The following short story is based on characters created and/or copyrighted by SEGA! Enterprises, DiC Productions, Archie Comic Publishers, Fleetway Comic Publishers, and the Taki Corporation. All other characters were created and copyrighted by Roland Lowery. The author give permission to distribute this work freely as long as it remains intact and unaltered, and the transfer of monetary units is not involved. Questions, comments, suggestions, complaints? Send them to me at . I enjoy hearing from peopl who can spell. Chaotic Multiverse Tale #4 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Quote for the day: "Oh, my friend, it is not what they take away from you that counts - it's what you do with what you have left." -Hubert H. Humphrey ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Revolution by Roland Lowery "YAH, WE'RE finally getting back on track." The Great War had ended two days ago. "No, I don't think there's going to be THAT much of a problem selling after most of our 'product' has been changed to charred battle fields." It was business as usual at the Great Mobian! real estate offices. "Of course we can. Just a few throw pillows and *poof* good as new . . . Yes, I'm joking, Phil." George Dale Prower was on the phone with his best friend and associate, Phil Dimenitrix, talking about the condition the business was in after the two month long evacuation of Mobotropolis, the capital city of the Acorn Kingdom and the site of the King's castle. Great Mobius! had been mostly untouched by the war, thankfully, and was now ready for business again a mere two days after Acorn Kingdom's victory. "I don't know. Why don't you ask my secretary?" George held the phone out in the air and laughed. George could hear his friend's gravelly voice echoing in the handset. When the fox put the phone back to his ear and Phil calmed down, he said, "Gee, P, I forgot I don't have one. But, I do have this LOVEly lady here you can speak to." Mary took the phone from her husband's hand. "No, don't let him get you down, Phil. And don't worry, he has to answer to me, remember?" "Ah, he's m'friend an' all," Phil said in his southern drawl, "but he drives me s'goldarn crazy sometimes! Ah, but fergit that. How you doin', Mary girl? Still pregnant?" Mary's giggle tickled George's ears. He loved to hear it. Ever since the Great War had really gotten bad, he hadn't heard it often, a sad turn of events he was glad to see rectified. "Four months so, P! That's why I didn't have George put us on the vid-link. I'm kinda, . . . y'know." "Aw, shoot, girl! Ya think I care? The war musta rattled yer brains! When ya got a pot belly as big as Texar like me, you fergit about all that stuff on other people!" Mary giggled again. "Thanks for making me feel better!" she said mock-sarcastically. "Well, Mary girl, I gotta go. Big meetin' an' all. Tell that louse of a husband of yer's that I hope he eats a rotten burrito and keels!" "All right, P. I hope we get to see you again soon." "Me too. Bye, girl." "Bye." She placed the phone back on its cradle and ran her fingers through her red hair. "Well, husband mine, what are we going to do today?" "I don't know about today," said George, "but tonight, I was planning something, oh, say, around a fireplace? Candlelight? Fine cuisine? Sound good?" Mary rubbed her slightly extended belly. "Scrumptious." One week later, George was in his office again, alone this time, talking to a lawyer. It seemed that a wealthy business man, Taylor Rabbit, had died just before the two months of evacuation in Mobotropolis. George had the been the agent that found Mr. Rabbit the land to build his new mansion on, and for some strange reason, he had willed a large chunk of his change to George. "But what about the rest of his family? Why not will it to them?" George asked. "He had no more family, really," said the lawyer. "All he had was a daughter by the name of Bunnie. She is currently seven years old at the moment, though, and in his will, Mr. Taylor stated that she was to live in the castle with the King, who was good friends with him. She was sent there, and was evacuated along with everyone else during the war. Our next order of business was to inform you of the inheritance, but that was held up, understandably." "Yah, yah," sighed George. This was getting to be a headache. He and his wife were simple people. They wanted nothing more than the apartment they lived in and enough food to keep themselves fed. Everything extra was put into a savings account for their child. If Taylor Rabbit was still as rich as he had been when George had met him, a small chunk of change from him would be a nightmare in legalities to MOVE, let alone save or spend. "Alright," he finally said. "Just, keep it somewhere until I decide on what to do with it, okay?" "Whatever you say, Mr. Prow-" George jumped in suprise, then shook the phone. "Huh, went dead," he mumbled to himself. "I wonder what-" A sudden explosion outside his window caught his attention. He turned his swivel chair to face it and felt his jaw drop open at the sight that greeted him. When George was given his choice of offices after a run of successful sells, he chose the one he currently resided in because of its spectacular view of the Mobotropolis "Strip", the part of town that supposedly never slept. On his late hour work sessions, he would sometimes take a break to look out over the glittering lights, and they would help relax him. He certainly wasn't relaxing now. Outside his five foot by seven foot window, George could see an enormous blimp floating over the Strip. He saw figures rappeling down to the streets below. "SWATbots!" he breathed. He recognized them from the news reports he had seen a month ago. He couldn't understand what they were doing, because they were supposed to be on Acorn Kingdom's side. Weren't they? The lights in his office blinked once, twice, then went out for good. "CRAP!" he yelled. From his desk's bottom right hand drawer, he pulled out a piece of fake paneling and withdrew a small laser pistol. Ever since the Great War broke out, he had carried it around with him just in case of an emergency. It wasn't much, just a Model J-34 15 shot, but it felt good in his hands. He ran out of his office and among his screaming and crying co-workers to find his wife. Mary was taking a coffee break from her job as a secretary four floors below her husband's office. She had almost been looking forward to maternity leave in a couple of weeks because of the pileup of work from the evacuation and the rush of work coming in after it. She pressed the buttons on the machine for coffee with extra cream and sugar, but it wouldn't respond. "C'mon you piece of junk," she said. "I put in my 45 cents. Spit it out." The lights blacked out, plunging the room into darkness. "Uh-oh." All the people in the windowless snack room started to panic. Mary herself had to fight down a shiver than tried to run up her spine. She knew that the others felt the same thing she was feeling . . . the ground underneath their feet was shaking. "Is it an earthquake?" someone yelled, giving voice to their fears. "No," said a voice. "It's a . . . lot worse than . . . that." Mary ran towards the voice of her husband. "George!" she said. "What's going on?" George was slightly out of breath after taking four flights of stairs in less than three minutes. He paused to catch it before answering. "SWATbots," he said. "They're attacking the city, but I don't know why. Come on, let's get out of here." "SWATbots? But-" "No time to argue, love! We have to get out of here if we're gonna make it." Without another argument, they left the pitch black snack room and headed for the nearest fire escape. Out on the streets, the situation was absolute carnage. Apparently, though, the SWATbots were more interested in taking prisoners than killing anyone. The panic that accompanied the attack was causing the most damage, however. Whithin minutes, virtually everyone in the city was captured by the enormous squads of 'bots. All except George and Mary Prower. They had gotten out on the streets and walked through the alleyways to avoid capture. Only one 'bot had found them so far, and it fell easily to George's J-34. "Here," said George. He handed Mary a rifle that he pilfered off the 'bot he had just shot. "Standard M-78 stock." Along with carrying his own J-34 around, he had taught Mary about guns, just in case. She took the gun and checked its fuel cells. It still had 300 rounds in its fully automatic chamber. George himself took the 'bots pistol, a Riminger 370 machine pistol, a projectile weapon. "What do we do now?" asked Mary. "Try and get out of the city, I guess," George answered. "Do you recognize where we are?" "Hey, bro. 'Bout time I found you!" "Merlin?!" George and Mary exclaimed at the same time. There was a flash of light, then George's younger brother, Merlin Prower, appeared before them. "Merl!" cried George. "Man, am I glad to see you! Something strange is going on. Do you have any idea what's behind it?" Merlin shook his head. "Nope, bro, not a clue. All I know is that it has something to do with the new Warlord, Julian. You were saying you need to get out of the city? I think I got a better idea. C'mon." Merlin Prower was young for his position as Court Magician of the Acorn Kingdom, but it was a well deserved position. Magic had long been an underrated science on Mobius. Evidence of it was seen everywhere, but few Mobians had been able to master it. Those that did weren't given much notice unless they turned their abilities to evil. But that all changed when Merlin Prower was born. Early on in his life, he found that he was a magical adept, someone who comes by magic naturally instead of having to practice years and years at it. Fourtunately, with his adeptness at magic came the teachings of his parents. They were down to Mobius people that taught George, Merlin, and their other siblings strong morals and a good sense of right and wrong. And so, Merlin never used his powers for evil, though he did enjoy the occaisonal prank or two. Mostly, Merlin pressed the illusionary part of his powers - making himself invisible, creating hideous monsters, making sparkly lights to amuse people . . . that sort of thing. He caught the attention of King Acorn and the Royal Court while he was still fourteen. They offered him and his parents the opportunity to help him develop his skills under a more controlled environment. They carefully considered it. The chance to develop his own powers was quite a lure for the young fox, so he pushed his parents until they gave in. Once at the castle, Merlin proved himself much more skilled already than any of the magicians currently under the employ of the Acorn Kingdom. Instead of getting taught by them, he was able to teach THEM a few tricks! And so, the position of Court Magician was instated and Merlin took on the title. He had still held it when the SWATbots attacked, four years later. "Whatever this is you want to show us, Merl," said George, "it better be worth risking our necks." "Oh, it is," said Merlin. Using his magic, he lifted up a dumpster in what seemed to be a blind alley. Underneath the dumpster was a gaping hole leading underground. "What is this?" asked Mary. "An old hideout of mine, sis," said Merlin. I made it a few years before I became Court Magician. I've been usin' it to . . . well, you'll see." George helped Mary down, then jumped in after his brother floated down. Inside, Merlin replaced the dumpster and lit a light on the end of his hand. "This way," he said, and led them down the tunnel. After a nightmare of twists and turns and illusory walls, they arrived at a large cavern filled with Mobians. "What in the-?!" The Mobotropolis citizens were huddled around small fires, trying to keep warm in the drafty tunnel. They were clumped together in small groups, apparently family and friends. "Survivors," said Merlin. "When the bombing started and the blimps appeared overhead, I was in Market Square, picking up some groceries - yeah, I know what your gonna say: junk food - and I started to bring as many people here as I could. I only stopped when I couldn't find anyone else. There are only about two hundred people here." George remembered this hideout now. Merlin had taken him here once, a long time ago. But when he had seen it before, it had been much, much smaller. Merlin had apparently opened it up further to make room for the others. "How's your energy reserve, Merl?" he asked, suddenly worried about his brother. "Ah, it's fine for now. I won't be doing any big spells anytime soon though." Merlin's powers were not limitless. When he first learned about them, he often fatigued himself into a deep sleep by using up to much energy. "What are these people going to do?" asked Mary. "What are WE going to do?" "Fight back, sis," said Merlin. "Along with people, I was busy picking up weapons. I have a truckload of SWATbot rifles and pistols in a tunnel nearby." "These people aren't fighters," said George. "That's why I'm glad I found YOU, bro. You can lead them." George stood silent as Mary looked at him with a confused expression. "I can't lead them," he finally said. "Look, bro, I know you can. And you HAVE to. If you don't, they will die. You know that, and you know that YOU are the only one who can help them . . . them and any other people unlucky enough to still be trapped out there!" "Wha- wait," said Mary, "I don't understand. What are you talking about? Why George?" Merlin started to speak, but George cut him off. "It was a long time ago, . . ." George was not always a real estate agent. Eight years ago, before the Great War, when George was only seventeen, he had been chosen for a special forces team for unknown purposes. This was one of the reasons that their parents had been hesitant to give over Merlin to the kingdom; in this matter, they hadn't had a choice. George had protested greatly and threatened to run away from home. The Acorn Kingdom army found him anyway and put him up as - of all things - the leader of the team. George, at first, had been extremely confused. He wasn't sure what to do. The kingdom shipped him and his four comrades in arms, all surely no older than himself, off onto - astoundingly - a floating island! He and his teammates were told that it was all an illusion, that the island wasn't really floating, but was a hologram meant to watch their "special talents." "What special talents?" they demanded. "You'll see," was the only reply. And they did see. They were given very little equipment, but one of them seemed to have a nack for finding things they needed at just the right time. They had no weapons, but another one of them found that he could make projectile weapons, like bows and crossbows, out of wood without any adhesive or a knife to wittle the wood with. At first, they all thought it was part of the hologram, but came to believe that it was all too real when they were attacked by a strange, wolf-like animal. They were able to fend it off with their crossbows, but one of them was mortally wounded. That was when Phil Diminetrix found that he could heal people with a touch. Phil was the oldest of them, almost 30, and was more confused about his situation than the rest. It was over this trip that he and George became friends. The last of the people under George's "command" learned that he could fire bolts of electricity from his fingertips. Still, though, George had not found his "nack." Suddenly, they were ambushed by an echidna. They all recognized him from the stories that they were told about the ancient Echidna Civilization. He was smart, and fast. He wore what looked like a cumbersome white robe, but was still able to move with practiced ease. George opened his mouth and orders started pouring out. He found himself yelling out tactics that many five star generals would be proud of. And, most suprisingly, his "troops" were following his every command exactly. Together, they beat the echidna to a standstill. A helicopter interrupted their fight. It landed right in between them and the echidna. A soldier frantically waved the special forces team in. They barely escaped without losing the helicopter to the echidna's sharp knuckles. So, George had found his "nack," the ability to lead people. He hated it. To him, it was a way of controlling other people's brains. He quit the special forces when they gave him a choice, and Phil went with him. They found a similar intrest in selling real estate, and went into the business, vowing to use their powers only for good, if ever at all. When George got home, he told his parents and siblings a fake story. Merlin was the only other person he told the truth to. "I won't do it, Merl." "You have to, bro, you don't have much of a choice!" Mary encircled her husband with her arms. "Dear, these people need your help. If you ask them to go along with your control, I'm sure they will agree to it." George looked at Mary. "But-" "But, nothing. Merlin is right. You have to." George looked down at the ground, then moved forward out of Mary's embrace. In a raised voice, he said, "Alright, listen up, people-" SWATbot 0678C, Designate Beta-Gamma-0C, was tired of waiting. He had been standing sentinel in front of the First Mobotropolis Bank for almost and hour, waiting for the other 'bots inside to get the gold out and take it up to the castle for Dr. Robotnik. Since he was a robot, though, he was easily able to quell his tiring. "BETA-GAMMA-0C!" boomed a voice in his internal radio. "What is going ON down there?!" "Dr. Robotnik, sir," said Beta-Gamma-0C, "this unit is waiting for-" "STOP waiting and get you metallic behind IN THERE!" "Towards what purpose, sir?" Robotnik growled. "To check on why your bumbling squad members haven't come back with my gold! I NEED that gold to start producing the micro-chips I need!" "Yes, sir, Dr. Robotnik, sir." Beta-Gamma-0C closed the link with some relief. He had only been active a short time, but he knew what a temper Dr. Robotnik had already. Inside the bank, everything was quiet. A little too quiet for Beta-Gamma-03's taste, so he turned up his hearing and switched to infra-red vision. To his suprise, the heat signatures of the other SWATbots were in crunched up heaps on the floor behind the teller booths. To his even greater suprise, a squadron of Mobians fell from the ceiling, supported by ropes, and blew him to atoms. "One more down," said George. "Good work, men." For the past hour, he had led his motley crew of Mobians from all walks of life through at least four different battles with the SWATbots. So far they had suffered zero casualties, even though none of them had ever undergone military training. "Next objective. Follow me." George walked out of the building, followed by his "army." They wound their way through the streets, looking for the business offices of Shandling & Myers, the lawy firm where Phil Diminetrix had gone to attend one of his frequent meetings. "Here," said one of the Mobians as they handed George a torn up phone book. "This is the best I could find." "Thanks," said George. He flipped through the tattered pages until he found the address for Shandling & Myers. "This way," he told his troops. They began to march again. George hated himself again. These people agreed to undergo his control, but he still felt that it was wrong. The way that doctors and journalists held laser rifles just seemed too much like professional soldiers for George's liking. He tried to not look at them, tried not to look them in the eyes and see the temporary hold he had over them, but sometimes it was necessary. And he hated himself even more. Once the reached Shandling & Myers, they began the search for Phil. George knew that Phil wasn't stupid, and that he would've found a good hiding spot from the 'bots. Unlike George, he would never run into any situation too big for him to handle. George was sure, though, that Phil would know that he would come for the old coot. Five floors up into the building, they found Phil's broken body. He had been trapped under a piece of the ceiling that had fallen. Fortunatly, they found more Mobians there with him. They told George about Phil's use of his powers to heal those of them that were injured, and that he led them to this hiding place when the ceiling caved in. "He pushed everyone else out of the way," one of them said. "When he came to under the rubble, he tried to use his healing power to heal himself, but it didn't work." George was on his knees, crying over his friend. After a few minutes, he stood up and said in a dark voice, "Get ready for a long night, people. After we're through with them, these SWATbots and whoever's leading them will be LESS than dust." Robotnik couldn't believe it. Already, at least 400 SWATbots were missing, presumed destroyed. He was pacing back and forth in the throne room of Acorn Castle, mulling over everything that had gone wrong with his takeover. First, the NCL supercomputer was dead. It's housing had been absolutely fried when he tried to access it, destroying all the valuble information that had been contained within. He had hoped to use it as his own personal computer system, but he would have to deal with setting up his own. Second, along with a small group of children, two women escaped to an unknown location in the Great Forest. Two of these children especially caught Robotnik's ire for escaping, the Princess and the fast, blue hedgehog. Third, the SWATbot disappearances. Robotnik guessed that some resisting Mobians were trying to play revolutionary against the new order. But what group of Mobians would be able to decemate over 400 SWATbots in only an hour and a half? What to do, what to do, . . . Robotnik opened a commlink to Snively. "Yes, sir?" came the whiney voice of Robotnik's assisstant. "Snively, I want you to instruct the SWATbots to search ALL of the alleyways in the city. Leave nothing unturned. Understand?" "Yes, sir. Right away." Merlin turned towards the entrance of the large cave abruptly. "What is it?" asked Mary. "They're here." "Who?" "SWATbots. They found the entrance and set off my magical alarm." He handed her a commlink. "Call George and tell him to get his butt over here. I got something I gotta do." Before Mary was able to say anything else, Merlin was gone in a flash of light. She turned on the commlink. George was mad. His hate and anger had turned outward from himself to the robots that dared to invade his city. He and his troops cut down SWATbots unmercifully all the way to the dumpster hideout. Once there, they found that the 'bots had tossed the dumpster carelessly to the side. One by one, they dropped in, weapons at the forefront. George led them down the corridors, sometimes sending them down different hallways to obliterate any 'bots they found. He was confident that his power would still be able to reach them. He followed his own instincts to find the main cave. When he got there, he found an almost full scale war going on, with Merlin and Mary the center of it. Dead SWATbots and Mobians laid everywhere. Immediately, George took control of everyone in the room. The tide of the mini-war turned to favor the Mobians. Within minutes, the war was won except for three lone SWATbots. George had joined Mary and Merlin. The SWATbots, seeing no other alternative, had surrendered. George stared them down with his Riminger 370 pistol. "I want you to start transmitting," he said coldly. "To what coordinates?" asked one of the 'bots. "To whoever is leading you, you bucket of bolts." "Transmitting visual and audio data now." "Whoever you are," said George, "know this. I will NOT stop fighting you. You have taken my city, my friend, and my future. I will not tolerate this, and neither will these people. We will find you, and we will kill you if its the last thing any of us do. I hope you are prepared to die, scum, because I will not stop until I've lodged a bullet in your black heart." Without warning, one of the SWATbots jumped him. He fired his machine pistol into the 'bot's chest, stopping it just before it collided with him. Mary stepped behind him as Merlin started up a spell to protect them, but he was too late. The shot had glanced off of the SWATbot's energy core, causing it to enter a mini-melt down. It exploded, taking the other 'bots and George with it. The fox's body was riddled by metal shards. Merlin's spell had been able to extended far enough to save him from the release of nuclear energy that came with the exploding core, but Mary was caught in the wave of it. She fell to the ground unconscious. Everyone but Merlin had been injured in some way. Those that hadn't died from the exploding SWATbots and radiation wave were either going to die from radiation poisoning, or were nearly brain dead from the sudden ripping away of George's empathic link. Merlin, unable to do anything else, grabbed Mary's still form and teleported away magically. Robotnik grinned evilly. That solved that problem. Merlin and Mary reappeared at the edge of the Great Forest. He walked with her in his arms and continued walking until his legs gave out on him. When he woke up, Mary was up too. She had caught radiation sickness, and could feel it already. Blisters covered the left side of her face. As bad as she was, however, she was more afraid for the baby she still carried in her womb. Merlin cast a few spells on her. One slowed the effect of the sickness. Another surrounded the baby so that the radiation wouldn't affect it either. The spell wasn't foolproof, though. Merlin was afraid that the baby may have taken some of the radiation and might cause birth defects. They cried each other to sleep that night. Five months later, Merlin was fixing up a hole in the makeshift treehouse he had built for him and Mary when she stumbled over to him. "Merlin . . ." she said. "Yah, sis?" Her face was contorted with pain. Without another word, Merlin understood what was happening. He quickly levitated her into the treehouse, then ran up the ramp after her. She was almost dead from the slowed down affects of the radiation. It took every last ounce of her stregnth to push. "C'mon, sis, you can make it," Merlin encouraged her. He wished he had something more than some meager pain relieving spells to give her. He had to think of something fast, or - more than likely - she wouldn't make it through labor. "Allow me," said a voice. Merlin jerked around from his kneeling position. "Wha-who are YOU?" he yelped. A young male deer stood at the doorway of the treehouse. "Let me help," was all he said. Merlin was desperate. He weighed the pros and cons quickly in his head, then yelled, "Alright, fine! C'mon!" The deer laid down a backpack he was carrying, opened it, and pulled out a handful of - - peanuts? Merlin began to rethink his decision, but it was too late. The deer popped the nuts into his mouth, then kneeled where Merlin was a second earlier. He appeared to concentrate in almost pious fervor. The only sound in the treehouse was Mary's agonized screams. Suddenly, a pulse of pinkish-puple light leapt from the deer's hands. It jumped from him into Mary's womb. Merlin couldn't get a spell up in time to stop him. "Call me Jim," said the deer as he proceeded in an exact, medical manner to extract the baby. "Push." Mary died that night. Jim had said that there was nothing he could do for her. All of his power had gone into saving the baby, and Merlin believed him. The deer looked emaciated after the ordeal. He grabbed his backpack and left Merlin to care for the baby and the rapidly deteriorating Mary. Mary's last words had been a name: "Miles Kiloms Prower." A month later, Julayla was out with Princess Sally Acorn on one of their walks through the forest. They often did this so Sally could concentrate on the lesson that Julayla was teaching. "What's that up ahead?" asked Sally, interrupting Julayla mid-sentence. "What, child?" "Over there, on the side of the path." Julayla looked around, scanning the trees of the Great Forest for anything or anyone. It took her two looks to finally percieve a short figure trying to hide himself magically. If he had tried to hide from anyone else, he would have succeeded, but not against the hyper-sensitive Julayla. "Let's go look," she said, deciding not to force the invisible stranger out into the open - at least not yet. "Here," said Sally. Where she pointed, there was a small, intricately woven basket with a small sheet covering something inside and a note pinned to the handle. Julayla picked up the note and read it. It said: "To whoever you are, this baby is an orphan and needs your help. His name is 'Miles Kiloms Prower.' Please care for him. I cannot where I am going. M." "It's a baby, Julayla!" Julayla looked around again, and sensed the mysterious "M" slinking off. She decided not to follow. She turned to Sally and said, "Carry him with you. We will take him to Knothole Village. Let's go." Merlin watched over his shoulder as the two strangers took Miles with them. He turned his head back around and was startled to find himself almost running into Jim. "Hello," said Jim. "How-" started Merlin. "Don't bother yourself with trying to find out how I can see you. Suffice it to say that I can." "What do you want?" "I want to be left alone, Merlin. That's all. You know about me, and if you tell ANYone that you saw-" "Don't worry. I won't be telling anyone who or where you are where I'm going." Jim seemed to think it over for a second, then said, "Thank you. I hope you understand what I can do to you if you DO tell." "Yes. But don't expect to be able to do it forever. I will-" "Save it. If that time ever comes, we'll see who will win, won't we?" Merlin nodded. Jim turned to leave. "Oh, and, Jim," said the fox. Jim turned back. "Thanks for saving my nephew." "Just another friendly service from Jim, M." Merlin nodded again Two flashes of light filled the still forest for a second, then the forest path was empty once again. THE END Roland Lowery