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 II - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - A few days went by. Rachel was put into a hastily-constructed jail, and was guarded around the clock by the strongest males the village could afford to assign to the task. The new roof of the Dome was tested for electrical resistance, and passed with flying colors. The new look for it was also well-recieved, seeing that cloudy clear-white seemed to meet everyone's approval more easily that the original dirt brownish hue. Yet, just a week and a half later, some new and nearly frightening events began to occur... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - Floating 50 yards above the middle of his pond, Joseph vaguely pondered the events that led him to this current prediciment, and mused slightly about why it would have to have happened to him. Several days ago, while Joseph had been in his lab, an odd event had led him to yet another extreme transformation. He had been holding the Stone (as Joseph called it) to see if any further guidance could be derived from it...then, he suddenly had become deaf. The polyalloy had simply ceased picking up any auditory input, and no amount of internal rerouting could cause it to operate properly again. So, he had put down the Stone for a moment, and physically squeezed some fresh metal from his arm into his neck. His hearing resumed shortly afterward, as if nothing had ever happened. Noting this occurance, he picked back up the Stone again. A few moments later, all color drained from his vision. Becoming further annoyed, he put down the Stone and squeezed the steel from his tail, pushing it up his spinal column to his neck. Color again returned. He came to the conclusion that the Stone must be interfering with his internal functions somehow. While he held it the third time, he had a scanning device monitor it for any sort of radiation. It detected nothing, even as his sense of touch faded and then disappeared from his paws. He put the Stone down again, and rerouted from another appendage, and his sense of sensation returned. He walked away from the Stone for a bit, and sat down on the opposite side of the lab. Logically, he thought, his cybernetic enhancements had to be interfering with whatever sort of magick the Stone worked through him. He also knew somehow that he would have to get rid of them to make any sort of progress with the object. But he liked his powerful abilities and mighty calculative prowess a lot, which made his scientific pursuits far less time-consuming. Joseph thought long and hard, sitting down for over an hour before getting an idea on how to go about having both what he wanted and what he needed...of course, he thought, make a biological version. He sat down at his terminal, and started designing yet another shell for him to use. The Keldy'rian/Mobian/Ur'thaen mix was still utilized, but the central nervous system was radically changed. The concentration of nerves was raised in several key areas, almost 150% more in some areas than others. The eyes were reshaped and chemically altered (only by organic means, of course) as were several other of the sensory organs. The brain was overhauled completely, having an extremely uberdense concentration of neurons and synapses so to speed up thought and comprehension close to that of his current system. A few days of 14-hour shifts later, he had designed the ultimate organic expression of vulpine perfection; an Ur'thaen body, with the Keld'yrian genetic background...namely, the ability to transform temporarily into a supersonic Mobian hedgehog. Enhanced sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste; with a brain that calculated and operated at roughly 80% of his current cybernetic mind. Lengthened lifespan from 100 to 500 years, with a healthy diet and proper care. Enhanced immune system to compensate for the lack of nanites; it created antibodies for all known diseases, and adapted quickly to new viruses and diseases. The circulatory and excretory systems worked very rapidly and powerfully; poisons and other toxins could be assimilated quickly and removed before any severe damage could be done. However, the disease of vampirism still existed in the new body; apparently the genetic makeup of the shell required an occasional refreshment of its blood just as much as his current body did. The polyalloy wasn't at fault, after all...this annoyed Joseph, who wanted to be free of a dependance on Sandra's blood once and for all. But the lure of the Stone, not to mention an acceptance of the practice by Sandra as `one of those things', made him resign himself to designing an organic equivalent of the polyalloy's `vampire's fangs' that would introduce the forementioned vitae into his system. But overall, it would be a fun thing to try; he could always return to this form, he thought, if the new one didn't work out for the best. The next problem was transferring his intelligence from his polyalloy to the organics in his new shell. The reverse was well-known and had been perfected to a near-art form. But this situation had never been attempted, to his knowledge. Some research into the problem would have to be attempted...so, another week of 14-hour shifts was used before a breakthrough was made. (Meanwhile, Sandra was becoming rather lonely, since she had been accustomed to Joseph's normal pattern of dozing for most of the day ever since the deroboticizer coding had been taken over by Bahb...) The device was constructed in a few hours, and was completed just as the new organic shell had been grown to the proper level. Sandra stood close by as Joseph wired himself into the device for the movement of data, wishing her mate luck on his new endevor. "Be careful," Sandra nervously said, getting a safe distance away from the sensitive equipment as the process began... The transfer of information itself took about 15 minutes, but then the new body had to be `animated'. Electrical stimulus fired up the heart, while fresh blood was generated for it to utilize. The brain was kick-started with a burst of neurotransmitters, which activated the rest of the body's lower functions. Memories flooded the new host body...birth, childhood, the flight from Ur'thae, the long sleep of cryostasis, the landing, the Dome, Sandra, the imminent threat from space... Paws clenched into fists as the primal rage flooded his body, the power that gave the Ur'thaen race the will to conquer all. The roar of awakening filled the hall, and the bonds that held the body broke asunder from the might unchained from the chains of reason and logic. The howl shook the walls of the laboratory, shattered beakers, and paralysed Sandra with fear of feral extermination...claws extended into talons, teeth into fangs, his new body filling with his might... Then, the mind took control. Rage deadened into diamond-hard resolve, frenzy into willpower. His vision cleared, and the roar softened into a friendly laughter. Again, his heartbeat drove him forward, and the blood of three races filled his veins. The transfer had been successful. He embraced his mate in joy, flesh pushing against flesh really for the first time; they were both purely organic, aside from the mere anti-virus-boost Sandra's nanites provided her. Sandra, however, was merely relieved that Joseph's obsession with understanding and using the powers of the Stone hadn't caused him to become erased, or corrupted, or harmed mentally somehow. Yet. His new body looked similar to his old one, except the characteristics were, to the Terran tongue, more `elvish'. His ears were longer and slimmer, as was the rest of his head. His eyes had seemed to have `slitted' a bit more, becoming longer and more oval-shaped. His muzzle was more pointed, and his cranium seemed to be more `aerodynamic' in a way...a odd side-effect from his tinkering. His body was slimmer, but seemed to have more muscles to it. His strength had been increased roughly 35%, yet his tone seemed even more subdued. His legs were also longer, adding about an inch to his height, and his hindpaws had increased a bit in length as well. Yet, Sandra didn't seem to mind his subtle change in appearance, choosing instead to hug him warmly rather than criticize his new `look'. It seemed to...suit him? Yes, it suited him in a way that she could not describe...perhaps she would understand later. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - After all had been taken care of in the lab, he had again touched the Stone. Now totally organic, he discovered that no ill effect came of it. It was, in fact, warmer to his paw, and seemed to feel `friendlier' to him somehow. And, after a few moments, it spoke. >> "You have purified yourself. Good." << Joseph smiled. "You speak again, Stone." It seemed to chuckle. >> "Yes, I do. Allow me to introduce myself, young friend. I am Mob, the male half of the Mobia. My other half, Ia, is with the Chaos Emeralds, as you call them, on the Floating Island. Fate fortells that you have seen this place already. << He nodded. "Yes, I have been there." >> "Good," << Mob said, >> "that will simplify matters later. Now, I'm sure you have many questions." << "Yes, I do." >> "Then ask them." << He smiled. "Alright. First one: why me?" >> "You were chosen, Jhosesophae, for the same reason the sky was chosen to be blue as the water; it is unknown. Not even I could tell you. All that is known is that you are the best male for the job. The hero of Ia, your blood-brother Sonic, was chosen for the same reason...and it is known that both of you shall preserve us from the evils that each of you have been put on a quest to destroy." << He raised an eyebrow. "Us? Who's `us'?" >> "Ia and I are the two attracting and opposing forces of Mobius; my maleness opposes, yet attacts, Ia's femaleness. Our individual powers are personified through the Chaos Emeralds; the waters, the fire, the wind, the earth, and the magickal powers that hold together all. Few worlds have such magick available in such a fashion...most have the magick spread evenly across the world, making all wizards and witches roughly equal in potential power." << Mob continued. >> "But Mobius is special for some reason. The forces of nature are especially concentrated in the crystals that you have called `Chaos Emeralds', and are focal points for all of the powers of nature. Being such, people since the beginning of time, from all worlds, have tried to capture them." << He thought for a moment, staring into the glowing depths of the rock. "But wouldn't they be useless anywhere else but Mobius?" >> "No, for the Chaos Emeralds are nothing but focal points. You could use a Chaos Emerald anywhere in the universe, drawing upon the local powers of nature, and it would function just the same as if you were standing near Ia or myself." << Joseph looked impressed. "So why hasn't some other technically superior race come along and taken them by now?" >> "We know of the threats to our world long before they arrive. Thus, we can make a defender for ourselves; a great warrior, or a powerful wizard, to counter the enemy foe. Drawing upon the limitless power of nature, our great fighter, or our great magi, can defeat any and all comers." << He thought for a moment. "Why can't you just destroy the foe yourself? Why use another?" >> "Despite being a powerful force, Ia or myself could not fight an agressor. We lack the ability to focus our abilities in a way to vanquish a foe...to do that, a person wise in the ways of using our powers must take power from us and use it as they will." << Joseph raised a brow, and looked oddly at the glowing stone. "But how is your champion supposed to learn how to use the power within you to fight?" >> "We know how to use our power, we simply lack the ability to put our knowledge forth. You will learn from me as the ones before you have... I will teach, you will practice." << Joseph nodded, understanding somehow. "So I am to be this champion..." >> "Yes. You will be the Solaris of legend. But not yet...first, you must learn how to use the limitless power presented to you." << - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - A little bit later, Joseph went outside with the stone to begin his mystical training, that eventually got him 150 feet above his pond. Mob apparently chose to teach Joseph the art of flight first, he thought, because he had been rocketed upwards at an unexpected speed after reaching the pond area... "Aaaaaa!" shouted the fox as he rushed upward through the sky, coming to a halt at a very high point above his own private pool. >> "We will begin with a lesson in flight. In 30 seconds, I shall stop feeding you energy. At that point, you must draw it from me and will yourself upwards again. If you do not, you get wet." << He tried to compose himself. "O-okay...ummm...how do I--" He started to fall at that point very quickly. Somehow, he knew how to take energy from the crystal, but he had no idea how to go about this `willing' himself upwards. As the water loomed larger beneath him, he reflected on how he had gotten into this situation, cursed, and thought very hard of flight. Inches from the water's surface, he came to a sudden halt. He hovered above the liquid for several moments before slowly opening his eyes. Joseph noticed how clear and cool the water was today, and how healthy his robotic defense-fish looked at the time. He then thought of how he'd like to take a swi-- In Joseph went a second later, with a grand splash of water blasting out of the centre of the pond. A few moments went by before the wet fox thrashed from the water, coughing and spitting out the liquid that had crept into his lungs. "Dammit!" he swore as he swam to the water's edge, dragging the stone along with him. As he emerged from the water, he threw off the drenched trenchcoat and shirt, shaking off as his ancestors did many millenium ago. "What the frigging smeg happened?" >> "You broke your concentration. You were doing very well for a moment, but then your thoughts began to drift like clouds." << Joseph spat out some seaweed that had gotten into his mouth. "Great." >> "It was a good first lesson. Let's try something else before doing that again." << He rung out his tail. "Like what?" >> "Wouldn't you like to be dry?" << "How perceptive," he grumbled, wiping some water away from his eyebrows. >> "Then think of being dry." << He coughed. "Why not? What's the worst that could happen? I'll probably die learning this insanity, anyway." Annoyed at his failure, he grabbed the stone again, closed his eyes, and concentrated totally on the water simply evaporating from his fur. He thought of sunlight and fuzzy towels, and deserts and wind... As he held those thoughts, his body got dryer. A plume of steam rose from his back and chest, and his clothing also seemed to mystically dry themselves in the same way. After all the water had left him, he opened his eyes and took his mind away from the task. Sure enough, the effect faded away with the lack of concentration, just as his brief hovering had. "Hey," said an amazed Joseph, "it worked." >> "You can do nearly anything you wish with the powers of Mobius if you only set your mind to it. No task is too great for the power of will to accomplish." << He made a fist, and willed energy to sparkle around it. "Now we're getting somewhere." He commanded the energy to spark across his pond, and strike a few boulders that laid on the other side. "This is a lot easier than I thought it would be." The boulders detonated gratifingly, which made Joseph smile. >> "The only reason all on Mobius are not wizards is because they lack the faith in themselves to believe they can, the strength of will to do it, and the temperance not to abuse their might. This is why you were chosen, Fell-From-The-Sky, and is why you were made the wizard rather than the warrior; the Way of the warrior focuses more on bravery, might, and the other roots of heroism...while you may also have those traits, Runs-Like-Lightning, Sonic, does not yet hold the wisdom to understand the Way of the wizard." << Joseph tried some other feats of will as the stone talked. "So you're saying that while I could have been either, Sonic could only be one; therefore, I had to be what Sonic could not be." >> "You are correct. Both of you are just as vital to Mobius; it is just that your Way focuses more on mental toughness than physical." << Joseph hmmed and looked up. Fired by his recent successes, he balled his free fist, and took a breath. "Think I'll be able to fly now?" >> "Try it and see." << He closed his eyes, focusing on birds, spaceships, and balloons. He willed the energy to fill his lower legs and feet, and imagined they were the lower thrusters of an UsagiBOT. Whoosh, whoosh, fly away... Air rushed past him as the thoughts became more specific. He willed himself to slow down as the wind rushed faster, not wanting to fly too far away from his pond. He opened his eyes after he had come to a stop, and looked down... The Great Forest laid beneath him, his pond just a sparkling dot. The lush Great Meadow and the mysterious Grey Mountains could be seen in the far distance, as were the smoking ruins of Robotropolis. Birds flew several hundred yards beneath him, punctuating how far up he actually was. Natually, Joseph's first instinct was to scream in terror. 10,000 feet is not a place for a fox to be without a spacecraft. Yet, he somehow controlled his panic, grabbing more tightly onto the stone and holding the thought of flight in his mind. If he lost that thought, he'd fall like a stone to the earth below...he started to rapidly drop downward. Quickly, he shut his eyes and reasserted mental control of his environment. He was not going to be crushed like a dropped egg as long as he held the key to cosmic power in his right paw. Glide down, he thought repeatedly, like a feather...like a landing saucer, like a leaf from a tree...and, gradually, the speed of his desent increased to a far less rapid pace. Slowly, he desended to the world below, being very careful not to let his thoughts wander astray. Soon the Great Forest exclusively filled his vision, and a few moments later he was again standing on the shore of his pond, looking rather relieved. >> "You controlled yourself well, yet you still have much to learn." << He put the stone down on the ground, and wiped his forehead. "No kidding." >> "Don't let these early moments of unimpressive last-second preservations of life bother you. You just learned the basis of all magic and the ability to fly in less than a half-hour. It usually takes weeks to culture such abilities in most normal beings; but because of your abnormal intelligence, we were able to make stunning progress." << It paused. >> "You should be proud." << He took a flask of water from his trenchcoat pocket on the ground, and took a drink. "Sure. I almost impaled myself on the world I'm supposed to be protecting, and I should be proud." >> "Trust me, I've had to teach far worse. A few of my students actually -did- impale themselves on Mobius, and I had to train anoother one just to put them back together." << He winced. "Ouch." >> "You've done far better; a near prodigy at the mystical arts. It causes one to wonder how your initial religion of Science, which opposed Magick, led you to this point." << He slugged back more water. "Love." >> "Exactly. Again, you prove beyond a doubt you are the Chosen." << He sat down on his coat, and looked up into the sky. "I just hope I'm strong enough to keep the evil at bay, Mob." >> "You are. But much training must be completed before you can march off to battle." << It glowed more intensly for a moment. >> "Come, let us continue." << - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - Part III: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - They worked the rest of the day, Joseph attempting to do what the Stone demonstrated for him. He was becoming more and more proficient at what Mob showed him, and a few weeks later he was making up `spells' of his own. Meanwhile, however, other things were happening in the world that would soon cause a great change in Joseph's life yet again.... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - The trial itself began a few days after Rachel's capture, but took about a month to actually commence. Even after it started, it was taking a long time to complete. Despite the rather efficient Mobian system of justice, it was unable to handle the main Judge's continual need to call a recess every time some interruption or personal task needed to be completed in order to allow Knothole and the rest of the Freedom Fighters to keep operating. Sally was, of course, the Judge. She came to court dressed in the ceremonial garb of the Royal Court, which were beginning to get pretty warm during the stretching summer months. A jury was created by getting residents of other villages to return to Knothole, so that the various components of the jury would be personally unfamiliar with the individual. However, the broadcast made by Joseph alienated a lot of potential jurors, and made jury selection somewhat of a hit-or-miss affair. A courtroom had been set up in the civic center, and air conditioning was thankfully provided. The trial had actually began in mid-summer, after everyone had gotten their acts together enough to operate such an affair. Sally attempted to keep interruptions to a minimum, but the trial kept slowing down for various emergencies; minor brush fires, heatstroke, various festivals, etc. Yet, progress was being made. The defense was rather stymied about how to defend a self-incriminating subspace transmission, so was forced to fight the other evidence presented by the prosecution; which was far more organized and more robustly made. First, the few people who knew Rachel during the times of the various murders came forward to testify about her alleged involvement. Now unafraid of Rachel's vengeance, they told all about her despicable `addiction' to killing. Then, Sandra came forward to testify about her overall character, and how she had also known of the various crimes she had committed. Not even the most zealous efforts by the defense could crack through Sandra's statements; her word now had weight to it. The transmission was replayed for the jury, which pretty much killed the defense's meager efforts to acquit Rachel. Now, only the final witness, Rachel's own ex-boyfriend, remained to be questioned. The district attorney, a hasily elected Sir Charles, questioned this particularly informed friend of Rachel's...another mink named Thomas Fargo. "Tell the court, son," said Charles, "about your relationship with the accused, and what you know about the alleged murders of Jack Fox, Charles Weasel, Pierre Wolf, Michael Falcon, Andrew Mongoose, Emmanuel Lemur, Robert Mouse, and the three McMasterson brothers." The male sighed, slicked back his mane of headfur, and spoke softly. "It all started so many years ago...I had been dating Rachel on and off for several months, breaking up with her every time I discovered she had been with another man. Yet, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stay away; I was being used, and I could do nothing to stop it." He stopped to wipe his eyes, then continued. "But one day, I finally could take no more, and confronted Rachel about her actions..." Charles' eyes softened. "Go on when you're ready, son." He sniffed and blew his nose into a Kleenex. "Well, she laughed at me for my `nerve' and very clearly explained that she'd kill me if I left her, just because it'd serve me right..." The defense attorney for Rachel, a rather meek rabbit by the name of Sheryl, spoke up. "Objection, your honor! The witness is obviously embittered about the termination of the relationship with the accused!" Sally looked over to her. "So noted, defense." She looked to the mink. "Continue." He coughed and wiped his eyes. "So I had to leave town after that...this was just before the McMasterson deaths, whom she was dating collectively at the time...I'm glad I escaped." Charles shook his head slowly. "Your Honor, I have no further questions. The prosecution rests...the evidence speaks for itself." Sally sipped some of her glass of water. "Very well, Charles, you may be seated." She glanced over to the defense. "Do you wish to cross-examine the witness?" The rabbit stood. "Yes, Your Honor." Sally nodded. "Proceed." Sheryl walked over to the witness stand, where the mink was still blowing his nose and holding back tears. "How long had you been dating the accused again, Thomas?" He regained some control of himself. "Overall, about a year." "And had you," she said, "been emotionally attached to her?" "Yes." "Did you love her?" "Yes." She looked into the bleary, bloodshot eyes of the mink. "Do you still love her?" "No, I do not." "Why?" He snarled, his eyes clearing and the subtle undertones of rage filling his voice. "Because she's an evil, backstabbing, murderous bitch." The rabbit smiled for a half-second, then continued her questioning. "So you have a dislike for the accused, Thomas?" "Yes." The rabbit's eyes lit up. "Would you like to see her -die- for her alleged crimes?" "Alleged crimes?!" He looked up to Sally. "Your Honor, she committed all of those crimes, and then some! The broadcast from the alien proved that with her own words! She's evil, I tell you!" Sally banged her gavel against her table. "Witness, please calm down." With a great deal of personal strain, he did so. "I apologize to the court for my outburst, Your Honor. It's just that I have been living in fear of her retribution for so long, seeing her finally at the feet of Mobian justice has forced my deep hate of her to foam over." "So noted, Witness." She looked to the defense. "Any further questions?" The rabbit looked deflated. At this point, she thought, perhaps they should plea bargain for a quick death. But yet, she kept some hope alive, and remained steadfast in her posture. "No, Your Honor. The defense rests." Sally looked gently at Thomas. "Then the witness is dismissed." The mink collected his tissues together, and walked back to the section of the courtroom where the onlookers sat. "If there is no further evidence to be provided, the jury may now deliberate over the evidence privately. The court is in recess until the jury reaches its verdict." She banged the gavel again, and watched the various Mobians file out of the civic center, and into a guarded, soundproof hut. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - The court was in recess until the next day, when the jurors returned to the courtroom to state their verdict. A tall fox in the jury read the statement they had written up during their all-night discussion. He cleared his throat before speaking. "Ladies and Gentlemen of the Court, we, the jury of the case of People vs. Rachel Mink have deliberated over the evidence provided for us during our recess, and have come up with a verdict." He took a breath again, and looked over the courtroom as he read. "The various testimony provided from the witnesses, as well as the transmitted account of Rachel's `confession' to Miss Sandra Nightweaver, have proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Rachel Mink is guilty of ten counts of Murder, as well as two counts of Attempted Murder, one count of Treason against the Crown, one count of Third Level War Crimes against the People of Mobius, and three counts of Perjury. We recommend the most extreme sentence for the combined crimes she has committed..." He swallowed. "Death." Sally somberly nodded, and looked to Rachel with a firm, unyielding stare. "The jury has found you guilty, Rachel Mink. I will now return to my chambers to decide your sentence. Court is adjourned until noon tomorrow." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - Upon leaving the courtroom after the guilty party had been returned to her cell, Sally's cool facade began to crumble. She now had to decide the fate of the prisoner they had within the hastily-constructed jail cell in the center of town; should she merely sentence her to life imprisonment, or should she sentence her to death? She entered her hut, closed the door, and prepared a mug of hot coffee. What should she do? What would her father do? She didn't know, and couldn't... Sally stared into the bottom of the cup, watching the swirling patterns that formed on the surface of the liquid. She had to weigh out the evidence in her head, then come to a conclusion. She'd killed ten people in the past, with no sort of remorse. Then, she'd spent 15 years roboticized...perhaps she'd changed, Sally thought. Then the transmission and the statements of Thomas bubbled up from her subconscious, proving that she hadn't changed that much. She was still without remorse for her past misdeeds, and was gleeful about stealing the roboticizer plans from Sir Charles. She'd destroyed the emotional self of her various boyfriends by being totally disloyal. Certainly, she wasn't a good person. Yet, Sally didn't want to have anyone killed. She couldn't even -think- of doing such an execution herself...every extra set of paws in the fight against Packbell, shackled or not, could be useful. Perhaps some therapy and counciling would help the criminal mink. Sandra had changed; why couldn't she? She drank some of her coffee, and stared into a wall. A picture that someone had painted for her a few months ago was there. It was a nice watercolor of the city of Mobitropolis, only days before the coup. It was wonderfully done, and she could almost hear the sounds of the city; children playing in the playgrounds, street musicians singing for their dinner, storekeepers crying their wares out to passerby, the sounds of boats sailing out to the Great Ocean, the laughter of lovers... Then, she saw the Destroyer fly over it, as she had countless times in her worst nightmares; the sky turned black with smoke, the fleeing people suddenly becoming Worker-Bots, blood running through the streets like a flood, the screams of terrified children, the evil, roaring laughter... She closed her eyes, a single tear falling into her coffee. She knew what she had to do now; something she should have done the second she saw the transmission... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - The courtroom was silent the next day as Sally returned to her desk, stationed high above the rest of the chamber. Not even the sound of a heartbeat could be heard anywhere as Sally took a sip of a glass of water, and looked right into the eyes of the damned mink. "Rachel Mink, one day Mobius shall be free of the chains of the deceased Robotnik, his evil nephew Snively, and his sadistic creation, Packbell. On that day, all Mobians shall be free of pain, and the foundations of Robotnik's city shall crumble into dust." She paused to let this throughly sink in. "But you will not be there." She continued on. "On that day, the foundations of our new capital city, New Mobitropolis, shall be laid. The ground shall be cleansed of the taint of industrial evil, the waters shall again be pure and fresh, and the air shall smell sweeter than the most delicate rose. It shall be as if we had emerged from a long and cold Winter, and at that moment a grand Spring shall rise like the sun from the ashes of our suffering." Again, a brief pause. "But you will not be there." "The glorious sound of a child's laughter shall echo through the hills and valleys of this great Northern continent, and all shall know on that day our true Victory has been sealed. No longer shall we have to hide in our forest fortresses and underground cities, for there shall be peace and harmony throughout Mobius. Men shall walk proudly, without fear of capture or assault, anywhere on the earth; and the mothers of the world shall let their children play unhidden in the glens and nolls of our fine planet." A pause. "But you will not be there." "Rachel Mink," boomed Sally with a voice as hard as steel, "you will not be there because your bones shall be rotting within the very earth that the people of Mobius will live and love on, for I sentence you to death; to be carried out immediately, in a part of Mobius where none shall ever wish to tread upon ever again, by a method to be chosen by the executioner." She took a sip of her water, and gestured to the large lupine guards. "Get this traitorous wench out of my sight." As they dragged her away, Sally gazed into her smoldering rage-filled eyes, which filled her with a slight sense of dread...no fear existed there, no sorrow, just the undying hate...but Sally knew in her heart that she and the rest of the world had nothing more to fear from her; she'd be dead in an hour, anyway. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - The guards dragged her beyond the village's limits, and met up with the royal executioner on a hillside about 5 miles from the village's most outer fringe. The executioner, an old bobcat named Reginald, stood under a tall oak tree wearing his full regal garb; a long, flowing black robe, with a hood that totally obscured his face. Reginald's existance in Knothole was somewhat interesting to the common observer. He had been roboticized very early on in the coup, and had worked in the nearby SWATBot factory near Robotnik's main base in Robotropolis. He had regained his faculties by a freak electrical accident which was believed by the presiding SWATBots to have killed him. Thus, he was thrown in a landfill and forgotten about completely. But due to a combination of good luck and physical might, he was able to escape the city just as the deroboticizer was first being developed, and found his way shortly afterward to Knothole. Since then, he'd worked as a assistant to the Princess herself, and now found himself back in his original job. She was brought before him completely restrained, and dropped nearby the tree when the guards approached the royal executioner for instructions. Her cry of annoyance was ignored by all. "So, this is the harlot who helped Robotnik enslave the entire world, eh? Doesn't look so impressive to me, gentlemen. She certainly won't be in top form when we're done with her, will she?" The executioner and the guards all laughed slightly. "Okay, lads, let's get this over with so we can all get back home before dusk." He walked out of the grove for a moment, and returned with a rope with a noose on the end. "Attach this to the tree for me, gentlemen." As the wolves did so, the executioner walked over to the mink. "Any last words, requests, pleas for mercy?" She spat at him, nailing him in the face. "I'll see you all in Hell." He smiled at her. "Very well then, madam." He walked away from her for a moment, then took a silk rag from the inside of his robe to wipe off his face. "Kick her a few times when you're through." The wolves finished setting up the device to hang the mink, and then kicked her in the stomache several times to pacify her. She refused to cry out or curse at all, only hissing at the blows. After they were through, the executioner spoke. "Now go roll a large rock into the clearing, so we can set her up on it. I saw a good one about 50 yards to the east." They nodded, and went to go get the boulder. The executioner pulled on the rope a few times to test it, and adjusted the noose to operate more efficiently. "What do you want on your tombstone, madam?" Rachel spat at him again, but missed by a few inches. "Eat me." He continued to fiddle with the rope. "I'll take that as a `none'." The rock was rolled in on a wheeled cart. "Ah, excellent, we're just about ready to begin. Gentlemen, roll the cart underneath the noose, put our guest on it, and affix the rope around her throat." The wolves did so, albeit with great resistance from the mink. She spat and thrashed around, but nothing she could do stopped the large wolves from getting her in place, and putting the rope around her throat. "Gentlemen, take your places, please." The wolves complied, and got in front of the cart. They picked up the reins of the wheeled sleigh, and were ready to pull it at a moment's notice. The executioner nodded to them. "On my mark, gentlemen, pull." He walked to the side of the rock, and spoke at the mink rather than to her. "It gives me great pleasure to announce that Princess Sally Alicia Acorn, heir to the Throne of Mobius, has found you guilty of murder, both completed and attempted, treason, war crimes, and being a general bitch. Our wise Princess has therefore sentenced you to death by a method of death selected by myself. I have chosen termination by hanging, because it eliminates much of the messy cleanup that comes from the usual punishment for treason, drawing and quartering." He cleared his throat. "I hearby execute your sentence in the speediest way possible. May Goddess have mercy on your soul." Then, he spat in her face. "Paybacks are hell, aren't they, honey?" He looked to the wolves. "Pull." The reins snapped taut. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - The executioner and the wolves returned to Knothole an hour later, having completed their work to the letter. People were warned not to go to the willow tree deep within the Forest until a week had passed. If she was still mostly intact, her body would be burnt to ashes and buried in a thick bag in the Great Swamp. However, odds were that the cannibals that lurked in the deep forest at night would probably find the `offering' and deal with it as they dementedly would. In most people's opinion, it was poetic justice. However, to the very person who had sentenced her to death, there were only questions. As she sat in her hut that night, she stared up into the stars and thought of what else she might have done...if she had let her live, might she have reformed? Could she have become a productive member of society, someone you could count on in times of need? She didn't know; she knew she'd done what her father and anyone else who would have been in that situation would have done. But still, the thought nagged at her, and would nag at her for many days afterward. A week later, the tree was visited by the local mortician. The rope was found violently torn in twain, with smatterings of blood and fur laying about the area. Claw-marks were in the trees, and some pieces of bone were also discovered lying in the area surrounding the tree. Sickened by the sight she found, she took the rope from the scene and ran back to Knothole. She had to take a vacation from her work for a few days, which sealed the area's fate as `The Cursed Tree'. Not even Sonic would head up there then, no matter how hard one coerced him to. Sandra was quieted about the issue of Rachel after the grisly discovery at the hangman's tree. Privately, she told Joseph justice had been done, but publically she would not even speak of the subject any longer. Luckily, the new developments with Joseph's magickal powers were enough of a distraction to keep her from lingering on it, and added another issue to keep hidden from the general populace. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - On the small ship that was slowly drifting toward the shore of the Southern Continent, the passenger of the vessel felt a small chill creep up his back...he knew not why, or who, or where, but he knew something very evil had been awakened...but, after a moment, it faded down to nothing. Perhaps his long sleep had skewed his perception. Oh well, he thought, it was probably nothing, anyway. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - -