12 /14 /03
**FREEDOM FIGHTERS OF MOBIUS**
Sonic the Hedgehog Neo Redux
By Antipode Echidna
e-mail: SonicNeoRedux@yahoo.com
Mobian Time: Year 3237, Day 192
Episode: Gathering
Story (c) 2003 by the author. Based on characters created by Sega, DiC Productions, and/or Archie Comics Group, used without permission, but protected by totally rad copyright laws... Woo-hoo!
Other characters:
Jewel (c) Antipode Echidna / Adam Czech. Please ask permission before using any of my charas, thanx!
Sonic ran in from the forest path back into Knothole, his mission to
the communications network completed in record time. It was a lot easier now that they had the network up and running again; after Robotnik's relic-hunting attacks all of the posts had to be relocated. Now that they had more of them, however, he didn't have to run nearly so far to get their messages delivered. And his latest was a doozy: the Doomsday station had been identified, and the attack was coming soon. Sally had spent several days composing the communiqué, which also commanded all freedom cells under twenty members to join up with another cell close-by. With such a large-scale invasion pending, teamwork and strength in numbers were two things absolutely essential. Additional instructions would follow as they were worked out.
Tails was there at the mouth of the passage to great him, as usual. "Heya, Sonic!"
"Hey, Little Bro," he answered, smiling. "What's shakin'?"
"Oh, not much," he replied. "Aunt Sally just left a while ago."
Sonic nodded. She had been talking that morning about going to Robotropolis to find more clues about her father, maybe find some help on how to launch an offensive against Doomsday. This was something she had never done before, and she needed help now more than ever. "Who'd she take with her?" he asked.
"I think she went alone. She took Brainerd's motorcycle."
Sonic's initial emotion was surprise, but that quickly subsided. It was to be expected, he supposed, but still somewhat irresponsible of her. Everyone knew how dangerous going into Robotropolis without backup was. "How did Ant handle that?"
"I don't think he's here, either. Him n' Aunt Bunnie went down to the lake this morning."
Sonic smiled and rolled his eyes as he started into camp. "Some war we're fightin' here; everyone's goin' off everyplace. So, who's holdin' down the fort?"
"I think Miss Lupe's takin' care of things," Tails followed.
A logical choice. Lupe was the leader of the Wolfpack freedom cell, originally based out of the Badlands. They had come at Sally's request to join them at Knothole, since they themselves had recently come under attack by Robotnik's forces, and their numbers had dwindled to a mere ten. Brainerd, from whom Sally had apparently borrowed transportation, was part of their group, their vehicle specialist.
Sonic made his way over to Sally's office, which sort of became her and Lupe's joint office for the time being. She was very knowledgeable in the ways of warfare, and was roughly ten years Sonic and Sally's senior. Her expertise was favored by Sally, and all of Knothole.
He pushed the door open, hearing his Uncle Chuck's voice from within. "Yes, ma'am, he's going to be all right. Everything's turned back to normal, and he'll be resting in the medical hut for the next twenty-four hours."
Lupe answered him, her voice neither low nor high, but rich and vibrant. "Thank you, Charles. And I'm sure Derst will thank you, too, when he awakens."
Charles left the room, patting Sonic on the shoulder as he passed. Uncle Chuck had sure grown accustomed to his new life at Knothole quickly. He spent most of time now assisting Rotor with the deroboticizor, keeping it up in shape enough to help the constant stream of 'patients' they received. While regaining his strength from his own procedure he and Sonic had spent much time together, catching up on his nephew's life over the past twelve years.
"Hey, Lupe," Sonic greeted. "How's it goin'? How's your buddy Derst?"
She bowed her head. "Much better, indeed. Your Uncle Charles has assured me he will make a full recovery."
She spoke slowly, steadily, as if with an unnatural patience. As with most of the times he was in her presence Sonic found himself staring at her, the way she looked, the way she moved. Lupe had spent her entire life surrounded by nature, in a society that revered and preserved it. The gray-furred wolf was strong and athletic, her hair and tail highlighted by black. The only thing marring her flawless features was a horizontal scar beneath her left eye, which merely served to impress that she had her fair share of rough scrapes as well.
"Uh, glad to hear it," stammered, forcing himself to look away. "Hey, you know where Brainerd is?"
"Last I knew, he was in the vehicle garage with Kara," she answered in her steady tone.
"Man, those two are somethin' else, huh? Get 'em together and they just start talkin', and no one else can understand what they're sayin'!"
She smiled pleasantly. "That's the way their kind operates, I suppose. One could say a higher level of language."
"Yeah. How long ago did Sal leave?"
"About an hour after you left. She went alone, and took Brainerd's motorcycle."
"That's what I heard," he tried not to sound agitated. "That means she's probably there by now." He sighed. "I just hope she knows what she's doin'."
-=*=-=*=-=*=-=*=-
At that moment Sally was about a kilometer away from Robotropolis city limits, able to see the place where the barren landscape abruptly turned to industrial canyons. She peered out from the visor of the black helmet she had borrowed along with the bike, seeing a suitable place to stash the vehicle until she had to leave. She opened up the throttle a little more, and the motorcycle responded in kind with a sharp increase in its pleasant growling.
She eased off the accelerator as soon as she was in the city, quickly bringing the bike into an abandoned building and killing the engine. She pulled the helmet off her head, shaking her brown hair loose with her other hand, and annoyed at the fact that she would have 'helmet head' for the rest of the day. She placed it on the seat and grabbed her pack as she left.
Seeing as how she was alone, stealth was definitely a priority. Before she left she had abandoned her everyday outfit in favor of some of Bunnie's dark-colored clothing, which would help her evade detection a little more. She had voiced the opinion that her bushy tail could pose a problem, but that was something she would have to deal with.
Sally pulled Nicole from the pocket of her black jacket, flipping it open to check her map once more before starting off. She had told everyone back at Knothole that she would be looking for information about her father, which was partly true. What she didn't say was that King Max had contacted her telepathically again, giving her more details of his location. It had been nearly two years since he had first called to her in that way, and several times since. Now she knew she had to get him back; she couldn't fight Robotnik's Doomsday machine alone.
She started off down the street, taking random turns on a path that would take her to the Imperial Tower. They had been sloppy going there at first, taking the same path several times before she realized that probably wasn't the best plan to avoid capture. Robotnik could easily set up sentries and cameras if he found them once, then going that way again would, as Sonic had put it, "screw them over."
Sally had also taken care to find another way into the palace, a door to the old servant's quarters in the north. It was still in the building's blackout region, and so probably unprotected by any SWATbots, but much closer to the functioning areas of the tower, where she needed to go.
She took the way patiently, knowing that hurrying only made stress. She chose alertness instead, keeping her eyes and ears open for anything that would signal someone watching her. She approached the base of the tower cautiously, her boots making no sound against the pavement. She brandished her computer. "Nicole, scan for any security mechanisms, please."
|Scanning, Sally... No security mechanisms found, Sally.|
"Good. Unlock the door, please."
|Complying...|
Sally waited, glancing around her to make sure she wouldn't be caught off guard. The street around was empty, and for that she was grateful. The lock on the door clicked, and she reached for the handle.
"Are you sure you know what you're doing?"
The voice was clear as day in her ears, and Sally spun around, thinking she'd come face to face with a squad of SWATbots or some street thugs. Instead, she saw empty street. Sally's eyes darted around warily, knowing she had heard someone whispering into her ears. She reached for the door again, and once more the voice sounded. "You're an awfully long ways from home, Princess."
This time there were two distinct sources, one whispering into her ear, and the other was a handful of yards away, in a darkened alleyway. Both were the same voice, a forceful, accented woman's voice; but it was as if she were speaking through a radio Sally wore inside her ear. It was then she realized it wasn't in her ears, it was in her *mind.* She was speaking the same way her father had spoken to her several times in the past, with telepathy.
Sally peered into the smog, trying to find the speaker. "Who's there? I demand you show yourself."
She stepped from the shadows into plain sight, with a sense of purpose and strength of determination. She was feline in build, with dark gray fur, and raven hair that fell to her shoulders. Her eyes were an emerald green, and her face was youthful, probably not much older than Sally. She wore a dusty cape that wrapped around her shoulders, down to below her waist, over a dark jumpsuit and heavy boots. She took several steps toward Sally before speaking. "Such demands must not be made lightly. You don't know if I'm friend o' foe."
"How do you know who I am?" Sally asked, standing straighter and refusing to give any sign of weaknesses to this person.
"I know more than most would give me credit for," she replied. "And I know why you're heah. I must warn you against this plan of yours, Princess. You have no idea what you're getting you'self into."
"Sorry," Sally raised her eyebrows and reached for the door. "I try not to take advice from strangers."
She hung her head and closed her eyes, as if remembering something. "King Max would have had it no othe' way. You wouldn't remembe', but I've seen you before, and I've talked with your father, both before and after he was sent to the Void."
Now Sally was visibly disturbed. "How do you know where my father is? And how could you have spoken to him before?"
She smiled, not a sign of pleasantry but of amusement. "I can take you to him, if you wish. But do unde'stand, what I show you, you will not be able to explain. So don't even try. These are things that were never meant to be tampe'ed with."
Sally had no idea what she was talking about, but nodded. "I understand. Please show me the way."
She nodded silently. "By the way," she glanced out of the corner of her eye, gliding past her. "You can call me Jewel."
-=*=-=*=-=*=-=*=-
For one of the few times in his life, Sonic was bored with nothing to do. He made a trip round the camp, making sure everything was running smoothly, which it was. Even though they were preparing for a large-scale invasion -- certainly a first for him -- none of the strategizing for the battle could be done without Sally there. He found himself wandering, and acquiesced to sitting alone in the commons, trying to get some rest.
That was harder than it should have been. Sonic was usually able to fall asleep at the drop of a hat, especially when he was supposed to be doing something else. But as his mind worked he found himself worried about Sally. He had done solo missions before and, contrary to what he told everyone, he got nervous, and almost made fatal mistakes. Whatever he told himself he couldn't help but have this nagging feeling that something was going to happen to her.
After an hour or so he couldn't take it anymore and left the table, deciding to take a walk in the forest around camp. He shoved his hands deep into in his pockets as he made his way around the web of paths that wound through the Great Forest. He kept his head down and went slowly, his mind racing with thoughts that didn't seem to come in any particular order. When at last he stopped to notice where he was, he had wandered down to the spring about a half-kilometer from Knothole.
He smiled as he saw it, sparkling in the sunlight, the bright green trees swaying gently in the wind. He remembered coming down here as a kid, to get away from all of the rules and regulations imposed on them by Julayla, Sally's caretaker in the first years after the coup. She had taken it upon herself to watch after the five of them -- Antoine, Bunnie, and Rotor were the other three -- in the wake of Robotnik's takeover, but Sonic had been going through tough times.
The hedgehog's smile faded as he took a step toward the pool, remembering Julayla, King Max, Amadeus Prower, and all the other friends and relatives they had lost along the way. He pushed it from his mind a moment later. Now wasn't the time to be opening up the old wounds, not when he was needed here, in the present, where all his compatriots were counting on him.
Sonic then became aware of someone else at the edge of the spring, and turned to look. It was Lupe, sitting close to the water with her legs and tail folded beneath her, hands in her lap, head bowed and eyes closed. He faltered for a moment, then turned.
"It's all right, Sonic," the woman calmly called to him. "You aren't disturbing me."
He slowly turned back. "How'd ya know it was me?"
"Several ways," she answered, her mouth the only part of her body actually moving. "Your gait is very distinctive. If you're not running, you tend to shuffle your feet."
"Oh," he muttered, then chuckled to hide his embarrassment. "You've got good ears, Lupe."
"You learn to listen, when you've been in the wild as long as I have, when your very survival depends on how well you know your surroundings."
"Yeah..." he sighed, looking out at the lake, "guess so..."
"Something troubling you, Sonic?" she asked, opening one eye to look at him.
"I'm just worried about Sal, I guess. You know, I never think about what would happen if my friends weren't here anymore. We seem to lose freedom fighters all the time, but what if it was one of my closest friends?"
"I know your feelings," Lupe quietly responded. "I had to go through that myself, long ago."
"Ya did?"
She nodded. "Just after Robotnik took over. My father was one of the first killed in the primary attack, before the rest of us could get to safety. It was so long ago, but I still remember all of it. It took me a long while to get over that loss."
Sonic understood, and nodded. "Have you lost a lot of your family?"
"I count all of my fellow clansmen as my family. And yes, I have lost many of them."
He waited a moment before speaking again. "How do you deal with something like that?"
"It is a slow process, Sonic. I've found it best to concentrate more on the good things, on the pleasant memories." Her hands tightened around the object she was holding. "We will all pass from this world with time. Once you know this simple truth, you deal with death differently."
"You mean it makes it easier?" he asked, coming closer.
"Not always. At times it makes it more difficult."
His gaze fell to her hands, and he was able to notice the small stone she held. "What's that rock?" he asked her. "...If you don't mind me askin'."
She held it out so he could see it. It was a stone carving, covered with strange etchings that reminded Sonic of the Emerald Hill artifacts. "This is a deep power stone," she replied, looking up at him. "My father gave me this not long before his death. Now it's one of the only things I have to remember him by."
Sonic looked it over quizzically. "What's it for?"
"The power stones are artifacts of the Ancient Peoples. It is said that, in times of great need, the power stones can be used to unlock forces beyond the realm of mortal understanding. It was my father's wish to locate the stones and use them to bring justice against Robotnik. After his death, I took it upon myself to carry out his wishes. My second, Lobo, bears the second stone, and I have instructed him to keep it separate from the other until I command him otherwise."
Sonic's eyes had widened. "Wow. That's really somethin'. And you're gonna use these suckers against Robotnik?"
Lupe shook her head. "They can be used once, and then are returned to their places of holding. I have not yet found the method in which to use them, or what the effects would be."
"We should find out," he suggested. "Something packin' this much *oomph* could really do some mondo damage."
-=*=-=*=-=*=-=*=-
After their one-sided introduction Jewel proceeded to lead Sally through the corridors of the Imperial Tower, to an elevator and down to one of the building's lowest sublevels. As the minutes passed the princess found herself suspicious at the stranger's uncanny knowledge of the palace, and had the lurking suspicion that this was somehow a trap.
After a while she built up the courage to ask her: "So how do you know the layout of the palace so well?"
"I spend a lot of time heah," she answered without slowing. "For mostly the same reason as you, I'd suppose."
Not wishing to be strung along further on that tangent she let it go. By now they were so far into the underground she had no idea where they were, so going back wasn't an option. She had no choice but follow, wherever she was being taken. "Why aren't there any guards down here?" she asked Jewel, noticing the absence of any of Robotnik's robots.
"I think Robotnik's all but fo'gotten about this place. Either that or he just doesn't think anyone will find it."
*That doesn't sound like Robotnik,* Sally didn't say. *He usually has guards of some kind.*
"Tell me, Princess: how much do you know about the Void?"
"Nothing, really," she admitted. "Robotnik sent my father there more than ten years ago, but I don't know what it is, or where it is."
"Information about it is spa'se at best," Jewel nodded, "but I've been able to piece together facts about it. It seems to be an alte'nate dimension to ours, slightly shifted so that it inte'sects with our reality in only a handful of locations. Robotnik unlocked one of them before the takeove', with the help of a fellow by the name of Ixis Naugus."
"Oh my gosh," Sally breathed. "Robotnik's working with Naugus?"
Jewel smiled. "Then you've heard of him?"
She shook her head with disbelief. "He was a... sorcerer, of all things, a radical. He claimed he had mystic powers and could access other levels of existence. He used to work for my father until he was expelled from the kingdom."
"Expelled, yes, but he never left. Robotnik picked him up on his way out of town, convinced him to work for him. Secretly, of cou'se. By then Robotnik already had his sights set on your kingdom, he just needed the means to execute that plan, part of which was deposing and disposing of your father."
"So Naugus... created the Void," Sally worked out, the pieces starting to fit together. "Then trapped my father in it so Robotnik could take over."
"Bingo. Then, of cou'se, Robotnik double-crossed Naugus, and trapped him in the Void, too."
"How do you know all this?"
"No offense intended, Princess, but I've been researching the Void a lot longe' than you."
"So you know where it is, and how to get inside?"
"Yes. But, don't get your hopes up. Getting your father out is far from that simple."
Sally continued walking in silence. It was as if Jewel was giving her just enough information to keep her interested, to keep her from turning back and leaving. How could she know so much about what happened in the events surrounding the coup? Surely she couldn't be old enough to have been there, to have experienced it all first-hand? Whatever was going on, she felt closer to her father than ever before. She had to keep going, even if it meant trusting her fate to this stranger.
*You can trust her...*
Her father's voice whispered in her mind, and she smiled, feeling his presence strengthen the farther she went.
Jewel turned her head to look at Sally out of the corner of her eye. "You hear him, yes?"
"Yes," Sally quietly replied. "How much farther?"
"Almost there." As they continued into the tunnels, Jewel continued to explain. "When Naugus began his research there was great controversy as to whether or not the dimensions he found existed before hand, or if they were in fact his own creations, as he claimed. Those few who accepted his findings were torn between the two opinions, but after Naugus was labeled a heretic and became an outcast, no one seemed to care anymore.
"The only thing that's fact is that to link the dimensional gap between this wo'ld and the Void, he requi'ed a massive gateway device, and the means with which to operate it."
"And I assume you know how to use this gateway?"
"I do." It was only a few minutes later that Jewel guided her into a door that looked no different from the others around. She cautiously entered, still expecting the worst. There were no 'bots inside, but the majority of the large room was occupied by computer equipment. She looked around, seeing that it was all one large device, the focus of which was an immense pair of rounded braces on the far wall.
"This is the gateway?" she asked hesitantly.
Jewel nodded, already moving to a large panel that looked to be the controls. She produced a disk from her pocket and inserted it into an invisible slot, then set to work, her hands flying expertly over the buttons and activating the gate.
Sally wished she could see how she was doing it, but by the time she had crossed the room to look Jewel was finished. There was a tremendous surge of electricity and the lights in the room dimmed. She turned to face the brackets, as the edges of each sparked, spewing rays of lightning that melded to form a flat pane, the surface of which was a writhing and pulsing mass of color. Sally stared wide-eyed, approaching carefully.
"This is what you wanted, yes?" Jewel called out, her voice nearly drowned out by an inaudible hum from the machinery.
"Are you coming, too?" Sally asked over her shoulder, eyes still transfixed on the portal.
"I'll follow behind you. There are things I need to do on my end, to make sure you aren't trapped inside."
That one concerned Sally more than ever. She was about to protest, when she heard her father's voice again, this time from the gateway itself. "You can trust her..."
Sally smiled, and took a step toward the portal. As she neared, the colors swimming in the pane became separated, like looking through a tinted mirror. She reached a hand out toward the field, feeling the electric power it produced. She closed her eyes and stepped forward, her entire body entering and washing over her. The feeling was unique, strange, but not unpleasant. Her entire body was tingling as she crossed, her body was light and she was floating.
She wasn't sure how much time had passed when she finally decided to open her eyes, but she was amazed at what she saw when she did. There were colors everywhere she looked, even above and below her. There was no floor or ceiling that she could tell, she was suspended in the air, hovering in the space. Sally tried to make sense of her surroundings, but soon found herself extremely disoriented, and her mind started swimming.
"You'll get used to it," a crackly, hissing voice chuckled. He was somewhere behind her, but she couldn't turn to look. "*I* had to."
She felt helpless, unable to move, unable to speak. She wanted to cry out to her father, or to Jewel, but her mouth refused to operate. "You're trying too hard, child," the voice continued. "Stop trying to move your *body*. That doesn't mean anything here."
She had no idea what he was talking about, which worked out well with the rest of her day. She could feel the speaker coming closer to her, but couldn't do anything about it. She was grabbed by an impossibly strong hand, and dragged backwards.
"Hands off, buddy!" Jewel called out, and the hand holding her suddenly released.
She walked calmly over to where Sally was floating, small patches of floor appearing and disappearing with each of her footfalls. "I forgot to warn you. The Void doesn't react with your physical body at all, just your mind. Just concentrate."
Sally worked at it, and found herself gradually able to move her limbs. She found her feet touching something solid, even though nothing was there. She stood, blinking and looking around.
"Now then," Jewel continued. "What do ya think *you* were doing, Naugus?"
Sally spun, seeing the man who had been speaking to her before. He was an Overlander, old and hunched, with a long white beard that stretched to his chest. He was wearing robes of some sort, and eyed Sally with a nervous, hollow-eyed stare. "Jewel?" he hissed at her with contempt. "What are you doing here again?"
"Showing the princess around," she smiled casually, which seemed to irritate the man even more. "What are you still doing here?"
"Very amusing," he rolled his eyes. "She's looking for her father, no doubt." He looked at her again for a moment, grinning hungrily, then turned back to look up at Jewel. "Don't suppose you've figured out how to let me out yet, hmm?"
She crossed her arms and stared the little man down. "As if. I wouldn't let you out for anything, not afte' the things you've done. You know that."
He shrugged nonchalantly. "Can't blame a guy for trying."
She sniffed as he turned to leave, walking a ways away from them before turning an invisible corner and disappearing from sight. Sally whispered to Jewel: "He doesn't seem as dangerous as I remember."
"There are several reasons for that," she answered, still watching the spot Naugus had walked to. "One of those is that I'm just as powerful as he when in the Void. He's quickly lea'ned to... behave himself when I'm around."
"Thank you, by the way, for coming with me."
"No problem. Here's someone else you might want to say thanks to."
Sally turned to follow her gaze, seeing another man coming toward them, taller than Naugus, moving with a regal air, a smile on his lips.
"Daddy!" Sally cried out and ran forward, jumping into her father's arms and hugging him tightly. "Oh, Daddy, I've missed you so much!"
"I've missed you, too, Bean," his gentle voice was soothing to her ears. "It's great to finally see you, after all this time."
She looked up at him through tear-streaked eyes, unable to find the words she wanted to say. She had been dreaming of this moment since the day of the coup, almost every night she was a child. She pressed harder against her father, the exiled king, grateful to have his arms around her again.
"How very touching," Naugus reappeared, completely shattering the moment. "Don't get too attached, missy. You can't take him with you. We're both stuck here."
"Silence, Naugus," the king ordered calmly, but with enough force to make the old man backpedal. "It is enough just to see my daughter again."
She looked up into his warm eyes, smiling. "I want so much to get you out of here."
"Robotnik has all the control codes for the Void," Jewel spoke up. "Without them, we can't bring out anyone he put in."
"I just wanted to see you again," Sally whispered. "We're going against Robotnik soon, almost all of the freedom fighters are joining us at Knothole. I hoped... that you would help me. I don't feel strong enough to do this alone."
"You're never alone, Sally," he lifted her chin. "Even if I'm not there with you, there are others who can support you. Don't be afraid to ask for their help." He smiled. "It's a lot easier than coming here to ask for mine."
Sally nodded, reaching up to wipe her eyes. "You won't be here forever, Daddy. You have my word. I will get you out of here."
His kindly face seemed to glow as he answered her. "I have no doubt that you will, Bean. But don't think so much about me that you forget about your own duties. While I'm in here, the throne is rightfully yours. Never forget that."
"I won't."
They embraced once more, pulling back with hesitation only after Jewel interrupted: "I think we should go now. We've kind of ove'stayed our welcome."
As Sally said her farewells Jewel brought a small device from her pocket and switched it on. "Usually a person needs to be recalled from the main controls," she told her. "But I've rigged it to return your code, and a code I've hard-wi'ed for myself. I just have to warn you, though: this part gets a little weird."
She pressed the button, and Sally gasped. It was like she was being stretched in all directions, and she looked over to her father for the last time, as her field of vision contracted and expanded strangely. She squeezed her eyes shut against the sensations, and when she opened them again she was sprawled out on the floor in the gateway control room.
She got up and brushed the dust from her black jacket as Jewel stepped out of the flat pane of energy. She crossed over to the controls without missing a beat, disconnecting her equipment and deactivating the gate. It sparked and vanished, the lights in the room returning to their normal brightness.
Jewel quietly led Sally back up to the surface, neither of them speaking of the Void, or the things they had just seen. When they finally exited the Tower, Sally gave the woman her genuine thanks.
"Why don't you come with me back to Knothole?" she offered. "We're always looking for good people to help us in our quest against Robotnik. With your knowledge of this area you could be a great asset."
"Thanks, but no," the cat shook her head. "I've got my own quest that needs completing. But keep your ears open. I may see you around."
She left down the street, turned into a darkened alley and was gone. Sally quietly returned to her motorcycle and headed back to Knothole.
-=*=-=*=-=*=-=*=-
Sally wandered down to the spring late that night, thinking over the mission to the city. She took walks in the dark often, mostly to clear her head from the pressures of running the operation at Knothole. As she saw the moon reflected off the placid surface of the lake, she noticed Sonic on a log nearby. She approached him quietly, sitting down beside him. "Is this seat taken?"
"Huh? Oh, hey, Sal. How'd the mission go?"
"Well," she nodded. "I was kind of wondering what happened to you. I haven't seen you at camp since I've gotten back."
"I've been up here," he answered, turning back to face the water. "Been doin' a lotta thinkin'."
"What about?"
"This whole Doomsday thing, mostly. This is somethin' huge, way bigger than any of us."
"I've been thinking about that, too," Sally said quietly, then took a breath. "I found my father in Robotropolis. He said that if we were going to beat Doomsday, I had to learn to trust in my friends more."
"You found King Max? That's great! Ain't it?"
She sighed. "I found him, but I can't release him yet. Robotnik has all the control codes. Without those, he's trapped in there."
"Oh," his enthusiasm faded. "Don't worry, Sal," he reached over to take one of her hands in his. "We'll beat this thing. We'll get your dad back and beat Doomsday and all of it. Everything will be fine."
She looked down at his hands, then up into his eyes. "I hope so, Sonic. I really hope you're right."
**END OF CHAPTER**
MESSAGE FROM THE MAN: Here We Are Again
Another week, another chapter. Got a couple tidbits of news, for the interested. One, I've resubmitted all the chapters at FF.N, 'cuz their translator kinda messed up my others ones. I've reformatted them to suit that site better. For those of you reading this on SonicVerse, well, then you won't see this for a couple weeks, because they don't update that quickly, and their format's just fine, so you don't get nuthin'. You will notice, however, that all the chapters from this point forward will be different.
Two, would RamenNoodles please call me, e-mail me, whatever? Your review of my work was something cryptic, something about plotholes and major plot problems. Heh, I'd like to know what you were referring to, if you don't mind. So, e-mail's at SonicNeoRedux@yahoo.com. Send me a line, give me feedback I can use.
Da rest o' yas, keep sending in reviews and feedback messages. If you read this stuff, lemme know, let me feel appreciated. Peace out.
-AE
**FREEDOM FIGHTERS OF MOBIUS**
Sonic the Hedgehog Neo Redux
By Antipode Echidna
e-mail: SonicNeoRedux@yahoo.com
Mobian Time: Year 3237, Day 192
Episode: Gathering
Story (c) 2003 by the author. Based on characters created by Sega, DiC Productions, and/or Archie Comics Group, used without permission, but protected by totally rad copyright laws... Woo-hoo!
Other characters:
Jewel (c) Antipode Echidna / Adam Czech. Please ask permission before using any of my charas, thanx!
Sonic ran in from the forest path back into Knothole, his mission to
the communications network completed in record time. It was a lot easier now that they had the network up and running again; after Robotnik's relic-hunting attacks all of the posts had to be relocated. Now that they had more of them, however, he didn't have to run nearly so far to get their messages delivered. And his latest was a doozy: the Doomsday station had been identified, and the attack was coming soon. Sally had spent several days composing the communiqué, which also commanded all freedom cells under twenty members to join up with another cell close-by. With such a large-scale invasion pending, teamwork and strength in numbers were two things absolutely essential. Additional instructions would follow as they were worked out.
Tails was there at the mouth of the passage to great him, as usual. "Heya, Sonic!"
"Hey, Little Bro," he answered, smiling. "What's shakin'?"
"Oh, not much," he replied. "Aunt Sally just left a while ago."
Sonic nodded. She had been talking that morning about going to Robotropolis to find more clues about her father, maybe find some help on how to launch an offensive against Doomsday. This was something she had never done before, and she needed help now more than ever. "Who'd she take with her?" he asked.
"I think she went alone. She took Brainerd's motorcycle."
Sonic's initial emotion was surprise, but that quickly subsided. It was to be expected, he supposed, but still somewhat irresponsible of her. Everyone knew how dangerous going into Robotropolis without backup was. "How did Ant handle that?"
"I don't think he's here, either. Him n' Aunt Bunnie went down to the lake this morning."
Sonic smiled and rolled his eyes as he started into camp. "Some war we're fightin' here; everyone's goin' off everyplace. So, who's holdin' down the fort?"
"I think Miss Lupe's takin' care of things," Tails followed.
A logical choice. Lupe was the leader of the Wolfpack freedom cell, originally based out of the Badlands. They had come at Sally's request to join them at Knothole, since they themselves had recently come under attack by Robotnik's forces, and their numbers had dwindled to a mere ten. Brainerd, from whom Sally had apparently borrowed transportation, was part of their group, their vehicle specialist.
Sonic made his way over to Sally's office, which sort of became her and Lupe's joint office for the time being. She was very knowledgeable in the ways of warfare, and was roughly ten years Sonic and Sally's senior. Her expertise was favored by Sally, and all of Knothole.
He pushed the door open, hearing his Uncle Chuck's voice from within. "Yes, ma'am, he's going to be all right. Everything's turned back to normal, and he'll be resting in the medical hut for the next twenty-four hours."
Lupe answered him, her voice neither low nor high, but rich and vibrant. "Thank you, Charles. And I'm sure Derst will thank you, too, when he awakens."
Charles left the room, patting Sonic on the shoulder as he passed. Uncle Chuck had sure grown accustomed to his new life at Knothole quickly. He spent most of time now assisting Rotor with the deroboticizor, keeping it up in shape enough to help the constant stream of 'patients' they received. While regaining his strength from his own procedure he and Sonic had spent much time together, catching up on his nephew's life over the past twelve years.
"Hey, Lupe," Sonic greeted. "How's it goin'? How's your buddy Derst?"
She bowed her head. "Much better, indeed. Your Uncle Charles has assured me he will make a full recovery."
She spoke slowly, steadily, as if with an unnatural patience. As with most of the times he was in her presence Sonic found himself staring at her, the way she looked, the way she moved. Lupe had spent her entire life surrounded by nature, in a society that revered and preserved it. The gray-furred wolf was strong and athletic, her hair and tail highlighted by black. The only thing marring her flawless features was a horizontal scar beneath her left eye, which merely served to impress that she had her fair share of rough scrapes as well.
"Uh, glad to hear it," stammered, forcing himself to look away. "Hey, you know where Brainerd is?"
"Last I knew, he was in the vehicle garage with Kara," she answered in her steady tone.
"Man, those two are somethin' else, huh? Get 'em together and they just start talkin', and no one else can understand what they're sayin'!"
She smiled pleasantly. "That's the way their kind operates, I suppose. One could say a higher level of language."
"Yeah. How long ago did Sal leave?"
"About an hour after you left. She went alone, and took Brainerd's motorcycle."
"That's what I heard," he tried not to sound agitated. "That means she's probably there by now." He sighed. "I just hope she knows what she's doin'."
-=*=-=*=-=*=-=*=-
At that moment Sally was about a kilometer away from Robotropolis city limits, able to see the place where the barren landscape abruptly turned to industrial canyons. She peered out from the visor of the black helmet she had borrowed along with the bike, seeing a suitable place to stash the vehicle until she had to leave. She opened up the throttle a little more, and the motorcycle responded in kind with a sharp increase in its pleasant growling.
She eased off the accelerator as soon as she was in the city, quickly bringing the bike into an abandoned building and killing the engine. She pulled the helmet off her head, shaking her brown hair loose with her other hand, and annoyed at the fact that she would have 'helmet head' for the rest of the day. She placed it on the seat and grabbed her pack as she left.
Seeing as how she was alone, stealth was definitely a priority. Before she left she had abandoned her everyday outfit in favor of some of Bunnie's dark-colored clothing, which would help her evade detection a little more. She had voiced the opinion that her bushy tail could pose a problem, but that was something she would have to deal with.
Sally pulled Nicole from the pocket of her black jacket, flipping it open to check her map once more before starting off. She had told everyone back at Knothole that she would be looking for information about her father, which was partly true. What she didn't say was that King Max had contacted her telepathically again, giving her more details of his location. It had been nearly two years since he had first called to her in that way, and several times since. Now she knew she had to get him back; she couldn't fight Robotnik's Doomsday machine alone.
She started off down the street, taking random turns on a path that would take her to the Imperial Tower. They had been sloppy going there at first, taking the same path several times before she realized that probably wasn't the best plan to avoid capture. Robotnik could easily set up sentries and cameras if he found them once, then going that way again would, as Sonic had put it, "screw them over."
Sally had also taken care to find another way into the palace, a door to the old servant's quarters in the north. It was still in the building's blackout region, and so probably unprotected by any SWATbots, but much closer to the functioning areas of the tower, where she needed to go.
She took the way patiently, knowing that hurrying only made stress. She chose alertness instead, keeping her eyes and ears open for anything that would signal someone watching her. She approached the base of the tower cautiously, her boots making no sound against the pavement. She brandished her computer. "Nicole, scan for any security mechanisms, please."
|Scanning, Sally... No security mechanisms found, Sally.|
"Good. Unlock the door, please."
|Complying...|
Sally waited, glancing around her to make sure she wouldn't be caught off guard. The street around was empty, and for that she was grateful. The lock on the door clicked, and she reached for the handle.
"Are you sure you know what you're doing?"
The voice was clear as day in her ears, and Sally spun around, thinking she'd come face to face with a squad of SWATbots or some street thugs. Instead, she saw empty street. Sally's eyes darted around warily, knowing she had heard someone whispering into her ears. She reached for the door again, and once more the voice sounded. "You're an awfully long ways from home, Princess."
This time there were two distinct sources, one whispering into her ear, and the other was a handful of yards away, in a darkened alleyway. Both were the same voice, a forceful, accented woman's voice; but it was as if she were speaking through a radio Sally wore inside her ear. It was then she realized it wasn't in her ears, it was in her *mind.* She was speaking the same way her father had spoken to her several times in the past, with telepathy.
Sally peered into the smog, trying to find the speaker. "Who's there? I demand you show yourself."
She stepped from the shadows into plain sight, with a sense of purpose and strength of determination. She was feline in build, with dark gray fur, and raven hair that fell to her shoulders. Her eyes were an emerald green, and her face was youthful, probably not much older than Sally. She wore a dusty cape that wrapped around her shoulders, down to below her waist, over a dark jumpsuit and heavy boots. She took several steps toward Sally before speaking. "Such demands must not be made lightly. You don't know if I'm friend o' foe."
"How do you know who I am?" Sally asked, standing straighter and refusing to give any sign of weaknesses to this person.
"I know more than most would give me credit for," she replied. "And I know why you're heah. I must warn you against this plan of yours, Princess. You have no idea what you're getting you'self into."
"Sorry," Sally raised her eyebrows and reached for the door. "I try not to take advice from strangers."
She hung her head and closed her eyes, as if remembering something. "King Max would have had it no othe' way. You wouldn't remembe', but I've seen you before, and I've talked with your father, both before and after he was sent to the Void."
Now Sally was visibly disturbed. "How do you know where my father is? And how could you have spoken to him before?"
She smiled, not a sign of pleasantry but of amusement. "I can take you to him, if you wish. But do unde'stand, what I show you, you will not be able to explain. So don't even try. These are things that were never meant to be tampe'ed with."
Sally had no idea what she was talking about, but nodded. "I understand. Please show me the way."
She nodded silently. "By the way," she glanced out of the corner of her eye, gliding past her. "You can call me Jewel."
-=*=-=*=-=*=-=*=-
For one of the few times in his life, Sonic was bored with nothing to do. He made a trip round the camp, making sure everything was running smoothly, which it was. Even though they were preparing for a large-scale invasion -- certainly a first for him -- none of the strategizing for the battle could be done without Sally there. He found himself wandering, and acquiesced to sitting alone in the commons, trying to get some rest.
That was harder than it should have been. Sonic was usually able to fall asleep at the drop of a hat, especially when he was supposed to be doing something else. But as his mind worked he found himself worried about Sally. He had done solo missions before and, contrary to what he told everyone, he got nervous, and almost made fatal mistakes. Whatever he told himself he couldn't help but have this nagging feeling that something was going to happen to her.
After an hour or so he couldn't take it anymore and left the table, deciding to take a walk in the forest around camp. He shoved his hands deep into in his pockets as he made his way around the web of paths that wound through the Great Forest. He kept his head down and went slowly, his mind racing with thoughts that didn't seem to come in any particular order. When at last he stopped to notice where he was, he had wandered down to the spring about a half-kilometer from Knothole.
He smiled as he saw it, sparkling in the sunlight, the bright green trees swaying gently in the wind. He remembered coming down here as a kid, to get away from all of the rules and regulations imposed on them by Julayla, Sally's caretaker in the first years after the coup. She had taken it upon herself to watch after the five of them -- Antoine, Bunnie, and Rotor were the other three -- in the wake of Robotnik's takeover, but Sonic had been going through tough times.
The hedgehog's smile faded as he took a step toward the pool, remembering Julayla, King Max, Amadeus Prower, and all the other friends and relatives they had lost along the way. He pushed it from his mind a moment later. Now wasn't the time to be opening up the old wounds, not when he was needed here, in the present, where all his compatriots were counting on him.
Sonic then became aware of someone else at the edge of the spring, and turned to look. It was Lupe, sitting close to the water with her legs and tail folded beneath her, hands in her lap, head bowed and eyes closed. He faltered for a moment, then turned.
"It's all right, Sonic," the woman calmly called to him. "You aren't disturbing me."
He slowly turned back. "How'd ya know it was me?"
"Several ways," she answered, her mouth the only part of her body actually moving. "Your gait is very distinctive. If you're not running, you tend to shuffle your feet."
"Oh," he muttered, then chuckled to hide his embarrassment. "You've got good ears, Lupe."
"You learn to listen, when you've been in the wild as long as I have, when your very survival depends on how well you know your surroundings."
"Yeah..." he sighed, looking out at the lake, "guess so..."
"Something troubling you, Sonic?" she asked, opening one eye to look at him.
"I'm just worried about Sal, I guess. You know, I never think about what would happen if my friends weren't here anymore. We seem to lose freedom fighters all the time, but what if it was one of my closest friends?"
"I know your feelings," Lupe quietly responded. "I had to go through that myself, long ago."
"Ya did?"
She nodded. "Just after Robotnik took over. My father was one of the first killed in the primary attack, before the rest of us could get to safety. It was so long ago, but I still remember all of it. It took me a long while to get over that loss."
Sonic understood, and nodded. "Have you lost a lot of your family?"
"I count all of my fellow clansmen as my family. And yes, I have lost many of them."
He waited a moment before speaking again. "How do you deal with something like that?"
"It is a slow process, Sonic. I've found it best to concentrate more on the good things, on the pleasant memories." Her hands tightened around the object she was holding. "We will all pass from this world with time. Once you know this simple truth, you deal with death differently."
"You mean it makes it easier?" he asked, coming closer.
"Not always. At times it makes it more difficult."
His gaze fell to her hands, and he was able to notice the small stone she held. "What's that rock?" he asked her. "...If you don't mind me askin'."
She held it out so he could see it. It was a stone carving, covered with strange etchings that reminded Sonic of the Emerald Hill artifacts. "This is a deep power stone," she replied, looking up at him. "My father gave me this not long before his death. Now it's one of the only things I have to remember him by."
Sonic looked it over quizzically. "What's it for?"
"The power stones are artifacts of the Ancient Peoples. It is said that, in times of great need, the power stones can be used to unlock forces beyond the realm of mortal understanding. It was my father's wish to locate the stones and use them to bring justice against Robotnik. After his death, I took it upon myself to carry out his wishes. My second, Lobo, bears the second stone, and I have instructed him to keep it separate from the other until I command him otherwise."
Sonic's eyes had widened. "Wow. That's really somethin'. And you're gonna use these suckers against Robotnik?"
Lupe shook her head. "They can be used once, and then are returned to their places of holding. I have not yet found the method in which to use them, or what the effects would be."
"We should find out," he suggested. "Something packin' this much *oomph* could really do some mondo damage."
-=*=-=*=-=*=-=*=-
After their one-sided introduction Jewel proceeded to lead Sally through the corridors of the Imperial Tower, to an elevator and down to one of the building's lowest sublevels. As the minutes passed the princess found herself suspicious at the stranger's uncanny knowledge of the palace, and had the lurking suspicion that this was somehow a trap.
After a while she built up the courage to ask her: "So how do you know the layout of the palace so well?"
"I spend a lot of time heah," she answered without slowing. "For mostly the same reason as you, I'd suppose."
Not wishing to be strung along further on that tangent she let it go. By now they were so far into the underground she had no idea where they were, so going back wasn't an option. She had no choice but follow, wherever she was being taken. "Why aren't there any guards down here?" she asked Jewel, noticing the absence of any of Robotnik's robots.
"I think Robotnik's all but fo'gotten about this place. Either that or he just doesn't think anyone will find it."
*That doesn't sound like Robotnik,* Sally didn't say. *He usually has guards of some kind.*
"Tell me, Princess: how much do you know about the Void?"
"Nothing, really," she admitted. "Robotnik sent my father there more than ten years ago, but I don't know what it is, or where it is."
"Information about it is spa'se at best," Jewel nodded, "but I've been able to piece together facts about it. It seems to be an alte'nate dimension to ours, slightly shifted so that it inte'sects with our reality in only a handful of locations. Robotnik unlocked one of them before the takeove', with the help of a fellow by the name of Ixis Naugus."
"Oh my gosh," Sally breathed. "Robotnik's working with Naugus?"
Jewel smiled. "Then you've heard of him?"
She shook her head with disbelief. "He was a... sorcerer, of all things, a radical. He claimed he had mystic powers and could access other levels of existence. He used to work for my father until he was expelled from the kingdom."
"Expelled, yes, but he never left. Robotnik picked him up on his way out of town, convinced him to work for him. Secretly, of cou'se. By then Robotnik already had his sights set on your kingdom, he just needed the means to execute that plan, part of which was deposing and disposing of your father."
"So Naugus... created the Void," Sally worked out, the pieces starting to fit together. "Then trapped my father in it so Robotnik could take over."
"Bingo. Then, of cou'se, Robotnik double-crossed Naugus, and trapped him in the Void, too."
"How do you know all this?"
"No offense intended, Princess, but I've been researching the Void a lot longe' than you."
"So you know where it is, and how to get inside?"
"Yes. But, don't get your hopes up. Getting your father out is far from that simple."
Sally continued walking in silence. It was as if Jewel was giving her just enough information to keep her interested, to keep her from turning back and leaving. How could she know so much about what happened in the events surrounding the coup? Surely she couldn't be old enough to have been there, to have experienced it all first-hand? Whatever was going on, she felt closer to her father than ever before. She had to keep going, even if it meant trusting her fate to this stranger.
*You can trust her...*
Her father's voice whispered in her mind, and she smiled, feeling his presence strengthen the farther she went.
Jewel turned her head to look at Sally out of the corner of her eye. "You hear him, yes?"
"Yes," Sally quietly replied. "How much farther?"
"Almost there." As they continued into the tunnels, Jewel continued to explain. "When Naugus began his research there was great controversy as to whether or not the dimensions he found existed before hand, or if they were in fact his own creations, as he claimed. Those few who accepted his findings were torn between the two opinions, but after Naugus was labeled a heretic and became an outcast, no one seemed to care anymore.
"The only thing that's fact is that to link the dimensional gap between this wo'ld and the Void, he requi'ed a massive gateway device, and the means with which to operate it."
"And I assume you know how to use this gateway?"
"I do." It was only a few minutes later that Jewel guided her into a door that looked no different from the others around. She cautiously entered, still expecting the worst. There were no 'bots inside, but the majority of the large room was occupied by computer equipment. She looked around, seeing that it was all one large device, the focus of which was an immense pair of rounded braces on the far wall.
"This is the gateway?" she asked hesitantly.
Jewel nodded, already moving to a large panel that looked to be the controls. She produced a disk from her pocket and inserted it into an invisible slot, then set to work, her hands flying expertly over the buttons and activating the gate.
Sally wished she could see how she was doing it, but by the time she had crossed the room to look Jewel was finished. There was a tremendous surge of electricity and the lights in the room dimmed. She turned to face the brackets, as the edges of each sparked, spewing rays of lightning that melded to form a flat pane, the surface of which was a writhing and pulsing mass of color. Sally stared wide-eyed, approaching carefully.
"This is what you wanted, yes?" Jewel called out, her voice nearly drowned out by an inaudible hum from the machinery.
"Are you coming, too?" Sally asked over her shoulder, eyes still transfixed on the portal.
"I'll follow behind you. There are things I need to do on my end, to make sure you aren't trapped inside."
That one concerned Sally more than ever. She was about to protest, when she heard her father's voice again, this time from the gateway itself. "You can trust her..."
Sally smiled, and took a step toward the portal. As she neared, the colors swimming in the pane became separated, like looking through a tinted mirror. She reached a hand out toward the field, feeling the electric power it produced. She closed her eyes and stepped forward, her entire body entering and washing over her. The feeling was unique, strange, but not unpleasant. Her entire body was tingling as she crossed, her body was light and she was floating.
She wasn't sure how much time had passed when she finally decided to open her eyes, but she was amazed at what she saw when she did. There were colors everywhere she looked, even above and below her. There was no floor or ceiling that she could tell, she was suspended in the air, hovering in the space. Sally tried to make sense of her surroundings, but soon found herself extremely disoriented, and her mind started swimming.
"You'll get used to it," a crackly, hissing voice chuckled. He was somewhere behind her, but she couldn't turn to look. "*I* had to."
She felt helpless, unable to move, unable to speak. She wanted to cry out to her father, or to Jewel, but her mouth refused to operate. "You're trying too hard, child," the voice continued. "Stop trying to move your *body*. That doesn't mean anything here."
She had no idea what he was talking about, which worked out well with the rest of her day. She could feel the speaker coming closer to her, but couldn't do anything about it. She was grabbed by an impossibly strong hand, and dragged backwards.
"Hands off, buddy!" Jewel called out, and the hand holding her suddenly released.
She walked calmly over to where Sally was floating, small patches of floor appearing and disappearing with each of her footfalls. "I forgot to warn you. The Void doesn't react with your physical body at all, just your mind. Just concentrate."
Sally worked at it, and found herself gradually able to move her limbs. She found her feet touching something solid, even though nothing was there. She stood, blinking and looking around.
"Now then," Jewel continued. "What do ya think *you* were doing, Naugus?"
Sally spun, seeing the man who had been speaking to her before. He was an Overlander, old and hunched, with a long white beard that stretched to his chest. He was wearing robes of some sort, and eyed Sally with a nervous, hollow-eyed stare. "Jewel?" he hissed at her with contempt. "What are you doing here again?"
"Showing the princess around," she smiled casually, which seemed to irritate the man even more. "What are you still doing here?"
"Very amusing," he rolled his eyes. "She's looking for her father, no doubt." He looked at her again for a moment, grinning hungrily, then turned back to look up at Jewel. "Don't suppose you've figured out how to let me out yet, hmm?"
She crossed her arms and stared the little man down. "As if. I wouldn't let you out for anything, not afte' the things you've done. You know that."
He shrugged nonchalantly. "Can't blame a guy for trying."
She sniffed as he turned to leave, walking a ways away from them before turning an invisible corner and disappearing from sight. Sally whispered to Jewel: "He doesn't seem as dangerous as I remember."
"There are several reasons for that," she answered, still watching the spot Naugus had walked to. "One of those is that I'm just as powerful as he when in the Void. He's quickly lea'ned to... behave himself when I'm around."
"Thank you, by the way, for coming with me."
"No problem. Here's someone else you might want to say thanks to."
Sally turned to follow her gaze, seeing another man coming toward them, taller than Naugus, moving with a regal air, a smile on his lips.
"Daddy!" Sally cried out and ran forward, jumping into her father's arms and hugging him tightly. "Oh, Daddy, I've missed you so much!"
"I've missed you, too, Bean," his gentle voice was soothing to her ears. "It's great to finally see you, after all this time."
She looked up at him through tear-streaked eyes, unable to find the words she wanted to say. She had been dreaming of this moment since the day of the coup, almost every night she was a child. She pressed harder against her father, the exiled king, grateful to have his arms around her again.
"How very touching," Naugus reappeared, completely shattering the moment. "Don't get too attached, missy. You can't take him with you. We're both stuck here."
"Silence, Naugus," the king ordered calmly, but with enough force to make the old man backpedal. "It is enough just to see my daughter again."
She looked up into his warm eyes, smiling. "I want so much to get you out of here."
"Robotnik has all the control codes for the Void," Jewel spoke up. "Without them, we can't bring out anyone he put in."
"I just wanted to see you again," Sally whispered. "We're going against Robotnik soon, almost all of the freedom fighters are joining us at Knothole. I hoped... that you would help me. I don't feel strong enough to do this alone."
"You're never alone, Sally," he lifted her chin. "Even if I'm not there with you, there are others who can support you. Don't be afraid to ask for their help." He smiled. "It's a lot easier than coming here to ask for mine."
Sally nodded, reaching up to wipe her eyes. "You won't be here forever, Daddy. You have my word. I will get you out of here."
His kindly face seemed to glow as he answered her. "I have no doubt that you will, Bean. But don't think so much about me that you forget about your own duties. While I'm in here, the throne is rightfully yours. Never forget that."
"I won't."
They embraced once more, pulling back with hesitation only after Jewel interrupted: "I think we should go now. We've kind of ove'stayed our welcome."
As Sally said her farewells Jewel brought a small device from her pocket and switched it on. "Usually a person needs to be recalled from the main controls," she told her. "But I've rigged it to return your code, and a code I've hard-wi'ed for myself. I just have to warn you, though: this part gets a little weird."
She pressed the button, and Sally gasped. It was like she was being stretched in all directions, and she looked over to her father for the last time, as her field of vision contracted and expanded strangely. She squeezed her eyes shut against the sensations, and when she opened them again she was sprawled out on the floor in the gateway control room.
She got up and brushed the dust from her black jacket as Jewel stepped out of the flat pane of energy. She crossed over to the controls without missing a beat, disconnecting her equipment and deactivating the gate. It sparked and vanished, the lights in the room returning to their normal brightness.
Jewel quietly led Sally back up to the surface, neither of them speaking of the Void, or the things they had just seen. When they finally exited the Tower, Sally gave the woman her genuine thanks.
"Why don't you come with me back to Knothole?" she offered. "We're always looking for good people to help us in our quest against Robotnik. With your knowledge of this area you could be a great asset."
"Thanks, but no," the cat shook her head. "I've got my own quest that needs completing. But keep your ears open. I may see you around."
She left down the street, turned into a darkened alley and was gone. Sally quietly returned to her motorcycle and headed back to Knothole.
-=*=-=*=-=*=-=*=-
Sally wandered down to the spring late that night, thinking over the mission to the city. She took walks in the dark often, mostly to clear her head from the pressures of running the operation at Knothole. As she saw the moon reflected off the placid surface of the lake, she noticed Sonic on a log nearby. She approached him quietly, sitting down beside him. "Is this seat taken?"
"Huh? Oh, hey, Sal. How'd the mission go?"
"Well," she nodded. "I was kind of wondering what happened to you. I haven't seen you at camp since I've gotten back."
"I've been up here," he answered, turning back to face the water. "Been doin' a lotta thinkin'."
"What about?"
"This whole Doomsday thing, mostly. This is somethin' huge, way bigger than any of us."
"I've been thinking about that, too," Sally said quietly, then took a breath. "I found my father in Robotropolis. He said that if we were going to beat Doomsday, I had to learn to trust in my friends more."
"You found King Max? That's great! Ain't it?"
She sighed. "I found him, but I can't release him yet. Robotnik has all the control codes. Without those, he's trapped in there."
"Oh," his enthusiasm faded. "Don't worry, Sal," he reached over to take one of her hands in his. "We'll beat this thing. We'll get your dad back and beat Doomsday and all of it. Everything will be fine."
She looked down at his hands, then up into his eyes. "I hope so, Sonic. I really hope you're right."
**END OF CHAPTER**
MESSAGE FROM THE MAN: Here We Are Again
Another week, another chapter. Got a couple tidbits of news, for the interested. One, I've resubmitted all the chapters at FF.N, 'cuz their translator kinda messed up my others ones. I've reformatted them to suit that site better. For those of you reading this on SonicVerse, well, then you won't see this for a couple weeks, because they don't update that quickly, and their format's just fine, so you don't get nuthin'. You will notice, however, that all the chapters from this point forward will be different.
Two, would RamenNoodles please call me, e-mail me, whatever? Your review of my work was something cryptic, something about plotholes and major plot problems. Heh, I'd like to know what you were referring to, if you don't mind. So, e-mail's at SonicNeoRedux@yahoo.com. Send me a line, give me feedback I can use.
Da rest o' yas, keep sending in reviews and feedback messages. If you read this stuff, lemme know, let me feel appreciated. Peace out.
-AE