Author Notes: ...Wow, this took longer than it should've.. I blame writers block and sleeping muses. :P
Legal stuff: Don't own anyone but Donna-Ka and Calli-Ku and someone new at the end of the chapter. Contact me if you want to use them. ^^
There will be no more chapters. This is the end. Bwahaha. Enjoy. ^_^
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Captive Part Nine
Thing's aren't the way they were before
You wouldn't even recognize me anymore
Not that you knew me back then
But it all comes back to me
In the end
--- 'In The End; Linkin Park
Once reinforcements had arrived, the Dark Legion hadn't stood a chance.
It was never quite clear how Prince Charmy of the Golden Hive Colony had even known about the battle, how he had known when and where the Freedom Fighters had attacked the hidden Dark Legion encampment. Those that looked back upon it eventually came to decide that it really hadn't mattered how he had known; help was desperately required at the time.
Even as the remarkably skilled bees were helping the last of the Freedom Fighters that needed to be helped, a great emerald glow overtook the area. Citizens who were near the hills had later said that they were able to see the phenomenon from nearly ten miles away. Regardless, it had taken those at the scene a full hour to figure out what had happened.
Almost strangely, it had been Bunnie Rabbot who had found the four bodies, only half of which had survived. Knuckles Echidna and Espio Chameleon were unconscious. The remaining bodies were, at the time, too badly mangled and had hardly anything left to know who they were. It had taken two weeks worth of testing to find that Kragok and Chancellor Calli-Ku were what they once were. Knuckles never explained what had happened.
The three rescued teenagers were immediately sent to the nearest hospital within Downunda, before being transferred to Angel Island a week afterwards.
Vector, for the most part, had the best physical recovery any could have hoped for; the greatest wounds were upon his mind. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, the doctors had called it, had claimed that it would take time to recover from, should he ever. His condition had fluctuated briefly, when he received news of Mighty's assessment.
The armadillo teen had been unable to recover from his torture. However, doctors had told the Guardian that they were not surprised; torture of such a scale never left an individual unscathed. He had taken the longest at physical recovery from the rescued trio, and would suffer for the rest of his life; Multiple Personality Disorder left little room for true salvation.
It came as a shock to nearly everyone when they had found that Espio had been given remote care during his captivity; he had later told that Kragok had allowed him to bathe and to eat. Trauma was inevitable, however; the chameleon teen was left with reoccurring nightmares and with a depressed deposition. He was not the same as he had once been.
Hundreds of Legionnaires at the base within the hills were arrested; only one during the entire battle had fallen to death. What had came as a surprise were the number of children within the complex; dozens of children below the age of ten who knew how to use a blaster. It was found with little surprise that over half of them had been abused in some way or form. Yet, only one of these children had captured the attention of the Freedom Fighters.
Donna-Ka was younger than originally thought; the young girl had passed her sixth year of life mere weeks before the attack. After word had passed along that it had been the seven-year-old who had lead Sonic the Hedgehog to the imprisoned Chaotix, there had been offers of adoption. After some time, and with a sense of shock to several people, Julie-Su had decided to adopt the child; not as her own, she had claimed, but as a sibling. There had been no argument, and there had been no attempt to change the child's' surname. A fortnight later, Donna-Ka began calling herself Donna-Su.
Despite all that had happened, something positive had come from all the suffering; Downunda, Angel Island, and Knothole were in constant contact afterwards. The three lands had been united, in a sense; they were willing to help each other in every and all aspects, whereas they were rather territorial beforehand. All past animosity was forgotten.
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He was.. home. Somehow, he was still surprised with that fact, still surprised that he was no longer a prisoner. Freedom, a simple notion that he once took for granted, was now cherished with the still shocked knowledge that he actually had it.
Someone had cleaned up his home, had put everything where it had been before the past year had occurred. He wasn't quite sure how, but this brought a sense of peace to his mind.
He had been back upon Angel Island for nearly six months, but had only been released from St. Angel Hospital recently. This was the first time he had been home in what seemed like an eternity.
Espio sat upon his bed, his regrown tail wrapping itself around the base of a small lamp. He gave a stare at the tail in question; it twitched, as if greeting him in return. Attention drifted back towards his surroundings; his own bed had never felt so soft, so comforting, so safe. There was such a joy at simply being home, that it was all he could do not to cry in joy.
A knock sounded at the door. For a moment, all he found himself able to do was stare in surprise; the homes of chameleons were practically invisible to most inhabitants, and nearly all of the chameleons who lived nearby had never had much contact with him. Not since the situation with Valdez had passed all that time ago.
The knock didn't return after that first sound, but Espio opened the door regardless; there was no one there. A sound caused him to look down, at a small plaque of wood used as a welcome mat. A small bundle, wrapped in a blanket, was all that was there. Confused, if remotely paranoid, Espio did not take the bundle within his own home. Fears, both practical and ludicrous, danced along his mind. It was not until he unwrapped it did most of the fears vanish.
An infant, sleeping soundly, lay at his doorstep.
He had absolutely no idea what he should do; after some time, decision came to first take the child within the safety of his home. Only when he was within his home and had gotten a full look at the infant had his fear exploded into shock.
The child, for the most part, appeared to be an echidna. Espio hadn't given it much thought when he had brought the infant indoors; echidnas did make up nearly a quarter of the islands' population. However, as the crimson-furred baby was lifted from the blankets, the realization came that it certainly was not an echidna; not completely, at any rate. A long, thin tail was the first sign of difference; small spikes adorning the infants' back was the second. Realization came with such a force, that the child had nearly been dropped in shock.
The child was his own.
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Having been born and raised within Downunda and then drafted into a Secret Service, Wombat Stu had neither the time nor the connections to meet many people. His collection of friends had been small, had only included those he fought by. It was little surprise that his funeral had been planned to be small. Intentions, however, are very rarely met in the lives of fighters.
Dozens had arrived at the closed casket funeral. Most had never met the poor boy, had only heard that he had been murdered. Nearly all were from Knothole; they felt it was their duty as Freedom Fighters to show their respects. There had been no complaints.
A great hush, a deep sadness, had fallen over them all once it had begun. The only words spoken were of the dead, words that had been passed countless times before; how full of life he had been, how great he had been. The only words spoken with true sincerity were of how great a tragedy it was. No person deserved to die the way he had.
Once it had been spoken, a surprising event had occurred; the first tears from the Commander of the Secret Service had been shed. A black-furred feline, sobbing hysterically, offered meager comfort at his side. They had lost another comrade, another friend; it was apparent that they would not recover from the series of deaths properly.
None offered any other form of comfort, even as the hand of one intertwined with the other.
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The phone gave a sudden call of life, surprising the Guardian. He had stepped into his home scant minutes before, eager to rest after a rather hectic day of duty. Nothing alarming had occurred; it had merely been tiring. He was prepared to swear vehemently at whoever had decided to call. However, he was unprepared for what he was told.
A doctor was on the other end, a call from Saint Angel Hospital; a request for his attendance. At the time, nothing was told what the problem had been; only that it directly involved his Chaotix.
At first, he had been panicked; after all that had happened, there was a great fear that there had somehow been a long term physical effect. He had to remind himself that no sexually transmitted diseases had been detected in any of his friends.
It came as a surprise when Vector and Mighty, both sane for the moment, were as confused as he was. There was a quick note for Espio's absence, before a doctor arrived.
Queries were quickly silenced. The doctor spoke softly, warning that what they were about to be told may disturb and frighten them; it only mounted their fears. Espio arrived as soon as the doctor had finished speaking, a bundle of cloth held in his arms.
Espio stammered, unable to form proper coherency for a brief few seconds. "Uhm, guys.. I.." He paused for a moment. "I want you to meet my son."
Shock reigned.
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Nevermore: ..Heehee.. ^__^ Aren't I just mean?
Mighty: ....
Vector: ....
Espio: ... ...Well, it could've been worse, I suppose..
Mighty: ..I have WHAT, now?!
Nevermore: Kyaha. ^^; There may be a sequel. Let me know if you want a sequel in a review, I guess..
Response to reviews:
Davifflaelan: Well, I killed Kragok and Calli-Ku. Is that good enough? ^^
H.M. Slayne: Uhm, no, I'm not working off that thing where Knux turns green. I think this just happens a bit after the end of the Knuckles comic series.. AU, and all, so I suppose it could happen in a realm of it's own. :D Knux just has those spiff Guardian powers.. I figure he'd use 'em, if he'd be mad enough.. XD
Sarama Morgan: Hmm, well, Lien-Da IS still alive.. I think.. Heehee..
Viva la feedback! ^_^