Part 7

The secret service skunk paces about in the barracks of the Acorn Palace, going back and forth and mumbling to himself.

"This is bull!" He complains aloud. "There's a crime syndicate running about the land and here we are, sitting around and twiddling our fingers, waiting for his majesty to give us an order. How much longer does that fool think we should wait? Furthermore, why does he think that two of his friends is all it will take to bring them down. For all we know, they could be dead by now!"

"You're right, we should do something." Hershey, a black and white female cat adds. "But if we move without an order we could end up with a charge of treason."

Geoffrey shakes his head. "I don't care anymore, I've served this damned country for years before that damned hedgehog even came into the picture." He states before flopping down into a chair, looking down at an otherwise empty table.

.oO(I still can't believe that the princess married him. What a joke...) He thinks to himself.

"Well then, what shall we do, Geoff?" She asks him.

"I... don't know." He states with a sigh.

A quiet moment passes before the skunk gets up and walks toward the door.

"Where are you going?" The cat asks him as he moves to leave the room.

"Outside to do some thinking." He explains before leaving the room with a slam of the door.

The irritated skunk heads out into the courtyard, looking around to see if anybody else is present before falling down to his knees in the grass.

"I have served my country faithfully, haven't I? Why do I get the feeling I'm going to be replaced?" He asks out to no one to no one before pounding his fists down into the thick grass.

"Damn it! Those brats get all action while I just sit here and fester! Ever since Robotnik did his coup, it's always been Sonic to the rescue and now that the imbecile has taken the throne even he has chosen to do nothing about Mogul or his cohorts... and to make things worse, there are threats looming out there that not even we could face now." Geoffrey continues to go on to nobody in particular with tears forming in his eyes.

"What am I to do now?" He asks a final time to no one, not realizing that the old kitsune was around and had heard everything.

"Perhaps you should give up... or perhaps you should grow stronger and live for a better day." The elder says to him.

"What!?" Geoffrey says shocked that someone was actually around him after all this time. "Wh-what are you talking about... I was just..."

"Your grief is understandable, my friend. The standards have risen and now you feel useless because you are 'just' a Mobian." He states with a tone of concern in his voice.

"Wait, how in the world could you know that?" He states, taking on a serious tone once again.

"I know your thoughts because I can read them." He explains before quickly continuing on. "There's one thing that you do not seem to know... about yourself."

"Okay, stop with the riddles, what are you talking about?" The skunk demands.

"You feel that you're just a Mobian, correct? Let me explain something about your kind. You see, back in the days of the extinction of the overlanders, as you referred to them there were kitsune who felt so deeply for the loss of a fellow sentient creature that they sought to create a new one in its place." The old man explains as he walks a bit closer to the skunk.

"Just what does that have to do with us?" Geoffrey brushes off the statement.

"They are your kind. You see, in the final days of the great apocalypse there were virtually no overlanders left, so in order to maintain the status-quo in your dimension, we had to use the numerous creatures that there were left by the horrific war. The animals..." The elder continues his explanation. "That's how Mobian-kind was born, for you see, in every one of your kind flows kitsune blood. Our genetics were merged with your own in order to create a new sentient being, and not just one type was created, there were many... two or more of nearly all species of life that remained on your planet." The elder states before stopping a few feet from Geoffrey.

"That's nonsense, you're insisting that there's something great in our origin, yet we've been nearly powerless to stop threats before." The skunk retorts quickly.

"You feel powerless because you haven't truly needed your power before, despite the horrors of your own great war, you managed to find a way to get through it all without any kind of divine intervention." The gray many-tailed creature adds.

"Listen, If I had that kind of power I'd certainly know about it." The skunk replies, still skeptical of what he's being told.

"Think of it this way, you've often wondered how your Sonic got his amazing speed capabilities, correct? He simply tapped into his kitsune potential young in his life and was given this amazing gift. Your kind all have such gifts, you just have yet to learn how to tap into them." Genra gives as an example.

"So... if I can do amazing things too... then how can I learn?" He questions, not genuinely curious as to what the kitsune claims.

"The key... is a need. You must believe that the change can happen, want the change to happen and then also need the change in some important way. You, in particular, have both the want and the need, now you must simply believe." He says.

"So I just have to believe that I can become more powerful?" Geoffrey asks as he then tries to focus on believing what he is being told.

"Yes, keep that thought in your mind and relive the desperation your situation causes you. You will become more powerful because you must become more powerful." The kitsune explains further.

Geoffrey begins to remind himself once again of the frustration of feeling unneeded, his jealousy of Sonic and every little thing that bothers him about the state of the country right now. He cringes a bit as he tries to bring it out before suddenly coming back to.

"I... what was that?" He mumbles aloud having just felt something deep in his body.

"You felt it, didn't you? Keep trying and you will be able to bring it to the surface whenever you need it. The rest is up to you now..." The elder states before turning to walk away.

"Wait, I need help... how will I even know when I've managed to summon this power?" Geoffrey asks in a bit of anxious tone.

"You will know, true me. You will feel connected to everything, the trees, the grass you stand upon, your fellow Mobians, even the universe itself. We are all simply made of stardust after all." The kitsune adds before fading away.

"Ridiculous... or is it?" The skunk questions before trying once again, trying once again with all his heart to pull out whatever may be hidden within him. He clenches his teeth and tries focus on everything that kitsune had just told him. It seems like he's getting nowhere before suddenly something catches his attention. A feeling from deep within him explodes out and he suddenly feels a wave of warmth, love, and peace he had not felt for many years all at once.

It was then that the skunk began to relax, reveling in the feeling that now consumed him. He then opened his eyes and is in shock of what he sees. Around his body is a dark pinkish aura and he's literally hovering about an inch off of the ground.

He is then brought back to the moment by what he had just witnessed about himself and feels his feet firmly planting back upon the ground.

"This feeling... it's every bit as beautiful as what he described and I could feel an amazing power within. I felt like I could crush a boulder with my bare hands." He then suddenly bursts out in laughter.

"It's real! Oh yes, Geoffrey St. John is back in business!" He calls out, once again to no one in particular before turning and running back into the building again, this time with a big grin on his face.

Back in the alternate dimension, the four hybrids are relaxing at an outdoor cafe, having just finished a sizable dinner that was gifted to them by a thankful shop owner for help on the clean-up, which is still underway.

"Man, that hit the spot," Duke said before leaning back and giving a big belch.

"Excuse you, mister," Leena comments in disgust.

"Whatever... my name's Duke, by the way." The red-footed ferret replies.

"I'm starting to think our friend doesn't get along with any women." Darrien, the rat swordsman adds to the conversation.

"What? I'll have you know back in my homelands the chicks are all over me!" Duke retorts angrily.

The response just causes Leena to shake her head while Darrien stifles a chuckle with a paw.

"Man, what do you guys know anyway?" The ferret brushes off playfully. "Hey, mister quiet over there... care to share what's on your mind?" He then nudges Tails, who has been silent for quite some time.

"Oh, not much, really... I just feel like there's something else we should be doing right now." The fox replies.

"We could always try to find where the Draconians are hiding." Darrien throws out as an idea.

"Yeah, but we can't exactly follow the ships out into space. Pretty sure our powers don't give us the ability to survive in an airless vacuum." Duke replies.

"He's right if only there was some way to find a vessel that could get us into outer space." Tails states thoughtfully.

"These kitsune, they are an advanced race, correct? Certainly, they have something that could get us into space." The rat swordsman states.

"Hmm, you're right... I bet they do have some kind of space technology." Tails replies with a nod.

"If you Mobians are looking to get out into space, the only way is through the starport, but the use of it is heavily regulated by the council." One kitsune from a nearby table explains to them.

"Huh, somehow I don't think the council is in much of a position to regulate anything," Duke says, looking off in the direction where the tower used to be.

Leena, Tails, Darrien and Duke all look to each other before Tails speaks out.

"Let's go then." The twin-tail states.

It's just then that a powerful aura is sensed closing in on them, causing the hybrids to look up in a bit of a shock as a nine-tailed kitsune comes down from the sky and lands just a few feet from their table. This causes Leena to grab the hilt of her sword and the rest to get a bit tense.

"Is it him?" Darrien questions before receiving the answer.

"No, I am not Zachariah, but I am of the council... I can aid you in what you're looking to do. Normally I would never help a lesser creature, but to see such bravery in trying to intervene in our crisis is commendable. My name is Teshir." The many-tailed creature states.

Duke then suddenly stands up. "Who the hell are you calling a lesser creature!?"

Tails then reaches over to the ferret. "Take it easy, Duke, they're not used to having half-breeds around."

"Still, they're supposed to be the more evolved species and yet they still use labels like that. They don't seem so great to me..." Duke says back to Tails.

"I apologize for my rudeness, it's just the concept of a Mobian interbred with our kind is offensive to some. It's an old-standing myth that only the pure breeds can be truly competent." The older kitsune explains.

"Myth indeed," Leena adds simply.

"I digress, follow me and I shall take you to outer space. I will accompany you, just know that Zachariah is a formidable foe and that he's not the only one which you should be looking out for." The kitsune then recommends before taking off into the air, the hybrids then quickly powering up and taking off after him.

"This other foe that we're supposed to be looking out for... his name wouldn't start with Asell, would it?" Tails asks to the kitsune as he flies up closer to him.

"Asellus, he is the leader of the Draconian fleet in this solar system. His power is amazing, easily as great as the best amongst our kind." The nine-tail explains.

"Why has the council allowed these creatures to run amok? Draconians have even been seen in the Mobian dimension and I've also come to understand that they have been there since ancient times." Tails continues to question their new helper.

"The explanation is a long one, the simplest way to put it to words is that we have a clause of non-intervention. If an event does not directly concern us, we are not allowed to act." The kitsune replies.

"Including in cases where an entire sentient race is eliminated?" Tails adds, referring to the overlanders.

"Sadly, yes," Teshir states with a sigh.

"Why? Why would you let something so unfair dictate your people?" Tails asks in a bit of frustration.

"The law was certainly not my idea. It goes back to the time when our people first landed here on Mobius. It's been widely accepted ever since, believing that we should let natural selection do it's job without interference. To my understanding, it was a law adopted from our home-world."

"So, kitsune are not native to this planet at all. That must have influenced your decision as well. At least one of your kind felt different because we exist." Tails states, looking down at the ground as they fly along.

"A history lesson for another day, perhaps." He says, landing down upon what looks like a landing pad of sorts. He waves the others in and they land down next to him.

"Wait here, I will have them bring a ship up for you." The kitsune says before stepping onto another smaller side platform that seems to simply zap him away.

"What were you and nothing-but-tails talking about earlier?" Duke asks Tails.

"Basically asking him why we are fighting their battle for them." Tails states.

"...and his reply?" The ferret inquires on.

"Essentially if it doesn't involve them, they're not allowed to." The twin-tail replies.

"Uh, their main building just got pulverized. That's about as 'involving them' as it gets." The ferret adds with a smirk.

"That's why he's helping us now." The leopardess, Leena, throws in with a simple observation.

As the hybrids wait for their space ship to arrive, in another part of the kitsune dimension is an odd gathering. The seemingly random female kitsune who was previously seen wearing a bright kimono in the park is meeting up with a shadowy figure.

"Rosemary..." The voice in the darkness says.

"Yes, it is I." The female replies.

"Are things proceeding as planned with your young one?" The masculine hidden voice asks.

"Yes, he is maturing nicely. He still has doubt in his heart but once it is gone, he will be ready." She adds, single tail swaying behind her.

"Excellent..." The hidden male replies.

"He is the one, I'm certain of it. He will become a deity and when he does he will soar amongst the class 10 kitsune." She replies, her single tail suddenly 'unfolding' itself to reveal nine of them.

"Do you still intend on making the... sacrifice?"

"Yes, it may be necessary to awaken his latent powers. I... I haven't been around my boy in so long. Maybe even in a suspended state, I can still aid him. It's time the boy knew of his mother's love." She replies, her eyes looking a bit misty as she speaks.

"Very well... I leave the rest up to you." The masculine voice says before fading.

Meanwhile back in the Mobian dimension, Geoffrey and Hershey are driving amidst the dense forest in one of the secret service utility vans, looking for the famed hideout of Mammoth Mogul.

"The readouts indicate that it's up here somewhere." Geoffrey states, eyeing the gauges as he reads along.

"Let us hope the intel is right or we could be in a major goose chase," Hershey says in reply.

Suddenly the van stops and he motions her out. "We'll go the rest of the way on foot so we don't make too much noise."

"Good idea, Geoff." She replies before following him in tow.

The two hunker down, moving slowly through the foliage before finding their way to their destination, the base where Mammoth Mogul is said to have a hideaway. They slowly approach its grounds, finding a sizable clearing and in the distance, they see where the something indeed once way, but it's in utter ruins.

"What in the... what happened here?" Geoffrey mutters in surprise.

The building and several large trees around it lie in numerous bits scattered about the clearing.

"This place looks like a war zone." Hershey comments.

"I don't see anyone around, let's investigate." The skunk then replies before taking a step into the clearing. Giving another careful glance around before motioning to the feline behind him.

The two then walk up closer to the devastation.

"It's like someone just blew up the place." Hershey states in disbelief.

"This was no bomb... whatever hit this place was more intense than any bomb I've ever seen."

.oO(Could this be the work of one of those strange foxes?) He ponders to himself.

They then make their way inside of the ruined building and looks around a bit bewildered.

"There are no bodies... was this place abandoned?" The female cat calls out to her partner.

"I don't think so," Geoffrey replies before they both hear a noise come from upstairs.

They both look at each other and nod before carefully traversing a broken staircase and making their way up to the room where they thought they heard the noise. As the enter the doorway, they see a bloody mess with only a lone vixen standing with her back to them, Fiona.

"It's you!" Geoffrey calls out as he recognizes his former captor.

"You're too late, I've already taken care of the problem," Fiona speaks to them without looking back.

"Oh my gosh, what have you done?" Hershey calls out.

"It's obvious something horrible happened here, but where are the bodies?" Geoffrey asks the vixen.

"They're gone." She replies, turning around to face them with her hands behind her back.

"No kidding, but what have you done with them!?" Geoffrey asks growing impatient.

"What do you mean? They've been vaporized. I gave them a fitting death." Fiona explains with a shrug.

"Damn you, that's not how we do things in the Acorn Kingdom, you can't just go around killing people even if they are murders!" Geoffrey shouts before pointing to the vixen. "You're coming with us to be held for trial!"

"I don't think so." She replies simply.

"What? You don't have a choice!" He says before aiming his crossbow glove in her direction, causing Hershey to also pull out a gun.

"Tsk, so naive... you actually think you have what it takes to impress your idiotic laws on me," Fiona says with a shrug.

"You're not above the law, put your hands up and get on the ground!" Hershey calls out angrily.

It's then that Fiona's aura begins to show, being surrounded by the expected rippling darkness.

"Go ahead and shoot, I dare you." Fiona taunts them. "You'll find out quickly what happened to the rest of them."

Geoffrey reaches over and puts a hand against Hershey, trying to hold her back unsuccessfully. The feline pushes the hand away and steps forward, taking a few shots at the vixen. The bullet bounces off of her aura, leaving her uninjured and the vixen begins to laugh.

"Your toys are no use against me." She states mockingly.

Hershey then drops her weapon and charges in against the hybrid directly causing Geoffrey to call out to her, but the warning is unheeded. She fights her head on with skilled punches, all of which are blocked with a single hand.

"You're such a typical girl, I don't even need my powers to beat someone weak like you." She says as she arrogantly lets her aura fade back down, still dodging and blocking all of the attacks except for one that finally lands, scraping sharply against the vixen's cheek with the feline's sharp claws.

The vixen recoils a little bit before reaching up and feeling the trickle of blood that leaks from her now scored cheek.

"Haha, using your claws now? Two can play at that game... you may be a cat, but I wager mine are still sharper." She says before re-positioning her bloodied hand, her claws beginning to seethe with the black energy.

Geoffrey realizes what's about to happen and calls out to Hershey once again.

"Hershey, stop!" He says, trying to reach out to her.

The feline then lashes out once again with claws, this time, her blow is quickly stopped and the vixen retorts, lashing out her own down the front of Hershey in one quick motion. This causes the feline to cry out in pain and collapse onto the floor, her arms crossed tightly over her front side as she begins to bleed heavily from the scratches delivered all the way from her stomach to the top of her chest.

"'Told ya." The vixen replies with a smirk.

"Hershey!" Geoffrey calls out as he runs over to her with a concerned expression.

"I... didn't even see what happened..." She says amidst a hiss of piercing pain.

"Stay down, I'll get help." He says to her as the vixen just stands silently.

"So very brittle, I didn't even have to press in much," Fiona calls out mockingly.

The skunk stands back up definitely.

"That's it... you're coming with me even if have to drag you by the tail!" The skunk calls out angrily.

The vixen just shakes her head, shrugging with an indifferent expression.

"And just how do you intend to manage this?" She replies with her own much calmer tone.

"Like this!" Geoffrey retorts before tensing up, his rich pinkish aura surrounding him just like before.

Fiona's jaw drops as she sees what should be a regular Mobian beginning to resonate with kitsune energy.

"How is he doing that?" She mumbles to herself before flaring up her own aura once again.

"What's the matter, are you surprised that someone like me can be like you too?" Geoffrey calls out to her.

"Fine, but you're nowhere near my level, so don't get cocky!" The vixen exclaims.

"We'll see about that," Geoffrey says before launching out in a fast blow to her stomach, grinding his fist in and causing Fiona to cough up and feel her breath leave her.

"I don't particularly like striking gals, but I'll make an exception for one as vulgar as you." The skunk explains as the hybrid staggers back, cradling her stomach.

.oO(His power's really dense, he really might be able to beat me if I don't do something quick) She ponders to herself.

It's then that she puts her palms together and draws them out, drawing out her dark-bladed sword once again. She then swipes it at the skunk in a threatening motion.

"I'm not about to be outdone by some two-bit Mobian." She calls out before making a real attack with the blade, swinging it trying to get him down the middle just like she had done with Hershey, but this time for good. The skunk jumps in and catches her hands before she can swing down, fighting against her strength with his own. The two struggling for dominance before the skunk delivers a heavy blow to her stomach once again, this time with his foot. The blow knocks her back several feet and causes her to lose her grip on the blade, it falling harmlessly to the floor.

She cringes and flips over onto her belly, reaching for her blade once again just to find his foot standing on her hand.

"No, you don't." He says down to her simply.

"You're going to the gulag, I'll make sure they have a special cell ready for you so you can forget about escaping."

The fox cringes and seems to just give in, lying down complacently on the floor.

"Glad you see it my way." He says before whipping out some rope, bringing the hand back to her back. It's then he realizes he has no idea where her other hand is. He soon finds the answer much to his shock as it appears before him in some kind of dark portal, reaching out and grabbing his throat.

"What...the..." He says amidst grunts, trying to breathe and kicks at her body in frustration. This causes her to roll and frees her other hand which now forms a dark ball of energy in her palm.

"I don't think so!" a voice calls out as a gunshot is heard, piercing the forearm of the assailing hand as it stands out, unprotected from the void. Fiona calls out in pain and pulls out her arm from the void and rolls over, cringing as she holds her hand. The cat sits up, her gun back in her hand, panting as she slowly starts to regain control of her pain.

"Damn it, bitch!" She calls out in anger and frustration, eyes closed as she endures the new pain. She finally looks up once again, this time seeing the skunk with the black-bladed sword pointed directly at her throat.

"Enough's enough, come quietly or I'll end you now!" Geoffrey calls out defiantly.

The room goes quiet aside from pants of exhaustion as the skunk holds firm. A moment passes before the spiraling energy previously formed is hurled from her previous hand regardless of the situation, traveling the short distance up into Geoffrey's face, the resulting explosion causing him to get blown back, landing away from both with a harsh thud, his aura fading.

"Dumb-asses, how many times must I tell you. You're not even close to being in my league!" She spits out, trying to get up before ultimately finding the gun of the feline placed directly against her head.

"Let's see you block it from this range." She says defiantly, her front coated in blood but still standing. The vixen clenches her teeth, knowing now that she's defeated for sure, without the density of the energies in her aura to block it, there was no chance she'd survive the shot.

"Okay... I give up..." She says softly before going limp on the floor.

"So eager to spill blood, but not willing to sacrifice your own life." Hershey calls out mockingly to the vixen as she puts her knees firmly against the others back and begins to tie up her hands.

"Not for someone like you." She retorts simply.

Geoffrey wakes up and rubs his hot and aching face from where the blast struck him and groans as he sits up. He opens his eyes again, blinking the blur from them before he sees Hershey atop the still downed vixen.

"Hershey, you did it." He calls out in a bit of amazement.

"Thanks to you, I got the opening I needed." The feline explains with the gun still firmly pressed against the vixen's head.

The two regain their composure and force Fiona out into the opening, her aura having subsided complacently as she tries to figure out a way this predicament. She remains calm despite the situation and goes along with the other two, for now.

They bring her to the van and push her into the back with Hershey staying directly with her, gun still pressed against the others temple to keep her from making any brash escapes. The three then drive back off, heading off to Devil's Gulag where Fiona can hopefully be contained until justice can be served.

The vixen knows very well that she's still far from truly being beaten because she's still alive. Plus, with the man that controlled her for so long being out of the picture, she can finally relax. Perhaps destiny has more in store for her yet.