My Heart Doth Wander
Chapter 16 : Kaboom
How can I pretend that I don't see
What you hide so carelessly?
I saw her bleed; you heard me breathe
And I froze inside myself and turned away
I must be dreaming.
We all live (and)
We all die (but)
That does not begin to justify you.
It's not what it seems, not what you think
No, I must be dreaming.
It's only in my mind, not real life
No...I must be dreaming.
"I must be dreaming" – Evanescence
Snively had forgotten all about Casssar's dream. He'd forgotten his uncle. Everything that was of importance to him, the dark dreams, the plans to protect himself from Robotnik, they were flown out of his mind. He was caught up in the sounds of Casssar's breathing, heavy, her fingers stroking his back, her taste on his lips...Oh yes. Those were the only things of importance in the universe right now.
Until it all exploded.
At first he thought he'd done something wrong, he'd displeased Cass and she was using her magic. Then he realized...the building was shaking. The sky outside his bedroom window was flaring, like fireworks were going off outside. Three seconds later, the sirens went off and the red alert light mounted on the wall began to flash. He clamped his hands to his ears, a whimper escaping as the color scarlet flashed beyond his eyelids.
Casssar growled and raised her hand. A ball of white hot energy left her fingertips, exploding the offending red alert light. The colored glass fell to the floor and Snively took his hands from his eyes, trembling. "They're here. They're HERE!" He clutched his stomach, trying to resist the urge to vomit.
Everything he dreamed of – the nightmares. It was here now. He leapt from the bed, buttoning his shirt haphazardly, his mouth a grim line, his eyes terrified.
"Cast," Casssar began. He whirled around to eye her madly. She was beautiful. Her hair was disheveled. She was HIS. This empire was HIS. Robotnik would not come back from the dead and reclaim it with his rotting hands! He and his resurrector, Sally, would DIE! A savage gleam came to his azure orbs and he smirked. "They're HERE, Cass...but I'm READY."
She watched him flee the room with a frown. Then she flopped back upon the bed, staring up at the ceiling. Heart was still drumming, breathing was still heavy from the pleasures so abruptly taken away. "Those Freedom Fighters are beginning to annoy me," she muttered.
The explosions rocked the ground under their feet. Several of the villagers cheered. Sally looked on in silence at the smoke and fire, the wreckage clattering to the ground. Never had they damaged so many buildings at once, or ever placed explosives on the Command Center itself. It would have done no good with Robotnik.
Despite her silence and unmoved demeanor, Sally found it exhilarating. She had sometimes entertained the thought of utterly destroying Robotropolis, and on top of the ruins, building a new and clean version of the old Kingdom she had once loved.
Sonic grinned over, nudging her with his elbow. "Nice show, eh, Sal?"
She nodded.
"C'mon Sal." He nudged her again. "Show a little enthusiasm! Things are going great so far."
"Doesn't mean it'll stay that way!" She had to talk louder over the clamor of sirens coming from different buildings. The air was filled with the flash of fire and whirling red lights. "I doubt it'll be long before he starts sending out retaliation."
"Bring it on!" scoffed the hedgehog. "We can handle anything he throws at us. Right gang?" Geoffrey nodded. Ross and the villagers looked nervous. The wolves merely looked...expectant.
"Right," said Thunderhill and Lupe nodded. "We came here to fight, and fight we will."
There was another loud boom as another explosive went off, and Sally looked up to see smoke billowing from the Death Egg. She saw the balcony get cloven in half. Her eyes followed the path of twisted metal as it hurtled to the ground, sending up a volley of sparks. "Well...that's certainly going to get his attention."
Antoine's teeth were beginning to chatter. "Oh...Snipley is going to be very angry." Sonic snickered.
"Yeah, that's kind of the whole point."
"No," corrected Sally, "The whole point is to shock him...to make him see we aren't going to take this anymore." She glared towards the beach; she could see it through the streets a few blocks down. The water looked like black oil, slick and glimmering; the sound of the toxic waves hissed through the air. It was like white noise in between the booms and rumblings of the explosives, all synchronized for different times.
Sonic rubbed his hands together. "I can't wait to see what he brings out."
His breath was brought out. It was dragged from his lungs by a forceful hand and he gasped, he wheezed. He choked at the sight. Snively had stumbled coming into the Command Room, and down on his knees he had gazed up at the monitors, all lit with destruction. More destruction than they had wrought before. Frantically, he ordered cameras mounted on different buildings to reveal their footage, and one by one, each camera (if it wasn't destroyed) showed the same scenery. Fire and wreckage and falling pieces and smoke and crackling severed wires. One camera focused on the statue of Robotnik; it was lit red and orange from the flames, and he swore he saw the eyes glinting, winking. The horrible grin was alight too; he was smiling because he had come BACK to seize his throne.
"No. No." Snively felt too weak to stand up, but he forced his legs to rise. They trembled and he teetered towards the control panel, his small hand seeking out his headset lying there. Shaking hands slid the familiar device over his ears. He forced a few deep breaths, trying to break the hyperventilating that had overtaken him.
'No. Breathe in. Out. No, he's here. Stop it. Breathe OUT. NOW, breathe in. Yes. Come on. You have to defend. Breathe out.'
He patched into a Com channel. "Attention all SWATbots. I want a full sweep of the city, search for any intruders. Shoot on sight." There was an affirmative response and he accessed another channel. "Stealthbot Squadron Delta Bravo – come in."
Stealthbots, the sleek secretive robots. They were one of Robotropolis's most deadly flying machines. But rarely used inside the city; their laser canons and blasters were too destructive to buildings. He didn't care.
"Launch ALL Stealthbot squadrons. I want heat-seeking sweeps of the city done, quickly and thoroughly."
-Yes, Sir.-
"If you come across any LIVING source of heat, I want it eradicated."
-Sir, this could heavy damage to surrounding buildings.-
"I don't care! Demolish the city if you damn well please...I want them DEAD. I want HIM dead!" Snively nearly screamed into the mic hovering inches from his mouth, his fists grinding closed.
-Affirmative, Sir.-
"That is all. Commencing Launch countdown...NOW."
A finger lighted on a red Robotnik-eyes-soon-to-be-dead button and pressed down.
"There won't be enough of you left to bring back alive, Julian!"
1.
The klaxon sirens had begun to wail. The villagers had quit cheering at the sound of them, and now were huddling closer to their junkpile shelter.
2.
"There's no way he ain't aware of what's going down now," said Geoffrey. He had lit up a cigarette and was puffing away nonchalantly. Ross started coughing and Sally cast the skunk a sour look.
"Aren't smokes for after a victory?" Sonic tapped his foot impatiently.
3.
Geoffrey leered over at Sonic, inhaling a deep breath and then blowing a cloud of the pungent smoke into the hedgehog's face. "As far as I see it," he snickered as Sonic gagged, "We ALREADY won."
4.
"Yeah. Maybe," Sonic stepped away from the smoke cloud.
5.
"Something's coming." One of the villagers whispered. From somewhere down the street, they heard the echoed clanking of several pairs of metal feet.
"It must be a troop of SWATbutts," said Sonic. "I know the sound of them anywhere."
6.
"What should we do? Should we run?" asked Ross. "A whole troop...how many is that? How are we supposed-"
"SSH!" hissed Sally. "If they don't find us, obviously we won't have to do anything!"
The girl flattened down her ears, looking chastised. "I'm sorry..."
7.
"You guys wanted to come," said the ground squirrel crossly, glaring at the wounded Command Center.
"We'll be fine." Bernard put a hand on Ross's shoulder, casting a cold glance to the Princess's back. "I'm sure these guys weren't so cool on their first time here. But hey...who would be?"
8.
Snively noticed, for the first time, a draft. He turned on his heel, tearing his fevered gaze away from the monitors. He didn't say anything. Didn't even blink. The doors to the balcony were twisted open and he could see, outside, a portion of the railing was missing. He imagined more than that had been damaged, but he didn't bother to go look.
9.
He scanned the monitors. Fire and mayhem everywhere. He brought up a map of Robotropolis, noting the areas in red-alert. Strewn across the city, they were everywhere...except the beach.
"SWATbots. Storm the beach. They're THERE."
10.
The aerial doors opened, allowing the Stealthbots to ascend from their underground bunkers. Snively retreated to the throne, perching on the seat, straight-backed and alert. The Freedom Fighters were done for now...and so was Robotnik.
He laughed.
The Freedom Fighters crouched low as a troop of ten SWATbots clanked by them.
A minute later, the troop came back, but they still managed to overlook the silent Mobians.
"That's not the same group," said Sonic, his brash voice low for once. "There was eleven...the last group had ten."
"He must know we're in the area," Bernard said.
"How many troops do you think he has out here?" squeaked Ross.
"Oh my...I am not liking this...not liking this at all!" Antoine's voice was even thinner than Ross's; he was wringing his hands together.
"I think we should move. They're gonna find us soon."
"And be out in the open?" Geoffrey scoffed. "Best to keep yourself under some kind of cover, mate."
"Omigosh, yes," sputtered Ross, tugging at Bernard's arm. "We don't wanna get shot."
"So what do we do then?" growled Bernard. "Stay here and let them find us?"
"Sonic." Sally turned her eyes on the blue hedgehog. "Go out and see what our situation is. But no theatrics. Try to keep a low profile, if that's possible."
He smiled at her old cynicism...that was the Sally he knew and loved. "Hey babe, you know I always do."
"I mean it, Sonic!" She pushed her hand on his backpack, assuring that he was carrying his ring. It was there, she could feel the smooth hard ringlet through the fabric.
"Yeah yeah." He chuckled and took off. Sally was thrown back, landing squarely in the arms of Geoffrey. He grinned down at her.
"Ok, now we sit tight," she huffed, untangling herself from his embrace. "He shouldn't be long..."
Sonic loved the feel of running. It was truly a gift. The air seemed to slide so smoothly into his lungs. His vision was not the insane color-blur that everyone thought it was. Rather, objects seemed to slow down, decelerate as he accelerated, which explained his incredibly agility at high speeds.
He could hear a troop as he whipped around a corner. There they were, marching away from him, a double row of five.
"Ten uglies," he muttered. He reversed course, heading down another street. There was another troop.
He cut down an alleyway that led out to the beach. The water refinery was under repair. Sonic was mildly surprised to see only a small amount of techbots and workers on the job. Robotnik always had wreckage sites covered with robots to repair damage as fast as possible. It seemed Snively wasn't all that concerned.
"Heh. He will be now." He grinned as another explosion went off somewhere in the city. He zipped around the building, eyeing the ladder attached to the side of the building. What the heck. He was up in a second, teetering on the edge of the roof, staring down at the streets.
"Oh man!" From the heart of the city, more troops of SWATbots were pouring into West Robotropolis. Snively definitely knew they were in this area. He watched dismayed; the troops were splitting up. They were aiming to cover the escape routes, he realized. They were penning them in...
"But for what?"
Maybe Snively was going to come out with another troop, thinking he could cage them and then gun them down on the streets. It was something Robotnik would do. He'd tried it, sort of, one time, when he had built the radar that tracked Sonic's speed. Sonic and Antoine had been surrounded by SWATbots and Robotnik had nearly killed them both with his laser rifle.
"Until Ant grabbed the power ring. He really saved our butts that day." He shook his head, a grim smile tugging at his lips. Silly to think about that now...
They could still get out...they could head into the heart of the city...there was still many streets left open. "Gotta get back and tell Sal..." He stood for a moment, taking a breath, raising his eyes skyward.
Hmmm. Lightning. He saw the clouds flash red. Only for a split second. Strange...he hadn't thought it would rain today. It was hard to tell here by the beach...the air was so sodden and heavy already. He put a hand above his eyes, squinting into the clouds...and then his eyes widened and the hand dropped.
"Oh no. Stealthbots." He had seen a shadow, only for a split second, he had seen the shape of one of the deadly ships through the clouds. It could've been his imagination teasing him...
He couldn't take that chance.
"I've got to get back. Fast!"
-Heat seeking sweep shows a group of life forms in Quadrant B of West Robotropolis.-
Snively was standing at the door of the balcony, one hand locked on the door frame, and he whirled about, racing over to the monitors, his feet sliding on the smooth floor. "Excellent. Excellent!" He crowed. "Lock on targets and annihilate them!"
-Affirmative.-
Snively stepped back, a perverse grin on his face, and raised his arms, mimicking those silly ancient Earth preachers. "And HE shall rain fire upon them from the heavens and they shall perish!"
Casssar lay on the bed. Her breathing had returned to normal. Eyes were half-closed. He was gone, her passion was gone, but his touch lingered. She felt, in her bones and skin, the rumble of another explosion; it was like hearing him fall apart.
Stop. Leave him alone. He does nothing to you here. Let him alone so he may heal.
She could go out and kill them herself, but he would hate her for that.
He can't heal anyway. He can only scab over. And he can't leave the scabs alone.
She could slip out among the shadows and find them...she could creep her magic along the ground like a poisonous fog and slaughter them...and he would never know.
He can't heal anyway, ever.
She stayed in bed and closed her eyes.
"Where is he?" Antoine was holding his hands to mouth, shaking. Another SWATbot troop had gone by. "That fuel is being too slow for once!"
"Keep quiet, would you?" Thunderhill snarled, shooting a murderous look at the fox and the shivering Ross, whose eyes widened even more at the wolf's tone.
"Though I would agree, let's keep our tones civil, shall we?" Lupe's voice, soft as always, still managed to slice through any argument like a sharpened axe blade. Thunderhill backed down.
Sally glanced at the two, seeing their fear...and she felt something bubbling inside her. She put a hand to her chest; she examined the feeling. It shocked her. Mirth. She wanted to laugh, dark terrible laughter. She choked it down, giving an encouraging smile.
"Come on, Sonic," she muttered. She wanted out of here...it felt too dangerous, suddenly.
It couldn't be her wanting to laugh. It was someone else inside her.
Something's wrong.
'You have a strong spirit guide.'
No, I don't. That's Cu...it's only Cu that Nadie sensed. I have nothing.
Her eyes flitted to the sky. It seemed darker. But it was always dark here. Her ears hummed...she could hear something...
He was laughing and he sounded sick and exhilarated...and afraid. I can hear you laughing, Snively.
You have a strong spirit guide.
Do I?
Then how come it only shows me HIM?
She could hear something...subtle and high-pitched, almost beyond the ranges of her hearing. Too high for a human ear, and that's why they could never detect a Stealthbot by ear. They had to be very close now...
"We have to move," she said. "We have to get undercover!"
"But zee SWATbots!" cried Antoine.
"Run for the beach. The water refinery...and get down under the pipes. You hear me?" Sally grabbed Antoine's arm; he was starting to panic. "Get down under the pipes."
"Sally..." began Geoffrey, but then his ears pricked up. He nodded, a steely glint in his eye. "She's right. We've got to get out of here."
"But Sally...do ya'll really think they'll fire on us? That'll wreck a whole buncha buildins, Ah reckon?"
"Maybe he doesn't care," Sally was craning her neck around their pile of scrap, seeing that the way was clear. "Maybe he's that crazy."
Sally tensed down, coiled like a spring. "Ok...go...NOW!"
She leapt forward, the others right on her heels. She could hear Antoine's breathing, harsh and terrified, rasping so loudly in her ear. When he wasn't tripping over his own feet, Antoine was one of their faster runners.
They made it down three streets without running into any SWATbots. One of the villagers was clutching a stitch in their side, whimpering that they couldn't run any further. Thunderhill barked at them to quit being so weak; Sally, though she thought it harsh, had to agree. Her heart was thumping madly in her chest; her eyes scanned the road ahead of them. There were robots everywhere – they were going to run into a troop any minute now...and there would be shooting...and...
"SALLY!" Sonic's voice. She turned her head; he was racing down a side road towards them. His gloves were covered with oil, his shoulder was oozing blood. He'd run into a SWATbot troop. He might've even cleared the way for them... "SALLY, THERE'S STEALTH-"
She heard them coming up. Behind them. Like a far-off voice in a dream, barely discernable... but she recognized it. "Scatter," she said, "SCATTER!"
They obeyed, scattering in different directions...as the Stealthbots opened fire.
"I'll try to distract them!" Sonic yelled. Sally nodded without looking at him, panting, running zig-zag like a frightened rabbot. Laser fire fell like rain around them, blowing small craters in the streets, sending debris from buildings crashing down. A window shattered as she ran by and she threw a shielding arm up, feeling the sting of lacerations.
It seemed to work. Sonic dashed down the street ahead of them and overhead, the Stealthbots followed his lead, shooting futility after him. He dodged the blasts with ease.
"Keep heading for the beach!" Sally called out loudly, thankful, not for the first time, for Sonic's incredible gift.
"Hmmm..." Geoffrey trotted alongside her, his beret askew on his white tuft of hair. "Thinkin' you were right, luv, about us underestimating ole Snively."
She put a hand to her stinging arm, withdrew it covered in blood. She glared ahead, seeing the road rapidly being covered in rubble. Snively was shooting up his own buildings in this psychotic attempt to kill them. "Yes, I'm afraid we did." She slowed down, raising her voice to a shout. "Let's go down a side road, it'll be faster!"
"And less glass," said Geoffrey, watching as a stray laser shot missed the speedy hedgehog and shattered a huge window, littering the sharp pieces upon the street.
The group turned right, heading away from Sonic and the chaotic nightmare ahead...
-Priority One: Hedgehog targeted.-
Three messages bleeped out of the speakers at once and Snively whirled back to the monitors, his eyes widened. "NO, no NO!" He bellowed. Oh, stupid Julian and his fixation on that blue parasite. That aspect of Uncle had never quite rubbed off on Snively. He knew ALL the freedom fighters were a threat, not just the talented hedgehog. "Override that Command, Stealthbot Lead!"
-Command can only be overridden by Lord Robotnik.-
Of course. Stealthbots were Julian's babies. Nobody fucked around with their default commands except the Fat One himself. Snively had neglected to change their protocols to answer to Snively the Great, because he hadn't used them...he hadn't had a need to use them. Until Sally's little message...
"That's about to change," muttered the small Overlander, his fingers clanking over the keyboard, eyes narrowed, his tongue bit between his teeth. Like a surgeon slicing oh-so-delicately through the vulnerable flesh of the brain or heart, he dissected files and commands, killing Code that pertained to Robotnik and replacing it with his hated little name, Snively, (Snively the GREAT, that is), hacking away into Stealthbot protocol until...
YES.
They answered to HIM now.
"Stealthbots, Override Priority One: Hedgehog. Your NEW priority one is ANY Mobian in your sights. Do you copy?"
-Targets are not within Sight, Searching for Priority One: Mobians.-
"Very good. They can't have got far." Snively giggled as he sank down into the wheeled chair by the console. "Let the massacre begin!"
"Blimey!" Geoffrey nearly crashed into Sally, who had halted with a screech of her blue-booted feet. Ahead of them, a troop of SWATbots were racing their way.
"Turn around!" She whirled about, pushing Geoffrey out of her way, waving her hands. "Head back to the main street, we'll have to try another road! C'mon HURRY!"
Her arm was throbbing; she glanced down at it to see most of the blood flow had stopped.
They made it back. Sonic was nowhere in sight, but Sally was stunned to see several of the Stealthbots coming back their way. She cursed. 'He must've gone too fast...they must have lost him!'
"Quickly, down this way," Lupe's crisp voice rang out, guiding the group down the left side-street; they made it down just barely, the red heat-searching beams of the Stealthbots lighting the ground behind them. A stitch was beginning to pull in Sally's side and she fought to ignore it, drawing in painful breaths of air. Ross looked exhausted and Antoine's hair was so badly mussed over his face that she could barely see his eyes glinting through it. He flipped it away with a toss of his head, revealing his terror-stricken expression. His mouth gaped as he stared down the road.
"M-m-more of zee SWATbots!" He squealed. "Mah Princess, more!"
She followed his shaking finger's lead, her heart jolting at the sight of another troop coming their way.
"TURN!" She screamed.
Dear Journal...if I lose anyone's lives today I may be liable to take my own...I can't stand them dying for me.
They aren't dying for you, you selfish bitch! How dare you think all the rebellion of this world was sparked by you, led by you? A little arrogant, isn't it?
I led them into it. I let them go into it.
They chose to. They chose to do this.
But I gave them the choice.
Her feet skittered upon broken glass as they emerged onto the main street again. Geoffrey had his crossbow readied on his arm, his expression grim. His murky eyes gazed behind them; she didn't need to look to know there were more SWATbots coming that way. From the left, from the right, from behind...and the Stealthbots circling around in front of them again...
Trapped. Trapped. A cage.
Life is a prison, no matter how many pretty curtains you throw over the bars-
"He's cagin' us in! He's got us like rats in a trap, Sally-girl!" "Fuck," said Geoffrey.
'This is so simple. I should've expected it from him.'
"Keep going straight," she ordered. "Try to avoid the Stealthbot's red beams...that's how they find you."
That plan crumbled before her; Three Stealthbots flew nearly wing-to-wing, those red heat-seeking beams shining down, from one side of the street to the other. No gaps to squeeze through undetected.
And then, hurtling through the curtain of red came Sonic, dancing before the Stealthbots, sticking his tongue out. "Come on, UGLIES!" He taunted. "Come n' get me, slow-mos!"
It seemed they would follow him off again...they turned...but then... two turned back. Sonic raced away with only one of the destructive monsters on his tail. The beams came to Thunderhill first. He tried to squeeze against the wall but the beam caught him anyway and the shots began to rain down again.
"Run, RUN straight!"
"Go, Go!"
Everyone was screaming at once; Sally heard Antoine shrieking: "We are going to die! We are doom-ed! Doom-ed!"
She ducked as a piece of metal from the adjourning building came whistling over her head, sharp-edged and deadly.
The Stealthbots had circled around behind them and were now following, laying a barrage of shots everywhere, hissing to the ground around them, blinding their eyes with light and dust. Sally heard a blast crack down, directly behind her heels, and she was thrown forward by the force of it, scrapping her knees and hands on the ground.
Geoffrey came running to her, but he did not extend a helping hand. He aimed his crossbow upwards, spitting curses and let a bolt fly. She followed it's path as she clambered to her feet, her legs aching. The bolt glanced off the metal, leaving a minute dent. The Stealthbot was not daunted; it circled about to make another pass over them.
"It didn't do anything!"
Bunnie yelled. "Use the Krudoz!"
Rotor and the group had been busy; they had flown the airplane to the Mobian jungle and gathered many of the metal-eating plants, the Krudoz, and they had fashioned water-balloon type bombs, filled with the juice and bits of the corrosive leaves. They were all carrying some of these bombs.
Geoffrey pulled a balloon from his shoulder belt and fastened it to the shaft of the bolt. He faced the oncoming Stealthbot with a grim smile, extending his arm. It came nearer, laying waste to the street before it; Sally shielded her face with one hand as a cloud of dust and metal shards blew over. The bolt flew and lodged itself under the wing, the balloon exploding upon impact, and like a storm of termites over wood, the juice spread, eating through the metal.
The wing disintegrated and the Stealthbot swerved wildly, careening their way. Geoffrey grabbed Sally by the arm and yanked her away. She heard a horrific screech of metal as 'bot collided with the building and her wide eyes looked back to see it lodged into the side of the factory, quivering. Turning to dust.
"WHOOOWEEEE!" cheered Ross. "Awesome shot, Geoffrey!"
He puffed out his chest. "Thanks, mate."
"Don't be cheering yet!" The other Stealthbot was circling for another attack; Sally's hackles went on end. Lasers were firing up to shoot, but they sounded different somehow. She didn't like it.
"Keep going," she ordered, while Geoffrey loaded another bolt, "And scatter, don't run in groups!"
"Take that thing down," she told the skunk, brushing the sweat-sodden hair from her face, "Before it gets a chance to shoot..."
Beyond the oncoming flying bot she could see the troops of SWATbots picking their way through the cluttered streets, marching steadily. They weren't in shooting range yet...but she didn't want to waste any time getting far away from them...
Geoffrey squinted one eye closed, peering along the length of his arm, waiting...waiting...
"NOW!" A voice yelled and Sally jumped. Sonic came to a standstill beside her. Geoffrey, still waiting, shot a harsh curse out the corner of his mouth.
"Next time you want to be annoyin', pincushion, save it for when we aren't in mortal danger, eh?"
"No, I meant it," said Sonic. "Shoot now!"
The skunk hesitated. His eyes squinted further, he moved his arm slightly. A fierce growl rumbled forth and the bolt hurtled. The aim was true, once again beneath the wing it lodged and once again, paper-to-flames, metal turned to ash in the wind.
But he had waited just a second too long. Even as the bot began to careen building-ward, doom-ed, as Antoine would say, it managed to get off a shot. That shot that it had been powering up, the one that Sally thought sounded different...
It WAS different, a different weapon. The blast came from the heaviest cannon upon the Stealthbot, the kind they might use when destroying entire villages.
Sonic grabbed ahold of Geoffrey and Sally's arms, quite roughly, and yanked them forward. Sally glanced backwards, watching the beam, a white-hot lance of light, arc ahead and strike one of the factory walls. Their group running was just coming up to that particular building and Sally's eyes widened in horror as the entire wall began to split and fall away.
"You guys better run faster!" bellowed Geoffrey. Sonic was pulling them alongside the group now and Sally tried to wrench her arm away...his grip was painful. But he wouldn't let up.
"What happened to the other Stealthbot?" She had to yell over the sounds of squealing metal. A window pane, complete with glass, crashed in front of them and Sonic swerved hard to avoid it. A yelp of pain escaped her as her arm was wrenched hard. Geoffrey gave a similar grunt from the other side of Sonic.
"I lost it. But it's still around somewhere...hold on!" Sonic leapt over a long panel of metal plating, carrying them into the air with him. Sally's ankle twisted as they hit the ground and she fell. Sonic hit the ground and rolled ahead of her; Geoffrey was the only one who retained his footing but he was quickly knocked down by a flying piece of debris.
"NO!" Sally crawled to him, but the skunk was already staggering to his feet. The debris had struck his shoulder and left an open gash. He swore.
"I ain't gonna be surprised if someone gets killed-"
A bloodcurdling wail split the air and Sally's hackles quivered on end. Skunk, hedgehog and squirrel began to run again, their eyes seeking out the source of the screaming.
Lupe's voice, strangely distorted from its usual softness, was harshly yelling: "Keep running! Keep running!" Sally spotted her. The wolf had her hand firmly locked around Ross's arm, yanking her along. The girl was distraught, screaming and crying, her hand flaying behind her.
"He needs help! Oh Gods, he needs help!" Ross squealed, trying to fight free from Lupe's grip.
Sally followed the path of Ross's flailing hand and a gasp escaped her. Bernard was lying face-down on the ground, blood spreading out around him...his left arm was gone. He was struggling to lift himself with the arm that remained. "SONIC! Get him! Hurry!"
Sonic went to the injured man, lifting him onto his shoulder. The blood streaked down his back, staining the cobalt fur. His painful moan carried to all ears.
They were beyond the crumbing building now and many had slowed to a slow trot, panting, gasping for air. "We're almost to the beach," said Bunnie.
"We can hide there...under the pipes..." said Sally. Geoffrey moved alongside Sonic, pulling his scarf from his neck and applying it to the stump of Bernard's arm.
"Shit, Sally, he's bleeding real bad..."
"Just keep going!" She burst out, her eyes blurred. "We have to get undercover!"
Dear Journal...when I saw Bernard's arm, I was terrified. I just knew he wouldn't live to make it back home, back to the safe haven that he left. Why did he have to come? Pride is murder. Honor is murder. I murdered him in a sense, because I fought and inspired that pride in our people.
I already know what daddy will say. He will say they chose to come and every living creature has a choice, so I shouldn't feel responsible for their choices. I know he's right...but there are some things you can't choose, and I know this because I cannot choose to feel ok with it, I can't choose not feel this choking guilt.
Snively's going to pay for this. In that he'll have no choice. I will kill him or worse, I will lock him into a dark hole and torment him as long as I live.
"There's the beach..."Sally had never been happier to see that wretched horizon-line of poison water and sky.
"I can't run anymore..." Ross's voice was punctuated with wheezing gasps and tears were running down her face. One of her hands was glued to her side.
"Hang in there, it ain't much further..." Bunnie encouraged but the girl's knees buckled and she fell to the ground. Everyone stopped, with Thunderhill snorting in contempt. Sally noticed none of the wolves even looked tired.
"Ah've got ya, girl," Bunnie pulled Ross to her feet and bade the girl to climb upon her back. As Ross latched her arms about the rabbot's neck, Antoine went stiff, the sound of his teeth chattering quite loud.
"Blimey, that guy don't quit, does he?" Geoffrey shook his head. Sonic's quills stood on end and he bent his knees, like a runner about to dash from the starting line, and she imagined he would too. For, pouring in from the side streets ahead, blocking off their path to the beach, came SWATbots. There had to be twenty of them. As one they raised their laser arms, the red slashes of light upon their faces glowing.
"Sonic, no-" Sally began as the hedgehog leapt forward, charging like a kamikaze towards the 'bots, and just as he did, the cloud of dust barely settling, the villagers were drawing back their arms, Krudoz bombs in hand.
"NO, you'll HIT Sonic!" Sally's voice was a shriek but it was too late – the balloons had already been launched.
The hedgehog whipped a glance over his shoulder and ducked. The first line of SWATs vaporized like mist. Sonic skittered a few feet backwards from the rising green cloud, reaching behind into his backpack and withdrawing his own bombs. Sally flung an arm forward. "OK, NOW throw!"
A few stray laser blasts hit the ground before the second line went up in dust. Antoine yelped and jumped back as one singed the toe of his boot. A hard scowl edged his eyebrows and he hurled a bomb, smirking in satisfaction as another SWATbot met its end.
They surged forward, destroying SWATbots before they could get off a shot. Line after line crumbled, disappearing with Snively's dreams of their annihilation. Sally wanted to laugh despite the insaneness of it all. The path to the beach was almost clear and they would be safe under the water refinery pipes. She glanced at her watch. How lovely that Snively's foiled plan would coincide with her little 'surprise'.
But there was one more nightmare in store for them...
Antoine was quite good with the bombs, taking out bot after bot (must be from all the time down at the Pool, skipping stones, Sally thought) He hurled three bombs at the last group, exploding them upon their feet. The cloud of green dust rose up, consuming bot legs and torsos like a skin-eating virus, but one torso threw its arm forward. Still droning: "Halt in the name of Snively the Great..." It began shooting.
Sally felt searing heat and a flash of pain as a blast grazed her shoulder. A second later, Sonic was upon her, pulling her down. She could hear Bernard, still slung haphazardly over the hedgehog's shoulder, moaning into her ear. She turned her head away to the sound of Antoine shrieking and stumbling.
The SWATbots had to be programmed by Snively. They had his same vicious tenacity. Trying to fight even if it was futile, trying to take everyone else down with him. It happened in an instant, and yet her eyes saw it slowed, frame-by-frame. Tragedy did so love to burn itself into the memory.
This blast sang out; it sought to slay the woman Sally held in as high a regard as her father. It hurled forward like one of the wolves' javelins and buried itself right above the somber blue eyes of Chieftain Lupe.
Everyone screamed at once – that's how it seemed to Sally – it seemed the whole world cried out No, OH NO, OH NO! NO! NO NO NO! Lupe sank to her knees gracefully, slow-motion, before crumbling to the ground.
Thunderhill, his face void of the usual bravado, openly scared and shocked, ran to her and pressed a hand to her neck. "She's breathing." He picked her up gently, cradling her limp body. "Keep breathing, Lupe, c'mon girl, keep-"
"Let's go," said Sonic. "Stealthbot is coming this way."
Sally couldn't breathe. She couldn't hear; vision was an underwater blur. Sonic grabbed her arm, guiding her along.
Under the pipes, with the view of the smoking Death Egg in the distance, Sally drifted back into her body, blinking her eyes, beholding the wounded. The bandage around Bernard's arm was soaked red and dripping onto the dark sand. Bunnie was fussing over a whimpering Antoine. His leg had been struck. To Sally's relief, though the wound was deep and ugly, it was not life-threatening. The rabbot wound cloth around to keep it as clean as possible. Sally's shoulder twanged painfully and she put a hand there. A strip of fur had been burnt away and the skin underneath was scorched and blistering.
"We're missing two people," one of the villagers noted.
"Caddy's dead," another villager uttered, flatly. "And Rosham panicked and ran down an alleyway."
"Are you sure he's dead?" demanded Geoffrey, his voice tense. Sally remembered Caddy, a young goat eager to fight for Knothole. Geoffrey had been training him.
"A Stealthbot got him." The villager shivered. "It blew his head off."
"Oh fuck."
Sally's head bowed; too heavy to hold upright.
"We shouldn't have come."
Elation was the pill he choked on, a feeling so foreign he had to wash it down with something familiar. Disappointment.
Two orbs, side by side, one SpyEye and one Holographic Projector, floated along the path of the wreckage. Snively saw the decapitated Freedom fighter, he saw a severed arm. He saw fire and oil and spatters of blood and searching SWATbots.
He did not see Julian. He looked for a trail of maggots or a scrap of red cloth. Maybe even one of those black eyeballs rolling around. "Perhaps he crawled into one of the alleys," snickered the small man, too riled to sit down, pacing.
"But I'll look for him later." Right now, it was time to pay a visit to the bitch who'd resurrected and planned his downfall – it was high time to spit laughter into her pretty little face.
A/N: eyebrow twitch ...Is anyone even reading this?
I didn't think so. XD