-Chapter 280-

Getting Fraziled

CONTENT WARNING: Somewhat graphic violence near the end of the chapter. Viewer discretion is advised.

BLIZZARD HQ, several hours ago

"Alright, now that we've established what we're up against..." Eggatha began. "We can work on how we go up against it."

"Hold on..." Gust cut in. "Aren't you Eggman's number two or something? Can't you just use whatever fancy programming you put in the Einherjars' machine parts to zap them into submission?"

Eggatha looked at him. "Don't you think I tried that already? They've disabled all my failsafes. And more than that, Tundra's been in charge of cyberization here in Artika, so no one here has the Crack Protocol."

Everyone was shocked at that.

"Holy...!"

"Are you kidding me!?"

"What the hell, Aggie!?"

"Alright, alright!" Eggatha cut in. "It was an oversight, we know. Uncle was far too trusting. Trust me when I say he's regretting his leniency now."

"Well, if nothing else, this works in our favor," Sally mused.

"How?!" Kat demanded.

"Any Egg Soldiers who aren't psychotic madmen or haven't been completely indoctrinated will be able to be set free. And since there's no Crack Protocol to fry their systems..."

Kat perked before facepalming. "Of course… they don't have to fear repercussions."

"More importantly, they could help us better understand the Cyberization process and systems!" Hope realized. "We'd be able to defeat them more effectively! Or maybe even figure out a way to disable the Crack Protocol for good!"

"I think you're counting your Cuckies before they hatch, Hope," Gunt pointed out.

"Right… Sorry." Hope rubbed the back of her neck. "We just..."

"I know," Gunt assured. "We've had people stolen from us too. For now, we need to focus on shutting down the Einherjars' operations. And I believe the best place to start would be the Ginnunga Gap mines. Without the Ragnium, they won't have any fuel for their implants and weapons."

"That's where I'm going," Kat declared.

"Miss Winters..." Gunt was cut off by the glare Kat gave him.

"Guntiver, my brother is there. And right now, I am dealing with more PTSD and trauma than I've had to stomach in years. I'm going to the gap, and Gaia help anyone who tries to stop me."

"She means it, Gunt," Gust cautioned.

Gunt looked at her determined stare before giving in. "Very well… Though, getting inside may prove...difficult."

"What do you mean?" Hope asked.

"To prevent prisoners from escaping, the Einherjar have sealed off every entrance to the mines. All but one… and it's underwater. Deep underwater."

Kat clenched her teeth. "And even with an Air Necklace and my fire, I'd die of hypothermia before ever reaching the gap…"

"Yeah... We would need a high-tech, heavily armored and insulated submarine capable of withstanding pressures up to fifty thousand fathoms!" Tails laughed. "Oh wait, we have one."

"Good thinking," Erma said. "One issue. You really think you can get a sub into the gap unnoticed?"

"Maybe not the sub..." Hope admitted, before a thought popped into her head. "But… If we were to fire a torpedo capsule from a good distance, we could send a team out and swim inside!"

"Just like a Joe Sushi movie!" Skeeter exclaimed.

"Yeah, but Joe Sushi was just doing stunts," Kat pointed out. "And no one can feasibly survive being shot from a torpedo. Even in a capsule. Hell, I doubt even I could."

"The capsules are super-reinforced and you'd be released long before crashing into something." Tails pointed out. "Then, you could use your fire powers to jet the rest of the way there."

Kat turned to him. "Yeah… but there's still the issue of me swimming through sub-zero Artik water, Tails."

"Your fire powers could protect you from that." Tails insisted. "You did act as a living space heater when the deep freeze started."

"...True," Kat allowed. "And the healing nanites could give me a bit of an edge…"

"Then the only other problem I can think of is who goes with you. Sneaking into enemy territory is one thing, but alone…?"

"Yeah, bad idea.

"Not to worry, Mr. Prower," Gunt chimed in. "I have just the person."

Gunt turned to Flip, who was juggling knives. He perked.

"Who, me?"

"Him!?" Kat let out incredulously.

"Flip is our fastest swimmer," Gunt explained. "And he's quick on his feet on land."

"I can vouch for him," Sonic cut in. "He's the one who got me and Sally out of Tundra's warzone."

"That's all well and good but…" Kat sighed. "I don't know, I just… Something about him makes me feel... nauseous."

"Nauseous?" Flip raised an eyebrow. "How? I took a bath three days ago and I've only had fifteen tins of sardines!"

"Not that kind of nauseous. Like…" Kat rubbed her arm, grimacing.

"Well, I don't think you have much of a choice, Miss Winters," Gunt told her. "Sealia's limited on land and Gust is too big for stealth. Just have faith, with Flip, you're in good hands."

"Right..."

The Artik Ocean, Now

Kat and Flip were sitting by the open capsule, dealing with the pre-mission tension in their own ways.

"I'm starting to feel nauseous again…" Kat wiped her forehead.

"Don't you worry, Winters!" Flip said cheerily. kicking his feet back and forth. "You're goin' on a mission with the Flipster! We'll be in and out of Freezerburn Land with everyone faster than you can say 'hokey-pokey'!"

"Shockingly, that is not helping my stomach…"

Tails and Hope arrived at that.

"Alright, here's the plan," Tails began. "These capsule torpedos have a speed of about fifty knots… That's about fifty-seven miles or ninety-one kilometers per hour."

"Fugg…" Kat rubbed her arm.

"Ginnunga Gap is about five minutes from our current position. Once you're close enough, the torpedo will release the capsule and crash into the rocks, distracting security. Use that to sneak into the cave. By my calculations, you'll have anywhere from two-to-four minutes."

Kat took a deep breath, shaking out her hands to release some built up nerves. She checked her Air Necklace and removed her bracers, handing them to Hope. "I need as much fire and strength as I can muster"

"It won't be so bad," Flip insisted. "This is just like a roller coaster! I always wanted to ride one!"

Kat pointed to the open capsule. "Just get in."

"Aye-Aye, Kat-ptain!" Flip saluted before running in. Kat groaned.

"One last thing!" Hope placed Omochao in Kat's arms. "Omochao will be coming with you as our eyes and ears."

"I'm here to help!" Omochao said.

"Flip, here," Kat handed the robo-Chao over. "I may accidentally crush him."

"Roger-dodger!" Flip took him at that.

"Please ensure all safety equipment has been enabled before starting any roller coaster," Omochao chimed in.

"Taken care of!" Tails declared. "Now, buckle up!"

They quickly did so.

"Alright, let's do this thing!" Tails pressed some buttons, the capsule closing. "Capsule protection systems fully online. Loading into torpedo."

The capsule was lowered into the torpedo.

"Inputting coordinates… Firing torpedo in five...four...three...two..." Tails slammed his hand on the button. "ONE!"

The torpedo fired, launching its occupants forward. Inside, both Kat and Flip felt the G-Force, their faces rippling.

"Thiiiiiiiis iiiiiiiiiis awwwwwwwwwesooooooooome!" Flip exclaimed.

"Hoooooow muuuuuuch looooongeeeeeer?!" Kat managed.

"IIIIIIIII dooooooooooon't knooooooooooooow!"

Kat felt herself sinking into the seat.

"Capsule detachment beginning..." Omochao cautioned.

She began taking deep breaths, as if bracing herself. Flip did the same.

"Capsule detaching!"

With one last breath, Kat reeled her fist back and punched with all her strength. The capsule opened up, unleashing a torrent of water. The instant the icy water hit her, Kat let out a pained scream, her muscles seizing up as the cold hit her like a ton of bricks. Thankfully, her phoenix flames kicked in, the bird enveloping her and warming her up. She looked around, eventually spotting a crack in the ice. Kicking her legs, she swam for the crack, punching through it to find herself in an air pocket in the icy rocks. Instantly, she climbed out of the water, the Phoenix flames still enveloping her as they worked to stave off the cold.

"Woo!" Kat turned to see Flip was already here. "That. Was. AWESOMESAUCE!"

Kat looked at the penguin as if he had grown three heads and a tail.

"Awww man...is that what roller coasters are like? No wonder you southerners love 'em so much!"

"I'm from Yurashia," Kat pointed out.

"That's south of Artika, right?"

Kat was silent, focusing on warming herself. After a minute, the phoenix faded from view and she was left dry as a bone. She stood up, letting out a full-body shudder.

"Alright, now to find the mine."

"Kat, Flip, come in!" came Hope's voice. "Can you hear me? Are you okay? Did you get inside?"

Flip looked down at Omochao, Hope's voice coming from his comlink.

"Breaker breaker nineteen," he quipped. "What's your twenty?"

"We're in, Hope," Kat replied. "By some miracle of Gaia… the plan worked."

"Oh thank goodness!"

"See?" Tails' voice chimed in. "Told you it would work."

"We're in an air pocket in the caves," Kat responded. "I think I see something beyond the ice wall though."

"Large amounts of energy detected further inward," Omochao reported. "As well as...clashing temperatures."

"That's gotta be the Ragnium deposits," Flip deduced. "C'mon, it's go time!"

Kat grabbed him by the scruff, stopping him cold.

"Whoa there!" she exclaimed.

"WARK!" Flip exclaimed as Kat yanked him back.

"We can not be stupid about this, Flip," Kat hissed. "We slip up once, make one mistake... and everyone here dies."

"Got it, no stupid."

Kat nodded. "Alright, now it's 'go time'."

"Yes!"

The two of them headed inward.

-X-

Later…

As they made their way through the tunnels, Kat rubbed her temples, feeling her sixth sense overwhelmed.

"Jeez... the Chaos energy in this place is everywhere," she muttered. "I feel like I'm walking through a storm."

"Really?" Flip asked. "I don't feel anything."

"You're not attuned to the Chaos Force like I am."

"Chaos Force?" Flip's eyes lit up. "Like in Galaxy Wars!? Are you a genai!?"

"I'm a Guardian."

"Cooool..." Flip blinked. "So, where's your laser sword?"

"I don't have one. I have a bat and I'm pyrokinetic."

"Ooh, neat! Not as cool as a laser sword, but that's still pretty rad.'

Kat just kept pushing ahead.

"Oh! Does your brother, the red guy, have a laser sword?"

Kat fumed, trying to keep her temper under control. "No one has laser swords. We can just channel Chaos Energy."

"Ahhh...Ooh! Maybe when this is over, we can get Boomer and the other science guys to make you one!"

"I don't need a-" Kat froze, Flip nearly bumping into her.

"Whuzzup?" You okay?"

"Shh…" Kat put her hand on the wall, concentrating. "Do you hear that?"

Flip closed his eyes, grimacing. "Yeah… Pain."

The duo continued onward, seeing a cliff.

"Get down." Kat warned.

Keeping low, they make their way to the edge, peering down… and immediately recoiled in horror.

"Ohh shit..." Flip cursed.

By the Ancients… Kat gasped.

Below them, countless people toiled away in the mines, breaking rocks, harvesting green, glowing crystals, and pushing carts. All the while, Einherjar overseers barked orders and screamed at them, sometimes even beating them.

"Tails, Hope, you seein' this?" Flip whispered.

"Yeah..." Tails replied.

"Kat... is this…" Hope began.

"Yeah…" Kat's tattooed hand trembled, the covered scars tingling. "This is how it was on the Death Egg..."

One of the slaves was carrying a piece of Ragnium over to a cart with a pair of tongs. But the slave was tired and ended up dropping it, breaking the shard. The shard unleashed a small blast, knocking him off his feet.

"Ow..."

"Hey!" the slave stiffened in horror as Frazil the Penguin stomped over to him. "Who the hell said you could take a nap!?"

"I...I..."

"You know the rules! No breaks until your shift ends, meat!"

"But I..." the slave yelped in agony as Frazil whipped him. Kat stiffened, her eyes going glassy as she watched the scene unfold.

"Don't you talk back to me! I OWN YOU!" Frazil continued to whip him. "Now get off your ass and get back to work, or you're yeti food!"

A rock came flying in, hitting Frazil in the back of the head. He grunted, everyone recoiling in shock.

"Holy...!" Flip gasped as Kat snapped out of it.

"Who...did that?" Frazil hissed.

"That would be me!"

All eyes turned to see none other than Knuckles, covered in dirt and standing tall.

"You again..." Frazil hissed.

"Knux..." Kat managed.

"Leave the kid alone, fatass! He's been working nonstop since yesterday!"

"And whose fault was that, Echidna?" Frazil spat.

"Yours! Because you're a fugging slave driver!"

Knuckles stood tall, staring Frazil down as the penguin approached him, brandishing his whip

"How many times do we have to teach you this lesson, boy?"

"I'm not your boy, you tub of lard."

Frazil was about to whip Knuckles, before stopping himself, snorting.

"No. No, you can take a hit." He turned to the exhausted slave before whipping him.

"Hey!" Knuckles shouted as Frazil continued whipping the slave. "What are you doing!?"

"Teaching you a lesson!" Frazil snapped. "You won't learn your lesson and stay in your place no matter what we do to you, so the others will pay the price for your insubordination!

With that, Frazil went into a frenzy, whipping every slave in his path but Knuckles. Kat had to cover her mouth to keep herself silent. She seemed to be slipping into a panic attack with each crack of the whip.

Finally, when it looked like Kat was about to flip out, Flip tackled her.

"Kat, no!"

As he pinned her down, Kat squirmed. Her skin was hot to the touch, and her eyes were distant and cloudy. Whatever she was seeing, it wasn't what was going on before them. If anything, it was probably worse.

"Dammit! Listen to me! I know you wanna go down there and whale on these guys, I do too! But if you do that, the whole plan will be kaputski and everyone will die!"

"Help them..." Kat let out, sounding like a terrified little girl. "Help them..."

"We will! Just hold on a little longer! As soon as we save everyone… Then, you can shove Frazil's ratstink beak into his brain!"

Down below, Frazil was leering at Knuckles. "Learn your lesson, boy?

Knuckles growled. "Alright, alright, fine! You win! Just stop!"

"Beg," Frazil ordered, smirking cruelly. "Grovel like the pathetic weakling you are… and beg."

Knuckles hesitated for only a second before kowtowing Ancient Yurashian style, opening him up for a kick to the face that knocked him flat on his back. Frazil chuckled darkly before turning back to the others.

"Well, what are you standing around for!? Get busy!"

Everyone got back to work, Knuckles limping back to his station.

"Oh, thank Baldur, it's over," Flip sighed.

Kat was still shaken, struggling to breathe. Flip put a flipper on her shoulder.

"Kat, Kat! It's alright, he's still alive. Nobody got killed. It's gonna be okay! And hey. We can find that guy, and you can throw those words right back in his-"

Kat exploded at that, whirling on him. "STOP ACTING LIKE YOU CAN MAGICALLY SOLVE EVERYTHING, SONIC!"

Flip recoiled, blinking in surprise and shock. "Wha?"

"Hey!" came an overseer's voice. "What was that?"

Flip grabbed Kat, quickly hiding. "Carp!"

"I said just wait until Sonic gets here!" Knuckles declared. "He's gonna fix everything. After all, he won't let anyone suffer on his watch."

Another slave whacked him with a hammer. "Shut up, you moron!"

"Alright, alright!"

Knuckles got back to work. Just then, there was a loud whistle.

"Alright, meat!" an overseer yelled. "Lunch time! You got five minutes!"

"Oh thank Aurora!" a slave sighed in relief.

As the overseers handed out rations, Knuckles turned to where Kat and Flip were hiding and threw a rock at the area, getting their attention. He motioned toward a secluded corner, making sure nobody saw him as he slipped over.

"C'mon!"

Flip motioned for Kat to come with him. She was still stunned by her own explosion, but followed. They reached the area and hid among the rocks.

"C'mon, where is he?" Flip let out.

"Pssst!"

The two turned to see Knuckles right behind them.

"Knux..." Kat let out.

"Hey."

She rushed forward and hugged him. Knuckles was startled, but returned the hug.

"You have no idea how happy I am to see you," Knuckles sighed, exhausted.

"Thanks for covering for us back there," Flip said. "Seriously, that was..."

"Understandable. Given what she saw."

"Knuckles!" Knuckles turned to Omochao.

"Tails, hey. I'm guessing Hope's with you if Omochao's here."

"Yeah," Hope confirmed. "We're on our way over to your location to help save everyone."

"Good."

"Knux..." Kat began. "What the hell has been going on?"

"Exactly what you just saw, Kat," Knuckles informed. "Welcome to Ginnunga Gap, the bastard lovechild of Ziggurat of Death and Prince of Bigypt. (1)"

"We figured it was bad when Kat had a panic attack," Tails commented. "But at least now I understand what she meant when she said she felt nauseous."

"Look, we can worry about Kat's nausea later," Flip chimed in. "We got five minutes, Red. What's the skinny on this place?"

Knuckles shook his head. "It's a labyrinth of tunnels. The lower you are, the more work you have to do. We get half an hour for lunch every day and about three hours of rest in shifts…" he grimaced. "Assuming 'Master Frazil' is in a good mood."

"The Big Four in charge," Kat said.

Knuckles nodded. "Yeah, the guy's a total blowhard. A sniveling coward whose only real power comes from these..."

He lifted his head and pointed to his neck, revealing a high-tech slave collar. Kat's fists clenched tight at the sight.

"Bastard…" she whispered as she reached for it.

"No!" Knuckles whispered harshly. "Don't touch it! It's rigged to explode if you try to force it off."

"Explains why you haven't done so yet," Flip stated.

"Hold on," Hope cut in. "Where's Shadow?"

Knuckles made to say something, but before he could…

"Schmengie!"

Everyone turned to see Frazil tapping his flipper impatiently.

"It's noon! My bunions need scraping! Get your black butt over here and scrape them!"

A familiar sigh reached their ears. "Yes, Master…"

The Freedom Fighters (sans Knuckles) gaped in shock as Shadow skulked over to Frazil. He looked the worst out of everyone. Filthy, wounded, and with a distant look in his eye, donned in an old, dirty, threadbare butler suit.

By the Ancients… Kat managed.

"Shadow..." Hope gasped.

Shadow got to work scraping Frazil's bunions, his expression basically dead.

"Oh, that is soooo not cool…" Flip let out in sympathy.

"Yeah…" Knuckles said. "Shadow was deemed 'unfit for minework', so Frazil made him his 'personal schmengie'. Basically, his manservant."

"We have to put a stop to this," Kat insisted.

"And we will," Flip promised. "But remember, we gotta keep our heads and be smart about this. We go in guns blazing, Odin knows what'll happen."

"Agreed," Tails had Omochao turn to Kat. "Kat, listen to me. This isn't like the Death Egg. and Flip isn't Sonic. No one's getting left behind. Nobody dies today. We're all getting out of this. Do you hear me?"

Kat paused, but nodded regardless.

"Right..." She took a breath. "Right, this is different"

"Say it."

"...Nobody dies today."

"Nobody gets left behind. We're all getting out of here. Say it."

Kat's expression steeled, determination bright in her eyes. "Nobody gets left behind. We're all getting out of here."

"Good," Knuckles nodded in satisfaction. "Now, let's shut this place down."

Another whistle blew.

"Alright meat, lunch is over! Back to work!"

"Shit!" the echidna cursed.

"Go," Flip whispered. "We got this."

Knuckles nodded, then headed back to his station.

"Alright," Flip began, scratching his chin in thought. "First, we gotta do something about those collars, and if I were a betting man, I bet Frazil keeps the control codes for them in his Bifrost Stone. We just gotta find a way to get it off him.

"Flip, I don't think it's on him. Not with that outfit." Kat cringed as she pointed to his gaudy, fur-lined bathrobe. "He has nowhere to hide anything."

"Then it must be in his quarters," Tails deduced. "And if he's using Shadow as his personal stooge, there's a good chance he knows where it is."

"Alright, that's enough!" Frazil shouted. "All these miserable faces and filth are making me feel like I need to scrub myself." He clapped his hands. "Schmengie! I need a bath. Carry me back to my quarters."

"Your will be done, Your Highness…" Shadow replied, hissing the last word as he did so.

"Omochao," Kat said. "Follow them. Stay out of sight. As soon as you get Shadow alone, get an update."

"Roger." Omochao saluted before flying after them.

-X-

Later...

Shadow and Frazil arrived in the latter's chambers: a lavishly furnished room carved into the mountains. A sizable hot spring lay in the center of the room, bubbling loudly and giving off steam. Numerous pieces of art were scattered about the walls and floors. Though, it would be generous to call them art, as they consisted exclusively of copies of famous works, with Frazil replacing the likes of the Mona Lisa, Napoleon, and David.

"Uuuugh! Today has simply been the worst!" the penguin groused as he shed his robe, giving Shadow a full view of his backside. "Only half our quotas are being met, the echidna keeps raising a ruckus, and these new slaves are completely useless! At this rate they'll die from exhaustion in a week, like the last batch!"

Shadow visibly stiffened at that, but slowly resumed his work as Frazil sighed.

"Sometimes I wonder why I wanted this job."

With that, Frazil got in the water, and immediately relaxed.

"Ahhhh...Much better." He reached to the side as if to grab something, and stiffened in fear when he felt nothing. "Wait...where's my froggy!?"

Frazil searched the area surrounding the spring, but found nothing.

"I can't take a bath without my froggy! Schmengie, look for it!"

"Yes, Master…" Shadow spotted Omochao out of the corner of his eye. A small, unseen smirk crossed his face. "I'll search the entire room until I find it."

"You'd better."

Shadow walked about the room, acting like he was looking for something.

"Hmmm...not here or here..." Shadow made his way over to a Frazil-ized version of The Birth of Venus. "Maybe it's...whoa!"

He pretended to trip, nearly knocking over the painting.

"Careful, you bumbling twit!" Frazil squawked. "I commissioned that portrait from Aster Glimmerdusk! One of the finest artists in the Insect Kingdoms! If you damage it, I'll have him make another using your bodily fluids!"

"Don't worry, Master. It's perfectly safe," Shadow assured, looking right at where Omochao was hiding. "Master, I'm going to go search the closet over there. I may be a few minutes."

"Fine, whatever! Just find my froggy!"

Shadow headed for the closet, motioning for Omochao to follow. As they entered, Shadow closing the door behind him, he dropped the facade and got to business.

"Who's with you?"

"Tails." Hope replied. "We're in the Sea Fox. En route to you now."

"Hope..." Shadow visibly relaxed. "Then that means the Einherjar didn't get you."

"Shadow, what has he done to you?"

"Enough, and that's all you need to know," Shadow gritted his teeth. "Me, the ultimate life form, slayer of Black Doom... forced to bow and scrape to that bloated, spoiled manchild of a penguin, catering to his every whim and tickling his fancy on demand... Can you even begin to fathom my humiliation?" His fists clenched as his eyes glowed faintly. "I've only endured it for this long by plotting my revenge. The instant you find a way to get this damn collar off, I'm roasting Frazil on a spit."

"Shadow..." Hope let out nervously.

Shadow composed himself. "Sorry… It's been...one hell of a week."

"If it makes you feel better, Kat's leading the charge on this one."

"I'm not the least bit surprised." He looked back to make sure Frazil didn't hear him. "Anyway, I'm assuming you're here for the Bifrost Stone."

"We are. We figure that's also where the code to those collars are."

"You figured right. There's only one problem. The safe is an old fashioned dial vault." He narrowed his eyes in annoyance. "And Frazil forgot the combination; so, you'll have to cut your way through."

Hope giggled. "Come on, Shadow. Don't you have any faith in me? Dial safes are like the easiest things to crack."

"You've been hanging out with Rouge too much," Shadow deadpanned. "Either way, that's where it is, but first, we need to get Frazil out of the room."

"Leave that to Kat and Flip," Tails assured. "Trust me when I say the former is itching to do something."

Shadow nodded, then perked.

"One last thing." He drew in close. "Frazil has some kind of 'secret weapon' somewhere in the mines. I don't know what it is, but he'll likely sic it on Kat, so be careful."

"We'll pass on the warning," Tails affirmed. "Anything else?"

"Just one thing…"

"Schmengie! Have you found my froggy!?"

"Almost!"

Shadow turned back to Omochao, his eyes faintly glowing. "If Kat ends up being the one to roast this bird, record it. Because I am going to savor every agonizing second of his slow, painful demise."

"Just hang in there a little longer, Shad," Hope soothed. "Help is on the way."

Shadow nodded before exiting the closet, pulling a small rubber frog out of his pocket. "I found it, sir! Had to dig around a little."

"Oh goodie!" Frazil cheered as Shadow handed it over.

"Daddy loves froggy..." he squeezed it, getting a squeak. "Froggy loves Daddy?" After another squeeze, the evil penguin relaxed. "Ribbit...ribbit..."

Shadow rolled his eyes as Omochao crept away.

-X-

Back in the work area, Kat and Flip waited quietly until Omochao came back and landed by them.

"The stone is in a secret wall safe," he reported. "I can crack it, but we need to get Frazil out of the room."

"Sounds like we need a diversion. And I know just the thing." Flip turned to Kat, waggling his eyebrows and smiling knowingly. Kat gave a puzzled look before realizing what he was getting at. She slowly smiled, cracking her knuckles and neck.

"Just don't go all out with the flames," Tails cautioned. "Don't forget, you're in an ice cave at the bottom of the sea."

"Yeah, I know," Kat said. "Besides, I need to keep everyone's attention on me, not running away."

"Alright then," Flip said dramatically. "Put on a show."

She smirked, then jumped over the rocks to land with a thud. Flip following suit with a loud "AIIIIIIYAH!", startling everyone in the area. He made to say something, but was cut off when Kat began belting out a Chun-ese nursery rhyme loudly, and off-key.

"Bá luóbo bá luóbo / Hēi yō hēi yō bá luóbo / Hēi yō hēi yō bá bù dòng / Xiǎohuā māo kuài kuài lái / Kuài lái bāng wǒmen bá luóbo!" (2)

Everyone in the mines perked, confused. Knuckles slowly smirked.

"It's showtime," the Echidna declared.

Kat began marching down the tunnels, continuing to sing with Flip even joining in with bastardized versions of the lyrics. She would also kick at the Ragnium when there was no one close enough to get hit by the explosion. The Einherjar regarded her with confusion and a little fear.

"The hell is with this girl!?"

"She's creeping me out..."

"Idiots! Get out there and fight!"

"Yes sir!"

The Einherjar rushed at Kat. She grinned, and in time with her singing, she began to punch, kick, and elbow everyone she came across, and from the number of bones crunching, she wasn't holding back one bit. One unluckily tall Einherjar got hit in the groin.

"Why...?" he wheezed in a pained falsetto before dropping.

He fell over onto the ground and Kat had to wince.

"Oooh…" Kat winced. "His grandkids are gonna feel that."

An Einherjar rose up behind her, about to attack when…

"Dynamic entryyyyyy!"

Flip jumpkicked the guy right in the face.

"Thanks Flip!" Kat called out.

Flip raced off, deftly dodging any Einherjar that came after him. He ducked and weaved around and under them, so their attacks missed, leaving them open to a flipper in the face…or striking any of their comrades who were too close.

"Whoa… Okay, I'll admit, I pegged this guy wrong," Kat whispered as she punched out an Einherjar trying to get her from behind without even looking at him.

As she did, Flip continued his assault. He dive kicked one Einherjar in the head, then leapt off to stomp on another, before vaulting off him and hammer-punching a third before hitting the ground. Once he did, he narrowly rolled out of the way of a massive club swing from a particularly huge one.

"Hmmmm…he's big," the penguin commented. "Gonna need to build up some momentum."

Flip ran about the area, slowly building up speed (and taking out a few more small fries). Once he was going fast enough, he ran back toward the big buy and headbutted him square in the groin. The Einherjar dropped his weapon and clutched his privates, then fell to the ground with a loud thud and a quiet whimper.

"Ooooogh...Proooooobably shoulda worn a helmet," Flip said as he stumbled about, clutching his head. "I feel bad for that guy's wife…"

Before he could fall over, Kat ran up and grabbed him.

"You good, Flip?" she asked as she helped steady him.

"I'll take a porcelain dog and all the rest on a gift certificate, Chuck."

"What the fugg is going on here!?"

Everyone turns to see Frazil storm into the room, dripping wet and in nothing but a towel, Shadow right beside him. Kat's countenance instantly darkened, darkness flickering in her eyes.

"Frazil..."

"Eh? Who the hell are these two and why aren't they collared!?" the penguin demanded.

"Flip... get out of the way." Kat warned.

"Uhhh...okay." Flip slowly backed off as Kat gripped the lapels of her coat, cracking her neck.

"Alright, missy..." Frazil began, "I don't know who the hell you think you are… But if you think you can waltz in here and make a fool out of me, you-"

Kat punched him with such force that a shockwave rippled through the cave, sending the obese penguin flying across the cave with a scream until he slammed into the wall, cratering the ice on impact.

"Feel better?" Flip asked nervously.

"Not yet," Kat replied, her voice colder than the cave. "He's still breathing."

"Waaaaaarrrrrrkkkk…" As Frazil regained his bearings, he felt his beak, and found that it'd been bloodied and bent.

"You...You hit me!" he exclaimed in outrage. "You little...do you have any idea who I am!?"

"A slimy, little bastard who enjoys beating up on helpless prisoners to make himself feel tall." Kat was walking calmly toward him, a flaming aura gathering around her. However, the multicolored flames were taking on a darker hue.

"Here's a question: do you have any idea who I am?" She smirked, looking downright sinister. "Wang Kaitian. Better known as Wild Kat Winters. And you, little birdie, are at the top of my kill list."

Frazil's eyes widened in shock. "Winters...!? No… No way! It can't be... Priority Four!?"

"Priority…?" Kat shook her head. "It doesn't matter. Because when this is over…" She held out a hand, summoning a ball of fire. "There won't be anything left of you to fit in a matchbox."

Frazil started to freak out. He looked around, trying to find someone who could protect him, but all the Einherjar had been knocked out and left unconscious. He couldn't call for backup, they'd never make it in time, and he couldn't force the slaves to fight for him, that'd just make Winters want to kill him more.

Then, he remembered his ace in the hole. His trump card. His secret weapon…and he began to laugh.

"Ohhhh, this is going to be good..." he chuckled to himself, prompting Kat to raise an eyebrow at his newfound confidence.

"Just what do you have up your sleeve that you think can stop me?"

A loud, monstrous roar echoed through the caves, terrifying all the captives and rescuers.

Immediately, the dark aura Kat was giving off faded away.

"That didn't sound good," she said as she looked around, genuinely concerned and nervous.

Another roar sounded out, followed by loud, ground-shaking footsteps. Footsteps that were heading straight for them.

"Uh oh…" Flip swallowed nervously. "I think this is that secret weapon we were warned about…"

All eyes slowly turned as a tall figure stepped out of the shadows. It was a massive yeti with orange fur, lighter orange fur around its chest and muzzle, a large, bushy tail, and green eyes with black sclerae, wearing a simple loincloth. Kat's jaw nearly hit the floor.

"A Mutate…" she gasped. "The Einherjar have a tā mā de (3) MUTATE?!"

"RAAAAAAAAGH!" the mutant roared, causing Flip's eyes to widen in recognition.

"Wait a flippin'... EDDIE?!"

Kat turned to Flip in shock. "You know this Mutate?!"

"Yeah! That's Eddie the Yeti! Doc Morgan's bodyguard! They must've nabbed him when they raided the castle!"

"That's right!" Frazil leapt onto Eddie's back. "And we're putting him to much better use than that four-fingered midget ever did! Allow me to demonstrate..."

Frazil breathed a cloud of ice, which formed into his whip. The whip snaked around Eddie's neck, the tip plugging into the back of a slave collar around Eddie's neck.

"Mutate...KILL!"

Eddie screamed in pain as the collar let out an electric charge, zapping him.

"Destroy Wild Kat Winters! Crush her bones!"

With that, Eddie charged at the intruders, his eyes filled with pain and rage.

"That cowardly rat," Kat gritted out. She clenched her fists, ready to fight; but, the sight of Eddie's miserable state reminded her that he wasn't just some attack monster.

"Kat, what's wrong!?" Flip shouted.

"I can't…" she stepped back, scrambling to think of a plan. "Eddie's innocent. I can't hurt him."

"Kat, I don't think you have a choice!"

Eddie raises a fist. As he did, Kat braced for the hit, planting her feet as Flip bolted. As soon as the blow connected, she slid back several feet, leaving deep grooves in the ice.

"Owwww..." Kat winced as she shook out her arms, a sight that filled Frazil with glee. He cackled maniacally.

"Yes! That's perfect!" he pointed toward her. "Hit her again!"

Eddie hesitated, a conflicted look coming over his face.

"Hey, Mutate!" Frazil snapped. "Weren't you listening? I said…" he ran another shock through Eddie's body. "HIT HER AGAIN!"

Eddie howled in pain as electricity coursed through his body. As soon as he recovered, he charged at Kat and struck her again, forcing to dodge a punch that left a small crater in the ice.

"Dammit…" Kat cursed. "He's not as strong as Tundra, but he's definitely up there." She looked at the collar. "I need to disable that collar… but how?"

"Alright, Mutate, hit her–!"

"Fat chance, Fat Chance!

Before Frazil could complete his order, Flip leapt onto Eddie's shoulders and attempted to wrestle the controls from his grip.

"Hey! Get off!"

Frazil kicked Flip off Eddie's shoulders, but the good penguin performed an ukemi and flipped backward.

"Not goin' down that easy!"

Once he landed, he kicked off the ground and lunged right at Frazil, shifting his position into a flying kick. But right as Flip was about to connect…

"Fire Mode!"

Eddie and Frazil were suddenly enveloped in a flaming aura. As soon as Flip's flipper touched the aura, he yelped in pain before screaming and falling to the ground a few feet to Eddie's side.

"FLIP!" Kat screamed.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARK! Hot foot! Hot foot! Hot! Hot! HOT!"

Flip tearfully hopped up and down as he clutched his burnt Flipper, making him a sitting duck as Eddie rushed at him with speed too fast for a creature his size.

"Move!" Kat leapt up and tackled Flip, barely getting him out of the way in time to avoid Eddie's fist.

"Dammit, what was that!?" Kat asked.

"Ragnium," Flip explained. "That's how the Einherjar use it. It supercharges their bodies. Making them faster and stronger. And if you try to attack…"

"...you'll just get burned by the flames," Kat finished. "Looks like I'm on my own for this one."

Kat set Flip down and rushed at Frazil.

"Careful, girl!" the evil penguin called out in mock concern. "You play with fire...you get-!"

"Burned? Been there, done that. Don't fugging care!"

At that, Kat leapt up, powering right through the fire aura, to her opponent's shock.

"Eh!?"

"Take this, Frazil!"

Kat was just about to make contact with Frazil's face, but the penguin quickly got over his shock.

"Ice Mode!" he called out.

Kat perked. "Ice–?"

And suddenly, the flame aura surrounding Frazil and Eddie changed to an icy blue mist, changing the surrounding temperature from hot to…"

"Cold!" Kat cried out as freezing temperatures enveloped her. But more than that, something else enveloped her. Her movement began to slow down. Her own fire aura, weakening.

"Shit, shit, shit!"

Realizing what was happening, Kat unleashed a quick jet of flames, propelling her backward in time to avoid an attempt by Eddie to grab her.

"Damn…" she uttered as she landed. "That was close. Why couldn't I move?"

"What's the matter, Winters?" Frazil asked mockingly. "Can't handle your own element?"

"JUST BECAUSE MY SURNAME IS WINTERS DOESN'T MEAN I LIKE THE COLD!"

Frazil's only response was to laugh.

"Surprise!"

Only for Flip to leap up and attempt to hammer punch him.

"Crap!" the evil penguin cursed. "Mutate!"

"Wark?"

Eddie grabbed Flip.

"Uhoh.."

Eddie threw him toward the wall. Fortunately, Kat intercepted him.

"Thanks for the save,'' the penguin said gratefully.

"Flip, how did you do that?"

"Well, while he was laughing, I–"

"No, I mean how'd you get through the ice aura without slowing down?"

"Well, Boomer once said that..." Flip snapped his fingers, trying to recall what he said. "Oh yeah! Cold stops molecules from moving. He said if the temperature gets low enough it can feel like you're trying to walk underwater."

"That sounds like what happened to me…" Kat perked. "But as a penguin, you're all but immune!"

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Flip asked.

"I can take the heat…"

"And I was born in the cold!"

Kat held out a fist. Flip grinned, bumping it.

"It's go time!"

With that, Flip rushed at Frazil and Eddie; his stance low and leaning forward and his arms close to his side.

"Hey Fraz!" he called out. "I just wanna say…you got a lot of guts!"

"Of course I do!" Frazil said. "I'm one of the Frozen Four! I-"

"Yeah, you got guts everywhere! Over there...and there...and there...You got guts everywhere!"

"What did you say, you–!?"

"HWAA!" Flip cried out as he made to flying kick Frazil again.

"Crap! Fire Mode!"

Frazil watched as the flaming aura flared up around him and Eddie again, eagerly awaiting to see Flip burn his flipper again. But to his surprise, the penguin leaned harshly to the left, causing him to veer off to the side.

"What!?"

Frazil looked ahead to see that Kat had been following behind Flip while he was distracted. The human girl leaped up and - with a shout - struck Eddie in the solar plexus.

"No!" Frazil shrieked.

"What's the matter, Tubby?" Kat gloated. "Things not going to plan?"

Eddie quickly recovered and attempted to swing at her, but Kat nimbly sprang out of the way.

"Damn you...stop moving! Ice Mode!"

The aura shifted to icy, causing Kat to slow down.

"That's better." Frazil grinned. "Now to crush you like–"

"Dynamic rescuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuue!"

Flip hopped up, finally getting Frazil in the face with a jump kick.

"Penguin Mo-bility," Kat said. "Speed in water akin to that of Sonic on land. Though, I'm guessing you've been so used to having others fight your battles, you forgot about it."

"Talk about embarrassing!" Flip taunted.

"You...!" Frazil hissed.

Flip struck Frazil a few more times, before knocking him off Eddie. He screamed as Kat nabbed him.

"Hi there." She grinned viciously as Frazil breathed frantically. "We need to talk."

"Mutate!" Frazil shrieked. "Save me!"

Kat squeezed his arm, getting a pained yelp out of him.

"His name is Eddie," She corrected. "And I think we'll start off with you setting him free."

"Never!" Frazil recoiled, screaming as Kat ignited her hand.

"I'm sorry," Kat replied sarcastically. "I think I misheard you. What did you say?"

"Okay, okay!" Frazil screamed. "You can have the Mutate!"

Kat bent his flipper back, an audible crack sounding as Frazil hollered in agony..

"His name. Is. EDDIE."

"I mean Eddie! You can have Eddie!"

"Good." She dropped Frazil, the Einherjar commander frantically scrambling to get away from her, only to be blocked by Shadow and Knuckles.

"Going somewhere?" Knuckles asked.

Frazil backed off slowly at the sight of Shadow.

"D-Don't come any closer!" Frazil ordered. "I may have lost, but you're all still my slaves! You touch me, I'll detonate all your collars and blow you all to–!"

"Special delivery!"

Everyone looked up to see Omochao fly in, a rainbow stone in his hands.

"My Bifrost!" Frazil shouted in horror.

Kat smirked as she turned to Eddie. "Hey big guy. Can you hear/understand me?"

"Yes…" Eddie managed, his voice deep and gravelly as he tapped the collar. "You… get… this off?"

"Just give me one second." Kat walked over to Omochao, who handed her the stone.

"Here you are, Miss Winters," he greeted.

"Thank you, Omochao." She then turned to Frazil. "Recognize this little doodad? You're gonna open it for me, so that me and Flip here can use it. Otherwise..."

She raised two fingers, blue flames shooting out into a point reminiscent of a dagger. Frazil whimpered, immediately unlocking it. Kat grinned.

"Flip, you wanna do the honors?"

"Do I!?"

Flip placed a hand on the stone, everyone's collars snapping and coming apart. Shadow immediately removed his collar, dropping it to the ground and crushing it into scrap under his boot. With that, Kat tossed Frazil over to Shadow and Knuckles, who were at the head of an entire group of angry ex-slaves.

"He's all yours, guys."

Frazil began to sweat as Shadow loomed over him, eyes glowing bright red. The look in his eyes was filled with so much hatred and malice that the entire room could practically hear Shadow saying, "I'm going to kill you."

"Um…" Frazil chuckled nervously. "Still sore about the whole 'schmengie' thing and the whips and whatnot, huh?"

"That's part of the list, yes," Shadow cracked his knuckles. "Say hi to Black Doom for me."

Immediately, Kat grabbed Omochao and covered his eyes.

"Hey!" Hope shouted.

"Trust me," Kat said with a grimace. "You don't need to see this."

"Are you kidding!? He helped kidnap our friends and killed innocent people! I–!"

"HEY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH THAT SPORK?!" Frazil demanded fearfully.

There was a wet poking noise, followed by several ear-piercing shrieks.

"What the Frigga!?" Flip asked.

"Ooooh…that's gotta hurt!" Knuckles said with a wince.

All Eddie did was cringe silently. Afterwards, groups of slaves began taking turns beating up Frazil; kicking, punching, and whacking him with rocks, mining tools, and anything they could get their hands on until they broke. And when they did…

"H-Hey! Arms don't bend that way! Arms don't bend that way!"

A loud, sickening crunch sounded, followed by an agonized scream. "Now they do!"

"Should we…do something?" Tails asked nervously.

"You wanna get between them, be my guest," Knuckles replied.

About half a minute later, the beatings stopped and the slaves walked off, revealing what they'd done to their former master. Frazil was lying on the ground, barely recognizable from how he used to be. The penguin was lying on the ground, bare naked; his ass sticking up in the air. Chunks of his feathers had been ripped out, revealing wrinkled, gray skin covered in bruises and blood. All of his limbs were bent at odd angles and both his eyes were almost swollen entirely shut. He took ragged, shallow breaths through a broken, crooked beak, which was also missing several teeth.

"Ugh… finally…" the Einherjar Sub-Boss groaned. "Is…Is it over?"

"Not quite…" Shadow said as he reached into his pocket. "Oh look, I found froggy. You must've misplaced him. Here…" he grinned menacingly as he walked behind Frazil. "Let's make sure you don't lose him again."

At that, Knuckles went wide-eyed and shielded Kat's eyes.

"Wait…What are you doing?" Frazil demanded. "What are you…!?"

Whatever happened next was drowned out by a scream so loud and shrill that it could have passed for an opera soprano singing a High C. It echoed through the caves, cracking the ice and leaving the ears of all who heard it ringing. Omochao had to reset his audio receptors three different times to properly recalibrate them in the wake of the scream. Very slowly, Kat pulled Knuckles' hand off of her face.

"Did…" she swallowed a bit. "Did he just-?"

"Yep," the echidna nodded.

"Right where the sun don't shine," Flip confirmed uneasily.

"Okay, yeah, I'm glad I didn't see that," Hope said.

"I feel…unclean…" Tails whispered.

The group was pulled from their horror by a sigh of relief, and turned to see Shadow walking over to them with a look of serenity on his face.

"I feel much better now," he said.

"Shadow," Hope cut in. "Is he…?"

"Don't worry, he'll live," Shadow replied. "He just won't live well."

Against their better judgment, the group turned toward Frazil. The penguin had gone cross-eyed and was biting his lower lip with half of his rubber frog sticking-

"A-Anyway!" Tails cleared his throat. "We've almost arrived at the Gap. Have everyone head for the air pocket and we'll get them loaded on the Sea Fox."

"Right." Shadow nodded. "I'll head to the lower levels and gather everyone there."

Kat went wide-eyed at that. "Shadow…"

"No one left behind," he said firmly. "Trust me on that one."

Kat looked at him for a moment, then nodded.

"Alright," Flip said. "What say we blow this joint and get back to the Icehole for some hot chocolate?"

"Icehole?" Knuckles asked worriedly.

"Do I even want to know what that is?" Shadow added.

And so, the Freedom Fighters and the former slaves began making their way to the entrance of Ginnunga Gap. But as they left, they failed to notice the fleshy remnants of Frazil dragging itself to an exposed vein of Ragnium.

"You...won't...get...away...with this..." the penguin panted. I...won't...be...humiliated...like this. I...am Frazil...the...Penguin! Sub-Boss...of...the Artikan...Egg...Army. Master...of Ginnunga...Gap! And I...decide...your...FATE!"

As he put his hand over the vein, a dark, crooked grin spread over his face.

"FIRE MODE!"

Frazil's body flared up, causing a violent reaction to the Ragnium. The crystal he'd touched began to glow and give off a loud, humming noise before exploding violently in a blast of red and blue light that vaporized his broken, mangled body.

-X-

Down in the tunnels, Kat perked up, turning back the way they came.

"Oh fugg…" she said fearfully. "We need to go! Now!"

"What? What happened?" Flip asked.

"Frazil just detonated the Ragnium! He's bringing the mines down on us!"

"I feel it too!" Shadow cried out. "Come on people, let's go!"

Everyone picked up the pace as the entire cavern began to shake violently. Unfortunately, the tremors began to intensify before they could even get halfway through.

"Not good," Knuckles said. "At this rate we won't get everyone out before the caves collapse!"

"Can't you just smash through the rocks!?" Flip asked.

"Not fast enough to clear a path before the Ragnium explodes. And it looks like it could burst any second!"

"Dammit!" Shadow cursed. "We won't get everyone out in time!"

Kat looked back at the tunnels and the glowing veins of Ragnium in the cavern walls and her mind immediately went back to the day the Death Egg fell. The violent tremors and cacophony of noises and lights. The crowds of people around her, dying. The burning, scorching pain from the explosion…

The burning heat…

"Yes…" she said with determination.

"Kat?"

"We are getting everyone out in time." she narrowed her eyes. "One way or another."

Kat ran off back down the tunnels. Once she was close enough to where Frazil had detonated the Ragnium, she manifested her Phoenix Aura.

"Kat!" Knuckles shouted. "What are you–!?"

"I can contain the explosion with my qi powers!" she explained. "But not for long! Get everyone out of here!"

"But what about–!?"

"I'll catch up, just go!" Kat ordered. "Please…"

Knuckles paused for a moment. He didn't want to leave Kat behind, but he knew that she was right.

"Alright…" he said. "C'mon, let's go!"

With that, the group resumed their exodus from the mines, leaving Kat to deal with the impending explosion.

"Alright, remember your training." she said, taking a deep breath as she raised her hands. "Feel the flow… keep it steady…"

She closed her hands together in a prayer-like stance. As she did, the phoenix formed a wall with its wings, forming a barrier around the increasingly unstable and volatile minerals.

"Alright, so far so good…"

Unfortunately, Kat's success was short-lived as the ground beneath her was beginning to melt; cracks forming in the ice. Then suddenly, part of the ice above her broke, unleashing a torrent of water upon her.

Oh no…

-X-

Meanwhile, Knuckles and the others had successfully managed to reach the air pocket.

"Whew, we made it!" Flip sighed in relief.

"Where… others?" Eddie asked.

"Eh?"

"Flip, where are Tails and Hope?" Knuckles asked. Flip looked and to his horror, the Sea Fox was nowhere to be found.

"I-I dunno, th-they're supposed to have got here by now!"

Suddenly, something breached the surface, sending water everywhere. It was the Sea Fox, which quickly opened up, revealing Tails and Hope.

"Guys!" Tails called out. "C'mon, hurry! The ice is starting to melt!"

"Oh thank Aurora!"

Everyone ran over as fast as they could.

"Hope!" Shadow called out.

"Shadow!"

Immediately, Hope ran over to him and hugged him; which Shadow returned without hesitation.

"You're alright…"

"For a measure of alright," the hedgehog replied.

"Shadow!" Tails called out. "Is this everyone?"

Shadow nodded. "Yes, I searched every nook and cranny in the mines I could find. I didn't leave out a single person."

"That's good!" Tails said with a smile, which quickly faded as he looked over the crowd. "But I don't think the Sea Fox has enough room! We'll have to use a Warp Ring!"

Tails reached into his pocket and pulled out a Warp Ring, then opened up a portal.

"Alright, everybody in, hurry!"

Everyone began jumping through until only the Freedom Fighters remained.

"Alright, that's everyone!" Hope called out.

"Good," Knuckles replied. "Now we can go back, get Kat, and–"

Just then, there was another explosion and a massive chunk of ice fell from the ceiling, blocking off the tunnel back to the mine.

"No!" Knuckles ran toward the blockage, pulling back his fist in preparation to break it.

"Knuckles, wait!" Tails called out. "The ice is melting! If you break it, you'll flood the entire Gap even faster and Kat will drown!"

Knuckles stopped in his tracks, his fist millimeters away from making contact with the ice. His arm almost popped out of his shoulder from the force. He looked up at the ice, the only thing standing between him and his sister's life. If Kat stayed there, she'd die in the explosion. But if he broke the ice to save her, the Gap would be flooded and he'd never be able to reach her in time.

"Dammit!" he shouted. "What the hell are we supposed to do!?"

"Gimme one of those ring things."

Everyone turned to Flip, who was looking right at Tails.

"Eh?" Tails uttered in confusion.

"Don't 'eh' me! Ring me!" Flip snapped. "Do you wanna save your sis or not?!"

Knuckles thought for a moment, then remembered what Kat said about penguins and Flip's battle with the Einherjar.

"Tails, give him a ring," he ordered. "And hurry!"

"Right!"

Tails reached into his pocket and threw Flip a Warp Ring, which he caught and pressed into his wing arm.

"Okay." The penguin turned to Knuckles. "Now, break open the ice."

Knuckles gaped incredulously. "What!?"

"No time! Just trust me!"

Knuckles looked at the ice, then at Flip. He took a deep breath, and without a moment's hesitation, turned around and punched the ice; shattering it like cheap glass.

"Go!" Knuckles shouted.

"Right!" Flip nodded, then ran for the cavern entrance and diving down the shaft. "Elevator go down de hoooooooooooooooooooole!"

As Flip went down the tunnels, Knuckles grabbed Shadow and ran for the Sea Fox. As soon as they were inside, he slammed down the hatch; just in time to avoid a torrent of water descending upon them.

"Knuckles, are you crazy!?" Shadow demanded. "What are you doing!?"

"Trusting him," he replied.

-X-

Flip landed in the flooded tunnels with a splash and immediately began swimming down the path he and Kat went.

"Alright," he thought to himself. "Gotta go. Gotta go fast! Gotta go fast, find Winters, and...Whoa!"

He swerved to the left, just in time to avoid being crushed by a falling rock.

"Not die! Gotta not die!"

He continued swimming; bobbing and weaving past more and more rocks almost effortlessly. As he swam, a flash of red in the current caught his eye.

"Wark?"

He turned toward it and saw that it was Kat, unconscious and bleeding, being swept away.

"WARK!"

Flip swam her way as fast as his flippers would let him, dodging debris, the currents, and more. A jet of hot steam from the unstable Ragnium blasted him, nearly sending him off course; but, he managed to shrug it off and keep going.

"Come on..." He grimaced as he swam toward her, doing his best to fight the wild and constantly shifting currents brought on by the shifting temperatures. "Come on…"

Finally, he was able to get close enough and grab Kat's hand.

"Gotcha!"

With his comrade secure, Flip threw the Warp Ring he had and pulled her through it; the portal vanishing just in time for the vein to finally explode, sealing off Ginnunga Gap forever.

-X-

They spilled out into the Icehole where the escaped slaves were. Eddie smashed the ring to stop the water pouring in, while Flip coughed up water.

"Uuuugh...heh..." he chuckled. "Nailed it."

He looked down, seeing Kat blue and not breathing.

"CARP! CARPCARPCARPCARP CARP!" Flip started frantically performing chest compressions. "C'mon! Water! Lungs! Bad! Get out!"

Eddie moved him aside before pressing himself. Kat coughed hard, water spilling out onto the ground as Eddie rolled her over on her side, carefully patting her back.

"Oh, thank Baldur..." Flip sighed, giving him a thumbs up. "Nice one, big guy."

Eddie nodded, then pulled Kat into his arms. "Wet... cold…"

"Yeah...no kidding..."

Kat moaned, opening her eyes. "Wh-where...?"

"The Icehole," Flip replied. "Don't worry about it. We did it. Everyone made it out. It's all...all… All..." Waaaaaaaaaaaaark..."

Flip conks out at that, one of the slaves catching him.

"They did it…" one slave let out. "They saved us all..."

"Frazil's dead!" another cheered. "We're free!"

The slaves all began cheering. Kat, still half frozen and exhausted, couldn't help but smile. She leaned against Eddie, then let herself pass out as well.

Sometime later…

Kat came to with a groan.

"Hey guys, I think she's waking up!" came Tails' voice.

Slowly, she sat up. She was in a bed in the infirmary. She was in dry clothes, and her wounds were bandaged. Frostbite was visibly healing on her fingers and toes.

Ohhhh man... she groaned.

"Kat, can you hear me?"

Kat rubbed her head, wincing at the bump on her head.

"Whoa, easy..." Tails cut in, approaching her.

"Tails?" Kat asked. "Where are we?"

"Back in BLIZZARD HQ."

"Did... did we-?"

"Yeah, everyone got out."

"Good...I..."

"Kat!" Knuckles barged into the room, Hope on his heels.

"Knuckles, hold on!" Hope exclaimed.

"Oh Gaia…" Kat braced herself as Knuckles looked around. The minute he set eyes on her, she waved.

"Hey Knux…"

Knuckles ran over, hugging her tightly and getting a pained yelp out of her.

"Thank Aurora… He did it… That crazy-ass penguin did it!"

"Yeah... yeah he did," Kat froze, realizing something. "Wait, where's Flip!?"

A yawn was her answer. Flip sat up in a bed not far from her, looking exhausted.

"Present..." the penguin said weakly.

"Flip, thank Gaia," Kat sighed. "You're alright.

"Yeah… I'm indestructible to everything..." Flip winced as he clutched his side. "Except scalding hot water."

"Thanks… for saving me. And... I'm sorry I yelled at you… when I first met you… I kinda assumed you were..."

"A jerk?" Flip offered.

"Reckless… Like Sonic was before... before..."

"The Death Egg?" Flip offered, everyone perking at that. "Yeah...I read Freedompedia. The incident...has its own page. I may not be as smart as Boomer, but I'm not an idiot. I could tell you didn't think much of me back at the school."

Kat cringed as he went on.

"Can I tell you a secret? I'm not as happy-go-lucky as I make myself out to be. In truth... I'm just as scared and stressed as everyone else. Hell, maybe even more so." Flip sighed, looking visibly more tired than before. Especially with how the rest of my team is..."

"Flip…"

"Erma's always angry and Gunt's always having to argue with her and Gust...Sometimes, it feels like we spend as much time fighting each other as we do the Empire. So… I try to cheer everyone up, make 'em laugh. Or at least, keep them from focusing on all the horrors we have to deal with... Seriously...you southerners have it lucky. I'd love to deal with some kooky, wacky, Saturday-morning cartoon hijinx instead of slavers, killers, and...crazies every week."

"I... never thought about it like that," Kat admitted.

"You saw how Frazil was. How Tundra is. Imagine having to deal with people like that all the time."

The others winced, Flip sighing before happily shifting gears.

"But enough about that! Frazil's gonzo, we saved the prisoners, and the Einherjar can't get anymore glowrocks! I call that a good day!"

Kat sighed, then smiled. "Yeah, we did good."

Tails nodded. "That reminds me. Time to check on our...other patient."

"I'll go." Hope headed off at that.

"Other patient?" Kat repeated. "What other patient?"

-X-

Meanwhile...

Shadow was looking out the window, wordlessly. Hope stepped in, seeing him gaze off.

"It's not nice to eavesdrop, you know." Shadow said flatly.

"Is it eavesdropping when you're silent?" Hope questioned.

"Don't get technical with me, young lady."

Hope walked over to Shadow. "You wanna talk about it?

"What's there to talk about? I was enslaved and humiliated by a psychotic penguin for a week, now he's dead."

"Shadow, you're my friend." Hope sat next to him. "You know I'm here for you."

Shadow let out a long sigh. "Amino."

"Huh?"

"That's how much I hated Frazil. Not just because he made me his 'schmengie', but because he knew that if I disobeyed him or talked back to him even once… someone else would suffer for it."

"Like with Great-Grandpa Gerald... and Maria…"

"A pathetic, self-important coward who torments and beats down other people just to save his own skin and feel good about himself."

"He's gone now, Shadow. And he's not coming back."

Shadow nodded grimly. "Good. May the orcas eat what's left of his corpse and shit him in the ocean."

Hope winced. Seeing this, Shadow sighed, massaging his temples.

"I'm sorry. Like I said, it's been one hell of a week."

"C'mon," Hope took his hand. "Let's get some rest."

"Yes..." Shadow grimaced. "After all, Frazil was just a small fry, and we're after bigger fish. And they'll be much stronger and nastier than him."

Valhalla

Berg made his way through the halls. He soon arrived at Tundra's chamber, knocking on the door.

"Enter," came Tundra's voice.

Berg did so, bowing. "Bad news, Boss Tundra. Ginnunga Gap's Ragnium deposits detonated. Frazil was there when it happened. We can only assume he didn't make it out."

Tundra took that in. "What a pity. All of that perfectly good Ragnium gone to waste."

"Yes..." Berg slowly agreed. "What a waste."

Tundra shrugged. "No matter. We have enough in the stores to last us a good while. By the time we run out, we'll no longer need the boost."

"Very well. Shall I send word to the others?"

"No, I will take care of that myself. You and I need to talk...Berg."

Berg perked. "We...do?"

"I was going over the reports from Helheim and I noticed some...inconsistencies regarding the roster. One of my future Valkyries went missing."

"She likely died during the Purge, sir."

"Then why were the tinkerers in the lab working on prosthetic limbs?"

Berg stiffened.

"There's more… Prisoners disappearing during training. Food disappearing from the stores. And curiously enough, there were very faint signs of hoofprints at the scene."

"I see..."

"Cloven hoofprints." Tundra narrowed his eyes. "Reindeer hoofprints."

Realizing the jig was up, Berg fired a blast of ice energy from his antlers, hitting Tundra square in the face. As the walrus recoiled, Berg ran at him, forming a sharp icicle with his horns. "This ends now, you bastard!"

Before he could though, something slashed at Berg's ankles. Berg cried out before falling to the ground. Tundra punched the ice around his head, shattering it and shaking it off.

"Good work, Firn."

Firn stepped out of the shadows. "I am happy to be of service, Master Tundra."

"Good. I'm glad to know at least one of my elite soldiers is loyal."

Tundra glared at Berg, stomping over to him. The reindeer looked on in fear as the titanic walrus grew closer.

"You disappoint me, Berg."

"I..."

Tundra stomped on his hand, getting a pained scream.

"Silence! I'm not interested in the pathetic pleas of sentimental worms like you."

"Those people...weren't going to survive..." Berg let out weakly.

"Then they were weak! And Helheim is designed to eliminate the weak!"

"Helheim...is an abomination..."

"Then clearly you need a more up close and personal experience," Tundra turned to Firn. "Firn! Send word to Glacia..."

"What shall I tell her, sir? "

"That we found her little bread thief." Tundra grinned. "And that she has a new recruit."

Berg's eyes widened in horror as Tundra leaned toward him. "And if she doesn't break him, the other recruits sure will."

"Yes, sir."

Firn walked over to Berg, dragging him by the antlers as the reindeer flipped out.

"No!" he screamed. "Not that! Anything but that! Kill me! Just kill me now!"

Unfazed, Firn closed the door behind him as he left, leaving Tundra alone.

"Pathetic..." Tundra scoffed. "And to think, I was going to have him replace that fat turkey Frazil. Perhaps after his stint in Helheim, should he survive."

Tundra chuckled to himself, failing to notice the tears streaming from his left eye…

Author's Note:

(1): Mobian Temple of Doom and Prince of Egypt.

(2): A Chinese children's song called Pulling the Radish/Carrot. It's a song about working together to complete a task one cannot do alone.

(3): Chinese for "fucking."

Sonic and pals are on a roll! One of the Frozen Four is down for the count. Tune in next chapter as they invade the Draugr Deepwood.

Eddie the Yeti is from Archie; expanding on him here, since he died in his first issue.

Voice cast for this chapter:

* Eddie - Dee Bradley Baker (Appa and Momo in Avatar: The Last Airbender, Perry in Phineas & Ferb, Klaus and Rogu in American Dad, Captain Rex in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, most of Ben's alien forms in Ben 10: Alien Force/Ultimate Alien, Dad in Cow and Chicken, Cinderblock and Plasmus in Teen Titans 2003, Ra's al Ghul in Batman: Arkham)

Please R&R. Until next time!