Sonic Rush: Next Generation
Note: First chapter of the Babylon Rogues Arc
Chapter Twenty: Relations
The scene opens to the seaside city of Nocturne, home of the revived echidna tribes. Nearly a week had passed since the simultaneous deaths of Torta the Tortoise and Maido the Cerberus – two of the Seven Sword Lords. Word had spread like wildfire over the facts of the incident, but some rumors were more obscure than others. One story claimed that Maido was gathering an army for world domination while another said that the infamous Reace the Doe had commanded the trio to assassinate the South Kingdom king. But despite the different variations, one fact remained resolute: Kisame Hoshigaki and Emerl the Gizoid had teamed up to kill the Guardian of Hell. And Rush wasn't happy about it. The twin-colored hedgehog was presently seating himself in the temporary room that was provided for Jewel for her recovery period. During the fight with Maido, the hot-blooded echidna had fractured her femur bone in three different places, restricting the warrior to her bed for a month. But Jewel simply refused to stay in one place – something Rush could relate to – and is the reason why he, Mai and Cherry were summoned in the first place.
"The doctor said you have stay of your leg until the bone heals." Mia said in a motherly tone as she and Cherry attempted to push Jewel back into bed. "Which means no training, no running, and definitely no beating up Rush."
"Which I am thankful for." Rush said from his chair, which was conveniently out of Jewel's reach. "But seriously, you took a major bruising against that dog…lizard…thing…or whatever. You should just sit back and relax."
"Training is how I relax." Jewel said impatiently. She attempted to reach for the crutches next to her nightstand, but Mai took the liberty of moving them to the other end of the room. "All right, what the hell did I ever do to deserve this?"
"If anyone's to blame, it's Rush." Mia said dignified.
"Wha?" Rush blurted.
"If you hadn't run off on your own, this could have been avoided." Mia proclaimed, finally managing to settle Jewel on the mattress. "We could have made a plan and worked together instead of worrying half to death."
"Aw, you do care about me." Rush joked in a mocking sympathetic tone.
"Like a bad toothache." Jewel said shortly.
"I think she actually means it."
The new sound emerged from behind the twin-colored followed by a short laugh. Jewel's sixteen year-old half-sister, Lara-Su, arrived carrying a bowl of fresh picked fruit and a glass of water in each hand. Lara-Su was a cherry-red echidna – the same shade as Knuckles – with eight quills dangling close to her shoulder and a mop of hot-pink hair above her head. Her clothing consisted of a black shirt with a white collar, a pair of cargo pants with eight pouches, a pair of black, leather combat boots, and a pair of plain gloves. When Rush first met her, he thought she worked for the military until he realized she was blind as a bat with her horn-rimmed glasses. The elder female stepped around Rush and settled the food and drink on Jewel's bedside table, smirking playfully at her half-sister's childish pout.
"Aw, it's not so bad, kiddo." Lara-Su chuckled as she ruffled her younger sibling's quills, which Jewel attempted to swat away irritably. "It's only another three weeks. They'll fly by in no time and you'll be back to punching poor rocks in no time."
"I don't have to like it." Jewel muttered disappointedly.
"I know you don't like to be cramped into a small space." Lara-Su said sympathetically, sitting herself on the edge of the mattress. "But think of it this way: we'll have plenty of time for sisterly bonding."
"Half-sisters." Jewel corrected, but not in a sense that she was unhappy. She had confided to Rush that Lara-Su was someone she looked up to and all she wanted in a sibling. The elder echidna ruffled her sister's quills again, earning a brief laugh from the warrior. "All right, all right. But if you push any of that girly stuff on me, I'm jumpin' out this window."
"Wouldn't dream of it." Lara-Su smiled.
"Actually, I'm kind wondering about something." Mia said sheepishly, scratching her head nervously. "I know it's none of my business, but you both said you were half-sisters. How does that work."
"Oh, it's nothing to worry about." Lara-Su said offhandedly, leaning back casually against her arms. "It all started when out older brother, Terro…"
The bespectacled echidna was cut off by an alarming crack and a splash of wetness dripping against her right arm. Everyone looked over to Jewel, who was previously taking a drink before the glass shattered in her grip. Lara-Su allowed her gaze to drop in sadness and Rush tried to remain stoic, but Mai and her pet Chao exchanged confused glances. It wasn't surprising, Rush thought. When the twin-colored hedgehog had lost confidence in himself, Jewel had told some parts of her history about how her older brother had left, which led to a somewhat emotional breakdown. Rush was certain that he was the only one outside the echidna family that knew about the older brother's existence and how Jewel resented him. This was the first time he was ever mentioned by name….Terro. Rush could have sworn he heard that name somewhere before.
"Sorry." Jewel apologized once regaining her senses, wiping her glove clean of the glass shards. "I guess I was just holding the glass too tight – wouldn't be the first time it happened."
"Your mother's still mad about the China you broke last month." Lara-Su said in an attempt to change the mood. It worked well as Jewel stuck her tongue childishly at her sister. "Anyway, it started when our…brother was four years old. Dad and Rouge got into a fight one night about something – probably about the emeralds or something – and dad decided to leave for the night. He went to my mother, Julie-Su, for support…and kinda got more than he bargained for."
"Mr. Knuckles cheated on Mrs. Rogue." Mia gasped dramatically; Cherry covered his mouth shockingly.
"I wouldn't call it cheating." Lara-Su continued, scratching the back of her head. "You kinda forget about some of the important stuff like marriage when you're drunk." She paused for a moment to allow the more innocent audience to have their brief reflections, ignoring subtle smirk from Rush. "I was conceived during that night and my mom didn't find out until a month later when she went to doctor and found out she was pregnant."
"And Rouge was ok with this?" Rush questioned in disbelief.
"You're kidding, right?" Jewel snickered mischievously. "When she found out, she threatened to castrate dad."
"But my mother managed to convince her." Lara-Su added, taking pleasure at the apparent fear in the hedgehog's eyes. "She explained that the whole thing was just an emotional fling and was never trying to take her place. My mother promised to never bother them again, but dad was against the idea. It may have been a mistake, but dad swore to uphold his responsibilities as a father."
"I don't think you're a mistake." Jewel said softly; Lara-Su ruffled her quills again.
"That's sweet of you to say." Lara-Su smiled, pulling her hand back as the younger sibling swiped at it. "Ever since then, dad's been pulling double-time trying to raise three children at once."
"Mr. Knuckles is a great man." Mia said cheerfully; Cherry repeated with a chirp.
"A bit stupid and thick-headed, but he's a nice guy once you get to know him." Rush compliment…somewhat. He leaned back into his chair, standing on two of its legs, and traced the lavender swirls on the ceiling. "Kinda makes me appreciate the things my dad does for us. He's a king and everything, but he's not like those stuck-up, royal pains in the…"
"Ok, we get it." Lara-Su interjected warningly.
"Sorry." Rush apologized with a laugh. "But he's always there whenever you need him and always runs around with the kind of attitude that makes you think he's up to something, which he usually is. Now that I think about it, the only time I've ever seen him down is whenever they mention the baby."
"The baby?" Mia blinked.
"My mom was pregnant during the Dark Siege." Rush said seriously, folding his arms over his chest and looking down at the hardwood floor. "They were doing all right while fighting back against Pein's army, but Makuta Teridax ended up brainwashing my dad and killed the baby."
"That's horrible." Mia gasped fretfully.
"To think, I came this to having a big brother or sister." Rush said, holding up his hand in emphasis. "But we can't change what happened in the past…yet. But look on the bright side: my family's huge!"
"He's right, you know." Mia grinned, rolling her eyes to the echidna siblings. "He's practically related to everyone in the Sonic Heroes."
"Aw, it's not everyone." Rush said smugly, counting his fingers with each name. "My Uncle Rector is married to Shade, who's Tikal's sister, who married Blue. Raine is my legal aunt that married Charmy, my dad and Shadow share the same blood, Kumori is married to Shadow, Silver is my descendant and he's married to Blaze, Tails is considered my uncle and he married Cream, Jet is my godfather, which would make Wave my godmother, and I have no idea what happened to my Uncle Stream."
"Wow, that must be one complicated family tree." Jewel said amazingly.
"My mom tried to keep track eight times before she gave up." Rush laughed with his hands behind his head.
"So wouldn't that make you and Mia related?" Lara-Su asked cluelessly.
"Figuratively." Mia excused hopefully. "We're not related by blood or by legal sense."
"As far as I'm concerned." Rush said loftily. "It's just me, mom, dad, and Alina."
"Right…" Lara-Su said slowly. "You're sister…"
"Why?" Rush questioned curiously, dropping the chair back to all-fours. "Something wrong with her?"
"No, nothing!" Lara-Su said quickly.
Having gotten in trouble many times for the similar situation, Rush was an expert when it comes to lying. And he could easily tell when someone was keeping a secret…unless they were related to Shadow. The way that the bespectacled echidna mentioned Alina made the twin-colored hedgehog wonder if she knew something that she wasn't telling. But against his better judgment, he decided not to press it. Alina had only been cured of Chaos Poisoning less than a week ago – she needed to stay out of trouble.
"You guys have really nice families." Mia praised, cradling Cherry in her arms. "I was I had a brother or sister."
"What about your family?" Jewel asked curiously.
"You already know my mom is Cream and my dad is Tails." Mia piped proudly. "Though I don't get to see them a lot because they have to take care of things in the Demon Mountains and it's too dangerous for me to stay there. So I have to stay with Rush and his family."
"Isn't your great-grandfather the Kyuubi?" Lara-Su asked.
"He was my dad's grandpa." Mia nodded. "He wasn't happy when Grandma Kyira married Grandpa Nyrox, but she didn't care – they were in love. I also have an Aunt Aura that married Howl the Wolf from Team Virtex and I have another aunt from my mom's side of the family."
"Tang the Rabbit?" Rush said in a surprising tone. "I remember her – loud, obnoxious, always taking my stuff. Whatever happened to her?"
"She was working for Team Virtex on the Babylon Rogues case." Mia informed; Cherry frowned disappointedly. "Then one day, she just decided to quit and leave. Grandma Vanilla was really upset."
"I never liked her anyway." Rush commented with his finger in his ear; the girls grimaced.
"God, all this talking is starting to give me a migraine." Jewel moaned, dropped backwards into her pillow. "What I wouldn't give for a little action around here."
Ask and ye shall receive, young one
The scenery alternates from the humble household to the intimidating tower that overshadowed the city. The Citadel was once the throne of Ix's empire during his reign over the Nocturne before his sudden usurp of power. Now it stood as a united monument for which the heads of the Nocturne Council would convene. Within the lower levels of the citadel, six echidnas garbed in rich-purple robes – the six heads of the council – formed in a circle on either side of Pir'Oth Ix. Amongst the council members was a hot-pink echidna female with violet-tipped quills, one of which was completely cybernetic. She was Julie-Su, mother to Lara-Su and Head of the Nocturne Council. The seven echidnas were gathered around a raised podium in the center of the chamber holding a see-through box. But this object was far from ordinary. Contained within the clear-glass square was a spiral of deathly-black energy that was occasionally missed with small speck of red, purple, and brilliant-white. None of the echidna leaders dared to move any closer in fear that they would break it would the simplest touch.
"Quite extraordinary." Ix commented, stroking his beard in an interesting fashion. "Are you certain of your findings?"
"We don't need you to question our abilities!" A younger male snapped; Ix was impassive. "We've gone over the numbers sixteen times and found the same result. We have successfully managed to contain a small space of gravitational energy."
"But I thought the Babylonians already learned to control gravity." Julie-Su added thoughtfully.
"Oh, far from it, my sweet."
Julie-Su resisted the urge to hiss, mostly due to Ix's imploring glare, and instead reluctantly turned to welcome the arrival of another of her echidna brethren. While most Nocturnus lose their color with age like the former imperator, Julie-Su knew this newcomer was roughly only a few years older than her daughter. He gained a reputation of being the only albino echidna in the tribe with his snow-white fur, black eyes with piecing-yellow irises, and the black birthmark around his collar. His garments consisted of a silver belt and a golden necklace, both carrying a crescent moon symbol, black gauntlets and braces with multiple golden rings, an unknown number of bandages wrapped around his hands and feet, a perpetual-black cape, and a pair of pince-nez glasses. While he was regarded for being unique in comparison to others of his race and for being an unofficial "Technomage", Julie-Su simply refused to accept the albino as one of them. Perhaps it was because of his appearance or the way he carried himself – she didn't know.
"Dr. Finitevus." An older female council member said with praise. "I'm not surprised that you would be at audience with your own discovery. Tell us, what is the difference between this and the Babylonian's technology."
"It's quite simple, my lady." Finitevus said sophisticatedly. "Why the tool created by the Babylonians can manipulate the gravitational energy, this…" He gently lifted the glass cube off the podium. "Is gravity purified – untouched, unhindered, raw energy. A completely new element. Why, this one sample alone could power an entire city for ten years."
"That's a lot of power for such a small thing." Julie-Su stated uncertainly; Finitevus smirked with pride. "And it's too much power for our tribe to contain. It should be sent to Babylon Garden for research and examination."
"What?" Finitevus and the council members exclaimed simultaneously; Ix was unusually silent.
"You can't possibly be serious!" An elderly member said outrageously. "This is the kind of discovery that could lead to endless possibilities for the Nocturne! Imagine what we could do with the kind of power!"
"Imagine what would happen if we did use it." Julie-Su as her eyes narrowed sternly. "Could we really use this new element without abusing it? Throughout history, Knuckles and Nocturne Tribe alike have sought to obtain a new means of strength and use it for conquest. The Master Emerald, the Gizoids – they were originally used for the betterment of mankind and ended up becoming tools of war that cost our homes and families."
All during the speech, the former imperator nodded in agreement with the bold council head. Having experienced consequences of abusing power firsthand, Ix didn't think these younglings were ready for such an event. Needless to say, none of the others were happy with the idea, especially Finitevus. There was a string of muttering that followed as Julie-Su awaited the answers of her fellow members. The cybernetic echidna hadn't felt this nervous since Ix first recommended her for the position as Head of the Nocturne Council during the government reformation. To this day, Julie-Su failed to understand why he did so. But the council members trusted her then and she only hoped they trusted her now. After what seemed like hours of constant debate (to Julie-Su, anyway), the oldest of the council turned to confront her.
"So how do you propose we transfer it?" The elder questioned.
"What?" Finitevus screamed in horror.
"Should we station our guards for a secure path?" The elder continued undisturbed.
"An armed delivery just screams 'rob me'." Julie-Su proclaimed, stroking her chin thoughtfully. "But it would make for a nice distraction. We could send the armed shipment to Babylon Garden as a decoy while a small covert team could take an alternate route undetected."
"I heard the son of Sonic the Hedgehog was in town." Ix added as an extra thought. "Perhaps he and his team could deliver it safely."
"You expect me to leave the most important discovery in the world in the hands of children?" Finitevus snarled aggressively.
"You don't have a choice in the matter, Finitevus." Ix proclaimed, snatching the gravity element from the albino echidna with his scepter. "We will send the children on their ways as soon as preparations are done."
"But Jewel is currently injured from her last adventure." Julie-Su added worried. "We'll need to find a replacement."
"What about your daughter?" Ix questioned.
"I don't know…"
"Julie-Su…I know you are very protective of your daughter." Ix stated seriously. "And after everything that's happened in your past, that is understandable. But you can't shelter her forever."
"I know." Julie-Su said in a defeated tone. "All right, summon Lara-Su and her friends immediately."
With the order given, the Nocturne Council scattered to complete their own asks, leaving only Ix and the albino echidna. The former Procurator lingered only long enough for the Technomage to leer before turning away with a swish of his cloak. Dr. Finitevus curled his fingers and scowled with pure loathing. This was a problem that needed to be fixed – something needed to be done.
The final scene alternates to a small rural town nestled safely in the wonder grassland of the Green Hill Zone. But our attention is more focused on the oddity above it. Beyond the sea of fluffy white clouds, a scarlet-red zeppelin drifted across the sky leisurely. Those who could remember as far back as twenty years would recognize the genie's lamp surrounded by three swirled commas: the symbol of the infamous Babylon Rogues. It had been many years since the band of thieves had retired and, shockingly, went on to decent lives. Looks like someone wanted to follow in their footsteps. The central office within the Babylon Airship was decorated plainly with a mahogany desk and a couple of chairs. The only thing that stood out was the golden framed portraits of various avians, each with a stylized name beneath the picture. The row circled around the office starting with Rakis the Eagle and ended with Jet the Hawk – the entire line of Babylon leaders.
And settled proudly in the leather chair behind his desk was the currently leader of the infamous gang. He was a rich-purple hawk around twelve years of age with the casual bright-orange beak and twin rows of head feathers that formed a backwards 'V'. He clothing consisted of white boots with black laces and sapphire-blue outlines, a pair of plain gloves with red ring cuffs, a white belt with four pouches, and a necklace with a ruby sphere – a loving "gift" of his mother's. Being the son of Jet the Hawk, it came as no surprise that he managed to swipe his father's magic ring, despite the fact that it hasn't worked in years. The Babylon Leader yawned and stretched his arms in exaggeration – he was bored as hell.
"Man, how long does it take to run out and swipe a simple pizza." The hawk muttered. As if someone was listening, the phone lying on the far corner of the table rang and the avian answered. "Thunder, don't tell me you got lost again."
"Sorry to disappoint." A murky, garbled voice responded humorously. "I take it this is Gust the Hawk."
"Hey, this is a secure line." Gust said suspiciously. "How'd you get this number?"
"That's not important." The voice answered simply. "What is important is that I have a job that needs your attention."
"I'm not sure where you got this number." Gust said in a dignified tone. "But we're the Babylon Rogues, not hired goons."
"And that's exactly why I need you." The voice claimed. "You are the best thieves on this planet and I have use for your particular skills. I'm even willing to make it worth your while."
"Oh yeah." Gust said interestingly. "How much we talkin'?" He waited for a moment for the voice to respond; he nearly dropped out of his seat at the answer. "Whoa! How much? Buddy, I don't know who you are, but you've got yourself some thieves! Just tell me who the sucker is!"
"I believe you know him personally." The voice said smoothly. "His name is Rush the Hedgehog."
A new journey starts a new mess of complications. Will Rush and his team be able to secure the new element? Will the Babylon Rogues walk away with their prize? And who is the one that hired them? Find out on the next Sonic Rush!
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