The Temperament of Julie-Su—An Archie Sonic Story

(Author's Notes) All that lore.

Here we go... Wish me luck!

Chapter 1

"Target sighted. Resuming pursuit."

A maze of trees obstructed the view of her quarry, but it was of little consequence. A beacon tossed neatly onto the cloaked figure's backside transmitted exact coordinates to the metallic dread attached to her pink skull, projecting a holographic radar a foot out ahead. The crown jewel of my time in the Dark Legion, Julie-Su mused in bittersweet nostalgia, as she darted through the dense foliage with double barreled pistol in hand, her purple pomp hairdo bouncing and swaying with each intense movement. She didn't intend to fire as she needed this one alive for questioning later. "I swear...if you're connected to Finitevus-"

A grimace crept across her face and teeth gritted as forced flashes of memory penetrated her thoughts. Her boyfriend becoming a terrifying and ruthless god, that horrible man taunting her with the futility of her struggle, and the sacrifice that was made to stop his nefarious scheme and restore Knuckles to sanity. Fighting back all too familiar tears, the pink echidna steeled herself with discipline earned through that intense training from her upbringing. She had enough of things slipping through her radar and secrets kept from her. Never again.

"Stop!", she bellowed abruptly and the commanding sound of her own voice startled her a bit. However, it did little to halt the pace of the one fleeing from the young echidna. I know I'm getting a little frustrated after everything that went down. Maybe I should take Vector's advice and 'cool it' for a bit. After this mission, perhaps... Julie-Su brought her pistol up to one eye and shouted out once more. "I said...stop! I've got my weapon trained on the small of your back! If you treasure your spine..." Suddenly, they leapt up out of sight, disappearing into the close knit canopy above!

"Oh no, you don't!" An equally cybernetic arm latched onto the bark of a nearby tree and launched her skyward as well. To her dismay, she found no trace of that mysterious...whatever it was. The blip on her radar had also ceased to move and she dropped back down to the forest floor. A sigh escaped her lips as she found the beacon flashing on a nearby bush, cushioned by pitch black fabric. "At least it didn't go without a fight", she chuckled to herself as, with a spin and a flourish, she pocketed the silver device.

"Back to square one."

–

It didn't take Julie-Su long to make her way back to Angel Island. That was where the pursuit began after all. She had caught the black cloaked figure skulking about the old Chaos Chamber that used to be Knuckle's home base. The covering it wore did not bear markings similar to Finitevus's, but there was little who had that kind of fashion sense after Enerjak-

Julie-Su gripped her head as she slammed a fist against a nearby tree as her face twisted with the rawness of that feeling. After Knuckles dealt with the Dark Legion for good. As if by pure chance, a familiar red echidna swooped down nearby, his multi-colored boots landing gently on the grass surrounding the island oak. A deep sigh crept out of him as inquisitive purple eyes scanned her features, probably to see if she had been injured in any way. She made a show of brushing herself off and met his gaze expectantly.

"I thought it was you. I waiting for you to come back after you rushed off." Knuckles pointed outward as the island glided over a nearby mountain range, with that wide forest nestled neatly in the middle, like a verdant oasis in a desert. "Did you get a good look at him?"

"I could have used you as backup..." The words leapt from her throat before she could cut them off. It was a habit of hers that had gained her both ire and admiration.

"You know the Master Emerald takes priority, especially now." He paused for a moment to weigh his words before continuing, almost as if he sensed the tension now growing. "Besides, it looked like you had things handled, Julie."

She could feel her fists tensing up, but now was not the time for a "discussion". Tossing the fabric to Knuckles with a swift underhand, she coldly stated, "Look familiar?"

He eyed it cautiously and felt the texture of the fabric, "It's obviously not Dark Legion, or else you wouldn't be asking me." A brief, tense moment passed as a flock of birds flew through the air, with a ray of sunlight peering up from the forced horizon of Angel Island. The pink echidna eyed the other one with breathless curiosity, then sudden shock as his eyes lit up and nearly dropped the cloth where he stood! "This is...from Haven!"

–

Haven... The hidden base of the Brotherhood of Guardians, where Knuckles descendants secretly kept watch over the denizens of Angel Island for thousands of years. A specter of its former self, which used to be a veritable treasure trove of technology and tomes locked away safely from the discerning eye. Presently, it had become all too familiar to the wide world of Mobius and through an eventful couple of years, fell to the Dark Legion twice in quick succession. Once under the guiding hand of Dimitri, and again through the actions of Julie-Su's red-headed older sister, Lien-Da and...him.

Dr. Finitevus, a scheming man caught between the forces of chaos and lure of machinery, who had nearly brought the world to it's knees, promising it only a future of green emerald fire to raze it to the ground. Julie-Su regrettably had come to know him all too well in recent days. If anyone had interest in both the ruins of Haven and the Chaos Chambers, it would be that bespectacled white echidna for sure!

–

"I wouldn't be surprised if it was one of Finitevus's minions at this point. That creepy jerk has got contingencies upon contingencies. I'll round up the Chaotix and-" A single gloved hand with two prominent spikes rose up with open palm to greet Julie-Su, stopping her rant short.

"No. Don't get them involved. I think you should let this go too." A pained expression on his face told her all she needed to know.

"Knuckles, you know I can't do that. The things he did to you, he can't keep getting away with this!" That same white hand came to rest upon her shoulder as the young man gazed into her eyes as a dull frown crept across his features.

"I know how you feel. Trust me. But, I can't risk losing you now. He knows how to hurt me, Julie-Su..." She instinctively reached out to grasp his shaking hand from his shoulder and brought her own body in to meet his in an embrace. He returned the gesture and she could feel his quaking frame under all that muscle.

"Look, you're doing enough to put on a brave face for the others. I can take care of myself, okay? Dark Legionnaire's honor." She knew that would put a smile on his face. A little black humor never hurt anyone, after all. "Listen. The moment I get in too deep, I'll get a hold of both the Chaotix and the Freedom Fighters. Is that enough support, darling?"

"Just...be careful out there, Julie. You just got me back. Don't push your luck out there." A peck on his cheek was his reward. She loved to see him blush, even when the situation was dire, and she smugly grinned at the newly thawed red echidna as she twirled her pistol playfully between her fingers.

"Careful...? It's my enemies that should be watching their back, Knuckles!"