[Stella] The Savage Beast: Ch. 2

That night, I found myself dreaming of the jungle I had seen in the travel book earlier that day.  Every step I took introduced me to another exotic plant or animal, and though I knew what many of them were, it was such a wonderfully different experience to see them in their natural habitat.  Onward I continued, admiring the sights and sounds, when I came to the bank of a swiftly-flowing river.  The water was crystal-clear, untouched by man, the complete opposite of what surrounded me on a daily basis.  Crossing the river on foot certainly would've been too dangerous, so I chose to sit down and take everything in, removing my shoes and immersing my feet in the edge of the water.  Above, I could see the clouds passing lazily across the sky, and there came a break in the cloud cover that streamed warm sunlight down on me.  It was all so relaxing that I leaned back and just closed my eyes, focusing on the water and the sunlight and the sounds of the jungle.  Everything slowly faded to nothing as I drifted off to sleep.

Reality reared its ugly head when the sharp buzz of my alarm clock told me that morning had come.  My hand blindly flopped around my nightstand in an attempt to shut it off, and I heard it clatter to the floor.  I sluggishly put my hands at my sides and pushed myself up off the bed, rolling over so I could sit up and get to my feet.  Or at least, that's what my mind thought I was doing -- what actually happened went more like "I rolled all the way off the bed and flopped on the floor, hitting my head on my alarm clock in the process."  Ugh, this day is already off to a bad start, I thought to myself as I rubbed the back of my head, finally stood up and put my alarm clock back in place.  I clicked on my bedside lamp to brighten the room, and took a good look at myself in the mirror.  I was still wearing the same clothes (including the shoes) I was wearing yesterday, and they were all rumpled.  My eyes still looked red and puffy from all the crying, and my bangs were flattened in the front.  I tossed my old clothes in my laundry basket and ambled into the bathroom, hoping a shower and some fresh clothes would help get yesterday's memory out of my head.  It did lift my spirits somewhat, but not as much as I would've liked.

I exited my room and walked to the mess hall to get some breakfast.  The servant robot was there as always, offering to make me an omelet or some French toast, but I politely declined and opted to pour myself a bowl of cereal instead.  I didn't see Dad there, but that didn't surprise me too much because he'd sometimes eat breakfast earlier or later depending on what he had going on that day, and if I could be honest, I was somewhat relieved, because I still had a bad taste in my mouth from my outburst yesterday and didn't want to have to sit through that awkward silence again.  I finished up and dragged my feet to my daily chore of robot repair, and it was a daily chore because Dad had his robots in active service and apparently encountered anthro attacks so often that I could count on at least one damaged robot waiting for me.  But not today, and that really struck me as odd.  Then again, the day was still young, and it was possible that the robots were in the midst of a scuffle right then.  To confirm, I exited the repair room and walked down the hall to the warehouse where the robot fleet reserves were stored.  A brief search discovered four E-200 series robots missing from formation, which was the same quantity and series of robot that Dad usually took with him for protection every time he ventured out into the world.  Everything I'd seen so far pointed at him being away from the campus, but I wanted to check one more place.  Around the corner and down another hallway I went to Dad's computer room, which contained (among other equipment) the master control console that could be used to track and give directions to all the robots in our fleet.  I first knocked on the door so as not to catch him off guard if he was inside, and when there was no answer, I unlocked the door with my fingerprint and took a peek inside.  I looked up the short flight of stairs and called out his name again, and all was quiet inside, aside from the characteristic hum of the machinery.

Satisfied, I closed the door and began brainstorming ideas of what I'd do with my unexpected day off.  I don't want to go back to the library again and get tantalized by more things I'll never get to experience, and I don't want to work out until I digest my breakfast first...  The decision was made for me when I heard an electronic bell tone and a computerized voice announcing "Warning...unidentified persons detected."  It definitely wasn't the first time I'd heard the message, for Dad had rigged the outside of the campus with security cameras and motion detectors to keep it safe from any savage anthros who might get too brazen.  Most of the time, though, it was a false alarm because the motion detectors also picked up the movements of ordinary animals moving through the dense forest that surrounded the campus.  But with nothing else to do, I figured I'd humor myself and walk just around the corner to the security room and check the monitors to see if the warning was any real threat.  Imagine my surprise when, emerging from the underbrush, I saw two humanoid figures approaching the rear of the campus, near the loading dock.  Alarmed, I scrambled to the control room and engaged standard emergency protocol, powering up our flagship, brutish E-100 series robots and sending them out the loading dock to intercept the trespassers.  I switched one of the monitors in the control room over to the surveillance camera covering the loading dock, watching the E-100's pelt the intruders with a barrage of rapid-fire laser pulses.  But their agility and strength was unlike anything I've ever seen before, and through a combination of back-flips and outright punches, they'd tricked the E-100's into shooting each other.  I gasped to see our prized robots fall to pieces and the intruders slip right by.  I instantly dispatched some E-200's, which were smaller but faster, hoping they'd be more successful.  I had a feeling, though, that some real intelligence would be needed to stop the invaders, so I grabbed the laser pistol out of the lock box on the wall and exited the room, running in the direction of the loading dock.  I could hear the faint servo motors of the E-200's coming up the hallway behind me, but I also heard heavy footsteps coming from around the corner, and then suddenly, there they were.  My heart started pounding when, in the cold white light of the hallway, I saw an anthro tangerine fox and a red echidna, both of them larger than me, running in my direction at full speed.  I yelled out "STOP!" and drew the laser pistol, hoping my aim was steady enough to shoot them dead before they could jump me and rip my head off.  But target practice couldn't have prepared me for targets who wanted to kill me too, and my arm was shaking from the nerves.  I did squeeze off two shots, though, hitting the fox in the arm and the echidna in the leg.  Surprisingly, it was enough to make them both fall to their knees and cry out in pain.  The echidna glared at me and yelled out a stream of obscenities I'm not going to repeat.  By this time, the E-200 robots were right behind me, and three of them swooped in to fire taser barbs at the savages' skins, causing them to wildly convulse and collapse forward.  Frantic, I pulled out my cell phone and called my dad, alerting him of the anthro intruders and asking him what I should do to them.  Against my predictions, he told me to instruct the robots to carry the intruders off to interrogation, and to wait until he got home for further instructions.  I watched as the claws of the E-200's clamped around the anthros' arms and legs and dragged them away.  The whole time, I saw the fox staring me right in the eyes, not saying a word.

About 20 minutes later, I heard the faint sound of Dad's hovercraft landing on the launch pad outside.  It didn't take him long to come running up to me, asking me if I was OK.  When I nodded, he put his hands on my shoulders and said "Oh, thank goodness!  You really had me worried when you told me Ta...I mean, the savage anthros invaded the base!"  I held up the laser pistol and grinned, saying "You didn't train me how to use this for nothing, did you?"  He gave me that "exceptionally pleased" grin I've seen so many times on his face, but then it fell when I asked "So why did you have the robots cart the savages off to interrogation?  Wouldn't it have been simpler to just kill them outright?"  He nodded and replied "Yes, but can't you see?  We've got them right where we want them.  I plan on finding out the location of their secret hideout, and then wiping them out once and for all!"  Dad was right; it made more sense to go after the source than to constantly be acting on the defensive.  Part of me wasn't completely satisfied with the answer, though, and I wanted to witness the interrogation myself, if for no other reason than to observe the behavior of the only other living creatures I've seen in years...even if they were our mortal enemies.  As if subtly reminding me of this fact, Dad told me "I've fought against these anthros since before you were born, and I know exactly what makes them tick.  It'd be too dangerous for you to be in there.  Besides, I saw the wreckage of robots outside...don't you have something you need to work on?"

I acknowledged the request -- it was my job around here to repair and maintain the robots, after all -- but once Dad was out of earshot, I sighed exasperatedly.  A chance like this only comes around once in a blue moon, and I can't believe Dad won't let me be a part of it!  I swung by the robot-repair room and turned on the forklift, driving it out to the loading bay to scoop up the busted remains of the E-100 series robots.  After getting the last robot back to repair, I surveyed the damage and tallied up which robots were salvageable and which were not.  Of the half that weren't completely beyond repair, I had a lot of work ahead of me, at least a full day for each.  But just before I was about to start working, I got an idea.  Of the few times I'd passed by the door to the interrogation room, I knew it had a small window in it, and my curiosity was just eating me up inside.  I quietly sneaked out of robot repair and over to the interrogation room, peeking my head inside to witness the interrogation against my father's wishes.  Through the glass and wire mesh I could see Dad standing there with his hands behind his back, talking to the captive anthros, though I couldn't hear his words.  I couldn't see the anthros quite as well from the angle I was standing, but I could tell that they were seated on metal chairs, and that at least their legs were tied down.  They weren't thrashing and squirming like I would've expected, but then again, if they were as intelligent as humans, maybe they'd be smart enough to recognize a futile struggle when they saw one.  What also struck me as strange was Dad's choice of protection -- nothing but a single E-206 robot which wasn't even designed to be a guard.  It put just the tiniest bit of doubt in my mind that maybe these anthros weren't as savage and dangerous as Dad had been telling me.  On the other hand, Dad said he'd been dealing with anthros for a long time, and it's entirely possible that he's encountered these specific ones before.  When I suddenly saw Dad turning towards the door, I ducked down, hoping he didn't see me.  I decided that I'd pushed my luck far enough, and slinked back to robot repair.

About thirty minutes after that, I was in the thick of welding a replacement body panel back on E-104 "Epsilon," when I heard some sounds from outside the room.  I stopped and listened, and opened one of the double doors just a crack to find out what was going on.  I could see two E-206 robots treading along, dragging behind them the fox and echidna anthros.  I saw shackles around their wrists and ankles and they weren't moving.  I wanted to follow them to find out where they were being taken, but if Dad saw me, I'd probably have to come up with some awkward explanation.  So instead, I decided to put the ball in his court by waiting until he came to check on my work, which happened only a few minutes later.  After giving him a status update on my repair work, I asked "So how'd the interrogation go?  What'd you find out?  Would they even talk to you?"  He looked disgusted as he replied "They wouldn't give up the location.  I'm gonna hold them overnight, or even longer if necessary, and slowly break down their will to fight."  I countered with "But didn't you say these anthros were as smart as humans?  Have you tried reasoning with them?  Bargaining with them?  If it's their hideout location you want, how about I give it a try?  Maybe they'll be a bit more responsive to me."  Dad sighed and said "Oh, Stella, there's your naivete shining through again.  These anthros are vicious, and they're cunning.  Do you know what they'd do to a sweet girl like yourself?  First, they'd sweet-talk you into setting them free, and the moment you do, they'll pay you back by ripping out your throat and leaving you for dead.  You can't trust a single word they say, Stella."

Dad certainly knew about anthros a lot more than I did, and maybe he was right, but the way I saw him questioning the anthros in the interrogation room just didn't sit right with me.  I wanted to speak to these savage anthros at least once, if for no other reason than to talk to someone new.  So, an hour later after Dad left and went off to do his own thing, I went looking for one of the two E-206 robots who I saw dragging the anthros down the hall.  This proved difficult, as there are dozens of them in the fleet and they all look identical aside from whatever "scars" remained on their bodies from being repaired.  I had to ask eight different robots before finding one I was looking for -- unfortunately, or fortunately, they don't talk to one another -- and I got my answer to where the detainees were being kept.  That led me to a corner of the campus I rarely had reason to visit, behind a door I don't ever think I've opened.  What made it unusual was that it was an old-fashioned swing door with a knob, unlike most of the sliding, fingerprint-lock doors the campus contained.  I grasped the knob and turned it quietly, finding it unlocked, and opened the door just a crack to see what was inside.  I saw two E-202 guard robots standing there, one with its back to me, who apparently didn't notice my presence.  I quietly closed the door again and started thinking up a plan to get past the guards and speak with the anthros face to face.  But in order to do that, I would need the specific serial numbers of these guard robots, and to get those, I did what the robots least expected: I opened the door wide and walked right in.  That obviously got their attention and they quickly stood side-by-side to prevent me from walking past them, saying it was done for my protection.  But I had programmed this model of robot, and knew exactly how to push their buttons.  After lying to them about a defect that was found in certain units of the E-202 model, they willingly gave me their serial numbers for "verification."

For the rest of the day, I was careful not to make waves or give Dad the slightest suspicion that I was scheming to disobey his orders.  I wrestled with the feelings of guilt as I lied down to sleep that night, for I was never the type to willingly give him a hard time about anything, but I knew I had just one chance to get things done and I wasn't gonna let that slip through my fingers.  To minimize the risk of disturbing anyone else, I programmed an alarm on my phone instead and slipped headphones on my ears to wake me at 1:30 in the morning.  Then I quietly slid my door open and carefully tread upon the cold steel floor in bare feet (again, to minimize noise), walking to the robot control room where I tracked down the serial numbers of the robots I encountered, confirmed they were still in that room guarding the captives, and executed a routine to remotely shut the robots down.  I then tiptoed to the security room around the corner and switched to a camera feed that looked into my father's bedroom, to find him still asleep.  I felt guilty once more and whispered "I'm sorry, Dad" as I left the room and sprinted over to the detention room, but not before grabbing the laser pistol from the lock box and tucking it into the back of my pajama pants, just in case things got out of control.  I seethed at the door creaking open, but I stepped inside and found the lights off, and the guard robots successfully disabled.  The only light source came from moonlight streaming through a tiny rectangular window at the top of one wall, illuminating a patch of the steel-tile floor and little else.  Thinking quickly, I stood in the path of the light and let it bounce off my white sleeping shirt, bathing the room in diffuse light.  Behind a row of vertical steel bars were the anthro fox and echidna, curled up rather uncomfortably on the floor, asleep.

Waking these sleeping beasts was definitely dangerous -- in more ways than one -- but it was a risk I would have to take.  I remembered how viciously the echidna reacted towards being shot in the leg, so I decided that I'd have a marginally better chance at success in speaking to the fox.  But figuring out how to wake him up remained a challenge, until I saw tiny pebbles on the floor of their cell, perhaps stuck to their shoes from when they came in from the outside.  I reached into the cell with one arm, grabbing as many as I could, and flung them at his head one by one.  It eventually got him to stir, and I drew back from the light, on the off chance he would react violently as well.  I couldn't see him so well anymore, but I heard him lethargically sitting up and calling out "Huh?"  My heart felt like it was beating out of my chest, but I eventually whispered "Shh!  Keep it quiet.  I'm not supposed to be here."  Naturally, he asked me "Who's there?"  Not wanting to reveal this information quite yet, I said "I just have a few questions for you."  With mild annoyance, he groaned "Eggman, I already told you before that I...wait a minute, you don't sound like him.  Are you that girl who shot us earlier today?  How did you manage to sneak in here?  Nobody's been able to get in here for years..."  There was no point in hiding my identity now, so I stepped once more into the light so that I could see his face and he could see mine.  He took one look at my head quills and just stared, the same way he stared at me when he was being carted away earlier that day.  I was getting a little creeped out by it, actually, so I asked "Why are you staring at me like--" but then he answered "What is your name?"  I matter-of-factly said "Stella Robotnik.  And yours?"  He didn't respond; instead, he only gasped.  He held one gloved hand to his mouth and I could hear him getting all choked up.  And if my eyes weren't fooling me in the dim light, I could see the glint of tears welling up in his eyes.  "Stella...is...is that really you?"

He stuck his arms out from the cell towards me, and his face fell when I instinctively recoiled.  "It's OK, Stella, I'm not gonna hurt you.  Don't you remember me?"  By this point, I was totally confused and extremely wary; I slowly reached one arm behind my back and closed my fingers around the laser pistol, intent on whipping it out and shooting the fox in the head the instant he tried something funny.  But would a "savage" fox really be brought to tears like this?  I inched forward towards his waiting arms, expecting him to slam my head against the bars or choke me, but instead he gave me the most heartfelt hug I've ever been given -- I can't remember the last time even my own father treated me with such affection.  I could hear him audibly sobbing, repeating the words "I can't believe you're still alive, I can't believe you're still alive!"  This fox obviously knew who I was, but I didn't have any idea from where, as I'd never seen him before in my life.  He pulled back, with tears still in his eyes, and turned to wake his partner who remained asleep through the whole ordeal.  I kept my guard up towards the big red brute, who took one look at me and growled "You...YOU were the one who shot me in the @$#*%& LEG!"  The fox quickly calmed him down, saying "Knuckles, calm down...don't you see who it is?  Sonic and Amy's long-lost baby girl is alive, and she's all grown up!"  Knuckles (assuming that was his real name) still stared daggers at me, but said nothing more.

The fox must've seen the bewildered look on my face, because then he said "My name is Miles Prower, though everybody calls me Tails.  And my partner is--"  I interrupted with "Yeah, I heard...Knuckles.  Could either of you please tell me why you two are here and, more importantly, how the heck you know me?"  Tails wiped the tears from his eyes and began his story: "Ages ago, we had these two hedgehog partners named Sonic and Amy, and they had a baby girl named Stella.  I still remember the day I found out that she'd been kidnapped from a city park."  I gasped as I recalled the dream I had just two nights ago, and I confirmed with Tails that Sonic and Amy were blue and pink, just as I pictured them.  "We knew Dr. Robotnik had kidnapped her, but we never saw her again...we just assumed that she'd been killed along with Sonic and Amy.  I hope you understand why I acted the way I did when I found out you were still alive, Stella."  This was a lot of information to take in, and again I was worried that Tails (if that was his real name) might have been trying to sweet-talk me, just as Dad had warned.  I stood my ground and said "You're lying to me...my parents abandoned me as an infant and I'd be dead right now if Dr. Robotnik hadn't found me and decided to take me under his wing."  Tails, surprised at this display, said "You want proof?  I can get you proof, but you've got to help us get out of here."  By this point I was almost certain that I was being manipulated, so I stood up and sighed.  "I'm not gonna help you escape this place because frankly, I don't trust you.  But I can tell that you're intelligent enough to be reasoned with, so let me make you a deal.  If you do figure out some way to escape, I won't do anything to stop you.  All I ask is that you won't hunt me down and kill me or take me prisoner."