On My Mother's Grave, Part 4

From: Robin Hood <gt6005a_at_prism.gatech.edu>
Date: Sat, 19 Aug 1995 21:43:23 -0400 (EDT)

On My Mother's Grave
A Sonic the Hedgehog story
Written by Kris Kelley. Story by Kris Kelley and Craig Moore.

This story is protected by copyright laws. Feel free to distribute this story,
but the authors do not allow any unauthorized alteration of the story or
distribution for profit.

Part 4

     "No, no, Antoine! Like this!"
     Todd demonstrated the kick yet again as Tolouse and Tails looked on. Then,
again, Antoine tried to mimic it, with disastrous results.
     Tails giggled and Tolouse shook his head and chuckled as Antoine picked
himself up from having fallen over. Again.
     "Zat was better, yes?" Antoine asked.
     "Uh... Maybe we should try something else," Todd suggested.
     "No no really, I am wanting to learn zis. Here, I try again."
     Tolouse helped Antoine back up from another attempt. "Yeah, let's do
something else..."
     It had been two weeks since Todd had first arrived in Knothole, and in that
time, he had made himself at home. Perhaps it was because they were all foxes,
or perhaps it was because their histories were similar, each having lost family
to the forces of Robotropolis, but in that time, Todd, Tails, and Tolouse had
become good friends. Now, they were out on a camping trip, deep within the
forest and quite a distance from Knothole. Antoine had come with them as well.
     "Why not?" Tolouse had said. "The poor fox is lonely. Besides, we could
use the entertainment." The others had laughed in agreement.
     Todd was showing off his skills again. He whirled around, and a nearby
tree branch was splintered by a kick.
     "Cool!" Tails said in awe, and the others were equally impressed.
     None of them noticed a small device hovering behind them in the darkness.

     "Sir, rebel freedom fighters have been sighted," the Swat-Bot stated.
     Packbell looked at the screen and chuckled. "Excellent! That is the one
we are looking for." All but ignoring Todd's show, he focused the spy-bot's
camera on Tails and smiled. Tonight, he would set his plan into action. And to
kidnap him out from underneath the noses of three of his friends, he thought in
anticipation. How will they be able to live with themselves, knowing that poor,
poor Tails was taken from right in front of them, and then killed for all of
them to see?
     It's an easy question. They won't.
     Not as long as I have anything to do with it.
     "Swat-bots, start with the preparations for our guest. Then let me know
when our campers have fallen asleep."
     "Yes, Commander," was the automatic reply.

* * *

    An android hand slipped quickly over his muzzle, and before Tails was even
fully awake, he felt himself being carried off into the night. He tried to
scream, but no sound could emerge from his closed mouth. He soon felt something
that was all too familiar: the clamp of a Swat-Bot's metallic hand.
     "Keep him quiet until we have left the area."
     Tails squirmed helplessly in the Swat-Bot's grip as Packbell's hovercraft
left the area, the engines as quiet as Packbell could make them.

     Back at the campsite, the remaining three foxes slept on.

* * *

     "Tolouse, Antoine, wake up! He's gone!" Todd was near panic.
     Tolouse struggled to clear the haze of sleep from his head. "Who?"
     "Tails! He's gone! I can't find him!"
     Sleep was winning the battle. "He probably just went into the woods."
     "No, he hasn't. He's gone! Look at this!" Todd handed Tolouse a pad that
he had found where Tails had been sleeping. Tolouse slowly managed to focus his
eyes...and they flew open wide when he did.

     Attention Freedom Fighters:

     If you want to see your friend alive again, you will come to the old
     Museum of Arts building by the end of the day.

     Sincerely: Commander Packbell

     Tolouse quickly got up. "Okay, let's get back to Knothole and tell the
others."
     Todd shook his head. "No way. I'm going after him!"
     "Do what?"
     "I know where that building is, I remember seeing it when I was in the
city. I'm going now!"
     "Todd, wait! Sonic will be able to get us there much faster, and he and
Sally need to know about this!"
     "Fine, you tell them, but I know if I start now, I can make it there in
plenty of time." He took off into the woods, at a sprint that Tolouse knew he
wouldn't have been able to keep up with.
     "Todd!" he shouted, but the fox kept running, and was soon out of sight in
the dense forest. Tolouse sighed, but he knew what he had to do. If they were
lucky, they could make it back to Knothole before the sun was too high.
"Antoine, wake up!"

To be continued
Received on Sat Aug 19 1995 - 22:34:08 PDT