Chapter 2: The Dead Men
Sleep would not come to Sonic the Hedgehog. Now that his initial adrenaline rush had long worn off, the realization that he had violently kill not just one... but two people was beginning to sink in. Wolves howled ominously in the distance, and the train-tracks rattled noisily underneath their drafty boxcar. But none of these were what troubled the once world renowned hero... He was thinking about his life, how it had begun, what was happening now, and presumably, how it would end.
When Sonic was young, he had been relatively sheltered from the evils of the world, he had been raised by good, caring parents... both of whom tragically died when he was twelve. Refusing to be mistreated by the horrible nuns who ran the orphanage, he ran away to live on the streets. Over the course of the next several years, he became tough. He learned to survive, to live by fighting for his existence. He was a natural born rebel, who hated society.
He sheltered the misfit Tails, who had been relentlessly teased, as his own brother. Becoming furiously protective of him, he remembered getting in a good number of fights defending that fox. But when he had seen a deranged scientist kidnap some of his friends... he immediately sprung into action. Using his natural talent for running, he ousted the evil Robotnik time and time again, until that became his new life.
Over time, he earned fame and recognition, eventually becoming somewhat of a celebrity. Living for the moment, he expended vast quantities of energy seeking thrills, and now he was paying the price for it. He remembered clearly the day things had all gone wrong... and the darkness fell.
It had seemed no different from any other day at first... although he still could not recall exactly what color it was, he knew the sky wasn't grey that day. At least not at the beginning. Then the sky rained fire, and at first, the heavens were clad in a claret light. One of the doctor's massive weapons loomed on the horizon casting a darkness over the world. But... he could not recall exactly what happened next. It all happened so fast, so suddenly. Soon, the Regime had assumed control... when he was no more than nineteen years old. When an icy pain tore down his back, he was reminded of the loathsome fact... he would soon be forty.
He certainly felt like an old man... but there was something about this girl... something that made him feel like he was young again, fighting injustice by with his friends, like all those years ago, when the world was right. The boxcar jolted, throwing him slightly into the air, and awaking him from his daydreaming. Rubbing his forehead and sighing deeply, he turned to glance at his female companion. He still didn't even know her name.
It was ironic, he had never met her before in his life and because his stifled emotions exploded into righteous fury, he saved her. Without knowing her, he had killed for her, risked his own life. He knew so little about her, at this point she represented an ideal, she was not a person but rather freedom. He had fought and saved liberty, even if it was only for one person.
With a tinge of pessimism he pondered his fate. He had committed social suicide when he had confronted the police agents, surely he could never return to Station Square. Indeed, they hunted him even now, as the phantom sirens ringing in the distance reminded him. What would become of him? He was entirely unsure. With his mind dwelling on these thoughts, he slowly drifted to a fitful sleep within the cold, bumpy train.
* * * * *
"Quickly, get up, they're searching the train!" she whispered in his ear as she roughly shook him in an effort to rouse him from his slumber.
"Not now... five more minutes..." he mumbled before rolling over. The girl growled in frustration, now franticly shaking him.
"In five minutes we'll be dead! GET UP!" She yelled at him. Startled, he jolted up, cracked his back, and groaned. Glaring at her irritably, he was about to inquire why she was so rude as to wake him up when she shushed him. "Quickly, gather your things. We have to get off this train, now!" She commanded.
Obeying without question, he snatched up the knapsack of possessions he had gathered from his house before they had left town, and slung it on his back. She stalked over to the door, prying it open to reveal a crack of stunningly bright sunlight. Sonic glanced at her quizzically before hobbling over to stand by the door with her. He stood directly behind her, peering through the hole over her shoulder.
While she was glancing about to see if any guards roamed the immediate area, she could feel his hot breath on her neck, it was somewhat discomforting. But she ignored it, and continued to keep an eye out.
"Alright, on my mark, we make a break for it. Ready... 3... 2... 1- Hold it, there's a guard." She breathed, her fists clenching in preparation. She continued to peer out the crack in the doorway, and Sonic stared at the soldier, willing him to move on. As if sensing his thoughts, the guard stopped and examined his boxcar, eyeing it suspiciously. After inspecting it thoroughly, he shrugged, turned and took a long gulp from what appeared to be a beer bottle.
"But I thought alcohol was illegal!" Sonic said in disbelief, staring at the poisonous beverage. He had never gotten to taste it, the Regime had taken over before he had come of age.
"Soldiers and upper officials can get it... Just not us." She snarled, eyeing the soldier with contempt. In a way, Sonic pitied her. She looked no older than twenty or so, she couldn't possibly have any memories of a time before this horrible nightmare... it was all she knew. Soon enough, the guard had moved on, and once again, they were preparing to make a break for the woods on the edge of the train tracks.
"Alright, ready... go!" she yelled, throwing the doors open and bolting out the entrance. Sonic's joints and muscles were quite aged, and he found it somewhat difficult to match her pace. Once the pair had dashed about thirty feet from the rusty boxcar, they slid onto their bellies and into the high grass to listen. At first, Sonic couldn't help but pant loudly. He was still rather strong for his age, but he couldn't handle sudden bursts of exertion well. If Knuckles were here now, he would undoubtedly be chuckling in amusement.
Parting the grass before their eyes like tigers stalking their prey, the rebellious couple parted the grass in front of their faces to glare at the guard patrols that were marching up and down the sides of the train. Boxcar by boxcar the soldiers went, throwing the doors roughly open and storming in as if they expected to find murderers and assassins within them. When his breathing had settled, and he caught up with his heart rate, he choked out an encouraging remark.
"You're pretty damn fast... I don't think they saw us." he gasped, his voice cracking from his lack of air. She shushed him again and he narrowed his eyes in irritation. He was at least twenty years her senior, and her savior no less, and she had the gall to command his silence twice! When he realized that she was no longer by his side, he glanced backwards to see her camouflaged, baggy pants retreating into the brush.
Rolling his eyes and sighing, he turned and followed her, but not before glancing nervously back one last time to make sure they weren't being watched... She was the epitome of agility, deftly swooping past and gliding around any hindrances which marked her path. In contrast, nearly every branch she pushed out of her way snapped back to slash his cheeks, a repeated agony he found both enraging and annoying. She did not utter a word, only silently, stealthily, and rapidly making her intrusion into the dense foliage.
Minutes became hours. Night soon fell in the forest, and yet his companion only wordlessly continued, and inadvertently swatted him in the face with more switches (although he was beginning to wonder if it was intentional). His lack of sleep from the night before began to kick in, he was feeling utterly exhausted. Glancing around nervously, he noticed that the forest surrounding him was very threatening looking, and he dared not wonder what sort of creatures might abide in it.
The trunks of mighty oak tress towered above him like behemoths, and their dark green spreads blocked out nearly all light. The shining eyes of the owls perched within their branches gave the trees a life of their own, they appeared to be glaring down at him! At their bases he could feel a thick layer of moss, something he had not encountered in quite some time (moss does not grow in polluted areas). Below the titanic oaks were the maples and willows, their thinner branches interlaced and cast against distant red glows, giving them the appearance of obsidian spider-webs. Although it was obscure, through the tree cover, he could clearly see a brightly shining light which he presumed was the moon. But it was strange, he never remembered the moon being that big, or that bright. Come to think of it, he never remembered the sun even shining that clearly.
"There's a clearing up ahead. We're almost there." his loosely clad companion announced with a hint of an optimistic happiness, but also a faint expectation to her voice. To Sonic, the silence of the wood seemed sacred, and he decided not to break it by replying. Pushing through one last bunch of low branches and receiving on final bombardment to his face, Sonic pushed through, into the meadow.
The flat was cast in the brilliant silvery light of the full moon, and the tips of the trees shimmered. Behind him, the hooting of owls was now distant. Arranged on the ground in intricate patterns were hundreds, possibly thousands of species of wildflowers of every imaginable shape and color. They were not chaotic, theirs was a pattern that only nature in its divine wisdom could piece together, they were beautiful in their disorderliness.
'After all...' he pondered while licking his dry lips, they are free to grow wherever they wish, free from being under the harsh, dominating command of a human. Their freedom... their very wildness is their beauty...' Taking in a deep breath of the field, he savored its scent. The aroma of the flowers was so strong he could almost touch it, and yet so soft, like floating on a cloud. And then, he looked up at the sky.
He froze in place, his heart beating at an impossibly high rate, his mouth moved up and down, but no words escaped his lips; his throat had gone dry. Wringing his hands together slightly, he finally managed to speak a single word, one joyous syllable.
"Stars!" he exclaimed in delight, his eyes bright in joy. Surely enough, there in the sky with the moon, were millions upon millions of tiny, white points of light, peeping out from among the darkness. He stared up at them in shock, for a moment hardly believing that there could be so many, and the next bubbling in ecstasy. "They're so beautiful..." he whispered as he wiped a tear from his eye.
It had been fifteen years since he had seen a star for longer than a second, where he could be absolutely sure without a doubt that they were real. And now, once again he was sure. For the moment, optimism flooded him. Suddenly, he was a rather small and insignificant part of the great big universe, a universe in which good would eventually prevail, and the dragon of tyranny cast down into the depths of the lake of fire... where it belonged. His bravado swelled, and he felt as if he could take on the entire Regime himself... a one man army.
His female companion knelt down and placed a small, cylindrical package onto the ground, before hopping back up and stepping back a few feet. Sonic glanced at the object in mild interest before it hissed, popped, and emitted a streak of blood red smoke in the sky. The ruby fumes were whisked to the east by the chilling winds, floating away and out of sight. Sonic looked at her questioningly, but she only stared back at him, her expression careful.
The next moment, they were joined in the clearing by several other figures, who were all carrying weapons. At first, the azure hedgehog prepared to fight them, but when he realized that the girl was conferring with one of them, he deduced that they must be friends... and enemies of the Regime to top it off.
She instructed him to follow them out of the clearing and to do exactly as they said. Stealing one last glance at the tapestry in the heavens, he followed the rebels into the darkness, where the light which he was seeking lay. All was quiet, except for the winds, which continued carrying the scarlet smoke off, into the distance.
* * * * *
Sonic was entirely disoriented, to the point that his head was spinning. At one point since his arrival, one of the soldiers had explained that the girl that he had saved (and subsequently followed here) was named Julie. He also learned exactly who this group of rebels was and who their leader was. One of the more friendly individuals had been nice enough to give him a "tour".
"We don't exactly have an army here, but we've got a real tight knit operation you see. We're like family 'ere." The striped mongoose had replied.
Camerov was an interesting individual, he was certainly more than he appeared. He was very simple looking, with a dark brown coat of fur, and a tan underbelly, with two white stripes running along his back, giving him the appearance of a brown skunk. He talked nearly non-stop, although he was gracious enough to listen to questions (and more than happy to answer them), and he tended to whisk his tail back and forth while talking, a habit Sonic found strangely distracting.
"So why are you taking me in?" Sonic asked, a bit confused as to why they were simply welcoming him with outstretched arms. It seemed now that no-one was to be trusted, much less trusted without you knowing a thing about them. "I mean, aren't you going to run some background checks, ask some questions, something?"
"Oh, well, we have a policy around 'ere, and it goes like this: a friend of my friend is my friend. You see, you 'elped Julie out, so you're a part of the family." he said with a bright grin. Was this guy for real, Sonic remembered wondering.
"Well, it seems I have no alternatives... so if I'm going to stick around for awhile, I might as well know who your leaders are. Would you be so kind as to point them out?" Sonic asked, a tinge of uncertainty to his voice.
"Sure thing! First in command is Commander Stephen, ee's over there. See 'im?" Camerov said with a certain reverence.
"I don't- wait, you mean the elderly ferret?" Sonic asked incredulously. Ferrets and weasels had a bad reputation for being crooks... and he was hesitant to trust them.
"I most certainly do." Camerov replied with a smug grin. Stephen was standing, speaking to a couple of officers, and occasionally pulling aside a passing soldier and scolding them or praising them. He was probably a good ten years older than Sonic, but he carried himself with a certain youth that suggested he was fulfilling his life aspirations... that he enjoyed his work.
"You will 'ave the pleasure of meeting 'im later. For the moment, I must direct your attention to his second in command, Commander Nathan... here, I'll take you to meet 'im." Before he could object, Sonic found his arm being tugged on by the impossibly strong mongoose, who was pushing his way through the crowd of soldiers.
The next moment, he was thrust in front of a massive black man, with wide sloping shoulders, and thick powerful arms. His intelligent eyes flicked to Sonic, and then to Camerov.
"Cammy, what's the meaning of this?" the giant man boomed in his huge bass voice. Sonic was utterly terrified, and for a second, he thought the ground was going to shake with the force of Nathan's exclamation.
"Don't mind 'im Sonic, he's just a big teddy bear once you get to know 'im. Well, now that I think about it, teddy bears can't rip your 'ead off, now can they..." he trailed off, Sonic shifted nervously, the towering man was now staring down at him. "Commander Nathan, this 'ere's the new recruit, Sonic the 'Edgehog, and they say 'ee can run like 'ell."
The massive man bent down, meeting Sonic's eye with his own. He examined him for a moment, and then he spoke.
"Is this true Sonic? Are you a world class runner?" he echoed, his breath wafting in Sonic's face. Sonic was expecting it to smell terrible, but in actuality it smelled like pork... not all that distasteful of a smell for someone who had survived on oatmeal for the last five years...
"Yes sir, I am. Pleased to meet you... Commander Nathan." Sonic gulped, shakily offering his hand. Nathan eyed it a moment, as if checking it for diseases, and then gruffly grabbed it, and vigorously shook it.
"I like you boy. Stick with me, and you'll do okay." Nathan exclaimed, his booming, deep laughter resounding like a tolling bell. Sonic was shocked... he couldn't remember the last time he'd seen a human with skin that dark. It was something he intended to ask about.
Later, when he was alone in his quarters, he was staring at the ceiling and pondering the events of the last several days. In his hands he had a guidebook they had given him, telling him 'it would explain everything'. While he highly doubted that it would explain everything, he was interested to see what it had nonetheless. Ironically, for the first time in a long time, Sonic found that he did not have the will to read.
* * * * *
The lone figure coughed as he gripped the rocky cliff, he could feel his grip loosening, preparing to send him crashing to his death on the spires far below, to gore him like rocky swords. Their blades of stone emerged from the tepid waters far below, the mild waves splashing against their sides.
Forcing himself to wrench his eyes from certain death hundreds of feet below him, he flexed his arms, hauling himself up the slab another couple inches. But he was far from his goal. Overhead, flocks of seagulls whirls in wide arcs, cawing madly, as if either cheering him on, or calling for his plummet. Clearing his mind, he breathed heavily, relaxing for a second to regain his strength. Dozens of drops of sweat had formed on his brow, and were beginning to drizzle into his eyes. Blinking them away in frustration, he continued his upward climb.
Suddenly, his determination grew tenfold. His eyes flashed with anger, as his thoughts dwelt on what he had lost. His hands gripped the jagged footholds tightly, almost so tight as to give the impression that he could shatter the solid stone with his bare fists. Straining his muscles, he heaved himself higher and higher, his exhaustion mounting. Then, he could see it! The ridge at the top, not fifty feet up from his current position! Finding a new strength within this assurance, Knuckles the Echidna rapidly surmounted, and conquered the remainder of the cliff-side.
He was met at the top by a group of cheering friends, fellow rebels, who had gathered to gape at his impressive performance. After all, it wasn't every day that someone climbed up a thousand foot sheer cliff with no rope. It was quite a risk to have taken, but since that fateful day, the fiery echidna had become obsessed with proving his worth to the rebels.
Toweling his face off and shaking a few hands, he made his way into the compound to refresh himself. The cool of the air conditioner felt heavenly after the exertion of the climb, and the water in the base was always cool and fresh. But Knuckles' thoughts were distant. Today he'd received news that they'd brought in his old friend, Sonic the Hedgehog. They hadn't spoken in years, not since Knuckles had left... and never returned.
He had assumed that after long enough, Sonic would catch on, and follow him. The blue hero always had been a bit slow on the up-take, but six years... He never would have guessed. After his quiet reminiscing was interrupted by the abrupt shouting of an officer outside, Knuckles frowned in realization. Eventually he would have to go and meet him, talk about that day... Might as well make it sooner than later he supposed. Rubbing his temples in irritation, Knuckles began to walk off to find Sonic before he spied a shiny object on the floor.
Bending over to pick it up, he held it in the light an examined it. He was going to simply put the object in his pocket without another thought before his eyes passed over the lettering on it: We are watching you... Snarling in disgust, he hurled the penny to the floor and turned distastefully away, before stomping off, leaving the coin back where he had found it.
* * * * *
-
The Regime's only and ultimate goal is to continue its own existence. Everything that is done is done for a reason. The simple minded, those who are ignorant of the teachings of the Regime will only look and say "It is for my own good". No I tell you, a thousand times no! Every lowly task performed for the Regime is done so for a particular reason. Sonic read in the book that the rebels had given to him. It was filled with philosophies and histories, labeled as 'everything the Regime doesn't want you to know'. At first, he had been unable to read, but after awhile, boredom had taken over, and he had been unable to resist the urge.
For example, the suppressing of the female sex in regards to equal rights. It is common knowledge that the primary difference between men and women in regards to psychology is a distinct difference in the way the brain reacts to stimulus. In general, it is found that females react in an emotional way, whereas males tend to act in a logical way. Please note that in my opinion, this is no way makes females inferior in any way to males, they are simply different. As he read, Sonic nodded his head in agreement. Printed in the book was virtually all the dissident thoughts he'd hidden from the Watchers over the last twenty years. Except now here they were in printed form!
This "emotional reaction" is very dangerous for the type of system the Regime intends to maintain. After all, logic can be skewed, manipulated, even destroyed, but one can never take away another human being's emotions. A world in which emotions can make a significant difference is a world in which revolution is plausible, threatening the existence of the Regime. Therefore, the influence of the female has been significantly diminished. Sonic sighed and stared up at the ceiling. He was not hesitant to read any further not because he disagreed with what the book claimed, but rather because it was so frighteningly accurate, like if someone described your nightmare to you when you'd never told them about it. At least for the moment lacking something better to do, he continued on.
The book explained, in slightly different terms, everything he had surmised about society, the different types of people... the place of women, and ethnic minorities in the Regime... the Watchers... but there was one key difference between his previous beliefs and what was contained in the book. Whereas all the cynical observations he'd made over the years amounted to nothing in the end, for each tyranny exposed in the book, it also listed how and why the rebels where going to demolish it. From this book sprung a feeling of almost foolish optimism, that things were bad but could get better.
Interrupting his wonderings, a loud knock sounded on his steel door. Getting slowly up from his bed and cracking his back, he moved over to the doorway, and slid it open. The moment it was open, his mouth nearly hit the floor in shock, his eyes must have been wide as tires.
"Hello Sonic. Its been awhile." Knuckles muttered, before stomping into the room.
"I- I thought you were dead!" Sonic stuttered, still gaping at his friend.
"And what would cause you to think that?" Knuckles said with a chuckle of disbelief.
"Well, with the Watchers and the disappearances... you never know. If you ask them, they will deny the person ever existed." Sonic explained.
"That's true enough I suppose. In any case, I've been here with these guys for the past several years..." Knuckles trailed off.
"Knuckles... you don't mean to tell me that you still haven't got it back?" Sonic questioned, one brow raised in incredulity. Surely Knuckles, the strongest person he'd ever met had found the courage to confront the Regime like he hadn't for all these years.
"No... But I will have the Master Emerald again... soon enough." Knuckles sighed, but Sonic looked slightly angry, as if he couldn't believe this was the same Knuckles he knew six years ago.
"In any case, the Commanders have called a meeting. We're preparing to mount an attack. This'll be the big one." Knuckles said with an air of excitement.
"Too bad I wasn't around to die in any of the 'small ones'. I guess I'll have to settle for a painful death." Sonic chuckled, but Knuckles remained silent.
"Oh, and another thing Sonic. Julie told me to ask you to go and see her. She's waiting for you in the briefing room." Knuckles said with the smallest hint of innuendo, before turning and leaving. Now Sonic was alone with his silence. Deciding to take a quiet moment before he left to meet his new colleagues, he removed his keepsakes from his knapsack, carefully lining them up on his bed, and examining them one at a time.
The collection now felt rather silly, now that he knew things like toothbrushes and comic books still did exist in the world, as long as you lived in the Rebellion complex. Still, the objects had some sentimental value, he had gathered them secretly over the course of twenty years, each had some special meaning now. Nothing was meaningless anymore.
* * * * *
"Admonishing our newcomers will get you nowhere." the elderly ferret said, a devious twinkle in his eye.
"But sir, this hedgehog-" the objector began, before he was interrupted.
"I have a name you know, and I would appreciate it if you would use it." Sonic growled, glancing at his rival.
"This Sonic speaks words of madness!" He finished, looking first at Sonic, and then at the first in command, as if imploring him to cast out the ridiculous notion.
"Impossibility of victory is no reason to shy away from the attempt. This entire organization is built on a hopeless dream." Stephen's wise, yet playful voice rang in the spacious, circular room. Renegades and rebels of all shapes and sizes sat in huge conglomerations, and every eye was fixed either on Sonic, or the esteemed commander at the center of the hall. "Please my friend, elaborate on your plan."
"You have said that we have just received information that the Regime just changed its minister of justice, correct?" Sonic asked, although he already knew the answer. When no answer came, he merely continued his proposal.
"With so little time on the job, the new minister will not have gained the trust, respect, or fear from his men that is vital to the functioning of the Regime army. Now is the optimal time for a strike, while they're disarrayed." Sonic continued, his eyes glowing at a change to fight for freedom once again.
"Indeed Sonic, you have shown auspicious talents of strategy. What do you propose that we then do?" The commander known as Nathan resounded from the other side of the room, causing Sonic to jump in fright before settling back onto the floor, clearing his throat, and continuing.
"Send in strike teams as a diversion on the east side of Station Square. They can easily get in through the insecure sewer system." Sonic said, moving his hands about to demonstrate the manner in which he intended his idea to be executed.
"While they confuse and distract the Regime's army, we can send in the main force to the west, and attack Roujin Fortress. Once we've sabotaged that instillation, we can retreat knowing that we've hit a severe blow to the Regime." Sonic finished, mock bowing as he concluded his presentation. For a moment, the room had a pregnant silence about it, before a single ringing voice interrupted the emptiness.
"Sonic, exactly why is Roujin Fortress of such strategic importance to the Regime?" Nathan boomed, raising one eyebrow in a questioning manner.
"If you had lived in Station Square these past few years, you would surely know... The Regime garrisons one fifth of its standing army for Station Square in that instillation. Countless weapons of terror... missiles, shoot out of it every day, raining down destruction upon enemies of the Regime. From the smokestacks and exhausts, billows of smoke block out the sun and stars for miles around, painting the sky a deathly grey. As long as that fortress stands, Station Square cannot be liberated." Sonic said with complete confidence, his voice rising with his indignation.
"But one more thing that will be of particular interest to Sergeant Major Knuckles..." Sonic trailed off, baiting his audience.
"And what would that be blue boy?" Stephen inquired while rubbing his chin in thought.
"That is where the Regime is keeping the Master Emerald." at this revelation, widespread murmurs erupted from among the congregation, everyone was excitedly discussing the implications of this in some way or another. Some were wondering what the Regime did with the great gem, others were speculating as to what use it would be the Rebellion. One was sitting silently, watching Sonic carefully with dull, empty eyes.
* * * * *
"It won't be long now my friend. Soon, all our efforts will be rewarded." Commander Nathan said uncharacteristically quietly to his superior.
"Indeed, it seems as though the fruits of our labor is about to be harvested. But make no mistake, even when he is plucked from his throne, the fight still will not be over." Stephen replied.
"Ah yes, your famous saying Commander Stevie... 'Tyranny never sleeps, that's why we never stop fighting it.' How could I forget?" Nathan chuckled, glancing nostalgically at his older friend.
"What of this new Sonic fellow? He seems like a rather well informed chap to me. Quite the sarcastic little bastard, but that's the way I like 'em, with a little fire in their eyes." Stevie retorted, smirking slightly at his companion's reply.
"Hell yeah. That son of a bitch has got a whole damned forest fire in his eyes. Like he wants to take on the world. How long you reckon it'll last?" Nathan inquired sadly, while playing with his dog tags.
"One can never tell. With some, their spunk is gone as soon as they taste any real fighting, others, they never stop fighting till they've breathed their last breath and went to burn in hell." Stevie sighed complacently, before getting up and beginning to walk off. He had not gone far before his communicator rang within his pocket, prompting him to remove it and place it to his ear.
"Hello. No, that won't do. Put the new guy with the main force. I understand; I want to see exactly what he's made of." And with that, the preparations began. Nathan had been watching the conversation in mild interest. Now that it was over, he got up and strode off to get himself something to eat. He found that he was amazingly hungry when he was apprehensive about the future.
Stevie could usually calm any of his doubts with his snide remarks. Today, it seemed that they were impossible to quell. A pang lurked at the bottom of his stomach. It had been said before that he could tell when something bad was going to happen simply by gauging how his stomach felt. Call it strange, but that was one of his many reputations. And at the moment, his gut was telling him that something very bad was going to happen very soon.