Chapter 14 – Seven Sons of Spectre.
A/N: Lots of new characters this chapter, but there's an explanation at the end. In answer Sonicron no, the Brotherhood aren't SATAM (though it would have been hilarious if they were) – they're from the comics, though I don't know which comics. Having never read any comics though, I'm basing my Brotherhood on adapted works from other authors on I don't own the Brotherhood of Guardians; I'll just state that now.
My son; Locke had to call on all his natural impassiveness to prevent himself shuddering as the harsh tone washed over him like a tide of barbed wire; he had expected a less than open-armed reception, but the sheer contempt in Knuckles' voice scorched even a heart as inured to pain as his. The die was cast; there was no conceivable way he could back out now, he had to face his responsibility – the fact that it was nearly fifteen years too late just made it fifteen times as hard. Swallowing the sudden ball of worry that had bobbed up in his throat, Locke turned around slowly, much as he had for Lara-Le. The sight before him struck him almost as hard as the news that the guardian had been sighted in Echidnopolis; my son has grown.
Knuckles looked over at the echidna he instinctively recognised as his father; it was all there, he didn't even need the crest to confirm the relationship between them. It's like looking in a mirror; the guardian snarled wolfishly as he realised that thought wasn't quite true – Locke didn't have a patch on him in the physical sense, but more important, Knuckles saw his father's eyes and felt the coldness and sense of numbing that dwelled within them. The same strength that nearly crippled me; Knuckles held back the hint of a smile that threatened to show as he realised that his father had fallen into the trap he had so narrowly avoided; Locke had broken his own heart, or had it broken for him, to try and block out the pain of the world and connecting to the people within it. Only the intervention of his friends in general and Rouge in particular had stopped that happening to him, and only then by the slimmest of margins, but he had emerged from his trial by fire a much stronger Mobian for it, and he hadn't come through it alone. Knuckles flicked his eyes sideways, just catching the silhouette of Rouge in his peripheral vision and he relaxed slightly more, comfortable in the knowledge that he could handle anything Locke could throw at him as long as he had Rouge to back him up. He kept his face passive as Locke, unable to bear the burgeoning tension in the room any longer, made the first move. Speaking in a quiet, almost tentative voice, the older echidna addressed the current guardian,
"Knuckles", he took a single step forwards, no more, as he saw his son's eye narrow and decided against closing the distance any further, "you don't mind if I call you that do you?" There was a contemptuous snort as Knuckles folded his arms,
"It's my name isn't it, or had you forgotten that; it's been a long time".
"Thirteen years, ten months and fourteen days…"
"Been keeping count?" I do not believe this – he abandons me and keeps a detailed record of how long for – why?; instinctive curiosity welled up in Knuckles' mind as he continued, "what for Locke?" The older echidna cocked his head even as a faint smile crossed his lips; Knuckles at least had the mindset for a true guardian of the Master Emerald.
"…I counted the days until we could bring you back".
That sentence nearly did it; from his words, Knuckles quickly managed to deduce that Locke must have had some method of undoing what he had done, both to him and to his mother and his fury rose up in an all-consuming, blinding cloud of cinders. Growling dangerously, Knuckles advanced, guard raised, until he and Locke were almost nose to nose; unless his father chose his next words with exquisite care, Knuckles reasoned, the EST's decision for cataloguing all echidnas with spurs would be validated in the most ataractic manner.
"You could have stopped it Locke, why the hell didn't you? You hurt my mother, you left me in the wild to fend for myself, and I can see you even hurt yourself doing it – I want to know why, or…"
"Or what Knuckles?", Locke spat back; they were stood so close that Knuckles could even scent the other echidna's breath as it ruffled the sparse fur on his muzzle, "you'll hit me; I wouldn't blame you and I doubt I could stop you", Locke's eyes roved over his son's muscular frame, though he was careful to keep any hint of challenge out of his voice; it was a simple statement rather than a dare, "but I trust you're not that stupid". Luckily for Locke, Rouge had just about seen enough by this point; stepping forwards soundlessly, she put a hand on the back of Knuckle's arm, keeping out the way in case the tension in the meeting room caused him to snap. The contact was enough; the anger coursing through his veins seemed to earth and Knuckles took a breath, slowly bringing his guard down and letting his tongue, rather than his fists, do the talking,
"You trust me right; the only thing I'd like more than to beat the truth out of you is to hear you admit it. So, here seems like a good enough time to start".
"It isn't", Locke cut in, shaking his head as Knuckles and Rouge both looked on curiously, "this is the reason I'm here Knuckles; I'm to invite you, and it is an invitation, to come back to see the rest of your family", I should tell him the truth; this won't just be a social call; Locke straightened slightly as he continued, "they're curious about both you and the Master".
Knuckles scratched his chin with a single gloved hand as the irony of the situation touched him; he had more family but to visit them he needed to strike a proverbial devil's bargain. However, the second clause was what really grabbed his attention,
"What do you know about the Master?"
"We know it's out of balance", Locke leaned forwards, dropping his voice so it wouldn't carry to the area where Lara-Le and Wynmacher could accidentally overhead them, "something isn't right Knuckles; as the guardian it's your duty to…" Anger flashed back up in the younger echidna and he glared venomously at his father,
"I know my duty; you introduced me to it in a most thorough way", Locke flinched, but Knuckles didn't seem to notice as he carried on, "if you can help me understand why this is happening, I have to go with you". Locke inclined his head but Knuckles held up one hand, a twisted smirk on his lips as he held up two fingers,
"But, there are two conditions I want met before I'll agree to this little visit". He doesn't trust me completely, I should not blame him and, these conditions should be interesting; Locke licked his upper lip before speaking again, acutely aware that his grandfathers were relying on him to bring Knuckles with him; if he had to agree to a few things first, they should understand that.
"Go on then; name them".
"First", Knuckles glared at him piercingly, "when we get there, you are going to start answering some of my questions". Despite himself Locke smiled a little, though there was precious little warmth in it; he is definitely my son all right.
"I'd expected nothing less; the second?" Knuckles cast a look slightly behind him just before he spoke,
"Rouge comes with us".
Both other Mobians looked at the guardian suddenly as he made that declaration; Rouge in both disbelief and an explosion of gratitude as she realised what he had said last night hadn't just been an idle promise; he had meant it when he had said she could share his family, the good and the bad together, like any family was in truth, no matter how perfect it appeared on the surface. Locke, on the other hand, regarded first his son and then the other Mobian he recognised as a bat from his period of guardianship with alarm; it's supposed to be a secret, can I truly trust either of them – maybe I can offer a compromise;
"She goes blindfolded".
"She sees what I see", Knuckles was adamant, challenging his father openly, "that's not up for discussion". Why's he so worried; what doesn't he want her to see – can I see it only because I'm a guardian? Locke was silent for a few seconds, totting up the advantages and disadvantages of letting one who was not a guardian know possibly the second best-kept secret of Angel Island before decided he could risk it; he and the others needed to communicate with Knuckles and know what he knew, it was the only way they could hope to solve this mystery before it was too late.
Lara waited silently, Wynmacher in close proximity as the voices from the kitchen fell strangely silent; the brown echidna felt slightly more relaxed that the explosion of fisticuffs he'd been dreading hadn't erupted, at least, not yet. Lara had her head down and was mumbling something softly under her breath, though as the door to the kitchen creaked quietly open, her hand snapped upwards in time to see Locke emerge, looking slightly less impassive than he had done earlier; the bottom dropped out of her stomach as she saw Knuckles and read his decision from his face, though she kept a lid on the worst of her feelings for her son's sake.
"Mum", Knuckles saw her head drop and, looking as sincere as it was possible for him to be, slowly lifted her face with one hand, causing their eyes to meet, "it's going to be all right; I'm going with him, of my own choice, and I have Rouge with me; nothing will happen, I promise". For some reason, hearing that from Knuckles was a great deal more reassuring it from Locke; I want to, but I can never trust him again – some wounds are too deep to be healed.
"I know Knuckles; you're your own man now – I trust you to make the right choice". Knuckles smiled, hugged her close as he whispered his goodbyes; as he turned to reach for his jacket, Rouge dodged around him and clasped her by the hand,
"Thank you for everything Lara", she checked behind her to make sure Knuckles and Locke were both out of earshot of a low whisper, "if anyone so much as tries anything funny, I'll be all over them like a rash; nothing, and I mean nothing, will happen to your son while I can prevent it".
"Thank you Rouge – it's nice to know there's someone looking out for him, even when I can't". Lara smiled at the bat, even as a few helpless tears trickled into her cheek fur. Rouge offered her best reassuring smile as she stepped back and Knuckles turned to face his father, pointing to the door,
"You know the way; start going?" Locke knew better than to rebuke his son for a lack of respect right under Lara's nose so simply nodded, facing his ex-wife and her partner just as he stepped beyond the threshold of the door,
"Lara", he inclined his head respectfully, hating himself for causing her yet more tears, even though this time it truly couldn't be helped, "Wynmacher"; that should be me; my own stupidity robbed me…no, it's not about me – if he makes Lara happy, that is all that matters; Locke managed a strained smile before turning away abruptly, mostly so no-one would see the tears glistening in his own eyes. Rouge followed him quickly, not wanting him out of her sight any longer than was necessary while Knuckles stood before his mother one last time – words once more failed him, so he simply kissed her gently on the cheek, tasting the saltiness of her tears as he swore once this was over, he'd give her no reason to shed any more. When he was sure he'd granted her as much security as he could, he let her go gradually, nodded respectfully to Wynmacher and slowly, ever so slowly, followed his father's lead out of the front door.
All was still for a few more seconds, the dull boom of the door shutting just fading away before Lara could speak again, her normally full voice a flat monotone,
"What did I just do Wyn?" He took her shoulder in his hand, offering the comfort he could, and the words he thought were the truth,
"You did what needed to be done Lara; Knuckles should see both sides of his family, it's the only fair way". He felt her shoulder shake and, pity creasing his face, drew her in towards him, feeling her start to lose control as he held her much like Knuckles had, her choked sobs wracking her with self-recrimination and guilt,
"He took him once, and I couldn't stop him; now I could, and I let him go, I just, let him go!" Wyn tightened his grip, his voice harder now, but still understanding, still providing her with something to focus on,
"Lara, stop that! Knuckles will be fine – you heard him, he has Rouge and he's fully grown now. Locke can't make him do anything he doesn't want to do now – it'll all work out in the end".
"I know", she cried still; knowing what she'd done was right didn't make it any easier to stomach, "I know, but it still hurts – it'll always hurt. The past is something that I don't think can ever heal".
"It will Lara, you know that – time heals all in time", Wyn spoke sagely, pointing at his own leg as an example, "I thought the same thing once; the past left me with a reminder, but I healed from it in the end. At least you have a better reminder than a limp; you have one of the finest young echidnas I've ever had the pleasure to meet to call your son – if anything, you should be proud". She looked up in his arms, smiling through the pain as his words sank in; she'd told Knuckles all she could – she should have expected him to seek his own answers from other sources to make sure he had the whole picture. Learn what you need Knuckles; Lara remained silent, supported by her new partner; find out, and make your own decisions when the time comes.
The journey was quite unremarkable, if a little cold; Locke led the way silently, his streaks of red dreadlocks trailing like bloody streaks down the stark whiteness of his coat. Knuckles walked slightly behind him, questioning in his own mind two separate and co-joined thoughts and what was the best way to go about them and Rouge strode in tandem with him, taut as a wire as Locke began to slow his pace slightly. Eventually, he came to a stop in an area of town they'd never been in and jerked his head sideways,
"Get in; it'll be quicker this way".
"You can drive Locke?" Rouge looked at the elder echidna with a mixture of curiosity and amusement; he faced her with his steel eyes and simply nodded,
"Yes; now hurry – every minute could be precious; I'll answer you when we get there". Knuckles choked off the question he'd been on the verge of asking and nodded instead; don't even think about weaselling out of this Locke; I'll get the answers I want, one way or another. Rouge saw his smile as he entered the car through the door opposite her and whispered,
"Ready for this?"
"Oh yeah – I'm looking forwards to arriving I can tell you that much"; from the front seat Locke silently prepared himself for the rigours of explanation – his son was inquisitive, that much was certain, so there was nothing he could do bar tell Knuckles the answers to everything he asked. As the car started up, Rouge watched out the window eyes widening fractionally as she saw the motor actually rise up off the floor to about the height of a foot or so before taking off smoothly, heading in the direction their driver wanted them to go. Checking across to see Knuckles really wasn't in the mood for general conversation, Rouge simply relaxed and hid a smile as a random thought slid across her mind; Tails is going to love it up here now – so much new technology for him to toy with.
The journey passed mostly in a swirl of white; the snowstorm apparently worsened as the drive moved on; in Locke's eyes this was a good thing as it meant the bat wouldn't be able to track her way to their destination without great difficulty. This would maintain the integrity of the guardians' secrets and, more importantly, mean the others wouldn't have as much cause to feel he'd let them down. He could tell the route by instinct; with a sudden stop and gradual descent to the snowy ground, the hover car settled and Locke turned in his seat,
"Right, we go on foot from here, it's not far. I'll come back for the car at a later stage – now follow me". He popped open his door and emerged into the harsh outside world, tightening the collar of his white jacket as he gritted his teeth against the cold. Briefly checking to see that his son and the bat were following him, he set about the trudge that led slightly uphill, towards an indistinct grey shape that loomed up from the hillside in front of them. Turning, he pointed towards the natural opening and bellowed over the howling wind,
"Into the cave there"; without another word, he set off again upwards, Knuckles and Rouge shambling behind him as the more slippery ground made footing more treacherous. After about five or ten minutes, the older Mobian entered the relative sanctuary of the place he had lived for too many years, waiting dispassionately for the other two; to his well-concealed surprise, Rouge emerged first, panting at the iciness of the wind outside.
"That's a bit chilly", she gently put her hands over her ears as she surveyed the dim, dingy surrounds of the cave; she was naturally more at home in them that a lot of other Mobians due to her gift for echolocation but as she tried to figure out why Locke would want to live like this, a second voice cut in,
"Nice place"; Locke smiled humourlessly at his son,
"Follow me". The elder echidna turned to leave when a hand on his shoulder stopped him and span him around,
"No", one of Knuckles' fists exploded into Locke's stomach and simultaneously robbed him of three things; his appetite for the foreseeable future, all the air in his lungs and most of his will to live. He folded up like wet cardboard and collapsed to the cave floor as Knuckles stood over him, "you're going to start talking".
He didn't use his spurs; Rouge stood back from this, recognising it as Knuckles answering the quandary he'd found himself in last night – from what she could tell it appeared he'd settled on something of a compromise. The guardian watched on as his father pushed himself to his knees, glaring up in anger, but also in understanding, forcing an ironic, unpleasant smile onto his face as he asked is own question first,
"What", curse it, must be getting soft – he's strong; Locke took a few more breaths to ease at least some of the pain from his crushed stomach, "what do you want to know?"
"Well", Knuckles began the series he'd planned in the car; his eyes flicked to Rouge to thank her for leaving him in peace during the journey – she saw and smiled minutely in response, allowing him to focus wholly on the echidna at his feet, "you can start by telling me how you found mum – I've never seen another echidna before, how could you have met her?" Locke wheezed a decent lungful of air before replying,
"I think, I can answer all your questions with the same answer; everything I've done has been following the code of the guardians", there was a slight pause here; when he was sure Knuckles wouldn't question him, Locke continued, rising onto one knee as he spoke, "the youngest must fend for themselves Knuckles; it's the only way you can truly become a guardian of the Master Emerald. I had to abandon you; do you truly think you'd be anything like the echidna you are now if I hadn't? Would you have such a connection to Angel Island, to the Master – it's the only way, and I wish there had been another. Believe me, leaving you there was the second hardest thing I had to do in my life". Locke took a second to steady himself, dropping his head to blink back tears as Knuckles digested this news and to his gall, found it made an appalling amount of sense; being isolated made me a true guardian, what he's said is right, so far at least. He drew in the breath for the next in his series of questions but Locke saw it coming and headed him off,
"We, by that I mean those echidnas with guardian blood in them, can, er, this is difficult to explain, we can somehow travel between this part of Angel Island and the part that was lost", he raised a hand, stifling all arguments and questions, "how the vast majority of Angel Island was lost and bound up in the Master is something we don't know; that's why I brought you here. Maybe you can help us find out what's going on, but that's besides the point for now", Locke cut himself off from his own half-truth before either Knuckles or, a greater cause for concern because she seemed more adept at reading people, Rouge could get a proper look at his face, "the second part of the code is what let myself and your mother meet. When the current guardian reaches full maturity, his father comes for him and explains, as I am now, what occurs between the guardians and the reason behind their isolation. They swap places; the father temporarily takes up the role of guardian and his son come here to Echidnopolis and, to be perfectly blunt, finds a partner for life". The last two words were bitterly spoken, the former guardian retreating to brood once more on his folly before a voice stopped him,
"You never told her"; icy panic seized Locke as Rouge pierced right through all thoughts of concealment; a mind as sharp as hers, unburdened with the new revelations of the guardian code, allowed her to join the dots between the code, the divorce and the conversation she'd joined with Lara only last night, "you never said you'd have to take Knuckles".
"No, I didn't", Locke faced his son once more as Knuckles pricked his ears, "I couldn't; Lara was, perfect and, I thought that telling her, would make her leave me, we'd never have been married – I just couldn't tell her". A grim chuckle echoed throughout the cave as the scales fell from Knuckles' eyes and he pointed at his father accusingly,
"Nicely done", malicious sarcasm dripped off every word, "you fulfil the code and stay with mum for what, five years, because you didn't have the guts to tell the truth. Then, when the time's right, you just dump me like yesterday's rubbish and go on your merry way, leaving my mother, your wife, broken-hearted", Locke looked up, starting to ignite as Knuckles came close to a barrier he didn't yet know existed, "you cold-hearted son of a bitch; was the pain faked as well; Lara said you screamed when she wanted a divorce – I don't think you cared enough to…" It was the one thing he could have said to break through; Locke snapped.
From where she was stood, it simply appeared that Locke had done nothing more than forcefully extend his hand outwards; as Knuckles flew backwards, pinned to the wall of the cave as though held up by the throat, she quickly realised something else was afoot. Even as she took in what had happened, long before she could even think about making any sort of response, Locke's voice slit through the air again; rather than the cold, emotionless whisper she had expected, this was a strident bellow, any opposition swept aside in a surge of pain long repressed,
"Listen Knuckles", Locke fixed his eyes on his struggling son, his natural gifts suspending him enough to hurt, but not to cause anything like a serious injury, "and listen well because I'll probably only say this once". Rouge stayed quiet and remained motionless; it appeared Locke had either forgotten about her or had discounted her presence completely.
"I love Lara-Le – I always loved her and I probably always will; I said abandoning you was the second hardest thing I've ever done, well the hardest was signing my name on the divorce papers. Why do you think I did that Knuckles? Why? Because I loved her; she could never be happy with me again, not after my craven betrayal. I let her go, not to go on my merry way, but to spare her any further pain from living with a man she had every right to despise", Locke dropped his hold and Knuckles dropped unceremoniously to the floor, coughing as he reached up to massage his neck, "I wake up every day thinking about what could have been, if I'd actually had the courage to come clean from the start – you have no idea what it's like to have that, every day of your life for over a decade, and if the fates are kind you never will. I lost Lara-Le, the only woman I will ever love, because of my own cowardice and stupidity; I've punished myself for that mistake unendingly; I don't need you to help me". He cut himself off, seeing perhaps a hint of understanding dawn in his son's eyes; that had come from the heart, it would have been impossible to fake. Knuckles slowly drew himself to full height, a grudging respect for his father just starting to make itself shown as he regarded the other echidna's unspurred hands warily,
"How did you do that?" There was a snort as Locke turned away, reasserting control over his pain as he called over his shoulder,
"I'll tell you when I take you inside", he moved towards the very back of the cave and spoke again without facing either of his companions, "come on, they're waiting". Rouge flicked her eyes to Knuckles; taking the lead, he went first, senses alert for any sign of trickery as she followed, scanning the area with ultra-sound as best she could but failing to detect anything. Knuckles stole up level with his father and whispered,
"Well, we're here, what did…" He never finished; while he'd been glancing all over his new environment, Locke hadn't been idle. The former guardian quickly reached behind him and hit a concealed button, waiting for the reassuring clank and grind of familiar machinery. As both treasure hunters looked around in a panic as the ground under their feet vibrated, Locke let the hint of a genuine smile onto his face, allowing himself the pleasure of the ancient greeting that his grandfathers had extended to him,
"Welcome guardian, to the home of those who have gone before you in the sacred duty of protecting the Master Emerald. Rest now, for you have reached Haven".
Rouge looked down as she recognised the slight feeling of weightlessness and the gentle hum and clank; she was in some kind of elevator, and it was going down.
"You live underground?" She whispered at Locke; the older Mobian flashed her a dead look and nodded,
"This is Haven, the home of the guardians and their immediate families – you should feel honoured", Rouge looked up as Locke gave an expression halfway between a smile and a sneer, "you're one of a very select few who have ever entered this place".
"Great" Knuckles growled quietly, thinking very hard about what had just been said and trying to sort out his feelings for his father; he had been a fool and because of it he had hurt a fair few people, but he'd tried to atone for at least part of his error despite the fact that had caused him even more pain. After a few seconds though, it was all void as the elevator ground to a halt and the doors in front of it slid open. Locke stepped through the metal portal, instinctively recognising the patches of maintenance work he himself had carried out and dismissing it thoughtlessly; his passengers, however, took rather a different view of their new surroundings,
"Why, er, why do you live underground?"
"Because it's safer under here, and it's isolated; we keep away from other echidnas to prevent them finding out about us and, by extension, preventing them knowing about the Master. I noticed that, while you've been here, neither of you have mentioned it, most commendable". Ignoring the implications of the last part of this sentence, Knuckles was overtaken by curiosity once more,
"Why don't you want the other echidnas to find out?" Locke let out a sigh of impatience as he turned to face his son and put his hands wearily on his hips,
"Because there is a risk that if we did tell the other echidnas, some among their number would try to claim it for themselves and put all of us in danger. It has happened before son, make no mistake about that; only the previous guardians prevented our entire civilisation collapsing – you could say in a way the separation of the Island was a good thing, whatever the circumstances behind it were. Anyway", he clapped his hands, breaking the spell of his words and more importantly taking the attention away from his give away body language, "speaking of the former guardians, we mustn't keep them waiting". Rouge hid a shudder as she leapt to a conclusion,
"The guardians are into, um, worship of the ancestors?" There was a sudden outburst of sound from Locke; for a second she thought it was some kind of ritualistic chant, but gradually she recognised it as laughter; humourless and cold, but laughter nonetheless. Without turning around Knuckles' father answered her,
"Dislike, grudgingly respect and argue with possibly, but in no way, shape or form do I worship my ancestors". The treasure hunters shared a slightly concerned glance, unsuspecting that, within a half-hour, they'd be fully aware why Locke had answered Rouge's question in that manner.
The tunnels led onwards, Locke leading them to wherever he wanted them to go seemingly effortlessly, comfortable within his own home as the way was lit by torches on the walls, air pumped in from the ceiling giving the whole layout a decidedly chilly feel as the trio progressed. From time to time, Knuckles would glance off to a door in the left and catch sight of different areas; there was what looked like a store of food, an entire corridor of training rooms, something like a library and, he hid a small smile as old memories resurfaced, a lab that Tails would have been proud to call his own just visible in the dusky surroundings. After walking for what seemed like hours, Knuckles felt a need to ask something, if only to lift the shroud of silence that had descended over them,
"How large is Haven, and how was it built?" Feeling himself getting closer to the place he needed to be, and more importantly feeling a very familiar presence lurking just around the next corner, Locke answered in a hushed voice,
"We're not sure exactly, approximately two of three miles square. This place isn't finished yet; it's tradition for each guardian to add a room to this place when they move in, so it expands gradually". Now which one is it; Locke reached the corner slightly before the other two and was immediately grateful as it meant neither could see his eyes roll; it would have to be you wouldn't it. Knuckles rounded the corner and noticed his father's stationary form, just as Rouge, walking almost in step with him, glanced up at what Locke was looking at. She clenched her eyes shut in disbelief as Knuckles saw as well and joined the silent chorus of watchers, mind failing to take in what he was seeing; in front of him, there was an echidna, a slightly lighter shade of brown than Wynmacher, walking casually down the tunnel away from them.
This in itself shouldn't have been particularly unusual; in the past couple of days, both Rouge and Knuckles had seen an awful lot of echidnas walking around, at the very least several thousand. There was nothing particularly special in the way he was walking; it seemed normal enough, but it was there was one immediately obvious and ordinarily impossible fact about this particular echidna's walking that made them sit up and take note.
This echidna was casually taking a brisk stroll on the ceiling.
There was only silence; Locke didn't bother speaking because he was long inured to this echidna's peculiar method of locomotion, while neither of the other two could even consider formulating words – they just continued to watch this individual single-handedly demolish hundreds of years of physics and offer proof that gravity didn't really exist at all. Fortunately, just as Locke was about to press on, the other echidna turned around; Rouge's first impression was a fairly childish face, unconcerned with worries or stress as his spines, colourfully decorated with bright bangles and wrappings, swayed gently from the motion.
"Hello grandson", his voice was rather high for a male the bat determined as he noticed her, looking remarkable bemused as his blue eye twinkled at her, "who is this pretty one, and…third-son!"
There was no warning, no threat, no indication at all as the brown echidna suddenly became a living missile; he streaked towards the stunned form of Knuckles like a bullet. Rouge and Locke instinctively sprang aside and the guardian himself threw up both hands to ward off the incoming attack. However, the flying echidna simply didn't stop; next thing anyone knew there were two figures up in the air and spinning around like crazy; Knuckles had been caught in a massive bear hug and the other echidna was turning aerial cartwheels and somersaults in jubilation with him as a helpless and probably nauseous passenger. The brown echidna was shrieking at the top of his lungs that this was the happiest day of his life. Rouge was about to try and fly in, lining up a jump at one of Knuckle's flailing feet when a sudden tap on her shoulder brought her face to face with Locke. The red echidna shook his head,
"Leave him be; Athair's just a little, over-excited". The bat looked at him agog, trying to drown out the repeated shouts of joy; just as she was about to answer there was a loud, smacking noise. Overcome with curiosity, Rouge turned immediately saw the cause with an uncontrollable giggle; the large red mark on the beige of Knuckle's cheek giving away what must have happened. The impromptu greeting seemed to snap the guardian out of his stupor; an indignant roar filled the air,
"Put me down!" The mad aerial dance ceased for a second, the child-like eyes of the brown echidna being bored into by Knuckle's glowing ones, before there was a causal shrug and the flying echidna let go. For an infinite second they were both freely suspended before gravity, seemingly irked at being denied one victim, took revenge on the second; with a panicked shout, Knuckles plummeted back to earth, damaging nothing but his pride from the short fall. Looking up from his sitting position, he looked at the other echidna murderously as he hovered in front of him, seemingly reproachful,
"No need to shout third-son, I can hear perfectly well". Knuckles slowly pulled himself to his feet, ready to pounce and rectify that situation before Locke decided to make some introductions.
"Knuckles", when he had his son's attention, he motioned to the flying form of Athair, hiding the hint of a smile that threatened whenever his grandfather decided to act up on someone other than himself, "this is Athair, your third-father". Not taking his eyes off the strange floating being, Knuckles whispered,
"Third-father – what does that mean?" Locke sighed in exasperation, trying to ignore Athair as he backstroked leisurely through the air,
"Isn't it obvious boy; he is your father three generations removed".
Three generations; Rouge seized on this and goggled at the answer; if that's true, it can't be, he's, he's not old enough;
"This is Knuckle's great grandfather!" Seemingly reminded by her voice of her presence, Athair zeroed in on her, floating over gently and hovering at eye-level with the confused bat.
"Yes, that's me and that's my third-son", he pointed at Knuckles with paternal pride before looking at her curiously, "and who are you – are you part of my family?"
"Athair", Locke bit back a sigh, focussing on his third-father so intently he missed Rouge's cheeks turn pink for a spilt-second, "does she look like an echidna to you?"
"No, but that's good", Athair crossed his arms and smiled; catching Locke out at word games was a joy of his, "all the echidnas I know are stuffy old killjoys, ow!"
"I heard that!"
A lavender purple echidna was storming towards them from the way they had come; Knuckles was closest to him and got the first good look and one word sprang to mind – warhorse. He had a look about him that brooked no disrespect and his body language demanded instant respect; he didn't so much walk as march right up to Knuckles, regarding him with a critical, practised eye.
"So, you are my sixth-son?"
"Sixth", Knuckles quickly worked out how many greats that was and his mind recoiled in shock; he glanced at Locke frantically as Rouge tried to explain to Athair that she was a bat, "just how extended is this family?"
"Don't worry, only grandfather Spectre's older then Thunderhawk here", Locke smiled coldly as the lavender echidna snorted, "he's my sixth-father, so your seventh. Five greats" he added helpfully as Knuckles staggered, putting a hand on a nearby wall for support; and to think I was expecting a normal family; he was cut off as Thunderhawk demanded,
"Stand up straight", he crossed his arms as Knuckles turned to face him, "leaning like that is no way for a guardian to conduct himself. Now Locke, you were told to bring back the guardian were you not?"
"I was". Right, I can see where this is going; Locke folded his arms and awaited the storm as Thunderhawk continued,
"Right, so tell me, o beloved and cherished fifth-son", he pointed straight at Rouge, voice rising as he finished remonstrating, "why is there a stranger in Haven?"
"She is here at my invitation…" Locke began, realising it was probably futile as, once Thunderhawk got going, nothing sort of one of Spectre's rages could stop him,
"And just who said you could invite a complete stranger into our home" Thunderhawk bellowed, before a single voice, quiet, dignified and, to Rouge, supportive, cut in, defeating Thunderhawk's anger like a rapier can beat a broadsword.
"Rouge is not a stranger to me", Knuckles looked the lavender echidna dead in the eye, not challenging him but simply stating a fact, "and, as you claim to be part of my family, that means she is not a stranger to you either". Neither echidna backed down, neither needed to, as Athair quietly whispered in the bat's ear,
"Does that mean you've been adopted?" A smile breaking out on her face as gratitude warmed her heart once more, Rouge leant towards him and whispered back,
"Something like that"; yes, really something like that – before she could think too far ahead, there was a sudden outbreak of chuckling from Thunderhawk; he clapped Knuckles on the shoulder and smiled,
"So, you've got a bit of spine – excellent, good quality for a guardian that, now about this stranger". He shouldered his way past Locke and Athair (who just rebounded off the wall as though it was rubber and resumed his previous position) to stand in front of Rouge and glare at her; she didn't flinch as she locked eye with him in a stare-down, though she wouldn't have been Mobian if she hadn't felt a few twinges of apprehension – it was fairly obvious where Knuckles had inherited his physique from. She didn't back down though, and after a few seconds, a slow smile crept over his face and he offered a thick, calloused hand,
"I see; very well, you are staying here with the guardian; may your stay be fruitful". She shook, feeling the inherent strength in the purple echidna's grip and returned his smile,
"I'm sure it will", she returned his smile and glanced around, "now, if he's Knuckles' third-father, and you're his sixth, that still leaves four to find, including his seventh; I'm assuming he doesn't have an eight father?" Something like a glimmer of respect entered the brown eyes of Thunderhawk as he saw her reasoning and accepted her astute mind.
"You assume correctly", he released his grip and turned back towards Locke, face now all business, "bring them to the main meeting hall, I'll assemble the others. Come third-son, you can help me". The purple echidna lashed out quickly, grabbing Athair by the leg and hauling him off as the flying echidna waved at Rouge; despite herself, the bat waved back, somehow, regardless of his seemingly mad antics, she found it nearly impossible to dislike the third-father.
"I'm impressed"; Locke spoke into the void that seemed to be left by the departure of the bombastic Thunderhawk and effervescent Athair, "you seem to have made a positive impression on grandfather Thunderhawk son, and you as well Rouge – a feat I had long thought impossible". Knuckles didn't respond; his mind was too busy sagging under the knowledge that he had seven generations of grandparents – the ludicrous thought that it was going to cost him a fortune in birthday presents was quickly quashed under the knowledge that there was a distinct possibility that none of them would react well to Rouge, or maybe even himself. He took a deep breath and tried to compose himself as much as possible before regarding Locke again.
"Right, I have a, large family then". I feel your confusion Knuckles; it was bad enough when I arrived here alone; Locke was more than clever enough to realise that the presence of Rouge, and what everyone would think of her, was weighing heavily on his son's mind. He tried to be sympathetic and soften the blow a bit,
"Yes, but don't worry too much – most of the grandfathers know a little about the other species, including bats", he cast a glance at Rouge almost without meaning to, catching her breath a heavy sigh of relief as this sank in, "we have texts from our ancestor's times when it was possible for echidnas to see others".
"You mean before the island, er, faded out?"
"Precisely – we all study them and learn about the past, though you are the first they'll have seen in the flesh, except maybe Sojourner". Rouge sucked on her lip before nodding and raising an eyebrow,
"Sojourner?"
"Your fifth-father Knuckles", he saw his son nod and then straightened, heeding the call from the others that all was ready, "now it's time to meet them all". Without another word, the former guardian strode away; sharing a glance, and with Rouge giving a supportive smile and taking off to hover in the air, imitating an exaggerated kiss, Knuckles followed his father and tried to ignore the airborne form of his girlfriend miming Athair's dive-bombing kiss-and-hug attack.
The walk wasn't long, about two or three minutes at most, and ended at what Rouge assumed to be the heart of the subterranean complex; a vast, high roofed meeting place with a table in the centre of it. However, to the eyes of Knuckles especially, the important things were the echidnas sat at the table, waiting patiently for the trio to appear in the entrance. As Locke entered the room and bowed slightly from the waist, the other echidnas stood from their seats and returned the gesture; oddly, Knuckles thought at the time, not one word was spoken between any of them as the ritual seemed to end there. Locke straightened and headed towards the table, holding a hand out behind him to indicate the other two should stay where they were for now. When he sat, the unfamiliar echidna to his right, sat between Locke and Athair stood up and walked slowly over to them. He was as red as Knuckles and appeared to wear a monocle over his left eye; when looking at that and the way he walked struck Knuckles with an impression of complete professionalism. However, unlike Locke, this echidna seemed to be genuinely warm as he extended his hand to the guardian,
"Welcome Knuckles, I am Sabre, your grandfather", the monocle flashed as he looked down at the guardian's grip, "yes, sorry about those; they must have skipped a generation". As he glanced down, Knuckles felt himself return the smile as he saw what Sabre was driving at; both hands shaking were adorned with spurs.
"Don't worry, they've come in useful more than once". The older echidna chortled as he dropped his grip and asked,
"Have you registered?"
"Just yesterday – what about you?"
"Oh yes, but I wore a coat"; noting Knuckles raising an eyebrow, Sabre elaborated, "there's only supposed to be one guardian per generation; what would people say if two showed up at once, and before you say it", he waved a warning finger, even as his lips betrayed him with a grin, "I'm a little too old to pass as your twin". You look ok for at least sixty; one of Knuckle's questions flooded back to him and he resolved to ask it after the introductions were concluded. Sabre turned to Rouge next; she offered her hand but, instead of shaking, he brought it to his lips and gently kissed the back of it quaintly. The spy held in her slight astonishment to this old-fashioned greeting with ease and, playing by his own rules, offered a slight curtsy. Sabre chuckled again and she felt herself warming to this particular relation,
"Greeting Rouge the Bat, may your stay at Haven be fruitful". With that, he inclined his head again and retreated back to the table. Knuckles realised what was at work here; his grandfathers were coming forwards one at a time to lessen the shock. Quite considerate really, now who… he caught sight of a now instantly recognisable brown face and internally winced as Athair rolled onto the table top, found his feet and pushed off, flying forwards. Knuckles hastily reached a decision that, ancestor or no, if Athair tried the same trick twice, he'd not be held responsible for the consequence. Fortunately, sort of, Athair screeched to a mid-air halt right in front of his nose, grabbed his paw and began pumping it vigorously up and down, speaking like Cream at Christmas,
"Hellothird-sonyouknowI'mAthairandI'myourgreatgrandfather. It'sgoodtohaveyouhereatHavenandI'msureyou'llloveit". Right, I think I got all that; as Knuckle tried to dissect what the hyper flying echidna had said, he moved onto Rouge and hovered in front of her, looking a little forlorn as he spoke petulantly,
"You never said you could fly". Rouge gaped for a second before shaking her head and jerking herself back to the present,
"Sorry, it, er, it never crossed my mind as being important". Athair floated back as though she'd struck him, holding his head in his hand as the words impacted on him,
"Not important, pretty Rouge, do you know how much fun it is", noticing her cocked head, he offered his hand and smiled excitedly, "well, I'll have to show you…"
"Not right now" came Locke's proclamation,
"…Some other time. Well, have a nice stay here pretty Rouge". Athair nodded his head and set off back to his seat, leaving the bat with shaking shoulders and Knuckles rather more confused than he had been. As he sat back and put his feet on the table, the next ancestor stepped forwards.
Family; an important concept; as Amy dodged snowballs from Cinnamon and Cream, the being, feeling her affection for both the other two Mobians, was stirred to remember other, dimmer memories and swirl the murk of itself to the surface; I, I recall, something like a family; it might have been a father figure, someone I looked up to. I must have had a mother, a biological necessity, but, there was another as well…ah, these projectiles of frozen water are off-putting. Amy took her revenge on her harasser, but her perfectly aimed ball was intercepted by Akki; the Akita dog snapped the snowball from the air with his huge jaws, leaving his owner untouched.
"Hey, no fair, you got protection". The cat stuck her tongue out as her dog cavorted in front of her, loving the games of the season at the same time he prevented either of the other players getting a clear shot at his master.
"I own it, it's legal".
"Cheater", Cream called, dropping her aim from Amy and lining a shot at the cat, "Amy, team up".
"You're on". Both drew back as Cinnamon dived for cover.
"Greetings guardian – I am Sojourner, your fifth-father"; Knuckles himself wasn't sure about this strange, skinny wastrel in front of him, the guardian crest obscured by a green t-shirt as he offered his hand. Sojourner looked thin enough for him to fit both hands around and was the smallest of all the echidna's present; from the generations, he must be Thunderhawk's son – talk about chalk and cheese.
"I know what you're thinking", his fifth-father's voice broke through his thoughts; looking up, he saw there was an incensed, long suffering look on the former guardian's face, "not all of us fight with brawn alone".
"I know that fifth-father; many of my friends are living examples of that".
"Good"; friends, that's something we'll need to go over; unlike the others, Sojourner didn't introduce himself to Rouge, merely jerked his head in her direction dismissively before retreating like the others had. The bat was far too collected to let this affect her – if Sojourner didn't like her, that was his problem and anyway, none of the others seemed to mind her being at Haven. As he sat down, the bat was pleased to see both echidnas flanking him deliver a withering glance in his direction before Thunderhawk stood up and headed their way, looking for all the world like a brick wall wouldn't stop him.
"I won't go through all the rhetoric; we've met and you know who I am and vice-versa. Just keep out the way and there'll be no trouble here". He leant in towards Rouge, speaking under his breath so quietly that she was sure only enhanced hearing could let her catch everything of what he was saying.
"Forgive my son; he has many admirable qualities, but unfortunately manners aren't one of them".
"No-one's perfect" she whispered back, catching the faintest hint of a smile as the lavender echidna straightened and headed back for his seat. Rouge glanced back, waiting for the mysterious seventh-father, only to see the seat was empty.
They said his name was Spectre; Rouge shivered almost imperceptibly as her earlier suspicions of ancestor worship were reawakened; however, as a voice came from the tunnel the opposite side of the table from where she and Knuckles were standing.
"Welcome guardian, and guest", the voice was a little dark and foreboding, "rest awhile, for we have much to discuss and little time to do it in". There was the sound of footsteps and slowly, another figure moved around the table. The voice matched the speaker; he was clad in encompassing black robes and appeared to be wearing some kind of helmet of burnished steel; his head was down as he approached still. Knuckles assumed this was his seventh-father and nodded in deference; he really didn't want to know just how old Spectre actually was; even his most conservative estimate put him at no younger than a hundred and fifty. He doesn't even have a walking stick; Knuckles banished those thoughts from his head as Spectre came to within arm's length and looked up, smiling thinly as Knuckles was struck with a sense of déjà vu; he's a dead ringer for Shadow!
The ancient echidna, from what little he could see of his fur due to a combination of robes and helmet, had the same jet black fur as his hedgehog friend but not only that, Spectre's eyes were the same deep crimson as Shadow's. He was so caught up in the likeness that he didn't notice the extended hand,
"Something the matter seventh-son?"
"Huh, oh, sorry Spectre".
"Grandfather Spectre; manners boy, don't go down the same path as my second-son", Rouge hid a smile as Sojourner visibly flushed and she could see it even from the table; Knuckles smiled at the gentle rebuke and gently clasped his grandfather's wrinkled paw.
"Apology's seventh-father", he bobbed his head respectfully as Spectre closed his eyes for a second, using his power to see that which none of his son's could; most interesting, I don't believe anything like this has ever happened before. Releasing his kin, the black-furred echidna turned to his guest and spoke again,
"Greetings Rouge; may your stay at Haven be fruitful", he managed a wry smile, "forgive me if I don't bow – I'm not quite as flexible as I used to be".
"Not a problem" the bat assured him; Spectre gave a second smile before extending an arm towards the table; before a pair of awed gazes, two seats from the side of the room magically moved to under the table, providing the extra seating needed.
"Come", Spectre led the way to the table, already anticipating the first question, "we have much to talk about".
A/N: To those of you unfamiliar with the Brotherhood of Guardians, it boils down to this – they are the former guardians who were replaced by their children, hence, they're all Knuck's ancestors. There are seven of them (in order of age): Spectre, Thunderhawk, Sojourner, Athair, Sabre, Locke and of course Knuckles himself. The use of the term father and son denotes how many generations removed they are from each other e.g. Athair calls Spectre his third-father. But wait, Knuckles calls Spectre his seventh-father; there's a generation missing between Sojourner and Athair. What happened to this guardian (and why is Athair airborne?) – find out next chapter!