More goings on in the FntS universe then you could shake a stick at.
Plus I doubt Shadow or anyone else for that matter would appreciate that very much.
Anyway, enough stalling lets get on with the chapter shall we?
Shade's head hung solemnly as her feet guided her back through the fortress she knew as home. She would become the first of her clan to step foot on Mobian soil for over three generations. She should have been both excited and anxious at the opportunity, but the thought of Knuckles, the first Mobian echidna she had ever met, squatting in a dungeon cell turned her stomach.
Every Nocturnus was thrilled that Albion had returned to Mobius, but there were some who believed that Lien-Da and the Imperator wouldn't be content with just returning, that they desired to conquer it, much like they had the Twilight territories. It was hard not to see why some believed this, what with Lien-Da's strict and rigorous training regimes and the increase in the number of Gizoid attack robots.
Created by Doctor Zachary, the Gizoids were to be the ultimate of adaptable soldiers. They had been instrumental to the annexing of the Voxi race.
And what had Imperator Pir'Oth Ix meant by sensing some sort of power within Knuckles?
She shook her head. It wasn't for warriors like herself to question what was said or ordered by their superiors.
She stepped through an archway and into the fresh cool air outside. Fresh air. She had never breathed fresh air before, the atmosphere of the Twilight cage being all she knew.
Removing her helmet she inhaled deeply, relishing in the chilly air that filled her lungs. Looking up to the night sky was as breathtaking now as it had been the first time. The glinting stars like pinholes in the fabric of night, and the breeze.
Chaos… She had never felt the wind ruffle through her fur, blow through her quills. The feeling was heavenly.
She walked towards the small house that was her billet. Even though the Imperator had ordered her to leave on her mission immediately, she wasn't about to march out into the unknown without rest or on an empty stomach. She pulled off her gloves as she stepped into the simplistic living quarters for herself and her sister, Julie-Su.
The sparsely decorated home only had two rooms, a single bathroom with a toilet and sink, with the other much larger room comprising of everything else they needed. Two hard wood beds, a single small wooden table with accompanying pair of stools and a small pot stove which was currently bubbling away quietly to itself.
Julie-Su was sitting on one of the stools facing the table. She had disassembled her photon blaster and was currently cleaning it meticulously. She looked up as Shade entered.
"How'd it go?" Enquired the pink furred echidna.
In response Shade sighed heavily, slumped into the opposite stool, tossed her black gloves onto her cot, thumped her elbows to the table top and rested her chin on her hands, eyes glazing over as she stared at the pieces of Julie's blaster.
"That good eh?" Julie-Su joked in a monotone voice as she returned to cleaning her twin barrelled weapon. Shade stared at her sister for a few moments, her mind going over the days events.
"You ever wonder if we're doing the right thing." Julie-Su paused in her cleaning and glanced up at her sister.
"The right thing?" Shade sat upright, folding her arms on the table.
"I mean, in the cage we had to fight to survive, follow orders or be banished, hunt down, capture or kill those the Imperator and Procurator deemed as traitors! But we're home now." Shade turned her gaze to the darkened sky outside their home. "Surely we can stop fighting and settle down?"
Julie-Su grinned, unable to help herself even in this serious moment. "You finally got an eye on someone then?"
Shade blushed at Julie's teasing. "This is serious Julie!"
"I know, but I couldn't help it." Chuckled Julie-Su. She began rebuilding her blaster, she had done this so often that she didn't even have to look at what she was doing.
"I know what you mean Shade. But there's not much more we can do except trust in those in charge and carry on how we've always done." Shade frowned and slumped forward, resting her head on her folded arms.
"It just doesn't feel right." She mumbled. With a final click, Julie-Su completed the reconstruction of her photon blaster, checked the sights and laid it on her own cot. She stood up and went over to the bubbling pot stove.
"So what did the Imperator actually say?" She asked as she stirred the contents. Shade's mouth began to water. It may only be tasteless gruel, but she hadn't eaten anything since the twelfth bell.
"He told me I'd be leading the initial scout force heading out to explore the immediate area." Julie-Su picked up two wooden bowls and ladled some lumpy grey matter into each bowl.
"Oh wow! First out onto Mobian soil, that's great!" Shade sat back as a bowl was deposited in front of her. Julie-Su put down her own bowl and fetched two wooden spoons, tossing one over to her sister who caught it easily.
"I know I should be thrilled, I mean it's such an honour to be chosen to lead the first Nocturnus back home, but…" She trailed off and began eating slowly. Julie-Su watched her sister for several silent minutes as they both ate their meal.
"Tell you what." Julie began after finishing her last mouthful. "If you want me to keep an eye on anything while you're gone, you just have to ask."
"Thanks Julie, I can always count on you." Julie-Su smiled and shrugged.
"I'm your sister. It's my job to be there for you."
"That and make my life a living hell!" Shade joked with an evil grin.
"What ever have I done to deserve such lies and slander?" Julie-Su replied, before degrading into uncontrollable laughter. The two sisters laughed happily together.
"I'll even keep an eye on that Knuckles fellow for you." Julie continued with a wink, causing Shaded to blush once more.
"Thank you, Julie. I'm worried what the Imperator has planned for him." Shade admitted.
"Don't worry. I'll contact you should anything go down, and you come charging in to save the day!" They both laughed again.
"We'd better get some sleep. It's going to be a long day tomorrow." Although she was in a much better mood thanks to the efforts of her sister, Shade was still very apprehensive as she climbed into bed, her thoughts continually drifting back to the echidna she had left in a dank dungeon cell.
They had made excellent progress thanks to Tails' knowledge of the underground layout and the incessant beeping of his improvised locator.
"We must be getting close." Sakura stated as they rounded another corner. Tails couldn't fault her logic. By his calculations they were nearing the generator room.
"Quick question Sakura. Are you a trained medic?" Tails asked, ducking underneath a low hanging pipe.
"No, why?"
"I'm just thinking that whoever sent that distress call might need medical attention." Sakura stopped in her tracks, realisation dawning on her face.
"Oh shoot, you're right."
"I know the basics so we should be alright." Tails was only half-sure of himself though. "But we're still going to have to get whoever we find out of here as quickly as possible."
"No argument here Tails, but what if there's another cave-in? We've got no way to call for help if we need it!" Tails could understand her apprehension.
In all of his adventures with Sonic they never needed to worry about the people who were hurt. The proper services took care of that while they took care of Robotnik or whoever was to blame, and if they ever got hurt it was Amy, Cream or Vanilla, Cream's mother who helped the back to their feet. This brought his to wonder what they might find at the end of the beacon.
"We'll think of something." Muttered Tails.
They continued in silence, following the bleeps of the locator. They turned one last corner and saw a sight that chilled their blood.
Lying propped up against the wall was the bloodied form of Rotor the Walrus. His cloths were ripped and torn and stained wet with blood. His face was bruised and cut, his left tusk was broken and his eyes closed shut. His arms hung limply at his sides, a small device lying where it had fallen from his hand. His legs were splayed, his left twisting at an angle indicating a break.
"Rotor!" Both fox's rushed to the walrus's side, Tails sliding down onto his knees and began gently examining his friend closer. His left eye was a bloody mess of bruising and a thin trickle of black fluid seeped from between his closed, swollen eyelids. "Come on Rotor, don't be…"
A slight groan and a flood of relief surged over both of them. The walrus opened one bleary eye.
"Tails?"
"Don't worry, Rotor. You're gonna be alright, we're gonna get you outta here." Breathed the twin-tailed fox, tears glistening at the corners of his eyes. He looked back over Rotor's injuries. "Now uhh… w-we just need to um…"
A sharp ripping sound bit through the quiet and Tails head spun around to see where it had come from. Sakura had removed her long jacket and was tearing the sleeves from it.
"Here." She said handing him strips of cloth. He smiled as he accepted them, blushing slightly as he saw that she wore nothing else except for her bare fur, and began to bandage his friend as best he could.
Sakura looked at her now sleeveless jacket. It had been a gift for her from her parents upon twelfth birthday and she had worn it ever since then. A single tear rolled down her muzzle and with a slight shiver she put it back on. She bent down and retrieved the device and began looking it over. She shrugged when the screen remained blank and deposited it in one of her pockets.
"Sakura, give me a hand over here please." With her help, Tails lifted a weak and pale Rotor to his feet, supported him on his left side. Sakura grunted as she took her share of the walrus's weight. With Rotor being supported on both sides, the three of them began making their way back through the darkened tunnels and corridors; Tails' eye's scanning for landmarks to help in their progress.
After several slow and agonising minutes they reached a familiar stretch and saw light at the end of the corridor.
"Come on, we're almost out!" Tails exclaimed joyously. As they reached the exit, helping hands reached out and pulled them into the wreckage of the throne room.
Tails looked around, seeing the uniformed soldiers of the Royal Army. Two approached quickly, marked as medics with red crosses on the shoulders and helmets. They gently took Rotor from the two fox's and laid him on a stretcher, quickly carrying him from the bustle.
Tails turned to Sakura grinning broadly. It was at that moment that the adrenalin that had kept him going throughout the night promptly ran out and he began to collapse. Sakura grabbed him before he could hit the floor, smiling down at his face as he slept.
The Captain of the Royal Army 5th Engineers stood with his hands folded behind his back. He was coordinating a search and rescue mission, which the people had demanded when Sakura had run off to help Miles Prower. A young Private jogged up to him and saluted.
"Report." He grunted sternly.
"Sir. Report from the Throne room. Corporal Sakura McCain and Miles Prower have emerged with Rotor the Walrus, medics are currently seeing to him and Mr. Prower and Corporal McCain are resting." The Captain waved him away. The Private saluted again and left.
"Sir! We've finally re-established radio contact with the 18th Rifles. The King and two Freedom Fighters are with them!" The Captain's stone-faced expression twitched slightly.
"Very good Lieutenant. Let them know that Rotor Walrus is safe and in our hands."
"Yes Sir." The Captain turned back to observe the clean-up operation. His Engineers were rushing around the castles courtyard, moving rubble and slowly establishing a base camp. Tents had been set up and long running cables littered the floor providing power where it was needed. His mouth twitched into an unseen smile.
"You'll have to try harder than that Robotnik." He whispered.
Beneath tons of rubble, Dr. Robotnik smiled in glee. Within his secret laboratory he typed out long lines of equations, spilled over hundreds of files and reports, each time cackling sinisterly at his plan. He turned away from his desk to tinker with his molecular transporter, leaving the file open. The heading on the most prominent page was 'Project Solaris' and a greyed picture of a small sceptre laid over it.
Finally I can more the story forward! And yes we have foreshadowing!
The King is safe, Robotnik is up to no good (as usual) and Shade is having doubts about her clan!
All in a days work I suppose...
Anyway, we'll be seeing a return to Shadow in the next chapter and see where things go from there.
Till next time, have a good weekend.
-Corrupt TE-