-Chapter 264-
Four Mercs and an Egg Boss
Flashback
Castle Acorn, the Night After the Attack...
Sally stared at the figure standing on the edge of her balcony. Her eyes were wide as she pointed at them in shock. "You... it's-"
The figure covered her mouth, shushing her.
"I don't have time to chat, so shut up and listen. The lives of everyone in this castle depend on it."
Sally nodded and the figure removed its hand.
"Remember this: cats and dogs aren't always enemies, and the shadows hide more than monsters. Got it? Nod your head if you do."
She nodded again as the figure turned around, preparing to leave. Seeing this, Sally reached out, catching their sleeve.
"Wait, hold up. Don't leave, please."
The figure paused but didn't seem to be swayed. They pulled their arm free, pulling their hood up over their head.
"Keep your eyes open, Princess. I'll see you at the Summit."
The figure gave a salute, then fell backward off the balcony. As Sally went to look over the edge, the figure was nowhere to be seen. It was as if they'd never been there to begin with.
Flashback Over
Thunder Plains, Checkpoint
"Sally? …Sally?"
Nicole's voice pulled Sally from her dream, making her sit up in her tent. She looked around, seeing the holo-lynx looking at her with concern.
"Sally, are you okay? You looked like you were having a nightmare."
"I'm alright, Nicole. I just…" she yawned, stretching slightly. "I guess all the stress is getting to me."
"That's more than understandable." Nicole sighed. "Anyway, I came to tell you that everyone is awake and that breakfast is ready."
"Right."
Sally got off of her bedroll, straightening her clothing before using her fingers to comb through her hair. Once she tamed it enough to appear put together, she grabbed her vest and slid it on. She dusted herself off, then took a breath.
"Alright, let's go," she declared as she stepped out of the tent.
-X-
All of the various Freedom Fighter groups had gathered around the campsite with their breakfast, talking amongst themselves and enjoying each other's company. Tangle was in the midst of an animated tale with Team Sonic.
"And so Jewel says 'They shouldn't call them Chaos Emeralds because they aren't green'."
"I'll admit, it is rather misleading," Tails remarked, gesturing with his fork. "The different colors should be different gems."
"Is it really that big a deal?" Sonic questioned, mouth full of food.
"To Jewel, it is," Tangle answered. "To her, it doesn't make sense for Power Gems to be separated into different types, yet Chaos Emeralds are just emeralds despite being different colors."
"Well, what would we even call them?" Knuckles questioned. "Chaos Diamonds? Chaos Crystals?"
"I say we just keep calling them Emeralds," Sonic insisted, shaking his head. "Those names bomb."
"That's what I told her!" Tangle exclaimed.
"Told who what?"
Everyone turned to see Sally approaching, holding her food in her hand.
"Hey, Sally!" Tangle greeted as Sally sat down.
"You alright?" Sonic asked. "You look tired."
"Yeah..." Sally yawned again, rubbing her eyes. "Didn't get a lot of sleep last night."
"Can't say I blame ya," Knuckles muttered, poking at his food. "This whole mess is beyond stressful. Sleeping alone sucks too."
"Still missing your other half?" Sonic questioned, his voice laced with sympathy.
"Yeah, but what else is new?"
"Yeah..." Tails let out, giving Knuckles a pat on the back. "With Kat gone, things have just felt...off."
"Who dat?" Tangle wondered, fork dangling from her mouth.
"My sister," Knuckles explained. "She's been on, uh... medical leave for a while."
"Oooh geez...what happened? She alright?"
"Dunno and I hope so. I haven't heard from her since she left."
"You don't know? What do you mean? How do you not know if your own sister's alright or not?"
Knuckles grunted, throwing his fork down. "I just don't, okay? So back off!"
"Whoa! Sorry!" Tangle threw her hands up, looking nervous.
Knuckles gritted his teeth and got up, abandoning his breakfast. "I need some air."
He walked off as Tangle slowly lowered her hands, letting out a breath.
"Geez… What crawled up him and died?"
"Cut him some slack, Tangle," Sonic told her. "He doesn't handle loss well, and… well, this no-contact thing has been stressing him out for a while."
"Especially since the last time we saw her, she almost died," Tails recalled.
"Whoa..." Tangle looked down at her plate, feeling a bit bad about her remark. "Dang..."
Sally just watched Knuckles go, her face full of remorse and empathy.
Just then, a tone went off throughout the checkpoint.
"Attention, Freedom Fighters!" Hershey's voice called out. "Please report to the center of the campsite for an important meeting!"
"Looks like it's time to discuss our next move," Tails remarked.
"Finally!" Sonic got up. "C'mon, let's get going."
"Yeah! Go time!" Tangle cheered.
They all ran ahead, eager to get started, all of them missing the worried look on Sally's face.
-X-
Meanwhile, Polo was in the middle of sewing something. He had his tongue sticking out and everything as he put the finishing touches on his project.
"Good morning, Polo."
Polo looked up to see Lupe approaching, wrapped in a blanket to preserve her modesty. Drago was by her side, wearing his like a kilt.
"Sup?"
Chief Lupe, Drago. Polo reached for a bundle of cloth next to him, adding his current project to it before holding it out. I've just finished up your new outfits. I apologize for making you wait.
"You made us new outfits?" Lupe gasped, touched by the gesture.
Polo just shrugged. It's a hobby.
"Hey, I ain't complainin'," Drago declared as he took the clothes that were clearly for him. "This ain't a plainsfolk meeting and those Donars are kinda chilly."
"Indeed," Lupe agreed as she took her own clothes. "We need to be at our best. Thank you, Polo. If you see us after the Summit, I will see to it you are compensated for your time."
It's no trouble.
Drago chuckled, putting a hand on Polo's signing fingers. "Dude, she's gonna pay you back. it's her nature. Kindness for kindness and all that. Just go with it."
The two walk off, leaving Polo alone to think for a moment.
"Commander Polo!"
Polo turned to Lanolin approaching. She came to a stop, immediately saluting. He gave a soft, wheezing chuckle before waving her down.
At ease, Lani. I've told you, just call me Polo
"Yes, sir! Commander Sab and Chief Kordon sent me to get you, sir. We're going to be going over the next phase of the trip."
Polo nodded, making another strange chuckling noise. Understood. Thank you for telling me, Lani. Please, tell Sab I will be there shortly.
"Sir, yes, sir!"
And with that, she ran off, leaving Polo shaking his head and smiling softly.
-X-
At the center of the campsite, the various Freedom Fighters had gathered around.
"Good grief, hard to believe we're only halfway done with this," Jet sighed. "This would be faster if we had our Extreme Gear!"
"And those Donars are so cold!" Wave added, shivering slightly. "I thought my tail feathers were gonna freeze off!"
"Cold is merely a state of mind, children," Kordon said. "The more you dwell on it, the worse you will feel."
"Yeah, thanks, old man," Jet grumbled.
"Yer gramps has a point, Boss," Storm said. "I mean, he looks fine and he's totally plucked!"
"That's because the old man is a few nuggets short of a Smiley Meal (1), Storm."
"Sheesh, is it always like this with them?" Chris asked.
Wave nodded. "Pretty much, yeah."
"He has far too much of his father in him, but he is still my grandson, and one of these days, I will get through to him," Kordon swore.
"Keep telling yourself that, Pops." Jet perked. "That reminds me… anyone seen Agent Skunky and the rest of his flunkies?"
"Actually, that's a good question," Sonic said as he glanced around. "Where are stink-butt and his cronies?"
"Beep."
Jet and Sonic both screamed, jumping out of their skin before looking down to see Bomb at their feet.
"Beep!"
"...The little scrap heap's laughing at us, isn't he?" Jet growled.
"And calling us rather unflattering names related to a derogatory term for a cat," Sonic muttered.
"Bomb!" Heavy walked over, grabbing Bomb. "What do you think you're doing!? Sneaking and scaring the pants off our comrades like that."
"Beep."
"Yes, Jet isn't wearing pants, but that's not the point! Now, say you're sorry before I hand you over to Piper."
Bomb actually started to sweat. "Beep."
"Wow…" Sonic blinked. "I'm almost afraid of what Piper did to the little guy."
"Probably tried to 'cut his blue wire'..." Jet grimaced. "I know I want to."
"Beep!" Bomb scurried over to Heavy, hiding behind him
"Alright, settle down, all of you!" Everyone turned to see Geoffrey and the rest of Blackjack arriving, Sally with them. "May we have everyone's attention, please?"
Everyone slowly settled down, giving him their full attention.
"Thank you," Geoffrey backed away. "Princess, they're all yours.'
"Good morning, fellow Freedom Fighters..." Sally greeted everyone. "I hope you all slept well, despite the… less than ideal circumstances."
Jet went to say something, but Kordon pinched his beak shut.
"Anyway… Today marks the halfway point of our journey. Before we set out, I would like to take a moment to go over our current status."
Bow raised his hand so Sally gestured for him to speak.
"Have you managed to figure out who the mole is, yet?" he asked.
"I'm afraid not. We have no evidence to condemn or acquit anyone at this time. However, we are looking into it as we speak."
Suddenly, the alarm went off.
"The perimeter alarm!" Geoffrey shouted.
"The camp's been compromised!" Hershey exclaimed.
"Stand down! It's us!"
Everyone turned to see Rotor, Shadow, and a few of the decoy Donars arriving. The two Freedom Fighters looked grim.
"Rotor! Shadow!" Sonic and a few others ran over to them.
"Are you guys okay?" Hope asked
"For the most part..." Rotor replied.
"We have injured," Shadow informed them. "They require medical attention immediately."
The Donars opened, several soldiers and Freedom Fighters bringing out some injured members. Among the injured were Bunnie, Antoine, Bumper, Torque, Charmy, Julie-Su, and Cassia.
"Cassia!" Clove ran over to her sister.
"Oh man, Charmy!" Vector exclaimed, running over to check on the little bee alongside Espio.
Both of them were worse for wear and unconscious.
"Clove, you have a spare inhaler for your sister?" Rouge questioned. "One of those goons crushed hers."
"Yes!" Clove frantically dug through her jacket pockets, eventually pulling out a second inhaler. She stuffed it into Cassia's mouth, giving her a quick puff. Cassia let out a violent gasp, coughing. "Cass! Are you okay?! Please, say something!"
"Clove...?" Cass groaned.
"Oh, thank Aurora..." Clove gasped, practically deflating over her sister.
"She's a fighter," Rouge complimented. "Took several mooks to take her down."
"That's my girl," Axel said with a smile.
"Axel!" Clove was, understandably, furious. "This is serious! Cassia is badly injured! And as for you!" She turned to Team Dark in a rage. "What the hell happened!? I put Cassia on your team to prevent this!"
"Easy there, Clove!" Rouge put her hands up, trying to pacify the angry pronghorn. "In case you haven't noticed, we're all a bit banged up ourselves."
"We were ambushed, and our assailant made heavy use of bombs to keep us disoriented," Shadow explained.
"They were military-gradee explosives," Omega clarified. "Including rocket-propelled grenades and landmines."
"Motion sensor triggers too," Shadow growled. "Couldn't get out, even with my speed."
"But who could get access to that kind of firepower?" Hope questioned.
Piper narrowed her eyes. "A walking arsenal, that's who!"
Omega turned to her. Despite not having any way of emoting, anyone could tell he was angry at the accusation.
"Your logic is flawed."
"Save it, Badnik!"
Piper drew an angular, red-bladed Holo-Axe and attempted to slam it through Omega's head. However, Shadow blocked it.
"Omega was with us the entire time," he argued. "More than that, he hates Eggman."
"Yeah," Rouge chimed in. "The whole reason he's on our side is because the Doc stuffed him in storage and turned his fellow E-Series into scrap."
"Affirmative. This Unit serves G.U.N. and the Freedom Fighters."
" Bâtard! (2)"
They heard a yelp from Jet, turning to see an injured Antoine trying to take a stab at him.
"Hey! What's the big idea!?"
"Antoine, what are you doing!?" Sally demanded.
"Step aside, Princess! I have a bone to pick with this buse (3)!"
Antoine slashed at Jet, only for him to draw his Bashōsen and block his sword.
"For the last time, I didn't do nothin'!"
"Whoa, whoa, WHOA!" Sonic stepped in the way, pushing Antoine back gently but firmly. "Calm down, Ant! What's going on?"
"Jet is the mole!" Antoine accused. "He attacked us last night while we were attempting to aid Donar-10! He nearly sliced Bunnie to ribbons!"
"Ah'm fine…" Bunnie groaned though it was clear she was the exact opposite. She was covered in cuts and holding her cyber-arm, dripping blood and oil in equal measure.
"She's lucky to be alive!" Antoine exclaimed.
"Bumper and Torque are just as bad," Dirk reported.
"I knew it!" Piper got in Jet's face. "I knew you couldn't be trusted!"
"That's crazy!" Jet objected. "We've been here this whole time! How the hell could we have reached them without anyone noticing!?"
"Easy! You used those tricked-out hoverboards of yours. I hear those things can move as fast as Sonic!"
"Except we don't have them!" Wave all but shouted.
"Yeah!" Storm chimed in. "Kordon took them!"
"It's true," Kordon intervened. "I confiscated their boards and locked them away as insurance in case they did attempt something like this."
"Well, who else could it have been!?" Piper shouted.
"You guys!" Vector called out, running up to them with Charmy in his arms. "He's coming to!"
Charmy groaned as his eyes fluttered open. "...guys?"
"Charmy!" Saffron was by his side in an instant.
"You alright, little buddy?" Vector asked.
"Charmy, what happened?" Espio questioned.
"Lightning..." Charmy muttered, grunting a bit. "The last thing I saw was… lightning."
"Lightning?" Vector repeated, looking confused.
"This is the Thunder Plains," Sab pointed out. "He probably got hit by a stray bolt."
"It wasn't!" Saffron cut in. "Something attacked us! Something very fast!"
"Well, maybe we need to take another look at Team Dark." Piper crossed her arms. "Anything to say for yourself, Shadow?"
"Me!?" Shadow demanded incredulously.
"Don't 'me!?' me, Mr. Tried To Drop A Space Colony On Mobius! You're the only other person fast enough who has lightning powers!"
"What about Sonic?!"
"He's not the one with the evil track record! Not to mention how convenient it is that your team seems to be alright, and yet Cassie's barely conscious!"
"Hold on a sec, Piper!" Hope cut in. "I know Shadow. He wouldn't do something like this!"
"Stay out of this, Kintobor!" Piper snapped.
"Hey!" Chris stepped in between them. "Leave her alone!"
"Oh come on!" Piper threw up her hands. I can't be the only one who sees it! The Badnik, the artificial Mobian, and the Kintobor! She could even be using the Extreme Gear!"
"Piper, that's enough!" Clove cut in.
Piper blinked, turning to her. "Clovey?"
"You're making things worse," Clove snapped.
"Yeah!" Sticks declared. "In fact… I think you're trying to make things worse, Lil' Miss Imposter!"
"WHAT?!" Piper shrieked.
"You've been doin' a lot of finger-pointing, Piper. If that is your real name! Plus, you've been really antagonistic ever since the incident at the castle."
"And that automatically makes me responsible?!"
"No, but that weapon of yours makes you mighty sus."
"My axe?"
"I took the liberty of looking over some wounds on a few of the grunts from Acorn. A lot of 'em had some nasty lookin' wounds. Like somebody went to town on them… with an axe ."
Piper's eyes widened. "That-! It wasn't me!"
Everything started breaking down again, this time even worse than before. There didn't seem to be an end in sight until Lupe let out a loud whistle that immediately cut through the fighting.
"That's enough!" she shouted as everyone froze, watching as she and Drago, now fully dressed, approached them all.
"Lady Lupe…" Hershey let out.
"All of you are acting like children! And more importantly, you're playing right into our enemies' hands again!" Lupe shook her head in disappointment. "Fighting amongst ourselves is exactly what they want! You are better than this! I am aware most of you are children, but I would expect at least some level of maturity from the adults in this camp!"
Said adults winced.
"Now then, we have a long journey ahead of us so I suggest we all head to our assigned Donars."
Lupe and Drago walked off, and everyone else did the same. Watching them go, Sonic gasped in relief, flopping onto the grass.
"Whew! That was a close one."
"Was it?" Sally let out, watching everyone leave. "We still don't know who the mole is, and thanks to this little fiasco, the situation has deteriorated even further."
"We'll figure this out, Sal. Somehow."
"Well, we'd better do it soon," Geoffrey muttered. "I fear the integrity of this alliance is on its last legs."
Donar-5
As the Donar made its way across the Thunder Plains, Piper looked over Shard, Heavy, and Bomb eagerly.
"Fascinating… Absolutely fascinating! He may be a fat, ugly, nasty sunnuvabitch, but Eggman's machinery is absolutely fascinating!"
"Actually, my original design has been heavily augmented since my creation," Shard informed her. "I'm hardly a copy of Metal Sonic anymore."
"True," Axel quipped. "You have a mouth."
"You're still based on his original designs though, so it still counts." Piper got right in Shard's face, holding up a screwdriver. "Mind if I take a quick peek?'
Shard blinked, attempting to come up with a response. Luckily for him, Clove intervened, grabbing Piper's ponytail and pulling her away.
"Alright Piper, that's enough."
Piper yelped as she was forced back into her seat, rubbing her scalp with pained tears in her eyes. "Clovey! That's my hair!"
"Shard is a person. You asking for a peek under the hood is like asking to dissect someone."
"Hey! It's not like I was gonna take him apart!"
Clove remained stern. "You're still invading his personal space. I know you're into machines, but you need to cool it."
Piper winced at Clove's harsh tone, deflating as she sighed in disappointment.
"Man, Clove's really upset…" Porker said softly as he leaned over to Johnny.
"Can you blame her? You saw how Piper acted back at the checkpoint."
"True. Still, sucks to see a couple fight."
"Makes me glad you and I haven't had spats like that."
"Miss Piper's behavior is awfully concerning," Heavy admitted. "Her moods tend to gravitate towards the extreme."
"Beep."
"Yeah…" Clove muttered. "Piper's intelligence is pretty high, but she's got the emotional intelligence of a grade-schooler."
"Clovey!"
"She ain't wrong, Stripes."
"Dirk!"
"We work with grade schoolers, and even at their worst, they're not like that," Johnny pointed out.
"Well, Kat can be, but she at least has legitimate reasons for her outbursts," Porker allowed.
"Yeah. What's Piper's excuse?"
"I'm sitting right here, y'know," the zebra deadpanned.
"Okay, let's change the subject, for all our sakes." Axel turned to Johnny with an expression of curiosity. "Johnny, didn't you say something about being happy to avoid lovers' spats with Porker?
Johnny choked on air as everyone turned to face the two Freedom Fighters. Even Clove seemed eager for more.
"Hold on, Johnny, did you really-?"
"Yeah..." Johnny admitted with a sigh.
"Oho!" Piper cheered. "So the rumors are true!"
"Rumors?" Porker repeated.
"Wait, you seriously don't know about what everyone's sayin' about you and Johnny on the Internet?"
"Not really," Porker replied. Never really paid much attention to the gossip mongers."
"Why?" Johnny asked.
"Well..."
"Kid, folks have been wonderin' about you two for a while now," Axel pointed out. "What with how you two are practically chained at the hip and all."
"That's true," Porker admitted. "You never leave my side."
"And with good reason."
Porker rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, Don't remind me."
"So, you two gone out yet?"
"Piper!" Clove shouted.
"Oh come on, it was a legit question!"
"Yep," Porker answered. "We've been going steady for… Gosh, a while now."
"Well congrats, you two," Axel told him.
"Beep."
"Bomb! Stop that!" Heavy admonished, seemingly glaring at his companion.
"What'd he say?" Porker asked.
"W-Well...uhhhh..."
"You...don't wanna know," Shard insisted.
Johnny rolled his eyes at that. "Come on, we've heard it all before."
"Well…" Heavy seemed nervous to speak. "He was asking–"
An explosion cut the robot off as the Donar shook, startling everyone. Everyone steadied themselves, instantly on edge.
"Shelve it," Axel ordered. "We've got company."
He checked the cameras, trying to find any sign of the attacker. However, there was no sign of them anywhere.
"The hell?" he muttered.
"Everything alright, Ax?" Dirk questioned.
"Something's wrong. Someone just shot at us, but there's nobody out there."
"A sniper maybe?" Clove offered.
"Packing that kind of heat?" Dirk countered.
"In this day and age, I wouldn't be surprised."
"Hold up, I think I see something." Axel checked the camera feed, spotting some movement in the bushes. He squinted, trying to make it out.
"What is it?" Dirk asked.
"Someone's in the forest. On our 10."
Shard stuck his head out the window, his eye screens turning red. "Running a thermal scan."
He began to scan the bush, revealing a lone figure loading some kind of large weapon.
"I see a lone assailant with an unknown weapon. Very large and-" The figure aimed at the Donar "-aimed right for us!"
There was a loud noise as a rocket came flying out of the bush. Immediately, Heavy grabbed Bomb and threw him out the window and at the rocket. They collided and exploded in mid-air, raining debris down on all of them.
"'What the..!?" Axel threw his hands into the air. "What just-?!"
"Bomb!" Shard screamed.
"Heavy!" Porker exclaimed, turning to Heavy in confusion and shock. "What have you-!?"
"No worries!" Heavy insisted. "Everything's fine!"
Heavy's body beeped and glowed for a few seconds; after which, a compartment in his chest opened up, revealing a ramp similar to the kind seen on gumball machines. A red and black ball rolled out, sprouting limbs and revealing a new Bomb.
"Beep."
"What the…" Dirk rubbed his eyes. "Bomb!?"
"I automatically download his AI before he ignites, then I upload it to a new body I construct." Heavy almost seemed to be smiling as he said this.
"You can do that?" Clove asked.
"I was a Badnik Army Repair Functionary."
"Beep!"
"Hold up…" Clove shook her head. "Your group was called... B.A.R.F.?"
Heavy winced. "My supervisor was… not good at naming things."
"Yeesh," Axel let out. "No wonder you turned traitor."
The Donar's systems started beeping like crazy as another rocket headed towards them.
"Incoming!" Dirk shouted.
Heavy threw Bomb for a second time, determined to intercept the rocket. However, it veered past the flying robot, aiming right for the group.
"Beep!"
"It's heading right for us!" Piper yelled.
Clove immediately rushed out. "Paratonerre!"
She activated her scythe, using it to cleave the missile in two.
"That's my girl!" Piper cheered, throwing a fist in the air.
Clove shushed her, looking out into the forest. "He's on the move!"
"Shard, you as fast as blue boy?" Dirk asked, getting a nod in response. "Then get 'im!"
Shard nodded, getting into a running position…
-X-
Meanwhile, the figure was running through the forest.
"Alright, that should be far enough."
The gorilla got down, carefully looking out of the bushes at the Donar in his sight.
"And there it is." He took aim with his bazooka. "Ready...aim..."
Suddenly, something shot out of the Donar. His head perked in surprise as he saw a streak of black and gold heading straight for him. He cursed quietly, firing the rocket. Unfortunately for him, Shard curled into a Spin Dash, easily deflecting the rocket before landing superhero-style on the grass.
"Nice try, but that's not gonna…" Shard's boasting was cut off when he noticed that nobody was there. "-work? What the… where'd he go?"
He took a step and stopped, hearing a soft beeping from under his food. He looked down, seeing that he had tripped a motion sensor bomb.
"Oh fugg…"
-X-
The bomb's explosion was so big that it could be seen from the Donar, the unfortunate Needlemouse being launched into the air.
"Shard!" Johnny screamed.
"That's not good…" Porker let out.
A battered Shard landed in the Donar's path, weakly raising a single hand into the air.
"Well... that was unpleasant…" he managed before his optics fizzled out.
"Axel!" Porker shouted. "Stop the Donar!"
"On it!"
Axel hit the brakes, allowing Johnny and Porker to rush out, quickly grabbing the Needlemouse.
"Hey Heavy, can you do anything to help our boy here?" Johnny asked.
"Get him back inside! I can examine him there!" Heavy replied
"Got it! Come on, Johnny, let's-!" Porker let out a pained grunt as he was suddenly shot in the leg.
"PORK!" Johnny had his staff out in an instant. "Show yourself, you coward!"
"Don't waste your breath, Johnny," Axel said. "I know who we're dealing with. And this guy doesn't play by the rules." He turned to the forest. "Ain't that right, Simon?"
The figure grimaced before giving a slow clap.
"Bravo, you figured me out." He stepped out of the shadows, revealing himself to be the gorilla who had retrieved the job order at Archie's. "Tell me, what gave me away?"
"Your choice of tactics."
"Master Axel, do you know this man?" Heavy questioned.
"Yeah… Simon Simian. Former member of the Gorilla Army of the Metal Jungle Zone and one of the roughest mercs to ever grace the Scum Guilds."
"That's Sergeant Simian to you, bull. I killed a lot of people to earn this title, I deserve to be called such."
Axel sneered. "I know what I said. And you didn't earn jack shit."
"Hm… whatever you say."
"What the hell are you doing here?"
"I believe you answered your own question."
"Merc," Piper recalled, the pieces coming together. "He was hired. No doubt by our mole."
Simian raised an eyebrow, his eyes looking at the ground as if he were expecting someone to pop out.
"Not that kind of mole! The traitor!"
"Ah, right..." Simian coughed as he tried to play it off. "Yes, of course. That was-"
Simian suddenly opened his eyes, raising his bazooka to block an attack from Johnny.
"Hmm...not bad," he conceded to a stunned Johnny. "But not good enough."
The gorilla shoved Johnny aside with his bazooka, then drew a service pistol. He let off a shot, but Piper was quicker.
"Baromètre!"
She rushed in front of Johnny, activating her armband and projecting a holo-shield, blocking the shot.
"Phew!" Johnny wiped his brow. "Nice one!"
" Paratonerre! " Clove leaped over Piper and sliced at Simian, cleaving his bazooka in two, though the gorilla managed to leap out of the way.
"Damn...Holo-Weapons!"
Dirk charged at Simian, getting him in a grapple.
"Gotcha!" he declared, pinning him down.
"Do you?"
Dirk raised an eyebrow before Simian easily threw him off, sending him crashing into the ground.
"Dirk!" Axel screamed.
Simian drew a flashbang, pulling the pin before throwing it right at everyone. Blinding light filled the area, causing everyone to cover their eyes and scream. By the time the light died down and everyone had blinked the dots from their vision, Simian was long gone.
"Damn..." Axel cursed. "I hate it when he does that."
"Tell me about it." Dirk got up, Axel immediately running over to help him.
"You alright, big guy?" Piper asked.
"I'll live."
"Porker…" Johnny was by his side in an instant. "Porker, are you okay? How's the leg?"
"Augh…" the pig groaned, holding his injured leg. "It hurts..."
"Lemme see." Piper knelt down, looking over the wound. "You're in luck. He used a blaster. But it looks like the bone is fractured."
"That's inconvenient…" Porker muttered.
"Alright, come on." Johnny pulled Porker onto his back. "Let's get back to the Donar, we gotta-"
"Stop!" Heavy shouted, causing everyone to freeze. "Everyone, get away from the Donar, now!"
They did as they were told.
"What is it?" Piper asked, more than a little nervous.
"Throw up your shield! Quickly!"
Just then, there was a loud beeping noise.
"Uh-oh..." Piper gasped.
"Piper!" Clove shrieked.
"On it!" Piper summoned her shield, Heavy throwing himself in front of everyone just as the Donar exploded. While nobody got hurt, they were knocked back by the force.
"Is everyone alright!?" Heavy exclaimed.
"What the…" Clove managed. "Did he just plant a bomb!?"
"Yeah…" Dirk sighed. "He did."
"And now we're stranded." Johnny threw up his hands. "Great!"
"This is bad," said Axel. "That explosion's gonna draw in every Stormrunner in earshot."
"Then what are we standing around here for?!" Piper demanded. "We'll hide out in the forest and–"
"Walk right into Simian's clutches," Dirk cut off. "The guy's a master of guerilla warfare. Fighting in densely forested areas is his specialty."
"Well, it's not like we have much choice," Axel pointed out. "At least with Simian, we have a chance at surviving. But dealing with him and the Stormrunners while defending two wounded? At least one of us would be dead for sure, and I don't plan to attend any funerals anytime soon."
With that, the buffalo hoisted the still-inactive Shard up, throwing him over his shoulder. "Dirk, get Porker. We're going in. Piper, Clove, you two, Johnny, Heavy, and Bomb keep an eye out for Simian and the Stormrunners. Stick close and keep your eyes and ears open"
"Right!" Everyone declared in unison.
"Alright. Engine Corps, move out!"
The group headed off into the forest.
Donar-6
Jet fumed from his seat.
"Lousy, stripey-ass horsey…" he grumbled. "Who the hell does she think she is, thinking I'm the imposter!?"
"Your own reputation is your downfall," Kordon said matter-of-factly.
"And Wave did try to sabotage us during the Prix," Keith added.
"They got a point, Boss," Storm admitted.
"You aren't helping, Storm!" Jet leaned against the wall. "This sucks."
"Welcome to my world..."
Jet turned to see Hope quietly sulking in the corner, wincing in sympathy.
"Oh yeah. If it makes you feel better, I highly doubt a goody-goody like you can be the traitor. God knows you've had plenty of chances to do it in the past."
Wave slapped Jet upside the head. "Ow! Jeez, what was that for, Wave?!"
"Jet, you really suck at this sort of thing," Wave muttered.
"Honestly, I just hate having to constantly prove myself because of my last name," Hope sighed. "It's like every time I meet someone or go somewhere new, I have to go through the same, long, drawn-out process of earning their trust and showing them that I'm not like the rest of my family. It gets...tiring."
"I can imagine..." Kordon said softly. "But at the same time, the fact that you are willing and able to go through such an ordeal as often as you do and with little complaint is something to be admired. Not everybody has that kind of inner strength."
"Thanks," Hope cracked a small smile. "Having my friends with me helps."
"Indeed, you remind me a lot of Jet when he was younger."
Jet froze. "Gramps!"
"Oh this sounds interesting," Chris mused, grinning wickedly.
"Agreed," Keith declared. "Spill."
"Don't you freakin'-!" Storm clamped a hand over Jet's mouth, cutting him off.
"Ah-ah-ah..." Wave wagged a finger.
Kordon chuckled slightly. "Now then..." He turned to Wave.
"Wave, I'm assuming you still have those pictures?"
"Of course, Chief."
Hope raised an eyebrow. "Pictures?"
Wave reached into a pouch on Jet's belt and pulled out a data card. She then pulled a device from her belt and caused it to project a holo-screen. The screen displayed an image of a hawk similar in appearance to Jet in pirate garb.
"Who's that?" Chris asked.
"Vortex the Hawk," Wave replied. "Previous leader of the Babylon Rogues, and Jet's dad."
"He's heir to the Rogues?" Keith questioned. "Then why is Kukku running things?"
"Yeah, the Battle Lord," Wave mused, a hint of contempt in her voice. "It's true the Armada does have a division that shares the group's name. But the truth is, there have been multiple groups of Babylon Rogues throughout the ages."
"So... which group is Jet heir to?" Hope asked.
Jet broke free from Storm's grasp. "The real group. The clan of master thieves out to steal the greatest treasures in the world. Kukku's faction's nothing but a bunch of jackboot, goose-stepping thugs."
"Wow…" Chris deadpanned. "Tell us how you really feel."
"Don't patronize me, Thorndyke!" Jet took a breath, calming himself before continuing. "But fine… My old man...well, I guess you could say he was a sky pirate. And a damn good one."
Wave flicked the holo-screen, bringing up several news articles about Vortex's exploits.
"Whoa…" the kids let out in unison.
"Hold on...' Keith looked over some of the targets mentioned in the papers. "I thought you said he was a pirate."
Jet nodded. "He was."
"So, how come he only ever targeted criminals?"
"Because only the best thieves stole from other thieves. They have all the best loot. All the best security. And make all the best news. There's no honor, no challenge, and no fun stealing from normal people." He grinned. "You rip off a master criminal, then you're a master thief. And the Babylon Rogues are master thieves. End of discussion."
"It was one of the reasons I tolerated Vortex when he first came to our village many years ago," Kordon remarked.
"Yeah, how'd that come about?" Storm questioned.
Hope perked. "Hold on, you don't know?"
Storm shook his head. "Boss never really talked about his past. Whenever we asked, he'd say it was none of our business, got angry, and threw stuff at us."
"Because it's none of your business!" Jet snapped.
"Jet, hush," Kordon ordered. "This is serious."
"Hey, it's my backstory! Don't I get a say in-!?" Jet was cut off by Wave putting a muzzle-like device over his beak.
"Much better," Wave remarked. "Sorry about that, Chief. Please, continue."
"Thank you, Wave. Now, where was I...?"
"Man, Kat is missing out," Chris said quietly to his cousin.
"Yeah," Keith agreed. "Luckily, Omochao is recording."
Hope gave a thumbs up to confirm as much.
"Ahh yes!" Kordon perked. "Vortex had recently stolen several treasures from Kukku's forces. Most birds have little love for the Armada and they were a favorite target of his. He had managed to flee to Westside Island when his ship ran out of fuel and ended up crashing in the forests outside our village. Naturally, such an incident warranted investigation. So, a search party was sent to see what had happened." He reached into a pouch on his belt and pulled out a locket. "Among them was one of our strongest hunters. My daughter, Gale."
He opened the locket and showed them a photograph of a female, green hawk. She was wearing a doeskin bra and a thong-like garment and carried a pair of Bashōsen similar to Jet's. Red markings adorned her feathers, and her top plumage had been styled into a mohawk.
"Whoa," Wave let out. "She's pretty."
Storm nodded dumbly, his face beet-red. "Uh-huh..."
"Gale and her warband discovered Vortex's ship," Kordon went on. "And believing he was an invader, captured him."
"Ooh! I know this part!" Chris declared. "He stuck around, went native, and fell in love. Am I close?"
"No, that's more or less exactly what happened. The crash had left Vortex's ship in shambles. And he wanted to end his career on a high note, as he said. Plus, the two had grown fond of one another."
"Please tell me it was a shotgun wedding," Wave pleaded.
"I do not know what that is." Kordon shook his head. "But he did bless her with an egg before obtaining my blessing."
"Yep," Wave nodded. "Shotgun wedding."
"And months later, that little egg hatched into this little troublemaker." Kordon motioned to Jet, who grimaced in embarrassment. "And he's driven us all mad ever since."
Jet looked away as Hope glanced over at him. "I don't see what you're so embarrassed about, Jet. It sounds romantic."
Jet tapped the muzzle and Wave released his beak.
"How would you feel if your family dumped all this touchy-feely stuff in front of your friends?" he demanded before sighing. "But yeah, that's how my parents met. And as for how all that ties into me being like you… Well, y'know your friend Winters? The Chun-ese girl with the Northameran skin who plucked Wave?"
Keith nodded. "Yeah, my girlfriend. What about her?"
"Well, she wasn't the only one who got flak for being an 'outsider'. Or Blondie for being the kid of a crook."
Jet looked away, looking annoyed, but a little bit sad.
"Oh…" Hope let out. "That's awful."
"Save it, I don't want your pity," the hawk snapped. "Point is, much as I hate to admit it, I get how you feel."
"Yeah...:" Hope nodded. "you clearly do."
Jet thought for a moment, then smiled. "You want my advice? Care less. I don't give a flying fugg what people think about me, and neither should you. And if they got a problem with it, just do what I do, and flip me."
Jet gave the bird at that, which got a laugh out of Hope.
"D'aaaaw, Boss!" Storm gushed, hugging Jet. "I didn't know you had such a hard life!"
"Get the hell off me!" Jet shouted as Wave cackled. "And stop laughing, you traitor!"
"Sorry, Jet. It's nothing personal..." Wave paused for a moment. "Actually, yes it is. Consider this payback for all the years of smartassery you put me through!"
As the swallow laughed, Jet fumed angrily. "Why you...!"
Suddenly, he tackled Wave, causing her to drop her device, accidentally hitting a button and bringing up a new holo-screen.
"What the...?" Chris turned to the others. "Guys, look at this!"
Everyone dropped what they were doing and turned to the holo-screen. The image was of a group shot of the Babylon Rogues, looking slightly younger than they did now. But what really grabbed their attention was the presence of a fourth member: a blue-feathered hawk with a red headband.
"Another hawk?" Hope asked.
Jet, Wave, and Storm all froze, their expressions turning grim.
"Squall…" Storm uttered fearfully.
"Wave," Jet uttered testily. "I thought you told me you deleted that picture."
"Guess I missed one," Wave explained bitterly.
"Jet, who is that guy?" Keith asked.
"Squall the Hawk," Wave explained. "He was…the fourth member of the Rogues." her eyes narrowed in contempt. "And a traitor."
The kids' eyes widened.
"A traitor?" Chris asked.
"Hold on!" Hope called out, grabbing everyone's attention. "Remember that attack on the decoys? Piper's accusation? They said someone riding Extreme Gear was behind the attack. What if it was Squall?"
"That's not possible," Wave shot down.
"He's dead," Jet explained with a bite to his words. "One of our heists went south and he bought the farm."
"You're sure?" Keith asked.
"I was there," Jet replied coldly.
Suddenly, the Donar shook violently, startling the group. They checked the dash and noticed a tire warning going off.
"Uh oh…" Storm uttered. "Looks like we got a flat, Jet."
"Of course..." Jet groused. "Dammit, I freakin' hate land vehicles!"
"Pull over," Chris instructed. "We'll get it changed."
After parking the Donar, Wave opened up a box marked 'Tools' and pulled out a device that resembled a high-tech jack.
"Alright, let's take a look," she said. "Storm, grab the spare."
"On it!" the albatross replied.
With the tools gathered, the group headed out to look for the damaged tire.
"Alright, which one is it?" Keith asked.
"What did we even hit?" Chris wondered. "We're on grasslands, and these are military-grade tires."
"Maybe someone shot them?" Storm suggested.
"'Cept there's nobody out for miles," Jet mused, scratching his chin in thought.
"And this isn't the best area for a sniper," Wave added. "Not unless you can fly."
"Guys! I found it!" Hope called out from the rear end of the Donar.
Everyone headed her way and discovered the back passenger tire had been completely deflated; the rubber was practically covered with tiny holes and tears.
"Whoa," Chris exclaimed. "It got shredded!"
Keith lifted his glasses to make sure he wasn't seeing things. "But…how?"
It was then that Jet noticed something lying on the ground. Curious, he walks over.
"Boss?" Storm asked.
Ignoring his subordinate, Jet bent down to examine the strange object.
"What the hell!?" he shouted.
"Jet, what's wrong?" Wave asked.
Rather than answer, Jet turned around and showed them what he had discovered: a blue feather. Everyone was dumbstruck at what they were seeing, none more so than the Rogues.
"Oh no..." Wave let out, covering her beak.
"Boss," Storm whimpered, "Is that-?"
"Storm, get the brats back in the Donar," Jet ordered, his voice cold and serious. "We gotta get out of here, now!"
Storm wasted no time in grabbing the three kids, holding them either under his arm or over his shoulder
"Hey!" Keith shouted.
"Wave, we need to get this tire replaced yesterday!"
"On it!" Wave immediately got to work.
"Gramps, get in the Donar."
"Jet…" Kordon protested.
"Don't argue, just do it!"
Jet gave Kordon a serious look, completely unlike the cocky smugness he addressed him from the time they'd arrived. Seeing this, the eagle conceded.
"Very well."
Jet nodded, then went right back to giving orders. "Storm! Bar the door and don't you dare open it until we have this tire fixed! I don't care what you hear! Just–"
Suddenly, Jet perked as something in the distance caught his eye.
"Look out!" he shouted, drawing and waving his Bashōsen, unleashing a gust of wind that diverted an entire wave of blue feathers that embedded themselves in the ground and the side of the Donar. However, more than a few managed to hit him. Most of the wounds were grazes, but one feather managed to embed itself right in his shoulder, causing the hawk to let out a pained squawk.
"JET!" Wave cried out as she ran to help her teammate, only to stop in her tracks at the sound of laughter.
Slow, self-aggrandizing laughter.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't Mr. Legendary Bigshot Windmaster himself," the assailant uttered, his voice dripping with arrogance.
Everyone looked up, and hovering above them, atop a blue board-type Extreme Gear was a Mobian hawk with a red headband and a black trenchcoat, and blue feathers.
"How's it goin', twerp? Haven't seen you in a while."
"Squall…" Jet hissed through his clenched beak. "How the fugg are you still alive?"
"I believe the phrase is 'reports of my death were greatly exaggerated'," the older hawk snarked. "That, and you didn't even bother to check for a body." He shook his head, tsking facetiously. "Sloppy work."
It was then that he noticed his former comrades' outfits.
"What the…" he snorted, then burst out in laughter. "What the fugg are you guys wearing!? You look like extras in some D-list Native Northameran film!"
"Better than looking like some Scum Guild sellout," Jet spat.
"Oh brother..." Squall rolled his eyes. "Are you still butthurt about that?
"YES!" Jet snapped. "Yes, I am!"
"You betrayed us!" Wave shouted, pointing her finger at the blue hawk. "You stole our treasure and tried to declare war on the Armada behind our backs! You almost got us killed!"
"That ain't cool, Squall!" Storm barked from the window of the Donar.
"I only did that because you losers lack ambition," Squall retorted. "We've been fighting Kukku and his goonies for years, but all we've ever done is nip at his heels and swipe pocket change from his ashtray." A twisted grin came over his face. "We're the Babylon Rogues . Master thieves. Why should we be wasting our time stealing junk from crooks and guys who've been dead since forever, when we could steal the whole, stinking world?"
His grin died as he looked at Kordon and Team Thorndyke through the window. "And now you're off playin' hero with the old man?" he shook his head. "Heh! And I thought you guys were losers before."
Wave let out a warbling noise as her feathers puffed out. Jet just snarled.
"Okay, this guy's nuts," Chris whispered.
"No kidding," Keith concurred.
"So, did you come here to blow hot air at us?" Jet asked. "Rub it in how much of a piece of useless trash you are before we beat your ass again?"
"Actually…" Squall plucked some feathers from his head. The plumes hardened and sharpened with an audible, metallic shing as new ones immediately grew in their place. "I'm here to turn you and your new Freedom Fighter buddies into the world's most annoying pincushions."
Donar-12
Vector grimacer, tapping his foot nervously and growling in frustration as he struggled to think.
"Come on, brain!" he shouted. "Work already!"
"Mr. Vector, are you okay?" Lanolin asked.
"He's trying to figure out who the mole is," Shorty explained.
Tekno sighed. "And from the sounds of it, he's as stumped as we are."
"It ain't just that..." Vector groused, leaning back in his seat. "Those guys, whoever those guys are, they attacked our friends. They attacked my friends, including Charmy!"
"Charmy is alright," Espio assured. "As are Mighty, Ray, Julie, and Saffron."
"And yet you're just as pissed as I am." He gestured to Espio's hands, which were clenched tightly into fists and trembling.
Espio took a cleansing breath. "Yes…I suppose you are right."
"And the worst part is, we don't have a single clue to work with!"
What about the testimony from Rotor and his team? Polo signed.
Vector shook his head. "It's not concrete. They saw shadows and impressions, nothing tangible. That ain't enough for me to work with. Doesn't help that everyone's pointing fingers at everybody else."
"Indeed," Sab concurred. "It's quite irksome. This mole is purposely poisoning our trust in one another."
"And they're doing a damn good job at it!" Vector snapped. "At this rate, we're gonna be dead before we even get to the damn rock!"
"Vector!" Valdez shouted, snapping the crocodile out of his rage.
"Sorry…" he slumped over in his seat. "I'm sorry… I just..." he took a deep breath, massaging the bridge of his snout. "I promised Charmy's ma that I'd look after him. I put him on one of the decoy teams to keep him safe, cuz I knew if I made him stay home, he'd just sneak out and join us himself. Then this happens!" he shook his head. "How am I gonna face her now?"
"Hey," Espio put a hand on his companion's arm. "This isn't your fault. The only one to blame is the mole."
Vector sighed. "I know, Es, I know. But I'm supposed to be the Master Detective here, the guy who's able to put things together and figure out what's really goin' on."
Valdez scratched his chin, appraising the crocodile carefully. "You're really taking this hard, aren't you?"
"You're a smart fella, Val," Vector retorted, a little caustically. "I take it you did your homework on me?"
"That I did," the blue chameleon confirmed. "Despite your…eccentricities, you're quite well known in Empire City. You've even done consultation work for the police."
"Seriously?" Lanolin questioned. "Because he always struck me as… Well, an idiot."
"Vector is eccentric, that I will not deny," Espio defended. "But he is an Ace Detective. One of the best around."
"Detective Vector, the Karma Collector," said collector stated with pride. "That's what folks called me back in E.C. No matter what the case or how long it took, one way or another, I'd get to the bottom of things."
Espio smiled to himself. "It's one of the reasons I chose to work with him. He has a strong sense of justice and a heart of gold. And he never turns down a client in need, regardless of whether they can pay him. Even if it leaves him swimming in debt."
"It's why we live on Angel Island now. No rent up there!"
"I see…" Sab nodded. "Those are admirable qualities."
"Honestly Vector, I'm surprised you aren't a cop," Tekno said.
"Yeah, Sheriff Wachowski could use a guy like you," Shorty added.
"Y-Yeah…" Vector paused, his smile wavering as he twiddled his thumbs awkwardly. He shook his head, regaining his focus. "A-Anyway...enough about me, what about you guys? What's your story?'
Sab shrugged. "Not much to say. Robotnik invaded our homeland, turned it into his personal chemical factory, and tried to turn us all into robots. We've been fighting back ever since
"And you already know about me and Tekno," Shorty said.
"I don't know a soul who doesn't ," Tekno chimed in.
"What about you, Sir Valdez?" Lanolin asked.
Valdez perked. "Me?"
"Yeah." Sab looked him over. "You look like the kinda guy who's got quite a history. Like you've seen some serious action."
Shorty nodded. "Plus, Espio called you…" he grimaced in thought. "What was it...sempai? What even is that?"
"It's a Ryuese honorific that roughly means 'senior' or 'upperclassman'," Espio explained.
Tekno leaned over to Shorty's ear. "That thing they slap on peoples' names in high school anime? The ones girls are always trying to impress?"
Shorty's eyes lit up in recognition. "Ohhhh..."
"It's a bit more expansive than that in real life," Valdez corrected, an awkward look on his face. "But yes, Espio and I are both members of the Shinobi Clan."
Shorty perked at that. "Hold up, you two are related?"
Espio shook his head. "No, we are merely disciples of the same Sensei and were taught the same style of ninjutsu. At most, we are martial brothers, nothing more."
"So, how did you end up with the Acorn Secret Service?" Lanolin asked.
"I'm afraid that's classified information," Valdez stated plainly.
I promise I won't say a word
"While your confidence is appreciated, Polo-san, my honor demands that I cannot say anything. Not only as an agent but as a ninja."
"Dude, you totally missed the joke!" Vector groused.
Indeed, Polo was smirking. Valdez just raised an eyebrow. "I... do not follow,"
"He just signed that he 'wouldn't say a word'," Vector explained.
"Just because somebody asks me nicely does not mean I am obligated to answer."
Polo sighed as Vector facepalmed. "Oh forget it..."
While this was going on, Lanolin kept scratching at her arm, growing visibly more annoyed with each passing moment.
"You okay there, Lani?" Shorty asked.
"I'm fine…" She removed her shirt, revealing her sports bra, and began scratching the rest of her. "All this static's just making my wool itch."
"Yeah," Sab agreed, removing her jacket as well. "It's starting to get to me too."
"It's probably from the storm outside," Tekno explained, hearing thunder rolling in the distance. "This isn't called the Thunder Plains for nothing."
Vector perked. "Hold up… Static makes your wool itch?"
"Uhhh...yeah?" Lani replied as if it should have been obvious. "It's the worst."
"Seriously," Sab groused. "I wish they'd have let us know we'd be coming here earlier so we could get shorn."
Vector grimaced, the wheels in his brain beginning to turn. "Static makes you itch… Thunder Plains… Itching...Thunder..."
Suddenly, his eyes widened. "Lani, when did this itching start?"
"Umm... not long ago?"
"Not long? Like, a few minutes? An hour?"
"...30 minutes? Maybe?"
"Same," Sab tacked on.
Vector tapped his chin in thought. "So, the itching just started about half an hour ago, and not a minute earlier?"
Both sheep raised an eyebrow at that.
"You're not making any sense," Lanolin said.
"Yeah, what's the big deal?"
"The 'big deal', Shorty, is that they only just now started complaining about the static-induced itching when they were just fine when we first got here," Vector explained.
Espio perked. "Meaning something's changed, and it wasn't the weather…"
"Val, you got some kind of criminal database we can borrow?"
Valdez blinked. "... sure."
Valdez pulled out a data card, then removed his glove and pressed his thumb against it.
"Biosignature recognized. Agent 620598."
The card projected a holo-screen showing a comprehensive list.
"There, this is the Secret Service's personal archive. It contains profiles of all the criminals we've locked up or are currently investigating."
"It got a search function?" Vector asked.
"Yes."
"Charmy mentioned seeing lightning…" he snapped his fingers. "Look up all perps that have anything electrical about them. Powers, weapons, whatever zaps."
Valdez inputted the criteria via a holo-keyboard, causing the list to shrink considerably. "Any other parameters?"
Vector thought for a moment then nodded. "Martial artist. Speedster."
Valdez inputs the additional and the list shrank even further. With the suspect pool sufficiently narrowed down, Vector began looking them over, until finally…
"There!" He pointed at one of the profiles. "That one! That's the guy!"
Valdez touched it, opening it for all to see. The profile was of a young, mobian lynx with light brown fur in a purple ninja gi.
"Yamaneko Ikazuchi," the senior chameleon read, his face growing grim.
"That's a Ryuese name," Lani remarked.
Espio grimaced. "Senpai..."
"Yes...this does not bode well."
"I'm guessing this guy's bad news?" Tekno asked worriedly.
Espio nodded. "The worst."
Valdez began reading. "Yamaneko Ikazuchi, alias: Lightning Lynx. Age: 17. Birthplace: Unknown part of Yurashia; possibly the Dragon Kingdom. Wanted for multiple counts of grand theft, political and corporate sabotage, and at least fifty-seven counts of murder."
Everyone looked ill at ease upon hearing that.
"Mr. Vector?" Sab asked. "What are you thinking?"
"I think we just found our perp."
Suddenly, there was a loud noise outside, like a crack of thunder, only far too close to the Donar. Startled, Vector looked out the window to see a streak of lightning running straight for them.
"And our perp just found us!"
Outside, Ikazuchi was running ninja-style, leaving behind trails of yellow lightning with every step.
"Tāgetto kakutoku…" he drew a pair of kunai from his belt. "Misshon kaishi!"
He jumped onto the roof of the Donar, electrifying his kunai before plunging them into the metal. Inside, everyone ducked to avoid getting stabbed in the scalp. Then they watched in horror as they began cutting through the metal like a hot knife through butter.
"Shit!" Sab let out, scrambling for her weapon. "Everyone, battle stations!"
Everyone did the same as her, readying weapons.
"Let's take this guy down," Shorty declared, powering on his suit.
The kunai finished cutting through the roof hatch, causing it to drop. Everyone was tense, waiting for their attacker to jump through the hole. However, nothing happened.
"...what's he waiting for?" Tekno whispered.
"Not sure," Vector whispered back.
Espio narrowed his eyes, then he spotted a thin needle drop in from the roof. Instantly, he was on high alert. "Everybody out! Now!"
They managed to get out, but Espio was a bit too slow. The needle hit the floor and unleashed a huge electric shock, electrocuting the chameleon. He screamed in pain as his entire nervous system was visible for all to see thanks to his fluctuating invisibility.
"ESPIO!" Vector screamed as the chameleon fell to the ground.
"Heh heh heh… baka kamereon. The Shinobi are getting soft."
Everyone looked up to see Kazu sitting atop the roof of the Donar, idly toying with one of his kunai. He smirked at them all before jumping to his feet and giving a bow.
"Osu! Ore wa Yamaneko Ikazuchi. Yoroshiku ne, Freedom Fighters." (4)
"Um…" Vector blinked, not understanding.
"He introduced himself and said it was nice to meet us," Valdez translated.
"Then he shoulda just said that."
"Ah, gomen. Still getting used to speaking Common."
"Who sent you?" Sab demanded.
"If you're working for Dr. Eggman, we won't show you any mercy," Lanolin swore.
Kazu turned to her. "Oi, you mind turning it down, hitsuji onna ? (5) Your bleating is giving me a headache."
Lanolin straightened up, her face turning bright red
"Alright..." Kazu leaned back, then hopped off the Donar, landing on the ground. "Enough screwin' around." He electrified his kunai again. "It's time for me to kill you losers."
"You will try…"
Kazu turned to see Valdez materialize in front of him. " Nani!? "
"And you will fail!" Valdez drew his own weapon and slashed at Kazu, dropping him in one hit.
"Holy...!" Tekno gasped.
"He just offed that guy in one shot!" Shorty exclaimed.
"Way to go, Val!" Vector gave a thumbs up.
Valdez smirks, only for Kazu's body to disappear into crackles of electricity.
"An afterimage!"
Suddenly, Valdez felt a stabbing pain in his back. Kazu was standing right behind him, a kunai in his hand, which he plunged into his back.
"Y-You..." Valdez managed.
"Raiju Ninpo..." The kunai glowed. "Blade of Mercy."
Valdez was violently electrocuted, dropping with a scream of agony.
"Sir Valdez!" Lani screamed.
"It's all over. Rot with the rest of your pathetic lizard brethren in Hell!"
Kazu perked, barely managing to block an attack from Espio.
"You!"
"Shinobi Art… Leaf Swirl!" Espio conjured a green cyclone filled with leaves that slashed at Kazu, allowing Espio to make off with Valdez.
" Kuso! Kamereon yarou! " (6)
Espio got Valdez to the others, gently laying him down.
"Espio!" Tekno cried in relief. "You're okay!"
"I am," Espio confirmed. "But Senpai isn't."
"What the hell was that?" Shorty demanded.
"The Blade of Mercy. It's an assassination technique used by one of the most infamous ninja clans in Yurashia: the Raiju."
I take it that's bad, Polo signed.
Espio nodded. "Very. The Raiju are vicious warriors. Ruthless conquerors and killers who see strength as the only thing of true value."
"So bad news. Got it." Vector turned to him. "So, how do we beat this guy?"
"Easy…" Kazu suddenly appeared, kicking Vector in the gut. "You don't!"
Vector went flying into a tree.
" Abayo, wani. " Kazu turned to the others. "Now… who's next!?"
Donar-7
The Donar made its way through the wilderness, Amy at the wheel. In the back seat, everyone else was talking amongst themselves to pass the time.
"So, Tails showed me this upcoming comic book he's excited about," Cosmo told them. "It's called Eternal Quest , and it's about a group of children who fight against an evil emperor who wants to take over the world."
"That sounds pretty cool," Amy remarked. "Maybe I'll snag a copy for Sonic."
"Isn't that basically what we do every day?" Sticks asked.
"Maybe, but it's still fun to read."
"Here, the first eight pages are free to read on Flickee." Cosmo held out her phone, showing the artist's Flickee page. "Let me get it up."
She showed everyone the comic in question, getting more than a few nods and noises of approval.
"Huh," Sticks let out, nodding herself. "Okay, I'll admit, it looks pretty sweet."
"Indeed," Rob agreed. "I hope it does well."
Thorn cringed slightly. "Not sure how I feel about the bad guys bein' clowns, though."
"Yeah, reminds me too much of Ferdie," Bow remarked.
Amy shuddered. "Right. Ferdie…."
"Who is Ferdie?" Cosmo asked.
"My family's old court jester," Rob answered, looking down at the ground. "He's a blooming nutter who's completely popped his cork. A right barmy one, Ferdie is."
"Yeah, I speak several languages, and whatever that was ain't one of them," Sticks deadpanned. "Translation?"
"He's absolutely insane to the point that he makes you look sane," Amy explained. "And he takes pleasure in people's pain."
"As I said, he's completely barmy," Rob declared.
"Oh…" Sticks let out, shuddering at the idea. "That's… pretty bad."
"What happened to this Ferdie?" Cosmo questioned.
"Well, about four years ago, my father was holding a feast as part of Mercia's Founder's Day. Ferdie was there as entertainment, but… well, let's just say him and jokes were gettin' on like chalk and cheese."
"I take it that was bad," Stick muttered.
"Aye," Bow said with a nod. "Every joke landin' flat and more than a few things of rotten food were thrown his way."
"And then…" Rob groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Then my father's brilliant advisor Mordred and a few other nobles decided that it would be fun to take the mick out of Ferdie. They were being downright wankers."
"No translation needed for that," Sticks muttered. "They decided to bully him."
"Relentlessly," Thorn said with a nod. "It started with minor things; tripping him up, making him spill things on people, pouring drinks, and throwing food at him."
"And eventually…" Amy took a deep breath, adjusting her grip on the steering wheel. "Ferdie just snapped."
"Nicked half a dozen weapons from the armory and began chasin' everyone around the castle!" Bow exclaimed. "He was cacklin' and shoutin' like a loon the entire time!"
"He even managed to lop one knight's arm off…" Thorn recalled, rubbing her own.
Both Cosmo and Sticks were stunned by this, left speechless.
"He managed to escape the castle and began terrorizing the local villages," Rob went on, shaking his head. "We were eventually able to capture him and put him in the dungeons… But he escaped. We haven't seen or heard from him since."
"Sometimes, I still hear his laughter in my nightmares," Amy admitted, shuddering a bit.
Just then, a high-pitched, madness-tinged laugh filled the Donar, making everyone freeze.
"Okay, Bow!" Amy shouted, looking over her shoulder at him. "Seriously, don't do that! I'm trying to drive!"
Bow swallowed hard. "That… wasn't me."
"I didn't say anythin'," Thorn added, starting to get nervous.
"So then, who was-?"
Suddenly, someone pressed their face against the front window, completely upside-down.
"DING-DONG!"
Amy screamed and swerved, causing the Donar to go out of control and crash into a tree. Inside, everyone was thrown about by the crash, though miraculously, the Donar was mostly unharmed.
"Ugh…" Robo groaned, rubbing his head. "Everyone still in one piece?"
"I think so…" Thorn let out, rolling onto her back. "Ow."
"What the hell, Amy!?" Sticks shouted, sitting up from where she'd landed. "I thought you got your license!"
"It's not my fault!" Amy shrieked, looking around in terror. "It was Ferdie! He-! He was on the window!"
"No, I'm on the roof!"
At the sound of that voice, everyone slowly looked up at the roof hatch of the Donar. It was open, and Ferdie the Flying Frog was standing right on the edge. He looked down at all of them, his eyes wild and his face a manic grin.
"Well lookie here, it's lil' Amy Rosy-Posey-Wosey!"
"Ferdie!?" All of the Mercians shouted in terror.
"Me?!" Ferdie mocked before busting out into a peal of spine-chilling, manic laughter. "That's right! It's your old pal Ferdie the Frog! And I–"
Ferdie perked slightly as arrows began flying past him. He leaped out of the way, and when he landed, Rob and the others were climbing onto the roof to join him, weapons drawn and aimed at him.
"Oh hey! It's Rob! Hi Rob!" Ferdie waved, completely nonplussed by all the weapons. "Still slummin' in the forest behind your papa's back?"
"Just what hellhole did you crawl out of?" Rob snarled.
"Hmmmm…" Ferdie tapped his chin in thought. "Well, first I got out of that torture chamber in your basement. Then I got out from under a rock in the woods. Then I crawled out of the torture chamber in Mordy's basement, that one was fun. Then I stopped in the Empire City sewers, crawled out of the torture chamber in GUN's basement. And then I crawled out of a stall in the men's room at Archie's, and now I'm here."
He suddenly snapped to, grinning happily, but still with an air of madness. "Didja miss me!?"
"No." There was no hesitation from Rob.
Ferdie suddenly drooped, looking almost upset by the news.
"You didn't… oh… That's okay..." His head perked up and he lunged at Rob. "I'm not gonna miss you either!"
He began laughing wildly as all of the archers began firing, simply flapping his arms and somehow flying off, avoiding the shots.
"Nice try!" he called out to the stunned warriors.
"What the...!?" Sticks threw her hands in the air. "How did he-!?"
"Axe me later!"
Sticks turned around just in time to see Ferdie behind her, about to cleave her in two with a battle-axe. With a yelp, she narrowly avoided the blow.
"Ooooh! She's a quick-witted one!" Ferdie grinned. "If you'd been a second slower, those wits woulda been all over the ground."
Sticks threw her boomerang at him, beaning him in the head and knocking him down. "Quick! Get in the Donar!"
Everyone rushed for the Donar, scrambling to get in. Amy practically vaulted into the driver's seat, trying to get it started again.
"Come on..." she whimpered as she heard the engine stall. "Come on...start, damn you!"
Finally, the engine roared to life.
"Yes!" Amy backed up, practically throwing the wheel to get them back on the path before slamming it into drive and flooring it. "Woo! Seeya, Ferdie!"
Ferdie got up, shaking himself out as he watched the Donar drive off.
"Wow...tough crowd." He rolled his neck, then spread his arms, allowing his skin flaps to spread out. "Looks like I'm gonna have to break out the...special material."
Donar-3
Sonic was sitting atop the Donar, keeping an eye out for any attackers. As he scanned the horizon, the roof hatch opened, allowing an irate Geoffrey to stick his head out.
"What the devil do you think you're doing!?"
"Keeping watch," Sonic answered easily. "Plus it was getting stuffy in there."
"You're giving away our position, you twit! Get back in here this instant!"
"Position?" Sonic rolled his eyes. "We're a moving vehicle."
"And you've just painted a big, blue bullseye on our backs! The point of having multiple Donars is to make it harder to tell where the delegates are! What is wrong with you!?"
"Wow.."
This new voice made Geoffrey blink. He stuck his head back in the Donar, seeing Tangle had one of the windows down, half of her body stuck through it as she admired the scenery.
"For a place said to be always storming, it's real pretty out!"
"Not you too!" Geoffrey jumped off the ladder to the roof, turning towards Sally. "Your Highness, please tell your comrades to stop fooling around! We're in the middle of a serious mission!"
Sally didn't even look up from her task of cleaning her ring blades. "Sonic, please get down from there. Tangle, you too."
Both immediately complied as Geoffrey let out an exasperated breath. "Thank you."
"Yeesh, you weren't kidding, Sonic," Tangle whispered into Sonic's ear. "This guy's got a stick so far up his butt, it hit tonsils."
"I know, right?" Sonic snickered.
"He does have a point though," Tails pointed out, much to the hedgehog's chagrin.
"Et tu, Tails?"
"Don't get snippy with the lad," Geoffrey rebuked. "It's not his fault he has a lick of sense."
"Yeah, calm down, Sonic," Knuckles insisted, even as he himself remained tense and on edge, his eyes never leaving the window he was watching.
"Hey Knux, whatcha lookin' at?" Tangle asked.
"Just keeping watch."
"For that Razorklaw guy?"
"He's an Egg Boss with a specific beef with my tribe. No doubt he's going to be coming after us."
"Right…" Tangle rubbed her arm but quickly perked. "Well, it shouldn't be too bad. I mean, you said your old man beat him. And you're a lot stronger than him from what everyone says."
"Maybe, but that was before Razorklaw was Cyberized," Knuckles reminded her.
"So he got some crazy robot parts, big deal. You guys take down robots all the time. You'll take him down easily. Ain't that right, Sonic?"
"He has every right to be wary," Sonic told her, not about to let himself give into undue hubris. "Especially after what happened to Lupe and her crew."
Tangle winced. "Right… But he just got the jump on her. Lupe's tough, but she's not the Fastest Thing Alive or a super genius or a Guardian of the Master Emerald."
"Even we can lose, Tangle," Tails countered. "What happened at Station Square proves that."
"Even the strongest can fall," Knuckles added.
"And even the fastest can be too slow," Sonic concluded solemnly.
Tangle blinked, stunned by what she was hearing. "Seriously? Guys c'mon, what happened to all that confidence? We're the Freedom Fighters, Heroes of Mobius!"
"We are, yes, but we have to be realistic too. You let yourself get too big for your britches…" Sonic rubbed his side, clutching his ribs. "And the cost can be more than you're willing to pay."
Once again, Tangle could only wince. "Right..."
"Having second thoughts, Miss Lemur?" Geoffrey questioned, a note of condescension in his tone.
Tangle scoffed. "You wish." She bounced back quickly. "My dad's in GUN, Mr. Secret Agent Man. And I've been gettin' into scraps and misadventures my whole life. The only second thoughts I have are what I'm gonna do the second this is over."
Geoffrey was unimpressed with Tangle's bravado. "You have never been in a true battle before, have you?"
"What!?"
"You heard me. You've never been in a real fight before."
"I-I have so!" She was beginning to sweat. "I helped Sonic and the others save my hometown from Eggman's robots! It's how I got into the Freedom Fighters!"
"That was a skirmish at best," Geoffrey shot down. "One you had a lot of help with. You have no idea what it means to be in the heart of battle, to be fighting for your life."
"Of course I do! I fought a whole army of robots! I saved a little girl's life! I took down a giant Motobug!"
"But you haven't felt loss. You haven't had to choose who to save. You haven't had to hide from overwhelming numbers or hold the hand of your friends as they bleed out in your arms. You know nothing of war, girl." He stared her down, unfazed by how nervous she was appearing. "Tell me, why exactly did you want to join the Freedom Fighters?"
"What?" Tangle blinked. "What kind of question is that? I did it 'cause I wanted to help my new friends save Mobius from the Empire!"
"Really?" he quirked an eyebrow. "Because according to the documents from your little 'interview' back at Spiral Hill, you described yourself as a 'thrill-seeker'. Somebody looking to get into all sorts of crazy adventures. And if you help someone along the way, then all the better?"
"Y-Yeah..."
"You're an adrenaline junkie. A naive, clueless child looking for their next, quick fix. This is all a game to you."
"It... no, I...You're..."
"Wrong? How? Lying? Why?" Geoffrey crossed his arms. "This is a dangerous mission, Miss Lemur. The Freedom Fighters have been compromised and we very well may be marching to our deaths. If you aren't going to take this seriously, then you should go back to your hometown and let the real heroes do their jobs."
Tangle was tearing up at this point, shrinking into her seat before curling up and hugging her knees. Seeing this, Geoffrey just scoffed.
"I rest my case."
"Seriously, Geoff!?" Sonic exclaimed, glaring at the skunk with pure contempt.
"This isn't a time for games," Geoffrey declared. "This is war."
"You didn't have to tear into her like that! It's literally her first mission!"
"A mission where assassins want us dead, ones who have managed to infiltrate our ranks to try and destroy us from within. And that's on top of the Empire's surge in growth. We can't afford to take it easy, nor can we afford to let just anyone with 'spit and vinegar' or a 'big heart' join us."
Sonic snarled, hands clenching into fists. "Y'know, this is why I don't like you. You're always going on and on about the rules, or talking down to people and treating them like dirt!"
"She needs to know what's really going on. That this isn't some video game or cartoon crisis that can be solved in twenty minutes or with the power of friendship and believing in yourself."
"Why you-!"
They were about to come to blows before Knuckles got to his feet.
"Hey! I saw something!" All eyes were instantly on him as they all tensed for battle. "We're being followed, and whatever is it, it's gaining, fast!"
"Do you think it's Razorklaw?"
"Nicole," Sally called out, the Holo-Lynx immediately materializing by the rear window.
"Running ." Her pupils shifted, allowing her to see Razorklaw on all fours, charging at them like his feral counterpart. "Yes, it's Razorklaw!"
"Damn! He's found us!" Geoffrey cursed.
"Right then." Knuckles climbed up to the roof hatch, throwing it open. "I'll deal with this loser. You guys focus on protecting Sally."
"Knuckles, wait-!" Tails tried to call out for him, but the echidna glided off, the roof hatch slamming shut behind him.
"Dammit!" Sonic cursed, preparing to go after him. However, Geoffrey grabbed his arm, stopping him.
"Sonic, stop!"
"I can't leave him behind!" Sonic shouted.
"You need to stay and protect the Princess! That's our current mission!"
"But Knuckles-!"
"Knuckles is a trained warrior, Sonic," Sally insisted, putting a hand on Sonic's shoulder to try and calm him. "More than that, Razorklaw wants him personally. It's like when you make use of the Priority One override. Besides, he's faced far stronger opponents."
Sonic still looked hesitant. "I…"
"Sonic…" Tails grabbed the hedgehog's face. "This isn't the Death Egg. This is Knuckles. He will be fine. I promise."
Sonic takes a moment to process that. Finally, he relaxed ever so slightly. "Right… He took down Enerjak. And only lost to Kage cuz he fought dirty. He's got this."
Nicole's handheld beeped, the Holo-Lynx immediately checking it. "Multiple Stormrunners detected outside! All heading towards us!"
"And that is why you stay with the Princess," Geoffrey declared before getting to business. "Alright, let's show these idiots what for! You all know what to do! Sonic, you and I are the vanguards. Mr. Prower, you're on air support. And Miss Lemur-"
Geoffrey looked around, realizing that Tangle was nowhere to be seen. It was as if she had simply vanished, though the open window next to her seat told a pretty good story of where she'd gone.
"No…" Geoffrey let out, horror washing over him. "She didn't..."
"She did," Nicole confirmed.
"Shit!" Once more, Sonic made for the exit.
"Sonic, the Stormrunners!" Geoffrey exclaimed.
"I'll be fine, Stinkweed! I'll grab Tangle and be back here in less than a minute! Easy as-" The Donar doors opened, revealing an entire swarm of super fast Egg Soldiers. "Pie?"
-X-
Knuckles faced down Razorklaw, the cyberized Felidae grinning like a maniac as he set his sights on the echidna.
"There you are… I've been looking for you, Son of Locke. Do you remember me?"
"How could I forget?" Knuckles jeered. "My old man kicked your sorry ass five ways to Sunday."
"Good, that saves me the trouble of explaining." Razorklaw popped his neck, rolling his shoulders. "Meaning now I have more time to rip you apart, limb from limb."
"Don't count on it, Tabby. You're not the first killer cyborg I've gone up against."
"Perhaps, but I will be your last!"
Razorklaw suddenly rushed at Knuckles, who just managed to grab Razorklaw's claws, keeping them from tearing into him.
"Okay… you're actually pretty strong. I'll give you that."
"Did you think this would be easy, child? Then you're mistaken!" Razorklaw broke free of his grip and attacked, swiping in fast succession. "I'm nothing like that fool, Von Stryker. I am Felidae. His enhancements were a crutch. Mine… Are an extension!"
"Maybe so," Knuckles conceded, carefully jumping and evading the attacks, "but I don't need such cheap tricks to beat you!"
Knuckles evaded another of Razorklaw's swipes before punching him in the jaw. The Felidae stumbled back as the echidna smirked.
"I don't go down so easily," he taunted.
Razorklaw grinned. "Good… I'd hate for this to end too quickly!"
He charged at Knuckles and the fight was on.
-X-
Meanwhile, Tangle was sprinting across the plains, gritting her teeth in annoyance.
"Damn that skunky bastard!" she cursed into the wind. "I'll show him. Just gotta find Knuckles and that Razorcat guy, then we can kick his ass together! He'll see who's a real hero!"
Her ears perked to the sound of clashing in the distance, just beyond an outcropping of rocks. She grinned, ducking behind one of the large boulders before carefully peeking out. As she did, she was left breathless at the sight of the two warriors going at it.
"Whoa, these guys are not holding back… Maybe this was a bad idea." Immediately she clapped her cheeks, shaking her head. "What are you saying? Focus, Tangle! You're a Freedom Fighter now! And Freedom Fighters don't run away from danger!"
"Had enough, Son of Locke!?" Razorklaw taunted as he shoved Knuckles into the dirt.
The echidna kicked the Felidae in the stomach, getting some distance between them. "Only of looking at your ugly mug!"
Razorklaw growled, wiping the fleshy side of his face. "We'll see how well that tongue of yours quips after I rip it out!"
The two clash some more, leaving Tangle absolutely starstruck.
"Yeah, get him, Knuckles!" she cheered, making the Guardian freeze in place.
"What the...?" His head whipped over to the lemur's perch, his eyes going wide. ''Tangle!?"
"Pay attention, boy!"
Razorklaw attempted to slice at Knuckles while he was distracted. Thankfully, the echidna was faster and managed to dodge. Using the opportunity granted to him, he rolled backward, using his momentum to kick Razorklaw in the jaw. The Felidae stumbled back and Knuckles hit him with a one-two punch, sending him flying into one of the massive rocks. He slid to the ground, groaning as Knuckles sagged, exhausted.
"And that… takes care of that," he gasped.
"Woo!" Tangle cheered, hopping out from her hiding spot and landing in front of Knuckles. "That! Was! Awesome!"
Knuckles turned to her, rage and concern etched into his face. "Tangle, what the fugg are you doing out here?! You should be back in the Donar!"
"Whoa, easy!" Tangle held up her hands. "I saw you going off to face off against that Razorcat guy. So, I thought you might need some backup."
"Tangle-!" Knuckles caught himself, taking a deep breath. "Tangle, there are literally three people on this planet I trust to be able to back me up if I fall: My sister, Tails, and Sonic. You literally joined us a few days ago. You shouldn't even be out here."
"Seriously!? You too!?"
"You don't have experience, especially not the amount needed to face him. Seriously, what the hell were you thinking!?"
"I was thinking you might need some help seeing as you were going up against a freakin' Egg Boss! Y'know, cuz we're friends!"
"I had it covered!"
"Yeah, I can see that now! But-"
"But nothing!" He grabbed her shoulders, shaking her. "You need to use your head! Think before you act! Otherwise, you're just gonna get yourself killed, Kat!"
Tangle's eyes widened at that. Knuckles was panting, blinking as he realized what he'd said.
"Knuckles..." Tangle let out.
Knuckles forced himself to breathe, calming himself before he spoke again, carefully releasing his hold on her arms. "You need to know your limits. You need to know when to back off, when to ask for help, and when to run. And most of all, you can't just go running off on your own like this! That kind of recklessness can get you killed, or worse."
Tangle nodded solemnly, then caught sight of something that made her shout, "Knuckles, behind you!"
Knuckles looked around, just in time to see Razorklaw get up and rush at them. On instinct, he shoved Tangle out of the way, allowing the Felidae to slash him across the back. Tangle could only watch in wide-eyed horror as Knuckles choked, silently falling face-first into the grass. Three massive gashes tore through his jacket, wounds slowly turning it red with blood.
"KNUCKLLLLLLLEEEES!"
Author's Note:
(1): Mobian Happy Meal
(2): French for Bastard
(3): French for Buzzard
(4): Yo! I'm Yamaneko Ikazuchi. Nice to meetcha, Freedom Fighters.
(5): Japanese for Sheep-woman
(6): Shit! Chameleon bastard!
Things are getting pretty dicey now. How will our heroes handle this new threat? And just who is Sally talking to?
Please R&R. Until next time!
