ORIGINS - CHAPTER IV
Nicky and Mina came to a stop in the town park. Nicky had gone slower than preferred so his friend could keep up, but it still tired him out. Thanks to years of pretending to be incapable of running and rarely getting the chance to do so unseen, his muscles weren't as conditioned for long term activity as he would have liked. But it seemed he was going to have to change that quickly.
Unlike their home, this town had no damage at all. It shouldn't, the robot army hadn't arrived here yet.
"Okay, we're on another island with no easy way back home. We've got thirty power rings and one big emerald. The rings can help us if we get tired and the emerald gives us some leverage over these robots if the first three are anything to go by." Mina stated. "Where do we go next?"
Nicky put a hand on his chin. "We've got to find a way back home. Dad taught me a few things about flying but the other guy has missiles."
"That means no boat either." Mina thought out loud, then snapped her fingers. "Wait, maybe I can use a ring to warp us back home."
Nicky smiled. "That would work. But we need to get back to the pole and use it before anyone can stop us."
Mina smiled teasingly. "What, not fast enough to do it?"
Nicky chuckled. "Okay, now once we're back on South Island we have to find where this Robotnik guy is taking everyone. But where would be big enough to hold everyone?"
Mina thought it over. "Spring Yard? The marble ruins? One of his ships?"
"I think one of his ships is more likely." Nicky claimed. "But how do we get there without being noticed?"
"Could you run so fast that no one could see you get there?" Mina suggested.
"No, I've never been able to run that fast before. I don't even know if I can go that fast." The hedgehog replied. "What if we follow some robots and just stay in the blind spots?"
Mina shook her head. "There's too many. We'd never stay hidden for long."
"Well other than that, the only option I can think of is letting ourselves be captured and taken. And I think we both don't want that."
Mina frowned in a cute way then sighed. "Fine, let's follow and keep a sharp eye. But first, let's go back home."
"HELP!"
The sudden yell made the two kids hide behind a tree. There was the sound of running followed by someone falling to the ground and sounding hurt, then the sound of people laughing. Nicky and Mina peeked around the tree and saw three young fox mobians, two of which were red while the third was more yellow-orange. The yellow-orange fox was on the ground, covered in dirt and looking hurt with the two red foxes around him laughing. One of them put their foot on his head, not stomping but clearly preventing him from getting up, and the other one started pulling on the downed boy's tails.
Wait… tails?
"Do you see what I see?" Mina asked, rubbing her eyes.
Nicky frowned. "Yeah, I do."
Right away Nicky ran out to the foxes, and before they could blink both red foxes were shoved into the dirt themselves. They yelped in surprise and pain, rolling on their stomachs grimacing and clutching themselves.
Free to do so, the yellow-orange fox looked up, seeing the back of a blue hedgehog standing by him. Almost protectively. Before he could ask anything, the blue hedgehog turned and helped him back on his feet.
"You okay?"
"Uhh… yeah?" The fox replied. "Who are you?"
"I'm…" Nicky started, but stopped. This was a chance to make a good first impression, and he wanted to try and make it a noble one. "Call me Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog."
"What the hell?!" One of the red foxes demanded, trying to get up while holding his stomach.
"What did we ever do to you punk?" The other red fox asked, getting up as well.
"I don't like bullies." Nicky replied.
Mina came up next to him, standing by his side looking tough. "Same here."
The two red foxes tried to look tough, but they still stepped back. They were roughly the same age as Nicky and Mina, so they couldn't look bigger and tougher. In the end, they both turned tail and ran.
"Thank you." The yellow-orange fox said to his rescuers. "My name is Miles, but everyone calls me Tails. You can probably see why." He showed off his dual appendages.
"I'm Mina and this is-"
"Sonic the Hedgehog. I remember." Tails interjected. "Say, is there anything I can do for you two?"
"You wouldn't happen to have a way for us to get to South Island unseen would you?" Nicky asked, expecting a solid no.
Tails blinked. "Actually, I think I do. Follow me."
Confused, the two let the fox lead them away. He ended up bringing them to a building on the coast that looked like a lab. With a pier and a few boats.
"Seriously, what are the odds that we help out someone who owns a marina?" Mina asked.
"Oh this isn't a marina. This is an oceanic lab." Tails corrected, then knocked on a door before opening it anyway and holding it open. "Doc, it's me."
"Come on in Miles." A voice called from within.
Tails invited the two to enter with him. Inside they saw some computers and machinery along with what looked like a submarine suspended from the ceiling. Diagrams covered the walls for all things, including the submarine and other machines the kids didn't recognize.
"Does that work?" Mina asked, pointing to the submarine. "That would be perfect for getting where we need to go."
Nicky grimaced and stepped back.
Sitting at a desk typing something in, there was a brown lynx mobian whose fur was starting to go grey. He wore a white lab coat and black boots. He swiveled his chair and got up. "You brought company Miles?"
"Yeah Doc, these guys saved me from some bullies." Tails admitted, flicking his tails a bit.
The lynx looked to the hedgehog and mongoose. "Well thank you two for doing that. I'm Dr. Ellidy, and you already know Miles. What brings you here?"
"We need to get to South Island, preferably without being seen." Mina answered.
Ellidy and Tails looked at each other with the fox shrugging. "Why do you need to get there?" Ellidy asked.
"It's our home but we were forced off it and we need to get back." Nicky told them.
"And we need to get people off it too." Mina added. "The island is under attack, and there are still people trapped there. We need to rescue whoever we can."
"Kids, that's a noble thought, but there's likely nothing you can do." Ellidy replied.
Nicky folded his arms. "If you had family on that island, what would you do?"
Ellidy swallowed and looked like he wanted to shed a tear. He looked towards a desk, and a framed photo on it that the kids couldn't see too well. "If my daughter was there, I'd be thinking the exact same thing you're thinking right now."
"Then take us there. We just want to get the people we care about out of danger." Mina pleaded.
Ellidy sighed and rubbed his temples. "I must be out of my mind… but it's what she would have wanted. Alright, but the submarine can't hold a lot of people. You'll have to find your own way off the island."
Nicky and Mina nodded, certain that won't be a problem. If they could get Jules free, he could fly some people off the island. And if that wasn't enough, surely someone had a boat, right?
Traveling undersea was not a comfortable experience for Nicky. He kept tapping his foot and fidgeting, doing anything except looking out the windows of the submarine. Mina sat by him trying to comfort him while Ellidy piloted the vessel and Tails assisted.
"How much longer?" The young hedgehog asked.
Ellidy groaned. "I told you that this isn't a fast machine. It's built for exploration, not rush jobs."
Nicky moaned and held his head like he had a headache.
"I think we're coming up on something Doc." Tails warned.
"What is it?" The old lynx asked, looking towards the monitor his young companion was looking at.
"Sonar says it's big and mobile and slow. Really big. I have no idea what it is."
Ellidy moved and peered through a periscope to get a better view. His ears shot up in surprise before he backed away, then he rubbed his eyes and looked in again.
"Oh, that explains it."
"Explains what?" All three kids asked.
"Don't worry about it. We're in the clear, but I think it's time to get close to the surface now. Slowly that is, I'll keep an eye out for anything above the water."
Cautious, Tails directed the submarine to ascend until the periscope peaked above the water.
"Good news, the coast seems clear, and in this case literally." Ellidy told them with a little mirth. "Prepare to surface and dock Tails."
Tails did as told and with some guidance from the old man, the submarine was docked by the shore.
"So glad to be back on land." Nicky said as he stood on the grass of South Island.
"Where are we?" Mina asked, looking around but not recognizing this area. She had only been to the beach once and this wasn't it.
"Western shore, at least the side that was western this time. Geography on this island is odd." Ellidy answered, securing the vessel with several ropes along with Tails' help.
"What do you mean?" Nicky asked.
"Oh, are you kids unaware? South Island is a moving island." Ellidy replied.
"Yeah we know that. Everyone here does." Mina said.
One of the wonders of the world was the fact that South Island traversed the Pacific Ocean. It would go from the western side of Northamer to the eastern side of Yurashia and back to the northwest of Soumerca in a counter-clockwise pattern, following no current.
"Okay, but that means directions like north, south, east, and west are relative here. Right now we're on the west side of the island but this side doesn't stay west. At some point it will become north, then east, then south and west again. So compasses are important to have if you don't know how to navigate by landmarks."
"So how do we get home?" Nicky asked.
"You don't. You find where the captives are being taken to. Odds are that place isn't your home."
Nicky sighed and tapped his foot for a moment, then looked around. Then he rushed towards the tallest tree he could see and ran up in, spiraling around to keep momentum before stopping on the highest branch that could support his weight.
"Nicky?!" Mina called, worried he would fall.
Almost just as quickly, Nicky came down. "I couldn't see anything, except what looked like smoke that way." He pointed behind himself. "No idea what's making it, but I don't think it's good."
"No robots or big planes flying around?" Mina asked.
Nicky shook his head. "No, not at all. I wonder why."
"Maybe they found what they're looking for?" Tails suggested.
"I thought they were looking for this." Mina said, confused, taking out the chaos emerald.
Ellidy blinked and eyed the jewel. "Where did you get that?"
"I found it and gave it to her." Nicky answered, feeling defensive. Why was everyone so interested in this emerald? Sure it was big, but there were lots of chaos emeralds around. This one belonged to Mina, and he wasn't going to let someone take it from her.
"Do you know what it is?" Mina asked.
"Yes, I do. But it's not important right now. Instead focus on finding the people you came here for."
Nicky and Mina nodded and put away the emerald.
"Thanks to you both. We can take it from here." Nicky said.
"You're going without us?" Tails asked, surprised and sounding a little hurt.
"You can't keep up with me. I've also got to get home for something. Could you two get to the docks and maybe get a boat or something ready that we can use to get everyone else away from here?"
"Yes I believe we can do that." Ellidy replied, putting a hand on the fox's shoulder. "Come now Miles, let's focus on ensuring that their rescue mission will not be for naught."
Tails nodded reluctantly, then Mina got on Nicky's back and he took off in a rush. With one look back at the departers, he joined Ellidy in getting back into the submarine and submerging. Now they just had to find a dock.
Nicky's suburban neighborhood was a sight for sore eyes, a place he never thought he'd be so happy to see again. But at the same time, there was a grave sense of wrongness in the air. And there should be, the place was vacant and several of the houses looked wrecked, almost demolished.
Nicky's house wasn't much better, it looked like something had tried to burn it but the fire didn't spread too far. The majority was still standing but the damage had been done and it would take a lot of work for it to be comfortably inhabitable again. The sight of it made Nicky shed a couple of tears which he wiped away.
"I'll wait out here." Mina offered, sensing that this was a personal moment that her friend needed by himself. If it was her house she'd feel the same way.
"No, there could still be robots out here. Don't put yourself in danger." He insisted, lightly tugging her arm to follow him inside. She did not protest.
Nicky went inside, seeing not too much damage except smoke and fire related. There were a couple of tire marks on the floor, suggesting something had come inside at some point to look around. But he didn't stop to stick around and look, instead he went upstairs.
The first place he went was his parent's room. The fire damage seemed to be the worst here, but at least everything was still standing. Nicky went to the closet and tried to open it, the door having a hard time moving, until he spun around against it tearing the door apart.
"What are you looking for?" Mina asked. She had expected him to go to his room and grab some personal items, maybe some of his sibling's things too.
Nicky moved some of the clothes and a small shelf inside to reveal a concealed door inside the closet, which he opened. Inside was a box the size of a suitcase covered in black velvet.
"Mom said that inside this box is a family heirloom, something that's been passed down for a long time. She said if we were ever in life-threatening danger, what's inside could save us." Nicky explained, taking the box out and dusting it off. "I think now counts as a good time to use it, don't you?"
Mina nodded. "What's inside?"
"Let's find out."
Nicky opened it, inside were seven trinkets that looked like they were made out of white crystal. Gold chains were attached to each, implying they could be worn, and each had a unique shape,
"I don't get it, how could a bunch of necklaces save anyone?" Mina asked, gently touching one to see what it felt like. The texture was like polished marble. "Hey, these look like musical instruments."
"Really?" Nicky asked, not having seen them in a long time, not since his mother told him that they existed.
"Yeah, this one looks like a guitar, this one's a keyboard, this one I think is a drum set, that one's a horn, that one's a violin or cello, and I think this one is a microphone. But this ring, I don't know what instrument it's supposed to be."
"Well, Mom said these are important so I need to make sure whoever's controlling those robots doesn't get them." Nicky insisted, closing the box. "I better get some stuff for my siblings too. Then we'll get to your house."
"And then what?" Mina asked.
Nicky cracked his knuckles. "Then we're going to free our families and get them away from here."
Mina was scared, but she nodded. They came this far together, they couldn't stop now.
The two packed up other things from the house, remembering to keep it light. Enough to fit into two child-sized backpacks while Nicky carried the velvet box. Ready, the two carefully but quickly made a move to Mina's house so she could do the same. The trip showed them all the damage caused by the invading robots.
"There's no way insurance is going to cover all of this." Nicky muttered along the way.
"Robots, up ahead." Mina warned.
The two took cover and looked down the road. They could see all sorts of robots tear apart cars and houses piece by piece, with some other robots taking the materials away. None of them noticed the kids.
"What are they doing?" Mina asked.
"Maybe they're looking for parts to make more robots out of." Nicky suggested.
"Just what we need, more." Mina groaned.
The two quietly moved around the commotion, and sadly had to do it more than once, but eventually they made it back to the mongoose's home. The damage there was worse than the hedgehog's home had been, honestly it would have been better to demolish the place and rebuild than salvage the building.
Mina walked in and saw everything she knew was gone. Everything was damaged, even the fridge was on its side with the contents spilling out, including her birthday cake. There was a present for her on the table still wrapped up and waiting for her.
"Happy birthday to me." The young mongoose said somberly before heading upstairs. Nicky chose to gather her gift and any food that hadn't spoiled yet.
Mina's room was mostly gone, all she could really gather from it was some clothes and a notebook of some lyrics she had been trying to write. After she got what she could, she paused for a moment to let herself quietly cry.
Having gotten that out of her system, she wiped her eyes and went back downstairs where Nicky was waiting. "What now? We can't carry this stuff around and go rescue everyone at the same time."
Nicky nodded. "Let's hide it in the Tornado. That should be a safe place. And when we free everyone, Dad can fly us to where the others are."
"But the Tornado is half-ruined and could only hold the three of us." Mina objected.
"He's got other planes. And Tails and Dr. Ellidy can get the rest. It's the only option we have."
Not seeing any other choice, Mina nodded and the two left.
"Sir, some of the drones are reporting two civilians lurking around the residential area."
"A few people escaping the capturing process was inevitable, Snively. Nothing to worry about, the badniks will catch them sooner or later." Robotnik replied, sitting in a chair having some coffee made the way he liked it.
"The drones say these are children, and they appear to be looking for something." Snively insisted.
"Probably their missing parents." Robotnik waved off, then a gleam came to his eyes. "Hmm… perhaps we should let them find them."
Nicky and Mina had a peaceful albeit tense trip into the woods outside of town. Once the coast looked clear they sped up, eager to put the robots and wrecked town behind them. There were no signs of damage or danger out here, but there was something just as unsettling.
There were no animals in the woods.
"Why is this the creepiest part?" Mina asked nervously, looking around hoping to see or hear something other than herself and her friend.
"Well if something tries to sneak up on us we'll hear them coming from a mile away." Nicky assured her.
"Nicky you're getting tired. We've been moving around for hours and you're trying not to limp. We're both tired, so maybe we should just stop and rest."
"I can keep going." The hedgehog insisted.
Sighing, Mina sat down and leaned against a tree. "I can't."
Looking at her for a moment, Nicky resigned himself to doing the same next to her. As soon as he was down on the ground, he sighed in relief and stretched his legs.
"Yeah you needed to rest too Nicky. Fast on your feet means nothing if your legs give out."
"Heh, since when do I argue with you?" Nicky remarked, making her smile. "I'm sorry that your birthday sucked."
"It's not your fault. Besides, the one good thing about this is no one gets to go to Robotropolis now."
"And unless we stop this Robotnik guy, no one will be safe going there again." Nicky added.
"You don't mean us specifically, right?" Mina asked. "We're just kids, we can't fight a war."
"Oh of course. We're getting our families but once they're safe we'll all go somewhere to wait this stupid war out until we can come back home. Then when we're older, we'll go see the world. You'll be a famous singer and I'll…"
Nicky rubbed his chin and looked to the sky.
"I don't know. Honestly, I just want to be allowed to run and not be told to pretend to be slow anymore. I never thought about what job I'd have."
"Well, you're welcome to come on tour with me you know." Mina offered, turning away so he wouldn't see her blush.
"You mean be a groupie?"
"Or part of the band. I mean, your mother has musical amulets. Music must run in your family."
Nicky smiled. "Maybe I could be on guitar."
"HELP!"
Both kids jumped and looked up, seeing what looked like a mechanical bird carry away someone struggling to escape. Judging from the paths, they had found this person in town and were taking them towards the other side of the forest.
"Should we follow?" Mina asked.
"Yeah, it's our best chance at finding where everyone's been taken." Nicky responded.
With a nod, the two gave chase, being sure to stay behind the flying robot and not draw attention to themselves. The chase took them out of the woods and away from the mountain as well as the city.
"I think it's heading to the docks." Mina warned.
"Tails and Dr. Ellidy could be there." Nicky added.
"But why the docks? Didn't everything come here in flying ships?" Mina asked.
"I don't know, but that's where the robots are going, so we're going there."
Mina tripped on a rock, which hurt more considering the speed she was running at. Nicky immediately turned and helped her recover.
"You okay?"
"No, my legs and feet hurt from running so much, and now the rest of my body hurts. I don't think I can keep running today." The mongoose groaned.
A few more robots flew overhead, heading the same direction.
"I've got an idea." Nicky said, grabbing some rocks and throwing them at the robot. They missed, but two of the bird drones noticed the projectiles and immediately calculated their origin. They found the kids and swooped down, extending claws like grappling hooks and ensnared them both, taking them into the sky and flying off.
"No way, you?" Nicky asked, seeing who was trapped there with him.
"Oh great, now I've got to be stuck with you." Anton moaned. The other bird robot had Mina and Tommy.
"This just is not my day." Nicky sighed.