A Hunter Never Misses His Mark
It was a terrible day outside. The rain was coming down in
sheets. Cerebral Fox sat at his computer typing furiously, trying to
make some page modifications while keeping his eye out for Utah, his
Echidhog bud. "Ugh, this needs MAJOR overhaul..." he
commented to himself , breaking the silence. Utah had just gone out
for pizza, as their stove had broken and neither of the two knew how
to fix it. "Come, on, SAVE!!!" Cer was getting annoyed at
the slow speed of the modem he had. "Time to get an
upgrade," he thought to himself. Suddenly, behind him, the door
opened and slammed shut again. Without looking up, Cer muttered
"Utah, is that you?? You took long enough..." Then as he
looked down, he saw the familiar shadows of his friends Sonic, Tails,
and Knuckles. "Oh, hi guys, have you seen..." he broke off
as he looked at them. They all had an evil grin on their faces and
their eyes had no pupils. "Ummm, is something wrong, guys? You
don't look so good." In a burst of smoke, a cloaked figure
appeared out of nowhere.
"Yes, something is different with them," said an all too
familiar voice. The cloaked figure pushed back the hood to reveal the
face of...
"K'YAN WEH!!!" Cerebral shouted as he jumped out of his
seat. "What have you done to them??"
"They are simply in my power, fox, and soon, you will be
too!!" K'Yan weh gestured toward the enslaved freedom fighters.
"Get him!!' she commanded.
"Die!!" the three said in unison as they advanced
toward Cerebral. Without warning, Utah burst through the open
doorway, pizzas in hand. He took on glance at what was happening,
dropped the food, and shoved his way through K'Yan weh and her
slaves. He grabbed his jet board in one hand and Cerebral in the
other, and broke out of the house through the other wall.
"Geez, I think we shoulda put on a back door, Cer..."
Utah commented as he looked at the hole he made.
"Utah, you just did." Cerebral said as he stood back
up. "But what about them???"
"I think this calls for an Emergency IFF meeting...and
FAST!!" Utah said as he got on his jet board. "Cer, you get
Roxy and Snowy, I saw them at the Supermarket. I'll get Ava and
Sparx. We'll meet at Sparx's hut. Got it??"
"Yeah, got it, 'IFF unite', and all that stuff" Cerebral
acknowledged as he flew toward Echidnapolis.
As they flew off, K'Yan snickered to herself. "Good...now
that they've vacated..."
Within minutes, the entire IFF had assembled at Sparx's hut.
"OK, here's the deal..." Cer explained what happened.
"If they do anything to my Knux," Ava started,
"then they'll have to answer to me!!!" She started boxing
the air as if K'Yan weh were standing right there. "Take that,
and that, and that, you stupid sorceress!"
"Hmmm, if Sonic, Tails, and Knux are out of the way, that
must mean that K'Yan weh has control over the entire Chaotix and
Freedom Fighters," figured Sparx. Suddenly, a strange eagle
came rushing in the hut. Everyone became immediately alert.
"Whoa, guys, he's OK! Chill!" shouted Cerebral over the
eagle's tired panting. "So, buddy, what made you come running
over here full tilt and crashing our emergency meeting?" Cer
asked.
"Some..thing's.....wrong," the eagle stuttered between
gasps for breath. "Some sorceress came bursting in on the
Chaotix and began enslaving them. I was flying overhead and I saw
everything. Everyone was captured. I need your help to save
them!!"
"Well, that's nice, considering we had already figured that
out," Ava muttered. "By the way, who are you, and if you
were flying overhead of the hut, how could you see inside??"
"My name's Hunter, and I have telescope and X-ray
vision," he looked at Utah. "Smiley face boxers?? Couldn't
you have come up with something a little more normal??" Utah's
face got red with anger as everyone laughed at him (except Snowy, who
has never been caught laughing in his adult life).
"Well, it seems that K'Yan weh was trying to get to the IFF
through Cer and Utah, thinking that they could easily hold us down
while she captured us," Snowy figured.
"Well, where do we start looking?? We have no clue as to
where K'Yan weh is right now," Roxy said. "I mean, we could
go back to the Chaotix' house and see if they left anything
important..."
"Like what, a matchbook??" Utah rudely interrupted.
"Do you think K'Yan would be so stupid as to tell us where she
went???"
"Well, Utah, it's a lead," Sparx said coldly, "and
I think it deserves checking out. Let's go!!"
Soon, the IFF, with Hunter, had arrived at the hut that the
Chaotix had met in. With Sparx leading the way (as any good leader
should), they all entered the house. Everyone began searching for
clues.
"Well, sonofagun, a matchbook!" Utah exclaimed as he
pulled it off the ground. 'It says-'Go To Value Mart for the lowest
prices in town." He was about to toss is, but Hunter grabbed it
out of his hands and looked at the inside.
"Guys," he said, "K'Yan knew we were
coming..." He read aloud what was written on the matchbook.
"Island Freedom Fighters, I know you're reading this. If you
want to get your friends back, then you'll have to come below the
place where connections are slow, but in the end, everything is always
saved..."
"What the?!?!? I don't get it..." Utah slowly said.
"It's a word puzzle, and I don't expect you'll ever get it,
Utah," Cerebral said dryly. "Hmmmmmm, 'connections are slow,
but in the end, everything is always saved'..." Cerebral thought
hard for a minute. "Waitaminute!!! I got it!!! She's holding
ALL of them in OUR BASEMENT, Utah!!!!! Our modem connection is slow,
but before K'Yan burst in, my file HAD saved!"
"Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle.." Utah mumbled.
"You already are," Snowy said, having a little fun with
Utah.
"Yeah, Snowy...HEY!!!! SHUT UP!" Utah was beginning to
get mad. "Or I'll tear..."
"Kindly CAN IT, boys," Sparx interrupted. "Snowy,
just drop it. Utah, save it for K'Yah weh, OK???"
"Yeah, yeah, OK..." the guys grumbled.
Within seconds, the small group of Freedom Fighters had
re-assembled outside Cerebral and Utah's hut. "OK, here's the
plan..." Sparx whispered her idea into the other's ears and soon
everyone knew what to do. Cerebral and Utah clomped into the hut,
making sure K'Yan would hear them.
"Hmmm, I just can't figure that puzzle out," Cerebral
acted out his part.
"Connections are slow....it's giving me a headache thinking
about it..." Utah muttered, but made sure it was loud enough for
K'Yan to hear. In an instant, a puff of black smoke filled the room.
Cer and Utah fell to he ground coughing.
"AAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" K'Yan weh laughed. "You two
have fallen into my trap!! Now I'll have the IFF, and then, the
world!!!"
"NOW!!!" Sparx yelled as she jumped in the room and
shot lightning at K'Yan weh. Everyone quickly recieved purple
telekinetic gas masks courtesy of Cerebral, and they all charged into
battle. K'Yan took her staff and tried to slice Sparx in two again,
but this time she dodged the blow. Utah snuck up from behind and
grabbed K'Yan. Snowy ran up and punched her repeatedly in the gut
with his metal arm. Hunter morphed into a snake and bit K'Yan several
times. Roxy and Ava double-teamed and sent searing pain into K'yan.
K'Yan weh was quick, though, and was able to grab Roxy and throw her
into the wall, knocking her unconscious.
"ROXY!!!" Cerebral yelled and rushed over to her.
"For this, you will PAY!!!" K'Yan was telekinetically
slammed into a wall over and over.
"CER!! STOP!!" Sparx yelled as she grabbed his arm.
"You're killing her!!!" The enraged look in Cer's eyes
quickly died down as he realized what he was doing and K'Yan dropped
to the floor.
"Not again!!! How could I have been beaten this
time???" K'Yan weh screamed in pain and frustration before
disappearing in a flash of light.
"Uhhhh, my head..." Roxy leaned up against the wall.
"What happened?"
"Rox! You're OK!" Cer joyfully exclaimed. "Oh, I
was so worried..."
"That's what you get like when you're worried??" Utah
asked. "I'd hate to get you mad..."
"Wow, Hunter, how did you do that snake thing??" Snowy
asked in amazement.
"Well, I found this pendant," he pointed to the chain
around his neck. "With it, I can change shape." Suddenly,
the Freedom Fighters and the Chaotix came up from the basement.
"Ummm, what're we all doing here, exactly??" Sonic
asked.
"Knux!!! You're still in one piece!!" Ava ran over to
Knuckles.
"Ummm, yea, why shouldn't I be??" Knux asked with a
'boy-is-she-acting-wierd' look on his face. While Sparx was trying
to explain it so she wouldn't have to repeat herself, Cerebral slipped
over to Roxy.
"Hey, Rox," he whispered.
"Hi, Cer," she whispered back. "Uh, I heard what
you did after K'Yan nailed me. Why did you do it??" Cerebral
blushed.
"Well, I sorta..."he stuttered. Sonic happened to
glance in their direction and smiled. He walked over and whispered
something in Roxy's ear, and sauntered off into the crowd again. Roxy
giggled.
"Cerebral Fox, is it true that you have a thing for
me??" she asked slyly.
"That spiny little fink!! He was supposed to keep it a
secret!!!" Cerebral looked to find Sonic in the crowd, but he
was nowhere to be seen. "Ohh, when I get my hands on
him..."
"Don't bother," Roxy said and kissed him on the cheek.
"Uhhh, heh, I guess I could let him go for now..."
Cerebral kissed her back on the lips.
Ava turned around at that moment, and yelled "Hey! Look!!
Get a room, you two!!!" Cerebral and Roxy blushed and pulled
away from each other.
"Maybe you would like to go out for a bite to eat, away from
these gossipers," Cerebral whispered to Roxy.
"I'd love to, call me," Roxy answered and faded into the
crowd, leaving Cerebral alone to face Ava's taunting.
A Hunter Never Misses His Mark
