A Monarch's Corruption
Chapter 10: A Hero's Return
Tails was very happy as he made his way down the stairs of the hideout. The fox had finally found his best friend and has been reunited with him after all these years. He knew this day would happen sooner or later, but he was just grateful that it finally happened. Tails was starting to lose hope, but now that Sonic was back in his life, he figured this would mean his luck is finally turning for the better.
Tails and Lara remain silent for the moment as they follow Sonic down the stairs and soon to a heavily reinforced door. "It's just in here." says Sonic pressing a piece of wood near the door. When Sonic pressed this spot, the wood lifts and a keypad control panel comes out to him. Sonic quickly presses in the five digit code, which makes the door locks start to disengage. The panel hides back inside the wall and the door slides open and into the ground for them to enter.
When the door opens, a rather nice sized room with a large company and many side computer panels becomes visible. There was what looked to be a small kitchen area and a few beds down here as well. This place did remind Tails of their old headquarters, but only much smaller. It wasn't made for that many people to love down here, but from the way one of the beds were messed up, and there were old food containers lying around, Sonic had been living down here for awhile now.
Tails just smiles as he looks around when Sonic stops and turns around to face Tails and Lara. "Well, for now, this is home while I've been recovering." says Sonic spreading his arms out to show his home to the both of them. Tails seemed to like it, and figured that Sonic probably liked it down here like this. However, Lara didn't seem too impressed with the conditions.
"Not bad Sonic. I can see how you have evaded detection from what Rotor told me about you being down here. Good job on getting loose and getting here." says Tails chuckling as he starts to head over towards the big computer in the room to check it out. He was interested in seeing what was on the computer and to see what Sonic was possibly seeing. Tails wasn't sure if Sonic knew how to use the thing, but the computer looked awesome to him.
Sonic chuckles a bit too and nods as he walks with Tails over to the computer. He presses a few buttons to fire it up for Tails as he sits in one of the two seats next to it. "I might not have had much movements and endured beatings for years, but I'm still me. At least I've finally been given a chance to stretch my legs after all this time." says Sonic stretching out his legs as he sits in the chair in front of the computer.
Tails sits down in t he chair next to Sonic and watches him stretch like that. "I'm just glad you have gotten away. You've missed a lot over the years being down there. Many people think you are dead by now, with how long you have been down there and all." says Tails just relaying some of his thoughts to his best friend.
Lara was being left out at the moment, but she understood that the two adults were friends and she was still just a teenager. She probably wasn't the biggest concern right now, with these two being old friends and all. She was willing to wait until she was called upon, or she had an opinion to give to the conversation.
Sonic couldn't help but chuckle as he starts to press a few buttons on the console in front of him. "Well as you can see little bro, I'm just fine. Being in jail for many years isn't going to kill me. I'm not totally up to date, but this computer is able to do temporary link ups to the outside world and allow me get updates on what is going on in the world. I hadn't thought to check Angel Island, so that's why I didn't know about the kid back there." says Sonic starting to press a few more buttons to fire the large computer up.
"So that's what this computer down here is for. It's basically how you've been learning what all has changed, and what you can do next. That's very clever indeed Sonic." says Tails smiling as he watches Sonic continues to press buttons on the computer, before it is even fired up all the way. Tails was a bit confused by this, but Tails figures Sonic knows what he was doing. Sonic had been down here with this machine for a few months now, so of course he would know it in and out.
"Yes, but you haven't seen the best feature of this computer. I took some other advice of Rotor's before I fired this thing up for the first time." says Sonic as he presses a few more buttons before just sitting back and waiting now. "Watch and you will see." says now staying quiet as the opening screen was just starting to fade away now.
Tails looks up at the screen like Sonic said to do and watches as the main screen of the computer turns back on. Tails just chuckles when he sees the screen fade in and on the screen in one corner of the screen was an animated version of a brown lynx that looked to be Nicole. Tails couldn't believe it, but apparently, Sonic had found one of her backups. "Welcome Tails and Julie-Su. I see you both finally found this hide out. Good to be able to see you two reunite with Sonic." she says as she leans against the edge of the screen. Since there wasn't enough power, she couldn't come out into her physical form. However, she was still a computer program, so making an animated version of herself on the screen wasn't that hard.
"Nicole! Wow, glad to see you after all this time, but how did you know we were coming or would ever find out about this place?" asks Tails looking over to Sonic for a moment and back up to her. Julie was interested in hearing this as well, especially since the computer program seemed to know her, when she had never seen it before like the boys had. It was rather interesting for her, but she just continues to keep quiet. She didn't want to get yelled at anymore if she could avoid it.
"Oh that's easy Tails. As Sonic has probably already mentioned, I can hook up to outside networks temporarily every now and then. Not long ago I detected your leaving from Downunda and also your penetration of the Castle where Shadow is currently calling his home. I wish I could have sent you out a message to tell you and the others that are out there about Sonic, but my functions are limited down here. I can't make much of a move, or my system might be detected." she says looking down at the two boys sitting in the computer chairs in front of her.
Tails couldn't help but grin to this. Nicole was just as slippery as ever, despite her limited functions on this backup computer. "It's ok Nicole. Think nothing of not being able to contact me. I understand why you didn't. It was to keep Sonic hidden down here while he recovered from his injuries and regained his strength." says Tails nodding. Sonic smiles and nods as well. He had heard this situation before, but he was just glad that Tails eventually arrived here to find him. Sonic wanted out of this place bad, and Tails was his ticket out of hiding for now at least.
"Yes that is correct Tails. However, I have been monitoring how the world had been going, since Sonic plugged me into this computer. Things do not look good, but with you two together again, I would think your chances would be pretty good for at least making some kind of a change in how things have been going in the world these days." says Nicole. She did seem to have thought these things out decently, which was sort of expected with her. She was a computer after all, just one with a personality.
"Well I'm glad you think that. Right now, I think it best if I get Sonic off this continent. I want to take him back to Downunda with me. Once there and I get him settled in, I was going to start planning on how to make things better. The Dark Legion in Downunda is nothing like the ones here. They are actually friend and seem to like the land there." say Tails explaining what he thought was his plan at the moment. It was all that he could come up with on t he spur of the moment. He didn't know if they would find Sonic when they started looking, so he hadn't thought up completely what to do next. He came up with all that on the fly.
Nicole stands there for a moment on the screen looking to be going over things in her databases, before she looks up again at Tails and Sonic. "That would be wise. Getting Sonic out of here before he is captured by Shadow's personal guard would be best. Even if Sonic is discovered in Downunda, you could easily move him before Shadow can get there." says Nicole looking to like Tails' plan. Sonic nods as well and gives the thumbs up to this. He didn't mind getting a change of scenery at all.
"You don't mind going on an extended plane trip to meet my family, Sonic?" asks Tails giving a smile over to his best friend. Tails already knew the answer, but he just had to ask Sonic for himself. It would be rude to just drag Sonic along like that. However, that is what Sonic used to do to Tails whenever they were traveling places.
Sonic just chuckles and pats Tails on the head. "Sure bro, I don't mind. This country is getting old anyway. Plus, I'd like to see those kids of yours that I read about in Nicole's database. How in the world did you manage to swing Mina?' asks Sonic leaning down and whispering at that part, but really was just being playful. It was more of a comment on how did Tails land a good looking girl like her, when even he had failed with Mina.
Tails just grins when he hears this part from Sonic. He was glad that Sonic already knew about his family, but he couldn't help but brag a bit when he hears Sonic asking him how he ended up with Mina. "Oh you know me. I learned from the best. I just used what I was taught and made it work for me. She never stood a chance." says Tails grinning when he says this. This immediately makes Sonic laugh and leans back in his chair when he hears Tails talk like this. Apparently, Sonic had taught him well from how it sounded.
"That's great bro. Glad to hear at least you have had a happy life while I was in jail. Now all we have to do is try and put things like the way they should be, right Nicole?" asks Sonic looking up to the computer screen at the lynx. Tails looks up as well knowing the answer, but she was the one with the smarts to analyze the situation and tell if things were the right choices or not.
"That's correct. Why don't you three have a meal before making your way back to Tails' plane? I know it is dark outside, but I think it would be best to make your way out of the forest during night fall. There will be less patrols out at night, so you should be able to slip out of here a lot easier" says Nicole nodding to all this.
Tails nods agreeing with this, but this did bring up one question that he figured he better ask now. "That all sounds good Nicole, but how would we be able to find my plane in the dark? I might have good night vision, being a fox and all, but navigation in this forest could be tricky, since I haven't lived here in many years." says Tails. This was very true. Since Tails hadn't lived in the forest for so many years, the scenery has changed, making finding his way around at night a much harder job than it would have been if he had tried it when he was a kid.
"Not a problem. I have traced the location of where you landed your plane a few miles from here. I can print you out a map that will lead you to the plane. It will have the most recommended path for you to take. If you follow it exactly, you should find your plane, even in this dark night. Just be sure to take a tiny light with you, so that you can see the map." says Nicole. She soon does pull up a picture right next to her on the screen that shows a map just like she said. It looked very detailed, and had a red line being drawn on it out of the thin air. Nicole was the computer, so she didn't appear to be doing anything, when in fact she was doing all of this that was happening next to her on the screen.
"Wow that will be a big help. Thank Nicole!" says Tails smiling as he watches Nicole drawing the map on the screen for them. However, Tails does turn his head for a moment seeing Lara just standing back near the beds looking pretty bored at being here at the moment. She thought meeting Sonic would be something more exciting than this. It was great to meet a legend and all, but they were just standing around talking. It wasn't exactly her idea of a fun and exciting day.
"Hey Lara, you are going to have to most likely come back to Downunda with us for awhile. I don't have time to stop in Echindaopolis with Sonic on board. I'll give a call to your dad once we get home and I'll fly you back to the island when Angel Island is making its flight over Downunda. It passes over once a month so you won't have to wait long I think." says Tails trying to cheer her up a bit, since she looked a bit bored back there.
Lara does smile a bit hearing this part. She had never gotten to go to Downunda before. She had only had ever read about the echidna homeland in her school textbook. She knows her dad and mom might be mad at her for sneaking off like this, but they might not mind her spending some time in Downunda, since it is a historic place for the echidna race. "Alright, I'll go. I might as well check out some of the places I read about in my textbooks." she says smiling and nodding to Tails in approval.
"Alright then, you will ride in the back seat, while Sonic takes the wings. You still able to handle riding outside on the wings Sonic?" asks Tails turning back to Sonic and smiles. He hoped Sonic was back in well enough shape to do that, but he had to hear it from Sonic himself.
"If you had come about a month ago I would say no, but I think I could manage it. However, do you think you could put a strap or something for me to hang onto while I'm out there? I think I can still hold on, but I would rather be safe than sorry. I'm out of practice." says Sonic shrugging but also blushing a bit at this. He was embarrassed to ask for a safety harness, but he has been locked up for so long, he hasn't gotten all the way back to full strength just yet.
"Sure thing Sonic, I don't mind adding in a harness to secure you to the wings so you don't go flying off if I have to make some sort of sudden movement. I just got you back, not going to have you go flying off into the ocean because I was in too big of a hurry to get you home." says Tails chuckling. He does notice Sonic cringe a little bit at the mention of the ocean, but that was normal. No matter how long Sonic had been locked down in that dungeon, he still had his fear of water. The ocean being the ultimate water source, so obviously Sonic wouldn't like flying over it or going for a swim in it.
As Sonic finally nods to this, Nicole does turn her attention back to the boys as she continues drawing the map for them. "Why don't you three now go get yourself a snack while I finish this up? I only need a few more minutes to make out the details for you. Once I'm done I'll print it out and you three can get going." she says down to the three of them.
Tails nods and does start to head over towards the small kitchen area to grab something to eat. He hadn't eaten for most of the day, other than what he got back at his parent's house. Lara was already ahead of the boys and was sitting there now at the small table with a large bowl of fruit pulled over towards her.
Sonic wasn't all that eager to eat fruit, like Tails might, so he heads over to the refrigerator to check out what else might be in there for him to snack on. Tails did just as Sonic thought and headed over to the bowl Lara was eating from and takes out a banana and starts to peal it. Tails only needed a small snack, just like Lara with the grapes she was eating at the moment.
While Tails and Lara concentrated on their fruit, Sonic pulls out a couple of Chilidogs that he had stored away and saved for the next time he planned on eating. Since he was leaving soon, he figured he better eat them now before they go to waste. No way was Sonic about to let lovely, precious chilidogs go to waste, when they could have a new home inside his stomach.
As they ate, Nicole continued to work on the map she was making for them to find their way back during the middle of the night. It was very detailed. It was almost like a satellite image from how detailed she was drawing it for them. It was in a top down view, so that they could see the entire area. However, she has cut out most of the tree tops, so that she could draw a large red line along the ground. This line was the path she figured would be the easiest for them to follow, without somewhere along the line getting lost in the woods.
Tails watched as Sonic ate his chilidogs and just smiles. Sonic hadn't changed one bit in all these years. Sonic was now over forty years old, and still he seemed like the same Sonic that Tails knew all those years ago. It brought back many pleasant memories for Tails.
Tails and Lara just sat there for a few more minutes as they waited for Sonic to fill up on the chilidogs. They didn't want to rush him, since this was likely his daily meal that he needed to get energy from for the rest of the day. Once Sonic was done, he couldn't help but let out a rather large belch from all the chili he just ate. Tails couldn't help but chuckle, but Lara didn't seem that impressed by this at all.
Sonic stands on up and pats his belly as he looks at the other two in front of him. "So are we ready to go now?" asks Sonic, who appeared to want to leave now. Sonic was always eager to go when he was ready to go. If he wasn't ready to go, no one else should go. Tails knew this, and that is why he waited until Sonic said he was ready to leave for the plane.
"Yeah, we just need to collect the map from Nicole and we can head out." says Tails as he goes over to the computer to check on Nicole's progress on the map. The map that was on the screen pretty much looked done, except for a few spots here and there. Nicole was marking many small things on the map to try and help them be guided better, even in the middle of the night.
"Map making complete, printing map. Once printing is complete, follow map to location marked on the map. You guys should only take about a half hour to find the plane with this path I marked for you." says Nicole as a small humming sound starts. To the right of them, out of a small slot, shoots a sheet of paper that has the map she just drew on it for them, which Tails quickly picks up and keeps a hold of.
"Now we are ready Sonic. Let's head on up and see if Rouge is ready to go as well. We need to get moving as soon as possible." says Tails as he starts to head towards the door. Lara looks really happy to be leaving now. She was already tired of this place, since this trip was nothing like what she expected it to be like. She just wanted to head to some place that was like civilization now. She has had her fill of hiking in the woods for the day.
"I will be shutting down temporarily while you guys are out to recharge and monitor the situation. Be quick now, there are likely going to be new patrols in the area soon. You must not be seen." says Nicole. Right after she gives the advice, the screen she was standing on blacks out, and many, but not all of the lights on the console shut off as well. She was still online like she said she would be, but it was in a very low key setting apparently.
"Come on now! Let's get moving before I get any older than I already am!" says Sonic starting to get a bit antsy now. He had been just standing here waiting for Tails and Nicole to be ready to go, when he was already ready a minute ago. Even just waiting around for one minute was too long for Sonic, but luckily he did stay still for now to wait.
"Alright alright Sonic, let's get going." says Tails as he opens the door and starts to head up the stairs to go back outside. Sonic quickly sped on up ahead of Tails and goes to check out the outside of the hideout. Once he gets to the surface, Rouge is standing not far from the door waiting on them to come back up.
"Well, it's about time you came back out of there. I've been waiting here for awhile now. It's not very polite to keep a woman waiting you know." she says leaning off the tree when she sees Sonic and then not long after, Tails and Lara as well. She still had her mask off, but she seemed to be just the same as before.
"Well, we had to make a map to get back to my plane, and we had a small snack as well. Why didn't you come down Rouge?" asks Tails curiously. It was a bit strange that she just waited out here for them to come back out, instead of going down to see them. However, Tails didn't think much of it and just let it go for now.
"I told you before, that I had some business to take care of out here. Once I was done, I figured you two would need some catching up time, so I just stayed out here until then." she says shrugging as she stands there next to the three of them. Sonic and Tails both look at each other and simply give a shrug to that. It sounded perfectly reasonable to them.
"Well ok then, let's get going before it gets any later in the evening. It's so dark now, that I'm going to have to use my mini flashlight to even see the map. I'll lead the way, you guys keep a look out for patrols as we head for where my plane is hidden." says Tails as he reaches into his fanny pack now. It only takes a moment before Tails pulls out his flashlight and begins to examine the map to check and see which way they should go now.
Sonic, Lara and Rouge all nod silently as they begin to follow Tails. They do keep a close eye out around them for anything else that might be moving, but no one could hear anything but their own footsteps for now. There were no lights, other than some moonlight that was creeping through the treetops. The forest just seemed very quiet at the moment. There wasn't even any bug noises like there usually was at this time in the evening, which was rather strange.
Tails had his eyes concentrated on this map very hard. He had to make sure they followed the path exactly, or else they could get lost. If they got lost out here, they wouldn't be able to find their way back to the plane until morning, but if that was the case, there would be a much higher chance of being found in daylight.
Rouge did have the best night vision of them all, and she could clearly make out all that was around them at the moment. She could see them approaching a small clearing up ahead, which she knew was there. She just smiles as she keeps walking along with the group. They would at least get a little burst of moon light in this clearing.
Since Tails was so concerned with following the map, he barely even noticed they were walking through a clearing. His main concern at the moment was to just follow the line on his map and only look out for anything, if his friends told him to watch out. Since no one was saying anything to him, he didn't feel the need to be on high alert at all.
As they started into the clearing, Rouge did seem to walk a bit slower, but the others didn't notice this at all. However, two seconds later, a giant spot light cuts on right in Tails, Sonic and Lara's face. "GAH! What the?" asks Tails as he looks up, just as four other spot lights all suddenly get turned on, completely illuminating the area. All four of them were pretty much blinded the moment the light hit their eyes, but as soon as their eyes adjusted to the light, they were able to see what was going on around them.
Tails and the others all go wide eyed when they see where the lights were coming from. From all directions around there, were large trucks and hidden bike that all had black robe covered echidna's sitting on them, each of them holding blasters right at them. Tails turns his head looking the way they came, and there were more echidna starting to fill in the hole they had just filled. There was even a small hover ship starting to hover over the location as well, shining another bright spot light on their position. Somehow, they had walked right into a trap that seemed to have been set just for them.
"How did they find us so?" asks Tails looking over to Sonic. Sonic does look a little nervous now seeing all these guards around him. He has seen so many of them over the years that he has grown to hate echidna that were wearing these cloaks. If he had been on his own, Sonic most likely could have just sped off without taking a hit from the Echidna blasters, but since Tails was here, he couldn't do that, without risking them being hit.
Lara couldn't believe what she was seeing happening now. She had wandered into something that apparently was a lot bigger than she thought, but she wasn't about to back down and be scared, just because these people were her own kind. "FREEZE! ALL OF YOU PUT YOUR HANDS UP HIGH! YOU ARE ALL UNDER ARREST FOR HIGH TREASON AGAINST THE EMPIRE!" calls out a voice over a megaphone nearby. However, this voice seemed very familiar to all of them.
All of them turn their attention to the voice that just called out to them, where they all were immediately shocked at who they saw standing there with a megaphone approaching them. Coming right towards there were a small group of Legion soldiers, but leading them was none other than Knuckles holding the megaphone and Lien-Da walking a few paces behind him with a huge grin on her face.
"Dad!? What's going on here?" asks Lara as he takes a few steps forward towards Knuckles, only to have many guns click and pointed at her to make her stop her progress towards the two walking towards her. Lara quickly staggered backwards and starts to put her hands up slightly to show she was unarmed at the moment.
"I told you all to get your hands up and you better do it now." commands Knuckles as he and Lien-Da soon came to a stop a few paces from the group. Lara already had her hands up, but Tails finally does so as well. However, Sonic didn't put his up at all, and instead keeps them at his waist. He wasn't afraid of Knuckles, though it was nice to see how he looked now after so many years.
"Like I would listen to you and your group." says Sonic as he stands in defiance of the order he was given. Knuckles and Lien-Da do glance over at him, but Lien-Da just chuckles when Sonic starts to defy their orders like this. She seemed to expect he wouldn't listen to them at all.
"Very well Sonic, you don't have to listen to our orders, but wouldn't it be such a shame if something happened to your fox friend here?" she asks taking out a small handheld laser gun and points it right in Tails' direction. Tails immediately starts to shake a bit, since he knew Lien-Da would mean a threat like that. She was known to do whatever was necessary to get the job done and shooting someone wouldn't be beyond how far she might go.
Sonic growls a bit before slowly putting his hands up into the air. He didn't want to, but seeing as he couldn't take a treat against Tails as lightly as his own safety, he had no choice. Once his arms were up in the air, Lien-Da holders her gun and grins once again. "Smart choice hedgehog." she says chuckling slightly as the soldiers continue to get closer to them all.
Tails doesn't sound happy at all by this as he keeps his hands up in the air. "Knuckles, how could you turn us in like this? How did you even find us out here?" asks Tails with a very angry tone in his voice. He couldn't believe they could be found like this so easily. There had to be an explanation as to what was going on, seeing as they would have had to know their exact location to be able to set a trap like this so perfectly placed to catch them. Tails figured Knuckles must have ratted on them, but he wanted to hear it from Knuckles' mouth.
"I don't think Knuckles is the one you need to be talking to about finding your little fox behind out here. This was all my doing." says Lien-Da as she starts to approach Tails. Lien-Da couldn't help but chuckle a bit as she approaches him. Tails does take one step back, but that was it as Lien-Da approaches him quickly. "Isn't that right, agent one ten?" asks Lien-Da as she stops only a few steps away from Tails now.
Tails and the others immediately look confused when Lien-Da says this. It seemed like she was talking to no one, but that was until they heard a voice behind them. "Yes, that is correct commander." says Rouge all of a sudden. All three of them quickly spin around to look at Rouge, only to see her standing there now with a laser pistol in her hand just like the echidnas now.
"You traitor!" yells Tails starting to growl now. He couldn't believe Rouge could simply turn traitor on them so easily. He should have spotted this from a mile away, seeing as she has done similar things to people in the past, but Tails thought she might have changed and actually did work for Knuckles, not Lien-Da.
"Traitor is such an ugly word don't you think? However, I think it fits the situation rather well. Yes, while I was taking care of the business I said I was taking care of, I transmitted your location to the troops here and we set a trap to capture you. I had a hacking device hooked up to that tree you were in and managed to snag a snapshot of that map as it was being made. I simply sent it to Lien-Da here and we knew right where to set the trap for you three. You walked right into it." says Rouge grinning as she keeps her gun pointed at them.
Tails looks even madder at hearing this, but doesn't make a move with her standing right there. He would get back against her later. Lara in the mean time turns back towards Knuckles and does suddenly start to look angry at what she is witnessing happening around her. "Dad! You can't do this to them. These people are your friends. Are you really just going to arrest them like this?" asks Lara looking very serious. She was looking more serious than she had during this entire trip now as she stares at her dad's eyes.
Knuckles just stares back as well for a moment at Lara before waving his hand towards her. "Come here Lara. I need to talk to you for a moment." says Knuckles with a super serious look on his face as well. It was pretty obvious where Lara got this look from, since they were pretty much glaring each other down for the moment.
After Knuckles told Lara to approach him, she did just that and starts to walk over towards her father. Knuckles waits until Lara is standing face to face towards him, before putting a hand onto her shoulder, "I really wish you had not come here, but since you did, you have to go with them." says Knuckles as he very quickly, before Lara can even speak, gives this spot on the side of her neck a quick squeeze. Lara goes wide eyed when she sees what he was about to do, since he had taught her this move before. Before she could make a move though, she feels the squeeze which quickly makes her eyes roll back in her head as she falls forward against Knuckles, she slipping right out of consciousness. However, Knuckles is sure to catch her before she hits the ground.
Tails and Sonic's eyes get very large when they see Knuckles knock Lara out so easily like that. "Knuckles! What are you doing!?" asks Tails shocked that he would do that to his own daughter. Tails would never do something like that his daughter or son, so he was surprised that Knuckles would do that to one of his own.
"She made a bad choice, and now she must pay. Sorry you had to see this." says Knuckles as he casually picks Lara up off the ground and into his arms. Once he had her securely in his arms, he turns and starts to carry her back towards the ship that was landing not far behind them. Lien-Da just grins when she watches this. She had thought Knuckles would let Lara off the hook when she was caught out here with Sonic and Tails, but apparently, he was going to hold down the punishment that girl deserved.
"Well now, seeing as Shadow will likely be eager to see that we caught his most wanted fugitive and an instigator to his throne. I think it would be best if we got back to the palace as soon as possible." says Lien-Da as she starts to turn her back away from Sonic and Tails. She wasn't concerned about them at all trying to attack her. If they had tried anything against her, they would both be shot, before they could even reach her.
"We aren't going anywhere Lien-Da" says Sonic as he does move to stand closer to Tails to defend him slightly. He does keep his hands up for now, but he was starting to look a bit more defensive than he did before. For some reason though, Lien-Da didn't even sound the least bit nervous at Sonic's response and even keeps her back turned away from them both.
"I don't think you have a choice hedgehog. Why don't you two just lie down and have a good rest while you are taken back to the palace ok?" asks Lien-Da as she does finally start to turn around once again to face them both. For some reason she had this very big smile on her face as she was saying all this. She apparently was taking great pleasure in doing her job.
"We won't be taking any nap, because we aren't going to the castle." says Sonic as he starts to put his hands down now. Tails does start to wonder if Sonic knows what he is doing, but doesn't question his actions. Sonic must have some sort of plan, and Tails was going to wait and see what it was.
Lien-Da couldn't help but laugh at Sonic's bravery. It was just hilarious to her. "Well hedgehog, I wasn't simply suggestion you two take a nap. I was telling you to take one." she says giving a small wink to them both. Sonic and Tails both look confused at this, but they never even saw it coming as two soldiers, that had been standing behind them, club them over the back of their heads with the butts of their guns.
The boys stood there stunned for a moment from the shock of being hit, but that only lasts a short while, before they both fall face forward onto the ground, completely knocked out. As soon as they hit the ground, the soldiers that hit them over the back of the head immediately start to cuff them, while a third soldiers starts to take any equipment that was on Tails at the moment. They didn't want Tails waking up and using any of the items he likely had packed away inside those pouches.
Lien-Da turns away from the two fallen heroes and starts her walk towards the ship where Knuckles just went to with Lara. She does look back slightly as she is walking. "As soon as you have them secure, bring them onto the ship with us. We are moving out as soon as everyone is ready. We need to get back to the palace as soon as possible. Shadow will be most pleased." she says laughing out loud as she starts to head up the stairs of the ship, to await the journey back to Shadow's castle. But now, with three extra passengers than before, that Shadow would love to see. Which Shadow might get to do very soon.
To Be Continued….