* * *
"Look out!"
"Madre de Dios!"
"Kill it!"
"Kyrie eleison!"
"Watch out for that-!"
It was pandemonium. Sally felt her chest tighten as Sky Lynx came in for a landing on top of the barracks. The four remaining creatures were running amuck in the breached garrison, sending both Mobians and Overlanders into fearful flights. Sally's first instinct was to blame herself for not foreseeing this possibility, the next was to find some way to stop those things.
"Sky Lynx! Get them out of those things' reach!" For once, Sky Lynx didn't have a complaint or comeback to make. He swooped down like a great bird of prey and carried away his friends in his talons. Unfortunately, he was only one dragon and there were four monsters.
"AAARRRGHH!!" An anguished cry rose from the ground. Sally peered over in distress.
"Oh my god!" David Nussboym, writhing in agony, clutched at his bloodied arm as one of the beasts circled around, waiting to finish the job. Sally searched the sky for the white dragon, but he was busy elsewhere.
"Get away from him!" Sally shouted as she slid down a drainage pipe. But even she knew that she was going to be too late. Suddenly, the beast was hit in the nose by a small rock. It shook its head, only to be struck a second time. It turned towards it's thrower, who was currently spouting all sorts of Russian invectives.
"Move, Misha!" Sally shouted. "What are you waiting for?" The beast lunged and Sally shut her eyes. When she opened them again, Misha had darted out of the way and revealed a large and very ticked off Dulcy. The creature stopped in its tracks at the sight of the large, imposing dragon. Dulcy grinned.
"Beat it, ugly!" One swing of her tail later, and the creature was yelping away, one leg moving very stiffly. Sally breathed a sigh of relief.
"That was too close!" She paused. "What are you waiting for? Get up to the roof!"
It took some doing, but Sky Lynx somehow managed to lift Dulcy onto the roof and carefully did the same for David. Sally breathed a bit easier when they were all on the high ground. But the relaxation was short lived. "Where's Tails?!"
"Vot on!" Misha shouted, too nervous to consider what language he was using. Sally held her hands to her mouth. Down below, Tails and Paul were trapped between a pair of the menacing creatures. Tails wouldn't have enough time to gain sufficient altitude before he and Paul were ripped to shreds.
And Sally was too far away. Fortunately, Tails and Paul weren't alone. Seemingly out of nowhere, Ejnar Bjorn came barreling at them, wielding a long metal pipe and his gaze focused on the beasts that had Tails and Paul surrounded. With a resounding CRACK! Ejnar swung the pole, catching one of the beasts right in the head. It flew right into the wall and bounced off. It laid very still and didn't move. Nor would it ever again.
"I guess Misha wasn't kidding when he said Ejnar was a great martial artist." Sally said breathlessly. One down, three to go. Unfortunately, one of those three was still down there with Ejnar and the kids. It growled and prepared to pounce, but it somehow got itself stuck mid-leap in a small blue whirlwind.
"Spin and win time!" Sally heard a familiar voice yell. With a howl that sounded more like a whimper, the beast went flying away.
"Sonic!" Sally shouted. "Get them out of there!"
"Gotcha, Sal!" Sonic shouted back. Revving up his legs, Sonic grabbed Paul and carried him off while Tails carried Ejnar up onto the administration building's roof.
"Nice job Sonic! Is everybody safe?" Sally asked anxiously. "Anyone missing?" She spied Olivia and Major Cadwaller doing a quick head-count. All she heard in response was a fearful shriek.
Sally whirled. "Who-?" Misha paled.
"Rosa!"
Misha darted for the stairwell that led down from the roof, Sally right on his heels. Sally tried to tell him not to rush in, but knew that if their places had been reversed, she would have done the same thing.
"This is happening too fast!" Sally's mind screamed at her. "Think of something!" And she tried, but when she followed Misha down to the mess hall, she found that it was a bit late for a planning session. In the middle of the mess hall, Rosa and the ferret girl, Nazdar if Sally remembered correctly, had barricaded themselves with the tables and tried to keep the beasts at bay.
Two beasts circled round, a ruined corpse was all that was left of the third. Sally wrinkled her nose in disgust. Apparently the creatures would prey on their own if given the chance. Disgusting.
"What do we do?" Misha asked urgently. He was scared, but not for himself. Sally saw Rosa and Nazdar trying to fend the beasts off with broken table legs, but she knew that wouldn't hold them off for long.
Sally's attention was wrenched from her plans when Nazdar suddenly leapt over the tables in a fine display of ferret agility and brought her makeshift club straight on one of the creatures. It stumbled back, dazed. But that daze was soon replaced by anger and it roared.
"AIIEE!" Nazdar yelped as she jumped back. "Canewer!" Misha tried to help but only succeeded in getting battered aside like a rag-doll. Fortunately, he proved enough of a distraction to give Nazdar another chance. She picked up another table fragment, one with a sharper end, and smashed it down on the creature's exposed neck. The creature collapsed after the third hit, and didn't get up again. Despite the desperation of the scene, Sally couldn't help but grin.
"Three down, one to go." Unfortunately, the last one had heard her and had decided to go after her. Sally slowly backed up, not wanting to give the beast any reason to charge before she had an idea ready. "Think Sally-girl, think!" Her mind raced. What to do? She suddenly yipped with pain and surprise when her tail came into contact with something hot. Very hot. "The stove!" Sally exclaimed as an idea began to form. It was based on a trick she had seen Sonic do once, back in Lower Mobius. When he was confronted with a Ratbot. She smiled.
"Hey ugly, over here!" Sally called. She threw a broken table fragment at it, hoping to incite it to charge. "Like a charm." Sally smiled. With a roar and a snarl, the beast came. Misha, who had gotten back on his feet, yelled at her to get out of its way.
"Not yet." She thought. "Not yet...NOW!" At the last possible second, Sally dove out of the way leaving the creature to jam its head into the active stove. It writhed and jerked about in pain, but Sally never noticed that. Her momentum had been too strong and she bashed the back of her head against the wall. Ears ringing, head aching, and her body shuddering, Sally tried standing back up but found she couldn't. Nor could she hear Misha's frantic questions about her condition. All she heard--all she felt--was a dull ache that soon faded into blackness.
* * *
"Look out!"
"Madre de Dios!"
"Kill it!"
"Kyrie eleison!"
"Watch out for that-!"
It was pandemonium. Sally felt her chest tighten as Sky Lynx came in for a landing on top of the barracks. The four remaining creatures were running amuck in the breached garrison, sending both Mobians and Overlanders into fearful flights. Sally's first instinct was to blame herself for not foreseeing this possibility, the next was to find some way to stop those things.
"Sky Lynx! Get them out of those things' reach!" For once, Sky Lynx didn't have a complaint or comeback to make. He swooped down like a great bird of prey and carried away his friends in his talons. Unfortunately, he was only one dragon and there were four monsters.
"AAARRRGHH!!" An anguished cry rose from the ground. Sally peered over in distress.
"Oh my god!" David Nussboym, writhing in agony, clutched at his bloodied arm as one of the beasts circled around, waiting to finish the job. Sally searched the sky for the white dragon, but he was busy elsewhere.
"Get away from him!" Sally shouted as she slid down a drainage pipe. But even she knew that she was going to be too late. Suddenly, the beast was hit in the nose by a small rock. It shook its head, only to be struck a second time. It turned towards it's thrower, who was currently spouting all sorts of Russian invectives.
"Move, Misha!" Sally shouted. "What are you waiting for?" The beast lunged and Sally shut her eyes. When she opened them again, Misha had darted out of the way and revealed a large and very ticked off Dulcy. The creature stopped in its tracks at the sight of the large, imposing dragon. Dulcy grinned.
"Beat it, ugly!" One swing of her tail later, and the creature was yelping away, one leg moving very stiffly. Sally breathed a sigh of relief.
"That was too close!" She paused. "What are you waiting for? Get up to the roof!"
It took some doing, but Sky Lynx somehow managed to lift Dulcy onto the roof and carefully did the same for David. Sally breathed a bit easier when they were all on the high ground. But the relaxation was short lived. "Where's Tails?!"
"Vot on!" Misha shouted, too nervous to consider what language he was using. Sally held her hands to her mouth. Down below, Tails and Paul were trapped between a pair of the menacing creatures. Tails wouldn't have enough time to gain sufficient altitude before he and Paul were ripped to shreds.
And Sally was too far away. Fortunately, Tails and Paul weren't alone. Seemingly out of nowhere, Ejnar Bjorn came barreling at them, wielding a long metal pipe and his gaze focused on the beasts that had Tails and Paul surrounded. With a resounding CRACK! Ejnar swung the pole, catching one of the beasts right in the head. It flew right into the wall and bounced off. It laid very still and didn't move. Nor would it ever again.
"I guess Misha wasn't kidding when he said Ejnar was a great martial artist." Sally said breathlessly. One down, three to go. Unfortunately, one of those three was still down there with Ejnar and the kids. It growled and prepared to pounce, but it somehow got itself stuck mid-leap in a small blue whirlwind.
"Spin and win time!" Sally heard a familiar voice yell. With a howl that sounded more like a whimper, the beast went flying away.
"Sonic!" Sally shouted. "Get them out of there!"
"Gotcha, Sal!" Sonic shouted back. Revving up his legs, Sonic grabbed Paul and carried him off while Tails carried Ejnar up onto the administration building's roof.
"Nice job Sonic! Is everybody safe?" Sally asked anxiously. "Anyone missing?" She spied Olivia and Major Cadwaller doing a quick head-count. All she heard in response was a fearful shriek.
Sally whirled. "Who-?" Misha paled.
"Rosa!"
Misha darted for the stairwell that led down from the roof, Sally right on his heels. Sally tried to tell him not to rush in, but knew that if their places had been reversed, she would have done the same thing.
"This is happening too fast!" Sally's mind screamed at her. "Think of something!" And she tried, but when she followed Misha down to the mess hall, she found that it was a bit late for a planning session. In the middle of the mess hall, Rosa and the ferret girl, Nazdar if Sally remembered correctly, had barricaded themselves with the tables and tried to keep the beasts at bay.
Two beasts circled round, a ruined corpse was all that was left of the third. Sally wrinkled her nose in disgust. Apparently the creatures would prey on their own if given the chance. Disgusting.
"What do we do?" Misha asked urgently. He was scared, but not for himself. Sally saw Rosa and Nazdar trying to fend the beasts off with broken table legs, but she knew that wouldn't hold them off for long.
Sally's attention was wrenched from her plans when Nazdar suddenly leapt over the tables in a fine display of ferret agility and brought her makeshift club straight on one of the creatures. It stumbled back, dazed. But that daze was soon replaced by anger and it roared.
"AIIEE!" Nazdar yelped as she jumped back. "Canewer!" Misha tried to help but only succeeded in getting battered aside like a rag-doll. Fortunately, he proved enough of a distraction to give Nazdar another chance. She picked up another table fragment, one with a sharper end, and smashed it down on the creature's exposed neck. The creature collapsed after the third hit, and didn't get up again. Despite the desperation of the scene, Sally couldn't help but grin.
"Three down, one to go." Unfortunately, the last one had heard her and had decided to go after her. Sally slowly backed up, not wanting to give the beast any reason to charge before she had an idea ready. "Think Sally-girl, think!" Her mind raced. What to do? She suddenly yipped with pain and surprise when her tail came into contact with something hot. Very hot. "The stove!" Sally exclaimed as an idea began to form. It was based on a trick she had seen Sonic do once, back in Lower Mobius. When he was confronted with a Ratbot. She smiled.
"Hey ugly, over here!" Sally called. She threw a broken table fragment at it, hoping to incite it to charge. "Like a charm." Sally smiled. With a roar and a snarl, the beast came. Misha, who had gotten back on his feet, yelled at her to get out of its way.
"Not yet." She thought. "Not yet...NOW!" At the last possible second, Sally dove out of the way leaving the creature to jam its head into the active stove. It writhed and jerked about in pain, but Sally never noticed that. Her momentum had been too strong and she bashed the back of her head against the wall. Ears ringing, head aching, and her body shuddering, Sally tried standing back up but found she couldn't. Nor could she hear Misha's frantic questions about her condition. All she heard--all she felt--was a dull ache that soon faded into blackness.
* * *