Chapter fourteen: "Pain in the Past"
Lysander stood in front of his master's door, staring at the solid black metal plating
for a long time. Finally, taking a deep breath, he pulled up his arm and rapped quietly on
the frame.
"Enter," a dark, demanding voice answered from inside.
Obeying, Lysander gently pressed his palm onto the entrance panel, and the doors slid
open easily with a soft metallic swish. He took three steps inside, then almost bent double
in a long bow. "...You wished to speak with me, Master Kragok?" he said softly, eyes still
on the ground, almost afraid to face the radiating crimson eye upon him.
Before him was a large black steel throne, crafted by the masters of the legion for their
great master, descendant of Lord Dimitri. In the dark chair, he lounged comfortably, one leg
over the long arm of the throne, and his one real hand holding a crystalline wine glass,
half-way full of blood-red wine. His other monstrous metal hand, more like a silver
three-fingered claw, rested lightly in his lap.
"Yes, yes I did." Kragok said coolly, twirling his wine glass slowly with two fingers,
causing the liquid to swirl. "I wanted to speak with you about your sister."
Lysander's heart skipped a beat. "My... My sister, Master?" He mumbled.
"Yes, yes." He said, seeming to have more interest in his drink than the echidna soldier
before him. "Julie-Su. You told me once you were her brother."
Lysander gulped. "Yes, Master. But... She was killed in the battle with the Guardian..."
Kragok laughed, and took a long swill of his wine, still not looking directly at him.
Lysander's eyebrows arched downward. He looked up at his master and tried to retain his
anger. 'Laughing about death...' He thought solemnly. Suddenly his anger was flushed away with
fear again as he found Kragok now staring directly at him, wearing a deep scowl.
"Do you take me for a fool, soldier?" He asked, in a low, threatening tone.
"No, Master." Lysander said quickly, returning to his bow.
Kragok's eye flashed as it narrowed. "Your sister is not dead." He said darkly.
Lysander's eyes widened in surprise, and he resisted the urge to look up at him again.
"Julie-Su is alive, Master...? But how do you know this?"
Kragok laughed again. "Oh, for one, I never really believed her dead. A very hard one
to tame, that girl. She has tried to escape me many times. Especially when she was still just
a child. I had her fitted with a tracking device long ago. I almost didn't remember it until
just a few days ago..."
'Oh no...' Lysander thought.
"She is alive, and very well it seems. She is on the Floating Island. We will return
her to her proper place in time... As for you..." Kragok paused, then commanded, "... Look up at
me soldier."
Hesitantly, Lysander turned his head upwards.
"Remove your hood." Kragok ordered.
Slowly, Lysander reached up and pulled the masking black drape down from over his
head, letting his long violet quills slide out, a few strays falling over his dark eyes.
Kragok stared at him for a while, and Lysander stared back, unblinking, finding
confidence he didn't know he had well up inside him.
A small smile formed on the master echidna's lips, and he took another sip of his
drink idly, and wiped the remnants off his mouth with the back of his real hand. "You are
quite brave soldier, to lie to your master." He said slowly, meeting Lysander's gaze again,
still smiling.
Lysander's sudden found confidence wavered. "...Lie to you, Master?" He mumbled, "I
spoke only what I thought was the truth..."
Kragok's eye flashed again. "Again you lie to me."
Lysander's throat tightened. "...N-no, Master..."
There was a long, deadly silence, the only sound filling the room the far-off thrumming
of the battleship's hyperengines. Suddenly, the quiet was broken like shattered glass, with
Kragok's sharp order.
"Leave me." He growled.
Lysander blinked at him in surprise and did not move.
"NOW." Kragok snarled, tossing his glass on the smooth dark floor causing it to shatter
like the silence.
With that, Lysander bolted from the room, and didn't stop running until he reached his
bed chamber. He flung open the door, and slammed it behind him. Panting, he put his back up
against the door, and let out a heavy sigh.
'Julie-Su...' He thought sadly, 'Why didn't you just stay... If you hadn't have followed
me, then you would have never been in this mess... And now Kragok will surely have us both
killed.'
* * * * *
"Oooooh! This is so much fun!" The little red-head girl squealed, as she moved the
tiny carved figure onto the small crystal board. "You're move, Acey!"
Kayoss watched with disgust as the tall, white-haired young man dressed in an oddly
formal white suit, patted Venus on the head as they played their stupid game.
"Sure, sweetie!" He said smiling, and rolling the pink colored dice. "But that
was quite a good move you just made, involving the girl echidna and the wolf."
She giggled. "Oh thank you! But your duel with the Princess and Queen is shaping up
oh so nicely!"
"Oh, thank you," He said smiling cooly, "But do not worry, all will end in peace."
Kayoss, turned away. "You two make me sick." She grumbled, straightening the wrinkles
in her fine verdant gown.
"Is there a problem, darling?" Ace asked, smiling up at her on her emerald pedestal.
She refused to look at him. "You and your stupid game. You call that a game?"
"Well, darling, if you think you could do better, you're welcome to join in." He offered.
She thought about it for a minute, then turned to them on the smooth gemstone floor,
wearing a dark grin. "I think I just might."
"Good, good!" Ace said, holding up a hand to help her down. "Please come, and you may
have my turn, darling."
She took his hand, and slid off her stand gracefully, letting her long lime-colored
train flow downward off it's edge like a green waterfall of silks. Very ladylike, she folded
her skirts around her legs, and sat down between Ace and Venus.
"How about you, Rona?" Venus yelled across the large, spherical room, to where a
tall pale woman, rather scantily clad in a black and violet tight-filling dress, sat with
her back facing them. "Do you wanna play with us too?"
She turned halfway towards them, her long face, thin black lips, and electric amethyst
eyes frowning darkly. "Play with you?" She asked, in her low voice.
"Yes, oh please, Rona!" Venus pleaded, "It is ever so much fun!"
Rona sighed, closing her eyes of a moment. "I suppose. There isn't much more to do
in this prison. It was so much more stimulating when I was in control of that robot."
"Come on, and stop whining Rona." Kayoss hissed, "It's not like we wanted you two
to come here and invade our privacy. It was the Guardian's fault."
Rona frowned again, and slowly made her way over to them, her high-heeled boots
clicking on the mirror-like floor. Kayoss grabbed the dice quickly as the tall woman reached for
them.
"My turn!" The emerald-haired woman growled, and regaining her proper-manner, gently
tossed the two game pieces onto the board.
"Oh!" Venus giggled, clutching her short pink skirts. "You got double-diamonds!"
Kayoss grinned, and lifted her hand to move the figures on the board.
* * * * * * *
"YOU!" Lupe growled, her surprise turning into anger. "What are YOU doing here?"
"Ah, well, y'see... Long story, tell you some other time! See ya!" Clawz said quickly,
beginning to back up. He turned to run away, but his path was blocked by two rather large
wolves, one who was already holding Nack rather tightly around the neck. Clawz gulped again.
Lupe strode over to where he was cornered and grabbing him by the shoulder, spun him
around to face her again.
"Hi again, Loops." Clawz said, smiling nervously, "You know, I really missed you an--"
She slapped him across the face, harshly.
"Hell, woman!" He hissed, cradling his cheek. Blinking, he looked at her again. Man did
she look pissed... "Eh... Well, I guess I d'served dat.." He mumbled.
"Oh, you deserve much more than that..." She snarled, her ears flattening against the
back of her head, and her lips curling up to bear her sharp, canine teeth.
"Wait a second here!" Sally said, breaking into the argument and standing between the
wildcat and wolf. "Someone mind explaining just WHAT is going on here?"
"That is what I like to know." The Amazon Queen said smoothly despite her broken English,
as she stood up, towering above them all with her height, added to because of the platform.
Lupe turned to the queen sourly. "What I would like to know," She growled nodding to
Clawz and Nack behind her, "Is what this... This scum... Is doing here?"
"Scum?" Clawz mumbled to himself, "That's new."
"Clawz just happens to be one of our best new soldiers, Lupe. You have something against
him?" Sally defended. Clawz flashed her a smile.
Lupe's eyes widened in surprise again. "You mean he is...?"
"...A freedom fighter now, Loopy." Clawz finished for her.
"You can't be serious!" She said, half to Clawz, and half to Princess Sally. "He's a
lying, cheating, stealing-"
"Was, Loops. Was." He corrected.
She scowled at him. "Do you want to get slapped again?"
He backed off a little.
"Look, Lupe, just what exactly do you have against him, anyway?" Sally asked, putting a
hand on the wolf's shoulder.
"What DON'T I have against him, would be more appropriate Princess." Lupe said,
continuing to frown in Clawz's direction.
"I don't understand..." Sally said, "How do you know him?"
Lupe sighed, her fierce demeanor fading a little. "Oh, well. I knew him long before I
met up with you Princess. He and his 'bother' met up with our pack several times when my
father was still the leader. Oh, I must have been just about sixteen or so... I can't remember.
We gave them shelter once, during a sandstorm for a few days... And to repay us they stole
practically everything we had..."
Clawz's ears drooped. "Look Loops, it wasn't my idea!" He pleaded. "Nack said that-"
"Hey, hey! Don't try to blame it on--URK!" Nack began, but was cut off as the wolf
holding him tightened his grip around the weasel's neck.
Clawz turned back from looking at him to find Lupe staring at him again, but her anger
had been replaced with something different. A kind of sadness behind those hard gray eyes...
He reached out to touch her, but she turned away suddenly and began walking towards
the queen. Clawz followed her. "Hey, c'mon Loops, I--"
"Enough of this." The tall tigress interrupted. "As much as I am enjoying this
little 'soap opera', the tournament cannot delayed any longer."
Sally caught Clawz by the shoulder. "She's right, Clawz... We can sort this out later."
She said, glancing quickly between him and Lupe, now on the other side of the platform, leaning
against a column with her back to them.
Frowning, Clawz looked down at her, then silently walked back to where the wolf thug was
still holding Nack off the ground by his neck. Clawz stared at the large wolf for a second, then
cleared his throat. The wolf grunted, then let go of the weasel's neck suddenly, causing him to
fall to the ground, gasping for air.
"Thanks." Nack weezed, rather sarcastically.
* * * * *
"So you were a Dark Legionnaire, but you quit?" Archimedes questioned.
"Uh, hello, yes. I all ready told you that." Julie-Su grumbled, ringing out her
wet uniform. Now, after changing into something dry, namely her black sports-bra, green
combat vest, matching boots, and yellow belt, she sat on the couch as Knuckles and Archimedes
interrogated her.
"Why did you quit?" Knuckles asked.
"What's it to you?" She snapped back.
"Just answer the question." Archimedes said, gruffly.
"Because I wanted to." She retorted.
Knuckles sighed. "Mind explaining why you wanted to quit?"
"Because I didn't like it." She answered.
Archimedes was growing very annoyed. He thought a moment then spoke, "I wouldn't think
a shady organization like the Dark Legion would let it's members just quit, and go off
scott-free..."
She flinched. "...They don't usually. But... I was an exception." She said, choosing
her words wisely.
"Why were you an exception?" Archimedes continued.
She slumped back into the couch with frustration. "I don't know!" She grumbled, closing
her eyes and rubbing her temples. "Kragok... Liked me, I guess."
Knuckles and Archimedes exchanged suspicious glances.
"I find that rather unconvincing." Knuckles said.
She opened her eyes and leaned forward in his direction, frowning. "Is it so hard to
believe that someone could like me?" She asked.
"Uh, no no.. That's not what I meant!" Knuckles stuttered, leaning away from her a bit,
"I just mean that... That I didn't think Kragok could like anyone."
"Hmmph," She snorted. "Well, he liked me."
Archimedes sighed again. "I find that this routine is getting old... How about we
take a break, eh?" He suggested.
"Good idea." Knuckles agreed, standing up and heading for the door. "If you two don't
mind, I need some air..."
"Hey! Wait a minute!" Julie-Su said standing up, "You're not leaving me alone with
firebug here!"
Archimedes frowned up at her from where he stood upon the table.
"Stay here." Knuckles warned, turning back to hold up a hand to stop her. "I need to be
alone for a while."
Julie-Su sat down reluctantly, under his commanding, icy gaze.
Satisfied, Knuckles nodded. "Now stay here. I'll be back in a while."
"Oh, wait a second Knuckles," Archimedes spoke up, just as the echidna began to walk out
the door. "I have something to say."
Stubbornly, Knuckles turned around. "What?"
"I am never coming to wake you up in the morning ever again." The ant declared.
Knuckles smiled weakly. "Good."
* * * * *