“Hello, my name is Melissa MacLeod and I came here from down south to care for my poor deceased sister’s young son, and I need to apply for a local ID from y’all”

 

Melinda stood nervously in the office of the local DoT. She had exchanged her usual black t-shirt and trenchcoat for blue flannel shirt over a white tank-top and affixed a large buckle shaped like a celtic cross to her belt along with a chain connected to her wallet. A simple gold cross hung around her neck.

 

“I see you have Scottish roots, interesting to see around here,” The grey wolf behind the desk typed away at her computer, “do you have some form of ID?”

 

“Yes, actually. It’s right here.” Melinda pulled piece of paper from her shirt pocket and unfolded t out on the counter. A birth certificate tied to the fake identity she had managed to procure.

 

“Hmmm,” The grey wolf eyed the paper and occasionally glanced at Melinda, “everything seems in order, now if you’ll just step over to the camer-”

 

She was cut off by an explosion out in the street that shattered the front windows and rattled the whole building. Melinda braced herself as as a few loose ceiling tiles came down around her and one of the LCD screens displaying serving numbers tumbled down with a crash. When the dust had settled she saw a large robot peering inside the building.

 

“Just great, that moronic mad scientist is up to something and I have no backup,” Melinda muttered as it locked in on her.

 

“Targeted located, readying weapon,” the mechanized voice called out.

 

“Wait, what does that thing want with me,-” Melinda’s eyes went wide as she remembered the woman behind the counter, who was now frozen with fear, “Oh crap!”

 

“Duck!” She yelled as she dove over the counter and pulled the wolf down below cover.

 

The sound of automatic gunfire rang through the air as the front of the desk was riddled with bullets. Melinda had to wonder how exactly the wooden desk was stopping the rounds, but she wasn’t about to think too hard about it, lest it stopped working.

 

“It’s a good thing they decided to order those desks with the reinforced steel plates hidden in the wood after so many attacks,” The wolf said

 

“Well, at least that’s one thing that’s gone right, today,” Melinda mumbled, “I guess it’s also lucky that we’re the only ones in here.”

 

“Why do you suppose it’s after you?” The wolf asked.

 

“Well, I did just unexpectedly adopt a national hero and all,” Melinda nervously answered, trying to brush the whole thing off.

 

“Oh, so you must be Melinda Prower’s sister here to take care of Tails. I bet it’s been hard for that poor kid, hero or not.” The wolf said.

 

“Yeah, real horrible. Eeyup. In fact, the poor kid almost knocked me over with a hug when I came in the door and wouldn’t let go for the longest time,” Melinda lied through her teeth with a nervous laugh.

 

“Oh, I’m Marie, by the way,” she said.

 

“Very nice to meet you, hun.” Melinda said, ”Say, do y’all have a back way out so we can get out of here before that thing gives us a few new holes?”

 

“Right his way,” Marie crawled into the back room with Melinda in tow, once the two were safely out of sight they stood up but remained in a low crouch, “There’s the fire exit.”

 

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Melinda could still hear the chaos around the front of the building as she forced the door shut behind her and took a minute to breathe. The two women were now in a back alley behind the building and sirens quickly approached in the distance.

 

“I need y’all to start moving AWAY from here in that general direction and don’t stop moving until you reach safety,” Melinda pointed to the opposite building, away from the mess in front of the DoT.

 

“I honestly have no complaints about that plan,” Marie hurried out of the alley and around the corner, “nice meeting you!”

 

Melinda breathed a sigh of relief, she would have to lose the phony ascent and southern lingo because this was just getting ridiculous, of course she also had to do something about the giant robot chasing her, that was important as well.

 

“Hey Grandma, whats up?” Sonic had appeared behind her in a flash before she could ponder the situation any further.

 

“I was just minding my own business, trying to pass off some fake documents- Hey, did you just call me Grandma?” Melinda glared at Sonic.

 

“You are the one with two extra numbers in your age,” Sonic smirked, “So, what’s the story?”

 

“Well, Shorty,” Melinda playfully grinned at Sonic, “Apparently that bloated windbag of a scientist is after me for God knows what reason and sent a little escort to pick me up. You think he could’ve at least sprung for a limo.”

 

“Got a plan to send him packing, or do you need me cover for you?” Sonic asked.

 

“Well, I sort of left my anti-tank rifle and C4 in my other pants and It’s not like I’m the one with armor-piercing quills,” she smirked.

 

“You know, we really should get you a way to take on these hunks of junk. Maybe Tails can build you some kind of cool laser-sword that cuts through steel,” He said

 

“Yeah, I’ll look into it but I think we need to handle this little crisis first,” She said.

 

“Will do, care to watch the fireworks?” Sonic held out a hand to her.

 

“Don’t mind if I do,” she took his hand and he dragged them both around the front in a snap.

 

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“Hey, down here you bucket of bolts!” Melinda leaned against the wall, hands in her jean pockets, and taunted the robot.

 

“Target re-acquired, locking on,” it said as it fixed its gaze on her.

 

“Ah, I feel left out,” Sonic had quickly climbed up the back of the robot and was now atop it’s head and leaning down to look into whatever it had for eyes..

 

“Secondary target acquired,” it said

 

“I guess old egghead didn’t forget me, after all,” He quickly leaped down as the robot attempted to swat him off, resulting in the machine delivering a mighty smack to it’s own head.

 

“Malfunction, systems compromised. Attempting counter-attack,” The machine let out a hail of gunfire towards the general direction of its attackers.

 

Sonic easily dashed out of the way, but Melinda felt the searing pain of a stray round tearing through her shoulder as she dived out the way, taking cover behind an upturned car. Her hand found it’s way to the wound and she flinched a little as she dug in a finger, “damn, that one is in there good,” she mumbled under her breath.

 

“You okay!?” Sonic shouted

 

“Digging that out later is going to suck, but I’ll be okay!” She yelled back as she looked at the now blood-stained fur of her hand and then looked down at the blood seeping through her flannel, “also, I just bought this shirt and it’s going to take me forever to get all this blood out!”

 

“Then I guess we better finish this quick before that scrapheap gives you anymore chores.” Sonic smirked.

 

“Fine be me, trash that overgrown toaster!” Melinda shouted.

 

Sonic curled into a ball and spun like a buzzsaw, launching himself right into the robot’s chest and shredding the steel apart like paper. When the dust settled the machine had collapsed into a gnarled heap and Sonic proudly stood on the scrap pile.

 

The sound of clapping broke the silence, drawing the attention of both Melinda and Sonic to a white clad figure standing atop the roof opposite the now trashed DoT building.

 

“I have to say I’m quite impressed, your reputation lead me to expect big things from you and I wasn’t disappointed. I do admit I knew you would show and only sent that useless machine after her the woman so I could have some fun watching you tear it apart,” The man turned the icy gaze of his one good eye towards Melinda.
“Frost Bite, you bastard. What the hell are going here with one of that maniacs robots?” Melinda shouted.

 

“Now, is that anyway to greet an old friend? I thought you’d be happy to see me after over 200 years,” Frost gave a smile that sent shivers down her spine, it was a facade of a warm gesture that hid nothing but malice behind the mask of a welcoming smile.

 

“You’re no friend of mine, you creep!” She stepped forward and yelled the words with a fury that would’ve forced most anyone else to lose their nerve.

 

“Melissa, or should I say Melinda like you prefer to be called now? It is such a pretty name, isn’t it?” Frost mused, “Shouldn’t I be the angry one since you took my eye, and one my legs, and even this hand?” He held up his cybernetic hand and carefully wiggled around his fingers to show it off.

 

“You’re lucky I didn’t finish the job!” She shouted.

 

“I’ve always wanted to ask you why you didn’t,” Frost grinned.

 

Melinda fell silent

 

“So tell me, were you just afraid that I’d be too much to handle? Did you look into this one good eye and see something within that scared you?” Frost laughed.

 

Melinda stood her ground, but remained silent and the way her ears cocked back betrayed her fear.

 

“That’s it, isn’t? So tell me, what did you see? Was the darkness, and the cold? Did it scare you how I embraced my most depraved desires and gave in to my primal nature as a warrior the way you were always afraid to? Were you so afraid that this blackness in my heart would consume you and show you much alike we really are?”

 

“I’m nothing like you,” Melinda sounded unsure and the doubt resonated in her mind with the sound of his voice and the echo of words

 

“Then I guess I have to show you when we meet again, maybe I can extend an invitation to the latest fragile soul you’ve decided to play mother to?” Frost spoke happily, obviously pleased with his idea, “yes, I think I’ll invite him to play with us and maybe that little rabbit girl will come along to, and dear sweet Amy.”

 

“Frost, you son of bitch! Leave them out of this!” Melinda screamed, almost in tears.

 

“Yeah, that’s enough,” Sonic added.

 

“Melinda, Melinda, you always cared way too much about these fragile mortals with their pathetic and finite lives,” Frost turned and walked away, disappearing towards the far side of the building, “I guess I’ll have to prove to you how fragile they really are”

 

“Oh God, no.” Melinda collapsed to the ground, nearly sobbing

 

“Hey Mel, you know that creep?” Sonic placed a hand on her shoulder.

 

“Yes, he’s a sadistic monster that sees others as his playthings, especially mortals because he considers you no better than animals,” Melinda took a deep breath.

 

“I kind of figured he had to be some piece of work to push you far enough to do all that to him. I know you’re not the kind of person that would just hurt someone like that because you felt like it,” Sonic said.

 

“Thank you, that means more than you realize,” she let out a soft laugh, “but..”

 

“What is it?” Sonic asked.

 

“I just, what if he follows through with his threat? I don’t, no, I can’t even bring myself to think about what he might do to them.” Melinda curled her hand into a tight fist, squeezing so hard blood began to drip from her palm as her nails dug into the flesh.

 

“Hey, don’t worry. Miles is smart enough to protect himself and both of them have us to watch out for them, Knuckles may not act like mister warm and fuzzy but I’m pretty sure he’d re-arrange that creeps face just as fast as either of us if he laid a hand on either one of them,” Sonic said.
“Thank you, Sonic.”