It was good to finally be out of the freezing cold.
After tearing a blue streak through fields of knee high snow scaling up the steep sides of the Mobian mountains, Sonic and Kit had hurriedly slipped into its cavernous depths through a slim opening tucked away behind a craggy slab on a plateau high above. Sonic skid to a halt on floors of slick frost ladened stone, kicking up a puff of glittering mist that lingered airily in the dim light of the cave opening.
The blue duo had just barely beaten out the blizzard that was licking at their backs, and none too soon. Almost immediately after they'd arrived a thunderous squall like wrathful hands started beating down on the mountainside, sealing them in with turbulent gusts of frigid winds. Going outside now during this freak blizzard even with proper gear would be asking to end up as a frozen archaeological discovery waiting to be unearthed by future generations.
The change in ambient temperature within the cave was immediate and very welcomed. While it was still drafty, it was leagues better than being stuck out in the open. Sonic and Kit brushed away the clumps of snow still clinging to their fur and clothing as they prepared themselves for the next leg of their mission.
"Phew, looks like we're not going out the same way we came in, Squirt," Sonic huffed, his heart thumping wildly in his chest. He crouched down onto the cave floor and let Kit shuffle off him.
Once on solid ground, Kit adjusted his hat and pulled out the communicator. With a click the device began displaying a map with the topographical data that Jet had provided for them on the holographic display. Above the map were swirling clouds depicting the raging blizzard around them.
"It's real b-bad, sir- Er, Sonic," Kit mumbled. "It could be hours before the weather settles down. We're basically stuck here until the blizzard stops."
"Hmm, stuck in a mountain hideout crawling with members of the Reclaimers," Sonic hummed, tapping his feet. "We'll need to be extra careful from here on out. The last thing we need is to blow our cover and get jumped by a pack of trigger happy yahoos."
Kit nodded and stowed away the communicator, "Let's get m-moving then. The sooner we gather intel the quicker we c-can head back home."
"Sounds good to me," Sonic agreed and turned to head deeper into the cave. "Stick close, Squirt. I'll lead from the front."
The ice caves weren't nearly as labyrinthine as Sonic and Kit had initially expected, a fact that they were both grateful for and wary of.
For the most part the tunnels followed a linear path that would occasionally end in a fork, branching out to other parts of the mountain. Some were natural formations, formed by the forces of nature over countless years of erosion from melted snow and tectonic activity. Others were obviously man-made, there were clear signs of heavy duty industrial tools being used against the rock wall.
They followed the man-made paths, seeing it the most likely to lead them to the Reclaimers' hideout.
Sure enough, they began discovering more tangible signs of a larger mobian presence the deeper they descended into the mountain; signs that were steadily mounting the further they got along. Wadded up gum wrappers, multiple sets of dusty boot prints and coded symbols drawn in colored chalk along the walls were a few of the things they were able to pick out in the dimness of the tunnels.
"Tsk, we got ourselves a regular artists commune here," Sonic couldn't help but quip beneath his breath. He ran his fingers along the chalk, tracing the grainy image, what looked to be a square with a cross in the middle, staining the tips of his glove pink. He pulled his hand back, rubbing his thumb and index finger together, silently wondering how old the image must be by now.
"W-what does it mean, Sonic?" Kit inquired with a tilt of a head.
"...I don't know. But my gut says we're definitely heading in the right direction," Sonic replied, wiping the pink chalk dust on his chest. He then turned to face Kit, shooting him a curious look. "What do you think it means, Squirt?"
"M-me?" Kit flinched. He wasn't anticipating the question. "You're asking me what I-I think?"
Sonic picked at his cheek, "Still getting used to equal treatment, huh, Squirt? Well, normally I'd be asking Tails about his opinion but seeing as he's battling wildfires on the other side of the globe you're the next best thing. Come on, you're a smart guy. I wanna hear what you have to say. I trust your insight, because Ancients know I can't be trusted to deal with all that brainy stuff."
Kit's tail started wagging again. He felt something warm and fuzzy well up in his chest.
Could this be happiness? Confidence? The feeling of finally being useful to someone else?
Whatever it was, Kit liked it.
"W-well..." Kit started off softly, pointing to the symbol. "This symbol here, the square with the criss-cross on it, I think... I think it's supposed to be a box, or a crate. Universally, at least. I may be wrong, but I think this symbol is supposed to represent a storage room or warehouse being nearby. If it is, it must be where the Reclaimers are keeping some of their goods."
Sonic beamed and clapped Kit on the back, causing the fennec to yelp in surprise "Attaboy!" he praised. "A storage room would be the perfect entry point for us. See, what'd I tell ya? If Surge were here she'd-?!" The words came out too quickly, too naturally, and Sonic was barely able to stop it before he realized his mistake.
Kit, who had been basking in the warmth of Sonic's praise, felt his smile falter. Hearing Surge being brought up reminded him of her abandonment, of the guilt he felt thinking he was the one who had caused her to leave.
Sonic frowned and looked away, rubbing at the back of his neck nervously. "Kit... Sorry, I didn't mean to-"
"Do you really think Surge is here, S-Sonic?" Kit asked suddenly, his tone of voice a mix between desperation and hopefulness.
Sonic blinked, raising a brow, "Kit, what are you-?"
"I overheard your talk with M-Miss Amy," Kit interrupted again, eager to know. His hands tightened around the straps of his hydropack. "She asked you the same thing, and you told her that you could feel her nearby, that you believe the Reclaimers kidnapped her. Is that true?"
Sonic bit the inside of his cheek. How was he going to explain his baseless mental gymnastics?
"It's... Well, you see, Squirt. I mean, I don't want to get your hopes up or anything. I'll tell you the same thing I told Amy. I feel a pull. Maybe it's all the times she's zapped me before or all the times we've, er..." Sonic's cheeks flushed momentarily, "cuddled after getting together, but I think Surge has imprinted herself on me. Leaving a permanent mark on my heart, if that makes sense.
I can just tell when she's nearby. It's in the air, that familiar static tickling my fur. I know it sounds improbable, but that's how I feel." He paused, pinching the bridge of his now. "I could be completely wrong about it though and maybe I am. Maybe it's like Amy said, this feeling could just be a desperate hope that I've clung to all this time and it's making me deluded." Sonic's expression turned somber. "For all I know, I'm just setting myself up for disappointment."
"...I believe you," Kit replied innocently, snapping Sonic out of his stupor.
"You do?" Sonic looked bewildered.
Kit nodded, "If you say she's here, t-then she's here. I trust you, the same way you trust m-me."
Sonic chuckled softly and straightened out his posture. "You know the mission will only be harder if we actually find Surge, right? Things could get messy."
"The mission is what the mission becomes," Kit replied robotically. "That's what Surge said to me after rejecting her programming. That continues to hold true even now. We'll do what we have to, S-Sonic. And if we find out the Reclaimers were involved with her disappearance in any way," his glassy eyes turned dark momentarily, a deep seated anger welled up from within like the flicker of a match, "then they must be punished."
"Whoa, there, Squirt," Sonic raised a hand. "You know the drill, use necessary force only. Incapacitate if you need to, but don't push it. We're not here to rack up a body count."
"But if we have to?" Kit asked, simmering down.
"Necessary. Force. Only," Sonic punctuated in a scolding tone. "Do I make myself clear?"
"Y-yes, Sonic," Kit mumbled, his eyes planted to the ground.
Sonic sighed, running his hand through his quills. He knew Kit wasn't normally violent, it was just the lingering aggression he hadn't shaken after overcoming Dr. Starline's programming. Surge and Kit would never fully be free from the psychological trauma that maniacal platypus had inflicted on them, the damage ran far too deep to recover from entirely, but they were strong enough to curb their more destructive tendencies.
That didn't mean those same tendencies didn't flare up every so often.
"Look, if we're dealing with some sort of super mecha death bot with lasers shooting out of its fingers and a detachable head or something then you have my express permission to unleash the beast inside and turn it into a pile of scrap metal. Does that sound good to you?" Sonic compromised.
"If there's a giant robot I-I'll wreck it good, Sonic!" Kit replied excitedly, wagging his tail. "Just watch me, I'll d-do it!"
"Man, you're easy to please," Sonic quipped and started moving again. "Let's pick up the pace, that storage room should be around here somewhere. We can ditch your heavy clothes there and finally start snooping around this place. Start uncovering the Reclaimers' dirty little secrets..."
Tekno raised her hand to the touchpad and inputted a series of numbers, each press punctuated by a high pitched beep and soft glow of red light. The touchpad began blinking sporadically after the final number was inputted, flashing blue three times before turning green with an indicative ping sound.
The metal doors to the R labs parted themselves to reveal a massive room filled wall to wall with all kinds of sophisticated machinery, fabrication tools and technological doodads of indiscernible purpose (With some curiously bearing the logo of Eggman Industries). It was here in this room, this testament to engineering, that the Reclaimers equipped themselves with the salvaged fruits of Dr. Eggman's labor; repairing, remaking and repurposing them for a better cause.
Tekno strolled inside like she was dancing and took a deep breath, relishing in familiar sights, sounds and smells that made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside. From the hum of powerful generators to the rank cloying scent of spilled machine grease, the labs were Tekno's true home here at the hideout.
It was where she belonged.
Oh, the things she had been able to do ever since she was freed from Eggman's bondage. How the Reclaimers had recognized and respected her prodigious talents and given her the lauded position of head researcher to aid them in their long war against that mustachioed madman.
Was it any surprise she pledged herself to their cause so readily?
Tekno skipped past several large palettes that were stacked full of glowing green batteries of varying sizes, past racks of mass produced wispons and experimental Eggman Industries ordinance. She ran her fingers along all the scattered parts on a workbench nearby, feeling the craggy contours of circuit boards, smooth housing of electrical components and slanted miscellaneous mechanical scrap that curiously look like the 'E' series of Eggman's robots.
She was in bliss, total bliss.
"Sure took your sweet time getting here, love," a gruff, heavily accented voice snarked sarcastically, snapping Tekno out of her musings and souring her mood almost entirely. "Boss filled me in on the plan already, been waiting here for you ever since. Now are you gonna help out or are you gonna continue traipsing around like a dainty waif with a new pair of shoes?"
"Shut it, Jack. We're ahead of schedule, let me have this," Tekno snapped, narrowing her eyes on the object of her annoyance.
Standing before her was a tall gray furred rabbit mobian with a studded eye-patch covering his left eye. He wore a black leather jacket, combat boots, gloves and had a bandoleer around his waist that holstered a well worn pistol. And as a member of the Reclaimers he also sported their signature white scarf and armband.
This was Jack Rabbit, one of the Reclaimers best fighters, leader of their shock troop unit, the Sandblasters, and all around nasty bloke.
Despite being on the same team, Tekno absolutely hated his guts.
He was good at what he did, that much was true, but at his core Jack was nothing more than a selfish thug who put himself first, his boys second, the Reclaimers third, and everything else can go kick rocks. Despite hating Dr. Eggman like everyone else he treated the Reclaimers as a means to an end, a blasphemous sentiment Tekno couldn't understand why the boss would even tolerate.
However, the Reclaimers needed his skill and expertise, and Jack needed a steady source of income, a roof over his head, three square meals and the chance to point his weapon at whatever mook-of-the-week that needed blasting. It was a give and take relationship, his loyalty to the cause tenuous at best and downright flimsy at worst. But for the time being, their arrangements were more than acceptable, and Jack was smart enough not to ruin a good thing.
"How's our... guest?" Tekno asked, putting a particularly detached emphasis on the word guest.
"Pleasant as ever," Jack muttered sarcastically, smirking as he turned to look up at the structure behind him.
In the far end of the room stood an imposing engine flanked by multiple turbines that whirred with crackling luminous electricity, this was the metaphorical heart of the R labs. The machine that made it all possible. Great vents and massive tubes snaked in and out of the granite wall of the mountain in great winding loops that pulsed with energy, like grotesque industrial arteries pumping life to the rest of the hideout at large, fueling its endeavors.
And in the very center of the machine, suspended in a tank full of viscous conductive gel, stripped down to nothing with long bundles of glowing neon wires grafted all over her body was none other than Surge herself.
Surge angrily slammed both her hands against the transparent aluminum, unable to break it. Her mouth was twisted in a hateful scowl and her narrowed eyes radiated the unrestrained fury of a thousand thunderstorms. She screamed something unintelligible, the sound muffled by the gel enveloping her form. Electricity sparked off her in weak and ineffectual jolts, which was promptly absorbed by the wires dug in beneath her skin.
"Yeah, I hate you too, love," Jack taunted mockingly then slammed his hand atop a big red button on a nearby console.
The tank Surge was contained in glowed brightly, the wires flickering in psychopathic pulses as it drew on her bioelectricity. Her expression morphed into the picture of discomfort and unease. She started to twitch and spasm uncontrollably from the horrible sensation, a silent scream trapped in her throat. She was quite literally being drained dry. When the process finally stopped, Surge was left lethargic and dazed, too tired and worn to retaliate anymore.
And yet, her eyes still carried the spark of defiance behind the glossy exterior.
An indicative ding sound rang out shortly after, and the receptacle below the tank opened up to reveal in a flash of scalding hot steam a fresh glowing green battery. One more to add to the other thousands in the labs.
Jack Rabbit sauntered on over and picked up the curious little thing, it fit in the palm of his hand and was warm to the touch.
"Six months of this and you'd think she'd given up being a nasty little gremlin by now. But no, she's always got to make this harder than it has to be. I'm telling ya, Tekno, she's an accident just waiting to happen," Jack snarled, shooting a contemptful look towards Surge. "If she weren't so useful to us I'd have her taken out by now."
Tekno rolled her eyes, unimpressed by Jack's aggressive nature. "Cool it with the threats, Jack. She'd fry you into rabbit roast before you could even draw that pea shooter of yours. Besides, you said it yourself, she's useful," she pointed to the dazed Surge. "How do you think we keep this place running? How do you think we gather the energy needed to power your little toys? Without her help there'd be no Reclaimers."
"You're using the word help very loosely, love," Jack remarked, casually chucking the battery over his shoulder and into a crate full of them. "You guys really need to find another form of energy that won't threaten to kill everyone if she ever escapes that cage of hers."
"I'm working on that," Tekno grumbled, folding her arms. "I'm close to synthesizing her cybernetic bioelectricity. It may not be nearly as potent but the ability to mass produce our batteries without needing to siphon it out of her should far outweigh any deficiencies the new product has over the old. But that doesn't mean Surge here can't still contribute to the cause in other ways. Speaking of..."
Tekno turned to Surge, a wry smile on her beak.
"Surge, how would you like to meet your dear Sonic again?"