-Chapter 147-

Sonic Slander, Part 1


Studiopolis

It was a dark and stormy night in Studiopolis. In his office, a Mobian wolf in a black business suit sat with a cigar as a figure in a black leather dust, wide brimmed hat, and dark sunglasses, clearly to hide his identity, entered.

"Well, you made me lose a good night's sleep," the wolf greeted. "Hope this story offer is as juicy as you claimed it is."

"Trust me, it is," the man pulled a manilla envelope out of his coat, holding it out. "This has everything you need. See what you think."

The wolf took the envelope, looking through it with a grin.

"Oh, this'll definitely boost my ratings. I'll make millions."

"Speaking of, this information wasn't cheap."

"Relax. I have your money." The wolf handed the figure a thick envelope full of Mobiums. "Pleasure doing business with you, sir. Have a good evening."

The figure walked off, counting the money and sneering.

"Filthy animal…" he grumbled.


The next day, all of Mobius watched as a documentary aired by the Kane Broadcasting Company played on all televisions. It opened with footage of Sonic surrounded by his adoring fans.

"Many of you know of Sonic the Hedgehog," said a narrator. "The champion of Mobius, the hero of the people. Beloved the world over for his numerous acts of courage and fight against the evil Dr. Ivo 'Eggman' Robotnik."

The footage suddenly took on a red tint, the Sonic on screen appearing to have a sinister look directed at one of his younger fans.

"But what do we really know about this individual who has worked his way into the heart of the global consciousness? Can he really be the great idol everyone claims... or is there a darker side to this cult-like figure?"

At that, the title card "Sonic: The Inside Story" was displayed on screen.


Knothole

In the media room of Knothole, Sonic was flipping through the channels when he came across the documentary. Upon hearing the narration, he couldn't help but snort.

"Oh this should be good," he let out. "Hey guys! I've got my first smear campaign!"

"Seriously?" Sally questioned, sticking her head in. "Who's doing it? Harold Hilltop? Comedy Chimp?"

"Kane Broadcasting, run by some guy named Percival James Kane. Old business rival of Breezie. A, and I quote, 'greedy and desperate man'."

Everyone gathered up at that, curiosity piqued.

"I wonder what lies he'd gonna concoct," Knuckles remarked. "Maybe that you secretly are a badnik in disguise."

"Ooh!" Tails piped up. "How about that you and Eggman are working side by side!"

The footage began, everyone still snickering and laughing.

"Let's rewind the clock, back during the Westside Island incident and the launch of the original Death Egg. Yes, Sonic saved the day by taking down that massive kill-sat... but what they don't tell you about is the innocents caught in the crossfire."

That wiped the smiles and laughter out instantly. Grainy footage began playing, pulled probably from a phone or a video of none other than Shēngcún Village. It showed the robots swarming, burning everything in their path and grabbing people off the streets. A few were even gunned down when they tried to fight back. To Kat's utter horror, she could see herself in the footage, literally being ripped from her mother's arms. The footage then cut to Robotnik in the Egg Mobile, laughing evilly as the village burned.

"This was Shēngcún Village, across the seas in Chun-nan. The town was burned to ashes, and the population captured and enslaved by the 'good' doctor to toil away on the Death Egg. And when Sonic so bravely destroyed the Death Egg, how many of these innocents did he save? Just… one. One out of the hundreds of people who called the village home. And even that one was not truly rescued by Sonic. She was forced to save herself."

Kat immediately stood up and walked out of the room.

"Sonic has opposed Dr. Robotnik again and again. But while he's so busy fighting a grand battle against the forces of evil, it seems he forgets all the innocents who die in the crossfire."

"Turn it off…" Knuckles said quietly. "Just turn it off."

Sonic immediately did so, the group in shock.

"I'm… gonna go find Kat," Keith stood up.

"Go ahead," Sonic nodded. "She's gonna need a friendly face right now."

Keith departed at that.

"How did he find out about the Shēngcún massacre?" Tails questioned. "Or get that footage?"

"I didn't even know there was footage," Sally mused.

"I don't care right now," Sonic said. "Using what happened to Kat like that was low. Breezie always said Kane would do whatever he could to get ratings and money, that he'd jump at a good story. But this was just... slimy."

"Slimy?!" Sticks exclaimed. "That was flat out wrong! Oh all the dirty, rotten shit someone could pull!"

"I need to have a talk with Kane," Sonic decided, standing up. "You can pour drinks on me, you can throw food at me… You can even spit on me. I'll just laugh that stuff off. But nobody messes with my friends."

He sped off at that, zipping past Keith, who was still looking for Kat. He found her over by the lake, curled in a ball. To his surprise, she was crying. Chuckles was in her lap, trying to comfort her. Keith sat next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. Kat stiffened for a minute, before slowly leaning into him. She couldn't say anything, just crying and holding Chuckles. Keith said nothing, just held her close.

"It hurts…" she let out at last. "Like it happened all over again."

"I know, Kat. I know," Keith sighed. "Sonic just ran past me. Ten to one he's going after Kane."

Kat snuggled closer. "I don't want to be alone right now."

"I'm right here," Keith assured. "And I'm not going anywhere. I promise..."


Studiopolis

At Kane Broadcasting, Sonic zipped up to the front door. He went inside, going right to the secretary.

"I need to speak to your boss immediately." he told her.

"We need to."

Sonic turned to see Sally enter. "How the-?"

"Warp Rings, remember?" Sally pointed out. "I may not have been here specifically, but we have been to this Zone."

Sonic walked over to her. "Sal-"

"Sonic, if you barge into Kane's office and beat him up, you'll just make things worse," Sally said. "Yes, what he did was sleazy, but he's not Robotnik. He's just a reporter gathering information for his stories and doing his job. So what we're going to do is enter his office and calmly talk to him like civilized people."

Sonic sighed. "Alright, alright."

With that, Sally approached the secretary.

"Could you please tell Mr. Kane we need to talk to him?" she requested politely. "The Acorn princess and Sonic, specifically."

"I'll see if we can squeeze you in," the secretary replied.

"Make time," Sonic ordered. "This is important."

At his tone, the secretary immediately picked up the phone.

"Sir, Sonic the Hedgehog and Princess Sally Acorn are here to speak with you," she told him.

"Is that so?" came Kane's voice. "This could be fun. Send them up."

"Yes, sir," the secretary hung up. "Mr. Kane will see you now."

Sonic and Sally entered the elevator, exiting into a fancy office. At the desk sat Kane, lighting a cigar.

"Well, if it isn't the man of the hour," the wolf greeted. "Did you like my little exposé?"

"Can't say I did," Sonic admitted. "How the hell did you get that footage?"

"I'm not one to expose my sources," Kane said simply.

"Make an exception," Sonic ordered.

"And if I refuse?"

Sonic began to advance on him, but Sally caught him by the shoulder.

"May I do the talking, please?" she asked.

Sonic sighed, motioning for her to do so.

"Listen, your exposé on the Shēngcún massacre was beyond crossing the line," Sally told him. "That footage was highly disturbing, and you had no right to use it. The massacre itself is a highly sensitive topic for a lot of people, ourselves included, and you brought it up for what? Just to make Sonic look bad and boost your ratings?"

Kane shrugged, taking a puff off his cigar. "Mobius is a free planet, Princess. You, Sonic, and the rest of yours have to answer to the people and the media just like everybody else."

"Listen!" Sonic snapped. "You completely overstepped with that damn footage! Our friend was sent spiraling and you-!"

"Sonic!" Sally shouted.

Sonic sighed, backing off.

"The sole survivor of that massacre is a friend of ours," Sally informed Kane. "One of our members in fact. And she had a breakdown at you bringing up the Shēngcún incident and what she went through."

"But you don't care about that, do you?" Sonic questioned. "Not as long as you have a good story."

"Look, I'm just running a business," Kane replied. "The people have the right to know the truth, Sonic. It's that simple."

"Do what you want to me, Kane," Sonic spat. "Slander me, drag my name through the mud. But leave my friends out of it."

"I'll do what I need to," Kane said simply. "Now I've got a lot of work to do. Security will show you the door."

Sonic clenched his fists, wanting nothing more than to say something.

"This isn't over, Kane," he said at last. "Not by a long shot."

He departed, Sally behind him.

"Indeed," Kane mused with a grin. "In fact, it's just beginning."


The next day, Kane Broadcasting launched another report, this one showing pictures of the Freedom Fighters as a whole.

"And now we go on to Sonic's friends and helpers in the Knothole Freedom Fighters. Fighters for what's right, Sonic's brothers and sisters-in-arms… and, for the most part, children."

The camera panned over each one in turn.

"Many of you may not have noticed, or chose to overlook it, but Sonic and his friends are all in their late teens at most. Child soldiers, effectively. And these children have not been left unaffected by their indoctrination into Sonic's little army. Take Hope Kintobor."

Hope's image came on screen.

"Sonic was so desperate to take out Ivo Robotnik that he took in his niece, turned her into a soldier, and robbed her of her only family due to his negligence."

A picture of Hope's grandmother appeared.

"Agnes Hopkins, Miss Kintobor's grandmother. Among the casualties of Perfect Chaos' attack on Station Square."

Hope gasped, and Sam quickly pulled her into a hug.

"But the worst affected by the Freedom Fighters' mission is undoubtedly a miss Kathryn Winters," Kat's image appeared next. "Miss Winters was the aforementioned survivor of the Shēngcún massacre, who more than likely joined to avenge her loved ones. But her time in Sonic's company has turned her into a volatile loose cannon with severe emotional problems, as seen here."

Jaws dropped as footage of the school came on, depicting Kat's berserk attack on Carrabine as Sam ran in to pull her off.

"Sonic stoked her violent urges to the point of a psychotic break. As you can see, she nearly murdered a classmate, and the Freedom Fighters swept it under the rug. And who knows how many more of these incidents have occurred, not just with these poor girls, but all the other children who fall under Sonic's control."

Tails quickly turned off the TV at that. Knuckles scowled.

"That dirty, rotten, low-down, son of a wh-"

Bunnie immediately clapped her hands over Cream's ears as Knuckles unleashed a string of profanity and foul oaths towards Kane's sleazy gossip-mongering.

"I can't believe he did that…" Sonic let out. "Ugh!"

He grabbed the coffee table and flipped it.

"What's Kane's encore?!" he demanded. "Saying we sing 'Great Balls of Fire' at the burn ward?! Go to orphanages to mock the kids with no parents?! I swear, I'm a hair's breadth from snapping his Aurora-damned neck!"

"Sonic-!" Sally exclaimed.

"Don't tell me to calm down, Sally!" Sonic snapped. "I'm pissed, and I have every right in the world to be! It was bad enough that he brought up what happened to Kat's hometown, but now he pulls something like this?!"

"Sonic, stop!" Sally grabbed him, making him face her. "We cannot afford for you to go off the deep end. We need to do damage control with this. This... this won't go unnoticed."

Sonic slapped her hands away.

"So what am I supposed to do?! Just sit around while he vilifies everything we've done?"

"First, you might wanna calm down before you explode," Tails warned.

Indeed, Sonic was sparking by this point. He looked down at himself, holding up a finger.

'Will you excuse me for a moment?"

He exited, slamming the door. After a few minutes, they heard the sound of him running around at super-speed, followed by a scream of rage and a massive surge of electricity. Every electronic device in the village flickered on and off for a few minutes, after which Sonic reentered HQ, looking much calmer.

"I needed that," he sighed.

The others looked out, gaping to see a sizable trench dug around the Lake of Rings from his footsteps.

"I'll fix it later," he promised. "For now, like you said, damage control."

"Right," Sally agreed. "With Kane's latest stunt, we're definitely going to get a visit from Child Protective Services."

"I'll let the Thorndykes know," Sonic said. "Hopefully, we can nip this in the bud before something happens to the girls."


Station Square

At school the next day, Chris, Keith, Kat, and Hope were all on edge. With Kane's latest slander against Sonic, it was only a matter of time before they had to deal with the fallout. Kat had all but retreated, hiding behind her textbooks to avoid the scrutiny of her classmates. Hope, much more used to the stares, ignored them. The intercom soon flickered on.

"Hope Kintobor and Kat Winters, please report to the counselor's office."

Hope snapped her book shut.

"Here we go," she sighed. "C'mon, Kat. Let's get this over with."

Taking Kat's hand, she marched towards the counselor's office. When they entered, they were surprised to see Mr. Stewart sitting at the counselor's desk.

"Mr. Stewart?" Hope asked.

"Hello Hope," Stewart greeted. "Kathryn."

"What are you-?" Kat began.

"Mr. Smith is off for the day. My superiors arranged for me to take his place in preparation for... well, you know."

"This sucks," Hope lamented. "Kane's doing everything he can to make Sonic look bad, and for what?"

"I wish there was something more I could do," Stewart told them. "But for now, I need Kathryn to wait in here. And Hope, please go sit out in the hall. They'll be here shortly."

Hope went out into the hall, leaving Kat alone with Mr. Stewart. As she stepped out into the hall, she spotted two figures approaching. One was a Mobian skunk, a woman dressed in a pencil skirt, blouse, and jacket. She had a briefcase in hand and a serious but kind expression. The second figure was one that made Hope's blood run cold. It was a man with military cut red hair, wearing a dress uniform and a neutral, emotionless expression.

"Oh, no…" she whispered.

"Hello, Hope," the man greeted. "It's been some time."

"Uncle… Colin…" Hope managed.

"I'll leave you two to talk," the skunk said, slipping past a petrified Hope to go inside.

She sat across from Kat and Mr. Stewart.

"Hello, Kathryn," she greeted. "I'm Miss Sniffed from Child Protective Services."

Kat turned to her.

"Sonic's not responsible for what's wrong with me," she insisted. "Eggman screwed me up, not him. Everything Kane Broadcasting said about him is a lie."

"I'm well aware of what Kane Broadcasting is doing, Kathryn," Miss Sniffed assured. "But I still need to be sure you're getting the help and support you need."

Kat blinked. "You're not going to try and take me away?"

"Not unless I deem it completely necessary," Miss Sniffed replied.

She asked the necessary questions, about Kat's home life, her sessions with Dr. Sorders, and ensuring she was getting help to control her issues. Kat answered in kind, making sure to leave out Locke's early treatment of her since he had redeemed himself as of late.

"It seems that you are indeed getting the care you need," Miss Sniffed mused. "But I still need to speak with your guardians."

"We can Warp Ring there right now if we-" Kat began.

"HELL NO!"

Everyone jumped, peeking out to see Hope arguing with Colin.

"I'm not moving in with you, Uncle Colin! Forget it!"

"Well, it's a step-up from being with monkeys and hedgehogs, isn't it?" Colin questioned flatly.

"Those 'monkeys and hedgehogs' are my friends! The Great War ended a long time ago, Uncle Colin! The 'furry menace' bullcrap died when the Kingdom of Acorn won!"

"Watch the language, young lady."

"No, I won't! I'm not one of your soldiers, and I refuse to let you pull the same crap you tried to pull with Aggie!"

"I'm the only family you have left that isn't a world-conquering despot! If anyone can raise you, it's me!"

"You mean like how you 'raised' Snively? Constantly failing to discipline him, and eventually just giving up and passing the buck onto Uncle Julian?"

"I'd reached my wit's end with that boy! He crossed the line! I thought for sure if anyone could straighten him out, Julian could!"

"And when that failed, you doubled down on Aggie! She'd rather live with that 'world conquering despot' than you! That should tell you something when the guy who's trying to CONQUER THE FRICKIN' PLANET is a better father than you!"

Colin's temper flared at that. He backhand-slapped Hope across the face, sending her tumbling to the floor. Within seconds, his anger turned to shock and horror at what he'd done.

"Alright, I've seen enough!" Miss Sniffed cut in, walking out.

Kat rushed over to Hope as Miss Sniffed stalked over to Colin. "You are most certainly not taking Miss Kintobor, not after that little display."

"I-I'm sorry," Colin stammered. "I overreacted. I didn't mean-"

"Doesn't change it," Kat snapped. "Anger is a very dangerous beast, and it's clear yours is out of control."

Her hair was flickering slightly, but she kept herself firmly at Hope's side. Hope pulled herself up, a hand to her smacked cheek. Tears of pain were in her eyes, but she kept composed as she looked at Colin.

"This is what I'm talking about, Uncle Colin," she told him, calm but cold. "You're not a bad man under the surface. But you're just not meant to be a father."

Colin just stood there.

"I'm staying with the Thorndykes, and the Freedom Fighters," Hope went on. "And I never want to see you again."

The two stared silently at each other before Colin gave in.

"I'm sorry..." he let out as he began walking away, repeating it again and again.

"You okay?" Kat asked, a hand on Hope's shoulder.

"Not really," Hope sighed.

Kat nodded. "We'll get you some ice at my place. I'm afraid if I let go of you, I'll go after him."

She stood up, holding Hope's hand. "Alright, Miss Sniffed. I'll take you to my guardians now."

She pulled a Warp Ring from her pocket, giving it a toss.

"Whoa…" Miss Sniffed let out. "Is this safe?"

"Perfectly," Hope assured. "Faster than public transport and ensures immediate access to whatever we need."

Miss Sniffed nodded. "Very well, then."


Angel Island

Once they got to Echidnaopolis, Lara-Le quickly got an ice pack for Hope, holding it to her reddened cheek gently. Hope winced briefly before taking it herself.

"Thank you," she said.

"Just keep some pressure on it," Lara said gently.

While she tended to Hope, Miss Sniffed spoke with Locke in the living room.

"So Kathryn's been living here for the past year, yes?" she asked.

"That's right," Locke confirmed. "Since the Death Egg crashed down on Angel Island after the Westside incident."

"And how has she been integrating into your…"

"Clan," Locke clarified. "We're a clan. And she's integrated quite well. My son is willing to lay down his life for her. Echidna or not, Kathryn is one of us."

Miss Sniffed nodded slightly.

"I see," she noted. "Now, I've looked over Kathryn's medical records, and it shows she suffered a rather nasty attack awhile back. Including a bruise much like the one Miss Kintobor is currently sporting."

Miss Sniffed removed her glasses. "Be honest with me, have you ever raised a hand to Kathryn?"

Locke sighed.

"Just once," he confessed. "And I regretted it immediately. Since then, I have never laid a finger on her."

"And why is that?"

"I received a much needed reality check. And have been making an effort to be a better father, not just to Kathryn, but to my son as well. I was a different person back then. But I'm not that man anymore."

Miss Sniffed looked at Locke as if sizing him up. She then nodded, and stood up.

"It would appear so," she noted. "Thank you for being honest with me. It seems Kathryn is indeed in a good place. I will be checking in every now and then, just to be safe."

Locke nodded. "Yes, of course."


Knothole

Later, at Freedom HQ, Kat informed the others of what happened with Colin after they noticed the bruise on Hope's cheek.

"That bastard actually put a hand on you?!" Sonic demanded.

Hope just nodded.

"I fought Colin during the war," Uncle Chuck recalled. "He wasn't a pleasant fellow, but to think he'd do something like this…"

"That's right…" Tails perked. "You, Sonic's folks, and my dad were part of that garrison that day. He's the reason Dad lost his eye."

"He's even less family than Eggman is," Hope spat. "And Eggman's evil…"

She hugged her legs, tears in her eyes.

"Grandma was my only real family... and now she's gone."

As she began to cry, she felt multiple hands and arms around her. Hope looked up to see everyone in the room gathered around her, Chails holding her hand in his nubs and Omochao on her head.

"That's where you're wrong, Hope," Tails insisted.

"Your grandma and Mr. Julian may be gone, but you still have a family: Us," Cream declared. "We can be your family, if you want."

Hope looked up, wiping tears from her cheeks.

"Sorry we have nothing better to offer," Sonic lamented.

Hope managed a small smile.

"Well, like they say, nothing better than the best." They all shared a group hug. "What did I do to deserve you guys?"


Author's Note:

So, this is a mini-arc based on Sonic the Comic Online, the, and I quote, "unofficially official" fan-made webcomic continuation of Sonic the Comic. Kane and his company are from there. It was originally planned to be one chapter, but Author of the Insane and I got into it and we had to split it into a three-parter.

As for Colin, in Archie, he was initially stated to be Hope's stepfather, and later revealed to be her biological father, making her Snively's half-sister. Here, he's her uncle; her father is an OC I came up with named Charlie Kintobor.

Voice cast for this chapter:

* Kane - J.K. Simmons (J. Jonah Jameson in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy & Spider-Man: Far From Home, Tenzin from The Legend of Korra, James Gordon in the Justice League movie)

* Colin - John Swasey (Gendo Ikari in Rebuild of Evangelion, Crocodile from One Piece, Lord Death from Soul Eater)

Please R&R. Until next time!