Chapter 3: The Others
Back on Mobius, due to the time shift in The Nexus, it's been over 2 weeks since Tails, Manic and Knuckles left to find Amy. Charmy Bee sits in a large gaming chair with a headset on and typing furiously on a keyboard. His basement apartment is littered with empty soda cans and restaurant takeout bags.
He has three computer monitors set up, one displaying his game, the other two broadcast security camera footage around his property.
After Tails' debacle with some hackers last year, Charmy has upgraded his security in case a situation like that ever happens to him.
A loud doorbell rings out so Charmy glances at the front door camera and is surprised to see Rouge the Bat standing outside. He uses a phone app to unlock the door and Rouge comes downstairs.
"Whoa - what is that smell? Jesus, it's like a locker filled with wet socks in here, Charmy!" The Bat exclaims as she covers her nose
"Does it? Heh, I guess I'm just used to the smell. Just a second"
The Bee opens a new tab on his monitor, plays with the settings for a moment, then suddenly the windows are opened up and fans blow the air back outside, while a wall-mounted can of air freshener sprays the apartment.
Charmy grins "There. Just like new"
Rouge leans a chair over and clears the soda cans off before she takes a seat
"Right... have you heard from Knuckles, or Manic and Tails? All three of them are in big trouble with G.U.N for stealing their equipment and breaking Knux out... there's talk that they might be put on a most wanted list, so it's pretty serious"
Charmy curses as his game character is shot down, so he logs off and takes off his headset
"...those guys were supposed to be back like 2 weeks ago but I haven't heard anything yet" He says
"Can you call them?" Rouge asks
"I've been trying everyday, well - most days this past week... no answer every time, but, let's try again"
He pulls out his phone and dials Tails' number first
At that same moment in The Nexus, Victor stands in the vault room Tails raided before he escaped the Castle. He and an assistant are going through the items when Tails' cellphone starts vibrating inside a brown bag. He managed to confiscate the friends' cellphones when they were here.
Victor opens it up and presses the TALK button, but doesn't say anything
"...Hello? Tails? It's Charmy, where are you? You guys said you'd be back 2 weeks ago! I've been waitin' here ever since!"
Thinking he can deceive the Bee, Victor clears his throat and attempts to mimic Tails' voice
"Uh - Yeah, Ch-Charmy? It's me, I uhh, I'm stuck here and I need some help, can you guys come back here?"
"You're not Tails, the deep voice gives it away!"
"Damnit!" Victor growls before going back to his real voice "Listen kid, your friend's life depends on you and the others returning here right NOW! Alright, no more screwing around!"
Charmy looks at Rouge for a second before snickering "Yeah, as great as that offer sounds, I'm gonna pass on that because it sounds like complete bullshit, but good try, tho"
"No, wait!" Rouge says, but is too late as he hangs up "...CHARMY! What the hell was that? They could be in danger!"
"Relax, this exact same thing has happened before. I'm gonna trust my instincts and say this guy is lying"
"What - how the hell can you be sure?! You just hung up on him!"
"Easy, I'll just call Amy"
Her phone rings, but Victor's voice answers the call
"Guess who"
Charmy hangs up "...I mean I'll call Knuckles"
"Just wait a second!" Victor says, only for Charmy to hang up once again
Rouge crosses her arms "Come on, Charmy..."
"Okay, chill out! ...I don't like calling Manic, but he's our last contact so let's get this over with"
At the same time, Manic and Amy are running from the robotic killer Velocita. The Jade Medallion's energy only gives him so much power before it wears out, and Manic is starting to feel tired once again.
He sees a small building that looks like a garage, so he pulls Amy's hand as he races over. The doors are locked, so he gives her a boost up to a high window and she climbs in. She extends her hand, Manic runs, kicks off the wall and barely reaches her hand, being pulled inside as well.
They find a place to hide just seconds before Velocita kicks open the front door and starts scanning the interior.
As The Chameleon's Heads Up Display (HUD) gets a layout of the garage, a loud screeching sound stings his ears, so he presses the volume button on his metallic mask.
"Stayin' Alive" by The Bee Gees plays loudly
"Oh SHIT! SHIT!" Manic whispers, reaching for his waistband
"What the hell is that?!" Amy asks
"It's a ringtone I set for Charmy! The fuck is he calling me for?!"
In an instant, Velocita climbs up the stairs and stands over top of the two hedgehog's hiding spot
"Your little game is over. Make it easy on yourselves and don't fight. You already know what'll happen" The killer warns
"Remind me, Velocita, what will happen?"
All three of them look over a railing and see a brown haired female hedgehog guarding the front door, while a taller, muscular male hedgehog holds a curved weapon and leans against a metal beam
Velocita's red LED eyes squint slightly as he recognizes the duo
"This doesn't concern you, Penelope"
The male hedgehog steps forward, causing the Killer to back up slightly
"Well, seeing as you're on our side of the boarder, in our home, I'd say it does, pal"
Knowing he's outnumbered, Velocita braces himself for an attack
"...you really wanna break our truce for a couple of outsiders?"
"We would break it to save anyone from you robotic assholes" Penelope says
"...you will regret this, I promise you that"
"Yeah, and I'd appreciate it if you took your robot nuts and got the hell off our land" The male hedgehog calls out
As he leaves, Velocita glares at Manic and Amy one last time
"You won't always have someone to protect you from me"
"Let's go outside and see who needs protection, you weird douchebag!" Amy shouts
Manic holds her back "Easy, Ames, it's cool... we're safe here"
The group waits until Velocita is gone, then they stand across from each other
"...are we safe here, though?"
"That depends" Penelope says
"On what?"
"On why you came here"
"Lady, we were prisoners in that asshole's castle! Trust me, robo nuts ain't our friend" Manic says
Penelope looks up at her friend, then they nod in agreement
"Well, then I guess you're not a threat to us, so maybe we should introduce ourselves. She is Penelope, my name is Cam"
"Amy Rose, and he's Manic" the pink hedgehog says
The four quickly shake hands and the tension between them is relieved.
Suddenly, "Stayin' Alive" starts playing again, forcing Manic to step away and turn his back to the group as he struggles to pull his phone out and answer Charmy's call.
"Yeah, what?"
"Please tell me that's actually you, Manic" Charmy says
"You little bastard, you gave our hiding spot away and almost got us KILLED! And that's all you wanna say?!"
It goes silent on the other end until some mumbling is heard, then "...okay. Just had to be sure"
"Look, Charmy, my phone's dying, do you actually have something to say to or not?"
"Yes, I do. Look, Tails said you'd be back a couple weeks ago, but nobody came through. I've been sitting here waiting by this big ass machine in my basement, so like, what the hell is going on?"
Manic sighs "Shit hit the fan, we got roughed up, split up and last thing I saw was Knuckles and Tails take a 100 foot fall with a wolf on their backs. And Sonic wasn't even there! Amy was though, so not everything was a waste of time..."
"Shit. Well, Rouge is saying you guys got some serious heat with G.U.N down here, something like you might be on the most wanted list? I don't know. Just a heads up"
"Great. I'll keep that in mind, Charm"
"I'm sure you will"
"...look, thanks for checking in, nobody else would've given a shit. I'll keep you posted"
"Take care of yourselves out there"
The green hedgehog puts his phone away and joins the group, then Amy turns to him
"...Manic, Victor's guards took away everyone's cellphones, but you still have yours. Why is that?"
He starts scratching the back of his head "Yeah... I kinda hid it in my boxers just in case, and the last 2 hours have been VERY uncomfortable, to say the least"
"God damnit, man!"
"Ew!"
"You tucked that in your pants and you just shook our hands?"
"Hey, this is a $1000 phone, like hell am I letting that Calypso-looking prick just take this from me! ...oh, what? I'M the weird guy now? Whatever!..."
Amy turns back to Penelope and Cam "...listen guys, we came here to find our friend, his name is Sonic. He's blue, runs super fast? Seen a hedgehog like that around?"
Penelope looks at her "Does this Sonic guy leave blue trails behind him when he runs?"
"YES! That's him!"
Cam's expression quickly changes "And this guy is your friend?"
"Uh oh" Manic says
"Your friend is responsible for so much bad shit around here, you know?! He's the reason the truce had to be made! He pretty much started a war by himself! And would've brought everyone down if nobody stopped him!"
Amy shakes her head "No, he wouldn't do that! He's not a bad guy!"
"You haven't been around here to deal with the mess he's made, Amy"
Cam reaches down for the curved weapon, so Manic kicks him in the face and takes him down. As Manic gets the upper hand, Penelope levitates him off the ground with a special ability and throws him across the garage. Amy swings her hammer but it's stopped mid-swing and pushed back in her face, knocking her backwards.
Manic gets to one knee "Great, these guys have superpowers, too! What are the chances..."
As he finishes that sentence, Cam whacks him in the face with an old helium tank. A loud CLANG sounds out as the metal hits his jaw, instantly knocking him out.
Penelope uses her telekinesis to wrap steel sheets around Amy.
"We don't wanna hurt you, so calm down" Penelope warns
"I'm pretty sure you just broke my friends' jaw!"
"Look, calm down. We just wanna make sure you're not a threat. You wanna talk? Let's talk"
Before anyone says a word, Cam's radio goes off
"Where the hell are you?! I've got Maine and this two-tailed fox here! I'm getting sick of waiting, guys!"
Amy looks up at them "You bastards better not have touched my friend!"
"You've got another friend running around The Nexus?" Cam asks
Amy sighs "If you would've let me finish my story, then nothing would've happened!"
Cam nods at Penelope so she takes the metal sheets off the pink hedgehog. Manic's Medallion starts healing him so he wakes up and is about to lunge at them, but Amy holds him back.
"...tell your story as we meet our friend Hunter. He's got your buddy in the desert"
Tails wakes up sitting back-to-back with Maine, and his ribs have been wrapped up, but they're still aching with pain. He notices the stars over the sand dunes have changed colour, and two moons shine a bright highlighter yellow shade. He tries to move but his hands are tied and knotted with a worn out piece of rope, along with the female wolf slouched over behind him.
He looks up and sees they are bound to some kind of satalite conductor that's stuck in the sand.
"You awake, princess?" Hunter greets "...you almost bled out all over the sand, but I gotcha stable, kid. So you're welcome"
"Where are we?" Tails asks
"In the middle of Jambi country. It's all desert from here"
"...you wanna let me go or what, pal? I haven't done anything wrong"
The yellow haired hedgehog opens a flask and takes a drink, while sitting down on a metal crate marked AMMUNITION
"A couple friends of mine are on their way here, and they've got questions. Depending on how you answer is how we determine your freedom"
"Yeah, me and my friends just escaped that Victor guy like, an hour ago, and now we have to put up with your shit? Just gimme a break!..."
"I don't know where you're from, but things don't work like that 'round here"
Tails strains as he tries getting loose "I'm from Mobius, Green Hill! We came here for our friend, nothing else! Now let me GO!"
The yelling wakes up Maine and she looks around, realizing the predicament she's in
The female wolf sighs "...hello Hunter"
The yellow hedgehog gives her an unfriendly grunt in return
"Look, can we skip the expositional bullshit already? We both know you aren't going to kill me, or the kid" She says
Hunter leans forward "You think you're so smart? You think we won't do it?"
"Um, no. Not at all"
"You're not getting away with all the shit you've done, this time. You or that fox"
Tails interjects "Let me stop you right there, me and her aren't friends. I have no part of whatever she's involved in so, uh, keep me outta that discussion. And my name's Tails, not that fox"
"I don't give a shit, you two arrived together, you both go down together" Hunter says
"Well, aren't you just a ray of sunshine"
Maine laughs "Yeah, he's not exactly the brains of their organization, Tails"
"I can certainly tell just by talking to him"
Hunter leans back and puts his sunglasses back on
"You won't be laughing when my friends get here"
"Is that right? Well, 'til then, I'll be sitting right here laughing in your face!" Maine says before laughing in an over-dramatic fashion
"Whatever, I'm not rising to your shit"
Tails looks around the area, noticing how far away from Victor's castle they have traveled, then going sick to his captor
"...do you two know each other from high school or something? You seem to know a lot about each other"
Maine leans against Tails' back "Hunter had a thing for me, I told him to eat shit, then we chose sides"
Tails raises a brow "Sides?"
Hunter crosses his arms "Opposing sides in the battle for The Nexus. And I think I know whose side you're on, kid"
Tails takes a moment to think about this statement, and he finally realizes the severity of his situation.
After falling 80 feet and crashing into the jagged rocks inside the one river he's seen in The Nexus, Knuckles struggles to keep his head above water as he's swept down the coast. His entire body is sore from the fall, especially after a few rocks cut him.
He stays afloat on his back and follows the rushing water to a small beach-like area. He uses the rest of his strength to crawl uphill and lay in the wet sand.
"Son of a bitch..."
The echidna takes a moment to compose himself. He's tired, injured and now, lost. Far from his friends, Knuckles decides to get up and try to come up with part of a plan.
"...alright, Knux, lets get to the high ground. I'm sure there's a better vantage point from up there"
As he stands up, he notices his two spiked gloves are ripped, falling apart and now soaking wet.
"Oh, you gotta be shitting me!..."
He peels the gloves off and curses loudly as he is forced to show his scarred and worn out fists, each finger bearing marks from his fighting past. He throws the gloves away and climbs up the dirt hill. As he reaches the top, a few other voices get his attention.
Knuckles stays low at first, trying not to be seen.
A short female ferret grabs her young daughter's hand and tries to leave their bunkhouse, but they are stopped by a male Ox, clearly the leader of the gang who are waiting on the patio.
The Ox is about the same height as Knuckles, but very heavy-set compared to the echidna.
"Dane, don't do this! You said we could leave if things didn't work out, now please just let us through!" The ferret says
"I don't remember saying that. And besides, it's already way too late to leave, honey. You two are here for life" Dane exclaims
The young mother looks him in the eyes "You promised me"
As the Ox grabs her arm, Knuckles quickly walks up the staircase around the back of the patio and comes around the corner of the wooden bunkhouse
"The lady wants to leave. Let her go" Knuckles says assertively
"What the hell?"
"Who's this guy?"
Dane's gang are surprised that anyone would step up to them, so the Ox releases the ferret and decides to face the echida
"You must be one of those goons from the castle. Well, aound here-"
"I'm not from any part of this shit hole, and I'm not a goon. The lady asked you to move, so move. Nothing else needs to happen"
Dane looks at his three friends and laughs "Nothing else needs to happen? Yeah, like you're gonna do something? hehehe... look, you make a move and your grungy hands will get cut off real quick, got me? Go be a hero somewhere else, freak"
Knuckles stands his ground "I've been waiting to let loose on somebody this whole time I've been here. Why don'tcha come test yourself out, asshole"
Upon realizing Knuckles is serious, Dane quickly signals for his friends to surround the lone Echidna, while reaching for a knife in his back pocket
"Look, I don't know who you are, but this doesn't involve you. Now, I'm giving you one last chance to walk away, pal. So be smart and leave"
Knuckles eye contact with the mother and her child before making his choice
"I walk when they walk"
"Not happ-"
Dane is brought down by a powerful punch in the gut, causing him to puke all over the patio. Knuckles dodges the knives, catches one thug's hand and twists his wrist 180 degrees, breaking it instantly. His screams of pain are loud enough for the rest of the 'neighbourhood' behind them to hear.
"Oh shit!" the other two thugs say as they back up
Knuckles pushes their friend towards them and growls "You wanna keep going? I'll do the same to you!"
Dane stumbles back and leans against the wooden railing "What're you waiting for? Get him!"
The remaining thugs get one look into Knuckles' eyes and see absolute hate staring back at them
"Dane, man, this shit isn't even worth it!"
"What?! Hey!"
The three thugs quickly take off down the main staircase and leave their leader standing off with Knuckles
"You pussies!... (exhale) ...I'll remember your face, echidna! I'm gonna cut you up next time!"
Knuckles kicks a knife over to the heavy Ox and puts his arms out
"What's wrong with right now?"
Dane growls angrily and stumbles down the stairs after his friends. Knuckles watches him leave, then feels eyes staring at him from behind so he quickly turns around.
The female ferret backs up as Knuckles walks towards her, until he stops to pick up the knives Dane's gang dropped
"Thank you" She says
"You don't need to thank me..."
"Yes, I do. My name is Maddie-"
"Well, mine ain't important. You take care of yourselves, now"
"Wait! Dane will send twice as many thugs out to find you, now that he knows you're his enemy!"
Knuckles chuckles "Great, then it'll be twice as fun for me"
"This gang is way too much to handle"
"Where I'm from, I specialize in gang warfare, I think I'll manage"
"Well, they'll um, also be coming for us now that they know you came here to protect us-"
Knuckles turns around "Let's get one thing straight, lady: I beat the crap outta Dane and his goons because I wanted to, because I needed a reason to hit someone. I got rid of those assholes so now you and your kid can move in peace, so go"
"They'll never let us leave the district alive. Please help us get across the boarder"
"What? No! I'm already lost as it is, you're asking me to go out of my way the opposite way I came. I can't do that, lady, I've got friends waiting on me. Sorry"
As Knuckles walks down the first step, Maddie grasps his arm
"Please, we won't live to reach the boarder without your help"
The Echidna sighs "...Fine!... I don't know why I'm agreeing to this but let's go..."
"Thank you, sir, we really-"
"My name is Knuckles. And I told ya, you don't need to thank me. Lets just get this over with..."
The trio leaves the bunkhouse and it takes awhile before anyone says another word. As they pass other houses and buildings, the locals stare at them in an unfriendly manner.
Maddie's daughter lightly touches Knuckles' scarred hand and he looks down
Maddie pulls the child's hand away "Sorry"
"It's fine... I'm on edge right now because I was only supposed to be here for one hour to find my friends, but of course things didn't go as planned, now I'm separated from the ones who brought me here. And I'm pissed off..."
"Did you come a long way to find your friends?"
He laughs "That's the thing, I don't even know how far from home I am!... I just got dragged into this mess and expected to fix everything. I'm from Mobius, if you're wondering, and I can't wait to get back"
"Really? A lot of my friends are from there, too. The ones we're meeting at the boarder"
"Yeah, how far away is that from here, by the way?" Knuckles asks
"2 miles, maybe 3"
"You're joking, right?"
Maddie shakes her head
"Shit...let's move it, then. Come on, walk fast! Damnit!..."
They get through the small town, walk through a dirt field and stay along the side of a road. A loud buzzing noise irritates Knuckles, but he says nothing. Maddie tried to talk to him but he clearly doesn't want to socialize.
The buzzing noise gets so loud that Knuckles stops and tries to look for it
"What the hell is that sound? Where's it coming from?!"
He feels the noise getting louder and the ground shake so he turns around and suddenly he's knocked on his back. Someone steps on his forearms to prevent him from getting up, then Knuckles makes eye contact with the attacker, Sonic the Hedgehog
"You blue son of a bitch"
"Knuckles?!"
The Echidna pushes his friend off and both stand up
"You two know each other?" Maddie asks
"Know each other? This is one of my best friends!"
Sonic goes in to hug Knuckles, but he gets a punch to the gut and dropped to his knees, instead.
"Best Friend is a bit of a loose term, right now..."