Chapter 3 – To Walk with Eyes Wide Shut
A/N: So, the rescue effort begins, after, of course, the reviewers get their shout:
HHH – Stress bunny? I thought that only happened when you had Cream trapped in a room with Omachao :-). Besides, for a better way to beat stress (and a few other things in the process) stick around for the next chapter.
DH – yep, dreads would be the choice, but would the Legion really implant them? Building a base behind Dimitri's back is one thing, but not even Kragok and Kommissar are stupid enough to mechanise someone without his permission. Aren't they?
GTP – Hey dude, good to hear from you again. Sorry I never got to read your idea for Iron Skin, but I couldn't find your profile :-(. Anyway, don't feel bad about not guessing that one; after all, plenty more opportunities to outthink me in the future!
Ri2 – Well I can think of a few things scarier…
In a second the decision had been made; Knuckles saw the older echidna's intent and, more importantly, the naked, unquenchable need of his eyes; in his mind, Wyn had committed a grievous sin in letting Lara be snatched and quested for repentance. Slapping Wyn on the shoulder, the guardian nodded,
"Right, we need transport".
"Got it; our van should take all seven" Vector confirmed, stepping back from the door as Knuckles raced through it,
"It's at your place?"
"You know the way" Mighty answered, beginning to match the echidnas strides as he began to pick up speed; now he had a target, something to go at, he had to get there with all possible speed, to hell with anything else.
XXX
"Hey Vec", Rouge called as the crocodile remotely unlocked the door of the van the Chaotix used to get around the city when they were feeling too lazy to walk, "you sure it'll fit us all?"
"Yeah, all seven"; the bat took a head count,
"You mean eight?"
"No, I mean seven", the crocodile whistled and beckoned; Charmy flew out from the press and landed just in front of him,
"Yeah, what's…?"
"Charmy, I want you at the shrine", Vector quickly carried on before the bee could muster a protest, "no, listen, I'm tryin' to cover every angle; I admit it ain't likely, but this could just be a diversion for a snatch on the rock; we need someone there just in case. If anythin' happens, buzz the guardians and get them there, okay?" Please don't go stubborn here Charm; the crocodile prayed that the bee would understand why he was doing this and not rail against the treatment, and thankfully, his prayers were answered,
"Okay"; I understand why you're doing this; a very strained smile broke over the bee's face as he made an effort to hide his disappointment; but I still don't like it; "need the keys to get in". Hiding his relief about as well as Charmy was hiding his sourness, the crocodile handed over his keys and a second later there was the slam of the front door as the youngest member of the team left on his appointed duty. Vector waited until he was in the driving seat before letting his shoulders slump in relief.
"That was, well done"; looking to his left, Vector chuckled and aped incredulity,
"Do my ears deceive me", the passenger couldn't hold back all his emotions; a small smile broke over Espio's face as he carried on, "or did the king of sarcastic put-downs just descend from his throne to pay me a compliment?"
"I know why you wanted Charmy out the way", Espio carried on, looking the crocodile squarely in the face; "Sonic explained something similar, with him and Tails".
"Yeah", Vector's hand twitched on the ignition key but for the minute he neglected to start the van, "he's a Chaotix, but he's still a kid at heart, at least for a bit anyway. Don't wanna let him deal with a fight like this too often". The chameleon nodded, the gesture visible even if his body was blending into the window view and door behind him,
"One day, he'll thank you for it".
"Hey Vec, let's roll"; Knuckles' demand jerked them back to the present and in a trice Vector had gunned the engine, taking all eight Mobians towards the base of Haven, listening to the directions Locke was providing at the same time as checking Wyn was rendered both blind and deaf to the roads they were taking.
XXX
"Greetings guests", out of necessity Spectre cut short the usual introductions as Knuckles simply shouldered past him, though in light of the circumstances the black guardian couldn't find a fault with that; he is worried for the sake of his mother – as his father is worried about his partner. Spectre bit back a sigh as he saw Locke leading his son through the twisting corridors of the base, muttering to him in a low voice; sometimes I'm not sure if unrequited love is a blessing or a curse – Locke will only hurt himself more unless he learns to let go. Thrusting these thoughts aside of the moment, Spectre turned to the rest of the assembled Mobians; Wyn was absent, having been left in the car still blindfolded with a whispered promise they'd be back soon,
"Remington informed us of the developments; the Legion is behind this for sure?"
"Definite; they're the only guys I know who'd take a face only a mother could love and make it worse", Vector chuckled with gallows humour as Spectre's face became grim,
"Weeks with no word and now this; as far as politics were concerned it seemed the new lord of the Dark Legion preferred to accrue temporal gain legitimately rather than by kidnap", the eldest guardian suddenly looked up, "they've demanded my seventh-son as an exchange, is this true?" Rouge smiled tightly,
"They did, but they forgot that the guardian doesn't work alone any more", she inspected her glove nails, tapping her fingers in a slow, threatening pattern, "we know where they are thanks to Locke, so now we're going to kick their butts at their own game".
"Be careful everyone", all eyes, albeit reluctantly, rolled upwards to see Athair looking down at them, normally smiling face grim and fearful, "the Legion's full of tricks and traps; you have to be on your toes".
"We will be" Espio assured the hyper one before turning to look at Spectre again, "any idea what we could be up against?"
"Not specifically, but I'm certain there will be a base of some kind; the Legion doesn't go about its business, especially as underhand as this, in the open; you'll be looking at a base if not more".
"What about you lot?" Mighty suddenly piped up, pointing at Spectre as she considered an important aspect of back up, "what will you be up to in all this?"
"We're keeping an eye on the city in case the Legion makes any aggressive moves; we'll also be on hand in case the shrine needs any extra protection – it wouldn't be the first time in recorded history the Legion has attempted such a feint"; never misses a trick that one; Vector thought quietly before Mighty looked behind Spectre and gave a startled yelp of shock.
"What the hell have you been playing with Locke?"
I knew he was an inventor; Rouge reminded herself of her father-in-law's predilection to tamper with inventions and ideas, but as the equipment he and Knuckles were carrying was dropped to the floor, she felt even her eyes widen; but this is something else.
"What is all this?"
"A couple of explosives", the elder echidna mentioned absently, turning some things over with his toe and watching as they rolled to the floor with a clunk, "and a few other odds and ends; oh, those are important", he bent down to pick up a wrist unit that looked almost identical to the ones the Chaotix all wore, "these are more powerful and you can talk through them; most important of all, they can't be tracked by the Legion – as long as you're quiet, we can talk within the base and communicate".
"Nice idea", was Espio's dry comment, "what else you got in that bag of tricks?"
"Nothing really, most of it will be staying in the van with Wyn; he's still a civilian in all this, so I don't want him in the way", Locke explained hurriedly, pointing at the largest part of his kit, a bulky vox unit with a single, clearly marked dial, "this is the main rely point for these communications devices; while we split up, Wyn will guide us all".
"Wait, split up; aren't we all tryin' to save Lara?" Vector asked confusedly; Locke glared,
"Yes, but some of us have different parts to play", he pointed at the lot of them, "you will be doing the rescuing, I'll be making sure we can make a quick getaway; the base must have a power source of some kind; that's what these are bound for". He pointed at the bombs he'd constructed again, fingering a remote detonator as he smiled, imagining the desolation he could deliver to those who had dared attempt to harm Lara-Le before Espio broke in,
"Shouldn't I be doing that? I am more likely to get to the power supply unnoticed".
"I can go unseen when I have to" Locke spoke cryptically before Knuckles, already short temper dramatically reduced in the circumstances, reached the end of his tether,
"Look, we can sort out the who's and where's later; right now we need to get there and get there now". With no further ado, the party moved on, picking up the pieces of Locke's assembled developments and heading to the elevator once more, leaving in their wake a stoic Spectre to comfort and teary, fearing Athair.
Moments later, the plans were being furiously discussed, dissected and diamorphed into new, more workable forms though, despite all the talking, there was no denying that they were walking with their eyes wide open into a trap they still couldn't completely fathom. It would take something else, a piece of magic from a distant friend, to clear their sight just a little.
XXX
Damn and blast it; restless knowing his friends wearer in danger and there was nothing he could do about it, Charmy paced relentlessly throughout the shrine, not able to sit still for thoughts there had to be something, anything he could do to help. I know you wanted me out the way Vector – why the hell did I agree?; now he had time to think of it Charmy fancied quite strongly he'd prefer to be deep in the firing line than out here on the periphery, merely waiting for the result and unable to alter it. And despite his normally cheerful nature, all the outcomes he could conceive weren't very rosy. The bee kneaded his head with his hands, knuckles grinding against skull to try and force out an idea; they're going in there against who knows what, who knows who…wait; suddenly the hands fell away; inspiration hauled him by the scruff of his neck forwards into a wonderful idea; wait just a minute – I know who might know who!
XXX
In the middle of the frantic conversation Mighty covered her ear with one hand and she reached for her phone with the other, pressing the receive button and waving the rest of the voices down,
"Shut up, shut up; sorry, go on – Charmy?"
"Hi Mighty; listen, hand me to Knucks, I don't have his number; this is important".
"Okay", she tapped the guardian on the arm, shutting off his words as she offered the phone, shrugging at his questioning gaze. Eyeing it suspiciously, Knuckles nevertheless took the appliance and spoke,
"Hello? Charmy, what is it?"
"Got some news", the bee sounded beside himself with excitement as he gabbled on, "I think I know who's behind this, and it's not that Energy guy, you know, the head of the Legion".
"Then who is it, and how do you know?"
"I gave Amy a call, just on the off chance; don't worry, I never gave away specifics, just said something like a high-ranking official of the Legion had been spotted, did she recognise him at all. It was the guy from the video; she knew who he was from the description I gave her; they're the ones running this show".
"They?" Something didn't tally there and despite his burning curiosity, Knuckles had to correct the error, "but we only saw him?"
"We did, but Amy didn't", Charmy filled out the last pieces of the puzzle, "she met them when Dimitri had her captive; apparently he released them from suspended animation, the first two Legionnaires to be freed. They're his great-grandchildren"; oh great, more insane relatives; despite the seriousness of the news that thought made the guardian smile, "they're a pair of twins, one boy one girl; the one we saw was Kragok, the girl's apparently a knock-out and she's officially titled Kommissar, but Amy said that's not her real name; she can't remember it and she's sorry about that".
"Never mind; good work Charmy"; so the guy I'm going to pulp to jelly's got a name then; though the bee's research hadn't done too much overall, it had given Knuckles something else to focus on – the face that had taunted him now had a name he could relate to, "just sit tight; we'll let you know if anything's happening".
"Likewise; got your ancestors on speed-dial if anyone shows up. Listen, tell the others as well; good luck!"
"Thanks buzz-boy", Knuckles waited until the receiver sounded the dead tone in his ear before passing it back to Mighty, silencing the commotion and furious debates and letting everyone know what Charmy had managed to dig up; this he did with confidence and style even if a little voice nagged at the back of his mind that, before this was over, they'd be needing all the luck they could get.
XXX
"Contact", the legionnaire span in his seat to address the two leaders of this operation, his emotions hidden behind his mask even if his voice betrayed excitement, "a single hover vehicle passed through the long range sensors a few minutes ago, estimation of five life-forms aboard, possibly more". Kragok stood to his full height and turned to face Lien, smiling as he awaited the forthcoming action,
"So they've taken the bait", his chuckled was dark as he reached down and hit a button on the console just to the side of him, triggering a low, keening klaxon to sound throughout the base, "leave this to me Kommissar; I will brief the legionnaires personally in our gambit, outlining the trap and how it will be sprung".
"I'll watch", she smirked back, taking silent pleasure in seeing her brother's organic eye narrow in consternation; he knows if he screws up I'll never let him live it down; "then I'll make sure all the systems are operating correctly; we can't afford for this to fail because of faulty wiring".
"See that it doesn't" was his only answer as he turned his back on her and moved off to inform the assembling throng how they would anticipate the coming to the guardian.
Blah, blah, blah, drone – jeez, do you like listening to your own voice or what?; though he could aggravate her like nothing else on earth, Lien did love her brother but this was testing the depth of her sisterly affections for him. He'd been talking non-stop for nearly ten minutes, at times even picking out individual legionnaires to highlight how they should react, or in some cases not react, to the presence of intruders within the base. To keep herself occupied she was trying to find the specific legionnaire that, for the moment, held the honour of being the target of her other affections, though in the press she missed his characteristic different glove. Oh well; she shrugged as her sky blue eyes swept the unwashed masses again, still not seeing where her future lover stood; honey's always sweetest when stolen – next time I sneak up on him I won't bother with introductions – must be the way he likes it. Come to think of it, if he's that shy around women, it's probably the only way he gets any!
XXX
At a command from Locke the van slewed to a halt, the elder guardian unclipping his belt as Rouge asked,
"What are we doing?"
"We go in on foot from here" he said tersely, explaining as the others all unbuckled themselves, "they're probably already aware we're here; they said they'd be expecting us. If we go in on foot in a loose bunch they'll have a harder time tracing us". Can't argue with that; by unspoken agreement, everyone else left the transport and picked up the tools they'd been assigned with. Once Espio had tightened the straps around his back, Wyn shambled around with the heavy master vox unit still on his back and demanded,
"Right, where are they?" Locke met his eyes and, for the briefest second silence fell; both male echidnas engaged the other in a silent battle of wills before, remembering the seriousness of the situation and who it involved, both thrust aside their mutual distrust and the guardian answered, pointing at where the ground started to be come more uneven,
"That way, not sure how far".
"Soon fix that", Mighty affirmed with a casual shrug, "leave it to the ladies; ready Rouge?" The bat smiled and, as soon as the armadillo's hands dropped, took off at a sprint, putting into practise a move they'd rehearsed at least a couple of hundred times. Wyn gave an appraising whistle as the bat quickly became a speck in the atmosphere, slowly descending from the height Mighty had tossed her to,
"Neat work"; she grinned,
"Thanks, nowhere near my best though".
"Nah", Vector agreed, shrugging as he waited for news like the rest of them, "bet her ears don't even pop".
"Just as well with ears that size", Espio commented dryly, shielding his eyes from the setting sun as he watched the bat's descending spirals become more noticeable, the heart shaped breastplate just about viewable as she suddenly dropped into a slight dive, bleeding off the last of her altitude. Knuckles was by her side as she landed; she looked at him and nodded, a tight smile twisting her lips,
"Yes, it's that way; if we time it right, we should get there by nightfall".
"Then let me go ahead", Espio spoke from his concealed position, the scenery blurring as he stepped forwards, "there'll be guards; I can get into position to deal with them".
"Go frilly"; Vector gave his compadre a resolved nod, straining his sight to see the chameleon leave the gathering. When Espio was gone, the crocodile sat down,
"Up", Knuckles demanded, eager to be off, "we've got to…"
"Let Espio scout the place" his father corrected him, sitting down as well though with markedly more reluctance than Vector had, "we'll gain nothing by being rash; nothing would give me more satisfaction than rushing that place and ramming an emerald blast down that, Kragok's throat, but by doing so I'd jeopardise Lara's safety".
"Last thing we want"; for once Wyn and Locke stood united on this issue, the chef accepting Mighty's help in easing off his backpack, "I say we leave in, what, an hour? That way it'll be evening when we get there – less light for them to see us with".
"And more shadows for the wall-creeper to hide in" Rouge chipped in; he's useful, but that doesn't mean I have to like him.
XXX
"The targets are not moving lord", the legionnaire glanced up at where Kragok sat enthroned behind him, a picture of quiescent violence just waiting to be unleashed, much like a malevolent volcano too long denied the chance of an explosive eruption.
"Why", he growled in a tone that made the other Legionnaires monitoring their work stations shiver in terrified anticipation, "are they not attacking? They should be battering down the door to rescue her now; why do they hold off? Do they not care at all?" The guardians should not be so heartless as to abandon those they love – if they are, they are indeed foes to be feared; his troubled brooding was broken by his sister's voice,
"Because they're doing what you'd do", Lien pointed to the digital time display that was counting on the wall, "they want to wait until darkness, then they'll move; it'll be harder for us to track them then – we didn't have time to install any but the crudest tracking devices. We can't even say how many there are in that group".
"It doesn't matter; we outnumber them by at least a factor of seven; even if he's dredged up every guardian from the annals of history", his claw ripped into the rest of the chair, the sound of sheared steel sounding ominous as his biological eye glittered like an angel's sins, "they will not escape our trap".
"My lord, my lady", the joint second in command of the Dark Legion span, Kragok tasting the excitement in the voice and deducing that finally, the pieces were beginning to move into place, just like he wanted them to, "the group is on the move, they are heading this way at a speed of…" He'd stopped listening, looking around and matching his sister's cruel smile,
"So it begins", his mechanical eye bathed Lien's face in a ruddy red glow, "assemble the platoons Lien, I shall join you presently".
"Not a problem, but", the tip of her tongue traced her lip quickly, then whipped back in the blink of an eye, "save the ones that accompany the guardian for me; they are from the world below, they interest me". She saw his eyebrow rise and his lips twitch; not like that you dirty-minded…; before he nodded,
"As you command; our weapons are only meant to knock out as it is, by order of Lord Enerjak".
"Good", this Lien did agree with; the sight of blood was not the most pleasant she had to deal with and any decree that meant she had to deal with less of it was a good thing in her book, "so the beginning is begun".
"And the endgame will end" Kragok finished one of their childhood sayings with a smile, nodding as his sister departed, her metallic spines glinting in the artificial light and hips swaying in a manner that caught more than one admiring glance. He watched her leave before sitting back down, content as his guardian nemesis approached; yes, this is the one chance; his smile, his true smile edged onto his face, concealed as it was by his slumped head; the chance to rid the Legion of the two greatest threats to its future prosperity.
XXX
Wyn sank to his knees, drawing his feet in to better balance his unwieldy pack as the others gathered around him; something blocked out the feeble light for a second and something large and heavy was pressed into his hands,
"Take it"; Locke's voice.
"What?" Wyn looked down at the gift he'd been given and, slowly, a strange shape took form before his squinting eyes; it was long and blocky, with a bit of a kink in it and a…the realisation nearly made his drop it as he hissed,
"Are you mad?" He pointed at he gun with his free hand, "I've never used a gun; what do you want me to do with it?"
"Anything comes after you, just point and pull the trigger" Locke sneered cuttingly, rejoicing in his egotistical triumph for a moment before pulling himself back to the present. Drawing himself up to full height, ingrained responses kicked in and, as eldest by a distance, he found himself taking charge,
"Right, you all know what we're doing?"
"Yeah, clear as", Vector spoke for all of them, reciting his team mate's information from memory, "Esp said the base looked hurried, the main door was big but he could see an opening; he also got a code by sneaking up on one of the guards so he's getting us in after taking them out". Locke nodded and turned to his son, who took up the story,
"So he breaks us in, from there we split up", the current guardian locked eyes with his predecessor, "you go for the generators, or whatever power they're using, and plant your pineapples", Locke felt the comforting weight of the explosives under his coat and smiled, seeing the devastation anew in his head as Knuckles carried on, "the rest of us, we take down a Legionnaire and make sure we know where mum is. We get her and then we all get the hell out, you press the button and we all go home".
"We go swift, and we go silent"; Rouge put her hand down in front of her, watching as everyone stacked their hands atop hers; there was a second of silence before Wyn piped up,
"Good luck everyone", he gave a worried smile in the face of the fatalistic resolve that was sent his way; to spare his blushes, he fiddled with the receiver in his hand, giving each of them the nod as they all turned their backs on him and moved off, crawling out into the dusky gloom until they were lost from sight.
Well; the chef sat back, for the first time aware, really aware, of what he'd volunteered for; better get used to this if I'm dating a guardian's mother. For once, there was no wit that would warm him, no chivvying banter would bring him cheer; the isolation was deep and profound; in seconds, he was breathing heavily, the nerves within him jangling as the wait began to creep up on his mind, filling the darkness with phantom foes, each scarier and more dangerous than the last. His suddenly clammy hands gripped the gun handle ever tighter, his finger strangely twitchy on the trigger as he gritted his teeth, trying to fight it off; can't give it away – one shot and they'll know where we all are. He tried to focus on Lara, that by shooting he'd just put her in danger and slowly, gradually, the tension was siphoned from his body; his breathing evened out and he reluctantly laid the gun on the floor, resolving not to use it unless the circumstances demanded it to be so.
"Now", the receiver on his wrist buzzed, the fear nearly making him leap up and cry out in shock, though he smothered the reflex in time; he fumbled behind him, reaching for the transmitter unit on his backpack, turning the dial to transmit as Locke had shown him before raising the mouthpiece to his suddenly numb lips and whispering to all the lesser pieces the command for it all to begin,
"Now".
XXX
Knuckles heard the word and, after counting to three, took off, pushing his feet into the floor to increase his speed and keep going; his eyes strained to make out anything in the gloom, but so deep was the darkness that he only realised he was at the front of the base when he virtually ran into its front gate. Slapping his hands into the cold steel, the guardian hugged himself against the wall, looking back the way he'd come; as far as he could tell, he was the first one there.
"Hey", he spoke into his wrist, "anyone there?"
"Yes"; Knuckles span as he heard the answer from a little way behind him, spoken rather than translocated through the communicator, "don't worry, they're both down". Something flopped over on the ground; squinting, the guardian was shocked to see a motionless figure dressed in black and red – Espio had done his work well,
"Espio, I can't see you; go native".
"Very well"; the chameleon reappeared about five feet away, his purple colour marking him out at the same time the others were arriving properly. In the space of half a minute from the call to go, all six Mobians were at the gate and Espio was reaching down to retrieve his thrown weapon.
"How'd you K.O. them so quickly?"
"Sedative stars", Espio tucked the special tools of the ninja away, turning to find the panel again to let them inside properly, "they're coated with a sleep solution; you feel one prick and that's it, down you go. Right, get ready". The team huddled near to where the glowing panel demanded an access code, each nodded their readiness and, taking the lead from such gestures, Espio keyed in the number he'd seen one of the Legionnaires use at the changing of the guard. Slowly, silently, a portal of dim light began to creep open as the entrance was slowly unblocked, the heavy barred door retracting on its runnels as Locke raised a hand. There was the faintest flicker of green around his glove and he affirmed,
"It's clear; no-one on the other side".
"Good", Knuckles glanced around the door, not keeping his head still in case his father had made an error; no, looks clear, but it's not very bright in there, and they wear black; "Rouge, I need you up front scanning the way, Mighty, stay with her in case you run into anything nastier than she is. Vec and I take rear guard, Esp, stick to the walls and, how many of those sleep things you got?"
"Not many left".
"Well, try and use them for quick put-downs; remember we go quick and quiet – if they don't know we're there the less chance there is of them using mum against us".
"Okay, let's do this"; at Mighty's acceptance of the plan, the Chaotix and guardians ghosted into the base of the Dark Legion, with but the barest of fractional pauses,
"Vec?"
"Ah, nuthin'"; no, it ain't nothing; the crocodile wasn't sure what it was, but something about this whole set up was making him feel distinctly uneasy; can't say what though, just gotta hit and hope like hell on this.
XXX
He heard it coming a mile off, but then again, hearing something's about as much use as a chocolate fire guard if you don't do something about it. It was only when the squeaking stopped that his attention was caught and by then it was too late; the guard never even felt the blow that laid him out – all he managed to see was a blunt wooden handle.
Even before his opponent fell, his conqueror set about searching for the card needed for access; he had enough information about the Legion's most recent developments, his keen ears and discrete recording equipment had seen to that. In the light of the plans revealed by Kragok, the infiltrator knew now his number one priority was to aid the guardian any way he could.
XXX
Hunched in her cell, Lara felt guilt and angst thrive in the pit of her stomach; the dreadful knowledge that she was the bait in a trap for her son was terrible to bear, but not as bad as knowing he'd come for her, she knew he'd come for her. Please Knuckles; she curled her hands into fists and drilled them into the side of her skull; just stay put, forget about me – the Legion will do me no harm, they said as much. That was certainly true – no-one had been more surprised than herself when the cell door had been opened and, rather than a stern, impassive or even gloating gaoler, there had instead been a smart, professional female echidna who had, after asking for and accepting an invitation to come in, sat down and talked with her.
Due to the nature of her work, Lara had come into contact with councillors, but never had she actually been worked on by one and, she had to admit, the experience had steadied her somewhat. The legionnaire had gone to great pains to explain that she was in no danger – the legion had never harmed or modified anyone who crossed their beliefs; it just wasn't their way. Her capture was absolutely nothing personal, it was merely a means to an end – even in the worst case she could think of, that her son and all his friends be captured, they'd suffer no fate worse than imprisonment; in his wisdom did Enerjak spare his foes from merciless oblivion. It had been comfort, but cold comfort indeed; Knuckles would go mad in prison, and I know it'd be my fault he…what!
The door to her cell suddenly swung in violently; Lara instinctively flattened herself against the wall, drawing her legs up as the bare metal pressed into the skin of her back, a scream of shock just about cut off as a figure was hurled into the room, crashing down on the floor directly in front of her with a muffled thump. Heart racing, breathing quick and ragged, the echidna lady forced herself to look, and then to wonder, fear replaced with amazement, at the sight before her. A Legionnaire?; shaking her head, she looked up, straight into the red face of another of her captors, mouth open in shock as she realised he was the one who must have done this; that makes no sense, why would he attack another Legionnaire – maybe he was a traitor, and he's sharing my cell as well…; with a mental effort she forced herself to block her line of thought for now as the figure at the door was pointing forcibly, putting his finger to his lips in a gesture for silence. For want of other feasible options, Lara nodded, and watched again, a small flame of hope beginning to burn within her as she saw her rescuer point first at the downed Legionnaire, then at herself. A lover of espionage films, the cheesier the better as Wyn loved to point out, she caught on instantly; pushing herself to her feet, she paused only look up again, mouthing three words her curiosity demanded she speak,
"Who are you?" The response was a low and quiet whisper,
"EST".
Of course; the flame exploded into a supernova; the EST would be trying to infiltrate the Legion, they're mutual opponents – it all makes sense. Thanking her lucky stars that she was able to take advantage of this situation, Lara quickly began to pull the insensate Legionnaire over onto his front, her saviour turning around to both keep watch and grant her some privacy as she set about doing the deed that needed to be done.
Mere minutes later, the cell door slid shut and two Dark Legionnaires began to move casually along a path the one with a white glove marked out; this way would be longer, but ran the least risk of being seen before the hue and cry went up.
XXX
With a thump, the guardsman went into the wall, the impact knocking him senseless as Vector smiled toothily; still got the old knack at interrogation;
"Well, we know the way now; let's go".
"Right; Mighty", Rouge pointed upwards; craning her neck, the armadillo saw her friend's finger outlining some coiling shapes above and she grinned,
"I get it; need a lift".
"No", a third voice stopped the plan in its infancy, the dry rustle of scales on brickwork a tell-tale sign of who was thinking along the same lines, "I'm used to working in confined spaces; it is what I'm trained for – I'll call back any obstacles en route".
"Go Esp" Knuckles commanded; there were a few seconds pause before there was a slight grating sound, followed by a slightly louder clang.
"I'm in the vent", Espio's disembodied voice informed them all through their communication devices, "going on now; sit tight".
"Right"; silently, Vector took point one end of the short corridor the four Mobians were now confined to, Mighty taking the other as Rouge raised her wrist to her lips and whispered a few words; after waiting for a reply, she tapped Knuckles on the shoulder,
"Got the news to Locke; he's closing in as well; second he gets to the chamber and plants his bombs, he'll meet up with us".
"Good"; Knuckles listened to his wife with half an ear, the other one straining to hear any words from Espio, but no, there was nothing, not for a little while until finally,
"Okay, I'm there; all I can see is a door in this corridor, towards the end; the route looks clear, just a two-man patrol you can duck past if you're quick".
"That's it?"
"Far as I can see, unless you count a mop bucket as a potential death trap – lethal without a wet floor sign you know"; knew it wasn't nothing.
Now it all made sense; belatedly, and still without a clue as to the exact mechanics, Vector understood the Legion's modus operandi. His muffled sigh and shake of the head didn't go unnoticed,
"What's up Vec?" Rouge knew enough about the crocodile to respect him; past the deadbeat exterior, he was as shrewd as they came and that she had to respect. He turned to face them, lips set in a grim, reluctant smile, raising his wrist so Espio wasn't left out either,
"I knew there was something wrong with this whole thing; think about it", he began ticking off on his fingers, "two guards on the door, access panels, no automated weapon systems, that guy just 'happening' to know where the prisoner was being kept; come on, this is the Dark Legion we're talkin' about - it's all too easy. That's what they're doing; we got this far because they let us get this far – they want us to find Lara and then they'll snap whatever it is they're plannin'".
Simultaneously, there was a lowering of heads; now that one of them had solved the puzzle, it seemed so obvious, the overriding thought was that they'd been fools to fall for it in the first place. A precious second was wasted before Knuckles hook himself, remembering his purpose for being here in the first place,
"Well, they can try what they like", he raised himself to his full height, voice certain and imposing once more, "I'm here to find my mother, and if they want to let me do that so much the better; it's not going to stop me leathering them for having the nerve to even try and hold her against her will".
"Yeah, we've come so far, might as well go the whole hog" Mighty shrugged, apparently unconcerned as Rouge shook her head,
"Don't talk to me about hogs, not after the last time I went to Station Square".
"Well Amy did say she'd been meaning to fix that shelf for a while".
"And the ink came out eventually", Vector added, smiling a little as the bat glared daggers at him; yeah, after I had my head submerged for so long I nearly grew gills; "thank the Lord it didn't hit Amy's forms; she'd spent ages on 'em apparently".
"Yes, but that still didn't make me feeling any better going around looking like Sonic's taller, prettier sister all day". Knuckles shuddered,
"A female Sonic; no, that's the stuff nightmares are made from".
"Be that as it may", a more peevish voice broke in disconnectedly, "there's still the matter of you lot getting your acts together and actually getting here to free Lara?" Jarred by the reminder, all four Mobians again set off, their silence and speed almost breathtaking as they moved to their goal.
XXX
Kragok, seeing the position of the interlopers to his fortress, began to stand, speaking as he did so,
"Lien, prepare the shutters, I'm going to the central hall to, shall we say, roll out the red carpet, for out guests?" His twin smiled,
"Go ahead, I'll be with you when it's ready; not long now Kragok?"
"No Kommissar", he turned, shielding his eye from her view as he muttered under his breath, "not long at all".
XXX
"I can't short it; if I tried I might lock it irreversibly", Espio explained as he saw his friends draw in. Rouge stepped forwards, examining the task critically before Knuckles spoke,
"Can you do it?"
"I think so; it's been a while but, I have to try". With that, she squatted down, peering at the blank panel as if engaging it in a battle of wills, Knuckles looking on with his heart in his mouth as the bat's fingers began to touch the locking pad; apparently, it needed to be fed some sort of card before it would allow access. All eyes willed the bat to win, but there was no such luck as she sat back, shaking her head, defeated,
"No, sorry; if I had the right pieces of kit and more time I could give it a shot, but not a chance now".
"Okay", Mighty cracked her fingers, "forget subtlety; we go with option two", she cocked her fist, the others there backing up as she hollered, "Lara, stand back" and pistoned her fist forwards like a rocket shot. The door slammed back, swinging like a blind drunk leaning precariously on a lamp post as it remained affixed to the frame by dint of a single, buckled hinge. As they'd all expected and silently agreed, even before the echoed of the hit had died away, reactions were felt to the breech of the peace.
XXX
Gotcha; the icon for the prison door blazed red; it had been tampered with, the signal she'd been waiting for. With one fluid movement, Kommissar slammed her hand onto the red button, virtually feeling the sensation of electric signals flowing away from the pressure point to orchestrate the trap her brother had dreamed up. As the map of the base became interspersed with sudden solid, grey bars that dropped across previously open hatchways and corridors, she smiled; like rats in a run; she holstered her pistol, smoothed out her hair and made to follow in Kragok's footsteps; only this time, with a cat at the end of it.
XXX
There was a dull bang as the shutter descended, sealing off part of the corridor they were stood in, leaving only a single route for them to take. Vector nodded and was just about to make the point he'd summed up in his mind when a startled oath from the cell Knuckles, heedless of anything other than his mother's liberation had race into, broke the silence. Piling in after him, concerned by the guardian's sudden exclamation, fearful of being denied their prize at this eleventh hour, the other Mobians looked around past where Knuckles stood rooted to the spot in paralysed shock.
The question of what Dark Legionnaire wore under their robes had long been a question that had puzzled and teased those who opposed the technocratic factions; now, as they all beheld the limp, unconscious figure on the cot bed in front of them, they might have been forgiven for wishing that the question had remained unanswered. No man, or echidna for that matter, has ever looked good in skin-tight black Y-fronts.
"The hell…?" Vector was speechless just as Knuckles was, though to his credit the guardian was able to somehow stumble up to the prone figure and loom large over him as a marginally hysteric laugh brightened the room,
"Knuckles", Mighty covered her mouth with one hand; she really knew this was the wrong thing to be doing in the circumstances, but now it was a case of laugh or cry, "I think we can be certain that's not Lara".
"Or at least", it spread to Vector, "we can only hope it's not Lara". Ignoring them, the guardian removed a piece of paper from the front of the other echidna's bare chest, being careful not to touch the bundles of wires that sporadically erupted from the skin like metallic worms,
"There's a note"; something else about it too, not just the words; "it says 'front ent. ASAP".
"Easy then", Espio translated, "we go to the front door; Lara must have escaped on her own?" Rouge shook hr head,
"In that case why leave a note?"
"Locke?"
"No, still downstairs; the jennies are at the bottom of the base". Taking in these conspiracy theories with half an ear, Knuckles cast his eye over the knocked out Legionnaire again; who did that to you? Where's my mother now? In frustration he looked at the paper scrap again, and with the force of a tonne of lead, it hit him.
It wasn't the words he recognised; it was the handwriting.
XXX
She saw him quiver as though shocked by lightning; Rouge shouldered her way past Espio and put her hand on her husband's shoulder.
"Knucks, what is…?" He turned to face her and somehow the shock transmitted to her; his bloodless face and wild, frantic eyes sent a chill down her spine; Knuckles walked past unseeing her or anyone else, scanning every inch of the room they were all in, no-one who saw his face or the fear that radiated from every nuance of his body being in the right mind frame to stop him. There's something else at work here; he put his hand on the ruined door, paused as though asking some higher power for strength, for courage, and then heaved up, exposing the back of the crumpled metal. At the sight, the skin of Rouge's neck rose and, a second later, her dry, terror-cracked voice spoke,
"Oh God help us now".
XXX
"Hey", the sergeant, and his two accompanying orderlies, bustled over to the other Legionnaires; one was a non-combatant, but if the other one didn't have a damn good excuse to be standing around, he or she was going to end up doing some hard time latrine duty when this was over. Jabbing forwards a finger, he began,
"Didn't you hear; it's on. The guardian's here, the fool walked right into it, with all his allies as well, just like Lord Kragok promised. General assembly, main hall now; we're all going to give that stupid nudie a lesson he'll never forget. Move it trooper". Perhaps it was understandable; the thought that neither of the two Mobians in front of him were in the employ of the Dark Legion never crossed his mind as the sergeant made, if not the worst mistake of his life, possible one of the most painful.
Lashing out, the Legionnaire grabbed hold of Lara-Le's arm.
Guard the target.
A/N: …how's that for one of them?
If you don't know who this is, you need to read Angel of Darkness and Ice; for those of you who do know, come on, you didn't think he was staying away forever did you? No wonder Kommissar was getting nowhere fast :-).
P.S: DH – you guessed he was coming all right, but did you guess his disguise?