Author's notes: And.. Bwah. This didn't quite turn out as well as I hoped it would.. Ah well.. Next chappy is definitely gonna be a big order of chaos. ^^ Interpret that how you will. :) At any rate, sorry it took so long. Star Wars Galaxies devoured my soul. o_O; That game is addicting.. Bwaha.. Oh, and, yes, I kinda stopped uploading on Mediaminer. The chapters kept on deleting themselves. o_O;
People will either hate me with a passion, or continue to like me for whatever reason that you people like me. Eh.. Enjoy. ^^;
Special thanks to Aulba Aulbath for her continued help on these chapters, and to my sister for suggesting the starting song. ^^;
Legal Notes: Don't own any of 'em, save for a briefly mentioned Donna-Ka. I need to think up better names.. *boggle*
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Chapter Seven
Something takes a part of me
Something lost and never seen
Every time I start to believe
Something's raped and taken from me.. From me..
Life's got to always be messing with me
Can't they chill and let me be free?
Can't I take away all this pain?
I try to every night, all in vain.. All in vain..
--Korn, 'Freak On A Leash'
The grainy soil that sloped the sides of a small hill was rarely disturbed. The series of hills that marked the present terrain were quite a distance from civilization and were very rarely used for travel. Yet, now, a single being made his way along the forests that coated the landscape.
Hilled terrain was something of an abnormality for the continent of Downunda; most of the country was composed of flatlands, save for a single large crater near the eastern shore. However, it was the simple reason that most of the lands' people stayed away from these trees that this particular person found himself there.
Uninhabited forests were a natural breeding ground for illegal activity, Wombat Stu mused to himself with content boredom.
The young Freedom Fighter, recently inducted into King Acorns' Secret Service, had returned to his homeland for a brief visit. A week, nothing more. A visit to his friends. However, when a few young joeys claimed they saw several strange, armed people while they had been playing, Stu could not pass up the chance. 'Old-time patrol', he called it.
He had crossed two of the unusually steep hills, and was ready to return back, when the natural sounds of the forest ceased. The sudden silence, a clear warning to the experienced Freedom Fighter, gave cause for the young wombat to quickly hide his small form behind the wide trunk of a tree. However, he hadn't been expecting danger to arrive from the direction he himself had come.
Laser fire missed Stu's skull by mere inches. A precious second was wasted in shock, his mind taking in the three new arrivals. Their species were undecipherable due to black robes the three wore. Shock wore to clarity, and legs moved to run.
Inwardly, Stu cursed at his own stupidity. He hadn't seen any sign of danger in his immediate surroundings, so he had assumed the danger was ahead. An incorrect assumption and a terrible mistake. He knew he should have been more careful than that.
Stu was small even by his own peoples' standards, and his smaller stature made for greater agility and speed. He may have been able to escape at his pace, had a single lucky shot from one of his pursuers hadn't hit the back of his thigh. The pain of flesh burned by laser actually caused him to collapse.
He hardly had time to glance behind him before the three were upon him.
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Lara-Le had been all but drowned in worry. The mother of the current Guardian had begun to worry quite a time before, but had only then realized her own emotions as she stared at her son quietly eat his dinner. Even then, depression was clear upon the boy.
Six full weeks to the day had passed since his friends were kidnapped. Six miserable weeks for her poor son, who fell further and further down the rabbit hole of depression and anxiety. Knuckles continued to watch over the island with help from Julie-Su and the EST, but it was clear to any who saw him just how his emotions waged.
It wasn't as though Lara-Le didn't care about the state of the kidnapped Chaotix; in actuality, she couldn't keep the thoughts away from her mind. She prayed for their safe return each and every day, worried about them as any mother would over her Childs' closest friends.
Knuckles quietly finished his meal, cleaned up after himself, and made his way to leave. Lara-Le's husband, Wynmacher, called out to the teen in an effort to have him stay longer. However, with a disturbingly blank expression and a quiet shake of his head, Knuckles practically fled from the apartment.
Lara-Le continued to worry.
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The maiden stood, transfixed by what lay before her. Horror paralyzed her, an unspeakable numb that crept along her body. Thankfully, or perhaps not so, the four that warped her mind did not notice her existence. At least, not for that moment.
Three of the quartet wore black robes, a species she could not identify. The fourth was a small figure, a youth she was familiar with, a close friend by combat and companionship. The first held, the second tortured, the third watched. The fourth screamed. The torturer held what appeared to be a tree branch. It was terribly obvious what was happening, yet the maiden could not find it within herself to move.
That was when a dandelion-hued face streaked by tears lifted in a cry, only to stare at her own. Pained sapphire eyes met shocked brown, before the sky recognized the earth.
"BARBY!!"
Her name, transformed in to a wail for help, caught the attention of the watcher and the holder. Both turned to stare in surprise, before they gave chase.
She could not fight two armed fighters, unarmed as she was. However, a deity must have heard her silent prayer, for two close friends happened to come upon the scene. A shocked obscenity became a cry, as a fighter and a pacifist became part of the battle.
"Bill! Guru!" She called to them both, her own plea for assistance.
The watcher and holder were able to be handled individually by the fighter and the maiden. The pacifist, too shocked to react for a brief moment, was only shaken into action by a newfound cry from the youth. With movement that surprised even those who knew him, the pacifist was suddenly not, and attacked the torturer with a fury never before seen.
With the torturer away from the tortured, the dandelion-hued youth curled into a fetal position. Crimson, amongst other shades, marked his frame, yet the cries did not relent.
The robed trio could not be restrained by the three Freedom Fighters. Despite chase by the fighter and the pacifist-that-was-not, they escaped within the forest. The maiden, while awaiting their hopeful return, rushed to the youths' side. Worry, fear, and horror clutched her heart.
The youth could not speak, could not move, could only cry. Cruel crimson liquid all but buried his form, and soon coated the maiden in her attempt to comfort. She released a sob of her own, her mind finally taking grasp of what had just occurred.
"Oh, Stu.." The maiden murmured, as the fighter and pacifist returned.
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The call from Downunda came as a complete surprise to Princess Sally Acorn. There had only been the occasional friendly call since the remains of the metal monstrosity known as Crocbot has been removed several months before. Danger was the farthest concept from the princess's mind. Yet, her notions changed once she saw the expression on Walt Wallaby's face.
Grief. Anger. Confusion. Sorrow. Sally could discern these emotions from the video screen image alone. Something had to have been seriously wrong. "Walt? What happened?"
The leader of the Downunda Freedom Fighters appeared as if he were about to cry at any moment. He released a long sigh, a steady breath for his own emotions. "Stu came 'cross a group of bloody strange people in black robes a couple hours 'go.."
Sally's eyes widened in shock. The Dark Legion? There hadn't been any word of where they may have been hiding in the month and a half of planet-wide search. A soft sob from the wallaby was all that informed Sally that there was far more to the tale than simply 'coming across' the Legionnaires. "Walt?"
"They killed 'im!" Walt was slowly breaking apart before her eyes. "Barby, Bill an' Guru found those blokes torturin' 'im, Princess! Stu died before he even got to th' bloody hospital!"
A cry and a thud from behind the stunned princess was all that alerted the pair that there had been an eavesdropper to the entire conversation. Sally turned, only to gasp, as Hershey Cat sat upon the ground in shock.
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The Guardian of Angel Island had retreated within his own home for a brief few minutes when a familiar sound a smell met his senses. The decorative smoke for the new arrivals' teleportation brought the eyes of the Guardian to the smaller form. "Archemedes?"
The fire ant, for his part, was smiling. Knuckles couldn't understand why for a brief moment, until his teacher/friend spoke. "Princess Sally just called Haven. The Dark Legion have been found!"
For the first time in a month and a half, the Guardian smiled.
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The nightly battle for his body and mind had begun once again.
The feel of the soft bed beneath his body did nothing to bring comfort to the youth, as a body lay atop his own. There were no manacles, no chains, no bindings keeping him as still as he willed himself to be save for the thin collar around his neck. Nearly nonexistent in its light weight and thin frame, he had nonetheless learned how even the smallest of technology could be stronger than the thickest of chains. There was a time when he would have resisted, would have struggled; the collar released an electric current that pained his body for hours afterwards. There hadn't been resistance since.
As with each and every night, there was pain. Pain so great that, no matter how many times he experienced it, tears continued to be born. Luck was on his side tonight, however, as his mouth was not being assaulted; his mind escaped through the large, pane glass window that an entire wall was composed of. The night sky was his only escape.
A moan came from the being that he had been forced to call Master, and a metal hand clawed at his back. The birth of new scars brought a pained cry. Each and every night since it had begun had been as if it were the first; the pain, the fear, and the degradation were returned anew. He wanted death. He wished for death. He prayed for death. He did not know whether his friends were dead or alive.
"My little whore.." Came a purr from above, and he shuddered despite himself.
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The Dark Legion had made a mistake, Geoffry St. John mused to himself. They had murdered someone he cared for.
After the news of Wombat Stu's death had been delivered to him, Geoffry was immediately filled with fury. He was not dark by nature, but had wanted nothing more than vengeance since he had known. Once details of his death had been known, the vengeance was transformed into a want, a need, for bloodshed. He wanted to kill every Dark Legionnaire, wanted to see them gasp their dying breath, and wanted them to suffer beyond suffering.
The three robed assassins had been found forcing a thick tree branch where it never belonged. Internal organs were all but destroyed. Wombat Stu had died within two hours.
Hershey had not taken the news well at all. She had retreated to her home and hadn't been heard of for quite some time. Amy Rose, while wandering past the felines' home, had claimed that she had heard sobbing from the hut.
Geoffry shot at targets with anger. Thankfully, the Secret Service training facility had a target range; if it hadn't, he didn't know what he would have done.
They were to leave for Downunda that evening. Several Freedom Fighters had volunteered to accompany them once Sally had warned that the Dark Legion was heavily armed. The Guardian of Angel Island was to meet with them at their destination.
He had lost two, now; Valdez had been gone for nearly three months, and now Stu had been murdered. As far as he was concerned, only a god would be able to save the murderers from his own wrath. The boys kidnapped from Angel Island were on his mind; be damned if he allowed another to be thrown into the valley of the shadow of death.
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They were dying. Vector Crocodile could feel it. Honestly, he was surprised that they weren't dead yet.
Six miserable weeks of pain and fear. Food was a rarity, sanity even rarer. There was hardly anything left of Mightys' mind as it was now. It was luck, Vector couldn't tell weather it was bad or good, that the armadillo was even still alive. Near constant assaults and near nonexistent nourishment had nearly destroyed the teen. It was merely his physical strength that kept him alive.
Vector still had not been assaulted. He understood, however, that he was slowly starving to death. Only a single Legionnaire had bothered to feed them.
A small, robed form slinked through the electronic doors; Vector breathed a sigh of relief. The small form held a tray in shaking hands, first heading towards the unconscious armadillo. A syringe came into view, yet Vector did not voice objections. He knew that all that the syringe contained was vitamins and nutrients. Then, the small form came to the crocodile with the tray. Scraps were all that the tray contained, but there were no complaints.
The eyes of the prisoner met those of the robed form. A child, a girl no older than eight or nine, stared from the darkness with worry. The young girl was all that was keeping the two Chaotix alive.
As Vector finished the scraps and the girl began to leave with the tray, he called out to her, asked her name. She turned to stare, pausing as if deciding whether to answer the query or not. After several seconds, she spoke with a clear, thin voice. "Donna-Ka."
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"I want to go with you."
Princess Sally Acorn stared at Miles Prower with nothing short of shock. The request had seemed to arrive from nowhere. "Tails, I'm sorry, but I can't -- "
"I knew him too, Aunt Sally! He was a friend of mine, too, and they killed him. I want to go with you to fight them!" The emotions within the young kitsunes' voice seemed foreign for the child; hatred and anger reigned.
Sally stared at the young Freedom Fighter for several minutes. She sighed deeply, as if succumbing to a darkness she knew she would regret. "Tails.. All right. But you have to stay with Sonic."
Tails grinned widely, releasing an exuberant yell of joy before hugging the princess around the waist.
Yet, somehow, Sally knew she would regret allowing Tails to accompany them.
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Stu: o_@ What th'.. What th' hell!? You introduced me and killed me within a few paragraphs!?
Espio: Eh, at least you're not locked up in a closet.
Mighty, Vector: @_@; Or dying.
Stu: I'm dead.
Mighty: Death is better! :P
Author: Uh.. I only do it out of love! ^__^;
All: *glare* :P
Author: Eh.. Heh.. Anyway, next chapter is the big ol' 'rescue' chapter bit. It MAY be the last chapter, but I'm not sure yet.. Depends how my muses write it out.. As usual, viva la feedback! ^__^ Comments, suggestions, flames, they're all welcome!
Response to reviews:
H.M. Slayne and TsunamiWave: ...What? *innocent grin* You DID ask for Freedom Fighter involvement..
Aero Echidna: A lemon? ..Uh.. I don't think I can write any more descriptive than I already am. ^^; I mean, to get away with an 'R' rating..
Skittles the Sugar Fairy: Love your username. *chuckles* ..I only portray what I see in my mind. Blame the muses. ^_-
Dr. Sipp: YES! Yes, I am! BWAHA! ..Seriously, once you said 'Stay away from Mighty', I just HAD to find a way to hurt him. :) ..Vector fans? Wait, you mean they EXIST? *gasp!* (Vector: HEY! :P)