It had been another Spring since our heroes' excursion to the town of Green Hills, Montana, so it's time we checked up on our favorite speedy trio of hedgehogs before we jump into their next big adventure.
"Hedgehog Day Afternoon"
based on a story by Kiel Phegley
It was just another afternoon at the Wachowski residence; Tom and Wade had gone off on a trip of their own, and Maddie had to go out and handle some business of her own.
"Sonic, Manic, Sonia, I have to get to the clinic," Maddie explained as she grabbed her bag and headed for the door. "Promise me you'll stay out of trouble until Tom and Wade get back from their trip."
"Oh, sure, Maddie!" Sonic responded, waving his hand dismissively as he flopped onto the couch. "Absolutely nothing to worry about... just gonna get in a little quality sib-time."
"We'll be fine!" Sonia smiled. "You go on. We'll have plenty of fun over here by ourselves."
"Just cause no trouble and I'm speaking to all three of you." Maddie nodded as she headed out the door.
"You got it, dude!" Manic replied with a thumb's up as he, Sonic, and Sonia got comfortable.
Soon, Maddie left the hedgehog triplets home alone as they did their best to stay put and relax without adult supervision.
"Yessir, not a problem hanging out by ourselves..." Sonic said as he sat on the couch with his siblings. "Did it for most of our lives... Absolutely no crushing loneliness settling in..."
The siblings sat still as long as possible before they soon felt like it was taking forever.
"Sonia, how long has Maddie been gone?" Manic soon asked. "A few hours? A couple of days?"
"Actually, I think it's been about seven minutes." Sonia replied.
"And that is seven minutes too long!" Sonic exclaimed as he leapt off the couch. "A little lightspeed socialization never hurt anybody... besides, we did it for years before these guys found us out, right?"
"So we're goin' out into town?" asked Manic.
"You betcha, little broski!" Sonic gave a thumbs-up. Manic did a fist pump and ran off to grab his hoverboard.
Ozzy, the golden retriever, let off a curious noise and tilted his head sideways.
"Shhhh!" Sonic shushed him. "Don't tell anyone, Ozzy, or it's no more table scraps for us!"
"So where are we goin', bud?" Manic soon asked his brother.
"I say it's time we check in with our adoring public!" Sonic smirked.
"Ah, yes, the citizens of Green Hills!" Sonia smiled warmly. "They're our people."
"They love us!" Sonic nodded before they sped out the door together, coming out into the snowy cold that was outside their home.
"Even if the only people we can interact with are the ones we make ourselves," Manic remarked before he found some snow and decided to make a snowman. "Let's build a snowhog, dudes!" he soon suggested.
Thanks to their super-speed, the triplets managed to make snowmen... although Manic's snowmen looked like something that Calvin of "Calvin and Hobbes" would have done: a snowman built around the trunk of a tree that made it look like it was being impaled, a passerby snowman screaming in horror, and a third, two-headed snowman with four stick arms. The hedgehog triplets continued to race around town together, even passing by the local donut shop.
"Dang teenagers out here making mischief!" Sonic scoffed. "They should be in school!"
Soon, the three sat on a hill together, each having a donut of their own preference to relax and enjoy together.
"This is nice... Just hangin' out with the sibs with some donuts~" Sonic chuckled as he sat with Sonia and Manic.
"Totally." Manic agreed.
"I just hope this one isn't too fattening," Sonia said as she looked at her donut. "I don't want this to go straight to my thighs."
"The point is, things are getting dull," Sonic shrugged. "I gotta find some way to test my superheroic mettle!"
"Aw, shucks, Sonic; everyone knows you're a hero," Sonic said in a higher voice, waving around a donut with sunglasses on. "Please, Sgt. Sprinkles, you're too kind. If only I could be a real hero... a mysterious avenger with a tough-sounding name like 'The Electric Hog'! Too bad 'Flash' is taken... I make red look good."
Sonia rolled her eyes before she ate her fat-free donut while Manic had a chocolate donut covered in sprinkles.
"I tells ya, you were a Blue Devil, Green Devil, and Magent Devil when ya first showed up on my property and those are still the best names for y'all!" A familiar, crazy, and old voice said to the triplets as they relaxed with their treats.
"Whatever, man," Sonic scoffed at the hermit next to them. "Those are still way better names than Crazy Carl."
"Ain't so crazy as I look, ya Blue Devil!" Crazy Carl retorted.
Sonic soon sighed and looked a bit dejected.
"Whoa, dude... You look a little blue... I mean, more than usual," Manic noted. "What's wrong, Sonic?"
"Sorry, Manic... It's just that I thought finally coming out of hiding would be more exciting than this," Sonic explained with a deep sigh. "We take down one megalomaniac scientist with some cool new friends outside of Green Hills and then it's back to lives of boredom."
"Aw, Sonic... Ya just gotta be patient," Sonia told him. "Adventure's not just gonna fall into your lap or come knocking at your door. You gotta go out and look for it." she then advised.
"Patient... you do realize who you're talking to, right?" Sonic asked dryly. "'It could be worse... you could be on some boring fishing trip with Tom and Wade in Walla-Walla.'"
Sonia rolled her eyes slightly. "Boys." she then murmured.
"Girls." Sonic and Manic retorted with playful smirks.
"I could've had sisters, but noooo..." Sonia scoffed and smirked back.
"So what do we want to eat later? My vote is chili dogs once we get back to the house." Sonic said to his siblings as they began to finish up their donuts.
"I kinda want ramen," Manic commented. "But that's just me."
MEANWHILE, IN WALLA WALLA...
Things weren't quite as boring as Sonic made them out to be. In fact, there was a robbery going down at one of the banks.
"Alright, this is a hold-up, nobody move!" shouted a masked man in a green jacket.
"Just calm down, people," declared one in a purple hoodie. "We don't want your pathetic life savings, anyway."
"Target approaching 12 feet." A voice said as the robbers got to work.
"You're comin' with me to the vault, sister," The purple-hooded goon told one woman as he forced his gun against her back firmly. "If I find what I think I'm gonna find, no one gets hurt."
"Ow!" The woman grunted and cried out as she walked off with her hands in the air as she was unarmed.
Soon, the two made it into the vault as the woman did as she was told so that no innocent lives would be taken today.
"Come on, safety deposit box 203! Time to cough it up!" The purple-hooded goon scoffed as he soon went to do his job until he found the item he desired with a wicked, weaselly grin. "Sucess! A fully functioning Robotnik control glove and all the hardware to tap into his network. Just like the client promised, but that doesn't mean we can't sow a little mayhem before we turn it over to him."
MEANWHILE ON THE EDGE OF TOWN...
"Wade, you ever think that all the problems in your life would be solved if you achieved one pure moment of absolute tranquility?" Tom asked his friend as they were ice fishing together.
"No, Tom, but have you ever thought about how awesome it would be if we asked The Federal Government to buy us a police chopper?" Wade answered and inquired in return.
"I had enough airborne action when that mustached nutjob dropped me and Maddie off a skyscraper, buddy," Tom responded, remembering the time when he and Sonic first matched wits with the repugnant Robotnik.
"Sure. I guess I'll just hafta keep waiting by the ol' reliable police scanner here," Wade relented. "Maybe someday I'll heed the call to adventure."
At that moment, the police scanner went off. "Attention, all available units! We have an armed robbery in progress at the First National Bank of Walla Walla! Requesting immediate backup!" the voice on the other end exclaimed.
"Dude, no WAY!" Wade exclaimed eagerly as he practically leapt to his feet.
"Look, if we're gonna answer this call, I need you to cool your jets," Tom warned his partner. "I've already got THREE hyperactive daredevils back home."
"C'mon, you know I'd look great with spiky blue hair!" Wade insisted. "Or maybe green? It'd be a great excuse to get a mohawk..."
"Why not go all the way and try magenta?" Tom smirked a bit.
"You're messing with me, aren't you?" Wade asked out of defeat.
"Kinda." Tom teased a little.
MEANWHILE...
The triplets soon had the food they wanted to get as they were on their way back to the living room to watch TV with their food. Sonic had his chili dogs, Manic had his ramen noodles, and Sonia decided to have a mostly vegetarian salad. However, something caught their attention as the TV played an urgent news broadcast.
"We're still learning details about what appears to be a hostage situation as armed bandits brandishing weapons have held up a bank in downtown Walla-Walla, Washington," Daphne Rogers reported. "Police have as yet been unable to find an entrance or get any intelligence from inside..."
"Dude, yes way!" Sonic cheered.
"We're going down there, aren't we?" Sonia asked.
"I think you know the answer to that question~" Manic smirked.
"Oh, yeah! Like the kid with that alien watch sez, it's HERO TIME!" exclaimed Sonic.
"Unit 5-0 of the Green Hills Sheriff's Department in Montana are en route to provide tactical support, over!" Wade responded on the intercom.
"Wait... you're coming from where?!" asked the voice on the line.
Meanwhile, Sonic scarfed the last of his chili dog and headed out with his brother and sister. "It's only 350 miles away! We'll be there in a flash!" he grinned. "...once again, too bad that name is taken."
Soon, the crooks were shown to be getting away with what they desired.
"Uh... Hey, Boss? The cops already got this place surrounded," The masked man spoke up as he glanced over. "Where's the escape route you promised?"
"Chill, Bro. I'm activating the work of a genius right now and genius takes time." The purple-hooded man reassured with a grin.
"Scanning for local assets..." A computerized voice spoke.
"C'mon! C'mon!" The purple-hooded man demanded impatiently then.
"Just breathe, Lindsey," The woman from before told herself as she sat down and hugged her knees in distress. "A few more minutes and this will all be over..."
"Oh, it'll be over in less than a few minutes," Sonic reassured as he suddenly zipped beside the woman. "A few seconds is all me and my sibs need for bums like this."
"GAH!" Lindsey yelped at the sight of a random blue hedgehog before being joined by a green and magenta one suddenly.
"No need for alarm, citizen!" Sonic smirked calmly. "Not when Super Streak is in your presence."
"That's the name you're going with?" the lady asked. "Sounds like you're naked... Are you naked?"
"She's right," Manic nodded. "Super Streak sounds really dumb."
"Whatever. I'm still workshopping it." Sonic rolled his eyes.
"Enough of that for now," Sonia soon said as she faced the hostage. "Besides, we're more than experienced enough to deal with these creeps."
"Seriously? You guys can stop them?" Lindsey asked the hedgehog triplets.
"Just point us in the right direction, lady." Sonic smirked as he got ready to run off with his trademark speed.
"I think their leader is still in the vault." Lindsey informed.
"Then let's go for it." Manic declared as he and his sibs headed into the vault.
"Come out, come ouuuut..." Sonic called as he looked around... right before he, Manic, and Sonia got electrocuted. "GGGHH-!"
"God, Jason! Your screwing around hasn't just blown my cover, it's also attracting weird mutant rodent things!" Lindsey complained as she picked Sonic up by his arm while he and his siblings were still out of it due to the voltage they were forced to endure. "Would you stop trying to play video games on that gizmo and get us extracted?"
"Almost there, Honey Bunny." The purple-hooded goon, named Jason, replied to his "hostage".
"Don't get cute with me. Just get it done," Lindsey demanded firmly before she brought out her phone, showing she was not what she appeared to be when the triplets found her. "It's The Captain. I'm made. The cops are breaking down our door and now someone's sent some kinda giant chipmunks after me."
"Some what?!" A voice on the other line demanded.
"I don't know. Some fast-talking little freaks," Lindsey shrugged. "I took care of 'em."
"A creature matching that description would be... of interest to me," The voice replied. "I'd be willing to pay extra to ensure they get delivered to me in one piece."
"I can deliver them to you, but an extra half-million in crypto better make its way to my wallet, and your extraction plan better be here ASAP." Lindsey responded.
"Wait... Who is that...?" Sonic slurred before he soon blacked out after Sonia and Manic.
OUTSIDE AT THAT VERY MOMENT...
"Hey, look! It's just like a movie! WOW!" A familiar voice beamed as the police surrounded the bank.
"Wade, can I remind you that before we roll up here that you are a sworn officer of the law?" Tom reminded as they soon walked by the crime scene. "Get your game face on."
"There've been no demands, no confirmation of the number of people involved... Just a total communications blackout," Officer Albright told her fellow officers. "What are they doing in there?" he then wondered.
"Howdy. Officer Tom Wachowski, Green Hills, Montana, caught the APB," Tom reported as he approached Officer Albright. "How can we be of assistance?"
"Excuse me?" Officer Albright replied out of confusion.
"So what do we got here?" Wade soon asked. "Some kinda bomb situation? Because I'd totally be up for trying to defuse one of those."
"Got it!" grinned Jason as he attuned the wrist control. "Come to your new papa!"
Out in the forest, a metallic panel slid open, and released a swarm of Robotnik's Badnik drones, which soared over to the bank.
"Well, whaddyou think, Andy and Barney?" Officer Albright asked sarcastically. "Think you can take care of whatever those things are?"
"Actually... we do have some experience..." commented Tom.
Meanwhile, Sonia and Manic were slowly coming to before they looked wide-eyed to see what was going on with their brother.
"Was the world not ready to meet The Spiny Sentinels?!" Sonic remarked as he was trying to work until he looked over. "Oh, good. You guys are awake."
"Dude... What's going on?" Manic asked.
"Yeah... I have a whopper headache right now..." Sonia added as she began to rub her head wearily.
"That lady was working with the bad guys," replied Manic. "She set us up!"
"...I never liked her hairstyle anyway... How unstylish," Sonia soon ranted out of betrayal and frustration. "It's not like it's 1991 anymore."
Soon, they were all suddenly jolted around.
"WHOA!" The triplets cried out as they all fell on top of each other and lost their balance.
"Either we're being airlifted out or falling into a chasm!" Manic cried out.
"Either way, this is bad!" Sonic replied. "This is very bad!"
"I concur!" Sonia agreed.
Outside of the vault, Lindsey and Jason were absolutely dumbstruck.
"Oh, my GOD!" Lindsay gasped. "What else can this thing do?!"
"Yeah, forget the buyer!" Jason grinned. "With this thing, we'll make WAY more than he was paying by stealing the vault and everything in it!"
Lindsey adjusted the glove with an evil smile. "For once, Jason, you read my mind." she replied.
Meanwhile, the triplets tried to think of what to do next.
"What are we gonna do now?" Sonia pouted. "We should've just stayed home."
"You know we can't say no to a call to a brand new adventure." Manic reminded.
"That's true, but we need a way out of here." Sonia replied softly.
"Hmm... What would some intrepid super-type vigilantes do in this situation?" Sonic pondered to himself thoughtfully until he thought of something. "Guys, I think I know what to do, but I might need your help." he then suddenly said.
"Sonic... What are you planning?" Sonia asked, raising a brow.
"I say we gotta give things a little spin if ya know what I mean." Sonic replied with a smirk.
"Spin Dash?" Sonia and Manic guessed.
"Spin Dash." Sonic smirked and nodded at his siblings.
"Hmm..." Sonia and Manic smirked at each other before they got ready to do the same.
Soon, the three hedgehogs curled up into balls and began to spin around at rapid speed.
"I guess we gotta take it for a little spin!" Sonic called out as they spun around.
"You spin me right round, right round, like a record, baby, Right round~" Manic sang as they did that.
Outside, the safe spun around and around, generating a cyclone-force wind and lifting police cars into the air with its force. This surprised everybody outside of the bank.
"Everyone run for cover!" Tom advised while Wade freaked out with the other people outside the bank.
"What the heck are those drones doing?!" Jason complained.
"They can't hold it like this!" Lindsey added.
"Almost done, just keep it up, you guys!" Sonic told Sonia and Manic.
"Yee-hah!" exclaimed Manic as he revved up. "Scootin' and rootin'!"
"And awaaaaay we go!" Sonia added as they continued.
Eventually, the hedgehog triplets continued to spin around and around until the safe soon crashed on the floor with them in it and they were all in a very dizzy daze.
"Okay, vault... We're going to call that round a draw..." Sonic groaned as he fell to the ground with his siblings as they all looked a little woozy.
The bad guys soon took a look at what happened behind them.
"Whatever those things are in there are not gonna last much longer, right?" Jason noted.
"Not if I have anything to say about it." Lindsey retorted.
Soon, the triplets stood back up and sorted themselves out before they would start to plan their next move together.
"I guess breaking into a bank vault is way cooler than breaking out of one," muttered Sonic as he got into a running stance and began winding his feet up. "Let's hope my head is as hard as Maddie says it is...!"
"Yeah! Let's party hardy!" Manic cheered.
"Let's do it." Sonia added.
Sonic nodded and smirked at his siblings before he sped off along with them. "Gotta go fast!" he then called out.
The robbers outside were soon zipped by blue, magenta, and green blurs that nearly knocked them off balance, much to their shock before they found themselves faced by the hedgehog triplets.
"Now can do this one of two ways: the easy way or the hard way by Hedgehog the Unkillable!" Sonic jeered at the bad guys.
"Is that... Is that supposed to intimidate us?" Jason asked, unimpressed with that threat.
"Just stick with what works, man," Manic remarked. "The Sonic Underground!"
"What, too avenging vigilante?" Sonic asked.
Lindsey scoffed. "You keep running that mouth, furball. See where it gets you..." she remarked.
"Hey! Don't call my brother a furball!" Sonia glared firmly.
"And what do you call yourself? You look like a fashion disaster." Lindsey rolled her eyes at the magenta hedgehog.
"How dare you!" Sonia snarled in response.
Back outside, Tom and Wade continued to do what they could from their position.
"That tears it!" Tom snapped as he began to go in the truck for something.
"Well, the exploding part seems done, but those freaky little robots aren't." Wade remarked out of concern.
"Doesn't anybody realize... that I am on... MY VACATION?!" Tom snapped as he took out his fishing pole and reeled it onto a passing drone and flung the drone out of the way and it exploded.
"Now, I know you're a big bunch of robber guys..." Sonic said as the thugs pointed guns at him and his sibs. "...but I don't think you'd shoot what I'm pretty sure is an endangered species, right?"
The robbers looked at each other and soon took out their guns, looking ready to shoot the hedgehog triplets.
"Looks like that's a no, but who are we kiddin'?" Manic scoffed before he sped around with Sonia and Sonic against the robbers. "You'll never get the chance to open fire!"
"But really, you guys are pretty lucky!" Sonic added as he kicked one robber in the face. "Not like anyone would believe you got your butts handed to you by a bunch of three-foot-tall hedgehogs!"
Jason soon tried to get away only for Sonia to lunge out and grab him by his collar.
"Say... That's a pretty nice glove... Where'd you get it?" Sonia asked Jason firmly. "Cuz I doubt Craigslist has that for sale."
"I just read about it on The Dark Web! I swear!" Jason defended nervously.
"But I got the killer hook up here!" Lindsey called out, summoning a drone in after the triplets. "Sick 'em!"
Suddenly, the drone extended a robotic claw and took the control glove.
"What are you doing, you stupid machine?!" Lindsey shouted. "OBEY ME!"
"Those things obey only one master I know of, and he never liked to share," commented Sonic. "But keep slapping it and maybe you'll find the factory reset?"
The triplets soon greeted the robbers and innocent bystanders on the way out of the bank.
"Hey, do us a solid and leave us out of it when you talk to the news, okay?" Sonic soon asked the people on the way out. "We're supposed to be keeping a low profile. That goes double for you clowns!" he then added sternly to the robbers.
"Except your friends in prison," Manic added with a smirk. "Tell them how awesome, brave, and strong we are."
"Really, folks, you've been great bank hostages," Sonia concluded as she patted her hair down. "And I am not a fashion disaster."
"No way, Sone. You look great." Manic reassured.
"Yeah, Sis. You've never looked better in your life." Sonic added.
Eventually, Tom finally made it into the bank as he wore his brave cop face. "I don't know who's in there, but as a sheriff with no jurisdictional authority here, I demand your unconditional surrender!" he then firmly told the robbers inside the bank.
"It's okay, we surrender!" exclaimed one crook.
"We suddenly realized the error of our ways!" added another.
"You did?" Tom asked out of surprise and disbelief until he caught himself. "I mean... Of course you did! Keep your hands where I can see 'em and no funny stuff!" he then firmly told the robbers.
"Well, we did it, Sonic," Sonia said to her brother. "Should we head back home before Maddie starts to miss us?"
"We can't leave now when the party's just started!" Sonic smirked. "We should find out what's up with Eggman's rejects."
"Should've known it'd be a brand new adventure with you." Sonia sighed and commented.
"Of course it is! We're The Sonic Underground," Manic told his siblings. "Everything is an adventure for us."
Meanwhile, the Badnik drone returned the control glove to the waiting hands of Agent Stone. Things were about to heat up, that's for certain. Lindsey was soon seen flying through the air.
"Aw, man!" The triplets groaned before Sonic sped over and caught the falling woman, even if she was a crook.
"Even criminals don't deserve broken necks," The blue hedgehog said to the woman. "Though if you weren't so bad at crime, I'd suspect you were really distracting us to let that badnik escape," he then suddenly dropped her to the ground. "But for now, the day is saved."
"Thanks to us." Sonia and Manic added together.
"That's right, guys," Sonic nodded at his siblings. "The wrongs have been righted, the bank has been... Well, it's still destroyed." he then added with a shrug.
"And you'll do the time for that one, girl boss, fashion disaster or not!" Sonia added to Lindsey who began to look humiliated at her defeat. "As will all evil-doers who dare to cross quills with..."
"The Hedgehog Heroes!" The triplets then announced together, trying out a new team name together.
"Hedgehog Heroes?" Manic then asked.
"Would you prefer Sonic Heroes? After all, I'm the oldest," Sonic smirked with a shrug. "...I think."
"I will do anything, so long as you PLEASE. STOP. TALKING." Lindsey groaned, clutching the sides of her head.
"Looks like we all understand each other now," Sonia smirked. "I hope you learned your lesson."
Lindsey groaned in response as she really wanted to get out of here as soon as possible.
However, as the triplets were about to leave, a young preteen boy by the name of Freddie Benson caught a look at the sight of them and looked like he was about to take out his phone and snap a picture of them. "This is so cool..." he whispered to himself as he readied his camera app.
"Uh-oh. Now what're we gonna do?" Manic asked Sonia and Sonic. "That kid's gonna post our image all over the world probably."
"Not if we move too fast for him!" Sonic replied as he darted out of the bank.
Freddie soon got the camera app out and was about to take a picture of the hedgehog triplets only to groan in defeat. "Oh, come on!" he then complained.
Soon, it looked like it was mission accomplished for "Tom and Wade".
"Well, Tom. You're the hero again," Wade said to his good friend. "But next time a killer robot shows up, I'm totally gonna take it down with a blow dart or a boomerang, I swear!"
"That's what I'm worried about, pal. If Robotnik's tech is still out there, who knows how many more of these incidents we'll have to deal with?" Tom replied with a face-palm. "Better keep this quiet from the triplets for now. Could you imagine the mess if they started tracking these things down? Especially Sonic being the ringleader?"
"I can't follow half of what you guys are talking about, but at least I can offer thanks by the way of-" Officer Albright said to Tom and Wade before she brought out a box of donuts and opened it only to find that it was empty all of a sudden. "Donuts?! Say, who raided the hero's feast?" she then wondered.
Turns out it was none other than the Sonic Underground, who'd grabbed a few donuts on the way out.
Meanwhile, as that went on, in the town of Riverdale, The Toon Force hung around each other in Hilda's coffee shop as they were all inside, bundled up due to the season of winter outside that brought snow along with it, as they were sipping some hot chocolate and shared other treats together as they made the most of their free time as they weren't sure if they would be called away on an adventure with their respective Justice League mentors at a moment's notice. However, as they sat together and enjoyed each other's company, Cherry was shivering and chattering nervously, but it wasn't because of the bitter cold from the outside temperatures, it was just her nerves.
"Cherry, you have nothing to worry about," Thor said to the perky goth of the group. "You did what you were supposed to, plus even if not a big majority of an audience likes it, you still tried and you're on your way to achieving your dreams and destiny."
"Well, it's still hard to accept," Cherry replied. "I mean... You know how judgemental people can be, especially if something is unique or too different."
"That may be so, Cherry, but a lot of different people like that are also very creative especially you," Atticus insisted. "It's going to be just fine... Besides, you were chosen to do it for a reason because of your creativity and uniqueness."
"So we're all caught up on what's going on for our group?" Lionel asked.
"Sounds like it." Mo nodded.
"I'm not," Hilda said as she came by to top them all off. "What exactly are you kids talking about?"
"Ah, that's right. You're out of the loop," Atticus said before giving the adult witch a bit of exposition. "Cherry just sent over her very first manuscript to a major publishing company recently and she has to wait for a while to find out if she got approved or rejected for her independent book series based on a collection of adventures we've had away from The Justice League after the final adventure with those new people before we were able to help send them back home where they belonged to and wanted to go back to even if we'll miss them very much."
"Ohhhhh..." Hilda nodded, after hearing the exposition. "Okay, now I get it."
"Thanks, Hilda/Aunt Hilda." The group replied.
"Well, I wouldn't worry about it, kiddo," Hilda soon said to the perky goth. "You always had such excellent talent when it came to storytelling, especially with that old book series that inspired you through high school during your off time from Justice League duties."
"Thanks, Hilda," Cherry said with a small smile. "Let's just hope that these people in publishing agree."
"Well, maybe you should get out of town for a little while to keep your mind occupied?" Hilda suggested. "Maybe you guys could take a group vacation like you usually do together like that time you visited Montana."
"Oh, yeah... now that was quite a Spring," Lionel commented. "You guys think we should bring Johan and Johanna this time?'
The group soon looked around at each other.
"Well, that sounds like it would be a nice adventure to include them on since they haven't met... Well... You know who before." Atticus agreed.
"And those we know who haven't met the other know who too, ya know?" Thor added.
"...Well said, Thorton." Cherry rolled her eyes slightly in deadpan.
"Thanks!" Thor grinned before he narrowed his eyes. "Wait... Were you being sarcastic?"
"Who? Me? Never..." Cherry smirked.
"Hmm... I still think it sounds like a good idea." Thor replied then.
"Alrighty then!" Lionel declared. "So it's settled; we're gonna invite Johan and Johanna to come with us this time!"
"Where are they right now anyway?" Atticus asked.
"Training with the others back at... Well... Ya know..." Cherry reminded him as they spoke in code since they were out in a public place and a lot of kids from school hung out at the coffee shop after school.
"Right... We'll finish up over here and go see them and tell them what's going on." Atticus nodded and then suggested.
"Okay, sounds good!" Thor beamed happily.
"one more round of hot chocolate and I say we go." Cherry suggested.
"I won't argue with that idea." Atticus agreed.
"Neither will I." Mo added.
"Just pass the marshmallows already." Thor chuckled eagerly.
And shortly after they finished their next round of hot cocoa, the gang left the café to go find their other two pals. Atticus brought them over to his car and he then drove them off to The Watchtower, passing by the familiar sights of Hilda's coffee shop, their respective school, as well as the bar and nightclub that Cherry worked in after school nowadays. Eventually, once at The Watchtower, they took out their IDs and soon made it inside after getting past the security door and came to see the older heroes as well as The Wonder Twins of their group, Downpour and Shifter, or as they were known to other civilians: Johan and Johanna Fleming.