Issue 4

The moon is up. Its light enters a cave as SONIC and AMY are looking at a map of the Mobius in VOID's dimension, along with ORION THE DEER (freedom fighter, VOID'S BFF) and SLICKER THE PINE MARTEN (another freedom fighter, VOID'S girlfriend).

SONIC: Slicker, you sure that this is a good idea?

SLICKER: Yeah. We have to get you and Void home, right? Well, this is better than the alternative.

AMY: Which is?

SLICKER: Busting into one of Eggman's labs and stealing one of his handheld portal generators.

ORION: Void of Maginaryworld's cave is a day's journey from here going easy, but going hard we can do it in about six hours. If we leave now, we can get you home by sundown tomorrow.

SONIC: What's going hard?

ORION: Running all the way there and running all the way back. You, Shadow, and I are the fastest here, so we can go there, get the Kr'Maan crystal, and get back fast.

SONIC: \*turns to Tails, who has just entered\* Any luck getting word to the others?

TAILS: No. Something's jamming our communicators. Even Silver's tech isn't working anymore.

AMY: Infinite must be onto us. How's Blaze?

TAILS: She's awake, but she still needs rest.

SLICKER: I hope the others are all right.

SONIC: \*pats SLICKER'S arm\* Ventus and Izabel are tough. I'm sure they've got everything under control.

PRIME DIMENSION

RESISTANCE HOME BASE

LOCATION: WOULDN'T YOU LIKE TO KNOW

People are shouting at each other across a large conference table. IZABEL and VENTUS lock eyes.

IZABEL: This is out of control.

VENTUS: Yup.

VOID slams his fist down on the table and shouts that the Gilgamesh suit is the only choice

VOID: \*slams fist down on the table\* Wake up! Ventus' suit is our only chance!

ANTOINE D'COOLETTE (Freedom Fighter commander, decorated French fry) protests.

ANTOINE: *Tu parles de folie!* That weapon has not been tested. We cannot use it until we have ensured the safety of our planet!

SAMMIE growls to VENTUS that this is why he didn't want to go with the FF-- too much debate, not enough action.

Sammie: See?! I don’t want to even come here… But I’m only here to kill Tough and Rumble!

Void: Sammie the Grumpfox is your new nickname

Sammie: Excuse me?!

Void: Nothing.

Sammie: Thats what I thought.

\*calls Feline\*

Feline: Oh hey Sam, What do you need?

Sammie: Where are you?

Feline: Fighting some enemy’s with Whisper & Tangle.

Sammie: Alright, Me and Void will be there in a sec.

VENTUS: Uh, guys?

Everyone keeps shouting.

VENTUS: Guys!

More of the same.

VENTUS: \*growls, presses buttons on his wrist\* I try talking civilly, but nooo... Maria, crowd control, please.

MARIA: *Look, I don't wanna make waves... ah, screw it. Of course I wanna make 'em!*

A whining noise pierces the air, and VENTUS, his voice amplified, speaks.

VENTUS: **SHUT UP!!!!**

Everyone looks at him.

VENTUS turns his voice down.

VENTUS: Look, Infinite's carving up the planet like a Thanksgiving turkey. I don't know about you guys, but seeing him traipse through our towns, our streets, our homes-- that makes me seethe. The problem is, short of all-out nuclear war, the Gilgamesh suit is our best bet, and Infinite's already taken the base that houses it. If we want to stop him, we have to take back Chainsaw Point.

DULCY THE DRAGON (war hero and femme fatale) stands up.

DULCY: My great-grandfather fought in the first Battle of Chainsaw Point. Do you understand what you're asking of us, Ventus? Thousands of troops may not make it back.

VENTUS chuckles mirthlessly.

VENTUS: What I'm asking of you is to grow some backbone and help take back our planet. If you won't do it for yourselves and you won't do it for those around this table, do it for the civilians-- for the mothers, fathers, sons and daughters who have been caught in the middle of this war.

ANTOINE: Are we at war, *monsieur*?

SAMMIE glares at ANTOINE.

SAMMIE says that if ANTOINE doesn't see this war for what it is, he doesn't deserve to be here.

Sammie: Antoine, If you do not see what this war is, You won’t see the light ever again.

Antoine: God jesus, Chill! You sure are scary

Ventus: Sammie is always like that. Feline said he is if you didn’t meet him in the past.

Sammie: I’m getting a call??? Oh. It’s from those Skunks, Let me see what they want now.

Tough: Hey Sammie, We got Feline tied up on a chair! What you gonna do?

Rumble: Probably cry like a little baby!

Feline: Sammie, Don’t listen to these freaks! They are just using me as bait to brainwash yo-

Tough: Shut up woman!

Rumbe: Bye bye Hedgefox!

\*Sammie would grow very angry, he would take off one of his rings making him even more stronger\*

Sammie: These Skunks… I want to kill them…

Ventus: \*Wait, so if he takes off those rings, He can get even more stronger? Wow he is overpowered\*

VENTUS: Maria, can you trace the call?

MARIA: *No, I can't because I'm about as useful as a busted toaster. Of* course *I can trace it! Hmm... it came from Chainsaw Point.*

VENTUS: \*sees SAMMIE about to 'port out\* Hold it, Straight Arrow. You can't take on Chainsaw Point alone. \*turns to the commanders\* We have to go save her. If you didn't have incentive to head for Chainsaw a minute ago, I'd say you do now.

DULCY: \*sighs\* Fine. Tell your friends to expect your unit assignments and briefings within the hour, and... call Aleut, Zam, and Dart in here. We need to talk to them.

SAMMIE, who's already started making friends with ZAM, gets defensive and asks why.

Sammie: WHY? I want to kill them!

Ventus: We will come with you, don’t worry.

Sammie: Whatever.

Zam: Hey Sam, Why are you always so angry

Sammie: I don’t wanna talk about it.., \*He would put back on his ring\*

VENTUS: Sure, I'll call them.

VENTUS talks into his comm.

VENTUS: Yo, Aleut, council's asking to see you and the others.

ALEUT: \*over comm\* Okay. On our way.

SAMMIE whispers in VENTUS' ear that he thinks something's weird about this

Sammie: Hey Ventus, Feline said she was fighting enemy’s and now she’s kidnapped? Don’t you find that off?

Ventus: Hmmmm

VENTUS: Yeah. Infinite probably has her, but if you're in play, then he may be planning to use her against you so you try to stop an invasion. But-- oop, here's Aleut now.

ALEUT, ZAM, and DART walk into the conference room.

DULCY: It's been a while, Aleut. How have you been?

ALEUT: Not bad, Dulcy.

VENTUS: Wait-- you know each other?!

ALEUT: Yup. We used to be in the Resistance.

Sammie: Zelona… That Rat…

Ventus: Who’s that?

Sammie: Shes a Hedgehog. She is my Ex… She sometimes flirts with me but i always turn her down. She is one of the reasons of my backstory.

Ventus: Woah?!

Sammie: Mhmmm.

DULCY: Sammie, kindly be quiet. This is an important discussion.

ALEUT: \*flashback begins\* We used to live in Central City's inner ghettos. We joined a gang to support our families, but then Tyson Lee, a former Resistance commander, recruited us into his black ops unit. We did horrible things, but Zam's girlfriend, Brinca the Bobcat, told us about the scope of the crimes we were committing. We decided to bring Lee's operation down from the inside, but he planned an attack with Eggman that discredited us and got us thrown in jail. He was eventually found out, but we spent over a year fighting to survive.

VENTUS: Wow. That's rough.

ZAM: If this war gives us a chance to redeem ourselves, we'll fight alongside all of you to the end.

DART: Besides, that Max kid is cute. I could really get to like him.

VENTUS snickers.

ANTOINE: Now, Ventus, Sammie, Whisper, and Tangle will report to Thorn the Flying Fox's unit, the 384th Flamethrower Division.

DULCY: The Pitmasters? No! They're all psychological tire fires!

ANTOINE: \*smirks condescendingly at Ventus and Sammie\* It's their operation. They will be best poised to see it through, *ne vont-ils pas*?

VENTUS grits his teeth, and SAMMIE growls.

INFINITE, TYSON LEE, and ZELONA THE HEDGEHOG (vicious ex of SAMMIE) watch the proceedings over the hacked video feed.

DULCY gives passes to VENTUS, SAMMIE, ALEUT, ZAM, and DART.

DULCY: *Ventus and Sammie, report to Barrack 4-D. Aleut, Dart, Zam, A-9. You'll be briefed on your mission parameters there.*

ZELONA: \*smiles maliciously\* Finally... Sammie will be mine.

INFINITE: Patience. You will take pleasure with Sammie, but first we must crush the Resistance. Lee, rally the squad. I must go to the island to ready our weapon. We will need it.

TYSON: \*salutes\* Yessir.

VENTUS and SAMMIE walk out of the briefing room, SAMMIE saying that they have to rescue FELINE.

SAMMIE: Ventus, I can open a portal, and we can have Feline here in ten minutes tops.

VENTUS: Sammie, I get that you want to save her. She's my friend too, and I don't want her to get hurt. But we can't sneak into the Gilgamesh bunker by ourselves. I designed it to hold hundreds of people-- if we get caught, there's no way we'll make it out alive. We have to work with the Resistance, despite what jerks like Antoine may make you feel.

IZABEL meets them.

IZABEL: They're saying we have to leave by tomorrow.

VENTUS: Sammie, can Izzy and I have a minute?

Sammie: Go ahead. \*'port’s out\*

Zelona: Sammie… I will get you again one time…

VENTUS: Izzy... I wanted you to know that this fight is gonna be hard. REALLY hard. And--

IZABEL puts her finger on his lips.

IZABEL: I'm used to war. I was a soldier, remember? \*grins playfully\* Or did you forget how I can take care of myself.

VENTUS: \*grins\* Nah, I'd never forget that. It's just...

VENTUS hangs his head.

VENTUS: Be careful out there, okay?

IZABEL hugs VENTUS.

IZABEL: Take your own advice.

Feline: You wont get away with this!

Zelona: Oh i will, Sammie will be my boyfriend again!

Infinite: What a yandere.

Zelona: No! I haven’t killed anyone yet! But i will kill Feline once the plan is done.

TYSON enters the room.

TYSON: Sir, our defenses have been shored up, and I've established a twenty-four hour guard rota to watch the prisoner. If her friend shows up, he won't get to her cell alive.

INFINITE: Good. And... your proteges? What of them?

TYSON: \*grins savagely\* They have literally no clue what they're getting into. They're being teamed with that demon-hedgefox kid you're so mad at, but they'll be walking into a massacre. Payback all around, and a nice slug-fest to boot.

INFINITE: We must not get complacent. Ventus may not be able to use his powers, but he is a master strategist, as is Izabel. We must be prepared for anything. \*thinks, then turns to ZELONA\* How would you like the chance to capture Sammie yourself, my dear?

Zelona: I will capture him myself. And only Sammie can call me dear! I will fight him to knock him out. Then bring him here…

Infinite: Hmph.

MEANWHILE...

VOID THE TENREC'S DIMENSION

BLAZE is sitting on a small cot when SILVER walks into the room. BLAZE smiles weakly at him, but the smile is replaced with a worried look.

SILVER: What's up?

BLAZE: Nothing. It is just...

BLAZE sighs.

BLAZE: This is my fault.

SILVER: \*shocked\* What? No! How is this your fault?

BLAZE: I shouldn't have tried to transport us here all by ourselves. If I had taken it easier, we would be able to help our friends, and we wouldn't be trapped here.

SILVER: Blaze, this is not your fault. You were brave to try getting us all to the Prime Dimension by yourself, and so what if you didn't pull it off? We all fail.

BLAZE: But who knows what Infinite's doing to the others in the Prime Dimension? We may not have a home to go back to.

SILVER takes BLAZE'S hands.

SILVER: We'll get through this. We've both survived worse, right?

BLAZE smiles.

BLAZE: Yes, we have. Thank you, my friend.

KNUCKLES enters the room.

KNUCKLES: Sonic wanted me to pass on the message that he's gonna get the Kr'Maan Crystal with Shadow and Orion.

SILVER: Thanks, Knuckles.

PRIME DIMENSION

SAMMIE is walking toward Barrack 4-D just as the sun is setting, VENTUS right behind him.

ZELONA: \*whispers\* *Saaaammiiiieeeee...*

SAMMIE: Ventus, you hear that?

VENTUS: Yeah...

SAMMIE: Go meet Thorn without me. I'll catch up.

VENTUS: Watch your back.

VENTUS walks into the barrack, and SAMMIE stands outside.

The moon rises.

SAMMIE: There's no point hiding from me, Zelona. I know you're there.

ZELONA (wearing something like Zoe Kravitz's Catwoman costume in The Batman) steps out from the shadows.

ZELONA: \*wraps an arm around SAMMIE\* Hello. Mmm, you're handsome....

Sammie: Get off me.

Zelona: No thank you

ZELONA presses him against a tree and kisses him, but SAMMIE gets her off.

ZELONA's eyes glow green.

ZELONA: \*echoey voice\* You'll come with me...

SAMMIE: \*struggling\* I... will... come--

VENTUS: Bug off, freak!

ZELONA shrieks as Yellow Lightning engulfs her, and VENTUS and a tall bat come running.

ZELONA: This isn't over, Sammie! You will be mine, and I will enjoy you again!

ZELONA presses a button on her wrist and disappears.

SAMMIE: \*panting\* Thanks... Ventus. Who's this?

THORN: Thorn. Head of the Flamethrower's unit. And I assume you must be Sammie.

\*He helps Sammie up onto her feet before glancing off to where Selona was\*

THORN: \*cynically saying\* Looks like we're on time in driving your "friend" away.

Sammie: Yep, i am Sammie. She isn’t my Friend. She is my Ex who i broke up with.

Thorn: Hm okay.

Infinite: How did it go?

Zelona: i was about to capture him, but that Stupid Ventus stopped me

VENTUS: I thought it'd be a good idea to get some help. Thorn was a little suspicious, but I think you trust me a little more now, right? \*glares at THORN\*

THORN: \*undeterred by the glaring\* Let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet, Ventus. Antoine said you'd be coming with company, but it seems that you're already having some issues out here. ... And not even ten minutes since you've apparently showed up, no less. \*rolls his eyes\* either way, you'd better come back to the main unit before anything else shows up.

VENTUS: Yeah. Don't want any other "surprise guests". I warn you, Thorn, this isn't the first time I've served with a commando unit. I trust that your outfit is as good as I hear? And as tough? This mission isn't going to be easy, and I can't afford to lose lives because of a bunch of pansies.

THORN: \*raises an eyebrow\* I don't doubt that for a second. Given your records. \*he opens his wings and begins to fly\* Now let's go. Or would you rather give more remarks out here?

VENTUS: \*smiles\* Thorn, I think you and I are gonna get along just fine. Wait up!

Red Bursts activate in his boots, and VENTUS flies after THORN.

They soon enter the barracks, and a golden retriever with a Piko Hammer slung on her back walks over to them with a distrustful expression on her face.

THORN introduces her, explaining that she is his second-in-command after a fierce battle earlier on.

Sammie: Another one? Who is this?

Thorn: Here she is.

THORN: Ventus, Sammie, this is Willow: Second-in-command, and an expert in her weaponry. Though something would tell me you could probably guess that, given the hammer. Speaking of \*turns to Willow\* at ease, Willow, Antoine brought them to us.

WILLOW: And you're just letting them come in here?

THORN: They were attacked by one of Infinite's troops, so I'm pretty sure they're not working for him ... for the moment.

\*Willow huffed, but stepped back away\*

THORN: Needn't you mind her: she's an experienced fighter. A Lone hound you could say. It earned her my second-in-command spot after one of our battles with that illusional Jackal.

Sammie: A loner hound is what she is.

Willow: I hate being called that!

Sammie: Ok “Loner”

Willow: Whatever

THORN: \*he snaps his fingers in front of Sammie\* alright, enough of that. Willow, see if the other troops have come back yet. They should be still out on patrol.

WILLOW: Fine, I'll get it. \*she glances at Sammie, angry, before walking off to check\*

THORN: Now that aside. Ventus? Antoine mentioned two others coming, but clearly they're not with you yet. Where're they, might I ask?

VENTUS: Whisper and Tangle? Said they had to check in with command. They said they'd be here in a half, tops. While they're gone, I want to know how you operate-- not your unit, YOU. If we're going to keep each other alive, we'll need to know how we fight. Are you a strategist like me, or a gung-ho type like Sammie?

SAMMIE: HEY!

Sammie: \*Grabs Ventus and chokes him\* what did you say?

Ventus: Nothing!

Sammie: \*puts em down\* thats what i thought.

Ventus: Grumpy hedgefox.

THORN: \*He pauses on hearing Whisper in there, looking briefly surprised, but he turns back to his usual calm expression after a short bit\* I see. ... Well, you're smart to want to know who you're working with, I'll give you that. ... You explain yourself first. Your records say a bit, but I'd rather hear from the ... "prototype" himself.

VENTUS: \*snaps his gaze to THORN, speaks in a low voice\* "The prototype"?