BLOODLINES A Sonic the Hedgehog Story by Daniel J. Drazen Pause for bourgeois legalities: "Sonic the Hedgehog" and most other characters and situations in the following story are copyrighted trademarks of Sega Incorporated, Archie Comics and/or DIC Productions. Permission to reproduce this specific material is granted by the author, provided you don't try and make a buck off of it. I may be a grown-up cartoon fan, but I also know my way around Title 17 (the Copyright Law) of the U.S. Code. (c)1995, Daniel J. Drazen. Chapter 1 There was a thick fog that morning, and that was good news as far as Bunnie was concerned. While it made it harder for her to spot any incoming SWAT-bots, it made it harder for them to spot her as well. She reached the base of the tree where a lookout post had been set up: little more than a platform that ringed the trunk of the tree about 30 feet up off the ground. Using a rope ladder, she climbed to the top and began her several hours of sentry duty. If the day had been clear, she could have seen, about a hundred feet from where she was, the spot where the forest met the Great Plain. Far down along the southern horizon could be seen a hazy spot. This had once been Mobotropolis, the capitol city of the planet Mobius. Now it was called Robotropolis, a dark testament to the evil genius of the planet's overlord, Dr. Ivo Robotnik. Bunnie couldn't clearly remember the details of that day a decade ago when the once-beautiful world had fallen into Robotnik's hands. She herself had only been a child at the time, and the episode had the haziness of a half-remembered bad dream. That was why she enjoyed the fog: it was easy to pretend, if only for a moment, that nothing had ever gone wrong. That Mobotropolis was not now a choking, blighted factory instead of a garden city, or that most of its inhabitants hadn't been roboticized, turned into living machines that live only to serve at Robotnik's twisted pleasure. To imagine that she could simply toss aside her role as a member of the Knothole freedom fighters and live a real life once more. But there was no forgetting for Bunnie. She was reminded of her life every time she looked at her left arm, or at either of her legs. For she had been partially roboticized herself. Her limbs were clad with metal and shot through with transistors and relays and other hardware. It had earned her the name "Bunnie Rabbot," and although the other freedom fighters meant well when they gave her the name, there were time she sincerely hated that name. Wondering when she'd ever be whole again, she reached into her pack, took out a range finder, began scanning the horizon... ...and found herself looking at a SWAT-bot not three feet in front of her. Gasping, she lowered the range-finder, and could barely make out in the fog one of Robotnik's hover units level with the platform, silently hanging in the air. "HALT, FREEDOM FIGHTER!" the bot ordered in its mechanical monotone. "YOU ARE UNDER..." The SWAT-bot never got a chance to finish the sentence, as its head suddenly flew away from its body. Someone or something was standing behind it, holding a large tree branch in its right hand. The fog was still too dense for Bunnie to make it out clearly, but in a moment, another SWAT-bot could be seen leaving the hover unit and approaching the shadowy figure from behind. Sensing the SWAT-bot's presence, the figure spun around and delivered a solid punch to the SWAT-bot's midsection. Bunnie could see the bot crumble to the platform. The platform! Bunnie could sense other SWAT-bots leaving the hover unit and stepping onto the platform, and it was more weight than the platform was meant to hold. The figure grabbed Bunnie by the hand as the platform gave way beneath her. A second later, the two of them were dangling from a rope that had apparently been tied to a branch higher up the tree. But the sudden stop caused the strange figure to lose its grip on Bunnie, and she resumed falling. Bunnie made a grab for the rope ladder and missed. There was one chance now: sensing that a tree branch was just below her, she tried righting herself so that her robotic legs would bear the brunt of the impact. They did, but they also snapped the branch in two. Her descent was slowed, but she continued to fall to the ground with such force that she lost consciousness on impact. "Are you all right?" As Bunnie slowly came to, the first thing she was aware of was the voice. It managed to cut through the pounding of her head. She was glad to recognize the voice as that of her friend and fellow freedom fighter, Sally. "Yeah, Ah'm OK, Sal. Or Ah will be as soon as they stop playin' them drums." Her head was beginning to clear as she felt someone helping her to her feet. She opened her eyes. At first she thought that her landing was still affecting her senses. The figure before her didn't look like Sally at all. It wore a long, tattered cape the color of a dead leaf. Clustered near the shoulders on either side were small metallic buttons, badges and insignia of some sort; they appeared to have been sprinkled on in random fashion. The figure also wore a head scarf of the same color, with a veil covering the rest of the face and permitting room only for the eyes. "Sally, girl, what the hoo-ha you doin' in that get-up?" Then Bunnie looked at the right hand of the figure, the hand that had helped her to her feet. It gleamed with the same sickening metallic gleam as her own left hand and arm and her two legs. It was a robot hand. "Oh mah stars, you're not...Mmmmmph!" Instantly the figure clamped her hand against Bunnie's mouth to silence her, pinning her back to a tree at the same time. Bunnie could sense that her feet were no longer touching the ground; whoever this creature was, she was incredibly strong. She could see the eyes of the stranger narrowing. "You called me 'Sally' just now, didn't you?" Bunnie nodded. What was going on here? The stranger's voice sounded just like Sally's! "The next time you see this 'Sally' I want you to give her this." With her free hand, she reached up and pulled one of the metal pins from her cloak. "If this means anything to her, have her meet me tomorrow night at the foot of Dragonsnest at moonrise. Alone." The cloaked figure dropped the pin to the ground, then took her hand away from Bunnie's mouth. In the second it took Bunnie to look for the pin, pick it up and look up, the mysterious figure had melted into the forest. Bunnie picked herself up off the forest floor. The fog was beginning to lift enough for her to survey the damage. The remnants of the platform, and of five SWAT-bots lay around her, and there was no telling how many there might still be on what was left of the lookout platform above her. The heads were missing from two of them, robot arms had been detatched from their bodies and lay scattered on the ground. The hover unit was nowhere to be seen. Bunnie walked over to one fallen bot and studied the hole in its chest. She clenched her own robotic hand into a fist and inserted it into the hole; it was almost a perfect fit. This was crazy, Bunnie thought. She may have learned some martial arts techniques but she'd never thought to try taking on a SWAT-bot in hand-to-hand combat. Whoever had done this was either incredibly brave or incredibly foolish. It was then that Bunnie remembered the strange figure, the one who sounded so much like Sally but obviously wasn't. But then again...she looked at the pin the stranger had left with her. It looked like some sort of a brooch, and there was something familiar about the design... "Yo, Bunnie!" "Over here, Sonic!" Before it occurred to Bunnie that things had gotten interesting the last time she thought she recognized a voice, Sonic the Hedgehog ran up to her. "You OK, Bunnie?" he asked. "Ah guess so. Had me a little trouble with some SWAT-bots, but...." "Whoa, check it out!" he said as he picked up a SWAT-bot's severed head. "Man, you've been kickin' some serious bot butt!" "Thanks, Sugarhog, but it wasn't me." "Huh?" "Tell you later. Right now we gotta get back to Knothole." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 2 "And when Ah looked up, she'd just vanished! Gave me the creeps!" Bunnie was recounting her experience to the group that was gathered inside a primitive but comfortable hut set in the hidden village known as Knothole. Sally, once heir-apparent to the throne of Mobius; Sonic, leader of the group more by virtue of his daring and speed than for any strategic brilliance; Rotor, skilled with anything mechanical or electronic; Antoine, whose clinging to the old traditions and protocols of the Mobian court was almost his only personality trait; and Tails, a child in comparison to the others but eager to please and absolutely devoted to Sonic. Though none of them had come of age chronologically, they had all assumed the more-than-grown-up role of resistance fighters. For this group was the very heart of the Knothole freedom fighters, dedicated to the overthrow of Robotnik and the restoration of Mobius and its citizens. "I am to be feeling creepuscular my very self!" said Antoine, huddled in the warmth of the hut. "Sal," Sonic asked, "you ever seen anyone dressed like that?" Sally addressed the palmtop computer she held in her hand. "Nicole, did you get that description?" "AFFIRMATIVE, SALLY." "Project holographic image." Immediately a shimmering likeness of the strange figure could be seen floating in mid-air. "That's her, Sally-girl! She looked just like that." "Nicole, identify." "DESCRIPTION OF CLOTHING IS CONSISTENT WITH THAT OF THE WESTERN NOMADS." "Who the heck are the Nomads?" Sonic asked. "FORMERLY A WARRIOR RACE, THE NOMADS HAVE CONFINED THEMSELVES TO THE WESTERN DESERTS FOR THE LAST TWO CENTURIES, MIGRATING BETWEEN TRADE CITIES. HISTORICALLY, THEY HAVE NEVER ACKNOWLEDGED THE ROYAL HOUSE, AND BY TREATY THEY HAVE BEEN LEFT ALONE." "Yeah, yeah," Sonic said impatiently, "but whose side are they on?" "INSUFFICIENT DATA." "Thanks a lot, Nicole!" "Well, Ah don't think this one was workin' for Robotnik, Sugarhog. You saw what she did to those SWAT-bots." "That's right, Sonic. And she could have captured Bunnie easily, but she didn't." Sally paused. "And what was that about a pin?" Bunnie produced the metal pin. "She said to give it to you, and if it meant anything you were supposed to meet her tomorrow night at Dragonsnest at moonrise. By yourself." Sally studied the pin for a second. "Seems to be a brooch of some sort, with...oh my gosh!" "What is it?" several voices asked at once. "This pin has the coat of arms of the House of Acorn on it. This is the royal coat of arms!" Everyone crowded around. "You sure about this, Sal?" Sonic asked. "Yes. There are...differences in the way it's reproduced here, though. I've never seen these variations before; I don't know if they mean anything." "Allowing me, my Princess," Antoine said formally. "I happen to have learn-ed all zere is to be knowing about heraldry and similar protocols." "Snooze-time, guys," Sonic said in a stage whisper. Tails giggled. "I was herding zat! But I will never mind your fun- making." "C'mon, Sal! Let Nicole figure it out!" "Relax, Sonic. What have we got to lose?" "About an hour?" But Antoine never heard the last remark, as he was intently studying the brooch. After a minute of studying and thinking and "Hmmm"-ing, he seemed to realize something that caused him to react with alarm. "Sacre bleu cheeze! Zis is encreable! Fantastique! It is even, how you say, spooky!" "What is it?" Sally asked urgently. "To be beginning with, note ze shape of ze shield, zat it is a circular." "That's 'circle,' Antoine." "Zat is what I am just saying, a circular. However, your father's coat of arms has ze six-sided shield, how you say, ze hexagondola." Sally wasn't even about to try. "OK, so the shield is a different shape. Anything else?" "Oui. Note ze crown at ze top. It has only ze two layers whereas your father's coat of arms has ze crown with troi layers." "Big deal!" Sonic chimed in. "So whoever made this was a lousy forger." "Sonic, please! I think Antoine is going somewhere with this!" "I most certainly am. Based on zese characteristics, zis pin by law could only have been worn by one personage: by ze Queen!" "The Queen!?" "Exactement." It was uncomfortably silent in the hut as Sally took the brooch back from Antoine and stared at it. She looked up, and everyone could see that her face had lost some of its color. "This belonged to...my mother?" Sally didn't so much put the brooch down as she let it fall from her hand to a nearby table. As if in a trance, she walked to a nearby window, leaned on the sill, and stared silently outward. Sonic walked over to her. "Sal, you OK?" It was an agonizingly long time before she answered, speaking to no one in particular: "Of all the questions I ever asked my father, there was one he'd never answer. He...he never told me anything about my mother. I don't even know what she looked like. There were people in my life who were like a mother to me: Rosie my nanny, my mentor Julayla. But so many times I'd look out of my window and see other children with their...." She paused, putting a hand to her eyes. "I'm sorry; I forgot how much it hurt." "Aunt Sally," Tails asked hesitantly, "maybe Nicole knows something about her." Sally smiled. "Thanks, honey, but I've tried." "And what happened?" Sonic asked. Sally once again spoke to the computer. "Nicole, access royal archives." "ROYAL ARCHIVES ONLINE, SALLY." "Please display all information about...about my mother." There was a tense second of waiting. "ALL INFORMATION PERTAINING TO THE LAST QUEEN OF MOBIUS HAS BEEN PLACED UNDER A LEVEL 7 SECURITY BLOCK. ACCESS DENIED." "Yo, Rotor. How serious is this level 7 block?" "Extremely. All I've been able to determine is that it's a very complex numeric code. I've never gotten very far in cracking it. Even Robotnik doesn't use anything more complex than a level 5." "So now what, Sal?" "Well, it'll take me a day and a night of travelling to get to Dragonsnest from here, so I'd better start getting ready." "Hey, cool it, Sal. I can get you there in a Sonic second!" "I know you can, Sonic, but you're not going to. I'm going alone." "Say what!? Sal, this could be a trap!" "I know that, Sonic, but if I have a chance to...you understand why I'm doing this, don't you?" "Bunnie, can't you talk her out of this?" "Sonic, if Sally can find out somethin' about her ma, Ah think she should go for it." "But you said yourself you had a weird feeling about this character." "Ah still do. But she doesn't feel dangerous, if you know what Ah mean." "Sonic, there's nothing more to talk about. I'm going to Dragonsnest and I'm going alone." "C'mon, Sal, you're going to need back-up!" "ALONE, Sonic!" ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 3 "I wish Sonic was here." Sally took her cloak and wrapped it tighter against herself as she sat closer to the small fire she had built. The wind was picking up in the bottom of the canyon. Above her, growing from the floor of the canyon like some improbable stone plant, loomed Dragonsnest. It had been the center of dragon civilization on Mobius centuries before, but the number of dragons had been in decline even before Robotnik's takeover, and the few dragons who had evaded capture were in hiding. Sally and Sonic had agreed to a compromise: Sonic would transport her close to Dragonsnest and then leave. Which he did with obvious reluctance. Sally had no idea who or what was waiting for her, but it was clear she had to meet it alone. No matter how much she disliked the prospect. She leaned her back against the stone tower, listening for any sound that might come her way. It was not fear, however, that caused her to wish for Sonic's company. It was loneliness, a loneliness made even more profound in a deserted stone canyon, waiting for moonrise. Thirty feet away, hidden in the darkness, a small figure crouched behind a massive boulder. It was Sonic. Sally may have told him to go back to Knothole, he told himself, but she didn't say anything about not doubling back at the first opportunity to keep an eye on her. Besides, someone had to make sure that the Knothole freedom fighters didn't lose the brains of the outfit. Satisfied that what he thought he'd heard was just the wind, Sonic continued his vigil. OK, he told himself, maybe he'd feel the same way if someone came up to him and told him he had a chance of finding his own mother. Like *that* had a chance of happening! For as far back as he could remember he'd been an orphan, living with his Uncle Chuck. Until the day Robotnik took over Mobius and he went to live in Knothole. Still, why was Sally doing this by herself? Sally's usually way cautious, Sonic told himself, but sometimes she could be so... Sonic's thoughts were interrupted as someone or something grabbed him from behind. Sonic wasn't used to being lost in thought, but the figure had crept up on him absolutely undetected. The figure then hauled Sonic to a standing position while Sonic felt the tip of some kind of knife being pressed against his throat. "Is this your idea of following instructions?" the stranger called out to Sally...in Sally's voice! "What are you...No!" "You were told to come alone!" "I didn't know he was following me, I swear!" "Hold it right there," the stranger said, for Sally had begun running toward them and was now about ten feet away. "You know this busybody?" "His name's Sonic. He's my friend...." "Looks like you've picked a friend who couldn't be trusted." "That's not true! I've trusted him with my life more times than I can count. We fight together against Robotnik." "I'm not interested in your little war." The figure paused. There was no way to read her thoughts, for her face was once again hidden behind a veil. "So you trust this fool with your life. Let's see how far that trust extends." With that, the figure took the knife away from Sonic's throat, and with the other hand produced a coiled length of rope from under her cloak. She tossed it to Sally, who caught it before it hit the ground. "If you're truly familiar with royal customs, you know how to put someone under protection." Sally didn't say anything to the stranger. Instead, she deftly tied one end of the rope into a slip knot and placed her head through the loop. She handed the other end to the stranger, then gave Sonic the center section of the rope to hold. All the time she kept her eyes on the stranger. "I'm impressed," the stranger said. "You've remembered something that has long been forgotten. I accept your offer," she said as she let the rope drop. Sally then took the loop from around her neck. The stranger coiled up the rope and replaced it under her cloak. Then, taking a half-burned log from the fire and using it as a torch, she led Sonic and Sally into Dragonsnest. "Yo, Sal, what was that all about?" Sonic whispered. "It's an ancient rite that I learned about. The royal family of Mobius had the right to intervene and show mercy to someone who might have committed a crime. That ceremony with the rope was my way of saying that I'm willing to be held accountable for your actions." "What do you mean, 'accountable'?" "If you transgress, you go free and she has the right to kill me." "Say what!?" "No talking!" the stranger called out. "And that means no questions as well. You'll have your answers soon enough, anyway." Most dragons prefer to nest in the open, yet the ancient tower was shot through with interior nurseries and storerooms. It was to one of these that the stranger led Sonic and Sally. The room was more like a barren cave. Several ancient dragon's egg shells lay in a corner, lit by a low fire in the center of the room. In another corner, Sally could see the dim outline of someone laying on a straw mat. The person's breathing was steady but mechanical, as if a machine were doing the breathing for them. The stranger threw her log torch on the fire. It flared up, and both Sally and Sonic gasped in alarm. The figure on the mat was mostly robot--only her head and right arm had been spared. "Who is that?" Sally asked in a shocked whisper. "Our mother." "OUR mother?" The figure undid her face veil and slipped her cloak hood off her head. Neither Sonic nor Sally could believe it. The figure looked exactly like Sally. There was, however, something in the darkness of the eyes, the hard set of the mouth. This was a person who had seen too much too soon. "We are twin sisters, you and I. My name is Sandy. And SHE...she was once Queen Alicia of Mobius." "But...but what's she doing here?" "She's dying." To be continued...