...Your mom!
Characters (C) Respective Owners
Ch. 13: Cannon
Whap. Whap. Whap. Ugh, something kept hitting me in the face. Groggily, I found myself in my own bed. My Ark was next to me. Instictively, I placed it on my wrist. Rodrigo had one of the Arks, while we had three.
"Hey, kiddo," a voice said. Storm was leaning over my bed, smiling down at me.
"What happened?" I asked, shaking my head.
"Well, what Boss said was that Cannon guy released something off his Ark before vanishing, and I found you, Boss, and Wave in the boss' office." Storm paced for a few seconds, chuckling. "Heck, you guys had me worried!"
Smiling, I flew over to Storm, landing on his shoulders. "So, you okay?"
"Hm?"
"Uh, about that whole Strea-"
"Yeah, I'm fine," he answered, all too quickly. His eyes lowered to the floor in a feeble attempt to cover up his pain. Grinning once more, Storm asked if I wanted some lunch.
Well, duh! Storm and I downed a quick lunch before noticing that the other Babylon Rogues weren't there. Finding a note, it read that Jet and Wave went on a date while Kiba decided to go annoy the Wolf Gang, especially Carnage. So, Storm and I decided to just go fly around on our Extreme Gear for a while. Storm made sure that he was carrying the red Ark we stole on him.
I thought that maybe Storm would like a little reunion with Vector so I escorted him over to Sadako's well. Screaming her name several times only resulted in ripples in the water. I glanced over my shoulder, noticing Storm was trying to sneak away.
"Hey! Get over here, ya big lummax!" I shouted, grabbing his arm.
"Let go of me!" he cried, trying to pry me off.
"But I want-"
"I can never get a moment's peace, can I?" Sadako quipped, her head popping up from the well. Her hair, once again matted, parted so we could see her normal ebony eye. "Oh, it's..."
"Charmy," I greeted. "Nice to see you again, Sadako!"
"Indeed." She glanced over to Storm, who looked completely spooked. "And the albatross is...?"
I pushed him towards the he-she. "Storm, meet Sadako. Sadako, Storm."
Shyly, the albatross outstretched his hand as Sadako shook it only once. She gestured inside, grabbing me and ordering Storm to follow. Glancing back at Storm, she told him to not get lost. With those parting words, Sadako dove gracefully back into the water and swam through the rough waters. She glanced behind, noticing Storm struggle to follow. He just wasn't used to the current. Throwing me into her "home", she snatched Storm and tossed him inside.
Hacking up water, Storm snarled at Sadako. "J-just what was that for?"
Not replying, Sadako sat over towards her chair and began to watch commercials of soap operas. Glaring back at Storm, she noticed that he didn't waver when she affected her death eye. Finally submitting, she apologized with a tone that couldn't care less.
Satisfied, Storm called over to me, but I was too busy talking to Vector to care. Bewildered at the sudden appearance of my former leader, Storm cried out and fell over. Pointing a shaky finger at Vector, he stuttered incomprehensibly.
The crocodile burst into laughter. Patting Storm on the head, he gently socked him on the shoulder. "Storm! Man, old buddy old pal of mine, I haven't seen you in ages! How you been holdin' up?"
Flustered, Storm stood up and gave a weary laugh. "P-pretty good, Vector. Wow! I really can't believe you're alive!"
"Actually, I'm an angel. God lets me hang around here, so long as I don't screw with time."
Storm scratched his head, but they resumed chatting. Junior high days, street fights, Gear races pitting themselves against each other, and then they just started to wrestle to see who was the strongest.
Sadako told me I could visit whenever I liked, but than her face grew grim. Cranning her head at the television, she snatched the remote and pressed a few buttons. On the screen showed Cannon the Falcon.
Cannon was in a field, calmly collecting vegetables from a nearby garden. With a serene appearance, I noticed that he had the purple Ark of the Cosmos on his wrist. Wondering where he stolen it, the screen suddenly changed to that of a small vortex in the middle of the scene. No warning whatsoever, Sadako snatched my wing and just threw in me into the vortex.
Screaming, I flew out of the vortex and rolled into the field of vegetables. Rolling my eyes to back of my head, I flopped onto my stomach. Man, could that he-she throw! Fluttering up weakly, I groaned, holding my throbbing head.
"Excuse me, are you okay?" Cannon asked, kneeling down next to me.
Gasping, I crawled away from him backwards. Eyeing his Ark, I noticed that his eyelids looked incredibly heavy, and the fact that he was wearing a kimono. In his hand was a basket filled with carrots and tomatoes and other veggies.
Grasping my shoulder, Cannon smiled gently towards me. "You've had quite the fall. Let me get that bruise."
"Bruise?" I repeated. Cannon poked my shoulder, making me wince. Indeed there was a bruise there. "Whoa! You're right!"
Catiously, the falcon rubbed what appeared to be vegetable oil on my shoulder. Shuddering at his rough, yet soothing touch, I wormed myself away. Cannon seemed interested in me, so he just sat next to me, offering...corn?
"Um, no thanks," I said, feeling completely uncomfortable. "Gotta split, bye!"
"Wait, Charmy!" He grabbed my stinger, dragging me down. He rubbed my back, making a faint blush creep on my face. "I was wondering on something..."
"Uh, what?"
"Do you...have someone precious to you?"
That question made me freeze. Precious? To me? I paused, sitting up straight. I could feel Cannon's eyes inspect every portion of my petite body. Pictures of the Babylon Rogues invaded my mind, Team Chaotix with Mighty and Ray, the Sonic Heroes, the Wolf Tribe with Armand and Team Screw-Ups, and Team Virtex without Raine.
And than came Raine, but there was Cream with her. Why was she there?
Cannon pressed a finger to my forehead. "Do you know the old saying: A man only has one important thing to him?"
"No," I replied, cocking my head to the side. Feeling as though I answered incorrectly, I quickly covered up with, "So! Who is the one that's most precious to you, Cannon?"
His eyes clouded softly. I stared at him for a few seconds, getting lost in his eyes. Flushed, I squirmed away. He wasn't replying, but decided to eat a carrot. Once again, he offered one to me, but I declined. If he had candy, well, that was a whole new story.
After a few minutes of awkward, well, it was peculair to me! Anyway, in strange silence, Cannon smiled widely and exhaled deeply. "My master and lord, Rodrigo."
"But why? He's pure evil!"
Instead of replying, Cannon just glanced towards his crops. Standing up, he decided to tend to them, sweetly telling them how lovely they had grown. I watched him in quiet awe as Cannon treated his veggies as though they were his children. It was strange to see a guy treat food that way. And I'm not dissing women! It's just...creepy to see how motherly he was.
Cannon asked for my assistance. So, I just yanked weeds out while he planted more seeds and added some fertilizer. Humid air suddenly blasted around me, making me sweat profusively. Shade suddenly appeared over my head. Staring up, it was Cannon holding a parasol over my head, shielding both of us.
"It certainly is hot for the end of spring, right?" Cannon asked casually, staring off into the distance.
Nodding silently, I stared at his feet than towards the Ark on his wrist. It was ripe for the taking. As a thief, I should've had no problem doing to old "snatch and grab", but something inside of me made me just stand there and stare into the distance with Cannon.
Cannon pointed out. In the sky was darkened clouds, appearing to be a thunderstorm. Guess what? I was right. In just a few seconds did a perfectly, lovely day turn into a horrendous one with sticky rain and aggrivating lightning. Defensively, Cannon scooped me up in one arm and fled into a small hut nearby his field.
The thought of an underling, no the leader of Rodrigo's supposed "army", helping me just confused me. The hut, on the brighter side, was similar in shape of my old home the Chaotix Detective Agency. Small couch, small coffee table, small rugs. Everything was proportioned as small. Cannon asked me to sit on the couch, and I obeyed.
Maybe Cannon was different. I don't know, but he seemed...pleasant, to say the least. Cannon handed me a cup of milk, while he sipped tea. I slurped it down, suddenly thirsty. Glancing over to the falcon, he had the glazed look in his eyes. Waving my hand in his face didn't bring him back to reality. So, I fluttered into the kitchen, grabbed two pots, positioned myself on his lap, and than...
BANG BANG BAAAANG! "Wakey wakey, eggs and bacon! Um, baky! No, how'd you say? BACKY! That was lame..." I said, making Cannon jolt.
Leaping a good five foot or so, Cannon spit out his tea and gagged on the rest. A change from his usually composed self, Cannon glared maliciously onto me. Venom coated his eyes as a glint from his opal nearly blinded me. Sighing, he reluctantly got to his feet and brushed off the offending dirt from his head feathers. They were in a ponytail, but with four protruding ones in front of his forehead above the opal.
Cannon's eyes changed back, and he glanced down at his shattered tea cup. Collecting the pieces, he glanced back over his shoulder and carefully chucked the cup away. Before I had a chance to laugh or even apologize, Cannon smiled warmly at me.
I backed away, somewhat afraid. "Why are you caring for me? I was the one that killed Rodrigo two years ago!"
"It is because...you have turmoil in your heart, exactly like the master," he whispered, petting my attenae. Grinning, he asked once again, "You have not answered my question: Who is most precious to you?"
"...I dunno."
Seemingly dissapointed in my blank response, Cannon raised his Ark and sighed. "Then...I guess we have nothing more to discuss. Gravity Control!"
An instant later, after being enveloped in a black light, I was back with Sadako, Storm and Vector. Storm was freaking out over my sudden dissapearance and hugged me to that I turned blue. Vector hugged me, and I turned purple. Sadako didn't seem to care at all. I glared at her, demanding to know why she transported me to Cannon.
Not replying, she pointed at the television where Cannon just stood there. He was staring directly at me. Mouthing some words, I couldn't decipher what he was saying. Subtitles appeared on the screen: The Wolf Tribe is next with Team Screw-Ups.
"We gotta help them!" Vector shouted.
"But you can only stay here, right?" Storm asked, staring at him while scratching his head.
The crocodile bowed his head shyly. "Y-yeah..."
"Why can't he come with us?" I whined, staring at him than to Sadako.
Sadako snarled at me, changing the channel to her soap opera hour. "Just shut up, brat. He's dead, and only people that venture into my well can visit him." Suddenly, a vibration came onto her screen, reading that anyone watched her Cursed Videotape. "Vector!"
Vector threw her a cell phone.
"...Seven days," she whispered deviously while the person on the other end screamed like a little girl. Hanging up, she sighed heftily. "Everyone just loves to scream into my undead ears."
Rolling his eyes, Vector quipped with disgust, "I would scream at ya too, if someone was giving me a deadline to live."
"Silence, crocodile, or I'll distort your face so horribly that even Rodrigo would scream!"
Storm, finally aggrivated with the ugly dispute, shouted, "Hey! We gonna go help those guys or what?"
"You two can," Vector mumbled.
Grabbing Storm's hand, I shouted my goodbyes and told Sadako to screw. Storm swam up the current with me in his arm, and we appeared over the well's edge. Snatching our Extreme Gear, we made a mad dash to the Wolf Tribe's hideout.
At the Wolf Tribe's hideout, far in the Mystic Ruins, Dawg was a nano-second away from smashing Carnage in the face. As was Whip, whom held a frying pan underneath the desk they were sitting at. Goby, however, was making light of situation. The dragon boy was having a staring contest with a blue wolf named Mendino.
Whip's ear twitched quickly, and he stood up rather slowly. Carnage noticed the gesture and shouted for his tribe to follow. Mendigo blinked, and Goby giggled as he realized he won.
"Is something the matter, Wit?" Carnage asked.
"It's Whip, and I just heard some strange rapping from outside..." he replied, a tinge of annoyance from the fact that Carnage didn't even know his name yet.
"Really? I don't hear-," Psycho interjected, scratching his head.
At that precise moment, a horde of bird-like demons invaded the base. The demons had horns and talons, and their beaks with yellow that paled against their snow white bodies. Beady black eyes that matched their ebony talons and sharp beaks. Lunging at top speed, which was about a quarter of Sonic's, they struck several awestruck wolves.
Carnage snarled, kicking a robot straight in the chest. "Everybody, stay calm! We know what to do. MENDINGO! Run around and scream like a women!"
"Can do!" Mendingo saluted the leader of the tribe and literally began to run and scream like a women. He kind or sounded like Vector, as well...
"PSYCHO! Get ready to be used as a human/wolf shield!"
"Up yours!" Psycho shouted as he clawed through the demons.
Carnage, aggrivated by his subordinate's insufferable behavior, he stormed through the demons and screamed, "ARMAND! Kick ass at will!"
At that moment, Carnage dragged Armand from a...closet? Yes, it was a closet. Apparantly, so that Armand would remain as his slave, Carnage knocked the poor guy out while they were in the black cloud. Hey, he got free food and bathroom privileges. I wouldn't complain!
Armand sighed and charged up his lazer watch. "Yes sir...Jeez..."
"Good ma-" Before Carnage got to add the "n" in "man", Mendingo ran over him, who was still running and screaming.
Psycho was punched into a wall. Wiping off his lower lip, the wolf leaped over the demons and snatched their skulls, smashing them together rather cartoonishly. He backed into Armand. Both was back to back at using simple martial arts to destroy the demons.
"You doing okay?" Psycho asked as he punched a demon in the face.
"Ugh, just fine," Armand replied, kicking another in the shoulder. "Your end?"
"Wonderful," he quipped, his voice oozing with sarcasm.
With Team Screw-Ups, Whip and Dawg were tag-teaming against the demons while Goby lured the demons into walls. Whip lifted Dawg into the air, not using his eyes, and twirled around. During this, Dawg was smashing the demons with his powerful kicking skills. However, it left Whip completely defenseless and he was slashed square in the chest. Gasping, Whip dropped Dawg and fell to his knees, holding his bleeding chest.
"Whump!" Carnage shouted, finally getting to his feet.
At that moment, Cannon appeared and the demons ceased their fighting. The demons cowered back to their leader's side. The falcon had the look he had one when I first met eyes with him: Malice. He glanced over to Mendingo and raised his Ark. Mendingo hovered in the air, slowly losing breathe. Chucking him out the window, he glared down at Carnage whom struggled to stand.
"Pawns," he whispered heartlessly. "You are all just pawns in a great war game."
"You punk!" Armand cried, aiming his lazer at him.
Cannon dissapeared in a wave of darkness and appeared behind Armand and Psycho. Chopping both on their jugulars, they gasped before falling unconsious. Cannon sighed, rubbing the brillant violent glow of his Ark. His face darkened once he saw how wounded Whip was.
Goby stood in front of Whip and Dawg, glaring at Cannon. "Don't harm them!"
"Why?" he asked, cocking his head to the side.
"They're my best friends! They're precious to me!"
"Precious? Precious! A person can only have a sole person that is precious!" Cannon screamed, hysterically. "My Lord Rodrigo will make you all suffer! He shall create an utopia that is filled with nothing, but his rule. Babylon will be his, so will this world. Everyone shall bow to him!"
"You're wrong!" Dawg shouted back. "People can have more than one thing or person that is precious to them!"
Pausing, he stared at the rapid blood Whip was losing. He dissapeared and reappeared back byside Whip. Whip squeaked, nervously inching away. Cannon raised his hand, and his opal started to glow. He groaned, pressing his hand gently against his chest. A few seconds later, a blue light plummetted on Whip's chest, and the wounds were gone as if they never existed.
Shaken, Whip murmured, "Uh, thanks...I guess."
It was at that moment that Storm and I blasted in on our Extreme Gear. Storm placed Psycho and Armand together on a couch. He paused, noticing how much they were cuddling into each other. The albatross shuddered, thinking of what their kids would look like.
It was at that moment that Kiba Sniper was bricked several times by Josky and SuperGamerGreg79.
I glanced over at Cannon. He seemed shocked that I even arrived. However, he glared at the Arks Storm and I wore. Snapping his fingers, he ordered his troops to fall back. The demons seemed to fear me. Maybe it was because I killed their Rodrigo once upon a time?
"Cannon!" I shouted just as he was about to leave. "A person can have many precious people to them! Don't you care about Stream or Sarge?"
"...No, I don't. All I do is for Lord Rodrigo." With those intoxicating words, he departed in a puff of smoke from his Ark. The demons vanished along with him.
"What a freak," Storm observed, staring at the smoke he left behind.
Carnage nodded. "Whap! You okay?"
"FOR THE LAST TIME! MY-NAME-IS-WHIP!" 'Whip' screamed, punching Carnage's lights out.
Goby chuckled at the rabbit's behavior before noticing that Mendingo was still screaming like a little girl. He stared at him while the wolf gasped for breathe. It was at that moment that Dawg punched him in the face.
--
To pull a Babylon Sky Hawk: Here's today's questions! What's wrong with Cannon? Will Sadako kill the person she called in Seven Days? Who is the most precious to Charmy? Will Armand and Psycho have babies? (The answer to that last one is NO. If yes, those two would kill me...)
Next: Invasion from the Demons