FicWad

Changes Are No Good
By: Chibi
Chapter 4: "Shoot You Down"

*

In a posh (if mildly tacky and very purple) apartment near the south Central city limits, a concerned mother fussed over her children. "You're both all right? Really? You're not hiding anything from me, are you?" Rouge asked.

Rich held up his hands and made small pushing motions. "Really, mom, we're OK."

Elly nodded. "Right, nothing hurt," she agreed. She muttered under her breath, "Just my pride as the next Guardian."

"What-" Rouge started. A knock at the door cut her off. No sooner did she open it did a red echidna brush past her and for her daughter.

"Daddy!" Elly exclaimed, hugging Knuckles.

Knuckles hugged back. "Are you all right? Not that I don't trust you or your mother's abilities, but..."

The girl giggled. "Of course I am. Barely anything happened here!"

Rich rolled his eyes. "'Barely anything,' my fuzzy red ass," he muttered. "Did you happen to forget we were surrounded, sis?"

The echidna girl turned to glare at him. "But we stopped them, right?"

Rich stretched out his wings and glared right back. "'We'? Ha! I stopped them, little miss guardian!"

Elly recoiled. "With my shard of the Master Emerald!" she shot back. "And for your information, the invocation doesn't go 'C'mon, baby, light my fire!'"

"It's been seven years," the boy bat said with a shrug, "I can't be expected to remember everything. And it still worked, right?"

Knuckles rubbed the top of his head. "All right, let me get this straight. You got a reaction out of an emerald shard that wouldn't re-fuse to the Master Emerald? Without the right words? And the reaction was powerful enough to take down your attackers?"

Rich looked away. "Well, er, yeah. And now Elly's having a crisis, even though I've said a million times I want nothing to do with guarding a giant green rock for all eternity."

Elly opened her mouth to protest calling the emerald a "giant green rock", but Rouge held up a hand and spoke first. "What I want to know is what was powering those things that the Master Emerald-regardless of size-was able to stop in its tracks."

The echidna girl clapped her hands together. "I think I can show you!" She ran to a purple duffle bag in the corner and pulled out a faintly glowing glass tube filled with something green. She showed it to the others and asked, "Could this be it?"

The white bat went over and took the tube from her daughter. "A chaos drive..."

"A what?" Elly asked.

"A kind of power source, kind of like a Chaos Emerald, but on a much smaller scale," Rouge explained. And still commonly used in GUN machinery, she left unsaid. No doubt where the materials for the robots are coming from now. She glanced over her shoulder and saw that Knuckles looked like he had been slapped with a wet mackerel. So he suspects something too... "May I hold onto this, Elly dear? I know someone who would be very interested about this."

Elly shrugged. "Sure. I don't have any use for it."

The white bat hugged the girl. "Thanks, sweetie." She gasped at the clock on the table. "Oh dear, I have to get going! Will you two be all right without me?"

Knuckles scoffed. "Of course they will-"

"Thank you-" Rich began.

"-because I'll be here with them until you come back," the red echidna finished.

"-for nothing!" Rich also finished. "We're not children! We can take care of ourselves!" he complained.

Knuckles crossed his arms. "You're my children, and it still could be dangerous around here."

"We were fine before!" the red bat protested, moving up into his father's face. "And since you care so much about my safety, where were you earlier? And where were you when those Black Arms wannabes were blowing up Grand Metropolis?!"

Knuckles bowed his head and looked away. "I'm... I'm sorry. If I had any idea anything had been going on back then, I would've..."

Rouge pulled the younger back away from the elder. "Boys, boys!" she chided. "Richmond,"-(the red bat winced at the name)-"he is still your father and he does care." She turned to the red echidna and patted him on the muzzle. "You're welcome to stay with the kids, sugar. I'll be back later tonight." She grinned and whispered to him, "And give my regards to the 'little woman' later," causing him to become redder than normal. With a little wave and a "Ta-ta!" she was out the door.

"So, um..." Knuckles said, eyes darting around the room, "Do you still like 'Hungry, Hungry Hippos'?"

*

Later, in the skies above Central City, a strange little group met in a bird-themed airship. The room itself was nice enough; the wood-paneled walls and a hardwood floor gave the room a warm, if vaguely pirate-y look. There was a desk and chair in the room near the windows, and folding chairs had been set out for the rest of the party. The only fault with the place was it was clearly made for smaller species, not humans. Ivo shot an evil look at Gordon, who snickered at the doctor for hitting his head against the doorway for the third time since they had boarded.

A small woman, most likely a furry, stood close to the folding chair the ex-commander. She looked like she had stepped out of a noir movie, with her obviously fake red wig, long coat, hat, and dark glasses. "I was unaware Carmen Sandiego had been invited today, Gordon," the doctor said.

The woman giggled. "This is my contact in GUN. She insisted on sitting in," Gordon explained. "She, er, wishes to remain anonymous."

"I see," Ivo replied, "So what do you wish to be called, miss? I suppose Deep Throat would be cliché."

"Whatsername," the woman said, keeping her voice low. "The missing link on the brink of destruction."

The doctor leaned against an empty chair. "Whatsername. Of course. Do you have another contact named the 'Jesus of Suburbia', Gordon?" It was then he noticed a second unfamiliar guest, this one a human male, roughly in his late 50's and wearing a robe over pajamas. Ivo squinted at him for a moment. "Secretary of State Emyr, I presume?"

"Sorry, Eggbaby," Rouge said, seated on the desk. "I couldn't keep him out of it, not after..."

"Not after a robot crashed through my bedroom at four in the morning," Jason finished, "I think I have a right to know what's going on." He paused. "I'm sorry for my appearance, but I haven't been able to get into my apartment yet to change."

"Perfectly understandable, Mr. Emyr, on both counts. It's been quite a day," Ivo replied.

Jet strode into the room, pulling off his goggles. "I'm not late for the party, am I?" he asked, seating himself behind the desk.

"We were just meeting the new members of the cabal, pretty bird," Rouge told him.

Jason raised a hand. "Just what is the point of this group in the first place? And why has this terrorist targeted me?"

"Not just you, Jay," the ex-commander said, "He came after me as well. The bastard wrecked my home good, too. If I wasn't visiting Ivo at the time..."

The doctor stood up straight. "Our ultimate goal is to stop this so-called 'St. Jimmy' from completing his mission," he explained.

"Which is...?" Jason asked.

"Vengeance on GUN, past and present," Ivo replied.

The Secretary of State leapt from his chair. "And you're keeping this from GUN?! They need this information!"

Ivo stood firm. "We have to keep what we know silent. We have reason to believe it's an inside job."

Jason looked as if he had been struck. "An inside job...? No, that couldn't be!"

The bat got down from the desk, produced a glass tube, and held it up. "Does this look familiar, Mr. Emyr?"

Jason tilted his head at it and blinked. "A chaos drive? Where'd you get that?"

"My daughter got it out of one of the robots from today's attack. One of Jimmy's robots," she answered. "Convinced now?"

The politician staggered back into his seat. "One of our own's trying to take out GUN... Unbelievable..."

The doctor spoke up again. "I also have reason to believe today's attack was a failed bid for the Chaos Emeralds in my possession."

"Not so failed," Jason corrected. "If St. Jimmy is in fact a member of GUN, now he has a legal excuse to take them."

Whatsername nearly hit the floor. Gordon swore. "He's right, Ivo. He's absolutely fucking right. Now what do we do?"

Ivo shrugged. "Lie. Emeralds? What emeralds?"

"That wouldn't stop him. Not for long," Whatsername said. "And you could be arrested for refusing to cooperate. I believe the lyric that accompanied today's attack was a warning to you. 'I really hate to say it, but I told you so/ So shut your mouth before I shoot you down, old boy,'" she quoted.

"It'd stop him for longer than you'd think," the doctor countered. "I'm still useful as a scapegoat if things don't work as he planned. It's no more than an idle threat."

Gordon shot him a look, crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat. "You never did tell me the full story behind that."

The doctor tried ignoring him, hoping for a distraction. When none came, he sighed and pushed up his glasses. "Very well. The truth. Years ago, after you had retired, Gordon, and before the public finally accepted that I had changed, I received an offer. Design a robot or two for GUN use. Naturally, it was kept quiet. After all, why would they want to be associated with a megalomaniacal madman? I don't know why I did it, looking back. A vain attempt to keep them breathing down my neck, I suppose. But I gave them the 'Blue Beetles', the exact same robots that have been used in the attacks."

Whatsername's hand made swift contact with her face. "And you named the models 'Dan', 'Ted', and 'Jamie', right?"

Ivo brightened somewhat. "Oho! Yes, I did indeed. I like the company you keep, Gordon."

"And that's why it has to be an inside job..." Jason murmured.

The doctor nodded. "I'm afraid there's no other logical conclusion."

The politician glanced around the room. "A couple things still bother me. Miles Prower isn't here. Knuckles isn't here. And you haven't even gone to Cmdr. Sonic yet with this, have you?"

"No, we haven't gone to him," the doctor confirmed.

Jason paled and balled his fists tight. "Then... How far up the ranks is St. Jimmy?"

No one said a word for a long time. It took Ivo to finally break the silence. "He hasn't been quite right for some time now, Mr. Emyr. The circumstances may be different, but I know all too well the path he's going down. Everything I've done thus far to avert him from it has failed. But," he said, "I am not one to give up so easily. Not on him."

The politician remained frozen in his seat. "So you're telling me the Commander of GUN is the same person who's been tearing up cities?! Impossible, this is all impossible!"

"If it's impossible, then why would he go after you, Jay? Why would he go after me?" Gordon countered. "The terrorist's been going after soldiers who were active in his younger days, and guess who was in charge then, 'Commander-in-Chief'."

"If you have another solution, I'd love to hear it, Mr. Emyr," Ivo said without sarcasm, "I'm not fond of the idea either."

Jason shakily rose from his seat. "I... I need something to drink..." he said hoarsely.

"Go left when you go out the door, and it's the door on the right at the end of the hall," Jet said, "and don't forget to watch your head, Stretch."

The politician toddled his way to the door. "Jay!" Gordon exclaimed. He started to get up, but suddenly hissed and gripped the chair tightly.

The doctor sighed and went to him. "Your knee again, Gordon? And of course, you forgot your cane again."

"Shut up and help me up," Gordon grumbled.

Rouge watched the pair leave the room, Gordon leaning on Ivo for support. "I swear, there's something going on there, or at least there was," she told Jet.

The hawk made a face. "You worry me sometimes, Bats."

"I always thought that Cmdr. Ansem had feelings for Mr. Emyr myself," Whatsername interjected, heading for the desk.

Jet's head met the desk. "Am I the only sane one in the room? Yes? OK then."

The bat waggled her fingers at him. "We are slashers! Resistance is futile!"

Jet sat up and threw his hands up in mock horror. "Oh no! The gay will get me! Run away! Run away!" he said with a laugh.

The soft clack of a card hitting the desk interrupted their fun. "This is for you," Whatsername said.

The hawk picked up the card. It was a GUN ID card with a picture of a brown-haired human. "'Patterson Horrocks'? What am I supposed to do this?"

"Whatever you see fit. He loses his card about once a month, so no one would bat an eye at it being missing or taken," the mysterious woman said. She pulled her hat down lower. "We need more information. No problem for a thief descended from the legendary Babylonians, yes? Especially with a former spy and someone on the inside on your side."

Jet frowned. "If you're on the inside, how come you can't do it? Not that I can't, of course."

"My loyalty is to GUN, Mr. Hawk. I-outside of this-abide by the rules strictly, and the Commander is more observant than most give him credit for. We can't afford my position being given away," Whatsername told him.

"But I'm expendable," Jet said.

The GUN member shrugged. "Pretty much."

"At least you're honest about it," he replied. The hawk's eyes narrowed. "How do I even know I can trust you?"

The mysterious female raised her head, causing her glasses to flash. "Do you have much choice in the matter? Use it or don't; just hurry. The Commander will no doubt go after the emeralds soon." With that, she turned and left.

The bat sat herself back on the desk. "Creepy. But I hate to say it, but she has a point. The clock's running down, pretty bird."

The bird let out a soft "Hn." "So it is, Bats. So it is."

*

Whatsername closed the door behind her and pressed her back against the wall so her trembling knees wouldn't just give on her. She took off the hat and fanned herself with it. I don't know how much more of this I can take... she thought. All I can do for now is leave it in the hands of a handful of old men, a thief, and a spy, and watch the Commander. Her glasses slipped down at the thought. ... oh, yeah, we're doomed.

*

A little before 4AM that night...

The office was clean, and the lock easy to break; a surprise on both accounts, given who it belonged to. He sighed. It wasn't like he wasn't planning on doing this anyway, he thought, but he hated his hand being forced.

The hawk had sifted through the filing cabinet, looked through the computer, and had started on the desk drawers. So far, all he had found was a list of retired GUN personnel, suggestive scanned pictures of the commander's echidna friend, and a small, barely touched bottle of vodka. Great, a list of targets that he's already hit, and proof he's banging the echidna. If I don't find anything useful soon, I'm takin' the booze and leavin', he thought.

He sat in the desk's chair and looked around the room. OK, if I was Sonic, where would I hide my plans...? he thought as he leaned on a rather ordinary notebook. Inspiration hit like the hand he brought to his forehead. "Of course! It's so obvious, it's either brilliant or really, really dumb!"

He opened the notebook and flipped to the last page with writing. Inside, it said, "This game is starting to drag on. I couldn't get Shadow's emerald, and HE'S keeping more of them from me. He's the only one who would possibly know what's running through my mind, and he's the only one crazy enough to try to 'save my soul'. He's not gonna succeed, tho'. What he's trying to save died long ago, and I'll now have the means to make my next move. I will take GUN down and make the world safe again, even if I go down with it! As soon as I have the emeralds, I'll..."

"You'll WHAT?!" Jet exclaimed as he read the rest. "That's insanity!"

A soft click. "I never claimed to be sane," a voice smoothly replied. Jet quickly shut the book and looked at the doorway. The commander was there, gun raised at the hawk. "I'm lucky I came in early to finish some work, or I might not have discovered you here," Sonic said.

"I guess this is where you ask me what I'm doing here and call security," the hawk said, voice slightly betraying his nervousness.

"No," said the commander. "No, it's not."

*

Saffron, followed by a pair of human soldiers, was on the scene within a minute. "Sir! I heard a shot and..." The commander raised a hand. "Sir?"

Sonic lowered his weapon and continued to look in the office coldly. "An intruder. He's been... neutralized." He turned and took a few steps away. "See to it this is kept quiet. News that HQ was broken into this soon after an attack on Central itself would make us look even worse."

Saffron fought a shiver at his uncharacteristic coldness and saluted. "Y-yes, sir. We'll get right on it, sir."

The hedgehog's gun hand began to shake. He grabbed his lower arm with the other hand and said, "Good. Now I... I need to be alone..."

"But, sir, shouldn't we-" the lieutenant began, but it was too late. The commander had already broken into a run away from the scene. Saffron pushed up her glasses. "All right, Lumley, contact the MP and Dr. Whitfield. Sawalha, stay here and be prepared to back me up in case this intruder wasn't alone. I'm going to check things out in the office."

The soldiers saluted. "Yes, ma'am!"

The hare drew her weapon, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. This was going to be another long day.

*
End Chapter 4


Chibi's notes:

Anyone surprised? Poor Jason (who, by the way, is the President in game canon and was named by the ever-fabulous Typical) sure was. XD

St. Jimmy's calling card is part of the lyrics from the song "St. Jimmy". How he got the name's not terribly important and therefore likely wouldn't pop up elsewhere, so here is it.

I could not for the life of me resist the Blue Beetles gag. Sorry.

Sonic et. al. are owned by Sega. I'm just borrowing them.