From AHVT94B@prodigy.comMon Dec 4 09:13:39 1995 Date: Fri, 24 Nov 1995 23:01:57 EST From: MR THADDEUS R BOYD To: rotor@primenet.com Subject: Web story BLUE FLAMES by Brent "Hedgehog X" Roberts and Thad "X" Boyd LEGAL MUMBO-JUMBO This work was written by Thad "X" Boyd and Brent "Hedgehog X" Roberts, and belongs to them lock, stock, and barrel. You are allowed to have as many copies (electronic or hard-copy) as you want, and are encouraged to show it to your friends, but you are not allowed to modify it or make any money without their official consent (which you're never going to get just by asking out of the blue, and probably not going to get anyway, so don't even try). To make it easier to distinguish who wrote what, I've headed each chapter with a different color - darker blue for what I wrote, lighter for what he wrote. Any resemblance between characters in this story and any real beings, living or dead, is purely coincidental, except in cases when the character's personality is meant to represent his/her creator's. Finally, I'd like to thank everyone who created characters included in this story. This includes Service and Games (SEGA), Archie Comic Publications, DiC entertainment, Capcom games, and a whole bunch of present and former (mostly the latter, unfortunately [fortunately, however, when referring to 99.9% of Club X members, since John "King Lawnmower" Geddes was the only one who I ever respected, and of course I didn't respect him at the time]) members of Sonic '94/'95 and Club X (normally I'd include names, but I can't remember them all, and besides, they'd take up too much space anyway). Some of the names of the Team X members may be from other sources, but I'm not sure, since I never thought to ask my enemies where they got their names. The name "Kumba" is borrowed (yeah, borrowed, that's the ticket) from the name of a ride at the Busch Gardens theme park in Tampa, Florida. I'd also like to thank Dave "Bookshire" Pistone for his wonderful site, and for the creation of Packbell, who makes a brief appearance in the new intro to this story. FOREWORD What you are about to read is BLUE FLAMES, written by myself and my esteemed colleague, Brent Roberts, in September of 1994. The text is the same (except for a few minor changes I've made to prevent incontinuity, and you'd need an eagle eye to spot them), but I fixed spelling, punctuation, and marginal errors. Also, I've "merged" chapters #10 and #11 from the original story, since #11 was basically just a retelling of #10, and the two conflicted at one point anyway. Also, I combined the original chapters #13 and #14, into just chapter #12. BLUE FLAMES was an experiment; a crossover between our two ongoing (at the time) storylines. Part of it occurred in DA STORY -- BOOK 1: THE SONIC SAGA -- ACT 7: THE TERRAN PLANET, by Brent, and the rest occurred in SONIC THE HEDGEHOG MEETS MEGA MAN X -- BOOK 2: HEDGEHOG ZERO, by yours truly. It was such a success that Brent and I decided to make another crossover later, which we called DREAMS DISTORTED, but for various technical reasons (i.e. Brent disappeared while it was being written, and by the time he got back, our whole outline was ripped asunder because of changes in the club's membership), it has been canned indefinitely (the project may continue if I can figure out how to make important changes). The reasons for DD's cancellation bring up an interesting point that applies to this story. Our policy in the club's stories is for each member to create a character to be included in stories, but of course, because of Prodigy's outrageous pricing, these members disappear with an alarming regularity (and now, let us all bow our heads in homage to the recent loss of our friends Allen and Jill Quindiagan, who lost Prodigy just a week or so before my writing this, but let's make the homage snappy, because this is beginning to become one heck of a run-on sentence). Because of this, there are many characters in here whose "owners" have disappeared, yet the characters play such pivotal roles in the story, they will return in future stories (MTP being a prime example, as you will find when you read on). If you don't know who the third-party characters are, they all (except MTP) appear in a story called JADED VIEWS...just keep in mind that in this story, the Freedom Fighters don't know about Hedgehog X's past. Also, some plot elements will be cleared up in future stories... Anyhoo, the basic plot is that Hedgehog X was sent to Earth by Robotnik in acts 5 and 6 of DA STORY (the exact events can be found in the prologue, rewritten with a few new characters), and met up with and befriended some robots there (although not quite himself at the time). Meanwhile, the Freedom Fighters follow him to Terra to help, but Robotnik has other ideas, and dispatches a new team of robots to stop them. Also, this story was written while Sonic '94 (the name for the Prodigy Sonic club at the time) was encountering hard times with a rival club called "X". The troubles were caused, in part, by me, who didn't exactly take kindly to an unsavory club with my same nickname. I admit I overreacted a tad to what was going on, but I maintain that I DID ask them NICELY to change their name or refrain from advertising in "my" domain, and they replied immaturely (and I STILL have the printouts to prove it!). What does that have to do with anything, you ask? Well, several of the villains herein are adapted from members of Club X, just so I can give credit where credit's due. In conclusion, I'd like to shamelessly plug some of my other Sonic fan-fiction. At the moment I'm writing this, a story written by my friend Steve "Maxl" Tramer and me, entitled JADED VIEWS, can be found on Bookshire Draftwood's homepage at HTTP://WWW.RAT.ORG/BOOKSHIRE. Also, expect another story of mine, THE HUNT BEGINS, to hit before the end of 1995 (that one has less "third-party" characters than the others, I might add), and two new storylines -- IGNITION FACTOR, by me, and THE 72 HOUR SERIES, by Steven Tramer -- to appear throughout '96. As always, if you have any questions or comments about any of my stories, or just want to chat, write to me at AHVT94B@PRODIGY.COM. Also, you can drop Brent a line at NNFW26B@PRODIGY.COM. PROLOGUE DESTINATION: EARTH "AAAARGH!!!!!" Robotnik screamed as he banged his fist on the desk, breaking it in half. "Snively, send for maintenance to bring me a new desk," he ordered in agitation. Robotnik had just been foiled again by his two least-favorite hedgehogs in existence: Sonic the Hedgehog and that purple, secretive one. His plan to turn the Freedom Fighters against each-other would have succeeded, too, if that purple hedgehog hadn't found the antidote and administered it to Sonic and his comrades, with the help of a fox who looked a bit like the one that always tagged along behind Sonic. (Robotnik had observed that this fox was known as MTP, and the initials seemed vaguely familiar, and that he always carried a jetpack.) Robotnik's thoughts of anger were interrupted by a beeping somewhere in the rubble of his desk. He rummaged around through the wreckage, and uncovered a communicator. "This had better be good, Packbell," he growled. "Oh, it is," the android replied, his image popping up on the viewscreen. "So good, in fact, that I'll overlook the fact that you just threatened me. The mission to the Little Planet was a major success. Since our last skirmish there, the Little Planet Freedom Fighters have been scattered, and the only resistance I met were those two hedgehog sisters with almost the same name." "Amanda and Amy Rose," Robotnik replied without question. "They have been roboticized, I assume?" "Amanda has. She sacrificed herself battling me while her sister ran. How shweeeeet." "And the Time Stones?" Robotnik asked eagerly. "All captured," the android replied with an evil grin as he held the gleaming stones up to the monitor for Robotnik to see. "Excellent," the villain replied with a gleam in his eye. "I think this will turn out to be a good day after all...see you soon, Packbell." With that, he switched off his communicator and started formulating a plan involving sending his nemeses through the space-time continuum... "Let's go, gang," Sonic said to his friends. "Sally's been missin' for too long." "Sally-Girl can take care o' herself," Bunnie said with conviction. "Maybe so," Sonic said, "but she'd've tried to get in touch if she were safe. I'm gonna go check things out. If I don't give you some sort of a message in the next half-hour, head straight for Robotropolis." The others nodded their heads in nervous agreement. In the treetops above, another hedgehog watched the spectacle. He couldn't let this happen, he told himself. He realized that, after Sally had served her purpose as bait, she would end up just like his sources told him Amanda had the day before. He couldn't let that happen. "Prepare to meet your maker, Sonic," Robotnik said, with an evil grin. "Literally." He held up a Time Stone and aimed it at the hedgehog, who disappeared before the eyes of all present: Robotnik, Snively, Packbell, and their captive, Sally Acorn, standing in a roboticizer with a clear-glass cover. "What did you do with him?" the princess demanded, after choking back a scream. "He's merely taken a little trip to the past," Robotnik explained. "By the way, Princess, did I ever tell you how pretty you look when you're angry?" "Only a half-dozen times in the past five minutes," Sally snapped. Packbell cracked his knuckles. "She's still got spirit, I'll give her that," he said. "Personally, though, I think she'd be much prettier as a robot." "Hard to make the comparison unless we actually SEE her as a robot," Snively said. He reached for the switch that would bond flesh and metal. "Sorry, bucko!" Sparks flew everywhere as the roboticizer exploded. "Whoops," said Knuckles the Echidna as the smoke cleared, "guess I'm not very good with machines!" Robotnik gasped. He had planned only to deal with the hedgehogs and the princess; he wasn't ready for the full band of Knothole Freedom Fighters who appeared before him! Packbell shrugged. "Slight change in plans," he said. He snapped his fingers. The exit doors closed, and an army of SWAT-Bots appeared through the hole Knuckles had made in the wall. In spite of the fact that the whole team was there, they knew they couldn't take care of all the robots. The situation looked hopeless, until -- "Robotnik!" came a voice. All heads turned to see Hedgehog X, wondering how he'd gotten in. "Let them go! I'm the one you're after!" Robotnik sighed, realizing that the hedgehog could probably nuke the whole area. "Fine," he said. "Snively, let them go. Packbell, get him." All the SWAT-Bots piled out of the building except for one. The Freedom Fighters walked out the hole in the wall, but then peered back in to see the fate of their friend. Packbell put the muzzle of his gun up to where Hedgehog X's head was...and it went right through it. There was a flash of light, and the hologram disappeared. The SWAT-Bot in the corner of the room removed its head, to reveal the REAL HX. "Bring Sonic back to the present," he ordered, leveling his gun at Packbell's head. "Fool," Packbell said, "you forget who manufactures those things!" Suddenly, the SWAT-Bot remains HX was inside transformed, trapping him. "As for your friends," Snively said, "our bargain is now void since you tricked me." The Freedom Fighters walked back in, held at gunpoint by the SWAT-Bots. "Sonic died millions of years ago," Robotnik said, "but where you're going, you'll wish you were dead! Bon voyage!" A hole opened in the roof, and the metal encasing HX sprouted wings and jets, and flew out of Robotropolis...and off of Mobius. Of course, Robotnik's mistake, as always, was to leave all his enemies alive instead of killing them when he had the chance. Sonic returned to the present by finding the Time Stones in the past, and he rescued the Freedom Fighters. As for Hedgehog X, he spent his flight wondering where he was going, plotting revenge, and being thankful that Chaos children don't have to worry about nourishment. Finally, after he didn't know how long, his rocket slammed into terra firma. Making his way out of the rubble, he was suddenly grabbed by humans -- Snively and Robotnik's species, he thought darkly. They fired some darts at him, and he lost consciousness. CHAPTER I THE SECRET OF MTP "No...no...stop haunting me!" MTP shot up. He checked his forehead. Feverish sweat was pouring out. He caught his breath and wondered in terror what this could mean. MTP slowly walked into the kitchen. Knuckles was also drowsy. "We gotta stop eating those chili dogs before bed," he groaned. "Trust me...it's a lot more than that," MTP replied. "I'm going out!" he announced. MTP stood in the middle of the wastelands once called Green Hill. He was digging. Digging for his past. He heard shouts from far away. Sonic was coming. "Why did you follow me?" MTP inquired. "Because you were acting strangely this morning." Sonic's voice took a different tone. "Tell us the truth!" "You can't handle the truth!" "THIS IS NOT A GAME, MTP!" Sonic shouted. "Do I poke my nose into your personal life?!" MTP slammed the shovel down. Then the floor collapsed, with him on it. Sonic could only here a faint, "I'm back." CLINK! HX slammed on the bars. "What do you want with me?" The guard replied, "We want to know more about you." HX groaned. "And I suppose you want to turn me into a robot afterwards?" The human gave him a strange look. HX shuddered. "Sorry I won't be able to join the fun!" He spun and broke through the bars. The human got up and tried to shoot him with more tranquilizer. HX ducked and ran. "You stay long enough on a planet, you figure things out!" Waves of humans attacked as HX ran through the hospital. Hex's natural hedgehog agility allowed him to bounce, run, weave, and spin his way past the flying darts. Humans got hurt everywhere, but HX was in too much danger to care. When he was finally safe, something caught his eye...a robot about to be hit by a laser. "Ugh! Those animals!" Hedgehog X said, and decided to save the 'Bot, realizing it must have once been a free creature. HX ran in, dove, and knocked the robot out of the way. He heard a buzz. Next, a sharp pang in his forehead, a bright light, and then darkness. CHAPTER II MTP SPILLS THE BEANS "An explanation is in order," Sonic said as MTP recovered. MTP was surrounded by the Freedom Fighters. There was no backing out. He had to tell the tale so shocking that he feared for his friends, especially Kate. MTP gulped as he decided to tell the truth...but not the WHOLE truth. Even so, Kate might figure out who he was. "I wasn't born on Mobius," he began. Everyone gasped. "I was born on a planet called Earth in AD 2000, and was raised in a dojo. My father was a master of karate, a fighting style on Earth. He taught me the art as I grew up there. However, that wasn't all I learned. "Japan led the world in technology at the time. Naturally, they needed to test new products. When I was in college, I was doing some research on teleportation, so I tested a giant computer that apparently had a glitch in it that made it work with 'porting. "The computer was originally designed with state-of-the-art VR technology to actually literally suck the users into it, but somehow there was also a glitch that made it able to send the users to other locations. "I fiddled around with it, and accidentally beamed myself to a broken satellite, which went haywire and beamed me to a similar machine on Mobius." "What's that got to do with the digging?" Rotor asked. In response, MTP thrust the shovel into the wall of the pit they were in. The wall crumbled, revealing a giant computer. "I'm going home!" MTP replied. "You can't do that!" Sonic shouted. "For starters, you're a fox, and I'm sure there aren't too many foxes on that foreign planet!" "But..." "And, Robotnik said to HX that he'd be miserable there!" Sally added. "It's home, and I'm going!" MTP stepped into the computer and disappeared. Knuckles stepped forward. "Where do you think YOU'RE going?" Sonic asked. "To rescue that fool," Knuckles said, "and to pay a debt to a hedgehog that saved ALL our butts multiple times!" Knuckles followed MTP into the machine. Sonic looked back. "We're going to take a trip!" CHAPTER III THE RAY It had been weeks since the renegade robot Sigma's destruction...and the disturbing return of his spirit (maybe these 'bots were built TOO well...). Since then, Mega Man X, the first sentient robot, and Dr. Cain, the scientist who had found him, had been working on more pressing matters, as the evil robots (known as Mavericks) were being kept well under control by the new members of the Maverick Hunters. "I've got it," Dr. Cain said. "A way to revive Zero!" "How?!" X demanded, hearing the name of his best friend, who had fallen in a battle with Sigma's right-hand robot, Vile. "Your X-Buster," Cain replied, indicating X's hand, which could turn into a weapon at any time, "it used to be Zero's. Using it, you can zap Zero's memories into this new Reploid here," and with this remark, he pointed to a Reploid (sentient robot replicating X's design) in the corner, "who I call Kumba because he has the speed and power of the roller coaster at Busch Gardens, where I used to go when I was young (and I still do occasionally). "However," he said, getting back on track, "it's a once-in-a-lifetime shot. Once it's started, it can't be canceled, and if you miss --" "I WON'T miss," X said reassuringly. Cain plugged Mega Man X into a machine. The robot aimed carefully at Kumba, then pressed the "fire" button. The X-Buster took a minute to take in all of Zero's memories. Suddenly, a short purple creature with quills on its head and back ran into the room. It took one look at Kumba, then dashed into him, knocking him out of the way of the beam, which fired at it instead of Kumba. The creature screamed in pain, then lost consciousness. "What's going on?!" Cain yelled. Suddenly, security guards ran into the room. "Dr. Cain!" one yelled. "Thank God the alien was unable to harm you!" "You mean this creature is an extra-terrestrial?" Cain demanded. "Yes," said a guard, "we captured it when it appeared in a rocket. The queerest thing...it rolled into a ball and sawed right through the bars..." "BARS?!" Cain shouted. "YOU PUT IT BEHIND BARS?!" His facial features, including his white mustache and beard, seemed to quiver, and the veins on his bald head stood out. "Why did you consider it a threat?!" "Well," a guard said, "ummmm..." "Nevermind," Cain said. "The important thing is that we've got to get it to the infirmary. There's only one way to get there on time..." he activated Kumba. "...X and Kumba have to beam us there." "You mean convert your molecules to light without well-primed teleportation equipment, like the robots do?" the guard asked in horror. "That's too risky, sir!" Cain gave the guard a hard look. "Not as risky as what you've just put this creature through." CHAPTER IV MIND MERGE Kumba grabbed the alien and X grabbed Dr. Cain. The robots beamed to the infirmary, converting Cain and the alien to light as well as themselves. When they reached their destination they became matter again. Cain ignored the headache the travel had given him and connected the alien to a computer. He sighed in relief. "Its life-signs are still functioning," he said, looking at the monitor. Dr. Cain punched some keys, and its thoughts were played out through speakers. Two messages came out at once, in the same voice: "I'll survive...I have to. I made a vow to destroy Robotnik...and there is no way I'm backing down on it." "This is incredible...not only am I not dead, I'm ALIVE! I breathe! It's wonderful!" "My God," Dr. Cain said. "Two minds in one!" "How in the name of Thomas Light do you know?!" X gasped, referring to his late creator. "We don't know anything about this creature...it might just naturally think two sets of different thoughts at a time!" "Yes, but the thoughts are conflicting," Cain replied. "One seems to think it's dying; the other realizes it's living! It must be the ray...it blasted Zero's thoughts into a living being! The pain the creature experienced must have been due to the trauma of having the two sets of thoughts in unison. It is imperative that I tune one set of thoughts out until there's a way the creature can cope with it." Cain rapidly pressed keys. Seconds after he entered his final command, the creature came to. "X!" it exclaimed. "Dr. Cain! How did you do it? How did you revive me into a living being?" "It was an accident," Cain admitted. "They were using the X-Buster to beam your memories into me," Kumba said, speaking for the first time, "but some alien shoved me out of the way and took the brunt of the blast." "I tuned out the alien's memories for the time being," Cain continued, "so that you would be able to survive." "Hey," X cracked, now in high spirits, "since you look like a giant purple hedgehog and you've got the mind of Zero, why don't we call you Hedgehog Zero?" The creature laughed. "You've got a great sense of humor, X," it said. "So be it...from this day forward, I shall be called Hedgehog Zero!" CHAPTER V THE TERRAN PLANET Lights started to flicker. A silhouette of a weird creature appeared on the computer. More followed. The secretaries at the lab jumped back as the creatures materialized. "Whoa!" Sonic said. "Some ride!" Guards came in through the door, holding guns. MTP gulped. "Um...we come in peace?" Next thing all the Freedom Fighters knew, they were all in a jail cell, except for MTP, who was being interrogated. After the experience with Hedgehog X, the guards had chained Sonic and Knuckles' spiny forms. All despaired. Bunnie looked at Rotor, who was clearly thinking hard. "What's wrong, Sugah'Rus?" she asked. "What do you think, Bunnie?" Rotor asked sarcastically, then brightened up. "Hey, you can extend your robotic arm, right?" "Right." "Then try to get the keycard!" Rotor ordered. Bunnie successfully pickpocketed the sleeping guard, and let the Freedom Fighters out. "What about us?" Sonic asked, pointing to the chains that held him and Knuckles. "Maybe MTP can help," Tails said. CHAPTER VI RETURN TO SIGMA'S FORTRESS "Okay, guys," Mega Man X said, "this is big. After the past few weeks, you've finally got the training you need. You've earned the titles of members of the Maverick Hunters' Elite. Now, it's time for our big mission...entering Sigma's sunken fortress looking for clues as to his spirit's whereabouts. HZ, get yourself cyborg." Hedgehog Zero entered a capsule at one end of the room. He stood there, his eyes closed, as a blinding white light filled the room. When he stepped out, he was half-robot. The capsule he had been in was designed by Thomas Light long ago, to turn the boy Rock into Mega Man. Unlike Robotnik's machinery, its effects were not permanent. Since they were going underwater, the suit was equipped with a teleporter that would send oxygen from the surface into HZ's helmet, since he was still partially flesh-and-blood, unlike the others. Once fully equipped, X, Kumba, and Hedgehog Zero beamed out to the location where the fortress had sunken. "This place gives me the creeps," HZ said through his radio to his companions, fingering his arm cannon. "I mean, wouldn't it freak you out if you returned to the scene of your death?" "It freaks me out," X said, "and I didn't die here." "It freaks ME out," Kumba said, "and I've never even BEEN here!" The three cut past where X and Zero had hopped flying platforms, Kumba running straight up the side of the cliff and firing a grapple at his teammates. The trio proceeded until they reached the destroyed entrance to Vile's former chamber. One they entered, Hedgehog Zero began to shiver. "Uh, HZ," X said, "you don't need to stare at the dead husk you once were like that." "Why can't you just destroy it?" HZ asked coldly. "I think it would be wise to send it back to Dr. Cain," X replied. Kumba fired a teleportation beam at the body, and it disappeared. Suddenly, X tensed. "What's wrong?" Kumba and HZ asked in unison. "Vile," X replied. "His body's GONE." The communicators in the Hunters' ears echoed with laughter, and suddenly there were numerous beams of light. "Looking for me?" a familiar voice laughed. The three whirled around to see Vile with a host of Mavericks. CHAPTER VII THE GREAT ESCAPE "Does anybody know where the interrogation room IS?" Sally asked. "Um, let's ask that doctor over there!" Tails pointed to a short, worried man in a lab coat, whose hair -- facial and what little there was left of it on his head -- was streaked with gray and white. The doctor turned around. "More ET's?" he said. "You must leave before they discover you're gone." "Right," Tails said. "Do you know where the interrogation room is, though? We need to find our friend." "Second door to your left," the man replied. "Be careful." The FF ran to the door. "Locked," groaned Rotor. "Can't pick it, either." Suddenly, the door blew up. Kate rushed in and broke the chains on MTP, who explained his jetpack had reacted to some electromagnetic interference and caused an explosion. Sally, MTP, and Bunnie held the guards off, while Tails and Kate (whose powers weren't working due to her distance from the Chaos Emeralds) recovered the equipment the guards had confiscated from them. As the Freedom Fighters ran back to get Sonic and Knuckles, MTP said, "Earth is nothing like it was before. Lots of time must have passed. This is not my home." "How do you get off chains on Earth?" came Knuckles' voice from the room. "Like this," MTP said, who ran to the cell where Sonic and Knuckles were being threatened by humans, knocked the guards down, stole their lasers, and blasted through the chains. "We've got to get out of here!" MTP said. "This is clearly a government lab!" MTP and Knuckles beat up all the malicious humans they encountered on their search for safety, trying hard not to kill them, which MTP knew would destroy ALL their chances of survival. "How do we get home?" the teenage fox wondered. "Last time I checked, no-one knew about Mobius's existence!" "WHAT?!" Sonic gasped. "We're stranded," MTP sighed. CHAPTER VIII MAVERICKS' ELITE VS. MAVERICK HUNTERS' ELITE "What in Thomas Light's name is wrong with you?!" X said into his communicator, aiming the message at Vile. "Why can't you Mavericks just stay dead?!" "Vile, you son of a Maverick cur," Hedgehog X growled menacingly. "I'm Vile no longer," the Maverick replied. "The name's King Lawnmower!" Kumba scoffed. "O' All-Powerful Jewel-Studded Grass-Cutter," he said, his voice oozing with sarcasm, "who are your pals?" "Name's NaT," a large bug-like robot said, "and this is my team, X...the Mavericks' Elite." "Would be nice if you changed your name," X replied, "so we're not mistaken for each-other." "I think your a moron!" a Maverick said to X. Its vocabulary hardware was clearly flawed, as the message that met X's ears was decoded as a misspelling. "What about my 'a moron'?" X replied. "I don't own any 'a moron'! However, I think YOU'RE a moron!" "Howz about you just leave the planet?" NaT asked. "Poor little baby," another Maverick said, "people confuse Mavs with him!" "Don't worry, guys," said King Lawnmower, "this guy's no problem. He was a bother to Sigma, too." "Ah," X said, "THAT would explain why old Siggy is DEAD." "Sigma was a fool," King Lawnmower replied, "but our new master ain't. I'm on the winning team now...the team of ROBOTNIK!" Hedgehog Zero froze, tensing at the sound of the familiar word. "You dirty Maverick," X said in anger, not knowing what was wrong with HZ but knowing that King Lawnmower had caused it. "Die...AGAIN!" X spoke a command word that activated equipment he had found in a very special hidden capsule left by his creator, Dr. Light, that called forth a powerful fireball able to stop even the most powerful foe. It was remarkable. The fireball shot from X's fingertips, as it had in a few previous battles, but this time, it actually pushed the water around it away so that it would not be extinguished! There was nothing King Lawnmower could do to stop it...he was hit and exploded in a brilliant flash of fire underwater. "The rest of you want to share his fate?" X challenged. Suddenly, there was a beam of light, and another King Lawnmower stood where the last one had fallen! "Multiple bodies," X muttered, "same twisted mind. I believe the term is 'rIDes'." NaT nodded. "I'd love to stay and jaw," he growled, "but I've got orders to grab your friend here." Hedgehog Zero made no resistance as NaT reached out and grabbed him. Kumba fired a beam toward NaT, who held Hedgehog Zero in front of him as a shield. The beam hit HZ, and he disappeared. "Not bad, eh, X?" Kumba asked. "I anticipated he'd use HZ to block my fire...so I used a teleportation beam! He's safe in Cain's lab." "Well done," X said. "You've learned well, cousin." "I'll get you for this," NaT promised. With that, Team X beamed out. CHAPTER IX THE DREAM "Where am I?" HX wondered. Suddenly, a robot in gleaming red armor appeared in front of him. "You're...you're me," it mumbled. "No," HX replied, "I'M me. Who are YOU?" "I must be meeting the alien that used to inhabit my new body!" "I'm not following this too well," Hedgehog X said, his head pounding. The robot then disappeared, and images started to flash all around HX. The hedgehog didn't recognize any. Next thing HX saw, he was lying in bed in a strange room. He got up...funny thing was, he didn't WANT to get up. "What's going on?" Hedgehog X tried to ask. He couldn't control his mouth. The hedgehog went through a routine he wasn't controlling. Then whatever he was stepped into a capsule, and when "he" came out, HX was a robot. IT'S A ROBOTICIZER! HX thought. Then HX's body involuntarily sat down in a war room with two other robots. HX's mouth moved, and his voice said, "I had a really weird dream last night." "Get used to it," one of the other robots said. It (he?) was blue with some white armor, and curled its/his mouth (or whatever) a lot. The other robot was a lot like the first, only without the armor, and looked very stern. "What is this?" HX wondered. "SHUT UP!" HX's mouth said. "Sorry, HZ," the blue-white robot said, apparently taken aback. "It's not you, X," HZ (whoever was controlling HX's body) said. "It's these thoughts. Maybe it's the hedgehog from my dream." "Hey, Zero...er, Hedgehog Zero," the totally blue robot said, "can you tell us what it's saying?" "Okay," HZ assented. "Hello, hedgehog," the blue one started to say. "My name is Kumba. This is X, and the other guy in your body is Hedgehog Zero. What is your name?" "Hedgehog X," HX replied. HZ repeated it. "Where are you from?" X asked. "A planet known as Mobius." "Mobius," HZ mumbled. "You mean, it's real?" "Yes," HX replied. "Not much anymore, though." "Then Dr. Robotnik's discovery was REAL!" X exclaimed, mystified. "YOU KNOW DR. ROBOTNIK?!" HX screamed (or tried to). HZ looked worried. "He doesn't sound happy about Robotnik's name." "What? I thought he was only a scientist," Kumba said. "That is, until those Mavs mentioned him..." "Is Dr. Cain trying to turn a planet into a badlands?!" HX said. It was unclear whether he was sarcastic or just angry, but there was cynic in the voice in Zero's head. "Maybe HX can help us with this Team X!" Kumba gasped. "They need help THEMSELVES," X muttered. CHAPTER X THE UNHAPPY REUNION "YOU FAILED!!!" screamed a sinister -- and angry -- voice. "After all the training I put you through, you failed MISERABLY!!!" "Lord Robotnik..." NaT started to reply. "Silence, FOOL!" Robotnik screamed. "Come here!" The Team X leader obeyed, fear enveloping him. Robotnik pointed a finger at him and said an inaudible word, and sparks flew everywhere as NaT exploded. "Thus shall all perish who fail me," he said in a dangerous whisper. Robotnik pointed at another Maverick, who looked like X's adversary Storm Eagle, only jet black. The Maverick cringed in fear, waiting to explode like his leader. "Fool," Robotnik said, "I am not destroying you...YET." "You, Crow, are the new leader of Team X. Fail, and all of you shall end up like that fool!" Team X, the Maverick Elite, beamed out. "You'd think they'd check for bugs," HX said (once his consciousness had been discovered "awake" in HZ's mind, Dr. Cain had adjusted his brain so that Zero and Hedgehog X could alternate thoughts at will). "Robotnik may be a lot of things, most of which I shouldn't repeat, but he's usually not an idiot." "Just be thankful he DIDN'T," Kumba replied. "At least we know NaT is toast." Suddenly, there came the buzzing of static from the communicator. X swore. "He's found it!" he exclaimed. "Now we won't know their plans!" "We're way off track," Sonic muttered. "We've got to be on the other side of the world from Hedgehog X!" "Besides," Tails said, "this planet is populated by the same species as Robotnik!" "Maybe so," Knuckles replied, "but we'll find him, whatever it takes!" With those determined words, he punched a wall. The wall he hit was protected by one of the most dense force fields known to mankind, powerful enough to keep a robot from beaming through it...but not powerful enough to stop a hotheaded echidna. Knuckles hit it again and again, not having the slightest idea why, just wanting to break something. The wall broke to smithereens, and the Freedom Fighters met with the startled glances of three robots, one of whom looked startlingly familiar. Sonic the Hedgehog and the robot who appeared to be the leader ran toward each-other, both ready to attack. "More Mavericks!" X shouted. "How'd you get in here?!" At the same time, Sonic shouted, "You roboticized HX!!!" Both paused, trying to comprehend what the other was saying. HX broke the silence, screaming, "You're BOTH wrong!" The hedgehog explained the Maverick Hunters' Elite to the Freedom Fighters, and vice-versa. Suddenly, an alarm went off. "Dr. Cain's in trouble!" X exclaimed. "Stay here," Kumba said. The Maverick Hunters' Elite beamed out. The Hunters appeared in Cain's lab. Somehow, Team X had gotten in. Crow held his arm cannon at Cain, who had already been beaten into unconsciousness. "Do what I say," Crow growled, "or I'll blast him to Kingdom Come! You have no choice!" He was right, and they all knew it. CHAPTER XI CAPTURED! "Did he say 'Dr. Cain?" Tails asked. When Kate nodded, he said, "That was what the nametag said on that scientist's coat! You know, the one who helped us!" "Let's go!" Knuckles said. The group ran out through the hole in the wall, and down the hall to where they had seen Cain. "Oh, man!" said the Maverick known as Rose as the Freedom Fighters entered. "The Freedom Fighters are reunited! Robotnik will fry us for sure!" "Careful when you use that accursed name," Hedgehog Zero said with an ironic grin. "KL using it is what brought me back!" A quizzical look appeared on King Lawnmower's face, although no-one could see it through his helmet. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said, "but you can all TAKE THIS!" With those words, he fired a ray at the Freedom Fighters that caused them to be rendered senseless until a human consciousness was sensed in the room. "See ya," Crow said to the Freedom Fighters. "X, Kumba, c'mere...we're goin' for a little ride." Crow dropped Dr. Cain, and Team X beamed out with X and Kumba in tow. A few minutes later, humans entered, breaking the effects of King Lawnmower's ray. "Dr. Cain!" a guard screamed. "Quick, someone get him to the infirmary!" "As for you aliens," another guard said as Cain was being taken away, "you're under arrest for the attempted murder of Dr. Cain!" Hedgehog Zero started to say something, but realized it was useless. He knew these guards were too thick-headed to believe him. The Freedom Fighters were locked away in separate Maverick-proof cells...but, as was shown before, Maverick-proof things aren't necessarily echidna-proof... CHAPTER XII FIGHT TO THE FINISH "No human can hold me!" Knuckles screamed. He pounded on the wall, crumbling it. "These humans quite obviously don't know how to imprison us!" "Then how come we were trapped before?" Tails asked the echidna, annoyed. "The cages you were put in were probably designed for humans," Hedgehog Zero explained as Knuckles freed the rest of them. "Humans are animals. These, though, are for 'bots. The morons think we're Mavericks." The team, now loose, raced outside, dodging humans and flying plasma. "Stop, Mavericks!" a Maverick Hunter yelled. "We ain't Mavericks," Sonic yelled, spin-dodging the weapons aimed at him, "and we ain't stoppin'!" As the Freedom Fighters escaped through the doors, a Hunter tried to send a message to X. "Mega Man X!" he shouted. "Come in! X, answer me! A group of dangerous Mavericks have just escaped!" Mega Man X couldn't obtain any transmissions. He and Kumba were in cells, similar to the ones the Freedom Fighters had recently escaped, in Team X's Earth base. "He's stirring," a scientist said, monitoring Dr. Cain's condition on a computer. Cain groaned. He tried to get words out, but couldn't. He had heard sounds around him, but couldn't reply to any of them. He wanted to scream out that Hedgehog Zero and the other extra-terrestrials were innocent, for he'd learned of what had happened, but he hadn't the strength. "I'll connect him to this," the scientist decided, getting ready to plug Cain into the type of thought-monitoring device that had been used on Hedgehog X earlier. Suddenly, a Maverick appeared and hit his hand away! "Gotcha!" said Crow gleefully. He trapped all the humans in the infirmary building in capsules, which was what the rest of Team X was doing to all who opposed them all over the city. When the opposition was gathered, the capsules were put near the town square, including the ones containing X and Kumba. King Lawnmower gloated. "Robotnik is truly a greater and more powerful master than Sigma ever was!" Suddenly, there was an explosion behind him. Hedgehog Zero had broken out of his capsule, and was flying towards him, screaming, "Maybe, but I'm not through yet!!!!!" King Lawnmower had quite a sense of dj vu at this scene. "Now," he said as the cyborg landed in front of him, "where has this happened before? Oh yes, I remember now...right vefore I killed you." "Wrongo!" came the reply. "YOU AIN'T TALKIN' TO ZERO!!!" Before King Lawnmower knew what was going on, Hedgehog X had blasted Mega Man X's capsule to bits, whispered the word to shed his cybernetics, jumped skyward, rolled into a ball, and sawed his adversary's arm off, destroying the rocket-launcher on King Lawnmower's shoulder in the process. "Big deal," the Maverick said. "I've already made it clear that I can use as many bodies as I want with rIDes." "You're bluffing," X said smugly. "I heard you at your base...Robotnik isn't too keen on helping you out this time." King Lawnmower gasped as Mega Man X freed the Freedom Fighters and Kumba, while Hedgehog X held off the Mavericks who tried to stop him. A battle ensued. However, since the Mavericks basically just hyperactively bombarded their enemies with insults and weaponry, not really planning anything (King Lawnmower, with his launcher destroyed, could only insult them and attempt close-range attacks), so they didn't stand much of a chance against our sure-footed, quick-thinking heroes. Knuckles bashed Mavericks' heads together; Kate and MTP used their karate expertise (trying not to hurt their feet when they hit the metal); a pair of insane bystanders blasted several tremendous holes in the Maverick known as The Great Kazoo, covered one with wax paper, then blew into him, afterwards saying, "Huh-huh-huh...kazoos suck!"; the hedgehogs sawed through Mavericks; Tails picked up foes and dropped them; Rotor scrambled Team X's sorry excuses for brains; and X and Kumba blasted whoever was left. When all the Mavericks were about as close to the scrap heap as they could possibly get without being there, Crow yelled, "We must flee! Go far, far away...where Robotnik can't get us and neither can they! We'll be back, mark my words, FF and MHE!" Then, those whose beaming abilities still worked supported those whose didn't, and the whole team left. Much later, the Freedom Fighters were ready to return to Mobius. "I'm going with you," X decided. "Robotnik must be stopped, just as Sigma had to be." "I'm going too," Kumba added. After getting Knothole's coordinates from the pocket computer known as Nicole, X, Kumba, and HX/HZ beamed everyone there, although it was rough. A voice laughed softly. "While the hunters are away, X, the Mavericks will play!" It was the ghost of Sigma. END! * * * * * * * * * * * * Okay, once again, I must shamelessly plug the upcoming story, THE HUNT BEGINS. For those of you who scoff at stories that don't follow the main Sonic thread enough, hopefully this will be satisfactory! I've put a lot of effort into it, and it's almost done!