Omigosh! Orin, thank you for reviewing my story! Danke shoen!(german for 'thank you very much'). And I didn't plan on making my story better than anyone's, except my own. Writing it get's harder and harder with every chapter because I'm constantly trying to out-do myself. It's sort of what one of my favorite new rappers, Missy Elliott, does. When her first cd came out, she was just "building a fan-base", but with her second release, she worked hard at making it different, at keeping the listeners' attention. When I get a job(I just got my license, and the photo ain't half-bad), I'm gonna get her third cd(don't have a steady income yet, but just wait.
******************************************
Carley floated around in a tank. She was naked, except for the maze of tubing designed to feed her and provide her with intravenous oxygen.
She loved water. Loved to be immersed in the wonderful liquid. It was heaven, to be totally surrounded by it, to not even have to breath. Like being in the womb again. A pity she couldn't stay like that forever...
Wings had begun sprouting out from her back, and her ears were growing, as well as her canine-teeth. She had begun looking less and less human, and more like a mobian bat.
The woman looked up at the negligable amount of air at the top. That air would be all she had if the oxygen-feed malfunctioned. The thought of being so close to drowning exited her.
But not near as much as the prospect of finding that rare 'Master Emerald'. Master Emerald... It sounded like it would either give her imense power, or make her rich from selling it to the black-market, where she was well known.
The black-market... She had her hands in all the illegal activities, in all the places of the most unsavory repute. Drugs, clone-slaves, genetic manipulation, and brothels.
Carley smiled at the thought. She had met Donna at an orgy, and even though it was supposed to be anonymous, they found each other, in an inevitable bust.
She had carried Donna out, barely evading the police, and the military, which usually didn't get involved with small matters like illegal orgies. The blonde girl was confused, disoriented, apparently looking for someone named 'Shadow'.
"There, there, it's ok, everything's gonna be alright"
"Shadow... Grampa..." the frightened girl whispered.
She had obviously not gone to the orgy for the sex. However, it was she who was having sex with Carley, before the bust. And she was loyal. She would only sleep with men after getting Carley's permission, and even then, only on occasion.
Snively was one such man, and the only reason either of them would sleep with him was to gain his trust.
Carley didn't much care for sleeping with men. Donna was a different story; but she claimed to have felt the safest in Carley's arms.
Safe...
No one was ever 'safe' when involved with her. Not Snively, not even Donna.
She would not let people get in her way, not even her 'friends'. And besides, Donna was getting a little too friendly with the natives for her own good.
"Transformation 65% complete," a robot stated.
Excellent, Carley thought, Soon Mobius will be mine, as well as the chaos emeralds.
*****************************
Knuckles watched as Latifah bathed in the water. They had spent the night in this strange place that looked like the remnants of an ancient civilization. Much of it had sank underwater, and was overgrown with shrubbery.
The fruit that grew there was edible, and was eaten in lieu of the tasteless rations. There were also fish, some of which Knuckles had speared with a stick that he sharpened with his knuclaws.
Knuckles looked down at his bare feet that dangled lifelessly in the water. He could feel the chill in his stomach, but his feet felt nothing. His legs were like rubber, just hanging there, useless... but they were just legs.
He was a guardian, and he had to remain objective. It would still be possible for him to guard the Floating Island; he and Latifah could guard it together, or Rotor could invent some crazy gadget that would help him. Either way, he was not going to let his paralysis get in the way of his duty.
The echidna thought about Sonic, who had caught him as he fell, who after that, he had knocked out.
Sonic... please don't hate me...
Knuckles replayed the events in his head. Sonic was like a brother to him, even though the two would often get into fights over the dumbest things. They were rivals, yet they were also best friends.
Sonic... was his soul-mate...
He was closer to the hedgehog than he was to Latifah, and would risk his life to protect his friend.
"Knuckles"
Latifah's voice snapped him out of his reviere.
"Day-dreaming?"
"I'm not the only one," the echidna said, "If you want, I can include you"
The bansh-echidna smiled and passionately kissed him, forming the psy-bridge. Both guardians felt the sudden chill of the ice assailing Knuckles' awakened receptors, before it faded to a dull warmth.
The echidna hesitated at first, then pushed himself off into the water feet first, all the way to the bottom. Latifah wasn't worried, since they were psionically linked and she knew what Knuckles was doing.
Sure enough, he bounced off of the roof of a submerged building and surfaced, shaking the water from his dreds and onto his lover.
The banshee-guardian laughed and splashed him back.
Knuckles shook off the water and grinned at her mischiviously.
"Ooh, I'm gonna get you for that!"
The splash-fight continued for awhile, relieving some of the stress that had accumulated since Latifah's arrival at Knothole.
Both were so much alike; lonely most of their lives, but then they found each other.
And she knew that Sonic was his soul-mate, and wished she could experience something like that. All her life she had only aquaintances, certain people who would feel enough pity to not treat her like dirt, but they never attempted to really be friends, let alone soul-mates.
{Someday, that will change,} Knuckles thought to her, {You will find your soul-mate. Trust me}
The two guardians stopped their play and climbed out of the pond.
{Something isn't right,} Latifah thought.
{What do you mean?}
{I just have a bad feeling that we're the ones interfering, and we could be the ones endangering people.}
She sighed.
{But we have to get the Master Emerald... it's just that... maybe Pyjamas was right to tell us to stay out of it, but I-we just can't, can we?}
{We were hatched for one purpose,} the echidna answered, {and that was to guard the Floating Island. Besides, we don't know Pyjamas' intentions, so we mustn't be so quick to trust her}
"I hope you're right, Knuckles," Latifah said, aloud this time.
"Well, we'd better get back to the shelter and plan our next move. We're gonna find out what she's up to, one way or another. And we will find the Master Emerald, no matter what it takes"
Both got up and walked back to the tree that they had slept in, unaware of the two women who were watching them from a distance.
**********************************************
"It just kills me to know what she's gone through, and that I can't tell her why she mustn't get involved. I know I should have listened to you and Ebony-"
"I understand," the cloaked stranger said, "There's no need to justify your actions with me. She could have well been killed if you hadn't done that-
"But-"
"She is safe, and that's all that matters. Now I have other business to attend to"
And with that, the cloaked stranger took out a remote and pushed a few buttons. A vortex opened, and she walked through.
Who are you? Pyjamas thought, as the vortex closed again, leaving her alone once more.
**********************************************
Sally shook her head.
"So, what do you suggest we do?"
"I don't know," the squirrel answered, "They don't want us to interfere, but I still worry about them. I probably should worry more about a certain baby. By the way, Sonic, can you please take that chilli-dog outside? It's makin' me sick"
The hedgehog nodded, then downed the chilli-dog in one gulp, and instantly regretted it. It was a shame to waste such good food, not to mention that it was excruciatingly painful and took a long time to reach his stomach when eaten that way.
Sally laughed and rolled her eyes. Typical Sonic.
"Uh, that's not what I meant, but thanks"
Sonic nodded, his face now contorted in a sort of a grimace, and his eyes bugged out.
"Y-you're welcome, S-sal"
He grunted in pain, and his body lurched in several unnatural positions as he willed the chilli-dog to get down into his stomach.
"Sonic..." Sally said between guffaws, "Next time... chew... your food... You're gonna... kill yourself... someday..."
"Urghhh... Th-thanks for... the advice... Sal..." Sonic grunted.
He held onto his neck and chest, and bore down, then finally, the chilli-dog left his esophagus and dropped into his stomach. The hedgehog sighed in relief as the pain went away, and felt somewhat dizzy. Of course, he knew he wasn't out of the woods yet. If a chilli-dog goes in, it's gotta come out.
"Sal," he said, "Remind me not to do that again"
The squirrel laughed and nodded, then kissed her humilliated fiance.
"Boy, do I have my work cut out for me," she said, "And by the way, I'm feeling a little hungry. Can you get some ice cream and pickles?"
Sonic looked at her weird. Oh, no, he thought, she's gettin' those cravings now... oh, boy, this is gonna be fun...
************************************************
"Knuckles hit Sonic?" Amy cried in disbelief.
"Yeah," Tails said, "And he said he did it for the sake of all of us"
"Sake?" the hedgehog asked, "What's that?"
"I don't know," the kitsune replied, "Probably some grown-up word that means we're not supposed to know something"
Amy thought for a moment.
"Well, he was being mean to Sonic, so he must be one of the bad guys. We gotta stop him before he and Latifah take over Knothole"
"FREEDOM FIGHTERS!!!" the two children shouted, before dropping their toys and heading for the Great Forest.
*************************************************
Jarad watched the children from the brush he was hiding in.
Interesting... they know Latifah... he thought, maybe this is my big opportunity to find her...
"What the hell are you doing here, Jarad?"
He turned to see the mobian psychic he had been pursuing.
"Latifah, they are looking for you," he said, "As am I. Looks like I found you. You're in a lot of trouble, little girl"
"So? What are you going to do about it? Especially so close to a native settlement? I won't be the only one in trouble"
Jarad glared at her.
"Don't play games with me, Latifah, you stole our powers, and you will pay for that!"
The mobian gave him a look that could disintegrate stone.
"You may have me if you want," she said, "But if you take me, I hope the island falls on your family, what little family you have, and kills every one of them"
What??? Jarad thought, What was this lunatic talking about? A falling island? Perhaps that was why her mother had such little use for her.
He took out a collar and chain, and his emerald. If she wanted him to catch her...
His thoughts were interrupted by a blast from the woman's emerald.
"Idiot!" the woman snapped, "I said, 'you may have me if you want'! I did not say that I would give myself up to you. I have absolutely no intention of giving myself up, least of all, to one of her lackies!"
"How do you kn-" asked a very sore Jarad, realizing by the way the mobian stressed the word 'her', that she knew who he was working for.
"I had a feeling," the old psychic answered, "And you just confirmed it. Thank you, Jarad. Now get out of here, before I forget myself and just kill you!"
And with that, the woman sent him flying.
************************************************
Maria woke up in a make-shift bed, and saw a mobian looking down at her.
"Wha-?"
She abruptly sat up, startling the mobian pig.
"Whoa, easy!"
"Where am I?" the woman asked.
"You're in the Knothole hospital. Now take it easy. I'm not finished examining you. You look like you have a muscular-disorder, but I need to conduct a few more tests. Just lay back down. I'll be done in a sec"
Maria sat back, still disoriented. What happened? Where's Shadow?
"Shadow..." she mumbled.
"Who's shadow?" the doctor asked, "Some pet from back home?"
She restlessly looked around the room she was in, unable to focus well.
"No..."
"Well, you should go back to sleep, Maria-"
"NO! Where's Shadow???" the woman cried, sitting up again, "I need to know where he is! I don't know if they found him or not!"
Then she broke down crying.
"What? Who are they?"
"They tried to kill him... "
She started crying again.
The doctor sat down next to the hysterical woman and tried to comfort her.
Then, the door to the hut opened, and an old hedgehog with a strange device on his left wrist walked in.
"Shadow!" Maria cried, getting up from her bed.
She tried to run, but her legs gave out and she fell. The doctor helped her up and got her back onto the bed.
The hedgehog chuckled.
"The name's Charles Hedgehog, but you can call me Chuck. All my friends do"
He walked over to the bed and held the woman's hand, calming her.
"Now who's this shadow?"
*****************************************
"They didn't see us!" Amy giggled.
"Cool," Tails said, "Now c'mon, let's go!"
The two children wandered through the forest, a little scared, but determined to prove they could pull off anything that a grown-up can.
"Wow. We're really doing this all by ourselves," Amy said.
"Yeah, the kitsune answered, "Aunt Sally and Uncle Sonic are gonna be so proud of us"
"Children! You mustn't be here!"
Both of the childrens' hair stood on end.
Tails' ears perked up at the familiar voice.
"Pyjamas?"
"You must go back!"
The old psychic stepped into view.
"We're trying to help Sonic and Sally!" Amy explained, "We're gonna stop that mean lady Latifah and Knuckles. They hurt Sonic"
"Don't do this," Pyjamas warned.
"We're trying to help!"
{Yes, children, help Aunt Sally,} a gentle, almost menacing female voice said.
"STAY OUT OF THIS!!!" the psychic yelled out to the voice, "DO NOT HARM THEM!!!"
{I have no interest in little children. I want Latifah. Bring her to me now, whoever you are}
"NEVER!!! Latifah is under my protection!"
"What? You're protecting Latifah?" Tails cried, "So that's why you told us to go back! No way!"
He picked Amy up and flew off, leaving Pyjamas alone with the voice.
"Stay out of my mind!" the anthropomorph demanded, clutching her chaos emerald and trying to fend off the voice's influence.
*******************************************
Meanwhile, in a room dimly-lit by a candle, a cat tended to an old furry-woman, who was in bed with a raging fever. She had tried all the fever-remedies and spells she knew, but none of them worked now.
The sick mobian stirred, her sweat-soaked hair clinging to her face.
"Ebony..." the elderly woman managed.
"Please, lay still," the black cat said, her worried voice betraying her attempts to remain calm.
She gently pushed back the hair from her friend's face, and lay a compress on the woman's burning forehead.
"Ebony..." the mobian said again, "You are needed... "
"Please, don't talk. You'll only wear yourself out. You need to-"
"I will be cared for... while you're gone..." the woman said, pointing to the doorway.
The cat looked to where her friend was pointing, and saw a cloaked figure in the doorway. The light from the candle reflected off something metal under the figure's hood, and she recognized who it was immediately.
The figure nodded.
"Yes, I will tend to her. Now go. The bansh-echidnas need you"
Ebony closed her eyes for a moment, then nodded. She knew this was coming for years, ever since the takeover. The bansh-echidnas were almost of age, but something even more serious was going on, something she heard her friend mumbling about while she was asleep.
'Orin... is weakening... her sister... holds chaos...'
Whatever was going on, it was not good, and with Orin's sister involved, things just went from bad to worse.
********************************************
Author's note: i edited that scene where sonic and sally do 'it'.
By the way, Latifah has a neurological disorder that makes it hard for her to think under pressure. It causes a bottle-neck in her brain, and situations like combat become overwhelming for her, especially when things don't go as planned. But when she is linked with Knuckles, their mental-capacity doubles, with Knuckles doing most of the processing. I read something about this weird disorder in a magazine, some kind of autism.
Also, I'm sick of people going on and on about why Mary Sue must die, because most people in classic fiction are Mary Sue's. For example: Cinderella, Snow-White, and several others. People like to read about triumphing over adversity, and I am no exception. That's why I like Harry Potter. Many people can identify with these characters, because they are virtually un-touched emotionally by the abuse, and they put our problems in perspective.