-Chapter 252-
Secrets of the Sands
Sand Blast City
"Hang on, Mighty," Sonic held up a hand. "What do you mean Jack and his gang are what's wrong with this city?"
"I suppose I should start from the beginning." Mighty handed Sonic a photograph. "Here."
Sonic and Sally looked the photo over, seeing a younger Mighty with two older armadillos and a familiar little girl. The father was red like Mighty, while the mother was green.
"Is that your family?" Sally asked.
"Yeah," Mighty nodded. "My mom, my dad, and my little sister, Matilda."
"Awww, she's adorable!" Nicole squeed.
Sonic looked over at the little girl, perking in recognition. "Hold up a sec! That's the girl Kid was with last night!"
"Yeah…" Mighty sighed. "I know."
"Mighty, what's going on?" Sally questioned.
"Things work differently in Mercia than they do in the rest of Mobius. People say that we're stuck in the past; not just technologically, but socially. A lot of places there still practice feudalism, especially before Rob took the throne. The king and the nobles have absolute power, and the common folk are forced to work on their land and are basically their property. As you can expect, a lot of people hated it, causing some to become outlaws to escape or fight against it. People like Rob and his friends…or my parents."
Sally perked. "Your parents were criminals."
"Thieves," Mighty clarified. "Good ones too. Not just in ability, but in heart. They robbed from the rich and corrupt and gave to the poor and needy." He closed his eyes in sorrow. "They were…executed. One day, the royal knights found our safe house and had them both arrested. Matti and I were only able to escape because they kept us hidden; otherwise, we would've shared their fate."
Sonic gaped. "Wait, they were going to execute you…for what your parents did?!"
"King Mal (1) had a strict zero-tolerance policy on crime. He was determined to stamp it out and instill discipline and obedience to law and authority in the citizenry, and the best he knew how was to make the consequences for breaking it severe."
"By Aurora…" Sally gasped.
"Anyway, things get a little blurry after that. All I really remember is fleeing through the forest with Matti. After that, the two of us lived together in the wilderness, struggling to survive and trying not to get caught. Then one day, Eggman and his goons came and captured me."
"That's how you ended up in the Egg Dungeon," Sonic realized. "I remember you saying that you had your sister hiding."
"Yeah. After we escaped, I went back home to Mercia. But when I got back to our hideout, the place had been ransacked and Matti was nowhere to be found." Mighty clenched his fists. "I searched the whole forest for days. Calling out her name, stopping by every town and asking if they'd seen her. The whole reason I joined the Chaotix was so I could find her, but even they couldn't find anything!" He sagged. "Then, about a week or two ago, Espio finally found something. Somebody spotted a little armadillo girl with a green shell at a prison camp somewhere in the desert. Ray and I went to check it out, but the camp had already been destroyed when we got there. We asked around and apparently, Jack and his crew shut the place down a while back. So, we headed out here to ask if they'd seen her or if she was staying somewhere here."
"But everyone we spoke to either refused to tell us or chased us away!" Ray chimed in. "So, we went undercover and joined Jack's gang, and we learned why."
"Matti…" Mighty closed his eyes in sorrow. "She'd joined the Dust Riders."
"Oh, no…" Sally gasped.
"She got drafted and Cyberized," Sonic was already beginning to spark, teeth grinding in anger. "Eggman conscripted a little girl?!"
Mighty nodded. "She's part of a group called the Hellrazers. A death squad that specializes in brutally taking down enemies of the Empire. They call her… Iron Matti."
"The group we encountered last night at Tranquil Gulch."
Nicole's eyes unfocused as she scanned for information. "Death Squad is right. Matti and her teammates have...quite the history."
"Yeah," Ray nodded in confirmation. "Jose 'Cuervo Loco' the Crow, 'Big Guns' Bill Bison, and their leader…the Diablo Kid. From what we've managed to learn, when the Kid was Egg Boss, the Dust Riders were less an Egg Army chapter and more your generic bomb-throwing anarchist squad. They'd wander the desert burning towns to the ground, stealing everything that wasn't nailed down, and butchering everyone in sight. It got so bad that Eggman demoted him in favor of this Dust Baron guy."
"The real question is, why would Eggman make a trigger-happy whackbag like the Kid an Egg Boss in the first place?" Sonic asked.
Mighty shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. But as murderously crazy as Kid is, somehow Jack is even worse."
"Jack?" Sonic raised an eyebrow. "Worse than a guy who tortures people for fun and kills them at the drop of a hat? How exactly is that possible?"
Mighty's expression turned deadly serious.
-X-
Meanwhile, at the foot of the Radio Tower, Sam sat around, utterly bored. He started entertaining himself by making all manner of funny noises with his mouth, which spiraled into him hosting an imaginary tea party with some rocks.
"More tea, Mrs. Rockbottom?" he asked in a faux-Southern accent before responding in a faux-British accent, "Don't mind if I do, Mr. Boulderdash!"
He heard the sound of a throat clearing and turned to see Hope and Rotor looking over him, arms crossed.
"Busy day?" Hope deadpanned.
"Oh!" Sam stood up. "Uhhh… yeah. Everything's great! It's all good. So…" He kicked back, trying to play it cool. "What have you been up to?"
"We just finished helping Avery fix the Anti-Badnik Field Generator on the tower," Rotor replied. "Gotta say, it's impressive tech."
"It adjusts the frequency of the waves to sync up and interfere with the electric signals in Eggtech processors," Hope explained, "And get this, he made it entirely out of scrap from around the desert!" Hope chimed in.
"Considering what Thunderbolt's Desperadoes were made of, I'm inclined to believe it," Sam mused.
"We should consider getting one for Knothole," Rotor remarked. "Once we iron out the electrical interference bug, of course."
"Seriously, it would make fighting the Empire so much easier!" Hope gushed.
"Glad you kids like it," Avery hopped down. "This beauty's saved our city and our lives more times than I can count." He turned to the tower, beaming with pride. "She's pretty much my baby. Aren't you, precious?"
He kissed the tower at that, burning his lips. "Ow! Hot!" He took a moment to cool down his lips, then, remembering Hope and her friends were present, cleared his throat and pulled himself together.
"Right…" Sam rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "So... do you and this tower need some time alone?"
Avery laughed sarcastically. "Real cute, pipsqueak. I'll have you know, I got a boyfriend."
"Oh really?" Hope remarked. "Good for you."
"Eh?" Avery blinked. "That's it?"
"Yeah, why?" Hope questioned.
"I… just wasn't expecting…" Avery said.
"Hey, James and Mary Baker didn't raise a bigot," Sam told him. "Love who you wanna love, y'know?"
"Rotor's gay, and I'm pretty sure Kat is ace," Hope added.
Avery nodded slowly. "Sorry, it's just...I'm a hefty, gay computer geek. Not exactly what you'd call Mr. Popular material."
"So what?" Rotor questioned.
"Yeah," Hope said. "Johnny's bi, and he's popular."
Sam blinked. "Wait, Johnny's bi?"
Hope snorted. "C'mon, him and Porker? It's so obvious."
Sam crossed his arms in thought. "I just thought they were best pals. But yeah, now that you mention it…"
"Yeah…" Avery let out. "Guess I'm so used to it, that…" He shook his head and chuckled. "Y'know what, forget about it. You kids ain't here to listen to me gripe." He grabbed his tools. "Thanks for all your help, Hope, Rotor. Hate to up and ditch you, but I got somewhere to be."
"Well, don't let us keep you," Rotor said.
Avery gave a two-fingered salute before walking off.
"Well, he seems alright," Sam mused.
"A bit rough around the edges, but yeah," Rotor agreed.
"That whole bit with the 6-S still bothers me, though," Hope said. "Avery is the most technically minded of the Blasters. If anyone could remove their cores, it's him."
"All the more reason to get them turned back on," Sam remarked.
"The real question is where he could be keeping them," Hope told him. "They weren't anywhere in the base that I checked, and they weren't on his person either. Nicole didn't even sense them."
As they were trying to think, they heard what sounded like a really poor imitation of a bird call.
"Caw caw! Caw caw!"
"Oink, oink!" another voice, this one a familiar dopey one, cut in.
"Pigeons don't go oink, you boob!" the first voice snapped back.
"I'm a gazelle! Oink!"
Hope sighed. "There's no way…"
"Who else could it be?" Sam deadpanned.
"Psst!"
They perked, looking to see a figure leaning out of an alleyway motioning them over. They wore a beige trench coat that was too big for them, the sleeves covering their hands, and a matching fedora pulled down low to cover their face. What really got their attention, however, was what was sticking out of the bottom of the coat: a pair of familiar, metallic yellow hands for feet.
"Good day, children," the figure greeted. "My name is Cubert Roundman."
"Yep, that's them alright," Hope sighed.
"Hello… Cubert," Rotor greeted. "Can we help you?"
"As a matter of fact, yes," 'Cubert' replied. "I have something of a problem and need your help. Mayhaps we could go to yonder alleyway and discuss matters there?"
"Orbot, that sounds wrong!" Cubot's voice came from within the coat.
"Quiet, you!"
Hope rolled her eyes but nonetheless followed him down the alleyway. Once they were far enough in, "Cubert" removed his hat to reveal Orbot.
"I never thought I'd say this, but boy, am I glad to see you Knothole guys."
"Miss Hope!" Cubot lunged out of the coat, hugging Hope. "Thank Robot-Aurora you're here! It's been awful! AWFUL!"
Hope awkwardly held Cubot. "Okay… this is weird."
"Trapped in the desert for weeks! Running and hiding from those crazy Sand-Blasters!" Cubot sobbed. "Forced to be the legs of that disguise because Orbot cheated!"
"For the last time, Cubot, I didn't cheat!" Orbot snapped, annoyed. "We flipped a coin, fair and square. I got to be the head, you had to be the legs. Deal with it."
"Hold on!" Rotor cut in. "What's this about the Sand-Blasters?"
"Oh, yes...well..you see..." Orbot broke down crying. "It's been horrible! Absolutely HORRIBLE! We and the rest of Squad were just minding our own business, hunting down a rabble-rouser scrapping the Doctor's desert scouts. Next thing we know, we're chasing this crazy rabbit around the desert!"
"He drove poor Dr. Wormtongue crazy!" Cubot added. "And he tricked us into jumping off a cliff!"
"Jack did that?!" Sam demanded.
"Oh no, that was a different rabbit," Orbot clarified.
"He was yellow and had a funny accent," Cubot included.
"Yellow... funny accent…" Rotor nodded. "Yeah, that sounds like Beauregard."
"But how did you all wind up here?" Hope questioned.
"Well, after we got tricked by that crazy rabbit, we ran into an even crazier rabbit!" Orbot told them.
"He had a funny accent too, but he was gray and had one eye!" Cubot chimed in.
"Jack…" Sam realized.
"Yeah! Him!" Cubot shuddered. "He was terrifying!"
"He and his Looney Brigade chased us around the desert like wild Mobini!" Orbot continued.
"They shot at us with guns! BIG GUNS!" Cubot shrieked.
"They took us apart while we were still active! They stuck magnets to our processors to make us glitch out for their amusement! They even taped Cubot shut and used him as a dice!"
"I don't even LIKE Monopoly!"
The two Badniks held each other, bawling like babies.
"Holy…" Rotor managed.
"Yeah…" Sam scratched the side of his head. "We found your pals mounted on Jack's trophy wall. But how'd you two get away?"
Orbot sniffled. "We tried to hide from them in a nearby gas station, but it turned out to be their base!"
"We managed to get away by slipping through the air vents," Cubot chimed in. "But the others couldn't fit. So, they gave us these."
He opened up a compartment on his body, revealing five, metallic orbs. Sam blinked.
"Hope... are those what I think they are?"
Hope's eyes lit up. "Scratch and the others' memory cores! No wonder I couldn't find them!"
"They said that as long as those got out, Mistress Eggatha could make them new bodies," Orbot sighed. "I know they were right, but..."
"We don't have to do that, Orbot," Hope told him. "I just need to pop the cores back in the others, and we can bring them back."
"Thank you, Miss Hope! Thank you!" Orbot cheered.
"The Kid was right…" Cubot shook his head. "These people are insane! No wonder the Robians did that."
That got their attention.
"The Robians did what now?" Rotor asked.
Cubot perked. "Oopsy."
"Orbot, do you guys know something about the missing ex-Robians?" Hope asked.
"Shhh!" Orbot put a finger to his mouth. "Not here, it's not safe! Help us revive the others and get us to the Egg Army base. We'll explain everything there."
"Right," Hope nodded. "I'd send you straight back to Robotropolis, but we're out of Warp Rings."
The group left, not realizing they were being watched…
"Well, this doesn't bode well," Shift said from the shadows. He pulled out a communicator, "Jack, it's Shift. The Kintobor girl and her friends have encountered the shape-bots."
"Already!? Damn…"
"Shall I alert the others?"
"No, we don't need Big Blue and Princess Bushybutt gettin' sus..." Jack paused for a moment.
"Jack?"
"Shit, get your butt down to town and call the others. We got a Code Brown on our hands!"
Shift's eyes opened wide as he stiffened in fear, then massaged the bridge of his nose in annoyance, "Oh bother…"
-X-
Meanwhile, Lily, Rally, Cream, and Cosmo were walking around town.
"'Scuse me, have you seen any of these people?" Lily asked a man, showing a photo of Jesse with his family.
The man shook his head. "Sorry, never seen 'em."
As he walked off, Rally scratched an ear in confusion. "I don't get it. Jesse's family lives around here, right?"
"Perhaps they moved again?" Cosmo suggested.
"They still woulda seen and remembered them, Cosmo," Lily pointed out. "But everyone here acts like they never even existed or nothin'! Damn it!"
"Lily!" Rally admonished.
"Whoops!" Lily turned to Cream. "Sorry 'bout that, Cream. It's just... I don't get it. Everyone's acting like Jesse and his family were never here," she scratched her chin in thought, "There's somethin' rotten in the Alamo... wherever that is."
"It's okay," Cream assured. "Jesse's your friend and you're really worried about him. If something happened to my friends...I'd be worried too."
"It sounds like the three of you were very close, from how you speak of him," Cosmo asked. "What sort of person was he like?"
Lily chuckled slightly. "Jesse...well, he was an oddball."
"How so?"
"Well, he's a city-slicker, what him bein' from Gravestone. Not used to doin' lotta chores. Never seen a barn in his life. And he tended to be overdramatic. In short, he was a total dork." Lily looked away. "But he was our dork. Whenever we used to play cowboys and outlaws, he'd turn them into full-on epic adventures. When his mom had him read the Bible at Sunday school, he'd do voices fer all the characters. He... really had a way of livening things up for us country folk."
"Also, he liked lollipops," Rally mused. "Like, a lot. Hardly a day went by we didn't see him with one in his mouth."
"Lollipops?" Cream asked.
"You mean those little candy balls on a stick?" Cosmo chimed in.
"Yup!" Rally confirmed, "He went through bags of the stuff like my Aunt Gemmy went through cigars." He shook his head in sadness. "Aurora rest her soul."
Lily cringed slightly. "His favorite flavor was green apple," she shuddered in disgust, "Never got why, them things are nasty."
"Yeah…" Cream mused, a thoughtful expression on her face.
"Somethin' wrong, Cream?" Rally asked.
"Oh!" Cream snapped to, "Um, well…"
BANG!
"What in tarnation?!" Rally exclaimed as he jumped up in fright.
"That sounded like a gun!" Cream let out, worried.
"It came from over there!" Cosmo shifted into her Mover Mode. "Cream, get on!"
Lily, with her gun and sword drawn, hopped onto Rally's back, Cream doing the same with Cosmo.
"Cheese, spin mode!" she ordered.
With a chirp, Cheese tucked into a ball, performing a stationary Spin Dash and landing in Cream's hand. With that, they took off in the direction of the gunshot, quickly rounding the corner.
"Stop!" Lily declared. "In the name of the… law?"
"Woohoo!"
They saw Tex standing with a young Mobian bear. He had brown fur with light brown fur on his front torso, muzzle, and heels, as well as chartreuse eyes. He also had averagely-thin arms and legs, round ears on top of his head, a short tail, a tuft of hair on his forehead, sharp fangs, and a fairly wide black nose. For attire, he wore a mint vest with a lighter mint-fluffed collar over a white T-shirt with a red flame design on the front, white gloves, black shorts, and light blue sandals. In his hands, he held a small pistol.
"I got another one! I got another one!" he cheered as he jumped for joy.
"Ashe!" Tex admonished, causing the cub to perk, "What did I tell you about jumpin' and wavin' your arms like that?"
"Oh!" Ashe perked. "Sorry, Uncle Tex."
"Seriously, if you'd dropped that pistol and accidentally pulled the trigger, it could've gone off and shot someone. These things ain't toys, they're weapons. So don't treat 'em like toys."
Cream and Lily slid off their respective mounts, Cheese stopping his Spin Attack as they looked on. That was when Tex and Ashe turned and noticed them.
"Oh hey! Sonic's pals!" he greeted. "Didn't see you there. What's up?"
"Um…" Cream cleared her throat awkwardly. "Nothing. We heard the gunshot, and... well…"
"Whoa!" Ashe stepped forward, starry-eyed. "Holy crap! It's a Mobosaur! A real, live Mobosaur!"
He turned to Tex. "Uncle Tex! That girl was riding a real, live Mobosaur!"
"Well, not quite," Cosmo said. "I hate to burst your bubble, but…"
She shifted back at that. Ashe just got even more excited.
"She can turn into a Mobosaur?! Even cooler! Hey! Can I ride you? Please, please, please!?"
"Uhhh…maybe later," Cosmo replied. "We'll see."
"Alright, alright, settle down, kiddo," Tex cut in, patting him on the head. "Sorry to scare you kids. I was teaching Ashe here how to shoot a gun."
"You were?" Cream asked. "But… he's my age?"
"So?" Ashe questioned.
Lily shrugged. "Hey, I wasn't much older when my ma took me out shootin' the first time."
Cosmo blinked. "That's… concerning."
"These guys friends of yours, Uncle Tex?" Ashe asked.
"Sorta," Tex replied. "I ran into 'em with Uncle Avery and the boys down in Tranquil Gulch last night. This is Rally, Lily, and Cosmo and Cream of the Knothole Freedom Fighters."
"Howdy, lil' guy," Lily greeted.
"Freedom Fighters? Wow…"
"Yes, it's nice to meet you, Ashe," Cream said.
"So, you're Avery's nephew?" Rally asked Ashe.
"Yep!" Ashe nodded. "My dad is his older brother."
"So, then how's Tex yer uncle?" Lily asked.
Tex blushed and sweated slightly; his eyes darting back and forth as he twiddled his fingers. "Ummmm, well… it's a funny story. Y'see…"
"Surprise!" Avery suddenly appeared behind the lizard, scooping him up in a big bear hug.
"What in Sam Hill?!" Rally exclaimed.
The group watched as Tex kicked and flailed his legs and tail as he struggled to get out of Avery's grip, which only seemed to tighten. Ashe laughed the entire time.
"Avery!" Tex shouted, "You overgrown honey bottle, put me down before I poke you fulla holes!"
"Alright, alright!" the bear said with a chuckle and set him down.
"Lousy, fat, sunnuva…" Tex grumbled as he dusted himself off, "Dangit Avery, you know I hate it when you do that!"
Avery chuckled, before pulling the lizard into a one-armed hug, causing the lizard to blush. "You know I only do it 'cause I love ya."
Lily perked. "Hold on. You two are…?"
Tex stiffened, then sagged in annoyance, "Yeah…" Tex sighed. "Boyfriends."
He started counting down on his fingers. Lily grimaced, but Cream squealed.
"Just like Mr. Rotor and Mr. Cobar!" she exclaimed.
"Say what now?" Tex asked, unsure if he heard her reaction correctly.
"Yeah, Hope and her pals had the same reaction," Avery told him. "And get this: Johnny Lightfoot swings both ways."
Tex blinked. "You're kiddin'." The lizard grimaced. "Dammit, now I owe Jolt fifty Mobis."
"Uncle Avery!" Ashe charged over to his uncle, jumping at him.
"Hey there, kiddo!"
As Avery scooped his nephew up, Tex sighed in fond exasperation before turning to Lily and Rally.
"So…" he began. "If Sonic's crew has no issue with the LGBT crowd, what about you? I know you're Aurorites and all. And that look on your face when I said we were boyfriends…"
"Oh!" Lily perked before shaking her head. "Oh, no. It just surprised me. I was expecting one of the others to say something, that's all. Father Wolfwood's church has no issue with homosexuality."
"Yeah," Rally agreed. "I remember once some jerk tried to get him to denounce a gay guy who came into the church. The Padre just patted him on the shoulder, telling him Aurora loves him just as he is. (2)"
Tex sighed in relief. "Praise Solaris…"
"So Ashe, you been good fer Uncle Tex, while I was away?" Avery asked.
"Ya-huh!" Ashe nodded. "He taught me how to use a pistol! I hit three clay pigeons!"
Tex smirked. "Out of twenty-five."
"Two more than you did," Ashe teased before sticking his tongue out at the lizard, who responded in kind.
"Excuse me," Cosmo began politely. "I don't mean to pry or be rude, but... isn't he a little too young to be taught things like that?"
"Not really," Tex replied. "The sooner they learn gun safety, the better." He clutched his arm, a look of worry on his face. "'Specially with how crazy the world is these days."
"Don't worry, Uncle Tex," Ashe said, smiling. "Once I get older, I'm gonna join the Sand-Blasters with you and Uncle Avery. We'll fight robots and kill Eggman's goons and all sorts of stuff! It'll be fun!"
"Kill?" Cream blinked. "We don't kill. Killing is wrong."
"Huh?" Ashe tilted his head in confusion. "What're you talking about? You guys are friends with Sonic, right? Freedom Fighters?"
"Freedom Fighters aren't executioners, Ashe," Cosmo insisted. "We do what we do to save lives, not take them."
Ashe scoffed. "That's lame."
"Ashe!" Tex and Avery objected.
"Come on Uncs, you said it yourselves! If you don't kill Eggman's soldiers, they'll just keep coming back bigger and stronger."
"Well, yeah… but…" Tex rubbed the back of his head, visibly uncomfortable.
Cosmo gasped in realization. "Hold on… you've actually killed Egg Soldiers?!"
Tex and Avery winced.
"You…" Cream backed away slowly. "You did what?"
Lily and Rally just gaped in shock.
"Look, i-it's not what you think!" Tex stammered. "We don't kill needlessly! We take a life here and there to save hundreds of others!"
"And that's supposed to make it better?!" Cosmo shrieked.
"Those people were abducted and Cyberized against their will!" Cream added, "They don't even want to fight you or any of us!"
"That's a lie!" Ashe cut in.
"Ashe!" Avery objected, but Ashe ignored him, hopping out of his uncle's grasp.
"The Dust Riders are psychos! They kill folks just for fun!" he pointed to Cream, "They even kill kids like you and me! The Diablo Kid alone's racked up a body count in the low hundreds!"
"That doesn't make it right to become like him!" Cream objected. "Getting rid of the bad things in the world isn't the same as doing good things!"
"That doesn't make any sense!"
"Alright, alright, enough!" Tex yelled.
"What's goin' on here?!"
The others turned to see Jack walking over.
"Uhoh…" Tex said, "Boss is here."
"And he's mad," Avery added.
Cosmo whirled on him. "Jack! Is it true? Have you killed Egg Soldiers, not just Badniks?"
Jack was stone-faced for a minute before sighing. "We took one life to save everyone in this city."
"But it wasn't just one life, was it, Jack? How many?" There was silence. "How many?!"
Jack looked at Cosmo, his expression neutral, his gaze unmoving. He then turned to Tex and Avery, not even giving the Seedrian a response. "Tex, Avery, I've been tryin' to get ahold of you six times already. Are yer coms glitchin' out again?"
"Ummmm…" Tex began.
"Well…" Avery let out.
"Never mind, that's a yes." He pinched his brow in annoyance before addressing them, "Alright, I need you two to drop whatever it is yer doin' and follow me. We got a Code Brown."
Tex and Avery's eyes widened in horror.
"Oh…" Avery began.
"Shit," Tex concluded before turning to Ashe. "Sorry kiddo, looks like we're gonna hafta rain check."
"Hold on," Cosmo cut in. "What is a Code Brown?"
"The Dust Riders are in town," Tex replied.
Lily perked. "What?!"
"No time! Move!" Jack took off at that.
Tex turned to Lily. "You there. Hino, was it? Could you look after Ashe for us?"
"Sure," Lily nodded. "We'll get him someplace safe."
Tex nodded before taking off with Avery.
"This is bad," said Cream. "We need to call Mr. Sonic."
"I agree," Cosmo nodded.
"Sorry to disappoint you, ladies…" They looked up to see Typhoon the Wren standing atop a rooftop. "But you aren't going anywhere." He leaped off, landing before them.
"Who the heck are you s'posed to be?" Lily asked, a hand on her gun.
"An interesting question. Some people call me a walking disaster, a calamity of nature in mortal form. Others call me a drifter, a wandering soul seeking the elusive mayfly of love. But to most people, I am..."
"Shut up, Typhoon!" Meryl the Coyote suddenly popped in, smacking him upside the head as Milly Lagarto emerged from the alley.
"He never changes, does he, Meryl?" Milly asked with a smile.
"No," Meryl sighed. "No, he does not."
Typhoon rubbed the back of his head, grunting in pain before whirling on Meryl. "Meryl! What the hell is wrong with you?! That really hurt!"
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Meryl shot back. "We're on a mission, you idiot! And here you are tryin' to make a pass at the ladies!"
"I wasn't making a pass! These girls are like...eight!"
Lily's group exchanged looks before slowly sneaking off while they bickered. Milly saw it out of the corner of her eye, trying in vain to get their attention.
"Uh, guys?"
"Well, if you aren't flirting with them, you shouldn't bother with the purple prose and fancy entrances! Seriously, you're worse than Twister!"
"Leave my half-brother out of this! Besides, they were the Knothole Freedom Fighters! Heroes more than worthy of that entrance!" He shook his head. "Honestly, you really know how to ruin a villainous moment, don't you?"
"Guys…" Milly tried again.
"Villainous moment…" Meryl sputtered. "What are you, five?!"
"Hey, at least I'm not ninety like you!"
"What was that?!"
"GUYS!" Milly screamed at the top of her voice, finally getting their attention.
"WHAT?!" Meryl and Typhoon both snapped in unison.
"Sonic's friends are getting away!"
Meryl and Typhoon blinked, jaws dropping before they turned to see the empty spot where Cream, Lily, Cosmo, Rally, and Ashe had been.
-X-
In another alleyway, the five had bunkered down.
"Well, that was weird," Lily mused.
"Mmhmm..." Rally nodded.
"Who were those people?" Cream asked.
"They looked like some kind of performers..." Cosmo mused.
"They were freaking weirdos," Ashe scoffed.
Cosmo shook her head to clear it. "Enough of those people. If the Dust Riders are here, we need to get in touch with Sonic right away."
She pulled out a communicator. "Hello? Sonic, are you there?"
"Cosmo? What's up?" came Sonic's voice.
"We have a situation! The Dust Riders are here in town!"
"Crap! Hang in there! We're on our way! Where are you guys?!"
"In an alleyway over by Maltese Street (3). We-" Cosmo was cut off by a bullet shooting her communicator out of her hand.
"Cosmo!" Cream shrieked.
"Oh no, Raptor Lady!" Ashe exclaimed.
"Leaving so soon?" The group turned to see Typhoon, Meryl, and Milly, Typhoon's right index finger smoking like a gun. "You're gonna miss the show."
"His finger…" Rally realized.
Typhoon nodded to his companions. "Girls?"
Milly's arm morphed into a machine gun, while Meryl's thighs opened up to reveal mechanical holsters containing dual pistols.
"By Aurora…" Lily gasped. "These fellers are cyborgs. They're Dust Riders!"
"Bingo, kid," Meryl drew her guns, twirling them on her fingers for a moment. "Nothing personal, but we've got orders."
"We have a message to you from our Boss..." Typhoon aimed. "Die."
-X-
Meanwhile, Sonic kept fiddling with his communicator.
"Cosmo? Cosmo, are you there?!" All he got in response was static and white noise. "Damn! Guys, we gotta get going, now!"
"Mighty, which way's Maltese Street?" Sally demanded.
"It's over this–" Mighty perked. "Get down!"
Mighty tackled the others, just in time to avoid a barrage of gunfire. "Is everyone okay?!"
"Yeah…" Sally nodded. "I'm alright."
"Damn it, where are they?!" Sonic spat.
"Sonic!" Ray screamed, pointing to a vehicle driving toward them. "Here they come!"
Suddenly, the vehicle turned and came to a stop. It was a fairly large, demonic-looking combat jeep. Nicole perked, realizing what the demon symbolism meant.
"It's him!" she cried. "It's the Kid!"
"Damn it…" Sonic cursed.
The doors opened and out stepped four familiar faces.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't Mr. Hero," Kid greeted, Jose, Bill, and Matilda right behind him, "Didn't expect to see you again so soon."
"Likewise…" Sonic said with a grimace.
Mighty looked at Matti, feeling his heart clench at the sight of his sister.
"Matilda…" Mighty said.
"Oh," Matti grimaced, "It's you."
"Matilda, please," Mighty pleaded as he stepped forward, reaching out for her, "It's me, Mighty, your brother. Come home with me. I'll keep you safe from-"
He was cut off by a mirthless chuckle from Matti, her deadpan countenance broken before converting into rage and sorrow.
"You? Keep me safe?!" She scowled, raising her Cyberized arms. "You let this happen to me! You were supposed to protect me!"
Mighty went wide-eyed. "Matti, I…"
"Ahh, so you're Mighty," Kid mused. "Matti's told me all about you, Shellbutt."
Mighty clenched his fists, whirling on Kid. "What have you done to my little sister, you bastard?!"
"I've been taking care of her," Kid said as he knelt, patting Matti on the head, "Keeping her safe from the wackos and scumbags 'round here. You should be grateful."
"Save it, Kid," Matti said, pushing his hand away, "With how long it took him to get here, I doubt he even cares anymore."
Mighty shook his head. "It's not my fault! I was captured and locked up in the Egg Dungeon! I've been looking for you for months, Matti! I joined the Chaotix Detective Agency to find you!"
"So what took you, Mighty?" Matti demanded. "You're friends with the Freedom Fighters. And you work for one of the best detectives in Mobius. You should've rescued me months ago!"
She was close to angry, bitter tears. "I trusted you! You were all I had in this world!" her mechanical hands trembled with rage, her mind lost in a memory, "And you left me to rot in a Great Desert Eggman prison for over a year...with HIM."
"Matti, I'm sorry!" Mighty pleaded, "I know I should have been faster! I tried so hard to find you. Please…"
"I don't wanna hear your excuses!" Matti screamed. She pounded her fists together, the metal letting out a loud clang, "I just wanna hear you scream!"
The Freedom Fighters looked on in horror at the sight of the furious, young armadillo, her eyes practically sparking and burning with hatred. Sonic felt a cold sense of deja-vu wash over him, his rib aching. Sally and Nicole looked on with fear and sorrow, but also a greater understanding of how Sonic came to feel the way he did. Mighty was positively heartbroken. Ray was nervous. Even Jose and Bill looked a little ill-at-ease at the sight. But Kid? He wasn't scared at all. In fact, from the way his scarf contorted, he was smiling. Proudly.
"Heh! Spoken like a true Hellrazer. Bill!" he turned to the bison, "Corral us off. Max power, I don't want any interruptions this time."
"Understood," Bill replied, his horns glowing blue as a large, barbed wire dome surrounded the area.
"Jose!" Kid reached into the pocket of his coat and pulled out a large flask labeled 'Tequila', which he tossed to the crow, "Drink up."
"Si Jefe!" he exclaimed before eagerly downing its contents.
Kid turned to Sonic, grinning viciously under his scarf. "So, Hedgehog, need a minute to pray to your mangy, dirt-sniffing, bitch goddess, or are you all set?"
"Kid, listen…" Sonic pleaded.
"Shut up! The only thing I wanna listen to is the sound of your bones shattering and you gurgling as you drown in your own blood! Then, when I'm done, I'll take what's left of you to that fat bastard Eggman and get my title back! Then, I'll do the same thing to everyone else on Mobius!"
"Enough with the dramatics, Kid," Matti chastised.
"Yeah!" Jose said as he finished his drink, throwing the empty flask over his shoulder, "Let's crush his cojones already!"
Kid chuckled, a grin on his face, "Alright then…"
He drew his pistols, his old blasters replaced a pair of bulky, foot-long blasters with large, visible, six-chamber cylinders. They were colored black and white with red, glowing power lines that almost looked like volcanic veins. Along the bottom part of the barrel were names engraved into them; "Sodom" for the left pistol, and "Gomorrah" for the right.
"Deal with the Princess and the others however you see fit. Sonic's mine."
"Dibs on the chicas!"
"I get my brother."
Bill sighed. "Sure, leave me with the flying rat."
"Just shut up and fight," Kid snapped.
"Matti, don't do this!" Mighty pleaded.
"Don't waste your breath, Mighty," Sonic said.
"Sonic!" the armadillo exclaimed.
"These guys aren't going to listen to a word we say, they're too pissed off and angry. They aren't going to stop trying to kill us until they can't do it anymore," Sonic's eyes narrowed, "Just like Kat," he assumed a combat stance, sparking with Chaos Lightning, "So let's let them vent."
"Hellblazers!" Kid shouted as he raised his blaster, "Give 'em Hell!"
He fired a blast into the air, signaling Bill, Jose, and Matti to charge at the Freedom Fighters, who drew their weapons and prepared for the biggest fight of their lives so far.
Author's Note:
(1): The name I came up with for Rob's father; Malcolm was the name of Robin Hood's father.
(2): Based on real-life stories I've heard of Mr. Rogers.
(3): Reference to Michael Maltese, storyboard artist, screenwriter, and director for the old Looney Tunes shorts.
Well, Sonic's already due for a rematch with the kid. Will he prevail this time?
Ashe is from IDW; making him Avery's nephew, as well as Avery and Tex a couple, was WindstarOsprey's idea.
Voice cast for this chapter:
* Ashe - Alison Viktorin (Conan Edogawa in Case Closed's Funimation dub, QT from Space Dandy, Shouta Magatsuchi in Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid season 1, Sherria Blendy from Fairy Tail, Fuka and Fumika Narutaki from Negima, Kuroko Shirai from A Certain Magical Index)
Please R&R. Until next time!