Chapter Six – Greetings
Sally stared at the approaching floating city, in utter amazement. How was it staying aloft? But what really got to her, was the colour. It was grey. Metal grey. The entire city. Looking at the city, it reminded Sally of something else, a spider's web. The central part of the city, which is where they were heading, had a large circular platform. It was open to the elements, where flying vehicles and Mutants could take off and land at will. Spread out from this platform was a dozen or so branches which travelled for about a mile or so and were connected together exactly like a spiders web. These branches were covered, closed from the elements, with glass ceilings. Along all these corridors, on either side, there were metal pods with glass domes, containing everything from retail businesses to residents, gyms to banks and offices to storage. They looked like due on the spider's web. As Sally passed over the city, she could see thousands of people, Mutants, all going about their business. Completely oblivious to the trauma that Sally and her people had gone through.
As they approached the Central Platform, she noticed a extremely large building, made entirely of metal, including the ceiling, to one side of it. It caught Sally's eyes because it was the only one without a glass roof. It had entrances in the base and half way up for people to enter and leave and was extremely busy. Amazed, she continued looking around and noticed one of the branches of the spider's web seemed to head off and disappear into the distance. Sally moved and looked out of another window, the opposite side of the bus and noticed a second branch also head off into the distance in the opposite direction. She wondered where they were heading to.
Eager to see how the city was staying afloat, Sally cast her eyes to the very edge of the city. Around the very edge of the city, there were thousands of propellers pointing downwards, each about two metres across. They were spinning at full speed, keeping the city afloat. There were also some underneath the Central Platform, and some of the branches. Sally was stunned. It was amazing technology. But as Sally got closer, she noticed something. The city looked like it had been robotised and lifted off the ground.
'But thats impossible!' Sally thought. 'Only organic things can be robotised.' She gasped. But as the flying bus she was on came closer and waited to land, she was sure that it was a once real city. It had an air of Robotropolis about it. Back when Robotnik was in charge but spotlessly clean and a lot friendlier.
But how? Then Sally remembered what Sonic had said.
'Sally may have got Mobotropolis back after the war but the Mutant Movement got the technology' She remembered.
Uncle Chuck. The inventor of the Roboticiser It wasn't a massive technological leap to make the Roboticiser change anything especially when your the inventor.
Then her mind wondered to portable weapons. Sally remembered back to when Sonic mentioned that Snively had a portable roboticiser back during the final fight and how Sonic robotised those people back at the Palace with nothing but his bare hands. He did change back those who were innocent but Sally wouldn't be the least bit surprised if they had made the roboticiser into a proper and highly efficient portable weapon. It could be how they kept order around here. Sally wasn't a fan, but she wasn't in charge here. She could dictate what happened to her own people but not how other factions lived their lives.
Her flying transport bus landed with a bump. Sally was glad to be down on the ground. She had been getting a little airsick. The door opened and she headed out onto a cold and very windy Central Platform. She looked around. The city was big. A lot bigger now stood upon it, then it looked from the air. It was four times bigger then Mobotropolis and the Central Platform they were stood on was immense. All of the people that they had evacuated from Mobotropolis plus all of their flying vehicles they had travelled in, fit on it easily, leaving plenty of room for the everyday comings and goings of the local Mutants. Sally stared at them. There was every different type of mutation among them you could think of, but there was one thing all of the Mutants had in common. They could fly or glide in some form. All of them. Bunnie had been right. With every different type of wings you could think of. Insect, bird or bat, they were all represented here. You could hear the clink clink sound of their shoes on the metallic floor of the city. Looking around, Sally spotted some familiar faces. Her people were waiting for her. Someone spoke, only just heard over the wind.
"Isn't this place incredible!" A voice beside Sally spoke as she walked out onto the Platform. It southern accent gave it away.
It was Bunnie Robot. She had made it along with all of her people. She seemed to be now settling into her new upgrade, and now used to it, she seemed to forget all about it. Sally looked and was glad to see her. They embraced. Yes, this place was indeed incredible. She was going to say something but got cut across from behind them.
"Welcome to Capital City. I trust you had a pleasant trip?" They smiled.
Sally's eyes widened. She knew that voice but hadn't heard it in years. Thirteen yeas, in fact. She had believed it's owner to be dead. She looked at Bunnie. She knew it too.
They both turned around. Stood there was a brown Mobian squirrel with big blue eyes. His fur is was two-toned brown and his hair auburn. He had big bushy eyebrows and long tail. He was wearing a blue uniform, accented in reds and golds. His uniform consisted of a blue collared shirt, boots, all trimmed in yellow. He was buzzing slightly due to the large insect wings coming out of his shoulders, mainly due to nerves. He smiled.
"Hello, Sally." He said, his voice strong but gentle.
Sally couldn't contain herself. It was Elise Acorn, her younger brother. She had believed him to be dead. He was supposed to have died right at the beginning of the war against Robotnik, thirteen years ago. She ran into his arms. They embraced. How did it survive against all the odds? She asked him.
"Lets just say..." He smirked. "That your not the only ones around here who owes your lives to a certain Blue Blur." He giggled.
Sally stared and was horrified. Sonic had saved him and never told her. She went mad. Elise defended himself.
"Don't blame His Lordship." He spat. "He was only doing as I had asked of him." He sighed. Sally stared. Elise continued. "You had to believe that I was dead, otherwise you would have come looking for me, and that wasn't safe for the either of us. At the time, it was better to stay apart." He shrugged. Sally cried. Elise was right. But she still didn't like being made a fool of. And what did he mean by Lordship? Elise saw Bunnie wondering this and answered for her. He laughed.
"I'm not in charge around here." He grinned as he pointed up at something very large and blue that just flew overhead. "He is!" He added. Proud to follow him.
Sally laughed as Bunnie's jaw dropped. She hadn't seen Sonic in his full glory yet and marvelled at him. The wind was gusting pretty strong. Elise shivered.
"Come on!" He said hurriedly. "Let get you all Processed and inside, out of this wind." He stammered. But Sally was confused.
'Processed?' She thought. She wondered what that was but didn't get a chance to find out. Someone cut across them.
"Elise!" The said sternly.
It was Sonic.
He landed a few feet away from them, his large wings outspread acting like brakes, and hit the Central Platform with a very loud thump.
He must have overheard them. Sonic walked towards them, towering over them all. Elise gulped.
"Lordship!" He stammered, bowing slightly. He wasn't expecting him. Sonic sighed. Now was the time to swallow his fear. He was barely feet away from Sally and now, on his home tuff, with no cloak, and nothing to hide behind, he had to go for it. Yes, he was indeed in charge. But not out of choice. The Mutant Movement had recently taken a vote for a new leader and Charlie had put Sonic's name forward. Admittedly, without asking him! He'd won. By an outstanding majority. Pretty much everyone in the entire Mutant Movement voted for him. Sonic now found himself the leader of a faction he barely knew within a few months of waking of his coma. He wasn't best pleased about it. In fact, given the choice, he would have been the only person in the Mutant Movement not to vote for him.
The people of the Mutant Movement took Sonic to their hearts. Even proclaiming him, King. Sonic spat. He was no King. You had to be born Royal to be made King. Sonic certainly was not. Many said that he had earned the privilege but he disagreed. As far was he was concerned, he was just the hero doing his job! Nothing more. But heavily outnumbered on this issue, he agreed to be addressed at Lordship. It was a lot better then Liege or Highness, titles Sonic felt he just didn't deserve. But now was the time to step up and be what the people of the Mutant Movement had voted him to be. Their Leader.
"Their not going to Processing, Elise!" He said sternly. He had indeed overheard the conversation. Elise frowned. Everyone who enters the Mutant Movement, goes through Processing. Elise was about the argue, but Sonic cut across him. "Their not staying!" He spat. "Their refugees who only here for the Winter, then they are going home." He declared. Elise looked at Sally.
"Your not staying!" He asked stunned. Sally shook her head.
"No." She said calmly. "I have a city to rebuild." She sighed. Though looking around Sally thought of what it would be like to stay but her home was calling. Sonic turned to Elise.
"Get these people to the Great Hall and get them fed. Also organise accommodation for them." He spat again. Elise folded his arms. There was a pause. Sonic them felt slightly embarrassed. "Please!" He added at the end. Elise huffed.
"You do realise the Council of Elders are not going to like this. Us, pouring resources into people who are not going to stay!" He said with a raised eyebrow. Sonic swore very loudly.
"I hate the Council!" He growled. Elise giggled.
"I know!" He smirked. "But they still run the place. It is your job as leader to see that their will is done. You do realise that you'll get called up for this one." He spat. Sonic was still growling. He hovered over Elise, his temper on the edge of exploding.
"I'd like to see them try!" He hissed and with that, he opened his wings very fast and with one very large single flap, powerfully took to the sky and was gone. Elise was left visible shaking. Sally and Bunnie were concerned. He looked at them.
"Big guy, big temper and one extremely short fuse." He stammered. "I really don't want to be on the side of the Council when that argument breaks out." He gulped.
Bunnie looked shocked. No one's temper could be that bad. But Elise read her mind.
"Oh yeah, it is." He said. "Just ask Sky Patrol. They get on the shape side of his temper on a weekly basis." He added. Sally looked scared, so was Bunnie.
"He sounds like a handful." She gasped. Elise giggled again.
"Oh, he is!" He said smoothly. "But despite that.." He admitted. "I'd trust him with my life." He declared. They all looked at each other. Nobody was perfect, least of all, Sonic.
Elise sighed.
"Come on. Let get you all some food!" He gestured. Elise steered them towards the large building at the side of the Central Platform. The Great Hall. Entering through the ground floor entrance, they saw that the entire building was one single room. With one single purpose. A dining room. In front of Sally, at ground level, there were about half a dozen extremely long tables with benches either side. Full of people eating, coming and going. Above them was an identical setup but suspended from the ceiling, designed for flying Mutants. It also allowed for more people to sit in the Great Hall. At one end of the hall was the kitchens where you collected your food. The other end was something far stranger. There was a single table with half a dozen stools, set on a raised platform with it own very large individual entrance. What made them so odd was that this dining suite was four times larger then the standard. They looked like they could have sat giants.
Sally was just about to ask who they were for, when she got her answer. One of them flew in through the large entrance and settled down at the table to eat. The table and stools were a perfect fit for a creature so large. Dragons! Elise laughed.
"Yep, Dragons. His Lordship..." He paused. Saying Lordship was automatic but he realised his guests were not used to that. "Er...Sonic...isn't the only one around here! You'll find him sat up there quite often." He added over the noise of the Great Hall.
Sally stared. She knew this dragon, though she was now a lot bigger then she remembered. Turquoise green in colour except with a light brown belly, head crest, tail crest and wings. Her yellow eyes shone in the sunlight and she was still wearing her nose ring. This dragon was better known for crashing rather then flying. It seemed her skills has improved and Sally very much hadn't forgotten her. Dulcy!
Sally was thrilled that the dragon had made it and wanted to say something but found herself getting steered towards the kitchens. The Great Hall had a high turn-around. Extremely busy. They had to keep moving. The smells from the kitchens were delicious but there was only one thing on offer. Homemade soup and bread. Looking around, everyone had the same, even Dulcy.
Unable to argue, Sally, Bunnie and Elise took their portions and went to look for a seat at ground level. The rest of the refugees from Mobotropolis followed them. They found some seats at the end of one of the table and only when she sat down, did Sally realise how hungry she was.
The food was indeed delicious. Simple but hot, warming and very filling. No wonder the Great Hall was so busy if the food was this good. Her brother had been watching her.
"Yeah." He was saying as they chatted over food. "And it's free!" Bunnie and Sally stared at him. What did he mean 'free'? He continued. "This is all His Lordship's doing." He said again, automatically. "He believed that no one on Mobius or at least in the Mutant Movement should ever go hungry, so he persuaded the Council to set up this place to provide free but simple food to all. Soup and bread, it all they ever serve here. But its really good." He said through a mouthful of bread.
Sally had to agree and yes, setting up this place, was a very Sonic thing to do. Very selfless and very him. She watched the main entrance at ground level where many people coming and going. She saw that nearly everyone who left scanned the back of their left hand at a scanner at the side of the door as they passed. Sally asked her brother why. He smiled.
"The Mutant Movement is a capitalist faction. It runs on Credits." He answered.
Sally and Bunnies were clueless. What are Credits? He held up his own left hand. On the back of it was a large microchip, robotised right into it.
"In here." He said pointing to the microchip. "Is everything about me. My address, medical information, family, job, everything and of course, Credits. If you do a job around here, your paid in Credits, you buy your goods with Credits, you made donations with Credits." Bunnie perked up.
"Its electronic money." She said. Elise nodded.
"Yeah." He said. "And that is what that scanner is over there. Taking donations from those who can afford it. They place their hand with the microchip over the scanner and the system deducts however many Credits they choose." He paused and then added. "But you don't have to, the food is free." He sighed. "Most people do, however." He added. "They don't want this place to shut down. Its far too useful for them if they were to ever fall on hard times." He smiled. Then Sally realised something.
"I'm guessing thats what Processing is, it where they give you that microchip in the back of your hand." She asked. Elise nodded again.
"Yes." He said. "But they also do a full body scan, look at your medical history, family history and background, your mental and physical abilities and put in the most suitable form of work for the greatest benefit to society."
Sally and Bunnie looked at each other. Processing sounded extremely unpleasant.
Elise saw the looks on their faces.
"Actually it not that bad." He said sounding cocky. "They are very good in there. But its why the Council not going to be happy about you not going through Processing. Without you giving something back, the Mutant Movement looses money by keeping you here." He sighed.
To be honest, Sally did feel a little guilty at that but was glad of Sonic's intervention. It wasn't really her problem. But she did foresee an issue. Without going through Processing, Sally and the other refugees had no access to Credits, which meant that they were forced to stay wherever Elise put them and eat here in the Great Hall. They had no choice. It wasn't ideal but it was better then freezing to death in the Mobotropolis. The sooner Sally could get back to her city in the Spring to rebuild it, the better.
As they were finishing and about to leave. There was a huge amount of commotion outside, with what sounded like an explosion not far from the Central Platform. Flames rose from a posh circular building, with a glass dome and very quickly was attended to. Charlie came running into the Great Hall, the leader of the Sky Patrol, the only other Hedgehog on Mobius apart from Sonic.
"Captain Elise!" He heaved. He ran straight towards them, panting heavily. Sally raised an eyebrow at Elise. Captain! Then she realised that Elise was actually second in command to Sonic himself. But Charlie was seriously panicking.
"Captain!" He panted. "He's blown up the Council!" He hissed.
Charlie didn't need to explain who 'he' was or why the Council. Elise was right. Sonic had indeed been called up by the Council of Elders. Elise wasn't surprised at that or at the fact that the resulting argument had ended so violently. Sonic was part Dragon which meant that he could do what all Dragons could do. Breath fire. This had happened before. Usually the Council members were unharmed when Sonic let loose with his flames over a disagreement. So there shouldn't be an issue.
But this time it was different. The look on Charlie face said it all.
"He's going crazy. He's not himself. Something's seriously wrong!" He stammered. Elise stared. Nobody knew Sonic nowadays better then Charlie. Charlie was Sonic's aid. He did everything for him. Cooked for him, kept him clean, dealt with his explosive temper. Everything. As the Mutant Movement's best pilot, he would often keep Sonic entertained with high speed flying challenges. So seeing Charlie so panicked was a serious concern.
Then he arrived. Sonic landed in the centre of the Central Platform with a powerful, almighty bang. His large wings outstretched and tailed tilted. The Platform rapidly emptied of people as everyone could feel the angry in him.
Sonic wasn't just angry. His temper had exploded, flared to the point of no return. He roared and then went on all fours, his teeth bared, claws out and growling so loudly, it vibrated the metallic floor. His eyes were blood red. He no longer had the control anymore.
Elise and Charlie surrounded him, circulating him in opposite directions, desperately trying to calm him. Both were dumbfounded. They had never seen his Lordship in this state before. Yes, he was dangerous but he usually had such superb self-control, even during a huge temper explosion, so that nobody feared him. He had never hurt anyone, despite having the capability of doing so.
This was different. Neither Charlie or Elise had seen those red eyes before, and neither were liking it. This was so out-of-character that they feared someone would get seriously hurt or even killed. But none of them could challenge Sonic. He was just too powerful for any contenders to walk away with their lives.
Sally watched the scene play out. It had an air of familiarity about it. She remembered vaguely of something similar happening in Knothole. When Sonic lost his memory from Snively manipulations and how she bought him back with her...love.
She looked at Sonic. The Mutants surrounded her were desperate. Her own people were also there. She had to protect them and face her own fears of the Blue Blur. Now was the time to find out if her old Sonic, the one she loved six years ago was still inside this reincarnation. She could be killed, but she felt that she had try, for everyone's sake, especially Sonic's.
Sally took a deep breath and walked calmly around the edge of the circle behind her brother. Now facing Sonic, she walk towards him, slowly and gently, to major objections for Charlie and Elise. She shook them off. She had to do this. Sonic wouldn't hurt her. As their eyes met, she knew this to be true, deep in her heart. But how? She didn't know but instinct was driving her forward. She approached him but he didn't move, he just fixed his blood red eyes on her.
Sonic was in an complete mess. The argument with the Council over the refugees had made him loose his temper. Ok, nothing new. But this time he had exploded above and beyond the norm. Something other then him was driving it, forcing him to do it's bidding, and Sonic was screaming inside of himself for help. Like he'd been captured, held prisoner against his will. But he couldn't do anything. He couldn't move anything. It was very much in charge. Anger turned to desperation as he tried to break free of his captor. Then he saw her.
'No!' He screamed inside his head. 'Anything but Sally!' He pleaded. But it wanted blood. It was wanting Sonic to attack Sally as she approached him.
'NO!' Sonic swore to himself. That was not happening. His love for her was far too strong and he fought back with every ounce of strength he had. The end result was, he didn't move. He could see Sally getting closer. He closed his eyes out of absolute fear of the unknown. Then he felt it. Sally's hand touched his forehead. It was like liquid gold. Pure love.
He felt it flow through him from his forehead down to feet, and the tips of his wings and tail. His captor back off, in fact, it completely vanished and Sonic found himself back to normal with a matter of moments, collapsing to the floor. The relief was immense. He came round to find himself in Sally's arms and everyone looking at him.
"What happened?" They asked.
Sonic had to admit, he didn't know, but he never been so frightened in his life. He had never lost control like that before in his life. Sonic was a powerful creature. He had always had been. Ever since his birth. Even before the change six years ago but he never took it for granted. He always prided himself on his exquisite self-control no matter what the situation. Quite simply, if he was to turn, Mobius wouldn't stand a chance. More so, now, then ever.
But this whole incident left Sonic with a problem. The trust he had with his own people was now extremely strained. It would take time to rebuild. Some Mutants were avoiding him, and he was left not knowing what to do. But there was still someone by his side.
Sally!
Seeing Sonic return to her so quickly, proved to Sally that he was still with her. After all these years. He still loved her. But what had tried to take him? They didn't know but together they had a chance of beating it. Their love was stronger. If it came back, they would fight it, and more importantly, Sally wasn't frightened by it.
Even so, Sonic still found himself being dragged away for tests to find the source of what happened. This he did not like at all, but had to agree to keep his people on side.
But the tests proved...inconclusive! They found nothing wrong with him and Sonic himself couldn't explain.
The Mutants were nervous, some were even frightened of him. Sonic hated this more then anything. Desperate, he had to seek advice from the only place he knew.
Uncle Chuck.