Everyone was sitting around the room, waiting for Sonic to reappear. Melina, Flying, and Bean were entertained by playing a game of 'What Am I', Fiona and Sally were watching with mild interest, Tails, Nicole, and Lightning were engaging in a discussion over defenses, Bunnie and Antoine had gone out to get their own lunch, and Rotor and Finitevus were having a 'science talk', as Scourge called it, before he rested his forehead on the table and didn't lift it back up, and a faint snoring sounded soon after. Predator and Simian were sitting nearby and listening with little to no interest.
Finally, a warp ring opened up, and Sonic jumped out. Upon everyone's questioning looks, he gave a nervous grin, before Knuckles appeared out of the ring. Sonic quickly spun him around to face him instead of the group.
"What's up Sonic? You showed up freaked out of your mind, then said you had something to tell me. Why do you have to drag me all the way from Angel Island-"
"Just-just listen for a sec, okay? Now then, there are some…people who need our help."
"Okay, and this involves me how?"
"Well, the people are…certain people that we all know…and we've had a few disputes with 'em…we just want you to know so you won't show up one day and attack 'em."
Knuckles crossed his arms and glared.
"Just spit it out Sonic…"
"Well…okay, here it goes…just please don't start throwing punches…"
"I won't." Knuckles sighed.
Sonic gulped, and pointed behind him. Knuckles turned around, and upon seeing the Destructix, just stopped.
"Hiya Mr. Fist-For-Brains!" Bean waved.
Finitevus gave an amused smirk. "Greetings, Guardian, long time no see."
Knuckles just stared for a minute, before his eye twitched. Finitevus sighed, and glanced at Fiona and Sally.
"Cover the children's ears, I believe he's going to use his 'angry words'."
Fiona and Sally rolled their eyes, but quickly covered Melina and Bean's ears, and Sonic plugged his ears with a nervous look. A few seconds later, a loud shout of various, rather colorful, words. Scourge was jolted awake by the shouting, and blinked around blearily. After he was done, Knuckles was glaring at the team and panting a little, while they stared at him with amusement, or in a few cases, surprise.
"I still heard…" Melina mumbled.
"Goodness…" Finitevus remarked.
"I didn't even know some of those words existed…" Scourge muttered.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE THEY DOING HERE?! WHAT THE HELL IS HE DOING HERE?!" Knuckles shouted furiously.
Sonic unplugged his ears as he grinned nervously.
"I told you, they need help…and I told you we've had a few…issues with them in the past."
"You didn't tell me it was them! I got half a mind to punch you into next year!"
"Now, now, Knux, let's think about this calmly-"
"Calm my foot! What are you thinking letting him in here?!"
"What are we, chopped liver?" Fiona asked dryly.
"I'll get to you jerks later! Now tell me why the hell Finitevus is here!"
"If you want a direct answer," Finitevus replied, gesturing Melina, "It's because of her."
Knuckles seemed to just notice Melina, who gave a nervous wave and smiled.
"Hi…"
He blinked, before glaring back at the albino echidna.
"Okay, and she is?"
"A poor little girl in trouble," Fiona replied with a smirk, giving Melina's head a pat, "And we, being the good-natured people we are, decided to help her out, and the D.E.L. blew up our base."
"Uh huh, I'll believe that when I see it…"
In answer, Finitevus opened a warp ring, and gestured to it.
"See for yourself…"
With a suspicious glare, Knuckles stuck his head through it, and came back out seconds later.
"Okay, so it's a blown up building, that doesn't mean anything." He grumbled.
"It was our base, until recently." Fiona stated.
"And why should we believe you?"
"Because it's true!" Melina exclaimed.
"Look kid, no offense to you, but I know these people a lot better-"
"I've known them for a week and I think they're just fine!"
"That's not really a surprise, seeing as you're, what, six?"
"I'm eight, and my age has nothing to do with it!"
"Look kid-"
"My name is Melina, not kid!"
"Alright, fine, Melina, I'll be blunt! I don't trust them, I don't trust Finitevus especially, and at the moment I'm finding it a little hard to trust you!"
Melina froze for a moment, her eyes widening, and tears formed in her eyes. Then they narrowed, and she kicked his leg; hard. While he was holding his leg in pain, she ran out of the room crying.
"Ohhh, nice." Fiona remarked as she watched her go. "Flying, can you go check on her?"
Flying quickly followed the young lynx, and disappeared down the hall.
"I love this kid!" Scourge remarked with a smirk.
"Congratulations, Guardian, you made a little girl cry." Finitevus stated.
"Well she kicked me!"
"After you practically yelled in her face that you think she's lying."
"Well it wouldn't surprise me since she's with you people! I wouldn't put it beneath any of you to get a kid to lie for you-!"
"Oh no," Scourge snorted, "No, no, no, ohhh no. Nobody is that desperate; listen Red, it doesn't take much to fool you, as we've aaall learned, so we sure as hell wouldn't need an eight year old to lie for us to trick you."
Knuckles growled at him, while there were a few snickers around the room.
"But she isn't lying; the D.E.L.'s after her, and she had nowhere to go, so we took her in," Lightning stated, "Our base wasn't the only home destroyed. She used to live in a village…"
Knuckles growled, and stubbornly replied, "I'm still not buying it!"
"Alright then…" Finitevus snapped, suddenly standing. He started towards Knuckles, opening a warp ring as he went, and grabbed the guardian, and shoved him through the portal. He followed soon after, and the others glanced at one another, before following curiously.
:::::::::::
Knuckles hit ground, and grumbled under his breath as he stood. He glanced around, and froze.
He was in the center of a village; or what was left of it. What used to be houses made of wood and stone were now piles of smoldering rubble. There were pits in the ground, and various objects strewn across the ground; scorched and distorted kitchen utensils, burnt clothes, a few wrecked books, some broken toys…
Everyone else came out of the warp ring, and they froze as well.
"What is all this…?" Fiona murmured.
"Melina's village…or whatever's left of it." Finitevus replied. "I got curious, so I searched for it. As you can see, I didn't find much."
"This is her home…?" Lightning asked.
"She told us they dropped a few bombs, but this…this was overkill." Fiona stated.
Bean was sifting through some rubble curiously, and pulled something out. He wiped it off, and studied it for a moment.
"Hey, lookie, I found a picture of her!" he cheered, showing it to the others.
The photo depicted an elderly fox, who was watching a smaller fox as she played with a younger Melina, who looked about 6 in the photo. All of them were smiling happily.
"This must've been that old guy's house." Scourge stated.
"She looked happier then…" Lightning remarked.
"Well duh, that was before her village got blown sky high."
A few people shot an annoyed glare at him, and he shrugged. "What?"
"Is it hitting you that Melina was the sole survivor of this massacre?" Sonic asked.
"Yeah, I know that."
"So have a little respect for the village and the people that lived in it."
"Who said I didn't?"
"Please, you never respect anybody."
"Only people who deserve it!"
"So nobody?"
"Exactly!"
"I know he respects me, right?" Fiona asked, with a warning glance.
"O-of course, babe! You're the exception!" Scourge replied.
"And of course us, the people who got him out of jail?" Lightning asked.
Scourge glanced at the Destructix, who all had the same warning glare.
"S-sure, of course, you guys are the other exception!"
"And the one who gave them the means to get him out of prison?" Finitevus asked.
"Fine, yes, whatever, Spooky Von Evil…"
"Good enough; and for the last time, stop calling me that!"
"Can we focus, please?" Sally sighed.
"So, Knux, believe 'em yet?" Sonic asked.
Knuckles was silent for a moment as he stared at the wreckage.
"….Yeah, I believe them…but I'm gonna keep an eye on them!"
"Great, problem two solved; now let's get out of here, this place is actually depressing me." Scourge stated, heading for the warp ring.
The others slowly followed, still eyeing the destruction, before they vanished into the ring.
:::::::::::::
They arrived back at HQ, and everyone turned to Knuckles.
"Alright, so, you know what's next, right?" Fiona asked.
"Umm…think up a plan?"
"Nope; you go find her and apologize."
"Say what?!"
"I kinda have to agree with her, Knux, you did hurt the kid's feelings." Sonic added.
"But-!"
"Just go!" Sally sighed.
Knuckles glowered, before stalking towards the hall, grumbling incomprehensibly.
"You remember how to say it right? 'I'm, sooorrry'-" Sonic snickered.
"I know how to apologize!" Knuckles shouted.
Sonic laughed again, and watched him go.
"Hmm, Red apologizing…I'm not missing this!" Scourge grinned.
"Me neither!" Sonic said.
They started towards the hall, but Finitevus' voice stopped them.
"Stay."
"Aww…"
::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Knuckles found Melina leaning against the wall, curled up in a quivering ball. Flying was crouched beside her with a worried look. Upon seeing Knuckles, it turned into a glower.
"What do you-sue-shoo want?" he grumbled.
Melina glanced up to see who he was talking to, and winced when she saw it was Knuckles.
"I'm not lying…" she mumbled.
"I know…I…saw your village…"
Melina winced again, sniffling as she wiped at her eyes.
"I'm…sorry about shouting at you…I just really don't like those guys, especially Finitevus. It's a long story…but you're in trouble, I can tell. So I'll put up with them to help you."
"Okay…but can't you be nicer to them?"
"…I'll try, how's that?"
Melina gave a small laugh, and smiled.
"I guess it's good enough, for now."
"Great, so, let's head back so they know that I actually apologized and didn't run off."
Melina stood, and Flying followed with his usual grin back on. Knuckles gave him a curious look.
"So…how exactly did you befriend a psychopath?"
"I don't know, we just get along well; kinda like Bean too."
"Heee-heee!" Flying laughed.
Knuckles gave him an odd look, before started back towards the main room, with Melina and Flying in tow.
::::::::::::::::::::::
Aww, touching moment, isn't it? Only interrupted by Flying's craziness. Hope you enjoyed, I loved typing Knuckles' reaction!