War for Mobius

Chapter 15

A young Sally Acorn sits on the balcony of Castle Acorn looking over the City of Mobotropolis.  She rubs the bruise she received on her cheek for the scuffle she had been a part of earlier that day.  The “Battle Wound” stung, but not nearly as bad as the wounds to the young princess’s pride.
“I thought I might find you out here,” a familiar voice calls from behind her.  She turns to see her father strolling up.  Rather than his fancy cloak or his proud military uniform, he had retired to his evening robes.  He chews on the end of a pipe he had received from his father as a gift.  The King rarely lit the thing but chewing on it seemed to bring back fond memories.
The Princess turns away quickly, “I suppose you heard what happened…..”
“That I did”
“…are you here to scold me?”
The King gently lays a hand on her shoulder, “I believe no amount of scolding could compare to the lesson you learned today.”
Sally, with a face of shock, turns back to look at her dad.
“Don’t get too excited,” he chuckles, “You’re still grounded.”
“Oh,” the young chipmunk sighs, not even attempting to hide her disappointment.
“It’s an unfortunate consequence of your choices today.  You chose to do something you were specifically told not to do,” The King reminded her.
A small sniffle escapes Sally.  Smile forms on the King’s lips as he sits down next to her.
“Though you know, I’ve never been good at punishing my children for very long,” he coughs, “I have a bad habit of taking pity on them.  And do you know what else?”
“What?” she chokes.
“I’m also very proud of you,” he ruffles up her auburn hair, “You knew what you were doing was wrong and when the time came, you fought to do the right thing.”
The Young Princess wraps her arms around her father and begins to sob.  The King just holds her tightly.
“Promise me Sally, that you will always continue to fight for the right.  Don’t let the wicked hurt those who are unable to defend themselves.”
“And remember, when you fall…get back up, and keep Swinging.”
Sally looks back up at father to discover that he had vanished and in his place sits an all too familiar grinning, blue-quilled hedgehog.

Sally’s eyes snap open.  Her head is pounding and there is a coppery taste of blood in her mouth.  Instincts take over and she pulls herself from the wreckage of the Tornado.
She first moves a bit away from the wreckage, in case the fuel tank ignited, but when it doesn’t she doubles back.
“Sonic,” the chipmunk murmurs as she begins searching the remains of the biplane.  A sigh of relive escapes her breath when she finds that the fuel tanks miraculously survived the crash intact.
Next she checks the foot locks to the remains of the wings.  The metal was bent and crushes, and she is unable to determine if the was due to the crash or something from beforehand.
It takes here only a minute to determine the potential trajectory of the wayward hedgehog.  Gathering up what little supplies remain, disappointed that the canteen and the medical kit did not survive the crash landing, the princes sets forth to rescue her lost comrade.
Surprisingly enough, besides the tears the plane had made in the woods as it crashed down, the island seems to be rather peaceful.  At least where they landed, if you use the term “landed” loosely.  The trees have a healthy green to them, and small birds sing happily from the many branches, now returning home after the catastrophe that scared them away seemed to die down.
Other than the technology that had attacked them, there isn’t any sign that Robotnik had even touched the floating island.  
Bees Buzzing…
Birds Singing…
Sonic Screaming for help…
Nature-
SONIC SCREAMING FOR HELP!?
Sally brakes into a run in the direction of the Hedgehog’s wails for rescue.  She hopes for the best, but images of the worst flood into her mind.  Sonic sounds terrified…
And he never sounds terrified.

Around this same time, on another part of the island, a little ways off, Ben and Tails take a break from the trudging through the woods.
“I could fly up and get our barring,” the young fox suggests.
“Not a good idea,” Ben warns, leaning against a nearby tree, “If those ‘bots are still on our tail, we don’t want to give away our position.”
Tails sighs and sits down, “I hope Sonic and Sally are alright.”
“I’m sure they are fine.  Sally’s a tactical genius, and Sonic can handle anything Robuttnik can dish out,” the wolf boasts.  He takes off his backpack and pulls out a small bottle, “Thirsty?”
Tails just shakes his head.
“Just lemme know if you change your mind,” the teenager shrugs, “Or if you get hungry, I got some homemade trail-mix too.”
“You always carry that stuff around in your backpack?”
“Any assignment I’m on,” Ben grins, “Whenever you hike, track, or go on an mission, you need to prepare for the worst.”
“But you only tend to bring food and water in your bag,” the young two-tailed mobian scratches his ear.
“Well I always dreamed of being a culinary master growing up,” the wolf explains, “One day when Robotnik gets his, I plan to continue working towards that dream.  So I like to study up on nutrients and such during my spare time.  Not only it can help me achieve my dream, it may one day help me on a job.”
“I never really thought of what I’d do after we be Robotnik,” Tails ponders aloud.
“I don’t think many of us have,” Ben nods, “Specifically Sonic.”
Tails cocks his head to one side, “What do you mean?”
Ben nearly loses his balance, “Nothing, I know Nothing, absolutely nothing.”
Tails raises an eyebrow in disbelief.  
“Okay, for security reasons, Antoine had me do some research after we first met Sonic,” the wolf reluctantly explains running a hand through his Mohawk, “Nothing sinister mind you, just finding out who he was and where he came from.”
“Okay….”
“Yeah, well we found something out about where he was from and all that,” Ben continues, “and the information was quite surprising, you probably never would have guessed it.  Since it didn’t pose a threat to our immediate future, Antoine decided to let Sonic share it when he was ready.”
“What did you find out?”
“I’m not sure I should really say anything,” Ben scratches the back of his neck in thought.
“C’mon,” the young fox pesters, “if it really doesn’t pose a threat…”
The wolf lets out a sigh, “Alright them, Sonic is actu-DUCK NOW TAILS!”
Tails’s training takes control, and he drops at the warning to the ground as a large double-bladed ax swings over his head.  Ben draws his own blade and charges the attacker, a large robot.
The Machine had no legs, but rather small booster engines that kept it floating in the air.  It had to large arms with big round shoulders guards to protect its shoulder joints.  The head was remotely overlander shaped and resembled a lumberjack.
The might weapon it swung around with ease, had a gold-bronze color to it.  The speed of the machine-man’s boosters, and the size of the weapon, it could cleave through a mobian with no problem.
When Ben swings his Kukri at the monster, but the machine brings up its weapon and easily deflects the blow.  It then counters by slicing back at the wolf.  Ben tries to defend with his own weapon but the kukri is knocked form his hands and sent flying away.
“Tails!  Get outta here now!” Ben barks to the young pup.
“But-…” Tails begins to argue but the wolf doesn’t give him a chance.
“Sally and Sonic are going to need your help.  Besides I can handle this joker!”
The twin-tailed fox is about to object to the wolf’s chances, but he knows what has to be done.  He holds back his tears and spins his tails and lifts off.
The robot ax-murderer charges at him, but Ben manages to slam into it hard enough to send it off course, missing Tails with its attack.  The wolf stumbles back to his feet rubbing his shoulder where he had bashed into the machine.
That is the last Tails sees of Ben before flying above the trees and out of reach.  He takes a look around and spotting what looks like a nearby temple of sorts heads in that direction.  
A blood curdling howl of pain escapes the trees, and the faint sound of Buzz Bombers’ wings fill the air, but all the young freedom fighter can do is clench his teeth and keep flying….
With tears pouring down his face.

The Blue Hedgehog flails his arms wildly in the otherwise peaceful water.
“HELP!” he hollers into the air, “I can’t stay afloat much longer!”
This can’t really be it can it?  Is this how the hero goes out?  Not done in by SWATs, but an inconvenient placed lake?!
Sonic’s mind races, thinking of every possible angle that comes to mind that could potentially save him from his impending demise at the hands of his watery-nemesis.  
Nothing, he’s too far from the shore to reach it before his arms give out, which was fast approaching.  
His vision begins to blur as he struggles to keep his head above the water.
Sonic’s thoughts change to his friends at Knothole.  Tails.  His long lost family.  Uncle Chuck.  They finally settle on Sally.  Oh if only they had more time.  He isn’t even sure if she survived the crash, and he might not even find out now.  He longs for another chance, just to tell her his feelings.  Hold her just one more time and let her know the truth before…
“Sonic!” a familiar voice calls out to him.  From the trees on the nearby shore the Princess emerges.  Her blue coat she had opted on bringing rather than her usual vest is torn, battered, and somewhat burned.  Her auburn  hair with remaining, fading blond streaks is windblown and messy.  There is a small cut on her head that slightly stains her fur with blood.
And she never looked more beautiful is the only thought that Sonic can muster.
Sally begins wading in the water in his direction, “Sonic?”
“Sal…there is something….I gotta tell you,” he sputters out as he forces his head to remain above the water.
“Sonic you…” Sally begins.
“Sal please!  I have to tell you this!”
“But Sonic…”
“No this might be last chance to-..”
The Princess splashes Sonic in the face.
Instinctively, the blue hedgehog covers his to head block the splash.  After briefly pondering the potential reasons why Sally would want him dead, Sonic realizes something.  He’s not sinking in the water.  In fact, he’s seated firmly on the ground.
Uncovering his face he looks around.  While seated the Water only comes up to his neck.  He sits silently for a moment before turning his attention back to Sally, “This never happened.”
“As long as you don’t make fun of my hair anymore,” Sally blackmails.
“Fine,” Sonic groans pulling himself to his feet.
“What was your big important reveal?”
“Nothing special,” Sonic shrugs it off.
“Really?” Sally folds her arms in disbelief, “You really expect me to believe that whatever you had to say before dying was nothing?”
“I’m going to go with…yes?” Sonic shrugs again giving a cheesy, crooked smile, “At least for the moment.”
Sally responds with another splash to Sonic’s face.
“I probably deserve that,” he murmurs as he wipes the water away, “We better go see to the Tornado.  There might be some supplies worth salvaging.”
“I already came from the wreckage,” Sally explains, “Most of the supplies are trashed.”
“Then we need to get our barring,” Sonic suggests, “We don’t know where we are on the island and we really don’t know if Ben or Tails made it here, though I would rather think positive and believe they did.”
The Princess rolls up the sleeves of her jacket, “Still we need to be careful.  If make it too easy for Tails and Ben to locate us, there is a chance Robotnik might find us as well.”
“True,” the hedgehog admits, brushing a finger under his nose, “It is also getting late, and we don’t know what kind of dangers await us here.  Best we set up a camp.”
“We should use the remains of the Tornado to make some makeshift warning alarms, that way we’ll have warning if the other or badnicks come looking for us,” Sally recommends.
“We could set up a decoy camp to distract them,” Sonic adds, “That way we have a chance to escape if it is ‘bots.”
“But we should stay close, just in case it is the others,” Sally concludes.
“Risky but worth a shot,” the hedgehog nods, “We better get outta of this overgrown kiddy-pool.”  
He begins to head for the shoreline where Sally had emerged.  She reaches out to stop him shouting, “Watch out for the-…” but it is too later.  Sonic instantly disappears under the water as he steps into a small hole.  He suddenly resurfaces, once again struggling to remain afloat and babbling about something of dire importance to tell the Princess.  Sally just sighs and pulls him back out of the water.

By now the sun has dipped down low in the horizon, and the young fox stumbles in the dark woods.  After flying for what seemed like forever he dropped back under the leafy canopy to keep from being spotted by more robots.  His mind can’t recall how far he’s travelled or how close he’s to the temple…or was it a shrine….that he had spotted earlier.  Worse still that gruesome scream still haunts him memory and dried tears still stain his yellow-orange fur.
The air is chilly, and Tails wishes he hadn’t left behind that scarf Sally had insisted they all should bring all those hours ago.  A small, sad sneeze escapes his nose.
“Bless you,” a voice whispers from the darkness nearby.  Tails spins around quickly but a blow to the back of the neck knocks the young fox out before he has a chance to do anything.  The last thing he sees is a blurry vision of a mobian before losing consciousness.
“Now get off my Island.”