CHAPTER 30
"When will you learn that your actions have consequences?"
Wraith arose after a very uncomfortable slumber. He trudged to the bathroom to brush his teeth and comb his mane. He grunted at the thought of waking and it stung his soul like branching cartilage. He wished to slam his face against the wall because he was already so done with the day.
"So, turn away," said Wraith saucily to his bed as he threw the sheet up in a lame attempt to make it. "Or face this day with me…" He stuffed his meaty calloused hands into his jacket pockets on either side and plodded to the cafeteria. On his way, he passed a lot of Empire folks and residents. They all seemed to suggest to themselves to stay out of his way. This was wise, since Wraith had muscular definition at his disposal. The sleepy scowl on his face accentuated his rash attitude; he might accidentally punch someone with a hard knuckle. Nobody wanted that, not even Wraith. He felt bad for the unwise personnel who invaded his personal space unknowingly. He really hoped to high heavens that they did not disrupt his morning ki.
When Wraith finally made it to the cafeteria, he let out a mighty yawn (not like the rude, traitorous armadillo). He saw Kit and Ken sitting at a table together munching on some salad. He shrugged to himself about coolness and then made his way to join his partners in time for a quick breakfast. He sidled up to them dramatically and gave them both a hearty wink. He then plopped down with a slightly rude drop from his upright position, shaking the bench seat below him and causing severe jolts in Kit's equilibrium. But it was not that bad, so Kit just smiled after the micro-migraine dispelled in a matter of mere moments.
"What's up, Wraith?" asked Ken, boldly, risking a tenacious outburst from Wraith's holy wisdom. The infusion of punishment from his power-packed punches was a worthy addition to a skull fraction. This was okay to Wraith though. He knew Ken was kind of an airhead.
"What's it look like, pixel brain?" replied Wraith with semi-charmed kind of life. "Heh…"
Kit smiled at Wraith's apparent good mood. It was healthy and pleasing like a washed-up conch shell. It reminded him of the keen satisfaction he derived from his zen training.
"Hehe…" Wraith snickered with a silent essence of gratitude towards himself. He popped open the cap on Ken's Dasani water bottle and doused his tired salivary glands until they responded by releasing a cleansing dose of their secretions. Wraith smacked his lips together and set down the water bottle. "Well, my mouth is kissing fresh! Now the ladies are gonna die to get their hands on my single self. I'm such an agreeable stag."
"No doubt, boy," said Ken with a wink.
"Gosh, Ken," said Wraith with a sneerish leer. "You sure do wink a lot. Could you stop that?"
"Sorry, guy…" Ken was truly remorseful for his tedium. This kind of reaction was expected and was greatly holy to Wraith. The morale was at its highest at the present. This was going to be a good day from here on.
"Yo, Kit, what is going on today at Empire?" asked Wraith with Solomonic tenses. He gripped the side of the table as he steadied himself into a more relaxed position. He balanced on his rear such that one cheek was on the bench, but his attitude was holding up the other. He felt like a real G from the E.
"Why?" asked Kit, kind of surprised that Wraith was getting anxious already. Had the young lad already gotten an itching for more battles with the Treasure Hunters?
"What do ya mean?" said Wraith with his eyebrow cocked in response to the stupid remark. "I axed you a ketchun…"
Kit blinked twice at Wraith's hip young lingo. He was kind of caught off guard, but then remembered that Wraith often talked like that because he was one of the coolest kids around. It was kind of hard for Kit to remember these defining properties because Kit was an old person who hung out with other old people and watched elder shows and only knew characters like Batman and Robin and not Vegeta. Kit was kind of a doofus in the department of retro and new. He did not have the mind of a true millennial like Wraith.
Ken understood the remark though. He laughed and held his hand out. He grasped the water bottle and took a sip, not minding the sharing of germs from Wraith's protected lips. Ken had no worries because he was a true pressure towards the irrevocable scads of turmoil represented by trust and dignity. The actions would be discarded in place of grace.
"Well, Kit?" said Wraith, still expectant.
Kit shook his head in order to ease his tense old nerves. "Hey, hey, man…" he said slowly and remorsefully.
"That's what I thought…" said Wraith and he grabbed a bagel from the table behind him and munched heartily on it, gnashing the sesame seeds like a ravenous wolf left on the snowy range cold and alone without a sweater in sweater weather. "Hey?"
"Hey?" said Kit.
"Yeah, hey…" Wraith rolled his eyed and took another bite of the bagel. He rolled his eyes again because Kit was being an idiot. "Well, Kit. Don't you have any clue what it is that I'm implying here?"
"What?"
Wraith facepalmed in anguish. "Gosh, you're a dumb brain…"
"Maybe Kit is just mishearing you, Wraith," said Ken as he took several more sips after the trailing "th" diphthong.
"Very well…" Wraith rolled his eyes a third time and returned his attention to his old sparring partner. He sensed the nervousness in the air because the two weaklings were in the presence of Empire's saviour.
"Wraith?" Kit nodded intently as he gazed fruitfully into his friend's slimy green orbs.
"Well, here's the stinkin' butt thing, homies," Wraith started. He took the final bite of his bagel and dusted his hands off by slapping them against one another like Donkey Kong's down-special. "I'm awaiting our next deadly challenge. Or should I say, I'm awaiting my next challenge…"
"And?" said Ken. He kind of was getting nervous too, but less than Kit because he was such an easygoing numbskull.
"Well, guess!" Wraith put his feet flat on the floor and sat up straight. He did not have time for any more of these hooky games where his questions kept going avoided. He needed the reactions of his friends to be pleasing to the eyes and ears, and he needed said results now.
Ken frowned and turned to his salad. He rolled the leftovers into the tortilla that lay on his plate. He then took it to the microwave a short way off from the table and toasted it to perfection. He continued to frown all throughout the microwaving. He thought deep thoughts about integrity and pleasing Wraith with his countenance.
"Think more inward, than outward, Ken," said Wraith, as if he just read the muscular echidna's mind. Maybe it was because Ken was like the first open book on the librarian's front desk or maybe it was because Wraith was just too good at being number one.
Ken looked down with an unaccomplished heart adourning his facial scaffolding. He wanted to weep bitterly, but did not due to his macho display of substantially breaking armour. He had the tact and the knowhow. Ken was a pretty calm and collected guy, but a foolish one when it came to industry.
"Dartmouth…" Wraith grimaced. He turned to Kit hoping for a better response, one that could be discerned as worthy and wholesome, maybe righteous and wise.
Kit cleared his throat and turned his weak old bloodshot eyes to his salad and thought deeply. He felt like a dumb doofus for not thinking hard enough. "All right, Wraith," said Kit with an exhalation of his soul's proportions. "I can see what you are saying. What you are getting at here is a very taxing issue. I'm gleaning a representation of your anxiety as a catalyst of your desires."
"Hmm, yes," said Wraith, soaking in every word like a good boy. "Yes, yes, yes…"
"Yeah, man…" said Kit as he stared back at Wraith's chiseled abdominals. He wished the best for his next sentence. "You're looking for a new challenge right about now?"
"The funk soul brother…" said Wraith icily and he resumed his haughty recline. He stretched his arms out and cradled the back of his head with them. He was totally relaxed and very gracious for hit terrapin friend's understanding. "Did you hear that, Ken?"
"Yes," said Ken as he removed the tortilla from the microwave right before the buzzer sounded. He lay the first few bites into his reserves and thought throughout each tasteful crunch. The lettuce and spinach components located their mysterious flavour as they grazed his tongue and cheeks. His molars dissolved the combo in combination with his saliva. Ken's mouth was like a Killer Instinct Combo Breaker.
"So, you catch my righteous drift, guys?" said Wraith finally again after several moments of allowing the strange truth sink in like a fishing bobber.
"Yes," Kit and Ken said simultaneously like a robotic ensemble.
"Good, don't be stupid," said Wraith as he closed his eyes and thought about life in the upcoming hours. "So very good…"
"So, Wraith, now what do you expect?" said Kit. "I feel like that question will better suit your needs."
"Yeah, probs…" Wraith adjusted his neck, still sore from his prior tussles. "I'm in the mood to taste more fist-on-fist. I gotta get stronger so I can destroy all of the evil within the Treasure Hunter's dark hearts. I feel like it's my destiny now more than ever. Drift caught, homies?"
"Aye," said Ken as he smiled. It had been a while since his last grin and he was worried that the drought was starting to cause a group commotion within everyone's spirits. He hoped he did not arouse a clatter.
"Good, you should respect my righteous dignity," said Wraith with more ice coating the mucoid ducts lining his esophagus.
"Heh," said Ken as he smiled some more. He chomped down on more of the salad taco. It felt like green nuclear waste stinging down his throat because it was so sore from the prior day's activities. He wanted rest, but it was kind of hard to make time for such things when there was evil afoot. This was a tragedy that was so lame and so unnecessary; it made Ken feel disgusted with himself. He needed to quell his unholy actions with a swift kick to his lower jaw. Maybe then he would be a more affection soldier towards the goods of humanity's brighter future. The output was more important than his silly issues. What a glamourous issue to behold, but a stupid one that bred no single justice. This is where life begins and a polo tournament ends.
"What then?" asked Kit.
"What? What? I say," said Wraith with an attentive ear.
"Well, there is the solution to your problem, man…" Kit droned off with a keen sense of self thought. He was very curious with his ideal ideology ideas. "Well, you know…"
"Yes," said Wraith. "I know." With that, the young hedgehog stood up with his gaudy swaying fabric of eternal ado and exited the cafeteria. His hands were still cemented in his jacket pockets to accentuate his hilariously cool lifestyle. He was one with the best charisma to ever grace any species. He was such a lucky duck to have been blessed with such a high honour. The victory of a razed delicacy was in the midst of golden luxury. Wraith had so much adhering to his personality and uplift. He was like a shark out of water that could adapt to the highest pressures of society with no need for worry or strife.
Kit looked down at his salad. "Well, Ken, we have a need to do more good, eh?"
Ken winked and finished off his tortilla. He grabbed another water bottle and cranked the cap off with ease. The small eco-friendly cap was no match for the wrenching abilities of his tight biceps. He was able to get it off in no time at all and with more time to stall. He took a sip and then wiped the dew residue from his monotreme mustache. He took one more sip, giving greater care to not risk the soaking of his undernose mane.
"Ken, did you hear me?" said Kit in a restless tone.
Ken nodded. "Yeah, why?"
"Thank goodness, I thought you didn't and I'd have to repeat myself."
"Why thank goodness?"
"'Cause I don't even remember what I just said. Your intake of the bottle's contents wigged me out. You are like a dolphin, skipping down the pool lanes, man."
"Heh, thanks broseph!"
"No need to thank me. Thank Wraith. That kid is all right, huh?"
"You can say that again."
Kit laughed. "No need to thank me. Thank Wraith. That kid is all right, huh?"
Ken laughed so hard at the tortoise's literal joke and spurted water from his nostrils. It mingled with the electricity sensors in his nasal passages. He kind of felt like a burnt computer in his olfactory system. But this would not ruin his day because Kit's joke was just too hysterical. "Hey, you should be a comedian, Kit!"
"Nah, man…" Kit looked down with a satisfied expression. He put one more leaf into his mouth and chewed accurately. "Hey, do you think the same thing?"
"Are you asking if I agree with the way Wraith requires more and more excitement?"
"Yeah, man…"
"Yes, I agree with Wraith because he's such a kind kid with good ideas. He really saved our skins back at the Treasure Hunter's HQ. I thought we were goners for sure several times during our run. On top of that, we got Bean back. I really missed that big guy."
"He wasn't always big before. The Treasure Hunters will pay for what they did to him, Ken."
"I agree." Ken was really agreeable and easily provoked by funny behaviour. It was like having an uncle that knows how to cook ridiculous shapes into pancakes right before the circus trip.
"Yo, Ken," said Kit with the coolest ease dripping off his ending syllables. "You feeling okay about the whole Bean sitch?"
"Yeah, I'm okey," Ken replied cutely.
"Good, because I care about your welfare, man."
"I know, bro."
After their conversing in the cafeteria, Kit and Ken proceeded to the hallways and walked through with determined looks gloving their face vestibules. They saw Enoch posing sassily on the side wall. He had his robotic arms clanked across one another and a somewhat surprised smirk on his serpentine face.
"Gentleman," welcomed the fellow ally that Wraith surely hated for good reasons.
"Heh, I ain't no gentle man, bro!" joked Ken as he gave a neat fist bump to his partner. This was so shocking in the wrist department for Ken. This is because Enoch had mechanical hands that often delivered much stronger waves of forceful impact than expected. Sometimes Enoch had to be careful not to hurt people with his own self.
"What's the lowdown for today, fellas?" asked Enoch with some hissing on his "fellas" line.
"Breaking news: Wraith is anxious to get battling again," said Ken.
"He totally, like, wants to whoop some more major tush around the Treasure Hunter HQ," said Kit with a nose flex. His face was still feeling sore from his sore smiles of the prior day. Mighty was still on his mind now more than ever. "This is concerning…"
"So, Wraith is an esteemed warrior. He's much better at his fighting prowess than any one else in Empire," said Enoch. "I deduce that it is only natural that the lad would dare care to drop into more trouble with the beasts of TH."
Ken laughed nervously. "If he keeps up this fighting spirit, we'll be wasting away before he's even started battling them again. This boy does not consider our aging matters."
"Age matters a lot, man," said Kit. "However, we can't let it always keep us down. That's just a route towards stupid excuses. Knuckles wouldn't accept that kind of lethargy in his Empire. What kind of people would we be if we tainted the rigid integrity of our homeland?"
"Here, here," Enoch concurred with a nod. "I just hope Wraith knows what he's doing so we can keep up. If he does not consider our escaping energy, then we'll never see another restful day."
Ken was kind of mad at Enoch for saying such rude things about Wraith. If Wraith had heard these heinous accusations, he would have killed Enoch's life out, clone him, and then brutally murder all of the stupid snake duplicates. Ken wanted to say something, but did not go about doing so because he was still tired. He just decided to take a quick sip of his water bottle, then he gasped when he realised it was already empty and offered no sustenance. He wanted to groan, but did not in order to retain his cool composition. It was an imminent disaster forthright.
"So what do we do?" asked Enoch. "There is no peril so far. Unless Wraith finds some, we are permitted a restful period free from the shackles of terror."
"But if Wraith does find a problem, then we're off to break our backs for justice once again," said Kit. "It's our sworn duty to Empire and the least we can do to uphold Knuckles's sacred legacy."
"Exactly," Enoch bellowed deeply and then checked the timepiece on his robotic wrist. "It's late. He's probably gonna train for the rest of the day."
"Heh," chuckled Ken, unlike Knuckles. He was so bad at being a right and proper echidna. He predecessor would have been strongly concerned and furthermore disappointed, like an owl with a scowl. He never noticed his transgressions though; that was one of his largest glaring weaknesses as a just warrior. How could he be so uncouth with his lifestyle? The troglodyte was dwelling too much on the less fortunate side of things. Empire deserved more respect from its authority-woven figures. Chaos and tumultuous retributions would burst at the seams without correction.
Kit thought about Wraith getting grander muscles with the combination of restless, determined training of the body and the mind. It was like a mystic lake. He thought so many times to increase his own muscle mass, but was nowhere near ever being able to compete with the lunacy that was the young green one's tenacious dedication. Kit wanted to cry about this, but did not; at least not at the moment.
"So what should we do today then?" asked Enoch. "We can't just sit around and twiddle our thumbs like a bunch of hooligans. We're warriors and we should strive to end these unrighteous misdeeds of our past employers."
Kit and Ken frowned at each other. The days had long since passed since the three of them had been a part of the Treasure Hunters. Where did it all go wrong with that organisation? It must have been the sudden shift of global domination that dwelt in a communal hivemind. The leader of the Treasure Hunters must have swallowed a vial of mass destruction humours. It was a delicate fortune in which to embrace. Any villainous quality could sneak its sickening way into the mind of the righteous. The end result would be one of instant regret and a sad day following. The present tenses would corrupt the delusions. All in all, the entire company is destroyed from the inside out, with all upright notions and ideologies being tarnished along with the entirety's reputation. The credit goes to the negativity that so plagued the emergence of power-hungry woes.
"It's been a while, huh?" said Kit lugubriously.
"Aye," said Enoch. He kind of tried the familiar wink, but failed because he was just so bad at life and a hindrance to mankind just as Wraith prophesied.
Ken let out a light giggle to compliment Enoch's failure. He was best friends with the snaky fellow, but he was starting to really strongly despise him ever since Wraith came aboard his life. He hated Enoch because he wanted to please Wraith, his hero in his heart. He thought about mean things he could do to Enoch in order to further prove himself to his idol. Kit often thought about these kinds of posits as well.
Enoch just frowned because he could not wink properly like anybody else at Empire. He just shrugged it off because he really did not care. It was probably never going to affect his future ever, but he should have been more careful. His incredibly lackadaisical outlook on common activities was another sickening quality he needed to iron out in regards to his personality. It was a good thing Wraith was not there to witness the catastrophic event of Enoch's failed wink. Wraith would have probably have blown a solid gasket or two. This would be harmful to Wraith since he already had aching muscles from the matches with the Treasure Hunter scum. Further damage to his physical and mental state could prove to be a terrible loss to Empire. Their defences would be all but nullified at that point. Enoch was such a burden and it really showed through every careless action he took throughout his miserable dumb life.
Ken made a big smile spread across his face, like the butter from knife unto the Sunday bagel's surface. He snickered a bit to himself.
Kit raised an eyebrow and studied Ken's abrupt laughter. It kind of irked him since Ken usually was more direct with his emotions. "What are you laughing at, man?" the old tortoise droned enthusiastically.
Ken stopped snickering and turned to both Kit and Enoch with wide arms spread like an opened umbrella, designed to deflect the rain drops of sadness and nightmares. "I have a stellar idea, guys! You are probably never gonna believe it!"
Kit and Enoch now had the piqued interest of a thousand IRS headquarters that Gex found to be evil than most things.
"Here's the scoop, my bros," Ken said with a sneering smile. He was so excited to share his idea with the whole world, heroes and villains alike; it mattered not at this point. "A party!"
"A party?" Kit said.
"A party!" Ken repeated with a toothy grin.
"A party?" Enoch said with a rather rude eye roll. It was promoting more of his heroic ambiguity. Only Wraith and a select few others could perform an action like eye-rolling and make it look perfect. It was like putting on your best badboy face. Cool kids were usually deemed "cool" in the first place through a judging process concerning their expertise at sarcasm and visible attitude aura.
"Yes, a party, Enoch!" Ken said with much more excitement, hoping Wraith heard the inside of his soul. He gasped; he hoped Wraith did not hear to much. "A party for Wraith. A surprise party for him. That is what we should do today."
Kit flexed a bit as he looked at himself in the reflective walls addressing the corridor. "Hmm…" he guzzled with his thoughts trailing audibly. He thought for a very long time about Ken's proposition. "A party?" the trusty terrapin said once more.
"Indeed!" Ken replied with more tinges of solidified glee glazing his tone like a scrumptious croissant. "We should all have a party for Wraith and express our deepest gratitude for his abilities!"
"So, like birthday party?" said Enoch with a stupid suggestion. What an idiot he was to be speaking so impromptu.
Ken rolled his eyes in the cool kid way at his former friend. "We aren't celebrating his birthday, silly. We're just gonna celebrate his journey to becoming the greatest hero in all of Empire."
Kit smiled at this topic. He itched his back shell because it Ken's words were sending fun tingles down his spine. Kit had not felt this excited in a long time. He might had actually jumped for joy had it not been for the terrible aches encapsulating his body in a casket of constant soreness. "Great and amazing idea, Ken. Empire can learn a lot from you. Wraith would be very proud to hear your suggestion."
"Yes, but it is a secret suggestion. Very, very secret!" Ken said with a finger to his lips. "I wanna make sure that our boy Wraith never finds out about this awesome party we're all about to throw. Let's go about starting up the prep work. The sooner we get rockin', the sooner Wraith can see just how much we all appreciate him!"