Do you ever fire up your Genesis on more than one occasion, just to play one or two rounds of a game, then stop to switch carts? I sure do. I'm just about to do that now, once I get a special stage in . . . . . FoxFire Studios presents: Sonic the Hedgehog--Blood and Metal--Beta Installment III Sonic the Hedgehog by Sega of America Blood and Metal and Haunted Fantasies by David Gonterman Davey Crockett by David Gonterman Kickaha by Edward Becerra Old Man Coyote based on actual Native American legends, adapted for BAM by Edward Becerra and David Gonterman Kain "Kix" Trevor Knight by Brandon Stewart Sonia Hedgehog and Lutherain by Emily Smith Shandra Nightweaver by Brookshire ____________________ Special Stage: --------Fast Forward "Damn it. Damn it all to hell!" The one thing Davey Crockett hates the most is not being able to find about stuff he wants to know about. Nothing burns him like unrequited curiosity. He searched all over the Net for this Coyote that can turn into a bird and find a nest in his hair. But nothing comes up, save for references to the Wild Pack which are hazy at best. Davey flopped on the bed with his face redder than usual out of frustration. "It wasn't going to be much good *anyway*, son." Julian said from his resting place on the dresser. "The Net doesn't have much on the Wild Pack themselves, much less their culture. Like Sally said, they keep pretty much to themselves." "Yeah, I guess, but like an idiot," Davey reached for a book on Indian stories that were with his 'dead' father's mementoes. "I just wish I knew where I saw him before. . . " He opened the book to find those three words that made that lost memory return like a thunderbolt, striking him in the face: "Old Man Coyote." 'Damn. So *That* was who was in my hair--literary--all day yesterday. And *That's* what makes the Kickster look so damned familiar to me.' Davey turned to a description of this Native American legend that he liked so much: Coyote, trickster god of the Plains Indians, tends to enjoy seducing good looking Indian girls. If there is a child, it's known as a bastard of Coyote's. (although, to an Indian, bastard isn't really the insult it is to us. just means the husband wasn't the father. to an Indian, so what? Big deal.) Coyote tends to look after these kids, or so I'm told. And they tend to breed true. At least one person in every generation will have enough of Coyote in them to attract his attention. Kids like this tend to have strange luck. Think Gilligan, from "Gilligan's Island." Although the luck isn't good OR bad. Just weird. If you can survive the mental whiplash you can get from this type of luck, Coyote will take a shine to you. From then on, he's your personal spirit guide, and will help you when he can. That is, if you can stand living life as a toon might live it. The kinds of folks Coyote takes in... Well... Buster Bunny would be one. Starbuck from Battlestar Galactica, Maverick from the western, Babs Bunny (no relation!), rascals who are good at heart. (The Little Rascals, there's another.) Alacrity Fitzhugh, from Brian Daley's books. People who are Strange Attractors. I guess that makes me one, if Great-Grandmother Ross's tribe is right about me. Me, I don't know. But you can have fun with it, if you want. What does a child of Coyote get out of the relationship? Well, Coyote is a shape shifter, who can be a coyote, a raven, or a human. Coyote can be either sex, if he/she wants to. Those who Coyote protects can call upon those powers, too. But they HAVE to CALL. It's a little like praying. You have to ask first, and if he's in a bad mood, you're out of luck. If he's happy, anything can go! Just as he read that, he heard a coyote howl in the distance. He turned to the window the sound came in from. Using his virtual reality vision, he zoomed far into Mobian's Rocky Mountains, straight into the eyes of that howling Coyote. The Coyote appeared to be calling out for Davey. Davey felt drawn to this Coyote. "Are *you* this Old Man Coyote I've been reading about as a kid?" he said out loud. "What do you want of me? Could I be one of your 'kids?'" He then shook his head, as if trying to shake off a trance. "H-How? *He's* a Native American spirit, for crying out loud. What, pray tell, are *you?* A White Male Christian with a German Last Name, for Pete's sake!" He looked at his left arm, the left arm made to replace the one he brutally lost in that race riot so long ago . . . a lifetime ago? . . . He agreed to take that one-way trip to this planet, Mobius, to get away from having to answer to an angry collaboration of diverse cultures for all the sins that his ancestors have done; something several prominent leaders have denounced as a transgression just as evil, if David Kintobor cared to know. He thought he could start over on Mobius in the same manner that the settlers could when they arrived to America in the first place. Little did he know that his own father also came here. As Doctor Ivo Robotnik. David's heart was almost crushed. He would have died, right there, under that willow tree, from a broken heart and generations-deep shame, hadn't Sonic and the Freedom Fighters scrapped him off. Certainly, there *were* several Mobians who *were* wary of him, like that possum named Gregg, who while Davey tried to splint up a broken leg he had, quipped, "Hey listen, Kintobor, if it's all right with you, I'd want *Suni* to stitch me up. It's just that, unlike you, I'm not exactly *thrilled* at the prospect of being roboticized for *any* blasted reason." This he allowed to blow over like water off a duck's back. But in general, these critters have more or less taken him in as their own. They even reminded Davey of his father as he *was,* before he became that evil tyrant he would have to kill someday. They even held a burial ritual for 'The Late Julian Kintobor,' which Davey thought was kinda sweet. And now, it seemed to be the spirits of the earth and sky wanted to take him in as well. Or at least, this Indian version of the Q. "What *do* you want with me, Old Man?" he asked one more time . . . . -----Cut Power . . . . Removing Cartridge . . . . Continuity Buffs: Hold your place here while you get "Visions in the Wind" from my Web Page... http://users.aol.com/dgonterman/home.htm#Visions Start on "Vision Quest". It will take you through the quest Davey makes to meet OM Coyote. Davey will come back to Blood and Metal shortly after that story, which I will skip over. For now, I'll start on "Haunted Fantasies," a story people wanted me to start on . . . . . . . Inserting Cartridge . . . Power On . . . "Seeegaaaaaaa!!"---------- "Who is this 'Q' you keep comparing me to, David?" Davey called up the file he had on this Star Trek character and showed Coyote the clips he had on him. "I like him already!!!" Coyote laughed. "So much like me I just can't believe it." The spirit looked around him. Cyberspace seemed as big and vast as the plains he's more used to. "Nice place you got here, Grandson. Kinda reminds me of home. *I'm* more surprised that we can get together easily here. Usually, it takes about a week of fasting and meditation to get at the state you're in now, and you've been snacking constantly since you came back." Coyote sniffed Davey's shirt. "Is that salsa spilled on you? I believe it is. The good and hot stuff too . . ." "I know, 'Grandfather.' Maybe it's all these 'Jumps' I make into cyberspace that's making it happen. I've known to do a jump every hour on the hour on a good day. Sometimes I even *sleep* jumped in. Maybe all this time spent outside my 'meatware'--my body--gave me the ability to visit your world--the spirit world-- a whole lot easier than normal, but I haven't known about it yet. Until that vision quest I had with Kick, that is. (felt that it did some good, tho)" "(I thought it would) Maybe what you've been saying about technology is true; that it *is* developing a spirit all its own, just like the trees and rocks and sky and whatever in my world. Maybe I should look into it, even if just to understand the way you talk at times! 'Meatware.' 'Jumps.' 'HTML's.' Humph. Good thing you cater to 'Newbies'." Coyote called up Davey's User Manual program, which appears as a booklet in his hand. "I'll keep this with me, to study it later." Coyote turned it into an actual paper pamphlet, and tucked it inside his vest. "I must confess to being as much a stranger to your world as you are to mine, but I'm a quick learner." "I'm sure that we would both learn a lot of each other's worlds together, Coyote." "I agree," Coyote said, as he and Davey gave each other five. Then they heard a child scream. It came from outside, in 'Real-Time,' as Davey says. "What was that?" "Apparently someone got frightened and whizzed past your house." Some other, older, voices followed. "She ran over here." "Careful, she doesn't know how to use that thing!" "Maybe we should get Davey back to his body so he can . . . " "I think they need you over there. I'll catch up on you later, okay, Grandson." "Will do, Grandfather, take care." Davey gave Coyote one last high-five before jacking out. . . . . _____________________________________Game Start . . . . . FoxFire Studios presents: A Sonic The Hedgehog--Blood and Metal story Haunted Fantasies Installment Zero By David Gonterman ___________________________ Chapter One. Penny Possum's parents were roboticized before her very eyes. To her, it's as if Robotnik took a gun, shot them dead, and replaced them with evil monsters. You'd think that when Davey Crockett--Knothole Freedom Fighter Fox who's really Robotnik's son--deroboticized Penny's parents she wouldn't take one look at them and ran away in fright, but Davey's a pessimist, and he expected it. Thinking that this was another one of Robotnik's tricks, she grabbed the first thing she got her hands on, a pulse blaster (a form of stun gun, which spits out a 'Sonic Boom' knocking its target down without serious injury), and shot her way out of Knothole, this Davey knew, because he ate several Sonic Booms by her. The reason why was obvious, with the robot left arm and red glowing eyes of his. He looked too much like his father, even in his current fox form. However, Davey noted that somewhere, in the darker side of his psyche, he actually liked being bounced around The Great Forest like a rubber ball. Does he think that he's becoming a masochist? It could be; maybe being Robotnik's son have given him the unconscious belief that he's responsible for his father's actions. This gives him a lot of lectures from other Mobians, especially Bear and Princess Sally, which Davey will no doubt hear later. 'No time to crucify yourself now, David,' Lutherain silently squawks as he hawk follows Davey, who's tracking the girl possum. 'You gotta catch up with that girl before she does something stupid.' 'I know, Luth. Ah wanna take this slow and steady. She ain't gettin' far.' Davey followed her casually for over an hour before she stops under an oak tree. She put her back against the bark and held the pulse blaster down to the ground between her feet with both hands. As a gun, pulse blasters are big and bulky to children. The thin barrel's as tall as it is long, and the handle's flush with the back end; it's very forward-heavy. The girl heard a twig snap dead ahead, followed by a muffled cuss word. She managed to lift the big gun in her two heads, even though she was having difficulty keeping it steady by the time she heard a woman's voice from off the side. "David, you bumbling oaf!" She couldn't see the woman, because her black fur conceals her perfectly in the shadows of the forest, but Davey has his vision set to Infrared, and he saw Sandra Nightweaver's body like it was day. "Shandra, don't you have a Mighty Morphin' Freedom Fighter to bug right about now?" "Mighty Morphin' . . ?" "Go away, Shandra. I've got it under control." The black fox faded back into the shadows she was hiding in. Davey returned to the girl possum, eyes aglow, as they sometimes do in the dark. Penny saw the two red eyes. She aimed the pulse blaster with all her might. She pulled the trigger. KERIIIIIISHOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMM! The trees seem to bend and twist as the doughnut-shaped Sonic Boom plows through the clearing and slams into a small bush, snapping it off its trunk. The kickback threw her outstretched arms up and banged the pulse blaster against the tree--"Owwww!"--She dropped the pulse blaster. "Penny, child. Take my advice. If you are going to grab a gun, get one you can hold." The voice came from those two red eyes, which haven't moved from the wide shot. She stood transfixed, frozen, mesmerized by those two red stars. She heard a metal-on-metal *clack* and looked down. Two pulse blasters, sleeker and more balanced models then the one she grabbed, was piled on top of the bulky, clumsy one she got on the spur of the moment. "I know that's not all, Davey Crockett," Penny said, surprised at her own surge of bravery. "Your Power Rifle, if you don't mind?" Davey smiled. "My reputation precedes me, kid. You're gonna be all right." Another clap. The overglorified sawed-off shotgun joined the pile of implements of destruction. In the moonlight the word "Zordon" can be seen at the barrel, as if anybody cared. Davey stepped closer to Penny, over the guns, towering over the possum. "I might not know you, child, but I believe we've got something in common. This war has scarred us more than anyone would--more than anyone *should*--endure. And you're not alone; for every several happy reunions, I see one like yours. I've seen parents turn away from their kids, couples ripped asunder, self-loathing and bitterness extinguishing what little we were able to flame in some hearts; I've even seen a Worker Bot hit self-destruct before we could even deroboticize him. My new family, the Knothole Freedom Fighters, hoped that they could save every one of them, but I'm a pessimist by nature. I expected this." Davey turned to his left. "I've seen the numbed survivors of these tragedies run this way. Sending themselves West. Where light, laughter, and music doesn't go. Where they hide in some hole with the covers over their heads, allowing the rest of their lives to just pass them by. I myself was one of those lost souls, in another world, in another time. But I got tired of not risking being hurt by trying to live." He hold out his hand to Penny. "How about you, child?" At first the possum just stood there, unsure of herself, but finally, she slowly moved toward 'Big Daddy,' wrapped her arms around him, and buried her face in his shirt. Davey lifted her up into his arms, and carried her back to Knothole. When he got back, Penny's parents were there to try to reach her, one more time, but Penny hugged tighter onto Davey, letting out a muffled "no, no, no." Davey looked to her parents with eyes of sorrow. "I'm sorry," Princess Sally tried to console. "This would probably take some time for her to realize that you're back. I'm sorry." The mother was crying, but she understood. She touched her recoiling daughter one last time before turning away. The father just stared at Davey with distrusting eyes. It was apparent that Dad didn't like Davey much. He carried Penny to the orphanage, where Rosie tended a group of those unfortunate enough to lose their parents in this war. "Got another one for ya, ma'am." Davey said softly. "Och, not another one." Rosie lifted the child off of him. "It seems that we have just as many heartbreaks as we have victories, laddie." "yeah . . . " "Well, at least ye tried, Davey boy. That must amount t' something?" "In lieu of seeing my father, Snivley, and Packbell burn in hades, Rosie, it'll have to do." Davey quietly walked out while Rosie searched for a place to lay the possum down. She just seen a dozen kids to Greenwood, father back from 'the war front' than Knothole, but it appears that all roads lead here. For this is where the leadership of the Rebellion is held. This is where everybody dreams of going there. Everybody wants to be in Sonic's group of Freedom Fighters. Forget Griff and the underground hideaway. Geoffrey St. John is for foreign film freaks and poets. For the majority of Rebels, Sonic is 'the Man.' And Sonic is also the one who saw him walk out dragging his tail. "Hey, Big Daddy. I heard what happened. Hey, listen, I know another family couldn't be mended, at least not now. But at least we done *something.* We've reduced Snivley's worker bots by a dozen tonight. Eventually, we'll get them all. Then we'll get ol' Needle Nose and the Pac Man outta there. And if Robuttnik shows up again, we'll kick *him* out too. Then everything will be just like it was, will it, David?" Davey couldn't answer at first. He just looked at his blue- quilled friend and the brother of the girl he loved with the sadness he shows every now and then. "Will it, Sonic?" ______________ Davey was still sulking when he arrived at the coffee shop Antoine keeps. Some of his newer friends were there. Kickaha, a Wild Pack Native-American type who just got cured of a bad back, arms, legs and whatever through the Roboticizer. Kain, the Jedi who crash-landed here a few weeks back. He heard them talking. "Hey Kickster, you know where Ryan went?" "I dunno, best guess says that he's over in the woods with Shandra." "Doing what, pray tell?" "I don't wanna know . . . you better not join in, coyote." "Hey, there's Davey! Hey, Dave!" "Dave? What's the matter?" "Hi. I'm okay. It's just that . . . " *Another broken heart, David?* David turned around, to see . . . *Poor baby, the world on your shoulders.* "Sonia?" *I'll make it better.* The purple hedgehog that walked up to him had her hair fluffed up, wearing makeup, and had on a red dress that resembled what Jessica Rabbit had on. She led him by the arm over to her table. "Where'd you get that dress, Darlin'" "Phenix's idea. She thought that costume you made for her did quite fit her image, so she's thinking up her own. Besides, she didn't want copyright lawyers coming for her lover boy. She took over and spent the past three hours primping and dressing me up." She stepped in front of Davey and twirled around, showing off her looks. "You like?" "All that and more. This is what she decided on?" "No, I needed something . . . more . . . " Suni's smooth transition into her Phenix personality still makes Davey nervous. Reprogramming this robot half of Sonic's sister from cold-blooded killer for Packbell into a love-struck fiery bi-kinetic 'bad girl' for Davey helped her merge the two halves of her personality together, but there are times like these when David Kintobor wonders if giving Phenix looser inhibitions was a good idea. "Something to wear while trashing Packbell's goon squad. Nothing too fancy or colorful. Perhaps in red and black? Those are my favorite colors." "That shouldn't be too difficult." By this time, Davey and Suni/Phenix were in a tight embrace. The two can feel each other's warm breath and smell their sweet scent. They were whispering in each other's twitching ears. "A trip to the mall could find us what you need." "A shopping trip. Hmmm. That would be fun. I could find some black shorts with matching boots. A red shirt with a black leather jacket. Yes." Sonia looked into Davey's eyes as she reverted back to her main personality. "She'd love it. You mind if we sit down? I want to share a drink with you." "Sure thing." Hedgehog and fox sat in the back of the room, drowned out by subdued lighting and room music. Sonia had an Italian Soda while Davey had a chocolate cappuccino. (Sonia made them appear magically, as usual, much to Antoine's disapproval.) They stayed close to each other there for the rest of the evening, as they embraced in body and in mind. By now, due to their closeness, Suni and Davey were fostering a psionic rapport with each other, "much like Jean Grey and Cyclops, huh, Davey?" she said once. The trials of the day seemed to pass away as they kissed the night away. The heartache that Davey had just hours ago now feels like it occurred in ancient history. "You know, Suni? You can really make a guy's like so much better." "I know, Darling. That's why I'm here with you." ___________________ The two took the long way to Davey's hut, around the Ring Lake. They witnessed another ring appear out of the water. Davey was hesitant to reach it, remembering what happened last time. But he finally gathered enough courage to grab it. Sonia held Davey's hand up as she told him the Hedgehog family's greatest secret: How these Power Rings work. He's used them twice before, but he found it a somewhat jarring experience. "It's like...well, imagine having a chili dog in that hand instead of the Ring. Now, imagine the dog's chili and sauce starting to run over your hand. That's the energy from the ring. Now, you certainly can't *eat* the power ring...it'd blow off your jaw." She smirked. "Besides, they don't taste very good." "Now, try to imagine the chili starting to run down your arm," she said, starting to trace the path with her free hand. "tingling over your forearm, elbow, and finally all the way to your armpit." She paused to let this sink in, and moved on. "After it's covered your arm, imagine the flow of chili starting to move down your ribs, becoming stronger after jumpin' over each one. After that, have it fall down your stomach, and finally have it dribble down your leg." All this time, the Ring's energy flowed into Davey, this time in a more relaxed and smoother manner. It began to flow into Sonia as well, as she continued to speak. Davey couldn't hear her voice, but he could still sense her thoughts, echoing in his ears. "After that, your body should probably take over. It's reflex to me, but you should be able to do it right one day. It's a Way Past Cool feeling, like you're a big blue--" She smirked. "--well, orange, in your case. A big, orange lightning bolt." By the time she was finished, no one could see the two lovebirds anymore. There was just one star, shining brightly over the Ring Lake. When the star dimmed, and the two bodies can be seen once again, Davey was handing the ring back to Suni. With their eyes, they thanked each other for the experience. "We'll be needing this for our next run together. I'll see you tomorrow morning?" "Tomorrow morning, then." "I love you, David." "As do I, Sonia." The two made a long goodbye kiss. "Don't be late, she said as she walked away. _____________________________To Be Continued. You can get the Vision Quest story by Edward Becerra from my Web Page. Go to the Main Menu and choose "Visions in the Wind". It will take you directly into those links, unless your web browser's a total piece of junk. Maybe I should look into the "WINSOCK" keyword in American On-Line? Also look for the MechTail story elsewhere in the story links. This story, and its characters, will lead into BAM during the Haunted Fantasies Story. My Data Sheet library has an extensive description on Old Man Coyote, but I'm currently reading a book on this Native American trickster that provides most of my knowledge of him. It is entitled "Coyote Blue" by Christopher Moore. Be warned though. You should lock up the wife and kids when *he* comes to town. I'll see you next Instalment, when "Haunted Fantasies" gets a full head of steam. FoxFire Studios