THE FORBIDDEN ZONE, Part 1: WHATEVER HAPPENED TO QUEEN ALICIA?
Writer: Ken Penders
Penciler: Manny Galan
Inker: Andrew Pepoy
Colorist: Barry Grossman
Letterer: Vickie Williams
Editor: Justin Freddy Gabrie
Note: For some reference as to what the Secret Service is doing and how the team was formed, read the back-ups in Sonic The Hedgehog #61-64.
Antoine is flying the plane that carries King Acorn's Secret Service (SS), who are about to sky dive onto the Floating Island. The SS--Geoffrey St. John, Valdez, Stu, Hershey, Heavy, & Bomb--has three days to try and find out what happened to Queen Alicia. When they land on the Floating Island after jumping, they find that it's snowing (actually it's more like a blizzard), which it isn't supposed to be. Geoffrey tells them to stop complaining and, after Valdez tells them where he thinks they are, he starts leading the SS to the Royal Compound.
Meanwhile in Haven, Sabre comes into the main control room to tell Locke to take a break. Locke says that he can't because King Acorn has sent his Royal Guard. While Locke mistakes Geoffrey for Ian (Geoffrey's dad) at first, Sabre is worried about the SS' presence because the Overlanders might think that the Brotherhood went back on their word. Locke thinks that might be a good thing since Knuckles, unlike any Guardian before, concerns himself with the welfare of everyone on the Floating Island, not just the echidnas. Suddenly an emergency beacon goes off, and they notice an EST hovercraft making an emergency landing in the blizzard. However, the pilot is Lara-Le and Locke leaves Haven to go talk with her. Sabre takes over in the control room and starts to call Remington.
In Echidnaopolis, Knuckles and Julie-Su are walking over to Lara-Le's apartment since Knuckles figures they can hang out there. As they're walking Knuckles notices a woman buried in the snow and tells Julie-Su to call an ambulance. The woman keeps talking about her baby at home and Knuckles goes to the woman's house. He finds the baby in her crib, and she obviously needs to have her diaper changed.
At Wynmacher's apartment, Remington asks Wyn if he wants to come on the rescue mission for Lara-Le. Of course Wyn does and he rushes to get dressed so that he can go along.
Elsewhere, the members of the SS are trying to figure out what's causing the crazy weather. Geoffrey says that only concern should be the mission as he spots a building up ahead.
At Lara-Le's hovercraft, Locke has arrived and he wakes her up. Lara-Le says that she wouldn't be in this mess if it wasn't for him. Locke says that he would like to have a conversation instead of an argument.
Meanwhile, Knuckles managed his own with the baby girl as Julie-Su and a couple of EST agents enter the woman's home. The agents take the baby and lead Knuckles and Julie-Su to Remington. Knuckles wants to know what's going on and Wyn tells him that they're going looking for Lara-Le. Knuckles wants to know where his mother was going and why. After a moment, Remington says to Knuckles that Lara-Le was going to the Forbidden Zone so that she could talk to his father. Knuckles replies, "My father?!!"
In Haven, "Tobor" comes into the main control room wanting to give Locke a break. Instead, he finds Sabre, who tells "Tobor" that Locke left Haven and is in that downed hovercraft with Lara-Le. In his thoughts, "Tobor" is thinking that he might have to take action much earlier than he anticipated.
Meanwhile, the SS have found the Royal Compound. The windows aren't locked so Geoffrey and the SS enter the builiding, surprising Mrs. Sommersby. The Colonel comes and he recognizes the family resemblance between Geoffrey and Ian, who he knew. Geoffrey tells the Colonel that he and the SS were sent by King Acorn to find out what happened to Queen Alicia. Suddenly, someone appears and says "Did someone mention my mother?"
To Be Continued in KNUCKLES THE ECHIDNA #20