Chapter 6: Outta Here Or Bust

The groans echoing off the concrete walls were what woke Bluehawk up. It was obviously day, as light seeped in through the window…his head was heavy and difficult to balance, which was especially problematic because he felt seriously dizzy…it felt like if he let it droop it would snap his neck. "Damnit…" Hawk heard Urth's voice mutter. "TV's giving me EMI…"

Hawk nodded sleepily. EMI prevented Urthdigger from using his magic. Bluehawk needed electricity or a chaos emerald to use his own powers, and there was nothing electrical in the room. A prison guard walked past slowly, inspecting the prisoners. Hawk heard 'Forte' let out a moan, about a cell away, meaning he was on the other side of Urthdigger. Then Bluehawk spotted the dark object in the guard's hand. A taser. Did they know…? Maybe, maybe not…either they had specially picked a TV for Urth's room for the EMI or they were deliberately not putting one in Hawk's room lest he try to electrocute himself. "Well, you guys sure did your homework." Urth murmured at the guard. A whistle blew down through the corridors. Breakfast, then exercise time.

"Damnit, there's a TV and a radio in here as well…" Urthdigger complained.

Bluehawk was more worried about the inedible fatty slop they had been given called 'soup'. More like 'fat sludge'. Was this what people in prison were given every day? He suddenly thought about people who could have been framed in the past…forced to put up with this…before long they would be feeling constantly sick. "How long are we in for, anyway?" Hawk asked Urth.

"We're still yet to receive sentence." Urthdigger sighed. "We've got individual trials…although I don't think they'll risk allowing NK to wake up."

"Doesn't this scene seem familiar to you?" Hawk said brightly. "Only a few days ago we could have been executed by the chimeras."

"Well, the trial's tomorrow. Don't bother trying to escape, man. We're on a small island, there's nowhere to run."

During exercise hour Hawk began to see what Urth meant from on top of the building, the entire land mass was covered in the prison building, and the shore of SoaH city was a fair distance away. The thugs around them appeared to be in utter despair, despite the cool breeze and the salty air. Perhaps most of them were never leaving…but half of them just didn't have that criminal look about them. Almost as if they did absolutely nothing, were framed for something that nobody did, and there was no hope of the court ever finding out the truth. I've been playing too many video games. Hawk thought to himself sadly, glancing at the dark brown kitsune on his right as they all did star-jumps.

"You okay, man?" Shadowdart the mole asked. "What's it like in the slammer, knowing that you're virtually innocent?"

Urthdigger chuckled. "It's shit, but I guess at least I've got friends in here." Shadowdart looked to his own right, seeing Bluehawk's cell.

"I'll see you at the trial tomorrow." He got up and walked toward the stairs, escorted by a guard with a rather dangerous looking gun. He noticed a green hedgehog walking the other way along the corridors, followed by a purple kitsune and their own escort. Must be to stop us breaking our friends free…he thought to himself. KawaiiKitsune gave Mini a supportive peck on the cheek as they walked on in silence. Mini looked at KK gratefully and she smiled back. The stairs were dark, but the three cells were well-lit. Bluehawk looked up from his seat on his bed, from his brooding and contemplation. He suddenly smiled, Mini realizing just how different he looked without his sunglasses. "I was wondering if you even knew I was in here." Hawk joked.

"When's the trial?" Mini asked, getting straight to the point, not even knowing if his friend was now a foe.

"Tomorrow, I think…I'm trying to enjoy what could possibly be my last days of life."

"You don't look too happy to me." Mini said slowly. My friend could be executed.

"Wait a sec…" KK said abruptly. "Last days of-!?"

Bluehawk nodded. "I could be executed for something I didn't even do. And it's boring as hell in here."

Minimaniac almost laughed. "What about Phantom? You seen him?"

"No idea where he's got to." Hawk said slowly, questioningly. "I don't think they got him. But Bandit Dorian's the only one of us who'll definitely not be executed, since they haven't got enough evidence that she was 'involved in the killings'. Don't worry about me too much, it's most likely I'll just be in here for…a long time."

Minimaniac nodded.

A whistle rang throughout the corridors. "Visiting hour's almost over."

Minimaniac nodded. "We'd better go."

Bluehawk walked into the courtroom slowly. It was rounded, unlike most places. At the other end of the room were three balconies, all on different levels with the highest one in the centre and the others on either side, the jury sitting at the sides. They couldn't risk putting NKLS on trial, Urthdigger had extra charges against himself, and Bandit and 'Forte', as he called himself, were only guilty by association, so everyone was being trialled separately. Bluehawk shivered violently. At least if he was put on death row or the guillotine he wouldn't be put there on his own. If he was going down, surely anyone with worse crimes would be too. The jury, and the people on the balcony above the door, all stood, the rather well-hidden judge didn't stir.

"The defendant is charged with mass murder and organized terrorism. How do you plead, Bluehawk Dustorm?"

You gotta be shittin' me. Hawk thought to himself. "Not guilty." He said defiantly. Dumbass.

"The defendant pleads not guilty." The elderly voice from above said loudly.

"And yet." Said a voice just behind the judge. "This video tape clearly shows you, Bluehawk Dustorm, making an escape from City Hall just as another squadron of police arrived." Another hidden figure stepped out and flicked a switch on a remote control, a TV came down playing the footage of Bluehawk leaping off the building, chaos emerald in hand…again, Bluehawk puzzled himself with how he had been observed…then he noticed something. NKLS and Urthdigger in that shot were the wrong way around…Urth had been on his right, and NK on his left…so unless this picture had been turned around…no, the chaos emerald was in his left hand on that picture, as usual…

"That footage is staged!" Bluehawk suddenly yelled, right when NKLS was leaping from the building. They'd got most of the details right, though… "Even if that is the real City Hall, when I leapt from that building the others were the other way around!" Everyone gasped.

"So you're owning up!" The second hooded figure cried.

"'Course not. Just because I was there doesn't mean I'm guilty." Another dumbass. Probably really good at persuading people, too.

"Then what have you to say for yourself!? Come on, if yo9u're so innocent, then defend yourself!"

"The three of us, myself, NKLS and Urthdigger were there to find out who attacked City Hall, why, and if we could take them out and/or capture them. But of course with my EMP abilities it's only a temporary deactivation, so the robotic culprits got away before the police found them, obviously!"

"See how many holes his tale has!? We cannot even vouch for Urthdigger's character, he was identified stealing clothes and food mere days ago. Robots are not capable of such creativity as to wrap one's intestines around their neck, to hang them from the roof and cut them into exact little cubes of mush! You and your terrorist group were caught associating with a possible known criminal, and-"

"They are no ordinary mechanoids." Bluehawk stated coldly, yet still defiant. "They are created by Chimeras-!"

"P'ah! Beasts have no concept of technology!"

Bluehawk shook his head. "You never heard of the Chimeras? I'm sure you've all seen that derelict spacecraft in the rock sheet north of the forest. It dropped mere days ago. You'll also notice extremely advanced technology, if you bother to explore it."

"So how did you survive, where the police and everyone else could not? You're working for them, aren't you! These…aliens, Chimeras as you call them."

"No."

"Prove it."

Bluehawk saw the glint of a sly smile from under the blue hood. Hawk's green irises covered up his black pupils much more than before as he tried to get a direct focus. Could it be!? "How do you expect me to prove it? What, by asking them? P'ah!"

The two hooded figures looked at each other, rubbing their chins. "Keep him in here until the end of the next trial, we may find contradictions in the story from his friend, Urthdigger. Then we will pass sentence."

It was better than an execution sentence, but they hadn't even tried to vouch for his character yet. Probably couldn't get any witnesses in…or didn't want to. Bluehawk looked up at the balcony above the door and saw the mole who had visited Urthdigger wink down at him. There was a seat just under the balcony which Hawk was put into with a machine gun pointing at him from each side. Urthdigger was escorted in through the door, and sat down right where Bluehawk had been.

"The defendant is charged with organized mass murder, terrorism and robbery. Urthdigger Quickclaw, how do you plead to these charges?"

"Innocent to the first two."

The hooded figure tilted his head, probably raised an eyebrow. "Innocent of organized mass murder and terrorism, but guilty of robbery?"

"Not robbery." He replied calmly. "Theft. I didn't threaten or hurt anyone, I just took the goods."

You fool, Urth…Bluehawk put his head in his hands.

The second hooded figure seemed to nod. "As for the mass murder…you have probably seen this tape?"

The TV came down again, and Bluehawk realized that it had gone up in the first place…the video played again.

"Where the hell did you get that from!?" Urthdigger cried. "There was no-one there…now that I think about it, there was no EMI when we vamoosed outta there! A camera would project EMI!"

Another point to us. Someone's setting us up, even if we were there…

"This isn't a misunderstanding at all! We were set up!" Urthdigger yelled, standing up and realizing that the TV was projecting just enough EMI to prevent his escape. "Who the hell are you, anyway? Show yourself!"

"It is for my own protection." The hooded figure stated. "If you saw my face, then any friends of yours could find out who I am and attempt to harm me if I sentence you!"

Good point…but that still doesn't explain…

"The jury all know who I am, never you mind." It was then that Bluehawk realized the heavy human presence in the jury.

"Okay, even if you are 'legit', we were set up. There was no-one there to tape that, I doubt anyone would even have dared get close." Urthdigger said. "The beam. Is any of us capable of that? Even NK can't do things like that, what do you say to this?"

The judge looked to both sides of the jury. "Bring forth the first defendant-" (it was then that Urth realized Hawk was in the room) "-and make your decision…guilty or not guilty?"

The members of the jury all murmured amongst themselves.

"If guilty, stand to their left. If not guilty, stand to their right."

All of the jury members filed down a rather well-hidden staircase at the back of each balcony, then out of a door at the corner of the wall. All of the jury members voted with action, not words, and Bluehawk watched in horror at the amount of people on the left…he looked to the right…far, far less.

"Bluehawk Dustorm, Urthdigger Quickclaw, on charges of terrorism and treason-"

Treason!? That wasn't mentioned before!!

"I sentence you to five days solitary confinement, pending execution at the end of the five days."

Hawk's throat seized with terror. Execution. Five days. "Shit?" Urthdigger smiled weakly.

They were thrown into the darkest, most hopeless cells there were, not even allowed to enjoy those last five days of life. The only light that shone through was from a murder-hole in the back wall that served as a window, in the dungeon's highest tower. But no hope shone through those windows for the five days of anticipation. Bluehawk didn't even move, trying to conserve his strength for that faint glimmer of escape that didn't even exist. The bed was cold, and the stuff they called 'soup' was basically just water. Eventually the rusty steel gate ground itself open and two human guards in body armor strode in. "You're coming now." The larger one scowled. The other one muttered something about terrorism. Bluehawk stood up, almost politely, and marched with them, up the stairs to the top of the tower, which had a brilliant view of the exercise area and a whole lot of ocean, and the wind bit at the human faces. Bluehawk was, for a few seconds, grateful for his fur and natural circulation. Seconds later he was being tied to a pole at the edge of the platform, a wooden pole which was already bloodstained. Urthdigger was brought up behind him and tied next to him, the guards keeping a buzzing radio right near his ear for the EMI…and they had brought Bluehawk, with his EMP, up first. The wind blew at his fur, blowing from right behind him and his whisker hair into his cheeks. His hands were tied, preventing him outstretching them at the radio…four identical human males with some kind of machine gun all pointed them at the two posts, each selecting their own target. Hawk realized that the sky was red. Dusk. Eyes squinted, he wasn't used to being in the open without sunglasses. Urthdigger was looking down. Be defiant to the last, damnit! At least make us all look cool!

"Select a target!" The fifth man cried to the wind. They had already done that. "Cock your rifles!"

Bluehawk half-phased out. This was it. He was going to die, everything was going to end. Everything had come to this…what was that whirring noise?

"Aim well…"

Get it over with. Bluehawk thought to himself. Just get it over with so we feel no more pain.

"Johnson! Aim your rifle at the targets!"

"But sir-"

"DO IT!"

Stop it with the build up already! If I'm going to be executed, I'd hate for it to be screwed up…

"Ready, aim, and-"

Suddenly there was a blast of heat and force…Bluehawk pushed himself off of the pole as much as he could to prevent head injury, but the explosion was too much…Beats bullets…suddenly a shard of the rocky roof caught him on the chest and he yelled out in pain, the prison clothes were too thin for the heat…then it was all over, Hawk and Urth were faced with a death row on top of the tower, tied to wooden poles, and the way down into the tower completely destroyed. Suddenly something dropped down in front of Hawk's feet…yellow, shiny…

"Is that-!?"

"Holy dipshit…" Hawk said to himself, bewildered. "It's my emerald! How the hell!?"

"Fate has played a significant part in that, I think." Urth muttered, noting that the floor was stone…perfect. In an instant he was three metres away and looking a lot more tired, but also more cheerful, and he started undoing Hawk's ropes. Hawk immediately grabbed at the emerald as soon as Urth was finished recharging from it.

"Let's go."

"I heard they were keeping our stuff in a sealed room, but that won't be so hard." Urthdigger said, puffing as they both ran down the spiral stairs, then finally into a corridor of the main, building, past a few guards yelling 'hey!' and down three more flights of stairs before any alarms went off. "It'll be in a top security area." Bluehawk nodded, turning around to halt the pursuing guards with a volley of tiny chaos blasts.

"Found it already?" Hawk said, surprised.

"No…but it might help. Back me up while I check this out!"

Hawk ran to the door as Urthdigger entered, firing more tiny chaotic blasts from the palm of Hawk's hand that penetrated like bullets.

"Here we go!" Urthdigger ran out of the room carrying a fairly small bag. "My bag of holding. Probably has all of our stuff in it."

Bluehawk stepped back as one of his Rainbow Volley shots created an explosion on the corridor, engulfing the floor in flames and blocking anyone from getting through with a burst of orange light.

"Let's free the others!" Hawk cried, Urthdigger was already down the next staircase. "…Play it that way, eh?" Hawk grinned, and in an instant was three steps ahead of Urthdigger along the next corridor, a corridor ahead. Urthdigger shouted something which Bluehawk didn't hear, what he did hear was the tone of enjoyment.

Suddenly the patterns of steel bars flashed across Hawk's vision and he skidded to a halt to check who was in them. No-one he knew. One was asleep, the dark brown fox he had seen at exercise hour looked up curiously. There was another cell the occupants of which he couldn't see. Suddenly there was a buzz of electricity and the bars suddenly shot straight upward…releasing the cells' occupants. The dark brown fox made a lunge at Bluehawk, who darted out of the way as the fox turned and dashed up the corridor. Urthdigger shouted, echoing through the corridor. Hawk ducked out of the way as he rushed past, slamming straight into Bandit Dorian and Shadow Gunner. A black hedgehog ran past Hawk from the cell he hadn't seen the contents of. "Where's eN-Kay?" Hawk cried down to the others.

"He ran off to find something…"

NKLS dodged into the room and quickly slammed the door before even checking his surroundings, but the blue lights told him he was probably in the right place. He took a second glance while checking the psi-fields for anyone outside the door, but there wasn't. The others were a few floors down. And he had found her at last, in a stasis tank in the SoaH City prison…Saturn Inchadeena…of all the places…a few button pushes and a crashing of glass later, she was in his arms, waking up from a long sleep…

Phantom reared up in awe, in confusion. The Chimera Cruiser was heading straight for the SoaH City prison. Its flashing white light on the front and underside forced him to squint from his high-up position on the glider, but that wasn't too problematic. The problem was…what the heck were they doing over at the prison? Then suddenly the bomb doors at the bottom opened…Phantom saw. Phantom gaped. Huge glowing green spheres dropped out of the chimera bomb-droppers. No way. No damn way. Phantom thought to himself. The Terras Ball still exists!? They exploded upon impact with the distant towers, from the look of things they were completely shattered…they were working fast…were they destroying the island!?

Bluehawk stopped his ascent of the stairs the second he heard the first thoom. Before any of the people behind him could react, the stone roof above them was completely obliterated and all of its rocky shards sent soaring with a green glow…then suddenly the floor cracked, all of it rising as Hawk reacted swiftly, leaping toward the others and pushing them down the stairs where it was slightly safer. "Dude, that was fast!" Cried Urthdigger. Nobody had time to reply before the entire building was carved up around them, into falling rubble and people running on air. Bluehawk looked up, seeing the flashing lights of the chimera cruiser. Urthdigger recognized its design instantly, Bandit and Forte weren't quite so sure as they hit the completely destroyed ruins of the island. Huge chunks of dirt and rock stuck out of a large lump of sand like shards of broken glass. Hawk brushed some sand off of his behind as he got up, standing back slightly upon seeing a green beam scanning the rubble…Forte balanced himself on a floating piece of metal ripped off of some kind of engineering project. Urth pressed a few buttons on his watch as the beam finally halted its towing in of ex-SoaH city prisoners and the cruiser began turning toward the mainland. Bluehawk suddenly found himself staring straight at a rope ladder dangling from another airship of some kind and instinctively climbed upwards, hearing the voices of NKLS and the mole he had seen visiting Urthdigger recently. The ladder swung slightly as Bluehawk remembered his fear of heights, but his emerald was with him. The airship began to move toward Forte as he climbed, but the emerald's presence prevented unease. "What's the deal?" Hawk asked, climbing into the cockpit to stand behind Urthdigger's friend.

"If I can get into one of those Chimera Cruisers, it might finally be our ticket home!" NKLS grinned as Saturn took a hold of his waist. Hawk looked away. Bloody hell, even NKLS has a significant-

"It's okay, Bandit! The rope ladder's secure!" Hawk heard Forte calling. "Stay put while Bandit comes up." He told the pilot, followed closely by Urthdigger.

"You came even without me calling, unless this thing's been made damn fast." Urthdigger smiled, dropping the bag of holding to the floor. "Everyone get your stuff."

By the time everyone was on the ship (including Phantom, who was blocking up the hole in the bottom with the glider, which was steered by the hole's edges) and everyone had heard NKLS's wishes, Everyone sat just behind the cockpit making their own decisions. The cruiser was firing a red beam upon the city, which appeared to be dropping off all of the criminals they had picked up…Bluehawk was the first to stand up, except for Phantom who was already standing. "I'm going back to the city."

Phantom nodded his own agreement, before asking "Is anyone coming to go bag some bad guys?"

Forte Kenshin was the only one to run toward the glider, which was basically a 'yes'. Bandit looked like she was about to throw up, a choice between staying on the airship or heading for land on a very tiny flying device…she didn't move from her seat. "Seeya!" Hawk cried as he adjusted his sunglasses and leapt upon the glider, grabbing the bottom with both hands, and then suddenly feeling heavily burdened as Forte grabbed his legs.

"Let's kick it up there!" NK shouted as he booted the lid shut and the cruiser begin to move swiftly into the sky. Urth's airship matched its velocity easily.

The second they reached the streets, Forte suddenly dropped off and sent the other two heading straight upward after playing to the extreme extra weight. There seemed to be a huge gathering in the center of the town, which all three spotted from the distance. The released criminals of SoaH…one of them stood on a pedestal…

"Take me down Phantom! Faster!"

Phantom stayed at the same altitidue, leaving Hawk's legs dangling just over a foot above the ground.

"You'll have more fun this way!" Phantom grinned.

Hawk twigged as they raced up at the gathering army of recklessness. Using the emerald's power, wondering how he had once combined the dang thing with himself, Bluehawk started kicking his legs about furiously. The glider wobbled, so much the better. The criminals seemed to finally hear the whirring of the glider at top speed, none of them managed to dodge in time and Bluehawk's flailing feet scattered seemingly endless evils before he dropped off of the glider to allow Phantom his own attacks. Within seconds most of them had fled, Bluehawk knocked out as many as he could with his utter speed, bashing them all against building walls so that the police could easily tie them up again. Hawk grinned when he saw that there were none left.