Summer Days by -- Joseph DeLaCroix This story is based on characters created by Service and Games (SEGA), and on characters created by Archie Comic Publications, Inc. Any resemblance to actual characters are not coincidental. ;) Joseph, Bahb, and all other independent creations of Joseph DeLaCroix are the copyrighted property of JoCo Inc. Commander Packbell, Bookshire Draftwood, and Sandra Nightweaver are the copyrighted property of David Pistone. All rights reserved. Etc. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - Part I: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - The morning broke above the Great Forest, wiping away the black clouds from the sky that had brought the usual thunderstorm during the humid summer months. Fog hung over the Forest like a shroud, lowering visibility to yards rather than miles. It was a cool morning, so the fog probably wasn't going to disperse until the heat of the afternoon began. Knothole had weathered the storm rather well. A tree had fallen here and there, and a few huts had minor roof damage. A particularly unfortunate lightning bolt had set one of the unused huts on fire, but had been quickly extinguished by the quick actions of several citizens. The roads were muddy, and some of the carts and other vehicles had become lodged in the moist earth. But overall, Knothole had survived the storm in fine shape. The electrical storm had also been kind to Robotropolis. The usual acid rain hadn't corroded anything enough that a good polish wouldn't remove, and the electrical storms had only knocked out power to those parts of the city that were lost causes, anyway. Some water damage had been reported in the multiple SWATBot facilities, and a gas main had blown near the edge of the city, causing some of the metal forges to be temporarily disabled. Other than that, the city wasn't any more doomed than before. The Dome, however, had taken some serious structural damage to its roof. The lightning blast had almost demolished the upper 45% of the curvature of the structure, which had to be tended to immediately. Repair drones began working on the reconstruction of the Dome, using tempest-hardened crystal, as soon as the storm broke early that morning. Inside the structure, Joseph and Sandra were sweeping up the place, still stunned by the occurance... "Look at this mess," Joseph said, "my lobby is ruined." Sandra threw a broken chair into a waste-bin. "It's no big deal...all of your stuff below here is safe and sound. It's not like anything really -bad- happened." She smiled sheepishly. "Except for thaat, of course." Joseph frowned. The issue of `that' was a sensitive one. Knocking a ruined endtable into a disposal drone, he looked over to Sandra. "I'm sorry," he said, pain in his voice. She dropped her broom, going over to hug him. "It wasn't your fault." Joseph took her into his gentle embrace. "Yes, it was. I should have built the roof better, seen the warning signs..." Sandra carressed his back warmly. "Now stop that. You couldn't have done a damn thing about it, so stop dwelling on it." She looked into his eyes. "I'm alive, safe, and with a fox who loves me. What else do I need?" Joseph kissed her gently on the forehead. "A warm, safe place to live." She smiled up at him, sneaking her hands inside his coat and rubbing his sides. "Mmm. Why can't I just curl up inside that big trenchcoat of yours?" He laughed. "You're such a yiff." She blushed. "I am not!" Joseph dropped his hug and ran to the back of the room, yelling out "Sandra's a yiff! She's gotta get it every night!" Sandra chased after him, grabbing her broom and giggling. "Ooh!" He laughed, running around in circles. "Look at her! You *know* she wants it right now!" Sandra swatted him a few times in the backside. "Just wait until I...!" He jumped over the sofa, landing on the other side of it. "Ha!" She swooped around the other side and shoved him into it, causing it to flip backwards. When she landed completely on him, they were deposited unceremoniously on the floor by the now-busted sofa. "Oof!" they both said, lying in the middle of the room. He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her again. "Got you now." Sandra pretended to struggle. "Fiend." He kissed her. "Yiff." She kissed back. "Mrr." Then, they both kissed, holding it for a long time. They probably would have been there all day like that if it hadn't been for a knock on the portal. "Everything okay in there?" a familiar voice inquired. Sandra disengaged from the kiss. "Yes, Sir Charles." He laughed. "Mind if I come in?" "Sure," Joseph said, rolling out from under Sandra and climbing to his feet. "Just one moment." Dusting himself off, then helping Sandra to her own feet, they both walked to the portal and turned the manual-opening crank for the malfunctioning diamondium-titanium-crystalline alloy door. The deroboticized Sir Charles entered, looking rather well for a hedgehog his age. His quills had taken on a light blue-white tint, and his moustache was a bit whiter than before, but he looked in good spirits and healthy. It was amazing to see the change in him after being deroboticized. "Hello, Joseph, Miss Nightweaver." He smiled at them gently. "Was I...interrupting anything?" Joseph smiled, patting Charles on the back. "Hey there, Uncle Chuck." Unlike Sandra, Joseph was allowed, unconsciously, to call Sir Charles `Uncle Chuck'; partially because of their scientist-scientist relationship, and partially because Joseph was more `respectible' in polite society than Sandra was at the moment. "No, we were just...cleaning. What brings you to this part of the forest?" He looked around. "Oh, just stopping by to see how you were." Uncle Chuck poked at some of the rubble with a stick, dispersing a few repair drones. "I see you suffered some storm damage," Charles said, with a mildly concerned look on his face. "Anything serious?" "No, Charles, it's okay. Just did some structural damage to the roof, and a little bit of water damage. Nothing more." Joseph didn't really want to tell anyone about what had happened to Sandra, nor about the mysterious way she had been renewed... "Ah. Well, I just came by to see how you were doing...and to tell you that one of those flying objects you control got hit with something and crashed into Rotor's hut last night." He smiled in the manner that only old males can perfect, and laughed. "He wanted me to tell you to come and pick it up, because he doesn't know how to fix it." Joseph smiled, glad to get off the subject of his roof. "I'll be down there to pick it up shortly. Anything else of note?" He shook his head. "Nope, everything else seems to be in order." He glanced between the two of them. "Are you sure everything's alright?" "Yes, Charles, Sandra and I are fine." He smiled. "That's very good, boy. I'll leave you two alone now." Chuckling, he plodded off towards Knothole. "Don't wear yourselves out, y'hear?" Sandra blushed, while Joseph just laughed. "Get outa here, you old 'vert!" As he wandered off, Joseph smiled and shook his head. "Crazy old codger." Sandra stood behind Joseph, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Honestly, I think most people believe me to be your concubine." He frowned slightly. "The others are fools. They know nothing of us, and I'd rather it stay that way." Sandra hugged him. "But that's not the truth." Joseph mmmed and smiled, stroking her hands gently. "Since when have you cared about the truth?" "Ever since I actually could operate overtly in Knothole without being arrested," she said, "that's when. It's bad enough that people think me an untrustworthy thief..." Her eyes softened behind him, and she rested her face against his back for both physical and mental support. "...but now they all feel I'm a whore!" He frowned, his eyes thinning to slits behind his sunglasses. Within his mouth, his fangs automatically sharpened, and pain-dulling endorphins flooded his body. "Lies," he snarled, "of the most vicious kind. Any who I discover spreading such vile rumors will answer to me." Sandra rested her head more firmly against his back. "But you'll never know, Joseph...not even your devices can read the collective unconscious." He calmed himself, after briefly allowing it to boil to a raging froth, then forcing it to drift off into the atmosphere. Rage could not solve the problem, he realized, but only time would. He hoped. "Yes, I suppose you are right," he growled quietly, "but still, if the opportunity presents itself..." Sandra rubbed her muzzle against his back. "I know you would, Joseph." His claws idly extended, sharpened to the point where only wrought steel could resist their power, and then retracted with a deadly silence. "My own moral code demands it." Her eyes softened a little more. "I fear the day when your wrath will be brought down on another, Joseph...you would kill rather than to accept dishonor, and the prospect of you going through the Mobian legal system..." Joseph's eyes became like diamond-cutters, his fear of being seperated from Sandra and his indignation at the Mobians for even considering such an option playing out in his mind. "I'll never leave you. I'll destroy this entire planet before I let anyone..." Sandra gripped him tighter. "Ssh...no need to frenzy again, Joseph." He frowned, embarassed at his frothing anger. "Sorry." "Well, I don't feel like being stalked again..." A question entered her mind. "Joe?" "Yes?" "Do you remember that time you told me about that vixen who tried to kill your father back on Ur'thae?" He nodded quietly, manuvering Sandra around while he continued to sweep. "Well, would you...I mean, if something like that happened...could you... kill me?" He stopped dead in his tracks for a moment, making not a sound. Sandra loosened her grip a bit, somewhat concerned about his sudden secessation of movement. Then, he turned around, took off his sunglasses, and looked into her eyes. It seemed like days before he spoke to her, but it was only a few moments later that Joseph chose to reply. "Yes..." Time seemed to crystallize around them. Nary a bird tweeted for the duration of the word...Joseph actually replied in the affirmative! An aeon later, he said the second half. "...but only in that situation." Sandra looked shocked for a moment, and then realized the grim reality of Joseph's upbringing/programming; above all else, his elders must be protected and honored. All other bonds, physical, mental, or emotional, could not break the sacred trust between sire and sired. Everyone else, no matter what their station, came second. Initially, she denied it. Certainly the love between two foxes could weaken the hold between father and son. Maybe he didn't love her as much as he said he did. Maybe he was holding something back; she might have been seeing someone else behind his back, or...no. Joseph had no reason to lie to her, nor would he ever. Then, she looked into his eyes. Joseph's green eyes always fluxuated in a way that she could read, making his true feelings plain. His love for her mingled with his honor and bond to his kin, and they were only counterbalanced by the memory of the _Apocolypse_ and the crimes of his own people. If his father was on that ship, he'd help them until he was too weak to push a button. That was the only thing that would stop him, otherwise...it would take more than one vixen to sever that link. Finally, she accepted this reality for the first time, and remembered their own deep love for each other. She knew and respected that Joseph had to do what he had to do, and she knew that he'd never intentionally hurt her unless she attempted to destroy his father; he had given his life to her after she had spared his own after his first berezerker rage, so even an attack on him would go unchallenged. And since his dad was dead, anyway... She nodded softly and looked into his eyes, and thus approved of and understood the ramifications of Joseph's words. "I understand." Joseph put on his sunglasses. "That subject is unpleasant. Let us discuss something else." Sandra took the offered option quickly. "Has the stone spoken with you again, Joseph?" He shook his head slowly, memories of knowledge given by the stone resurfacing again. "It has been silent...but I understand it now." He looked into space, his pupils turning slightly orange behind his shades. "I understand so much now." She feared the change in Joseph initially, but also instinctively knew that the stone was that of the light, not the dark. Thus, her fear faded to a steady level of awe. "Do you think that the stone is...?" "A Chaos Emerald? Of course it is. It is the other most powerful one on this planet. It is the Negative Master Chaos Emerald, and it is possessed by the male/destructive/negative spirit of this world's lifeforce, Mob." She was stunned for a moment. "How did you know all that?" He looked into her eyes as if she had asked him to add one and one together, but then reconsidered her statement logically. How -had- he known to say that? "Well, umm...I just -knew- it, you know?" Sandra waxed contemplative. "Perhaps your contact with the stone somehow gave you...some sort of...err..." She attempted to speak like Joseph. "Dermal/Neurologic Linked Information Transferrence?" He looked surprised. "Sandra, I didn't know you knew of that term! You mean you actually read my level one thesis of DNLs?" She smiled secretively. "I read many things around here." He grinned dismissively. "Well, that might be what happened...of course, the magickal tends to ignore the paths trod by the scientist. Perhaps I can learn to accept both paths as the same in time..." She nodded softly, smiling at him. "I think you and that stone are going to do great things." Joseph crossed his arms and smirked smugly. "Of course." A thought entered his mind. "I better check on our guest. He's probably either half-mad with fear by now..." Sandra grimaced. "I forgot about Snively." He sighed, as if he was about to undertake some awful personal chore. "So did I. I better do this myself." Pulling away from Sandra, he kissed her on the brow before decending down the step-shaft to the laboratory... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - He arrived in the laboratory smoothly, and walked over to a distant corridor that led about 50 yards away from the main laboratory area. When he reached the end of the corridor, he rubbed his left forefinger over a certain spot in the wall, revealing an additional portal immediately in front of him. Walking through it, he entered another room that had another little alcove implanted into it at the far end. The alcove had a forcefield in front of it, and two massive UsagiBOTs flanking it on both side of the entrance. Behind the alcove, there was a 12 foot by 6 foot by 7 foot room, which had a replicator, a subspace reciever that picked up various `human'-interest programming, and a bed. Lying on the bed, watching the reciever's wall-mounted liquid crystal monitor, was Snively. The cell had been built because Joseph had become sick of Snively's complaints about the makeshift cell that had been hastily constructed in the lab. Tired of his continual chatter, Joseph made the new cell to pacify him. After all, he was probably going to be killed once Joseph turned him over to Sally, anyway, so he might as well live his last few months comfortably. Joseph came up with a quick ruse, and began acting on it. "Oh, good. You're alive." Snively looked over at Joseph. "What?" "You mean you didn't hear that racket outside last night?" Snively looked back over at the monitor in a blase' turn of his head, lying through his teeth. "No, not a thing." Joseph looked over his shoulder uncomfortably. "Oh, good. Then it probably won't find you." Snively's brow dotted with perspiration. "`It'? What's `it', sir?" "The demon I accidentally conjured out of my..." He quickly thought up a good name, stalling under the guise of fear. "...interdimentional portal device. I was trying to tune in the Void, but I apparently found some sort of Rift." He pretended to attempt to soothe Snively. "Don't worry, it's only as big as me." Snively stuttered involuntarily. "D-demon?" Joseph grimaced. "Yeah, and it was a nasty SOB. Long, razor-sharp teeth, a tail like a scorpion, several gaping maws all around its head; dripping spittle so vile that it could eat through a fox in under a minute, their tongues lashing out into the air; huge claws that could tear a tree in twain, rippling muscles that were as hard as wrought iron, glowing red eyes that could paralyze even the greatest Ur'thaen warrior..." He yelped softly. "And i-it's here, s-sir?" Joseph smiled proudly. "Nope. I wasted the ugly mother with my cannon..." He allowed his smile to fade. "At least, I might have. I either vaporized it or teleported it." He resumed his smile. "Well, I just thought you might like to know what happened last night. I know -I- like to know when unusual things happen, don't you?" Snively nodded shakily. "Y-yes." "Well, I'll be off now. Later." With that, he walked from the room, allowing Snively to hide under his bed. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - Joseph returned to Sandra, who was finishing up the removal of the debris so the repair-bots could start reforging the roof. "Everything go okay, Joe?" He nodded. "Oh yes, wonderfully. He'll be quiet for days now." She smiled. "Good. Well, let's get out of here until the roof gets fixed. How long do you think the robots will need?" He mused for a moment. "About a afternoon. It's not totally broken, after all." He whistled, and the drones began to organize their plan of attack. "Come now, darling, let's leave them to their work." As they walked out, various robots popped blades and sanders out of their appendages, and moved steadily towards the inside of the once-glorious structure... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - Knothole was pleasantly cool after the storm. Some of the huts were being repaired by their various owners, and a few people strolled about gawking at the damage. The majority of the people of Knothole were, however, simply enjoying the pleasant weather for the first time in several years. She watched him walk down the street, right next to her yet miles away, and observed how he looked through the crowd with the eyes of a machine; scanning the crowd for potential threats, noting the slight collective swells and ebbs of mood, calculating trajectories of moving objects, sensing the slight temperature changes from place to place, listening to mumbled dialogue throughout the crowd, and observing, silently, her every variation of feeling. To the outside world, however, they appeared as a pair of freakishly tall foxes walking down the street; one abnormally neon orange, the other an unnatural ravenish black...their strides nearly identical, their bodies complimenting each other in every way, and their eyes cool and mysterious. A few mothers pulled their kits towards them as they wandered by, either alarmed at Joseph's appearance or nervous that Sandra might steal one for herself. The old silently appraised the pair with slitted eyes, years of an endless war callousing their hearts to the point where even a rather quiet and trustworthy-appearing scientist was one to be watched. Yet, there were those in the village who were friendly to them. A few of the teenagers shouted out to Joseph as he wandered by, blaring the boombox he had repaired during his last outing loudly in appreciation. David Prower waved at them in passing as he flew through the village, testing out some of his newer hardware, and some Keld'yrians smiled at Joseph and Sandra as a group of them went into the community center. But despite some of the friendly looks and hails, the majority of the village was either wary of Joseph's odd appearance and stature, nervous about his SpyGlobes and other robot minions, or afraid of his sheer influence over the lives of 90% of the current Mobian population; or they were afraid of Sandra's own odd appearance and stature, jealous of her if they desired Joseph in some way, disgusted that a thief and a spy could suddenly be showered with such power just because an `eccentric' person like Joseph came upon her on a snowy winter night, or angry at her for some past crime. Sandra stayed close to Joseph as they walked, realizing full well that a good majority of the people in the village disliked her passionately. As long as she was with Joseph, however, she knew that nobody would dare say a single negative thing about her, or even sneer as she happened by. After all, a few people in the village had forgotten that Joseph had a very short tolorance for negative feelings about Sandra during a previous excursion...and only a chance arrival of Sonic had broken up the imminent fight. Since then, most people in the village had learned to keep their tongues firmly bitten when Joseph was with Sandra, not even acknowledging them if they had been one of the few who had caused Joseph's rage to foam. This seemed to suit Joseph just fine, seeing that violence against `primates' (as he referred to those Mobians who were not foxes of some kind, or who had personally annoyed him) was `distasteful'. Sandra, however, liked to know exactly how anyone felt about everything, so the silence was very bothersome to her. Almost intolerable, but the fact that Joseph could easily observe, at length, any one of them with the use of his recon devices was enough to keep her curiousity in check while they plodded on. It was almost lunchtime in Knothole, and several people had ceased their work to dine at Knothole's only cafe, the `Hedgehog's Quill'. It had been named that informally in honor of the village's resident demigodish hero, Sonic, after the Doomsday `affair'. It had only been appropriate, after all, after Sonic had single-handedly (well, that's what everyone thought; Sally had only come along `for the ride') saved Mobius and killed Robotnik. And since the cries for `King Sonic I' had increased dramatically after that, the owner of the restaurant decided to get in good with the future `king' by naming the cafe which he ran `The Hedgehog's Quill'. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - It was a nice establishment, and was made mostly out of synthetic wood. The entire area was built on a raised `wooden' deck, which was about 5 feet off the ground. The concrete supports went up from the ground to form the vertical axis for the railing, which was about three and a half feet from the floor of the `wooden' platform. Horizontally, it sported sanded granite `pipes' to keep people from falling off, and the occasional basket of flowers that hung off the side for color. The patio itself was a very meticulously-arranged affair, with `oak' tables being surrounded by `redwood' chairs. A plastic umbrella that was mounted into the table gave the customers shade, if they so desired, by raising or lowering the parasol's control rod, and the laminated surface of the tables made cleaning simplicity itself. There were always a few people sitting around there, drinking or chatting, and gossiping about the comings and goings of the inhabitants. However, Joseph never sat in the patio unless he absolutely had to. "It makes me feel like an exhibit," he'd say to Sandra or whoever he was eating with, and then step inside the large interior of the cafe. It was set up like any other bar and grill one might have found during the great days of King Acorn's rule, which pleased the Princess' nostalgic side. A large bar that had been put in went from one side to the other of the back of the building, and was tended by three teenage hedgehogs with artifically bluened headquills. A dance floor had been built on a slightly raised platform in the middle of the structure, and was spotlessly clean no matter what time you entered the cafe. Around the sides of the `Quill' were several more tables similar to those on the patio, and were tended by waiters and waitresses of all species, but with blue hats that simulated Sonic's quills. (Apparently, the owner of the restaurant, one Harold Weasel, wanted to really impress Sonic with his `devotion'.) And hidden in the far left corner of the establishment was a DJ booth, which was usually quietly manned by a somewhat-crazy old wolf in a loud tropical shirt. The motif of the `Quill' was a testament to Freedom Fighters around the world. Those of Knothole who weren't knowledgable of the other pockets of resistance around the world could easily be educated by entering into `Hedgehog's Quill' and taking a look at some of the pictures, papers, and stories about the various people who made the resistance what it was. Posters from the `old days' of favorite bands or events were also displayed proudly in the establishment, and a huge portrait of Sonic and the Knothole crew hung behind the bar, which was a refreshing break from the various shelves of consumable (?) liquids that were stored there. Joseph entered with Sandra through the main door, and was led quickly by a waitress to his usual table on the far back right, near the kitchen door. As they drew closer, the refreshing smells of grilling cabbit and roasted yakamule stimulated Joseph's hunger further, and put a slight smile on his face from his memories of the exquisite meal he had consumed last time he had been there... Ahh, cabbit. It was the very food animal that Joseph felt made saving the mudball in which he was now hopelessly entwined worthwhile. A freakish mixture of feline and lepus, it had the very qualities of the turkey-like ch'rllbah that had been native to his own world. The psudobovine/equine consumable yakamule was also a delicious feast, and produced all sorts of tasty products. He pulled out a seat for Sandra, got her situated, and then took a seat himself. The waitress returned a moment later, bringing Joseph his usual Fizz [tm] ("I just can't get enough of this stuff," he'd always say when asked why he always had Fizz [tm] with meals, "it just tastes so good.") and an ashtray for the eventual cigar. She was a very polite and somewhat alarmed mink named `Rachel', who stood at nearly the same height Sandra did. However, minks, like some types of foxes, were expected to be tall. A sort of Mobian fluke of genetics, most of the canine and mephit species of the world were taller than most of the other inhabitants, only exceeded by ursines and those of pure equine stock. She was an attractive young female of perhaps 20 or 22, and was wearing the usual outfit of the organization; the usual hat that couldn't contain her voluminous blond mane that was called her `headfur', a tight blueish t-shirt with the words `Hedgehog's Quill: Where The Food Is Fast, The Ale Is Cold, And The Customer Is Always Right' stenciled in a bright red calligraphic font, and a short (but not unreasonably so) skirt. Her eyes were also blue, but had shades of silver in them as well. Her form was also properly mephit, possessing a healthy amount of material in those areas attractive to the opposite sex, and a deficit of material in those that would not appear attractive with much. Yet, Joseph barely gave her a second glance when she bent over to Sandra and inquired as to her beverage this afternoon. However, Sandra gave her a very cool, bored look when requesting her drink. "Give me a glass of Mobian Black Wine, please," she said, "and be -sure- it is properly chilled." Despite Sandra's rudeness, she smiled as a good waitress who expects a healthy tip does, and disappeared into the kitchen to retrieve a glass for Sandra. Joseph considered saying something to Sandra about her behavior, then thought better of it. Perhaps the Mobian `time of the month' was due for her. On the table, there was the usual bucket of peanuts, as well as a small card that explained that the Quill was the Finest Surviving Bar and Grill on Mobius and that they allowed Smoking in the designated sections. Joseph's ashtray was by his right palm, where his cigar was idling between his index and middle fingers. Two glasses of water were by both Sandra's and Joseph's lefts, with a simple fork and knife wrapped in a napkin occupying the right. Slowly becoming bored, Joseph put the cigar into the ashtray for a moment, and rolled his head around on his neck. A moment later, Joseph took a peanut, opened it, and tossed the salted legume into his mouth. While continuing to wait, Joseph chose to take a look around at the customers during the lunch rush. The usual group of wanderers, locals, and rowdies had crowded into the place for their usual specials; grilled yakamule steak, Quill's `Legendary' chili dogs, or the ever-popular cabbit salad. The clientele was mostly teenagers to young adults, and the distant smell of alcohol could be detected from some of the louder tables. Occasionally, someone in a Quill's uniform would quietly escort someone to the door, who would sneak back in and be thrown out a bit more loudly. However, most of the people there were civil, and mostly kept to their own affairs. Every once in a while, a song would come over the speakers that would motivate a mass dance. Usually, it would be a slow song...but when the fast stuff came on, the whole restaurant would literally rock on its foundations from the sheer number of customers dancing. That was how popular the bar was...it was nearly a `club'. At the moment, a patriotic tune was playing over the speakers, and was enthusiastically being sung along with at some of the more alcohol-influenced tables. "Bluuuuue streeeak...uhh, somethin' somethin', Sooooonic the heddddgehooogg!!" Sandra was not so enthused, however, still waitng for her and Joseph's drinks to be brought to them by their waitress. "What, she got lost or something?" Joseph rubbed Sandra's paw. "Now, Sandra, give the poor thing a break. She looked pretty frazzled as it was when she was -at- our table. Who knows what else she's been dealing with today?" She was not calmed. "I don't care. I come here to be fed, not to wait years and years for my wine." Joseph ate a peanut. "It's not like we haven't ate today..." Sandra folded her arms and reclined in her chair a little. "That's not the point, Joe. This place is supposed to have `the fastest service alive'. I'm not seeing it." He consumed another two peanuts. "Patience is a virtue, Sandra..." Sandra smirked, looking into Joseph's eyes jadedly. "I once waited all night inside one section of an air conditioner's vent, perfectly still, for the opportunity to sneak past a guard, through a lazer-tripwire system, two snarling dogs, a tall titanium spiked `fence', and a sturdy glass case to get the Jewel of the Three Kingdoms." She put her thumb and forefinger together. "It was about that big, and was worth about twenty million Mobiums to my employers." She smiled gently. "If patience is a virtue, I'm a frigging nun." He laughed. "Then waiting for a glass of tangy grape juice should be no big deal." She glared at the kitchen door. "Yes, it -is-." Joseph frowned a little. "Sandra, you seem different today. Is something wrong?" Sandra looked at Joseph with a very cool, yet very calm, look. "That waitress," she said, "was my arch-nemesis in high school. She was my one competitor for everything; men, seats in the auditorium, new hats, spots in the cafeteria line, you name it." She gritted her teeth, holding back her anger. "She -never- got in trouble for anything, while I continually got sent to the ISD room and sneered at by my teachers." She dug her claws into the table. "Since then, I promised to make her life miserable in any way I could." Joseph looked a little surprised. "She looked like she didn't mean you any malice to me. I've come here lots of times without you, too, and she had always treated me nicely." Sandra's eyes would have flashed red if she had cybernetic enhancements. Her voice grew in rage, but maintained a steady volume. "You mean she's -been- working here?" He grew a little nervous in this alarming change of mood. "Yeah, since like two or three months ago, when the last big group of people were deroboticized..." Suddenly, she calmed a bit. A little smile graced her face. "Roboticized, was she? I should have known...too stupid to get out of the city in time." Her rapid mood swing didn't help Joseph's feelings of nervousness. "You aren't going to try to make her unhappy, are you?" She looked at him distrustingly. "Why should -you- care?" He folded his arms. "I think that holding a grudge for -that- long is very unhealthy." Sandra's initial suspicions of a tryst faded as she realized Joseph's actual reason for trying to quell her vengeance. "You don't understand," she growled in a soft whisper, "she -deserves- to be abused! This isn't just a one-sided attack on someone who happened to get some things I wanted -fairly-! She was -worse- than me! She--" She arrived then, putting Joseph's dram of iced Fizz [tm] down in front of him, while putting a goblet of Mobian Black Wine, cooled in a freezer of some sort, in front of her. Sandra looked at her with a sudden blase' look,which made the mink obviously more nervous. Very frightened, she turned to Joseph. "W-what would you like, sir?" Joseph smiled, making his usual polite request. "Just my usual, please. The chef will know what to do." She nodded, apparently thankful for his promptness. "And y-you, ma'am...?" Sandra looked at her with a very bored look, intensely focusing her superiority right into her eyes. "I wish to have one of the `Legendary' chili dogs that this establishment serves, with extra chili." She yawned. "And do it -now-, please." The mink ran off after saying the usual `that'll be just a moment, enjoy your afternoon at the Hedgehog's Quill', looking like she was going to collapse from terror. Needless to say, this was beginning to seriously displease Joseph. "What possible pleasure can you be deriving from this? Whatever she had done must have been so long ago that it couldn't possibly be affecting you now. You are going to give her a heart attack...with... whatever the hell you are doing to make her so afraid." She clawed into the table. It was starting to becoming noticable. "You -can't- understand! She's a million times worse than I ever was! I hurt people because I -had- to! She does it for fun!" Joseph switched to Ur'thaen, seeing that people were starting to notice their heated discussion. << "I'm not seeing much evidence of bad intent in that mink. All I see is a very frightened girl, wondering if you'll sic me on her for not chilling your drink enough." >> Sandra followed, knowing enough of the language to be able to speak it like a native. << "That's an act! She's a evil bitch, waiting for the right opportunity to strike!" >> He waved his hands around expressively. << "Strike? She can't harm either of us! I've got enough tactical weaponry to wipe this part of the mudball into dust! What could she do to you?" >> Sandra leaned forward, trying to contain her voice to a whisper. << "She uses people, then -kills- them! I let my victims -live-, for Goddess' sake! Rachel does away with them to cover her tracks!" >> She growled, trying to make Joseph listen with sheer force of will. << "She's evil!" >> Joseph sat back, shocked. << "A killer?" >> Sandra calmed down, seeing that her point had come across. << "Yes, she's killed about 10 men...covering it up by making them `suicides', tragic `accidents', various `mysterious disappearances'...and she's never been caught! She even tried to make -me- look responsible for one, but she didn't have enough evidence to frame me!" >> He was still in a state of dumbfounded amazement. << "But...she's always looked so nice! I've always gotten my food quickly and hot from her." >> Sandra shook her head slowly, frowning. << "The foolish bitch has been trying to soften you up...she probably wants you for the reason that everyone thinks -I- want you; power." >> He looked agast. << "You know that's not true." >> << "That's not the point! She's dangerous, and she hates me with an undying passion...she's afraid now, only because you fight like three Hells and Packbell rolled into one, and you're incredibly loyal." >> She smiled for the first time in what seemed like years, but then returned to her initial annoyed expression. << "Thank Goodness for that...if you -were- having an affair with her, who knows what sort of damage she might do!" >> Joseph reached inside his trenchcoat. << "Well, I'll put a stop to--" >> Sandra stopped him with her paw. << "No! Killing her yourself will only damn you in the eyes of the people, and probably get us both lynched!" >> Joseph sighed, resting his arm on the table. << "What the hell are we supposed to do, then? I can't let a murderer run free within Knothole." >> She laughed for some reason, which alarmed Joseph a bit more. << "Joseph, there's an entire prison full of people in this restaurant alone. Look around!" >> She guided him discreetly from table to table, showing him the various criminals which were present. << "That fox over there is a professional assassin, that wolf is a very elite safecracker, that couple of porcupines are two of the finest bankrobbers on Mobius, and the middle hedgehog behind the bar is an anti-monarchy anarchist." >> Joseph looked sincerely surprised. << "Goddess' bosom! If the Princess knew what sort of people she was harboring..." >> Sandra put a finger to his muzzle. << "Too bad she won't, Joe. Some of those thugs have saved my life more than once." >> Joseph looked shocked, then resigned himself to it. << "I will not tarnish your professional honor." >> She nodded. << "I figured you'd understand." >> Joseph ruffled his headfur. << "But what are we supposed to do about this witch of a waitress?" >> Sandra smiled darkly. << "Leave it to me, Joseph. Just play along." >> She returned, bringing Joseph his exquisitely rare yakamule steak, slathered in piping-hot au jus, with deliciously spicy potato wedges with it. A bottle of even-more spicy sauce was given to him with it, and his Fizz [tm] was refreshed with the arrival of the meal. Rachel then carefully gave Sandra her meal, with a side order of fries and a refreshment of her drink. "W-would you like anything else, sir?" Joseph dismissed her with a wave. "This will be fine for now, thank you." As she left, Joseph began to eat as he always did. Sandra, however, kept an eye on Rachel while she was eating, and waited for her to enter the ladies' room before acting. As she got up, Joseph watched her and made a fair guess on what she was about to do. "Go on," he muttered while he consumed a piece of saturated bread, "I'm right out here if you need me." Of course, Sandra would have gone off to the ladies' room anyway, even if Joseph hadn't noted that he approved. After she'd gotten out of sight, Joseph resumed eating, hoping that she'd not get them both thrown out of the establishment. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - The ladies' room of the `Quill' was done in a psudorustic style. The sinks and mirrors were done up in fake wood, and were obviously reenforced marble by the very look of the `wood'. The floor was sanded and polished concrete, which was so painted to make it appear to be linoleum. A fan was constantly going in the background to freshen the air, and the stalls of the lavoratory were tall and wide enough to accomodate the largest Mobian female. The area was clean and smelled vaguely of pine. It was also almost empty, except for a single mink who was grooming herself in front of the mirror, and the tall black vixen who is the focus of this episode... Sandra strode in, some of the smoke from the outside draping behind her as a cloak and highlighting her menacing figure. "So. You lived." The mink turned slightly to Sandra, still combing her lush blonde hair. "I could say the same for you, dahling." Sandra was unphased, and walked up to a nearby mirror to do some grooming of her own. "Well, I knew that it was time to get out of the city when I lost contact with my fence in Rivertown about 50 klicks from here. That gave me the distinct feeling that it was time to go." Rachel did her lashes. "Of course, the fact that you swiped the roboticizerplans for Ivo might have given you a hint as well, -honey-." Sandra held back an instictive desire to tear open her throat. "I'd thought you'd believe that nonsense, knowing you." She kept grooming. "So it's not true that you sold the world out to that miserable deceased dictator?" Sandra combed her hair. "No, it's not." "Then who did, Sandra? Aliens?" Sandra looked into the mirror, boring deeply into her own eyes. She was close, very close. That, or she was being sarcastic. "It was probably one of the various spies that were all over Charles' lab during the last weeks of the monarchy. It's not my problem any more." The mink seemed to lose interest in the subject. "Well, whoever did it certainly yiffed herself, didn't she?" Sandra washed off her hands. "Definitely." The mink smiled darkly. "So, how's your freak boyfriend?" Sandra took a towel from the wall and dried off her hands. "He's less of a freak than you are, `Black Widow'." She laughed. "Sure, honey. Still a little bitter about being the second best seductress on Mobius?" Sandra folded her arms. "My days of seduction for money or power are done, Rachel. I found love. Haven't you?" Rachel flinched for a moment, then resumed her usual composure. "Love? More like the motherlode, Sandy-dear. You don't even need to compete any longer; all you gotta do is cross your legs and the freak'll get it done." It took all of Sandra's will to keep from killing Rachel the instant she said that. "Your mouth is still as vulgar as your methodology, yifftoy." Rachel laughed, tying back her hair and putting on her hat. "I'd like to see you do something about it, dear. Without him, you're nothing but a thief and a spy." She looked into her eyes with a confident sneer. "And he -will- be mine, eventually. Already, I've convinced him that you're nothing but a power-lusting bitch by how I've reacted. It's too late to warn him now...it's already begun." She paused to let it sink in. "How does that make you feel, Nightweaver? Your days are numbered." With that, she walked out the bathroom door, her tail flicking at her in disrespect as she strode out. She got herself a disposable cup, filled it with water, and got a drink. "You get all that, Joseph?" Through the subvocal implant behind her brain stem, she `heard' a slightly distorted voice say, "Loud and clear, Sandra. What a bitch." Sandra took a drink. "Didn't I tell you she was dangerous?" "Damn straight," the `voice' said. "remind me to remove the particle of saline solution from my mental evaluation process when I hear a statement from you." He burped quietly. "Now what?" Sandra wiped her mouth, looking into the mirror with a dark smile. "We wait for her to make the next move." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - Joseph was just polishing off his glass of Fizz [tm] when Sandra emerged from the ladies' room and took a seat. However, she noticed that her chili dog had mysteriously disappeared. "Hey, where's my lunch?" He smiled and dabbed off the sies of his mouth with a napkin. "It was getting cold." She scowled at him for a half-second, then smirked and took a seat. "I waited a long time for that!" He smiled. "It wasn't very healthy." She held the smirk. "That's no excuse!" "I thought she might have poisoned it...?" Sandra kicked his shin gently under the table. "Wrong." He winced and grinned softly. "I was hungry." She folded her arms, leaning back a bit in her chair. "Well, that's the honest answer. It's still not an excuse." He laughed. "Too bad. I paid for it." She smiled very slightly. "That you did." "Don't worry, I'll feed you something more tasty later." He winked. "A whole four-course picnic later tonight. What d'ya say?" She smiled, appeased. "Well, only because you know how I adore picnics." Sandra caressed his face with the back of her hand. "You are forgiven." He piled up their dishes in the middle of the table, took a fistful of peanuts, and shoved them in his coat pocket. "Good. Let's get the smeg out of here before whatshername goes psycho." Sandra smiled, getting up first, then allowing Joseph to stand. Lunch had ended about 15 minutes ago, so the restaurant was mostly abandoned. A thought entered her head, however, as she stood. "Joseph." "Yeah?" "Rotor." He thought about it for a second, then smiled. "Ahh." They walked out the main door, Sandra walking next to Joseph...with the mink's hateful stare following them as they left. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - Rotor's hut was in its usual state of unrestrained chaos. Parts were strewn all over the eccentric walrus' hut, as was the occasional SWATBot part. Today, however, a table had been cleared away for a single basketball-sized object, that was restrained in a vice. It seemed to have suffered from a blunt object colliding with it in some fashion, and obviously required repair. Rotor was still bent over it, poking at it with a probe, when Joseph entered the hut. Sandra trailed from no great distance behind him, and stood at a safe distance away from the two tinkerers when they met. "Rotor, pleasant to see you again." The walrus looked up at the tall fox, and smiled. "Hey, Joseph. I found your device spinning in one spot outside the village today, and I figured you wouldn't mind if I tried to get it to work." The fox smiled. "Heavens no. I like to see the innovative spirit in the denziens of this world." He extended his palm to caress the device. "Please, show me what you've learned." Rotor nodded, and opened up a hatch on the side of the device. "Okay, here's what I think happened..." As the technical aspects of the conversation took precedence, Sandra wandered off to explore the rest of the hut. As she walked around, she noticed other things besides parts inhabited the area. For example, a bed was in the far rear of the room, as were some pictures. Most of the art on the wall dealt with Freedom Fighters at work and play, but a few had mostly walruses. Perhaps this was a sort of family album for Rotor, she thought, but it mostly consisted of those in the village. How odd... where do you come from, Rotor? How did you get here? Perhaps she would never know... A popping sound and the smell of ozone filled the room, which returned Sandra's attention to the table and the tinkerers. Joseph waved away some of the smoke from the erupting device, and coughed. "Well, looks like the master power conduit was just about to blow anyway." Rotor coughed as well. "So -that- is what that silver glob was. I knew it had to be something like that...ah well." The creator of the device smiled. "Hey, I had to trash a few of these objects before I learned how they worked. You can keep this one for future study." Rotor beamed a bit at Joseph. "Really? Thanks!" He put up a paw benignly. "No problem at all. I have lots more." Sandra walked back over to Joseph, returning to his side as if she were a well-trained falcon. "Well, darling, let's leave Rotor to his work..." Joseph smiled and nodded. "Just call if you have any questions, friend." Rotor smiled. "Oh, I'm sure you'll be sick of my questions soon enough." They all laughed. "You'd be surprised at my patience. Now, if you'll excuse Sandra and I, there's some other business that needs to be attended to." Rotor nodded, and bent over the device to explore it further. Content that the walrus would be occupied for a few years, Joseph and Sandra strode off into the village, heading home again... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - Sandra and Joseph returned to the Dome, seeing that the repairs to it were nearly complete. The final polish was being put on the Dome's new roof, which consisted of clouded clear crystal, rather than the old brownish kind. Joseph appeared surprised when he saw this, but was not angered. "Good show," he said to the drones, "make sure the rest of it matches." They twittered and began to comply as Joseph and Sandra entered the inside of the structure, and then descended below to the first sublevel. Joseph replicated a proper basket, while Sandra took the time to think of things to have for dinner. "How do you feel about having some ham sandwiches, Joseph?" He removed the completed basket from the side of the wall, and put a blanket inside of it to sit on. "Nah, had ham last time." Sandra hmmed and walked over to the food replicator. "Turkey?" Joseph fiddled with the basket a bit. "Yeah, turkey'll be okay." Sandra smiled and hit the proper buttons. A few moments later, a packaged set of turkey sandwiches were created, which Sandra carried over to the basket for Joseph to stow. "You think Rachel will try to bother us?" asked the orange fox to his mate. Sandra frowned. "Why would she?" "I know how females can get," he said as he put the sandwiches in the basket, "especially ones with a penchant for homocide. She's dangerous." He paused to finish packing the turkey sandwiches up, then shut the lid of the basket. "We have to do -something-!" She thought for a moment, and looked into Joseph's eyes. "Like what? You honestly think our word alone can get that hussy arrested?" "No," said he, "but there are ways to snare even the craftiest foe..." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - Several hours later, they emerged from the Dome to have their dinner. Both had been cleansed, and a few hours of exercise had made them hungry for the healthy food contained within said wicker basket. Joseph dragged the basket along while Sandra wandered around the areas surrounding the Dome to find just the right spot. They followed a old stone path that led away from the Dome a mile or two, and found the beautiful Green Hill at its end. Thinking this would be the best spot to have dinner, they ascended the hill and set up camp on the very top of the hill. An orange tree provided them shade from the setting sun, and their blanket was set up around it so to take full advantage. Their food was set up around the blanket for easy consumption, and both foxes were pleased at the subtle trap they had set. Joseph knew Rachel was following about a half-mile behind them, and was silently tracing her progress through his network of hidden spy devices and motion sensors. Quickly, Sandra and Joseph set the stage for their plot, and prepared a special prop just for the audience of one they would have later... Rachel breached the perimeter of the areas of Green Hill, and could now hear unseen from the bottom the conversation at the summit of the gentle hill... So it begins, thought Joseph, reciting his lines perfectly. "I don't -believe- what I'm hearing!" Sandra smiled internally, beginning her part of the ruse. "She is! Don't you believe me?" Joseph tuned his voice properly to accentuate his false rage. "No! This is ridiculous...there's no way that waitress could have been plotting to kill me! I think you've lost your mind!" "Oh, now -I- have lost -my- mind. I see. And I suppose your little obsession with watching her `au natural' is -sane-?!" Joseph found this hilarious, but let no vestage of hilarity cross his angry visage. "That's a blatant mistruth, you harlot!" Sandra stood, allowing Rachel to plainly see her from her spot at the bottom of the hill, and drew a massive silver knife from a hidden sheath behind her back. "How dare you!" she shouted, and plunged the knife right into Joseph's breast. He cried out once in a roar of agony and rage, but quickly slipped into silence. Rachel, shocked, broke her obfuscation at the bottom of the hill and rushed to the top to see with her own eyes what had happened... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - Sandra kneeled in front of Joseph's dead body, as blackish fluid flowed from his chest. Her head was in her hands, and she was heavily sobbing. "I killed him!" she kept repeating to herself, crying rather dramatically. The picnic's parts were scattered about randomly, and a jar of mustard had been knocked over and broken in the sudden scuffle. Rachel regained her composure, and stood behind Joseph's sprawled form with her arms crossed. "Well, well...look what we have here. Looks like Miss Nightweaver here is a murderer after all." The black vixen stood suddenly, wiping her eyes off and glaring into her eyes angerly. "Now neither of us can have him, you miserable bitch...I'd rather have him dead than see him in your vile arms!" Rachel was nonplussed. "So what, honey? Now I can slay you myself, with total justification..." She pulled out a small pistol from the back of her jeans, and aimed it at Sandra's forehead. "You see, dahling, no matter what you do, I'm always better. It's just like how I killed all ten of those idiots; I took what I needed, then I left. Jack Fox, Charles Weasel, Pierre Wolf, Michael Falcon, Andrew Mongoose, Emmanuel Lemur, Robert Mouse, and those three McMasterson brothers. Now, you join the list...and I'll be a hero to boot, because I killed the bitch who destroyed the inventor of the deroboticizer!" She started to laugh rather demonically at that last statement, and her thumb moved to the hammer of the sidearm... Sandra backed up a bit. "You fiend! And I suppose you'll tell everyone that I was behind the roboticizer theft as well!" She laughed coldly. "Idiot. Of course I will...it'll cover my -own- tracks!" She laughed a bit more. "Yes, Nightweaver, *I* took those plans from Sir Charles, and now my secret will die with you!" Sandra could only look on with terror as Rachel flicked back the hammer with her thumb, continuing to laugh ever-more psychotically... However, it is rather hard to fire a weapon when it is suddenly punched out of one's hand, especially when a sneak attack was thus launched by one you thought was formerly dead. Immediately after the gun was forced out of Rachel's hand, Joseph slammed her, painfully hard, into the blanketed ground. The knife that was in his chest was now absent, and the wound seemed to have disappeared in a way that put in question it ever existing. "I don't think so," said Joseph calmly, rubbing Rachel's snout into a pool of spilled mustard. "You're done, baby." Rachel growled and thrashed around, but simply didn't have the strength to escape his superior mass. "Fool! You'll never prove a thing!" "Is that so?" a familiar female voice said. Sandra looked over to the new arrival surprisedly. "Princess Sally?!" The Princess nodded to Sandra and walked over to Joseph, kneeling down by his victim. "I'm afraid, young lady, that Joseph transmitted the last few moments of your rant over the public subspace system." She gestured in the general direction of the tree. "It is, by the way, admissable in a court of law." She looked over to Sandra. "Mobius owes you an apology, Miss Nightweaver, for the rumors that were passed around about your involvement in the Roboticizer Affair." Sandra nodded politely and looked over to Joseph. "You didn't tell me you bugged that tree!" Joseph smiled, looking up from his struggling foe's gesticulations and curses for a moment to glance at Sandra. "I did it before I met you... I figured it would be a good precaution in case of something like this." Sandra smirked. "No matter. The important thing was that we captured *her*--" She snarled at Rachel. "--before she could hurt anyone else." A pair of large wolves climbed up the hill to relieve Joseph, and grabbed Rachel before she could get away. She cursed and kicked at the trio, but the large lupines dragged her down the hill before she could harm anyone. Joseph stood back up, dusted himself off, and started cleaning up the area. "That takes care of that now, doesn't it..." Sally looked over to Joseph. "Joseph, one question." Joseph didn't bother looking up, still knocking debris into the center of the blanket. "Yes?" Sally put her right hand on her hip, gesturing with her left. "How did you do that thing with the knife?" Joseph finished knocking the garbage into the blanket, closed it, and stuffed the menagerie into his basket. Then, he looked up at Sally, and extended his palm. Slowly, a silver psudopod emerged from his wrist, stretching beyond the tip of his middle finger, and eventually detaching his extended wrist. It slowly formed itself into a cross-shaped blob, then refined itself into a blade, then the hilt. Various details gradually emerged, and after it seemed to solidify, Joseph grabbed it in his other hand. "I formed it from the metal that forms my internal nervous system, then filled it with some of my vit--blood." He suddenly shoved it into his breast, which bled for a moment. "When it broke against my skin," he continued unabated, "the blood came out, and the knife seems to cut me." Slowly, the knife melted into his chest. "Shortly afterward, the knife is pulled back into my body to reform various parts of my nervous system...thus, the illusion is complete." Sally looked on amazed as his t-shirt revealed his body closing up behind the knife, and purifying itself as if nothing had ever happened. Only his soiled shirt revealed it had ever occurred. "Wow." He smiled and bowed a bit. "It took some thought to come up with the illusion, but I think it did the job nicely." Sally seemed to become a little nervous. "Well, I better get back to Knothole. Again, good job, Joseph, Sandra...I'll see you around." With that, Sally jaunted down the hill, heading off to catch up with the guards. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - "Well, that was interesting," said Sandra after they had returned home. Joseph took off the bloodied garments and put on a thick white robe. "I'm just glad it's over." Sandra flopped backwards onto their bed, resting her head against her pillow heavily. "How tiring. At least we got the bad guy." Joseph laid down as well, resting his head gently against Sandra's stomache. His legs bent over the side of the bed slightly, even though the bed was rather gigantic. "Yes, that is a relief, isn't it?" Sandra smiled softly, and stroked Joseph's headfur as if he were a kitten. "I'd say. The fact that she somehow had survived the coup was by itself enough to alarm me." She leaned back a bit more into the pillow. "At least she'll finally be brought to justice. I wonder if the Princess will enforce the death penalty..." Joseph hrmmed and relaxed a little more on Sandra's midsection. "She should, but I doubt she will..." She sighed gently and closed her eyes. "Oh well. At least she's finally gotten caught..." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - Meanwhile, elsewhere on the planet: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - He strode steadily onward, his cloak flapping behind him in the wind. The ship that had been promised had arrived to recieve him, and soon he would be off...off into the blue waters of the Great Ocean, to travel to the mainland. It was a good ship, large enough for one other besides himself. The sail was in good condition, and the boat had obviously been well-cared for. It would be very easy to navigate this ship to its destination, and he was sure that the First's statement about the current warlike state of the peasantry was grossly exaggerated. He climbed into the craft, pushed it off the shore with a nudge of his walking stick, and let the enchanted sail do the rest. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - The starship grew closer to the world, its massive size not yet registering with the meddling Keld'yrians. Good, John thought, the cloaking device they had bought off the self-proclaimed `Lost Ones' worked as well. They would get a substancial bonus if all the other things they had acquired from them operated properly as well...they might even be allowed to plunder and sack the planet first, he mused, after he had the Chaos Emeralds in his possession. He looked out of the main viewscreen as his crew continued to steadily come out of the cryogenic storage sections of the ship, and return to their former posts, ready to serve his will. The Keld'yrian base on the second moon of Mobius, something known only to him at the moment, would make an excellent test subject for the improved master gun. Not only would it raise the morale of the crew to a fever pitch, but it was sufficiently large enough to make a good test for the souped-up weapon. Yet, the vision he had seen in his dream still bothered him. Even though their victory over Mobius was practically assured, and the Chaos Emeralds only inches away from his grasping paw, what he had seen still made his fur stand on end. A powerful defender of the Chaos Emeralds the echidna had not been; he certainly lacked the raw power it would take to transform into a mighty bird of flame! But visions do not always tell what actually happens in physical reality, he noted. It may appear that the defender becomes a powerful Phoenix in the Umbral realms, but sometimes the forces of magic are more subtle... No matter. Any attempts of resistance would be crushed before they attained sufficient altitude to harm him. The Chaos Emeralds would be his, and the foul Keld'yrians would be trounced. So was his will. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- End Part I -------------------------------------------------------------------------