Chapter 2: "Barbed wire and silk" ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The present: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kragok opened his mouth to speak but the words would not come. The strange white creature pushed past him without a word, as if he weren't there and nothing had happened. As if he had not just sent a strong, heavily constructed, temperature resistant metal pod to hell with just a thought. Everyone watched as it wordlessly approached the next pod in the line. It's panel had a symbol of a red box with a blue triangle with the words, "The Second" printed near the control screen. He mindlessly pushed in a few codes and the red light near the top of the pod turned on and it began to hum softly. The creature turned a curious eye on the scrutinizing legionnaires and then focused again on the other pod. Kragok cautiously approached and the white echidna quickly turned his head and backed away. "We have no business with you. You who have betrayed us and come back again," he sneered "What are you talking about? We've never met. " "Liar. I don't remember much but I remember you did to us. Black Squadron, who's colors we once wore, to hide our shamed faces, not knowing that the mask from which we hid was what further disgraced us. For your cause you used us. You said your purpose was restore harmony to the mobius torn by the wars.....yet YOU were the REAL scourge and we were your pawns. " "I---" "GET. Out. I could have killed you but I spared your miserable lives, not for pity or mercy but because I don't want more blood on my hands than there already is." So he had been used before as Kragok had intended to use him now. He could still recall nothing in history about a Black Squadron. This creature was still not lost to him. He could still win him over if he used the right words. Nothing was beyond the powers of a good speech carefully worded. As he allies said, No means maybe and maybe means yes. The creature had said 'no' so it was a question of maybe now. Kragok thought fast about what to say then, once he found it, he turned the melodrama on high. He walked over and placed his claw on the arm of the creature as the second pod hummed and hissed. "There now, my friend, my brother. Now that the evil, cursed Black Squadron has been vanquished at our hands you need no more blood on yours. You can now have the acceptance you've wanted. We accept you." "The Black Squadron is dead? Who are you then? Why do you wear THEIR robes?" The other Legionnaires were drastically confused at first but quickly caught on to what their master was doing. If he could use lies and lead that thing to trust him he would be it's master and wield it's power with the creature being none the wiser. They only hoped that it didn't blow up in his face... " It was a long, hard battle. You slept for many years as it raged. I, the...son of your creator have have ended the strife that my family has struggled for years to end. I was told by the diary of my father that there was a place here that we must come when the battle was won. Though I knew not what was here I led my troops here. I admit that I am still finding out much the past that I do not know." " You and I both then. That still doesn't explain why you wear the colors of our enemy, though. So you are the master's real son...(That means I must respct you)" Kragok would have been put on the spot by that one but as luck or fait would would have it there was a convenient distraction: The door of the second pod swung upward and opened. There was a cloud of soft mist floating out of the door and out stepped The Second. A very small, frail, female creature, svelte, with thick purple fur and a fluffy sugestion of a tail (that was mostly fur)fringed with white. Under the soft, short fuzz of fur that was on her muzzle you could see that the skin underneeth was dark brown. Her slanted almond shaped eyes were a disturbing yellow and as memorable as Ayashi's shocking red ones. She looked much like a young adolescent echidna, about thirteen or fourteen (much younger than the other one) but had the same antennae as The First and similar dredlock/jaws to The First. She was obviously a mix of echidna, fire and and something they assumed to be koala. The girl held her arms as if very cold. It was understandable since she was still wet and the room was freezing. She seemed not to see anyone but looked around the room in disbelief. "I never thought I'd see this again." she whispered to herself. "What is this...feeling? am I alive again. I was prepared for eternal sleep. I was prepared to face the void alone, forever. I never thought that I'd face life again. I was not prepared. I...forget it. I forget life!" In the cool and bitter room she sank to her knees on the shining metal floor and gazed at her reflection in it. Without a word or tear she simply sat and existed. And she thought about existing and about life and she saw her dim reflection in the green light of the room and it seemed as though she was in the dreemworld again. Dead on the outside, dead golden eyes ... "I... I can feel this body dying... all around me!" The white creature broke away from the Dark Legion and Kragok's grip on his shoulder. There were tears in his eyes and it seemed as if he could not bring himself to approach the other, she still saw nothing and sat as a ghost would, silently and calmly. from a few feet away he stretched out his hand towards her. "C- Celebra?" he stammered. Her head snapped towards him and she looked him up and down then her face brightened and happy tears streamed down her cheeks. "Ayashi? ...Ayashi!" She ran over and hugged him tightly. He sensed the eyes of the legion on him and looked up nervously. "Celebra, Celebra, dear, these are the ones who freed us. They are the successors of the evil Black Squadron. This is the son of our master," "He does look like the master." she said half careingly without loosening her hold on Ayashi. "I'm sorry, master but I didn't ask your name," Ayashi said squirming. "Kragok. Oh, and this is the Dark Legion." he gestured towards the troops. Celebra, letting go approached Kragok suspiciously. With one of her three fingered hands she examined the gray cloth of his cloak then pushed him aside and examined the black cloak of another legionnaire. "These are the robes of the Black Squadron... but they are...different. The hood is different for the solders." "As I said before to Ayashi, I know little about you....people. A little explication would be nice." "I's so cold." Celebra said absently. "I don't think so." Ayashi said "Well I'm not part Snow crab. I don't like to freeze my butt off like you and Spade and the others do!" "A-hem," Coughed Kragok "A little explanation....?" Ayashi and Celebra looked at each other their antennae twitched and they appeared to be communtcating. "We'll tell you what you want to know, but first allow us to prepare our brothers and sisters for their awakenings." Celebra smiled after a second. She passed them and sailed over to the main computer and climbed a flight of stairs to a platform. She pressed a large button beside a screen and another voice command was given from the computer (again in the same voice belonging to Code.). "*Identification?*" Celebra put her hand on a glass plate and a light scanned it. "*User DNA identified.*" "Get on with it." Celebra whined while impatiently tapping her foot. "*User voce identification ?*" "Sister Second. Celebra." "*Sister Second Celebra.*" The computer repeated in the same voice "*Sister Second. Celebra*...... *voice identification matches.* "Code was very thorough while programming everything." She explained to the legion below. "She programmed the whole place as a single computer with this at it's center. Initiate reawakening sequence. Password: Genesis egg." "*Confirmed*" From atop the balcony of the first platform something caught Celebra's eye. The light globe Kragok had shattered earlier and forgotten about still lay on the floor. She jumped over the railing and ran over to the door where it was while everyone looked on in confusion. Ayashi realized what she was running towards and followed her. "Get the disinfectant. Don't touch it, Celebra!" "I know not to touch it!" she said. There was a little canister on the wall near the door like a small fire extinguisher. She promptly emptied it's contents onto the glowing puddle and the light slowly died. "Don't you know what you could have done?" She cried at Kragok. "What was that?" he asked calmly. "These lightglobes contain six kinds of bacteria. They're less than harmless while encased in these globes. They have their own ecosystem in there but their growth is restricted within the limits of the size of the globe." "Bacteria?! Are they infectious?" "Not to us." Celebra laughed a somewhat evil laugh. "Let me put it this way," Ayashi said ", That glop Cel drowned it with is the highest concentration of chlorine, cyanide and sodium hydroxide we could get. If that's what we use to get rid of it imagine what we're getting rid OF." Kragok cringed. "He makes it sound so bad. They're not as infectious as they are toxic. One kind is radioactive, they feed on another kind who cleans up the waste. Half are plant types and half are animal types. They are a perfectly balanced ecosystem unless they escape. Then they can multiply uncontrollably. But we're safe about keeping them. These poison canisters are everywhere. They can be dangerous but it's a small price to pay for a light source that consumes no power and never ever burns out." "Cel invented 'em" Ayashi said. "To the average Mobian, such as yourself they can cause a very painful toxic death. Similar to radiation poisoning. We anticipated that this could harm US so we programed ourselves with built in defence in our imune system." "We use bacteria everywhere. The hard drive of our computers, the heating, cooling and other life support systems are all controlled by them" Clearly VERY uninterested with this science lesson Kragok said, "There is much else I want to know but first let's go above ground or to somewhere more comfortable." "The Great hall will have a more suitable temperature for us all once the thawing is complete. Except for Ayashi 'cause he likes it to be freezing cold." "Shut up." "If you would excuse us for a moment, Dark legion, Cel and I wouldn't mind an opportunity to dress." He said. In the pods cloths would have been useless and obtrusive but unlike other furies who felt no shame with their natural appearance Ayashi had been installed with a certain degree of modesty concerning his appearance. He always felt obligated to cover at least his chest and shoulders where white crabshell covered him. Dressing was only an excuse though, what he really wanted was a chance to talk with Celebra. "Very well." Kragok said. The two strange creatures guided them to an exit near the entrance they had used in the tree. Then retreated back into their lair and, promising to return soon, sliped out of sight. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- As Kragok and the others were wandering in the fortress Julie-Su had snuck off, trying to get far away from that zone. To her surpirse she had walked only a short distance and found Knuckles alone near the old Mount Fate in the marble zone. This wasn't a place where anyone usually went and she wondered what he was doing way out here. He had been meditating again... something he seemed to do far too often in her oppinion. His fire ant teacher Archamedis encouraged him to do it every day. He was mumbling something anegerly interjecting his grumbles with the meditative 'Om' sound. "Om......Stupid Archimedies and his meditation!.....Om......Stupid cold! Stupid ant, make sit and be cold! Om. Stupid snow!" Julie-Su didn't interrupt him but rather crept up from behind and waited until he was finished to sneak up on him. He continued to mumble complaints "Om..........I'm missing the winter carnival! Stupid friends, probably having the time of their life without me. Om. Stupid, borring meditation, Where's Julie-Su? She's always around but not when I'm bored. Om......... .. Stupid Julie-Su.....Om..... Probably out chasing beetles in the Sandopolis Zone with the rest of the Legion loosers.....Om......." Julie-Su continued to wait. A few minutes later he got up and turned around nearly bumping into her. "Hey, Red." She said pulling down her black hood. Knuckles noticed an angry frowning sort of smile on her face. She must have herd all that 'Stupid Julie-Su' stuff he said. "I knew you were there." he said lamely "Yea, right." "No, I really did know you were there." "Whatever." Knuckles didn't feel that he could waste the energy to argue. He was hungry and tired. Archamedies had been planing to send him out into the wilderness for some little fasting/meditation thing for quite some time. It was supposed to last for three days and he was supposed to go for the whole three days without sleep, water, food or contact with anyone. He was supposed to be alone right now meditating. He didn't tell his friends where he was going (or that he was going at all for that matter!). In fact they had expected him to be at the winter carnival watching them in the big ice boat race, not allowed to compete himself because he wasn't 16 yet. He expected that they were probably pretty mad that he didn't show up. The journey had begun this morning in the marble zone while Kragok had been giving his 'Tired of tents' oration to his minions. Durring this journey Knux would have to traverse the whole island on foot. He was only about five hours into his trip when he became desperatly bored and hungry (All he ate for breakfast was a few grapes.) when Julie-Su came along. He was so happy to see her (or anyone for that matter)that he had a hard time keeping up his usual appearence of apathy towards her. He didn't care about breaking the rules about seeing people right now, She'd only stick around for a while anyway since Kragok was keeping heavy tabs on her now. "So what are you up to way out here?" Julie-Su asked him, her anger fading. "Fasting. Metitating. Ya know the usual thing." "Fasting?" "Yea, that's when you don't eat and stuff." "Why? For how long?" "Just three days. This is supposed to be a three day journey to 'find my soul' or something, It's not my Idea. Archimedies is making me" he roled his eyes then turned up his nose and mimiced Archimedie's voice, "No food, no water, no people. To find answers you must look within yourself, Bla bla. This isn't a journey through the Floating island, it's a journey through your oun counciousness. You have to thin about nothing and concentrate on the answers.You'r father did this and his father blablabla! I suck. Bal bla! So basicly it means I have to do it too." "No people?" "Yes. I guess I am bending the rules some. So what's up in Dark Legion Land?" he said trying to change the subject. "Are you going to ask if we caught any sand beetles lately? Is that what you think we do?" "You aren't STILL mad about that? I was angry when I said it. I want to know what you've been up to. I'ts been a couple of days since I saw you." he said. Julie-Su paused for a moment. At first wondering if this was genuine caring or a form a scarcasam. Or maybe it was an act, maybe he was just using her to get to the Dark Legion. That had always been a small fear tucked away in the back of her mind; was he just pretending to be a friend so he could bring the Legion down from the inside? She wanted to tell him how she felt that something bad was going to happen whenever she thought of the base or the freedom fighters or him. She wanted to tell him about what she had herd about the old base being restored, but she wasn't sure that she had herd right. She didn't know what else could have excited Kragok so much but she wasn't sure that the information was right. It seemed improbable that everything was fixed so naturally she was slow to believe. She also felt that it wouldn't be a good idea to tell Knuckles of the feeling of danger she had, it might scare him,or he might just laugh at her intuition... The other reason she hesitated to tell him was that if he tried to stop them from using their old headquarters Kragok would know that she had been communicating with the guardian. He probably suspected treachery in her all along. She remembered the piercing mechanical stare he had given her. Every time he glanced her way she felt as though he knew exactly what she was thinking and was waiting for the right second to expose her. She wasn't a popular member of the Dark Legion but they seemed to keep her around for some reason. She could never get kicked out, one more screw up would kill her. They would never simply let her go... She searched for the right words to tell him what she wanted to, "We're leaving camp the Sandopolis zone." She said. Her eyes wouldn't meet this for some reason but that was a good enough answer. It wasn't a lie. "Where are you going." Knuckles asked. Something told him that she was hiding something. Julie-Su was always hiding something. She existed in two worlds that could never come together, and she struggled with all her power to keep them apart. She always changed the subject when questions of he past or family were raised but Knux understood that... this was different. The Legion was dangerous, anything about plans or important stuff like that could pose a threat to the Floating island...maybe Mobius as well. He had to draw it out of her. "You know the old base?" Knux laughed, "Yea, That place is trashed good! Good luck fixin' it, Babe! Maybe by the time your eighty you'll be halfway done!" "NEVER CALL ME THAT!!! and for your information it's already fixed!" (How could I have let that slip out! aww!, too late he knows now) Knux drew back and looked away. He looked away mostly so she wouldn't see he was smiling. He loved making her mad like that. They always bickered like that. Then it hit him how weird it was that the Dark Legion's old digs were back up and running. It couldn't be... he had seen that dump wasted only a few months ago. It totally overloaded. "You're joking...right?...I mean...how?" "I don't know... That's just what I herd... but I dunno, Knux. I've got a bad feeling about all this..." "Bad feeling?" "Yea, like when you're a little kid and you think there's, like, a monster under your bed or something? When ever you have to go to bed at night you get this sinking feeling? 'cause you think it's going to get you....Well that's what it was like when I was around the old base." "You think there's a monster in the old Dark Legion H.Q. because of something you might have misheard?" He said in a disbelieving, somewhat condescending tone. "No! Well, I don't know what exactly but..." "Your afraid of it?" Just then a strange thought hit her. "....No, Knux. I think I'm afraid FOR it." Knuckles paused for a moment not knowing what to say. There was silence between them, an uncomfortable silence. "I guess I better go then." Julie-Su said "...If you're breaking the rules...I don't want you to get in trouble." "It's OK." Julie-Su started to wander off, "What if the Legion starts to cause trouble and you're not here?" she asked "I don't think that the island is going to fall out of the sky if I stop thinking about it for five seconds." He smiled. ", Anyway I gotta hike to Angel's island about now if I want to cross the whole island in time. I'll catch ya later..., babe." He said using a precious bit of energy in runing off. It was worth it to get the last word in and make her mad. "DON'T CALL ME BABE!" She yelled after him. "He did that just to get me mad!'' she growled. It was no use yeling at him he was gone. Julie-Su sighed, pulled up the hood of her cloak and started her trip back to the site where the legion was before anyone realized that she was gone. By the time she got there Kragok was up on a makeshift platform with a podium about to give another speech. Everyone waited atentivly for him to begin, but Kragok waited just as atentivly for their 'New friends' to arive. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Haven ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hiden from the sight of Knuckles and Julie-Su was a tiny floating camera. Sometimes when she was with Knuckles Julie-Su felt like she was being watched but didn't think much of it. There probably wasn't anyone really watching anyway, she would think. A tiny figure was standing on a big control panel of a huge monitoring system. He was a fire ant. He wore dull green boots, vest and a hat. Siting in a chair behind him was an echidna with gloves Simmilar to Knuckle's. He was trying to hide a small laugh. "What's so funny, Loke?" Archamedies almost snarled "He reminds me of me when you made me do that stupid meditaion trip." "You were never that obnoxious." "You thought so when I was his age!" "I hate young guardiens." "No matter," Loke brought himself back to his usualstate of seriousness, it was needed for dealing with the matter at hand. In Haven they would wait in the shadows and interviene if necessary. Archimedies was annoyed that Knuckles had broken one of the many rules that had been set out for him but it might become nesessary to break moreif he was to protect the island from this new threat. The matter was not that serious yet, however. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ayashi's room Inside the fortress ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- "I don't like it, Cel." Ayshi said, or rather thought. Whenever they were alone they would comunicate with thoughts rather than words like many of their people. There were only a few designed with no fire ant OR Snow crab genes who couldn't comunicate in this way. The lavender creature was perched softly on the bed in Ayshi's room bouncing slightly on the springs while he was pulling on his gold colored boots. Everything before this had been a dream to her. When she woke up she scarcely remembered to breath. The concept of living was so abstract to her yet she knew it so well. She remembered this room, as well as all the others. They were all friendly, personal type places with soft light and colors. Everyone was allowed to decorate their personal space as they pleased, before the Black Squadrent came along. They had striped away everything but the bare floor and walls in each room and shoved their personal posetions behind closed doors, locking away their personalities. From a closet Ayshi withderw his belt and his sholder covering garment that hid the crabshell. Celebra rolled her eyes. "Not that stupid thing again!" she thought looking at the blue and brass cloke that fastened with in the front with brass bulkles. "It looks like a cape!" The springs squeeked as she bounced. Completly ignoring her he continued to fasten the brass buckles on his belt. "What's wrong, Ayshi? Why won't you talk to me? You're so iritable today." (The springs squeeked) "And you're being way too friendly to those men! Telling them everything you can about us when they don't need to know. You just love an opertunity to shoot off your mouth. Your youth makes you impetious, why won't you grow up?" "I'd rather be young and impetious than old and lame like you! When I chose my age I put a great deal of thought into it. You just selected the master's age. I think you should change!" "You don't understand. Nobody respects you because your just a kid! Don't you hate that? I mean, your a briliant scientist but...." "I can live without respect....as long as I'm loved." She stopped bouncing and looked up into his eyes with a gental and loving look in her's. "That's another thing that's wrong!" He snaped Celbra rose from his bed, golden eyes flaming. "What?" she asked almost angerly. "Us." He could see that he had hurt her with that remark. "...because of the age difference, I mean. 16 years is a lot....and your just a kid....I mean....jeeeezz.....I..." No matter what he said he souldn't make it better. Those Birthies, the ones with parents born from an egg or womb saw things diferently than them. "We're only a month apart! Gah, It's not like....." "....I know....but Bithies like them don't understand that. They see age in a different way." She shot him a sideways glance. " I don't think this is about us. You've had a thing against Birthies ever since the purification. Not without just cause either, but these people awakened us. That means the Birthies of mobius have forgiven us!" "You didn't hear their thoughts at first. It was the worst feeling ever, hate and fear...I just coulldn't stand it. Didn't you see my pod? It was wasted. I did that." "But they know that you could have wasted them. Where is the hate now? I didn't feel it." "It disappeared after I destroyed the pod but I don't trust them, Cel..." "Don't trust who?" Queried an odd looking white echidna with large, black tipped ears protruding above his dreads and a long, fury black tail while standing in the doorway. He was thickly covered with hard, white shell, more so than Ayashi, For him the shell covered the whole of his abdomen, thighs and upper arms as well as his neck and shoulders. He had the same sharp, almond eyes that the others had, they were frosted and colourless. He was wet with the sticky pod water and naked so it was easy to see that he has just come from his birth pod a few minutes ago. "Spade!" Celebra squealed running over to him. "Were you guys doing that mind talk thing again, You promised you wouldn't do that around me." A young, beautiful, bright red female echidna walked in wringing water out of her long silky dreadlocks. She was tall and perfectly formed. About twenty or so in age. Her eyes were a dark and empty royal blue. She was followed closely by a tall, brown coyote/antelope like creature with light brown eyes, a tan muzzle and belly and very dark brown, long hair. It was wet now but when it was dry it was wild and spiky she always pulled it back into a pony tail and wore a red headband to cover the sharp, little horn stubs that grew from her head. She was about fifteen or the same age as The Second but much taller and older looking. Her delicately small cloven hooves clicked loudly on the metal floor as she walked. She was holding a little grayish white ball of fur and feathers tightly in her arms. "Spade! Code? Akuma? we're all here." Ayashi said with the second real smile he had cracked since waking up. Breaking away from Spade's bear hug Celebra turned to Akuma. "Is that...Serafhum?" She said looking down at the tiny gray winged mink in her friend's arms. The baby's fur was so soft and silky especially the gorgeous, long tail, she had a tiny, cute nose and little pointed ears. On her chest and around her wrists there were gray morning dove feathers and on the edge of her fingertips were bird-like talons. "Well I don't see who else it could be. Look at the paint job she still got!" Akuma pointed tothe excessive indigo and blue dye in the baby's tail, head, and puff of chest feathers. Seraphim was infamous for these colors. The baby looked up at Celebra with shocking blue eyes. "There's my lil angel!" Celebra cooed sweeping up the child. "Grb burble!" The baby laughed. "Put her down, Cel. It's not like she's a real little baby or something." "Yes she is, Aki" Celebra spun her around. "Murmphle geena weee!" Sputtered Seraphim. "Well not for long anyway." The coyote said touching a short stub of a horn growing from her headand parting a messy mane of tangled hair over them to cover the 'deformity'. "Here take these." Ayashi handed them old Black Squadron robes. "We're going to the surface." They all quickly assembled. "I don't wanna wear this anymore. I hate it." Code whined Code was the only one of them who was NOT a genetic mix of several animals. She was a clone of the master's wife spliced from a piece of fur taken from her dead body and mixed with some of his own DNA. He considered her the daughter that he and his wife never had. He excluded all the bad qualities that she could inherit and only beauty, charm and intelligence was left, but something seemed missing in her. He programmed her with vast knowledge in al forms of technology, especially computer programming, she excelled beyond his wildest expectations. Needless to say she was the favorite. She also received none of the prejudiced that was aimed at the rest who's physical adaptations made them appear deformed. During the time when the Black squadron was 'purifying' mobius, animals who were not actually genetically engineered were killed for having any physical deformity at all. Code, who actually WAS an unnatural creature was never targeted for genocide. No one was feeling right today. They had just woke up after being frozen for a number of years in cryogenic suspension. Ayashi was suspicious, Code was unusually whiny and Akuma was irritable. Celebra was anxious. She wasn't used to living. When the Snow crab, Metellius ushered her into the life pod and she had prepared herself for the fact that no one would ever wake them up. She felt that every second led her closer to death and she was aware of the death of the bacteria all around her. She dreaded going topside and seeing all the death out there. Spade remembered stepping inside and watching the door come down. There was a great number of his brothers and sisters outside, but they did not say 'good-bye' no one said good-bye, everyone wanted to believe that someone would wake them up in the future but it was unlikely that anyone but the Black squadron would. The sleek metal smooth floor felt pleasantly cool on his bear feet, he stood straight in the position that he would assume for his long dormancy period with his head bowed and arms crossed. Metal hooks snapped hold of his shoulders, legs and waist and a breathing mask was clasped over his open mouth. This all happened in a heartbeat, monitoring system wires wrapped around him like snakes, with minds of their own. A pipe near the bottom near the back of the pod ,that he could see slightly if he turned his head enough, was ejaculating the clear life preservation liquid into the capsule. This special liquid could change temperatures quickly and as soon as the space inside the pod was full of the liquid he would be flash frozen. Within 5 seconds even his now warm body would be at absolute zero and dead to the world. As the liquid flooded above his eyes he could no longer see the outside through his small window. He felt a great lingering bitterness for this world. Now he was awake and all he could think about was how the world had shunned him. He wanted revenge. "Fine I'll wear it, but I don't want to" sighed Code. "I'm sure none of the guys want you to either." Spade joked "What's that supposed to mean?!" "Ayashi, I think it's time to go up and meet the Black Sq--- I mean the Dark Legion." Celebra interrupted "(Who are they?)" wondered Akuma Celebra answered out loud for the benefit of Sister Third, "Our saviors. Their leader is a descendant of the master. They wear the cloaks of the Squadron." "Cel is right. (sort of) Everyone, let's go." They started off, "Wait!" he said stopping abruptly "What about our brothers and sisters who have yet to awaken?" "We left Chash in the Great hall while we went to find you. He'll stay with them." Akuma said. "Ok. Let's get this over with." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Julie-Su was getting irate. A five minuit wait turned to ten, then fifteen. The legioneers were restless as well. The croud figited and talked among themselves. "What do you think is going on?" Someone whispered in Julie-Su's direction. "I don't have a clue. Looks like those guys that went in with Kragok have a pretty good idea, look at 'em there. They look like they'v seen a ghost!" she whispered back "What would you know, Girlie?" another fur in front of her turned around and sneered. 'Great' she thought. Some looser want's to pick a fight. Julie-Su would try to stop it before it anyone started anything major but there were some who just thought picking on her would be fun. "More than you." she sighed. This would end when punches were thrown for sure. No matter what she did. "Juvinile idiot!" "Ooooo. good one!" "Shut up." "No. I think I'll not shut up right now, thankyou. Why dont' you just take back that lame little 'Juvinile idiot' quip of yours?" "Make me." He laughed "What was that? Sorry, I dont speak Lamer." "I said: Make me, Pinky!" "Make you what?" She was deliberatly trying to annoy him and it was suceeding. "Make me take it back." "Nah. You're not worth it." "Not gonna do anything, huh?" He said in a condecendingly sweet voice. "Why don't you just talk to that tree over there. There's a better chance IT will listen to you. Although it IS a step up from you on the I.Q. scale I'm sure it will understand." A lot of the legion members were more rude to her than usual since her apparent desertion. They already say her as weak, even though she had prooven them wrong countless times. She could fight, shoot and do anything as good as any male member of the legion. Her lack of commitment gave those who saw femle legioneers as weak extra ammo, so to speak, in the little verbal battles that went on. The legioneer who had been harassing her mumbeled something and turned around. Julie-Su was confident that she had won THAT little 'battle of whits', (if you could call it that.) She watched as he whispered to some of the people beside him and they talked back and fourth for a few seconds, pausing to look at her every once in a while. Then the same guy who had hurled the lame insult turned again as if ready to say something to her. Under his hood she could tell he was giving her a VERY dirty look. His buddies were stonefaced and backed him like a wall. "Well?" she said with a sullen trace of fear in her eyes that she hoped they didn't see. "Well?! You gonna fix my wagon or what?" "To tell the truth I'm not sure what to do," he cooed, draging out his words in a sweet, innocent voice, "On one hand I would never hit a lady, on the other hand, you are not a lady (small gigle from the croud. Julie-Su's face tightened)...on the other hand...." "Wait. That's three hands!" "So?" "So, you only have two. You're missing one," Smiling with the same overly nice, fake sweetness, "Here, let me give you a......., HAND!" On the word 'hand' She threw a sharp right into his gut "Hugh!" He he grunted, falling to the ground clutching his abdomin in pain. Everyone was watching now, some quite enthusiasticly, some seemed worried, the eight who were with Kragok in the base seemed to be in a trance. Julie-Su saw that some in the crowd were were placing bets. Four claoked echidna were helping up the one who she had hit. "You'll...(gasp).. pay for that, woman!" he panted lifting himself to his feet. "Sorry I don't have any cash on me. Will you take a cheque?" She charged at him attempting to do a hockey style sholder check but one of his pals pushed her away. One of the other four caught her and tossed her on the ground like a limp rag. There was a loud cheer from one side of the croud of spectators and another side booed. She opened her eyes realizing she was on her back. A black boot was about ready to come down on her face, she roled away just in time and jumped to her feet. The five legioneers were surrounding her. Up on the podium Kragok attempted to see through the croud who the combatants were, but even if the path of his vision was clear he could'nt tell anyone apart with their hoods on. Julie-Su felt a sharp kick to the back of her knee that knocked her of ballance and caused her to fall, once more, on her back. She reached back blindly and ciesed his leg pulling him to the ground with her. She strugled to her feet on her throbbing knee. She steped on the one who dead-leged her as he lay on the ground. He yelped in pain as she grinded her heel into his ribs. The screem grew smaller and relinquished. Kragok started pushing his way through the croud towards the struggle. One of the group members tried to grab her by the hood but she turned around just in time and punched him hard in the face. There was a ringing sound as if she had hit metal. He did not budge or appear hurt in any way. She looked at her fist and noticed that there was fresh blood oozing through the cloth of her glove. Someone suceeded in grabing her hood, he yanked it off, and now had her by her cyber dreads. The one who started the fight decided to use her like a punching bag while she was being held. With the slaps and jabs of a metalic fist everything became slowly black. With her elbow she jabed the one who was holding her. He tuged harder on her hair, nearily lifting her from the ground. Semi councious she jabed again, harder this time and he let go with a loud groan. Julie-Su high kicked someone in the face, triped another and grabed hold of her origional adversary. She puled on his arm, causing the elbow to bend the wrong way until she herd a snap, while he was hunched over she brought her knee into his face and then followed that by jabbing him on the back with the elbow of her metal arm. She let go of his arm and he slid silently to the ground. She reached up to wipe the wetness from her face and realized that it was not sweat, but blood. Kragok mannaged to break through the wall of people at that point. Julie-Su knew that she was in trouble. The two remaining fighters tried to melt into the croud unsuccessfully. They were pushed back by the other legion members. "YOU AGAIN!" Kragok yelped at Julie-Su. Veins began to throb in his forehead, his eyes bulged as if they were about to explode. His left eye sparked violently. "What are we supposed to to do to keep you in line?!! What caused this?!! You two," he shrieked at the two who were not hurt. "Remove your hoods!" (Julie-Su was already sans hood) Few of the members of the legion were ever seen with their face uncovered. It was only those of very high rank to be destinguished from the common ones or a source of shame or punishment. For Kragok to ask to see their faces ment that they were in a great deal of trouble. Julie-Su noticed that there was a superficial dent where she had punched the echidna with the steel face plate. "So what is it this time, Kragie?" Julie-Su sighed. Though he frightened her immensly she tried not to show it. She had to stay tough. She always hid behind her mask of confidence and attitude. It was her shield. If anyone hurt her physically she could always strike back but to hurt her feelings..... "Kitchen duty? Guard Detail? Both? Come on." Kragok's metal claw snaped tightly aroung her throat. She choked. There was immense pressure on her windpipe making it hard for her to breath. "I should have killed you the first time I had a chance," He hissed in a rasping voice too low for the crowd to hear. He then droped her and turned away. ",But I wanted to see why you deserted. I HAD MY SUSPITIONS, MIND YOU!" Kragok turned around to face her again but she had disappeared into the bush. "We will go after her master." Said the steel faced one. "Unnecessary." Kragok said smiling calmly looking into the bush after their fleeing friend.