Sonic and the Time Rippers

By K. M. Hollar

_______________________________________________________________________

	The setting sun shown through the haze surrounding Robotropolis 
and gleamed dully on the Ultra SWAT-bot's metal body. It was cradling 
its blaster rifle in its hands, red eyes scanning the street. The lone 
sentry looked imposing enough for an entire squadron of regular SWAT-
bots.
	There was a faint rustle behind the robot. It started to turn, 
lifting its gun as it did so. But something crashed into its midsection, 
knocking it over backward onto the pavement. Whatever had hit it landed 
on its head, crushing it in. The robot sparked a little, then went off-
line.
	Sonic the Hedgehog stood up, dusting his gloved hands off against 
his sides. He looked around warily, for SWAT-bots were common in that 
sector. He saw and heard nothing. His gaze shifted to the high barbed-
wire fence about thirty feet away. It was fully eight feet high, and 
the spike-studded wire at the top gleamed red in the fading light. Sonic 
figured he could climb it, but the razor-wire would be a problem. Oh 
well, he thought. His hands strayed to his waist and his fingers 
tightened around his invisible belt. He let go and started forward. He 
wouldn't use the belt just yet.
	He advanced to the foot of the fence and again peered around. 
Everything was quiet and deserted. Was it just his imagination, or was 
it TOO quiet? Almost ominous. Sonic shook his head, then looked up at 
the fence. His hands went to his belt again. This time he crossed his 
wrists against the front of the belt, then snapped them across its 
jewel-studded surface and around behind him. His dark blue (which had 
made him nearly invisible in the failing light) changed suddenly to a 
glowing, pulsing light, alternating many colors. He stepped forward, 
then leaped straight up in the air. He went up nine feet, cleared the 
top of the fence and came down lightly on the far side. Quickly he 
rubbed one hand over the belt, de-charging himself. His glow faded 
back out.
	Sonic stood there, crouched a little, looking and listening 
once more, almost fearfully. This was the one time he didn't want 
any robots around to chase him. The mission was too serious. No 
movement or sound of any kind. Quietly he started forward at an easy 
lope, looking around.
	Robotnik and Packbell had been constructing a new line of power 
generators. These didn't burn fossil fuels like the other factories. 
These were nuclear. And nuclear power plants in Robotropolis was bad 
news. If Robotnik lived up to his usual track record of absolutely no 
safety precautions, then the city and surrounding countryside would 
have radioactive pollution inside of a month. It would eventually 
spread to the Great Forest, killing everyone like some disease epidemic.
	And the only time the generators could safely be taken out was 
now. If any earlier, then it would be a simple matter to rebuild the 
ruins. Any later and the freedom fighters would run the risk of causing 
a nuclear meltdown. So it had to be done NOW. And this is why Sonic was 
exercising more than the usual caution. His life and the lives of his 
friends depended on his success this night.
	The skeleton of the main plant and its outlying buildings came 
into view, outlined starkly against the orange and red sky. Sonic paused 
just outside the biggest building, one hand on a mental beam, for 
another look around. The stillness was almost uncanny. It was beginning 
to get on his nerves. He had been in traps before, and usually would 
have been challenged by now. But his searching senses told him nothing. 
Wishing he had brought an area scanner, he ventured into the maze of 
metal beams and struts that made up the base of the building.
	Walking delicately so as not to make any unnecessary sound, Sonic 
wove his way over the cement, keeping an eye out for hanging rebar or 
exposed wires. They had a way of sneaking up on you in the darkness. He 
couldn't help looking around constantly, especially behind him. It was 
too much like a trap to be one. 
	But he reached the central fuel station unmolested. Jumpier than a 
cricket on a hot skillet, but definitely there. The pump was a giant 
fuel cylinder, six feet high and surrounded with pipes of all shapes and 
sizes. Sonic deftly edged his way in among them, glad for a little 
cover. The noise of the pump made him nervous, though; he couldn't listen 
for approaching footsteps. He glanced all around the structure again, 
then, almost satisfied that nobody was around, detached the charges from 
his belt. It would take a moment of concentration to get them set up. 
Then he could get out of there with all the speed he could muster.
	Somehow though, he couldn't seem to focus on what he was doing. 
He kept seeing things move out of the corners of his eyes, but nothing 
was there when he peered around. The twilight was playing tricks on him. 
It was also making his adrenaline rush. Sweating, he gritted his teeth 
and told himself he wouldn't look up again until the charges and 
detonator were set.
	His hands moving expertly, Sonic clipped the round explosives on 
the surface of the pump two feet apart. But in the growing darkness he 
was having trouble attaching the detonator. It just wouldn't--quite--
stay--
	No sound, no warning of any kind. A hand clamped down on the 
spikes on the back of his head and yanked his head back. Sonic gasped 
and dropped the charge in his hands, then started to struggle. The cold 
snout of a blaster pistol nosed against his ribs, and an equally cold 
voice said, "Don't move, Sssonic."
	"Mecha!" Sonic said, his heart beginning to race.
	"Yes," the robot replied without moving his hand or the gun. "Put 
your hands on your head--slowly. If you have a weapon, drop it."
	Sonic slowly raised his hands. Mecha Sonic holstered his gun, but 
retained his grip on Sonic's quills as he stepped over to the generator, 
pulled off the charges and pocketed them. Then he said, "Hedgehog, it 
would be wise of you not to struggle. I am inclined to kill you right 
here for trying this."
	Sonic felt a cold terror run over him. He was _captured_!
	Mecha spoke into his all-robot intercom, calling what sounded like 
an army of SWAT-bots. Sonic stared around as robot after robot appeared, 
stepping out from behind metal beams, or coming on-line from the cover of 
stacked construction material. The place was literally swarming with 
robots; a trap. It was all a trap, set by Mecha Sonic. And of course, 
like the fool I am, Sonic thought, I walked right into it.
	He found himself thinking of his friends. When would they find out 
what happened? What would they do? How would Serena take it? What would 
happen to the freedom fighters without him? Almost despairing, he let 
his enemy lead him out of the skeleton building and out into the open. 
As they did several floodlights came on, bathing the area in harsh 
unnatural light. Sonic, blinking and squinting, saw the SWAT-bots 
pouring into the enclosed area from all corners of Robotropolis. There 
were hundreds of them. Sonic watched them with a sinking heart. "I'm 
doomed," he thought. 
	And indeed he might have been, if the robots hadn't gotten so 
eager. Some of the U-SWATs pressed forward, wanting a glimpse of 
'Priority Hedgehog.' They jostled against Mecha, who in turn stumbled 
against Sonic. The robot was too annoyed to notice the faint chink he 
made against Sonic's hip, but Sonic did. He glanced down and suddenly 
remembered his belt. One of the emeralds had grated against the robot, 
temporarily activating it. Sonic's color turned a little, a very little 
less blue, then faded out. Suddenly all his confidence returned. He 
regained his composure and stood waiting. He would have a chance to 
break free, he was sure. All he had to do was wait.
	The SWAT-bots kept milling around like a bunch of little kids, 
watching 'Priority Hedgehog.' Mecha seemed irritated and muttered, "I 
told Packbell not to give them artificial intelligence ... I told him 
it would only be trouble ... " Sonic slyly looked over his shoulder at 
his distracted captor. Metal Sonic wasn't as alert as he should have 
been; the other robots kept transmitting questions to him, and trying 
to answer and watch Sonic at the same time frustrated him.
	It was during on of these intervals Sonic went into action.
	He carefully lowered his hands, crossed them against the front of 
his belt, and rapidly pulled them back. The emeralds blazed into effect, 
pouring their power into Sonic's body. The energy had a negative effect 
on Mecha, however, who was still holding him. The robot let go and 
leaped back, favoring his electrocuted hand. Sonic charged away with a 
laugh and darted into the ranks of SWAT-bots.
	Now, something strange was taking place. Sonic's furious light 
blended with, or matched perfectly, the light from the floodlights. So, 
to the robots, he had taken on an indefinite form. No lines, no shadows, 
only a vague motion through their midst. They spun, trying to follow him 
with their crosshairs and only succeeding in blasting each other. In the 
bedlam, no one noticed the patch of light vault over the fence and 
disappear into the dark city streets.

________________________________________________________________________

	"What do you mean, you got caught and had to abort?" Sally 
demanded.
	"Sal, I had to. Mecha was there, and--"
	"But Sonic, you should have been able to plant the charges 
anyhow!"
	"Sal--"
	The brown squirrel stepped back and collapsed into a chair. Her 
face registered shock. She, Slasher and Bookshire had spent two weeks 
planning and timing the mission. Sonic should have been able to get in, 
set the charge and get out with no problems. The freedom fighters had 
been confident that if there was any trouble, Sonic should be able to 
buck it long enough to finish. But no. Here he was in Sally's hut, 
thirty minutes gone, mission failed.
	"Sally, it wasn't like usual. Mecha had set a trap--"
	"Sonic," Sally interrupted, "do you realize that because you 
failed, we could all die? It will take weeks for their guard to go down 
again, and by the time we can arrange a new mission the plant will be 
up and running."
	Sonic stood there a moment. He knew exactly how serious it was, 
but the memory of Mecha put him on the defensive. "Sal, it wasn't my 
fault! Mecha knew I was coming. He almost--"
	Sally lifted a hand. "Sonic, it doesn't matter." She was nearly 
crying with disappointment. "Go find Slash and tell her I need her." 
She turned away from him. Sonic watched her helplessly, then turned on 
his heel and walked outside.
	It was a warm, mid-June night. The kind of night all the crickets 
are going full blast, and the fireflies flash like scattered neon 
lights. Sonic hardly noticed. His mind was in a turmoil of humiliation, 
fear and anger. Anger at Metal Sonic for making him fail, anger at 
himself for failing, anger at Robotnik for installing nuclear power 
plants. How could this happen? Had he really doomed them all to die 
of radiation diseases?
	He strode through the village, not really caring where he went, 
eyes burning dangerously. He felt as if he would break down and cry. 
Or he needed to fight somebody. Or maybe he needed to run and run and 
run and get it out of his system. Or maybe just find Slasher. She 
would understand, and maybe they could salvage the mission somehow. 
At this thought his quick, determined stride faltered and slowed. He 
had nearly reached the woods on the far side of Knothole. Noticing 
this for the first time, he turned and headed back up the line of huts 
toward Slasher's.
	He was halfway there when somebody behind him said, "Sonie has a 
lot on his mind tonight, hasn't he?"
	Sonic gritted his teeth and kept walking.
	"Whassamatter, Sonic? Meet a SWAT-bot you couldn't race?"
	Just go away, Sonic thought. I can't put up with your nagging 
tonight. 
	But like all jealous rivals, Spike did not. He stayed right behind 
Sonic, an obnoxious sneer on his face. Torturing the hedgehog was one 
of his favorite pastimes.
	"Oh, I know what's eating you. You blew that mission you had."
	Sonic felt the resentment rising, but fought it, trying not to 
answer. A sharp retort was what Spike wanted. 
	The porcupine continued. "I guess it was just too tough for Mister 
Macho. I heard you. You let Metal Sonic win ..."
	Sonic whirled around. "Spike, I'm not in the mood for this. Just 
leave me alone, okay?" 
	He turned and kept walking, but Spike was undaunted. "Whoa, touchy 
touchy. What's your problem?"
	You, Sonic thought.
	"I'm not the one who doomed all the freedom fighters to die in 
nuclear holocaust. I'm not the one who's all speed and no--"
	"Shut up!" Sonic snarled, turning to face his rival. "Just shut 
up! I don't want to hear it!"
	He whirled and ran the last twenty feet to Slasher's hut, but 
couldn't avoid hearing Spike's parting shot: "Couldn't take it, could 
you? Ha! Hyper-Wimp!"
	Sonic burst into Slasher's hut, fury incarnate. He slammed the 
door and leaned back against it, panting. It took him a full thirty 
seconds to notice Slasher and Knuckles seated at the smallish table, 
open books in various positions before them. Knux didn't stir from what 
he was reading, but Slasher looked up with a start. "Sonic! What's 
wrong?"
	He strode across the room and flopped on the thread-bare sofa 
before answering. "Spike," he said, eyes blazing. "He was needling me 
again." Slasher jumped up, opened the door and looked out, but the 
street was empty. "He's gone, Slash," Sonic said. "He knows you'd scold 
him for it."
	Slasher walked over to him. "What was he saying this time?"
	Sonic looked up at her dully, the fire dying out of his eyes. He 
waved her closer, and whispered in her ear, "I botched up my mission."
	Slasher pulled away sharply. "You didn't."
	Sonic looked away and nodded. 
	The big velociraptor stood and looked at him a moment, then sank 
down on the couch beside him. "How?" was all she said. Sonic told her 
briefly what had happened, his voice lowered so Knux wouldn't hear. 
"Well," she said when he finished, "I wouldn't say it was your fault. 
Mecha must have gotten wind of our attack. How did Sally take it?"
	"She sent me to get you."
	"Oh. That bad, huh? Stay here, I guess. You can work with him, 
if you want," she finished, jerking her head in Knuckles's direction. 
"I'll be back in a little bit."
	Sonic stayed on the sofa a few minutes after she left, eyes 
fixed unseeingly on the door. He was awakened by Knuckles mumbling, 
"Oh, good grief ... I don't believe it."
	"What?" Sonic asked, glad for the interruption in his apocalyptic 
thoughts. Knux glanced up. "Oh, hi Sonic. Have you ever studied the 
history of the Floating Island? Blow your mind, man." 
	Sonic sat down at the table. It was stacked with books; some new 
and shiny, others old and worn, but most opened to some strategic spot. 
Knuckles was reading from an especially large volume with great 
interest.
	"Hey Sonic, remember those guys we've been studying?"
	"You mean YOU'VE been studying."
	"Yeah, whatever."
	"The time--uh--shredders or cutters or something."
	"Time RIPPERS."
	"What you said."
	"Well, did you know they originated in the year A.D. 800? That's 
a long time ago, man."
	"Yeah. No kidding."
	"Know what else? Here, read this part right here." Knuckles slid 
the heavy book across the table to Sonic and pointed at a few 
paragraphs. Sonic scanned them without interest. A few words caught 
and registered. "Manufactured the Master emerald ... Mount Titan ... 
Floating Island ... Little Planet saved ..."
	"Wow," said Sonic disinterestedly. 
	Knuckles looked up at him, sensing Sonic's mind was elsewhere. 
"Whassamatter, buddy?"
	"Oh, nothing, Knux."
	"You want to help me study?"
	"No thanks."
	"You sure? You and Serena are next up, ya know."
	"I know. I just don't feel like it tonight."
	Knuckles shrugged and returned his attention to the book. After 
a moment, Sonic got up and walked out.
	The peace and quiet of the nearby woods seemed to draw him. 
Sonic wasn't one for much night wandering, but this night he was so 
distracted he needed a change. He wouldn't be able to sleep for a 
while, anyway. He strode into the woods.
	The stillness of the night was soothing to his troubled mind. 
He walked through the trees, trying not to make as much noise as 'an 
army of robot centipedes', as Slasher said. He was doing better, 
although the crunching of his feet sounded out of place and unnaturally 
loud.
	 He walked for a long time, not really caring where he went or 
how late it was getting. The dark under the trees was brightened a bit 
by moonlight spilling through the leaves overhead, creating weird 
patterns of light and dark on the ground and brush.
	At last his progress was checked as he came up against a huge 
boulder set in the trees. After a moment he recognized it as one of 
the huge granite slabs that ringed the lake, around three miles from 
Knothole. He hadn't come very far, after all. After a moment of 
consideration, he climbed the huge rock and sat on top of it.
	The moon was high overhead. Little Planet was just rising in the 
east; a rare sight, as it was hardly ever in the present aside from it's 
yearly appearance over Never Lake, further north. Sonic watched it, head 
in his hands. Idly he thought how much he wished he could use the time 
stones there to come back to today and do it all over again. Make it 
right.
	Little Planet had risen half a fist above the horizon when Sonic 
heard the sound. It sounded like laser fire at first, then dropped to a 
low, steady hum. Startled, Sonic jumped to his feet. Was it a robot 
attack? Had they discovered Knothole? What was happening? He turned 
toward the village, but the sound wasn't coming from there. No, it was 
around the boulder somewhere.
	He slid off the rock and stood quiet, listening. The sound seemed 
to come from the far side of the rock. Warily he crept around the 
boulder's rough side, body tensed to run at a moment's notice. Carefully 
he leaned against the rock's side and peered around it. But instead of 
the robots he expected to see, all he saw was a faint blue glow lighting 
up the trees. It was coming from the side of the boulder.
	Curious, Sonic stepped into the open. He saw what looked like a 
brilliant blue thread running vertically across the rock. The hum seemed 
to be coming from it. Sonic stood there, transfixed, as the hum got 
louder and the thread widened into a three foot indigo crack. A rift. 
A chilly wind gusted out, whipping his face and filling him with a 
strange, joyous apprehension. What was this?
	A dark figure appeared out of nowhere, leaping though the 
crevasse. Sonic jumped back, startled. The person was shorter than he 
was, but with his eyes dazzled by the blue light he couldn't see his 
face. The figure turned and pointed at the blue rip, which closed up 
and vanished instantly. Then he stood still, crouched a little, one 
arm held before him.
	Sonic blinked, shook his head and looked again. Was this a dream? 
No, the figure was still there. As Sonic's eyes adjusted to the dark, 
he was able to make out what the figure was. A short, lightly built 
echidna, like Knuckles. He appeared to be a dark red all over, like 
Knux, but with shorter hair. There was something glowing on his wrist, 
like a screen of some sort. As Sonic noticed this, he also noticed the 
belt around the prisoner's waist. It was studded with many strange 
contraptions, some of which held blinking red and green lights. An 
oddly shaped gun hung at his hip.
	It took a few seconds for Sonic to take all this in. The stranger 
stood motionless the whole time, eyes and other hand on the thing on 
his wrist. Sonic ventured, "Uh, hi."
	"Don't talk to me," the stranger snapped. Sonic stepped back, 
rebuffed. "Boy, what a grouch," he thought. His first instinct was to 
turn and walk away, but curiosity kept him rooted to the spot. The 
voice had betrayed the person's age; he was just a kid, about Tails's 
age. Who was he, and what was that blue rip-thing?
	After a moment the kid shook his hair out of his face and 
straightened up. "Sorry," he said, "but you should never interrupt a 
Time Ripper while they're confirming their coordinence." He extended 
a hand. "Hi. My name's Jay."
	Slightly stunned, Sonic took his hand and shook it. "Hi, I'm 
Sonic. Did you say you're a Time Ripper?"
	"Yeah?"
	"Oh man. One of my friends has been studying about you."
	Jay cocked his head to one side. "Oh really? That's nice. Have 
you?"
	"N--no. I'm next, though."
	"Oh. Well, now you can say you've met one in person. Hey, did 
you say your name was Sonic? As in, Sonic the Hedgehog?"
	"Yeah."
	Jay's eyes lit up. "Boy, that was easy! I was supposed to come 
and find you!"
	"Why?"
	"We need your help, that's why."
	"We?"
	"Yeah. Us T.R.s. You're the only person in the history that can 
help us." 
	Jay turned, drew his gun and pointed it at the rock. The gun 
clicked feebly. He gulped and smiled weakly. "Oops. I forgot to set it 
on recharge. Sorry. We'll have to wait a few minutes."
	He sat down on the ground and folded his legs Indian-style. Sonic 
sat down facing him. "Aren't you a little young to be a Time Ripper?" 
he ventured, marveling at the name as he spoke it. Jay looked at him. 
"Well, aren't YOU a little young to be a Freedom Fighter?" Sonic had to 
admit he had a point there.
	Jay looked down at the gun in his arms. "I am young, kinda," he 
said. "But my dad and older brother are T.R.s, and I helped them for a 
while. I've only been a full-fledged 'Ripper about a month; I had to 
win my equipment." He lifted his arms and proudly surveyed the decked-
out belt around his waist. "It wasn't easy, but I did it."
	As he moved a stray beam of moonlight touched his chest, revealing 
the mark. Sonic stared at it. "Hey," he said, pointing.
	"What?" Jay asked, looking around, then down at himself. "Do I got 
a bug on me or something?"
	"No ... you have a white crescent on your chest."
	"Oh. So?"
	"Knuckles has that same mark."
	"No kidding. Is he a 'Ripper?"
	"Uh, no. He's the Guardian of the Floating Island."
	Jay leaned forward, eyes wide. "The Floating Island? It exists? 
It's really real?"
	"Yeah."
	"Oh gosh ... he's not crazy, then! Man, you gotta come with me." 
Jay jumped to his feet. "The gun's about charged. Okay, Dad said to be 
sure I warned you. First, you won't be able to see in the rip. You won't 
even be able to see me, but you have to hold my hand as hard as you can 
and never let go." He sucked in a breath. "Second, as soon as we get out 
of the rip, you have to be perfectly quiet. The Enemy is everywhere, and 
they want to intercept us and kill us and keep us from getting home." He 
gasped again. "Understand?"
	Sonic nodded, suddenly unsure as to how much he wanted to do this. 
He turned toward Knothole. "But my friends ..."
	"Oh, they'll never know you were gone. I'll bring you back to the 
instant we left. Now come ON. They'll be worried about me."
	Jay whirled and fired his gun at the rock. There was the sound 
Sonic had heard before--the laser blast, then low hum that made the 
air vibrate. At first nothing seemed to have happened. Sonic looked 
closer at the rock, curious, and noticed the thin blue thread running 
down the rock's face. After a moment it widened into a three-foot crack 
with jagged edges. The expanse beyond it was a deep blue, shimmering 
and shifting. Sonic looked down at the kid incredulously. "You mean we 
just jump in, no special gear or anything?"
	Jay gave him a superior look. "Sure. The rip won't hurt you--it's 
part of the fourth dimension, for crying out loud. We already live in 
it; it just takes a little skill to navigate. C'mon, before it closes."
	Jay grabbed Sonic's hand and pulled him toward the blue light. 
Sonic gripped his hand back, fear of the unknown knotting his stomach, 
like how one feels at the top of a roller coaster. Jay shouted 
something like, "Here we go," and the warp closed in.
	Sonic felt as if he had went blind. He could feel Jay's grip on 
his hand and wrist and the force of travelling forward at great speed, 
but he could see nothing. Nothing but the sparkling blue expanse, like 
moving inside a diamond. There was sound, something like a tremendous 
wind, so loud it was almost silent. Sonic was out of control, unable 
to see, move or think. He couldn't even see Jay, even though he was 
only a foot or so to the right. It was not fun.
	But the warp didn't last long. After another moment he felt Jay 
tug him sideways and down. He automatically looked in that direction. To 
his relief there was a break in the endless blue; a brilliant white 
patch. They sank toward it, and Jay called faintly, "And we're out!"
	The next moment they plunged into the light, leaving the rip 
behind. But instead of light, Sonic's bewildered eyes registered only 
darkness. His feet touched solid ground, allowing him to stand. It was 
deathly silent after the noise of the warp. Suddenly afraid he was alone, 
he reached out and said, "Jay?" His hand intercepted the other's arm, 
which pulled away. "Don't talk to me," came the snapped reply. 
	We must be somewhere, Sonic thought, relaxing a little.
	Slowly his eyes adjusted. He wasn't blind--just messed up. Still 
dazzled by the warp, it took a little time to realize it wasn't pitch 
dark. It was evening; in the woods. He looked around. Was it the Great 
Forest? It had to be. But--it was different, somehow. The trees were 
tall, arching into the cornflower-blue sky overhead. The woods were 
older, hardly any saplings or undergrowth. Was this the future?
	The setting sun slanted through the trees in deep red beams. 
Sonic shook his head a little, then turned and looked at Jay. The 
echidna was adjusting his instruments again, eyes on the screen at 
his wrist. In the increased light, Sonic could see the kid's hands 
bore the knuckle-spikes Knuckles's did, although considerably smaller. 
His overall color was closer to magenta that solid red. His hair was 
cropped short and stuck up a bit in front. The dirty white sneakers 
on his feet looked a little too big, and the laces were knotted in 
several places, as if they had broken.
	Jay straightened up, looked around the woods, then up at Sonic. 
"Well, we're here."
	Sonic nodded, puzzled. "Uh-huh, but where is 'here'? The future?"
	"Oh no. This is the past from your time. 800 to be exact."
	The year 800. Why did that date ring a bell?
	"But these woods are bigger than ours. Sure this ain't the 
future?"
	"Nope. If it was, I'd get my rear kicked out of the Time Rippers 
for inaccuracy."
	A short pause. Jay looked around again, drew a deep breath and 
dropped his voice to a whisper. "We'd better get outta here. The Enemy 
is everywhere, you know." He started off into the trees at a lope. 
Sonic followed uneasily.
	"Whaddya mean, the Enemy?"
	Jay looked at him and pressed a finger to his lips. "Shh, not so 
loud. The Enemy. They call themselves the Time Terrorists--a spoof on 
our name. They want to destroy and rule."
	"But who are they?"
	"They have representative from most species. Allies are 
everywhere."
	Sonic swallowed and clenched one hand tightly around his 
emerald belt. This didn't sound so good.
	Jay kept his eyes fixed on the forest ahead, but muttered to 
Sonic, "You think your Dr. Robotnik and Packbell are bad? The Enemy 
makes them look about as scary as Barney is compared to a charging 
Tyrannosaurus Rex."
	"I hope you're exaggerating."
	"I wish."
	This REALLY didn't sound good.
	"What do you need me for?"
	"Shh. Because you have experience with--" Jay hesitated, looked 
around at the darkening woods, then moved closer to Sonic. "The power 
emeralds," he finished in a whisper.
	Sonic pulled away and looked at him, confused. "But Knux, the 
guy with the crescent, he knows how to use 'em better'n I can. I'm 
just a rookie, still."
	Jay looked down, then up at Sonic. "You don't understand. We 
can't use somebody from our family clan. It would disrupt the Spacetime 
Continuum or something. Besides, Dad said I was to bring back Sonic 
the Hedgehog, nobody else."
	They kept walking. The sun had settled completely now, and the 
sky was the deep blue-green color of evening. Sonic noticed they were 
heading south, toward what would eventually become Robotropolis. He 
poked Jay in the ribs. "Hey kid, when do we get out of the woods?"
	"Huh?"
	"You know, hit the plains."
	Jay looked at him like he was crazy. "Plains? What plains? The 
whole valley is forested."
	Sonic shut up, trying to figure that one out. Trees grew and 
spread, he knew. But if this was the past, the Great Forest should 
be the Small Woods, if they existed at all. Part of him kept assuming 
it was the future, but no, Jay had said it was the past. The year 800. 
Why did that date seem so familiar? He couldn't quite put his finger 
on it ...
	"Sonic?"
	"Huh? What?"
	"Are you scared?"
	"Who, me? Naw. I just can't figure out how the trees fit, is all."
	"What about 'em?"
	"In my time the forest is smaller, and most of the valley is flat 
plains."
	Jay shrugged, unconcerned. "Give it a rest, pal. My time and your 
time are separated by two and a half millennium. Anything could happen 
'tween now and then."
	They lapsed into silence again. Suddenly Jay stopped walking and 
grabbed Sonic's arm. "Listen." Sonic did, and heard nothing but the 
chirping of the birds in the trees overhead. 
	"What?"
	Jay pointed, his breath beginning to come fast and noisy with 
fear. "A jet-speeder. It's coming this way."
	"So?"
	"Only the Enemy uses jet-speeders. Run!"
	The echidna whirled and ran. Sonic followed, heart beginning to 
race. It must be pretty awful if it scared a tough kid like Jay so 
badly. It was almost like how he feared Metal Sonic, back home. He 
thought of his own episode earlier in Robotropolis. His friends had 
basically called him a coward for running for his life. So what was he 
doing now?
	The thought sobered him, squelching out the fear. The wound to 
his pride and courage was still fresh. Anger at himself welled up to 
the surface, drowning out the fact that maybe they SHOULD run. After 
all, he was still wearing his emerald belt. No fear!
	He caught up to Jay in three steps, grabbed him by the arm and 
dove to the ground behind a fallen log. Jay tried to pull away, but 
Sonic pushed him down. "Take it from an expert, Jay, don't run from 
the enemy. They might not even know we're here. Be quiet and maybe 
they'll go on by."
	Jay shook his head, eyes wide, but Sonic clamped his hand down 
over his mouth and hissed, "Shh." And the two lay still in the bushes, 
panting quietly and listening.
	The jet-speeder's engine had a high-frequency whine that announced 
it's presence in advance. It was a few minutes before the lower hum 
reached their ears as well. Jay was lying propped up on his elbows. 
At first Sonic thought he was just panting hard, but after a moment 
saw he was hyperventilating; trembling in absolute terror. "They'll 
find us," he whimpered. "They're gonna kill us--"
	"Shh!" Sonic snarled.
	At that instant the speeder's engines rose to a roar and bore 
down on them. It was closer than Sonic had thought; it's easy hum was 
disorienting. A harsh, nasal voice called, "Halt Time Ripper surrender 
or die!"
	Jay looked at Sonic and whispered, "They got a lock on my 
equipment!"
	Sonic looked back helplessly. Maybe they should have run. The 
speeder's engines cut to an idle, then stopped. It was only a few 
feet away from where they sat. They heard the sound of two heavy feet 
stepping down onto the forest floor, then walk slowly in their 
direction.
	"Get up," the harsh voice snapped. Jay and Sonic looked at each 
other helplessly, then slowly climbed to their feet.
	Their captor was a grey wolf. He wore black leather boots, a 
black leather jacket, a spiked collar around his neck, and a black 
belt with a golden buckle on it. He held a sort of blaster pistol in one 
hand. He sneered at them as they stood up, showing his white fangs. 
"Well well well," he said, training his gun on them. "What have we here? 
I believe I've found a couple of scared rabbits, hidin' here in the 
bushes."
	Sonic tossed a sideways glance at Jay. Jay was staring at the 
wolf, a horrified expression on his face. "Not Roofern, oh please not 
Roofern," he murmured.
	The wolf grinned at him nastily. "Nice to see you, too." The 
sneer faded from his face. He raised one rough paw and pointed at 
Jay. "Hey, I know you. You're Mike's kid, aincha?" Jay swallowed and 
said nothing. Roofern slowly smiled. "I'll bet he'd give anything to 
keep you from gettin' hurt." He gripped the gun with both hands. "Good 
thing for you, kid, I'm in a good mood. You know what we do to Time 
Rippers, don't you?" Sonic looked at Jay, who didn't answer. The wolf 
bared his teeth. "Take off your gear and hand it over, kid."
	Jay didn't move.
	Instantly Roofern squeezed the trigger. A blue laserbolt struck 
through the air and hit Jay, knocking him over backward. He curled up 
in pain, instinctively clutching at his chest.
	Sonic stared at him, then up at the wolf. "Hey!" he yelped. 
"You can't do that!"
	The wolf gave him a look that said 'drop dead' and growled, "Help 
me take him in and you might live to see tomorrow. Or you can leave. 
Ha, you could fight me for him, too. What's it gonna be?"
	Sonic looked down at the youngster at his feet, who looked as if 
he were going fast. He looked up at Roofern. Walk away, help or fight. 
Suddenly, in his mind, he saw the wolf as Metal Sonic and Jay as 
Tails. His decision would be set in stone then; it would be no 
different now.
	A white fury gripped him, igniting his eyes with fire. Without a 
sound or warning of any kind, he bounded over the log and tackled the 
wolf.
	Roofern was off guard, expecting Sonic to walk away. The scuffle 
was brief, but fierce. Sonic didn't hang around with Knuckles and 
Slasher without learning a few things. He worked the wolf over, both 
fists going like pistons. At last the wolf dropped to the ground, 
unconscious.
	Sonic stepped over to Jay, hot with battle but deathly afraid of 
what he would find. He knelt beside the red echidna, noticing how he 
was curled in the fetal position. His eyes were closed. Hesitantly Sonic 
touched him. He was still breathing, thankfully. Sonic pulled away one 
of his hands away for a look at the wound. To his surprise, there was 
nothing--not even a mark. Slowly it dawned on him; it had been a 
stunner the wolf carried, not a blaster. Jay was fine, simply 
unconscious. 
	Sonic sat there and looked at him, thinking. He glanced over his 
shoulder at the fallen wolf. He really didn't want to be around when 
he woke up, but without Jay, he had no idea where they were supposed to 
go. Well, they needed to get away from Roofern, anyway.
	Sonic carefully picked up Jay in his arms and moved about twenty 
feet into the woods. He knew the wolf leave without checking the 
immediate area--SWAT-bot sentries did. They assumed that if you were 
gone when they woke up, you were long gone.
	Sonic sat down with his back to a tree and held Jay in his lap, 
mildly worried. The blaster had been fully charged, and a powerful 
stun blast would knock you out for a long time. 
	Sonic glanced up at the sky. It was now twilight, the point when 
stars start to appear. Sonic looked down at Jay and ran a hand over his 
short hair. Sonic knew it had been his fault Jay had been shot. If they 
had run they might have escaped. He smiled a little. Funny. Here he was 
in history with someone the historians would write about. He supposed 
everything that had happened, and would happen, were already set in 
stone elsewhere. Somebody, somewhere, knew how everything would turn 
out. That was a thought.
	The twilight slowly faded, and the shadows lengthened and grew in 
strength beneath the trees. Jay was still asleep, his breathing deep and 
even. Sonic leaned back against the tree and closed his eyes. His night 
had started long ago, and he was tired. As he sat there, he heard the 
jet-speeder's engines come on and roar away eastward. The wolf was gone, 
at least. He closed his eyes again.
	The forest was filled with night sounds. A pair of gleaming eyes 
looked at the queer twosome beneath the tree, then vanished. Nightbirds 
called back and forth. Crickets chirped. Sonic dozed, legs folded and 
Jay's head resting on his lap.
	Suddenly the forest fell silent. It was so odd Sonic jerked awake 
and looked around. What was happening? His darkness-sharpened eyes made 
out nothing unusual. He sat still a few minutes, looking and listening. 
Had the wolf come back? Why had it got so quiet all of a sudden?
	Then he heard it. A very low, almost inaudible rumbling. The 
ground quivered a little, and the trees swayed slightly. An earthquake. 
It was over in another second, but it jarred Sonic's memory. Earthquake. 
Time Rippers. The Floating Island. The year eight hundred. Something 
flashed in the back of his mind, but he couldn't quite get it. How did 
all those tie together? What was going to happen? 
	The sounds of the night started up again, as if someone had 
turned on the sound effects. The quake was over, and all was as it 
should be. But Sonic was sitting up, staring straight ahead, thinking 
hard. Just another second, he was sure, and it would all fall together. 
A moment more ...
	A sudden sound, like a laser bolt. It was so loud and out of place 
Sonic almost jumped out of his skin. He gasped and looked in all 
directions at once. An attack? No a time rip forming. It was only ten 
feet away, on a tree stump. In the darkness the blue thread shown like 
a hot coal. Sonic shielded his eyes as it widened, filling the woods 
with ultraviolet light. A figure appeared, leaping lightly out of the 
rip and landing on his feet. He didn't stop to adjust his instruments, 
as Jay did, but strode forward. The rip closed, and in the sudden 
silence the stranger demanded, "Who are you?"
	He stood over Sonic, his arms folded. Sonic could hear him 
panting. The blue hedgehog looked up and replied cheekily, "The 
name's Bond. James Bond."
	The figure lifted what appeared to be a gun and pointed it in 
Sonic's face. "Are you a 'Ripper or a 'Terrorist?"
	"Neither. I'm a Freedom Fighter."
	"A Freedom Fighter. Uh-uh." Some of the hostility drained from 
the stranger's voice, and he lowered the gun a little. "You wouldn't 
happen to be Sonic the Hedgehog, would you?"
	"That's my name, don't wear it out."
	The figure heaved a deep sigh of relief and holstered his gun. 
"Oh man, I'm glad I found you." He knelt beside them and touched Jay's 
face. "What happened to him?"
	"Got shot with a stunner. Hey, who are you?"
	The stranger looked up at him, then reached down, pulled something 
from his belt and clicked it on. A flashlight. Its beam illuminated 
their faces.
	He was an echidna, and looked like an older version of Jay. He 
wore a purple headband, and his hair hung over it a little in front. 
He wore all the same gear Jay did, and bore the white crescent on his 
chest. His eyes were softer than Jay's. He was rather pale. He reached 
down and took Jay's hand. 
	"My name's Robin," he said softly. "I'm Jay's brother." He looked 
at Sonic. "You two were due back hours ago. We thought--I thought--" He 
choked on the words and stopped. Sonic watched him as he bowed his head 
and drew a long, shuddering breath. When he looked back up his eyes were 
glassy with tears. He gulped and said, "Sorry. It's just--" he paused. 
"Anyway, we need to get home. Dad was getting some of the others 
together to search when I left."
	Robin gently picked up his brother and held him close, then said, 
"C'mon, uh, Sonic." Sonic slowly climbed to his feet, realizing one leg 
was asleep. He limped after Robin as the echidna strode away. As he did, 
he noticed a series of red flashes coming from the vicinity of Robin's 
feet. He looked closer and discovered the echidna had lights built into 
the heels of his shoes. They flickered on and off as he walked, like 
fireflies. "Cool," Sonic thought to himself. "I could use some of 
those."
	Robin stopped before the tree stump he had come out of, drew his 
gun (which Sonic realized must ba a time gun) and fired it at the stump. 
As the rip appeared, Robin turned and said, "By the way, who shot him?"
	"Some wolf Jay called Roo--Roofert or something."
	Robin stared at him. "Roofern. Roofern chased you down and you 
escaped? Oh gosh ..."
	By this time the rift had appeared, but instead of a blue 
interior, it was green. "Hey, what gives?" Sonic said, pointing at it. 
Robin clumsily holstered his gun before answering. "It's not a rip," 
he explained. "It's a teleporter. No skill required--just walk through 
it. C'mon." The echidna strode forward and vanished into the green 
light. Sonic hesitated a second, then followed.
	It was like stepping into the outdoors after being inside. The 
surroundings changed drastically. Sonic found himself standing in a large 
clearing in the woods. Robin was walking away from him, still carrying 
Jay. Sonic looked around. There was a small cluster of houses built off 
to one side, almost in the trees. The middle of the clearing was lit up 
by two big lights. There was a crowd of people standing around beneath 
them, talking.
				* * *
	Robin carried Jay up to the group. They were, he knew, the other 
Time Rippers. His father, Michal Echidna, had got them together to 
search for his missing son. Robin looked around. Nobody had noticed 
him. He slowly made his way through the group, looking for his father. 
He finally spotted him, standing off a little ways, talking quietly and 
furiously with another echidna and a red squirrel. "Uh, Dad," Robin 
began. The older echidna held up a hand without looking at him. Robin 
tuned into the conversation.
	The other echidna was saying, "But Mike, if his machinery 
malfunctioned, he could be anywhere in the entire history of Mobius! 
How will we know where to start looking?"
	"Dad--"
	"Not now, son. Now Dave, I know about that. If his gear is still 
operating, you should be able to lock onto it while you're in the time 
stream."
	"And if we can't?"
	"Then we hit every age of Mobius and search. But we have to find 
him!"
	"Dad--"
	"Hold on, son."
	"But Dad, I found him!"
	"That's good, Rob, now--" He stopped, realizing what Robin had 
said. He whirled around. "What?"
				* * *
	Sonic was standing back from the group, watching. He had noticed 
all of them wore the instrument-laden belt and time gun. A few wore 
gadgets around their necks and strapped to their arms, as well. Time 
Rippers, all. The mood seemed to be tense and concerned. A search party, 
Robin had said.
	Suddenly there was a shout. Sonic recognized Robin's voice as he 
called, "I found him, everybody! The search is off!" 
	Instantly all were talking loudly, asking questions and having 
them answered. Sonic folded his arms and watched, feeling left out. 
After all, hadn't he saved Jay? "No," his conscience replied. "If it 
hadn't been for you, Jay would have got home on time."
	A doubt crept into his mind. What did they really need him for? 
Could he do what they asked? He had just failed a critical mission in 
his own time. What about one here? Would he fail them, too?
	The group began to disperse and calm down, walking away in twos 
and threes. None of them noticed the blue hedgehog standing in the 
shadows. None but Robin, that is. As soon as he could he tore himself 
away from the others and walked up to Sonic. "Sorry," he said. "Come 
with me. Dad wants to meet you."
				* * *
	The house Robin led him to was relatively simple on the outside--
built of brick, a shingled roof, a few windows and a door. As they 
stepped onto the porch, Sonic asked, "This where you live?"
	Robin nodded. "Uh-huh. It ain't much, but it's home." He opened 
the door, and they stepped inside.
	The first thing Sonic noticed was the smell. It struck him in the 
face as he entered; the aroma of cooking food, polished wood and hickory 
smoke. He sniffed appreciatively, noticing the wood floors, walls and 
fixtures. This appeared to be the living room; a couch and two chairs 
sat across from an elegant stone fireplace. There was a brightly 
colored rag rug on the floor.
	"Wow," Sonic said. "Nice place ya got here." Robin shrugged and 
nodded. "Yeah. come on." He walked toward another doorway, and Sonic 
followed.
	It was the kitchen. Dinner was over, but the room was still warm 
and smelled heavenly. Sonic swallowed, suddenly hungry.
	"Hey there."
	An older echidna was sitting at the table in the corner, eating 
from a plate before him. He wiped his mouth on a napkin and stood up. 
"You must be Sonic the Hedgehog," he said, extending a hand. Sonic 
nodded and took it. "Yes sir."
	"I'm Michal Echidna," the stranger continued. "I'm Jay and Robins' 
father. Sit down--make yourself at home. Say, would you like something 
to eat?" Sonic gulped again and nodded. Mr. Echidna turned to Robin and 
said," Go tell your mother to fix our guest a plate." Robin nodded and 
walked out.
	Sonic sat down at the table, and Mr.Echidna did the same. He was a 
head and a half taller than Sonic. His hair was cut short like his 
sons', and he wore a brown vest. Sonic noticed the white crescent on 
his chest. His face was kind, his eyes dark with a flash in them.
	"Is Jay gonna be all right?" Sonic asked after a moment. Mr. 
Echidna nodded. "Yes. The stunner wore off long ago--he's asleep, now. 
Robin said something about Roofern doing it." He gazed at Sonic, waiting 
for an answer. Sonic held up both hands. "I didn't know his name; that's 
what Jay called him."
	"Mm-hm. What happened?"
	Sonic explained, the other listening intently.
	When he finished, Mr. Echidna sat without a word, staring at the 
table, thinking. Sonic was about to ask him what he thought, but was 
startled as a plate appeared out of nowhere and set down in front of 
him. He looked up. Standing there was Mrs. Echidna. She was a few inches 
shorter than her husband and wore a shirt and slacks. She had the same, 
calm, kind expression Michal had. "Hello," she said to him, as if it 
were the most natural thing in the world to be talking to someone from 
the future. "Robin told me what happened. Thank you for saving Jay." 
Sonic noticed the catch in her voice--she had been worried, too.
	She walked out of the room, and Sonic fixed his attention on the 
food before him. It was a slice of chicken pie--he didn't think he had 
ever tasted anything so wonderful in his life. The crust was light and 
flaky, the chicken shredded into fine fragments, soaked in the thick 
sauce; all still warm from the oven. Sonic ate as if he hadn't seen 
food in weeks.
	By the time he finished and was aware of his surroundings again, 
Jay, Robin and their mother were all seated at the table. Jay was just 
shoveling the last few bites into his mouth; he hadn't had dinner yet, 
either. Sonic was surprised to see him. "Hi, Jay," he said. Jay looked 
up. "Hi, Sonic. I told you we should have run." The statement was so 
out of the blue it took Sonic by surprise, and he couldn't think of a 
good answer.
	Mr. Echidna leaned forward and placed his elbows on the table. 
"Well Sonic, it's time you were told why you are here."
	Sonic nodded, looking around at the family. "The thought HAD 
crossed my mind."
	Mr. Echidna reached below the table and pulled up a roll of paper. 
He unfurled it and spread it on the table before them. Sonic leaned 
forward, looking at it. It was divided into squares by longitude and 
latitude, like a map, but instead of continents or land masses, all it 
had were dots and circles; some with numbers on them, others with 
strange names, still others with curved lines behind them. It made no 
sense to Sonic.
	"Do you know what this is?"
	"Uh, no sir. For all I know, it's a diagram of what happens when 
you drop ping-pong balls into a fan."
	Jay and Robin snickered, but their parents looked deadly serious.
	"It's a radar map of our solar system," Mr. Echidna told him. He 
indicated a very large circle. "That's our sun. This here is Seth, the 
closest planet to the sun, and here is Mobius."
	Sonic followed along with interest. He had always liked astronomy.
	Mr. Echidna continued. "See this smaller thing here?" An object 
resembling a moon, its trajectory traced back off the map. "This is an 
asteroid of some kind. It tends to disappear from time to time, but 
each time it shows up again, closer to Mobius's orbit. Each time, if it 
kept going, it would manage to hit us head-on. But each time it 
vanishes."
	"What do you mean, vanishes?" Sonic interrupted.
	"Vanishes, kaput, gone. Maybe shifts dimensions? We don't really 
know. Anyway, the trouble is, it reappeared less than a million miles 
away yesterday. Comin' straight at us. And since it just came out of its 
yearly cycle, there's no chance of it disappearing at the last minute. 
It'll hit Mobius."
	Sonic stared around at the group as the news started to sink in. 
They all seemed calm, unconcerned. He gulped. "So, how do I fit into 
this?"
	Michal looked around at all of them and sat up. "Well Sonic, it 
has been said you could use the power emeralds well. As of yet, we don't 
have the means for space travel, but if the rumors are true--" he looked 
hard at Sonic, "the emeralds make you invincible. Correct?"
	Sonic nodded, puzzled. "Well, yeah. How did you know that?"
	"Never mind. The point is, you are the only one who can--and will
--save Mobius. You must fly into space and change the asteroid's 
course."
	Sonic sat silently, pondering that one. After a moment he said, 
"Do you have a telescope or something? I'd like to see it."

				* * *

	The telescope was mounted on a tree stump in the woods, aimed at 
the sky. The surrounding trees were short; providing cover, but allowing 
a clear view of the heavens. Mr. Echidna (followed by Robin--Jay had 
been sent to bed), adjusted the telescope's lens filter a moment, then 
moved aside. "There," he said to Sonic with a glance toward the 
unusually bright star above. "Have at it."
	Sonic stepped up to the telescope, noticing its' considerable 
size. He crouched and looked through the eyepiece.
	And then he gasped. That was no asteroid. Asteroids didn't have 
brown land and a deep blue ocean. Asteroids, he realized, would not 
shift dimensions regularly.
	An asteroid it wasn't. He was looking at Little Planet.

				* * * 
	
	Sonic lay curled up on the couch in the living room, a warm blanket 
around his shoulders. He was tired, but unable to sleep. His mind was 
freewheeling. Little Planet! How was he supposed to save it AND Mobius? 
He remembered seeing it rise back in his own time. He had always taken 
its existence for granted, but now technical questions filled his head. 
How did it stay in orbit without its' gravity effecting Mobius? How 
close was it, exactly? How did its' time-warping effect it? And how in 
the heck could he check its' onward rush through space?
	The year 800. It kept nagging at the back of his mind like a sesame 
seed in his teeth. What happened in the year eight hundred? Knuckles! 
That book he had had Sonic read! Hadn't it said something about something 
happening in the year 800? What had it been? But try as he might, he 
couldn't quite think of it.
	A faint rumble, like a train far away. He wasn't aware of when it 
had began, but it had been going on for a while now. Sonic sat up 
abruptly. It was almost inaudible once he sat up, but still there, on 
the lowest end of his hearing range. Like in the woods, earlier. Another 
earthquake?"
	The underground thunder continued. After a moment the house 
trembled, swayed a little. Then it died away, and silence returned. 
Sonic sat where he was. Another earthquake. This was not normal. The 
Great Forest didn't have earthquakes.
	Sonic got up and padded to the window, one hand playing with the 
belt at his waist. The little village was quiet. The tremor had been too 
slight to be noticed by anyone else. He looked up at the patch of sky, 
visible through the treetops. Maybe Little Planet was causing it. He 
didn't know much about gravity fields, but maybe the two planets were 
effecting each other, somehow. Mobius had sure pitched a fit when it 
exited the separate spacetime, last winter. With a mild shock Sonic 
realized ' last winter' was way in the future. It hadn't happened yet.
	He walked back to the couch and lay down. Why did he have to be 
the one to save the world? Bitterly he thought of his failed mission--
he sure had failed when it came to saving his friends. "It sure would be 
nice," he thought, "if I could just go back to the future and read up on 
the history of Little Planet. It would help if I had the faintest idea 
how to do this."
	His eyes slowly closed. His thoughts were finally slowing down to 
where he could relax. As he sank into the soft layers of an exhausted 
sleep, the nagging feeling came again. Earthquake. Floating Island. 
Little Planet. Knuckles. "So he's not crazy!" Power emeralds. With an 
effort Sonic shoved it all to the bottom of his mind. It would simmer 
and cook there, sending up tantalizing whiffs of ideas, driving him 
crazy. "Tomorrow," he thought. "I'll worry about it tomorrow."

				* * *   
	
	Morning dawned dim and overcast. Sonic was treated like one of the 
family as they ate breakfast together. But, even with the light-hearted 
banter that went on, Sonic was worried. It showed in how quiet he was 
in conversation lulls, and in the unnatural gleam in his eyes.
	He perked up, however, when Mr. Echidna said, "Well guys, here's 
the plan for today." Jay and Robin sat up and leaned forward,  waiting 
eagerly. Noticing them, Sonic did the same.
	"We're going over to Richard's."
	Jay and Robin groaned and slumped back in their chairs. "Dad," Jay 
whined, "why do we have to go there? Uncle Richard is nuts, and our 
cousins aren't much better."   "Hey," said his father sternly, "you're 
out of line. Richard may seem deranged, but he's still my brother. As 
for your cousins, they are--" he cleared his throat and glanced at his 
wife, "--a bit out of control. But I want you boys to be on your best 
behavior. No fights this time. Understand?" The two brothers nodded. 
	Mr. Echidna turned to Sonic. "Now son, you may be from a different 
time, but since you are alone here, I am responsible for you. So the 
same goes for you. No high-jinks today. And by the way, don't tell 
anyone you're from the future. It might get back to the Enemy." Sonic 
nodded. He had never met anyone like this family--and he wished he had 
a dad like Michal Echidna.

				* * * 

	As it turned out, the Time Rippers wore their gear at all times. 
Travelling was dangerous; even more so than is was in Sonic's time. This 
was made apparent when Mr. Echidna passed out pistols to his sons and 
Sonic. Sonic examined his with curiosity. It didn't fire lasers like the 
ones he was used to--instead, it fired bullets. Mr. Echidna handed out 
belts of ammunition, and they all donned them without question. This was 
routine.
	Sonic clipped the gun holster to the emerald belt as he usually 
did, forgetting it was invisible to the others. His mind on Little 
Planet, he didn't notice when Jay gestured to him and whispered to 
Robin. After a moment the two approached him. "Hey, what gives?" Robin 
said, motioning to Sonic's gun. Sonic looked down. "Huh?"
	"What's your gun attached to?"
	"Oh! Sorry, I forgot to tell you." Sonic unclasped the emerald 
belt and held it up. The two stared at it as he explained. "One of my 
friends gave it to me. It becomes visible when I unhook it."
	Jay motioned to the stones. "What are those?"
	"Super emeralds."
	A silence descended over the room over the room as Jay and Robin 
stared at him. Then Robin turned and yelled, "Hey Dad, come here a 
minute!"
	Mr. Echidna walked in, fastening a sort of utility belt to his 
waist. "What's up, boys?" Jay and Robin both started to tell him at 
the same time, then argued over who got to go first. Their father broke 
them up as it was about to come to blows, then turned to Sonic. "What's 
this they're trying to tell me about?" 
	Sonic held up the jeweled belt for him to see. "I forgot to tell 
you about my emerald belt. These are super emeralds from my time."

				* * * 

	"They didn't work. I can't believe they didn't work!" Sonic was 
mumbling. Jay looked back at him. "You say something?"
	"Uh, no."
	Mr. Echidna looked back at him. "The emeralds must just not work 
outside their time, Sonic. Don't be surprised."
	"It's just hard to believe--that's all."
	The four of them were humming quietly through the woods on 
hoverboards. Each was about three inches thick, three to four feet 
long, and made of plastic. They were all painted dull greens and 
browns to help them blend in with the forest. They had no visible 
machinery, and looked like boogyboards the the casual observer. Once 
turned on, they hovered two to five feet above the ground. If you were 
daring, you could ride them standing up, but the group rode them sitting 
down, legs folded, hands on either side, grasping the steering controls 
on the ends.
	"How come we don't have hoverboards in our time?" Sonic asked Jay, 
who was ahead of him.
	"I donno. Ask Dad."
	Sonic pulled ahead, enjoying the total control he had over the 
craft. "Mr. Echidna, we don't have hoverboards in my time. Why not?"
	The other looked at him with a kindly expression. "But don't you 
have other hovercraft?"
	"Oh sure, hoverbikes and stuff--I never seen a hoverboard before, 
though."
	"Hmm. Maybe they got outlawed or something. Or maybe the 
blueprints were destroyed. Anything might happen. And by the way, 
you can call me Michal."
	"Thanks."
	Sonic dropped back to fly with Jay and Robin. "Your dad sure is 
nice," he told them. They both exchanged a grin and didn't answer. "So," 
he began again, "why is your uncle nuts?"
	"Because," Jay said, leaning toward him incredulously, "he thinks 
he can make an island fly. Isn't that dumb?"
	Sonic pulled away, surprised and amused at the same time. "Yeah," 
he said, "really stupid. But hey, there's a Floating Island in my time, 
so maybe he's not as crazy as you think."
	Robin swung his board closer to him. "You're kidding. Really?"
	"Sure. Been there."
	"Neato!"
	"Cool," Sonic corrected.
	"Whatever."

				* * * 

	It took three hours of flight to reach their destination. They had 
to leave the forest and take a pass through the mountains to reach the 
ocean. Sonic had been through the mountains before, but was pretty sure 
the pass wasn't there in his time. Well, neither was the forest. 
Earthquakes. Small forest. Knuckles. Floating Island. "Enough!" Sonic 
told himself. That infernal connecting of ideas never seemed to get 
anywhere, and only infuriated him. But somehow, he sensed it was 
pertinent to the matter at hand--
	They exited the pass, a steep-walled canyon. The mountains fell 
away suddenly, and there, stretching into infinity and sparkling as if 
strewn with diamonds, was the ocean. Of course! If you were going to 
construct a floating island, you would have to float it in the ocean 
first. Sonic's mind spasmed--in his head he saw that history book, 
the text leaping out at him. In the year 800, Knux's ancestors had 
constructed the Floating Island and manufactured the power emeralds. 
Was this the answer to saving Little Planet? The Floating Island? 
Maybe ...
	The others, unaware of Sonic's two hundred-watt brainwave, were 
slowing down. He followed their lead. Michal waved them forward, and 
they pulled their hoverbikes up to his. "Okay boys, you know what to 
do," he said to his sons. He turned to Sonic. "And you don't, so I'll 
tell you. We leave our boards and go down to the coast on foot. It's 
commonly known here that if you come on foot you are friendly. And act 
natural, please."
	Sonic nodded. "No problem. I'm cool."
	Michal looked him over. "Yes, you are at that. C'mon, guys."
	He turned and began walking downhill. Jay, Robin and Sonic fell 
into step behind him.
	The clouds overhead were breaking up, and it looked like it would 
be a nice day. A faint breeze was coming off the ocean, cool and fresh. 
Well, at least that hadn't changed. Sonic felt as if he could be hiking 
out with Knux to see the Floating Island, instead of Knux's ancestors. 
Except the trees were different. These were all spruce and evergreen; in 
his time they were oak, cottonwood and sycamore. He felt that nagging 
idea resurface, and forced it back down. "No," he told himself angrily. 
"I've got enough to worry about without that, too."
	"Do you think we'll get to see the island?" Sonic asked Robin and 
Jay. They both shrugged, not interested. Sonic looked out at the ocean 
through the trees. Where would it be? He didn't remember any place 
suitable from his time, but reminded himself that things might be 
different here.
	The coast drew nearer. The sun brightened as the clouds burned 
off, shining down in patches through the branches. No one said a word. 
Mr. Echidna seemed to be enjoying the walk, but Jay and Robin both 
slouched along, neither wanting to go any further. Sonic watched all 
three of them with amusement. The two boys would straighten up and act 
cheerful when their father would look back at them, but as soon as he 
looked away they resumed their bad-attitude swagger.
	At last they came to a gap in the trees. The ground fell away in a 
steep granite cliff, affording a clear view of the coast. The four 
stopped and looked around. Suddenly Jay said, "Oh great." They all 
looked at him.
	"What?"
	Jay shoved his hands in his pockets and looked disgusted. "They 
got Sydney out." He pointed into the trees below, where the roof of a 
low building could be seen. 
	Robin drooped and looked at his father. "Dad, can't we just go 
home? I don't want to be around when Syd's out."
	"Sorry boys, but we've come this far. You'll be okay."
	"Who's Sydney?" Sonic asked curiously.
	Jay looked at him, head down and jaw thrust out. "Sydney's their 
struthiomimus," he mumbled. "He's as much of a jerk as they are."
	"A stru--struth--what?"
	"St-ru-thee-o-mimus," Robin said. "You know, a dinosaur."
	"An ostrich dinosaur," Jay corrected. 
	They both began to strut around, bobbing and jerking their heads 
as they walked. Robin approached Sonic. "And Syd kicks," he growled. 
"Like this." He lashed out with one foot, missing Sonic's stomach by 
an inch. Sonic jumped back. "Hey!"
	"Stop it, boys," Michal said. They did at once, but both still 
looked sulky.
	A narrow path had been cut across the cliff, leading down. They 
followed it in single file. Robin kept staring in the direction of the 
half-visible house. "I don't see Syd," he said to his brother. "You sure 
they have him out?"
	"I'm sure, Rob. I saw his evil little head through the trees."
	"Who was riding him?"
	"I couldn't see."
	"What if he was just loose?"
	"I don't even want to think about it."
	Sonic listened to them quietly, wondering. Why were they so 
nervous?
	They made it down the cliff face and halfway to the house before 
anything happened. Then they all heard fast, heavy footfalls coming in 
their direction. They stopped and gazed toward it. "Uh oh," Robin said. 
"Guess who?"
	Out of the trees ahead of them jumped a large, long-legged 
dinosaur. It towered up at seven feet tall, its long, thin neck curved 
and head cocked. It moved toward them slowly, head bobbing with each 
step, just as Jay and Robin had done. Sonic noticed the halter around 
its face and the short lead rope hanging loose. It bore a small saddle 
on its' high back, but it had no rider.
	"Great," Michal said. "Boys, spread out and move slowly. See if 
you can grab his halter." The three echidnas moved forward, but Sonic 
stood where he was. The dinosaur was a dark dappled green, but his long 
neck faded into rusty orange, ending at a nearly yellow head. His hind 
feet were yellow, tapering to orange, and ending in the green at his 
knees. The sharply clawed forearms here held up and forward next to the 
light yellow chest. It looked like a great, brightly colored ostrich.
	Sydney was watching the echidnas warily. It let them get within 
five feet, then backed away jerkily. Jay looked back at Sonic and 
snarled, "C'mon and help! If he gets away we'll never catch him again!" 
	"I thought you hated him already," Sonic thought. But he moved 
forward, watching the small, narrow head.
	Now the dinosaur stopped, looking at the newcomer. Apparently it 
had never seen a hedgehog before. It ducked its' head nervously, maroon 
eyes fixed on Sonic. Sonic stood still, watching its' eyes. Funny, he 
could he could read them as he could Slasher's. It was frightened and 
excited, uncertain around strangers. "It's okay, Syd," Sonic murmured 
to it, advancing slowly. "Come'ere, boy. I'm not gonna hurt you." The 
high head lowered to just above eye level, one large eye fixed steadily 
on him. Sonic didn't notice when Jay and Robin motioned to each other to 
back away. He was too intent on what he was doing.
	The halter rope was temptingly close. Slowly, carefully, Sonic 
lifted his hand. The dinosaur stood still, giving no signal it saw. It's 
head was down, its' eyes big. But as his hand neared the rope, another 
glint appeared. Rebellion. The slim body stiffened. Sonic's hand touched 
the end of the rope.
	The dinosaur's head moved so fast Sonic was caught unprepared. 
There was a hollow clapping sound as its' beak-like jaws closed on his 
hand. Then it danced away, mouth open in a savage hiss. Sonic grabbed 
his hand and nursed it. "It bit me!" he yelled. "Stupid idiot dinosaur!"
	Suddenly, from the other side of the wary struthiomimus, came a 
shrill war-whoop. Sydney jumped, head high, then whirled and ran. Sonic 
furious at the creature's nerve, followed.
	The beast only ran a few rods, then slowed down, head turning this 
way and that. Sonic caught up to it, grabbed the halter rope, then swung 
up into the saddle. The creature threw its' head back, slender mouth 
open in outrage. Sonic yanked on the rope, pulling its' head around. 
"Don't you ever, ever do that again," he growled. Sydney hissed in 
reply, sounding like a big cat.
	Sonic kicked out with one foot to turn the dinosaur, then got it 
walking back toward the others. It obeyed a rider's commands well 
enough, even if it disliked them.
	Jay, Robin and Michal stared as Sonic returned on Sydney's back. 
But standing with them was another echidna, probably the one who had 
frightened Sydney. He was tall and skinny, with hard, cold eyes. He wore 
a pair of tattered jeans and faded black sneakers. He too looked 
surprised to see Sonic on the dinosaur's back. As Sonic pulled up, the 
echidna walked up and yanked the lead rope out of his hand. "What do you 
think you're doing?" he yelped. His voice was high and whiny, like a 
buzz saw. "That's MY dino. Get off, twerp."
	Sonic slid off, favoring his bitten hand. The skinny echidna 
watched him with a sneer. "Whassamatta? Aw, did Syd bitecha? Poor baby!"
	The echidna mounted the dinosaur, kicked it viciously into a run 
and disappeared into the trees. Sonic watched him go, holding his hurt 
hand. He looked at Mr. Echidna. "Who the heck was that?"
	Michal replied quietly, "That was Brian, my oldest nephew. Are 
you okay?" 
	Sonic showed them his hand, which, although it bore a red mark, 
wasn't bleeding.
	"You're lucky he didn't kick you," Robin said. "He kicked me once. 
Gosh, I thought he'd killed me! But he only broke my leg."
	"Only, eh?"
	"Sure. He's done worse to other people."
	"Brian's ruined him," Michal said. "He had a quiet, gentle 
disposition when they bought him."
	A few more minute's walk brought them to a wide open clearing. The 
house was set in the middle. It was built of stone with a tile roof, and 
looked neglected. Tall weeds had grown up around the porch and windows, 
and one front window had been broken out and patched with cardboard and 
duct tape. Sonic looked around in disgust. It LOOKED like it could be a 
breeding place for jerks.
	Mr. Echidna knocked on the front door. Sonic noticed  it had a 
bullethole for a peephole. After a moment, it opened a crack. A single 
eye looked out at them. Michal smiled down at it and said, "Hi, Amanda. 
Are your mom and dad home?" 
	The door thumped shut, and they heard a shrill voice call, "Mooom! 
Uncle Mike's here!" A second later the door swung open wide. As they 
stepped inside, Sonic saw the little girl echidna standing shyly behind 
the door, one thumb stuck in her mouth. She stared up at him with big 
eyes. "That's Amanda," Jay told him. "Hi, Mandie!" She didn't answer 
him.
	The front room had trash and dirt all over it. Mr. Echidna kept 
going, looking into all the rooms for his sister-in-law. He finally 
found her. She was sprawled on a couch in the back bedroom, watching 
television. She didn't look up, but said, "Richard's working on the 
island, Mike."
	"Oh. Thanks."
	The four silently picked their way out of the messy house. As 
soon as they stepped outside, Jay said, "What a dump. No wonder Uncle 
Richard's building an island; he can't stand his house!" His father 
silenced him with a stern look.
	"Are we going down to the island, now?" Robin asked. Mr. Echidna 
nodded. "Yeah, we might as well. Come on."
	They walked out of the clearing in the direction of the beach. Jay 
fell back to walk beside Sonic.  "See why we complained about coming?" 
he murmured. Sonic nodded. "No kidding. I don't think even Robotnik 
lives like that."
	"Mandie's my favorite of all of them. Too bad Aunt Marge is such 
a bum."
	"Yeah. Is your uncle like that?"
	"No, he's a worker. But he never has time for his family, Dad 
says. That's why Brian and Chester are such creeps."
	"Chester?"
	"Yeah. Brian's nineteen, and Chester's sixteen. They hate each 
other, but they do everything together. I can't stand either of 'em, but 
Robin says Chester ain't too bad if he's by himself."
	"Those guys would never make it into the freedom fighters."
	"Or the Time Rippers."
	They were interrupted by a shrill yell. Sydney the struthiomimus 
appeared out of nowhere, travelling at a dead run. He had two riders 
now, but that was all Sonic had time to see. The four were forced to 
dive from the trail as the dinosaur swept past. As it vanished behind 
them, there came a burst of raucous laughter from its riders.
	The group picked themselves up. Michal seemed unfazed, but Robin 
and Jay were seething. "They're a menace!" Robin snarled breathlessly.
	"Jerks!" Jay agreed. He looked at his father pleadingly. "Can I 
shoot at 'em if they come around again? Please?"
	"No! Are you crazy?" Mike was mad, too. "I can't believe those 
boys. Deliberately trying to run us down!"
	Sonic was a bit worked up himself, but said nothing.
	Suddenly a sinister rumbling filled the woods. The trees swayed. 
"Earthquake," Mr. Echidna said. "Steady, boys." Jay and Robin, seeing 
their father didn't seem to be worried, remained calm and stood still, 
working on balance. Sonic stood with them, a vacant look on his face. 
Another earthquake. That made three. Quakes. Knux's book had said 
something about that--or had it? What could cause earthquakes, aside 
from Little Planet? Oh, why hadn't he paid more attention to that book?
	The trembling subsided slowly. Sonic looked at the echidnas. "You 
guys have quakes often?"
	They looked at each other. "Well," said Michal, "they started a 
couple months ago, but we didn't have them before that." Sonic groaned 
and closed his eyes, lifting a hand to his forehead. 
	"What's wrong?" Jay questioned. "Headache?"
	"No, I'm trying to remember--something like--"
	He was interrupted as Robin said, "Oh great, here comes Sydney 
again." They stepped off the path, giving the dinosaur plenty of room. 
He came at them at a dead run again, but this time was pulled up. He 
slid to a stop in front of them, slender head tossing in protest of the 
harsh pull on his delicate mouth. Sonic recognized the skinny echidna 
with the worn jeans in the saddle, but had never seen the smaller one 
seated behind him. 
	There was no time for questions, however. Brian yelped, "Uncle 
Mike, the Enemy's comin' down from the pass!"
	"How many?"
	"I donno--ten or twenty, and half of 'em's on jet speeders!"
	"Oh great," Michal said, looking at his sons and Sonic. "How far 
is the island?"
	"The island? Whaddya wanna know for?" The shorter one interrupted 
him. "It's a couple miles up the coast, by the peninsula." His voice 
was lower and smoother than his brothers'. Michal nodded. "Okay, close 
enough. Dismount, you two."
	Mr. Echidna drew his gun, looked around quickly, then fired it at 
the ground. Sonic, not yet used to the peculiarities of time guns, was 
momentarily startled to see the glowing rift open in the trail. Like 
the night before, it was green instead of blue. A teleporter.
	"Brian, Chester," Michal barked, "turn Sydney loose and jump 
through. You'll be at your dad's island. Hurry!" Brian, the tall one, 
jumped through without a thought, but his brother hesitated. "What about 
Mom and 'Manda?" he asked worriedly. "Will the Enemy hurt them?"
	Jay and Robin looked at their father, who shook his head. "No. 
Their quarrel is with me. Now hurry up!" Chester reluctantly obeyed. 
Jay was next. Robin scared off the lingering struthiomimus before taking 
the plunge, then it was Sonic's turn.
	He stood next to the rip and looked into it. He would have 
preferred walking though one instead of falling though it. "How long a 
drop?" he asked nervously. Michal was staring up the path, watching the 
ridge through the treetops. "Uh--a couple feet. Hurry, I don't want them 
to find the rip!"
	"But--"
	Suddenly there came a terrifying, howling roar. It made Sonic get 
the feeling he was being tracked, pursued, with no escape. It was a 
fearsome sound of doom. His heart skipped several beats in a row. 
Apparently Mr. Echidna was as startled as Sonic was. He grabbed the 
hedgehog's arm and threw both of them into the rip.
	As he had said, it was a drop of about four feet. They landed on 
their feet, staggered, then regained their balance. Sonic looked around. 
Then he stared.
	Floating Island! Man, what had happened to it? There was hardly 
anything growing--it was all bare rock and dirt. Stream channels had 
been dug, but there was no water as of yet. The mountain range in the 
center was only an assortment of piled rock. An island under 
construction, clearly.
	The sound of the teleporter closing drew Sonic's attention back 
to the matter at hand. Jay and Robin were standing motionless beside 
their father. All three of them were staring toward the mainland in the 
distance, separated from them by a broad strip of blue ocean. Sonic 
looked too, but saw nothing of interest. "Hey Michal," he said, "what 
made that sound?" The echidna turned his head and gave Sonic a look 
that said "Drop it," but he wasn't quick enough. Jay and Robin also 
turned. "Sound? What sound?" they demanded. Sonic imitated it for them, 
his flesh crawling at the memory. Jay looked puzzled, but his brother 
identified it. A look of horror crossed his face. "Dad, he said slowly, 
turning to face him, "was it Hunter?"
	Michal nodded. "Yes Rob, it was Hunter."
	Now Jay paled. "Hunter was with the enemy?"
	"Who the heck is Hunter?" Sonic asked, feeling left out. Michal 
gazed at him steadily. "Hunter is another dinosaur. A nanotyrannus."
	"What kind is a nano-ty-rannus?"
	"Its like a tyrannosaurus rex, except about four times smaller. 
It's the Shetland pony version." Michal drew a breath. "He belongs to 
Roofern. Roofern was dissatisfied with how dumb he was, and worked with 
him until he is nearly sentient. Hunter can now speak, after a fashion. 
But he never hesitates to shred a prisoner."
	"You mean, he's like, smart?"
	"Very."
	Michal looked back at the coastline. "Roofern must be angry about 
you fending him off, Sonic. Hunter is used mainly in raids and warfare."
	A call interrupted him. "Uncle Mike! Uncle Mike, over here!" The 
four turned. It was Chester. He ran up to them, out of breath as if 
he'd been running. "Dad said c'mon. Said they might see you from the 
shoreward side."
	Michal nodded and started forward. "Good point. Come on, boys."
	They began walking across the barren island. Aside from a clump of 
grass here and there, there was nothing to break up the monotonous earth 
tones. Sonic felt disillusioned. What a wreck. Robin, on the other hand, 
walking beside him, seemed to be in awe. "Wow," Sonic heard him murmur 
under his breath. "What a place! Sure'd be neat to live here ..."  Robin 
glanced at Sonic and fell silent. Jay and Michal, on the other hand, 
seemed neutral.
	Sonic looked at Chester. For the first time he had a chance to 
size him up. The echidna was built like his brother Brian, and would 
probably end up just as tall. He wore his hair as Knuckles did--in long 
dreadlocks. His arms were muscular and his hands calloused, as though 
he worked hard with them. He wore a faded black T-shirt and denim 
shorts, and kept his eyes on the ground. He probably WAS a nice kid 
when his brother wasn't around.
	The island looked like it had been roughed out in pencil sketches, 
and was waiting for the artistic paintbrush to be applied. The terrain 
was basically the same as Sonic remembered. Only the trees and streams 
were missing, and all the boulders were rough with sharp edges. They 
needed a few centuries to soften them.
	Few words were said as they picked their way across the Floating 
Island. Sonic was thinking. Had the power emeralds been constructed? The 
chaos emeralds were probably around (they were very ancient), but what 
about the supers and the Master? Probably not, if his belt didn't work. 
He dropped one hand and touched the invisible jewels. They made his 
fingers tingle pleasantly. Well, at least they still had SOME power 
left. Wait a minute. How much, exactly? Like, maybe, enough to ...?
	Sonic shook his head, fighting the rising excitement. "No, no 
way," he told himself. "You don't have the slightest idea how to fly 
an island. You'd wreck, sure as shooting." But what if he didn't? 
History was already written, he knew. Floating Island had survived. 
What would happen if he flew the island and succeeded? Was that why he 
was here?
	He plodded along with the others, feeling his feet go weightless 
with adrenaline, wanting to shatter the sound barrier within seconds, 
as he did when excited. Was this the answer to the question that plagued 
him? Perhaps. No, there was still the problem of the earthquakes. The 
answer surged forward in his mind, struggled, then faded away, leaving 
only frustration in it's wake. Arrgh! He wanted to scream, his 
excitement dimming. Why couldn't he remember? Had he somehow forgotten 
in the ongoing adventures?
	Another mile was covered as Sonic wrestled with his thoughts. 
The mid-day sun beat down on the group's heads, sapping their strength 
and increasing their thirst. It was like walking through a desert with 
no chance to rest.
	At last Chester turned aside to follow a thin trail. They 
followed in single file. Panting and sweaty, Sonic looked up the trail. 
It snaked up a rocky hill and disappeared into sort of a cave in the 
rocks. They climbed up to it, anticipating the shade and how good it 
would feel.
	The 'cave' turned out to be a slab of stone laid across the tops 
of two others, like a makeshift Stonehenge. There was a roughly hewn 
stone bench that ran the length of one side. It was hard, but it was 
cool and a place to rest. They all sat down. Chester moved to the rear 
of the structure and lifted a flat stone to reveal a keg of water set 
in the ground. He dipped a cup of water for himself, then offered some 
to the others. They gladly accepted. As the cold water hit Sonic's 
throat, he wondered how they got it to taste so sweet. Then he realized 
how thirsty he was. At that moment he wouldn't have traded that cave or 
that water for the world.
	As they let the life drain back into them, Jay asked, "Hey 
Chester, where's Uncle Richard?"
	The echidna shrugged. "I donno. He said to bring you here. He'll 
pry be here in a minute." A brief silence. Then, "Where's Brian?"  
"He's with Dad. I think they were trying to see where the Enemy was."
	Another silence, longer this time. Chester had something on his 
mind. "Uncle Mike, do you think Hunter'll hurt Sydney?" Michal slowly 
shook his head. "I don't know. Roofern might do anything when he finds 
we escaped. But it's not likely. Sydney can outrun anything alive."

				* * *

	At that moment, the struthiomimus was standing perfectly still, a 
rope around his slender neck and a strong hand on his halter. His dark 
eyes were wide and frightened. They sought out the Predator. 
	The nanotyrannus was walking slowly through the gang of Time 
Terrorists, Roofern the wolf on his back. Hunter was a dark red-brown 
above that faded in tiger-stripes to the creamy white of his lower jaw 
and belly. His yellow eyes were as yellow as egg yolks. They burned 
with the same cool ferocity Roofern's did. Often the square head would 
turn in the direction of the struthiomimus, and the tyrannosaur would 
chew his bit hungrily.
	A scout rode in on a jet-speeder. He was a golden jackal with with 
big ears and a pointed snout. He skidded to a stop a few feet from 
Hunter, looked up at Roofern and saluted.
	"Well?" the wolf snapped.
	"No sign of them, sir," the jackal replied nervously. Hunter 
looked at him with one eye and growled. His rider did the same.
	"Did Michal make a time rip?"
	"Well sir, our scans detected radiation, but we think it was a 
teleporter--not a rip."
	Roofern cursed, his ears flattening to his head. "That means we 
bleeping lost the whole bleeping-bleep group!" he snarled. His gaze 
sought out the struthiomimus. "And all we have to show for this bleeping 
morning is one bleeping dinosaur!" What he said next is necessary to 
put down, but it involved cursing the Time Rippers in general, and the 
lost targets in particular.
	At last he calmed down and gave the command to head out. As the 
bunch fell into formation, Roofern called four of his henchmen to him 
and said, "Hang back. When we reach the top of the pass, break off and 
form an ambush in the canyon. I'll join you shortly afterward. It's just 
a hunch, but I think they'll go back the way they came."