Chapter 10: The Path Ahead
March 7th, 2314 – 7:00 AM – Retler Hotel, Rotisiv, Tneicna
Tails rested in his nice warm bed in the hotel room Knuckles had rented out for them. This was the gift he had given them to make up for the fight last night. After sleeping on the ground for the past few days, it was like heaven on Planet Freedom. He heard Sonic give a heavy sigh, before he pushed the covers aside and jumped out of his bed. Tails then heard his footsteps moving over to his bedside. Sonic lightly shook the fox, trying to wake him up.
"Tails, come on, it's morning. Time to get up."
"Lemme sleep some more...Sonic..." Tails murmured, rolling on his side so that he was facing away from Sonic.
Sonic did move away for a moment, but then Tails heard a loud rustling as Sonic moved aside the drapes from the window with one movement. Since the room's window was on the east side of the building, the sunlight poured into the room like a tidal wave. Tails scrunched his eyelids together really hard. He pulled the covers over his head and curled up into a ball, trying to block out as much light as possible. Sonic chuckled a little.
"Alright, I'll get up..." Tails muttered, slipping out of his bed.
He stretched his arms out wide, and gave a big yawn.
"Hey Sonic," Tails said, rubbing one eye.
"What is it, Tails?" Sonic said, sitting on the edge of his bed.
"What are we going to do after we get Carrie to Nedlo?"
"Well, I guess we should go looking for our own home. We're going to need one after what happened in Forest Town."
At the mention of Forest Town, the memories of what had happened there only four days ago came flooding back in full force.
"Mommy...daddy..." Tails said, tears beginning to form in his eyes. He closed his eyes, as the tears began to patter on the floor. "What are we going to do Sonic? What are we going to do?"
"I don't know Tails," Sonic said.
The two of them had been so busy protecting Carrie from the assassins that they had temporarily forgotten about what had even brought them into this situation. Now though, here the memory was back in full force. Tails cried a little longer.
"I still can't believe they're dead..." Tails said.
"You've got to be strong, Tails," Sonic said. "Without your mom and dad, our lives will be tough. Once we've dropped off Carrie, it will be time for us to go find our own path."
While Tails looked at Sonic with eyes wide open and frightened of what was to come, Sonic gave him a small smile.
"Don't worry Tails, I know you can get through this. And if you can't, I'll be there to help you. I promise. We are brothers, aren't we? Or adopted ones, at least."
Tails sniffed a little more.
Just being around Sonic back at our old house made me feel better, a lot of the time. He made me feel like I could do anything. He helped me when I got stuck on my English homework. He got me to finish building that kit remote control car when I was about to give up on it. He didn't give up on helping me to fly, even if he did make me really tired doing it. He has been a great big brother for me.
Tails rubbed the tears from his eyes, and smiled.
"Yeah, we're brothers. I trust you, Sonic."
Tails gave Sonic a hug, and smiled as Sonic rustled his hand through the fur on top of his head. He knew that everything was going to be all right with his big brother around.
About 30 minutes later, at Rotisiv International Airport...
"Well, I guess this is goodbye to you three," Knuckles said. "I hope we meet again some day."
Sonic, Tails, and Carrie were in the Tornado, and Knuckles was standing on the ground next to them. A cool breeze blew through the hangar they were standing in, the sound of the wind whistling past their ears giving the place a calming mood.
"Yeah, me too Knuckles," Sonic said from his perch on top of the Tornado's upper wing. "Thanks a lot for giving us those two hotel rooms to make up for last night."
"You're welcome."
"Hey...are you still wanting that match? We could do it right now before we go..."
Sonic moved to jump off the plane, but Knuckles raised a hand up and said, "No, it's okay. I want to get out of this country as soon as possible right now. With how tough you were in the fight in the park, both of us would probably be out for days once the fight is over. I don't want to get delayed that long."
"Alright then Knuckles," Sonic said. "But how will you find me again for a rematch?"
"Remember my treasure sensing ability?" Knuckles said. "All I gotta do is think about your plane here, and I'll know where it is. When I find the plane, you probably won't be too far away from it, I bet."
"Really? That's good. In that case, I hope you come visit us again soon Knuckles!"
"I will when I decide to take a break again," Knuckles said, as he slung his backpack over his shoulder. "Don't worry, because I will be back for you."
"All right then, see you!" Sonic said.
"See you Knuckles!" Carrie said, waving from the other end of the Tornado's wing.
"Bye!" Tails said, with a bright smile on his face.
The fox reached down and started the engine of the Tornado. The ignition coughed, the blades began to spin, and the hangar was filled with the dull roar of the engine. As Tails steered the biplane out of the hangar, Sonic and Carrie turned back to wave. Knuckles waved back, and ran over to the hangar door to watch the plane take off. As it left the ground, Knuckles saw Carrie throw a small object from the aircraft. That would probably be her cell phone, since the thugs said they had machines to track the signals of her phone.
I've got a feeling that this encounter's going to have a quite an effect on the rest of my life. I wonder how though? Oh well, I've got other things to think about right now, like what country I should go to next... Hmm... Cictra? Maybe I'll go there later, because it's still freezing cold up there this time of year. Elona? Hah, good luck finding any treasure in that place. There's nothing but farms in that country. Naeco? That sounds interesting... My parents talked a lot about an old civilization that was once there. It revolved around the sea. I think I'll go there. I could probably find some artifacts if I bought an air tank with my prize money and went diving... All right then, it's settled. I'm headed for Naeco!
A grin crossed Knuckles' lips. He exited the hangar, tilting his cowboy hat down to shield his eyes from the sun's harsh rays. He took off running at a sprint, eager to begin the new journey before him.
3:00 pm that afternoon, in Nedlo, Tneicna...
"Here it is, my new home!" Carrie said excitedly.
Sonic, Tails, and Carrie were standing in front of an inn in bustling downtown Nedlo. It was a three-story building made of stone, colored a faded rosy red. "Brenbar Inn" was written across a wooden sign that was hanging over the entryway. It squeaked loudly as it swayed in the breeze. Aging clay pots in the windows held flowers of a variety of colors. The whole building seemed to have the feeling of antiquity, as if it had been standing there many years. However, the brightly colored flowers and the red exterior walls did make the edifice still feel vibrant with energy.
Carrie turned back to Sonic and Tails, a smile beaming on her face. "Thank you so much for all of your help! Were it not for you, I might not have even survived long enough to make it here! How can I ever repay you for all you've done?"
"It's no problem," Sonic said, a small grin on his face. "If it weren't for you, we would have run out of fuel and would have had to abandon the Tornado. We should be thanking you too."
"You're welcome. I guess we're even then, huh?"
"Yeah," Sonic said. "But...I don't get it. You're living in a hotel?"
"Yeah, that's right. I'll be living here. This is where my job is too, so no need for commuting. I became friends with the owner of this hotel because I saved his life once. He was about to get attacked by thieves while he was visiting my old town of Nerilo in Tresed, but I sensed the criminals and alerted some nearby policemen before they could rob him. He's giving me a room in his hotel and the job as payback."
"Oh, I see now," Sonic said, nodding his head. "Well, good luck with your new job, and I hope you're able to stop whoever's trying to kill you."
"I will need that luck trying to find that Blackie Sten guy, that's for sure," Carrie said back, a bit of a worried tone in her voice. "Just knowing the name is the first stepping stone. He could be anywhere on this planet. It could be a long time before I finally stop him."
"Really?" Tails said, sounding sad.
"Aww, don't be too sad Tails," Carrie said, smiling at Tails. "I've learned more about the person who wants to kill me in the last couple days than I have in the last nine years. I finally know his name. Every little bit of progress helps, doesn't it?"
"Yeah, that's right," Sonic said.
"Speaking of progress," Carrie said, turning to Sonic. "What are you gonna do, now that you've gotten me here?"
"We're gonna go looking for our own home."
"Where are you going to stay? You're only two kids you know, with no parents..."
"We'll be fine. We can take care of ourselves. Come on! If you've been able to take care of yourself since you were nine, I think we can do it too."
"That is true," Carrie said, an embarrassed smile on her face. However, it quickly faded. "But are you sure you'll be fine all alone? This world is a dangerous place, with Robotnik running around."
"I don't think Robotnik's that tough," Sonic said with a laugh. "My dad and his dad put him in jail one time, remember? We could probably take him."
"Hee, maybe you could."
Tails gave both of them a worried look, his ears drooping down slightly.
"Is something wrong Tails?" Carrie asked.
The look quickly vanished off of Tails' face, as if it had never been there, while his ears flicked back up instantly. He simply said, "It's nothing."
"Are you sure?" Carrie said, taking a step towards Tails.
"Yes, I'm sure," Tails said. He put a smile back on his face, although it looked a little forced. "Don't worry about it."
Carrie decided not to press the issue, and instead said, "Okay then. Whatever you say."
Suddenly, a robin wearing an expensive looking robe came striding out through the front door of the hotel. The bird's clothes and face looked about as vibrant as the hotel he had just stepped out of. He walked over to the fox, hedgehog, and wolf with a smile on his face.
"Carrie, is that you?" he quickly said.
"Yes it is, Mr. Olandra," Carrie said back. "Your savior, heh."
"Good, good! You made it here safely," he said with a broad smile. "I was afraid that the assassins you told me about would get you before you made it here. Don't worry though, because you'll be safe here. I've got a false identity lined up for you even, with the papers and everything."
"Thank you sir, but aren't you giving me an awful lot?"
"Oh don't worry about it Carrie! You saved my life back in that city in the desert! What was it called again? Nerilo? Anyway, without you, I would have been dead, and all of my hard work in running this hotel would have been for nothing. I owe you so much," He said. He then noticed Sonic and Tails with her. "Ah, I didn't see these two at first. Who are they?"
"My name is Sonic," Sonic quickly said, shaking hands with Mr. Olandra.
"And my name is Tails," Tails said.
"I see. Are they friends of yours?" the robin asked.
"They are. Those assassins almost got me a couple times, but these two kept me safe."
"But...they're just children!"
"They're more than children. They're the sons of Swift Hedgehog and Kyle Prower, the heroes of the Robotnik War. I didn't believe them at first, but after seeing them take down those killers like nothing, I know they're not lying."
"Oh yes, I heard about that from a guest who arrived here from Rotisiv early this morning. She said two little kids took out two criminals running around with a lot of scary human technology. So you two did that? I'm impressed!"
"Thank you," Sonic said.
"Well, anyway," Mr. Olandra said, turning back to Carrie. "I've got your room waiting upstairs for you to look at. Want to go up and see it now?"
"Sure," Carrie said. She turned to look back at Sonic and Tails. "Do you two wanna come?"
"No thanks," Sonic said. "Me and Tails need to get going."
"Can't we stay with Carrie a little longer?" Tails asked.
"We've been with her long enough, Tails," Sonic said, in a strangely authoritative voice. "She doesn't need us anymore, now that we've gotten her here. It's time for us to move onto something bigger, like getting our own home. We need to get started down our own path, remember?"
"I guess you're right Sonic..." Tails said sadly.
"Cheer up Tails," Sonic said, placing a hand on his shoulder. He had a grin on his face. "We can always come back and visit later."
"Really?" Tails said, a grin forming on his face.
"Yes," Sonic said with a nod.
"That would be great!" Carrie said.
"Yeah, but right now, we need to get going," Sonic said, his tone becoming more serious. He turned to look at Carrie. "We'll see you later."
"Alright, bye then! Good luck you two!"
"Bye!" Sonic and Tails said together, waving as they walked away.
"Bye!" Carrie said, waving back to them.
They quickly rounded a corner and were soon out of sight. Carrie slowly let her arm fall back down to her side, sighing. She heard Mr. Olandra coming up behind her.
"Well, shall I show you to your room now?" he said.
"Okay," Carrie said back, her eyes still on the corner where she had last seen Sonic and Tails.
I'll never forget about either of you, Carrie thought. Hurry back soon, please...
Somewhere in the Land of Darkness...
A surgeon was busily stitching up the last of the cuts on his patient, the patient lying down on a table. The room was very still. The other doctors stood around quietly, anxiously watching as the last surgeon finished his work. Because, while the patient's health problems were just ending, theirs were most likely only just beginning. The patient was none other than Dr. Robotnik himself, and they weren't in a hospital, but in his newest headquarters base.
After Robotnik had gotten those nasty burns from the fight with Kyle, he had ordered his robots to kidnap a team of doctors and surgeons from the closest hospital to his base. They had succeeded, and Robotnik was quite pleased with how quickly they had worked to heal him. The plastic surgery on his upper body and face had made him look as good as new, and he had gotten the treatment done in record time.
Fear certainly is a powerful motivator, Robotnik thought as he grinned.
The surgeon finally finished his work, and with a nervous voice said, "All...all right...Mr. Robotnik. I've finished patching up the rest of your wounds. You...should make...a full recovery..."
Robotnik chuckled a bit, since he knew it was totally against the doctor's will to help him in any way. The fat human slowly went into a sitting up position on the table, using his arms for balance. He smiled as he looked at the group of doctors before him, while they looked back. Some had terrified looks, while others looked at him like they'd gut him with the surgical tools in their hands. Too bad for them though that several robot soldiers were standing in the room, in case the doctors decided to put that bright idea into action. Robotnik gave out a deep yawn.
He then said, "Well, you all did a marvelous job patching up my wounds. Thank you all for your hard work. Is there anything you need to tell me that I should know about this surgery?"
After a moment of no responses, Robotnik slid off of the table.
"I'm sure you're all wondering what I'm going to do with you now that I'm healed again," he said, pacing the room. "Do not worry, because I am not going to roboticize you."
He heard both surprised murmurs and sighs of relief rise up from the group of surgeons. While some were obviously quite relieved that Robotnik wasn't going to use the now infamous roboticizer on them, others were still worried about what he would probably do instead.
"Instead, I'm simply going to release you."
All of the doctors appeared incredibly surprised. They looked like schoolchildren who had suddenly learned that the school year was going to end a month earlier than usual.
"Why?" a bat doctor said. "Is this some kind of a joke?"
"No no, I'm certainly not joking," Robotnik said, shaking his head. "However, do not get me wrong. This is not an act of mercy. You're only being let go because it doesn't matter at all if you live, die, or get roboticized. Now that both Swift Hedgehog and Kyle Prower are dead, your armies will be crushed as easily as the human army was six years ago. There's nothing left that can stop me. I don't even care if you tell the government where this base is."
A shark-like grin crossed Robotnik's face.
"In fact, I want you to go tell everyone you can that my base is here. The human and Freedomian armies would come here, and it would spare me the trouble of having to go out and hunt them down myself. So go on, get out of here! Do it before I order my soldiers to shoot you!"
The doctors hurried out of the room as the soldiers stationed around the room levered their laser rifles at them. He could hear the excited cries of the doctors as they ran down the hallway. Obviously they were too happy thinking about their own freedom to care about anything else.
Enjoy your freedom...while it lasts... Without Swift or Kyle alive, Planet Freedom is as good as mine. Kyle saying his brat kids Sonic and Tails could kill me was nothing more than an idle threat, the words of someone at the end of his line. Has he still forgotten what I told him six years ago? This is only the beginning!
On the exterior of the mountain base, rock walls collapsed as cannons sprouted from the surface like poisonous weeds. Massive hangar doors rolled open at the base of the rocks, unleashing hundreds, maybe even thousands of vehicles. Trucks, tanks, and aircraft moved out, the combined noise of their thundering engines making them seem like an avalanche devouring everything in its path. A heavily armored command post sprouted from the peak of the mountain, Robotnik seated in a massive leather chair inside it and overseeing the entire force.
Kyle was a fool to try to stop me. All he did by throwing his life away was buy Planet Freedom a few more days of peace. Long after his smoldering corpse is thrown into a grave, the Robotnik Empire will still remain. It will become immortal! And now, it is time to take the first steps towards the new era...
"Let Robotnik War II begin!"
The End