The King is gone, but he’s not forgotten;
This is the story of a Johnny Rotten,”
--Neil Young
Chapter One: Out of the Blue and Into the Black
As he made his way toward the council hall, Sonic knew there would be trouble. Although he could dash like a typhoon, today his feet moved like a slow stream. He scowled all the way to the door and knocked. "Come in!" A voice echoed. Sonic sighed, and entered. "Hey Sal," Sonic whispered as he slunk into the room. "That's Princess Acorn," replied Sally. She wore a suit and tie, and sat behind a desk above Sonic. He winced at her attire. What had become of his friend? "A formal mode of addressing me would be deemed respectful," Sally finished coldly. Sonic observed how shortly her hair was cut. It inched further toward her scalp than ever.
"Aw, c'mon Sal...," Sonic began.
"I would appreciate it if you would speak only when spoken to Agent Hedgehog,” Sally interrupted. “Otherwise the council will hold you in contempt.”
Irritated, Sonic bit his lip. He scowled as Rotor handed Sally a paper “You recently terminated three of Snively’s factories,” she read. “That was commendable work,” She narrowed her eyes. “However, this report shows that two underage trainees assisted you in planting explosives. That’s a violation of kingdom policy. Not to mention risking the lives of young people.” Sally sat the paper down. She stared sternly. “Any explanation for that, Agent Hedgehog?” she asked.
"Uh, yeah. I'm following your lead," Sonic said sarcastically. "You didn't raise a finger back in th’ day when I’d take Tails everywhere to bust Buttnik’s chops. You put Amy on the team when she could barely lift that hammer, prolly just ‘cause it’d annoy me. If they're good to go, how come these two ain’t?"
Exasperated, Sally lifted a hand to her head and sighed. "Look Son...Agent Hedgehog, we're in the process of re-establishing the kingdom. Now that Robotnik is defeated, it is important we..."
“Aw, c'mon Sal, it's me, Sonic! Don't pull that salty jargon on me. You sound like Ant.”
"Sonic, a little decorum please?" Sally implored, lifting her head.
"Sonic, that's better," he proclaimed, crossing his hands proudly. "Has a nice ring, don't it? So, you wanna tell me why you're bugg’n then?"
"We can discuss that later. At present, I require an explanation.”
"Can't we talk it out now? What's holding up the ol' parade?"
"We're in council, Agent Hedgehog. Therefore, it is inappropriate to speak informally."
"Okay, I took those girls along ‘cause they had the right skills for the job. I wanted to see if they were ready, and they were."
"Perhaps, but it doesn't change the fact that they were not officially cleared for such a task," Sally retorted.
"Because your politico buddies say so? Hey, here's an idea: Stop trying to turn the Freedom Fighters- who defeated Robotnik by doing things our way- into stooges to some medieval regime. That’s what got your dad creamed in less’n a week."
"Outrageous!" sounded a gruff voice. Sonic turned his head to see Geoffrey Saint John pointing directly at him. "Princess Acorn, may I beseech the council to dismiss and discipline Agent Hedgehog for his patent disregard for the judicial process?"
“Overruled Agent Saint-John,” Sally replied. She lifted a hand towards Geoffrey in a halting motion, but did not turn to face him. Instead, her eyes remained locked on Sonic. “Please continue, Agent Hedgehog.”
"Well like, uh,” stammered Sonic. He did not expect Sally to show him support, and he fumbled for words. “Well, see, I… I was talking to Tails' dad earlier, right…" Sonic went on. He paused to stare at his left shoe as it ground into the floor. "He said that what I was doing is exactly what he woulda done. He said that we could only ever fight the last war we were in; each one brings new weapons, new tech. But strategy stands.”
“Even so, your risk of minor safety was unjustified. We are not an anarchic resistance movement. We’re a functioning kingdom. Agents Prowder and Rose functioned as field agents when there were no alternatives. That does not warrant these two new…”
“Yo, I disagree,” interrupted Sonic with a loud clap of his hands. “We won the first war ‘cause we were juicing with some young blood, y’know? As those two kids’ chief liaison, I got the final say.”
“With deference to your rank Agent Hedgehog, as princess, I must respectfully add that…”
“Yo’, how about I ‘respectfully' add something first, hey?” interrupted Sonic, with a loud clap of his hands. “I ain't gonna stick around here to be duped into losing with strategies that didn't wash the first time around.” Sonic pointed a finger towards the exit. “And if y’all can’t respect that, this hedgehog is bailing, bro.”
Sally studied Sonic. She stroked her chin for a few moments, while Rotor buried his brow in his hand. Geoffrey’s expression darkened, as his fingers drummed upon his desk. The rest of the council nervously twitched and exchanged worried glances. “Thank you Agent Hedgehog,” Sally finally said. “That will be all.”
“I ain't no agent,” stated Sonic, as he turned to leave. “I’m a Freedom Fighter.” Then he disappeared, not spending a glance on the council. “Obstinate little toad,” hissed Geoffrey after the door shut.
“There will be no use of racist terminology during council meetings,” replied Sally, as her eyebrows creased with contempt. “My apologies Princess,” Geoffrey sputtered. “But why is he in the field, let alone supervising minors?”
Sally considered her words carefully. “He's certainly not what you'd expect to find in the Freedom Fighters these days,” she offered. “Most soldiers would sooner give up their mothers than disregard authority.” With a hint of a smile she added, “I think that's how he won us the war.”
“You can't really mean that can you?” asked Geoffrey.
"Yes and no," Sally answered. She paused to sip her water. "Sonic is the exception that proves the rule. His roguish nature is what makes him an excellent soldier. Sonic's not cut out for training though, never will be. It's a shame; he's got a lot he could teach. But he's grown up as much as he's likely to."
"He's useful to have on-field though," offered Rotor.
"In any case, I hope you relieve him of his training duties soon,” spat Geoffrey. “Did hear that garbage he said about the king?"
"My father made a lot of mistakes." Sally sighed. "He was a good leader, but he was not a warrior, or a keen judge of character. He trusted Naugus. He trusted Robotnik. To say that those were mistakes is an understatement. When I met him in the void, he admitted to that. The crown is not flawless. If I was a perfect regent, there would be no need for this council."
"Perhaps," said Geoffrey, inhaling deeply.
“In any case, we have other matters to review," said Sally. She motioned for Rotor to pass her additional files. Sally’s hands folded over one another as he laid the documents upon the desk. She sat upright, her feet stiff. Her eyes wandered restlessly, before narrowing to slits as she began to read.
***
Sonic sat quietly upon a dune. His eyes glanced down the beach and up towards the gulf. The steam from his coffee cup drifted softly. It disappeared into gusts of autumn air. It was an uncharacteristically sedate moment for the young hedgehog. His lust for a constant rush vanished when he was hurt. This emotion was rare for him, but it was frequent enough that Sally knew where to find him. Sonic always went to the beach when he felt upset. Timidly, she approached. "You coming scouting tonight?" she asked. "I wasn't planning on it," Sonic replied. He did not look at her.
"Sonic, about the council-"
"We can have this talk when you tell 'em where to stick it." Sonic grunted. "Sal, you’re way past cool, but you go all business-like around them. I know they're your Dad's buddies, but they don't know what they're talking about! Everyone on the team agrees. We all miss you being out there with us."
“That’s not fair Sonic,” replied Sally. “We still spend time together.” She crossed her arms sternly. Her head tilted and her brow furrowed. Sonic turned to look at her. Free-range wisps of hair cascaded over her snout. Sally must have cut her hair herself, he mused. Then he spoke up. “Oh, you’re a wild one alright,” he said as he stood up, straight as a staff. He made a mock-salute at his friend, wearing a characteristically sarcastic grin. “That Sally Acorn and her antics; staying up until nine-thirty to say g’night to everyone, Then waking up at five-thirty in th’ a.m. to get back to work.”
"Sonic," Sally lamented, before Sonic’s laughter stifled her protests. Sonic began to march around chuckling. He saluted her in an over-exaggerated manner. Sally joined in laughing. For a brief moment, they were children again. When the two calmed, they exchanged a grin. It melted into a serious expression. They shared an awkward stare for a few beats, until Sonic finally broke the silence. “Seriously Sal, whenever I get in I see you sleeping. Then you're gone before I wake up."
"Typical,” sighed Sally. “You're not thinking responsibly Sonic. You never have."
“You wanna talk about responsibility?” asked Sonic. “Which one of us couldn't take the heat of field-duty and bugged out?”
“It’s not that simple...” began Sally.
“Why not Sal?” asked Sonic. “It looks pretty cut ‘n dry to me. When it comes to responsibility, I got the hang of it. I’m the one out there taking care of business. You stick around at home hob-knobbing with higher-ups. What does that tell you?”
“Things aren’t black and white,” replied Sally. “If you’d just give me a minute to explain I could…”
“No,” Sonic interrupted. “I’m done listening. Words don’t say jack. Actions do. Y’wanna impress me? Show me you’re the gal I made friends with.” Before Sally could respond, Sonic’s sneakers twirled into twin tornados. There was a flash of blue, and a gust of wind sent Sally to her knees. Sonic was gone, and Sally sighed. She shook her head, as she considered that she might be deserving of his scorn. When the final leaves settled, Sally arose to look around. Confirming his absence, she strolled aimlessly down the dune. She paused at the Great Forest, to frown at her reflection in a puddle. She did not recognize herself, and found that frustrating. Eventually, she trailed toward the village. The winds were cold, but she was grateful for the sensation. It distracted from the cold that lingered from Sonic's words. As she arrived in Knothole, she debated what to do next. Perhaps she should see a friend, or maybe visit the library.
Laughter distracted Sally. "Listen, if you two darn-fool boys keep stomping around my garden, I'm gonna have both your behinds, okay?" lectured a portly walrus. Sally instantly recognized him as Rotor. He was flabbergasted, but not irate. Before him was a bee wearing goggles, and a crocodile wearing headphones. They cackled like two teenage gargoyles. A purple chameleon observed them silently from afar. "Hey Vector," laughed the bee. "Call the cops! Rotor wants to have us in our behinds!"
"Chill Charmy," replied the crocodile. "I dunno if we should go that far. We're detectives ourselves, right? Maybe we can just like, give him a warning?” He chortled mindlessly. Sally observed bemused petulance on their faces, while Rotor sighed. Sally's mouth gaped open in surprise, and she lifted two dainty fingers to her lips in a feminine gesture. Realizing what she had done, she slapped them away. She quickly upheld a masculine stance, and dropped her eyes to her feet while Rotor continued speaking. "Stop messing around, and beat it," Rotor replied. "I don't want to be here all night; I've got work to do. Why don't you go find something to expand your minds?"
"Heh, heh. You mean like ecstasy?" sniggered Vector.
"No Vector," Rotor groaned. "I meant why not go read a book?”
"Uh, because reading sucks," replied Vector.
"I like books!" chirped Charmy.
"No you don't Charmy," said Vector. "You can't even read."
"Well, I like, you know, to lookit the pictures and stuff. Sometimes, if you squint, the costumes on the super-chicks are so tight it looks like they're naked, hehehehehe..."
"Hey, zip it guys," Sally said. Her pretty face was accentuated by the severity in her eyes. Charmy and Vector recoiled, and looked at her. "Do you mean comic books, Charmy?" she asked.
"Comics!" chirped Charmy. He began pounding a gloved fist into the air, as he hovered in mid-flight. "Co-MICS! Co-MICS! Co-MICS!" he chanted.
"Listen you two; I'm heading over to the library..."
"Uh, last time I checked there were like...three of us, or something," said Vector. He turned to look at Espio. The chameleon raised a hand in a friendly gesture before returning to his stoic stance. The serious expression never left his face.
"Okay, the three of you then. I was thinking of visiting the library. They have comics in the kid's section. If it'll make you leave poor Rotor alone, would you like to come?"
"Ha, ha, you said cum," laughed Vector. Sally shook her head in disgust.
"I don't wanna go to no library," Charmy protested. He buzzed left and right with agitation. "Libraries are for wussies! We're like, cool and stuff!"
"Don't be stupid Charmy," replied Vector. "It's not just for wussies, Sally goes."
"Oooh, oh yeah," replied Charmy.
"So obviously it's for boring nerds too."
"That's it, just get out of here," said Sally. "I'm princess, I order it."
"Uh, okay," said Vector. "It sucks here anyway." The trio departed. Charmy flew beside Vector’s head while Espio trailed behind them. "Heh, heh, hey Charmy...what word begins with f and ends with u c k?" Vector asked as they disappeared into the crowd. "Uh, firetruck?" offered Charmy. Vector swatted him out of the air in mid-flight. "Goddammit Charmy, you weren't supposed to guess the joke."
Sally turned around to face Rotor. "I'm really sorry about that Rotor," she offered. "S'okay," Rotor replied. "Honestly, I don't know why Espio hangs around those two."
"Probably to stop them licking plug sockets," Sally replied. She pinched the bridge of her nose with mock disgust. "Remember when they met Shadow for the first time?"
"I'd rather not." Rotor chuckled. "It’s nice to see you again. It's been a while since we saw each other outside of council."
“Yeah, I’ve been keeping busy.” Sally replied.
“Same here,” smiled Rotor. “What have you been working on?”
“Oh, you know… lots of bureaucratic gobbledygook. Plenty of paper work, private meetings, that sort of thing.”
“Ah, so it’s just the same old, same old then?”
“Yeah, pretty much.”
“It’s been more or less the same from my end.”
“Got anything new to report?”
“Since this morning?” laughed Rotor.
“I guess,” grinned Sally bashfully. Her cheeks blushed behind her fur.
“Well, you know from the council meeting that I’ve been trying to upgrade Nicole. Hopefully we’ll be able to do so in time to rescue Bunnie.”
“Shouldn’t be a problem,” replied Sally. “Things will work out. They always do.”
“Don’t tempt the gods Sally,” laughed Rotor. “Anyway, I just wanted to get rid of those kids. I better get back to work.”
“Can I come in and see?” asked Sally meekly. She craned her neck toward him.
“What’s this, Sally Acorn taking a break?” sniggered Rotor. “Sleep safe, Knothole!”
“I just need to distract myself,” Sally replied. Rotor showed her indoors. “I feel a little…anxious.”
“Is that so?” asked Rotor as he shut the door behind Sally. “What is it with you two today?”
“Pardon me?”
“Sonic just passed through here quickly.” Rotor replied. He put on the kettle and pulled out a chair. Sally took a seat. “You two weren’t having a row, were you?”
Sally was silent. “He’s always passing through places quickly,” she finally said. “Did you hear a rumor? It could be Amy or someone jerking you around. Or has Elias contacted you from the Floating Island? He never approved of Sonic.”
“I haven’t spoken to your brother since he left. And apart from you and those kids, Sonic’s the only one I’ve spoken to in the past half-hour. He didn’t just zip past either. He paused for a moment, just to cuss me out over how I was treating them. Perhaps that has something to do with the meeting?”
“I doubt it,” said Sally. “It could be any number of things. Perhaps he’s upset about Bunnie.”
“Well, he only uses that sort of language when things are rough between the two of you,” murmured Rotor. He slipped his hands into his pockets and studied the tiles upon his ceiling.
“Do you drink, Agent Walrus?” asked Sally. Her eyes glanced upwards, and her voice swelled with authority.
“What?” Rotor asked. “No, of course not.”
“Don’t start.” Sally replied. “Your tongue is loose enough as is.”
Rotor felt taken aback. “Uh, did you still want to check out my work?”
“Maybe.” replied Sally coldly. “I really shouldn’t be away too long. Agent Walrus.”
"Heh, do you want a list of our first names? You're having difficulty with them." Rotor said with good nature. Sally put two digits to her temple. She faced Rotor with sleepy eyes. Slowly her mouth curled into a sardonic grin. The phrase “Ha-ha,” echoed from her lips in raspy whisper.
"Other than that, there are some new weapons I've made,” continued Rotor, ignoring Sally’s sarcasm.
“Well, I’m really here on business,” said Sally. “Nicole’s upgrades would be the most relevant advancement. They’re what will rescue Bunnie.”
“It’s like trying to use a sprinkler to put out a fire,” Rotor chuckled to himself. The whistling of the kettle drowned out his words. Rotor prepared himself a cup of coffee, as Sally raised an eyebrow silently. “Can I get you anything?” he asked.
“Sure Rotor,” Sally replied. “I wouldn’t mind a glass of water.”
“Not the usual cup of tea?” Rotor asked, turning his head casually.
“I said a glass of water,” replied Sally. "Caffeine is a drug. It is unsuitable for consumption by a regent."
"Fair enough," Rotor nodded, heading to pick up a jug. He sighed and poured her a glass. Sally noted the frustration in Rotor’s eyes. A twinge of guilt nipped at her heart. "Rotor, be honest with me. I’m not overbearing, am I?"
"Well... your fondness for calling us 'agent' is putting people off. In fact, folks seem awful sore about it. Only one that didn't was Fiona. I reckon that’s just because she didn't know you well. Sonic's ranting a lot, and Amy's always bringing it up. I think she's trying to build a wedge between you."
"I see,” said Sally. “Anything else?"
"Bunnie was hurt by the sudden change. Especially since the council looks down on her, because of her lowborn status and…condition. Tails is making jokes that you've been replaced with a robot again." In spite of herself, Sally burst out laughing. “As a matter of fact, I still have my glowing red eyes. I use them to get traffic to stop at night.” Rotor gave Sally a good-natured pat on the back. “I’m glad I’ve caught you in one of your relaxed moments,” Rotor smiled. “You know how I am Rotor,” Sally said. “Tomorrow I might be a total witch, but right now I’ve got my act together.” Sally gulped down her water. Rotor leaned on the kitchen counter and sipped his coffee. In moments, Sally plopped her empty glass upon the table. “So, why not give me the run down on Nicole?”
“Sure,” replied Rotor. “You’ve heard the reports. Snively is planning something massive using nanite machinery. Our best guess is that he’s planning to turn our own technology against us. So what do we do, shut it all down?”
“What, and go without video games?” quipped Sally.
“Heh, I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t part of my motivation,” Rotor chortled. “But anyway, we were thinking. Why not upgrade Nicole into some nanites of our own? Then infect Snively’s tech? Turn his plan against him.”
"It's certainly a good idea. However, I don't want to expose her to that. She suffered a few nasty virus attacks from Robotnik's systems. That's just from a few minutes of contact."
"When I spoke to her, she seemed to like the idea."
"Why don't we go ask her then?" asked Sally. A hint of imperiousness was in her voice.
"Well, the two of us still have some kinks to work out,” said Rotor. “But sure, I guess we could take a few minutes.”
As Sally entered Rotor’s workshop, she heard rain pattering. She looked up, and saw the drizzling on the window. Autumn leaves stuck to it in clumps. The noise was soothing. The room smelled of oil and sweat. Despite the stench, Sally smiled. It stirred pleasant memories. She recalled her youth, watching Rotor work. Her eyes sifted through the shelves lining the walls. She noted the cluttered stacks of equipment, comics and video games. Rotor was the sort who spent his nights off reading old fantasy paperbacks. “Dork,” she whispered sentimentally, as Rotor fumbled in. The window light grew faint, so Rotor groped for a switch. Although Nicole illuminated the room with her glow, the hologram’s light was only adequate. Incompletely formed, she materialized from a projector across the room. “I nearly thought you expired out there Rotor,” Nicole said. She had the tact of a tree, and this was her idea of wit. Rotor said nothing.
“Sally,” greeted Nicole.
“Nicole,” replied Sally with a nod.
