SONIC HEROES: THE SERIES
Chapter Seventy-Eight: Clouded Future, Part 1
The scene opens to a full moon night in the high mountains that overlooked the sanctuary of Silver Valley. The mountains were naturally a good place when someone wanted an unobstructed view and the source of the purest water in the world. Unfortunately, the current matter accounted for neither of them. A blurred object rushed past one of the peaks with a second, much larger, blur followed behind. The first creature skidded to a halt as she nearly fell over the edge of a cliff. The creature was a dark-yellow mongoose female with shoulder length purple hair. She wears a thickening black top with green strips on the shoulders, dirt-brown hiking shorts, a pair of teal elbow-length gloves, and green boots with yellow laces.
"Ok, I think I took a wrong turn at the last peak." The mongoose mumbled.
"Oh, but I think things are finally going my way." A second, stronger voice stated.
The mongoose girl stiffened, yet looked irritable as she turned on her heels. The larger creature that had followed her through the mountains landed with a heavy thud, mostly due to the weapon resting on his shoulders. The man was a large sapphire-blue shark with a yellow scar over his left eye. He wore a black coat with white flames at the hood, cuffs, and hem, matching black boots and gloves, and a green ring on his right thumb. His weapon was an oddity itself: a large cleaving blade formed from red scales with razor teeth resting on the edge. The mongoose girl raised her fists for protection as the shark stabbed his blade into the ground.
"You've been quite the nuisance, Mina." The shark said playfully. "But I think this chase has dragged out long enough."
"Actually..." Mina smirked. "I'd say the chase is only starting."
"Aren't you a bit overconfident?" Kuanga sniggered, releasing his hold of the strange blade. "But I know your weaknesses, Mina. You're helpless in environments without plant life."
"Look around you, meat breath." Mina said confidently. "We're in a mountain with suitable oxygen levels and the perfect height for sunlight. You wouldn't think there would be any plant thriving in this valley."
"Damn." The shark hissed.
Obviously threatened by her worlds, the shark warrior kicked at the broadside of his blade, tossing it to the air. As her opponent reached for his weapon, Mina clapped her hands together. From this action, green neon markings appeared around her body and her eyes transformed from violet to emerald green. The glowing mongoose raised her hands to the sky, summoning a jungle of vines jumping from the rock. The slithering plants managed to capture the shark around his limbs and around his chest, but the swordsman proved to be a formidable foe. The vine snapped from the strength of their prey, catching Mina off guard. The aquatic swordsman swiped his blade across Mina's chest, but not deep enough to actually cut her skin. The glowing mongoose staggered backwards in shock, unintentionally falling backwards over the cliff. With a sharp gasp, the shark swordsman reached for the girl, but his hand fell a few feet short. He watched as the mongoose plummeted into the fissure below – her glow faded.
"Ooh, that's not good." The shark groaned.
"Allowed her to slip by again, Kuanga." A cool voice called.
The shark, now known as Kuanga, flinched at the voice and hesitantly stared over his shoulder. His gaze instantly fell upon a crimson-red bat with a familiar white crescent on his forehead. He wore a similar attire to Kuanga, but refused to don the gloves and boots to show off his claws and wore a white ring on his right middle finger.
"I tried to catch her, Terro." Kuanga sputtered. "She slipped and..."
"She's not dead, Kuanga." Terro interrupted. "She is still alive somewhere in this valley. I'm sure you could smell her blood from this distance."
"If she is alive, yes." Kuanga nodded. "But we don't have much time. The leader is expecting us to return my sundown tomorrow."
"Then we'll have to finish by then." Terro responded.
The scene alternates to the lower region of Silver Valley during the evening. Our sight transfers to a glistening blue lake surrounded by a thriving forest. The peace loving animals would either graze on the plentiful grass or jump from branch to branch for a meeting with their friends. But our attention focuses on a different group of animals. Amy Rose led Rouge, Knuckles, and Sonic through the cluttered trees and stopped at the edge of the crystal lake. As Rouge took in the sights, Sonic and Knuckles could only see the truckload of supplies their girlfriend/fiancé forced them to carry.
"Oh, it's so beautiful." Amy said cheerfully. "I told you this would be the perfect spot for a picnic."
"You could have made the trip a little shorter." Rouge said irritably while polishing her nails. "I'm tired just thinking about it."
"You're tired!" Knuckles exclaimed. "We're the ones that had to carry you all the way up here!"
"And you did a good job, Knuckie." Rouge said flirtatiously.
"How exactly did they manage to trick us into this trip?" Sonic questioned.
"They didn't trick us." Knuckles answered bluntly. "Amy threatened to kill us if we did go."
"Oh yeah." Sonic nodded dimly.
After taking a few minutes to set up, the small group of heroes spent the rest of their time enjoying themselves. With Nazo and Eggman attacking more often than usual, it was nice to spend an evening to relax and not worry about the world's problems. For the first time, Rouge didn't mind getting dirty as she sat in the grass, listening to the wind blow through the trees. Knuckles decided to take up fishing near the lake and caught a number of fish. But he always threw them back – he only did the activity to relax. Meanwhile, Sonic and Amy spent most of their time together to talk about their life and what to do after Nazo was defeated. But when they reached the subject on children, Sonic quickly took up bird watching. Overall, it was a peaceful afternoon.
"You know, it's been a long time since we've been like this." Sonic commented. He was lying back on the blanket to watch the clouds. "Just sitting around without having to save the world. We should do this more often."
"With Nazo still around, that isn't likely to happen." Knuckles grumbled.
"Aw, stop such a sourpuss, knucklehead." Rouge shook.
"I know that we'll take out Nazo." Amy responded certainly. "Because the power of good will always triumph over evil!"
"She's been reading to many fairy tales." Knuckles mumbled. He lurched forward slightly when his fishing pole gave a heavy tug. "Whoa, this is a big one!"
"It's not another rock, is it?" Rouge grimaced, rubbing the bump on her forehead.
"No way!" Knuckles shouted, struggling to keep his place. "This is way too big to be a rock! I think I hit the mother of all fish!"
Even Sonic couldn't resist glancing at the struggling echidna. Knuckles was revered as one of the strongest in the world and it was unusual to show signs of resistance. The hot-blooded echidna jumped down from the rock he was sitting on and pressed his foot against it to keep himself from falling forward. And with one mighty tug, the prey was ripped from the lake and sent flying into the air – Knuckles fell backwards on his head. And the next thing Sonic knew, he was crushed beneath the weight of an unknown object relatively close to his size. He pushed the creature off and stared. The mongoose girl from the mountains was lying unconscious on the ground with Knuckle's fishing hook attached to the back of her shirt.
"Whoa, what happened to her?" Rouge asked curiously. "Is she even still alive?"
"Well, she's breathing properly." Knuckles answered while removing his hook. "She must have been tangled in the water plants hidden at the bottom of the lake. That would explain why it was so difficult to get her out."
"Where'd she come from?" Amy asked.
"My guess would be the mountains." Knuckles responded. "She must have fallen off somewhere in the heart of the canyon and fallen into the river. But even from a fall like that, it's a miracle she didn't suffer any injury."
"Maybe she..." Sonic began before the mongoose groaned. "Hold up, I think she's coming to."
The four heroes hung over the unknown female in anticipation. As the mongoose girl rolled over onto her back, she covered her eyes as the sunlight pierced her gaze. When she regained her focus, Mina found it a bit unusual to wake up with four random creatures staring at her like a turtle on its back. Her eyes traveled from Knuckles, Rouge, and Amy – she felt disturbed at their closeness – but stopped when she discovered Sonic. Only a split second passed before the mongoose girl jumped on the hedgehog hero, attempting to hug him to death.
"Rush, you're here!" Mina shouted joyfully. "I knew you would come looking for me eventually!"
"Hey – get off – me!" Sonic grunted, attempting to push her away.
"Who do you think you are, hussy?!" Amy screamed, summoning her hammer in a puff of smoke. "Get you sleazy hands off my boyfriend!"
"Now, Amy, is that necessary?" Rouge asked nervously.
"Who are you calling sleazy, tramp." Mina countered – the heroes stiffened in fear. "This little blue hedgehog is my boyfriend. And if you want to take him, you'll have to come get him."
Sonic finally managed to break free. He, along with Knuckles and Rouge, scrambled backwards towards the rock hidden around the lake. It was considered suicide to talk back against Amy and this girl was as good as dead. The rosette hedgehog dashed forward at breakneck speed, swinging her hammer around with her monstrous strength. Against all odds, Mina managed to calculate her swings and skipped overhead – Amy collapsed a large pine. Upon landing, the mongoose girl swung her leg around and slammed her heel into the hedgehog's cheek – the heroes gasped in shock. Next to Nazo and Kumori, no one had even been brave or stupid enough to attack Amy. The rosy rascal was also surprised by this new development while wiping away the blood that escaped from her maw.
"You know, you're really impressive" Mina commented.
"You just got one lucky shot." Amy spat, raising her hammer above her head. "You won't be so lucky this time."
"I'll believe it when I see it." Mina sniggered.
Unfortunately, she wasn't able to see it. Before the arrogant mongoose could even blink, Amy zipped across the clearing and slammed her hammer into her chest. Mina was thoroughly surprised by the assault and did nothing to soften her crash against the wall of trees. Groaning from her new injury, Mina slowly sat herself up against the large pine, but he rest was short-lived. The mongoose girl was forced to grab the bark of the tree and flipped backwards up the trunk as Amy continued with another lethal blow. Mina growled spitefully at the pink hedgehog and jumped directly overhead – the two females tumbled over one another. Meanwhile, the rest of the group was cowardly observing the match in safety.
This is crazy." Knuckles mumbled silently. "We have to put a stop to this."
"Wait!" Sonic exclaimed, throwing out his hand to stop the echidna. "Not just yet."
"What are you..." Knuckles said slow before realization came to him. "Ooh, I get it."
"Men..." Rouge muttered disgustedly.
Meanwhile, the fight between the two females did not appear become any closer to an end. Mina gained the advantage by pushing Amy below her, but the rosy hedgehog kicked her overhead. She summoned her signature Piko-Piko Hammer to her hand and raised the colossal weapon before swing it downwards. The light mongoose barely jumped back in time and jumped on the head of the hammer, thrusting her foot directly for Amy's forehead. But before she could reach her intended target, the rosette female twisted around faster than normal and slammed her hammer into Mina's ribs. The mongoose swore she could hear two of her bones snapping. She was tossed over the grass, stumbled over a cluster of rocks and crashed upside-down against one of the towering pines. Mina slumped to the ground, noticing Amy standing over her with a menacing glare.
"Now you will stay away from my boyfriend." Amy growled.
"You are only deluding yourself." Mina mumbled. "A strong warrior like him would never be interested in a worthless tramp like you."
Everyone who noticed the massive vein in Amy's forehead would cower at her presence. Even Sonic and the others, who were a great distance away, jumped into the lake. The enraged hedgehog raised her hammer, which somehow grew twice its normal size, and brought it down with all her rage and fury. But when she wasn't looking, the neon marks appeared over Mina's face. The hammer collided against its target with an echoing thud. It was an unusual prospect that even drew the attention of the cowering heroes. Amy stare in shock when she realized her intended target was covered in a suit of fine polished wood.
"What in the...?" Amy gasped as she stepped backwards.
"Surprised?" Mina laughed humorously; her voice mixed with another. "This prove how much he and I have in common. I have these special powers and you have your little toy hammer."
"No, it only proves how much of a freak you are!" Amy snapped.
"Don't call me that!" Mina screamed furiously; Amy jumped back in surprise. "Don't you dare call me a freak!"
Mina anger seemed to flow through the plants that surrounded her – even the trees began to shudder. Against the creeks of the forest pines and the rush of the flowing waters, Amy was to preoccupied to notice another attacker. Then without warning, a pair of vines snapped from the nearest brush and constricted around her ankles. Amy was swiftly thrusted upside-down into the air, giving her audience an unobstructed view under her dress – Sonic did nothing to stop the nosebleed. The pink hedgehog pushed up her dress in embarrassment while not bothering to worry about her opponent. Mina, still protected by her Elm Armor, reshaped her hand into the form a large spiral spear around her arm. The mongoose warrior commanded the vines to lower her target with a single wave – her quills brushed against the ground. It was only when Sonic realized that Mina was attacking with her spiral spear did he break into action. At the last minute, the blue hero shattered the wooden spear with his right foot and pressed his heal into the mongoose's cheek under her armor. While Mina skidded across the grass with her face while Amy dropped safely into Sonic's arms.
"Oh, thanks, Sonic!" Amy shouted happily, nuzzling into Sonic's chest.
"Hey, it was nothing." Sonic said embarrassingly as he set Amy to the ground. He felt a painful thump on the back of his head and looked to his right, where Mina was raising her fist to his head. "Yow! What was that for?!"
"What was that for?!" Mina screamed, kicking at Sonic's shin. "You've got some nerve attacking a lady, Rush!"
"Rush?" Sonic repeated painfully. "Who's Rush? My name is Sonic the Hedgehog?"
"Who?" Mina asked confused.
"You've never heard of Sonic?" Amy asked amazingly.
"No, but he looks almost exactly like Rush." Mina answered.
"So this is just a case of mistaken identity." Knuckles said bravely after finally leaving his hiding spot. "But since this was all a minor misunderstanding, we can put this all behind us......right?"
Amy and Mina glared at one another with intense fury – you could feel the heat resonating from them. Though acting as if they would rather be farther away from each other, the duo females reluctantly shook hand with each other. Judging by the equal winces of pain on their expression, it seemed like they were try to crush each other's fingers. Rouge and Sonic forced the two to separate and gently asked them to take a seat on the blanket. When Knuckles offered the mongoose girl some food, he nearly lost his hand – she told them that she hadn't eaten in several days. The group of five enjoyed a semi-peaceful meal that was only troubled by the occasional glares between the females. It was Rouge who was brave enough to start up a conversation.
"So...who are you?" She asked.
"The name's Mina Mongoose." Mina answered shortly.
"I'm Rouge the Bat." Rouge replied helpfully. "And you've already met Sonic, Knuckles, and Amy."
"What are you doing all the way out here?" Knuckles questioned. "Aren't your parents worried."
"I doubt it." Mina murmured sadly. "They were the one that gave me up in the first place."
"What?!" Amy exclaimed, sounding genuinely sorry. "But that isn't right. What kind of heartless monsters would just willingly abandon their own child?!"
"You saw what I can do." Mina grimaced as she stared at the withering plants to her right. She waved her hand over the flowers, which revived a moment later. "I have powers no one else does. Because I can use these powers, I am a freak of nature, a monster to my people. My parents were ashamed to have a demon daughter and left me behind."
"Hey, you're not that different." Sonic stated pointedly. "I have super speed, Shadow in nearly-immortal, and knucklehead has nearly limitless strength. Being different means your just special."
"Rush told me the same thing." Mina smiled. "It's amazing how much you two are alike."
"So, what exactly are you doing in Silver Valley?" Amy questioned.
"I was trying to escape from some people." Mina answered.
"From who?" Sonic asked.
Before the mongoose girl could answer, a series of scrapping noises emerged from the depths of the forest. Mina, who somehow recognized the noise, grabbed the heroes at once and jumped into the lake. And not a moment too soon. A shower of red scales sliced through the mass of trunks and shredded the peaceful picnic the heroes had hoped to enjoy. The heroes had dragged themselves onto the shore when they witnessed the assault and watched astounded as they flew backwards. Kuanga the Shark appeared at the edge of the new clearing, holding a handle, with Terro at his side. The aquatic warrior held out the handle, calling the scales to reform his sword.
"Them." Mina answered.
"You have eluded us long enough, Mina." Terro said coolly. "Now, you will come quietly."
"Fat chance of that happening!" Knuckles roared, jumping in front with his fists raised. "If you want to get to her, you'll have to go through us!"
"Sounds like a challenge." Kuanga grinned deviously, turning to his partner. "Can I enjoy a few minutes with them."
"You've already had your fun, Terro stated coldly; Kuanga growled in irritancy.
"Who are these guys?" Sonic asked silently to Mina.
"They are called Terro and Kuanga." Mina informed, never taking her eyes away from the duo. "They are part of an organization called the Hakumei. Each One is assigned to capture a certain person and Kuanga is the one sent to track me down."
"I've never even heard of the Hakumei." Rouge stated strangely. "And I know every underground organization. Why would they be interested in kidnapping kids."
"Because of the Chaos Sparks." Terro answered aloud; his ears allowed him to hear their conversation.
"Chas Sparks?" Sonic repeated. "That sounds like something Nazo would make up."
"You're close." Kuanga chuckled.
"Since we know you cannot defeat us, I believe you deserve an explanation." Terro said in a drawling voice. " You see, the reason you do not know of the Hakumei's existence is because it hasn't been formed yet. The Hakumei won't make themselves known to the world for another twenty years."
"Twenty years?!" Amy exclaimed in shock. "You mean, you're from the future?!"
"Mina as well." Kuanga nodded; Mina lowered her eyes. "The reason the Hakumei are kidnapping people is because they contain thirteen special creatures called Chaos Sparks. They are dragons formed from pure energy and control a separate element. When they were first released into the world, they created mayhem and destruction at every turn."
"So what happened?" Knuckles questioned.
"You, Shadow, Blue, Tikal, and Sonic contained them into thirteen separate bodies." Terro continued. "That was the objective of the Hakumei: to collect the thirteen Sparks and control their powers."
"Well, you won't succeed this time!" Amy said defiantly, summoning her hammer. "you can't take us all on!"
"You have come this far, yet you understand nothing." Terro shook. "With the Chaos Sparks, we will revolutionize a new era."
"I'm tired of talking!" Knuckles roared impatiently. "It's time to fight!"
Despite the warning of his friends, Knuckles charged ahead with namesakes raised. Kuanga edged himself to fight, but his partner held a hand to keep him back. The crimson bat sighed, closing his eyes, and stepped forward. Knuckles glared at the bat with hatred, but something seemed to prevent him from attacking with full force. Unfortunately, that was the last of his worries. The Hakumei member snapped open his eyes and attacked Knuckles with the signature of his tribe.
"Kuasagan!!"
The trials of past and future collide. Can the heroes prevent Mina from being captured? Will Terro and Kuanga succeed in their mission? And will Knuckles survive the encounter of the most power technique in existence? Find out on the next Sonic Heroes!
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