, but made sure that neither of them took notice…