DaddyKnux chapter 25

Outside of Freedom Headquarters in the remains of the Green Hill Zone, Rouge breathed steadily through her gas mask. She could hear the Studebaker truck wheels rumble beneath her feet. The ground was as solid as a rock which was no surprise since there had been no rain for over a month. The sun either blazed and scorched the earth or was choked by clouds casting weak, smoky shadows across the sky.

It was hard to believe that this place used to have waterfalls, palm trees and fertile brown soil. Green Hill had once been such a beautiful haven with tall golden sunflowers, purple blooms and totem poles that dotted the landscape. Once, this was a place of life with children laughing and running down the hills. There had been quaint houses with sleepy puffs of smoke wafting from the chimneys. In the evenings the sun would sink beneath a cascade of orange and red waves. The water looked like it was set on fire.

If she allowed it, Rouge might almost feel guilty about the destruction of the zone. Think about the lives lost and how it would take more than a few decades to sort this mess out. The bat shook her head violently and cursed herself for getting emotionally involved. There was a time when business was more important than…people. When a spy could make a buck and leave behind the consequences to others. That was the way things were if you allowed yourself to think about the; if, but and maybes of the situation you were a goner. What was the point of thinking about the Mobians when they didn't care about you? If you thought about the needs of others all the time you would have no time for you. And who was more important than you?

"I really appreciate you coming along Rouge," Tails spoke up over the noise of the rumbling vehicle. "Your skills will make life a lot easier!"

Rouge gave a weak smile in return and then caught a devil stare from the wolf woman at the front of the truck. She smirked and then winked back at the fox.

"Of course they will the Freedom Fighters deserve the best after all," at this Canis snorted and Tails automatically twisted away.

There were six of them altogether crammed on the Studebaker watching zones whiz by. Canis' men included a kestrel, warthog and racoon they sat in silence, adjusting their brown and dark grey uniforms and equipment like clockwork. They removed the safety catches from the fire arms they carried and loaded up ready for action.

This was supposed to be a stealth mission, Rouge thought bitterly. Having the men locked and loaded like that wasn't advisable they were a bunch of hotheads spoiling for a fight. What was the point in espionage if the end result was going to be a combat situation? Still, the bat pondered, it wasn't her problem. If Canis the bitch wanted to set up her troops to fail that was her decision. So long as Rouge succeeded and Canis fell on her snowy tailed arse it might prove to Tails that 'somebody' was in the wrong job.

If it was one thing that the strategist hated was someone throwing their weight around that didn't deserve to be there. Yes, she was a woman with military power – a score for the sisterhood, but her ideals and thirst for conflict were stupidly suicidal. Rouge didn't care who was in charge as long as they had half a brain and weren't seduced by blood lust, two qualities she felt Canis was sadly lacking, for all her large guns. Of course Rouge had spoken her mind on the subject many times and the wolf knew exactly what the 'wife of Knuckles' thought of her.

"Hold it!" Rouge barked, putting her hands sharply on Tails' shoulders. The fox forced the truck to an emergency stop. Everyone watched as the bat jumped from the vehicle and surveyed the ground in front of them. Looking left and then right for something specific, she crouched down low.

"What's the problem, bat?" The racoon in the truck sneered. "We've got a mission to complete this is no time to go the bathroom!"

Rouge took a small a hunk of rock and examined it carefully. Satisfied with the weight in her hand, she squinted looking for a target. The rock flew straight and true in a North East direction and made its impact with the ground. The resulting explosion shook the truck and its cargo in equal measure. Canis gasped immediately cocking her hand gun.

"Landmines," Rouge whistled. "Naughty boy, Robotnik you sure do love your carnage."

"Can we go around them?" Canis snapped.

"Yes, it will take time though, landmines are usually spread over a fair distance in each direction-"

"We can't delay the mission because of those ancient relics, press on!" The racoon boomed.

"Hey cake whole! They're old fashioned sure, but they can take your legs off if you step on one. Personally I like my limbs the way they are and no matter how strong you think this truck is, it will not tear through a minefield without killing the lot of us first!"

Summer stood outside the room and peered once more inside. He was still there talking to Knuckles pleasantly, eating a packet of crisps and swinging his legs to and fro on the hospital bed. She turned away from the window and sighed was this a good idea? Daddyknux had warned the troublesome hedgehog not to visit the infirmary until her father was in better health. He looked in better health physically although she knew full well that wasn't what the echidna had meant.

The door opened and Knuckles came out saying goodbye to his friend.

"Yeah, bye Knucklehead, see you at the party!" the door clicked shut.

DaddyKnux turned right down the corridor and sighed deeply. From the left Summer peeped around the corner once more, heart thundering into her small chest. Perhaps she could leave it for another day?

"Ouch, will you let go of my arm?" Summer glared behind her.

Rosie's grip on her arm had become increasingly tighter and Summer suddenly wished she hadn't brought her sister along at all. It was like having a teacher tag along reminding the rebel about being sensible and listening to her elders like a good girl.

"Are you crazy? Knuckles will have a fit!" Goody two shoes hissed.

No, not crazy just impatient. She'd waited long enough to see the first glimpses of her father and it didn't matter what DaddyKnux or Rosie thought they didn't understand. It was like waiting for Christmas morning to open your presents. Except this Christmas morning never came and yet like the presents she knew that Sonic the Hedgehog was definitely there. Rosie was a coward that was why she could wait forever quite happily never crossing the line.

She crept closer to the door and forced her hand around the handle. There couldn't be any harm just introducing herself and saying hello, what exactly was he going to do? Summer pulled a tongue at Rosie and before any sense of reason could make her hesitate she dashed inside.

Sonic was lying on the bed engrossed in a comic book when he heard the door open. The comic book was a good one, about the killer zombie snow wolves overtaking the frozen wastelands of the Diamond Dust Zone. Each one had the power to sniff out potential prey and to work as a group to trap and pounce on it. So far a science team at the research centre had fallen to the monstrous horde and once bitten had transformed into gruesome half beings with a taste for death.

Summer looked at the title of the comic and thought it odd that a man in his thirties should be reading such things. She thought perhaps that he might have a beard but he was clean shaven and wore red shoes with white stripes. She spotted a single pack of playing cards lying on the bedside table and one DVD stacked against the television. There was a CD in the player and she noticed that the comic Sonic was holding was the only one in the room too - didn't he get bored reading, listening and watching the same things over and over?

There was a treadmill in the centre of the room which had seen better days. The tread was beginning to show severe signs of wear and the screws holding the fragile frame together were ready to fall apart. It was a shame that he couldn't visit the training facility and try out a hologram simulation to stretch his legs. Perhaps she could suggest it at the next visit.

Summer cleared her throat and took another look about the room. Sonic continued to read his comic and didn't even glance in her direction.

What should I say? She wondered suddenly aware of a prickle of nerves inside her stomach. What exactly could you say to a stranger that was your own flesh and blood? Summer thought back to the story books Cream the rabbit used to read sometimes when Mamma Rouge was away. Stories about reunions with tears and hugs of happiness, the happy ever after stories.

Another five minutes passed and she was still standing there watching her father reading the comic. After reading the comic, Sonic dumped the book onto the floor and then lay flat on his back for a nap. It was obvious this happy ever after story was not going according to plan. Summer was dumbfounded and then rolled her eyes in disgust when the hedgehog began to snore.

"Hey…Sonic, wake up!" Summer whispered trying not to startle him. "Hey, come on I want to talk to you about stuff," Summer couldn't hide the irritation in her voice. This was no time of day to take a nap!

She had hundreds of questions that needed answers. She wanted to know if she could outrun him and whether he was as great a hero as DaddyKnux made him out to be. It was a shock to see this lazy and rude creature lying on the bed, was this the real Sonic the hedgehog or another impostor?

"You may as well come in," Summer huffed snatching the door open. "The great hero is having a siesta!"

Rosie could see the disappointment in her sister's face and tried to be sympathetic.

"He's still very ill, you must remember that." She picked up the comic from the floor and the two girls exchanged amused glances. "I've never seen Knuckles reading anything like this."

"I've never seen DaddyKnux read anything full stop," Summer laughed and walked towards the door to keep a look out. Rosie sat on the edge of the bed and stroked her father's forehead. Sonic grumbled and turned over which stopped the snoring at least.

She could now see his whole face "He looks so much like SJ," she whispered.

"Don't be dim he's his father."

"Of course, but even so everything seems in reverse somehow. SJ is the only Sonic at Freedom Headquarters I've ever known and suddenly there's… the original. He came before SJ. The freedom fighters say he's always been here, even though to me he has never been, do you know what I mean? I know Mamma Rouge and Knuckles have tried their best to make him seem real but, telling stories, watching videos and looking at a photograph once a year doesn't help you develop a connection to a person. What do you think, Summer?"

"I think you think far too much," the yellow hedgehog scratched her head. "You've been hiding away since he arrived never once tried to see or talk to him. Don't you want to get to know him?"

Rosie crossed her arms and looked deep in thought. "I've tried to build up a picture in my mind of what Sonic the hedgehog would be like as a person. I'm not talking about his heroic adventures and eating two hundred chilli dogs though, I'm talking about what he finds funny or makes him sad. It's really hard to imagine all that.

Knuckles kept pushing all the time that Sonic saved the world over and over as if it was the most important thing about him. Didn't you ever notice that if Rouge tried to talk about his bad side Knuckles would cut the conversation short? It was like he was trying to protect us from something, as if we imagined Sonic as anything less than perfect something bad would happen."

Summer knew she was telling the truth many conversations around the dinner table had abruptly come to a halt when Mamma Rouge spoke ill of Sonic. DaddyKnux would argue with Rouge late into the night always with the door closed. The three hedgehogs used to press their chubby faces against the door with a glass but could only hear muffled snatches of sound.

"He's always protected us – always."

"How do you learn whether someone is your friend or an enemy?"

"By what they do mostly," Summer replied.

"The good and the bad things?"

"Of course, you can't judge a person when they're only nice to you. Rosie, where are you going with this? What are you scared of?"

Rosie pointed to the sleeping hedgehog. "I've never known or been told any bad things about this person. I do want to get to know him, but I'm terrified of what I might find out."

"You make him sound like a bomb waiting to explode he's just a hedgehog Rosie, like you and me." Her sister was half laughing patting her on the head.

"But all the terrible things that have happened to him…"

"You're forgetting as usual, bad things have happened to us too and we've come through alright. DaddyKnux had his knuckles sawn off and he hasn't gone crazy. Come on we should go before the nurses get back."

Rosie smiled she was beginning to realise why her sister was always so matter of fact. She kept things sharp and to the point even in times of great crisis because that was how she survived. Summer was a fast thinker, fast reactor never taking the time to think things through because if she did she'd be in the same emotional mess as Rosie was now.

As the pink hedgehog slipped down from the bed about to go, she cried out.

Summer turned to see Sonic the hedgehog with his hand wrapped tightly around Rosie's wrist. He had a very strange look in his piercing peridot eyes which she couldn't read. His face was scrunched up as though trying to establish a clear picture of what he was holding onto. He looked at Rosie's squirming wrist and then her tearful eyes.

"You're hurting me!" Rosie gasped pulling at her hand desperately but still the larger hedgehog did not let go. He was a lot stronger than she was and extremely determined to hold on.

"Amy, what's the matter? It's me, Sonic. I've come back home!"