Ok, first off sorry about the long wait for this chapter.
Life's kinda jumped in at the deep end and I've barely had any time to write.
But don't worry, I'm not gonna disappear. Just means that updates might be a little slower than usual.
Until things get a little more settled that is.
That said, lets get on with the latest in the FntS series!
"And then I yank out the last bit of wiring and the whole machine collapses into a smoking wreck in front of the casino! Eggman flies off spouting some usual nonsense about not being the last time we saw him and the whole crowd starts cheering for me!" Sakura grinned as Tails retold some of his earliest adventures, she was enjoying the amount of detail he went into and on a number of occasions he had her laughing at some of the absurd things that he and his friends got up to. "But the icing on the cake has to be when the casino manager comes out and says that the wrecked robot needs to be moved or it'll be towed!"
The pair of foxes laughed loudly and Sakura couldn't help but feel more relaxed with Tails then she did with most of her armed forces friends. If someone were to ask Sakura how long it took to trust and be comfortable with someone, she would simply answer a pretty long time. But here she was, with someone she barely knew, more relaxed than she had ever been.
"And that happened when you were only, what, eight years old!" Sakura couldn't keep the admiration from her voice. "When I was eight I was living with my folks 'cross the sea."
She twirled her finger through her lemonade creating a miniature whirlpool in the glass. "I wasn't even sure what I wanted to do then, just that I was good at repairing things and making stuff work."
"I've always had a passion for technology and inventing things." Tails commented. "I mean, I'm even known as the smart one of the team whenever we gang up against Eggman."
"You always come up with the plans eh?"
"Not always, but I make sure that whoever's plan we use is much safer than it would've been." He took a sip from his glass. "Makes me wonder if things would've been different had I gone with Sonic instead of making some excuse about working on a new invention."
"Hey. Nobodies blaming you for what happened so stop blaming yourself." Tails looked at her with a slightly forlorn expression on his face.
"It's not that easy."
"And it never will be, but you have to understand that what's past is past and all we've got left is to look towards the future." Their eyes met and they smiled at each other.
"The future." Tails mused. "Others my age aren't worried about the future."
"True, they're more worried about which celebrity is doing who or what the next best fashion to wear is." Tails chuckled and leaned back as the waitress returned with their meals. "Oh awesome!"
Almost as soon as the plates had been placed before them, Tails dove into the large bowl of chilli which had came with his order of build-your-own chilli-dogs. Sakura had gone for a more traditional meal of sirloin steak coated in black pepper sauce with a side of thick-cut chips. Their conversations turned to topics more mundane as the time passed them by, and before either of them knew it, they had finished their meal and were ordering coffee.
"Straight bog-standard black please." Sakura ordered before turning back to her date at the opposite end of the table. "You haven't actually said why you came to Mobotropolis, just sorta mentioned something about your brother."
"Well um… to start with I didn't even know about Robotnik's attack until I got here, and the reason I came in the first place was to get help for Sonic." Sakura rested her chin on her hands and waited for him to continue. "The plan was to get Rotor's help in designing a device to accelerate a mobians healing factor. It's an idea I've been working on for a few years now, utilising the healing properties of Chaos energy combined with experimental nanotechnology to rapidly regenerate damaged tissue. If it works it'll completely revolutionise the healthcare system and significantly reduce the casualties inflicted in warzones, natural disasters, in pretty much everything!"
"But that's if it works right? I mean what you're planning on using, Chaos energy, it doesn't sound like something you would want to dabble with."
"True, the nature of Chaos energy is, for the lack of a better term, chaotic and should therefore be handled with the utmost care. But saying that, I've seen how that power can be used for both good and evil purposes, but just think how better life would be if we could just harness that energy instead of letting it run loose!" Sakura looked up with a curious glint in her eyes.
"When you say 'letting it run loose', what do you mean?" Tails emptied his glass and swallowed before thinking up an answer.
"Well let me think." He rubbed at his chin in thought. "You know how some mobians have strange and powerful abilities like, super speed, super strength or the ability to launch bolts of energy from their hands. They're what we call Chaos touched or Chaos blessed, people like Sonic and Shadow."
"Yeah, I remember news reports focusing on a glowing yellow hedgehog that can fly whenever Robotnik's defeated, and something similar around the Black Arms invasion."
"That was Sonic and Shadow respectively." Tails said with a shrug. "They absorbed the power of the seven Chaos emeralds which made them strong, fast and resilient enough to defeat the bad guy and save the day."
"And that only happens when they've got all seven emeralds right?"
"Yeah, and every time the emeralds are used together like that, they scatter all across the world. But by either luck, or because they're somehow attracted to him, whenever Sonic needed the emeralds they were never too far away, and a couple of times they wouldn't disappear until the threat of Robotnik or Black Doom had been dealt with! I've even got a theory that the Chaos emeralds themselves are sentient."
"A theory shared by Nicole and myself." Both foxes turned in their seats as Charles the Hedgehog entered with their coffee's on a tray.
"Hey Chuck, thanks for the meal, especially on such short notice." The twin-tailed fox said with a smile as the aging hedgehog placed both steaming mugs of coffee on the table.
"Not at all my lad, it was my pleasure."
"My complements to the chef, that steak was cooked perfectly!" Charles chuckled causing Sakura to raise her eyebrows in a questioning manner.
"Well I'm glad you like my cooking." Sakura's eyes widened and Tails' jaw dropped open.
"You cooked for us?"
"Uncle Chuck, you didn't need to do that!" The two foxes said almost in unison. Charles laughed at their shocked expressions.
"Nonsense. I get a call from my dear nephew asking for a table, how could I allow anyone but myself cook for him and his guests? Who I might add is almost too good for my boy Tails here. Almost." Charles winked at Sakura and Tails promptly turned a deep shade of red and stared at his coffee.
"Uncle Chuck…" Sakura snorted into her coffee.
"Speaking of nephews, I haven't heard from Sonic for a while. Is he out on one of his world travels by any chance?" Suddenly the small room became extremely quiet as Tails looked first at Sakura and then back at the man he saw as a father figure. Charles smile faltered slightly as he tucked the tray under his arm.
"Sonic's uhh…" A scrape of a chair and Sakura had stood up.
"I need to… I'll be back in a bit." She walked over to the door casting a smile at Charles and a supporting glance over to Tails before stepping out into the bustle of the restaurant just beyond the door. Now alone, Tails indicated his uncle to sit down in the now unoccupied chair. Charles did so slowly, but not without a feeling of dread washing over him.
"What is it Tails?" The twin-tailed fox gulped, his mouth suddenly bone dry.
"It's Sonic, Uncle Chuck. He was hurt on a GUN mission. Hurt badly." With Charles remaining silent, Tails saw no reason not to continue. "When I saw him lying there in that hospital bed I just knew I had to do whatever I could to save my brother, so I brought some of my plans forward."
"I was hoping that with access to Rotor's notes on the advancing nanotechnology and my own knowledge in the manipulation of Chaos energy, we could devise some sort of rapid healing technology to get him back on his feet. It's a long shot I know, and medicines never been my strong point but I've got to do something!"
"So tell me, Miles." Charles' voice was low and tinged with sadness and at the sound of his name, Tails' ears flattened against his head and he could no longer look the old man in the eye. "Why are you here and not creating this wonder cure of yours?"
Although the aging hedgehog's tone was soft, Tails dearly wished that Charles would shout at him instead. At least he could deal with the hedgehog's anger, but not his disappointment.
"I-I was, that was my first thought when preparing to come here, but when I found out about Robotnik's attack and King Acorn missing, others things overtook me! I didn't even have time to talk to Rotor before he was rushed off to Timmy Turtle Hospital, but I promise that I'll do everything I can to help Sonic." Tails was on the verge of tears as he poured out his lament. "There are people working on restoring Nicole, who's been offline since Robotnik's attack, and no-one can find her portable backup! I swear Chuck; I'm doing everything I can right now. Please don't be angry."
The young fox sniffed deeply, attempting to blink away the tears that were forming at the corners of his eyes. Sir Charles had yet to move, but as he watched the boy who was like a son to him let his emotions flood out his heart began to ache and a lump grew within his throat. He stood up slowly, Tails unable to see him as he buried his head in his hands, and walked around the table to the fox's side.
"I could never be angry with you my boy." He said comfortingly as he knelt down and wrapped his arms around the young Tails in a fatherly hug. "And I'm sorry; it wasn't fair for me to blame you."
"I know all about what you did to save King Elias and the Freedom Fighters, I understand how hard it must be and I'm sorry." Tears no longer eked from Tails' eyes as all his sorrow fled from the hedgehog's warm embrace. "You boys are the closest I've ever got to having children of my own, you're everything to me."
Sakura watched unseen and teary eyed from the door. She knew that she had to tell Tails about her imminent transfer, but after witnessing what had happened between the two males she couldn't bring herself to interrupt their time together. Smiling she withdrew and walked back to the small bar set up near the stage.
-0-
Julie-Su and the Chaotix walked slowly after the blacked cloaked echidna who led them deep into the stone pyramid of the Brotherhood of Guardians. Their footsteps echoed loudly off the walls, but none of them, not even Espio's highly attuned hearing could pick out the echidna's footsteps as he walked ahead.
"Can I ask you something?" Julie-Su asked the strange echidna carefully. He glanced at her, his blood-red eyes suddenly standing out against the shadows surrounding them.
"To ask questions is to expect answers, to hear an answer is to gain knowledge. I have no reason to trust you, therefore I will not divulge of my knowledge. You may ask your questions, just don't expect an answer." The sharpness of his response caused Julie-Su to pause in her steps, almost making Vector walk right into her.
"Did it just get colder in here?" Mighty muttered. Although none answered his question, they all understood exactly what he meant.
They continued in silence apart from the occasional terrified whimper from Charmy. Espio continued to scan the shadows around them, an odd feeling niggling in his head. Although they had been confronted by almost a dozen echidnas outside, he had yet to see a single one apart from their shadowy, unsociable guide.
They turned a corner and a shaft of light blared towards them causing eyes to squint and arms to rise as shields, and yet the black cloaked echidna was unfazed and simply walked through the opening and into the light beyond. The Chaotix cautiously glanced at each other, unsure of what they might be facing. Julie-Su looked them over once before plunging fearlessly after their guide.
"Come on." Growled Vector as he pushed his way to the front of the group.
As their eyes grew accustomed to the new level of light, the Chaotix breathed a collective breath of wonder and amazement. Torches flickered all around them as the stepped out into a wide courtyard overlooked by the glinting night sky. A strikingly tall monument jutted into the sky, and upon the summit, standing proudly was the shrine to the Master Emerald, its grand gem shinning brighter than any flaming brand.
"Wait. Why's the Master Emerald here?" Said Charmy, voicing the obvious question.
"A truly perplexing question my young apidae." Charmy yelped and dove for cover behind Vector's large form. The four of them turned to see an elderly echidna walking towards them using a wooden cane as support on his left hand side. His fur a an extremely earthy red, almost brown in colour, his dreadlock quills were looped with various coloured beads and he wore a simple white and brown robe and a pair of simple sandals. His blue eyes shone with knowledge and wisdom, his smile friendly and sincere.
"Who are you?" Vector demanded, although he was unable to keep the quiver from his voice. Espio could understand why Vector would be nervous, not even he had noticed the old man approaching, and none of them knew if there were warriors hiding, prepared to spring down upon them at a moments notice.
"Of course how rude of me, introductions." The old echidna laid a clenched fist over his heart and bowed. "I am Guardian Athair, and I welcome you."
"I have already met with your charming friend Miss Julie-Su, she is currently speaking with Guardians Thunderhawk and Spectre about the reasons behind your arrival." Vector shook his head and drew himself to his full height.
"The names Vector, and these are my teammates; Espio and Charmy." Charmy waved nervously while Espio simply nodded. "And this is Mighty, an old friend."
"Yeah, pleasure to meet you and all that, but what's going on with the Master Emerald?" Athair smiled at Mighty's blazingly irate tone, causing the ever short-tempered armadillo to grit his teeth in annoyance.
"This place was originally the capital of the Pachacamac tribe, protectors of the powers of Chaos and the heart of the third great civilisation. That was until the Nocturnus started their war. Chief Pachacamac and Magister Militum Dimitri had been at loggerheads for some time, so it came to little surprise when the Nocturnus turned on their kin in a war that almost destroyed us all."
As he spoke, Athair was leading them slowly across the stone tiled wide courtyard towards a small solid stone hut near the base of the monument. The Chaotix look around at the high rising walls pitted with holes through which some echidna's watched. Others stood upon platforms that jutted out. They were obviously a tribe trained for combat as several brandished spears and shields, even the women held weapons and by the way their eyes followed the strangers, there was no mistaking that the bows in their hands weren't there for show.
"Although the Pachacamac are the best warriors within the Albion Empire, Dimitri's Nocturnus had both numbers, and technology. It wasn't long before they had constructed a techno-fortress within striking distance of this sacred shrine. It was then that Chief Pachacamac attempted to use the forbidden power of the Master Emerald against Dimitri. Unfortunately, instead of saving his tribe, he destroyed it." They stopped just outside the hut and Athair turned to face them. "The wrath of the God of Chaos himself fell upon the land of Albion, slaughtering countless and annihilating much of the Pachacamac tribe before he was sealed back within the Master Emerald along with the young Priestess Tikal. That day saw this last bastion of echidna's torn from Mobius and into what the Nocturne called the Twilight Cage."
"We were saved, but at the same time we were lost. The last surviving Pachacamac echidna's remained here and became the first Guardians, for although the Master Emerald had vanished, it was by its power that we still lived, and we would protect that ideal and this sacred sight of ancient power for the rest of our lives."
"So, you guys have been living here where the Master Emerald used to be, training in case it ever reappeared, and with you guys' coming back, the Master Emerald has returned to its original resting place." Deduced Vector, a hand resting on his chin. "But if you were so weak, why didn't that Dimitri fella just wipe you out?"
"There are only theories, but my dear friend Nestor believes that due to the other volatile races within the Twilight Cage, and the disappearance of Dimitri left them too disorganised to worry about the remnants of a fallen tribe." A ghost of a smile flickered across the aging echidna's features and he lifted the hanging fabric that covered the stone archway into the small hut. "But we've always proven to be a right royal pain in the arse."
They entered, surprised to find nothing but bare walls as a greeting. Athair calmly walked to the wall opposite and tapped his cane against four different points.
"What's he doing Vec?" Charmy whispered into the crocodile's ear.
"I dunno." Suddenly the wall rumbled and parted revealing a flight of stairs descending down into the earth the way lit by flaming torches. "He was doin' that."
"There is clearly much to this Brotherhood that is hidden from the others, I suppose we should feel honoured that we are being trusted with the knowledge of these secrets." Athair glanced at Espio with a curious glint in his eye.
"True, there are secrets we keep and it is rare that outsiders are granted access here, however, if Brother Spectre believes that you should meet with Brother Hawking, then there are not many who would argue. Now quickly, you don't want your companion to face the Brotherhood on her own do you?"
As they reached the bottom of the stairwell the thin tunnel opened out into a wide dimly lit room dominated by a circular stone table. Standing closest to them with her back turned was Julie-Su; she was leaning on the table glaring at the three echidnas opposite. One was the black furred echidna, his crimson eyes glaring back at her, the corners of his mouth continually downturned.
Another, his fur a deep shade of purple, his dreadlock quills stylised with three long bang like quills jutting out from his forehead. He had a kindly face which sported a small, well kept white beard. He wore a simple blue half-robe with white trimmings and a pair of brown boots and a brown belt, from which hung several objects which none of the Chaotix could identify. He appeared rather disinterested with what was happening and was the only one to notice Athair and the Chaotix enter.
These two stood like guards of honour either side of an ancient looking brown furred echidna with a long white beard and bands of dark brown leather bound around his quills. He was leaning heavily on a thick wooden cane, and Mighty was surprised that he could stand at all.
"Brothers, we have guests." Stated the purple one and all eyes turned to see those who had entered. Julie-Su looked relieved that they had finally caught up, the black furred echidna simply glared at them and the older one, who Vector assumed was the leader, looked them up and down over the rims of his misshapen glasses.
"These are the ones I told you about." The black cloaked one growled.
"They don't look a threat to me, Spectre." Replied the purple one.
"Looks can be deceiving Thunderhawk!" Spectre snapped back.
"Enough." Interrupted the ancient echidna with clear authority. "I am Hawking, leader of the Brotherhood of Guardians. And you must be the Chaotix, who Miss Julie-Su has been speaking of."
Athair left them to stand beside his fellow Guardians and the Chaotix joined Julie-Su on her side of the table.
"Glad you guys could join me." She hissed.
"We were, sidetracked." Mighty whispered back.
"Julie-Su entered with a request for aid. We do not give our trust so easily, so perhaps you can tell us, why should it be given?" Hawking asked.
The Chaotix looked at each other. They all knew that Knuckles' life hung in the balance, and it was up to them to convince the Brotherhood to help save their friend from an unknown fate.
Whelp, there we go. Shorter than I'd hoped, but it's there.
Next chapter will be focussing on Shade and her Scouts and maybe, just maybe we'll see ol' true blue back in the action.
Till next time folks.
-Corrupt TE-