Curiosity Killed The Cat…

Antoine would speak to no one. He would occasionally, absently, pick at the bandage that surrounded his head. Ever since he’d come around and learnt what had happened, he hadn’t spoken a word. Ever since he’d awoken to find he’d lost everything.

Of all the Freedom Fighters, he was the only one left. In a way, it hurt that he hadn’t been considered worthy enough.

"Have you got that blasted thing working yet?"

The coyote looked up at the sound of the voice. Geoffrey St John had, it seemed, appointed himself leader of whatever fighting force Knothole had left. It was not an illogical appointment, he was leader of King Max’ Secret Service, he had experience, knowledge, he was more than capable. But for some reason, it still rubbed Antoine the wrong way.

"Technology’s not my bag," Stu said, as he looked up at the skunk from where he was working on the damaged communications panel. "Whadda we need this thing for anyway? The dreadheads have left us for dead, in truth, we’re not far from it, it’s unlikely we’ll have to call for help."

"You never were much for doing your homework," Geoffrey sighed. "We’re dealing with the Dark Legion here. They’re an ‘out to rule the world’ type organisation. They won’t stop until every other kingdom on Mobius gets the same treatment we got. The least we can do is warn them. And they took some key personal from amongst our numbers. My guess is they’re assimilating them for their own cause."

"Is that what they did to Knuckles, Mighty and Espio?" Hershey asked.

"The armadillo and chameleon most certainly," Geoffrey nodded. "I’m not so sure about the Guardian, though. He’s one of their kind, and he was in far greater control of his mental faculties than the other two. They were like zombies."

There was a rustle in the nearby underbrush, putting the already on edge creature on immediate defensive.

"Not exactly the welcome I expected," Tails said, somewhat taken aback by the display of arms. They relaxed a little, until they noticed Julie-Su. Geoffrey’s icy blue eyes narrowed as he approached her, his wrist-mounted crossbow held at the ready.

"And what have we got here?" He growled. Julie-Su met his angry glare with one of her own. "The enemy in our camp."

"Do not be the fool, St John," Antoine said, putting himself between the skunk and the echidna. "She is not to blame for this."

"I say all the tin plating says other wise." He looked her over. "She’s more Legion than her BOYFRIEND."

"Why does everybody keep assuming that he’s my boyfriend?" Julie-Su mumbled.

"She WAS in the Legion," Tails admitted, "but she left them. Which means…" Tails looked at Julie-Su thoughtfully, "she’s probably got lots of inside information about their methods of operations."

"Maybe," Geoffrey admitted. "But they’re marching to a different drummer now."

"Yeah," Tails agreed, "who she’s also got inside information on."

"I doubt that, Tails," Julie-Su said softly, "he’s not who he was."

"And what’s that supposed to mean?" Geoffrey demanded.

"Knuckles is under a magic spell that turned him evil," Amy Rose piped up. "All we have to do is break it, and everything’ll be okay."

"A magic spell?" Geoffrey raised a sceptical brow. "Well isn’t that…convenient."

"But it’s true." The little hedgehog protested.

The skunk turned to Julie-Su. "Okay, earn your keep," he said in a rather unpleasant tone. "What’ll they do?"

"They’ll prioritise in order of potential threat," Julie-Su said. "Knothole and Robotropolis were always considered as one in the same to them, the biggest kingdom on Mobius, and, you’ll notice, the first two they hit, after the Floating Island."

Geoffrey nodded. "So who’s next?"

"I’m not sure," she frowned. "I don’t know how up on current events they are…"

"What about HIS input?" Geoffrey asked. "After all, he was in command."

She looked at him, knowing full well who he meant. "In that case, my guess would be the cats." Julie-Su said. "They’re pretty primitive by Legion standards, but they’re big, strong and ferocious fighters. With their army under Legion control…I’d hate to think what they could do."

~~~~~

Julie-Su watched, a little apprehensive from the looks she got, as the villagers began to rebuild their homes. She had offered to help, but after the rude rebuttals she’d received, on several occasions, she’d given up.

"Do not let them get to you." She looked up as Antoine approached. "They are just scared is all."

"I know," she sighed. "I can’t say I blame them."

"Do you know where Tails and Amy have gone off to?"

"They’re looking for herbs."

"They are planning to cook dinner?" The coyote frowned.

Julie-Su almost smiled. "No," she told him, "They think they can break the spell."

"And you do not?"

"I’m a realist, Antoine," she sighed. "It all sounds kinda useless to me."

"Do not give up hope, Cherie. Especially with that one. I may not know him well, but he is full of fight. He may find his own way back."

"We got incoming!" A voice called out from overhead. Everybody stopped what they were doing and followed the lookout’s extended arm as he pointed to the approaching craft. It was small, of simple design.

"Well?" Geoffrey St John asked suspiciously as he came up to stand beside Julie-Su. "Is it one of theirs?"

"I don’t think so," the pink echidna shook her head. "It’s kinda small…" she smiled slightly as she noticed the emblem painted on the craft’s hull. "…and," she added, "it bares the mark of the Golden Hive Colony."

"Where?" Antoine asked.

"It’s where Charmy comes from." Julie-Su explained.

The tiny craft settled in a nearby clearing, its ramp descending. Several very official looking bees, in their full size, hurried down the ramp, unrolling a red carpet as they did so. They took up position on either side of the ramp, standing tall, at attention, heads bowed respectfully.

"Oh, jeez," a familiar voice came from inside, "will you guys PLEASE lighten up?"

Despite everything that had happened, and everything that was still happening, Julie-Su smiled as the full-sized Charmy, kited out in full princely regalia, strode down the ramp. The young bee’s face split into a wide grin at the sight of a familiar face.

"Julie-Su!" He cried happily, flinging his arms around her in a friendly hug. "It’s been an absolute age!" He frowned as he released her. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask the same of you." She said.

"We got news that Knothole had taken a rather devastating hit," he explained. "Don’t know by who, though."

"The Dark Legion." Geoffrey informed him.

Charmy pulled a rather un-princely face at the mention of the name. He looked at Julie-Su. Her downcast expression spoke volumes.

"What causalities?" He asked.

"The Island’s totally lost," the skunk told him. "We’re in pretty bad shape," he gestured around him. "Luckily, for us anyway, there’s been no actual deaths. Can’t tell you about the Island though, we’ve lost all communication with them." He sighed. "They have taken prisoners, though."

"Who?" Charmy asked.

"We lost the princess, Bunnie, Rotor and Sonic." He admitted. "And they’ve somehow managed to turn the armadillo and the chameleon. I can only assume that they’ve got the other Chaotix as well, but we haven’t seen them."

"They turned Mighty and Espio?" Charmy said softly.

"And Knuckles." Julie-Su added in a whisper.

"I still say he’s in cahoots with them." Geoffrey sneered.

"No way!" Charmy protested. "Knux hates those guys."

"So you say." The skunk snorted.

"You haven’t seen him fight them." Charmy growled in defence of his friend.

"Whatever," he said, shrugging it off. "Those three are under Legion control. They’ve gotta be treated as enemies."

"There has to be a way to bring them back." Charmy shook his head, refusing to give up on three of his dearest friends. "And to get the others back, too." He thought for a moment. "Have they been turned as well?"

Geoffrey’s eyes widened. "Strueth," he whispered, "I never thought of that…" He considered Charmy’s suggestion for a while. "We haven’t seen them." He said finally.

"How were the Legion controlling them?" The bee asked.

"She says," he jerked a thumb at Julie-Su, "that the Guardian’s under some sort of spell, can’t say I’m ready to believe that. But he’s as nasty as heck…"

"That’s the way the spell’s supposed to work," Julie-Su said. "It switches its victim around, so they act the opposite to the way they normally do."

"So we’ve got a dark Knuckles?" Charmy raised a brow.

"And how!" Geoffrey snorted. "But the other two were like zombies. They did whatever they were told to do. I don’t know what was done to them."

"Le collets…" Antoine mused quietly.

"The what?" Geoffrey frowned.

"When Mighty attacked my dear Bunnie, he was wearing a collar. Très étrange." He looked at Julie-Su. "Could it have been some kind of mauvais device used to control his thoughts?"

"Wouldn’t put it past them." She sighed.

~~~~~

Mighty stood silently by the side of his chair as Dimitri drummed his metal fingers on the arm as he gazed at a point just above Moritori’s head. His grandson had returned to the Legion’s flying fortress moments earlier with news of what had occurred on the Floating Island. Dimitri had been stunned. He had left the Island, its residents a defeated people, its defences shattered, in Moritori’s hands, and it had slipped through his fingers.

He finally turned his gaze on the now somewhat sombre brown echidna. Moritori lowered his head, unable to maintain eye contact with the obviously simmering leader.

"I cannot believe you lost the Island," Dimitri said in a soft and deceptively calm voice. "It was an easy assignment. All you had to do was baby-sit an already defeated people. And you couldn’t even do that…" He sighed. "It would seem I made the right decision putting the boy in charge."

He glared angrily at the cowering Moritori. "Just get out of my sight." He dismissed him with a wave of his hand. "I’ll deal with your incompetence later." He smiled to himself as he turned his attention to a large view screen that was suspended above his head. "And now to the business at hand," he said as he adjusted the volume. "What IS the boy up to…"

~~~~~

Kommisar watched intently from her position on the dais as Knuckles paced back and forth in front of her. He was addressing the troops, but she wasn’t listening to what he was saying. She was watching the dramatic way his cloak flared out as he paced, the fire in his pale eyes as he spoke, the way his muscles moved beneath the leather.

‘That is defiantly one fine piece of echidna,’ she thought, smiling wickedly to herself.

He stopped pacing, his back to her, the long black cloak obstructing her view.

‘Damn,’ she thought, ‘guess I’ll just have to listen to what he’s got to say.’

"You’ve done well so far," he said, complimenting his troops with a brief smile. "But the battle has barely begun. The residents of Knothole, determined as they are, were never really a threat to us. The same holds true of Robotnik and his tin plated army. The next foe we face may not be so easy to overcome."

He paused, making sure he had their attention. He whispered to his personal computer as he set it on a small pedestal, "Display file MCC." A holographic projection of a ferocious looking, bipedal cat appeared, in a fighting stance, teeth and claws bared. There was a soft murmur from the troops. None had seen anything like them.

"Nature has given them an advantage." Knuckles said calmly, as he circled the hologram. "They are bigger than us. They are stronger than us. They have tooth and claw, that we have long since abandoned." He spread his arms to emphasise his point, pausing when he noticed his own taloned fingers. He studied his hand for a moment. "Most of us, anyway." He shrugged and smirked. "But, we have other…advantages.

"They’re not too bright. Their weapons are antiquated, whereas ours…" He strode to the edge of the dais and took a large, and rather nasty looking, laser weapon from one of the assembled Legionnaires, brandishing it for all to see. "…are state-of-the-art." He tossed it back before he continued. "They are ridiculously loyal to their queen," as he spoke, an image of the stately, white-furred cat appeared, "they’ll do whatever she commands, even if it means their deaths.

"Take her out…" the image vanished, "and we take them all out."

~~~~~

Kommisar smiled and slinked up to Knuckles as the Legion prepared to move out. The Legion’s second-in-command was talking to Xenin.

"We have never encountered creatures such as these," Xenin was saying. "You really think they will be that simple to defeat?" The cyborg asked.

"As long as the queen is alive and in our power, they won’t do anything to put her in further peril." Knuckles said. "We must keep her alive, and relatively unharmed, or they’re likely to go ballistic on us."

Xenin nodded, almost sagely. He couldn’t fault the boy’s logic.

"There is still much to be done," Knuckles said. "You have your orders."

"Yes, Sir." Xenin said, bowing respectfully as he departed.

Knuckles turned to attend to some business of his own and came face to face with Kommisar. Inwardly, he rolled his eyes at the expression on her face. Her intentions were obvious, despite his equally obvious disinterest. He wondered just what her angle was. He was far too young for her, and though he knew he was not unattractive, the animosity between the conflicting sides of their family should make her despise him. He knew it made him feel repulsed by her. At least he assumed that was what it was. The strange, niggling feeling deep inside his mind that told him that getting involved with her would be wrong.

"I never knew you could be so commanding." She purred.

"What do you want, Kommisar?" He said flatly, regretting it almost instantly as her deepening smile indicated just what she did want.

"You never told me what my orders are." She smiled.

"You are not part of the fighting force, you don’t have any orders." He said. "And with your performance at Knothole, it’s unlikely you’ll ever be. Face it, you’re in no real position of power. They only keep you around because of genetics." She stared at him with wide eyes, looking for all the world like she’d been physically struck.

"Now," he said, taking small victory in her hurt-filled look, "If you’ll excuse me, some of us have work to do."

She watched him as he stalked of, cloak billowing. She smiled to herself. "Oohhh, Knuckie, never knew you could be so…NASTY."

~~~~~

It was a peaceful day for the residents of the land the outsiders had dubbed Mysterious Cat Country, as it nearly always was. The cats liked to keep to themselves, hence the ‘mysterious’ of their title. History had taught them that it was preferable that way. More often than not, outsiders had brought with them too many problems, most notably the war-like Pachacamac and his people.

The aggressive tribe of echidnas, called the Knuckles Clan due to their use of twin-barbed fighting gloves, had all but decimated the cats centuries ago in a fight over their land. But they were long gone, disappearing under mysterious circumstances that none could remember. This had caused the cats to be very suspicious when a new tribe of echidnas had come into their midst, also making claim to the name Knuckles Clan. By right, the name was theirs, but they had abandoned it, along with Pachacamac and his brutal ways.

Only now, after all this time, had the echidna named Locke reclaimed the name, bestowing it upon his first-born son.

Even though they expect no trouble, in fact, most of the races of Mobius feared them, guards were posted. It had been their way for centuries, and the cats were not about to give up their traditions.

But even the most attentive of guard cannot alert his people to the danger of an enemy that can’t be seen. The enemy had been upon them even before they knew they were under attack. Small, dark, ghost-like beings, that somehow seemed to blend with the shadows. They had appeared out of nothing, with command, or at least it seemed, over the element of fire. It shot from their fingertips, burning any unfortunate cat warrior that got in the way.

"Who or what are they?" The Queen demanded of her Chamberlain as the battle progressed, moving closer and closer to the relative safety of her royal chambers. She watched, tears not far from her eyes, as her people battled bravely, and fell. Razorklaw, her champion and personal bodyguard stood silently by her side. He added nothing, he merely hung his heavy head.

"We have never before seen their like, your Majesty." The Chamberlain admitted. "Our weapons seem as nothing to them."

"What kind of beasts hide their faces and kill so indiscriminately?" She whispered.

"Your Majesty!"

The trio turned to see the commander of the Queen’s army burst into the room. He was badly scorched in several places and limping slightly.

"Yes, commander?" She asked in pure regal refinement.

"We must get you away from here," he panted, bowing respectfully, almost as an afterthought. "They are almost at your…"

"What are they, commander?" She asked, interrupting his call for escape.

"I cannot say, your Majesty." He answered. "They fight as demons from the pit itself. And they are coming this way. You must escape before…"

The Queen pulled herself up to her imposing height. "Are you suggesting that I run away like a dog with its tail between its legs?"

"Of course not, your Majesty," the commander said quickly. "But we must consider your safety."

She returned her gaze to the view from her balcony, and the plight of her people far below. "I will not run." She said firmly. "I will not hide like a coward while my people suffer. I will share their fate at the hands of whoever these are that dare attack us. If I die, I die. But I will not die easily."

"Well spoken." A voice said quietly from beside her.

She turned with a stunned gasp to see a black clad echidna perched like some great bird on the balustrade of her balcony. The long black cloak that blew about him only emphasising the effect. His fur was the colour of blood. His bright eyes a pale gold, not unlike her own. She frowned. There was something strangely familiar about him, yet she knew she could never have met him. There was no way on Mobius she could have ever forgotten those eyes.

"I suppose there is some honour in your words," he went on. "I’m very impressed."

In an instant, Razorklaw, the commander and even the elderly Chamberlain were between her and the interloper.

"Get the Queen to safety," the commander said over his shoulder, never taking his eyes from the threat before him. "We will take care of this impertinent child."

"Impertinent child?" The echidna echoed softly as he leapt from the balustrade, landing almost silently before the massive form of the cat commander. "And what makes you think you can…TAKE CARE…of this impertinent child?"

The commander bristled. "Boy, I was leading warriors into battle before you were a twinkle in you daddy’s eyes." The Queen frowned as she noticed the shadow that crossed the young echidna’s face at the mention of the word ‘daddy’. "Now let’s have at it, shall we?" The commander dropped into a fighting stance, his long handled, curve-bladed weapon held at the ready.

"I have no desire to fight you." The echidna said softly, his pale eyes moving from the softly growling Razorklaw to the commander and back again.

"Humph," the commander smiled, "seems you do have a lick of sense."

"Well, it’s hardly a fair fight," the echidna pointed out. "Two big, burly cats against one juvenile echidna." He glanced at the Queen, "Or is all your honour in your words?"

"History has taught us that your kind is not to be trusted." The commander growled at him. "And what you lack in size, you make up for in cunning."

"You may be right." The echidna smirked. He dropped into a low crouch, spinning around on one foot with the other leg extended. He easily swept the feet out from under the commander. The big cat fell with a pained snarl as he landed badly on his already injured leg. The echidna’s gauntleted left arm cracked loudly against his chin, rending him unconscious.

Razorklaw retrieved the commander’s fallen weapon and charged the now very obvious threat. The echidna spun, raising his arms to defend himself. Razorklaw brought the blade down in a powerful arc. He heard the echidna let out a pain-filled gasp. He’d made contact, though he wasn’t sure where.

He meant to raise the weapon for another blow, but found he couldn’t. As he tugged on it he heard the echidna hiss through his clenched teeth. Then the weapon was wrenched from his hands.

The echidna glared at him as he braced himself to remove the blade from where it had caught on the two wicked looking spurs on the back of his hand. Razorklaw’s eyes widened at the sight. He had thought ‘Knuckles Clan’ was merely a name. Blood oozed from the echidna’s wounded hand in a steady stream, its colour lost amongst his fur. It was only as it dripped from his wrist that his injury was even evident.

The Queen stared at the spurs too. She remembered the echidna Locke, an honourable being who had earned her trust, had said something to his son about reclaiming the name, starting with the boy. Her jaw dropped slightly as her eyes travelled to his face as she suddenly realised that this was the same boy, altered in some way that she couldn’t begin to fathom.

The echidna yanked the weapon free and hurled it across the room, where it embedded deeply into the wall from the force of his throw. He fisted his injured hand, wincing as he did so. He watched dispassionately as the blood continued to trickle down his arm, staining the silver armour.

"Hmmm," he mused, studying the wound, "first blood to you." His eyes narrowed as he focused on the deep gash. The trio of cats gasped as the wound knit itself together before their startled eyes.

"Are you alright, Sir?" A voice queried. The cats turned, none had heard the strange creature, that superficially resembled an echidna, enter the room. Several other black-robed beings had accompanied it. They each now had some kind of weapon aimed at the Queen and her companions. Even the mighty Razorklaw was loath to move against them.

"I’m fine, Xenin," he said absently as he flexed his completely healed hand. "How goes the battle?"

"Uh, fine." The creature named Xenin replied. It had seen the echidna’s miraculous recovery too, and was apparently just as amazed.

"Excellent," he said with an almost pleasant smile. "And now that we have the Queen…"

The Queen held her head high as he walked up to her. She glanced at the spurs on his hands. "I know who you are." She told him.

His smile turned a little nasty. "It’s so nice to be remembered."

"It would seem your father named you well." She went on. "You are as ruthless and uncaring as Pachacamac ever was."

She gasped as she suddenly found herself on her knees, the echidna’s strong arm around her shoulders, his clawed left hand encircled her throat. "I would keep a civil tongue in my head if I were you." He growled in her ear. He quickly twisted his wrist and three slender, but extremely lethal looking blades slid silently from the gauntlet, one mere millimetres from the tip of her nose. "Unless you wish to lose it."

She was stunned at the ferocity of his attack. It hadn’t really been that scathing an insult, and given his methods, she had thought he really wouldn’t have taken it as an insult at all. He had paused at the mention of his father before. Was it something to do with that?

"You would dare threaten our Queen?!" The Chamberlain cried out, nearly breaking to attack, he held his ground when he noticed the black-robed figures advance a little towards him.

The echidna released the Queen, pulling her to her feet as he did so, and approached him. He gestured towards the robed creatures, which the cats had now assumed were also echidnas. "Buddy," he smiled, "when you’ve got that kind of back-up, you pretty much dare anything."

~~~~~

Julie-Su grumbled to herself.

Geoffrey St John, Antoine, Charmy and the skunk’s Secret Service where discussing ways of neutralising the threat of the Dark Legion and of rescuing their captured friends, but she had not been included in the discussions. The skunk had flatly refused to let her attend the meeting. He’d cited something about uncertain loyalties. She couldn’t really blame him, but it still made her so mad!

She used to BE a Dark Legionnaire for crying out loud! She knew their procedures. She knew how they operated. She even knew where their friends would be being held. But they wouldn’t even listen to her.

And she knew Knuckles.

There were others that may have known him longer, Charmy, even Antoine. But nobody knew him the way she did. She doubted even Sally had seen his vulnerabilities the way she had.

Of all the beings currently present in Knothole, she was the most knowledgeable of all their current adversaries, but she’d been cut out of the loop. She had walked to the very edge of the village where Charmy’s royal transport was parked. She looked at it for a moment, barely registering its existence.

Then her eyes narrowed, and she began to smile.

~~~~~

"Causalities were kept to a minimum." Xenin reported. He lowered his heavy head before continuing. "Permission to speak freely, Sir?" He requested humbly.

"Always, Xenin." Dimitri smiled.

"I believe we are losing control of the Guardian, Sir."

Dimitri chuckled. "What makes you think we had control of him in the first place?"

"I fear he has his own agenda," the cyborg went on. "He turned so easily on his friends…how much easier will it be for him to turn on those that have always been his enemy?"

"Don’t bust a circuit, Xenin," Dimitri soothed. "I’ve planned for that contingency." He walked to his main computer terminal. "Display all information on the subject ‘Blade of Order’." He ordered.

"Working…" the machine said in its flat, emotionless tone. "Displaying all information on subject ‘Blade of Order’." Text, diagrams, maps, reference points, a virtual avalanche of information began to fill the screen, too fast for even Xenin’s electronic eye to follow.

"If I may ask, Sir, what is this ‘Blade of Order’?"

"The ultimate weapon," Dimitri smiled. "The equal and opposite of the Master Emerald, if the legend is true. Long ago, an ancient race of mystics forged it from the original seven power rings, the parents, if you will, of the rings we find about today. They needed it to defend themselves against some sort of dragon thing called Chaos. With it, they somehow managed to trap the creature inside a specially constructed chaos emerald. It took all the power of the Blade to defeat the monster. After the battle, it was virtually useless."

"Then what is its use to us?" Xenin queried.

"It’s my theory that the power of one cancelled out the power of the other," Dimitri explained. "That one could not exist without the other."

"So with the chaos creature defeated, there was no need for the Blade’s power?"

"Something like that." Dimitri nodded.

"That still doesn’t explain how this Blade is of any use to us."

"Recently, our new second-in-command and his forest dwelling friends battled a water demon…named Chaos." Dimitri smiled.

"You believe it to be the same monster?"

"Yes." Dimitri nodded. "And if its power has been released back into the world…"

"Then the Blade would have been re-powered as well." Xenin finished.

"Exactly." Dimitri’s eyes narrowed wickedly. "His Chaos powers make him extremely difficult to damage, but with the Blade, when that boy is no longer of any use to us, we can…" he drew a finger quickly across his throat.

~~~~~

He watched them, amber eyes narrowed, as they left the room, silently blessing the personal stealth shield built into his armour. He dropped from his vantage point, high in the rafters, de-cloaking as he did so. He clicked open his left gauntlet, removing his personal computer. He fitted it into a corresponding slot on the large computer bank.

"Download all information on the subject ‘Blade of Order’." He ordered.

"Working." The machine said. "Download complete." It confirmed a few moments later. He removed the tiny computer, replacing it in its slot.

‘So,’ he thought as he approached the door. ‘You think you can get rid of me with a weapon made from the power of the seven rings of order?’ He activated his personal stealth shield, just in case he ran into any guards.