CHAPTER 7: Argus

3/3/2022

AN: Sorry for the long wait! I've had a lot on my plate... I promise this will start picking up soon!

UPDATE FOR 6/29/2022: I haven't forgotten about this! I've been busy with life, getting older and taking on more responsibilities, but Chapter 8 is in the works. I've also been taking a break from it so I can rethink how I write this so you guys can read something of better quality than this.

"Yo, you guys gonna wake up any time soon?" a voice snarked. The voice was a bit distorted-sounding, but it was familiar. "Hey, if you don't get up, I'm like, gonna eat your breakfasts." It suddenly became clear who this voice was. "Don't even think about it, bro," Sonic replied groggily, slowly opening his eyes. Sonia followed shortly after. "Manic, that's not funny." Manic laughed. "Chillax, like I'd actually eat your food! I don't have it in me to pack away food like Sonic."

Sonia and Sonic sat up fully, finding themselves in a small but well-equipped hospital room. They were on hospital beds that were next to each other, and they had bandages on them. Sonic placed his hand on his cheek, feeling a faint sting when he did so. "Dang, I got cut up, didn't I?" Manic leaned back in his chair. "And shot in the arm. And you busted up your fist. To be quite honest, you actually didn't get banged up all too much." He threw his hands behind his head. "I guess it's like, a resilience thing we all gotta work on?"

Sonia grabbed the back of her head and moaned. "I wouldn't mind it if Slingo or… whatever his name was kicked my head clean off; at least then I wouldn't feel this dreadful headache." Manic pointed to a bottle of painkillers resting on a table between their beds. "I told the docs you might like, be dealing with a gnarly headache, so they got you those." Manic then leaped out of his seat and headed for the doorway. "Why don't you guys take a couple and meet me in the cafeteria for some eats?" Sonic then felt a sharp pain in his stomach, as did Sonia. "You guys kinda haven't eaten for 26 hours." His siblings quickly downed some pills and then followed behind him.

They made their way to a modestly furnished cafeteria with only a few other people sitting around in it, eating from plates and bowls. From some glass walls shone in the sun, illuminating the room with beautiful rays. This small scene of peace offered the triplets some respite from the harsh, paranoid lives they had lived for the past few days (or in Sonic's case, for a good portion of his life).

Sonic and Sonia went to get a hot dog each with varying side dishes, and then sat at a round table to eat, with Manic opting to sit across from them. His brother flashed a concerned look aimed at him. "Aren't you gonna eat, bro?" he asked. Manic smiled. "I grabbed a bite earlier. Stuff's not too bad for sickhouse cuisine if I'm bein' honest!" the green hedgehog replied. Sonic and Sonia quickly verified this claim, with Sonic making noises of mild satisfaction. "Could use some chili, but I'm not complaining!" he added.

Halfway through their meal, a doctor walked up to them. She was a gorgeous yellow rabbit decked out in light green scrubs. "Alright, so I was told we had some new patients yesterday… I take it that's y'all?" she asked with a gentle twang. Sonic nodded. "That's us, sister." Sonic took a liking to her. The doctor smiled warmly and put her hands on her hips. "I see! I also heard you folks saved our city from a couple of Robotnik's goons." Sonic immediately stood up and postured himself in a "manly" way. "Yeah, that'd be us… it was nothing." He replied while flashing a flirty grin, trying to impress her. Sonia rolled her eyes at this.

The doctor laughed heartily at this. "You're cute, sugar." She then directed her attention to all three of them, taking on a more serious demeanor. "Anyways, I'm askin' because there's someone in town who wants to see you if you're well enough." Manic and Sonia looked at each other, then back at the doctor. "Who is it?" they asked in an intrigued unison. The doctor rubbed the back of her head. "I forgot his name, but he ain't been in town all too long." She then leaned in, switching her voice to a lower whisper. "But I was doing a home checkup on him, and he told me he used to work for the Queen! Can y'all believe that?"

The siblings all looked at each other. They managed to communicate all they needed in that moment of loud silence. They whipped their heads back to look at the doc. "Where is he? Is he still in town?" Sonic inquired. The siblings were filled with a great hope; they thought that, maybe, if they met up with this employee of the queen's, they could find out more about her; and maybe, even find out more about their own powers. The doctor nodded. "He's been staying at a small hut in the historic Old Jadegully district... you can get there through Ivy Avenue."

Sonic prepared to rev up. "Thanks, doc! We'll go see him right away—" before he could go anywhere, the doc forced him to sit back down. "Not before you get a quick exam, sugar. I can't just let you back into the world until I find out if you're in fine fettle or not." She then directed her attention to Sonia. "That goes for you too, young lady." The doctor took their hands and lead them to an exam room. Before she left, she looked at Manic. "We'll be back soon enough, sugar! You just sit tight and get yourself some more to eat if you want." Manic nodded and watched as the rabbit took them down a hall.

After Sonic and his sister got cleared to leave (with the doctor noting fast healing wounds), the triplets left the building and hurried to the man's home. A lot of questions were circling around in their minds as they made their way through the forested metropolis, taking turn after turn to find Ivy Avenue. Sonia was probably most excited to meet the man; ever since she was a young girl, she dreamed of being a princess. She figured that after asking about her mother and her powers, maybe he could tell her if it would've been everything she dreamed of.

The end of their search was marked by a jarring change of scenery from a botanic city to a more rustic undeveloped village. It felt like they had stepped into a time long since passed as they did so. Sonic looked for a specific hut, then pointed it out as he found it. "There it is; a cerulean roof, just like the doc told me in the office! Let's get a move on," he told his siblings. The hut seemed to be newer than the others; less wear and tear and the roof looked recently painted.

The three looked at each other as they walked up to the door. None of them were quite sure if they were ready to meet someone who knew their mother. There was some hesitation, but ultimately, they decided to knock on the door and go ahead and meet this man. After they rapped on the door, a series of locks were unlocked from the inside, and the door was flung open by a tall, yellow, eye-patch wearing dog.

"I can't believe it… Evinrude, Agreus, Zelda… is that really you?" he asked in disbelief. Sonic crossed his arms with a smirk. "Actually, it's Sonic, Manic, and Sonia now… but yeah, it's us." He replied. The three of them then hugged him without warning, causing him to chuckle heartily. "I can't believe it! You little rugrats are okay… and you've grown loads!" he said.

"Before you kids ask, the name's Argus," he said, while taking a knee. "…and I'm at your service." The triplets were a little surprised and unsure what to make of this, so Sonia stepped forward. "At ease," she commanded him. Argus got back up and gestured at the interior of his home. "You three should come on in. We've got quite a bit to discuss," he said as they walked inside. His hut wasn't too intricately furnished, but it definitely wasn't bare either. Paraphernalia from times before Robotnik could be seen on the walls.

"So, you knew our mom, right?" Manic asked suddenly. Sonia shot a look at him. "Hey, would you give him a minute? He just found out we're alive; he might want to know how we're doing!" she scolded him. Manic scratched the back of his head and looked down in shame. Argus didn't seem too offended. "It's quite alright. I understand, Sonia." He leaned back in a chair he pulled up as he recalled some events from fifteen years prior.

"Yes, I knew your mother. I was the commander of her army. We were good friends, her and I… The last I saw of her, she was on her way out of the castle when a triad of robots surrounded her. I shot their heads up and told her to get going, and that was that." He told them, reminiscing sadly. Sonia leaned forward. "And you've not seen or heard from her since then?" she asked desperately. Argus looked at her and smiled. "Last I've seen… but not last I've heard."

Sonic, Manic, and Sonia immediately leaned forward up into his face. "Well, what's she up to!?" Sonic asked impatiently. Argus asked him softly to back up, and Sonic did so. "She's alright; she's just been hanging around the deserts and such around Mobotropolis, but last letter I got, she told me she'd have to go much farther away. She didn't specify why, and she didn't say where. Last note in the letter said she'd get back to me when it was safe for me to meet up with her. It's been a while, and I've not gotten anything back yet, so she must still be on the run."

The four talked for a while about a host of subjects; Aleena, what life was like before Robotnik began taking over, his life and experiences in the army, and eventually, they came upon the topic of their medallions. "We've had these since forever, and we just discovered they can become musical instruments! So like, what's the deal with that?" Manic asked. Argus spat out a drink he had. "You mean, you don't know?" He asked in utter disbelief. Sonia and Sonic both spoke in unison. "Know what? What do you know that we don't?"

Argus leaned in and began to speak a little softer. "Those aren't just instruments. They're also amazing magical weapons with unique capabilities." Sonia slammed her hands down on the table. "All this time, we've had WEAPONS?" she hissed, thinking about what happened with Lady Windermere. Argus nodded. He then looked at the three of them and sized them up. When he was finished with his assessment, he stood up and clapped his hands. "Alright, I've just decided; I'll train you three."

The royal siblings exchanged looks among each other, then looked back at Argus. "You will?" Sonic asked, mildly confused. Argus nodded. "I can tell you three have some kind of destiny ahead; I don't know why else Aleena would leave those medallions with you." He paced around the room as he continued to speak. "You three will need to learn how to use those medallions, as well as learn how to fight better in general; as Aleena's former army commander, I think I can help you learn how to fight a little more efficiently."

The siblings naturally agreed to this. Two days later, they began their training. They woke up a bit early every day with a thorough, yet not too unforgiving routine. Manic adapted to the new material the easiest; Sonic and Sonia were a little less moldable. Sonic had to be taught to be less cocky in a fight, and Sonia had to work on her reflexes. Over the course of a couple of weeks, the three made considerable progress; they weren't expert fighters, but they were now a step up from where they were before.

One day, they woke up, ready to start their training. "Morning, Argus! We're ready to start our day," Sonic declared as he sat up from a sleeping bag. But he got no response. "Huh. Maybe he's outside already," he mumbled. He then heard the door open, and saw Sonia and Manic come in. "Before you ask; he's not out there," Sonia said. She leaned against a wall and crossed her arms. "No note or anything… I wonder where he could be?"

Suddenly, they heard a loud, frenzied knocking on the door. The triplets got into defensive stances, prepared to fight in case whoever was knocking meant them harm. "It's me, the nurse from the hospital," the person behind the door said, with disdain in her voice. Sonic slowly opened the door to find that it really was her. The rabbit looked incredibly panicked.

"That guy you're staying with… he's been kidnapped by some of Robotnik's goons!"

SONIC UNDERGROUND: AMPED