Visions in the Wind part 3 [Fanfic]

From: Edward Becerra <edward_at_genesis.org>
Date: Sat, 27 Jan 1996 11:56:37 -0700 (MST)

        Well, after some nice email from the folks on the list, I've
gotten around to posting parts 3 and 4 of the "Visions in the wind" fan fic.
I hope you enjoy them.

        Edward Becerra (and Kickaha)

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Visions in the Wind: Friends Well Met.

by Ed Becerra

-----------------------------------

   Somewhere between Robotopolis and the Great Forest...

   "Aaargh! I gotta take a rest. If I don't, I swear my spine's gonna jump
right outta my body and beat me to death, just to put an end to the back
pain." muttered Edward Coyote. "I don't care how badly Old Man wants to
talk to this Davey Crockett guy. I can't do the job, if I can't bloody
_walk_, now can I? And if he's got any complaints, well, they can just wait
'til AFTER I rest."

   He spotted a clump of trees a short distance away.

   "Yeah, that's the ticket. Cover, concealment, and some shade. Just what
I need. Now if I can just get there without falling on my face..."

   A few minutes later, Kickaha had reached the small patch of trees, and
had found a mid-sized one to rest underneath. He shed his pack, and laid
the shotgun he'd jacked from the SWATbot down beside it. Holding tightly to
his ironwood cane, he carefully eased himself down to the ground.

   He leaned back against the trunk. "Aaaahhhhh! That's... good, soooo...
good. Yeah. That helps. That helps _a lot_!" He let out a sigh. "I'll
just rest here for a little bit." he said tiredly. "Just a few minutes,
that's all. I'll just sit here a few minutes, only a few. No more than
that. Just a few minutes."

   A little while later...

   Small non-sentient animals were running in sheer terror from the hideous
sounds coming from the nearby trees. Birds and winged insects were flying
for their lives. Even the plants were doing their best to cringe in pain.
Was Packbell torturing a Freedom Fighter? Was some poor innocent caught in
one of Snivley's death traps? What horrible thing had happened under the
trees?

   Kickaha had fallen asleep. All of his tribe, indeed, most of the Wild
Pack had told him that he snored. Loudly. Badly. In tones that could bend
metal and shatter glass. He refused to believe them. Now he was asleep and
snoring again. Too bad for the poor creatures around him.


   Some hours later...

   The sizzling lightning-bolt whipcracks of electro-magnetic pulse blasts
echoing through the trees woke Kickaha from his slumber. He spared no time
in blaming himself for falling asleep. There were more important things at
hand, right now.

   "Gunfire?! Combat?! Somebody threw a firefight and forgot to invite
me?!! I am seriously _TICKED OFF_! How DARE they have a battle and not
include me?! Aaaarrgh! SOMEONE WILL PAY FOR THIS!" Edward was _not_
amused. He'd missed out on too many fights, already.

   He grabbed his pack, then hefted his shotgun and checked it's status.
*Full magazine, round in the chamber, safety off. Right, then. Time to
see just what the FUBAR is goin' on here!*

   He hobbled quickly towards the sounds of battle. "If it's them damn
Swats again, I am definitely gonna get me a cycle _this_ time." he growled.
"I AM SICK AND TIRED OF WALKING!! AND I DON'T CARE WHO KNOWS IT!"

   A few moments later, he'd reached a small clearing, where he was able to
get a good look at what was going on. From where he stood, it looked like a
band of Freedom Fighters were beating the living crud out of one of
Robotnik's Hover Bots. And Kickaha was missing out on all the fun. Damn.

   By this time, a hovercycle had somehow moored itself to the side of the
Hover Bot. Ed heard two shots fired from a weapon he was unfamiliar with,
and then watched as a number of rebels boarded the Hover Bot and stripped it
of the supplies it was carrying.

   *Hey!* thought Kickaha. *Maybe this group can tell me where I can find
Princess Sally and her village. After all, I can't wander around aimlessly
like this forever. If I can just catch up with them, or even follow them
back to their base, that'll solve a lot of problems. Even if they can't
help me, I can still use fresh supplies, a little R & R, and a few nights in
a place with indoor plumbing!*

   About then, he noticed that the rebels had abandoned the Hover Bot, and
caught sight of a tall fox leaping aboard the cycle and high-tailing it hell
for leather. The Hover Bot then destroyed itself in an example of
pyro-technic Chain-Reaction-Ultra-Destruction that warmed Kickaha's heart.

   *Beauty! Wonder what explosive they used? And where I can score some
for myself. I haven't set a good booby-trap in ages. I start feeling a
little cranky when I haven't blown something up recently... Hey! What in
the name of the Great Spirit is THAT?!*

   THAT, as Kickaha put it, was a shooting star, and a peculiar looking one
at that. First, it was glowing bright green! Second, it _wasn't_ burning
up in the atmosphere, like most shooting stars. And finally, it was going
to hit in this general area... in about... 15 SECONDS?!

   *AAAAHHHHH!!!! RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY!*
     
   Meanwhile, the fox on the Hovercycle was going one on one with a pack of
Swats. It hadn't noticed the eerie green glow coming from the strange
shooting star. It was yelling at the top of it's voice, "RRRRRRAAAAAAAA!"
The fox, a Swatbot, and the star all met at the same spot.

   "Ouch!" said Ed. *He's gonna feel _that_ in the morning!* he thought.

   Then the blast wave caught Kickaha, as well. He had time enough for one
last thought, before it blew him into the trees.

   *Bet _this_ is gonna leave a mark!*

***********************************

   "Hey! Princess! Dere's somebody over 'ere! An' it looks like 'e got
clocked real good! Hey, you dere! You okay?"

   "... unnhhh ..."

   The other rebels had left the tavern that had caught the fox who'd been
riding the now-wrecked hovercycle. They headed over to where Speed had
apparently found another casualty of the battle.

   The purple hedgehog shook the shoulders of the middle-aged coyote she'd
found sprawled unconscious beneath a nearby tree. "Hey, you! Ennybody in
dere? Wake up, awready! Da fight's over."

   ".... nO mOrE puLquE fOr mE, tHaNkS. i'M dRiViNg ...."
     
   By this time Princess Sally was standing beside them. Since it didn't
look like the coyote was going to regain his senses anytime soon, she gave
orders to have him taken back with them to Knothole, after being thoroughly
searched for hidden transmitters that could lead Snivley to the hidden
village.

   They gathered up his belongings, and as they did, Ryan noted that the
coyote was carrying a shotgun taken from a SWATbot.

   "Hey, Davey, scope this!" Ryan held up the shotgun. "Do you think he's
working for Snively?"

   "Not unless he's _really_ stupid. I don't think there's anyone on Mobius
that trusts Snively as far as they can throw him. Not even Packbell.
Especially not Packbell."

   "Good point! Heh-heh. Snively's a butthead! Heh-heh."

   "No, I'm Butthead, you're Bevis. Snively's the idiot. Huh-huh-huh. I
made a joke. Jokes are cool. Huh-huh-huh." Davey snickered, rubbing a sore
neck from the fall.

   Elizabeth Raccoon rolled her eyes. "Oil all over the place, and now bad
jokes. So mature. NOT!"

   They loaded the injured coyote aboard the transport they'd brought to
carry the supplies, and headed back for Knothole.

***********************************

   Davey was riding back to Knothole in the transport with their unexpected
guest. Sally had insisted, after the spill he'd taken. He looked at the
semi-conscious passenger curiously. He'd seen plenty of other Mobians, but
never a coyote before.

   "Princess, I don't recall seeing any coyotes among the Freedom Fighters.
Why is that?"

   Sally looked back at him. "They don't seem to mix much, and those few
who were around Mobotropolis before the coup were pretty quiet, as a rule.
They didn't talk much, and tended to stick with their own tribes, out near
the Rocky Mountains and the High Prairie. That's some distance from here.
It's a bit surprising to see one of them this far away from their native
lands."

   "Hmmm... You don't say." There was something vaguely familiar about this
coyote to Davey. But he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

   *Well, I can always find out later, when we get back.* he thought. *If
it's important, I'll remember it, eventually.*

   "... uuhhhgg ... did anybody get... the licence plate... of that
SWATbot... uunnnhh..." This from the coyote, who seemed to be coming
around. He looked a little confused.

   Davey spoke to him, calmingly. "You're going to be O.K. Everthing's all
right. You just took a bit of a blow back there."

   "oooohhhh.... man, what a head I've got. Excedrin headache Number
3.1415927. Anybody... uggh... got an aspirin?"

   "Do you know who you are? Do you remember your name?" asked Sally, who
was worried about possible head injuries.

   "Kickaha. Edward Anthony Coyote. I think. Tell the guy with the
jackhammer to lay off my head, willya? Ow! And who are you? Where am I?
Last thing I remember, I was in the forest watching some rebels stomp a
Hover Bot flat." he groaned.

   "That was us. We found you unconscious under a tree. It looked like the
explosion slammed you into a trunk and knocked you out." she said.

   "Figures. Just my luck. Say, can you folks help me? I used to be a
rebel, a long time ago. I'm looking for Princess Sally and her Freedom
Fighters, and a fox named Davey Crockett. Would you know where they are,
or how I can get in touch with them?"

   Princess Sally looked a little startled. "I think we need to have a
talk, Kickaha."

   He looked around at them. "Oh, no!" he moaned. "Don't tell me. Lemme
guess." He pointed at her. "You're Princess Sally." He turned to look at
Davey. "And you're David Kintobor, aka Davey Crockett." He buried his face
in his paws. "Old Man, you done it to me again. Ah'm gonna get you fer
this one."

   He began to rise, then collapsed to the floor in a heap. Davey and Sally
started towards him, worry written on their faces.

   "No! Don't! It's just my back. I had an old injury, and I've been
walking for weeks, making it worse. I'll be okay. Just... don't move me,
please? That'll make it worse."

   "All right. But when we get to Knothole, you're going straight to the
infirmary. Don't try and fight me on this." Sally's expression was stern.
"I've had enough trouble from people who won't listen to good advice." She
gave Davey a _look_. "I don't need another one on my hands."

   "... owch ... you're getting no complaints from me, Princess. I'm ...
aahh ... in no position to complain. Heh. Just don't move me 'till we get
there. Please?"

**********************************

   In the infirmary...

   Two cots were side by side. Davey was sitting on one, with Kickaha lying
on the other. They'd had to bring him in on a stretcher. He looked like a
pretzel, he was so twisted.

   Davey was feeling curious, and wanted to take Ed's mind off his problem,
so he thought he'd ask him a few questions

   "So, Kickaha--that's the name?--how'd you become a Freedom Fighter?"

   "Early in your father's coup. I happened to be around Mobotropolis when
it started, so I became one of the early rebels. I didn't last long though.
.."

Flashback:

   Inside an armored mortar carrier, first year of the coup. Kickaha's
trying to repair a balky swivel plate on the mortar.

   "Hey Obie! Pass the toolbox an' the baseplate over here, Please?"

   "Sure thing, Kickaha."

   With a _kick_, the toolbox was sent *flying* into the carrier.

   "Ow!! Hey!!"

   The baseplate, a round flat piece of steel shaped like a thick manhole
cover, came next.

   "AAAAAAAAAA!!"

   It landed on top of Ed.

   CRUNCH!

   "uuuuuh. . . my hero . . . pele . . . "

End Flashback:

   "Lucky me, my back didn't break. It went bad nonetheless. Got weak legs
and a bad case of Rheumatism as well, thanks to Mr. World Cup champ! I got
a medical discharge and returned to my Wild Pack tribe."

   "Wild Pack, you say." Davey said as he listened. Scoping the coyote at
the infirmary cot next to him, he saw the stuff Kickaha brought with him--a
Dream Catcher, a ceremonial pipe, various amulets and a medicine bag on a
necklace--that reminded Davey of a race of people he calls 'Native
Americans.' This 'Wild Pack' must be Mobius' answer to that culture, or so
Davey surmised. "How'd you been going all this time?"

   "Oh, I lived day by day, following the wind, listening to the spirits,
Wild Pack stuff." Kickaha smirked at Davey. "I don't know if you'd be
interested." *Gotcha! But I gotta be careful he doesn't slip the hook. Old
Man 'll have my hide for his headdress if I blow this one.*

   "I could. Your culture reminds me of a similar culture from my planet.
I had a book of their stories that I really loved as a kid."

   Right about then a tall, good looking cyber-hedgehog entered the room.
She headed straight for Davey.

   "Davey! How ya doing?" She hugged and kissed the tall fox. "Speed told
me all about that Chaos Emerald that almost nailed ya."

   "Huh? I mean, Excuse me?" Kickaha was a little puzzled. "What Chaos
Emerald?"

   Kickaha then got the instant replay of what things had looked like from
Davey's point of view, courtesy of Davey's holo-projector. While this took
place, Suni examined her man. Except for a slight case of whiplash that she
quickly healed, Davey was unharmed.

   "Wow! All that happened around you and you walked without a scratch?!?
Looks like some of our spirits are starting to like you!" Kickaha laughed.
*Damn, you work fast, Old Man! Or was that even you? I'd better check.*

   "You ask me, I'd say it's just the worst case of Bad Karma on two
planets." said Davey in pessimistic tones.

   While Suni worked on her man, Kickaha took a closer look at Davey. *By
the Great Horn Spoon! I haven't see an aura like that for some time. You
were right, Old Man, he _is_ one of us. And _very_ powerful. This could
present some problems. I've got to think on this.*

   He quirked an eyebrow at David from the cot. "What Bad Karma? The Bad
Karma you got from your Daddy? I beg to differ, my friend."

   Princess Sally entered the infirmary right then. She didn't look at all
happy with Davey.

   "As do I. I'm going to keep repeating this; I ordered all of Knothole to
repeat it, until it gets into that thick stubborn head of yours." She got in
Davey's face, grabbed him by the ears, and raised her voice. "You are not
to answer for the crimes of your father, David Jim Kintobor. Not by us, not
by our gods, and not by your own damn guilty conscious. Not if I can help
it! I'd bop you on that thick head of yours with a very large hammer to
give you amnesia, but Suni would kill me if I did, so I have to shout it
into that thick head of yours and let it rattle in what you use for a brain
every now and then until it finally sticks!" She let go of him, then.
"Besides, we've gotta talk about what Julian found. Is he going to be fine,
Suni, as least, relatively?"

   "He's gonna be fine. You don't have to worry about Davey's inner
demons." She hugged Davey and stroked his pelt. "I'll take care of them.
You go now, Hon."

   Kickaha was thinking, *Better not push it right now. Besides, looks like
the Healer, what was her name? Oh, yeah. Sonia. Looks like I'm next on
her list.*

   He waved as Davey left the room. "We'll continue this later ..."

***********************************

   "I don't know how much I can do for you, Edward. Your injuries are so
old, so much a part of you, your body's accepted them as what's natural for
you. But I can ease the pain somewhat, and reduce the swelling." Sonia
frowned. She didn't like being unable to help a patient.

   "Don't distress yourself, lass. I accepted my lot a long time ago. And
easing the pain is a blessing." He smiled at her. "Just do your best, and
you'll have nothing to feel sorry for. And please, call me Kickaha."

   *The spirits are strong with this one. Mother Earth is a force within
her. Well, she IS a healer. But I sense _fire_, as well! She bears
watching.*

   "But there may be _another_ way, Ed.. urr.. Kickaha."

   "Eh? What might that be?"

   Sonia explained the modifications King Acorn and David had made to Sir
Charles's Roboticizer.

   "Hmmm. Sounds like just the ticket. I'll look into it. Thank you."

***********************************

   After being treated by Sonia, Kickaha was moved into Davey's hut, until
Knothole could build him one of his own. He was mobile again, with the help
of his cane, and went looking for Davey. He found him gathering together a
raiding party.

   "I'd love to join in, but I don't think I'd do you any good right now.
At the moment, a stunned snail could outrace me. I've heard of this more
original design of Chuck's prized machine you've perfected, Dave, and I feel
that it'll do me good. Can't wait to be a Borg." Ed chuckled. "Go Borg
them one for me!"

   Davey flicked his fingers on the brim of his cap. "Will do, Kickaha."
Then he headed off for Robotroplis.

   Ed returned to the hut to rest. As he entered, he heard the soft brush
of feathers behind him. He turned to look over his shoulder and saw a large
black crow on Davey's windowsill.

   "So, Old Man. Think Davey's got potential?"

   "I dunno," the crow answered. "You told him about me yet?"

   "Not yet. He said that he's interested in some stories about you,
though."

   "Good. Let me meet him first, Kickaha. And then, when he's curious,
he'll come to you. Let him know then." The crow spread his wings and took
flight, following David.

   He watched as the crow landed on Dave's shoulder, then turned to find a
soft chair to rest in. He moved it so he could look out at Knothole as he
sat. He started to laugh.

   "I wonder if Knothole knows what it's gotten itself into now? Well, Old
Man, you _did_ keep your word to me. Life's been a lot of things since you
walked into mine, all those years ago, but it's never been _dull_!!"

   He laughed softly for some time, then quietly fell asleep in the chair.
His dreams were... interesting.

-----------------------------------

Now for the legal stuff.

Sonic the Hedgehog, Princess Sally, Knothole,
et cetera, by Sega of America
Blood and Metal, Davey Crockett, and The Wild Pack
by David Gonterman
Ryan Nightweaver by Ryan Huber
Kickaha by Edward Becerra
Sonia Hedgehog by Emily Smith

Coyote is a spirit of the native peoples of the Americas.
Please respect him as you would your own beliefs.


Received on Sun Jan 28 1996 - 01:34:06 PST