Chapter 5 – The Final Charge
Jet and Sarah walked along next to each other with their heads hung. Occasionally a soldier behind them would nudge then along with the butt of his gun but they didn't care. Both of them were lost in though. For Jet his thoughts dwelled on his mother beside him. He kept running what she had said though his head. Should he have come back to rescue her? What was going to happen now? Sarah on the other hand was thinking purely about her son. She was glad to see him again but she wished he had never come back. She looked over at him walking beside her.
"Jet love." she said.
"Yeah mum." replied Jet.
Sarah reached over and slowly took hold of Jet's hands as best she could due to hers and his hands being bound.
"I love you."
"Back at ya mum."
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Miles was pacing his cell impatiently. Alicia still hadn't come back yet and he was worried. Saying that the alarms hadn't gone off yet so she obviously hadn't been found but he hoped nobody came into the cell block.
"Where is she?!" he said again.
"Be patient Miles. Alicia is a capable girl." replied Bunnie.
"It's not that I'm worried about."
Bunnie sighed and slumped to the floor. She knew all too well what he was worried about. What were those men going to do with little Jet and his mother? Where were Links and Lavender? And for another point, where was Petya? During the time Alicia had been away Miles had explained what had happened earlier when they had attempted to escape. She was most worried about Petya, she might appear strong but Bunnie had gotten to know her well since her arrival five years ago. Bunnie knew she had a fragile core and was worried. Just then they heard a soft clanging. Bunnie immediately looked at the door. Were they coming back? What if they noticed Alicia was missing? What do I mean what if? They would notice she was gone! Bunnie began to pray in her head slowly as she closed her eyes. There was a bit more banging and then Miles cried out.
"Alicia!"
Bunnie's eyes flew open and she glanced at the vent as a rather dusty looking Alicia came crawling through. She stood up and dusted herself off.
"Alicia!" cried Miles, "Where'd you get THAT?!"
He pointed at Links' staff she was holding in one hand.
Alicia looked up at Miles and then at the staff.
"Found it in the captain's room." replied Alicia with a grin.
"The captain's room!" cried Miles and Bunnie together.
"Relax he wasn't there. Well not until I got into the room but I hid and he didn't see me." said Alicia.
"So what you gonna do sugah?" asked Bunnie, "Break the lock with that there staff?"
"I could do but I got an easier way." replied Alicia.
She leaned the staff against the wall and walked over to the cells. She quickly slid a card through both locks and with a bleep the doors opened. Miles and Bunnie looked startled for a moment.
"Well come on let's go!" said Alicia sharply.
Miles and Bunnie quickly left their cells and walked over to join Alicia by Links staff.
"Alicia what was that?" asked Miles.
Alicia was holding the card below her nose and looking at it lightly. She slowly looked up with an innocent expression that made her look like she was in trouble.
"The master override key." she stated.
"The WHAT?!" cried Miles, "Oh Alicia I could kiss you! Scrub that I am gonna kiss you!"
Before Alicia could say anything Miles flung his arms around her and planted a large kiss on her cheek.
"Argh! UH! Miles get off!" complained Alicia.
Miles released her and thumped her playfully on the arm.
"Way to go sis!" he said.
"Thanks Miles." replied Alicia.
"I hate to be a little moment spoiler but what now kids? We can't really leave this cell block, we'll be caught." said Bunnie butting in.
"Simple Bunnie." said Alicia, "We'll go by vent."
"Vent! Oh ma stars." said Bunnie.
"Surely you can fit in their Bunnie." teased Miles.
"Now hold on just one minute. That's all well and good but we'll have to leave the vent eventually and the longer we spend in them the more likely we'll be caught. And what about the others?" replied Bunnie.
"I might have found where they are keeping them." said Alicia, "Either that or its one hell of an important place."
"Nice one again sis!" said Miles.
"Well alright we'll go check it out but we have to hurry. We don't know how long it will be before they come back." said Bunnie.
"Right!" said Miles and Alicia in unison.
Alicia grabbed Links' staff and ducked back into the vent. Miles quickly followed her and then Bunnie knelt down next to it.
"Ah'm just glad I haven't eaten much in the last week." she said to herself before crawling in after the kids.
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"Station one this is command. Come in station one."
A soldier reached for his belt and the radio attached to it. He plucked it off and answered.
"Station one here." he said.
"Report."
"Nothing to report."
"Confirmed station one."
The radio went dead and the soldier returned it to his belt. In a vent above him sat Alicia, Miles and Bunnie.
"Ten minutes between call ins." said Miles quietly.
"Let's do it." replied Alicia.
"Get ready kids." said Bunnie.
Bunnie was now holding the vent closed with her fingers as she waited. The guard stepped back towards the door and then walked forwards a bit. Just where Bunnie wanted him. She released the vent cover and kicked it hard as it opened. The vent hatch swung down catching the soldier cleanly in the face. He gave a small startled grunt, spun on the spot and collapsed to the floor on his front. Bunnie quickly dropped down to the floor and checked him.
"Out cold." she said, "Come on you two."
Miles and Alicia quickly jumped down and stood next to Bunnie. The door Alicia had seen earlier marked 'Confinement' now stood in front of them.
"Ok Alicia do it." said Bunnie.
Alicia quickly stepped forwards and swiped the card through a lock next to the door. There was a humm and a small green screen lit up on the wall below the lock.
"Security card confirmed." said a computer voice, "Awaiting hand print for confirmation."
The screen started to flash green.
"Oh crap!" said Miles, "What now?"
"What about him?" asked Alicia.
"I doubt his hand print would do if this was a top level card." said Bunnie, "Maybe…."
Just then the screen blinked and faded off.
"Hand print scan verification not necessary. Override engaged." said the computer voice again.
"Woah!" cried Alicia, "When it said override I wasn't expecting this amount of override."
"Quit complaining." said Bunnie. "We have to move."
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Lavender lay whimpering softly between Links and Petya. She had an arm wrapped around both of them and her tails were spread out in a fan behind her. Even though her powers were not directly affected by the energy in the room she was feeling weak because of it. She glanced at Petya curled up beside her and then at Links. He was breathing lightly and looked physically exhausted.
"What's going on?" she murmured to herself, "What…"
Just then the door on the wall gave a hiss. There was a moments silence and suddenly Lavender started to feel more alert. Links started to blink and twitch beside her. She glanced up at the door as it suddenly opened and filled the room with light. She glanced away quickly and curled up slightly. A voice broke the air.
"Lavender?" it said.
Lavender blinked and a shiver ran through her entire body. The voice pierced right to her heart and she suddenly looked up at the door. Standing there was a blue hedgehog. Lavender's jaw dropped slightly as she stared. Standing in the light from the outside corridor he looked like a holy savior.
"Miles!" she cried from the floor.
The hedgehog glanced over at her quickly and immediately jumped down to where she was. Lavender was now propped up on her arms as he knelt down next to her. Quickly he flung his arms round her and hugged her tightly. Lavender returned the gesture.
"Lavender! It's really you! We found you!" cried Miles still hugging her.
"Miles what are you doing here?" replied Lavender.
"Not just him Lavender!" cried another voice.
Lavender looked up to see Alicia and Bunnie leaping down into the room too.
"Hero's to the rescue!" cried Alicia.
"Alicia! Bunnie!" cried Lavender her eyes filling with tears.
It was now that Miles released her and spun towards Petya.
"My god what have they done to her?" he said.
"No idea sugah but we have to get her out of here. Lavender can you walk?" asked Bunnie.
Lavender was on her feet in an instant and nodded at Bunnie quickly.
"Good. Kids you see if Links is ok, I'll deal with Petya." said Bunnie quickly.
Miles quickly looked up from Petya and turned to Links as Alicia sped to his side also. Bunnie quickly knelt down next to Petya. She gave her a small shake.
"Petya! Petya sugah!" she said still shaking her.
Petya just whimpered and curled up even tighter. Meanwhile Miles and Alicia were trying to wake Links. He was still breathing rather slowly but looked slightly more awake.
"Links you ok?" asked Miles.
Links replied by looking at him and blinking. Miles looked at his sister.
"Come on Alicia, let's carry him." he said.
"You got it." replied Alicia.
Miles grabbed hold of Links arm and rolled him onto his back. Alicia grabbed his other arm and together they slowly hoisted the fox to his feet.
"Damn he weights a ton!" commented Alicia.
"Question is how'd we get him up that step?" said Miles.
The entrance to the room was about five foot up the wall and there was only a single ladder leading up to it.
"Simple." replied Alicia, "We drag him up."
"Yeah swell sis."
They dragged Links over to the exit and Alicia let go of Links. Miles had to lean the fox against the wall to avoid dropping him. Alicia quickly climbed the ladder and reached down towards Links. She grabbed his loose arm and pulled up. Miles started to push upwards and slowly they started to haul Links out of the room. A few hard minutes later they had dragged Links out of the room. They dumped him next to his staff outside the room and quickly jumped back in to help Bunnie. Both Bunnie and Lavender were trying to pull Petya out of the ball she was curled in so they could carry her out. They weren't succeeding though. Petya was curled up so tight her body had gone stiff in that position. As Miles and Alicia joined then Bunnie finally managed to pick the wolf up. It was hard work and was like carrying a very large baby. The kids could see she was sweating as she carried Petya over to the exit. As they neared they could hear something outside. Bunnie panicked.
"What's that?! Kids hide!" she said.
The children quickly ducked below the entrance for cover but Bunnie was in not position to hide as she was carrying Petya. She stood in plain sight in the middle of the room as a figure appeared.
"Well well well." he said.
"LINKS!" cried Bunnie.
The fox stood at his full height at the entrance to the room with his staff in one hand. The children quickly stood and looked up.
"Links!" cried Lavender.
Links crouched down and ruffled Lavenders hair before turning back to Bunnie.
"Well come on get her out of there!" he said quickly.
As the children scrambled out of the room Bunnie made her way over to the entrance. Links reached down and took Petya from Bunnie grip and then placed her on the floor of the corridor as Bunnie climbed up.
"Links how are you up?" asked Bunnie amazed.
"Thanks to someone who brought my staff with them I was able to regain my strength." said Links.
"That was me." said Alicia.
"Thanks." said Links, "There is something in that room that was meddling with my powers. Something that is blotting out the energy and reversing it. But my guess is that it was designed to dampen the Deep Power Stones Power by the way Petya is acting. The ring substance and the Deep Power Stones have the same energy signal but the Stones are more powerful. That's probably why I wasn't affected as much by it and Lavender didn't seem to be affected at all. "
Links stopped and looked at Bunnie.
"They are able to apply this throughout the ship too by the look of it." he said, "Anyway how did you escape?"
"Some men came and took Jet and Sarah away and left the cell door open. Alicia here pushed her way through the bars and escaped through their open cells before taking a tour of the ship in the venting and finding your staff and this security card." replied Bunnie.
"That'd explain the bloody nose. They took Jet eh. We have to find them." said Links.
"Easier said then done. We got here through the venting but I can't get Petya into the venting can I." replied Bunnie.
"In that case we have to go by the corridors." said Links.
"But what about this system?" asked Lavender.
"I think I can solve that." said Miles.
He cracked his fingers and looked at a nearby control panel on the wall. It had a small screen, a keyboard and a security card point. He walked over to it and cracked his fingers again.
"Time for some computer hacking." he said, "Bunnie hand me that card."
"Miles?! You can hack?" asked Bunnie handing him the card.
"Manic showed me about a year back." he replied slotting the card into the port.
The computer lit up and Miles sat down. He started to type frantically.
"Ok we have to shut this system down, find out where they took Jet and Sarah and…what's this?" he said.
"What is it Miles?" asked Lavender.
"There's some sort of data transfer going on here! Look!" he said.
Bunnie looked over his shoulder and gasped.
"Oh ma stars! Those are the Robotropolis central computer files!" she gasped.
"The what?!"" cried Links, "I thought you had sealed them up."
"We did. They must have broke the code." replied Bunnie, "Miles you gotta stop it. Those files contain the last traces of Robotnik's reign. If they upload all those files they'll have plans for stealthbots, swatbots and lord forbid the robotisiser!"
"The robotisiser!" cried Miles turning round, "Holy sweet Mobius!"
Miles turned back to the screen and continued to type. He kept shaking his head.
"It's no good Bunnie. The files are being uploaded directly into the ships central computer core. I can't stop it."
"In that case we have to destroy the core." said Links, "Where is it?"
Miles typed a bit more and then looked up.
"Twelve levels down in the central area." he said.
"Good now we have to find out everything else we need." said Lavender sitting down.
"Lavender?" asked Miles.
"You think you're the only one who can hack? Manic showed you and Tails showed me. Fancy a double?" replied Lavender.
"You got it Lav. Let's do it to it."
The two looked back at the screens and together started to type. The speed they were going made Bunnie's eyes hurt.
"Jet and Sarah are being taken to something called chamber seven on the third deck." said Lavender finally.
"Good." said Links.
"Lavender I need a hand with this." said Miles, "I've found the ships internal system plans but I can't find this dampening thing."
"Got it."
Lavender flicked her screen to show what Miles was seeing and the two started to scan the systems. One by one they blinked off until only one remained.
"GOT IT!" they cried together.
"Now to do some minor adjustments!" said Miles as he started to type.
A moment later he turned and smiled.
"That ought to even things out." he said.
"Well done sugahs!" cried Bunnie as she hugged them both.
"Well done indeed. Now give me a plan map of how to get to chamber seven and the central core." said Links.
Miles quickly brought it up on the screen. Links scanned it for a moment and then took a step back.
"You lot get yourself and Petya down to the shuttle bay. I'm going after the core and the others." he said.
"Links you can't go alone." said Lavender.
"I am Lavender." replied Links, "Better if one of us fails than all of us. Take that guards gun and secure a shuttle. I'll try to make it back."
Links turned but Bunnie caught his arm.
"Be careful Links." she said.
"I will be." he replied.
He swung his staff up in front of himself and charged off down the corridor.
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"SIR!" cried and officer.
"What?!" replied Hardwell.
"Sir we have a break out!"
"A what?!"
"The prisoners in block A! They're free."
"And you only just told me!"
Hardwell could have screamed. He glanced at the screen in front of him.
"Full report!" he cried.
"Sir!" replied the officer, "The squad sent to escort the rest of the prisoners to chamber six have just informed me they are not in their cells."
"Full lock down. I want them caught."
"Something else sir, we are currently not getting any reading from confinement."
"You what? That can only mean someone has opened the chamber."
"Yes sir."
"Get a squad down there to check it out and activate the ships dampeners."
Hardwell couldn't believe it. What was going on?
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Bunnie, Miles, Alicia and Lavender were making good progress towards the hanger bay. Bunnie was carrying Petya, Miles had taken the guards gun and Alicia had the keycard in her possession. However there progress stopped as a huge metal shutter slammed down in front of them.
"We've been found out." said Miles.
"Ok freeze!" came a cry.
"Bunnie duck!" cried Miles shoving Bunnie to the floor.
Bunnie fell to the ground and Petya landed on top of her. Miles aimed his gun and fired, spraying the corridor with shots and making the soldier that had appeared duck for cover.
"Alicia get the door! The keycard!" he cried.
Alicia spun quickly and jumped for the door lock. She quickly slid the card through it and with a hiss the shutter released and opened.
"Got it." she cried.
Lavender was up and through the door in a second followed by Alicia. Bunnie heaved herself and Petya off the floor and raced through too. Miles stopped firing and ran for the door. As he did the soldiers opened fire. He managed to dodge most of the shots but one struck him in the shoulder sending him spinning to the floor. Lavender spun as she heard him hit the decking.
"MILES!" she cried.
Without a second hesitation she ran back through the open door. Bunnie quickly dropped Petya and spun also.
"Lavender don't!" she cried.
She was too late though as Lavender was already into it. Bunnie watched in a mix of horror and amazement as Lavender dodged every single shot that came near her. She appeared to be moving as if time was standing still for her. It was like watching a sped up movie.
For Lavender it was the opposite. Things seemed to be happening in slow motion as she effortlessly dodged every laser volley. Miles lay on the floor obviously hurt but not out. He was trying to prop himself up but failing every time. Lavender then noticed the rifle that lay beside Miles. She spun towards it and dived to the ground. Rolling over the top of it she stood up again and faced the soldiers. Lavender glared at them and swung the gun round. She moved slightly as a laser shot passed close to her head and then stopped dead. The rifle charged and Lavender fired four controlled blasts at the soldiers. Each one fell to the deck with a laser shot through the chest. Lavender quickly dropped the gun and collapsed next to Miles. She rolled him over and cradled him across her lap. He looked up at her with a small smile.
"Thank you Lavender." he said.
"Miles!" replied Lavender.
She lowered her head to his un-injured shoulder and sighed. Her tails started to wag happily behind her. Miles replied by raising his arm and putting it round her shoulder. The moment seemed to last an eternity to them both. Lavender was starting to rub her muzzle against Miles' shoulder as Bunnie raced over to them both.
"Sugah! You ok?" she asked to either of them.
Lavender made a small affirmative sound and Miles nodded.
"It'll take more than one shot to keep me down Bunnie." he replied.
"Miles you ok?" asked Alicia as she came into view.
"Yeah sis I'm fine. Hurts like hell but I'm ok." he replied.
"Well I can't carry you too!" said Bunnie.
"No need, I'll do it." said Lavender looking up.
"I'll help." said Alicia.
"No!" cried Lavender suddenly.
Alicia looked startled and hurt at the outburst.
"I mean….you'll need to cover us." said Lavender quickly looking slightly embarrassed.
"Well…um….ok." replied Alicia slowly picking up the fallen laser gun.
Lavender slowly helped Miles to his feet and continued to support him. The pair slowly started to make their way back to the shutter. Bunnie had already run ahead to retrieve Petya. Alicia brought up the rear walking backwards just to be sure. When they had cleared the shutter, Alicia located the lock on the other side and slid the card through it. The shutter slid down and locked firm.
"That'll stop em following us." she said with a grin.
"Nice Alicia, now let's get moving!" said Bunnie.
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Links ran at a full sprint down the corridors. Since he had been released from the confinement chamber he had felt his powers slowly returning to him. He was becoming more and more aware of them by the second as he ran. Also as he ran another feeling had returned to him. The feeling that had had him looking at the sky for the last year. It was growing stronger with every step he took and Links was fast becoming fixated on it. He knew he had to save Jet and his mother and he also had to destroy the ships main computer core but this feeling was slowly starting to push these objectives aside. What was it? Why did it feel so familiar? Why was it getting stronger?
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"Damper systems fully charged sir."
"You don't have to tell me everything that happens! Just activate the damn dampeners!" screamed Hardwell.
"Sir."
"What's the status of confinement?"
"Empty sir."
"But how could they get free?! And why didn't you pick up on the escaped prisoners before your guards found the cells empty?"
"They must have been using the air ducts sir."
"Then they probably used then to reach confinement too. Those dampeners up yet?"
"Online now sir!"
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Links suddenly felt a surge pass through his body. For a moment it felt like what had happened just before they had been caught.
"The dampeners!" he said quickly to himself.
Just then the feeling changed. The drumming in his head changed to an outwards pulse that rippled through his whole body. The ring substance in his staff suddenly glowed a new found blue colour and virtually went yellow. Like the blue gem the lines of blue fir on Links body also turned yellow. Moments later Links was fully awake, a new found strength filling his body. The scar on his forehead started to tingle and with a small spin Links changed into a gust of wind. The feeling finally overwhelmed him and everything round Links seemed to fade away. The source of this feeling was his destination.
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As Bunnie raced down the next corridor, Petya in her arms suddenly began to glow. The Power Stone in her hand gave a spark and with a sudden burst of energy, that sent Bunnie and the wolf to the floor, it came to life. The black glow around it changed back to its normal yellow colour and Petya moaned slightly and uncurled a bit. Bunnie had fallen on top of Petya and her face was virtually on top of the wolf's. Bunnie watched completely astounded as Petya slowly opened an eye slightly and looked at her.
"Bunnie?" whispered Petya slowly before falling unconscious again.
Bunnie was so shocked she didn't move for a moment. The children were quickly around her as she composed herself and shook Petya.
"Petya! Petya sugah!" she cried.
"What happened Bunnie?" asked Alicia.
"The Power Stone started glowing again and she woke up for a moment." replied Bunnie.
Miles smiled.
"What is it Miles?" asked Lavender.
Miles leaned a bit more on Lavender and replied.
"Remember when I hacked the dampener system? I did a few modifications." he said.
"Like what?" asked Bunnie.
"I reversed the reverse frequency of the system." said Miles.
"Huh?" asked Alicia.
"Before the system was at such a frequency that it totally disrupted the energy pattern of the Stones. Well I changed it so that it was on its maximum setting to empower the stones." he said.
Lavender caught on.
"So instead of stopping them it helps them?" she said.
"Bingo Lavender. My guess is they just switched the dampeners on. Or should that be energizers now?" said Miles with a smirk.
"Kiddo!" said Bunnie picking Petya up again, "When we get back to Mobius remind me to make you the biggest ice cream sundae I've ever made before."
"It's a date. But for now lets get to the shuttle bay and hope Links rescues the others." said Miles.
"You got it sugah, let's move out!" commanded Bunnie.
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"SIR!"
"What now?!" answered Hardwell.
"There's something wrong with the dampeners."
"What do you mean something?"
"When they went active the energy signature of both that wolf and the new fox suddenly increased ten fold."
"Increased? How could they increase? The dampeners are supposed to suppress those signatures."
"I don't know sir but it looks like the system might have been hacked."
"Hacked? By who?"
"Sir…..it's your command signature!"
"My what?!"
Hardwell couldn't believe it. His command codes? How was that….? Hardwell quickly started to flick through his pockets. A look of horror crossed his face.
"I took my other jacket off when I went to put that interesting staff in my office. My over ride card was in it." he said to no-one in particular.
He quickly spun and ran from the bridge. His office was only just round the corner and he pounded the lock with his fist as he stormed in. He took a quick look round and noticed a couple of things immediately. One was the open vent hatch at the far end of the room and the other was the staff being missing from where he had put it. He shot to his desk to find his jacket laid across his chair, not where he had left it. He fumbled through the pockets spreading their contents across his desk. He suddenly looked up in horror and then released his anger by sweeping an arm across his desk knocking everything off. He screamed at the ceiling and pounded the desk top.
"Those furries have my over ride card!" he cried.
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"Alright hold it." said a soldier.
Jet and Sarah stopped and both sighed. They turned slightly to look at the two escorting soldiers. One was punching a code into a panel on the wall. Next to the panel was a large circular door. There was a small window in it. Jet hadn't noticed it as they had walked past as he had been looking at the floor but his face fell now. He started to tremble slightly and Sarah saw it.
"Jet what is it?" she asked.
"That's…..that's an air lock!" he replied as he started to go white.
"That's right." replied one soldier, "We got no use for any of you prisoners now and we can't be bothered to keep you in holding. It's too much work."
Just then the door gave a hiss and swung open. One of the soldiers pointed his gun at Jet.
"You!" he said, "In."
Jet was visibly shaking now and he had gone totally rigid. Jet took a small step backwards and started to breathe in short gasps. The soldier took a few steps towards his and reached out only to have Sarah jump in the way. The soldier raised his gun and smacked Sarah across the chest causing her to stagger backwards and fall over. With her hands bound she couldn't anything but absorb the impact as she landed with a thud.
"You'll get your turn." said the soldier making a grab for Jet.
Jet tried to avoid but the soldier managed to grab his cuffs and pull him towards him. With a quick movement the soldier took a few step backwards and flung Jet to the side into the air lock. The door gave a hiss and slammed shut before Jet had even got to his feet. He stood up inside the chamber and raced to the small window. He looked out to see Sarah lying on the floor looking back at him. Their eyes locked and a message flashed between them. Sarah suddenly closed her eyes tight and looked away and Jet pressed his face even harder against the window. Just then a small green light lit up on a panel beside him. He looked at it quickly a second green light lit up. Jet went frantic and tried to find something to hold into. His gaze locked on a number of small hand grips along the side of the chamber. He ran to one and grabbed it before looking back at the panel. A third light had lit up and Jet took a deep breath. With a small warning beep all three green lights went out and the space doors at the other end of the chamber slowly slid open. Jet felt the air in the chamber rush past him and out of the open doors. He kept hold of the handle even more and held the breath he had taken inside him. The air quickly left the chamber and Jet found himself floating. Still holding his breath he threw himself back towards the window and started to pound his fists on it. Outside the soldiers looked in at him.
"Damn critter!" said one.
"Ah forget it. As soon as his air runs out he'll float out and we can move onto her."
Sarah looked up sharply. She saw Jet still pounding on the window and a new hope filled her. He wasn't giving up, even at the end, and neither would she. She glared back at the soldiers.
"You won't get away with this. Our friends will stop you." she said.
"Oh yeah?" said one soldier stepping up to her and roughly pulling her to her feet, "What friends would those be?"
A sudden gust of wind shot down the corridor knocking the soldier away from Sarah and sending him crashing to the floor. He looked up to see a burst of wind forming up in the corridor. With a flash it transformed into a blue fox holding a staff.
"These friends." said Links glaring at him.
Sarah was in shock. She blinked as she stared at the new arrival. She couldn't believe it! It was…..it was….
"LINKS?!" she cried.
Links quickly looked at her. The feeling he had had suddenly snapped as he found himself staring at the epicenter of it. He was totally shocked! It couldn't be…she was dead…but it was! It was….
"ALINDEL?!" he cried in amazement.
"Links it is you!" replied Sarah.
"Freeze!" cried a soldier.
Links glanced over at the voice to find he had two energy rifles pointing at him. At the same time he noticed Jet pounding on the window weakly. A sudden rage filled him. Jet was in trouble and what was Alindel doing here? He glared at the two soldiers as something snapped in his mind. The blue lines of fur ion his body had already gone yellow from the power boost but now they turned a midnight black colour. His eyes shifted and went red as the feeling in the scar on his forehead turned from a tingle to a burning. He leaped forwards swinging his staff as he went. The end caught both the rifles and cut then cleanly in two before the men had a chance to fire. He didn't stop and a second swipe of his staff sent the second soldier to the ground with a long slash in his arm. The first soldier quickly drew a small sidearm and fired. Links glanced at the shot and suddenly a burst of wind enveloped the shot fragmenting it into harmless light within a second. The soldier was so shocked he didn't see Links rush at him. The two blades on Links' staff buried deep into the man's chest as Links followed through and knocked him to the floor. Links glared at him for a moment and then quickly spun to bat away a shot from the other soldier. Links found himself boiling with rage even more as he suddenly reverted back to the gust of wind he had arrived as. He shot at the soldier passing straight through him and feeling a surge of energy as he did. The soldier blinked and then slowly collapsed to the ground in a heap. Links reformed himself and looked back at Sarah. She was now shaking in shock. Links saw this and instantly felt his rage fade away. The lines of black on his fur turned blue again and he dropped his staff and ran to her side. Sarah was now looking at the ground breathing shakily. Links brushed a hand across her cheek and raised her face up to look at him. She looked back with a mixed face.
"Alindel, is it really you?" he asked.
Sarah nodded slightly.
"Yes Links it's….oh god! JET!" she said.
Links looked back at the air lock quickly and jumped to his feet. He quickly looked at it and found a button marked outer hatch. It was lit red and Links quickly pressed it. He looked into the air lock through the window to see the outer hatch slide shut. Jet was floating inside the chamber not moving. Links quickly looked back at the panel and found a switch marked "Gravitise" and another marked "Re-pressurize". He pressed them both and there was a hiss as the lock started to fill with air and then a thud as gravity returned to the bay and Jet's body fell to the floor. Links quickly found the inner hatch release and pushed it. The door slid open and Links rushed inside. He picked up Jet's body and ran back out of the lock. Quickly putting the cat down, Links bent over him and started to check for breathing. Jet wasn't breathing but Links found a very weak pulse. Links quickly leaned over him and gave Jet a few breaths of CPR. He pulled away and shook him slightly before giving him another few breaths.
"Come on Jet! Dammit don't do this! Fight it!" he said quickly before giving Jet another breath.
Links checked Jet's pulse again. It was growing slightly in strength.
"That is Jet, come on!"
Links gave Jet another hard breath and suddenly Jet gave a small cough. Links pulled back as he gave another cough and then lowered his ear to Jet's mouth. He felt a faint breath against his fur and heard a slight whistling sound. Links breathed a sigh of relief. He leaned back and let his head sink to his chest. Looking up he saw Sarah crouched over Jet brushing a hand through his hair.
"Alindel?" he said.
Sarah looked up and smiled at him.
"Alindel how can you be here? You died! I watched them kill you right in front of me. You died." said Links.
"I'm still not sure what happened myself Links. When they killed me I thought it was over. I'd never see you again and you me either. But, they did something to me. They brought me back from the edge. For months they had fun playing with me. Taking me to the edge and bringing me back again. They tortured me for three whole months nearly. Then they got bored I guess and…well I don't know. Next thing I remember was waking up on a strange planet called Earth. That's where this ship and everyone on it came from."
Sarah looked over at the dead guards and shuddered slightly before looking at Links again.
"Links why did you do that? When you killed that second guard, it was just like how they killed me. That was your elemental form. Just like your brother had fire and his wife lightning, you have wind. Why did you do it? I thought you didn't want to be a part of that any more. You told me you didn't want to be a part of it. Were you lying to me?" she asked.
Links quickly scuttled over to sit beside Sarah. He put an arm round her shoulder and looked down.
"Alindel I….I didn't mean to do it. I was energized by some energy field and I….I don't know. I don't want to be a part of it, trust me Alindel. I have never lied to you." replied Links.
Sarah leaned over and placed her head on Links' shoulder. She looked up at him with a small smile.
"I know Links." she said looking down at Jet again and running a hand through his hair.
"He'll be alright Alindel. Jet's a strong person." said Links.
"You know Jet?" asked Sarah in surprise.
"Yes. He's been living with our group down on the plant since we found him about ten days or so ago." said Links before suddenly looking round sharply, "Speaking of that I have to rescue his mother too. The others said she was taken too, someone called Sarah. Alindel have you seen….."
Links stopped in mid sentence. Sarah was pointing at herself with two fingers. Links spluttered.
"No! Alindel! Are you Jet's mother?!" he asked.
"Yes Links I am." she replied.
"No way! But then….who was the father?"
Sarah gave a small giggle.
"You were Links." she replied.
"I was?"
Old memories came back to Links. That one night of infinite bliss over eleven years ago.
"No way! Then….why was everyone calling you Sarah?"
"I adopted that name while I was on Earth to shield my real identity and….to protect you. I knew that if they found Mobius, which they certainly would, something like this could happen. I never admitted to myself that it could but I knew there was a risk so I never revealed my true name and so everyone knows me as Sarah Mathews."
Links was stunned.
"To protect me?" he asked.
"I knew that if they found Mobius and decided to hold me captive, if you found out I was alive you'd go and do something stupid to try and rescue me. The thing is you still did something stupid to rescue someone you didn't know to be me. So in the end I didn't really need to bother."
"Stupid eh?"
"Yes, but thank you Links. Thank you from the bottom of my heart."
"Alindel it's ok. Let's just get out of here ok."
"Ok Links." she replied.
Sarah smiled at Links and then looked down at Jet. He was starting to twitch now and showed signs of waking up. Sarah couldn't believe it all. Of all the people to come to her rescue it had been Links. The person she had changed her name to help protect. He didn't need that protection anymore though and therefore she didn't need the name Sarah anymore. She was Alindel Tiberius Lorien! She always had been and always would be. Sarah Mathews was no more, she no longer existed. She would tell Jet his past and hers. She would tell everyone and tell them again to be sure.
"Yes Links lets go." she said again.
"Alindel listen to me." said Links, "There is something else I need to do before I leave. Something that is so important the fate of this world could rest on it."
Alindel looked up at Links and nodded slowly.
"You were always one for the dramatic Links. Very well go and do what you must but what about myself and Jet?" said Alindel.
"Here take this." said Links removing the amulet from his neck and giving it to Alindel, "I can feel the energy of that amulet like I can feel the energy in my staff. If you are in trouble just think of me and I will hear and come."
"Thank you Links."
"Make your way to the shuttle bay as fast as you can. With Jet with you it might be difficult but hopefully they will be concentrating on me."
"Good luck Links and be careful."
"I will Alindel. Don't worry about me. I will return to you and….my son." he replied looking at Jet.
He closed his eyes and then stood up and turned away.
"Hurry Alindel time might be short." he said before he sprinted off down the corridor.
Alindel continued to watch until Links was out of sight. She looked down at Jet to find him now stirring slightly. She gave him a nudge.
"Jet? Jet sweetie?" she said slowly.
Jet moaned softly and slowly he opened his eyes slightly.
"M…mother?" he said quietly as he tried to focus on her.
"Hush Jet, everything is ok." replied Alindel, "Everything is alright."
-----------------------------------------
"That's it sugah!" cried Bunnie as Alicia dived out of her hiding place firing.
The squirrel rolled, stood up and then jumped into the air firing all the time. The attacking soldiers all ducked for cover as the area suddenly filled with laser bolts. Alicia had the weapon on full auto mode and had the trigger held firmly down.
"Lavender go!" cried Bunnie.
With a quick sprint Lavender darted out of her hiding point using her tails to propel herself along the floor. She was partly dragging Miles along as she went but because he had his father's speed he was able to keep up. The pair dived behind another stack of crates and looked up. The group had been able to get to the hanger bay without much trouble but they had run straight into an ambush. At least a dozen soldiers had been waiting for them and more had entered since. Alicia, being as nimble as she was, was keeping the soldiers, for the most part, at bay so the others could cross the hanger to the transport they had arrived in. They had almost made it but Bunnie had been hit in the leg whilst carrying Petya between hiding spots. She was limping slightly and everyone knew she was in pain but Bunnie was not complaining about it.
"This fire fight is getting worse Lav." said Miles.
"I know Miles." replied Lavender.
"I don't know how Bunnie is gonna get across there. We barely made it."
"It's worrying. I hope she doesn't act too quickly."
"Yeah and I hope Alicia doesn't get carried away too much."
"Me too."
-----------------------------------------
Alindel was making a good running pace down the corridor pulling Jet along as she did.
"Come on Jet we have to hurry." she said.
Jet just coughed a bit.
"Mom, I've just had the air sucked out of me. I can't go any faster." he replied.
"Jet we have to get back to the shuttle bay and meet the others."
"What about Links?"
"He went to do something important. He didn't say what."
"I hope he hurries back. We're gonna need his help getting off this ship."
"So do I Jet."
Alindel closed her eyes tight and grasped the amulet Links had given her closer to her chest. Jet was looking puzzling at her as they continued to run.
"Mom what is it?" he asked.
"Nothing dear, I'll explain everything later."
"Ok mom."
"How much further do you think until we reach the shuttle bay?"
"If I remember right it isn't far."
"Good come on."
The pair continued on down the corridor before coming to a screeching halt.
"That sound like…" began Alindel.
"…laser fire!" finished Jet.
"Come on Jet we have to hurry."
"You got it!"
Jet started to feel better almost immediately. His friends were in trouble and he had to help. The pair went into almost a full sprint as they carried on. The noises started to become louder and eventually they saw the shuttle bay up ahead. They came to a grinding halt and looked out into the bay. Unknown to them they had entered the bay by a different route to the others and a line of hiding soldiers sat right in front of them.
"Oh shit!" cried Jet.
Alindel clutched the amulet closer and thought one word, Links!
-----------------------------------------
Links meanwhile had been able to locate the main computer core. A huge metal security door stood in his path. A small control panel stood to one side of the door but Links ignored it. He had a far easier way of getting in. He raised his staff quickly summoning a huge flurry of ice and wind around him. With a small move of his staff he directed the ice and wind towards the metal door. The arctic like blast froze the door solid and Links quickly finished the job. Using his staff like a laser rifle he forced a bolt of lightning from the gem shattering the door into a million tiny ice fragments. He stepped through the door to instantly find a number of security laser had been activated by his entrance. He dived for cover and then started his counter attack. He leaped from his hiding spot and sent several powerful of wind flying at the guns. They were all ripped from their mountings and hit the deck sparking. With the defenses neutralized Links moved on into the room. He hadn't gone far when he was confronted by a huge towering computer bank. For a two mile long ship the computer was fairly small but that didn't stop it being huge to look at. The banks rose to the ceiling way above him and extended outwards. Links carried on into the room to find that the bank he had seen was only the start of the computer. It carried on round a corner and into a large square room. Every wall in the room was lined with computers and in the middle of the room sat a squat circular computer. It had a dome on the top and looked very different to the rest of the computer.
Links approached it and started to look at it. He soon found a small tag attached to it reading "central core". Links smiled to himself.
"Well there you go!" he said to himself, "All this'll take is a short blast."
He raised his staff again and with a swing brought it down on the dome. As he did a surge of energy flashed through the gem. The result was the dome shattered violently causing dial to blow out and various screens to blank out. A computer bank behind him suddenly exploded from the surge of energy. The lights in the room started to fade and Links started to chuckle.
"Now that's what you call a reprogramming!" h said.
Just then he felt something strike his mind. One word, Links! He spun on the spot.
"Alindel!" he said quickly.
As if running for his life, or someone else in this case, Links flew from the computer room as several more banks exploded and the lights finally went out. As he cleared the room he twirled on the spot and a twister erupted around him. In open spaces this twister was normally a full twister of wind but in the close spaceship corridors it became a surge of wind. It was so powerful it created a shockwave front and started picking up various articles and carrying them along. The wind increased in speed flying down the corridors at break neck speeds.
-----------------------------------------
"Alright hands up!" said one soldier.
Jet and Alindel slowly complied as the rest of the soldiers aimed their guns at them too.
"You better surrender!" cried the soldier, "We got your friends here."
"What!" cried Bunnie voice from across the room.
"This is bad." said Jet.
"Yes son." replied Alindel.
"You got ten seconds to surrender." said the soldier, "Ten, nine, eight…"
Slowly the form of Bunnie appeared from over a box. She had her head bowed and her arm in the air.
"…seven, six, five, four…" continued the soldier.
Just then the sorry looking forms of Lavender and Miles appeared from behind another crate.
"…three, two…."
Finally Alicia stepped out of her hiding spot and raised her hands. As she did she flung the laser gun down and away from her.
"…much better. You two retrain these two and you lot get the rest."
A number of soldiers stood up and started to walk over to Bunnie and her group. Another two stepped forwards and grabbed Alindel and Jet. They were still wearing their cuffs from earlier so the soldiers didn't even need to retrain them really. They escorted the pair into the hanger to meet the rest of the group who had now been cuffed too. Jet looked over at Lavender with a sad expression. This hadn't gone as they had planned.
It was then that a faint breeze filled the shuttle bay. Several guards started to look around as the breeze picked up to a strong gust. It was then that a barrage of items flew out of one entrance to the shuttle bay followed by a mighty blast of wind. The soldiers and everyone in the group was knocked clean over as the wind suddenly stopped to reveal a very angry looking blue fox.
"LINKS!" cried Lavender.
"Don't worry Lavender I got this sorted. Stay down." said Links.
The group all decided to stay down as Links had said but the soldiers saw it fit to scramble to their feet. Perfect thought Links. With a swift move of his staff he sent a band of fire screaming across the room at about chest height. The soldier didn't have time to dodge never mind fire as they were all thrown several meters across the room before landing. Each one was out cold without a doubt. The rest of the group scrambled to their feet.
"Boy am ah glad to see you sugah." said Bunnie as she limped over to him.
"Wait to go unky Links!" cried Lavender running to the fox and giving him a large hug.
"Hey there Lavender take it easy there." replied Links rubbing her head.
"So are we going?" asked Miles quickly.
"Yes Miles we have to get moving now." replied Links, "Bunnie where's Petya."
"I left her in my hiding spot, one sec sugah." replied Bunnie.
She quickly ran over to where she had been hiding and picked up the still curled up Petya. As she pulled Petya into view Alindel gasped.
"Oh my! Is she alright?" she asked with concern.
"She'll be a lot better after we get her off this ship. Jet, Lavender get that bucket ready for take off." said Bunnie.
"Yes ma'am!" cried Jet and Lavender in unison.
The pair darted off towards the transport with everyone else closely behind. Deep below in the bowels of the ship another computer bank was crackling. With an almighty bang it suddenly exploded…
-----------------------------------------
On the planet far below Morgan was humming happily to himself. He didn't hum much so it was a good sigh that he was happy. He looked at a screen to the side of him. It was showing the upload status of the cities central computer core. It was almost finished and would probably only take another hour to fully upload. Then it was just a case of sending it on to Earth. Morgan could smell a promotion in the air. He sat back in his chair and stretched. As he did the lights in the room suddenly faded and seconds later virtually every computer screen in the room suddenly exploded in a shower of sparks. Morgan almost fell out of his seat.
"What the hell was that!" he cried.
"Sir we just got a massive surge of energy from the Phantom!" cried an officer running into the room.
"How the hell did that happen?" asked Morgan.
"You know we are using a dual receiver technique to send the data sir."
"Yes! It speeds up the transfer. We use our dish to send and they use theirs to receive. Works better than just us sending. What about it?!"
"Well sir it also works in reverse. For some reason there has been a power surge in the Phantom's computer banks and it was transmitted back along the data stream to us."
Morgan was starting to catch on.
"How much damage have we suffered to the computer network here?" he asked.
"Total sir. This network is ancient in comparison to our systems. The power surge tripped every safety measure and then some. The main database is a complete blank."
Morgan's eyes widened.
"What about the upload?!" he screamed.
"Gone sir, on both ends."
The officer visible cowered as he said this. Morgan took a moment to react. He grabbed the man by his collar and started shaking him.
"Do you mean to tell me that the data is gone here and on the Phantom?!" he roared.
"Yes sir." said the officer still being shaken.
Morgan released him and pushed the officer away.
"I want a channel to the Phantom now!" he cried.
-----------------------------------------
"Status!" cried Hardwell.
"The main computer bank has exploded sir. We've lost the complete database." replied a man.
"What?! How did it happen?"
"It was that fox sir."
"I thought I told you to stop him!"
"Sir without your override key we can't unlock the dampener system and revert it to its original settings. We had to switch it off to prevent that fox becoming any stronger."
"ARGH!" cried Hardwell banging his hands on his chair. "Dammit! What's the status of the shuttle bay?"
"Last transmission from them said they had them in custody."
"Good. I want…"
"Sir." interrupted another man, "We have an incoming transmission from Commander Jake."
"Put it through." replied Hardwell.
A large communication screen lit up on the bridge. On it was the face of Morgan Jake. However the transmission was very sketchy and lines of interference flashed across it.
"What the devil is going on up there?!" cried Morgan.
"Sir I…" started Hardwell.
"We've just received a huge feed back loop from the Phantom caused be a problem in your computer! It's blown every computer bank in the city and erased the data we were sending. You better either have the data we sent so far still on your computer or a damn good reason for the problem or I'll have you're head on a plate!" screamed Morgan.
It was obvious to everyone on the bridge that the commander was angry. However few had ever seen him this angry before.
"Sir! We've had a few problems with those prisoners and…."
"You mean to tell me that they've escaped again!"
"We've managed to recapture them sir! Everything is under control…"
Just then a siren went off around the bridge.
"Warning! Unregistered shuttle launch! Warning Unregistered shuttle launch!" blared a computerized voice.
Hardwell glanced back at the communication screen as his face lost all its colour.
"I'll have to call you back sir." he said quickly and quickly cut the communication.
He turned to the rest of the bridge and yelled.
"What the hell is going on?!"
"Sir the shuttle in bay nine has launched."
"That's the bay that those furries were in. What's going on? Get a status report from the soldiers there."
"Sir the squads in bay nine won't respond."
"They what?"
"Sir the shuttle has left the ship."
"That's it! What's the status of the weapon repairs?"
During the initial attack on the planet the Phantom had suffered major damage after an unknown streak of fire had hit the main cannon while it was firing. The resulting explosion had vaporized most of the front of ship and forward weapon arrays. They had also lost a couple of fighter wings in the explosion too.
"Sir deck repairs are…
"I don't care about the deck repairs! What about the weapon arrays and main cannon repairs?!"
"Sir! The main cannon can't be repaired. We need to return to Earth for a complete overhaul to fix it and the forward weapon arrays are still offline."
"What about the other arrays?"
"Aft, starboard, port, dorsal and ventral weapon arrays are still operating at peak efficiency."
"Good lock all weapons onto that shuttle and blow it out of the sky.
-----------------------------------------
"We're clear of the ship!" reported Jet spinning in his seat.
Lavender sat next to him spun and launched herself at him, hugging him tightly. The others on the bridge all reacted in their own way too. Links gave one of his trademark smiles, Alicia and Miles threw themselves at each other, Bunnie looked up from seeing Petya and grinned at him and Alindel just stood their a look of happiness and joy on her face.
"I knew we could do it!" cried Lavender still hugging Jet.
"Easy there Lavender I've just been passed through and air lock remember." replied Jet.
"Oh yeah!"
Lavender quickly released him and sat back down. Jet turned to the controls again.
"I'm setting a course for the planet, hold on this could be a bumpy ride….what the?" said Jet.
"What is it….?"started Links before he got his answer.
Just then something hit the port wing of the shuttle. The whole shuttle shook and Alindel and Miles both fell to the floor with a thud.
"What was that?!" cried Miles looking up from the floor.
"Everyone find a seat and strap in!" screamed Jet.
Nobody argued and quickly sat down and strapped themselves in. Lavender looked at Jet.
"What is it?" she asked.
"Weapons fire! They're firing at us!" replied Jet.
"What?!" cried numerous voices.
Just then Jet grabbed the controls and rolled the transport slowly. Everyone watched out of the main window as a streak of plasma shot past the ship. Jet corrected the roll and started to flick switches. The ship rocked again as another shot hit the tail. A light started to flash on the control panel.
"Shit! They hit the engine!" he cried pulling a small toggle on the panel in front of him.
"Jet what do we do?" asked Lavender slightly panicked.
"We need to get out of range of their attacks but we might be lucky with one engine." replied Jet.
"Do they have any blind spots?" said Links quickly.
"I don't see how! They wouldn't build a ship like that with blind spots!" replied Jet.
"Jet look at the front of the ship!" said Miles quickly.
Everyone looked out of the window. The shuttle had turned now to avoid the weapons fire and through the side panel of the main window they could just see the front of the Phantom. It was charred black and looked ragged. Jet blinked and quickly turned the shuttle more.
"That's it!" he said, "Well spotted Miles!"
"What's it?" asked Alicia.
"The front of the ship has been damaged somehow. Look at how it's been charred and blow off. If we can get to the front and stay there they might not be able to hit us." replied Jet.
"Just do it!" cried Links.
"You got it! Hang on!"
Jet flicked a switch and the remaining engine on the shuttle roared throwing the shuttle forwards.
-----------------------------------------
"Sir they seem to have worked out we aren't firing from the forward arrays. They are maneuvering in front of us."
"Launch Alpha and Gamma wing. I want that shuttle in pieces before it get out of range." replied Hardwell.
"Aye sir."
-----------------------------------------
The shuttle finished it maneuvering and started to fly ahead of the Phantom. The huge ship behind started to move as its engines powered up and followed the small shuttle as it attempted to flee.
"They're following us." informed Lavender as she looked over at Jet.
"But at least they aren't firing, well spotted Miles." said Jet.
"You can thank me later, right now we still have to get away." replied Miles.
"That might be a problem." said Jet, "They're matching our speed. If we still had both engines we might be able to pull away."
"Damn." said Links.
Suddenly the entire shuttle shook from a barrage of weapons fire. Everyone grabbed their seats tightly and Jet started to pour over the controls.
"I thought you said they couldn't shoot us from here!" cried Bunnie.
Just then a number of Alliance fighters shot past the main window and turned coming back towards the shuttle.
"The ship can't but they can!" cried Jet, "Hang on."
Jet banked the shuttle avoiding a small stream of fire but flying right into another. The shots struck deeply into the already damaged port wing ripping part of it off. The shuttle shook violently and lurched making it very difficult for Jet to avoid the next assault. It struck the main cargo bay ripping a gaping hole in it. A number of pressure doors slammed shut inside the shuttle to keep the air inside
"This shuttle can't take much more of this!" cried Jet.
Lavender curled up in her seat and whispered to herself.
"Some, anyone please help us."
Just then there was a huge explosion. Lavender closed her eyes even tighter. This was it! They had come so far and now they were going to….
"LOOK!" cried Jet.
Lavender's eyes sprung open to see a huge explosion dying away ahead of them. As they continued to watch a number of sparkled appeared in the distance. The sparkles suddenly changed to white streaks as a small group of fighters tore past then guns blazing. Everyone on board went stiff. What was going on?
-----------------------------------------
"Sir! Sir we have six unknown fighters on scanners."
"What? Where'd they come from?" asked Hardwell.
"I don't know sir. They just appeared out of nowhere. ID signature and configuration is unknown to us."
"Are they from the planet?"
"Negative sir, scanners indicate human pilots."
"What is going on?!"
"Sir we have incoming fire. SIR! We got incoming neutron torpedoes!"
"Evasive action NOW!"
-----------------------------------------
The six fighters tore past the shuttle making everyone inside blink in amazement.
"What's going on?!" asked Alicia.
"You got me." replied Jet.
One of the new fighters came flying by the main screen pursuing an Earth fighter. The new fighter opened fire blowing the Earth fighter to pieces.
"But whatever's going on they're not here to attack us." finished Jet, "Lets get out of here."
Jet flicked a switch activating a full burn on the remaining engine. They slowly began to move away from the now stationary Phantom. As the shuttle moved off another speck appeared in the distance. It fast became a streak and shot into view. The group on the shuttle were amazed at the new entrance. It was about half a mile long and looked to be just one big cannon. Jet couldn't believe it.
"It's an old ion beam frigate!" he said.
"A what?" asked Links as the new ship moved past the shuttle.
"This you have to see." said Jet, "We're out of range of the Phantom's guns now so I'm turning us round. You have to see this!"
Jet stopped the shuttle and slowly started to turn it round.
-----------------------------------------
"Captain! Captain sir another ship just arrived."
"What ship?!" replied Harwell.
"Sir it's the EAS Intrepid, an Ion Beam Frigate class ship."
"What?! An IB frigate! I thought they were all dismantled to make room for the new multi gun frigates?"
"According to records they were sir."
"Well no matter. This ship can withstand an ion blast. Tell all fighters to concentrate fire on the frigate."
"What about that shuttle sir?"
"Have a couple of units go after it."
"Aye sir."
"Broadside attack pattern. Bring all weapons to bare on that frigate."
"Sir we have an ion charge building in the enemy frigate."
"I said not to worry. This ships hull has been designed to withstand an ion beam…"
"But sir! These reading are off the chart. IB frigates have a maximum charge of seventy thousand terawatts but I'm detecting a change of two million terawatts!"
"What?!"
Harwell looked at the main viewer. A shot of the frigate was now showing as the charge started to build along its length.
"Oh hell…" he said.
-----------------------------------------
Jet had only just turned the shuttle as the frigate suddenly opened fire. The charge that had built between its fore and aft charging plates glowed and shot from the cannon mounted on the front of the ship. The huge beam tore across the empty space between the two ships and slammed into the Phantoms hull plating. As it did the plating seemed to superheat and then explode flying off in all directions. A few brief moments later the beam erupted out of the other side of the ship and carried on into space. A number of small rockets fired on the ships nose swinging the beam up and along the length of the Phantom's hull carving a huge gash in the side. It took only a second more before the huge battle cruiser sparked and erupted in a huge fireball filling the blackness of space with a bright light. As the fireball faded a few small trails of weapons fire could be seen as the new fighters finished off the surviving Earth fighters. The group on the shuttle were watching in amazement.
"My god!" said Links.
"Holy sweet sugah stars of Mobius!" said Bunnie.
Miles and Alicia just blinked, looked at each other, blinked again and looked back out of the cockpit window.
"That is one hell of a super charged frigate!" said Jet.
The group continued to stare as the explosion died away to nothing leaving only a field of debris where the Phantom had been. It was then that they noticed a number of the new fighters approaching the shuttle. The fighters slowed and came to rest about a hundred meters from the shuttle. The radio gave a crackle.
"This is the HCS Intrepid to unidentified shuttle please respond." said a female voice.
Everyone on the shuttle looked at each other.
"I repeat please respond." said the voice.
Links slowly got up and walked over to the comm. panel. He picked up the radio and spoke.
"H…hello?" he said.
"Ah so you did survive. We were slightly worried we were going to be too late." replied the voice.
"Well I…um…" replied Links unsure of what to say.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Captain Elizabeth Freeman but you can call me Lizzy."
"Oh um…hi Lizzy. I'm Links Prower but call me Links."
"I can tell you're a bit uncomfortable speaking to me."
"Yeah, can I ask what you're doing here? And who you really are?"
"You mean who do I work for? Well I can't tell you much. Let's just say I work for an independent group and we're here to help you."
"Why?"
"I can't tell you anymore on this channel. Just take it as read please."
"Hmm….very well. So what now?"
"We are uploading a file to your shuttles computer. It contains instructions on what to do next so long as you can figure out how to open it. Decrypt the message and do as it says before this time next year. If you survive that long we will know we were right to help you."
Just then the computer next to Jet bleeped. He looked at it to see a list of data shooting past the screen in code.
"Whatever it is it's certainly coded." said Jet looking at Links.
The screen finally stopped and gave another beep as it shut off.
"That's it." said Lizzy's voice, "The file has been transferred. We must go now."
"Wait!" said Links, "How do we thank you for this?"
"Decode that message and follow it through in one year. If you do that it will be the greatest thanks you could ever give us."
"Very well. Thank you for your help."
"No thank you. This might be a sad time for your world but it the step we needed to be able to act. The Higara Coalition saluted you, farewell."
Another voice came over the radio. It was faint and must have been another person on the bridge of the frigate.
"Jump engines online captain." it said.
"Very well commence jump. Farewell and good luck friends." said Lizzy.
The group watched out of the window as the huge frigate turned away and its fighters pulled up along side. The frigate started to move forward slowly before two white engines lit up at its rear and sent it hurtling out of view leaving a white streak in its wake. The fighter soon followed suit, each leaving a streak as they disappeared from view with a small white flash. For several minutes the group was still and silent.
"Well if that doesn't win the award for the most exhilarating moment of ma life I don't know what will!" said Bunnie still staring out of the window.
"Wuh huh." mumbled Alicia.
"Higara? That sounds familiar." said Jet to himself.
"What sugah?" asked Bunnie.
"Oh nothing never mind guess its not important." replied Jet.
"Well I know what's important." said Links turning to everyone.
He was wearing the biggest smile anyone had ever seen on him ever. He walked over to Alindel and picked her up from her seat. He gently took her into a hug and closed his eyes.
"I'm just glad everyone is important, especially you." he said.
"Links." replied Alindel softly.
"Um excuse me sugah but is there something we should know?" asked Bunnie.
Links released Alindel but kept hold of her hand. He turned to the others who were all standing in a line in front of him. He smiled again only this time it was a soft heart warming smile that cut deeply into everyone. They had never seen Links act like this before.
"Sugah?" asked Bunnie again.
"Bunnie remember when I told you about my past earlier?" asked Links.
"Yes." replied the rabbit.
"Well…" replied Links as he gave a small nod towards Alindel.
"Oh ma stars! Sarah…"
"Not Sarah." replied Alindel shaking her head.
"Mum?" asked Jet.
"Jet its time you knew who I really am. My name is Alindel Tiberius Lorien and I…"
Alindel stopped and sighed slightly.
"Jet there is no easy way to say this. Did you ever wonder who your father was?" asked Alindel.
"I guessed maybe someone on Earth." replied Jet looking between Links and Alindel.
"No Jet." replied Alindel, "You're father is…..heh….standing right next to me."
Jet blinked for a moment and everyone went silent.
"LINKS!" cried Jet totally astounded, "But that means…"
"….we're cousins!" cried Lavender stepping forward, "And my father was your uncle!"
Jet wasn't listening. He was looking at Links with an almost lost expression. His next question was natural when you thought about it.
"Links….did….did you know?" he asked.
Links blinked slowly and looked at him.
"Truthfully Jet I didn't. I only found out when I came to your rescue on the ship. Once I saw your mother I was sure it was Alindel and she told me then. However over the last week we have been together I have started to wonder. You remind me of myself during my youth although my youth was a lot darker." he replied.
"That explains the feeling I've been having about you Jet." said Lavender, "It wasn't love love, it was family love!"
"So you're related to Jet?" asked Alindel.
"Oh sorry Alindel. In all the commotion I have forgotten to introduce you to everyone." said Links, "This is Bunnie Rabbot a rather persistent friend of mine."
Bunnie gave her a small nod and a smile.
"Pleasure sugah." she replied.
"You already know Miles and Alicia I take it and this is my great niece Lavender."
"You mean this is your brother's son's child?" said Alindel.
"Yup pleased to meet you." replied Lavender with a smile.
"But then where is your father?" asked Alindel.
Lavender quickly looked down and shut her eyes tight. She shook slightly and clenched her fists.
"Please Alindel not now." said Links.
"Oh." said Alindel slowly.
She walked over to Lavender and knelt down beside her.
"I'm sorry dear I didn't know." she said.
"Its ok." replied Lavender.
Jet was still standing looking at Links.
"I never thought it possible." he said.
"Hey there Jet. I'm as surprised as you and we can sit and talk about it later but right now let's go home." replied Links.
"Yeah!" cried Miles and Alicia together.
"We need to get Petya back to the planet as soon as possible too." said Bunnie.
Jet spun to look at Bunnie. The rabbit had returned to the wolf's side and was lightly dabbing Petya's brow with a small cloth. Petya herself had uncurled slightly since being freed from the confinement room. She was still tensed though and her eyes were firmly shut. Jet looked at her for a second and then spun away and leapt into the pilot's seat. He started to flick controls and check the displays. A few moments later Lavender landed in her seat and looked at him. Jet looked up at her.
"Are we good to go Jet?" she asked.
"Yeah I think so. They hit us and it will be a bumpy re-entry but we should make it in one piece. Besides I can't see then new guys leaving us in space in a shuttle that wasn't capable of making re-entry." he replied.
He looked back over his shoulder at the others.
"Strap in people we're going home!"