Subj: KnK updates Date: 96-09-07 22:15:28 EDT From: ZJLM18@Access.ETSU-Tn.Edu (MIYAMOTO, JULIE LYNN) To: dgonterman@aol.com Sonic the Hedgehog-based series: "Kith and Kintobor." by Hysteria. Reality Base Sub Four: Alley Oop... Based on characters from Sega, Archie Comic Publications, and DIC Enterprises, Inc. This work is freeware and can be distributed freely provided it is not altered in any way, shape, or form and is not sold for monetary gain. The content of this work is not intended to infringe on the rights of Sega or any related companies and may be destroyed if ever the need should arise. Author's note: Is it me, or is this plot line dragging out? Hehe... And I guess this no longer fits all that nicely into your stories, huh, Dave? Well, just call it another one of those "Alternate Realities" and enjoy, I suppose. Don't worry. It's all starting to piece together now. This is a rewritten update on the original version. * * * "Curses..." Deep within the halls of the Torrance branch of Maverick Industries, a shadowy figure crept her way through the halls. At lengths, a security guard robot approached, forcing the skulking thief into a hidden alcove. "Curse these stupid *machines*..." muttered the unidentified figure. "Of all the *stupid* things to have to specialize on, *why* did it have to be *MACHINES*???" As the mysterious person spoke, another sentry walked past. "Looks like I'll have to *cloak* it from here out..." With a wave of the hand, the shadowy figure became no more than a real shadow, which trailed its way undetected through the monitored halls. "Hmm... It's *gotta* be around here..." Another wave of an invisible hand and the cloaked figure now viewed the laboratory in infrared. "No... nothing there... or there... or the-- Wait!" A bright blue glow emanated from behind the third door on the left. "Ha, at last! I shall finally be free of this miserable world!" With a burst of strength, the cloaked person crashed through the door, reappearing in the act. The two people already in the room, an elderly man and a young blond girl, started bewilderedly at the spectacle. "What the--?" Dr. Light cried. "How did you get in here?" At first, the intruder said nothing, scanning the room for-- "Aha!" came the voice. "There it is, my ticket out of this miserable dump of a planet..." Roll lifted an arm, changing it into an energy gun. "What are you going to do??" she threatened, aiming. "Don't you touch a *thing*!!" A chuckle from beneath the intruder's wide-brimmed hat. A deft motion sent it whipping across the room, and for the first time, Dr. Light and Roll could get a good look at their nemesis... Roll gasped. "You--?? You're... but she's...??" Dr. Light reached a similar conclusion but displayed a different reaction. "You want the teleporter, don't you?" The intruder nodded. Swinging a froth of dark brown hair, she waved her hands in an intricate pattern of movements. From out of nowhere, a fist of force smacked into both doctor and assistant, pinning them to the wall. "...So you won't try to *stop* me," explained the intruder. Laughing triumphantly, she turned toward the teleporter... "Wait," cried Light through the fist of force. "Who are you, and why are you doing this?" Glancing back at the helpless pair musingly, she paused. "It has been my goal for nearly sixteen long years to get *off* this garbage heap of a world and get back to my old one, to have revenge on those who would expel me..." She turned her back on them. "As for who I am, call me... Mikano Andara..." With that, she turned on the teleporter and leapt into it, disappearing in a flash of light... ______________________________ Late that night, Davey and Sonic found themselves once again at the lake where Terri had disappeared. "This is all YOUR fault, Sonic," muttered the fox irritatedly. "If *you* had just *APOLOGIZED* to her, we wouldn't be OUT here in ankle-deep mud!" Sonic sneered back. "And if YOU hadn't taken that *WRONG TURN*," the hedgehog screamed, "we wouldn't be in ANKLE-DEEP MUD!!!" Davey raised his metallic fist to counter, when his infra-red sighting spotted something in the water. "Hold that thought," he said, moving toward the lake. Sonic saw it too and followed obediently behind, letting Davey test the footing. The bionic fox lifted up the object in the water. "Sealena!" he said, and the little otter roused at the sound of her name. "Davey?" she asked, rubbing her eyes and giggling. "'Water' YOU doing here?" The fox shook his head quietly. "We're looking for a redheaded human girl about 5'2", goes by name of--" "Terri??" she said, suddenly lighting up in horror. Then it was Davey's and Sonic's turn to start. "You KNOW her??" they cried together. Sealena nodded slowly. "I met her this afternoon. We were swimming together, when... when--" "When WHAT??" Sonic prodded impatiently. "When... ROBOTNIK got her!!!" "**ROBOTNIK**????" Both Davey and Sonic jumped ten feet in the air in reflex, sending Sealena splashing back into the water. Luckily, she managed to pull out a beautiful swan dive and land in the deep end with no damage done. Davey was the first to calm down. "Wait a sec," he muttered. "I haven't seen any Swat-Bot tracks around here, and he NEVER travels on foot without at least a whole ARMY of them... What REALLY happened, Sealena?" The otter paused. "B-but he really DID get her! Honest! I saw it with my own eyes!" Something still didn't add up. He didn't know the otter to lie, but... "Tell me everything you saw," he instructed her. Sealena sighed, taking a deep breath. "Well, after Terri and I swam to this shore, I noticed a dragon tattoo on her leg, and she told me about it--" "What did she tell you?" "Uhm... that she got it back in her hometown after someone slipped her a drink or something. She wasn't sure." "Hmm..." Davey nodded. "Go on." "Then a small robot cat jumped her from out of nowhere, and I noticed Robotnik behind her! I screamed and dove underwater, but Terri didn't see him... I guess he konked her on the head with something, because she fell down and hit the water. I *tried* to get her out of his grasp, but he was too quick." Davey looked somber. "I'm sorry," Sealena said apologetically. "I would have gone after him, but he had a portable Roboticizer, and..." The fox shook his head sadly. "It's okay, kid. It's not your fault we lost her to..." He broke off, unable to say the name. Both otter and hedgehog nodded understandingly. Then Sonic had a rare flash of inspiration. "It was just Robotnik by himself?" "Well, yes," the otter nodded, "...and the cat, but it didn't look like it could be *his*... It was too... friendly." Sonic tossed out his idea anyway. "I don't understand where the CAT fits in, but I'll just *bet* that 'Robotnik' was actually SNIVELY in disguise!" For some reason, the statement made Davey feel better, but not by much. "Even so, the little Needle-Nose can STILL 'needle' his way into Terri's mind and try to get her to reveal Knothole's location. We HAVE to FIND her and get her back!" "Right!" agreed Sonic, and Sealena nodded as well. The fox smacked fist in palm determinedly. "And I know *just* the guy to find him..." ______________________________ "I don't believe ANY of this..." Darian rubbed his neck in pain, struggling to make sense of it all. What began as an odd mystery was now turning into something out of a bad science fiction story. And what was the deal with the furries? A red belly entered his line of sight as his eyes came back into focus. The most logical thing to do from there was look up. So he did. "Athair?" he asked. The red echidna whose gaze he met lit up in awe. "Huh? You knew my great-grandfather?" Darian blinked in confusion. "You're his great-grandson?" Sarcastically, the echidna crossed his arms. "I guess that would be me, yes. Who are *you*?" "Darian," he replied automatically, "Trainee class 2 Darian Grey, MI Bio Worker #22067, Tech Inspector 42, Assistant to Dr. Light." Blinking in confusion himself, the echidna whistled. "Nice credentials. I'm Knuckles, Guardian of the Isle. Not as authoritive-sounding, but it's a living." Finally, the young man looked around. He was in some sort of tropical land with marvelously clean air, warm morning sunshine, and the greenest vegetation he'd seen in forever. Currently he was leaning against a tree. "What is this place?" he asked Knuckles. "This is the Floating Island, and unless you have essential business or can otherwise prove you belong here, I must ask you to leave." The young man remembered Athair's words to him, but without any way to explain it or otherwise prove himself... He shook his head. "I'm sorry, Mr. Knuckles, sir, but I don't know how I got here, and I don't know how to leave." Knuckles wasn't impressed. "Then I shall have to escort you off the island," the echidna said gruffly, taking him by the collar. "Hey! Wha--??" With a swinging motion, Darian felt himself being lifted up then tossed forward and, for the first time, the young man got to experience flying without a parachute... ______________________________ Deep within the dark antechambers of Robotropolis, a struggling figure lay helplessly on the floor, bound and gagged like the stereotypical for-the-gallant-hero-to-come-rescue-from-a-fate-worse-than-death prisoner. At lengths, the cell door opened, and a dim light flickered on. "Meal time," called an obnoxiously fake English-accented voice. "I *do* hope the madame likes processed protein cakes..." Terri blinked, even in that dim light. She must have been tied up in the dungeon for hours, for her arms and legs were sore where the rope dug into her skin. "Where am I?" she asked. "What are you going to do to me?" Actually, through the gag, she sounded more like, "Hrrr hmy? Hrrt rru hrrryu hrru he?" "Patience, my dear," said the small man. Maybe 'man' was a severe overstatement. "You'll be free soon enough. Why hurry it along?" Terri struggled even more. "Just be still, my lovely," he sneered menacingly. "Snively the Great will make everything ALL better..." Although the jailor didn't move a muscle, she noticed movement from his direction. Maybe 'small' was a severe understatement. she thought. As Snively steadily approached her, she sensed his intentions. With both legs still tied together, Terri kicked him with all her strength. "OOOOF!" he cried, flying across the cell and slamming into the opposite wall. In pain, he clutched his... stomach. "Urrrrr..." he snarled. "Good thing you're a bad aim..." At lengths, he stood again, this time just out of kicking range. "Hr hrrk *hrrrhrrf*," said Terri. It wasn't a nice thing to say. Snively cleared his throat. "Stupid wench," he cursed. "I could beat you silly on the slightest whim, but instead I'd rather make this... tiny... proposition..." To herself, Terri nodded at the adjective. He turned. "My slave driver (he calls himself my 'boss') tortures me to no end, making me do menial tasks day in and day out. He forces me to do his laundry, prepare his food, watch over his all-too-easily-torn-to-ribbons Swat-Bots, makes me watch him screw up trying to defeat those meddlesome 'Freedom Fighters'..." Here, the redhead perked up at the mention of her oh-so-briefly-acquainted friends. "And WORST of all, makes me BATHE him ... Well, NO MORE!!!" The lackey rebel faced Terri again. "YOU will help me overthrow that meddlesome tub of lard. You have the power, the experience, and the knowhow to conquer my horrible fa--, er, UNCLE Julian!" She raised both eyebrows, a sure sign of bewilderment. "Hrrt hrr hu hllknn hbht?" "You know EXACTLY what I'm talking about, MS. Aaaalllllllleeeeyyyy! You WILL help me... or I shall find *another* way to get SOMETHING I want..." He rubbed his hands together gleefully, thinking over the possibilities. At last, Terri had an inspired thought. He obviously had mistaken her for someone else she looked remarkably like! Question was... who? ______________________________ At promptly seven hundred hours that morning, Team Freedom gathered in the meeting room. "Okay, Fighters," prodded Sally encouragingly, "you know the mission, you know the plans! Now let's go out there and STOP THAT SNIVELY!!" "STOP THAT SNIVELY!!!" cheered the others, and everyone loaded onto their transport vehicles. Sally, Davey, Sonic, and Chuck piled onto Dulcy. Rotor, Vixie, Sonia, and Sealena piled into the stolen hovercraft. Tails flew along with Nicole as a scout and a half. On Dulcy, Sonic turned to his uncle. "Thanks for coming out to help us, Unc. We couldn't do this without ya." "Don't mention it, kiddo," laughed the Worker-Bot. "I really want to see this new human for myself, anyway! We haven't had very many WOMEN dropping by, eh?" "Now, don't you go getting any ideas, Sir Charles," Davey chuckled. "You aren't Raye's grandfather, you know." Chuck turned to him. "Who?" Then Davey checked himself. "Uh... nevermind. Sorry, wrong series!" The Worker-Bot hedgehog could almost see an Anime teardrop indicating embarrassment appear over the fox's head. "I see..." he mused. "Okay," Sally spoke through her communicator. "Rotor's team will go in first, in case Robotnik, Snively, or Packbell shows up. Tails and Nicole will follow and keep watchout, and my team will go in for the kill!" "Right, Sally!" called the voices of all, and the three teams moved out. ______________________________ Mischief was working diligently on her Fire Magic studies when Saphron ran down the hall, Adrus in close pursuit. "Saphron, you're *insane*!" screamed the clearseer, to Missy's surprise. "I don't CARE," Saphron yelled back. "You apparently don't EITHER!" Here, the squirrel became curious. Teleporting to Saphron's side, she interrupted their argument. "Might I inquire as to what is going on?" Missy grinned mischieviously. "Read our minds," snorted Adrus. Shrugging, Missy obliged. Then she lit up in fear. "No... it couldn't be..." Saphron nodded. "See? THAT'S why I have to stop her!" Missy stared at Adrus. "I agree with Saph. We'll BOTH go." In anger, the clearseer turned red. "Leave here, and your powers will be stripped from you FOREVER..." "Oh?" Missy raised an eyebrow. "If this prophecy is true, that'll last for a good twenty-nine hours, huh?" Adrus refused to respond. "Come on, Mischief," the egret said. "Let's save this world, huh?" "You gotcha, Saph!" she agreed as the pair walked unhindered toward the main entrance. Mischief leapt ahead and opened the door. Missy bowed courteously. "After you, milady?" "Why, THANK you, Miss Starflight!" Saphron trounced gracefully out the front door... And instantly fell back. Saphron squawked angrily. "Mischief!!" she cried. "That was NOT a nice prank to pull, ESPECIALLY at THIS crucial moment!!" The egret's anger faded quickly, however, when she noticed the confused look on the squirrel's face. "Then if *you* didn't... who--?" The pair glanced back at Adrus, who seemed to share their feelings. "Odd..." Missy muttered, trying the door herself. She took one step outside before being jerked back inside by a powerful force. It was like reaching the end of a bungee cord. "Ha ha ha!" came a strange voice from outside. All three moved to the ends of their 'cords' and glanced out at the purpetrator. A medium brown mongoose. There was a reason Adrus hadn't had their powers stripped as they walked toward the door. The MONGOOSE had stripped *ALL* of their powers. ______________________________ A harsh wind began to blow in the area of the Great Unknown. Despite the winds, Dante could usually sleep through the day, but this wind was different somehow. It kept him awake for several hours after the sunrise. Forte, one of the day scouts, noticed his aggravated state. "Something wrong, Dant?" "As a matter of fact, yes!" the second-in-command growled. "Can't you feel it in the wind? It's too strong. I can't sleep in this miserable storm..." As the wind picked up, Forte could feel it, too. "Now I can sense the change as well... Wait!" He paused, sniffing the air. "I recognize this wind!" Curious, Dante began sniffing also. "I don't sense anything unusual," he barked. "Loud wind. What more could it be?" Ignoring the higher-ranked wolf for now, Forte sniffed again and again, poking his nose through a cracked-open door to get a better whiff. Suddenly he stopped. "You figure it out, Fort?" The white-haired wolf trembled slightly. "I certainly do... It's the Wind of the Zones! A Zone is going to appear HERE!" * * * To these personages I owe due credit: Capcom, for the Mega Man series -- Dr. Light, Roll, Mega Man Dusty (a friend of a friend) -- inspiration for Forte's last name [which, by the way, is Dustyhair] Naoko Takeuchi & Toei Animation, Inc., for the Sailor Moon series -- Raye's mysogynist grandfather [the embarrassment teardrop comes standard] And of course, Sega, Archie Comic Publications, & DIC Enterprises -- Sonic the Hedgehog series and related char.'s Thanks lots, --Hysteria... %) ----------------------- Headers -------------------------------- From ZJLM18@Access.ETSU-Tn.Edu Sat Sep 7 22:15:05 1996 Return-Path: ZJLM18@Access.ETSU-Tn.Edu Received: from Access.ETSU-Tn.Edu (ACCESS.etsu-tn.edu [151.141.8.9]) by emin02.mail.aol.com (8.6.12/8.6.12) with ESMTP id WAA19812 for ; Sat, 7 Sep 1996 22:14:58 -0400 Received: from NOVIX_2.etsu-tn.edu by Access.ETSU-Tn.Edu (PMDF V5.0-4 #16780) id <01I97OH9SV3490RIJ8@Access.ETSU-Tn.Edu> for dgonterman@aol.com; Sat, 07 Sep 1996 22:14:56 -0400 (EDT) Date: Sat, 07 Sep 1996 22:11:40 +0000 From: "MIYAMOTO, JULIE LYNN" Subject: KnK updates To: dgonterman@aol.com Message-id: <01I97OKG8KD690RIJ8@Access.ETSU-Tn.Edu> Organization: East Tennessee State University X-Mailer: Pegasus Mail for Windows (v2.23) Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT X-Finfo: DOS,"knk_r4.txt",,,,Text Priority: normal X-file: knk_r4.txt Comments: Authenticated sender is