Chapter 3: The Departed
Location: Station Square
Ten minutes later…
Having been getting ready for dinner, Charles Thorndyke's attention was suddenly drawn to his computer. The electronic machine had begun beeping, a tone specifically meant to notify him of an incoming transmission. Smoothing out his dinner jacket, the elderly human approached his desk and brought the machine out of sleep mode. Crowding the small screen were some familiar faces, friends who had been instrumental in saving Station Square during Perfect Chaos' attack.
"Well, isn't this a surprise," he commented.
"Sorry to contact you out of the blue like this, Professor Thorndyke," Sally said.
"You're more then welcome to call me Chuck, Your Highness. What seems to be the problem, and why do I get the feeling that our vacation plans have just been drastically upended?"
"We received some information from an anonymous source, we were hoping you might be able to shed some light."
"Depends on the nature of the subject in question."
"What do you known about a group of humans who departed Station Square twelve hundred years ago?"
Despite his attempts at keeping a neutral expression, Chuck failed to keep the surprise from his face.
"I'm wondering why you contacted me and not the President."
"If the President was privy, I'm sure he would have mentioned it sooner."
"True. From what I understand, there was a large portion of the population that departed due to overpopulation."
"That much we understand," the chipmunk stated.
"What you may not be aware of is that they didn't leave willingly."
"You mean they were forced out!?" Amy asked in shock.
"Better then what some of the hardliners in the government were advocating."
"Ah'm not sure I want to know the details," Bunnie stated.
"Needless to say; things were contentious, and they left on bad terms."
"Can you tell us anything about Doran Routhe?" Sally asked.
"He was a scientist here in Station Square, he used his own personal wealth and connections to secure supplies and equipment to assist them. Routhe would eventually take the reins of leadership and lead them away from the city onboard four carrier. Nobody was sure what had become of them, but it seems that you do."
"The information states that they reached the Efrikan Continent, settling somewhere within a region known as Murasia," Sally answered, "We're being dispatched to open diplomatic relations in the hopes they'll ally with us against the Eggman Empire."
"Provided you can locate them, it sounded like you haven't managed to pin down their exact location."
"Murasia's a big place, and we've got lots of ground to cover," Rotor stated.
"We were hoping that if you'd join us, these Terrans might be more willing to speak with us."
"Depending on weather or not they still harbor a grudge. Although, it would allow Chris and I to get outside the city for a while, since it doesn't look like we'll be visiting Mobotropolis anytime soon."
Following their stay in Station Square, Sally had extended an invitation for Chris to visit Westside Island. Given how hectic things had been over the past year, it seemed that fate was purposely conspiring to prevent that from happening. Hearing someone clear their throat, Chuck turned in his seat and discovered Tanaka standing at the trapdoor of his loft.
"Mister Thorndyke, everyone is waiting," he stated.
"Right. We've got a reservation at Michaels tonight," Chuck announced, "We're celebrating Nelson's forty-fourth birthday."
It was a belated dinner, one that had already been postponed several times because of his son and daughter-in-law's careers.
"Please, don't let us keep you then," Sally said.
"When can we expect you down here?"
"We've got some packing to do, so probably sometime later in the afternoon," Rotor chimed in.
"All right. I'll let Air Traffic control know of your intended visit."
"Thank you, Chuck."
"You can land here at the mansion, save yourself a much longer trip."
"We'll make sure to do that."
As the screen faded to black, Chuck rose up out of his chair and headed for the trapdoor.
"Will Princess Sally and her friends be paying us a visit?" Tanaka asked, once he had reached the ground floor.
"Yes. Seems they've learned about a group of our kinsmen who departed the city centuries ago."
"I am unsure what you speak of."
"You moved here from Onomichi, so it's understandable why you wouldn't be aware of the Terrans."
Heading outside the garage, he discovered that Ella and his grandson had been waiting patiently for them. They were both dressed in fanciful attire, given that they would be dining at the most high-end restaurants in the city. He felt somewhat guilty for having to make them wait, but the situation had simply been beyond his control.
"We shouldn't keep Mister and Missus Thorndyke waiting," Ella stated.
"We'd best get a move on then."
Piling into the limousine, the quartet immediately headed off in the direction of the busy metropolis. After several minutes, Chuck finally gathered enough nerves to address his only grandchild.
"So…, about this trip we've got planned."
"Its not happening, is it?" Chris said with a sigh.
"What makes you think that?"
"I've seen that look before, whenever you have to break the news that Mom or Dad had to cancel some vacation plan or visit."
Chuck nodded his head, not realizing that he had such a poor poker face when it came to breaking bad news to his grandson.
"They're being dispatched on a diplomatic mission," he stated, "But they've requested that we join them."
"Really?"
"They'll be arriving tomorrow afternoon, so make sure to come straight home from school."
Chris gave his head a nod, his mood having improved now that he knew he'd get to join his friends on another adventure.
"Summer vacation starts tomorrow, why wouldn't I?"
