In the morning, everyone in Knothole woke up and went about with their lives as usual, knowing nothing of what had gone on the night before. No one knew, that is, except Sally and the two Panthers. Both Panthers were sitting in the Panthers' Den, talking in low voices.
"This person, whoever he is, must be able to make himself look like me. Why he chose me of all people to mimic, I'll never know," Jazz said to Epoch, shaking his head and polishing the barrel of his shotgun.
"I dunno either, but it's obvious that he's not leaving any time soon. He's trying to get Sally, and that's what we have to stop," Epoch replied.
"What do you think we did last night, bro'?" Jazz asked, stopping the polishing and looking up at his brother sitting across from him.
Epoch looked down at the shotgun and pushed the barrel away with a single finger, then replied solemnly, "Jazz, from the words of that stranger, I have a feeling that what we came across last night was only a small taste of what's to come."
* * *
That night, Knothole was visited again. Almost as a foreshadowing of the future, a storm had enveloped the Mobian sky, pouring down rain onto the little village. A figure lurked about, melding into the shadows once more. Seeing Sally's hut, he moved silently to the rear of the hut and slipped in through the back. He snuck quietly over to the bed and looked down upon the beautiful Princess Sally, sleeping quietly. The covers had slipped a little, and he moved them back up slowly over her shoulders. He gazed at her for a moment, her beautiful face gently glowing in the faint moonlight showing through the storm clouds from the open window. He almost felt sorry to do it. He shook his head, pushing away the silly thought. Duty is duty. He pulled out a large crystal, blood-red in color, and placed it over her. He recited a short incantation and watched the crystal begin to glow, dimly at first, then brighter and brighter. Soon the crimson color filled the room. Gradually he and the princess began to glow red as well. Sally stirred slightly in her bed, but did not wake up. Suddenly, a voice from behind roared, "NOW!" and the two waiting Panthers jumped through the door. The intruder, taken completely by surprise, dropped his hold on the crystal, which fell upon Sally's chest. The two Panthers dove for the intruder and pinned him to the ground, but it was too late. There was a blinding flash of white light, as the princess and the crystal both disappeared. The intruder, still struggling on the ground, broke out into hideous laughter when he saw the empty bed.
"IT IS DONE!" he laughed.
This made the two brothers even angrier than before. Their eyes flared with electricity. Jazz pulled out his shotgun, cocked it, and held it to the intruder's head.
"Shuttup!" Jazz yelled menacingly.
The intruder stopped laughing, and he looked up right into the Panthers' eyes.
"It is too late. Sally is no longer of any use to you. You will never see her again!" the stranger said with glee.
"We'll see about that," Epoch replied angrily, kicking the stranger.
Jazz looked closely at the intruder they had pinned. Although Jazz didn't show it on the outside, he was almost scared. Jazz felt as if he was looking into a mirror.
By this time, the commotion had aroused some of the nearby huts, including Sonic's. A crowd had begun to gather outside of the hut. Sonic rushed in, seeing the pinned enemy and the empty bedsheets. He held his head, and sat down right in the doorway.
"I must be dreaming. This isn't really happening, is it?" Sonic asked wearily, cradling his head in his hands.
"Sorry, Sonic, this ain't no dream. The first prophecy has been fulfilled," Jazz replied, turning to Sonic.
"Oh, Sal!" Sonic cried, getting up and walking out the door.
Bunnie appeared in the doorway.
"What's goin' on, y'all?" she asked, looking at the two Panthers pinning down a stranger.
"Sally's gone," Jazz replied bluntly, putting a little more pressure with his barrel to the intruder's head. "And this guy's responsible for it," he added with a growl.
Bunnie blinked at the stranger, and then back at Jazz. "Ah do declare, Jazz, you got a twin!" she replied aghast.
The stranger remained silent, chuckling to himself.
Jazz mumbled something inaudible and tightened his finger against the trigger slightly.
The two Panthers tied up the enemy, and carried him outside into the damp and moon-lit Knothole square.
By this time, Sonic had rounded up all of the Freedom Fighters.
"Guys, we gotta get Sally back!" Sonic said, rallying the group.
"Now hold it just one minute there, Sonic!" Epoch said. "You can't just do this right now! We don't even know what we're up against!"
"Watch me!" Sonic replied angrily. "Who's with me?" Sonic asked, turning back to the Freedom Fighters.
Rotor spoke up. "Uh, Sonic, I have to agree with Epoch. We really need to know what we're up against before we dive in head first!"
Sonic gave a sigh of disgust. "What? We just lost our princess, and you're worried about what we're up against? Fine! If no one will go with me, I'll go by myself!" With that, Sonic sped off into the night, while all of Knothole watched in silent horror.
"Stupid Hedgehog. He won't last a damn day," Jazz muttered.
Epoch turned and spoke to the Freedom Fighters. "Guys, I've got to do some talking with Jazz right now. I need ya' to watch this character over here. If he so much as breathes wrong, shoot him."
The Freedom Fighters nodded in approval and scowled at the cringing stranger, waiting for the slightest excuse to harm him.
Epoch motioned to Jazz, and Jazz walked over. They spoke in hushed voices, occasionally looking over at the tied-up intruder. After about a minute, they both nodded and walked back to the group. Jazz had a slight grin on his face. Epoch whispered something into one of the Freedom Fighter's ears, and he nodded. With that, he motioned to the others, and they all left the prisoner standing there. Epoch and Jazz walked up to the prisoner, and began an interrogation.
"Who are you?" Jazz demanded.
"Why should I tell you?" the stranger replied.
"Maybe because if you don't, you'll acquire a taste for 2-gauge buckshot," Jazz answered, putting his paw on his right side of his guncoat in one swift movement and scowling menacingly.
"Go ahead and shoot me. My job is finished with Robotnik," the prisoner replied.
"If your job is finished, then why are you so afraid to talk?" Epoch asked.
Jazz nodded in silent approval. His brother was good.
The prisoner pondered for a moment, and then replied, "I'm not afraid to talk. Ask me a question."
Jazz said, "OK. What's your name?"
"Cybrux," the prisoner replied.
"Well, Cybrux, are you really a Panther, or are you just imitating Jazz here?" Epoch asked, pointing to his brother.
Cybrux laughed and replied, "Are you kidding me? A Panther is the last thing I would want to be! Of course it's a disguise!"
Both Jazz and Epoch alike growled at the insult, but soon forgot about it when Cybrux transformed into an Echidna right in front of their eyes and said, "Boy, it feels good to be back to my normal body. I haven't changed out of being a Panther ever since Robotnik assigned me to this stupid mission!"
Epoch secretly smiled. Cybrux had played right into his trap.
"Well then, Cybrux, what is Robotnik going to do with the princess, now that he has her?" Epoch edged.
"Ha! You think I'm gonna tell you that? Shame on you. I thought that you would have more tact than to ask me such a ridiculous question!" Cybrux replied, laughing scorningly.
"That's OK, Cybrux, you've already answered all we need to know," Epoch replied with a smirk. Jazz looked over at his brother and snickered.
Cybrux stopped laughing abruptly. Suddenly it dawned on him. He had given them his name. That was the key to it all. He now realized their plan. Cybrux hung his head and felt like dying. Dying would be less painful, once Robotnik got his hands on him.
"Damn it! You rats!" Cybrux yelled.
"Actually, we're Panthers," Jazz corrected.
The prisoner sat down on the ground with a rattling of chains and shook his head in dismay. Epoch called over the Freedom Fighters.
"Hey, guys! We're done interrogating. You can take the prisoner off to his cell now," Epoch said with a smile.
With that, the Freedom Fighters took Cybrux in shackles over to the only prison cell Knothole had.
Jazz added jokingly, "And don't kill him yet. We might be able to use him some more." Although Jazz didn't realize it at the time, what he said would turn out to be truer than he expected.
* * *
Sally awoke with a slight weight on her chest. She looked at her chest, and gasped. There was a red crystal resting on it. She took it off and wondered at it for a second. All the while, a strange feeling was creeping over her gradually. Finally taking the time to look around, she surveyed her location breathlessly: she wasn't in her bed, she wasn't in her hut, she wasn't even in Knothole! She laid back down, feeling absolutely awful. She had a strange feeling that she wouldn't be seeing Knothole for a very long time, if at all.
Where she was was anybody's guess. It was pitch black around her with the exception of a few dimly lit lanterns off in the distance. From the sound of the echoes, she was lying in a corridor of some kind. She heard footsteps and she got up, pressing herself flush up against the wall to hide. A confrontation was the last thing she needed at this time. Without thinking, she put the crimson crystal in her pocket. The footsteps got closer, and her heart began to beat faster against her chest, gently pounding in her ears. She had no weapons, no Nicole, no nothing. She was helpless. As the footsteps got closer, she noticed that they had a metallic ring to them as they made contact with the ground. A dead giveaway, she thought. Her heart sank as she realized where she was: the very heart of Robotropolis.
* * *
Sonic, meanwhile, was sitting in the Great Meadow, thinking. He had overreacted. But I can't go back now, he thought to himself. What would they think? His only choice was to push onward. But how? He had no bearing on his direction. If only I had Nicole, he thought. Suddenly, a thought struck him: Nicole! That's it! I'll take Nicole away from Knothole and then they'll be stuck. Then, I'll be able save Sally single-handedly! He nodded in approval at his own thoughts. He'd show them who ran the show around there. |
