Chapter 5
Fiona awoke to the welcoming sounds of birds chirping in her window sill as the sun's gentle rays filtered through the window. She threw off the covers, yawned, stretched her arms, and then threw her legs over the side of the bed before hopping down.
"YEOWWWWWW!"
Fiona jumped back into bed. She had completely forgotten that Judah had been sleeping on the floor, and apparently his tail had been right where her foot had landed. The white lion jumped three feet in the air before landing on his backside, clutching his tail between both hands and blowing on it to lessen the pain.
"Sorry." Fiona squeaked with genuine remorse. "I didn't see you there."
"No worries, Fiona." Judah grunted. He released his tail, which was now partially crooked, and then he rose to his feet. "How about you? You slept well?"
Fiona grinned, and she nodded.
"Best night's sleep I've had since...well, I can't really remember when. You?"
"Slept like a rock." Judah yawned while stretching. "But boy did we get up early. I don't even think even Mask is away yet."
"Really?" Fiona asked.
The usual sounds of the old man thrumming around the house were indeed missing. There was no crackle from the wood burning, cast iron stone. No bacon sizzling in a skillet with a pair of eggs to go with it. There wasn't even the usual storm of curses from being burned by popping grease. Growing curious, Fiona grabbed her crutches and made her way out into the main part of the house. All was quiet, and there was no sign of the old man or his sniper rifle. Judah quickly followed, and he sniffed at the air.
"That's funny. I'm only picking up the fainter traces of Mask's scent."
"So he's not here?" Fiona asked, looking genuinely surprised. "That doesn't even make sense. Where could he have gone?"
Judah sniffed the air again, and then he dropped on all fours and began to sniff the ground. His eyes lit up.
"Wait a minute! I think I got something."
He started to crawl across the floor, and Fiona, not sure what else to do, hobbled closely after him. Their search brought them to a door underneath the stairs that was partially cracked open. Fiona and Judah exchanged glances, and then they opened the door to see a long stairway leading down into a deep, dark abyss. Fiona suddenly felt her mouth go dry, and she started to back away.
"You know, the old man has his own business. Let's just go back to my room and..."
She trailed off when she realized that she was now alone. The last traces of Judah she could see was a tiny blur of white hair vanishing into the inky darkness. Fiona could only sigh.
"Ok, then. I guess we're doing this."
With that, she carefully started her way down the stairs after her more enthusiastic comrade. The stairs were steep, and she was putting much more weight on her ankle than she was probably supposed to be, but she had already started down and she was willing to see it through. Eventually, the stairs gave way to a tunnel with walls lined with lights. Waiting for her and leaning against a wall was Judah. He appeared to be smirking.
"Hey there. Took you long enough."
Fiona sneered at him, but she decided not to honor the statement with a reply. She instead marveled at the shape of the cave, and she took note that it seemed to go off a long way.
"Do you think the old man dug this out?"
Judah looked about, sniffed the air, and then shook his head.
"I'm getting a whole rainbow of scents from this tunnel. If my guess is correct, it's been around perhaps longer than the house has."
"Then why did the old man come down here?" Fiona asked.
Judah cracked a cheeky grin, and he motioned for her to follow him.
"Won't know unless we check it out for ourselves. Come on."
Before she could object, Judah had snatched her by the hand and started to drag her along. For the next few hours, Fiona's dragging feet left trenches in the dirt as they made their way along the long tunnel. Eventually, the tunnel opened up to a ledge with wooden railing. As they made their way to the rail, the duo was met with a breathtaking sight.
They had come out into a massive circular cavern that steeped downwards. All around lined on a spiral path leading down with small hovels literally burrowed into the cavern walls. Looking further down, Fiona received another shock upon seeing several mobians flittering around in a makeshift marketplace. Judah, on the other hand, was looking up. Attached to the ceiling appeared to be some sort of control station, and attacked to it's base was a massive, glowing crystal. Along with cavern filling illumination, the crystal also seemed to produce a mild amount of heat, making it feel like they were standing outside as opposed to being miles underground.
As the two of them gawked and admired the strange sights of this subterranean world, neither noticed that the wooden railing they were leaning against had been rotten through and in need of repair. Fiona leaned just a bit further trying to get a better look of the market below, when, suddenly, the railing gave way and she slipped over the edge. Judah made a grab for her, but soon he too was falling. Fiona scrambled to latch onto something, anything, but she was just falling into space. There was nothing she could do. In her mind, she couldn't help but think of the irony. She had faced Eggman, evil versions of the freedom fighters, the Iron Dominion, and the zone patrol, but the thing that did her in was a piece of easily broken wood and a hole? She could only squeeze her eyes shut and hope that it was a quick end.
THOOM!
THOOM!
THOOM!
Suddenly, something grabbed a hold of her, and she heard Judah grunt. The next thing she knew, she was rolling against solid ground before slamming into a wall. She groaned, and she rolled onto her hands and knees. She heard Judah cough, and she could see him kneeling on one knee, his hair standing on end but otherwise looking unharmed. Just then, a bandaged hand reached down in front of her face. Fiona looked up, and she suddenly became lost in a sea of green. It was a well-known fact that Fiona's favorite color was green, one of the reasons she and Scourge had hit it off so well, but this was different. It was like she was looking into a chaos emerald, the sharp green all but pulling her into a world far stranger, yet oddly more welcoming, than the world around her.
"Uh, miss? Are you alright?"
Fiona suddenly returned to planet Mobius, and then it occurred to her that the lovely green she was looking into was a mobian's eyes, and what an odd mobian he was. His pelt was a jet black, with his upper body hidden beneath a duster coat and a pair of jean slacks. He had the spines of a hedgehog sloping behind his head, but there were echidna dreadlocks draping along the sides of his head. What's more, he had a set of echidna knuck-claws jutting from his fists that were wrapped in bandages. It was literally like she was looking at a cross between Sonic and Knuckles. Now, that was a terrifying thought.
"Hey! Did you hit your head or something?"
Fiona was shocked back into reality again, and she finally accepted his hand. She got to her feet, but she winced at the sudden pain in her ankle. The hybrid was quick to catch her, and he helped her up.
"You alright? That doesn't look too good."
"It's fine." Fiona squeaked. "It was already busted. Hey, Judah, anything broken?"
The white lion rose to his full height, and he shook his mane furiously.
"That's one way to get an adrenaline rush. Whoever built such a rickety fence needs to be shot."
Fiona watched as the hybrid scowled.
"That would be me, as a matter of fact, and, for your information, I was on my way to fix it. You should've been able to see that it was rotted through. It was just a lucky thing that I was nearby when you fell."
He stomped his foot, and Fiona's cane came up for her to grab. After shifting her weight off of her rescuer, Fiona joined Judah. The hybrid eyed the two of them, and he sighed and gave a shrug.
"Eh, I guess I can't be too upset with you guys. Newbies always make mistakes their first day down here."
He started off down the trail, but he stopped and looked back.
"Well, you two coming?"
Judah and Fiona exchanged confused glances, and Judah took a protective step forward.
"Eh, you wanna run that by us again, mate?"
The hybrid rolled his eyes.
"Old man can't be counted on to do anything, can he? You came here looking for shelter, right? Well, if you're gonna live here, then I guess it falls to me to show you around."
He swept out an arm, and he bowed deeply.
"Lady and gentleman, welcome to Lower Mobius. My name is Blade, and I will be your guide today. Right this way, please."
With that, he spun back around and started down the trail. Reluctantly, Judah and Fiona followed, though they hung back just far enough that they were out of earshot.
"I'm not getting an easy read off this guy." Judah whispered to Fiona. "Any idea what's going on?"
"You're guess is as good as mine." Fiona replied quietly. "He doesn't seem bad, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything. Just where is the old man, anyway? He must have come down here before us."
"I'll bet tall dark and weirdo has something to do with it." Judah said. "Something in the old gut's telling me that this guy isn't all the way on the up and up. The first sign we get of trouble, I say we jump him."
"That'll be hard if I'm the one behind you, don't ya think?"
Judah shrieked with fright, and he spun around. There was Blade, grinning like a chesire cat. Judah swung his neck about from the front to the back.
"But you were...I mean we were...and then you were...how did you slip past me?! I should've heard you coming a mile away!"
Blade chuckled, and he flicked one of Judah's ears.
"Maybe you should have these checked. Relax. If I wanted to hurt either of you, I would've just let you fall. Now stop lollygagging and let's go. In case you forgot, I've got railways to patch up, and I don't wish to waste time babysitting you two."
He brushed past Judah and started back down the path. Fiona casted a peak at the lion's face, and she couldn't help but giggle at his dumbfounded looks. She was slowly starting to like this Blade guy.
After what felt like hours of walking, they at last came to a stop at the base of the spiral path and into what Blade called Main Street. The entire mini city molded flawlessly into the circular shape of the cavern. Past the walkway, there were sections dug into the wall on both sides of the walls, which Blade pointed out as the dormitories. They stretched out deeper into the underground and could be made bigger thanks to the moles that had made this place their home to begin with. In the middle of everything, there was the market place that also worked as a gathering spot for special events and recreations. From what Fiona could tell, the local economy ran on a barter system. New citizens brought whatever wares they could, such as livestock, goods, and services, and they traded them with others for something they needed.
"Figures that I'd be poor even in a hole in the ground." She muttered to herself.
As was to be expected, the marketplace was the busiest part of the city, and several mobians had taken up shop and were hocking their wares to whoever passed by. However, one particular stall caught her attention. It appeared to be some sort of restraunt, a small café to be exact, and at the counter stood a female purple weasel polishing a glass. Fiona had to double take to be sure, but there wasn't a doubt in her mind
"Hey! Nicolette is that you?"
Sure enough, it was! Back in her treasure hunting days, Nicolette the weasel had been the closest thing to a friend Fiona had had. The weasel had taught her pretty much everything she knew, but the two had gotten separated somewhere down the road. The weasel looked up from what she was doing, and she smiled when she spotted her.
"Well, I'll be. Fiona, girl, long time no see!"
Fiona hobbled over towards her stall, and she took a seat at the counter.
"Good grief, how long has it been? It's great to see you!"
"You can say that again." The weasel tittered. "Here, let me get you something. For old times' sake."
Nicolette turned her back to her and started for the kitchen, and that was when Fiona spied her leg. Nicolette was one of the lucky few to be off Robotnik's radar and not be robotisized, so it surprised the young fox to see that she was now sporting a bionic leg. When Nicolette came back with a sandwich on a tray, she noticed Fiona's spying gaze. She huffed before setting the food before her.
"Got that when Nack and I had a little family reunion. His buddies Bean and Bark were trying to make sure it was our last one."
Fiona looked away sheepishly, and she nervously tapped her fingers against the counter.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to stare. It was just there and…"
Nicolette waved her off.
"Save it. It ain't that big of a deal. If anything, I kinda owe Nack for it. I had been meaning to retire from the hole treasure hunting gig for the longest time now, and I've finally found a nice, quiet place to set up roots."
Fiona looked up from her sandwich, and she scanned the area once more.
"This is your ideal dream spot? A hole in the ground?"
Nicolette started to reply, but a sudden crash in the kitchen caused the two women to straighten. A thin veil of smoke began to billow through the kitchen doors, and a moment later a tiny figure burst through, coughing, gagging, and covered in smoke.
"Oh my gosh! Gabby, sheesh, what have I told you about the stove?!"
Fiona watched as Nicolette fetched a rag, and she began to white away the soot for the child's face. As it turned out, the child was a mobian gazelle, another out of place Downunda resident. With the soot removed, she could plainly see the chestnut fuzz peaking beneath, and a single horn peaked through a small curl of blond hair beside a broken stub. There were holes in her jeans' knees, as well as some bandages on her knees and upper arms. All clear and evident signs of a child with accident-prone syndrome.
"Sorry, Nicky." the small child said while sheepishly kicking at some dirt. "I was just trying to help."
The weasel rolled her eyes, and she gave her head a playful shake.
"What am I gonna do with you?"
She stood up and looked to Fiona.
"Fi, meet Gabbriella. She's one of the newer additions to this little town. I'm looking after her while her brother is away. Gabby, this is Fiona. She's an old friend."
The child turned to the counter, and she offered Fiona a gap-toothed grin.
"Hiya. Nice to meetcha. Don't get too used to me, though. When my brother gets back, we're gonna be heading back for the mountains. We used to live there when I was just a fawn. I like it better up there."
Fiona noticed that Nicolette was suddenly looking about sheepishly, as though she were trying to avoid something. She recalled that Nicky was terrible at keeping secrets, and clearly there was something about the little fawn's brother she didn't want anyone to know, Gabby included.
Before the conversation could go much further, though, the sounds of a beginning fight could be heard. Fiona looked about, and she gagged at the sight of Judah and a brown mobian bear going at it hammer and tongs. The lion's opponent was easily twice his own height, but the Downunda resident wasn't taking any guff from his assailant.
Fiona, Nicolette, and Gabby made their way over to the quickly amassing group of people that had come out to watch the fight. Nicolette rushed over to an elderly looking spider mobian, and she tapped her shoulder to get her attention.
"Mrs. Arachne, what happened? What's Boris' problem this time?"
"Oh, it's really a silly thing." the elderly spider tutted with a sigh. "The white one over there spied a fish lying in the dirt. Ate the whole without so much as a thought. Boris had just caught a whole basket's worth of carp from the underwater river, and I guess he dropped it while he was setting up his shop for the day. You know Boris. Mess with his fish, and you're in for trouble. Especially if you don't pay for it."
"Oh, brother." Fiona groaned while hiding her face, trying her best to look inconspicuous.
Judah and Boris the bear was now at an impasse, their arms locked together as they tried to outmarch each other's strength. They were struggling, snarling, and flashing their teeth at one another as they fought to stay ahead. The crowd around them was cheering each side on, some of the older men even taking bets on who they thought would win the scrap.
"Shouldn't we do something?" Fiona asked. "I mean, it's Judah's own fault, but I still kinda owe him for saving my life."
Nicolette shook her head.
"Take my word for it, Fi. You don't want to get between those two. Boris was known to enter underground wrestling rings before he retired and found his way here. But don't worry. The marshal will put a stop to this toot sweet."
Just then, there was a gun shot, and the entire cavern went deathly silent.
"Speaking of which, here he is now."
Judah and Boris parted, and they took a step back to see who had fired the shot. To Judah's surprise, there was Mask with a basket of eggs in one hand, and his sniper rifle, Lucile, was smoking in the other. He slowly started his way forward, his combat boots crunching on the dirt floor. He came to a stop just a few steps from them, and he set down his eggs and shouldered his rifle.
"Does someone want to tell me why you two speedbumps are disrupting what was only moments ago a nice and pleasant day under the earth?"
The big bear growled, and he opened his mouth to speak, but Judah beat him to it.
"It's my fault...I guess." he said. "There was a fish lying on the ground, and, well, I hadn't eaten breakfast yet and it had been a crazy morning. I didn't even realize it was his, and I was trying to apologize, but he just attacked me. We lions are a proud lot, so we don't take trash off of anybody."
"I will be showing you trash!" Boris snarled while raising a large fist to bash Judah's face in.
However, Mask materialized between them, halting the blow. Judah blinked. In the past couple of days he had known Mask, the old man seemed to run on two speeds: slow, and even slower. He hadn't even seen the old man move, and, judging from the look of silent terror on Boris' face, that wasn't even the worst of it. Mask eyed the big bear carefully, peaking around his body to inspect his stall and the large stacks of fish.
"One fish." His tone was oozing with contempt. "Really, Boris, is that was this is all about?"
"It was my fish!" Boris snapped while pointing a very sharp claw towards his nose. "I snatched it out of those freezing cold waters with my own claws! If he is going to eat one, then he must pay for it! One or another!"
Mask casually removed the claw from his face, his expression unchanged, and he pinched the bridge of his nose. He then reached down and picked up the basket of eggs, presenting it for Boris.
"This should be a suitable enough payment. Take it, and we can get back to our lives."
Boris looked down at the eggs and scowled. With one mighty sweep of his paw, he sent the eggs, basket and all, flying through the air. The crowd scattered to avoid the oncoming projectiles, but Fiona, unfortunately, took an egg straight to the face.
"I do not want eggs!" the mighty bear roared. "I want satisfaction!"
He shoved past the old man and started towards Judah once more. However, as he passed Mask, the old man grabbed him by an arm, flipped him over his head, the tips of his toes barely grazing Judah's chin, and slammed him down hard against the ground. He then straddled his back and proceeded to twist his arm.
"That temper of yours has been testing my patience far too much as of late, Boris." Mask hissed while twisting the bear's arm more, making him shriek. "Now, I was doing right by you and offered you more than what was necessary for one stinking fish. What it boils down to is that you want to start a fight. I don't mind if you and some of the folks around here have the occasional scrap; it's what the gym I had the moles dig out is for. But, if you try to break out a real brawl out here in the market, and it's gonna get even more expensive out here and I only have so many eggs. So here's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna let you up, you're gonna go about your business, and tomorrow I'll bring you a fresh basket of eggs to pay for your fish. If you don't like that, then I'm liable to snap your arm like a twig! That's the deal. Take it, or I'll break it."
Boris growled in his throat, but his expression showed that he conceded. Mask released him, and he allowed him to rise. Boris rubbed at his wrists, and he scowled at Judah.
"This is not over, lion. Old man cannot protect you forever. No one makes fool of Boris Zangief!"
Judah snorted.
"Don't need my help to do that, Yogi. You do a good enough job yourself."
Boris continued to growl, but he said no more and returned to his stall to count and set up his wares. With the situation diffused and the crowd departing, Mask wheeled around and smacked Judah in the back of the head.
"Ow! Geez, what was that for?"
"Didn't that teacher of yours ever teach you not to poke a bear? Honestly, didn't the wolves rip you up enough?"
Judah scoffed.
"I'm a lot better than I was a couple of days ago. That jerk is just a big old teddy bear. I've passed kidney stones bigger than him."
"Gross." Mask said disgustedly. "Just do me a favor, won't you son? Lay off the fights. If you see something, make sure it belongs to someone first before you take it. We've got rules down here and, whether you're staying or visiting, we expect everyone down here to follow them. Think you can do that?"
Judah sighed, and he offered the old man a nod.
"I'll try. But, the next time he throws a punch, I won't be able to hold back. Just a fair warning."
"I'll keep it in mind." Mask said.
He was suddenly nursing a headache, and he had to walk away from the lion to clear it. He made his way over to Fiona, who, with help from Nicolette and Gabby, was cleaning the egg from herself.
"Let me guess. You were hungry, too."
Fiona glared at him, not feeling the humor of the moment. She stumbled over, and she went nose to nose with him.
"You little...what's the big idea? We wake up, and you're nowhere to be found! We nearly killed ourselves trying to find you. We thought you were in trouble."
"Why, princess, I didn't know you cared."
"Stop that!"
Fiona took a deep breath to calm her nerves, and then she straightened.
"Just what is going on here, old man? What is this place, who are these people, and what's your roll in all this?"
"I suppose asking for one question at a time would be too much to ask." Mask said coyly, clearly to enjoying the mouthy fox's annoyance. "It's like this, Fiona. This is Lower Mobius, a haven hidden beneath the surface for the lost and the unfortunate. It started with the refugees that escaped Robotnik's robotisizor, but it eventually grew to people that just had nowhere to go. They would stumble into my cottage, and, being the generous soul I've been doomed to become, I show them around. I also act as the law enforcement here. A marshal, if you will. If they like it here, they stay. If not, they go their own way. Simple and clean."
Fiona shot the old man a sideways glance. That certainly sounded familiar.
"This was your plan all along. You knew we would follow you down here into this cavern. You want us to live down here, don't you?"
"What's the big idea trying to make me look like a villain?" Mask asked defensively. "I might have left some breadcrumbs for you to follow, but it was purely up to you whether you followed them or not. If you don't want to live here, fine. I'll help you back up to the house, your leg can heal, and you can go your merry way. However, I recall you said that you wanted to lay low due to some issues from your past. Well, you can't get much lower than Lower Mobius."
Fiona stared at him, and then she looked to Nicolette. The weasel had this odd, knowing smile on her face that Fiona couldn't translate. It was like she knew something Fiona didn't know but needed to know. Just then, Fiona felt a tug on her arm, and she looked down to see Gabby looking up at her with hopeful eyes.
"Please, Miss Fiona." she begged in that tone only cutesy children could muster. "It's really nice down here. Besides Mr. Boris, everyone here is very friendly. You could even stay with me and Miss Nicky. She snores, but I have extra earplugs. Oh! Founders Day is coming up, too!"
"Founders Day?" Fiona asked.
"The annual celebration of Lower Mobius' creation." answered Nicolette. "It's a pretty big shindig. There'll be lots of food, games, and even a big dance competition. Swing your partner, win a prize, and all that hoedown nonsense."
"You dance?" Fiona said, stifling a giggle.
"Only if it pays good. Speaking of which, I've got to get back to work. Lunch rush will be coming soon, ya know. Gabby's right, though. Need a bunk for the night, just ask. I'll keep a light on for ya. Come on, Gabs."
The tiny girl offered Fiona a wave, and then she took off after her guardian, leaving both fox and raccoon alone with their thoughts. Fiona tapped her good foot a bit anxiously as she looked between Mask and where Nicolette had been. Eventually, she settled on the old man.
"So, that's it? I can just live here? No strings attached? No hoops to jump through?"
Mask shook his head.
"Just follow the rules is all, and, truthfully, they're just common sense: treat your neighbor how you want to be treated, be fair in how you trade and sell, and don't steal. It's pretty straight forward. You were the one that said you were hiding from the zone cops. If you ask me, this pretty much the best place to be."
Fiona considered that. Zonic was much more competent than his prime world counterpart, but even he wouldn't think to look in a whole in the ground. There was, also, the fact that nobody down here knew who she was, except for Nicolette. They wouldn't be pestering her about her past, and it would give her a chance to start fresh. Truth be told, it's more than she ever could have hoped for.
"I guess I can hang around for a while." she said, trying to sound nonchalant. "Maybe I'll stick around to see what that business with Founders Day is all about."
Mask shrugged, and he started to walk past her.
"Alright then. Have fun, and, for whatever it is worth, welcome home."
With that, he started his way up the spiral path, and for perhaps the umpteenth time in her life Fiona found herself alone in a strange new world. She spotted Judah who had already made friends with some ferrets, and she couldn't help but feel a seed of hope starting to bud within her.
"Besides," she muttered to herself, "what's the worst that could happen?"