Chapter One: Setting Out
The sun rose over the top of Mobius City. Flickies chirped as they awoke early to look for food. Mobius City, normally a very busy place, was actually pretty quiet until about nine a.m. However, there were a few people that had woken up even before the flickies, who arose at about 7 a.m. evey morning. A raccoon and a hedgehog were strolling down the street, side-by-side, chatting happily.
The raccoon, named Stripes, was about 17 years old. He had sparkling blue eyes, but unlike most raccoons, whose fur was black and gray, Stripes' was golden-brown. His tail was no exception, save for the black ring around it near the tip, nor were his ears, which were black-tipped. His belly and mouth were a creamish color. He wore whilte gloves, blue and red sneakers, and had a blue and red bandana wrapped around his head so that a blue and red strand of cloth flowing seperately behind him as he walked.
The hedgehog, named Manic, was entirely green except for his arms, mouth, and belly, which were that of a peach-like tint. He had a pair of black sunglasses propped up on his pointed ears, and had countless green spikes of hair jutting out at random angles on top of his head. He wore a red coat-like vest, white gloves, red and white sneakers, and had a brown sack hanging around his waist. Around his neck lay a silver necklace in the shape of a drum with a pair of drumsticks going through it.
"Whew, that was close, bro!" Manic said as they rounded a corner and entered a darkened alleyway. "Those goons nearly had us! I'm just glad they were so stupid they tripped over their own shoelaces!" He gave a small chuckle as he remembered the comedic event from earlier. "What had they been reading, 'Ways to Let a Theif Go for Dummies?' Haha!"
"It'd be nice if we could come across somebody who actually proposed a challenge for once," Stripes complained as they came upon a small grassy lot. "I mean, honestly! What's the point of robbing somebody if they're not going to put up a decent fight? Or a decent chase, for that matter!" Manic nodded as they came to a halt.
Stripes reached down and pulled a small, bronze ring from the ground. As he lifted it, a chain came with it, firmily fastened to the ground. Stripes grunted, but the the chain didn't snap or anything.
"I despise it when this thing rusts," Stripes said as Manic pulled on the ring with him. "One of these days we're going to need to get inside our hideout, and we won't be able to because the flipping door is jammed! Remind me to sue whoever gave us this faulty chain. This is the...what was it, fifteenth time this month we've run into this little snag?"
"I would hardly call it little," Manic groaned as the chain finally gave way, and a trapdoor sprung up. "And its the twenty-first time. I haven't fixed it yet because we have no more oil left. I used it all on the emergency escape van."
"Its okay," Stripes commented as he followed Manic down into the earth, pulling the trapdoor shut behind him with a loud 'thunk'. "I'll just have to 'pick up' some later. Let's just get some shuteye for the time being."
As Stripes and Manic descended the stairs, the lights dimmed, the air thinned. Their underground hideout was meant ot be a secret, protecting Stripes and Manic from those who would wish them ill fortune. The only people who knew its location other than the two friends were those whom they felt they could trust.
"Holy-!" Manic cried as he and Stripes reached the ground floor. "W-when did you get here? I don't remember inviting you! Stripes, did you-?"
"I had absolutely no part in this, I assure you," Stripes said, shaking his head. On the torn maroon sofa was a white, female bat with a bra shaped like a heart, skin-tight black leather pants, white gloves, and furry black wings. She was swinging a locket between her fingers while whistling a tune.
"About time you boys got here," Rouge said, getting to her feet. "I was starting to get lonely. Oh, by the way, you're out of chili dogs."
Stripes gritted his teeth. Chili dogs were one of his favorite snacks, and he didn't eat them very often. This only further contributed to his dislike of Rouge's sudden appearnce. She usually only appeared to them whenever she needed a place to hide out. She was the reason their hideout had almost been discovered last month.
"What kind of trouble do we need to bail you out of this time?" Manic said sarcastically. "Robbed a bank? Raided a gold mine? Double-crossed the military?"
"Those were one time deals!" Rouge protested, twilrling the locket faster. "Besides , my lockdown time is up, and I'm free as a bat! But no, this time I kinda sorta stole this necklace from some big time movie director. This trinket is supposed to be worth 200 Mobiums."
"200 Mobiums, huh?" Manic said with a smirk. Stripes could already tell his friend was formulating a plan in his mind. Whenever Manic got a good idea, his smile sent shivers down your spine.
"Okay, you seriously need to stop smiling like that," Rouge said, placing the golden trinket in her pants pocket. "You know how much that smirk creeps me out. Anyways, I just need to be here for about a week or two..."
"A week or two?!" Stripes cried. "Last time you said that, it turned into 3 months, and you all but brought the entire army upon our heads!"
"Nobody is ever going to find this god-forsaken shack-of-a-place you two theives call 'home'!"
"First don't say 'theives' like its a bad thing! How else are we supposed to survive and get our daily thrills?! And second, you're a theif yourself, so think before you open that big mouth of yours!"
A sharp knocking sound came from above, and the two friends stopped bickering. Manic, jolted out of his thoughts, went up to see who was at the trapdoor.
Manic answered the door and descended the stairs, still deep in thought.
"Tania's here," he said without taking notice of the fact that Rouge and Tai were still going at it.
A female wolf with a red shirt with white sleeves came down the stairs after Manik. She wore a green colored skirt and blue boots on both feet.
"What's up guys?" Tania asked, her blue eyes sparkling. Tai instantly stopped fighting with Rouge and went to greet their new guest.
"Give me a break!" Tania sighed, sighting Rouge. "What's BatGirl doing here? Isn't she like on parol or something?"
"I have a name, y'know," Rouge replied bitterly, gnashing her teeth. She and Tania didn't always get along very well. "And for your information, my time's up..."
"Then why are you here? Just got out of trouble and dove right into another fire, I see."
"Talk about the pot calling the kettle black," Rouge snickered.
"I've committed no crime, you oversized rat with wings!" Tania cried. "Honestly, I'm amazed these boys have the patience to put up with you! If it were me, you'd be on your own, sweety."
A loud slamming issued from above, startling everyone. It stopped for a few seconds, then continued, gaining more force with each slam. The underground base shook so badly, it was hard for the group inhabiting it to keep their balance.
"What in the name of Mobius-" Stripes started to ask before he fell to his feet. He struggled to get up, using the couch as a ground. "An earthquake? Mobius Town doesn't get earthquakes very often, and when we do..." more rumbling, then a quick silence before it continued again, "...it doesn't feel like a plow running over the ground! What's going on?"
Manic ran up to the door, gripping the railing firmly so as not to loose his footing. After a couple of minutes he rushed back down, completely out of breath.
"We need..." Manic wheezed, "...to get...outta here...right...now..." He pointed to the back door labeled "EMERGENCY" and Stripes grabbed his hand to help guide him. He didn't know what Manic had seen, but hatever it was had knocked a considerable amount of wind out of him. As everyone escaped out the back door, the room behind them collapsed. However, Stripes only barely noticed this. He was more concerned about the mark on Manic's belly.
"Dude!" Stripes cried. "What the heck happened to you?! It looks like someone tried to take a knife to you!" The wound was shallow, but it still drew blood, and the fact that Manic had to run soon after getting it accounted for his bad condition. After a minute of resting, though, Manic was back on his feet, his second wind restoring him.
"Some kind of robot was beating at the door," he explained. "It saw me, and shot some kind of laser at me. It grazed me, and I started falling down the stairs. Other than that, I don't-RUN!"
No sooner had the words left Manic's lips then the ceiling above them dematerialized. The friends fleww out of the small door behind them and out into a small lot surrounded by dingy houses. Then they ran, not daring to see what was chasing them, for they could here a series of metallic 'clangs' from behind them.
"What in blazes is going on?!" Tamiya demanded, trying her best to keep ahead of Rouge, who was flying as if in a race. "What the devil was that?! Rouge, if this is because of you, I swear I'll-" An explosion in front of everyone cut of her words, and they all came to a stop.
A robot, about a story high, was standing above the friends, its silver armor gleaming in the rising sun's light. It had a dome-shaped head, a cylindriacl body, four legs on wheels, and a laser pistol for each arm. Two red dots glowed from behind the dome.
"How on Mobius are we supposed to combat that?!" Rouge shrieked. Tamiya laughed while Stripes and Manic got ready for battle.
"If I didn't know any better," Tamiya mocked, her eyes intensifing, "I'd say you were new to this. Ready guys?"
"Ready!" Stripes and Manic replied cooly.
Then they flew at the massive metal monster.
End of Chapter One