-Chapter 277-

Father and Son

Station Square Middle School Stadium

Back in the stadium, Team Thorndyke and Julie-Su were leading a crowd of civilians to safety. Keith and Hope were carrying an unconscious Antoine.

"Alright everyone, stay calm! Just keep moving! Everything is gonna be alright!" Chris wiped the sweat from his brow. "Any sign of those blue-coated bozos, Hope?"

Hope shook her head. "No. Looks like they decided we weren't worth chasing."

Chris blinked. "I don't know whether to be relieved or offended."

"Considering what they did to Antoine..."

Chris nodded. "Right, relieved it is!"

"Let go of me!"

"No!"

The group turned to see Skeeter continuing to struggle against Julie-Su.

"Let go!"

"Dammit, kid, would you knock it off!?"

"They need my help!"

" You need to get out of here!"

"Hey!" Chris shouted. "What the heck is going on?"

"Chris!" Julie-Su cried. "You got any knock-out gas or sleeping rays in that tricked-out glove of yours? This little idiot wants to go back and fight."

"A real warrior doesn't run away from a battle!" Skeeter insisted. "Especially not when it's against jerks like Eggman!"

"A real warrior knows when to retreat!" Julie-Su shot back.

"Skeeter, did you see what that Tundra creep did to Sonic?!" Keith demanded. "What happened to Antoine?! If they're powerless against the Einjerhar, what do you expect to do?!"

"I'm not scared of them! I'm Skeeter Walrus, son of Sherman! And I'm not afraid of anything!"

With that, he sank his teeth into Julie-Su's arm. The Echidna let out a pained yell as Skeeter broke free and took off.

"Say your prayers, Eggheads! For Iceborooooooooogh!"

"Damn it!" Julie cursed. "That kid's gonna get himself killed!"

Kat appeared around that time, lugging Guntiver over her shoulder.

"Kat!" Keith cried. "Tiny walrus! Catch him!"

The redhead nodded, handing Guntiver to them before taking off.

-X-

Meanwhile, Rotor and Tundra faced off.

"I hoped to Aurora and whatever gods were listening that I was wrong," Rotor muttered. "That you weren't the Artikan Egg Boss."

Tundra scoffed. "You would. Then you could forget all about me and go on living your life with your head buried in the snow."

"I could never forget you, no matter how hard I tried." they began to circle each other. "So, what's this all about, Dad? I know Cyberization comes with aspects of brainwashing. Is this Eggman's programming talking, or just the real you? Which one?!"

"Does it matter?"

Rotor narrowed his eyes. "No… It doesn't."

With that, Rotor charged at Tundra, letting out a roar as he prepared to punch him.

"Sloppy." Tundra caught Rotor's fist before flipping him over, looking over his Iron Rotor suit in disdain. "Look at what you need to mimic a fraction of my strength. I don't know what sickens me more: that such a weakling sprung from my loins… or that despite everything you've gone up against, you're still as pathetic as ever."

He grabbed Rotor by the face, shoving him along the sidewalk before throwing him into the bleachers. A moment passed before Rotor got up, readying his blasters.

"You're supposed to be smart, Rotor!" Tundra roared. "So accept that you can't win this fight and stay down!"

"One thing I learned during my time with Knothole: the smallest chance of victory is still a reason to keep fighting. Even if I can't beat you, I'm not going out without a fight!"

Tundra paused, actually looking...impressed.

"Good."

Tundra assumed a combat stance. Rotor fired a blast at him, but he didn't even flinch.

"Is that all?"

Rotor kept shooting, but it still didn't do anything. He just kept advancing toward him.

"Dammit! Why isn't it working!?"

Tundra just smirked as he drew nearer and nearer. Rotor growled in frustration, sweat trickling down his face through his visor.

"Activating max power!"

Rotor's arm blasters glowed brightly as he aimed Tundra. He closed his eyes…

"I'm sorry…FIRE!"

….and unleashed a powerful blast at Egg Boss, whose eyes widened as it approached.

"Oh shit!"

He took the blast head-on, which exploded on impact, leaving behind a massive cloud of smoke and dust.

"Gotcha!"

Rotor's suit began sparking and smoking a little. The HUD glitched out and lights died as the suit shut down.

"Dammit! I completely fried out the suit." Rotor fell backward. "It's gonna take forever to make and program a new one. There goes my weekend."

He smiled, closing his eyes.

"Still…if nothing else, it's over."

"It sure is."

Rotor's eyes widened in horror. He slowly looked up to see Tundra looming right over him. The blast had barely done anything to him; just slightly singed his fur and coat.

"No…" Rotor gasped in horror. "NO!"

"Yes." Tundra grinned, then grabbed Rotor by his suit with both hands, holding them up so they were at eye level.

"Looks like your toy's busted, Boomer ." He spat the last word, getting specks of saliva on Rotor's visor. "I guess we'll have to…THROW IT AWAY!"

With one swift motion, Tundra ripped Rotor's battlesuit off of him, leaving him completely exposed. The younger walrus fell to the ground with a thud.

"My…my suit!" Rotor exclaimed in disbelief.

"Seems the only thing you got better at is making more junk." Tundra threw the halves of Rotor's suit aside. "Least it didn't explode." Tundra turned to Rotor. "Now then…"

Rotor looked in horror, then scrambled to get away. He didn't get far though, as Tundra grabbed him again.

"A coward to the end. I don't know why I expected anything else."

"Dad…please…"

"Silence!" Tundra threw Rotor to the ground, pinning him underfoot. "You waste your time building useless garbage, and when things get bad, you cower behind your toys or run away! You are no son of mine. You're not worthy of the blood in your veins. You aren't even worthy of being called a walrus." He narrowed his eyes in disgust. "You're a worm. A pathetic, sniveling, cowardly worm . And it's time I did what I should've done years ago!"

Rotor watched as Tundra opened his mouth, preparing to fire another ice beam and freeze him like he did Knuckles. Seeing no way out, Rotor closed his eyes and waited for the end.

"Hey, Tundra!"

Rotor's eyes snapped open at that voice. "Skeeter!?"

Tundra blinked. "Hshkeetuh?"

"Take this!"

Rotor looked up to see Skeeter bring his bat down on Tundra's head. The blow didn't hurt him, but it caused him to shut his mouth right as the ice beam fired. Tundra's cheeks puffed out and his jaw stretched open as a huge chunk of ice formed in his mouth; a few icicles even came out his nose. The larger walrus clutched his throat, desperately struggling to breathe.

"Now, take this!"

Skeeter landed on Tundra's shoulders and began rapidly bopping him on the head. The Egg Boss gagged and stumbled about, flailing his arms as he tried to get the younger walrus off his head. Seizing this opportunity, Rotor got out from under Tundra's boot and forced himself up.

"Dammit!" Rotor coughed. "Skeeter! Jump off!"

"Huh!?"

Rotor leaped up and punched Tundra right in the stomach.

"Uh-oh!" Skeeter leaped off of Tundra's shoulders as the Egg Boss stumbled backward and fell over. "Whoa! That was…!"

"C'mon!"

Rotor grabbed Skeeter and ran off with him, leaving Tundra flat on his back.

"Rotor!" Skeeter exclaimed. "What are you doing!?"

"I should be asking you that, you idiot!"

"I was fighting Tundra and saving your life!"

"Skeeter, you just attacked an Egg Boss!"

"And won!"

"You could've got yourself killed! You–!"

A furious roar reached their ears. "Crap! We gotta–Ahh!"

Suddenly, a wave of force knocked the two walrus brothers over.

"Owie…" Skeeter managed

"Oh man…" Rotor let out.

The brothers turned to see Tundra hunched over and panting. His body was wrapped in a fiery, orange aura, the ice in his mouth, nose, and throat melted. He breathed heavily, occasionally coughing up water and hunks of slush; but most of all, he was seething with rage.

"Oh-no…"

Skeeter gaped, getting a good look at his face. "D-Dad?"

Tundra looked up at his two boys, blinking.

"S…Skeeter…?"

Skeeter slowly stepped forward, looking on in fear and disbelief at the sight of his thought-to-be-dead father standing before him as his enemy.

"Daddy…is that you?"

Rotor held Skeeter back. "Skeeter, no!"

"But–!"

"That's not Dad anymore! That's–!"

Tundra let out a painted grunt. The two looked on in shock as the Egg Boss suddenly doubled over and clutched his head in pain.

"What the…?"

Tundra reached out to his sons, his voice strained. "Ro…tor…Skeet…er…rrrrruuuuun…!"

"No…" Rotor gasped. "It can't be…"

"Dad!" Skeeter ran over to Sherman.

"Skeeter!"

Skeeter got close to Sherman. "Dad! Dad, are you okay!?"

Sherman roared in pain, visibly struggling for control over his body. Skeeter shook his father, trying to snap him out of it.

"Dad! It's me, Skeeter! I–!"

Sherman suddenly struck Skeeter, sending him skidding forward a few feet. Skeeter yelped, looking up at him in fear.

"D-Dad?"

"You…little…bastard!" Tundra fired off a beam.

"Dad!" Skeeter screamed.

"No!" Rotor ran over, grabbing Skeeter and throwing him out of the way, causing him to take the brunt of the beam, freezing him over.

"Rotor!" Skeeter ran over to Rotor.

"S-Skeet…a-are you ok-k-ay?" Rotor managed.

Skeeter just nodded fearfully.

"Good…now…g-get…outta here…" Rotor passed out.

"No!" Skeeter shook him. "Rotor, get up! Come on, get up! Please!"

Skeeter looked up to see Tundra advancing, standing between him and his brother. "No! Stay back! Leave us alone!"

Tundra readied another blast, only for a fireball to hit him in the face.

"What!?" Suddenly, Kat grabbed Skeeter and Rotor. "Kat!"

"Not now…" Kat wheezed out hoarsely as they took off, Tundra shaking off the cinders.

"You little…I'm gonna…!" Tundra blinked, realizing they were gone. "Dammit! They got away!"

"Master Tundra!" Berg approached. "Are you alright, sir?"

"I'm fine, Berg. Just pissed off that we lost Winters."

"I see. My condolences, sir."

Tundra scoffed. "What do you want?"

"Sir, the last of the capsules have taken flight and are on their way back to the ship. We've hit our quota and we're ready to proceed to phase two."

Tundra took a deep breath. "Good…let's get going."

Tundra walked off.

"One last thing, sir. I noticed you had a reunion with your son. How–?" That got him a punch in the face.

"Do NOT mention that boy in my presence!" Tundra roared. "Do you understand me, Berg!?"

"I'm sorry, sir! I–!"

Tundra stomped on Berg's body. "Not yet you aren't!"

Tundra raised a fist, preparing to continue beating Berg, only for Boreas to grab his hand. "That's enough, Master Tundra."

"Boreas…" Tundra growled.

"We have completed our mission and acquired plenty of prisoners. It's time to move on."

Tundra took a deep breath. "Very well."

"If it makes you feel better, while we were unable to acquire Winters, we managed to acquire some…lovely consolation prizes."

Boreas motioned to the side. Tundra followed his talons to find Frazil, Glacia, and Fern carrying Porker, Johnny, Tekno, Shorty, Bunnie, and Knuckles, all unconscious, badly wounded, and frozen solid. Tundra grins.

"Excellent. Now then…" Tundra pulled out a rainbow crystal of his own. "Time for Operation On The Rocks to begin in earnest."

Tundra activated the crystal, causing a rainbow portal to open up. "Winter…is here!"

Sometime later…

"Rotor?" came Cobar's voice. "Rotor, can you hear me?"

Rotor slowly opened his eyes with a groan. "Co...bar?"

"Thank Aurora...!" Cobar sighed in relief. "I was thinking you'd never wake up."

"Cobar...what...?" Rotor sat up and heard the sloshing of water. "What the...?" He looked down to see he was in a tub of hot water, yelping in shock. "Where the heck are my clothes!?"

"Here," Cobar handed him a towel. "Dry off. We've got clean ones."

"Thanks…" The walrus slowly stepped out, covering himself before looking around. "Cobar, where are we?"

"Diamond Stadium. We had it converted into a shelter after–"

Rotor perked. "Wait, shelter?"

"Sally will explain everything. It's been…" Cobar sighed. "It's been one hell of a week, babe."

Rotor's eyes widened. "I've been out for a week?!

"Yes." Cobar nodded. "Sonic and Sally just thawed out yesterday."

"Oh, fugg…"

"It's okay, they're both fine. Kathryn's fire is no joke."

"Don't have to tell me twice," Rotor's eyes widened. "Crap! Skeeter! Dad! I completely forgot!"

Rotor ran off, heading down the hall.

"Rotor, wait!" Cobar called out, going after him.

"Dammit! Skeeter! Skeeter, where are you!? Skeet–!

Rotor bumps into someone, knocking him to the ground.

"Ow!" Rotor looked down to see he had rammed into Sonic, the hedgehog clutching his abdomen.

"Sonic!"

"Ow, my ribs…" Sonic looked up to see Rotor. "Rote! You're awake!"

"Forget that! Where's my brother?! Where's Skeeter?!

"My guess, with Chris and the others." Sonic stood up with an effort.

"Oh thank Aurora..."

"Sonic!" Sonic stiffened before sighing, turning around to see Sheriff Wachowski approach. "There you are. Mind explaining to me why I just got a call from the infirmary saying you went AWOL?"

"Need to get back to work, Donut Lord," Sonic replied.

"Dr. Quack said you still have fourteen broken bones!" Tom objected.

"Which means, going by Tails' biology lessons, I still have a hundred and ninety-two not broken ones. Besides, I heal fast. I'm not gonna lay around getting bed sores and eating crappy hospital food when the entire city's going through an Ice Age."

"Wait, what!?" Rotor exclaimed.

-X-

A bit later, Sonic and Cobar had led Rotor - now dried off and fully dressed - out to the stadium. The entire building had been turned into a makeshift refugee camp. Tents and cots dotted the field so people had a place to sleep, the snack bars had been converted into soup kitchens, and the dome had been sealed shut.

"Dear Aurora…" Rotor let out in astonishment. "It's like Chaos all over again."

"Yeah…" Sonic agreed.

"Sonic! Rotor!"

The two turned to see Sally and Flip running toward them. The penguin had traded his tracksuit and sweatband for a red, sleeveless shirt and baggy, red pants with black and white accents and rims around the bottoms of the leggings, red gloves with white accents and fingers, as well as matching, flipper-like sneakers, and a red and white poker visor. Upon seeing Rotor, Flip tackle-hugged him.

"You're awake! Oh, thank Odin!"

"Flip, Tundra…"

"We know. He's…He's your pop." Flip hugged Rotor harder. "I'm sorry…"

Rotor paused for a moment, then returned the hug. "Yeah…thanks bud."

Rotor's eyes suddenly widened. "Oh crap, Auntie Chiffon! Is she–!?"

"Easy man, she's okay," Flip assured him. "We got her and Chumley out and back home safe and sound."

Rotor sagged in relief. "Thank goodness!"

Sally approached Sonic. "Sonic, what are you doing up? You should be resting!"

Sonic stood firm. "Tundra took our friends and froze the city. We need all hands on deck, Sal. I'm up and about whether you like it or not."

"Does the phrase 'fourteen broken bones' mean anything to you?"

"Yeah. I have a hundred and ninety-two non-broken ones."

"Guys, guys!" Flip cut in. "Can we not, please? Seriously, I've been getting enough of this with the others."

"Guys, what's going on?" Rotor asked. "You said the city was in an Ice Age?"

"Right…" Sally snapped to attention. "You just woke up. Nicole…"

"Already on it."

Nicole brought up a newsfeed. Rotor looked on in shock at the sight of Station Square in the middle of a massive blizzard. The streets were buried in snow and ice. Harsh, brutal winds blew everywhere. Most of the lights in the area were out, suggesting a blackout. All in all, the city looked dead.

"What the heck…" Rotor managed. "What happened?"

"The Einherjar," Nicole replied. "After the battle with Tundra and his men, they used some kind of device to open up this strange portal."

She brought up an image of the school. High in the sky above the stadium was a large, rainbow-colored rift. Icy blue energy was pouring out of it, turning to snow and wind as it descended on the city

"What's that stuff coming out of it?" Rotor asked.

"No clue," Flip replied. "But whatever it is, it's turning everything into...well, home."

"At first, it just started getting colder," Cobar recalled. "Then, on the second day, it started snowing. Then, it turned into a full-blown blizzard!"

"Over half the city is without power or water," Sally chimed in. "The roads are almost completely blocked or iced over. And with little way of preserving food and all the refugees we keep bringing in, it's looking like we'll have to start rationing soon."

Rotor was horrified. "No way…"

"Comin' through!" Rotor and the others turned to see Sticks and Hope running through with a cart.

"Sally!" Hope called out. "We got a new batch of refugees coming in! One of them's got a bad case of frostbite!"

"Crap!" Sally cursed. "Get them to Kat as soon as you can. If she's too busy, go see Sealia."

"On it!" Sticks said. "Floor it, Hope!" And with that, they sped off.

Sally sighed. "One thing after another."

"Let go…!"

"Antoine, no!"

Everyone saw Antoine struggling to get off a cot, his chest bandaged up as Amy tried to keep him down.

"Let me go, Amy! I have to save Bunnie!"

"Antoine, please! You need to rest!" Amy pleaded.

"Antoine! Amy!"

The two turned to see Rotor and the others heading over.

"Rotor! You're up!" Amy declared.

"Welcome back, mon ami," Antoine greeted. "How are you feeling?"

"Well, I'm alive."

"Well…that has to count for something." Antoine clutched his chest in pain.

"Antoine, lie down!" Amy ordered. "If you struggle like this, you'll reopen your wounds!"

"These? These wounds…are nothing! Nothing…compared to what Bunnie and the others are going through! I–"

Antoine suddenly fell over, unconscious. The group turned to see Guntiver removing his finger from his neck. The wolf had also changed clothes. Now wearing green, white-toed sneakers with gold accents, matching gloves, black pants with green accents, a vest jacket with a color scheme inverse to that of his pants, and a black T-shirt.

"Sorry about that, but it was clear he wasn't going to stop."

"Thank you, Guntiver," Amy told him.

"Guntiver…" Rotor let out.

"Rotor…" Guntiver put a hand on Rotor's shoulder. "Welcome back to Midgard. I'd ask how you're feeling, but I feel the answer to that is obvious."

Rotor nodded. "What was Antoine talking about?"

"Your friends…" Guntiver sighed. "They were defeated and captured by Tundra's minions."

"What!?" Guntiver nodded, to which Rotor shook his head. "No…No way…You can't be serious!"

"He ain't lyin', Rote," Sonic confirmed. "Tangle, Bunnie, Shadow, Knuckles, Porker, Johnny, Tekno, and Shorty…they all got nabbed. Would've got me and Sal too if it weren't for Gunt and Flip."

"Happy to help, True Blue." Flip gave a salute at that.

"Wait…what about the others? Gust, Erma…"

"Everyone else is fine," Gunt assured. "We all managed to escape."

Rotor sighed in relief. "Thank Aurora…"

"Unfortunately, that's where the good news ends," Gunt went on. "After it was revealed that your father was the Artikan Egg Boss. Things got…ugly."

Rotor blinked. "Uhhh…ugly how?"

"Say that again!" Erma's voice came, followed by a loud clatter and Sealia yelping.

"Dammit!"

Guntiver ran off, the others following. Eventually, the group arrived at a group of tents, a sign designating them as belonging to BLIZZARD. They had arrived just in time to see a furious Erma staring down Sealia, Augustus beside her. Erma was now clad in a pair of black sweatpants and a pink and white sweatshirt, and pink and white shoe boots, while Sealis wore a blue and white striped turtleneck sweater and a black garment around her waist that resembled a cross between a pant leg and a skirt. And Augustus…was clad in nothing but a pair of navy blue shorts and shoes with black and gold accents that exposed his toes.

Like the Flip and Guntiver, the trio wore colored gloves with white fingers over their hands (black fingers for Augustus); Erma's were rose pink, Sealia's black, and Augustus' navy.

"Erma, stop!" Sealia cried. "You're being completely irrational!"

"I'm irrational!? I'm irrational!?" Erma shouted. "You're telling me we should forgive that fat, purple traitor after what he did, and you call me irrational!?"

"None of us could have predicted that Monsieur Sherman was Tundra!" Sealia argued. "And besides, you heard what Skeeter said, he's clearly not in his right mind!"

"I'm not talking about Tundra!" the ermine snapped. "I'm talking about Rotor!"

"I'm sorry, sis," Gust said. "But Erma's got a point. None of this would've happened if–"

"Augustus the Polar Bear, I swear, if you finish that sentence, I will–!"

"What is going on here!?" Guntiver shouted, stopping everyone in their tracks. "I step away for a few minutes and you all are halfway ready to go to war!"

"Guntiver!" Sealia cried. " Dieu merci! Please, try and talk some sense into these two! They're completely off their rockers!"

"Says the girl saying we should be buddy-buddy with you-know-who again like it's no big deal!" Erma snapped.

"I'm willing to overlook a lot of stuff, Gunt," Gust added. "But not this!"

Guntiver pinched the bridge of his nose. "Oh for the love of…"

Erma turned to see Rotor standing behind him, her temper flaring.

"And what the hell is he doing here!?" she demanded, storming over to him.

Sonic and Flip stepped between them, while Cobar stood right beside Rotor.

"Hey!" Sonic shouted. "Back off, Pinky the Mink!"

"I'm an ermine, you blue rat!"

"Hedgehog."

"Don't care!"

"Erma, chill!" Flip cried.

"Shut it, Flip!" Erma snapped at him, getting a shocked squawk out of him before she turned her attention to Sonic and Rotor. "Now, move aside so I can do us all a favor and throw this fat bastard out in the ice where he belongs!"

Sonic looked her right in the eye. "No."

"Excuse me?"

"I don't know what your beef is with Rotor, and frankly, I don't care. He's our friend, and he's suffered enough. You'll get to him over my dead, frostbitten carcass."

"Friend, huh?" Erma chuckled mirthlessly. "He was our friend once too, Blue. Then he stabbed us in the fugging back!"

"Erma!" Gunt objected.

"Stop protecting him, Guntiver!" Erma shrieked. "None of this would be happening if Rotor didn't ditch us when we needed him most!"

"What are you talking about!?" Sally demanded.

"What am I talking about? He's the reason the Einherjar exist in the first place!"

Everyone stood there, stunned.

"Hold on…what!?"

"Tundra, the Einherjar… it all leads back to Rotor ditching us and running off to play hero on the Acorn Archipelago!" Erma spat.

"That's bullshit!" Sonic shouted. "He left because everybody was giving him flak–!"

"Because he's gay?" Erma interrupted, catching Sonic off-guard. "Yeah, we all know. And because he left, Iceborough was completely defenseless when Akhlut and the Orca Pod invaded!"

"What!?" Sonic shouted.

"How does Rotor running away factor into any of that!?" Nicole demanded.

"Rotor isn't a fighter, he's a mechanic!"

"No, but his dad is…or was." Gust stepped forward. "Ain't that right, Tusker?"

Rotor flinched. "Yeah…he was."

"Rotor?" Sonic questioned.

"Sonic…there's something I need to tell you." The walrus took a deep breath. "I…didn't just leave Iceborough because of my sexuality. I did it…to get away from my father."

Sonic and the other Knothole crew present gaped at that.

"Hold on," Sonic began. "'Get away from your father'?"

"Rotor, what's going on?" Cobar asked worriedly.

"You still have that sardine tin, Cobar?" Cobar nodded and pulled one out, handing it to his lover. "You guys know why my dad is on this tin?"

Everyone shakes their heads. "Yeah, I'm not surprised. Well, he's on it because my dad is something of a hero."

Sonic nodded. "Yeah, he fought in the Great War. Squad Saturn. But a lot of people fought in the War and they didn't get their own fish tins."

"Is this guy for real?" Flip asked, prompting Sonic to raise an eyebrow and the penguin's eyes to widen. "Holy Frigga, he is."

Erma shook her head. "That's just sad."

"Monsieur Sonic… Sherman Walrus may just be another soldier to you," Sealia explained. "But up in Artika, he's a living legend."

Sonic perked. "He is?"

"Yeah…"

Everyone turned to see Skeeter exit the tent. He looked completely drained; a stark contrast to the energy and anger he showed earlier. Tear stains trailed down his face, complementing the dark circles around his eyes. Skeeter was wearing a pair of black pajama pants and a yellow T-shirt with a picture of Sherman piledriving a large, muscular man with long, curly, black hair in a leotard.

"Skeeter…" Rotor ran over to his brother, hugging him. "You okay, lil' bro?"

The younger walrus paused for a moment before letting out a sigh. "Yeah…" he said, his voice tired and monotone. "I…heard you guys talking about Dad and…"

He took a shuddering breath, unable to finish his sentence without bursting into tears again.

"Skeet…" Rotor began. "I–"

"Not now, Boomer…" Skeeter held up his hand. "Just…not now…" Rotor watched as Skeeter pulled away from him and went to join his friends, giving his older brother only a brief, sorrowful glance.

"Skeet…"

"Poor thing," Sally whispered.

"Skeeter and his pop were real close," Flip explained. "He was only five when the Orca Raid happened."

"Damn…" Sonic breathed. "No wonder he's been so angry."

"You uhhh…mentioned that Mr. Walrus was something of a local legend?" Cobar asked, wanting to change the subject.

Gust nodded. "We Artikans are descended from Vikings and what a lotta Southers call 'barbarians'. Fighting has been a part of our way of life for years, even after we became 'civilized'."

"As a result, warriors, hunters, and other fighters are held in higher regard than they are down south. Especially if they've accomplished several great deeds," Guntiver continued.

"I'm guessing he had accomplished quite a few then."

"Tons…" Skeeter said, perking up a little. "He fought in the Great War against GUN. He was a super famous wrestler." He smiled and chuckled fondly. "And he used to go fishing for sea monsters and punch 'em in the face!"

Sonic whistled.

"Seriously!?" Sally uttered in disbelief.

"Non, but he was a tres bien mariner," Sealis clarified.

"And most of all, he was the Hero of Iceborough," Guntiver picked up. "If someone there needed help with something, he'd always be there to lend a hand."

Flip stepped in at that. "And when guys like Akhlut came a-knocking, he'd be there to kick their butts and send 'em swimming with their tails between their legs!"

Flip shouted and yelped as he did some martial arts moves, only to lose his footing and fall on his tail feathers, earning him sighs from Erma and Sealia.

"The point is," Sealia continued, "Up north, Sherman Walrus is a household name. Most women and some men want to be with him, and most men and some women want to be him.

"So, the day he settled down and popped out kids was one that everyone celebrated," Gust continued. "They would be the next generation of the greatest warrior in all of Artika. Everyone had high hopes for Sherman's kid.

"Instead, all we got was this useless sack of lard," Erma sneered, leering at Rotor out of the corner of her eye.

Rotor glared at Erma. "Seriously, Erma?"

"Don't give me that look, it's true and you know it. Always piddling around with your tinker toys; trying to 'bring Artika into a new age' or whatever."

"I was trying to make life better for everyone!"

"Yeah, by blowing us all up!" Gust snapped. "Maybe if you'd spent a little more time training and less time in your lab doing Thor-knows-what, folks wouldn't have given you so much flak!"

"Well maybe if everyone pulled their heads out of their butts and gave technology a chance, they'd–"

"They'd all become fat, lazy, cowardly weaklings like you!"

Everyone gaped at Erma in shock, even Gust and Skeeter.

"Artika doesn't need all these fancy gadgets and junk, Rotor! We'd been getting through life alright with nothing but our own blood, sweat, and tears!" She walked over and poked him in the chest. "But you always had to go and make a mess of everything because you couldn't keep up with everyone and were too much of a wuss to handle a little hard work!"

Rotor gaped at Erma like she had grown a second head. "Not handle…I was busting my ass and getting exploded almost every day so that we could get out of the Dark Ages like the rest of Mobius!"

"Well, maybe we don't wanna be like the rest of Mobius!" Erma shouted. "Maybe we're happy with the way things are! Maybe you're the one who needs to be better! You ever stop and think about that, Boomer!?"

Rotor's eyes widened with rage, silence falling over everyone.

"Sacre bleu…" Sealia let out.

"Take. That. Back…" Rotor grit out.

"No," Erma replied. "We all know it's the truth."

"Uhhh…Erma…?" Gust pointed nervously at Rotor, but was ignored.

"Take it back!"

"Make me!"

"Erma, seriously…"

"I told you to shut it, Flip!"

"Erma, that's enough!" Guntiver pleaded, Skeeter cowering behind him, too scared to say anything.

"No, it's not!" The ermine shouted before turning back to Rotor. "Maybe you don't wanna hear this, Rotor, but you need to! If you had just manned up and stopped trying to mess with things that didn't need messing with, none of this would've happened! Akhlut and the Orca Pod wouldn't have been able to wreck Iceborough, your dad wouldn't have become Tundra, and the Einherjar wouldn't even exist. But instead, you ran off like a little bitch the second things got too tough for you! Now all of Artika's suffering for it and it's all your–!"

"SHUT THE FUGG UP, ERMA!"

Rotor punched a table, smashing it to pieces. Everyone looked on in shock at his sudden outburst; even Erma, who took a step back.

"You wanna know why I left to begin with?!" Rotor took a deep breath. "Because Dad told me to my face that he wished I was normal! Exactly what you said just now!"

That took everyone aback.

"My word…" Cobar breathed.

"Did… he really say that?" Sealia asked.

"Yes." Rotor nodded. "We were arguing about my dream to be an inventor. It was after one of my machines blew up again...it was a big one. I...don't remember much of what we talked about. But...I remember yelling that 'I was sorry for being the one thing in his life that wasn't perfect'. We argued some more...got pretty heated. And then, the last thing I remember him saying was ' You need to be better'."

Rotor pulled his hat over his eyes.

"So, I ran away to South Island after coming out of the closet... and while I was gone, Akhlut attacked. My mom died in the raid, and now my dad is the latest Egg Boss." He glared at Erma, angry, bitter tears in his eyes. "You wanna tell me how stupid and selfish I was to run away and leave Iceborough unattended? That I screwed up royally? Thanks. I already got the memo."

Sonic shot Erma a look of pure anger; the ermine just looked down at her feet in shame.

"Yeah…" the hedgehog began coldly, "Maybe in the future, you hold off on the hostility and consider other people's side of the story before shooting your mouth off about shit you know nothing about, Pinky."

"I-I…"

Erma paused. Everyone was glaring daggers at her. Even her friends. Even Gust - and he had been on her side. In the end, she couldn't bring herself to say anything. She just sighed and walked away, her head held in shame. Everyone watched her go as Rotor slowly rubbed his face and sighed.

"Look, you guys can think whatever you want about me. Hate me, look down on me, criticize me, I don't care. But I need you to bury it. Everything you're feeling, everyone you wanna hurt. I need you to put it aside and focus on what needs to be done. And right now, that's stopping Tundra and saving everyone he captured."

" Oui …" Sealia chimed in.

"Sorry 'bout that, Tusker," Gust replied sheepishly.

Skeeter simply nodded.

"Well, Princess Sally, it seems we'll be having our first mission together," Guntiver said.

"That we do, Guntiver," Sally replied. "That we do."

"Awww yeah!" Flip cheered. "BLIZZARD's joined the Freedom Fighters for reals now! Can I get a woot-woot!?"

No 'woot-woot' was given. Only awkward stares.

"Waaark…you guyyyyys…"

"There-there, Flip," Rotor said, putting a hand on the penguin's shoulder. "It's alright."

"Alright, I'll go get the others," Sonic said. "Hopefully by now, everyone else has recovered enough so we can come up with a plan."

"But where are you even going to start?" Cobar asked.

As if on cue, someone entered the tent.

"Guys…"

Everyone turned around as Kat came over to the group. She had bags under her eyes and looked absolutely exhausted. "You are not gonna believe who I just unthawed…"

-X-

Kat led the others to the first aid tents, where several refugees had gathered for treatment, stopping at a tent that was conspicuously devoid of people.

"Okay, before we do this, one thing." She turned to BLIZZARD. "Guntiver, I need you and your team to try and keep an open mind here and not do anything crazy...Like run off and attack them like an idiot."

"Hey!" Skeeter protested.

"Don't." she stared right at the little walrus. "I mean it. No one jumps the gun. No one tries to start anything. You do, and I will throttle the lot of you."

Kat's warning was met with several nervous gulps and whispers; the Artikans were too afraid to respond.

Finally, Guntiver spoke up. "Miss Winters, what are you talking about?"

"Yeah, who are these guys?" Sonic added.

Kat took a breath, then pulled the tent flaps aside.

"AHCHOO!"

"What the...!?"

The group walked inside and nearly fell over as soon as they saw who was inside.

"Ugh…Aggie…is the c-c-cocoa ready yet?" Beauregard Rabbot asked through chattering teeth.

"Just about," Eggatha replied as she grabbed a mug from the table, filled it with hot cocoa from a pot that had been brewing on a stand, and handed it to him. "Here."

"Th-Thank ye…" The rabbit took a shaky sip before relaxing. "Ahhh…much better."

"Mr. Rabbot!?" Sally shouted, causing Beau to yelp and nearly spill his drink. Fortunately, Metal caught it and handed it back to him.

"Be more careful," the robot chided. "We don't need to be treating you for burns too."

"Right, thanks," Beau replied testily before calming down and turning his attention to the others. "Howdy kids! Good ta see ya again…ACHOO!"

"Likewise…" Sonic replied.

"Are you alright, sir?" Rotor asked. "You seem kinda…"

The group took in Beauregard's current state. The Wyldwest Egg Boss was lying on a reclining bed, wrapped up in a blanket; his one organic arm sticking out. His clothes had been hung from a makeshift line, wet, dripping, and still covered with bits of snow in places, while parts of his three prosthetic limbs could be seen peeking out from under a sheet in a basket in the corner.

"Just a case of the sniffles, son." he sniffled. "Nothin' to worry yerselves about."

"He got severe frostbite around his prosthetics," Metal bluntly explained. "Also a cold."

"Thank you, Metal," Beau grit out. "That will be all."

"You wouldn't be like this if you'd waited for the winter prosthetics," Eggatha reprimanded.

"Julie said they were built ta handle extreme temperatures!"

"Yours were built for extreme heat , not cold," Metal pointed out from where he was sitting on a small stool in the tent. "You were assigned a desert territory. Why would the doctor waste time applying ice protection to them?"

Eggatha pinched her forehead. "Seriously, I tried to warn you, but you didn't listen."

"Well 'scuuuuuse me!" the rabbit griped. "I just happened ta be a lil' preoccupied with learnin' my dead best friend is alive and the new psycho on the block!"

Beauregard broke into a coughing fit, causing Eggatha to shake her head and sigh in exasperation.

"Oh brother..." she turned to the others and gave them a wave and curtsy. "Greetings everyone! I'm Agatha Kintobor, better known as Eggatha Robotnik, Staff Officer of the Egg Army, as well as Personal Aide and second niece to Dr. Ivo Robotnik. It's nice to meet you!"

She then motioned to her companions. "This long-eared idiot is Beauregard Rabbot."

"Ex-Acorn Special Forces and new Wyldwest Egg Boss." Beau raised his mug in greeting.

"Metal Sonic." The bot didn't elaborate further.

BLIZZARD just stood there, blinking.

"Got any more of that cocoa?" Flip asked.

"Yeah, I made a big pot."

Aggie headed to a large coffee brewer with an Eggman Empire symbol on it, a brown liquid brewing in the bottom. Grabbing the pot, she made her way to a tray of mugs she had laid out beforehand and began pouring drinks and handing them out to everyone.

"Here you are!"

"Ah, thank you very much," Guntiver replied. At that, everyone in BLIZZARD took a deep swig…and then proceeded to do a group spit take (into their mugs, fortunately).

"What the warkin' wark !?" Flip shouted.

"The Eggperial Staff Officer, here!?" Sealia screamed. "How!? What!? Why!?"

"You bastards!" Skeeter shouted, rushing at Eggatha, only for Guntiver to grab him.

"Skeeter, no!"

"Lemme go, Gunt!" the younger walrus demanded. "She's Eggman's niece! She's one of the bad guys! She–!"

Immediately, Kat went over and grabbed Skeeter on the back of Skeeter's neck, causing him to go limp and fall asleep.

"I know I said I'd throttle you, but I am beyond exhausted at this point." She then proceeded to take Skeeter from Guntiver and walk out with him. "I'll get him back to your tent. You guys stay here for the meeting."

And with that, she left.

"Sorry, Aggie..." Rotor apologized. "Skeeter's been through a lot."

Aggie nodded sympathetically.

"He just found out his dad's the biggest psycho in the Egg Bosses. Trust me, I get it." She let out a sigh. "Aurora…and I thought Kage was bad."

Eggatha then walked over to Metal, flopping on his lap and rubbing her face.

"So...Aggie," Sonic began. "If you're here, I'm assuming this is another one of your double-crosses?"

"Wait... double-cross?" Gust asked.

"I send secrets of the Egg Army to the Freedom Fighters on the regular," Aggie explained.

"Seriously!?" Flip shouted. "Dang, girl! You got some snowballs!"

"It's an open secret." She chuckled. "He actually approves of me 'Playing both fields'."

"Pardon?" Sealia asked.

"But, that's irrelevant, especially now, since he sent me here."

"Hold on," Sally cut in. "Eggman sent you here?"

"He did."

Eggatha reached into her pocket and pulled out a black, tablet-like device; the words EGG PAD around an Eggman symbol emblazoned on the back.

"This device has everything on Tundra. What happened to him, how he became the way he is, battle specs, everything."

She handed the Egg Pad to Sally.

"Nicole?"

"Beginning Cyberdive, now."

Nicole leaped out of her handheld and dove into the Egg Pad, dissolving into pink pixels as she hit the screen. A few moments later, she leaped out, and as soon as she hit the floor, fell to her knees and started dry heaving.

"Nicole!" Sally immediately ran to her side; Sonic right beside her.

"Are you alright!?" the hedgehog asked worriedly.

Nicole didn't reply. She just ran straight for a nearby bucket and leaned over it before vomiting; to everyone's shock and concern.

"Did…Nicole just puke?" Sonic asked in disbelief. "Can A.I., uh, Holo-Mobians puke?"

Rotor shook his head in confusion, unable to form a response. He didn't need to though, as Nicole suddenly looked up from the bucket and gasped.

"By Aurora!" She coughed. "I…This…How can anyone…!?"

"Yeah," Eggatha said with a wince. "It's bad."

"Bad!?" Nicole slowly got up, wiping a bit of pixel hanging from her mouth with her sleeve. "Bad does not even begin to describe it, Agatha. That was… Aurora! That made the Dust Riders look like saints!"

"You kiddin'?" Beau scoffed. "Them fellers make Jesse look like Ghandi. Heck, Tundra even said the kid had 'moxie'."

Sonic and Sally shuddered in horror as they remembered what they'd witnessed and heard in Sand Blast City.

"Wait a minute," Flip cut in. "Can we rewind to the part about Eggman sending you with all this info? Are you saying he wants us to stop Tundra?"

"That's right." Eggatha nodded, then looked at the others. "Freedom Fighters, by the power invested in me by Dr. Ivo Robotnik as Chief of Staff of the Eggperial Army, I formally request that you help us put an end to Operation On the Rocks and take down Tundra and his Einherjar."

Author's Note:

Tundra has just dealt the Freedom Fighters a serious blow, but why does Eggman want him stopped!? The answers will be revealed next time.

A word from WindstarOsprey:

BLIZZARD/The Arctic Freedom Fighters designs and outfits are inspired by a Post-Reboot Archie-style revamp created by artist Pamela Ojeda aka Drawloverlala. Used with her permission (Thank you!).

Pic Link:

https drawloverlala dot tumblr dot com post 160720434326 the-arctic-freedom-fighters-redesign-plus

Also, check her out on Twitter (not X, I refuse to call it X):

http twitter dot com Drawloverlala

And her card:

https drawloverlala dot carrd dot co

Please R&R. Until next time!