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FoxyCryptid

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  1. FoxyCryptid
    Last chapter and the setup for some real plot in the next story.
     
    -----------------------------
     
    “I’ve done some snooping around in sealed government records, stuff that they didn’t seem to want to find a public explanation for. I found some cases identical to what you say happened with this women, the kid’s mother,” The image on the monitor was cloaked in shadow and it’s voice was distorted by a voice modulator.
     
    “Well? What did you find, my little mole,” Eggman said.
     
    “It lead me to a private group they’ve kept on eye on for some time called The Watchers that have dedicated themselves to shadowing individuals like what she claims to be and keeping records of their lives. From what I can tell they consider themselves historians keeping the stories of these walking relics alive and ensuring all the history they’ve seen and been a part of won’t die with them.” The voice said.
     
    “I assume you found your way into their records, as well,” Eggman looked up at a copy of the on-scene medical report displayed on one of the other monitors, which also displayed a close-up of the body’s face taken for verification purposes next to a more recent picture taken by one of his spybots later that night of her alive and well. It had picked up most of the conversation between her and the Hedgehog as well.
     
    “You know me to well, when I accessed the records with the name Melinda Prower I found nothing because it had been locked out as an alias, but when I used the other name she gave, Melissa MacLeod I found a great deal of interesting information supporting her story, and then some,” The figure picked up a manilla envelope and waved it across the screen, “I’ll see that a delivery bot gets these copies to you as soon as the usual amount is deposited in my bank account.”
     
    “Do you think she’s as much as a threat as Sonic?” Eggman asked.
     
    “I can’t be certain, she seems to have no special abilities past the whole immortality gig, but if these are to be trusted she’s a damn impressive fighter and has been through a variety of combat training as she served various armies and rebel groups throughout the centuries. It notes she’s good with explosives and mechanic work, must by where the little gearhead got his smarts from.” The figure fiddled with some controls, obviously bringing up information on his screens, “I can imagine she’s proficient with a variety of weapons as well.”
     
    “Looks like I may need a bit of insurance on my side in case she puts her pieces into play,” Eggman said.
     
    “I’ve been waiting for my cue,” a voice rang out from behind the Doctor, causing him to whirl around.
     
    “Who are you and how did you get in here?” Eggman demanded.
     
    “Most people call me Frostbite,” He said, stepping out of the shadows.
     
    It was a mobian fox in pure white clothing to match his fur, his long coat almost trailing on the ground. His right hand from just below the elbow down was cybernetic, as well as most of his left leg. Both artificial limbs were painted a bright blue that stood out against the white fabric of his clothes. The kid couldn’t been older than 16 and his youthful features we’re marred only by an obviously missing eye that had been crudely covered by sewing the eyelid shut. His one good eye was a piercing and cold blue that lived up to his name.
     
    “Mind explaining to me how the hell you got in and what you want?” Eggman asked.
     
    “I overheard you talking about that woman and I figured I’d offer my services in helping deal with her,” Frostbite said.
     
    “How do you propose to do that?” Eggman asked.
     
    “Because I’m an immortal as well, and I have some history with that one,” He smirked at the pictures on the screen, “My my, looks like she still has a soft-spot for mortals despite how fragile and useless they are.”
     
    “I’m listening,” Eggman said.
     
    “You see, we had a little run in a couple hundred years ago because she stumbled upon me enjoying myself and didn’t approve of my kind of fun. As a result we fought and she did all this to me. Took my hand, my leg, my eye. The strangest thing happened though, even has she held her sword to my neck something I can’t explain stopped her from killing me. Maybe she just looked me in the eyes and became afraid of consuming everything I am.” Frost chuckled at that last part.
     
    “What are you talking about?” Eggman asked.
     
    “If I may interrupt,” the voice on the monitor said, “I believe he’s referring to an event called a quicking. When one immortal permanently kills another via beheading they absorb their opponents skill and knowledge, at least according to this.”
     
    “I like you, you’re a fast learner,” said Frost.
     
    “What would you ask in return for fixing my little potentional problem?” Eggman said.
     
    “Nothing but the pleasure of crushing her and all she holds dear,” Frost withdrew a hand-and-a-half sword from his coat and held it up, the mirror-polished blade almost glowing under the fluorescent lighting..
     
    “It’s a tempting offer,” Eggman rubbed his chin.
    “You game, or not?” Frost gently ran his fingers up and down the blade.
     
    “How do I know I can trust you?” Eggman questioned.
     
    “You don’t, but it’s not like I can do much harm when I’m already working for pleasure,” Frost answered.
     
    “Okay, you’re hired, but you better not try and pull anything funny,” Eggman held out his hand.
     
    “Wouldn’t dream of it, doctor,” Frost took his hand in a tight grip and shock it.
     
    After letting go he disappeared once again into the shadows, “I’ll be in touch when I’m through with my task, or if I require any services you can provide.”
     
    “Something about that one makes me uneasy, he’s to calm and he seems almost happy to do this dirty work,” The figure on the monitor said, “I also wonder how knew you we’re snooping around and managed to be here just at the right time.”
     
    “Maybe, but I’m curious when he can do and I’m also curious what she can do. Watching them duke it out might provide me answers to both those questions no matter who wins,” Eggman said.
     
    “Very well, contact me if you require further services. The payment for what I already have goes to the usual place,” The screen went blank.
     
    “This just keeps more interesting,” Eggman mused.
  2. FoxyCryptid
    “You know, I’m glad everything is working out so far,” Miles said, taking a sip of his drink.
     
    He and Melinda sat on the balcony of their home, a two-story house on the edge of town just barely outside the woods. It was just starting to get dark and was thankfully shaping up to be a mild night that was just cool enough to be comfortable in the cold night air.
     
    “So am I, even though it’s not over yet I can tell we’re gonna pull through this and put things back together,” Melinda took a bite of Pizza, she’d figured they’d just order in and enjoy the evening after the stressful last few days.
     
    “It’s not gonna be easy, though,” He took a small bite of his own slice.
     
    “No, but it’s worth what ever hell we have coming if it means neither one of us having to uproot ourselves and leave everyone behind,” she looked up at the darkening sky.
     
    “Mom, am I the only reason you went through with all this? Telling them, I mean.”
     
    She looked over to catch his somewhat nervous stare and smiled at him.
     
    “Miles, you’re my son and I’d never do anything to hurt you like making you abandon your friends and life here”
     
    “I just feel like I’ve maybe put you in danger or been a burden because you couldn’t just run away,” He fiddled with the straw in this glass.
     
    “Please try not to think of it that way because that’s not how it is it all. I didn’t make this decision out of obligation or guilt, I made it because I love you and I care about all the friends we’ve made here. I don’t think I could run out out on Val like that that, and I know I didn’t want to leave behind that poor kid. You saw today how upset she was, Amy to. I’m even starting to get kind of close with that stubborn blue hedgehog.”
     
    “Thanks mom, I know I shouldn’t worry but sometimes it’s hard to not to,”
     
    “No problem, no matter what happens we’ll go through it together,” She grinned, “besides, the look on Knuckle’s face alone when it dawned on him who I was was worth it all.”
     
    “I think he’s still steamed about it,” He chuckled.
     
    “He probably thought I was some vengeful tribal spirit that was going to whoop him for losing those emeralds so many times,” she laughed at the thought.
     
    “I’m sure he’ll come around,” he said, “but still, I keep thinking about that story he told. That must have been horrible.”
    “It was one of the worst nights of my life and I can still remember the moment that poor kid stopped breathing and went limp in my arms,” she trailed off.
     
    “Are you oka?,”
     
    “I’ll be fine, that was 200 years ago and the monster that did it is long buried even if I don’t know when or how he kicked it. I’m also sure that kid is at peace now and I had to learn to let go, to,” she gave a mournful smile, “besides, things are finally going good and we don’t need to let my past ruin the evening.”
     
    “Okay, “ he smiled back.
     
    “Did you even finish what you were doing with the plane?” She fished another slice out of the box and took a bit.
     
    “Well, I’m been trying to convert the engine so it doesn’t need fuel at all and can run solely off a Chaos emerald,” He took a sip of his own drink.
     
    “How do you keep those things from frying the plane, anyway? It must be like hooking it into the main line of an entire power station,” she took a drink as well.
     
    “I found out chaos energy functions enough like electricity that you can convert it into a less intense current, kind of like what a power adapter for a cell phone does,”
     
    “So basically you stuck something like the mother of all voltage adapters in there, then?”
     
    “Exactly, I figured I could replace the fuel injectors with these things that shoot small energy pulses into the pistons and simulate the engine firing by pushing them up,”
     
    “And?”
     
    “Err, it turns out I need either weaker pulses or a stronger material because it melted the bottoms of the pistons, snapped the arms, and somehow bent the camshaft.”
     
    “I hope you have a spare engine,”
     
    “Yeah, I was installing it when you showed up, I’ll head back over in the morning and finish up.” He yawned.
     
    “You seem like you’re ready to crash,” She stood up from her chair.
     
    “It’s been a long day.”
     
    “Why don’t you head in and get some sleep, I’ll get this cleaned up,” she closed the lid of the pizza box and crouched down next to the his chair
     
    “Thanks,” he climbed down out of his chair and hugged her, “Goodnight”
     
    “See you in the morning, and Miles: I’ll be right here for you no matter what, okay?”
    “Love you to, mom.”
  3. FoxyCryptid
    The two foxes stood nervously outside of the small cottage. It was a homey place in the country not unlike a two-story farmhouse painted in pastel shades of pink and white to match the lovingly tended to beds of flowers out front. Melinda had to admit that it reminded her of someplace that could be in the Scottish countryside
     
    “Well, here we are and Amy should already be waiting,” MIles said.
     
    “Do we just knock?” Melinda asked.
     
    “I can go in first and talk to them, Amy can come get you and follow me back in when I give the cue,” Miles said.
     
    Melinda nodded and stepped to one side as he approached the door and knocked. The door quickly opened and Amy stepped outside.
     
    “It’s just Tails,” she yelled back inside.
     
    “Come on in, dear,” Vanilla answered.
     
    “I have to take care of something, but I’ll send him in,” Amy shouted back.
     
    “I guess we come on your cue?” Amy said to Miles.
     
    “Right, I’ll say there’s something I need to tell her and you both come in,” Miles said.
     
    -----------------------------------------------------------
     
    The small kitchen was just as brightly colored to match the rest of the house and a kitty-cat clock swished its tail up on the wall, counting down the seconds with every tick. The place was an obvious mess of pots and pans where Amy had been helping out to cook something. Vanilla quickly turned off the water and turned around as MIles entered.
     
    “Are you okay, dear? I’m sorry about what happened,” He flinched a little as she leaned down and hugged him.
     
    “Yeah, I’m doing fine,” Miles said.
     
    “It must horrible losing your mom like that, I know Cream was also fond of her and took it hard. I’m sure she’ll be glad to see you.” Vanilla said.
     
    “Yeah, there’s something I needed to tell you about.” He raised his voice slightly, giving giving the cue.
     
    “Hey, I’m back.” Amy said nervously as she walked into the kitchen with Melinda trailing behind her.
     
    “Oh, did you get what you ne-” Vanilla trailed off as she stood up.
     
    Melinda gave a nervous smile as Vanilla just stared at her, seemingly in shock and blinked a couple times.
     
    “Hello, Val,” Melinda said.
     
    Vanilla promptly rolled her eyes back and fainted almost as soon as the words were spoken.
     
    “Well Amy, looks like you we’re right,” Melinda said with a nervous laugh.
     
    “Is she gonna be okay?” MIles questioned.
     
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     
    Melinda laid Vanilla down on the couch and felt for a pulse.
     
    “She’s seems fine, “ Melinda said.
     
    “I’m kind of impressed you carried her bridal-style across the house to the living room, she’s almost as tall as you,” Amy said.
     
    “That’s nothing, you should’ve seen her when I dropped a spare wing on my leg,” Miles said.
     
    “Amy, what’s wrong with mother and who-”
     
    Melinda instinctively dived over the couch and landed with a thud behind it as she heard the young voice, not wanting to risk scaring the crap out of the kid before someone could explain.
     
    “Who just hid behind the couch?” Cream innocently asked.
     
    “You’re mom just got over-heated passed out, she’ll be fine.” Amy said.
     
    “Amy, it’s the middle of fall,” Tails whispered
     
    “Just play along,” Amy said.
     
    “Okay, miss Amy, but who's behind the couch?” Cream asked.
    “About that, there’s something very important we need to talk about as soon as your mom wakes up,” Amy said.
     
    “Okay,” Cream said as she turned to Miles, “I’m sorry about happened to Aunt Mel, I miss her, to”
     
    She ran up and gave Tails a hug, much to his obvious embarrassment.
     
    “Uh, thanks, Cream.” He replied, turning red.
     
    “You can stay with us for a little while, if you want.” Cream said.
     
    Melinda listened intently from behind the couch, resisting the urge to jump out and show the poor child that she was okay. She wanted to hug her and tell her that it going to be fine because she could hear in her voice that she had been crying. She wanted to just go out there and tell her that her Aunt Mel was here to stay and that she didn’t have to miss her anymore.
     
    “God give me strength,” she whispered to herself.
     
    Vanilla moaned and began to stir, attracting everyone’s attention. She opened her eyes and rubbed her head as she started to sit up.
     
    “Mother, are you okay?” Cream questioned as she ran and placed a hand on her shoulder.
     
    “I’m fine dear, but I had the strangest dream.” Vanila said, rubbing her head,
     
    This was meant by nervous smiles and forced laughter from both Amy and Miles. Melinda could tell from behind the couch that they were both trying to figure out how to proceed.
     
    “Imagine that,” Amy said with a chuckle
     
    “Yes, I could’ve sworn Melinda was behind you. I guess it must be the stress.” Vanila said.
     
    “Listen, there’s something we really need to talk to about,” Amy said.
     
    “What is it, dear?” Vanilla said as she sat up and straightened her clothes.
     
    “Tails?” Amy turned to Miles, why don’t you explain while Cream helps me check on something in the kitchen?”
     
    Amy quickly rushed the child through the door and let it close behind her with a thud.
     
    “Just pass it off on me,” he muttered under his breath, “You know, it’s kind of a funny story and I’m sure we’ll all laugh about this later, but that wasn’t a dream. Crazy, huh?”
     
    “I don’t understand, dear.” Vanilla said.
     
    “My mom is sorta, not dead.” Miles nervously fiddled with one of his tails.
     
    “Tails, you have to accept this. I know you’re in shock but we’re all here for you and I’m sure she’s in a better place now.” Vanilla places a hand on his shoulder.
     
    “No, she’s hiding behind the couch right now.” MIles pointed at the couch.
     
    “Are you running a fever,” Vanilla placed a hand in his forehead.
     
    Melinda carefully stood into a crouch position and took a deep breath, readying herself. She figured she better intervene for Miles sake before someone thought he was going crazy.
     
    “I know it’s hard, but she’s gone now and-” Vanilla was cut off.
     
    “I’m right here, actually,” Melinda said as she poked her head around the couch.
     
    The two once again stared at each other and Vanilla blinked before opening her mouth and trying to form words.
     
    “Stay with me, Val, don’t go fainting again.” Melinda placed her hands on the other women’s shoulders.
     
    “Tails, dear?” Vanilla said.
     
    “Yes?” He carefully answered.
     
    “Your Mom is really standing here, isn’t she?” Vanilla asked.
     
    Miles shook his head yes.
     
    “So I’m just just going into shock with you?” Vanilla asked.
     
    MIles shook his head no.
     
    Vanilla looked at Melinda, and then once again at Miles and then back forth a few more times before smiling.
     
    “I have no idea what’s going on here, but it’s good to see you and I’m sure Cream will overjoyed. She was so upset we could barely console her,” Vanilla said.
     
    “Good to see you, to, Val,” Melinda put an arm around her and gave her quick hug.
     
    “I just hope you two find the time to explain all this,” Vanilla said.
     
    “It’s a long story, but I’ll do my best to explain everything I can once we all get settled down,” Melinda said.
     
    “Of course, you should talk with Cream first. Like I said, I’m sure she’ll be happy to see again.” Vanilla said.
     
    “You don’t think I’ll scare her?” Melinda asked.
     
    “Of course not, I’m sure that with Amy and Tails here she’ll be just fine. She’ll know it’s okay if her friends say so,” Vanillia said.
     
    “Yeah, I’m sure Amy will bring her in once she’s sure of how to handle it,” MIles said.
     
    “I hope so, I don’t want to upset the poor girl anymore,” Melinda took a seat on the couch next to Vanilla.
     
    Melinda sat in silence and watched Miles pacing back and forth just on the other side of the coffee table. The poor kid had only slept a for a couple hours shortly before dawn at her insistence, and though he’d never admit to it to anyone but her she was pretty sure the fact she promised to camp out in one of the nearby chairs while he laid down on the couch played a factor. She could tell that the near-lack of sleep was starting to have an effect on his nerves.
     
    The creak of the kitchen door pulled her from her thoughts and she looked over to see Amy sticking her head out, looking for some sort of signal.
     
    “Amy, dear, are you girls almost finished? We have a guest.” Vanilla said.
     
    Melinda was always somewhat close to her, and thus knew she could be more clever than she often let on. She had noticed Amy and given the perfect subtle signal for her to bring Cream out. She noticed MIles take a deep breath to match her own as they prepared.
     
    A few more sounds of rattling dishes and Amy emerged with a tea tray and Cream in toe. The little girl looked at the couch and froze for a few seconds before hiding behind Amy.
     
    “Hi, Cream,” Melinda gave her best smile and watched patiently as she peeked out from behind Amy.
    “Cream, it’s okay,” Amy struggled to balance the tray while glancing behind her.
     
    “No need to be scarred dear, it’s just your Aunt Mel,” Vanilla motioned for her to come over, “Why don’t you come over and sit with us, I know you’re probably happy to see her.”
     
    “I thought…” Cream trailed off and gave Miles a nervous glance.
     
    “Cream, honey,” Melinda carefully leaned forward and the rubber soles of her boots squeaked on the floor, “I know this is hard to understand but I was born with a special gift, so that when I…” She trailed off, looking for words the little girl would understand.
     
    “When you go to heaven?” The little girl spoke up.
     
    Melinda looked up.
     
    “That’s how momma explained it to me, that when someone dies their soul goes to heaven,” Cream said.
     
    “I guess that’s a really nice way of putting it,” Melinda said, “When I go to heaven, I get to come back because of my gift.”
     
    Melinda noticed Cream’s eyes tear up and she slowly came out from behind Amy and cautiously made her way to the couch. The girl climbed up next to her and cautiously held out a hand, to which she held up hers. The two pressed their palms together and Cream carefully felt the leather of her glove.
     
    “See, I’m real,” Melinda smiled.
     
    In an instant tears began to flow down the young girl’s face and she threw her arms around Melinda, burying her face in the fabric of coat.
     
    “I missed you,” Cream choked out through the tears, “I thought I’d never you see again.”
     
    “I know honey, but I’m here now and I promise I won’t leave you,” Melinda gently rubbed the girl’s back. She thought back at how much this reminded of her the first time Miles had seen her die and how she held him for seemed like hours trying to get him to calm down and understand.
     
    Melinda looked over to see a look of relief washing over Miles’ face, and then over at Amy to see her almost in tears.
     
    “Amy, is something wrong, dear?” Vanilla asked before anyone else could speak.
     
    “It’s just so touching, I think I’m going to start crying now,” Amy said.
     
    “Come on, kiddo,” Melinda held out a free arm to motion Amy over, who quickly sat down the tray hugged her. Vanilla merely placed a hand on Melinda’s shoulder.
     
    Everyone save for Cream looked up at Miles, who appeared to be attempting to bite his nails through his glove.
     
    “Group hug?” Melinda grinned at her son.
     
    “Maybe later,” Miles said nervously.
     
    “Ah, come on. I don’t want to leave you out,” She said, inciting a giggle from Cream, who had now calmed down considerable.
     
    Miles stood still for a moment before giving up and approaching, squeezing through to put his arms around his Mom’s neck while Amy put a free arm around his back. Melinda could tell he was happy to be in this strange pile-up of family and friendship, even if he wouldn’t admit it.
     
    Of course, the quiet “I love you” he whispered in her ear might have been somewhat of an admission, anyway.
  4. FoxyCryptid
    Another fic in that same Sonic AU
     
    -------------------------
     
    “You sure you don’t want a helmet? Maybe a big old shield? I’m sure you already know how to use one.” Sonic laughed as the vixen paced back and forth in the small kitchen of the workshop.
     
    Melinda noticed that Sonic warmed back up to her pretty quick and didn’t really act like much had changed now that he was sure of her. The two had spent several hours talking once they reached the shop and he even apologized for his attitude with her, much to her shock and she assured him she was actually glad because it he showed her how protective he really was towards her son and how strong the brotherly bond they formed was. It was amazing to her how this kid was suddenly once again treating her like an old friend.
     
    Of course, that didn’t change her reservations with his plan of sending Tails out to retrieve Amy so they could spring this bomb on her fast and quick. She guessed he thought the shock might throw her off enough to disarm any potential violent reactions. He also mentioned that Cream looked up to Amy like a big sister and if she wanted that poor kid to warm back up her, having Amy to vouch for her would go a long way, as it would with her mother.
     
    That didn’t make it easy, though, because it would potentially involve re-gaining the trust of the stubborn pink hedgehog. It was likely she’d feel scorned simply because two individuals she trusted kept something like this from her. She never took kindly to her friends keeping secrets and this was a BIG one to cope with because she thought one of her friends was dead, and according to Sonic he thought he would have to pry her Miles off because she ran up and hugged the poor kid so tight he was choking. It was a nice gesture of affection towards someone she must see as a little brother, but breathing is kind of important.
     
    “Why do you think your friend out there is still fuming? He’s done nothing but stand there in the living room since we got back,” She tried to break the tension with some small-talk.
     
    “Probably still steamed over me laughing at him. I know it was probably a little mean but I can’t resist giving him a hard time,” Sonic replied.
     
    “I got the impression he considered me a threat for some reason,” Melinda said.
     
    “Nah, he’s just far more protective of Tails than he likes to let on and I think he’s still having trouble believing it all. I’m sure he’ll realize none of this changes who you are and come around eventually, though,” Sonic put his feet up the table and leaned back in his chair.
     
    “Like you did?” She smiled and leaned on the counter.
     
    “Right on,” Sonic gave a thumbs-up and a wink, “of course, I guess I always knew there was something unusual about you and that softened the blow.”
     
    “How so?” She rummaged around the cupboard for a coffee mug.
     
    “Well, for one I’ve dealt with the goons from GUN long enough to know a soldier when I see one, and when I meant you I saw one. Just something about your eyes and the way you carry yourself.” Sonic said.
     
    “That obvious?” She took a sniff of the coffee in the pot before deciding it seemed okay and filling a mug.
     
    “Also, you’re drinking black coffee that was brewed hours ago. I’ve only ever seen soldiers, truck drivers, and cowboys do that,” Sonic chuckled.
     
    “I guess I never noticed how big a tell that was.” She laughed.
     
    “Of course, the part that confused me was the way you fight. Granted, I only saw you fight once that time a mugger tried to jump you and Tails but that definitely wasn’t anything GUN teaches and certainly wasn’t street fighting. It was some like some Batman stuff going on.” Sonic obviously made no effort to hide his amazement.
     
    “You know, Miles said the same thing that night,” She smiled and took a long drink.
     
    “Well, it’s probably true. You’ve probably picked just as many things as Bruce Wayme over those 12 centuries. You’re like some old master,” Sonic said.
     
    “Was that a crack about my age?” She gave a playful grin.
     
    “Hey, even if you look young enough to be my sister, you’re still old enough to be in a museum,” Sonic grinned.
     
    “I’ll take that as a compliment,” She smirked.
     
    “I’m glad to see Knuckles was nice enough to stop bye, I was afraid you we’re out here all alone.” Amy’s voice rang out from the living room.
     
    “No, Sonic’s here to and I’m sure he heard us come in. He’s probably getting what I wanted to show you right now,” Miles raised his voice at that last part, obviously signaling that it was showtime.
     
    “You ready you make an appearance?” Sonic asked.
     
    “I guess it’s now or never, huh?” Melinda answered.
     
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     
    “OH MY GOD! IT’S A GHOST!” Amy shrieked as Miles tried to talk her down off the coffee table.
     
    “Amy! Please put the hammer down and we can talk about this. My Mom can explain everything!” Miles pleaded
     
    “HOW DO YOU EVEN KNOW THAT’S HER AND NOT SOME VENGEFUL SPIRIT, OR EVEN ONE OF EGGMAN’S ROBOTS!” Amy continued rambling
     
    “I know because it’s my Mom, and because I already know everything and we can explain if you’d just come down.” Miles said.
     
    “Also, I’m pretty sure robots don’t have a digestive system and I’m standing here drinking coffee, right in front of you. I also kind of have to pee but you’re going to have to take my word on that one,” Melinda said, prompting everyone to look in her direction.
     
    “Well, that was kind of unlady like,” Sonic teased.
     
    “I was born before basic etiquette, cut me me some slack.” Melinda said.
     
    “A part of me thinks I should really be more used to how shameless you can be by now,” Miles said.
     
    “Hey, I have some modesty. I did wear a sheet.” Melinda teased.
     
    “Which I’m thankful for, I think seeing you die again was enough trauma without seeing you, well, you know.” Miles turned a little red.
     
    “Oh, I am sorry you had to dig through my und-” Melinda was cut-off
     
    “I’m sure you’ll find a way to make it up him later, but we have kind of a situation to deal with right now,” Knuckles said, pointing to Amy, who was now clearly even more confused, and possibly even a little grossed out.
     
    “What are you, a vampire or something!?” Amy said in a much calmer tone.
     
    “Well, you’ve seen me out in daylight and we once had lunch at an italian place.” Melinda said.
     
    “Then what are you? he said “again”, like you’ve died before.” Amy asked.
     
    “Amy, hun. Just come down and we can talk about it. I’ll explain everything to you.” Melinda slowly walked forward.
     
    “Stay back!” Amy readied her hammer.
     
    “Amy, listen to me a minute.” MIles said.
     
    Amy turned her gaze to MIles without loosening her grip on the hammer.
     
    “You trust me, right?” Miles asked.
     
    “Yes,” Amy replied.
     
    “I’m also pretty sure you trust Sonic, and he’s standing right next to her.” Miles said.
     
    “Of course I trust him, I love him!!” Amy said.
     
    “Oh boy, here we go.” Sonic said.
     
    “Then why don’t you come down and let us all try to explain?” Miles said, obviously ignoring the comment.
     
    “Okay, but I’m not letting my guard down.” Amy slowly climbed down the table and sat down on the couch, still gripping her hammer like her life depended on it.
     
    MIles motioned to his mother and she sat down in a chair across from Amy while he climbed up the arm of the overstuffed chair next to her. He seemed completely calm so she couldn’t tell if was still an instinctive effort to stay close or just an attempt to relax Amy by showing his trust, maybe both? Sonic merely drug a chair out of the kitchen and took seat. Melinda noted Amy’s apparent frustration with him keeping his distance.
     
    “Amy, we’re friends, right?” Melinda asked.
     
    “Melinda was my friend, but I’m not sure you’re really her.” Amy said.
     
    “I assure you I am.” Melinda said.
     

    “Prove it.” Amy challenged.  


    “Your name is Amy Elizabeth Rose, you were born September 23, 2001. Your favorite color is obviously pink. You’ve been following that one around since you we’re tweens, and I have to add here I still wonder where your parents are to this day, and you admittedly found MIles to be something like an annoying younger sibling until you warmed up to him. Anything else?” Melinda finally took a breath.
     

    “I guess the years haven’t dulled your memory,” Sonic said with an impressed whistle.  
    “Oh, God, it is you,” Amy covered her mouth and Melinda noticed her eyes beginning to tear up.
     
    Almost instinctively, she got up and crossed the room to lean down next to the girl. Without a second thought she hugged her and Amy returned the gesture without protest. Despite her tough exterior and attempts to hold a grown up persona, this was still a teenage girl that had thought one of her friends dead just hours ago. Melinda recognized that vulnerability and comforted her just like she would any other child
     
    “You okay now?” Melinda said
     

    “Yeah, I think so.” Amy replied with a deep breath.  
    Melinda broke away and sat down next to her, putting an arm over the back of the couch, and gave Amy a minute to collect herself.
     
    “I don’t understand, how are you still alive? They declared you dead at the scene,” Amy asked
     
    “I’m sort of immortal,” Melinda just blurted it out, not knowing how else to put it into words.
     
    “Doesn’t that mean you can’t die? You we’re dead today though, but I guess you’re weren’t really because you’re here and oh God, this is all confusing.” Amy rambled.
     
    “Well, I’m immortal, not invincible. I can still be hurt, or even killed, but it just doesn’t stick for very long.” Melinda explained.
     
    “Are you a mutant or something?” Amy asked.
     
    “That’s actually a new one, I’m impressed.” Melinda chuckled, “but no, myself and others like me are just born this way and none of us really know where we come from because all of us are foundlings-, orphans, and none of can conceive children.”
     
    “So Tails is adopted?” Amy asked.
     
    “Yes, but that doesn’t make him any less of my son,” She gave him a knowing smile.
     
    “I guess that explains a lot, since you look like you would’ve had to be younger than me when he was born.” Amy said, “I guess he was adopted not long before we all met him.”
     
    Melinda just blinked, “No, I found him as a baby.”
     
    “That would’ve made you like 12, I think.” Amy said.
     
    “Here’s the thing, part of the whole Immortal deal is that we get eternal youth in a sense. The first time we die we kind of become locked in and stop aging.” Melinda explained.
     
    “Oh, so you must be like Vanilla’s age, then?” Amy asked.
     
    “I’m actually pushing something like 1200, even if I look 20.” Melinda explained.
     
    “WOW, you must be something like the oldest thing on the planet, human or mobian.” Amy said.
     
    “I admit, I’m old even by immortal standards but I’m far from the oldest. I know of others that are from ancient Rome, or even the Bronze age. The oldest of us to survive this long was born over 5,000 years ago, but I’m not sure if he’s still alive because it’s been years since I saw him” Melinda said.
     
    “So you guys have kind of always been around, then?” Amy asked.
     
    “Yes, it’s possible the first of us were born with the dawn of modern humanity.” Melinda said.”
     
    “Do we know any others?” Amy asked.
     
    “Yes, actually. You’ve known one of my old friends for a few months, or years in the case of MIles, now, but I can’t really say who. I’m sure he’ll come forward in his own time knowing my cover’s blown and I opened up, through.” Melinda said.
     
    “That explains a lot,” Knuckles said, attracting everyone’s attention.
     
    “You’ve figured it out?” Melinda asked.
     
    “Almost certainly, but I’m not the kind to spread rumors,” Knuckles smirked.
     
    “I had almost forgot,” Miles said, “I remember you two finally explained to me that he was like you, after I found out about you, that is.”
     
    “I remember him barely containing himself when I told him the secret was out. He loved giving you those history lessons about his old tribe so much and was glad he didn’t have to hide that he was was there for most of it,” Melinda said
     
    “Well, let’s hope we re-meet him soon so half of us aren’t locked out of the loop,” Sonic said.
     
    “He’s a good guy, you’ll all like him,” Melinda said, “but for now, there’s still one more situation to handle.”
     
    “What’s that?” Amy said.
     
    “We still have to tell Vanilla and…” Melinda trailed off.
     
    “Oh! That’s right. She was asking me if Tails was doing okay and she didn’t look the best herself.” Amy said.
     
    “Cream?” Melinda asked.
     
    “Oh God! I almost forgot. She was so upset that neither one of us could calm her down after we had to explain to her that Aunt Mel was gone.” Amy said.
     
    “That’s what I was afraid of.” Melinda said, “since you’re close to both of them can you help me fix this?” Melinda asked.
     
    “I’ll try my best, but I’m sure that Cream will be overjoyed to see you again when she know’s it’s safe,” Amy said “Vanilla might faint or something at first, but I’m sure we’ll get through it.”
     
    “I have medical training, it’s from roughly 1969, but I have medical training,” Melinda said.
  5. FoxyCryptid
    It was a clear night with the stars and mooning showing brightly against the deep black sky, and their light reflecting off the Master Emerald. The two sat upon a rock high up on the hill overlooking the shrine.
     
    Melinda glanced over at Miles, who was sitting with his hands in the pockets of his sweatshirt, looking up at the stars.
     
    “So, are you going to tell me what’s been bothering you? I mean, outside of the fact I died tonight.” Melinda asked.
     
    “I was afraid you wouldn’t be able to come home,” Miles answered.
     
    “MIles, you know I’d never leave you behind, right?” She placed a hand on his shoulder.
     
    “I know, but I just didn’t know what to do because everyone saw you die and it’s not like they’ll just forget. I didn’t know what was going to happen or what we were going to do,” he began to nervously ramble.
     
    “Calm down, we’ll figure this out,” She gently pulled him a little closer.
     
    “Will we have to move away or something?” Miles gave her worried look.
     
    “No, of course not. We’re staying right here,” She smiled down at him.
     
    “How? Everyone thinks you’re dead.” Miles questioned, she could tell that he wasn’t convinced this was going to work.
     
    “I’m still working on that part. but listen: We’ve both made some of the best friends we could ever hope for here and I’m not going to run away from that, nor am I going to make you run away from it and leave them behind,” She spoke firmly, but gently.
     
    “So, we’re going to tell them? Do you think they’ll believe us?” He asked.
     
    “Well, I assume Sonic was with you when you identified the body, right?” She said.
    “Yeah, don’t remind me.” He shuddered.
     
    “Then we have one person that already that saw me clearly dead, and yet here I am.” She waved her free arm in a motion not unlike a model presenting her new outfit.
     
    “I guess, but is anyone going to believe the part where that’s because you’re like 1,000 years old and immortal?” He asked, still obviously confused at how all this was going to work?”
     
    “Remember the first time I explained to you, after you found me lying dead in the living room?”
     
    “Yeah, I was little at the time and I had almost cried myself to sleep next you by the time you woke up. I thought you were dead because I kept begging you to wake up, but you wouldn’t.” He closed his eyes and shook his head.
     
    Her eyes widened and she considered slapping herself for a moment. “Miles? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to remind of you of that right now. You’re probably already stressed as it is”
     
    “No, it’s okay. It’s not really a bad memory anymore because it was also the night you told me all about immortals, and started telling me stories about all the things you’ve seen and done.” He managed a weak smile.
     
    “You didn’t really believe at first though, did you?” She once again relaxed, relieved that she hadn’t upset him.
     
    “I didn’t really know what to believe, until you showed me” She watched the look of realization spread across his face as he spoke.
     
    “So you remember how I showed you?” She asked with a knowing smile.
     
    “I remember you said you wanted to show me something, and told me I had to trust you. You took out that knife you keep hidden on the back of your belt and started to slice the palm of your hand open. I was scared because i didn’t know why you we’re hurting yourself, but then you held out your hand and showed me. The cut kind of glowed and sealed up, there wasn’t even a scar.”
     
    “It was then I explained to you about an immortal's quickening, our life-force. I explained how it gave us the ability heal our wounds like that, sense each other, and even gifted us with perfect memories.” She finished the story.
     
    “I actually remember getting a little excited because it was like something from a comic book, I remember thinking about how you were like a real-life superhero.” He said
     
    “You we’re somewhere between to scared and too excited to sleep, so we watched cartoons until you passed out. I remember you clinging to me on the couch.” She softly laughed as the pleasant memory played back in her mind.
     
    “So you really thing we can make this work?” Tails asked as he looked up at the stars.
     
    Before she could answer they both heard familiar voices nearby and approaching foot steps.
     
    “What makes you think he’s out here?” The first voice was unmistakably Knuckles.
     
    “I remember him saying they used to come here together.” The second was without a doubt, Sonic.
     
    “ I guess we’re about the find out, I hope it won’t come down to putting on a demonstration like that, but I’m prepared it does ” Melinda leaned in close and whispered to Miles.
     
    “Uh-oh,” Miles quickly turned around to face the pair, “Hey guys, what’s up,”
     
    “Sonic, am I going crazy or is that…” Knuckles trailed off mid-sentence.
     
    “Depends, are we looking at Tails sitting next to a vixen who has her back to us, and also happens to have long black hair, and who happens to be wearing a tan trenchcoat?” Sonic answered.
     
    “Yes,” Knuckles spoke carefully, “and did you just describe who I think you did?”
     
    “Melinda?” Sonic gulped.
     
    “That’s what i was afraid of,” Knuckles said
     
    “Guys, I know what you’re thinking and I can explain everything.” Miles said, “You see there’s these people, and mobians that are sort of, well, they-” He stopped mid-sentence as Melinda gently placed a hand in his shoulder without turning around.
     
    “Honey, why don’t you let me try to explain? You’ve done plenty for me today,” She slowly turned around and crossed her legs atop the stone, looking directly at Sonic and Knuckles,
     
    “What are you, some kind of robot sent after him?” Knuckles dropped into a fighting stance and raised his fists.
     
    “Guys, calm down! It’s really my Mom.” Miles frantically tried to call them down.
     
    “Miles, it’s okay. They have every right to be suspicious and I’m sure we can get this straightened out,” she gently pulled him back.
     
    “Lady, I don’t what you are but there’s no way you can be Melinda and I think you need to stop taking advantage of my little bro’s grief like this” Sonic shouted
     
    Melinda closed her eyes for a moment and smiled, it brought a certain warmth to her heart seeing first hand like this how much Mile’s friends truly cared about him, and hearing out of his own mouth that Sonic considered him as a brother.
     
    “What are you smiling about,” Sonic cautiously stepped forward.
     
    “He was alone for so long, and I spent so many years watching him bullied and forsaken. I have to thank you for truly being the first friends he ever had and the best he could ever hope for.” Melinda answered.
     
    Knuckles began to lower his guard and Sonic followed suit.
     
    ‘I remember the day you helped him home after one of those little punks gave a particularly bad beating, of course you didn’t look much better. He began to idolize you after that and the day came that he learned to keep up and followed you to that old rust-bucket of a plane and fixed it up.” She took a deep breath and opened her eyes to look at Sonic.
     
    “Is, is that that really you? How?” Sonic stepped forward, his anger obviously subsiding.
     
    “It’s a long story, I’d recommend you both take a seat.” She said.
     
    “I’ll stand,” Knuckles said
     
    Sonic simply shrugged and sat down in the grass, not taking his eyes off her.
     
    “I was born a long time ago, in what you now know as Scotland, in a place that’s now known as the home of the MacLeod clan. My tribe didn’t exactly keep calendars but the first season I actually saw the date written out based on the modern calendar was in the mid-10th century, and I was already about 100 years old by my best estimate,” She paused, anticipating the obvious question.
     
    “You’re over 1100 years old? How is that even possible when you barely look older than Rouge?” Knuckles questioned.
     
    “20,” She said.
     
    “What?” Knuckles asked
     
    “I’m physically around 20 years old by my best count because that’s when I became like this, when I died for the first time.” She answered.
     
    “Wait, how is that possible? No One can just come back from the dead,” Sonic questioned.
     
    “Yet, here I am in one piece and just as healthy as you are,” She said
     
    “Hold on, what’s your real name?” all eyes suddenly turned to Knuckles as he spoke.
     
    “Melinda, well, sort of. I took this name during my time in modern Scotland because it was derived in part from Melissa, my actual given name and sounded a bit more local.” She answered.
     
    “No, your last name,” Knuckles clarified.
     
    Melinda just laughed as Miles and Sonic looked back and forth in confusion.
     
    “Does someone want to fill me in?” Sonic asked.
     
    “Prower can’t be her real surname.” Knuckles answered.
     
    “Knuckles, what are you talking about?” Miles asked.
     
    “Well, your name and always struck me as odd because it’s not even really a name. It’s just a French word for “Archaic”. It also couldn’t be any kind of given name because if she was telling the truth, she was like 800 years old when it entered common usage,” Knuckles explained.
     
    Melinda gave him a sly grin while Sonic and Miles just looked on in shock. He may have been gullible and sheltered, but he definitely wasn’t stupid considering the little language lesson he just gave his friends.
     
    “Uh, Mom?” Miles looked up at her with questioning eyes, his confusion obvious to her.
     
    “You’re friend is smarter than either of you assume, probably due to how much reading time he has on his hands down there,” Melinda caught Knuckles tensing up out of the corner of her eye as she put an arm around Miles and pulled him closer. She wondered if he still thought though her a threat, “I was born before anyone really had last names, and the last one i took before I found you was way too suspicious to most anyone alive now, and definitely to other immortals”
     
    “Wait, so you adopted me with a fake identity?” Miles asked
     
    “Yes, I choose the name because I liked the irony in having a name that literally means archaic, I am a walking relic of the past, after all.” She answered, wiping a tear from her eye.
     
    “What was it?” She noticed he looked almost hurt.
     
    “If you’re afraid I’ve hidden something from you, I haven’t. You already know.” She could still see the two out of the corner of her eye as she spoke to Miles, Knuckles seemed to legitimately be getting nervous and Sonic simply watched intently, she could feel his gaze as he looked right at her.
     
    “I don’t quite understand,” Miles said.
     
    “Don’t you remember when I told you about how I fought in the Scottish Rebellion, and who I fought along side? How I was made an honorary member of their clan?” Melinda said.
     
    “Wait, you mean you were really a MacLeod?” Miles asked.
     
    “So your name was Melissa MacLeod as of something like 200 years ago?” Knuckles questioned before she could answer.”
     
    “Knuckles, are you going to fill the rest of us in on what’s going in that thick skull of yours?” Sonic asked.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

    “She was the most beautiful women I had ever seen and everything from her firely orange fur to that the flowing raven hair that nearly reached her hips captivated me, but that beauty concealed sharp steel and the heart of a true warrior. Yet even then, she had a certain vulnerability and a vast capacity for kindness. I could see it all reflected in those breathtaking emerald eyes that somehow reflected both boundless compassion and an unbreakable will.
     
    I could see her strength when she spared with the others at the barracks, fighting with a savage grace that was unmatched by any man there. She fought with speed and skill that seemed almost inhuman and mirrored that of the best masters I had ever seen despite her young age.
     
    Her compassion was revealed to me as she played with the village children and I watched her comforting a young girl that had fallen and hurt her ankle. As she held this child and quietly whispered comforting words I realized that she would make a brilliant mother and wondered if maybe she had grew up with a younger sibling and developed these instincts helping care for them.
     
    I saw both together as one the day some thug decided beating up little boys was a good idea and she knocked several of his teeth out without a second thought. I don’t even think she noticed all the people staring at the aftermath because her full attention with was on trying to stop the poor kid’s broken nose from bleeding.
     
    The same bastard took it out on another kid later that night, but this time he tried his luck with a knife. When some of us found the three of them he was beaten unconscious and she was sitting in the dirt, cradling the child and sobbing. He had died in her arms before she could even lift him off the ground and it tore her apart worse than any wound could.”
     
    “What the heck was that?” Sonic asked.
     
    “It’s an old journal page I found in the ruins, the date was smudged but I could make out that it was in the 1800s. another torn scrap I found mentioned the name Melissa MacLeod,” Knuckles said.
     
    Melinda grew silent as the memory came to front of her mind, and she instinctively wrapped Miles in a tighter hug.
     
    “Are you okay?” Miles asked as he returned the gesture.
     
    “I’ll be okay, honey. I just had a bit of a moment when i remembered that night.” Melinda took a deep breath and relaxed her arms without completely letting go.
     
    “I thought that place had been abandoned for centuries, except for the guardians.” Miles said.
     
    “They have, they wiped themselves out long before my time. The things on that page happened in a small settlement miles from here.that was mostly made up of natives from a neighboring clan. I’m still not entirely sure what happened to them but I guess the man that wrote that journal made good on his plan to travel, and he must have lost those pages there.” Melinda said as she rubbed her eyes.
     
    “Wait, so that story Knuckles just told was really about you?” Sonic asked.
     
    “Yes.” Melinda answered.
     
    Sonic seemed to be sizing her up, she could tell that he was deep in thought and debating if he should believe any of this or not. A smile eventually spread across his face.
     
    “I don’t know about Knucklehead back there, but I think I’ve heard enough to roll with this, and everything he just said tells me you’re a good person, no matter what you are. You’re also my best friend’s mom and so I guess I can trust his judgement call that you’re still cool. Sonic said.
     

    “Wait, so if THAT’S what he knew about her, why is Knuckles so nervous?” Miles asked.  
    “Yeah, Knuckles, why so skittish?” Sonic added.
     
    “How was I supposed to react when I thought she was dead?” Knuckles questioned.
     
    “Wait a minute, were you afraid?” Sonic teased.
     
    “Of course, I was trying to protect-” Knuckles stammered
     
    “What’s the matter, thought she was a ghost?” Sonic said with a smirk.
     
    “Of course not, why would I ever believe such superstitious nonsense-” Knuckles tan cheeks started to turn as red as the rest of his face.
     
    “I can’t believe it, the great guardian of the shrine is afraid of ghosts,’ Sonic broke down laughing.
     
    “How can I be afraid of something I don’t believe in?” Knuckles stammered
     
    Sonic simply answered with continued laughter.
     
    “Well, I guess things are almost back to normal,” Miles said with a smile as he and Melinda watched the two argue.
  6. FoxyCryptid
    I'm sure some of you are wondering why I was MIA for a while, and that would be why. She unexpectedly passed due to lung cancer related complications Sunday night and it happened to fast that it kind of put everyone around here in shock. A part of me still can't believe it even though I was in the ICU the night before crying over her bed and saying goodbye.
     
    The one thing pulling me through is that everything I believe and feel tells me she's in a better place, and that she's finally up there with my father and sister. I can just imagine him in full dress-uniform with his hat in hand, and the sound of dress-boots echoing down the hallway as he walked into that hospital room and told her it was time to come home and that her daughter was waiting to see her again. They may have been divorced but they remained close-friends.
     
    My stepdad even mused that as we we're driving up the hospital Sunday morning after we got the call, she was probably already up there sitting at the kitchen table and drinking coffee with my grandparents just the way she always did when we went to visit before they passed away.
  7. FoxyCryptid
    Please see "A Mother's Goodbye" (also on my blog) for context.
     
    Melinda awoke with a groan and stirred under the sheet, trying to clear the fog from her head. Her thoughts were still scattered and she wasn’t sure where exactly she was or how long she had been out. She only knew that the cold metal against her back meant something had gone horribly wrong and she likely needed to make herself scarce.
     
    Not wanting to make a scene, she listened intently for signs of life in the room around her. After what felt like several minutes of nothing but the gentle ticking of a clock breaking the silence, she decided to make her move and cautiously sat up, pulling the sheet down to her chest.
     
    A normal person would’ve been shocked at their surroundings, but then again she wasn’t exactly a normal person and waking up in a morgue wasn’t entirely alien to her. It also brought some level of relief as she could have, and had woken up in far worse places after feeling the cold, familiar touch of death temporarily and fruitlessly claiming her.
     
    As the last of the fog cleared from her mind, she immediately remembered how she wound up bidding yet another temporary goodbye to the world of the living. She had been driving down main street on her way home from shopping and a delivery truck had come speeding out of a side-street right into the driver's side door of her car. The last thing she could remember before waking up here was searing pain all over body and the feeling of the car being thrown before she blacked out.
     
    Oh how she would love to call up that 1-800 number and tell someone exactly how his driving was. It was an enticing thought, but outside of a horror movie a call from a dead woman complaining about her killer would be written off as a prank and not worth the risk to her cover.
     
    Looking down at her bloodstained fur, she only had one immediate conflict and mild embarrassment with this whole mess. She really wished she’d have woken up with clothes on because sneaking out of a hospital in nothing but a sheet wasn’t high on the list of repeat performances that she enjoyed taking part in.
     
    She also felt bad about the fact she would have to ask her easily embarrassed son to go into her room and find her some clothes to bring along when she met up with him. He was probably already a nervous wreck from waiting for her to get word to him without that little hurdle. Showing up covered in blood was also likely not to help matters. He was smart and mature for his age, but his understanding of her healing factor still didn’t do much to calm the instinctive emotional reaction to seeing his own mother looking like Bloody Mary Worth herself.
     
     
     


    Had anyone even told him yet? He could be at home right now thinking her dead for real or in some sort of deep trouble. What about Sonic? If Miles did know Sonic likely did as well because those two were like brothers. That would mean undertaking the delicate process of letting him in on what she really was. She guessed when she re-grouped with Miles they would have to talk about that one. Even if he was unaware of her current situation the two were to close to keep Sonic out of the loop forever. Some of his other friends would likely have to be let in as well.
     
    Those things would have to wait, however. Her her main concern was finding her way out of the hospital and to a phone, she would also have to see about recovering some of her things later on if they hadn’t been given to Miles yet. He more than likely would’ve had an interesting experience explaining the scottish broadsword in the backseat of her car and the dagger on her belt. She prayed if that was the case he remembered all those times she claimed to have studied ancient history in uni and rolled with it. The dagger could be written off as a combination of protection and the eccentricities history buffs often have.
     
    She pulled the sheet tightly around her like a dress and as she climbed down off the table, thanking God that she hadn’t been shoved in a storage drawer yet. Not daring go looking for a light-switch, she relied on her naturally good night vision to find the door as she crossed the room. There was luckily no signs of life other than her own careful footsteps and nothing but a dark hallway greeted her as she cautiously eased open the door.
     
    Peeking around the heavy wooden door she could plainly see the light from above illuminating the sign that marked the stairwell at the end of the hall. They must turn the basement lights off after the morgue staff leaves for the night and leave the rest of the place lit up, even after visiting hours. She figured it would be best to look for an emergency exit in the stairwell instead of trying to sneak through a hospital that was likely full of patients and staff. Introducing herself as the corpse that just came through trauma a few hours ago likely wouldn’t end well, or really in anything that didn’t involve a priest and liberal usage of the word zombie.
     
    Of course, they’d have to deal with a body they’d assume stolen, which would mean they’d end up contacting Miles and Sonic before the next day was through to break the news to the next of kin and the person they’d assume was keeping an eye on him. She would owe that poor kid big time for the hell she was putting him through.
     
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     
    A shiver ran down her spine and she pulled the sheet closer around her body for warmth as she dialed the numbers on the pay phone that luckily sat right across the street from the hospital. A cold August night was not the most opportune time to be using an outside payphone while nearly naked, save for a thin sheet obviously designed more to protect a corpses modesty that for warmth.
     
    The phone rang once, twice, three times before a kid’s voice answered, one she knew well.
     
    “Hello?”
     
    “Miles, it’s me,” She barely spoke above a whisper, not wanting to draw to herself in the unlikely event that someone happened by.
     
    “Mom? Are you okay? I was getting worried because it’s been hours since the accident and you were torn up pretty bad,” She could tell he was trying to stay calm, but he was obviously a nervous wreck and couldn’t hide that fact from her. She knew him too well for that.
     
    “Honey, I’m fine. Are you doing okay?”
     
    “I think so. I mean, I feel better now that I know you’re okay,” He sounded unsure and she could tell something was bothering him. Her maternal instincts made her want to talk to him about it right there, but she knew it would be best to wait until they were face to face.

    “Miles, I need you to meet me somewhere but there’s something I need you do first. Can you do that, sweetie? Can you help me eith something?” She really did need his help, but she also figured getting his mind on the task would help calm him.
     
    “Is something wrong?” He sounded worried.
     
    “No, everything’s fine. I just sort of woke up, how do I put this?” She searched for the right words to say it delicately without embarrassing him too much, “If I said I woke up in my birthday suit, would you know what that meant?”
     
    “Oh God. Mom,” embarrassment had definitely began to creep into his voice.
     
    “Would it be less embarrassing if I mentioned I’m wearing a sheet?”
     
    “A little”
     
    “If it helps I could make into a toga or something,” She spoke in a obviously playful tone, intentionally try get a laugh out of him to ease the tension.
     
    “Mom!” He said with a chuckle, just as she hoped he would. She could barely stand to hear him so upset and it was just as much a relief to her picturing the smile that must have brought to his face.
     
    “I mean, I’m sure I could make one of those Roman crowns out of this bush behind me. That way I could even tell anyone that asks that the theater bus broke down.”
     
    In reply to that they both broke down laughing, him in response to her joke, and her simply because it felt good to have a genuinely happy moment again after an evening that must have been hell for him, just as it was for her..
     
    “Feeling a little better?” After several moments she finally caught her breath and found the ability to speak again.
     
    “Yeah, I’m just glad that you’re okay,” She could hear the difference in his voice, he was still nervous but it was obvious that he had calmed down and his mood had elevated considerably.
     
    “Think you can pack me a change of clothes and some soap with my other things, and meet me at the workshop you have in the ruins?”
     
    The workshop in question wasn’t much, just a place to store his and Sonic’s plane, the Tornado and for them to occasionally spend a couple nights in when things were busy. There was a shower there she could use and it would give her and him some time alone to talk before one of his friends got worried and caught up. They needed to come up with a way to break it to them gently.
     
    “Yeah, I’ll get things ready as fast as I can and see you there. Just be careful since you don’t have your sword,” He was a smart kid and obviously knew that some immortals would jump at the chance to come after her while she couldn’t effectively fight back.
     
    “I promise I will, but be careful to,” She knew he could take care of himself, but it didn’t stop her from worrying about him just as much as he did her.
     
    “I will. See you soon, mom.”
     
    Her mind now at ease, one thought creeped to the forefront as she began to plan her next move. She absent-mindedly spoke it aloud as the realization hit her
     
    “How the hell am going to make it to the Mystic Ruins?”
     
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     
    “Oh, this wasn’t one my better ideas.” She groaned at the sudden impact as the train came to a halt. She had managed to make her way to the train-station a few blocks from the hospital and stow away in the baggage car of a train that was making it’s next stop in the ruins.
     
    “Squawk! Suck it up! Squawk!”
     
    “You’re lucky I like animals to much to make fried parrot out of spite!” She cursed the annoying bird that had been her only company the entire trip. It’s owner had definitely not taught it any manners but DID teach it a very colorful vocabulary and repertoire of phrases.
     
    “Like you’d do it, toots!”
     
    “Listen here, featherbrain, I-,” She was cut off by the sound of approaching footsteps and knew he’s have to make herself scarce.
     
    “You’re in trouble!”
     
    “I want to make very clear that you haven’t won and I’m making a tactical retreat!” She hissed through her teeth as she made her way to the back door of the car and forced it open.
     
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     
    She let out a sigh of relief as she reached the top of the cliff and the workshop came into view. The light in the window and familiar sounds of tools told her that he must have gotten there first and decided to work on something while he waited. He tended to put his mind to his work when he was nervous as a coping mechanism of sorts.
     
    Rather than risk beating in the door, she crept around to the side of the building where she could see the light from the open garage door. Scanning the inside of the building she quickly spotted Miles with his head buried under the Tornado’s maintenance hatch as he fiddled around with something on the engine. Engrossed in his work, he didn’t notice her or respond as she made her way up behind him
     
    He jumped when she placed her hand on his shoulder, and the the sounded of his head colliding with the metal hatch echoed into the night.
     
    “Ouch!” He exclaimed as he slid to the floor, rubbing his head.
     
    “Crap, are you okay, hun? I really didn’t mean you startle you like that.” She crouched down and gently brushed his hand out of the way to inspect for for injuries, “Here, let me see it.”
     
    He reached up and placed his hand on hers, “Mom, I’m fine. I guess I just didn’t hear you come in”
     
    “Sorry,” She adjusted the sheet around her body and sat down next to him
     
    “I really didn’t expect you so soon, I figured it would take longer for you get here on foot,” Miles crossed his arms and leaned back against the the fuselage, facing her.
     
    “I actually caught the 2:00AM from Station Square, it was the luggage car special if you catch my drift,” She gave him a sly smile
     
    “I hope it it was pleasant, at least”
     
    “I had a great time, except for the sudden stops and that damn parrot”
     
    “Parrot?” Miles cocked his head and raised an eyebrow.
     
    “I’ll explain later, right now I’d like to get cleaned up. I feel like Carrie White,” She looked down at the stained sheet covering her form like some macabre parody of a wedding dress.
     
    “I didn’t want to say anything, but you do smell like that fridge Sonic forgot to plug in last summer,”
     
    “Hey!” She laughed as she reached out and playfully messed up his head fur, “The gas and oil you seem to bathe in every time you work on this stuff doesn’t smell much better.”
     
    “You can’t complain when I learned it from you!” he lunged forward and wrapped his arms tightly around her.
     
    “I guess not.” She returned the hug with her free arm and held him close as they both laughed.
     
    It was a moment of calm, of happiness that melted away the stress of the night and temporarily put her mind at ease. The questions and fears looming over her faded for that instant because the moment was all that mattered. A moment of peace and genuine happiness between mother and son.
     
    It was several minutes before they finally caught their breath and separated
     
    “I left your things by the bathroom.” Miles crossed his legs on the floor as she stood up.
     
    “I hope you didn’t have too much trouble explaining the... “ She trailed off for a moment before motioning with her fingers to signify quotation marks ““Equipment”, that was with me”
     
    “Your coat and the stuff you we’re carrying was the easy part. I think they kind of assumed the dagger was for protection, and you’re coat was untouched in the back save for some dust and debris from the crash. I just brushed it off.” His face turned bright red as mentioned the coat.
     
    “Something wrong?” She found his reaction odd, as her coat didn’t seem like something he’d be embarrassed to handle. She even used to let him cover himself with it as they watched TV when he was was younger.
     
    “I didn’t notice at the time, but I guess after I pulled it out I was hugging it like some kind of security blanket and wouldn’t let go. Sonic mentioned it later because it freaked him out and he was afraid I’d gone into shock or something.” He averted his gaze, obviously embarrassed, “I just feel stupid for being that worried”
     
    “Hey, I’m sure it was a stressful moment,” she leaned back against the tailfin of the plane.
     
    “I just felt dumb because I knew you’d be okay.”
     
    “Maybe, but no-one else did and I’m sure it was hard when no-one was there to talk about how I’d be sneaking out of the hospital morgue dressed in a bedsheet later, which reminds me. I don’t know if there was any cameras down there but if you see anything about leaked footage of a ghost roaming the hospital basement, download me a copy, ” She said.
     
    “Thanks, and I’ll keep that in mind,” he chuckled.
     
    “Did you have any trouble getting my sword?”
     
    “Er, not really. I got the some funny looks when I snapped out of it and fished out of the car, though,” He rubbed the back of his head and grinned, “I remember Sonic talking about it looking like something out of Braveheart.”
     
    “I’m honestly kind of surprised he was able to recognize a Scottish sword that WASN’T a claymore, he’s smarter I give him credit for.” She gave a playful smirk.
     
    “He did manage to keep this plane from falling apart before I met him. I mean, only barely but it still flew,” Miles grinned right back
     
    “Hey, there’s some stuff I want to talk about after I get cleaned up. Find some warm clothes and we can go for a walk. I’ve spent way too time stuck inside cramped spaces today,”

    Sure thing.”
     

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     
    Melinda let out a sigh of relief and ran a hand through her matted hair as she made her way towards the bathroom mirror, letting the sheet wrapped around her body drop to the floor as walked. The duffle bag in her hand made a soft thump as she tossed it on the counter with her sword resting on top.
     
    She wasn’t wrong when she assumed she looked like hell and the first thing she noticed was the blood streaked down her face from what must have been a head wound. She looked down and ran her fingers over the similar stains on her chest and stomach, then picked at the matted fur. She instinctively ran her finger over a particularly dark spot below her breast, along one of her lower ribs and winched.
     
    “The hell?” She looked down and saw a bit of fresh blood on her finger tips.
     
    She stepped closer to the mirror and noticed something shiny in her side, barely large enough to visible. She ran her fingers over it again, more carefully and felt something hard and brittle embedded into her side. She dug in with her nails and carefully grasped the object before gently pulling it out.
     
    She held it up to the light, a shard of metal about an inch long and half as wide as it’s biggest.
     
    “I hate it when that happens,” Occasionally large chunks of debris like bullets or the aforementioned shrapnel could interfere with her healing abilities and keep wounds forced open, and thus had to be dug out.
     
    She tossed the chunk of metal in the sink and pulled a bottle of soap out of one of the pouches on the side of the bag before stepping across the room and opening the shower door.
     
    A moan escaped her mouth as she fiddled with the knobs and finally felt the warm water run over her body, she just stood there a moment, letting it wash over her before scrubbing at a spot on her stomach.
     
    She took the moment to think about what she had decided to do and how she would go about it. Normally her kind would handle this sort of thing by packing it up sneaking away to somewhere they wouldn’t be recognized, somewhere they could make a new identity for themselves. Not this time, though.
     
    The thought of sticking around somehow had crossed her mind, but it was at that moment when she held her son close and listened to him laugh that she knew she couldn’t run. She would obviously never leave him behind and she also knew she couldn’t rip him away from his friends. She could never hurt him like that.
     
    Instead of running she would stay and face this mess. With his help she’d find a way to explain what was going on to everyone in their lives. Granted, that was easier said than done because it wasn’t like she could just walk up to them and unceremoniously spit it out. Detailed explanations and convincing would be in order.
     
    “Hi, I just wanted to let you know that even though I died in a horrible car wreck I’m better now because I’m actually a 1200 year old immortal warrior that just found your friend in the woods when he was a baby and adopted him.”
     
    She began to scrub her matted hair as she contemplated the best way to break the news to everyone.
     
    Sonic and Knuckles had both seen some strange things in their travels, so they would likely be the easiest to break it to. If it came down to it, the old tried and true method of demonstrating her healing factor would do the job. A simple cut on the hand could suffice with no theatrics or fanfare. She still had no idea why so many of her old friends went straight to mortally wounding themselves when a small demonstration is much less traumatizing for those involved.
     
    Amy, well Amy’s potential reaction honestly scared her the most because that hammer really looked painful. Maybe Miles or one of the others she told first would know of a way to handle it.
     
    Then there was Val and her daughter, Cream. That poor kid probably lost it the minute someone explained to her what had happened. She have to be careful and patient dealing with both of them.
     
    For the next few minutes she simply tried to relax and enjoy in the feeling of the warm water rinsing away the soap from her fur and taking any last bits debris and blood with it, watching as the swirl of red being washed down the drain slowly faded away and was replaced by nothing but water.
     
    After finally shutting off the water, she grabbed a towel and dried the water from her hair before quickly rubbing it around her shoulders, arms, torso, and finally legs in an attempt to dry as much of the water from her fur as she could. She then grabbed her tail and began to work the water out of the matted and soaked fur as she made her way over to the counter.
     
    She rummaged around in the bag, pulling out her undergarments and slipping them on. It felt good to finally be wearing something besides a sheet. When she looked up into the mirror she adjusted the straps of her bra and smiled, glad to finally be looking like something resembling normal. It was strange how quickly things were settling down for the moment.
     
    Her jeans were the next thing she fished out of the bag. She savored the feeling of finally putting on some warm clothing as she pulled them on and buttoned them up before pulling up the zipper. Almost instinctively, she began rummaging through her pockets and pulled her wallet from her right front pocket. She ran her thumb over the upraised dark blue Celtic design set against the light blue leather of the wallet, which remained surprisingly clean and untouched.
     
    The image on her ID smiled back at her when she flipped it open. She could almost recite the information from memory just the way she wrote it nine years ago when she had to adopt a legal identity for the first time in years to adopt Miles.
     
    Melinda Rosemary Prower, born March 7, 1986 on Cocoa Island. Height: 4ft, 6in, Weight: 90lbs, Hair: Black, Eyes: Green.
     
    Over half of it was fiction of her own invention, even her birth place was a lie because she couldn’t really list a place that no longer existed outside of historical documents. Her first name and physical description were the only things were things that weren’t outright lies serving to mask her true nature, and soon most of those would belong to a women seen as dead by the system while she carried new ones. It was the same endless cycle repeating itself.
     
    A list of names cycled through her head as she quickly finished dressing. She had been a honorary member of the MacLeod clan once, would a name like be too obvious with the legacy it carried? Reinard maybe? She’d have to come up with something.
    She made sure her gear was secure and pulled on her her overcoat before reaching for the doorknob. The next few hours were going to be interesting, to say the least.
  8. FoxyCryptid
    Okay, so I wound up writing Sonic/Highlander fanfic where Tails has an adoptive mom as an immortal, and that lead to me writing this sad fanfic exploring one of the hellish things about being immortal when I was in a bit of a depressed mood.
     

    -------------------------------
    A gentle rain falls like tears onto the fresh dirt as a orange-furred hand traces the name etched into the stone. Her hand wanders over every letter and over the familiar logo of two intertwined tails that had become a fixture in her life over the last 70-odd years.
     
    They say that a mother should never outlive her children, that no parent should ever have to endure that pain, but It’s a feeling I’ve become all too familiar with and something that never gets any easier.
     
    That’s why even though I knew this day would come like it it always does, I can’t believe you’re really gone. I knew from the minute I found you, just a crying baby abandoned in a forgotten cabin on the edge of the woodlands that I would someday watch you drift away just like all the others I’ve raised, while I was destined to keep on living.
     
    Of course, I’m barren just like all of my kind, but that did not matter before and and didn’t matter with you. You were my son, even if not by blood and nothing could ever change that or make me regret one minute of the time I spent by your side.
     
    I watched you grow, and watched your natural gift as an engineer bloom. Even from a young age you were brilliant and had a way with machines of all shapes and sizes. I still remember you tearing down and reassembling every appliance in the house in your pursuit of knowledge and curiosity to know how everything worked.
     
    I also remember your other unique gift well, your twin tails. I almost panicked when you were young and somehow figured out you could use them to fly. You kind of floated around the house for weeks and regularly almost gave me heart-attacks until you got bored and started making a little less use of that ability.
     
    I did my best to protect you from those that always seemed to find pleasure in bullying you and I was your shoulder to cry on when they had teased you or broke your inventions. I remember too many nights when it was all I could to do calm you down as you shook in my arms. They called you mutant, freak, and all manner of other names so vile that it was all I could do keep from losing my temper and putting the fear of God into them myself when you told me.
     
    I tried to keep reminding you not to be ashamed of how you were born, no matter what they said. I reminded you that these gifts were something for you be proud of and that they were all just ignorant of that. Reassuring you that you weren’t alone, that you had me and that someday you’d find people that understood and make friends.
     
    It was something I understood all too well, and I remember the night I had to finally explain my gift to you.
     
    I had… There was a fight and though I survived I was severely wounded and barely managed to crawl home and through the door before collapsing in the middle of the floor, and succumbing to my wounds. I had lost so much blood that they couldn’t heal before the shock to my system stopped my heart. From a biological standpoint I was dead and you returned home before I could re-awaken and clean myself up.
     
    You must have found me that way, not breathing and looking like a bloody mess. The first thing I remember as I came to was you on the floor next to me, curled up against me and begging me to wake up. My first thought was how scarred and upset you must have been, and I cursed myself for letting you find me like this and that this was how you hand to find out.
     
    You must’ve heard me start to breathe because I remember you calling for me,
     
    “M-mom?”
     
    You clung to my side as I forced myself to sit up and took a deep breath. I gently put my around you, pulled you closer.
     
    “Miles, it’s okay.”
     
    “Y-you wouldn’t wake up, and you’re hurt, there’s blood everywhere. You weren’t even breathing. I-I thought.” He stopped there, once again breaking down in a fit of sobs.
     
    At that point I noticed the red staining your fur, it must have happened when you curled up next to me. How could I have been so stupid?
     
    I tried my best to calm you down and show you that I was okay, “Honey, I’m fine. I know this looks bad but I’m I promise that I’m okay.”
     
    “Mom, t-there’s blood everywhere and you look like you’ve been cut.”
     
    “Miles, I need you open your eyes and look at me for a minute, okay?”
     
    You flinched through the tears as you looked up. I guess even if I was fully conscious and alert, I wasn’t a pretty sight and it must have been hard for you to see me like that.
     
    “See honey, I’m fine. There’s not even a scratch.” I gently pulled aside the fabric of my shirt where a wound had once been across my stomach, and where a good deal of the blood likely came from. The white of my stomach fur was still caked with drying blood, but the cut had obviously healed. You reached over, unsure and I nodded. I could feel you relax as you felt the spot for yourself and realized that I was telling the truth.
     
    You were still shaken up, but you seemed calmer, “If you’re not hurt, where did the blood come from and why weren’t you moving?”
     
    I explained it all. I told you all about immortals and our healing factor. I told you how some immortals are bad and that the good guys like me sometimes have to fight them to protect people. I even explained how I was over a thousand years old and how we keep it a secret to protect ourselves and those around us.
     
    You listened intently and I smiled when your eyes started to light-up, in your eyes it must have been like your mom was some super-hero like the ones in your comics. I was just relieved to see you smiling, despite the fact we both looked like something from a crime-scene.
     
    We both managed to get cleaned up (you, with my help) and managed to find an old rug to cover up the stain on the carpet until it could be replaced. I remember you curling up next to me on the couch until you passed out, you must have still been worried despite everything being sorted out.
     
    Things weren’t always a mess though, I remember when Sonic came along and I was thrilled that you had started to make friends, and started to grow into a hero. As much as he could get on my nerves, I think I considered him a son just as much you considered him a brother. God, I imagine I’d never hear the end of it if he was here to hear me say that but it’s truth.
     
    I still remember the day I first spoke to him and told him that I’d strangle him if anything happened to you, but I think he knew I was just happy you made a friend and was just being a mother.
     
    Not long after that Knuckles came along and despite butting heads, he became a member of the team and just as loyal a friend to both of you as you were to each other. I think I shocked him the first we met and I spoke to him the old language, something he didn’t expect from an outsider because it was considered dead to everyone but his bloodline. I had to cover that for the time being with a claim that I had spent time studying ancient languages in university. He believed it, to my shock.
     
    I still remember the day I let both of them in on my secret. There had been an accident and they both thought I was dead, and went looking for you out of worry when you disappeared for a few hours. I guess they assumed the shock made you wonder off. Of course, you had come to meet me on Angel Island so we could plan what to do next. had asked you meet at the shrine because I knew they might turn up there and it was time to tell them. They found us talking around nightfall and Sonic’s reaction was not expected, but understandable.
     
    “SWEET MOBIUS, IT’S A GHOST” He had already climbed one of the pillars that surrounded the central altar, Knuckles had just fainted the minute he saw me.
     
    You had convinced Sonic that I WASN’T any sort of walking undead or vengeful spirit by the time Knuckles had come to, but explanations had to wait because he promptly saw me and fainted again.
    It was a fun time.
     
    You made other friends like Amy and Cream, the later of which become your wife years much later on.. Can’t say I was surprised by that as much I was surprised that Sonic finally fell for Amy.
     
    I think I spent most of your wedding day alternating between crying and jumping with joy because you had come so far and were finally finding happiness of some kind. I do apologize if it was embarrassing having me and your then-future mother-in-law clinging to each other and crying in the front row. That always happens to me at weddings.
     
    The years flew by after that until you and her had your first child, who of course called me Aunt Mel until she was old enough to understand that I was her grandma. Her brother followed. You did a little better Sonic, who managed to forget Amy when rushing to the hospital the day he became a father. I still never thought that was actually possibly until he proved me wrong, and I told all about how in over a millennium of living I had never seen someone actually do that.
     
    I watched them grow as I did you. I saw them through school and college, and then finally through their own weddings and the birth of their children, your grandchildren and I’ll never regret that I could be there to see it.
     
    Time isn’t always kind though, I watched you and your friends grow older the whole time and watched…
     
    I watched time and time again as the moment I fear most about my relationships with mortals came, and every single one was called home, one by one.
     
    I-I just. I know this is how it has to happen, that’s how it always happens, but I always feel so helpless. I would’ve protected you from anything, but with all my strength and all my skills with a blade, it was the one thing I couldn’t protect you from that took you from me. The one enemy I couldn’t fight and will never be able to.
     
    I guess that is my price to pay for being immortal. I held you in my arms as a baby, not long after you entered this world and breathed your first and I held you again as time finally took you and you breathed your last. The fact I was able to be there for you until the end is one of the few solaces I have, that you didn’t have to die alone.
     
    You went last, and so I can take another in the hope that wherever you are, your friends were waiting for you and welcomed you home. I know the man you considered a brother went nearly ten years before and your wife went five. I know how much you missed them both dearly and now you’ll all be re-united. As much as it hurt me to see you go and as much as I damn myself, a part of me of me knows that you had nothing to fear from being called home.
    I don’t remember everything from the first time I crossed over and was sent back, but I remember I was in a place that I did not fear and I remember it was a kind voice that told me it wasn’t my time and it belonged to someone that hadn’t forsaken me, but instead had granted me a gift and intended that I have a purpose. I remember telling you that and describing the glimpse of paradise I saw as you began to fade and grew scarred.
     
    In that moment you we’re a child that needed his mother, just as you we’re when you came into this world.
     
    I just want to know that even now with me heart breaking, I don’t regret any of it and I’d live every second with you again, even if it meant suffering this pain again.
     
    Goodbye, Miles, and know that I will always love you. You may be a hero to Mobius, but to me you’ll always be my son.
  9. FoxyCryptid
    Playing Hitman Absolution for the second time on the PC, I’ve noticed something interesting about 47’s character.
    I don’t know if it’s intentional but it’s almost like he has two personalities. The cold and almost mechanical killer with a knack for technical perfection that carries out his contracts is the first and obvious one of the two, but there’s an almost childlike and naive side that sometimes comes out when he’s not in danger or interacting with people he trusts on some level.
    The first time I really noticed was in the gun shop when he reacted to finding his Silverballers like a child looking at their favorite toy sitting just out of reach(“they were mine” slips out).
    When the owner tells him he doesn’t look like a thief in response to his suggestion that he could just take them. he also says “it wouldn’t be stealing” in an almost innocent tone of voice like a child trying to rationalize the concept of “stealing is wrong, but is it stealing if I’m taking back something that was stolen from me?” and process it.
    Going back again, this also seems to come out a little when he’s attempting to comfort Victoria and tell her he knows what’s she’s been through and won’t let anyone hurt her again(he also brings up his promise to Diana).
    There’s also the way he offers money to the head Nun when he first hides Victoria there and seems confused at the idea of someone helping him out of kindness instead of in exchange for money or other personal gain.
    As I said, I don’t know if it’s intentional or not but it’s a interesting bit of complexity to a character that’s usually pretty generic.
  10. FoxyCryptid
    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2826252/Parents-horror-Evil-Stick-toddlers-reveals-picture-young-girl-slitting-wrists-knife.html
     
    Also, I want a couple because of the "WTH" and creepy value those things have.
  11. FoxyCryptid
    I just thought of something really meaningful about the return to Shadow Moses in MGS4
     
    Imagine being 13 years old in 1999 and playing MGS1 on the PSX(because damn it, we all know we played M rated games long before 17) and working so hard to beat it and help Snake save the world. Imagine later on Getting you're first PS2 and playing MGS2, then finally MGS3. 18 Years old is what you'd be as you completed it in 2004.
     
    Spin-offs and PSP games come and go, you pick-up the Twim Snakes to relive the beginning with nicer graphics and some point and maybe pick up the HD collection to gear up for MGS4.
     
    You'd be 23 years old, barely out of college and entering the outside world and full adult life when you picked it up if you did so around launch. You reach Shadow Moses and it all hits you that you've been with Snake from the moment it began here, and now this place that symbolized so much to come is nothing but neglected rubble and haunting memories. You hear that haunting music and the voices of the past as you make you're way through the ruins towards the final battle, and Snake's final chapter.
     
    You face Crying Wolf in the clearing, echoing one of the most emotional boss fights from the first game and it ends with a ghostly wolf coming to carry her body away, away from where the metaphorical blood of Sniper Wolf stains the ground in the spot where she also fell. You can't tell if it's the game of your own memories as those words "You're not a Dog, you're a Wolf" echo in your ears.
     
    As you face the final battle those emotions stay with you as you realize it all ends here, you've been by Snake's side for a decade and as a phase of your life ends, so does his story, the one you've been a part of for a decade ends. You feel the same rush of emotions as everyone on screen because you've fought along side Solid Snake for these 10 long years and now it's over, the battle is won and the world has been set free, along with it's hero who spends his last few months free from war and dies peacefully in his sleep after a life of violence and pain.
     
    You cry a little, because you feel like you've said goodbye to an old friend. You replay all the games but it's still like no more than reliving old memories and adventures because you know this hero's story has come to it's end, and the final chapter has closed.
  12. FoxyCryptid
    Finally for it built
     
     
    PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
     
    CPU: *AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($139.97 @ OutletPC)
    Motherboard: *Asus M5A97 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($89.79 @ Amazon)
    Memory: *G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($82.99 @ Newegg)
    Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
    Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB FTW ACX Video Card ($149.98 @ OutletPC)
    Case: Deepcool TESSERACT SW ATX Mid Tower Case ($42.98 @ Newegg)
    Power Supply: Corsair CX 500W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($34.99 @ Newegg)
    Optical Drive: LG WH16NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($49.99 @ Micro Center)
    Monitor: Asus VN247H-P 23.6" Monitor ($164.30 @ Amazon)
    Total: $809.97
    Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
    *Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
    Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-01 11:21 EDT-0400
     

     

     

  13. FoxyCryptid
    I finally went and loaded my pre-paid up and ordered my stuff(I hope I got the right cables, my drives didn't come with any) My monitor came with a video cable and audio cable, and my GPU came with it's power cord. Attached Thumbnails





  14. FoxyCryptid
    Good deals today
     
    Armored Core(PS1, CIB) $3
    Naughty Bear: Gold Edition(CIB, 360) $8
    Last of Us(CIB, I think) $8
    GTA5(CIB) $8
     
    No clue WHO in the their right mind would sell a new release that GS is probably still giving $25 for to the pawnshop, but yeah.
     
     

  15. FoxyCryptid
    I just had a thought.
     
    Conspiracy theories(or rather, the community around them) are the ultimate echo-chambers:
     
    Someone disagrees? They must be a shill(I've actually been called this by a couple really crazy theorists just because I could tear their theories apart)
     
    Information goes against you're view of reality? It must be planted.
     
    The evidence on hand challenges your theory? It must be falsified in some way.
     
    Someone doesn't believe you or doesn't share your delusions? They must be in on it.
     
    A news source doesn't confirm your bias? They must be owned by the New World Order.
     
    A news sources panders to you? They must be the real holders of the truth.
     
    In all truth though, I can see where it comes from. Fear compounded by escapism and wanted to be the cool guy that's fighting for something like Fox Mulder or Diana Skully.
  16. FoxyCryptid
    Didn't do bad today:
     
    Conflict Vietnam(Xbox, CIB) $1
    Goosebumps: Horrorland(PS2, CIB) $5. I overpaid but I couldn't pass it up because I loved Goosebumps as a kid and still collect GB stuff for old times sake
    Vagrant Story(PS1, No Manual) $.75
    Darkstone(PS1, CIB) $.50
    DMC HD Collection(Xbox360, CIB) $3
    DmC(Xbox360, No Manual) $3
     
    and a random budget title for $1
     

  17. FoxyCryptid
    (This is something I wrote up back on Father's Day and never shared anywhere, but I am now because all of it is true)
    First father's day since Dad passed.I kind of miss just going up there every Sunday or so to talk or play cards and so does Carl. I kinda wish we had all played a few more hands of cribbage then we got around to, maybe played one last hand the last time I saw him in the nursing home since he never made down the rec-room like he planned to the next day.
    It hit me hard when I saw him lying there in uniform the last time and I lost it, but another part of me was relieved because he looked so proud and peaceful, like a solider at rest and ready to march home.
    I love you Dad, and goodbye.
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