Chapter 12
When Tails landed back in the hangar at Mobotropolis, the rest of the group was already waiting for him. Introductions were made all around to the Downunda Freedom Fighters, and Meowth was reunited to Jessie and James.
"Ya didn't leave widdout me! Thanks guys!" Meowth said, crying. Jessie and James were crying as well.
"Of course we wouldn't leave you!" James said, and Jessie said likewise. When everyone was calmed down, Tails pulled Elias aside and talked to him.
"Elias, I need to speak with your father, right away. It is a matter of great importance." Tails said, trying to sound worthy of an audience with the king. Elias smiled.
"Well of course! But…what do you mean, "great importance"?" Elias asked. Tails made a gesture that dismissed it, and walked back to the others. Elias gazed at him, puzzled.
**************
"Tails! What brings you to me?" King Acorn said. He was flanked by Elias and Sally, who in turn were surrounded by bodyguards. Tails wasn't smiling.
"I have bad news, sir. As I was flying over the ocean, I lost control of my ship. It was forced upwards for maybe 100 meters, and then I regained control again. Then, I wasn't able to fly lower than a height of about 200 meters because I'd lose control again. I wasn't able to go down again for about another 300 meters, and then I could fly freely. Pardon me, I'm not very good at explaining things, but I do believe that there is a large object concealed out there." King Acorn looked grave.
"I have suspected a move by Robotnik for a few days now. Charles has stopped sending us messages, and I believe he may have come onto information he wasn't supposed to know, and was caught. This confirms my fears. Thank you Tails, for coming to me first." With that, Tails was dismissed, but Sally followed him out.
"Tails? What do you think it is?" She asked. Tails puzzled over this, and then spoke:
"Well, it certainly isn't a blimp, like the last time I came into contact with a cloaked device out there, but it might be a large…something." Sally rolled her eyes.
"Oh, that was helpful…"
**************
Charles sat alone in his small chambers in cellblock 5. It was very late, and he felt like sleeping, even though his normal Mobian functions were taken away when he was roboticized. Pondering over his current situation, he amused himself by playing back stored memories of his friends and family. He saw Sonic running in the fields with Tails not far behind, Sally and her father in the royal court, and even his brother and sister-in-law, Jules and Bernie, both before their roboticization and after. He sighed, and heard a rustling down the hall.
Rudyard was walking down the hallway, his hands behind his back, looking at the floor.
"Hey, Rudyard! Where've you be-" Suddenly Charles noticed that he was not alone. Rudyard was flanked by two shadow bots, and they shoved him into the cell next to Charles. Both robians gave each other forlorn looks, and were silent for a long time.
"Well, we're not what we used to be, that's for sure, eh?" Rudyard stated. His roboticized polar bear body shone in the little moonlight that was filtered through the small, barred window.
"No, Rudyard, we're not. We're definately not. The old Charles Hedgehog wouldn't find himself in a place like this, no sir. I think I'm losing my touch." Rudyard looked through the bars separating their cells to stare sadly at the hedgehog.
"We'll get out of here. I know it." Rudyard said enthusiastically. Charles, however, didn't look convinced.
"Robotnik knows that my memory banks contain top-secret information, and he has my cell under extensive cover. He just wants us to think we're in low security....though I have no idea why. Take a look over there." Rudyard still looked puzzled, but looked anyway.
"I...don't see anything..." He said.
"Look closer. See the slight ripple by the 'Cell Block 5' sign?" Rudyard looked again, and took a short intake of breath. "See? I've noticed about five of them. Even if we managed to make some sort of looping feed for one camera, we'd have to make one for every other camera with every other angle, and we still don't know if there are any other cameras in here that I haven't noticed yet. Then there'd be the problem of getting out without being noticed. It's hopeless."
"Now back up just a second...you said something about top-secret information..." Charles frowned.
"I wish I hadn't seen that now, even though it may be useful to the Freedom Fighters...if I get out of here, in which the chances are slim. I can't mention it here, Robotnik'd kill me right away if he heard me mentioning it among the rest of the prisoners....heh, Robotnik thought I was just trying to escape, until questioned me...ooh, the look on his face was priceless. That twitching vein....priceless..." Rudyard slowly shook his head, both at the problem and the thought of Robotnik's face.
"Well, I wouldn't be stuck in a cell with any other robian than you, Chuck, that's for sure. Aye."
**************
As Sonic roamed the halls of the castle, he thought about many things. This was a hard task, considering his shoot-first-think-later atitude. He thought about his "girl", Sally, and how things were going in the castle. Then his train of thought went to the valient battle down below. Then, even further, to the strange object concealed on the ocean that Sally had told him about. All of these then lead to the strange appearance of the visitors from the world of the Pokémon. Could the appearance have anything to do with the cloaked object?
Suddenly, as he passed a seemingly empty room, he heard voices coming from it.
"What? Jessie, are you sure?"
"Yes...I heard it! Faintly of course, cause it was in my pocket, but it was unmistakeable."
"Does that really mean that...that..."
"Shh, someone might be listening. To answer your question, however, yes."
"But why? How? Dis confuses me..."
Sonic listened to this odd conversation, wishing they would just say what was on their minds instead of shrouding it in mystery. He thought this was a good time to butt in, however, and he did so.
"So! What are you guys doing in this dark room?" They froze, and then squealed as they rushed past him towards the empty corridor. Sonic chuckled, but was still quite puzzled. Too many mysteries, and time was seemingly running out.
When Tails landed back in the hangar at Mobotropolis, the rest of the group was already waiting for him. Introductions were made all around to the Downunda Freedom Fighters, and Meowth was reunited to Jessie and James.
"Ya didn't leave widdout me! Thanks guys!" Meowth said, crying. Jessie and James were crying as well.
"Of course we wouldn't leave you!" James said, and Jessie said likewise. When everyone was calmed down, Tails pulled Elias aside and talked to him.
"Elias, I need to speak with your father, right away. It is a matter of great importance." Tails said, trying to sound worthy of an audience with the king. Elias smiled.
"Well of course! But…what do you mean, "great importance"?" Elias asked. Tails made a gesture that dismissed it, and walked back to the others. Elias gazed at him, puzzled.
**************
"Tails! What brings you to me?" King Acorn said. He was flanked by Elias and Sally, who in turn were surrounded by bodyguards. Tails wasn't smiling.
"I have bad news, sir. As I was flying over the ocean, I lost control of my ship. It was forced upwards for maybe 100 meters, and then I regained control again. Then, I wasn't able to fly lower than a height of about 200 meters because I'd lose control again. I wasn't able to go down again for about another 300 meters, and then I could fly freely. Pardon me, I'm not very good at explaining things, but I do believe that there is a large object concealed out there." King Acorn looked grave.
"I have suspected a move by Robotnik for a few days now. Charles has stopped sending us messages, and I believe he may have come onto information he wasn't supposed to know, and was caught. This confirms my fears. Thank you Tails, for coming to me first." With that, Tails was dismissed, but Sally followed him out.
"Tails? What do you think it is?" She asked. Tails puzzled over this, and then spoke:
"Well, it certainly isn't a blimp, like the last time I came into contact with a cloaked device out there, but it might be a large…something." Sally rolled her eyes.
"Oh, that was helpful…"
**************
Charles sat alone in his small chambers in cellblock 5. It was very late, and he felt like sleeping, even though his normal Mobian functions were taken away when he was roboticized. Pondering over his current situation, he amused himself by playing back stored memories of his friends and family. He saw Sonic running in the fields with Tails not far behind, Sally and her father in the royal court, and even his brother and sister-in-law, Jules and Bernie, both before their roboticization and after. He sighed, and heard a rustling down the hall.
Rudyard was walking down the hallway, his hands behind his back, looking at the floor.
"Hey, Rudyard! Where've you be-" Suddenly Charles noticed that he was not alone. Rudyard was flanked by two shadow bots, and they shoved him into the cell next to Charles. Both robians gave each other forlorn looks, and were silent for a long time.
"Well, we're not what we used to be, that's for sure, eh?" Rudyard stated. His roboticized polar bear body shone in the little moonlight that was filtered through the small, barred window.
"No, Rudyard, we're not. We're definately not. The old Charles Hedgehog wouldn't find himself in a place like this, no sir. I think I'm losing my touch." Rudyard looked through the bars separating their cells to stare sadly at the hedgehog.
"We'll get out of here. I know it." Rudyard said enthusiastically. Charles, however, didn't look convinced.
"Robotnik knows that my memory banks contain top-secret information, and he has my cell under extensive cover. He just wants us to think we're in low security....though I have no idea why. Take a look over there." Rudyard still looked puzzled, but looked anyway.
"I...don't see anything..." He said.
"Look closer. See the slight ripple by the 'Cell Block 5' sign?" Rudyard looked again, and took a short intake of breath. "See? I've noticed about five of them. Even if we managed to make some sort of looping feed for one camera, we'd have to make one for every other camera with every other angle, and we still don't know if there are any other cameras in here that I haven't noticed yet. Then there'd be the problem of getting out without being noticed. It's hopeless."
"Now back up just a second...you said something about top-secret information..." Charles frowned.
"I wish I hadn't seen that now, even though it may be useful to the Freedom Fighters...if I get out of here, in which the chances are slim. I can't mention it here, Robotnik'd kill me right away if he heard me mentioning it among the rest of the prisoners....heh, Robotnik thought I was just trying to escape, until questioned me...ooh, the look on his face was priceless. That twitching vein....priceless..." Rudyard slowly shook his head, both at the problem and the thought of Robotnik's face.
"Well, I wouldn't be stuck in a cell with any other robian than you, Chuck, that's for sure. Aye."
**************
As Sonic roamed the halls of the castle, he thought about many things. This was a hard task, considering his shoot-first-think-later atitude. He thought about his "girl", Sally, and how things were going in the castle. Then his train of thought went to the valient battle down below. Then, even further, to the strange object concealed on the ocean that Sally had told him about. All of these then lead to the strange appearance of the visitors from the world of the Pokémon. Could the appearance have anything to do with the cloaked object?
Suddenly, as he passed a seemingly empty room, he heard voices coming from it.
"What? Jessie, are you sure?"
"Yes...I heard it! Faintly of course, cause it was in my pocket, but it was unmistakeable."
"Does that really mean that...that..."
"Shh, someone might be listening. To answer your question, however, yes."
"But why? How? Dis confuses me..."
Sonic listened to this odd conversation, wishing they would just say what was on their minds instead of shrouding it in mystery. He thought this was a good time to butt in, however, and he did so.
"So! What are you guys doing in this dark room?" They froze, and then squealed as they rushed past him towards the empty corridor. Sonic chuckled, but was still quite puzzled. Too many mysteries, and time was seemingly running out.