The next morning…
Sheila was the first one to wake up, and she got up, managed to find Melody's kitchen, and made breakfast for herself, Kurama, Arteza, Leica, Erron, Rodney, Drago, and Sirena, while putting some food in the blender for Shard, Celadon, and Sienna to eat. By the time she was done, she went back to wake up the others up and saw that Rodney was already up and awake. Rodney had taken Shard, found the small diaper bag that Melody had on hand, and was tending to Shard, as the baby needed to be changed from his dirty diaper. Rodney also changed out Shard's bandages, as they needed to be changed because they were still a little bit bloody from when Shard had fallen down the cliff the previous day. She was glad that Shard was healing up, and also that Rodney was helping take care of him. So, she got Celadon and Sienna and got them settled.
Sheila: Breakfast is ready, guys. Kids, your food is on the kitchen table, and Shard, Celadon, Sienna, yours is on the kitchen counter still.
Rodney: Thank you!
He happily rushed off to the kitchen with Shard in his arms, while Sheila was just looking after them with a smile on her face. She then noticed that Rodney had forgotten to throw away the used and bloody bandages. Sheila picked them up and put them in her pocket so that Susan could use the DNA when they brought her the samples to test. At that moment, Kurama and Arteza woke up, because they were cold, from the lack of body heat, and stumbled into where Sheila was, half awake. They just hugged Sheila from the back, nuzzling her.
Sheila: Good morning sleepy heads.
Kurama: Good morning.
Arteza: Good morning.
Sheila: I couldn't find any coffee, but I did manage to find the ingredients to make hot chocolate. It's in the kitchen. Just sit down at the kitchen table and I'll bring it to you.
Kurama: Thanks. Oh, let me go get Sirena and Drago up for breakfast.
Arteza: Thanks, and yeah, Leica and Erron, too.
Sheila nodded and Kurama and Arteza moved as quickly as they could to bring Sirena, Drago, Erron, and Leica to the table. They set them down into four free chairs, as Sheila made two extra the other night from some scrap she had, and eased back into their chairs, closing their eyes and letting their heads go back until he was looking at the ceiling.
Sheila (bringing Kurama's food and cocoa to him): well, I know how you, Tezzie, and Saami act when you're cold, setting fires and curling up together in the center of a raging inferno. And don't worry, I added a little '1554' stim to it.
After a few seconds, they looked and saw that Rodney was busy eating the breakfast that Sheila had made for him. Drago and Sirena were also beginning to wake up and eat, as were Erron and Leica, as Sheila brought them their breakfast. Kurama and Arteza also saw Shard managing to feed himself his own food when he was sitting in his high-chair happily as well. And so, it was just a matter of feeding Celadon and Sienna, so Kurama made some clones to help them. Just seeing how happy Rodney and them were, Kurama and Arteza became determined not to let anything ruin the joy that Rodney had. He also saw the sleepy smiles on Leica, Erron, Sirena, and Drago's faces as they ate. And these things brought true joy to Kurama and Arteza's's heart. As Sheila was walking back to the kitchen to get her food, she heard the faint sound of Melody's TV being on, along with a thud and a somewhat quiet shout. She looked in the living room and saw that the television was on, and that there was a figure on the floor, positioned in a way that indicated they had fallen off of the couch. When she went in for a closer examination, she had found Melody suddenly sitting up, and speaking frantically in an entirely new language that she had never heard before. Just from Melody's facial expressions, she could tell she was shouting, but with the new language she was speaking, it sounded like she was speaking normally. She had no clue that Melody was speaking Ancient Hedgehog. Ancient Hedgehog was a language where it was spoken in whispers or not using any voices, as the ancient hedgehogs used it to keep out of the way of predators and other things that wanted to eat them. When you could hear ancient hedgehogs speaking at a normal tone of voice, it meant that they were shouting to each other. But to Sheila, she didn't have a clue, nor had realized Melody had even come back during the night. She also didn't know that when Melody came back, Wolfgang had visited Folsom and started that.
Sheila (Grabbing Melody's shoulders and looking her directly in the face): Listen to me! Snap out of it! I can't understand what you are saying!
Wolfgang (who was sleeping on one of Melody's recliners) woke up at the sound of Sheila's voice. He saw Melody, still shouting in Ancient Hedgehog.
Wolfgang: Oh Great.
*? ﾟﾎﾆ? ﾟﾎﾊ? ﾟﾎﾉ ⏰⏰⏰⏰⏰⏰⏰! (=Ancient Hedgehog)
*translation: MELODY WAKE UP!
At the commanding sound of Wolfgang's voice when he spoke, Melody woke all the way up, and shook her head.
Melody: What...what happened?
Wolfgang: You were shouting in Ancient Hedgehog in your sleep again. What night terror did you have this time? You only speak in Ancient Hedgehog when you have night terrors. And don't tell me that you don't want to talk about it. I am not going to go through this all over again like back when we were two. You used to have night terrors all the time, and quite frankly, I do not want to lose any sleep like back then.
Melody: I don't remember it clearly, but there was one thing that I do remember.
Sheila: What was it?
Melody: Death. Lots of death all around me. Oh dear.
At that Sheila became lost in thought.
Sheila: (in thought) Frak it. Someone else with nightmares. first Kurama, then Samantha, and Arteza, now this girl we're sure has to be our Melody. Frakking crap. ah, frak it; it'll be Sophie's problem when she gets here. At least Kurama and Arteza haven't had a nightmare. Hanging out with Rodney has obviously helped, as well as caring for Celadon and Sienna. man, Rodney really adores Kurama and Arteza. It really is like they're father and son; which, Kurama and Arteza said they thought they saw a mark in Rodney's right eye. They could have imagined it…or maybe not. and Rodney is oddly adept with a gun. like, with any gun. Those two said he was using Center Axis Relock… that's a hyper advanced technique. Rodney's only a kid. and Kurama and Arteza said they didn't teach him that technique. They said Rodney picked up the 7.5 FK pistol Kurama gave him and only missed the first shot. They said Rodney put the remaining 19 rounds within a one-inch circle….
Sheila sat down, contemplating Rodney's skills and his relationship with Kurama and Arteza.. Meanwhile, Melody gets up off of the floor, and begins to leave.
Wolfgang: Where are you going now?!
Melody (Pausing and looking at Wolfgang): Home. I need to talk to our big brother, Wolfgang. Maybe he might have some insight to this night terror.
Wolfgang: But it's still storming outside, and you have a press conference today!
Melody: I'll be back before the conference, I promise.
She then left, and Wolfgang had his eye twitching.
Wolfgang: Excuse me.
He then went to Melody's library, locked the door, and began to shout a string of MKND curse words, mixed in with English ones. His shouts were even louder than Melody's were the previous night, and Rodney and Kurama immediately covered Shard's ears simultaneously, with Sirena and Drago putting their hands over Rodney and Kurama's . and of course, Leica and Erron were doing the same with Celadon and Sienna and Arteza was trying cover their eyes
Rodney: Skadi and Fists are SO going to kill us for letting Shard hear that cussing.
Kurama: Bunker?
Rodney: Bunker!
They looked to the other four kids and nodded, who joined them with the twins.
And with that, they took Shard and the twins and used a warp ring to get to one of their numerous bunkers that they had as fast as they possibly could.
Shard (Whining): But I didn't finish breakfast yet! I'm starving!
Celadon and Sienna were in agreement.
Kurama: Well, it's Uncle Wolfgang's fault!
Rodney: (whispering over the radio) More like uncle dumb#$%!
Kurama: (whispering over the radio) Got that right.
Of course Arteza was giggling about that.
With Sheila…
Sheila looked up, intending to talk to Kurama, Arteza, Erron, Leica, Sirena, Drago, and Rodney, when she noticed they were gone, and so were the babies.
Sheila: Well, crap. Guess I'll watch tv. (under her breath) I really need to talk to those three. (in thought) the way they've bonded, I think Rodney and his siblings need us. it's just a hypothesis; but I think they may be orphans. I mean, Kurama and Arteza took Rodney under his wing and cared for him, even in the heat of battle. and Kurama is no stranger to orphans; I mean, Sophie, Khalilah, Tara, Roxy, Kimba, and Rail were orphans. this is crazy…or maybe not; maybe all this causality and multiversal crap that Kurama and Samantha wrote that paper on is real…that first night was a nexus for Kurama, Arteza, and Rodney, a point in time where the threads of space-time crossed…what if Kurama and Arteza weren't worried about Samantha and me; what if they didn't play their music so loudly; what if they didn't decide to sleep on the roof of the hospital; what if Rodney didn't see Skadi about his wounds; what if this kid Barrett didn't decide to piss Rodney off…..and Erron, Celadon, and Sienna, what if those two didn't try harm themselves, what if Leica didn't shoot them; with all these blasted 'what ifs'….
Sheila got up and grabbed her laptop out of the bag she had brought with her. She sat back down and pulled up the paper that Kurama and Samantha had written on void physics. She read it intently, determined to solve the mystery that lay before her. as she read, she typed furiously, trying to get her thoughts together so that Sophie and Mira could give her some insight.
With Melody;
She had managed to make it safely to Earth, and she had found Nigel and Abby in the treehouse coming up with new battle strategies.
Melody: Big brother?
Nigel spat out the soda he was drinking, all over the floor, and he looked at his sister in surprise.
Nigel: Melody! You're back!
Melody: I am, and I need to talk to you two.
Abby: What did you want to talk about?
Melody: My nightmares and what has been going on in the MKND recently.
She then proceeded to tell Nigel and Abby about her nightmares and her recent night terror, and they made her actually feel better about everything. When she told them about Gamma 13, Nigel was immediately against her helping them out further, along with his other prejudiced views on adults. Melody essentially told him to put a cork in it and that she was going to help Gamma 13 out as much as she could, and that they were helping out a lot with everything. She also told him that if she just kicked Gamma 13 out, it would hurt the rest of her team, especially Rodney. When asked why, she just left the details vague, but told them that Rodney truly needed Kurama and his clone and she was not going to ruin what new happiness that he had found. When they were done talking, Melody realized that she only had a little under 3 hours before the conference.
Melody: Holy fraking crudcakes! I gotta go! I have a MKND news conference in two hours and 50 minutes!
Abby: Take care, and we'll be sure to watch your entire news conference here.
And with that Melody rushed back to Mobius, ran to her office and got herself ready and presentable.
Meanwhile with Rodney, Shard, and Kurama, and Arteza and he rest of the kids…;
Shard (pouting because he was hungry): What are we going to do while we are waiting here?
Rodney (remembering that he had some of Shard's favorite music on his music player): How about we listen to some of your favorite music Shard?
Shard (cheering up): Yay!
That cheered up the twins as well, since they liked what Shard did, and Kurama and Arteza looked at Rodney curiously, wondering what exactly Shard's favorite music was. Rodney smiled as he pulled up the Winnie the Pooh music he had and let it play. Kurama and Arteza smiled hearing the music, as it helped calm him down and cheer him up incredibly, since Wolfgang soured his good mood that morning. Drago and Sirena sat down with Shard and began to play with him, as Shard began to create small statues to play with. And naturally, Erron and Leica joined them.
Kurama: Y'know, this is some good music. It is certainly helping me to destress from Wolfgang ruining my good mood this morning.
Arteza: Yep, same here.
Rodney: Yeah. I listen to this music too when I need to destress. And we can see how happy Shard is just by listening to it. He doesn't seem to have a care in the world right now. But why is he making a statue of Sheila that's slightly bigger than him?
Arteza: Maybe he misses Sheila?
Rodney: Probably. He does seem to have attached himself to her like she is his secondary mother right now. And he seems to have attached to you and sees you guys like secondary fathers. And that's a good thing. (empathic telepathy) Fists and Skadi do try to be the best parents they can to Shard, but their jobs restrict them from spending as much time they feel like they should spend with Shard and are considering retiring just to raise Shard properly.
Kurama (empathic telepathy): They shouldn't retire because of that. I can understand their dilemma, but don't you and the rest of your Chaos Hunters help raise Shard?
Rodney (empathic telepathy): Yes, but Skadi and Fists want to be there for Shard when he needs them, instead of just being in and out of his life on missions and doing their jobs. And Fists did say he had a really good secondary reason that he wanted to be a good father to Shard.
Arteza(empathic telepathy): That makes a lot of sense. From what I know of Fists, he does legitimately want to be a father and does all he can to be the best one to Shard. That is a definite contrast to how me and Aggro's own biological father was to me and Sammi. His CO, Carbide, was more our father than that dirtbag ever was.
While Kurama, Arteza, and Rodney were having an empathic telepathy conversation, the Pooh music ended and some of the off limits around Shard music was playing. Namely Jade Reed's Nightmare on Charybdis was playing. The music scared Shard a bit since he had no idea what was going on with the music, and the lyrics sounded harsh and mean spirited to him, and it started with Celadon and Sienna, since they were used to grunge but not metal. He crawled over to Kurama, leaving the statues behind. He tugged on Kurama's pants and Kurama looked at him, seeing Shard's upset face and heard the music.
Kurama (picking up Shard and covering Shard's ears to block out the music): Rodney, you forgot to make sure that the Pooh music files weren't lined up with the music for older people, and now it's playing one of the many songs Fists and Skadi will kill us for playing around Shard.
Rodney: Crud! I knew I was always forgetting to do something related to my music! Sorry about that.
Arteza: Let's agree to NOT tell Skadi and Fists about this.
Rodney (switching the music to some baby safe selections): Agreed.
Drago and Sirena: In complete agreement with you two. Skadi and Fists do not need to know about this mishap.
Erron: Yeah, I don't want her getting mad at me or Leica.
Leica: Nuh-uh.
Back at Melody's cave condo…;
Wolfgang (Coming out of the library, calmer): Sorry about that. I needed to compose myself.
Melody then comes in, fully dressed, and relaxed. Sheila saved her progress and shut her laptop, removing the flash drive and putting it in an inside pocket of her vest. At that time, Kurama and Rodney and Arteza and them had returned with Shard and the rest of the kids. That is, after Rodney scoped it out using his invisibility device. Kurama handed Shard to Rodney and they all came into the living room where Sheila and the two hedgehog twins were. Of course, Drago and Sirena took Celadon and Sienna and got them some food as well.
With Rodney and Shard...;
Shard: Can I finish my breakfast now Uncle Rodney?
Rodney: Sure, you can Shard. Did you need me to feed you the rest of it?
Shard: I would appreciate it that you feed me. By the way, do you think that Uncle Kurama and Aunt Sheila could play more of that music they like to listen to so I can hear it. I really liked that song Uncle Kurama sang to me last night.
Rodney: They might, all we have to do is ask them. The worst thing that they could say is, "No." But I have a feeling that they wouldn't mind. (in thought) Crap. This means 'Suffer', 'Had Enough', and 'Won't Let Go' are definitely out! And definitely not 'Nine Thou'! Fists and Skadi would kill us if they heard us playing that stuff around Shard!
He looked to Sirena and Drago, and all three just knew that they got so lucky that they weren't gonna get in trouble.
With Kurama, Arteza, Sheila, Wolfgang, and Melody...;
Kurama: So, how'd the mission go?
Arteza: Oh and I know what you told me was just a crappy cover story; so, fess up, why'd you freak?
Melody and Wolfgang looked at each other, and Wolfgang nodded. Melody just let out a depressed sigh and took off her helmet. She reached into a secret pocket in it and pulled out a crinkled and folded up photograph. She opened it up and handed it to Kurama.
Melody: This is why we freaked. This is a photograph of the three of us back when Wolfgang and I went to Camp Freedom Fighters summer camp one summer.
He looked at it, his eyes growing wide, the same happening to Arteza. He goes over to Sheila and sits beside her.
Kurama: Diesel, baby, check this out. This is freaky.
Arteza: Like, mega freaky.
Sheila gets a weird look on her face, trying no to say anything about knowing Sally, considering Sheila and Sally were really close back when Sonic and them were little. Rodney saw Kurama handing the picture over to Sheila and immediately took Shard outside Melody's cave to go exploring the underground city, bringing Drago and Sirena with them, as well as Erron and Leica and Celadon and Sienna, and get baby supplies to take care of those three, since Melody's limited supply was so low, though well, he thought that, as now there were plenty, courtesy of Farid, who got a bag of sweets in return. Rodney knew full well that Sheila was pretty likely to start cussing at the sight of Princess Sally in the picture. All Rodney knew of the princess was told to him through stories, and the news of her bold sacrifice to save the entire planet.
Back in the cave…
Sheila: What the frakking crap. This girl looks so much like me when I was like 6. This is so absolutely frakking illogical! what the frakking crap. This is why you freaked?! This is creepy! What, did you think I was her or something?
Wolfgang: Yeah, we kinda did.
Sheila: What do you mean, "kinda."? Kinda doesn't mean crap.
Wolfgang then explains about Auto-automations, and why they were so dangerous.
Sheila(sighing and rolling her eyes): You do realize if I was an 'auto-automaton', Kurama would have already shot me in the head. we wouldn't be having this conversation. And more so, if i was captured, Eggman would have to put me near death to even get near me.
Kurama and Arteza were nodding behind her, looking over her shoulders.
Kurama: Only Jenny and my brother Ion have emotions that I can feel. if I'm right, these 'auto-automatons' are emotionless machines that can actually fool you guys. That crap don't work on us Gammas.
Arteza: Yep! So, who is this kid? I'm guessing she's older than you if she looks like this.
Arteza already knew it was Sally, and well, Kurama and him and Sheila were super unnerved by the conversation, cause they were worried about Sally and Sonic now, as well as the rest of their friends. Kurama pulls out his wallet and hands it to Sheila, who pulls out a photo of them together. She hands both photos to Melody and Wolfgang, who put the pictures side by side.
Wolfgang: Man, this is so weird.
Melody: Her name was Princess Sally Acorn. The leader of all the Freedom Fighters. She was the one who taught me everything I know about being a leader, and she was like a big sister to the two of us.
Sheila: Hold on, hold on. "Was?"
Just then. They got a text from Farid, and Kurama and Arteza saw it come up on their HUDs. Sheila got the text too, and well, it was a good thing she could lock down.
Farid(text): Guys, this is super f**ked up. I found Sally, our cousin Sonic's girlfriend! She got turned into a robot! We gotta talk ASAP!
Kurama and Arteza made sure not to let their faces be seen, as they were beyond shocked. Melody just clenched her hands together, and looked down while silently crying. Wolfgang put one of his hands over hers, and explained about what happened to Princess Sally, and her bold sacrifice to save the entire planet, as well as explaining the entire process of robotization.
Kurama (In thought with Arteza): Dammit. This Eggman guy needs to be killed as soon as possible. Their world is going to be in constant danger until he is dead. Man, I wish we knew where that bastard was. We'd send that frakking two-bit dictator to hell.
Melody then looks at her watch, then to the others in the room with her eyes slightly watering. Kurama took a long breath and ran his hands through his hair. He took his dog tags in his hand and looked at the lower tag.
Author's note: Kurama and Samantha each wear one of Carbide's dog tags, since his body couldn't be found. He gave them the tags just before he crashed the plane he was flying into the ocean. they also wear a copy of each other's dog just as well, Kurama and Sheila's betrothal rings on the there too, plus each has the other's tag as well, and both have Arteza's, and Arteza has his own, Kurama's, and Sheila's dog tags, plus a copy of Samantha's.
Melody noticed Kurama looking at his dog tags. She made a note of how many tags he wore.
Melody: (in thought) Kurama's wearing more than his own dog tags. He's wearing multiple pairs and one separate one. the one he's looking at must be from a friend. But what's the other pair? Who does it belong to? Maybe he has Sheila and Arteza's? Would he and Sheila make a set for Arteza?
Kurama noticed that Melody was looking at him and put Carbide's tag back in his shirt, leaving out the rest of the tags just as Rodney, Drago, Sirena, Erron, and Leica had returned with Shard, Celadon, and Sienna at that point, and put all the groceries that they had bought down near the front door. Shard was busy hugging his stuffed triceratops and stuffed tiger fox tightly, Celadon and Sienna having their own stuff animals as well, as they had ran into Jumper the Kangaroo while shopping, and the kangaroo gave the stuffed animals back, stating that he was just holding onto them until he saw Shard again.
Melody: Let's talk about this later. We have a press conference in two hours and we can't afford to be late.
Kurama: This whole conversation was freaky. Well, anyways, we gotta go .We're gonna go get our truck, Leica, can you watch Celadon, Sienna, and Shard for us? The truck is a mess right now and we don't have car seats, plus we need Erron to check out blowout kits that we have in the truck.
Arteza: We'll meet you there.
Melody: What truck? And who's Diesel?
She knew very well who Kurama was talking about, but she really wanted to be sure that this Kurama was referring to the same person as she thought he was. Kurama explains about Sheila's nickname and introduces her, about Skadi and Fists having to be gone longer, and about how Sheila stashed her and Kurama's truck before finding Kurama and them. Afterwards, he hands Shard to Melody, telling her about how Sheila is going to be keeping Shard, Celadon, and Sienna during the press conference.
Sheila: I'll be back as soon as I take my bike into town. I'll leave it with Kai and come straight back here.
Melody: Ok, just come back soon.
Sheila: Don't worry. Leica's here. And the babies love her, plus, Aggro and Tezzie said she's been a good girl since she started living with them.
Then he, Arteza, Sheila, and the older kids except Leica left. Melody breaks down crying, mourning the loss of her close friend, while Wolfgang and Shard do their best to comfort her, and Leica, Sienna, and Celadon do as well.
on reaching the cave…
kurama: Man, we're gonna be riding in style again, huh, Diesel, baby? I know you missed it too, Tezzie.
Arteza: Hell yeah.
Sheila: You know it. You wanna drive and I'll ride ahead on the bike?
Kurama: Sure. Rodney, do you wanna ride in the front with me? Or would you feel safer if Tezzie rode up front and you rode in the back Drago, Sirena, and Erron?
Rodney: I kinda wanna ride in the back with them.
Kurama: Rodney, it's perfectly fine. Drago, Sirena?
Drago: I'm good!
Sirena: Yeah, and I mean, as big as this truck seems, would we even be able to see over the dash?
Erron: True.
Kurama, Arteza, and Sheila had to smile at that, knowing that really, the kids would have had to sit on a stack of books to make that work.
Arteza: Very perceptive, kids.
Kurama: Alright, with that settled, anyone up for the scenic route? I mean, it's not a much longer route, but I have a feeling Mel needs some time, and right now, it's not our time to step in. We don't wanna overwhelm her.
Sheila: Sure. Hey, Aggro, Tezzie, if you've basically memorized that cartridge book, why don't you let the kids have it?
Kurama; Sounds good to me.
Arteza:I think they'll love it.
Rodney and siblings and Erron were staring at the truck with excitement.
Rodney: wow. This is your truck?
Sheila: Yeah. I built it by hand. It's a special variant of the standard M-112 StalkerWolf Fast Attack Vehicle. I modified it just for me and Aggro, and well, of course, Tezzie it has everything the three of us need as the command team. Everything about it was designed for taking the absolute most hellish warzones. Doors and windows seal to allow for us to hunker down during chem war attacks and get out fast, top mounting for support weapons, tow hooks both front and back, windshield is rated for railgun/coilgun rounds in the 50KiloJoule range, and the armor is rated for ones i he 10 MegaJoule range. It wasn't easy to armor the hell out of it, but well, we've had a lot of battlefield accidents.
Erron: Oh yeah, Daddy told me about the time your old truck was hit by that pickup truck and Daddy almost died from an asthma attack.
Rodney: What…..Kurama, Arteza, Sheila?
Sheila: Yeah, a pickup hit us at a hundred miles an hour, this was back before Tezzie was "born".
Kurama: We were, like, 17 back then, and hell, oh gah, I felt like I was kicked in the balls.
The three boys cringed at that, and Sirena, well, she hated that Kurama had to feel that kinda pain.
Sheila: His sciatica acted up cause the door caved in and jammed his leg.
Erron: Oh my….it tripped the inguinal nerve…..
Sheila: It was a terribly close call, and after that, I set about building us our truck. From then on, we've survived no matter what, and when I finally met Tezzie a few months ago, I doubled down, and swore these two men who mean the world to me would survive this life.
There was a moment of silence, and the kids hugged the three adults tightly, and when they broke the hug, the adults kissed the children on their heads and nuzzled them. Then, Kurama opened the door to the passenger side and he and Arteza helped the four kids up into the truck. As he closed the door to the backseat, Sheila climbed up into the back of the truck, but not before giving Kurama and Arteza kisses on the lips. Kurama went around and got in the driver's seat, Arteza taking the passenger seat. He and Arteza buckled up, the kids doing so as well, as Sheila undid the straps holding her M-317 Meerkat motorcycle. She picked it up and jumped down. She put it down beside the truck on Kurama's side. Kurama put the keys in the ignition and revved up the truck.
Kurama (turning to see all four kids in the truck, making sure they were buckled up): Ready to go, kids?
Erron, Rodney, Drago, and Sirena nodded.
Kurama: Ready, Tezzie?
Arteza smiled and gave Kurama a smooch on the lips, and then Kurama gave Sheila a thumbs-up.
Kurama: Yo, Diesel, let's go!
Sheila banged on the driver side door twice and took off. Kurama gave her a second of lead time and eased on the gas.
Kurama: Hey, Rodney, you see a big book beside you?
Rodney looked around inside the truck. He saw a rather large book sitting in the back, on top of an ammo can. He took hold of it and put it in his lap. It had camo duct tape on the spine and on the front and back.
Rodney: Is this it, Kurama?
Kurama: Yeah, and you kids can have it, but remember babies, it's Erron's too. Can all four of you share for now until we can make individual copies for you?
All four kids: Yes sir!
Arteza: You four are such good sweet kids, and Erron, we're so proud of you, baby! Like, this book will help you kids learn about every kind of ammunition we use. This way, it will be easier for you to know what to use when we get in a fight. And Erron, since you chose to not specialize with your weapons, you'll need to know a very wide array of calibers.
Rodney smiled and opened up the book and started reading, making sure to pass the book to Drago, Sirena, and Erron so that they could read it too.
Rodney, Drago, Sirena, and Erron; Thank you, Kurama!
Kurama: I had a feeling you four would love it. you're welcome.
After about an hour, they arrived at the center of Care-A-Lot. Farid and the others had been made aware of Sheila's arrival, so they were there to greet course, Folsom was still locked up in his prison. Kurama slowed down, looking at the mess the hurricane made. While Sheila went ahead and dropped off her motorcycle, Kurama pulled up to where the press conference was happening and turned off the truck. Kurama and Arteza got out and waited for Melody with the kids. The kids continued reading their new book, while talking with Kurama, Sheila, and Arteza about it. They did not have to wait long for her, as she came over towards them, fully ready and composed, and with Leica and the twins in tow. She had handed Shard over to Sheila with a fully stocked diaper bag, and Sheila took Shard, Celadon, and Sienna back to the Gamma 13 Base alongside Drago and Sirena, and Leica and Erron, while Kurama, Arteza, and Rodney went off to the press conference.
With Shard and Sheila and the rest of the kids during the conference…;
Shard (looking at Sheila curiously): You're my Aunt Sheila, right? So, why does Uncle Kurama and Uncle Arteza call you Diesel?
Sheila: Oh, sweetheart, that's his special nickname for me. I call him Aggro and I call Arteza "Tezzie". but only we call each other those names. no one else is allowed to. Everyone else calls me Metal, and they call him Gunny. but you call us Aunt Sheila, Uncle Arteza, and Uncle Kurama. Ok, sweetie?
Shard smiles and nods.
Thankfully, the press conference went along smoothly and any and all issues that the news had created the night before. And of course, they had to address the problems with Folsom. His attacks on Kurama and Arteza when they tried to apprehend him scared a lot of kids even more than just seeing him prior, as it was spreading about how harsh he was and how Erron and them didn't like him. But, well, they didn't sugarcoat it, or excuse Folsom. Kurama made it clear that Folsom was in huge trouble and that he wasn't going to tolerate that behavior, assuring the kids that Folsom was locked up safely, and that he couldn't get out.
Kurama: Listen, i'm going to be plain about this- that a**hole f**ked up and i don't know where my real brother-in-law went, but that sure as hell isn't him. I'm so sorry that he scared any of you kids, and I've made it clear to him that he's not getting away with anything.
On Earth...;
Abby: I'm surprised at how big that "Kurama" guy is. Compared to Melody, he makes her look like a toddler.
Nigel: I can't believe that she just let him and the rest of his team into Care-A-Lot! She should have at least broke in while he was sleeping and gave him a thorough brain scan.
Hoagie: Your sister is not as crazy as you Number 1. Didn't that doctor you did that to get a restraining order stating that you couldn't be in three miles of him?
Nigel: Yes, he did. And I am going to take a brain scan of this adult as soon as I am able to.
Not one of them but Nigel saw that as a viable or even remotely good idea. They saw it more like kicking a hornet's nest and sticking around.
Abby: Oh no you won't! Melody would kill you if you do that, since it violates the rules that she has set up for us when we are on Mobius. Not only that, but it would be considered an act of war against the MKND, and you know how Melody would be in it. And plus, that would be an act of war against this "Gamma 13" bunch. Besides, that Kurama guy looks like he would straight up kill you in a brutal way when he noticed that you had broken in.
Amadeus: Yeah! Lay off Kurama, Nigel! He may look scary on the outside, but on the inside, he is a big softy. You should hang out with him and Rodney one of these days, I am sure the three of you would get along greatly! And really, he and his wife Sheila have three kids already, twin babies and they adopted Erron!
Kuki: Do you think he would like Rainbow Monkeys?
Amadeus: That would be a definite "NO." He is not the type. If he got trapped on Rainbow Monkey Island, he would kill all the Rainbow Monkeys, and blow the island up for good measure. He would respect your liking for Rainbow Monkeys, Kuki, but don't intentionally bring it up, because you tend to become, how should I put this nicely, overbearing when it comes to the subject.
Little did Amadeus know he was very wrong about Kurama, cause he really didn't know his own cousin hardly at all. Immediately after the conference, and Kurama, Arteza, and Rodney had parted ways for the day, Rodney is relaxing with Melody in her office. Melody noticed that her successor was unusually sad for some reason.
Melody: What's wrong?
Rodney: I was just thinking.
Melody: Thinking about what?
Rodney: About when Gamma 13 has to leave for their own world.
Melody: You don't want Kurama and Arteza to go don't you.
Rodney (with a deep sigh): Yeah.
Melody: When the time comes, go with them.
Rodney: But, what about you and the MKND?
Melody: I can handle myself, and the MKND will be fine. I can tell you have a special connection with those two, and that you don't want that relationship to end. Besides, I can always find a new successor, but you won't be able to find the kind of happiness that you have from being with him. Don't waste this chance you have right now, cause when you are an orphan, you don't have that many chances to find a good family where you can be truly happy. With everything that you did and currently are doing for all of us Mobian children, you deserve to be happy yourself.
Rodney: How did you know I was an orphan? I never told you that fact.
Melody: It does not take a rocket scientist to figure it out. I kinda figured it out during our first mission together. Whenever any of us talked about our families, and asked you about yours, you never said anything, you just changed the subject as fast as you could. I think it is time I told you the full story about how I met my human family and the rest of our human friends.
Before she could tell him the story, somebody knocked on her door. Rodney gets up and looks at his teacher with an apologetic look.
Rodney: Maybe some other time you can tell me that story. Did you want me to get the door for you?
Melody just nods her head, and Rodney answers her door. It was Wolfgang, with some very important news and mission briefing.
Wolfgang: Good, both of you are here. We got a mission.
Melody: What mission? And who exactly is "we?"
Wolfgang: You, me, the rest of Sector S, and all the current members of Gamma 13, minus Sheila and that traitor.
Melody (With a growl): I understand you are still mad at Barrett. But hear me, if you have to refer to Barrett, use his name. Stop with this "traitor" crud. Barrett has seen the error of his ways, and he is doing his best to change, and he deserves a second chance.
Wolfgang begins to protest, but Melody cuts him off.
Melody: After all, didn't I give you a second chance after our "big disagreement?"
Rodney: Okaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay. I'm just gonna piece this together...
Wolfgang gave him a dirty look and growled angrily at him.
Rodney (backing off and deciding it would be best to run away before there was an "incident"): I am just going to catch the mission briefing with Kurama and his clone. See you two later.
As soon as he was out of the room, Melody got up and closed and locked the door. She did not want Rodney coming back and seeing the fight she knew was about to happen. While she did that, she steeled herself, as she knew that Wolfgang was already mad, and was likely to attack Rodney out of mistrust.
Melody (With a sigh): I know you are mad, and I know you want to get rid of Rodney, Barrett, and the rest of Gamma 13. I am giving you this one chance of mercy. BACK OFF.
Wolfgang (creating fireballs in both hands): You know I can't. I won't let you get in my way. I will get rid of them, and eliminate the threat to the MKND once and for all!
Melody: Fine. I gave you your chance of mercy. I won't let you just hurt my friends like that. If you want to get rid of them, you have to go through me. So, bring it on!
Wolfgang rushed at her with a fiery punch, which Melody countered. The two then get into a brawl. Tara and Fists hear the commotion and rush to Melody's office, but they see that the door is locked. They heard shouting coming from the other side.
Melody: IS THAT ALL YOU GOT LITTLE BROTHER!
Wolfgang: I AM NOT YOUR "LITTLE" BROTHER!
Melody: OUR BIRTH CERTIFICATES SAY OTHERWISE, YOU COMPLETE IDIOT!
Wolfgang: I AM NOT A COMPLETE IDIOT! YOU ARE THE IDIOT HERE!
Fists just sighs in irritation and anger, while trying the door.
Fists: Not again! This is the 13th time this month! I am sick and tired of having to stop these two from fighting!
Tara: Wait a minute, you mean to tell me this is normal for them? I had no idea that their relationship was that broken!
This really alarmed Tara, as she knew that if they were the real Melody and Wolfgang, then this was majorly bad.
Fists: I already sent a message to the rest of Sector S to come and help break this fight up. And just between you and me, Wolfgang has become a complete and total jerkwad ever since he and his family moved to a different planet. He used to be the kindest person you could ever meet, but ever since he came back, he has changed for the worse. I miss the old Wolfgang, my real friend, instead of whoever he has become.
By the time he was finished saying that, the rest of Sector S, along with Barrett, Rodney, Amadeus, Kurama, Arteza, Kai Shin, Jenny, and Farid came running up.
Kurama: What's going on here? What's the emergency?
Fists: Just listen. This is the 13th time they did this this month. It is becoming a real problem for the team. By the way, the door is locked. We have to break it in.
Kurama: Okay everyone, get back! BREACHING!
Arteza got on the other side and well, before Kurama and him could kick the door down, the door was broken in from the other side, with Wolfgang having thrown Melody against the door, with great force. Melody simply got back up and rushed at Wolfgang, giving him a swift punch to the face while her hand was completely covered in ice, and then an ice-covered kick that was countered to a fiery one from Wolfgang. It should be noted that both of them look very beaten up and they both have blood pouring out from various wounds they had just given each other. Before the twin Hedgehogs could attack each other again, Fists, Hermione, Susan, and Farid restrained Wolfgang, while Kurama and Arteza restrained Melody.
Skadi: Come on you two. I need to patch both of you up.
Wolfgang (With an angry growl): I'm fine! Let me go already!
He then starts walking away, and Susan was about to stop him when Melody stopped her.
Melody: Number 7.6, don't. Let him walk away.
She then starts walking away as well.
Skadi: Now where are you going?!
Melody: To the medical bay.
Once she left, Amadeus just sighed sadly. Horus gave him a sympathetic look and just nodded while placing a hand on his shoulder.
Horus: Boldheart, I know this must be hard on you. Me and the rest of Sector S are always there for you. I don't think they realize how much they are hurting you each time they fight. If you ever need to talk, you can always come to us. You are just as much our family as we are yours.