Crystal Tamara Ferret - The Truth, A Sonic The Tyrant 2 Spin-off Options

[Xaiv]

Looks like things are going to get interesting. I really can't wait for the next chapter to see where all this 'taking back Station Square' thing is headed.

Good work, man!

[arch]

Gah.. I can't help but feel for those living in station square. Tis my favorite town. T_T;

Another great chapter that leaves me anticipating the next.~~

[Tanman]

Chapter 25
Split Up.

The dirt flicked up from the un-maintained road, mud and grime slinging into the air as the truck rolled over pot-holes and bumps at a speed that was either recklessly dangerous, or dangerously reckless. Probably both.

Brash had been flooring it for at least half an hour now, Tillmier and Raid luckily managing to stay stable due to seatbelts. The same could not be said for those in the back, though they seemed to be coping rather well, the occasional swear as one bumped his head on the ceiling.

The radio had been dead the entire time they’d been driving, as it seemed that the anxiety of the situation needed to be further heightened as all radio stations shut off their broadcasts. Silence brought with it reflection, and reflection brought with it further tenseness throughout the entire vehicle. The quiet was unsettling, but everyone had become accustomed to the lack of noise. That’s what made the revival of the radio even more startling.

"I am Saverous, leader of the Animaloid Insurgency. Station Square is neutral territory, but there is not a single soul within the Insurgency that will stand idly by while millions of innocent people are slaughtered. I will join my soldiers on the battlefield, and together we will show you what becomes of cowards who prey on the innocent, President Robotnik!"

Everyone just sat there for a moment, staring at the radio (With the exception of the driver), before the van dove back into silence, passing through the city limits of Station Square. Things were already well on the way to becoming a tight security zone; several Insurgency cut-off points requiring a number of identification codes and passwords before they could continue on their way inside. All around the Insurgents were armed for combat – not just the guerrilla battle armaments they normally had, but full on weapons prepared only for war. It was an ominous sign.

Scattered around, Tillmier could see the soldiers attempting to maintain some sort of order as they rounded up civilians in order to relocate them to adequately protected areas. In contrast, many vehicles and citizens were struggling to make their way out of the city; not willing to stick around what they deemed to be a lost cause. She didn’t blame them, but couldn’t see them as anything else but cowards. She couldn’t do much, but at least she was trying.

As the truck rolled to a stop next to the Temporary Base of operations in Station Square, Tillmier and Raid clambered out and stood around like a couple of street decorations while people rushed to and fro in preparation; neither of the two quite willing to pipe up and ask for some direction. They had considered asking Brash for some assistance, but he was tied up leading the robotosized captive to his holding cell until a more fitting interrogation time could be arranged.

The battle was already taking place on the main front, so they couldn’t help but feel a little guilty about just standing around. The two were about to head inside when everyone immediately covered their ears from the deafening sound of a gunshot. Turning towards the noise, there appeared to be a face off between a leopard and…

“Old-Fart?” Raid muttered in surprise, staring at that same light blue hedgehog from the Theme Park. Overhearing the discussion of an infiltration run on the Robotnik-2, Raid bid Tillmier farewell again as he headed over towards the hedgehog in the hopes of getting involved with the mission; telling her to stay safe until the whole thing was over. It was about half-way there that another soldier grabbed him, obviously a higher ranking officer and friend as they began to discuss something.

Now alone, the Numbat began to head inside when she spied something out of the corner of her eye that struck a nerve. An animaloid bird was hurriedly making his way inside the HQ, some sort of cylinder or something in hand. The streak of red and yellow, combined with a tacky black leather outfit meant... She’d seen that guy before but where…

Gasping, she turned and looked around for him; but it was far too late. Stride was nowhere to be seen. There was no mistaking that same bird from Jager that had almost succeeded in killing them both. What in the world would he be doing in the midst of this battlefield? Forcing herself to remember every detail, a clue or anything that could help her; she suddenly froze as an image became all too clear.

Tillmier immediately got a hold of the nearest soldier and demanded that someone get her in touch with Saverous. If the Insurgency were ill-prepared for what that bird was planning, the effects could be disastrous! She knew the symbol she’d seen on that gas-cylinder all too well – A few breaths of that and anyone would be out cold. Though she didn’t manage to speak to Saverous directly, through some sort of chain the information must have reached him; Gas Masks suddenly being brought about while a few soldiers who weren’t reached quickly enough slumped asleep.

Then the whole building shook, a few soldiers running to check on the explosion somewhere down in the base. Considering it was internal, she had a guess who it might be, but wasn’t about to do anything about it from her position on the floor.

Helping herself back up, she dusted herself down and looked about the foyer; searching for something, anything she could do to help the situation. Despite her good intentions and initiative however, everything seemed to be handling itself. Standing in the middle of the room, she found herself missing Raid’s impulsive behaviour, as she couldn’t bring herself to do something as rash as him.

Then her eyes widened, she stared across the room in shock, colour faded from her face and everything seemed to be put on hold. Staring, completely frozen to the spot, she trembled; unable to get hers legs moving towards what she could see, convinced it was an illusion or a trick on her mind. It couldn’t be – there was no possible way. They’d struggled for so long, and yet it seemed impossible for the goal to be realized.

On the floor, hugging into a red echidna, less than 20 metres away with her brown and maroon pigtails bobbing in the air; was none other than Crystal Tamara Ferret.


From here things are going to take a different turn in the story, with Raid and Tillmier pursuing their own separate adventures for a little while.

When will they meet up again?
What will they encounter?
And when will I get to writing it all?

We're steadily getting closer and closer to it all coming together, so hopefully you can all put up with my constant delays in continuing CTF!

[digs]

And here I was worried that you wouldn't update before the month finished out. Silly me.

Great chapter, though. Let us hope the next doesn't take as long, because I'm sure we (moy included) all want to know what happens next ASAP. =P

[Turrican II]

Finally!

Great new installment. The tension is building really well, which is why it would be awfully naughty of you to keep your audience waiting another month or three.

[vgmaster]

YAY KNUCKLES! YAY CRYSTAL! Very well written Tanman. I was gonna ask you what happened with the delay there, but it's good to know that you still believe in the story. Keep it up.

[GameBuddy]

Dude, I suck. I suck because I haven't read this until now.

Seriously, I'm sorry.

I don't know if you'll ever finish it, but know that it's awesome and beyond mere compliments.

He threatened the people of Station Square with slavery and death, yet the words were those that were carefully chosen by a diplomat. It was blasphemy! It was madness! No; it was the world they lived in.

[arch]

Yay~ Another awesome-filled chapter of wholesome goodness. Thanks Tanman~ ^^

Oh, and extra yay for Crystal.~ Though, I'm sure Archinos would be throwing popcorn at the screen right about now.

[Tanman]

Chapter 26
The Front Lines (Raid)

Raid wasn’t sure whether to be happy or not given his current position. From what he heard, the run on the Robotnik -2 was as good as suicide; but then again, he didn’t much prefer being sent out to battle on the main front. Gun in hand, he wasn’t moving the fastest considering his equipment was holding him back, but if it wasn’t for this fact he might not have noticed the peculiar sight as he ran past the local hospital.

The cat that rushed past him with what might be a small child in her arms looked quite distressed; the small purple cloak doing little to show it wasn’t stained with blood. Contrary to what he expected, their destination wasn’t the main source of medical treatment, judging by the way the cat was heading in the opposite direction of the hospital; but where they could be headed was anyone’s guess. Stranger still was the military-styled outfit the cat wore, almost reminding him of...

Stopping in his tracks, Raid turned to look in the direction that the Jager operative had headed, though by now she was well into the distance. He knew full well that duty came before anything else in the faction, so the notion of an agent expressing that much compassion for anything but a mission was… Unusual…

It wasn’t until his superior officer tapped him on the shoulder did he return to reality and began following along with the others, once again running the gauntlet as they climbed over rubble and circled round debris. The effect that the bombing had on the road condition was incredible, water pipes bursting at the seams, whole buildings reduced to a pile of rocks, and twisted metal which may have been street lamps warping their way through the hunks of scrap that were once cars.

Above, jets and missiles screamed in an attempt to take each other down, the resulting sounds and explosions not really a clear indication of which one was winning. Going by the brief and furtive glances that Raid took upwards, the lack of AI aircraft was enough to show him they were getting their asses kicked.

Finally, the corner they rounded lead to the battlefield; though what they were greeted with was hardly what was expected. The closest wave of robots had been decimated; hunks of metal crushed into the dirt and bowled over thanks to an overturned transporter. That’s not to say things were going well – quite the contrary; what with the legions of mindless slaves still trudging forward and crushing their allies beneath their feet.

Raid and his team mates didn’t hesitate any longer. Running forward at full speed, hollers and hoots amongst them as the bullets they fired ripped precariously close to the remaining Insurgent’s heads. The red-panda never was an arms specialist, but then again, so long as he knew which end sent the projectiles of death outward, and where the trigger was; there really wasn’t much to it.

It wasn’t until there was a strangled cry from behind him did Raid turn from the scene of battle, not giving shock a chance to settle in as he unloaded a clip into the robot that had just skewered through Freddy. No sooner had he managed that then another mind-slave leapt from the shadows, meeting a similar fate at much closer range. A thunk from behind the red-panda made him move on instinct, swinging the butt of the rifle round and slapping away the clawed hand that had sliced towards his head. Ducking the second hand, he rounded up his own, crumpling into the metal and sending the assailant scraping across the ground.

He sure wasn’t Knuckles the Echidna, but you wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of his fist all the same.

It then became apparent that the robots weren’t springing out of nowhere, but instead jumping down from rooftops as a few transporter ships had touched down above them unnoticed. The fact that the small front line had tactfully been surrounded and caught unaware was a testament to the intelligence of the UF forces. Raid wouldn’t be singing the enemy any praises though, much preferring to concentrate on separating their vital parts from their bodies.

“Fire! Don’t let them break through!” Shouted the commander above the racket, attempting to maintain some form of control as soldiers broke formation and attacked whatever was nearest them. It was a losing battle though, Robotnik had more mind slaves then the Insurgency had bullets.

Not that it mattered to Raid anymore – He was so swarmed that his fists were doing a much better job then bullets ever could. There was also a much larger degree of self satisfaction when pummeling things too.

Then, an eruption of noise came from those in the crowd.

“Take cover!”

Raid had barely heard them before an explosion rocked over the street, scrap bits of metal flying up in the resulting inferno. Who the hell had thrown a grenade? It didn’t matter anymore; the point was help had arrived – Even if they weren’t too cautious about having friendly casualties. Still, it was unlikely such a small force could turn the tide of the battle, they’d need a miracle.

The red-panda had a suspicion that the Robotnik-2 infiltration was supposed to be that miracle. It did little to comfort him, especially since commander old-fart was in charge of things. I mean, what were the chances that they’d manage to take control of that ship? One in one billion? Raid would have more chance convincing the robots that peace and love were the key to victory.

Okay, maybe that was an overstatement, but still. Raid would end up eating his knuckledusters if they pulled through.


Where did that grenade come from?
Will Sky and his team managed to take control of the Robotnik-2?
And just what was the Jager Agent doing?

It's been over two months, but the next installment is finally here. Due to my lazy nature, chapter updates will be pretty spontaneous, so continue reading at your own risk...

...

Continue reading CTF!

[GameBuddy]

Woo-hoo! Awesome! Made even more awesome by the fact that I read through a bit of StT2 not too long ago.

[Xaiv]

HURRAH FOR AN UPDATE THAT CONTAINED AN AWESOME CHAPTER!!!

Yeah. Gewd werk.

[Turrican II]

It lives! It lives! Lovely piece of action-filled plot progression there, Tanman.

[vgmaster]

Looking very good, Tanman. You never fail to impress.

[Tanman]

Chapter 27
Hot Pursuit (Tillmier)

This was it. The moment she’d been aiming for since this whole whirlwind of events had started. It seemed surreal, the total surprise of even catching a glimpse of the famous heroine was paralysing, let alone having her within vocal reach. It was all she could see; the one ferret climbing up from the ground, laughing like any other normal person. Then, slowly but steadily, like someone was slowly filling the gaps in her sight, Tillmier’s view expanded.

Eyes widening as more and more pieces of the puzzle came together, memories and things that she’d seen before flashed into her mind clear as day, like she had only read them yesterday. Faces, familiar and yet different, the numbat state of shock moved up another notch as past heroes came into sight.

Knuckles the Echidna; the recluse renown for his strength and being one of the last of his tribe. He was from Angel Island, where the Master Emerald had once lay. Rumour was that he had lost his hands in the battle against the Tyrant at some point, but the white-gloved fists were very much real, and as much a precursor to his name as any other time in his life. He hadn’t been seen since the Fall of the Tyrant, but here he was, standing there clear as day, even if he did look a lot older than before.

Next to him was Skyler the Hedgehog; the numbat flushed with embarrassment as she recognized him as the commander that had led Raid’s group at the carnival. Age had definitely masked his once handsome and youthful appearance, the gruff goatee making him almost seem older than the red echidna. A master swordsman, and a pivotal man in taking down the Tyrant, the fact he still was a regular, despite veteran soldier was a testament to his duty to still helping those in need. Whatever happened to his lover Ariel however… Tillmier wasn’t entirely sure.

Directly across, not looking like he had aged a day from the photograph in the history book; was Digs the Echidna, an oddity amongst his kind (Though that could be questioned considering there was only two remaining), preferring to use a sword rather than the natural fists that he had been born with. One of the supposed lovers of the Ferret, there didn’t seem to be anything extraordinary about him, other than the remarkable way he had maintained his appearance. Not that he was a looker in the first place.

There were a few others that the journalist could not place however: A female yellow avian and grey wolf, along with a rabbit woman that must’ve been the Liaze lady from the crew list. They were nothing compared to the three heroes around them however, and those legends were pale in comparison to the last and most important figure there.

Crystal Tamara Ferret: What more was there to be said that hadn’t been mentioned already? The book mentioned her boisterous and erratic personality, along with a seductive flirty side that seemed to charm the majority of males she encountered. She was the female figure of beauty in some aspects – Well, maybe beauty wasn’t the right word. She was cute, pretty; but not what you’d call beautifully drop-dead gorgeous. The tan and brown zigzag pattern was prominent across her fur, along with her almost trademark pigtails. The red shirt that fell to one side, and the baggy jeans and sneakers she wore; for someone so full of mystery, she certainly looked as casual and normal as any other animaloid.

And yet, Tillmier knew she was different. She, like that Digs fellow, should not be in the condition they were. If the rumours of her death were just that, then age would have at least placed her round the 60’s, just like that echidna should of been. So what was it then that made a woman that was clearly killed in action rise back from the dead? And how was it that the Digs fellow looked just the same age as her?

The burning desire to obtain answers to the questions could not be contained, the journalists passion coming to full strength as Tillmier swallowed what saliva had mounted in her throat, breaking the mental barrier and beginning to approach the Ferret and group. This was the moment she had been waiting for.

Then, just like that, it appeared she’d be waiting a bit longer. Before the numbat could even raise her voice in protest, the group she had been approaching split up and took off, almost as if they knew she was coming and had left in order to avoid the serious questioning. It didn’t take more than a moment for the Numbat to decide who she would be following though, taking off after the ferret and wolf as fast as she could – Which sadly wasn’t terribly fast.

However, the interesting development that followed certainly wouldn’t have occurred if she did maintain a healthy degree of fitness. It appeared she wasn’t the only one giving chase to the Ferret, a sinister looking metal mongoose darting from its place in the shadows to make its own pursuit. Was it simply after them because they were animaloid? Or was it something more?

Whichever it was, Tillmier was determined to find out; though she wasn’t quite confident, capable, or reckless enough to keep close behind the robotosized creature. She was in no way capable of fighting, so if the ‘bot did decide to turn, she wouldn’t stand a chance. Maintaining a high level of stealth which was derived from years of paparazzi work, the Numbat followed down streets and alleys which to her, was very exhilarating and exciting.

Not to us though, to us it just took up a small amount of time.

The metal mongoose stopped, and so did Tillmier; though she couldn’t quite see what he was up to from where she was. She certainly could hear though, as the sound of a massive collision reached her ears and seemed to vibrate the building she was on. Though she couldn’t visually catch sight of it, the sound of battle was clearly occurring in that side alley.

Tillmier knew who would come out on top. If that ferret girl was as legendary as the books claimed, that robot didn’t stand a chance.


I felt bad for having such a long time since my last update, so here's something to make up for it...

...

Truth be told I couldn't get to sleep at 1am and decided to write instead. Go figure.

So why is the Metal-Mongoose operative after Crystal?
Just why did the group split up like that?
And just how was Digs the same age as Crystal?

The results of Insomnia, it's the Spontaneous Recovery of CTF!

[Turrican II]

What a shockingly fast update. Still excellent stuff. It's delightfully nostalgic considering how very long it's been since that RPG now, and your character development is outstanding as ever.

[GameBuddy]

So many questions, so much awesome, so little time!

[gariandos the av...]

A great story,one of the best fanfics I've seen so far

[Tanman]

Chapter 28
The City Saved (Raid)

”127… 128… 12-… 135…”

The mental scoreboard of kills climbed sporadically, Raid barely able to keep track amongst the carnage. With Saverous bringing in vehicles to assist in the battle, things were looking a bit better on the Insurgencies side, but it was clear that this was the third, and last line of defence, the foot soldiers continually pulling back and regrouping in an attempt to keep the mind slaves away from the tanks and rocket units.

Our Red-Panda knew how grim things were looking, but one marvellous thing that could be said about him and all the other soldiers was that their spirit was still yet to waver, the moral confidence and crazed devotion for the cause kept them going; willing them to fight until either them or the enemy had fallen. Even if they were doomed to failure, they’d make their stand and die in a blaze of glory.

“’Nade!” Shouted one of the Insurgents, fire erupting somewhere nearby sending clumps of dirt skyward.

Dust stung his eyes as Raid pounded another metallic skull, not stopping for a moment as he gave a tremendous shout and hurled the bot into the oncoming crowd of minions. They were holding on, holding on to the vain hope that something would save them. With the sky darkening, and shadows blanketing the area they were fighting however, it seemed an ominous sign. Wait… That wasn’t a cloud…

Raid stood in disbelief as the airship descended – its nose pointed at an angle for far too rapid a descent. That thing was going to crush them all at its current trajectory! As happy as the red-panda was that Sky and the others had succeeded in taking control of the Robotnik-2, it would mean diddly-squat if he got caught in the behemoth of a battleship’s impact!

Military procedure and orderly fashion? HAH! All that was forgotten as the soldiers panicked, running for their lives as they took off from their positions in a full scale retreat. All of them were such cowards. Raid was no exception.

“Outta my way losers! Move it!”

It probably wasn’t necessary for Raid to shove people out of the way while making his way to escape, but he did it all the same, occasionally glancing behind him to see the unrelenting stream of mind slaves following after them. And then, it looked like something out of a movie.

The Robotnik-2’s hull seemed to hover precariously in front of the robotic army, time slowing as the hull began to impact the ground. Like watching a car-impact in one of those seatbelt demonstrations, the front of the ship rippled and crunched, before splintering to pieces, crushing and skewering hundreds as parts were broken off and sent flying like mortar. The ship continued to screech forward, grinding into the rode and bowling through the masses. Nothing could stop it – to the victims, it was an inescapable moving wall of metal death. It kept ploughing through them, the squeal of metal on metal deafening all those around it and blotting out the screams of Insurgents who failed to clear the area.

Levelling buildings as it began to slow, the collateral damage was incredible as the surrounding structures toppled, bricks and debris tumbling and crushing even more robots in it’s wake, though the large majority of it began to crush the Robotnik-2 from above and below. And then, something fatal happened.

The original Dr. Ivo Robotnik was a genius scientist in his own right, though all of his ship’s and robots over the years had the tendency to explode in a fashion that was highly dangerous to all caught in the blast. This trait was not a poor safety planning, but more due to the fact that volatile and unstable energy sources were staple for having such high output machines. The Robotnik-2 built by his descendant, was no exception.

In an explosion that rivalled anything that the city had seen before, those closest to the blast were incinerated painlessly and instantly, eliminating any chance of survival that those that may have survived the impact had. Those lucky enough to escape the body of the behemoth ship were either burned alive, or melted to pieces depending on whether they were bot or not, the few still remaining caught by the projectile-like remains of the Robotnik-2's shell. Dust flew upwards and blanketed the area, leaving a coughing, blinded haze from those that managed to escape.

By the time it all had settled, there was nothing but a smoky crater just on the outskirts of Station Square, and a war-torn battle zone littered with metal scraps and pieces. And yet, just before the line of devastation, faces began to emerge one by one, looking over the carnage with the features of complete shock. Almost the entirety of the ground forces on the United Federation’s side was completely wiped out, while the Insurgents on the other hand were with a sizable force in which to combat them.

Raid looked over this for a moment, sizing up the numbers, and who still had their breath after running (And screaming) for their lives. Their was near total silence across them all, but then one word came out loud and clear over the Megaphone.

“CHARGE!!!”

It was mop up time from there. It would only be a matter of time before the city was safe from invasion – for the moment, at least. The Insurgents could be proud that victory had been attained, regardless of how much was due to dumb luck. And best of all, he’d survived it. Against all odds, Raid the Red Panda was still alive and kickin’.

They’d done it. They’d actually won the battle.

As much as the war was far from over, and every bone, muscle and organ in his body ached; the satisfaction of victory would be something he’d savour for awhile.


Is the threat TRULY over for Station Square?
How will Raid manage to rendezvous with Tillmier?
And just how in the world did the Robotnik-2 assault group manage to take it down?

Man, I need someone prodding me with a stick so I remember to update CTF!

[arch]

*holds up a stick* Hehehehe....~

Looking forward to learning the answers to those questions~ ^^

*prod prod*