BLOODLINES
A Sonic the Hedgehog story
by Daniel J. Drazen
Chapter 2
"And when Ah looked up, she'd just vanished! Gave me the
creeps!"
Bunnie was recounting her experience to the group that was
gathered inside a primitive but comfortable hut set in the hidden
village known as Knothole. Sally, once heir-apparent to the
throne of Mobius; Sonic, leader of the group more by virtue of
his daring and speed than for any strategic brilliance; Rotor,
skilled with anything mechanical or electronic; Antoine, whose
clinging to the old traditions and protocols of the Mobian court
was almost his only personality trait; and Tails, a child in
comparison to the others but eager to please and absolutely
devoted to Sonic. Though none of them had come of age
chronologically, they had all assumed the more-than-grown-up role
of resistance fighters. For this group was the very heart of the
Knothole freedom fighters, dedicated to the overthrow of
Robotnik and the restoration of Mobius and its citizens.
"I am to be feeling creepuscular my very self!" said
Antoine, huddled in the warmth of the hut.
"Sal," Sonic asked, "you ever seen anyone dressed like
that?"
Sally addressed the palmtop computer she held in her hand.
"Nicole, did you get that description?"
"AFFIRMATIVE, SALLY."
"Project holographic image."
Immediately a shimmering likeness of the strange figure
could be seen floating in mid-air.
"That's her, Sally-girl! She looked just like that."
"Nicole, identify."
"DESCRIPTION OF CLOTHING IS CONSISTENT WITH THAT OF THE
WESTERN NOMADS."
"Who the heck are the Nomads?" Sonic asked.
"FORMERLY A WARRIOR RACE, THE NOMADS HAVE CONFINED
THEMSELVES TO THE WESTERN DESERTS FOR THE LAST TWO CENTURIES,
MIGRATING BETWEEN TRADE CITIES. HISTORICALLY, THEY HAVE NEVER
ACKNOWLEDGED THE ROYAL HOUSE, AND BY TREATY THEY HAVE BEEN LEFT
ALONE."
"Yeah, yeah," Sonic said impatiently, "but whose side are
they on?"
"INSUFFICIENT DATA."
"Thanks a lot, Nicole!"
"Well, Ah don't think this one was workin' for Robotnik,
Sugarhog. You saw what she did to those SWAT-bots."
"That's right, Sonic. And she could have captured Bunnie
easily, but she didn't." Sally paused. "And what was that about
a pin?"
Bunnie produced the metal pin. "She said to give it to you,
and if it meant anything you were supposed to meet her tomorrow
night at Dragonsnest at moonrise. By yourself."
Sally studied the pin for a second.
"Seems to be a brooch of some sort, with...oh my gosh!"
"What is it?" several voices asked at once.
"This pin has the coat of arms of the House of Acorn on it.
This is the royal coat of arms!"
Everyone crowded around. "You sure about this, Sal?" Sonic
asked.
"Yes. There are...differences in the way it's reproduced
here, though. I've never seen these variations before; I don't
know if they mean anything."
"Allowing me, my Princess," Antoine said formally. "I
happen to have learn-ed all zere is to be knowing about heraldry
and similar protocols."
"Snooze-time, guys," Sonic said in a stage whisper. Tails
giggled.
"I was herding zat! But I will never mind your fun-
making."
"C'mon, Sal! Let Nicole figure it out!"
"Relax, Sonic. What have we got to lose?"
"About an hour?"
But Antoine never heard the last remark, as he was intently
studying the brooch. After a minute of studying and thinking and
"Hmmm"-ing, he seemed to realize something that caused him to
react with alarm.
"Sacre bleu cheeze! Zis is encreable! Fantastique! It is
even, how you say, spooky!"
"What is it?" Sally asked urgently.
"To be beginning with, note ze shape of ze shield, zat it
is a circular."
"That's 'circle,' Antoine."
"Zat is what I am just saying, a circular. However, your
father's coat of arms has ze six-sided shield, how you say, ze
hexagondola."
Sally wasn't even about to try. "OK, so the shield is a
different shape. Anything else?"
"Oui. Note ze crown at ze top. It has only ze two layers
whereas your father's coat of arms has ze crown with troi
layers."
"Big deal!" Sonic chimed in. "So whoever made this was a
lousy forger."
"Sonic, please! I think Antoine is going somewhere with
this!"
"I most certainly am. Based on zese characteristics, zis
pin by law could only have been worn by one personage: by ze
Queen!"
"The Queen!?"
"Exactement."
It was uncomfortably silent in the hut as Sally took the
brooch back from Antoine and stared at it. She looked up, and
everyone could see that her face had lost some of its color.
"This belonged to...my mother?"
Sally didn't so much put the brooch down as she let it fall
from her hand to a nearby table. As if in a trance, she walked
to a nearby window, leaned on the sill, and stared silently
outward. Sonic walked over to her.
"Sal, you OK?" It was an agonizingly long time before she
answered, speaking to no one in particular:
"Of all the questions I ever asked my father, there was one
he'd never answer. He...he never told me anything about my
mother. I don't even know what she looked like. There were
people in my life who were like a mother to me: Rosie my nanny,
my mentor Julayla. But so many times I'd look out of my window
and see other children with their...." She paused, putting a
hand to her eyes. "I'm sorry; I forgot how much it hurt."
"Aunt Sally," Tails asked hesitantly, "maybe Nicole knows
something about her."
Sally smiled. "Thanks, honey, but I've tried."
"And what happened?" Sonic asked.
Sally once again spoke to the computer.
"Nicole, access royal archives."
"ROYAL ARCHIVES ONLINE, SALLY."
"Please display all information about...about my mother."
There was a tense second of waiting.
"ALL INFORMATION PERTAINING TO THE LAST QUEEN OF MOBIUS HAS
BEEN PLACED UNDER A LEVEL 7 SECURITY BLOCK. ACCESS DENIED."
"Yo, Rotor. How serious is this level 7 block?"
"Extremely. All I've been able to determine is that it's a
very complex numeric code. I've never gotten very far in
cracking it. Even Robotnik doesn't use anything more complex
than a level 5."
"So now what, Sal?"
"Well, it'll take me a day and a night of travelling to get
to Dragonsnest from here, so I'd better start getting ready."
"Hey, cool it, Sal. I can get you there in a Sonic second!"
"I know you can, Sonic, but you're not going to. I'm going
alone."
"Say what!? Sal, this could be a trap!"
"I know that, Sonic, but if I have a chance to...you
understand why I'm doing this, don't you?"
"Bunnie, can't you talk her out of this?"
"Sonic, if Sally can find out somethin' about her ma, Ah
think she should go for it."
"But you said yourself you had a weird feeling about this
character."
"Ah still do. But she doesn't feel dangerous, if you know
what Ah mean."
"Sonic, there's nothing more to talk about. I'm going to
Dragonsnest and I'm going alone."
"C'mon, Sal, you're going to need back-up!"
"ALONE, Sonic!"
to be continued
Received on Tue Feb 28 1995 - 14:03:54 PST
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: Thu Mar 19 2015 - 12:17:02 PDT