#the chaotix are also all part of the story but Mighty's the most important

[reploidbuddy]

Decided to practice poses with the most important characters in my Shared Dreams AU!

Including Silver and his ancient times squad and the two most plot-connected characters with Espio and Mighty! Silver's clothing was supposed to be the same color as the rest of his squad but I confused my markers and I didn't want to start over just for that sooooo... Limited Edition Silver? /J

For those who remember my older sketch of Silver for this AU, he hasn't gone through a redesign, the one up here is how he looked before a... Certain event happened... 😎

[mobius-prime]

282. Sonic Universe #9

Knuckles: The Return (Part 1 of 4): Echoes of the Past (Part One)

Writer: Ian Flynn Pencils: Tracy Yardley! Colors: Jason Jensen

Man, I almost forgot how much I kind of miss the Knuckles-centric arcs. Say what you will about Penders and his writing, but I still stand by the fact that the KtE series was genuinely enjoyable for the most part. We open with Knuckles, Julie-Su, and Mighty taking a warp ring to General von Stryker's camp in the Sandopolis desert after having received a summons from him through Catweazle. Stryker gets right to business, accusing Knuckles of having lied to him. While that sounds bad, it turns out some of his scouts have found Finitevus' lab on the island and recovered a full documentation of his Enerjak project, meaning Stryker has found out that Knuckles wasn't actually in control of himself during the Enerjak fiasco.

You know, time and again, every writer that comes along still wants to make the dingoes these inherently bad individuals who are constantly looking for new ways to oppress and betray. If you ask me, Stryker should have begun his journey to redemption alllll the way back when he was captured by the Dark Legion along with Knuckles and Julie-Su in KtE#24. I mean, overall, Stryker himself actually hasn't done too many bad things - the biggest beef he had with the echidnas for the longest time was simply the fact that they were procrastinating on building basic goddamn housing for his people, which is absolutely something he had the right to be angry over. And while a lot of the other dingoes I wholeheartedly believe don't deserve to be redeemed - running concentration camps, and all - Stryker wasn't the one in charge of that, and ultimately never came across to me as a terrible person, just overzealous in looking after his people. I just don't understand why, after all of that, Ian has gone right back to portraying him as a bad guy, eager to take over the island or whatever and only looking out for number one. The dingoes could have been so interesting, man. So much wasted potential for gray morality there.

Anyway, Knuckles has left Vector and Ray in charge of Shrine Isle for the time being, and Ray gets excited when he looks over the edge of the island and sees that they're passing over Downunda. Vector offhandedly mentions that he got out of there as quick as he could when he was young, and Ray immediately latches onto this, asking again and again to know Vector's history in Downunda despite Vector's obvious discomfort at this line of questioning. Funnily enough, the two of them make mention of Vector apparently teaching Ray about how "fact-gathering is an important part of being a detective," even though there's been literally no hints whatsoever in this universe of Vector or any of the other Chaotix members being involved in detective work. They're detectives in the games and anime, sure, but not in the comics. Eventually, with enough prying, Ray convinces Vector to begrudgingly give up some info about his past.

There's silence after his little tale, and Vector initially thinks Ray is irritated at his ending the story so quickly, but then a scream for help alerts him to the fact that out of nowhere, a massive swarm of wing-dingoes (oh boy, remember those from the Tails Miniseries #2?) has swooped down and grabbed Ray to carry him off. Vector rescues him, but they find themselves surrounded and vastly outnumbered. Meanwhile, one of Stryker's soldiers has just finished taking Knuckles and his backup on some kind of sand worm to Finitevus' hideout, which turns out to be inside some dusty old ruins at the very edge of the island. Knuckles and Julie-Su head in amongst the buildings, while Mighty stays behind to talk to their driver, whom only he recognized - it's none other than good ol' Harry! Unfortunately, he seems quite downcast when Mighty asks him how he's been doing, and reminisces on how he always hated being in the military, but didn't have much of a choice when he was stuck in the pocket zone with the other dingoes, before Hawking restored them to the Prime Zone. From there he quit and enjoyed the simple life as a cabbie, even though he was always caught up in the schemes of the heroes.

…ouch, man. It's true that Harry was pretty much forgotten about during the whole Return to Angel Island plotline, being little more than a plot device for the heroes, but you'd think they would have given enough of a damn to take him with them, y'know? Mighty tries to apologize, stricken, but Harry just tells him that while he's not angry he's also not interested in dealing with the heroes' messes anymore, and after confirming they have a warp ring with them, heads back out on the sand worm, leaving Mighty feeling awful. He joins Knuckles and Julie-Su in the ruins, where Knuckles is busy musing about the architectural design of the huts and how it doesn't match usual echidna architecture. Julie-Su is annoyed with this preoccupation and tries to get him to focus on finding Finitevus, pointing out that echidnas aren't the only species that have settled on the island, but Knuckles stubbornly presses on, pointing out the pyramid in the center of the ruins and how it matches Albion's architecture, but not that of the surrounding huts. At this point, Mighty agrees that they should focus on Finitevus, so Knuckles reluctantly leaves his thoughts behind and follows them to the pyramid, which they break into.

It's easy to miss given how far back it's been, but the interior of the pyramid is nearly identical to that of the one Archimedes led him to in the Sonic & Knuckles special way back when. Mighty makes a thoughtless comment about how he'd thought that after Knuckles met his ancestors he would have learned everything about his history, and this pisses Knuckles off, as he now feels like even more secrets have been kept from him that he wasn't aware of. As they march on, back at Shrine Isle Vector and Ray continue to struggle against the wing-dingo attack, severely in need of backup.

Seems Vector is taking Espio's betrayal especially personally. Knuckles marches on quickly through the ruins, and right as Julie-Su tells him to slow down a bit and be cautious, the three of them fall through a false floor into a small chamber that immediately seals them in with lasers. Oh, also, the walls grow spikes and start closing in on them. Good luck, guys!

[defective--detectives--chaotix]

AU Chaotix Back Story for this Blog

Alright, so it’s no secret that I hate most pre-SGW arcs. Soooo -- I’ve spent ---- years on writing this [no joke] and want it canon to the blog-

KNUCKLES, MIGHTY, AND RAY WERE NEVER A PART OF THIS. ALSO KEEP IN MIND THAT MOBIANS MATURE FASTER THAN HUMANS, AND ARE FORCED TO IN SOME SITUATIONS [I.E - ESPIO IN THIS STORY]

Vector moved from Tralius [that much is canon is that he’s from Tralius/Downunda]. As a kid, Vector has always wanted to do good work and help people. Like most kids, he wanted to be a cop, but that slowly started turning to detective after finding a bunch of old detective films on tapes and was instantly obsessed with detective work. 

He had a group of 4 other friends with him and he got them on the idea of ‘playing detective’ and all were on board with it. They made a play group and did all these fake cases [i.e - one of the parents hiding something and planting clues for the kids to find]. One day, all the parents put in some money to build them a little club house outside of the city a bit into the woods so they could have their own little place to play [and stop making a mess of the houses]. 

One day, they found one of the mom’s missing rings. And then a cat on one of those ‘missing’ posters. So they all thought they were doing good and wanted to start taking sliiiightly bigger cases. They do this from when Vector was 7-13 years old. Over the years, one of the friend moves and two just lost interest, and it was just Vector and one friend doing it. The one friend who stuck around had the last name of ‘Chaotix’. Was Vectors best friend at the time. [IMPORTANT].

Espio was still part of the shinobi clan was evil and there was a huge war going on between all of the clans. Espio [age 9 while Vector was 13] was sent on a field test into the city when he stumbled upon the ‘fake’ detective building. Going invisible, he sneaked [because apparently ‘snuck in’ isn’t a word] in to see what was going on in there. They were trying to figure out a case of a missing person [as they were actually getting pretty good] when Espio became visible by accident[as Espio wasn’t fully in control of his powers (also randomly changes colors at times)]. Quickly spotted, Vector and his friend tackled down Espio. After a fight between all of them, they ended up getting Espio tied down and interrogated him. Of course, the small ninja had a hard time breaking out, but the second the two turned their backs, he broke free and left. 

But now. His pride was on the line. So, a week later, Espio comes back to try and take on the two kids again. But it ends the same. So. he keeps trying. And trying. And trying. For months until it no longer turns into a pride thing, but turns into a game for the three. There was some days Espio won, and some days Vector and his friend won. One time, after capturing him, Vector just let him go and asked him his name and they all started talking and becoming friends. Of course, the shinobi clan wouldn’t be a fan of their youngest ninja-in-training just fooling around and sneaking here for fun and games, so he had to hide it. He helped them on their little ‘jobs’ while becoming friends with them.

Eventually though, one of the others noticed Espio sneaking off so much and follow him, eventually find out he’s keeping secrets from the clan and reports it. The kid who ratted him out had a lot of rivalry with Espio and was more than happy to tell. Espio came back and got in large amounts of trouble from hiding things from the clan, and was under strict watch. Of course, for his pride of being a ninja, he tried to sneak out a while after and was caught in the act. 

Vector, Espio, and Vector’s friend have been friends for almost a year by this point when a large battle broke out in Northamer, and all the clans were at heads, along with several villains also taking the chaos to their advantage and a large war broke out. Espio was in the detective base with them to warn them how to avoid the ninja clan so they were safe, but several had followed Espio at this point and then tried him for treason on the spot and attacked due to him defacing their honor of their clan. There was a huge fight in the small building, and in the end, Vector’s friend suffered a horrid face of death. 

When seeing his friends lifeless body on the floor [Vector and friend- age 15, Espio - 10], Vector was clearly devastated as he ran to his friend. Espio ended up yelling at the others with ‘look at what you did!’ and they replied with ‘it looks like our work here is done’ and then told him to never return to the clan. 

As a shut out from his clan, Espio had nowhere to go and had no honor left to him. After the police were involved and the whole place was cleaned up, the two took a long while to come down from the shock. Espio was able to stay with Vector’s family and they took some time to get everything together. 

Eventually, they slowly over time started staying more and more at the base than at home because of a lot of home problems with Vector’s parents. They spent the time and energy to upgrade the building and actually start bringing in things like a desk and what not. Things Vector has seen in the old movies. They work on this project for a year and become really close doing jobs and what not to pay for it. They were getting really good at detective work, and ended up calling themselves the ‘Chaotix Detectives’ out of memory of their lost friend.

After that year, the base wasn’t really complete when there was a murder case brought up on the news. The king and queen of the golden hive colony were murdered, along with a lot of the hive in general. They went to check out the scene before they were told that their only job would be to take the kid of the king and queen and find him a safe home. They were NOT to get involved with the murder case. 

The kid’s name was Charmy. He was one when he lost his family [Vector 16, Espio 11] as the two now were to find a home for the kid. It took 2 months before they found someone, and in the mean time, they were both staying at their base and taking a break on renovations to take care of the kid and use the little money they had on Charmy. Once they did find someone, they both grew too attached to him and didn’t want to get rid of him, though it was stressful.

So they decided to keep him. They spent the next 3 years taking jobs, becoming some of the best detectives to try and better pay to get the base at least livable, and taking care of a child. Eventually, they get it pretty good [as well as putting a room up top as a room for Charmy [shown in Sonic X] while the two sleep in the main section of the base. This was their home now. They raised Charmy to age six, and he still doesn’t know about his family or what happened. Doesn’t question it, and Espio and Vector discourage him from calling them ‘dad’. They trained him to be a fighter and detective. It was hard to raise a child but, they are now age 20, 16, and 6, and yeah -- they’re still figuring it out -- but they’ve got it together for the most part.

They’ve all known each other for a long time, and are all each other really have (outside of Sonic and co.) and are a dysfunctional family. They all love each other and this is why Espio and Vector are so protective of each other and Charmy. Along with not wanting to make Charmy live with what they had to while also training him to kick butt.))

[thewayfaringheroarchived-blog]

¦  06 · 25 · 3221         Freedom Fighter HQ , Green Island  ¦

     It was quiet and it had only taken a few seconds alone with the soft buzz of the lab’s lights for Sonic to realize he didn't much care for the noise – or lack thereof. One red-clad foot tapped the grey floor beneath it, a bored habit, as bright and expectant emerald eyes remained fixed on the small metal hatch just a few feet in front of him on the ground. For the moment it simply sat there, impassively.

     Today was the day. The first day that The Freedom Fighters in their entirety were to meet to discuss their plans, ideas and everything in between. Yet, despite his bond with each individual member, the hedgehog was nervous. It was rare for him to be such, the hero was known for his optimistic and cool personality after all. His outlook on life was very much positive, he took it one day at a time and lived in each moment as it came to him but this was…different. This was several months in the making, and not truly something he had wanted in the first place, and the hedgehog couldn’t help the dense apprehension that had formed at the bottom of his stomach over the last few weeks. He still had doubts, many doubts, about the whole situation. The dangers were inevitable, and none of the fighters really knew what they were getting themselves into. They had stories to go by, yes, some even had a little firsthand experience but he didn't think it was enough.

     And yet...

     This was their planet too; this was their home. Who was he to stop them from fighting for it?

     It was too late to turn back now, anyway. The hedgehog knew that he had lit a special spark in those he had talked to these last few months and while he was skeptical about what the near future would bring he couldn't stop now. This was bigger than him, bigger than the Fighters themselves even.

     This was about Mobius and its future.

     The hero knew that but it didn't stop him from letting out a soft sigh, one that was answered by equally gentle sounds from the red hawk perched on one of the computers nearby. Emerald eyes met onyx for a moment before Sonic gave his uncommon companion a half-smile, moving over to pat the avian on the head.

     “Don’t worry, I'm fine,” he assured and was, for the most part, telling the truth. For all the apprehension he felt there was also an unmistakable excitement bubbling under the surface. The excitement of a new adventure, and of a sound future.

     Bolt didn’t look convinced – and the look she did give the hero made him laugh – but the hawk made no further sound of protest. Though Sonic imagined that was mainly because a chorus of voices suddenly filled the air and the hatch gave its signature screech as its handle was turned from the other side. When it opened, its hinge finally silenced, a pair of long, grey and white ears popped up from the hole in the ground before the rest of Johnny crawled into the room, soon followed by Porker.

     The rabbit took one look at the hero before turning to his best friend with a cocky smile, extending a hand to help the pig up the last few feet. “See? Told you he’d be here already.”

     Porker just gave an entertained laugh.

     Feeling like he was missing something but choosing not to dwell on it, the hedgehog thumbed his chest in a semi-proud fashion as he glanced between the two of them. “Fastest thing alive, remember?” His gaze shifted back to the hole, brow raising. “Is it just you two?”

     “Not for long,” Johnny informed, tilting his head to the hatch. “There were some footsteps behind us on the way over. Can't imagine the others are far behind.”

     Just then, as if on cue, a new voice broke through the air, echoing slightly from the hollow sewer below and distinctly female.

     “This has to be it! I told you I’d find the way!”

     There was a series of grumbles from what the hedgehog assumed were other people that quickly discredited that statement and he couldn't help but shake his head, amused. Perhaps he should have given Amy a better description of the layout or a map that wasn't so hastily draw.

     Oh well. Tips for next time he supposed.

     Naturally, the pink hedgehog was the first to ascend the ladder and enter the room ( with a helping hand from Johnny ). She was soon accompanied by her roommate Tekno, a green canary. Both girls had come as a packaged deal after the hero’s discussion with his self-proclaimed girlfriend, who was the last person Sonic had decided to recruit. Initially he wasn't going to – not that anyone knew that – but a comment by his own roommate had changed that almost instantly. Amy was strong and kind ( very much like the hero himself though he'd never admit as much out loud ) and had a level head on her shoulders with a passion for the planet and its people. It only made sense to ask her to join, which she happily agreed to but only if her roommate could also join.

     Sonic hadn't known it at that time, truthfully he had only agreed to Amy’s terms because one, she was starting to get love-struck again, and two, he vaguely remembered the name of her roommate being important in some way or another. After looking into it he had discovered that Tekno was the lead engineer for the biggest innovation companies on Mobius. Definitely helpful in his eyes.

     Mina was the next to appear and she was followed by The Chaotix and Knuckles, the latter of whom gave the hedgehog a small nod while the former pulled the hero into a tight hug which effectively drew all eyes to her – and a huff from Amy. Sonic could see recognition flash in people’s eyes as they first looked to the mongoose then to the other faces around them. He had little doubt that they recognized Mina, and had more than a few questions about how and why she had joined, but no one said anything right away.  

     Then the conversation began.

     Most voices rose up in excited chatter mostly made of questions and plenty of ‘hey, aren’t yous?’ as introductions were exchanged and the lesser acquainted members began to familiarize themselves with one another. The only ones who remained quiet, or completely silent in one case, were Sonic, Knuckles and, unsurprisingly, Espio – who had all but separated himself from the crowd to stand in one corner, though not without a quick, unreadable glance to the blue hedgehog who ignored him. Knuckles was quiet by nature. Sonic, on the other hand, was stuck in his own thoughts once again.

     The longer he looked over the assembly, over The Freedom Fighters, the more a new sensation washed over him: guilt. It was culpability overpowering his earlier worry, reminding him that these people were about to walk into something that he himself had started all those years ago. How his mistake had caused so much strife for the otherwise peaceful planet. How they were going to help him fix that mistake and how they didn't know that.

      But they should?

     …Right?

     Emerald eyes dulled with the thought, looking over the group of heroes as they chatted with each other but not really seeing them. The conversations ran together, filling the lab with noise, but he could make out small bits and pieces of them though he paid them no mind. One thought was all that ran through his head, that his team needed to know the truth. It was only fair.

     He trusted the people in the room – minus a certain chameleon – but he was still uneasy about revealing certain things to them. And yet he also knew that it was the right thing to do. They couldn't have secrets. Secrets would tear them apart, comprise them and the goal they were trying to reach.

     He had to tell them.

      The hero was so lost in his own mind, debating back and forth in his own mental fight that he didn't notice the chatter die down after a few more minutes or someone – Mighty, maybe – ask, “should we start now?”

     Nor did he notice that, again, all eyes had turned to him. In fact, several moments passed before someone, this time he didn't know who, broke the silence.

“Sonic…?”

     Blinking rapidly the hero looked in the general direction of the voice and smiled, albeit awkwardly as he refocused and tried to act like he had been paying attention. “If we want t’ get out of here before tomorrow morning starting’s a good idea,” he concurred but, a second later, his smile faltered as the previous thought went through his mind again, like a broken record.

     He had to tell them.

     The others noticed his odd behavior, looks of concern passing over most of their faces as they waited for the blue hedgehog to continue. At first, they were only met with a long silence but eventually the hero took a deep breath and pressed on with sturdy tones that betrayed how he was truly feeling.

     “There's…something you all need t’ know first.”

     Everyone was speechless and not even for a second did Sonic blame them. All eyes were on him showing either surprise or grief, or even a mixture of both.

     He had told them everything. Everything about him and Robotnik. About the lab, the emeralds, his first and most recent encounters with the evil doctor, the events at Rail Canyon and Oil Ocean. Everything.

     In truth, he hadn’t meant to go quite that far but once he had started he found he couldn't stop. One thing had bled into another so seamlessly that he had spilled every significant moment in his life regarding his ongoing fight with his former friend over the last fifteen years in just a little more than an hour. And no one had stopped him. Everyone had fallen silent, eyes fixed on him and attention trained on every word coming out of his mouth. Though they didn't say anything the hero could easily read the emotions flicking through their eyes. Confusion, distress…doubt.

     Sonic thought it would be a weight lifted off him when he finished but now he almost felt worse because no one was saying anything. They were just…staring - even Knuckles to a certain extent, even though he had already known most of the hedgehog’s story. The only person who remained unreadable was Espio, his gaze only flicked to the remainder of his own unit for the smallest of moments before settling back on the hero.

     Unsure of what to do the hedgehog started to speak up again, but stopped to clear his throat when nothing came out but a hoarse noise and then started over. “I know it’s...a lot t’ take in…and that I've basically lied t’ everyone but –“

     “I'm going to stop you right there, Hedgehog,” Johnny cut in abruptly though apparently more impulsively than he intended because he soon fell silent, thinking his next words over carefully. After a second or two he looked to Porker and received the smallest of nods, returning it with one of his own before looking Sonic right in the eye with a distinct, almost uncharacteristic tenderness. “Since we’re being honest here I think it's only fair to say that we,“ he gestured between himself and the pig, “…already knew.”

     The rabbit could have predicted the hedgehog’s reaction from miles away and he didn’t blame the hero for being stunned, hell he had every right to be, but the hero wasn't the only one with secrets. Yes, the hero had the big secrets but even the small ones could be something in their own right.

     “He’s right,” Porker chimed in softly once it was clear no one else was going to - for the most part it seemed that everyone else was still to shocked or respecting to speak. Looking down at his feet, though still addressing the hedgehog the pig continued gently. “After Robotnik...attacked the village and you tried to stop him we…managed to piece most of what happened together ourselves…” he glanced to Johnny before finally meeting the hero’s troubled gaze again. “The whole village did.”

     Sonic, not for the first time that day, didn't know what to say.

     After taking a breath, Johnny chose to elaborate with a small smile. He knew this was a hard thing for the hedgehog to wrap his head around so he spoke slow and clearly, but his trademark confidence was back in his voice. “You grew up there, those people either raised you or grew up with you like us. Did you really think we didn't notice you disappearing like you were or how much you changed in those years? We’re not blind, or deaf,” he added, his head inclining towards the hero as if to emphasize something. “And even if we had convinced ourselves you were just…well, being you, Lewis is right. After that explosion you started acting weird and when Robotnik came and you chased after him we knew what had happened. You were always impulsive but it was obvious what had happened was more personal…

     “So, after you left and we…healed everyone got together and decided that it would our secret,” he continued, noticing with no small amount of satisfaction the realization that came to the hero’s emerald hues at his next statement. “Rosie was especially careful not to have anyone let the cat out of the bag and made us promise not to act any differently around you when you came back. If you came back.”

     Porker nudged the rabbit with his elbow, a little too roughly to be just playing, before giving a small grin to Sonic. “She knew that when you did win things wouldn't be the same thanks to all the news coverage and rumors. No one would see you the same way they did before the fight but she wanted you to always feel at home when you came to Green Hill. She wanted you to feel normal.”

     It took a decent amount of self-control for the hero not to laugh at the word. Normal. What a concept.

     Still, he wasn't sure how he felt. The first word he could associate with the feeling was ‘thankful’ oddly enough. Rosie had always been the closest thing the hedgehog had to a mother and he adored her to no end. Ever since he had been adopted by the village it was she who had taught him the things that mattered most and she always, always, tried to protect him no matter what. She always had his best interest in mind and treated him like the son she never had. The fact that she, and the rest of the villagers, still treated him the same now as they did before the Robotnik incident brought a warm feeling to the hedgehog’s chest.

     They had known all along and yet to them, despite the trouble and heartache he had caused them, they still accepted him.

     The possibility that they wouldn't had been his biggest fear for years.

     “So…everyone knew…” Somehow saying it aloud made it more believable for the hero and the hedgehog’s lips quirked with silent emotions as the room fell quiet again.

     This time it was Vector, of all people, who spoke, his deep voice naturally commanding attention as his sharp teeth showed in a smile. “I think, deep down, we all already knew.” Coming from a detective, Sonic was hard pressed to believe that. Still, it was difficult to ruin the crocodile’s respect of a person once he gave it – a trait he and the hero shared – and as his vermilion eyes met those brilliant green ones there was nothing but the utmost respect between them. “That didn't stop us from sayin’ yes to this and we’re not goin’ to back down now.”

     Tekno followed his statement with a nod, an honest smile gracing her face. She was, perhaps, the only one in the group who hadn’t known the hedgehog personally prior to today but that by no means meant she didn’t already have an opinion of him, one that remained unchanged despite this new information. “That’s right,” she agreed. “Past be damned, it doesn't change the fact you're a good person, Sonic.”

     “We’re with you a hundred percent!” That was Charmy, his tone as energetic as always.

     “Whether you like it or not, you're stuck with us now,” Mina added, playfully nudging the hero and immensely proud of the smile she got from him.  “No matter what happens we’ll always have your back. We’re all going to free this place from Robotnik. We’re going to win.”

     There was a unified sound from the group as they nodded, fully supporting what the mongoose had said and the blue hedgehog’s smile only grew bolder. What apprehension he had felt before was nulled as he looked at each of the supportive faces around him, looked at the handful of people who were willing to stand alongside him despite everything and fight for their planet.

     It was a good feeling, an encouraging one. After so many years fighting largely by himself the hedgehog had been convinced that was the way it was supposed to be until either he or Robotnik could no longer fight, by any means. It had been foolish, he knew, but it had been the only thing he had thought he had known for certain. He had never wanted to drag anyone into his fight and yet he had entangled Tails and Knuckles in it before long and, though he continued to fight even when they did not, the hero had always known somewhere in the back of his mind that he couldn’t do it alone forever. He had, however, managed to convince himself time and time again that this was his mistake to fix, no one else’s.

     He was pleasantly surprised to find out he was wrong. His past wasn’t ideal, nor was he by any means perfect, but he had always done what he thought was right for the majority of people and that was the only thing that mattered. The others – his team -  didn’t care about his mistakes, they didn’t care about his moments of weakness, they only saw him for what he was. A hero. They trusted him and he trusted them, they all had a common goal and they wanted nothing but the best for their planet. That was why this would work, why they would thrive and lead Mobius into its next, peaceful chapter.

     It was why they were going to win.

     After allowing his gaze to pass over each individual in the room the hedgehog gave a confident smile as he shifted his weight, brow raised expectantly. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s get started.”

     With that, the Freedom Fighters gave a spirited cheer not just for themselves, but for the future of everything.

[mobius-prime]

105. Sonic the Hedgehog #62

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Writer: Karl Bollers Pencils: Steven Butler Colors: Frank Gagliardo

Sonic and Tails continue their search for Naugus, flying over a desert in the middle of nowhere, when they abruptly begin to run into engine trouble. Sonic tries to find a safe place to land, and manages to aim the plane directly at the only tree in the entire desert, crashing and uprooting it. Great job, buddy!

Uh, sure, Mr. Rabbit Man! This issue contains some flash…aways? (I feel like that's the only logical thing to call something that isn't a flashback but acts like one, as a break from the main action. I dunno man.) We get to see Snively biding his time in the Devil's Gulag, and actually get some new info on the place, namely that the place is named for the fact that the island the prison resides on is surrounded by volcanoes that superheat the ocean water around it, causing the waters to boil with no obvious method of getting away, which is about as close to hell as you can get on this mortal plane. Snively keeps bragging about how he's trained up his mind and body to escape, flexing some pathetically tiny arm muscles while Drago laughs his head off at him, and really, can you blame him for laughing? Snively is about as threatening as the Universalamander's original form at this point. Back to Sonic, and we learn that this tank-drivin' cybernetic-eye-havin' rabbit, named Jack, is just an honest to god huge fan of Sonic's, going so far as to take inspiration from the Freedom Fighters and modeling his own band after them to drive back Robotnik's sub-bosses in the area. But that's not the only trouble they face…

For whatever reason, these Robians never got the memo that they were free of Robotnik's control, much like the Mercian Robians, and they've been viciously attacking Jack and his band of Sand-Blasters. Sonic hops out of the tank and impresses Jack by creating a tornado with the sheer power of his spinning speed, sending all the attacking Robians flying. He gets back from his show of heroics just in time to be dazzled by the sight of Jack's city in the distance, glowing amongst orange rocky cliffs with a bright yellow forcefield grid stretching over the entire thing. And here, as they enter the city, is where we come to the first of what I'll go ahead and call the "satellite sequences." Remember that, 'cause I won't show them all as many look very similar, but they're very important to note, now that they've started showing up.

What's going on here? What's activating? What's it locking onto, and perhaps most importantly - who's activating it? All answers that will come in time…

Inside the city, everyone is greatly pleased to have the hero Sonic himself here to help them defend their land. Sonic initially thinks they're going to a nice hotel where they can rest, but nope, they're going to the "most important spot in town," which turns out to be…

…a little much, don't you think? I mean, be real, first of all - that's not even how Sonic would be posing after a battle. It makes him look all solemn and grandiose, when the real Sonic is more prone to, I dunno, running around talking smack, grinning like an idiot, and stuffing his face with chili dogs after a battle. Jack is hopeful that now that they have the real Sonic around to help them, they may be able to drive off the hostile Robians and no longer have to rely on the forcefield surrounding their city to protect themselves. Back we go to the Devil's Gulag, where Snively is reclining on his bed and filing his nails while detailing all the dastardly things he plans to do once he escapes his cell. Naturally, Drago isn't having it.

…well, that was easy.

Back in Sand-Blast City, the next morning, Tails awakens while Sonic is still asleep, only to worryingly find their room's door locked from the outside. He initially thinks they've become prisoners while they slept, but then finds a skylight open for him to fly out of. He heads out to find Jack and his team covering Sonic's biplane with a tarp, and questions them on why. Interestingly as well, this is the first time we see Tails' eyes depicted as blue. It's only for a couple of panels as he flies out of the room to investigate, but as you might know, at this time the Sonic Adventure game was being developed (this issue came out in mid-1998, the game was released in December of the same year) and that game was the first to depict everyone with colorful eyes instead of the usual black pupils. The comic actually found a way to handle that transition, but it wasn't always smooth, as we'll see.

Sonic, don't be getting lazy on us now! Naugus may have already put his cloudy face back together, after all! We end on one final shot of the pandemonium unfolding in the Devil's Gulag, as Drago, Sleuth, the Fearsome Foursome, and even ol' Nack the Weasel begin a riot that spreads through the whole prison…

On His Majesty's Secret Service (Part 2)

Writer/Colors: Ken Penders Pencils: Art Mawhinney  

This story begins right where the previous one left off - turns out Geoffrey didn't get a good night's sleep after all, because as soon as he walks into his quarters, he detects an intruder - an intruder which then explodes violently!

Oh, hey, remember these guys? They helped out way back in the Knuckles Chaotix special, apparently friends of Mighty's, but never showed up again. Well, here they are now! Also, apparently Bomb survives by transferring his artificial intelligence into a new "vessel" every time he explodes, allowing him to essentially use himself as a walking explosive, escaping digitally at the last second before he goes off. I guess that makes more sense than how Bob-Ombs work in Paper Mario, so I'll take it!

The next morning, Geoffrey gathers his new recruits - Heavy and Bomb, Hershey, Wombat Stu, and the chameleon, whose name is revealed to be Valdez - in the armory to show off a cool new weapon. It looks like a block of machinery about the same size and shape as a tube of lipstick, but when he fires it off it straight up blows a hole in the roof, because who needs the training grounds to maintain any kind of structural integrity? He then promises the sufficiently dazzled recruits that he'll work them to the bone training them for combat and secret missions until he feels that they're ready, and demonstrates this by immediately dropping a trapdoor out from under Hershey, sending her plunging into a tank of water with a mechanical shark in it. Amazing leadership skills man, I'm sure everyone will trust you with their lives after a stunt like that!

Can we just remember that Hershey didn't even volunteer for this? She even asks herself "What was I thinking when I enlisted in this," but like, girl, you didn't. This madman just told you to show up here in the morning and then surprise dunked you. You have every right to walk away right now. She doesn't, however, and Geoffrey commends Valdez and Bomb for immediately jumping in and showing a spirit of teamwork to save their fellow secret service recruit. He also yells at Hershey for being upset that she got dunked, telling everyone that they'll have to work on making up for their weaknesses. I can tell Geoffrey is going to be an instructor who's great for morale!