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Sonic the Hedgehog: Transgression
Chapter 1: Interruption
In a society of insects, there is only one...and the rest.
It was how Mobius's most prolific, yet arguably most underdeveloped species operated, tiny creatures far removed from more developed mobians. But then again, the concepts of "developed" and "sapience" were mobian concepts. They, mere drones, were around long before they were, and would be around long after the bones of the last mobian had crumbled to dust. Their existence was ordered, secure-all workers and soldiers bred to fight, work and die for the queen. Never deviating. Never questioning. Never letting weakness consume them.
Flying south-west, those in the image of hornets were much the same...yet also different. They were faster for starters, making a journey that mere insects would not dare, or even consider. They were as strong in mind and even stronger in body, made of hard metal. Firm, uncompromising, without mercy. All at the service of their 'queen'...if such a term could be applied. And in all fairness, it couldn't.
Well, no matter. They had the strength. They had the spirit.
And heading towards South Island, they had their orders as well...
"Here boy! Go fetch!"
"Woof!"
Uncle Chuck had once commented it would have been great to be a dog. Specifically Muttski, but the analogy could be applied on a wider scale. Simple minded, easily content by the simple process of retrieving a stick every time it was thrown... ignorance was apparently bliss. Then again, the same could be said for the one throwing the stick. Sonic the Hedgehog-blue furred, peach skinned, brown eyed and without a care in the world apart from throwing his pet dog a stick up and down the beach, fully aware that he could catch it himself before it even hit the ground. And despite what some adults might say, that wasn't a six year old's ego talking.
Considering how Sonic was more than willing to show off his incredible running ability, most adults might have been unable to say anything in the immediate seconds afterwards.
"Nice job Muttski," the hedgehog commented to his pet dog as he brought the stick back that he had thrown, the dog sticking out his mouth like a rabid Overlander. "Not as nice as I could have done it, but hey, where's the fun in that?"
Muttski didn't answer. Or, if sending his big brown ears flapping as he shook the water off him counted as an answer, his master couldn't understand it. Then again, he didn't have to...like many things. In an ideal world, a mobian of that age should have been able to live his life in an environment where the only concerns were homework. Then again, Mobius had been far from an ideal world in the past six years. And while his uncle understood that a lot better than he did, the scientist's nephew understood the basics.
So ignorance was bliss. And not just for pets...
One year ago, everything had changed for better and for worse, and all in the space of a few days. Better, in that the Great War had finally come to an end, the Kingdom of Acorn triumphing over the Overlanders of Megapolis. Worse, in that the man who had made it possible, Doctor Julian Ivo Kintobor, had turned against those who had welcomed him into their ranks, usurping control from King Acorn, conquering Mobotropolis and preventing ninety percent of its citizens from escaping. What had happened to that ninety percent, Sonic didn't know. Nor did he know what had happened to those who had escaped the city, whether they be an adult like or one of his old childhood friends. He and Chuck were on South Island in the Mobian Ocean, hundreds of miles away. Here, Chuck was the only adult he knew and Muttski was the closest thing he had to a friend. Apparently the mobians of South Island were reluctant to take anyone in from Mobotropolis, but Chuck was making do by selling chilli dogs just like he had back in the kingdom's capital. And Sonic...well, provided he kept his super-speed to a minimum and didn't wear out his shoes too much, he was pretty much free to do what he wanted.
Which reeked. Because running was one of the things he enjoyed best. And despite living in a house on the beach, swimming was one of the things he loathed the most. In essence, not the most favourable combination.
"Woof! Woof!"
Ignorance was bliss. But it had its limits. Because Muttski had brought back the stick again and Sonic was running out of patience to throw the damn thing.
Chuck said we came here to be free from Warlord Julian...but this isn't free...it's a prison...
Maybe an exaggeration, but Sonic couldn't help but feel trapped. He missed his friends, he missed his speed and about the only things that could keep him occupied was playing with Muttski or helping Chuck prepare (a.k.a. taste) chilli dogs before he went to his stall in town. And with his uncle in town right now, and with Muttski's perseverance getting annoying, he was running out of options, bar the one thing he was forbidden to do.
Can't be that bad. I mean, sand doesn't offer that much friction, and there's no-one stupid around to get in my way. Well, not Antoine-stupid anyway...
Sighing, Sonic tossed the stick in the opposite direction to which he began walking. He didn't want to think about Antoine. Not because he was the least close to the coyote, but because thinking about him would inevitably lead to him thinking about everyone else. Boomer, Miles, Sally...
So he began running. Imagining that he could cross the sea, to the Great Forest where most of the people of Mobotropolis had fled. Away from rules, away from comfort, away from...well, certainly not the group of hover vehicles approaching him.
What the...is it the Royal Army?
The hedgehog came to a stop, though more from instinct rather than desire. Six year olds weren't supposed to get involved in the nitty gritty of waging war against pinkskins, but when your home was part of a city that was the focus of said pinkskins' efforts, you tended to pick up a few things, such as what was the difference between a hover unit and a hover tank. So when Sonic saw the vehicles approaching, he could see they were neither. More along the lines of hover cars, yet with a distinct utilitarianism to them. And considering the occupants who disembarked from them, maybe that wasn't surprising.
Army guys? Did the war start again?
Sonic didn't run for cover or anything. Partly because there was no cover at all on the beach that covered South Island's south-west, bar the plains and jungle to the north. Partly because given his speed, Sonic could reach those plains and jungles before these guys could begin chasing him. But mostly because he was six, and while not completely ignorant of the world, had little idea as to what was going on. Not why there were thirty mobians (was that a unit of some kind? He couldn't remember), not why they were carrying guns of all things and not why one of them, a tabby cat with a nasty scar over his eye, was walking over to him.
Ah, maybe he can explain...
"Beat it kid."
Or not...
The hedgehog briefly met the mobian's gaze, quickly averting it because while the cat's left eye was fine, the right was something he'd rather not see or even think about. Instead, he looked at his uniform-simple khaki, no embellishment, a far-cry from what he'd seen of the Royal Army in Mobotropolis. And again, a gun. He was carrying a gun. Or rather had it holstered, but Sonic felt slightly faint. Guns were what Overlanders used. The monarchy had banned firearms long before the war even started and nurture had ensured that all good children didn't question it.
"You got sand in your ears kid? I said beat it."
Oh, and this cat was a bit of a prick. That was another reason why Sonic decided he didn't like him.
"What you doing sir?" the hedgehog asked, going for a mix of innocence and contempt. "Want to play in the water? I think some flags are up a few miles-..."
"Kid, I'll stick your head on a flag if you don't shut up," the soldier snapped, kneeling down to the hedgehog's level and ensuring that his eyes, including the scarred ones, met the child's. "We need this beach for exercises. We need to exercises because things have gone to hell on the mainland. Things have gone to hell on the mainland because stupid people like yourself apparently thought it was a good idea to let an Overlander run things. Now run along and stay out of our way, or things will go to hell for you as well."
The cat needn't have bothered with that. Sonic wasn't stupid but he was still six. So while he didn't get everything the grunt had uttered, the point that it was indeed a good idea to leave wasn't wasted on him. Nor was the window of opportunity that presented itself...
"Fine fine," the hedgehog muttered. "I'll er...run along."
Which seemed fine to the grunt at first. At least until he realized that "run along" translated to "run so fast that so much sand is kicked up that you end up covered in it."
Even as he ran back to Muttski, Sonic grinned. Even with a section of beach closed off to him, maybe life wasn't so bad after all.
Drones live for one purpose-to defend the hive. Yet those in their image had another purpose. Defend the 'hive'...and attack the hives of others and those who defended them.
They had the enemy drones in their sight. Few of them, unaware, far from their hive. A prime target. A target that their sensors fed back to their 'queen,' waiting for a response. They knew their purpose, but also knew their place. So it was not until they were given the order TERMINATE that they moved forward.
They would serve the hive...
A/N
While hopefully it doesn't stand as a WTF issue, I do feel a few explanations are owed. You know, with South Island being in the Archieverse...
Basically, this fic was concieved when I was writing with a multiverse approach to the series, incorporating them all into a single setting. I've since abandoned that approach and came to settle on making this an Archieverse fic. Granted, South Island has never appeared in the series, but there's nothing to say that it doesn't exist at all-probably too small for the Mobius map shown in Brave New World. And as for why Sonic is on the island? Basically I consider Oh No-Robo! No Mo' Mobo! to be tiered canon (a.k.a the secondary story in the very first mini-series issue), that Sonic and Chuck didn't go straight to Knothole after Mobotropolis fell. Stretching it a bit I know, but there's been more overt retcons in the series than that.
