-Chapter 266-

The Betrayal


Donar-3

On the Donar, Sally and Geoffrey furiously chewed Tangle out for her actions.

"-idiotic, dangerous, reckless thing to do!" Geoffrey shouted, counting off every last word on his fingers.

"You could have gotten yourself and Knuckles killed!" Sally yelled, waving her hands in the air as she spoke. "Seriously, Tangle, what were you thinking ?!"

Tangle winced, curled up in her seat in shame. "I'm sorry..."

"Sorry isn't going to cut it, young lady!" Geoffrey snapped. "You acted on your own and put the entire squad and mission at risk! If you were under my command, I'd have you cleaning the latrines with a toothbrush for a year before dishonorably discharging you!"

"Honestly, you're lucky Knuckles was there to bail you out!" Sally shouted.

"I didn't…" Knuckles interjected from his seat, causing everyone to turn to him. "I didn't bail her out. I was flat on my face for the entire fight."

"Wait," Sonic spoke up, confusion etched on his face, "so how did you-?"

"A phoenix saved us," Tangle answered.

A dead silence followed.

"A phoenix?" Geoffrey deadpanned. "You're telling me that Razorklaw was defeated and you two were saved… by a Phoenix?"

Tangle nodded enthusiastically. "It was huge and multicolored! And its flames only hurt Razorklaw. After that, this weird human guy in a red bathrobe and a straw hat did something to heal our wounds before zapping away using Chaos Control!"

"A human did that?" Geoffrey scoffed, shaking his head in disdain. "That's impossible. Humans can't wield Chaos Energy. They lost that ability millennia ago."

"Tangle, are you feeling alright?" Sally put a hand to Tangle's forehead as if feeling for a fever. "Hear any ringing in your ears?"

"I'm telling the truth!" Tangle smacked her hand away. "You guys gotta believe me!"

"There may be some truth to what she said," Knuckles spoke up, shrugging out of his jacket and showing everyone his back. "Look."

They did, seeing that Razorklaw's slash marks were completely seared closed.

"Whoa..." Sonic let out.

Tails examined the wounds carefully. "Burn scars...these wounds were cauterized. But they're too neat… They're almost like someone traced a finger over them."

"Yeah." Knuckles lowered his shirt. "I know it sounds crazy, but Tangle's story actually checks out."

"But that's…" Geoffrey sputtered. "That's absolutely ridiculous!"

"Hey, this person saved our friends and kicked Kitty-Crazy's butt," Sonic pointed out. "I'd say whoever they are is aces with me."

Geoffrey let out a growl before calming himself. "Very well… But that does not excuse Miss Lemur's actions!"

"On that, we can agree," said Sally. "But that's going to have to wait for now."

She pointed out the window, revealing that they were approaching a rugged mountain that looked like it had been split and shattered in two. The gap between the two hunks resembled a jagged lightning bolt.

"That must be Boltscar Rock." Tails agreed.

"Whoa..." Tangle let out.


Boltscar Rock

The Donar came to a stop, allowing everyone to get out and take a better look at the mountain.

"Wow…" Sonic let out. "Gotta say, I'm almost glad Eggman screwed up the meeting. Otherwise, we'd never get to see this."

"It looks like someone sliced the mountain in half with a meat cleaver!" Tangle exclaimed, gesturing wildly to the split mountain.

"You aren't far off." Everyone turned to see Lupe's group walking over.

"Lupe, you made it!" Sonic cheered.

"Any more trouble?" Sally asked.

"Not on our end," Hershey answered before grimacing. "Same can't be said for Valdez's group."

Hershey motioned over to Donar-12. There, everyone could see Polo carrying a badly injured Valdez as the others followed after him.

"My word!" Geoffrey immediately ran to his fellow agent's side. "Valdez, are you alright!?"

Valdez raised his head, groaning. "Uuugh...so far, so fabulous."

"We were attacked by a crazy ninja cat with electric powers," Sab explained. "Jabbed him with a kunai and fried him. He almost didn't make it."

"Espio then challenged them to a fight," Lani added.

"Which Lani proceeded to interrupt," Espio retorted, glaring at the lamb. "It was by sheer dumb luck that something, or someone, dealt with the Lynx before lives were lost."

Before anyone could ask for clarification, the sounds of two more Donars reached their ears.

"Gangway!" Sticks shouted, sticking half her body out of one of the windows to her Donar. "Comin' through! Move it or lose it!"

"Clear a path!" Storm yelled, waving through a window with one hand while driving with the other.

Everyone quickly moved as Sticks' and Storm's Donars eventually came to a jerky stop. The doors opened and everyone came stumbling out.

"Finally! We made it!" Amy cheered.

"Worst. Trip. Ever…" Jet groused.

"Indeed..." Heavy declared as he and his group also came stumbling out of Amy's Donar. "I do believe I'm carsick..."

"Beep..." Bomb chirped in an exhausted manner.

"Heavy?! Bomb!?" Geoffrey looked between the two Goodniks. "What are you all doing here!?"

"Porker!" Sonic cried. "What happened to your leg?"

Porker, who was leaning on Johnny as they limped towards the mountain, looked up at Sonic with an exhausted expression. "A killer monkey blew up our Donar and tried to do us in with booby traps." He paused, blinking. "Wow...never thought that sentence would come out of my mouth."

"Lucky you," Sticks grumbled. "We almost got axed by Amy and her cousin's old psycho court jester, not long before we ran into you."

"Oh yeah?" Storm crossed his arms. "Well, Wave and the Boss almost got knifed by one of our old comrades! Top that!"

That got him slapped upside the head.

"Quit being stupid, Storm," Jet snapped. "It ain't a contest."

"Jeez…" Sonic let out, wincing. "Sounds like all of you have been through hell."

"Yeah, but then the weirdest thing happened," Johnny chimed in. "Something took out the big galoot, and it wasn't one of us. They threw something that incinerated a hijack node on Bomb, then launched him over to us."

"Lucky you," Amy muttered. "We had to deal with Ferdie all on our own."

"Although…" Rob let out, rubbing his chin, "It is rather suspect that he didn't try to give chase again."

"We had a similar incident with our attacker," Kordon recalled. "He was just about to strike when he was suddenly spirited away by an unseen force."

"The phoenix!" Tangle shouted, drawing everyone's attention to her. "It had to be the phoenix! The one that saved me and Knuckles from Razorklaw! It must've been what saved you guys too!"

"That's impossible," Espio insisted. "The Phoenix Race went extinct centuries ago. No more Mobian Phoenix exist."

"No, I mean it was an actual phoenix! A big, giant, fiery bird with big, glowing eyes, huge, sharp claws, and everything! It grabbed Razorklaw like a rabbit and threw him into a cliff! It was epic!"

Everyone was staring.

"Does this girl have brain damage?" Jet questioned.

"Yeah, she's gone crazy," Sticks declared. "And that's coming from me."

"I'll do a quick concussion check," Sab offered.

"Oh come on!" Tangle threw up her hands in exasperation.

"Alright, alright, that's enough!" Sally cut in. "We can worry about whatever this phoenix is later." First things first… Is everyone here?"

"I'll check." Sonic darted around, doing a quick head count before coming to a stop right in front of Sally. "Yup, that's everybody."

Sally nodded before glancing over at Nicole."Message the others. I want to make sure they got back to Acorn safely."

"Sending..." Nicole stood there for a moment before perking. "Confirmation received. All decoys safe and accounted for."

"Okay, good," Sally let out, breathing a sigh of relief.

"That just leaves one problem..." Geoffrey looked at the others. "The mole."

"Actually, Geoff," Hershey interjected, "I've been thinking. What if there is no mole?'

"What do you mean, Hershey?"

"I mean, what if there is no imposter? What if it was all just a ruse?"

"Actually, that's a good point," Clove spoke up.

"Are you sure?" Vector asked. "I mean, they knew classified information. Not to mention these attacks."

"Yes, and each of us was attacked," Espio pointed out.

"What about the decoys?" Sticks offered. "The mole could-!"

"Sticks… All the delegates were with us," Sonic pointed out. "Why hide out with the teams going back home just to come all the way out here again?"

"Not to mention that one of the delegate's Donars was attacked in the initial strike," Sally reminded her, "And by the Egg Boss himself."

"Well, I think that pretty much clears things up," Drago declared.

"Indeed," Lupe agreed. "There is no mole. There never was."

"Agreed. Now let's put that whole mess behind us and get some refreshments." He reached over for a cooler, pulling out a jug of what looked to be bright yellow juice. "After a long day, nothing beats a little fresh squeezed Voltfruit juice straight from the plains."

"Voltfruit?" Sally asked, watching as all of the Wolfpack representatives grabbed a jug and began pouring out glasses of the stuff.

"It's similar to a lemon," Lyco explained.

"Only a little more tart," Leeta concluded.

"Oooh, lightning lemonade! Suh-weet!" Sonic immediately snagged a cup and prepared to down some.

"Sonic, be careful!" Lupe quickly warned. "Voltfruit is extremely sour!"

"Relax, Lupe. They haven't invented a sour too sour for me." Sonic took a drink. Immediately, his eyes cracked open, he started twitching and spasming, then his lips puckered up so hard that they almost sank into his face. "Ah shtand corrected."

"Mix a little sugar in and it'll be perfect," Lupe told him.

"One sec." Drago reached into his pocket and pulled out a bag of sugar packets. "Greyplains Cane. Never go to the Rock without it."

He passed out packets to everyone, which were immediately mixed into their drinks.

-X-

Everyone gathered around a massive bonfire in the center of a circle of tall stones. Blankets were laid out as everyone sat and relaxed, enjoying the moment of tranquility. After a moment, Sally got to her feet, clearing her throat.

"May I have everyone's attention please?" She waited for everyone to settle, then began to speak. "Before we begin the meeting properly, I would like to say a few words. I know things got off to a rocky start, but we made it. Despite all of Robotnik's lies, subterfuge, and the newest additions to his army, we made it. Still alive, still intact, and still united as one. As such, I would like to propose a toast. To new friends and the beginning of what will hopefully be a long and fruitful alliance! For Freedom!"

"FOR FREEDOM!" Everyone shouted, raising their glasses high.

"Go team," Jet said with an unenthused attitude.

Glasses clinked as everyone took large sips of their Volt Juice. Almost all of them grimaced at the sour flavor, even with the sugar mixed into it.

"Whoo!" Chris let out. "Wow! Seriously, that stuff really is sour!"

"I feel like I just downed a bottle of acid!" Jet shouted.

Drago watched everyone drink, then got to his feet. "If I may, I also have something I'd like to say."

He stepped forward, glass in the air as he looked around the camp.

"These past few days have been incredibly eye-opening for me. They've shown me what the Freedom Fighters are truly capable of, and what the Empire truly has to face. And I am almost certain that today will go down as a day that the Empire will never forget. The day that the world's Freedom Fighters came together…" He grinned at all of them. "And the day they perished."

He threw his cup into the bonfire as everyone stared at him, frozen in place.

"What the-!?" Sonic let out.

"Drago?" Hershey whispered, eyes wide.

Tails let out a groan, falling to his knees.

"Tails!" Sonic rushed to his side, seeing his friend curling in on himself, tails drooping.

"Sonic… I don't feel so good."

"Ugh...I ain't feeling too well meself," Thorn groaned, falling backward.

One by one, everyone around the campfire began to collapse, groaning and moaning as they did. Some of the stronger members managed to keep some of their strength, but it was clear that none of them were doing great.

"That's what happens when you drink the Kool-aid, folks," Drago jeered.

"Drago…" Hershey grunted, "What are you...?"

"Ain't it obvious, ya godsdamned pussycat?" Drago smirked viciously. "You were right. I am the mole."

Hershey's eyes widened and she immediately drew her hand crossbow. "You bastard!"

She fired at Drago, but he just casually leaned out of the way, much to her surprise.

"Y'know, Voltfruit juice is extremely sour. Needs a little sugar or something, or you can't even drink it without feeling like your lips are gonna implode." He shrugged out of the jacket he had been wearing, acting like he was just talking about the weather. "Greyplains Cane, with a little extra kick. Paralytics, sedatives, vertigo inducers… and a pinch of arsenic, for class."

He set his jacket over the log he had been sitting on, looking over the fallen Freedom Fighters.

"Now. I know a good number of you will easily work through the poison, but it will grant me enough time to have me some fun, and make sure your deaths are... spectacular. Well, almost all of you." He gazed over at Sonic. "The doc wants to end you personally."

With that, he let out a short howl, which summoned numerous Stormrunners. They all surrounded the camp, all of them with rabid looks in their eyes as they licked their jowls and readied their claws.

"You were our friend!" Lupe shouted. "Our comrade! How could you betray us like this?!"

"Friends? Comrades?" Drago scoffed. "You were never either to me, Lupe. You were a means to an end. I was in it to reap the rewards. When it became clear that Robotnik was going to win after Sonic got creamed in Station Square, it wasn't a hard decision to make. Heroes become martyrs. Professionals stay alive." He rolled his eyes. "I mean, really. Being a hero is for losers! It's work, work, work, twenty-four/seven, and for what? Jack shit! There's nothing to be gained in fighting Robotnik, and it's better to be on the Devil's right hand than in his path."

"Nothing to be gained but saving innocent lives, Drago!" Lupe snapped.

Drago shrugged apathetically. "Well, it was either that or get killed."

Lupe let out a furious snarl. "THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED! DIED RATHER THAN BETRAY YOUR PACK, AS WE WOULD HAVE DONE FOR YOU!"

"Then you're damn fools who'll pay the price for your naiveté." Drago raised a hand, preparing to signal the Stormrummers to attack. "You wanna be heroes so bad, then DIE LIKE THEM!"

He brought his arm down and the Stormrunners ran in for the kill. However, just as they reached the outcropping of rocks, a massive wall of multicolored flames sprang up to surround the camp. All of the Stormrunners immediately came to a stop, digging their claws into the dirt to keep themselves from hitting the deadly wall. Those who didn't in time found themselves with burned fur and serious char marks.

"What the-?!" Sonic managed.

"There you guys have it!" Tangle exclaimed, gesturing as best she could. "The multicolored Phoenix, which, as you all can plainly see, is a very real creature and NOT AT ALL invented by me!"

"Phoenix, huh?" a voice called out from just beyond the flame wall. "That's a new one. Between you and me though, I like my old nicknames better."

A section of the flaming wall parted, allowing a lone, cloaked figure to step through, facing down Drago. They were clad in a red hanfu , and along with the cloak, were wearing a conical straw hat that hid their face. What grabbed the Knothole group's attention, however, was a very familiar-looking metal baseball bat strapped to their back.

"Who the hell are you?" Drago growled.

"No way…" Sonic managed, realizing who this was.

The figure chuckled before dramatically removing their hat, letting it hang around their neck by the string as long, red hair flowed free from a loose style. This in turn revealed the familiar brown eyes and tanned face of someone the Knothole Freedom Fighters had not seen in a very long time.

"Hey, guys," Kathryn Winters greeted her friends with a smile. "Miss me?"


Author's Note:

That's right! Kat Winters' big comeback. Also, if any of you came to believe Drago Wolf wasn't the traitor and we actually made him a good guy, then we did our job perfectly.

Please R&R. Until next time!