Chapter 7: something secret steers us
Earth - Black Mesa - 2001
Julian entered the observation deck, his nephew the intern in toe. The room looked out over his prize creation, the Anti-Mass spectrometer. He walked passed the other scientists to his observation spot, yanking out his chair.
Eli frowned. "Your late again, Kintober."
The large man scowled as he pushed up his cokebottles. "You're not my manager, Vance..." He growled. "There was an error in the tram system. We were stuck for 30 minutes at the dock while a security guard tried to pry the door open with a crowbar." He glared at his peer. "Your programs run this place, maybe I should report you for incompetence!"
Eli bristled. "Look, there are multiple programmers working on that system. Something keeps fluctuating the power in ways we can't predict. You know what happens when you continually bounce a computer's power!"
"Gentleman please!" Isaac stepped in, raising his hands to separate the two. "Today is a momentous day!" He glanced between the men. "There have been issues all over the facility this morning. I've got reports they're all being dealt with. In the meantime, we need to focus on gathering the data from our sample before the window of opportunity closes! It's rare we get this sort of exotic matter! Our administrator, Dr. Breen wen't to some lengths to secure us this crystal! We need to focus on delivering the results he needs to secure more funding!
Julian backed down, sitting in his chair. "I take it everyone's here then?"
Isaac nodded. "Gordon just pass through a few minutes ago, you weren't the only one stuck in the trams this morning." Isaac moved back over to the observation deck's window. "He was already suited up, he should be in the test chamber soon. We can start whenever he's ready."
The far door opened, a man in a suit stepped in.
Eli got up from his chair. "You made it sir! Dr. Breen told me you might come to watch!"
Colin leaned over to his uncle. "Who's that?" He whispered.
Julian grumbled. "The government bureaucrat that secured us the sample." He began pouring through his calibrations for his robotic equipment. "Go fetch me some coffee Boy... The usual."
Colin frowned. "But uncle Julian, isn't the test going to start soon? I was really hoping to see it for myself!" The young man got excited, pushing his long hair out of his eyes. "This could be the worlds first practical step towards teleportation!"
"You're my direct underling, nephew..." The man growled. "I've been at this company for 12 years." He glared at the short man. "You wanted to intern with me, you do what I say." He turned back to his desk, pulling out a small notebook laptop. "Wondrous technology, but if you want to go back to Aperture's line of incompetent management, go right ahead."
The 19 year old frowned as he started making for the door, mumbling under his breath. "My mother wasn't incompetent..." He growled.
Julian glared at Colin from the corner of his eye, then glanced over to Eli who was just finished talking to the government bureaucrat. Eli moved back to Isaac next to the test chamber's window. The overweight man grumbled as he logged into his personal machine, pulling out his over ear headphones from his bag. Bringing up his backdoor program, he accessed the overhead camera feed for the current room. He zoomed in on Eli and Isaac, beginning to listen as he worked, they wouldn't be talking behind his back...
Eli glanced over, noticing Julian putting headphones on, he grumbled. "I can't stand him."
Isaac sighed. "I'm well aware..."
"I keep finding corrupted processes on my machines! I wouldn't put it passed him to be the cause of all these strange system anomalies."
"Eli, please..." The man in his 40's sighed. "You say you don't want to talk about people behind their back."
Eli's shoulders sagged a bit. "I... I know... But..." He grumbled. "Its really hard with him. You try and think the best of people, but he just keeps proving me wrong, over and over again. And how he talks to my wife-"
Isaac cut him off. "I'm well aware of how you feel, Eli." The mousey scientist sighed. "You're aware I'm not too fond of Dr. Magnison, but I still try to keep it civil... when that's possible..." The man pinched the bridge of his nose. "However, I've heard the rumors as well. I've also heard there's an investigation to see if he's abusing our systems, but he has tenure, it's highly unlikely..."
Julian frowned. He'd have to be more careful. Deciding he heard enough, he closed the program and put some music on. Finishing the system check, he pulled the headphones down, stashing the laptop in his bag. They were starting the sequence, Gordon must be in the chamber. "None of my robotics have shifted calibration." He grumbled to Eli. He looked around, looking for his charge and the promised coffee. "Have you seen my nephew?"
Eli shook his head. "I havn't seen Colin." He paused. "Maybe you should let up on the kid, He IS here to learn after all."
Julian got up, grumbling. "My familial relations are none of you're business, Vance..." He glared at the computer programmer. "If anyone needs me, I'll be checking for my nephew in the breakroom... Make sure the idiot didn't blow up the microwave again..." He grumbled, moving towards the door, it wouldn't open. He growled, smacking the retinal scanner.
The bureaucrat walked up besides Eli as the anti-mass spectromitor's main beam came online. "Prepare, for unforeseen consequences..." He mumbled.
Eli looked over to the G-man. "I'm sorry, what?" He looked confused.
The door finally opened, Julian averted his attention from the group. He gave a sigh as he began his walk to the coffee maker.
Colin was standing in line at the java machine. He wished the people in front of him would hurry. The last person left, finally giving him access. He gave a sigh as he started his uncles diabetic concoction.
Julian stormed up to him. "There you are-"
*BOOM*
The lights flickered as the building shook. The coffee cups were thrown to the floor.
Colin stepped back. "What was that?"
Julian's eyes darted around the room. "I don't know." He frowned. "They better not of jacked up my equipment though..."
"WARNING, FIRE HAZARD IN SECTOR C TEST LABS, ANOMALOUS MATERIALS ANNEX." The VOX AI blasted. "PLEASE EVACUATE IN AN ORDERLY FASHION, IF YOU ARE REQUIRED FOR EQUIPMENT PROTECTION, PLEASE ATTEND YOUR DESIGNATED SITE TO FULFILL YOUR CONTRACT."
Julian growled. "Great..." He grabbed Colin's wrist and started dragging him towards the door.
Colin stumbled along. "Wait, aren't you supposed to try and mitigate the damage to-"
Julian scoffed. "This place is only a job, boy!" He wrenched the older teen's arm forward. "GET MOVING! We're not going to run head into a fire to save some blasted machine. Let's-"
*ZZZZZZZRRRRRRRRRTTTTTTTT*
There was a flash of green lightning behind them. "What?" Julian turned to see a leather skinned monster, it was screaming at them. He stepped back as the thing spread its three arms, green lightning collecting in its palms. "WHAT ON EARTH!" He screamed.
"WHAT IS THAT!" Colin stumbled back. The alien thing reared back, launching a bolt of lightning at the boy. Julian wrenched his hand from Colin's wrist as the painful static coursed through them. His nephew fell to the ground, convulsing.
Reaching behind him, Julian pulled his holdout pistol on the alien thing, it started running to the pair.
*BANG*
It was over in a second. The alien cried in pain, its red eye squinted shut as its windpipe collapsed. It started clawing at its bleeding throat, gurgling. Julian knelt to his nephew, checking for a pulse. It was there, faint, but the boy was out cold.
Seething at the situation, he grabbed the dwarf by the scruff of his coat and made for the door. Julian was glad he'd made friends with some of the security guards, that time in the range seemed to have come in handy. Hefting the boy over his shoulder, the large man made his way for the tram.
His co-workers were frantically trying to escape as more creatures were teleporting in. He found a dead security guard, some creature clutching to the man's face. Someone had put a bullet through the creature, killing them both in the process. Grabbing the guard's pistol ammo, he made his way to the anomalous materials lobby.
Julian hefted his nephew, the boy may be light, but he himself was out of shape. Maybe he should have taken Black Mesa's fitness bonus checks seriously. More of the things that were hopping on peoples faces were behind him. He moved for the airlock, roughly dropping the boy on the ground. Punching in his override code, he spun to pick off the hopping parasites.
*BANG* *BANG* *BANG*
He enjoyed shooters like DOOM and Quake, but this wasn't as fun as he'd thought it'd be... He was starting to get tired, the day had hardly begun. After the creatures had been taken care of, he turned to check on the console. "GRRRRRRR!" He grit at the error on the screen. He pulled his notebook, starting his backdoor. He thought for a second... He sent the override command to every door mechanism in the facility, everything was going to open, he didn't care. He also started a mirror download of the entire Black Mesa archive. He grinned, this quantum drive from Aperture was amazing, he might not have a chance like this again, time to reap the assets.
*BANG*
His head darted up, looking across at one of the data centers. A power supply had caught fire. His heart started racing, he needed to get out before the CO2 fire system replaced the atmosphere, depriving them of oxygen. Snapping the laptop shut, he grabbed Colin, dragging him through the opening airlock.
Once out on the steel catwalks, he looked for any remaining trams. There was one in the corner! He just needed to get them there and override the controls. He glanced down to see that Colin was getting scraped by the catwalk's steel mesh. Growling, he hefted the boy back on his shoulder. Stupid boy, why wouldn't he wake up! Bad enough he had to be a nanny!
As he made his way across the catwalks, more flashes of green materialized around them, dumping random alien species into the pit below. He watched in amusement as many of them fell to their deaths, he wondered if any of them were getting stuck in the walls.
*ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZTTTTTTTTT*
A big green flash erupted on the main exit tunnel, A massive armored tentacle was convulsing, its bottom seemed to be severed. The giant green worm thing thrashed, its bladed end cutting through the above tram line, crippling the main exits. Julian paused, what on earth was happening... He started to get nervous, was this really a resonance cascade? Is this really what happened when two dimensions were syncing? He looked back to the tram, he could still make it to the helipads. Hopefully the world wouldn't come apart at the seams... Maybe they should't have excited the sample like that, so much safety procedure had been bypassed for this opportunity... This was as dumb as the safety procedures at Aperture.
He got to the tram, it was the broken one they'd arrived on. Clicking his tongue, he slid the broken door open, dumping his nephew in a nearby chair. Sirens started blaring above them as the facilities security system finally caught up. He was sweating, he needed to focus. He brought the laptop back up, the download had completed, all accessible files including reports, schematics and code had been downloaded. He grinned, Just like Aperture.
Time to leave this dump for good, maybe he'd start his own company next, his own little empire. "Never let an opportunity go to waste." He mumbled to himself as he overrode the safety for the tram. The thing came alive, leaving the station. He stood up, looking at Colin passed out on the chair. He moved to sit next to the boy. "His old boss Cave may of been an idiot, but he'd had one good bit of advice. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." This was an opportunity he thought. It didn't need to be something bad. The large man exhaled, exhausted.
They rode the tram until it came to a tunnel, they had quite a bit more until they got to the helipads." There was a grinding and he looked up. The track seemed to be covered in fleshy barnacle things, getting ground in the wheels. He smelled smoke. Moving to the front of the train, he saw sparks coming from the motor's controller under the console. The motor up top must have given out from the exertion. His heart sank. They were in a dark tunnel, suspended 50 feet off the ground.
"How about we make a deal then." A familiar voice spoke.
Julian spun, looking behind himself. The bureaucrat from earlier was standing at the back of the tram, how had he gotten there? He frowned. "How did you get Here? I didn't see you board the tram."
The man ignored his question. "You're a difficult man to track down, Dr. Kintober..." He walked forward. "You've managed quite a bit already on your own, I ammmmmm immmmpressed."
This guy was giving Julian all the wrong kind of vibes, and he should know... "What are you." He stepped back, a shiver going up his spine. "Somethings wrong with you. You're not human, are you?"
The man gave a half lidded smile. "I have come to offer you a deal, A way out... if you willlll."
The lights around the tram flickered as the main power finally failed. Julian looked out the window, his gut doing flips. The red emergency light was the only thing still illuminating the tunnel. He looked back to the strange man. "You have my attention."
"Excellllllent!" His odd cadence didn't seem to impact his excitement. "This place, this... Earth... is a doomed timeline, its just a matter of whennnnn." He started slowly walking towards the fat doctor, the emergency light dimly flickering. "I am in neeeed of a man of your... expertise..." He stopped, pausing. "To be honest, I was expecting someone else, but... From today's track record... My employers think you'll do just fine..."
Julian stood his ground. "You still havn't told me what you want, what you're really offering me..." He growled, he felt like a cornered animal.
The man clasped his hands in front of him. "I'm offering you a second chance, A new start!" He gestured around them. "A way off this rock!" The man's hands dropped to his sides. "All you have to do is prepare the way for the rest of your kin. Make a safe haven for your people."
Julian looked at him weird. "You're not making any sense..." He put a finger to his neck, checking his pulse while counting on his watch. "I must be hallucinating this."
The world seemed to stretch around them, flashing white then settling in a blue nebula. The doctor jumped, looking out the window. "What is this!" He shouted. "Did you drug me?!"
The suit walked up beside the trembling man. "It's time to choose, Dr. Kintober. Your life and the life of your nephew... for... being an ambassador, of sorts..." He put his hand on the doctors shoulder, giving it a firm shake. "To prepare the way, for your kind..."
Julian looked back out the window, this was either real or he was going crazy. He slowly nodded, fidgeting. "Ok, If it gets me out of this invasion... then ok..."
"Excellent choice, Dr. Kintober!" The nebula's colors started to melt into each other as the train started moving forward at increasing speed.
The next thing he knew there was a crash and he lost balance. It was really bright. He could hear screaming. He got up looking out the window. It looked like a park on a sunny day. He stumbled to the door, wrenching it open. There was something in front of him looking into the crashed train.
"Are you ok- WHAT THE HECK IS THAT!" There was a biped wolf reeling at the sight of him, It darted away.
Maybe he was hallucinating... did that animal just speak? He stepped out, It was an outdoor park between city blocks. He looked around, there were more of the short animal people on two legs. They were pointing at him and shouting. He heard the screeching of wheels and turned to see a car crash.
Mobius – Robotropolis - command center private quarters
Robotnik woke with a start.
*BEEEEP* *BEEEEP*
He frowned, he hated that dream. He didn't know if he should thank the buzzer or strangle it. Grumbling, he climbed out of his recliner, moving to the computer trying to get his attention. "WHAT!" He screamed, answering the call.
His nephew showed up on the other side of the feed. "Sir! I have urgent news! I've sent a cleaning crew to swab the command center with our strongest disinfectants!"
Robotnik paused. "What?" He shook his head. "What are you talking about, what does this have to do with the portal scans?"
Colin slammed the keyboard in frustration. "YOUR NOT LISTENING, WE HAVE A BIOLOGICAL ANOMALY THAT YOU AND I TRACKED THROUGH THE BASE!"
That woke him up. "WHAT!" He grabbed the adjustable screen, bringing it level with his eyes. "What are you talking about! OUT WITH IT BOY!"
"Sir, Secondary survey team found a pool of some kind of spore near the destroyed swatbot." He started frantically flipping through his datapad. "I'm trying to find out more, its just showing up as aggressively dangerous in the bio simulations, it can easily eat stone! Apparently it thrives in acidic environments too. The whole junk yard might have to be quarantined if we don't act!"
Robotnik thought for a moment. "You said we tracked it..." His eyes darted to his boots in the corner."
Colin snapped his fingers in front of the camera mic repeatedly. "HEY! I've got cleaning detail on its way, just make your way to the medbot, I'm on my way too!"
Robotnik strode out of the room as a team of Robians with cleaning chemicals and blow torches arrived. He continued the call on his wrist com. "It was good for you to report this immediately." His expression soured. "I want a new protocol drawn up for portal scans to include biological components, we shouldn't be doing that as an afterthought."
"Yes sir." Colin sighed.
Mobius – Under the Great forest - Starline Mines
The cart came to a stop at the end of the tunnel, Tails moved to un-blindfold Alyx. "Were here!"
Amy shot to her feet. "WERE HOME!" She shouted to a hole in the ceiling of the chamber, everyone wincing from the echo.
"Hi Amy!" A voice shouted back.
Shadow clutched his head. "I've done my chores, I'm taking a nap. Report to Sally yourselves." He made for the stairwell.
Amy jolted. "Wait for me Shadow!" They watched the taller girl catch up to the boy, his shoulders sagging a bit as they made their way up the stairwell.
"Ha!" Grady chirped. "Those two are fun to watch. Amy still plays tag, but Shadow doesn't do that kind of stuff anymore."
Alyx nodded. "I guess I'll get to see something more close to normal here. Those are the first kids I've seen. I wonder if they're like human kids..."
"They're really fun to be around!" Grady got excited. "Hey! You should play tag with us!" He spun around the girl's head. "Tangle still plays and she's in her 20's! You'll fit right in!" He paused his spin. "I wonder if she's home yet?"
Tails was knelt at the pool, cupping his hands to drink. "Calm down Grady." He looked over to Alyx. "Give me a moment, It's been a while since I've had water this clean. We'll head up to talk to Sally soon." He turned to continue drinking.
Alyx put her bag back on and climbed off the powered cart, she adjusted the straps as she looked around. Her eyes landed on the cavern entrance, there was a gray wolf in a suit staring at her. She blinked and he was gone. She felt unnerved. "Uhh..."
Tails got up, wiping his face and stepped back over to her. "What?"
Alyx paused. "I thought I saw someone in the tunnel, but they were just there for a second."
Tails got a concerned look. "What did they look like?"
"Wolf in a suit?" She questioned.
"I didn't sense anything." Grady interjected. "Nothing generating heat anyways."
Alyx looked at the bot. "You can see in infrared?"
The bot seemed to shrug. "I don't know, I just know if I turn off my filter, you two light up bright, even in the dark."
Tails walked over to the cavern, looking down the passage. "This tunnel goes on for a bit before it starts to turn or branch..."
Alyx got nervous. "Maybe it was just a trick of the light, I've also had a blindfold pressing into my eyes for... I don't know, an hour?"
"It hasn't been that long, maybe 35 minutes, tops..." Grady piped in.
"BESIDES THE POINT!" She exasperated. "Nevermind!" She shook her head. "If nothings there, then I guess I didn't see anything!" She started for the scaffold. "Can we get out of the tunnel please?"
Tails squinted into the dark tunnel, then sighed, letting the tension go. "Yeah, I'm coming." He hopped around, making his way over to the girl. His thoughts drifted as he approached her. If it were anything, at least it was Mobian, he'd have to mention it to Sally though. He caught up to the vixen as she started to ascend the stairs. "You ok?"
She roughly nodded. "Yeah, but as you know, it's been a long and stressful day... Or few..." She sighed. "I'm looking forward to this break."
He put his arms behind his head. "Don't go thinking it's too much of a break, Sally's probably gonna have us in the computer lab for a good portion of the day." He dropped his arms.
"No, I'm expecting work." She leaned back looking at him. "Wouldn't make sense to have people that didn't."
Tails squeezed passed her, leading the way up the metal stairwell. "Everyone who doesn't have a set job spends time in the garden anyways, even Sally pitches in and she spends most of her day planning raids and delegating." He turned forward. "Wait... its probably just after the summer harvest." His eyes lit up. "Oh wow, that's RIGHT!" He started checking his wrist computer. "Grady! I think we made it back in time for the harvest festival!"
"AWWW YEAAAAA!" The drone did a flip. "Get to see, like... EVERYONE! almost everyone..."
They were just about to the top of the stairs. Alyx thought about what she heard and looked up to Tails. "Whats a harvest festival?"
They came to the top of the stairwell, into a garage that housed the top of the industrial lift. Tails grabbed the doorknob and turned to her. "It's great! Its a gathering, the whole village will be there! Most of the remote outposts try and attend too!" He smiled. "You'll find out soon." He got a big grin. "For you, you can think of it like a big welcome to Mobius party!" He opened the door, letting her through.
The Two foxes stepped out of the shack into a forest clearing. There were thatched huts and log cabins all around them. Above them there were suspension pathways to tree houses on elevated platforms. There seemed to be a central area up ahead with a small amphitheater with a fire pit at the base. Above the amphitheater's ledge, there was an old multistory cream colored manor. She turned around to see a massive tree with round concrete structures at the base, alcoves covering what looked to be an outdoor mess hall and a barbecue pit. There was a small river running passed the tree, a bridge connecting the sides. On the other side, there was a clearing with the telltale rows of a farm. There were people all over!
"How... How is this all out HERE?!" Alyx gaped.
Tails stepped out in front of her. "Sally told me some paranoid billionaire marquess set it up, her dad re-purposed it though, after the guy went all crazy and disappeared." He shrugged. "It was a war contingency I guess..." He turned to her. "Ohh, I don't think its going to be an issue, but don't smack anyone and don't let anyone smack you. The portals are no joke, they'll dump you outside the forest and you gotta walk back. In your case, it will make things MUCH more complicated..." He sighed. "Whatever watches and protects, seems to be pretty good about discerning real harm from the kids play fighting, but if you just up and strike someone, both of you are gone."
She continued slowly spinning, taking in the sights and the people. "Yeah, Got it!"
"TAILS!" A feminine voice shouted, catching boths attention. A Gray lemur came barreling towards them. "Whisper said you were on your way back! And you brought a new friend!" The girl tackled Tails into a bear hug, picking him up. "Great to have you back buddy!" She patted him hard on the back, causing him to yelp. She pulled away, frightened. "I'M SO SORRY!" She screamed, holding her hands up. Heads turned to them, curious of the commotion.
Tails coughed, kneeling over. "It's ok! I'm doing better, but... Actually, I'm not sure why that is..."
Alyx stepped over, rubbing his back. "I used one of my injections on you."
He looked back at her, a bewildered look on his face. "Ohhhh..." He got a nervous grin. "Ok... I guess that would explain it."
"I... You're back is still going to be tender for a while." She noticed his nervousness. "It should pass by tomorrow..." The vixen gave her own nervous smile back.
"Hi! I'm Tangle!" The girl put out a fist to bump. She was a Lemur with purple eyes, her fur was creamy gray with a dark muzzle and ears. She had a really long striped tail that swayed behind her, It looked like it could be another arm it was so big. She was wearing a yellow tank top with worn black workout clothes underneath.
Alyx straitened up, moving to meet the other girls fist. "Hi, I'm Alyx! It's nice to meet you!"
The lemur threw her hands up. "Welcome to Knothole, newcomer!" She spread her arms. "Ready for the grand tour?!" She looked giddy, hopping from toe to toe.
"We cant Tangle, gotta report to Sally." Tails straitened up.
The girl deflated, her arms dropping. "Whaaaaaaat?" She whined. She straightened up, her hands on her hips. "Can't Princess wait?"
"Probably not for this." Tails gave a tired look. "You can show Alyx the ropes later."
"Booo, party pooper..." She put a palm to her head, wiping an eye. She dropped the hand, looking to Alyx. "You sure you don't wanna play hookie?"
Tails stepped between the two. "Not a good idea on this one Tangle, Alyx is a special case." He paused, a grin forming as his half lidded eyes looked to his hovering drone. "Hey Grady, you said you wanted to play, right?" He glanced to the drone.
"Yeah, if the kiddos are doin something." The drone perked.
"Your obviously on leave right now, right Tangle?" Tails looked to the enthusiastic Lemur.
Tangle got a sly grin, raising an eyebrow. "Really? You want me to babysit your drone?"
"How bout both of you go play for a bit. Maybe find the other kids." Tails smirked. "I'm sure they'd LOVE their DEAR auntie to join them..."
"PLEASE!" The drone exasperated. "Ok, I'm going with or without you, I've been waiting to play tag for months!" The turquoise eyespy bolted.
"HA!" Tangle laughed. She turned on the two, pointing an accusing finger at Tails. "I'm not tricked THAT easily... but..." She sighed, dropping the hand. "Yeah, go see Sally... I'll catch you guys later." She started walking in the general direction of the drone. "Ohh!" She turned back to them, walking backwards. "A bunch of us plan on having a bonfire tonight, stop by my shack later!" She nodded to the two. "Welcome back guys!" She turned, waving.
Tails waved back, starting to walk into the village. Alyx hopped to catch up. "Well she's quite the character!" She slowed down to match his pace. "She's a soldier?"
Tails tilted his head. "Kind of. She more does random odd jobs from settlement to settlement. She makes it a point to call Knothole home though."
"Oh?" Alyx tilted her head. They were approaching a thicker cluster of cabins.
"Wisper lives here." Tails replied. "They grew up together, they're like sisters."
"That's the yellow wolf with the crossbow and quiet voice, right?" Alyx asked.
"Yeah, that's her." He nodded.
They walked in silence for a little. "I thought something was wrong with my hearing, is there something wrong with her voice?" The vixen asked. Tails paused, looking uncomfortable. Alyx looked at him and winced. "Should I not have asked?"
He slowly shook his head. "No, its... ok, its kind of an open secret... but better to not have you asking in front of either of them." They continued to walk between the small buildings and trees. "A few years back, those two were on a scouting mission, they encountered some prototype combat droid... They managed to survive the encounter, but it punched Whisper in the throat. Tangle botched the tracheotomy, it didn't heal right... Whisper's over it... but Tangle isn't. Don't bring it up."
Alyx got a weird look. "A what-eotomy?"
He touched the base of his neck. "If your windpipe starts to swell shut, you can cut a hole at the base and insert a tube." He grimaced. "I think she used a bundle of straws tied together... anyways, its difficult to do without making the situation worse..." He sighed, glancing to her. "That reminds me, you're probably going to need some health and first aid lectures, right? You probably don't know much about Mobian anatomy other then..." He blushed under his fur. "Yourself."
Her ears flattened. "Uhhh..." Then she thought about it, she knew human anatomy, but so far she had assumed humans and mobians were similar... it wouldn't hurt to do a refresher first aid course either.
"We can talk about that later. Come on, were about there." His nervousness relaxed. Tails lead her to a medium sized cabin with some communication wires coming out the top.
The blue speedster from earlier was sitting on an old couch on the front porch, plucking at an old unplugged electric guitar. He looked up, noticing the two. "Bout time!" He gave a goofy grin, standing up. "Sal Gal filled me in. Quite the story Miss! Glad to have you back on friendly ground!" He walked to them, slinging an arm over Tails's shoulder. "You ready for the festivities tomorrow?" His green eyes were bright. "Was worried I wouldn't see you for another month!" He squeezed the kitsune's shoulder as he started leading them to the door.
Tails smiled a big grin. "Its good to be home! I've missed everyone!"
He returned the smile. "It's great to have you back buddy! Sally's expecting you, Better not keep her waiting." He let go of the fox, walking to the door. He gave a knock on the frame, opening it. "Yo Sal! Tails is back!" He walked in, leading the two to the living room.
Sally was at her computer desk in the corner, A small holographic lynx sitting on the ledge. Sally smiled getting up. "Tails!" She moved to her adopted son and hesitated when she saw his newly blaster chipped ear. She relaxed and brought him into a hug. "Its so good to have you home!"
"Hi Aunt Sally!" The boy melted into her hug.
"IS TAILS HOME!" They heard scrambling and a door slammed. A young chipmunk in a plain T-shirt and shorts barreled into the room. He had similar fur patterns to his mother, with auburn locks on his head. He moved passed Alyx and Sonic to meet his older brother. Where Sally had a short tail, it looked like Xander had none.
Tails let go of his mother figure to turn to the pre-teen. "Hey Xander! Yeah, I'm home for a bit!"
"What happened to your ear?" The young boy blurted.
Sally flustered. "Xander!" She hissed under her breath, embarrassed.
"What?" Tails asked.
The boy pointed. "Its got a chip missing on the tip!"
His hand went up to check and he froze. "IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!" He forced a nervous grin. "Don't worry about it!" He brushed off the concern. He quickly gestured to the girl behind the young chipmunk. "Xander, meet Alyx! She's going to be helping at the computer lab!"
The boy turned, smiling up at the girl. His eyes were mismatched, a green on one side and blue on the other. "Hey that's like my name!" He dramatically straitened up, putting a fist over his heart. "Prince Alexander Acorn the second! Ready to serve the people!" He smiled, dropping the act and offering a fist to bump. "You like computers! I'm learning too! Brandon's been showing me, along with Mom and Rotor."
Alyx smiled, bumping the young boy's fist. "It's nice to meet you Xander! I'm more of a human computer gal myself, I'm hoping that will be usefull."
Sally stepped in. "I'm sure it will be, we can talk about those details later, but for now, we need to debrief you two on what happened."
Sally looked to her husband. "Can you and Xander go talk to Belle? See if she has any free tree houses near Rotor's workshop that Alyx can have." She looked at the clock. "Would be amazing too if you could bring back some stew from the mess for dinner."
Sonic gave a playful salute. "Yes Ma'am!" He poked his son's shoulder. "Get your shoes kiddo. Lets go grab some grub while Mom takes care of the grown up stuff."
He brushed off his Dad's hand. "Yea, I got it." The boy looked a little frustrated. "Can you stop calling me kiddo?" He moved to the entry closet and grabbed his shoes.
"I can call you kiddo for as long as I want, no matter how old you are. Come on!" He picked up the small boy, hiking him up over his shoulder. The kid began squirming and laughing, he dropped a shoe.
"Dad! Wait! My shoes aren't on! Put me down! I'm getting too old for this!" He continued laughing.
"I can still lift you no problem. We've bothered your Mom enough, You can shoe up on the porch." Sonic knelt down picking up the spare shoe and glanced to his wife. "See ya later Sal!" He mouthed, giving her a nod. He stepped out, the boy still squirming over his shoulder.
Sally looked exasperated, she shook her head. She snapped her head to the duo. "Right!" She said clapping her hands in front of her. "Lets get started!" She lead them to a dining table, gesturing them both to sit down. "So I guess the first thing would be to recall the events." She looked back to the lynx silently watching from the desk. "Could you transcribe this Nicole?"
The hologram nodded. "I'd love to Ma'am!" She flickered off. A drone very similar to Grady hovered over to the table.
Tails smiled as he sat down. "Hey Nicole! still getting accustomed to the upgrades?"
The drone landed on the table and started projecting the lynx again. "Things are wonderful Miles! There's so much more room to think!" Her fists were shaking in front of her with excitement. "I have proper room to think and feel things now!" The little avatar calmed down, sighing. She longingly looked at the drone. "The Mobility's been a blessing too." She turned on the table, the hologram continuing to flicker. "Right!" A little desk appeared and Nicole's outfit changed to a feminine business skirt and blouse. She sat at the little desk, a stenographer machine appearing at her fingertips. "Ready when you are!"
Sally smiled, rolling her eyes at the AI's antics. "Ok, How about we start with you Alyx. How did you get here?"
Alyx leaned back in her chair and thought for a moment. "How far back do you want me to recall?"
Sally tilted her head, thinking. "How about... what events lead you to Mobius, through your time with Tails."
Alyx slowly nodded and began recounting her last day on Earth. From her Dad's capture to his eventual rescue. The Vault he had found in the quarantine zone that drew the Combine's wrath so much. She recounted meeting the brain damaged Vortigaunt, how when she saved his kin, they helped her bring down the Vault. She recounted the backup substation and failing to dock the ship, causing it to fall. The battle with the strider and getting sucked into the Vault's tractor beam. The strange world inside, frozen in time and the ceiling mirrored corridor branching in two paths... Finally the man suspended in time at the center of it all. The deal she had made to change the future and save her father's life. She paused, deciding to skip some of the details of her second deal with the G-Man. She told Sally about how she was told to help fix the unforeseen damage caused by Dr. Julian Kintober. She then recounted her short time before meeting Tails.
Alyx's gut did a flip as she could feel a cold sweat starting. "I just remembered something..."
Sally looked up from her distant stare. "What is it."
Alyx took a deep breath. "So I was dumped here unannounced, I didn't know I was coming here, or that i'd still have all my equipment..."
Sally leaned back in her chair, looking concerned at the young Mobian. "What? did you bring something you shouldn't have?"
The girl curled her head, pulling it into her lap. "I was trudging through the quarantine zone, being hunted like an animal. I had gathered a collection of spore pods and was using them as grenades..."
She looked up to the older woman, a terrified look on her face. "I'm so sorry!" She started hyperventilating. "I tried to store them in a plastic barrel! It cant eat through plastic!" she looked down, clutching her head even harder. "Stupid robot had to show up and shoot the barrel!"
Sally froze, a pit of dread starting. "What?!"
"I think I just contaminated your world with an extreme case of athletes foot!" The girl shrilled as she started pulling at her hair. "This was supposed to be a new start!" The girl looked like she was going to yank a clump of hair.
Tails got up moving to the girl grabbing her shoulder, shaking her from her tantrum. "HEY!" The girl froze.
Sally stared at the table, then looked at the girl. "What makes the quarantine zone so dangerous?"
Alyx dropped her hands from her head. "Th- The animals mainly."
"Do the animals spawn from the spores?" Sally asked.
Alyx slowly shook her head. "N- No they d- don't." She stuttered.
Sally sighed, cupping her head in her hands. "It's not your fault." She took a deep breath, shaking her head. "It doesn't sound good, but it doesn't sound like the end of the world." She looked back up at the girl resting her chin in her hand. "Ok, So they keep it quarantined and have cleanup crews right? How are they able to clean it?"
Alyx fidgeted, tilting her head back and forth. "There are ways, I'm not aware of too many of them though..."
Sally sighed. "What can it not eat?"
Alyx started to relax. "Metal and plastics."
Sally thought for a moment. "Maybe we'll seal that area in resin, if Robotnik doesn't do that first. He's getting to be a germaphobe from some of the reports I've been getting."
Alyx crossed her arms on the table, resting her head. "One of the Vortigaunts told me most of its safe to be around but..." She shook her head. "I'm not sure what came over..." She leaned back in her chair, staring at the ground in thought, her fist to her muzzle. She just remembered one of the labs she had stumbled across. "The antlions would control the spread of it in Xen..." She froze, remembering her other passenger. She leaned down, digging frantically through her bag on the ground.
Tails sat back down, turning to look at the frantic girl. He looked confused. "What is an antliooooo... THAT IS A HUGE GRUB!" He shrilled, reeling back as she placed the clear polymer container on the table. There was a Giant meal worm looking grub with a glowing tail inside a strange pod. "WHAT IS THAT!"
Sally looked shocked and unnerved. "What on Mobius IS THAT THING?!" She got up from her seat, her chair scraping back. "Why keep it?!"
"It's an antlion grub. These things destroyed Earth's ecosystem. They're the most invasive animal species on Earth... It just takes one to spawn more..." She sat back in her seat. "Its in the tube because their young have amazing stem cells. The Combine have med stations fueled by these things..." She sat back down, the scrunched grub chittering in the tube. "I just remembered, their blood is anti-fungal, the Combine milk them for cleanup purposes..."
"What... do we do with it?" Tails asked.
The girl deflated. "I- I was going to kill it... when I got the chance. But now I'm wondering if some of its properties can be reverse engineered. I can't see a way of farming them without extreme risk..."
Sally hesitantly leaned over, picking up the small tank, examining the little creature inside. "I'll see what I can do. Chuck has a little biochem experience and he can sneak the proper equipment from Robotnik's warehouses." She sighed. "We still have a few full fledged biochemists left, it's not a completely lost art. I'll send some messages to the surrounding settlements." She paused, cringing at the worm. "Does... Does this thing need to eat?"
Alyx grimaced, shaking her head. "I mean yeah... but better not, they eat people meat for one... I think its in hibernation right now..." She got a grim look. "Ok... I just had a morbid memory..." She remembered looking through the window into the antlion milking lab. "The Combine ripped off all their legs when they're adults..."
There was silence. Sally took a deep breath, looking at the little worm with pity. "I..." She shuttered. Shaking her head, she closed her eyes. "I think I'll leave the best course of action up to the science team..." The Chipmunk looked sick. She looked back to Alyx. "It's not going to escape, is it?"
Alyx shook her head. "I don't know how to open that container without cutting it, the only mechanism crushes the grub."
"Ahhh." Sally tentatively stepped towards her desk, placing the thing in a locked drawer. "It's... Ok..." She returned to the miserable looking girl. Placing a hand on Alyx's shoulder, she gently squeezed. The girl looked up at her. "I told you that if you serve the fight well, then you have a place in my kingdom. That hasn't changed. You didn't do this on purpose and you brought it to our attention when it matters."
Alyx slowly nodded. "Alright…" She gave a deep breath. "Thankyou…"
Sally moved to sit back down at her seat. "Ok, so what happened next?" She looked over to Tails. "This is around when you found her, right?"
Tails slowly nodded. "Yea, I think I can take it from here." He glanced to the Silent vixen who noticed his gaze. "Pipe in if I forget anything."
She nodded and listened as he recounted the last day up to the point where he got shot. She took over, watching The older chipmunk Fidget in her seat at the description of the firefight and Tails's dropped grenade. Alyx looked back down to the table as she continued recounting the escape through the city and her blind folded trip to Knothole.
Tails perked up. "Alyx thought she saw a Wolf Mobian in the tunnels."
Alyx's ears lifted. "We already checked though. I think it was just a trick of the light."
"I'll have Chuck review the security tapes." The chipmunk leaned back in her chair. "We have some cameras down in the tunnels."
The twin tailed boy nodded. "I'm only bringing it up because of my gut. Grady didn't detect any heat signatures."
Sally nodded. "That makes me feel better, but it doesn't take much to check. Thanks for bringing it to my attention."
They heard the front door open and they all turned to the door. Sonic came in, holding a crock pot of food. "Got the grub." He turned, nodding to Alyx. "After dinner, I can show you to your new place."
Xander walked in behind his dad, followed by two other boys. One was a one eared rabbit, around the same age as Xander. He was in overalls and an open green flannel button up. He had brown fur and wore a baseball hat with one of his ears poking from under the side. The other boy was a white bat, a bit older, maybe in his young teens. The prim boy was wearing a dark red vest over an old white dress shirt and gray jeans. The bat's arms were folded behind his back.
Sonic turned to Sally. "Oh yea, got caught up on the way. Hunter and Brandon are going to be joining us for dinner if that's ok. The boys are going to hang out after."
Sally nodded and turned to the boys. "Hi Hunter, Hows Bunnie? Can I expect her and your Dad's reports tomorrow."
"Hi Ms. Acorn" The scruffy one eared rabbit replied. "Mom's taking a break, but yea I'd imagine she'd be done by tomorrow."
Sally looked to the other boy. "Hello Brandon, Done up as usual I see." She smiled at the boy. "How are Rouge and Knuckles?"
The boy looked board. "Mom and Dad are fine. Mom's helping out where she can and Dad's still gardening." His eyes lit up with amusement. "Dad's still on his quest to learn to read from Mrs. Vanilla." He brought a hand forward to examine his fingernails. "Apparently, Dad's stories and legends of home might be unrecorded in the Acorn archives." He smiled. "Vanilla's excited to write them down."
Sonic moved to the table, setting the pot down. "Come on folks. We can chat and eat! Get the bowls!"
Alyx felt nervous, She felt like an intruder. She moved her bag out of the way, getting up.
Sally noticed. "Where are you going?"
"Oh!" The vixen flustered. "No where I guess... I'm just getting out of the way."
Sonic passed her a freshly ladled bowl. "Nonsense. Sit down and eat. We get few outsiders at our table, a new face is welcome."
Alyx grabbed the bowl and spoon being shoved at her. She re-took her seat. "Thank you sir!" She smiled.
"Sir?" He looked up mocking hurt. "Wow! Give a guy a break! Your making me feel old."
Tails smiled. "Your a dad Sonic. Doesn't that make you old by default?" He teased.
The hedgehog scoffed as he continued to pass out the bowls to the sitting friends and family. "Getting attacked on all sides today." He gave his friend a half lidded smile as he passed him his bowl. "29 isn't old little guy."
Tails waved off Sonic's hand as he accepted the bowl. "Yar har har." He smiled. "Thanks Sonic."
The rest of them revived their food and started digging in.
Alyx quietly bit into her stew. IT WAS SO GOOD! She sat there savoring the flavor and slowly enjoyed each bite. Her eyes were closed as she listened to the family chitchat.
Brandon perked up. "I heard an interesting tidbit of info from uncle Chuck."
Xander perked. "What did you hear?"
Brandon's eyes shifted to Alyx. "I heard we have a new refugee, one that might have the inside scoop on Robotnik's foreign computer systems."
Alyx's ears perked at that. She swallowed her bite, looking to the boy. "I may, I'll need to actually see what it is first." She took another bite.
Sally smiled. "Brandon, Hunter, meet Alyx. We're hiding her from Robotnik and she's going to be joining you and the rest at the computer lab soon. Tails is going to chaperon her for a bit too."
"Oh..." The bat's grin dropped as his eyes slid to the twin tailed fox. He tried to force a smile. "Ok then! Bring your best to the team Miles!"
Tails gave the younger boy a deadpan smile. "I will, I want a break from Robotropolis, so I'll give it... What did you call it? The good old college effort try?"
The younger boy bristled. "You know I don't speak like tha- OOF!"
Xander elbowed the older boy. "Stop it!" He hissed.
The teen glared at the young prince, then brushed off his vest. "It will be... eventful, to have you're help." He looked to the foxes. "Both of you. Thank you, we need more help."
There was an awkward pause.
Sally broke the silence. "Alyx, I hear you have some healing tech that might be useful."
Alyx looked up from her bowl, blinking. She swallowed. "What?"
Sally chuckled. "Tails told me you had some sort of injector that could heal blood loss and lazgun wounds?"
Alyx nodded. "I don't got many left but yeah!" She turned to her bag behind her chair and started digging.
Tails averted his gaze, his ears drooping in anticipation of the-
*SHINK*
He flinched, he hated needles.
Sally was a little stunned the girl pulled out the hypo at the dinner table. "Oh you didn't have to show me now..."
Alyx pushed the button again, retracting the needle portion and causing Tails to flinch again. "I'm guessing you're going to want one?"
Sally looked exasperated as she noticed how uncomfortable Tails was. She looked at Alyx. "If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to send it for analysis." She reached her arm to the girl.
Alyx placed the hypo in the chipmunks open hand. "Hey, if it helps!" She smiled.
The rest of the dinner was uneventful. The boys talked about computers and games. Sally and Sonic caught up with Tails. Alyx leaned back in her chair, her stomach full for the first time in a while. She mindlessly answered the few questions that came her way, but her mind drifted back to her own family, she missed her Dad. She sat relaxing, content and thankful for real food.
A hand waved in front of her face. "You awake Alyx?" It was the blue hedgehog.
The girl jolted, nodding. She got up, putting on her bag. "I'm ready! I'm ready!"
He laughed. "Alright, alright." He turned to Tails. "You coming Tails?"
Tails got up, grabbing his own bag. "Yeah!"
Xander looked up from his group. "See ya later Tails! Catch up tomorrow?"
Tails smiled. "Sure thing!" He moved over giving the younger boy a fist bump.
Xander turned to Alyx. "It was nice meeting you Alyx! I may see you in the computer lab."
Brandon scoffed. "Of coarse you will. You're practically a member of the team already!" He gave a devious smile, clasping his hands together. "We'll find a way to screw the doctors systems! Then they'll be singing OUR praises instead of the ground teams!"
Hunter frowned. "Whats wrong with what Mom and Dad do?" The boys started bickering, Xander trying to mediate between them.
Tails smiled, snickering. "Come on, Lets get you to your new home."
Sonic led them out of the cabin into the evening air.
Mobius – Dark Swamp – Ironlock Prison
*CRACK*
The dark damp room lit up as a gateway formed on the black crystal pedestal. Shapeless colors moved upon its event horizon, light casting rainbows upon the dark chamber. The colorful blurs shifted, as if a camera came into focus. Two forms stepped through the unstable warpgate as it violently fluctuated. They turned to look at the kaleidoscopic show behind them. It seemed to become more unstable as the seconds wore on, slowly tearing itself apart.
*CRACK*
The snap reverberated as the gateway collapsed behind them, static flying through the air. The stone room returned to its natural dark.
"That should really be fixed." Victor shook his head. "That's so dangerous..." The doctor sighed as he began looking around the dark room. "Ohh... I guess that's right... If you were in the void, then you're kingdom must be in shambles..." The platypus deafly mentioned. He turned to where the stairwell should be. His eyes slowly adjusting to the dark.
"Don't remind me..." The king growled. Pulling out a matchbook from his breast pocket, he struck a light, illuminating the stone dungeon. "Lets get to the stairs and get out of here."
"Right, After you m'lord." Starline followed the King as they made their way to the upper level.
It was quiet, other then the occasional crys from distant swamp flyers. They exited the stone dungeon, stepping into the prison's main chamber. The cells were all open, moss and vines had started to encroach upon the now decaying building.
"Oh dear..." Victor winced. "How long has it been..." He sized up his friend in the low light, frowning. Nigel look shaken, staring at the dilapidation of the building. "What's wrong?" Starline looked around at the decay for himself... How many years had it REALLY been? He hesitated, his thoughts drifting to his absent sister. Grounding himself, he looked back to his friend. Depression and defeat seemed to seep from the deposed monarch. Moving to the chipmunk, he put his hand on the Mobians shoulder. "Are you alright, m'lord?"
The chipmunks head snapped stiff. "What?" He swept out of the grip. "Oh..." He deflated, looking at the fallen in ceiling, consumed with overgrowth. "I..." He swallowed. "I guess I'd hoped it wouldn't of been this long..." His voice started to tremble. "I wonder..." He took a deep breath. "I wonder if Annabell made it with Sally..."
Victor frowned. "Who?"
Nigel glared at the platypus. "My wife and daughter..."
The doctor backed up, getting rigid. "Oh.. Well, congratulations... Uhh... Nevermind, I'm sorry. This is disorienting for me too." He sighed, putting his remaining hand under his chin, his curiosity getting the better of him. "Really disorienting. How old are you now?
Nigel glared at the platypus. "53..."
Victor stood there frozen... "YOUR 15 YEARS MY SENIOR NOW?!"
Nigel's ears flattened. "I don't know?! Maybe?"
The not quite middle aged platypus got flustered. "Right..." He shook his head. "A bit strange for my taste..." There was a pregnant pause, he let out a breath. Bringing a finger to his chin, he tapped it in thought. "Alright, so Ironlock's abandoned... We should still look for a terminal. If it's still hooked up to the network, I might be able to call back home." He looked at the king. "You wouldn't happen to have Nicole on you, would you? She might come in handy..."
Nigel shook his head. "I haven't carried Nicole's PDA for years-"
"WHAT!?" The doctor jumped. "What'd you do with her!"
Nigel met the doctors gaze with a hard stare."I gave her to my Daughter, Sally."
"Oh..." He hesitated, then collected himself. "As long as she wasn't trashed then..." His mind drifted, his thoughts dragging him back. Memories surfaced of the other AI that'd been made with Gerald's help. "Nick's probably going to be asking after her... Be ready with a decent answer when we get back to the bunker in the Great Forest."
Nigel started to make his way to the door covered in vines. "You gave me Nicole to use as I saw fit. My daughter needed a tutor and a friend, is that not answer enough for a Machine?" He pulled a saber, starting to hack away at the vines. "By the way, all but the labs protected by the warp zones are gone."
The doctor walked up next to his friend, leaning down to get in his vision. "You mean all the ones you knew about." He wagged his eyebrows. "I'm not stupid, I didn't expect my own family to betray me, but I did have contingencies if the kingdom ever fell to those Echidna barbarians..."
Nigel paused. "That, doesn't surprise me actually..." He turned back to his task and growled as the vines fell from the door. "Let's not talk about betrayal."
Starline rose an eyebrow. "We might as well, not between US though... What happened to put you in the Void of silence?"
The chipmunk kicked in the rotting wooden door. "Gerald had a grandson apparently, fool that I was, I made him minister of war! We won by the way, he turned the army on us though, I'm sure of it."
"What..." Starline grabbed Nigel's shoulder, stopping him from entering the next chamber. "Did I hear you correct? There's more humans?" The doctor breathed.
Nigel roughly shook off the platypus's grasp, moving to the next room. "I know you're enamored with the humans and their culture, but this one's apparently foul." He sighed. "Even if he was related to Gerald..."
Dr. Starline deflated. "Ohh..." He began following the king through the hallways to the exit.
The two made their way, cutting through vines and doors to the prison yard. On the far side of the complex was the administrative building, its towering satellite dish still standing. The fence separating the areas was a mess, different portions knocked down or being torn apart by the now growing flora. The concrete was cracked and swamp trees were starting to sprout all around them. The sky was the usual deep grey for the dark swamp, the cloud cover never seemed to leave this place, leaving it as perpetual twilight and night.
*SCREEE*
They both looked up to see one of the reptilian flyers perched on a remaining part of the fence. Starline backed up. "We should find some ranged weapons, if the guards aren't here to shoot them down..."
Nigel pushed on, towards the far building. "Don't be a child, they're scavengers. You don't look like a pile of meat on the ground. If one gets near you, just bop it's snout. Its just like a dogfish."
Victor glared as he hopped back up to the king. "Don't be like that! You realize I've lost an arm!"
"And you still have a working one to bop it's snout." The chipmunk grumbled.
The platypus's eyes nervously darted between the winged meat eater and the king. "The year's seem to have changed you..."
They got to the building and the king pried the door with his saber. "I grew up, something you never seemed to do."
Victor looked offended. "Well, I NEVER!" The one armed mobian huffed. "I grew up a long time ago. Don't confuse my personality-"
The king turned, picking the doctor up by the front of his jacket. "It has nothing to do with your personality." He seethed. "You were like a child, pushing boundaries, seeing what you could get away with. Turning dead soldiers into robotic automatons wasn't the first issue. I did a lot of pleading to ease my Father's wrath when I was young." The chipmunk growled as he shook the limbless mobian. "Gerald had boundaries, you pushed them!" Nigel glared. He realized the position they were in. The platypus looked terrified, gripping his hand for stability as his breaths were short. "Sorry." He dropped the Mobian. "I've got more on my mind then I'd like, I don't need to take it out on you."
Starline shakily steadied himself. "Right, Sorry..." He looked up to the older mobian, Nigel looked disappointed.
Nigel sighed, pulling the shaking Mobian into a hug. Starline stiffened. "I shouldn't have done that, we both could have lost family..." He pulled away, patting the platypus's shoulder. "I apologize, I may have inherited my fathers rage... But I've always admired my mothers mercy." He gave a sigh, closing his eyes. "Annabell used to help me with that... I need to keep a cool head on my own."
The stunned mobian nodded as he deftly made his way passed the chipmunk, entering the office. "It's ok..." He shook his head. "I... You really aren't the same, I should have realized that you'd of changed... No longer the boisterous mobian I remember..."
The King folded his arms behind his back, following the doctor into the building. "What kind of computer are we looking for?"
The white platypus built his confidence with every stride. "Well, I'm actually hoping the micro reactor for the satellite on the roof is still operational." He made his way for the staircase in the corner. "It should last for decades without maintenance, so that might be an indicator of how long its been."
The chipmunk tilted his head. "Yes, but what are you going to do?"
"Try and contact the Ark." He strode up the stairwell.
Nigel faltered. "You still have contact with the Ark? WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US?!"
Starline paused, looking over his shoulder. "Uhh, so Gerald might not be as clean as you think. Gerald did have boundaries that he stayed inside of... around you..."
A sinking feeling started in Nigel's gut. "What?"
The platypus paused, looking back to his old friend. He sighed, pulling off his glasses and rubbed the side of his temple. He pocketed the spectacles, it was getting too dark. "Gerald got bored with all your dad's eco development projects. The official reason for the Ark was to preserve the generations into the future. The other reason was to study genetics and bio-weapons." He turned, continuing up the stairs.
"WAIT WHAT?!" The king yelled. "WE FUNDED BIO-WEAPONS?!" He frantically ran up behind the doctor. "LIKE DISEASE BIO-WEAPONS!?"
Starline scoffed, shaking his head. "Gerald already mastered nanites, no reason for genetically engineering sickness. Nanites are so dangerous if used improperly anyways... That's the reason why the roboticizer's so encrypted. It manufactures one time use nanites, programmed for a specific reason." He huffed. "Don't want a grey goo event..."
"Grey goo?" The king looked stressed.
"Nanites that corrupt, then consume the world, making other nanites." He started twirling his hand in the air. "That make more nanites, that make more nanites, so on and so forth." Starline opened the door to the roof, stepping over to the satalite's base console. "This continues until the world is nothing but grey goo."
"THE ROBOTICIZER CAN DO THAT?!" The king shrieked.
Starline rolled his eyes. "NO IT CAN'T!" He yelled, exasperated. "WERE YOU EVEN LISTENING? IT WAS DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY SO THAT IT WON'T DO THAT." He put his palm to his face. "Nanite production is dangerous if not done correctly, nanites should never make more nanites. The production of them needs to be encrypted so some idiot doesn't end the world."
The king still looked frantic. "So what was made on the Ark?!"
Starline turned back to the console, trying to boot up the weathered machine. "Experiments with cloning mainly, Maria wanted a kid." He shrugged. "The way your father hid those two away from the public, its not like she would ever be able to adopt."
Nigel looked unnerved. "Cloning?"
Starline winced. "Welllllll... from what I remember, it was more like test tube babies using some of the donated Ark samples for the base." He waved off the concern. "All within the project of course, just extremely modified." He shrugged, wiping off the terminals screen, pulling moss from the keyboard. "Though, I was already starting my own ventures at that point." He wilted. "I don't know what all Gerald and his granddaughter were up to before the fire..."
The king walked up to him. "You're serious..."
The machine booted up. "Why wouldn't I be." The doctor grumbled.
The King moved an old tool chest over so he could sit while the doctor worked. "Ok, Ok..." he breathed. "Not great but not as bad as plagues that rain from the sky."
Starline stiffened, snapping his head to the sitting Mobian. "Did you shoot the Ark from the sky?!"
Nigel looked at him weird. "No? We have no way of controlling that metal ball though, what if it fell back to Mobius?"
Starline rolled his eyes. "It won't, there's safety measures for that. Trust me, it would just burn up. It would take hundreds of years for it to fall though." He started to peck at the keyboard with his single hand. "Give me a moment, looks like its been a few cycles... but less then 20 since the last maintenance. We can sync the clock when I link to the Ark."
The king got a relieved look on his face. "Oh thank the Maker, its not been centuries!" The platypus continued pecking in the silence, the surrounding gloom started to dim as the day trecked on. The chipmunk glanced over to the working doctor. "So what exactly are you doing?"
"Just about to log in." The doctor focused.
The older mobian shook his head. "Not what I men't, whats connected to the Ark that'll help us?"
Starline was still focused. "There's emergency pods in the Ark that can help us survive through the swamp on foot. That was one of the points of the Ark." He shook his bangs from his view. "We used to camp in the Great Forest, but it's not like were those barbaric swamp dwellers." He grumbled.
The king looked disappointed. "Wait, I was hoping you'd be calling a transport!"
Victor paused, looking at the king weird. "What on Mobius gave you that idea? where would I keep a transport on the Ark!"
"It's not unreasonable to think that the Mobian who squirrels things all over the place would have a transport he can call from anywhere..." The king grumbled, glaring at him.
The Doctor frowned. "Fair point, if I had my control arm... I would. I forgot that this place is one of the few segmented from the network. I don't have access to any of the other satellites. The Ark's our shot..."
*BING*
The login promt came up.
Aperture Labs Ark
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Starline smiled. "She's still afloat!" He pecked in his login and password. "I don't have full access, but Gerald gave me some room for some of my projects and backups. I also have access to some of the logs, so we might get a general idea of what went on since the fire..." His eyes scanned the log and he frowned. "It's 3239..." He counted on his fingers. "I should be 74..." He looked up to Nigel. "You guys had me trapped for 37 years..." His voice started to waver. "I'm 38, That's almost my whole life worth of cycles!" His trembles got heavier as he clutched his head.
The king got uncomfortable. "Victor, I..." He reached for Starline's shoulder.
"Save it!" He scorned, batting off the mobians hand. He took a deep breath, shaking off the tremors as he collected himself. He continued to peck. "Whatever, I want to see what happened."
The king retracted his hand, frowning. "Right." He shook his head, why did it have to turn out like this. He started counting on his own fingers and wilted. "Its been 15 years since the coup..." He mumbled. His thoughts drifted to his daughter, she wouldn't be a little girl anymore... If she was even alive..."'
The doctor's pecking paused, he tilted his head in question. "It says here that 8 years ago the second reactor ran out." He frowned. "All the remaining cryo lifepods jettisoned..." He continued pecking. All but my little equipment is gone... only the low power reserve reactor is online... no chance for any breathable atmosphere left..." He gave a deep sigh as he continued to type with one hand. "Goodbye Gerald... I wish I could give you and Maria a proper burial, but it looks like it's even more dangerous to try a voyage up..." He hit the enter and shut the terminal off.
The two sat in silence. Nigel got up. "We should probably get up. Its starting to get late, unless we find torches it would be safer to bunker down for the night."
They both heard a distant roar and Starline stood up. "There's the package."
The chipmunk looked around. "What? you were able to send something here?!"
The platypus raised an eyebrow. "What do you think we were doing the whole time?"
Nigel frowned. "I cant read your mind!"
Victor frowned. "I thought it was pretty obvious. Come on, lets make our way to the courtyard.
The two stumbled their way through the building as the darkness approached.
*BANG*
*BANG*
The two poked their heads from the admin building's door to see some smoking craters in the prison courtyard. They ran over to the wreckage.
"The heat shielding should have kept them from getting too hot to touch." Starline said as he slid down to one of the chest high cylinders. Grabbing a latch he yanked, causing the tube to pop open. "I'm not sure which one is which, go grab the other one!"
Nigel nodded. "Right!" He darted to the other hole in the ground, sliding down.
Starline struggled, pulling the supply bags from the container. "There should be water filters and calorie packs." He unzipped one of the bags, pulling a torch. Clicking it on he situated it in his coat's breast pocket. He pulled a lazgun blaster and holstered it on his belt, then struggled to put the backpack on with one arm. Grabbing the other bag, he pulled the other lazgun, holstering it as well, Nigel never liked lazguns anyways. He started to drag the bag up the hill, back to the court.
Nigel's head poked up from the top. "Did you really just droppod a new arm?"
The doctor snickered. "Always keep a spare, its a basic one, but I've got at least one arm at every base." He yelled back.
He helped the doctor out of the pit. "Can you really transplant your arm here?"
Victor passed Nigel his bag. "I'll need your help, it's going to be quick, but I can't do it on my own, too painful." He moved to the other crater as the king started to dig through the survival kit. He slid down and yanked off the second compartment, revealing two round white pods. The white drones were already powering on to exit the tube. Both gleamed in the low light as they approached him. Red optics with 4 stabilizers, they were each the size of a large water melon. He smiled, putting his remaining hand on his hip. "Well hello boys! It's been a long time, hasn't it!" He grinned. The smile dropped. "Designation Alpha and Beta, standard protocol, you are to serve and protect me." He tapped his chin in thought. "Non lethal force for now, unless were hunting animals for food." The two drones chirped affirmative and spread, letting him pass. "Alpha! Cary the tool kit for me!" Said drone zoomed over, the doctor attached the small tool kit to it's bottom mag-strip. "Both of you, go meet Nigel up there." He pointed to the top of the berm. "Mark as friendly, I'll be up soon." They left.
Nigel was putting on the bag, a torch in one hand. He noticed the drones approaching, his ears flattened. "I forgot how much he loves these things..." He grumbled as the older models of Julian's favorite utility stealth drones scanned him. They chirped affirmative, registering the king as a friendly. "You coming Victor?" He yelled passed the bots.
He saw the doctor trudging up the crater, carrying the shiny plated arm. "Yes, yes, I'm almost there." He grumbled. "Sorry, just mentally preparing. It's been a while since I've done this without sedatives." The mobian dropped to his knees, removing the bag from his back. He unbuttoned the fancy red coat, pulling it off, revealing a purple vest on top of a polo shirt. "Alpha, bring me the toolkit." The drone dropped it in his free hand. Setting it down he pried it open, removing a security wrench. He put it in his mouth as he hiked up the rest of his sleeve, giving ample access to the port on his shoulder. He inserted the key into the slot, then looked at Nigel. "Ok, I need your help now."
Nigel looked nervous for a second, then shook it off. "Ok." He moved to the doctors side.
The platypus was stiff as he took a deep breath. "OK, I need you to simply turn it clockwise, its going to resist and I need you to keep going, don't let it slide back no matter how much I fidget..." He got on his back, the key sticking out of his shoulder. "once that's done it will release, I can position the new arm and then its just the reverse, push passed in the other direction... I might need something to bite on..."
Nigel moved in position as the doctor pulled a handkerchief, wadding it in his mouth to protect his teeth. "This sounds like its painful."
The mobian glared at him. "Just get it over with." He muffled.
*CLICK*
"GGGGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The doctor screamed, writhing on the ground. The pain of his partially disintegrated arm returned to its normal phantom throb. He got up, pulling the remains of his favorite prosthetic, shoving it in his bag. He grabbed for the simple one. Aligning the socket, he pushed it in, locking it. He laid back down and took a deep breath, closing his eyes. "DO IT!" He muffled.
*CLICK*
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHKKKKKKKKKKKK!" His breathing was heavy as he laid there. He sat up, pulling the cotton from his mouth and cupped his face in his hands. "I hate doing that." He scorned, taking deep breaths.
"It hurts that much?" Nigel offered him a hand up.
The doctor noticed and let the Mobian pull him to his feet. "About as much as the day it was disintegrated." He sighed. "Be glad you weren't visiting the lab that day, made quite the mess."
The older mobian grimaced. "Lets not talk about that." He sighed. "Lets make our way to the bridge and get out of here."
Starline nodded and the two made their way to the exit, drones in toe.
The bridge was gone... Both Mobians looked at the remains of the wooden suspension bridge in the spiked moat. "Oh dear..." Victor winced.
"How are we going to get out!?" The chipmunk's eyes darted. There's no other way and there aren't any hovercraft left!"
The doctor looked back up, his eyes sliding over to his drones. "Want to play hopscotch?"
Nigel gave him a bewildered look. "Are you crazy?"
The doctor gave him a smirk. "Are you really still scared of heights?" He snapped the fingers of his metal hand. "You two. Make a path for me." The drones zoomed down, making a two stone path. Victor started walking. The drones started alternating, supporting each foot as he made his way across the gap. "You coming sir?" He looked over his shoulder.
The older Mobian was grinding his teeth. "You don't have to be a prick about it!" He spat, watching the platypus flaunt his way across the gap.
The doctor turned around, walking backwards. "Come on dear brother, its not too hard!" He gave a half lidded smile. "Trust my drones, they won't let you down!" He stepped onto the opposing ledge and turned, cupping his hands to yell across the gap. "Come on Nigel! If I can go through ripping my arm off again, you can cross the moat!" He snapped his fingers. "Go create a path for him." They zoomed to comply.
Nigel hefted his bag staring at the drones in front of him. "Ok..." He just stood there.
Starline's smile faltered. "Oh dear... I thought he had gotten better about this." He muttered to himself. The platypus started waving to the mobian across the gap. "Come on sir, I'm serious, they'll track your feet, all you have to do is walk normally, don't take tiny steps and you'll be fine! Just keep moving forward!"
Nigel shook himself, this was like anything else difficult and he was being stupid. He pushed himself forward walking, his eyes not leaving Starline's. "Remember what Dad said to you, remember what you told Sally..." He grit under his breath. "Bravery is about doing what needs to be done, even if your terrified. Don't just say it, live it!"
He was almost there, He stumbled on the final leg. Starline frantically grabbed for him, yanking him forward.
He was on his knees, but he was across. The doctor patted him on the shoulder. "See! not a problem! I told you they'd come through!" He gestured to the compliant robots. The doctor winced, looking down to the king. "My bad though, you should have watched for the final step. The drones can't move into solid stone..."
"Yea." He swatted off the hand. "I made it, lets not do it again."
"Touchy..." Starline mumbled, pulling his hand away. "Alright, so we can head north, up the coast and then to the great forest. Either that or cross into Mobotropolis if you think it's safe."
The king shook his head. "I don't think it's going to be safe. Once were at Knothole, we can figure out whats going on at the Manor."
"Right!" Victor patted the Mobians back. "Lets make some miles, then we can set camp. The nights here seem longer then they really are, due to the light filtration of the cloud cover. Lets get moving!"
The two walked into the forest as a pair of eyes watched them from the bushes. With a rustle they were gone.
chapter 7 end
Authors notes: This chapter could have been longer but I had to call it, the other parts will make it in, some way or another, I'm not worried. Life picked up and I also took on re editing everything so everything is caught up and should be about the same quality. Had some issues with one of my writing programs corrupting a paragraph. Hard to find a good offline word processor for android. As always, reviews are much appreciated and are a good motivator, but not necessary, still looking for things to improve. Nigel's and Starline's sub chapter was difficult, They kept fighting and I had to pull it back from them trying to kill each other. Both Mobian's are frustrated and tired, they do remember "the good old days" though. Actually had to hold back on some conversations because even though writing long convo's is fun. If it brings nothing to the story(or not enough world or character building)then I have to make a choice. Sometimes I think its better break the "show don't tell" rule if its not important and or its just dragging on, let me know what you think! Another exception I think is if catch up info dumps and if the perspective character isn't really paying attention, Not everyone has to be a part of the same convo. Comics and movies can make great use of ignoring characters as a story telling element, for a lot of comedic effect too! Its hard to do that in writing. Julian's piece was difficult and turned out way longer then I intended. The timeline has grown, now 73 events from Earth 1917 Mobius 3137 to Earth 2019 Mobius 3239 (current year in story). More OC characters, I hope the kids are believable, I hope none of the OC characters are thought of as self inserts, I don't like self inserts... Have some more ideas for dreams in the past chapters, this time on the Mobius side, maybe the coup from Sally's perspective. Maybe Colin's time in this new world, making a friend. The more I think of this story, I'm not sure I have a set ending. It feels more like an ongoing TV show or comic series to me. Lots of stuff to continue to write about. I think I got over my initial hurdler of the weirdness of the crossover to begin with and the world is starting to feel more believable to me. I might make a spin off fic with some of the less story important things that happen in knothole. I keep getting ideas for stuff to happen that seem interesting so I keep wanting to write it down. Thank you all for reading this far. Let me know if somethings wrong or needs to be improved!
Traveler out!
