Chapter 2: Childhood's End

December 15, 3241 2509 hours (1215 UST)

Invos City, Tribute

Epsilon Eridani system

Over one hundred thousand years later...

Sally Acorn walked the streets of Invos City nearly alone. This late at night, there were few people in the street, all of them choosing to keep to themselves. She glanced up into the sky, letting a few raindrops strike her face as the storm that had drenched the city several hours earlier decided to move on. In the sky, she could barely make out a few stars, but she could clearly see the two moons of the planet. The largest, Dakom, was big, almost considered to be part of a binary system, but still small enough that it was slave to Tribute's gravity. The second one, Palolim, was a rock about eighteen hundred kilometers in diameter. The latter was practically right in front of the former. It was a strange thing to see them placed almost perfectly together. Epsilon Eridani on the opposite side of the planet, so both moons were full.

Sally passed a bar that celebrated such an event. She has been here only a few weeks, but she was able to pick up some of their culture. Some of what Antoine told her before she came here helped. The people thought that any day where both the moons were full was one of partying. The bars in particular were evident of this. One sign she saw had scrawled in chalk, 'Two Full Moons, Two For the Price of One – Any Drink!'

She had to suppress a smile as she saw such businesses booming even at the late hour. She enjoyed seeing these people. The Humans and the way they lived. It wasn't all that much different than her homeworld, but there was always something different. The way they moved, the way they talked, and the way they looked at her with curiosity from time to time.

Sally could pass for a Human at a distance, but as soon as they glanced at her face, the illusion was broken. She could so easily be seen as one of them, but not at the same time. She had thought about this occasionally over the last few years. She had loved a Human once. Now he was gone forever. She was also two years a mother, but very rarely could see her child. Another woman raised him to spare her the 'shame' of bringing up a half-breed. Her little boy was two years old by now.

Sally crossed onto Formico Street. There were few people here as well. Her ears perked to see a Mobian sitting on a bench glancing out at the street. He was a middle aged canine with glasses on his nose. A cigarette dangled from his mouth as he looked down at his phone. Her people were far more spread now than ever before, both in Earth's universe and her home.

She didn't often think of these mechanics as crossing from one to the other was remarkably easy enough to take for granted. It had been about eight years since the UNSC first made contact with the Kingdom by accident.

But it wasn't the Mobian she needed to see. It was someone else. She glanced around looking for a bus stop which she believed was on this street in particular. It wasn't long until she found it less than half a block away. Three people were standing at it, two Humans, and one of the alien races of this universe, a Gallvente. The lanky alien with two sets of eyes and arms looked up and down the road waiting for transport. She ignored him and went to stand next to one of the Humans who wore a long coat and a flat cap. He needed a shave too. He stood a head and a half above Sally, who herself was five foot two.

"Excuse me?" she asked politely.

The man looked at her as soon as she spoke. His eyes were lined and seemed sunken behind his glasses. A soul patch was the only indication of order in the sea of chaos that was his facial hair. "Yeah? What do you want?"

Sally cleared her throat. She had a very specific question for him. "Are you waiting for the bus?"

The man shifted his eyes around. "Uh... yeah. Yeah I am waiting for the bus." He said this as if she had asked an obvious question. The man was obviously tired and didn't want to be bothered for long.

"It wouldn't happen to be the 21 bus?"

The man's demeanor relaxed at once. "Uh, no. This is the 18 line."

"Oh, my mistake." Sally apologized quickly. "Do you have a map I can borrow?"

The other Human, an older lady, rolled her eyes at the exchange. The Gallvente kept looking up and down the road.

"No, but you're welcome to wait." the man said, the anger disappearing quickly.

"Thank you." Sally said. She remained standing next to him and patiently stood, glancing only once to her watch. It was set for Earth time, not the 27 hour day that Tribute experienced.

"You're early." the man said out of the corner of his mouth, "I expected you to be here a half hour from now."

"I got lucky with the landing time." she responded in a whisper. "What's the situation here?"

"Playing with fire." the man responded. "ONI's convinced that one of these wackos is set up in this city. If we move fast enough we can whisk him away before they get any funny ideas."

"Any backup?"

"Local police forces are aware of the mission and will back us up once we give them the signal. A simple signal that a few lookouts are keeping an eye open for."

"Is the bus coming at all?" the older woman asked.

"Should be around the corner, ma'am." the man responded.

"It's cold tonight."

"That it is, ma'am." he nodded, not looking at her.

"Do we know much about the target?"

"Mobian." the man responded. "Male, age 37 years. The name's Morton. We're fairly certain he's an otter."

"How certain?"

"85 percent. Here's the bus."

A pair of lights rounded the corner of the street and pulled onto the block. The bus slowly rolled up to the stop. It, like the rest of the city at this hour, had barely anybody on it. Maybe ten passengers at the most. It hissed to a stop and opened its doors.

"This is the green line. Bound for Petey Station, Roscoe Street, Claraben Boulevard, and Rockswell Place! Fee is two credits!"

Sally fished into her pockets and drew out a set of coins used by the Humans. They were small and compact, each with a simple number engraved into it. She pulled a two credit coin out. A grim looking man faced one side, and a constellation on the other. She slid it into the slot of the vehicle and went aboard. The man did the same, as did the other passengers at the stop. Sally took a set halfway back of the bus. The man she had been speaking to sat two rows ahead of her and on the opposite side of the aisle.

She knew he wasn't just a man though. Agent Jake Brascow was the man she had been expecting to see out here. Brascow was an Office of Naval Intelligence officer that had been investigating whispers of what had been called The Dark Legion. She insisted on going. As it turned out, she had been extremely bored with going back to a regular life. Things just hadn't been the same since Frederic had been born. It was almost as if they wanted to get rid of her forever. She refused to sit and just leave things the way they were out there. She was aware she was putting herself into danger, but she had been doing that ever since she was a child.

Brascow was there not only to serve as a contact, but to protect her as well. ONI was well aware of how the Princess was doing nowadays. The pair remained seated until they came to the third stop on the line – Claraben Boulevard. This was one of the largest roads in the city, and the part they were in was farther away from the core. Here, things began to look a little run down. Brascow pulled on the stop line. The bus coasted to the side of the road and opened its doors. Brascow and Sally left together and walked North along the road. Traffic was somewhat heavier here. Cars occasionally came up and down the road.

"Are you armed?" Brascow asked.

"Yes." Sally said. She had her revolver on her.

"Good. This has the potential to get ugly."

"I thought we were just talking to somebody."

"We are. We may also need to persuade them."

"Typical ONI – explaining things at the last minute."

"Not now, Acorn." Brascow growled. "If we don't have a show of force, they may gun us down. Here we are." they turned down an alley. It was dimly lit, with one flickering light near the opposite end. A van was parked on the right. A hobo stood by a dumpster fire on the left.

"Say, say you guys got a credit or two?" he grinned, showing off shockingly white teeth.

"Jeebs. It's Brascow."

The hobo's smile disappeared. "You could have said something."

"Sorry. We're running a bit early. Ready to go?"

"Yeah, just let me get my stuff together." the hobo reached under the bumper of the van and pulled out a shotgun. He also pulled a set of shells from the wheel well and inserted them into the receiver. He racked the slide and moved forward.

"Even the hobos work for ONI?" Sally asked, both amused and shocked.

"Hide in plain sight, ma'am." Jeebs chuckled. "They're in here." He pointed to a padlocked door. The hobo bashed the lock with the butt of his shotgun. The chain snapped after a few strikes. The trio silently slid inside. Sally reached into her jacket and pulled the .357 revolver out of its holster. She thumbed the safety on the revolver and held it steady. Ahead, the passageway went down a few flights of stairs. She scanned the hallway as she descended. Brascow pulled out his own weapon, a heavy pistol wth a protruding and curved magazine. It was a scary looking thing with a red dot sight clipped on the top and even an extendable stock. It was more of a carbine than a handgun.

The stairway continued for many more flights until they reached the bottom. Jeebs seemed rather unusual with tattered clothing, a military grade pumpgun, and movements that clearly showed he was more than he appeared to be – namely an ONI commando who seemingly watched the streets of Invos city under the guise of a bum.

At the base of the stairs there was another door. Sally guessed that it was locked but did not touch the handle. There was no need to alert whoever was inside. Brascow however held up his wrist. A small computer was strapped to his arm that he held up to the door. Something flashed across his eyes and he said, "One target inside."

"He's alone?" Sally asked.

"Unless he has backup in thermal protection." Brascow said. "He has no idea we're out here. The door's clean too. Going to breach it with a popper though."

A popper was a small explosive device used by breach teams to blow out a lock and handle to allow a breach and clear maneuver. It didn't have the same explosive force as a breaching charge, but it could be directed towards the lock. Once that was out of the way, they could get inside and question their target.

Brascow pulled out the putty like explosive. He placed it around the lock and handle and gingerly folded it into place. He then placed a micro transceiver in the substance, and pressed a button on his arm-mounted. The electrical signal was sent to the bomb which generated a charge. This charge was enough to tear atoms apart, forcing the popper to explode. In terms of a bomb, it was pretty quiet; barely 120 decibels. The force though was enough to blow the lock to smithereens and shoot the handle on the opposite side into the room. Brascow kicked the door in and entered the room. Sally followed, and lastly Jeebs with the shotgun. They all stopped.

A Mobian stared back at them, completely dumbstruck. He was sitting at a desk fiddling with metal components on a table. He wore a sweatshirt, and simple trousers. Slippers covered his feet. In the background, they could hear Franz Schubert's 'Ave Maria' playing. It was only then that Sally recognized the otter was cleaning several assault rifles.

"What..." the Mobian said.

"You've gotta be fucking kidding." Jeebs said in exasperation. "Really?"

The Mobian raised what looked like a drill. It could have been a gun. Sally shot wide on purpose. Her .357 barking as a round spiraled past the man's ear. The Mobian dropped the gun, hand shaking. Jeebs came forward in a run around the table and grabbed the man's hand before he could do anything else.

"Step away from the rifles!"

"Hey, what the hell are you doing man?! Who are you?"

"Shut up!" Jeebs said. "I said get the fuck away from the guns!"

"I've got permits man! Those are legal rifles!" the Mobian was forced into the chair, was kicked away from the table, and immdietely put under armed guard.

"Brascow, check the rooms."

"You better have a fucking warrant, you son of a bitch!" the Mobian said. Jeebs wound up and knocked the man in the head with the stock.

"We're ONI. Warrants are just a hassle. Hell, we aren't even here. You're just having a bad dream."

"Fascist Human son of a bitch!"

"That's a little funny coming from a terrorist! How's Julian nowadays?"

"I want a lawyer!"

Brascow pulled Sally aside. "I found something."

Sally kept the gun out but followed Brascow. The third verse of Schubert's song was beginning as they came to what was a bedroom. A simple bed stood in the corner. With ragged sheets, clothes and beer bottles were tossed about, and above the bed was a simple flag. It was red and black. On it was the stylized face of a man she would never forget. The face of the man who single handedly cast her family down and destroyed all they created. She pulled the flag off the wall and returned to the place where Jeebs held the Mobian at the end of a barrel.

"What's this?" Sally asked holding out the flag.

The otter realized he was caught but said nothing. He stared at the floor in shame.

"You traitorous little cockroach." Sally said casting the flag to the floor. "Robotnik vowed to destroy all who served the Kingdom and you join him?"

"I'm not with the Kingdom!" the man claimed. I'm not even from your country, Princess."

So he recognized her. "You should have known what he was capable of."

"We do now. There are millions of us, you know. Mobians that want a chance to take power. It was always the Kingdom of Acorn. Never countries like Pegagio, Subat, Kwayla, or any of the others that wanted to benefit from the Acorns and their Human attack dogs."

"Where is Robotnik?"

"Free." he smiled. "Free to build his forces."

"I want to know where." Sally said.

"No." the man replied.

"Shoot him." Brascow said.

Sally made no argument against it. She pulled the trigger on her gun and sent a bullet smashing through his left shoulder. The Mobian screamed in pain, clutching at the bloody divot next to his right clavicle. He clawed at the wound and floundered about.

"You're already an enemy of the state pal." Brascow said. "Nobody cares if you never leave this basement tonight. We've got legal authority to wipe you off the map. Better start talking fast about the Dark Legion and what they do."

"I'm not telling you anything!" The otter screamed, tears in his eyes and blood pouring from the wound. "I'm dying first!"

"I can make that happen." Brascow said.

Sally pulled the hammer back on her revolver and squared it at the otter's other shoulder. "Where's Robotnik? Tell me or you lose the other arm."

He remained silent, but a quick sob escaped his teeth. Sally pulled the trigger. This time, when the bullet hit the shoulder, it wasn't blood and bone that splattered, but hydraulic fluid and shards of metal. The right arm was artificial, and a very good quality replacement. The place where the 'fur' had blown away revealed coiling faux musculature of expanding and contracting tubes that pulled the 'bones' of the arm around.

The man screamed regardless. It was likely hooked to his nervous system.

"I take it back." Sally growled. "Maybe your pal can whip you up another one. Maybe you should tell us where he is so he can air mail it to me. I go for the legs next." She cracked open the carousel of the gun. The two empties auto-extracted from their housings. The empty shells clinked on the cement floor. "I can do this all night, man." she said as she pulled two more magnum cartridges from a pocket and slid them into the chambers. There was a small click as the auto extraction springs held them in place until they were fired.

"Save us the time." Brascow said. "Tell us where he is."

The otter looked at his ruined arms. He would lose the left one for sure if he didn't get medical attention. He cared nothing for the right. The legs on the other hand he looked at longingly. "I don't want to lose my arm."

"Tell us and we'll get you to a hospital."

The otter breathed quickly. Sally could imagine the mental war in his head.

"Alright! Alright, OK! OK, OK! Robotnik's looking for something."

"Not a good answer." Sally raised the gun.

"Wait! Wait wait! He's looking for a person. I think!" He tried to raise his arms, but the splintered bones made him shriek in pain. "Augh! Some kind of person!"

"Are you important enough to know who that is?"

"A Prisoner or something!"

"What?" Sally said blankly. The arm dropped and the gun with it.

"A Prisoner!" he screamed. "That's all I know! That's all any of us know! The Dark Legion was formed to find this prisoner!"

Nobody spoke. Schubert's song looped for some reason. Surely the otter hadn't been listening to 'Ave Maria' on repeat.

"That has to be a lie." Brascow said. "Robotnik knows about the Prisoner?"

"I'm telling you the truth." the otter said. "As much as I know. As much as any of us know..." He started to sway.

"Dammit no!" Brascow cursed. "He's slipping into shock." He pulled open a pocket which held a medical kit. He pulled a length of dressing and tied a tourniquet around the organic arm.

"I think I need a doctor." the otter said.

"Get him out of here." Brascow said looking to Jeebs and Sally. They both grabbed the man's arms, but then something clicked in the otter's head and it snapped back at once. A sick popping noise was heard and the head snapped to one side at an odd angle. A muffled groan came from the man's lips and his eyes glazed over.

"The hell?!" Jeebs shouted. "Did... did he just die?"

"Oh yes. Security feature, you understand."

The voice was so condescending and smug that it couldn't be mistaken for anybody else.

"Bastard!" Sally said. Julian Kintobor's voice echoed in the room. "Show yourself!"

"Not a chance. Don't bother tracing the call, gentlemen. It's bouncing off half the satellite dishes in Invos City. I may be on Tribute, or I could be several systems over using Slipspace communications."

Sally and Jeebs dropped the corpse of the Legion soldier unceremoniously. He slumped on the ground with a leg twitching.

"You're looking for the Prisoner." Sally said. "Why?"

"I'm not going to tell you."

"You're willing to form an army to get it." Sally said.

"I know where it is, and I have an advantage that you don't have."

"You're lying." Brascow said. "ONI doesn't know anything more than its location. What makes you think that you can get it before we can?"

"A dead man's secrets."

Sally's jaw slackened and her eyes went wide. She said nothing.

"Oh, and before I forget – this is standard with Legionaries. I'm sure I'll see you all again one day."

The eyes of the dead man began to glow. Brightly. Light seemed to pour from them.

"I'm thinking we exfil." Jeebs suggested.

"Don't have to tell me twice!" Sally said. "Dead man's switch! Run!"

The trio bolted for the door and didn't look back. Sally ran so quickly she pulled several muscles in her legs. She fought through the pain though and managed to make it out the door they came. Jeebs and Brascow sprinted ahead of her. She threw herself up the alley and covered her head. The explosion that came from the lower room traveled up the stairwell and shot straight out the doorway, throwing clear several bricks and blowing part of the door off its hinges. Power went out all along the building and car alarms were set off for a block. Windows blew out for up to three stories above the ground, and the hallway within was instantly set on fire.

Instantly, police sirens went off, lights from residents snapped on, and dogs barked in the distance.

Sally could hear absolutely none of this. She still had her head covered with her hands that stung as small bits of metal and concrete hit them and scratched them up. Her chin bled as it scraped on the asphalt below her, and part of her jacket sucked water from a pothole. Her eyes were squeezed closed and her hearing was nothing but one long ring. When she opened her eyes, she could barely make out what was in front of her. She saw police cars turn into the alley and pull close to her. Their lights were blindingly bright. Several of the doors opened up and Humans poured out. Several had their handguns cleared as soon as they leaned out from the seats. Their faces were obscured from the shadows their caps cast. The leader was a tall woman who had her hair in a close bun. She shouted something, but Sally didn't hear it. She did raise her hands in front of her softly.

Two officers rolled her over and pulled her revolver away. She saw Brascow stand in front of her and talk to the officer. She began to get some of her hearing back and she heard the din.

"...Naval Intelligence! Do you understand what I'm saying? My investigation is sanctioned by the UEG!"

"I don't take kindly to you setting off bombs in my city!" the cop said.

"That is not our fault! Our guy was wired with explosives or something!"

"Wired? You mean like a cyborg or something?"

"Yes!" Brascow said.

"You two boys! Inside!" The cop said. Two officers in padded gear made their way inside the building. The fire department had arrived by then and began sending firefighters inside to put the blaze down.

Sally spat some blood out. "He didn't have to tell us he had a bomb."

"I know." Brascow said.

"He wanted us to survive. He wants us to go looking for him."

"Why?" Jeebs asked.

"He enjoys the game." Sally answered. "He always has. It's always been a game to him since the beginning." She looked at the cop who grabbed her gun. "May I have that back please?"

"Give it to her." the head cop responded.

Sally took the .357 and shoved it back in her holster. "Robotnik's using cybernetically enhanced Mobians as well as Humans to look for the Prisoner. He may not even be in-system. I've got to get back to Earth." she said this to Brascow and looked then to the cop. "I've got an UNSC dropship in Casbah. I need to get there."

"I can give you a ride." Brascow said. "I need to file a report in Sydney on this anyway. Jeebs, you coming?"

"Nah, I'm going to coordinate with the locals on this one. You go send your report to the Admirals."

Brascow and Sally walked away from the cops. "You alright?"

"That could have gone better."

"We're alive." he said.

"Yeah, I know."

"It'll take three hours to get to Casbah. I'm sure the police won't mind if we break a few speed limits."

"That'll be fine." Sally said. "Get me a coffee while we're at it. I feel faint."

Brascow's car was hidden some distance away. Sally was indeed faint and even tired. It came from surviving an explosion like that. She sat covered in soot and dirty from the wet ground in the passenger seat of Brascow's Mainz-Trager coupe and as she drifted into sudden sleep, she wondered just what they did to her Human. What did they do to him? How did they pull from his memories after his death? Just what advantage did Robotnik have?

It was too much for her. She saw the twin moons from the window, and that beautiful view faded from sight as she slipped into unconsciousness.