The Mistakes We Make
Chapter One
A Knuckles the Echnida fanfiction by Amy "Kixxy" Lawson
sailor_vanilla@hotmail.com
Standard warning - throughout this chapter and story as a whole
there is occasional language use, and possibly more adult themes
as the chapters progress.
========
'One, two, three.'
With those silent counts, three glowing beams came flying out of
the murky darkness. A hollow, metallic sound, and then silence
once more.
'One, two, three.' Once again came the beams, different in colour,
similar in size. Again the sound erupted through the field, but
then came the quiet.
"Razeid."
"Sir!" The tall echnida spun around on his heels, staring into
his commander's eyes. Eye. Kragok frowned, tossing his smoke
onto the ground and stamping it out with his heel.
"What are you doing?" he pressed, motioning towards the broken
barrels strewn across the ground with his robotic claw. Razeid
cast a glance at the various targets before turning back to his
leader.
"Testing the weaponry," he explained, lifting his laser gun for
valification. "I think I've hit the design the cop was waving
around the other night. Only... better." A smile crossed over his
face, while Kragok's remained in his trademark scowl. The cloaked
echnida nodded.
"Keep at it." A brief silence, and then he turned off to wherever
he came. But not fully, though. Kragok's position in the Dark
Legion did not come from blind trust; he never turned his back
completely on anyone. Not his own sister. Anyone BUT his own
sister, at times.
"Affirmative, sir!" Razeid returned his attention to more pressing
matters, his laser. Painstakingly created, it had driven him to
obsession for the past two weeks. Only the latest in the Legion's
war against the rest of the echnida species, if the Echnida
Security Team was gaining weapon superiority, besting them was the
only way they could maintain control. It was one of their main
assets, and Razeid prided himself on his talent in that
department.
Standing at average echnida height and build, he did not
immediately look threatening; physically he was not the most
daunting in their group, an average fighter at best. Relatively
new to the raids, he went along almost as a spy to investigate
who was doing what. Nonetheless, Kragok seemed to recognize his
talent and loyalty, and his privileges were increasing as the
days went on. His body was 'clean' for Legion standards, with no
major robotic attachments needed to function; besides the routine
addition here or there or the nesscessary devices all members of
their clan were given upon entry, he could easily pass as an
average Echnidapolis citizen.
Which was exactly the reason Kragok held such interest in him.
Spying was a crucial job for the Legion, as EST was starting to
gain the upper hand in their war. Aligning themselves with the
Dingoes was both a strength and a weakness, but either way, it
gave Kragok an added pain to worry about. Things had not been
going very strongly for them, and to make matters worse, several
members had succeeded - with the ability to give secrets to the
enemy. One in particular, Julie-Su, was known to be with Knuckles.
Knuckles the Guardian. Knuckles the enemy. Kragok and Kommissar
seemed to have added resentment towards her, but Razeid was not
sure the true reason. The lives of the commanders was kept highly
under-wraps, and was not meant to be questioned about. Such was
an understood rule for anyone in their group.
In any event, secrets were more closely guarded, and only the
true experts could retrieve them. Razeid was ready and willing to
accept the dangerous position when the time is right. His body
would allow him to pass for 'normal'. He had the intelligence to
know what to say and when. All he needed was to wait.
'One, two... three.'
*
Knuckles the Echnida sat back in his booth, smirking as he and
Mighty watched Vector tear into his four burgers as fast as Sonic
could run. The armadillo laughed and glanced at his watch.
"Almost up, Vec!" Tapping at his timepiece, he could barely finish
the words before an empty soda cup went flying past his head.
"Got it, man!" The crocodile held his arms up in victory before
stealing one of Knuckles' fries. "I've got your time -beat-."
"I don't THINK so! You so cheated on the timing when I went last
time." Mighty waved his finger at the reptile, who groaned and
rolled his eyes.
"Forget it, dude. You SO lost. Admit it!"
"Oh you wish-" At that point, Knuckles had completely tuned out of
the conversation. He knew from past experience he was in for at
least fifteen minutes of their bickering, at which point a cute
waitress or some other distraction would walk by. Looking at his
companions, he was hoping that distraction would be Julie-Su. But
she was at the doctor today, and Espio was off wherever he went,
so he was stuck with these two, and becoming very bored by the
minute...
"...so I heard from Charms the other day." Knuckles caught the
last bit of Vector's sentence, once again coming back to their
conversation.
"Really?"
"Yeah. The wedding to that one chick is still on and all. In fact,
they're starting to talk about... children." At the last world,
Vector shuddered.
"Our Charmy, a DAD?" Mighty laughed. "Wow. How things have
changed, eh?"
"Who would have thought..." Knuckles shook his head. "That's just
a bit above Vector being a parent."
"Vector, a parent?" Mighty snickered, looking across at the croc.
"That's about as likely as Vector getting LAID - neither of which
is going to happen anytime soon!" Both burst out laughing, and
Vector just sat back.
"You think so, Mighty-Man? Well, you're thinking WRONG!"
"Admit it, Vec..." Once again, Knuckles stared off into space.
Out of the window. Bored, bored... suddenly, he leaned past the
booth, as a familiar face walked by. Julie-Su! Absently waving
to Mighty and Vector, he quickly left the cafe, chasing after his
fleeting girlfriend.
"Julie!" He called, waving his arm. The roar of the hovercars
drowned him out, and she continued onwards without turning around.
"Eh... JULIE-SU!"
"Knuckles!" she spun around, surprised. "What are you doing here?"
"Ahh... just amusing myself watching Vector and Mighty look like
idiots." He shrugged, flashing a smile.
"Yeah, what else is new." Smirking, she playfully hit him on the
arm. Thinking for a moment, "I'd better get home, um... Mom needs
me."
"See you later, then." Knuckles quickly pecked her on the cheek,
and watched her head back to her original direction. "Call you?"
"Bye!" Turning away, she hurried past the crowds, anxious to get
home. Jumping up the steps, she flashed a wave to the watchman
and moved into her apartment.
The warm smell of steak greeted Julie-Su as she opened the door.
Smiling, she embraced her foster mother, Floren-Ca.
"Hello, dear! You went to the doctor?" The elderly woman smiled,
pushing a stray lock from her daughter's face. The pink echnida
nodded, staring at the table with a hungry look in her eyes. "Eat
up! I made it just for you."
"You didn't have to do that for me!" she squeaked. Laughing,
Floren waved her arm and set down a bowl of creamed corn next to
Julie's plate. She allowed the food to enter her stomach rapidly,
having not eaten all day. Floren joined her at the table, eating
a tad more timidly.
"Where's Simon?" Julie-Su asked between bites.
"Oh, he's asleep in the room. He's been... very tired, lately."
A weak look crossed over Floren-Ca's face. Julie looked over at
her sadly. "The years are catching up to him."
"He still has tons to go." Julie smiled in an attempt to be
strong. She wasn't ready to loose him. Not yet. She had just been
reunited with them... she hadn't had the chance to get to know
her 'parents' yet. While other echnidas her age had an entire life
with their elders, her memories had been erased, and she had been
living by herself for some time now. The Dark Legion had been the
only family she could ever remember. When her mother died, her
father had surrendered responsibility to Floren-Ca, but Kragok
and Kommissar had all knowledge of their time together wiped out.
That she didn't remember, either - Simon had told her earlier.
Simon, the only father she knew. And here she was, about to loose
him all over again.
It was her complete lack of memory that upset her the most. She
was going insane trying to remember something, anything... but it
was all gone. It was better that way, they tried to tell her. Her
past was not the prettiest thing in the world. But still, it was
HER past. And she wanted more than anything to be able to remember
it. But nothing she had done worked. And she was beginning to feel
that nothing ever would.
A private person, it was something she rarely if ever would
discuss; least of all to Knuckles. Knuckles. Something had been
bothering her about him lately, but she wasn't sure what. He
seemed different, distant... either that, or she had grown to want
something he wasn't able to give. But whatever it was, she had
been feeling differently towards him.
When Julie-Su crawled into her bed later on that night, she cried
into her pillows just like previous nights. Never would she show
such an emotion to anyone else. That went against everything she
had ever been taught, anything she could ever remember. Never let
the enemy see your weakness.
The enemy was everyone else.
*
Knuckles sat staring into the night sky. The view of anywhere on
the Floating Island was above average, but in the beautiful
mushroom zone, it was far above par. Leaning back against the base
of a gigantic fungi, he allowed his mind to wander.
"Something on your mind?" Knuckles jumped as Archemedies'
miniature form suddenly appeared on his shoulder.
"You, now!" The boy held out his palm for the fire ant to jump
onto. Adjusting his hat, the small creature stared up at his
pupil.
"Not out with the boys - or la femme echnida - tonight?"
"Can't a Guardian get some time to himself anymore?" Knuckles
jokingly made a flicking motion, while Archemedies jumped down to
sit on the grass nearby.
"Of course! I've been pushing for more of it for ages! Although I
might go as far as to say you're listening to me for once, that'd
be too much of a stretch. Come, now. Why the long face?"
"I'm fine!" The echnida barked, generating laugher from his
friend.
"I'm sure you are. So where are your friends at this hour anyway?"
"The guys are out... who-knows-where." Knuckles shrugged. "Doing
their thing. I'm doing mine - or at least I WAS until someone in
particular decided to barge in and quiz me. You know," he pointed
his finger, "you could pop by in a very bad time sometime. Very
inconvenient."
"I look before I leap." Archemeies scoffed. "In any event, that
takes care of the three stooges, but where's Lady Luck?"
Knuckles paused before answering. "Out somewhere or sleeping, I
guess."
"You guess?"
"What, do you think I keep track of the Chatoix every second of
the day?" he snapped. "Get it through your little head! They're
doing whatever they're doing, and I don't care!"
"Ah. Rough spot. I'll be seeing you then!" In a flash of fire and
smoke, the ant was gone, leaving Knuckles to his lonesome.
Sighing, he returned his attention to the stars.
"Where's your answers, anyway? Damn stars..." As to be expected,
no reply was received. Shaking his head in frustration, Knuckles
closed his eyes and slowly reverted to a sleeping state.
*
"Razeid! It's late. Come to bed."
"Yeh." Brushing hair back from his face, the navy echnida stood
up. His legs ached like hell, and his stomach growled from
neglect. Cracking his legs, he stretched out his arms, trying to
get used to his new position.
"Damn. How long have you been out here?" Teku-Na squinted over at
him. "You're overworking yourself again."
"You worry too much."
"Well, somebody should, and obviously YOU don't." She shook her
head, sighing. Razeid grinned and moved past her on the way to
his "room", a slab of concrete just the same as most of the
others. Nonetheless, they made do. Teku-Na followed him out,
sleeping in the same block as he.
The two had an interesting relationship, one decidedly
non-romantic but close just the same. Teku-Na was a violet
echnida, black haired with pink highlights floating through it.
They were close in age; she was sixteen, he eighteen. Around the
age of thirteen Teku was on a raid when she was struck by an
explosion. The Legion's emergency medical squad carted her back
to base camp, but the damage was done... she relied heavily on
robotics to survive, and much of her left side was filled with
metallic attachments here and there. Even with all her additions
she had trouble now and then, and there was the possibility of
more operations being needed.
Razeid, then around fifteen, had been assisting at the medical
department the night she first came in. Scared and afraid, she
instinctively sought out the closest in age, and he attempted to
soothe her nervousness. It worked, and the two became fast
friends. Neither had much else; her parents were killed on the
same raid, his weren't a part of the Dark Legion and therefore
his enemies. That was just how it worked.
"I overheard lady Kommissar speaking with the commander earlier,"
Teku commented on their way to the cell.
"About?"
"Well... I believe it has something to do with that weapon you've
been toying at for much too long." Razeid couldn't hide the grin
that was spreading across his face like a rash.
"And what did he say?"
"He'll need it soon, I think. I only caught a bit of it. Had to
go in for my weekly power boost. They were working on a nearby
station. What the hell does this thing do, anyway?"
"It kicks ass - is what it does," came his reply, as Razeid
crawled onto his 'bed'... a concrete slab, sticking out of the
wall with no comfort included. "And I'm going to be the one using
it."
"I'm sure you are. G'night now."
*
Next Day ...
"That should do it now." Brushing off his sleeve, Remington stood
back, admiring his work. The fireplace now ablaze, he turned back
to smile at his lady, Komi-Ko. Returning the gesture, she took a
sip of her drink and held up a nearby glass.
"More wine, darling?"
"I could force myself, I think." Accepting her offer, Remington
drank a small bit of the liquid before returning his attention to
her. "It's a beautiful night out," he commented, wrapping his arms
around her waist. Her face moved closer to his, speaking in her
whispery tone.
"It's quite warm in here." Their lips touched, softly and slowly
more deeply. As Komi-Ko set down her wine glass on a nearby table,
Remington's beeper suddenly went off.
"Damn it..." Cursing to himself, Remington took a glance at the
number. Headquarters. Maybe it was just Terri-Lu with some filing
error. He hoped so, and ignored it. "They'll call back."
"You're sure?" Komi glanced at it, then back at him.
"Positive..." Their lips met again, tongues dancing. He wasn't in
the mood for interruptions. Not tonight. But of course, the
beeping started up again, and continued loudly. Sighing, Komi-Ko
pulled back, shaking her head.
"They need you, sweetheart." Remington shook his head and walked
over to the kitchen, leaning up against a cupboard.
"What do you want?" Remington barked into his receiver, pulling it
up.
"Constable, you'd better get down here. NOW."
Remington pulled into the station in his car minutes afterwards.
Jumping out, he briskly walked into the EST building's back
entrance, glancing around curiously. Unaware of what the call had
been about, two officials greeted him at the door.
"Constable." The female nodded her head at him. A higher officer
in the Echnida Security Team, she held in her hands an envelope
and a small remote.
"Kara-Ja. Mind telling me what the hell is going on?"
"I'll explain to you in the car. Move it!"
*
Darkness. That was all that was around. Utter darkness. First she
saw the darkness, then she heard the silence. Groaning, Julie-Su
opened her eyes slowly, painfully. A glance to the right and left
didn't offer any explaination to her whereabouts. "What... where?"
Two sets of eyes peered at her through the cage. One nodded, and
they both left.
Chapter One
A Knuckles the Echnida fanfiction by Amy "Kixxy" Lawson
sailor_vanilla@hotmail.com
Standard warning - throughout this chapter and story as a whole
there is occasional language use, and possibly more adult themes
as the chapters progress.
========
'One, two, three.'
With those silent counts, three glowing beams came flying out of
the murky darkness. A hollow, metallic sound, and then silence
once more.
'One, two, three.' Once again came the beams, different in colour,
similar in size. Again the sound erupted through the field, but
then came the quiet.
"Razeid."
"Sir!" The tall echnida spun around on his heels, staring into
his commander's eyes. Eye. Kragok frowned, tossing his smoke
onto the ground and stamping it out with his heel.
"What are you doing?" he pressed, motioning towards the broken
barrels strewn across the ground with his robotic claw. Razeid
cast a glance at the various targets before turning back to his
leader.
"Testing the weaponry," he explained, lifting his laser gun for
valification. "I think I've hit the design the cop was waving
around the other night. Only... better." A smile crossed over his
face, while Kragok's remained in his trademark scowl. The cloaked
echnida nodded.
"Keep at it." A brief silence, and then he turned off to wherever
he came. But not fully, though. Kragok's position in the Dark
Legion did not come from blind trust; he never turned his back
completely on anyone. Not his own sister. Anyone BUT his own
sister, at times.
"Affirmative, sir!" Razeid returned his attention to more pressing
matters, his laser. Painstakingly created, it had driven him to
obsession for the past two weeks. Only the latest in the Legion's
war against the rest of the echnida species, if the Echnida
Security Team was gaining weapon superiority, besting them was the
only way they could maintain control. It was one of their main
assets, and Razeid prided himself on his talent in that
department.
Standing at average echnida height and build, he did not
immediately look threatening; physically he was not the most
daunting in their group, an average fighter at best. Relatively
new to the raids, he went along almost as a spy to investigate
who was doing what. Nonetheless, Kragok seemed to recognize his
talent and loyalty, and his privileges were increasing as the
days went on. His body was 'clean' for Legion standards, with no
major robotic attachments needed to function; besides the routine
addition here or there or the nesscessary devices all members of
their clan were given upon entry, he could easily pass as an
average Echnidapolis citizen.
Which was exactly the reason Kragok held such interest in him.
Spying was a crucial job for the Legion, as EST was starting to
gain the upper hand in their war. Aligning themselves with the
Dingoes was both a strength and a weakness, but either way, it
gave Kragok an added pain to worry about. Things had not been
going very strongly for them, and to make matters worse, several
members had succeeded - with the ability to give secrets to the
enemy. One in particular, Julie-Su, was known to be with Knuckles.
Knuckles the Guardian. Knuckles the enemy. Kragok and Kommissar
seemed to have added resentment towards her, but Razeid was not
sure the true reason. The lives of the commanders was kept highly
under-wraps, and was not meant to be questioned about. Such was
an understood rule for anyone in their group.
In any event, secrets were more closely guarded, and only the
true experts could retrieve them. Razeid was ready and willing to
accept the dangerous position when the time is right. His body
would allow him to pass for 'normal'. He had the intelligence to
know what to say and when. All he needed was to wait.
'One, two... three.'
*
Knuckles the Echnida sat back in his booth, smirking as he and
Mighty watched Vector tear into his four burgers as fast as Sonic
could run. The armadillo laughed and glanced at his watch.
"Almost up, Vec!" Tapping at his timepiece, he could barely finish
the words before an empty soda cup went flying past his head.
"Got it, man!" The crocodile held his arms up in victory before
stealing one of Knuckles' fries. "I've got your time -beat-."
"I don't THINK so! You so cheated on the timing when I went last
time." Mighty waved his finger at the reptile, who groaned and
rolled his eyes.
"Forget it, dude. You SO lost. Admit it!"
"Oh you wish-" At that point, Knuckles had completely tuned out of
the conversation. He knew from past experience he was in for at
least fifteen minutes of their bickering, at which point a cute
waitress or some other distraction would walk by. Looking at his
companions, he was hoping that distraction would be Julie-Su. But
she was at the doctor today, and Espio was off wherever he went,
so he was stuck with these two, and becoming very bored by the
minute...
"...so I heard from Charms the other day." Knuckles caught the
last bit of Vector's sentence, once again coming back to their
conversation.
"Really?"
"Yeah. The wedding to that one chick is still on and all. In fact,
they're starting to talk about... children." At the last world,
Vector shuddered.
"Our Charmy, a DAD?" Mighty laughed. "Wow. How things have
changed, eh?"
"Who would have thought..." Knuckles shook his head. "That's just
a bit above Vector being a parent."
"Vector, a parent?" Mighty snickered, looking across at the croc.
"That's about as likely as Vector getting LAID - neither of which
is going to happen anytime soon!" Both burst out laughing, and
Vector just sat back.
"You think so, Mighty-Man? Well, you're thinking WRONG!"
"Admit it, Vec..." Once again, Knuckles stared off into space.
Out of the window. Bored, bored... suddenly, he leaned past the
booth, as a familiar face walked by. Julie-Su! Absently waving
to Mighty and Vector, he quickly left the cafe, chasing after his
fleeting girlfriend.
"Julie!" He called, waving his arm. The roar of the hovercars
drowned him out, and she continued onwards without turning around.
"Eh... JULIE-SU!"
"Knuckles!" she spun around, surprised. "What are you doing here?"
"Ahh... just amusing myself watching Vector and Mighty look like
idiots." He shrugged, flashing a smile.
"Yeah, what else is new." Smirking, she playfully hit him on the
arm. Thinking for a moment, "I'd better get home, um... Mom needs
me."
"See you later, then." Knuckles quickly pecked her on the cheek,
and watched her head back to her original direction. "Call you?"
"Bye!" Turning away, she hurried past the crowds, anxious to get
home. Jumping up the steps, she flashed a wave to the watchman
and moved into her apartment.
The warm smell of steak greeted Julie-Su as she opened the door.
Smiling, she embraced her foster mother, Floren-Ca.
"Hello, dear! You went to the doctor?" The elderly woman smiled,
pushing a stray lock from her daughter's face. The pink echnida
nodded, staring at the table with a hungry look in her eyes. "Eat
up! I made it just for you."
"You didn't have to do that for me!" she squeaked. Laughing,
Floren waved her arm and set down a bowl of creamed corn next to
Julie's plate. She allowed the food to enter her stomach rapidly,
having not eaten all day. Floren joined her at the table, eating
a tad more timidly.
"Where's Simon?" Julie-Su asked between bites.
"Oh, he's asleep in the room. He's been... very tired, lately."
A weak look crossed over Floren-Ca's face. Julie looked over at
her sadly. "The years are catching up to him."
"He still has tons to go." Julie smiled in an attempt to be
strong. She wasn't ready to loose him. Not yet. She had just been
reunited with them... she hadn't had the chance to get to know
her 'parents' yet. While other echnidas her age had an entire life
with their elders, her memories had been erased, and she had been
living by herself for some time now. The Dark Legion had been the
only family she could ever remember. When her mother died, her
father had surrendered responsibility to Floren-Ca, but Kragok
and Kommissar had all knowledge of their time together wiped out.
That she didn't remember, either - Simon had told her earlier.
Simon, the only father she knew. And here she was, about to loose
him all over again.
It was her complete lack of memory that upset her the most. She
was going insane trying to remember something, anything... but it
was all gone. It was better that way, they tried to tell her. Her
past was not the prettiest thing in the world. But still, it was
HER past. And she wanted more than anything to be able to remember
it. But nothing she had done worked. And she was beginning to feel
that nothing ever would.
A private person, it was something she rarely if ever would
discuss; least of all to Knuckles. Knuckles. Something had been
bothering her about him lately, but she wasn't sure what. He
seemed different, distant... either that, or she had grown to want
something he wasn't able to give. But whatever it was, she had
been feeling differently towards him.
When Julie-Su crawled into her bed later on that night, she cried
into her pillows just like previous nights. Never would she show
such an emotion to anyone else. That went against everything she
had ever been taught, anything she could ever remember. Never let
the enemy see your weakness.
The enemy was everyone else.
*
Knuckles sat staring into the night sky. The view of anywhere on
the Floating Island was above average, but in the beautiful
mushroom zone, it was far above par. Leaning back against the base
of a gigantic fungi, he allowed his mind to wander.
"Something on your mind?" Knuckles jumped as Archemedies'
miniature form suddenly appeared on his shoulder.
"You, now!" The boy held out his palm for the fire ant to jump
onto. Adjusting his hat, the small creature stared up at his
pupil.
"Not out with the boys - or la femme echnida - tonight?"
"Can't a Guardian get some time to himself anymore?" Knuckles
jokingly made a flicking motion, while Archemedies jumped down to
sit on the grass nearby.
"Of course! I've been pushing for more of it for ages! Although I
might go as far as to say you're listening to me for once, that'd
be too much of a stretch. Come, now. Why the long face?"
"I'm fine!" The echnida barked, generating laugher from his
friend.
"I'm sure you are. So where are your friends at this hour anyway?"
"The guys are out... who-knows-where." Knuckles shrugged. "Doing
their thing. I'm doing mine - or at least I WAS until someone in
particular decided to barge in and quiz me. You know," he pointed
his finger, "you could pop by in a very bad time sometime. Very
inconvenient."
"I look before I leap." Archemeies scoffed. "In any event, that
takes care of the three stooges, but where's Lady Luck?"
Knuckles paused before answering. "Out somewhere or sleeping, I
guess."
"You guess?"
"What, do you think I keep track of the Chatoix every second of
the day?" he snapped. "Get it through your little head! They're
doing whatever they're doing, and I don't care!"
"Ah. Rough spot. I'll be seeing you then!" In a flash of fire and
smoke, the ant was gone, leaving Knuckles to his lonesome.
Sighing, he returned his attention to the stars.
"Where's your answers, anyway? Damn stars..." As to be expected,
no reply was received. Shaking his head in frustration, Knuckles
closed his eyes and slowly reverted to a sleeping state.
*
"Razeid! It's late. Come to bed."
"Yeh." Brushing hair back from his face, the navy echnida stood
up. His legs ached like hell, and his stomach growled from
neglect. Cracking his legs, he stretched out his arms, trying to
get used to his new position.
"Damn. How long have you been out here?" Teku-Na squinted over at
him. "You're overworking yourself again."
"You worry too much."
"Well, somebody should, and obviously YOU don't." She shook her
head, sighing. Razeid grinned and moved past her on the way to
his "room", a slab of concrete just the same as most of the
others. Nonetheless, they made do. Teku-Na followed him out,
sleeping in the same block as he.
The two had an interesting relationship, one decidedly
non-romantic but close just the same. Teku-Na was a violet
echnida, black haired with pink highlights floating through it.
They were close in age; she was sixteen, he eighteen. Around the
age of thirteen Teku was on a raid when she was struck by an
explosion. The Legion's emergency medical squad carted her back
to base camp, but the damage was done... she relied heavily on
robotics to survive, and much of her left side was filled with
metallic attachments here and there. Even with all her additions
she had trouble now and then, and there was the possibility of
more operations being needed.
Razeid, then around fifteen, had been assisting at the medical
department the night she first came in. Scared and afraid, she
instinctively sought out the closest in age, and he attempted to
soothe her nervousness. It worked, and the two became fast
friends. Neither had much else; her parents were killed on the
same raid, his weren't a part of the Dark Legion and therefore
his enemies. That was just how it worked.
"I overheard lady Kommissar speaking with the commander earlier,"
Teku commented on their way to the cell.
"About?"
"Well... I believe it has something to do with that weapon you've
been toying at for much too long." Razeid couldn't hide the grin
that was spreading across his face like a rash.
"And what did he say?"
"He'll need it soon, I think. I only caught a bit of it. Had to
go in for my weekly power boost. They were working on a nearby
station. What the hell does this thing do, anyway?"
"It kicks ass - is what it does," came his reply, as Razeid
crawled onto his 'bed'... a concrete slab, sticking out of the
wall with no comfort included. "And I'm going to be the one using
it."
"I'm sure you are. G'night now."
*
Next Day ...
"That should do it now." Brushing off his sleeve, Remington stood
back, admiring his work. The fireplace now ablaze, he turned back
to smile at his lady, Komi-Ko. Returning the gesture, she took a
sip of her drink and held up a nearby glass.
"More wine, darling?"
"I could force myself, I think." Accepting her offer, Remington
drank a small bit of the liquid before returning his attention to
her. "It's a beautiful night out," he commented, wrapping his arms
around her waist. Her face moved closer to his, speaking in her
whispery tone.
"It's quite warm in here." Their lips touched, softly and slowly
more deeply. As Komi-Ko set down her wine glass on a nearby table,
Remington's beeper suddenly went off.
"Damn it..." Cursing to himself, Remington took a glance at the
number. Headquarters. Maybe it was just Terri-Lu with some filing
error. He hoped so, and ignored it. "They'll call back."
"You're sure?" Komi glanced at it, then back at him.
"Positive..." Their lips met again, tongues dancing. He wasn't in
the mood for interruptions. Not tonight. But of course, the
beeping started up again, and continued loudly. Sighing, Komi-Ko
pulled back, shaking her head.
"They need you, sweetheart." Remington shook his head and walked
over to the kitchen, leaning up against a cupboard.
"What do you want?" Remington barked into his receiver, pulling it
up.
"Constable, you'd better get down here. NOW."
Remington pulled into the station in his car minutes afterwards.
Jumping out, he briskly walked into the EST building's back
entrance, glancing around curiously. Unaware of what the call had
been about, two officials greeted him at the door.
"Constable." The female nodded her head at him. A higher officer
in the Echnida Security Team, she held in her hands an envelope
and a small remote.
"Kara-Ja. Mind telling me what the hell is going on?"
"I'll explain to you in the car. Move it!"
*
Darkness. That was all that was around. Utter darkness. First she
saw the darkness, then she heard the silence. Groaning, Julie-Su
opened her eyes slowly, painfully. A glance to the right and left
didn't offer any explaination to her whereabouts. "What... where?"
Two sets of eyes peered at her through the cage. One nodded, and
they both left.
