Healing Hearts 2


Mobius-An undisclosed location...

Dr. Finitevus walked through his laboratory, anxious to begin the next step of his experiment. The test subject was strapped down to an operating table, struggling against his bonds, a gag tied around his mouth to prevent any screaming. And this experiment would induce a lot of screaming to say the least.

“Good morning, my boy,” Finitevus greeted the subject with malicious cheer. “And how are we this morning?” He stopped to listen as the subject made a muffled reply, glaring at his captor. “Excellent. After all, we must be in tip-top form for this experiment to be a success. Now then, I realize the last couple of experiments haven't been pleasant, but let me assure you...this next one will probably be the worst yet. But with a little luck it will be the last.”

“Geez, you really are one sick twisted freak, you know that?”

Finitevus turned to see Kommisar, the commander of the Dark Legion approaching him. As usual, she was dressed in a tight black outfit and wore her usual scowl.

“Ah, Lien-Da,” Finitevus greeted her. “Welcome. You're just in time for the next phase of my little project here.”

Kommisar spared a glance at the bound captive on the table. “You and your sick hobbies. Just what are you trying to accomplish here, anyway?”

“Oh, nothing you need concern yourself with, my dear,” Finitevus replied. “So, what brings you to my inner sanctum? Have you something to report?”

“Yeah, I do,” Kommisar replied. “We found him.”

“Ahh, at last,” Finitevus said. “I was beginning to think we'd never find him.”

“It took a little digging around, but we've learned he's currently imprisoned in another dimension, just as the rumors suggested,” Kommisar said. “Some place called the Zone of Silence.”

“Hm. So that's where the good Doctor stashed him,” Finitevus said, stroking his chin in thought.

“Now the question is, how to get him out,” Kommisar continued. “From what I've heard, it's not so easy to break into that place.”

“Come, come, Lien-Da,” Finitevus said. “You really think I can't devise away to enter the Zone of Silence? As it is, I've been working on a means to get us in there. So that won't be a problem.” He fell silent for a moment, deep in thought, and then turned his attention to Kommisar. “What of the emeralds? Have they resurfaced yet?”

“No. There's been no sign of them since Robotnik's defeat,” Kommisar replied. “We've been monitoring our sensors but no energy signatures matching the emeralds have been detected. And according to out intel, G.U.N. has had no luck either.”

“Hmm. This is most unfortunate,” Finitevus pondered. “I had hoped by now that the emeralds would have reappeared. They're crucial for my plans. Well, fortunately, I had a back-up plan for just such an event, though I had hoped to avoid it.”

“A back-up plan? What could possibly replace the Chaos Emeralds,” Kommisar asked. “They're the most powerful source of energy on all of Mobius. Wait. Don't tell me you're thinking about going after the Master Emerald. We've tried that before, and each time it fails.”

“No. It's not the Master Emerald we'll be pursuing,” Finitevus reassured her. “The last thing I want is to draw the Guardian's attention my way. No, I have something else in mind: The Sol Emeralds.”

“Sol Emeralds? I've never heard of those,” Kommisar said.

“You wouldn't have,” Finitevus said. “In fact, very few people on Mobius would know of them. They're not form our world, but rather from another world, known as the Sol Zone. Their power is on par with that of the Chaos Emeralds. With them, I'll be able to bring my plans to fruition. And when the Chaos Emeralds finally reappear, I'll add them to my collection, doubling my power.”

“You know, you still haven't told me what this grand master plan of yours is, by the way,” Kommisar said. “What do we stand to gain from all of this?”

“Patience, Lien-Da,” Finitevus said. “All will be revealed in due time. For now, we still have much to do. Prepare your forces. First, we retrieve the King. Then, we make for the Sol Zone and get the Sol Emeralds.”

Kommisar blew out an exasperated breath. “Fine. But I swear, you better make this worth my while. Or I'll see you strapped to that table. And trust me, you don't even want to know what I'll do to you.”

Having said her piece, she turned on her heel and left the lab, Finitevus watching her go.

“Quite the attitude with that one,” he remarked to his test subject. Then he shrugged. “Well, as long as she does her job, I suppose.” He turned his full attention to to the person on the table. “Now then, my friend. Don't think this means we're putting the experiment on hold. Oh, no. We're still going through with it.” He walked over to a computer console and began typing in several commands, activating nearby machines. Finitevus glanced up at the subject. “Now, take a deep breath and brace yourself. This might sting a little.” He then pressed the button.



Earth-The Kingdom of Edenia (6 months later)....

A small ray of sunshine drifted through the window, lighting on Sally Acorn's face. Stirring from her slumber, the Mobian Princess woke up, her blue eyes squinting slightly against the early morning light. Sitting up in bed, she stretched and yawned, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She then glanced down at the sleeping figure next to her. Austin, the crown Prince of Edenia. She smiled lovingly, running her hand gently through his fiery red hair, not wanting to disturb him. Quietly, she slid out of bed, slipping into a blue bathrobe. Sally then made her way over to the window and pulled the curtain back and opened the double window-doors, stepping out onto the balcony.

Standing there, Sally took a deep breath, savoring the morning air and taking in the beauty of the kingdom sprawled out before her. She felt a sense of peace and calm wash over her, a feeling she thought she would never feel again. Her thoughts wandered back to that grim day she had lost Sonic, a loss that had not only devastated her, but had also hurt the morale of the Freedom Fighters. For a whole year following his death, they had carried on the fight, but it seemed as if the battle would never end. Then, like an answer to their prayers, Austin had arrived on Mobius. Much like Sally, he, too, had suffered a loss and had come to Mobius to recover, not realizing that the planet was currently being conquered by a madman. He had offered to help stop Robotnik, and had also brought in allies from his own world to help overthrow the evil tyrant. Over the course of his stay, he and Sally had grown closer, eventually falling in love with each other. Working together, they had also located the lost Sword of Acorn, a powerful relic that had been in her family for generations. With it's power as well as the power of the Chaos Emeralds, they had destroyed Metal Sonic, one of Robotnik's most deadly creations, who had powered itself up to a monstrous robotic form. As for Robotnik, he had met his end during the final moments of the battle.

With Robotnik gone, his forces devastated, and the roboticized Mobians free from his command, victory had been achieved. Mobius was free. Well, mostly free. Robotnik still had outposts and factories scattered across the planet, but those were being dealt with, thanks to Shadow and his team, as well as G.U.N. Following their victory, Sally had decided to return to Earth with Austin, along with several of her fellow Freedom Fighters. Six months had passed since then, and she and her friends had settled in to their new home, welcomed with open arms by Austin's parents, the King and Queen.

As she stood there lost in her thoughts, she was unaware that someone was walking up behind her. She started slightly when she felt a strong pair of arms wrap around her. Then she relaxed, realizing who it was. She leaned back in the embrace, glancing up to see Austin's smiling face.

“Morning,” she said. “I didn't wake you, did I?”

“I just woke up,” he said, holding her close. “Admiring the view?”

“I never get tired of seeing it,” she said, returning her gaze to the panoramic view before them. “It's nice to just stand here, feeling calm, not on edge, not having to worry about dangerous missions or evil tyrants. Just pure serenity and peace. I thought I'd never feel this way again.” She smiled at him, snuggling more into his embrace. “And I owe it all to you.”

“I'm glad I could help you feel that way, Sally,” Austin said. “After everything you and your friends have been through, you deserve happiness.”

They both fell quiet, enjoying the peaceful morning and each others company. Then Austin broke the silence.

“Sally, is something bothering you,” he asked. “I couldn't help but notice lately that you seem distracted. Is something wrong?”

Sally sighed. “Well, truth be told, yes. Something has been on my mind lately. But I didn't want to burden you with it.”

“You know I'm always there for you, no matter what,” Austin reassured her. “Whatever it is, I want to help you with it. Are you worried about Mobius?”

“I am a little curious about how things are going back home,” she admitted. “After all, Robotnik might be gone, but there are still some lingering remnants of his empire scattered across the planet. But that's not it. It actually concerns my mother.”

“Queen Alicia,” Austin asked. “Has something happened? Is she not happy here?”

“No, she is,” Sally said. “But I have noticed something is on her mind. In fact, I think I have a pretty good idea just what it is.”

“Your father,” Austin surmised.

“She won't come right out and say it, but I think that's exactly what it is,” Sally said. “I thought about asking her, but...I just don't know how to go about it.” She turned so she was now facing Austin. “Austin, the fact is I don't even know what happened to my father or if he's even alive.”

“I remember Tails once mentioned something about your father being banished to some dimension,” Austin said.

“That's what we had heard,” Sally replied. “Though we didn't know for certain. There were other sources of information that said my father was imprisoned somewhere, or he'd been roboticized, or was...dead. I sometimes think Robotnik deliberately left information like that to throw us off.”

“Didn't you search his files on his computers after he was defeated,” Austin asked. “I remember you and few of the Freedom Fighters went to Robotropolis after the battle to see if you could find anything.”

“We did search his computers,” Sally said. “I had Nicole go through every file we could find but found nothing pertaining to my father. And to make matters worse, whatever other files we found were either corrupted beyond repair or ended up erasing themselves. No doubt a fail-safe set up by Robotnik to keep his secrets safe.”

“Figures the Doc would cover his tracks like that,” Austin said. “Do you think there were any hidden terminals stashed away somewhere?”

“None that we could find,” Sally replied. “If there were any, then chances are they were destroyed when Robotropolis was destroyed.”

“And unfortunately with Robotnik gone, you couldn't interrogate him,” Austin said. “Maybe we should have tried to take him alive.”

“I doubt he would he have cooperated or been truthful if we had managed to capture and interrogate him,” Sally said. “And unfortunately he was the only one who would have known. I may as well face the facts, Austin. I may never know what became of my father.”

Austin held her close, wishing there was something he could do to help her. But how? Robotnik was gone, and he was the only person who had known where the King was. Then suddenly it hit him!

“Wait a minute,” he said. “Robotnik wasn't the only one to know what happened to the King!”

“What do you mean,” Sally said, confused.

“Snively,” Austin replied. “If there was anyone else besides Robotnik who would know about the King's whereabouts, it would be him.”

“Oh, my gosh, you're right,” Sally exclaimed. “And we know that Snively escaped during the attack on Robotropolis. Edena pretty much confirmed it during the victory celebration.”

“If we could find him, then maybe he could tell us where the King is,” Austin said. “And something tells me he'd be a bit more cooperative compared to Robotnik.”

“I think you're right,” Sally said. “It could work.”

“But the question is: Where on Mobius would he be,” Austin asked. “How would we find him?”

“I think I might know the answer to both questions,” Sally said. “G.U.N.”

“That government agency Shadow works for,” Austin asked.

“Yes. I guarantee G.U.N. would keep close tabs on Snively to make sure he behaves himself,” Sally said. “If anyone could help us track him down, it would be them.”

“So we go to Mobius,” Austin mused. “Pay a visit to GUN and ask them to point us in Snively's direction, ask him about the King's whereabouts, and then...”

“Then we search for my father and bring him home,” Sally said. “That is, if he's still alive.”

“Hey, don't think that way, Sally,” Austin said. “We'll find him. I know we will.”

Sally smiled and then pulled him down to kiss him. “Thanks, Austin. You're right. I need to stay positive. If I could find my mother, then I can father, too.” She turned grabbed her boots and blue vest. “Come on. Lets get dressed and go talk to the others and let them know what we have in mind.”

“Right behind you,” Austin said, grabbing his own clothes.




Mobius-Undisclosed location...

“There now. That wasn't so bad, now was it,” Finitevus said, shutting down the machines. He turned to his test subject, still strapped to the table. He was breathing heavily through the gag, but still alive. “You'll be happy to know that the physical testing is over.” He walked over to the table and tapped the test subject's head. “Now that means we can move onto the mental testing. But that can wait until later. I need you to rest up and recover from your...session. And I have some other business to attend to as well.”

He motioned to two guards standing nearby. The guards came forward and unstrapped the subject, then dragged him off the table, carrying him back to a holding cell. At that moment, Kommisar entered and approached Finitevus.

“Alright, Doc,” she said. “My forces are ready to head out. How exactly do we get to the Zone of Silence?”

Finitevus went over to one of his computer consoles and input a command. Just across from Kommisar, a section of wall moved aside, revealing various devices. Finitevus walked over and selected a boxlike device with several buttons and switches.

“This will get us there,” Finitevus said, holding aloft the box like a prize. “This device can open doorways to other dimensions and zones. A little project I've been working on in my spare time.”

“You mean when you're not performing your crazy experiments,” Kommisar replied in a snide tone, watching the two guards secure the test subject.

“This experiment, when complete, will prove beneficial,” Finitevus said. “Now, lets be on our way, my dear. We're on a tight schedule after all.”

“You're the boss,” Kommisar said. For now anyway.

Both echidnas exited the lab, leaving the unfortunate test subject alone in his cell, grimly waiting for when the deranged doctor would return and continue his tortuous experiments on him. But more than that, he also wondered on what he had heard. Was King Acorn truly alive? And what did Finitevus have planned for him?