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Sonic the Hedgehog: Guardians
Chapter 5: Following Orders
South Island was weird.
Not weird, as in, "that's a little strange." Not weird, as in, "that doesn't really make sense." No. South Island was weird in the sense of "what new planet did I step on, because it sure as Hell ain't Earth?"
Except it was, Dutch reflected. It was part of Earth, just a part that the United Federation, nay, all humanity had never really bothered with. An island in the south Pacific, and one part of a cluster of islands that from what satellite scans had indicated, had all the same features as this one.
Floating platforms. Spike traps. An abundance of lamp posts that didn't seem to function. And 360 loops that were just scattered around the place. Artificial creations created by some unknown civilization that must have collapsed, because there certainly wasn't any sign of it here. Modern civilization, yes, ranging from Starlight Zone ("zone," not "city," he recalled), to the likes of Scrap Brain and Gigalopolis, but there was no continuity between these places and the ruins near Green Hill.
Nothing about this place made sense. And this was already part of a mission that didn't make sense, to capture a hedgehog who didn't make sense, who'd carried out actions that didn't make sense. From underneath the camo, Dutch glanced at the nearby ocean, remembering the day when it had risen to flood Station Square, and everything that had come before. From flying airships above the same city, to mechanical walkers in that city, to a missile attack on the city, to a hedgehog zooming through the city when he wasn't chilling out at Station Square Hotel.
"Oh brave new world," he murmured, "that has such crazy things in it."
"Sir?"
He looked at Vincent, also under the camo. "Nothing," he murmured.
Vincent gave him a look as well (one that said "yeah, that's B.S. and I know it,"), but nevertheless, E.P. 002 remained silent, returning his gaze to the 360 loop on the field ahead of them. One of countless loops on this island. Only unlike all those other loops, it had been booby trapped with a pulse device.
"Paladin Team, report."
"E.P. 003, getting bored here."
"E.P. 004…yeah, what blondie said."
"Screw you, Rico."
"E.P. 005, reporting."
Vincent smirked. "Dunno why you put up with them."
Dutch sighed. "I get asked that once a year on the team assessment I submit to Command."
"Oh?" Vincent looked at him. "And how do I do?"
"Great with machines, bad with people, asks too many questions."
"Yeah. Right." Vincent returned his gaze to the loop. "Still, when we pull this off, I expect that to go in the report. Gold star. Or at least a silver one."
Dutch rose some viewfinders to his head. "Vincent, trust me. We pull this off, we're in the big leagues."
"We're Paladin Team. We're already in the big leagues."
"…bigger, leagues." Dutch zoomed in. "Damn it, where are you?"
The plan had been made up on the fly as the Durgan had headed south. The end-game was that Sonic be brought into custody, kept in the same Grey Hawk, then transferred to a secure holding cell on Prison Island for interrogation. The goal was explicit, the means of achieving it weren't. Even if the target was confirmed as being on South Island (which wasn't exactly a small piece of land), actually capturing him was another matter. This was a hedgehog that could travel at super-sonic speeds, could smash machines like pinatas, who could withstand attacks that would kill a normal person twice over (reportedly due to the golden rings he collected, able to use them as a form of protection), and who'd apparently defied every attempt at capture for years at the hands of Doctor Robotnik. Why should they succeed when a man who could single-handedly field entire armies of robots had continued to fail?
When his team had asked him in the helicopter, Dutch hadn't been able to answer. But he'd reasoned that it was pointless to pursue the hedgehog, so rather, they had to wait for him to come to them. Or, more specifically wait for Sonic to come to this particular loop, travelling at such a speed that would trigger the pulse device.. A field would be generated that would utilize electric shocks that would kill a human, but given how fast the hedgehog's heart had to beat, would likely only stun him. And if not, well, he had Spike on overwatch, Rico and Honch on the ground with heavy weapons that could cover a wide arc of fire, and he and Vincent weren't short of guns either.
Still, Brass had made it clear – he wanted Sonic alive. And even if Dutch hadn't said so, he wanted the same thing. Just maybe not for the same reason.
"Y'know," Vincent murmured, "there is a chance that he doesn't use this loop."
Dutch remained silent.
"On the other hand, I'll take the majiggy over spike traps any day." He sniggered. "Spike traps. Did Robotnik lose it or something?"
"From what I've heard, Vince, spike traps are the least of what the good doctor's deployed."
"And? What else have you heard?"
"That ever since Station Square, the FIA has a bat working for them who's spilled all kinds of beans on what the good doctor's been up to over the years." He gave his fellow commando a look. "Not exactly light reading."
Vincent looked ready to ask exactly how light. But as Spike's voice sounded in his ear…
"Blue blur confirmed, inbound."
Dutch's heart when from sixty to one-hundred.
"ETA, five seconds."
Given the speed at which Sonic moved, that was better warning than he could have hoped for.
So he waited.
He gripped his rifle.
He remained silent, not daring to risk distracting his team with a radio check.
In a split second, he saw a blue blur, moving so fast that he was barely visible, run towards the loop, up the loop and-
Bzzzz
…appear before him, caught in an electro-static field. Squirming. Shouting. Spasming. But still, incredibly, not losing consciousness immediately as thousands of volts ran through his body.
"Paladins, move in!"
Four commandos emerged from under their camo. Spike being the exception, remaining in place, but assuring Dutch over the radio that he had the hedgehog in his sights. One pull of the trigger, and it would be lights out.
If necessary.
The hedgehog fell to the ground as the "majiggy" ran out of juice. As he ran, moving at a speed that would make a normal person stare and a super-sonic hedgehog laugh, Dutch saw that even then, Sonic was conscious. His fur singed by the electricity's heat, and his eyes twitching as he looked up, but still, conscious. Looking up at the approaching commandoes with wide green eyes, as if he had no idea why they were here.
"Hey fellas," he groaned. "You get the number of the wakku wakku that hit me?"
For a moment, Dutch looked down at the crippled hedgehog. Wondering, briefly, if this was a mistake. If GUN had it wrong. If he was about to do something stupid.
"You mind explaining what-"
But, as he brought the butt of his rifle down, only for a moment. Orders were orders, he reminded himself.
A reminder that he had to continuously apply, as he handcuffed the Hero of Station Square, and began carrying him off to the helicopter.
"So your organization is named GUN?"
"Yep. Guardian Units of Nations."
"And someone wanted that acronym?"
"Well, originally we were called SPEAR."
"SPEAR?"
Dutch looked at Huggy and smirked. "Strategic Protectors, Encompassing All Regions."
"Hmm." Huggy looked around the ruins of his city. "Well, we're not a nation. But a region? Aye."
"And its name?"
"Teal Hills."
Dutch looked aside and shook his head. It seemed that in the world Huggy lived in, there were no shortage of hills. Green Hill and Sand Hill for starters, the former of which was looking more like the latter with every passing day, going by satellite scans. It seemed not too long ago that he was in that very place, capturing Sonic, before Eggman had desertified the area and finished the hedgehog off.
The animals had actually taken it better than he'd thought – yeah, he'd captured Sonic during the ARK Incident, but Sonic had escaped (again), saved the world (again), and blasted off for new adventures (again), so no harm, no foul, right? Well, so he hoped – some of the animals, including those with the wispons, hadn't seemed too keen on him – but Sigma-Alpha 2 was their ticket out of here, and all of the remaining populace of Crescent View was willing to have that ticket stamped.
As the fifty-plus commandoes and refugees exited the town hall, Dutch looked over the town. A faint sliver of red light was appearing on the horizon, but still, the town lay mostly in early morning's gloom, and what light there was cast a red glow over the ruins. Some might have called the scene poetic. Others, tragic. To Dutch, at least, he knew what to call Crescent View – a write-off. If Eggman was defeated (and that was a big "if,"), it might have been better for the town's inhabitants to simply bulldoze what was left of their town and start anew.
Still, he wouldn't say that out loud – the poor blighters had been through enough. And besides, there was one thing left standing at least – the statue. The one which a number of the animals rested their gloved paws on as they moved out of the hall. Almost in religious reverence.
"When did you build that thing anyway?" Dutch asked.
"The statue?" Huggy said. "Oh, not so long. We only finished it mere weeks before Eggman launched his attack."
"To commemorate Miracle Planet?"
"To commemorate all that the hedgehog has done," Huggy said, tapping his stick against the base. "And what he will never do again…"
Dutch's eyes lingered on the kangaroo he'd seen earlier – not content with pushing his paw against the statue's base, he was instead leaning against it, as if trying to hug it. He watched his mother rub her eyes, before they met his. Giving a look that said, "I know."
He turned away. He'd seen that look in many a mother's eyes over the years, not the least of which were back home. Getting them out of the line of fire, as they reassured their children that all would be okay. Not that the kids he'd seen had hugged statues, but when told that Sonic and his friends had been fighting the aliens…well, that had done something. Something more than all the bullets and bombs of GUN couldn't.
We all have to fight our own battles, he reflected, before activating his radio. "E.P. One to E.P. Five. Bring in the bird. Marking Alpha Point for pickup."
"Acknowledged. ETA, three minutes."
Dutch terminated the feed, reached into his suit, and tossed out a flare. Past the statue and into the street beyond, mercifully clear of rubble. Just enough room for Spike to set the helicopter down without forcing the critters to march up a hill.
"There's still over fifty here," Vincent murmured, walking over to him.
Dutch remained silent.
"You got a plan for defying gravity? Cause I'm warning you, she's a bitch."
"You work on your plans, Captain, I'll work on mine."
Vincent smirked. "Yeah. Sure. I'll add it to my plan of no longer being a captain as soon as we get back to UF territory."
Dutch looked at him. "You chose to come here, Vincent. That's on you."
"Yeah. It is." He folded his arms. "Followed you into the fire more than once, what's wrong with sending me to Hell?"
"You have something to say Vincent, say it."
"I-"
"Trouble, good sirs?"
Vincent looked down at Huggy and smiled. "None at all, Mister Bear."
"Ah."
The smile, to Dutch's surprise, looked genuine. He didn't doubt for a moment that Vincent's anxiety about being thrown in the brig was genuine as well, but…well, some people were born bastards. Others had to work on it. And Vincent, Spike, heck, even Rico and Honch…actions were meant to be the measure of a man. Not words. And by their actions, they'd all thrown themselves into the fire.
"Y'know, I've gotta ask," Vincent said, still talking to Huggy. "Do each of you take your species name as your last name or something?"
"Excuse me?"
"Like, Sonic the Hedgehog, or Shadow the Hedgehog, or Nack the Weasel…"
"Who?" Honch exclaimed.
"He means Fang the Sniper," said Rico.
"Oh, right, that guy. Hey, doesn't the FIA still have him on their wanted list?"
Dutch let them bicker. They'd pulled off this operation without firing a shot, so firing words instead was a luxury he'd allow.
"…point is, I never got the name thing," Vincent said.
Huggy gave him a look. "We…just have names," he said awkwardly.
"Well, yeah, but…"
"I mean," Huggy said, as a breeze began to pick up, "your names are Dutch Warner, Vincent Singh, Harold Darrow, Rico Olusoga, and the guy flying the helicopter is Yuji Ishuka. All of whom were sent here by a man named Abraham Tower."
Dutch shivered, and it wasn't just because of the breeze.
"To be frank, it seems strange to us," said Huggy, walking out to the adjacent square, as Spike brought the helicopter around, "First name, last name, no species name…"
"Huggy."
"But then, you are all human, so there's that. Humans tend to keep to their own."
"Huggy," Dutch repeated.
"Though of course, there's some of us who have names like you. Take Miles Prower. Course he calls himself Tails, but…well, who knows what he's calling himself these days?"
"Huggy!" Dutch yelled.
The bear stopped talking, and slowly turned to face the commandos. All four of them, standing in silence. Their uniforms blowing as the helicopter circle around them. Adding to the chill that ran through Dutch's spine, all the way to his right hand as he fingered his pistol.
"How do you know our names?" Dutch asked.
"I'm sorry?"
"Our names. We never told you our names."
"I-"
"And how do you know about Tower?" Vincent asked.
Huggy smiled, his lips quivering. "Doesn't everyone know the name of the GUN commander?"
"Not everyone," Honch said.
"Really?"
"Hardly anyone," Vincent murmured.
"Oh." Huggy gripped his walking stick. "Well in that case-"
"And how do you know he sent us?" Rico asked. "Not that he did send us, but it could have been anyone. Why him?"
Huggy gripped his stick all the tighter. His hairs were standing up. Blowing, as the helicopter came closer.
"Huggy," Dutch murmured, "what's going on?"
Huggy smiled, though this time, bared his teeth. Shining, in the early morning gloom. "Damn," the bear whispered. "And I was doing so well…"
"Huggy, what on Earth are you-"
It happened quickly.
The bear pointed his stick at the commandoes. Letting out a wave of green, tornado-like force that sent them flying. Dutch yelled as his back hit against the stone steps leading up to the town hall.
Yelled harder, as Huggy pointed the stick up at the helicopter. Letting out a stream of cyan-coloured energy, cutting through its rear section.
Spike yelled, radioed in a mayday, as the helicopter spun in circles, smoke and flame billowing behind. Fading from Dutch's line of sight, before a crash echoed through the early morning air.
Honch yelled, and opened fire on the bear. Animals screamed and covered their ears behind him. Huggy stood his ground however, pounding his stick on the ground. Indigo-coloured cubes appeared around him, deflecting the bullets.
"You humans and your guns," he sneered, before pointing the stick at the commandos. Letting out a wave of green energy, sending them flying. Dutch yelled…twice. Once, as the cylindrical green energy hit him. Second, as he and the others landed hit the ground. His only recourse was that when Huggy let out more blasts towards the animals, they were at least not dedicated to him. Weaker, yes. Designed to keep Huggy's constituents in their place, or at least, those with the wispons. Those who, out of the corner of his eye, Dutch could see cowering behind the pillars at the town hall's entrance.
But his eyes returned to Huggy, as he saw the bear's stick begin to transform. Twist and turn, so that the wood went inside, and metal came outside. Expanding, elongating, until what emerged in the paw of Huggy Bear wasn't a walking stick at all, but something else. It had the curved handle of his walking stick, but the rest of it unmistakably resembled a firearm. Or rather…
"Is that a wispon?" Vincent whispered.
If Huggy heard the question, he didn't answer. Instead, he just stood there. Smirking. Tapping the wispon on the ground. Again. And again. And again.
"Mister Mayor?" The kangaroo that Dutch had seen earlier bound forward. "What are you doing?"
The bear thumped his stick. The ground began to shake.
"Kid, get back," Vincent whispered. He looked at Dutch. "Orders?"
Dutch just stood there. His hand shaking. He had a handgun, he had a rifle, he had grenades, he had a small arsenal, and somehow, he doubted it would do any good.
"Colonel, orders," Honch hissed.
Boom.
Colonel, Dutch reflected. How formal.
Boom.
"Let's waste him," Rico said. He raised his rocket launcher and-
"I wouldn't do that, if I were you."
…kept it raised, but didn't fire, as Huggy began to talk.
Boom.
His voice heard over every echo. "You have no idea how torturous it was to wait. With you." Boom.
"Us?" asked the rhino, clutching his wispon..
"All your mewling, and your whining, and complaining…"
Boom.
"…all to keep you in place long enough for the Resistance to turn up," Huggy said. "Lure the heroes in, deal with them that way rather than grinding them underfoot."
Boom.
The furries began to shout. Cry. Shake their fists. Dutch couldn't blame them.
Boom.
"But instead, I get GUN commandoes who aren't worth anything," Huggy snapped. "But, fine. I can live with it."
Boom.
"You're a traitor," Dutch said. "Can you live with that?"
Boom.
"And a murderer."
Boom.
"And a-"
"I'm a survivor, Colonel Warner," Huggy said. "Eggman will take over the world, and I will survive, while you…all of you…well, you'll live."
Boom.
"In a manner of speaking, that is."
Rico spat. "Had enough of this shit."
Boom.
He fired. Huggy raised his device. A stream of golden energy, like lightning, caught the rocket in mid-air. Holding it in place. Still burning propellent.
"Like I said," Huggy whispered, "humans and their guns."
The bear flicked his wrist. The rocket was sent on a new trajectory. Dutch looked around. "Everyone get to-"
Boom.
The rocket struck the statue. Shards of rock went everywhere. Commandos swore. Animals screamed. Dutch tasted blood upon his tongue as he landed on the ground…and parts of the stone head of Sonic the Hedgehog landed beside him. His stone eyes meeting Dutch's…as if they were back on South Island again…
"Paladins, sound off," he rasped.
Boom.
"Sound…off…"
The numbers came. Two. Three. Four.
Boom.
No five, he noticed. No word from Spike…
Boom. The last boom. Followed by cracks, as dozens upon dozens of Egg Pawns emerged from the ground in formation. Short, squat war machines with silver egg-shaped bodies, red glowing visors, and wrist-based weapons. All of which were pointed in the direction of Crescent View's populace…and the commandos who had come to save them.
"Evaded our scans," Vincent whispered. "Hid underground, from the satellites…"
Dutch barely heard. He whispered into his radio, "Spike?"
In the centre of the Egg Pawns, numerous purple cylinders. Each small enough to hold an animal. Each pulsing with a sickly green light.
"Spike, come in," Dutch whispered.
"Fuck me, those roboticizers?"
"E.P. Zero Five, come in…"
"Furries go in, Egg Pawns go out," Huggy said. "And I survive."
Dutch got to his feet, hand to his ear. "Spike, report."
Huggy tapped his wispon. The Egg Pawns began to march. Wrist-lasers and flamers aimed at the commandoes, and the animals quivering behind them.
"Spike!"
Coming in from all sides.
"Sir, orders," Rico whispered.
Dutch looked at him. At Honch. At Vincent. At the fifty or so animals who were looking at him as well. All thoughts of inter-species animus gone from their eyes, in the recognition that right now, he was the only one who could do something.
If anything.
"Sir?"
"Get to cover," Dutch said. He looked back at the animals. "Get to cover!"
As the Egg Pawns began to fire, a lot of them didn't need prompting.
"Paladins, on me. Rubble, first line, hall, second line."
It wasn't the best line of defence – out here, among the rubble of a fallen idol, they had cover, but not too much of it.
"Move!"
But more than nothing. And if worse came to worse, they could fall back inside the town hall.
To make their last stand.
"Honch, short-controlled bursts. Rico, save your rockets for clusters only. Vincent, try and get a line to Command. You lot…" He looked at the animals. The roach, the rhino, the gorilla… "If you can use those things, now would be a good time."
They didn't say anything. But taking up positions by the pillars…well, survival, it seemed, eclipsed any inter-species animus.
Paladin Team took up positions as well.
Taking cover amongst the rubble as lasers tore through the air.
Greeting the lasers with bullets.
Beginning their final stand.
A/N
Update (18/3/22): Corrected typo.