In the medical bay...;
Skadi is patching up Melody, while the female hedgehog is just looking at a really old picture of just her and her twin. Both hedgehogs look really happy and you could see the bond between them was very strong in the photo. If you didn't know any better, you couldn't tell that the hedgehogs in the picture were Melody and Wolfgang when they were younger.
Melody (Whispering to herself): Wolfgang, what happened to you? You used to be my Twin Brother Best Friend Forever. We used to be the ultimate best team that Mobius ever saw. When did we stop being a team and we became only work associates? I hope we can repair our relationship before my time runs out stopping Gootsman for good.
Melody compartmentalized her conflicted emotions about her twin in silence while listening to music on her SCRAM through headphones. Specific song playing is *"Somebody that I Used to Know" by Gotye and Kimbra, and Melody was absentmindedly singing along. Skadi, meanwhile, just finished her work in silence, listening to Melody singing. As Skadi was putting the materials she used away, Kurama and Arteza came over to her.
Author's Note: This song is essentially how Melody is currently feeling about Wolfgang and her relationship with him.
Kurama: How is she doing?
Skadi: She is okay, physically speaking. Her mental and emotional health begs to differ though. All these fights between her and Wolfgang are beginning to take their toll. Be careful when talking to her, she knows how to compartmentalize her emotions and true feelings, so you might have a hard time getting her to open up about personal issues like this. Just promise me you two will be gentle with her.
Kurama: Okay. I'll try.
Arteza: Yeah.
Kurama and Arteza went over to Melody and sat down in some chairs, facing her. Melody just took her earbuds out of her ears and she gave Kurama and Arteza a weak and faint smile.
Kurama: Mind telling us why you and your twin were fighting today?
Melody (With a heavy sigh): We had a bit of a "disagreement."
Arteza: About what?
Melody: Putting trust in others.
Kurama: It was about trusting me and the rest of Gamma 13, wasn't it?
Melody: Yeah.
Arteza: It seems to us that this goes on further than this fight. Especially since Fists says that this incident was the thirteenth fight between you two. If you want, you can talk to us about it. We can understand the pain you are going through.
Melody: Thanks, Kurama, Arteza. I do want to talk about this more, but I want to do so in private. It is a rather sensitive topic for me. But there is something that I want to show you first.
Melody then turned slightly so that Kurama and Arteza could see her right shoulder. She lifted her t-shirt sleeve and Kurama saw the scar that Wolfgang had given her all those years ago. Even though it was an old scar, it looked like it was freshly made.
Melody: Our problems started when we actually got into our first fist-fight. I gave him a scar similar to this one he gave me. We bear these scars as reminders of that fight. By the way, do you have any idea about what that mission was about? Wolfgang did come into my office because he had the mission briefing papers for some mission involving me and the rest of Sector S, and you and your team, minus Barrett and Sheila before our fight broke out.
Kurama: Everybody was already briefed on the mission except for you. We decided to leave you for last so that you could have a little bit of time to recover your energy from that press conference. Hey, at least me and Tezzie didn't breach your office.
Arteza: Yeah, there'd be nothing left of the door if we did.
Melody's S.C.R.A.M. then started to ring, and she gave Kurama and Arteza a sheepish and apologetic look to Kurama.
Melody: Sorry. I have to take this. Apollo is calling using the emergency frequency. He never does that unless it is really important.
Kurama and Arteza simply nodded, and Melody answered her S.C.R.A.M.
Kurama: (in thought with Arteza) That song she was singing; it reminds me of all the times me and you hid in our jet or our workshop, thinking about Janelle, mourning her and Jian.
Arteza(in thought with Kurama): Yeah, you always play 'Fall From Grace by Magna-Fi'.
Kurama in thought with Arteza): No, No, No, No – Get that out of your head! This is no time to mourn our best friend! He died, and that damn demon took his place! and Janelle got seduced by that f***er! Tezzie, if we keep on that, we're gonna drown in it.
Artezain thought with Kurama): S**t, you're right, we gotta get a hold of ourselves.
Melody: Hello Apollo. What is wrong?
Apollo: We got a problem here! Knuckles just saw Kurama's ship that was sailing under Angel Island, and he went to investigate it. He took the Chaotix and Julie-Su with him.
An explosion was then heard, and Apollo let out a high-pitched squeal of panic and pain.
Melody (Extremely worried and panicking at the sound of the explosion): Apollo! What happened?! Can you hear me?! Apollo?! Apollo!APOLLO!
Apollo didn't answer, and Melody then heard the line go dead. She immediately rushed over to her secret compartment that she had in the medical bay, and pulled out her most destructive weapon that she had shown off to Gamma 13 yet. It was yet another weapon that had no name or designation, but Melody had nicknamed it "Debris Maker," as that was what was leftover when she was done whatever she was using that gun against was debris. Melody placed Debris Maker on her shoulder and made another call.
Melody: I need you and your team here at HQ. There is an emergency mission that I need you here for. Something has happened on Angel Island, and the Master Emerald is at risk.
Vintorez: Isn't the master emerald the guardian's problem?
Melody: Knuckles is busy attacking/investigating Kurama's ship that is sailing under Angel Island. He has the rest of the Chaotix and Julie-Su with him. I have no idea what will happen to them, but I am sure that if they don't get it under control, they are going to die.
Vintorez: Don't worry. We'll be there within the hour.
Melody: You guys have thirty minutes to get here. Fist's little brother is currently MIA, and nobody knows what happened to him. I was his last contact, and I heard an explosion with him screaming before the line died. We need to get to him, you and your team are going to go with Gamma 13 to handle the guardian and the Chaotix.
Vintorez: Don't worry, we're coming. It's going to be nice working beside you and your team again. By the way, I am going to be evaluating Rodney during this, see if he has what it takes to be Supreme Leader.
Melody: No, you won't. He has been in contact with the guardian and the Chaotix before, so he is not going with you while dealing with the guardian. If Knuckles sees him again, he might put two and two together and figure out about the MKND. At least if he sees you, he won't have any idea that the MKND even exists. You can evaluate Rodney after this mission is over.
Vintorez: Okay then. We will see you in 30. Bye!
Melody: Bye!
Melody then turned around and saw Kurama was already standing up with Heart and Soul ready, Arteza having their old Mk18 Mod 2 carbine, and Skadi was standing beside him with two of her most powerful sniper rifles in her hands and she was wearing a large backpack that was filled to the brim with medical supplies and all kinds of medicines. Kurama and Arteza were busy giving her skeptical and questioning looks, as they had heard everything on Melody's end, that included her conversation with Apollo and everything with Vintorez.
Melody: Kurama, Arteza, I know that this is sudden and all, but we need to change exactly who is going where on this mission. Me, Rodney, and the rest of Sector S are going to Angel Island to find out what has happened to Apollo. You and your team are going to deal with your ship and its problems. Before you say anything, I already called the most elite warrior agents in the MKND. They are going to be with you on this mission.
Kurama: Exactly why can't Rodney come with us on this?
Melody: Well, It is mainly for the fact that Knuckles is a hothead and he only recently found out about his father and the rest of his ancestors who are still alive have been keeping secrets from him. If he found out that Fists and Apollo have been keeping the secret of the MKND from him, let's just say he is going to get beyond mad, and potentially prevent Fists and Apollo from ever leaving Angel Island ever again. They only just told him about Shard, and that ticked him off already. And besides, I need Rodney with me in case we catch a bastard who had a hand in Apollo's MIA status. In that case, Rodney will be able to get the fraking truth out of that bastard. You would not believe how good of an interrogator Rodney is normally. He can get a full confession out of a jerk in a minute, two tops.
Kurama (Letting out an irritated sigh): Okay. Fine. Who are you going to put on my team instead? (in thought) Damn. This sucks. I hope Rodney remembers his training. (aloud) and Melody, please give Rodney some space to work. look, let him handle any robots. you'll be better off then.
Melody: ok. And to answer your question, the most elite team that the MKND has to offer. They are even better than me and the other members of Sector S. They are supposed to be here in about thirty minutes. Let's go and brief our teams on the mission.
Arteza: Just how many members are on this team?
Melody: Three.
At that moment, Mark, Vintorez, and Malcom arrive via warp ring, geared up and ready to go.
Vintorez: What were you saying about us?
Skadi (Becoming ecstatic and running over and hugging Mark): Mark! Long time no see! I haven't seen you since Eggman botched Shard's presentation ceremony! Are you coming to Shard's repeat ceremony? I know for certain that Shard would love to have you there.
Mark: Yeah! Definitely!
At that point, Sheila walked in.
Melody: Kurama, Arteza, Sheila; these are my elite agents. You can trust them to keep your secret. Really. Guys, talk about it later though.
Both groups nodded.
Vintorez: My name is Vintorez.
Mark: My name is Mark!
Malcom: And I'm Malcom.
Kurama smiled and introduced himself.
Kurama: I'm Kurama. I'm team leader for this mission.
Sheila smiled as she loaded her shotgun.
Sheila: My name is Sheila. I'm Kurama and Arteza's wife and I'll be our combat engineer.
Arteza: And Arteza, Kurama's assistant gunner, and their husband.
The three kids looked between them, and well, now they were super curious about that. This was the first they heard of that kind of marriage, and of course, they knew that they were about to be guarding a massive secret clearly.
Vintorez: Got it. You can count on us.
Later, over the drop zone…
Kurama hit the door release. As the rear door of the gunship opened, he looked back at Sheila, Arteza, Mark, Malcom, and Vintorez, as well as Erron, who joined as their medic. Sheila was checking the four boy's Pulse Packs. They were all wearing wingsuits, as they needed to be careful and precise about landing. And wingsuits and Pulse Packs meant that if they missed the landing for whatever reason, they could try again.
Sheila: Alright, everything's good.
Arteza: No problems.
Tara: You better go now. That red dude is definitely not gonna make it. He keeps it up, they're gonna shred him.
Kurama: Right. ok, follow me out!
Kurama took a running leap and flung himself out of the gunship, Sheila, Arteza, and the boys following him out. As Kurama and his fireteam freefell, they could see Angel Island below them. adjusting their course, they positioned themselves over the ship. they could see the close-in weapon systems and anti-aircraft guns firing away at a small moving target. (They were firing at Charmy, who was trying to draw the big guns away from the rest of his team.)
Kurama: (over the radio) Vintorez, Mark, Malcom, move into formation with me, Arteza,Diesel, and Erron, follow our lead.
Vintorez: ok.
Mark: Got it.
Malcolm: Right.
As the 7 moved into formation, they activated their Pulse Packs, and opened their chutes. They landed on the deck of the Ramses IV, careful of where they were. They landed just as Knuckles and the Chaotix were fighting with some of the UDT operators and a lone Marine. Just then the captain of the ship, a German Shepherd Dog woman, ran on to the deck. She was carrying a shotgun, and was decked out in full armor.
Author's note: UDTs are Charybdan Alliance naval special forces. UDT stands for Underwater Demolition Team. Folsom is a UDT operator.
?: What the hell is going on up here!?
Just then she saw Kurama, Arteza, and Sheila, along with Erron, Vintorez, Malcom, and Mark.
Kurama: We've got this under control, ma'am. Captain Keyes, get in cover while we take care of our new friends.
Captain Keyes(relieved): Good luck, son. And don't get the crap beat out of you.
Kurama nodded as Captain Keyes moved into cover. Sheila activated her riot shield and equipped her memory neutralizer. Kurama swapped Heart and Soul for the memory neutralizer Melody gave him and his Dragon's Tail cable dart. Kurama put the memory neutralizer in the holster on his chest rig, replacing the LT-100L he was carrying before, and Arteza did much the same. As the UDTs fought with the Chaotix, the lone Marine, a purple and red female cat-hyena, kicked Knuckles in the chest.
?: That all you got? Bring it on, a$$holes!
Knuckles flew backward aways. He caught himself and rushed back into the fight. Kurama and Arteza recognized the tag that came up in his HUD.
Kurama: (in thought) Aw Yeah! Go Zenith! (over the radio) Yo, Zenith, let's tagteam this a$$hole! We can't kill him, but I need you to distract him!
Zenith: Got it, Kurama!
As Zenith and Knuckles brawled, Kurama readied his cable dart and so did Arteza. When Zenith flipped Knuckles off, Kurama used his rope dart to tangle Knuckles up. Kurama pulled hard, jerking Knuckles toward him. Erron, Mark, Malcolm, and Vintorez meanwhile dealt with Julie-Su and Espio. Sheila dealt with Vector. And Charmy, well, he hid after the weapons systems and the anti-aircraft guns had stopped firing. Erron, Mark, Malcolm, and Vintorez found Charmy, after dealing with Julie-Su and Espio, and neutralized him as well without that much of a fight from Charmy. Back with Sheila and Vector...;
Sheila: Hey, big green a**hole, come pick on someone your own size, like me!
Vector: Alright, girly, you're gonna get it!
Sheila got a wicked grin on her face. She flipped Vector off with both hands. This only served to enrage Vector. Just as Vector tried to punch her, Sheila caught the punch and flipped Vector over her shoulder and punched him in the face. The force of the punch instantly rendered Vector unconscious.
Sheila: Lame. Dude, get good.
As for Kurama and Arteza, well, they hit Knuckles with the sedative that Skadi gave them. Kurama then shot Knuckles with the memory neutralizer. while Knuckles was stunned, and Kurama handed him off to Sheila. They had hit the Chaotix with the sedatives and memory neutralizers by now. Erron, Vintorez, Malcolm, and Mark walked up. Captain Keyes was with them.
Kurama: Man, that was something.
He turned to Zenith and smiled. She walked over to him and hugged him.
Zenith: I've been so worried about you!
She kissed Kurama on both cheeks, hugging him as tightly as she could, nuzzling him as well, and after a bit they broke the hug.
Kurama: Well, now you don't have to worry, sis. I'm here.
Kurama kissed her on her head, holding her close. It was an oddly sweet scene, but well, it was a sudden and joyous reunion too. .
What happened with Sector S and Rodney while all this was going on...;
Horus: Dude, you are throwing off the balance of the T.P.M.S.G.! This thing was not designed for the excess weight that you added with that exoskeleton and those guns with the ammo you have plus all of us!
Author's Note: The Acronym stands for: Tiny. Plane. Makes. Stealth. Good.
Rodney: Aw, shut up! I need this stuff so that I will be able to deal with any bots that come at us! and the only excess weight is you! This is the frakking M-9, top-of-the-frakking-line low weight-all power model! SO SHUT THE FRAK UP BEFORE I SHUT YOUR FRAKKING MOUTH FOR YOU!
Melody by this point had got fed up with the constant bickering between Rodney and Horus during the flight to Angel Island.
Melody (Using her motherly and authoritative voice while changing into a special mission suit behind a changing curtain): SHUT THE FRAK UP YOU TWO! CAN'T WE COMPLETE THIS MISSION WITHOUT FURTHER INFIGHTING?!
Horus and Rodney (with a lot of sarcasm): Sorry, MOM!
Melody(getting beyond pissed): BOYS!
Horus and Rodney immediately shut up when Melody shouted at them, fearing her wrath.
Susan (chuckling to herself and whispering): I can't wait to see what happens when I replay the video for Kurama and Sheila! Those two will be in so much trouble then!
Melody then walked out from behind the curtain in her sleek, and fashionable, catsuit. She grabbed her backpack that she had packed before the mission and stood at the back of the T.P.M.S.G. Rodney, Hermione and Amadeus stood with her. It should be noted that Amadeus was wearing the boy's version of the catsuit that Melody was wearing.
Melody: You two ready?
Hermione: Rodger!
Rodney: Yep!
Amadeus: You bet!
Melody: Then let's go!
And with that Melody opened the landing hatch of the plane, which created a ramp for them, and they were directly above their drop zone. All four of them backed up a little bit and then they ran at full speed and jumped out of the plane. They managed to make perfect, and stylish, landings on Angel Island, all without parachutes, except Rodney. Which would have made all the Helljumpers from Kurama's world jealous. It should be noted that they all did the freefall and the landing as stylishly as they possibly could, wanting to outdo the others. Rodney, on the other hand, was more concerned with following what Kurama had taught him.
On the way down:
as Rodney freefell, he thought about the training Kurama put him through.
Rodney: Freaking ridiculous. Freefalling without a parachute. screw that. I ain't breaking my neck or worse. Kurama's right. one day, someone's gonna screw up, and- crap. I don't wanna think about it. ugh. no, get the timing right, and hit the dropzone so I can start shooting if I have to before I touch down. in five…four…three…two…one…now.
Rodney pulled the cord on his parachute. It opened and pulled him upwards away from the others. As he floated down, he scoped out the dropzone with Midnight Tabby and his EVS. He keyed his phone to Melody's S.C.R.A.M.
Rodney: Number 7, we're good. I don't see anything; but be on guard. Just cause I can't see them doesn't mean crap.
Back on the plane...;
Horus: Showoffs!
Skadi: What are you talking about? I think that it is awesome the way that they can do that without parachutes. And I think Gamma 13 would be jealous that they are not able to do that!
Horus: But Rodney didn't. He had a parachute. Guess he took Kurama's training seriously.
By that point, Hermione, Rodney, Amadeus, and Melody had found where Apollo was taken and saw that there were clear signs that the Dark Egg Legion were the reason that Apollo disappeared. Once the rest of their attack team arrived, Hermione used her magic to replay what happened to Apollo, and all of them saw that the legion was the reason behind Apollo's disappearance. They were about to go and hunt down a legionnaire that knew Apollo's whereabouts when they were ambushed by a bunch of bots and legionnaires. Fortunately for them, the legion members that attacked them were the same members that helped capture Apollo.
Fists: WHAT DID YOU JERKS DO TO APOLLO?!
Legionnaire: We need a successor for the legion, and you were our prime choice. We needed your brother as a bargaining chip to get to you! We want you back with us!
Fists: I WILL NEVER REJOIN THE LEGION! YOU GUYS ARE SICK AND SADISTIC!
Legionnaire: We thought you might say that, so we took an extra precaution!
The legionnaire held up the remote control for Fist's memory neutralizer chip in his brain. The blood drained from his face when he saw the remote, and he immediately got scared.
Fists (in a terrified whisper to himself): No. Not that. Don't press the button and erase all my memories and everything that I know permanently! Anything but that!
Melody (Noticing how scared Fists had become): Guys, new objective! GET THAT REMOTE BEFORE THEY PRESS THE BUTTON!
Rodney: DONE AND DONE!
Rodney, having just finished off the bots, and firing the EMP grenade on the other legionnaires, quickly made short work of the foe, but leaving him alive and conscious as handed the remote over to Melody, who put it in her backpack after encasing the entire thing in a block of ice, as an assurance that no buttons would be pressed on it, thereby hurting Fists.
Rodney (After subduing the legionnaire): What should we do with this A**hole?
Melody: Make him talk. Force him to tell us where they are keeping Apollo.
Rodney (Giving her a wicked smile): With pleasure!
Rodney took the legionnaire away while Melody walked over to Fists, telling the rest of her team to go and check in with Kurama and the rest of Gamma 13.
Melody: Okay. Number 7.4, care to tell me what was that all about with the remote?
Fists: It's rather personal, and I don't really want to talk about it.
Melody: Okay then. I won't ask you about this stuff anymore, but I am going to hand this remote off to Kurama after the mission. Promise me you will talk to him about it. He may be able to help you with whatever problem you have with this remote.
Fists: Okay. I will talk to Kurama later. I've been meaning to hang out with him.
Melody: Allright. And just so you know, I will always try to be there for you to talk to. You don't have to hide your past from me. After all, I told you everything that happened in my past with my parents being murdered and getting impaled.
Fists: Thank you. Maybe I will tell you one day, but not right now. We have a job to do.
By that point, Rodney had gotten the information that he needed, and he hogtied the legionnaire. Melody and the rest of the attack team decided to leave the legionnaire in such a way that indicated he tried to steal the master emerald, thereby resulting in getting beat up by Knuckles and the Chaotix when those heroes woke up. Melody, Rodney, and the rest of their team went and promptly rescued Apollo, after Horus changed the T.P.M.S.G. out for the S-Hurricane. After rescuing Apollo...;
Fists: Bro, Skadi and I talked it over, and we decided that it would be for your benefit to come and live with us in Care-A-Lot for a month or two, for safety reasons. If the legion came after you to get to me, they might try this stunt again just to get me. And besides, we need somebody to babysit Shard when we can't be there, since we do not want to keep pushing our son off on Kurama and Sheila all the time.
Apollo: Okay, but on one condition; you and the rest of Sector S can't get mad at me when I decide to spend time with Amadeus.
Melody: Okay. But I have a condition of my own; You can't destroy Care-A-Lot when you hang out. You have to behave yourselves while living there. That is my condition.
Apollo: It's a deal.
Later, after the mission on Kurama's end…
Kurama: Hey, good work today guys.
Sheila: Yeah. You boys are incredible.
Vintorez: Thanks. We were just doing our jobs. Now it's time for us to leave and go back into hiding until we are called upon for another emergency.
Sheila: Wait a minute, what do you mean, "go into hiding?"
Malcom: Well, we are what the MKND knows as, a "sector without a tree."
Kurama: What does that even mean?
Vintorez: That means that we have no place to call our base or home away from home, which makes the three of us nomads.
Kurama: Don't you three have families or homes that you can go to?
Mark (Putting his arms around Vintorez and Malcolm): No, the three of us are orphans, and we bonded together as brothers. These two are the only ones I truly call my family.
Malcolm: Yeah, we're just as tight as if we were actual blood brothers, and we would do anything to help each other out.
Kurama: Well, you're all definitely Gamma 13 material. How would you three like to join us?
Vintorez: Well, that sounds nice, but…
Mark: We can't leave the MKND. With Eggman still around, the world is in danger.
Malcolm: If we leave-
Kurama: I didn't say anything about you leaving the MKND. You can stay here and still be part of Gamma 13. You can be both MKND agents and Gamma 13 operatives. there's no conflict between those.
Erron: Yeah, I mean, Daddy says I'm both a Gamma and a member of the MKND. All cause i wanted to be.
Vintorez smiled. He looked at Mark. Mark nodded in agreement. Malcolm followed suit.
Vintorez: Then we accept your offer.
Kurama: Good. so, when you get ready, why don't you come live with us?
Vintorez: Really?
Arteza: Heck yeah! You boys already proven yourselves to be true Gammas. We want you to live with us.
Malcom: Okay then. Just let us get our ship that has our living quarters in it, and we will be back in Care-A-Lot before you know it.
Sheila: We'll be waiting for you at the Care-A-Lot airbase for you.
Malcom: Thanks! We'll see you later!
And with that, the three leave by warp ring just as Sector S and Rodney, and Apollo come back. Kurama. Arteza, and Zenith go to see Melody. Melody and Rodney are the last two off the plane. Rodney runs to Kurama and hugs him.
Kurama: Hey, little buddy, how'd your mission go? They give you any crap about your gear?
Rodney: Some. I mean, I am wearing Mandrake camo with a Halo t-shirt. I sucked it up and just used Downunda Omen. And then Midnight Tabby came into play…..eh, honestly it was about me being too heavy with my gear.
Rodney sighed and Kurama and Arteza gave him a hug.
Amadeus (Walking past): To be clear; Horus was the one giving him crap about it. The rest of us already understood. You should have seen me, Hermione, and Melody freefalling and perfectly landing on Angel Island without parachutes or wingsuits.
Zenith: Hold on, you mean to say that you four kids managed to stick a helljumper kind of landing on a flying island, from a plane that was probably a few hundred miles above said island, and they were showing off, without any sort of wingsuit or parachutes on?!
Hermione (Giving off a wicked smile, walking up): Oh frak yes! We do that for fun when we have leisure time! And to be clear, we were about three hundred miles above the island when we did that.
Zenith (Whispering to Kurama): Okay, that sounds impressive, but your new friends are insane. Who even does that besides them?! That kind of stunt will get a person killed, especially kids.
Kurama, Arteza, and Rodney laughed as they broke the hug. Rodney smiled and unslung Midnight Tabby. It was a massive rifle, as big as Skadi's sniper rifle, but Rodney handled it effortlessly, due to his exoskeleton.
Rodney: And Kurama, to answer your question, we got ambushed by the Legion. A little forty-five caliber firepower evened the odds nicely and made an impression on them. I dealt with the mechanical a**holes they had with them. Melody and the others took care of the cyborgs; well after I hit them with an EMP grenade. You should have been there when we captured one of the Legionnaires. It was fun when they let me make the jerk spill the beans about Apollo's whereabouts! You should have been there, you would have had a lot of fun!
Arteza: Nice going, little buddy! Ha! How many kills you get?
Rodney: Thirty-five. Incendiary ammo worked nicely. I only needed two shots for the really big bots when I used this.
Melody walked up to them.
Melody: Well, he's right. Letting him take care of the robots was a good idea. So, did you take care of your mission?
Zenith: Yeah. We got the problem fixed.
Melody: Who are you?
Melody knew exactly who she was, she just couldn't believe it. And Zenih, well, she couldn't believe that the girl in front of her was their Melody.
Zenith: My name is Zenith; Commander Zenith Mallory, Gamma 13. I'm an old friend of Kurama's.
Melody (Holding her hand out for a handshake): Well, it's good to meet you. Any friend of Kurama's is a friend of mine.
Zenith (Kneeling down and shaking Melody's hand): Same here. How about we grab a drink of that cider Kurama was telling me about and talk about how you and your friends are able to do crazy stunts like jumping out of planes without wingsuits and parachutes.
Melody: Sounds good to me! (To Kurama) Hey Kurama, Rodney! If you need me and Zenith, we are going to be at the Lucky Seven's drinking cider and talking! Call us if you need us!
Kurama: See you later! And keep an eye out for Wolfgang and Farid if you see them at the bar! I do not want a repeat of the incident that happened last time!
Melody: Don't worry, we will! See you later! (suddenly remembering the remote) OH! Crap! Kurama, there's something important!
Kurama: Hm?
Melody ran over and took Kurama and Arteza aside, about dragging them along. When they were out of sight and all, she let go of their hands, letting them get their balance back.
Kurama: Woah, Mel, what's going on?
Melody: Kurama, Arteza, we have a major problem, specifically regarding Fists and the DEL.
Arteza: Wha….
Melody pulled out the remote and showed them, explaining what she knew so far, and then gave Kurama and Arteza everything they'd need to know about the DEL, well, in its original form as the Dark Legion. That was the part they still didn't know about, as they heard far more about its recent history as the DEL.
Kurama: S**t, this is a mess.
Melody: I know. One of you guys has to talk to Fists, better yet, one at a time. I'd rather him get close to both of you, the way things are now.
Kurama: We understand, right, honey?
Arteza: We certainly do. Don't worry, Mel.
Melody nodded, feeling better about that. And with that, she and Zenith walked off to the Lucky Sevens. With Zenith and Melody…
Zenith: Damn, y'all are insane. Crap. Freefalling. Now, I've seen Kurama pull crap like that, but see he wears a wingsuit just so he can control his fall. but, with Roxy and her Helljumpers; crap, those psychos drop from freakin' orbit in metal pods. What you guys do is impressive, but just try to drop into a warzone in a metal coffin with every f-in' piece of Triple A shootin' at you.
Melody: That sounds very interesting. I might try it one of these days. I never get to do anything that fun back home. Back home, sometimes we drop down into battle in drop pods made from wooden barrels.
Zenith: That does not sound any better. In fact it sounds like a death sentence!
Melody: It's perfectly okay, when we use the barrels, nothing attacks us directly, and usually we are only a maximum of a mile above our drop zone. I keep telling them, we need to actually make the pods out of metal and drop down from greater heights in a battle! But they keep turning me down! Stupid fun killers!
Melody and Zenith then start talking more about different things. They end up talking late in the night, and only stopped and parted ways when the Lucky Sevens closed down for the night.
Fists had found Arteza in the meanwhile, and the two of them walked off to the ledge that overlooked Care-A-Lot. He'd been looking for Kurama, and well, finding his clone, which they hadn't actually properly gotten to be let in on the secret yet, and well, this was a random thing. With Arteza and Fists...;
Fists: Kurama, I want to talk to you about something.
Arteza: Uh, I'm Tezzie, but sure, what did you want to talk about?
Fists was hesitant, until Arteza showed him his face.
Arteza: Fists, sweetie, it's ok. I'm still Kurama, and I'm my own man, Arteza. So, hey, me and my sweet husband are right here for you, ok?
Fists nodded, feeling a little better.
Fists (Sighing): It's about my past. Since you told me so much about you guys and your past, I think it's about time I told you mine. Just swear to me that this conversation does not get back to the rest of Sector S. Especially Skadi. She cannot know at all what I am about to tell you. You can tell Kurama and the rest of Gamma 13 if you want, but keep it between Gamma 13 members only.
Arteza: Of course, sweetheart. I swear I won't tell your here. Just snuggle up with me and tell me what's wrong.
Fists did so, happy that if Arteza loved him, that meant Kurama loved him too, and this was his Kurama, he had a father again, as he never forgot that single day when Kurama called him one of his babies.
Fists: Okay. You see, I used to be part of the Dark Egg Legion, back when it was just the "Dark Legion." I was slated to be the next "Grandmaster." And before you ask, think of it in this analogy; Rodney is to Melody, as I was to the Dark Legion.
Arteza: Makes sense. Go on.
Arteza rubbed Fists's back, nuzzling him. Fists then proceeded to tell Arteza about everything about when he was first growing up in the Legion, and how he became blooded. He even told him about the memory neutralizer in his brain, and how he wanted it removed, but was too scared to find somebody who would do it without asking questions.
Fists: Don't tell anybody about how I killed my mentor. Nobody needs to know. That part stays between the two of us, until I decide to tell it myself. I do not want all that drama.
Arteza: I understand, baby. Continue.
Fists then proceeded to tell Arteza the rest of his story, leading up to and ending with how he met Melody, Wolfgang, and the rest of Sector S.
Arteza(taking in everything that Fists had told him): Wow, I didn't know how evil your "Dark Legion" was. Sounds like it's on par with the terrorist groups that me and the rest of Gamma 13 deal with on a daily basis. And look, if you and your little brother want those chips removed, before they are activated, I am sure Mira can do it. She is the absolute best medic that Gamma 13 has. And your girlfriend is actually on par with her with the skills and the way that Skadi has. I have no doubts that Mira can. If you want, Kuram and I can talk to her when she gets here, and we can see about getting that chip removed.
Fists (Suddenly hugging Arteza even tighter and nuzzling him): Thanks. Talking to you made me feel better. To be honest, you remind me a lot of my mentor. Being with you makes me miss him less.
Arteza(Hugging Fists back): You're welcome. And Fists, you can always come and talk to me when you need to. I will always be there to listen, and Kurama's always free too. You don't ever have to worry about it. And if you need to cry and mourn your mentor right now, you can. Nobody will see you. I promise. And I will stay with you until you are done, if you want.
Fists: Okay. I need to finally mourn him. Thanks for this.
Fists then finally started crying, missing his old mentor. Fists had buried his face into Arteza's chest, and Arteza just hugged and comforted him as he cried his heart out. Fists ended up burning himself out and he fell asleep in Arteza's arms. Arteza called Skadi, telling her that Fists would not be able to come back to the house that he shared with her that night. Once that call was over, he called Kurama, asking if it was okay for Fists to spend the night at the Gamma 13 base. Kurama said it was okay, and Folsom took Fists to his room in the base and tucked him in. Of course, the next day was the big talk, the one about Arteza and Kurama and Sheila's unique bisexual marriage.
Kurama: Alright, Fists, so, Tezzie talked to you last night, and you know he's me and Diesel's husband, right?
Fists: Yeah, so you two…
Kurama and Arteza: Yes, like married people do, and yes….
Sheila: I'm in there too.
Fists: Ok, cool with me…just, when did you get married?
Kurama: Well, Tezzie and I were married when we were on a mission in Transvaal, back on Charybdis….
As they told the story, Fists and Skadi were excited to see the pictures, and Fists commented on how nice the village was for doing that for them.
Fists: I mean, you guys saved them and still had to hide that you loved each other, it really sucks back home if you're not straight, huh?
Kurama: Hate to say it, but yeah. We've seen a lot of hate there. Kinda wanna move, but we don't know anywhere safe where we can come out. We do it now, we might get taken out of the task force. Those a**holes wouldn't like if i was publicly Bi. "The Hero of Star City has sex with a guy?" You know they'll be all over that. Especially in our case. They'd say I was either unfaithful or a deviant. Think about it. Two person marriages are normal there. There are no three person marriages. But we don't care. We love each other….and all we want is to be free to live, like we are here.
Skadi: That we can get behind.
Arteza: All we ask is to keep it quiet. We aren't ready to come out as bi. Me and Aggro have a hard enough time playing the gay couple, cause we can't even do that since publicly….
Sheila: Me and Aggro are the ones who are married.
Kurama: Things are f**ked up back home, but….there has to be hope, y'know?
The kids agreed, as Erron, Leica, Rodney, Drago, and Sirena were there too, and they wished Kurama, Sheila, and Arteza could freely show their love, as Erron had really wished that his fathers could be happy and go out and be affectionate as husbands in public, since not once did he see his dads kiss when they were in public so far No, it was like they weren't even a couple or anything, and it hurt his heart because he really loved them with all his heart.
Erron: It's not fair! F**k them! F**k them all!
Kurama: Erron, baby, calm down, there's nothing we can do while we're here.
Arteza: Your daddy is right, Erron. We understand that you're upset. Do you feel like they're basically saying you can't be our baby cause me and Aggro adopted you first?
Erron nodded and it took a bit to calm him down, cause in a way, he never wanted to leave, cause he wanted them to stay, but he wanted to go when they did. Just not if it was gonna be miserable for them. All they could really do is comfort Erron, letting him know that he wasn't gonna get taken away from Kuram and them, as he also worried that might happen. And the thing was, that was his biggest worry. The fact that he was first adopted by Kurama and Arteza, and now hearing why they were so afraid to to come out as Bi, not cause of "oh, everything's fine and we're just too scared of a bad reaction that's no even gonna happen, but we're just nervous as f**k". No, they were afraid of actual retribution by those in authority. Kurama and them were basically tools of the Council, yet something was coming, a shift that would take all the Council's power away and begin the freeing of the night, when they went back to their condo, so that Sheila could see it, well, Kurama and Arteza and the kids forgot how huge of a mess the condo was when they left due to the hurricane.
Kurama: Oh s**t…..
There were toys and books everywhere, half of their movie and game cases stacked on the floor, a basket of laundry where Kurama had actually tripped trying to get their stuff….and then the colorful 6mm plastic BBs from where Erron dropped one of their BB loaders and they all spilled everywhere, and they couldn't clean them up.
Sheila: Oh my word…..wow, how fast did you guys bug out?
Erron: I think fast as f**k is the right level for that, Momma.
That made them all laugh and they just headed in to start cleaning up. But of course, they had visitors, in the form of Melody and them who knew the truth.
Melody: Need some help, guys?
Kurama and them turned to see Melody, Skadi, and Fists there, and they were happy to see them, as well, they really did need the help. They were giggling about the mess, since it was as if Horus lived there.
Kurama: Thank heavens, guys, we really are in a mess here!
Fists: We can see, and it looks that you left pretty fast here.
Arteza: Yeah, I mean, we're lucky Mel gave us that ice to save our food since the power would go out.
Melody: Kurama, you packed the ice in good, right?
Kurama: Yep!
As they went and started cleaning, Kurama checked the fridge. But as soon as he opened it….
Kurama: Let's see what we have here…..i'm hungry already, so….
And boom. It was like all the cold air in the fridge just exploded onto Kurama's face and well, he was covered in frost, and Kurama's entire face was frosted with ice and he looked like an ice lion-dog.
Kurama(shivering terribly): F-F**k-k. G-guys, i th-think we g-got it t-too c-cold….
Arteza: Hm? Honey, what's up?
Kurama stood up and turned around and when they all saw him, they burst out in laughter, as Kurama did look silly and actually sorta cute.
Arteza: Honey, you look like an icy lion! You have a frost mane!
Melody: Wow! How much ice did you manage to shove in there?
Kurama: A-all of i-it, M-mel.
Kurama was shivering still and Arteza warmed up a big towel quickly with his fire magic and walked over and wrapped Kurama in it, snuggling his husband up in the towel. He picked Kurama up, shutting the fridge. He then took Kurama and set him on the couch, letting Kurama warm up before he started back working.
Melody: Kurama, you know we thought you looked funny cause of all the ice, right? Not being mean?
Kurama: I know, Mel.
Melody smiled and climbed up in his lap, snuggling with him in the warm towel.
Melody: Just checking.
It took a white for them to get it all cleaned up, but when they did, it was late, and well, the kids stayed overnight, which worked out since Shard was still there with Kurama and them anyways. And naturally, Erron, Rodney, Drago, and Sirena slept with Kurama, Sheila, and Arteza, since they had a really big bed. But well, Sheila knew they needed to expand the condo anyways, so she decided that the next day, she'd make the whole building bigger. None of the other tenants minded, since she was giving everyone way more room to live. They were actually kinda excited, since Sheila was gonna use a lot of magic. And when Sheila did that, she amazed all the kids, and the results were wonderful. Over the next few days, everything was peaceful as everybody got settled into their new quarters. Melody actually took Kurama, Sheila, Arteza, Erron, Leica, Celadon, Sienna, Drago, Sirena, and Rodney to the local Care-A-Lot theater to see the locals put on their own version of The Pirates of Penzance play. They all thought that the play was good, and all of them left in high spirits. On the 14th, Valentines day came around, and Kurama and them had been dealing with so much that when the 13th of february had hit, especially considering they came back to the condo after the hurricane to a major mess, they only just remembered, and that applied for Kurama, Sheila, and Arteza. But it was understandable, and usually all three were so on top of the dates that they never missed Valentine's Day, no matter how crazy it got. If they had to, they would always have a longer Valentine's celebration that lasted a few days, and the family Valentine's party was a big deal too. But this year, when Kurama woke up on the 13th with his wife and husband, all three had the sudden realization when they shut their phones' alarms off, and they freaked out.
Kurama, Arteza, and Sheila: Holy f**king s**t, we almost forgot about Valentine's Day! The kids woke up with a start hearing that, and freaked too, running in there.
Rodney, Drago,Sirena, and Erron: How much time do we have?
Kurama: 24 hours, today's the 13th! We gotta get ready today!
Sheila and Arteza and the kids nodded and they ran and got ready for the day, running out to get decorations and all, and spent the whole day both decorating for a small party and Kurama, Arteza, and Sheila individually working up something for the other two, getting cards and gifts, and sweets and flowers, and planning the party, and well, at the same time, it was so super funny that Melody had been prepping since February 1st came, as this was her holiday specialty. It always had been, and she'd helped Kurama and Sheila with their valentines ever since she was 2 and 1/2 , and Valentine's Day was something she missed celebrating with her family like they did, and if she was right, Kurama, Sheila, and Arteza would have a Valentine's Day party, and she'd get to help them, She hadn't heard them say anything about it, but that made her worry that they would get upset when they realized they missed it, cause she had a bad feeling they might have lost track of the days, and she meant to remind them at intervals of 1, 2, and 3 weeks before, but now, she was right and when she came over that afternoon, she saw them rushing around the place, decorating it, and it was chaos, not the good kind, cause they were in a panic, and Melody had stop them.
Melody: Guys!
Melody whistled and that made them all stop, and she immediately took over and began directing the decorating, making them start all over and getting to work on the food and also helping Kurama, Sheila, and Arteza get their valentines figured out, and the thing was, Melody wasn't remotely overwhelmed or stressed. For her, it was like how Horus was with Christmas and Frozatana, and Skadi and Fists with Thanksgiving, and how Kurama and Sheila and Arteza had Alliance Day, Melody had Valentine's Day covered, and well, this was something she'd been looking forward to with Kurama and then there, as this would be a new and exciting Valentine's Day. She was glad that she knew she could go and see her boyfriend Tommy the night of Valentine's Day, in case they wouldn't have been able to meet up during the day, but Melody understood, if Tommy couldn't get away until later in the day. But Kurama and them wouldn;t get to meet Tommy until his and Melody's anniversary, since it would also be when he could get to meet Arteza, cause of the multiple anniversaries that Kurama, Sheila, and Arteza celebrated, with their unique marriage. When Melody had helped get everything taken care of, she was tired, far less so than Kurama and them, and she stayed over with Kurama and them.
Melody: Ok….that was a lot….
Kurama: Uh-huh….
Kurama was lying on the couch in his blue slip, exhausted. Arteza was laying on top of him in his own slip, the red dragon one.
Arteza: Yep.
Sheila: That's the truth.
Sheila was on the other end of the couch, and Melody climbed up on the couch with Kurama, Arteza, and Sheila, and the rest of the kids joined them. They ended up resting there and ordering out, as they were worn down, having put all the food they made in the fridge for the party, and end up, well, they just slept on the couch. When the morning came, they really had to make themselves get up off the couch, but they did and got ready, and it was a matter of making sure everything was straightened up for the party. They didn't have to do much, and 11AM, the guests came and they were able to have their party until 7PM, and it really turned out wonderful, and when the adults whose spouses were there took them to celebrate privately, the kids who weren't betrothed went to hang out, while the kids who were, they had their own time as well, and Melody happily went and spent her Valentine's Day with Tommy, and Kurama, Arteza, and Sheila, well, those three really got wild since they were having having their first Valentine's since being isekai'd, and after things started looking up.
Melody: Happy Valentine's Day, honey.
Tommy: Happy Valentine's Day to you too, my love.
Melody was snuggled up with Tommy under the stars, having had a nice picnic. After a bit she mused to Tommy about Kurama and Sheila, not mentioning Arteza. Not now, but she had told Tommy that when he did get to meet them, there was more to the story and that if he waited, he'd be amazed. as he was in on the whole thing like Hoagie was about knowing who Kurama and Sheila were, and Melody had told him about missing Kurama and Sheila, and he understood and he cared for them and wanted to meet them if Melody loved them so dearly. So he certainly didn't get upset when she said….
Melody: I wonder if Kurama and Sheila are having fun tonight too?
Tommy: I bet so. The way you talked about them, they were like me and you.
Back with them, Kurama and Sheila and Arteza were so very glad that they were alone in the condo, and that they also had the silencing spell, cause if anyone had heard them, they'd have been so horribly embarrassed, as Sheila said a lot of raunchy stuff, and so did Kurama and Arteza, and they really wore themselves totally out. This happens the next day...;