Sonic the Hedgehog Fanfiction
by Sonic Dust ([email protected])
Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Sally, Bunnie, etc. are © Sega, Archie Comics, and whoever else. Used by me! without permission, since I make no $$$ from this.
DMIN-7ß/Damien, Simone, Homotropolis and the Powerang are my characters and/or creations; please do not use them without permission. Thanx.
THE MECH OF MYSTERY
"Chloe! Sally!! Bunnie, do any of you read me?!"
A desperate voice was shouting in the wilderness. A voice full of frustration, anger, and a tinge of fear.
"You witch, what have you done? Do you have to have everything your way?" He adjusted his helmet and vaulted from the barren wasteland, the rocket on his back pouring forth black smoke and scorching fires.
"Perhaps it's not too late on this plane... can they yet be warned?"
¤¤§¤¤
"Yeeeeeooooowwwww!!!"
Sonic hurdled Antoine's head, and just in time. He almost got sliced wide open. As he turned to face his former friend, he nursed the gash on his left shoulder.
"'Twan! C'mon! It's me, Sonic, remember? Hedgehog extrordinaire, fellow freedom fighter! We're on friendly terms, remember?"
Sonic dodged another slash. It was no use. Antoine was roboticized, and no matter how hard he tried or hoped, he wasn't going to just come out of it. He just wished the battleground wasn't at the top of a high cliff; he needed more space to move to be able to fight at top form, and this ledge was very constricting.
"ELIMINATE SONIC, PRIORITY ONE," Antoine droned, drawing back his sword once again.
¤¤§¤¤
"AAAAAAGH! Bunnie, NOOOOO!!!"
Tails awoke with a start. He gasped for air, panic-stricken for a few seconds, then realized it was only a dream. He breathed a sigh of relief. Then, he suddenly noticed he didn't know where he was. As his eyes adjusted to the low light, he saw an opening, but it had bars on it. He began looking around, and deduced that he was in what appeared to be a cell; a very crude cell. It was a simple rocky cave with bars on the entrance.
Tails got up and dusted himself off, then walked over to the enterance to see what he could see. When he got to the 'door,' he did a double take. A couple miles down was a boiling pit of lava, and between him and it were vertical cliffs all around. He looked further up the rock face and saw an opening.
"I've gotta get outta here," Tails muttered, rattling the bars.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHH!!!"
Tails stopped and listened. "That sounded like Sonic," he thought. He threw himself into the bars as hard as he could. All he got for his trouble was a sore shoulder.
Tails was furious. "I'm gonna bust outta this birdcage if it's the last thing I do!!!"
¤¤§¤¤
Sonic had definitely seen better days. He never thought he'd be given the run-around by Antoine, but the roboticization made Ant a much better fighter than he normally was.
He stood up and almost fell over. He hoped he didn't have a concussion. A clothesline was the last thing he expected 'Twan to pull. 'I need to watch it,' he told himself. Sonic shook his head and started after Antoine again. At least Sonic could still outrun him--he'd just have to figure out how to use it against his former fellow Knothole resident.
"COMPLETE ELIMINATION OF SONIC," the Antoine-bot said, slashing downward.
"Yeah, yeah," Sonic said, executing a quick roll to avoid the perilous blade. He struggled to his feet as 'Twan readied his next assault.
SWISH!
Sonic nimbly jumped over the sword.
"What's the matter, Ant? Don't have the-"
The injuries had taken their toll on our hero, for he neglected to notice his proximity to the edge of the cliff. When he landed, he teetered for a moment, then plummetted toward the boiling magma below. It was such a terrifying experience, and he was so battered already, Sonic only had a brief moment to scream before he blacked out.
¤¤§¤¤
Tails was leaning against the wall of his stony prison. 'Is this really how it's going to end?' he thought to himself. 'I don't want to go out like this. There's so many things I haven't done... It can't end like this, they'll find me.' Tails sighed. Waiting for salvation isn't easy when you're used to being a saviour.
Then, his ears perked up; he heard a scream. He looked out through the bars and saw a blue streak flash past the entrance.
"Sonic?! Oh, no!"
Tails ran to the bars with renewed vigor and strained at them again, in a vain final attempt to free himself and get to his falling compadre. Unfortunately, iron is tougher than a 12-year-old fox's muscles, and he soon slumped down in exhaustion and failure.
"I knew I should have spent more time at the gym," he said.
Suddenly he heard the sound of an energy beam being fired. He jumped, expecting a SWATbot, but all he saw was that the metal bars were melted away. He quickly ran to the entrance to see who had freed him, and saw a strange figure.
The mysterious rescuer was dressed in mostly black and purple, and a flowing cape draped from his shoulders. He was clinging to the rock face by a grapple line mounted on his right gauntlet, and the laser he had used to free Tails was mounted on his left. The visor on his helmet was so dark, he couldn't see into it.
"Hey, thanks," Tails said, climbing through the melted bars. "But who-"
"No time for pleasantries right now," his rescuer said in a strange, tinny voice. "You must save your friend. He was lucky enough to have snagged his spines on a tiny ledge far below, but he's still unconscious. It won't hold forever, so I would suggest..."
"Oh, right!" Tails said, leaping out of the entrance and into the air. He revved up his twin tails and hovered near the stranger. "But what about you?"
"I'll take care of that drone up top," he replied as he kicked off the wall. At that moment, a jetpack appeared on his back. As he started to throttle upward, he caled back, "Good luck!"
"You too!" Tails yelled. Then, he turned and plunged downward toward his friend.
¤¤§¤¤
Tails' tails whipped around at a blinding rate as he nose-dived toward the pool of steaming lava. His eyes watered, and he ducked his head to get his face out of the wind. The speed and the heat made him feel faint, but he had to press on.
Suddenly, he saw Sonic. Just as the stranger had told him, he was dangling from a ledge by his quills. Tails had to get to him, but he had gained quite a head of steam. He had to struggle against gravity to stop from plunging head-first into the molten earth, but he managed to right himself with but a few feet to spare.
"Sonic!" he shouted, flying over to his battered ally. He saw all his injuries and winced at the mere sight of them. He gingerly picked him up, and the rock he had been hanging onto gave way, falling into oblivion several yards below.
"Sonic, you have to wake up!" He shook him, and he didn't wake up. "Oh, no! Please, don't let him be..." He took his pulse. "Oh, thank the Ancient Walkers! He's alive! He's unconscious, but alive!"
Tails blinked sweat away from his eyes. He looked up at the cliffs towering over him, and suddenly felt wiped.
"Oh, no," he panted. "I don't think I can carry him all the way up there." He smiled weakly. "Too many chili dogs, eh, Sonic?" No answer. He was starting to panic, but surpressed it. Suddenly, he thought of his backpack. He hoped he still had it, but he couldn't remember. He felt behind him; he sighed with relief. It was there, and it had just what the Doctor ordered; climbing gear. He hastily put on the harness, then tied it to Sonic, so both his hands would be free. He nailed a piton deep into the crag, then ran the rope through.
"Finally," Tails said, letting himself relax. He stopped flying and dangled above the lava. As he regained his strength, he tried to remember what had happened that he ended up here. He couldn't come up with a single clue. He decided to attempt the meditation method that Athiar had taught him. He relaxed, concentrated, and waited.
And he waited.
Suddenly, an image of a version Princess Sally in black leather flashed into his mind. The thought broke his concentration, and he came out of his meditative state. 'Evil Sally?' he thought. 'From that other dimension? Why would I be imprisoned here by her, of all people?' Tails hated all the evil Freedom Fighters from that dimension, but he hated her with a passion, since he had had a small crush on her--before she tried to light him on fire.
Mystified as he was, he now felt much better having rested, so he decided to try to make it back to the top of the cliff to get to the bottom of his predicament. As he unhooked them from the wall, Sonic started to rouse.
"No, just seven...," he muttered. "That'll last me the weekend."
"Poor guy," Tails said. He remembered his bandages, and took one out of his pack and wrapped Sonic's arm and head with it quickly. Then, he proceeded to airlift him to the top.
As they arose, Sonic stirred again.
"Sonic?" Tails said. "Are you okay, man?"
Sonic blinked. "Huh? Tails, buddy, that you?"
Tails breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank the Walkers you're alright! I thought you might have been seriously hurt."
"Nothing a few dozen chili dogs and a trip to a spa won't cure," he replied, wincing in pain. He looked around. "What's going on?"
"I don't really know," Tails said, remembering his brief recall. "I wish I could tell you."
"Well, let's get out of here. I'd rather my sauna not come complete with deadly liquid rock."
¤¤§¤¤
Sonic and Tails arrived at the top of the cliff to witness a spectacular battle between the stranger and the roboticized Antoine. The caped figure's black and purple mantle was now tattered and torn, and his helmet, while intact, looked a little worse for wear. Antoine was readying for another attack, and the mystery dude was chargeing up his laser.
"Now I remember, Tails," Sonic said, rubbing the now-nice-sized knot on his head. "I came here looking for you! You didn't show up for morning excersizes, which didn't set right. Then, when you didn't show up for lunch, I got really worried, and used the tracking device in your shoes to find you, but I ran into robo-dweeb over there."
"But," Tails said, "where's 'here'?"
Just then, a red figure with flowing spines sailed in and sent both contenders flying into the wall with two well-placed punches.
"If you wanna rumble, either take it off my island or count me in."
"Knuckles!" Tails said. His brow furrowed. "But, that means we must be on the-"
"Floating Island, kid," Knuckles said, confused. "Shouldn't you know where you are?"
"You'd think I would, wouldn't ya?" Tails said, shrugging.
"Don't worry, keyed," Sonic said, patting him on the shoulder. "I've had more than my fair share of experience with amnesia. We'll figure it out."
Unfortunately, they had forgotten about the participants of the duel Knuckles had just ended. Antoine had gotten up and was steadying himself to take a swipe at Knuckles. Sonic suddenly noticed, and his eyes went wide.
"Knux, look out!"
Before the red echidna could react, Antoine's ear was seared off. It was the stranger, whom was just standing up. He had shot his ear off to draw attention to him and away from Knuckles.
Antoine rushed him, and they locked in a strength match. Eventually, Antoine was thrown to the floor.
"That's the way!" Tails yelled.
As the caped figure approached for another blow, Antoine jumped up and threw his sword at him. It buried deep in his chest.
"NO!" Tails, Sonic and Knuckles cried.
Then, the wound started to sizzle and spark, and his chest exploded, sending him flying backwards. He crashed into the wall and slumped down, a glowing silvery liquid oozing from the gaping wound.
They all stared for a moment. "That guy," Tails said, "was a robot. But... but he saved me. And you." He turned to Knuckles.
"Hey, don't look at me," Knuckles said. "I have less of a clue than you do." Then, he noticed the Antoine robot picking up his sword. "Oh, no you don't, bub!" He flew toward him and gave him a roundhouse that took him out of commission instantly.
"Good work, rad red," Sonic said. He walked over to Antoine. "Dr. Robotnik, you're gonna pay for this. You've roboticized my friends, my family. I'm going to beat your face in when you least expect it."
Tails put his hand on Sonic's shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll win. Buttnik doesn't stand a chance."
"What's this guy's deal, then?" Knuckles said, pointing at the unknown saviour.
Tails walked over to the stranger and knelt by him. He slowly took off his helmet.
"Wh-wha?"
It was a roboticized overlander. Tails didn't recognize him, but he looked like he was a well-built, handsome man in his early twenties before he was converted. From the several slightly different color pieces on him, it appeared he had been repaired hastily several times, perhaps by himself. One of his eyes was an outdated external ocular module, which looked strange compared to the other one, a more standard internal e-eye. He fingered the protruding wires and torn metal in his chest cavity.
"Sonic," he said quietly, "do you think we can return the favor?"
"I dunno, man," Sonic said. "Rotor and Uncle Chuck are pretty good at that stuff, but he's been ripped up pretty bad. I guess we can only hope his brains are in his head, not his heart."
"I don't know if he even had a heart," Tails said. "But if he did, it was pretty big."
¤¤§¤¤
part two
¤¤§¤¤
He couldn't stop. Not now. Not yet.
Tails was pushing himself to run as fast as he could, if not faster. He still wasn't able to run as fast as Sonic; even with his tails spinning. If he wasn't as fast as him, he simply didn't measure up.
He had shut himself off from all the Freedom Fighters for about a week now. The purpose: training. He had been training so hard he never technically slept, but simply dropped from exhaustion. He had brought along a supply of Doctor Quack's special recipe of training shakes; three shakes per day was enough to fulfil his nutritional needs, as well as a dose of creatine citrate to help build his muscles faster. Its taste left something to be desired, but it didn't matter to him. He had other things to think about.
Like what happened one week and three days ago. More specifically, what didn't happen.
If only he could remember how he had gotten trapped in that cell! It was so frustrating to know that the memories were in his brain, but he couldn't get them to surface. He'd tried everything: therapy, hypnosis, ginkgo, electronic devices--several drugs that were normally illegal, but he'd acquired special licence from King Acorn to use them, as it seemed that whatever he had forgotten was extremely important.
Nothing. Not even the meditation had worked again.
It was the cell incident that had driven him to his rigorous training. When he tried to escape and those bars didn't even move in the slightest, he began to feel that he wasn't much of a Freedom Fighter. He decided he had to somehow become a better one, and the best way he knew to do it was to train, and train hard.
His thoughts drifted back to the one vague clue of why he had woken up in that sealed cave. Evil Sally. He had no idea why she would have had anything to do with his imprisonment. They hadn't even seen the Evil F.F. for over half a year. It was one of those things that you don't really-
"WHOUFF!"
Tails needed to watch where he was going.
"You okay, dude?" Sonic asked, reaching down to help his two-tailed friend up.
"Yeah," Tails said, pulling up on Sonic's hand. "Though I'd appreciate some aspirin. Sorry, Sonic."
"'Sokay, little buddy. But in a broader sense... you okay? You've been out here for a week and a half."
Tails looked at his watch. "What? I thought it'd only been a week. Boy, time flies."
"When you're what?!" Sonic exclaimed. "What the heck are you doing out here?"
"Training."
"For what, Tails vs. Robotropolis? You're gonna kill yourself training this hard!"
Tails looked down at his shoes. "I'd probably kill myself if I didn't."
Sonic put his hand on Tails's shoulder. "Hey, what's goin' on, keyed? You were actin' pretty strange before you left. Dr. Quack told me you checked out a couple cases of his 'miracle athelete juice', so I figured you came out here."
"Why? How'd you know where I'd be?" Tails sat down on an old stump.
Sonic looked up at the treetops. "You see the damage on some of these trees? There," he said, gesturing, "and there."
Tails followed his gaze. "Yeah... and?"
"Back when I found out Uncle Chuck had kept my parents' roboticization a secret from me, I was pretty ticked. I 'Sonic Pinballed' all these trees, letting off steam." He walked over to Tails. "You're the kid bro I never had. I thought you might end up in the same spot." Sonic tousled Tails's hair. "Whaddaya say, sport? Head back to Knothole and grab some... real food?"
"Yeah, I guess I should lay off," he said, standing up. "I could use a good nap. Besides, I was getting pretty sick of that nasty juice."
¤¤§¤¤
Tails woke up aching all over. He realized he should've done a few stretches after that last training session.
After a breakfast of reheated chili dogs, he wandered over to the R & D building. He was hoping there was some progress in restoring the robot that had aided him. It would be a terrible shame if they could never restore him. Tails owed him his life, or at the very least, his freedom.
He was in luck, for as he arrived at the building, Rotor was just leaving.
"Hey, Rote!" Tails called.
The stout walrus turned around, then smiled. "Oh, hey, Tails! What's up?"
"Well, I was wondering how our guest was doing."
"Guest," Rotor repeated, wrinkling his brow. "Oh, that's right. You weren't around this past week, were you?" He walked back up the steps and opened the door. "Follow me."
They entered the building and walked down a dimly lit corridor until they reached room 17A. Rotor produced a ring full of keys from one of the pouches on his supply belt and opened the door.
As they entered, Tails instantly noticed the robot laying on an examination table, looking as good as new.
"We completed work on him a couple days ago," Rotor explained, making his way to a workbench and turning on a lamp. "We've made a few improvements as well; made his power supply more efficient, updated both eyes, and changed his rocket pack out for a new anti-grav module."
Rotor walked over to the robot, holding a brand new cape. "I thought this would be a nice gesture as well." He placed it around the robot's shoulders.
Tails looked at his metallic saviour, then up at Rotor. "Do you know what his name is?"
"Nope, sorry," Rotor replied. "His serial number is DMIN-7ß, but I don't know what he goes by."
Tails picked up his arm. "If he's been completed for days, why didn't you turn him back on?"
"Well, we all figured you deserved to be the one to do it." Rotor opened an access panel in the left side of DMIN-7ß's chest. In the midst of all the wires was a small panel with a few buttons, including a large green one marked "POWER."
"Care to do the honors, man?"
Tails smiled at Rotor. "What do you think?" He reached down and pressed the green button, then closed the panel.
After a few seconds of quiet humming noises, the stranger's eyes lit up with a dull green glow. He looked around, then sat up. He experimentally moved his neck, then his limbs; then he felt his eyes.
"My... my eyes..." He grasped his throat. "My voice... they're all different... upgraded." He looked around, his eyes resting on Rotor. "Where is this place? Who- Rotor? What are you..." He turned to look at Tails. "I recognize you... from the volcano." He stared a little harder. "Tails? Is it really you?"
"Wh-what?" Tails said, surprised. He had never given the robot his name. "Y-yeah, but-"
"But you're so... of course. You're not the right Tails. I should've realized."
"What are you talking-"
"I have to get out of here," the robot said, jumping down off the table. "Have to get home!"
"Hey!" Tails exclaimed. "What's the rush? Who are you?"
"No time," he replied, running out the door.
Tails revved up his tails and dashed out after him. "But I just wanted to say thanks!"
DMIN-7ß burst outside, scanning his surroundings. "Just as I remember it... but not at all!" He ran down the street towards the Great Oak Slide. "I just hope the exit is the same."
Tails flew out, hot on his heels. "Wait up, dude! Where do you have to go?"
The stranger leapt into the air and took off. Needless to say, the new propulsion method took him a bit by surprise. He did a couple corkscrews and almost ran into a few buildings before he adapted to the anti-grav unit. He flew up through the slide and out of sight.
Tails landed, breathing hard and agitated. "He's gone! And I STILL don't know his name!"
Just then, his watch went off. He pressed a button on the side of it. "Tails here," he said with an edge in his voice.
"Get to the meeting hall, NOW!" came Prince Elias's voice, loud and clear.
Tails blinked at the urgency in his voice. "Yes, sir," he replied, taking off for Neo-Castle Acorn.
¤¤§¤¤
Tails traversed the halls of the castle at a fast trot. He didn't want to run in the King's new palace, but this sounded too urgent to walk.
As he approached the large double doors to the meeting hall, he regarded the castle. It was very nice, and well-constructed, but it just couldn't hold a candle to the old castle. He missed all of Mobotropolis, come to think of it, but Knothole had been home so long, he wouldn't know if he would still feel at home in his old neighbourhood... if he ever got to go back, and that was a big if.
As Tails burst in, he glanced around the room. Prince Elias was seated at the head of the huge oak table, which was expected, as he was the acting monarch while King Acorn was paralyzed. He definitely had that regal bearing all of the Acorns had, but this particular squirrel always seemed to be a bit uncomfortable with his duties.
Seated directly opposite him was Sonic's Uncle Chuck, whom was busy adjusting his servo joints. Tails had gotten over his robotic appearance by now, as he'd been that way for many years. He was the one who had probably put in most of the work restoring DMIN-7ß.
Bunnie Rabbot, seated to Chuck's left, was just finishing up fine-tuning the updated arm cannon installed in her left arm. It had had to be refurbished completely, along with her lower half. Being a cyborg did have its advantages, but it could also be a pain. She now began to apply her favorite fiery red shade of lipstick.
Antoine was sitting next to Bunnie, gazing at her as she blotted her lips with a napkin. He was still roboticized, but they had restored his mind with a power ring. He touched her hand, and she turned to him and smiled. Their love knew no boundries, including circuitry.
Rotor, whom was sitting at Chuck's right, waved to Tails. Tails waved back, and quickly took his seat next to him.
Then, the Secret Service entered from a door behind and to the left of Prince Elias. Geoffrey St. John, their leader, stood at the prince's side. The rogueish skunk whispered something to the him, and Elias nodded. Behind him stood Hershey, a tall, lithe cat. She looked rather concerned about the meeting. On the other side of Elias were Heavy and Bomb, two robots, the latter of which could explode, yet survive unharmed by transferring his conciousness to another round, red robotic "shell." They were built to learn, and had learned a bit too much about the evils of Robotnik's organization and deserted him. Then Wombat Stu entered and sat on a stool in the corner. He was a member of the Downunda Freedom Fighters, but had been drafted by the Secret Service.
Tails realized they were now waiting on only two people; Princess Sally and Sonic.
"Say, mon ami," Antoine asked Uncle Chuck, "what iz zee purpose of zis meeting?"
"Sorry, sonny," Chuck replied, shrugging. "Kinda anxious to find that out myself."
Elias said, "We must wait for-"
He was cut off by Sonic's entrance. He exploded through the doors, blazed around the table and sat down at Tails's right.
"Sorry to keep you all waiting," he said, propping his feet up on the table, "but I was chatting with Knuckles on the Island when you-"
"That's alright, Sonic," Elias said, picking up his gavel. "Let's just start the meeting without any further delay."
"But what about Sal?" Sonic asked, gesturing to the one remaining empty chair.
Elias heaved a deep sigh. "I'm afraid that's the reason for this meeting," he began, looking down. "You see... she's gone missing."
A ripple of gasps ran throughout the room, eyes wide with shock and fear. Sonic stood up, knocking his chair over.
"Well, what the heck am I still here for? Let's get-"
"Wait, Sonic!" the Prince said. "We have to find her first!"
Sonic tensed, indecisive, then gingerly sat back down. "And how do we do that, E?"
Geoffrey glared at Sonic. "You will address him as Prince Elias or Your Majesty, hedgehog."
Sonic prickled. "I'll call YOU something, you-"
"ENOUGH!" Elias shouted, banging his gavel. "None of this is helping!" He sighed and turned to the rest of the assembly. "Any ideas?"
"As a matter of fact," Uncle Chuck said, "If the princess is still wearing her boots..."
"Of course!" Rotor exclaimed. "The tracking device!"
"Ah, yes," Elias said, brightening. "Now I'm glad I signed that proposal when it came across my desk. Can you pick up her signal, Sir Charles?"
Uncle Chuck stood up and looked up at the ceiling. "Wait... yes! I'm having trouble pinpointing her exact location..." A few excruciating moments passed. "Alrighty... it's coming from the western outskirts of Robotropolis. A warehouse."
"Which one, Unc?" Sonic said, standing again.
"448. It's used for storing old construction equipment."
"Okay, that's it," Sonic said. "She wouldn't just run off to someplace like that without telling anyone!" He started for the door. "Let's go, Freedom Fighters!"
"Stop right there!" Geoffrey shouted. "This is a royal affair. It's the duty of the Secret Service to rescue the princess. It doesn't concern you."
"Sorry, stinky," Sonic said. "Anything having to do with a Freedom Fighter concerns me."
"Sally isn't any mere Freedom Fighter," St. John retorted, stepping toward Sonic. "You'll remain here."
"You're right there, Geoff," Sonic said coldly, "she isn't. She's my friend, and I'm going--like it or don't."
"I'm with you, Sonic!" Tails shouted, leaping out of his seat.
Rotor, Bunnie and Antoine all shouted their agreement and got up to follow him.
"Sonic, I'm warning you," Geoff said through gritted teeth. "You're way out of line, mate. I'll have you court-marshalled in a-"
Sonic whirled around, seething. He walked toward St. John, a fire in his eyes not many had ever seen. He grabbed him by the collar. "I'd like to see you try, St. Limburgher. I can see the headlines now: 'Sonic Jailed for Rescuing Princess-Geoffrey Insane.' You can take that court-marshall and stick it where your musk is. Meanwhile, I'm going to go get Sally. I would suggest you not try to stop me." With that, he released him and ran out the door, the other four Freedom Fighters right behind him.
Geoffrey turned to the Prince. "Your Majesty, I implore you to-"
"Cool off, St. John," Elias said. "I was going to send them anyway."
St. John was furious. "That brash blue pincushion couldn't save a tree from its own shadow, much less our fair princess!"
Uncle Chuck simply got up and left the room at this, as did Hershey, Heavy, and Bomb.
Elias sighed, and stood up. "You still underestimate the Freedom Fighters, Geoffrey; especialy Sonic. He's one of the bravest Mobians I know. He's also one of the most skilled at these surgical strike rescue missions. I think he'll do just fine."
¤¤§¤¤
"Now, you all know the drill," Sonic said as they crested the hill that overlooked Warehouse 448. "You beat the living sludge out of whoever's hangin' around, while I zip in and save the Princess from whatever. Let's juice!"
Tails felt really pumped about this rescue mission. A week of training had to have made him stronger, faster, and a better fighter. This was his chance to test himself. But whether or not he made a difference, he still hoped everything went okay; Princess Sally had been the only mother he'd ever really known.
As their teammates surrounded the building, Tails airlifted Sonic onto the roof. Quietly, they peered in through the skylight.
"Look," Sonic whispered, pointing.
The warehouse was full of crates and boxes. Littered around were a few pick axes and helmets, and here and there were a couple high-tech steam shovels and bulldozers, all covered with a thin layer of dust. Positioned in the square of light from the window was a sonic drill, pointing straight down. It was rather old, but still looked functional. A rope was tied around it.
Dangling from it in the beam's path was Princess Sally Acorn.
"Sonic?" Tails said.
"Yeah, keyed," Sonic whispered, standing up. "I smell the ole trap, too. What choice have we got? We can't just leave her here. I can't." For a split second, Tails thought he saw a tear in Sonic's eye. Then, he was opening the skylight.
"Comin', Tails?"
Tails pulled his gloves tight and followed Sonic into the warehouse.
Executing a perfect flip, Sonic landed lightly on the floor. He peered intently into the shadows, searching for any sign of trouble, or a clue as to Sally's captor. Tails landed behind him, sniffing for any foreign creature. All he could smell was mold, oil, and rust. There was something else, but he really couldn't tell what...
Unable to spot anything, Sonic ran over to the Princess and pulled off her gag. "You okay, Sal?"
Sally gasped for a quick breath. "Sonic! Look-"
"Look out for me?"
Suddenly, a shadowy figure stepped partially into the light. It was a woman, but beyond that you couldn't make out much. Tails thought he caught the scent of a rabbit, but couldn't be sure, as she was wearing a lot of perfume. In her right hand, she was holding a glowing blue sphere. A sword was in her left.
"Thank you for being as quick as you claim," the dark mistress said in a throaty voice. She lifted the sphere in front of her. "Catch, handsome," she called, tossing it to Sonic.
He caught it, and looked into it, vexed. "What's this?"
The dark stranger merely smiled, shifting her sword to her right hand.
Suddenly, the blue glow enveloped Sonic. He tried to break free, but it was no use. He screamed, panic stricken; then, in a blinding flash of azure light, he was gone.
"NO!!!" Sally screamed. "YOU WITCH!!!"
Tails stared at the empty space where his friend had been. There wasn't a trace; no charred spot on the ground, no wisp of smoke lingering in the air... nothing. Suddenly, he felt very vulnerable. He put his fingers to his mouth and gave a loud whistle. His three friends came chargeing in from different entrances, ready for anything.
He turned to their malevolent guest with a mixture of fear and rage. "Who are you?"
"Who am I?" the voice cackled. Then the shady character stepped into the light.
She was a slender jet-black rabbit with fire-red hair cascading down her back and around her shoulders. She was wearing a shimmering blue dress with matching heels and gloves. Her lips wre ruby-red, and her eyes were green with blue eyeshadow. She held the shining katana with an experienced hand.
"My name is Simone," she said with a smirk. "As for who I am... well, all in due time." She rolled her glove up to look at her watch. "Oh, I'm sorry, ladies and gentlemen, but I really must be going. In the meantime, please enjoy the... entertainment I've arranged. Au revoir!"
With that, Simone crouched low and executed an amazingly powerful jump for her size. She vaulted herself straight through the skylight and was out of sight.
"S-sonic..." Tails choked.
"I know," Sally said, her voice barely audiable. "Let's... let's just get out of here."
Antoine ran over to her. "Allow me," he said, using his sword to cut her down.
Tails fell to his knees. 'What happened?' he thought. His best friend had suddenly disappeared. He wished he had some idea of where to look, or what to do. He choked back the tears as the possibility crossed his mind that he could be- no, he wouldn't believe that for a second. He simply had to look everywhere, and he promised himself that he would never give up hope.
"Thanks, Antoine," Sally said, bringing Tails back to the situation. She was rubbing her red, chafing wrists. He walked over to her, as the other Freedom Fighters were.
"Now," she was saying, "I don't particularly want to see this woman's idea of entertainment, so I suggest-"
Unfortunately, they weren't quite fast enough. A horde of rabbits in black jumpsuits emerged from behind the crates. They all brandished various weapons -- all very dangerous looking.
"Y'all," Bunnie said, backing up, "Ah think we're a lil' surrounded."
"They're crawling out of the woodwork!" Rotor yelled, pulling a pair of laser pistols out of his belt.
Tails thought he saw something out of the corner of his eye. He turned and saw another rabbit step out from behind a cement mixer. This one was wearing a dark red jumpsuit, and had a black headband and belt. He was holding a few razor sharp shuriken in each hand. Then, in a dark voice with an edge that chilled him to the bone, he spoke:
"Tonight, you die."
"Aww," Tails said, in the usual lighthearted Freedom Fighter style. "Can't I put this off until next week?"
He suddenly took off toward the red newcomer at full speed, flying with all his might, dodging his spinning thowing stars. He reared back his right fist and-
Missed.
He couldn't understand it. The ninja rabbit was directly in the path of his blow.
He paused in midair and spun around, franticly searching for his crimson-clad foe. He suddenly caught sight of him, standing atop a stack of crates. He also caught a painful slice by a ninja star at that same instant.
"AAAAAAGHH!" Tails cried, clutching his right shoulder. His eyes narrowed. "Filthy jackrabbit!"
"The name is Enosh," the rabbit said calmly. "And you are no match for the Black Blood Clan."
"We'll see what color your blood is," Tails said. He quickly moved forward and knocked away the box at the bottom with a well-placed kick, sending the entire stack tumbling to the ground. Enosh quickly flipped down -- landing on Tails's extended knee.
"OOF!" the villain breathed, doubling over in pain. Tails backhanded him, then picked him up by his collar and flung him headlong into a huge steamroller. He crumpled to the ground.
Suddenly, he felt a rough thud on the back of his head. He staggered forward a few steps, then turned to meet his new challenge.
It was Sally. She had been thrown into him by the other ninjas. Tails reached down and helped her up.
"You okay, Aunt Sally?"
The princess wavered for a moment, then shook her head out. "Ooh... thanks, Miles. These guys sure know what they're doing."
"Sally...!" Tails said, blushing.
She caught herself. "Oh, sorry... Tails." She wiped the blood and sweat from her forehead and thrust herslef back into the melee.
Tails started to follow her, when he heard a voice behind him say angrily, "Your fight ends now, fox!"
Tails broke into a cold fear-sweat. His fur stood on end all over, and all the color drained from his face. He knew his opponent more likely than not had a throwing knife or star in hand.
No.
Then, he heard the somewhat out-of-place sound of laser fire from behind, followed by a scream. He slowly turned around.
Enosh was grunting and breathing hard, grasping for a right hand that was no longer there. It was on the floor, clutching a throwing knife, as he'd suspected. The sight of the severed bloody appendage made Tails feel both sickened... and relieved that the dagger wasn't in his back. His eyes searched for whoever had saved him.
DMIN-7ß was hovering just inside the skylight. His gauntlet laser was still glowing, ready for another blast. His proud cape billowing, he slowly descended to land next to Tails.
"Looks like you guys could use an extra gun," he said, smiling.
Tails grinned. "We could use a few dozen, but any help would be much appreciated."
The two warriors plunged into the midst of the bloodbath.
¤¤§¤¤
"You've not seen the last of the Black Blood Clan!" Enosh shouted as he and the few remaining ninjas fled.
"Whatever!" Tails called from atop a mound of fallen jumpsuited rabbits.
It was only now that Tails allowed himself to succumb to the pain. As his adrenaline subsided, his shoulder began to burn and his head started throbbing. He hoped his injuries wouldn't cause him any additional trouble.
He made his way over to where the other five were standing. The fight had worn them all pretty thin. Worst of all was Sally, who had a deep gash in her leg and a broken arm. Tails knew he shouldn't, but he felt sort of responsible. If he was a better fighter, he could've taken on more ninjas and the princess wouldn't have had to fight as many.
"Good work, everyone," Sally said as they put her arm in a sling, "and thanks. I feel lucky to have such loyal friends like you guys." Her gaze settled on DMIN-7ß. "Ah, this must be the roboticized overlander I've been hearing so much about. May I ask your name?"
"Yeah," Tails put in. "I'd still like to know."
He laughed nervously. "Yeah... sorry about fleeing without explaination before, Tails." He then turned and bowed to Sally. "Your Majesty, Damien at your service."
Sally blinked. "You seem to already know me, Damien."
The robot sighed. "It's a long, strange tale, Princess."
¤¤§¤¤
part three
¤¤§¤¤
The skies turned black over an uninhabited section of an insignificant forest, on an otherwise unsubstantial afternoon. The event went unnoticed as a shining portal opened, the crackling energies singing the bark on the common birch tree it was flush against. A figure stepped through, more machine than Mobian. As he walked further from it, the portal slowly vanished, and the sky returned to its previous azure hue. The abomination surveyed its surroundings, then spoke, seemingly to the open air.
"Xox, scan for objective life forms." A male voice; presumably in his mid-twenties.
All was quiet for a few moments, save his footfalls as he paced forward. "It's so beautiful here... was, I suppose is more correct." A few more moments passed. "Acknowledged. Determine current location."
He took this time to further admire a tree in front of him. "This breed is long since extinct in my world. Such a pity... its beauty is striking." Then his head snapped back. "Oh, no. We're so far away! Curse our third-rate technology and its inability to pinpoint!" He nearly smashed his fist into the tree in frustration, but stopped himself short. "No... I should not vent my anger on unsuspecting vegetation."
He leapt into the sky, then fell back to the ground, cursing.
"She was right," he said, standing. "I should have had a proper systems check before I embarked... but we were so pressed for time." A deep sigh. "I suppose I shall have to travel on foot until I can find someone to assist me in the repairs."
Then he set out, moving switfly over the forest floor. The fate of the planet hung in the balance, and he had no more time to admire its splendour.
¤¤§¤¤
Sally closed and locked the door. "There. Now maybe we'll get to the bottom of this."
She sat down in a big leather easy chair and looked around. Rotor was sitting in a faded blue recliner, staring off into space, and Tails was on the couch drinking some juice. Sitting next to him was the strange robot whom had helped the Freedom Fighters out twice now. The one called Damien.
She regarded their mysterious friend. He was rather strong-looking, and fairly tall, around six feet; pretty tall when comparing to your average Mobian. His face was rather handsome, but odd-looking from the roboticization; especially the new eyes, which were glowing a greenish color. Without his helmet, his "hair," which was made up of tendrills (like Knuckles had when he was temporarily roboticized), hung loosely about his head, framing his face. His body was mostly black, accented by silver. She recalled having heard about some blue and violet bits here and there, but they must've been removed when Rotor and Uncle Chuck repaired him. She could see a strange insignia on his left pectorial that resembled an "R", but it had been partially scratched and polished away, and was barely visible now. His black cape with violet trimming hung on the coatrack.
Damien noticed her staring at him and smiled. "I suppose you would like to know something about me now."
The princess blushed, having been caught; after all, staring is impolite. "Yes, actually," she replied. "I think we all would."
The robot sighed and leaned back, looking at the ceiling. "You'd better prepare yourselves, for this is a long story- one you might not even believe.
"My full name is Damien Keating. I am a robot, yes, but I was not always. I once lead a fairly normal life, played with friends in elementary school, partied in high school, you know. I was a happy person, and really couldn't want much more.
"Then, when I was in my freshman year in Homotropolis U, I was drafted into the army."
Tails started, almost spilling his juice. "You lived in Mobotropolis?"
"No, Homotropolis... oh, that's right, I nearly forgot to tell you. I came from another dimension. In that dimension, we humans rule what was once your city. We renamed it in honor of our own species, in a grand and glorious display of hubris."
"Oh, I see," Tails said, looking at a stale chili dog. "But what happened to us, the Mobians?"
"Well, I'm getting to that. Anyway, I showed up for induction into the army. What I didn't realize was that the city's new mayor, Robotnik, had some pretty radical ideas about how to run the military. My induction consisted of being marched through a door... and roboticized."
"He's a filthy tyrant no matter what dimension he's in," Rotor commented.
"Truer words were never spoken," Damien said, shaking his head. "I hated him with every circuit in my new body, but what could I do? I was trapped in this-" he banged his fist on his chest "-with no way out, unable to control my own body. All I could do was despair, and hope someday I would get blown to atoms... so my nightmare would end." He stopped talking, staring down at the carpet.
"Go on," Sally prodded.
"Oh, yes," he said, coming out of his thoughts. "Well, suffice it to say I was forced to do many horrific deeds. Then, one day, I was posted to guard a parts factory for the mayor's newest project- a Super Stealth Bot."
"Ah yes," Rotor said, gritting his teeth, "everyone's favorite flying menace."
"Yes, but these were much more sophisticated, deadlier ones. A full-power blast from one of those could probably have taken out this building.
"Well, the Freedom Fighters got wind of it, and sent some troops to take it out. I got off lucky, because Sonic was in the lead, and as usual, he had his Powerang."
"Sonic?" Sally brightened at this. Then her brow furrowed. "What's a Powerang?"
"It's a boomerang, but it's made out of a very rare substance- a power ring. He amazingly has two spares, but he doesn't really need them, as he's never lost his original."
"Power rings aren't that rare," Tails put in.
"What? Of course they are. ...well, maybe not here, but I've only seen two or three in my dimension, besides the Powerangs and my power core. Anyway, on with the story.
"Sonic leapt out of the darkness, throwing his Powerang at us. He hit the other two guards with the first throw. It returned to him, as it is somehow tuned to his person, and always returns as long as it's airborne. Then he threw it at me, and by some blessed twist of fate, I caught it."
"Is that when..." Tails said, leaving it hanging.
"The 'Rang's golden energies surrounded me, then were gone just as quickly. This gave me a jolt, and I almost toppled over. I automatically tried to balance, and was astonished to find I was in control again! Sonic was a bit irked that I had taken his weapon, and was about to attack, but I held out his golden boomer and screamed, "Take it!" Well, to save time, let's just say I went home with the Freedom Fighters, friends. Of course, they didn't trust me completely at first, but they ran a few software checks, and they accepted me into their fold."
"What kind of weapon do I have there?" Tails asked. "I hope it's a gun. I've always thought I could do well with a pistol." He imitated firing a gun at a wastebasket in the corner.
"Actually, your weapon is the allmighty Tinker Toy," Damien said with a wry grin. "You're only about two years old in my dimension."
"Oh," Tails said, frowning. "Guess I wouldn't be blasting much if I can barely talk."
"Well, that explains your condition," Sally said, still deep in thought, "but how did you come to our dimension?"
"Actually, I was forced. I was locked in a duel to the death with one of Robotnik's newest sentries... the traitor. I had gained the upperhand, when she deviously ended it by using her powers to send me here."
"She?" Sally asked.
"Well, I believe you've met her."
Tails gasped. "You mean... Simone?"
Damien nodded. "She's the worst of his minions; evil enough to fight her own kind. Worse yet, she led the entire Black Blood Clan down the same path." Then he stood. "Well, it's late... or very early, however you choose to view it. I know I need to rest. Is there a place I can stay tonight?"
"Well," Sally said, a sad expression on her face, "you could stay here. It's... Sonic's hut."
Damien put a large metal hand on her shoulder. It felt strange, but gentle. "Don't worry, Your Majesty. I'm sure he's fine, wherever that witch sent him." He removed his hand and turned to face everyone. "Rest well, for tomorrow we must storm Robotropolis. I'm sure your Robotnik has a dimensional gateway somewhere, and when we find it we can find your Sonic and bring him back." He looked longingly out the window. "And I can go home."
¤¤§¤¤
the end
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That's the end of The Mech of Mystery. However, our story will be continued in SonicWorlds.