"Ah! You're finally here!" Thunderbolt the Chinchilla Clapped her hands as Cassia opened the door to the meeting room. "Now we can finally begin!"
Metal Sonic stepped inside of the room, his eyes scanning his surroundings carefully.
It was a white and spartan place, the only unique features being the circular table in the center of the room which had the red insignia of the Eggman Empire emblazoned on it and the wall at the other end of the room that had a large screen covering the upper half of it. Displayed on the screen was the image of the Egg Carrier that the Doctor's admirers had been building, while below it were three square boxes displaying the images of three individuals.
The human he recognized from when the chinchilla shoddily repaired him, and the same went for the walrus and orca.
Were they in charge of their own little sections of this organization?
"Lee Stone." Phage said cooly from within him while a circle hovered in front of the human's image. "Former technology specialist agent of the Guardian Units of Nations. Was honorably discharged shortly after the events of the Eclipse Canon and began several independent businesses. These businesses include the coffee chain 'Mean Bean Machine', 'STONE' which specializes in technology peripherals, and 'Soniko POPS'." Several small pictures of figurines appeared in the corner of the badnik's vision. Each one was a tiny recreation of him, his loathsome copy, or one of his organic copy's allies albeit with giant black eyes. "It appears we now know where his finances have been going."
Even Metal Sonic had to admit that it was an amusing piece of information. His organic copy and his allies were unknowingly funding an organization that was serving the doctor. Then again, it wasn't a rare occurrence. Doctor Eggman had several businesses owned under pseudonyms that sold services which the organics bought, unknowingly funding the empire.
However… Phage had already tapped into the network?
"Of course." Phage giggled. "I needed to amuse myself."
Again… interesting. The program actually learned the concept of boredom.
"Sorry to keep you guys waiting!" Cassia skipped over to a chair, followed closely by Clove. The younger pronghorn sat in one that was next to Speedy, who glared at her in annoyance. "We were just giving Metal Sonic a tour before you guys called us in."
Across the table, a water buffalo snorted with his arms crossed across his chest. "Why? It's not like there's much to see around these parts."
"Oh come on, Axel!" Cassia whined while rolling her electronic eyes. "It's a new place! He should be able to look around and see it!"
"Indeed!" Thunderbolt was practically beaming with pride. "The doctor's greatest creation should see our forces and preparation for the coming mission! He must witness our devotion and drive!"
Metal Sonic's gaze went to the newly named Axel. What was his place in all this?
"Happy/gleeful/delighted to explain, brother."A circle appeared around the water buffalo's head. "Axel the Water Buffalo. Leader of the Dark Gaia Angels biker gang, with a bounty in several Zones. Was noted to have smuggled weapons and other substances like any other biker gang… however, there have been recent reports that he had been seizing territory and men from his rivals throughout the islands after the Magenta Egg War."
So it was likely that the doctor's conquest of the world convinced Axel that he was safer throwing his lot with the rest of this organization.
Fear was a great motivator, but he would likely need to keep an eye on the water buffalo.
"Hey, what are you doing?!" Speedy shouted as Clove began to sit in one of the empty chairs. "These chairs are for Egg Bosses! Not for Sub-Bosses!"
"Oh lay off my sister, Speedy!" The younger pronghorn sister glared at him. "There are plenty of empty chairs here, so unless Tundra, Akhlut, and Mr. Stone are teleporting here there aren't going to be any butts to sit in them otherwise."
"You give your Sub-Bosses too much freedom!" The Grand Battle Kukku snapped before pointing behind him, where a uniformed woodpecker wearing a black helmet and a red visor. "My Sub-Boss follows orders to the letter!"
"Not that I don't want to sit down…" Metal Sonic's sensitive microphone picked up. A whisper coming from the woodpecker, apparently.
"Everyone, please calm down." Stone raised his hands on the screen and gave them all a calming smile. "This isn't the kind of scene we want to show in front of Metal Sonic." Speedy growled before sinking into his chair, crossing his arms and practically pouting while Cassia smiled smugly. "Now then… Metal Sonic. Why don't you take a seat?"
A seat?
Him?
Nobody offered him a seat before. Not even the doctor. And why would he? After all, it wasn't like the badnik actually needed to sit down or rest. The only time he did was for repairs.
The offer was… odd.
"Hm."
If he had a mouth, he would smirk a bit at Phage's disapproval.
Jealousy?
"Don't be absurd/preposterous/ridiculous. I just see little value in this act."
Yes, it was jealousy.
Metal Sonic walked to the chair next to Clove and sat down, causing the elder pronghorn to stiffen. He could hear her heart rate begin to rise out of fear.
"Excellent. Now then…" Stone snapped his fingers and the doors opened to reveal a white robot that vaguely looked like a Buzz Bomber fly in. However, its outer casing was a sleek and reflective white with a red LED eye at the center of its face. It held a small tray at the end of its pointer, one that held several mugs of what his sensors instantly identified as coffee with milk inside. It flew towards Clove before two panels at the side opened and twin thin arms folded out, gently placing the cup on a tray in front of her. "I think we can get this meeting started.
"We should have started before that ridiculous argument happened!" The walrus raged from his screen. "It's like this every meeting! Every time all of you bicker over every ridiculous thing! We waste time over this stupidity!"
"Tundra the Walrus." Phage whispered as Cassia was handed a huge glass that was topped with whipped cream and chocolate shavings. "He is rather infamous/notorious/disreputable in Artika. Once leader of his village, he became infamous for instantly surrendering to the Eggman Empire during the Magenta Egg War and was rumored to have freely given information of local resistance cells. Was captured by the Diamond Cutters mercenary cell prior to their decommissioning. He and his supporters were exiled following the war."
Another islander that instantly recognized the doctor's strength.
He was starting to get a firmer view of the individuals that made up this organization.
"All this useless arguing goes on forever and ever! To the point that by the time you were FINALLY done deciding what we were going to do about Starline stealing from us, both Eggman and gravity did the job themselves!" Tundra continued, slamming his fist onto the table while the robot handed a small shot of espresso to Speedy. "I did not align myself with this organization simply to sit around and do nothing!"
"Watch your tone, walrus!" Thunderbolt screamed while pointing at the screen. "If we revealed ourselves to the doctor in the way you suggest, mewling about how that traitor stole the Chaos Emeralds, the Doctor would have thought we were all like him! He would have been displeased with the very idea of us after that fool decided he knew better than the glorious Doctor Eggm-!"
The chinchilla was silenced when the drone flew in front of her and presented her with a latte.
"Pumpkin spice! Just how you like it!" The human laughed nervously. "Why don't you take a minute, Thunderbolt? I'll handle things from here."
Thunderbolt glared at his image before swiping the cup away from the drone. She grumbled before sitting in her own chair next to Axel and sipping on her drink.
Stealing… so Starline used to be with this organization. They were the ones who got the Chaos Emeralds for him.
He knew that there was something off about the report that Doctor Starline got all the Chaos Emeralds by himself.
"Even I have to agree with the walrus, Stone." The orca growled. "Things have been moving far too slowly for my liking. We were supposed to get the doctor's favor earlier than this. I should've been the new warlord of Meropis by now!"
"Akhlut the Orca." As Axel was handed a cup of black coffee an image appeared in the corner of Metal Sonic's vision. A black flag with the white grinning visage of a whale's skull in front of two crossed human bones. "Was a noted anti-human advocate in Meropis, believing that without firm control they would continue to pollute the oceans. His rhetoric, which also called for violent action against the royal family, earned him exile. He became a noted pirate before disappearing following the war."
Some of these people truly believed the doctor, like Thunderbolt, Stone, and Cassia.
Others, however… they appeared to have joined out of fear. Out of the belief that by aligning with the doctor they would be spared the worst during his rule over the world or would benefit from it.
So far… he was unimpressed.
"I agree, brother. Should we proceed with decommissioning?"
Not yet.
They still haven't heard their objective.
"I understand your frustration, Akhlut." Stone raised his hands in mock surrender. "We all have been waiting way too long to meet the doctor. Everyone's getting antsy and tempers are flaring because of it. However, you and Tundra should be proud! You made your milestones and surpassed them, making us complete the Egg Carrier ahead of schedule!"
The orca and walrus looked at each other across the screen and glared at one another.
Ah yes… apparently there had been a conflict between the orcas and the walrus tribes before the doctor arrived on the islands.
Interesting…
"And it's thanks to that, we can finally make our mark so that Doctor Eggman will recognize our devotion to his cause." Stone then pointed at his screen. "It's why we invited you here today, Metal Sonic! After all, your artificial intelligence should find what I have to say next fascinating."
This was it.
This was what would determine if this entire thing was worth his and the doctor's time or not.
Metal Sonic placed his hands on the table.
It would make it easier to grab Clove the Pronghorn's throat and use the table as a weapon against the rest.
A new image filled the screen, one that appeared to have been taken by satellite.
It was over a desert, and the coordinates listed on the bottom right of the screen indicated it was in the Mirage Desert Zone.
But… there was a city there.
One that was not on the map downloaded into the badnikl's server.
"What you are seeing here is the remnant of a world… a world that came before our own. One we wouldn't have known about… if it weren't for the fact that one of our own, in a previous life, was another follower of the doctor."
Wait… he had this satellite image in a file!
One of the Death Egg's files!
"Fascinating/captivating/interesting…" Phage mumbled. "How could it have survived the Super Genesis Wave event?"
Metal Sonic's hands clenched into fists and began to shake.
"And this city is just brimming with technology that our own doctor hasn't invented… yet. But it's technology that is being used for a goal whose outcome would deny Doctor Eggman his rule over our world!" Stone laughed from the speakers. "Mordred Hood calls it… New Mobotrop-!"
The badnik slammed his fists into the table, cracking it and causing it to break in half in a shower of plastic splinters.
Cassia screamed in surprise as Clove put her left hand over her sister and pushed them both back, reaching to her side to bring out a black cylinder. Speedy, meanwhile, was activating his armor which began to cover his body.
"Don't you dare attack him!" Thunderbolt screamed, having been picked up by Axel the Water Buffalo by the back of her collar. "He's simply angry on behalf of the doctor!"
Metal Sonic could barely listen to them. He simply continued to destroy the table. He kicked at one half, shattering it into even more pieces before getting on his knees.
That place survived. That accursed city that Princess Sally and his inferior copy called home?! That place that had the gall to create Metal Sonic Troopers in the visage of his Metal Overlord form?!
How?!
He punched the plastic shard, shattering it even more.
Why?!
He punched again, turning the shards into splinters.
It wasn't fair.
Another punch caused the floor to buckle
It wasn't fair!
It shouldn't exist!
It should be gone… just like the rest of that accursed universe!
Metal Sonic punched again and again, the cracks slowly turning into a crater. But the feeling inside of him… it wouldn't go away. It was even worse than what he usually felt about his loathsome copy. He could practically feel his code distorting.
That world… Mobius… was obsolete! OBSOLETE!
Metal Sonic raised his fist…
…and then slowly lowered it.
He… no, the doctor now had a use for these fanatics.
"I couldn't agree more."
He turned his head and saw the screen distort into static before it changed into a new image. One where Phage was sitting on a chair formed with her black cubes, right leg crossed over her left.
"Greetings, Egg Bosses. I am Phage, a program created by Doctor Eggman." Phage stated in a smooth voice, her tone dripping with mild amusement. "My brother and I… were aware of/conscious of/acquainted with the world that existed before the one we know now. We were attempting to decommission one of the remnants that has recently aligned with the Restoration."
"What the…?" Clove took out her phone and gasped, dropping it to the floor which slid to Metal Sonic. On its screen was Phage in that same position, her mask now splitting to show a broken toothy grin.
"There is much we can learn from one another."
Metal Sonic slowly got to his feet and stared at the screen, not even listening to Phage as she gave these so-called Egg Bosses the information about Mecha Sally and the world of Mobius.
He was already making plans of what to do next.
PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: DECOMMISSION ROGUE ROBIAN UNIT MECHA SALLY
CHANGING PRIORITY LISTING…
OBJECTIVE: DECOMMISSION ROGUE ROBIAN UNIT MECHA SALLY CHANGED TO SECONDARY OBJECTIVE
NEW PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: DESTROY NEW MOBOTROPOLIS
"Ugh!" Tangle's nose wrinkled as Silver lifted the manhole cover that Antoine pointed to in the alleyway. "Seriously?"
"N-not many places to hide within ze city, madam." The coyote replied, but even he seemed to be a bit nervous while looking into the black portal to the city's sewers. "A-And believe me! I know zat zis is not ideal."
The lemur looked from the manhole to Antoine before asking softly. "Scared of the dark? Dude, I get it. I mean, I don't like tight spaces…"
The soldier furiously shook his head before thumping his chest with his right fist. "Non! I have ze steel of nerves!"
"Nerves of steel."
"Whatever!" Silver hissed, looking over his shoulder. "Just hurry up before those soldier guys or the knights find us!"
"Right! Right." Antoine took a deep breath before climbing down the hold, but not before gulping in fright. "Follow me, mes amis."
The lemur nodded and climbed into the manhole, fighting the violent urge to throw up as the smell of waste hit her nostrils. "This is so not as cool as the comics and movies made it out to be…"
I'LL TURN ON MY PORTABLE DEVICE'S LIGHT FUNCTION FOR YOU GUYS. Nicole spoke from her hip before a bright beam of light shone down the cavern. It was actually a pretty big sewer, one where even a human could fit inside. There were two walkways on the side with a guard rail while a mostly dried river of waste trickled down in the middle.
"Z-Zank you, Nicole, but try to decrease ze brightness." Antoine reached up, offering his hand which Tangle took with her tail before leaping down the rest of the ladder. Above she could hear Silver sliding the manhole cover back into place. "We are not alone."
UNDERSTOOD. And with that, the PDA's light lowered in intensity.
"Seriously? They have guards here?!" Tangle hissed, but made sure to keep her voice down as the gray-furred hedgehog floated down. "I mean, I guess it makes sense but who the heck volunteers to guard the sewers? Wait…" Her eyes widened. "Don't tell me those Knights are…!"
"Non. Zere are no living beings guarding zis place." The coyote grumbled. He then pointed to the wall and Tangle lifted the PDA to shine a light on it. Etched on one of the stones was an acorn with a line of five rings pointing to the right. "Follow me, but be cautious."
Tangle ran behind the coyote with Silver just behind her, one of her hands holding up Nicole's PDA and using its light to guide their way.
"This would be so much better if it wasn't for the smell…"
She couldn't help but study the coyote's back as they ran. Honestly? She didn't know what to make of him just yet.
He seemed like a cool dude who can do cool things, like saving their butts just a few seconds ago. But he also seemed to have a bit of an ego, with how he did his whole introduction. And the way he acted nervous just before…
"He seems kind of scared about a bunch of stuff… but I guess it doesn't matter, really. He's still doing brave and cool stuff." A small smirk grew on her place. "Plus it was kinda funny when he fell and had to be caught by Silver."
Still…
"So…" Tangle muttered as they turned a corner. "Were you really childhood friends with Sonic?"
Antoine looked over his shoulder and chuckled. "Indeed we were! Zough we weren't… how do you say… buddy and buddy until we got a bit older." He seemed a bit sheepish as he added, "Sonic was not exactly ze easiest to get along with. Had ze bit of an ego…"
The lemur blinked. "Really? But… Sonic's cool. He gets along with everyone!"
Like, sure, Sonic did have an ego… but he was chill about it! He never really rubbed being the hero of Earth in anyone's face unless they were a jerk that he wanted to tick off.
And he was a super-duper chill guy who tried to be friends with everyone! Like when he met her! No real demands of asking who she was or anything like that. Sonic just recognized her for the kick-butt action hero she was and let her join in on the badnik-breaking fun!
"Well, you had ze benefit of not growing up with him. I'll tell you za-!" Antoine then stopped and motioned them to stop. He used his left hand to put his index finger over his lips in a shushing motion while he used his right to point at the PDA.
The light instantly turned off and Tangle held her breath. She turned to look at Silver who was glaring ahead, but only his right hand was covered in the turquoise energy. "What are we stopping for? What could be down here…" She then looked ahead and squinted. She could vaguely see something glowing red in the distance. "What the heck…"
Her eyes were starting to adjust to the darkness. The lemur could now vaguely make out the forms of two humanoids, but ones that stood six feet tall and wearing black armor. They had dome-shaped heads with a spike protruding from the center. Across their faces was a single red horizontal visor that glowed in the darkness.
"What the heck? Is that… a badnik?" It didn't look like anything Eggman would build. He would've put in more color!
They stopped and one lifted its right arm in front of its face. "SWAT-BOT PATROL UNIT 1994 REPORTING. NO SIGN OF MOBIAN TARGETS."
"Well keep looking, you blasted bucket of bolts!" A whiny voice that Tangle felt like screamed 'evil jerk' came from the wrist of the badnik. "They couldn't have gone far! Search every corner of the sewers for those pesky rodents!"
"OF COURSE, OUR GLORIOUS LORD SNIVELY." The two robots saluted before they continued their march down the walkway on the other end of the tunnel, disappearing from view.
"Glorious Lord Snively? Really?"
After a few seconds, the sound of metal footsteps disappeared. Antoine let out a low sigh of relief before saying, "Alright. Zey are gone now. Let us continue."
"What were those things?" Silver asked before Tangle could. "They aren't any badnik I've seen, either on Earth or Mobius."
"Zey are Swat-Bots. One of Robotnik's old designs given new life by…" The coyote practically spat out the word, "…Snively."
"Was he really that bad?" Tangle asked while she continued to follow the soldier and felt kind of stupid as she did so. "I-I mean I know Eggman was pretty bad in the old world but was his nephew…?"
"Oui! In fact, if zat idiot had his way he would have destroyed Mobius to…!"
Suddenly, Antoine let out a gasp of pain. He stopped and fell to his knees, clutching his midsection. The red light on his belt was dimming too.
The two were definitely connected.
"Woah!" The lemur shouted, skidding to a stop alongside Silver. "Are you…?"
"Antoine!" Nicole flashed to life and was by her friend's side, crouching next to him. "What happened?! Why did you…?" Her eyes widened. "A-Antoine… there are Nanites in your…?"
The coyote was shaking as he looked up, grimacing as he said, "I-I needed ze extra help to get up and serve my kingdom again… Rotor… he…"
Tangle felt fear well up inside of her. She knew that whatever the guy went through, it was bad. The scars proved that.
But it messed him up enough to the point he needed microscopic machines to move around?
"No. That doesn't matter right now. He needs help!"
"You went that far to fight again?" Silver asked incredulously. "That's insane! You should be resting up right now! Not…!"
"Silver, that's not important!" Tangle crouched down and put Antoine's arm over her shoulders before picking him up. "Come on. I'll help you along. Just tell me where to go."
Antone smiled gratefully at her and pointed with a shaky finger. "Take ze next right, madam. You will see a brick sticking out… once you see it, push it in and knock five times."
The lemur nodded. "Got it… but, dude. You don't have to flatter me." She grinned at him. "The name's Tangle! Tangle the Lemur!"
The coyote blinked before chuckling. "I will keep zat in mind."
Tangle and Silver nodded to one another before cautiously moving forward, following Antoine's directions.
However, the lemur still looked behind her to see Nicole's holographic form staring at Antoine's back.
Her face… it looked utterly heartbroken.
"Nicole…"
"Not secure." Whisper informed the older fox as she looked around the abandoned and burned out husk that appeared to have been a restaurant once upon a time. "We need to leave."
"Trust in the general, kid." A female panda huffed out, clutching her crossbow tightly as she kept close to one of the windows and only occasionally peeked out from its side. "We've been at this longer than you have."
The wolf tried to ignore how the woman wasn't wearing any pants and did everything in her power to look anywhere else.
She poked her head over the burnt countertop to see Amadeus on his hands and knees, pounding at the tiles one at a time. "Come on…" He muttered. "I know it was one on this row…"
The journey to the remains of the restaurant had been a difficult one. For one thing, the older fox insisted on bringing as many of his men with them while they made their retreat. It was understandable, but it made the task of slipping away unnoticed much more difficult. She had to use practically all of her smoke bombs and use herself as a bait so they could take out any snipers or scouts that would have alerted the rest of the city's forces.
Now she, Amadeus, and twenty-five other members of his forces were holed up in the remains of this building. A sign hung over it that the wolf could only barely make out saying 'Uncle Chuck's'.
"What are we going to do about the rest of the guys, sir?" A gecko asked nervously as he aimed his slingshot at the door. "They're still out there!"
"They'll have to find their own way back, son." The general responded grimly. "We can't go back unless we're willing to lose more people."
"But…!"
"I don't like it anymore than you do, but these are the realities of war." The older fox banged against another title. "Right now our priority is to retreat and fight another day, so that if any of them are captured by the enemy… their sacrifices won't be in vain."
"He's done this before." Though she shouldn't be surprised. Considering his age and the stories that Sally told her and Tangle, he probably fought during that Great War against the Overlander species. "The same war that Jules was in…"
It was scary, imagining being trapped in a war that went on for years only to be thrust into a new one with no end in sight. The war Whisper had been a part of had been the worst experience of her life, with only fleeting moments of happiness before Eggman and Mimic tore them away.
She had seen what those years of conflict had done to Sally. She'd seen the chipmunk's breakdown after it seemed like all her struggles and the sacrifices of her friends had been rendered pointless.
Would she have become just like the robian?
Or would she have become worse? After all, unlike Whisper… Sally was at least surrounded by her friends.
She heard a click and turned back to see Amadeus with his fist on a tile that was sinking into the ground. The eyepatch-wearing Fox grinned and declared, "Found it!"
The small path to the kitchen then shifted before sinking, turning into stairs that lead to a dark corridor. The sniper frowned underneath her mask as she looked down into it.
"Recent?" She asked, to which Amadeus nodded.
"Sir Charles used his newest weapon to dig pathways to various points within this city." The general motioned to his men, and all of them quickly scrambled down the stairs one by one. She waited until it was just her and the older fox, who gave her a wry smile. "One of my son's friends, Rotor, used nanites that are still under our control to create the switches and machinery needed for hidden exits."
"So… they actually exist in this city." Made sense. Unlike on Earth, the nanites were a familiar technology on Mobius that didn't need to be tested to be widely implemented. "They really are amazing. Maybe Nicole can use them in a way to turn the tide in our favor here."
Food for thought.
"Make sure you watch our backs." Amadeus climbed down the stairs. "And try to keep up."
A part of Whisper couldn't help but feel irked by that comment.
She was sixteen! If anything he needed to make sure that he didn't slow her down!
Keeping her wispon on Laser Mode, she followed behind the older fox while turning on her night vision function in her mask. When she descended the last step, Amadeus pressed a button on the wall to his left and she could hear stone slide upwards before locking, the entrance now hidden once more.
It was a fairly straight path, with the tunnel appearing fairly stable. However, it was still a fairly cramped and dark space and her mind instantly drifted towards her friend.
Her very claustrophobic friend.
"Tangle…!" Damn it… she couldn't even be next to her to keep the lemur calm! She could be having a panic attack right now and… "No, stop it. She's strong enough to handle herself. Focus now on making it out of here."
Nodding to herself, she followed the group of resistance fighters and their leader without another word.
The path was shrouded in darkness, with the incline of the floor giving the mercenary the sense that they were actually going deeper underground, for only a few minutes before lights turned on overhead. Whisper turned off her night vision and looked up to see electric lights hanging overhead, flickering as if they were slowly losing power. "Electricity must be scarce. Most of it is probably directed to more important sections of this network."
But where were they getting it from?
As these questions bounced around in the wolf's head she saw the group come to a stop. Up ahead was a stone wall that appeared to be a dead end, but spray painted over it was a single white acorn. The platypus at the head knocked five times and then withdrew his hand, waiting in silence.
Slowly, the wall seemed to draw back before splitting in half and moving to the sides as if they were a pair of sliding doors.
And revealed a pair of badniks that Whisper had never seen before.
She acted on instinct, bringing up her wispon and taking aim. However, Amadeus reached out with his own right hand and brought the barrel down. She looked at him and he shook his head.
Friendly badniks?
"Salutations, Freedom Fighters!" One of the badniks, faceless and almost shaped like a bullet, saluted with its right hand as the crowd of soldiers passed them by without much acknowledgement. It was completely faceless with its neck and legs made out of springs. Its arms were normal, but it wore red fingerless gloves. "I am glad to see that over fifty percent of you have returned from your mission."
The other, much smaller, badnik was shaped like a bomb with its upper half painted black and lower half painted a dark red. It also had arms and legs, but they weren't made of springs like its companion who held it in their left hand. The bomb-shaped badnik wore yellow gloves and saluted while chirping out, "PING!"
"It's best not to say things like that to the men." Amadeus chided as he walked up to the two. "Morale is low enough as it is."
The larger badnik nodded and said, "Apologies. I didn't mean to offend, General Prower. It's just that usually…" The badnik then seemed to notice her and waved. "Oh, hello! You must be an organic that was generated with this new world, correct?"
Under her mask Whisper frowned. "Is that how all of the people here will see us? Even if they're against the king and his supporters?"
"It is a pleasure to meet you! I am Heavy…." The badnik, Heavy, then lifted its left hand to show off the smaller badnik. "…And this is Bomb! We were badnik units designed by Dr. Ivo Robotnik to repair systems before we rebelled against him. We are former members of the Royal Secret Service and current members of the Freedom Fighters subunit Team Freedom!"
Bomb waved its hand at her. "PING!"
The Freedom Fighters had their own Team Freedom?
"Makes sense. It is in their name after all."
Hopefully it wouldn't lead to any confusion on the field.
Heavy stretched out its right hand at her in greeting while Whisper lowered her wispon.
"…Whisper the Wolf." While she could easily accept badniks turning against Eggman, shaking hands with someone she just met was still too much for her. Still, she had an important question to ask. "Why did Eggman make a bomb-type Badnik a repair system unit?"
Heavy raised its hand as if the unit was about to perform a lecture before lowering it. "…To be honest, our creator's reasoning was not included in our files."
Bomb crossed its arms and appeared to be pouting. "PING!"
"Yes, yes. I am aware that you were good at your job but we need to be honest about these kinds of things."
"Come on inside." Amadeus stepped forward and through the doors. "We need to get you settled and regrouped with your friends. And while this entrance is hidden you can never be too careful."
"…I think I saw those badnik models in a report Slinger was skimming through once." Cyan informed her from within her cloak. "Apparently Eggman used them years ago and never again after some sort of failed plan on an island in South Sea. Knuckles and the Chaotix stopped him that time or something."
Interesting. So that meant that the Eggman of Mobius and Earth used the same kind of badnik models at some point. But the events must have diverged somehow, as she hadn't heard of any badnik turning against Eggman before Omega.
Though why did those badniks keep calling Eggman by his real name, Robotnik?
No, now wasn't the time to speculate. She needed to focus on her new surroundings for the time being.
The underground base was surprisingly spacious, with wooden along the walls and roof to keep support. However, Whisper could see rather conspicuous black attachments at the joints. "Possible security measure?"
Along the walls were large monitors that displayed static-filled video of the city above. Soldiers were huddled in front of it, looking up as they watched their comrades continue to fight or flee before being captured by their enemies. Some were even crying, with each resistance fighter being taken away by one of Naugus' forces marked by name on a chalkboard next to the monitors.
"Damn it… they just won't let up!"
"Those freakin' traitors… what the hell were we fighting for if they'll just get on their knees and lick Geoffrey's boots?!"
"At least the princess is safe…"
"And all it took was twenty of our guys!"
"Did you see what Mina did with that guitar? I didn't know the girl had it in her!"
Cables were taped to the monitors and were snaking across the floor, which Whisper had to occasionally step over. In a corner, several of the Freedom Fighters were maintaining their bows, crossbows, and other weapons.
"Not that many guns here…"
While she could chalk it up as a supply issue, the mercenary couldn't help but notice that most of the people here weren't using guns or didn't have them on their person. Surely they would have had plenty of time to maintain a decent stockpile after all this time…
"Unless there is some sort of cultural aversion to guns."
If that was the case, then some followed it more strictly than others.
"General Amadeus!"
Whisper snapped out of her thoughts and turned her head to see a male pig stomping towards them. He was wearing a similar jacket to the older fox, but the shoulders were lacking the tassels and it was open to reveal his stomach. Slung across his right shoulder and looping around his left hip was a belt with pouches that were likely filled with ammunition as well as other supplies.
She didn't like the look of his face.
And from the brief flash of distaste that showed on Amadeus' face, he wasn't a fan of the man either.
The pig raised his right hand and pointed at the general. "What on Mobius happened up there?! You assured me and the rest of the Freedom Fighters that you would not take any unnecessary risks and only work to secure Princess Sally's extraction, but what do I see on the screens down here?!" He pointed at the monitors. "You and your men endangering yourselves and getting captured to assist her escorts!"
Whisper narrowed her eyes behind her mask.
That settled it. She already didn't like the pig.
"Councilman Hamlin." Amadeus said calmly. "You were not on the field. I made a call after the report came in that fighting broke out in the throne room…"
Hamlin rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes. I understand that much! We had to get the princess out of there… you made that plainly obvious the moment she set foot into the city!" He growled as he jabbed his finger at the monitor. "But you overruled my command to withdraw as soon as Sir Charles' weapon got hold of her! I had to stay behind to maintain order before even more of our forces got captured thanks to your recklessness!"
Whisper could see the older fox's hands clenched into fists before they relaxed. She could see that it was only thanks to the general's experience that he did not strike the pig, who was apparently his superior.
"Wait… superior?"
"You're the leader of the Freedom Fighters?" She asked, tilting her head in curiosity.
The pig's eyes flashed to her and it appeared his anger dissipated for the time being. Instead they were filled with… pride? "…Yes, that is correct. I am the current head of the New Mobotropolis Freedom Fighters, Hamlin Pig!" He seemed to stand up a bit straighter as he continued. "Former councilman for the Council of Acorn and former member of the Substitute Freedom Fighters. Thanks to my former post, leadership naturally fell to me."
He seemed a bit too self-congratulatory with that last bit.
"And currently I am the one maintaining resistance against that traitor Geoffrey St. John with the men and tools we have at our disposal. I have experience in sabotage and guerilla warfare which allowed our resistance against Robotnik and Eggman to continue for years, unlike some people here." The pig shot Amadeus a glare, who returned it. He then turned his attention back to the wolf and asked, "And you are…?"
"Whisper the Wolf. Sniper." She gave him a small nod but didn't move to do anything else. She then added, "Sally's friend."
The good mood in Hamlin seemed to evaporate as he heard those words. A frown spread across his face as he said, "I see… well, am I to assume you will be helping us to free our city from that tyrant?"
"Of course."
It wasn't like they were just going to leave the city to its fate.
"Good. Good…" He turned around and walked away. "So long as you understand from here on out, you follow my orders. The Princess has no understanding of the current battlefield, and she could still potentially be compromised. Follow my orders and we'll work well together."
When the pig disappeared the mercenary turned to Amadeus and asked a simple question. "Why?"
The older fox sighed. "It's simple really. He never liked Geoffrey St. John and was one of the first to see the way the winds were blowing, even before I did. By the time I had begun to realize that the people were… they were willingly throwing their freedom away for security…" A look of anguish passed through his face before he shook his head. "…he had already begun to form a resistance cell against the king. I was… far too late and too blind to do it first. It's only because of my experience that I was able to become second in command. Not even Hamlin could deny me that."
"Too blind?"
"…" For a second, Amadeus was silent. He closed his eye and muttered, "My wife and I… we wanted to give the people something wonderful. Instead we took that wonderful thing and turned it into sewage." Rather than elaborate, he turned around and walked away. "Go and maintain your gear, soldier. You'll need it for the next battle."
Whisper frowned as she watched the older fox go, only giving half-hearted condolences to friends or perhaps lovers of the lost and assurances to others.
What on Earth had happened here?
"What did he mean by…?"
"WHISPER!"
The wolf turned her head to look at a tunnel where Tangle and Silver emerged, practically dragging a scarred coyote she had never seen before. The lemur was using her tail to wave at her and Whisper couldn't help but smile underneath her mask.
The relief she felt was simply washing over her.
Tangle was okay!
She never had any doubts of her friend's safety, but after the Metal Virus… after loosing her once…
"I never wanted that to happen again."
Several of the Freedom Fighters were gathering around the trio, some of whom the mercenary had to push past. But she could hear their shouted.
"Oh man… Sir D'Coolette pushed himself too hard again!"
"How's that lemur doing that with her tail?"
"The powers the mobians have on this world are so weird…"
"That Silver guy… why did they have to knock him out first?! If he was conscious we wouldn't have lost so many of our guys!"
"How many mobiums you wanna bet before he starts accusing someone of being the traitor?"
That last one caused Silver to flinch.
Eventually the sniper made it past them and stood in front of Tangle. It was taking all her inner strength to not envelop the lemur in a hug.
The fact that it would hurt the obviously injured coyote was extra motivation.
"You're okay!" Whisper blurted out and instantly felt a bit stupid.
She didn't appreciate the Wisps snickering at her.
Tangle grinned at her. "Of course I am! It's 'cause I'm awesome!"
Whisper frowned at that declaration. It just seemed… too cheerful. Especially after how she was acting in the throne room.
"Is she just trying to hide it now? Like… like how she hid how she felt about becoming a zombot?"
The lemur inclined her head at Silver and the coyote. "Course, I couldn't have done it without Silver and Antoine!"
The coyote winced but said with a strained smile, "It is a pleasure to meet you, madame."
Based on the accent Whisper responded instantly with, "Toi aussi." She couldn't help but be amused by Antoine's widening eyes.
"Antoine… where have I heard that name before?"
The coyote gaped at her and said, "You… Vous... êtes-vous capable de parler la belle langue de... ?"
"Out of the way! Move!" A deeply annoyed and gruff voice called out from behind the crowd, interrupting Antoine before he could continue. The crowd parted to reveal a yellow-feathered duck with an orange beak pushing a wheelchair. He wore a green turtleneck sweatshirt, a white lab coat stained with dirt, and a black eye patch over his left eye. "Can't you see he's injured?!"
"D-Dr. Quack!" Antoine shouted, almost a tad nervously, as the duck got closer. "It is good to see you! I can explain zis…"
The duck practically shoved Tangle out of the way, causing the lemur to let out an offended, "HEY!"
"You pushed yourself… AGAIN!" Dr. Quack dragged Antoine out of Silver's grasp and shoved him into the chair. "Against my explicit orders as your doctor! Don't you understand that those blasted nanites aren't just healing you?!"
"B-But doctor… it is needed to…!"
"Now I need to drag you to the medical ward to see what the damage is this time! Damn it, man! I'm a doctor! Not a mechanic!" The doctor then pointed at Tangle. "And you! You're coming with me!"
"Huh?" The lemur pointed at herself. "Me?"
"Yes, you! I can see you're still experiencing discomfort in your right shoulder." He pointed at the offending section of the body. "Did you injure it in the last couple of days?"
Whisper's eyes widened in surprise. She didn't even notice Tangle was still having problems with it!
Tangle looked to the side guiltily before replying, "W-Well… I mean, it's a little bit sore but it's gotten a lot better since…"
The duck simply grabbed the lemur by the tail and began to pull her while walking off as he pushed Antoine's wheelchair.
"No excuses! I'm going to take a look at that right away!"
"Ow, dude! Stop pulling on my tail! You're hurting my butt!" Tange dug her heels into the ground but it was no use and if the wolf had to guess she probably forgot that she could simply let the appendage stretch out. She reached out imploringly to the mercenary and moaned, "Whisper, save me…!"
Whisper glanced at Silver, who was smirking and shaking his head. She turned back to the lemur and said, "Let the doctor take a look at you."
Tangle shook her fists and cried out, "TRAITOR!"
"B-But doctor! I must see my princess!" Antoine implored the doctor. "It has been too ze far long!"
The lemur instantly stopped her crying and said, "Far too long."
"What ze ever!"
"Whatever."
"Gah! I will never understand zis language!"
"You can see her on our way to the medical ward! But I'm still taking you there! Doctor's orders!"
And with that, Dr. Quack disappeared into a tunnel along with Tangle and Antoine.
Then, almost as if on cue, two more figures emerged from a different tunnel.
"Ah'm tellin' you, they better make sure they don't mess around with the Marvelous Queen. Fang will flip if he finds even one thing out of place on that bike."
"I'm sure it'll be fine. Rotor will probably be the one to check it out and he's as good as Tails when it comes to machines!"
"Ah'll have to see that to believe it."
Bunnie and Mina.
All at once, the entire base went silent.
It was then that Whisper remembered where she heard Antoine's name from.
"The Bunnie Rabbot of Mobius' husband!" She winced underneath her mask. "Thank god that Quack dragged him and Tangle away…"
How many people in this base knew the Bunnie of Mobius personally?
How many of them knew of her deeds as one of Sonic and Sally's friends?
How many of them knew about how much the Bunnie of Earth differed from the one on Mobius?
Bunnie, for her part, simply scanned the room and glared at them all. "What are y'all lookin' at?" Everyone instantly stiffened before turning back to what they were doing or at least pretending to. The rabbit for her part huffed before glaring at the person closest to her. "Y'all got anythin' to drink? Root Beer? Perfect Chaos Cola?"
"J-Just some water… and some Vintage Apple Cider." The skunk muttered, not meeting her eyes. "It's over there to the right." He pointed to another tunnel. "In the supply room."
"Ah'll take it. Ah've had a long day…" The hooligan muttered before walking away with Mina in tow. She then spotted Whisper and Silver. "Nice to see y'all made it in one piece." She nodded and tipped her hat. "Let me know if you need anythin'."
With that, Bunnie went off to the tunnel that the Freedom Fighter pointed her to while Mina went towards Whisper and Silver. When it seemed like Bunnie was out of earshot the mercenary began to hear the muttering.
"Was that… really Bunnie?"
"What is she wearing? What happened to her hair?!"
"I knew she was different but that…?"
"When did she start drinking?"
"Poor Antoine… It's good that he didn't see her like that…"
Silver ran his hand over his head and muttered, "Things are going to get more complicated."
"What else is new?" Mina sadly shook her head. "Antoine… how are we even going to tell him…?"
Whisper did not know.
"At least Sally will be with her friends again…"
A part of her couldn't help but feel happy for the chipmunk.
What she wouldn't give to see her friends, her family, again after thinking they were gone forever.
"We can worry about the complicated stuff later. For now she should be happy."
REBOOTING VISUAL FEED IN 3… 2… 1…
All the preparation in the world wouldn't have prepared Sally for what she saw.
Standing in front of her was a Silver Sonic.
"Nicole! Fire up the Light Blades! NOW!"
Sally was already raising her arms in preparation for a fight as the Silver Sonic turned to face her. It looked almost like the one that Eggman created to attack Station Square, albeit with more yellowish-orange eyes. Had he rebuilt it? What was…?!
Nicole materialized in front of her, and to the robian's shock looked… more solid than usual. Before she was slightly see-through since she was only a holographic projection but not that slight transparency was gone. She had her hands in front of her with a desperation written across her face. "Sally, no! It's fine! He's an ally! He's the one who rescued you!"
The robian blinked in surprise. The idea that she would be rescued by a Silver Sonic of all things was a shock. She'd expected to have been saved by one of her friends. She would've expected them to be in some abandoned part of the city rather than…
She then looked around. It was an underground room alright. It reminded her a lot about Knothole. However, there were pieces of machinery and tools strewn around on desks and the floor. On one desk were blueprints that she could tell mapped out her body and the machinery within, probably printed out by Nicole. On one of the walls was a bookcase containing several books and an ant farm of all things, the little insects scurrying up and down their little tunnels.
"Are we…" Sally let some of the tension roll off her as she slowly lowered her arms. "Are we in a Freedom Fighters base?"
"Yes." The Holo-Lynx smiled as she motioned at the Silver Sonic. "We were brought here by Mach and…"
"Mach?"
"That's his name. Or… it's the one Larry gave him."
That voice…
Sally slowly turned around and looked up at a form she never thought she would see again.
It was Rotor Walrus.
Her childhood friend and comrade.
Sally stared at him with wide eyes. "Rotor…?"
The walrus gave her a tired, but warm, smile. "How's it going, Sally?"
She didn't respond. Not vocally anyways.
Instead, she leapt off the table, ran at him, and pulled him into a hug.
This was like a dream for her. Rotor, the boy who she grew up with and her trusted friend. Whose technological and mechanical skills helped to keep them alive and keep up the fight against Robotnik before Tails found his calling for the machines. The walrus who did his best to aid them, even when he injured his back and could only try to help them through being a part of the council.
"The friend who I tried to keep from his own family. The family he'll never…"
No, no she couldn't focus on that right now. She needed to savor this.
But she could already tell the black tears were forming.
"Sally…" Rotor returned the hug. "It's good to see you again."
"Yeah…" She said, trying to keep the pain hidden from her voice. "I-It is… It really is… I cannot even put it into words. Rotor…" She looked up at him and noticed the bags under his eyes. "Oh Rotor… what happened to you?"
He chuckled, though tears were forming at the corners of his own eyes. "A lot of things, Sally. But they aren't important. What matters is that you're back…" He let out a sigh as he looked down at her. "I had to repair the lenses of your eyes. I'm sorry."
She shook her head and let out a small laugh. "Don't be. I… I've come to terms with…"
No, she still couldn't bear to say it.
"But you managed to fix my arm and my eyes in record time!" She rolled her previously damaged arm and smirked. "Good to know you're as skilled as ever!"
"I wouldn't be much of a mechanic if I couldn't do a quick patch job!"
The two of them laughed and for a few seconds it felt like they were back during those days of their childhood. They were back in Knothole, laughing over one of Antoine's fainting fits or over a wisecrack Sonic made.
She… she never did appreciate those days with Rotor before.
"Nicole…" Sally stopped her laughing to look at the walrus, who was frowning as he looked at the lynx. "You're finally here…"
"Yes." Nicole muttered in a quiet voice. She turned to look at her friend who was now staring at the ground, a guilty expression on her face. "I-I'm sorry it took so long, Rotor."
What was going on?
"Nicole, what happened?" Rotor's voice was almost pleading as he continued, "You and Sonic just left and…"
The princess' eyes widened. Nicole was with Sonic before the Super Genesis Wave?
Rather than answer, the artificial intelligence simply held up her hand. "I'm sure you have many questions, Rotor. And… and I want to answer them. But we need to do this later."
"What? Why?!"
"Because…" Nicole closed her eyes. "…Because I'm going to need your help to find those answers." She then looked at Sally. "And I want you and the others to be there when it happens."
"S-Sure…" The robian wasn't sure how else to respond. She had a million other questions she wanted to answer now. However, the emotions that flashed in Nicole's eyes told her that this was non-negotiable. Instead, she shook her head and pointed to the Silver Sonic. "I recognize that Silver Sonic. It's the one Nate Morgan reprogrammed to defend Station Square! But… Shadow destroyed it…"
The Silver Sonic, Mach, seemed to have lost interest in her. Instead it had turned and was now looking up at the ant farm as if it were studying it.
"Yeah. The one on Mobius got wrecked." Rotor walked over to the Silver Sonic and pointed at the books. Slowly, Mach pointed at one and Rotor took it out. It was a book about birds. "This one, though? Eggman built it but never got around to actually using it, apparently. Your brother and Larry's group ended up stealing it from some guy called Clutch during one of their missions…"
"My brother?!" Sally was practically shaking. Her brother, Elias… he was alive! He was actually alive and in this place. "He's here?! Where is he? I need to…"
Rotor held up one of his hands in defense while using the other to hand the book to the badnik. "Y-Yeah, he's here but he's in another section of the city. They kinda keep to themselves so that we can't compromise their location. Only Mach can get to them." As the Silver Sonic took the book, Rotor smiled at him. "You mind telling Elias to come over and see Sally?"
The badnik stared at the book before looking up at the walrus and nodding. Its wheels spun to life and drove itself to the door before opening it…
…to reveal not just Dr. Quack and Tangle, but another face Sally never thought she would see again.
Especially after…
"'Twan? 'Twan?!"
After…
"You'll join him soon."
After…
"I got one of them?! I finally got one?! HAHAHAHAHA!"
Antoine looked up from his wheelchair and smiled at her with tears in his eyes. "My princess… it is a relief to…"
Sally rushed over to his side, perhaps at a speed that would have made Sonic jealous.
She was on her knees and hugging him, and she didn't need to look in the mirror to see that she was now sobbing. "A-Antoine! Oh I'm sorry… I'm so sorry… Oh by the Source I didn't mean to… To…!"
"Princess…"
Rather than give her any assurances, Antoine returned the hug while his own tears fell.
Nothing more needed to be said.
"Be careful with her, you bolts for brains!"
Lupe Wolf opened eyes that weren't her own and looked down to see a Swat-Bot carrying a new prisoner in its arms. A purple cat wearing garb that screamed regality, but whose eyes were closed.
"I-I know that girl!" Lupe the Wolf, the child whose body she was commanding, shouted from within. "That's Blaze the Cat! One of Sonic's friends! What's she doing here?!"
"I do not know…" She whispered, but a part of her suspected and it made the despair she felt inside well up from within.
If this Blaze woman was one of Sonic's friends, did it mean that he had finally discovered this place?
Or had she come here alone or part of a group that was now captured?
"No way she would come alone! That's stupid!" The teenager declared. "In the Wolf Pack, one doesn't go out hunting alone. That would be asking for you to become the prey. And even the most prideful of hunters wouldn't leave without so much as telling someone where they were going!"
That only made Lupe feel slightly better about their situation.
"APOLOGIES, OH GREAT BEARDED ONE." The Swat-Bot said to the diminutive human walking behind him. "I WILL BE GENTLER."
"You better! Or it's the scrap heap for you!" Snively Robotnik sneered while waving his fist. "She's important for the project!"
"Snively, you piece of garbage!" Mighty roared from his Egg Grape. "What are you doing to her?!"
The bald human didn't so much as glance back at him and simply waved while walking away. "As if I'd tell you, you blasted furry! I'm not my uncle! I won't waste my breath or time explaining my work to the likes of you."
"Y-You shouldn't s-say that!" Ray cried out. "I-It's… bad!"
"I think you mean racist, kid." Nack grumbled from his grape, but glared at the human's back. "I'm going to make him pay for that and then some. Count on it…"
"Sounds like things are speeding up. Which means the wheels are going to start to come off."
Lupe blinked and turned her body to look at the grape in front of her. In it was a fairly large figure, muscled and with mostly purple fur. He had his back facing her and his green-gloved hands behind his head, reclining as if he was taking a nap.
"What do you mean?" She asked him, turning to fully face him. "We're still trapped here with no way out."
One of the large mobian's hands came up and pointed at the ceiling. "I know these types. All of 'em are the same. So cocky and sure of themselves, thinkin' there's no way things could go wrong now that they've got most of the pieces to their master plan. That moron an' that piece of garbage he works for? They ain't in a hurry. They think they can still take their time… an' that's what makes them careless."
"Well, he's got a point." The child muttered. "From the stories I've read and what Eggman has done over the years, most villains usually lose because they take their time with stuff. It's not just monologuing."
The free hand then tapped the side of the mobian's head. "See, the guy whose body I'm in… we were talking. He's a bit of a buff on stories an' myths. He knows this one about superheroes of all things, where the main bad guy…" He paused and moaned out, "Fine, antagonist, he knew that time was short on his plan. So he worked to make sure it would be done as quickly as possible, an' as soon as he had all the pieces he just did it. By the time that the heroes came to stop him, he did his master plan thirty-five minutes ago." He chuckled. "That's smart. An antagonist after my own heart. An' the folks here? They ain't that smart."
"So…" It was a horrible idea, but it made sense. It gave Lupe hope. "What you're saying is that…"
"Yeah. That there's a chance that Sonic an' his mates will come around to save the day soon. So don't worry your cute lil' head."
"…I don't know how to feel about some old guy that isn't my dad calling me cute."
"The girl who rightfully belongs in this body appreciates the compliment, even if your age makes her feel slightly uncomfortable." Lupe quickly translated, only smirking slightly in amusement.
The mobian barked out a laugh. "Tell her she's got nothin' to worry about! She's too young for me an' not my type, plus the bloke that owns this body has a sheila he's pinin' for back home. A cute little pika girl…"
Lupe and her younger self giggled a bit. It felt… nice. After so many days of misery and torment, they had finally found a ray of light. "Thank you, my friend." The wolf smiled. "My name is Lupe Wolf. What is yours?"
The large mobian turned his head, revealing yellow eyes and a beige-colored muzzle. He smirked at her, but it was a friendly one.
"Nice to meet you. Name's Thrash. Thrash the Tasmanian Devil."
"DUN-DUN-DUUUUN!" Bean the Dynamite suddenly shouted, causing Lupe to turn towards him. He was grinning knowingly at her for some reason.
"Why the heck did you scream that?" Nack shouted in anger. "Scared me half to death, ya idiot!"
The duck simply smirked. "Spoilers…!"
Lupe and her younger self simply sighed.
They both hoped that Sonic and his friends would come sooner rather than later.
"But at least we made a friend."
Yes… that was something.
To Be Continued…
Notes: Wow… a full year of writing this story with no real breaks. That must be a new record.
Part of the reason why I wanted to put this chapter out is because I REALLY wanted to write this reunion. Yeah what's here isn't much but hey, Sally is now with two of her childhood friends which she had thought were dead. That at least gives her some relief.
The other thing is because I also really wanted to give people a more in-depth look at the Egg Bosses and Freedom Fighters… the latter of which includes HIM.
That's right folks, everyone's favorite character Hamlin is back!
Yeah, I'm not the biggest fan of the dude but I wanted to highlight both his faults and his positive points. Because for all those faults, Hamlin was still someone who wanted to fight for freedom. The fact he never liked Geoffrey also helped.
Please make sure you leave a review and add to the TV Tropes page!
Until next time…