-Chapter 267-

The Kat Returns

All around, Freedom Fighter and Stormrunner alike were shocked at Kat's arrival. Sonic and his friends were quite pleasantly surprised, though most of the Stormrunners, knowing of her reputation, were visibly horrified.

"It's the freakin' Wild Kat!" one exclaimed in terror.

"I-it can't be!" another shouted. "Sh-she's supposed to be dead!"

"Dead?" Kat raised an eyebrow. "Wow, have I been gone that long?"

"Idiots!" Drago barked. "Pull yourselves together! There's an army of us and one of her! Besides, she's nothing but a pathetic, weak HUMAN! "

Kat snorted loudly before cracking up.

"Oh, you poor thing." she shook her head. "You have no idea who I am, do you?" She drew her bat. "I am Wang Kaitian, Common name Kathryn Winters. My friends call me Kat. My enemies call me Wild Kat Winters, but you… you'll be calling me a nightmare by the time I'm done with you."

Drago let out a growl. "GET HER!"

The Stormrunners charged. Kat rolled her eyes.

"Seriously, did they forget the firewall?" The opening she made slammed shut. "I don't really have time to deal with your army. Not with my friends suffering from your poison. Fortunately…" A loud draconic roar filled the air. "I brought some new friends to help me out."

A familiar dragon landed at that. "Sorry I'm late. Flying in a thunderstorm isn't easy."

"Wait, Dulcy?!" Sonic exclaimed.

"Alright, everybody off!" Three other figures hopped off of Dulcy's back: a wizened tortoise, a cold-eyed white tigress, and a small, orange pheasant.

"Shizun, Jian, Cinder," Kat greeted. "Can you deal with the army outside for me?"

"Of course, A-Tian," Bunker assured.

"Hopefully, they'll put up more of a fight," Jian said.

"We got this, Kacchan!" Cinder promised.

"I know you do," Kat swirled her arm in the air and the firewall vanished. "Drago's mine."

Drago narrowed his eyes at that.

"Alright, then," Dulcy nodded. "Shijin Warriors...strike!"

As the other four engaged the Stormrunners, Kat turned to Drago, slapping her bat in her hand. "Your move, creep."

Drago growled at her, to which Kat growled right back. He pulled out an egg-shaped device and pressed the button, enveloping his body in swirling winds and lightning. When it vanished, he was clad in a sleeveless purple Egg Army uniform with horizontal jagged stripes with two gold buttons in the center, revealing that, like Razorklaw, his arms were completely Cyberized.

"So the mole finally steps into the light," Kat mused. "I have to admit, it was clever, using Razorklaw as a red herring."

"First thing that mangy feline ever did right," Drago spat.

"Indeed," Kat agreed. "Still, letting him go off on his little revenge spree… that's what gave it away. After all, when he attacked the Donar, he completely ignored Sally. If he really was trying to kill the delegates, he would have saved Knuckles for later. Especially with Eggman's Crack Protocol in place. Which meant that his orders were to simply cause as much damage as he could, leaving the killing to the real Greyplains Egg Boss."

"Well, aren't you clever?" Drago brandished his claws. "Now, how about we skip the rest of your monologue and get to the part where I gut you like a fish?"

Kat smirked. "Let's see how well you fight against a girl who can hit back."

She let him charge at her, easily blocking the attack with her bat. She then yawned. "Come on, is that the best you got? My yeye (1) hit harder than you."

Drago snarled. "Why you...!"

He swung at her, only to gape in shock as she casually sidestepped it.

"What the...!?"

Kat pulled back her bat… "Here's the windup..." and swung, hitting Drago in the gut. The wolf let out a pained gasp before flying across the camp and into one of the rock outcroppings.

"Homerun!" Kat cheered as Drago got up, disoriented but largely unharmed.

"Okay, so you can hit." Drago punched his fists together, causing his arms to spark with purple lightning and the lights on his shoulders to glow.

"Ooh, pretty light show," Kat said, unimpressed. "What do you think of mine?"

She lifted her arms, revealing her vambraces. They were a different set from her old ones, covering her entire forearm and made from solid gold, decorated with etchings of phoenixes and flames.

"What the...?" Keith let out.

"Those are new," Tekno realized.

"Yeah, my old ones broke," Kat explained as she undid the latches holding them in place. "Shattered like cheap glass. Between you and me I'd never really liked them considering they were from Eggman."

Drago laughed at the display, not impressed in the slightest.

"So you got some fancy jewelry, big whup! They the source of your famous super strength or some-?"

Kat slowly slid one off, letting it hit the ground. When it did, it ended up creating a small tremor and cracking the ground for a rather impressive distance. Drago's smirk fell slightly as she removed the other one with the same result. "...thing?"

"Actually..." Kat's aura began to glow, her hair rising like living flames. Her energy still had the same fiery orange, but it looked brighter now as if it was purer. The edges even shimmered with the same rainbow energy she had been manifesting since her arrival. "They're suppression arrays. They keep my power in check, so I don't end up hurting the people I care about."

Sonic smirked, chuckling under his breath before rolling over to grin at the evil wolf. "You, Drago, are royally fugged ."

Drago took a single step back before Kat rocketed forward, unleashing a devastating combo of flaming hits and blows on the traitorous wolf.

-X-

A Stormrunner leaped at Dulcy, only for the dragon to knock him away with a roundhouse kick. She then quickly turned around to kick another one away. A third attempted to jump her from behind, but Dulcy casually raised her fist and punched him in the face.

"Is this truly all you have to offer? The mercenaries put up more of a fight than this."

That's when she heard the sound of several guns cocking. She looked over her shoulder to see a firing squad aiming right at her. She sighed at that.

"I had to go and open my mouth."

"Fire!"

The Stormrunners shoot, only for Dulcy to jump into the air and fly out of the way. They re-aimed and continued to shoot her out of the sky, but she was just too fast.

"Quick, launch the Dragon Rocket!"

One Stormrunner aimed a larger gun into the air, firing a missile right at Dulcy. Of course, the dragon was quick to evade, but the rocket made a U-turn and began to chase after her.

"A heat-seeking missile!" she realized, looking around for something she could use. Then, it dawned on her. "If it seeks out sources of heat…"

She looped in the air, diving right for the Stormrunners, much to their confusion. She took a deep breath, her throat glowing as she unleashed a torrent of fire at the soldiers.

"Scatter!"

The Stormrunners leaped out of the way to avoid getting torched.

"Damn! Crazy, flying lizard!"

Dulcy then dove through the flames and the rocket sped towards it. She rose above its blaze, but the rocket's trajectory remained on the fire.

"I suggest you run," she told them, knowing it was too late.

The Stormrunners could only watch in horror as the Dragon Rocket headed straight for them.

"Oh no...!"

Dulcy watched as the rocket exploded, launching the Egg Soldiers everywhere. Seeing the explosion, she clicked her tongue, shaking her head.

"They call that a Dragon Rocket? How insulting. That flame wasn't even a quarter as powerful as one." He paused for a moment, processing her words. "Oh Ancients, this must be how Zan feels."

-X-

Clay discs whizzed through the air, smacking Stormrunners from every direction. The perpetrator of these attacks was Cinder, who stood atop one of the larger rocks and threw them from her sleeves. Beneath her, Jian struck a Stormrunner with an open palm strike before dodging another who tried to come at her with a blade. Just as she tried to take it out, they got smacked with a disc of their own.

"Watch your back, Oneechan!" Cinder called from her perch.

"Arigatou, Cinder."

Jian then noticed one of the Stormrunners scaling the rock, claws ready to attack.

"Bye-bye, birdie!"

Suddenly, the soldier stopped. They lost their grip on the rock before falling to the ground, dead.

"Though, you would do well to do the same." Jian lifted her tail, revealing it was tipped with metal, a short blade sticking out of it dripping with blood, which she promptly flicked off.

" Hai. Gomennasai. "

Before they could continue, they heard multiple battle cries. Turning around, they saw a horde of Stormrunners heading toward them, all armed and out for blood.

"Oneechan!" Cinder hid behind Jian.

"Calm down, Cinder." the tigress soothed. "We faced worse odds back in Suzaku."

"I know, but be careful!"

Jian nods. "What say we give them a special treat?"

Cinder's eyes widened, her fear disappearing. " Hai! "

Jian bent over until she was touching the ground with one hand, her tail raised, like a predator, ready to pounce. Cinder readied several discs in her hands.

They closed their eyes, taking slow, even breaths, auras of energy washing over them. Jian's was an icy, blue-white mist, while Cinder's was black smoke and numerous orange-red sparks.

"White wind, winter flower..."

"Black snow, summer moon..."

Jian and Cinder's eyes open, glowing with power.

" Fuukasetsugetsu ! (2)"

Cinder's clay discs began giving off flames and smoke as she threw them at the Egg Soldiers.

"More pot things?"

"Seriously, is this some kinda jo-?

The discs exploded on impact, releasing smoke and sparks and leaving the Stormrunners left coughing and wheezing)

"Go, Oneechan!"

Jian rushed off, leaving a trail of ice and snow behind her. She ran through the crowd of Egg Soldiers, slicing and stabbing at them with her bladed tail and claws.

"Damned feline, bitch!" one roared in pain before a crackling noise reached his ears. "What the...?"

The Stormrunner watched as his wound literally iced over, the frost rapidly spreading over his body.

"Wh-What the..!? My arm's frozen!"

"Mine too!"

"I can't feel my legs!"

"So cold..."

"Is the cold too much for you?" Jian grinned slyly. "Here, let us help you warm up."

Jian looked up at Cinder, the pheasant grinning. She clapped her hands before putting them on the ground.

"Take this...!"

Several glowing lights left her hands and began burrowing through the earth, each heading towards the Stormrunners at a rapid pace. They can only look in terror as the lights reach them, where they suddenly explode, burying them in bursts of fire, molten rock, and scorching ashes. All of the Stormrunners screamed in agony.

"Yatta!" Cinder cheered. "How'd I do, Oneechan?!"

Jian coughed, waving the smoke away from her face. "Not bad, Cinder. But next time, try to use less qi."

Cinder winced. "Right, control. Gomene ."

-X-

Bunker stood calmly, a serene expression on her face as she was surrounded by Stormrunners.

"C'mon, we can take her!" one declared. "She's an old bag!"

"You should learn to respect your elders," Bunker said calmly.

"Whatever you say, leatherneck," another said. "Get her!"

The Stormrunners all charged at her.

"Young people these days…" Bunker performed a deep breathing technique, her body glowing with blue and green energy. She raised her foot before bringing it down with a mighty stomp, causing pillars of earth to rise around her, striking the Stormrunners. "Now then…"

A few Stormrunners avoided getting hit and prepared to strike her, but when they got her in the back, their weapons broke on her shell. As they recoiled in shock, Bunker perked, turning to face them.

"Oh my, did I do that? Here." Bunker put her hand on the ground, causing several root-like tendrils to burst out and grab them. "Let me fix those for you."

As the roots slammed the Stormrunners around, Bunker gathered up the broken weapons, humming a tune as she did. She buried them in the ground, patting them down gently for good measure. The spot she buried them in started to glow.

"And now…" Bunker clapped her hands together and began performing careful kneading motions, the buried weapons shifting around in the soil. After a few seconds, she dug them out, revealing a miniature iron Buddha statue. "There we go."

Bunker tapped her foot on the ground, causing the roots to drop the Stormrunners. With that, she picked up the statue, walking over to the disoriented soldiers.

"Here you are," she set the statue down next to them. They blinked, confused. "Perhaps this will serve you much better than their previous forms." All the while, the tortoise's serene demeanor and friendly smile never wavered. "Now then, I fear I must be off. I've much to do today." She performed a prayer circle before bowing. "Gaia's light be with you, children."

With that, Bunker walked off to another part of the battle, leaving the Stormrunners to look upon her with dread.

-X-

"Rgggh...damn you!"

Drago lashed out with his claws, managing to break Kat's assault long enough to attempt a dual claw swipe, only for Kat to raise her hands and grab both of his arms by the wrists.

"What…?" the wolf uttered in disbelief. "How–?"

"Too slow."

Kat crushed Drago's wrists with a loud, metallic crunch, getting a pained howl out of the wolf. After a further beat down, Drago started to panic. He raised his cyber-stumps in a warding-off gesture from the ground.

"Wait! I can't fight anymore! You win! You beat me! Give me a break, Winters! MERCY!

"Mercy?" Kat let out a single, mirthless laugh. "Why should I show any mercy for the slimy low-life who poisoned my friends, betrayed his pack, and planned to have everyone gunned down like animals?"

She leaned in, her face cold and cruel. "Ask Gaia for mercy in your next life."

Drago growled then made one last lunge at Kat with his teeth. Kat took a deep breath, bringing her hands together in what almost looked like a prayer style. She then rotated her hands so they were facing opposite directions, then slowly separated them. In the center of her palms grew a pulsating ball of multicolored flames. She slowly twisted her body back, pulling her hand away as if winding up for a pitch, all the while the ball grew larger and larger. Then, with a yell, she stepped forward and threw the ball so hard it left a shockwave in its wake. Unable to stop, Drago could only gasp before the ball hit him squarely in the face, sending him flying back. Drago flew further and further away, eventually passing between the two mountain peaks.

"Damn it!" he cursed. "What is that brat?! She sure as hell isn't human!" He attempted to push the ball back. "Gotta get this thing off me… Gotta call for backup… Gotta..." The ball began to wobble and vibrate, becoming unstable. "Ah, hell…"

-X-

Everyone watched as the ball exploded in a burst of multicolored flame in the distance, the flames swirling and gathering until they formed the shape of a phoenix with its wings spread. Kat grinned, turning to face what few Stormrunners were still standing. All of them were staring at the Phoenix as Kat turned to them, her eyes filled with amber flames.

"ATTENTION, ALL STORMRUNNERS!" she shouted. "THIS IS YOUR ONLY CHANCE! LEAVE NOW, OR BE INCINERATED!"

Behind her, the phoenix let out the same loud, ear-piercing cry that it had used against Razorklaw. They all froze, torn between fight or flight as Kat stood her ground, eyes still glowing with fire. All was silent for a minute, and then...

"Boo," she said quietly.

At that, the Stormrunners headed for the hills, screaming in terror.

"Run away! Run away!"

"She's back! Wild Kat Winters is back!"

"Mommy! Mommy!"

Kat watched in surprise, letting out a small noise before slowly banishing her aura.

"Huh… That actually worked better than I hoped."

She reclaimed her vambraces, sliding them onto her arms and relatching them. This in turn banished the massive phoenix and returned the temperature of the area to a reasonable level. Her companions all returned to the encampment, relishing in their victory as Kat turned to the wizened turtle.

"Shizun, can you help my friends?" she asked politely. "I don't want them to keel over from the poison."

"Of course, A-tian."

The turtle placed her hands together in a prayer position, then adjusted them so her thumbs and pointer fingers were touching, making a triangle with the rest of her fingers spread out. Green and blue energy began to gather, passing through her fingers and into the triangle in her hands. After a few seconds, she separated her fingers, clasped the gathered energy in her hands, and tossed it into the air, causing it to rain down as a shimmering mist that engulfed the Freedom Fighters, filling them with energy. Slowly, all of them begin to sit up, their vitality restored and the poison purged from their bodies. The Knothole crew was all silent, staring at Kat.

"And three… two… one," Kat counted down on her fingers, and the second she reached one, she was dogpiled to the ground.

"Kat! Holy crap!" Keith exclaimed.

"Hey, guys!" Kat grinned awkwardly. "I guess this answers my earlier question of you missing me."

"You're back! You're finally home!" Knuckles cheered.

"Alright, back up and let her breathe," Sonic cut in.

They backed off, allowing Sonic to hand her back her hat that had been knocked off during the fight.

"Oh, thanks," Kat replaced the hat, retying the string. "Gaia, I missed you guys."

"Same here…" said Hope. "But… what are you doing here? How did you get back?" And… What are you wearing?"

Kat looked down at herself. "A hanfu? It's traditional garb back home."

"I have to admit, now that I'm able to actually get a better look at it, it suits you," Sally noted.

Sonic perked. "Wait, what?!"

Sally rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah... Kat paid me a visit at Castle Acorn the night of the attack."

"I caught her video on JuTube and just knew that it was inviting trouble," Kat said.

Knuckles whirled on Sally. "Wait, you've known Kat's been back this whole time and didn't say anything!?"

"I couldn't risk the mole finding out. Though, I'm more surprised Kat didn't just out Drago to begin with."

"I didn't because I couldn't," Kat replied. "Because I had no proof. If I had gone forward without evidence, he could have refuted my words and it would have ruined the summit. So, my only choice was to let things play out and try to mitigate the damage from the shadows."

"So the aid we received…" Espio realized, pointing at Kat. "That was you ."

Kat nodded. "Me and the Shijin Warriors."

"That's us," Dulcy bowed, alongside the others. "Consider our behind-the-scenes work our applications for the Global Freedom Fighter Alliance."

Sally nodded. "Well, I'm personally sold. Please, raise your heads and introduce yourselves."

"Of course, Your Majesty." Dulcy stepped forward, bowing before the crowd. " Nin Hao (3), fellow warriors. I am Dulcinea the Dragon, leader of the Yurashian Freedom Fighters, the Shijin Warriors."

She motioned to the others. "These are a few of my comrades in arms…Master Bunker the Tortoise..."

Bunker put her hands together, bowing slightly. "A pleasure..."

"Jian the White Tiger."

Jian simply nodded.

"And Cinder the Pheasant."

"Ooh! New friends! Hi! Hi! Hi!" Cinder waved as she hopped up and down excitedly before Jian placed a gentle but firm hand on her shoulder, stopping her.

"Cinder…" she sighed.

Cinder blushed. "I mean-" she bowed to them all. "Hajimemashita. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu."

Amy blinked. "Uh, what?

"She said it's a pleasure to meet us," Sonic translated, earning a raised eyebrow from Kat. He tapped his ear before explaining. "Babble Node. Some new GUN gadget Dr. Bennett whipped up. Better universal translator than that robot Tails whipped up that one time."

"Sonic!" Tails objected.

"Oh yeah, I remember that one," Kat laughed at the memory.

"I'm standing RIGHT HERE!" Tails reminded them, annoyed.

"And you know as well as I do that your robot sucked!"

"It was a work in progress!"

"And it sucked!" Sticks chimed in.

Tails gave Sticks a dirty look. " I could have ironed out the kinks in UT's translation software if a certain SOMEBODY didn't decide on a whim to drag it to the Blue Marine Zone (4) and throw it into the ocean!"

Sticks shrugged. "It had to be done."

Bunker chuckled. "Quite the lively bunch, aren't they?"

"I'm beginning to have second thoughts about this alliance..." Jian deadpanned.

"Don't be like that, Oneechan!" Cinder cut in. "They're so much fun! And Kacchan likes them, so they're clearly good people."

Geoffrey sighed, annoyed. "Saved by a human... how the mighty have fallen."

That got him dirty looks from Sonic's group and his team alike.

"With all due respect, sir, human or not, we owe Kathryn Winters our lives," Heavy pointed out. "This is the part where you thank her for saving us."

Geoffrey grumbled in response.

"Geoff…" Hershey sighed, tapping her foot. "Remember what Prince Elias said."

Geoffrey sighed. "Very well." He stepped forward. "Miss Winters."

Kat turned to him. "Oh, hi. You're Geoffrey St. John. Leader of the Blackjacks, right?"

Geoffrey's eyes widened in surprise before he composed himself. "Task Force Blackjack, yes. I'll be the first to admit that I'm no fan of humans, but I give credit where it's due. Thank you for your help."

"Anytime," Kat perked, snapping her fingers. "Jian, do you have the-" Jian handed her a scroll. "Thanks." She handed it to Geoffrey. "Here. This is how I got into Castle Acorn unseen. Along with a list of...hostile agents from across the pond, if you know what I mean. Consider it an apology for not being able to act faster and prevent needless injury."

Geoffrey blinked. "Rrrriiiight… We'll put it to good use. For now, I take my leave."

Geoffrey walked off stiffly, the entire Knothole crew looking on in shock.

"Okay, WHAT?!" Sticks exclaimed.

"What just happened?" Porker asked.

"She killed him… with kindness," Johnny realized.

"But… Kat kills people with her bat…" Shorty breathed. "Her idea of diplomacy is counting to three before chasing her victim down."

"She's a spy! Another mole!" Sticks yelled. "Who are you and what have you done with Kathryn Winters!?"

Kat just laughed. "That, Sticks, is a tale best told over some good food. So!" She clapped her hands together, smiling. "Who's hungry?"

The others just blinked.

"Taking that as a yes. Cinder, the other scrolls."

"Hai, Kacchan!" Cinder slid several scrolls out of her sleeves. She rolled them out, revealing pictures of ingredients and portable kitchenware, their names written in kanji. "Oneechan?"

Jian put her hands on one of the scrolls, causing the pictures to disappear in puffs of smoke, revealing real crates and sacks full of vegetables, fruits, meats, and more. Kat tied her hair back and grabbed a knife.

"I'll cook us up an authentic Chun-ese feast."

"Fancy food-making techniques," Sonic mused. "And to think I need to go Super to just poof chili dogs into existence…"

"You guys go relax," Kat told them. "I'll have this ready in about an hour."

"I wanna help!" Cinder insisted.

"I will also lend a hand," Bunker offered.

Kat smiled. "The more, the merrier!"

"C'mon, Oneechan!" Cinder grabbed Jian's hand.

"W-wait, hold on a sec-!" Jian was promptly dragged off.

"Have fun, you two!" Dulcy turned to Sally. "Princess, I believe we have some things to discuss."

"You can say that again," Sally agreed.

Author's Note:

(1): Grandfather in Chinese

(2): A reference to a Chinese poem adopted in Japanese culture

(3): A formal Hello in Chinese

(4): A Zone from the Game Gear title Sonic Blast; here, it's interpreted as South Island's beach.

Boy was that satisfying. But what exactly has Kat been up to? Find out next time. Until then, please R&R!