SPOILER ALERT: Unless you have seen/read IDW Sonic issue #64 in some capacity, you will be hopelessly lost. And if you don't like OC centric stories, you will probably hate this. Depending on who you are. Oh. And mild profanity warning.
Sometime after issue #64…
…
At first, things were normal. People casually strolled about, chatting with their friends. Volunteers walked back and forth, distributing paperwork, patrolling the mall, cleaning the weaponry. Jewel the beetle sat at her desk, twirling a pen as she filled out some paperwork. No major threats or unusual anomalies had popped up as of late, so she had plenty of time to catch up and lower her stacks. All in all, it was a typical day at the Restoration.
…Until the door to her office was kicked open and sent thoroughly flying off its hinges, crashing into the far side wall. Jewel yelped, her paperwork flying everywhere. Startled, she turned towards the now open doorway. There stood three bristling animals: two dogs -one of whom had a dolphin tail- and a winged cat. The cat stomped in first, purple fur bristling and teeth bared. The moment her green eyes met Jewel's they -and the rest of her body- crackled dangerously with electricity. She let out a low bellow.
"WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO!?"
Jewel shrunk back under the three's intense glares. She recognized them as some of Sonic's kids. The… Demented Squad, she believed they called themselves? They liked to visit the Restoration from time to time, whether to visit their parents, explore the mall, or play in the play area. They were well mannered and friendly, if a little rambunctious, and Sonic always spoke fondly of them.
That was a stark contrast to the predatory glare these three were giving her right now. The beetle finally registered what the cat -Raven she believed was their name- said.
"I-I-I don't-!"
"DON'T GIVE ME ANY OF THAT SHIT!" Raven screeched, slamming her paws on the desk so hard they formed cracks.
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO SILVER!?"
Jewel blinked.
"...Silver…?"
Is that why they were here? She hadn't seen the white hedgehog in a few days. Had she done something? Was he alright?
Those thoughts derailed abruptly as Jewel found Raven's muzzle in her face. Her slit pupils bored into her, bits of electricity dancing around the rest of her bristling body.
"I-I-... I don't know," the beetle stuttered, "I haven't seen him in a few days. W-What's going on!?"
She shrieked as she was suddenly grabbed by the neck. Raven snarled.
"You expect me to BELIEVE THAT, YOU OVERSATURATED WHORE!?"
Both dogs abruptly pulled her back, looking slightly alarmed. One of the dogs, a teal colored one with the dolphin tail, held her back by both arms. The other, golden retriever, pressed a paw against the back of Raven's neck. In a blink, the she-cat gasped and went still. Her eyes glazed over momentarily while her fur slowly smoothed out. The golden sighed, keeping a strong grip as he turned back to the trembling beetle.
"She didn't mean that," he said softly, "she's just pissed."
Jewel looked between the two dogs, then the now quiet she-cat. She nodded hesitantly, walking round from behind her desk.
"Wh-What's going on?" she asked carefully, "what does Silver have to do with this?"
The golden -Jake- sighed, his once soft violet gaze becoming sharp.
"Rave, Udona, and I were on our way over here to ask Tangle if we could train with her and her team. Y'know, to gain new skills and 'cause we're bored. We ran into Silver on our way over and asked if he wanted to join."
He narrowed his eyes, leaning forward slightly. Raven was staring back as well, beginning to emit a low growl. That died out when Jake placed his paw over her eyes.
"He got all sad for a sec, and said something pretty interesting… he said he 'didn't think he'd be welcomed back.'"
The teal pup, Udona, crossed her arms and smacked her tail fins against the floor.
"When we asked what he meant, he said he did something dumb that messed everything up. He didn't elaborate, and when we get here we're walking past two people talking shit about a 'psychic freak causing accidents.' By the way, you're gonna be short two volunteers for a while."
She growled, claws squeezing her arms.
"Now, before my sis goes all ape shit again, I want the full story. Why does Silver suddenly have a bad rep around here?"
Jewel stared at the trio, mind still whirling from the events of earlier. She chose to push aside the jab about the volunteers and focus on the main point. They were here because Silver didn't feel he was welcomed back, which meant…
"Oh… right, you don't know…"
"Know what?" Jake asked, confused.
Slowly, the beetle recounted what she was able to gather, and what Tangle had told her. She minded her wording, not only to make sure she didn't twist the story, but because Raven's glare remained on her throughout the entire tale. She fumbled over her words once or twice, but kept going. After all, it was probably for the ebay that they heard the truth, and if Tails' advice was anything to go by, lying was the last thing she wanted to do.
By the end, the kids were quiet. Udona closed her eyes, taking a deep, long breath.
"...So… let me get this straight: Whisper and Silver thought this Duo guy was Whisper's arch nemesis, so they attacked him, but found out he was just some guy who genuinely wanted to do good that you scared the shit out of. And because of that, you kicked Silver out, and he won't be welcomed back anytime soon."
"Um… yes," Jewel replied slowly.
"Is the guy okay?" Jake asked.
The beetle nodded.
"I offered him a spot in my office until he's fully recovered. As a way of apologizing."
Jake nodded, his gaze turning thoughtful. In his arms, Raven slowly blinked.
"Are visiting hours still open?"
The group turned towards the she-cat. She hadn't uttered so much as a growl since the story started. Jake and Udona couldn't tell yet if that meant she was calm… or if this was the calm before the storm.
Jewel looked worried.
"You… You want to see him?"
Raven nodded, sitting up. Her gaze wasn't as murderous as before, but there was still an intensity behind those green eyes.
"I wanna see who my dads' lil bro hurt."
"Hello? Duo?"
An indigo cat sat in a hospital-esque bed, reading a book tangle had brought him. At the sound of the director's voice he closed it and looked up.
"Yes, Director Jewel?"
Said beetle flew in, giving the cat a friendly smile.
"How are you feeling?"
"The same as yesterday," Duo shrugged, "looking forward to getting my cast off though. Tangle even drew something. See?"
He showed off part of the cast with a pair of silver flowers with smiley faces. Yep. That was Tangle. Jewel chuckled.
"That's good to hear. I know this may seem odd, but… you have visitors."
Duo raised an eyebrow, confused.
"I… do?"
Jewel nodded, suddenly looking nervous.
"They're… friends of Silver's."
At the mention of the white hedgehog's name, Duo tensed.
"Th-they're not here t-to…"
"No, of course not!" Jewel assured, "they heard about the accident and wanted to see how you were doing. May they come in?"
Duo was quiet for a moment, mulling it over. He gave a hesitant nod, schooling his features.
"Y-Yeah… they can come in."
The beetle nodded, motioning for the three figures at the door to come in.
One by one, Jake, Udona, and Raven entered the small room, eyeing the bed and its inhabitant curiously. Jake and Raven jumped onto the bed's edge, balancing neatly on the rail. Udona came up to the left side. Duo eyed each of them carefully. Their gazes were curious… but tense. As if they were searching for something… He shook off the paranoia as Jewel cleared her throat.
"Duo, this is Jake, Raven, and Udona. They are… close acquaintances of Silver and Sonic's. Kids, this is Duo. The Diamond Cutter's latest recruit."
Duo waved at them nervously.
"N-Nice to meet you."
Raven tilted her head, looking the indigo cat up and down. Her tail swished rhythmically behind her briefly before coming to full stop. Slowly, she crept over the covers. She stopped at Duo's lap, staring into his dark brown eyes. At the same time, Udona stood against the bed, her front paws pressing against the blanket. She sniffed Duo's injured arm, startling him briefly.
He turned his attention back to the purple she-cat, who had leaned in closer. Something about her gaze was… so intense… like she could see right through him.
"Uh…?" He gulped, looking to Jewel helplessly.
Raven narrowed her eyes.
"So… you're… Duo."
The cat gulped.
"Y-... Yes…?"
Raven stared at his eyes, then moved to his arm. After a sniff, she turned back to him. In a second, she had cupped his face into her paws, checking over his face.
"What the hell did that idiot do to you!?"
The comment threw everyone for a loop as the she-cat quickly examined Duo's face and arm.
"Probably gave you a concussion since they said he levitated you a few feet in the air -AND YOU JUMPED. Desperate bravery at its finest, you must have been so scared! And look at this cast! IT'S PATHETIC!" her face quickly softened, "Not the cast, mind you, or the pretty drawing, but the fact that you had to get one at all!"
Udona leaned against the bed casually and nodded, looking oddly calm.
"Guess our family really doesn't know its own strength. You didn't get anything too serious, did you? No open wounds, broken bones, anything?"
Duo blinked, quickly recovering from the shock as Raven backed up.
"N-No… just a broken arm. I-I heal fast though! And everyone here has been super nice in taking care of me."
"Food treating you well?" Jake asked, tilting his head.
"Yes. Th-The meatloaf here is good."
Jake grinned, wagging his tail.
"I'll bet. Like Jewel said, I'm Jake, and these are my sisters, Udona and Raven. Sorry if we made you nervous before. We heard about what happened from second hand sources and wanted to get the full picture."
Raven nodded, shuffling her paws and looking away awkwardly.
"I… MAY have overreacted just a little."
Udona snorted.
"A LITTLE? You were ready to throw hands! In more ways than one I might add."
The she-cat rolled her eyes, but shrugged in acknowledgement.
"Yeah true. But hey, if you heard that one of your family members was accused of brutally hurting someone, you'd probably get mad too."
"I… I guess I would," Duo admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.
"H-How do you know Silver? And Sonic, if I heard that right?"
"We're good friends," Raven replied happily, "family even."
Duo tilted his head.
"Family?" he questioned.
The trio nodded.
"Not by blood of course," Jake clarified, "but who said blood alone dictated who your family is?"
Raven purred, briefly rubbing against Duo's good arm.
"We're sorry you got hurt. Don't worry, next time I see Silver he's getting a punch to the gut and soul for ya."
Duo chuckled, hesitantly patting the she-cat's head.
"Thanks… but you don't have to on behalf of me."
"Oh nonsense!" Raven waved him off, "we do this all the time! Always gotta remind our parents that not everybody was born with iron skin and storybook plot armor."
Udona readjusted a crinkled part of the blanket.
"And -when you're both ready- we'll make sure he formally apologizes to you. In person. None of this letter email bullcrap. More sincere face to face."
Duo smiled, looking over each of the animals.
"Uh… thank you. All of you."
"Sure thing, bud," Jake beamed, "We'll let you rest. Maybe one of these days we can see you in action. Give you some pointers too!"
The indigo cat laughed in disbelief.
"You? Give me pointers?"
Raven smiled and shrugged, flexing her wings.
"Why not? We've got a few things we could teach you."
She playfully elbowed him in the arm. Duo stared at her for a moment, then slowly nodded his head.
"O-Okay… sure!"
Udona stretched her limbs, letting out a satisfying groan before readjusting her pirate hat.
"Well, it's almost lunch, so we better skedaddle. Hope to see you around, Duo."
Jake and Raven hopped down as well, heading towards the door.
"Get well soon!"
"Sorry if they overwhelmed you," Jewel apologized, waving them off.
Duo shook his head.
"It's alright. They were… kinda nice. I… didn't think they would care that much about me."
"Me neither," Jewel admitted, thinking back to when they first entered her office.
She chose not to share this information with Duo. It would just scare him, and the childrens' anger was understandable. They thought one of their friends was being accused of something they didn't do. Sonic did once say that their kids get very protective of them at times…
She shook the thoughts away. The trio's mood seemed a lot brighter now that the story was cleared up, and they befriended Duo. That was enough for now in her mind.
"I better go too. I'm starting to feel peckish. I'll see you in my office next week?"
"Yes ma'am," Duo saluted with a hand over his chest.
As soon as the beetle had left, Duo's brown eyes shifted to black sclera and white pupils. He stared at the door a moment more.
So… those things are close with Sonic huh? I better file that away for later…
He narrowed his eyes.
That yellow dog makes me uneasy. Dunno why. There's something about his eyes…
His thoughts turned to the purple cat. For a moment, he thought she saw something in him. He still thought his paranoia was getting the best of him, and put it aside for now. He would have to be extra careful the next time he met those "kids…"
Raven, Jake, and Udona sat around the garden shack, basking in the afternoon sun. They had just finished their lunches and were resting their stomachs. Raven laid sprawled out on the roof, exposing her chest to the sun's golden rays. Jake leaned against the shack's door, while Udona laid on the grass.
After a long moment of silence, Raven opened her eyes and looked down at her siblings.
"...So we all agree that that's Mimic in disguise, right?"
"Oh yeah."
Jake tilted his head up.
"Villain alarms?"
"Yep," Raven boasted, "Never steered me wrong."
Udona smirked, turning to the golden knowingly.
"How'd you figure it out?'
Jake pulled out a knife from his hammerspace, twirling it in his paw.
"Assassin's Intuition. You?"
"Doesn't matter what form he takes. He wreaks of seafood. And I've been itching to try calamari for a while."
Raven laughed.
"I'm pretty sure Whisper called dibs on him first."
Udona shrugged, rolling onto her back.
"Then I'll just take whatever's left. And I'm sure you'll want some lambchops alongside that?"
"...Only if she does something else dumb," Raven decided, "so… should we go back in and kill him?"
Jake twirled and flipped his knife in the air, humming thoughtfully. He held it up to the sunlight, admiring the way the light reflected off the steel blade.
"Mmmm… Nah. I say we leave him be for now."
"Oh? Why's that?" Udona asked.
"Mimic may be an asshole and craves revenge -if Whisper's stories are anything to go by- but he's also smart," the golden explained, "He wouldn't just go into the heart of enemy territory for something as petty as revenge alone. No, he's here for something else. He's a mercenary, so someone else hired him to infiltrate the Restoration. Silver and Whisper may have been on to something, but they were impatient. They didn't have enough proof to confront him. If we wanna kill two birds with one stone, we have to play it smart."
"Aaaand the smart thing to do is let him keep breathing?" Raven asked, raising an eyebrow.
Jake shrugged.
"As you pointed out, Whisper called dibs, and who knows where we'll be by the time he gets revealed. Every mask slips eventually if you give it enough time."
"So we just sit back, let the others figure it out, and watch the fireworks of the aftermath?" Raven summarized.
Her brother smirked and nodded.
"Eh. pretty much. But if they don't wise up right away…"
He flipped the knife in the air, letting the light reflect off the steel blade. His grin turned dark, full of malice and eagerness.
"...we'll swoop in."
Raven and Udona became equally as eager, wagging their tails as their expressions grew dark. The former flexed her wings, snickering, which quickly formed into a short cackle. Her siblings smiled as they fell into a comfortable silence again.
Udona glanced up at her oldest sibling.
"...You're gonna go down there and apologize to Jewel for calling her a whore, right?"
Raven's eyes shot open. She lowered her ears shamefully while looking off into the distance.
"...Yeah…"
Been a while again, huh? Yeah... I'm not that frequent in my updates. I've started college, and anyone who's ever been to one -which I know is at least three of you- knows how hectic that can be.
This little one-shot thingy was inspired by #64 of IDW... and to say I was pissed is an understatement. How DARE they do that to Silver!
Seriously, Lanolin's been baffling me since she started showing up more; I don't know if she's genuinely good and just new at all this "hero" stuff while having some kind of bias against Sonic and his inner circle, or is gonna turn evil at some point. I might just be paranoid for no reason, but this is the impression I keep getting. I will concede that she does have a nice dynamic with Tangle and Whisper.
There is also something else to remember: As the audience, we see all and know all. We know what happens and why, while the characters take time to figure that out. It is a curse we possess.
Anyway, this was just a way to work through my feelings about the story without punting a hole in a wall. I apologize for the... intense swearing. And the abuse of Jewel. Poor girl... I don't hate her mind you! I do like her. And I am still conflicted about Lanolin.
I'll see you in the next one.