Chapter Three: Strange Military
April 23, 2024 at 3:39 AM
Let's take a break from our friends the fox and the striped naga for now! Let's go back to our Naga children and see how they were doing there at the same time? Sammy held the basket in his hand and received mushrooms from Benny, who collected them along the way. He said the name of each mushroom out loud and picked only those that were fresh, like chanterelles or redheads, and kicked and threw out toadstools and fly agarics.
β So! Chanterelle! Toadstool! Nasty! Chanterelle! Redhead! Fly agaric! Toadstool! Chanterelle! White!
β Benny, let's better go the other way! We are slowly approaching Knuckles.
β You are right. Let's not wake him up, as always. β the younger one answers, after which they turn back and go the opposite way. The naga echidna continued to sleep under the tree at this time. When the smell of children reached him, he did not wake up. He dreamed that he also smelled prey, tracked it down and crawled after them.
Sammy and Benny managed to move as far away from him as they could and entered the clearing. There, Nelly and Tiny were preparing a surprise for their Tails. They made a couple of boards from a piece of a large branch, cut them out using a shell, drove nails in with a stone to make a handle and began to paint something like the tip of a sword gray.
β Hello, have you decided to play soldiers with war? β asks the older brother.
β No, we want to please Tails and surprise him. β Tiny explained.
β I hope he likes it. β says Nelly.
β This is how I understood the sword to be like the samurai that that... Well, adult Tails from another universe had. β Benny suggested.
β This is true. We decided to make a sword based on it and give it to our Tails, so that it would remind us of the same one. How brave, strong and dexterous he was. β Nelly recalled those events pleasantly.
β Where is he now? Even we don't know. Tiny says, lowering his head. β Maybe our Tails will also someday become as strong and brave as him?
β Anything is possible. β Sammy made them all happy. The main thing is that you donβt tell him about it yourself!
At that moment, Tails himself flew in and almost landed nearby. Nelly and Tiny had already finished making the sword by that time and gave it to Sammy. He hid it behind his back and handed the basket of mushrooms to Benny. The two-tailed brother landed and looked at them slyly and asked:
β Don't tell me what?
β How did he hear us from here? β Tiny whispered in Nellyβs ear, and she just pulled out her lip and raised her shoulders in response.
β Ah... Where have you been? β asked the brown hedgehog.
β Yes, where did you go while the four of us were here? β the brown sister also joined in the question.
Two-Tailed scratched the back of his head, thoughtful and said:
β Yes, I... I looked into the village and visited Cream. Now I have decided to return to you. So what were you doing here?
β And we have a surprise for you. β says Nelly.
β Is it true? Okay, I close my eyes and wait. β says the fox and stretches his hands forward.
Sammy holds out a wooden sword and holds the little fox in his arms.
β Open eyes! β says Tiny.
Tails opens his eyes and sees in his hands a wooden samurai sword made by them. This sword resembled the same sword that the same adult Tails from another universe was armed with. The sisters, it seems, as the fox himself guessed in his own way, made him this sword so that it would remind them of that same Tails, and also so that he would also have the motivation to become as dexterous, strong and brave as him. He remembered very well how he told him that he himself, like him, would become the same. And it seems he was not mistaken, because this is slowly beginning to come true. The little fox liked the gift and, putting it aside on the ground, hugged his brothers and sisters.
β Thank you all very much!
β Come on, this is nonsense! β Nelly answers.
β And we have nothing to do with it at all. Nellie and Tiny did it, and we were just passing by and picking up mushrooms. β says Benny.
β Mushrooms? β the little fox asked.
β Yes. Maybe mom will cook us some noodles for dinner. β Sammy suggested.
β Then let's go home right now? β Tails suggested.
β Let's! I've been wanting to see daddy's face for a long time and play with him. β says Tiny.
β How is that? β Benny didnβt understand.
β While heβs sleeping, I want to specifically dive into his mouth and hide inside him, and then wait there for a while so that he thinks Iβve disappeared somewhere. Just donβt give me away ahead of time! And if he asks you where I am and where I went, then just tell him that you yourself donβt know. β the gray she-hedgehog explained and giggled to the side.
β How cunning! What if you get into the stomach, which digests? β asks Nelly.
β No, I calculated everything from many past times, when not only Sonic, but also Shadow swallowed us. They actually have two stomachs, but the safe one is always on top and most often the prey gets there first. So nothing will happen to me. The main thing is that Sonic himself doesnβt want to eat anything and really digest it with me! So if he suddenly wants to eat something, then... You can tell him that I hid in his stomach to prank him.
β Okay! But keep in mind, if Sonic scolds you for such a stupid joke, donβt involve us in this and donβt rely on our protection! β Benny stated sternly.
β Yes Yes. I understood everything. β Tiny answers.
β Okay, stop quarreling! β says Sammy. β Let's go home! It's time for lunch!
β Went! β the little fox agreed, took his wooden sword and went with his brothers and sisters. On the way, he swung his sword slowly and imagined himself to be something like a knight or a great warrior.
Suddenly they heard a strange sound of some kind of vibration and sparks. They turned around at a sound coming from somewhere behind the trees.
β What is this? β Sammy asks.
β Hey, who are you? β the children heard the rough voice of an old and familiar naga. Then there was some sound of a beam and a shot, and then a groan from that same naga and the sound of falling to the ground.
β The witness has been eliminated! β says another unfamiliar voice.
The children became interested and went to the source of the sound. When they went out there, they almost screamed at what they saw, thereby almost giving themselves away and covering their mouths at once. They saw such horror that it may affect their psyche. Before their eyes was a clearing of grass, and there stood three strange soldiers. Nearby lay the lifeless corpse of the striped naga Shadow, who had been shot through the chest with a beam, thereby killing him. The three soldiers looked around.
β There are no more witnesses! Let's destroy this extra universe! β says the first of them.
β We were lucky that this big guy didnβt immediately attack us and eat us. Although we did not kill such people in some other universes, which we also destroyed before this one. β the second one answers, taking his mini-case and preparing to open it.
β HEY!!! β shouted the third, pointing his finger at the children themselves, whom he saw as witnesses.
The naga children gasped at the same time, realizing that they had burned themselves and ran away. They even threw their wooden sword and basket of mushrooms to the ground, dropping them from their hands and rushing to escape without looking back. The soldier took out a laser pistol and fired, aiming at the gray hedgehog, but he managed to duck and the beam hit a tree.
β Devil! β the soldier swore and reloaded his blaster. β We must find them and kill them!
β For what? These are children! β said the second one.
β Yes. Besides, wonβt they themselves immediately die along with this universe when we destroy it? β asked the first one.
β I do not know anything. The one who does not exist ordered the killing of witnesses separately from the destruction of universes, and witnesses cannot be left alive, unless of course they themselves surrender so that they can be captured. β answers the third.
Two soldiers did not argue with him, took out their same pistols and went with him into the forest in search of these kids who ran away from them.
***
The hedgehogs and the little fox ran as fast as they could and did not notice how they ran out to meet the naga-echidna. The latter had already woken up and noticed them. β You again? β he asks them menacingly. The children were so afraid of him that they could not move. It seemed they had nowhere to run. Because those soldiers were still chasing them and for some reason trying to kill them. And in front of them was this hungry, evil naga who had been chasing him for a long time. The hedgehogs despaired and hugged each other. Even the little fox was scared at first, but at one moment he realized that he was tired of being afraid and running away. Making an angry face and clenching his hands into fists, he said to himself: β I'm already sick of this! β he said and took off on his tails, flying to the snakeβs muzzle. β Listen, you brainless red freak! We are tired of running away from you and from you chasing us every time. We are already being chased by some soldiers who want to shoot us, and now you are standing in our way. When will you finally leave us alone? β Oh, you scared me! β Knuckles laughed. β What if... I donβt listen to you! β If, thereβs only a gif! β Tails explained in his hands, spreading his fingers. β Show respect to us and let us leave on good terms before these soldiers come here and kill you for the same reason! β Here they are! β one of them pointed and opened fire. The laser flew past the fox. β HEY!!! β he shouted at the one who was shooting from him. β Who else is this? β asks the naga echidna, pointing his finger at the soldiers. β FIRE!!! β shouts the third soldier and the three of them shoot at once at the next naga, shooting several holes through the chest. The echidna-snake twitched in convulsions from each shot, and when the shots ended, he was unable to breathe, standing still with bulging eyes. Then, sighing heavily, he closes his eyes and slowly falls onto his stomach, dying. β NO!!! β Tiny shouted, scared for Knuckles. Despite all his bad things and the fact that he was always chasing after them, she still believed that there was still at least some good in him. β STAND!!! β shouted the second soldier, taking aim at the hedgehogs. β STOP, WE WILL SHOOT!!! β the first one shouted, aiming at the little fox. The brother, fearing for his brothers and sisters, managed to quickly go down, grab each of them by the hands and drag them along the ground, hiding them behind Knuckles' corpse. The soldiers continued to shoot at them, but missed and hit only the naga's corpse, leaving a bunch of holes on it. Tails managed to hide his hedgehogs behind the naga's corpse, using it as a shield and sank down, pressing himself to the end of his tail and catching his breath. The rays passed through the corpse and almost hit them, but fortunately they flew past. β Why are they chasing us and shooting at us? β Tiny asks, almost crying. β How can we know for ourselves? β asks Benny. β They will completely kill us. We need to figure out how to get rid of them. β Sammy answers. Nelly at that time saw a stick on the ground and took out a white handkerchief from the pocket of her lilac shorts. β I have one idea. I donβt really know if they will fall into the trap? β Let's try. β Sammy agrees. β And while you distract them, Iβll try to find something with which to hit them and knock them out. β says the little fox. The soldiers continued to shoot through the corpse, they ran out of ammunition and took out new magazines in order to load their pistols. At that moment, Nelly raised her white flag made of a branch and a handkerchief above Knuckles' head. β DO NOT SHOOT!!! WE GIVE UP!!! DO NOT SHOOT!!! β she shouted. The soldiers removed their guns, naively believing their cunning deception. β Get out of there! β the second soldier tells her and Nelly comes down with her hands raised. Next, Sammy, Benny and Tiny also emerge from behind Knuckles' corpse with their hands raised. At this time, Tails crawled out from the other side and hid in the bushes. β I didn't understand? Where is the fifth one, who looks like a squirrel with two tails? β the first one asks about the little fox, confusing him with a squirrel. β He probably ran away. β the older gray hedgehog answers jokingly. β Okay, four of you are enough for us. And this one will die himself later, when we destroy your universe. β answers the third soldier. β Destroy our universe? β the youngest gray hedgehog bulged her eyes. β Do not worry! You will live, since you yourself voluntarily surrendered to us. Maybe. Your future fate will be determined by our supreme court of the One who does not exist. β Who is he? This is your One who does not exist! β Benny asked a little boldly and sternly. β You will see him very soon. Follow us! β says the first soldier. They put electronic iron handcuffs on their hands, similar to the old ones made of wood, which were used in ancient times to cut off heads. However, these holes only had holes for hands. Then the soldiers went forward, and the hedgehogs followed them. Sometimes the handcuffs themselves, like magnets, pulled them to follow these military men. They returned to the same field where they first appeared, stood next to Shadow's corpse and began to take out a black hole giga detonator from the case to install it in the center of the field. The second soldier screwed and installed a kind of flask into the ground, like a nail into a wall or floor. β What is this thing? β asks Nelly. β The less you know, the more sound you will sleep. β answers the third. β Come on! These are children. Let me ask! β says the second, and the first explains: β This is a giga-detonator of black holes. It automatically creates the largest black hole that destroys all life in the universe and is capable of destroying the entire universe at once. However, since you yourself surrendered to us and you are coming with us, the court will decide your fate. Either you will die, or you will be one of us, and so that you do not grow up further, do not suffer and die from the end of your life, you will be subjected to a test on the body-organism. The procedure will be painless... Almost. β If it hurts, then I refuse. β Tiny said. β Then you will be sentenced to death by firing squad. β answers the third soldier. Tiny swallowed in fear and said: β In principle, if I endured injections with vaccinations, then I am ready to endure the pain of testing your machines. β Yes. You are all the same panties! As soon as you agree to one thing and explain to you that it could be dangerous for you, then you immediately change your mind and want something else. β The first soldier grinned. β Hey! For your information, we are not such cowards! β Sammy was indignant. β Sometimes we can behave boldly and even do things that even a fool or a madman would never dare to do. Not that he is the smartest and more careful. β Yes, we noticed it, judging by how you survived our shooting. β said the second and finished installing the flask, after which he stood up. β Here you go! The black hole giga detonator is installed. Now let's launch it and get out of here! The third soldier takes out his remote control with a red button and is preparing to press it, when suddenly something hit the back of this soldierβs head. This big shot hit him and knocked him out so unexpectedly that he fell. The first and second soldiers ran up to their knocked out partner, deciding to help him get up. Then another coconut flies out and flies past, hitting an empty bush in order to confuse the two soldiers. They got distracted, quickly took out their laser pistols and began shooting at the bush itself. However, there was no one there. β What kind of joke is this? β asks the first one. β Is it your brother who has returned? β the second one addressed the children. β How do we know? β Benny lied and smiled stupidly so as not to give Tails away. β Do not lie to me! I have an electronic lie detector built into my helmet. You can't fool us that easily! β the second one says sternly, pointing his pistol at the brown hedgehog. Suddenly another coconut flies from somewhere and hits him on the back of the head and he falls, holding the trigger, starting to shoot rays around. One of the rays accidentally hit the first one in the chest. He also falls with a sigh. The third one had woken up by this time and stood up, clutching his bruised head, when suddenly one of the rays of the second one hit him through the head, killing him too. When the second fell to the ground and lost consciousness, the hand weakened and released the trigger. None of the children were shot. The little fox himself flew in from behind a tree branch and, landing, took his cannon from the knocked-out soldier. The hedgehogs and hedgehogs placed their hands with handcuffs on top of each other, as if they were making a pyramid, and Tails aimed a painted cannon at the handcuffs and fired from above, destroying four handcuffs and the stone under them with one laser bullet. The handcuffs and stone broke into two halves, and the children's hands were now free. β Thank you, Tails. β everyone thanked him in turn. The little fox approaches one of the corpses of the soldiers and takes some kind of wristwatch from his hand, deciding to try it on his own hand. The shape of the length and thickness of the wristwatch, as if the machines had shrunk to the size of the two-tailed manβs hand and fit comfortably on his hand. β What kind of watch do they have? β the regime asks himself and presses a couple of buttons at random. After which they glowed with blue lights on the side and a large portal in the shape of a blue square opened in front of the children. β Uh... What was that just now? β Donβt act like a stupid person who doesnβt understand anything! β Benny tells him. β First you acted bravely, speaking out to Knuckles, then you saved us from those soldiers, knowing full well that you yourself could have died, and now, on the first try, you open the portal using their own wristwatch. β I didnβt do anything like that. I didn't know they could do that. And where did you get the idea that this is a portal? β But you'll see! I can test it for myself. β the brown hedgehog answers and runs into the portal, after which he jumps into it. β BENNY, NO!!! β the brothers and sisters tried to stop him, but it was too late. He still jumped. Sammy, not wanting to lose his bad brother, also jumps after him. Nelly jumps after Sammy, Tails after her, and Tiny after Tails. The portal closed behind them. At this time, the surviving soldier comes to his senses, stands up and looks around. β Where are you, you little freaks?***
That time, the children themselves came out through the same portal on the other side and found themselves in some futuristic city of the future, where cars were flying and various creatures from ordinary people to some aliens walked peacefully. β I told you it was a portal. β Benny answers. The portal itself closed behind them at that moment. β Well, where did we end up? β Sammy asks, looking around. β How do we get back home to Sonic and Sally now? β Tiny asks. The place really seemed unfamiliar and a little scary to them, no less than a huge forest with nagas. What will they do now? And what will they do to get back?
